The Information Junkie

25 Random Things That I Don't Mind Sharing About Me

2009-02-06T23:43:00.003-05:00

The 25 Random Things Meme that has originated on Facebook is a good thing to participate in. I found that a lot of people are reluctant to share deeply personal things on the internet that they wouldn't ordinarily share with a friend or a loved one. But there are places that we have all visited, people that we have met, movies that we have all seen, and foods that we all like to eat. If we withhold those things from people that we are trying to get to know better, then it puts an invisible barrier in the development of human relationships. So without further adieu, here are some things that I don't mind sharing with the general public at large:

Los Angeles is my most favorite city that I like to visit. I think that I could live there too.
I like small cars, and for a tall guy like me, it seems proposterous.
My favorite mewspaper that I like to read everyday online is the New York Times.
Jim Murray was my favorite and the best sportswriter that ever lived. Michael Wilbon and Jason Whitlock are not to far behind.
I escaped death twice, once in an automobile accident, and the second a serious attack of cellulitis that started in my left leg.
I graduated 44th in my high school class.
I delivered newspapers as a teenager, but after getting robbed twice, I gave it up for good my senior year of high school.
I never though I would live in Philadelphia, but I am glad that I live here.
Growing up in Gary, Indiana I learned a whole lot, the best lesson was how to really understand and connect with people, even if they are different from you.
The late David Halberstam is my favorite author, "The Education of a Coach" is the one that I like the most.
My daughter is one of the best things that God could have blessed me with. My wife is night to far behind.
I played the clarinet and saxophone in high school, and now my daughter plays them.
My best friend is an accomplished CPA does a great job of keeping me and his other clients away from the IRS.
I am a loyal Oakland Raiders fan-why I don't really know.
The Lakers have never been too far from my thoughts even during the off-season.
My wife and daughter are trying to get me to learn sign language with them.
Pledging a fraternity was not the best decision that I ever made, but it taught me that I had to live with the consequences of my decisions.
I have always wanted to write a book about something, so after I'm gone people can wonder "What the heck was he talking about?"
My grandfather (see picture) was an extraordinary human being. He was a principal at a racially segregated school in the early 20's and 30's when the world didn't want young black children to learn much of anything.
I value a person's character even higher when he or she faces adversity and overcomes it. This trumps loyalty anyday for me.
At first, I didn't think much about Barack Obama's chances, but after observing him in action, I thought to myself - "Why Am I Being So Foolish?"
My first job out of college was in telemarketing, where I learned for the first time not to take too seriously anything that Corporate America says.
My neighborhood growing up will never leave my heart, even though it was during a time that we really needed to stick together as a community. Nowdays, people tend to stick inside their houses. For the life of me, I don't understand why.
The world may not buy newspapers a whole lot these days, but the words in them will help you learn things that you never thought that you would learn. My father bought three newspapers out-of-town newspapers home after church every Sunday. That was the best habit that he ever taught, and it allowed me to live a life not dependent on information, but benefiting from the information that I read.
I like reading Paul Krugman's explanation in the New York Times about the fundamentals of economics. He does it better than my college economics teacher. If I was his student, I would have gotten a higher grade than a "C". Maybe it was because I hated the subject!

How To Understand Obama's Stimulus in Five Easy Steps

2009-02-04T22:34:00.002-05:00

I am not an economic wizard by any means, but it has been fascinating to me to watch the sparring over President Obama's economic stimulus. Republicans who have been used to tax cuts, still push for tax cuts. Democrats who want to provide for liberal social programs and the like, want to spend or throw money at the problem. It is the classic battle of style vs. substance, "tax and spend" vs. "tax everything". I am not sure how much the stimulus actually will benefit my family and I, but it makes great theater. If I was to venture into economic theory for a second, I would ask a lot of questions, but these are the simple ones:

How big should the stimulus be?
What programs need it the most?
Who is for the stimulus?
Who is against the stimulus?
Where geographically should the money be spent to make the best use of it?

Can anyone suggest any resources on how to learn about the particulars of the stimulus?

The Worst Deed of 2009

2009-01-28T23:36:00.003-05:00

The award for the Worst Deed of the New Year goes to the power company who cut off power to a 93 yr old man's home without finding out if there was any assistance that could be given. I doubt that anything that happens this year could be as worse as this.

The First Good Deed of 2008

2008-01-03T22:46:00.000-05:00

Normally the first baby of the new year is celebrated in newspapers far and wide. But this item should supersede these types of headlines. Apparently a 47-year old food service worker who makes minimum wage and uses food stamps was walking down the street and picked up a piece of paper to write down a phone number. But instead, he found a $158,000 check. He quickly picked up the check and instead of cashing it, he found the rightful owner who gave him $50 for it. What would you do if you found a check of that amount (or any amount for that matter) ?

5 Reasons Why You Should Bookmark Madconomist.com

2007-11-10T21:21:00.000-05:00

There are not many blogs that exist in the blogosphere that deal exclusively with numbers, but when I came across Madconomist.com the other day, I was impressed to say the least. Madconomist deals with the humourous, serious, and strange events that occur in life that involve numbers. His posts are not limited to how large the number is.

He categorizes his posts well with five categories:

Statistics and Other Lies - Favorite post in this category is "The $1000 Bagel" about a bagel that was created to raise money for culinary arts students.

Crimeconomics - Favorite post in this category is "The Cambridge Man Steals 123 Parking Meters". Maybe the guy wanted to start a museum or something.

Odd Numbers- Favorite post in this category is "Russia Sold Toilet to U.S. for $19m". Can you imagine a toilet costing this much?

Crazy Money - Favorite post in this category is "Mailbox Hit By Meterorite Sells For $83K".

Wrong Numbers - Favorite post in this category is "Exxon Mobil Sends Man 2000 credit cards". Some people should consider themselves lucky to have such a good fortune.

I like the title of the blog too - I wonder how he came up with the name?

Chicago: The City That Never Sleeps

2007-11-07T17:48:00.000-05:00

According to a survey conducted by Prince Market Research with 2,000 respondents, my hometown of Chicago consumes the most coffee, chocolate, and colas on the average, followed by these cites:

Tampa
Miami
Phoenix
Atlanta

You kind of wonder people in these cities, need so much. Is the stress of life just that great that they find that they need a stimulant to get through the day? Go figure.

Seven Reasons Why Your Wallet Will Weigh Less During The 2007 Holiday Shopping Season

2007-11-05T22:59:00.001-05:00

The 2007 Holiday Shopping season is about to commence soon and the National Retail Federation is forecasting a brisk holiday season:

The average consumer will spend on the average $923.36 on holiday-related shopping.
The four segments of the retail format that will most likely benefit from increased activity are department stores, discount houses, grocery stores, and on-line shopping sites.
The average consumer will do 30.2% of their shopping on-line.
The average consumer will spend $469.19 on gifts for family, $90.13 on gifts for friends, $22.79 on gifts for co-workers, and $37.45 on gifts for people such as babysitters.
It is estimated that consumers will increase spending on flowers ($20.53), Christmas decorations ($49.76), candy ($94.69), and greeting cards ($32.21) over last year.
Gift cards are the most popular items requested, followed by books, CDs, DVDs, video and video games then consumer electronics, then housewares and furnishings.
What brings people into stores for the holiday season? Low Prices (12.8%), Sales and Price Discounts (38.2%), Merchandise Selection (22.6%), Product Quality (12.8%), and Location Proximity (6.3%).

10 Halloween Facts for 2007 That May Scare You

2007-10-31T19:16:00.001-05:00

Before you take your children trick-or-treating on the West Coast, there are some facts that you might find amusing about Halloween:

There are 100 million owner occupied housing units in the United States that are ripe for trick-or-treaters.
36.1 million children in the U.S. actually go trick-or-treating.
The were 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns produced in the United States in 2005.
Total spending on Halloween items will reach 5 billion this year.
Total spending per person is estimated to be $64.82 in 2007.
72.9% of all consumers plan to stay home and pass out candy, which is the most popular activity during Halloween.
Tips for parents on how to enjoy Halloween from Amazon.com.
50 of the scariest movies of all time from the Boston Globe.
Top 10 Halloween books for children.
Top 10 scary creatures.

The Top 10 Children's Halloween Costumes for 2007

2007-10-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

According to the 2007 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation for the Halloween season, these costumes are the most likely to be worn by children for Halloween:

Princess
Spiderman
Pirate
Witch
Fairy
Disney Princess
Star Wars Character
Pumpkin
Ghost
Power Ranger

The Top 10 Pet Halloween Costumes for 2007

2007-10-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

Devil
Pumpkin
Witch
Princess
Angel
Pirate
Hot Dog
Bat
Black Cat
Clown

The Top 10 Adult Halloween Costumes for 2007

2007-10-28T22:58:00.000-05:00

1. Witch
2. Pirate
3. Vampire
4. Cat
5. Princess
6. Fairy
7. Wench/Tart
8. Clown
9. Angel
10. Nurse

21 Occupations That You May Want To Avoid Like The Plague

2007-10-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

A new government study has shed new light into occupational choice. According to the the National Survey on Drug Use and Health made available this past Saturday, clinical depression is more widespread in the workplace that was once imagined. It affects the American economy significantly though lost productivity, employee absenteeism and low morale. The cost to the American economy is staggering, at an estimated $30 to $45 billion dollars a year. There is a variation in the rate of depression in several occupational fields. In fact, according to the study, 8.6% of the employable workforce has experienced a major depressive episode. Of that number 7.6% of employees employed full time, 9.3% employed part-time, and 12.7% formerly unemployed has experienced at least one major depressive episode.

I would imagine that the reasons why they could occur are many:

• Unexpected layoffs
• Outsourcing
• Family Issues
• Financial Issues
• Lack of Mobility
• Poor Working Conditions
• Dim Employment Prospects for the Future
• Lack of Education

But there are twenty-one occupations that have been cited as occupations that have higher incidents of these major depressive issues than others among full time workers:

1. Personal Care and Service – 21%
2. Food Preparation and Service Related – 10.3%
3. Community and Social Services – 9.6%
4. Healthcare Practioners and Technical – 9.6%
5. Arts, Design, and Entertainment, Sports, and Media – 9.1%
6. Education, Training, and Library – 8.7%
7. Office And Aministration Support – 8.1%
8. Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance – 7.3%
9. Financial – 6.7%
10. Sales and Related – 6.7%
11. Legal – 6.4%
12. Transportation and Material Moving – 6.4%
13. Mathematical and Computer Scientists – 6.2%
14. Production – 5.9%
15. Management – 5.8%
16. Farming, Fishing, and Forestry – 5.6%
17. Protective Service – 5.5%
18. Constructive and Extradiction – 4.8%
19. Installation, Maintenance, and Repair – 4.4%
20. Life, Physical, and Social Sciences – 4.3%

I am sure that there are other reasons why these jobs are stressful than others. Does anyone have any idea why? Just seeing these numbers may affect the way that a person makes a career choice.

Four Interesting Facts About the Number 4

2007-10-07T23:38:00.001-05:00

1. Brett Favre holds several NFL records including:

Most Career Completions - 5,021
Most Career Wins As A Quarterback - 149
Most Career Touchdown Passes - 421
Most Career Passing Yards as a Green Bay QB - 57,500

2. If you tour Italy to taste wine at its many wineries you could fall into one of four categories: a professional, an impassioned neophyte, the hanger-on, and the drinker.

3. Oprah Winfrey earns four times as much as much as other TV stars. Between June 2006 - June 2007 she earned $260 million. The next closest in that period was Jerry Seinfeld, who earned $60 million.

4. The top 4% of all search engine queries matter most when optimizing a website.

Related Posts:

43 Interesting Facts About the Number 43
8 Interesting Facts About the Number 8
5 Interesting Facts About the Number 5
44,274,467 Reasons Why You May be Richer Than You Think
5 Things That You Didn't Know About the Information Junkie
9 Reasons Why The Information Junkie Is The Person of the Year

The Million Dollar Fantasy Challenge

2007-10-06T21:08:00.001-05:00

One of the sweepstakes entries for the Problogger 3rd Anniversary Birthday Bash had a simple requirement - to answer one question:

What Would You Do If You Had A Million Dollars?

I had to stop and think for a moment, because the question took me by surprise. I am one of the world's richest middle class family men, but I pondered what it would be like to actually have a million dollars at your disposal. It doesn't matter if you inherited it from your grandmother or won the lottery - but I thought that I might be fun to at least dream about having such a large sum of money.

My criteria is simple -

I would like to retire at 57

I would like to finance my daughter's college education

I would like to have money to cover basic living and medical expenses for at least 20 years in a part of the country that is affordable to retirees.

I want to give something back to the community.

I would like to travel to places that I would like to see before I depart from this earth.

I would like to purchase some electronic gadgets that won't wear out for at least 5 years.

I am going to assume that the $1 million came as an inheritance from an aunt - $1 mil

1. If this is a lottery winning then at least 50% of the money is taxed, so:

$1,000,000 * .50 = 500,000

$1 mil - 500,000 = 500,000 (Amount Left)

2. Tithe using 10% of the gross amount:

$1,000,000 * .10 = 100,000

$500,000 - 100,000 = $400,000 (Amount Left)

3. Pay off my house ($150,000):

$400,000 - $150,000 = $250,000 (Amount Left)

4. Finance my daughter's wedding ($50,000):

$250,000 - $50,000 = $200,000 (Amount Left)

5. Invest for anticipated medical expenses ($100,000)

$200,000 - $100,000 = $100,000 (Amount Left)

6. Living expenses = $100,000

This averages $5k per year for the next 20 years.

Unfortunately, there is no money left over to have fun. Is this a viable plan or not? What suggestions would you make to alter this plan? What would you do if you were in the same situation?

I am going to do some research to see if this plan is viable or not. This post will be updated with what I find out.

Related Posts:

442, 274,467 Reasons Why You May Be Richer Than You Think

Three Interesting Facts About the Number 3

Three Interesting Facts About The Number 3

2007-10-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

1. To celebrate three years of professional blogging, Darren Rowse is holding a birthday celebration with prizes exceeding $54,000 over at Problogger.

2. Halo 3 sold $170m in game cartridges on its first day launch, which is the highest recorded amount ever for a video game.

3. In the NY Times' opinion, the Supreme Court made three bad rulings on its last day before summer reccess on June 29th:

Enabled the political system to have the ability to receieve new special interest money.
Weakened the protection of student expression.
Made it harder for citizens to challenge government violations of the seperation of chruch vs. state.

44,274,467 Reasons That You May Be Richer Than You Think

2007-09-25T13:29:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, you may look at the money that you take home every week and wonder whether you are doing all that you can to support your family and fund your retirement. In fact, you may be in better position in the United States than in other countries. In fact, according to the World Bank Development Research Group, based on the world's total population of 6 billion, the average worldwide income is about $5000.

The Global Rich List allow you to input your gross salary (in your relevant currency) just where you stand. When you get the results, you may be pleasantly suprised. Right now, I am the 44,274,467 richest person in the world, which puts me in the top 1% worldwide. Not bad huh?

You can access the Global Rich List here:

I'm the 44,274,467 richest person on earth!

Discover how rich you are! >>

5 Interesting Facts About the Number 5

2007-09-03T14:08:00.000-05:00

As part of the National Highway Safety Improvement program, all states are required to spell out at least the top 5% of their highways that have severe safety needs. This is required so that the public is aware of potential safety concerns in ther state, and challenges their states to address the issues cited in the 5% Report.
The Jackson Five are from my hometown of Gary, Indiana.
The Five Guys hamburger chain (which has a location five minutes away from my house) has been rated the top hamburger in the country by Zagat for the last five years.
There are five potential candidates to replace Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General.
In Kuala Lampur, women civil servants can take up to five years of time off without pay to care for their children after exhausting their maternity leave.

43 Interesting Facts About the Number 43

8 Interesting Facts About the Number 8

2007-09-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

The current odds on Fred Thompson being the GOP nominee for President is 8 to 1.
8% of registered drivers are on the cell phone while driving.
An estimated 8.7 percent of US children age 8 to 15 meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
Among young adults ages 18 to 24 in 2004, 8 percent of those living below the poverty line reported suffering from two or more symptoms of depression in the past 30 days, compared with 5 percent of those young adults living at or above the poverty line.
Only 8% of U.S. customers are likely to buy an iPhone at its original $500 retail price.
8% of the top 1000 Brands offer Mobile Web capabilities.
PET Scans miss up to 8% of all cancers.
8 in 10 voters believe that the vitality of America’s colleges and universities are critical to the future economic success of the country.

Related Posts:

43 Interesting Facts About the Number 43

43 Interesting Facts About the Number 43

2007-07-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

My wife turned 43 yesterday, so as her birthday present, I decided to search far and wide for forty-three of the most interesting facts about the number 43:

43 was Dennis Eckersley’s uniform number.
43 was Richard Petty’s car number.
43 Things was launched in 2005.
43 Folders is the top GTD (Getting Things Done) site in the world.
43 Places was launched in 2005.
George W. Bush is the 43^rd President of the United Sates.
43 million of the estimated 93 million internet users in China have broadband access.
43 is the code for international direct dial calls to Austria.
43% of African American youth as opposed to 26% of White youth are likely to be incarcerated - from the National Juvenile Justice network.
43 metrics tons are still found in nuclear weapons – The Brookings Institution – 50 facts about Nuclear Weapons
43% of the population of New Meixco is Hispanic, the highest of any nation.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azaban is the 43^rd ranked movie of all-time in terms of domestic gross receipts with a figure of $249,541,069 tracked in 2004. From Box Office Mojo.
Around the World in 80 Days is the 43^rd ranked movie of all-time in terms of domestic gross receipts (adjusted for ticket proce inflation) with a figure of $425,169,200. From Box Office Mojo.
The Day After Tomorrow is the 43^rd ranked movie of all-time in terms of world-wide gross receipts with a figure of $249,541,069 tracked in 2004. From Box Office Mojo.
“A Time to Break Silence” a speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is ranked 43^rd among the 100 greatest speeches of all-time by American Rhetoric.
The Key Tower in Cleveland which is 200 meters high, is ranked as the 43^rd tallest building in the world.
Virginia Beach, VA with a population of 438,415 is ranked as the 43^rd biggest city in the U.S.
Guangzhou, China with a population of 5,162,000 is ranked as the 43^rd largest city in the world.
Tyler, Texas is ranked as the 43^rd smallest metro area in the U.S.
The Dance to the Music of Time was ranked by the Modern Library as the 43^rd best novel of all-time.
WebMD is the 43^rd ranked web property with 17m vistors for the month of June 2007.
Female gray whales average 46 feet in length and may weigh almost 70,000 pounds. Male gray whales are generally smaller than females, averaging 43 feet in length.
More than 43 million people tuned in to at least some part of the highly acclaimed Baseball documentary miniseries on PBS in September, 1994, giving Ken Burns' brainchild the largest cumulative audience in the network's 25-year history
Captain Kirk's Enterprise crew numbered 430. His successor, Captain Picard, had 1,012 under his command.
43 muscles are needed to frown.
There are 43 species of birds in Anartica.
There is a blog dedicated to the number 43 called Interstate 43.
The following highways are labeled 43: Interstate 43(Wisconsin)
U.S. Route 43 (Tennessee to Mobile, Alabama)
Highway 43 (Arkansas)
State Route 43 (California)
Illinois Route 43 (Illinois)
State Road 43 (Indiana)
M-43 (Michigan highway)
Highway 43 (Mississippi)
Route 43 (Missouri)
New Hampshire Route 43 (New Hampshire)
Route 43 (New Jersey)
State Highway 43 (Oklahoma)
Route 43 (Oregon)
State Highway 43 (Texas)
State Route 43 (Virginia)
Highway 43 (Wisconsin
The Church of England has 43 cathedrals: Birmingham, Blackburn , Bradford, Bristol, Bury St. Edmunds, Canterbury, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Chester, Chichester, Coventry, Derby, Durham, Ely, Exeter, Gloucester, Guildford, Hereford, Leicester, Lichfield, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Norwich, Oxford, Peel, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Ripon, Rochester, St. Albans, Salisbury, Sheffield, Southwark, Southwell, Truro, Wakefield, Wells, Winchester, Worchester, and York.
343 NYC firefighters died on Septemeber 11^th.
43 Web Design Mistakes You Should Avoid by Jakob Nielsen.
43 Best Blogs Wiki tracks the best blogs on the planet.
43 Thongs launched in 2005.
Canada’s largest cycle shop is closing after 43 years.
the 43 star flag was adopted for use on July 4, 1890
There are 43 reasons that it’s great to be a girl.
There are 43 reasons it’s great to be romantic.
There are 43 million reasons to use myspace.com
Travels on the 43 bus – a blog.
Berry Bonds is 43 years old.
Video game sales are up 43% over the first part of this year.
The word interpolate is 42^nd on the list of words that every high schooler should know.
Roger Ebert thinks that “Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia” is the 43^rd best film ever made.

I am going to elaborate on each of these facts in the days to come. Does anyone else know any facts about the number 43?

The Great .COM Scavenger Hunt - Part 1

2007-05-11T03:12:00.000-05:00

I recently came across a list of 100 of the oldest .com names that were registered as early as 1985. I thought that it may be fun to go through the list and see which names are still active or not. I am going to start with the oldest five .com domains first:

1. symbolics.com - creation date : 3/15/85
This domain is still active, it is a domain that was registered by a private company that made computer programs based on the LISP operating system.

2. bbn.com - creation date : 4/24/85
This domain is still active. From the site:

BBN uses technology to solve the world's toughest problems including real-time speech recognition, information security, ad hoc networking, and tracking security threats in challenging environments.

3. think.com - creation date : 5/24/85
This domain is still active, it is used by the Oracle Education foundation.

4. mmc.com - creation date : 7/11/85
This domain is no longer active.

5. dec.com - creation date : 9/30/85
This domain is is still active, now owned by HP.

So far: 80% of the oldest domains are still active.

Inspired by Darren Rowse's Top 5 Group Writing Project

Celebrate Black History Month 2007

2007-02-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

In leading off my month-long effort to catalog interesting facts about Black History Month, I thought that I would recap past posts that you may find worthwhile as a starting point:

Reminiscing about the Godfather of Soul – James Brown.

The critically-acclaimed series from the Washington Post on being a Black Man in America.

Who are the top black leaders today?

Population facts about African-Americans from the U.S. Census:

http://kingoinfo.blogspot.com/2006/02/black-history-month-2006-more.html

http://kingoinfo.blogspot.com/2006/02/black-history-month-2006-population.html

Do we still need Black History Month?

Martin Luther King

Coretta Scott King’s death: http://kingoinfo.blogspot.com/2006/01/black-history-month-coretta-scott-king.html

My Martin Luther King Day Service project: http://kingoinfo.blogspot.com/2006/01/my-mlk-day-service-project.html

Gerald Ford Passes Away At 93

2006-12-27T00:40:00.000-05:00

I just saw on the wire services that former president Gerald Ford passed away at the age of 93.

4 Ways to Remember the Godfather of Soul

2006-12-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a friend at work today about James Brown, who died yesterday on Christmas morning. I told him that it was going to be tough, because he was an artist that we all listened to back home in Indiana. The thing that I liked about him is that he had a lot of energy and had a lot of fun doing what he did best. I even tried to imitate his split on stage as a teenager, but the only thing that I did was split my pants. The lyrics to a lot of his songs were interesting too. But, it got me to thinking, how can I keep his memory alive and teach my daughter about his life. I thought of 4 ways that anyone can do this:

If you were going to be in the Augusta, Ga. Area this coming Friday and Saturday, you could go to his funeral.
Visit websites devoted to him:

3. Listen to and Watch his music:

4. Buy His Music from Amazon.com

Five Things that You Did Not Know About The Information Junkie

2006-12-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

Paticipation in Darren Rowse’s last group writing project of the year earlier this week was a success in my book. I received a surge of visitors to my blog and most importantly, I received 10 comments on my post, which were all encouraging. Since feedback and relationships are going to have to be an ongoing activity, I wanted to give you five quick facts that you may find interesting from my life:

My best friend is an accountant.
I played both the clarinet and saxophone in high school.
I enjoy watching, discussing, and reading about my favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Jackson 5 grew up and got their first exposure in Gary, Indiana before they became famous. My grandmother was in charge of security for their first concert back home in Gary. I was there in attendance.
I graduated 47^th in my high school class at West Side High School in Gary, Indiana.

I want to know more about my fellow commenters and readers as well, so feel free to leave your comments at the end of this post. In the meantime, I will tag my commenters with this meme (Gary Rogers was already tagged somewhere else) :

Sarah Lewis

Brad Shorr

How I Made It Through 2006 As A Newbie Blogger Without Losing The Rest of My Hair

2006-12-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

Darren Rowse over at Problogger.net started a group writing project earlier this year that helped me set some very specific goals for this blog so I can commit to putting in the time to take it to the next level of visibility in the blogosphere. It is always good to re-evaluate your goals to see just exactly where you are. The goal that I set for myself was to increase my writing in order to get more than five readers a day viewing my content. In this year-end review, (which is Darren’s final group writing project for the year) I will revisit the specific steps that I tried to use to achieve this goal:

1. Enter more blog carnivals on a weekly basis: I entered blog carnivals a lot when I first started blogging, but it fell off when I got consumed with other family-oriented priorities such as buying a new house and selling my old one.

2. Define the purpose of my blog: I narrowed the purpose of my blog to one that highlights information that an average person would find interesting and perhaps pass it along to a friend or a neighbor who can benefit by using it. The term “junkie” my have a negative connotation, but it certainly wasn’t meant that way. I don’t have an addiction to information, just a passion for seeing it.

3. Post more consistently: I got distracted in the middle of the year, when I was looking for a new house and tried to sell my old one. So my blogging would have huge gaps in them, sometimes going days without posting anything. I need to be more consistent with this in 2007; the good thing is that I am settled into my new house and can contentrate more about posting more frequently.

4. Participate in more forums: Same old story, need more time to be more effective.

5. Invite more feedback from readers: Linkbaiting seems to be effective for most bloggers, I want to understand more of how it works so it can be successful for me in 2007.

The good thing about 2006 was that even though I posted lightly, I was deemed an active member and contributor to the blogosphere by Time Magazine .

9 Reasons Why The Information Junkie is the Person of the Year

2006-12-18T16:43:00.000-05:00

I discovered today through my RSS reader that Time Magazine named the Information Junkie as a person of the year. I am extremely proud of the honor given these facts:

Since early this year 1,500 people have visited my little blog (An average of 2 per day).
These people have spent at least 15 seconds reading a post on my blog.
I have received visitors from as far away as Brazil and Indonesia.
A reader reads an average of one post a day on my little blog.
It has cost me nothing to run this blog and update it.
I have written about anything that I like, whether people agree or disagree with my opinions or not.
I have shared information with total strangers, friends, and family that may help them solve a problem or gain a new perspective on something that they have read.
I have reached a wider audience that I wouldn’t ordinarily reach with other traditional means of communication.
People far and wide can still read your writings in the years to come, even if you get bored with blogging.

I am proud to be a member of the blosphere, which is an interconnected community. There are no barriers to entry, and there are many opportunities to join in on the fun. The key to the Web 2.0 phenomenon is to develop a long-lasting community around something popular. Once you have established it, revenue ideas are abundant.

Best Blogs of 2006

2006-12-05T21:55:00.000-05:00

Fimoculous.com which has been known as the master of the year end list, has a roundup of thirty or so blogs that are worthy of a good read, but may have been overlooked. I am going to go through his list and see if I agree with him.

Best Web Comics of 2005

2006-11-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

Commerce Dept: More than 1,100 laptops missing since 2001

2006-09-21T22:18:00.000-05:00

You would think that the government has enough problems with security, consider this: Since 2001, more than 1,100 laptops have been reported missing since 2001. There is no record of how many people who were affected by these thefts. Maybe they need a good security system and an asset management system. Or maybe that wouldn't help!!

ProBlogger Group Writing Project – How to Customize Your Google Homepage

2006-09-19T23:58:00.000-05:00

Darren Rowse has another group writing project that is designed to teach bloggers how to write a “how-to” post. While the post does not have to have “how to” in the title, it is designed to teach a reader how to do something. When I first was learning how to blog, I was immediately attracted to his site because of the straightforward way that Darren uses to teach people how to get the most from blogging.

Getting the most from Google is something that surfers like me to try to do everyday. I am constantly on the site to search for information that will help me perform my job better. Fortunately, Google has made it easier for everyone. It offers a personalized start page which serves as a launching pad for searching and reading content from various sources. To utilize the personalized home page, you must sign up for a Google account. This allows you to utilize any of the services (applets) that Google supports, such as GMail and the basic Google search box.
After approval, you are present with a shell of a start page, which has sample content that can help you get started in building your customized start page.

On any page, you can use the “add more to this page” feature to add additional content that you want to appear on the selected page.

This feature has a search box that lets a user enter a keyword such as “George W. Bush” and search for content that relates to the keyword. Each content source retrieved from the search has an “Add This Now” button” that allows content items to be selected individually or as a group to the page that you are currently highlighting. The “add more to this page” feature also allows you to view and select content sources by category.

You can add additional tabs that categorize the content that you want displayed on your page. You can move content between tabs by simply dragging the content to the tab that you want it to be placed in. There is tremendous flexibility in customizing your page, and you are not limited to just one style layout. To make your personalized home page your default, you would need to follow browser-specific instructions from Google:

Google Support:
http://www.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=25557&topic=9002

15 Reasons to Like Terrell Owens and Why Everyone Else Should Too

2006-08-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

,I am contributing to another one of Darren Rowse's group writing projects, which are very effective in driving traffic your your blog, establishing relationships with other bloggers, and honing your writing skills. This project is focused on lists and how to create list type posts that may generate alot of discussion. My contribution is about Terrell Owens, the football player that everyone loves to watch but gets tired of sooner or later. I am not tired of him. We had him in Philadelphia for two seasons and although he crashed and burned I just enjoyed watching him play. In fact we own two of his #81 jerseys. So, I was able to find several reasons why I like him, and why everyone should like him too:

· He is a great receiver and makes an impact on the field.
· He tries to defy conventional wisdom, which we all wish that we could do.
· He is honest about his feelings, he holds nothing back.
· He has never gotten in trouble off of the field.
· He brings a lot of personality to a team.
· He works out religiously to stay in top flight condition.
· With T.O. on your team, you just can’t lose.
· He will be the topic of conversation long after he is finished playing.
· He is controversial, like him or not.
· He makes his teammates better.
· He likes to play in big games,
· He relishes being the center of attention.
· He is the most physically gifted wide receiver to ever play the game.
· Holds the NFL record for the most passes caught in a game 20 vs. Chicago on December
20, 2000.
· Holds an NFL record for the most consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards – 5 in
2004 with the Eagles.
· He is fiercely loyal to you if he lets you get close to him.
· He lives in a world of strict, unforgiving lines.
· He doesn't accept excuses or explanations.
· He once wrote a $10,000 check to an intern in the equipment department of the 49ers to help him care for his new baby.

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea – Reason #5

2006-07-27T06:15:00.000-05:00

Reason #5: People can read your writings in the years to come, even if you get bored with blogging.

I don’t think that I will ever get bored with blogging because I don’t think that you can ever run out of things to say. But as blogs come and go and bloggers get tired of updating them, there is an outlet for them in re-runs. The Internet Archive even has begun to archive some of the flagship blogs that users like to read such as Command Post, which was very popular during the 2004 election, but was shut down after 2 years of quality blogging.

From the site: (http://www.commandpost.org)

This Site Is A Weblog Landmark

When we created The Command Post on 20 March, 2003,
it quickly generated a lot of attention, soon becoming the first massive-scale
group citizen journalism weblog. Over the next two years hundreds of people
contributed, we were credentialed to both 2004 presidential conventions, and
several of our pages were added to the Library of Congress MINERVA on-line
collection.Now, with the explosion of weblogs and Web 2.0 services such as
search, tagging, and Technorati, the Web itself has become a single,
massive-scale outlet for citizen journalism. One simply doesn't need Command
Post much anymore, but we're keeping the site up as an archive ... a small
historical landmark along the hyperlink highway. "Oh, look, honey," Web
travelers might say, "here's where average people around the world first
collaboratively reported and documented history for themselves on a global
scale." Something may happen one day that warrants reactivation of the network,
but until then, please read and enjoy. Journalism for the people, by the people.
It's a beautiful thing. Thanks for all your support ~ Alan & Michele

I don’t know if my popularity will get to that level, but it is nice to know that there is a retirement home for old bloggers to go to.

Sources:

Problogger.net: Blogging Goals Group Writing Project

Lashawn Barber.com: I Am; Therefore, I Blog

Original Post: Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea

Reason #9: You can start and stop anytime you like.

Reason #8: You can use the technical and writing skills that you already possess

Reason #7 : Blogging is an activity that has minimal upfront costs associated with it. You can start with your mind and a free subscription to Blogger.com .

Reason #6: It forces me to remember things that I would normally forget.

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea – Reason #6

2006-07-27T06:09:00.000-05:00

Reason #6: It forces me to remember things that I would normally forget.

As my wife could probably attest to, I am quite forgetful at times. Yesterday, she sent me to the store to get two ice cream sandwiches; I came back with only one. Writing things down helps me stay on track and helps me to concentrate and stay focused on what I am supposed to say. Blogging at least once a daily can leave a trail of ideas that you can refer to over again, if run out of ideas for fresh posts.

Sources:

Problogger.net: Blogging Goals Group Writing Project
Lashawn Barber.com: I Am; Therefore, I Blog

Related Posts:
Original Post: Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea
Reason #9: You can start and stop anytime you like.
Reason #8: You can use the technical and writing skills that you already possess
Reason #7 : Blogging is an activity that has minimal upfront costs associated with it. You can start with your mind and a free subscription to Blogger.com .

Memories of the Way It Was

2006-07-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Darren Rowse has another group writing project going on at Problogger.net. He asks about what things would you change/or not change if you had a chance to start your blog all over again.

Things I Would Change

· I would have chosen Word Press over Blogger for more flexibility in using plug-ins, etc.
· I would have developed a publication schedule to organize my time better.
· I would have found Problogger a lot sooner than I did. It is the best, along with Copyblogger the best how-to blog tutorial on the net. I have learned so much from his posts, and I try to incorporate some of his ideas into my blog.
· I would have chosen a three-column format that gives more flexibility in adding categories, plug-ins and advertising revenue streams.

Things I Would Not Change

· The decision to blog. It helped me resurrect my long dormant writing skills.
· The name of my blog.
· My writing style that hopefully gives you an insight into what kind of a writer and blogger that I am.

Blogging Goals for the Rest of 2006

If I Had It To Over Again Group Writing Project

The Memory Keepers Daughter

2006-07-20T22:26:00.000-05:00

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Professor Kim Edwardsis rising on all of the best seller lists - fifth on the New York Times Best seller list, first on the Barners and Noble bestselling list, first on Publisher's Weekly, and third on the USA Today.

From the University of Kentucky news:

The novel, released at the end of June 2005, is a testament to the way life can take unexpected turns, and how two families’ lives are intertwined in mystery, loss and grief. It is a tale of redemptive love. Published as a hardcover last year, it sold 30,000 copies. Paperback publisher Penguin has gone back to press 10 times since May, and 824,000 copies are now in print.
Maybe my wife will like this book.

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea – Reason #7

2006-07-20T05:03:00.000-05:00

Reason #7 : Blogging is an activity that has minimal upfront costs associated with it. You can start with your mind and a free subscription to Blogger.com .

When I first started out blogging (being the cheapskate that I am) , I wanted to practice and learn blogging without wasting money on monthly charges such as Typepad. I wanted to have control of my blog template and the ability to experiement with different designs until I was happy with what I saw. Right now, I am happy with my Blogger template. There is no monthly charge and you can create as many blogs as you like. I can add features to it and experiment with HTML until I feel comfortable with the style of the blog. One issue that I have with Blogger is that there are not a lot of plug-ins that allow for customization like Word Press. But I am not worried out that right at this point. I am concentrating on polishing my writing skills, and encouraging other bloggers around the world to read my stuff (which I hope doesn’t put people to sleep).

Sources:

Problogger.net: Blogging Goals Group Writing Project

Lashawn Barber.com: I Am; Therefore, I Blog

Related Posts:

Original Post: Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea

Reason #9: You can start and stop anytime you like.

Reason #8: You can use the technical and writing skills that you already possess

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea – Reason #8

2006-07-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

Reason #8: You can use the technical and writing skills that you already possess.

Blogging really only requires a rudimentary amount of HTML and writing skills. The basic HTML skills that I already know how to use is the ability to post a link on the HTML editor of Blogger like this:

http://kingoinfo.blogspot.com/2006/07/ten-reasons-why-blogging-is-my-new-cup.html

When I decide to post something to my blogs, the approach that I take is based on the type of post that I decide to create. If it is a quick post, I use the “Blog This” option off of my Google Toolbar. If I have something long and lengthy to add, I simply open up open up a Microsoft Word document and type my thoughts there. I also edit it before I copy and paste it into Blogger. Posting in a blog is similar in some ways to working with e-mail. Someone can send you an e-mail about a subject that prompts a response. Since quick responses are normally required, you have to think quickly about how you are going to respond to the e-mail. Your writing needs to be succinct enough (between 200-500 words) so that the responder will get the gist of your message. A long essay “War and Peace” style is not required. The object is to gain the reader’s attention in your post, while building a dialogue with them. You can’t build a dialogue with them if you put them to sleep.

Sources:

Problogger.net: Blogging Goals Group Writing Project

Lashawn Barber.com: I Am; Therefore, I Blog

Related Posts:

Original Post: Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea

Reason #9: You can start and stop anytime you like.

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea – Reason #9

2006-07-12T15:09:00.000-05:00

Reason #9: You can start and stop anytime you like.

Unlike a daily newspaper, a blogger can control the time of the day that they post and the amount of posts that they choose to create. I have read stories about other bloggers who work from sun up to sundown creating content. Sometimes they post an average of about 10 times per day. I have a full-time job and other responsibilities, so right now I can only spend at most an hour or two per day updating my blog. The good thing about this is that in a tight time frame, you can concentrate more on delivering quality content that people will read, instead of being a posting machine, exhausted at the end of the day.

Related Posts:

Original Post: Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea

Reason #10: You can set your own blogging goals as high as you like

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea – Reason #10

2006-07-12T14:02:00.000-05:00

At the risk of sounding like one of the old H&R Block television commercials, I wanted to elaborate on why I like blogging so much in descending order.

Reason #10: You can set your own blogging goals as high as you like.

Just recently, Darren Rowse over at Problogger held a group writing project in which he invited bloggers to share their goals collectively as a group. The idea was a good one, because for the 130 or so submissions, you learned a lot from everyone of them. Some folks want to be an A-List blogger with lots of traffic. Others want to be an “expert” in their niche areas. And still others have the ambition to turn attention to the political and current events of the day and point out the inevitable ironies in them.

When I started the Information Junkie, I had just three goals for starting the blog:

To finally concentrate on writing, which I have been told that I have great potential, but never fully exploited to the fullest [Translation: I was being lazy].

To share information about current events, technology, or sports that people may not be aware of.

To teach people about the potential of the internet, this is helped by explaining concepts in an easy-to-understand manner.

How have I done? Not too badly I think so far. I have had over 1000 unique visitors to my blog since December 2005, an average of at least 5 per day. They stay on the site an average of one minute and 45 seconds, and they read at least 1 page per day. I have had visitors from as far away as India and the United Kingdom. So at the very least, people do read what I write. I don’t know if they like what I write or not. But this does give me the incentive to keep at it. You will never know who your writing actually benefits or helps if you don’t continue to put forth the effort.

My main goal is to garner enough readership that I can interact with and can give me feedback to keep me going. I am adding this goal to my original list that I developed.

Sources:

Problogger.net: Blogging Goals Group Writing Project

Lashawn Barber.com: I Am; Therefore, I Blog

Related Posts:

Original Post: Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is My New Cup of Tea

2006-07-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

LaShawn Barber posted today about why she enjoys blogging so much. She cites the rush that she gets from being able to see her name in her own byline as the main stimulus that keeps her motivated. It is obviously a good motivational tool for her, because she has become one of the world’s pre-eminent bloggers. In reading her post, I began to think why I have taken to blogging as well:

1. I can write about anything that I like, whether people agree or disagree with my opinions or not.
2. I can share information with total strangers, friends, and family that may help them solve a problem or gain a new perspective on something that they have read.
3. I can blog anytime of the day or night (except at work of course).
4. You can reach a wider audience that you wouldn’t ordinarily reach with other traditional means of communication.
5. People can read your writings in the years to come, even if you get bored with blogging.
6. It forces me to remember things that I would normally forget.
7. Blogging is an activity that has minimal upfront costs associated with it. You can start with your mind and a free subscription to Blogger.com.
8. You can use the technical and writing skills that you already possess.
9. You can start and stop anytime you like.
10. You can set your own blogging goals as high as you like.

I am going to put more detail around these reasons in the next series of posts. Can you think of why you like to blog as well?

Social Isolation Growing in U.S., Study Says

2006-06-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

This item from the Washington Post should cause everyone to stand up and pay attention. According to the General Social Survey which was funded by the National Science Foundation, over a quarter of the population has no one to talk to besides their spouse. Even more alarming is that the average person has only two people in their closest circle of confidants. The reasons cited for the lack of social connections were more hours at work, the pressure of having to have parents working among others.

I think that what exacerbates the problem more is the lack of trust between people. At my place of employment, there are little opportunities to interact socially with people away from the job. The focus of relationships at work is usually geared toward getting work done, meeting deadlines, and avoiding standing in the unemployment line. Most people that I interact with away from the job has taken time out to really get to know me, as I do with them.

Jesus had twelve disciples that he relied on to spread the gospel throughout his ministry. Each disciple was unique in his own character, but Jesus came to rely upon them for their input in saving a lost world. It would have been harder for him to do it by himself.

I wonder if everyone has at least 12 good friends that they can rely on for comfort. It is helpful for a person's emotional and spiritual well-being. If you only have one friend, take time out and make new ones. Your life would surely benefit from it.

USA and Canada Current Average Gas Prices By City/State/Province - GasBuddy.com

2006-06-20T22:33:00.000-05:00

GasBuddy.com lists from the USA and Canada Current Average Gas Prices By City/State/Province. If you want to travel to Hawaii, make sure that someone else drives you. They have the highest gas prices overall by state ($3.507 per gallon) and by city (Honolulu - $3.27/gallon).

Average Number of Vacation Days Around the World Per Year

2006-06-20T22:27:00.000-05:00

This item from the Information Please Almanac gives an estimate of the Average Number of Vacation Days Taken Around the World Per Year. The United States is dead last with 13 days taken. Italy takes the most time off with 42 days taken. I wonder what do they do with their time over there?

The Average American

2006-06-20T22:18:00.000-05:00

I came across this item that really made me proud to be a middle-of-the-road American male:

According to the book, "The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen" a majority of Americans:

• Eats peanut butter at least once a week
• Prefers smooth peanut butter over chunky
• Can name all Three Stooges
• Lives within a 20-minute drive of a Wal-Mart
• Eats at McDonald's at least once a year
• Takes a shower for approximately 10.4 minutes a day
• Never sings in the shower
• Lives in a house, not an apartment or condominium
• Has a home valued between $100,000 and $300,000
• Has fired a gun
• Is between 5 feet and 6 feet tall
• Weighs 135 to 205 pounds
• Is between the ages of 18 and 53
• Believes gambling is an acceptable entertainment option
• Grew up within 50 miles of current home

These are the characteristics that apply to me:

• Can name all Three Stooges
• Lives within a 20-minute drive of a Wal-Mart
• Eats at McDonald's at least once a year
• Takes a shower for approximately 10.4 minutes a day
• Never sings in the shower
• Lives in a house, not an apartment or condominium
• Has a home valued between $100,000 and $300,000
• Is between the ages of 18 and 53

My score is 8/15, which calculates to be 53%. Does this mean that I am half average or what?

Father's Day Reflections

2006-06-18T16:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers around the world. Being a father is a job that requires a lot of love, a lot of patience, and most of all a vision for lives that will extend beyond yours to multiple generations. I am a father of a nine-year-old girl, and seeing her progress through the stages of life a step at a time is truly heartwarming. She has a special way of making sure that I do not lose track of her. Today at church she attached herself to my right arm, and velcroed herself to me and just would not let me leve her sight. I am thankful that she wants to stay close to me and her mother at this point in her life. She asks questions about everything from how to do you buy a building to "will God still love me after I am finished being bad?" She makes sure that I have enough for breakfast before I goto work. She makes sure that we pray togaether at night before going to bed. But most of all, she keeps me from being selfish.

As most fathers can attest the pressures of life can be overwhelming. There is pressure to stay ahead at work, save for retirement, and fullfill the American dream. At the same time your child is being influenced by advertisers, parentless kids, and an environment which does not allow for spiritual and emotional growth within a family unit. And sometimes I feel it too. I think that at times we can work too many hours chasing things that have not been in a family's best interest. But, having a child who really wants to emulate your good qualities is a blessing. That's why I try to watch what I do, because any negative influences that I bring on myself will likely affect my family too.

What helped me even more was having a father and two grandfathers to emulate. My father, who passed away in 2001 was from the old-school. He beleived in hard work, discipline, and having good common sense would overwrite anything negative that can happen to you. I tested his patience a lot of times. I ran with the wrong crowd in the neighborhood, and I was influenced to smoke dope. I went over a friend's house and got so high that I had to stumble home. When I got home, I could barely stand up straight. I tried to eat a plate of sphagetti, but I could even eat it, before passing out on the table. My father wanted to know what was wrong, Even though I was afraid of the consequences, I told him what I had done. He fed me coffee and walked around the table, until I straightened up. I was so ashamed of what I had done, I stopped that very night.

He would stand up for his kids no matter what. When I got robbed in fromt of my house as a teenaged paperboy, my father just missed him. If he caught him, he was going to beat him up severely. But when I took his car and drove to Lafayette, Indiana without him knowing it. He said for the first time, he consideed throwing me out of the house because I had disrespected him. Indeed I did.

He had that instinct to tell me what friends would be the best for me, and who wouldn't be. But he always made sure that I knew the consequences of life, right or wrong. But, the thing that encouraged me the most was that he told me that I would be a good father one day. How he could see it from afar, I still to this day have no idea how he thought of that.

But the most amazing thing about him was that God allowed me to learn from him. Learning how to be a good father and a man was priceless. I hope that my daughter can continue to be inspired by me. I am not perfect, but I just want my kids to be influenced the right way rather than the wrong way.

SellTheKnicks.com

2006-06-12T19:45:00.000-05:00

For all you Knicks fans, SellTheKnicks.com is a site that allows you to spill your guts out about your hapless Knicks. The site has gained a lot of publicity lately for selling products that thumb its nose at its incompetent owner James Dolan. By the way, who is going to be the next coach of the Knicks?

Robert Scoble - A New Type of Corporate Shill

2006-06-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

I read with amusement the other day about Robert Scoble - probably the world's most famous blogger (since he works for Microsoft) being uncomfortable with all of the attention that he is receiving for annoucing that he is leaving Microsoft to take a job in the Silicon Valley. I am sure that he figured that he would never garner this much publicity, but I would say that it has been well-deserved. By becoming perhaps the first well-known "corporate" blogger, he gave his company a tremendous public relations boost at a time when Microsoft gets roundly crticized for its product slippages and slow innovation.

In boosting Microsoft's PR, he redfined the role of a corporate shill. I used to chuckle when I saw commericials from Dave Thomas from Wendy's who used to shamelessly pitch his new hamburgers in a variety of humorous situations. He looked like he really enjoyed doing them too. In being the public face of Wendy's he connected with a lot of America in a down-home folksy style. To my recollection, McDonalds did not have such a public face. This gave Wendy's a big advantage, so much so that at one time Wendy's surpassed McDonald's in sales at one point.

When reading Scoble, he isn't quite the public face that Dave Thomas is, but he became a cult figure overnight due to the expaning blogosphere. His job was so open-ended that he was allowed to criticize his employer and hob-nob with fierce competitors like Sun at the same time. As he notes in his blog:

First, I love Microsoft and Microsoft did not lose me — at least as a
supporter and friend. I am not throwing away my Tablet PC or my Xbox or my other Microsoft stuff. :-)

Second, my management team is awesome and I don't
have a beef with them at all. They have ALWAYS supported me. I have, in my
pocket, a corporate American Express card and they never have questioned any of my expenses.

Third, I wasn't, and am not, frustrated at Microsoft. I've never had more opportunities available to me. In fact, I am due to spend a day with ImagineCup contestants and Bill Gates later this month.

Fourth, believe it or not, but no one at Microsoft has complained to
me about my views for a very long time. In fact, the harsher I got the more
support I got. At Microsoft I am encouraged to change the world
and make things better for our customers.

Fifth, I've never been told not to travel to any conference by anyone at Microsoft and my travel expenses were always approved. I was encouraged to meet with developers wherever they lived.
Sixth, how do you know that the company didn't move heaven and hell
to keep me happy? They did. I have the best job in the tech world. Bar none. I
got to meet and interview and influence the best people in the world. Career
decisions are personal and opportunity and growth require thinking about a lot
of different things, not just one or two. I've turned down quite a few offers
for more money than I'm now making.

With unprecendented access and freedom to do whatever he pleased, Scoble made a name for himself, which I am sure will not be too easily forgotten anytime soon.

I read Scoble and Matt Cutts frerquently throughout the day, and while they both function as technical evanglists per se, their styles are different. Cutts is a little more low key that Scoble is, and tends to confine his comments to Google related products and issues while only touching on search engine related issues periodically.

Both styles are effective, I will continue to read their opinions as I always have.

Best of 2005-Amazon.com Books: Holidays & Seasonal

2006-06-09T23:14:00.000-05:00

Amazon.com has just released a list of the best books for 2005 in the Seasonal and Holiday Categories.

Tiger Woods Stands Alone

2006-06-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

In another sign of just how potent an athlete's popularity really is, Tiger Woods, according to a new poll from Harris Interactive has displaced Michael Jordan as the world's most popular sports personality. In a poll taken last month between May 9th and May16th, even the retired Jordan didn't fall very far to #2. But this is the first time that this has happened in the last 13 years.

The rest of the Top 10-

Brett Farve #3
Derek Jeter #4
Dale Ernhardt #5
Shaq #6
Kobe #7
LaBron James #8
Jeff Gordon #9
Barry Bonds #10

This ranking probably takes into account Tiger's already growing popularity in golf, where he is recognized as the top player on the tour, but the top draw as well. Michael is retired, but still has juice with some segments of the population who watched him become a celebrity overnight.
He is still the favorite of people in the 18-29 and the 42-60 age groups, Shaq is loved by the 30-41 year old set, and Tiger is the favorite of the 61 and older crowd. But universally, Tiger is loved by both men and women alike. There is no doubt that as long as an athlete remains in the public eye, whether retired or not opportunities to pitch products will always be available to him. Even Barry Bonds, who is the subject of much scrutiny, is still loved by most fans. Congratulations to Tiger!!

Being A Black Man Series-Washington Post

2006-06-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post has started a week-long series that quite frankly should have been introduced during Black History Month. It is a series that delves into the struggles and triumphs of African American men living in America today. Entitled "Being a Black Man", the week-long series deals with the way that African-American Men see themselves and the country that they live in. Even if you are not African-American (like I am), this series is desgned to educate the public about the internal struggles that they face. I am going to read through the series and comment about it from my own perspective.

I am acutely aware of the internal struggles, because I have experienced them myself. My best friend, who I grew up with (and is a successful accountant) constantly reminds me that despite experiencing considerable obstacles in growing up, finishing college, and raising a family that we currently earn salaries that would put us in the upper 2% of wage earners. I guess that means that I am upper-class, huh? But often times, I drive by affluent neighborhoods and sometime feel that I have not done enough to raise myself up economically.

Even though you will not be able to take your money with you when you leave this earth, it can sometimes present an unwarranted burden. I look at my life and see a lot of promise and a lot of hope as well. My nine-year old daughter has her whole life ahead of her. And we are getting ready to move into my first house at 45 years old. Success is not defined merely by what society thinks you should do, but how you embrace delayed gratification, loving others, and self-discipline to create the life that you really want to have. If you can do that, then future generations can learn alot from the adversities that you had to overcome.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/interactives/blackmen/blackmen.html

Blogging Goals for the Rest of 2006

2006-06-05T22:11:00.000-05:00

Darren Rowse over at Problogger.net has started a group writing project that helps a newbie blogger such as myself get their feet wet in polishing their writing skills to reach a wider audience. When I started this blog, I really did not have too many goals in mind to accomplish. I have always wanted to write a book, and from reading Darren's blog it seemed that this was a cool avenue to explore. You are in control of your own posting schedule, your blog layout, and your content. No one can tell you what to write, but the feedback that you receive usually gives you hints and other clues as far as what to write about. I typically don't receive an average of more than 5 unique visitors a day, but it is a good start nonetheless. I have recieved visits all over the world, which I never imagined. I haven't added Adsense or any ad service yet, because I want to maintain a steady traffic level so it can make a difference in my earnings, whenever I decide to add monetization.

So what do I plan to do to get there? I have several ideas:

1. Enter more blog carnivals on a weekly basis: This gave me an unexpected boost in traffic when I submitted posts that little did I knew attracted a modicrum of attention.

2. Define the purpose of my blog: My blog title was a parody of my own penchant of reading and consuming information from almost everywhere I can find it. I link to news articles in one vein, and then go off on another tangent. My readers appear to like what I read, but I am not sure if they understand where I am taking this blog. My original intention is to highligh unique websites that almost any one can use to help improve their lives. If the purpose strays to far off track, I may have to move some content to another blog ( I have four others).

3. Post more consistently: I have read that some bloggers post an average of 5 times a day. If you consider that there is usually 200 working days per year, that means at the end of the year, you will have at least 1000 keyword-rich blog posts that generate decent traffic. I have trouble sometimes posting more than one post a week. I will have to commit to at least one per day, just to keep momentum and not bore my readers.

4. Participate in more forums: Participating in forums like this is educational for me, because I learn a whole lot from people who have experiemented with a wide variety of blogging tools, formats, and ideas.

5. Invite more feedback from readers: Learning how to connect with readers is important, because if there is a flow to your writing, people will tend to come back and visit more frequently.

Britain's longest-married living couple set 78-year record - Yahoo! News

2006-05-31T22:05:00.000-05:00

An item that should encourage us all, whether you are married or not, Frank and Anita Milford are celebrating their 78th wedding anniversary. The couple met as teenagers in 1926, and was married two years later. Asked for the secret of their union, Frank Milford said:

"We don't always see eye to eye and we do have a small argument every day."

"But that comes and goes. We are always here for each other."

This is commendable in this day and age. It is inevitable that regardless how long you have spent with a person, conflict is unavoidable. Patience is often required. But to endure the ups and downs and the ebbs and flows of life for a lengthly period of time encourages me greatly.

I have only been married for twelve years, but seeing other people endure, gives me the confidence that I can enjoy life with my wife too.

As long as she does not ask me to take out the garbage again.

Best of 2005 - Popular baby names

2006-05-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

The Social Security Administration has released its annual list of the top names given to newborns, who have to apply for a social security card at bith. This is with their parent's help of course. The most popular boy's name was Jacob, while the most popular girl's name was Emily. While you are at this link, you can check to see just how popular your name has been, as the Social Security Administration has kept records from the 1880's. For my own name Robert, it was the 5th most popular name given to boys, but ever since then, it has slipped all the way to 39th. Doesn't mean that it not popular, just that parents of today are showing more creativity in selecting names for their kids, rather than settling for the old standbys of the past.

Have Newspapers Lost Their Relevancy?

2006-05-27T23:30:00.000-05:00

While I was driving home the other day, I was listening to talk radio in Philadelphia. The hosts were commenting about the sale of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News (who used to be owned by the Knight-Ridder Corporation) to a local ownership group. While everyone was rejoicing about the sale, an interesting question came up - have newspapers in America lost their relevancy? The circulation of both newspapers have declined rapidly over the past ten years, and there has been a talent drain of writers that have left the paper and moved on to greater pursuits. But "relevancy" is a hard word to define. Maybe the real question is the news still important?

A newspaper, is just one of the many instruments used to deliver the news.
A lot of people still depend on their morning paper to be delivered to get a first glance of the news ahead. Others, who are internet-savvy, wait until they get into the office and logon to see the on-line version of the paper. Still others can get snippets of information that would normally be published in a newspaper through blogs and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) newsreaders.

In Philadelphia, there are alternative weekly papers that I think do a better job of covering local news than the mainstream media. Two in particular, the Philadelphia Bulletin and the Metro are small in size (less than 20 pages) and are quicker reads than the adverage daily paper.

With these alternatives available, I believe that people will read the continue to read the news according to their reading preferences and how it fits into their lifesytle. News mediums that take the approach of increasing circulation just in one medium, run the risk of missing out on alternatives in other mediums.

I thought that the object of the game was to get more people to pay attention to the news, not to squeeze the most advertising dollars out of them.

The Perfect Worker

2006-03-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

God bless Arthur Winston. At age 100, he decided to call it quits after working for an amazing 76 years as a maintenance worker at the Los Angeles area public transportation authority. At age 100, he only missed 1 day at work. This was the day that he buried his wife of 65 years. He has not been to the doctor in 50 years, and he is still in good heath. He never took a day off either. In today's times this is pretty much unheardof. I have three weeks of vacation that I usually take full advantage of. I have sick time, and I can work from home utilizing internet technology. Arthur Winston did not have any of these luxuries. He started working in 1924 where there were few opportunities for African Americans to work, and before the civil rights movement gained momentum. He wanted to become a mechanic, but when opportunities did not open up to him, he took the next best thing available to him, a job in the maintenance department. He worked without complaint ever since.

I think that this is an amazing story. Sometimes we take for granted the privledges that we either have or do not possess in the workplace. I see many people caught up in the climb toward the "American Dream", that we don't really fully appreciate the blessings that we have. This guy never smoked, never drank and really enjoyed his job. I am sure that he had to bite his tongue and make sacrifices just to keep living. I am happy for him, I hope that I can continue to work long enough just to enjoy a purposeful life like Arthur Winston.

In Step With The Instapundit

2006-02-28T23:48:00.000-05:00

The first blog that I look at after I get the morning sports scores from ESPN is the Instapundit. This blog is one of the ten most highly trafficked blogs in the world, and it is easy to see why. Unlike myself, who like to ramble on and on about a topic that I really like, Glenn Reynolds (who is a law professor) gets right to the point. His writing style is a good one for the web, which emphasizes short and quick blurbs about the major issues of the day. I can usually get through his blog in about 15 minutes at a time. I usually refer back to it at least five times a day. But, I did not realize until the other day was that his wife Dr. Helen Smith blogs as well. But, she blogs about current events from a psychological perspective. It is hard to say which one I like the most, but they both have made me laugh as well as point me into the direction of the top issues of the day when I don't have time to consult the Washington Post for example. I can use their sites as a benchmark or summary of the issues and then use this information to search the other news-orientated sites for more coverage. It works rather well.

I don't know if there are any husband and wife teams that are prominent bloggers, but it sure looks like they both enjoy what they are doing immensely.

Racial Discrimination Court Case Reviewed

2006-02-28T23:21:00.000-05:00

The Supreme Court will order the 11th District Court of Appeals to reconsider its ruling that unwarranted racial ephitets were not a valid reason to sue a company, in this case Tyson Foods for racial discrimination. The two plaintiffs in the suit are long-time African-American employees who were denied a promotion from a white manager who had less experience (2 years) and basically treated the rest of the employees with content as well. The white manager called both employees "boy" alledgedly. I don't know what you have to do to prove racial discrimination in the workplace, but at the very least the white managercould have created a hostile environment with this comments. Hostile in the sense that it would leave the employees feeling as though that their manager's attitudes could lead to further problems such as diminished promotions and career opportunities, and limited upward mobility.

I have experienced discrimination first hand myself. At a previous job, I gave a training class on computer concepts to several co-workers and two managers. Afterwards, a white co-worker overheard the managers saying that "This N....... doesn't know what he is talking about". I was angry of course, but I had little recourse. If I confronted the manager what evidence could I present? I eventually decided to leave the company to find a more encouraging environment elsewhere.

Have you ever experienced this kind of problem up close? How did you handle it? What would you advise another co-worker to do if he felt discriminated against?

Fluffy Resumes

2006-02-28T22:45:00.000-05:00

I came across this item that sheds new light on resume-padding. Resume padding seems to be a commonplace practice. It simply is an act of embellishing dates and details of jobs to present a potential job candidate in the best possible light. Some industry experts believe that up to 40% of today's job applicants fluff their resumes in response to career pressure. People do it, even though that today's technology makes it easier to check references than ever before. There have been high-profile examples of this phenomenon:

David Edmonson resigned as Radio Shack's chief executive when it was found that he had misrepresented his academic record.
George Deutsch, a presidential appointee to NASA who claimed to have graduated from Texas A&M University, but had not.
George O'Leary was forced to resign as the football coach at Notre Dame in 2001 when he falsely claimed that he received a master's degree at NYU. The ironic part is that he found another job as a football coach.

I don't know what causes people to do this, but I suppose that people may be afraid in these tough economic times that they would not be able to obtain a job unless their credentials are the highest. I figure that this must be the case, but why risk your integrity doing so? Or does integrity go out the window in the name of the almighty dollar?

In the case of the CEO of Radio Shack he caused a big problem in shareholder trust and loyalty by emblellishing his record. I do not see what you really gain by it.

As a matter of fact, there is a website that actually talks about the culture of cheating here.

Information Junkie Meme of the Week

2006-02-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

This week is the start of a weekly meme designed to stimulate your creative juices-

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicene suggests that being optimistic about life boosts overall physical health and lowers the risk of death from all causes.

1. Think about and name the top five things that you feel good about.

2. After naming the choices in question #1 tell me which are the most important in your every day life.

3. What are the distractions in your life that need to be eliminated in your life to have a more positive mindset?

To help others, kindly link to this post and write any observations in the comments section.

If you want your thoughts to be kept private, please e-mail me at btatumjr@gmail.com

Watering Down Gifted and Talented Programs

2006-02-24T23:33:00.000-05:00

I read today on both LaShawn Barber and Dr. Helen's blogs that there is an effort in Montgomery County Md. to attract more minority representation in gifted and talented elementary school programs by "dumbing" down the entrance requirements into these programs.

Some examples mentioned in the article were:

Doing away with the "gifted and talented" label.
Adding expanded honors programs at middle schools.
Using "observational" testing instead of formal testing methods to identify worthy students.

School officals hope to attract a more diverse student population by doing so. This is questionable at best. It just leaves the definition of just what is a "gifted" program up to the politicians and educators who attempt to influence the direction of education in this country without really addressing the real issues surrounding their approach.

I have one suggestion to these people, the way that you can so this is by raising the standards for all students and make sure that they adhere to them. My daughter attends third grade just five minutes from our house in Philadelphia.In this school, all students from K-8 are required to pass not only the basic requirements of reading, writing, and math but also two foreign languages (French and Spanish). It is made clear to the parents that their child will not pass to the next grade until they have passed each class with I believe an 82 average or higher as well as passing scores on their standardized tests. To reinforce this, they are required to do homework every night, read 100 books by the end of the school year, and attend mandatory test preperation help before mandatory state assessment exams. In the summertime to reinforce the skills just learned and to prepare for the next grade, a summer packet of work is given. So in essense, the children have a lot to concentrate on during the school year, which is year-around. For this rigorous program (based on the International Baccaluareate ciriculum not commonly found in many American schools), parent participation is a must. The school informs you week by week what is expected from your child and if you chose to ignore it, it is the repsonsibility of the parent. There is a lottery and an interview process to get into the school, and they do not put up with any discipline problems primarily because the waiting list to get into the school is so high.

The higher expectations have resulted in higher test scores than on average in the city of Philadelphia.

From Pittsburgh Live:

Many advocates, for example, like charter schools because they believe
traditional schools are unresponsive to parents. Parents carry more clout at
charter schools because many were founded by parents.
But June Brown, founder and chief administrative officer of the
Laboratory Schools in Philadelphia, said parents are the main obstacle to
charter schools' success. Brown said parents routinely threaten to ask
the school district to shut down her school if she doesn't relax its
academic standards, homework requirements or dress code.
Brown stands her ground — her school was the best in the Trib study — but many charter school administrators cave in to parents, she said.
"The parents are the biggest challenge in this business.
They side with the children to the extent they chip away at the standards a
piece at a time," Brown said. But discipline at her school remains as firm
as it was in the school's past. The imposing stone building once served as a
Catholic school and convent. Now about 300 students in pale-blue and khaki
uniforms march to class in silence on polished wooden floors.

The school focuses on French and Spanish from kindergarten through the eighth grade. It was also recognized as a Blue Ribbon school from the Department of Education last year. Some of the graduates of the school have on to private and prep schools which is usually a ticket to an Ivy League education. I want to see that my child continues to go to this school because it does challenge her, and she is very excited about learning new things.

Technorati Tag: education

MC Hammer Blog

2006-02-24T23:23:00.000-05:00

MC Hammer has just started blogging here. You can't touch this!!

Black History Month - Top Black Leaders

2006-02-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

I just read, with interest the results of a AP poll that asked a slelect number of African-Americans to gauge who is the most important leader in the African-American community today. The results of the poll were quite interesting:

Jesse Jackson - 15%
Condoleeza Rice - 11%
Colon Powell - 8%
Barack Obama - 6%
Louis Farrakhan - 4%
Oprah Winfrey - 3%
Martin Luther King - 3% (deceased)
Al Sharpton - 2%

When you look at these results, you can not help but to come to a few quick assumptions:

No one even came close to 25% of the vote
There is still a wide range of opinion of who is really leading the black community today, in the absense of almost 40 years of a powerful, and forceful leader like Martin Luther King.
There is really no one person that represents the African-American community at large.
People chose personalities that they recognize on a daily basis.

The bigger question that I would ask would be whether the people that I just mentioned are actually "leading". My definition of a leader is someone through the depth and breath of their convictions has the courage to challenge the status quo and the mindset of the people that really want to follow you. I think all of these people lead in different ways. However, the one that I really think that tried his best to lead was Colon Powell. He tried to at least get President Bush to rethink his war strategy before he got muted by the rest of the administration. For his efforts, he resigned. He handled being ignored by Bush with grace. He always leaves a positive impression with me. It does not really matter if he is Republican or not.

I think that the real leaders of any community are the people who you do not see on television or hear on the radio. These are the fathers and mothers who help their children with their homework. The school crossing guards that watch out for your children as they are walking to school. The teachers that struggle to teach inner-city children who come fromn difficult circumstances and are paid very little for their efforts. There are the oridnary people who rely on the word of God to lead them, not a social program. I think that when you look around you there are leaders everywhere. You don't have to strain to find them. They may be sitting next to them on the bus going to work or eating in Duncan Donuts!

Technorati Tag: Black History Month, Current Events, News

Affluent beggars’ an opportunity to examine ourselves

2006-02-07T23:06:00.000-05:00

A local pastor in Ashland, Oregon suggests that we should all examine our motives when we criticize the affluent beggars that gained national publicity in his own city for feeding their family through panhandling. He suggests that we middle-class people may not be as better off than Jason Pancoast and Elizabeth Johnson as we think.

Technorati tag: news , Current Events, social issues

Black History Month 2006 - More Population Facts

2006-02-07T22:44:00.000-05:00

The projected single-race black population of the United States is projected to be 61.4 million on July 1, 2050. On that date, according to the projection, African Americans would constitute 15 percent of the nation’s total population.

Technorati Tag: Black History

Black History Month 2006 - Population Facts

2006-02-07T21:52:00.000-05:00

The Census Bureau reported in 2004 that the estimated population of black residents was 39.2 million, including those of more than one race. They cuurently make up 13.4 percent of the total U.S. population.

Technorati tag: Black History

Black History Month -The tumult that shaped a hero

2006-02-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

This item in the Christian Science monitor is a review of the final chapter in Taylor Branch's three part account of the rise of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. This book, which I am planning to buy soon, is a detailed account of King's final years as the head of the civil rights movement. It outlines just how difficult a task it was to define and create a movement, which I feel was the most significant event in American history. This is a must read. If you get the book before I do, tell me what I should focus on.

ABC News: Black History Month: Does It Fuel Racism?

2006-02-02T00:41:00.000-05:00

In this item from ABC News, the question is asked whether Black History month fuels racism or not. I think what it really does is to continue the debate on whether it is relevant or not to today's youth. I observe many youths in my neighborhood that know more of the history of hip-hop that the history of the Civil Rights movement. I think that it is a result of a de-emphasis of the past, which a lot of people still do not understnd why people made a tremendous amount of sacrifies ans struggles for the next generation. I don't have a real answer for this, do you?

The Affluent Beggar Responds

2006-02-01T23:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight, as I normally do at least once a day is to check my user stats and check for any comments to respond to. I was surprised to find that Jason Pancoast who was one of the subjects of my post on the problems that "affluent" beggars cause in ordinary communities like mine actually commented back to me. This is amazing to me, because as a beginning blogger I did not anticipate hearing from the subject of my post. Obviously the attention that he is getting for his panhandling has struck a nerve with him, as his comments here suggest:

pLEASE HOW DARE YOU suggest that my family and I are criminals. We commandeer resources from the public at large by conveying a coherent comprehensive message concerning our plight. We in no way break any LAW.You owe an apology to my beloved and our children.Honor be thy butter.

I am not sure if he has tried to contact any other members of the print and news media, but as a blogger who is sitting up at home with a ceiling that I have to fix, and a burned out light in my bathroom, I would like to offer some clarification and encouragement to Jason and his family.

The intent of my post was to just let you know Jason that I was not trying to pass judgment on what you are doing. I just want to make you aware that the average working person who is mindful of the struggles that they face in keeping their job and providing food, clothing, and shelter for his family may not react well to you. One of of the comments that was on my post called you a criminal and a thief for taking advantage of people daily who do not really know what your situation. I am merely concerned that your children are growing up in a situation that is unstable. Children, no matter how spoiled rotten they are, tend to function and develop a little better when they know that their emotional and physical needs are being taken care of. When they get older, you will have to explain to them that they had to live on the streets because Mommy and Daddy could not sustain a working class income no matter how hard they tried. But, how will they know how to handle adversity if you don't teach them or if you are not able to find someone to teach them?

Jason, I just want you and your family to go get the help that you need so that your children can grow up in a happy, healthy, and stable environment. They deserve it. And most importantly, the divine power of God can help you deal with the hurt and pain in your life if you trust that he can help.

For all of you that are reading this post what would you suggest that they to to help themselves? Don't think that you could never be in this position. The ups and downs of life could put you in a situation even worse than this. If you were in this situation, how would you respond?

USATODAY.com - Social climate still requires Black History Month

2006-01-31T22:09:00.000-05:00

In this roundup from the USA Today editorial page, there is still a division over whether Black History Month should be continued or diminished. The bigger question in my mind, does other races feel the need to celebrate and explore races unlike their own. History is a facinating subject to study, and if for no other reason to teach your children, it is always worth it to have a month of celebration.

Black History Month - Coretta Scott King

2006-01-31T20:55:00.000-05:00

On a day that marked the beginning of Black History Month and the confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice, Coretta Scott King's death today draws attention to just why the examination of black history is so vitally important. The examination of history is relevant, in my opinion to understand the people, the societal influences, and the context that events occurred in to gain a greater understanding of how future generations were shaped by the courageous actions of many. Regardless of how people felt about Martin Luther King's triumphs and character flaws, I think that he was probably the most significant single figure in the 20th century regardless of what Time Magazine feels. The fact remains that his dedication to non-violent protest to brings about social change in a time that it was not really welcomed continues to my chagrin to be understated. Imagine what would happen if there was no movement to push for equal treatment of all of the races and equal opportunities to succeed and build economic wealth and a prosperous future for future generations. There would continue to be a large degree of discrimination in may areas of society. We would be eating in segregated restaurants and going to segregated schools. Our children would never have the opportunity to understand how to deal with situations that are out of their control. And most importantly, their would be a lessened belief in the promises of America. This is why Dr. King's legacy has still more ground to cover.

As I read news accounts about Mrs. King's life I couldn't help but feel that although it is suggested that she was a long-suffering wife and mother, she had a tremendous influence over the civil rights movement as well. Although it has been widely rumored and speculated that Dr. King strayed, I think that she provided him with a comfort that we probably would never understand. Just looking at pictures of her after her husband's death, she appeared to be the picture of calm and grace. She had stresses in her marriage that she had to deal with, but she never appeared to be burdened by them. When you try to judge the Kings from the outside, you will never understand them, because you were never involved in their life. The only thing that we have to hold on to is his great legacy that benefited all of us.

This is what I will focus on, not the complexities of two people who obviously brought out the best in each other.

BlogPulse Releases List of Top Blogs, Blog Posts, and More of 2005

2006-01-23T22:39:00.000-05:00

From Search Engine Watch.com:

BlogPulse Releases List of Top Blogs, Blog Posts, and More of 2005

Baby Steps Program Helps Make a Difference

2006-01-23T21:46:00.000-05:00

Just after the holiday season, I checked the Washington Post for one of my favorite columnists next column, but I was suprised when it was not there. William Raspberry, who has had a distinguished journalistic career with the Washington Post, and whose colums are syndicated in over 200 papers worldwide, returned at the end of the year. While I will miss his exemplary writing, I wondered more what he was going to do in retirement. He will continue to teach journalism students at Duke University, but he has a very intriguing education initiative planned for his hometown of Okolona Ms.

He, along with the University of Mississippi, The Okolona Chamber of Commerce, and the Barksdale Reading Institute have partnered on a program called Baby Steps . This program, which is been ungoing since last August 2005, is a program that emphasizes that role of a parent in the development of a child is critically important to its success. The program not only gives and helps parents (regardless of income level) help with their parenting skills, early childhood education, how to motivate the child, and role-playimg excercises. It attempts to advance the notion that it takes a village to raise a child, and if the efforts are geared towards them, that the whole community can benefit.

Raspberry's comments:

"The genius of the plan lies in the fact that parents have great power to influence their children’s academic success, and fundamental skills-such as self confidence, perseverance, teamwork and responsibility-can be taught at home."

I admire him for his efforts, and if he does succeed, I hope that he can take this on a national level. This program is needed everywhere, especially in areas that are berift of hope.

Other links to the story:

Cal Thomas- Washington Times December 30,2005

Clarion Ms. Ledger

Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years

2006-01-21T23:23:00.000-05:00

I wish that I had this information 20 or so years ago, when I set out to become a computer programmer back in my college days at Purdue. Peter Norwig, who is the director of research at Google, has written an essay that theorizes that people are in too much of a hurry knowdays when it comes to obtaining the knowledge needed to perform well in their chosen careers. Maybe it is because there is so much pressure nowadays utilizing internet technology to outwit and outsmart the competition on a global scale. From the perspective of an average worker, they may feel that they have to constantly update their skills to qualify for a promotion ort be left behind in the job market. But the essential points that he makes are very timely, even today:

Researchers (Hayes, Bloom) have shown that it takes about ten years to develop expertise in any of a wide variety of areas, including chess playing, music composition, painting, piano playing, swimming, tennis, and research in neuropsychology and topology. There appear to be no real shortcuts: even Mozart, who was a musical prodigy at age 4, took 13 more years before he began to produce world-class music. In another genre, the Beatles seemed to burst onto the scene with a string of #1 hits and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. But they had been playing small clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg since 1957, and while they had mass appeal early on, their first great critical success, Sgt. Peppers, was released in 1967.

When I read this quote, it really hit home with me. Although I have been working in information technology since 1987, the past eighteen years have exposed me to a wide variety of skills from building a computer, to programming, to technical support, to my current position as a capacity planner. Within those different areas, I did not have a formal training program. I had to learn and adapt to different situations often alone and without a mentor. I had to also develop advanced research skills that would allow me to find background information on technical problems and resolve them quickly. I also began to become frustrated when I would write computer programs which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. I didn't have the feedback that I needed to grow and develop as a programmer.

This is not a lament over how how things have turned out for me. I felt that knowing that being successful in a narrow field requires years of honing your craft would give me an added perspective in dealing with the journeys that my children will face in finding an occupation. It is never easy to do so, especially when you don't know what you want to do. But once your find out what your niche really is the rewards can be rewarding, I feel.

Nagin Works Both Sides of Aisle for Aid

2006-01-17T21:59:00.000-05:00

If there is one thing that ordinary people such as myself need to understand about the aftermath of Katrina is that poltical leaders who are confronted with the welfare of the people that elect them often exhibit emotions that we just quite understand. The comment by Mayor Nagin about God not having the best interests of his city at heart was an unfortunate one, but completely understandable. He is the centerpiece of a situation that likely manifested itself over a longer peiod of time, which he had no control over. When government leaders didn't feel that there would be a problem with the levees, then they were setting themselves up for all kinds of reprucussions moral, political, and otherwise. The moral reprucussions of ignoring the needs of a region, the political reprucussions of withholding aid until progress is made, and the erosion of confidence in elected leaders is a byproduct of a culture of exclusion. I am sure that Nagin was aware of these reprucussions, and he showed righteous indignation when progress was slow. But now, he is trying to work both sides of the political aisle while making untimely statements that in the long run do not help his rebuilding efforts. I hope that he recognizes the error of his ways, and shows better leadership. The people that he serves as a leader deserve nothing but his best.

My MLK Day Service Project

2006-01-17T00:26:00.000-05:00

I thought that the best way to honor Dr. King's memory at least for me today would be to point out some of the best links on the web that can help you gain a greater understanding of this great man's mission to make the world a better place for everyone. It is continually argued that his "dream" has turned into more rhetoric than reality, but there has been a lot of progress made. African Americans have been able to achieve greater gains in education, able to buy homes, own businesses, and make a positive entry into a middle-class lifestyle. While there is still more that can be done, the most important thing to keep in mind is that any progress made is a reflection of the collective efforts of communities, faiths, and all races, not just one individual person.

Wikipedia Special Section

Martin Luther King Research and Education Institute at Stanford University

Martin Luther King FBI File

Department of Justice Investigation into Dr.King's assassination

The Martin Luther King Center for Social Change in Atlanta

Martin Luther King historical site

Time profile on Dr.King

Martin Luther King special section at EnchantedLarning.com

Nobel Peace Prize of 1964

Citizen King - a PBS special

"Affluent Beggars" Create Moral Dilemmas Everywhere

2006-01-15T00:26:00.000-05:00

I came across this item about a family who are in their early 30's and support a family of five panhandling in the streets of Ashland, Oregon. The couple, Jason Pancost and Elizabeth Johnson make about 30-40k a year as panhandlers. They have managed to carve out a semblance of a life for their children, while raising the ire of their community. They have been accused of being poor role models for their children, abusers of the food stamp program, tax evaders, and they have been asked to leave several downtown establishments because shop owners feared that they would draw unneeded attention and drive customers away.

In reading this, I don't thing that it is altogether suprising when you consider that:

They both come from abusive childhoods
They have a fear of being apart
They have experimented with drugs and alcohol
They are afraid to get a job, becuase they fear being seperated from their children

They have been I do not know how much a panhandler makes per year, but the fact that they refer to themselves as "affluent" is alarming. It is a by-product of the general state of the country which, as time goes on does less to encourage people to rise above their circumstances, but seems to want to keep them there.

Consider these facts from the U.S. Census Bureau on poverty in 2004:

The official poverty rate in 2004 was 12.7 percent, up from 12.5 percent 2003.
In 2004, 37.0 million people were in poverty, up 1.1 million from 2003.
Poverty rates remained unchanged for Blacks (24.7 percent) and Hispanics
(21.9 percent), rose for non-Hispanic Whites (8.6 percent in 2004, up from 8.2
percent in 2003) and decreased for Asians (9.8 percent in 2004, down from 11.8
percent in 2003).
For children under 18 years old, both the 2004 poverty rate (17.8 percent) and the number in poverty (13.0 million) remained unchanged from 2003. The poverty rate for
children under 18 remained higher than that of 18-to-64-year olds (11.3 percent)
and that of people aged 65 and over (9.8 percent).
Both the poverty rate and number in poverty increased for people 18 to 64 years old (11.3 percent and 20.5 million in 2004, up from 10.8 percent and 19.4 million in 2003).

Even if you are not aware of the statistics, it still is very evident that there are people in everyday life that are in dire straits just like this. But I find that more questions get raised than actually gets solved about poverty. Some of the questions that I thought of where:

Does the government have an obligation to help families like this, even running the risk that they may not accept the help that you give them?
Why won't they go find help on their own?
Why won't they seek help from medical doctors to treat the remnants of an abused childhood?
Should they leave Oregon and try to make a life somewhere else?

There is no eay answers to these questions, but if you saw them what would you say to them? What would you do? Do you emphatize with them? Do you even feel in your heart the desire to pray for the children's well-being at least?

A Selection of the Most Blogged About Books of 2005

2006-01-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

The New York Times has a Selection of the Most Blogged-About Books of 2005 . I need to check out this list so I can catch up with my reading for 2006.

DoCopenhagen: Top 50 Music Videos Of 2005

2006-01-05T22:47:00.000-05:00

I posted this link for my daughter, I do not know how many music videos that she watches, but this list of the top music videos of 2005 is bound to entertain everyone.

Best albums of 2005

2006-01-05T00:36:00.000-05:00

Greg Kolt from the Chicago Tribune rates the best albums for 2005.

BoxingScene Picks The Best of 2005

2006-01-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

Boxing News Magazine picks the highlights from the boxing scene in 2005.

Best Books of 2005 from Bookslut.com

2006-01-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

Although I don't particularly like the title of her blog, the Booklady
gives her recommendations for the best books of 2005.

CERT's Best and Worst of 2005

2006-01-04T23:47:00.000-05:00

In this item from internetnews.com which is sure to cause more debate between devotees of Microsoft Windows and Linux, the United States Emergency Readiness team (US-CERT) reported more system vulnerabilities with Linux
than Microsoft Windows.

From the article:

US-CERT's year-end compilation found 5198 reported vulnerabilities in
2005. Of that number, 2328 of them were for Unix/Linux (45 percent), 2058 were
multiple operating system vulnerabilities (40 percent), and 801 were for Windows
(15 percent).

Most security experts believe that a well-configured Linux servers is better protected than Microsoft products for vulneribilities, so you may have to take these results with a grain of salt.

Best Books of 2005 from Stephen King

2006-01-04T23:34:00.000-05:00

In his latest article in Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King picks his favorite books of 2005, which includes a perennial favorite J.K. Rowling. He also weighs in on his favorite movies and his favorite music picks for 2005.

Best Sports Stories of 2005 from ESPN.COM

2005-12-31T01:25:00.000-05:00

Scoop Jackson from the Page 2 section of ESPN.COM has written an insightful article on what he feels are the most important sports stories of 2005, some which have flew under the radar of the everyday sports fan. I will pull out the more interesting parts of this article, and comment on them in the days to come.

Best of 2005 - The Stingy Scholar

2005-12-31T01:13:00.000-05:00

This is the beginning of a review of the most significant events that occured in 2005.

The Stingy Scholar has just handed out its annual awards for the best internet sources to find free educational resources such as on-line classes and textbooks. This is a site worth checking out, especially if you want to increase your knowledge without extending your pocketbook.

Plan to Manage Holiday Stress

2005-12-13T23:17:00.000-05:00

This article from ADD Coach Jennifer Koretsky suggests ways to manage holiday stress

Plan to Manage Holiday Stress
By ADD Coach Jennifer Koretsky© Copyright 2004

Everyone finds themselves stressed out during the holiday season. But for adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), November through January can feel like a whirlwind of tasks and responsibilities. Lack of time management will result in undue pressure and overwhelm for the ADD adult. One way to take the stress out of the holidays is to plan for them. These simple steps can help the ADD adult manage their time and tasks during the holiday season, thereby relieving unnecessary stress. Create one hour this week to plan your holiday preparation schedule, and follow these steps:

Step 1 - Make a List of all the Things You Need to Do to Prepare for the HolidayThis probably includes gift shopping, writing and mailing holiday cards, decorating your home, planning your travel, etc. After you have made this list, put a star next to each of the items that you don't like to do. (Maybe you get bored writing out the holiday cards, or maybe you detest shopping.)

Step 2 - Use a Calendar or PlannerUse something that gives you ample space to write for each day. This could be a wall calendar, a daily planner, or planning software. Begin by writing in all your holiday appointments, such as parties and scheduled shopping trips. Next, write in all the other activities that you have going on during the month, like meetings and appointments. When you're done, you should have a good idea of where your free time is. Now, take a look at the items on your holiday to-do list that are not marked with a star, and schedule them in. Do you have a free evening next week in which you can write out your cards? Schedule it on your calendar! Do you have a free Saturday to get your shopping done? Schedule it on your calendar!

Step 3 - Make the Dreaded Tasks EasierTake a look at all those tasks you marked with a star. These are the tasks that you hate to do for one reason or another. Take a moment to look at each one, and figure out how to make that task a little easier or more bearable. If you hate writing cards because it's a tedious and boring task, you can make it easier on yourself by inviting a friend over to chat, catch up, and write out cards with you. Hate decorating? Perhaps you can buy a new CD you've been wanting and allow yourself to crank it up while you put up the holiday decorations. Investing just a small amount of time in planning can save you from undue stress and overwhelm during this holiday season.

About the Author:Jennifer Koretsky is a Professional ADD Management Coach who helps adults manage their ADD and move forward in life. She is the Leader of Experience ADDvantages, a popular online membership community that offers information, support, and coaching for adults with ADD. To learn more about Experience ADDvantages, please visit http://www.experienceADDvantages.com

In The Days Before Christmas

2005-12-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

Since there is about two weeks before Christmas, I thought that it may be a good idea to highlight web sites and blogs that have a holiday focus and dig up some useful facts that you may not have been aware of about the holiday season. For example, did you know that 1.9 billion Christmas cards are sent around the world every year, which makes Christmas the largest card-selling occasion? Guess what the second largest card-selling occasion is? Valentine's Day, with 192 million cards sent. It is little coincidence that the holiday shopping season picks up around these times too. Especially with husbands like me who still have to figure out what he his giving his wife for Christmas. What a big hint, huh?

The IVR Cheat Sheet

2005-12-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

The IVR Cheat Sheet is maintained by Paul English to help the average consumer deal with the annoying problem of trying to get a live person to talk to you when you need to resolve an issue with your bill. I have experienced it myself. When you call into a company's customer service response system (commonly called an IVR), you get routed through a series of prompts usually accompanied by a delay between prompts. If you are as impatient as I am, you want to bypass the automated prompts and get quickly to a live person. This sheet, which is constantly updated allows you to do that. I can't imagine that you will need to contact all of the companies on this list, but for the few you may have to deal with, this sheet will sure come in handy.

The instructions on how to use the sheet are at this link:
http://www.paulenglish.com/ivr/info.html

He actually gives credit to companies that try to make life easier for consumers at this link:

http://www.paulenglish.com/ivr/kudos.html

Inside Hoops

2005-08-08T21:49:00.000-05:00

I usually visit Insidehoops.com at least once a day to keep up with the latest NBA rumors and gossip. This site contains links slected on a random basis from all of the major NBA markets including Toronto. I usually check to see what is happening with my favorite team, the Lakers. I check to see whether Kobe got traded yet or had another silly meltdown. Check it out, you will learn more things that are going on behind the scenes than you ever would imagine otherwise.

PhillyFuture.org

2005-08-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

I came across a blogging community that originates in Philadelphia, where I live. Phillyfuture.org is a collection of blogs, news accounts, and general information about what is going on in the city. It usually features a blog a week, and has the latest news headlines from all of the major newspapers in the city. It is definitely worth a look!!

The Start of Something Big

2005-08-08T21:44:00.000-05:00

After a few months of starting and stopping, I have finally found a concept for my blog. I am an information junkie. I guess I picked this trait up from my father, who would buy the Sunday paper from three different national newspapers ( NY Times, Chicago Tribune, and Chicago SunTimes) just to get a different perspective. I am a lot like him, but I use the Internet to do it. In my spare time, I just like to cruise the web for websites that could either teach me something, or would let me just have fun. I am often asked to find information for people, so the first thing that I do is use the Web.

And why not? The Internet has so many places that you can explore. I even admit sometimes, I could stay on all day just to find out something new. My first job was as a research assistant, so I spend an awful lot of time reading, and less time writing. I guess that is what blogs are for huh?

I will give you a link that I like every one or two days that I have found useful, and I hope that you enjoy. If you need for me to find a link for some mundane subject such as basket weaving, let me know that too!!