American Crossroads: "Cool"

[VIDEO] I've searched for this ad and am elated to have found it! People were genuinely excited about Barack Obama in 2008. The then junior Senator from Illinois was a young fresh face and people were tired of political insiders who spent years in Washington. He could be described as a celebrity politician but with perhaps not a whole lot accomplished in his political career starting in the Illinois State Senate.

This ad shows how cool he is and then asks if he's accomplished anything as President of the United States. Well has he?

This ad was produced by Karl Rove's Super PAC. Do you think it's effective?

Time: 3 Ways to Handle a Colleague You Dislike

To be honest I feel the same way myself about some of the people whom either I have worked with or who currently work with me now. This option well would be very difficult for me:

Work together. It’s counterintuitive, but by spending more time together you may develop empathy for your colleague. You might discover reasons for his behavior: stress at home, pressure from his boss, etc.

Even at that it would have to depend on if they even work. If they have the tendency to not do anything then no I don't want to know what their problem is! Some things on the other hand provided they can do the job and well can be overlooked.

Of course there are two other points to look at in this article. Check it out!

Powerline: Thoughts on the Edububble

We want to encourage our young people to go to college. I may have it backwards but my goal is to not lie to them about the investment they and their parents are about to make. So here's an example:

Today, a good private college costs between $40 and $50K a year; many state universities will run you over $20K a year.  Total cost for four year now: $150K or more.  That’s not even close to a starting professional salary, except for the handful of top students who go to Wall Street.  I’ve run this shift by some college administrators and get the same answer: “Well, very few people actually pay those full tuition rates.  Most students get some amount of financial aid, so the real cost is much lower.”  To which I respond: “Determining what college is going to cost you ought not to be like haggling with a used car dealer.”  (Memo to parents by the way: if you have a child admitted to several colleges, you should treat the financial aid offices exactly like used car dealers, and beat the hell out of them for the best deal.  Apologies here to used car dealers; you are actually more scrupulous than college financial aid departments.)

The parenthesis of that above quote would certainly apply to that young lady from my old high school who really wanted to go to Spelman College but she didn't get the best deal there! She did go for the best deal btw still this is a lesson to many high school seniors who are still trying to figure out where they should start their undergrad education!

Via Instapundit which had this pertinent comment, "What other industry forces you to give them detailed financial statements before they’ll decide on your price?"

Well that is what they're doing when you fill out a FAFSA so that you can get grants and loans! Of course that means the information input on the FAFSA will have to be evaluated by a college financial aid advisor.

An unforunate outcome but a potential idea...

On April 13th, I went to a Local School Council meeting for my old high school (GO HARLAN FALCONS!!!!). Just before the meeting two of the council members had a talk about a student. One of them was a parent of the student and the other I believe was a counselor. This counselor had approached me about participating in a career day but currently I still have no "Morehouse man job".

The gist of the convo is that the young lady wanted to go to Spelman College. It seems as if her heart was set for Spelman but then came the financial aid award from them. And then disappointment set in!

The award from what I got from the convo was heavy on loans and unless I'm mistaken I heard nothing about grants. Even with that in mind they still had to come up with some cash to finish off the balance. It's safe to say momma wasn't going for Spelman College this trip and she referred to this award as a "racket".

The young girl was upset but after some reflection decided to focus her energies onto Howard University. Apparently Howard had offered her a better deal with a scholarship and let me not be dismissive of Howard it's still a great school. But this story made me wish that well I had some contacts at Spelman to help this young lady out a bit.

Also this leads to other questions. I would like to be this bold but without getting into anyone's business although I already did that by tuning into the conversation.

The counselor seems to have predicted that Spelman wasn't going to give this young lady any money. It makes me wonder how she decided that. The mother noted that the counselor was beaming when she heard the young lady was considering Howard University. Though perhaps beaming as if she knew that this was going to happen.

During my time at Morehouse College I had to learn the financial aid game. I never turned in applications on time but I knew the "high-touch" paying a visit to financial aid advisers could make a different. Well at least in the time before my return to Morehouse after one disastrous semester.

It's understandable that momma may not have wanted to go for it looking at the award. Of course if one was determined to go to the school of their choice there is a way. Of course, that might mean trying to eke out more money so that they can go to school figuring out how to pay for it after a year is entirely another. Then again I wasn't a senior in high school like this young lady is currently trying to figure this out. Though it does make me wonder what is the difference between Spelman College and Howard University. In fact this gives me an interesting idea.

It does give me one idea that's been in my head for quite a while. If there was one thing I do wish I could do for students at Harlan High School it would be to help provide scholarships so that they can attend the university of their choice. Although if I could my goal would be to start small and hopefully help some young Harlanite who wanted to go to Morehouse get a decent scholarship to be able to attend that prestigious Atlanta, Georgia institution. That may also mean that Morehouse needs to add one more place to recruit!

VIDEO: The making of "jive talk" from Airplane!

[VIDEO] When I was much younger we got cable for the first time. Whenever I was watching HBO or Showtime, I just plain couldn't get away from this movie. It always had me on the floor but this was a very adult movie that went over my head.

For example there was a scene where the doctor played by Leslie Nielson appeared to be giving a woman an abortion right on the aircraft. All I knew about this scene back in the day was that well a woman's barefeet was held up in the air by some medical equipment. Although this is a set-up surely you would find at an OB/GYN's office.

This particular scene was a case of racial humor. This is a take-off on "Ebonics" although that term didn't exist yet. Basically they wrote lines for two of the Black actors in this movie to talk the Black slang and make it out to be a foreign language. Believe me I didn't understand what they were saying without the translation provided.

As they interviewed the actors to talk about their lines years after the fact, they even provided a "jive talk" translation for them as they were speaking in plain English. Hilarious!

The Atlantic: Why the U.S. Economy Is Biased Against Men

Oh I wonder how so?

The 77-cents-on-the-dollars statistic is calculated in a way that is biased against men. For example, while among all physicians, men earn more than women, men are more likely to be in specialties requiring longer training, high-stress, and irregular hours, for example, surgery and cardiology. In contrast, women are more likely to be pediatricians. Despite that bias, across all careers, surveys report that childless women under 30 make more than men. More than 90 percent of workplace deaths, military deaths, and severe workplace injuries (e.g., amputations, black lung disease) occur to men. Such dangerous work justify higher pay for men.

Visit American workplaces, especially major corporations, and you'll find that anti-men practices are not only tolerated but routinely imposed by employers. Women but not men are encouraged to form committees and caucuses to advance their sex's causes in the workplace, often at men's expense. Examples:

• Mentor programs for women only

• Special training for women only

• Fast-track-to-executive position for women only

In honest conversation, most people will agree that, on average, men are more often willing to do the things it takes to get promoted, for example, to make time to take advanced technical courses by forgoing recreation such as sports or shopping. Men are more likely to be willing to move to a God-forsaken place (Montgomery, Alabama, anyone?) for a promotion, and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to work longer hours.

Hmmm, I wish I had an excuse to move to Alabama and that's not the only place I would like to go. There are other places in the south or even in the west I would like to live.

That being said you should read the whole thing! This is looking like a good article.

Hat-tip Newsalert!

Medal stolen from Tuskegee Airman will be replaced

These criminals are looking for a quick buck and don't care what the value of these objects are to the people who possess them. At least for this WW2 veteran he will get a replacement, but hopefully Gary, IN police will find the original one that was given to him!

Officials are working to replace a Congressional Gold Medal stolen from the home of a 93-year-old man who was one of the Tuskegee Airmen, a unit of black fighter pilots who served during World War II.

The medal was stolen from Quentin Smith's home in Gary during a burglary last summer, but Smith says he was reluctant to report the theft.

"As time went by, I became even ashamed to even announce it or ask about it until my police friend came over, and he said, 'Well, let's take a shot at it," Smith told WLS-Channel 7.

Smith, who spent much of the war as a flight instructor with the unit, was among about 300 surviving Tuskegee Airmen to receive the award in 2007.

Gary Police Sgt. Freddie Cook said Smith was his high school principal and he couldn't believe anyone could be so disrespectful.

"It broke my heart because you have not just a veteran but you also have a 93-year-old man," Cook said. "And somebody has the audacity to break into his home and take things.

“They ransacked his home. The medal was in a drawer in the bedroom. They took miscellaneous items, some jewelry and alcohol. He doesn’t care about any of it, he just wants the medal back,” he said.

City officials contacted U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky's office about getting a replacement medal for Cook and the congressman hopes to present it to him soon, said Visclosky's spokeswoman, Sarah Olson.

The image in the corner is an example of a Tuskegee Airman gold medal issued to surviving members of this WW2 Air Force unit on March 29, 2007!

The location of the real Springfield

Image from The Simpsons wiki

A few years ago I could've sworn there was a vote or a competition to determine where the fictitious town of Springfield from The Simpsons is located. Well here's an interview (via Instapundit) with  series creator Matt Groening

OK, why do the Simpsons live in a town called Springfield? Isn’t that a little generic?
Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, “This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.” And they do.

You’ve never said it was named after Springfield, Oregon, before, have you?
I don’t want to ruin it for people, you know? Whenever people say it’s Springfield, Ohio, or Springfield, Massachusetts, or Springfield, wherever, I always go, “Yup, that’s right.”

Are those the answers you were looking for Simpson's fans or are you still confused? It's probably safe to say that the Springfield from the show is based on Springfield, OR but it isn't that real life town.

Then again no one asked me to explain his answer! :P

Facebook acquires Instagram in $1 billion deal

I just started using instagram even posted a few pictures filtered through Instagram over at Electric Moleskine. This is an interesting development that caught me by surprise but then I really don't follow the tech scene like that!

Instagram, an Internet start-up in San Francisco, has no revenue and about a dozen employees. It has not yet celebrated its second birthday. But to Facebook, it is already worth a billion dollars.

Facebook announced on Monday that it would pay that much in cash and stock for Instagram, the latest big winner in an industry that seems to be more awash in money by the day.

Instagram joins other out-of-nowhere Internet hits like Groupon and YouTube. The acquisition, which is Facebook’s largest to date, could give it a stronger position on mobile devices.

Instagram is essentially a social network built around photography, offering mobile apps that let people add quirky effects to their smartphone snapshots and share them with friends.

It has dozens of competitors, but Instagram stands out for its fast ascension and almost cultlike following. It has 30 million users who upload more than five million photos a day, even though it was available for only Apple devices until last week, when the company released an Android app.

Another angle to this story:

Instagram's steep price tag — roughly the same as Peet's Coffee & Tea or Jack in the Box— raised eyebrows among many, including analysts who drew parallels with outlandish acquisition deals associated with the Internet bubble of the late 1990s.

"Facebook will never make that $1 billion back, but it's still smart," says Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, who deemed the move "defensive."

"Instagram was the only thing challenging (Facebook's) dominance in photo sharing," Moorhead says.

 Yet another angle to this!

Think about the contrast: Facebook’s campus holds thousands of staffers, including a highly trained army of crack engineers. In fact, Facebook is so dedicated to excellence in engineering that it hosts the annual Hacker Cup, a speed programming competition that requires participants to solve algorithmic puzzles of maddening complexity.

Instagram, on the other hand, has 13 employees, total. They’ve labored hard and well to produce an app that’s loved by 30 million users around the globe, but now they’ve also got the resources of one of the world’s engineering giants.

And another angle to this!

Immediately after the reported $1 billion purchase was announced, some digi-pundits were already rushing to say just that -- with plenty offering advice on how Instagram users can delete their accounts and all of the photos they've uploaded with the app.

Some cited Facebook-related privacy concerns.

That line of thinking goes like this: Instagram, a mobile network where people share filter-altered, hipster-y photos with friends, feels small and intimate. By contrast, Facebook feels too big and tries harder to profit off of the data its users submit to the site.

With my iPhone which is still very new to me and now Instagram is very new to me now as well. Time will tell what Facebook can do with this app. Will it improve or will it disappoint?

Ozzie Guillen suspended 5 games for Fidel Castro comments

You know I was wondering what he said that prompted this suspension or at the very least a picketer who believed that the former Chicago White Sox manager should be let go from his new team the Florida Miami Marlins:

The suspension by the team takes effect immediately. It was announced Tuesday shortly before Guillen held a news conference to apologize again and explain his remarks, which caused a public backlash.

Guillen told Time magazine he loves Castro and respects the retired Cuban leader for staying in power so long. At least two local officials said Guillen should lose his job.

OH! I understand that Florida is home to a significant Cuban exile community. Perhaps many of them groan at the compliments of Fidel Castro that have been thrown about over the years.

I wonder what prompted these comments and don't misunderstand Guillen has the unfortunate tendency to be very controversial at times. This is just one of those times he's very controversial.