Granted, Twitter does have business-related applications (I've used it myself over the last 18 months or so with moderate success for clients in a variety of verticals), but by and large my personal twitter feed is slam-packed with useless info from mostly good people who really should have better things to do, myself included!

April 28, 2009

If you know a teenager who loves the outdoors, cares about the environment, and wants to change the world, tell them about the Cottonwood Institute:

My connection to Cottonwood stems from the time I spent working alongside the organization's founder and executive director, Ford Church, at my old company -- The Outdoor Network. Last year, when Ford asked me to join Cottonwood's Board of Directors, I didn't hesitate in saying yes. Having the opportunity to assist Ford in carrying out CI's mission to inspire students to become active community leaders and environmental stewards, is an honor!

Right now, Ford and his staff are registering students for Cottonwood Institute's week-long 2009 Summer Courses, which include:

• June 13 - 19, 2009: Wildland Firefighter Project
• June 24 - 30, 2009: Horse Caretaker Project
• July 8 - 14, 2009: Stone Age Survival Skills
• July 18 - 24, 2009: Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking
• August 1 - 7, 2009: Mountain Biking Survival

So, like I said at the beginning of this post, If you know a teenager who loves the outdoors, cares about the environment, and wants to change the world, tell them about the Cottonwood Institute!

April 24, 2009

Image by Whirling Phoenix via Flickr

Q2 - Replay: Sixteen years ago on Thanksgiving Day, Phillipsburg High School and Easton Area High School left the football field without a clear winner: a 7-7 tie. That is about to change. The participants, now grown men in their early 30s, will head back onto the field this weekend to settle the score. Are there moments from high school you would like to replay?

Q3 - Lawsuits: Three-quarters of all small business owners in the U.S. say they are concerned they might be the targets of a frivolous or unfair lawsuit. Of those who are most concerned, six in ten say the fear of lawsuits makes them feel more constrained in making business decisions, and 54 percent say lawsuits or the threat of lawsuits forced them to make decisions they otherwise would not have made. If you could have sued any one person from your past, who would you sue, and for what?

Q4 - Licensing: On this day in 1901, the State of New York became the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates. If you could require a person to obtain a license before doing something that currently does not require licensure, what would it be?

April 17, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Q2 - Age: From Satchel Paige... How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

Q3 - Reform: Which do you believe poses the greatest threat to true government reform at the federal level in the U.S.: Democrats, Republicans, the two-party political system, all current politicians and elected officials serving at the Congressional level?

Q4 - Cooking: According to my friend Meagen, everyone's really good at cooking one dish or meal in particular. What is the one meal you cook really well?

April 15, 2009

While sitting in my office earlier today (shortly after standing in line at the post office to mail my tax filings), I started to hear a bunch of cars honking their horns. After a few minutes I figured I'd go outside and take a look. Here's what I found... Laguna Beach's own Tea Party... a protest against high taxes and government in general:

Here's what The Progress Report had to say about today's nationwide Tea Parties (apparently, there were multiple events across the U.S.):

"While Americans across the country prepare to pay their taxes today, many right-wing activists plan to spend the day dressed in colonial tri-corner hats as they wave tea bags in the air. Conservatives are calling for these "tea party" protests, allegedly modeled on the Boston Tea Party, to oppose President Obama and to denounce taxes. Though the "tea" in tea party supposedly stands for "Taxed Enough Already," no American household or business will face higher taxes this tax day. In fact, the economic stimulus package signed into law by Obama enacted one of the largest tax cuts ever for middle-class families, making good on Obama's campaign promise to cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans. The first benefits from these cuts arrived in paychecks earlier this month. What's more, a recent Gallup poll found that Americans' views of income taxes are among the most positive since 1956. In his budget proposal, Obama has recommended raising the top income tax brackets back to rates under the Clinton administration and closing corporate loopholes, two issues he campaigned on, in order to strengthen America's economy by funding health care, clean energy, and education reform. Well-heeled corporate lobbyists are helping engineer today's "tea party" protests as an act of opposition to the Obama agenda."

You can see more of my photos from today's Tea Party in Laguna Beach by visiting my Facebook Photo Album.

April 10, 2009

Q1 - Pictures: Privacy groups in the United Kingdom want Google's 'Street View' service to go away. In support of the effort, residents of the village of Broughton in Buckinghamshire formed a human barrier to stop Google from photographing their village last week, expressing fears that an online display of the resulting images was an invasion of their privacy and would contribute to the facilitation of future crime. Would you object to Google's Street View vehicles driving through your neighborhood and taking and displaying on-demand pictures that included your home?

Q2 - Assurances: As we worry less about what car we drive to work and more about whether we have a job to drive to, car companies are throwing us a security blanket of sorts. Hyundai offers protection for new buyers who lose a job and can't make their monthly auto payment. General Motors, Ford, and Saturn recently followed with programs that provide varying degrees of protection to distressed customers. If you were in the market for a new car, would you be swayed by one of these assurance programs?

Q3 - Optimism: President Obama said this week that the U.S. economy is showing signs of progress as a series of his administration's policies begin to kick in, despite mounting unemployment and rising foreclosures. In remarks to reporters, the President said: "What you're starting to see is glimmers of hope across the economy," adding that it's too soon to make any firm pronouncements. Do you agree with the President's opinion?

Q4 - Balance: Which of the following best describes how you generally handle your credit card balance at the end of each month: do you pay off the entire balance, make a partial payment, make a minimum payment, or do you not use credit cards?

April 3, 2009

Q1 - Cybersecurity: Federal legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate this week would give the President of the United States the power to declare a cybersecurity emergency and then shut down the Internet. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 773, introduced April 1, is aimed at ensuring the continued free flow of commerce within the United States and with its global trading partners through secure cyber communications, to provide for the continued development and exploitation of the Internet and intranet communications for such purposes, and to provide for the development of a cadre of information technology specialists to improve and maintain effective cybersecurity defenses against disruption. On the first point, the one allowing the President of the United States to shut down the Internet, do you believe the President should have this authority and power or should the Internet remain Wild West territory, so to speak?

Q2 - That Guy: We've all seen him and commented to ourselves, I don't want to be "that guy" -- you know the one I'm talking about... he's the guy talking absurdly loud on his cell phone in a coffee shop or wearing the concert T-shirt while at the concert. Got any good "that guy" stories or experiences (either personal or observed)?

Q3 - Government Intrusion: On March 29, 2009, Rick Wagoner agreed to immediately resign his position as Chairman and CEO of General Motors, as part of an Obama administration automotive restructuring plan. Do you think the Obama administration should be dictating strategy and firing CEOs of the companies to which it offers funding? Arguments for include: "The U.S. government (i.e., the American taxpayer) is a major stockholder in GM; why shouldn't it exert the same influence that any other big investor could wield?"; and, "The precedent is already in place. Just ask the former leaders of AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, all of whom who were forced out after federal bailouts." Arguments against include: "Does the government really know what it's doing? Why fire the CEO but let the Board, which supported Wagoner, stay in place? Moreover, if fundamental change is the prescription of the day, why replace Wagoner with a longtime company exec?"; and "AIG, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were different. They were federally regulated to varying extents. GM and Chrysler have no such umbilical cords to Washington D.C." What do you think?

Q4 - Change: What would you do if this happened to you? A friend of mine recently went to the bank to make a deposit for her employer. Included in the deposit was six dollars or so in change (i.e., coins). Upon presenting the entire deposit (which included a number of large and small bills in addition to the coins), the teller told my friend, "Sorry, I don't have time to count change today, so either come back with bills or come back some other time when we're not as busy as we are today".