Default Disaster

The nation will default on it's loans in just a few short days if Congress can't come through with a bill that compromises on both party's interests.  The question that haunts many Americans, is what exactly does this mean for our nation and economy?  Well, history could provide an answer to this very question.  Although, hopefully, we won't need to find out.

A Nod to Norway

Norway, a country not known for violence, was attacked single-handedly on Friday.  This attack was the country's deadliest since WWII.  One man managed to kill over 90 people (and counting) in the span of an hour, although he claims to have supporters.  In a country the size of a large city in the United States, this sort of terrorism act is devastating.  What make is even more devastating is the amount of young peoples' lives that were taken.  You can follow updates on the killers court hearings, trial and more through USA Today.  But, let us all take a moment of silence today to remember all of those who were murdered & to pay homage to a country that is now in mourning & must rebuild.

Creative Cuts

We all know the economy doesn't look pretty, and that budget cuts are being made everywhere.  However, some of the most creative cuts are coming from colleges.  Public universities are not immune to budget woes, and they are definitely being hit pretty hard.  One way that colleges are getting creative with their spending is cutting lesser used or less important items from their budgets.  While these cuts don't make a huge impact by saving millions, they do help the colleges spend less on what's less important and more on the necessities.

How have you gotten creative in hard woeful economic times?

Heterosexual Education

California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that will add gays and lesbians to history lessons within public schools.  This is an effort to include everyone who is important in history lessons, and not discriminate based on lifestyle.  However, this new law does not come without it's opposers.

What's your opinion on the matter?  Is it good that schools are being forced to have an all-inclusive education?  Should this even have to be a law?  Is this law absolutely ridiculous?  I want to know what your thoughts are!

Trademark Taboo

Trademarks are tricky little devils.  There are many common words that we use everyday that are actually trademarked.  While this may not seem like a problem, it can be for journalists.  Journalists have to be careful about how they use words when writing because they certainly don't want a lawsuit on their hands.  To be safe, journalists must avoid using trademarked words in their pieces, and instead come up with another way to get their point across.  This task can be a bit difficult, but it definitely saves the money and time of having to go to court.

Did you know that these words are trademarked?

Magical Endings

I'm copying this post from my blog Sweet Tea Serendipity in honor of the end of the Harry Potter series.  Enjoy!

I solemnly swear I'm up to no good.


Tomorrow.  It all ends.  The last Harry Potter movie premieres at midnight.
This is a time of mixed emotions for me.  I grew up with Harry Potter.  He has almost always been a part of my life.
I can remember sitting on my mom's bed at the age of 6 (or so), and her trying to read me the story about a boy named Harry and the world of Hogwarts.  I absolutely hated it.
A couple of years passed, and I was finally ready to embrace the magical wizarding world.
My mom would read the books to me out loud during long car trips.  I couldn't read on car trips because I would get car sick, so it was a great way to pass the time.
The tradition continued for many years, but around the time of the 5th book, I got tired of waiting for car trips to get to hear more.  So, one my friends loaned me her book, which I would read in secret.  
After that, I was finally allowed to read the books on my own, and read I did.  I devoured the last two books, and reread the first ones.  I laughed, cried, worried, learned, just about everything you can imagine.  The characters became real to me, and I could always turn to them.
The movies also started.  Each movie brought the images in my head to life, and captured my imagination.  I grew attached to one Dumbledore, and then another.  Of course, I also reveled in the attractiveness of some of the actors.
Now, the final movie is set to premiere.  There will be no more "new" to the story.  But, I guess, all good things must come to and end.  And really, it's not the end.  I still have the wisdom and lessons taught to me by Dumbledore, Hermoine, Harry, Ron and so many others.  I still have my books and movies that I can indulge in anytime I want a bit of magic in my life.  
Plus, Pottermore will be here before we know it.




Mischief managed.

Cheater, Cheater

Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater is what a lot of Atlanta Public Schools kids and parents feel like yelling at their school district.  A formal investigation into the school system has revealed that there has been a lot of cheating going on in regards to CRCT test scores.  More than 150 educators in 44/56 schools in this system have been confirmed as participants in this widespread cheating epidemic.  The investigation into the schools' test scores came after seeing remarkably high, and statistically impossible jumps in the passing rates on standardized tests in the past few years.

What pushed these educators to cheat?  No Child Left Behind, of course.  I've blogged about the flaws of this program in the past, and now the flaws are showing their ugly heads in a huge way.

But, this scandal is more than a bunch of educators cheating.  The real victims of this crime are the students. Students have been cheated out of achieving for themselves, and out of a quality education.  That is something they can't get back.

Hopefully the APS can turn itself around from this major crisis that has become a national topic.

Location, Location

It's all about location right?  So why exactly did Walt Disney choose to build his theme park on top of a swamp?  More importantly, how did he make it work, and turn his park into the success that it is today?  Well, as always, the answer is location.  Disney needed a site that was close to main roads, so that the park would be easily accessible.  Furthermore, studies also showed that he needed a location on the East Coast.  When Disney figured out that swamp land was inexpensive in Florida, and that there would be an airport nearby, he was sold.  It's a good thing too because where would society be without the Happiest Place on Earth?

Anthony Trial Update

In case you missed it, the verdict is in on the 6 week long Casey Anthony trial.  The jury has found Casey not guilt of manslaughter/murder, but guilty on 4 counts of lying to law enforcement.

There are a multitude of opinions on whether or not the jury came to the correct decision, and I'm sure this story will continue to be of topic for years to come.

I want to know what your opinion of the verdict is?  Is the justice system flawed or fine?

Google+

Google+ is the newest contender in the social media scene.  Debuting this past Tuesday, this platform, which is similar to Facebook, is open only to select users right now.  Google is promoting this new tool by saying that it will be more private and will streamline all of your other Google programs/products.  However, as this article points out, this platform will be harder for businesses to use.  Businesses will have to work harder to get a widespread message out, which could make this new platform problematic.  However, Google's products such as Gmail, AdSense, Blogger and Android have become wildly popular over the past few years, so don't count them out too quickly.

Can this new social media application be a real contender against Facebook?  Only time will tell, but take it from me (I've been invited to use this application), so far, I'm not jumping the Facebook ship anytime soon.