Net 202S

Okay, I'm in the home stretch. Everything came together the last few days and my website is looking pretty good...and it works too!

I just have to put some final touches on it and then upload it to my web server. Oh, but then there's that reflection paper to finish up too! (yuck)

I learned a lot doing this project and can't wait to update my own website!

Happy Thanksgiving

Don't you just love Thanksgiving? It's my favorite holiday of the year, although I'm not sure why. Maybe it's all the great food, being surrounded by family and good friends, playing a new card/board game, trying a new dessert or taking a few minutes to reflect on what I have to be thankful for. I'm not really sure except that I know it's my favorite!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Well, like it or not, government is moving forward on health care!

Just a vent...

Another step towards nationalized health care, government takeover of another 1/6 of our economy and government intrusion in our lives was just taken on Saturday night.

Government doesn't really care about health care for Americans, this is simply another way for government to take control...control/power from you and give it to themselves. If this bill were really about health care and the concern for Americans, then we wouldn't be hearing about:

*Increases taxes - starting when the bill gets pushed through even though health care benefits wouldn't start until 2014.
*Not every American will be covered - this health care plan will still not cover millions of Americans.
*1/2 trillion cut in Medicare benefits - MC is already closing in on bankruptcy, what is this going to do for the health care of our parents, grandparents or even you in the future?
*Medicare payroll tax hike
*You will be forced to buy health insurance or get fined/go to jail
*Rationed health care
*The creative accounting method used by the government to try to make a $2.5 trillion dollar health care bill look like it will cost only $849 billion.

Do you also know that a part of health care reform was already passed? Yep, it was hidden in the stimulus bill. This part is the creation of a "health care panel" consisting of 15 members (Obama has already appointed the 15 members) that will determine the appropriate care for each person. They will decide this by taking the cost of the medical procedure against the estimated time period the person will benefit from it. Oh, and by-the-way, the panel has also been funded with something like $1.1 billion dollars from the stimulus bill.

Feel cheated by your elected government officials yet?

How many times in the past few months have you seen our elected officials stand in front of us, on camera, and lie? Outright lie about what is included in the bill, who wants it, etc.? How about the blatant bribe of $300 million dollars included in the bill to get Senator Landrieu's (D-La) yes vote? Imagine that? Reid bribes Landrieu with tax payer $ - OUR $ - so she will vote yes for a health care bill that the majority of Americans don't want!

They really aren't trying to hide the fact that they don't care what their constituents wants. Consider the interview with Sherrod Brown (D-Oh). Asked if he knew that his constituents didn't want this health care bill to pass, would he vote no? Sherrod Brown responded with no, he would still vote for it. I guess he knows better than us about what we want or need, right?

I ran across a post this weekend that really sums up a lot of Americans' feelings pretty well. Here's what one person wrote:

"We the people" have tried to find jobs that the stimulus was supposed to create, we have tightened our belts, lowered our expense and still are struggling.
"We the people" have see that Government only knows how to spend and has lost touch with "WE the people"
"We the people" have taken cuts in pay, had our benefits reduced, and have lost our jobs.
"We the people" have watched as Government has increased spending, taken trips, enjoyed the fine life.
"We the people" would like to see Government take pay cuts, lose benefits, and pay for their own health care.
"We the people" demand better from our Government,
"We the people” are angry, hurt, and disappointed with our Public Servants.
"We the people" want our Government to remember who "We the people" are": right wingers, tea baggers, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Housewives, Teachers, Electricians, Farmers, Business owners, Construction workers, Janitors, Barbers, Gas station attendants, unemployed, retired, etc....
"We the people" means all of us, not just Party Affiliates, Bankers, Stock brokers, Unions, and Associates.
"We the people" will be heard and our votes will show that we care what our Public Servants do for "We the people".

I know it's a really long post, but I just had to vent! ;-)

Alcoholism Sound Portrait

Terri Wise's Podcast

T: The American Medical Association officially recognized alcoholism as a disease in 1991. Like any disease, alcoholism follows a pattern, starts out slowly and builds to more harmful levels of addiction.
B: My name is Bill and I’m 66 years old. I am a recovering alcoholic.
T: Alcoholism statistics report that individuals who start using alcohol before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholic at some time in their lives, compared to those who start drinking at the legal age of 21.
B: My Mom and Dad gave me some beer when I was about 8 years old and they gave me enough beer that I got drunk.
T: A number of scientific studies have verified a link between genetics and alcoholism. The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) cites compelling evidence that alcoholism does run in families.
COGA notes that children of alcoholic parents, especially sons of alcoholic fathers, are four to nine times more likely to have problems with alcohol than children of non-alcoholic parents.
B: I believe my father had a drinking problem, but it’s not for me to say he was an alcoholic. He was the same way I was. Once he started drinking, he didn’t stop until he was drunk.
T: Alcohol is the top drug of choice for children and adolescents with approximately 7000 children in the U.S. under the age of 16 taking their first drink.
B: My drinking became pretty consistent at about the age of 15 and 16. Once I consumed alcohol, I didn’t quit until I was drunk.
T: Research verifies that alcoholism is a disease that progresses through various alcoholism stages. Early in the disease a person starts to depend on the mood altering capabilities of alcohol.
B: Well, in my 20’s and 30’s, I didn’t get drunk every day. I sometimes didn’t even drink on the weekends. It’s just that if you went to a friend’s house or played cards and that friend drank, then I would start drinking and it was like, you know, off to the races and I would drink until I was drunk.
T: In the second stage of alcoholism tolerance increases, the person drinks because of his or her dependence on alcohol, rather than because of stress relief. Drinkers in this stage start to resort to denial of their problem.
B: I suspected I had a drinking problem for most of my life. I just didn’t admit it. Or, didn’t want to admit it.
T: In the third stage of alcoholism, the loss of control becomes more noticeable. For example, once the individual takes the first drink, he or she can no longer control what will happen, even though the intention might have been to have at most two or three drinks. At this stage of the disease, rather than experiencing an increase in tolerance, the drinker usually experiences a DECREASE in alcohol tolerance.
B: When I quit drinking, I would say I was in stage 3. I had problems with my spouse. I was angry all of the time. I was very emotional. I drank until I blacked out. So, I would say stage 3 would be about where I was at.
T: Alcoholism affects families and can cause more damage and pain than any other internal or external influence on the family and has long-term implications.
B: My drinking caused problems at home. You know, the wife would get upset and I would tell her that I would never drink again but once I started drinking, I just didn’t quit. It made for an unhappy family life, that’s for sure.
T: The fourth and final stage of alcoholism is characterized by a continued loss of control. In the earlier stages of the disease, the alcoholic had a choice whether he or she would take the first drink. After taking the first drink, the alcoholic usually lost all control and would then continue drinking. In the last stage of alcoholism, however, alcoholics no longer have a choice: they must drink in order to function.
B: I was going to a marriage counselor and the marriage counselor suggested that I go to an addiction counselor. After 3 sessions, the addiction counselor advised me to go to 3 AA meetings before our next weekly session. My sobriety date is October 14, 2003. I’ve been sober for the past six years.
T: Alcoholism is a treatable disease and many treatment programs and approaches are available to support alcoholics who have decided to get help, but no medical cure is available.
B: I’ll never be cured of alcoholism. There is no cure for it. If I take alcohol into my body it will basically be just like I never stopped and before long I’ll be right back where I started six years ago only it will probably get worse in a shorter period of time.
T: In the AA recovery program, they have what is called a 24-hour plan.
B: I stay sober by using the tools of AA which is to get a sponsor, go to meetings, if I have a problem, call my sponsor and discuss it with him. If I can’t get a hold of my sponsor, I’ll call another AA member. When I get up in the morning, I ask God to keep me sober. When I go to bed at night I thank God for keeping me sober. I’ve only got today. I can only do this program one day at a time.
T: Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other so that they may solve their common problem and help others. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
B: If someone suspects they have a drinking problem, the first thing to do is to admit it. Then seek help. Seek help through the AA program. Any kind of help that you can find. But get support from people that know about alcoholism. That right there is about the best advice I can give anybody. AA does work if you want to work it.

NET202S project

I'm working on this project today as well as over the next several days. When I started this project by creating my plan assessment, doing research and watching and/or participating in several hours of Flash tutorials, it seemed very overwhelming. The part that made it overwhelming at first was the technical side of it. But, now that I'm getting into it and starting to build the website, the technical side seems much easier and now I'm having trouble with the creative part of this project. Every time I sit down to work on this project, my creative side totally freezes up. I can lay in bed at night and come up with all kinds of good ideas, but when I sit down in front of the computer, I draw a complete blank. I'm beginning to think that I'll have to get up in the middle of the night to work on the project -- to take advantage of when my creative side kicks in!!!

Facebook Ad

Since I already have a Facebook ad created and running for my business, I made up an ad for this assignment. Since gold and silver are so hot right now, I decided to create an ad for buying/selling both.

It can be tricky to create an ad with a limited number of characters. You really have to get to the point very quickly.

Computer crash...almost

This stupid PC! It's caused me nothing but trouble. It just crashed a couple of months ago and I had to restore it back to original and reload everything! Ever since I downloaded Audacity, it started acting freaky until it finally wouldn't even complete the start-up process. After several restore point attempts with no luck, I decided to start it using the last known good configuration before either completely restoring it back to original or kicking it to the curb. It worked...finally! Worked out good for me since I didn't lose my Sound Portrait or the work I had done on my website since my last back up on 10/14. Phew!

Working on sound portrait and website

I'm finishing up on my sound portrait today. The work I did at Edison last Wed did not get saved on my thumb drive so I had to start at the beginning. The sound portrait is a little over 7 minutes now so I'm trying to trim it a little.

I also worked on my "Go Green" website over the weekend. Lost count of how many Flash tutorials I watched and/or participated in. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it...finally!

Working on video

I've been working on my video the past couple of days. I think I have all images imported and a general idea of what I want to do. Now I just have to create the animation. That should be fun! I've been staring at my computer screen for 30 minutes now...

So, you think the President is on your side...

Think again. Watch what he does, not what he says. The president has a way about him that makes you believe he's on your side, but then goes back to the white house and proceeds with his agenda. Notice in his last speech about health care - you know, the one where he had to put all the "rumors" to rest - we need universal health care to get insurance to all those that don't have it, illegal aliens will not be covered, no taxes will be increased, nothing will be added to the deficit... Well, let's see, the current bill just recently voted on by Congress leaves 25 million people without insurance, but at a huge price tag. Our taxes are likely to increase and the deficit will grow, if not in the first 10 years (where they always stop charting the costs), it will happen shortly thereafter. And, illegal aliens could end up with coverage if the bill extends that far (they are included in the 25 million left uninsured now) because, guess what, the president is going to change those rules and automatically make all those illegal aliens, legal.

How can we trust the government to run a universal healthcare plan when the programs they are responsible for are about bankrupt...post office, social security, Medicare, and Medicaid? And, we're watching them spend trillions of dollars we don't have. Do they really think the average Americans are fooled and we believe we can spend our way to prosperity?

We are in serious trouble here unless we peacefully stand up and let our voices be heard. Stop the spending. Drop the "Obamacare" plan and let's really focus on fixing the health care systems. Deal with the illegal aliens and secure our borders. Reduce the size of government and keep the government out of the private sector. We can force change but first we have to stand up and be heard!

Sound portrait

I've been working on creating my sound portrait and it's much more difficult to do than what I thought it would be. I started out by picking a topic for the sound portrait and interviewing the person I had chosen. Once that was complete, I starting writing my narrative to go with it. Now that I'm trying to plan how to put it all together, I'm finding that some of the answers don't quite fit with the information I've found for the narrative. Hmmm. More research or ask more questions?

Too funny - just had to share!

Embedded video from CNN Video

Voice blog

Sedaris' writing had a conversational tone to it. It did seem as though he was speaking directly to me by the sentence structure and punctuation he used. It came across to me as sarcastic and somewhat funny. His essay was much funnier on the audio as compared to written form. But, I think that may be due to hearing other people's laughter - because laughter can be infectious - than Sedaris reading his essay. It seemed he was relying on his words, rather than personality, to make it funny. It seemed awkward.

Adobe Flash

Started some tutorials this week so I could learn to use Flash and eventually create interactive content for a website. Started at the very beginning with lesson one so I could learn to use the tools, learn to draw, organizing and layering, etc. Well, I was supposed to draw a fish in lesson three. I did, but it really didn't look like a fish. I think it looked more like a pig with fins. I'm thinking of starting over...

Like grade school kids on a playground

I'm disgusted by the behavior of our government. Have you seen worse behavior anywhere else except maybe on a grade school playground? Name-calling and finger-pointing are not going to get us anywhere. I hope our enemies aren't watching. With all the in-fighting going on in Washington, we probably look like lame ducks to them.


I'm so tired of hearing what the President wants. I'm so tired of hearing what people in Congress want. How about what the American people want? We're trying to speak up. We're trying to let our government know how we feel. Are they listening? It doesn't appear so. Their response comes in the form of more name-calling and finger-pointing. Haven't you had enough?

Check out rasmussenreports.com for some polling information that will let you know what Americans think. Washington needs to take a good, long look at these results. You'll find some of the following poll results:

*President’s approval rating only 49% in 9/09 as compared to 62% in 1/09.

*Only 41% of voters favor the health care reform proposed by the President. And that's after all of his interviews on TV.

*83% of the voters say legislation should be posted online in final form for everyone to read before it gets voted on. And I think they'd like Congress to actually read it too!

*Only 33% of the voters say the US is heading in the right direction.

*59% of voters believe that the current level of political anger in the country is higher than it was when GWB was president.

I also just read results to this question posted by AT&T/Yahoo:

The president's progress with the battered economy has been both praised and criticized. How well are his efforts measuring up with you?

80% of 3,257,159 voters answered - Not well at all. His plans are hurting more than helping.

If you've had enough, speak up!

Off topic - movies

Took a break from watching the news and saw two movies last week. First movie up was The Informant. It was not as funny as the commercials make it out to be. It was interesting to learn that for all of Mark Whitacre's efforts to bring down upper management for price fixing (so he could run the company), he ended up in jail for embezzling somewhere between 5 - 12 million dollars. He essentially turned himself in. True story. The movie was okay but not necessarily worth the ticket price and a tub of popcorn. FYI - I did not eat all of that myself!.

Also saw Love Happens. It was a typical Jennifer Aniston movie...she falls in love again! Go figure!

Okay, back to the news!

Status report for Net 202S

In preparation for creating the digital media project required for this class, I'm doing research today. I'm reading information from websites I've bookmarked about reducing carbon footprints, global warming, etc. In addition to that, I'm working on my plan outline, contacting individuals and/or business owners that I believe would like to be involved and discussing an expected outcome with them.

I have also roughed up some ideas for the home page of this website and started gather images that I think would be appropriate. Have also been thinking about what interactive elements I'll include on the website.

I hope to create a website that is interesting instead of the boring, text-heavy websites and reading material I've come across so far.

It's a good thing I went back and reviewed all of the assignment documents posted so far, because I missed the status report section the first couple of times through!!

More to follow!

No tough questions!

Did you watch the latest round of Obama talks on Sunday? Same old stuff, right? Nobody wants to ask any tough questions any more. I guess they approve of the waste of our tax dollars and the potential for the government to control every aspect of our lives. The president did get asked one tough question about the corruption uncovered in Acorn. His answer was unbelievable! It appears that Acorn isn't even on his radar screen! How can that be? Hasn't he said in past campaign rallies, speeches, etc., that he's worked closely with Acorn during his career? He didn't know that Acorn was getting any federal funds? Didn't know that the Senate voted to cut funding for this corrupt group? Hard to believe, right? Shouldn't our president be working to eliminate tax fraud, insurance fraud, voter fraud, etc.? What does that say about him? It will be interesting to see what he does when the bill lands on his desk to sign. If he doesn't sign it, there will be a great deal of public outrage. Even if our government thinks that the millions of dollars Acorn has already received is nothing compared to the big picture, the average joe thinks otherwise!

Racist - seriously??

Have you heard the news and seen the pictures about the 9/12 project and tea party in Washington DC or around the country? Chances are you haven't unless you surf the Internet and/or watch Fox News. If you listen to "mainstream" media or the government, it was a small event - hardly worth a mention - with about 15,000 people in attendance (as opposed to the tens of thousands that did go). And did you know, the people in attendance were labelled as an angry mob, trailer trash, ignorant, wackos, Nazis, uninformed, right-wing extremists, stupid or racists? RACISTS?

I had two members of my family attend the march in DC and they fall under none of those labels listed above. Their label is "concerned American". We have pictures of families, children, grandparents, veterans, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, African-Americans, whites, Hispanics and many others from different cultures and backgrounds who are concerned about the spending AND policies of the government...not just Obama, but most of the people that make up our government today. And really, it's not only what is going on today, but what has been happening the past several years. It just so happens that the huge spending, broken promises and the current policies are the "straw that broke the camel's back". And it happens to be under Obama's watch...our first black president.

For the most part, government seems to be ignoring these concerned Americans, not taking the time to understand the problem or choosing to ignore what they hear. And, by calling these concerned Americans names, only serves to make them angrier. Why won't they listen? Because it doesn't fit in with their agenda?

I am a 40-something woman, married with two kids, a house, two cars and a dog, living in a small town in Ohio. I never paid much attention to politics or what was going on in Washington until this last presidential election. I don't believe we had a good choice of presidential candidates. I guess I thought that our government was looking out for our best interest, had our backs, and there was no reason to pay attention. Boy, was I wrong! As I understand it, there are more people out there just like me. They have had enough. With the economy the way it is, and the unemployment rate rising, the salaries of the government officials, the corruption that has been uncovered, the out-of-control spending, etc., they have had enough! Americans are angry and worried.

I am a concerned American. I am not a racist. Just because I speak out against the insane spending and policies of our government doesn't make me anything other than a concerned citizen. Seriously.

Culture of Corruption

I'm reading the book Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin. It's a good book that reveals the corruption in our government. It's definitely worth a read!

9/12/09 Tea parties

There will be tea parties all across the country on 9/12, giving Americans the opportunity to show their concern for what is happening in our country. Some members of my family will be among the thousands going to Washington DC tomorrow for the march at 11:30. Do you want the government telling you what you can and can't do in every aspect of your life? Do you want government taking over health care? Do you agree with some of the Czars' agendas - how about the crazy idea that pets can hire lawyers and sue their owners? If not, find a Tea Party near you and express your concerns. Peaceful demonstrations can create change!

Great book!

I recently read Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government and found it to be an excellent book. It's a great wake-up call for Americans!

What's happening to America?

We are living in troubling times right now. It's hard for me to grasp what the government is spending, doing and trying to change. It appears to me that they are acting out for their own best interests, following their lust for power and money, and could care less about the citizens of this country. I'm proud of the Americans that have been standing up and asking questions, speaking their minds, and expressing their concerns at the town hall meetings. What's unbelievable is the treatment of our government employees towards these people. I mean really - we're stupid, we're ignorant, we know nothing about economics...especially at the government level (which is so much different than how it works for regular Joe's or other businesses). Seriously? For instance, if I thought is was true to spend more money and go into debt to create wealth, then I would have run up my credit cards a long time ago.

I appreciate anyone (like Glenn Beck) who brings stuff to our attention and in a way that we can understand. Of course, they are getting crucified for being nut jobs when actually they are just passionate about making sure all Americans are informed and understand what's going on. In my opinion, if you want to find some real nuts, you don't have to look any farther than Washington DC.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! In this blog, you'll read my thoughts, learn about books I've read, what's going on with my new business and hear all about my concerns for our country. In addition, I'll share other blogs I read.