Category Archives: News & Politics

Why PBS Matters to Me

Life Stories News & Politics Thoughts No Comments
In the first of the 2012 Presidential Debates, Mitt Romney said the following: I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to stop other things. I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you [Jim Lehrer] too. NPR.org  -Transcript And Audio: First Obama-Romney Debate As it turns out PBS gets actually very little funding from the federal government (See this visual illustration of PBS federal funding).  As Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted: Cutting PBS support (0.012% of budget) to help Read more [...]

Ways Facebook Could Promote Saving Lives Beyond Organ Donations

Design Marketing Moments News & Politics Thoughts User Experience Web & Technology No Comments
I read today that Facebook is encouraging organ donations.  I think this is a great effort and more people should be organ donors.  Ultimately I want this campaign to be successful (and it looks like it is) , but I do have a few concerns: This feature is kind of hidden away.  In fact, I didn't realize the amount of "Timeline Life Events" I could indicate until I started writing this.  This speaks to a larger problem Facebook has with rolling out new site changes without really communicating Read more [...]

A Note of Appreciation: For Janitors

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On my walk back to the office from lunch, my co-workers and I were stopped by this really large protest.  It even blocked traffic coming from off the freeway - sorry Los Angeles drivers and bus transit riders.  It turned out to be a protest for Justice for Janitors, emphasizing more affordable healthcare and fairer wages. A protest like this gives reason to pause and more than just for the inconvenience of traffic. A few minutes of protest is nothing compared to where we would be without Read more [...]

Why Hoekstra Super Bowl Ad is Racist

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GOP senatorial candidate Pete Hoekstra ran/is running a seriously racist ad against incumbent Debbie Stabenow in Michigan.  It’s not that I don’t understand the point of Hoekstra’s ad – obviously, he believes that Stabenow is pouring money into China’s economy by spending too much, but everything about this ad loses that point because of its over-the-top images  and racial insensitivity. There is a video embed of the commercial at the end, but here’s the text: Thank you, Michigan Read more [...]

Thanks for Thinking Differently: In Memory of Steve Jobs

Life Stories News & Politics Web & Technology 1 Comment
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech 2005 I received the news of Steve Jobs’ passing while in my online class session – in front of the only Mac in my Read more [...]