I got some of the photos in an email from a friend. I thought they were pretty funny so I thought I’d share some of my favorites. Just wanted to start your “Hump Day” off with a good laugh. You can submit your own looks like photos to totallylookslike@gmail.com.
Too obvious…
see famous look-a-like faces
All he needs is the Eye of Thundera…
see famous look-a-like faces
Luda!…
see famous look-a-like faces
I know! I’ve haven’t been good at posting this every month, but I have a good reason. The purpose for this post is to inform you of the new laws and acts enacted by President Bush. It’s good to know what’s going on because some of them may benefit us as a people. It’s important for us to watch every step our government takes. We elect them, so we need to make sure they are doing their job. The laws I list are posted at whitehouse.gov. For a more unbiased version, I’d recommend doing additional research at govtrack.us. As always feel free to leave any additional comments.
I fell off from doing this the past couple of months, so I grouped May and June together.
On Friday, May 2, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2954, which extends many authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 for two weeks, through May 16, 2008.
On Tuesday, May 6, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 4286, An Act to award a congressional gold medal to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in recognition of her courageous and unwavering commitment to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and democracy in Burma.
On Wednesday, May 07, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 5715, the “Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008,” which is designed to provide continued availability of access to the Federal student loan program for students and families.
On Thursday, May 8, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2457, which authorizes the Mashantucket Pequot (Western) Tribe to lease certain land to entities for up to 75 years, rather than 25 years as under current law,
S. 2739, the “Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008,” which designates the 106,000-acre Wild Sky Wilderness in Washington State; designates three new National Heritage Areas; expands several national parks; authorizes funding for specified water projects; modifies two existing energy programs; applies U.S. immigration law to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and grants the Commonwealth a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
On Tuesday, May 13, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2929, which extends programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 through May 31, 2008.
On Sunday, May 18, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 6051, which extends many authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 until May 23, 2008.
On Monday, May 19, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 6022, the “Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act of 2008,” which suspends temporarily the acquisition of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
On Wednesday, May 21, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008
On Friday, May 23, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 3029, which extends the authorization of certain Small Business Administration programs until March 20, 2009.
On Tuesday, May 27, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 3522, ratifies a settlement between the Jicarilla Apache Nation and Rio Arriba County, New Mexico; and
H.R. 5919, which makes technical corrections regarding the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007.
On Friday, May 30, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 3035, which extends programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965, through June 30, 2008.
On Tuesday, June 3, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 2356, which encourages the display of the flag of the United States on Father’s Day;
H.R. 2517, The “Protecting Our Children Comes First Act of 2007,” which reauthorizes Justice programs related to missing and exploited children through FY 2013;
H.R. 4008, the “Credit and Debit Card Receipt Clarification Act of 2007,” which specifies that certain entities that printed an expiration date on certain credit and debit card receipts were not in willful noncompliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act;
S. 2829, which makes special immigrant visas available for certain Iraqis and Afghans who worked directly with the U.S. Armed Forces; or who were employed by the U.S. Government; and
S.J.Res. 17, which encourages the United States to initiate international discussions with other Arctic nations to negotiate an agreement for managing migratory and transboundary fish stocks in the Arctic Ocean.
On Friday, June 6, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 1195, the “SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008,” which makes miscellaneous changes to laws relating to the Federal Aid Highway, Mass Transit, and Highway Safety Programs.
On Friday, June 20, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2420, the “Federal Food Donation Act of 2008,” which requires that the Federal Acquisition Regulation be amended to provide that certain contracts includes language encouraging the donation of excess food.
On Thursday, June 26, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 3179, the “Local Preparedness Acquisition Act,” which authorizes the use of Federal supply schedules by State, local, and tribal governments for acquisition of law enforcement and security-related items, including firefighting and rescue equipment;
H.R. 3913, which amends the International Center Act to authorize the lease or sublease of certain property located in the District of Columbia to an entity other than a foreign government or international organization;
S. 1245, which amends current law related to mutual aid agreements entered into by governmental entities in the National Capital Region to provide support in emergencies; and
S. 2516, the “Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act,” which requires DHS to use the fingerprints provided by an individual at the time of enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces to satisfy any requirement for background and security checks in connection with an application for naturalization through service in the Armed Forces.
On Monday, June 30, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008
It looks like the Harper Family will be keeping their home. Earlier this month the Harpers were said to have reached a preliminary agreement with their bank to keep it from being auctioned. They’re not sure if they are going to sell it, but for now things seem to be all good. I wonder what will happen because now they have a loan to pay back. I’ve heard a lot of commentary regarding their situation, but it’s hard to be completely sympathetic. How do we get ourselves in these situations? They had the opportunity to really build wealth because they could have redirected the funds not needed for a mortgage, property taxes and a college education for the boys to other avenues.
But how can us regular working-class people build wealth (as opposed to just “being paid”)? In an earlier post this week, I talked about my experiences with investing in the stock market. But what if you’re on a budget and can’t buy stocks directly, here’s another way to get started.
About two years ago, I started using the Black Wealth Network(BWN) online. I heard about it on the Tom Joyner and thought I’d give it a try. The mutual funds are managed by nationally known black money managers, but what makes this site great is that you can invest as much as you want at any given time. There’s a monthly fee of $5 month and they take that out every quarter (that’s cheap). Other than that, I think those were the only fees I was charged. To get the most bang for your buck, you have to invest regularly (something I didn’t do) and rely on dollar cost averaging.
When I started using it two years ago, the site was very slow, but it’s gotten better. It takes a while for transactions to go through when you’re ready to buy and sell. It’s annoying, but I got over it after a while. I also didn’t like the limited amount of funds you could invest in. Other than that, I’ve had a good experience with them. Before starting I’d definitely learn what the NAV, how to exchange, redeem and other investing terms mean. It doesn’t take long and they have online help if you need it. Do your research and choose the best strategy that works for you. They also have managed funds which have extra fees associated with them.
As always, this is something I use and it shouldn’t be considered as advice. Invest at your own risk and get professional help from a financial planner if needed.
For the past couple of days, I’ve been pretty drained and didn’t feel like blogging. I’m tired of politics and there’s nothing in the news that interested me. Until now. I saw this commercial linked on the NPR News & Notes website and had to blog about it.
Bill O’Reilly had Mr. T on his show to defend his Snickers commercial. Some people in the gay community thought it was offensive and it was pulled in Snickers’ Great Britain market. I’m not a big fan of Bill, but Mr. T is the man and I hate to see his name dragged through the mud. I grew up on the A-Team and he was tough guy who kept people in check. From the shows and interviews I’ve seen him on, he seems like a nice guy. If anything attack the Snickers marketing team for putting this together.
The million dollar question is, as a society have we become too sensitive when it comes to issues of race, sexuality, gender, etc? I’ve been watching this whole PC movement unfold and I don’t know if it makes things better or worse. Anything you say can be twisted and construed to mean something completely different than it was intended. Mr. T was obviously concerned about what people thought because he really didn’t mean anything by it. All he was only doing his job. I got ya back T!
What do you think? This is probably one of the funniest interviews I’ve ever seen.
The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado August 25-28, 2008. Over the past couple of years blogging has taken off as a newer form of news media. The beauty of blogging is that you get all types of opinions from people with varying life experiences and point of views. You’re able to get something beyond the corporation-sponsored news articles and at times you get the story the big boys overlook.
This year over 100 bloggers were invited to be credentialed bloggers of the DNC. Of that number I believe seven are black bloggers. When I attended the the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to meet three of the seven in person (I already knew Shawn). In talking with Shawn, there are costs for the trip and they have to cover all expenses. If they worked for a major news company it would be all good, but this is coming straight out the pocket.
History is being made at this convention and I want someone who can relate to the black experience covering it. If you visit their blogs which I’ve listed below, you’ll see they are definitely qualified. So check them out and if you like what you see, send a couple of bucks their way. I haven’t done it yet cause I’m waitin’ on my check, but (in my best pastoral voice) I am putting my ??? dollars into the collection plate. Not the kind that jingles, but the one that folds. Holla.
Shawn Williams
Dallas South Blog
Donate
Gina McCauley
What About Our Daughters
Michelle Obama Watch
Donate
Pam Spaulding
Pam’s House Blend
Donate
I’m not a big Paris Hilton fan, but this was pretty funny. Whoever wrote this for her actually made her seem kind of smart. I think she’s on to something. A comprehensive plan…
Check out this video also.
I was watching some old DVR’d episodes of the Black Enterprise Business Report and ran across an interview with Alfred Edmond Jr. discussing black people and investing. He made some really good points and I wanted to share the video with you. I have more to say on this topic, but I wanted to save it for my Tuesday rant on personal finances.
Also check out the video below with Dr. Boyce Watkins on how to set up an investment club.
I thought the lobbyists and big corporations were supposed to run this country behind the scenes. I guess times are changing because claims are being made that Wal-Mart has been informing its employees about what could happen if the Democrats get in power. A report in The Wall Street Journal said the discount retailer, which has rigorously resisted being unionized, had held mandatory meetings with store managers and department supervisors in recent weeks warning if Democrats take power, they would likely push through the bill hurting workers.
Who says lobbying can only take place in Congress? Wal-Mart says it always informs its employees about legislation that could impact the company and the talks were nothing more than that. Note to Wal-Mart, when workers want to form a union, it’s probably for a reason. But like all large companies, they would just find a way around it. Unionization would just give them a reason to layoff people to increase profit. It’s the American way and they’re just doing what businesses do. Looking out for the bottom line. If it means some people have to be told how to vote, then so be it.
I know! I’ve haven’t been good at posting this every month, but I have a good reason. The purpose for this post is to inform you of the new laws and acts enacted by President Bush. It’s good to know what’s going on because some of them may benefit us as a people. It’s important for us to watch every step our government takes. We elect them, so we need to make sure they are doing their job. The laws I list are posted at whitehouse.gov. For a more unbiased version, I’d recommend doing additional research at govtrack.us. As always feel free to leave any additional comments.
I fell off from doing this the past couple of months, so I grouped March and April together.
On Thursday, March 06, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2571, which makes a technical correction to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, with regard to registration service fees for certain “minor use” pesticide.
On Tuesday, March 11, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2478, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in East Hampstead, New Hampshire, as the Captain Jonathan D. Grassbaugh Post Office.
On Wednesday, March 12, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2272, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service known as the Southpark Station in Alexandria, Louisiana, as the John “Marty” Thiels Southpark Station.
On Friday, March 14, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2745, which extends authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 through April 18, 2008; and
S.J.Res. 25, which provides for the appointment of John W. McCarter as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
On Monday, March 24, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2733, the “Higher Education Extension Act of 2008,” which temporarily extends programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 through April 30, 2008.
On Friday, April 9, 2008, the President signed into law:
President Bush Signs H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007
Read the Fact Sheet
On Friday, April 18, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 5813, which extends many authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 for one week, through April 25, 2008; and
S. 550, which increases from 58 to 61 the statutory limit on the number of associate judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.J.Res.70 - Army Reserve Centennial Commemoration, which congratulates the Army Reserve on the occasion of its centennial anniversary.
On Thursday, April 24, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 1858, the “Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007,” which authorizes through fiscal year 2012 new and existing programs at the Department of Health and Human Services concerning newborn screening.
On Friday, April 25, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 2903, Extends authorities provided under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 for one week, through May 2, 2008.
On Monday, April 28, 2008, the President signed into law:
S. 793, the “Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008,” which authorizes appropriations and makes changes to the Department of Health and Human Services programs that provide grants for State programs for: tracking and reporting of brain injuries; and brain injury rehabilitation.
We concluded the conference with brunch at the Sun Dial Restaurant in the Westin Hotel. Once again I was engaged in some good discussions with the bloggers who could make it. There’s nothing like good discussion and good food. Some of the topics we covered the most were politics and education. You can rest assure, I’ll be referencing a lot of the bloggers I met.
In attending this conference, I’ve rediscovered the purpose for my blog and look forward to the attending next year. This is just the begging of something bigger. I’ll be posting pictures in the next couple of days of some of the bloggers I met.
