Solis Tedx talks at about #socialeconomy

I keep waiting for the global dialogue to switch from talk about “the economy” to something much more meaningful, like: life, nature, society. I live in the United States and am a realist, so I’m aware that I may be waiting a while yet for this change to come about. But it seems pretty clear that Brian Solis in his TEDx talk “Screw business as usual….this is the real world” has gotten awfully close to the switch and that he could even be getting ready to flip it to the position of putting life considerations in front of economic ones. read more

Verizon pushes court to rule that “free speech” equals suppression

Verizon’s stunning challenge to the FCC rule that dictates that the internet should be open, is that its (Verizon’s) “free speech” rights will be violated if it is not allowed to,

“…suppress someone else’s ability to transmit or receive information.

…Here’s the twist: Verizon clearly knows better. Its joint statement with Google about the prospect of open-Internet rules in early 2010 stated: “The minute that anyone, whether from the government or the private sector, starts to control how people access and use the Internet would be the beginning of the end of the ‘net as we know it.” read more

What is Torah (the Jewish bible)?

Torah scrollThere are many misconceptions about what the Jewish Bible is, arising largely from the fact that only the most dedicated Jewish scholars have engaged in the many years of study required to review and learn what Torah contains, and what it actually is. Some people refer to the Torah as a set of laws, but this is not accurate. Torah, or teachings, refers to more than the Torah scrolls kept in Jewish synagogues and the complete body of “written scripture” which Jews call the Tanach and Christians call the Old Testament. It also refers to the Oral, or spoken, teachings. Books on specific topics have been written by prior and modern sages that collate, codify or explain, information that is found woven throughout different parts of the Torah, for example: Maimonides book listing the 613 positive and negative commandments Jews must adhere to and the laws of careful speech, which is another area of Torah study which merits its own, special, space. read more

Operation Hope

Non-profit organization HOPE Coalition America (HCA) through its disaster preparedness and recovery division, established Operation Hope to provide financial recovery services to Sandy victims. Individuals and small business owners can receive free information, guidance and assistance for loss associated with storm recovery by calling 888-388-HOPE (4673).

Services provided include:
? Disaster Recovery Budget
? Mortgage on a Destroyed Home
? Home Inspections and Repair Contracts
? Assistance with Working with Your Creditors
? Referrals to Government and Private Agencies
? Assistance with Obtaining Copies of Destroyed Documents
? Insurance Claims Assistance
? Completing Applications for Grants and Loans read more

Online Learning, Free Classes and MOOCs

MOOCs

  • Coursera offers free online courses and certificate courses you pay a fee to get
  • Distance Ed Archive Collection curated by George Brett
    Topics related to distance eLearning in academia and other organizations.
  • EdX
    EdX offers interactive online classes and MOOCs from the world’s best universities. Online courses from MITx, HarvardX, BerkeleyX, UTx and many other universities. EdX is a non-profit online initiative created by founding partners Harvard and MIT.
  • Harvard offers a variety of free online courses.
  • MIT OpenCourseware. Basically, MIT gives you last year’s course lectures totally for free. If you want this year’s courses and access to professors, you need to attend the school.
  • Udemy has a variety of free and low cost courses. Offers change so check in once in a while to see if you can catch what you want at a good price or for free.
  • read more

    A beautiful Diwali Festival greeting

    I received the most amazing and beautiful Diwali greeting from a member of a Facebook group I help moderate Caribbean Entrepreneurs Association Online. The group’s founder, Guru Dan, says this about the Hindu festival:

    To those of you in this group who are not famaliar with the Divali (Diwali) festival of lights…today Hindus all over the world pay tribute to and honour the mother of mothers, Mahalakshmi, or Lakshmi Mata (Mother Lakshmi)…she is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), fortune, and the embodiment of beauty. The festivals of Diwali and Kojagiri Purnima are celebrated in her honour. To simplify it I think of the festival as a tribute and honour to mothers all around the globe…:) read more

    Immigrant children stolen & families shattered

    DREAMERS display sign, "We Are America".

    DREAMERS display sign, "We Are America".There are so many forms of racism and social oppression being carried out in America, it just boggles the mind. This morning, I posted on Facebook a link to an article that details sad facts about a practice I first learned about from a Nightline TV news show report “Stolen Babies”, a court-sanctioned family destruction that has been going on for way too many years. I linked to a Colorlines story on families being shattered when immigration officials detain or deport parents who work hard and abide laws, except that they lack legal United States residency status – a holy grail that is impossible for so many immigrants to obtain. Colorlines tells us, read more

    Extension on registrations, inspections & licenses for NJ drivers

    MVC Chairman and Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez issued Administrative Order 2012-03 authorizing a 30-day extension for all driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations and inspections due to expire on Oct. 31. Martinez also authorized Administrative Order 2012-04, which waives International Registration Plan (IRP) and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) requirements during a state of emergency declared by the Governor of New Jersey. This temporary waiver will aid commercial motor carriers in delivering essential services and emergency relief supplies in a timely matter to areas that may be affected by Hurricane Sandy. read more

    2012 fixed voter machines and intimidation

    All hell has broken loose in conservative political camps this week. The stronger President Obama’s position has become, the more determined GOP extremists have become to defeat him at all costs – including the sacrifice of a favoured son, and just about all of whatever formerly passed for these people’s morality. God save them. At some Pennsylvania polls, voters were being told they had to have IDs and were turned away if they didn’t

    Tuesday, Nov. 6, 12:10 p.m. EST: Report: Pennsylvania voters illegally turned away: Civil rights group the Advancement Project tells The Root that it’s investigating and addressing what seems to be a pattern in Pennsylvania of poll workers turning away voters if they don’t have voter ID, which violates a recent court order stipulating that voters do not need ID for this election. “It’s not surprising, because despite the judge’s ruling, the state continued to run ads telling voters to get ID,” an Advancement Project representative says. read more

    Election 2012 voting FAQ

    FAQ: Questions about election/voting procedures

    • Q: I didn’t get my Voter ID card after registering to vote. Can I still vote?
      A: Yes. If you’re a registered voter who appears on the voter rolls (see below for how to check if you’re registered), you can vote. If you submitted a registration form but don’t appear on the voter’s roster at your polling place, you have two options:

      Q: How can I find out if I’m registered to vote? A: Visit canivote.org To check if you’re registered to vote and to find your polling place Q: Can I vote electronically, by email or fax? A: Yes! New Jersey voters that are, “displaced voters” can cast ballots by fax or email. What’s more, I learned at 6:10pm from the Assistant Bergen County Clerk that due to overwhelming demand, Governor Christie has just authorized the County Clerk’s offices around New Jersey to continue processing ballot requests through Friday Nov 9 for Vote By Mail applications that were received electronically by the submission deadline of 5pm on Election Day, Nov 6.. The Clerks’ staff need this extra time to finish checking and entering Vote By Mail applications received, and to generate and send out ballots by fax or email in accordance with the preference each voter has indicated). Although thousands of ballots have been processed in Bergen County, many still remain. The vote of each and every registered voter who returns an electronic ballot by Friday will be counted for the 2012 General Election :).

      The deadline for submitting a request for an electronic ballot ended at 5pm Tuesday, Nov 6, 2012. No new procedure was established to make this process possible for New Jersey voters displaced by Hurricane Sandy; the procedure already existed for military personnel and United States residents living abroad. Permission to vote by electronic means expires at the end of the 2012 general election. These are the instructions that were provided.

      You will need to fax or email a Vote By Mail application to your County Clerk by 5pm on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 6 2012. They will send you back a form you must sign waiving your right to having your vote be anonymous (because entering your vote will see it), and a ballot. After filling out the ballot, you return it by fax or email as indicated on the ballot.

    • Q: How does a provisional ballot work?
      A: You can vote provisionally from any polling location or by visiting your county’s (see list) Board of Elections or County Clerks Offices – they’ll steer you to the right location. When the provisional ballot is reviewed, they Board of Elections should approve it based on what are a common entry errors (Street vs. Avenue, etc.).
    • Q: Why didn’t I get a sample ballot?
      Sample ballots came out very late. Some people received them on Nov 5 and some people did not receive them at all.
    • Q: What do I need to bring with me to vote at the polls?
      A: Here’s a list of what’s required in each state. In New Jersey, people who have already voted don’t need to bring any form of ID, but first time voters may be asked for identification.

    Información en Español

    Visite Ya Es Hora – ¡Ve y Vota! ó llamar al 888-839-3682 (888-VE-Y-VOTA) read more

    Resources for Newark residents

    Newark County Committeeperson Douglas Freeman called in to say, Newark’s South Ward Residents need food, baby food, diapers; warming and charging stations. Residents basically just want something that says, “We care. we’re not just leaving you here and you’re fending for yourselves with no one caring what’s happening to you. I was in the dark along with everyone and we had electrical wires hooked up between houses and all of that – if we could do that, I know the city can do something … Just show people that you care, that’s all.” read more

    Report on voter woes in Bergen County NJ

    Hundreds wait to vote in person at Bergen County Clerk Nov 4 2012

    Here are details of the report I sent in about voting issues here in Bergen County, NJ to Our Vote Live, set up by Craig Newmark (of Craig’s List) and other civic rights advocates to protect voter’s rights and make sure the conservatives don’t get away with suppressing people’s voting rights in this pivotal election. If you become aware of any voting issues, please make your own report.

    Hundreds wait to vote in person at Bergen County Clerk Nov 4 2012
    Hundreds wait to vote in person at Bergen County Clerk Nov 4 2012
    The Bergen County Clerk this afternoon remarked that State issued a new and confusing Directive just yesterday (Saturday). Apparently, County Clerks all over the state asked all week for a Directive to be issued. read more

    Sandy recovery – get & give help

    General government-based assistance

    • Legal hotline for NJ residents needing legal assistance after #Sandy.
      1-888-541-1900 or probono_public_service/ls_pb_hurricane_sandy_fema_new_jersey.authcheckdam.pdf
    • A special Federal Government website is set up to process Sandy requests http://www.disasterassistance.gov. It consolidates the application process across several Federal agencies, including FEMA and the Small Business Administration and reduces the number of forms applicants will need to fill out and you can check the progress of your applications online. You can also apply at
      • 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) or fema.gov
      • via smartphone at m.fema.gov
      • Speech disability or hearing loss
        TTY 1-800-462-7585
        711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) 1-800-621-3362

      Financial assistance and grants

      Look into applying for a Lion Clubs International direct grant or see what your local club has to offer. FEMA assistance and how to apply

      5. Operation Hope
      Financial dignity nonprofit Operation HOPE offers financial triage, financial recovery and free consultation services for individuals and small business owners impacted by Hurricane Sandy. More information here

    • 6. Disaster SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Information (aka Foodstamps)
      SNAP Handbook Guide
      b. D-SNAP Toolkit: SNAP Guidance Toolkit.pdf

    Health issues

    The New Jersey Department of Health has public health experts available through the state’s 2-1-1 system to answer questions about food and water safety and mold removal. To reach public health experts, call 211 or 1-866-234-0964, or visit them online at nj211.org. Experts are available 8am-8pm weekdays and 10am-5pm weekends. More than 800 New Jersey residents have called the Department of Health hotline seeking help with food and drinking water safety, mold removal and prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning. The 211 number is open for general enquiries 24/7. read more