Tuesday, April 14, 2009

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/153632-soccer-versus-football#comment

Check it out...

BerryBloggin

Obama From Georgetown

Just a few moments ago President Obama addressed the public about the economy at Georgetown University...

For those of you still grappling with how we got into this economic mess, he provided a great, simple summary of what and walked us through how it happened concisely. The President accurately described it as a "perfect storm of irresponsibility and poor decision making... passing off risks to someone else." Essentially how we built this economic bubble and caused it to burst.

President Obama then talked about how the administration is trying to "attack all fronts of the economic crisis simultaneously." He had an underlying theme of
Sustainability which is sooooo important and I touched on in my previous blog. America has simply not had a sustainable economy and that they are working to put in a 5 step plan that aims to make our country more sustainable...

1) New Rules for Wall St- There will be rules that punish shortcuts and abuse. There will be rules that tie a person's pay to their job performance- "A novel idea" he said sarcastically. There will be new regulations to protect the families and he expects to have this new bill on his desk before the end of the year.
Yeah right... ill believe it when I see it.

2) New Investments in Education- " It is time for America to lead once again" in graduation percentage- he hopes to lead the world once again by 2020. This has to begin at an early age and tax credits for college education are on the way. "Our best and brightest" need to be "committed to making things... Engineers. Scientists. Innovators." He says this is essential so people start buying things American once again.
Duh, how else are we gunna make any money to pay back China?

3) Investments in Renewable Energy- In hopes to create new jobs and industries Obama is tired of being "outpaced" by other countries around the world. "America can no longer delay putting a clean energy framework."
Easier said then done- the costs of renewable energy are still too high but I do see him adding tons of new jobs through the "Green" industry.

4) Health Care- Skyrocketing premiums need to slow and we need to take more steps towards what he called "preventative care." This is Obama's focus and defends these investments vehemently- we cannot forget to keep "an eye to the future" while we focus on the here and now.
Why don't we take a page out of Sweden's book... Personally, I like that this is one of his core focuses- A healthy America is needed desperately.

5) New Savings in the National Budget- this is essential in hopes to bring down the national deficit for future generations. We need to do more but there has been a good start. We will root out the programs that cont work to make room for the ones we need- Entitlement reform such as health care will lead.
I'm not holding my breath. Go buy a Rosetta Stone for Chinese kids...

After outlining the "5 pillars" of building the new America on "a rock" he addressed his critics-
"The worst thing a government can do is to stop spending during a recession." Businesses and families are cutting back at a record pace and if the government were to as well the results would be catastrophic and apocolyptic for the country.

"There are glimmers of hope, but we are not out of the woods yet."

I thought it was an extremely comprehensive speech that addressed where we are, how we got here and where we go from here. Sitting at the 12 week mark, the administration says there will be "more job loss, more foreclosures and more pain before it ends." Understandly, progress will take time so lets all brace ourselves.

Obama is a stoic and inspiring figure- he knows how to captivate a nation and restore hope. He can rally the masses like no other president I have ever seen. His ability to speak off the cuff is uncanny. Yes, Obama I believe in you. But I, like many, have reservations about the future of this nation. Perhaps it stems from my lack of faith in Wall St and the greed of those who make their living on it.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

How Are You Gunna Save the World?

Sustainability, in my opinion, is the ability to provide a brighter tomorrow without sacrificing the needs of today. A way that we can upgrade without degrading something else.

Fundamental in my version of sustainability is progress. We should be better off tomorrow than we were today because of what we learned.

That includes researching and gathering information to be analyzed in order to build a better world today and tomorrow and days long after that. It is essential that we have to keep learning as the planet continues to change.

I have always championed having an active student mentality. I feel that this is the way to truly grow as a person. I seek to keep mine diligent and active always. Whether it was on the athletic fields, in the classroom, or just everyday things, I always strive to get better.

The need to add new things to your repertoire in order to prevent complacency is pivotal in growth. You have to keep evolving.

The more obvious reason for my interest stems from my most recent employment within the renewable energy sector.

If you had told me two years ago that when I graduated and got a job it would be within in the energy sector, I would have driven you to the emergency room because you must have knocked your head. The only thing I knew about energy was that Gatorade replenished mine.

There was a “mouth-to-a-firehouse” beginning at the
Solar Research Consultancy I worked for. I not only had to learn about how electricity works, but how is measured, stored, used and lost.

Next, was getting a crash course in how Solar Energy works, the supply chain and basically everything under the sun… pun intended

The learning curve was sharp and once I started getting a grasp on the research and industry I was sent off on market research projects and became very familiar with the renewable energy industry. “Going Green” was on everyone’s radar and was even front page news.

I was fascinated by the space. And I am equally intrigued by this new industry with environmentally sustainable motives. I felt as if I was doing my little part to save the world.

The Brundtland Commission, offers a more clear and concise definition as the ability “to meet the needs of present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”

Similar to the build-break-build model used in workplaces and classrooms we should apply the same thought. We have built this wonderful world that we live in. Great! Now we have to break the bad habits we developed getting here and build on top of that knowledge but with a renewed sense of true sustainability, perspective and careful consideration.

Ultimately though, what grabs most of the public’s attention to the issues facing the environment is the urgency of the need and the frequency at which we see the issue.

“Going Green” has now become a fad. It’s all over the media, the Internet and advertisements everywhere appeal now to “green” consumers. However, the exposure is vital to development. In fact, it could be the most important part of creating a massive movement.

Word of mouth still proves to be the most effective marketing strategy across industries. It may be corny, it may be overplayed and it may a cheap way to make a buck but, fundamentally, the new cool trend helps bring the issue to the forefront of the public eye. It has been instrumental in developing awareness and stimulating action from companies all the way down to an individual level.

Charlene Easton, the director of the sustainability office at University of British Columbia talked about how the movement is registering with today’s youth,
“This demographic knows that it is in their lifetime that they have to solve climate change ... Students are aware of these things. More than maybe any other generation, it really matters (to them)."
http://tinyurl.com/crrote

“Sustainability” and “Going Green” as feel-good buzzwords is a good thing. Now the mission has everyone’s attention.

On a worldwide scale, this movement has been infused with the realization that things need to change NOW. If we don’t branch out to other ways of living then this planet will die along with all of its inhabitants.

We control our planets destiny and the fate of life on earth as we know is resting helplessly in our palms

It will require an unprecedented massive collaboration by people, governments and countries worldwide the necessary growth to begin.

We are making progress, but so much more still remains to be done.

What can you do to help save the world?

Easter

What an Easter Sunday!

Tiger and Lefty paired together on sunday at the Masters
Celtics at. Cleveland trying to prevent LeBron from leading his team to a victory that will tie the 86 Celtics for the best home record of all time.

BerryBloggin

Friday, April 10, 2009

Just saw a sprint advertisement for the first ever 4G network. Cleverly enough, they are callin it the "now network."

BerryBloggin

Dude, What is a Blog Exactly?

A query that has been echoed a lot recently, so lets go…

To me -simply put- a blog is a true expression of one’s self.

It is a way to share your opinion and get it out to massive amounts of people in a simple and easy manner.
It is your own personal “soapbox” to stand on and voice your take on whatever the hell you want- there is no limit…
War.
Love.
Sports.
Entertainment.
Religion.
Education.
Politics.
Business.
Economics.
Your life.
Or your pets life…
In essence, you are exercising your first amendment right over the largest network in the word.

Additionally it can act as our own online common for connecting with friends. All barriers, like distance, are now broken down (The World is Flat- great book if u haven’t bought it yet, do it today)

It’s a convenient way to collect bodies of work and cultivate ideas with diversified discussion as well.

Sure there are blogs dedicated to a certain goal or mission but since these sites are generally started by an individual person I feel it is fundamentally more personal than recognized. It is way of distributing multimedia on what you value perhaps?

The developments of technology and space for the web are literally, awesome.
Inspiring Awe.

People can now send or get whatever info they want, whenever they decide they want it. And it’s not restricted to printed information only found in books. Now, a blog allows people to broadcast and access information in virtual real time.

You can access infinite amounts of information and now its mobile and palm sized.

You can -from anywhere- link into your team...
Your country.
Your music
Your bank.
Your work.
Your friends.
Your shows.
Your community.
Your school… I don’t wanna keep going on this one cause both lists above are infinite and Im sure you get the point.

Blogs and social networking sites are real time and instant-
America has a new habit…Move over TV, here comes the Internet and you better get used to it.
Why?Because its faster…


You can always count on the power of “now.”
And as Elanor said, “
America is all about speed. Hot, nasty speed.”

Frankly, people -like me- love to live in an instantaneous world. We love getting our information as fast as possible and delivered to our pockets. I think it’s great how fast I can get updates on the things that are important to me.

The main downfall which I wrestled with in a previous post is the inability to get away and vacation.

I do like that the new “habit” in the sense that it is turning us from societies of passive viewers into innovative creator and collaborators so, “Blog-On!”

L I V I N

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is."