Make 60K or less? Harvard is free for your Kids...

Yesterday Harvard University announced that their financial aide budget will be increased to allow students of parents who make $60,000/year or less to attend the prestigious university for free. Harvard's president, Lawrence H. Summers, said that this new policy will help diversify their student population, something that Harvard is committed to.

I think this is an excellent program instituted by Harvard. Today it costs approx. $42,000/year to attend Harvard University - a cost that is too high for most middle to upper-middle class families to afford without incurring major debt. Middle class students are hard pressed to find decent financial aide to attend any university other than in-state colleges, making more prestigeous private universities inaccessible for most. The article I read mentioned that other more expensive universities are initiating similar programs to make their education more accessible to middle class/income students, but I couldn't find a listing of those schools.

You can read more specifics about Harvard's new policy by reading today's MSNBC.com article HERE.

Tags: Harvard University , Harvard , Middle Class , Financial Aid , Education , College , news

The Husband on Strike

During my morning commute I was introduced to a husband on strike. Basically a Michigan guy, James, is on "strike" because his wife has their 2 mo. old daughter sleeping in their room every night and refuses to do otherwise. James is sleeping in a tent on their roof until his wife decides to listen to his parental advice and allow them to reclaim their bedroom as a place of peace and relaxation. To read James' blog, view pictures of his tent & sign, to add to his 500+ comments he has recieved, or to sign his petition, just go click here.

James' strike began to pick up media coverage yesterday. I think that this is pretty funny and I give James mad props...I agree that a bedroom should remain a sacred place for parents.

Tags: Husband on Strike , Michigan , Husband , Parenting

Props to Shane, too!

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Spice International Cafe and I failed to attribute the true person who first told me about the new FW resturant. So I just wanted to mention that my ultra cool friend, Shane, and his super wonderful wife, Sylvia, were actually the first people to go to Spice (that I know), since they ate there the day after it opened in mid-February. The above pic of Shane & Sylvia...

Shane being the first person I know to actually visit Spice International Cafe is not the only reason he is a cool guy. Shane is getting ready to kick off his new business, Secure Foods, which is a business dedicated to providing retail food service clients with the most cost effective, strategic and practical methods to protect their customers, workers, and reputation from damages. So if you are in the retail food business, you should contact Shane.

Tags: Secure Foods ,Spice International Cafe , Retail Food Service , Food Service , Fort Worth 

Illegal Workers: One Very Complex Issue...

Keep all illegal wokers out? Let them all in? Although many Americans have been taking a firm stance to one of those positions, this issue is just not that simple. Law enforcement, taxes, equality, economics, cheap labor, and the like work together to compound the issue of 'solving' America's illegal immigrant problem(s). Many people in my area of TX have voiced ignorant, ultra-conservative remarks, but so far, here is the most ridiculous statements I have read/heard on this issue. I pulled this from an MSNBC.com article:

[Tom] Tancredo [R-CO] may not be a household name yet, but he's doing everything he can to change that. As the House and Senate debate the nation's immigration and border-security laws, the four-term Coloradan has positioned himself as the loudest, angriest voice against the estimated 11 million illegal aliens now living in the United States. They are "a scourge that threatens the very future of our nation," he says. He laments "the cult of multiculturalism," and worries about America's becoming a "Tower of Babel."

Tancredo is claiming (more like threatening if you ask me) that if the Republican Presidential candidates of 2008 fail to make immigration a platform issue, he will make himself a presidential candiate. He doesn't think he'd win in '08 though; he declares himself "too fat, too short and too bald" to be president. This is the kind of extreme right politician the press is looking to quote, and behalf of all journalists: Thanks for your ridiculous comments, Mr. Tancredo. Your ignorance reads beautifully in print and sounds just dumb enough to make TV interesting.

I'm not claiming to be educated enough on this issue to fully expound, so I am digressing my opinions here. All I know is that this is not a simple issue for America to work through, and I am pleased with G'Dub's stance thus far. It's his second term, so he can make other Republicans a little feisty.

Immigration , border , MEXICO , Tancredo

A Stiletto Run

On March 9 in Amsterdam, 'Glamour' magazine sponsored a race in which 150 women ran through the most expensive shopping area of Amsterdam -- in stiletto heels. Four thousand female contestants wearing no-less-than 2 3/4-inch stilettos competed for 10,000 euros shopping money. Wow.

Just a little Jack. . .

Back in July, I bought Ryan a copy of Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams album, and I think I love it more every time we listen to it. Personally, this is my favorite album by Jack. If you want some great lyrics and tunes to hear, you should check out In Between Dreams.

Here are some of my favorite lines from a song titled Never Know

Never knowing
Shocking but we're nothing
We're just moments
We're Clever but we're clueless
We're just human
Amusing but confusing
Helping, we're building
And we're growing
Never Know

Jack is pictured above at a photo shoot for the movie Curious George (he did the soundtrack); I mean, how cool is that. . .

Just for the Germ Freaks

When it comes to all of my home linens, I admit that I have germ issues . I am very particular about the clenliness of all towels and bedding, so I thought this new washer sounded pretty cool!

I found this on engadget.com. . .

If you've been waiting for a chance to use the power of silver to sterilize your laundry in cold water (and we know you have), Samsung has your number. The company will be bringing its SilverCare washer to the US this month, at a price of about $1,399. The washer uses silver ions to sterilize laundry, and Samsung claims that it kills 99.9% of bacteria on clothing. Once this catches on, we suspect Samsung will spring an even more upscale version on us, which will use gold or platinum to wipe out the other 0.1% of bacteria, and impart a metallic sheen to our clothes in the process.

Investing $$$

I just finished reading an excellent article on building an investment portfolio starting small, just $100, on sharebuilder.com. Ryan had wanted for us each to invest $100 however we wanted on sharebuilder last month, but we both weren't sure if it was worth it to only be investing $200 total (probably more of my hesitation, actually).

So if you're interested on starting or building new investments, here is a great article to read! As someone who has previously only invested in mutual funds (directed by my financially savvy father), and my retirement fund (handled by the state), I thought this was a very informative read.

Start Investing with $100 from MSN.com

Reinventing Wal-Mart, Plano, TX style

Today Wal-Mart Inc. is opening it's newest store in Plano, TX. In its boldest effort yet to target upscale shoppers, the nation’s largest retailer is opening a new store this week with an expanded selection of high-end electronics, more fine jewelry, hundreds of types of wine ranging up to $500 a bottle, and even a sushi bar.

You can read the entire article from the AP wires HERE.

Wal-Mart is getting desperate. They've saturated their lower-middle class market and now the company finds itself looking for their next consumer group. Tommy Hilfiger told Wal-Mart Inc. to buzz off when Wal-Mart expressed interest in acquiring the clothing designer back in September of 2005. Just last month, Fast Comapny Magazine featured an article about Snapper Inc. pulling all of their law equimpment from all Wal-Mart stores. Wal-Mart is a hot topic.

I am personally not a Wal-Mart fan (except for their Neighborhood Market grocery stores). I can totally bypass child abuse and uneducation to pay slightly more at Target and to have a peaceful shopping experience. This store sounds interesting and I wonder if the up-scale atmosphere takes hold. . .could the U.S. find ourselves saturated in a whole new line of Wal-Martness?

It's a Myoclonic Jerk!

In a totally 2-seasons-behind kind of way, I watched the first two episodes of FOX's medical TV show, House on DVD. I have loved what I have seen of the show so far; I do enjoy good witty, scarcastic, pessimestic humor every now and then.

In the 2nd episode of season 1, Dr. House is trying to diagnoise a 16-year-old male when he notices the patient's leg twitch. House says that the leg twitch is really called a myoclonic jerk. A myoclonic jerk is caused by a drop in resperation rate (caused by fatigue), in which the brain interprets the body as dying, so the brain sends a pulse through the body to wake it up, thus causing muscles to jerk.

I was esstatic to learn about a myoclonic jerk, because my body generally twitchs as I am just about to be asleep. While myoclonic jerks typically occur in adults who have epilepsy, it is normal and healthy for non-epiletic adults to experience minor & brief jerks. I have never known why I had these quick and sudden jerks before, but now I know why!

Create your own Chevrolet Tahoe Ad!

General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet is following up last night’s appearance on NBC’s “The Apprentice” with a Web contest inviting consumers to create their own spots for Chevy Tahoe.

Joining the new trend of consumer-created advertising, GM is asking viewers to make and submit a 30-second spot for its Tahoe truck. Visitors to chevyapprentice.com can win trips and cash for creating the winning 30-second online spot for the Tahoe. Those participating can add their own copy and add it to a variety of video clips and sound tracks on the site through April 10.

GM said it will evaluate the submissions based on how well they communicate Tahoe’s brand promise of “more capable, more responsible and more refined.” Hum, branding a SUV as responsible. . . I think they should have gone with "safe" to sound less goofy.

This falls in line with Al Gore's Current TV: let your consumer mold your advertising. Fun, and interesting stealth marketing creativity on part of GM. Imagine if you won the advertising competition for Tahoe; wouldn't you and all of your family & friends be dying to own the SUV you created an advertising spot for? Gotcha. . . it's never really about the consumer.

Spring Break in Review

March 15. . . Mexican Food Day! Ryan made up Mexican Food Day to commorate the day we had our 1st un-official date at Taco's Ernestos in the barrio of Fort Worth. So to celebrate the day, we go out for Mexican food. Last year Erin & Steve were in town and they got to experience Mexican Food Day with us. This year we ate at "The Orginal," and Ryan had a HUGE bottle of Mexican vanilla he gave me from Central Market!


Curtians! We went to Lowe's and picked out a really awesome modern looking curtian rod to hang out our curtian pannels. . .then we had to hang it up. Together Ryan and I learned the importance of owning an electric drill to tackle wall studs.


I practiced my pie making skills. . . I'm getting better. . . I made this cherry pie for a pie auction at church. The $$ raised from the pie auction will go towards the college group's trip to Maryland to help a missionary family with their church plant's Easter service. I wonder how much my pie will go for????




We also framed our very large wedding picture . . . we hung it . . . didn't like it hanging up. . .so we took it down. . .it sat on the floor in the guest bedroom. . .Tonight I hung it up in the guest room to get it out of the way and to make sure I didn't break it some how. . .it needs a house mantle
. . .we'll work on that. . .you know, buy a house to accomodate for all of the awesome pictures of us. . .just kidding. . .

Ryan and his Izzy. . .


Mocha frappachino light, yummy! If only the 'bucks didn't cost so many bucks. . .

Ryan and his Schwin along the Trinity Trails earlier this week. We went for a 3-4 mile ride and detoured for a Starbucks half way.

Spice International Cafe

After a boring visit to The Amon Carter Museum to see their "Patterns of Progress Exhibit" (basically about 70 "birds-eye view" maps of TX towns & cities), Ryan and I went to a newer resturant, Spice International Cafe. The food and service at this place was excellent! We had an fried artichoke with avoli dip that was very tasty, and our main dish was 5 different sish kabob's (veggie, lamb, chicken, shrimp and beef) with 6 different dipping sauces (pomagrante, mango, cilantro mint,. . .hum, I've forgotten the other 3 names). I was stuffed by the time we left and I was really glad that we had gotten to taste so many flavors! Sheri & Jana gave Spice raving reviews, so thanks to them for the wonderful dining reccomendation!

CD Release Party for Ms. Amy Nobles

I will be celebrating St. Patty's Day by going to my friend, Amy Nobels, CD release party. I am so excited for her release party and cannot wait to hear her sing her new songs live!

Amy leads our worship time at church and travels the world leading others in worship. Our body is very blessed to have a godly woman with her talents and passion for the truth leading us to encounter God each week.

I bought her new CD a couple of weeks ago and have really been impressed with her vocals and lyrics on this album. I am partial to two of the songs on the CD that she sang out our wedding, particularly "Lord I Praise You." You can preview this song and others by clicking here.

You can read about Amy and her music by clicking here.

Fort Worth, Texas

So I'm one lucky adult for many reasons, but this week I am celebrating the wonderous gift of getting to observe Spring Break post college. . .aka 1 week paid vacation that doesn't take away from my other paid days off. . .beautimius! Another super bonus is that this wonderous gift of Spring Break post college is also true for Ryan, so we have made like tourists and taken in and rediscovered parts of our "cowtown" city.

The Modern Art Museum: Awesome building. It's a duck (that's for Mark Roberson), so it has some unique structural design that makes it noteworthy not only to me, but lots of architectural gurus who know way more about that stuff than I do. . . oh, and the art inside is pretty great too. . .

Joe T. Garcia's: We met up with friends from college last night at this Ft. Worth hotspot. I have had better Mexican Food than what you get at Joe T.'s, but I have not found a better resturant atmosphere than their patio dining. . .

The Log Cabin Village: So one of the tour guides questioned why we (a married couple) were there on Tuesday afternoon without children. . . "I haven't seen any couple come through here without children before. . ." Yea, so. . .we're adults on Spring Break, duh. . .

Starbucks: We went this morning. . .how could I say no to all 81 of the stores in Fort Worth?

TCU: We rode bikes at our alma mater. . .


Closing Thoughts
Spring Break is growing more beautiful each year. It will be a sad day if I ever get a job that doesn't provide this wonderful perk of a vacation week.

Warm Heart

There are ocassionaly times in my life where I am truely touched by meeting a person who possesses a servant heart and has committed their lives to serving God and other people.

Part of my job is to meet our employees and spread the good news about what they are doing in and out of the office. Today I had the complete honor of meeting a man named Mr. Britton, 74, at his surprise birthday party. This afternoon, Britton walked in to the lunchroom decorated with balloons, streamers to find his co-workers and wife of over 50 years yelling, "SURPRISE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" his face broke in to a gigantic smile and warm, salty tears ran down his seasoned face. I say it was an honor to meet Mr. Britton because he is a man who loves God and gives his whole heart to serving others. It didn't take me long to see what and who is important to this gentle man. I was told today by a co-worker that Mr. Britton regularly uses his entire Christmas bonus check to host homeless Bar-B-Que's in South Dallas to tangiably show the love of Christ. By earthly standards this man is poor and uneducated. In the end, this man is very rich and his example was a blessing and encouragement to me and the others who know him.

So I was touched and thought I would share.

What Saved By the Bell Character Are You?

My friend, Sheri, had this on her blog and I couldn't resist finding out which character I was. I grew up watching Saved by the Bell almost every day, and between all of the re-runs, I would bet that I have seen 98% of any episode they ever made. Unfortunately for the cast, I think when 'The Bell ended, so did their career's (not much surprise, let's be honest).

The little survey is goofy, but it is fun! I've posted my results below--which made me laugh because I feel I'm more of a Jessie/Kelly/Slater mix :-)

So what Saved By the Bell Character Are you. . .


Which "Saved By The Bell" Character Are You?

No god but God, learning about Islam

So this is the book that I am currently reading: No god but God : The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan. So far I am only about 4 chapters in, but it has been an excellent and educating read.

Why I'm reading this book. . .
Simply put, I want to learn. As one of about 4 religions that are supposedly "the fastest growing in the world," I felt that I don't know enough about Islam to have much of an intelligent conversation on any related topic. I want to have a better understanding of this deeply traditional religion that seems to me, far more embedded and rooted in Middle Eastern culture than Christianity is in the U.S. It seems that there is a far greater cost for conversion in that part of the world that I have never encountered living in the Western world.

I'll post more as I read & learn. . .

The Death of a Mass-Event

So my post title is a direct rip from Arthur Miller's American classic, but it bears remembering at the end of this post.

The Oscar's Lack of Appeal
article taken from LA Times, and idea from Rhett Smith

The hissing you hear is the air going out of the Oscars' balloon.The usual aura of Academy Award anticipation dissipated weeks ago. Wherever I went last week, the talk was about how bad the ratings would be

Conventional wisdom holds that the academy has become infatuated with celebrating low-budget art films that don't connect with mainstream America. This year's best picture nominees, while all having turned a tidy profit, are clearly not big crowd pleasers.But the problem with the Oscars is more deeply rooted than just public lack of interest in the nominees. Ratings are crumbling for the Oscars, and award shows in general, because the Era of the Mass Event is drawing to a close.

With the exception of the Super Bowl, which seems immune to anything short of a civil war, even the biggest sports and show biz events find their ratings in decline. Last fall, the World Series had its lowest TV ratings of all time, dropping 30% from the 2004 Series. Last year's NBA playoffs ratings reached near-record lows as well, down nearly 25% from 2004. The ratings for this year's Grammy Awards were off 10%, with the show easily eclipsed by an "American Idol" installment that attracted nearly 12 million more viewers. Last month, the Winter Olympics, arguably the season's ultimate sports awards-cast, had its lowest ratings in 20 years, down 37% from the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

We are now a nation of niches. There are still blockbuster movies, hit TV shows and top-selling CDs, but fewer events that capture the communal pop culture spirit. The action is elsewhere, with the country watching cable shows or reading blogs that play to a specific audience.

General Application
I have to admit that folks at the Oscar party we attended were entertained by each other, not John's Stewart's lame hosting job. In fact, some of the guys at the party reverted to playing the 2 main characters from Brokeback Mountain, but that's another story. . .

So I think I think Patrick Goldstein of the LA Times makes a great cultural critique by looking through the Oscar's failure to the larger picture of mass events loosing their appeal to Americans. It's as though people were temporarily amused, entertained and amazed by large-scale functions they could attend to feel a part of something bigger than themselves. Today, the sparkle of such events has dissapated to a dull glow that people are just not that interested in. Would you rather be a number or a name, a person with a real life that others know and share in? For some reason I think Reese Witherspoon could care less that I watched her acceptance speech on Sunday night. . .and I find no real draw to being a part of an institution where the majority of people there will never know me; whether that is church or work.

The Church Application
I don't think this requires much explination. People want to be known and the draw of the traditionally successful mega-church of the '90's is coming to an end. The movement away from large events & venus transcends a "secular" vs "religious" view and is just about people. See this article in Time Magizine from my friend Sheri's blog; click HERE

Back to the Post Title
Miller's play, Death of a Salesman, offers an excllent crtique of the American Dream (that if with hard work, and a little bit of luck or fate, you will succeed), mainly that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Not unlike the often failed "American Dream" that many authors have examined, perhaps a similiar critique of the "Mega Event" is timely in our ever-changing culture. Specifically related to the church, a move to look more like the church in Acts (our example for churching. . yea, a verb. . .stole that from our pastor. . why not verb it. . .shouldn't it be a verb and a noun. . .)will create an enviornment that better serves the needs of the people; to know their Creator in an intimate way, to be connected to believers along that journe, and to share that good news. So who knew that Hollywood, Olympians and the Mega Church could all be experiencing the same type of growing pains as society is changing. . .All food for thought. . .

Are the planets in your favor?

I'm taking this straight off the AP Wire folks. ..

The Associated Press BANGKOK, Thailand(AP)

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Sunday he will not answer reporters' questions until next year because the alignment of the planets is not in his favor.

"Right now Mercury ... is in a corner perfectly aligned with my star. Mercury is no good, so if it's not good, I am going to request not to speak. I'll just wait until next year to talk," Thaksin told reporters after returning to Bangkok from a trip to South Korea and China.

He added that Mercury moves slowly and will not steer clear of his star until next year.

Certainly more creative than “No comment.”

Al Gore's Current TV Gives the Consumer Advertising Power

What if ordinary TV viewers went from watching commercials to creating them? We're about to find out.

Sony Electronics, Toyota Motor Sales USA and L'Oreal Paris have cut deals with Al Gore's Current TV that will usher the 30-second spot into the age of consumer-generated content and send shivers down the spines of agency creative corporate marketers will enlist the viewers to produce commercials and will pay to air the best of those spots.

What the Heck is Current TV?
Current TV, launched last summer with the backing of former Vice President Gore. It is Current's objective to democratize TV by letting viewers create programming. At its launch, the company aimed for 5% to 10% of its content to be created by viewers, but the actual amount is closer to 30%.

Reaction for Advertisers
Ad deals are a natural evolution of consumer generated Internet ads (ie: YouTube.com), although they put advertisers, who are used to controlling messages, in an unnatural, and potentially unnerving, position.

Many proponents of user-created content believe brands will have to learn to give up control, that creative agencies will see their role reduced and that consumers will have as much of a say as marketers in defining a brand's image.

Agencies beware, said Sony's chief marketing officer, Mike Fasulo, who might have been joking. It's a great reinvention. ... These are the folks we want to tap into speaking to each other -- let's put them to work on their terms, not ours.

Closing Thoughts
Well, Al invented the Internet, so why not take a step back in time and invent TV Advertising? I will be interested to see what happens with Current TV. Current could offer an awesome opportunity for young starving creatives that are in college or just coming up in their careers to get their ideas out there and make some money. This business also opens the door for the average Joe or Joette to get their ideas out in the free market economy that makes captialism work so well for the U.S.. And competition is just suppose to make the other guy work harder, not put him out of business, right?

What do you think about the concept behind Current TV? Would you want to create a commerical? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. . .

Howard Stern and His Lawsuit; CBS vs. Sirius

CBS versus Sirius. Old media against new. Anyway you bill it, the $500 million lawsuit CBS dropped on shock jock host Howard Stern is already shaping up to be the media world's catfight of the century.


The suit, which was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, focuses on a clause in Mr. Stern's Sirius contract that said he and Mr. Buchwald (his agent) would receive a bonus dose of Sirius stock shares if they helped drive a pre-set number of subscribers to the satellite radio company. Basically, Mr. Stern spent countless mornings talking about his new gig on Sirius radio while still broadcasting on CBS, even though CBS had forbid him from uttering the word Sirius on-air. During his rants, he replaced Sirius with the phrase "uh-uh." What a clever guy. . .

Why Stern is Unique

Because of Stern's image, this lawsuit plays in to his whole persona. For many celebrities a lawsuit like this might tarnish their image and/or career, but this is not the case for Stern. Any publicity he receives from this fiasco serves as another strength element in his own PR campaign. Unfortunately for Sirius, its stock closed Feb. 28 at $5.11 after dropping 2%. Of course what's more glaring is its down 36% from a high of $7.98 on Dec. 12 -- four days before Stern exited CBS. Hum, maybe all of Stern's plugs for Sirius over the CBS radio waves did help. . .