As I look back at 2013, the posts I’ve written in the Marketplace, the articles we’ve shared on our Facebook page, and our Twitter messages, I’ve come to appreciate the power of social media. I am convinced now more than ever that our vision of leveraging social media to effect change is one worthy of continuing, one we must push forward.… [Read more]
Archives for 2013
A Big Step Forward in Cloud Security and Internet Privacy
A landmark decision in New York is setting a precedent for intellectual property on the internet. Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan, overseeing the ongoing case of Debra Schatzki v. Weiser Capital Management, found that stealing data stored in the cloud from a business competitor constitutes a crime.
Weiser Capital was found liable for downloading confidential information about over 12,000 of Schatzki’s clients during proceedings in early December.… [Read more]
Who Owns Your Congressman?
While many people know that politics can be tricky, the financing behind it prove that politics is all but a dollar game. Take a look at the “Who Owns Your Congressman?”infographic below; it unveils the monetary goals behind political funding.
In this most recent election cycle alone, more than $441 million dollars was raised for candidates.… [Read more]
Poverty: An American Epidemic
It seems hardly a day goes by without another news story about the 1%, the healthcare crisis or picketing laborers. The truth is that a shocking number of Americans are living at or below the poverty line.
By the NumbersAccording to U.S. Census data from 2012
- Nearly 46.5 million people are living in poverty, up from 46.2 million in 2011;
- 18.9 million are white non-Hispanic, 13.6 million are Hispanic, 10.9 million are Black/African-American, and 1.9 million are Asian;
- More than 16 million children (under age 18) live in poverty.
Bank regulators modified debt rules – How will it change things?
U.S. bank regulators have come up with some modified rules for the least possible holding company debt requirements. By the first week of July this year, the U.S. regulators disclosed the new set of rules which are supposed to limit the leverage that banks can engage in business. As per the economists, these new rules may have significant impact on the business decisions of eight of the most important financial institutions in U.S.… [Read more]
Green Your Holiday Season with a New Take on Father Christmas
Father Christmas switched his wardrobe from green to red because an American soft drinks company decided that Santa, or Father Christmas, should be wearing red instead of green, according to the BBC. This year, a renewable energy company called Abundance Generation seeks to return Father Christmas to his green roots with The Green Father Christmas campaign.… [Read more]
What All White People Need to Know About Reverse Racism
I’m not one to admit when I’m wrong about a thing, however, in the face of undisputed and overwhelming evidence, I have no alternative but to acknowledge I’ve been wrong all of these years. There really is such a thing as reverse racism. And here’s the proof.
It’s true, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and other people of color can no longer claim a monopoly on persecution.… [Read more]
Amandla…Rest in Peace, Mr. Mandela
Amandla is a Xhosa and Zulu word that means ‘power’. Many of us who live outside of African nations first heard the word used as a rallying cry during the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. It was also during that time, many of us who were coming of age became aware of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela — who, at age 95, after spending much of his life being the greatest embodiment of peace and non-violent resistance.… [Read more]
In Search of the Best Jobs in America
The best jobs are rewarding, fulfilling and have room to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) gives growth estimates for the 2010 – 2020 period for several occupations. The average growth rate predicted was around 14 percent, but some of the best jobs may experience 25 percent growth and more. If you’re looking for a new career path, these jobs show the most growth potential.… [Read more]
Healthcare at The End of 2013
Listening to the rants of those outraged with Obamacare, you’d think our current healthcare system is something to be proud of, and probably difficult to improve upon. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.
This article reviews some of the problems with our current healthcare system, and how some of the changes ushered in by Obamacare (more officially known as the Affordable Care Act, [the “ACA”]) might help.… [Read more]
The Impact of Stop & Frisk on Undocumented Residents
The phrase “illegal alien” is a favorite of newscasters and journalists, but in hard legalese, no such phrase exists. What “illegal alien” refers to, legally speaking, is something called an “undocumented immigrant,” or “undocumented resident.” An undocumented resident is essentially someone who was born in a country that isn’t the United States, and is living in the United States illegally, without the proper “documents” (like a green card).… [Read more]
Teacher Appreciation Around the World
Karl A. Menninger once said “What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” Teachers should be celebrated for what they really are, and be appreciated for their efforts by honouring their special contributions to a particular field or the community in general.
The idea of celebrating Teacher’s Day arose independently in many countries during the 20th century.… [Read more]
All By Myself
It’s a challenge to feel ‘musical’ when surrounded by so much negativity. The “Say It In Song” space has always been used to connect songs of any era and genre to current political events but, given that songs often evoke powerful emotions, it has been difficult to post songs when political tensions are already running so high (or low, if one is taking the disgust factor into consideration).… [Read more]
Looking Internationally: Peru – Environmental Issues and Concerns
Far too often when we think about the environment, only our immediate surroundings or issues impacting our own nation crosses our thoughts. In one way or another, all life on this planet is connected; our nations are not as separate as we may think and, in fact, what is done in one country often impacts life in others.… [Read more]
Equal Pay: Women Still Lag Behind Men, Young Women Closing Gap
It’s depressing to read that in 2013, women continue to be paid less for men for the same work. Weekly paychecks for full-time female workers are 82.4 percent of men’s earnings, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pay inequality is lessening at the younger end of the age spectrum, thanks to the increased efforts of high-achieving women in high school and college.… [Read more]
What Types of Crimes Put You at Risk of Losing Your Immigration Status?
No nation on Earth is associated with immigration more profoundly than the United States. That born Americans will proudly rattle off laundry lists of ethnic backgrounds is a testament to the “melting pot.” But the state of immigration has traveled a long way (so to speak) since the days of grainy film footage of Ellis Island.… [Read more]
The Elections Are Over, Now What?
We all know the cliche: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If we know this and believe it to be true, then when it comes to the election cycle we’re definitely insane.
Every year we’re bombarded with advertising that’s mostly negative. We get our full share of speculation from the various media pundits and, because we’re special, we get to hear the candidates debate issues that someone else decided were important for us to listen to.… [Read more]
The Case for Expanding Social Security
Our friends at Democracy for America and MoveOn.org posted this infographic that we want to see shared far and wide. The mission is to “combat this growing retirement security crisis and tell Congress that Americans support expanding Social Security — not cutting it.”
On this site we’ve commented about this issue repeatedly; we note that when politicians talk about cutting so-called “entitlements” they neglect to note that if a person has worked and contributed to the system, s/he is ‘entitled’ to receive funds back from that system because it’s actually an earned benefit.… [Read more]
Ask Mrs. Vera: Do you find last week’s election results encouraging?
Dear Mrs. Vera,
Do you find last week’s election results encouraging?
Yours not convinced truly, Ken…Cloacanellie? Canolismelly? Cootchycootchycoo-new-hell-pee?
Dear Mr. Cucinelli,
Not knowing the spelling of one’s last name can lead to some confusion at the ballot box and that may have been a factor in your defeat you could have anticipated, but it’s too late, now.… [Read more]
Veterans Day 2013
Today marks the federal observance of the nation’s veterans. It’s the day each year when across the nation somber reflection and celebrations are held to remember the sacrifices made by armed forces veterans in their service to this country.… [Read more]