UnLocK

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There’s quite a bit of talk out there that Barak Obama is a Socialist.  These attacks are coming from John McCain himself.  I’m starting to wonder though why he’s attacking Obama for what Palin is.

Think about it for a moment.  Sarah Palin taxed big oil companies in Alaska and gave it to the people, I believe it was $1,200 per person or family.  But in any case this is socialism.  Sarah Palin also has support from the social conservatives.

Obama I believe just wants to give the middle class it’s tax breaks back that they used to have.  In the past 8 years $600 Billion has been added to the middle class taxes and cut for big corporations.  For example, a CEO on average gets and extra $700 Million each year because of these tax cuts.  Now how is that going to help the GDP?  How is that going to help the middle class and how is that going to trickle down?  Is each CEO going to give there own money to the poor?  I don’t think so.

On top of all that she’s for big government.  What I mean is that she believes that the government should control whether or not a woman can have an abortion even in the case of rape and incest. She asked a librarian if she could remove some books from the library that she “Palin” didn’t approve of.

I think someone should let John McCain know that picked a Socialist as his Vice President.

I’ve lived in St. Louis, MO. since 1991.  If you visit here these might be some places to check out and have some fun.

The Landing:

The Landing or Riverfront is where the Arch is.  Underneath the Arch is a historic museum with a big focus on American Indian History.

Take a walk around downtown and you can find some neat places like the Spaghetti Factory, Curry in a Hurry and lots of small authentic restaurants.

Botanical Gardens:

The Botanical Gardens is the largest Japanese garden in North America located on Tower Grove Ave and Shaw.

Union Station:

This is just a cool hang out place for me but I think anyone travelling here would like it.  The Metro link will take you here.

Delmar Loop:

My Favorite place to hang out here in St. Louis.  Lots of different restaurants like Blueberry Hill which is a bar and has Chuck Berry Memorabilia.  Just get off the Metro link at the Delmar Loop and walk west down Delmar and you’ll find the loop.  From cultural stores to ethnic restaurants, you won’t regret it.

Forest Park:

The cool thing about forest park is that the Science Museum and the Zoo are Free to visit.  Excellent place to bring the family and have some fun.

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First off, no matter who you are or where you come from or even what your past grades are more than likely there’s a scholarship for you.

Before signing up for financial aid DO Lots of research and apply for as many scholarships as you can.

Choosing Financial Aid is the Easy Way:

When you go to inquire about classes the Financial Aid Office is right there ready to make a deal and put you into debt so they can make a profit.  Please don’t do this.  It would be nice if there was an office on campus to help you find scholarships.  Actually an advisor may be willing to help so this may also be a resource.  It never hurts to ask around in the different offices even financial aid.  The staff may know of some good scholarship opportunities.

RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS:

Just go to Google and type scholarships and the name of your school, your age, gender, race, GPA etc.  You won’t believe how many scholarships are out there waiting to help you pay for college.

Be Patient:

Spend some time or maybe even take a semester off.  If you can get into a good scholarship then you could be set through Grad School.  Another option would be to get financial aid for one semester, maybe just take one class to keep the costs low.

Get Your Degree:

Once you find a scholarship then it’s time to do the real work and get that degree.  With the lack of educated workers in our employment field right now, we need you.

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Think for a minute about what the Wall Street Bail Out really means.  Our government giving $700 Billion to AIG and others.  Think of what this money will be paying for.  Here’s a short list I thought of off the top of my head.

• Corporate Salaries: CEO, VP and don’t forget the Board of Directors.
• Staff Salaries.
• Corporate Expenses such as rent, electric, travel and lots more.
• Bonuses:  AIG gave $3 Billion in bonuses last year.
• Investments:  For example new projects or ventures.  Research and Development.
• Bank Accounts.

The problem with this Wall Street Bail Out is that the money gets filtered through all this listed above before it gets to the guys on “Main Street”.

What Congress needs to do is:

1. Find out who this effects on Main Street.
2. See if there’s any state laws that protect them.
3. If not then Bail Them Out.

This approach will be much cheaper and remember that many of these people that are effected by the Wall Street Crash are covered by there state laws and will be okay.

As far as AIG goes, they will probably be divided up and sold to other American Banks.  I think Congress should also make sure that ONLY American banks by out AIG.

This is a better plan I think.

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It blows my mind that there is no equal pay for equal work for women.  What blows my mind even more is that Sarah Palin doesn’t support the women’s right for equal pay for equal work.

We as a country still have a long ways to go here in the USA.  Why isn’t more women standing up for equal work for equal pay?  I often see “small” groups of women rally every once and a while but it seems that this doesn’t even seem to be an issue.

Do the majority or just a small group of women care about equal pay for equal work?

I think it is strange having women as a VP nominee and First Lady nominee that don’t care about this issue.

Will this country ever get to where it needs to go?  Women in history were persecuted, arrested and some of them died for women’s rights.

It was a cold January morning in 2002.  I woke up at 4:00 am as I did every day to get ready for work.  I left out heading to the bus terminal that’s about a mile away.  I dressed for the cold and brought my little FM radio with me to make the walk more pleasant.

I arrived at the bus terminal at close to 5:00 am and a lady (looking homeless) was sitting there inside where the benches were underneath the radiator.  She then asked me if I knew when the bus would arrive and I told her, “In about 10 minutes.”  The bus came, we both got on.  Her stop was a couple before mine and I rode on to the Metro link.

The next morning I saw her there at the bus terminal again and this time there was another homeless man with her.  We got into a discussion about their situation and they gave me a different perspective.  The lady’s name was Kate and she mentioned that she was in college studying Marine Biology but didn’t have a place to live.

This confused me.  The fact that she could get a scholarship but no help finding a place to live.  We then saw each other on a regular basis and I got a chance to know her a little better until I didn’t see her one day.

It was a couple of years later I was coming home from work and I saw her at the Central West End Metro link.  It was busy with lots of people rushing to catch there busses and others trying to make the train.  She was laying on the ground covered with a blanked looking like she was asleep.  This area is common for homeless people to come and sleep.

I didn’t get a chance to talk to her and I haven’t saw her since but I often wonder if she got that degree.  Maybe I’ll find out one day and get a chance to ask her.

I’m wondering why there isn’t much talk in the media that’s focusing on one important issue in this next election.  This issue is the lack of confidence in these computerized voting systems.  In the 2000 and 2004 election there were enormous amounts of people turned away simply because these things either weren’t working or was taken away causing massive lines with citizens waiting 12+ hours to vote.

How important is voting?:

Should the American People declare election day a national holiday?  Many of us out there would love to have a day to vote to where voting is our only obligation for that day.  It sounds like a good idea and if we passed legislation then it could come to pass.

Is the electronic voting systems still an issue and will effect the 2008 election?:

The strait answer is YES, if you ask the folks who created these machines and were whistleblowers.  The main issue is that these machines don’t leave a paper trail.  So therefore we have to take the computers word for the final count.  With no physical proof that the vote was cast then it’s all just speculation and a big guess.

For some of us out there reading the text book can be mind numbing.  Just sitting there reading page after page after page.  Need I say more?

Whether you in high school or college it’s important to figure out a strategy to make your text book studying more interesting and less numbing.

The key for me and this might not work for everyone is to first learn the focus of the book.  We may know the subject like American History, Biology, Marketing etc.  What is the core of what the book wants you to get out of it?  To do this just read the introduction and try to understand the thoughts and ideas of the author(s).

Tackling the Chapters:

My suggestion is not to read 5 chapters in a row but read them one at a time.  But before even doing that check out the chapter reviews first.  Knowing the key points of the chapter before sitting and reading will take the memory out of reading.  What I mean is that if you memorize the key points first then you can focuses on thinking and comprehension while reading.

Trying to tackle memorization and comprehension at the same time can:

1. Take the focus away from each other.
2. Takes focus away from the material.
3. Gives you that numbing feeling.

Communicate with the Teacher/Professor:

Talking with your teacher/professor about the specifics of the exams, quizzes and tests can dramatically cut your study time.  Sometimes they will have practice exams, lecture notes or a syllabus with key need to know test information.

Sometimes professors won’t cover every chapter in the text book so make sure you know which chapters to read other wise you may end up doing unnecessary work.

Don’t get caught up in too much detail of the text book:

Don’t try to memorize every word of the text book.  Meaning don’t spend all your time memorizing.  Place more focus on understanding and comprehension.  For example you may sit and think for a few minutes after each section of the book and quickly go over the key terms and what they mean but try to get the big picture and apply that to every key term.  All the key terms will have relevance to the big picture or big topic of the chapter and section.

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In the summer of 2001 I went to a job interview with a lady who looked to be in her late 50’s or early 60’s.  After the interview was over I pretty much figured out that the job wasn’t for me.  Then she told me something that made me think, she said, “The best decision I ever made was going back to college when I was 50 years old.”

She then went on to tell me that she then was able to get a desk job and would probably work this job till she’s well in her 70’s because physically it’s easy.

Remember it’s never too late to go back to college or if college isn’t your thing then there’s tons of other unaccredited courses you can take.  If you’ve been out of school for a while and am thinking of going back then DO IT!  A good education they say is the best investment anyone can make, I myself think that’s a pretty good saying.

One more thing.  If you start going to school don’t stop until you’re done.  You may lose your social life and a few summers but it will be well worth it.

What to do after high school?  Choosing a path after graduating high school is probably one of the most complex and confusing decisions to make.  Few have a plan and sticks to it, but let me tell you that the one person I know that did regrets it.  I think it’s safe to say that your local high school won’t offer the diverse set of courses that a college will.  So maybe the first step after high should be a search and confirmation on what you “Really” want to do with your life.

Why waste time on college if I don’t know what my degree will be?  Won’t that be a waste of time and money?

No! Absolutely not!  I say this because college can be a great resource on choosing a career path.  I suggest taking a class or two in areas that you feel comfortable or interested in.  Have a passion? Maybe music or you love to write?  You can take all kinds of classes in these areas that can lead you to a profession that you love.  Start by searching the college’s catalogue.

If you do decide not to go to college full time then it may be a good idea to get a part or full time job depending on how you can handle the load.  This will give you work experience along with a college education on your resume and will look impressive.   I suggest if you’re working to only take one class and focus on developing a good study habit.  Then who knows, you may eventually be taking 3 or 4 classes and that degree will be yours.