THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2009
President Obama Commemorates Anniversary of Olmstead and Announces New
Initiatives to Assist Americans with Disabilities
On the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the
case of Olmstead v. L.C., President Barack Obama today celebrated that
anniversary and launched "The Year of Community Living," a new effort to
assist Americans with disabilities.
Specifically, the President has directed Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary
Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to
housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. As
part of this effort, later today, Secretaries Sebelius and Donovan will
announce several new initiatives including details about increased
numbers of Section 8 vouchers and enhanced interagency coordination to
address this critical civil rights issue. The initiative also will
include listening sessions conducted by HHS across the country to hear
the voices and stories of Americans and to keep the President's pledge
to be as open and transparent as possible.
"The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation,
articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with
disabilities: Having the choice to live independently," said President
Obama. "I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my
Administration's commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for
Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all
people in the life of our nation."
In the Olmstead case, the Court held that the unjustified institutional
isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful
discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since that
time, progress has been made. Many individuals have successfully
transitioned to community settings, but waiting lists for community
services have grown considerably and many individuals who would like to
receive community services are not able to obtain them.
To help remedy that problem, the Obama Administration provided over $140
million in the Recovery Act funding for independent living centers
across the country. The Administration acknowledges that strides have
been made, and knows and accepts that there is much work to do in order
to maximize the choices and opportunities for individuals to receive
long-term services and supports in institutional and community settings.
The President noted that his Administration looks forward to continued
engagement with the disability community to achieve these goals.
Welcome! You've found the home blog of Janine Wiggins. If you're looking for my "Nuclear Winter" blog, you'll have to go to the high side. Feel free to email me anytime!
The Year of Community Living
Posted by J. Wiggins on Tuesday 23 June 2009 - 18:27:04
Minimizing college tuition
Posted by J. Wiggins on Sunday 21 June 2009 - 08:31:20
Here are a couple of links to help your student prepare for their "summer job" of finding scholarships. Look at it this way: 2 months of summer = 60 days. If the student finds and applies for 10-20 scholarships a day (that's one or two per hour, with plenty of time to hang out with friends in the evening), they should be able to cover most of next year's expenses. A paying job is good too, but not always feasible.
And you can always fundraise. The strategies in my book on fundraising for small churches would help the student fundraise as well.
Bankrate.com: Minimizing college tuition
Bank of America's Loans, Grants, etc Overview
Bankrate's page on loans, 529 plans and career advice
Clark Howard's Prepping for College Page
Focused, Effective, Fundraising (shameless plug)
And you can always fundraise. The strategies in my book on fundraising for small churches would help the student fundraise as well.
Bankrate.com: Minimizing college tuition
Bank of America's Loans, Grants, etc Overview
Bankrate's page on loans, 529 plans and career advice
Clark Howard's Prepping for College Page
Focused, Effective, Fundraising (shameless plug)
7 Ways To Beat The Debt Collector
Posted by J. Wiggins on Sunday 21 June 2009 - 08:22:09
By "Grandpa" Terry Rigg
With record bankruptcies, mortgage foreclosures and prices skyrocketing, it's more important now than ever before to properly and effectively manage your personal finances.
Statistics show that most people could manage very well on the income they have now if they were able to keep their bills and expenses within their income. Sadly, too many people do not understand how to do this or how to recover once they have overextended themselves.
Personal Money Management is not a one step process. Simply having a budget in place or keeping up with your checking account isn't enough. You need to follow a set process that covers several aspects of money management. Here are the basics of this process:
#1 Set Your Goals
Most people think of setting goals as strictly long-term like retirement and college for the kids. While these are very important goals they are just the beginning. You need to decide what you and your family want your future to be and make all financial decisions with that in mind. This could include things like setting aside money for an annual vacation, replacing your car or home repairs.
#2 Find Out Where You Stand Now
It's absolutely necessary that you know what you have coming in and what you have going out. While a pre-set budget form is best to accomplish this you can do it on a piece of notebook paper. Just write down your bills and expenses in one column and your income in another. Then add them up and subtract your expenses from your income. You will know at a glace if you have money problems.
#3 Develop A Budget You Can Live With
There are literally thousands of budget sample forms available and most are very effective. However, many have as many as 50 categories of expense items you must keep up with to make it work. This requires entirely too much time and effort and are usually abandoned within a few days or weeks. Find a simple budget with very few categories and once set up only requires your attention for a few minutes on payday.
#4 Cut Expense In Every Budget Category You Can
There are thousands of ways to cut your expenses and not change the way you live. As an example, the current trend that is saving a lot of money is to eliminate your land line and use your cell phone as your primary phone. It's a fact that most people could cut their monthly expenses by 10% or more leaving that money to be used for more important purposes. The internet is the best place to get tips that you can use.
#5 Set Up A Debt Repayment Plan
Consumer debt is robbing people of hundreds of dollars each month in interest charges and late and over limit fees. Your goal should be to eliminate all of your debt as soon as possible. There is a simple process called snowballing that will allow you to pay off your debt much earlier and save you possible tens of thousands of dollars in interest charges.
Basically, snowballing is where you add up all of your minimum payments and choose one bill to add extra money to the payment until it is paid in full. Then you take the extra money and the payment you were making on bill 1 and add it to the next bill and so on. The extra money you add doesn't have to be much. Just adding $25 will pay down your bills much faster because the amount of money you have allotted for bills remains the same until all of your bills are paid off.
#6 Know Your Credit
Your credit rating, or credit score, is very important when obtaining a loan. As an example according to Myfico.com, show that for a $300, 000 loan, an individual with a credit score of 760-850 would pay $1745 and an individual with a credit score of 500-579 would pay $2676 per month.
The only way to really know what your credit looks like to lenders is to obtain a copy of your credit report regularly. Residents of the US can obtain a free copy of their credit report from the three credit reporting agencies each year. I urge you to get your free copies by visiting https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
#7 Look For More Sources Of Income
If your paycheck doesn't stretch far enough to cover all of your bills and expenses you may need to look for additional sources of money to cover everything. I would employ the expense cutting method mentioned above first but if you still can't make it then more money would help.
Each of us have our own specific talents. Trying to come up with a one size fits all method of generating more income is next to impossible. But, if you take the time to really look at the talents you have you will probably find that you could use them to provide a product or service that people are willing to pay for.
Like I said, these are just the basics. There are other areas of personal finances that are just as important like investing and building your personal wealth, but those are topics that you can concentrate on when you have the basics covered.
If you aren't aware of where you stand financially you may be a victim of what I call "Financial Complacency". That is simply defined as not being willing to put in the time and effort necessary to control all aspects of your personal finances. Normally, this is a result of being confused about your money and how it should work because you were never taught the right way.
Simply by making a concerted effort to properly manage your money will go a long way toward solving any problems you may have. You may be surprised at how easy the solution can be.
With record bankruptcies, mortgage foreclosures and prices skyrocketing, it's more important now than ever before to properly and effectively manage your personal finances.
Statistics show that most people could manage very well on the income they have now if they were able to keep their bills and expenses within their income. Sadly, too many people do not understand how to do this or how to recover once they have overextended themselves.
Personal Money Management is not a one step process. Simply having a budget in place or keeping up with your checking account isn't enough. You need to follow a set process that covers several aspects of money management. Here are the basics of this process:
#1 Set Your Goals
Most people think of setting goals as strictly long-term like retirement and college for the kids. While these are very important goals they are just the beginning. You need to decide what you and your family want your future to be and make all financial decisions with that in mind. This could include things like setting aside money for an annual vacation, replacing your car or home repairs.
#2 Find Out Where You Stand Now
It's absolutely necessary that you know what you have coming in and what you have going out. While a pre-set budget form is best to accomplish this you can do it on a piece of notebook paper. Just write down your bills and expenses in one column and your income in another. Then add them up and subtract your expenses from your income. You will know at a glace if you have money problems.
#3 Develop A Budget You Can Live With
There are literally thousands of budget sample forms available and most are very effective. However, many have as many as 50 categories of expense items you must keep up with to make it work. This requires entirely too much time and effort and are usually abandoned within a few days or weeks. Find a simple budget with very few categories and once set up only requires your attention for a few minutes on payday.
#4 Cut Expense In Every Budget Category You Can
There are thousands of ways to cut your expenses and not change the way you live. As an example, the current trend that is saving a lot of money is to eliminate your land line and use your cell phone as your primary phone. It's a fact that most people could cut their monthly expenses by 10% or more leaving that money to be used for more important purposes. The internet is the best place to get tips that you can use.
#5 Set Up A Debt Repayment Plan
Consumer debt is robbing people of hundreds of dollars each month in interest charges and late and over limit fees. Your goal should be to eliminate all of your debt as soon as possible. There is a simple process called snowballing that will allow you to pay off your debt much earlier and save you possible tens of thousands of dollars in interest charges.
Basically, snowballing is where you add up all of your minimum payments and choose one bill to add extra money to the payment until it is paid in full. Then you take the extra money and the payment you were making on bill 1 and add it to the next bill and so on. The extra money you add doesn't have to be much. Just adding $25 will pay down your bills much faster because the amount of money you have allotted for bills remains the same until all of your bills are paid off.
#6 Know Your Credit
Your credit rating, or credit score, is very important when obtaining a loan. As an example according to Myfico.com, show that for a $300, 000 loan, an individual with a credit score of 760-850 would pay $1745 and an individual with a credit score of 500-579 would pay $2676 per month.
The only way to really know what your credit looks like to lenders is to obtain a copy of your credit report regularly. Residents of the US can obtain a free copy of their credit report from the three credit reporting agencies each year. I urge you to get your free copies by visiting https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
#7 Look For More Sources Of Income
If your paycheck doesn't stretch far enough to cover all of your bills and expenses you may need to look for additional sources of money to cover everything. I would employ the expense cutting method mentioned above first but if you still can't make it then more money would help.
Each of us have our own specific talents. Trying to come up with a one size fits all method of generating more income is next to impossible. But, if you take the time to really look at the talents you have you will probably find that you could use them to provide a product or service that people are willing to pay for.
Like I said, these are just the basics. There are other areas of personal finances that are just as important like investing and building your personal wealth, but those are topics that you can concentrate on when you have the basics covered.
If you aren't aware of where you stand financially you may be a victim of what I call "Financial Complacency". That is simply defined as not being willing to put in the time and effort necessary to control all aspects of your personal finances. Normally, this is a result of being confused about your money and how it should work because you were never taught the right way.
Simply by making a concerted effort to properly manage your money will go a long way toward solving any problems you may have. You may be surprised at how easy the solution can be.
Full Scholarship Opportunity
Posted by J. Wiggins on Wednesday 17 June 2009 - 21:50:49
I tried to post instructions and an application for this, but the PDF form is incompatible with my website. If you are interested, email me and I'll send it to you. Click "read the rest" below to read the instructions.
You can win one of 5 full scholarships to University of Phoenix (either on campus or online) for those who graduated high school (or getting their GED) in 2007 or later. This could be an excellent opportunity for those overlooked by more traditional scholarships, so please forward to all interested parties
[ Read the rest ... ]
You can win one of 5 full scholarships to University of Phoenix (either on campus or online) for those who graduated high school (or getting their GED) in 2007 or later. This could be an excellent opportunity for those overlooked by more traditional scholarships, so please forward to all interested parties
[ Read the rest ... ]
Eating More Sorrows
Posted by J. Wiggins on Wednesday 17 June 2009 - 21:44:44
Things Every Woman Should Have Engraved On Her Brain
Posted by J. Wiggins on Saturday 13 June 2009 - 19:52:45
While packing up items for my husband to cart home, I discovered this article from Nov 2008 Glamour entitled "10 Things Every Woman Should Have Engraved On Her Brain." Here's an excerpt:
and my favorite:
First rent, then shoes
You have much better friends than Ben and Jerry.
You can't change a bad boy. Only he can change himself.
Do it now, deal with the fear later.
It's not a sin to win.
You have much better friends than Ben and Jerry.
You can't change a bad boy. Only he can change himself.
Do it now, deal with the fear later.
It's not a sin to win.
and my favorite:
Don't get even. Get even better.
Air Force named among top HBCU supporters
Posted by J. Wiggins on Wednesday 10 June 2009 - 20:42:39
Why does this surprise me so much??? If you have comments, email them to me- the comment feature is disabled.
By Tech. Sgt. Amaani Lyle
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, (AFPN) – In a 2009 survey, U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine recently named the Air Force among the "Top Supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities."
USBE & IT magazine and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Science at Howard University, Washington, D.C., saluted top corporate and government agencies at a recognition luncheon during the HBCU Response and Professional Connections conference May 29.
Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III accepted the award on behalf of the Air Force while joining fellow Top Supporter award recipients and other conference attendees.
"The Air Force is extremely proud of its outstanding relationship with Historically Black Colleges and Universities," General Newton said. "Engineering and technology skills are a top priority; the Air Force will continue to tap into the incredible talent that these fine institutions yield."
Deans from 11 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology-accredited HBCU and minority-serving engineering programs recognized the Air Force's stalwart commitment to diversity and will recognize the service in the May 2009 edition of USBE & IT magazine.
"The Air Force has long been in the forefront of embracing diversity," said Rose Gault, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for diversity. "This award speaks to the fact that diverse perspectives are not only valued and accepted, but absolutely critical to our service's overall mission accomplishment."
General Newton said the Air Force's long-standing alliances with HBCUs enable the service to keep recruiting and retaining diverse talent as a top service priority.
"The commitment to diversity and equal opportunity is mission-critical to the Air Force and is essential in allowing each Airman to reach his or her potential," General Newton said.
According to a USBE & IT press release, survey participants considered among other factors support for infrastructure modernization and enhancement, research, scholarships, advisory council involvement and career opportunities.
The virtues of tapping diverse talent extend well beyond individual organizations, but to the nation as a whole, said Diane T. Jones, a USBE & IT spokesperson.
"America's future in the market place depends heavily on the development of students from minority-serving institutions, which are dedicated to producing the best scientists, technologists, mathematicians and engineers," Ms. Jones said. "We applaud the effort of the 2009 top supporters, who remain committed to minority-serving institutions."
Ms. Gault concluded that "all Airmen will be treated with respect and dignity without exception because Airmen who work in a diverse environment learn to maximize individual strengths and combine individual abilities and perspectives for the good of the mission."
By Tech. Sgt. Amaani Lyle
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, (AFPN) – In a 2009 survey, U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine recently named the Air Force among the "Top Supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities."
USBE & IT magazine and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Science at Howard University, Washington, D.C., saluted top corporate and government agencies at a recognition luncheon during the HBCU Response and Professional Connections conference May 29.
Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III accepted the award on behalf of the Air Force while joining fellow Top Supporter award recipients and other conference attendees.
"The Air Force is extremely proud of its outstanding relationship with Historically Black Colleges and Universities," General Newton said. "Engineering and technology skills are a top priority; the Air Force will continue to tap into the incredible talent that these fine institutions yield."
Deans from 11 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology-accredited HBCU and minority-serving engineering programs recognized the Air Force's stalwart commitment to diversity and will recognize the service in the May 2009 edition of USBE & IT magazine.
"The Air Force has long been in the forefront of embracing diversity," said Rose Gault, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for diversity. "This award speaks to the fact that diverse perspectives are not only valued and accepted, but absolutely critical to our service's overall mission accomplishment."
General Newton said the Air Force's long-standing alliances with HBCUs enable the service to keep recruiting and retaining diverse talent as a top service priority.
"The commitment to diversity and equal opportunity is mission-critical to the Air Force and is essential in allowing each Airman to reach his or her potential," General Newton said.
According to a USBE & IT press release, survey participants considered among other factors support for infrastructure modernization and enhancement, research, scholarships, advisory council involvement and career opportunities.
The virtues of tapping diverse talent extend well beyond individual organizations, but to the nation as a whole, said Diane T. Jones, a USBE & IT spokesperson.
"America's future in the market place depends heavily on the development of students from minority-serving institutions, which are dedicated to producing the best scientists, technologists, mathematicians and engineers," Ms. Jones said. "We applaud the effort of the 2009 top supporters, who remain committed to minority-serving institutions."
Ms. Gault concluded that "all Airmen will be treated with respect and dignity without exception because Airmen who work in a diverse environment learn to maximize individual strengths and combine individual abilities and perspectives for the good of the mission."
Eating my Sorrows
Posted by J. Wiggins on Sunday 24 May 2009 - 23:46:00
They taste like Haagen-Dazs ...
Book for my Friend
Posted by J. Wiggins on Wednesday 20 May 2009 - 22:39:54
Use $8,000 Tax Credit as Down Payment
Posted by J. Wiggins on Saturday 16 May 2009 - 09:00:40
This just in:
This is great news, but be sure to read the fine print- they are allowing you to MONETIZE the tax credit, which means you're taking out a loan based on the fact that this tax credit is coming. You are not really spending your tax credit in advance, you are taking a loan with the anticipation that you will later get the money to pay it back. Y'all know I don't like debt. And by now, you know I especially hate such schemes because you never really know what's going to happen in the future: you may get that money or you may not. But times are tough, and if you calculate the costs wisely, this may actually help you out.
Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said that the Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow homeowners to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment.
Donovan's remarks came in an address to several thousand Realtors gathered this morning at The Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy, a special daylong session at the Realtors Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here
Secretary Donovan said that important changes, which the National Association of Realtors ? has been calling for, will help consumers purchase a home. "We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a down payment," Donovan said. According to Donovan, the FHA's approved lenders will be permitted to "monetize" the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table
Donovan's remarks came in an address to several thousand Realtors gathered this morning at The Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy, a special daylong session at the Realtors Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here
Secretary Donovan said that important changes, which the National Association of Realtors ? has been calling for, will help consumers purchase a home. "We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a down payment," Donovan said. According to Donovan, the FHA's approved lenders will be permitted to "monetize" the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table
This is great news, but be sure to read the fine print- they are allowing you to MONETIZE the tax credit, which means you're taking out a loan based on the fact that this tax credit is coming. You are not really spending your tax credit in advance, you are taking a loan with the anticipation that you will later get the money to pay it back. Y'all know I don't like debt. And by now, you know I especially hate such schemes because you never really know what's going to happen in the future: you may get that money or you may not. But times are tough, and if you calculate the costs wisely, this may actually help you out.
Nina Gets a "Pink" Compliment
Posted by J. Wiggins on Wednesday 06 May 2009 - 23:49:20
I've been gone quite a bit- traveling to various places even during this six month trip- but here and there I've had the opportunity to write little notes. Here's what I wrote to a group of newbiess in one of the online MaryKay forums I frequent. The feedback I received was great! For example:
So I thought I would post my three tips here, since the advice applies to any of these network-marketing / at-home business you get involved in, not just Mary Kay:
"Wow! that is actually the BEST way I've seen it put in the last 20yrs of being a consultant and previously a director."
So I thought I would post my three tips here, since the advice applies to any of these network-marketing / at-home business you get involved in, not just Mary Kay:
I sell MK. I love the product, but not the business end of the company. I have never lost money in this business, except one time when I forgot to charge sales tax when offering my clients a sale :-). I offer three tips:
1. Attend meetings to learn, but RESIST the urge to get emotional. I attend some unit meetings because I learn a lot. I learn more about the products, get to play with the new items without paying first, and get to ask questions about problems my clients have. I get annoyed with the "Get Excited" comments and the use of emotion to spur action (which often benefits the upline/director but not really the consultant). They use emotion to convince you to buy inventory more than you need, or spend 30 hours and $X00 trying to "win" a $5 prize.
2. RESIST the urge to buy inventory unless you can afford to lose the money. As one who has had my own clothing boutique for going on 7 years, I already knew to avoid the MK inventory trap. No matter how much inventory you keep, someone will want an item you don't have. And inventory eventually goes stale (or the packaging changes, or something else happens where you really can't use it all). Don't waste your money. Only buy as much inventory as you can afford to, have room for, and realistically think you can sell.
3. When you get an order, but aren't active (and don't have enough to meet the $200 wholesale minimum), ask your family and friends to help you out by offering them a 50% discount. I did this my first order, and was mobbed by the ladies of my church- ended up with $1000+ retail on my first order, and then followed it with a $250 retail order the very next day.
Hope that helps someone
Janine
www.MarylandAutism.org
www.JanineWiggins.com
www.PreciousAndPleasant.com
www.youravon.com/JanineWiggins
www.marykay.com/JanineWiggins
1. Attend meetings to learn, but RESIST the urge to get emotional. I attend some unit meetings because I learn a lot. I learn more about the products, get to play with the new items without paying first, and get to ask questions about problems my clients have. I get annoyed with the "Get Excited" comments and the use of emotion to spur action (which often benefits the upline/director but not really the consultant). They use emotion to convince you to buy inventory more than you need, or spend 30 hours and $X00 trying to "win" a $5 prize.
2. RESIST the urge to buy inventory unless you can afford to lose the money. As one who has had my own clothing boutique for going on 7 years, I already knew to avoid the MK inventory trap. No matter how much inventory you keep, someone will want an item you don't have. And inventory eventually goes stale (or the packaging changes, or something else happens where you really can't use it all). Don't waste your money. Only buy as much inventory as you can afford to, have room for, and realistically think you can sell.
3. When you get an order, but aren't active (and don't have enough to meet the $200 wholesale minimum), ask your family and friends to help you out by offering them a 50% discount. I did this my first order, and was mobbed by the ladies of my church- ended up with $1000+ retail on my first order, and then followed it with a $250 retail order the very next day.
Hope that helps someone
Janine
www.MarylandAutism.org
www.JanineWiggins.com
www.PreciousAndPleasant.com
www.youravon.com/JanineWiggins
www.marykay.com/JanineWiggins
Book Review: Tangled Roots by Sue Guiney
Posted by J. Wiggins on Monday 04 May 2009 - 19:53:00
I just finished an fascinating book about a physicist who comes to terms with his past. When I first heard of the book, I was struck that someone would write a fiction book about a physicist. Don't get me wrong, I love physicists and happen to be one. It's just that well, as fiction goes, we tend to be pretty boring. But this book was far from boring.
You know your family history is pretty colorful when the "secrets" revealed in the book don't faze you, but even so I found the plot quite intriguing and the physics fairly accurate. Not that there was a lot of physics, mind you, but just enough of the good stuff to catch your attention. I really enjoyed the storyline (physicist faces his inner demons, finds religion and falls in love), and even came away with some favorite quotes from the book:
This was a good book, but I will admit that I almost didn't finish it. Not because of the storyline, mind you, but because the language was a bit strong for my taste. And there was one grievous comment about the Lord that almost made me put the book down (note to self: never promise someone you'll read something). I can put up with a lot, but not during my "private cozy time," thank you very much.
You know your family history is pretty colorful when the "secrets" revealed in the book don't faze you, but even so I found the plot quite intriguing and the physics fairly accurate. Not that there was a lot of physics, mind you, but just enough of the good stuff to catch your attention. I really enjoyed the storyline (physicist faces his inner demons, finds religion and falls in love), and even came away with some favorite quotes from the book:
"But quantum physics and human beings are very different things. To assume the same rules apply to both is, at the very least, inelegant."
"When I taught, I teased and mocked and joked and wheedled and did every sort of tension-reducing trick I could think of. Because I knew that if physics students were anything at all, they were tense. And if they continued to be tense, they could never open themselves up to entertaining the nonsensical, crazy, counter-intuitive ideas that were the key to theoretical thought."
"Physics, after all, isn't about what made sense. Especially quantum physics. Rather, it is about whether a theory, no matter how absurd, agreed with experiment. The theory may not be 'philosophically delightful', to use Feynman's words. It may even seem ridiculous. But, if the numbers worked, they worked. And my numbers worked."
"I also knew that it didn't matter why. The why was something no one could ever really explain. All physicists understood and accepted that fact. Only the how was important..."
"When I taught, I teased and mocked and joked and wheedled and did every sort of tension-reducing trick I could think of. Because I knew that if physics students were anything at all, they were tense. And if they continued to be tense, they could never open themselves up to entertaining the nonsensical, crazy, counter-intuitive ideas that were the key to theoretical thought."
"Physics, after all, isn't about what made sense. Especially quantum physics. Rather, it is about whether a theory, no matter how absurd, agreed with experiment. The theory may not be 'philosophically delightful', to use Feynman's words. It may even seem ridiculous. But, if the numbers worked, they worked. And my numbers worked."
"I also knew that it didn't matter why. The why was something no one could ever really explain. All physicists understood and accepted that fact. Only the how was important..."
This was a good book, but I will admit that I almost didn't finish it. Not because of the storyline, mind you, but because the language was a bit strong for my taste. And there was one grievous comment about the Lord that almost made me put the book down (note to self: never promise someone you'll read something). I can put up with a lot, but not during my "private cozy time," thank you very much.
William Gunn, Nominee for General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs
Posted by J. Wiggins on Wednesday 01 April 2009 - 22:35:02
Congratulations, Will Gunn! Well Deserved!
A recipient of the American Bar Association’s Outstanding Career Military Lawyer Award, Will A. Gunn is an attorney who represents military members and veterans in private practice in Northern Virginia. He retired from the Air Force in 2005, where he served as a Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. He is also a former White House Fellow. In 2003, Gunn was named the first-ever Chief Defense Counsel in the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions. Gunn built a defense team and supervised all defense activities for detainees selected for trial before military commissions. His efforts earned respect and admiration for his principled leadership and commitment to ensuring that detainees received effective representation. A native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Gunn is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and is a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he was elected President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the nation’s oldest student run legal services organization. He also has a Masters of Laws degree in Environmental Law from the George Washington University School of Law and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Gunn is active in the civic life of his community. He chairs the American Bar Association’s Commission on Youth at Risk and serves on the board of Christian Service Charities. In 2005 Gunn was named President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. He has been featured in The New Yorker magazine and The Wall Street Journal. Gunn has also received many awards and honors including the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau’s Outstanding Alumni Award.
Will is a member of the USAF Academy Way of Life Alumni Group Board of Directors
Join me in wishing our friend Will Gunn the very best.
Sincerely,
Richard P. Hall
President
USAF Academy Way of Life Alumni Group
www.usafaway.org
I've been working with Will for a few years now on USAFA WOL issues, and just have to say, I'm proud to be associated with such a quality individual!
[ Read the rest ... ]
A recipient of the American Bar Association’s Outstanding Career Military Lawyer Award, Will A. Gunn is an attorney who represents military members and veterans in private practice in Northern Virginia. He retired from the Air Force in 2005, where he served as a Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. He is also a former White House Fellow. In 2003, Gunn was named the first-ever Chief Defense Counsel in the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions. Gunn built a defense team and supervised all defense activities for detainees selected for trial before military commissions. His efforts earned respect and admiration for his principled leadership and commitment to ensuring that detainees received effective representation. A native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Gunn is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and is a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he was elected President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the nation’s oldest student run legal services organization. He also has a Masters of Laws degree in Environmental Law from the George Washington University School of Law and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Gunn is active in the civic life of his community. He chairs the American Bar Association’s Commission on Youth at Risk and serves on the board of Christian Service Charities. In 2005 Gunn was named President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. He has been featured in The New Yorker magazine and The Wall Street Journal. Gunn has also received many awards and honors including the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau’s Outstanding Alumni Award.
Will is a member of the USAF Academy Way of Life Alumni Group Board of Directors
Join me in wishing our friend Will Gunn the very best.
Sincerely,
Richard P. Hall
President
USAF Academy Way of Life Alumni Group
www.usafaway.org
I've been working with Will for a few years now on USAFA WOL issues, and just have to say, I'm proud to be associated with such a quality individual!
[ Read the rest ... ]
10 Miles with the Potomac Runners
Posted by J. Wiggins on Saturday 28 March 2009 - 11:52:31
As many of you know, I'm training for my first marathon- which will be the Marine Corps Marathon in Oct. Today, I ran for the first time with Potomac Runners, a free running group here in DC. They have great camaraderie, great views (Mt. Vernon Trail), and great water stops... including a devilish one at the 4 miles featuring Samoas, my favorite Girl Scout Cookie (challenged only by Thin Mints).
[ Read the rest ... ]
[ Read the rest ... ]
Good Obama, Bad Obama
Posted by J. Wiggins on Thursday 26 March 2009 - 19:12:40
You know, I get home so late sometimes, I hadn't even realized that I didn't read the newspaper until just before bed. I came home, turned on my computer, researched the Geithner quote I had heard in the car, posted about it, read my Bible, and glanced at the paper on my way to bed. I 'bout kicked myself because there, on the front page, was President Obama saying the same thing (that government needs more power to take over troubled financial institutions that are not banks).
Wow. What a better blog post that would have been. But I was too tired to change what I had written.
As unsure as I am about that policy (still haven't made up my mind yet), I did LIKE something he ELSE said in the same article, and that was:
"We can't afford to demonize every investor or entrepreneur who tries to make a profit."
Now, he was talking about bank and corporation stockholders mainly, but can you remember back a year or two ago? What a contrast to the previous administration, which cast a dismal light upon real estate investors who were hit by the hard economic times. Everyone is getting hit hard, and as a moonlighting real estate professional, I think ... actually, I just decided not to write what I think, and I'm going to get off the soapbox before I get on it ;-)
Anyhoooo... we'll see what the president does and see how things turn out. I may not be thrilled about all the changes that the president is making, but I am glad for that quote. This nation is built, and runs, on profit, and hopefully hard working, honest Americans will be able to continue earning profit even while our government reels in those who've been less than honorable.
Wow. What a better blog post that would have been. But I was too tired to change what I had written.
As unsure as I am about that policy (still haven't made up my mind yet), I did LIKE something he ELSE said in the same article, and that was:
"We can't afford to demonize every investor or entrepreneur who tries to make a profit."
Now, he was talking about bank and corporation stockholders mainly, but can you remember back a year or two ago? What a contrast to the previous administration, which cast a dismal light upon real estate investors who were hit by the hard economic times. Everyone is getting hit hard, and as a moonlighting real estate professional, I think ... actually, I just decided not to write what I think, and I'm going to get off the soapbox before I get on it ;-)
Anyhoooo... we'll see what the president does and see how things turn out. I may not be thrilled about all the changes that the president is making, but I am glad for that quote. This nation is built, and runs, on profit, and hopefully hard working, honest Americans will be able to continue earning profit even while our government reels in those who've been less than honorable.
Go to page >>
