Can you make a difference?

Disclaimer

The views expressed below are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views YAI/NIPD Network or any of it’s affiliates, or its Board of Directors or the people they represent.

I blogged about the Central Park Challenge in the past (please click here to visit that blog post), but I don’t think I said much about the organization that’s responsible for this wonderful day: YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network.

The YAI/NIPD Network has been creating hope for people with disabilities for over 50 years. Most people who know about this organization usually know one thing: that it’s a “national leader in the provision of services, education and training in the field of developmental disabilities”. What people might not know is that the YAI/NIPD Network is a leader in the fight for human rights. You can read here about a recent gorundbreaking lawsuit won by the YAI/NIPD Network, that has major implications for the future of housing for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Please help support YAI’s great work by clicking on the photo below and:

1. Making a donation of JUST $10 (or more if you can afford it)
2. Forming a team and raising funds, or
3. Spreading the word (by sending the URL to friends and family, encouraging them to help out too)

You can also view YAI/NIPD Network’s photostream on flickr here . You can also see YAI’s video’s here.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, or signing up for email or RSS updates. You can also e-mail me at pbaffour.wordpress@gmail.com. Thank you.

CNN, your daily source of useless News!

If any other media outlet reported on this, I probably wouldn’t waste my time chewing them out. But when CNN publishes a story about someone calling another person “sweetie” (read it here), and attempts to pass it as “serious” news, I begin to wonder what the hell is going on?! With all the catastrophes going on around the world, with all the wars, natural disasters, falling cranes in NYC, police abuse of power, racism, and the ever worsening economic situation of this country, CNN finds the time to go after Barack Obama for calling someone sweety!

Now, I understand that some may find that a little derogatory, and I can accept that– though I don’t think it is. Many people who commented on that article said they had the same habit– and seriously, who hasn’t slipped up and called someone they shouldn’t have honey, hon, babe, sweetie, darling etc. before? My point is, It might not be right, but it happens UNINTENTIONALLY! AND he apologized!

And WHAT in the world is wrong with the people who use this as a basis on whether or not to vote for him?! I thought we had thinking people in this country. If you don’t want to vote for him, base it on his policies damnit, and not on the fact that he called some lady sweetie!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, or signing up for email or RSS updates. You can also send me e-mails at pbaffour.wordpress@gmail.com. Thank you.

Stab-In-The-Dark-Innovation: Plausible?

NOTE/Disclaimer: I only have one side of this story, so if you have any information concerning this issue, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail at pbaffour.wordpress@gmail.com and I will post it for you as an update to this blog. Thanks

I love my high school…It’s LARGELY responsible for the person I am today and I will forever be greatful to everyone involved in making that experience happen. AND because I love my school so much, I just had to write this blog post to help it do better. I look forward to some interesting comments.

I just read a little blog post by a guy who was hired by my high school to teach Linux. You can go here to read it if you’re interested. Anyway, this post kinda got under my skin a little bit and got me thinking: why would they do that? Why would they find a guy from Germany and give him money (a lot, i’m sure), pay for shipping/ freight and housing, to come teach Linux? The only logical conclusion was that he would be providing an invaluable service that merited all the expenses. However, after reading the blog to the end (and still being in touch with my high school), I realize this Linux program bore no fruit! My brother just graduated and doesn’t know the first thing about Linux. Another brother is still there, and hasn’t mentioned Linux to me (I’ll ask him about it).

I am a HUGE fan of innovation and creativity– how couldn’t I be after being a business major at Whittier College and studying under Dr. Jeff Decker ? But I’m can not, with any logic, business or otherwise, support innovation wich isn’t backed by research. And it seems that this is exactly what happened in this case. According to the posting, there was no interest– absolutly NONE– in the Linux initiative, thus leading this guy to resign. Which only means, the executives who hired this guy didn’t do their homework before making that decision– or they made a decision because it sounded “cool”, not because it would actually do something for the students.

See, the thing that gets to me is that they wasted money on this guy (who by the way I think is an amazing person for resigning– he could have stayed on an kept taking the money) without first assessing what exactly they needed Linux for or if there would be some interest in it. At the very least, they could have made Linux a required part of the Computer Science course in SOS if they were going to spend all this money on this Linux guy. If his primary purpose there was to implement a system (as opposed to teach), then they should have instituted mandatory hours during the week, when all staff and students went to learn Linux.

Anyway, my whole rant aside, I know that the people who run SOS HGIC are some of the smartest I ever met (yes, I really believe that), so they must have has some good reason to hire this guy. I’d really like to read some comments from people who have any idea what this thing was all about.

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Barack Obama on disabilities

Barack Sywalker?

Ha! Politics is something else these days lol. If you’ve been following the debates and elections even remotely OR if you love Star Wars, you might get a chuckle out of this. Then again, if you’re a Hillary supporter, maybe not. Thanks for posting this on your site C.C. Chapman — you rock!