Mitt Romney Don't Pay No Tax

By: Dalan Carter

Kanye West knocks Mitt Romney in the first song off Cruel Summer, the highly anticipated and recently released G.O.O.D. Music compilation album.

          "I'm just trying to protect my stacks / Mitt Romney don't pay no tax," West raps on "To The World," a song which also features R. Kelly. With that dig, Kanye effectively joins the chorus of Romney watchers who want him to release his tax records. While refusing to make public his returns, the GOP nominee insists he has never paid less than a 13-percent tax rate in the last decade. Nicki Minaj also mentioned Romney in a song. On her and Lil Wayne's cover of "Mercy," Minaj raps that she was voting for the GOP hopeful ("I'm a Republican voting for Mitt Romney / You lazy b----es is f---ing up the economy"). Most believed that Minaj was being sarcastic, this sarcasm was confirmed by none other than Barack Obama, who was asked about the song in an interview and said that Nicki Minaj was playing a character. The rapper confirmed Obama's theories in a series of ecstatic tweets.

Mitt Romney has steadfastly refused to release more than his (likely incomplete) 2010 tax return and his 2011 return, which the campaign plans to release before Oct. 15,according to a Romney adviser. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have each released 12 years of tax returns. Since 1980, only Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) released just two years of tax returns, while all other major party candidates have released at least five. Romney said that he had never paid less than 13 percent in taxes over the past ten years, rebuking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-Nev.), who said a Bain Capital investor told him Romney paid no taxes for ten years. First Jay-Z and Beyonce, then Nicki, and now Kayne, which likely means Romeny has lost the hip hop vote.

Technology Then and Now

BY: Darryl Blake

On Monday September 24^th Professor Sistrunk took us on a retrospective journey to the 1960s and 1990’s and showed us some predictions of what people in those times believed the future would bring. Although some of the ideas do not look as robust as originally believed, it is interesting to see how a lot of the ideas came to fruition. For instance, making videophone calls with Skype and GPS devices such as Garmin which help navigate us through our everyday lives. I look at society today and in such a short period of time technology has now been integrated into everything that we do. The CNN article Smartphone apps become 'surrogate therapists'¹, shows a great depiction of not only how we rely on our technology for survival but also how it replaces the need for human services. In the previous class, we talked about how doctors can now perform surgery remotely², monitor patients and bring down cost for hospitals.

Many people fear that eventually as technology becomes better and cheaper, jobs once intended for hard working individuals will be lost to “robots.” I feel that it is very important for people of all ages, young and old, to be aware of the world around them and not fall behind on the current world trends. As someone who works for a technology company Apple Inc, it bothers me greatly whenever I work with customers who have never owned a computer or even an email account. Witnessing how hard it is for them to adjust to the world around them is sad and it disheartening how far removed from society they truly are. It was an interesting class and really reminded me of how far we have come and how quickly things have changed over the years. I have a great respect and appreciation for technology, but I hope that we as humans never get to the point where we lose our basic human instincts and creativity and rely 100% on machines and technology.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0pPfyYtiBc
2. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/09/0919_robotsurgery.html

The Consciousness of Technology by Nigel Burnett

When you were younger have you ever been told, “Listen to the good guy on your shoulder and not the bad one, in reference to your conscience?” Is it hard to do because the bad is constantly in your ear? Technology has so many good resources.

 For an example the easily accessibility of great amount information, “how to videos” on YouTube, the ability to shop for less online, mobile phones allowing people to get in contact with someone whenever it is needed. It is easier to work at home through the use of today’s technology. Technology allows us to get around anywhere in the world in a reasonable amount of time. We are often faced with the bad side of technology, more often than the good. It is incredible that a person can pick up a laptop and virtually have a face to face conversation with someone who is anywhere in the world. Ironically people do not know his or her neighbor that lives less than 100 feet from them. I remember going riding around town with my granddaddy when I was younger thinking to myself, “Wow this man knows a lot of people!” I now understand why that was possible. His primary source of communication was physical interaction, not a telephone or anything else. Well, I guess my virtual social networking can compete with his physical social network. That’s sad isn’t it? Mark Twain said it is my heart-warm and world-embracing Christmas hope and aspiration that all of us, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the admired, the despised, the loved, the hated, the civilized, the savage (every man and brother of us all throughout the whole earth), may eventually be gathered together in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss, except the inventor of the telephone. Did he foresee the negativity technology would have on the growth of humanity or was he like some people say, a hater? We are so connected with our phones these days that someone’s boss can call them during their child’s little league championship and persuade him or her to come to work with the selling point that their job is more important to that child than a stupid game, really? It actually has a negative effect upon the relationship between parent and child and between spouses. I am an adult; I still cherish the memories of my parents being at my games when I was a child. I still get a certain high when my mom comes to support me in any of my accomplishments.

People that are able to reach the masses abuse technology the most. I cannot watch the news because of all the negativity it broadcasts and it shows that people whom watch the news daily can become paranoid. Music is another dangerous medium that is being abused. It is rare to hear lyrics with context of having good family values, being faithful in a relationship, and how to increase one’s net worth. Through the use of technology, it is possible to receive good information that will help someone prosper in life but it is rarely in the forefront where one can easily access it. For an example; Bloomberg TV, MNBC, Fox Business Network, and Current channels are all in the late 300s on DIRECTV passed all of the other channels that will appeal to one’s senses of instant gratification. How many times has there been a positive trending topic on twitter? I love technology and all that it offers but I believe that it should have a more balanced structure to where one’s success becomes the focal point; put the business channels and channels that talk about being successful, politics, and current issues upfront and put the negative channels in the back is all I am saying. Let’s give the “good guy on your shoulder” a chance for once. Thank you for taking the time out to read my blog and I will love to read your feedback on the subject.

Summer School - Internships by:Terrance Buck

Have you ever wondered why students in the United States always went on summer vacation in May or June?  Why students have a spring break, or why students went to school around eight and got out around one?  As professor Sistrunk explained in our class a couple weeks back, during our agricultural age when the school system was primarily formed there were reasons and traditions behind this structure.  We learned that school would let out in the early afternoon so that the children could go home and aid their parents on household chores.  The reason why children would not go to school for the summer would be due to the harvesting of crops.  All of these things that were implemented into school systems still stick today and the question remains: Should these traditions still be honored as we have abandoned this agricultural age and entered into a technological based age? 

 

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/summer-the-perfect-time-to-stay-at-school

 

There are so many perks in this day and age that would show why staying in school for the summer would benefit a student more than staying at home for a summer vacation.  One of the more rational reasons would be the many networking opportunities that a student would gain by staying in school.  Internships would come into fruition due to summer school.  Another strong point would be the amount of knowledge gained by continuing school during the summer.  Studies have shown that students who continue school during the summer come more prepared into the fall semester and have more confidence in their studies thus producing higher grade point averages. 

 

This charges me to think that in my twenty years of life and my sixteen years of academic studies, there has never been a time where I made a major agricultural impact on the United States, which leads me to believe that the school system that was structured for the agricultural age is now out dated.  It is more effective to have students continuing school rather than giving them months to potentially just waste a summer and do nothing that would benefit the student.  I had the opportunity to actually start college in the summer post my graduation and the level of networking and preparation that I gained due to studying only seven weeks ahead of the fall schedule was amazing.  Ultimately I think summer school or internship opportunities should be mandated in every school system.  The benefits are more in favor of students being academically or occupationally active during the summer.

 

Homework #2

This Homework is due Sunday September 30, 2012 by midnight. Late on Monday at 12:01 am. The late fee is 10 points.

DO NOT EMAIL ME YOUR EXCEL FILE.

If you email me, you will be charged 10 points.

Click here to download the file.

Your grade will be based on using the formulas.

If you need help, see the youtube video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vwin6Bkdpc

Monday September 24, 2012 Class

We looked at the videos below about predicting the future:

1966 Predictions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0pPfyYtiBc

1993 ATT Commercials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MnQ8EkwXJ0

1993 ATT Getting Married in the future:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFWCoeZjx8A

2010 Corning Future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBjvqnKQsTI

Google Glasses:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSnB06um5r4

Google Car: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0I5DHOETFE

The Revolution has been televised

The last class session we viewed a few clips on how the ages have changed and the predictions made over the past 40 years on the state of technology. I found it fascinating that the companies such as AT&T and Corning were able to incorporate their ideas with the developing desires of consumers in the next 15 to 20 years. Some of the ideas were initially off but came very close in concept and a few designs and especially in the AT&T clip with the international video conference calls. Another strong point in class was watching the Corning: A Day Made of Glass video. You could really see that the next possible booming market will be in glass technology. And the point that brought it all home was the video Dr. Sistrunk showed the class about the GoogleGlasses Project and the ever growing smart technology. To make a long clip short, there is a glass technology that Google has paired with to create a pair of glasses that would interact with our everyday life functions. 

There are some features that were great such as the weather function where all you have to do is look up in the sky and a pop up appears with the local weather. Also the GPS function is a great addition to the glasses with the directional arrows to point you to your destinations. A few things that didn’t make sense to me were the voice capabilities, how awkward is it to be in a store and say to yourself (out loud) “where’s the music section?” Also just curious as to how you would be able to select the messages and phone calls when you’re doing something active like, let’s say driving? I feel like there’s got to be a feature with that that allows it to be turned off or only have an audio feature while behind the wheel. The design could be tweaked a little more, but other than that the glasses seem to be a hot item as soon as the price comes down about $1,200 from its retail price of $1500.

 Overall I enjoyed the past industry insight and the concept theme of the class lesson on Monday.

George G. Browne

Free Map Tool - Map with Radius

By Professor Sistrunk

On Wednesday September 19, 2012, I showed a free web site that allows you to create Google map with Radius circles. You this site when creating presentations with location data (city, state, addresses and/or Lat/Long) that require a map to show that data.

Adding radius circles to map is impressive. See map below of Savannah Georgia with three radius circles
(1 mile, 5 miles & 10 miles).

It takes just three easy steps to create a map.

1. Add address for center of circle
2. Size of radius in miles/km
3. Colorize Circle
4. Then Press Enter

Go to: http://www.freemaptools.com/radius-around-point.htm

By: Kieran Blanks

Albert Einstein once said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Growing up in the information age, I have bore witness to the amount of luxury and leisure machines provide in our daily lives. In our last class, we discussed the striking implications that the technology has on the human race especially the work force.  

  Professor Sistrunk shared valuable information about the Industrial age and the climate of blue-collar jobs. “The Industrial Revolution was a period from 1750 to 1850 where changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times.” This era offered high-overheard cost, limited access, and locally based companies.

 The Information age, on the other hand, offered lower operating cost, mobile access, increased efficiency, and global access. In addition, Professor Sistrunk, shared about how the information age is allowing workers more geographical flexibility. An example of this was a story he shared about a community in Florida that has transformed from a resort to a full on community as a result of high speed internet. The conversation about the significant differences between the ages is discussed more in depth in the link below.

http://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/578/Information-Revolution-Vs-Industrial-Revolution.html

Homework #1

This is the first Excel Homework Assignment.
Its due Sunday by midnight Sept 23, 2012 - It's late after midnight - 10 pts late fee

The assignment is basic. Download the information here and enter it into an excel spreadsheet. Once entered, calculate answers requested on the information sheet you downloaded.

Data: to Download: https://www.box.com/s/1v6dgcb39o0r9frlkgi7


Your grade is based on completing this easy assignment on time and showing you know the basics of entering data and creating formulas.

The video below is a study guide to assist in this assignment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nwp_yZVkog

To submit this assignment, use the link located on the main blog page, right hand side, upper corner above the class attendance link.

Do not email this assignment to me. An email copy with cost you 10 points on your grade.

Grovo.com by Jamale Bailey

Website Spotlight:  Grovo.com

Grovo is an online education and training platform website that offers video tutorials and online courses for some of the web's popular services such as Google Analytics, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Wordpress, and others. Grovo's Expert Series provides free video interviews with experts about their companies, case studies, and how they succeeded online.

Building Thrillist with Ben Lerer - Grovo 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw2MSHCu_as&sns=em

Be sure to check out their youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com.gr/user/gogrovo/featured

GPA by Omodele Adesanya

How many of you believe that your current GPA, whatever it may be, is your true and well-deserved GPA? Do you believe your GPA represents your ultimate overall knowledge? One thing I know about GPA’s is that they are overvalued as the main source of rating intelligence or successfulness within education. It is a measure of scholastic attainment and it is essential to prove to others how credible and competent you are. As we matriculate through the college, we define exactly what we want our career to shape up to be. Many of us, as students, are being taught that the GPA that we attain through college determines where and how far we go in our careers. I agree with that insight, however, people today are discovering that success does not solely come from what you know. It also comes from who you know, and taking advantage of opportunity.

My story behind all this relates heavy upon how opportunity can alter chances of success regardless of GPA level. I learned as a business major, you need to know how to be good with people, learn professionalism, learn how to work with teams, and learn how to step out of your comfort zone. To be good with people, first impressions go a long way. You may step into the elevator of your new office, and you so happen to step in with your senior manager. He or she may have something to say to you or not, yet it is up to you to make a good first impression to gain their consideration of competency in you.

While interning with Ernst & Young, LLP this past summer, I have learned that being good with words and having light humor can easily reel a support system in office. Other workers find professionalism within your content of work, and leadership with your individuality and confidence. At the same time, they seek that you give off the vibe that you are enjoying what you do in the current work environment.

In my opinion, GPA’s do not fully suffice for how competent one person is for the workforce. With the skills I listed above, it is possible to get there with a sub-par GPA level. As of Spring 2012, I attain a 2.88 GPA. Within the same semester, I received an internship offer from Ernst & Young, LLP despite the GPA. Although my GPA may have been noted as obsolete, I was still recognized during my interview process as a person who can present himself well in a professional environment, a person who displays confidence in current knowledge of the work, and a person who exemplifies leadership qualities to adapt and easily mold with company procedure. Ernst &Young’s recruitment team gave me feedback reiterating that I possess quality skillsets that are strong enough for the workforce despite my GPA.

You don’t need a GPA to tell you that you are good at conversing with people. You don’t need a GPA to tell you that you are logical, sensible, and cooperative. You don’t need a GPA to tell you how to network with people. GPA scores typically resemble work ethic, prioritizing, and knowledge attained from the class courses. It should not be the primary reason as to why some people do not receive jobs or become successful.

From what may be easy for some, may not be as easy for others. What people achieve may not be achieved in the same way. We are all different and carry different strengths and weaknesses, which is all the more reason why we all have an equal opportunity to succeed in our own individual ways despite your level of intelligence based on GPA scores. 

Real Estate Data for Free

Today we talked about www.netronline.com. This site allows you to access real estate data from around the country.

Click "Public Records Online" from menu

Then click state on Map

Then choose from the list of counties in the state you clicked.

Then choose "Go to Data Online".

High Risk, High Reward (or Low Reward)

By: Oke Bamgbose

As we talked about risk in class, Donald Trump was a name that came straight to my head. Many people know "the Donald" for his incredibly large net worth; however, they're not aware that he has filed for bankruptcy multiple times. I believe he is a perfect example of someone who seeks high risk for high reward.

Below is a link that that details Trump's strategy for success:

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/03/28/trump-returns-to-risky-real-estate-investments/

Where are the jobs? - Marcus Anthony Alford

This past Monday we began a discussion about the various stages the US has been through and what age they are transitioning into today. The US began in the agricultural age. Successful people in this age were usually farmers with a lot of land and livestock. The US would later move into the industrial age an age of large factories and new technology. The successful people in the agricultural age would be forced to adapt to the new age or they would fall by the waist side. We then began to discuss current day environments. What age were we in today?

Dr. Sistrunk explained that the jobs provided by large factories during the industrial age were beginning to fade away and replaced by new technology. In order to not fall by the waist side like some of the successful people in the agricultural age did when times changed one must adapt. It is important to know were jobs with good pay and high employment opportunities will be after one has graduated. I am a native of Athens, GA so I decided to do an extensive search of jobs with good pay and high employment in the state of Georgia.

This led me to a site I have frequently used before gacollege411.org that has information ranging from high school planning to career planning. The site offered a chart with the hot careers in Georgia, their salaries, and annual expected job openings. I hope this information is informative and inspires others to look into the hot careers in the states they plan on working in.

https://secure.gacollege411.org/Career_Planning/Explore_Careers/Georgia_s_HOT_Careers.aspx

Risk

Risk is defined as the degree of probability of an event. The percentage of that event occurring.

Every decision we make has an element of risk. How you manage that risk will determine your success in life.

We looked at how you can analyze Risk through the game Deal or No Deal.

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