Motivation, Personal Finance, Career Advice, Social Issues and Business

Entries Tagged as 'Social Issues'

Facebook Makes New Friends Eerily Related!

March 27th, 2008 · 4 Comments

I read a post over at Mashable today entitled Facebook Now Recommends Friends and stopped by Facebook shortly after to see what the buzz was about. As you probably guessed, Facebook looks at who your friends are connecting with and sees who they have in common that you haven’t yet added. If you’re friends with Carrie and Dan and they both added Susie as a friend but you haven’t, Facebook suggests that you might know her. Simple enough, right?

My first friend that was suggested is in fact someone I know. I have added my girlfriend as a friend and then as I met the girls she grew up with, I added them as friends. It’s no surprise then that they all know the same person from their high school so Facebook thinks that I know that person. I don’t, so I move on to suggestion #2.

Hold on to your seats, folks. Things are about to get weird.

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Tags: Internet & Technology · Social Issues

It’s Black History Month. Did Anyone Notice?

February 12th, 2008 · 5 Comments

It’s Black History Month in the United States and Canada but did you even notice? Should you notice? This month is designed for us to remember the history specific to Afro-American culture but how many people even pay it any attention? There are a lot of flaws with Black History Month and the concept is slightly offensive to me for a number of reasons. I think it is great that African-Americans reflect on their history and remember their great achievements along the way but do we really need to provide an entire month?

I saw a local spot on television this morning reminding me that it was Black History Month and was surprised that it was the first time I had heard mention of it. After all, we are twelve days into the month. Before sitting down to write this article, I called an African-American friend of mine that I grew up with to ask him if he knew. His response shocked me–”Oh yeah, it is February. I just didn’t realize. Normally they make a big deal out of it.”

This is a month for African-Americans and my friend provided an example of how it may be an irrelevant highlight on our calendars already.

Read on to hear my opinion on the topic of Black History Month. If you are African-American and have insight to share, please leave a comment so we can start a great conversation.

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Tags: Social Issues

My Guide To A Great Superbowl Party

January 30th, 2008 · 3 Comments

The idea of having a Superbowl Party goes through many minds at some point in late January but implementing a successful gathering requires a good bit of planning. A successful party is a fantastic way to bring your friends together and have a ton of fun but if some key steps are missed, watching the big game together can become extremely frustrating for everyone involved.

I’ve thrown a lot of Superbowl parties in my time and I’ve learned a lot as I’ve gone. There are just certain things that you need to be aware of and prepared for to ensure your guests have a great time–and you do too. In the spirit of Superbowl Sunday, here’s a quick list of the items I think about before my guests arrive. If you have suggestions that work for you each year, please post them in the comments section below.

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Tags: Relationships · Social Issues

Easy Steps I’ve Taken To Go Green–You Should Too

January 25th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Going green is the talk of the town right now and articles are popping up everywhere with tips on how we can change our lives to save the planet. The problem I have with so many of these articles is that most of the suggestions are simply impractical for the majority of readers. I can’t ride my bike to work because I simply live too far away.

It is far too easy to make excuses why I can’t go green. I am admittedly not someone that focuses a lot of attention on my own habits regarding my effects on the planet–it is time to change that. I recently took a step back and thought about some of my own patterns of consumption and came up with my own ways to go green. Read about how I’ve changed my own life in very easy ways to help our planet and please share with me some additional things I can do in the future.

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Tags: Social Issues

Toilet Innovation Idea To Go Green And Save Our Planet’s Water

December 14th, 2007 · 3 Comments

It is hard to read the news or turn on the television without noticing a new story on global warming and then hearing great ideas to “go green.” We’ve seen light bulb innovation in the form of CFL’s, solar panels being used for alternative forms of energy and massive changes to automobiles through the use of hybrid vehicles. These are all great steps forward but there’s still one relic in our homes that remains greatly unchanged–the toilet. Sure, we’ve seen the gallons-per-flush specifications for toilets decrease in an effort to save the water our civilization greatly depends on but I’m not convinced this is enough.

To really save water with toilets, manufacturer’s need to devise a hybrid toilet that mixes the water-saving technique of the men’s urinal with the traditional toilet. The urinal is a brilliant water-saving device because a lot of water isn’t needed to rinse away the waste. Why isn’t the same true for toilets?

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Tags: Business · Social Issues

Eight Places To Meet Your Next Boyfriend/Girlfriend Plus Three To Avoid

November 27th, 2007 · No Comments

“There’s plenty of fish in the sea” is a phrase that’s heard time and time again but where is this proverbial sea? Finding that special someone can be an uphill battle if you don’t know where to look. Let’s take a look at some places you may not have looked before to find your next boyfriend or girlfriend. While we’re at it, we’ll talk about three of the places you do not want to look and for good reason.

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Tags: Relationships · Social Issues

MPAA and Hollywood: You Have A Problem.

November 19th, 2007 · 5 Comments

Ticket sales to movies were in a three-year slump before hitting an all-time high in 2006 according to the MPAA. Many consumers complained during the slump that ticket prices were too high, the quality of the movies was low and DVD rentals were a viable alternative to seeing a movie on the big screen. […]

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Tags: Business · Social Issues

The Real Reason Marijuana Is Illegal In The United States

November 16th, 2007 · 107 Comments

It is far time we set the record straight on why marijuana will never be legal in the United States. By legal, I’m referring to it being readily available in the sense that consenting adults can visit a store a purchase marijuana when they so choose. This is an argument that brings us […]

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Tags: Social Issues