Brothers In Blog

It’s been a great ride, but all good things must come to an end. I’m saying good-bye to Brothers-in-Blog and leaving Barry to completely take the reins and decide what’s next for the site. I’m swamped with some side projects and want to focus more time on my primary blog TechTraction — personal commentary on technology with a sprinkling of tech-tips and how-to articles, so it’s time to move on.

I want to thank all of the loyal readers for supporting Brothers-in-Blog with your site visits and comments. It’s been a great place to get a few things “off my chest.” And while I’m departing, Barry remains and will be deciding in the weeks ahead which direction to take the site. You can still find me at TechTraction.com but my focus is on technology, and you can also follow me on Twitter. Thanks again.

• Leave a comment... (3)

Some of you may recall my experience with being a temporary host family for a foreign exchange student from France last Fall. I’m not going to rehash that saga, but I will say that it ended up on a very happy note with the student obtaining a new sponsor, returning back to her original host family in North Carolina, changing her visa and completing the school year. What I did not report on was that my family later agreed to host a student from South Korea for the entire school year. It is because of these two experiences that I believe I have some valuable insight to offer both the parents of exchange students and their host families.

Now, before I continue let me make a disclaimer. My comments are not directed at or to be considered a warning against any particular exchange organization. My comments are aimed at the industry as a whole and based on my personal experience and input from friends who have also hosted exchange students or the students themselves.

In speaking with the exchange students I have come in contact with, most would agree that a school year was too long to be away from home. Keep in mind that these are high school students ranging in age from 15-18 years and have probably never been away from home for more than a week or two, so sending them across the ocean without their parents for nearly a year is quite a shock. Another surprise for these students is how spread out everything is in America. Most of the students were used to convenient access to public transportation back home, but unless their host family is in the inner city they quickly found out that you need a car to get anywhere.

My wife and I were foster parents for a couple years and provided care for 7 children during that time, so I’m going to draw on that experience for a moment. In both foster parenting and student hosting, you are given a profile of the child being considered for placement. However, with foster parenting a case worker usually gives you all the personal background details about the child so you can make an educated decision on whether the child is a good fit for your home or not. With student hosting, the profile consists of nothing more than school grades, medical exam results, a basic demographic fact sheet and an essay style profile completed by the student themselves. With the student, you have no idea if there might be past behavioral problems that could become an issue in your home. If you have young children of your own at home, you may be placing them at risk without this information.

To the parents of exchange students, do you feel confident that a thorough background screening has been done on the host family where your child will be living for the next school year? Before I could become a foster parent in North Carolina, I was required to have a fingerprint background check performed; a homestudy completed by a licensed social worker; a home inspection by both the Department of Health and Fire Department; and I had to attend 30 hours of foster parent training. With the exception of the state of Utah, hosting an exchange student requires nothing more than a name-based local background check and a single home visit by the exchange sponsor’s representative, who is not required to have the expertise to conduct a qualified homestudy.

Another difference with foster care is that you receive a monthly subsidy to help cover the increase in household expenses such as food and utilities. With most exchange organizations, being a host parent means you absorb these costs. Unless you have raised or are currently raising teens, the increased grocery bill alone can set you back; especially with boys. Mom, did I eat that much food when I was in high school?

Discipline is another issue you will have to deal with. The rules and discipline the student was subject to with his or her parents may differ drastically from yours. While exchange organizations instruct their students to adhere to the house rules of the host family, conflict may occur if the student feels your expectations are too excessive to what they are used to.

All this may sound like I’m bashing hosting an exchange student but I’m not. I just want to raise awareness to various aspects of the experience that the exchange organization may not cover and definitely won’t dwell upon. To those persons considering hosting an exchange student, if you would not consider being a foster parent then don’t consider being a host family. Being a host family is more than just providing room and board for a visiting student; it’s an act of love and generosity. The reward you receive is knowing that you provided a safe environment for a stranger’s child and hopefully have gained a lifetime friendship.

For the parents of future exchange students, thoroughly research the organization you are entrusting to arrange care for your child for the next year. You also need to be aware that the exchange organization you are dealing with in your home country may subcontract with another exchange organization in the destination country to provide all the arrangements there, so make sure you ask who that will be so you can check them out too. Search the Internet for news involving the exchange organization, talk to other parents who have been through the process and even check with the government or licensing authority for exchange organizations to see if there are any complaints on file for the organization you are considering. If the organization does not require fingerprint background screening of host families then find one that does. Finally, don’t let your child leave the country without knowing who the permanent host family will be and what school they are going to. Some organizations will place students with a temporary host family or “Welcome Family”, but this is nothing more than a ploy to buy them time to keep looking for permanent host families and schools that will accept their students. If the exchange organization seems bothered by your requests then keep searching. This is your child’s life we’re talking about.

For a more complete list of items to consider when searching for an exchange organization and other tips, check out the non-profit organization CSFES (Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students).

• Leave a comment... (10)

Another offer that sounds too good to be true? Not exactly, the new Microsoft Live Search cash initiative isn’t much different than a credit card the offers reward points for usage.

Nearly every single credit card has some type of “reward” program. Whether it be points for air travel, points towards gifts you can select from their catalog, or good old cash back just for using the card to make a purchase. Microsoft’s Live Search cash back program is basically the same. Sign up for an account with Microsoft, use Live Search to find products, and purchase an item tagged with the cash back icon. A percentage of the purchase goes into your account and once your account crosses the $5 minimum threshold, you can cash out. For complete details visit the Microsoft Live Search site.

• Leave a comment... (3)

It’s not officially summer yet, but I’ve already taken the family to 3 of the more popular films that have been recently released in the theatres:

• Iron Man
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Now, when I think of a blockbuster movie I immediately jump back to my teen years and the release of Star Wars. That would be Episode IV…the VERY first release to date myself. This of course was before 16+ screen theatres where new movies are shown on 3 or 4 screens at one location to accommodate the demand. Star Wars Episode IV was playing at a large single-screen theatre in Honolulu on South King Street near the police station. Anyone remember the name of that theatre? Anyway, I remember the lines going down AND around the block for tickets. It was insane.

Another blockbuster I remember was Jaws playing at the Waikiki 3 Theatre on Kalakaua Avenue right across the street from the beach. I’m sure the area hotels appreciated that choice of venues. After seeing that movie, I was looking in the water below my surfboard a lot more than ever before.

This past Memorial weekend, I didn’t see any lines for the Indiana Jones and Chronicles of Narnia sequels and there were plenty of seats inside. With all the flap about high gas prices keeping Americans at home, I thought for sure the theatre would be crowded. I guess the public couldn’t even afford to travel down the street to the local cinema and opted to pop in a Netflix DVD instead.

So, will there be a summer blockbuster this year? I know my daughter will be dragging me to “Kung Fu Panda” in June, so perhaps that will be the choice among the younger moviegoers, but I think the nod will go to Pixar’s “Wall-E“. As for me, I’m hoping that M. Night Shyamalan can make a comeback with “The Happening” after his disappointing “Lady in the Water.” My other choice for a “must see” is “The Dark Knight“, which is the first sequel to “Batman Begins” one of my personal favorites.

Let us know about your blockbuster movie memories and what you think this summer’s hot movie will be. To see a list of this summer’s films, check out FirstShowing.Net.

• Leave a comment... (7)

If you currently have a specialty credit card issued by Chase Card Services (e.g. Amazon Visa, Buy.com Visa, etc), you might have recently received a $15 Circuit City gift card as an incentive to try Chase ID Protection. If you did get one of these offers in the mail, make sure to read the not so fine print — use the gift card and you are purchasing a membership in the Chase ID Protection program.

Chase ID Protection, what is it?

The Chase ID Protection program offers a list of services aimed at protecting your credit information. The plan sounds interesting and might be worthwhile to some consumers; however, the plan costs $11.99 per month. The price isn’t too bad but several of the reports Chase touts as “features” are nothing more than repackaged reports already available free of charge as Chase points out on the back side of the second page:

Many government records are available free or at a nominal cost from government agencies. Credit reporting agencies are required by law to give you a copy of your credit report upon request, at no charge or for a nominal fee.

Of course the key word in the entire statement is “nominal fee.” I guess that part is left up to the credit reporting agencies to decide.

Use the gift card and get away with it?

The offer, in my opinion is presented in such a way that some individuals might just use the gift card without completely understanding what they’re agreeing to. Understandably you could “game the system” and use the gift card and then cancel the Chase ID Protection and get a full refund of your $11.99 (I haven’t come across anything in the fine print that says you are obligated to keep the plan for any period of time). Remember, however, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and I suspect Chase has figured out a way to keep you enrolled long enough to recoup their $15 gift card expense.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you “read the fine print” and always keep in mind the old saying: if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

• Leave a comment... (3)

If my wife and I had started our family like most couples, we’d be celebrating our child’s high school graduation this year. However, God has quite a sense of humor and this year’s graduation for my princess is from Kindergarten. However, I have several friends with teens graduating this Spring and I will be faced with the dilemma of selecting a graduation gift.

First, if you receive a graduation announcement for a friend or a friend’s offspring are you obligated to give a gift? Per the Emily Post Institute on Graduation Etiquette the answer is “no”. However, if you feel your home is in danger of being TP’d for following this advice then I’d recommend you read on.

As with a wedding, graduating from high school or college is a major milestone in one’s life. Graduation marks the achievement of a goal and the beginning of another chapter in life. Now, take into consideration the relationship you have with the graduate. Is this someone you are close to or a co-worker’s child that you’ve seen pass through the office 5 times in their lifetime? If the latter, find out what they’re into, get a gift card from an applicable store and consider the matter closed. If this is someone who you are close to then let’s spend a little more time and come up with something that doesn’t scream “Checkout Lane”.

When I Google’d this subject, there were no definitive answers for the proper gift. What I did find was that those that responded on other blogs about this subject were female. Once again, as with weddings this monumental occasion is met by the male species with a ”Let’s get on with it” mentality while those of the opposite gender want to take a moment to savor the occasion and gather up momentos to remind them of this important date. I know, these insights aren’t offering you much help so here’s my suggestion.

Buy yourself some time and pick out a card. You said you knew the graduate well so you should be able to at least pick out an appropriately worded card. Word of advice…if it’s been awhile since you purchased a greeting card the price is embedded on the back for all to see so skip the card rack at the Dollar Tree store. I know, it’s highway robbery what they get for words printed on heavy stock paper but unless your words of wisdom are more eloquent than those inside a Chinese fortune cookie stop perusing the discount card rack and take out your wallet. One more thing on picking out the right card, make sure the theme is in keeping with the receipient. Don’t get the card with puppies playing in a field of grass for your fishing buddy. Trust me on this one.

Next, take a moment to write something in the card that will make the reader pause and reflect on your words. Talk about a time that you spent together and shared your dreams, or tell them about the positive changes you’ve seen in them over the years. Your words don’t have to be poetry, but they should be sincere. Keep in mind that for the female graduate, this card is going to be carefully archived in some scrapbook or card box so it is probably going to count more than any gift it’s affixed to.

Now, to give you an example of a meaningful gift, I will share my personal experience. I returned to college in my 30’s and was going to evening classes while holding down a new position in healthcare management. I was footing the bill for this round of education instead of my parents so I was going to make sure I got my money’s worth. I graduated with High Honors (4.0 GPA) and both I and my family were very proud of my accomplishment. For my college graduation, my mom presented me with a scrapbook of report cards, homework and pictures dating back to my elementary school years. It was quite an undertaking and brought back some great memories that I was able to share at that moment with those around me.

So, what do you give to the graduate? It’s that special gift that lets them know you remember where they came from and the challenges they’ve faced to get to where they are now. It can be store bought, handmade or simply a thought expressed in writing. If it comes from your heart then it truly is priceless.

• Leave a comment... (4)

I’ve just had about enough of the New England Patriots and spygate. And, I suspect, that even the most hardened Patriots hater would probably agree — enough is enough.

Does Walsh ever want to work again?

I think anyone could have guessed that when Matt Walsh wasn’t “available” to meet with NFL commissioner Goodell until May 13th, that the former Patriot’s video assistant wouldn’t have anything new — No smoking gun, and no video footage of a Ram’s Superbowl XXXVI walk through. In short, Matt Walsh told the NFL nothing they didn’t already know. Walsh did, however, have a few more accusations against the Patriots, but those incidents had nothing to do with the video taping scandal. So what gives with this guy? Is he working on a book deal? Pitching a movie script to Hollywood? Does he want to get on Oprah for his 15 minutes of fame? Or does he simply never want to work anywhere ever again?

Give that man a bigger shovel

At the rate Walsh is going, no one in their right mind would ever hire this guy. With each new accusation he digs himself a deeper ditch, and regardless if he’s right or wrong he’ll ultimately earn himself the dubious title of “whistle blower” or “story teller.” Both labels are terrible if you want to stay gainfully employed. Therefore one can only conclude that if Walsh isn’t working on some side deal worth millions, he certainly isn’t playing with a full deck.

Specter holding on like a pit bull

And what of Senator Arlen Specter? He could have been satisfied with the NFL’s findings (which was “nothing new found”), or he could continued grandstanding and call for further investigation. He’s a politician so I think we all know which option Specter went with. Thankfully Senator Kennedy chimed in with the voice of reason and put it all in perspective:

“With the war in Iraq raging on, gasoline prices closing on $4 a gallon, and Americans losing their homes at record rates to foreclosure, the United States Senate should be focusing on the real problems that Americans are struggling with.”

Let’s face it. Like the Patriots or not, no one wants next season filled with constant references to spygate over and over again. The Patriots organization was fined, Belichick was fined, and anti-Patriot football fans were given exactly what they wanted all along - a Patriots lose in the Superbowl.

• Leave a comment... (2)

I recently watched the 2007 film “Into the Wild” based on the short life of Christopher McCandless who ventured into the Alaskan wilderness on his own only to die of starvation 4 months later. Though I’m not a real Sean Penn fan, I’ll have to admit that he did a good job of directing the film, which is based on the book of the same title by Jon Krakauer. Unfortunately, Mr. Penn felt it was more important  (and probably more profitable) to romanticize the vagabond lifestyle of McCandless instead of pointing out that therapy and a good dose of common sense could have saved his life.

A 1990 graduate of Emory University, McCandless believed that society was too materialistic and he wanted no part of it. Instead, after graduation he set out for the open road in search of solitude and contentment. His nearly 2-year journey took him across the continent and eventually to the Stampede Trail outside of Fairbanks, Alaska where he walked into what would become the last chapter of his life. Armed with little in the way of adequate supplies for survival in the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless managed to document his solitary experience until the end.

Although the official cause of death is listed as “starvation”, both the book and the film try to make the case that McCandless’ death was due to accidental poisoning from the ingestion of toxic plant seeds. Toxicology reports found no evidence to support this theory and the starvation ruling stands. Regardless of how McCandless died, the fact remains that he could have made it out alive had he possessed a simple compass and a decent map of the region.

A few months into his backwoods experience, McCandless made an attempt to return to the road where he started from. However, when he reached the Teklanika River it was much more formidable than we had originally crossed it and he found himself trapped. Defeated, McCandless returned to the abandoned bus he had been living in, which later became his tomb. Little did McCandless know that just a quarter-mile downstream was a hand tram that he could have used to get across. This fact and others were left out by the movie in what critics believe is Hollywood’s attempt to avoid tarnishing McCandless’ puritan image and upsetting his cult following.

Despite the film’s omissions of what I feel are important facts, I recommend it. There is some language and brief nudity, so this is one for viewing after the kids have gone to bed. After you’ve watched the film, and before you start lighting a candle for McCandless, visit Into the Wild Debunked for those omitted facts. The combination of both film and fact is best summed up by Anchorage Daily News columnist Craig Medred who said, “McCandless didn’t need the wilderness, he needed help.”

• Leave a comment... (5)

Okay, it’s no secret that I’m going to be 47 this year and I work in the Information Systems sector that is finding itself outsourced overseas at a rapid pace. Fortunately, I work for a family owned company that is more concerned with the investment it has made in its employees than making an extra buck by having someone in India with a fictitious American name answer support calls. However, despite this seemingly secure employment condition I have been re-examining what personal rewards this job brings me.

I have no qualms about my pay or benefits, both of which I consider generous. However, I’ve come to a place in my life where I look back and ask “have I made a real difference in the lives of those around me?” My faith commands that we are to spread the Good News of Jesus to the world. I can do that at work and with my neighbors, but lately I’ve been feeling that I need to be part of something on an even bigger scale in unfamiliar territory. A year ago I would have scoffed at the idea of becoming a missionary, but now it doesn’t sound so absurd.

When I would hear the word “missionary”, the image was one of someone going overseas to a remote part of the world where Jesus was unknown. However, did you realize that some of the most spiritually dark countries are some of the most technologically and culturally advanced democracies? Even right here in the United States, a country founded on Christianity, there are places where the Gospel is never spoken.

Have I been called to be a missionary late in life? I don’t know if I would go that far just yet, but I’d say I’m game for a week-long missions trip. In fact, the Assemblies of God is holding their 3rd World Missions Summit in Cincinnati, OH the week of December 29th. The exact dates are December 30, 2008 through January 1, 2009 and the cost is only $99 per person with early registration. Missionaries from all around the globe will be in attendance displaying exhibits and manning informational booths to answer questions and recruit new workers for both short term and long term assignments. While the event is aimed at college students, individuals from all age groups are welcome to attend. In addition to the job fair, there will be guest speakers to report on what’s happening on the missions field. For more information, go to the World Missions Summit website.

Whether you’re a college student unsure about your career path, or a mid-lifer like myself, the missions field is still in need of workers, and there’s no greater reward in life than leading someone to Christ.

• Leave a comment... (8)