Sunday, March 31, 2013

Emergency Readiness Workshop for Youth-Serving Organizations


Calendar event Emergency Readiness Workshop for Youth-Serving Organizations
Ilyssa Plumer (Mar 30th 2013 11:24 am)
Are you part of a youth-serving organization and interested in integrating emergency preparedness into your existing programs?! In May, FEMA Region X and the American Red Cross, Western Washington Chapters, will be co-sponsoring free workshops on these very topics. Please see the attached announcement about this exciting opportunity! Here is the link to register (can be found on the flyer as well): https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/readinesswkshp. Please find the Workshop Flyer attached and share it with anyone who may benefit from attending; email it, share it on your website, post it on community boards, etc. Thanks! Ilyssa Plumer, FEMA Region X; Email: ilyssa.plumer@fema.dhs.gov

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Saggin Pants


BEMA Network Members (All):
 
Perceptions, and how we view each other personally, and how others view us.
 
Please take a look at the different views listed below.  Urban legends, some truth, and different perspectives on a hot subject.  Especially if you know of some young, or older individual that's unable to find a job.  The perception and image may be the key in addition to knowing 110% of our job.
 
Question:  Is it harder to change a system from inside or outside?
 
The world is not a large as you think it is.  Language only separates us in the 21st Century.
 
Be safe, be prepared.
 
cds
 
 
Charles D. Sharp
Chief Executive
Black Emergency Managers Association   
bEMA
2027 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.  S.E.
Washington, D.C.  20020
Office:   202-618-9097

Apologizing: does not always mean you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.  (Author Unknown)
 
 
 
 
 
3 .  Saggin Pants....................................................
Saggin Pants
Pass this on to Our Youth, Our Parents, Our Black Men and Women
Letter from a college student
The other day a friend of mine visited me in the lobby of my dorm just to chat while her laundry was drying. As we were chatting two young freshmen came by. One of the 2 boys wanted to 'talk' to my friend (as in date). She asked him how old they were, and both of the boys replied 18. My friend and I both laughed hysterically because we are both 22 years old.
After my friend left the young men were still hanging around and one wanted to know how he could gain her interest.
The first thing I told him to do was to pull up his pants! He asked why, and then said he liked saggin' his pants. I told him to come over to my computer and spell the word saggin'. Then I told him to write the word saggin' backwards.
< FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=3>
S-A-G-G-I-N
N-I-G-G-A-S
I told him the origin of that look was from centuries ago. It was the intent of slave owners to demoralize the field workers by forbidding them to wear a belt as they worked in the fields or at any other rigorous job. In addition, men in prison wore their pants low when they were 'spoken for'. The other reason their pants looked like that was they were not allowed to have belts because prisoners were likely to try to commit suicide. And, saggin' pants prevents you from running.
We as young Black people have to be the ones to effect change. We are dying. The media has made a mockery of the Black American. Even our brothers and sisters from Africa don't take us seriously. Something as simple as pulling up your pants and standing with your head held high could make the biggest difference in the world's perception of us. It is time to do right by ourselves. We need to love and embrace each other. No one is going to do that for us.
It all comes down to perception. What people perceive is what reality to them is. We have to change not only the media's perception of us, but we need to change our perception of ourselves.
Remember all eyes are on you Black Man. All eyes are on you Black Woman. All eyes are on your Black Child. People point the finger at us and expect us to engage in negative and illegal activities, to manifest loud, boisterous behavior, to spend our hard earned money in their stores, buying goods we don't need, or really want. We have allowed not only the media, but the government and the world to portray us as a 'sub-culture'. They have stripped our culture down to the point where the image of Black people is perpetuated as rappers, athletes, drug users, and consumers of junk food, expensive tennis shoes, expensive cars, expensive TVs, cell phones and not investing in homes for our families.
We are so much more!!!!!!!  

Connect DC: 2013

Banner
Friends,
Technology affects us all—from residents to businesses to community institutions. It has the potential to transform lives, solve problems, and connect communities. Access to the Internet has changed the way we communicate, work, learn, and get our news and information. These advances have improved the quality of life for most of us, but not for everyone.
And that’s why we go to work each day. 
At Connect.DC, we understand that everything is affected by technology, but we also know that many people still don’t have the access or skills to take full advantage of everything modern technology has to offer. Together with our partners, we are working to do something about that. We’re providing indoor and outdoor free Wi-Fi hotspots and computer access in libraries and recreation centers, training District residents and small businesses to use technology, and working with service providers to ensure both groups have affordable options once they finish their training. We’re also reaching out to people like you to see how we might collaborate to reach the underserved.
Our efforts at Connect.DC are making a difference, and we welcome your suggestions for ways that we can better serve our community. 
Your Connect.DC team

Small Business Success Project Update

woman at computer
In December, OCTO announced a new initiative connecting District-based small businesses with basic digital literacy education through a subgrant to the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC). LEDC’s Small Business Success Project is helping entrepreneurs get comfortable with technology tools and giving them the opportunity to advance their business goals and remain competitive in the digital economy. Participants are eligible to receive hardware, software, and Internet connectivity through the trainings. Since December, LEDC has trained more than 60 micro and small businesses.
For a full list of LEDC’s upcoming workshops, click here.

Save the Date: Spring 2013 Community Broadband Summit

We are excited to announce our Spring 2013 Community Broadband Summit will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2013! As in the past, we will collaborate with community partners and technology advocates to explore the power of broadband technology in the District and to build tech capacity in DC residents, small businesses, and community institutions. Please contact us to be part of this unique community event. More details to come!
See video and pictures from our Fall 2012 Community Broadband Summit, held in conjunction with DCWEEK 2012.

Out and About

crowds gather at google event
Your Connect.DC team was on the move this past winter, supporting local events and collaborating with technology groups to advance the cause. Acting Program Director Delano Squires presented at the Ward 8 Tech Council meeting on February 5th, where he described Connect.DC’s digital inclusion efforts and gained insight on the specific tech needs of Ward 8 residents. On February 12th, Connect.DC and OCTO subgrantee Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) participated in an event with Google.
We picked up a few pointers from a handful of Social Media Week events, engaged with panelists during a very enlightening Broadband Summit hosted by The Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in early February, made new friends at the first Black Girls Code Meet and Greet in the District, and caught up with old friends at a town hall meeting for the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI).
If you would like to partner with us on your next outreach event, please contact us.

Digital Inclusion in District Schools

When the Dorothy I. Height Community Academy Public Charter Schools (CAPCS) began receiving broadband services from DC-Net in September, 2012, they were looking to better use technology to fulfill their mission of helping elementary and middle school students develop in all aspects of learning—from critical thinking to mathematical reasoning and scientific inquiry. Read more

Interact with DC’s Broadband Mapping Application

OCTO’s DC Broadband Mapping Application allows users to identify broadband availability and performance throughout the District. The map includes the ability to view by technology type, download/upload speeds and the number of providers within a given location. For information on other mapping efforts in the District, click here.

Facebook Survey: What’s Your Most Essential Tech Tool?

In January, we asked our Facebook fans this question: if you HAD to choose one device/platform to access the Internet, which would you choose? Our fans were split evenly between laptop and tablet. No one chose desktop!
For up-to-the-minute news and engagement with our team, ‘like’ us on Facebook.

UPCOMING EVENTS


Research Subgrant Request for Application (RFA) Release Date

Monday, March 25, 2013
Stay tuned for updates >>

Grant Proposal Writing 101 Workshop

Tuesday, March 26, 2013
10am-12pm
View more info >>

Spring 2013 Community Broadband Summit

Saturday, May 18, 2013
Stay tuned for event details >>

2012 Taxes. Free Software

If your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is $57,000 or less, you may qualify to use a brand name tax software to prepare and e-file your taxes for FREE.

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If your AGI is more than $57,000, you can still use Free File fillable forms for your federal tax return. Learn more about Free File for all taxpayers

Monday, March 18, 2013

Webinar: Recording & Feedback. DoD-Civil EM Program Integration


The Webinar recording of the March 13th EMForum.org program, "Department of Defense - Civil Emergency Management Program Integration," with Ryan Broughton, CEM®, CBCP, Emergency Management Program Manager for Davis-Paige Management Systems, LLC, is now available. This is a large file and requires Windows Media Player or Windows Media Components for QuickTime or a similar product to view. The recording is also available in MP4 format for mobile users. The TranscriptAudio PodcastSlides, as well as Ratings and Comments are available from the Background Page. The Audio Podcast and MP4 recordings are also available from the iTunes Store.
 
Note: The Army EM Program all hazards mutual aid agreement (MAA) template is found at Appendix H and has been extracted and posted at http://www.emforum.org/vforum/DOD/p525_27AppendixH.pdf.  The Navy program manual also includes an MAA template at Appendix H pertaining to fire protection and hazardous materials response, which is available here.  These links are also available from the Background Page. 
 
Thanks to all who participated.  Please take a moment to rate this program for relevance and share your comments.

Our next program is scheduled for March 27th when we are very excited to present an update on the status of the Public Safety Broadband Network.  Our guest will be FirstNet Board Member Kevin McGinnis. Please make plans to join us then.

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