$50 ‘plug computers’ will Web-enable our hard drives

Posted on February 25, 2009 by Stephen Pate

plugcloud

File under: what will they think of next

With stories from Computerworld and Marvell

A silicon valley company that supplies controllers for the small drives in hand held devices has introduced the newest and cheapest device for your home.

Marvel “is trying to create a new category of inexpensive, energy-efficient devices it calls “plug computers,” for which it would supply the integrated processors. Strongly resembling those vacation timers that turn on your lights at night to ward off potential robbers, a plug computer is more of a home networking gadget that transforms external hard drives or USB thumb drives into full network-attached storage (NAS) devices.” The low power device will connect home computer harddrives to each other and to the wireless world. It’s a home network file server at an unbelievable price point.

A more complex product like the HP EX470 MediaSmart Home Server runs $600 and is a server with the maintenance issues. As we collect more pictures, videos, mp3 across the computer-for-every-person in the house world central storage becomes a problem that needs a solution. Looks cool.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Disability-related Provisions

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Byline

$113 Billion to be spent on health, disability and poverty related issues

Disability Policy Colloboration News

with story from The Arc, Disability Policy Collaboration News

Editor - there will be more than the anticipated $18 billion spent of Americans living with disabilities in the ARRA with health, poverty, housing and disability related spending combined. Medicaid spending is $87 billion and all other categories are in excess of $26 billion. President Barack Obama has kept his word with the American people to bring social and health issues to the forefront of US recovery efforts. The challenge for Americans is to get the money out to the States and agencies as quickly as possible. Continue reading →

Good news from the Province on drugs covered

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Cancer, COPD, Osteoporosis Drugs Added to Formulary as Province Begins Modernization of Drug Programs

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI – Prince Edward Island’s drug programs are undergoing a complete modernization review and, as a first step, additional cancer, osteoporosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drugs are being added to the formulary, the Premier and the Minister of Social Services and Seniors announced today.The province is investing $1.6 million to cover drugs that will improve the quality of life for approximately 1200 Islanders, with almost three-quarters of the funding being allocated to high-cost cancer drugs. Continue reading →

Time for Cymbria Lions to move on

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Lennie Gallant museum

Think outside the box

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown PEI, Canada, February 18, 2009
Change often brings new opportunities. The 9 years of revenue for Cymbria Lions Club from the French School Board will soon be at an end. Any more recriminations and hostility is a waste of time. Put your heads together and come up with a new plan. There’s always a new idea that can make money. You’ve got a building. What can you do with it? How about a Lennie Gallant Museum, maybe a lobster supper? It would give people a destination to visit in Rustico. You might dedicate some space to selling local artists and artisans. Surely with the focus on Rustico, if you adopt a positive point of view you could attract Federal or Provincial dollars to help transitioning the building to something else. Make lemondade from lemons.

School size not a predictor of educational results

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Bill Gates, class size is not important but teacher quality and involvement is vital

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation $2 billion investment proves class size is not important, quality of teaching is

with story from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

I want to acknowledge and thank long-time PEI social advocate Bill Campbell for sending me this story.

Bill Gates retired from Microsoft and is dedicating his billions of dollars and time to improving social issues around the world, including health, education, and poverty. After spending $2 billion, an enormous amount of money, on education, Mr. Gates has concluded that class size is irrelevant in determining the quality of education of children. The real predictor of how well children are educated is the quality and innovation of the teachers.
Continue reading →

CRTC control of internet content wrong move

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Protect your right to free speech and freedom of the press over the internet

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 16, 2009with story from Canadian Press

Plans to review Federal Canadian regulation of internet and cell phone media is waste of time and dangerous to the economy. While the old economy of newspapers, television networks and cable are dying, the internet is supporting a whole new world of creative media. Government control only benefits the established providers who are boring young Canadians to tears. Continue reading →

Lions Club is missing too much

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Cymbria Lions Club, Rustico PEI, too much is missing for a French school and community centre

By The Fiery Independent, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 12, 2009

Part 2 – yesterday Lions stop thinking about our money

Dear Lions,

You are great neighbours and many of you friends; however you don’t seem to understand that your pecuniary interests are going against the good of the children of this community.

The kids don’t have the privilege of enjoying the gymnasium five days a week in the Lions centre because “it costs too much to heat up in the winter”. The kids cannot eat in the cafeteria on days that there is a funeral lunch so they have to eat in the classroom. The kids cannot enjoy a freshly cooked meal a few times a week, nor can they have cooking oriented learning activities. It is not permitted to make use of the Lions Centre’s kitchen because “it would cost too much in insurance”.
Continue reading →

Summer of love has ended

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee at the New Penelope, Montreal February 1967

But the memories linger on Montreal 1967

I was there when Live at New Penelope Cafe with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee was recorded, which is one of the reasons I bought it.

Montreal in 1967 it was the Summer of Love-In’s at Fletcher’s Field on Sundays at the foot of Mount Royal. Continue reading →

Lions stop thinking about our money

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Stephen Pate

Cymbria Lions Club, Rustico PEI, think about children not money

By The Fiery Independent, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 11, 2009

Editor: the series of local articles on Lions and the French school community centre are not only popular in PEI. We received a thank you note from the Lions International noting their interest.

Dear Lions.

You are great neighbours and many of you friends; however you don’t seem to understand that your pecuniary interests are going against the good of the children of this community. Having a French school with a community component is not going to harm whatever activities you do. The activities and groups that would come to the French school would not be the same as the ones you entertain in your building. We need our kids to live and learn to feel accepted and welcomed in their own community. They should be proud of who they are, that is Acadians. This means being of French descent and culture.
Continue reading →

Islander Day rats!

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Stephen Pate

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, February 10, 2009

Boy do I feel stupid. A brand new holiday and I get it all mixed up. You can’t tell me nothing. I thought we were celebrating Family Day. It wasn’t Family Day, it was Islander Day. That’s my problem. I never believe what CBC tells me since John Jeffery took his 30 pieces of silver.

Good thing for me though cause I studiously avoided calling anyone in my family and did things that were about the Island.

So, tell me now – and this time I mean it – what did you do on Islander Day?

I’m still confused. Does that mean we’re not Islanders the other 364 days of the year?

How did you spend Family Day?

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Stephen Pate

PEI family skate

How did you spend our new holiday on PEI, Family Day?

Did you go skating, to a movie, sleep in? Write a short comment. It’ll be fun to share the stories.

What did I do? Well I froze my toes at the PEI Rural Alliance rally. It was like minus 100! Peter’s speech was short, bless him. Mike Currie did a nice job. He probably didn’t think I’d say that . When I got home, Cory dropped in and we recorded his new song. Then I had the longest nap.