APRIL BLOG-Congressional Edition

Memo to Congress
Protect our kids. According to a report on MSNBC, 50 THOUSAND registered sex offenders, heck, let’s call it like it is, 50-THOUSAND REGISTERED SEX PREDATORS are roaming around free with police unaware of where they are. A couple of them recently killed two innocent young girls in Florida. E-mail your elected representatives right now and let them know you want some real laws with real teeth, and plenty of jails to keep these predators locked up. Here are the main websites for the Congress and Senate to find out how to contact your Representative and Senators.
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov

Memo to Congress II
Stay home. Check out this report. It seems many of our representatives love to fly, and it shows. With all the important problems facing us here at home, why are so many of you spending time in places like Paris, Barcelona and Rome? You’ll see that some of the folks making the most noise about these trips are the ones making the most trips themselves!

Memo to Pundits, Commentators and other associated DC Yahoo’s
All I’ve been hearing and reading about lately is “it was a good day for the Democrats, or a good day for the Republicans.” Sadly, what I’m not hearing or seeing is; “IT WAS A GOOD DAY FOR AMERICANS.”

While all these Yahoo’s are taking trips here and there, calling each other names, (I can hear that stuff at a local playground full of 5 year olds) and tossing around enough horse manure to fertilize the entire planet, kids are being kidnapped and killed, criminals are running amok, our justice system is crumbling, illegal immigrants are pouring across our un-protected borders and gas prices are soaring.

The neglect by Congress for the folks living along Main Street USA, borders on criminal. And both Republicans and Democrats share the blame. We’ve got crooks investigating other crooks.

I offer my Video Professor lessons free, so I’ll take that one step further and offer all of you in Washington DC this free advice.

1. Start your day thinking about what you can do for the people that elected you.
2. If you must travel, go home to your districts. Spend time with the people that elected you. Pittsburgh instead of Paris. Roanoke instead of Rome.
3. Don’t run for re-election. We need some fresh faces with new ideas. New blood that truly believes their job is to serve the people.
   

One is the loneliest number
Russian President Vladimir Putin this week “bemoaned” the collapse of the Soviet Union. A feeling not likely shared by those folks who used to live under Russian rule. They especially appreciate the freedom part.

Memo to BCS
The folks who run the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) are wrangling this week in Scottsdale AZ to try and figure out the best way to choose a national champion in college football. The talk continues to center around polls. Computer polls, human polls and even “hybrid” polls. At least they’ve decided to open up the BCS to all Division 1 conferences.
Call me crazy, but why not try a play-off like most other major college sports?

Only in Packerland
You may have read about the lady in Wisconsin charged with embezzlement. The judge offered her a deal. 90 days in jail or surrendering her Packer Season tickets. (There’s a 35-year wait for them) Surprisingly she opted to give up the tickets. Not sure who is #1 one on the wait list, but they’re smiling today!

Music Music Music
Like a lot of you, I’m shopping around for an MP3 player. These little devices hold thousands of your favorite tunes. Now, while I’ve been teaching folks how to run all the fancy programs on their computers for 18 years, I continue to be amazed at the technology. Nokia for example, just announced a product that will double as an MP3 Player able to hold 3-thousand songs. Plus it will have a high-end digital camera built in, load video clips, and oh yes; make phone calls. Price? 900 bucks. H-m-m-m, I think I just got a new idea for a tutorial!

Big Bird
Airbus successfully made its first test flight of the new A330 Jumbo Jet. Luxury versions will have shops, restaurants, workout areas and even private bedrooms. The all-coach version will seat over 800 people. Some experts say Airbus will have to sell 700 of them to break even. Of course, unlike America’s Boeing, Airbus is government-subsidized.

Site o’ the week
If you’ve flown recently and were thrilled because you got two bags of snack mix instead of one, it wasn’t all that long ago that airline dining was something special. Check this site out then try not to remember it the next time you fly!
http://airlinemeals.net/indexOldies.html

My cyber door is always open. E-mail me at CEO@videoprofessor.com

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder, VIDEO PROFESSOR Inc.

Video Professor Blog April 22, 2005

An Ounce of Prevention? Why not a pound?
After a second girl is murdered by yet another registered sex offender in Florida, we again ask, why does Martha Stewart have to wear a GPS device and neither of these sex offenders didn’t? These are REGISTERED sex offenders. Known PREDATORS! It caught the attention of our friend E.D. Hill at FOX & Friends and she’s alerted viewers to this site where you can track registered sex offenders in your state. Thanks to FOX News for caring enough to share this with all of us!

We must point out that a lot of states make you jump through far too many hoops to get the information. But it’s worth the effort. But that does beg the question(s). Why not just list the names? And why just on websites? How about billboards or full-page newspaper ads? How many children do we have to lose before government wakes up?

Tax Freedom Day
This past Sunday was Tax Freedom Day; the date when most Americans earned enough to pay their 2005 Tax Bill. Here’s where just some of your money is going.
It’s called Pork.
$1.7 Million for the International Fertilizer Center in Alabama. (‘Nuff said)
$100,000 for the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center in Pennsylvania. (Those groundhogs have a powerful lobby)
And there are literally thousands more!

Papal E-Mail
Pope Benedict XVI is online. The Vatican has announced he has an e-mail address. benedictxvi@vatican.va. “You’ve got mail” might be replaced with ‘you’ve got blessings!” The Vatican website can be accessed at www.vatican.va

Illegals impact military training
The Marine Air Station in Yuma, AZ is an important training site for troops headed to Iraq. The base commander reports however, that 500 military training exercises have been delayed or cancelled by the flood of illegal immigrants crossing the firing ranges after sneaking across the border into the United States.

NFL Draft Picks set in stone? Try Jell-O
At least that’s what Arizona Republic sports writer Kent Somers thinks. The first three picks go to teams with rookie coaches, and the top 10 college prospects seem to change hourly. But for sports fans who missed out on hockey and who’s baseball teams are already out of it, this weekend’s NFL draft is must-see TV.

Apollo 13-35 year later
There’s a generation who only know about Apollo 13 from the movie. Hard to believe it’s been 35 years this week since what eventually turned out to be one of NASA’s finest hours. Engineers, using slide rules figured out a way to bring the astronauts home safely. What, you never heard of a slide rule? Check out www.sphere.bc.ca/test/sruniverse.html
Meanwhile, Discovery sits on the launch pad in Florida scheduled for a return to space next month. No slide rules involved this time.

Danes #1 on the Net
A new survey has Denmark #1 in Internet use. The United States moved up to 2nd place from 6th the year before. IBM and British Magazine, The Economist conducted the study. Ranking the lowest of the 65 countries surveyed was Azerbaijan. Guess I better start running ads there!

Obesity drops five spots
The Center for Disease Control now says obesity isn’t quite the epidemic it claimed. It’s now ranked 7th as the cause of death in the United States, down five spots from #2. Eating in moderation and regular exercise continue to be highly recommended. Tobacco remains the #1 cause of preventable death. There’s a reason cigarettes have nicknames like “cancer sticks” and “coffin nails.”

A Penny Not Saved
BusinessWeek Magazine reports that half of American households headed up by people aged 50-59 have less than $10,000 in their 401(k) accounts.

Worker’s Paradise
Fidel Castro, the benevolent dictator he is, has more than doubled the minimum wage in Cuba from $4.50 to $10.00! Per month that is.

Promo promo
You know something’s big when the promos for it, get promos! Already TV promos are running promoting the movie promo for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Talk about using the force! Maybe over-using?

Riding off into the sunset
Lance Armstrong will give the Tour de France one more go, then call it a career. Lance fought back from cancer, kept his head on straight and his feet firmly on the pedals to win the Tour six years straight. A record.

Tony’s Back!
Tony Snow is back on FOX Radio on a part-time basis. He’s been fighting cancer and his positive attitude is combining with medical treatment and the outcome so far is good. Welcome back Tony!

Site ‘O the Week
This one is a bit mesmerizing. (And a bit weird) What it really needs is a soundtrack of Sinatra singing “Come fly with me” Enjoy!
www.trevorvanmeter.com./flyguy

My Cyber Door is Open. CEO@videoprofessor.com. I enjoy hearing from you!

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder; VIDEO PROFESSOR Inc
www.videoprofessor.com

TAX BLOG

There are only two things in life that are certain…
Don’t forget your tax returns have to be postmarked no later than midnight tonight. The IRS will appreciate it. And you’ll appreciate it, that they appreciate it!

They’re talking about tax reform in Washington. (Again) In Washington-speak, reform actually means more complicated.

Our friends at FOX & Friends were talking this week about a poll showing more Americans would rather go to the dentist than fill out their taxes. To which Steve Doocy quipped, “So have your dentist do your taxes!”

Can someone ‘splain this to me?
How come Martha Stewart has to wear a GPS tracking device, and the registered sex offender that killed Jessica Marie Lunsford didn’t? And why is it easier to find a stolen car than a missing child? Learn how you can make a difference by visiting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website at www.missingkids.com.

Justice served. Would you like fries with that?
Admitted Atlanta murder bomber Eric Rudolph, who killed two people and injured over a hundred others has cut a deal with the government. This guy, who hates government and loves the outdoors, will spend the rest of his life at the Super Max and super scary prison in Florence, CO. Every minute of his life will be under the control of the federal government and he’ll be allowed outside just one hour a day.

Tiger Wins The Masters
What a win at Augusta by Tiger Woods! His putt at 18 at the end of regulation was one for the ages, and I’m sure Tiger felt it took ages for the ball to drop into the cup!

Curb Appeal to be replaced by Space Appeal?
Google has announced a new service. Just go to www.maps.google.com. Click on the satellite link on the right side of the page, then enter your home address in the “search” box and see your home as it looks from space. You can zoom in pretty tight, certainly close enough to recognize your home and street.

What’s on the Presidential iPod?
Nothing is ever a secret for very long in Washington, including what President Bush has on his iPod. The President uses his iPod when riding his bike for exercise. Artists on the Presidential play list include George Jones, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Van Morrison and John Fogarty. So when the President uses it, do we call it iPod One?

Royal Weddings aren’t what they used to be
Word reaches us from England that horseracing beat out the nuptials between Prince Charles and Camilla. England’s Grand National Horserace had a peak viewership of 9.5 million viewers. Peak numbers for the wedding were 7.6 million. The Sport of Kings apparently is more popular than future kings.

You know you’re of a certain age when
You remember a time when there weren’t any numbers in front of the decimal point on the price of a gallon of gas.

Reality Show Update
Survivor alums Rob and Amber continue to dominate The Amazing Race, Constantine and Vonzell continue to impress on American Idol and on The Apprentice I think it’s going to be Tana who’ll hear Donald Trump say “You’re Hired!”

I LOVE L.A.
And Los Angeles CityView. I taped a broadcast with host Paul Petersen this week about seniors and computing. Many of you will remember Paul from The Donna Reed Show. He’s a very nice guy. Thanks to the City of Los Angeles for inviting us to take part. It’s an important subject. We’ll have a broadcast schedule for you shortly. We’ll also be taping interviews with Clear Channel Radio Stations in Boston Thursday, April 21. We’ll be talking about Identify Theft. By the way, we offer a lot of FREE information on our website about ID Theft, what it is, how it happens and how to fight back. Check it out at www.videoprofessor.com.

Finally, let us not ever forget
Tuesday April 19th marks the 10th Anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. 168 innocent men, women and children lost their lives that day. For the people that survived, the rescuers who were on the scene and for anyone in the city that day, many emotional and physical wounds remain. Take a moment to remember them all on the 19th.

Site o’ the week
I know you’ve often asked yourself, “Self, I wonder where it’s dark and where it’s not?”
This site will help you!
http://nist.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Mountain/d/-7/java

My cyber door is open. E-mail me at CEO@videoprofessor.com

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR Inc

John W. Scherer Blog April 8, 2005

Augusta Blog
I finally did it! When it comes to the sport of golf, the center of the universe is Augusta, GA, site of the annual Masters Golf Tournament. I’ve always wanted to come here and watch the very best in the game try to best an often unpredictable and fabled course. Will it be Phil, Tiger or VJ? Or will an un-known “master” Augusta? It will be terrific to see six-time winner Jack Nicklaus play.

How fast are the greens this year? Just ask Tiger. He found out Thursday, putting above the hole on 13. His putt missed and just kept on going. The only thing his ball didn’t come across on its long journey into the water was Little Red Riding Hood!

The history and tradition here at Augusta National is so thick, you can cut it with a sand wedge. (And many do!) It is absolutely spectacular.

Now I know what Fred Astaire meant when he sang… “Heaven… I’m in Heaven!”

Tar Heels Win the Big Dance
Here’s to Roy Smith and North Carolina for beating an awesome Illinois Team in the NCAA Championship Game Monday. It was a game full of surprises and some suspense. No one would have believed they’d have Illinois down by 17. But despite Illinois tying the score late, the Tar Heels finally won 75-70. Coach Smith had been to the final twice before with Kansas, but got his first NCAA Championship coaching North Carolina.

On the women’s side, Baylor beat Michigan State 84-62. Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson became the first ever to win a national championship as both a player and a coach.

Congratulations to both programs. Their championships, like all good things in life, are the result of hard work and determination.

Poetic Justice
During his horrible regime, Saddam Hussein murdered tens of thousands of Kurds. This week the Iraqi Parliament elected Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as the new Interim President. The proceedings were piped into Saddam’s jail cell. What goes around comes around.

And on a side note, I’ve seen several reports about a lot of bickering in these early days of Iraq’s new Parliament. If you want to see real bickering, just go to Washington DC. But that’s the nice thing about democracy: people are allowed to bicker.

Respect
Millions of people are pouring into Rome and the Vatican to pay their last respects to Pope John Paul II. Rome’s population is around 3-million people, but it’s expected that another 4-million people, including 200 heads of state, will have come to Rome this week. People waited an average of 12 hours in line to view the Pope’s Body at St. Peter's Basilica. Officials finally asked people to please stop coming; there were simply too many to handle.

Retraction
A few weeks ago, I talked about American Idol Judge Simon showing signs of mellowing. But did you see him this week? Ouch! For better or for worse, the old Simon is definitely back!

LA Television Appearance
I’ll be in Los Angeles next week to tape a broadcast for Los Angeles CityView 35 and PAX 30, called Wired For Seniors. The show will air several times in June, and as we get a firm schedule of airdates we’ll alert you right here!

Site o’ the Week
Here’s a time saver for those of you who want to Google and Yahoo at the same time!

http://yagoohoogle.com/

Ok, I’m going to watch some golf. And I mean GOLF!
My Cyber Door is always open. E-mail me at CEO@videoprofessor.com

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR Inc

Pope John Paul II 1920-2005

Regardless of your own personal faith, who cannot help but admire the life and times of Pope John Paul II. He led his Church for 26 years, but more importantly, served as a world ambassador for peace and understanding for all people. A man who charmed everyone, young and old, rich and poor. The young and vibrant priest from Poland we still remember was slowed over the years by an assassination attempt and the rigors of disease and age. But to the very end, his heart and soul burned bright and were an inspiration to the world.

April Blog

Terri Schiavo 1963-2005
Terri Schiavo passed away on Thursday, March 31, about two weeks after her feeding tube was removed. Like you, I’ve watched the story unfold literally 24/7 in the media. There are certainly are many opinions about her case, and this is neither the time nor the place to comment further other than to wish her family peace and healing. And also for the rest of the world to allow them to do that in the privacy they deserve.

I need your help
I continue to be troubled by the loss of Jessica Marie Lunsford to a sexual predator in Florida. As you know, we had joined in the reward effort for her safe return.

Doubly troubling is that just days later, an Iowa girl was the victim of the same fate. In both cases, the killers had previous convictions of sexual assault on a child. And both served minimal time for their crimes before being released back into society to do it again. Too many of these cases involve repeat offenders. And I’ve been unable to find any evidence that these types of sexual predators can be “cured” or “rehabilitated.”

Equally troubling is that in too many cases, these predators are “registered sex offenders.” It’s obvious from the cases in Florida and Iowa; being registered does nothing to protect innocent children. So, like you, I ask the question, “What can I do?”

A good start is contacting your elected representatives. Tell them you want, no, demand, real laws that actually protect us. And if your local or national representatives counter with the high cost of jails, tell them to call Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona. He houses the worst of our society in tent jails. And he spends less than 20 cents per meal to feed them. Joe also keeps a “Vacancy” sign lit on one of the guard towers. Arpaio’s popularity rating amongst voters by the way remains consistently in the mid-80’s.

Please, call or write your elected officials today. Tell them enough is enough. Tell them it’s time for real laws with real teeth with real consequences.

Our government has been calling a lot of special and weekend sessions lately, even coming in from vacation to do so. Let’s have some special sessions to protect our kids.

Opening Day
They USED to be the best two words in sports. Last year is supposed to be forgotten, and a new season brings hopes of a pennant. You notice I said, “Supposed to be forgotten.” Here in Denver the Rockies are “rebuilding” which is baseball speak for “we’ll lose 90-100 games.” And we have yet another suspect pitching rotation and what do they do? Start a rookie catcher! And what did they do with the #2 hitter from last year? Yep, traded him away.

And sadly, as we discussed a couple of weeks ago, there’s the whole steroid thing. It’s hard to concentrate on the game, when you’re wondering “is he juiced?” or “do you think he’ll have to testify?”

The only way I know how to get their attention is not to attend. I’m going on strike.

Getting to this NCAA Final Four has been more than half the fun!
Are you kidding me? If after last weekend’s NCAA Basketball Sweet 16, the NCAA isn’t thinking about a play-off in Division 1 Football, then I don’t know what will. Some are calling it one of the best weekends in College Basketball History. And with those wild O-T finishes, especially the Michigan State/Kentucky game where we were treated to a double O-T, well, let’s just they there weren’t many fingernails left after that game!

So it’s Louisville, Michigan State, Illinois and UNC. They’ve all earned their trip to St. Louis. No coaches or writers’ polls needed. There’s nothing like winning to prove you really belong!

Top TiVo records
Do you have a digital recorder on your home satellite or cable system? The well-known brand is TiVo but both satellite and cable offer options so you can digitally record your favorite shows, hundreds of hours worth if your want. The other cool thing about DVR technology is you can pause live shows when the phone rings, skip back and do your own instant replays etc.

Where there’s a record, there’s a list, and last week this is what TiVo owners recorded the most:

Top 5 Shows Recorded or Watched Live by TiVo Subscribers for the Week of 3/20/05 - 3/26/05
1. American Idol (Tue 8pm) - Total TiVo Rating 30.71% (Recorded)

2. The Apprentice (Thur 8:30pm) - Total TiVo Rating 20.25% (Recorded)

3. Survivor: Palau (Wed 8pm) - Total TiVo Rating 19.95% (Recorded)

4. 24 (Mon 9pm) - Total TiVo Rating 17.41% (Recorded)

5. American Idol (Wed 9pm) - Total TiVo Rating 16.61% (Recorded)

Four of the top five are reality shows! Interesting!

Site o’ the week:
OK folks; don’t forget we go back to Daylight Saving Time this weekend. At least most of us do. So spring forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday Night.

And to help you keep track of time, we found this latest little masterpiece. I’ve got to meet the people that design these sometime!

http://entries.the5k.org/365/t.htm

My cyber door is always open; you can reach me at CEO@videoprofessor.com

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR Inc