Want to Learn How To Code? Try Codecademy

Codecademy is a really neat,fun tool to teach yourself some coding skills. Trust me, it’s not hard. If I can do it, you can do it too. I spent a half hour on the website last night and I managed to get through the introductory lessons with no sweat.

The program is very easy to use and one of the best things is that you don’t have to create an account until you have played with it for a while. Don’t you hate it when websites make you sign up before you know what they are offering let alone if you even want it? Codecademy lets you poke around first and then decide if you want to set up an account.

In this case, it is totally worth it. Now I can finally make sense of the gibberish I see when I stumble across some code on a website.

This is such an easy system to use that it would also be great for kids.

If you want to learn how to build your own websites and apps or you just have a few hours to kill, try your hand at coding by clicking here.

The New Alabama Immigration Law

As the US immigration debate continues on the state level, Alabama has passed a new immigration law to go into effect September 1st 2011. Some aspects of the law include:

• Making it a crime to work, rent a home and failing to comply with federal registration laws 
• Businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants will lose their licenses
• Public school officials will be required to determine students’ immigration status and report back to the state.
•  Anyone knowingly “concealing, harboring or shielding” an illegal immigrant could be charged with a crime, say for renting someone an apartment or driving her to church or the doctor.
•  It nullifies any contracts when one party is an undocumented immigrant.
• Right to detain anyone  if there is "reasonable suspicion" that they are undocumented

Click here to learn more about the Alabama law. 

Volunteer Vacations—See the World and Do Some Good!

A friend of mine was accepted to medical school starting this September. At the last minute she decided to defer her admission for a year. Not a big deal, many schools allow you to do this. She felt she needed a break before she deals with the rigors of medical school. We had a long discussion about possible opportunities to make the most of this time.

One idea that comes to mind is travel. I love to travel and I find that it has broadened my outlook on life by learning that there are different ways to skin a cat. However, travel can be expensive and if you are on a budget, consider other options such as back packing and staying in hostels rather than hotels so that you can reduce costs.

One other way to have a meaningful travel experience is to go on a volunteer vacation. A volunteer vacation gives you the opportunity to get involved in helping out a community in your chosen destination.

By selecting an opportunity that matches your interests and a location that you have always wanted to travel to, you can create a rewarding experience far beyond what you would get from just checking out the sights and lying on the beach during your vacation.

Though I have yet to go on a volunteer vacation, I did some research on the internet and found several organizations that arrange such vacations. One organization called Cross Cultural Solutions caught my interest. Their website www.crossculturalsolutions.org is full of very helpful and exciting information.

Different opportunities to volunteer are available in several areas such as education, community service and health care. Some of the countries where they run programs include: Ghana, Tanzania, China, India, Thailand, Costa Rica, Peru, and Brazil.

Each program charges a program fee to meet the expenses of the volunteer. Almost everything is covered except air fare and personal expenses like phone calls, laundry bills and entertainment. Though there is a cost to the program, the costs are 100% tax deductible for US taxpayers.

Don’t let the thought of a program fee stop you from exploring this opportunity. Cross Cultural Solutions highlights several ways to raise money for your trip. Several organizations e.g. Travelocity and National Geographic offer scholarships to people interested in volunteer vacations. The organization also offers several resources to help you fundraise to get the money you need.

Have you been on a volunteer vacation? Please share your experience with us. We would love to hear from you.

8 Interesting Sites To Find A Job

Alumwire.com: This is a great site for students to join through their University. They provide a solution to host and record video interviews. Ask about it at your career services center in your university. 
Care.com: This is a great site to find a babysitter or list your services for childcare jobs. The site does a background check on all the caregivers. 
BookALesson.com: This is a great site for people who can teach lessons in music, language, sports and others to list their services. Students can book lessons online. 
Coroflot.com: This a cool website for creative people. It allows you to host your portfolio online to help employers find you. 
Mashable Jobs: This site features technical jobs and other jobs in social media. 
Craigslist: One of the greatest resources to find anything on the web. It is a great place to find work and sometimes even gives you direct access to employers. 
http://www.whototalkto.com/: To join this site , you need to provide at least one referral to help others find a job. 
FlexJobs.com: A great website to find freelance jobs or telecommuting jobs. This site costs $14.95 a month. It only lists legitimate offers. 

2011 South Africa Winter Collection Fashion Week: September 22 to 25

SA Fashion week is coming up next month but sadly I will not be going unless my fairy godmother shows up with plane tickets.

It is very inspiring to see how the fashion industry has blossomed in Africa. The growth signifies several things, but I think one of the most important is that it shows there is a market for creative pursuits and people are having successful careers in the field.

Most countries in Africa have seen their economies grow to the point that increasingly people have more disposable income that they can spend on things like fashion and art.

And that's a good thing for the creatives because we all can't be doctors and engineers and lawyers and all those "prestigious" careers that many of our African parents push as towards.

Click here to see a showcase of the designers expected at the show.

The Plight Of Immigrant Parents

Check out this video on immigrant parents experiences with the school system in Alberta Canada. This is a common story of immigrants in many western countries especially those who emigrate with older children or from war torn countries.

As immigrants we have a great opportunity and are uniquely qualified to get involved and help other immigrants in our community especially those who arrived as refugees. Click here to find a refugee support organization in your area and get involved. We can all get involved in our communities and share information to help families adjust better. A support system goes a long way in helping people build a new life.

Long Week? Find Something That Makes You Laugh

It’s been a long week and still 2 more days to the weekend. I went searching for some laughs . . . laughter is indeed good for the soul . . . Enjoy!

Scholarships for Immigrants and International Students

Last week we highlighted DFW International Community Alliance for the extraordinary work they are doing of linking different international communities together.

As I spent more time on their website I came across a wonderful guide on colleges and scholarships geared to immigrants or children of immigrants.

When I was going to college it was almost impossible to find scholarships geared towards immigrants. They were either very few or we just never heard about them.

The guide that DFW Alliance has put together is a very valuable resource for anyone interested in attending college. It is divided in to 4 very helpful sections:

1. Preparing for College
2. How to Enroll in College
3. Financial Aid
4. Directory of Scholarships—this section includes scholarships for colleges and technical (vocational) schools plus stud abroad programs.

You may have completed your studies but I am sure you know someone who is still in high school or even currently in college. Please forward this guide to them. You could make a very big difference in someone’s life.

The Power Of Compound Interest

The key to making an average of 12% interest annually is watching your investments and staying informed on market trends. Compound interest either enslaves you or sets you free. Living on the negative side of the equation makes someone else wealthy such as credit card debt. Moving to the positive side builds family wealth and financial freedom such as investing. 
Which side of the equation are you on?
Graph credit: http://www.mypersonalfinancejourney.com

Important Questions To Consider In Business

Are you thinking of a new venture. Here are some important questions to ask to gain clarity of purpose in your business. 

1. What will you do to solve a problem? Most successful business provide solutions to everyday problems. The most creative solutions are those that are provided before the customer realizes there is a problem. Think google!!

2. What value will you deliver to your target customers? Customers will buy if they perceive your product as valuable. It is important to consider how you will communicate that value to the customer. 

3. Why does it matter to them? In communicating value, it is important to speak the customers language. Address why they should care and they will buy your product.

4. Why does it matter to you? For a product to be successful, an entrepreneur must develop an attachment to their product. If you do not care, your potential customers will not care. If you care, then you will work hard to deliver true value.

5. How do they buy your products? There are many great products out there that are not reaching their market because the customer does not know they are available. A proper distribution channel accompanied by a strong marketing message will go a long way in building sales. Make it easy for customers to buy your product.

6. How do they use the product? We live in a busy world and the consumer wants to use products that are intuitive. Insist on creating a product that your customers can easily figure out.

If you already own a business, spend some time answering these questions, you may discover some new potential.

8 Interesting Lists From Mental Floss

I love Mental Floss magazine. Lots of interesting things to while the time away on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Check out a few lists from their website:

1. The London Riots and 7 Other Things Blamed on Social Media
2. The Stories Behind 6 Famous Slogans
3. 8 Amazing Garage Sale Finds
4. 15 Wonderful Words With No English Equivalent
5. 25 Words You Might Not Know Are Trademarked
6. 10 Questions From The U.S. Naturalization Test
7. 4 Crimes That Inspired Law & Order Episodes
8. 4 Wildly Successful Companies Started By Stay-At-Homes
   

Source: Mental Floss Magazine at www.mentalfloss.com

Binyavanga Wainaina Book Reading

Red Jade wrote about an accomplished African author in yesterday's post. If you have never heard of Binyavanga, check out this YouTube video of his book reading his short story "Discovering home" for which he won the Caine prize in 2002. 

Check out the rest of the book reading on YouTube. 

O's 2011 Summer Reading List—One Day I Will Write About This Place by Binyavanga Wainaina

If it was not for the scorching sun, I would not know it was summer. Whatever happened to those lazy summer days when I used to loll around doing nothing?

And so because I have been very busy I missed the release of Oprah’s 2011 Summer Reading List. I came across it last night and was pleasantly surprised, actually I was very proud, to see one of Kenya’s own on the list.

Binyavanga Wainaina has a new book out (been out I should say) titled "One Day I Will Write About This Place". It is a memoir about growing up in Kenya.

Binyavanga’s genius is well recognized in Kenya and in literary circles all over. What Oprah’s list does is introduce every day American readers to his works and in doing so exposes them to a different view of Kenya. This is definitely a good thing.

I can’t wait to read the book. It will be the only book I read this summer, but I am sure it will be worth it. The book is available on Amazon.com. Click here to order it.