Today, we individually and collectively commend Dr. Billy Ingram into the presence of the most High. In the presence of the most High, there is majesty and the beauty of his holiness.

Vine’s expository dictionary of biblical words defines ‘pastor’ as “a shepherd, one who tends herds or flocks, not merely one who feeds them. A pastor expresses oversight; this involving tender care and vigilant superintendence.” A pastor’s job is to comfort the uncomfortable, and to make uncomfortable the comfortable.

He led us out of the bondage’s of sin and false religion into liberty and a right relationship with the Father through the Son. Skillfully and tactfully guided us through holy scripture, and provoked us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Compelled us to discover our spiritual gifts to edify, exhort and comfort the church. Put us on alert against wolves in sheep’s clothing, and emboldened us to embolden one another in the love of the Lord.

The psalmist wrote, “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” We continue in the word as disciples of the Lord, indeed. Continue walking by faith and in victory. Continue our upreach, inreach, outreach and youth reach. Continue to love one another, for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. We continue, this I know, because Pastor Billy told us so. Baruch Hashem!

~Rodd A. Amos

http://www.linkedin.com/roddamos

If you want to reduce software costs in your small or freelance business at home or school, then Open Source Software may be for you. Open Source Software (OSS) is licensed software that is either free, or free to access and distribute. Primarily:

• Free distribution or no restrictions on selling or giving away the software; no royalties or other fees.

• Source Code is included. Distribution may be in source code or complied form.

• Derived Works – Modifications and derivations are allowed and are distributed under the same terms as the original software.

Here are the benefits of using free, open source software:

• No upfront capital necessary.

• Can be used throughout your business, typically without licensing issues.

• Many applications run on multiple operating systems, like Windows, Mac and Linux; and are widely used education.

Drawbacks include:

• Finding support for problems in a timely manner.

• Training or additional services are not always included.

• Documentation may be incomplete or in a foreign language.

Based on comparison, free and open source alternatives stand up well to software available for purchase:

• For reports, spreadsheets, diagrams and simple databases: Microsoft Office $279, OpenOffice $0, Lotus Symphony $0.

• For email: Microsoft Outlook, $279, Zimbra Desktop $0, Mozilla Thunderbird $0.

• For accounting and bookkeeping: QuickBooks $130, GnuCash $0, Turbo Cash $0.

• For PDF documents: Adobe Acrobat, $170, OpenOffice $0, Lotus Symphony $0.

• For pictures and images: Adobe Photoshop $450, GNU Gimp $0, Inkscape $0.

• For video: Roxio Creator $100, DVD Flick $0, AVISynth $0.

• For Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM): Mathlab $1900, Scilab $0, GNU Octave $0.

• For Programming: Microsoft Visual Studio $500, MS Visual Studio Express $0, NetBeans $0.

If you are already using proprietary software and want to move to free or open source software, develop a Migration Plan:

• Get more information from associates and trade organizations.

• Read books, participate in online discussions and attend presentations.

• Start using the new products along with your current ones.

• If applicable, get training.

• Make the switch when you are comfortable.

For more information, visit “The Open Source Definition” at http://opensource.org/asd.html.

Thanks to Michael Jenkins-Brown, Sr. Software Engineer IT at Raytheon, for his presentation.

~Rodd Amos, V.P. of Member Management, BDPA Los Angeles

http://www.linkedin.com/in/roddamos

A recent symposium addressed how non-profits should go about attracting funding from existing revenue structures, along with capacity building. On the panel was Virgil Roberts, an attorney and former president of Solar Records, who delivered a short address on the three fundamentals of non-profit building: A board of like-minded volunteers; a strategy of understanding the nature of people with money; and building capital from individual supporters.

A second panelist, Ida Yarbrough, a CPA, offered advice on getting the financial house in order, including filing a 990 checklist to safeguard the organization’s tax exempt status, ie., audited financial statements, joint venture policy, expense reimbursement policy, number of employees, minutes, etc. Additional filings include forms W-2 (W-3), 1099 (1096) and mail donor notifications.

Vincent Jones of Liberty Hall, a social justice grant maker that funds grassroots organizations, punctuated the session with a lesson on building relationships with program officers in advance of submitting a proposal. He advised gathering information on the grant maker, ensuring a functional website that advertises a clear mission and value statement, calling the grant maker for feedback if proposal is denied funding, board member donations to achieve goals and a diversified income stream.

Also in attendance was the California Chamber of Commerce, the Long Beach mayor’s office, the Compton mayor’s office, several local chambers of commerce and John C. Malonson III, chapter president, BDPA-Los Angeles.

Coal mining raises a number of environmental challenges, including soil erosion, dust, noise, water pollution and impacts on local biodiversity. The public has become more concerned about global warming, and the coal industry has responded by adopting regulation in response to the Environmental Protection Agency – most notably the Clean Air Act, and running advertising touting clean coal in an effort to counter negative opinions.

The U.S. Department of Energy defines clean coal as an umbrella term used primarily to describe technologies that may reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas that arise from the burning of coal for electrical power. The latest in clean coal technologies is carbon capture sequestration (CCS). CCS is a means to capture carbon dioxide from any source, compress it to a dense liquid-like state, and inject and permanently store it underground. Sequestration technology has yet to be tested on a large scale and may not safe or successful. Sequestered CO2 may eventually “leak” up through the ground, may lead to unexpected geological instability, or may cause contamination of a aquifers used for drinking water supplies.

Proposed CCS sites are subjected to extensive investigation and monitoring to avoid potential hazards. Nonetheless, there are more than 80 carbon capture sequestration projects underway in the United States. However, it has been estimated that coal-burning power stations with CCS cannot be commercially viable and widely adopted before 2020 or 2025. This time frame is of concern to environmentalists because there is an urgent need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and climate change sooner. At current production levels, proven coal reserves are estimated to last 120 years.

Rodd A. Amos, V.P. of Member Management, BDPA Los Angeles

http://www.linkedin.com/in/roddamos

Some use social media to generate sales leads by advertising their products and services. Advertising is a paid, mediated form of communication from an identifiable source, designed to persuade the consumer to take action now, or in the future. At the core of their enterprise is branding, or speaking to or with consumers directly to publicly. Further, businesses exercise the “Core Values of Social media”: Authenticity, transparency, community building, engagement and participation to broaden access to new consumers, market research and to improve search engine optimization (SEO).

Others use social media to establish thought leadership and to provide better platforms for consumer education. At the core of their strategy-building are the “Best Practices of Conversation”: Listening to what others are saying, addressing their issues, offering value, giving, and offering feedback. Establishing though leadership requires competency, enthusiasm and helpfulness, thus improving one’s SEO.

The more evolved user establishes rapport with his or her audience using the “Three C’s of Social Personality”: Connection (introducing one’s self); Community (asking questions that solicit responses); Connection (having multiple social, professional or commercial relationships).

What social personality type are you?

Thanks to Marjorie Kase, co-founder of Markyr Media, a social media consulting firm, for her presentation.

Introducing WordPress.com, a less-technical blogging application, and home to free and open source software. Content is the key, and can be entered manually via web-based interfaces from any online computer or mobile device. WP allows for uploading photos and other media, provides Categories and Tabs to help organize data, provides functionality to change site appearance, linkage to other social sites, and visitors can easily contribute to content with comments.

No knowledge of HTML or CSS is needed start a blog on WordPress.com. Here’s why: Ajax and JavaScript provide the scripting power, while PHP handles functionality. Python is used to create rapid development, while MySQL manages data storage. XML transports data and allows it to be shared between networked systems. No fuss, no muss.

For more information on how WordPress.com works, use the highly recommended where-to-start tutorial called “The Codex”. Thanks to Michael Jenkins-Brown, Sr. Software Engineer IT at Raytheon, for his presentation.

Rodd A. Amos, V.P. of Member Management, BDPA Los Angeles

http://www.linkedin.com/in/roddamos

“I voted for (Obama) to be a part of history”, exclaimed one. “His politics, definitely”, proclaimed another. “To undo eight years of warmongering”, and so forth. But there was more.

The evening was punctuated by a slide presentation given by Jameeka Toliva of the San Diego chapter of Young Professionals. It detailed the time-line from the so-called “Compton Cookout”, a horrific event sponsored by a UC San Diego fraternity against that campuses population of Black students. The event was promoted via Facebook invite by campus newspaper KOALA and featured on campus station SR-TV.

After a noose was allegedly found in the library, the Black students mobilized for a series of campus rallies to close ranks and bolster self-esteem. Organizers then implored university officials to take action against the fraternity and to warn there would be “cause and effect” if hurt, harm or danger came to Black students. The Assembly Members Community Force is scheduled to meet with campus officials to file an official grievance and to discuss policy going forward.

UC San Diego boasts an approximate enrollment of 20,000 students, but only 1% of that total includes Blacks. A shocking revelation given that UCSD receives federal funding for its diversity policies. For more information, visit the League’s website: www.laul.org/yp.

League President and CEO Blair H. Taylor delivered a sobering call to action to an SRO crowd of “YP” board members, student volunteers and BDLA-Los Angeles representatives, targeting that areas 35% unemployment, 33% incarceration and 50% high school dropout rate among people of color. Taylor reintroduced the league’s three programs that link urban residents to vital services ─ Workforce Development, emphasizing the Green job sector, the Headstart Preschool Program, providing free daycare for nearly 2,000 preschoolers and the Milken Youth Center, providing literacy services to families in South Los Angeles.

League Chief Neighborhood Officer Pamela A. Bakewell punctuated the theme of the evening by rendering an overview of Neighborhoods@Work, a sort of neighbor-helping-neighbor approach to listening to area residents and addressing their most pressing needs using a five-discipline simultaneous model ─ Education, Employment, Health, Housing and Safety. Bakewell announced a 30% decrease in crime in the initial neighborhood surrounding Crenshaw High School, a 75% decrease in student crime and 10% increase in graduation rates.

BDPA-LA President John Malonson put his money where his mouth is and registered as a paid member of the league’s Young Professionals. For more information, visit LAULYP.org.

1. Rich text editor for web pages
2. Announcements, i.e. quick news and RSS
3. File Cabinet for publicly viewable folders
4. Lists for adding action items, i.e. single table databases

GS also integrates nicely with Google Docs like Adsense, MAP, Picasa Photo, Spreadsheets, Video Presentation, Calendar, Document, Picasa Web Slideshow and can be spruced up with Gadgets (similar to Widgets).

Creating content for your website is key, so here’s how it works:

1. Create an account at Sites.Google.com
2. View other templates
3. Create a template for your gallery
4. Name the site and give it a theme
5. Create and name your site
6. Determine the site layout (tip: navigation equals menus links)
7. Insert the aforementioned Google Docs as content

For more information on how Google Sites works, visit Sites.Google.com/Support and MyWebsite.com.

Rodd A. Amos, V.P. of Member Management, BDPA Los Angeles

http://www.linkedin.com/in/roddamos

To intensify your experience:

1. The Door of No Return, a formidable holding space for slaves that led to underground dungeons on the Ghana coast.
2. The haunting sounds of Negro spirituals and desperate voices of revolt, escape and freedom accompany you through the mazes of galleries.
3. Coffle chains, branding irons and other tools of trade and torture.
4. The Birmingham jail door, key and bench.

To heighten your awareness:

1. An original copy of the National Anti-Slavery Standard, rendering slaves as free.
2. An original bill of sale for a woman and child.
3. The earliest known Muslim writing in America.
4. The Great Awakening, the role of the Black church in the civil rights movement.

And for inspiration:

1. An original Motown recording contract.
2. The purple guitar played by Prince at the 2007 Super Bowl.
3. Suits, dresses, shoes and uniforms worn by recording artists and athletes.
4. “In the Event of My Demise”, a letter from Tupac Shakur.

Many thanks to docents Benita and Markhum for their help. The exhibit runs through April 15. Next stop: Cincinnati.

Rodd A. Amos, V.P. of Member Management, BDPA Los Angeles

http://www.linkedin.com/in/roddamos