Christmas Thoughts on Gadgets and Things: Tribute to the Real Women who Make Christmas

Hello all!

GIFT IDEAS FROM ISIDRA GADGET! Here are a few things folks close to me have available and if you are in Los Angeles area, you can get them today:

The first thing on my list is not a gadget at all. It is "Heritage: a 2008 appointment book featuring 365 Days of the African American Experience." These great gift books keep on giving all year long. Check out Heritage by Deloris Holt. I designed her website here: www.kinderpress-heritage.com. Pick up a copy for $15 or if you pick up 5, the price drops to $12.50 each. Buy from the author (She lives in Leimert Park area). All of her contact numbers and emails are at the website.

Give the gift of knowledge! Dr. Kwaku's student's know that his DVD's and CD's are very powerful and uplifting. Audio CD's are only $10 each and DVD's are $20.

But, why not consider giving the gift of his great class Afrikan World Civilizations Class starting Feb, 22, 2008? This 11 week series is only $100 (Only $10 per class) . See the video wrap-up of last session's class now on You Tube.

Stop by www.DrKwaku.com, or email him at drkwaku@hotmail.com.


Great T-Shirts: Like Oprah, I have a friend Gail too! She and her husband Andre have beautifully designed Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen T-shirts at their website www.OurLegacyLegends.com. Get yours today for $20 each. Email Gail at gailpker@yahoo.com and arrange a pick up.

And right after Christmas comes Kwanzaa. My mentor and friend William Byers has designed an informative DVD called The Kwanzaa Guide. If you want to see how Kwanzaa is celebrated --especially teachers--visit www.thekwanzaaguide.com hey are available by calling the number on the website.




Finally, I'd like to take a moment and salute all those who make Christmas warm and special, especially my mother and mother-in-law. Without them, Christmas would be just another day. We all eagerly await my Mother-in-law's crispy peanut brittle and pumpkin breads. She makes loads of 'em and ships them all over the world! Yum!

I'd like to give kudos to Ronnie Hamilton, Leroy Hamilton's wife, whose handiwork always puts me in the Christmas spirit. She and women like Rene Cross Washington, begin planning the day after Christmas for the next Christmas, never miss a timely sent gift, a thoughtful card, and have years of quality Christmas ornaments, recipes, etc. on hand. All I am good for is the Christmas Video or Photo yearbook. But one day, when I grow up I promise to be just like them!

Almost a month ago, I walked into the Hamilton home and was blown away that she already had wrapped gifts piled up under the mantel and her table decorated for Christmas. These women shop--something I do little of--and find the best deals and make the recipients faces light up with how on point their gift selections are.

Since we have 5 sons, my husband and I split everything down the middle, (this is when you miss daughters, but I am waiting for the daughters-in-law.) He fries the turkey and grows, cleans and cooks the greens. I make the mac n cheese, dressing, yams and get the extras. We then load up the truck and take everything to my sister-in-law Joanne's house. Our family puts it together, and we always have fun, but missing is the Santa Claus sized bag of gifts, the decorations, and the tree. For gifts, I usually give money to the kids since they have their own tastes but that loses in translation.

This Christmas, my son Ayo suggested we do the White Elephant gift giving idea which, for our growing family, is an excellent idea. (Wikipedia explains it well if you are not familiar. Now I am excited about Christmas again.)

Jaaye suggested a pot luck which will take the cooking strain off my husband and I. Now our West Coast family can do like our East Coast family which had a gathering of over 60 for the Thanksgiving alone. The one thing they always rave about is the variety of food. Can't wait to taste what the boys cook up!

Oh! Tech gifts you might consider: a laptop for the elder in your life who is missing out on all the emails and photos online; a GPS unit for those who get lost and hate asking directions. Better yet, get them a cell phone with the Navigator in it like my LG NV (Verizon--scroll below--they even have a new Voyager that is supposed to rival the iPhone!) -- it's one less thing to carry. Buy an iPod nano for anyone and they will love you forever, or at least a skoshy lil iPod Shuffle. I have both and would not trade either. Be sure and load their music!

However you do it, enjoy the holidays, all. And if you have those special holiday wonder women like I have, give them an extra hug and consider yourself blessed that someone is making Christmas for you.

Happy New Year all!

PS: Are you a student at West L.A. College? I will be teaching Business English (Business 31) and Business Communications (Business 32) in the Spring beginning February 4. Make your education your New Year's Resolution! Register at www.WLAC.edu.

PPS: From our family to yours - Holiday Flashes from the past:
http://prperson.com/Family2004.htm
http://prperson.com/Holiday03.htm

These are rookie productions, but watch out for the 2007 version to see how much we've grown. (Coming soon)
Until then, enjoy my channel at www.youtube.com/myworldpodcast

Robots at the Expo

Finally, the New iPod with the iPhone Features!

Didja miss it? Didja miss it? Apple announced a new iPod called the "Touch" Sept. 5. There is no phone but it has all of the other technology of the iPhone except the ability to check emails. There is a complete tutorial http://www.apple.com/. Click on the touch and you will find it!

They also DROPPED the price of the 8 gig iPhone from $599 to $399, the same price as the new Touch! the new Touch starts out at $299 for an 8 gig and $399 for a 16 gig. And it has wifi Internet! Read the review at www.engadget.com

If your man hates asking directions, he will love GPS!

Hello all. I have been on an extended vacation, but I'm back now! While on vacation, I simply do not know what I would have done without my GPS! GPS stands for "Global Positioning Satellite" and that technology powers devices as small as your cell phone to give you turn-by-turn directions. My family lives out on the prairie in Virginia and it takes me right to their door. DC, which is one of the most confusing cities for me to navigate was a piece of cake for my sons' graduations.

I first fell in love with them when Hertz threw in a "Never Lost" when I rented a car. I hated to turn that thing in. Of course Mapquest.com and other web based driving directions are great for getting you there...but not when you are alone. I found that in trying to find the airport in pouring down rain before the crack of dawn in Richmond, Virginia. I simply cannot drive and read at the same time. Two or more people makes more sense for written directions.

But since Christmas when my son bought me the new enV cellphone from LG, I have never feared venturing out alone to unfamiliar places. (And this incidentally is one thing my husband's new iPhone cannot do!) "The Lady" as I call her gets me there, helps me find Thai restaurants in remote places, and accompanies on all my road trips. Even when I do have Mapquest.com (the best reason the computer was invented) , I often overshoot a turn because I am on the phone. Not with this lady. She will tell you when to turn well before the turn then bug the hell out of you until you make the turn. If you still miss the turn, she patiently says recalculating route and figures out another way for you to get there. It doesn't help too much while walking, since it will tell you in a minute when you are not on a road...

These make great gifts for elders who move to unfamiliar states in search of inexpensive home prices--if they are not afraid to use them, and young people who are just beginning to drive. Trust me on this. For more information. read this extensive article from Consumer Reports: Choosing a Navigation System.

The iPhone--Dr Kwaku Gives a Review

Here is a review of the iPhone by Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn

Put video on your blog!

I just recently learned how to add video to my blog. My friend Kevin Ross who just launched www.threebrothersandasister.blogspot.com/ told me how.

First create a video. Upload it to www.YouTube.com (Follow their instructions, create a free account, then upload!)

Open a new post on your blog. Click the "edit html" tab.

Go back to your You Tube page. Click on the video of your choice (yours or anyone else's)and click on it to play. Notice to the right of it the word "embed." Select and copy the entire code to the right of that box, go back to your blog, click the "Edit HTML" tab, then click "paste." Then click preview and "Voila" you should see your post and the video!

Thanks, Kevin, for the tip!

Fear Itself

Yesterday, I sat down at a table to fill out some forms. There was a 9 year-old boy sitting across from me, happy to have someone, anyone to chat with while his Mom and sister were busy doing girl things. He rummaged through what I learned later was his sister's backpack, demonically looking for her pet. ("She never lets me play with her toys.") I was wondering what animal could have survived the clutter in that satchel, until he produced it. It was an old electronic gadget that said it was hungry and my new friend only had to click to feed it.

As he chattered incessantly, my mind wandered to all of my gadgets. They eat too. They eat batteries like candy. They need attachments. They need bigger memory cards. They need to be plugged in at night. The reason my wardrobe is seriously out of date is because what I used to spend on leather and wool, I now spend on silver and black gadgets. Gadget lovers are afraid of getting left behind.

That's why I am declaring a moratorium on buying a new gadget. My husband just smirked at me and quipped: So what will be your next gadget?

But I must steel myself against the entrepreneurial minds the world over who are trying to think up the next big thing for me to buy...the thing that will top the I-phone, the smaller better laptop, the Tivo, the GPS car systems. They are on the prowl for people like me--people who love electronic pets. Unlike he furry version, time you get used to one gadget pet, a new version of it is out. Your new pet becomes old (and gets tossed) with a quickness.

And because the American public feasts on a steady diet of fear, we also need huge TV's, so we can watch the news and be scared out of our peace and quiet. Then, we buy security systems, and motion lights and tasers and things, to protect our gadgets from thieves because Lord knows you cannot survive a walk around the block. After all, did you see the news?

Every week, a new fear movie comes out, it seems. Even if you never go to see it, the 300 promos will pack enough fear into your heart that it will surely come out the next time your power goes off and you are home alone.

My young friend's chatter pierces my wandering thoughts. "...and so I am sitting here even though I am bored to death because I don't feel like getting my butt whupped today." I chuckled.

That boy's mama put the fear of the belt into his hide and pinned him to his chair with just that thought-- although he was about to go stir crazy.

Fear. It works every time.