What do Britons, time-travel, and crime have in common?
December 8th, 2014
The Bletchley Circle makes our year-end list of favorite shows to binge-watch. What’s on your list? (Photo Source: http://blogs.weta.org )
By Colleen Schuler
Netflix! Instead of my annual recap of movies in cinema, I thought I’d share what my husband and I have been watching on Netflix. After all, the movies (in the theater) are so five minutes ago. Besides, Netflix is a great way to catch up on TV shows that you missed or find some gems you never knew existed. Now if this list seems heavily weighted towards the Brits, well, what can I say? They’re good!
The British Invasion
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The Bletchley Circle: What would you do if you figured out that not only is a second killing going to take place but where? And if the authorities don’t believe you? This series (set in the early 1950s) follow four women—former WWII code breakers—as they solve crimes faster than the police. There are two seasons with three storylines; unfortunately it wasn’t renewed for a third.
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Endeavour: The prequel to the Inspector Morse series…I love this younger version. A cerebral detective constable joins the Oxford police department and seems to annoy his colleagues for being so smart! Well done. Make sure you see the pilot of the series first (Endeavour, 2012). Four episodes per season. Don’t have Netflix? PBS also airs this series.
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Inspector Lewis: Following in the footsteps of Inspector Morse…Inspector Lewis has a wry, witty sidekick in Detective Sergeant Hathaway as they solve crimes in present day Oxford. In its seventh season on PBS.
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MI-5: This is an oldie but oh so good if you like the spy/espionage genre. Set in present day, this series is about the British domestic intelligence agency and their efforts to keep Britain safe. If you start this series, plan for the long haul—it spanned 10 seasons (86 episodes). But so worth it. (P.S. If you want to read a page-turning, engrossing can’t-put-down book from a real MI-5 agent, try to find The SpyCatcher by Peter Wright.)
The Eclectic Collection
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Continuum: Time-traveling, mind-bending, twist, and turn plots! Kiera Cameron, a Vancouver police detective from 2077, travels back to 2012 to stop rebels from destroying her world. Get your popcorn ready; this is ideal for marathon sessions.
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Longmire: Set in Wyoming, this series centers on a sheriff who’s back on the job after being widowed for a year. Of course, there’s a back story to that which unfolds as the series develops. He’s up for reelection and one of his deputies wants his job. Netflix has picked it up for a fourth season, set to air late 2015.
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Annika Bengtzon: Crime Reporter: A Swedish series about a journalist who has a knack for digging out the real story. The show also shows how she deals with her family life. Only six episodes, English subtitles.
Your Streaming Picks
Those are my Netflix picks. As more and more of us are cutting the cable-cord and turning to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus, there are so many options for binge-watching online serials, back in the day TV shows, old movies, and even documentaries. (1) What is your favorite streaming service (e.g., Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Amazon)? (2) What are your favorite shows or programs to watch on Netflix and other streaming services?
Tags: , binge-viewing, binge-watching, blog, Colleen Schuler, e-Management, Hulu, Netflix, Ola Sage
Posted in Entertainment, family, Internet/Intranet, Lifestyle | 15 Comments »
Demystifying Paleo
November 18th, 2014
These Paleo-friendly pumpkins muffins are gluten-free, refined sugar-free (sweetened with maple syrup), and delicious. They are great additions to your Holiday dessert menu. (Photo credit: leelalicious.com)
By Dagmar Alayash, e-Management
As the holiday season approaches, the e-Management Foodie Blog Team welcomes you in joining us in taking a look at an increasingly popular eating lifestyle called Paleo—add this to the endless list of eating lifestyles such as Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, the South Beach Diet, Macrobiotic Diet, and the DASH Diet, to name a few, all of which help to fuel the $60.5 billion weight loss industry in the USA. Call them fads or simply an increased interest in different eating lifestyles, we have so much to choose from now and as our eating habits evolve, we begin by looking at Paleo.
What Is This New Caveman Diet Anyway?
The Paleo lifestyle, also known as the “caveman” diet, emphasizes eating vegetables, a lot of grass-fed meat, and no grain, beans, or gluten, which means no cakes, rice, bread, or pasta. Did we hear a sigh or two?  Our ancestors ate food that was not processed, refined, cooked with oils, or loaded with sugar. The Paleo lifestyle is intended to primarily be a healthier way to eat and not a weight-loss program.
No Coffee? Really?
Removing gluten from our diet has been reported time and time again to make many feel really good and have much more energy. Paleo experts and advocates talk about the “caveman” diet supporting many of its benefits with scientific studies. Though it’s hard to digest the fact that legumes and grains really are not good for us, and the biggest challenge of all for many, is perhaps the fact that Paleo expert Dr. Lorain Cordain states that coffee should be excluded by anyone seeking to achieve the most out of their Paleo lifestyle. 
Food for Humans?
On the other end of the spectrum, authors Melanie Tam and Henry Fong portray the Paleo lifestyle in a fun relaxed way that also help to demystify the concept of the diet. In other words, it’s not an attempt to replicate a Caveman diet, and the Paleo style doesn’t mean you become an insufferable bacon-eating carnivore. Check out their best-selling book Nom Nom Paleo – Food for Humans for recipes and tips.
Will I Stay Hungry Eating the Paleo Way?
Not at all. Check out these recipe ideas.
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Paleo Friendly Cookies – coconut flour, oil, butter, and sugar make great cookies. Coconut flour is rich in protein, fiber, and fat; is a source of good saturated fat, vitamins, and minerals; and is gluten-free. Find tips on cooking with coconut flour and oil at Nourished Kitchen. Just a note here, coconut flour cookies don’t always rise, and some of them come out of the oven looking like caveman cookies, but still tasting really good …and healthy.
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Chocolate Truffles – one word, DE-LI-CIOUS!
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Pumpkin Muffins – easy to make and good.
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Chili – a tasty vegetarian chili dish, bursting with flavor. The addition of sweet potatoes is a nice balance to the heat of the chilies. Recommend adding ½ the quantity of sweet potatoes in recipe.
What Are Your Foodie Thoughts?
We welcome your feedback and comments. (1) What are your thoughts on the Paleo or other diets/lifestyles? (2) Are we becoming more aware of the foods we eat, where they come from, and how they make us feel? (3) With Thanksgiving approaching, do you have any amazing holiday recipes to share?
Tags: Dagmar Alayash, diet, e-Management, foodie, gluten-free, holidays, Ola Sage, Paleo, Thanksgiving
Posted in Dining, Entertainment, family, Lifestyle | 14 Comments »
E.D., It’s Not What You Think
October 10th, 2014
By Dennis Powell, e-Management
A recent National Charter School Study from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (Stanford University) Suggests public charter schools are effective for low-income, immigrant, and minority students. (Photo credit: Education News - www.educationnews.org)
The late advice columnist Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abbey”) once said, “True, a little learning is a dangerous thing, but it still beats total ignorance.” Benjamin Franklin believed, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The late Nelson Mandela asserted, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The verdict is in! Education means a lot of things to different people.
Spotlight on Education
For this government spotlight, e-Management wanted to examine the federal government and its role in education. To begin, we had to take a closer look at the U.S. Department of Education (E.D.). After all, more than 4,400 employees support the department’s mission “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” The agency has only been around since 1980 following President Jimmy Carter’s signing of the Department of Education Organization Act. Today, the agency has a $68 billion budget, which goes toward collecting data on schools and leading education research; calling attention to the most pressing issues in education; ensuring equal access to education and ending discrimination; and finally, driving the policies that shape federal financial aid for students.
4 Gold Stars for E.D.
The department clearly has its hands full. So, we had to narrow down E.D.’s good work to four stellar initiatives for students.
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School Improvement: Locating the Dropout Crisis (2004) reveals that more than half of the nation’s 1.2 million dropouts come from fewer than 15% of schools. To address this surprising statistic, the Department of Education administers the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, which provides grants to states. Since 2009, more than $4.5 billion has gone to support the SIG program. SIG grants provide better resources to underserved public schools in rural and urban areas. The goal of this program is to increase achievement among students of all ethnicity who attend low-performing schools.
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Financial Aid: The average annual tuition cost for private and public colleges is about $24,000. Naturally, many students use scholarships, grants, and loans to subsidize their college expenses. The Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is here to help. FSA provides $150 billion each year in tuition support. Through FSA programs, students qualify for work-study funds, grants, and low-interest loans.
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Arts Education: In our National Endowment for the Arts blog spotlight, we talked about the challenges around arts education. E.D. supports arts education through grants. Earlier this week, the agency announced its awarding of $13.4 million to 34 organizations around the country. Specifically, these educations grants will support arts educators. The grants will also have the added benefit of being tools for educators around the country to share best practices for improving student achievement.
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Public Charter Schools: Public Charter Schools are controversial organizations. Advocates for those learning institutions point to a recent National Charter School Study from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University. The report suggests that these schools are effective for low-income, immigrant, and minority students. The Department of Education seems to agree. This week the agency awarded nearly $40 million in grants for the expansion and creation of new “high quality” public charter schools. The grants will help build on the formulas of successful and high achieving charter schools and will affect students of underserved communities in 12 states. Overall, the department has invested more than $220 million over the last 12 months for “high quality charter schools and the dissemination of their successful efforts.”
What can E.D. do for you?
The Department of Education’s 35-year history isn’t without controversy. The department has come under fire for No Child Left Behind and the Common Core—even though the latter is a National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) initiative. Speaking of , (1) do you think the new standards are good for students? (2) What do you think the Department of Education should be doing more of when it comes to education policy? (3) How would you grade the Department of Education?
Tags: charter school, Dennis Powell, Department of Education, e-Management, FSA, Government, Ola Sage, School Improvement Grant
Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments »
App-etite for Business & Play
September 10th, 2014
By Dennis Powell, e-Management
Last month, e-Management blogged about the benefits of Google Hangouts. This time around, we’ve pulled together a handful of mobile apps that could enhance your smart phone or tablet experience. Without further ado, here is our 2014 list of apps for business (and play)…
WhatsApp has won over millions of messaging app fans in the USA and around the world. (Photo Credit: mashable.com)
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WhatsApp: Facebook made news earlier in the year, when the social media giant purchased WhatsApp Messenger for $19 billion. Since that time, WhatsApp has won over millions of messaging app fans in the USA and around the world. Why? Well, the marketing team at WhatsApp says it’s because the app offers: Simple. Personal. Real Time Messaging. The app gives mobile users the power to send and receive messages without standard text messaging fees. WhatsApp also allows the creation of groups as well as the sharing of audio messages, video messages, and images without any data limitations. The app is available on practically all smartphones including iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Phone. Business Application: Bryan Collins, who covers social media on his blog WorkReadPlay, suggests that WhatsApp can be a great customer service and communications tool for organizations. But business users should avoid guerrilla sales tactics, since using the app to sell may be a violation of users’ terms of agreement.
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Dropbox: More than 300 million users use this app to “store, sync, and share” all of their documents as well as photographic, audio, and video files. Users can retrieve the files from anywhere and restrict access to files as needed. Misplaced or lost devices aren’t an issue for Dropbox. There is a function to “wipe” away sensitive data from the lost devices. Good news: Dropbox is free. But the “pro” version for home costs about $9 per month for 1 TB (1,000 GB) of space. That’s a lot of space! Plus, Dropbox works on Blackberry, iPhones, Kindle Fire, iPad and others tablets. Business Application: Small businesses and nonprofits who are looking for an affordable way to share large files with customers and staff may want to consider this app. Dropbox for Business pricing starts at $15 per month and comes complete with admin tools that help to protect businesses.
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Quip: Fastcompany picked Quip as one app that small business owners need for a more productive 2014. Quip is a free collaboration app that empowers users to work on draft documents in “real-time.” Users can work offline and later upload documents, which is great if internet connectivity or access is limited. Furthermore, users can pull documents from a variety of sources including Dropbox, Google, Evernote, and email. Perhaps best of all, collaborators are notified when there are updates to the living document. Business Application: Quip is a great tool for small organizations who need a budget-friendly collaboration tool. Businesses can also use this tool to work on quick turnaround projects like quotes, proposals, presentations, and press releases.
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Google Translate: This app is a convenient way to get a better handle on the local language when traveling. How does it work? Users simply “speak, type, write, or take a picture to translate” a foreign language. Google Translate allows users to download language packs to help avoid roaming charges or Wi-Fi connections. In addition to the usual Spanish, French, and German translations, this app also offers more than 75 languages including Haitian Creole, Punjabi, Khmer, Yoruba, and Zulu. This app has more than 1.2 million 5-star reviews and is available for Android and Apple devices (iPhone, iPad etc.). Business Applications: Translation tools for business travelers are always handy when someone is unfamiliar with the host language. The tool is extremely helpful for simple translation using speech-to-text technology for convenience. Beware, translations are sometimes inaccurate; so users may want to keep sentences short and simple.
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Polaris Office: Polaris Office is like having the Microsoft Office Suite on your mobile device without having to pay for it. Polaris comes pre-loaded on many Android devices. But it is not limited to Google platform phones. The app won a PCMag’s Editors’ Choice Award. Like the Quip app, Polaris is also a great tool for collaboration. The app allows users to read MS Office documents without actually having the Office Suite software (e.g. Excel, PowerPoint, Word) installed on their device. In fact, users can create and edit files and later convert them to Microsoft documents on most any smart phone or mobile device. Business Application: This app is perfect for professionals who are without their trusty tablet, electronic notebook, or laptop. Users can access Microsoft presentations, spreadsheets, and documents from their smartphones. The app is free for Android users; but there is a small fee for the Apple version.
Apps-a-Million
There are nearly 1.4 million apps available in the Google Play store for android devices according to AppBrain. About.com says the number of apps for iPhones and iPad exceeded 1.2 million in June 2014. With so many apps available, we totally overlooked about 2 million. So, (1) what apps for business or play did we miss? (2) What apps do you use most often? (3) What platform has the better apps: Android (Google Play), iPhone (iTunes), Windows, Blackberry World, or Samsung?
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Summary: e-Management looks at five convenient mobile apps for business users.
Tags: Android, apps, Blackberry, Dennis Powell, Dropbox, e-Management, , iTunes, Ola Sage, Polaris, Quip, Samsung, Social Media, WhatsApp, Windows
Posted in Entertainment, Internet/Intranet, Lifestyle, Social Media | 19 Comments »
Hangouts
August 7th, 2014
By Sayoh Mansaray, e-Management
Did you know that the Google Hangouts app is good for social networking and online group conversations at home or work?
In today’s social media saturated world, it is nearly impossible to avoid using social media in the workplace. In fact, incorporating social media tools has many benefits, and can help employees continue to be productive by encouraging collaboration. Combining social media tools such as Google Hangouts with the workplace can also help bring different generations of workers together.
What is Google Hangouts?
Google Hangouts is a platform that offers video conferencing and instant messaging. The free service is similar to Skype, which is a program on which users can chat via webcam or instant messaging.
Nowadays most workers have demanding schedules, and face-to-face meetings can be nearly impossible to organize. With Google Hangouts, people can come together, as a group — virtually. The platform acts as a stand-in for face-to-face interaction, and allows employees to communicate. Users can access the platform from their personal computers, and can interact even if they are miles away from each other.
How do you use Google Hangouts?
Individual users first need to create a Gmail account. Once the Gmail account is created, the user is automatically given a Google+ account. Google+ is then used to log onto Google Hangouts.
What are the pros and cons to using Google Hangouts?
Pros…
- No cost to use the platform
- Easy to download and learn how to use
- Ability to mimic face to face interaction
- Allows users who are far away to participate
Cons…
- Limited number of people (15) can sign onto the hangout at one time
- Convincing “social media averse” coworkers to join in can be a challenge (although the ease of use is a great selling point)
What is an example of Google Hangouts being used in the professional world?
A federal program office facilitates Citizens’ Advisory Boards (CABs) across the country. One CAB uses Google Hangouts for some of its committee meetings. Board members who live further away are able to attend meetings that they may have otherwise had to miss. A significant portion of the board members are unaccustomed to social media, and have found Google Hangouts easy and convenient to use.
Where will Google Hangouts go in the future?
It is very likely Google Hangouts will continue to grow. The use of the platform will most likely become more widespread, especially as demands in the workplace become more challenging. (1) What are your thoughts on social media, especially Google Hangouts, at work? (2) Do you currently use Google Hangouts in the workplace, and if so, does it work well for you? (3) Where do you predict the platform will go in the future? (4) Do you think video conferencing will ever be able to completely replace face-to-face meetings?
Tags: e-Management, Generation Y, , hangouts, Ola Sage, Sayoh Mansaray, Social Media, workplace
Posted in Corporate, Entertainment, Internet/Intranet, Lifestyle, Social Media | 12 Comments »
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