First Lady Launches AI Educational Challenge

First Lady Melania Trump announced the Presidential Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge, inviting K-12 students and educators across America to participate.

“The Presidential AI Challenge will be the first step in preparing our next generation with a base understanding of this important new technology,” said First Lady Melania Trump.

In a recent video on AI.gov, she reflected on her own experience with AI while creating her audiobook, emphasizing the transformative potential and inherent risks of this technology. Mrs. Trump stated, "In just a few short years, artificial intelligence will be the engine driving every business sector across our economy. It is important America leads the rest of the world.”

Through initiatives like the Presidential AI Challenge, Mrs. Trump aims to empower the next generation to explore and innovate within this rapidly evolving field.

To watch the video, learn more, and sign up for the Presidential AI Challenge, please visit AI.gov/initiatives/presidential-challenge.

Can You Recognize These Once Common Sayings?

With the advent of the internet and social media many old sayings have fallen by the wayside, replaced by abbreviations (LOL and BTW and IMHO) or by emojis (😀👌👏💋). 

Before they are completely lost, here are 30 once common everyday sayings that are worth remembering, if only for nostalgia's sake. How many can you recognize?

"Wait broke the wagon."

Running to beat the band. Running ahead of everybody else. Running very fast.

Wait broke the wagon.  Delay can lead to negative consequences or missed opportunities. Strike while the iron is hot.

For all the tea in China.  You wouldn't do something no matter what you were offered in return. As in "I wouldn't take that bet for all the tea in China." 

The apple of his/her eye. The teacher's pet or a personal favorite.

You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. When something that is done cannot be undone. "What's done is done."

He's got a burr under his saddle. or She's got a bee in her bonnet. Meaning someone is irritated or agitated about something.

Don't get your panties in a bunch. Don't get too upset about something, especially something trivial.

Don't have a cow. Don't overreact to something.

In like Flynn. Describes someone getting what they want quickly, or on an inside track. 

After a fashion. To a certain extent but imperfectly or unsatisfactorily. As in, "Can you play the piano?"  "Well, yes -- after a fashion."

All hat 'n no cattle. A dig at someone who talks big but doesn't deliver -- a phony.

Like herding cats. Used to refer to a difficult or impossible task, typically an attempt to organize a group of people.

He/she doesn't have a pot to piss in or a door to throw it out. Someone destitute who may be trying to act otherwise. 

The whole kit 'n caboodle. The entire collection or group. All of it, as in "everything but the kitchen sink".

We got him/her on the ropes. You've gained the upper hand. The person may be almost defeated, on his/her last legs or up against the wall.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Don’t be ungrateful for a gift, an offering or good fortune. Accept it while you can.

Go fly a kite or Go to blazes. A mild way of telling someone to go away, get lost or go to hell.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Accept what is said, even if you don't like it or find it unwelcome. Often used as a retort.  Touché!

Make hay while the sun shines. Take advantage of opportunities while you can.

Put a sock in it. Shut up!

Like water off a duck’s back. Refers to criticism or trouble that doesn’t affect someone.

That’s a horse of a different color. Meaning something completely unrelated or unexpected.

Look what the cat dragged in. Expresses surprise or disapproval when someone arrives looking tired, messy, or generally unwell. As in: "OMG, where did he/she come from?!"

Cut a rug. Dancing.

As the crow flies. Refers to the shortest, most direct route between two points.

If the creek don't rise. As in "Lord willing and the creek don't rise," meaning if everything goes according to plan and nothing unforeseen prevents it.

Let sleeping dogs lie. Don’t stir up old trouble or reopen old wounds.

He’s got his tail between his legs. Used when someone is embarrassed or defeated. He/she is in retreat.

Cat got your tongue? Why aren't you speaking? Why are you so quiet?

Come hell or high water. It will be done no matter what,  regardless of the difficulties or obstacles that may be in the way.

Trump Signs Financial Technology Act Into Law

On Friday, joined by lawmakers and cryptocurrency industry leaders in the East Room, President Donald J. Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law — a historic piece of legislation that will pave the way for the United States to lead the global digital currency revolution.

As President Trump said, the law “creates a clear and simple regulatory framework to establish and unleash the immense promise of dollar-backed stablecoins. This could be perhaps the greatest revolution in financial technology since the birth of the internet itself.”

Bo Hines, Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, says of the landmark signing, “We are securing dollar dominance, unlocking innovation, and putting the United States in permanent control of the future of digital finance.”

White House Crypto Czar David Sacks told President Trump: “Today, you have another historic legislative achievement that is a monumental step to fulfilling your promise to making the United States the Crypto Capital of the world.”

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent: “Blockchain technologies will power the next generation of payments, and the U.S. dollar is coming onchain. Thanks to President Trump’s visionary leadership …  the GENIUS Act will help cement the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency for generations to come.”

“This is an important step to spur innovation by providing the crypto industry with clear rules of the road,” says SEC Chairman Paul Atkins.

The signing of the bill drew widespread praise across the crypto and financial communities:

• Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev: “I believe that Crypto technology is going to power a large part of financial services as an industry in the near future — and the U.S. needs to be a leader ... This stablecoin legislation is the first step in that ... we’re excited to see the U.S. taking a big step in leadership.” Watch
• Coinbase Co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong: “A big shoutout to President Trump and this entire Administration for getting such strong, bipartisan support to get these bills through. This is exactly what’s going to allow this technology to be built here in America and ensure that the dollar remains very strong.” Watch
• Chainlink Co-founder Sergey Nazarov: “The GENIUS Act is a huge step forward for stablecoins, forming the basis of on-chain payments for retail users in both highly developed and emerging markets … I’m excited and grateful to be at the white house today to witness the historic signing of the GENIUS Act into law by the president. This administration is doing amazing things for our industry and we should all be very grateful for how supportive they are being. Thank you, President Trump, the U.S. Congress … for supporting our industry at this critical time.”
• Exodus CEO JP Richardson: “History in the making. Today I’m at the White House as President Trump signs the Genius Act into law-a watershed moment for crypto and the US dollar. People have no idea what’s coming. Every bank in America will adopt stablecoins. Blockchain rails will become the foundation of modern finance. A new era of open, programmable money is here.”
• Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse: “The last major financial regulation bill was passed 15 years ago in response to the 2008 financial crisis … the signing of the GENIUS Act cements the US’s future in being a leader in truly innovative financial technology – stablecoins. This moment is a historic one, and I, for one, am looking forward to all that is to come as a result of this transformational legislation.”
• Stellar Chief Legal and Policy Officer Candace Kelly: “We see this as a turning point. This legislation finally brings the legal clarity that the market has needed and it reinforces a simple but powerful idea: if stablecoins are going to reach their full potential, helping real people improve their financial health, they need to be reliable and trusted.”
• Kraken Co-CEO Dave Ripley: “This brings cryptocurrency and the U.S. dollar together … We can now bring the U.S. dollar to more and more global payments around the world. I think it’s a huge win for the crypto industry, and a huge win, frankly, for the U.S. dollar — and for the United States.”
• Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla: “For years, we believed that well-regulated stablecoins are the bridge between traditional finance and blockchain innovation. Today, that vision becomes reality, with America leading the charge.”
• Solana Policy Institute President Kristin Smith: “I’m incredibly proud of this milestone – and of the people, the progress, and the purpose behind this moment. This is history. And it didn’t happen overnight … The GENIUS Act is the first-ever standalone crypto bill to be signed into law. It sets clear, bipartisan rules for stablecoins, enabling innovation while protecting consumers and reinforcing the dollar’s dominance in the digital age.”
• Anchorage Digital Co-founder and CEO Nathan McCauley: “American dollar dominance and has been ensured for the next century.”

 
PROTECTING CONSUMERS IN THE DIGITAL MARKET: The GENIUS Act protects consumers from nefarious actors in financial markets.

• This long-overdue legislation creates the first-ever Federal regulatory system for stablecoins, ensuring their stability and trust through strong reserve requirements.
• The GENIUS Act requires 100% reserve backing with liquid assets like U.S. dollars or short-term Treasuries and requires issuers to make monthly, public disclosures of the composition of reserves.
• Stablecoin issuers must comply with strict marketing rules to protect consumers from deceptive practices. Crucially, they are forbidden from making misleading claims that their stablecoins are backed by the U.S. government, federally insured, or legal tender.
• The GENIUS Act aligns State and Federal stablecoin frameworks, ensuring fair and consistent regulation throughout the country.
• In the event of insolvency of a stablecoin issuer, the GENIUS Act prioritizes stablecoin holders' claims over all other creditors, ensuring a final backstop of consumer protection.

 
ENSURING U.S. DOLLAR GLOBAL RESERVE CURRENCY STATUS: By driving demand for U.S. Treasuries, stablecoins will play a crucial role in ensuring the continued global dominance of the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency.

• The GENIUS Act will generate increased demand for U.S. debt and cement the dollar's status as the global reserve currency by requiring stablecoin issuers to back their assets with Treasuries and U.S. dollars.
• Additionally, the GENIUS Act will play a key role in attracting more digital asset activity to the country by providing clear rules and promoting responsible innovation in the stablecoin market.

 
COMBATING ILLICIT ACTIVITY IN DIGITAL ASSETS: Through regulation and registration of stablecoin issuers, along with coordination with the Treasury Department on sanctions enforcement, the GENIUS Act reinforces our national security.

• The GENIUS Act explicitly subjects stablecoin issuers to the Bank Secrecy Act, thereby clearly obligating them to establish effective anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance programs with risk assessments, sanctions list verification, and customer identification.
• This legislation improves the Treasury Department's ability to combat illicit stablecoin activities by enhancing its sanctions evasion and money laundering enforcement capabilities.
• All stablecoin issuers must possess the technical capability to seize, freeze, or burn payment stablecoins when legally required and must comply with lawful orders to do so.

No, AI Can't Replace Real, Live Human Connection

From our friend, Human Connection Keynote Speaker Rob Lawless of Rob's 10K Friends, via LinkedIn:

Here are 5 reasons your investment in human connection should match your investment in AI:

1. Human connection is what gives AI its direction and meaning.
AI can answer questions, optimize workflows, and even replicate human behaviors, but it can't generate purpose the way humans can. If we’re not deeply connected to one another, we risk building tools optimized for efficiency over empathy and profit over people.

2. Isolation increases when automation rises.
As more work becomes remote and automated, there’s a real danger of loneliness and disconnection becoming the norm. Human connection buffers against mental health crises, employee disengagement, and a loss of belonging. (Think of food delivery vs. running into people in the grocery store)

3. Ethics and empathy come from connection, not code.
AI won’t stop to ask, “Is this good for society?” That’s our job. If we become too enamored with what AI can do and forget to ask what it should do, we may build systems that perpetuate bias, reinforce inequality, or dehumanize relationships. Connection keeps us anchored in our shared humanity.

4. The best innovations come from diverse, connected humans.
Breakthrough ideas come from the cross-pollination of different people sharing stories, perspectives, and experiences. AI can help us find patterns, but it’s in human connection that creativity thrives. Without it, we lose the serendipity that fuels innovation. (My whole journey is about fueling more of this serendipity)

5. Without connection, we forget why any of this matters.
What’s the point of faster machines, smarter algorithms, and infinite scalability if we’re more disconnected than ever? The danger is we build a world optimized for machines to thrive, not for humans to flourish.

At some point we're going to have to reflect on what it means to be human and why and how we should lean into that - better to figure it out sooner rather than later!

Actively Rendering Themselves Irrelevant?

 

China/Deep Seek Threat Is Real And Frightening!

How concerned should Americans be about China's artificial intelligence model DeepSeek? Vice President of The @Heritage Foundation @VictoriaCoates explains "this thing is the product of massive Chinese government subsidies." pic.twitter.com/v3KSLtiWHi

— Rich Zeoli 🇺🇸 (@Richzeoli) February 2, 2025

Only An 'Airhead' Would Be This Far In the Clouds!

Kamala Harris thinks 'the cloud' literally 'exists above us':
"No longer are you keeping those private files in some file cabinet. It's on your laptop, and it's then therefore up here in this cloud, that exists above us. It's no longer in a physical place."

There are physical… pic.twitter.com/6onsTkyttS

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) August 3, 2024

Italian American Heritage Month: Linda Yaccarino

Linda Yaccarino

Linda Yaccarino was Chair, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. In that capacity she oversaw all market strategy and advertising revenue for the company totalling nearly $10 billion. Since joining NBCU in 2011, she transformed the advertising division, leading over 1,400 employees and setting the standard for the entire industry. 

But now, Yaccarino, a longtime power broker on Madison Avenue, is the new CEO of X, formerly Twitter, appointed to that pivotal post by billionaire owner Elon Musk.

Musk, who purchased the social media giant last year in a deal worth $44 billion, stepped aside to focus on product design and new technology, while Yaccarino, 60, is now leading the company’s business operations.
Reportedly, this savvy Italian American ad executive was recruited primarily to boost X’s slumping ad profits.
Yaccarino has spent decades in the upper echelons of the marketing world, and she’s one of the most beloved and trusted leaders in the business. A Penn State grad, Yaccarino's parents are Bob Yaccarino and Isabella Bartolone Yaccarino and she has two sisters. She is married to a fellow Italian American, Claude Peter Madrazo, and they are blessed with a daughter and a son. 
Yaccarino and her team were instrumental in the launch of Peacock — NBCU’s ad-supported streaming platform — and have embraced new ways of measuring advertising performance, as well as forging partnerships with the likes of Apple News, Buzzfeed, YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter.
Throughout her career, she has helped numerous organizations navigate increasingly competitive and disruptive circumstances and find innovative, sustainable, winning positions. A dynamic leader, she has envisioned and executed company- and industry-level transformations. She also sits on several for-profit and non-profit boards, including Ascena Retail Group, Hulu, Ad Council, Open AP, Mobile Marketing Association, ACLD and The Female Quotient. Also, President Trump appointed her to  the President's Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition.

Italian American Heritage Month: Patricia Russo

Patricia Fiorello Russo

Patricia "Pat" Russo is one of America's most successful businesspersons. She is Chair of the Board for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and serves on the board of directors of General Mlotors, Merck & Co., and Arconic Inc. She serves as chair of the nonprofit organization, PartnershipatDrugfree.org.

Born in Trenton, NJ, she was one of seven children. She was active in sports and captained the cheerleading squad before graduating from Lawrence High School in 1969. In 1973 she earned a BA in political science and history from Georgetown and subsequently began an eight-year career in sales and marketing at IBM. While with IBM, Russo developed a customer-oriented perspective that would influence her future management style. Russo eventually became president and CEO at Lucent Technologies. She was elevated to chairman and CEO in February 2003.

She was President and Chief Operating Officer of Kodak from March 2001 to December 2001. As a woman and as a tech-related executive, she has been a pioneer having spent her whole career in technology-based businesses.

Russo also holds an Advanced Management Degree from the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

What Was Once Thought To Be PORTABLE!

 

In Many Ways, It Was Actually Easier!

 

The Strange Quirks Of Evolution . . .

 

Looking At The World Now From Then . . .

 

Is THIS What's Happening Now?

 

Is It True? Are We Now Lonelier Than Ever?

From a provocative piece in This Week magazine called The Crisis of American Loneliness. A relatively short piece but one with lots to think about:

In addition to having done almost everything we can to make raising a family unaffordable in this country, we have tried our very hardest to make the prospect seem horrifying, especially for expectant mothers. No coffee, we tell pregnant women, and no tea; no wine or beer, no cured meats — no anything. Don't move much either. Sit around like a lump for 10 months. When you're done you can dump the kid in daycare or sit around the house talking to yourself. With any luck, in 10 years you'll get to spend every weekend of your life paying thousands of dollars for her to play soccer against the children of other professionals in an expensive travel league.

Click here to read the entire article.

Texting? This Is What It Used To Be . . . .

Has Everything Really Changed? You Decide . . .

OMG! What Have We Done To Our Children?

Allen Unveils New Jobs Bill For NJ

Deputy New Jersey Senate Republican Leader Diane Allen today toured Burlington County Institute of Technology’s Westampton campus with BCIT Superintendent Dr. Christopher M. Manno and Principal Joseph Venuto and unveiled new legislation to better develop New Jersey’s workforce.

“BCIT does a fabulous job of preparing students and workers for jobs in meaningful fields and I’m pleased to have the support of Dr. Manno, Principal Venuto and the vo-tech community today as we work to build on that success by strengthening and expanding the state’s training and education programs. This package of legislation, among other things, will make sure more students are aware of the opportunities that exist at schools like BCIT, make it easier for vocational-technical schools to expand and will better align education and training programs to prepare students and workers for jobs in fields that are critical to the state’s economy. Through these initiatives we can strengthen New Jersey’s already strong workforce and help draw more companies and innovators to the state.”

“Senator Allen has proven to be a friend of education, and we are very pleased to support the effort to expose more students to career-focused learning,” said. Dr. Manno. “Career and technical education is a critical part of the workforce talent pipeline.”

“We appreciate Senator Allen’s support and acknowledgement of career and technical education as we continue to meet the educational and economic demands of the 21st century,” added Principal Venuto. “Reaching more students with career-focused learning programs will have long-term economic benefits for New Jersey”

Before today’s tour, Senator Allen met at BCIT with county vocational school superintendents from across the state to discuss the legislation.

Here is a briefing of the “Developing Our Workforce” bills unveiled today at BCIT:

Expands career and technical education (CTE) in New Jersey by creating a commission to study and improve CTE program access; making it easier for vocational-technical schools to purchase new facilities; better promoting vocational-technical schools and CTE programs and their best practices and incentivizing schools to start CTE programs. This will increase the availability and visibility of quality education and workforce development options for children in New Jersey that currently have little access to or knowledge of their county vocational-technical school (Allen S-2616).

Gives businesses supporting critical areas of the economy preference in competing for state training grants. The bill will make sure the state’s training grant program is focused on driving New Jersey’s workforce development efforts to critical fields like manufacturing, STEM or other areas critical to the growth of New Jersey’s economy (to be introduced immediately).

Establishes a permanent P-20 Council to align early childhood, secondary, higher education and workforce training to better address workforce development needs. This council will better position educators making Pre-K and K-12 school curricula decisions, college administrators, state employees awarding training grants and others in New Jersey’s workforce development pipeline to prepare students and workers for jobs in needed fields (to be introduced immediately).

4.     Dedicates Workforce Development Partnership Funds to former casino employees. This bill will ensure that state workforce development resources are used to provide out-of-work casino employees with the training needed to find meaningful employment in new and/or changing industries (to be introduced immediately). 

This “Developing New Jersey’s Workforce” event marks the second of Senate Republicans’ statewide rollout of a new six-tiered job creation and economic growth package, which will not cost taxpayers extra money and should easily attract bipartisan sponsors and support.

In the coming weeks, the media will be advised as Senate Republicans tour the state to help grow the economy and create opportunities for people, by unveiling more new legislation in these four remaining categories of the jobs bill package:

Lowering Excessive Costs
Reducing Burdensome Regulations
Enhancing Tourism & Agriculture
Evaluating & Improving New Jersey’s Job Creation Efforts

Guadagno Visits TechLaunch, Boosts Small Business

New Jersey Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno today visited TechLaunch, New Jersey’s Premier Technology Accelerator, as part of her effort to celebrate the value of small businesses and the organizations that help them succeed.

“We applaud the efforts of TechLaunch. In addition to providing seed money, this small business accelerator offers critical support through mentoring and business training” said Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. “These services create a strong foundation to help young companies build their businesses, succeed and create jobs. The Christie Administration supports the work of TechLaunch as they cultivate some of our brightest and most promising entrepreneurs.”

Every year since 1963, National Small Business Week has been celebrated to recognize the critical contributions of America’s small business owners. During the month of May, Lt. Governor Guadagno will be highlighting some of New Jersey’s exceptional small businesses and supporting organizations that are working to help our small business community flourish, advance innovation and create job opportunities for New Jersey’s citizens.

Created in 2012 and based in Clifton, TechLaunch is designed to drive the commercialization of emerging technology created by aspiring entrepreneurs. Since its inception the program has helped to launch 19 technology focused companies. The investor led technology accelerator provides a select group of emerging technology ventures with seed-stage funding, access to over 125 qualified mentors, business training, co-working space, key business services and exposure to investors, through a proven 16-week business boot camp program called LaunchPad. The program culminates on Demo Day with pitches to investors and demonstrations of the developed products.

TechLaunch is formed in collaboration with the NJ Economic Development Authority (EDA), Montclair State University, Casabona Ventures LLC, Jump Start NJ Angel Network and successful entrepreneurs.

During her visit, the Lt. Governor toured the TechLaunch facility and observed a weekly professional workshop where LaunchPad participants are instructed on key topics central to building a business from the ground. This week’s workshop dealt with the importance of establishing a business model.

“We’re basically at the half-way point in our 16-week LaunchPad bootcamp,” remarked TechLaunch Founder, Mario Casabona. “The Lt. Governor’s personal interest in our efforts to provide a kick-start to aspiring tech entrepreneurs speaks volumes about the State’s support of small business endeavors. We were honored to share our day with her.”

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. In New Jersey there are 190,000 small business employers. These businesses represent 98.4 % of all employers and employ 50.2% of the private-sector labor force.

Businesses considering a move or in need of assistance are encouraged to call New Jersey's Business Action Center at (866) 534-7789 or visit the State's Business Portal at www.newjerseybusiness.gov.