Wordless Wednesday: Prehistoric Googling

SOURCE: Pinterest, 'Old School'

Broke A$$ Brotha Tip #3: Netflix Rate Hikes vs. Public Library

Politicians are bickering up in Washington DC about deficits and debt. It is the argument that many a Broke-A$$ Brotha has when (s)he runs out of money before they run out of month. This blog likes to share tips with y'all about ways to increase revenue and decrease expenses ... we call them Broke-A$$ Brotha Tips.

Today's tip surrounds Netflix. I got the following email message from Netflix today saying that they planned a 60% increase on my monthly bill.

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Dear Broke-A$$ Brotha,

We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into two separate plans to better reflect the costs of each. Now our members have a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan, or both.

Your current $9.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans:

• Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month
• Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 1 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $7.99 a month

Your price for getting both of these plans will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99).

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I love my Netflix Queue as much as the next guy. I probably have over 150 titles in my queue at the moment. I also enjoy watching BBC mystery television series episodes via the streaming option. However, I don't think it is worth getting ripped for a 60% increase in the monthly bill. Especially when I can get movies at no cost from my local public library.

Are you a Netflix customer? If so, what are you gonna do?

First Lady and Secretary of Education Take Time to Read Dr. Seuss to Children

I remember reading quite a bit when I was a kid. I loved Dr. Seuss and all of his wonderful characters. During the summer I would be a frequent visitor to the Pio Pico Public Library in Los Angeles. After all, they would give you a certificate of accomplishment based on the number of books you read during summer vacation!

As an adult, I've rediscovered my love of the public library and regular reading. I recently gave me daughter a Kindle as a gift. So, it goes without saying that I feel very good that First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan found time yesterday to read the Dr. Seuss classic 'Green Eggs and Ham' to about 250 local elementary school students.

Duncan told the children gathered at the Library of Congress that his parents didn’t allow television in his house when he was growing up, which helped him develop a love for reading and learning. The event was held to mark Read Across America Day.

The children also listened to stories from celebrities including actress Jessica Alba and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, who read from his own children book, 'Quickie Makes the Team.'

Next time I need to get the First Lady to read the children book, 'Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria' to the young 'uns!

Public Libraries Make a Difference

Do you use your public library? I do. My public library is a couple of miles from my home. I go there on a weekly basis. It seems that more and more of us are going to the library to find jobs, create new careers and help grow our small businesses. We borrow books, journals, music and movies. We learn to use the latest technology. We get our questions answered, engage in civic activities, and improve our skills.

There are over 16,600 public libraries in America. Here are some of the unique 2010 statistics about public libraries:

• Career Assistance - 13,000 libraries offer career counseling resources, resume assistance and help in filling out online applications. There are only 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers in the country.
• Getting Technical - More libraries (5,400) offer technology training classes than there are computer training businesses (4,000) in the United States. Every day, 14,700 people attend free library computer classes.
• Hot Spots - Most public libraries provide free wireless Internet access for their users. Nearly 12,000 now offer free Wi-Fi. That's more than Starbucks, Barnes & Noble or Borders.
• It's in Our Wallets - Almost two-thirds of Americans have a library card. For many young people, its the first card in their wallet is a library card.
• Let's Meet - More public libraries offer free meeting rooms than there are conference centers, convention facilities and auditoriums combined. Every day, 225,000 people use library meeting rooms at a retail value of $11 million. That's $3.2 billion annually (based on 286 business days per week).
• Movie Night - Every day, Americans borrow 2.1 million DVDs from libraries. This compares to 2.2 million DVDs rented from Neflix or 1.1 million DVDs rented from RedBox vending machines.

• Taking Care of Business - Business owners and employees use resources at the public libraries at least 2.8 million times per month.

I came across this information from the folks at OCLC while I was in their world headquarters building as a guest speaker. I knew about the movies because I check-out one or two movies from the library every week. I often find my good reads at the library ... less expensive than buying the books from Borders!

I have great memories of the library as a kid. I remember walking to Pio Pico Library to participate in the summer reading contests. We would get ribbons and certificates for reading 100 books each summer!

Do you use your library very much?