Obama hasn’t been perfect, but contrary to the right wing narrative, he’s accomplished a lot in his first year despite facing extraordinary challenges from his first day in office. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Here's a (partial) list collected from various sources:

1. Banned the use of torture and the ordered the closing of Guantánamo, bringing us back in line with the Geneva Conventions.

2. Reversed Bush’s funding cutoff to family planning organizations overseas, saving millions of lives with the stroke of a pen.

3. Gave a green light to the California car-emissions standards that Bush had been blocking for six years, enabling them to set their own standards.

4. Signed the stimulus bill, a $787 billion accomplishment designed to help turn around the economic slowdown caused by 8 years of fiscal mismanagement.

5. Formally announced America’s withdrawal from Iraq.

6. Erased Bush’s decision to restrict federal funding for stem-cell research, increasing federal support for new stem-cell and biomedical research, including new funding for science and research labs.

7. Forced Chrysler and GM into bankruptcy, allowing them to restructure their failing companies with the protection of the federal government.

8. In June, Obama reset the tone of our relations with the entire Arab world with a single speech — an accomplishment that the Bush administration failed to achieve despite a series of desperate PR moves (anyone remember Charlotte Beers?) and a "public diplomacy" budget of $1 billion a year.

9. Also in June, Obama unveiled the "Cash for Clunkers" program, reanimating the corpse of our car industry — leading, for example, to the billion-dollar profit that Ford recently announced.

10. He’s now a month or two from accomplishing the awesome and seemingly impossible task that eluded mighty presidents like FDR, LBJ, and WJC — health-care reform.

11. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings and lower drug costs for seniors.

12. Has, with Bush's help, it must be said, stopped the financial collapse,
revived the credit markets, and nudged the economy toward 3.5 percent growth in the last quarter.

13. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel

14. Improved housing for military personnel

15. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy promotes in-sourcing to bring jobs back

16. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices

17. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending

18. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices

19. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women (Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay)

20. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB

21. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information

22. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family

23. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act

24. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible

25. Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House

26. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration

27. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date

28. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan

29. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards

30. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect

31. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools

32. New funds for school construction

33. Housing rescue plan

34. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying

35. US financial and banking rescue plan

36. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed

37. Ordered release of torture memos

38. Push for charter schools

39. $28 billion in tax cuts

40. End of the “war on medical marijuana” – leading to relief for thousands of cancer patients.

41. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops

42. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010

43. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols

44. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic

45. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions

46. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office

47. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job

48. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast

49. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles

50. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales

51. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government

52. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children

53. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program

54. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones

55. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions

56. Expanding vaccination programs

57. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters

58. Closed offshore tax safe havens

59. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals

60. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources

61. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses

62. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals

63. Increasing student loans

64. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program

65. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy

66. Established a new cyber security office

67. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.

68. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts

69. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness

70. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient

71. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans
refinanced

72. Improving benefits for veterans

73. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration

74. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud

75. The FDA is now regulating tobacco

76. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules

77. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports

78. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons

79. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive

80. Making more loans available to small businesses

81. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare

82. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court

83. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans

84. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000

85. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel

86. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan

87. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan

88. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid,
development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans

89. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production

90. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters

91. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket

92. Held first Seder in White House

93. Attempting to reform the nation's healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured

94. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform

95. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform

96. Has announced his intention to push for education reform

And here's a link to a list of campaign promises and whether he's kept/broken them or whether they're in progress/stalled: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/

Attachment: 

Arabic QWERTY Keyboard Layout Installer for i386 machines (If you aren't sure, download this one)

Arabic QWERTY Keyboard Layout Installer for amd64 machines

Arabic QWERTY Keyboard Layout Installer for ia64 machines

I'm taking Arabic this semester, and one of our final assignments is to type a 175+ word essay in Arabic.

If you own a Mac and have reason to type in Arabic, you've probably seen the Arabic-QWERTY keyboard layout that comes standard with Mac OS X, which has the keys assigned intuitively for a non-native speaker who's used to a normal, QWERTY English keyboard and probably associates Arabic letters and sounds with comparable ones in the Latin alphabet.

Alif = A, Baa = B, Nuun = N, and so on.

Unfortunately, Windows doesn't come with anything similar.. meaning you have to get used to things like Siin being where the A key is and all sorts of other wacky things that aren't at all intuitive, resulting in it taking forever and a day to type a simple word.

So, to save myself some hassle (since I don't have a Mac), I searched for a similar keyboard layout.

I found a custom keyboard layout created by someone called "AziizKeez" which makes it much more intuitive, and similar to the Mac layout (though not exactly the same). You can see their website here: AziizKeez 4.0

Unfortunately, they only provide the .klc file, which means you have to download the Keyboard Layout Creation Tool from Microsoft, compile a package, etc.. and I am sure there are many people who aren't technical enough to want to go through the hassle, so I decided to create it and post it.

I did NOT create this keyboard layout, so please direct all questions about it to the creator (who's website I've linked above), although if you have a problem with the installer feel free to contact me.

Instructions for installation:

1. Download the file listed above for your appropriate machine. If you have an AMD64 processor or one of the newer Intel ones, you can download one of those. If you aren't sure which to download, download the i386 version.
2. Unzip the file, and inside the folder you'll see either: arabic_i386.msi, or arabic_amd64.msi, arabic_ia64.msi
3. Double click the file, following the prompts to install it.

In order to easily switch between English and Arabic keyboards, I recommend enabling the language bar.

In Windows Vista:

Go to Start -> Control Panel

Default View:

1. Go to "Change keyboards or other input methods"
2. Click on "Change Keyboards" - The Keyboard for Arabic should already be enabled
3. Click on the "Language Bar" tab
4. Click on "Docked on the Taskbar" (my preference)

Classic View:

1. Go to "Regional and Language Options"
2. Click on the "Keyboards and Languages" tab
3. Click on the "Language Bar" tab
4. Click on "Docked on the Taskbar" (my preference)

And that's it. You should see an icon at the bottom that says "EN" down by the Time on the Taskbar. If you click it, you can easily switch between "EN" and "AR," which is the layout you've just added.

If you'd like to see the entire layout of the keyboard, you can open up the "On Screen Keyboard" in Windows Vista by doing the following:

Start -> Control Panel (either Default or Classic View)

1. Click on "Ease of Access"
2. Click on "Start On-Screen Keyboard"

You can switch between AR/EN keyboards by clicking the icon you put on the taskbar above, and then switch to the On Screen Keyboard to see where each individual letter is.

Good luck!

شُكراً
كن

Aside from driving to Greensboro on the weekend and a trip to Wendy's for a salad earlier in the semester, my trip to Raleigh for my Arabic class is the first time I've used my car since moving on campus.

And I'm really enjoying not having to drive everywhere.

I knew I wouldn't have time after our trip to Raleigh to park my car and take the bus from south campus if I wanted to make it to my LFIT class, so I planned to get back shortly before 2pm, park on South Road near Fetzer Gym at the meters, do my lab activity, drive back to south campus and park, and then catch the bus back to north campus for a late lunch.

So, that's what I did. More or less. I put in enough quarters for 1.5 hours, more than enough time to get changed after LFIT and walk back to the car and allow for any additional time the lab took.

Only, after my class (50 minutes) and getting changed, I forgot I had my car with me.

So rather than walk back to my car with time to spare as I intended, I decided I was hungry and walked to Lenoir to get some food. I had a nice salad from Subway, and took my time to relax since it had been a hectic day.

After I got done eating, I decided I should probably get some kind of sweatshirt since it's been getting cool in the evenings and so many of my nights seem to involve me walking from the library to Franklin Street for dinner and then waiting on the bus.. so I headed to the student stores, where I spent a good half hour or so browsing what they had before finally deciding on a tshirt/hoodie combo deal with my 25% off coupon from Fall Fest.

I also decided to go to the on demand printing service to ask them to make me a copy of the course pack that Todd Austell uses for his Organic Chemistry classes, which took probably 20 minutes or so, and then decided I'd head back to the dorm and pick up my Biology stuff so I could study before completing the quiz that was due at 11.

I waited about 10 minutes for the U bus, and got on. Only once I got about half way to Ram Village did I have an "Oh shit!" moment where I realized my car was parked on South Road at the meters and I had probably gotten a ticket!

So, I got off the bus at the next stop and walked as fast as I could carrying all my crap to my car.. and as I was approaching it, I see the meter guy seemingly doing one of his last runs of the day walking towards my car.. so I pick up my pace, and as I get there I look at my meter... blinking 0:00 ..but no ticket on my window!

Somehow I lucked out. I don't know how, I don't know why, but somehow I managed to avoid getting ticketed for the extra few hours I was parked there.

Needless to say, I'm going to do my best to avoid having to park anywhere I have to worry about a ticket.

Yesterday my Arabic 101 class had a trip to the Al-Iman School and the Islamic Association of Raleigh and I really enjoyed both.

I was lucky to be able to go, my lifetime fitness instructor was understanding and allowed me to attend another section of the class to do the scheduled lab.

First, we met with the principal of the school and took a tour, where we were able to meet with the principal and some of the teachers, talked a little with some of the children in the younger classes (Pre-K, Kindergarden, and 1st Graders).. who we found out were all far more advanced in Arabic than we are at this point.. and their books have better pictures too!

The school meets all of the NC standards requirements as far as curriculum, etc, but in addition it teaches the students how to read and write in Arabic, and as many Christian schools do, incorporates religion into their curriculum. Overall it seemed like a positive experience for the children.. The class sizes were small and each had more than one instructor, ensuring that each student would have plenty of personal attention.

The school was decorated by artwork made by the various classes, much of which was about Ramadan.

Afterward, we walked to the Islamic Center of Raleigh and were given a presentation on Islam, what it means to be Muslim, how they incorporate Islamic principles into their every day life, culture, and were able to ask questions. We were given assurances that our questions wouldn't offend anyone and we shouldn't hold back if there was anything we ever wanted to ask a Muslim or wanted to know about Islam..

Both were interesting and informative experiences and I'm definitely glad I was able to attend. I'll be posting pictures in the Gallery soon.

We have another event coming up, where we'll attend Iftar at Professor Isleem's house this Thursday.. which I'm excited about.