Left - President Gerald R. Ford being sworn in as the 38th President of the United States by Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger on August 9, 1974 with his wife Betty looking on.   Right - Gerald R. Ford in 1933 as a young man on the college football field at the University of Michigan where he played center.  [Photos Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library]

Why is a Realtor in Sacramento writing about the passing of President Gerald R. Ford? Simply put, because I once met the man and he left a wonderful impression on me. 

In October of 1984 while working for a major Amercian political party I attended a fundraising event in Beaver Creek, CO for a congressional candidate.  Beaver Creek was also where the President had a home at the time.  The experience provided me a unique opportunity to meet President Gerald R. Ford.  He was the draw to get the faithful to open their wallets and help out the candidate. 

Well, since I was technically working at the event I was watching the President and listening to many of the older folks asking his opinion about all of the major world events of the day.  I observed he seemed somewhat less than enthusiastic about the conversations, after all he was no longer in a position to do anything about interest rates, the peace process in the middle East or dealing with despots in far flung parts of the globe. 

As perhaps the youngest in the room at a mere 23, I decided to try a different tack.  I approached the President and asked him something to the effect, "Mr. President, what do think the chances are of Michigan getting to the Rose Bowl this year?"  His expression went from one of "all business" to one almost of relief.  A big grin came to his face and his eyes looked excited.  Admittedly I was pleased with myself for providing a lighter moment and to have a chance to talk some college football with a great man.  A man who hiked the football in college and spent his tenure in the White House never far from the nuclear "football" carried constantly during the Cold War era. 

Surely President Ford never recalled that simple conversation with me but I will always have a special memory of my brief conversation with him and of his warmth and sincerity as we spoke that day.  I was humbled by his humanness and I am truly grateful for the experience.

There are a lot of tributes to President Ford but if you have any interest in his life I suggest you visit the Gerald R. Ford Library.  It is a wonderful source of information, photos and history.  Of course, another great source of information on our 38th President is at the official website of The White House.

WikipediA...The Free Encyclopedia That Anyone Can Edit

OK, many of us have heard of Wikipedia and maybe even gone to it to look something up.  But, what exactly is it, who invented it and when?

Wikipedia was the first "wiki" ever created for the internet.  It was created in 1995 by a computer programmer from the United States named Ward Cunningham.  Cunningham started the first "wiki" and named it the "Wiki Wiki Web".  A "wiki" is similar to a blog only anyone can add or edit the actual content unlike a blog where the blogger provides the content and the readers are limited to being able to comment on the content.

Cunningham got the name from the Hawaiian term "wiki wiki" which means quick.  He had heard the word when visiting the Islands and having a creative mind he chose the term "Wiki Wiki Web" rather than his initial idea of the Quick Web.  It's certainly cooler and with the obvious alliteration to the "world wide web" it is a better name from a marketing perspective.  Wiki can also be a "backronym" for "What I Know Is."

Wikipedia is a tool for the masses.  It is easy to use.  Anyone can add, edit, remove and change the sites content and even its structure.  Think you know something about anything that no one else knows? Put it up on Wikipedia and add it to the people's encyclopedia.  To check out the type of content you will find just take a look at the entry for Sacramento, CA and see what you think. 

Aloha and mahalo for reading this post.

Sacramento's Top Cop Chief Albert Najera Implemented Blog To Improve Communication With Citizens

SacPD Blog - Sacramento Police Department WebLog Launched

In November 2006 Chief Albert Najera of the City of Sacramento Police Department announced the SacPD had implemented an interactive weblog which they began testing in August as a means to better communicate with citizens.  Chief Najera conceived of the idea after seeing the success private companies were having communicating with their customers and employees.  According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, Chief Najera believes the blog gives the department the opportunity to explain the "why" of why they do what they do and why crimes happen the way they do.  Chief Najera says the blog will tackle all subjects and not avoid potentially controversial subjects as they arise. 

While most police department  web sites around the nation - including most major cities (Chicago and Philadelphia for instance) - have static web sites with links to recent news articles and crime statistics, crime prevention, and neighborhood watch information the Sacramento Police Department sees the blog as an important tool for citizens.  Additionally, the Chief believes it will be a vehicle for officers to post information about their jobs from a personal perspective.  A perspective not normally known or understood by the public. 

One feature of the blog is ability for citizens to ask questions and get real responses to their questions rather than answers from a canned FAQs section of a static web site.  The interactive section is called "Ask Officer Michelle".   The questions are handled by Officer Michelle Lazark who serves as a department spokeswoman.  She does not duck the tough questions and has even assisted one individual seeking information on a relative's death 20 years ago.  Officer Lazark was able to give the citizen a detailed response providing the individual with important closure. 

One other plus the Chief sees of the blog is as a way to communicate with younger people who are more technology driven.  The blog will help to demonstrate that technological change is an accepted and important way for officers and the public to stay connected.  It is the Chief's plan to eventually add podcasts that he hopes will aid the department's recruitment efforts with younger more tech savvy prospective employees.