Yesterday, the President designated three new national monuments: Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, Waco Mammoth in Texas, and Basin and Range in Nevada. Together, these striking places demonstrate the wide range of historic, cultural, and natural values that make America’s public lands so treasured.

President Barack Obama signs National Monument designations in the Oval Office, July 10, 2015. The three new monuments include Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, Waco Mammoth in Texas, and the Basin and Range in Nevada. Standing behing the President, from left, are: Victor Knox, National Park Service, April Slayton, National Park Service, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Chief Tom Tidwell, Randy Moore, Forest Service, and Director Neil Kornze. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

With these new designations, President Obama has now used the Antiquities Act to establish or expand 19 national monuments. Yesterday’s addition of three national monuments will protect more than 1 million acres of public land, adding to the more than 260 million acres of public lands and waters President Obama has protected for future generations — more than any other President.

The 2015 Kids’ “State Dinner”

07/11/2015 Nativegrl77

Yesterday, the First Lady hosted the 2015 winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge — a nationwide recipe challenge for kids that promotes cooking and healthy eating — for the annual Kids’ “State Dinner.”

The 55 aspiring young chefs, along with their parents or guardians, joined the First Lady for a healthy lunch, featuring a selection of the winning recipes; a special performance by the cast of Disney’s hit musical “Aladdin”; and a visit to the White House Kitchen Garden.

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Twitter, New “Collections” And Consumers

07/11/2015 Nativegrl77

WanderinPoet

Everyone involved with Social Media knows that nice imagery with your posts drives engagement.

Twitter, in seeking ways to monetize is launching “Collections”, which is, “a Pinterest-style sharing board curated by brands or celebrities, which also features a buy button.”

The question for me is why would a consumer use twitter’s Pinterest lookalike when Twitter doesn’t allow their normal consumer to have their own “collection” of curated material like Pinterest does now.

Twitter needs to innovate, and not simply become another Pinterest.

One way to do so is to allow modular timelines, which makes people’s lists into a sort of collection, perhaps combine tweetdeck functionality into the standard timeline.

In this way you could have your main feed, and selected “collection” of your curated content easily available for viewing.

The virtual mall idea doesn’t work so great when regular consumers want the same tools and access that celebrities and brands get.

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