To tell you the truth, I wish I would have taken these photos a few days earlier, and also over-head.  It was the most beautiful red, BRIGHT red you can even imagine!

It’s been said that it takes a village.  Or if we address it by its official distinction:

It takes a village to raise a child.

However, if there is one thing that this campaign has taught us:  

It takes a nation to exhibit change

We’ve been on a long road these many centuries and we’ve made changes which have shaped not only this nation, but also the world.   When Barack Obama was announced President Elect, parties rang out in the streets across the world.    Some people who hold on dearly and tightly to their ideals hoping the world will not change, sadly were in for a rude awakening.   This was the straw which broke the proverbial camels back.   The world is always changing, the question you must ask yourself; do you want to be an agent of change? In line with the early adopters and the innovators, there has never been a better opportunity in our life times to not only watch change happen but to be part of the evolution of change.

It takes a child to raise a village.  And it takes you to change a nation.

To make it easier to find out what tests are currently available in general and in Beta’s, I’m creating this “link” more or less, which I’ll keep current as I can. – All dates update 04/15/09

71-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring. May 5, 2009– May 18, 2009 (WIN7J)

NS1-501: NetApp Certified Implementation Engineer:SAN – October 23, 2008 – December 31, 2008 (No Code needed)

70-113: TS: Windows® Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring (Pilot) – July 31, 2008– December 31, 2008 (Code H640) (Qualifies you for 3 free vouchers after exam release)

71-505: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Forms Application Development – November 25, 2008 – December 15, 2008 (Code: X356Y)

71-563: Pro: Design & Dev Windows Apps Using MS.NET Framework 3.5 – October 13, 2008 – December 11, 2008 (Code: DW897)

71-564: Pro: Designing and Developing ASP.NET Applications Using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 – November 6, 2008 – December 1, 2008 (Code: RSC43)

71-565: Pro: Designing and Developing Enterprise Applications Using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 – November 10, 2008 – December 3, 2008 (Code: 999TR)

71-403: TS: Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Configuring – September 30, 2008 – December 15, 2008 (Code: VMM08) (Code may be expired, keep trying it)

70-656 Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, Configuring – First 500 Free (Code: MDOP)

71-433: TS: Microsoft SQL 2008, Database Development – September 22, 2008 – October 10, 2008 (Code: F589G)

NS1-060: NetApp Accredited Support Engineer – September 12, 2008 – November 7, 2008 (No Code needed)

NS1-050: NetApp Installation Accredited Professional – August 1, 2008 – September 12 2008 (No Code needed) – Extended to September 12th!

71-450: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining a Database Administrative Solution – August 18, 2008– September 16, 2008 (Code: 239F4)

71-451: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing and Optimizing Database Solutions – September 2, 2008 – September 30, 2008 (Code: 14F65)

71-653: Windows Small Business Server 2008, Configuring – August 22, 2008 – September 25, 2008 (Code: SBS8)

71-654 – TS: Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Configuring – July 22, 2008 – ??? Sep 25?  (Code EBS08)

71-452: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 –August 13, 2008– September 10, 2008 (Code: 3568C)

71-660: TS: Windows® Internals – July 21, 2008 – August 5, 2008 (Code WINT)

All older exams will not be referenced

This is also published to the Free Testing Archive

Registration Begins 11/7/2008

You are invited to take beta exam 71-565: Pro: Designing and Developing Enterprise Applications Using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The results will not appear on your transcript until several weeks after the final form of the exam is released. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.

71-565: Pro: Designing and Developing Enterprise Applications Using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 counts as credit towards the following certification(s).

· Microsoft Certified Professional Developer: Enterprise Application Developer 3.5. In order to earn this certification you must also hold the following Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certifications: .NET Framework 3.5, ASP.NET Applications; .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Forms Applications; .NET Framework 3.5 ADO.NET Applications; and .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Communication Foundation Applications

Availability

Registration begins: November 7, 2008

Beta exam period runs: November 10, 2008– December 3, 2008

Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately. Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered.

Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.

Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China

Registration Information

Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: 999TR
You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.

To register in North America, please call:

· Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)

Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:

· Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

Test Information and Support

You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge.
You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly.
Find exam preparation information: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-565.aspx

These two articles came across my desk this morning:

In the News: DOD loses minority contractor rule

Court strikes down DOD’s minority contractor rule

Basically put, this was a law put in place calling for minority-owned companies to receive 5% of Defense contracting dollars.

What did Congress have to say on this issue?

The court ruled that since Congress did not have strong enough evidence of discrimination against minority contractors by the Defense Department, the law violates the Constitution’s equal rights protection.

Or to quote:

“Because Congress did not have a ‘strong basis in evidence’ upon which to conclude that DOD was a passive participant in pervasive, nationwide racial discrimination … the statute fails strict scrutiny,” Chief Judge Paul R. Michel wrote in Tuesday’s decision.

So, what does this mean for the future?

Technically on paper this means that all qualified defense contractors will be able to put up for bid to compete on projects – and then the “Lowest Price” effectively will win every time.

This will certainly raise the chances that not only will smaller defense contractors find it harder to compete with “WalMart” sized defense contractors, but we’ll see the already shrinking budgets being delivered to an even smaller minority of majority contractors.

Only time will tell whether the court ruling on its ‘lack of evidence’ will continue to be so apparent.