TSL

how will you spend this holiday weekend? will you be engaged in voracious commercial exploits (shopping)? chomping on chocolate covered peanut butter bunnies? playing hide and go seek with multi-colored eggs? or… discovering truth through a surrendered life?

Dear Executives Feigning Employee Welfare Concerns: Take a Hike

an associated press article posted on yahoo! covering responses to a recent tobacco tax increase quotes jeff borysiewicz, vice president of cigar rights of america and president of corona cigar as saying:

“Kids aren’t addicted to handmade cigars… We’re an affordable hobby. We’re not part of the problem with children.”

certainly, that is an interesting statement for someone who claims to be concerned for the welfare of employees (i wonder if his employed parents would agree with him?). it shows some audacity when companies imply they are not part of a problem or imply they may be “forced” to relocate operations outside of the u.s. to deflect increasing costs (see reference to  Enrique “Kiki” Berger in the same article).  i hardly believe  they need convincing to do so. keeping costs down, while maximizing profits is exactly why they are in business. tax increase or no, if the bottom line will be improved by moving outside of u.s. borders, few will pass up exploring the opportunity.

employee welfare always seems to miraculously surface when a company faces profit reduction concerns. executives that use it as an excuse when it seems to suit them should drop the social concern facade and be frank about their positions. perhaps borysiewicz should make it plain and ask for a bailout… or ask his industry colleagues to subsidize cost increases with their bonuses.

Anita Who? Happy Ada Lovelace Day!

as part of a 1900+ person pledge to blog about a woman in technology honoring ada lovelace day, i have to put out the name of one, anita brown. it was a toss up as we could only pledge to blog about one person or i would certainly have included red burns in the mix (red, if you are reading this:  i am very excited about working under your guidance at ITP. you’ll get my post next year!).

brown founded one of the earliest (if not first) online resources, the now defunct black geeks online, to address digital divide issues, particularly  for african americans. she was an avid advocate to close the digital divide in the u.s.- before it was popular and after the topic seemed to fall to the wayside in the u.s. i met ms. brown at columbia university several years ago. i was inspired by her knowledge and passion for the subject. i am still surprised  at how little i hear of her in conversations about early web pioneers who didn’t limit their aspirations to financial gain. i could hardly find news of her passing (she was 63) , save for an obituary in the washington post nearly three years ago.

like too many civic-minded entrepreneurs, brown seemed to run out of steam just as digital divide concerns were beginning to become of interest to the mainstream again. i am constantly reminded of lesser known talented people who could truly stand to benefit from the kind of support that will provide lasting energy to overcome fatigue. entrepreneurship can be a lonely experience. being focused on more than the bottom line can take a toll on more than the psyche. i often wonder what it might have been like if ms. brown were alive to experience the wave of socially-focused entrepreneurs and initiatives that support them including echoing green, ashoka and the school for social entrepreneurs. 

it’s easy to mistake her name for others: anita baker, anita bryant, anita hill (yes, i went there)-  but her legacy remains. there are those who know and value her work, endeavoring to carry the torch for digital literacy and information for all. i count myself as one. three cheers for passion, ideas and inspiring people.

 

learn more about the pledge here:

* http://findingada.com
* http://www.pledgebank.com/AdaLovelaceDay
* http://twitter.com/FindingAda
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/findingada
* http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=47550446005

ChildCry Rings Wall Street’s Opening Bell

ChildCry Opens Wall Street

i was thrilled to see members of Times Square Church’s humanitarian mission, ChildCry, present Thursday morning to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. it represented a different perspective toward what we should be focusing our time, energy and money on: helping others. ChildCry feeds thousands of young people in countries around the world through proceeds from offerings by its performing and recording artists.

Watch The Speech, Watch History (Inauguration Speech)

watch president barack obama’s speech and swearing in here.

“…know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”

in case you missed it, here is the full text of president obama’s inauguration speech (text courtesy of yahoo!; photo courtesy of karen 2020 via flickr and creative commons).

2009 Is Just The Beginning Of The Dream

Yahoo! logo with image for MLK Day 2009

it seems fitting that we celebrate mlk day this year in prelude to the inauguration of our 44th president, barack obama, the first african american elected to lead america. there have been plenty of references to dr. king’s historical “i have a dream” speech in consideration of the significance and promise of the incoming obama administration- and rightfully so. yet, its true significance is in the fact the dream is just beginning- not just for one group, but also for the whole nation. even the world.

in spite of tumultuous happening in just about every facet of our society, we have an amazing opportunity to help ourselves by helping those around us. president-elect obama has touched on this throughout his campaign and in weeks leading up to tomorrow’s inauguration. it’s not a new idea, but one that will be re-invigorated through the hope and optimism that colors the mood of the country in anticipation of change for the better.

read what dr. king said during a speech presented in 1957.

as a nation, we can do whatever we collectively make up our minds to achieve. hopefully that will be to stand united and to serve united.

Spelling and Civics Don’t Seem To Suit Our Officials

u.s. officials scored a pathetic 44% average on a civics exam created by the intercollegiate studies institute. citizens were not much better, scoring an average of 49%, according to isi major report findings. i was feeling bad about my score (81.82%) as i missed five questions due to careless reading. not that i am saying i am perfect. i legitimately answered one question incorrectly.  ; – D

the more telling tale is in the topic breakdown by score. let’s hope the incoming leaders selected by president-elect obama weren’t included in the lot.

try your hand at the quiz here.

Times Spoof Makes Light of a Serious Game

following the Yes Men NY Times spoof, i consider various dialogs I engage in about the efficacy of serious games, i have one example to point to that they are indeed serious business- america’s army. the popular online game designed as a recruitment tool for the US army offers myriad lessons on how serious games can be designed to be interesting, persuasive and even educational. now… to make a compelling game that emphasizes diplomatic measures remains to be seen… or perhaps felt. applications of physical computing might be the missing ingredient.

A New Day Is Here…

here’s a thank you post from the Barack Obama website. if you missed the acceptance speech, check it out here.