Engage in Our Community: Scroll down to the Mission Fed spot where Drew S and I chat about SD’s social sector with a cameo appearance from my son Arman
Support Each Other: If our video is selected, the $1,000 will be donated to one of Mission Fed’s nonprofit community partners.
Experience Wonder with these Cool Pics:
Eliminate Stress:
An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car, found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle.
She dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her lungs, “I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!” The four men didn’t wait for a second threat. They got out and ran like mad.
The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping bags into the back of the car and got into the driver’s seat. She was so shaken that she could not get her key into the ignition.
She tried and tried, and then she realized why. It was for the same reason she had wondered why there was a football, a Frisbee and two 12-packs of beer in the front seat. A few minutes later, she found her own car parked four or five spaces further down.
She loaded her bags into the car and drove to the police station to report her mistake.
The sergeant to whom she told the story couldn’t stop laughing. He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four pale men were reporting a car-jacking by a mad, elderly woman described as white, less than five feet tall, glasses, curly white hair, and carrying a large handgun.
No charges were filed.
The moral of the story?
If you’re going to have a senior moment….make it memorable.
Move From Well-Being to Well-Doing:
Enjoy a new CSRwire/Creating Good Work column on how well-being leads to well-doing.
Money Smarts”:Vote for our video daily, now through August 31!
One of our vendors, GoBankingRates, launched their 2015 #MoneyMinute Video Challenge.
Contestants were asked to submit their favorite money tip in a 60-second video, and Mission Fed was encouraged to participate.
We thought it would be fun (and ironic) to borrow the format of an infomercial from a shopping channel and use it for something with genuine value: tips on how to save money. Mission Fed team members put on their acting hats for “Money Smarts” to talk about the 50/30/20 Rule for saving money. The clever script was written by our internal Multimedia Producer and Developer.
Voting runs from August 3-31, and you can vote daily.
The videos with the most votes are then judged by a panel and the winners will be announced in September during #FinCon15 (a conference for digital content creators in personal finance and investing). The Grand Prize winner receives a $1,000 prize! If our video is selected, the $1,000 will be donated to one of Mission Fed’s nonprofit community partners.
GoBankingRates is a national website dedicated to connecting readers with the best interest rates on financial services nationwide, as well as informative personal finance content, news and tools.
Thanks this week go to Maurice C, Ron S, Drew S, Arman S-B, Heidi E, Vince N, Robin M and Larry H!
Pay it Forward, you can’t take it with you…
Love,
Neville
“The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done – men who are creative, inventive and discoverers.”– Jean Piaget
Ok there are a few more but this should get your weekend started!
This Soul-Filled Clip Will Get to You:
Some Humor:
Btw I am part of a culture affectionately known as the Jews of India so this is as much self-reflective as other-directed in the real spirit of equity, diversity and inclusion…
Remember the old-time Jewish comedians – Jack Benny, Shelly Berman, Red Buttons, Totie Fields, Milton Berle, Henny Youngmanand many others with their distinct humor.
Not a single swear word in their comic routines…
A car hit an elderly Jewish man. The Paramedic asked, “Are you comfortable?”
The man replied, “I make a good living.”
I just got back from a pleasure trip. I took my mother-in-law to the airport.
I’ve been in love with the same woman for 49 years. If my wife finds out, she’ll kill me!
Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won’t be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did.
We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.
My wife and I went to a hotel where we got a waterbed. My wife calls it the Dead Sea.
My wife and I revisited the hotel where we spent our wedding night.
This time I was the one who stayed in the bathroom and cried.
My Wife was at the beauty shop for two hours. That was only for the estimate.
She got a mudpack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.
The Doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn’t pay his bill, so the Doctor gave him another six months.
The Doctor called Mrs. Cohen saying, “Mrs. Cohen, your cheque came back.” Mrs. Cohen replied, “So did my Arthritis!”
Doctor: “You’ll live to be 60!” Patient: “I AM 60!” Doctor: “See! What did I tell you?”
* A Doctor held a stethoscope up to a man’s chest. The man asks,
“Doc, how do I stand?” The Doctor says, “That’s what puzzles me!”
*Patient: “I have a ringing in my ears.”
Doctor: “Don’t answer!”
*A drunk was in front of a Judge. The Judge says, “You’ve been brought here for drinking.”
The drunk says, “Okay, let’s get started.”
*Why do Jewish Divorces cost so much?
They’re worth it.
*Why do Jewish men die before their wives?
They want to.
*The Harvard School of Medicine did a study of why Jewish women like Chinese food so much.
The study revealed that the reason for this is because Won Ton spelled backward is Not Now.
*There is a big controversy on the Jewish view of when life begins.
In Jewish tradition, the fetus is not considered viable until it graduates from Law School.
*Q: Why don’t Jewish mothers drink?
A: Alcohol interferes with their suffering.
*Q: Have you seen the newest Jewish-American-Princess horror movie?
A: It’s called, “Debbie Does Dishes.”
*Q: Why do Jewish mothers make great Parole Officers?
A: They never let anyone finish a sentence.
A man called his mother in Florida. “Mom, how are you?” Not too good,” said the mother. “I’ve been very weak.”
The son said, “Why are you so weak?”
She said, “Because I haven’t eaten in 38 days.”
The son said, “That’s terrible. Why haven’t you eaten in 38 days?”
The mother answered, “Because, I didn’t want my mouth to be full in case you should call.”
*A Jewish man said that when he was growing up, they always had two choices for dinner – Take it or leave it.
*A Jewish boy comes home from school and tells his mother he has a part in the play.
She asks, “What part is it?” The boy says, “I play the part of the Jewish husband.”
The mother scowls and says, “Go back and tell the teacher you want a speaking part.”
*Q: Where does a Jewish husband hide money from his wife?
A: Under the vacuum cleaner.
*Q: How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: (Sigh) “Don’t bother. I’ll sit in the dark. I don’t want to be a nuisance to anybody.”
* Short summary of every Jewish holiday: They tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat.
*A Jewish mother gives her son a blue shirt and a brown shirt for his birthday. On the next visit, he wears the brown one. The mother says, “What’s the matter already? Didn’t you like the blue one?”
*Did you hear about the bum who walked up to a Jewish mother on the street and said, “Lady I haven’t eaten in three days.”
“Force yourself,” she replied.
*Q: What’s the difference between a Rottweiler and a Jewish mother?
A: Eventually, the Rottweiler lets go.
Where Ever You Find Yourself:
A Humane Planet Post Cecil the Lion
A lot has happened since Cecil, a beloved lion in Hwange National Park, was killed in a senseless act of trophy hunting. His unfortunate death has shone a light on the devastation caused by trophy hunting, the wildlife trade, and acts of cruelty to these majestic creatures. Thankfully, Delta Airlines announced it will no longer transport big-game trophies on flights, and we are calling on other airlines to adopt similar policies. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity, please join us in urging U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to include African lions under the Endangered Species Act. Thank you for taking action to honor Cecil’s legacy and protect all animals.
Cecil the lion, pictured above, was widely photographed and somewhat habituated to a non-threatening human presence in Hwange National Park. Photo by Brent Stapelkamp
Breaking News: Since the posting of this blog, Delta has announced a ban on the transport of trophies from lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo — the Africa Big 5. This is just as we’d hoped. We urge all other airlines to follow their lead.
Dr. Walter Palmer’s behavior in killing and mutilating Cecil the lion is disgraceful. But he’s not a one-off character. He’s a very enthusiastic participant in the larger enterprise of globe-trotting international trophy hunting, where rich trophy hunters seek out and kill some of the largest animals in the world to fill their dens or private museums, get their names in the record books of Safari Club International, and brag to their buddies that they’ve killed the biggest and the grandest of creatures on earth.
Now, sure as shooting, a second low-life character has come to light — Jan C. Seski, a gynecologist from Pittsburgh — for a possible illegal lion killing under similar circumstances in April. In addition to the lion he killed, Dr. Seski also shot his sixth elephant on that trip. (He apparently threatened to shoot his neighbor’s dogs too — as if any of us needed more evidence that this guy, too, is heartless thug.)
Seriously, what is wrong with these people? Why are they obsessed with killing the world’s biggest, most magnificent animals, and denying the rest of us the pleasure of sharing the earth with these creatures? What is it about the serial killing of animals that titillates them so much?
It’s been reported that after Cecil’s death, Palmer requested help in finding an elephant with tusks above a certain weight. He only left the country after he was informed by his guide they could not help him with that.
The trophy hunters like to excuse their passion for killing by saying that their spending promotes conservation. That’s nonsense, and more of a self-serving diversion.
A 2013 economic report demonstrated what anybody with their wits about them knows: These animals are worth more alive than dead. Kenya, which banned trophy hunting in the 1970s, has an eco-tourism economy that brings in far more than trophy hunting brings in to South Africa as a whole.
The fact is, trophy hunting of lions, elephants, and rhinos is a net revenue loser for African economies. Trophy hunters may throw around some money, but they rob parks, reserves, and other natural areas of the wonderful animals that are the real draw — the animals that attract countless people willing to spend money to see them and to be close to them. In that respect, trophy hunters are like bank robbers who leave a little cash behind.
South African Airways suspended the transport of big game trophies from Africa several months ago, including the heads of lions killed on canned hunting operations in the country. But recently, under pressure from Safari Club International and other groups aligned with the trophy hunting industry, they resumed transports. Emirates Airlines, on the other hand, has remained steadfast in not accepting hunting trophies of lions, elephants, and rhinos.
Let’s let all the major airlines know it’s time to cut off the shipments for good of African lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and Cape buffalo — the so-called Africa Big Five. This “hunting achievement” award leads to disgraceful behavior, and the airlines should not provide a getaway vehicle for trophy hunters’ larceny.
Using wealth to kill the magnificent animals of the world is a misuse of the gifts these people have been given. If trophy hunters are serious about conservation they should do some real good with their wealth — and stop spreading destruction, pain, and death.
SDNA presents Naila Chowdhury: On Creating an Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive World via Social Credit – Aug. 8/28 at the San Diego Foundation
Please share this with your network and join members of the SDNA as we grow together to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive society and world through social credit empowerment right here in San Diego!
Join The San Diego Nonprofit Association and other local leaders for a special “In the Know” event featuring Naila Chowdhury, global leader in self-sustaining programs for the economically disadvantaged.
Naila Chowdhury In Conversation with Neville Billimoria, Chief Advocacy Officer of Mission Federal Creating an Equitable, Diverse & Inclusive World through Social Credit Empowerment Friday, August 28, 2015
9am – 10:30am At The San Diego Foundation 2508 Historic Decatur Rd., Ste. 200 San Diego, CA 92106
As we model cross sector collaboration, use best principles and practices to inform our work, & seek new models from across the globe to advance our thinking and impact, here is a unique opportunity to connect first-hand with and learn from Naila Chowdhury, a global leader specializing in creating self-sustaining programs that empower economically disadvantaged people.
Naila was the first woman director of GrameenPhone Ltd in 1999, and held the Acting CEO position from time to time. She was part of its growth into the largest mobile operator in Bangladesh. The GrameenPhone’s Village Project supported the grassroots women of remote villages as they extended telecom to the rural population. This project earned Professor Muhammad and the Grameen Bank, the Nobel Peace prize in 2006, and allowed her to work closely with Professor Yunus for 17 years. Naila has been involved in global networking, developing effective teams and providing sustainable technology driven entrepreneurial platforms for young people globally, and empowering individuals by creating opportunities to self-organize and succeed with minimal resources and options.
Naila’s international work spans Bangladesh, Africa, and the Americas with organizations including but not limited to UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among many others, with more than 1.2 million members globally. Locally, she is also Co-Chair of Alliance4Empowerment in San Diego, which gives Nano-credit to immigrants, and works on several projects to eradicate poverty in San Diego through Social Credit Empowerment. Her focus is to take people from an extremely low income into a sustainable income bracket and thus empower them economically.
Please share this with your network and join members of the SDNA as we grow together to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive society and world through social credit empowerment right here in San Diego!
Naila’s depth of experience and passion for social economic empowerment will provide deep insights and new ideas for increasing your reach and impact.
This event is hosted by The San Diego Foundation.
We expect this event to fill quickly so please sign up ASAP to avoid disappointment…
RSVP is REQUIRED – While free, there is limited seating for this exclusive event
This event is made possible by the active members of SDNA: The San Diego Nonprofit Association (formerly SANDAN) who welcome your participation!
To become a member of SDNA: The San Diego Nonprofit Association (formerly SANDAN) and ensure that you are included in our region’s “Chamber of Purpose”, you are invited to join us at:
Mission Fed’s popular Refer a Friend program is back, now through September 30—and it’s adorable (you’ll see!). Referring a friend or family member means $40 for each of you when they open a Checking Account and follow a few simple steps. https://www.missionfed.com/refer-a-friend
“The beginner’s mind holds endless possibilities, while the expert’s mind holds only one right answer…”
This week:
Rookie Smarts, Street Smarts, Science Facts Learning Self Control and What’s More Important Than Being Smart but not in that order…
First, Will the real dummy please stand up:
1. WILL THE REAL DUMMY PLEASE STAND UP???
AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership.
He received a $26 million severance package.
Perhaps it’s not Walter who’s lacking intelligence?
2. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS:
Police in Oakland, CA, spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home.
After firing ten tear gas canisters into the house, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, ‘Please come out and give yourself up!’
3. WHAT WAS PLAN B???
An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts. What???
4. THE GETAWAY!!!
A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas Kwik Stop and asked for all the money in the cash drawer.
Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.
5. DID I SAY THAT???
Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn’t control himself during a lineup.
When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words: ‘Give me all your money or I’ll shoot’, the man shouted, ‘That’s not what I said!’
6. ARE WE COMMUNICATING???
A man spoke frantically into the phone: ‘My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart’. ‘Is this her first child?’, the doctor asked. ‘No! Jackass!’ the man shouted, ‘This is her husband!’
7. NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED!!!
In Modesto, CA, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon.
King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun.
Unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket. (hellooooooo)!
8. THE GRAND FINALE!!!
Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, CA, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get their brand new 22 foot boat, going.
It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power they applied.
After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted into a nearby marina, thinking someone there may be able to tell them what was wrong.
A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition.
The engine ran fine, the out-drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch.
So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath.
He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard.
Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!
*Now remember, these are all true stories!*
Test Your Science: Only 7% of the adult population gets all 13 questions correct.
Take this short quiz and see how much science adults in the US know- provided by the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian magazine.
WHAT IF…emotional intelligence is actually more valued in the workplace than intelligence and skills?
RESEARCH SAYS: Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage and use your emotions in positive and constructive ways. It includes communicating with others in ways that draw people to you, overcoming differences, repairing wounded feelings, and defusing tension and stress. Here are some tips to raise your emotional intelligence at work:
Realize when you’re stressed and practice strategies to make you feel better.
Be aware of your emotional thermostat so you can appropriately manage your own emotions.
Recognize and effectively use positive facial expression and body language that communicates a calm, open mind.
Meet challenges with humor.
Seek to understand the sources of conflict before you try to solve them.
TRY THIS: How does your emotional intelligence measure up? Take an emotional intelligence quiz online and apply the emotional intelligence tips above to your daily work life. The Marshmallow Test:Can Self Control be Learned?
One now or two later?
Delayed gratification leads to better outcomes on SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index and other life measures…
WHAT IF…emotional intelligence is actually more valued in the workplace than intelligence and skills?
RESEARCH SAYS: Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage and use your emotions in positive and constructive ways. It includes communicating with others in ways that draw people to you, overcoming differences, repairing wounded feelings, and defusing tension and stress. Here are some tips to raise your emotional intelligence at work:
Realize when you’re stressed and practice strategies to make you feel better.
Be aware of your emotional thermostat so you can appropriately manage your own emotions.
Recognize and effectively use positive facial expression and body language that communicates a calm, open mind.
Meet challenges with humor.
Seek to understand the sources of conflict before you try to solve them.
TRY THIS: How does your emotional intelligence measure up? Take an emotional intelligence quiz online and apply the emotional intelligence tips above to your daily work life.
The Marshmallow Test:Can Self Control be Learned?
One now or two later?
Delayed gratification leads to better outcomes on SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index and other life measures…
Thanks this week go to Larry H, Jill V, Will M, Anurag T, Maurice C and the life-long learner in YOU…
Pay it Forward!
Love,
Neville
“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.“— Confucius
I compared notes with one of my friends who expects everything of the universe,
and is disappointed when anything is less than the best, and I found that I begin at the other extreme,
expecting nothing, and am always full of thanks for moderate goods.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
This week:
Unique Connections: How blindfolded kids identify the uniqueness of their mom!
Dove Choose Beautiful | Women all over the world make a choice:
Above All Connect: Parenting in the Wilderness- Pics too cute to pass up…
Unique Connections: Celebrate the woman in your heart! As a small experiment of women’s uniqueness and the special bond between a mother and child, we met up with 6 wonderful women, and asked them to let us blindfold their most precious loved ones. Their children!
The children were guided towards the group of women, and using their senses and intuition asked to try to find the one they believed to be their mother. Anxiety, love and a bit of heartfelt tears filled the room as children from the age of 3-9 tried and succeed in finding the one and only they could call mum!
All women are unique in shape, personality and heart, and so is the beautiful connection and precious love we saw this day.
Dove Choose Beautiful | Women all over the world make a choice:
Would you describe yourself as beautiful? In our latest film Choose Beautiful, we travel to San Francisco, Shanghai, Delhi, London and Sao Paulo to prove that beauty is a choice – and the power of this choice is in your hands…
Did you know that the Chinese character for “music” and “happiness” was also the character for “medicine”?
This week let your soul get musical & instill in you all the medicinal properties of happiness!
While My Guitar Gently Weeps:
A Tantalizing Version From Jake Shimabukuro Sure to Bliss You Out
The Masters Showcasing a Different Beatles Work: Ringo IS a Starr
The Most Timeless are the most Simple. What are WE after? Technical proficiency or the “royalty of feel”?
Mess with My Guitar And
See What Social Media Can Do to You…
An 8 Year Old Whiz
Rocking with Buddy Guy
Crème de la Crème: Click On YOUR Favorite Artist and
See and Hear Almost ALL of their Famous Works All In One Spot
While My Guitar Gently Weeps:
A Tantalizing Version From Jake Shimabukuro Sure to Bliss You Out
The Masters Showcasing a Different Beatles Work: Ringo IS a Starr
The Most Timeless are the most Simple. What are WE after? Technical proficiency or the “king of feel”?
Mess with My Guitar And
See What Social Media Can Do…
A musician named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines.
United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3,500) during a flight.
Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar.
During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for YouTube exposing their lack of cooperation.
The Manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal.”
So he posted a retaliatory video on YouTube.
The video has since received over 6 million hits.
United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video.
Naturally his response was: “Good luck with that one, pal.”
Taylor Guitars sent the musician 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has led to a sharp increase in orders.
Here’s the video!
An 8 Year Old Whiz Rocking with Buddy Guy
Delicious!
For Music Lovers: Curating the “Best Of” that is YOUR Favorite for Your Ultimate Viewing and Listening Pleasure!
AFTER CLICKING ON AN ARTIST, LOOK TO SEE ALMOST ALL OF THEIR FAMOUS WORKS, THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE. ENJOY AND PASS THIS ON:
Change the World with Change.org: Don’t underestimate the power of a small group of people to make a difference, it is now more than one million!
Join the Change Movement…
Neville –
The day you signed your first petition on Change.org, you became a part of something big. Today we’re celebrating 100 million people all over the world coming to Change.org to start or sign a petition. More than one million petitions have been supported by people like you, and there’s a unique story behind every signature.
We’re so proud of the change you have been a part of, and we’re excited to share this moment with you. Join us in celebrating 100 million people using Change.org: track the impact of the growing Change.org community.
Thanks for joining us on this journey,
The Change.org team
A Magnanimous World View: Panoramic Photo Awards
Thanks this week go to Larry H, Helene G, Bob L, Chris B, the change.org movement and YOU for “making change”
Invest that Change Forward!
Love,
Neville
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
26 times, I’ve been trusted with the game winning shot and missed.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.
Practice independence and inter-dependence, competence and character, science and art, technology and humanity -all with soul…
This week:
A New Model for Education: Where Character Matters!
A New Model of Marriage: How STRAIGHT Couples Redefined Traditional Marriage
A New Model for Music Teach Her:
A New Model for Transportation on this Crowded Planet
A New Model for Eating
And a New Model of Beauty
A New Model for Education: Where Character and Civic Leadership Matter!
In the past week I was honored to speak at the 19th Annual Character Matters Conference in San Diego, where I was wholly inspired but this group of educators and leaders working on whole person values especially life skills with character, leadership and service as meta-competencies for 21st century education.
Cherokee Point Elementary in City Heights is an area with only 1.5% of the geography of San Diego, but 15% of the violent crime and 25% of the total murder rate in the city, yet look what their new model of trauma informed community schools is manifesting:
I also connected with the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) that is doing phenomenal work locally, and has a transformative plan for teaching students throughout school systems a new model of civic engagement and restorative justice. Learn more about their depth of services and work at:
“Kindness is in our power even when fondness is not.”
~Henry James~
This week:
America’s KINDest City?
Make YOUR In-Kind Contribution…
Kind Snacks:
This is great
A One of a Kind Dog:
This will give you a chuckle
A Heartwarming Interspecies Reunion:
Get out the Kleenex!
Bright Colors and Rich Thoughts:
Great Nature for your Nurture
We brag about San Diego as America’s Finest City, but what about America’s Kindest City?
Can we really have a prospering and healthy civic society anywhere in the world, without a strong social fabric weaved together by compassion and kindness?
What could happen if we were just a little bit kinder to everyone we meet?
In the post-recession economy, the brand attribute that moved the most by far is KINDNESS, increasing 341%. This is according to those with access to the largest consumer database on earth!
In difficult times we are reminded of the power of kindness and caring, yet common sense is often uncommon practice.
Let’s change that starting right now…
It doesn’t take much to be kind
A friend of mine Shannon M, has made it her purpose to manifest America’s Kindest city, whose vision is to create a kinder and more sustainable San Diego in the non-profit and for-profit sector for the current generation, and for generations to come.
This is not just a feel good campaign…
Americas’ Kindest City is a strategic approach to corporate social responsibility as a means to ALIGN purpose-driven businesses with nonprofits doing the most measurable and sustainable good. What is corporate social responsibility and why is it so important when doing business? Simply put, CSR is a way for companies to manage how they give back. With the dramatic consumer spend shift towards companies that are KIND & empathetic or “purpose-driven,” the emerging global economy will soon demand that companies think and do business PURPOSEFULLY.
So what is America’s Kindest City and what do we do? We consult with small, medium and large businesses who want to increase their CSR in more meaningful ways, to become branded as KIND Companies, through the partnership of businesses and nonprofits in mission and value alignment. Additionally, America’s Kindest City offers public relations and marketing services to increase visibility, cost reduction services, credit card processing and employee give back (volunteer) management.
What’s the PURPOSE? To make San Diego KINDER, to then model and mentor this strategy for the rest of America to follow.
“Business as usual” is about to take on a whole new meaning.
Let’s envision for a moment the transformative impact this orientation can make as kindness gets us out of our base selves (me) and into our larger selves (we).
If you are of similar kind,(kind-red spirit) you can join us on Facebook here and now:
Speaking of Kind, if you haven’t tried them yet, KIND snacks are both healthy and not just good for you but good for society.
They sponsored a recent San Diego Non Profits event and their snacks went like hot cakes!
Here is more about them:
Since its founding in 2004, KIND has been on a mission to make the world a little kinder one snack and act at a time.
All award-winning KIND snacks are made from delicious, wholesome ingredients and are gluten free and non GMO. KIND currently offers six different snack lines including: KIND® Fruit & Nut and KIND®PLUS, two lines of delicious whole nut & fruit bars; KIND®Nuts & Spices, a line of whole nut & spice bars that naturally have only 5g of sugar or less; KIND Healthy Grains® Clusters made from five super grains; KIND Healthy Grains® Bars, a line of crunchy and chewy granola bars; and STRONG & KIND®, a line of savory-flavored bars featuring 10g of protein.
Through its social mission – known as the KIND Movement – KIND, together with its community, is committed to inspiring kindness through acts big and small. It fulfills this commitment through programming like KIND Causes, which helps individuals and organizations bring their socially-impactful ideas to life with monthly $10,000 grants.
Humor: Colonoscopy Journal with Pulitzer Prize Winner Dave Barry
Investing in Love and Precluding Personal Bankruptcy with Will Marre
Employee Ratios to Watch in Your Organization with Anthony Demangone
Smiles for You with David Zinn:
Humor: Colonoscopy Journal with Pulitzer Prize Winner Dave Barry
Colonoscopy Journal:
I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy.
A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.
Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner.
I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn’t really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, ‘HE’S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!’
I left Andy’s office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called ‘MoviPrep,’ which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America’s enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.
Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn’t eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.
Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-litre plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a litre is about 32 gallons). Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes – and here I am being kind – like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ‘a loose, watery bowel movement may result.’
This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don’t want to be too graphic, here, but, have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another litre of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.
The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, ‘What if I spurt on Andy?’ How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep.
At first I was ticked off that I hadn’t thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point.
Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.
There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, ‘Dancing Queen’ had to be the least appropriate.
‘You want me to turn it up?’ said Andy, from somewhere behind me…
‘Ha ha,’ I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling ‘Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,’ and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood.
Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
On the subject of Colonoscopies…
Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous. A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:
Take it easy Doc. You’re boldly going where no man has gone before.
‘Find Amelia Earhart yet?’
‘Can you hear me NOW?’
‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?’
5. ‘You know, in Arkansas, we’re now legally married.’
‘Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?’
‘You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out…’
‘Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!’
‘If your hand doesn’t fit, you must quit!’
‘Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.’
‘You used to be an executive at Enron, didn’t you?’
And the best one of all:
‘Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?’
ABOUT THE WRITER: Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.
ROA. Delinquency ratios. Fixed asset ratios. Efficiency ratios. The list is long, and important. If you know your ratios and track them, you can see trends jump off the paper.
But not everything can be boiled down into a ratio. And that’s too bad. Because I’d love to see the following ratios put into play.
Negative energy ratio. This ratio measures how often an employee brings a Debbie Downer attitude into a discussion. This is measured by dividing the number of negative/gloomy/whining comments by total workplace interactions. Anything approaching .25 or higher should entitle a prompt corrective action.
Gotcha ratio. This ratio measures how often a colleague helps you, while zinging you at the same time. You’re not sure whether to say thank you or curse after such interactions “Paul, can you send me the results from that audit?” “Sure, Tina – you mean the results I emailed you three days ago?” “Yep, Paul – you got me! Those are the ones.” The ratio has a risk-based component – weighing gotcha’s more heavily if given in a public setting or during a crisis.
Life preserver ratio. This ratio measures how often an employee fixes a problem versus how often the run to another employee to have a problem fixed. A high ratio means the employee is a self-starter with responsibility. A low ratio means that other employees grimace when they see your extension ringing their phone.
The “I’m sorry, what did you say” ratio? This ratio measures how often an employee comments about something off-topic during a meeting. This could be called the “Demangone Ratio” at NAFCU. I have a bad habit of hearing a comment that gets me thinking. By the time I mention something, that topic is about 10 minutes old. My hand goes up. The conversation halts. Eyes roll. If you hear “we’re getting off-topic here” after you speak on a regular basis, you may need to work on this ratio.
The Problem/Thought ratio. This ratio measure how much thought a person has given to a problem before they discuss it with a supervisor. A high ratio would correspond with an employee who has identified a problem and thought about every possible solution, as well as a recommended course of action to fix it. A low ratio would be found with employees who use an auto-forward rule with problems. When a problem comes to them, it simply is forwarded on with little or no thought.
The Anti-Aircraft Gun Ratio. The higher the ratio, the more likely the employee loves to shoot down foreign ideas. This is also risk weighted, with a heavier emphasis given to shooting down ideas in public, or with a condescending tone.
I’m sure I’m missing a few ratios. Shoot me a note if any others come to mind.
A guide to keeping the political news as reported by our newspapers in perspective:
The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.
The New York Times is read by people who think they should runthe
country, and who are very good at crossword puzzles
USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country
but don’t really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like
their statistics shown in pie chart.
The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn’t mind running the
country, if they could find the time — and if they didn’t have to leave
Southern California to do it.
The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the
country and did a poor job of it, thank you very much.
The New York Daily News is read by people who aren’t too sure who’s
running the country and don’t really care as long as they can get a seat
on the train.
The New York Post is read by people who don’t care who are running the
country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while
intoxicated.
The Chicago Tribune is read by people that are in prison that used to run
the state, & would like to do so again, as would their constituents that
are currently free on bail.
10.The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country,
but need the baseball scores.
The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren’t sure if there is
a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that
they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are gay,
handicapped, minority, feminist, atheist dwarfs who also happen to be
illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy, provided of course, that
they are not Republicans.
The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery
store.
The Seattle Times is read by people who have recently caught a fish and
need something to wrap it in.
The Texas papers are read by Texans trying to find out how screwed up the rest of the nation is so they’re ready to defend themselves.
“Mosaiculture”
Once every three years, there is an international competition in
horticultural sculpture, called “Mosaiculture” in a major city in the
world…the last one in Montreal.
This is not topiary, but rather creating sculptures out of living plants.
The greatest horticulturalists in the world, from 20 different countries,
submit plans a year in advance.
Steel armatures were then created to support the works (some 40 feet high);
they are then wrapped in steel mesh and filled with dirt and moss and
watering hoses. Then they 3 million plants of different shades of green and
brown and tan were ordered, and these were grown in greenhouses all over
Quebec.
Happy Soul Food Friday! 