Archive for the ‘Published Articles’ Category
A Children’s Book Grows Up to Change the World
As it appeared in the Boston Herald on July 27, 2009:
“Small Loans, Big Difference”
By: Amanda James
A summer program at the Tobin School in Roxbury is revolutionizing the idea of the lemonade stand as a summer business by teaching fourth- and fifth-graders about microfinancing and how to be “socially responsible” entrepreneurs.
Last week’s program was part of a five-week summer camp taking place in Boston and five other U.S. cities and co-sponsored by One Hen Inc. and BELL, or Building Educated Leaders for Life. The Hub participants include the Tobin School and two other sites in Roslindale and Dorchester.
BELL, a provider of after-school and summer educational programs, began in Boston 17 years ago to offer opportunities to children in poor communities, said Brenda Brathwaite, BELL’s Boston regional director.
One Hen is a nonprofit organization that took its name and developed its vision from the 2008 children’s book “One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference” by author Katie Smith Milway and illustrator Eugenie Fernandes. Based on a true story, the book is about a farmer in Ghana who received a small loan to buy one hen, which enabled him to sell the eggs and buy more hens to produce enough profit to pay for college and then lend money to others in his West African community.
The story evolved into a teaching curriculum this year when the One Hen group partnered with BELL. With rigorous tutoring and positive mentoring, the camp shows children how they can use a small loan to make a big difference.
“Students can learn from stories of entrepreneurs who started with much less than they have that it is possible to build successful lives for themselves,” said Amma Sefa-Dedeh, executive director of One Hen.
In the school program, “scholars” are divided into teams of five and each team signs a loan agreement to receive $10. Then team members sign an employment contract promising to work hard and do their best in the roles they are given.
The loan, with 10 percent interest, is used to make and sell a product, beaded key chains. Every Friday, guest speakers from local companies visit the school to help the students understand how business works.
“They are excited about going to the `marketplace’ to sell their key chains, because they don’t want to be in debt to me anymore,” said teacher Brence Pernell.
One student named Michael, whose company is called “Diamonds and Pearls,” said his team plans on giving its profit to charity.
“(The story) sends a message that needs to be shared, that success in business and in life should always be modeled to giving back to the communities in which we live,” said Sefah-Dedeh.
—-
One Hen, Inc. is still up to big things, like working with Michelle Obama to support her “Let’s Read. Let’s Move” initiative to get kids to stay active and learning during the summer months. The women who made it all happen never cease to inspire me. Check out the website: http://onehen.org/ to see how One Hen’s unique enrichment programs continues to use true stories of micro-entrepreneurs in Africa to inspire students in under-resourced communities across America, Canada, the U.K., and Ghana to become globally minded citizens who want to give back to their communities.
Shop for Service
Keeping up with the trends hasn’t been very hard the past couple of seasons, what with punk studs piercing their prongs in everything from the runway at Chanel to $5 tanks at Forever 21. And it’s pretty clear by now that bangs are back, and British blonde/white hair is lightening up the dark mood of winter. But one thing I’m pretty surprised to see becoming a trend is community service.
Giving back is the new black? Following Entertainment Industry Foundation Week, when all of the major television networks featured their stars doing an act of service, Gap Inc. is now the one bringing service in style.
Working with ServiceNation.org, both EIF week and Gap, Inc. are shining a spotlight on service.
From Nov. 12-15, you can get a 30% discount at Gap and all of its constituent stores, and they’ll give a portion of the proceeds to support a non-profit.
Although I’ve always believed that if you give into trends it means you’re not creative enough to come up with your own style, this is a trend I feel proud to support. And I hope it’s a trend that lasts, unlike hareem trousers…
THE MAN HIMSELF, A Review of Daniel Johnston
Following Daniel Johnston’s October 15 show at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, I wrote a review for the Daily Free Press that was Published: October 22, 2009.
Just as a turtle has a shell, and the Beatles have fame, Daniel Johnston has fans. These are certainties of life.
Despite the dramatic change in his style, not talking about his donning of sweats and sneakers, and too-tight t-shirts, but the update in his music to something that sounds highly professional on his latest album, “Is and Always Was,” Daniel Johnston’s fans keep coming back. The new style, which is a decided step away from the lo-fi songs he is loved for, may have come as a surprise, but Daniel Johnston hasn’t isolated any fans.
At 48 years old, Johnston is back on tour, looking familiar and just as friendly but his sound is different.
What’s different? Why?
Follow the jump for answers, questions, and answers in Daniel’s questions.
Hard Times for Harvard
After a lifetime of feeling stupid for neglecting what I’ve been told is “the most important meal of the day,” I no longer feel lonely in my ignorance. Harvard University is keeping me company in my decision to forego the first meal of the day because they’ve stopped serving it, or, at least a hot version of it.
An article I wrote that appeared in the DailyFreePress.
Published: September 23, 2009
It is no secret that Harvard University has a feast of funding, what with its rank as the University with the largest endowment, but if this is the case, why can’t it afford to feed its students hot breakfast food?
Due to Spring 2009 Faculty of Arts and Sciences budget cuts, Harvard stopped serving hot breakfast in all but one of its dining halls Monday through Friday.
“Students were upset when they heard the announcement in the Spring, but they were more upset this Fall when they walked into the dining hall and instead of finding French toast, omelettes, and some sort of meat, they found a few slices of cold cantaloupe,” said sophomore Nima Khavanin.
Why the scrimping?
Women Breaching Cultural Boundaries
Afghan & Rwandan Women at the Peace Through Business Conference
In the midst of a war zone, and with no internet access, or even full rights to leave their homes, these Afghan women are working hard to start their own businesses. And they are succeeding. This story made me think twice about ever being lazy, or not using all of the resources I have. It’s also a more useful approach to spreading democracy in Afghanistan than sending more troops…
As it appeared in October 11th’s Boston Herald:
When Nancy Freeman of New Bedford agreed to mentor Mariam Yousufi of Afghanistan about business in America, she didn’t expect that they’d have a lot in common.
Nancy, who grew up in America, attended college and returned to New Bedford, where she opened up a consignment shop/co-op called Penelope’s Loom—“a place for women who don’t have jobs, or who have to stay at home, to sell their handmade art, jewelry, and knitted items,” said Freeman.
Mariam, 31, grew up in a warzone in Kabul and was exiled when the Taliban invaded. She walked for days with her 9-year old daughter and took refuge in Pakistan. After five years, she returned to Kabul and started a school that trained 320 Afghan women to weave, sew, and tailor. She then opened “Mariama Education and Cultural Association,” which sells these women’s handmade items.
Although their backgrounds differ, “we both run small retail businesses in an effort to help other women,” said Freeman. “The difference is: Mariam sometimes has to go to women’s houses to pick up their handmade goods because they’re not always allowed to leave the house.”
Follow the jump to find out how these two ended up together.
Fidelity ‘genocide’ vote set
For the second year in a row, Fidelity customers of 13 of its mutual funds have an opportunity to vote on a question concerning donating dollars to Darfur, that is, inadvertently donating dollars to companies such as Petrochina Co., and CNPC, two oil companies that pay royalties to the government of Sudan, by investing in mutual funds that have holdings in those companies.
The vote culminates in tomorrow’s shareholder meeting, where the issue will be discussed.
Here’s the article as it appeared in the Boston Herald.
Making Off with $65Billion?! Reporting on Madoff: Some Real Business News
Here’s an article I collaborated on with Jerry Kronenberg. It was cool to interview businessmen (no wowen) in Post Office Square for this piece. My job was to ask passersby how they felt about Madoff’s attorney writing an appeal for the schemer to only get 12 years in prison. Some people said it was old news and they were tired of hearing about it. Others are still passionately angry and want to see this case to the end of it, and maybe even to the end of Madoff. I learned 2 things:
1. Some people move on more quickly than others.
2. There is a beautiful serene walkway with hanging plants in the middle of the Financial District?!
Now the article:
Published in The Boston Herald June 24, 2009
Bernard Madoff’s victims say they support his plea for just 12 years in prison – if he serves 50 such terms in a row or spends his entire sentence “hung by his toes.”
“When somebody has devastated people’s lives by the thousands, it doesn’t seem to me that a 12-year sentence is very much,” victim Lawrence Velvel told the Herald yesterday after Madoff’s lawyers petitioned the court for a relatively light sentence.
Attorney Ira Sorkin asked a New York federal judge not to give into “mob vengeance . . . emotion and hysteria” when sentencing Madoff on Monday.
Madoff faces up to 150 years in prison for running a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, but Sorkin asked the judge for just a 12-year term – or 15- to 20-years tops.
Pronouncing the end of the Recession? Some anecdotes for Massachusetts:
Published: June 19, 2009
The head of the state’s jobs agency said more and more employers are making plans to hire workers after hunkering down for months.
“Businesses confidence in our economy to rebound in our state is improving. This means they see that we’ve turned a corner but it’s still going to be a bumpy road,” said Secretary Suzanne Bump of Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce after yesterday’s report of an increase in jobs for the first time in over a year.
According to Bump, this voice of optimism in Massachusetts does not speak for the whole country, “Our trend for improvement in Massachusetts and that of the national economy are really diverging,” according to Bump.
Bill Driscoll, President of the New England District of staffing firm Robert Half International emphasized the increase in temporary placement jobs as a source for encouragement, “The temporary help agency gained 1,700 jobs in the state. This growth in temp jobs is typically seen as a telling indicator.”
Sarah, a recruiter for Manpower, Inc., one of the area’s largest temporary placement firms, confirmed Driscoll’s statement. “We’ve had an increase of applicants since November and recently we have seen an upswing of placements in both white and blue collar jobs.”
Joe Isles, Director of Boston’s Career Link, which is operated by Goodwill said these numbers are not surprising. “We have had employers come in for more recruiting and job fairs in the past month.” Isles also said that the report does reflect an accurate portrayal of the specific sectors that are seeing increases in employments. “Across the state, there have been a lot of healthcare and pharmaceutical job openings.” According to Isles, if you search hard enough for a job, you just might find one, although “Businesses are afraid to put too much advertising out there because they would be inundated.”
Even though it might not have a sign on it that reads, “We’re hiring,” a window of opportunity is opening in Boston.
More fun than getting lost?
Published: June 17, 2009
Would you trust Homer Simpson to guide you back to the interstate after taking a wrong turn? It’s the 20th anniversary of the longest-running primetime sitcom in television history, and Twentieth Century Fox is calling all of the stops, or rather, allowing Homer to call all of the stops to celebrate. TomTom, the global positioning system maker with its North American headquarters in Concord, has signed up America’s favorite cartoon dad to navigate family trips this summer with the help of Locutio Voice Technologies.
“With Homer Simpson’s voice helping them to navigate their trip, TomTom customers will not only travel safely and with less stress, but will also be amused along the way,” said company president Jocelyn Vigreux.
The commands are comical and user-extra-friendly. For example, on a hunt for the nearest gas station, drivers might hear, “Take the third right. We might find an ice cream truck! Mmm . . . ice cream.”
Homer, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, also exclaims, “Whoo-hoo! You have reached your destination, and you can hold your head up high because you are a genius!”
Mr. T, John Cleese and Kim Cattrall have also done voice-overs for TomTom’s guiding gadgets.
And since road trips usually end up being comical, what with unexpected turns and a car packed full of anxious travelers, why not let Homer join you on your next adventure? TomTom hopes – for a $12.95 download – drivers will want Homer to help them get where they’re going.
Guess Who’s Coming to Town? Hollywood!
Published: Boston Herald June 9, 2009
Today marks the premiere of a new Hollywood relationship that will likely outlast most celebrity duos: Cambridge-based software developer GenArts is hooking up with “Star Wars” creator Lucasfilm.
Although GenArts has provided tools for artists to create scenes in Lucasfilm productions since 1997 – when they collaborated on “Titanic” – today’s announcement means Lucasfilm is now “more than just a customer, we’re a partner,” said Richard Kerris, Lucasfilm’s chief technology officer.
GenArts has earned its “reputation as an innovative technology provider as well as an industry thought leader,” said Katherine Hays, GenArts chief executive. “We’re pleased that Lucasfilm has affirmed that distinction by selecting GenArts software to be a standard component of their compositing.”
Digital Love by Daft Punk mp3
