Made In–Bangladesh

Posted on April 30, 2013 by annandmeg

According to news reports, millions of items of clothing were manufactured in a single building in the city of Savar, in the heart of Bangladesh. When that building collapsed on April 24, 2013, more than 350 workers died as a result of that collapse; almost all women between the ages of 18-20. More than 1000 were injured. Over three thousand workers labored in that building, purportedly working for wages of 26 cents per hour or less. Before 2010, when the minimum wage was increased in Bangladesh from $21 per month to $38 per month, their wages would have been less.

This is not an isolated tragedy. Five months earlier, on November 24, 2012, more than 100 workers were killed when a fire engulfed another garment factory in Savar. The clothing manufactured in those buildings was shipped from the factories for sale in Europe, Canada and the United States.

The highly reputable international charity, Oxfam, has stated that:
“We can make choices that will make a difference. So too can retailers. The easiest thing is to choose not to see the story behind the brands, but we can also choose to buy clothes that are the products of transparent and non-abusive supply chains. Retailers can choose to do the same, and can hold their suppliers to account–not least by ensuring they respect standard safety measures that protect their workers lives.”

This is not the first time our blog has written about the challenges of buying U.S. made products and products made in other countries by businesses that agree to comply with international treaties designed to protect workers. These treaties include the United Nations Global Compact and SA8000.

See our post on “Made in the USA: The importance of buying local” from Jan. 12, 2012 here.

These treaties were designed to set standards for global companies involving human rights, the environment, anti-corruption and ethical labor standards. It is a challenge, however, to identify consumer products that are made by companies that have agreed to these principles: provide humane working conditions, treat their employees with dignity, provide safe working conditions and pay reasonable wages.

See our post on “Made in the USA: Clothing. What to do when this is no ‘Made in the USA’ Choice? ” from Feb.4, 2012 here.

If the two of us have clothing in our closets that are made in factories like those where workers have been killed, it is not because we turn a blind eye. It is a sad circumstance that it remains difficult to find products made in the U.S. and even more difficult to identify products made abroad according to international treaties.

Perhaps our blog can focus more of our attention to the challenges we face as consumers to support businesses where workers are treated humanely.
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The opinions expressed in this post are not the opinions of our families, our friends or our employers.

“Great By Choice” Uncertainty, Chaos, And Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All

Posted on March 5, 2013 by annandmeg

Good luck. We talk about it. We wish for it. We blame our failures on lack of it. Malcolm Gladwell, one of my favorite authors, focuses on it as a significant factor in the success of individuals like Bill Gates in his book Outliers[1]. Gladwell’s insights have been valuable to me in understanding how and why individuals succeed.

Nothing in Great By Choice changes my belief that factors outside our control significantly influence our success. However, Great By Choice is a reminder that luck alone does not control our destiny. We are reminded, throughout the book, that we have significant control of our lives, our successes and our failures.

“Are you Amundsen or Scott?” is the question raised in Chapter 2. In Oct. 1911, Rould Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott led similar expeditions to the South Pole. Amundsen reached the Pole and returned safely home. Scott and his team died in their unsuccessful quest. What separated the two adventurers? Both faced the same 1400 mile round trip journey to the South Pole in brutally cold weather, ice, snow and limited supplies. What made the difference? According to New York Times bestselling authors Jim Collins[2] and Professor Morten T. Hansen[3], the difference was planning, intensity of preparation, constant vigilance and remaining constantly focused on the goal.

They describe characteristics that enable us to maximize the benefits of our good luck while minimizing the impact of our bad luck. The authors studied highly successful companies, called “10Xers” ie, companies that beat industry indexes by a minimum of 10 times over a 15 year period, including Microsoft, Progressive Insurance Company. They compare 10Xers to Amundsen, and for good reason.

The book is, fundamentally, about excellence, preparation, and discipline. The research identifies attributes that 10Xers[4] share with each other (and with Amundsen) that are less likely to exist in less successful companies[5]. A fundamental premise is that luck, good and bad, happens to all of us, and that how we respond, and are impacted by our luck is dependent on preparation, discipline and determination.

By the authors’ definition, luck incorporates chaos and uncertainty, is described as involving events largely outside our control that are unpredictable and have potentially significant consequences. Factors such as economic downturns, rising interest rates and other economic factors are factors which impact us all. These are factors the others would incorporate in their definition of luck. Fanatical discipline, mental independence, empirical creativity, and productive paranoia, are considered by the authors to be essential to success in a world of such economic (and non-economic) chaos and uncertainty. Specifically, these attributes are considered essential to getting the most from good luck and being harmed the least by bad luck.

Great by Choice identified 3 core 10X behaviors:

1) Fanatical discipline and mental independence;

2) Empirical creativity, including reliance on empirical evidence, and direct observation

3) Productive paranoia, including always planning, and preparing, for the worst case scenario.

1) Fanatical discipline involves what they label “20 mile marches”.[6] Differing in every way from frantic forward movement followed by complacency or sliding backward, the focus is on taking measured steps toward success. It involves the expectation that goals will be clear, that consistent forward movement toward the accomplishment of those goals should be required and that the entity will not indulge in fads or overextend. Consistent progress, rather than erratic gains and losses, is to be the goal.

2) Empirical creativity involves individual research and hard date. Much is made in the book about the importance of “shooting bullets and then cannons”. The significance of this message is that in taking any risk, it is important to determine, through firing metaphorical bullets, the probability of success. A bullet is considered low risk, low distraction, low-cost. When such a low risk experiment reaches the target, then it is time to throw significant resources at the target. The initial example of the concept is based on the idea that if you are on a ship being approached by an enemy ship, you should shoot bullets at the ship until a bullet actually reaches the target ship. Only then is it prudent to use the resources necessary to shoot a cannon at the ship to destroy it.

3) Productive paranoia deals with the critical importance of anticipating disaster, i.e. bad luck. Disaster can come in any sources. It can result from a fluke of nature, a massive recession, a competitor whose product development surpasses the product of another company. By constant vigilance, preparation, protecting and saving resources an enterprise can maximize the likelihood of working through disaster and moving toward success.

But there is more. In addition to the uncertainty around us, Great By Choice reminds us that we must always remain above the “death line”. The death line is identified as an event under the entity’s control that will destroy the endeavor. Comparable to corporate death, these are described as risks that can severely injure a company; asymmetric risks (where the potential downside dwarfs the potential upside); and uncontrollable risks, (risks that cannot be controlled or managed.) Examples of such risk include making financial gambles on products or processes that have not been determined to be likely to be financially successful. By firing bullets rather than cannons, the authors believe an endeavor can minimize the chances of falling below the “death line” where it cannot survive.

Great By Choice repeatedly conveys to the reader the challenges (“bad luck”) faced by 10Xers and describes how these companies responded to what sometimes seemed to be impossible circumstances. How they minimized the resulting damage or turned adversity into opportunity.

Whether you are a student, a professional, an entrepreneur or in any other field of endeavor, spending the time to read books such as Great By Choice can be invaluable in understanding your “luck” and how to use it (or avoid it!) to be great.

[1] Among other factors, he argues effectively that the month and year an individual is born, his/her opportunity to have effective mentors, supportive parents, and (often) access to significant financial resources, technology and specialized training, significantly influence an individual’s likelihood of success

[2] Formerly on the faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business, author of Good to Great, as well as other notable books focused on business success (and failure), Collins consults with businesses and operates a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado

[3] Management professor at the University of California, Berkeley, formerly a professor at Harvard Business School and author of Collaboration, Hanson also consults and speaks to and with companies worldwide.

[4] 10Xers studied included such companies as Southwest Airlines, Progressive Insurance and Microsoft

[5] Apple (during the period of time it was not under the leadership of Steve Jobs), Safeco Insurance, and PSA airlines

[6] From childhood I remember the adage “slow and steady wins the race”.

Vietnam: Honoring Our Veterans

Posted on November 11, 2012 by annandmeg

Today is Veteran’s Day. For most of us it represents a holiday: a day without the responsibilities of work, a day to spend with family or friends. But it is, really, so much more. In a time when our nation is at war in Afghanistan, and when our soldiers are being killed in action, or returning home with serious physical and mental injuries, it is important to honor their service. We must also respect the sacrifices they have made for us and to always, always remember the human cost of our countries decision to go to war. As a result, Veteran’s Day is, and should remain, a day of reflection, a day of sadness and a day of loss.

The memories of each war are different. The few remaining veterans of World War II have a different experience than those of the Gulf War, the Korean War and every other war of our time. To fully understand Veteran’s Day you must, almost necessarily, have served in the military or been close to someone who has served.

Kansas City’s Vietnam War Memorial, located at 43rd and Baltimore, is dedicated to the men and women who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The memorial wall includes the names of 385 Kansas City area servicemen who lost their lives during that war.

This wall is personal to many Kansas City residents. For me, the name John Igert says it all. Johnny was a friend, a classmate and a casualty of the war. He graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1964, and attended Central Missouri State College, in Warrensburg, Mo., before entering the military in 1967. He died in Gia Dinh, Vietnam, on August 17, 1968, just three months after he should have graduated from college. He was only 22. He was an easy person to know. He was fun, he was a good man, though only barely a man when he began his military service–and when he died.

Each of the 385 servicemen whose names are carved in the granite of the monument has a similar story. Each name represents someone who is remembered by family and friends, who loved him when he was alive, and love him still. Each name represents a life lost.

Kansas City’s Vietnam War Memorial honors our soldiers who fought, died and missing in action. The memorial acknowledges that the war deeply divided our country and that in the middle of the dispute were the men and women who fought and died in the war.

The memorial is based on a series of pools and fountains. The separation of the pools is designed to acknowledge the deep divisions within the country over the war. The fountains represent the healing and cleansing power of water in restoring our national spirit.

The words on the granite summarize a message of hope. “Only by remembering can we assure it never happens again”. Wishful thinking? Repeatedly. But the message of hope sustains us and causes us to search for better solutions to the challenges of our times.

Women’s Suffrage And The Importance of Voting

Posted on November 5, 2012 by annandmeg

Because we are on the eve of a national election, I think it is important to remind ourselves, as women, of the sacrifices made by earlier women who worked and sacrificed to secure this basic right for women–the right to vote.

My grandmother, Mary Lewis, was an early feminist and suffragist. My grandfather, Frank Mesle, being a wise man, wooed her by respecting her beliefs and making them his own. One of his early letters to her in 1910 included the following quote from an unknown source: “When the husband gets ready to regard his wife as an equal partner…when he will grant her the same privileges he demands for himself; when he is willing to allow his wife to liver her own life in her own way without trying to ‘boss’ her, we shall have more true marriages, happier homes and higher civilizations.”

It was ten years later, when my own mother was one years old, that women gained the right to vote. I was born a mere 26 years later. Not a very long period of time in the history of this country. But worlds apart in our understanding and expectations of women’s role in society.

Until the mid to late 1900’s, women were, in many significant respects, under the legal control of husbands and fathers from birth to death, without the right to own property, vote or participate meaningfully in business or government. The obstacles to equality for women are nowhere better illustrated than in the Supreme Court’s 1873 decision in Bradwell v. Illinois. [1]

Born in 1831, Myra Bradwell’s husband was a successful lawyer, judge and member of the Illinois General Assembly. Myra was a teacher, respected citizen and active in the community. She founded a legal newspaper and supported women’s suffrage reforms, in addition to engaging in a wide variety of other activities of no small import. She undertook legal training with the hope of being admitted to the Bar of Illinois. Her application for a license to practice law was rejected by the Illinois State Supreme Court because, as a married woman, she could not enter into any legal contracts–a basic requirement of practicing law [2]. Ultimately Bradwell appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court claiming a violation of the 14th Amendment. In writing the decision adopted by the Supreme Court, in language feminists can quote to this day, Justice Joseph Bradley wrote: “The natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many occupations of civil life…[T]he paramount destiny and mission of woman are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother. This is the law of the creator.”

Undeterred by the Supreme Court’s ruling, and presumably rejecting the notion that God believed women should be so limited, feminists continued to press for Constitutional protections, primarily focused on the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others, dedicated their lives to the struggle for women’s rights: woman’s suffrage, the right of women to own property, retain their own earnings, and to have access to academic opportunities. From as early as the 1850’s, Anthony and Stanton traveled throughout the United States and Europe in support of women’s rights. On July 4, 1876, in Philadelphia, Anthony presented on behalf of the National Woman Suffrage Association the Declaration of Rights of Women of the United States [3]. Her lengthy speech, while compelling, [4] is particularly powerful concerning the denial of a woman’s right to vote: “ Universal manhood suffrage, by establishing an aristocracy of sex, imposes upon the women of this nation a more absolute and cruel depotism than monarch; in that, woman finds a political master in her father, husband, brother, son….” Stanton died in 1906, 14 years before her vision of universal women’s suffrage became a reality. In 1979, in honor of her role in the struggle for women’s rights, the U.S. Mint issued a dollar coin with her image.

The final struggles and success of the so-called suffrage movement is well described in the powerful movie, Iron Jawed Angels[5]. This movie focuses on the period immediately leading up to the passage of the 19th Amendment. It tells the story of the relentlessness of women leaders like Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who through the early years of World War I fought tirelessly to persuade President Woodrow Wilson to endorse their right to vote.

As the U.S. was entering World War I, some 35 years after the Bradwell decision, suffragists began to picket of the White House. Their theme was questioning why we should be fighting a war abroad in defense of Democracy when women at home did not experience Democracy.

Despite romantic descriptions of women’s delicacy and timidity, women engaged in the feminist movement behaved, and were treated, without regard to any such perceptions. Their leaders were fined and then imprisoned for 60 days for “obstructing traffic”. They continued to picket. Alice was sentenced to 7 months in prison. She was ultimately placed in a solitary confinement and began a hunger strike. Attempts were made to have Alice declared insane. [6] Ultimately she was force fed by her jailers, who repeatedly fed her through a tube down her throat. Denied access to the public, their families and even lawyers, it was the husband of one of the leaders of the movement who ultimately advised the press of the treatment of these women.

Learning of the treatment of the suffragists, on January 9, 1918, President Wilson reversed his opposition to women’s right to vote. He urged Congress to vote in favor of a Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing women’s right, stating: “we have made partners of the women in this war…Shall we admit them only to a partnership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of privilege and right?”

On June 4, 1919, the U.S. Senate passed the Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote, by one vote. On August 26, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment. The Amendment became law.

The sacrifices of women like Alice Paul were life changing. Without her bull-headed resistance to the status quo, women’s suffrage may well have been delayed for years. Her sacrifices and the sacrifices of women before her, secured the beginnings of real change for women’s status as full members of society.

It is important that all women honor and acknowledge the sacrifices from the past. Please vote on November 6, and every election. Vote for the candidates of your choice, but vote.

[1] Bradwell v. Illinois, 83 U.S. (16 Wall.) 130 (1873).

[2] It is not to be ignored that she was denied a license because legislatures controlled by men denied her, and all women, basic rights to own property, enters contracts, keep their own earnings and otherwise control their own destinies.

[3] The original Declaration of the Rights of woman and the Female Citizen was written by Olympe de Gouges a French patriot, in 1791. It is modeled on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted in 1789 by the National Constituent Assembly during the French Revolution.

[4] This speech also includes a quote from Abigail Adams, who said: “We will not hold ourselves bound to obey laws in which we have no voice or representation”.

[5] Released in 2004, the movie starred Hillary Swank.

[6] Historically, male doctor, refused to find her insane, stating that bravery in women has sometimes been mistaken for insanity.

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The views presented in our blog do not represent the positions of our families, our friends or our employers.

Cuba: The Cult of Che

Posted on October 20, 2012 by annandmeg

Che Guevara was executed in the jungles of Bolivia on October 9, 1967. Forty five years later he is venerated in Cuba. He has attained something akin to “rock star” status. His face is on Cuban money, t-shirts, banners, and tourist art. Billboards with his image encourage the Cuban people to work hard and support the revolution.

Even in the U.S., celebrities wear Che’s signature beret. He is featured in a movie, The Motorcycle Diaries,whose executive producer, Robert Redford,[1] has depicted Che’s 1952 journey across South America; a journey generally credited with planting the seeds for his future radicalization.

Born Ernesto “Che” Guevara, on May 14, 1928, he was educated as a physician and was already active in social reform when he met Raul and Fidel Castro. He quickly became Fidel’s 2nd in command and played a key role in the success of the Cuba Revolution against Batista. He is credited with his work on Cuba’s literacy campaign and its agrarian land reform. He was a bank president and diplomat for Castro’s government. He represented Cuba throughout the international community, speaking on behalf of socialism and against the exploitation of the Southern Hemisphere by Western countries. Ultimately, he became critical of the Soviet Union, also condemning it for exploiting Cuba.

Celebrated by many as an idealist, he was a lifelong, and very charismatic, revolutionary. While revered by many for his struggle to liberate the poor, focused primarily in Africa and South and Central America, he is reviled as a guerilla leader ruthless in his discipline of his troops and brutal as the revolution’s chief executioner, instrumental in the war trials and summary executions of Castro’s adversaries.

The nature of his relationship with the Castros at the time of his death is unclear. On October 3, 1965, two years before Che’s death, Castro made public a letter from Che resigning his positions with the Cuban government, and giving up his Cuban citizenship. Whether his actions result from disagreements with Castro or merely a belief that he should be engaged in a wider campaign of “social justice” is unclear. He returned to Cuba only briefly after authoring that letter. His death changed a questionable relationship to martyrdom.

Che and twenty-nine comrades who fought with him in Bolivia are buried in the Che Guevara Mausoleum. It is located outside Villa Clara, Cuba, near one of his most significant military campaigns. It is treated as a shrine, almost a place of worship. Cameras are forbidden inside the Mausoleum, hats were required to be removed.

Nelson Mandela described Che as “an inspiration for every human being of our era who loves Freedom”. Jean Paul Sartre described him as “the most complete human being of our age.” Surely, Cuban exiles living in the U.S., whose family members were executed by Che’s firing squads, find no humanity in his deeds.

Such totally different images of a human being long dead seem incapable of reconciliation. For purposes of this post, I will not try. Instead, the question may be whether those who exalt him as a hero are influenced to do good or ill. And, from an entirely different perspective, whether his veneration impacts the nature of the short-term–and mid-term–relationships between the United States and Cuba.

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[1] Robert Redford is photographed with Fidel Castro on the wall of the National Hotel, one of the few luxury hotels in Habana, presumably taken during a brief encounter between the two men during Redford’s trip to Cuba for a private screening of The Motorcycle Diaries for Che’s widow and children.

The opinions of this post do not reflect the views of our employers, our families or–necessarily–each other.

“The Betrayal of the American Dream” by James B. Steele

Posted on August 16, 2012 by annandmeg

The Kansas City Public Library is one of my favorite places. While it is an incredible building on the outside, it is what happens inside the building that makes it so special. The library provides for Kansas City the kind of educational opportunities I imagine were available in the times of Socrates. It is a place to read, study and share ideas; not for glory, grades or a degree, but for the sheer love of learning.

Last night’s lecture by James B. Steele, co-author of The Betrayal of the American Dream, presented the library at its best. The seating areas on the first and second floors of the library were packed. The audience, while diverse by any standard, included a significant number of bankers, academics, reporters, and business and civic leaders of both political parties. I could barely see Mr. Steele from my seat behind the second floor bannister. Despite the inconvenient seating arrangements, no one left. The audience listened with rapt attention as Steele spoke for 40 minutes and took questions for another 40 minutes.

Steele is a native of Kansas, and a graduate of UMKC, so he is a “hometown success”. He began his career with the Kansas City Times before moving to the national arena. An author and long time investigative journalist, he and his long time collaborator, Donald L. Bartlett have won two Pulitzer Prizes, in addition to other notable awards. The book, American: What Went wrong?, a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, is one of the seven books earlier books they co-authored.

Mr. Steele is a gracious and kindly gentleman, but was quite compelling in his description of the current state of U.S. economics and, particularly the destruction of the middle class; the class he identifies as “America’s Greatest asset”. He describes ways in which he believes that the middle class has been systematically impoverished, forced to respond to long-term job insecurity and loss of income and benefits in favor of the new ruling elite class.

His lecture moved through the impact of changing lending practices, loss of employment benefits and high levels of student debt as factors in the movement of the middle class to the status of working poor. He is concerned that because of inadequate retirement resources our older citizens work later in life, leaving fewer job opportunities for those just entering the work force. Like Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers, Steele is troubled by the long-term repercussions on a generation unable to initially find employment at levels consistent with their skills and education. Those repercussions can include living with parents, delaying marriage, family and home ownership, as well as lowering life-long career and income potential.

Steele does not point the finger at only one political party, but does point out, as others have, that the failure of bipartisanship among government leaders stifles effective problem solving at a national level. He also describes the negative impact of expanded globalization and movement of U.S. jobs overseas where labor is cheap and companies can often work free of regulation.

I do not presume that Mr. Steele has the answer to all of our problems. He does, however, in a gracious, professional and forthright manner, cause us to reflect on the economic, social and cultural losses we face as a nation and as a community if we continue to move from a country with a strong middle class to a country dominated by a small but increasingly affluent upper class and a large increasingly impoverished lower class. Food for thought for all of us.

__________________________

This post does not represent the opinions of our family, our friends or our employers. Hopefully, I have accurately reported Mr. Steele’s views and comments.

Are we making wise decisions about our charitable contributions?

Posted on July 9, 2012 by annandmeg

[1]

Hopefully, each of us has a charitable heart. Whether we support educational programs, the arts, disabled veterans, disaster relief, Native Americans, or (name your own favorite cause), we want our charitable moneys to be well spent. So, the question is, how do we make good decisions about our charitable contributions.

I took this photograph of my dog in an attempt at a little levity. But it is a significant matter. Charities and foundations solicit and receive millions of dollars a year from caring contributors like ourselves.

I could set up a charity, comply with the legal requirements and begin to solicit contributions for Kansas City dogs like Casey who have sustained minor injuries. I could pay myself a salary and an expense account and give nearly nothing for the care of injured animals. Would anyone contribute? I hope not, since organizations like Wayside Waifs do such a great job of caring–and finding forever homes–for dogs and cats like Casey. As evidenced by the fact that Casey is a product of that wonderful organization.

Over $300 billion dollars a years is contributed annually to U.S. charities. That is an amazing outpouring of generosity from individuals and corporations. As staggering as the amount of money, we can’t afford to have any of that money wasted. But it is likely that millions of our dollars fall through the cracks.

All of us have seen, heard or read the tragic stories of human or animal suffering accompanied by a request for money? I have received solicitations from charities enclosing pennies, dollar bills or a piece of a blanket, accompanied by a request for a contribution. More important, my 97 year old father has: over, and over, and over again. Often the same charity sends mailings on a weekly basis. Sometimes charities with different names, but the same return address, solicit contributions from unknowing but caring individuals–like my dad, who gives generously, but (sorry dad) not always cautiously. But seriously, why would any charity take my contribution and use my money to send pennies or dollars or trinkets to other potential donors?

Anderson Cooper recently did a special entitled Charity Cheats. He focused on investigations conducted through AC 360, his program, and research conducted by CNN’s Drew Griffin and David Fitzpatrick. He focused on charities and fundraising organizations that solicit and collect millions of dollars, but provide almost no funding for services. Primarily, Cooper focused on the high cost of building mailing lists, and the abuse of in-kind gifts to intended recipients of charitable dollars.

In addition to the abuses on which Anderson Cooper has focused his attention, there are also charities that pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in salaries to key employees. A few have been targeted for having huge financial holdings, vast amounts of real estate and supporting elaborate lifestyles for their founders and employees. If these claims are true, how do we protect ourselves from the abuses addressed by Cooper, and others?

Before you open your checkbook to make a contribution to a charity about which you have little information, beware. Most organizations work hard to squeeze every penny out of the donations they receive. But a few, large and small, are very poor stewards of our money. So what to do? Find out about charities to which you wish to donate. Numerous watchdog agencies offer assistance in helping us spend our money carefully. Among them are The Philanthropic Advisory Service of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the American Institute for Philanthropy, GrantSmart, GuideStar, the National Charities Information Bureau and Charity Navigator. Their methodologies may differ, but they provide information not easily available from other sources.

For many of us, the adage to “put your money where your mouth is” may be the best advise. When we contribute our time and our money to the same organization, we significantly increase the chances that our money is well spent. When our goal is provide assistance outside of our own areas of knowledge, looking to the wisdom of experts on evaluating charities may be the best way to protect our contributions and those we seek to benefit.

The opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily represent the opinions of our families, our friends or our employers. Obviously, Anderson Cooper and the investigative reporters at CNN take seriously the issues in “Charity Cheats” and similar reports.

[1]Casey was obviously an unwilling model for my photo-shoot. Hard as I tried to get him to appear in distress, he was having none of it.

Independence Day–a day for reflection and fun

Posted on July 3, 2012 by annandmeg

Two hundred thirty-six years ago The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. In that document the original 13 colonies declared their freedom from Great Britain. It states, in part:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness…

Independence Day is a great day on which to remind ourselves of the privileges we hold dear and the sacrifices that have helped shape our nation and our national values. For me it is a time for gratitude.

Hopefully, it is also a day for celebration: for fun, barbecues, laughter, and fireworks!

Have a safe and happy holiday.

________

The American flag was photographed July 3 at the Liberty Memorial. The fireworks were photographed July 3 during the Westwood, Kansas, fireworks display. All the photographs were taken using my Nikon D5100 camera and Tamron 18-270 zoom lens. I am trying to learn the secrets of my camera. I took lots of shots of a nearly limp or semi-limp flag before I finally was lucky enough to catch a couple of shots where the wind had opened the flag . I had to try numerous settings to get the light and speed right to make it possible for me to catch the fireworks as they raced across the sky. It will be years before I photograph fireworks with the skill to make it to PhotoBotos, but for now, I think these are fun.

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