Need Cash for the Holidays?

While surfing the net aimlessly late last night, I came across this website for unclaimed property (oh, the places aimless surfing will take you . . . ).

Curious, but not expecting anything, I typed in my name and . . . I hit pay dirt! I actually found $100 from about 15 years ago; it looks like a paycheck that I never collected. Wow! I sure could use 100 bucks right about now.

It's very easy to search the databases. The only complaint I have is that, this is not a nationwide search so you have to search state by state. For those of us whose goal it has been to live in every state, then be prepared to search each individual state database.

What are you waiting for? Click here to start and do send me a finders fee for anything you find.

Curious About Your History?

If you are anything like me, you may feel like you do not know the whole story about the relationship between Africa and the West. The national history center is a great resource with historical information about the world. Though it covers world history, there is some great information about Africa. Here are some interesting podcasts to consider

• The Airlift: African Students Overseas in the Era of Decolonization
• Caroline Elkins Reflects on the Mau Mau and the British Empire
• Philip Zelikow Reinterprets the History of U.S. Foreign Policy
• David Painter Examines the Relationship with Oil and World Power

Systemic Failure

Thanksgiving: I’m supposed to be thankful and deep down I know I am. After all, I only have to look at my wife and three kids to know how fortunate I am. But my mind keeps going back to what a sad year it's been for sports in America.

Amidst the great wins, we've seen the worst side of sports probably ever. Two of the most popular sports (NFL and the NBA) have gone through a work stoppage paying little attention to the millions of fans who support them. But it's been college sports that have dipped to all time lows.

Just a few months removed from Ohio State's scandal involving a legendary football coach caught lying, we've seen players suspended for bar fights and off the field misconduct. And when you thought it couldn't get worse, we were shaken to our core by Penn State's sexual abuse scandal. Sadly, it’s quickly turning out that Syracuse University will be having their own scandal involving sexual abuse by a long time assistant coach under the nose of a long time coaching legend.

Now, we can take everything else and move on but when scandals of child abuse arise as they did at Penn State and Syracuse Universities then everything else matters very little.  You simply stop.

You stop because there are numerous kids who were victimized.
You stop again because there are numerous kids who were victimized while other normal intellectual reasonable adults were watching.
And you keep stopping because there are numerous kids who were victimized while normal intellectual reasonable adults were watching and who on their own conscious chose to do nothing.

That my friends is as sobering as it gets and so pardon me if this thanksgiving I am not as jovial as I would normally be.

Lets set aside the perpetrators Jerry Sandusky (Penn state University) and Bernie Fine (Syracuse University). These men are on an island by themselves. They are after all the enemies who infiltrate our trusted institutions like churches and Schools to prey on our kids.

For the rest who were supposed to be watching, where did things go wrong? The fact is, they did watch. And so remove the word “supposed” from the question above and that ought to send a chill down your spine because it points to a much much larger problem.

It's not that all these watchers were bad inconsiderate men. In fact here are some words used to describe them by those who knew them closely – outstanding, honorable, sacrificial, a true leader, always there for the students, capable, determined. These are words we all aspire to be. So what happened? How did institutions that we hold to the highest esteem fail so profoundly and so completely?

There was the first hand group who witnessed abuse going on. A second group got all the clues including first hand reports of abuse going on. A third much larger group of people saw the kids begin to retreat emotionally and physically. They spotted unusual behavior but didn't ask questions. Many of these individuals will never make the headlines but today they are recalling with regret.
"I remember when victim x started doing this and I remember thinking to myself something is wrong. I should have inquired further."

Collectively, they didn’t just suspect but they heard the proverbial duck quack, saw it walk like a duck and where some may have called it a duck, nobody stopped the duck. An entire system of well meaning, normal, intellectual men and women failed and that ought to rattle every single one of us. And in an area where there’s no middle ground, doing the bare minimum or worse nothing is enabling.

Let’s remember that in a fallen world John Sandasky will NOT be the last perpetrator but when good well meaning men and women whom many look up to and trust choose to keep quiet then it’s time all of us to stop and access our society at large

When churches and universities, the only two places where we place the highest values of trust, are plagued by scandals like this, replacing the men and women in these institutions is simply not enough.

I may be miles away from Penn state but that scandal might as well have happened a mile from my house. So on a somber thanksgiving, I'm spending my time asking:
• Am I really acting as my brother's keeper?
• Where or whom do I need to pay more attention to?

If I’m not happy with the answers I get I will be asking myself what I need to change to do more. For someone with no direct connection to the events, these I figure is the next best thing I can do after I get off my knees praying for the victims.

Bernard Wambugu
CEO Lantel Systems
http://lantelsystems.com
How we work continues to change. We provide the technology solutions to allow for that change.
Let’s stay in touch
http://www.facebook.com/bernardmw
http://twitter.com//bernardmw

Need $$? Try IndieGoGo, an International Funding Platform

We have written about crowdsourcing platforms before, here and here. And today we have one more to bring to you . . . IndieGoGo.

If you have a passion, IndieGoGo can help you raise the money you need and increase the publicity you need to make it a reality.

For those of us who donate, we get the opportunity to support causes and projects that are important to us.

I came across some pretty fun, interesting, meaningful campaigns. Check them out below:

1. Africa Oyé 2012 - Liverpool, June 23 & 24. Largest African Music Festival in the UK.
2. SeeMeCNC H-1 - Development of an affordable 3D home printer. Since we wrote about 3D printing a few days ago, it was interesting to read about this machine.
3. LuminAid - inflatable, waterproof, affordable solar lantern.
4. Class Dismissed - a film about homeschooling.
   

Black Friday 2011 revisited!

In case you are still wondering if Black Friday is worth it, check out this videos and others like it on YouTube

If you really must buy gifts during the holidays, come up with a list every year and look out for deals throughout the year. Check out these sites that offer deals all the time.

• SlickDeals
• DealsPlus
• DealNews
• Woot
• PlasticJungle

Is Black Friday Shopping Worth It?

I shudder when I read the news reports about the violence related to Black Friday shopping.

Black Friday shopping is not worth it, if it will make you throw civility out of the window and push, fight, shove, pepper spray, others to "get a good deal".

However, those who indulge in this kind of behavior are not going to agree with me. But what about those who are subjected to these incivilities?

It is also not worth it to subject yourself to those who will push, fight, shove, pepper spray, you causing you to get hurt or suffer through a horrible shopping experience.

And in most cases the things we are trying to buy are not worth it because we really, truly do not need them. Yes, it is nice to have a flat screen tv but none of us needs a flat screen tv. No one needs more toys, more clothes, more video games, more movies.

Don't get hurt trying to get a good deal for something you don't need in the first place. Stay away from the crazy shoppers.

Now that the busiest shopping season has begun, honestly ask yourself, "Do I need this or do I want this?" before you hit the stores or the cyber malls. Engage in more thoughtful shopping than just buying stuff that is the latest fad.

Choose to spend money on experiences that you and your family and friends can enjoy together, and create lasting memories, rather than just buying stuff that will simply pile up in your home.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Make Your Designs A Reality

For the designer lurking in all of us, now you can easily and cheaply make your designs a reality, courtesy of Shapeways. Shapeways is a 3D printing firm. In case you have no idea what that is, you can read all about it on their website.

Shapeways offers a choice of materials (glass, stainless steel, plastic etc.) so all you have to do is upload your design, select your material and wait for the mailman or mailwoman to show up with your goodies.

For example, using the Image Popper tool on their website, you can turn a 2D graphic into a 3D model of a jewelry pendant or a nameplate for your desk or company logo.

If you decide you have a flair for design and want to make some money, you can set up your own store on the Shapeways website and sell your products to the world.

No design talent? Check out their holiday gift guide and buy unique gifts for your family and friends such as this fascinating spinning cube by the designer Virtox.

15 Full-ride Scholarships for Minority MBA Students

University of St. Thomas, Minnesota is offering 15 full tuition scholarships for talented minority candidates for Fall 2012. The candidates must demonstrate a record of academic achievement, professional experience and high potential.

A completed application will include the following

• Online application form
• $60 application fee
• Current resume
• Three essays
• Undergraduate transcripts
• Official GMAT report
• Two letters of recommendation

Click on their website to learn more. 

Public Speaking Tips

I was doing some research to polish my public speaking and I came across Harvey Mackay's website at www.harveymackay.com where he has posted some excellent "tools" on several topics. Harvey Mackay, is a professional speaker and the author of the business bestseller, "Swim with the Sharks".

Mackay's 35 To Stay Alive, includes some interesting speaking tips that I have not heard of before. The one that really struck me was, " Never, never, never end your program with a question and answer session". Why?

His argument is that since you cannot control the Q & A, your presentation/speech/talk can end on a low note and that is not a chance you want to take. Solution?

"Start the Q & A five minutes before the end of your talk, then transition from one of your answers to a real climax".

Wow, that will surely lead to a powerful finish. I would love to see someone present in that fashion. For more Harvey tools, check out www. harveymackay.com.

8 Ways to Incorporate Your Culture to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a unique holiday that immigrants can use to teach kids about the American culture and country of origin culture. Here are some ways you can incorporate your own culture to a traditional thanksgiving

1. Use traditional ingredients to make some of the traditional thanksgiving dishes eg spice the turkey using ethnic spices or make stuffing using an ethnic menu
2. Play cultural music after the thanksgiving dinner such as salsa, lingala 
3. Incorporate a cultural desert to replace the thanksgiving pies
4. Watch a popular sport in your country of origin instead of American football
5. Tell cultural stories after the thanksgiving meal or around the thanksgiving table during the meal
6. Create labels for the dishes in your native language
7. Set up the food differently such as buffet style instead of the meal around the table style that is typical for American families. 
8. Decorate the thanksgiving table using ethnic decor

Vlisco Delicate Shades Collection

Vlisco has done it again . . . their latest fabric collection, "Delicate Shades" is simply fabulous.

Some of the fabrics have an almost futuristic look to them, appearing like two different prints overlaid over each other. Very fascinating. And as usual, they feature gorgeous colors with blue reigning supreme this time.

It's not too late to buy some fabric and have some new threads made for the holiday season.

Click here for the look book. Especially love the looks on pages 2, 24, 30 and 50.

2011 Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee on The Daily Show

Leymah Gbowee totally rocked it on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Monday night. She was warm and funny and witty and tough all rolled into one. I would love to hang out with her.

She talked about her memoir, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War. Click here to order your copy. If you missed the show, you can catch the interview here.

Leymah is one of the three 2011 Nobel Peace Laureates, honored for her work to end civil war in Liberia and the story has been told through the 2008 documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell".

Watch Pray the Devil Back To Hell on PBS. See more from WOMEN WAR AND PEACE.

When.... Cold Wintry Nights by Kuson

When

Cold Wintry Nights

Approach

Again!

(I Think I read somewhere

That the  earth is an Old Revolving Woman)

Starchy airs drop on dry alveoli

Left parched after scorched

summers

And dry eyes strain on beyond the 

skinny naked trees

In a placid landscape of white

Then the 

Mind Ties In Quietly the

Years Thoughts in Bundles

Like My Cucus did and do with firewood

And The Prevailing Bareness Burns

Itself

Out!

IN

 Laughing Fires.

(Cucus means grandmothers)

Safari Golf Club of Texas Partnering with inABLE to Open New Doors of Opportunity

Tee Up for Great Cause – Saturday Nov 19^th at Quail Valley in Houston, Texas

InABLE is a non-profit based in Nairobi, Kenya and in Atlanta, USA. It was co-founded by Chris Macharia, Houston resident and long-time friend of Safari Golf Club Texas. inABLE’s mission is to empower the blind and visually impaired through assistive technology.  In 2009, inABLE opened its first computer lab at the Thika Primary School for the Blind in Kenya, with a wildly popular and highly successful computer skills training program for the blind students and teachers.  

Today the students in their program can surf the web independently, communicate with their friends, use social media, type essays, blog and they even have a group of blind students designing their school website. Check out  inABLE  on YouTube video and on their website at www.inable.org. 

Safari GCTx is proud to host our November Mug tournament, which will be held at the Quail Valley Golf Club-Eldorado, in support of inABLE’s activities. As Safari GCTx first charity tournament sponsorship, members are encouraged to go all out in support of this worthy cause.  We encourage you to visit inABLE website and learn more about their activities, and donate on their website if you would like to. 

In order to maximize our support for the visually impaired children that inABLE serves, we will be taking the following steps:

• Tournament fee for the November Mug will be $20 of which, $10 will go towards inABLE cause and the rest will cover tournament expenses. 
• In support of this event Safari GCTx will donate a trophy in appreciation to the member who raises the most funds and another trophy to the member who collects from the most people, but not necessarily the most funds (golf honor system-no double dipping).
• Members are encouraged to invite their friends and families 
• Sponsor-a-hole in support of this event is greatly encouraged and prizes will be given accordingly. (this being our first charity tournament, we’ll not have signage for the sponsors on the holes, however participants will be advised on this before they tee off and during prize giving.) Companies, organizations, individuals or friends are welcome to sponsor.

Let’s take this opportunity to fund a worthy cause. May the best golfer win, and on this day we know that the blind children of Kenya will also be winners, with a hand from Safari GCTxs and from you.

To learn more about Safari Golf Club of Texas, check out their Facebook group page. 
Written by Kevin Njuguna, Safari Golf Club of Texas, Chairman. 

Everyone Loves Lady Gaga . . . including Chinese Seniors . . .

Attitude is Everything!

One of the most important things that any immigrant can learn is how to maintain a positive attitude. It will help you overcome many of the obstacles that come your way as you build a new life.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines attitude as the mental position with regard to a fact or a state. To get started on your positive journey, start with practicing daily gratitude. No matter how bad things are, there is always something to be thankful for. Check out this inspiring video by one of my favorite motivational speakers and get going towards a more positive attitude.

What You Can Do to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

In light of the sex abuse scandal unfolding around the Penn State retired coach, Sandusky, I am sure that everyone is asking how can we keep our children safer? I know we cannot protect them 24-7, but is there anything we can do to prevent child sex abuse?

Darkness to Light is an organization that is devoted to ending child sex abuse. Their stated mission is to "empower people to prevent child sex abuse".

The organization runs programs to raise awareness about child sex abuse and educates adults on the steps they can and should take to "prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child abuse".

According to their website:

1. 1 in 4 girls will be abused before she turns 18
2. 1 in 6 boys will be abused before he turns 18
3. More than 90% of abusers are people that the children know, love and trust

As the statistics above show, the unfortunate reality is that most of us "know" a child who is being sexually abused and yet we are not aware of it.

The organization holds training sessions all over the country. Training is also available via an online module.

As a first step, read the 7 Steps to Protecting Our Children from Sexual Abuse.

Watch Free Documentaries Online

One of the most interesting documentaries I have watched recently is End of Poverty. It highlights economic policies around the world that keep some countries poor while others continue to get wealthy. IAccording to the documentary, 20% of the world's population uses 80% of its resources which is 30% more than the planet can regenerate. If you want a different point of view on global economics watch this documentary on http://topdocumentaryfilms.com

Other documentaries on this site are

• Super Size Me
• The Fall Of Lehman Brothers
• The Money Masters

If you would like to change the type of media you consume, check out http://topdocumentaryfilms.com!

Veterans Day—November 11

Even though the Treaty of Versailles that officially ended the war was signed on June 28, 1919, the Allies and Germany had ceased hostilities about seven months earlier and November 11, 1918 had been declared as "the end of the war".

This is the day that we celebrate as Veteran's Day, in honor of all the soldiers who have served this country both in wartime and in peacetime.

Veteran's Day is different from Memorial Day in that it is also supposed to honor living veterans whereas Memorial Day honors those who have given their lives in the service of their country, our country.

We salute our heroes and thank our brave men and women in uniform for their services.

Does Your Child Need Additional Resources To Learn?

If you need additional resources for your child to learn biology, algebra and other tough subjects, check out Khan Academy. It is a free online resource started by Sal Khan a Harvard MBA and former hedge fund manager. He makes learning exciting and fun for kids and makes it easy to learn difficult concepts.

The Khan Academy has over 2600 videos on almost every subject and over 235 practice exercises. The videos are only 10-15 minutes which is palatable for almost anyone. The great thing about this concept is that everyone no matter where they are in the world has access to a great education. Check out what Bill Gates had to say about Khan Academy

source:

www.khanacademy.org

http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/23/technology/sal_khan_academy.fortune/index.htm

Do You Have The Courage To Do The Right Thing?

This Penn State scandal has me sick to my stomach.

I have been praying (literally) that should I ever find myself in a similar situation that I will have the courage to do the right thing, regardless of what it may cost me.

If you are afraid of talking to the police, you can always call anonymously.

Don’t keep quiet, you can stop the abuse and protect a child from further abuse.

To paraphrase Edmund Burke, all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.

Nnedi Okorafor: An inspiration for African parents living abroad

I stumbled over this amazing author while watching "Behind the words" on the African channel. She is an American born author to two Nigerian Parents and is a professor at the Chicago state University

She has authored various books such as Zahrah the Windseeker, The Shadow Speaker and others. She has also won various awards such as the Wole Soyinka prize for literature, CNS parallax award among others.

I love how she weaves African culture and fantasy together. Her writing will take your imagination someplace you have never been. She is an inspiration to african parents who are raising their kids abroad and wonder if the kids will ever get in touch with their culture. Obviously Nnedi's parents heritage has a big influence in who she has become. Culture is such an important part of who we are and parents should not be afraid to teach it or model it because it enriches the next generation. Nnedi is a great example of that.

Check out a portion of her interview on the Africa channel

You can learn more about Nnedi on her website http://nnedi.com/index.html. You can also purchase her books on Amazon. 

One solution to dealing with 7 Billion on earth

Most Fridays I’m usually at my daughter’s class where these intelligent third graders throw all kinds of questions at me on a particular topic. I always try to make it fun and have fun doing it. One thing’s for sure is that these are not your grandma’s third graders. In my line of business, I have been questioned plenty of times by new and existing clients that I meet with, but nothing compares to a third grade class. They always make it challenging because they are armed with far more information today than ever before.

Last week, we were trying to understand how big 7 billion was. Now, this is not kindergarten where I can spread my hands wide and say “this big” nor is it high school where they have a better sense of large numbers. It dawned on me that trying to explain 7 billion to third graders is almost rocket science.  Eventually by relating that number to what they already know I began to see their jaws drop in amazement as they began to realize how large 7 billion really was.The topic came on the heels of the UN officially announcing that we are now 7 billion people on earth.

In my last post, I pointed out here that it’s not the number that’s we need to be focused on, rather its finding balance. How do we get the needed balance to sustain 7 billion people?

Solution 1: Raise level of consumption amongst the bottom one-third. 

The bottom line is we need a balanced approach to consumption. Whereas the top 5% consume 17% of resources, the bottom one-third consume only 3.2%. 

It’s not practical to ask the top consumers to consume less. Instead market forces will make the high consumers to consume less as we’re beginning to see in Europe and North America. What we should be doing is figuring out how the bottom can consume more.

So then how do you raise the level of consumption amongst a group that may not have personal resources to do so?

Back in 2005 when I visited Kenya there was an underlying problem chocking consumption. For anyone back then to transact required carrying cash around. This was further exacerbated if the transactions had to happen miles apart. For majority of the population who are still unbanked getting things done was a drag. However, there was a service that was just gaining momentum that would forever change how transactions were  done.  

M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer service developed by a team of Kenyan entrepreneurs came about to help solve such challenges. The product was designed as a bankless way to move money. The service made sense to the bottom one-third who do not have access to banks. The result was increased consumption of new products and services using MPesa as a way to transact.

It’s been a great success story for M-Pesa who recently surpassed western union in number of transactions done within Kenya. Today MPesa has been at the heart of several business ventures, product and service creation amongst Kenya’s population.

The opportunities as well as the effect of such products and the impact to the bottom one-third to create more goods and services and hence consume more is nothing short of remarkable. It’s this kind of social entrepreneurship that will help raise level of consumption. Products and services that can be used especially by the bottom one-third to create more goods and services are what we really need. 

Here’s one definition I read, “A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem uses entrepreneurship principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve a social change.” We need these kinds of men and women to help bring balance. If you happen to be one of these, please let me know, I have a third grade class ready with questions to vet your product or service.

Bernard Wambugu

CEO Lantel Systems

http://lantelsystems.com How we work continues to change. We provide the technology solutions to allow for that change.

Let’s stay in touch 

http://www.facebook.com/bernardmw

http://twitter.com//bernardmw

Runners Wanted!

Now that the temperatures have cooled down considerably, I am considering taking up running and I am inspired by Nike's campaign, "Never Stop Running". Check it out below.

Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi designs

This week I stumbled on Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi; an amazing designer who is blowing up the Nigerian and international fashion scene. According to her website, she has been on the scene since 2005. Her collections are chic, sophisticated and bold. I love how she combines great fashion sense with some exquisite fabric and traditional print.

Check out some designs from her labor love collection

 

I can totally see myself in her clothes and head dresses, can you? For more information about these great designer and her designs go to http://lanredasilvaajayi.com/biography.php

Don't Order A Martini Until You See This!

This is one of those Fridays . . . can’t wait till the week is over, Friday!

In honor of the almost here Happy Hour when many of us are looking forward to ordering martinis, check out this video that tells you exactly what a martini is and isn’t.

Who knew? Ben is hilarious . . . I am feeling better already.

Happy Friday and don’t drink and drive or drink and bike or drink and jay walk . . . Drink responsibly!

Where Do You Place in the 7 billion population

The United States Population Fund has a cool population counter which will help you figure out where you are placed in the world birth order. You need to plug in the following details to get started

• Sex
• Date of birth
• Which country you were born
• Where in the country
• Which country you live now

Here are my stats..

In the entire history of the world, as far back as the first homo sapiens,

78,514,426,075                                  people were born before you.

On the day you were born,

4,122,276,735                             people born before you were alive.

• 4,122,276,735
  +4,701,066,539
  -1,822,819,353
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• people were alive when you were born
  people were born since you
  people have died since you were born


• As a result, the population today is7,000,523,921

Go to http://www.7billionandme.org/about-you.php and find out your stats.

Inside Out Project - Global Art for Social Change

The Inside Out project is a global art project that uses personal portraits exhibited in local communities to connect people and bring them together.

In Cape Town, South Africa one group has used the project to bring two communities together, who on the face of it have little in common, fostering conversations about life in post apartheid South Africa. One community is primarily black, Xhosa speaking and the other is primarily coloured, Afrikaans speaking.

Check out this video of their project. Click here for other Inside Out projects.

African Girl with Natural Hair Series: My Secret Weapon

My hair loves the Herbal Essences Herbal Hydration conditioner.

I use this conditioner in the following ways

• Cowashing twice a week
• Conditioning rinse on the rare days I use shampoo
• Leave it on my hair overnight for deep conditioning
• Mix it with a natural oil as a leave-in conditioner
• Mix it with Shikakai powder for my shampoo days
• Use it to do my two strand twists

This conditioner always leaves my hair feeling soft, luxurious and smelling great. It keeps my hair super moisturized.