Emerson Electric, an American company founded in 1890, ranking number 111 on the Fortune 500, and the nation’s largest manufacturer of electronics and electronic equipment, is saying bye-bye to the country that hired Barack Obama.

You have to wonder how many businesses are saying goodbye to Obamination with their feet – or will soon start as his policies begin to take hold.

Emerson Electric Votes With Its Feet, Saying The Goverment Is Destoying American Manufacturing

By Richard McCormack
richard@manufacturingnews.com

One of the country’s most important industrial companies says the United States is not a good place to manufacture and it will continue moving its assets offshore.

The federal government is “doing everything in [its] manpower [and] capability to destroy U.S. manufacturing,” says David Farr, chairman and CEO of Emerson Electric Co., in a presentation at the Baird 2009 Industrial Conference in Chicago Ill., on Nov. 11. In comments reported by Bloomberg, Farr added that companies will continue adding jobs in China and India because they are “places where people want the products and where the governments welcome you to actually do something. I am not going to hire anybody in the United States. I’m moving. They are doing everything possible to destroy jobs.”

In his Powerpoint presentation available on the Emerson Electric Web site, Farr notes that the federal government is damaging prospects for U.S. economic growth with a $1.41 trillion federal deficit (10 percent of GDP); $12 trillion in government debt that will grow to $20 trillion in 10 years; a policy of printing money; a “non-targeted $800-billion stimulus”; bailouts for Wall Street and the automobile companies; the prospect for cap and trade legislation; a “government takeover” of health care to the tune of more than $1 trillion; increasing taxes and regulations; and a “lack of U.S. $ support” for manufacturing. The global stimulus “soon will fade,” says Farr.

If I wanted to destroy a nation economically from within, I would do precisely as Obama is doing.  I would create a climate of confusion and uncertainty by preventing businesses from knowing what the future will hold for them so that they could not plan.  I would constantly threaten them with policies that will necessarily provide them with disincentives to hire new employees or expand their operations.  I would burden them with higher taxes and more onerous regulations.  And I would make essential resources (such as energy) more expensive.

And then I would simply sit back and watch that economy crawl into a hole.

You might like socialism just fine, but many of the companies that actually employ workers and produce the profits that keep government revenues flowing, don’t like it at all.

(English follows)

Cela est un fait indéniable que le processus créatif est essentiel, voire vital pour l’artiste. Sans aucun doute, toute démarche artistique vaut en soi son pesant d’or.

Mais d’un point de vue de mise en marché, la musique ne vaut rien d’autre que le nombre d’oreilles disponibles pour l’écouter. Rien d’autre que le nombre de cœurs qui battent pour elle. Le succès de votre groupe, de votre carrière dépend d’abord de cela. Rappelez-vous que les marques top Fortune 500 auront toujours besoin de squatter votre précieuse relation avec vos fans afin de vendre leurs produits. En d’autres termes, ne vendez pas votre musique; vendez votre réseau! Prenez soin de vos fans en leur donnant votre contenu, votre musique, vos vidéos et l’accès à quelques tranches de votre vie. Arrimez-vous avec vos fans. Donnez à vos fans une raison d’être. Une raison de faire partie de quelque chose de merveilleux. Faites en sorte de les rendre conscient que leur implication a un impact sur votre évolution. C’est la chose la plus importante pour vos fans : faire partie de vous.

Le succès et l’argent suivront assurément.

—

This is an undeniable fact that the creative process is essential, even vital for the artist. Undoubtedly, for its creator, any art work in itself is worth more then anything else.

But from a marketing standpoint , the music is worth nothing less than the number of ears listening to it, the number of hearts beating for it. Your band’s value depends of this. And the Fortune 500 Brands always needs to squat your precious relationship with fans to sell their products. That’s how you’ll succeed in making money with your music. In other words, don’t sell your music, but sell your network; take care of your fans by giving them your content, your music, your videos, some parts of your personal life. Give them a reason to be. A reason to be part of something. Make them being conscious and involved in you career evolution. This is the most important thing they need : being part of…

Success and cash will surely come then.

Here’s how I propose we get the US out of debt (via Glenn Beck).

The Fortune 500 companies had a profit of  98 Billion dollars last year.

The US debt is 12 Trillion dollars.

All we have to do is tax the Fortune 500 100% for 125 years and we’ll have this debt completely paid off!

I’m some kind of Super-genius, huh?

PUREENERGY312

SAMUEL DANIEL  LOVELESS – S.D.L. –  PUREENERGY312

 

“If you have the power to do something good; you have the responsibility to do it”

 Mr. William J Clinton

NETWEAVING FOR MY OWN BUSINESS

TRUE UNCLE SAM OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PUREENERGY312

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?

I WILL START…

FAILURE AND PAIN IS SUCCESS BUT NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE THE CLASS.

 I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO HERE YOUR IEDAS.

THANK YOU

SAMUEL DANIEL LOVELESS

S.D.L.

PUREENERGY312

TRUE UNCLE SAM OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Yesterday at MaRS in downtown Toronto I attended a gathering of extraordinary people with minds directed toward changing the world through social innovation.

The lecture was entitled: “Impact Investing: Building Prosperity outside the Mainstream.”

An incredible opportunity, and I was inspired and transported to a higher calling for my life’s role by the quality and depth manifested by those extraordinary presenters and participants.

This post includes two elements: my analysis and understanding of the presentations, the question period, and my questions that arose thereafter relating to this essential transformative global issue.

First, SiG and MaRS–who they are and what they are about, and then I look at the event itself: its speakers, questions which arose, and the concrete actions I am taking which relate to issues addressed at the conference.

“Social Innovation Generation (SiG) is a group who believes that serious social problems can be solved. SiG is a collaborative initiative that seeks to address Canada’s social and ecological challenges by creating a culture of continuous social innovation. Our focus will be on fostering social innovation to achieve impact, durability and scale.” Taken from the http://sigeneration.ca/

“MaRS connects the communities of science, business and capital and fosters collaboration among them.

MaRS drives social and economic prosperity by leading Canada’s innovation mission.

We at MaRS envision Canadian communities that are prospering through enhanced employment prospects, the creation and retention of local wealth and an enriched cultural and social environment. To realize this vision, we foster and promote Canadian innovation.

MaRS helps create successful global businesses from Canada’s science and technology.

MaRS provides resources — people, programs, physical facilities, funding and networks — to ensure that critical innovation happens. We stimulate, identify and harness great ideas, nurture their development and guide the transformation of those ideas into reality. We measure our success through the companies that emerge after receiving help from MaRS.” Taken from http://www.marsdd.com

MaRS, beyond the physical beauty of its environment, embodies a spirit which includes magnificent people contributing so meaningfully to Canada and the world. It is an incredible facility and for those of you who can, visiting MaRS will be an exciting life experience for you.

“Impact Investing: Building Prosperity Outside the Mainstream.”

The lecture was moderated by John Tory, the former Ontario Provincial Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, Director at Rogers Communications, and two-time Toronto Mayoral Candidate.

The Right Honorable Paul Martin, twenty-first Prime Minister of Canada (2003-2006), Minister of Finance (1993-2002), and Member of Parliament for LaSalle-Émard (1988-2008) spoke with eloquence at the conference.

Bill Young, the Founder and President of Social Capital Partners also addressed the conference.  Bill is a visionary, consistently demonstrating his capabilities in the corporate, and now, not for profit social finance world, especially with respect to creating employment programs and jobs. http://www.socialcapitalpartners.ca

Mr. Tory was an extraordinary moderator framing the discussion by providing a clear and concise vision for what was to be discussed. Specifically, three challenges which interrelate to social entrepreneurship and social innovation in Canada. Namely:

• Legal challenges
• Financial challenges
• People challenges

Mr. Young and Mr. Martin, respectively, were given the floor to introduce themselves.

Mr. Young led, speaking briefly about Social Capital Partners and its role in Canada. His vision is quite simple, robust and enormously powerful––Every Fortune 500 company within the next ten years will utilize a social hiring role in order to engage and assist the community within the context of fulfilling their respective business missions.

He also mentioned projects which have successful demonstrated that business and social infrastructure can work together to enrich lives and economic profitability: A Vancouver Property Management organization; A Winnipeg Renovations company; A Toronto Bike Courier, and ten (10) Thrift Shops in Montréal.

Each of these organizations works with a respective Community Service Agency to train and place employees in positions that allow them to contribute to their own lives as well as society in general. Many of these newly employed people move directly from social assistance to the employing organization.

Mr. Young, in the first five-year innovation and investment phase, produced results in collaboration with others that proved in doing business this way; organizations can generate a return on investment while transforming lives for the better in Canada.

It became apparent to Bill during this initial period that there had been no fundamental change in the landscape. While enabling hundreds of people to move from social assistance to employment and seeing positive societal and attitudes trends, he did not see the paradigm shift occur which is needed to create a transferrable model which can then be successfully undertaken anywhere and everywhere. Bill viewed the challenges as:

• How do we engage corporations?
• Can we make this cookie cutter?
• How can it be done easier, faster and better?
• Is it possible to franchise the core concept?

These questions led Bill Young to explore approaching franchised businesses with a simple proposition:

• He would provide funding through a subordinate debt financing package which was more attractive then the banks
• This enabled a franchise to raise money at what would be considered ‘friends and family rates’
• In return, the franchises would agree to hire from a Community Service Agency.

Bill first approached Active, Green and Ross. The pilot began with five (5) Hamilton locations in Ontario. This pilot was so successful that Active, Green and Ross now uses this same hiring strategy at twenty-two (22) locations.

Thus, Mr. Young created and proved a new model that is more effective, faster, easier and better. It then became a matter for him of connecting the dots.

Bill next approached the Canadian Tire Board of Directors. He learned that one evaluation applied to the Board and its executives related to an organizational ability to effectively engage the community and aid in its development.

Bill Young, with this knowledge, went to Brampton, walked through their Brampton distribution centers and found that Canadian Tire could benefit to the tune of 4,000 employees who would come into the environment as employees trained by the Community Service Agencies. In a sense, he had identified an important element in the demand/supply chain as related to Human Resources development and had done it from the entry point. Bill had demonstrated and proven the value proposition.

He pointed out that technology would also play an important role and sites such as Monster and Workopolis could contribute toward accelerating changing the way that businesses engage in Human Resources strategies and social hiring.

This will allows the Community Service Agencies to focus on training rather than placement. The current Government models see the Community Service Agencies getting a fee for placement. However, Community Service Agencies may not necessarily excel at placement whereas they have demonstrated that they do excel at training.

By taking the original model and turning it on its head Bill Young has proven that Governments will save time, money and other resources, that there will be new effectiveness developed in the system, and further realized that there may be a way to reverse engineer social systems to gain greater effect.

One might reasonably wonder how does one follow such an amazing presentation by a leading social innovator.

Quite simply––be The Right Honorable Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada and best damn Finance Minister the modern world has ever known.

Mr. Martin started by pointing out that there is a massive inequity in the way that Business Entrepreneurs and Social Entrepreneurs are treated in legal, tax and regulatory ways, and with respect to access to capital. He stated that this inequity leads to business entrepreneurs having access to all kinds of capital and incentives, while Social Entrepreneurs are left out in the desert.

Mr. Martin went on to define a social and business entrepreneur as being the exact same thing in that they each want to achieve the building of something, and that each fills an essential need within the context of the social fabric of Canada.

The former Prime Minister then asked a question and framed the answer: What should Government do? And in brief, he suggested the Government should treat both the same. Further, in so doing, there will be greater capital available to achieve greater results for Canada.

Mr. Martin elaborated by stating that currently there is a deficit in that social entrepreneurs have not been given a seat at the capital table–– for a myriad of reasons social entrepreneurs have not been allowed to tap into capital markets and that this represents a major challenge that needs to be overcome.

He went on to ask, “Where then do social innovators currently get money?”

Mr. Martin clearly revealed that Social Entrepreneurs are currently limited to accessing capital that may be made available by Angel investors who can see the value in undertaking social innovations through entrepreneurship. Further, that while being a good start, access to Angel investor capital is not enough to satisfy the needs of Canada and Canadian society.

It is important to note that this former Prime Minister of Canada does more than speak of the inequity; Mr. Martin has taken action to address this issue. While in Government, Mr. Martin directed $175 million dollars toward social innovation and entrepreneurship while cautioning that this was but a drop in the bucket, and yet he could not do more at that time because he did not understand the complexities as he does today.

How then does Mr. Martin now understand more? Simply, by putting his money where the rubber hits the road. Mr. Martin has long been a vocal and active advocate for the Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. He witnessed from his time as Finance Minister and Prime Minister of Canada that there was an ever-growing divide between Aboriginals and the rest of the country.

Hence the Cape Fund was born, and the critically important CAPE Fund Mission is “to further a culture of economic independence, ownership, entrepreneurship, and enterprise management among Aboriginal Peoples, on or off reserve through the creation and growth of successful businesses.”

More specifically, in communities where economic opportunity and capable political leadership are present, the CAPE Fund within a spirit and in the context of partnership provides equity and quasi-equity capital, business expertise, and mentoring on individual projects that are capable of providing both a:

Financial Return: A reasonable return based on market conditions and transaction specifics and after taking into the costs associated with the Social Return.

Social Return: consisting of the promotion of entrepreneurship, transfer of skills, and in most instances, ultimately the transfer of ownership/control to Aboriginal entrepreneurs or community.” http://www.capefund.ca

Yet, Mr. Martin acknowledged that more is required––Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments need to recognize that this is an area of business that is going to have massive growth potential which will put people to work, and rather than bleed the tax rolls, will increase revenues while reducing unnecessary social infrastructure expenses.

As such, Mr. Martin believes it is necessary for regulatory and tax incentives to be placed into the Tax Act and sooner rather than later.

It is clear that Mr. Martin was looking for the imprimatur or legitimacy that already exists for business to be extended to social entrepreneurship.

The former Prime Minister of Canada effectively argues that there was a dearth of competent and experienced professionals inside this world of Social Entrepreneurship, and this is one factor that makes it such a difficult sale to investors and Governments alike.

However, he pointed out that through the Cape Fund, they have invested in a building company, which hired directly off the Reserves which dot the Canadian landscape. To overcome this challenge, he felt, the best thing to do was to put outside experienced and competent managers in place and allow Aboriginals to be promoted from within as time allows. Mr. Martin believes that over the course of the next decade he will be able to hand the reins over to competent Aboriginal managers and––His vision is bang on.

Mr. Martin went on to allude to the fact that the paradigm shift has already occurred. That the Global Financial Crisis has exacerbated this shift, and that Governments in Canada have been slow to recognize that this paradigm shift has occurred. He elaborated that the effects of this recession would be long ranging, perhaps as long as ten years, and we need a definite plan to deal with the realities, with Social Entrepreneurship, leadership and training being three areas that ought to be considered as promising contributors to the future well-being of Canada and Canadian society.

The former Prime Minister emphatically pointed out that Government is the problem. By virtue of the Leviathan, Government is slow to react to situational realities. It needs to be demonstrated in such a way as to make it easy for Government to embrace the necessary changes.

And, to do this it is important to clearly understand and be realistic about returns on investment and yet point out that some of the returns may not immediately measurable.

Thus, there are longer-term considerations that need to be examined, and metrics developed to figure out returns on investment.

Mr. Martin, in conclusion, eloquently made clear that a crack exists in the fabric of society and this crack will only worsen if it is not addressed now. Further this is far greater than just the distribution of wealth inequalities––Unaddressed this rift will cause far more problems and damage to society. He points out the need is currently greater than it has ever been in the past, and that the funds available to deal with that need are ever smaller due to the recent economic meltdown. As such, we need fresh vision, new ideas and champions to attempt to reverse this damaging trend.

The next post will look at the question period related to the regulatory, financial and people problems that exist within this field.

“Social entrepreneurs are helping to create a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.” Robert Alan

“Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” Bill Drayton

Be Inspired Today!

The New Currency
 SDM
“Change…At the Speed of Thought”

Came across two great posts yesterday that really resonated with me. They both covered ideas that I’ve been struggling with of late. The first was a post from Tuesday on Brains on Fire entitled Why You Don’t Need Social Media Consultants. I thought this summed it up nicely:

Because you have all the basic tools you need: Your humanity. Your ability to communicate with people around you. And your intuition. Because when you think about it, using social media is just a natural extension of yourself. Asking questions. Listening. Responding. And remember, social media apps are tactics. And tactics are tools. Sure, you might need some guidance on how to use that bandsaw, but you picked up a hammer and pretty much got the gist after you hit your thumb a few times.

Some of the comments were equally thoughtful. I especially liked one from Amber Naslund:

My issue with the SM consultant sphere is the focus on tactics. And even the ones that rage against focusing on tools can be seen framing out a Twitter strategy instead of focusing on a *business* strategy that happens to employ some social media tools.

You see, I’ve been struggling lately with what seems like the disproportionate amount of buzz and chatter paid to social media that seems to pervade the marketing/branding blogosphere. To listen to it, you would think that social media drove marketing budgets at every Fortune 500 company and that it was the primary vehicle for brand communication….

…but it’s not. Not by a long shot. And as a brand manager at one of those companies, I guess I am skeptical because I’m hearing one thing (that social media is going to redefine advertising and branding) but I’m seeing another (social media helps as an added element in the promotional mix but it still doesn’t move the needle like TV or print). That isn’t to say it is not important. My feeling is that I think it will revolutionize customer interaction for some brands, it will somewhat change promotional mix for some, and it will have very little impact on others. Which brings me to the second article. Stan Lee makes this astute observation about brands:

Spend time in the company of so called social media experts however, and they’ll tell you that all brands need to have a close relationship with consumers in order to survive. I’m just not buying it. For me there are essentially three brand categories: There’s the brand I buy regularly but don’t particularly care about. I’d put toilet paper and petrol in this category. I do not have an emotional connection with these brands. The second category is brands that I never waver from. I’d put my favourite brand of underwear in this category. I have no emotional bond with this brand, I buy it because no other underwear fits as comfortably…My third category of brands is those that I am an advocate for. My Lovemarks. In this category I’d include Apple, Paul Smith, Adidas and Vespa. I’ve had a relationship with these brands for a long time. I know it may sound silly, but these brands help define me. And I definitely have an emotional connection with them.

I second that sentiment. There are simply brands that consumers are not going to engage with on an emotional level…or on facebook or twitter or any other social media outlet. I use a lot of brands that I am simply not going to become fans of on facebook or download a mobile app for – no matter how cool. And that’s fine. For those brands, more traditional advertising outlets will continue to be their primary focus.

And if I were a brand manager on one of those less engaging, more functional brands, I would probably still go through the effort of creating a social media presence with fan pages and blogs and tweets, etc. Why? Because…well, I’m not willing to bet against those things either. Assuming a brand has sufficient resources, opting out of social media is a calculated risk that would be difficult to justify during such a transitional period in branding and media as this (and it would require a lot of explaining if the brand did indeed miss out on the next big wave). No brand manager wants to be the guy that ignored the internet because he though it would only be a flash in the pan.

An updated look at the true costs of the policies of the Obama administration.  Remember there is one person behind each of these numbers and a family behind that person.

In today’s economy, companies that rely upon “business as usual” will more likely than not, find themselves with little or no business at all. Imaginative, intuitive, insightful, gregariousness, stick-to-itiveness, and innovative thinking, should be highly desired in a candidate for employment. The ability to quickly shift gears when something is not working.

By working in what at first appears to be unrelated fields, I have gained skills that later proved invaluable against any competitor I faced. For example, presentation, knowing style opposed to fashion “opened doors”. Insightfulness, sensing what was important to the person got their attention; intuitive timing, knowing when to shift from gregarious conversation to promoting the product or service. Innovative thinking, obtaining reluctant help (the Blue Cross Assignment and Lahti Travel assignments); and lastly the willingness to accept differences in people solidified their trust. It also helped that I have lived in nine of 26 States and four of 19 Countries I have been (most of the time in Finland).

I took the initiative to learn computers (and their programs) long before there were classes to teach the subjects. I am blessed with an ability to conceive and comprehend just by listening or reading. I have never tested lower than 98% on any Microsoft Office Product, including series I have never been in contact (i.e. when I tested on Power Point 2007). A Fortune 500 company initially paid me $25ph to help on a project using PageMaker (it had just come on the market). I read the book the night before but had no chance to practice because I did not own a computer. The next time they needed help, they requested me and paid a $10ph raise.

I learned that by being informed on many subjects one could engage a potential customer easier that just knowing to pros and cons of the product. The logo I designed for the Saundi Oy project was a stroke of genius (think algorithms). The web pages I created for Mr. Premholt were beyond his expectation. Finding unique things on the web is much easier now than when I created the site.

My career began in sales. Later I “moved up” to marketing and promotions, proverbially selling ice to Eskimos. My products and services were not warmly received when I took on the challenges. Examples include the ATM; Money Market Account; Financial Plans to the non-affluent; promoting the City of Lahti; and raising funds for a non-profit organization during October 2007.

The traits, insightfulness; stick-to-itiveness; innovative thinking; and gregariousness assisted me in achieving my goals. The verbal\communicative skills I learned by not just listening but actually hearing… even the non-verbal messages helped when lack of a common language would have been a barrier.

If I had stayed in one office over a long period of time, I would not have gained so much experience. Moving from place to place, project to project, was equivalent to a snowball rolling down a hill. The more it rolls the more it gathers, the more it gathers, the more compact it becomes, the more long lasting it is.

Having a sense of humor when all seems doomed, the ability to keep calm when the ship is sinking, the foresight to plan ahead… far ahead of disaster, these are traits not taught in any school or by playing it safe. What I have to offer a company is valuable in many dimensions…

I have never sold or promoted anything I could not stand behind and be proud of, not even, myself! It is doubtful you will find better than I am. I am not your average candidate for employment. I have achieved the status of professional not by training but by hands on learning and doing. Think about it…

Phyllis Barfield-Ollikainen

Heillä on loistavat urat ja kadehdittavat sosiaaliset elämät. He ovat myös kovan luokan pilvipäitä. Miksi niin moni älykäs ja menestyvä nainen käyttää kannabista vapaa-aikanaan?

Jennifer Pelham* potkaisee Marc Jacobsin valmistamat kengät jaloistaan, ottaa siistin Theoryn bleiserin päältään ja lysähtää sohvalle. Tämä 29-vuotias suuryrityksen asianajaja, joka työskentelee yhdelle Manhattanin parhaista lakifirmoista, on juuri tehnyt yhden 12-tuntisen työpäivän. Vaikka hän on jo vapaalla, hänen on silti vaikeaa karistella työpäivän tuomaa turhautuneisuutta harteiltaan: Partneri oli poistanut hänen koostamastaan sopimustekstistä olennaisimmat asiat ja lähtenyt, ennen kuin Pelhamille oli annettu mahdollisuus selvittää asia.

Vieläkin hermostuneena, Pelham tilaa päivällistä – sushia, kuten yleensä – ja kurkottaa kohti kahvipöydällä olevaa oranssista lääkepulloa. Sen vieressä on lasipiippu ja sininen Bic-tupakansytytin, asetelma on huonesiivoojan jäljiltä. Hän avaa korkin, nappaa pienen palan tuoksuvaa vihreää kukkaa sisältä, varovasti asettaa sen piipussa olevaan pesään ja sytyttää piipun. Seuraavan puolen tunnin aikana hän ottaa kolme syvää henkosta, joka on tarpeeksi hukuttaakseen päässä surisevat äänet. Sitten hän syö.

“Vihaan termiä pilvipää. Se vihjaa, että olisin pilvessä kaiken aikaa – mitä minä en ole”, Pelham sanoo säpsähtäen. “En tarvitse sitä pärjätäkseni päivästä toiseen – minä vain nautin siitä kun päivä on ohi”. Hänen iltarituaalinsa maksavat vain 50 dollaria kuukaudessa, joka on mitätön summa verrattuna kuukauden kuntosalimaksuihin tai viikonloppuna vietettyyn iltaan sulhasen kanssa, joka toimii investointipankkiirina ja itsekin savuttelee hänen kanssaan aina silloin tällöin.

Pelham on hieman yli 160 cm pitkä, hoikka ja atleettinen – hän juoksi viisi kilometriä päivässä opiskellessaan lakia. Hän väittää, että kannabis on ihanteellinen vastalääke ikävään työpäivään: se ei koskaan aiheuta krapulaa ja toisin kuin lääkärinsä ahdistukseen määräämä Xanax, se ei jätä pökerryttävää tai turtaa oloa jälkeensä. “Kuules, jokaisella tuntemallani naispuolisella asianajajalla on vähintäänkin yksi salainen pahe”, Pelham kohauttaa olkapäitään ja sukii pitkiä ruskeita hiuksiaan korvan taakse, kolmen karaatin kihlasormuksen välähtäessä valoon osuessaan. Hän lisää: “Kannabis ei todellakaan ole mikään iso juttu”.

Useimmat meistä tietävät jonkun, joka muistuttaa Jennifer Pelhamia – kovan luokan uraohjusta, jonka ajatus raskaan työpäivän jälkeen rentoutumisesta ei ole lasi valkoviiniä, vaan savut (tai useammat) kannabista. Eikä edes silloin tällöin, vaan säännöllisesti. Sellaiset ihmiset pitävät leveitä sätkäpapereita pöytähopeiden kanssa samassa vetolaatikossa tai piippua laskupinon vierellä.

Aineiden väärinkäytön ja mielenterveyden palvelujen virasto (The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) on teettänyt tutkimuksen, jonka mukaan 8 miljoonaa amerikkalaista naista sytytti viime vuoden aikana vähintään yhden kannabissavukkeen. Tämä arvio lienee alakanttiin, sillä siihen sisältyvät ainoastaan he, jotka asian myöntävät. Heidän joukossaan on ylemmän keskiluokan edustajia: viidesosa naisista, jotka myönsivät käyttäneensä kannabista viimeisen kuukauden sisällä, asuvat yli 75 000 dollarin vuosiansion taloudessa. Heitä on laidasta laitaan ammattikunnissa, kuten asianajajia, toimittajia, vakuutusmyyjiä, tv-tuottajia sekä talouspomoja. Eivätkä he näytä yhtään samalta kuin sekavat hippiteinit komediassa Dazed and Confused, puhumattakaan työttömistä ja huonokuntoisista nahjuksista Judd Apatowin komedioiden henkilöhahmojen tyyliin. Jos ulkonäöstä jotain pitäisi päätellä, he ovat luottokortin omistavia A-luokan työnarkomaaneja, jotka vain sattuvat pitämään piipusta pullon sijaan.

“Tykkään juoda lasin viiniä aina silloin tällöin, mutta baariin lähteminen ja imelät cocktailit eivät ole minun juttuni. Ja juopottelu on paljon kalliimpaa”, kertoo Debbie Schwartz, 28-vuotias tosi-tv:n tuotantopäällikkö, joka hiljattain muutti New Yorkista Los Angelesiin. Hänen työnsä on armotonta: hän viettää 15-tuntisia päiviä koordinoiden miljoonaa liikkuvaa osaa, hallinnoiden kuluja, asettaen tuotantoaikatauluja sekä lepytellen kaikki-mulle-heti-lahjakkuuksia. Hänen firmansa on juuri puolittanut sarjan budjetin, mikä on saanut Schwartzin ponnistelemaan kulujen leikkaamisen edessä, jottei hänen tarvitsisi antaa kenellekään potkuja. Työn jälkeen, viimeinen mielihalu hänellä olisi laittaa korkkarit jalkaan, meikkiä naamaan ja rynnätä paikallisiin baareihin. “Käyn kuntosalilla tunnin, palaan kotiin ja poltan jointin, samalla kun kuuntelen jazzia ja luen kirjaa. Sain juuri luettua Ayn Randin kirjan ‘Fountainhead’. Se on hetki itselleni, ennen kuin minun täytyy taas nousta ylös ja tehdä huomenna kaikki uudestaan. Se on vaahtokylpyni”, Schwartz selittää. Hän ei edes piilottele laitonta harrastustaan. Sille ei ole tarvetta, sillä useat ihmiset hänen toimistollaan käyttävät samaa “diileriä” – kollegaa, joka ottaa vastaan tilaukset heidän osastollaan.

Jos Schwartzin esimerkki todistaa jotain, niin ainakin sen, kuinka naurettavan helppoa on ostaa pilveä näinä päivinä. Joissakin kaupungeissa se on yhtä mutkatonta kuin pizzan tilaaminen, toimitettuna suoraan ovelle.

Kuulostaako holtittomalta? Ei silloin, jos muistetaan että kannabis on jo tällä hetkellä dekriminalisoitu 13 osavaltiossa. Bostonin ja Denverin kaltaisissa kaupungeissa pienet määrät kannabista käsitetään pikkurikkeinä, samalla viivalla parkkisakon kanssa. Ensikertalaiset saavat sadan dollarin sakon ja puhuttelun poliisilta. Kaliforniassa, jossa lääkekannabiskauppa laillistettiin vuonna 1996, jo 31 tuhatta asukasta on hankkinut kortin, jonka avulla paikallisesti kasvatetun ruohon ostaminen mistä tahansa osavaltion 500 kannabisapteekista on yhtä helppoa kuin reseptilääkkeen hakeminen tavallisesta apteekista. Järjestelmän väärinkäyttö on yleistä: “Jokainen tuntee jonkun, jolta löytyy sellainen kortti”, kertoo Gabrielle Doron, 29-vuotias losangelesilainen tapahtumasuunnittelija. “Kaverini soittaa minulle ja sanoo: ‘Olen menossa kauppaan, haluatko jotakin?’ Sitä nyt vain ei ole kauhean vaikeaa hankkia.”

Pilveen hankkiutuminen ei myöskään enää kanna samanlaista sosiaalista stigmaa, kuin Reaganin aikakaudella, “Just Say No” -iskulauseen kulta-aikana. Silloin jointin polttaminen oli ankara “erikoisepisodi” lukuisissa perheystävällisissä komedioissa. “Kun olin lukiossa, tietynlaiset käytösmallit yhdistettiin pilveen: siveettömyys, töiden kartteleminen, seurustelusuhteiden vältteleminen”, Schwartz kertoo. “Äitini kertoi, että ihmiset jatkavat pilveä PCP:llä ja tulisin riippuvaiseksi, tai että saisin mässyt ja lihoisin”. Se oli pötypuhetta, Schwartz oppi myöhemmin, kun hänestä tuli todellinen pilvipää kahdeksan vuotta sitten. Hän onnistui jopa laihduttamaan yli 10 kiloa, vaikka hän polttelikin säännöllisesti. Hänen salaisuutensa oli syödä terveellinen ateria ennen polttamista, se hillitsi hänen ruokahaluaan. “Mässyt ovat todellakin jotain, mikä ei ole toivottavaa”, Schwartz jatkaa. “Tokihan halu syödä on aina olemassa. Silloinkin, kun en polta, mieleni tekee leivoksia.”

Puvunhousuihin pukeutuvat pilvipäät murtavat toisenkin myytin. Sen, että asialle omistautuneet linnoittautuisivat sisään asuntoihinsa, paksun kannabissavun leijaillessa ilmassa – sekä ystävien ja sosiaalisten suhteiden unohtuessa. “En melkeinpä koskaan polta yksin”, sanoo 28-vuotias Gina Bridges, seattlelaisen hyväntekeväisyysjärjestön varainhoitaja. Bridges emännöi silloin tällöin matalan profiilin illalliskutsuja, joita kruunaavat jälkiruoat sekä vesipiiput. Hän lopetti polttamisen kun hän hiljattain tuli raskaaksi. “Alkoholi tekee ihmisistä sosiaalisempia, mutta pilvi toimii eri tavalla. Siitä tulee hiljaisemmaksi ja pohdiskelevammaksi. Alamme puhua ystävieni kanssa syvällisemmin tietyistä asioista”, hän sanoo. Ja mikä parasta, Bridgesin mukaan seksi oli paljon parempaa silloin kun hän oli pilvessä, se auttoi häntä pääsemään estoista. “Joskus saatan miettiä, että teenkö tämän oikein, että kiihottuuko mieheni? Kun polttelen, osaan ajatella itseäni sängyssä. En huolehdi niin paljoa siitä, mitä hän ajattelee. Ja se auttaa myös häntä nauttimaan enemmän, koska en psyykkaa itseäni liikaa”, hän sanoo.

Asialla on myös kääntöpuolensa. Jotkut terveysalan ammattilaiset sanovat, että pitkän linjan pilvipäät ovat tupakoitsijoiden tavoin vaarassa sairastua keuhko- ja hengityselinten syöpiin. Joskin oikea todistusaineisto osoittaa, että linkki kannabiksen ja syövän välillä on vähäinen. Tulee myös kiittää uutta teknologiaa, sillä vesiviljelyn ja geenimanipuloinnin myötä nykyisin saatavilla olevat kannabislaadut ovat useita kertoja niin voimakkaita kuin vaikkapa 70-luvulla. Huumevastaiset järjestöt väittävät sen olevan myös useita kertoja enemmän riippuvuutta aiheuttavaa. Silti kannabiksen riippuvuusaste on hyvin ristiriitainen aihe, esimerkiksi alkoholi aiheuttaa paljon suurempaa riippuvuutta. Tämän lisäksi, vaikka kannabis onkin eniten käytetty huumausaine Yhdysvalloissa, sen käyttö on silti laitonta liittovaltion hallituksen silmissä. Heidän näkökulmasta kyse on saman luokan päihteestä kuin LSD ja heroiini, huolimatta siitä, kuinka osavaltioiden lait kontrolloivat sen käyttöä. Yli 90 prosenttia Fortune 500 -listan yrityksistä – mukaan lukien American Express, General Electric sekä Goldman Sachs – edellyttävät työnhakijoilta huumausainetestejä, jotka monen muun aineen lisäksi havaitsevat THC:n, kannabiksen psykoaktiivisen ainesosan. Henkilö, joka jää kiinni siitä, saa heittää työpaikalleen hyvästit.

Viime vuonna Rachel Murphy, 36-vuotias viihdeteollisuuden tiedottaja New Yorkista sekä vastasyntyneen lapsen äiti, piti viikon tauon iltaisesta poltteluharrastuksestaan, ennen kuin kävi huumetestissä jota vaadittiin henkivakuutusta varten. Hän polttaa ainoastaan silloin, kun tyttärensä jo nukkuu, ja näytteenoton jälkeisenä iltana hän palasi harrastuksensa pariin. Kaksi päivää myöhemmin laboratoriosta soitettiin, että testissa oli ollut (huumeisiin liittymätön) virhe ja hänen täytyisi ottaa se uudestaan. “Olin jatkanut polttelua entiseen malliin enkä olisi halunnut tehdä sitä uudestaan”, Murphy sanoo. Kolme päivää ennen testiä hän soitti hädissään serkulleen, joka toimii vakuutusmyyjänä. Hän neuvoi Murphyä ostamaan Ready Cleanin – reilun puolen kilon hedelmäpunssin, jonka luvataan puhdistavan elimistön THC:stä jos se nautitaan 2 vuorokauden aikana ennen huumetestiä. Rachel maksoi 50 dollaria ja nautti juoman. “Mieheni kannusti minua huudellen, ‘Juo! Juo! Anna mennä!’ ja itse valitin, etten pysty juomaan niin nopeasti. Hän sanoi: ‘Rachel – tämä on todella vakavaa. Me tarvitsemme henkivakuutuksen – meillä on vauva – ja me emme voi saada sitä, kun vaimoni polttaa pilveä?’”. Yhden tuskantäyteisen viikon jälkeen Murphy sai tietää läpäisseensä virtsakokeensa.

Tästä rystyset valkaisevasta episodista tuli suuri jännitteiden lähde hänen avioliitossaan, Murphy kertoo – joten hän lopetti polttelun joksikin aikaa. Mutta se ei kestänyt. “Olen pahoillani, mutta minulla on vauva ja stressaava työ. Minun täytyy rentoutua jotenkin, enkä pidä alkoholista”, hän jupisee. Viettäessään aikaa naimisissa olevien ystäviensä kanssa, joista useimmat ovat myös vanhempia, Murphy saattaa silloin tällöin liittyä seuraan, kun joku vetää pussillisen esiin ja alkaa valmistella piipun pesää. “Minusta tuli melko kireä”, hän kuvailee pilvetöntä vaihettaan, “Ja mieheni totesi: ‘Itse asiassa pidin sinusta paljon enemmän silloin, kun vielä polttelit.’”

*) Haastateltavien nimet on muutettu

Lähde:

http://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity-lifestyle/articles/living/female-stoners

What you think you will be in the future, and where you actually end up

Graph by: dunno source via Graph Jam Builder

GREEN PORTAL - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE APPROACH.

 IT’S ALL ABOUT THE APPROACH.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE APPROACH.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE APPROACH.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE APPROACH.

Social networking is apparently taking on a second life, no put intended. Social networks are obviously fertile resources for spies of all sorts. In fact, Noah Shachtman reports, in an article for Wired Danger Room:

America’s spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of your Twitter updates — even check out your book reviews on Amazon.

In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the CIA and the wider intelligence community, is putting cash into Visible Technologies, a software firm that specializes in monitoring social media. It’s part of a larger movement within the spy services to get better at using ”open source intelligence” — information that’s publicly available, but often hidden in the flood of TV shows, newspaper articles, blog posts, online videos and radio reports generated every day.

U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets

One must ask, is it a good thing that government agencies, such as the CIA, are possibly monitoring the social media networks that seem to be rapidly replacing other channels as our primary method of communication? Part of the answer may come from another article by Shachtman:

Could Twitter become terrorists’ newest killer app? A draft Army intelligence report, making its way through spy circles, thinks the miniature messaging software could be used as an effective tool for coordinating militant attacks.

For years, American analysts have been concerned that militants would take advantage of commercial hardware and software to help plan and carry out their strikes. Everything from online games to remote-controlled toys to social network sites to garage door openers has been fingered as possible tools for mayhem.

This recent presentation — put together on the Army’s 304th Military Intelligence Battalion and found on the Federation of the American Scientists website — focuses on some of the newer applications for mobile phones: digital maps, GPS locators, photo swappers, and Twitter mash-ups of it all.

Spy Fears: Twitter Terrorists, Cell Phone Jihadists

Ken Monro, however, shows us another side of the impact of social networking on spies. In his article for SC Magazine, he gives us all a lesson about  what we post online. We know that colleges, employers, and many others regularly look for facebook or LinkedIn profile information before making decisions important in our lives. Typically, we don’t even know just how much they know about us before reviewing that key application for college, making a hiring decision, or attending an important business meeting with us.

For spies, this can be a life and death situation. Monro’s article even points out:

…if you’re planning on having a second identity for undercover work, it doesn’t help if your photos, friends and real name are splattered all over various social networking sites. Try finding a student at a university who hasn’t done just that.

The UK’s intelligence agencies are worried. From schoolchildren on Bebo, through Facebook-obsessed young professionals, to well-networked CEOs on LinkedIn, having an online presence is a must in this day and age. But with the explosion of social networking sites, it has become virtually impossible to find recruits who don’t have some sort of an online trail.

Pandora’s box is well and truly opened, so how do you go about suppressing your online identity?

Social networking websites make recruiting spies difficult

Let’s add another twist to this. How do spies, or anyone else for that matter, know what is real when they snoop online? Spies are, of course, trained professionals and are presumably much better at this than the average college admission office employee or Fortune 500 employer. On hand, how do we know what a potential business partner, banker, or friend might pick up about us online?

What do we even know about our current president? The title of Jason Linkin’s recent Huffington Post article, Fake Obama Thesis Story Goes Viral, Because Of Stupidity, could give us a clue.

We know many companies are under siege from disgruntled employees and competitors, sometimes without even knowing it. Faked reports about a company’s customer service or product reliability, represent an increasing form of commercial terrorism, often communicated via blogs and other forms of social media. Social media infringement on intellectual property rights appears rampant, with defensive tools lagging well behind those used by the abusers. If you don’t believe it, check out Willis Wee’s article, 10 Brands Claimed By Twitter Cybersquatters.

Where is all this leading? Keep reading. Tracking that is a primary reason for this blog.

That’s what I think. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

This is part a reflection on Gary Hamel’s WSJ.com blog called The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500.

1. All ideas compete on an equal footing.

On the Web, every idea has the chance to gain a following—or not, and no one has the power to kill off a subversive idea or squelch an embarrassing debate. Ideas gain traction based on their perceived merits, rather than on the political power of their sponsors.

What is an idea? According to Merriam-Webster it is “a transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representations.”

Why is this important? Everything is birthed from an idea. The idea is the seed that births what we see and apply ourselves to. What Hamel’s point highlights is that ideas become the star not the person or entity that promotes it.

I was listening to the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast and he was talking about systems that allow change in an organization. Social media is a system that allows change to take place because it focuses more on the information than the source. Sources still matter, but the information has power on its own.

A good organization mimics the way social media spreads ideas. They are open to ideas and then allow discussion about each idea. Once an idea is allowed to be scrutinized and celebrated on it’s merit, then action is taken.

Bad organizations make people the star. Ideas do not have a chance to be unpacked because it didn’t come from the right source.

Just as a seed is potential production so is the idea. If a bad organization never lets an idea be planted they will inhibit growth.

Make an idea the star. Give an idea a chance and you might see spectacular growth.

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