We’ve received the fantastic news that we’ll be one of the Open Up Initiatives for 2009-2010.

This is the brief description of our plans -

A service user/survivor led event for people across the North West region. The ROLE group believes that discrimination is a barrier to accepting the views of people with lived experience on an equal level. They will organize a regional event to bring service users/survivors and carers together to agree a set of outcomes. They will write this up into a report which everyone can then take to their local providers and commissioners as evidence of what people want from services. Participants will go on to form a network so they can continue to support each other after the event.

ROLE stands for relating outcomes to lived experience so we’re keen to bring as many people as possible together to look at developing a series of outcomes which we can use with all organisations to let them know what we want. We want to include people from across the North West – who will be able to attend the event or be involved online.

We’re not sure when the event will be – we’re trying to avoid any particularly busy times of year. And we’re still seeking further funding to make sure that people from across the region can be there.

If you can help or want to be involved, do let us know.

So who watches TV anymore? I know that I feel guilty for not using my mind and sitting in front of the box, being stupified into comfortably numbness, for the longest time now.
Why turn on the idiot box when you can turn the internet on, create, collaborate and have fun with people from all over the world. Theres where the inspiration is!

Some real viable entertainment is out there being produced free of charge. Its exciting, all you have to do is put your hand up and people will work with you on inspired ideas-Turn an idea into real entertainment. Ten  to fifteen years ago, this sort of thing was just a dream someone dreamt. Now its reality.

Music is being produced just waiting and begging to be inserted into something creative. Best thing of all its skills being given to other skills to put together as entertainment, payment is, more exposure. No money has been exchanged between all whom are working on an idea.

No wonder the big entertainment companies want to limit what you can see free on the internet. These days if you see it on TV, then its second hand. It was hot when it was viewed online!

Just today I made a discovery referred to me by FAB-Fataussiebarstard of youtube. A channel called Jimmy Hook. He has a real knack of telling a story and has put together a series that spans 14 episodes so far. It features youtube account holders who want to be a part of something creative. Let me tell you, it is creative and very well done.

So the next time you go to turn the TV on, do yourself a favor, turn to the internet instead and dust off those creative aspirations. Get involved!!

Thanks for reading and checking out my blog. Stay creatively you, BC.

PS. Here is one chick who inspires me every time she performs, Mysti Mayhem.

I have now started to read ‘Calvin for Armchair Theologians,’ by Christopher Elwood. I have to admit that I come to this book with a very doubtful attitude. The front cover illustration of John Calvin and the many ‘comic-like’ illustrations throughout the book worry me. I just don’t get a sense that this book is a serious treatment of John Calvin. That is the impression that presents when just looking at the book – I hope to be proven wrong for having ‘judged a book by its cover.’ The illustrations in the book are by Ron Hill, who is apparently a freelance illustrator and cartoonist.

I have to admit that the ‘armchair theologian’ part of the title also gives me a poor impression of the book – it sort of gives me the picture of a guy who loves to watch sport on the TV while sitting in his armchair, while not really taking the sport seriously in his actual life – has nothing to do with it in reality, in that he doesn’t play sport. This is the idea that ‘armchair theologian’ paints for me, which is an approach to theology that is far removed from the Bible’s idea of involvement with the truth.

But, as I said, I hope to be proven wrong for having ‘judged a book by its cover.’

at Arrowhead golf course, December 5 & 6th, 9 and 12 pm seating. Santa will be there with gifts for the kiddies.

Hey everyone,

It has been more than two weeks. So, I am admitting i did not keep my commitment. I am still getting used to keep updating my blog, but i have no excuse. So let me update you on my life before I begin talking about this next topic. I have just been working on promoting the Gear Gator Product for ATVs. I have also been promoting, planning, and executing contest for my iChange committee, part of SGA at Virginia Tech. Lastly, i have recently been accepted into SEED and training has just started. So as you can see i have been extremely busy but enough about me! 

so as i was getting lunch at owens hall yesterday i figured out something. As you all know, people lecture for great and improtnat causes all the time, and usually the average person believes what the person is saying is right. So obviously we must act on it, right? NO! We never do, it is just like our New Year’s Resolutions we cannot keep. Why does people telling you and showing no have that big of an effect in the long term. Well three reasons, one i will talk about when i finish reading the book, Influencers, two people forget, three it does not involve them personally. I will be talking about the third point. Of course in someway everything involves us; look at AIDS and cancer, that affects everyone yet not everyone is doing something about it.

You might be asking why not? well i always knew the answer but it never struck me until i was getting food and got it to go. So they put the food in a styrofoam box, and i was on my way. I felt really bad because recently, i have been really conscious about being environmental friendly; it is my social responsibility, but it is yours as well. So what is the difference between me and the person next to me. You have no attachment; it is like the saying out of sight out of mind. I have been involved in the going green campaign at Virginia Tech. Therefore, when i took that styrofoam to go box i felt as if i did something wrong. I was fighting the cause i was helping. How contradictory. 

We want everyone to feel this feeling. This feeling alone has and can do wonders for our society. Involvement is the key but how? this shows the beauty of marketing. People believe they have limited time and only join if they believe strongly in the case or if it has directly affected them (e.g. the death of a child or parent). Obviously everyone does not fall in these categories but most do.  So how do we become effective marketers, better yet how do we become better Influencers. That is what i will be talking about next time…

Happy Holidays

Was driving back from the high north country late last night with my dad and we got to talking like two guys up way past their bedtime do.  Various viewpoints were expressed, politely, tiredly. In general outlook we are largely on the same team; we just differ (sometimes vastly) on how to put it into practice.

The details are not of much importance.  Fundamentally, my father is eminently willing to engage in the mucky day-to-day praxis of putting political ideas into actual practice.  I am far more fastidious, very reluctant to get my hands dirty, at least not without a full supply of Lava soap on hand.  And is there any Lava soap yet invented that can get the greasy stain of politics off your hands?  I doubt it.

But  rather than re-invent the wheel, I will let Plato speak for me (though in place of philosophy I might insert writing, or literature, or combine the three):

Then there remains, Adeimantus, only a very small group who consort with philosophy in a way that’s worthy of her . . . Now, the members of this small group have tasted how sweet and how blessed a possession philosophy is, and at the same time they’ve also seen the madness of the majority and realized, in a word, that hardly anyone acts sanely in public affairs and that there is no ally with whom they might go to the aid of justice and survive, that instead they’d perish before they could profit either their city or their friends and be useless to themselves and others, just like a man who has fallen among wild animals and is neither willing to join them in doing injustice nor sufficiently strong to oppose the general savagery alone. Taking all this into account, they lead a quiet life and do their own work. Thus, like someone who takes refuge under a little wall from a storm of dust or hail driven by the wind, the philosopher–seeing others filled with lawlessness–is satisfied if he can somehow lead his present life free from injustice and impious acts and depart from it with good hope, blameless and content.

–Republic (496a-497a)

Quote from Plato spotted, serendipitously, this morning at Maverick Philosopher.

I had coffee last week with Kim DeGrande of Remax Professionals, Inc at the local Starbucks in the Roxborough Marketplace.  I had the pleasure of closing a purchase transaction with Kim this summer.  She went above and beyond when helping her clients sell during difficult circumstances.  Most agents would have given up or dropped the ball at some point, but Kim always followed thru and was the driving force in getting to the closing table despite numerous challenges. With over 17 years of Real Estate experience and a Roxborough Resident she comes highly recommended by friends and colleagues.  Kim can be contacted at 303-978-0158 or degrande@aol.com

Kim DeGrande

It’s far too easy to forget to involve the most important people in your software design: the people who will use it.

Your users are at the front-line; you should try to involve them in the design phase, so that their needs are acknowledged and their ideas considered and perhaps incorporated into your design.

Use software prototyping to give them interactive designs they can try out for themselves and see what works for them and what doesn’t. Listen to their suggestions and preferences. Value their opinions.

They will love to be involved, as they have a personal stake in the success of your design. Do it well, it will enrich their working lives; do it poorly and they may never forgive you.

But during major speech in Tokyo, he cautions that all nations must respect human rights… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: gifu japan. The blog is also related to: japans.

But during major speech in Tokyo, he cautions that all nations must respect human rights… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: trip to china. The blog is also related to: beijing china.

So now that we are aware about the planning of natural gas drilling in New York City’s Watershed and the NYS-DEC has completed its study on the potential environmental impact that will impose hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale Formation, the PUBLIC COMMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 31st, but that still doesn’t give us enough time mitigate the known impacts it will have in our water system!! 

Do take a stand in protecting New York’s water,  here are some ways you can get the message across to our local government officials:

• Download a sign-on letter to Governor David Paterson here. Then print it, sign it and return it to the Manhattan Borough President’s Office either by:

MAIL:

 Office of Manhattan Borough President
Attention: Sari Bernstein
1 Centre Street, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10007

EMAIL: sbernstein@manhattanbp.org (you need to scan it first). Please write “Kill the drill sign-on letter” in the subject line. 

FAX: 212-669-3380. Attention: Sari Bernstein.

If you would like to send a email comment to The Department of Environmental Conservation, click on this link:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/SGEISComments/

You can also upload supporting documentations, after sending your online comments an email confirmation will be sent to you where you can attach your documents via your email.

While the Home Office struggles to recover from its Nutt allergy the rest of us have been busy funding and promoting good science.

Our communications officer, Sara, tells me that if I use more searchable terms in my blog headlines I will get more visitors.  ‘What, more than the million or so I receive each day?’ I said.  Anyway, that explains the all-things-to-all-people headline this week.  But, as ever, there is a purpose and I thought it would be interesting to do a sweep across  events and activities of the last seven days and pick those that are relevant to, or have even been driven by, charities.  Some have been in the news.  Some haven’t. 

I visited the NIHR website yesterday and noticed a news item announcing that a new ministerial group on dementia research has been set up with Phil Hope MP in the chair.  This follows the recent summit (see my blog for 22nd July ‘Sums and Summitry’) and the group’s aim will be to drive forward research in the field.  You may recall that the summit itself was a response to the persistent calls by Alzheimer’s and other neurological charities that Government needs to get serious about dementia research.  So this has got to be good news and it shows how charities – with their passion, energy and armed with some good facts – can move the agenda forward. 

Conversely, I was a little disappointed that NIHR have yet to offically news release their recent joint-report with INVOLVE on the impact on patient and public involvement (PPI) in research.  It’s on the INVOLVE site but not theirs.  The report is significant for two reasons.  First, because it adds to the evidence of how involvement can benefit science.  Second, because of the foreword from Sally Davies (Director of R&D at the Department of Health) in which she talks about PPI being the rule and not the exception in the funding of clinical research.  Now that’s a strong signal to the community if ever there was one.  Perhaps we are at last putting behind us the days when you might have been forgiven for thinking that science had an allergy to the very notion of involving patients.  And if you’re looking for further reading on the subject then please also look at AMRC’s ‘Natural Ground’ report on PPI activities by our members and launched at our AGM last month.  The foreword’s pretty good too.

Here in the office I have been monitoring assiduously – as is my nature being a Ceefax child -  the responses of AMRC members to our latest survey about the impact of the recession.  I’ve been encouraged not so much by any significant change in their forecast but by the very level-headed and ongoing commitment by charities to keep backing research come what may.   A third of those who have responded so far, indicate that they have entered into some form of collaborative activity to achieve this for instance.  But this is by no means the only strategy that organisations are employing.  We will report the results of the survey by the end of the year.

Meanwhile my email seems to have been swamped with messages this week about the recently announced European Commission consultation on the EU Clinical Trials Directive which came into law a few years ago.  The consultation closes in early January and its good that across academia and science there is a real desire to be on the ball in submitting responses and sharing evidence about the key issues.  Charities will have an important part to play in providing a patient perspective on the Directive. 

Just how important involving patients in research is to ensuring the right environment for science was highlighted to me when I attended a meeting of EU patient groups in London to discuss the whole clinical trials agenda.  What immediately struck me was the close relationship between funders, patients and academics in the UK compared to other EU countries in funding and promoting clinical trials and studies.  We still have a long way to go, but we also sometimes forget how far we have come.

Of course the big news this week has been the Wellcome Trust’s announcement yesterday about its change in funding strategy.  This is a significant move by the Trust and, at its most simplest, demonstrates the ability of research charities as independent funders to think innovatively and flexibly about the way in which they support science across the UK.  Given that Wellcome Trust is the largest research charity in the UK with considerable influence on the way by whichresearch is funded and advanced more generally, I was pleased to see their statements that they are committed to communicating proactively with researchers and others about the detail of the new Investigator Awards ahead of their introduction.  

Of course, one of the strengths of UK science is its diverse funding base and my sense is that all our members are constantly exploring how best they can support research of patient benefit and they will undoubtedly already be thinking about the opportunities arising out of Wellcome’s announcement.

By the way, the Times Higher piece yesterday was the best I have so far seen on the announcement and it includes an opinion piece from the Wellcome Trust’s Director, Mark Wallport.

“Keep it Together Keep it Together Keep it Together!”

Yes I did just make a reference to Bowfinger, what of it?

Anyway, on to the serious stuff. I recently joined Causecast, an awesome new online community for people like you and me who are interested in helping to turn the bad stuff in this world into good. Basically, they’re “keeping us all together”, get it?

According to it’s About section Causecast is

a platform where media, philanthropy, social networking, entertainment and education converge to serve a greater purpose.

What that means is that you can go on (right now!) and create your own profile. In doing so, you join hundreds of other members in sharing information about different non profit and aid organizations, national and international.

I think this is one of the best uses of social media that I’ve seen in awhile. Granted I’m not too experienced with social media -I just started blogging, and still don’t understand twitter- but Causecast is definitely a unique integration of activism and online communities.  Although I freak out about technology growing into some kind of post-apocalyptic Matrix world, I think that the Causecast community is a great example of how we can use the resources of this “information age” to our advantage. One of the greatest challenges facing any person interested in social justice is getting the word out about your passion. Causecast offers you the opportunity to tell other members about your cause. It also offers resources for you to become more informed about causes that you are interested in.

They categorize causes into areas of interest such as the environment, animals, youth, human rights, health, community and the arts. So pretty much anything you’re interested in helping out with, they can inform you on. As a member, you can create a profile to interact with other members; you can fill out an About Me section, list your interests, and write a blurb explaining your passions under the “Why I Care” section, and post blog updates. You can also support different causes, for example I’m currently supporting Invisible Children and the Abolish Slavery Coalition.

The different organizations have their own pages where they post updates from the leaders, photos and multimedia documenting the activities of the organizations, blogs from their members, and interviews with celebrities and politicians about their movement. The organizations home pages also offer you a description of their cause so that you can learn more about them. And what makes Causecast a site for movers and shakers is that it lets you donate to organizations from the website, which is pretty handy in my opinion.

The website is also reaching out to college students by appointing campus representatives on different college campuses across the nation. My friend Mallory is the campus rep for Mizzou and is the one who helped get me involved with Causecast. She’s started an e-mail list and a Facebook group for our campus and weekly aggregates the different events occuring in our area that may be related to causes we are interested in. This is a great method for Causecast to achieve their goal of not only creating an online community, but informing people of opportunities right at their fingertips. Although most of the local organizations in Columbia that have been on Mallory’s event list are not registered for Causecast, they are still important and Causecast is still helping to strengthen their voices.

So I would encourage you to go to their website and create a profile. Feel free to search out an organization you’re already involved in or spend a little while researching other organizations and learn something new! One of the campus rep videos recommended joining just a few organizations at first and spend some time learning about them before you add any more, which is what I’ve done and it has worked out for me.

And if you’re a student on the Mizzou campus you should join the Facebook group and get on the e-mailing list. There is so much going on in Columbia and so many opportunities to help people you care about.

In our quest to seek to innovate, the management in the school agreed up to 2 years ago that we were not wholly satisfied with the benefits that were coming out of students’ involvement in SUPW (Socially useful Productive Work). This is a mandated part of all children’s learning in ICSE and ISC schools. It requires children to spend some time understand the challenges in life for those less fortunate and contributing in some meaningful way to improving the lot of others.
We were pretty clear that there were some faults in the old approach which saw our students goingon an out-station trip where they would engage in some ‘labour activity’ such as building a water tank for a few days, stay in very basic accommodation and then return to their cozy comfortable lives relatively untouched by the whole experience.
a)Firstly, we felt that SUPW is nothing if just treated on the basis that a student must ‘put in’ a set number of hours.
b)Secondly, we wanted, in the long term, for students to have access to a far bigger array of choices about how they help others according to what really interests them -not just a ‘one size fits all’ project.
c) We wanted an involvement that stretched over a longer period of time, so that the student would be more immersed in the experience and would feel more attached to the project.
d) To satisfy the other requirements and also to ensure that students are really aware that life challenges exist for many right in their own, home environment, we wanted to engage them in projects which are local.
Over a year ago the senior School Principals wrote to a variety of NGOs offering the services of our young, vibrant, enthusiastic students to make a contribution to their activities. The result – complete silence from the NGO’s. For a short while we scratched our heads as we tried to work out why they hadn’t responded with unbridled enthusiasm. Eventually, the penny dropped and we realised that the thought of receiving 30-40 school age youngsters, being responsible for putting them to work gainfully, supervising them, keeping discipline and ensuring their safety.
So, what to do next? Should we just give up on the goals and settle for status quo? Fortunately, a meeting with some senior executives from the company GE suddenly brought new possibilities. They have an in-house CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme under which employees of their company become GE volunteers. The idea that came to us was all too simple – why not put a group of students under the guidance and mentorship of a corporate volunteer? Now, the mentor volunteer gets a new and different experience as they can multiply up the value of their time contribution through the students. And, the NGO’s concerns are addressed because responsibility, student management and discipline are all looked after.
We decided to start with a pilot project working with an organisation with which both TSRS and GE already had ties – The Vidya Comfort School. Vidya Comfort have just made the daunting leap to their own purpose built campus coming up in DLF Phase III. Eventually, it will have the capacity to cater to 1,000 students. The school is in its first year.
With their typical enthusiasm and ‘can-do’ spirit Vidya jumped at the chance to work with us on this and so, two weeks ago the pilot started. A group of students under their corporate mentors are visiting the school twice a week, getting involved with teaching the children. In time, there will be opportunities for those who want to get involved with other aspects of helping the school to get itself in shape.
If the pilot works we will look to replicate the programme with other NGOs and other corporate. I would love to hear from parents who are with either NGOs or Corporates that they think might want to be a part of this in the future.
Over time, i’ll report further on how the programme is progressing.

Todays reflections are about: Gravestones of Democracy. … The whole attitude of the representatives is reflecting their, lets say, non-democratic way of thinking. Where is the gratefulness and committment of the politicians towards the people who gave them the power? Where is the truth of the spoken word, where the transparency and visibility of the real issues? The real issues are covered-up, discussed and decided behind closed doors, put under national security seal, and are made artificially complicated and inflated, – basically they are put beyond the reach of the people, who are the very subject to these issues. Daily Thoughts by Mon Rasz 08/2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcYGErI6QkM

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xacc3r_dt027-gravestones-of-democracy-dail_school

Tags: 9/11, compromised, corruption, daily, democracy, discussion, freedom, future, government, investigation, involvement, money, politics, power, reflections, shareholder, society, thoughts, values

Todays reflections are about: Gravestones of Democracy. … The whole attitude of the representatives is reflecting their, lets say, non-democratic way of thinking. Where is the gratefulness and committment of the politicians towards the people who gave them the power? Where is the truth of the spoken word, where the transparency and visibility of the real issues? The real issues are covered-up, discussed and decided behind closed doors, put under national security seal, and are made artificially complicated and inflated, – basically they are put beyond the reach of the people, who are the very subject to these issues. Daily Thoughts by Mon Rasz 08/2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcYGErI6QkM

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xacc3r_dt027-gravestones-of-democracy-dail_school

Tags: 9/11, compromised, corruption, daily, democracy, discussion, freedom, future, government, investigation, involvement, money, politics, power, reflections, shareholder, society, thoughts, values

Axelrod discusses in his book titled: Terms of Engagement, four approaches to change: i) Leader-driven approach, ii) Process-driven approach, iii) Team-driven approach, and iv) Change Management approach.

Leader-driven change is more suitable for small and medium enterprises with owner-managers. This approach works well when the manager or leader has all the necessary information and knowledge. Leader-driven changes tend to be directive and non-participative. Therefore this approach is less suitable when: a) the workforce is young and/or highly skilled, b) the business environment is complex and dynamic, and c) successful change requires active involvement of a number of people in the organization.

Process-driven changes are led by experts or outside consultants and supported by the leader; these changes are more common in large, bureaucratic organizations. This approach works well when the change requires technical or specialized expertise. Also being directive and non-participative, as in the case of leader-driven approach, this approach is therefore less suitable when: a) the workforce is young and/or highly skilled, b) the business environment is complex and dynamic, and c) successful change requires active involvement of a number of people in the organization.

Team-driven approaches are most common in large, manufacturing enterprises that have skilled and educated employees. Change management strategies—such as TQM, Quality Circles, and Six Sigma—exemplify this approach. These are highly participative change efforts that empower employees and provide them with involvement, participation and ownership of change. Team-based approaches that are properly executed can unleash enormous levels of employee energy and motivation. This can, in turn, lead to innovation and productivity gains. However, using this approach can also cause some discomfort for managers in an organization because they may not be used to sharing their power and authority with workers. Moreover, this approach requires managers to shift from a directive, authoritarian style based on power and expertise to a participative style based on persuasion, coaching and helping. More importantly, the team-based approach to execute change requires the establishment of a ‘parallel organization.’

The fourth approach to change is called the Change Management approach. This is a combination of expert-driven and team-driven approaches. Whereas the former provides a business and technical focus to change, the latter generates ownership, involvement and commitment. So as to gain this commitment, most specialists, experts and change management consultants have incorporated the parallel organization concept in their process-driven approach. The Change Management paradigm is the approach to change that most organizations use today. Although it seemingly seeks to integrate ownership of change with practical business focus, the Change Management approach has shortcomings. Instead of involvement and commitment, this approach breeds cynicism, bureaucracy and resistance. It actually disempowers employees, by reinforcing hierarchical top-down management.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Lectures, Line of Sight