Hopetracker 'Drivers Seat': Cultural Creatives News 7-6-09
Monday, July 6, 2009 at 12:10PM Note from Anne 7/26/09: Scroll down page for Howard Buffett WSJ article, after Amazon books.
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Does the Federal ‘Organic’ Label Have Any Real Integrity?
July 3, 2009
In an era of tainted food and White House Kitchen Gardens, Americans see ‘organic’ as pure. In an in-depth discussion of organic food labels and the USDA approval process, we’re discovering that ‘organic”s lax standards, and cozy relationship with food producers, may soon render it meaningless.
The confusion between ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ has long perplexed American consumers. Familiar dairy label Horizon, a division of Dean Foods, will this month introduce a less-expansive line of ‘natural’ foods, which are not organic, yet probably carry the Horizon name somewhere on the packaging.
In truth, it does seem that consumers are in a ‘battle of wits’ with big food producers when it comes to knowing what’s in their food and how it was prepared. This is not the case in Europe where labels are carefully controlled. A
Read this in-depth WaPo article: Purity of Federal ‘Organic’ Label Is Questioned.
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Is It True? Elected Officials Who Are Willing to Lose Their Next Race, By Doing the Right Thing?
July 3, 2009
Freshman Virginia lawmaker Rep. Tom Perriello told Politico that he understands the potential consequences he faces for backing a sweeping climate-change bill. In spite of the downside, the newbie lawmakers says: “There’s got to be something more important than getting re-elected… . If I lose my seat, and that’s the worst that happens, I could live with that.”
In my life I’m not sure I’ve ever heard such a statement. Anne
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Raj Shah’s Nanubhai Education Inspires Americans to Teach in India
July 3, 2009
The New York Social Diary share news that 70 American teachers and ivy college grands applied for two jobs to teach in India this year, supporting Raj Shah, the 30-year-old founder of Nanubhai Education Foundation.
Gurbaksh Chahal, Raj Shah, and Melanie Kannokada.This nugget of information caught our eye as an example of a Cultural Creative approach to career development. Raised in a small town in Georgia to Indian-born parents, Raj Shah has graduated from Princeton University, been an active Air Force officer who flew in Iraq, worked at McKinsey and now is about to graduate from Wharton School of Business as a Soros fellow.
New York Social Diary describes Raj’s focus on expanding the number of schools supported by Nanubhai Education Foundation.as reflecting his MBA mentality. We say that it reflects his Cultural Creative values which inspire us to give back, even in our youth, using Modern skills like a Wharton MBA in support of humanity. A
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Frank Gehry helps Brad Pitt Make It Right in New Orleans
July 2, 2009
Frank Gehry’s design for New Orleans housingDezeen blog unveils Frank Gehry’s multi-dwelling design contribution for new housing typologies for families living in New Orlean’s lower 9th ward. The project solicits affordable, well-designed concepts from 14 architects and is sponsored by Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation.
UPI announced yesterday that New Orleans was the top trowing US city last year, with a poppulation of 312,000 people, up from 210,768 in 2006. The pre-hurricane population of New Orleans was around 485,000, per UPI.
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US Looks to Developing Countries for Healthcare Solutions
New York, July 2, 2009
It’s much more difficult for healthcare costs to soar in developing countries. Yet, they may provide answers for out of control health care costs in the US, and inspire parterships that benefit both parties.
Countries much poorer than the US offer generally better healthcare. Cuba is one. (See Guardian UK.)
Dr. Michael SaagToday’s Wall Street Journal introduces readers to Alabama doctor Michael Saag, a pre-eminent AIDS doctor and founding director of of “Project Connect”, based on Dr. Saag’s work in AIDS clinics in Zambia.
It seems that America has a lot to learn about quality health care from low-cost initiatives in places like Zambia. Read To Fix Health Care, Some Study Developing World.
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(Of All Companies) Wal-Mart Backs Business-Funded Health Care
Washington July 1, 2009
Wal-Mart head Mike Duke, on the ground in India, in his former role as ViceChairmanWal-Mart used to be the company we loved to hate, but it’s getting tougher every day. Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. told the White House that it supports the initiative that requires employers to provide health insurance to workers.
Simply stated, this is a jaw dropper piece of news.
The NYTimes writes that the offer of support does contain stipulations. In a letter issued jointly with Andrew W. Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, representing many health care workers, and John D. Podesta, leader of the Center for American Progress and head of President Obama’s transition to the presidency, Wal-Mart says: “If any business is going to be asked to take on an employer mandate, to face changes in the tax laws, there should be some sense that the promise of the bill to reduce health costs will actually occur.”
Wal-Mart previously resisted business-paid health care. Their reversal represents an acknowledgement that the Democratic controlled Congress will likely push through a health care bill, and they want a seat at the negotiating table.
According to WSJ, The National Retail Federation is ‘flabberghasted’ by the Wal-Mart move. A
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Italy Has Contributed a Mere 3% of Its Promised Aid to Africa
London June 30, 2009
London Times columnist Joanne Green writes that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi isn’t qualified to chair the G8’s summit in L’Aquila next week. Her focus is not Berlusconi’s inability to keep his pants on but the fact that Italy has fallen behind every other G8 country in not keeping its promises on aid for Africa, giving just 3 percent of its promised share of $25 billion a year by 2010.
Italy wants a new aid approach called “whole of country” donations used to define donations by country. Using this methodology, all Vatican contributions of aid to Africa would count against its global obligations.
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Obama White House Calls on Ashton Kutcher to Get Out the Message on HIV Testing
New York June 30, 2009
It was no joke. Tech savvy Team Obama used Ashton Kutcher to tweet a reminder to his 2.5 million fans the reminder about National HIV testing day. Following the story myself, here’s the link to the White House Blog.
A core part of President Obama’s video message is a repeat of his (then as a US Senator) and Michelle’s AIDs test on the ground in Kenya in 2006. See the video:
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Anne of Carversville Insider
July 8, 2009
Cultural Creative Howard Buffett Is on the Ground in Africa
New York June 29, 2009
Today’s WSJ introduces us to Howard Buffett, who is not rich by Buffett standards, if you know anything about Warren’s inheritence strategy for his children. Simply stated, Warren Buffett believes that money has a tendency to corrupt — with a tendency to make Moderns out of Cultural Creatives, if we’re not careful.
Howard Buffett teaches farmers in a Burundi cornfield. Agriculture is the main livelihood for citizens of the country, one of the world’s poorest. via WSJWhat I didn’t know until now, is that Buffett funds his three children’s charities annually with stock originally worth $50 milliion. (No estimate on the current value.) Still small by philanthropy standards, Warren’s kids can have significant impact, combing money with reputation and connections.
The WSJ article is a classic story about how Howard Buffett evolved from a Modern to a Cultural Creative. To keep my consulting science straight in this story, Howard Buffett was originally a Traditional who went to work in a Modern world of Archer Daniels-Midland.
On the ground in Africa, Buffett took photos on his business trips and couldn’t turn away from them any longer. Day by day, Cultural Creative values took precedence in his mind.
This article is a marvelous read. Again, I applaud the WSJ for being totally ‘on trend’ — much moreso than any other American newspaper — in tapping into what’s really happening to Moderns who are coming up ‘empty’ in the spiritual values department.
I now read the WSJ before the NYTimes in the am. Yes, it’s a subscription online read, but all the articles that I post are free to you. In rality, the WSJ is becoming more like a British paper every day.
With all due respect to activists and all of us ‘little people’, we need the energy, contacts and determination of people like Howard Buffett to share our values and comitments.
Without business people joining the ranks of Cultural Creatives, Hopetracker will die, along with countless millions of people around the world.
Watching an evolution of content at WSJ gives me the conviction to hold my own self accountable for walking the talk. So let us all get going. Alright, I’m off the soapbox, but this article truly inspires me. A
For more understanding about the terms used here, read Anne’s Consulting and Speaking.
Read also, Anne’s followup Aug. 2009 followup to this article: Cultural Creative Howard Buffett’s Neorealism Represents the Future of Activist Philanthropy.
Shakira & Howard Buffett: Attached at the Hip Philanthropy Bedfellows Anne
Weaving Africa’s Breadbasket WSJ
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