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Archive for the ‘Insight’ Category

The Tao of Social Enterprise

Social enterprises are fundamentally different entities than standard enterprises.  While certain outward features may seem similar, or even identical in some cases, the underlying motivations driving the two are totally different.  Just as diesel fuel in a gasoline engine can take you only so far before your vehicle breaks down, so too the motivations and [...]

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On my way out the building in the morning, I search my pockets for 5 rupee coins. If I have one, I go to the shop downstairs and buy 5 packets of Gems– an Indian version of M&Ms. There are 3 Gems per packet, giving me 14 chances to make someone smile (there [...]

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This week’s edition The Economist has a short box-text on alternate currencies. From the article:
Gerhard Rösl, professor of economics at the University of Applied Sciences in Regensburg, who wrote on alternative currencies in 2006 for the Bundesbank, says the overall stimulus from such schemes in times of deflation may be short-lived—because, though the velocity of [...]

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“Why you in such a hurry?  You were going 40 in a 25 zone. Gimme your license, registration, & proof of insurance.”
It was so late on Wednesday night that it was already Thursday. Riding with me was my fiancee, a gift-economy naturopath, a Mexican Gandhian & peaceful warrior, and an Amma devotee & brilliant graphic [...]

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Krishnammal Jagannathan, winner of the Right Livelihood Award for 2008, shared ancedotes and wisdom from her decades of struggle for social justice through non-violent means, including her time with Vinoba Bhave and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The video was recorded on November 12th, 2008 at the CharityFocus ‘Intergalactic Headquarters’ in Santa Clara, California.

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Started by Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly, Nothing But Nets is another brilliant case study in the power of social fundraising. Fueled by small donations of $10 where 100% goes towards the cost of a net (along with distribution & education on how to use it), thousands of volunteers have raised millions of dollars [...]

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The New York Times reported that thousands of Gujjars, an ethnic sub-caste, had taken to the streets in Rajasthan to demand a greater quota reservation for their community, with clashes erupting into violence.
“Failing to control the stone-pelting mob, police had to resort to firing,” Umesh Mishra, police inspector general, told Reuters.
India administers the [...]

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At least at $130 / barrel of oil, according to MIT prof Philip Greenspun’s math. Here’s how he breaks it down:

total oil consumption in the U.S.: 21 million barrels every day (CIA Factbook)
cost per barrel: $130
days in year: 365
total spent per year: $1 trillion
percentage of oil consumed by passenger cars: 40 (source)
total spent per [...]

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Too much meat, says New York Times writer Mark Brittman in his TED Talk. Not because its bad for your health (even though it is), but because its destroying the planet. Who knew that Americans slaughter 10 billion cows, pigs, and chickens each year!?

Brittman places the meat industry as [...]

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A journalist friend called last week to tell me that she found a man in bad condition living on the pavement. She tried to get him to some place where he would be out of the rain, but he didn’t budge so she called me for help. Would I be willing to be [...]

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