I ride out into the countryside on my push bike four or five days a week. On my 2-5 hour rolls through our local urbanized environment, I see hawks, vultures, foxes, coyotes, deer, turkeys, possums, raccoons, owls and a host of other creatures. Is this the New Wild, that Fred Pearce writes about? Seems rather domesticated, but with lots of wildlife.
The Harsh Reality of College Economics
CommentIt's an exciting time in my home, as my twin daughters have started hearing back from colleges to which they applied early action. The harsh reality, however, is that in most cases they simply won't be able to attend the schools they like best. We make too much money to qualify for financial aid, but not enough to pay for Tufts or MIT, or indeed most selective colleges. We have still not paid what we borrowed for the first daughter's tuition and fees.
The Future of Capitalism - Book Review
CommentCommon Good Capitalism: It's Next! (Paperback)
You should buy this book. It's not perfect by any means, but it's a fun and insightful romp through what Terry Mollner sees as the inevitable future of capitalism -- an economy where the biggest firms have basically given up competing for market share and profits and instead vie against each other for the good of society.
Time for Reinvention
family, cycling, valuesCommentAfter nearly 13 years with Thrive Networks (formerly the East Meets West Foundation) I have moved into a new stage of pleasant anticipation. Everyone wants to know the same thing about me: "What are you doing next?" I honestly don't know. What I do know is that my life is undergoing some interesting changes. My oldest daughter has graduated from college and my next two are heading off to their own college adventure in August 2016. All certainties are now faded; there is no reason to live in this overpriced cottage in Albany, which we bought to get access to the school system. My work at Thrive Networks is finished. So what am I doing? Basically, I'm waiting for the universe to bring me something wonderful.
Is Business the Way to End Poverty?
CommentThrive is now live! Impact versus outputs
vietnam, leadership, international developmentCommentThe new Thrive Networks website is up: www.thrivenetworks.org.
It's a whole new approach to our work. Check out the impact tab/publications. We are moving away from counting outputs, and instead are examining impact, defined as permanent and meaningful change. For example, our neonatal health program treats 55,000 babies a year, which is fine. That's an output. Better is to look for the effects on neonatal mortality and morbidity. How many lived who otherwise would have died? How many were saved from brain damage caused by severe jaundice? What is the mortality rate in the hospital before and after the intervention? These are the questions that we are asking and answering.