Connections are what hold us all to each other, but they can be very difficult to maintain.

I’ve not been able to post to my blog in several days due to difficulties connecting to the internet and the the server that help maintain my connections.

This does not mean I’ve given up on the connections, the internet, or the servers. It simply means my attention is needed elsewhere right now.

Some connections are not so easily interfered with, those that are closest to our hearts and minds keep us going. Those are the connections we’ve worked over time to build, and we must continue to try to maintain those.

And the connections must be “rooted” somewhere. Roots need care too, just as do the plants and their leaves.

In poor imitation of Shakespeare, a tree by any other name would still have branches.

Seeking brief shelter this afternoon from the blaze of the afternoon sun, I thought about foliage and all the different “shades” of green upon which one might reflect. But green is green–unless one is color-blind, of course.

Planting a tree is a very good way to help clean the air, given all the trees we have felled to build and box.

Modern products seem to require a great deal of packaging, these days. Or do they?

So many carbon-based products–plastics–are used in modern packaging to make the product more “attractive” on the shelf, as if we could not choose between products without such packaging.

Of course, it’s what’s inside the package that is most important. “Branding” does not work if the content of the brand continues to change. I’ve noticed that happening with some of my formerly-favorite brands.

Do marketeers really think we cannot tell the difference between a package and what is inside?

Fortunately, most packaging can be recycled. However, plastics require more processing than those derived from paper and cardboard. Metals are more difficult to recycle as well.

A number of products currently packaged in “tin cans” can be packaged in wax-coated papers that require much less recycling as well.

Of course, companies must have access to the manufacturing equipment that can fashion such products.

Whatever we can do to reduce our dependence on “big oil” the better for all of us.

Now is as good a time as any to be green. It is our “free choice” to recycle, regardless of what the marketeers do with the “outside” packaging.

Human beings are a wonderful creation embodied with limitless human qualities and capabilities. Our theoretical constructs should make room for the blossoming of those qualities, not assume them away.
- Muhammad Yunus, (1940- ), Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2006

Online Marketers Joining Internet Privacy Efforts – New York Times
“…the AOL division of Time Warner will announce a service of this type, which will be up and running by the end of the year. Other programs are likely to be articulated soon, as online advertisers prepare for a two-day forum on privacy to be held by the Federal Trade Commission.”

There seem to be several conflicts of interest in this statement…

VolunteerMatch: Where Volunteering Begins

I recently spent some time at VolunteerMatch, signing up for an account and searching for volunteer opportunities.  Although, one does not need to set-up an account to perform simple searches.

The site does have a large catalog of requests from non-profits for volunteer assistance.

A search can be conducted for organizations seeking volunteers within a certain mile radius of your zip code, or there is also a search for “virtual” volunteer opportunities which can be done online.

Searches can be narrowed by broad categories of “interest area”, such as organizations working for disaster relief, environment, education, etc.

There are a wide variety of organizations listed, so I found that organizational “quality” became a concern as I looked through listings.  Volunteering is a form of charitable giving, so I did some research on some of the organizations requesting volunteers, especially those requesting “virtual” volunteers.

If an organization requesting “virtual” volunteers is on the other side of the country, how can you check the legitimacy of the organization?

There are some sites to assist with assessing the status and effectiveness of charitable giving.  Very helpful is the IRS site to search information on the tax status of charitable organizations.

Other helpful sites are listed in the the “clicks” section under npo & ngo, including Babson College library’s site for non-profit research, Guide Star, Clear Fund, etc.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
- Nelson Mandela (1918- ) , Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1993

When I saw the first story about $100 laptops, I thought, “Yeah, right…” Since they’ve actually gone into production and I’ve read the specs, I understand the price tag.

At first glance, the idea seems wonderful, especially for education and especially in “developing” countries with the “get one, give one” idea. But as I read on about the built-in, default, automatic p2p network, a little n2n

BBC NEWS | Technology | Uruguay buys first ‘$100 laptops’
“The Give 1 Get 1 (G1G1) programme will initially distribute laptops to Cambodia, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Haiti.”

(neuron to neuron) networking began in my head. In most countries, there are no IP laws that can zap an individual downloader (not the file server) for offering copyrighted works as there is in the U.S.A., so that’s no problem.

But think of the possibilities for viral marketing and malware distribution. I’m sure there are some default protections against malware (that would have to be constantly updated). But, adware and other viral marketing progs could spread instantaneously.

Since the target market for these computers is school-age children, some companies must be drooling at the thought of this new medium for exposing impressionable, young minds to their product pitches. In places where even television has never reached.

It’s a situation that begs for ethical consideration.

Not All Is Gloomy in Real Estate – New York Times
“In some respects, sites like Curbed are insulated from the woes of the real estate market in a way that traditional sites may not be. ‘We’re not just about real estate,’ Mr. Steele said. ‘People come to the site to talk about their neighborhoods and about life in the city.’”

Might not put air back into the bubble, though…

While the AARP and Harvard reports mentioned previously divide the middle socioeconomic strata of the Boomer population into two groups, Self-Reliants (at 30% of the total population) and Today’s Traditionalists (at 25% percent of the total population), these two groups also share much in common. Together, the two groups make-up around 55% of the total, comprising a “super-majority” of the Boomer population.

Indeed, the reports state that Today’s Traditionalists come closest to matching overall boomer demographic profile in terms of education, income, employment, health status, and gender. These Boomers are more ethnically diverse than other groups and have generally shown the most confidence in the current governmental provisions for aging populations. However, the study notes, these Boomers also expect to work in retirement for either financial or personal reasons.

Among these two segments, the Self-Reliants are the most economically prepared for retirement years, having “significant” retirement savings, according to the cited reports. This is also the group having higher than average anticipation of doing more volunteer service and being more involved in community groups. They are more likely to be married, well educated, and report better health status than Boomers in general. This is the group volunteer and community organizations desire to recruit.

Median Net Worth by Net Worth Quintile
for Baby Boomer Families, 2001 (in 2001 Dollars)

First Quintile -1,550
Second Quintile 34,230
Third Quintile 107,150
Fourth Quintile 245,100
Fifth Quintile 766,000
Top 10 percentile 1,216,601
Top 5 percentile 2,027,900
Top 1 percentile 8,529,000

Wolff, E. (2002). Top Heavy. New York: The Century Fund.

Assuming that that the Struggler group largely falls within the 6.8% of all Boomers who had negative net worth in 2001, Today’s Traditionalists and the Self-Reliant likely fell between the 4th an 7th quintiles in 2001.

Thus, in terms of proportion of net wealth rather than proportion of the population, these segments are significantly more wealthy than the general Boomer population.

The uppermost three groups—the Enthusiasts, the Self-Reliants, and the New Traditionalists—are also those most likely to vote and to make large contributions to political organizations and candidates.

However, given current economic trends and, according to a 2003 Congressional Budget Office study (Baby Boomers’ Retirement Prospects: An Overview. Washington, DC: CBO), the steady downward trend of savings since 1987, some of the New Traditionalists may have fallen in rank into lower socioeconomic tiers.

The real super-majority, though, in terms of impact on the workplace, are the bottom three tiers of the Boomer socioeconomic strata. Taken together, more than half–almost 63%–either need to be in the workforce or plan on continuing in the workforce after the traditional retirement age.

Along with current incentives of higher monthly Social Security payments to individuals remaining in the workplace longer, these needs and wants will have a significant impact on the labor market and work environments.

In India, Poverty Inspires Technology Workers to Altruism – New York Times
“To re-create this dynamic online, Babajob pays people to be “connectors” between employer and employee. In the example above, the businessman’s friend and his chauffeur would each earn the equivalent of $2.50 if they connected the businessman with someone he liked.”

Possible model for “networking” the disenfranchised worldwide…