You remember that penetrating question asked at the beginning of the 10 O’clock news?
“Do you know where your child is?”
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Well, parents today, take no comfort in knowing where your child is, know what they are doing during their evenings. Are they watching American idol or are they doing something to truly enhance their future? I truly say this as this Wednesday; they will have a clear choice. They can watch American idol, or they can participate in World Maths Day 2010.
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Come off it Chris you may say, our kids need a life! If they do they better nurture their geek. Folks, our economy increasingly going forward will reward those who can add value through their critical thinking skills, who get their innovation on. The fundamental tool to realize this is math.
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Many students wonder if they’ll ever really need to know how to use the quadratic equation or find the volume of a cone. Not realizing how useful math can be, some choose to only fulfill the minimum requirements that their high schools requires. This can be a mistake, and here are several reasons.
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The College Board has discovered that students who take geometry in high school have about an 80 percent chance of attending college regardless of race, religion and family income.
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Taking math is important if you’re considering attending a college, university or technical school. Many of these institutions require students to take at least two to three years of math; however, four years of math is strongly recommended.
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You not only need to take math so you can have it on your transcript, you also need math skills for standardized tests such as the SATs and ACT. You need to take these tests to qualify for admission as well. Your math skills will also be useful once you begin attending a college or university.
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The skills that you learn in math courses may be applicable down the line, even if you are not studying to become an engineer or an accountant. Here are some of the benefits.
-The ability to identify and analyze patterns
-Logic and critical thinking skills
-Ability to see relationships
-Problem solving skills.
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My kids will share that they may have preferred going to the dentist rather than having a math tutoring session with me. I wish I had a tool like the world math day to soften my approach and make this fun. Find a way of introducing your kids to math in a fun way.
The global yearning we all face is that of finding and investing in trusted, and true leadership. Yes leadership that will tackle the Goliath-size challenges we face, provide solutions based in principle rather than misplaced hope.
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Well, there is a young man with David-like courage that has raised his hands to say put me in the battle, I think I can make a difference. He is:
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Sylbourne Sydial, a new Goliath slayer
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Sylbourne was recently selected to run for Councilor in Catford South Lewisham for the conservative party.Election day is May 6, 2010.
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This town is a very diverse community and he is dedicated to provide effective representation to those who are at the margins of society, who do not even have a slingshot, much less any rocks to slay the monster problems they face. He is well regarded for his body of work on behalf of the Jamaican community. He founded an independent think tank, Facilitators for a better Jamaica (FFBJ) in 2003.
Dominic Geive, the Conservative Shadow justice secretary boldly declared Sylbourne’s record of promoting integration and involvement and is confident in Sylbourne being a positive difference maker for those who he will serve.
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Simon Woolley, director and commissioner of the Equality and Human Opportunity rights body shared similar from his involvement in the Operation Black Vote (OBV) initiative, and highlighting his unquestioned commitment to social and racial justice.
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Like most folks, my level of cynicism has risen for those in the political arena as I see promises turn to midnight pumpkins once they are elected. I wanted to find out for myself how solid this candidate was, thus an interview.
I have taken a few days to digest what Sylbourne shared in this insightful interview. Here is my reflection.
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That famous George Bernard Shaw sentiment echoes in my head when I listen to and observe Sylbourne in our virtual community on Facebook.
You see things; and you say, “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”
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I then applied my personal definition of exceptional leadership.
Informed Passion + Emotional Intelligence = Great Leadership.
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Does the candidate possess the passion to change a community and do they display the self-awareness and the emotional intelligence to monitor and manage their responses, and build power to realize change ?.
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Too often, we make a choice for a candidate based on his/her personal appearance or the eloquence of his/her speech, or some label we use to sterotype folks. Suppose we used the stoutness and integrity of his/her heart as the metric. Would that make a difference? My hope is that the folks of Catford would use this new metric and get a winning representative for their town.
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I have a good feel about Sylbourne Sydial. I have a great sense that Sylbourne has several smooth stones to defeat the Goliaths in Catford and beyond.
“I believe that we, as humans,collectively can make the world a better place”.
Outside opinions on the rebuilding of Haiti are as plentiful as fallen mangoes after a thunderstorm. One sees more celebrities and soon congress people on the TV coverage than the aids workers.
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Sure resources and attention to the on-going challenges are vital in the recovery process. There are also key attributes of Haiti’s renewal that the outside world cannot provide.
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A recovery program that will ensure the healing of the Haitian soul, and the preservation of the Haitian culture will need the engagement of the Haitian Diaspora playing a vital role, and the Caribbean community supporting the process.
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The Haitian diaspora has a talented pool of professionals who have begun the arduous effort. But, how about the wider Caribbean community?
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Well, one name on every short list of a person whose contribution will make a marked difference is Dr. Claire Nelson. For those who are not familiar with her, here is a brief introduction.
Dr. Claire Nelson has been actively engaged in the business of international development for over twenty five years, working in the area of project development and management, with a particular focus on private sector development. This Renaissance woman has been described as a Social Entrepreneur, Futurist and Change Leader.
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Dr. Nelson is the first Jamaican woman to hold a Doctorate degree in an engineering discipline . Dr. Nelson holds Industrial Engineering Degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Purdue University, and a Doctorate in Engineering Management from the George Washington University.
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She has served on numerous Boards and Committees including: US Department of Commerce US/Caribbean Business Development Council; Advisory Board; DC Caribbean Carnival Association; International Think Tank, Commission on Pan-African Affairs, and National Society of Black Engineers-Alumni Extension to name a few.
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It was our privilege to catch up with her and listen to her observation on Haiti’s rebirth.
I was on the phone with a friend a few nights back when they nearly deafen me as they yelled, “Bolt is on TV”!
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Yes, Usain Bolt is staring in several 30 second television commercials as part of Jamaica’s “Once You Go, You Know” tourism promotion.
Usain Bolt, Promoting the Jamaican Brand
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I was able to catch all three commercials on CNN.
The first commercial features Bolt running throughout Jamaica, but does not make much progress because he pauses to take in the view after every few steps.
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In “Speed,” the second commercial, he runs past a series of landscapes to the song “One Love”.
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And in the third, called “Pose,” a series of everyday Jamaicans imitate his famous “lightning bolt” pose.
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The budget for this endeavor was $US1.5M.Our patriotic hero did not charge a penny for his involvement.
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So, I know this swells our pride on both our Island and our hero.
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Take a look at the finished product, invite your friends to take a look see, and share the impact you think these spots will have on Jamaica’s tourist industry.
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I have a surprising observation, which I will share next week.
Don’t want to bias you.
So, click on the comment section below and let me hear from you!
The current White house stays on the cutting edge of communication especially to the smart phone crowd.
The White House just released a new applicationfor the iPhone and iPod touch (work with any internet-enabled mobile device, including BlackBerry and Android is in the works).
This White House application is packed with:
News releases from the press room,
Photos of what the President is up to, and
Archived videos of presidential events
Live video streaming that lets users watch press briefings, Presidential addresses, and other media events in real-time.
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So what in heaven’s thinking would lead to this idea?
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Well, here is a couple for your consideration.
The perceived transparency of the government would go up.
The buzz would be favorable and raise our perception of the leading edge Island.
In an increasingly Apps-based world, our youngsters will be inspired to use their IT skills in a forward looking way rather than the commodity programming they may be involved in.
Imagine the wealth that could be produced from an ingenious application.
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” Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
Punxsutawney is a sleepy little town that I would pass through at least twice a year in accompanying my daughters to their camp site in western Pennsylvania.
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The quiet of the town on most days than February 2 is deceptively simple, but provides a powerful marketing magnet for the entrepreneural-minded.
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Groundhog day is based on a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of weather lore. It goes like this. If the groundhog sees no shadow, he will leave his burrow, which is a sign of an early Spring. If he does not see his shadow, alas 6 more weeks of dreaded winter.
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Well these folks in little Puxsutawney has leveraged this tradition of February into a economic bonanza. They get global press, sell stuffed animals, have a museum, sell special burgers, and maintian a groundhog club with officers and all. There is even a lottery spin-off the groundhog in Pennsylvania.
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You know they have gained success when they have attracted the attention of PETA, the animal advocacy group. PETA was trying to disrupt this fine tradition and encourage the club to adopt an electronic Phil instead of the real deal. Well, the club told PETA to get stuffed to put it politely.
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As Jamaicans, we look for special opportunities and seize the day. This is one to my knowledge we have not explored as yet. Here is my thinking on the idea.
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Suppose the Jamaican Tourist board:
Establish sister city relationship with Pauxsutawney.
Offer the mayor of Punxsutawney a week-end visit to Jamaica.
Develop our own, Phil, a mongoose (dressed in a bikini. let me take that back, not pc).
The Jamaican Phil would declare endless Summer in Jamaica and invite the Pa Phil to come on down!
We could thus transform the mongoose from a nuisance to a tourist icon.
We would have a new tourist asset to brand Jamaica and differentiate it from its competitors.
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Ja-Phil
So, you think I am crazy, wait this you see an ad from another Island on the Superbowl stealing these ideas.
