LadybugFlights

INDEX(back to beginning)

ISSN: 1530-5775
February 2010, Vol.12 #2

INDEX

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 print this article separately

Now Hear This

A little bit in writing about what's happening at
LadybugLive.com, MooseMeals.com, and TeenTalkNetwork.com

 

Serious and Entertaining
We have it all

This Month:

Many of our audio hosts either begin with the written word or end up with it. Dene´ Ballantine, for instance, will soon have a book from the topics and information she is providing in her show, Train Your Brain, and a Ph.D. to go with it! And Don Williams of OpEd also has a column. We thought it might be interesting for you to be able to explore both mediums this month with one of Don Williams' columns and his audio version of the same column:

 

Mysterious friend calls Obama out
by Don Williams

My flamboyant friend came running fast round the bend in tie-dyed t-shirt, yellow shorts and red shoes. He jogged up on my front porch and started pacing as he pulled a little plastic bag from his shorts, drew out a roll-your-own and pack of paper matches, then lit up. If there was a human being more conflicted than I, here he stood.

So what do you make of it? he gasped amid clouds of smoke.

"What?"

Year One. Obama's been president a solid year and I'm wondering what you think?

"I'm of two minds."

Duh. That's why I'm here. To help you sort it out.

"You read my columns. I'm a guarded supporter. Cautiously optimistic."

Kind of like the orchestra on the Titanic? Serenading us all with that rot about how Obama's doing the best he can. Look at the hand he was dealt. We could all be standing in bread lines by now. How sending 30,000 troops into Afghanistan is his way of getting out dontcha know? How he'll shut down Guantanimo eventually and that any healthcare reform's better than no reform. Just be patient, we've a framework in place for halting global warming one of these days... Yada yada yada.

He emitted smoke rings with his words.

"Are you copping an attitude?"

My, how perceptive we are. Tell me one thing, Oh Scribe. How much longer will your sort of rot wash? We're in Year Two, and if you ask me, Obama's morphing into a Bush-Cheney third term.

"So what would you suggest he do?"

I'd urge him to fight every battle for righteousness' sake.

"Say what?"

Hey, I was raised Southern Baptist, believe it or not. I lay things out in black and white when I get excited. Obama shoulda been the righteous one and gave 'em hell.

"Specifically?"

For starters, he should've leveled with the American public and told us some cold, hard truths.

"Such as?"

Number One, that he was turning away from his predecessors in a very clear way, because they were war criminals and science deniers in the service of Big Oil, the arms merchants and the military industrial complex. He should've acknowledged that our invasion, occupation and bombing of Iraq was based on a pack of lies. He should've told the truth about Curveball, Chalabi and al-Libi, just to name three of the criminals our secret forces either bribed or tortured into telling most of the lies Dick Cheney used to make a phony case for war. You know, all that crap about how Saddam was giving nukes to terrorists and training them in anthrax and so on that made it into all those speeches in 2002 and 2003. And he shoulda told us that 9/11 was in part blowback for failed policies in Afghanistan going back a quarter century. Obama should not have swept that stuff under a rug.

"I'm listening," I said as my friend hot-boxed his smoke so that glowed fiercely. It was clear he was only warming up.

He should've apologized to the world for America's role in the deaths of maybe a million Iraqis, the displacement of 5 million others, the emotional and psychic trauma of 14 million more, and he should've appointed a special prosecutor to hold anyone accountable who knowingly propagated a phony whatsit, you know, casus belli, for starting the war or engaging in torture, and if it led to George W. Bush or Dick Cheney, so be it. He coulda started that ball rolling Week One. Don't you hear what I'm sayin'? Obama shoulda been the one who set things right.

"Get real. We would've had rioting in the streets."

Yeah? Instead we had rioting in town halls.

"OK, keep on."

He should've announced we're not bailing out any more banks or Wall Street firms and car companies, rather that he was earmarking a trillion dollars to subsidize upside-down mortgages that would keep worthy people in their homes and refinance banks honestly, from the bottom up, then build a green-friendly energy grid that would employ a million people and break our addiction to oil. He could've announced that Week Two.

"And Week Three?"

Lay out the truth about the great American healthcare rip-off. Put doctors, pharmaceutical companies and insurance firms on notice that he's appointing a panel of actual scientists and doctors to thoroughly assess the healthcare systems of the planet's 50 leading democracies and we're going to pick the three that work best to model ours on, so your Sister Rebecca and my Uncle Frank get the dignified healthcare they deserve.

"Ok, I get your drift."

No, I'm just getting started. I'd have him use his executive authority or whatever arm-twisting pertained in Congress to halt mountaintop removal, depleted uranium, outrageous usury, shut down any plans to build new nukes, and aggressively prosecute anyone in violation of the Clean Air Act.

"And if the economy tanked and Obama went down?"

At least we'd know he stood up.

Do you know a Military Family under stress?
Dr. Eydie, host of Ask Dr. Eydie, is offering free copies of her book Relationship Magic to military families!

Know someone who might want to be a host at TeenTalkNetwork.com? We have two teens on now and both are growing up fast. The only requirement is that they want to do it enough to stick to a schedule. They all find their voice as they go along. Desiree Nelson is older of our teens—she's in her first year of college this year and she and mom, Linda Nelson, are now cross-programmed to our site at LadybugLive—got a scholarship from Discover in large part because of her program. The other, Rae Quigley is a senior this year and has done several shows on how important it is for colleges that you do something outside the usual. So there are lots of benefits for the teen who can do this, not the least of which is the experience itself. It's a great gig for any teen!

 

If you are a writer and would like to become a NewVoices author or artist, contact:

Georgia@ladybugbooks.com
Please use the subject title: NewVoices Information

 

Now Hear This     It's Not Your Same Old Radio!

"There are people who have something to say and those who have something to sell. We are interested in the ones with something special to teach the world."

For LadybugLive, TeenTalkNetwork, and MooseMeals to continue growing, we need correspondents and readers. The process is quite simple: submissions are by email. If accepted, a reader calls, either our local or our toll free number as directed in the acceptance email, to record. What will you be recording?

We are looking for: readings of original creative work, comment and commentary, and ideas for regularly appearing programming that can be done within this format. We are not able, as yet, to do direct call in shows, but shows that require listener (delayed) response are OK. All of this, of course, within the same guidelines as everything we do: Of interest to women (no particular restrictions). This format might also be ideal for some of those traditional topics, such as clothing and makeup, with a fresh "twist."

Send ideas and proposals to Georgia@ladybugbooks.com

We strive to bring you the best in women's writing.

And...

Keep up to date on what is happening at NewVoices and LadybugFlights by signing up for our monthly announcements!

We know online radio is new to many of you but we also know how rewarding it can be. So, if you need help to get started, don't hesitate to contact Georgia for help... And, hey! Our hosts love hearing from you!

Our teen site, TeenTalkNetwork.com programming is safe — no porn or other unwanted promotions are attached to our files.

The Internet promised and we are delivering.

New programming is always available at:
TeenTalkNetwork.com
MooseMeals.com
LadybugLive

Read this feature from past issues.

TOP

 print this article separately

Beatrice Spreadmoore's Financial World

The Goodness & Badness of Organizations

We all live in communities that include organizations of some of which we are members. As members we can join with others in a common effort to contribute to the community. Whether this effort creates positive or negative results depends on the goodness or badness of the organization. Democracy is messy and organization members often act in their own self interest to gain power, recognition, and money.

Over the past decade organizations and their Boards, in the form of corporations, have been given legal standing equal to people. This means that they can use economics to influence communities in a disproportionate manner compared with individual citizens. This change in legal standing and the motivations of members to act in their own interest make it imperative that effective controls and guidelines are clearly understood and enforced by organization boards.

Organizational boards are responsible for planning, providing input to long-range goals, approving goals, formulating objectives, monitoring and reporting progress. They should also interpret the organization to the community, write news stories, link to other organizations. How this is done determines the goodness or badness of the results.

The goodness of organizations

This takes us directly to the the humanity of the people in the organization because value added results come from the human beings in the organization. It is a study in ethics. Like corporations that are run using wrong management theories taught in business schools. Focusing on business ethics will not repair the damage. Most management theories taught today are bad and need to be replaced. We need to encourage the development of knowledge that combines human nature and organizational behavior in ways that bring goodness to organizational values.

What makes an organization a good place to be a member?

Start with a good motto: *** If you want understanding try giving some ***

  • Emphasize a "team" approach over the celebration of prima donnas.
  • Putting a high premium on giving the members more than just lip-service respect.
  • Center the focus of tasks on the ultimate goals and hopes for the future of the organization.
  • Involve everyone, at every level, in as much of the creative and decision making processes as possible.
  • Delegate real decision making authority and look for advice and opinions from members.
  • Make sure that everyone understands the big picture and where they fit in and give as much latitude as possible.
  • Encourage new ideas.
  • Make the organization a place that is enjoyable and fun.
  • Put a DA (Devil's Advocacy) on the Board.
    • A DA is someone who takes an opposing view to test an idea or project the board is considering. The DA's job is to ask questions and make the best case possible against the proposal.
    • Assign the DA job to each board member in turn. Wouldn't it be wonderful if boards could foresee the obstacles ahead - in time to make the right decisions?

Human capital makes all the difference between a good and a bad organization. So why aren't many organizations behaving this way?

The badness of an organization

Organizations become blind to changing community dynamics. They chase fads or become fetishistic about protecting minor habits they associate with their rise to greatness. This applies to individual members who spend their time manipulating situations and members, who are acting in good consience, to benefit themselves.

In organizations that create bad results constant learning stops being a priority, in favor of a louder, pushier approach that's all about claiming success and spinning away inconvenient facts. Members no longer feel comfortable speaking the truth. They may appear to be in step with what the Board decrees, but cynicism and self aggrandizement increases. Passion for the projects at hand dwindles. These attitudes inevitably translate into bad decisions.

Then there is the undisciplined pursuit of more, hubris born of success. Organizations stop getting the right people on the Board and in key positions. Instead of recognizing that things are going badly, organizations slide into denial of risk and eventually grasp for salvation. Finally they become fatalistic and accept capitulation to irrelevance and finally the death of the organization.

It is important to recognize the badness of the organization and act. Members and volunteers who work in direct opposition to the goals of the organization need to be counseled and/or asked to leave. The reason is obvious, the community will believe that their behavior and attitude reflect the organization. Bad members and volunteers can affect funding, the community coming for assistance, and overall morale.

Successful organizations are those that are good in keeping their members motivated and value them because they are more than the quantitative elements of facts and numbers. It is the qualitative elements of intellectual and human capital that makes all the difference between a good and a bad organization.

Organizations that combine new ideas with time-tested principles achieve goals that can transform a community.

Field Trips

Non Profit Boards

 

Happy Trails,

B.S.
Read this feature from past issues.

TOP

 print this article separately

Books, Cooks, Looks & Ms. Elani
Elani

Dear Friends and Readers,

Opening the school was the easy part.

Kabul Beauty School
by Deborah Rodriquez
ISBN 9781400065592

Elani

There have been many books written about women who go to another country to help, to find their true identity, to make a difference. In Deborah Rodriquez's Kabul Beauty School she not only did all of those things but much more; she became an integral part of a community in Kabul and still lives there. This story is not only well written but the humor that Rodriquez uses makes the reader thankful that a smile and laughter can help cross languages and cultures. More than once her inability to understand a situation actually saved her and her friends.

In 2001 Rodriquez left for Afghanistan as part of a humanitarian group to offer aid. All she had to offer was the ability to do hair but soon learned that this profession was one sought out by both Westerners and Afghan women. After doing a few haircuts for free an idea was born. Afghan women have a long and proud tradition of having and running their own beauty shops but the Taliban had put a stop to new schools. She began to illicit help from corporations and friends and in 2003 opened up the Kabul Beauty School.

Opening the school was the easy part. Becoming accepted, not only as an American but as a woman, was another feat entirely. Through friends she made and the man who became her husband, she overcame the barriers that threatened to send her back to the states; having her hair covered outside the home being one of the hardest, let alone not arguing with her husband. She learned, along with her students, the role of being a woman and not losing your own identity. Students who became her friends allowed her to see the beauty and hardships of the culture. Rodriquez was accepted and asked to participate in many of the traditions that few foreigners get to observe.

Her effect on the students in the school was two fold; she not only taught them a skill that allowed them to have money of their own but also gave the women a place where they could laugh, gossip and be with other women. Rodriquez also needed the friendship of women as she fought the battles within herself that sent her to Afghanistan. A book that is an enthralling story.

 

Elani

Read this feature from past issues.

TOP

 print this article separately

YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE

Sometimes we go forward; Sometimes Back

Here is a quick summary of notes and information from recent weeks:

This one is an annual, at least the anti-women supper bowl ad seems to be...

Dear Friends:

I wanted to make sure you heard that CBS is set to run an ad during the Super Bowl from the extreme anti-choice group Focus on the Family.

The Super Bowl is no place to discuss abortion. Call on CBS to stick to its original "no advocacy in advertising" policy and drop the ad. Public outcry against CBS's decision has been loud -- and it's working. CBS has started to dodge, saying that it will now accept advocacy ads during the Super Bowl, but only ones that are "responsibly produced."

This arbitrary and vague response just doesn't cut it. CBS still has time to change course.

Focus on the Family has an unmistakable anti-choice, anti-birth-control, anti-sex-education, and anti-gay agenda. If that isn't bad enough, its views on women are just plain insulting and dangerous. For example, its web site urges women facing an unintended pregnancy to seek "wise advice" because "the hormones and extreme emotions of pregnancy make reasonable decisions more difficult."

We can't just sit by while CBS lets Focus on the Family broadcast its anti-choice agenda to the millions of Americans who will be watching the Super Bowl.

Ask CBS to drop the ad and stick with its original "no advocacy in advertising" policy.

Thanks for holding CBS accountable and not letting the network make exceptions for Focus on the Family.


My best,
Nancy Keenan
President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
We all know by now that Scott Roeder, the murder of women's health physician Dr. George Tiller, was found guilty. Some people are celebrating, but there is more to the story than his guilt. He is still not repentant, nor are his fellow travelers in the education through murder movement that has characterized a small segment of the anti-abortion activists in this country. But worse is a media that has had no problem referring to Dr. Tiller as an abortion doctor or abortion provider. He was a physician and until we understand that the availability of abortion is an important part of women's health and treat this procedure as one choice a woman must make with her doctor, we will not have health insurance that treat women fairly. Roeder, btw, was regularly referred to in the media as a "pro-life advocate".

The nation's teen pregnancy rate rose 3 percent in 2006, the first such increase in more than a decade. The data reflect an increase of 4 percent in teen birth rates and a 1 percent rise in abortion rates. Seven percent of teen girls became pregnant in 2006, according to a study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute.

...Which brings us back to the beginning of our news today.