Prof. Niall Ferguson @ China Exchange

Published on Jun 13, 2016 1:03:10

Professor Niall Ferguson gave the audience at a sold-out “60 Minutes With…” plenty of food for thought. He covered his “killer Apps” from his book, Civilisation, that sought to explain why after 1600 did the West become so much richer, healthier and more powerful than everywhere else. Outlining economic and political competition; scientific revolution; the rule of law; modern medicine; a consumer society; and work ethic as the six “downloadable” apps that countries could apply to their development, he described China’s development in terms of using these elements and highlighted that the rule of law was the single biggest challenge.

“Until there is rule of law, a system is unstable – prone to capital outflows and corruption.”

Professor Ferguson was asked whether he had to teach different history classes depending on whether he was in China or in the US. He explained that, at present, there was the opportunity to teach the same history at Tsinghua as at Harvard. The conversation also covered the different approaches to religion in the US and Europe; Islam and the challenge of political Islam; and mobile phones ringing at inconvenient moments!

EMPLOYEES VS FOUNDERS Do we need more entrepreneurs?

Published on Jun 10, 2016

With: Branislav Klesken, George Greskovits, Rob Wilmot
Moderator: Federico Guerrini

Cool to be an entrepreneur? ... or steady job? ...or an entrepreneurial leadership mind-set
Either/Or?

Say What? Clean Elections in Arizona [Just like the air we breathe ....I hope NOT]

With the FBI knockin' on doors and talking to certain public elected officials about the 2014 election - and all the early problems for voters in the 2016 presidential party preference election, any person has gotta wonder about the great state of Arizona and the people voters elect. Are crooked politics an accepted way-of-doing-business? Are those days soon to be over?
. . . or is the status quo self-perpetuating for the benefit of incumbents and their loyalists?
Let's get it straight - if you don't vote, don't complain
You're gonna have to do your own homework [assignments and links below] and do, by all means talk with friends and other people, ask questions, throw ideas around, have a lively discussion and decide what matters to you.

Citizens Clean Elections Commission
Your Guide to Arizona’s Political Process

Go right to this >> http://azcleanelections.gov/en/.  

[ also available in Spanish ]

Aug. 30 Primary Election
Why guess in the upcoming election?
Get all the key dates, interactive tools and resources you need to vote informed.

VOTERS: Get more involved in the political process
Tweets by ‎@AZCCEC

 

LEARN HOW

POPULAR LINKS

• Public Records Request Form
• Act and Rules Manual
• $5 Qualifying Contribution Form
• 2016 Candidate Information Sheet
• 2016 Citizens Clean Elections Guide
• W-9 Vendor Authorization Form
• Participating Candidate Processing Procedures
• Exempt Organization Application
• Notice Regarding I.E. Reporting
• Independent Expenditure Report Form
• Participating Candidate List
• View the 2016 One-Party-Dominant Legislative Districts

Scorching Excessive Heat, Wildfires & Monsoon Season + Another Ozone High Pollution Alert

Once again the air we breathe is unhealthy. Maricopa County has been in violation for years exceeding federal clean air standards - instead of reducing the causes, we the public are forced to deal with symptoms, asked to do things that are minimal compared to what the major sources of air contamination . . .  but let's build more suburban sprawl, let's build more highways and infrastructure that's car-dominated, let's build, finance and buy more cars with internal-combustion engines 

This just in one hour ago from:
Fields Moseley, Communications Director
(602) 506-6453
Andrew Tucker, Communications Manager
(602) 506-7232

Ozone High Pollution Advisory for Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Drive less, carpool, use public transit and fuel after dark.

Update: Ozone High Pollution Advisory

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is issuing a High Pollution Advisory (HPA) Tuesday, June 14 for ozone in Maricopa County due to levels that are expected to accumulate enough to exceed the federal health standard.

Employers and Travel Reduction Program Transportation Coordinators are advised to activate their HPA Plans immediately. ADEQ further recommends that the general public limit outdoor activity while the HPA is in effect, especially children and adults with respiratory problems. 

BACKGROUND:
High Pollution Advisory or HPA: The highest level of an air pollutant may exceed the federal health standard.
Ozone: Ground level ozone is formed by a chemical reaction that needs sunlight, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to form.
Press release details here

 

K'é: A Small Business Community Space in Mesa, Arizona!

Published on Jun 8, 2016

This is the video for my Indiegogo campaign which will launch shortly! I am launching a small business community space in Mesa, Arizona. Stay tuned for link to the details!

$6,698 USD raised by 51 backers
22% of $30,000 flexible goal  
[ a month left ]

Views:334

Source: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/let-s-accelerate-small-business-in-mesa-az#/

A small business community space with global reach
Our small business sector is the fastest-growing, most diverse, greatest contributor of new jobs to our local, national and global economy.
Did you know that:
Small businesses make up more than 99.7% of all employer
Small businesses create more than 50 percent of the non-farm private gross domestic product (GDP)
Small patenting firms produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms,
The 22.9 million small businesses in the United States are located in virtually every neighborhood and small businesses employ about 50 percent of all private sector workers
(Source: Small Business Association Office of Advocacy, 2015)

We are the growth engine of the economy!
And yet this community remains highly fragmented, and many business owners struggle to launch, grow and scale their small businesses.
Here in my hometown of Mesa, Arizona, we have amazing efforts underway to grow our creative economy, yet we have barely scratched the surface of our potential with our substantial local small business talent.

I am Pamela Slim, an author, small business coach and speaker. On August 15th, I am celebrating my 20th year in business. I have spent the last 11 years helping thousands of entrepreneurs all over the world launch and grow businesses  through my blog, my books (Escape from Cubicle Nation and Body of Work), online programs, coaching and speaking. I love small business as much as I love my kids and husband, John Legend, Star Wars and Peet's Coffee, and that is A LOT.
Last fall, I traveled to 25 cities across North America, teaching workshops on community building to entrepreneurs. I connected with amazing groups of business owners who were building great things in their local communities, from Los Angeles to Fargo, from Chicago to Washington, D.C. After that energizing experience, I came home, reflected on my own small business community here in Mesa, and suddenly thought "What am I doing to support and supercharge my own community? If I did that, imagine how many new ideas, practices and inspiration I would get that I could share with my broader small business ecosystem around the world!"
(The outside of what will become the small business incubator at 126 Main Street, in downtown Mesa. My neighbors are a toy store and cookie store! How perfect is that?)
Thus launched my idea to open a welcoming, vibrant, small business community space at 126 W. Main Street, in my home town of Mesa, Arizona. I have named it "K'é" (pronounced "keh") which in my husband's Diné (Navajo) language means "system of kinship." It is the feeling you have when you are deeply connected to others, you feel your kinship, and you treat each other as family.

In this space, I will curate talks, conduct workshops, training programs, facilitated group discussions, events and community building. I will encourage our local business community to work together to test and try new ideas, solve problems, promote our local economy, and share our ideas with our national and global counterparts. I will actively work to make sure that people who represent all sectors of our community are included and well-served.
With the learning, tools and ideas generated from this in-person connection, I will continue to develop highly engaging, useful virtual training for small business owners around the globe. This space will become an idea factory and launch pad for innovative ideas that support our small business sector. We will continue to strengthen our relationships with other local communities around the world, sharing ideas, resources and information to grow the global small business economy.

My superpower for the last 30 years has been community building. I believe that when local community members connect, get to know each other, and work on projects together, that massive social and economic progress ensues. But more than that -- we view each other as loved and respected family members. We feel our "K'é." This care and concern impacts us in every way -- we help each other find jobs and customers, we care about each other's health and well-being, we look out for each other's kids, and we work to create economic well-being for all.
 

What We Need & What You Get
Creating a space that can host workshops and events for different sized groups will take some investment.
The funds raised in this campaign will be used for:

• Comfortable and portable chairs and tables for training sessions and workshops. In order to adapt to a great number of different types of events, we need to have a solid and comfortable set of chairs and tables that can be set up and broken down safely and easily.
• Comfortable couches and end tables. We want an open, inviting and comfortable space where people can hang out and network (we will actively court high quality donated furniture from our local friends, but may need to purchase some new furniture as well).
• Kitchen equipment for the dining room area, including a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker (we must serve great coffee and tea!), shelving and a refillable water container (you must hydrate here in the desert!).
• Light construction including:  widening the bathroom walls and door to make it accessible for wheelchairs; removal of wallpaper and deep cleaning of brick in the kitchen area; cleaning and painting in the main areas.
• Audio visual equipment for the main workshop area so we have high quality  projection and live-stream capability for our virtual classes

My favorite part: Paint, lighting, design and signage for the storefront windows. We want this display to be both inviting and educational, celebrating the amazing talent we have here in Mesa, as well as sharing tips, lessons and insight about the small business economy with everyone who walks by. These displays will rotate frequently depending on the season, and be brought to life on the Internet through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Your Perks!
I like to think of this campaign as a request for investment, and  pre-enrollment for the great classes that will be delivered here!
We will be running a regular and rich schedule of live and virtual classes from K'é. We will have shorter, 2-hour classes that will teach you extremely practical and results-oriented business building techniques, as well as longer full-day, multi-day, and even year-long mentoring programs that build and deepen your small business mastery. The complete calendar will be up and running in August.

I realize it may seem crazy to sign up for classes when you don't even know what subjects they are, but trust me, they will be highly relevant (based on questions I have heard every day of the 11 years I have worked with entrepreneurs), action-oriented and tool-based.
The perks for this campaign include (at different levels):

• Big discounts on the regular priced live and virtual classes which will start in September (50-70% off the regular prices)
• The opportunity to spend an entire day (or 2!)  live with me in a private strategy session (for companies who invest at this level, this session could be with your executive or marketing team).
• The opportunity, as with all such campaigns, to give anonymously, and not take any perks at all, if you just feel like contributing to the cause without any strings attached.

The Impact
By supporting this project, you will build:

• A vibrant and inclusive meeting space in Mesa, Arizona, where people from all backgrounds and business stages will share ideas, build knowledge and leadership capacity, strengthen their companies and innovate new products and services 
• The opportunity to mobilize more support and resources for projects  Mesa leaders have been working hard on, like Downtown Mesa, CoWorkMesa, Mesa ArtSpace Lofts and Mesa Chamber of Commerce initiatives.
• A space for visiting authors, experts and thought leaders to share their wisdom, tools and ideas live with the surrounding community and virtually to the rest of the world through live stream and video. 
• A laboratory for new ideas about growing the small business economy which will be shared on Pam's large global platform
• Funding to offer free classes to community members who may not have the means to pay 
• A place to mentor younger entrepreneurs, from grammar school to college age
• A place to grow personally, and become a more capable and happy person, leader and community member

Risks & Challenges
Sustaining a brick and mortar location takes time, energy and investment. Once the short-term start-up equipment is purchased through this campaign, I am committed to do the work of securing ongoing revenue, funding and partnerships to keep this location secure, solvent and vibrant.

• I have had a strong and stable business for 20 years serving entrepreneurs inside and  outside of Mesa which I will continue to grow and develop to fund this location
• I have a large circle of motivated, collaborative and successful friends and partners who I will engage in my growth and fundraising efforts
• I have many ties to corporate partners who serve the small business market, and will use these connections to establish stable funding paths

Other Ways You Can Help
I know that you don't always have extra cash on hand to support crowdfunding projects, but still want to see them succeed.  Here are some concrete things you can do to support this project:

• Share this campaign with friends and family who might benefit.
• Drop us an email if you have funding ideas, interesting connections or advice ( support@pamelaslim.com )
• Send your good vibes. We will feel them, and they will give us courage to take this project all the way to the finish line

My friend Greg Hartle once said: "What kind of world do you want to live in, and what are you building to contribute to this world?" I am building K'é. I hope you will join me!
    

 

 

Weather Watch: Scorching Excessive High Heat + Monsoon Season June-September

We have a Weather Watch, dear readers: Summer is the most dangerous time in Arizona
Arizona InciWeb Updates:
Click on the fire name for more information (maps, photos, public meeting times, etc.)
[Not all active fires in Arizona will appear here. Some fires that appear here may have been of significance but currently inactive.] 
Inciweb - Arizona Incidents
Information that appears here is directly fed from Inciweb via RSS.

The national map looks like this

    




WildWeb** - Initial Report WildWeb** - Initial Report

• **WildWeb Note:  These are initial reports of an activity or incidents received by area dispatch centers.
• The information available is often preliminary and not definitive. 
• Each center's system configuration limits the information available for public viewing and the refresh/update cycle.
• Thus information such as Location, Lat/Long, Acres, etc. may not be current. 
• Do not contact dispatch centers directly for current fire information

 

 http://wildlandfire.az.gov/wildfire_news.asp

Primary Election Campaign 2016 Signs of The Times > State Solicitor General John Lopez Steps Up

GOP State Rep. Kelly Townsend District 16 R-Mesa, perhaps best known for sponsoring a bill that gives the Salt River horses new protections from a roundup, is the latest episode in the local and national media attention about election campaign signs here in Mesa.
The prior episode, regarding freedom of speech and trademark law issues, represented by attorney Paul Levy on behalf of candidate Jeremy Whittaker in his election campaign for Mesa City Council District #2 was featured in three earlier posts on this blog: on May 25, June 01 and June 05, 2016.
Please go back and read them if you haven't taken the opportunity . . .

AZ State Solicitor General John Lopez

Townsend questioned whether candidates could start putting out their signs 60 days ahead of early voting. On paper, the law is clear - it says local governments cannot remove political signs if certain conditions are met.
But that prohibition exists only from 60 days before a primary election and ending 15 days after the general election. Candidates who lose in the primary have to remove their signs 15 days after that race.
But Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, pointed out that Arizona law says early ballots go out about a month ahead of the actual primary. And voters can fill them out and mail them back as soon as they get them.AZ State Solicitor General Lopez said that interpretation of the law does not work.
“The date of the primary election is the date specifically provided by statute, not the date that ballots are mailed out for the primary election,” he wrote.
“Nothing in the early balloting statute ... purports to alter the date of the 'primary election,' “ Lopez continued. “It simply allows qualified electors to vote by early ballot.”
Anyway, he said reading the law the way Townsend suggested “would be to manufacture ambiguity.”
Townsend, who didn't comment after Howie Fischer's first reporting, said she agrees with what Lopez concluded but sought the opinion because a political foe was erecting signs earlier than 90 days before the primary, using the early ballot date. Townsend said if that was the way the law could be read, “I didn't want to lose 30 days' opportunity.”
The state law governing political signs trumps city laws  Excerpts taken from Solicitor general rejects bid to jump the gun on campaign signs

By: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services June 7, 2016 , 4:23 pm

Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/06/07/solicitor-general-rejects-bid-to-jump-the-gun-on-campaign-signs/#ixzz4BTHlNRhb

Who is Kelly Townsend?

Kelly Townsend (born September 27, 1968) is an Arizona politician and an active Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 16 since January 14, 2013.

In 2010 Townsend initially sought a Legislative seat in District 22 six-way August 24, 2010 Republican Primary, placing fourth with 5,446 votes; other frontrunners included Eddie Farnsworth and Steve Urie who went on to win the district's seats in the November 2, 2010 General election.

In 2012 she was Redistricted to District 16, and along with other politicians, Townsend was one of four candidates for the August 28, 2012 Republican Primary, placing first with 9,298 votes

[ from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Townsend ]

 

More complete information from Ballotpedia

https://ballotpedia.org/Kelly_Townsend

Biography

Townsend earned B.S. in Human Communications/Psychology and Small Business from Southern Oregon University in 1997.^[1]

Her professional experience includes working for

US Airways Group as Management in Customer Relations (Complaint Department) from 2004 to 2008,

Ashland Community Hospital La Clinica Del Valle as Doula Program Director from April 1997 to October 2004 and at

Hub Distributing/Miller's Outpost as a manager from March 1988 to April 1995.

Townsend served in the US Navy as an E-4 Aviation Structural Mechanic from March 1988 to February 1992.^[1]

 

 

Arizona State Solicitor General John Lopez

Good Source: https://www.azag.gov/profile/john-lopez