A world we dare to imagine

Rebuilding Futures is an organization dedicated to providing natural disaster relief efforts to low- and middle-income countries. We aim to accomplish this by partnering up with The Red Cross and The United Nations to develop a preparedness plan for disaster relief. With this, we plan to educate and train the people so that they will be prepared and have the knowledge to adequately respond to natural disasters they are prone to. Our goal is to target low- and middle-income countries because 90% of natural disaster deaths occur in these areas. Most deaths occur in these countries since they do not have sufficient funds to support affected populations effectively.

Natural disasters not only cause physical damages, but they can also cause health issues in the affected population. Damages to infrastructures can leave civilians without access to clean water and shelter. Food sources may become unavailable and cause survivors to be malnourished. Affected populations are forced to move to crowded camps, which are prone to the spread of communicable diseases like influenza, malaria, and tuberculosis.

Our goal for Rebuilding Futures will focus heavily on educating the government and locals about the importance of being prepared. We plan to educate the workers that will be participating in the relief so that they will have full knowledge of how to tackle the situation and save the most lives, prevent illness, and prevent disability.

The Blue Sweater Post 3

In 2001, Jacqueline and her team modeled a business plan to create a company called Acumen Fund, which has a similar concept to a venture capitalist. Acumen Fund is different because they enforce the idea of making a difference in the world. They inform investors that they are investing in products that will make a positive impact on those whose who do not have much. Her institution invests in visionary entrepreneurs that are trying to create a solution to help those in poverty. She would assist these entrepreneurs by helping them to create a business plan, hire the correct employees, and link them to the target markets. The overview is to help these entrepreneurs so that they can make a positive impact in the world.

There are many problems that people in poverty face, but with Acumen Fund, Jacqueline is trying to implement change by offering solutions to their pains. This positive impact gives the less fortunate the ability to improve their lives and it also shows that there are people who are willing to help them. I think that this will inspire others to join her group and help grow her company.

The Blue Sweater Post 2

As Jacqueline's prepares for her philanthropy workshops, she makes a trip to Cambodia to meet a Buddhist monk name Maha Ghosananda. Jacqueline values the work that he has done and wants to learn more about it so that she can share it with the world. Through their conversation, Jacqueline is trying to understand the answers that Maha is giving her, but she is slightly confused. Near the end of their conversation Maha tells her, "If you move through the world only with your intellect then you walk on only one leg. If you move through the world only with your compassion then you walk on only one leg. But if you move through the world with both intellect and compassion, then you have wisdom." If found this quote to be quite interesting because it shares the idea that a person cannot only be intellectual to have wisdom, but we also have to show others compassion. Both ideas go hand in hand and generally reveals to us that having wisdom is not based on how smart you are. I think that this quote is very meaningful and illustrates an approach that people should take on. Moreover, with this new point of view, Jacqueline is able to get a better understanding of how to run her philanthropy workshops.  

The Blue Sweater Post 1

In the The Blue Sweater, Jacqueline Novogratz points out a few struggles that the people in Rwanda face, many of them are low income families and are only trying to make a living with what the have. It is difficult for these people to expand out of their communities because they do not have a vast amount of opportunities that they can undergo. Jacqueline is stationed to work in Rwanda, where she teaches the women how to invest their money and also creates small bank accounts for them. By doing this Jacqueline teaches them the importance of money management. I think that this is a great opportunity because by educating other, you are giving them the chance to break out of poverty and allows them to learn how to make a better living.

In my opinion, Jacqueline is making a significant impact on the lives of these people. She is giving them an opportunity to succeed. I think that this is something that should be encouraged among others.

Small Business Expo in Los Angeles

Last week on November 5th, I had the opportunity to attend the Small Business Expo at the California Market Center. It was about fifteen minutes away from campus. This was a trade show that displayed a wide range of small businesses near the Los Angeles area. A majority of the companies that attended the events offered a service rather than a product. For example, there was a company that was offering digital marketing services, advertising through social media, and website management. There was also a company that was offering information technology consulting services. The various companies informed potential customers about their services and explained a little about their companies and what their main goals.

Moreover, I felt that some of the companies that I networked with were lacking understanding about the companies they were working for. A few of them were not able to answer certain questions and would have to direct my questions to another representative at the booth. From this, I learned that it is important to hire the correct candidates for your company. Workers need to have a good understanding of the company and what is it that the company does. Other than this, it was a good first experience for attending a trade show. Furthermore, I was also given the opportunity to met a self-stater and he shared his experience about how he created his company called CorporateFilming.net. It was great to hear the different challenges he faced and how he overcame them. He was able to succeed because he truly believed in his product and had a strong passion for filming.

Overall, this was great learning experience. If anyone is interested in going into a specific industry, I would recommend going to a trade association first because it gives you the opportunity to see different companies in the industry. You can learn from theses companies and see what new products or services being offered. This ultimately provides you with a better understanding of the industry and gives a clear view of the potential competitors.

An Interview with Michael Spence

In this interview, Michael Spence brings up an interesting topic. He describes the relationship between technology and our thinking capacity. As new technology is being introduced into our society, he feels that this is unnecessary. There is nothing wrong with the technology, but it has to due with our capacity to control the technology. In a sense, he is trying to say that technology nowadays is taking over our will. Some individuals are consumed by technology and spend countless hours on it. He states that we have not developed "the inner discipline, the inner strength, to know when to use the possibilities and when they've become destructive," I think we need to realize and identify our internal strength. Developing discipline can allow one to overcome the internal conflict that technology can bring. We cannot allow technology to consume our lives.

The Genius of Money Chapter 15

Ralph Waldo Emerson (the American transcendentalist) talks about the moral challenges of accumulating wealth and the forces that money bears. He mentions that some people are "born to own" and others are not because their owning is not graceful; it seems to be a compromise within their own self. During his time, he was beginning to feel the force of money within his culture and work environment. Emerson was able to identify that land holders, bankers, and emerging industrialists were accumulating wealth through their ownership of land and capital.  However, he questioned "Who should be given the right of the use and distribution of that wealth?" Emerson recognized that money has now become the new natural resources. In his eyes, a person with high moral integrity will be able to determine if he or she can administer the use of wealth. 

Furthermore, Eva Hoffman (a Polish immigrant, who moved to Canada at the age of thirteen, and then to America) viewed ones identity on the influence of both material and cultural circumstances. Bloom brings in great reference to this point. He mentions that in today's society, media has played a big role in shaping the identity formation on the younger generation. The media bombards us with material items that will give us a higher status in life, but that is not being true to ones self. Bloom states, "I would think of myself as a brand rather than a self, an image rather than its source," I find this quote interesting because being materialistic can cloud us to think clearly and distracts the true focus of our main goals.Hoffman mentions that we should look beyond the material and focus on the spiritual perspective of life.

The Genius of Money: Tribute Paid

Chapter one describes the intersection of spirit and money. The spiritual practice is considered a private matter and the world of money is a public matter. John Bloom refers to a painting that shows a Herodian character handing Jesus a coin. In the painting, Jesus is looking directly in the eye of the other person rather than at the coin because he is trying to unmask the deceit from this other character. He is not focused on the money at all. This illustrates the power of spirit over the power of money. Jesus was able to to identify what belonged in this world and what was in the realm of spirits. He was able to point out when the two would fall out of integrity. Moreover, people are dependent of money because it revolves around their culture. Money carries value in our sense of well being, which is dangerous because it is close to our self spirit. We have the opportunity to transform the way we see money and not be controlled by our desire nature. We should see money as connected to our intentions whether it be moral-ethical or disingenuous.

Food Post 3

As Kurt goes on to tell his story about becoming a farmer, we can see his progression as each chapter goes on. Kurt introduces new live stocks into his farm and provides us with important detail as why it is beneficial to the farm. He also explains what roles each animals have. An important quote that Kurt mentions, “It’s easy to discuss the “best” environmental practices in farming without a budget, but implementing good systems with limited funds is a challenge.” We see a few challenges that Kurt has to face with his farm and with each roadblock; Kurt has to find solutions in order to overcome them. To solve his environmental practices he uses rotational grazing, which is a system that moves the animals around so that the pasture can grow again. Kurt is always exploring new ideas and ways on how he can improve as a farmer.
Furthermore, this is an interesting book and proves to be an eye opener to try new things. 

The Entrepreneurial Journey

 If you would like to start your own company in the future, here are some advice that I gained from other entrepreneurs and research that I have done. Starting your own business can be a challenging task, but it is also rewarding. Even though one does not succeed with their first venture, they can learn from their mistakes and try to improve themselves in the future or with their next endeavor. It is important to not feel discouraged and to always have an empowering mindset so that you can stay determined and try to achieve your goals. Negativity will only bring you down.

When developing your business, you should not only create a detailed business plan, but also try to sell and create enough awareness for your product. As an entrepreneur, you should try to tell as many people as you can about your business. This helps to draw in potential sales and also allows you to obtain feedback on how your product can improve. Creating your customer base is crucial in the beginning. One method to solve this problem is to work in the industry that you are interested in the sales or marketing department and network with your customers. Identify any problems that they currently have and take this information and apply it to your own business. Therefore you can fulfill the needs of your consumers. However, you have to make sure that when you contact your previous customers from your old job, you are not breaching any type of contract agreements.

Lastly, you should have a desiring passion when forming your business because this is something that you will be investing a lot of time in and if it does not inspire or make you happy, one can have a difficult time in taking the business to the next level. Enjoying what you do, will allow you to have fun and will give you motivation to break into new barriers. It is also important to always stay focused and have a clear mindset if you want to succeed. One should learn to overcome problems and gain knowledge from the experience.  

            

Final Expert Article

Going Hybrid

Tired of paying too much for gas? What can be done to conserve fuel usage? Some options are to drive less, take the bus, or purchase a hybrid automobile. Choosing the option of purchasing a hybrid vehicle allows the driver to save money at the pump and increase their fuel economy, compared to a conventional automobile.

Hybrids began gaining traction in the 1990’s. With modern technology, the vehicles have become more popular and have gripped the attention of many drivers on the road. The vehicles are environmental friendly, leaving a positive footprint on the earth by reducing pollution, and offer a wide range of benefits for the driver. While great results can be seen from switching to a hybrid vehicle, there are also some high costs that come with a hybrid ownership. In this article, I will go into detail about how a hybrid vehicle works and what makes it different from conventional cars.

How a Hybrid Vehicle Works

Hybrid vehicles use a combination of two different engines. The first engine is a conventional engine that uses either petrol or disel. The second engine is an electric motor than runs on electricity, which is powered by the car battery. A hybrid vehicle uses its electric motor when it is operating at lower speeds and uses the conventional engine to get the car going at higher speeds. The combination of both motors allows the automobile to run in an efficient and effective manner. Hybrid vehicles offer a regenerative braking system, meaning that when a driver brakes, the electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain and “in return, the energy from the wheels turns the motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy normally wasted during coasting and braking into electricity, which is stored in a battery until needed by the electric motor” (Fuel Economy). Hybrids also automatically shutdown when the car comes to a stop. It starts again when the accelator is being pushed on. This allows the car to reduce emissions when idling and saves gas when the car is not in motion.

Eco-Friendly

There has been much speculation about global warming affecting the state of our planet. The large amount of carbon in the earth’s atmosphere is changing our weather patterns and causing polar ice caps to melt rapidly. These eco-friendly cars release a low amount of carbon and sulfur, reducing the amount of toxic emissons into the air. “For every gallon of gasoline burned, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide and other green house gas enter the atmopshere,” but the use of hybrid vehicles can help minimize the negative impact of toxic emissions (Ariskan). The amount of smog and pollution will be greatly reduced. Sustainability has become a huge topic and companies have responded by pushing more environmental friendly products to preserve the earth for future generations.

Fuel Economy

One of the biggest factors that pull customers to purchase a hybrid vehicle is the great fuel economy it offers. On average, a hybrid vehicle can reach up to fifty miles per gallon (mpg) and a tank of gas costs between twenty to thirty dollars.  The “battery provides an electric assist to the gas-powered engine, achieving 20–35 percent better gas mileage than conventional cars” (Green American). For example, a 2015 Toyota Prius has a combined mpg of fifty, whereas a Toyota Corolla can get thirty-two mpg. The mpg difference between the two vehicles is significant. With gas prices fluctuating every month, drivers do not want to pay a premium for gas. Drivers can save money and have a higher fuel economy if they switch to a hybrid automobile.

Benefits

            The purchase of a hybrid vehicle benefits the environment, while also offering different types of perks for the owner. Many insurance companies instantly offer discounts for any hybrid vehicle owners. “Travelers Insurance even have a dedicated hybrid car insurance division which provides discounts of up to 10 percent simply based on the vehicle” and on top of this deduction, drivers can still get other typical discounts that come with insurance companies (Dunn). The second advantage is that most hybrid vehicles have a high resale value. Even if you decide to sell your automobile in the future, you will be able to retain a larger amount compared to a conventional vehicle. In addition, consumers may worry that hybrids will not be able to accelerate to high speeds because the car uses less fuel. However, that is false. Hybrids actually have a large amount of torque – they can accelerate to high speeds quickly.

Disadvantages

            A disadvantage of hybrid vehicles is their higher price tag. Hybrids tend to cost more because of the research and development done to create the vehicle. Another factor that may affect a consumer’s decision to purchase a hybrid is the high maintenance cost: “Hybrid vehicles also cost more to repair because of the complexity of the dual compulsion system used in most hybrid vehicles” (Cars Direct). Finding experienced mechanics to maintain hybrids can be quite expensive since not many mechanics have yet to specialize in this.

Conclusion

            We have discussed the benefits and drawbacks of owning a hybrid vehicle. A hybrid may have a higher price tag and higher maintenance cost, but the pros outweigh the cons. Hybrids are environmental friendly and offer a great solution to help reduce smog from our atmosphere. They do not emit as much toxic gases into our air. On top of that, hybrids can achieve a higher fuel economy compared to conventional automobiles. Owning a hybrid also allows you to obtain cheaper auto insurance, and the vehicle retains its resale value in the future. Now that you have knowledge on hybrid vehicles, it is your decision to go out and purchase one.

Works Cited

Ariskan, Sandra. "Hybrid Car Technology | Ecofriendly Planet." Ecofriendly Planet RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

Dunn, Alan. "5 Reasons to Buy a Hybrid Car." U.S. News. N.p., 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.

"How Hybrids Work." How Hybrids Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

Novey, Joelle. "GREEN AMERICAN." Green America: Living Green: The Money-Saving Perks of a Hybrid Car. N.p., 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

"The Pros and Cons of Hybrid Cars." CarsDirect. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.

Growing a Farmer "Bees Lesson"

In the next chapter, Kurt Timmermeister goes on and talks about the importance of bees on his farm. In the beginning of the chapter, Kurt describes his struggles to obtain a container of bees that were shipped by his supplier. When transporting the bees from a different state, the bees undergo severe weather and temperature problems and thus do not survive the journey. The first year of beekeeping was unsuccessful for Kurt. As the second year comes around, Kurt is still unsuccessful and does not fully understand how to care for the bees. However, as time progresses, Kurt does not give up and continues to learn about the bees so that he can understand the way they function and live.

From this passage, I think Kurt was not only describing his issues with bees but was also teaching the readers. This chapter shows that although we may not succeed at first, we should never give up on what we are doing. We should always remain focused on our goals. There will always be obstacles and roadblocks that will come in our way. It is up to the person to overcome these difficulties in order to achieve success in the end. Kurt even failed a second time and still was determined to master beekeeping. I admire Kurt for not giving up and always following his willingness to succeed.

Growing a Farmer

Growing a Farmer By Kurt Timmermeister has been an interesting book so far. I like how in the beginning of the book, Kurt describes his journey in the restaurant business and gives us a little insight of his past. He then goes on and describes how he began his farming endeavors. Moreover, I thought that it was really interesting when Kurt was trying to figure a way to sell his newly planted vegetables. With little resources he was not able to distribute to large retailers, but wanted to sell his crops in local farmers market. I like that he did his research and found out that growing vegetables would be his best option to begin with. From the insights, his county or the federal government do not regulate the production of vegetables. From this we can see that his mindset is not only being focused as a developing farmer, but has a business mindset as well. This was something that really stuck out to me and has got me interested in the book. I want to find out more about his farm and what the future holds for it.