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Fruity flavors: Nicotine & tobacco in a smoke-free state
26 July 2010 7:55 PM | No CommentsI hadn’t realized how jarring it is to see people smoking indoors until I watched two DVDs this month. Barbra Streisand, as Katy in 1973’s “The Way We Were” smoked throughout the movie, including during her pregnancy. And from the land of television, Tim Robbins...
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Angels in Minnesota
26 July 2010 7:03 AM | No CommentsAngels are coming to Minnesota — at least that is the hope. The legislature is betting on the old Field of Dreams saying “If you build it, they will come” and hoping it will apply to angel investors and venture capital dollars over the next...
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Gathering ’round the Campfire
22 July 2010 12:29 PM | No CommentsLast Monday I became a parody of myself. I took to the woods with my ten-year-old son, accompanying six of his friends, and some of their parents to Scout Camp in Wisconsin. Our kids are Webelos, going into fifth grade. We joined around 100 other...
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Archive for February, 2010
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Support the Local Economy – Project 3/50
Posted on February 26, 2010 | No CommentsSometimes it takes a while for an idea to spread. Or at least for me to hear about it. I was having lunch with a friend a couple of weeks ago describing my past weekend’s activities. After sharing my usual routine of going to The... -
High-Impact Philanthropy Begins at Home
Posted on February 21, 2010 | 2 CommentsWhen dollars are tight, consumers focus on what gets them more bang for the buck. It’s no different with charitable givers. Inspired by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other foundations and corporations, donors and volunteers are beginning to use high-impact philanthropy models to... -
White Collar Crime: Don’t let it happen to you!
Posted on February 17, 2010 | 2 CommentsWhen you think of white collar crime your mind immediately goes to recent news stories of Bernie Madoff or Tom Petters. These are the current poster children for what is wrong in Corporate America. As citizens we wonder how they could be so dishonest and criminal... -
Tax returns got you down? Buck up…
Posted on February 15, 2010 | No CommentsThe greatest pleasure of my work at the Hill Center comes in meeting leaders who are committed to making a difference in the community. When I heard about the work of AccountAbility Minnesota, I was impressed by an organization that provides free tax services to... -
Budgeting and ROI: Common Sense Decision Making
Posted on February 11, 2010 | 2 CommentsWhen you don’t have a lot of disposable income, the decisions you make about how to spend money take on added importance. Whether it’s balancing a family budget, or trying to erase a billion dollar state deficit, the principals are much the same. You need... -
Neighborhood Names: Stereotyping or Better Neighbors?
Posted on February 8, 2010 | 3 CommentsThis past week I read an article in the Star Tribune about the role of neighborhoods and the seemingly trivial task of attributing a name to the area. I find the idea to be fascinating and the exercise of naming an area to be of... -
Do you have a “Plan B”?
Posted on February 4, 2010 | 2 CommentsA few weeks ago I had a shocking phone call while at work. It was my neighbor who in a very cheery, friendly voice said “just to let you know, the bus got here early so Tess is at our house”. Well that would have... -
Does the “Leadership” Section Stack up to Salinger or Zinn?
Posted on February 2, 2010 | 1 CommentWith the recent passings of J.D. Salinger and Howard Zinn, a recent table conversation among work colleagues turned to the impact of these two iconic authors’ works. We were not alone. In fact, MPR’s NewsQ question of the day asked listeners “What book changed your...
