Udacity - Lean Startup

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Evidently, in these challenging financial times, this principle has held true with the blossoming of business startups. There hasn't been a time in our nations history when innovation and entrepreneurship has been more needed and prevalent than the last half decade or so. Regardless of all the governmental  impediments to economic growth, an increasing number of courageous people have taken back control of their financial futures, made daunting sacrifices, put themselves at enormous economic risk, and devoted considerable resources to inventing and developing and rolling out new products and companies.

And, while many of these adventurers may have experience in their respective fields of endeavor, few have expertise in starting and running a business.

To bridge this gap, a group of successful business owners have teamed up, under the direction of Steve Blank, to provide free instruction and assistance for creating repeatable and sustainable and lean startups.

The course is housed at Udacity, and is called, "How to Build a Business."

Additional material is available at Steve Blank's web site HERE.

Good people who are good businessmen doing good things in the world.

Peepoople

In the U.S. we are so accustomed to having access to modern toilets and port-a-potties and even outhouses that we tend to take them for granted and don't give even a first thought to whether human waste disposal may be a problem in other parts of the world.

Besides, who wants to think much about pee and poop?

Well, it is a problem elsewhere. In fact, there are as many as 2.5 million people today who lack access to toilets and basic sanitation (See HERE)

And, fortunately, a group of people have thought long and hard about pee and poop, and have devised an ingenious solution:

Their innovation not only provide effective sanitation, but it also enables safe use of human waste as fertilizer.

Deseret Industries etc.

The concept of recycling has great appeal. Unfortunately, though, much of the recycling these days ends up consuming more energy and resources than it generates. (See HERE and HERE and HERE) The notion may warm the heart, but it often is worse for the environment that it is intended to protect.

However, there are fantastic exceptions to this general rule. Take for instance the several nationwide or regional organizations that not only recycle items like clothing, furniture, appliances, electronics, yard tools, etc., but who provide jobs and inexpensive items for the poor, such as:

It is hard to beat the good they are doing in the world.

Happy!

I just discovered one of the new theme songs for my life. Thanks to Pharrell Williams for bringing this fantastic song into the world.  And thanks to whomever for combining it with some of the happiest dancers in the world (posted HERE).

The lyrics can be read HERE.

[Update 3/27/2014: I just became aware that the United Nations (UN) has designated March 20th as the International Day of Happiness. This is great! However, feel free to join me in celebrating happiness everyday. Here is a link to hours of related videos HERE Very Cool!]

I am adding this to my list along side of Bobby McFerrin's "Don't worry...be happy!"

Catholic Adoption and Foster Care

There are millions of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies in the U.S. each year. (See HERE)

Women and couples deal with these unintended pregnancies in a variety of ways, from abortion to carrying the babies to term.

For the mothers and parents who choose life for their babies, many, and at varied points in the child-rearing process, are not financially and/or emotionally and/or physically able to adequately care for their offspring. (See HERE and HERE)

As such, it is blessed and heartwarming to know that there are organizations willing to step up and take charge of the welfare of the children, particularly all the Catholic adoption and foster care services (see HERE and HERE) like Catholic Adoption Online.

NAMI

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH): "Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year." (See HERE)

And, while some regions may have higher incidences than others, few if any families or close relations remain untouched by the harrowing effects of mental and emotional challenges.

Even though there is an abundance of trained professional at the ready to deal with psychological problems, their services are often cost-prohibitive and not always successful and tend to treat individuals without factoring in contributing environments and support systems.

Filling in this gap is the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), Here is how they briefly describe their efforts: "As the navigator of our nine signature education programs, offered in thousands of communities across America through our NAMI State Organizations NAMI Affiliates, we ensure hundreds of thousands of families, individuals and educators are served. NAMI is tireless in our efforts to equip and train grassroots volunteer facilitators who provide individual and family support groups in thousands of communities across America. Through the toll-free NAMI HelpLine, we respond personally to hundreds of thousands of requests each year, providing free referral, information and support—a much-needed lifeline for many." (See HERE)

Their facebook page is available HERE.

Kudos to this organization for doing so much good in the world.

Dad

Since this is my Dad's birthday, I thought it only right that he be remembered for all the good he brought into the world. He passed away several years ago, but his legacy of good continues in his wife, and children, and grandchildren.

Graveside 3/16/2014

Dad in college: