A Bailout by Any Other Name?

I love capitalism, or at least the theory of it. I really believe that a competitive market creates better products, for the most part. I worry about the indirect costs that aren't taken into account in unregulated capitalism. For instance, employers that pay their workers too little to eat properly, who then get sick and can't afford health care and end up needing public assistance. The company makes more money, but the community ends up contributing to their profit margin. But every system has flaws when it's implemented by human beings.

These recent bailouts have got me thinking. There's a lot of anti-socialism rhetoric out there, at least when it comes to feeding the hungry. But big business bail outs seem to be all the rage. We are talking about saving the auto industry. (Even though they've had over 30 years since the LAST oil crisis and didn't take that as a spur to increase production of fuel efficient vehicles.) I can understand the desire to avert massive layoffs. It's scary out there and we teeter on the edge of fear. I'm glad I'm not making those decisions because I doubt anyone really knows what's going to happen.

But let's have a non-profit bail out! All the grassroots, tiny organizations that struggle to meet their bills are going to be hit hard in this economic situation. And they never take private jets, anywhere. They recycle paper, use duct tape to hold equipment together, and have incredibly complicated ways of making things work, in order to save themselves money. 5% of what's been spent on all the big business could be used to bailout most of the smaller nonprofits in the country. Keeping the income steady for the employees will increase their ability to serve the under-served, who are likely to grow in this climate. And they will be able to continue to purchase things and keep the economy flowing in these tough times.

What do you think?

The Untapped Potential in Your Organization

On November 4th Barack Obama accepted his victory as the 44th presidents and said in his speech that this proved that “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.”

Well a nation of the people, by the people and for the people, can no longer afford to treat its people as it has been. We are not a melting pot, and none of us desire to create a nation filled with people who all look, act and speak the same. We are a nation of differences and those differences are what make us the powerful, noble, unbeaten entity that we are. For when India thinks of hating us, we are her people too. When Korea wants to attack us, we are her people too. When Canada wishes were not her neighbors, we are her people too.

There is not a country, republic, or island on this beautiful planet that we have not served as a haven of hope and possibility. We are comprised of every color, religion, creed, interest, gender identity, sexuality, and body type ever to grace this globe. And it is because of this that we are the UNITED States of America. We are not the Christian States of America, the White States of America, the Hetero States of America and we are certainly not the Skinny States of America. We must stop treating our people like we are one or all of these for we are, all of us, the reason for this country’s successes and its failures.

“The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through -- a part of our union that we have yet to perfect.

And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.” - Barack Obama

The companies and organizations that work in this country need to learn to build off of the strengths of their people. Not just their manual labor, or their educated minds, but their cultures, languages, and untapped potential. How many bilingual employees work with you that are not being used to reach your clients who speak that language? How many people are you not reaching because your marketing message does not speak to the people you want to hear your words?

I recently heard Daniel Escalante speak quite eloquently about the salad bowl analogy and for those of you unfamiliar with this I will briefly recount. A salad with only lettuce lack flavor, color, nutrients, and flare. A salad blended to where it all looks and tastes the same is a V-8. If I wanted juice I'd ask for one. I want a salad. I want a job market where culture, language, accent, education, and technical skills, are all valued. Not in some vain attempt to be politically correct, or to apease some affirmative action initiative, but because those attributes are honestly valued as they should be.

Fear and Loathing this Saturday

I have been invited to sit on a panel entitled. "Fear and Loathing: Why We Despise What Scares Us." It is this Saturday on the 8th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm at the Dairy Center for the Arts and will be moderated by Bud Coleman, Associate Professor in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The panel is part of a series of program being offered in conjunction with a play entitled Fat Pig which, according to the Daily Camera:

premiered off-Broadway in 2004, questions prevailing notions -- at least in some parts of the country, like uber-fit Boulder -- about bigness and beauty. It's also about our capacity for honesty, with ourselves and others. How much honesty is too much and how much is too little? At what point do we allow what others may think of us to become too important?

Below are the details of the play and the "Saturday Series" panels that precede them. There is no cost to attend the panels, I hope that you can make it.

Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company

presents the Regional Premiere of

FAT PIG by Neil LaBute

Click HERE to read Mark Collins' Daily Camera Review

FAT PIG continues November 6th - 23rd

Click HERE to buy your tickets NOW, or call 888-512-7469

2-for-1 Tickets on Thursday, November 6th and 13th!

Thursday – Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm

The Dairy Center for the Arts

2590 Walnut Street, Boulder

Don't forget, our "Saturday Series" starts this weekend!

These exciting FREE events on Sat Nov. 8, 15 and 22 focus on the themes surrounding the play and feature local experts from a variety of fields such as Paul Campos, Carmen Cool, Robin Hammer, Diane Israel and more! All "Saturday Series" events begin at 6:00pm at the Dairy and last one hour with a FREE reception before the show that night. These events are open to the general public (tickets not required). Visit www.BoulderEnsembleTheatre.org for specific information about each event.

FAT PIG was named one of "Ten to Watch" by the Denver Post!

For more information, check out our preview articles in the Denver Post and the Boulder Daily Camera !

DUE TO STRONG LANGUAGE, ADULT MATERIAL AND SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE CONTENT,

FAT PIG IS RECOMMENDED FOR PATRONS 16 YEARS AND OLDER.

Horray for all of us! Wait...What?

This election was certainly historic. For many it was tragic. Gay voters poured out their pockets, time and energy to see our progressive president seated and were pained to see that the initiatives stabbed them in the back. Conflicted celebrants across the country simultaneously cheered for their new president, a man of color and youth and hope, while they grieved the losses of their individual freedoms. Couples who were recently married watched as their states voted to expand the racial possibilities, and at the same time told them that their marriages were not legal.

The questions began pouring in. In May the California Supreme Court said that sexual orientation, like race gender and religion "does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights." Now, less than a year later Arizona, Florida and likely California all pass laws banning same sex marriage. So why and how can we decide that race is no longer a defining factor in politics, and sex is? With all these liberal voters at the polls, how did this happen?

For people of color, race has ALWAYS been a more pressing issue than sexual freedom. This is evident in the lack of diversity in all of the gay, kink and swinger and fetish communities across the country.

I can put aside what kind of sex I have in my bedroom, but I cannot put aside my color. To be a gay person of color is to be an outsider among outsiders. That said, and because people of color have had to deal with so much oppression due to their color, we are a traditionally homophobic lot. It is a repressed, hidden and often shame filled existence.

The marvelous outpouring of voters of color this year is awe inspiring. I am so very proud to see that after 200 years, a person who is of a different race, has been elected to the highest political seat in the country. Simultaneously this turnout brought with it a flood of voters who also voted to oppress the rights of "others."

Is this a sign? I don't think so. I believe in society's evolution. It took a long time to get where we are. We didn't have to have a black vice president before having a president. This election was a leap in our social evolution. The steps we will see being taken by this next administration will be the true test as to how far we have come. Will our new president make good on his pledge to bring us to a place of inclusion and equality? Will we see people being given equal rights across this great nation regardless of race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, OR color? Only time will tell.

Keep the hope that was shown last night. Keep your voice heard. Give to the NCSF. Support the Equal Rights Amendment. Find the Equality Now office near you. Come to the Creating Change conference and support the NGLTF.

The fight is not over and this momentum should not be wasted.

Edu-train-ment

I love this word, it's a blend of everything that I do. Education, Training and Entertainment. I stole it from the Sesame Street inspired "edu-tainment" and added a new part to it. Because I don't want to just educate in a standard presentation format, I want people to get involved. I want them to like learning and ask for more.

And I want to thank C. Beth Blog for inspiring me to write this. If you are having trouble blogging on a regular basis, start following her blog and use it as a momentum builder to start writing more.

You also do WHAT? And how does that relate to training?

We recently wrote this update for our website and was informed that a number of our blog readers were unaware of this aspect of our business. So here you go.

So long long ago, in a land far far away, before the Consulting & Speaking blended with the Silliness and Satire to create A Simple Twist as it is now, Tim was a "balloon guy" for the children, & spirited adults of Seattle & the San Francisco Bay Areas.

This existence filled his brain with all manner of interesting, strange, funny & curious ideas for balloon sculptures. From dragons & dinosaurs that fill your store window, to dresses fine enough to wear out on the town, it CAN be made from balloons. If you ask him real nice, he might just be persuaded to show you some of them.

He can also be easily bribed into coming to you or your child's birthday, bar/bat mitzvah, or perhaps entertain the young ones while you drink and be merry at your wedding reception. He has even been known to do the occasional mime-like stage performance wherein he builds some manner of tool (hammer, chainsaw, lawnmower...) and chases someone off the stage.

If you have a desire for this or some other form of latex entertainment, drop us a line.

We'll see what we can twist up for you.