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After all, this is so often what one reads about the UN in the newspapers. And it is true that this is a part of what takes place in the UN buildings in New York or Geneva.
However, such activities are only a small fraction of what the UN does. In contrast to debate in the Security Council and the General Assembly, most of the UN’s work and most of the UN’s staff – 80% or more –are engaged in things more practical, more positive and much less fraught.
These include health, agriculture, education, culture, employment, technology, economic development with a focus on children, women and human concerns – and a multitude of other issues which countries want to pursue and which make up the agenda of what the UN calls development.
In some of the worst trouble spots of the world, UN activities have to be more basic, providing immediate support for children, women and vulnerable communities caught up in the tragic consequences of violence and destruction. For all its difficulties, even this for the UN has its positive and humane side.
A recently-released honest and forthright memoir— “A Destiny in the Making” by Boudewijn Mohr — tells what working for the UN is like on the frontlines, in a range of different situations and different countries, large and small, poor and rich, many in Africa.
UNICEF wondering what skills the banker can bring which would really be useful. But with emerging experience on both sides, the story becomes a love affair, the banker realizing that he now has the best job in his life, his wife, son and daughter discovering roles for themselves and UNICEF promoting the banker to ever ...
There are bits in this fascinating story for everyone. Those wondering about what the UN actually does when working in Africa will find fascinating examples, with frustrations and failures as well as struggles and successes – and uplifting accounts of creativity and commitment by staff, national and international.
Those who have worked for the UN, past and present, may recognize some of the names and situations as well as enjoying the well-told experiences. Everyone will find memorable anecdotes. Even some bankers, I hope, may be led to reconsider their daily preoccupations with money-making and wonder whether it is time for a c...
Boudewijn illuminates his story with colour and detail, enlivened by accounts from his diaries written at the time. Fortunately, he has not edited out frank comments and reactions to some of the less helpful colleagues or officials he has encountered on the way. All this makes for lively reading.
It is also a family memoir, with detail of how Annette, Boudewijn’s wife, developed her own parallel interests and activities, with her anthropologist’s eye for what also was going on and what local people were thinking and feeling.
And their son, Nadim, when not away in school, joined in with his own activities which are recorded. Their daughter Vanessa followed her own multicultural track that included acting in the First All Children’s Theatre of Manhattan and then sociology with study and research in London, Paris and Hanghzou, China.
At a time when it is in vogue to urge governments and non-profits to learn from international business and banking, Boudewijn Mohr’s insightful book offers a different lesson.
It shows how much international business and the banking sector have to learn from the UN and NGOs – about motivation and commitment, about goals focused on human welfare rather than profit, and about broader approaches to efficiency and effectiveness.
The book is a great read –for a wide variety of readers, NGO workers in development, in the UN, people young and old, possibly even some bankers!
(Episode 636; 19 minutes 44) David Siteman Garland reckons that a lot of old-style mainstream marketing relies on a dumb, slow and expensive way of working. It was a world where the focus was on the hard-sell of your product, backed my mutli-million dollar advertising budgets.
Today the internet has produced a network approach to marketing, where pushing too hard will not sell product. In his brand new book "Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-Free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business", he writes about the importance of building a community online and giving first, be...
David has his own web show "The Rise To The Top", that's almost as good as BTalk. Be sure to check it out.
Apple Aims To Help Parents Crack Down On Kids' iPhone Use : The Two-Way Apple will allow users to get reports on how much their kids are using particular apps on their iPhones and iPads. The announcement follows pressure from shareholders about the overuse of technology.
A child plays with a mobile phone while riding in a New York subway in December. Two major Apple investors urged the iPhone maker to take action to curb growing smartphone use among children.
Apple on Monday announced a new app to allow users to get reports on how much their kids are using particular apps on their iPhones and iPads.
Apple is calling the app Screen Time, and it will let parents set time limits on how long their children can use apps, from Netflix to Snapchat, said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering. Screen Time would also allow parents to limit access to some apps and websites. One option is desi...
The new feature — announced at the company's annual conference for developers in San Jose, Calif. — will be part of the next Apple mobile operating system, iOS 12, which is expected out later this year.
Users will now be able to get a few summary of the time they spend on the phone and how long they are on certain apps. Users will also be able to set a time limit for themselves on a particular app.
"We know, this is something that can help families achieve the right balance for them," Federighi said.
Screen Addiction Among Teens: Is There Such A Thing?
In an interview Monday with NPR, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "We have never been about maximizing the number of times you pick it up, the number of times you use it.
"All of these things are great conveniences of life," he said. "They change your daily life in a great way. But if you're being bombarded by notifications all day long, that's probably a use of the system that might not be so good anymore."
Apple also launched a "Families" webpage in March, outlining ways in which parents can utilize the company's pre-existing features.
"We first introduced parental controls for iPhone in 2008, and our team has worked thoughtfully over the years to add features to help parents manage their children's content," Federighi said.
Apple's announcement Monday follows pressure from activist shareholders to take the lead in developing controls to help parents limit iPhone use by teens and children.
In January, Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, or CalSTRS, wrote a letter to Apple about growing "societal unease" about overuse of technology and in particular smart phones, which at some point could turn people away from buying Apple products. They called upon Apple to take a stronger...
CalSTRS and Jana, which, combined, owned about $2 billion in Apple stock, say the company could help minimize "unintentional negative consequences" of overusing digital devices and spending too much time on social media.
Charles Penner, a partner with Jana Partners, said the investment firm sees Apple's latest moves as positive.
"We're still reviewing it, but Apple appears to have addressed the vast majority of our concerns, and we look forward to seeing their follow-through," Penner said.
One study by nonprofit group Common Sense Media said that 78 percent of teens check their phones at least hourly and 50 percent report feeling "addicted" to their phones.
Right now, controls give two options — all on or all off. Shareholders want more options for controls that help with screen-time management. They also requested that Apple convene a panel to study the issue.
Monday's announcement addresses some of the concerns of the shareholders.
Apple's initiative is the latest push from technology companies under pressure to address smartphone addiction.
"We need to have tools and data to allow us to understand how we consume digital media," Tony Fadell, a former senior Apple executive, told Bloomberg in May. "We need to get finer-grain language and start to understand that an iPhone is just a refrigerator, it's not the addiction."
Google announced similar controls in May for its Android P operating system, which include expanded do-not-disturb controls and ways to track app usage. Google introduced a "wind down" mode that changes the screen's brightness and color scale later in the evenings. The new software will also allow users to set time lim...
Disney CEO's Note to Staff on Fox Deal: "What Lies Ahead Is the Challenging Work"
The Walt Disney Company website after the Fox deal closed on Wednesday morning.
The company completed the $71.3 billion acquisition of large parts of 21st Century Fox on Wednesday.
About 45 minutes after the Walt Disney Co. closed its $71.3 billion acquisition of large parts of 21st Century Fox around midnight East coast time, CEO Bob Iger sent a note to staff saying, "We are rapidly transforming our company to take full advantage of evolving consumer trends and emerging technology in order to th...
As the deal closed, the company's official website got a makeover and added pictures of iconic Fox properties. Characters from The Simpsons, Avatar, Deadpool and Atlanta, as well as images of IPL cricket and soccer, were added to the homepage alongside characters from well-known Disney properties Frozen, Star Wars, Cap...
Iger added in his note, "I wish I could tell you that the hardest part is behind us; that closing the deal was the finish line, rather than just the next milestone. What lies ahead is the challenging work of uniting our businesses to create a dynamic, global entertainment company."
Under the terms of the mega-deal, Disney is adding the Fox film and TV studio, the FX networks, National Geographic, Indian TV giant Star India and Fox's 30 percent stake in streaming service Hulu to its portfolio. Disney has increased its stake in Hulu to 60 percent, with Comcast owning 30 percent, and AT&T's Warner M...
I’m proud to announce the acquisition is complete and 21st Century Fox is now part of The Walt Disney Company. I’d like to welcome our new colleagues, and thank employees on both sides of the deal for your patience and perseverance as we worked through the lengthy acquisition and regulatory process.
As you know, Disney has never been short on ambition. We’ve never been satisfied with the status quo, and our vision for this transformative era is our boldest yet. We are rapidly transforming our company to take full advantage of evolving consumer trends and emerging technology in order to thrive in this new and excit...
Our acquisition of 21st Century Fox was driven by our strong belief that the addition of these great businesses, brands, franchises and talent will allow us to move faster, reach farther and aim higher – especially when it comes to building direct connections with consumers.
I wish I could tell you that the hardest part is behind us; that closing the deal was the finish line, rather than just the next milestone. What lies ahead is the challenging work of uniting our businesses to create a dynamic, global entertainment company with the content, the platforms, and the reach to deliver indust...
We’ve spent the last year exploring the new opportunities and synergies generated by bringing our two legendary companies together. Leaders across both organizations have worked closely together to understand how to best unlock this potential and unleash innovation and creativity to generate long-term growth. We’re con...
Our integration process will be an evolution, with some businesses impacted more than others. We’ve made many critical decisions already, but some areas still require further evaluation. We may not have answers to all of your questions at this moment, but we understand how vital information is, and we’re committed to m...
Having been on both sides of numerous acquisitions during my career, I have a deep appreciation for how this one impacts everyone involved, on both a personal and professional level. I understand the challenges, and I ask for your continued patience in the days to come as we combine this collection of great assets to c...
March 20, 7 am PST Updated story throughout with Disney CEO Bob Iger's note to employees.
The fast-moving world of online education, where anyone can take classes at a world-famous university, is making a new foray into the community college system, with a personal twist.
In a partnership billed as the first of its kind, the online education provider edX plans to announce Monday that it has teamed up with two Massachusetts community colleges to offer computer science classes that will combine virtual and classroom instruction.
Beginning next term, Bunker Hill and MassBay community colleges will offer versions of an online MIT course that will be supplemented with on-campus classes. Those classes, to be taught by instructors at the two-year schools, will give students a chance to review the online material and receive personal help.
Students will pay the same amount they would for a standard class.
Massive open online course sites will change universities — but how?
The pilot program marks the first time edX, a collaboration between MIT and Harvard University to offer open, online courses, has worked with community colleges. The program is being financed by a $1 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Anant Agarwal, president of edX and a professor in MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department, said combining online and face-to-face instruction — an approach known as the blended model — has shown promise in helping students learn.
Bringing that approach to community colleges, which are seen as crucial to developing a strong workforce, seemed a natural extension of online classes at major research universities.
Adding a teacher-led component gives students a chance to ask questions, discuss what they learned, and bounce ideas off students and faculty.
Reville said the course takes aim at a shortage of workers with computer programming skills, and gives community college students a flexible way to learn a marketable skill.
Governor Deval Patrick has made improving the community college system a priority, and in July lawmakers gave the state greater oversight of the 15 campuses, linking budgets to academic performance.
The two-year colleges educate nearly half of all students who attend public colleges in Massachusetts and are an important path for students from low-income backgrounds.
In a way, the classroom instruction stands the traditional model on its head. Where students used to attend lectures, then do assignments on their own, under this approach they attend lectures on their own, then work on the assignments with a teacher’s guidance.
“There’s a certain logic to having the coach right by your side,” Reville said.
O’Donnell said the approach should lower costs for students in the long-term.
Online courses are already popular at community colleges here and elsewhere, where students often juggle classes and job and family obligations. But educators have voiced concerns that students are more likely to abandon their studies without the structure and personal interaction of a traditional classroom.
Enrollment in online courses at community colleges nationwide has increased sharply in recent years. Last year, campuses reported an 8 percent increase, on the heels of a 9 percent rise in 2010, according to the a survey by the Instructional Technology Council, which is affiliated with the American Association of Commu...
Bunker Hill president Mary Fifield said she was thrilled when edX approached her with the course. Blending online and face-to-face instruction in subjects such as nursing has proven popular, she noted.
“It looked like an opportunity that was too good to miss,” she said.
The Singles Bar: Brandy ft. Chris Brown, "Put It Down"
The credit "Brandy ft. Chris Brown" is just how the record industry works these days, and it's something we really just have to get used to for the moment. (If mass outcry had any deterrent effect on what labels did, certain remixes would not exist, and certain folks responsible wouldn't have responsibilities anymore.)...
Pay attention to that last bit as you listen to this, by the way.
"Put It Down"'s certainly an assertive lead single, largely thanks to Bangladesh and his bass/string stabs. Everything else here's the thin soup of too much chart R&B--the tinny percussion, the canned claps, the "I'm gonna put it down / you're gonna fall in love" chant that's the tough hook to the chorus's sweet one--b...
The beat, though. Some things can excuse a lot.
Uberi.com Touts 'Best' Online Deals.
Uberi.com covers products such as electronics, video games, DVDs, apparel, footwear, household items, printable coupons, freebies, the company noted.
Furthermore, for those who want to receive free shipping at Amazon.com, Uberi.com features an Amazon Free Shipping Filler where readers can enter the amount needed to qualify for free shipping. Other features include a Coupon Code search and Amazon Discount Table, taking readers directly to products marked down from 10...
USA players (from left) Megan Easy, Kelsey Robinson, Foluke Akinradewo, and Kayla Banwarth celebrate tying China at 25-25 during the second set of their women’s volleyball match at Cal State San Bernardino Friday. USA went on to sweep China.
SAN BERNARDINO—They didn’t need the hometown girl to draw a crowd at Coussoulis Arena Friday night.
Former Redlands East Valley and University of Washington star Krista Vansant is a part of USA Volleyball’s player pool, and under normal circumstances she might have suited up for the Americans in the finale of the USA Volleyball Cup against China. But she is in Peru with another USA Volleyball roster for the Pan Ameri...
There is a strong likelihood, though, that many little future Krista Vansants were inspired to work harder Friday night.
The USA earned a split of its four-match series with China, sweeping Friday night’s proceedings 25-22, 27-25, 25-22, coming back from deficits of 22-19 in the second set and 16-12 in the third.
Our Ladies were cheered by a crowd that seemed to completely fill the lower bowl of Cal State San Bernardino’s arena, although the announced turnstile count was 2,600 in a building with a listed capacity of 5,000.
Not only were those fans plentiful, they were loud. And although a sizable contingent showed up to root for the visitors, far more of them were players of every age level: college, high school, and much, much younger.
The young spectators’ engagement during the match, and their excitement at getting to meet the players afterward — to get autographs, pose for pictures and get some words of encouragement — speaks well for volleyball’s future in this region.
“Hopefully we inspired some people tonight,” said USA women’s coach (and legendary player) Karch Kiraly.
The series between the Americans, No. 1 in the world, and No. 3 China began with two matches at the University of Hawaii — the home office of volleyball in this country — and continued Tuesday night at UC Irvine. It was an opportunity for both teams to evaluate some of their talent against first-rate opposition.
“We liked our level of engagement more” Friday night, after a five-set loss Tuesday night at Irvine, Kiraly said. “We knew our assignments more. We remembered our assignments more. We executed our assignments more. We were able to change some of our defensive strategy midstream, and we were able to do a nice job there.
These games were preparation for the Grand Prix tournament in July, and the FIVB World Cup later this summer, both of which are steppingstones to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
But outside hitter Kelsey Robinson, a Nebraska alumnus who had 14 kills and two blocks Friday night, recognized what the atmosphere in the building represented from a long-range standpoint.
Today’s players put on a great show Friday night, and they likely inspired some of those kids in the stands to work even harder.
In 12 or 16 years, we might know exactly how much of an impact that inspiration had.
Edina won events — all freestyle races — and scored points in all but two events to earn 268 total points Saturday at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
Edina senior Peter Larson didn’t set any records Saturday like he did in the preliminaries. He simply went 4-for-4 in his races at the Class 2A boys’ swimming and diving state meet.
His efforts, along with his team’s deep roster, helped Edina win its first boys’ swimming and diving state title since it completed a three-peat in 2008-10.

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