11.24.09: Your News Delivered

Today two sibling publications put out the following news items - or accounts - of the same story. Interesting approach.

Headline #1 from the Triangle Business Journal:
"BB&T picks replacement for Raleigh's Rockett Burkhead & Winslow"
~~~~~~
Headline #2 from the Charlotte Business Journal:
"BB&T hires Luquire George Andrews"

....BB&T Corp. has named Luquire George Andrews of Charlotte its branding agency of record.

11.24.09: Moving the Ball Forward

Today I attended a listening session/discussion with the NC Secretary for the Department of Cultural Resources. Her Department and the Department of Commerce announced today an economic impact of creative industry across this state, nearly 300,000 jobs and an annual impact of $40 billion. More important though was the commitment of North Carolina to seize the moment, to push to both acknowledge and highlight the industry, and, lastly, to take steps to ensure that this economic driver - in general and in terms of economic development - is well-equipped and supported, going forward.

Topics Off Topic

In our Topics Off Topic posts we share links to interesting, noteworthy, thought-provoking or just plain entertaining things that we've come across recently.

This video of street artist, BLU, had a few of us gathered around a computer in awe the other day. Enjoy ...

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

11.23.09: 3x a day, at least

Since Thanksgiving is soon, I figured food-related might be a good call.

So here - thanks to Print Magazine - are some links to pointing out much of what contributes to the waistlines of our country and what one should not eat.

Suicide Food: Animals that Desire to be Eaten
This is Why You're Fat. "where dreams become heart attacks"
Shrimp with Lobster Sauce on Flickr

Enjoy the turkey. And the leftovers.

Beer Co. Launches Educational Website (and it's not just about drinking!)

Taking a stand for something larger than beer, MillerCoors has launches a website - GreatBeerGreatResponsbility.com - to educate and engage their stakeholders. The website covers sustainability, communities & people, and responsible drinking. It's a good website with valuable information and a nice addition to their corporate social responsibility efforts. I just wish I could figure out how to get those folks on the pages to quit talking so I could stick around for longer.

11.19.09: Third Places

I'm on the road in Raleigh, NC and spending some time working in a coffee shop called Helios. I appreciate the randomness of coffee shops, third places, where part of the charm is the serendipitous nature, where the melting pot of people, music, smells, and conversation will never be the same again. It's an ever-shifting dynamic where the ebb and flow of people energize and change the vibe as the day goes along.

I think it is an interesting commentary on society, how grabbing a $2 drink (or more, if you go for designer caffeine) can result in new friendship, renewed relations or an escape from life. Or business opportunity. And how the melting pot makes the character of a place.

Announcing TopicsEnvironmental.com

Today, we would like to announce the launch of TopicsEnvironmental.com. This website showcases our commitment and ability to help organizations educate their constituents on environmental matters. It includes past projects, our services, clients, overviews, news, and Topics Education Partner, Josh Thomas, blogging about all things environmental. So go ahead and check out the site, here.

It's come to this?

Has it really come to this? "NC School Sells Test Points To Raise Money." http://ping.fm/kceqs

11.08.09: Food for Thought, Inc.

We watched Food, Inc. last night. Some of the movie shocked me. Of course, much of it was not a surprise, but - unlike Michael Moore-style documentaries - this presentation of the issue, corporate "ownership" of the US food supply, was, for me, scary. Scary because it illustrated how consolidation has optimized prices for the business world, somehow decreased oversight/regulation and made the entire system potentially more at risk.

And, for someone who loves food, creates the notion of homogeneity in food products, the death of seasons and a dependence upon transportation that all seem to be inconsistent with cooking and fresh food.

I am not sure I will ever read a nutrition label the same way.

11.07.09: All Together. Or Not.

We attended a performance of Step Afrika. The performance was great, combining percussive, polyrhythmic movements and drawing the audiences. And, for that alone, it was worth attending.

At the same time, I realized that this group had a way of embracing differences, physical, background, etc., and yet still having a core movement. So while each individual moved in their own way, it was in concert with the others, contributing to one, core tempo. To me, this represented much of what communities could aspire to, working together as individuals, to reach a common goal.

11.06.09: Progress in the Works

Today I went on a hardhat tour of the new museum, which is under construction. For the past few years, the board (of which I am a member) has worked in close partnership with other arts groups, city and county staff as well as supporters from the private sector to rally support, raise money and put the deal together. Now, it's seems real, like the idea has moved off the drafts, away from the model and now, with just under a year until opening, the place is starting to take shape.

It should be an amazing asset for our community.

Robots surging in STEM education

An excerpt from this Spokesman Review article ...

NASA devotes about $4 million annually to the creation of robotics teams to groom and train future engineers for work with the space agency, other government agencies or industry. In the past 10 years, NASA’s investment in robotics has resulted in 100 direct hires by the space agency and a similar number of hires by other government agencies, including the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, said Mark León, manager of the NASA Robotics Alliance Project at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

The emphasis began about 10 years ago, León said, when NASA struggled to find a sufficient number of engineers to build robots needed for space missions. Every year, NASA sponsors about 300 robotics teams nationwide, with about 25 students per team. Several Inland Northwest teams have benefited from NASA’s $6,000 startup grants.

“We give them the inspiration and motivation to pursue robotics,” León said. “The numbers continue to go forward. We haven’t reduced our robotics educational budget. We continue to increase it.”

The Top Five Top Five

Don't worry, you're not seeing double, in light of our best of issue, we wanted to list our top five most popular top five lists. These are the lists our readers liked the most:

1. Favorite Overused Consultant Terms

2. Summer Reading Lists: 2008 & 2009

3. Favorite TED Clips

4. Top Five Tweeters to Follow

5. Best Halloween Costumes

The Best of Three Sticks eNewsletter

We’ve been carefully crafting issues of our Three Sticks eNewsletter for 29 months now. Each month we try to bring you compelling viewpoints and stimulating information around social change, education, and communications, as well as some purely entertaining Top Five lists. We tend to look forward in our thinking, but for this issue, our 30th, we’d like to look back on some of the best moments of Three Sticks. In no particular order, here they are, our greatest hits so far...

Social Media and Nonprofits (in 140 characters or less) (June 2009)
By Winn Maddrey, Josh Thomas & Liz Barrett

Kids Are Experts At Being Kids (if we let them) (June 2008)
By Josh Thomas

Finding Meaning in Crisis (February 2009)
By Phelps Sprinkle

Argument Against Those Against Financial Literacy (April 2009)
By Bruce Nofsinger

Al Gore Is Wrong (for me) (January 2008)
By Josh Thomas