Contact your representatives and tell them to stop SOPA. You can use the text below to send your representative an email:

I am writing to you as a voter in your district. I urge you to vote “no” on cloture for S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act, on Jan. 24th. The PROTECT IP Act is dangerous, ineffective, and short-sighted. It does not deserve floor consideration.  I urge my representative to vote “no” on SOPA, the corresponding House bill.

Over coming days you’ll be hearing from the many businesses, advocacy organizations, and ordinary Americans who oppose this legislation because of the myriad ways in which it will stifle free speech and innovation.  We hope you’ll take our concerns to heart and oppose this legislation by voting “no” on cloture.

Merry everything to everyone!

Give me, God, what you still have,
Give me what no one asks for;
I do not ask for wealth
Nor for success, nor even health –
People ask you so often, God, for all that
That you cannot have any left.
Give me, God, what you still have;
Give me what people refuse to accept from you.
I want insecurity and disquietude,
I want turmoil and brawl,
And if you should give them to me, my God,
Once and for all
Let me be sure to have them always,
For I will not always have the courage
To ask you for them.
–Zirnheld

I just got the wordpress android app set up on my phone.  Maybe more technology is the answer to my infrequent blog posts?!?

While posting to the blog has fallen by the wayside for second half of 2010. I hope that the next year will hold many more updates and regular current postings. Here’s to a fantastic 2011!

Regards

Great HBR podcast on the ways that governments can encourage entrepreneurship (http://blogs.hbr.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/7390).

The bullet point summary:

Governments can’t imitate Silicon Valley.  It was the product of a very patricular set of circumstances in a particular time period.  Silicon Valley probably couldn’t imitate itself again today.

The desire for Governments to create a similar entrepreneurial hotbed is commendable because it points to the acknowledgement of small growing companies and their role in contributing disproportionately to economic growth.

A healthy ecosystem for entrepreneurship must include:

• Public leadership
• Supportive regulation and policy
• Conducive social norms
• Capital availability
• Large customers willing to work with small suppliers

Many countries have strong elements of this ecosystem but few have all.  Among the best countries for entrepreneurship are:

• Taiwan
• Israel
• Denmark
• Chile
• Rwanda

Regarding the effectiveness of microfinance, we need to help micro-financed businesses take a more aggressive approach allowing them to grow and expand in a big way.  Large successes in entrepreneurial companies have a very important stimulating effect on the community, in the same way that Skype helped stimulate entrepreneurship in Estonia.

It can be said that the biggest mistake countries can make is looking outside of their boarders too much.  Entrepreneurship is part of the human spirit and is a form of self expression in the same way art is.  Governments need to encourage entrepreneurship from their people and stoke that fire.  By encouraging and empowering the people these governments will see the best results.

Venture Mechanics is an interesting group that brings a new perspective to the Angel Investor/Venture Capital model.  I am currently helping the partners and learning quite a bit.  I suggest taking a look at the site.

www.VentureMechanics.com

I would suggest Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED talk, to anyone interested in discussions of the cognitive sciences or discussions of human perception and thought.  After watching the video, make your way to ChaunceyBell.com and read his post responding to Taylor’s presentation.

In the video Taylor discusses her experience, as a brain scientist, when she witnessed the effects of a massive stroke, first hand.  She discusses the physical experience and her philosophical interpretation of the event.

In his post, Bell responds to the account and interpretation of the experience.  Bell warns us of some of the dangers in using Taylor’s particular metaphors for understanding the event, and the underlying biological assumptions those metaphors represent.

A recent article from the Business Insider argues that the US may currently have a leg up on China.

The argument goes, China holding a large portion of US debt is not necessarily bad for the US and may give the US leverage to use to pressure China into allowing its currency to float.

The leverage comes from the effect of China selling its US debt.  If China was to do so it would devalue the Dollar against other world currencies boosting US exports and helping the US to eliminate the trade deficit.

It is still worrisome that China holds such a large portion of our sovereign debt but the reciprocity of the arrangement provides some stability.

I will be interested to see the results of the US Treasury report on the Chinese Yuan and if the Treasury will call China on their currency manipulation.

Link: http://bit.ly/cfgy4N

The Wall Street Journal has posted an article on the higher rate of selection of Veterans for business schools in the recent year.

These business schools site respect, teamwork, and discipline among other aspects that appeal to the schools. Particularly the ability of Veterans to bring a wealth of experience into the classroom to enrich discussions.

Credit Suisse Group says “an internal study found that employees with military backgrounds tended to be highly successful due to a sense of discipline and ability to build camaraderie.”

As more experienced Vets leave the service, the work force and the US economy will benefit from their contributions. I hope to see more Veterans being chosen for their abilities to overcome adversity and positively contribute to whatever group they decide to participate in. Of course I have a very subjective opinion.