Op/Ed: MD/DC MSDC's Ken Clark Speaks: "It's Half-time: Improvise, Adapt and Overcome"
(SILVER SPRING - August 3, 2008) - Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. This is the mantra my niece repeated earlier this month as she worked through the issues of moving into a new home. Moving is a stressful time for anyone but as an Army Sergeant returning from Iraq, who did most of the pre-purchase of her new house outside Fort Bragg, NC via the Internet from Iraq (with a little advice and a weekend trip for an on-site inspection and plan adjustment by her Aunt and Uncle), whose Army Sergeant Major husband, is still in Iraq providing "advice" while looking at photos, this move had a few additional stressors. As each issue came up, she would say, "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome" and then proceed to work out a plan to deal with the situation. Indeed, after a day of working with her, we all started to say the same.
As corporate members, certified minority businesses and Council staff, we have reached a psychological, if not fiscal, half-time. Like team coaches, we are all taking stock of the past six months and making plans and adjustments for the second half. What has worked well? What hasn't worked out as planned? What needs to improve to make the second half of the year better? With "challenges" in the housing and oil markets, our economy is in great turmoil. So when your budget gets cut, you don't get that contract call-back you were counting on, stay focused on your key business objectives, use all of your business savvy and creativity to Improvise, Adapt and Overcome.
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Op/Ed: Journalist Extraordinaire McCarthy Still Fasting for I Can't We Can:
I opened my hand and he poured $4 in quarters into my palm. "That's all I got right now," he said.
I stood there in amazement. So many people are struggling and having such a hard time. But they get it. They seem to understand that some things are worth giving all you have.
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The Glover Report: Family, Schools and Churches:
Even more, his presentation before Associated Black Charities of Maryland at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum on Wednesday afternoon went into what he believes are the three major anchors of the black community that must be re-engaged such that black America can be all that it is supposed to be. After all, with the election of President-elect Barack Obama, this is supposed to represent a new beginning. Read in Full >>
Meeting Morehouse College President Franklin Was An Inspirational Experience:
He, in fact, is a reminder – with all due respect to all of the black schools out there – why I first chose – at the urging of my high school counselors - to attend Morehouse. It was a vivid reminder of the three semesters I was blessed to be at – in my mind – the greatest institution on the planet with some of the greatest minds I have ever known. Morehouse students like Adam Scott, Leo Hyman and Robbie Scott from Baltimore and Steven Tolbert, the son of a Liberian president, come to mind. Read in Full >>
Op/Ed: Give Thanks and Praise: Reframing Recession into Abundance:
As we gain perspective and reaffirm our faith, obstacles in our path start to seem less obstructive and more instructive. Instead of complaining about our empty gas tanks, we begin to appreciate the benefits of walking, biking or taking the bus to work. After all, most of us could stand to become a bit more physically fit. Walking to work provides us with such an opportunity. Similarly, taking the bus may relieve the stress of navigating morning traffic jams, and give us time to plan our day more effectively. Read in Full >>
Op/Ed: The Reckoning of the Uninvited:
Where had these people been before? Looking at those now around me, I thought how much past voting had been a closed affair. How much had we come to expect that certain people would just not show up on Election Day – to the point that some politicians even counted on it? Had our democracy really offered an “open” invitation some people simply weren’t supposed to accept? Read in Full >>