Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition."

Indira Gandhi

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Don't do what you want. Do what you don't want. Do what you're trained not to want. Do the things that scare you the most."

Chuck Palahniuk

Monday, September 21, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you."

Wally 'Famous' Amos

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"You always pass failure on the way to success."

Mickey Rooney

Monday, September 14, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."

Confucius

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind."

William James

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction."

Malcolm Gladwell

Friday, September 11, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it."

David Starr Jordan

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Perhaps everything has been said and thought and done before. That may be true. But without you, those same things may never be said or thought or done to your generation, in the place where you live."

Luke Renner

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece."

John Ruskin

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth."

Henry David Thoreau

Monday, September 7, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen."

Robert Bresson

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Believe nothing against another but on good authority; and never report what may hurt another, unless it be a greater hurt to some other to conceal it."

William Penn

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself."

Adelle Davis

Friday, September 4, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Eliminate something superfluous from your life. Break a habit. Do something that makes you feel insecure."

Piero Ferrucci

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

Henry Van Dyke

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"A full cup must be carried steadily."

English Proverb

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing."

William Shakespeare

Monday, August 31, 2009

Social Media and Haiti

Great thoughts about the power of media communications technologies.

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."

Horace Mann

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"There are new words now that excuse everybody. Give me the good old days of heroes and villains. the people you can bravo or hiss. There was a truth to them that all the slick credulity of today cannot touch."

Bette Davis

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy."

Samuel Goldwyn

Friday, August 28, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Part of being a hero is knowing when you don't need to be one anymore."

Alan Moore

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"There are two main strategies we can adopt to improve the quality of life. The first is to try making external conditions match our goals. The second is to change how we experience external conditions to make them fit our goals better."

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered."

Michael J. Fox

Monday, August 24, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"The truth is not simply what you think it is; it is also the circumstances in which it is said, and to whom, why and how it is said."

Vaclav Havel

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Refuse to be ill. Never tell people you are ill; never own it to yourself. Illness is one of those things which a man should resist on principle."

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Frankly, I’m suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue."

Scott Adams

Friday, August 21, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought."

Henri Bergson

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Trouble is part of your life, and if you don't share it, you don't give the person who loves you a chance to love you enough."

Dinah Shore

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Patterning your life around other's opinions is nothing more than slavery."

Lawana Blackwell

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"If you want to be respected, you must respect yourself."

Spanish Proverb

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Quips & Quotes from Haiti

"Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level."

Max L. Forman

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Strangers are made, not found."

- Luke Renner

Friday, August 14, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The idea of a mass audience was really an invention of the Industrial Revolution."

- David Cronenberg

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"When I'm trusting and being myself... everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously."

- Shakti Gawain

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If you really want to do something, you do it. You don't save it for a sound bite."

- Liz Friedman

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday, August 10, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"But penance need not be paid in suffering...It can be paid in forward motion. Correcting the mistake is a positive move, a nurturing move."

- Barbara Hall

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person."

- Dr. David M. Burns

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day."

- Albert Camus

Friday, August 7, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"He who opens a school door, closes a prison."

- Victor Hugo

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity."

- Aristotle

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army."

- Edward Everett

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself."

- John Dewey

Monday, August 3, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in this business. You've got to keep on working that talent. Someday I'll reach for it and it won't be there."

- Irving Berlin

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Every society must be intentional about educating it's leaders."

- Patrick Awuah

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail."

- Eli Renner

Friday, July 31, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"A superstition is a premature explanation that overstays its time."

George Iles

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"You've got to take the bitter with the sour."

Samuel Goldwyn

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Where all think alike, no one thinks very much."

Walter Lippmann

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."

Niels Bohr

Monday, July 27, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worthwhile. The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter."

Aleister Crowley

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"I have found adventure in flying, in world travel, in business, and even close at hand... Adventure is a state of mind - and spirit."

Jacqueline Cochran

Saturday, July 25, 2009

TED: Sugata Mitra - Important Thoughts for Haiti

I am particularly enthralled by the concept of "self-organizing systems."

Quips & Quotes

"Emergencies have always been necessary to progress. It was darkness which produced the lamp. It was fog that produced the compass. It was hunger that drove us to exploration. And it took a depression to teach us the real value of a job."

Victor Hugo

Friday, July 24, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity."

Socrates

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"It's the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you're mad, then dangerous, then there's a pause and then you can't find anyone who disagrees with you."

Tony Benn

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"What you will do matters. All you need is to do it."

Judy Grahn

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work."

Oprah Winfrey

Erin Andrews, Haiti, and the Power Of Mass Communications



Every once in a while, as I continue to contemplate ways in which I can succinctly communicate just how powerful mass communications can be in a place like Haiti, a story like this comes along.

While this story is certainly demonstrative of the negative power of mass media, one cannot make the mistake of throwing the baby out with the bath-water. While I cannot even begin to imagine the horror that this woman must be enduring right now, I suspect that she too has become increasingly aware of just how far-reaching mass communications really are.

Stories like this certainly support our commitment to offering ethically-based communication skills to the people of Haiti. As with any tool, there is a right way and a wrong way to use media technology. In the end, the "why" and the "how" mean just as much... and often more... than the "what."

Monday, July 20, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees."

Kahlil Gibran

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward

Friday, July 17, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."

Theophrastus

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"There was no escaping by means of any journey, however adventurous, one took one's problems and sorrows with one."

Elizabeth Aston

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."

Helen Keller

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Dare to be yourself."

Andre Gide

Monday, July 13, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"You don't have to be the first. You don't have to be the best. You simply have to care enough to "be" at all. The ones struggling to be best and first are after the wrong things anyway."

Luke Renner

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Art has never been made while thinking of art."

Niko Stumpo

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"You don’t need to win every medal to be successful."

Jason Fried

Friday, July 10, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Take your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame."

Erica Jong

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"He who labors diligently need never despair; for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor."

Menander

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn't be as entertained. My misery is your pleasure."

Kanye West

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

Plato

Monday, July 6, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Nature is crooked. I expected right angles. Straight lines."

- Allie Fox - From the film: The Mosquito Coast

Quips & Quotes

"Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give clearer light as to what is best to be done."

Aaron Burr

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"I am here and you will know that I am the best and will hear me."

Leontyne Price

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If you aspire to the highest place, it is no disgrace to stop at the second, or even the third, place."

Cicero

Friday, July 3, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."

James Thurber

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If the point is sharp, and the arrow is swift, it can pierce through the dust no matter how thick."

Bob Dylan

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"How little a thing can make us happy when we feel that we have earned it."

Mark Twain

Monday, June 29, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."

D. H. Lawrence

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little."

Horace

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

Jawaharlal Nehru

Friday, June 26, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it."

Margaret Fuller

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"I have failed many times, and that's why I am a success."

Michael Jordan

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust."

Henry L. Stimson

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Undoubtedly, we become what we envisage."

Claude M. Bristol

Monday, June 22, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults."

Antisthenes

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone."

Gertrude Stein

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring."

Chuck Palahniuk

Quips & Quotes

"The artist doesn't have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to be writers read the reviews, the ones who want to write don't have the time to read reviews."

William Faulkner

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The time is now, the place is here. Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for."

Dan Millman

Monday, June 1, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves."

Maria Edgeworth

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"When a thought is too weak to be expressed simply, it should be rejected."

Marquis de Vauvenargues

Saturday, May 30, 2009

ANNOUNCEMENT: Beyond Bordera Florida (Haiti Partners) announces affiliation!

Beyond Borders Florida (soon to be renamed Haiti Partners) has added us to their "official" website! Please feel free to take a gander:

Click here to view their page!

Quips & Quotes

"Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world."

Annie Lennox

Friday, May 29, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Be very circumspect in the choice of thy company. In the society of thine equals thou shalt enjoy more pleasure; in the society of thy superiors thou shalt find more profit. To be the best in the company is the way to grow worse."

Francis Quarles

Beauty By God


On a recent trip to Haiti I was blessed... though that is probably too weak a word... to make a new friend. Her name is Judy Bork.

Judy is an amazing talent, both artistically and spiritually. For me personally, there exists an unspoken connection to her work as she captures and delivers the complexity of "darkness in brightness" and "brightness in darkness." Truthfully, I am still trying to find the right words for the emotions that it conjures within me... and that's what makes this art.

It speaks. It lingers. It resonates.


As I continue to grow, I find her work to be a reprieve from the noise of life. She has a way of finding those quiet spots that don't seem to exist anymore, then she collects them and brings them right to you.

If you get a chance, visit Judy's site (www.beautybygod.com) and consider purchasing some of her lovely prints and cards. I have no doubt, you will find peace within the frames of her work.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may - light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful."

John Constable

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Please Help Our Friends!

Please take a moment (LITERALLY 2 MOUSE CLICKS)to help some friends of ours. They are in the running for some major success if they can garner enough votes. Visit http://tinyurl.com/qlhww4 and then BELOW THE VIDEO select 5 stars. That's it!

Thanks!
Luke

Quips & Quotes

"Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Don't reserve your best behavior for special occasions. You can't have two sets of manners, two social codes - one for those you admire and want to impress, another for those whom you consider unimportant. You must be the same to all people."

Lillian Eichler Watson

Monday, May 25, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"To knock a thing down, especially if it is cocked at an arrogant angle, is a deep delight of the blood."

George Santayana

CIMT Haiti on Flickr.

To stay abreast of our work through moving images, please feel free to subscribe to our new Flickr account.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"If God lived on earth, people would break his windows."

Jewish Proverb

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."

Terry Pratchett

Friday, May 22, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"No man ever listened himself out of a job."

Calvin Coolidge

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do."

Voltaire

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict."

William Ellery Channing

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail."

Judi Kruis

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"In what concerns you much, do not think that you have companions: know that you are alone in the world."

Henry David Thoreau

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined."

Johnny Carson

Friday, May 15, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions."

Dorothy Day

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Do not build your future in deference to your past. For most of us, the past is made up of the most compelling reasons to quit or give up. STOP. Right now. Decide who it is that you are today or wish to be tomorrow, then spend every waking moment building from this point forward."

Luke Renner

Quips & Quotes

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Thomas A. Edison

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Be modest! It is the kind of pride least likely to offend."

Jules Renard (1864 - 1910)

Quips & Quotes

"I do believe it is possible to create, even without ever writing a word or painting a picture, by simply molding one's inner life. And that too is a deed."

Etty Hillesum

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

TECH - Cell phone of tomorrow?

Seems too cool to be true! <- Click there.

Quips & Quotes

"Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one."

Malcolm Forbes (1919 - 1990), in Forbes Magazine

Monday, May 11, 2009

UPDATE: CIMT partners with Beyond Borders

On May 7, 2009, Beyond Borders (co-founded in 1993 by Dr. Tony Campolo) became our official partner! In addition to their public vote of confidence, Beyond Borders has agreed to act as a fiscal agent (meaning they can receive and process donations on our behalf). Fundamentally, this move represents a huge boost to our credibility and legitimately connects us with a highly experience, deeply committed, and socially responsible network of hundreds of people operating both on the ground in Haiti and within the continental United States!

As you may already know, we have been accepting our own funds through the generous assistance of ReNET, a non-profit network of churches in Indiana. While we are still planning to accept and process your monthly contributions ourselves, we understand that this new partnership with Beyond Borders will better position our organization within Haiti for an expanding range of opportunities and long-term growth.

We believe that this partnership is a huge step toward ensuring that our work in Haiti will be a lasting one!

With regard to this new partnership, there are too many people to thank. A very special thanks goes out to John Engle, Kent Annan, David Diggs, Jonathan Haggard, Kevin Koser and to all of the members of the Beyond Borders, Beyond Borders Florida, and Limyé Lavi staff for their enthusiastic embrace of what we are doing in Haiti. It cannot be overstated to say that we are incredibly impressed by all that you are doing and are therefore deeply honored by your vote of confidence in us. We look forward to learning from you, growing together, and sharing in many meaningful experiences with you all.

We do not take partnerships lightly and have thus far been blessed with many meaningful relationships over the years. GLOW Ministries International, for example, has been a long-time friend of our work and an ongoing supporter of what we do as they continue to faithfully serve Haiti in rich and meaningful ways. The addition of Beyond Borders, Beyond Borders Florida, and Limyé Lavi as partners is welcomed with open and enthusiastic arms and stands as testimony to our commitment to remaining accountable, connected, and relevant in Haiti.

Please stay tuned as this relationship continues to deepen and new and exciting projects begin to develop.

Quips & Quotes

"One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards."

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

BIZARRE - TV's fullest potential

We're not too sure this is TV at it's fullest potential. What do you think?

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

Bill Cosby

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play."

Warren Beatty

Friday, May 8, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"It is just the little touches after the average man would quit that make the master's fame."

Orison Swett Marden (1850 - 1924)

NOTABLE TWEETS

Music video: Cité Soleil - Beautiful people - Help us spread: http://tinyurl.com/qv43dj

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Nothing is too small to know, and nothing is too big to attempt."

William Van Horne

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required."

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

Quips & Quotes

"Love truth, and pardon error."

Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn't like it."

Samuel Goldwyn (1882 - 1974)

Quips & Quotes

"If indeed you must be candid, be candid beautifully."

Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)

Friday, May 1, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Some days you're a bug, some days you're a windshield."

Price Cobb

Quips & Quotes

"You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you."

Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

BAD MEMORIES: Swine Flu & Haiti


With all this talk of swine flu, many who are close to Haiti are remembering a similar "epidemic" and the catastrophic price that Haitians had to pay in the 1980s.

According to the Lambi Fund of Haiti:

"In the 1980's the USA demanded that Haiti destroy all its pigs in a misguided effort to control swine flu. Unfortunately, this mandate destroyed the savings for many Haitian peasants. In Haiti a pig is like a savings bank. A family buys a piglet, raises it for a couple of years and then when they need extra money for tuition for their children or a medical emergency, they sell the fattened pig at market for a handy profit. When all the pigs were destroyed, many families lost their savings and have had difficulty recovering economically ever since."

In hindsight, scores of Haitian swine were destroyed and replaced with pigs that had not been raised in the harsh conditions of Haiti. The resulting "replacements" were simply unable to survive the same conditions that Haiti's pigs had evolved to handle. Much has been written on this failed attempt to "help" the Haitian people. Click here for some more information about this matter.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

WOLVERINE Makes a huge contribution to charity!


Along with the much-anticipated release of the new X-Men film, the film's star, Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) has made an extremely generous set of charitable contributions to two organizations that were pitched to him by his TWITTER followers.

Behold the power of Hugh Jackman!
Behold the power of Twitter!
Behod the power of the people!

Click here to listen to Ryan Seacrest's interview with Hugh Jackman.
Click here to read the full story.

Quips & Quotes

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."

Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

TODAY IN HISTORY


Thank God for days like today. Some people look at the shortness of human life as an unfortunate reality. Today in history, I am thankful that people have an expiration date. It is important, however, that the generation to follow has learned something from the one that is passing.

On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler's dreams of a "1,000-year" Reich.

Click here to read the full story.

Quips & Quotes

"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink."

George Orwell (1903 - 1950), "Politics and the English Language", 1946

TECH: Solar power in Haiti - There's hope!


More than 1.7 billion people around the world have no domestic electricity supply, of whom more than 500 million live in sub-Saharan Africa (World Bank). Without electricity, many development goals remain dreams that will never be achieved.

But in a first for India, a village is now entirely powered by solar energy, kick-starting its development and reversing the decline common to many villages.

Click here to read more.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

WEB TIP: Reverse Phone Lookup

Listen up friends! While this will not work in Haiti, here is a handy little web gadget that allows you to quickly find out who is calling you in the states.

Click here to give it a try.

Slumdog Millionaire - Filmmaking & Social Responsibility


Exploitation is easy... and it always comes on the wings of altruism. For all of you who adore Slumdog Millionaire, take a deep breath. The God's must still be crazy.

MUMBAI, India - Rubina Ali's house is flooded with sewer water, and her feet itch. She's discovered a world of creepy-crawlies in the opaque gray water: scorpions, rats and slithery creatures with lots of legs.

Two months ago, the child star of the hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" was worrying about what to wear to the Oscars. Now she has come home to a very different problem: How to get the fetid water out of her family's one-room shack.

Eight Oscars and $326 million in box office receipts have so far done little to improve the lives of the film's two impoverished child stars.

Click here to read the full story.

Quips & Quotes

"When faced with a defining moment, you can either define the moment or the moment will define you."

Author Unknown

Quips & Quotes

"We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing."

R. D. Laing

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Personally I have struggled massively with the dilemma of talent vs desire. Choosing desire may not always be the easiest thing to do. It may seem a waste to leave those natural talents behind and strike out in a new direction. But at least you’ll feel alive."

Meri Williams, Talent vs Desire, 05-29-06

Quips & Quotes

"Whoever ceases to be a student has never been a student."

George Iles

Monday, April 27, 2009

UPDATE: Some changes coming

Friends of the blog,

Just a quick note to let you know that we are trying to add some value to our blog by increasing the quality of content offered here. Now, in addition to CIMT-specific anecdotes and updates, we will be adding the occasional tech tip, industry buzz, or other media-technology-related snippet as a way of keeping you "in the know."

For those who are wondering, we will still continue our Quips & Quotes service too.

There you go!
That's all for now.
You can thank us later.

Googling Yourself - A better way to Egosurf

The act of Googling oneself has become the digital age's premiere guilty pleasure — an activity enjoyed by all and admitted by few. The phenomenon has even been the subject of scholarly research. Last year, a team of Swiss and Australian social scientists published a study concluding that the practice of self-Googling (or "Egosurfing" as it's sometimes called) can partly be traced to a rise in narcissism in society but is also an attempt by people to identify and shape their personal online "brand."

Google has now made it a little easier to stand out from the maddening crowd. Now all of the John Smith's can have a shot at showing up on page one of a Google search.

To read the full scoop, click here.

INDUSTRY: New York Times bows to Twitter

In an ongoing effort to remain relevant and on the cutting edge of social media, The New York Times seriously considered a purchase of the social networking app, Twitter. There's just one problem... the NYT can't AFFORD it!

Click here to read more.

Quips & Quotes

"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior."

Henry C. Link

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."

H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946), Outline of History (1920)

Saturday, April 25, 2009

ALERT: HD-DVD owners take note


Warner Home Video through their WBShop.com website has announced that they will now allow HD DVD owners to exchange their old Warner HD DVDs for the Blu-ray version. This may be the last chance for owners of the now defunct high definition format to salvage some worth from their film libraries before sacrificing the discs to the dumpster gods.

For more information,click here.

Quips & Quotes

"Friendship is a verb."

- Stuart Wood

Friday, April 24, 2009

UPDATE: Back from Haiti

For those who are keeping up, we have just completed a wonderful (and I do mean WONDERFUL) trip to Haiti with friends and partners, John and Merline Engle. John is the co-director of Beyond Borders Florida and presently resides with his family in South Eastern Florida.

I was blessed to meet John for the very first time through our Haiti networking site, HANDS Across Haiti, several months back. Now, after lots of hanging and eating and coffee and phone calls, we can both say that we have logged our first trip to Haiti together as well.

Thanks to John and Merline for their incredible hospitality and friendship. They are both a treasure from God. Haiti is blessed to have them on her side.

Stay tuned for more announcements as this relationship continues to develop!

Quips & Quotes

"It is only by following your deepest instinct that you can lead a rich life, and if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, then your life will be safe, expedient and thin."

Katharine Butler Hathaway

Saturday, April 18, 2009

2nd Video Update From Haiti

MORE VIDEO!!!



Here is a nice piece that we finished in Haiti to promote Beyond Borders Florida's 35 laptops program.

Special thanks to Kyle Hufford for the use of his Canon 5D Mark II

Friday, April 17, 2009

Video Report from Haiti



Here is a nice piece that we finished in Haiti to promote Beyond Borders Florida's 35 laptops program.

Special thanks to Kyle Hufford for the use of his Canon 5D Mark II

Friday, April 10, 2009

Just a reminder!

Please sign up for the CIMT mailing list.
*





* required


Sunday, April 5, 2009

Haiti's Digital Storytellers



Here is a nice piece that my friend and colleague made from the footage we were able to collect in December of 2008. If you have trouble reading the subtitles, please click the video and watch it directly at his YouTube page.

Nice work, Kyle.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new."

Og Mandino (1923 - 1996)

Friday, April 3, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for the famed teacher, Diogenes replied: 'Only stand out of my light.' Perhaps some day we shall know how to heighten creativity. Until then, one of the best things we can do for creative men and women is to stand out of their light."

John W. Gardner (1912 - 2002)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"To accomplish our destiny it is not enough to merely guard prudently against road accidents. We must also cover before nightfall the distance assigned to each of us."

Alexis Carrel (1873 - 1944)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Quips & Quotes

"Nothing is as far away as one minute ago."

Jim Bishop

Friday, March 27, 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

"Quips & Quotes"

A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.

Thomas Mann (1875 - 1955)

Friday, March 20, 2009

"Quips & Quotes"

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

Harry S Truman (1884 - 1972)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

What is the CIMT?

You want the scoop on what we are doing in Haiti?




WHAT:

"The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies" is a first-of-its-kind media training school, with the specific goal of offering technology-based storytelling skills to those living in underdeveloped nations.

The PRIMARY GOAL is to turn tools of MASS COMMUNICATION (i.e. TV & Radio) into tools of MASS EDUCATION. In so doing, we will partner our students with experts in every field (i.e. reforestation, literacy, health care, etc.) to create extremely high-quality educational programming, and then freely* broadcast those messages around Haiti via DVD field kits, broadcast transmission, internet, and so on. This initiative immediately overcomes several of Haiti's most significant educational challenges:

- Infrastructure. By cooperating with pre-existing NGOs, we can make our materials freely available and thereby experience a groundswell of distribution through non traditional means (like DVD field kits: a player, projector, speaker, screen, and power supply... either solar or generator). To supplement the grassroots distribution, existing infrastructure (TV and radio broadcast towers) will be used to its fullest potential. As demand increases and funding becomes available, additional transmission towers can be erected and more communities can install learning centers where the material is available via satellite streaming of the internet.

- Accessibility. Under this plan, everyone in a village has immediate access to the same quality education. This means that those who are presently excluded from gaining an education (i.e. children who cannot afford a uniform, shoes, or books as well as adults of all ages who have long-since missed out on the opportunity to gain a quality education) can now receive an education that actually rivals that of the expensive schools.

- Illiteracy. Haiti's illiteracy rate is between 52% and 88%. TV and radio immediately allows access to an education for those who cannot read or write. As a matter of fact, with TV we can actually teach literacy!

- Poorly trained teachers. Out of Haiti's 8 million people, very few are teachers. Even fewer are properly trained teachers. Many can barely read themselves and rely heavily upon memorization methods for their students. The resulting "education" is powerless to engage the mind in ways that can lead to sustainable solutions to Haiti's many problems. Our educational materials will engage the minds of viewers in ways that Haiti has thus far not experienced. It is not meant to replace the local teachers but to finally support them with an extremely valuable resource.

- Segmentation. In Haiti, educational materials are generally not crafted to meet the specific educational needs of the age groups. With audio and video educational resources, programs can be targeted directly to age groups and those with special needs (i.e. animation for children, documentaries for adults, and so forth).

- Effectiveness & Sustainability. By pairing our professional storytellers with experts in every field, now every school in possession of our educational resource kit will be able to share highly effective, extremely well-informed information, presented in Kreyol "for Haitians, by Haitians." The resulting "ownership" this causes is essential for the country and for the sustainability of the project.

This is a PILOT PROGRAM. Upon successful completion of the model, it shall be made available for expansion into other underdeveloped nations.

WHO:

While we are excited about seeing this program expand into other underdeveloped nations, our attention is presently focused on the Haitian people and the establishment of a functional program and a stable learning environment inside of Haiti.

WHERE:

The first operational campus of "The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies" will be based in Cap Haitien, Haiti.

As soon as possible, we will be expanding to include several satellite classrooms elsewhere in Haiti.

WHEN:

We have been conducting ongoing media technology training in Haiti for the past year. Thus far, the response has been remarkable and has pushed us confidently into the next phase of our vision.

We are presently on course to open our first full-time classes in 2009.

HOW:

Haiti is a unique country, built upon a very provocative and volatile history. In its present state, due to the challenges that come with extreme poverty, the resulting social instability, and an overwhelming lack of basic modernization, selecting eligible students and offering them an education in "creative storytelling" requires an approach that is equally unique and culturally relevant. The result is an often non-traditional method of teaching, valuing functionality over form, and drawing from a wide variety of available curriculums, resources, and disciplines.

This program will be "decidedly different" from similarly rated programs in the United States.

"The creative equivalent of a monastery", the institute is a refuge from the struggle of survival and a sanctuary of imagination wherein each student can safely explore and refine their own voice, method, and style in a timeframe that is decidedly unique, determined more by their personal journey than by formula.

Through the pursuit of "creative community" with our students, we strive to not only teach a set of critical storytelling skills, but to likewise imbue and refine a profound sense of confidence within the heart and mind of each student, thereby affording them the confidence to use their burgeoning skills under any circumstance they may face.

The primary educational goal of the the school is to train "creative storytellers" using current and expanding forms of media technologies. We are passionate about seeing each student achieve a level of mastery and refinement in their ability that is deserving of the finest storytelling opportunities to come.

Excellence is our educational objective.

-----

Please take the time to visit our website (<- Click here) to get personally involved!



It's all right there!


*The use of the word "freely" here is intended to say that the end-viewer is not going to be charged anything to have access to the material. Clearly, the ability to spread these educational messages, whether through DVD field kits or electronic broadcasts, is a costly proposition. That is one of the reasons that you are so vital to what is being done!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

"Quips & Quotes"

The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us.

- Paul Valery (1871 - 1945), 1895

Sunday, March 15, 2009

"Tips & Tricks"

Viral video is a great way to spread the word about what you are doing. The best part is, it's FREE! If you are a professional (non-profit or otherwise) and looking to spread the word about what you do to a growing but complex marketplace, think of what you can do to draw in some attention.

Here's a fun example!



Some pointers as you consider your approach:

- It should not be overly fancy. Simple is best

- Be provocative! It should raise more questions than it answers.

- Include your website or contact info in the video.
No sense posting a video if people don't know how to find you.

- It should be SHORT. Audience attention span is generally minuscule.

% of Audience who watched the entire video
10 sec. = 89.61%
20 sec. = 80.41%
30 sec. = 66.16%
60 sec. = 46.44%
2 min. = 23.71%
3 min. = 16.62%
5 min. = 9.42%

Source: Tube Mogul & Cynposis
Cited from Tuesday, December 02, 2008


Now have fun and good luck!

CIMT is Tweeting!



If you Tweet, please add us to your fold by clicking on the logo above! Thanks!

Friday, March 13, 2009

"Quips & Quotes"

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.

-Lily Tomlin

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

You have not cause you ask not!

I went through Arby's the other night. I ordered a combo meal. When I was done, the lady said, "Is that all?" I said, "Actually, it would be great if I didn't have to pay for that." When I pulled around, she gave me 10% off.

It may sound silly, but when there is something that you desire... go ahead and ask. In the end, you might be surprised at what you get.

Monday, March 2, 2009

On a lighter note...

For those who don't know, in Haiti, Coke is still served in glass bottles. And if that weren't enough... in Haiti, Coke is sweetened by cane sugar.

You cannot imagine how good it is. This commercial pretty much sums it up.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

"He said" - Seriously, who do they think we are?

For those who remember, I made a trip to Dubai last year (for work) and was witness to the most amazing fireworks the world has ever seen.

Upon returning, I told lots of friends and family that Dubai is a bubble about to pop. The amount of development there defies all reason and logic. There is simply NO WAY that such grandiose development can be backed by ACTUAL MONEY... and must therefore be a farce of epic proportions. I mean, seriously, they are building islands (not just building ON islands... but building islands in the ocean... and THEN building on them) and selling bars of gold in the airport! Sound like a fairy tale?

It turns out, my gut feeling was right.

I love how that article ends:

Real estate investment may not soon return to pre-2009 levels, said Woertz, the economist, but he warned against dire predictions.

"Dubai is here to stay. It will not vanish into the sea," he said.

He said? Seriously? He said? We're supposed to feel better about all of this because "he said" so?

It's funny, because I come from a line of thinking which suggests that statements of this kind are required to have intelligent data behind them in order for them to be taken seriously. Sadly, countless people have made empty claims just like those from "Woertz The Economist" and have continued to suck in more and more fools, ready to part with their money.

This article causes me to wonder... IF I CAN SEE THIS CHARADE AND I AM NOT A FINANCIAL GURU... then WHO IS RUNNING THIS CIRCUS?

The world economy is teetering on the brink of cataclysmic doom.

So, since I seem to be smarter than the fine people who are building Dubai or bailing out banks and auto manufacturers, let me go ahead an educate you:

You cannot spend more than what you make and expect it to end well. It will not end well. Ever. The only positive choice is to live within your means. Sadly, in addition to that truth, the poor are paying the price for the thieves and liars who receive bailouts and build emerald cities on islands made from thin air.

To all of the foolish (and greedy) investors out there, I'd like to caution you. Building something from nothing, and then watching it crumble... that is the least of your worries. Your greater concern should be the millions of people you allowed to starve, rot, and fester in order to build your lie.

Kingdoms are not built for free, and flagrant inhumanity will not go unanswered.

There are no free rides.

Be prepared for what this may actually cost you.

In the meantime, for the poor and suffering of the world, may God have mercy.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Quote of the Day - Saturday - February 28

I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education.

- Wilson Mizner

Friday, February 27, 2009

"Quotes & Quips"

Today's Quote is from one of our avid blog readers. I love this. Thanks, Clance!
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

-Howard Thurman

In case you haven't noticed...

In lieu of not posting anything at all (as I have gotten somewhat good at doing), I have decided to at least offer all of you some nuggets of wisdom from those who have gone before.

If it's the only post I make that day, I will try to offer you this much, a meaningful spark from a great communicator to light your way, pick you up, challenge you, or draw you out.

The bottom line for me is, if I am not adding to your life... then what good was mine?

You can quote me on that!
Luke

Thursday, February 26, 2009

MORE "Quotes & Quips"

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.""

- Richard Bach - Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah.

"Quotes & Quips"

"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts."

- Richard Bach - Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The sun came up.

It's been quiet around here lately. The phone doesn't ring too much. Email is creeping to a halt.

We've been facing some major challenges as winter turns into the slower months of summer. For me personally, it is a time when I generally have no choice but to reflect on what's "right" and what's "wrong" with my life.

Discipline is a popular theme. Self control is probably one of the hardest things to nail down. Most of the time, the things we do rarely matter very much to others. It makes no real difference in the life of others whether or not we squirt a little too much toothpaste from the tube or leave the car running while our wife runs into the store. But the littlest things really do matter. They represent who we REALLY are, deep inside.

Our response to ALL of life's offerings is representative of a much bigger, deeper thing that is going on inside of us. Who are we? What are we "all about" in life? Are we preservationists by nature or are we locust, intent on consuming and then leaving nothing in return?

The sun came up this morning. I am grateful for that. Now it's time to make the best use of this day that I can. I may never get another one like it.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Dinner with Bundy!

Last night, Adrian and I were again blessed to strengthen yet another Haiti-related bond. Brett Bundy, field director for OMS (a mission in Cap Haitien that runs radio 4VEH among other things), joined the two of us for a lovely meal.

Adrian and I bombarded him with questions about the area where we will soon be living and Brett was more than accommodating with his answers.

It was also a great opportunity for him to explore our cause a bit more and to get to know Adrian better. Most importantly, the giant question about where our kids will go to school was finally answered. There were far fewer question marks at the end of the night. Adrian and I were both encouraged and excited... to say the least.

To hear Brett say that a partnership between OMS (his organization) and CIMT (our organization) is clearly a "win win situation" was very encouraging indeed.

We truly have a friend on the ground in our new home. One step closer.

Getting excited.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Tony Campolo & Beyond Borders Florida. Oh, the possibilities!


Last Friday, Adrian and I were so blessed to have the opportunity to attend the gala event of Beyond Borders Florida. Just a few weeks ago, I had met with John Engle, the co-director of Beyond Borders Florida, and was humbled to have received this kind invitation.

The evening was lovely. We were well fed and expertly serenaded by the live band. As if that weren't enough, Tony's lovely wife, Peggy Campolo, was seated at our table. The conversation, sometimes quite personal and revealing, was incredibly rich and meaningful. I thank God for Peggy's personally reassuring words for Adrian. For those who know us intimately, you know that we have had some personal challenges as of late... specifically with raising one of our kids. Suffice it to say, Peggy was really able to connect with Adrian and offer some valuable, life-affirming encouragement and advice. That was truly a gift.

At present, we are in an ongoing dialogue with Beyond Borders Florida in an effort to explore ways in which our respective works might overlap. Such overlap could mean real opportunities for cooperation. That excites me. Please pray for us all as we move in this direction. For sure, we all want to see real and lasting sustainability for Haiti. I pray God has a way that we can work together toward this common goal.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Back from the frozen tundra.

Indiana is COLD this time of year. SO COLD, in fact, that it has actually made it cold back here in Florida. Yikes! It's 50 degrees where it ought to be 75. Thanks, Indiana.

I am happy to report that my journey was a safe one. My time working with TV-producer-extraordinaire, Greg Oldham, was rich. Thanks for the opportunity, Greg.

Now that I am home, I have a couple of humanitarian projects to wrap up as I figure out what my next move is. No big jobs lined up. Time to feel the fear once more.

Love you guys!
Thanks for checking in on us here.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Blizzard-Like Conditions

Call it the luck of the draw. I am working in Indiana on a day that doesn't come very often. I grew up in this place and rarely in 31 years did I ever see snow like this. It dumped. Doesn't do that too often. I'm sitting here thinking, "I should have bought a lottery ticket!"

I just got the luck of the draw.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Indiana

I am in Indiana (Indianapolis) editing for SPEED.
If anyone wants to connect, let me know. My schedule is fairly tight... but something could work out.

Cheers!
Luke

Sunday, January 18, 2009

FedEx Editor

UPDATE:

For whatever reason, the original link was not working. I have updated this post to show you the link directly. For what it's worth, I think the clickable link actually WORKS now... but if not, you can just copy and paste this into your browser and you can then see some stuff:

http://fedexeditor.blogspot.com/

OLD POST:

In the interest of posting some of my professional work, I have started another blog. Now that YouTube allows for high definition video, really, this new blog more of an online demo reel. I won't be posting my thoughts there so much, just showcasing my work.

I call myself the "FedEx Editor" since so many of my clients ship content to me on a firewire hard drive and I edit in my own studio.

Click here to visit.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

UPDATE - WE NEED YOU TO CLICK HERE!!!!

UPDATE:

So here's the deal, that vote link is glitchy.

However, several folks have thus far managed to vote. My advice... if you hover your mouse cursor directly over the fifth red star, it will flash and be all glitchy BUT... if you go ahead and click down (maybe several times), I think it will eventually accept the vote. I have written the website asking for this to be fixed. Frustrating. Nonetheless, I ask you to try. Thanks!


Please CLICK HERE and VOTE 5 STARS!!!!!

If we win, we'll be awarded $25,000 toward the Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies. So unless you have $25,000 to give us... AT LEAST GIVE US A CLICK AND SOME STARS!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Don't let Wyclef Jean onto your movie set!

Wyclef Jean is a hero to Haiti and to me personally.

That being what it is... I'm guessing it would be pretty much impossible to film a movie in Haiti with Wyclef at your side. Check out the crowd this man draws!




Preacher's kid - Postmodern revolutionary - Lover of all things Haiti

I love this man!!!

Please say a prayer.

My Aunt Pauline is in the hospital today. She has battled with some pretty serious health issues for a while now. Both Uncle Roy and Aunt Pauline have been so supportive of what we are doing; the least I can do is ask all of my readers to say a short prayer on her behalf.

In times of great difficulty, two things remain clear:

1 - We can all use the support of others.
2 - We should always be willing to give back what we expect for ourselves.

We will be praying for her. Can you do me a personal favor and pray for her as well?

Thanks,
Luke

Friday, January 9, 2009

One film or One Institute?

Over the course of my time in Haiti, I have learned first-hand that an average budget to produce a top-rate movie in Haiti is approximately $250,000 (USD). These are not just hearsay figures, nor am I pulling them out of thin air. This is data that I have gathered straight from the lion's mouth... from those who make such films.

Imagine!

For the same money that is being spent to make a film that is desperately lacking on so many levels, we can launch an entire educational program that will significantly benefit all films to come.

Does anyone know who is funding these films? If so, can you convince them to fund a school instead... just this one time?

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Forced Entry

Not much to say of any substance today. This amounts to a forced entry on my part, just to keep communicating with all of you.

Some big stuff has been happening in our family as of late. Just want you to know, we're still on track and still out there doing the work.

Stay classy!

Friday, January 2, 2009

YouTube - The QUESTIONS Series launches!

For those who may have had some basic questions about what we are doing, I am pleased to announce that we are providing very short, concise video answers to the most frequently asked questions. These videos have been grouped into a series called "The QUESTIONS Series" on our YouTube channel.

So far, only 5 videos have been loaded. There are a few more to come, but these should keep you busy for a while. Just press the "play" button to go through all of the clips in order or select a specific Question/Answer clip by holding your mouse cursor over the embedded player, then click one of the videos manually.



It should also be mentioned that you can easily embed this player (or any individual video from our YouTube page) by copying and pasting the embed code into your own blog, web page, or public forum. This is one great way that you (our friends and family) can help us to spread the word.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2009 - A Year of Branching Out


I had a revelation yesterday, on the first day of the new year.

Before I share that revelation with you, the following observations are critical (take notes):

1 - Most of the people who support us right now are FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

2 - For the most part, friends and family generally support WHO WE ARE more than WHAT WE'RE DOING. That doesn't mean that friends and family disagree with what we are doing. It's just that they know us as people first and foremost... and can find a way to support us on the merits of that relationship, even if they may not understand or agree with our choice of "mission."

3 - Most of our "new friends" who do support us ALREADY AGREED WITH OUR VISION before they met us. In other words, we did not change their mind or convince them of anything... we simply found them.

Birds of a feather! Like attracts like.



And now for the revelation...

I woke up from a nap yesterday with one simple thought:

"Preach to the choir"


There are countless people who already think like we do! In our case, these people might include: educators, filmmakers, technology companies, software developers, civil rights groups, etc.

These groups of people already believe (strongly) in the merits of:

- Education
- Mass media as an instructional tool
- The use of technology for human advancement

In other words... I DON'T HAVE TO CONVINCE THEM OF ANYTHING!!! These fine people are already sitting around somewhere, in total (or partial) agreement with what we are doing... they just don't know we exist yet.

Without a doubt, these groups are prone toward lending a helping hand.

The job cannot be to convince people to believe in something. The job must be to find others who already hold the same values we do and invite them to join us.

In other words, I have been working too hard at the wrong job!


While revelations of similarly OBVIOUS STUFF might be personal (for the purposes of avoiding shame), I decided to give all of you this gift as a way of assisting you in your quest to communicate better.

Please, do us all a favor and quit trying to change our minds. We either agree with you or we don't. If we are your friends and family, then don't sweat it either way... cause we support you.

As for your time and energy, spend it on people who already see the world through your eyes. You will find the journey to be much more enjoyable and your traction will be greater.

I'm going to avoid regrets right now as that seems like an enormous waste of time and energy. Instead, I will try to be excited about this revelation and thankful that, at the very least, this subtle mistake of mine has generated some really good promotional materials for us.

They had to be good. Remember... I was trying to convince you!!!

Happy New Year!

I pray that in 2009, God blesses each of you and sustains you as the storms of life come and go. The economy, a new president, our country at war... none of these things is bigger than the source of all life.

Be at peace.

Find rest.

Work hard.

Your friend,
Luke Renner
Username: