Each Week, I Learn a Little More with Joomla!

Yesterday I did a little searching and discovered a plugin that permits me to embed powerpoint presentations in Joomla! websites. I already had a SlideShare account, but hadn't thought about using that with Joomla! A little research on how to get my slides to embed in a website led me to that solution and it's working pretty well.

Some of the slides are a full screen, and those don't display exactly properly. But for now, it's a good start on getting our Electronic Bulletin Board, with local events and information constantly updated, onto our website.  This will make it easier for our volunteers to answer a question from someone who has seen something posted on the bulletin board but doesn't want to stand outside and wait for it to roll around again.  They can go to the website, click on the link, and find what the person is asking about.

I LOVE how technology can actually make things easier for us.

Joomla! Boston Users Group

Last night the Joomla! Boston Users Group met and had a long-distance presentation by Nick Antimisairis (nickname Nant on Joomlapolis), one of the core developers of the Community Builder (membership management) and CBSubs (subscription management) components.  We used Skype to talk with Nick and DimDim to see his desktop presentation.

Learning how Community Builder and CBSubs can be used together to help manage an organization's memberships, subscription, and even sales of items was great.  CBSubs seems very well integrated into Joomla! and many of the most widely-used extensions.  Being able to use multiple tools without any code hacking demonstrates good core component-building and integration.

After bidding Nick good night (at 3:45 AM his time), we talked and helped one member resolve a design issue she is having with her sight.   For the past several months, we've been able to fix at least one member's site each meeting.  Other members have had a chance to showcase their sites and some of us have then been able to adopt some of the extensions and techniques to improve our own sites. 

If you are experienced or a novice, join us and share in the experience.  We meet monthly on the 4th Wednesday, 7-9 PM, at the Cyber Cafe @ Malden Square, 100 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148.  For more information, check out the Joomla! Boston Users Group.

Video Shoot for Tax Prep Volunteer Training

Tax season is several months away but now is the time that Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs start preparing.  We have to recruit and train new volunteers, call back experienced volunteers,  begin looking at changes in tax law, and get ready for the release of our certification training.  Many VITA Site Coordinators also wear other hats in their organizations, so it's a balancing act to juggle our upcoming, intense activities between January and April with our normal routine.

Yesterday was a cool change of that routine.   Five of us gathered at Malden Access Television (MATV) to shoot a video for VITA Site Coordinators and their volunteers to supplement the training materials provided by the IRS.  The major focus of this video is on the differences between the federal and MA tax returns.  These differences can make a significant difference for some people on their tax refund and we wanted to make sure that our volunteers and the general public can zero in on those areas when they prepare returns.

First, it was a lot of fun.  Second, I want to thank the MATV folks: Executive Director Ron Cox, Assistant Director Anne D'Urso-Rose, Receptionist/Floor Manager/Cameraperson Josephine Royal, and Volunteer/Cameraperson Barry Greenspan.   They were terrific, but I knew this going into the project and it's the only reason I felt comfortable saying I (and my employer, Tri-CAP) could "produce" this project.

We aimed for a 30-minute video, using a talk show format.  Hosting was done by Joe Diamond, Executive Director of MassCAP.  Guests were Bill Smitts, IRS SPEC territory manager (MA, ME, NH); Dana Ackerman, Taxpayer Advocate Office of the Mass Dept of Revenue (DOR); and Meelynn Wong, VITA Site Coordinator for Boston ABCD.  Two telephone conference calls to plan our topics and time worked; we had a smooth shoot, no stops, and at the end had extra time to add a piece on a topic we will insert into place during editing. My thanks to everyone for their thoughtful planning and execution. 

Now the difficult part begins: editing!  It's not really difficult; it's just time-consuming.  We have already set up several "dummy" tax returns in our system so we can hook the camera up and grab screen shots to overlay on the discussion we taped.  With my limited time available, we agreed to hire an experienced and fast editor for this part of the project.  She and I will have to coordinate our schedules so she can grasp the overall goal and help us put the right pieces into place.  Add a little music, take out any stammers, er's, uhm's, and all that -- and we're good to go. 

Joe wants to put it on YouTube when it's done, so anyone can benefit from the tips on preparing a return, so I'll post here when that's done.

Have I Neglected My Blog? Oh, Dear...

I feel as if I've neglected my blog.  Sometimes there is so much I want to say, I don't say anything. Today, I'm starting what I hope to make a habit.  I'll write something short every few days, sometime more than two days consecutively, just to be in the habit of writing, commenting, or sharing. 

So, it's Friday of a long weekend (Columbus Day) and I have the day off.  Got lots to do, but also want some time to just relax, enjoy the beautiful fall weather (walks with the dogs will permit that), and recharge my batteries for the upcoming week, which will be very busy. 

Have a great holiday weekend everyone.  Be safe on the roads, drive carefully, leave early, and don't sweat the small stuff -- it wrinkles your clothes! 

Claire

New Tool, New Toy

Yesterday I dropped into Best Buy to see about a replacement mouse.  My current infrared mouse just works badly and I don't know if it's interference from something in the apartment (or from another apartment) or the mouse is just gone.  But for a long time, I've also wanted some sort of sketch tablet or something similar so I can do a better job at touching up graphics or photos on websites I design.

The clerk introduced me to Bamboo and I'm so glad I bought it.  As the name implies (to me anyway), Bamboo is lightweight and graceful and a clean way to add a touchpad interface to your computer or provide a larger one to a laptop.  Bamboo's touchpad matches your screen perfectly, so if you lift the stylus and put it on the screen in another area, the cursor jumps to the representative spot on the monitor.  You don't need to lift the stylus to reposition it to gain more "space" on the touchpad as you do with these small ones on laptops.  In fact, I'm using a laptop and have shut off the touchpad because my palms constantly make the cursor jump all over the place as they accidentally brush against it.  Bamboo has changed my opinion on touchpads, but then, Bamboo is like a touchpad on steroids; it rocks. 

Of course, because it's a different interface than I've mostly used, I need to practice my technique.  Bamboo comes with a tutorial that let's you practice to get it right and built-in tools to turn a keyboard on/off.  Yes, you can fill in forms with the stylus but if you use hashmarks for passwords, you lose the ability to see where you are placing the cursor on the mini-keyboard so it's better to use the standard keyboard for password entry.

And it is definitely different than the standard laptop touchpad.  If I want to touch something at the bottom of the screen, I need to position the stylus at the bottom of the active area on the touchpad.  But I find I am not using a larger area than I ever needed to use with a standard mouse.  The main difference is having to position my stylus on the screen in an exact representation of what's on the screen.  It is a far more accurate representation of my screen than any laptop touchpad I've ever used.

Another difference is my hand position.  That will take some getting used to but it feels so much more graceful and accurate than a mouse or laptop touchpad.  As with any new muscle movement, however, it can take time for long-term comfort. So I spent the better part of yesterday playing a few games where I could practice tapping and dragging.  Dragging doesn't even seem like the right word to use because drag invokes an image of something heavy.  With Bamboo, a light touch is all that is needed.  You don't even have to touch the stylus to the touchpad unless you want to "click" on something.  The stylus activates only millimeters above the pad and gives you great control over your cursor.

Developing fine control over the Bamboo's interface is necessary if I want to clean up graphics or remove a background from an image and have it look "perfect" when placed against a color background; yet these are two most common needs for websites that drew me to Bamboo in the first place.  So today I'll move on to working on a few graphics for more practice.  After all, this is what I bought it for and I'm looking forward to greater precision control that I can get with a mouse.  And my badly-behaving mouse?  It's still plugged in but is sitting on a pile of papers out of the way -- I think I've found the perfect replacement/enhancement tool.

Random Thoughts

I haven't posted in more than a week but it's not because my mind is blank.  I've just been a little busy.

Web Design Project
One project that I'm very pleased with is the redesign of the website for the Cyber Cafe @ Malden Square.   As part of the redesign, I've learned to use Joomla!, a web CMS I've described in an earlier post. 

The tool is great and has lots of flexibility.  The trick is figuring out what to put out there.  We want it to be useful to our patrons, so have added some documents that help them with some of the tasks people ask us for help with on a regular basis, news and weather feeds, course offerings, and other things you expect on a website.  I hope that once they get used to the new look and explore some of the features, they'll tell us what else they'd like to see. 

We also want it to speak for us to the general public -- near and far.  Funders always want to see what you do, others may just be curious, and potential members and volunteers can use it to learn more about us.  When new volunteers start, we have them review the website and our video, which is also available through the website.  One of my next tasks is to set up a media player within the website so the video plays without being downloaded.  With a website, there is always something more to do! 

As one of 5 partners in this community technology center, I oversee all the technical needs, manage the website, and co-manage daily operations.  Thanks to a talented Site Manager for the past year, that last part has been less work than usual.  But we lose her at the end of September when our ARRA (American Recovery and Revitalization Act) funding runs out.  We just don't have sufficient funding to continue the position.  That's a huge loss for us and, of course, for our Site Manager.

Goal Setting Work
Other things that have been keeping me busy and a bit mentally tired are job related.  I finished setting new goals for the coming year, which required a lot of thought and some leaps of faith. 

I've been working for the past five years with a committee that is now too small to accomplish its goals.  People have moved on to full-time jobs and have no time for this committee.  Others have moved away.  Some have changed their focus of interest.  Rather than abandon this committee and its needed work, I've been working on a transformation of a committee into a network; pulling together other organizations who have similar concerns around our main focus -- affordable housing.  The invitations are almost in the mail, and my hope is that bringing together individuals and organizations interested in this focus will enable us to share resources and be more effective.  There are times when we may work together on a specific project and other times when we'll all be doing our own thing.  But the main goal is to capture the energy, ideas, and talents of a larger group.  This is what can get groups through the rough times when goals seem unreachable.  Coordinating this network will take no more work than coordinating the committee, but it should lead to a more energized and effective end result.

So my mind is a bit sloggy this week after finishing the goal setting for 4 or 5 different programs that tend to overlap in several ways.  Each has its own set of numeric goals and must meet the criteria for any one of several dozen national indicators.  And, of course, throughout the year we all have to keep track of every client service and note which of these national indicators we're meeting in every service so we can do our monthly, quarterly, and or semi-annual reports.  I don't envy the job of the people who have to do this for the entire agency! 

Finding Funding
Other parts of my job have previously been viewed as separate programs.  About two-and-a-half years ago, when I was working on some of these projects as a consultant, I recommended blending some job responsibilities because these projects were really more related than not.  Little did I know at the time that I would end up coming into the agency full time and doing that "blended" job.  The process of integrating these is ongoing.  Funding sources still see them as separate, so we are seeking additional funding that is less restrictive and will permit us to adjust to the reality that these "separate" jobs really belong together.  For now, though, I have two separate job titles and different supervisors for different parts of my job. 

Another wrinkle is that our funding restricts our services to certain cities.  The need, however, is greater than that and other agencies not as large as ours do not offer the same services.  We need to find funding resources that remove those restrictions.  With some simple agreements between our agency and these others, we could serve others in need and get paid for what we do. 

Collaboration is Key
You can see the common thread in all of this, I'm sure.  Collaboration between and among agencies is the only way to do our jobs well.  Yet our funding sources often fail to take this into account.  My goals for the coming year include more collaboration, searching for funding sources that enable collaboration, and meeting the needs we've identified.  I'm tired of turning people away because they live outside my cachement area, especially when I know the agency in their area does not offer the service they need. 

That's only part of what I've got going on and is why I've not posted much lately. Did you miss me?

Home Insurance Rates Based on Your Credit Rating?

OK, we've had our 5 minutes to celebrate passage of the anti-closure bill, H4595.  There is always more work to be done, and another issue had already come across my horizon. 

I received a phone call from a public advocacy attorney who wanted to know if we're seeing the problem she's working on.  It seems that some insurers are now using your credit rating to set your home insurance rates.  Yes, that's what I said.  If you have low credit, you may get a higher insurance rate on your home. 

I guess I don't understand what insurance is all about.  I know that when I insure my car,  my rate is based on what I choose for coverage, what city/town I live in (some places have higher car theft rates), whether my car is garaged, parked in a driveway, or on the street, and the replacement value of parts or the whole car.  Those things make sense to me.

So I stupidly thought that home owner insurance was based on similar factors -- the value of the home and its replacement, the crime rate in the area, ... I don't know the other factors.  Maybe someone will inform me. 

But why would my homeowner insurance rate be linked to my credit rating?  

Our credit rating is being used for a lot more than getting credit these days. Here's some examples...

• Keeping credit:  If you have difficulty paying on one credit card, other lenders might reduce your credit limit with them -- you've become a risk.
• Paying off old credit debt:  With credit card reform limiting how and how much lenders can adjust your interest rate, lenders have taken to raising the interest rate of consumers who have been faithfully paying off any old debt.  I'm working with 2 consumers who had low interest rates (9.9%) that suddenly jumped to 29.99% after "credit card reform" went into effect.  So, watch your credit rating; if it slips, I'm sure they'll find a way to increase your interest rate or lower your current limit -- despite credit card reform.
• Getting a job:  Several industries flat out won't hire anyone with a poor credit rating.  I can understand not hiring someone for the finance department, but the janitors and others with limited or no access to client or patient information?  What's going on here?   A side effect I'm seeing is that hospitals in our area won't hire anyone with a poor credit record.  So what fields are the job training programs in?  Medical!  And the people who are put into these programs are low income folks trying to get back into the job market.  Guess what?  They've mostly got a poor credit history! 

Do you know how your credit rating is affecting your life?  Maybe you should check into it.

Mass Anti-Foreclosure Bill Goes to the Governor

The anti-foreclosure bill, H4595, which I discussed in my post this Tuesday, did pass the House this week.  The Senate did a quick notice that it will accept the House version and thus the bill moves to the governor's desk for signature. Governor Patrick is expected to sign the bill, as he's also a supporter. 

This is great news for Massachusetts homeowners and tenants.  And, as I said on Tuesday, it's also good for banks/lenders and the overall communities.  A win-win all around, we just wonder why it had to take such strong public pressure to get the bill moved to the House floor for a vote.

Let's take 5 minutes to celebrate and then move on to the next issue, because we know there's always something else around the corner!

Learning By Doing - It's Coming Along Pretty Well

Fro some time now, I've been teaching myself the web design tool, Joomla!, an open source, free content management system (CMS), in this case a web CMS.  I've benefited greatly from the advice and postings of other members of the Joomla! Boston User Group, the large community of Joomla! developers and web designers in the Joomla Community Forums and the Joomla! Official Documentation wiki.  Another great resource has been SiteGround's online tutorials, a provider where I have some other Joomla! websites.

Learning by doing is fine; I've learned 95% of my technical skills that way.  But it does not mean we have to do it alone.  When we go it alone, we may develop as many bad habits as good ones.  We miss the coaching that could improve our success and shorten our learning curve.  And it's more fun to work with others on something real to us; something that matters. 

There are many books and tutorials out there on web design and tools that can also help you learn how to use these tools.  The biggest hurdle I encounter with these is that I am missing some technical prerequisite and have to find another resource to bring me up to the level of the book.  I have to learn more than just the tool in my hand.  I have to learn other things that make that tool work.  On a very simple scale, it's a little like following written instructions on how to change a flat tire without knowing what a tire iron is, what lug nuts are, and what a car jack is.  You have to become familiar with the underpinnings of the job in order to do the job right.

I follow several blogs and am engaged with various discussion groups on web design, social networking, and social media.  Quite a few people fall into the trap of saying the task is easy or a particular tool is easy to use when they have not identified that at least some familiarity with other tools is helpful, if not a necessity.  But that does not mean it's impossible to learn or that you shouldn't try it.  We'd never grow out of our comfort zone if we adopted that philosophy.

Instead, I recommend that if you venture into some of these new areas (new to you, they're hardly new to many of the techies out there), get yourself into a user group related to the task or tool, use the online forums that are available, and don't be afraid to be a "newbie."  Admitting that you don't "hack" core code or know any programming skills may generate a negative response from some folks.  Remember, they weren't always programmers or coders; they were beginners once too.  Others will be very helpful to you.  They may want to share their knowledge, help others gain skill in a particular area, or just get a chance to go back to the beginning and remember what it was like when they started out. 

I am hardly done with the website.  There are some links to "placeholders" to get our volunteers to work on those articles for publication.  There are some documents ready that I need to put into place.  More features and functionality are also coming along.  Then I need to teach some volunteers how to add documents to the site, get more critiques on features and functionality, and see what else we want to do with it. 

But for now, the site has enough information to have its place front and center, pushing out the old site and making its debut "live" for our members/patrons and everyone else. 

Use the comment feature here to let me know what you think after you check out the Cyber Cafe @ Malden Square.

Anti-Foreclosure Public Meeting/Vigil

Last evening a group of individuals and organizations from Worcester to Merrimack Valley to the South Shore met at Revere City Hall, joined by Revere Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino, to urge the MA House of Representatives to pass H4595, An Act to Stabilize Neighborhoods, often called the "anti-foreclosure bill." 

Why a Vigil Now and in Revere?
With two weeks left to the current legislative session, and unanimous passage of a Senate version of this bill, people do not want to wait any longer for foreclosure assistance.  Every month means more homeowners and tenants face eviction.  Many claim that House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who represents Revere and the rest of the Nineteenth District, has blocked the bill from moving to the House floor.  The bill was favorably referred out of the Joint Committee on Housing and sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means back in April -- a committee that DeLeo chaired before becoming House Speaker.  Current Chair is Charles Murphy. 

Organized and attend by tenants, homeowners, and organizations such as City Life/Vida Urbana,  Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL), and Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), the public meeting/vigil attracted the eye of many passers-by, some of whom admitted to a sense of unease for their own neighborhoods even if their own homes were not in jeopardy.  Foreclosures turn banks into landlords and homeowners.  The result often is a tenant eviction, through no fault of the tenant, and an empty house that gets vandalized or used/abused by those with no right to be there.  With so many homes in foreclosure, these become abandoned properties that can devalue all the homes and increase crime in a neighborhood.  Communities lose good homeowners and good tenants.  Homes in these neighborhoods "automatically decrease in value by 1% and ... local housing prices by as much as 5.7%."**

Completed Foreclosures in May 2010 were Double the Number for May 2009!*
For anyone who claims that foreclosure prevention programs are "doing the job," the actual number of foreclosures in Massachusetts tell another story.  Year-to-date foreclosures increased a whopping 48% compared to the same period in 2009, and auctions posted for May 2010 were more than double those in May 2009.  This is a scary situation that is getting worse, not better.

Unemployment Increases the Risk
With Congress stalling on unemployment extensions while more and more homeowners face mortgage payments they cannot make, both homeowners and tenants are at risk.  H4595 could provide the relief that makes the difference, which is why it is described as "legislation to stabilize neighborhoods."

H4595 Helps Homeowners, Tenants, and Banks
Information prepared by UMASS Boston, McCormack Center for Social Policy points out that this bill works for everyone affected by foreclosures and the spillover effects of soaring foreclosure rates.  Remember, the Massachusetts Senate has already unanimously passed a similar bill, S2394. 

Former MAAPL Coordinator Grace Ross, a recent candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, recorded her reflections on the vigil and the issue and sent it to me for inclusion in this post.  I've added some slides to her audio recording and hope you'll take time to learn more about the problem and then call your state representative.  Urge him or her to demand that Speaker DeLeo present H4595 for a vote.  There's not much time left, so do it today!

You may want to press the "full screen" button in the lower right corner of the video screen for some of the slides.
Thank you! 

*Figures provided by MAAPL
**UMASS Boston, McCormack Center for Social Policy, June 2010

The Networked Nonprofit - book review

I eagerly awaited the virtual launch of The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change, by Allison Fine and Beth Kanter and bought my copy during their virtual launch party two weeks ago.  I read it this week, when I could read it in one sitting.   It took patience to wait that long, but I am tired of starting something I really want to read and having to put it aside for days. 

Fine and Kanter are leaders in the social media (SM) movement for nonprofits.  They are the people that people like me go to for advice; we follow their blogs, tweets, FB pages...they are our virtual guides in this world of getting our non profit organizations connected to clients in a meaningful way beyond the borders of our organizations' walls.

Beth Kanter introduced me and the Cyber Cafe @ Malden Square, back in 2005, to how easily SM tools can be used for various purposes.  A tool designed for blogging quickly became our Community Resource Guide, giving us a powerful way to share many resources among staff, volunteers, clients, and...the world.  She doesn't just think outside the box; she thinks beyond the box.  The box does not exist -- there is no barrier.

Straightforward, Practical, and Proven
Both Fine and Kanter are energetic, knowledgeable, and engaging.  The Networked Nonprofit is what you'd expect from them.  Straightforward advice, tested and with proven examples, on how nonprofits need to change their view of the world to survive and flourish in the digital world.

I won't say compete in the digital world because one of the points they make is that nonprofits have to stop seeing other nonprofits as competitors.  Networking is not about competition; it is about collaboration.  I think this is one reason I have never liked the chamber of commerce meeting model, where businesses in the same industry are not supposed to sit together because they are competitors.  Even when I was consulting a lot in the for profit world, my "competitors" were my colleagues.   We often worked collaboratively because it made more sense; my skill set would complement a colleague's from another organization and vice versa. 

I have one foot in the networked nonprofit world at the Cyber Cafe.  I have another foot in the not-so-networked world with my major organization.  They do network with other organizations, but they are not so ready for the digital foray.  (Young padouan must practice patience daily while straddling this dichotomy.)

What's in the Book?
The Networked Nonprofit introduces and defines this concept of the networked nonprofit, describes the social media revolution, and examines the myths surrounding it.  These myths, along with lack of a comfort level (shall we say skill?) with SM, is what prevents many non profits from embracing a set of digital tools that could help them with their mission.  Fine and Kanter then examine the challenges and trends that non profits face, which creates an urgent need to confront their own lack of understanding in this area and make the transition into becoming a networked nonprofit.  The remaining book is divided into how organizations can become a networked nonprofit and how they would operate as one.

Why is this so important?  

...because doing so will help them achieve their mission. 

Resources
Kanter has set up a wiki for The Networked Nonprofit where people can share ideas on how put this book into action.  You can help them develop curriculum and instructional materials to help nonprofits learn at a pace that makes sense for them.  Several years ago, I developed a simple model and then a presentation based on the premise that community building in the nonprofit world is like creating a jigsaw puzzle.  Collaborations are enabled and enhanced when you view each organization like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle.  To find the right fit, turn it around and over - examining all the angles - until you see how there might be a fit between your organization and others.  Naturally, I call this the JigSaw Puzzlin' Approach (c).  I'll work on adding that to the wiki later.

New Template - Hope You Like it

I settled on this template, Watermark, after playing around with another one that just didn't seem right.  The photos didn't set right, layout options weren't available as promised, etc.  But this one required almost no tweaking to look right to me.

Let me know what you think.  Is it easy to read and to find what you are looking for?  Is it aesthetically pleasing?


...comments appreciated,
Claire

Playing with New Template Today

If you visit me today, 7/8/10, you may find some items not quite as visually pleasing or somehow out of synch.  I'm playing with a new template and finding out what I like or dislike about its features.  Bear with me; I should be settled on something by this afternoon. 

Back to Work and Still More Catching up to do - I Need More Vacation Time

I'm back to work this morning so will write a brief post.  But I acknowledge that I need more vacation time to finish everything I've started...then again, a 4-day weekend is hardly much of a vacation but it's better than nothing. 

I spent most of yesterday working on the Cyber Cafe website .  I'm recreating the site in Joomla!, a free open source, web content management system (web CMS).  I'm creating the site on a subdomain, so both sites are running parallel right now.  But I hope to replace the current site with the new one later this week.  It won't be complete, but it will be complete enough to serve its purpose.  Websites are never done anyway.  They are always works in progress unless you just have a static brochure that changes only occasionally. 

I've been teaching myself to use Joomla! over the past year or so, in my spare time.  This means I don't often get a good chunk of time to work on it and learn it really well.  It's only in a stretch like yesterday that the new concepts and ways to use it effectively can really sink into my brain.  Like most things, you learn it best by using it frequently.  That way, the concepts become ingrained in your brain and you can visualize how it works even when you are not in front of your computer. 

Yesterday I had the time to document how the new site is organized, using PowerPoint to create some teaching tools.  This will help my clients edit and maintain their Joomla! sites after I've created them.  That takes a lot of work too. I find documenting how I'm working helps me discipline myself.  It helps me lay things out and keep them simple because I don't want to write a lot of documentation.  Using fewer section and category options can make it easier for an organization to maintain the site and doesn't overwhelm them with choices and decisions.  That makes me a better web designer for small organizations and non-profits that  have non-tech staff who will have to support the site after I'm done. 

I'll post more on my progress later.  ...gotta get to work!

Happy Birthday Maureen

Today I'm sharing a virtual birthday card for my sister Maureen.  Earlier this month, I shared a card for another sister, Kathleen.  Since they both have birthdays in June, I thought it fitting to do the same for both.  It's also my nephew Danny's birthday today, so Happy Birthday Dan as well.  He's currently serving in the Navy and I'm not sure what part of the world he's in right now.  Last I knew, he was shipping off to Afghanistan (the Navy manages much of the supply duty for the Army and his outfit was sent there for that shipping/supply duty).

So, here's to Maureen, the eldest of 4 girls and the 2nd of 8 kids.  Sometimes it's difficult to be the older siblings in a large family.  You end up with a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.  And it sometimes seems as if they don't get much of a childhood because they become responsible for the younger ones.  Maureen is no exception.  She still thinks like a parent, today, especially when dealing with her siblings.  She took on a role too young as our de facto mother when our mother wasn't well and I think she lost out on some of her own childhood as a result. 

That doesn't mean she didn't have some fun along the way.  I remember her in The Student Prince, a musical she performed in at Cardinal Spellman High School.  And I remember many a day when she'd tie up the bathroom and gag us all with hair spray as she readied for a date.  Teased hair and lots of spray to hold it in place were the style back then. 

But I also remember her Mr. Donut uniform and how she grew to hate even the smell of donuts.  Working hard every day after school to add some money to the family budget was necessary.  You just did it.  And later she worked full time for Ma Bell (if you  have to ask, you're too young). 

Like my sister Kathleen, Maureen tried to help keep our parents in their own home when their health failed.  She uprooted herself from California to Boston and moved in with them.  Working all day, setting up procedures in the home to manage my parents health care, and going back to school to complete the degree she had begun to work on in CA...she interrupted her life to make theirs' more comfortable. 

Maureen is good at setting up systems and procedures to make things work more smoothly and efficiently.  Whether it's work or home, there's always a system of record-keeping and documentation in place.  Medications are organized and labeled so someone else can come in and do the tasks easily.  Paperwork is in neatly labeled file folders.  The bills are organized. 

A bit more than a year ago, Maureen started a special project.  She spent countless hours putting together a gift for my uncle Bill (our mother's brother) and my aunt Ruth (our father's sister).  They are the remaining relatives from our parents' generation.  She asked each of us to write a short letter of our memories of each one and send them to her.  What had been intended as a Christmas present took a bit longer, partly because she waited for each of us to do our part.  She prepared a beautiful portfolio for each with all our memory-letters enclosed.  She then copied each one and sent a copy to all of us.  Each one was carefully rolled and tied with a ribbon.  It was a wonderful way to let our uncle and aunt know how much they meant to each of us.  And we each learned a little something about our siblings' experience with our aunt and uncle and even some things about ourselves that we'd forgotten.

It is evident that a lot of love went into that project and I'm glad she did it and encouraged us to be part of it.  What a nice way to say thank you to people who have been an important part of our lives for so many years.

I'm so happy she retired.  She spent many years trying to recover from an industry downturn that meant her long-time employer went bankrupt and she had to start over -- not just in a new job, but had to learn new skills and start over at the bottom of the corporate ladder.  She'd sacrificed much to help my parents stay together in their home, and that decreased her employment options. 

All her life, she was the responsible one.  And I think that took something away from her.  In retirement, she can relax more, not worry about improving her job skills or employability.  She can take an interesting job/project for a time and work at a reasonable pace.  She can choose and that is probably the most important thing. 

So, Happy Birthday Maureen.   I hope your day is sweet and relaxing.  Do something fun.  Do something just for you! 

Denmark Rising - Part IV

Before fixing dinner last night, I finished Barry Clemson's novel, Denmark Rising.  As I said in yesterday's blog, I already knew the outcome in general.  But Clemson has written well and has made me care about the characters in the book.  Most of them are real names, of real people, with some interpretation on Clemson's part about their feelings and actions on the day-to-day basis.  It is a delicate balance -- writing about historical figures while staying true to what we do know about them.  Completing the book gave me some closure as to what happened to many of the characters who were prominent throughout the book and about whom I was very curious.

War takes its toll in many ways and these characters were no exception.  Clemson brings to light ethical, moral, and human issues throughout the novel.   These are just a few that come to my mind from my reading this week. 

• Danish youth and adults who were angry about the occupation and felt that Viking warriors should rise up and strike back -- how to convince them that strategic nonviolence is an appropriate response and is actually a weapon?
• German Wermarcht (regular army) who served in Denmark throughout Germany's occupation and saw no reason to kill civilians who'd done no harm to them -- how do they resolve orders to kill them against their Christian upbringing?  
• Can you order an action, knowing it will result in the deaths of innocents, yet it means far fewer people will die than if you ordered alternative actions?
• When "my turn" comes for punishment from the oppressor, will I stand up and face it or will I run and hide, leaving my comrades to face my punishment? 
• How can I practice nonviolence yet plan actions that will kill many others, even if they are the enemy?  Can we do anything to prevent those deaths while maintaining our resistance? 

This is a book I will recommend, over and over again, to people I know who like to think.  This book compels you to think about and reflect upon what is an appropriate response to oppression.  Have we learned all the wrong lessons?  Are there times and places where this won't work.  Are there other times and places where it might be the most effective option; so why aren't we doing it? 

Let me know what you think after you read Denmark Rising. 

Denmark Rising - Parts II & III

Yesterday I wrote about this novel by Barry Clemson and said I'd read Part II last night.  I did. Then I stayed up later and read Part III as well.  If I didn't have to get up for work this morning, I'd have read Part IV; this book is that good.

I am engaged with this story and don't want to put it down.  I already know the outcome.  World War II has been for over many years.  The German tyranny against the Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and other "non pure" groups is well documented.  Many of the officers who participated in Hitler's persecution have been brought to trial and found guilty.  Others are still being hunted. 

So what makes this book so compelling?  I admit to being fascinated with history.  The people who tell me that history is boring just haven't read the books I've read.  Books such as "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich;" some non-fiction books I read many years ago -- one set in Poland describing Jewish exiles' escape attempts -- another set in Russia describing a young man's years as a member of the Russian Youth Brigade who was trained to persecute any religious practitioners and given wide latitude in their own personal habits; this is living history.

Denmark Rising is fictional but uses living history to go beyond storytelling to raise important philosophical questions and introduce strategic nonviolence on a grand scale.  It is a timely novel, engaged as we are in two wars so far away from our own safe homes and facing the terrorism threats that have pervaded other parts of the world far longer.  Can peaceful, strategic nonviolence work on a large scale?  Can it work in today's conflicts?  What are we willing to sacrifice to make it work?  Is that sacrifice less than the price we are currently paying? 

Read the book and ask yourself these questions.  If you are a teacher, use the book as a springboard for discussion with your students.  If you are a student, introduce it to your teachers/faculty.  Clemson has provided a discussion forum, Teaching with Denmark Rising, to aide you.  While reading and discussing, also take time to appreciate the readability of this book and check out other works by Clemson.

Good Reading to You,
Claire

Denmark Rising - "The Danes said, 'No!'”

Barry Clemson has written a fascinating, fictional novel that poses the question, "What if the Danish government led its people in nonviolent resistance against the German army in Germany's occupation of Denmark in WW II?"

Although fiction, it is historically accurate regarding this period of great uncertainty and brutality.  The main exception to this accuracy is in presenting the Danish government as leading this nonviolent resistance.  In truth, it was a grassroots resistance effort that slowed Germany's efforts in Denmark for several years.  Danish government finally did say "No," when Germany tried to arrest Danish Jews in 1943. 

I admittedly was eager to read the book, so when it arrived in my mailbox Monday I put everything else aside for the evening and started reading.  I didn't stop until I'd finished Part I.  From the opening paragraph, Denmark Rising captured me.  I am putting this evening aside to read Part II. 

Clemson's passion for "liberty, equality, and justice," and strategic nonviolent responses to abuses of these, is reflected in his work.  A self-proclaimed scientist/activist/novelist, Barry writes and educates.  He hopes Denmark Rising will be used to help teach and understand the philosophy of nonviolent resistance. 

This page on Clemson's website helps explain his strategic nonviolent response philosophy.  In that article, Clemson explains the "John Wayne syndrome," in which there are only warriors and cowards; there are "good guys," "bad guys,"and the people who need to be saved from the bad guys.  Our television and movie world is filled with examples of John Wayne syndrome in action.  It becomes easy to emulate because it is so visible. 

However, there are many examples of strategic nonviolence available.  We just have to search a bit more for them.  Some examples, include Jesus, Ghandi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.  The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is an example of an organization that led nonviolent responses to racial oppression in the American South.  With that group, Clemson experienced first-hand how strategic nonviolence could radically change the attitudes of many and lead government to change. 

Add Denmark Rising to your reading list and enjoy a thought-provoking yet easy read.  It may give you food for thought and the soul. 

For reviews of Denmark Rising, see this page on Clemson's site. 

Happy Birthday Kathleen

I thought I'd use my blog space today to say Happy Birthday to my sister Kathleen, who has been a rock in the foundation of our family for so many years.   

We are a large family (8 children - all adults now, living all over the country). Growing up in a large clan like this means we learned to deal with many different personalities and we are representative of several generations and life experiences.

Kathleen is one of those people who thinks things through, sees alternatives, and works to make things work.  She inspires others and is a catalyst for getting things done. 

I admire how she worked for so many years and earned both her bachelor and master degrees later in life while working full time.  She helped my parents so much, especially in their later years, sacrificing her time, energy, and money to make sure they were able to stay in their home even through severe illnesses.  I'll save the "thank you's" to my other sister, Maureen, for her birthday which is later this month. 

There were weeks and probably months that Kathleen never saw her own apartment, as she'd fly in from a multi-day trip for work and immediately get on another plan to come to Boston to stay a few days with my parents and take care of their needs.  Then she'd be off to another work trip and repeat the process just a few days later.  Oh, and she was studying for school at the same time.

Her sacrifices made it easier for Maureen and me, who were more local, to do our part.  Without Kathleen, though, I suspect the system wed' set up would have broken down.  As I said, she's a catalyst.  Within minutes of arriving somewhere, she's figured out what needs to be done and gets it started.  I think that's why she's good at her career in financial planning and investing.

Everyone needs someone "outside" to review what and where they are in life so they can plan for the future.  Kathleen is good at looking at a person, their relationships and finances, and helping them figure out what do to next to prepare for the future.  She's careful about what and whom she chooses to associate with.  She doesn't look for the quick fix that gives an immediate but false sense of security.  She looks longer term and tries to balance now with future.

That's probably why she's someone I can go to for advice for just about anything in my life.  She thinks about now and future before saying anything.  She considers the relationships involved and isn't afraid to point out where some may be holding you back.  Whether it's a person or a job or whatever, she looks at the situation and gives her assessment of how it's affecting you; then she advises you.

More importantly, she doesn't say "I told you so," if you choose another path.  She just helps you move on.  That's admirable in any relationship.  It's invaluable in a friend and in a family member.

So, Kathleen, surprise, here's your virtual birthday card!

Happy Day and I hope many more will come.

RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

People often express amazement at how many volunteers across the nation work as VITA Volunteers, taking many hours of training and then reporting after work each day or spending all day Saturdays during tax season preparing other people's taxes.

This short video offers some insight into that and offers food for thought for management about motivating paid employees as well.