I came across Gina Penzarella, who lives in the LeHigh Valley that cuts a swathe through northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey. I lived in New Jersey for a year, where I spent a year at Trenton State College in Trenton. I got a chance to travel around the area a bit, and we camped in the mountains above the Lehigh Valley in northern New Jersey.
Gina Penzarella has an entrepreneurial spirit. I saw that right away. She has a boutique dress shop in Easton, PA which right across the Delaware River from New Jersey. She offers personal service and an inventory reminiscent of New York City, from where she comes, for all manner of special occasions, from weddings to proms. One thing I found particularly interesting is that she will only sell one dress per high school, so that no one at a school's prom will be wearing the same style of dress. That in itself I found to be a very unique approach to customer service.
Besides the dresses, Gina Penzarella is also quite the gardener, and I found a blog written by her on the topic. I would wager too that she would get along with both my mother in law and wife, who are both aficionados of preserving plant and animal life.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Amos Tamam: An Immigrant's Success Story
It interests me how people like Amos Tamam can become such successes through hard work, innovation, and diligence. I explained in an earlier post about how he developed a system so that cabbies in New York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere could accept credit cards rather than cash. Cash has always made cab drivers targets for robbers, and I wonder how many people's lives this simple innovation saved.
Through his innovations that allowed taxi riders to pay through a wireless credit card system, Amos Tamam started Taxitronic Inc. Now, this is not the only innovation involving taxis that he helped develop. He also helped to integrate global positioning systems and other state of the art equipment into taxis to make passengers more comfortable and safer. He is now CEO and president of Verifone Transportation Systems, Inc. and is a leading the way in marketing cutting edge technology for taxi passengers.
His success as an immigrant coming from Israel to New York City reminds me of the rags to riches stories that were written by Horatio Alger in the latter part of the 19th century. Amos Tamam is indeed riding a wave of success.
Through his innovations that allowed taxi riders to pay through a wireless credit card system, Amos Tamam started Taxitronic Inc. Now, this is not the only innovation involving taxis that he helped develop. He also helped to integrate global positioning systems and other state of the art equipment into taxis to make passengers more comfortable and safer. He is now CEO and president of Verifone Transportation Systems, Inc. and is a leading the way in marketing cutting edge technology for taxi passengers.
His success as an immigrant coming from Israel to New York City reminds me of the rags to riches stories that were written by Horatio Alger in the latter part of the 19th century. Amos Tamam is indeed riding a wave of success.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Harley Swiftdeer Reagan & the Path of Beauty
I keep finding out more about Harley Swiftdeer Reagan that I like. Anyone who has dedicated themselves to a path of spirituality that seeks to "fight against ignorance, slavery, bigotry, racism, war, disease, dogma and superstition to seed future generations with beauty, power, knowledge and freedom" impresses me. But I think I have got a bit ahead of myself.
Harley Swiftdeer Reagan began the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society in 1986, and the society has taken up the mantle to encourage humans to look at the Earth and each other in a different light. Too often in modern society we find that people are so engrossed in their lives that they do not truly live, and in fact too often destroy far more than they create. Living without acknowledging how our actions affect others is not a life worth living, in my humble opinion. Sometimes, our actions can even negatively affect our children and their children.
I believe Harley Swiftdeer Reagan deserves kudos for his efforts to teach a spirituality that will awaken the people of this planet before it is too late. We must respect our world, and all the people in it. There are numerous traditions, including those that come out of the Native North American tribes, that teach people a better way to live.
Harley Swiftdeer Reagan began the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society in 1986, and the society has taken up the mantle to encourage humans to look at the Earth and each other in a different light. Too often in modern society we find that people are so engrossed in their lives that they do not truly live, and in fact too often destroy far more than they create. Living without acknowledging how our actions affect others is not a life worth living, in my humble opinion. Sometimes, our actions can even negatively affect our children and their children.
I believe Harley Swiftdeer Reagan deserves kudos for his efforts to teach a spirituality that will awaken the people of this planet before it is too late. We must respect our world, and all the people in it. There are numerous traditions, including those that come out of the Native North American tribes, that teach people a better way to live.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Harley Swiftdeer Reagan on the Strength of Women
My wife would certainly agree with what Harley Swiftdeer Reagan says about women. They definitely are not weak. Emotional, certainly. Weak, never. And yes, I concur with his belief that we all have elements of male and female in us.
Now, I do not believe Harley Swiftdeer Reagan means this in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. There is a part of the human spirit that seeks to nurture, which can be deemed as "female", and there is a part of the human spirit which seeks to control, which can then be deemed as "male" and which Swiftdeer calls "tyrant". Western feminism has essentially tried to turn women's roles in society to be the same as men (aka the tyrant), something that is implicitly wrong. While there have been women who have taken on men's traditional roles of leadership, and have arguably done well in these roles, for the most part there are certain innate personal traits within us all that can be seen as either male or female. Whether a person is male or female physically does not mean that one is male or female spiritually.
Western culture puts people outside the realm of nature, and we are finding that as a "modern" society we are actually causing serious harm to our planet. It is becoming ever clearer that the energy we pull from the earth is contributing to global warming and that our "modern" way of life is unsustainable. The teachings of Native American tribes to respect the "female" Mother Earth, as Harley Swiftdeer Reagan also refers to the planet on which we live, is becoming ever more important. After all, we only have one planet...
Now, I do not believe Harley Swiftdeer Reagan means this in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. There is a part of the human spirit that seeks to nurture, which can be deemed as "female", and there is a part of the human spirit which seeks to control, which can then be deemed as "male" and which Swiftdeer calls "tyrant". Western feminism has essentially tried to turn women's roles in society to be the same as men (aka the tyrant), something that is implicitly wrong. While there have been women who have taken on men's traditional roles of leadership, and have arguably done well in these roles, for the most part there are certain innate personal traits within us all that can be seen as either male or female. Whether a person is male or female physically does not mean that one is male or female spiritually.
Western culture puts people outside the realm of nature, and we are finding that as a "modern" society we are actually causing serious harm to our planet. It is becoming ever clearer that the energy we pull from the earth is contributing to global warming and that our "modern" way of life is unsustainable. The teachings of Native American tribes to respect the "female" Mother Earth, as Harley Swiftdeer Reagan also refers to the planet on which we live, is becoming ever more important. After all, we only have one planet...
Sak Narwal: a Fisherman with a Conscience
I came across Sak Narwal when doing research online about various people who are pressing for greater use of green technology in the US economy. Apparently, his thinking about the green economy is similar to my own. I noted in one of my blog posts, titled The Way Forward, for The Creating Wealth Blog that when Barack Obama became president we were going to see increasing investment in green technology. I found that Narwal supports recycling efforts, reduction of toxic emissions, fuel cell technology, and other development of clean technologies.
Yet that is not all I learned about Sak Narwal. Apparently, he is also quite the fisherman. Now, having done a bit of research on overfishing and how it is negatively affecting fish stocks around the world, this may have dampened my positive feelings towards the man. Needless to say, it did not.
While I support subsistence fishing as a means for survival and understand the importance of seafood as a primary source of protein for a large proportion of the world's population, I generally do not approve of hunting for sport, which would include fishing. Perhaps it is because of the horror stories I hear about canned hunting of wild game in Africa. Though Sak Narwal is a sports fisherman, he is also a "catch and release" fisherman, meaning that the fish he catches will survive to spawn another day. That said, Mr. Narwal is genuinely both a green businessman and a green fisherman.
Yet that is not all I learned about Sak Narwal. Apparently, he is also quite the fisherman. Now, having done a bit of research on overfishing and how it is negatively affecting fish stocks around the world, this may have dampened my positive feelings towards the man. Needless to say, it did not.
While I support subsistence fishing as a means for survival and understand the importance of seafood as a primary source of protein for a large proportion of the world's population, I generally do not approve of hunting for sport, which would include fishing. Perhaps it is because of the horror stories I hear about canned hunting of wild game in Africa. Though Sak Narwal is a sports fisherman, he is also a "catch and release" fisherman, meaning that the fish he catches will survive to spawn another day. That said, Mr. Narwal is genuinely both a green businessman and a green fisherman.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Harley Swiftdeer Reagan: The Spiritual Teachings of a Medicine Man
I came across an old article from the 1980s about Harley Swiftdeer Reagan. In it, he explains about his place as a medicine man, which combines a number of roles that include teacher and spiritual leader. I know a bit about Native American traditions, as I began studying the history of the native peoples of North American back in my time at university. I have never lost interest in Native American history or culture.
I find it interesting that Harley Swiftdeer Reagan apprenticed to the former president of the Navajo Native American Church and now espouses a unique spiritual culture. The Navajo, the common name known for the Diné, are the second largest tribe in North America and occupy an area in the southwestern United States.
As a spiritual teacher, Harley Swiftdeer Reagan is also a spiritual warrior and an accomplished martial artist. As such, he espouses the male, which embodies the power of the sun, and the female, which embodies the power of the earth.
I find it interesting that Harley Swiftdeer Reagan apprenticed to the former president of the Navajo Native American Church and now espouses a unique spiritual culture. The Navajo, the common name known for the Diné, are the second largest tribe in North America and occupy an area in the southwestern United States.
As a spiritual teacher, Harley Swiftdeer Reagan is also a spiritual warrior and an accomplished martial artist. As such, he espouses the male, which embodies the power of the sun, and the female, which embodies the power of the earth.
What Your Money Means, the Book by Frank Hanna
I like this guy, Frank Hanna III. It's not just because he believes in sharing his wealth, either, though I find this ideal very commendable. Rather than an attitude many wealthy people have of "If you've got it, flaunt it" it seems Mr. Hanna is more of the "If you've got it, give it" sort of guy.
I saw an article about Frank Hanna III online at the Reader's Digest website, and respect that he also has a strong faith in God, something my father would definitely find commendable. He's a pastor at St. John's in Hollywood, Minnesota.
Frank Hanna III also has a book out, called "What Your Money Means and How to Use It Well." So he and I are also both authors, though I've yet to publish. He talks in his book about how those who have wealth have a responsibility towards others in society to give of themselves, whether it is money, their talent, or just a person's time. I'm not looking for money here, Frank, but perhaps you could help me find a publisher for my own book, CAT'S WORLD?
I saw an article about Frank Hanna III online at the Reader's Digest website, and respect that he also has a strong faith in God, something my father would definitely find commendable. He's a pastor at St. John's in Hollywood, Minnesota.
Frank Hanna III also has a book out, called "What Your Money Means and How to Use It Well." So he and I are also both authors, though I've yet to publish. He talks in his book about how those who have wealth have a responsibility towards others in society to give of themselves, whether it is money, their talent, or just a person's time. I'm not looking for money here, Frank, but perhaps you could help me find a publisher for my own book, CAT'S WORLD?
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