text:
GF's experience shows that aligning charity to a corporation's core business can lead to greater social and business impact.
"CSR has nothing to do with charity"
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The debate has closed. The motion "CSR has nothing to do with charity" is upheld, with 75% of voters in agreement and 25% against. The Economist Intelligence Unit thanks the moderator, speakers, guests and all commenters for their thoughtful and committed participation.
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Standard Chartered Bank's point of view
At Standard Chartered, our approach is centered around making an impact through our business model. We integrate sustainability into how we do business so that we can create long-term value, not just for our shareholders, but for society.
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Guest comments
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
CSR means different things to different people. Those defining it as a company's efforts to address its social responsibilities through business activities might argue that CSR has nothing do with charity. However, many equate CSR initiatives with corporate philanthropy or community investment programmes. They would probably say CSR has everything to do with philanthropy. Semantics and acronyms aside, however, the real question is whether charity is part of being a responsible business.
Sarah Murray
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
CSR means different things to different people. Those defining it as a company's efforts to address its social responsibilities through business activities might argue that CSR has nothing do with charity. However, many equate CSR initiatives with corporate philanthropy or community investment programmes. They would probably say CSR has everything to do with philanthropy. Semantics and acronyms aside, however, the real question is whether charity is part of being a responsible business.
Some might say that, before giving to charity, companies should make sure their own houses are in order—ethically, environmentally and socially. Others believe companies should not engage in social issues at all, but stick to what they do best—making money. After all, in doing so, they create provide essential products and services, create jobs and generate economic activity.
The trouble is that, in the process, companies also create negative footprints. Their activities can deplete natural resources, spark labour abuses or even, as the presence of big oil companies in parts of Africa has demonstrated, spark conflict.
So how should they address their positive and negative impacts on society? Some argue that this is all possible through business activities—and that if these activities are an integral part of the business strategy, they are less likely to be abandoned when times are tough.
Companies can certainly increase the benefits they deliver to the communities in which they operate through their mainstream business activities by managing their resource consumption responsibly (generating cost savings) or by bringing smallholders and entrepreneurs into their supply chains, rather than following procurement policies that favour only larger suppliers.
In fact, increasing the focus on charity might distract from this and runs the risk of pulling companies into unfamiliar territory. In addition, some corporations have been accused of using charity as a mask to cover up their poor behaviour. Even when charitable programmes are linked closely to the business and deliver genuine benefit, the danger is that companies can create a culture of dependency. What happens to the healthcare centre or education programme a company has funded after it withdraws its investment in a country or region?
But while charitable activities hold risks both for business and society, are commercial activities really sufficient to meet companies' responsibilities to the communities in which they operate? For a start, even when tackling issues that are central to their businesses—such as human right abuses in the supply chains or training the next generation of workers—few corporations have the requisite skills. They cannot go it alone and must therefore form partnerships with charities.
And given what they gain from society, perhaps companies should think beyond profits to their impact on all stakeholders. Charity is one way of doing this—and unlike individual givers, companies can bring to the table more than money but also the skills, knowledge and experience of their employees, gifts in kind and the power to convene different sectors around a pressing issue.
So, do you think that companies should see charity as an important part of their social responsibilities? Or can they do more by leaving charity to others and pursuing responsible business practices?
For the motion
Managing Director, Accenture
There was a time when corporate responsibility meant charitable giving. That is no longer the case. CSR may have found its origins in corporate philanthropy, but today it has the potential to create competitive advantage for companies and to bring great value to societies, in some cases at enormous scale. Charity cannot replace and must not be allowed to substitute for the positive - or negative - impact companies can make through the goods and services they produce and the way they manage their operations, supply chains, core strategies and business models.
Peter Lacy
Managing Director, Accenture
There was a time when corporate responsibility meant charitable giving. That is no longer the case. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may have found its origins in corporate philanthropy, but today it has the potential to create competitive advantage for companies and to bring great value to societies and, in some cases, at enormous scale.
True, charitable commitments can have considerable impact. But this should be separated from the activities and behaviour of companies as they go about their core business. Charity cannot replace and must not be allowed to substitute for the positive – or negative - impact companies can have through the goods and services they produce and the way they manage their operations, supply chains, core strategies and business models.
Companies are now treating responsibility as a real business issue. In our 2010 global study of CEOs with the United Nations Global Compact (which we are just about to undertake again this year) 93% of the 766 CEOs rated social and environmental sustainability as important or very important to the future success of their business. Companies are integrating social responsibility into their business models to generate new revenue streams, reduce costs, improve their reputation and minimize risks.
Consider the ways in which companies could benefit rural communities in markets like Africa and India. Accenture and Vodafone, which has significant footprint in here, estimate that mobility solutions could help increase agricultural income by US$138 billion in 2020, an increase of 11%. Food companies could use the technology to incorporate these communities into their supply chain. Mobile banking would give many agricultural producers access to financial services for the first time, helping them to purchase better seeds and tools. Along the way, greater productivity will boost incomes and address food and water shortages. Health and education benefits would likely follow.
Companies like Unilever have taken the social responsibility agenda further. The company's ambitious Sustainable Living Plan is a great example of how a company is using social responsibility as a tool to reinvent its supply chain (suppliers and distributors), its interaction with customers and its manufacturing operations to achieve long-term sustainable development goals.
Despite such progress, some NGOs have pointed out that companies need to go further in bringing wider improvements, such as human rights and just use of local land and resources and increasing their transparency in such operations.
But the fact that NGOs are involved in such activity marks another great change in the relationship between charitable giving and CSR. If scale is the first, the transforming role of NGOs is the second. As a result, no longer do companies simply pay NGOs to deliver services to needy communities. Private companies are often better placed to do so. NGOs are increasingly acting as locally savvy coordinators, supporting markets as a tool for development. Again, while there is clearly nothing wrong with traditional giving, these new 'hybrid models' and partnerships are beyond philanthropy, and have the potential to revolutionise, and indeed blur, accepted sector boundaries.
Such collaborations are taking place in the UK, where retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has worked with Oxfam on the "schwopping" initiative to educate consumers to bring used clothing with them when they buy something new at M&S stores. M&S then works with the Oxfam to resell, reuse or recycle the old clothes. M&S is able to serve local communities by providing basic needs like affordable clothing and to use recycling to reduce input costs for manufacturing. They are also prominent in developing economies.
Let's be clear. Corporate charitable giving and related community engagement has a powerful impact. Accenture's Skills to Succeed initiative is a case in point. In 2010, we set a goal of using pro bono and financial support to equip 250,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business. We have exceeded that milestone already and have just announced a new goal for skilling 500,000 people.
And corporate charity is in no way diminished by the new ways in which companies are conducting their business to broaden their definitions of value. But as companies look to improve the societies in which they operate, and their own business success, the scale of the benefits of responsible and sustainable business models mean that is undergoing a fledgling but powerful transformation.
Against the motion
Executive Director, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
Philanthropy alone cannot solve all the world's problems—but not all the world's problems can be solved without it, either. Charitable giving is a powerful and appropriate use of corporate resources and its idiosyncrasies are what make it essential. Philanthropic contributions can help make life better here-and-now (feeding someone who is hungry) or take a risk on a groundbreaking theory for societal change (piloting new teaching methods in classrooms). In this sense, philanthropy, when well designed and executed, is irreplaceable.
Margaret Coady
Executive Director, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
Philanthropy alone cannot solve all the world's problems—but not all the world's problems can be solved without it, either. Charitable giving is a powerful and appropriate use of corporate resources and its idiosyncrasies are what make it essential.
While CSR is about how a company manages its operations within the spirit of a civil society—paying its employees a living wage, supporting their long-term wellness, conscientiously stewarding the resources it consumes and approaching all transactions ethically—corporate philanthropy concerns itself with what happens outside the company's operations. And whether addressing education and illiteracy, domestic violence, food scarcity and hunger, neglected tropical diseases, the arts or natural disasters, corporate philanthropy is a foundational element of corporate behaviour.
So why should companies give money away? Companies provide products and services people want and need. Along the way, they create jobs, wealth and tax revenue. Given the unique and tremendous contribution of the private sector, anything else that needs doing is surely the responsibility of governments and non-profits?
Yet this approach leaves a lot of value on the table. Companies have a stake in how societal conditions and injustices are resolved. They have access to resources that can accelerate resolution of those issues. Sure, a company could just pay its taxes and concern itself solely with managing its operations. But becoming positively involved in the broader world is a much better long-term strategy.
Many companies engaged in philanthropy are motivated by a sense of moral purpose— giving back is just the right thing to do. And many step up because they appreciate that the health of business depends on the health of the community. But what's exciting about a thoughtfully designed corporate community engagement programme is that it can simultaneously generate benefits for society and for the company making the grant.
There are many reasons why giving back can be a win-win. First, companies need to tackle relevant problems, whether that is a deficit of well-educated employees in a corporate hometown, human trafficking in a hotel chain or employee absenteeism resulting from a malaria outbreak. For large companies, certain societal problems have an explicit drag on performance. Targeting relevant issues in practical ways makes good sense.
Second, companies face stiff competition for top college graduates who are increasingly asking prospective employers: "How will working for this organisation reflect my values and my concern for the community?" Philanthropy has a direct connection to improved recruitment, retention, productivity and employee loyalty. If well designed, volunteer and pro bono initiatives can also substitute for traditional leadership development programmes.
Third, today's consumers—like employees—want to see their values reflected in the brands they associate with. Customer loyalty increasingly necessitates an authentic track record not just of good CSR, but also of community engagement.
Fourth, companies seek to minimize their exposure to sweeping regulatory changes and the ire of activists and other stakeholders. Companies that are good neighbours are treated like good neighbours—if you feel your utility company genuinely cares about your community, it may influence how impatient you become if the power goes out.
Finally, corporate giving offers the ability to access new markets, create new products, gain a better understanding of untapped customer segments and pilot new technologies. For example, Cisco built its market strength in Latin America in part through its Networking Academy programme and IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge is generating connections and practices the company can use in its consulting business.
Some say that if the company benefits, it's not charity. Not true. What matters is not the motivation for the gift, but the expectation of repayment or a service rendered. If a company pays a non-profit to conduct a research study, that's a commercial transaction.
What corporate gifts have in common—whether cash grants, pro bono services, employee volunteer time, product donations, use of company facilities, contributions of intellectual property or access to skills training—is that there is no expectation of repayment.
Philanthropic contributions can help make life better here-and-now (feeding someone who is hungry) or take a risk on a groundbreaking theory for societal change (piloting new teaching methods in classrooms). In this sense, philanthropy, when well designed and executed, is irreplaceable.
Critics of corporate philanthropy argue that companies should use their profit-making acumen to address pressing societal issues. Much talk now centres on the concept of "shared value"—the idea of solving a problem and making money at the same time. I am a proponent of this thinking, but it does not obviate the need for corporate philanthropy. Many societal issues relevant to business are simply not ripe for a market-based approach (can you really turn a profit on ending domestic violence?). No, in fact, shared value depends on philanthropy. I'll explain why as this debate continues.
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
Updated March 7
Sarah Murray
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
The debate has kicked off with some excellent comments and participants expressing a wide variety of views on the relationship of corporate philanthropy to the responsibilities of business. To look at the voting—in which at time of writing 79% agreed with the motion "CSR has nothing to do with charity" and 21% disagreed—one might be forgiven for thinking that most people see charity as being entirely divorced from corporate social responsibility. Yet the comments tell a different story.
"To say that CSR has nothing to do with charity is to take an unnecessarily extreme position on this topic," writes Aaron Boey, who argues that charity is part but not all of what a company does for the community in which it operates. Others also call for a more nuanced approach to the topic. "There are times when CSR and charity are exclusive and times where they overlap," says Ivy Cohen. The issue is not "black and white", agrees Jo Mackenzie.
Those who have voted for the motion must think that corporate giving has no part in a being a responsible business. And it is true, some of the comments reflect this. "I certainly agree that CSR has nothing to do with charity," says Rajdeep Lalvani, while "CSR is not charity," asserts Pallavi. Some participants, including Pallavi, even suggest that corporate philanthropy is worse—a way for companies to merely make up for the damage they do through their operations or, as Synergy argues, a "camouflage of their nefarious activities".
Yet while the voting is not going her way, Margaret's side of the debate has some vocal supporters. Nishant Parashar believes that "charity should be an integral part of the CSR programme" and David Jani asserts that "the only real hope for any meaningful change in our world is through sustainable charitable CSR." Without corporate donations, says Jacqueline Yeo, many charities and community causes "will not survive" and Roz believes that charity is "part of an organisation's social responsibility in whatever form it takes."
Some participants recognise that corporate philanthropy is no longer about writing cheques. "Charitable giving isn't just limited to financial contributions," says Lynnette McIntire. "CSR includes a comprehensive view of a corporation's contribution to society that includes skills, labor, expertise, and knowledge."
And, as Justin Goldbach argues in his guest post, if companies pursue CSR initiatives that relate strictly to their business operations, that leaves significant gaps in their ability to contribute to the "pressing local needs" of society. His view supports Margaret's argument that business models cannot fix every social problem. "Can you really turn a profit on ending domestic violence?" she asks.
From the comments posted so far, what is becoming clear is that while participants are voting strongly in one direction, many believe that companies should in fact make contributions to society that go beyond the impact of their commercial activities and, as Raj puts it, "invest their money in communities that could benefit in a sustainable way."
But while most would agree, I encourage you to think about exactly how companies should do this—could corporate philanthropy play an important role in kick-starting corporate initiatives that eventually become financially sustainable, for example? Do companies have a responsibility to step in and address intractable problems that cannot be addressed by pure commerce? Or should they steer away entirely from anything that does not provide a concrete return? I look forward to seeing your comments as the debate continues.
Against the motion
Executive Director, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
Updated March 7
Margaret Coady
Executive Director, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
As Peter rightly asserts in his opening remarks, society would benefit tremendously if companies rewired their business models to lift up disadvantaged communities. Doing so could bring solutions to entrenched problems "at enormous scale". The thinking goes: if philanthropy hasn't delivered the impact we need and societal problems are getting worse, then it's time to unleash the efficient engine of the free market and make way for a new, more sustainable model for societal progress.
The logic is compelling. With a little creativity, we can think of societal issues for which a motivated company could find a profitable solution. In fact, some companies are already doing so. Take GE's inexpensive, portable ultrasound machines designed for rural China. Here is an example of unlocking substantial profits and societal good simultaneously. As a proponent of shared value, I often ask corporate CEOs to investigate whether tough societal issues or previously unreachable market segments represent "a business opportunity in disguise," as management theorist Peter Drucker once put it.
But pause for a moment and a simple question intrudes on these "conscious capitalism" imaginings: why hasn't this happened already? If market-based solutions are right under our noses, why are only a handful of companies celebrated again and again in the shared value literature? Nestle, Unilever, Vodafone, GE, Western Union, IBM, PepsiCo, Novartis, and a few other pioneering companies seem to be on their way. Where's everyone else? As it turns out, finding commercial fixes to entrenched societal issues is difficult.
Here's where corporate philanthropy comes in: its most powerful application may be its role in building a bridge toward market-based solutions.
One of the biggest obstacles a company faces in delivering a profitable solution to a tough societal issue is its internal "hurdle rate" for investment opportunities. Innovative ideas are in constant competition with one another—and also in competition with ongoing productive uses for corporate cash (paying down debt, funding acquisitive growth, issuing dividends and so on). Only new ideas with the highest and fastest expected rate of return will move forward.
Faced with this type of competition, promising but fledgling ideas for products or services that profitably address a societal issue are at a severe disadvantage. By their very nature, the market data upon which they are based is often speculative, the technology may be early in its development, sales and delivery channels may be poor or untested and the anticipated time horizon for gaining a foothold may be long. The idea could be transformative one day but judged by current frameworks for assessing an investment's attractiveness it may look messy and uncertain.
Take the Vodafone M-PESA case study that Peter referenced in his opening. In 2004, through its Kenyan affiliate Safaricom, Vodafone saw an opportunity to bring mobile banking services to rural Africa. The project has been a runaway success. But what is often overlooked in the retelling of the initiative's history is that it was seeded by a philanthropic matching grant from the UK's Department for International Development. In other words, while the idea was ultimately commercially viable, there wasn't sufficient corporate confidence to fund it fully. Philanthropic dollars helped incubate the initiative.
Philanthropy as an incubator for promising ideas makes perfect sense. In fact, many corporate grant makers view their work precisely that way. This is not the only appropriate use for philanthropic resources—for example, disaster relief requires a focus on immediate needs and, as I have said, not every issue lends itself to a commercial solution. But charitable resources that can seed ideas should be part of every thoughtful company's philanthropic portfolio.
In a rush toward shared value, companies may be tempted to shutter their corporate foundations and dial back their philanthropic grant making, claiming that their impact is "a rounding error" (as Judith Samuelson wrote in her guest comments for this debate) or a distraction compared to the scale and potential of market-based approaches.
But the reality is that the pipeline of shared value projects is still in early stages—in fact, many companies are still wondering what the concept means for their company. In eliminating corporate philanthropy, they would lose not only the significant business benefits engagement in societal issues brings with it but also a mechanism for understanding community needs. (As for being a "rounding error," corporate giving among companies in the US alone amounts to over $15 billion annually including product donations—a sum few nonprofits would characterise as negligible).
Companies that are serious about market-based approaches—or even those that are simply serious about the future health of their business—should tap the expertise of the professionals who manage corporate philanthropy programmes more aggressively. These individuals offer an uncommon vantage point: a deep understanding of the business and of the real-world dynamics of the community.
Intelligent grant making requires working with recipients, non-profit leaders, community activists, government representatives and even the company's critics. The networks enable philanthropy professionals to detect and analyse important demographic and societal trends in a way that few corporate executives might be able to. These individuals should be part of strategy discussions as a company develops an integrated approach to solving relevant societal issues.
Philanthropy can play a powerful role in building the bridge between the promise of shared value and its rewards. Those who see commercial models as ready to replace philanthropic grants in solving societal issues underestimate the role of philanthropy in developing those solutions.
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
Updated March 12
Sarah Murray
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
As we enter the final days of this debate, the voting still suggests that you agree with Peter in supporting the motion: "CSR has nothing to do with charity". Meanwhile, many of you continue to argue that companies can or should contribute to society through their charitable contributions, whether those are financial or gifts of time and expertise.
From the comments, it appears that a large number of you believe that charity does play an important role in CSR, that is, companies' efforts to conduct their businesses responsibly. For Va Chimhapa, for example, charity "is PART of CSR". Clinton also believes that charity is "part of a company's CSR remit and responsibility" and for Candice D'Souza, the role charity plays in CSR is an "important" one.
Some go further. "CSR and charity are both about doing good," says Hannes Valtonen, who adds: "I don't see the need for a big distinction."
So why is this view not reflected in the voting? After all, if you believe—as many of the comment contributors say they do—that charity is linked in some way to CSR, should you really be voting FOR the motion? Voting FOR the motion would imply that you believe charity has absolutely no place in what a company does as a responsible business? But is it realistic to suggest that CSR programmes contain no element of corporate philanthropy whatsoever?
Of course, as I mentioned in my opening statement, CSR represents different things for different people. David Paspa admits that he "had to Google the term CSR to see what it even means." Paul Dunn points out that the word "corporate" in "corporate social responsibility" means that "the message simply does not resonate with small to medium scale businesses." Shoko agrees: "Where is small business in this debate? We don`t have the time or money to be Mother Teresa. We struggle just to keep going. So charity is not an option."
And some are cynical that CSR can be a mask for corporate self-interest or worse. "There are cases where organisations ride on what they would term 'CSR' when in fact the goal is visibility or even covering some ills, wrongdoings or even illegalities," says Vitalis. "The robber baron model of the 19th century—seize land and exploit workers by day, build libraries by night—is no longer acceptable," says Christine Bader.
Meanwhile, others see CSR as representing responsible business practices. "CSR is about long term sustainable development," says JA, "and corporates (big and small) need to build it into their strategies if future generations are to benefit." Ethical business practices "should include some kind of social investment that makes a difference in peoples' lives in the areas they operate," agrees Alex Rukundo, but adds that this "should never be viewed as charity, rather reciprocity in business or replenishment."
What also complicates companies' decisions on their responsible business investments—charitable or not—is that if they are publicly held, they also have to take into account the wishes of their shareholders. Guy Hearn alludes to this when he says: "the real issue is how the markets value companies".
Contributors also highlight the regional nature of approaches to both CSR and charity. As Debbie Peters points out, in Africa "businesses have to do more for their communities because the infrastructure simply isn't there or it's limited. Tsitsi Mubvakure agrees that in regions such as Africa it is "difficult to completely divorce CSR from charity". Meanwhile, in Indonesia, explains IL Putri, most companies include charity as part of CSR because they recognise that society "is a part of their public and their stakeholders." In India, Rajarshi Mukherjee argues "many corporate houses in India do it for tax saving schemes".
In these final days of the debate, we'd love to hear from you about attitudes to CSR and charity in your particular part of the world. Do you think a CSR initiative can be described as charity if a company gets a return out of it? We also encourage you to share your experiences if you have taken part in corporate volunteering or another charity initiative that your employer has supported. And since this is the last chance in this debate for you to contribute, remember to think carefully about the full range of the issues being discussed before casting your vote FOR or AGAINST the motion.
For the motion
Managing Director, Accenture
Updated March 12
Peter Lacy
Managing Director, Accenture
Thank you to all the participants in this debate and, in particular, to Margaret. The views shared in the past few days reveal many shades of grey on this issue. But let me conclude with the following points:
1. Charity is just one tool of CSR, or responsible business practice, which in turn is just one part of just doing business as usual for the short and long term. It is a powerful tool for addressing localised social issues. Society needs it. But charity must not be conflated with CSR. Charity is certainly not enough—in and of itself—to address many entrenched social and environmental issues. These require solutions at a scale that only responsible business practices can deliver by aligning market forces with sustainable development.
2. Responsible business approaches are maturing fast and have become a core business issue, allowing a growing number of leading companies to secure a licence to operate, to innovate and to grow. It's early days and the full effects of these new approaches have yet to show through.
3. Innovation is taking place in the financial models and delivery of solutions for social development—such as the rise of hybrid models involving partnerships between civil societies, governments and companies.
Margaret pointed out in her rebuttal that the same few high profile examples of effective responsible business are trotted out time and again. On that point I agree. As an advocate of socially and environmentally sustainable business, I am the first to caution on complacency. Very few companies have implemented truly transformational change. Most have mistaken "magnetic north" for "true north"—that is, they are satisfied with incremental changes. Some are stuck in "pilot paralysis." Often, sustainability is managed as if it were a separate department or activity, rather than a way of doing business and creating value. So how do we get to true north?
Companies must first pursue growth without negative social and environmental impacts, using innovation to make a difference while improving competitive advantage. But they must also go beyond zero impact to restoring and regenerating through their products and services. US clothing company Patagonia not only recycles products, but encourages its customers to reuse, resell or donate their older purchases to charity. That gets us closer.
They must forge alliances with NGOs, charities, policy makers and others, while recognizing that all stakeholders' roles need to change. Companies can no longer simply donate large sums of money and NGOs must adapt to new ways of working that enable long-term social improvements to be delivered by companies when they are best placed to do so. But companies also need to work with others on changing the rules of the market through industry-wide transparency or standards initiatives.
They must redefine value by identifying consumers' aspirations and emotional motivations that may matter more than factors such as price, availability or quality. That will result in more competitive products and services. But it should also mean they follow the example of Puma, which became the first company to report a full environ¬mental profit and loss account, allocating a financial value to the environmental and social impact of its activities.
Innovation and collaboration require commitment from leaders. So those pioneers who have reached the real North Pole need to be recognized. There may be few of them today. That goes to show that, if others reset their compasses and follow them, the impact of responsible business practices is almost limitless in a way that, perhaps, charity is not.
So when I argue that CSR and charity must be considered separately, it is not because CSR has succeeded in reaching its full potential. It's because it has hardly even begun.
Against the motion
Executive Director, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
Updated March 12
Margaret Coady
Executive Director, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy
My assigned position in this debate was to assess the value of corporate philanthropy and to connect it to CSR. In his first post and comments since, Peter has acknowledged the "powerful impact" of corporate charitable giving.
What has emerged as the intellectual centre of this conversation is whether philanthropy is merely a footnote in a larger discussion about corporate behavior. Of all of the ways that a company can generate societal good, is philanthropy compelling?
My previous commentary outlined the societal and business benefits of all types of philanthropic activity—from employee volunteering to product donations to straight cash grants. Together these represent billions of dollars annually. Moreover, corporate giving can play a strategic role in building a bridge to market-based solutions.
But even beyond those arguments, philanthropy is also compelling for what it signifies. When a company makes a grant to a nonprofit partner, it validates the existence, skill, innovation, grit and long-term perspective of the independent sector. A philanthropic grant carries with it the message that despite the many productive outcomes of capitalism (wealth, tax revenue, and goods and services), there are nonetheless thorny and interconnected human and environmental needs outside the capitalist paradigm that are worth addressing.
In that sense, philanthropy is certainly not a footnote. It is a forceful statement by capitalists about the limitations of the most productive economic system in history.
Peter's rebuttal included the claimed that philanthropy "cannot influence the forces of demand and supply to address more deep rooted and global social problems. Business models can." It's true that some tough societal issues have a supply and demand dimension—especially rethinking product and pricing models for rural or impoverished populations. But not all societal issues do. Child abuse and barriers to women's empowerment, for example, likely do not have market-based root causes. Instead, Mother Nature and human nature are more often the root causes of the fundamental issues targeted by the non-profit sector. That's where philanthropy comes in—both in what it does and what it signifies.
Many readers joined moderator Sarah Murray in the view that a company's first priority is to ensure that its basic operations are "ethically, environmentally, and socially" in good order. Otherwise philanthropic efforts are, as some of those who contributed comments to this debate have suggested, nothing more than a "smoke screen." In such instances, yes—corporate philanthropy is a footnote. But inconsistencies between corporate behavior and corporate philanthropic activity most likely reflect the complexity of operating a multi-billion dollar business across dozens (if not hundreds) of countries with vast networks of suppliers and subcontractors—rather than a conspiracy.
In the end, Peter and I are reporting on the same exciting trend: a blurring of the boundaries between the independent, government and private sectors. But let's not get carried away. Certainly, passing some responsibility for tough societal issues from the charitable sector to the for-profit sector is a win for business, a win for society and lightens the burden that is currently overwhelming the non-profit sector. But the private sector's humility in acknowledging that not all societal issues can be addressed through capitalism—as it does when engaging in corporate philanthropy—is not a footnote, it's a headline.
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
Updated March 16
In fact, what has emerged along the way is that, while the voting suggests a resounding "no" on the question of whether charity is related to responsible business, few believe that companies should steer clear of philanthropy altogether, and many see the line between charity and CSR as far from clear cut.
This reflects my own research and writing on the subject, where I have found that even when pursuing sustainability strategies that are highly focused on business goals, most companies are engaging in some level of corporate philanthropy. Some are even using philanthropic investments to kick-start initiatives that, in the long run, may be profit making.
Meanwhile, there is a growing realisation that it makes good business sense to develop commercial models that also foster healthy, educated and productive communities—for those communities are companies' future suppliers, employees and customers.
I'm glad to say, it has been a tremendous discussion! On behalf of the EIU, I would like to thank you all for your committed participation. Please do download the summary paper of this debate that highlights the best points on each side and puts the issue in perspective. And for those of you who would like to continue the conversation, below are the twitter handles of some of our contributors.
Margaret Coady:
Peter Lacy:
Justin Goldbach:
Carol Sanford:
Judy Samuelson:
Microsoft Citizenship/CSR:
Sarah Murray
Contributing Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit
Background reading
- Giving in Numbers 2012
- Tracking big corporate donors
- Companies' moral compasses
- Companies aren't charities
- The evolution of CSR
- Milton Friedman goes on tour
- Faith, hope and charities
- Carol Sanford's The Responsible Business
- UN Global Compact: Strategic Social Investment & Philanthropy [PDF]
- Creating shared value
- See our Facebook page for more


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1960 Lincoln Premiere convertible. '60 Lincoln convertible in gorgeous pearl white with saddle interior. Original miles 78,000. Engine 430 cid with automatic transmission. Power roof,windows and... More
1971 Lincoln MIII All original (paint, tires, interior), 3600 original miles. Car runs and drives. One of a kind, in mint condition.... More
Sold new to Huber Benson of Johnstown, Pennsylvania by Mardia Lincoln Mercury on July 14, 1987. It remained with Huber until transferred to his son in... More
This is a fully original 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark 5. Diamond Jubilee Edition. Really nice. New belts and hoses, runs perfect Diamond Jubilee Edition, $8k... More
This is a wonderfully maintained and restored 1957 Continental Mark II, in an amazing metallic green color. The car has always been a west... More
1966 Lincoln Continental Convertible, This is a exceptionally original, clean car. Still smells new inside. loaded with most options available in the 1966. Everything... More
1950 Lincoln Lido 2-door Radical Custom 4-inch chopped top nosed and is decked outside door handles removed doors and window remote control on a key fob powered by 500... More
1967 Lincoln Continental 4 Door Convertible for sale by Private Owner. The car is in show condition with 45,100 original miles. The car was... More
1983 Lincoln MK 6, 28,000 original miles, silver with blue interior, 2nd owner, always garage kept and never seen snow or gravel. 1st owner... More
***2007 LINCOLN TOWN CAR SIGNATURE SERIES*** *CARFAX CERTIFIED* DEALER SERVICED THROUGHOUT OWNERSHIP* OUTSTANDING COLOR COMBINATION* *AMAZING CONDITION INSIDE & OUT* TOTAL LUXURY, POWER AND PERFORMANCE AT A... More
This stunning 1973 Lincoln Continental Coupe was obviously someones pride and joy. It looks like the original owner "Ernest Johnson" Special ordered this beauty... More

subset: commoncrawl


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Christmas 1944 - Chabua, India
After eating "Bully Beef," Australian Mutton, for so long, I could eat it no more.
The only guy I knew that could was my good buddy Don Haggerty.
Just smelling the Bully Beef would make you half sick.
Ted Hannegan
Christmas 1944 - Kunming, China
I recall we got a half day off on Christmas and we were furnished two cans or bottles of warm beer
(the only PX items we got, only essential military supplies were sent over the Hump).
My how good that warm beer tasted!
To this day I don't mind warm beer as a remembrance of that day.
Joe Shupe
Christmas 1944 - Tushan, China
Yes, I remember Christmas 1944 very well. Or shall I say, I will never
forget it. We were on the road south to join the Chinese Army front, which
at that point was centered on the railroad center of Lushan, which later
became the airbase for the 74th Fighter Squadron.
Leonard J. O'Dell
Christmas 1944 - Syhhet, India
My Christmas in CBI was rather unusual. We were in Syhhet, India and so that I could go to Christmas Eve Mass, I went to bed early that night, while three or so other guys in our basha were playing cards.
I was sound asleep when it seems the entire basha was shaking, and I woke up still not fully awake. Wondering what was happening, one of the guys said that it was probably some drunk outside who was shaking the basha, "So, don't worry, about it," they said, which I did and went back to slumberland.
Only when I did get up and went to Mass, did I find out that it had been an earthquake. Apparently not a very severe one, but one that I will certainly never forget, and hope that I will never go through one again.
Nick Sanchez
Christmas 1944 - Alipore, India
I was a Sgt. in the 40th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, stationed at Alipore, India at Christmas time 1944.
All of our supplies were flown in, of course, and because of some erratic shipments our squadron had received no
mail for several weeks around that time.
We ate a wonderful Christmas dinner (if eating out of a mess kit can be called wonderful) of turkey and all the
fixings... but no Christmas cards or packages!
M. Ross McLeod
Christmas 1944 - Tezgaon, Bengal, India
Because of engine troubles and weather, it took us two months to fly to India.
We landed at Karachi December 24th.
When we caught up with our mail.
Reacting to finally hearing from home, I wrote the following letter before going on to Tezgaon
where we enjoyed a Christmas dinner!
Bob Stumpf
Christmas 1943 - Agra, India
I was in Agra and spent Christmas 1943 there. However, on December 27th I was introduced to The Hump via Chabua, for that was our destination. Little did I know that I would be stationed at Misamari in nine months for Hump duty.
Christmas 1944 was a happy day. I was informed that I had completed my tour of duty on December 20, 1944, and would be heading for home.
I'm sure I went to Christmas Mass and thanked God for all of us. Christmas Dinner? Don't Remember, for that was not important at the time!
God bless all CBIers.
Francis J. Zurawell
Christmas 1943 - Chenkung, China
Christmas 1943 was a memorable one for the members of the 375th Bomb Squadron [Heavy], stationed at Chenkung (not Chunking), China, particularly for the flight crews.
We had saved our shots of medical whiskey that the flight surgeon would give us when we returned from a bombing mission. We did not know how this procedure got started, but we liked it!
We had just completed missions over Canton, China on December 22nd and 23rd. The Japanese bombers paid us a visit on the 24th, but the Fighter Groups from our base and Kunming did a good job getting rid of the pests. Little damage was done to our base or the base at Kunming, and there were no casualties.
Therefore we had good reason to celebrate and did we ever celebrate Christmas that year, as we were still alive and well. That time was also the Holiday of Hanukah for the Jewish people and Jewish members of our Squadron. That Christmas Eve and day we all gave thanks to God, Christian and Jew alike.
Bernie Danzig
Two Christmases!
We left Shanghai about December 16, 1945, homeward-bound for Seattle.
Three days out we hit a monsoon and the ship made very little progress.
In the hold there were these big G.I. garbage cans.
If you ever did K.P. you'd know. They were there to collect vomit.
They turned on their sides and as the ship rolled, they rolled - back & forth, back & forth,
Everyone was too sick to right them up. They would have rolled on their sides anyway.
We were given sandwiches and a lot of crockery was broken and food trays were sliding all over the mess halls.
Frank Pinchak, 21st Photo Recon Squadron
Another Two Christmases
I was with the 130th AACS (Army Airways Communications System), stationed in Kunming, China and attached to
General Chennault's 14th Air force. We had a gala Christmas feast. That day we boycotted the usual mess hall water
buffalo "steak" for a "home cooked, stateside dinner."
Frank Vierling, 130th AACS
"Home for Christmas"
James M. Taylor
From The Boss
Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell's 1943 Christmas greeting:
"As Theater Commander, I extend the season's greetings to all officers and men of this command and express my sincere appreciation for the splendid spirit shown in the performance of duty often rendered under trying and difficult conditions. Each and every member of this command must be aware that it will be the result of our combined effort that will eventually make possible a powerful blow at our enemy. The work of each unit and of each individual plays its own important part. Let us all do our individual utmost to make the blow crippling and decisive."
GEN. SULTAN'S HQS., MYITKYINA - From Lt. Gen. Dan I. Sultan to his troops in the India-Burma Theater:
"We are celebrating another Christmas in India and Burma. For some of you, it is the third. It may not be much of a celebration, but I hope it will be your last away from home.
"In addition to wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. I want to compliment you on what you have accomplished and for your cheerfulness in doing it.
"Being in a theater of operations located at what has been termed 'The End Of The Line,' you haven't made the headlines perhaps that others in Europe may have made. At times you may have thought you were forgotten.
"However, you who are the ground troops have defeated the enemy wherever you have met him and will continue to do so. You airmen have not only whittled the enemy air strength to almost nothing and disrupted his communications and supply, but you have also supplied Chinese and British as well as American ground troops in all kinds of weather.
"You service troops have been building a road and a pipeline which will stand as permanent monuments to U.S. Army achievements. You have made world records for ship unloadings and have improved overland communications until the greatest stream of supplies in local history flows to Assam for trans-shipment to China. You have furnished the Chinese Army with its first medical service.
"All of you have done the job well and often nobly. In many cases it has been done despite great personal hardship and danger. It has been a job that has lacked the great, elemental drama of huge armies feinting and butting heads on thousand mile fronts, but it has been a job which at the same time will leave permanent, constructive achievement in its wake.
"I congratulate you on what you have done and what I know you will do in the future. You have been a great team and a solid team. You have been builders as well as destroyers. Above all, you have been men and women in the finest tradition of America.
"A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you."
GEN. WEDEMEYER'S HQS., CHINA - From Maj. Gen. A. C. Wedemeyer to his troops in the China Theater:
"Christmas 1944 finds us all half a world away from home, engaged in one of the greatest struggles in the history of mankind, such a terrible struggle that few of us can be home this Christmas.
"For us, Christmas must carry its spiritual message, the same message it has carried to men of good will for more than 19 centuries - the message of 'peace on earth.'
"And those whom we love, those who wait for Christmas as we begin to celebrate Christmas Day, know that we in far-off China pray in one voice with them that peace through victory will be attained in 1945."


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A man who claimed to be a real estate investor used religion and faith to lure three local men into deals that cost them nearly $300,000, according to the victims' testimony at a hearing in Washington County Criminal Court Monday.
Branden Michael Toth, 34, of Stevensville, Md., is charged in three cases with theft over $10,000, criminal simulation, worthless check over $10,000, two counts of theft over $10,000 and two counts of theft over $60,000.
Most of the charges stem from an alleged small-scale Ponzi scheme involving real estate deals Toth — pronounced like the word both — assured victims were a sure thing and quick turnaround on their investment.
Toth was apparently so good at it that he duped a local financial services professional out of 170,000 on two different deals. Through that victim, Hanes Torbett, Toth met two other men, Chip Bacus and Joe Reid, and took $125,000 from them in other real estate deals.
According to testimony from the three victims at a hearing Monday,
Toth won their confidence through conversations about their faith in God and conversations that formed a camaraderie.
They said Toth presented himself as a Christian and even prayed with Torbett on numerous occasions in the two months prior to the bogus deals.
The hearing Monday was on a defense motion to sever some of the charges in a four-count indictment that involved Torbett, Reid and Bacus as victims.
One of Toth's attorneys, Stacy Street, asked the victims if their investments were because of their supposed shared spiritual faith or because they wanted to make money.
The men answered similarly, saying they did want to make money on the deals, but they trusted Toth because he had presented himself as a man of God with a good sense for business.
Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood ruled that three of the charges — a theft over $10,000 involving Reid, another theft over $10,000 involving Torbett and theft over $60,000 involving Torbett — can be tried together.
The fourth charge, theft over $60,000 involving Bacus, must be tried separately, Blackwood said.
"Under the circumstances I think counts one, two and three can be tried together, but count four should be severed," he said. "I think there will be evidence in count four that would not be admissible in count one, two and three."
In all, Toth is accused of bilking $275,000 from the three men. Torbett lost $170,000, Reid lost $10,000 and Bacus lost $115,000. Part of the loss Bacus had came from a $25,000 investment to establish an LLC with Toth so Toth could teach him the ins and outs of real estate investments.
The worthless check charge stems from Toth writing a $32,500 check to purchase Keva Juice in 2010. Authorities said the check bounced and the owners lost the business anyway.
Toth's next court appearance is set for Oct. 29.


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My Two Cents for March 24th:
Teal Twilight- When Doug Wilson took over for Dean Lombardi as General Manager of the San Jose Sharks on May 13th, 2003, he came in with a plan to build the Sharks up into a viable Stanley Cup Contender. Wilson in the beginning wanted to build the Sharks up not only to be a title contender, but also wanted to cultivate a winning environment that would be sustained within the organization for many seasons to come along. Wilson had a good plan and for many seasons it looked it may be the formula that would bring the Stanley Cup to San Jose. Wilson's philosophy was in the beginning was to bring in impact players but at the same time grow and cultivate talent within the organization. The plan for awhile actually worked pretty well and seemed to pay dividends that could deliver the sought after Holy Grail of Hockey. Now, to be fair Wilson never guaranteed this formula would result in the Sharks winning the Cup. No sane man would ever make such a lofty guarantee, nor should that be expected. When Wilson came into the GM's chair, he had to make some tough decisions including the trading of then team Captain Owen Nolan. In the 2005-06 season he brought in Joe Thornton via trade to infuse new blood into the line up. In between this, you had the Sharks team that went to the Western Conference Finals against Calgary in 2003-04. There was also ofcourse the lost season of 2004-05, and who knows what could have happened there had their actually had been a season (thanks Mr. Bettman).
Wilson did not bring bad ideas to the organization. However at the same time recent years have seen a clear drop off in the teams play. The Sharks last real good look at a possible Stanley Cup finals appearance ended two seasons ago when team teal dropped a five game Western Conference Finals to the Vancouver Canucks. There was a fairly noticeable drop off in the Sharks play from last season. This season even a lockout abbreviated season could not mask the Sharks flaws as a team. After winning their first seven games of the shortened 2012-13 campaign, the Sharks have dropped 17 of their last 23 (counting the six overtime and shootout losses). Team teal is clearly taking on a lot of water and this time it may be more than they can handle. The Sharks are not a team that is built on a group of just average hockey players. Quite the opposite, the Sharks are built on a roster of star caliber players. There are a lot of teams that would love to have players such as Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Antti Niemi, and Logan Couture to name a few. If you remember last seasons trade deadline and later the offseason, the Sharks were looking to possibly acquire Rick Nash from Columbus. However the Blue Jackets made it clear that unless Couture was part of the trade, there was no trade. The Sharks stuck to their guns and in the long run are better served for it.
At the same time, the Sharks have also made some poor decisions in the draft and in recent trades. No Sharks players drafted between 2009 and this season have made the parent club. In 2005 the Sharks passed on Anze Kopitar as they had their heart set on signing a rookie free agent, Steve Bernier. In February 2008, Bernier was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a disgruntled Brian Campbell who showed some flashes but was clearly playing for a contract...elsewhere. Campbell bolted from the Sharks the first chance he got signing with the Chicago Blackhawks, and winning a ring two seasons later in part at the Sharks expense (basically getting the last laugh on Wilson, the fans and the entire organization. Campbell will probably go down as the most hated ex-Shark by the fanbase next to Ed Belfour, not that he cares anyway). There was the trade that send two summers ago that sent Devin Setoguchi to the Minnesota Wild for Brent Burns. The two players being swapped by themselves would have probably been enough, but most Sharks fans are a little more bent that former number one draft choice Charlie Coyle was thrown in by the Sharks to sweeten the deal for the Wild. In retrospect, sending Coyle to the Wild may have meant the Sharks bit off more than they can chew (no pun intended). Speaking of wild, last years' trade deadline shocker was the Sharks sending a promising stalwart in Jamie McGinn to Colorado for Daniel Winnik and TJ Galiardi. A year later, McGinn has emerged as one of the leaders of the Avalanche while Galiardi is basically an average player for the Sharks. Winnik meanwhile was not retained by the Sharks and he decided to go south and join the arch rival Ducks, where he has had a career revival with a team that will likely go deep into the post season.
Today the Sharks are at a crossroads as a franchise no matter how one cares to slice it. The Sharks are a talented roster that for whatever reason just cannot put together any stretch of consistency. The Sharks have only scored three goals or more in 13 of 30 games and have been shut out three times. The Sharks are ranked overall 19th amongst the NHL's 30 teams. Team teal's power play ranks 17th in the NHL, just 30 of 126 attempts despite one stretch where they went just 5 of 64. The only thing that may even be keeping the Sharks in the Western Conference race at all is the fact that they have the fourth best penalty kill in the NHL. If the penalty kill was even in the middle of the pack, the Sharks likely would be near the bottom of the pack in the overall Western Conference Standings.**
Difficult Decisions Ahead- With the trading deadline less than two weeks away (April 3rd), the Sharks have a lot of decisions they are going to have to make and may have to be very well prepared to live with those decisions for some time to come. Do the Sharks stay the course and try to see what they can do over the next 17 games, and hope to sneak into the post season then catch lightning in the bottle as the LA Kings did last season, or do they start to realize that a rebuild may be eminent at this point and start to address something that will eventually have to happen, like it or not. If the Sharks do decide to make trade deadline moves, are they buyers or sellers? Who is staying? Who is going? What about the salary cap? The Sharks do not have to make all of these decisions by April 3rd. However, they better by that time have a pretty good idea of where they want to go as a franchise going forward.
My own thought is because this is a shortened season, the Sharks are not going to break themselves to try and get a low seed playoff spot just to get run in four or five games as they did last season. If a "house cleaning" is to take shape, that will likely take place after seasons' end. One argument for a house cleaning may be this, take a look at the Calgary Flames. That's the direction the Sharks are heading if they decide to do nothing as an organization. The Sharks as an organization have every right to that choice, it just would not be a smart one and would piss off a good number of the season ticket holders and the fan base as a whole.
If the Sharks decide to go with the house cleaning option, this would signify a huge shake-up in the Sharks organization. New majority owner Hasso Plattner has been mum about his thoughts on the organization. Nobody except for Mr. Plattner himself knows what he's thinking and likely wont speak until he feels its time to do so. If that happens, that would be in the offseason. One of the decisions Plattner may have to make is how much power he will allow Doug Wilson to keep, and if there needs to be a change in the coaching ranks, or if things should just be left alone there or at least left up to Wilson. As for Wilson, he needs to at minimum take a long and hard look at the entire organization, and not just in San Jose. Worchester has held it's own however the fact that the Sharks don't have a player drafted in 2009 or later with the big club at least for a "cup of coffee" indicates there is not much confidence in these players or the way they are being developed or conditioned.
Even keeping Doug Wilson on a General Manager could be one decision Plattner would have to contemplate. The pro in keeping Wilson is that he has been a long time fixture with the Sharks organization right down to being their first ever team Captain. Wilson has made the Sharks contenders year in and year out despite the team never winning a Cup. The con is that Wilson has traded away valuable commodities who were helping the team at the times they were traded, and has in the process given away parts of the farm that may have been invaluable. These are things the Sharks can never recoup or get back. In the last six years, two of the Sharks Southern California rivals in Los Angeles (Kings) and Anaheim have booth won cups, with the arch rival Ducks looking like a strong candidate to add a second cup soon. Wilson's teams as they are now are just streaky goal scores who once they go cold either stay that way or never can find their consistency as an ensemble again. They cannot compete when it matters most against the Kings, Ducks, Blackhawks, and even at times the Blues or Red Wings. As much as Wilson as done for the Sharks organization, one can also say that "he (Wilson) has had his chance" and it may be time to bring in some new blood at the top. It's entirely possible given the state of the minor league operations that those organizations may also need to be rebuilt. If so, that means they would have to be rebuilt first. In the end, it could very well be a case of the Sharks being unable to live up to the standards of excellence they had set for themselves as a franchise almost ten years ago.
Western Conference Races- The shortened season looks like it will at least give most fans what they want to see, a very tight playoff race which for many teams could come down to the final days of the season if not the final day. The only two team right now that are a mortal lock for the post season in the west are the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks. The Blackhawks did not suffer a regulation loss until their 25th game of this season, and the Ducks after 30 games have only four regulation losses. The Ducks up until a Friday night home loss to Detroit had a 13 game winning streak at the Honda Center. The Blackhawks and Ducks have dominated most opponents this season and have also done what is key to being a cup contender, winning the close games and delivering as a team in the clutch when it matters most. If the Blackhawks and the Ducks are not both in this seasons' Western Conference Finals this year, even the absence of one of them would take a huge upset in the post season at this point.
As for the rest of the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild have come on strong over their last 20 games and have a 14-5-1 mark over that stretch. This has carried them to the number three seeding in the Western Conference and the lead in the Northwest Division. Meanwhile Vancouver, Los Angeles, Detroit and St Louis are also jockeying for position in the post season. These four teams I feel will all land in the post season. If the Wild falters, there is still time for Vancouver to over take them in the Northwest division and capture the three seeding. That would leave the Kings, Red Wings and Blues to fight for seedings five, six and seven. Where they will end up is anyone's guess, however I feel none of those three will finish any lower than seventh. This leaves the eight seed as the final playoff seeding and this is completely up for grabs. The eighth seed doesn't mean certain death in the post seasons as the LA Kings proved last season. Sometimes, it's just getting in and hopefully things start to go your way and you come together as a team. However, the Kings were not a bad team to begin with and got the best draw possible as things worked out for them, especially the part of getting hot at the right time by going 16-2 in the post season.
The eighth seed will most likely come down to be one of the three following teams...the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, or the Nashville Predators. It is clearly a toss up between the three. If the teams end up on a three way tie based on total points after 48 games, the Stars would win the tie breaker based on games won in regulation. In 30 games played, the Sharks have won only 13 games. Only eight of their 13 wins have come in regulation. Nashville has 11 wins in regulation, Dallas has 14 to date. If the Sharks wish to make the playoffs at this point, it will have to be on the bases of total points since they will lose out on all key tie breakers. The Sharks had better start finding wins quickly or they're clearing out their lockers on April 28th, with a good number of them doing so for the last time as a member of the Sharks.
As for Phoenix, Columbus, Edmonton, Calgary, and Colorado... Phoenix: Just too inconsistent despite strong goal tending; Columbus: Has a shot and can still be a surprise; Edmonton: One Year Away, will take experience of this season as a spring board for 2013-14; Calgary: Just like the Sharks, just two years further out on delayed rebuild; Colorado: Too inconsistent, better than they've showed.
Eastern Conference Race- The race on the East looks like it will have its own excitement and intensity as the things start to heat up before the final stretch of this truncated season in the month of April. The Pittsburgh Penguins right now lead the Eastern Conference with 48 points, while the surprising Montreal Canadians are holding the second seed in the conference with 45 points. The Southeast Division of the NHL seems to be the one division in all of the NHL this year where several teams have under performed or just flat under achieved. The Winnipeg Jets lead the Southeast Division, despite having only 34 points. The second place team in the Southeast is the Carolina Hurricanes who have 33 points and are in the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference standings. Other Southeast Division teams, the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers have just grossly under performed with both Florida teams virtually out of serious contention at this point.
Sitting in the fourth position in the Eastern Conference are the Boston Bruins 43 points. The Northeast Division of the NHL is by far the most competitive neck and neck division in the league. Behind the Bruins are the Ottawa Senators (40 points), and Toronto Maple Leafs (37 points) who are currently fifth and sixth respectively. The Atlantic Division's second place team, the New Jersey Devils are sitting at the seventh spot currently with 36 points. With Pittsburgh at 48 points, the Penguins already appear to have their division well in hand. Don't forget that the Devils last year went to the Stanley Cup final out of the Eastern Conference as a sixth seed. As for the rest of the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers who were picked by most as the team to come out of the east this year and compete for the Stanley Cup title are situated in 9th place behind eight seed Carolina. Both teams have 32 points, the Hurricanes have 3 more wins in regulation (15 to 12). Buffalo sits at 10th place with 30 points, however is way too inconsistent in the eyes of most to make a serious playoff run. The Washington Capitals are 11th and are the one team that maybe living less up to their expectations than say the Sharks in the Western Conference. Just 29 points and five out of first in the Southeast Division, the Capitals are just too streaky and inconsistent. However, the Caps also just had two statement wins in Winnipeg this week, so don't count them out just yet. The 12th thru 15th teams, the NY Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay and Florida may as well start making plans for 2013-14 and look at this shortened season as an extended preseason for next year. The only thing going on for these four teams now is players playing for jobs next season.
Welcoming Fans Vs Fans Readers- Effective with this article, "My Two Cents" has a new audience with the Fans Vs Fans dot com website. This article appears on this website as part of the Yates & Ames On The Ice series of fans blogs and articles. It is an honor to be joining this network and increasing the reach of this article and all things San Jose Sharks and NHL to many more hockey fans throughout the US, Canada and the world. This article ofcourse will continue it's runs on Pucknology.com and Blades of Teal dot com. If you are reading this on the Fans vs Fans website, especially if you are a fan of the San Jose Sharks (or hockey in general), please visit these sites too at:
...and thanks for reading.... :)
...Just My Two Cents...
The Kingshark
Follow Me on Twitter @KingShark49
NHL: On the Ice with Yates & Ames Sundays 7-9 EDT/4-6 PDT on Fans vs Fans Radio Network
The Jessica Redfield Ghawi Foundation:
Stand Up 2 Cancer:
So, So Much Hope
Sandy Hook Family Fund:
**stats via NHL.com
Next My Two Cents: April 8th 2013 ...


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Sandwich Assembly
This seems a bit silly to be asking but how do you assemble your sub/hoagie/grinder? I spent a few years in New York and since I have left I have not been able to find a great Italian cold-cut sandwich. I have all the ingredients but was wondering on how to assemble the thing. Any tips on getting everything to meld together into a beautiful sandwich?
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Check out this post for a more thorough explanation, and jump onto our Facebook page or our Twitter feed to keep the conversations going!


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Updated: 06/12/2013 2:13 PM KSTP.com By: Jenna Jaynes
After the fourth cloudiest May since the 1960s it still hasn't lightened up this June.
Rain and clouds are possible for the rest of the day Wednesday with highs in the upper 70s.
We asked KSTP.com viewers to describe the day in "one word." Words like "depressing, frustrating, typical and gloomy" created the day's Word Cloud.


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Click Here To Watch This Video at Southern Strokes
Southern Strokes brings you the hottest boys STRAIGHT out of the South. Watch as these boys show us a new meaning of Southern Hospitality.
Description: I have been talking with Tim for over a year now but we just haven't been able to get our schedule together so that he could do film for our members. He finally gave me a call and let me know that he
Permanent link to this video:
Code to embed player in blogs and forums, etc:
Post this video in the JUB Forums with this code:
Simply copy the above code into your JUB forum post and the movie will appear.


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Happy 9/02/10 Day: Where Are They Now?
brenda shannen m jpg
1 of 9
Then: Brenda was kind of a bitch, but Shannen was even bitchier. She made waves early on as the cast member with the worst attitude. Nowadays, most of the "90210" cast doesn't talk to her.
Now: Shannen has been married a few times and starred on teen drama "Charmed," but most recently she appeared on "Dancing with the Stars." Her hair is still pretty awesome.


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Thank you Mr. De Rossi for your two goals against Hector Cuper's Georgia and what goals they were. With a cannon shot in the 16th minute, coming from over 25 yards out, Daniele De Rossi would provide Italy the match winner. No chance for … Continue reading
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August 3, 2015
AUSTIN, Texas - - Prosecutors dropped the charges against a former Texas State University student accused of threatening to bomb the campus last fall.
Hays County assistant district attorney Fred Weber told the Austin American-Statesman Friday there wasn't sufficient evidence to proceed with the case against 19-year-old Brittany Henderson.
Two days after local authorities took her into custody in connection with the Oct. 18 hoax, the FBI said it had arrested her ex-boyfriend of the same crime. Henderson though spent more than a month in jail before her December release on a reduced bond.
A federal criminal complaint says Dereon Kelley accessed Henderson's email to send bomb threats to Texas State on Oct. 18 and Texas A&M on Oct. 19. He faces up to 10 years in prison on a federal felony charge.
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Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phone is Available; Demo Video is Released - Much awaited Windows 10 Technical Preview is now available. Now people can see and feel the Windows 10 on their phones. The build is only available to Wind...
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Download Game Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 for Nokia 5800, N97, N8 and X6
|Posted by Mobile Geek
Saturday, August 13, 2011
A 2011 version of one of the popular soccer game Pro Evolution Soccer is here now. The unrivalled and award-winning football simulation is now available for Symbian^3 and Symbian S60v5 touch screen mobiles such as Nokia N8, E7, C7, X6, N97, N97 Mini, 5800 XpressMusic, 5530 XpressMusic, 5228, 5230, 5233 and 5235.
The game offers various game modes. Some of those game modes are:
- Instant Play: Start a quick match with 2 randomly selected teams
- Match Mode: Play a friendly match with all your favourite settings.
- Cup Mode: Play a large variety of cups
- League Mode: Play a league with your favourite nations or European clubs.
- Super Challenge: Play 2 seasons of an international club league. You start from the 2nd division and have to be promoted to the 1st division before the end of the season. Reach the top rank of the 1st division and you will win the Super Challenge cup.
PES 2011 game is developed by Konami Digital Entertainment. The version 1.0.0 of this game can be downloaded from the following link.
Note: Make sure you off the on-screen keyboard before launching this game on your mobile to open it in full screen.
Related Posts:
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- Download Widget CricThrill for Nokia 5800, N97, X6, 5235, 5530 and N8
- Download Game Mau Mau for Nokia 5800, N97, X6, 5530, 5235 and N8
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We are looking for software reviewers to write for us.
Click Here
Xilisoft iPhone Magic is the ideal iPhone manager to transfer iPhone music, videos and pictures to your computer and copy your iPhone contents to iTunes library. On top of this, this iPhone transfer can also convert and copy nearly any video and music format to iPhone, as well as rip DVD movies and transfer them to iPhone. You can even treat your iPhone as a portable hard disk with this amazing iPhone Magic software.
New features:
1.Supports Apple iOS4.0.1
2.Supports iPad OS 3.2.1
3.Better support to add artwork to your music and video
Key features:
1.Backup iPhone contents to computer.
2.Synchronize iPhone with iTunes library.
3.Convert and copy any video/music file to iPhone.
4.Rip DVD movies and transfer them to iPhone.
5.Manage iPhone as a portable hard disk.
6.Supports iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch, iPhone 4 and iOS 4.
7.View your device's properties and information on the main interface: type, generation, serial number, format, version and others.
8.Synchronize files between iPhone and computer at fast transferring speed.
9.Edit the ID3 info of several files at one time: name, artist, year, album and others.
10.Play iPhone videos/music and DVD movies in the built-in resizable player.
11.Create playlists for your iPhone and edit them as you wish to manage your iPhone files by categories.
12.View your iPhone files in thumbnails like album artwork or list view for easier organizing.
13.Filter your files by genre, artist's name, album name, album year and others; search the files you want by your keyword.
14.Improve the performance of image transmission
Keywords: iPhone magic, iPhone transfer, iPhone manager, iPhone backup
Recent Changes: Improved the product performance
Install Support: Install and Uninstall
Supported Languages: English, Chinese, ChineseSimplified, ChineseTraditional, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
Additional Requirements: 1GHz Intel/AMD processor or above; 256MB RAM; 50MB space for installation
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text: Share: Email Was $9.99 $8.99 You save up to $1.00 (10%) Rating 0.00 of 5 (0 Reviews) Please Select a Size Please select your bike Sorry, this item is no longer available. You may be interested in some of the items below. Product Information Tour Master Cruiser II Slant Saddlebag Rain Cover Sold as pair Item # 47258 **Closeouts are limited to stock on hand** Product Reviews Be the first to review this product. Review It Related Links All Tour Master Luggage All Tour Master Cruiser Motorcycle Accessories View All Motorcycle Luggage


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Aperture - vault update stuck
I am having serious trouble updating my main Aperture vault - it is simply stuck, always in the same place.
I have done repair and rebuild.
I have deleted the old vault and started on a new one.
None of this helps.
I can see that I am not the only one with this problem when I google, but so far, none of what others have tried has helped me.
I would greatly appreciate any pointers.
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Burton Classic Mountain T-Shirt - Short-Sleeve - Men'sView Larger Image
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Casey Ayres
Lil Tight
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
The shirt is plenty long, I am 6'2" and it fits perfectly length wise. But for a man with a little bit of a belly it was tight. So I advise going a size up if you're worried about that. I got the black and it feels like a normal tee and so it doesn't have the extra stretch.


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As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the East Coast, people in the path of this storm are worrying, boarding up windows, sandbagging around basements and getting extra food, water, batteries and flashlights. Even the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq have been shut down.
All On Wall Street articles are archived after 7 days. REGISTER NOW for unlimited access to all recently archived articles, as well as thousands of searchable stories. Registered Members also gain access to exclusive industry white paper downloads, web seminars, blog discussions, the iPad App, CE Exams, and conference discounts. Qualified members may also choose to receive our free monthly magazine and any of our daily or weekly e-newsletters covering the latest breaking news, opinions from industry leaders, developing trends and growth strategies.


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|"American Bikers Aiming Toward Education"
|I will, to the best of my ability, work to promote a united front to fight the tyrannies of state and the apathy of the "citizen", strive to ride free, and above all else, remember that I belong to a brotherhood.
Donations to ABATE of Florida, Inc, are not deductible for Federal Income Tax Purposes.
ABATE of Florida, Inc, does not condone drinking and driving.


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– Luke Gallows, who is currently working in New Japan Pro Wrestling, has announced his engagement to Amber O'Neal.
– House of Hardcore has revealed the talent list for the next three events in Poughkeepsie, New York (June 6), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (June 7) and California (June 14).
The talent for the New York and Pennsylvania shows include AJ Styles, Bully Ray, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Hero, Abyss, Gangrel and Devon. The talent at the California show includes The Young Bucks, Ron Simmons, Kelly Kelly, Gangrel, Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer.


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The Pocola Indians football team will get a final shot at fine tuning things when they welcome the Heavener Wolves to town for a 6 p.m. scrimmage tonight at John Carter Field.
The Indians want to improve upon what coach Rick Lang called "stupid football."
The Arkoma Mustangs football team will get one last preseason tune-up before next week's season opener against Keota when they welcome the Gans Grizzlies and the Watts Engineers for a three-way scrimmage beginning at 6 tonight at Mustang Field.
This week, the Mustangs have been working on the areas in which mistakes were made in last week's scrimmage with Porum.
"It was good to have something on film to show them," Arkoma coach Mark Weatherton said. "Hopefully, we can get those mistakes corrected [tonight's scrimmage]."
The Talihina Golden Tigers football team wants to use a major test to get ready for next Friday night's season opener against Wilburton, and coach Kelly Gravitt got his wish.
The Golden Tigers will scrimmage the Vian Wolverines and the Roland Rangers in a three-way beginning at 6:30 tonight at Doc Robinson Stadium.
"I want to see how we do against bigger schools to get ready for our home opener," Gravitt said. "We want to look sharper on offense, and we want to see our guys playing new positions on defense getting more familiar with getting their defensive reads."
The Panama Razorbacks football team will get one last chance to fine tune things before Thursday night's season opener at Gore tonight when they travel to meet host Sallisaw-Central and Canadian in a three-way scrimmage.
The Heavener High School cross country teams began their seasons Thursday at the Early Tiger Invitational in Tahlequah.
The Wolves return three members of last season's varsity team — Arturo Ortega, Octavio Sanchez and James Cinocca. Rounding out the roster are Jacob Robertson, Frank Cruz, Estaban Martinez, Miguel Alcantar, Daniel Hernandez, James Horner, Devon Mathews, Aaron Baker and Tony Antonio.
WILBURTON — Three local softball teams, Arkoma, Cameron and Howe, represented LeFlore County in the 2013 Robbers Cave Shootout Friday and Saturday.
Arkoma split its final two games, beating Hartshorne 5-0 but losing 2-1 to Holdenville.
Cameron defeated Howe 6-1 but losing 2-1 in eight innings to Porum and 6-1 to Hartshorne.
Howe, after losing to Cameron, beat Gore 6-4 but then lost 8-0 to Wetumka.
Hunting season is finally upon us. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has published the dates for this year's hunting seasons.
To see the complete list, get a copy of Thursday's edition, either the physical edition or the e-edition.
Have a great week!
• • •
E-mail questions, comments, stories, and pictures to firstname.lastname@example.com.
A truck pulling a trailer loaded with a car traveling east on U.S. highway 271 west of Pocola lost control Thursday afternoon causing it to jackknife, according to emergency responders. Fire personnel said the truck left the roadway and rolled over. No one was inured in the accident.
Photo submitted
James Pollard, 35, of Smithville was named the 2013 recipient of the Joe Neff Memorial Welding Scholarship at the Kiamichi Technology Center in Poteau on Thursday. Pollard is a second year welding student and received a 225 Lincoln Ranger welder from the scholarship committee. From left: Dennis Thomas, Scott Griffis speaking, Woody Wood, Charles Loomis, Mike Poor and Pollard.
PDN photo by Kim Ross
Due to the expected heat Saturday, organizers have decide the Cowboy Concert won't take place under the stars as planned, but inside the community building at Heavener Runestone Park.
The show will start at 7:30 p.m.
Featured acts are Gatlin and Hoffpauir and Larry Spears with John Williams and Craig Skinner.
Admission is $5, free for 14 and younger.
Limited refreshments will be available for $1, so spectators may bring their own goodies, according to organizer Mike Kennerson.


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This week's resounding vote in Ohio repudiating a Republican antiunion law should provide a clear warning to the congressional deficit-reduction super committee, especially its GOP members.
The lopsided ballot-initiative result repealing Republican Gov. John Kasich's prized SB 5 legislation restricting collective-bargaining rights for public employees reaffirms a lesson evident from the past three decades of budget wars in Washington: It is virtually impossible to sell voters on a significant retrenchment of public benefits without bipartisan support and a compelling case that the changes are linked to broadly shared sacrifice.
From National Journal:
CAMPAIGN 2012 Are Romney and Perry Really That Different?
POLITICSBiden's Saves Sarcasm for Santorum
NASA Readies Its New Mars Rover
That message is especially important for Republicans, because one of the biggest hurdles to a comprehensive deficit agreement is the expectation among many in the GOP that after the 2012 election they will hold unified control of Congress and the White House and can simply impose their preferred solutions without compromise or political cost. History—underlined by this week's Ohio result—suggests that expectation represents a huge gamble.
In many ways, the Ohio legislation that voters overturned this week followed the model that many Republicans envision for 2013 in Washington. With unified control of the governorship and both chambers of the state Legislature, state Republicans passed sweeping legislation limiting the collective-bargaining rights of public employees, including police and firefighters. The bill, which also rolled back pension and health benefits and banned strikes, passed the state Senate narrowly and the state House comfortably, in each case without support from a single Democrat. When Kasich signed the bill last March, he explicitly portrayed it as the sort of economizing that would be required to cut taxes. "Helping local governments reduce their costs so they can begin lightening Ohio's tax burden helps us compete better against states that are far friendlier to job creators," he declared.
But unions quickly obtained enough signatures to place a repeal initiative on the ballot. Once they did, they effectively inverted Kasich's argument: An early ad from the repeal campaign charged that politicians were "blaming public employees" for the state's budget woes even as they were "funneling over $100 million in tax breaks to their corporate campaign contributors." Though Kasich barnstormed to defend his legislation, the repeal initiative got more than three-fifths of the vote. And as Steve Rosenthal, cofounder of the Democratic data firm the Atlas Project, noted in an analysis this week, the repeal passed in all but six of the state's counties, with margins consistently exceeding President Obama's in 2008.
Kasich's experience should be a red flag for congressional Republicans because it so closely approximates the strategy many of them envision. Most Republicans understandably like their odds of winning the White House, and majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives, next year. By holding those cards in 2013, they believe they can pass a deficit-slashing budget on a party-line basis that would dramatically shrink entitlement programs—by converting Medicaid into a block grant and Medicare into a voucher system—without including any tax increases (and maybe cutting taxes further). That glimmering possibility is one reason so many in the GOP are reluctant to strike a deal now in which Democrats would accept entitlement cuts in return for Republican acquiescence to tax increases.
But the Ohio vote shows how difficult in practice it would be for Republicans, even if they win unified control in 2013, to hold public support while cutting entitlements and maintaining (or expanding) tax cuts for the wealthy without any bipartisan cover. Since 1980, Republicans have tried three times to retrench federal entitlements on a party-line basis: Social Security under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, and Medicare under Newt Gingrich in 1995. Each effort failed—and helped precipitate GOP losses in the next election.
That consistent history—and this week's big uprising against Kasich—underscore the validity of the axiom that Gene Sperling, director of Obama's National Economic Council, coined in a recent speech: "Nobody likes deficit-reduction plans. Successful deficit-reduction plans are agreements that everybody hates equally in an even and fair way." Balance and equitably shared sacrifice is precisely what Ohio voters believed SB 5 lacked.
The odd thing about the super committee's waiting game is that there's little mystery about what a balanced proposal should contain. The Simpson-Bowles and Domenici-Rivlin deficit-reduction commissions, and the bipartisan Senate Gang of Six, all produced broadly overlapping blueprints. At a time when federal revenue, measured as a share of the economy, has fallen to its lowest point since 1950, and payments to individuals (mostly through entitlement programs) consume more than three-fifths of the federal budget, there's no secret to the formula for restoring fiscal sustainability.
The questions surrounding the committee—and the larger deficit debate—are entirely political. Neither party alone can pass a response of the magnitude this problem demands. Tax increases and entitlement cuts are each the key to the other. Democrats cannot accept the latter without the former. For Republicans, it's the reverse. Probably the only way to pass either and live to tell about it is to pass both. This week's earthquake in Ohio shows what happens when politicians ignore that straightforward lesson.
This article appears in the November 12, 2011 edition of National Journal Magazine.
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A month and a half, with a life lost, a new class, and two other drawings in the process. I would say that isn't half bad. Completion has been an issue with me, so this is a Good Thing.
Co-op Truck
6 hours ago
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Click Here to Watch the Whole Video in HD at Vintage Bareback
VintageBareback.com is a collection of rare and collectable gay porn movies and magazines from the 1950's through the 1970's.
This clip comes from a very rare pre-condom movie from the 1970's featuring weird and frightening hand made fetish toys. This one shows a light bulb going in a guy's ass. See more at Vintage Bareback.
Pixels: 320X240 | Bitrate: 350K
Pixels: 640X480 | Bitrate: 700K


text: Morris Animal Inn Dec 26,2012 by: Anonymous Loading Map.... Morris Animal Inn120 Sand Spring Road - MorristownDetails 40.7605787 -74.50294539999999 Address 120 Sand Spring Road Morristown NJ 07960 United States Upcoming Events No events in this location Tweet Google No comments. Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply. Type your comment here… Submit Comment


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At the end of a long day, there may be no worse sight than a mountain of vegetables and raw ingredients just waiting for the dinner fairy to turn them into a tasty home-cooked meal. Who hasn't wished for a magical kitchen assistant to do all the chopping, slicing, dicing, and prep work that makes cooking feel like a chore? Obviously a lot of us have, because today's supermarket aisles are full of ingredients that have already been cut for our convenience: precut stalks of celery just waiting for a scoop of peanut butter; pre-boiled eggs; bagged salads that require almost no effort at all; pre-diced onions that save us sweat and tears.
According to the United Fresh Produce Association, sales of these convenience foods have skyrocketed in the past two decades, with more and more customers choosing them in order to make food preparation easier and faster. When you're shopping at the supermarket, they may seem like the best culinary development since the deep fryer, but the next time you're tempted to grab that pre-bagged spinach or pre-grated Parmesan, think twice about the hidden costs–literal and figurative–that accompany them.
1) They have a bigger carbon footprint.
Much is made these days about food-miles, which refers to the distance food travels from farm to table, and how it affects carbon emissions. Pre-prepared ingredients require significantly larger amounts of energy for packing, processing, and transportation. After harvest, mass-market precut produce is either washed in a chlorine solution or irradiated in order to eradicate microbes and bacteria, and then put into packaging. Once it's been packaged, the produce requires refrigeration during transportation, during display, and after purchase. Not only do mass-market precut vegetables generate a bigger carbon footprint because of transportation and cleaning, but their packaging alone adds to landfills and contributes to pollution.
Some grocery stores offer their own lines of precut fruits and veggies that are produced in-house. Although these foods don't need the extended refrigeration or incur the transportation costs of the mass-market varieties, they still require extra packaging, extra handling, cleansing, and extra labor, all of which mean higher costs for the environment than if you did the slicing and dicing yourself.
2) They're not necessarily cleaner.
We all love the fantasy of opening a bag of spinach and dumping it right into the salad bowl, but back in August 2006, consumers discovered that this particular fantasy was a great way to get E. coli. In August 2007, it became a great way to get salmonella (the most common foodborne pathogen). Over the past few years, dozens of vegetable recalls have been initiated in order to protect consumers from these pathogens as well as others, such as listeria. It's not spinach itself that's to blame; although bagged and precut vegetables have ostensibly already been washed and treated, they're actually more likely to harbor pathogens that can cause foodborne illness, especially if the vegetables are not kept properly refrigerated through every step of the production process.
The problem arises from both handling and surface area; the more a food item is handled and processed, the more likely it is that the item will come into contact with germs. The more food is cut or sliced, the more surface area it has, meaning germs can cling to more places. Although the risk of contracting any foodborne illness is relatively small, pre-grated cheese, precut salad, and pre-chopped onions are all riskier than the whole, unadulterated versions of the same foods. The FDA recommends washing all precut and pre-bagged produce just as you would wash whole foods, so buying them preprepared doesn't really save as much time as you'd think.