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Un , nella tradizione giapponese, è uno spirito che risiede in alcuni alberi, paragonabile alle driadi (ninfe greche degli alberi).

Etimologia
In Giappone, essendo nata per prima la lingua parlata e poi quella scritta, si sono creati nel tempo ben tre diversi kanji per scrivere la parola "kodama", che risale a tempi molto lontani.

Il più antico, 古多万, è molto ambiguo. La parola si scompone in 古 ("ko", cioè vecchio), 多 ("da", cioè molti) e 万 - ("ma", cioè diecimila). Gli antichi giapponesi, non avendo un sistema di scrittura, quando adottarono il sistema di scrittura cinese, spesso scelsero i caratteri kanji in esso contenuti per il suono piuttosto che per il significato: questa è la spiegazione più probabile per l'uso di 古多万.

Ma questa combinazione fu considerata insoddisfacente, perciò negli anni successivi fu adottato 木魂 (木- "ko", cioè albero e 魂- "dama", cioè anima), così come 木魅 (木- "ko", cioè albero e 魅- "dama", cioè anima); recentemente tende ad essere usato anche 木霊 (木- "ko", cioè albero e 霊- "dama", cioè spirito). C'è poca differenza tra 木魂, 木魅 o 木霊, tutte variazioni del termine "spirito albero"; un altro kanji usato per "kodama", 谺, significa anche eco, in quanto era credenza popolare che l'eco fosse opera di questi spiriti; si credeva anche che il rumore degli alberi che cadono fosse in realtà il suono del pianto dei kodama.

Caratteristiche

Ruoli dei kodama nella mitologia
Il significato di kodama s'è modificato nei secoli: inizialmente era un kami (divinità della natura) legato agli alberi, capace secondo alcuni di spostarsi da un albero all'altro, ma anche un suono, visto che si pensava che si divertissero ad imitare le voci umane nelle foreste, creando echi (infatti, questo è uno dei significati attribuiti alla parola Kodama, 谺); poiché il kodama possiede poteri sovrannaturali, abbattere un albero ritenuto dimora di un kodama è considerato fonte di sventura, pertanto i giapponesi usano marcare i tronchi di quegli alberi con una corda sacra detta Shimenawa, mentre vedere un kodama è reputato un buon auspicio perché significa che il luogo è vitale e pieno di energia positiva.

Intorno al periodo Edo, i kodama persero il loro rango di dei della foresta e sono stati inclusi tra gli yōkai, spiriti onnipresenti nella tradizione giapponese; il kodama venne umanizzato, tant'è vero che ci sono storie riguardanti kodama che prendono forma umana per sposare la loro amata.

Aspetto
Nessuno è d'accordo sull'aspetto dei kodama. Nelle antiche leggende o sono invisibili o sono indistinguibili dagli alberi normali. Toriyama Sekian, che ha studiato molte creature del folclore giapponese, ha identificato il kodama come un uomo o una donna in piedi vicino a un albero nel suo famoso libro Gazu hyakki yagyō. Hayao Miyazaki ha usato kodama ampiamente nel suo film Princess Mononoke raffigurandoli come piccoli omini bianchi. Altre interpretazioni moderne mostrano i kodama come uomini, giovani o vecchi, o come folletti, presi a prestito dalle tradizioni pagane europee.

Nella letteratura
La prima menzione conosciuta riguardante i kodama è contenuta nel più antico libro più noto del Giappone, il Kojiki ("Cronaca di antichi eventi"), che parla del dio albero Wakunochi-no-kami.
Il testo più antico a usare il termine kodama deriva dal periodo Heian, nel libro Wamyō ruijushō (scritto tra il 931 e il 938), un dizionario che mostrava il kanji appropriato per parole giapponesi; esso riportava 古多万 come la parola giapponese per gli spiriti degli alberi. Un altro libro del periodo Heian, Genji monogatari ("La storia di Genji"), utilizza 木魂, il termine kodama, per descrivere come una sorta di dimora per goblin dentro un albero; nello stesso libro, la frase «sia oni o kami o kitsune o kodama» dimostra che questi quattro spiriti sono stati pensati per essere entità separate.

Tradizioni legate ai kodama
Ad Aogashima, nelle isole Izu, le persone mettono piccoli santuari alla base del cedro giapponese, dove adorano e pregano i kodama.

Nel villaggio di Mitsune, nell'isola di Hachijo-jima, c'è ancora un festival annuale dedicato a loro, durante il quale si chiede perdono per gli alberi tagliati.

Nella cultura di massa
 Nel gioco di carte collezionabili Magic: l'Adunanza, i kodama sono un tipo di spiriti, di colore verde, stanziati nel piano dimensionale di Kamigawa, luogo ispirato al Giappone feudale e alla cosmologia shinto.
 I Pokémon Celebi, Phantump e Trevenant sono ispirati ai kodama: si nota chiaramente nel film Celebi, la voce della foresta.
 Nel film dello Studio Ghibli Princess Mononoke (o Principessa Mononoke'') vengono visti, durante tutta la pellicola, numerosi kodama.
 Nel gioco per PlayStation 4, Nioh, i kodama sono presenti sotto forma di piccoli esseri verdi i quali vanno trovati e ricondotti al santuario sbloccando percentuali più favorevoli di bonus.
 Inoltre per Nintendo Switch e Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, sono presenti piccoli minions chiamati "korogu" simili a dei kodama e presentano una foglia sul capo con la quale si spostano trasportati dal vento.

Note

Bibliografia

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Tradizioni popolari giapponesi
Creature della mitologia giapponese
Kami
Yōkai


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I love him who justifies those people of the future, and redeems those of the past: for he is willing to perish by those of the present.
As it's well know, the Übermensch, or the Overhuman allegory is both a keen and, in many ways, misunderstood philosophical treatise conceived by Nietzsche. It is not my intention to dive into further details on this complex, thorough and controversial elucidation (being specially carefully with the misconceptions it entails). However, I do want to point out I personally have been touched by a meaningful realization on this matter, not only because of this module but the sum of the entire Gaia Education's program, as well as my involvement with The Systems View of Life. Therefore, as I see it, approaching a sustainable human presence on Earth has to do with conceiving an Overhuman state.
From my big picture perspective, the philosopher claims the great-human shall be a possibility inasmuch as humankind being able to overcome the old paradigms and accept life as it essentially is, in other words, in defeating the fictions posed by those ideological mechanisms that control societies, arguably one of the main purposes of Gaia Education. Furthermore, the Overhuman's conception is also abundant in ecological allusions that endorse the necessity of shifting the crux towards ecology. Indeed, I link these specific Nietzsche's notions to the Harari's neat idea (again) on the Ecological Armageddon (Read both Sapiens and Homo Deus) which is by no means a fiction but an overwhelming reality. It's other of the most important goals here in this program, if not the most. Thus, I can maintain this depicted Overhuman is the genuine condition we're looking for, the chance of transcending far from the alienation of traditional values imposed by the prevailing western global culture. In this way, such great-human criterion bears the need of a 'counterculture' fostered by a new educational approach sustained by ecoliteracy, the pursuing of Gaia Education and the reason why I'm enrolled in.
With respect to the specific module's contents, which certainly overcome the mere concept of Right Livelihood, I Interestingly realized that both many of the text lines and thoughts from the guest thinkers are related, to some extent, not only to this Overhuman's conception but to my own conceptions on the Homo Sapiens Reciprocans (see graphic…outline in progress) as well as the Ecobiopsychosocial Capital & -now- Ethics. These are respectively my interpretations both on this great-human and the alternative non-dualistic indicator for mapping that transition and presence on Planet (I strongly suggest to dig into The Earth Charter Initiative). I was thrilled by Paul Hawken's speech in introducing his book Blessed Unrest. In the opening he expresses that we are part of a social and environmental "movement that is greater and deeper and broader than we ourselves know or can know" that is, of something that overcomes us. Something collective that implies, among other things, a reinvention of the current socioeconomic system. I also found worthy, according to Wahl, how "we can in fact live more rewarding lives as we shift from struggling and competing against others to gain 'competitive advantage' to sharing and cooperating with others to leverage 'collaborative advantage'". Moreover, it's compelling to reaffirm, in line with both Leopold and Wahl, that ethics "is not only a philosophical and social but also an ecological 'process'" that "concerns the relationship between the individual and the collective" which includes "the community of life as a whole" (Gaia Education, 2018).
Thereby I want to conclude by asserting that Right Life on Earth, Right Livelihood, and so on, are also about facilitating a cultural evolution towards the Overhuman/Homo sapiens reciprocans implied here, and thus the building of the Ecobiopsychosocial Capital & Ethics as an alternative indicator for heading such transformation.


PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, this month's event is being held on the Second Wednesday of November.
SOLD OUT: Registration has closed for this event.
If you have any questions please call 352-629-8051.
Charley Woodsby has a long tradition in the restaurant industry with a career spanning over 60 years. He began his career by attending culinary school in New York City and in 1954 opened his first restaurant in Atlanta, GA. He then moved to Jacksonville, FL in 1960 and formed a business partnership that would change the rest of his life. This partnership owned and operated numerous successful restaurants in Florida and in 1968 they opened the very first Red Lobster in Lakeland, FL. In two short years the partnership sold all 5 of their Red Lobsters to General Mills. Charley stayed on with the company to open 72 Red Lobster Restaurants across the country. At the age of 42 Charley left the General Mills organization to retire, but anyone that knows Charley knew his career was far from over. In just one year, Charley was back in business with his son, Ron. Together they opened the first Talk of the Town Restaurant in Lakeland, FL. Over the next five years they would open a Talk of the Town Restaurant in Winter Haven, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Orlando, FL.
In 1984, the Woodsby's decided to take their restaurants in a new direction and open a high-end steakhouse using only the highest quality and standards. Talk of the Town Restaurant in Orlando became "Charley's Steak House" and the rest is history. Charley Woodsby is the founder of one of America's Top Ten Steakhouses and although he is semi-retired now his legacy lives on. He was recently honored with the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented to those individuals who have "distinguished themselves in an extraordinary manner during their careers" not only in the industry, but also in community involvement.
Charley formed a charitable foundation in 1992 that supports a multitude of programs designed to help the needy in the United States and Honduras. In his free time Charley enjoys playing golf, croquet and traveling around the world.
CEP partner tickets are just $10 per person with advance reservations or $15 at the door. Non-partner tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, if seating is available.
CEP partner tickets are just $10 per person with advance registration or $15 at the door.
For this special event, Non-Partner tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, if seating is available.


Meghna is a Diversity & Inclusion Champion turned Storyteller. She is committed to empower individuals, collectives and organizations discover the power of 'their stories' to cultivate a culture of inclusion and collaboration at workplace. This not only helps foster a respectable and safe space at work, but also aids in enhancing one's executive presence and impactful communication skills. For the senior management, she enables leaders master the art of storytelling to inspire, mentor and transform the next gen of leaders. Currently based in Bangalore, Meghna started her journey in Mumbai, working for some of the large financial institutions while leading their Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Development agenda. While she pursued her BSc in Economics and MBA in HR, she is an absolute enthusiast of blended learning techniques and analytics.


Laterally, the nation's leading hiring platform for top attorneys, has transformed the lateral recruitment process through radical transparency and efficiency. In our Year in Review series, we share some of the data and insights that we've used to help lawyers plot career moves. Much of this data can be tracked in real time on our website, Laterally.com.
The M&A lateral market saw significant declines this year, after a banner year in 2015. Driving the strong demand for M&A associates in 2015 was a booming M&A market in the United States, as well as a shortage of mid-level associates – a result of firms hiring smaller class sizes during the recession. But in 2016, M&A activity slowed and the shortage of mid-level associates eased as more recent M&A classes came of age.
Despite this decline, mid-level M&A associates remained some of the most in-demand attorneys in the country in 2016. And we expect the same to be true in 2017. In our 2017 M&A outlook, below, we go inside the data on both the demand side (jobs) and the supply side (lawyers) to explain the reasons for our optimism.
The number of opportunities for M&A associates declined overall in major US markets in 2016 (12%, from 501 jobs to 442 jobs). Large declines in M&A jobs were seen in Atlanta (54%), Boston (44%), the Bay Area (23%) and DC (19%), with smaller declines in Chicago (10%), Dallas (8%), and LA (5%).
1. Deal flow and expectations of future deal flow.
US merger deal value was down 23% compared to 2015, while the outlook for 2017 remains uncertain in the current political climate. Even though M&A lawyers at most firms remain extremely busy, this uncertainty will have an impact on hiring.
Hiring will also depend on associate attrition at firms and those firms' ability to absorb the losses. Given uncertainty in the market, associates may stay longer at their current firms, so this factor could further slow hiring. When associates do leave, some firms will prefer to use existing resources without turning to the lateral market – while others will seek to bring in talent from outside the firm (which may be better trained and more partner-ready).
Despite structural factors reducing the gap in number of mid-levels this year and despite potentially more lawyers staying put, there are still plenty of jobs for those seeking to move. Candidates with top backgrounds and a few years of M&A experience have been receiving multiple offers in almost all the markets they approach. New York lawyers are especially in high demand in most parts of the country.
One just has to examine the data to see why: the ratio of M&A opportunities available (demand) to the number of qualified M&A associates available (supply) is still extremely high. In fact, comparing firms' demand for laterals to the actual supply yields some pretty astonishing results.
For example, in NY, which had 121 lateral M&A jobs (almost every job geared primarily to mid-levels), there are 1,550 M&A associates and 600 mid-level M&A associates at the 200 largest firms. At the top 50 firms by profits per partner, there were only 475 mid-level associates. That's a ratio of 1 job for every 5 mid-level associates or every 3.9 mid-level associates a top-50 firms.
That was not even the most lopsided ratio, either. Washington, D.C. had around 2 jobs for every mid-level associate, and 1 job for every mid-level associate at a top-50 firm, while LA and the Bay Area had similar numbers. Given that only 10% of associates leave for other firms every year, it's easy to see why firms can be desperate for talent, and why M&A associates are still being courted.
It also takes firms more time to fill positions in M&A than other areas, on average (4 months, versus 3 months for the larger market). We've observed that firms tend to spend a lot of time at the outset chasing unicorns (mid-levels from top firms and schools), only to later realize the need to broaden their searches.
So we advise associates to play the numbers and trust in the basic supply and demand in the market. When representing a candidate, we advocate for them by educating firms on these numbers so that they can grasp the need for properly broad hiring criteria.
As we've mentioned, mid-level associates are the most marketable, and this fact changes little from year to year. Mid-levels have received sufficient training to oversee deals, yet still have many profitable billing years ahead of them. 4th year associates were in greatest demand this year, followed by 5th years and 3rd years. In fact, 98% of jobs on the market sought mid-levels, at least in part. Firms will often seek a mid-level but then extend their searches to more junior or senior candidates given the difficulty of attracting qualified mid-levels.
The chart shows the number of M&A opportunities in 2016 available to associates given the years of experience under their belts. The curve is typical not just in M&A lateral hiring, but in all lateral hiring.
In 2016, 142 firms sought to hire M&A associates: 73 AmLaw 100 firms, 37 AmLaw 200 firms, and 33 mid-sized, regional, and boutique firms. If you lateralled from a top-20 firm (by profits per partner), only about 1 in 7 associates lateralled to a peer (top-20) firm. A third went to near peer firms, another third went to technology/emerging-company focused firms, and the remaining associates chose smaller regional, national, and boutique firms.
This movement of associates out of elite firms to the mid-market occurs for several reasons: enhanced partnership prospects at firms with lower lower partner-associate leverage ratios and the chance to compete as a bigger fish in a smaller pond; lower hours compared to the most prestigious M&A shops; and a chance to improve their in-house prospects. In fact, while a name brand on the resume brings a lot of value to an in-house job search, in-house recruiters want to see a level of experience and comfort engaging directly with clients and deals more than they care about the brand of an associate's firm. If associates are not leading deals, an in-house employer will see that as lacking the necessary experience.
As you go down to the next tier of firms (top 20-50), also large and prestigious employers, the goals of associates are often similar and many associates lateral into mid-market and smaller firms. However, a larger proportion, about 30% decide to move to top top-tier M&A practices. These associates want the enhanced prestige of working at these name-brand firms and the chance to work with a larger or more diverse roster of clients that can help their prospects for moving in-house.
About one quarter of moves also involve a geographic switch. Often it is for family/lifestyle reasons, but these moves also take place when associates want a more generalist corporate experience, or want their practice to be more industry-focused (for example, tech and entertainment in California or regulated industries in DC).
This report provides a broad picture of market trends, but every associate's search is unique. We'd love to offer you our data and thoughts on the market specific to your goals. You can email us with your general questions or comments at consulting@laterally.com, or sign up on Laterally.com to start tracking the market in real time. If you are interested in conducting a confidential search for a law firm lateral move, please reach out to our Managing Director of Attorney Consulting, Derek Mize, at dmize@laterally.com.


A good movie spreads ideas, teaches something new, and imposes its own values. Girls enter the FBI to fight criminals, scientists find inspiration in fantasy stories, hunters drop their trade, and millions of men suddenly start dreaming of fit blondes in red swimsuits, which until recently was considered conservative against the backdrop of bikinis.
Bright Side collected 14 movies after the release of which something changed in the world. This just goes to prove that directors and actors are modern wizards.
14. Black Panther: people started to adopt black cats from shelters.
People started to adopt black cats from shelters after the premiere of the movie Black Panther. In some shelters, there were no black cats left at all. Before, people were less interested in animals with such a color because of different superstitions. You have probably heard that a black cat might bring you bad luck if it crosses your path. Moreover, black cats were considered to be the incarnation of the devil and faithful servants of witches.
13. Bambi: the number of hunters decreased by 50%.
Bambi, the beloved main character of children and adults, can barely survive on his own after he loses his mother who, according to the plot, was killed by hunters. After the release of the cartoon in 1942, many hunters, most of whom are family people, abandoned their hobby forever.
This phenomenon became known as the "Bambi effect," when a person finds animals cute, similar to children, resulting in a categorical rejection of hunting as a trade. So Bambi became the most famous symbol of the struggle for animal rights.
12. The Silence of the Lambs: a recorded number of women applied to work in the FBI.
The FBI took an active part in the filming of the movie: in order to enter the role, Jodie Foster attended a training course for agents on the Quantico base. Representatives of the Bureau hoped that the film would attract new cadets and that's exactly what happened: the image of Clarice inspired many girls to become FBI agents.
11. Jaws: less interest in beach vacations and new safety rules on beaches.
The release of the movie forced people to reconsider their attitude towards beach rest, while journalists were telling about horrific cases of real attacks of sharks on people. At sea resorts, new safety rules were introduced, including the restriction of swimming areas with special nets as well as algorithms for an immediate evacuation of people from the water.
In defense of sharks, it should be added that most of the deaths in the water are due to the inability to swim. Sharks themselves rarely swim to the shores and are not interested in human flesh and prefer to hide away from curious divers.
10. Skyfall: switchblade sales increased by 405%.
As a result, Google registered an increase in the number of requests for the words "dangerous razors" by 735% after the release of the film, and then, one of the manufacturers of dangerous razors reported a sudden increase in sales by 405%. By the way, the transition to dangerous razors is supported by environmentalists since such blades are more durable than modern plastic razor blades.
9. V for Vendetta: the beginning of an active struggle against repression by the governments.
The Anonymous movement appeared before the release of the movie V is Vendetta but it was the last scene when thousands of people put on Guy Fawkes masks and began their struggle against corruption and the tyranny of power that inspired real activists to take major action. Since then, the "anonyms" wear Guy Fawkes masks and their struggle makes our world better.
8. Sideways: pinot noir wine has become the most popular among Americans.
After the release of the film, the interest in wine from the Pinot Noir grape, which was praised by the main character throughout the film, unexpectedly grew. Nobody expected that the film would affect the US wine market so much, but it was pinot noir that became the favorite wine of Americans.
7. Baywatch: a huge number of young people signed up to become lifeguards.
Right after the first episodes of this show, red swimsuits became the most sought-after element of beach attire for women. A bit later, the interest to work as lifeguards increased too: thousands of young girls and children all over the world enrolled in preparatory courses. Today, the work of a lifeguard is well paid, although it is not easy to meet the professional requirements.
6. The X-Files: a sharp increase in eyewitnesses to emerging UFOs, a boom in interest in science and paranormal phenomena.
Who hasn't dreamed of investigating strange cases of paranormal activity and encounters with extraterrestrial intelligence with Mulder and Scully? The popularity of the show sparked the interest of people to study everything inexplicable.
Another side effect of the show was the emergence of a huge number of photo and video evidence of UFOs and the formation of thousands of UFO communities on the internet.
5. House M.D.: doctors determined the cause of heart failure in a patient after noticing a similarity with a case in one of the episodes.
Despite some shortcomings, doctors like the series about House M.D. since the series is based on real cases of patients and this helps doctors in their work. This happened in the case of a patient who could not get the correct diagnosis for a whole year. Then the doctor accidentally saw an episode about a patient with similar complaints and was able to finally figure out the right treatment for the real patient. It turned out that the patient was suffering due to poisoning caused by a metal implant in his leg.
4. JFK: the government was forced to declassify documents.
© wikipedia © Warner Bros.
Throughout the movie, the hero was fighting the government, which he accused of conspiracy, trying to get to the bottom of the truth about how and why Kennedy was killed. After the release of the film, the US Congress declassified documents relating to the Kennedy assassination in order to avoid new accusations against it.
3. Jurassic Park: people started buying amber with insects inside.
The story of incredible cloning begins with amber, inside of which a mosquito is found. The film was so popular that the sellers of amber with insects inside became millionaires. Some bought amber deciding to seriously study the conserved mosquitoes while others planned to resell the stones to scientists and entrepreneurs interested in cloning a dinosaur.
Thanks to the film, a large number of studies designed to find out how realistic the idea of cloning a dinosaur is have appeared.
2. Spectre: a festival to meet the expectations of millions of tourists was organized in Mexico.
The parade in the framework of the festival turned out to be so colorful that the capital of Mexico had to make concessions and have it every year because millions of tourists following the 007 agent wanted to take part in the procession in honor of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City.
1. Bernie: the court released the main character of the film convicted of the murder of his wife.
The movie is based on the real story of a man who worked as a coffin maker. He was considered a good guy in the neighborhood and became close to an elderly woman who became his wife. Over time, the nature of the old woman was spoiled and she scoffed at her husband in every way, until he accidentally killed her. The picture ends with the fact that Bernie goes to jail although in the eyes of society his offense is not condemned.
After the release of the film, attorney Jodie Cole became interested in the history and discovered new facts that helped free the real Bernie from prison. This process was facilitated by the director of the film, with whom Bernie will have to live according to the court's decision.
Are there any movies that have had a strong impact on your life? Share with us in the comments!


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Amber: Lead & Backing Vocals
Pete: Drums
Rich: Bass Guitar& Vocals
Terry: Lead & Rhythm Guitar & Vocals
Simon: Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Amber joined in June 2018! Amber comes from a classical music background, and is enjoying delving into classic rock. In her spare time, in case you cant find her, she will usually be with her horses.
If you joined us for our Virtual Gig in June 2021 you would have spotted a new face – drummer Peter Hawes (Pete). Pete began playing drums when he was 13, playing along to mostly rock music. He was heavily influenced by classic rock drummers such as Carmine Appice, John Bonham and Ian Paice, who remain his core source of inspiration for drum solo and fill ideas. He has a fascination with drummers taking Buddy Rich & Gene Krupa style big band jazz chops and applying them to a rock setting. He plays Ludwig drums and is commercially endorsed by Vulcan Cymbals
Rich Watts: Lead & Backing Vocals + Bass Guitar
Bass duties are handled by Rich Watts who joined us in late 2018. Rich hails from the shadow of "the Stones" which explains a lot! Rich also goes by the nickname "Mr 80's" as he becomes all misty eyed whenever he spies a mullet or hears a good 'ol tune from way back when! Rich has played in many bands over the years, and has changed his gear more times than the cast of a Broadway musical in the search for that elusive bass "sound". He cites his influences as greats such as John Entwhistle, Bernard Edwards, Billy Sheehan, Sting & John Taylor to name but a few. At the moment, Rich is playing the following gear: Yamaha Attitude II Bass, Marbass Amp, Bergantino & Barefaced Bass Cabinets.
Terry Taylor: Lead & Backing Vocals + Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Terry started playing the guitar at early teenage years. He picked up songs predominantly by ear rather than looking at music. His playing really hit a resurgence though when he signed up to play in the musical "Return to the Forbidden Planet". Off the back of an amazing week in Cambridge, he looked high and low for a local band and found Craig. Terry can be found at many local Blues jams outside the band as he loves playing improvised stuff. Terry puts recordings he's done on Soundcloud here -> https://soundcloud.com/terryt063
Simon Dickenson: Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Ex-Statues guitarist Simon gave it all up for a while to travel. Having failed to find anywhere as nice to live as Salisbury and with a new family he returned after only a short time away and with a new found love of music. Where once he listened only to Rock now he listens to all sorts of music. (Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Punk Rock, everything.) Simon joined Break Cover in 2012 and was nominated at the Salisbury Music Awards in 2016 and 2017 as Salisbury's Best Guitarist. Simon's YouTube channel can be at: https://www.youtube.com/user/salisburysimon
Come and meet the band at the next gig. It would be good to meet you and say hello!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Access & Opportunity Podcast
Deciding on Diversity—and the Bottom Line
Hosted by Carla Harris
Carla speaks with VC Miriam Rivera, founder of Ulu Ventures, and Ritu Narayan, co-founder of Zūm, a new kind of ride service for kids aimed at families and schools. They discuss their journeys and how a consistent model of decision-making can lead to better choices, help level the playing field, and increase entrepreneurial and business diversity.
On this episode of access and opportunity we welcome investor Miriam Rivera, co-founder and managing director of Ulu Ventures. From career attorney to investor, Miriam has committed to investing in early-stage technology companies and has made diversity an essential part of Ulu's investment thesis. We also hear from Ritu Narayan, founder and CEO of Zūm, a company in Ulu's portfolio that provides a new kind of ride service for children, serving thousands of schools in hundreds of school districts across the country. In this episode, Miriam and Ritu guide us through their journeys from corporate executive to investor to CEO, and explain why empathy is such a key component to the founder-investor relationship.
Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify
Ritu Narayan: My leadership style is excellent decision-making. You write down everything analytically as well as emotionally and get over it, and then make the best possible decision in the moment. In the moment, what is it that we need to do to put this venture or enterprise that so many people have been part of to give the best possible outcome?
Carla Harris: On this episode of access and opportunity we welcome investor Miriam Rivera, co-founder and managing director of Ulu Ventures. From career attorney to investor, Miriam has committed to investing in early stage technology companies and has made diversity an essential part of Ulu's investment thesis. We will also hear from one of the founders in Ulu's portfolio, Ritu Narayan, founder and CEO of Zum, a modern ride service for children serving thousands of schools in hundreds of school districts across the country. In this episode, Miriam and Ritu guide us through their journeys from corporate executive to investor to CEO and explain why empathy is such a key component to the founder / investor relationship.
Come on and join me for the ride. So how are you today, ladies?
Rivera: Great. It's wonderful to be here with you, Carla.
Narayan: I'm super excited to be with Carla and Miriam together.
Carla Harris: Well, thank you. So why don't we start with you, Miriam. Tell us a little bit about Ulu. How'd you get started? How did you come to focus on increasing diversity with women and folks of color? And I guess what I really want to understand is were you focused on making sure there were more women and people of color as founders who were funded or were you really focused on trying to change the landscape in technology and increase the diversity there? Because you're a lawyer by training. So how'd you get into this game?
Rivera: Well, actually what got me started thinking about diversity and its impact on higher returning companies, higher performing companies was my experience at Google, where I was vice president and deputy general counsel for the company. And we built one of the most diverse teams in the legal area in the entire United States. And I think it was because of that diversity that we were so high performing as a team. The thing that I think people don't realize is in the early days, Google was actually a relatively diverse company. If you look at the 13 original vice presidents, three of them were women, two of them were immigrants. The first general counsel was African American, the first CFO was Cuban American. So it had a highly diverse team. There were a lot of women that were actually in the next tier down within Google that were running a lot of the day to day functions within the departments.
Rivera: And I think that was actually part of why we were really successful is that we did have combinations of different races, different gender working together.
Harris: Okay. So what was it about that experience as general counsel that made you say, when I think about Miriam 2.0, she's going to be an investor. How did you come to start your venture firm?
Rivera: Well, when I left the deputy general counsel role that I had at Google, I thought I would just become a general counsel somewhere else, then I quickly realized that I'd already had what I think is the most exciting job that I could have had as legal.
Harris: I would agree with that, Miriam.
Rivera: It was a very fun time to be a part of that company. We grew from like 85 million to $10 billion in revenue and I worked on the first $14 billion worth of deals for the company. So it was a very fun time to be there. And when I left, I thought I wanted to be in a high impact role and didn't see other departments that I could have run as being as interesting as what I'd already done. So I started looking for how else will I use my skill sets? And venture capital was an area that I had both studied in school. I'd worked in a law firm where we worked with emerging companies and with venture capital firms, but I really wanted to focus on increasing diversity among founders. And I realized that going into a bigger firm was probably not the way that I would get the ability to do that so I started my own firm.
Harris: Yes. So let's talk about your journey in terms of raising capital. First of all, there are not a lot of women who are founders of VC firms, number one. Number two, they're not a lot of black women who are founders of VC firms. So did you sell fund, or did you have a few partners where you could do a club deal and put together your first fund, or did you have to go out there and raise capital and solicit folks? And what was that like?
Rivera: So initially, we did use our own capital. So Google was a very good place to be financially as well as professionally. And so I used some of my Google exit to start Ulu Ventures and start developing a track record and start developing a set of portfolio companies that I thought would exemplify the work that I wanted to do, which was to demonstrate that diverse teams would outperform financially. But because we started our own fund, we could take the time to develop our methodology for making our investment decisions and that track record. And once we felt comfortable that there really was a performance benefit from that diversity, we went to market and actually raised from institutional investors. Our first fund was closed in 2016 and that was a $66 million fund that actually exceeded our target of $50 million.
Harris: Wow. That is outstanding. Now, you've been known to have a data-driven process that you say reduces cognitive bias. So before we turn our conversation to how you and Ritu got together, let's talk about that. Why do you think your process reduces cognitive bias?
Rivera: Well, decision analysis is a framework that was developed at Stanford University and Harvard University in part to reduce miscommunication and bias in making complex decisions. Initially, it was used in the space race. We were trying to get into outer space. We had all these different teams working together and they had to be able to communicate and maximize the chance for example, that a rocket would land in the right place and that the astronauts could be recovered and brought to safety. So that process is something that grew into decision analysis and we're applying it in venture decision-making. One of the things that it does is make sure that you're concrete about what it is that you have as your criteria. It also makes it really clear that you're asking the same types of questions from all comers.
Rivera: And there's a lot of research now that is showing people ask different questions of women than they may ask of men when they're seeking investment, and also that people of color will receive fewer positive body signals in those interviews. And so what we're trying to do is both make the process more clear and the criteria the same for everyone, the same kinds of questions, the same way of evaluating a company. And because we try to have a diverse team, we think that we're also giving people hopefully very positive body signals as well.
Harris: Well, that's a signal in itself because the people that they see when they come into your office are diverse. That is a signal, I would argue, and a clear playbook for other VCs who are trying to figure out how they can increase their pipeline of companies that have been founded by women and multicultural entrepreneurs. It seems like that's a critical part of your playbook and you've been very intentional about that.
Rivera: And I think there's a real focus on developing empathy with companies, just like people in design thinking now talk about building an empathy for the customer and into the product. A lot of the traditional way of looking at an investment opportunity is like, how quickly can you get to a no and having somebody prove their idea. When we go into a meeting, I'm thinking, how can I be of service? How can I help this entrepreneur? The fact is 99% of the time, I'm going to say, no, but can I actually do something that adds value? Can I help that person? And can I help them understand that I've got to make a decision with a limited amount of time and information? That doesn't mean you won't be successful, I hope you will be success.
Harris: Yes. Well, I tell you, you're a woman after my own heart with the, how can I be of service to the person on the other side of the conversation with you? So Ritu, tell our listeners, what is Zum?
Narayan: So Zum is a children's transportation platform. We save schools money and saves families time by using technology. And it has been highly successful in the last four years. We started out as a direct to parent platform, serving parents directly. And very early on, we identified school transportation as being the very big part of the ecosystem. And it's very broken, 80 years old, antiquated system. And because of which parents end up having a lot of burden and feel like there is an issue. So, very early on, we started partnering with schools, and today we have over 4,000 schools, over 250 school districts on our platform. We have saved millions of dollars to school districts.
Narayan: So the possibility of what we can do, we are so excited about it and what we can bring to people in terms of providing superior experience to children and saving them time for the commute, so that they're ready to learn and be engaged in the classroom. And at the same time, providing full visibility to end to end to all stakeholders and providing accountability into the process, using technology.
Harris: So your customer is the school and not the parent? Talk to us about how it works.
Narayan: Yes. So now our customers, basically school districts, they sign the contract, transportation contract with Zum. And the different thing about Zum is, earlier, there was only one mode of transportation called school bus, which actually works for a large part of the problem. But the issue is that many times the school buses are very highly inefficient and they are under utilized. So it's a waste of an asset sitting on the platform.
Narayan: On our platform, you can have any size of asset. Our technology will optimize and give them recommendation of how the right route should be structured and what kind of different format of assets can be on the platform. And when the routes have to be in the [inaudible 00:01:36], we make the transportation available, or the other vendors plugin into our platform, and end to end, essentially parents sign up, they have full visibility of where the child is. If they are onboarded the bus, if they offboarded the bus, all of that is there.
Narayan: And the schools are able to save tons of money because they don't have to deploy a school bus, even when there are only five children going on a route. So all the routes are very highly optimized for them. And now with the COVID-19 coming in, we are very, even more relevant because we are able to provide that flexibility.
Narayan: Now schools are talking about having double shifts to reduce the number of kids in one specific shift and in a normal environment, they would not be able to dynamically and very quickly adjust to this problem and create dynamic routes. It takes them months, but for us, within days, within hours, we will be able to provide them with how the route should be created and how the seating should be there in a vehicle, keeping social distancing in mind.
Harris: Yeah. So if they are not on the bus, you can effectively have a car, if you will, pick them up and make sure they get to the right place. And it's all through Zum, is that right?
Narayan: That's correct. It's a door to door transportation.
Harris: Okay.
Narayan: You'll know exactly when the child is picked up. They can provide special instructions. If the likes certain things, those instructions are there in terms of conversation. And because there is a very small pool of personalized driver for a child, there's actually a relationship. It's not like they are getting a different person every day. There's a relationship aspect for the children and their growth.
Harris: Oh. So I can have Ms. George every day or every time I need a car and not the bus. It's Ms. George that's going to pick me up.
Narayan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Harris: Oh, wow. Well, it's clearly a great company. And certainly one that I would say is tailor made for this time. So let's talk about how you met Ritu. How did that happen?
Rivera: So, I was at an event, Ritu's brother was present, [Vivek Garg 00:03:41] and he came up and spoke with me afterwards. And later on, he told me when he went home and talked to his sister, he said, "Ritu, I have found the person who's going to be your mentor. And I want you to meet her." And we got together that weekend and started talking about their business and really quickly realized that Ritu was really onto something that I thought was impactful, both in terms of getting children access to safe transportation to and from school and after school, as well as really having the potential to help women have a more level playing field at work. Because they're often the ones that are in charge of transportation, getting kids, after school activities, et cetera. And that can sometimes be a problem when you're trying to be the best that you can be at work too.
Harris: Was she fundraising when you met.
Rivera: The focus wasn't necessarily on fundraising when we met, because her brother really just thought that we needed to meet because I totally got the problem. I had literally been the parent who was the last one to pick up my kid or something came up at work and I'd get to the daycare center and be feeling like crap as a parent. And I really thought that this was a really interesting idea and that so many people would use it. But I also knew that a lot of people in venture capital might not get it because many of them are from a different generation where their wives did not work. And now we know, 70% of women with young children are working.
Rivera: And so this is the kind of thing that maybe another VC wouldn't necessarily relate to, but that I could totally see why it would be such a big market.
Harris: The reason why I asked you whether or not she was fundraising is so often, as you know, part of the issue with being able to get access to capital as a founder, any founder, is being able to be in the right relationship circles. So what I was trying to get at was whether or not you guys built a relationship first, without there being a conversation about fundraising, and then the relationship was there when she was ready to fundraise, or were you coming in as an investor who needed to sell herself? Because as I like to say to founders, all money is not created equal. All capital is not created equal. So you should be, despite how bad you might need it, you should be a little bit discriminating about the capital that you take. So I was trying to figure out what the dynamic was.
Rivera: Yeah. And she wasn't necessarily fundraising, but of course, as soon as I heard about this idea, I was thinking about investing.
Narayan: As Miriam rightly pointed out. My, my brother Vivek was, "This is it. I have found the best person. You've been looking for somebody and I've found them." How do you get such a person who works from their heart and emotions, is thinking about the social impact of the issues and at the same time, very rigorously analytical. Three degrees from Stanford and such accomplished, such a great combination.
Narayan: But I think Miriam, to remind you, we raised funds a few months after. We were raising funds with Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs, and it's an amazing group. But there was no woman. When we pitched Miriam wasn't there in the room. And one of the person from there who has been also our advisor and investor ever since, he gave us insight that you have to meet Miriam.
Narayan: Miriam is not here today, but she would instantly know about the problem and her fund has a right fit. So we went in, met with Clint and Miriam and as Miriam rightly pointed out, most of the questions before that were, I was always starting from deficit but because people were asking, how would you deal with the challenges? All the questions are trying to limit and not talk about the big opportunity, which is there. Every family has children. There are 55 million kids in the U.S. There are 20 billion trips happening per year, but nobody was focusing on that aspect of the magnitude of the problem, but more about what were the constraints? What would you do if you fail? What would you do if this happened?
Narayan: And that was a very different process. I can tell you firsthand Clint and Miriam, pretty much filled two white boards in a room, drawing a decision analysis and getting all the data and everything happened. But at the same time, that connection of Miriam as a very high profile executive going through it with her two daughters, it was almost like a panel story. Like my story, I used to pitch exactly that I have two kids and I'm executive at eBay, and this is what I'm facing. And Miriam was exactly a parallel universe at Google and in her life. So there was a deep connection at the problem level. And Miriam was the largest angel investor in the seed round. And she was the first woman investor.
Harris: So tell me, I want to hear more about the company, but while we're here, I want to talk a little bit about the differentiation and the process, in terms of your raising money before you met Miriam. So can you give our listeners a sense of some of the questions? You already started there, saying they were more focused on the problems and the competition and how you as a founder might react, but what were some of the other questions that you received? And the reason I want to go here is that all the research says that women and folks of color receive different types of questions than someone that does not have that demographic profile. So can you talk a little bit more about the differences in the questions, and what you think people might've been trying to get at? Because I am often amazed as I hear the questions, and so what would they try to figure out?
Narayan: They were questions about the risk in the factor. Like trust and safety was a big risk, or if one incident happened, what will you do? It could just tarnish the brand for the whole company. "What if there are two big players in the market?" Instead of talking about the opportunity of how unique the problem is, and you have to build something from grounds up, which is actually solving the needs of family, it's not like you have a car and a driver, and any car and a driver can suit the needs of a family; the needs a very different, like we had built trust and safety from [inaudible 00:18:55]. We had small pool of drivers. We had familiarity, we'd hire drivers only with childcare background. We went to extreme cases for vetting of the drivers. All the drivers were fingerprinted background check, but nobody would focus on that and the opportunity, but they would focus on all the things that could go wrong. And what happens in that scenario is- you feel yourself limited, and it's not your issue is the issue with the questions, because you're not sure if somebody would take a big bet on you. That's the key difference. And trying to point out is just the nature of the questions can put you in a very different bucket of your dreams, and what you're trying to do.
Harris: And frankly, it can put you in a different mindset in the moment while you're trying to pitch, if all that they're doing is focusing on the negatives and not on the magnitude of the opportunity. That is definitely unique. No question about it. Well, you referenced COVID-19, so let's talk a little bit about that. So it sounds like you're one of the companies that will actually benefit on the other side of this as we have a new norm. So talk to us a little bit about how you thought about it right off the bat? Because I would imagine you would have been thinking a little bit differently, right? You would have said, Oh my goodness, kids aren't going to school, they don't need transportation, what does that mean for us? So when you first realized that this was a real thing, and a serious thing, talk to us, Ritu, about how you started thinking about it, and then I'm going to come to you Miriam and said, how did you think about it? How did you think about the other companies in your portfolio? And how were you making decisions around capital allocation in that portfolio? So first you, Ritu.
Narayan: Yeah, so given that we work so closely with districts, we realized very early on that the schools are going to be closed. At that time, our estimate was they will be closed for two to three weeks, maybe til middle of April, and we did not estimate that this will be such a long closures. But at first reaction for me personally, the thing that was very shocking was it would seem very easy; okay, kids are in school and now they can have remote learning through internet, my two kids at home are having remote learning, but very quickly within a week, it became that it was a nightmare for school districts to provide remote learning to all the kids, because of the inequality of access. Kids not only don't have internet; they don't have physical infrastructure at home to study on a laptop. Maybe three kids are sharing the same laptop. They're having fight. They have a class at the same time. They don't have laptops. They don't have instructional material.
Narayan: And the bigger problem is, the schools are also an infrastructure that provides them the healthy meals during the day, and that's how the kids are nourished. And suddenly that complete infrastructure overnight got wiped out. And actually I called Miriam and we discuss this, we're aware that these are the different options, and what could we do, and turned out from Miriam's personal experience also, we were leaning towards that direction. Immediately our reaction was: how can we help now? And we started working with foundations and school districts to reroute our network of drivers and the infrastructure to deliver meals.
Harris: Oh wow.
Narayan: And special materials too. So instead of taking the kids from home to school, and school to home, we started doing the other way; taking the materials and the meals from school to the home. That turned out to be a very successful format in the interim, because it was really helping the school district. The food was available, the foundations are donating food, but the delivery was a big issue.
Narayan: Then as the things cooled down, then we started thinking about how would this change our world? Essentially, what would that mean? And now actually we are very actively working with districts, "What does back to school look like to you?" And interesting thing is that unanimous agreement among districts is that the school infrastructure and the physical infrastructure is very critical to the development of the kids. That is the place where equality shows up, everywhere. It doesn't matter from where you come, you have the same resources, same playground, same meal, same things, and that's a very critical resource, so districts cannot wait to come back. And we are also actually working very hard to support them as they come back to us.
Harris: Yeah, off top of my head without even thinking through it, it sounds like it would mean more capital for you, because you would need a bigger fleet and more drivers is that fair?
Narayan: We actually use the existing infrastructure of other vendors, but what that would mean is much more technology development from our perspective, and much more faster development, to be able to support the entire infrastructure, and use them more efficiently. Our goal would be without adding more buses, how can you use the existing infrastructure more efficiently?
Harris: And you still want to keep the same claim with respect to the quality of your drivers and everybody being child-friendly, et cetera, et cetera. So that's why I said, growing your fleet or infrastructure is going to be important
Narayan: And Carla, I have to comment that that was a very opportunity-oriented question that I really liked. Instead of asking me about, "So what is the constraint you would be facing in this new environment?" I love that.
Harris: I don't know. It must be my gender, my demographic, I don't know maybe?
Rivera: But I think you see both how is trying to reduce the stress on the schools and the parents.
Harris: Absolutely.
Rivera: And she's being of service in the community. In addition to building a much more capital efficient business, because she doesn't want to be owning big fleets of yellow buses; she wants to just operate this existing infrastructure using technology way more capital efficiently.
Harris: Absolutely. So Miriam, tell us a little bit about how you felt when you realized that this was a real thing. And how did you start thinking through your portfolio and capital allocation?
Rivera: So that's a pretty big question. So we have a large portfolio construction. We have about 72 active companies in [inaudible 00:24:56]. And with COVID, one of the things that happened is, obviously some companies were very dramatically impacted. This is the first time in a hundred plus years that schools have closed to the extent that they have. And so, we had different ed tech portfolio companies that we were talking to, and some of them were at zero revenue. And so it's been a big triage experience to understand how can we help them. Some of them actually do have to cut staff during a time when they have no revenue. Some of them have to make the decision of, are they eligible to apply for the PPP, and there's a lot of complications that went along with that for startup companies, because certain rules would have them affiliate the employee base of their investors and their other portfolio companies.
Rivera: So we were looking at very complex issues on behalf of our companies, and trying to advise them how to think about the Paycheck Protection Program, and the pluses and minuses of applying for it. We were also making decisions as a large number of our companies, about 21 companies in less than two months initiated new fundraising campaigns. And we had to make decisions about all of those, and we, again used our decision to dialysis and hurdle rate process to make those decisions and try to quickly get capital into the hands of companies that needed it the most. And that we felt still had a lot of the upside possibility of companies like Zum. And then, we were basically also providing some level of just emotional support. You know, this is one of the hardest things you ever have to do as a manager is lay people off or furlough people. You know, sometimes, like we had a company that was in the middle of fundraising, some of them had investors renege, and they had to restart their processes. Some of them had a company that was for sale and guess what? They didn't get what they would have liked given the changing circumstances, and so we're literally on the phone sometimes just crying with some of our entrepreneurs because they're going through a lot of hardship too.
Harris: Yeah. What have you told them about leadership in this time? Because many of the entrepreneurs that are in your portfolio are young. They haven't seen the cycles that we've seen after having a 20 plus year career, and like you say, they have to now be faced with these tough people decisions when they really haven't been trained as people leaders, if you will. So what are you telling them are the most important things that they can do? And Ritu, how have you thought about that as a leader? So Miriam, you first.
Rivera: Some of the things that we try to tell people is, as a leader, one of your jobs is to actually prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And so, you're trying to make sure that the long run of your company, you still can actually pursue the opportunity you set out to pursue. And that means that you've got to make the best stewardship of your financial resources, but you also can't be shortsighted. You need to be thinking about your talent and how you're going to keep access to your most talented people because even though there may be a down-market and there's a lot of unemployment, the best people are hard to replace in any business and very costly to do replacements. So we try to help them balance those interests in terms of keeping the right folks and really building a foundation for the long-term success.
Harris: Yes, absolutely. And Ritu, what about you? What leadership playbook points would you give us? How have you thought about yourself as a leader during this period or changed anything about your leadership style?
Narayan: With six months of revenue being lost pretty much, we had to rethink how best to make use of this crisis that we have and turn it into an opportunity. And I really like, Miriam, your hashtag where you say, "Lead boldly." You have to make bold and decisive decisions. You can think a lot about what are your options. And we have made some amazing decisions, to the point where people would have thought that we would be the most impacted company by school closures, to people actually commending us and saying you are one of the top portfolio companies in terms of how you have come out of this crisis and shown that you are the only good news in the portfolio. You are one of the very few good news in the portfolio. But it does actually to very directly ask from my leadership style is excellent decision-making. You write down everything analytically as well as emotionally, and get over it and then make the best possible decision in the moment. In the moment, what is it that we need to do to put this venture or enterprise that so many people have been part of to get the best possible outcome? Because even the employees who are no longer there, you are basically answerable to them. They have devoted time to your venture. You're answerable to your investors, your customers, everybody, all the stakeholders. So again, I like Miriam's hashtag, lead boldly.
Harris: I do too. So Miriam, you have another disciple. I'll be using that one, you'll see.
Rivera: Well, I think you've led the way, Carla. You've actually been doing that for a very long time.
Harris: Just a little bit, just a little bit. Well ladies, this has been phenomenal, a phenomenal conversation, and I can't wait until our listeners have a chance to get exposed to this conversation. We have a tradition on Access and Opportunity where we do a lightning round. It's just a bunch of fun questions where you answer whatever comes to your mind first, and it's an opportunity for our listeners to get to know you a little bit more personally. Are you ready?
Rivera: Great.
Harris: Okay. Miriam, I'll start with you. Reading a book or binge watching television?
Rivera: A book.
Harris: Okay. Office or working from home?
Rivera: Office. I hate the laundry. It's there waiting to be done.
Harris: I hear you. Coffee or tea?
Rivera: Coffee.
Harris: Email or phone call?
Rivera: Actually like phone.
Harris: Okay. One word to describe your legacy?
Rivera: Fairness.
Harris: Fairness. Okay. All right. Excellent. Okay, Ritu. Reading a book or binge watching television?
Narayan: Book, definitely.
Narayan: Working from home. I'm totally converted.
Harris: Okay. Okay. Coffee or tea?
Narayan: Tea.
Narayan: I like email, asynchronous communication. I like that.
Harris: Okay. One word to describe your legacy or you can use two?
Narayan: I am stealing from Miriam, lead boldly.
Harris: Yes. All right. Well ladies, stay safe and stay well, and Ritu, I'm going to be real excited to see what's happening with Zoom because I think as you have defined it, you do have a new opportunity that you would not have been exposed to had it not been for this pandemic. And thank you, thank you, thank you for this conversation on Access and Opportunity.
Narayan: Thank you.
Rivera: Thank you, Carla.
Harris: Thank you all for joining us for this episode of Access and Opportunity. In our next episode, we'll be joined by investor, Soraya Darabi, founder and general partner at Trail Mix Ventures, and entrepreneur, Sarah Sheehan, the co-founder and COO of Bravely. You won't want to miss it. Please remember to share your thoughts and feedback with us at carlapod@morganstanley.com. I can't wait to hear from you.
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47 New Adult Safe Environment Facilitators
by Deacon Blaine Westlake
Bishop Patrick J. Zurek has expressed his desire to provide a meaningful, viable and practical program for all adults who minister to children. Thus he authorized Praesidium (a company that is on the ground floor of developing safe environment training programs) to provide a such training. This training meets the standards and those "norms" established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
At the Bishop DeFalco Retreat Center on June 6-7, the Safe Environment Office of the Diocese of Amarillo, in cooperation with Praesidium offered a second training session for new Safe Environment Adult Facilitator's.
As a result of this training session, the diocese has added 47 new facilitators along with the previously trained facilitators for a total of 137 facilitators. These facilitators represent 44 parishes and all five Catholic schools in the Diocese of Amarillo.
All facilitators hold a responsible position in the parish and Catholic schools and are committed to training Church Personnel (volunteers, employees, teachers, deacons, priests, any adult who ministers to minors, etc.) so that everyone can feel safe and secure in our Catholic Facilities. Bishop Zurek has expressed his appreciation for the dedication of these Facilitators who so willingly dedicated their time to this ministry.
Most volunteers, if they have any planned, regular, private, isolated and/or unsupervised contact with minors, must receive Safe Environment Training and undergo a Criminal Background and do so every five years.
Every Catholic employee (diocesan, Catholic school and parish) and every Deacon and Priest must receive Safe Environment Training and undergo a criminal background regardless as to their assignment.
The Praesidium training, offered to all Church Personnel, utilizes a multimedia format as its training method. There are two videos shown that explain boundaries and appropriate behavior, how to recognize inappropriate behavior, how to recognize symptoms of abuse, plus the Facilitator's overview of the Safe Environment Policy and Code of Conduct, followed by a question and answer session.
If you are a volunteer who has not received clearance to minister to minors, or your five year clearance is about to expire, contact your pastor who can direct you to the person in your parish who can provide the training.
For further information regarding Safe Environment, Victim Assistance, Reporting Abuse, the Amarillo Diocese Safe Environment Policy and Programs for Children and Minors please visit the Diocese of Amarillo at www.amarillodiocese.org., under Safe Environment.
Deacon Blaine Westlake is Director of Safe Environment for the Diocese of Amarillo.


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Alternative 'What I've Done' video...
Discussion in 'Linkin Park Chat' started by Importskyline22, May 17, 2007.
Importskyline22 LPA VIP LPA VIP
Importskyline22, May 17, 2007
...Interesting....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uwRkPmDEmUY
Fatal Well-Known Member
Fatal, May 17, 2007
Hmm.. This one was interesting.
I don't feel it is real though.
mcpancakes Well-Known Member
mcpancakes, May 17, 2007
that's hella weird. if that had been the real video, it would've been terrible.
Luke, May 17, 2007
The ending is good. The rest is just boring.
Sub6 Member
Sub6, May 18, 2007
Hellflame 2K7 said: ↑
Same here, like the ending, but the rest was ok to me, kinda weird video tho. Reminds me of 28 days later or something like that..
El Muerto LPA Super Member LPA Super Member
El Muerto, May 18, 2007
Does anyone know who actually made this?
GigaScythe Well-Known Member
GigaScythe, May 18, 2007
Well this isn't official.
Some Aussies made it, that's all that's apparent
Neotriple LPA VIP LPA VIP
Neotriple, May 18, 2007
It was from the official Australian Warner Site.
CHW42 Well-Known Member
CHW42, May 18, 2007
This is a real video made by Warner Brothers. I thought the guy who had the suitcase kind of looked like Chester...eh I don't know.
minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team
minuteforce, May 28, 2007
nonetheless, it was crap. and entirely fictional. i was about to laugh at everyone for believing it was official but ... it probably is.
Harlz More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me LPA Super Member
Harlz, May 28, 2007
Its weird... I remember someone posting in the Got News thread a long time ago, something about how if you wanted to be in an add for Minutes To Midnight, go to a particular address on Friday night, and wear a black jumper and jeans.
That couldn't have turned into this could it? I dunno, but I'd love to find out whats the deal with this video.
Agent Formerly known as Agent Sideburns LPA Über VIP
Agent, May 28, 2007
[HARLZ];658522 said:
Yeah, I posted that. As for the video, I dunno...it just doesn't go with the song :\
Gitsnik, May 28, 2007
Well at least there is a story but I don't like it.
Rachel look at my horse. LPA Super Member
Rachel, May 28, 2007
I like it, but I think it's a bit too NIN "Year Zero" for an LP video.
Jordan Secret Robot
Jordan, May 29, 2007
http://minutestomidnight.com.au/ It's official, just click watch.
It doesn't go with the song, but could be alright as a short film
Feenix Well I Do
Feenix, May 29, 2007
Wasn't the greatest video ever.
Quite laughable actually. Which is what I think made it watchable.
Snail, May 29, 2007
Kinda reminds me of the FRGT/10 video. Still skeptical about whether or not this is real, but cool anyhow.
XVZ Banned
XVZ, May 30, 2007
Yeah it reminded me also of the 4gt/10 video, isn't this made by a fan, like a big part of the Reanimation videos?
LostWound said: ↑
I don't know how many people have said it already but it is real, and not fanmade
You can go to the official Australian Linkin Park site, http://minutestomidnight.com.au/ and the video is on there.
amsterdamman Member
amsterdamman, May 31, 2007
hi all, yeah i think its legit, being on the the official site and all. its quite difficult following the clip aswell. whats it all supposed to mean?