According to the Conference Board the global economy will slow in key markets such as Europe and Japan and U.S. companies will struggle with exports to China and mature economies around the world. Yet, for many, doing business globally remains a primary source of revenue and a major goal in 2019. Few are naive about the challenges involved in going global in today’s environment. But expanding the local-global connection will be a 2019 goal for many businesses, leaders, and employees. Here’s what they will need to consider.
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Social Justice – ADR TRENDS 2019
Many of the contributors to the ADR 2019 TRENDS project are disappointed and fearful as the increasing divisions in society become the new normal. The wide range of writers expressing their concerns includes philanthropists, poets, and diversity experts. Many are pessimistic, but there are rays of hope, too, in their predictions below.
The Online Experience – ADR TRENDS 2019
Forbes Magazine has listed 11 trends to watch in online technology in 2019. Those trends include increased online sales, more automation, improved interface between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI), better cybersecurity, faster connections, and the convergence of various technologies along with multiple devices that are inter-connected.
Perhaps the most intriguing, and unexpected, trend predicted is addressing the technology backlash. No details of how this would be done are given. But, the article assures us that headlines about the negative influence of technology on our democratic process, society, and interpersonal relationships will fade away as 2019 progresses.
Dr. Joseph Nwoye: Belief Formation & Transformation
Dr. Nwoye is an educator and inclusion specialist focused on belief formation. As president of Diversity Frontier, he also focuses on unconscious bias, diversity policies and practice. He is the author of two books and more than 50 articles that share tools from his experience tackling social issues such as achievement gaps, race, and gender. Dr. Nwoye served as the Director of Multicultural Education at Illinois State University and as chief investigator on discriminatory issues.
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Freedom and Feudalism in the U.S. – by Debasish Majumdar
I just love the U.S. I have no desire to visit there, but I am thrilled by their homeland history where feudalism was eclipsed by the American struggle for independence, where from slavery there was an elevation, to a capitalist economy which paved the way to become an epitome of Justice, Liberty and Fraternity.
But, of late, the essence of feudal vices being emanated from their very core of social life is a grave concern for all who love freedom and liberty. I am worried that it may lose their pristine essence of the land of liberty, for which many aspire to embark upon.
Continue reading Freedom and Feudalism in the U.S. – by Debasish Majumdar
Pandora’s Box of Hate – by Deborah Levine
Editor’s note: this article on anti-Semitism was originally published as an op-ed in The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Russian President Putin got my attention when he suggested that Jews with Russian citizenship might have interfered in the 2016 US presidential election. “Maybe they’re not even Russians,” said Putin. “Maybe they’re Ukrainians, Tatars, Jews, just with Russian citizenship – even that needs to be checked.” Putin reminded me why my great grandparents made the harrowing journey from Russia and the Ukraine to the United States. My ancestors weren’t the only ones. Between 1881 and 1924, over 2.5 million East European Jews sought to escape the relentless persecution and ghettoization. The slice of history was captured in the movie Fiddler on the Roof, but while Hollywood entertained, it didn’t fully show the history of anti-Semitism in Russia and Eastern Europe, or its ongoing ripple effect.
Give Thanks and Seek Peace – by Deborah Levine
( originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Thanksgiving isn’t just food, family, football, and Black Friday. Not that there’s anything wrong with stuffing yourselves and your loved ones and then heading for the couch and TV or the shopping mall. All are fine American traditions celebrating the abundance in our lives, topped off with delicious left overs. But they seem more removed than ever from the holiday’s intended purpose.
That purpose was demonstrated at the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service held at Pilgrim Congregational Church. We sat in the pews listening to the harmonies of a choir made up of talented congregants from faith groups across the city. The graceful music surrounded and filled us as religious leaders representing Baha’i, Catholic, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant communities offered prayers and poems of gratitude and compassion.
Continue reading Give Thanks and Seek Peace – by Deborah Levine
A Bermudian-American Poem for Thanksgiving – by Deborah Levine
We came to America without a clue
When November rolled around and Thanksgiving, too
Stories of refugees sailing in hope
The Mayflower and Plymouth Rock – Who knew!
They fled from the British
but wasn’t that us?
Just listen to this little girl’s
vocab of therefore and thus
I’d never seen a turkey, no drumstick or wing
Never saw a pumpkin or eaten a pie
My eyes got bigger and my ears perked up
I knew the tune I heard them sing
My country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
but the words were all wrong
cause it’s an English song
“God save our gracious queen
God save the Queen”
We’d come from Bermuda to be a Jew
Religious freedom and expression, too
Where seldom was heard
A Hebrew prayer or word
Now we sit down together
for the best feast ever
Embracing a new life, a diverse one, with pleasure
Giving thanks for our differences and our joy beyond measure.
Susan Popoola: The Challenge of Unconscious Bias
Susan Popoola is a Human Value Optimisation Specialist and published author of books that reflect on the opportunities, challenges, evolution and diversity of today’s world. Headquartered in the UK, Susan has a rich experience working in different people-related roles within organisations whilst simultaneously engaging in education and wider society. See more at www.MosaicFusions.com
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Holocaust Lessons at Memorial Auditorium – by Deborah Levine
(originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press)
When I heard that Holocaust Survivor Eva Schloss was speaking in Chattanooga, I seriously considered staying home. I know Holocaust stories all too well from my work in Holocaust education, the hand-typed memoirs of survivors sent to me, and my father’s World War II letters. Dad was a US military intelligence officer assigned to interrogate Nazi prisoners of war. His letters described their education into fascism and its authoritarian ultranationalism, dehumanizing minorities and suppressing opposition.
Continue reading Holocaust Lessons at Memorial Auditorium – by Deborah Levine