GoHuman Blog

Sunshine’s parents report on GoHuman.com’s Valentine’s day Microcause:

Beloved Friends and Family around the world!  Thank you for your prayers for our precious, much loved and only child Robert Omid aka. Sunshine.

8 years ago we learned of a wonderful therapy program which was beyond our reach until GoHuman.com helped us launch a global fundraiser.  My beloved cousin and her family in Sydney, Australia organized a hugely successful fundraising evening.  Donations from $1 to $6000 surpassed the original goal of $14,900, to also cover needed car repairs and travel costs.  We’re now leaving on a 3 day trip from Wisconsin to Massachusetts.

Our first destination is Chicago as today is a Baha’i Holy Day, the death of the Beloved Bab in Iran in 1850.  In memory of my beloved father, martyred with 3 other Baha’is in Qazvin on July 9, 1982, I have been asked to chant at the Mother Temple of the West in Wilmette, tonight, Friday July 9; at 12:30 p.m. public Devotions in Commemoration of the Bab’s Martyrdom.

We’re honored to start our trip this way, and hope and pray with all our hearts and souls that our precious son’s life will change during this intensive treatment program.  We, his parents, will also be trained, so that, God willing, we can continue treatment after our return.

You will all be in our humble thoughts and prayers at the Temple in Chicago, and we ask for your prayers as well

With utmost love and gratitude; Shohreh and Robert
Sunshine’s grateful parents

The Moldenhauers visit the Franssons

Having a vision is the single most important quality a leader possesses. It gives him/her the guidance necessary to achieve success. Vision motivates a leader to inspire others and share in that vision. A leader without a vision, is like a traveler who has no idea where they’re going.

To develop a vision requires us to look within ourselves, because it starts from the inside. It’s not something that just appears overnight, it grows from a leader’s past experiences, mistakes, lessons learned and the people around them.  A leader draws from their own strengths & talents, dreams and greatest passions, when creating their vision.

The greater the vision a leader has, the stronger of a team he/she will need to support and help accomplish the goals. It’s equally as important that a leader have someone who they can turn to for guidance, whether that be a mentor, coach, superior; someone with more experience than they have and who can keep them in alignment with the results they want to achieve.

Lastly, a vision should be greater than any past memories, mistakes or accomplishments. If the vision is clear, the journey begins by taking one step at a time. Discouragement and frustration aren’t caused by not practicing, but rather by not having clarity about the journey itself and where it begins.

1776 in the U.S. is symbolic of the struggle for freedom from those who would tax without representation.  Economic freedom.  Since last July 4 the markets had a wild recovery ride, but in the last month they’re trending dramatically down again.  The power of global government stimulus has run its course, and the fundamental problems have not yet been fixed.  New regulations have been authored and are in various stages of approval, but there is disagreement on what they will or won’t achieve, both positively and negatively.

There are many ways to look at this problem.  I like the chart at bottom with democracy and economic freedom on a grid.  We could discuss the placement of various countries, but to do so we’d have to first discuss the criteria by which we evaluate the terms.  That would lead to other discussions – and it gets pretty complex pretty fast.  Here’s an interesting video that shows there is hope we’ll get it right!

GoHuman.com’s answer to these challenges is to unite and strengthen local entrepreneurs, supported by a marketplace with transparent information.  This allows prices and services to find their own levels, as in so-called free markets.  But by building it from the bottom up, and putting ownership in the hands of the individual, we strip power from “market makers” who manipulate and control the so-called free markets to their advantage.  We welcome your input to this discussion.

Thank you to our members and supporters.  We look forward to working with you to make GoHuman.com even better in the year ahead.

Fathers are as different and unique as snowflakes.  More so – as they range across the full saint to sinner spectrum.  But we can all acknowledge that without a father we wouldn’t be here.  And the majority of people on the planet no doubt have very positive feelings related to their father, because of what our fathers represent to us.

For me Father’s day has taken on a much deeper significance over the last 32 months.  From the moment my wife told me I was going to be a daddy my life was transformed.  Zoe, who’s name is Greek for Life – helps me understand its meaning.  Being her daddy offers the inspiration needed to move mountains that need moving in creating a better world.

And that is the tie-in to GoHuman.com, which seeks to Change the way the world works – for the better.

Happy Father's Day from me, Zoe and GoHuman.com

Why GoHuman.com?  Reason #13 is to give fathers another way to change the way the world works

Reason #1; Reason #2; Reason #3; Reason #4; Reason #5; Reason #6; Reason #7; Reason #8; Reason #9; Reason #10; Reason #11; Reason #12

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day of reflection on those who died in Military Service. In America it’s politically correct to speak out “in support of our troops” but war is controversial.

GoHuman.com is not afraid to challenge the status quo, question common wisdom and “make people think”. Historically it can be said that most of the men and women who have died in US wars gave their all for their ideals, but probably not all of them did, nor was every war a “just” war. With a history of drafts and volunteers, some “gave all” for the ideals of others or because the Military was a path to a better personal future.

I was born outside the US and have had two non-US passports. I’m now a US citizen, but still see multiple sides. There are many view-points on war, armed struggle and change. I was living in Germany when Dances With Wolves came out, a big hit there for reasons I won’t seek to explain here. Check out Soderbergh’s dual-movie 5+ hours on Che Guevara or other documentaries on civil wars to gain additional perspective.

GoHuman.com seeks to Change the Way Our World Works from the bottom up, one professional reputation and one connection at a time. There are numerous revolutionary principles embedded in the concept, business model and execution. For us Memorial Day is an inspiration to struggle, peacefully, for change. There are numerous ways to get involved, including a number of positions open. Let me know if you are interested.

GoHuman.com is serious about freedom and positive change, about dedicating our lives to a better future for all. Please let us know what you are doing to “Change the Way Your World Works”.

In memory of those who gave all for their ideals

Reason #1; Reason #2; Reason #3; Reason #4; Reason #5; Reason #6; Reason #7; Reason #8; Reason #9

Why GoHuman.com?  Reason #10 is that we provide a different perspective

Reason #11; Reason #12

I was on Ted.com the other day, listening to Seth Godin talk about tribes and more specifically about the dynamics of starting a movement. In this talk he spoke about how it is important to find a group that needs something and connect them with an idea that will address their needs. During this economic recession I have been bombarded with requests to forward resumes and requests for job leads from readers of my blog and listeners of my radio show. As much as I would love to help every single one of my supporters, I simply did not have the resources to make an impact.

Capitalism is driven by advertising.  It pays for our lifestyle but at what cost?

Global corporations reverse-engineer our psyche with mega-million-dollar advertising budgets, and program us on what to buy.  A system of systems arose profiting from the consumption of crap – euphemism intended.  Stellar brands for worse than worthless products are built by these machines.

Coke “adds life” – and 8 teaspoons of sugar to a nation struggling with diabetes and obesity epidemics.  Sugar free versions contributed to cancer, alongside a cancer causing scourge sold to us by sexpots, future presidents, babies, Mickey Mantle and Santa Claus.  What no-one wants can be sold for massive profits.

What’s wrong with that?

Maybe sponsorship is merchandising the bodies and souls of men?  If that’s too dark, Raj Patel’s video on The Value of Nothing is a good chaser.

Why GoHuman.com? reason #5: Our business model is not advertising.  Our growth depends on members taking owning up, not selling out.

Does Santa Clause cancer?

Reason #1; Reason #2; Reason #3; Reason #4;

Reason #6?: Food Fight!; Reason #7; Reason #8; Reason #9; Reason #10; Reason #11; Reason #12

As we watch the fallout of Capitalism gone wild, and what it does to those who indulge their greed and lust for power, it’s important to remember that the little choices we make along the way are determinate of big choices we would make if we were in those positions.

In this light I read an interesting article in the May, 2009 Ode (the magazine for intelligent optimists). You have to love the tag-line, as the editors are aware that they are at risk of being called naive. You can check out the article “Getting to the Heart of Money” online.

Two choice examples used are an Israeli day care that implemented late fees and found parents were more motivated by common courtesy and perception than money, and volunteers collecting more for charities than those paid to canvas. Bruno Frey, economist at the University of Zurich maintains “People are much more altruistic than standard economics claims,” and lays down the following gauntlet: “The challenge is for economists to nurture this intrinsic motivation instead of crowding it out.”

At GoHuman.com we’re working to attract people to the vision of a better marketplace, that not only helps small businesses reduce marketing costs, improve branding, and grow their customer base, but ensures those who care about making things better are also rewarded for their contributions and the value they create.

We thank those of you who are already on board, and hope to continue this dialogue as a reality check on how we’re doing in maintaining this delicate balance. We view our members, customers, supporters and co-owners as mirrors that keep the operators honest, to ensure that the small choices we make today are in line with the philosophy of creating a transparent market that rewards all contributors in an equitable fashion, no matter when they joined or what positions they hold.

Let us know how we’re doing!

You’ll have noticed the GoHuman byline above: “change the way your world works.”

Well, the folks at GoHuman.com aren’t your only friends who have that dream – witness Google’s 10th birthday initiative 10^100.

It began in September 2008, asking the public to submit world-changing ideas, from which Google would select and invest $10,000,000 into the most promising.

I’m quick to give a big “thumbs-up” to this, because with Google’s money, public image and presence they’re in a fantastic position to bring in some great ideas out of the 150,000 which have been submitted so far! Hey, who wouldn’t want better methods of clearing landmines, or more effective ways of making our taxes work? So, expect some great things out of Google!

But the skeptic in me keeps reminding me that Google, as a publicly traded company, has an over-riding legal responsibility to constantly deliver the greatest profit for its shareholders!

So what happens to the vast majority of those 150,000 ideas which have profit-making potential? Have the rights been signed over to Google?

One assumes the people contributing these ideas do want to help the world, so they don’t mind if they personally don’t make anything out of it. Or, perhaps they are hoping Google will recognize their genius and take them onboard. But are there any guarantees?

And what about the ideas which would bring great good to the world – but not great profit to Google? What if an idea would be of huge benefit to the world, but also reduce Google’s profit, increase a competitors’ profits, or reduce Google’s market power?

Isn’t Google, like any large corporation, despite having lofty sounding ideals and the greatest of goodwill, trapped by the capitalist system?

I expect, and I’m ready to applaud some real world-changing improvements out of the 10^100 initiative, and I hope I’m wrong in my fear that the best will never see the light of day.

I read an Associated Press release on Yahoo today that announces the U.S. slipping in global competitiveness to #2.

In 2005 Finland held the top spot, which the U.S. grabbed in 2006, and held on to until edged out by Switzerland this year.

But “Given that the financial crisis originated in large part in the United States, it is hardly surprising that there has been a weakening of the assessment of its financial market sophistication.”

Yep, hardly surprising, but the article fails to mention something that is. Have you spotted it yet?

Here’s another clue. “Singapore came third, followed by Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Canada and the Netherlands.”

Is it jumping out at you?

Think about the national debate in the U.S. around the economic crisis, and our two-party approach to solving it.

The U.S. likes to paint things black and white. Right and wrong. Left and right. You may have heard critics to the political right of our current President spreading the fear of “creeping Socialism”, claiming that we are trending closer towards an economic and global doomsday because of it.

Without getting into that debate take a look at the current top 10 “strong economies” as listed above. How many of them are considered “Capitalist” vs. “Socialist”? Can you clearly name them, and would others agree with you? Is the answer really as simple as “Capitalism” vs. “Socialism”?

Check out my Independence Day blog for my take on this question.

GoHuman.com offers a model that is outside these labels. Our vision is quite simple. A free, equal access marketplace, based on transparent reputation, to enable a restructuring of our economic system from the ground up.

Further, our business model leverages the latest technologies and trends in a platform that rewards those that contribute value to it. The principles of fairness, equality and integrity are more important to us than amassing wealth and gaining advantage over others.

We know we’ve got a ways to go to achieve this vision and these lofty goals, but we’re putting it out there. We’d also like to know how you think we’re doing.

And, of course, help us spread the word

Swiss Flag