As you can see from my username, I am almost ready to welcome our first child into this lovely world, and there are several names I like. Problem is narrowing them down. We didn’t find out the child’s sex, so we came up with both boy and girl names. Please tell me what your favourite/two favourites for each gender. Please be polite, and even if you hate them all, just choose the “most tolerable.” Thank you.
Girls:
Willow
Astoria
Tertia
Sailor
Nora
Sage
Poppy
Matilda
Boys:
August
Terrance (Terry)
Theodore (Theo)
Geoffrey
Edmund
Sawyer
Jasper
BQ: Suggest middle names for the girl names Sienna and Winter.
Girls:
I love your names! They are beautiful my favourites are:
Astoria 9/10
Sailor 10/10
Nora 8/10
Poppy 8/10
I love how unique Sailor is, I love Sailor Skye, Sailor Wynter & Sailor Jane!
Boys:
I like Theodore, Sawyer and Jasper. I prefer Sawyer for a girl but thats just me. Jasper is my favourite!! I think Jasper Theodore, is beautiful!
Kenday S. Kamara is a native of Sierra Leone, where he attended Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, 1982-1986. Kenday is an international development consultant in administration, policy development and capacity building. Kenday has consulted for VVMZ (a consulting firm based in Slovakia) as Administrator Expert for the 2007/2008 ACP-EU BizClim Microfinance Demand Survey (a project implemented for the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA). Kenday is also consultant for Global Integrity – www.globalintegrity.org (an independent, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., tracking governance and corruption trends around the world) and Konesens Research, Inc. – www.konesens.com (a US-based global research and development consulting firm). Kenday is a Ph.D. scholar-practitioner in applied management and decision sciences at WaldenUniversity, specializing in leadership and organizational change. Kenday can be reached at kenday.kamara@waldenu.edu or via Skype at: medcallconsultants
Last week I travelled back east for two wonderful reunions, one a semi-annual gathering with my extended family and the other was an angst riddled glimpse of my tax dollars at work in Washington DC. The DC portion is a trip that I think every business owner in America should make periodically. Don’t visit just because of congress or the Small Business Administration being there but go because many of the fundamental definitions of American enterprise are there.
At a visual level, seeing the glistening stone buildings around Washington, especially by night really is a soul stirring experience. They are some of the most famous and memorable images in our culture. There are reminders of our country’s proud history in all directions not to mention the artifacts of some less than proud moments. Yes, I went by the Watergate complex twice! In fact I don’t think that anyone can truly understand America without spending some time in the capitol. It is like a classroom for what being an American really means and if I were the emperor, anyone who wants to become a citizen would have to spend at least two days there.
When I spent time on Capitol Hill and other venues it was surprising that there weren’t any noticeable signs of the continuing recession. I see more panhandlers and day laborers during a fifteen minute walk in Los Angeles than during two days there. Watching the painters, landscapers, security people, food vendors and others prompted me to realize that small businesses supply many services in the district and their prime customer the federal government has been spending more money recently, not less. As I was weighing the price of a metro ticket against the cost of taking a cab across town, some Washington business owners were probably smiling at their large federal contracts.
It was while visiting the Library of Congress building near the capitol that a major disconnect between today’s legislators and the founding fathers became painfully apparent to me. In the library you can learn about the processes that lead to the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, Federalist Papers and other foundational documents for America by reading the documents. Looking at that information which outlines the American vision and government’s role, you begin to wonder what books our members of the House and Senate have been reading. If we use those founding documents as a template for the business of government in America, today we badly need streamlining, right sizing and a new strategic plan. I feel that Washington should be the center of business leadership in our country and not a burden or major obstacle to enterprise.
None of the historic monuments had more impact on me than the magnificent Lincoln Memorial. It is open 24 hours a day and a nighttime visit is simply spectacular. Gazing at the huge stone statue of Abraham Lincoln is both inspirational and humbling. History has shown America’s 16th president to have been wiser than most of the men who’ve occupied the White House. There are inscriptions of two of Lincoln’s best known speeches inside the building, the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural speech but my favorite slab of wisdom from the great president follows. It could be a credo for every entrepreneurial thinker and business owner in the country.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves. ……..Abraham Lincoln
I’d gladly vote for compelling every politician at any level of government to keep a copy of President Lincoln’s advice on their person at all times, maybe even having it tattooed on the hand they use to sign legislation! While America’s largest businesses have lobbyists sell their points of view to the Washington crowd, small business has much less clout though they form the bulk of the job creation force in the country. When you look at the most destitute cities in America, they are the ones that big business has abandoned. Their recoveries will depend on small business as the healthiest communities are built on the bedrock of thriving enterprises with less than five hundred employees. The president and senior officials pay verbal tribute to small business a couple of times per year, but when you look at their appointment calendars, the big meetings are with big money.
I do hope you take your entrepreneurial self to Washington and when you do you’ll notice that the literal distance between the congressional offices and the congressional library is only a few hundred yards. There you can personally be inspired by reading the founding fathers smartest thinking and best advice. Right now I feel that there is a yawing chasm between what our forefathers intended and what recent crops of Capitol Hill residents are doing. The divide is so sharp that the two bodies of thinking might as well be in different countries. I want us to get back to the business of living the greatest vision of America.
About the Author
Nelson Davis was born in Andalusia, Alabama (near Montgomery) and grew up in Niagara Falls, New York. From the age of fourteen on, his burning desire was to get into radio broadcasting. Nelson’s career began with a high school internship program and part-time announcing job at a local radio station. From Niagara Falls he moved to a larger station in Ottawa, Ontario, where he continued his formal education with business courses. In addition to disc jockey duties, he became a program director and host of various television shows.
Eleven years later found Nelson in Los Angeles with his hopes of becoming a game show host transformed into learning the production side of television. Freelancing as a discussions show host and producer, he produced and/or directed such diverse projects as a series for PBS, commercials for presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, and a film in Africa.
Mr. Davis joined the NBC TV Network in 1980 as Manager of Mini-series, eventually becoming Director of Daytime Programming. One of his early jobs at NBC TV was Censor for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Between NBC and starting his own production company in 1988, Mr. Davis was involved in many interesting projects as a producer. He was hired by Merv Griffin to produce the pilot episode of Jeopardy to bring it back to television; he was Executive Producer of Name That Tune for its rebirth in 1984; and he helped launch the Fashion Channel.
Mr. Davis began Nelson Davis Television Productions with the idea of bringing together special television programming with sponsors who wish to reach a niche audience. His first weekly series was “MAKING IT! Minority Success Stories”. The show has been on the air since March 1989 and has received over twenty-five awards and citations from all levels of government and business organizations, including two Emmys as Best Public Affairs series. “MAKING IT!” is broadcast in several California markets and is seen by satellite and cable viewers across the country.
In 1989, Nelson Davis TV Productions also created and co-produced Campus All-Star Challenge, a quiz series for historically black colleges. Sponsored by Honda and broadcast on BET for five years, the program has enabled cash grants of over $2.3 million to be awarded to participating schools. Nelson Davis TV Productions is also proud to have produced children’s specials built around oral storytelling, and Black History Notes, which celebrates Black History month.
Nelson is committed to combining his knowledge of television production and marketing to use TV as a medium to communicate positive messages and enable economic empowerment. Among community organizations, Nelson serves as: Los Angeles Area Vice President of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; Board of Advisors member for the National Association of Women Business Owners; Board of Directors member of the Pacific Coast Regional Small Business Development Corporation; Member of Santa Monica College Associates. Mr. Davis has also been active with Big Brothers.
RECENT AWARDS
Media Advocate of the Year Award- U.S. Small Business Administration
Supplier of the Year Award – Southern California Regional Purchasing Council
Entrepreneurial Dream Maker Award – Women’s Enterprise Development Corporation
Minority Advocate of the Year Award – U.S. Small Business Administration
Two Emmy Award winner – as Executive Producer of “MAKING IT!”
Entertainment Award – Los Angeles Mayor’s Minority Business Committee
my favourites are:
