Top 5 World Problems

1. World Hunger
2. Child abuse/Neglect
3. Drug/Human trafficking
4. Homelessness
5. Domestic Abuse

 Order of Feasibility:

1. World Hunger
2. Homelessness
3. Domestic Abuse
4. Drug/human trafficking
5. Child abuse/Neglect

I think World Hunger is the biggest issue because it effects the most people and leads to starvation and eventually death for so many. 

I believe World Hunger is also the easiest problem to solve because there are already so many programs in place trying to put an end to this issue. They just need more support by the government and they need to be placed higher on their priority list. We need to shift the focus from monetary gain to the quality of life and making sure people are not starving to death will definitely enhance their quality of life. 

I think stopping child abuse and neglect is the least feasible and hardest to prevent because it is hard to find these victims. Many children are abused at home in private environments and it is very difficult to identify these children. Also it is not easy to remove children from dangerous homes and sometimes even removing them does not put them in better situations. It is without a doubt a cause that needs drastic attention but one that also needs a lot of time and thought to find the best course of action. 

Reading Reflection

In this chapter, the dark side of entrepreneurship stood out to me the most. I expected financial and career risk of course but I did not expect to read about social and psychic risk. Definitely something I would be weary of.

I found the piece on rationalizations and the various roles (failure, distortion and assertion) to be confusing and I had to reread this piece to fully understand its point. I think it is interesting that this book to an approach that incorporated the qualities of a successful entrepreneur like energy, vision and passion and coupled them with the values and ethics that attribute to this success.

I don't necessarily believe that the influence of an owner is greater in a small business than a large corporation because of diffusing leadership through layers. If an owner has a strong value system and inspires his managers to hold those same values that leadership should carry throughout the company. If it doesn't I think that is a lack of effort by the owner.

Questions for the author:

1. I understand there must be a tolerance for ambiguity but how does an entrepreneur deal with setbacks?  What tips can we use?

2. How can we avoid becoming unrealistic optimists?

Identifying Local Opportunities

Newspaper: The Jacksonville Daily Progress

Valdosta lawmaker wants schools to track missing students

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8ED6CC9E6B2D0?p=AWNB

This story is about changing the protocol for taking attendance in schools to ensure the safety of all children. They want to require teachers to take attendance at the beginning of each class period and have a school official look into the absences to verify that no students are missing.

 The problem presented is safety. A boy was found dead and officials want better records to be kept.

All schools have this problem keeping tracks of hundreds sometimes thousands of students. However, this particular story is about Lowndes high school.


Avian flu triggers killing of Indiana poultry flocks

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8992AEE004E60?p=AWNB

This story is about a flourishing virus that has begun to spread as a result of low temperatures and decreased ventilation. The virus was detected on a turkey farm in Indiana where officials decided the best way to neutralize the problem was to kill more than 400,000 chickens and turkeys.

The problem here is again safety but instead of physical safety we are talking about health precautions and the dangers of spreading disease. 

This problem is concentrated in Dubois County.

Need for blood donors increases in winter

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7EF59E9D8B520?p=AWNB

This story is about the lack of donors available in the winter. Sources say that the amount of people willing to donate in the holiday months falls by 20% compared to other times of the year. These companies are the sole suppliers to many area hospitals and are trying to encourage people tohelp save lives. 

The problem here is a decreased blood supply. 

This is affecting Danville, Illinois area patients in need of blood transfers and platelets. 

Jacksonville Chamber seeks photos to tell city’s story

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7EF5A32F3E260?p=AWNB

This story is about the need of a community to work together and compile photos of their long history. The community is trying to make stronger ties and increases their tourist revenue. 

The problem here is a need to find these lost historical pictures. 

The chamber of Commerce in Jacksonville, Texas is faced with this challenge. 

Wal-Mart closures hit small communities

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A7489B0E5E0A20?p=AWNB

This story is about the closing of many Walmart locations and how this will cause many people to be unemployed and many others to spend more money going to father and more expensive stores. For the community of Godley, Texas this is their last standing grocery store and residents will have to travel outside city limits for their loaf of bread and gallon of milk. 

The problem here is the financial crisis that these stores closing will have on these small communities. 

Many small communities in Texas face this problem especially the city of Godley. 

Very Short Interview No. 1

I am from the horse capital of the world so naturally I interviewed a thoroughbred horse trainer. He has had over 2000 starts on a track with 293 first place wins, 281 second place wins and 236 third place wins.

1. What is one reason you decided to be an entrepreneur and go into business for yourself?

I get to set my own schedule and can be in charge of my comings and goings. In the type of business that I am in as a horse trainer, our days start very early before the sun comes up and I am usually done by 10:00am each day.

2. What do you think is important for me to learn about becoming an entrepreneur?

Many days will not be easy. They key is to never give up. Like I said I've had over 2000 starts but I've only placed in the top three 810 times. Nothing goes as planned and quite often you have to use up plan A, B and C before plan D works out. Learn to expect the unexpected and learn to dust yourself off when you come up short and try again.

3. What are the negative parts of working for yourself and having your own business?

The hardest part is keeping reliable employees full year round. This business requires traveling up north and back down south multiple times a year. Keeping the same employees year to year can be a challenge. It is a very hard at times working 7 days a week.

For my reflection, I want to list another question I asked.

What is most rewarding part of your job?

With this particular job the most rewarding part for me is when we win a race. Especially if we are not the favorite or a long shot. It shows all the hard work and long hours paid off and the pay out is even better!

I think this sums up why everyone should want to be an entrepreneur. Every day there are new challenges and higher expectations to meet. Its a great feeling to overcome those obstacles and an even better feeling when people bet against you!

Worlds Biggest Problems

1. World Hunger: All over the world people are starving for days without food and ultimately dying of hunger. Many programs are already in place to help this cause but I believe more can be done. For example, I know many restaurants that I have worked for who throw away food that is just extra but has nothing wrong with it. This food could be donated to local shelters.

2. Child Neglect/Abuse: Not every home is safe for children. Fortunately many of these cases are uncovered by teachers once children are enrolled in school. I think additional measures should be made by school counselors to observe children and parent behaviors. Also more should be done to reduce the time, stress and money it takes to adopt a child. Many people want to adopt but cant get through the process.

3. Domestic Abuse: No one should fear for their personal safety. Everyone should play a bigger role in advertising the rights of everyone not just one gender or the other.

4.  Animal Abuse/Neglect: Shelters around the world are filling with animals and cant care for any additional pets. More should be done to brief people before they adopt. No one should adopt a pet and than a few days or weeks later decide they don't want a pet or cant care for one.

5. Deforestation: It is important that we moderate the amount of construction and deforestation that we allow to happen. We must take measures to replace the trees and plants we destroy in other places. Wildlife needs to be allowed to flourish.

6. Racial Stereotyping: People jump to conclusions about others based on materialistic observations that have little or nothing to do with their character. It is important to not be gullible but it is equally important to give people an opportunity to show their character before you judge it.

7. Global Warming:  Our actions are depleting the ozone layer and we need to be conscious of those actions and take steps to reduce how much we use that negatively impacts the planet.

8. Pollution: The population is growing and that means so does our waste pile. Recycling and reusing products is not encouraged as much as it should be. Every school and business should have recycling options to help take care of the planet.

9. Homelessness: Many people are without homes. Some of them beg for money on the street side. With the amount of abandoned homes in the world much could be done to provide homes for people without them. Social service projects could be started for them to pay off the debts or mortgages without having money to pay. They could even help to fix up their own homes and others.

10. Drug/Human/etc Trafficking: Crime is a problem across the globe and negatively impacts many aspects of peoples lives. We should tighten boarder control and implement new government procedures to worsen the punishment for these offenses and improve the arrest rates.

Bug List

Bugs Bunny here to tell you about what really BUGS me!

It really BUGS me when...

1. I buy a brand new to-go cup and it doesn't fit in my cup holder!
   -Many companies and factories make different sized cup for longer travel, cheaper production costs, eye appeal, etc.
2. I go to the grocery store and the bagger packs the items incorrectly and smashes the bread or cracks the eggs.
   -An attempt to  use less bags, maybe also a lack of resources and training time
3.  I have to pay money for checks to spend my own money.
   -To cover the cost of paper and ink and possibly to encourage online banking and save paper
4. I try to drive home on archer at 5:30 and it takes 30 minutes to go two miles.
   -Everyone is trying to go home when they get off work at 5
5. I order something online and it says its in stock and then my order is cancelled days later.
   -Probably a delay between orders being placed and the removal of a product from the internet
6. I look up an address for a business and then I drive their and its wrong.
   -Not all businesses remember to update all their listings
7. I order food to go and need 50 ketchup packets because each one carries one drop.
   -to save money and to not be wasteful
8. I need to get in my front door but its too dark to see any I spend thirty minutes trying to get inside.
   -Its dark in the evening and lights require electricity and more money. Also if your gone all day your not going to leave the light on until you return.
9. I order something online and its not standard size, its a sample size instead.
   -Not all sizes are universal. In addition sometimes sample sizes are listed at lower values to encourage buyers but people forget to read the details
10. I go to use a public restroom and there is no soap, toilet paper or paper towels.
   -Public restrooms get more foot traffic than private restrooms and companies don't always have the staff to continually stock restrooms
11. I open my blinds but then the cord is too long and either trips someone or is ripped down by a pet or child.
   -the cord becomes longer once you pull up the blinds and doesn't have a way to hang or shorten.
12. I put a shoe back on a toddler ten times in a row because they know how to use Velcro.
   -Children are beginning to learn basic skills.
13.  I try to go for a run but my headphones are tangled in a knot.
   -the material of the wires is easily tangled
14. I buy a new pair of leggings and the color comes straight off of them.
    -lack of manufacturing efforts, lack of regulations, cheap products
15. The oven is set to a certain temperature but burns or under cooks the food.
   -the thermostat is not in balance or regulated
16. I put popcorn in the microwave for the time listed in the box and then my kitchen is filled with smoke.
   -not all microwaves have the same watts and only certain packaging companies account for that in their directions
17.  Something is advertised as free but then at the last second asks you to enter a credit or debit card.
   -to encourage interest, once you have gone through the whole process and entered all your information you are so exited for it that you probably will just buy it
18. I pay for a trial or one time use of a product and forget to cancel and am charged again.
   -companies offer trials to get people interested knowing that most people will forget to cancel before the deadline and they will make more money.
19. I buy a whole loaf of bread but can't eat it fast enough as one person before it goes bad.
   -factories only make a standard loaf size, not half loafs
20. I buy a pair of jeans and the pockets are fake.
   -cheaper to manufacture

Reflection:
Coming up with this list was hard. Many things bug me but I've never sat down and tried to list them all. I think it is difficult because things only bug us when we experience them and trying to remember all of those experiences after they have happened is hard to do.

My Entrepreneurship Story

Hello again!

    From my last blog post, it is clear that I have a history of agriculture. It really started to bloom in the fourth grade when I raised my first chicken for the festival. After that, I began to take agriculture classes. Ag provided me many opportunities to act like an entrepreneur.

    My most vivid memory is of the time in eighth grade when I was in charge of putting together a school carnival for a fundraiser.

It took a lot of time and effort. I had to work with many different teams and pull everyone together to focus on one goal, raising money for our program. Overall the carnival was a huge success and we raised a few thousand dollars.
    I want to take this class because I think even if you don't plan to run your own company it is important to gain those skills. It is important to be innovative thinkers and act with passion. I think this class prepares people for the world.

Kaila

Introduction

Hey ya'll!

My name is Kaila and I am a third year Criminology major minoring in anthropology. I am from a small town about an hour south of the swamp called Dunnellon. The chances of you knowing the town are probably the same as the chance of any of us winning the powerball tonight!

My family is pretty small but I guess that makes family gatherings easier! I am the middle child with an older sister and younger brother. In my down time I enjoy good old fashioned road trips with friends and family. Fun in the Sun is always my go to whether it be hiking, fishing, boating or tailgating!

This is my steer Elmo! I think this picture explains my home life and background pretty well!

Over the summer I had the amazing opportunity to spend 6 weeks in Spain and an additional two weeks traveling Europe which was absolutely insane! I've actually now been to more countries than states so you could say before this past summer I was pretty untraveled.

I cant wait for what the future holds. Hopefully a trip to Ireland!

Entrepreneur's Mantra

Test Blog

Practice blog post.