You are polluting just by getting dressed and you can’t go naked. Look at your clothes. You are most wearing some combination of natural and synthetic fibers. For the synthetic fibers, with every washing, those polyester, plastic like fibers break down go into waste water that makes it way to the ocean and ends up in the food you eat and water you drink. Your clothes are polluting with every wash. Growing cotton takes a lot of pesticides and that runoff ends up in waste water, that makes its way to the ocean and ends up in the food you eat and the water you drink. It takes more water to make a cotton t shirt then you will drink in three years. It takes 200 tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric. That toxic runoff from the dye goes into our water. There is more, you get the point. But, why is this such an issue now?
Well, to point a fashionably gloved finger, fast fashion. The industry shift to cheap clothes intended for one season wear with retailers such as H&M, Forever 21 and Zara exacerbated this problem in the last decade. Toss clothes out after a season of wear. With only 15% of used clothing being donated or recycled; that leaves a whopping 85% in landfills. Consider 60% of clothing has synthetic fibers, so that is going to sit in the landfills for hundreds of years. The US alone sends 21 billion pounds of clothes to landfill annually. One headline,“Throw away garments contribute more to climate change than air and sea travel.” The good news for the environment is, the trends toward fast fashion are showing slowed sales.
There is more. Fashion retailers routinely incinerate unsold stock. Burberry burns stock to maintain exclusivity and scarcity. Others burn for a tax credit, H&M allegedly burns 13 tons annually. Nike defaces excess stock so the shoes cannot be worn or resold. More for landfill. Fashion generates more waste than e waste. Overall, it’s a balance. We’re not going to go naked, so it’s finding a balance of environmental awareness and smarter choices. Maybe eschewing quality for quality in clothing. Becoming a supplier or buyer for businesses such as Thred Up. This week, consider your fashion footprint.How old are he clothes you are wearing, how do you dispose of old clothes and how to you acquired new ones.
Notes:
- There has been debate on fashion being the second largest polluter. Several sources have run numbers and int he list of top polluters, fashion is closer to number 5 or 6.
I am sad. There, I said it. And, I’m going 
n place of the shackles and chains is a tablet, engraved in Roman numerals with the date of July 4, 1776. This fourth of July, celebrate as you may, but consider the footnotes of history. The end of the revolutionary war on September 3, 1783, was with help from France, Spain and the Dutch Republic. The Statue of Liberty dedicated on October 28, 1886, was a gift to honor the freeing of slaves and lives lost during the civil war. 
While changes to the statue may have the appearance celebrating American Independence, the chains at the bottom of the state are a footnote to the intent; based on a true story.
Relationships, dating, marriage, my mind tries to reconcile rules and logic for what works and what doesn’t to make up for my limited and nonexistent experience. So, please understand both my confusion and fascination with the Conways. Yes, some people read trashy novels for the summer, I succumbed to a couple of hours of mindless internet searches. Multimillionaires, Kellyanne is counselor to the president and George is an attorney. George is known for his opposition to his wife’s boss and has actively shared his views be tweeting and penning op-eds.
Kellyanne wants you to know that she’s too busy raising their children and doing “substantive” work for the president to keep up with her husband’s tweets. And George Conway is openly saying that his wife works for a mentally ill criminal.
As part of a profile on their relationship in the 
Gun control – it’s not going to happen. Site facts and statistic, use current events and blame the NRA. Nothing is going to happen. Pontificate on a soap box, sign petitions, post on social media. You’re missing the larger context. Women. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. This proposal, approved by the house and senate in 1972 has been 
In 47 years, an amendment guaranteeing women equal rights under the constitution has yet to 
But, presentations is not the point of this post. It’s the question. “What did you experience in the last 6 months that was totally unexpected and surprised you? Why?” It has become so routine to ask this at work, the thought floated through 
“If you don’t know the problem, how do you know if you are fixing the right thing?” Stunned silence and followed by a sputtered rational, “Well, we don’t usually know the problem.” This scenario occurs with frightening regularity and variations on the theme. “I’m technical, I don’t get involved on the business side, but let me tell you about the great solutions I developed. OK, let’s stop the nonsense now. Oddly enough, academics are accused of being in the “ivory tower” and not in the real world, and that’s an issue. HR is labeled as disconnected from the way people work and interact and that’s not a good thing. Techies are thought of as those smart people who can’t communicate, but are really smart. An area of expertise does not mean total ignorance in an area you impact. We need context. Look, if you asked a passenger to design a car, the driver would end up in the back seat.
Memorial day is in honor of those who have died while serving in the country’s armed forces. Formerly known as decoration day, the holiday started after the American Civil War to commemorate all the soldiers who died in the war. The civil war, today – still remains the highest loss of lives in military action. That is nearly 2% of the total US population. A number that increased the probability, every single person was impacted, every single person knew someone who lost a life in service. Today, for as much media coverage as we have, the loss of life is tangible, but for many not personal.
My mom died of lung cancer. She never smoked a cigarette a day in her life. My dad was the smoker. My dad had a choice to smoke; my mom had a choice to live with a man who smoked. Cigarettes cause chronic illnesses and are deadly. But, you have a choice to smoke. Legislation this week attempts to take away my choice for my body. The abortion debate has collapsed two issues, a woman’s right to choose and when life begins to the detriment of women’s rights. Using broad strokes, the anti choice position has blurred the distinction of “viable life.” The embryo at 6 weeks or the first trimester is not a viable life. The embryo cannot besustained, even with medical intervention at this stage.
“It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Mr. Akin said of pregnancies from rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something: I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.”
Iran was modern, in the 60s and 70s. My Persian friends called the Tehran, the Paris of the middle east. In 1936 – the hijab and veils were banned, in 1941, the laws relaxed, women had a choice of dress, religious or modern. Then came a rebellion against the “westernization” of Iran. In the late 70s, at the University of Tennessee there was a split in the Persian community. A seemingly fringe group of students protesting for the ouster of the Shah of Iran taunting the others who embraced westernization. The pro Shah students were not concerned.
Then came 1979. The Shah was exiled, the American embassy was seized and 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days and women were forced to wear the hijab. Without the proper religious garments, women could not work, shop, do business or be seen in public. Since that time, more restrictions have been placed on women and men. The tipping point being control and restrict women first. Women had freedom for 43 years and then overturned.
Abortion became legal in the US in 1973; we’re now 46 years out the national dialog is the possibility of this being overturned? This was landmark legislation; choice for my uterus. This week marked the 65th anniversary of Brown versus the Board of Education that ruled racial serration was unconstitutional.
Our devices tell us when to upgrade, when our performance is lagging and when we will no longer be supported. It’s not planned obsolesce to make money. There is a time when new technology can enhance performance (camera technology) and solve problems (thumbprint security). Basically, we know when things are ok, when to upgrade and when to start over. Likewise, applications that run on this platform determine when it is no longer feasible to support older versions.
“Scrap it, start over, time for a new product,” were the career limiting remarks I kept to myself as I listened to justification and idiosyncrasies of a process that in my mind, no longer addresses a business need. Like a sputtering old car being held together with duct tape with a tail pipe dragging on the ground and the smell and sound of an engine about to blow. Something that once worked has morphed into a hot mess. But, why can’t anyone see it, or maybe they can but fear the time and cost of rethinking, redoing, reinvention?
“
I thought this episode emphasized how painful it is to deal with a help desk and the fact that someone thought I stayed on 
If you could take something to help wake you up, would you? Oh wait, there is coffee, tea, cola’s, a variety of drinks with caffeine. If you could take something to relax you, would you? Well, there are options, beer, wine, spirits; all natural distillations and more recently added to the list is cannabis.
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. Epictetus” We have only one brain, so, in principle, should we believe and do what we are told rather than think for ourselves and draw conclusions?
I was confused by an email this week. I was copied, it was not directed at me, yet the content was so acrimonious and unnecessary, I felt bad. I was in awe of the eloquent response of my colleague. 
Michelle Obama famously said, “when they go low, we go high.” It sounds simple, but it can be hard, because, when someone goes low, it does not feel good. Going high is often not recognized, acknowledged or rewarded. Going high takes discipline, work and practice. It’s hard, you have to take ego out of it, because you will never balance out that point system.
You’re on a plane. You hear “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please. This is an emergency, and we are required to evacuate, please locate the closest emergency exit. Please exit 
The concept this week is not about emergency preparedness; its about awareness of a stress response recovery; getting back to your right mind. When all of your being is focused on a crisis, you might forget,you need time recovery time after. Be it an emergency situation or an ill loved one. It takes a while to get back to normal even after everything is ok. Just like when you run to catch a train, even when you’re done, and seated, you still have a slightly elevated heart rate, you still perspire, etc, your body has to recover.
The historic, all women spacewalk didn’t happen. NASA didn’t have 2 spacesuits equipped to handle a woman’s smaller size. Blah, blah. blah. What a way to end women’s history month; a logical conclusion based on excuses rather than the admittance of gender bias. In lieu of a historic moment, we saw a historic trend. The spacewalk was a female/male partnership. Women, we partner and make it work. Friday evening, I was part of an electrified audience. An audience where strangers engaged excitingly in conversation. An audience where people were rapt with attention and not doing a phone checks. Why? Ear Hustle!!!
It’s a strange thing that happens. When you travel, it’s a but harder to get everything packed back in; even if you don’t have additional stuff to add. But let’s face it, on most trips, you’re going to come back with more than you started with. You soon start to account for this and determine how to have more space. Now, consider your day. Things get crazy when you pack the day full. It’s always going to take more time and you’re going to have spill over if you haven’t put in buffers. Look stuff is going to happen, leave space in your day. Things will get manageable and you leave room for possibility. Have you left space in your life for a chance encounter, a stroke of luck, a random coincidence? Spontaneously have lunch with a friend, grab a coffee with someone new and take a few moments to sketch out an idea. This week, try space, give 
“So, when all the fans and the estate, and all the anger—you guys gonna get it, you know that, right? Y’all gonna get it, I’m gonna get it, we’re all gonna get it,” Oprah Winfrey said near the end of her special After Neverland.¹ Perhaps, I’m gonna get it too. Leaving Neverland aired on HBO this week. 
Defenders state they did not see the abuse; they were not witnesses of wrong doings. In churches, clergy who abuse aren’t doing it in front of the congregation. Cory Feldman defended Michael Jackson for years, yet upon viewing portions of the documentary stated:
What would you do if you wanted to be bad at your job? Don’t over think it; what would be on the list? You have a sense of what success should look like, but do you know what not to do? You may have a quota or a list of of objectives for a job; do you have an idea of what failure looks like from the point of view of your management? In yoga class, we sometimes a do a pose the wrong way to help us understand the and differentiate the right way. We learn the potential damage of doing the pose the wrong way, or the nuances that will permit us to achieve the peak pose. This exercise helps us self correct. Have the failure conversation, know the indicators of bad as well as the parameters for great. Self correct as required. This can be the difference between 
The trunk release for my car does not open doors. Saturday, I found myself standing in front of Lululemon pointing my keys, pushing the truck unlock and waiting for the door to pop open. When I’m off-balance physically I stumble and call. Mentally, I suppose it’s 
Church and State were in the news last week. Virginia featured photos if elected officials in black from photos 
The photos in questions in Virginia were taken at a time when Gene Wilder donned 
The Catholic church, decades of sexual abuse of children and nuns worldwide. Were there any 
Silver Streak 1976
Soul Man 1986
Tropic Thunder 2008
“I startled my neighbors in the elevator when they got on. Another set of neighbors seemed almost speechless when I said hi. Even the front desk staff looked taken aback. What’s up with all the confusion today?”
Someone pointed to my head and everyone laughed. A group of friends came over to celebrate the lunar new year; this is the year of the pig. I like a touch of whimsy and forgot I was wearing a Piglet headband. Nothing like a good laugh shared with friends. Happy Lunar New Year!
I’m sitting in my car crying. I was in Whole Foods a few minutes ago. I saw this elderly man gingerly pushing a cart as if he was unsure of each step. As a child, I was taught, respect adults and to respect and give deference to the elderly. As my parents grew older, noticed how they get nervous in public,for fear of being a nuance, they’d physically stutter, trying to quicken the pace and yet try to become invisible at the same time. I recognized the same movement in this gentleman. I smiled and thought, don’t be invisible, take your time, it’s all good. As he walked away, I recognized something else, the gait.
Dr King 
“ I haven’t skied in years. I used to go to Aspen, Vail
I won’t sit quietly for 
It is the time of year with all of the best of and top lists. Soooooooo, here are the most viewed blog posts of 2018. The top one is from 2017, a reminder, that even when the year changes, things from the previous year are still relevant.
Things went right for this to be a heroic tale rather 
Steve Jobs, by all accounts, was not a nice person. Jerk is an oft used descriptor. He was also a genius, the man who, without a doubt, made Apple the juggernaut it is today. So, how do we balance the good, the bad and the ugly. How much bad behavior is to be tolerated because the results are phenomenal? Is the amount of acceptable “jerkish” behavior allowed proportional to the amount of success?
My brother called me on Thanksgiving day. Throughout our 90 minute conversation, I realized, he makes an ongoing choice to be happy. It’s a commitment in what he says, what he does, what he watches and what he listens to. He chooses to be happy. When we were kids, on the rare occasion when he was sent to his room in “punishment,” my mom would get this frustrated look and my dad would be close to tears trying to stifle his laughter. My 
This week, do inventory. Consider, your commitment to who you want to be. 
Fear of the Black Man with a Gun
Fear of the White Man with a Gun
Put the Gun Down
First Thoughts on the Second Amendment
¹
I was a five year old who stuttered with an occasional stammer. A few people noticed and mentioned this to my mom and recommended early intervention to correct the problem. There was a frustrating afternoon for both of us when she was trying to get me to say school and something snapped. She looked at me; exasperated and said, “Sheila, stop mimicking your grandfather. Your grandfather has a speech impediment, you don’t.” Problem solved, I stopped stuttering. I was fortunate, she switched conclusions and realized I was replicating what I heard.
4-F Disabled and unfit for military service, includes stuttering. The description outlined in the military is:
You deal with data all of the time; what’s most important is vetting the conclusions you make based on data and facts. Our elected officials determine what wars are fought, military policy, compensation and treatment. If it’s important enough to have a holiday to memorialize our armed services, it is just as important to vote for those elected officials who set the direction of the military. The conclusion from these facts? Leading up to Veteran’s Day are mid-term elections on Tuesday, if you are eligible, please vote.
Damn. He’s back. He’s thinner, a lot thinner to the point of gauntness, he has the yellow cast of jaundice and a weariness that wasn’t there before, or maybe it’s just the loss of hope. I last saw Curt in Starbucks loading bags of sugar into a cup of coffee. It was February and he excitedly told me, “I just wanted 
He was gone for 8 months. The empty retail space by Verizon and Starbucks is now a Wine and Design. The doorway 
One of the 
I get anxious this time of year now and latter realize it is October 17th. My dad died on this day in 1998 and somehow I always find myself doing something, well, not normal. This year 
My dad was the political parent. While my mother worked the polls every year, my dad was the watcher. In the summer of 1973, my dad had retired and we watched the Watergate hearings. He was upset, frustrated and disappointed at the behavior in the highest office of the land. My mom, “Well, it’s just improper to discuss these things and we should not want to see the embarrassment and have the man kicked out of his job. How 
In the US, someone is murdered every 31 minutes, someone is raped every 1.9 minutes, one child is reported neglected or abused every 4.8 seconds, and one elderly person is victimized by a violent crime every 4.2 minutes. Calling 911 because you suspect a child is selling water without a permit is not an emergency as happened earlier this year in San Francisco with the “Permit Patty.” escapade
This past spring, as I was walking, I noticed these “things.” It was the same “thing” in different locations, painted different colors. The plaque on them said Oakland A’s Stomper. 
The constitution requires a super majority – 60 out 100 votes. The nuclear option is a point of order raised by the majority leader to require a simple majority of 
Over 1,000 identifiable victims of sexual abuse, 300 priests and a reign of terror for the last 70 years. Thank you Daniel Dye for launching a 5 year effort leading to a grand jury investigation in the State of Pennsylvania on the abuse of the Catholic Church. These findings published in August of 2018; and yes, they matter. This week, to hear comments like, “Why wasn’t it reported? Why wasn’t something said sooner” indicates some very important people have not been listening. Or maybe they have and they don’t care?
The tech headlines in June 
The current US congress, the most diverse congress
The 19th amendment for women’s right to vote went to
“Technology”, Ms. Buolamwini said, “should be more attuned to the people who use it and the people it’s used on. You can’t have ethical A.I. that’s not inclusive,” she said. “And whoever is creating the technology is setting the standards.”
I’ve been asked a few times, “why do black women look so mean all of the time.” It’s 
During 
Understand, when I pass you on the street, when I meet you, there is a hesitation and weariness, do you wish to vanquish my very existence? Will anything I say or do be met with disdain or invoke rage? As a minority report, these are things I think of daily in public spaces. A fourteen year old scrolling though my I
The Safeway clerked laughed and shook her head as she scanned my purchases. With 2 bottles of Dr Pepper and 2 giant sized H
I am reminded, of cause and effect. My change in behavior was triggered. I know the cause and the effect. Sometimes, the cause triggers a change for good; it took only one comment for me to quit smoking. This week, neither cause or effect 
Why do we celebrate Labor Day, historical significance or modern day celebration? Labor day originated as a celebration of unions, back in the late1800’s. Now
Could we aspire to an ERA day? The Equal Rights Amendment was introduced in 1923; yet 95 years later, there are not 38 states in agreement to pass this amendment to the constitution to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Currently, there are 13 
If you’re in a diverse environment, economic, cultural, religious, occupation, age, etc., you will encounter something different and unfamiliar. How do you learn about it? (I used Google to find out why people were eating Tide Pods. Yes, it’s a thing; not my thing!) This week, think about the things you feel you can’t ask. What difference would it make if you could? Is there a way you can make that happen?
You are being watched. It’s not a person looking at you, speaking into a headset, it’s not an overhead motion activated camera tracking with a flashing red recording light. No, it’s none of that cool looking stuff you see in movies. If you use a computer for work, your employee can install or may have installed employee monitoring software.These products do everything from tracking your keystrokes, sites you visit, taking screen shots every 3 minutes and text alerts to management when certain key words are used. Do data privacy and regulations prohibit this or are they a false sense of security?
My blog posts can be a call to action, a warning, or informational. This post is informative. Does your company use employee monitoring software? Chances are, you don’t know and that is on purpose. So, as you go through your tasks this week, think about your digital trail? What are you informing your employer about yourself?
Mitt Rommey’s request for women in his cabinet, turned into a political punchline during the 2012 presidential debates. Read in context, the situation was then Governor Rommey’s annoyance at no women candidates for his cabinet.
With a demand for women and effort was made and women got positions. If there is demand, supply will work itself out. The 
You can get directions from your phone predicting the time you will arrive with red lines indicating traffic 
A founder turned funder, whom I admire spoke
Kids observe things and ask why. This week, be a kid, observe and ask why. Look at your work place. Is it