Niall Ferguson greets Barbra Streisand and Lynda Resnick.

Every year, Stewart and I open our home to the speakers who appear at the Aspen Ideas Festival, an event thrown by the Aspen Institute as a forum for the world’s thought leaders to speak on global issues. At our dinner, I always give a little speech outlining what I have learned from the sessions I attended. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: United Fresh’s A Salad Bar in Every School program
Why It’s a Gem: Early exposure to nutrition can equate to a lifetime of wellness.

With childhood obesity now at epidemic proportions, Michelle Obama has spearheaded Let’s Move, a program whose mission is to solve the crisis within one generation. Even if the timeline weren’t so ambitious, the First Lady would have her work cut out for her, especially considering the poor state of school nutrition. With frozen pizzas and fries dominating cafeteria menus, it’s no wonder that our nation’s children are developing poor eating habits that they bring home and carry with them throughout their lives. As places of learning, schools have a responsibility to also educate on nutrition, which we all can agree is far more important than algebra, no matter what your third-period teacher claims. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: WriteGirl
Why It’s a Gem: The power of the pen (or pixel) can empower high school girls

There’s a lot of rumbling about the collapse of today’s public education system, but very few voices have offered up solid ideas on how to fix it. The most successful tactics oftentimes seem to be undertaken by third-party organizations, rather than programs established and run by the schools themselves. That’s why Stewart and I have given our support to such programs, including P.S. ARTS and the Los Angeles-based WriteGirl, which has taken on the enormous task of “empowering [high school] girls through mentorship and self-expression.” (more…)

Just some of the people behind LA's first non-profit food truck, Cart for a Cause

First came Kogi, the irreverent Korean taco purveyor that started the whole food-truck phenomenon. Within a few months, the streets of Los Angeles were buzzing with all manner of culinary vehicles – the Grilled Cheese Truck, Indian wraps from the Dosa Truck, and a mobile version of the brick-and-mortar restaurant Border Grill, to name just a few. Each truck tried to top the next, with World Fare going so far as to convert a double-decker bus into a movable feast.

But no matter how original the menu, they’re all just a take on a concept that (more…)

A Mother's Day art project from a school in California's Central Valley.

Whenever education budgets get tightened, art programs are the first to get cut. Like the enduring popularity of reality TV, this never ceases to amaze me. So much evidence points to art’s importance in a child’s development – and not just in the development of abstract thought. Art is a critical component in a well-rounded education. Art is the level playing field – no matter how rich or poor, tall or short, pretty or ugly to the bone, if you can draw, you can find personal fulfillment and build self-confidence.  Art is the highest achievement of mankind. (more…)

Good morning, Lynda,

Greetings from beautiful Australia. I am a Canadian ex-pat who lives in Bendigo, Victoria. We have the only regional ice rink in Victoria, and I am a volunteer with the rink. We offer figure skating, ice hockey, curling, and recreational skating at the rink. Last year, we started a new under-13-year-old ice hockey team called the Wildcats. We are organising to host the first (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Science Commons
Why It’s a Gem: Eliminating red tape and developing new protocols makes sharing research easier than ever – which puts all cures within closer reach

Researchers around the world are hard at work on cures for most every ailment and disease. But until now, there was no system – let alone incentive – for sharing their discoveries, leaving researchers working independently in their own silos, possibly duplicating the same mistakes as their colleagues around the globe. It wasn’t unusual for decades to pass before any significant progress was made on a study.

But that’s all changing. Just as parent organization Creative Commons has made sharing artistic endeavors both easy and profitable, Science Commons is using that same open-access model to enable the scientific research community to both find and share their studies, thereby enabling an approach to sharing data that just might revolutionize the scientific world. My interview with John Wilbanks was a fitting way to cap off Open Access Week. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: International Virtual Assistants Association
Why It’s a Gem: Get Just the Right Amount of Support You Need — No Commitment Necessary

Our lives have become virtual — virtual money (ATM cards), virtual sales clerks (online shopping carts), virtual relationships (texting). So why not virtual assistants? And, as with other forms of technology, the world of virtual assistants is evolving to encompass more industries and skills sets than most brick-and-mortar entrepreneurs might have believed possible. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: 1% For The Planet
Why It’s a Gem: This mighty little organization makes it easy – and profitable – for businesses to help out the planet

Why are we here? A big question. Businesses should be profitable for their stakeholders and their employees, but in these desperate times, business must also give back. The needs of our society are so great and government is stretched beyond its capacity. A company that isn’t helping to make the world a better place – either through the inherent value of its product or service or through charitable giving – isn’t realizing its potential. “Doing well by doing good” is good for business, too. Because consumers also care that those they do business with are good citizens of the planet.

I’m sure there are many businesses out there that would like to practice this ethic but are unsure of how to go about it. That’s where 1% For The Planet comes in. Read on to learn how this mighty little organization is affecting big changes for our planet, and how your business can join in. (more…)