Newtown, Connecticut

God bless the victims, families, and the community of Newtown, Connecticut.  You are all in our thoughts and prayers.  

Most Powerful People in the World 2012

Last week Forbes Magazine released its annual list of the world’s most powerful people.  Whether or not the people on the list care one way or another about the list is irrelevant to the fact that the subscribers to the magazine are fascinated with the results. 

Each year they analyze who is up, who is down, who is new, and who is no longer worthy of the list.  Ironically we have a tendency to take the list as fact.  The list is put together by highly informed and educated individuals registering their opinions.  There is not a mathematical formula or any other tool used to measure personal power and influence.  It is based on the educated opinion of the lists contributors. 

There was little movement in the top ten this year.  The President of the United States is still #1.  President Obama is followed by the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel.  Below are the top ten.

1.       Barrack Obama, President of the United States

2.       Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

3.       Vladimir Putin, President of Russia

4.       Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

5.       Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Roman Catholic Church

6.       Ben Bernanke,  Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve

7.       Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia

8.       Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank

9.       Xi Jinping, General Secretary Communist Party, China

10.   David Cameron, Prime Minister, United Kingdom

The complete list can be found at:  http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/list/

What are your impressions of the list?  What criteria would you use to judge people’s power in the world?  Given your criteria, who should be included on your list and why?  

Hurricane Sandy

It has been five weeks from Hurricane Sandy and its devastation to the East Coast of the United States.  Places in New York and New Jersey were decimated as a result of the storm and its aftermath.

The cost of the storm’s devastation is still undetermined.  These costs include rescue efforts, evacuation, structural damage and property restoration.  Below is a link which shows before and after pictures of the New Jersey Coast.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/hurricane-sandy-before-after-photos/     

 

While tragedy is always horrible to read about and witness, it is also within these times we are able to witness to strength of the human spirit and the incredible lengths people are willing to go to help their neighbors. 

One such story comes from New Jersey.  Within days of the storm’s devastation, New Jersey Strong was organized as a non-profit organization.  Its sole purpose is to aid the families victimized along the Jersey coast who were victimized by Sandy.

The organization has focused its efforts on clean up.  They are gathering and deploying numerous volunteers to homes, parks, and other locations to clean up the debris and attempt to restore property to the condition it was before the storm.  While they can use money, their primary request from the public that want to be involved is manpower.  They have faced some challenges, but with concentrated focus and relentless effort, they are providing hope to many people who have lost their homes, cars, photos, and sense of security.

The focus, passion, and commitment they have shown to their community are inspiring.  This is a grassroots effort to reclaim the New Jersey shoreline, which has been an important place in their lives. 

Do you know anyone who was affected by Hurricane Sandy?  What obstacles did they face and how did they overcome those obstacles?  What do you think about the efforts of New Jersey Strong?