Monday 30 June 2008
Friday 27 June 2008
Thursday 26 June 2008
Business teacher creates, sells ethnic trivia game
Glen Burnie man saw a need for a family-oriented contest on African-American factsDaryl Penn
Daryl Penn has created the African-American Edition interactive DVD game Are You Sure? and sold more than 300 copies. (Sun photo by André F. Chung / June 19, 2008)
By Susan Gvozdas | The Baltimore Sun
Like many people, Daryl Penn liked to bring out games such as Scene It? or Family Feud during weekend get-togethers. But the fun started to fizzle as the 38-year-old business teacher at Old Mill High School realized that few of the questions tapped into the history or culture of African-Americans.
After one family get-together last year, Penn went shopping for a game that featured African-American trivia.
He couldn't find any on store shelves.
So Penn, an entrepreneur from a family of educators in Anne Arundel County, decided to create one.
He invested $25,000 to produce 1,000 copies of Are You Sure? Since its release April 28, he has sold more than 300 copies of the game, which costs $34.99. He figures he needs to sell about 800 copies to break even, so now that school is out, he plans to market it as aggressively as possible.
Penn, of Glen Burnie, has approached black fraternities and sororities in several states and is recommending the game as a fundraiser to a church in Pennsylvania. He plans to run commercials locally on cable. Eventually, he would like to see the game sold nationally in a large retail store.
"For me, the game is really for families, for the bonding," Penn said.
The DVD game is modeled on popular ones such as the movie trivia game Scene It?, which shows a question on a television screen and allows players to select an answer using a remote control.
Sometimes after an answer is selected, players see a clip of one of Penn's family members asking, "Are you sure?" Players then get a second chance to change their answer before the game shows them the correct one. The "Are You Sure?" clip plays regardless of whether the player selected the right answer - one of Penn's classroom techniques to challenge students to stand behind their position.
The game keeps score for two teams of players and features three rounds. Penn and his sister, Shayne Allen, came up with 200 questions. During the past school year, Penn hired 10 students to develop and research the rest of the 600 multiple-choice questions and answers. He also used students as focus groups to test the fun factor.
"They wanted it to be longer," Penn said.
His mother, Hattie Penn, who is featured in the game along with his sister and daughter, said the student collaboration gives the game a modern twist. It doesn't focus just on famous inventors or figures from early American history, but also on entertainers and politicians from the more recent past, with such questions as "Who was the first African-American Formula One driver?" (Lewis Hamilton) to "Who was the voice of Darth Vader?" ( James Earl Jones).
"This is a great tool for young people," said Hattie Penn, who lives in Millersville after 32 years of teaching in Anne Arundel County schools.
Penn's father, Larry Penn, also is a former educator. He currently works as a human resources specialist for the school system. Shayne Allen is a guidance counselor at Magothy Middle School.
Penn served in the Army Reserve for four years after he graduated with a business degree from Bowie State University in 1993. He later became a mortgage broker before becoming a teacher in 1998. He earned a master's degree in curriculum and instruction online last year through the University of Phoenix.
Penn formed his own company, Jornic DVD Games. The name is an amalgam of his children's names, Jordan and Darian Nicole. Penn plans to release single-subject spinoffs of the game - entertainment and sports - over the next few years.
The county public school system has approved use of the game as a supplemental learning tool to classroom instruction, said Maneka Wade, a school system spokeswoman. An African-American studies class at Old Mill High School will be using the game during class.
The game has struck a chord with members of his target audience. Teresa Johnson, a black owner of T-Van Mortgage Solutions in Ellicott City, bought 48 copies of the game to send to customers who regularly entertain. She said her family enjoyed playing the game so much on Mother's Day and Father's Day that three relatives bought their own copies.
"I think different ethnicities love to see things geared to them," Johnson said. "This is just for us."
Wednesday 25 June 2008
Andrew Mwenda (2007)
Andrew Mwenda (2007)
Vidéo envoyée par tedtalks
In this provocative talk, journalist Andrew Mwenda asks us to reframe the "African question" -- to look beyond the media's stories of poverty, civil war and helplessness and see the opportunities for creating wealth and happiness throughout the continent. Most important, he says, the solution to Africa's problems is not more aid.
Tuesday 24 June 2008
Sunday 22 June 2008
Friday 20 June 2008
Wednesday 18 June 2008
Monday 16 June 2008
Friday 13 June 2008
Microfinance in Morocco VA
Microfinance in Morocco VA
Vidéo envoyée par PlanetFinance
Microfinance in Morocco 2005
English version
35 % of the 30 million inhabitants of Morocco still live below the absolute threshold of poverty. In Morocco, the microfinance sector has been developing at fast pace since the 1990s. Microcredit is now an essential instrument in the struggle against poverty and exclusion. As of June 30th 2005, 13 national microfinance institutions served more than 500 000 active customers, among whom 75 % of women, with a repayment rate of more than 98 %. PlaNet Finance Maroc supports the Moroccan microfinance sector. More information on: www.planetfinance.org.
Thursday 5 June 2008
The Richard Heinberg Interview - Part 2
The Richard Heinberg Interview - Part 2
Vidéo envoyée par OneWorldTV
Richard Heinberg is an American journalist and educator who has written extensively on ecological issues, including Peak Oil. He is the author of numerous books on the subject.
In this interview he talks about why oil is such an important energy supply, our dependency on it and what will happen once supplies start to dwindle.
Wednesday 4 June 2008
African Business Awards 2008
To celebrate the great strides that the Continent has made in the world of business,
IC Publications, publishers since 1966 of African
Business and New African and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), are proud to announce the first
CBC-African Business Awards 2008, which will take place in London at a Gala Dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel on the 3rd July 2008.
The event will acknowledge the contribution of the African business sector which plays a crucial role in the realisation of the African century. It will provide an opportunity to celebrate entrepreneurial excellence and to promote world-class best practices in the accelerating business landscape in
The CBC-African Business Awards 2008 ceremony will be attended by Heads of government, Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Corporate Directors, Policy Makers, Legislators, Government Officials, Diplomats and Journalists.
An independent panel of judges will select the winners and runners-up from a list of nominees in each of the 16 categories including African Business of the Year and African Business Leader of the Year. The choices will reward those companies and individuals who have contributed to the economic development of
Dr Mohan Kaul, CBC Director General, said “The Awards will inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs and encourage our business leaders to aspire to become world pace-setters”.
Omar Ben Yedder, Associate Group Publisher of IC Publications added “We believe that the African business sector plays a crucial role in the realisation of the African century and the awards will highlight the achievements of African businesses at home and worldwide.”
The awards ceremony forms part of the annual G8 Africa Business Forum 3-4 July which is organized by the CBC, Business Action for
IC Publications is the leading publisher for
New African, African Business, The Middle East and New African, le magazine de l’Afrique (in French) have a reputation for editorial excellence, cutting edge reporting and integrity and are known for their independent, objective and balanced reporting. They cover government, business, social and cultural development in emerging markets. IC Publications also publishes African Banker, a year old magazine on banking and finance in
Tuesday 3 June 2008
The Richard Heinberg Interview - Part 1
The Richard Heinberg Interview - Part 1
Vidéo envoyée par OneWorldTV
Richard Heinberg is an American journalist and educator who has written extensively on ecological issues, including Peak Oil. He is the author of numerous books on the subject.
In this interview he talks about why oil is such an important energy supply, our dependency on it and what will happen once supplies start to dwindle.
Posts
