tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50845375464693834802024-02-19T06:10:38.804-04:00Fair Trade MarketingYour journey into the world of Fair TradeMarita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-52316610364499214072009-12-01T11:31:00.005-04:002009-12-01T11:54:10.783-04:00Daily Specials Just for You!! Give the Gift that Gives two smiles!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><i>By Marita Greenidge</i><div><br /></div><div>We've been a bit delinquent with KVI Fun Fridays. And we apologize most sincerely. Unforeseen circumstances prevented us from effectively delivering on bringing you AWESOME Friday fun. </div><div><br /></div><div>But we're going to make it up to you! </div><div><br /></div><div>How?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We're offering daily specials on our website!! </div><div><br /></div><div>Today we have an online special on our Arianne silk bag. Check it out <a href="https://www.kingdom-ventures.com/Specials_ep_53-1.html#web">here</a>.</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlkH4puegBB6zYLhkE7o-LahU6O5UYESObC64jkmJQK3DPMY1fmp9W0ggxrbaEcUXSjC-CWd64ZJJnfVntS4Lq7rPz_CZvYmIWCEJdSp9molfw4J3iX-antEj9o_q-7udF7X4h7tNmZs/s200/ArianneCrimson.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410294105483808642" /><div><br /></div><div>Remember that with KVI you can give the gift that gives two smiles - one to the lucky person who received the gift and another to the artisan who made the product, who can now earn a fair and decent living. </div><div><br /></div><div>Have a fabulous day!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-24235535534816595892009-11-10T15:22:00.002-04:002009-11-10T15:42:35.763-04:00Product of the Month - Turkish Plates<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Glenn and Rebecca Fadner</i></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVQz-zsnZGUIWfBS3CewqHKc0YKScU62SUTLmRbbeW9dGgblWScgLHbJ17x3ZAXa4hJMiVNRy5d1IxewCVcHubawGbkEkFpON9SMG34mTKKzU8r4ClIW50LmLuc0z-r88tpplltJbmoI/s1600-h/turkish+plate.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVQz-zsnZGUIWfBS3CewqHKc0YKScU62SUTLmRbbeW9dGgblWScgLHbJ17x3ZAXa4hJMiVNRy5d1IxewCVcHubawGbkEkFpON9SMG34mTKKzU8r4ClIW50LmLuc0z-r88tpplltJbmoI/s200/turkish+plate.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401074603931323266" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt;text-align:center"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our Turkish plates are hand-formed and hand painted by artisans in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avanos"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Avanos, Turkey</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. They are available in sizes ranging from 18cm-25 cm. Most of the plates are in the traditional </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0znik_pottery"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Iznik"</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> style. We also have 18cm plates in the more intricate "Ipek" style.</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">These are designed for display only and make a un</span></span><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ique gift. </span><a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/Turkish-Plates_c_15.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Check out more designs here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">!</span></span></span></span></div><p></p></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><div><br /></div></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-65999892313081217572009-11-08T15:01:00.005-04:002009-11-08T15:21:14.515-04:00Gobal Forum on Human Trafficking Report<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">By Glenn & Rebecca Fadner</span></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">You'd think that an event about Human Trafficking would be a "downer", wouldn't you? Well, nothing could be further from the truth. No, it certainly wasn't an occasion for partying, and there were plenty of sobering and somber statistics, but the prevailing mood was one of hope and optimism, mixed with a dogged determination that slavery MUST be wiped out and CAN be in our generation.</span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><img src="http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs008/1102424111687/img/69.jpg?a=1102792080627" border="0" width="215" height="78" align="left" alt="Global Forum" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.69" contenteditable="false" shapes="_x0000_s1026" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">When the folks at </span></span><a href="http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Not For Sale Campaign</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> conceived of this Forum, they were hoping that 250 people would attend. Oops! As of the first session, over 750 were expected.The final number pushed 800! That posed a few logistical challenges, but the staff an NFS and North Coast Calvary Chapel did a great job of accommodating everyone.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">It was amazing to see people from around the world, from a wide variety of political and religious backgrounds, all united in the belief that there MUST be an end to global slavery in all its forms.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Speakers such as </span></span><a href="http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/obama_nominates_lou_de_baca_as_trafficking_office_head"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Lou de Baca</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> (US Ambassador-at-large for issues of Human Trafficking) and David Arkless (Manpower President for Global and Corporate Affairs) were among the keynote speakers. US representatives and a Canadian MP sent video greetings and encouragement. Breakout sessions covered topics ranging from changing justice systems to the use of entrepreneurial models as means of combating trafficking.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">There's a great recap of the Forum online. Click </span></span><a href="http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/news/2009/10/23/resounding-success/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> to access it.</span></span></span></span><span style="Verdana","sans-serif";font-family:";font-size:10.0pt;color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-45724831942598419592009-11-07T06:00:00.005-04:002009-11-07T06:11:53.529-04:00Fair Trade Only Works Because.....<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#632423;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">By Rebecca and Glenn Fadner</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#632423;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><strong><span style="color: rgb(99, 36, 35); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Fair Trade only works</span></span></span></strong><span style=" color: rgb(99, 36, 35); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> because people believe in it and "vote" for it with their shopping dollars. Whether it's coffee or chocolate or our KVI products, it first takes people to believe that EVERYONE ~ from the producer to the retailer ~ has a right to make a fair and living wage.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#632423;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.75pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(99, 36, 35); font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Subsequently it requires individuals to choose to spend their money purchasing Fair Trade products.</span></p>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-34955921030406802192009-11-06T14:36:00.006-04:002009-11-06T14:56:11.081-04:00Fun Friday caption<i>B</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>y Marita Greenidge</i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuiwBni6Q_e1g2Yjag2co7ZgTzBTVwpEJ1QwdK-Bx6IjQH81SOr1_6NfmLX8u3c6qdpAh6jbfsjSlkVTxF-ehCzMUnpIhYhRgk8h2gmTtVT95tuN7H95A-yowA1TON0gEtYscwmYz6ubY/s1600-h/Fun-Fridays3.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuiwBni6Q_e1g2Yjag2co7ZgTzBTVwpEJ1QwdK-Bx6IjQH81SOr1_6NfmLX8u3c6qdpAh6jbfsjSlkVTxF-ehCzMUnpIhYhRgk8h2gmTtVT95tuN7H95A-yowA1TON0gEtYscwmYz6ubY/s200/Fun-Fridays3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401064666947727106" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hey there readers! It appears no one could come up with a caption for our last picture. Personally I have to admit I found it pretty difficult coming up with something myself. But alas I did!! Please see above. Click on the picture above or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/kingdomventures">visit our Facebook fan page</a> for a better view. Happy Friday.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-63177068350181179432009-10-30T17:22:00.006-04:002009-10-30T17:40:53.978-04:00Bigger prizes for Fun Fridays!!<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hi readers!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We're upping the ante with regard to our Fun Friday prize! You still have several hours to go before this week's competition is over!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">If you can give us a cool caption and tell us the number of products in the picture in the </span><a href="http://fairtrademarketing.blogspot.com/2009/10/living-fair-trade-life-kvi-fun-fridays_23.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">previous post</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, you'll get a KVI pen, a 20% discount coupon valid for one KVI product and 2 FREE mousepads! (see below for picture)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">All you have to do is leave your response in the comments section of the </span><a href="http://fairtrademarketing.blogspot.com/2009/10/living-fair-trade-life-kvi-fun-fridays_23.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">previous post</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. On Saturday we'll announce the winner and we'll repost the picture with your caption.</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We know you guys are creative; show us! :-)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/assets/images/turkeyproducts/mousepads/TM210.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/assets/images/turkeyproducts/mousepads/TM210.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">*disclaimer: This competition is for retail customers only. Because we want to give EVERYONE a chance to win, you can only win once each month. But don't quit entering! We love to see everyone's creativity. Also we can only send the pen to US addresses but fear not we can send the coupon anywhere in the world so there's still something for our international readers!</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span></span></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-73195137748071432852009-10-23T06:01:00.010-04:002009-10-26T05:29:42.581-04:00Living the Fair Trade Life - KVI Fun Fridays<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: normal; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY OCTOBER 30 11:59 PM</span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFj9AWt0T5J3NaIJcf_81UeBt0E5ABvMdnbEnGXJ9tkJLqL8HiWmxzp29LWFA5dvGD0MNn_NHD2W5AZ8Q5k1X0coMvfhkQjxyWJMZb8RAcL5MPIsiKzDGnhGjw88IS76F6BQ_ecWUJDyU/s1600-h/IMG_1604.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFj9AWt0T5J3NaIJcf_81UeBt0E5ABvMdnbEnGXJ9tkJLqL8HiWmxzp29LWFA5dvGD0MNn_NHD2W5AZ8Q5k1X0coMvfhkQjxyWJMZb8RAcL5MPIsiKzDGnhGjw88IS76F6BQ_ecWUJDyU/s400/IMG_1604.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395734769947370002" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It's that time again! Yup, you guessed it, "It's Fun Friday Time!!" </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We're asking you to leave a fun, witty caption for the above photo. And, we'd also like you to tell us how many </span><a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">KVI</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> products are in this picture.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The best caption with the correct number of products wins!!! Your prize is a FREE KVI pen and 20% discount on any 1 KVI product of your choice. (The holiday season is coming up so why not give a gift that gives two smiles - one to one of our suppliers so they are that much further away from falling victim to </span><a href="http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=64956bc183231317a68f02f05e300de4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">human trafficking</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and one to the great person you gave the gift to.)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">To enter leave your response in the comments section of this post. On Saturday we'll announce the winner and we'll repost the picture with your caption.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Have a fabulous Friday!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">*disclaimer: This competition is for retail customers only. Because we want to give EVERYONE a chance to win, you can only win once each month. But don't quit entering! We love to see everyone's creativity. Also we can only send the pen to US addresses but fear not we can send the coupon anywhere in the world so there's still something for our international readers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">!</span></span></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-23257390638172117462009-10-17T10:11:00.012-04:002009-10-17T11:56:54.306-04:00Living the Fair Trade Life - Fun Friday Captions!<div><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhW7r1VXu8ftMAkDnlmtwXtalwhtyRxggsY2WwTNxUOOOIpT2c7F4Snp1YYkBTgkcKZVA_lMBBNQZXstwvF644n4tyRCNXyXfwiZBunQ8MTYC0lfgGiEFBthLw0vrwW_DGoruIuO3jJ4/s1600-h/Fun+Fridays2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhW7r1VXu8ftMAkDnlmtwXtalwhtyRxggsY2WwTNxUOOOIpT2c7F4Snp1YYkBTgkcKZVA_lMBBNQZXstwvF644n4tyRCNXyXfwiZBunQ8MTYC0lfgGiEFBthLw0vrwW_DGoruIuO3jJ4/s400/Fun+Fridays2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393597174099311906" /></a><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately we didn't have a winner for the this week's competition because no one correctly guessed how many KVI products I was wearing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The answer was 5 - 1 pair of earrings, 2 bracelets, a necklace and a bag. I would have accepted 4 because the second bracelet was very difficult to see! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, Amanda Biesel still gave us a fabulous caption so we wanted to share! Thanks again Amanda!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-68386087409984921532009-10-09T05:48:00.005-04:002009-10-11T11:59:11.440-04:00Living the Fair Trade Life - KVI Fun Fridays<div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">By Marita Greenidge</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY OCTOBER 16 11:59 PM</span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcU95cC82gZU4sNe8KGqt4V9_ofw4Oo8v-KnRKTAOVBv2cRfoh9PxpazZHI4gh_3TpCzYVVQJ8S-9Ubk40NRsLjkUV-sNYWZUH2enSOKj0LrniZaI1A7iUZQ2BzHWcyzmRMvlST0Nq4Y/s1600-h/IMG_1504.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcU95cC82gZU4sNe8KGqt4V9_ofw4Oo8v-KnRKTAOVBv2cRfoh9PxpazZHI4gh_3TpCzYVVQJ8S-9Ubk40NRsLjkUV-sNYWZUH2enSOKj0LrniZaI1A7iUZQ2BzHWcyzmRMvlST0Nq4Y/s400/IMG_1504.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390540352129049842" /></a><br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's Friday again and you know what that means, "It's Fun Friday Time!!" "Yay!" </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Today we're going to give you another picture we'd like you to leave a fun, witty caption for. However, along with the caption, we'd also like you to tell us how many <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/">KVI</a> products I'm wearing in this picture. (You have to look very closely!)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The best caption with the correct number of products wins!!! Fun and simple! (Is there any other way Fridays should be?) Your prize is a FREE KVI pen and 20% discount on any 1 KVI product of your choice. (Remember the holiday season is coming up!) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">To enter leave your response in the comments section of this post. On Saturday we'll announce the winner. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We can't wait to see what you guys come up with! Let's have some fun today!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#634320;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">*disclaimer: This competition is for retail customers only. Because we want to give EVERYONE a chance to win, you can only win once each month. But don't quit entering! We love to see everyone's creativity. Also we can only send the pen to US addresses but fear not we can send the coupon anywhere in the world so there's still something for our international readers!</span></span></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-76097994199704259312009-10-08T22:27:00.003-04:002009-10-08T22:39:36.171-04:00Update from the Global Forum on Human Trafficking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLme46uy-fy7BE45mZcOtiBsz8RmwnZwMwgyGDYVN1ihfBnkL9r4HBjXyuyt_UB929ESt5ajNGvI-I20GBkTLgaYgscw62z8S35ZzGD8gSnCiJRxDA760Z45Ujnsj8L5-DXoi_1V5i2I/s1600-h/global_forum_banner.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 215px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 78px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390423039305333698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLme46uy-fy7BE45mZcOtiBsz8RmwnZwMwgyGDYVN1ihfBnkL9r4HBjXyuyt_UB929ESt5ajNGvI-I20GBkTLgaYgscw62z8S35ZzGD8gSnCiJRxDA760Z45Ujnsj8L5-DXoi_1V5i2I/s320/global_forum_banner.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Beijing is a city of around 12 million people. Imagine all of them held as slaves. That's the LOW estimate of the number of slaves being held worldwide. The HIGH-END estimate is 27 million. That's larger than any city in the world except Tokyo!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Today and tomorrow almost 800 people are gathered in Carlsbad, CA for the first ever Global Forum on Human Trafficking. We're not hearing a lot about the magnitude of the problem - most everyone here is well acquainted with it. Nor are we hearing a lot about the scope of trafficking - most of us are aware that it's not confined to "over there"; it's "here" as well. </div><div> </div><div>What we ARE hearing about is progress that IS being made and steps that ARE (and CAN) be taken towards finally ending slavery for good. </div><div> </div><div>More to come... Glenn</div>Glenn Fadnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06513699560083460932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-45214932408243861872009-10-03T14:56:00.004-04:002009-10-03T15:20:07.472-04:00Congrats to Amanda!!!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFP8_a1gINkypk0o_9dbE8T3jjSGwYOQXqhqbnnlIAqB3D6b958WFtaOTd8dMXpEFqZVMq9ZWsDWcZK4Cdz0j5hpflRKpRD1GiI5CzWV6dH7lrAF0Wpb2As53EIarsrsbw8FTiozw0xU8/s1600-h/j0335903.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 347px; height: 366px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFP8_a1gINkypk0o_9dbE8T3jjSGwYOQXqhqbnnlIAqB3D6b958WFtaOTd8dMXpEFqZVMq9ZWsDWcZK4Cdz0j5hpflRKpRD1GiI5CzWV6dH7lrAF0Wpb2As53EIarsrsbw8FTiozw0xU8/s400/j0335903.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388450019885792994" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">CONGRATS Amanda Beisel!!! You are the winner of our </span><a href="http://fairtrademarketing.blogspot.com/2009/10/living-fair-trade-life-kvi-fun-fridays.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">first KVI Fun Fridays competition</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. Your caption was AWESOME! I think you may have scared the competition away!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Amanda said...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>Jesus said, "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit..." I'd say that this tree definitely has good (and stylish!) fr</i><i>uit!!!</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Perfect!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Please contact us at fairtradelife@gmail.com so we can send your prize!! Have an amazing week Amanda and thank you for your support!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">To see the picture that Amanda gave us such a wonderful caption for </span><a href="http://fairtrademarketing.blogspot.com/2009/10/living-fair-trade-life-kvi-fun-fridays.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">click here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Also check out Amanda's great blog <a href="http://maaandyb.blogspot.com/">here</a>!</span></div><div><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-51394060666826739272009-10-02T05:00:00.006-04:002009-10-02T08:59:22.880-04:00Living the Fair Trade Life - KVI Fun Fridays<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic; font-family:'trebuchet ms';">By Marita Greenidge</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwl16hNUH7TYw2v33QFntitF9j1F-WpH3vXwWAaUxa77O8hL6T0yVRH2NqwQkk7PMsOvhSWph1zyoIhgSiX8U1Xetzzx7zi4qEK3GUzVk1vXX3B7HylH7KhHUSs3D8v9HWOomewy2n7k/s1600-h/IMG_1543.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwl16hNUH7TYw2v33QFntitF9j1F-WpH3vXwWAaUxa77O8hL6T0yVRH2NqwQkk7PMsOvhSWph1zyoIhgSiX8U1Xetzzx7zi4qEK3GUzVk1vXX3B7HylH7KhHUSs3D8v9HWOomewy2n7k/s400/IMG_1543.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387774770197565298" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Okay, so you haven't heard from us in a few weeks. Life has been pretty busy! I've been relocating from Rochester to <a href="http://barbados.org/">Barbados</a> and Rebecca and Glenn have been busy running <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/">KVI</a>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But to make up for our absence, we're offering you a chance to have a bit of fun with us every Friday! Perhaps you'll also win a prize! Because we will be giving away KVI goodies every week! We're calling these KVI Fun Fridays and everything will be focused on living the fair trade life. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This week we're asking you to give us a fun, witty caption for the picture above. It's from a photoshoot we did in May, where we decided to hang some bags in a tree like fruit. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The person with the best caption gets a FREE KVI pen and 20% discount on any KVI product of his/her choice. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">To show us your wit, all you have to do is leave your caption as a comment. On Saturday we'll tell you who we thought had the wittiest caption. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hey, it's Friday! Let's have some fun fair trade style!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*disclaimer: for retail purchases only</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-16619764059494186852009-09-13T13:17:00.010-04:002009-09-13T14:09:09.847-04:00Potential ain't Capacity!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">By Marita Greenidge</span></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNDYaFjp4vRqgpxsnvJLQn7KVzV3cwgT7-8XHUfWh_2-cKtB7OXWIwufImdr7ydkn-SaUlqtOuUBB_Y6eKEDKheXzhVo8ehpEecd3Bd1hci47EnHciUs_MrtHbxkuzOqSsjd6K0uuvwM/s1600-h/1056595_75788148.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNDYaFjp4vRqgpxsnvJLQn7KVzV3cwgT7-8XHUfWh_2-cKtB7OXWIwufImdr7ydkn-SaUlqtOuUBB_Y6eKEDKheXzhVo8ehpEecd3Bd1hci47EnHciUs_MrtHbxkuzOqSsjd6K0uuvwM/s400/1056595_75788148.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381014790046276114" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I watched a <a href="http://www.livestream.com/faithtemple?referrer=mogulus">live stream</a> from my church <a href="http://www.faithtemple.net/">Faith Temple</a> today. How's that for embracing technology? I love how this church uses direct marketing and technology to build relationships with its congregation. It makes me smile as a marketer.</div><div><br /></div><div>As usual the message was powerful and uplifting. </div><div><br /></div><div>A section of the sermon stood out for me. The pastor, <a href="http://www.faithtemple.net/pastoral-leadership">Steve Edlin</a>, said sometimes we give people keys to vehicles before they have the capacity to drive. Well he didn't quite say it like that but that was the overall metaphor. </div><div><br /></div><div>And the meaning? Sometimes people have the potential to undertake a task but do not currently have the capacity to handle that task. Maybe they are not in the right state of mind; maybe they haven't learnt all they need to know to do a great job. </div><div><br /></div><div>Just because someone has potential, doesn't mean they are ready for the job! </div><div><br /></div><div>This can be extended to many parts of our life. You may have the potential to run a marathon but 3 months before the race you might not have the capacity. It requires training. You may have the potential to be a great wife or husband but you're still trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do in life. Requires a little soul searching. You may have the capacity to be a great entrepreneur but you don't understand accounting, marketing or business planning. Requires a little skill-building. </div><div><br /></div><div>Potential ain't capacity and you have to build your capacity before you can unleash your true potential.</div><div><br /></div><div>Have an awesome week everyone!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-5079722934405515602009-09-12T11:05:00.005-04:002009-09-12T11:28:09.850-04:00Fair Trade Fashion shoot!<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-style: italic; ">By Marita L. Greenidge</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">A few months ago I got the bright idea that showing how great our products looked when paired with the right outfit, was a fabulous idea. Below are two pictures from that day. It looks like I've done a good job of passing myself off as a decent make-up artist.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">My friend Duan gets to be on the receiving end of this bright idea. My other friend Mai, appears to be chilling out. Little did she know that she was next! Just kiddin', Mai did her own make-up that day. Maybe I didn't do as great a job convincing everyone my make-up skills were great.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Look out for more pictures from our shoot!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rx2NOYfeIEkLD2ENOadWAELx56zsnM4ixcJOb9Tgji5DCkbQFhzf3lwEEybCjn9VAimTr9FXqOFWwgP818u7A8C296A5_N8gxfh-3_7uRrtma65LX8pIo5IX7hnQl7Asw3xw6Ak9sT4/s400/IMG_1430.gif" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 361px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380601021580295746" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkYBlWSq32uiDK3F4AHFppl31X_uazZGmFFS7m91UNJl6ZPW05WG2Gj_pbBO7Wnj_VSakzYd_8_zL6uKU0xQmkfGUUuWLI20ix-wN3fEgpwT6H3Ws45BMc7qBjV8uhjtlOihB_YU6Eyw/s400/IMG_1429.gif" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380601441956992594" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-37708082866042999372009-09-08T12:41:00.004-04:002009-09-08T12:51:41.701-04:00Entrepreneurs Tackling Africa's Problems<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div><i>By Marita <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Greenidge</span></i></div><div><br /></div>Check out the New York Times' blog <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Freakonomics</span> for a great post on what some people are doing to further development in Africa. <a href="http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/african-entrepreneurs/">Click here</a>. A few tidbits:</span><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Using entrepreneurship</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Using venture capital for technology development</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Helping those affected by HIV/AIDS</span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Why rely on aid if you can find innovative ways to help your country?</span></div></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-89604647962293158122009-09-07T11:58:00.005-04:002009-09-07T12:09:03.287-04:00Fair Trade Labor Day Sale on Recycled Bags<div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's Labor Day today and we're celebrating by offering you <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/Pilar-Tote_p_1.html">15% off our PILAR totes</a>.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQZLI5zXl0dMLG2kiBrYTEUcM04IZ2b5IoSL199VlcaKk4n7LLMurQpWuUxYw3t-3JtK0IT-9PZ8tJ84c8D5etzGuu1-fDteWbCPiPVXbH6Cx4f0etulf5BZ2HKjrP58KxjOhcfpNrCs/s1600-h/labor-day.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQZLI5zXl0dMLG2kiBrYTEUcM04IZ2b5IoSL199VlcaKk4n7LLMurQpWuUxYw3t-3JtK0IT-9PZ8tJ84c8D5etzGuu1-fDteWbCPiPVXbH6Cx4f0etulf5BZ2HKjrP58KxjOhcfpNrCs/s400/labor-day.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378756069369438770" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!</span></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-74249365567657880942009-09-06T19:16:00.003-04:002009-09-06T20:04:15.174-04:00Slavery? Today?<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Rebecca and Glenn Fadner</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7JCvdwmK4y8&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7JCvdwmK4y8&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Slavery ended in 1863 when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, right? Guess again! Slavery is "alive and well" throughout the modern world!! Oh, it's <b>illegal</b> in over 80% of the countries, but it still exists. In fact, estimates range from as "low" as 4 million to as high as 27 million people enslaved, with the <a href="http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/105376.htm">US State Department</a> settling on around 12 million. Contrast that with an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States">estimated 4 million slaves</a> in the US immediately before the Civil War.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Trafficking in human beings is "<a href="http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/index.html">tied for second</a>" (with illegal arms) as the second largest criminal activity in the world (after the drug trade). And if you think it only happens "over there", think again! The US is both a destination and an origination point for victims of trafficking.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Because combating the trauma of those rescued out of trafficking is central to the mission of our supplier <a href="http://www.stopstart.com.au/">STOPStart</a>, we are taking the opportunity to become more informed about the scourge of human trafficking and how to combat it. We will be attending the first <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102673990490&s=327&e=001Qp9t-BByEzNxwrmBfQhssZFVPZWlQMoURtHd6Y0RHmonLJuYanM_nugfs555rsMQWA0Tng3y5bTO2cBEImb5_GwLU41fznAvN2cUl0CjhZgADBREI0uCS-LP5hWMU1Ys-M4eoT4uTAkrkWa9xLjn1reaQSyL-y_-bSxctqxdpsPDZukc5zvjZJT2dSxiz3DW">Global Forum on Human Trafficking</a> in Carlsbad, CA on October 8-9.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">We'll have more to share from what we've learned, but we want to encourage YOU to become more informed as well. Here are several resources to assist you:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Not-Sale-Return-Global-Trade/dp/0061206717/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251166136&sr=1-1">Not For Sale</a>" - David Batstone A look at examples of human trafficking worldwide AND how a number of organizations are working to combat it.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/">www.notforsalecampaign.org</a> - Up-to-the-minute information on how people are organizing to combat modern-day slavery</span></li></ul><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-dynamic-index/8081A4079639D55A802573E000530965?Opendocument">The Salvation Army Human Trafficking site</a> </span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><div><br /></div>We encourage you to become informed and involved!</span></div><div><br /></div></i></span><i></i></div><i></i>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-85042538565368652422009-09-04T15:25:00.003-04:002009-09-04T15:39:50.873-04:00Product of the Month - Sea Glass Jewellry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/assets/images/hondurasproducts/sgc-03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/assets/images/hondurasproducts/sgc-03.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Rebecca Fadner</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Searching for that piece of jewelry that is fun, colorful, reasonably-priced, eco-friendly, unique AND has a socially-relevant back-story? That's a tall order, but we have an answer for you! <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/Made-in-Honduras_bymfg_6-0-1.html">Sea glass jewelry from Honduras</a>! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Our artisan Maria combs the Caribbean shoreline seeking bits of colorful glass that the surf washes up on the Honduran beaches. With an artistic vision for each piece, she polishes the glass and fashions each piece into vibrantly-colored dragonfly and Celtic cross necklaces as well as stunning matching necklace & earring sets. In each case the delicate necklace chain completes the image! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The sea glass is available in a number of colors, but as is the case with all recycled products, Maria must creatively work with those "raw" materials that the ocean provides!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/Made-in-Honduras_bymfg_6-0-1.html">Click here</a> to view more of our beautiful sea glass jewelry!!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-5198808028831297772009-09-01T22:36:00.004-04:002009-09-01T22:55:46.685-04:00Big Decisions, Big Developments & Big Balloons!<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Glenn Fadner</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><br /></i></span></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIXd1FdRwaslf53BUs9W_boVgIR_-Yxdq44UXLJBBMUwgPJRNIb0Nn4747xkR8av_uoahywg_xjZsthOkTVz0JT6m9KWPIEiHBo0_SkKT7M9PwKWYyBQwUpF4bnLHeNRlnU5Vl5vxJV0/s1600-h/714877_89081389.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIXd1FdRwaslf53BUs9W_boVgIR_-Yxdq44UXLJBBMUwgPJRNIb0Nn4747xkR8av_uoahywg_xjZsthOkTVz0JT6m9KWPIEiHBo0_SkKT7M9PwKWYyBQwUpF4bnLHeNRlnU5Vl5vxJV0/s400/714877_89081389.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376695420852760642" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>Gershwin wrote, "Summertime, and the livin' is easy..."</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The month of August has had a "slower" pace for us if you measure it in miles travelled. This month we've only done one "show" and it was close to home. It has nevertheless been an extremely eventful month for KVI.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Probably the most significant event for us was Hagar International's decision to "spin off" Hagar On-Time! (H-OT!), their textile business that manufactures all of our Hagar Design products.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I'm not going to go into all the details here because it will make this too lengthy. You can click <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/assets/Pages/STOPStart.htm">this link</a> to get all those details. The condensed version is that in order to conserve finances for their social programs, Hagar International sold H-OT! to a group of like-minded Australians who will operate it under the name STOPStart. Look for our products to begin carrying the STOPStart logo in the near future.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hagar's decision and the "challenging" economic climate provoked us at <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/">Kingdom Ventures</a> to examine our own business model. The picture that I got as I reflected over the past four years was that when we first started out, it was somewhat like duck-hunting - we used a shotgun with scatter-shot which is bound to hit SOMETHING if you sent it into a flock of ducks. That technique worked well in bringing us to where we are, but it won't take us any further. We need to be thinking much more strategically if we're going to grow KVI. It's going to take a "rifle" rather than a "shotgun". </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">So with several big gulps, we took the steps of applying to exhibit at two more trade shows: Another one in Boston in September and (BIG gulp) one in San Francisco in February. The costs involved are scary. However, it does give us opportunity to be in front of more people who understand and promote Fair Trade.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Finally, we just made the decision to attend the <a href="http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/events/global-forum-on-human-trafficking/">Global Forum on Human Trafficking</a> being held in California in early October. In addition to the opportunity to become better equipped to speak to issues around human trafficking, we will be able to meet face-to-face with the new Executive Director of STOPStart, who will also be in attendance.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Yes, August has been a significant month ~ one filled with change, flexibility, adaptations and preparing for growth. Now it's off to the <a href="http://www.nysfob.com/">Festival of Balloons in Dansville</a>, NY this weekend. If you are anywhere in Central New York, stop by and say hello! It's a GREAT time with terrific weather and a view of those balloons in flight that truly IS out-of-this-world!</span></div><div><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-90142504222816308752009-08-31T12:59:00.003-04:002009-09-01T22:36:30.111-04:00What’s having a Life Anyway?<div><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRraoJ02dY34gbNs-Cl0aOrmAX51s1QI9cFbSXvidgJwHu00rGAmFWCZXXFrDCSBIqkyLSCBEtZbqxCDxc-mZPWdbSwwtS6gutsZO8hzs0ejRsQF69EGLTlJ5x8UWaSBwTfJMoRr0FuY/s1600-h/1191074_70122413.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRraoJ02dY34gbNs-Cl0aOrmAX51s1QI9cFbSXvidgJwHu00rGAmFWCZXXFrDCSBIqkyLSCBEtZbqxCDxc-mZPWdbSwwtS6gutsZO8hzs0ejRsQF69EGLTlJ5x8UWaSBwTfJMoRr0FuY/s400/1191074_70122413.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376174334541477234" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">If you don’t go to bars or parties on the weekend guess what, you don’t have a life! At least that’s what television teaches you. Essentially having a life boils down to the presence of certain activities in your life – drinking alcohol and partying. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I too got trapped in this, joking with friends that I “didn’t have a life” when I stopped bar hopping and partying. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But hey what’s having a life anyway? To me having a life is doing the activities you love. I realized that heading out to party on the weekends wasn’t really that exciting anymore. Actually halfway through the night I’d be drained and bored (how’s that for proof of getting old?...lol) Well it wasn’t that I couldn’t keep up; it’s really that things that don’t excite me drain the life out of me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I’d rather be having a quiet dinner with a few close friends or reading/watching something about marketing. Instead of going to loud beach parties, I’d rather spend quiet days at the beach listening to waves and reading a magazine/book. Instead of going to bed at 6 am after a crazy night on the town, I’d rather be getting up at 6 am to head to a hike.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Your definition of life is whatever you make it. It’s whatever you do that makes your existence rich. If hiking, photography, dancing, singing, playing a sport, reading, spending time with your family etcetera are the things that excite you most, if they are present in your life, then you most certainly have a life. </span></div><div><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-31030093794296931442009-08-25T11:34:00.005-04:002009-08-25T12:08:24.976-04:00Using Entrepreneurship to Combat Global Poverty<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"Multiply the population of the US by three. That’s how many people around the world live on about a dollar a day.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Do it again and now you have the number closer to $2. </span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">About forty percent of the world lives on $2 or less a day.</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">What’s that like? What happens to you when you have two dollars a day to live on. It’s almost impossible to imagine. I mean, $2 is the rent on your apartment for about 45 minutes. $2 buys you one bite of lunch at a local restaurant...</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And yet, two billion people survive on that sort of income. "</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Those are the opening lines from Seth Godin's post last week Friday. You should definitely read the entire post <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/08/patient-capital-markets-that-work-and-ending-the-endless-emergency-of-poverty.html">here</a>. Godin speaks about why entrepreneurship is so important to social and economic development. The focus eventually turns to the <a href="http://www.acumenfund.org/about-us.html">Acumen Fund</a>, a non-profit Seth will be working with. I particularly like the Acumen Fund because they seem to share our ideals here at KVI. Here's an explanation of what they do:</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#656565;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(101, 101, 101); line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>"Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. We seek to prove that small amounts of philanthropic capital, combined with large doses of business acumen, can build thriving enterprises that serve vast numbers of the poor. Our investments focus on delivering affordable, critical goods and services – like health, water, housing and energy – through innovative, market-oriented approaches." - Acumen Fund Wesbite</i></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">So the idea is that charity alone is not the answer because it creates dependency. However using charity and investing in projects that have the potential to offer the world's disadvantaged ways to support themselves negates the need for continual charitable donations. This is very important because it means that if charitable dollars run out, persons aren't instataneously transported back to poverty. Donations become more like investments than hand-outs.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This is why we at KVI believe in Fair Trade and helping our artisans find marketable solutions to their economic problems. We are facilitators giving artisans connections to distribution channels they wouldn't normally have so that they can chart their own entrepreneurial course. </span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Of course this brings into question what happens when we aren't there to facilitate but that's a discussion for another post when we'll talk about why succession planning is so important. </span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></p> <p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span><o:p></o:p></p>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-43109200086813535742009-08-19T22:59:00.004-04:002009-08-19T23:09:04.158-04:00Videos for Social Good<div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">By Marita Greenidge</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I was doing my daily reading of </span><a href="http://mashable.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Mashable</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> and I came across this post on the </span><a href="http://mashable.com/2009/08/19/youtube-social-good/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">top 10 videos for social good</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. They are all pretty interesting. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The groups vary from those supporting environmental health to those trying to lift people out of poverty. Have a watch; I really like the last one which is an interactive video where a young person has to choose his path. Each path can lead to various outcomes. It clearly shows how the small choices you ma</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">ke in life can lead to serious consequences. Good work by the Metropolitan Police Service of Lond</span>o<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">n</span>.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-54953975469863306292009-08-09T13:55:00.008-04:002009-08-09T14:46:13.385-04:00Political unrest in Honduras and unfortunate economic situation in Kenya affecting our Suppliers<div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">By Glenn & Rebecca Fadner</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4L9ByI7CIeg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4L9ByI7CIeg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';">July was another busy month with both retail and wholesale shows. We had a few "drenchings" (in both Fair Haven and Geneseo), quick turn-arounds between shows, and as much time in hotels as at home! We're glad that the pace is a bit "lighter" in August, which will give us an opportunity to catch up a bit with things that have gotten set to the side (including yard work).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">On a more somber note, I want to update you on how two of our artisans are being impacted by current events.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><b>Honduras:</b> Hopefully you have been following (at least to SOME level) the<a href="http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june292009/honduran_president_tk_6-28-09.php"> </a><a href="http://www.vosizneias.com/34141/2009/06/28/tegucigalpa-honduras-military-coup-honduran-president-forced-out-soilder-fire-tear-gas-on-protesters/">political crisis unfolding in Honduras</a>. I can't tell you how the crisis in Tegucigalpa is affecting people "on the street" in the Gulf Coast city of Trujillo, but anytime there is political unrest in a country where tourism is a significant part of the economy, there's bound to be a decrease in tourist traffic. (This is a <a href="http://honduras.usembassy.gov/pubanc09_polunrest.html">link</a> to an annoucement by the US embassy discouraging travel to Honduras). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">So even if things start picking up in the global economy, we can expect that it will be quite some time before tourist dollars start flowing freely in Trujillo. That makes our supplier Maria, and the others at the Made In Honduras co-operative, significantly dependant on what we (and others) sell outside the country.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><b>Kenya:</b> Just this week I received an email from Eunice Kasisi, who makes our<a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/Beauty-by-Eunice_bymfg_4-0-1.html"> "marbled" and bamboo jewelry</a>. (Click this <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/assets/Pages/eunice.htm">link</a> for more about Eunice.) <a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/200907200847.html">Things are very difficult in Keny</a>a. On top of the political crisis there in 2008, the global recession, and the seventh year of drought, it appears that people in both government and business have been "manipulating" the price of food staples like maize for their own profit. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Food has become outrageously expensive for the poor of Kenya, with the result that there is nothing left over for other necessities of life. Eunice is the caregiver for her brother's two children since he passed away. Last week they were "chased from school" because she couldn't pay the school fees. (There are fees even for "public" school in Kenya.) She was asking if we have any business for her, and I had to tell her that at this point, we simply don't need any additional jewelry.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We're not telling you these stories to discourage you or to stir up feelings of guilt. That's not what we're about. But we DO want to encourage you to consider <a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/">KVI</a> and other Fair Trade businesses when you do need to make a purchase. And encourage your friends to visit us and other Fair Trade e-tailers. All of us thank you!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We wish all of you a great month!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Honduran immigrants speak about recent events in Honduras surrounding President Zelaya.</span></div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/E76b7KIzx_0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/E76b7KIzx_0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-77489262430055740102009-08-02T18:49:00.007-04:002009-08-02T19:23:52.158-04:00It’s Friendship Day People…so who are your friends again?<div><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tnHcGLgSqiYRxeHfuCustxMZnpOhttwEFPwgKJuJK9MukNshLAxXrE_qSCBafJ7vtOHsBDsUk3qUb4kTX0T-5cGpwNAl-lmlewLHGiOuu2HGR1frRAfExZn-mX45tw1JgWgtdTlzsIo/s1600-h/1028813_91951250.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tnHcGLgSqiYRxeHfuCustxMZnpOhttwEFPwgKJuJK9MukNshLAxXrE_qSCBafJ7vtOHsBDsUk3qUb4kTX0T-5cGpwNAl-lmlewLHGiOuu2HGR1frRAfExZn-mX45tw1JgWgtdTlzsIo/s400/1028813_91951250.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365506952236773090" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Can you do it? Can you really walk hand-in-hand with someone who’s not going where you want to go? At some point along the journey someone’s going to have to let go or both your journeys will come to a screeching halt. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Pretty simple concept…let’s make it even simpler. You are kind enough to give your friend a ride to the supermarket. You buy all your groceries and are ready to head back home. If both of you live at the same house then great, you return home together. If you don’t, you have to drop that friend off. If you decide you want to hang out with your friend a little more because you enjoy their company so much then you’re stuck at that friend’s house until you leave. Meanwhile your groceries are sitting in huge pile because you decided to linger and not go on to do your business. Your journey has halted and you haven’t reached your destination. The frozen food is getting warm and the hot food cold. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.collegestartupblog.com/2009/04/17/choose-your-friends-by-choosing-who-you-want-to-be/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">In life, who you surround yourself with has such a crazy impact on your life</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. It morphs your thinking because you become immersed in a way of life. If societal status and gathering ‘things’ are the ambitions of your friends, then you may slowly find that those become your ambitions as well. And we may not want to admit this but think about the way you speak…the words you use….those bits and pieces you pick up along the way. I never said the word “awesome” before I came to Rochester but now it’s ingrained in my vocabulary….a little gift from my classmates who said it so frequently. I’ve passed on “altrighty” to my roommate. You see how this works. </span><a href="http://www.lawofattractioninactionblog.com/leadingedgecoaching/2009/06/happiness-choose-your-friends-wisely.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">These things solely creep up on us and we don’t realize until it’s ingrained. </span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">You want great habits and ways of thinking to seep into you. You want peer pressure to have a useful purpose like encouraging you never to cheat on your spouse or to volunteer to tutor young kids or adults. You don’t want it telling you to buy the latest non-essential object as the only way to feel worthy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">You do this by surrounding yourself with the right kind of people, the ones who are going to the same place you are. It’s the reason in your career you’re encouraged to join associations related to your fields. You get all the good info on the recent developments in your industry and a group of people that can help if you get stuck in a problem. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It’s easy to see this applied to a career so why is it so difficult to apply to our lives? </span></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5084537546469383480.post-16214949405576556172009-07-26T17:42:00.004-04:002009-08-02T19:22:58.103-04:00Are You Committed?<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><i>By Marita Greenidge</i></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOeMPMGH27il7JukM4w-aahdpty-ZrTqQOxuTLfmTRdjToeoPlkW7RCEsn19sh_G04EDBsD4P17jV2E1pv1YmimS19zemsGwyXBH87z968B3yQbKTenBDXjllvafQARMVYXEUuvPeLbI/s1600-h/1097270_56474282.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOeMPMGH27il7JukM4w-aahdpty-ZrTqQOxuTLfmTRdjToeoPlkW7RCEsn19sh_G04EDBsD4P17jV2E1pv1YmimS19zemsGwyXBH87z968B3yQbKTenBDXjllvafQARMVYXEUuvPeLbI/s400/1097270_56474282.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362889503843963458" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Are you committed? I mean are you really committed? It’s pretty easy to say you’re committed because words are easy. I can say anything I want in the world but following through with actions is the difficult part. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I wanted to gain an MBA. After the first quarter I was told my full scholarship wasn’t really a full scholarship. I was literally faced with being kicked out of school because I couldn’t pay my bills. Perfect time to give up, right? Nope…</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Commitment doesn’t mean that you’re in it only for the good times. The true test comes when the waters become choppy. I made the decision that I was going to get my MBA from </span><a href="http://www.simon.rochester.edu/index.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Simon</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> and I was surely going to make that happen. I now possess an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship so I guess I can say staying true to the course paid off. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Marriage, friendship, goals…..having kids. These are all things that require a strong commitment because you know what? The journey won’t always be easy. Spouses will annoy you; kids will upset you; things will not always go as planned. But you have to be strong enough to say, “I made a decision and I’m going to see it through”.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Right now at </span><a href="http://www.kingdom-ventures.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">KVI </span></a><a href="http://fairtrademarketing.blogspot.com/2009/07/make-difference-today.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">sales are down</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">. But guess what? We made a commitment to our suppliers and we’re going to stick with them as we navigate through this challenging economic time. What about you? Are you honoring your commitments?</span></div><div><br /></div>Marita Greenidgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243680505406839781noreply@blogger.com2