Lieutenant Colonel Craig R. Wonson, Commanding Officer of Camp Pendleton, USMC, Marine

Lieutenant Colonel Craig R. Wonson, Commanding Officer of Camp Pendleton, USMC with Sanjay Dalal, Rotarian, Social Media Entrepreneur, Irvine, California

I am privileged to share this photograph with Lieutenant Colonel Craig R. Wonson, Commanding Officer of Camp Pendleton, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (1/1).

It was a great honor to hear Lt. Colonel Wonson speak articulately about the Marines' fearless involvement in the War on Terror at my Rotary club of Newport-Irvine on March 18, 2010.

Here were some of my updates on oGoing as I was listening to Colonel Wonson:

1. After the speech, it was my honor to shake hands of Colonel Wonson, a proud Marine. He even obliged by taking a photograph in front of flag
2. Lt. Colonel Wonson: "General Petraeus strategy... Clear, Hold, Build, Transition. Bottomline - Surge in Iraq... Same type Afghanistan...."
3. Lt. Colonel Wonson is providing a review of Iraq & Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, N. Korea, and how they support, stay ahead, war gaming, etc.
4. Lt. Colonel Wonson: "Training... busting their butts! Extensive training. Weeks to months of training & operations. Tax dollars at work..."
5. Lt. Colonel Wonson: "Forward deployed self-sustaining force of Marines, anything that happens in central command e.g. counter insurgency"
6. Lt. Colonel Wonson: "Marine expeditionary units and what they do... forward deployed force that's trained & equipped."
7. Lt. Colonel Craig Wonson, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (1/1) and their involvement in the War on Terror, speaker at Rotary meeting

After the speech, I asked Lt. Colonel Wonson on how they get the Marines ready as they are deployed overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries... specifically, how they gain an understanding of the local culture, customs & people before they are deployed. He went over the rigorous training & immersion that all the Marines have to go through (sort of like a crash course), so that they have greater hands-on knowledge of the local people before they even land.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask all my friends to support our marines, troops and military at Camp Pendleton & across the USA. What our military does to selflessly protect this great country has no equal.

Sincere regards,
Sanjay Dalal, Social Media Entrepreneur
www.SanjayDalal.com
Irvine, California

President Barack Obama - Economy, Jobs, Recovery, Relief, Energy

Selected references:
Leading Business Innovation eBook & Resource Kit
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world

What is American? Coming from India ...

What is American?

Yesterday, my wife, Mamta, told me she was taping on our DVR, American President. One of our favorite movies – starring Michael Douglas as the American President. We also enjoy Harrison Ford’s movie where he stars as the American President and fights the terrorists on Airforce One… what an exciting movie! He beats the crap out of all those loonies one by one! My son’s favorite movie also.

From talking about the movie, Rohan (our son), Suhani (our daughter) and we started talking about different things. The other day, Mamta had asked whether we had enough American Cheese – I told her I call it “White” cheese or “Yellow” cheese. To that, my son said, that sounds “racist” dad. I told him, when I host my online innovation workshops. I show my customers presentation on the “whiteboard”. And I must have delivered about 100 presentations where I have talked about “whiteboard”, “black box”, “white walls”, “white collar”, “black pepper” and some even recorded. My favorite when we order “white rice” or “brown rice” or “fried rice” at Chinese restaurant, or if you go to Indian restaurant, we call it “Biryani” or “Pulao” or “Safed rice”. Our house has white walls and black furniture. The other day, my eight year old daughter Suhani comes home and asks me, “Dad are we white and do we have a black president?” We tell her the right thing to say is “Caucasian and African Americans”, and then I went on to explain to her about various differences, and that we are all Americans. We also talked about our plans for President’s day holiday (no plans, just relaxing).

So, this was a typical evening conversation at the Dalal Family dinner table. You are welcome to join us…

Welcome to America!

Coming from India ...

Our kids are born here, and are natural born American citizens. My wife and I immigrated from India, world’s largest democracy and a country of rich heritage and traditions. We are American citizens also. During the Christmas holidays – we also setup Christmas Tree, share gifts, and believe in Santa – we saw the movie SlumDog Millionaire – an amazingly tantalizing love story that has something for everyone. How many have seen this movie? Must see. My wife and I argued a bit about this movie. I thought it was great, and she enjoyed it too… however, she felt that it represented only a section of what India is all about, and again, the movie shows too much of the poverty and slums. And I do agree… but I told her the educated know India is much more than poverty and slums. Just like America, it is a land of dreams, freedom and opportunity. And the movie does go on to show that how even the poorest of poor can one day grow and win the highest prize! An underdog who goes on to win millions!

I was born in Ahmedabad, India in 1968 – born on October 31. I am a Halloween Baby… my mom did not know that… although my kids think I can be really scary. I call it CRAM – Crazy, Angry, Mad… just kidding! My daughter tells me “I have bushy hair”. I do…

I did my elementary, middle and high school in India. My proudest moment was securing a ranking within the top 50 students in the entire state of Gujarat in my high school exams – thereby providing me an opportunity to pursue any higher education in college that I would like. I also had a great time in my eleventh grade when a few of us friends went for an Oceanographic exploration at Goa, India – a must see beach city in the state of Maharashtra. The best time was going to Goa in a ship from Bombay, now Mumbai. Still fondly remember that trip.

I also spent about eight months of college in Ahmedabad before I moved to the U.S in 1987 with my sister, Situ. I started my undergrad in Electrical Engineering at University of Oklahoma, she began her Masters in Civil Engineering.

My father, who many of you met, provided me the opportunity to come to USA. He has been a great mentor to me over the years, and I am very thankful to him and my mother for their guidance and support.

My highlight when I was at OU: 1. Great education by my English instructor and Math professor Dr. John Albert 2. Securing first position in Putnam math competition, after getting inspired by Dr. Albert to participate. OU won the first prize after dozens of years. 3. President’s honor roll, and my very first job as Library assistant appointed by Mr. Wellburn.

One Saturday, as I was going to the library for studying, I saw this huge swarm of people going to the stadium, waving flags, high fiving each other, and chanting “OU, OU”… I got introduced to Football – American Football!! And I am a huge fan of Football now, albeit Texas Football and NFL. Why? I transferred to the University of Texas at Austin after my first year in 1988 because I got a scholarship from UT. And Texas, although boasting a huge football program as well, had better Engineering education.

It was at Texas that I met Mamta, my future wife to be during my second year in 1989 in the summer, when we were helping new students from India as they arrived for their education at UT. And we played lots of Volleyball together that summer. And the rest is history!

My highlight at Texas was getting EE scholarship, instate tuition, computer programming lab position nominated by Dr. Terry Wagner (thank you Dr. Wagner), Secretary position in Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honors Society, and International Office Scholarship. The biggest coup: Becoming the Treasurer of India Students Association. My low-light: getting reprimanded for checking out professor notes over the weekend for a class that I did not take.

Professionally, I began my career at Honeywell Bull in 1992 after doing summer internship in the town of Seguin, Texas at Alamo Group.
...

Part two of the story of Sanjay Dalal here...

Excerpts of Sanjay Dalal's speech at the Rotary Club of Newport-Irvine when I was inducted a Rotary Member on February 12, 2009

North Dakota improves in business tax rankings

North Dakota ranks squarely in the middle of states in a study that compares how each state taxes business. The Tax Foundation review gives much better rankings to neighboring South Dakota and Montana.
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The Washington, D.C.-based organization, which produces an annual report on the business tax climates of states, ranked North Dakota 25th among the 50 states in its most recent survey, after four years of ratings in the low 30s. The foundation's rankings are considered important by legislators and economic development officials.

South Dakota, which has no individual or corporate income tax, was ranked first, while Montana was rated sixth among the 50 states, the survey said. Minnesota's business tax climate was ranked 43rd.

Cory Fong, North Dakota's tax commissioner, said the Legislature helped improve the state's standing by cutting individual income and corporate tax rates and reducing the number of corporate tax brackets from five to three. The Tax Foundation's ratings favor states that impose no income tax at all or that have only a single tax rate, instead of progressively higher rates on larger incomes.

North Dakota's tax system may never attain a top rating because tax collections are spread across income, sales and property, Fong said.

"Having a balanced tax structure is helping us immensely during these difficult times, and I think that is an overall strength that businesses are looking at," Fong said. "We've done a good job of demonstrating ... that having the right level of taxation across those tax types makes some sense."

The foundation's ratings included the 2009 Legislature's across-the-board reduction of state income tax rates, which lowered the top individual income tax rate from 5.54 percent to 4.86 percent, and the lowest rate from 2.1 percent to 1.84 percent of state taxable income.

It did not take into account the Legislature's corporate tax changes, which reduced North Dakota's number of corporate tax brackets from five to three, cut the top tax rate from 6.5 percent to 6.4 percent, and applied the top rate to income greater than $50,000. Previously, the maximum tax rate was assessed against corporate income greater than $30,000.

Nationally, North Dakota has been one of the few states where the state government budget is in surplus. Dustin Gawrylow, director of the North Dakota Taxpayers' Association, an advocacy group based in Bismarck, said the state's rankings improvement should be credited to North Dakota's tax cuts and moves to raise taxes in other states with less robust revenue collections.

"Unlike a lot of states, we're not getting any worse," Gawrylow said.

Gawrylow said North Dakota's rankings when compared to South Dakota, Montana and No. 2-rated Wyoming are more worrisome. North Dakota economic development officials appear to put more emphasis on offering tax incentives to selected businesses than on having lower tax rates on all companies, he said.

"We've got to really look at how we can compete regionally," he said. "We need to look at how we can match Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana on those factors that companies are looking at when they come to North Dakota to look for where to place their factories, or their jobs."

The report analyzes a number of taxes that affect businesses, including income and sales taxes, unemployment insurance rates and property taxes.

On property taxes, which are the subject of frequent complaints by business and home owners alike, the report ranks North Dakota fifth among states, while giving less favorable scores to the state's corporate and individual income tax laws.

Fong said that is where he sees "some fundamental flaws" in how the report depicts North Dakota. "Perhaps the measurements they are focusing on don't necessarily coincide with what people in North Dakota are concerned about," he said.

Lilly says David Ricks will lead US business

INDIANAPOLIS -- Drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. said Tuesday that David Ricks, who is now in charge of its Chinese business, will become president of the U.S. division on Nov. 1.

Ricks has worked at Lilly for 13 years, including managing operations in Canada and China, Lilly said. He will take over for Enrique Conterno as president of Lilly USA. Conterno will become head of the company's diabetes business as part of a reorganization announced earlier in September.

Lilly USA will be part of the established-markets business, which will be lead by Bryce Carmine. The established-markets business will focus on developed markets like the U.S., European Union, and Japan, and will handle marketing of heart and neurological drugs, among other products.

Eric Baclet, vice president of marketing over global neuroscience brands, will succeed Ricks to lead Lilly China.

The company is reorganizing into five business units: cancer, diabetes, established markets, emerging markets, and the Elanco animal-health business. The reorganization includes about 5,500 job cuts, or about 14 percent of Eli Lilly ( LLY - news - people )'s work force, by the end of 2011.

High hopes: Small business is becoming optimistic

Small business owners are joining consumers and investors in showing some cautious optimism about the economy.

An index that measures owners' optimism rose last month, boosted by expectations that business conditions will improve in the future. And there's anecdotal evidence from owners in a variety of industries who say they have reasons to feel a little more upbeat.

The National Federation of Independent Business, which surveys its members each month, said its index of business owner optimism rose 2.1 points to 88.6 in August, an increase that NFIB chief economist William Dunkelberg called "a big gain." The optimism, though, is about the future, as owners still have a dim view of current economic conditions. Dunkelberg noted that small businesses generally aren't planning big capital expenditures or to start hiring again.

"First you have to feel better before you'll spend your money," Dunkelberg said.

Dunkelberg makes the same caveats that other economists do: If consumer spending doesn't pick up, the budding optimism is likely to wither. But, he said, having watched decades of economic cycles, "every recovery begins with an improvement in the feel good stuff, and that's followed by an improvement in the hard spending numbers."

Several small business owners interviewed by The Associated Press reported that their own optimism, as well as that of their clients and customers, has started to improve recently.

"It's still tough, but people are at least starting to speak in normal terms again," said Michael Frenkel, president of New York-based M Frenkel Communications Inc.

Like many other public relations firms, Frenkel's business was hurt when clients slashed their marketing budgets, often the first casualties when companies cut costs. Now, he said, with his hotel and real estate clients putting their budgets together, "things are looking a bit looser for the fourth quarter and they're looking even looser for the beginning of 2010."

But Frenkel said business owners have been forced to adapt to a new reality: The booming economy of two and three years ago, when a company like his could find business almost anywhere, isn't likely to return soon. So, he said, "you just try to go out there and make it happen."

Ian Ford, whose company sells discount tickets to Orlando, Fla., tourist attractions, has become more optimistic as his sales, which dropped off last September and fell as much as 20 percent, started to rebound this summer. Part of the improvement followed Walt Disney World's discontinuing some of its deep discounts, which in turn lifted demand for the tickets sold by Ford's company, Undercover Tourist. Also, more people are willing to travel now.

Business Activity Increases More Than Expected

Business activity in the United States rose more than forecast in August, adding to signs the economy is improving.

The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago said Monday that its business barometer increased to 50, the highest level since September 2008, from 43.4 in July. Fifty is the dividing line between contraction and expansion.

Automakers are likely to be at the epicenter of a rebound in manufacturing in coming months as assembly lines speed up after the government’s cash-for-clunkers plan left showrooms bare. Increasing demand from overseas and a record reduction in inventories mean that an increase in factory orders and production may last for much of the rest of the year.

It’s “a manufacturing-led recovery,” said Robert Stein, a senior economist at First Trust Advisors of Wheaton, Ill. “Much of this is probably related to the revival in auto production over the past month or so.”

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had forecast the index would rise to 48, according to the median of 53 projections. Estimates ranged from 46 to 52.5.

Economists watch the Chicago index for an early reading on the outlook for overall manufacturing, which makes up about 12 percent of the economy. The Institute for Supply Management is scheduled to release its August factory report on Tuesday. According to a Bloomberg survey, that measure will show expansion for the first time since January 2008.

The Chicago report’s orders gauge climbed to 52.5, the highest level in a year, from 48 in July, and the production index rose to 52.9, from 43.3.

The employment index increased to 38.7, from 35.3. A measure of prices paid for raw materials jumped to 50, from 35, while a gauge of delivery times increased to 54.6, from 49.6.

Source: NYTimes

Australia to Open Auto Finance Fund - Sydney

SYDNEY -- Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said Friday the government will activate from Sept 1. a special fund to provide liquidity for auto dealer financiers encountering difficulties due to the global credit crisis

The government announced last December it would create the special purpose vehicle worth up to 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.66 billion) with the support of country's big four banks -- Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank Ltd., Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. and Westpac Banking Corp.


The government in June lowered the estimated size of the vehicle to around A$550 million, following a better-than-expected functioning of the market and the ability of dealers to secure funds through remaining lenders.

Like in the U.S., scarce credit has hammered Australia's A$7.7 billion auto sector in recent times.

The Australian government decided to establish the auto fund following plans by GE Money, a unit of General Electric Co., and GMAC, to exit the local market, leaving an estimated A$2 billion hole in funding lines to auto dealers. Swan said Friday the so-called OzCar program has helped ensure their orderly withdrawal.

"However, it will still be necessary to activate OzCar so that the remaining GE and GMAC dealerships will have more time to secure ongoing financing," Mr. Swan said in a statement.

"The activation of OzCar will also provide Ford Credit Australia with access to the liquidity required to continue to support its dealerships -- most of which are in regional areas."

Legislation enabling the fund was passed by lawmakers in June.

The fund is backed by the government's AAA sovereign guarantee but the government won't contribute direct funding.

Holden, the Australian unit of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. currently manufacture cars in Australia.

Source: WSJ.com

Seminar for small business planned - Take it !

AVON PARK - "Steps To Start A Small Business" is a free two-hour seminar presented by the Small Business Development Center at University of South Florida. It will be held from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug 26 at South Florida Community College in building T.

It is designed for persons thinking of starting a small business or who have started a business and want to make sure they did it correctly. Licenses, marketing, entity selection, and business planning are among the items discussed.

The seminar will be presented by Bill McKown, certified business analyst with the SBDC. Call McKown at 784-7379 to reserve a space in the seminar
Source: Newsun

Creativity And Innovation Driving Business announces the 2008 Innovation and Innovator of the year

Sanjay Dalal, Creativity And Innovation Driving Business announces the 2008 Innovation and Innovator of the year

The 2008 Innovation of the year: http://www.barackobama.com/, My.BarackObama.com
The 2008 Innovator of the year: President-elect Barack Obama and his campaign team

In November 2006, I read Senator Barack Obama's book "Audacity of Hope", and also read
about his experiences working in the Senate. At that time, I believed that he is a leader who will
make a run for the presidency based on the bold opportunities and innovations he wanted to introduce. Senator Obama announced his candidacy for U.S. presidency in early 2007.

Before Senator Obama gave his election speech on the night of November 4, and after Senator John McCain's concession speech, he sent out a brief note via email to every registered supporter:

Senator Barack Obama and his team created these key innovations along the four innovation pillars for this historical campaign that won him the U.S. presidency:

Product - www.BarackObama.com, My.BarackObama.com

Senator Obama's website www.BarackObama.com catered to all citizens of the United States - all states, all nationalities, all age groups, all religions, all
business types, all parties, all ethnicities e.g. People of Faith, Latinos, Rural Americans, Women, Kids, Students, Veterans, Military, Seniors, Sportsmen, Environmentalists, Disabled, Republicans and more.
The website clearly stated Senator Obama's stand, challenges, and opportunities on key issues such as Economy, Civil Rights, Defense, Iraq, Homeland Security, Education, Energy, Healthcare and more - total of 26 different issues wherein Senator Obama communicated on regularly. The website also provided adequate learning about Senator Obama's background, his wife Michelle Obama, Senator Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, and section devoted to In the News, latest Press Releases and Speeches of Senator Obama.
After a person donated to President Obama's campaign or signed up at BarackObama.com, the service automatically created a My.BarackObama.com page wherein the person can personalize his/her interests, create a profile, and participate in fundraising goals; find and attend local events, search for groups and group activities, and find and meet local people using My Neighborhood; create and find groups all over the nation and by categories, and connect with group members using My Groups; communicate with friends, find friends with like-minded interests, and invite new friends using My Friends; search for events, create and manage events using Events; write emails and messages to your groups and friends using the built-in messaging system, create, associate and publish blogs using the Blog tool; contact undecided voters and participate in callout campaigns using Contact voters; leverage other resources and tools to proactively collaborate in Senatar Obama's campaign. In short, the latest Web 2.0 and social networking tools and technologies were used wherein the person can interact at My.BarackObama.com and also use the latest social networking services such as Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Flickr, Digg, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
www.BarackObama.com and My.BarackObama.com acted as the central communication place for all of Senator Obama's communications to the voters all over the U.S., and citizens all over the world. The combination of relevant and timely information e.g. response to smears, personalization through My.BarackOabama.com, participation through many of the groups, networks and voter callouts, and social networking through events, blogs and the latest web products and services made this a top innovation of Senator Obama's campaign.

Customer Experience - Focus on "You", i.e. "We the people"

It is important to note that in late 2006, Time voted the person of the year as "You", i.e. "We the people". Senator Obama and his team understood this national trend very well in light of the developing Internet social networking technologies and behavior, and capitalized on this. The entire campaign was focused on "You". From the website that carried this theme of "You" everywhere, to Senator Obama's writings and speeches that addressed "You", "Us" and "We the people", and also the personalized communications that were emailed to every member who signed up every few days asking proactively "You" to donate, participate, and recruit voters. This focus on "You" reverberated with the central theme of Hope and Change. The results were fascinating and historic: About 4 million people registered through www.BarackObama.com, donated more than $700 million dollars to the campaign, more than the combined fundraising for the 2004 election by President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, and helped recruit countless of new unregistered supporters and voters. In particular, the Obama campaign won over support from the young voters, students, minorities, first-time voters and Latinos. The total contributions for his campaign, national convention, transition and upcoming inauguration are nearing $1 billion dollars.

Processes - Nearly flawless campaign

Senator Obama had to run the campaign of his life to first overcome Senator Clinton's insurmountable lead, second win over Senator Clinton and her supporters, and third to win against Senator McCain. Each stage of the campaign tested him and his team. His campaign will go down in the history of U.S. Presidential races as probably the best run campaign of all times. In order to make this happen, Senator Obama embarked on the central theme of Change and Hope. His website captured this message prominently at the top:
"I'M ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington... I'm asking you to believe in yours."
Voters were ready for Change owing to current President Bush's eight year term; Voters confidence, hopes and aspirations were declining rapidly with the decline of the economy. And Senator Obama captured this sentiment with the central theme of Hope and asking voters to believe in him. Senator Obama assembled the brightest people to help him advise and run this campaign, both online and in the media, from the very first day. These people included political advisers, economists, technologists, internet gurus, entrepreneurs, businessmen and more. And he stayed with this exceptional team with few changes until the very end. Key processes and leadership provided Senator Obama the vision and ability towards winning at key junctures along the campaign: Canavassing and getting the votes of super Delegates, getting the Kennedys proactive support and approval, recruiting Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, winning over Senator Clinton and President Clinton and their supporters, and obtaining the support of key Republicans including General Colin Powell. The icing on the cake: Senator Obama bought half-hour of prime-time network television to make a final argument to ask the people of the United States to vote for him using the money that his voters overwhelmingly donated.

Business Model - Donations from "We the people"

Inspiring "We the people" i.e. "You" to donate generously and frequently. This was the hallmark of Senator Obama's campaign. Senator Obama made a key observation: If he was going to win the White House, the long road had to be through the majority of the people helping him get there. And in order to achieve that, he had to have a huge campaign budget i.e. an abundant supply of money. Senator Obama understood technology, growth of online non-profit organizations, and the Internet e-Commerce trends wherein people would donate online for a good cause. He made three key decisions towards creating the largest campaign contribution in the history of U.S. presidency: 1. No donations from lobbyists and interests. This clearly broke the political tradition, and importantly freed him from strict spending limits imposed by the government. Also, this would make more individuals to donate more money because of the resulting image created that "I am like you". 2. Inspire "You" i.e. "We the people" to join his movement for Change and Hope by using the Internet and traditional media, and register "You" online through his website. 3. Ask "We the people" to donate frequently to his campaign any amount of money by interspersing messages of Change and Hope and asking to donate simultaneously. The campaign frequently sent messages asking your friends to donate by simply entering their emails, recruiting equal donations from registered members by pledging simultaneous contributions, creating fundraising goals and asking everyone you know for help and even more creative ways to raise money for the campaign by offering campaign stickers, campaign posters and banners, campaign shirts, campaign mugs and all types of memorabilia, and invitations to join Senator Obama for lunch, dinner or key events to make "We the people" spend more money on the campaign. Big donors contributing more than $1,000 only totaled 47% of all donors. The business model of only asking the people to donate, not taking any money from lobbyists and matching contributions from government, and inspiring everyone to donate frequently through clever messages worked brillantly and helped Senator Obama create that never-empty pot of gold to spend on his campaign.

My personal story

I was inspired by Senator Obama's book "Audacity of Hope" and his campaign promise of Change and Hope. I became a U.S. citizen in 2008 to Vote, registered as a Democrat and registered to Vote, and voted for Senator Barack Obama in the general elections. I wrote about his book and experiences on this blog in November 2006 - Senator Barack Obama, Bold Innovations and Opportunities. Here is the starting paragraph from this article:
"If we act boldly, then our economy will be less vulnerable to economic disruption, our trade balance will improve, the pace of U.S. technological innovation will accelerate, and the American worker will be in a stronger position to adapt to the global economy," states Barack Obama, the Democratic U.S. Senator of Illinois, in his new book "The Audacity of Hope". Senator Obama lays out a vision for reclaiming the American Dream aided by a government built on our best traditions, representing our everyday lives, uniting our common hopes and dreams, and creating an unbreakable bond.

In summary, President-Elect Barack Obama and his campaign team are the Innovators of the year, and www.BarackObama.com and My.BarackObama.com are the Innovations of the year 2008.

About Sanjay Dalal
Sanjay Dalal is an innovator and entrepreneur with over fifteen years of experience in Silicon Valley and High Tech companies. Dalal is the founder of India Business Network. Dalal is the author of theFaculty eBook and Definitive Guide on Innovation, and has published over 200 articles in the last year and a half on the real-time state of innovation in business at his blog Creativity and Innovation Driving Business. Dalal introduced the Innovation Index in December 2006. Dalal was the president and managing director of the innovative investment company, Innovation Index Group, that systematically invested into the Top 20 Innovators of The Innovation Index. Dalal has launched innovative products to market and grown businesses to the tune of $70 million plus a year. Dalal holds executive certification on Leading Management Teams from Cornell University, and is an engineering scholar graduate in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Dalal attended Arizona State University for graduate education in Computer Science. Dalal secured the first position in the 50th William Lowell Putnam Math Competition. Dalal, a philanthropist, volunteered as a basketball coach for Irvine NJB - 7th graders, as an art master for 2nd graders, and is currently the secretary in the School Site Council. Dalal is an appointed member of the Dean's Leadership Circle of The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine.

About Creativity And Innovation Driving Business
The mission of Creativity and Innovation Driving Business is to provide no-nonsense insights, strategy and solutions with proven processes that drive Creativity and Innovation at your business, create real market growth and success for your products and services, and achieve market leadership. We have considerable experience and expertise in working with small, growing and established companies, various departments and distributed teams.

Creativity And Innovation Driving Business is the leading Business Innovation Strategy, Consulting and Services organization.

We offer our industry leading Innovation eBook on Creativity And Innovation in Business that contains over 55 best practices, case studies and insights on the current state of Innovation in Business at Top Innovators.

We launched the Innovation Bootcamp to help would-be innovators and entrepreneurs jumpstart innovations at their business. By leveraging online web conferencing technology, we are able to share our insights and best practices to business professionals wherever they are in real-time. Signup for bootcamps today.

References:
http://www.barackobama.com/
Barack Obama: The Audacity of Hope. Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream
Chicago Tribune

Originally published: December 31, 2008, Re-published August 10, 2009

Are Children More Creative Than Adults?

Remember growing up as a child...were you more creative as a kid than you are now? Or are you more creative as an adult? I would like to learn from the adults out there... and ask you this question: Are Children More Creative Than Adults? I would like to learn from your experience.

I grew up in India until I was 18 years old. Our method of learning in the school was focused a lot more on memorization and theory. We did have labs in high school, but we did not do much outside projects. There was too much focus on getting the highest grades in the twelfth standard state or central exam so that one can secure an admission in a recognized engineering, medical, commerce or science school. I would like to know if much has changed since 1987 in India. My best memory was though visiting Goa when I was in the eleventh grade, when I attended an Oceanography convention. Not only did I learn about what goes on under the ocean, but also about how large naval ships are made, Goa's rich cultural history and the government (we even met Goa's governor or the top official), Kingfisher, beaches and more. Of course, now Goa has become a major beach city in India and a top tourist destination. That was the first time I went on a cruise from Bombay to Goa (and it was quite an adventure since this ship was really small and we could feel the ocean all around us). And we also stayed overnight at a train station in a small town in Gujarat on the way back to Ahmedabad (when we missed our connecting train). I was one of a handful of students who attended this convention. And I still remember this trip fondly. Learning what goes around outside in the world of oceans is what allowed me to expand my creativity - we had to complete a group project and provide a presentation as well to visiting faculty and students from all over India.

My children go to schools in USA (our daughter is 8 and is a 3rd grader, our son is 13 and is a 8th grader). I love the method of education here that encourages my children to express their creativity - there are projects on various subject matter such as history, sciences, humanities, people, culture and more that they need to work on, presentations they need to give, and field trips that are mostly integrated into their curriculum (on which children need to report also). And there is good access to technology such as computers, software, electronic toys, libraries with Internet connections, computer labs within the schools, and more. But I am seeing some changes already - my son was a lot more creative in his elementary school years than the middle school years (perhaps owing to more studies, and his current passion for Tennis and Basketball where he spends more time). My daughter definitely shows flashes of creativity, and I am quite proud when she thinks outside the box (actually impressed). But would this continue beyond the elementary school? My kids have not entered high school yet... so I want to see if high school education is focused on expanding their creativity and imagination, or becomes narrower towards getting them ready for college. It's not schools alone though - lot of creativity depends on what happens at home, and in your surroundings. Parents have a huge role to play in exposing their children to newer areas of potential interest. Nowadays, when we ask our teenage son to go out to see something interesting, his first answer is "No". He is more interested in his world of computers, Internet, iPhone applications and iPod music, friends, and hanging out. Perhaps we are becoming a bit old school for him. But then when he does go out, he really enjoys it. May be I need to change ways in which I encourage him to go out.

So, I come back to my original question: Are Children More Creative Than adults?

I believe I am more creative now in certain areas of interest that I love. But there are many areas where I am not, and I would love to get better...

Young children have some amazing qualities about them that perhaps make them more creative: open mind, make connections, playful, curious, expressive, forgetful and forgiving, hands on, direct without reservations, fun to be around, enjoy things, cry out for small things, sleep well, and have a great sense of humor. But perhaps the most important quality of a child as he or she is growing up is asking questions! Not just, "Are we there yet?", but also, "How does this work? What happens when you do this? Why does it go this way? When will something happen? Who is that person on TV? And many many more..." Did we ever tell our children that this is a dumb question? Perhaps not until they grow up to a certain age. And even then, we are always careful in inspiring them to ask more questions and learn more. I remember as my son was growing up, I took him to a baseball game to Oakland. We used to live in Fremont, California. We went to see the Athletics play. From the time we left our home (we drove to the BART station), to walking to the BART station, taking the BART train, going in the train for about 20 minutes, to walking to the baseball park - my son must have asked me about 100 or so questions (and most of them had nothing to do with baseball). Do these qualities make children more creative than adults? Do adults lose some of these qualities as they grow older?

Here are some interesting facts about the childhood of some of the key scientists, thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs and innovators. What do these facts tell us?

1. Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read.
2. Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school.
3. When Thomas Edison was a boy, his teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything.
4. F.W.Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21. But his employers would not let him wait on a customer because he "Didn't have enough sense."
5. A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had "No good ideas"
6. Caruso's music teacher told him "You can't sing, you have no voice at all."
7. Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college.
8. Verner Von Braun flunked 9th grade algebra.
9. Admiral Richard E. Byrd had been retired from the navy, as, "Unfit for service" Until he flew over both poles.
10. Louis Pasteur was rated as mediocre in chemistry when he attended the Royal College
11. Abraham Lincoln entered The Black Hawk War as a captain and came out a private
12. Fred Waring was once rejected from high school chorus.
13. Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade.
14. Dhirubhai Ambani who only studied until 10th grade, sold "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends.
15. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed, Michael Dell dropped out of University of Texas at Austin, Larry Ellison dropped out of University of Chicago and University of Illinois. The list of rich and famous people who dropped out of college or high school is spectacular. The bigger question: Do colleges and high schools make children more or less creative?

I want to learn more from you... Are you more creative today than when you were a child? Did you do some amazing things as a child? Did you have more ideas as a child? Do you still do those amazing things? Is your workplace making you more or less creative? Are you able to create new innovations?

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Rotary Club of Newport-Irvine Induction Speech by Sanjay Dalal, President and Managing Director, Innovation Index Group

I am indeed honored to become the newest member of Rotary Newport-Irvine Club today. Thank you President Jerry, Angelita, Rotarians, members and the executive team!! Our family has a deep appreciation for Rotary and Rotary foundation – my father, who is a very proud Rotarian, and proud of me becoming a Rotarian – came to U.S.A. in 1957 with a Rotary Foundation Scholarship, and obtained his MBA from Stanford Business School. If he had not come to the States, who knows? I may not be here in front of you today. Exactly 30 years hence, in 1987, I came to America. Thank you Dad and Mom for sending me here for education and our success.

A little about me... I am not right wing, nor left wing... nor affiliated with any political wings. I just became a U.S. Citizen. I have a question for the audience: What is the most important right of a U.S. citizen? (right to vote)

What I am though is a married family man, raising two wonderful kids, participating in many local activities including basketball coaching, art master, school site council and more. And yes, my business is all about determining the fundamentals of companies whose stocks we invest in.

I am proud of my heritage, my parent country India, the world’s largest democracy. It is a great privilege that my family and I live in America, our home, the world’s greatest democracy, a country of tremendous opportunity and pioneering spirit.

I want to thank my wife, for raising two wonderful children, and who has stood by me through thick and thin over so many years.

Today, in LA County alone, we have tens of thousands of kids who live in foster families. There are more than 600 children currently waiting for an adoptive family. I invite the Rotarians to contribute your time and money to help these children through the KidSave organization based in Los Angeles.

My wife and I have sponsored a child in India for the past many years through Christian Children’s Fund. He lives in Jharkhand state. He is a growing kid, and when we got a letter from him where he talks about, I quote, “the Save Environment program in Jharkhand where the main objective is inhibition on hunting because life is the right of animal” end quote, it really moved us.

Over the years, we have donated our time and money to many charities including USO, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Salvation Army, Free Wheel Chair Mission, Fire Fighters, Police and Sheriff organizations, Hurricane Katrina, Tsunami Relief, China Earthquake, Myanmar Floods, BAPS and more.

Last week, at the local Jain Center, thousands of Jains celebrated the opening of new temple, and asked for forgiveness. My wife is a Jain, and we follow the principles of non-violence, peace, honesty and kindness.

I want to take this opportunity to thank America, our home, for helping us grow and flourish, and letting us enjoy the free spirit and democratic ideals.

We, all of us, are quite blessed by God. Let us take a moment to thank our parents, our family, our friends, our colleagues at work, our partners, our neighbors, our community and our country. We work hard, and most of us have a nice house to live, drive good cars, do not have to worry about food, are healthy (best wishes for Brady) and do well financially. So, let us make a promise to ourselves today: We must not complain.

God Bless Us All and God Bless America...

Federation of Indian American Association Speech by Sanjay Dalal, President & Managing Director, Innovation Index Group, Inc.

Sunday August 31, 2008

Dear FIA Members, Guests and Friends:

I am indeed honored to represent my business, Innovation Index Group, today on our national Independence Day celebration. I am the president of Innovation Index Group. I am humbled that FIA gave me this opportunity, and am quite grateful to the FIA executive team, Prakash Pancholi, Amrit Bhandari, Dilip Butani, Mohan Sharma, and members of this key organization.

Today I stand before you very proud of our heritage, of our parent country India, the world’s largest democracy, and the hottest economy in Asia. It is also a great privilege that my family and I live in America and call America our home, the world’s most open democracy and a country of tremendous opportunity and pioneering spirit.

I have my parents to thank who gave me the opportunity to come to USA for education in 1987, gave blessings to marry and live here, and have guided me through life, good morals, business and entrepreneurship. Thank you Puppa, Thank you Mummi. I want to thank my wife, for raising two wonderful children, and who has stood by me through thick and thin. Thank you Mamta.

Today, in LA County alone, we have tens of thousands of kids who live in foster families. There are more than 600 children currently waiting for an adoptive family. I invite you to contribute your time and money to help these children through the KidSave organization based in Los Angeles. KidSave has already placed more than 1,300 children from all over the world with American families. Please find a way to help these children right here in LA county.

Another organization based in Irvine, Free Wheel Chair Mission, helps adults and children all over the world who have mobility problems. They have an enterprising wheel chair program that creates wheel chairs for only $50 per wheel chair. Recently, the Free Wheel Chair Mission did an amazing program in an Indian village where they donated hundreds of wheel chairs and brought smiles to many, many immobilized Indians. Free Wheel Chair Mission has donated over 8,000 wheel chairs to India alone, and you should definitely get involved with the Free Wheel Chair Mission program.

India gave us our culture, our leaders, our traditions, our morals, our never-say-die spirit, our scores of relatives, and also Bollywood. Let us take a moment to honor and thank our freedom fighters including Gandhiji, Sardarbhai Patel, Subhashbhai, and many more who got us our independence, and also the present day heroes who are helping our country grow by leaps and bounds, and protecting our country from terrorists and radical forces. India has come a long way since our independence in 1947; however, we do have many challenges – poverty, illiteracy, healthcare, basic infrastructure needs – to just name a few. My wife and I have sponsored a child in India for the past many years through Christian Children’s Fund and Shramajivi Unnayan. He lives in Jharkhand state. He is a growing kid, and when we got a letter from him where he talks about, I quote, “the Save Environment program in Jharkhand where the main objective is inhibition on hunting because life is the right of animal” end quote , it really moved us. I recently attended a couple of meetings of Lions Club of Little India, and it was refreshing to see the members create a real program for helping some of the students in India.

Today, at the local Jain Center, thousands of Jains are celebrating Pajyushana, and asking for forgiveness and simultaneously forgiving fellow friends and workers. Yesterday, I attended a peaceful event hosted by Swaminarayan mandir and Bharat Community Center in Irvine. Our Indian swamis gave many examples on how we can live happily and peacefully, and reduce our many vices through many examples from Bhagvad. Every evening, a few hundred people attended the discourse, and came away relaxed and happy with pearls of wisdom bestowed by the learned. Let us take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness, and above all make a pledge to create a shining example of our parent country India here in the U.S.A.

We now live in the great democracy America, where we raise our family peacefully and happily, where we mingle our cultures freely with Americans, where we come to respect and appreciate the multitude of traditions including Hollywood, and where we find opportunities to advance and do well. Let us thank America, our home, for helping us grow and flourish, and letting us enjoy the free spirit and democratic ideals.

We, all of us, are quite blessed by God. Let us take a moment to thank our parents, our family, our friends, our colleagues at work, our partners, our neighbors, our community and our country. We all have a nice house to live, drive good cars, do not have to worry about food, are healthy and do well financially. So, let us make a promise to ourselves today: We must not complain.

Thank you everyone for giving me this opportunity to speak. I am indeed grateful.

God Bless us all!

Sanjay Dalal

President & Managing Director
Innovation Index Group, Inc.