O, The Oprah Magazine, celebrates its tenth anniversary this month with practical advice, spiritual enlightenment, an exhortation to "Live Your Best Life," and cake. Lots of cake.
For 10 years, O has been cheering on its (mostly) female readers, telling them to break free of negative thoughts, embrace their potential and, most of all, boost their self-esteem. As the cover of the August 2008 issue announced: "YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT WOMAN (major breakthrough, page 206)."
My first thought on reading this headline was, gosh, that's an awfully nice thing for Oprah to say, considering she doesn't even know me.
My followup thought was a little more ambivalent. I mean, does the glossy magazine approach to self-affirmation really work? After reading the big anniversary special, along with back issues full of articles about self-care, self-meditation and self-empowerment, I actually ended up feeling a lot less excellent. Paradoxically, the unremitting selfiness of Oprah's magazine can have an oppressive effect.
The so-called "Seven Sisters" -- traditional women's mags like Ladies Home Journal and Good Housekeeping -- tend to cram their pages with tips for caring for other people and tending homes, gardens and pets. O bucks this trend by staying consistently me-focused, with Oprah herself leading the way. Lady O is featured on the cover of every issue, and while her dress size waxes and wanes, the Oprah brand of positive energy remains alarmingly consistent.
O deftly avoids charges of narcissism by using the same tack as the airlines. Just as you need to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others, you need to love yourself before you can extend that love to other people. The O equivalent of the oxygen mask ranges from the spiritual (Eckhart Tolle's solemn invocation to breathe in the present moment) to the material (buying a crisp white shirt for $90).
So, how does O's you-go-girl approach work in the real world? Robyn Okrant, a 37-year-old Chicago-based yoga instructor, undertook a one-year experiment to "walk the walk with the queen of talk." In her 2009 book Living Oprah, she recounts how she did everything Oprah told her to: She bought leopard print flats, watched Oprah-endorsed movies and read Oprah-endorsed books, cooked low-fat turkey burgers, adopted a cat, had over-scheduled, over-analyzed sex with her husband, and -- in what could be a visceral metaphor for Oprah-esque self-obsession -- examined her poo, looking for the Oprah-sanctioned S-shape.
Okrant spent $4,700 and 1,200 hours on her quest to be all things Oprah, and frequently questioned whether she was living up to Oprah's peppy, positive mantras. In the end, Okrant admits, she just felt "really sad." (This, despite O's monthly insistence on jettisoning regret, trusting your intuition, embracing failure and learning to say no to impossible demands.)
As Okrant's experience suggests, Oprah's empire might actually increase chronic feelings of dissatisfaction and inadequacy rather than alleviate them. Peek under O magazine's New Age surface and you can see the familiar dynamic of the old school woman's mag: Offer advice for self-improvement and lots of before-and-after makeovers, thus fuelling insecurity that requires even more advice for self-improvement and before-and-after makeovers. Repeat.
And Oprah actually makes the whole thing even trickier, by adding self-actualizing, gusto-grabbing, living-in-the-moment spiritual radiance to the already impossible requirements of ideal womanhood. Turns out that excellence is exhausting.
alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.ca
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Beware the Shaman Promising Answers
Christine Lindsey Walters
Early in the morning of Nov. 12, 2008, Christine Walters frantically emerged from the woods outside Arcata, Calif.
The 23-year-old navigated the ground beneath her with bloodied feet, her naked body covered in scratches. She had always felt at home in the woods, but now she was terrified -- fearing she was being followed.
The petite red-head rushed towards the only home in sight. She knocked on the front door and a stranger answered. "Help, they're going to find me," she pled. The homeowner immediately called 911, and Christine was taken to a hospital in Eureka.
In the hospital Christine refused treatment; she would not submit to a blood test or rape kit. She told police she'd been running from something in the woods but would not say who, or what, had been chasing her.
A nurse helped Christine phone her parents in Wisconsin. Anita Walters said her daughter was disoriented and could not clearly explain what had happened to her. She knew they had to get their daughter home immediately.
The Walters put Christine up in a Red Lion Inn for the night while they made arrangements to get her back to Wisconsin. At the hotel, her mother said she continued to fear she was being followed. Christine kept repeating, "They're going to find me wherever I go."
The next day, Nov. 14, 2008, Christine's parents spoke with her on the phone -- ironing out the details of her return. This was the last conversation they had with Christine, because she disappeared from downtown Eureka, Calif., that afternoo
Early in the morning of Nov. 12, 2008, Christine Walters frantically emerged from the woods outside Arcata, Calif.
The 23-year-old navigated the ground beneath her with bloodied feet, her naked body covered in scratches. She had always felt at home in the woods, but now she was terrified -- fearing she was being followed.
The petite red-head rushed towards the only home in sight. She knocked on the front door and a stranger answered. "Help, they're going to find me," she pled. The homeowner immediately called 911, and Christine was taken to a hospital in Eureka.
In the hospital Christine refused treatment; she would not submit to a blood test or rape kit. She told police she'd been running from something in the woods but would not say who, or what, had been chasing her.
A nurse helped Christine phone her parents in Wisconsin. Anita Walters said her daughter was disoriented and could not clearly explain what had happened to her. She knew they had to get their daughter home immediately.
The Walters put Christine up in a Red Lion Inn for the night while they made arrangements to get her back to Wisconsin. At the hotel, her mother said she continued to fear she was being followed. Christine kept repeating, "They're going to find me wherever I go."
The next day, Nov. 14, 2008, Christine's parents spoke with her on the phone -- ironing out the details of her return. This was the last conversation they had with Christine, because she disappeared from downtown Eureka, Calif., that afternoo
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Spiritual Versus Religions Wins by 72 to 28
By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY
Most young adults today don't pray, don't worship and don't read the Bible, a major survey by a Christian research firm shows.
If the trends continue, "the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships," says Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources. In the group's survey of 1,200 18- to 29-year-olds, 72% say they're "really more spiritual than religious."
VIDEO: More Americans saying no to religion
FAITH & REASON: Megachurch leader calls Gen Y 'honest' on faith
Among the 65% who call themselves Christian, "many are either mushy Christians or Christians in name only," Rainer says. "Most are just indifferent. The more precisely you try to measure their Christianity, the fewer you find committed to the faith."
Key findings in the phone survey, conducted in August and released today:
•65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either.
•65% rarely or never attend worship services.
•67% don't read the Bible or sacred texts.
Many are unsure Jesus is the only path to heaven: Half say yes, half no.
"We have dumbed down what it means to be part of the church so much that it means almost nothing, even to people who already say they are part of the church," Rainer says.
The findings, which document a steady drift away from church life, dovetail with a LifeWay survey of teenagers in 2007 who drop out of church and a study in February by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, which compared the beliefs of Millennials with those of earlier generations of young people.
AGE 18 TO 29: 'Less religious,' not necessarily 'more secular'
DROPOUTS: Young adults aren't sticking with church
The new survey has a margin of error of +/-2.8 percentage points.
Even among those in the survey who "believe they will go to heaven because they have accepted Jesus Christ as savior":
•68% did not mention faith, religion or spirituality when asked what was "really important in life."
•50% do not attend church at least weekly.
•36% rarely or never read the Bible.
Neither are these young Christians evangelical in the original meaning of the term — eager to share the Gospel. Just 40% say this is their responsibility.
Even so, Rainer is encouraged by the roughly 15% who, he says, appear to be "deeply committed" Christians in study, prayer, worship and action.
Collin Hansen, 29, author of Young, Restless, Reformed, about a thriving minority of traditionalist Christians, agrees. "I'm not going to say these numbers aren't true and aren't grim, but they also drive people like me to build new, passionately Christian dynamic churches," says Hansen, who is studying for the ministry. He sees many in his generation veering to "moralistic therapeutic deism — 'God wants you to be happy and do good things.' ... I would not call that Christianity, however."
The 2007 LifeWay study found seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30, both evangelical and mainline, who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23. And 34% of those had not returned, even sporadically, by age 30.
The Pew survey found young people today were significantly more likely than those in earlier generations to say they didn't identify with any religious group. Neither are Millennials any more likely than earlier generations to turn toward a faith affiliation as they grow older.
Bakersfield Apartments |
Most young adults today don't pray, don't worship and don't read the Bible, a major survey by a Christian research firm shows.
If the trends continue, "the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships," says Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources. In the group's survey of 1,200 18- to 29-year-olds, 72% say they're "really more spiritual than religious."
VIDEO: More Americans saying no to religion
FAITH & REASON: Megachurch leader calls Gen Y 'honest' on faith
Among the 65% who call themselves Christian, "many are either mushy Christians or Christians in name only," Rainer says. "Most are just indifferent. The more precisely you try to measure their Christianity, the fewer you find committed to the faith."
Key findings in the phone survey, conducted in August and released today:
•65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either.
•65% rarely or never attend worship services.
•67% don't read the Bible or sacred texts.
Many are unsure Jesus is the only path to heaven: Half say yes, half no.
"We have dumbed down what it means to be part of the church so much that it means almost nothing, even to people who already say they are part of the church," Rainer says.
The findings, which document a steady drift away from church life, dovetail with a LifeWay survey of teenagers in 2007 who drop out of church and a study in February by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, which compared the beliefs of Millennials with those of earlier generations of young people.
AGE 18 TO 29: 'Less religious,' not necessarily 'more secular'
DROPOUTS: Young adults aren't sticking with church
The new survey has a margin of error of +/-2.8 percentage points.
Even among those in the survey who "believe they will go to heaven because they have accepted Jesus Christ as savior":
•68% did not mention faith, religion or spirituality when asked what was "really important in life."
•50% do not attend church at least weekly.
•36% rarely or never read the Bible.
Neither are these young Christians evangelical in the original meaning of the term — eager to share the Gospel. Just 40% say this is their responsibility.
Even so, Rainer is encouraged by the roughly 15% who, he says, appear to be "deeply committed" Christians in study, prayer, worship and action.
Collin Hansen, 29, author of Young, Restless, Reformed, about a thriving minority of traditionalist Christians, agrees. "I'm not going to say these numbers aren't true and aren't grim, but they also drive people like me to build new, passionately Christian dynamic churches," says Hansen, who is studying for the ministry. He sees many in his generation veering to "moralistic therapeutic deism — 'God wants you to be happy and do good things.' ... I would not call that Christianity, however."
The 2007 LifeWay study found seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30, both evangelical and mainline, who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23. And 34% of those had not returned, even sporadically, by age 30.
The Pew survey found young people today were significantly more likely than those in earlier generations to say they didn't identify with any religious group. Neither are Millennials any more likely than earlier generations to turn toward a faith affiliation as they grow older.
Bakersfield Apartments |
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Peace Meditation
By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
Hindu spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led about 800 people in a mass meditation for peace Friday at the Midwest Airlines Center. The event was billed as the largest meditation gathering in Milwaukee.
Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation, which works with the United Nations in programs related to health, education, sustainable development, conflict resolution and disaster relief.
In the 90-minute buildup to the meditation, the soft-spoken Shankar shared snippets of wisdom on topics ranging from materialism and marital harmony to religion and spirituality.
"Religion without spirituality is disastrous," he said.
His meditation technique centers on rhythmic breathing exercises meant to calm the mind. Shankar enjoys a wide following around the world, but his technique and message of compassion and nonviolence attract non-devotees as well, said Lakshmi Bharadwaj, associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and board member for the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin, which worked to bring the guru to Milwaukee.
"His teachings are universal," said Bharadwaj, who is Hindu but does not practice Shankar's particular technique of meditation.
Bakersfield Apartments |
Hindu spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led about 800 people in a mass meditation for peace Friday at the Midwest Airlines Center. The event was billed as the largest meditation gathering in Milwaukee.
Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation, which works with the United Nations in programs related to health, education, sustainable development, conflict resolution and disaster relief.
In the 90-minute buildup to the meditation, the soft-spoken Shankar shared snippets of wisdom on topics ranging from materialism and marital harmony to religion and spirituality.
"Religion without spirituality is disastrous," he said.
His meditation technique centers on rhythmic breathing exercises meant to calm the mind. Shankar enjoys a wide following around the world, but his technique and message of compassion and nonviolence attract non-devotees as well, said Lakshmi Bharadwaj, associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and board member for the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin, which worked to bring the guru to Milwaukee.
"His teachings are universal," said Bharadwaj, who is Hindu but does not practice Shankar's particular technique of meditation.
Bakersfield Apartments |
Monday, April 26, 2010
Swami Scandal Continues
Posted On Monday, April 26, 2010 at 05:35:20 AM
According to research, an average man sleeps with around seven women in his life time.
Give or take a couple of escapades in a dark corner here and a dimly lit stairwell there. Average men can never, in a thousand lifetimes, even hold a candle to any of our randy swamis. Again, research says that only 7 per cent of average men have sex 4 or more times a week (and they are supposed to be a rare breed of ‘average men’). If you mention this figure to our Swamis they will laugh you out of their perfumed-satiny-red-boudoirs. Scientists say that human beings are pre-wired to want and think about sex. Our randy swamis believe it to be the gospel truth. However, they would cut off their, you-know-what, before they acknowledge it in public. They’d rather prefer to lead a double life - celibate, spiritual guru by day and a randy, sex guru by night. Some are known to have matinee shows too. They continue, blissfully, leading this parallel life till one day they become a 70 point size headline in newspapers or simply ‘Swami Nithyananda’. Nithyananda, who has a penchant for draping himself in silk saris and have his disciples address him as ‘Mother’ on Mothers’ Day, is currently in a police lock-up — a far cry from his queen-size bed and a lanky Ranjitha doing him ‘seva’.
Swami Nithyananda is not the first swami to entertain us with his libidinous life and will not be the last either. Before him there were other holy men leading unholy lives.
It is said that the famous Naked Naga Sadhus who are such a tourist attraction at the Kumbh Mela and those who practise cult religions such as Shakta or Naga live a detached life, but they are not necessarily devoid of the pleasures of life.
Celibacy is merely a personal choice. Holiness has nothing to do with celibacy. But holiness has everything to do with Dharma. But Dharma has nothing to do with celibacy. Go figure that one!
Sssss — Icchadhari Bheemananda Swami
Earlier known as Shiv Murat Dwivedi, his naagin dance can put sexy Sridevi’s Nagina to shame. He usually danced to the song Man doley, mera tan doley, with his devotees matching him step for step. An ex-security guard at a hotel and massage parlour, Dwivedi became a yogi. And sought enlightenment in the flesh trade in Delhi. He had an entourage of 600 women working for him and amassed more than 600 million rupees in a ‘holy’ career spanning 10 years. Also known as Ichchadhari Swami, he was caught when one of his girls was busted in a raid by police.
Twist of Faith — Swami Premananda
He had the frizziest hairdo amongst all swamis. Born in Sri Lanka, he set up an ashram near Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu and was noted for taking in orphan girls from refugee families from Sri Lanka. Allegations about his exploits with the girls under his wing soon surfaced and after an in-depth investigation in 1997, he was convicted on several counts of rape, a single count of murder and possession of unaccounted foreign exchange. Eminent lawyer and former law minister of India Ram Jethmalani was one of his devotees.
Sex Crimes — Ram Rahim Singh
The head of Dera Sacha Sauda, he created a controversy after he donned a central Asian frock coat which resembled that of Guru Gobind Singh. In 2002, a woman accused him of trying to outrage her modesty. There was also some talk about a local journalist being murdered for writing a series of articles on the Dera in his newspaper Poora Sach. After much delay, the CBI chargesheeted the holy man for raping two sadhvis and conspiring to murder two people in 2007. The Baba reportedly referred to Lord Krishna while trying to justify his coming on strong to his female followers.
Hurt Locker! — Swami Amrita Chaitanya
Also known as Santosh Madhavan, with his eyes on the stars, this part-time astrologer and self-proclaimed godman was on Interpol’s radar for his frauds in the UAE. He was reportedly guilty of paedophilia and filming himself while molesting underage girls. Arrested from Kerala for his crimes, he was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment in 2009. According to police reports, he kept his dubious CDs safe in a bank locker in Kochi.
Hand of God — Osho aka Chandra Mohan Jain
He was the original Sex Guru. And he was a class apart with his mesmerising eyes and a high IQ. Calling himself Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh, he later took on the name Osho and became famous for his sex sutras. As a spiritual teacher who believed in meditation and celebrating love, he attracted international following. According to reports, his ashram in Pune embedded the free spirit of human soul with no boundaries on group sex, naked existence and having a jolly good time. Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna, a devout follower, was an ashram regular, so much so, that his movie career took a severe beating. After his deportation from the United States, where he spent some years, Osho was denied entry by 21 countries. He travelled the world before returning to Pune in 1990, where he died.
According to research, an average man sleeps with around seven women in his life time.
Give or take a couple of escapades in a dark corner here and a dimly lit stairwell there. Average men can never, in a thousand lifetimes, even hold a candle to any of our randy swamis. Again, research says that only 7 per cent of average men have sex 4 or more times a week (and they are supposed to be a rare breed of ‘average men’). If you mention this figure to our Swamis they will laugh you out of their perfumed-satiny-red-boudoirs. Scientists say that human beings are pre-wired to want and think about sex. Our randy swamis believe it to be the gospel truth. However, they would cut off their, you-know-what, before they acknowledge it in public. They’d rather prefer to lead a double life - celibate, spiritual guru by day and a randy, sex guru by night. Some are known to have matinee shows too. They continue, blissfully, leading this parallel life till one day they become a 70 point size headline in newspapers or simply ‘Swami Nithyananda’. Nithyananda, who has a penchant for draping himself in silk saris and have his disciples address him as ‘Mother’ on Mothers’ Day, is currently in a police lock-up — a far cry from his queen-size bed and a lanky Ranjitha doing him ‘seva’.
Swami Nithyananda is not the first swami to entertain us with his libidinous life and will not be the last either. Before him there were other holy men leading unholy lives.
It is said that the famous Naked Naga Sadhus who are such a tourist attraction at the Kumbh Mela and those who practise cult religions such as Shakta or Naga live a detached life, but they are not necessarily devoid of the pleasures of life.
Celibacy is merely a personal choice. Holiness has nothing to do with celibacy. But holiness has everything to do with Dharma. But Dharma has nothing to do with celibacy. Go figure that one!
Sssss — Icchadhari Bheemananda Swami
Earlier known as Shiv Murat Dwivedi, his naagin dance can put sexy Sridevi’s Nagina to shame. He usually danced to the song Man doley, mera tan doley, with his devotees matching him step for step. An ex-security guard at a hotel and massage parlour, Dwivedi became a yogi. And sought enlightenment in the flesh trade in Delhi. He had an entourage of 600 women working for him and amassed more than 600 million rupees in a ‘holy’ career spanning 10 years. Also known as Ichchadhari Swami, he was caught when one of his girls was busted in a raid by police.
Twist of Faith — Swami Premananda
He had the frizziest hairdo amongst all swamis. Born in Sri Lanka, he set up an ashram near Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu and was noted for taking in orphan girls from refugee families from Sri Lanka. Allegations about his exploits with the girls under his wing soon surfaced and after an in-depth investigation in 1997, he was convicted on several counts of rape, a single count of murder and possession of unaccounted foreign exchange. Eminent lawyer and former law minister of India Ram Jethmalani was one of his devotees.
Sex Crimes — Ram Rahim Singh
The head of Dera Sacha Sauda, he created a controversy after he donned a central Asian frock coat which resembled that of Guru Gobind Singh. In 2002, a woman accused him of trying to outrage her modesty. There was also some talk about a local journalist being murdered for writing a series of articles on the Dera in his newspaper Poora Sach. After much delay, the CBI chargesheeted the holy man for raping two sadhvis and conspiring to murder two people in 2007. The Baba reportedly referred to Lord Krishna while trying to justify his coming on strong to his female followers.
Hurt Locker! — Swami Amrita Chaitanya
Also known as Santosh Madhavan, with his eyes on the stars, this part-time astrologer and self-proclaimed godman was on Interpol’s radar for his frauds in the UAE. He was reportedly guilty of paedophilia and filming himself while molesting underage girls. Arrested from Kerala for his crimes, he was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment in 2009. According to police reports, he kept his dubious CDs safe in a bank locker in Kochi.
Hand of God — Osho aka Chandra Mohan Jain
He was the original Sex Guru. And he was a class apart with his mesmerising eyes and a high IQ. Calling himself Bhagwan (God) Shree Rajneesh, he later took on the name Osho and became famous for his sex sutras. As a spiritual teacher who believed in meditation and celebrating love, he attracted international following. According to reports, his ashram in Pune embedded the free spirit of human soul with no boundaries on group sex, naked existence and having a jolly good time. Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna, a devout follower, was an ashram regular, so much so, that his movie career took a severe beating. After his deportation from the United States, where he spent some years, Osho was denied entry by 21 countries. He travelled the world before returning to Pune in 1990, where he died.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
A Well Respected Man Died Last Week
SAN DIEGO, CA, Apr 19, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- World-renowned management thinker Dr. Coimbatore Krishnarao (CK) Prahalad passed away on April 16, 2010 in San Diego, CA. He was 68. Prahalad was Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy and taught at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan since 1977. His family was with him at the time.
Professor Prahalad received his undergraduate degree from Loyola College, Chennai and MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He received his PhD in management from the Harvard Business School in 1975 and was on the Boards of NCR Corporation, Hindustan Unilever Limited, TVS Capital Funds Limited, and Pearson. He also served on the Boards of non-profit organizations The indUS Entrepreneurs -- TiE -- (the world's largest organization devoted to Entrepreneurship) and the Advisory Board of Microsoft, India.
Prahalad was a globally known management scholar and was ranked #1 Management Thinker in the world in two consecutive global surveys by the Times of London. Dr. Prahalad has consulted with the top management of many of the world's foremost companies.
A prolific author, Dr. Prahalad contributed to fundamental business concepts such as strategic intent, dominant logic, core competence, and co-creation arising from his work with multinational companies. He co-authored several bestselling business books including The Multinational Mission (with Yves Doz), Competing for the Future (with Gary Hamel), The Future of Competition (with Venkat Ramaswamy) and The New Age of Innovation (with M.S. Krishnan). His groundbreaking paper, "the Core Competence of the Corporation" (with Gary Hamel) remains the most reprinted article in the history of the Harvard Business Review. His articles in the Harvard Business Review won a total of four McKinsey Prizes.
A hallmark of Prahalad's career was his belief that business must serve the cause of humanity as it produces profit. This theme was established early on in his work on strategic intent, arguing that imagination, not resources, was a key driver of corporate performance. He continued to build on his work exploring the human impact of business as he developed new strategic frameworks. His most ambitious work, the Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, outlined a model for large firms to engage with the world's poor, significantly changing the assumptions of governments, corporations and NGOs about how to address the issue of global poverty. The recipient of many honors and awards, Prahalad's most recent accolades included a 2009 Padma Bhushan, one of India' highest civilian honors.
While Prahalad's work and intellectual contribution is widely known, he is remembered for his generosity, empathy and commitment to students, colleagues and his family. He is survived by his devoted wife of 40 years, Gayatri, his children, Murali Krishna and Deepa, their spouses and three grandchildren.
Communications are welcome at prahalad.family@gmail.com
Professor Prahalad received his undergraduate degree from Loyola College, Chennai and MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He received his PhD in management from the Harvard Business School in 1975 and was on the Boards of NCR Corporation, Hindustan Unilever Limited, TVS Capital Funds Limited, and Pearson. He also served on the Boards of non-profit organizations The indUS Entrepreneurs -- TiE -- (the world's largest organization devoted to Entrepreneurship) and the Advisory Board of Microsoft, India.
Prahalad was a globally known management scholar and was ranked #1 Management Thinker in the world in two consecutive global surveys by the Times of London. Dr. Prahalad has consulted with the top management of many of the world's foremost companies.
A prolific author, Dr. Prahalad contributed to fundamental business concepts such as strategic intent, dominant logic, core competence, and co-creation arising from his work with multinational companies. He co-authored several bestselling business books including The Multinational Mission (with Yves Doz), Competing for the Future (with Gary Hamel), The Future of Competition (with Venkat Ramaswamy) and The New Age of Innovation (with M.S. Krishnan). His groundbreaking paper, "the Core Competence of the Corporation" (with Gary Hamel) remains the most reprinted article in the history of the Harvard Business Review. His articles in the Harvard Business Review won a total of four McKinsey Prizes.
A hallmark of Prahalad's career was his belief that business must serve the cause of humanity as it produces profit. This theme was established early on in his work on strategic intent, arguing that imagination, not resources, was a key driver of corporate performance. He continued to build on his work exploring the human impact of business as he developed new strategic frameworks. His most ambitious work, the Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, outlined a model for large firms to engage with the world's poor, significantly changing the assumptions of governments, corporations and NGOs about how to address the issue of global poverty. The recipient of many honors and awards, Prahalad's most recent accolades included a 2009 Padma Bhushan, one of India' highest civilian honors.
While Prahalad's work and intellectual contribution is widely known, he is remembered for his generosity, empathy and commitment to students, colleagues and his family. He is survived by his devoted wife of 40 years, Gayatri, his children, Murali Krishna and Deepa, their spouses and three grandchildren.
Communications are welcome at prahalad.family@gmail.com
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Blood Into Wine Baby
Gómez, Durango.- Los amantes del rock clásico tendrán la oportunidad de escuchar un repertorio detalladamente seleccionado, de los grandes éxitos de los más grandes guitarristas del mundo, gracias al evento que organiza el Instituto Municipal de Cultura en Gómez Palacio, denominado, "Icono: Tributo a guitarristas virtuosos". Integrantes de bandas de rock a nivel local y con un destacado desempeño, serán los encargados de brindar este concierto.
Será este miércoles 21 de abril a las siete de la tarde, cuando se desarrolle este evento, teniendo como escenario el Teatro Alberto M. Alvarado, y en el que participarán grupos especializados en este género musical como son Nagual, Trauma, Anesthesia y Vinil. Cabe señalar, que luego de dos años en los que se han realizado presentaciones cada mes, el programa musical Icono, ofrecerá este nuevo concierto.
Los músicos, dedicados gran parte de su vida a recrear los grandes éxitos de las leyendas del rock, como es Bonny Briones, vocalista del grupo Nagual, aseguran que la alternativa que ofrece el Instituto Municipal de Cultura en Gómez Palacio, es digna de reconocer, ya que generalmente existen pocas oportunidades para que músicos locales de éste género, puedan darse a conocer apoyados por alguna instancia oficial.
Bonny Briones, dijo, que inicialmente se pensó en un proyecto llamado "Rockeando por la ciudad", gracias a ello se hizo la grabación de dos discos en donde los grupos tuvieron oportunidad de darse a conocer, también con la presentación de temas originales que fueron del gusto del público. Luego de este proceso surgió la idea del proyecto denominado "Icono".
Gracias a ello, mensualmente determinados grupos de la región lagunera son los encargados de ofrecer un homenaje a las grandes bandas del rock, mediante un repertorio elegido para el gusto del público más selectivo. "Lo que intentamos es hacer una reinterpretación de la música de los artistas seleccionados", comentó Bonny Briones.
El repertorio que este miércoles interpretarán los grupos Trauma, Nagual, Anesthesia y Vinil, son de Slayer, "Angel of death" y "Raining Blood", de Pantera "Focking hostile"; de Municipal Waste "Sadistic magician", Carcass "Rock the vote", de Eric Clapton "Old Love", de Carlos Santana "Evil Ways"; de David Gilmour "Comfortably Numb" y finalmente de Jimmy Page, uno de los grandes temas favoritos como es "Stairway to Heaven".
Cabe señalar que el Instituto Municipal de Cultura, dio a conocer que tiene las puertas abiertas para todos los grupos locales de rock, para que sean parte de este programa y tengan la oportunidad de usar los espacios que se ofrecen, como es el teatro Alberto M. Alvarado. Estos grupos podrán realizar sus presentaciones sin costo alguno y a la vez obtener un beneficio económico, que aunque es de forma simbólica, puede apoyarlos a seguir produciendo.
El concierto de Icono, homenaje a guitarristas virtuosos, tendrá un costo de 15 pesos como recuperación para el grupo. Durante el concierto el grupo Nagual presentará su último video clip “Abre tu puerta” además de las nuevas producciones del grupo, como “Nagual en vivo”.
Será este miércoles 21 de abril a las siete de la tarde, cuando se desarrolle este evento, teniendo como escenario el Teatro Alberto M. Alvarado, y en el que participarán grupos especializados en este género musical como son Nagual, Trauma, Anesthesia y Vinil. Cabe señalar, que luego de dos años en los que se han realizado presentaciones cada mes, el programa musical Icono, ofrecerá este nuevo concierto.
Los músicos, dedicados gran parte de su vida a recrear los grandes éxitos de las leyendas del rock, como es Bonny Briones, vocalista del grupo Nagual, aseguran que la alternativa que ofrece el Instituto Municipal de Cultura en Gómez Palacio, es digna de reconocer, ya que generalmente existen pocas oportunidades para que músicos locales de éste género, puedan darse a conocer apoyados por alguna instancia oficial.
Bonny Briones, dijo, que inicialmente se pensó en un proyecto llamado "Rockeando por la ciudad", gracias a ello se hizo la grabación de dos discos en donde los grupos tuvieron oportunidad de darse a conocer, también con la presentación de temas originales que fueron del gusto del público. Luego de este proceso surgió la idea del proyecto denominado "Icono".
Gracias a ello, mensualmente determinados grupos de la región lagunera son los encargados de ofrecer un homenaje a las grandes bandas del rock, mediante un repertorio elegido para el gusto del público más selectivo. "Lo que intentamos es hacer una reinterpretación de la música de los artistas seleccionados", comentó Bonny Briones.
El repertorio que este miércoles interpretarán los grupos Trauma, Nagual, Anesthesia y Vinil, son de Slayer, "Angel of death" y "Raining Blood", de Pantera "Focking hostile"; de Municipal Waste "Sadistic magician", Carcass "Rock the vote", de Eric Clapton "Old Love", de Carlos Santana "Evil Ways"; de David Gilmour "Comfortably Numb" y finalmente de Jimmy Page, uno de los grandes temas favoritos como es "Stairway to Heaven".
Cabe señalar que el Instituto Municipal de Cultura, dio a conocer que tiene las puertas abiertas para todos los grupos locales de rock, para que sean parte de este programa y tengan la oportunidad de usar los espacios que se ofrecen, como es el teatro Alberto M. Alvarado. Estos grupos podrán realizar sus presentaciones sin costo alguno y a la vez obtener un beneficio económico, que aunque es de forma simbólica, puede apoyarlos a seguir produciendo.
El concierto de Icono, homenaje a guitarristas virtuosos, tendrá un costo de 15 pesos como recuperación para el grupo. Durante el concierto el grupo Nagual presentará su último video clip “Abre tu puerta” además de las nuevas producciones del grupo, como “Nagual en vivo”.
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