The Secret History of Weeds is an outstanding look into the untold history of women dating back to our early history. Author Julia Hughes Jones was inspired to research and write “Weeds” by the misogynist ideas of Martin Luther, who in 1533 wrote that “Girls begin to talk and to stand on their feet sooner than boys because weeds always …
Author: Vinny Tafuro
Journalism Must Shed Paper Cocoon
For over six years I have followed the newspaper industry’s struggle to maintain a sustainable financial foundation for journalism. From misunderstanding the nature of social media and disregarding consumer trends to highlighting Google’s Eric Schmidt offering to “help newspapers” in 2009 I have been an consistent advocate for the newspaper industry’s role in good journalism. In January 2012 I first described “An Innovative Opportunity for …
Passionate young professional challenges millennial stereotypes
Sharp, fashionable and grounded describes 22 year old Cassandra Laper, a former University of Tampa student who is finding her groove in the advertising industry while harmoniously earning a degree from the preeminent Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. Born and raised on Long Island by her mother, Laper carries her Long …
Competition, Not Regulation Drives GMO Transparency
In March 2013 Whole Foods Market put “a stake in the ground on GMO labeling” by announcing that by 2018 all products sold by the grocery chain would be labeled indicating any included genetically modified organisms in order to provide full GMO transparency to customers. The announcement occurred around the same time as failed efforts by consumer activists to petition the federal government …
‘Mad Men’ was a decade-long whale hunt antagonized by an economist
The series finale of ‘Mad Men’ closed a fictional window to the 1960s. Women’s and civil rights, The Beatles, Serge Gainsbourg and The Doors, the introduction of birth control and realization that cigarettes cause cancer. The series remained authentic by intertwining itself with events of the decade. The crash of American Airlines Flight 1, the assassinations of John F Kennedy …
Couchsurfing: Siblings Mandy and Sven of Berlin – US East Coast Tour
Siblings Mandy and Sven Schulze have traveled together before. Last time it was the west coast of the United States. They live and work in Berlin. Mandy is the one with the powerful travel bug. Just last year she spent nearly eight months traveling mostly solo to cities across South East Asia and Australia. Mandy’s …
Couchsurfing: Nesrine Visits Tampa Bay and the Fung Bros
I met and hosted Nesrine Ismail through Couchsurfing.org when she stayed at my apartment this past Thursday night. She remained in Tampa with another host until Sunday when we caught back up for brunch at Sono Café along the Tampa Riverwalk. Originally from Egypt, Ismail has been living in the United States for 13 years; …
Reflection on 2014 and Thoughts for 2015
I have experienced positive growth personally and professionally from a simultaneously challenging and rewarding year and thought I would take a moment to reflect and share. Considering I was a newly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic and spend most of New Years Eve/Day on the couch with 100+ degree fever I could taken that as the …
Lost Forever – Hundreds of Millions of Jobs and Scores of Industries
Technological unemployment is most often recognized as technology that directly replaces the work of humans because those losses are directly observable. Drive down any toll road in the world and you almost forget that just 10 years ago most people stopped to pay a human toll collector. What about the displaced jobs that are not as directly associated? Manufacturing …
Iconic Brands Continue to Ignore Trend, Refuse to Innovate
News this week that Sears and Kmart will close 235 stores along with JCPenney’s continued decent reaffirm my belief that the true value of these iconic brands is being ignored. In the case of JCPenney, unimaginative executives struggle to increase sales with awkward marketing stunts in a retail industry that is returning to its roots. While the brands of yesterday are suffering slow …