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An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.


"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

First People - The Legends. Cherokee Legend of Two Wolves. November 16, 2004. [accessed April 7, 2012].

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Gambling on Prince George's County - a Lifestyle


               April Fool's Day is tomorrow, and appropriately Prince George's County is focused on bringing a casino that will secure a funding stream for its largest stakeholder, government itself.. With a full panoply of gambling options in place, Prince George's County will be able to offer a quick dose of construction jobs followed by a thousand or more, part-time 12.00 an hour jobs - jobs that pay perhaps as much as 20,000 a year. As someone who is looking for work I am eager to apply even as I will have to move out of the county to afford to work at the casino.  But a job is better than no job so this is a good thing.

               And there is no doubt that adding gambling is good for National Harbor. Gaming will allow National Harbor to compete for customers in need of a large well supported meeting space. Conventions will be enticed by the wide range of options that National Harbor can supply its convention cliental, from shopping to betting. As to how this will benefit small, independent hotels and restaurants outside the control of National Harbor, the best we can say is that Darwinian capitalism will force them to improve their offers or wither away.

               Of course I wish we were bringing a 21st century suite of employment, like an international bioagricultral life science research facility that partnered with NASA, the University of Maryland, FDA, and USDA APHIS and ARS (BARC and NAL). Instead of being the county that brings an opportunity to learn about the odds of making money by doing nothing, we could be the global destination that provides one stop solutions to food, fuel (energy), feed,  forage,  fiber, flowers, fish and forests - solutions that could feed the world.

               And while we are at it, we might take the time to ask if our political elite has stopped squabbling long enough to decide where the new national headquarters of the FBI will be. Or is the ingrained short term self interest of our political machine going to allow other counties to make a clear united pitch and grab the prize of real jobs? We cannot mall our way to economic success, nor can we gamble on games to better our lot in life. 

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

John Peter Thompson is looking for work - any work



              John Peter Thompson is looking for work. 

Full-time, part-time, piece meal, contract, and any combination of all of the above. References and detailed resume upon request. 
Will travel; will relocate                              
 contact:  ipetrus "at" msn.com   




Project manager, administrative assistant, information compiler, report writercustomer service, grant and contract writer, project organizer and facilitator, teacher...if you need it I can do it 
  • Policy advocate at the federal, state and local levels of government with demonstrable ability to reach out to, and build strong alliances with, a diverse range of stakeholders in both the private and public sectors.
  • Experience in management in the private sector
  • Skilled strategist who transforms strategic plans into workable solutions and benchmarks performance against key operational targets/goals.
  • Contractor/consultant to USDA ARS, APHIS and the Forest Service as well as the US National Park Service as a policy specialist and analysts on a range of agronomic, environmental and bioeconomic issues.
  • Copy writer/editor with substantial public speaking experience





AREAS OF EXPERTISE


1.      Operational Process
2.      Problem Solving, Analysis
3.      Project Planning/Execution
4.      Strategic Planning
5.      Customer Satisfaction
6.      Multi-Site Operations
7.      Process Redesign
8.      Cross-Functional Team Leadership
9.      Financial Plan Development
10.   Negotiation, Persuasion, and Communication
11.   Decision Making



SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
·        Thompson, J. P. (2011). Certified: Feasibility of Audit-Based Certification to Prevent Invasive Plant Pests in the Nursery Industry. Washington: Northeast Midwest Institute. 112 pp +xii ISBN: 978-0-578-08136-6
·        Climate Change Impact on Invasive Species and presentation – NISAW 2010
·        Green Job Certification: Entry-level, sustainable & “green” job market overview & outlook - 2009
·        Beck, K. George, Kenneth Zimmerman, Jeffrey D. Schardt, Jeffrey Stone, Ronald R. Lukens, Sarah Reichard, John Randall, Allegra A. Cangelosi, Diane Cooper, and John Peter Thompson.  2008.  Invasive species defined in a policy context:  Recommendations for the federal Invasive Species Advisory Committee.  Invasive Plant Science and Management 1(4):414-421.
·        Invasive Plant Research and Partnerships with Ornamental Horticulture and Natural Resource Management Workshop Report - US NISC - 2008
·        ALI ABA proceedings Species Protection and the Law 2006
·        Thompson, John Peter.  2005.  Introductory chapter: Invasive Species Issues, Traditions, Consumer Expectations, Current Understandings, Competing Goals, and the Law. ACS Invasive Plant Symposium Proceedings. 


TECHNICAL SKILLS


·        Proven, in demand national speaker on a wide range of horticultural, agricultural and environmental topics such as wicked problems, complex adaptive system theory, invasive alien species, systematics and classification theory, sustainability, biofuels and climate change.
·        Author, US national quarantine and inspection policy book: Thompson, J. P. (2011). Certified: Feasibility of Audit-Based Certification to Prevent Invasive Plant Pests in the Nursery Industry. Washington: Northeast Midwest Institute. 112 pp +xii ISBN: 978-0-578-08136-6
·        Writer of over 400 on line essays on topics including invasive species, natural philosophy, self-wicked problems, ecosystem services, systematics,  agriculture, economic development, politics and research advocacy.  www.ipetrus.blogspot.com "Invasive Notes" and www.PrinceGeorgian.blogspot.com  "The Prince Georgian"
·        30 years experience creating educational courses and programs for professional and lay audiences in topics ranging from horticultural arts to the sciences of agriculture and ecology
·        P&L and balance sheet management, purchasing, procurement, retail operations, production operations, management, technology (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Access, word processing, spreadsheets, podcasting, Blogger, Twitter (6790 followers), Face Book, Klout Score 49, can read rudimentary German, French, Russian and fluent in Latin.


MEMBERSHIPS

·        US NISC ISAC (federal advisory committee) reappointment Class VII 2011; Vice Chair, National Invasive Species Council Advisory Committee Class III (ISAC)
·        Maryland Invasive Plant Advisory Committee (IPAC) appointed by the Maryland Secretary of Agriculture 2012 -
·        Vice Chair, Prince George's County Historic Preservation Commission  2003 -
·        Member, Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC) 2000 - http://www.mdinvasivesp.org/active_members.html 
·        Technical advisor, Sustainable Sites Initiative, Technical Vegetative Sub Committee (SSI/LBJ Wild Flower Center) http://www.sustainablesites.org/  2006 -
·        Director, Prince George's County Community Foundation 2007 - present
·        Former Trustee, Prince George's County Memorial Library System 2006 - 2012
·        Past Chair Prince George's County Chamber of Commerce
o   1999 - 2004         Economic Development Committee
o   2001 - 2006         Legislative Committee
o   2001 - 2002         Co-Chair, Economic Development
·        Founding Director and 3rd President, Mid Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council
·        Past President, Maryland Nursery & Landscape association 2005-2006
o   1997 - 2005       Chairman, Market Oversight Former Director,
·        Prince George's County Hospital Foundation 2000 - 2009
·        Discussion Group Lecturer in Music and Western History  Senior University, University of Maryland  2000 - 2004                                       
·        President, Union Cemetery of Montgomery County, Maryland 1994 - 2004
·        Former President, Franklin Knolls Civic Association, Montgomery County, MD 1981 - 1986



Friday, March 23, 2012

Beltsville Garden Club John Peter Thompson - THE PRICE OF LIBERTY: WEEDS


Beltsville Garden Club 

John Peter Thompson - THE PRICE OF LIBERTY: WEEDS

Our speaker for this month will be John Peter Thompson.  His topic will be, "THE PRICE OF LIBERTY: WEEDS".  The English finally let us in on a little secret.  We didn't win total Independence after they lost the war.  They left behind a covert occupation force, in the substance of weeds, which rapidly became our weeds; pesky and persistent.
John Peter Thompson is a fourth-generation nurseryman who is in the thick of things with the gardening world nationally.  His blog describes him as a gardening speaker, invasive species program developer, sustainability consultant and agricultural research policy advocate.

For additional information contact Louise DeJames at 301 890 4733 or visit our Website, www.beltsvillegardenclub.org