The Ashoka Social Entrepeneurship Initiative is admirable, and of consistent high quality. I have not seen this particular DVD series, but I have read some exceptionally high quality material via Ashoka on village-based economic development. I will say for my own view that the Social Entrepeneurship thesis is certainly valid, but there are some noticible admixtures of elements beholden to the god of globalism.

Haaaaaa,

Transparency International, if I only knew what this enterprise is about I could know what to discuss. Am visiting new threads but at times I do not know the objectives.

The words some people use. Some words are very attrctive it draws ones' attention. I really thank you for choice of words for the topics.

The name "Trasparency International" aside, Teppista, Ashoka has put enormous work into producing this new DVD series, and I would highly recommend taking a closer look. I myself have seen the previews and they are substantive and substantial -- and entertaining to boot. You would not want to miss something really good just because "Transparency International" is somewhat less than clear (to me to, and I do know it means). CHECK IT OUT!

Someone at Ashoka :-)

Thanks for dropping by. It would be great if you could re-edit your profile as to include your name, if at all possible. Looking forward to getting the DVD's, do you know when the first batch will be mailed out?

thnx

<M>

I do not know, but I am finding out. I know it is very soon and we have seen the finished product (for the first set to be shipped in the series.

I have just sent a query to folks spearheading the project asking when we are actually dropping the DVDs in the mail. I will get an answer for you.

Thanks again for helping us spread the word about this set. So much effort has gone into making this DVD series happen. It has to be a really good thing!

Tom Boone, in Bill Drayton's office at Ashoka

Thanks Tom, and welcome to o/net. Very much looking forward to the series... and very curious to learn more about Transparency International too.

Okay. Before any readers think we have really gone nutso garbonzo beans on this,

Transparency International is "a global coalition against corruption" founded by Peter Eigen. See http://www.transparency.org/

You can use Google Video to preview a segment of this DVD at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3407997752764644269&q=peter+eigen

I hope this helps!

Or here it is too

"Haaaaaa,

Transparency International...."

You might have to be from the South to get Teopista's joke.

Looks like a great educational opportunity and tool. Unfortunately my disposable income went to LIA yesterday. Digging here.. :-)

HERE IS THE ANSWER TO WHEN SHIPPING -- WE HAVE BEGUN SHIPPING:

If you order at the special introductory price (which is a GREAT DEAL, all 16 for only $35), the first 9 DVDS will ship within 10 days of receipt of your order. The remaining 7 will be shipped out to you in May 2006.

We realize that in today's inflationary world, even $35 can be a hefty price tag.

We are therefore shipping a complimentary set to Omidyar (in care of Iqbal Paroo). That set should go out today or tomorrow.

I would also like to urge everyone to check the previews of the other segments of the series -- you can do so by backtracking on the directory tree in the link above.

The amount of work that has gone into making this series happen is frankly mind boggling (and that doesn't even begin to consider the actual work of the Fellows out their in the real world). My sense is that anyone who is at all interested in social entrepreneurship on any level will genuinely enjoy these conversations with some of the truly momentous changemakers. In short, a big thumbs up!

Also than everyone at Omidyar for all of the wonderful messages I received yesterday welcoming my commentary. You certainly are most gracious and really made me feel very good.

Have a really terrific day!

I look forward to seeing some of these at work unless Iqbal takes them home first.

I am afraid that I am wholly unprepared and at something of a total loss for comment on the subject of transparency, Iqbal and/or who's taking them home first. Ashoka has a long reach, but not far! <GRIN> Wishing you all the very best!

Just a quick note. The DVD's are now finally on their way to PDX. I ordered an extra set for loaners just to get out and around. Will make a workspace page for checkout/checkin once they arrive.

Great idea. Thanks for doing this Mark.

We at Omidyar will also make a few copies that we can send to folks who wish to see it. I have a few members living overseas that I plan to mail copies to.

Very excited about this resource. Thanks for keeping us up on it, Mark. Can't wait to get mine.

How do we get a library card?

You bet S&C.

>>How do we get a library card?<<

You have to have physically hugged the person your sending it to. Well, perhaps that's not practical.

Open Source Library, just send it to the next person in the queue. If Omidyar has multiple copies too, we should have pretty decent stock.

Susan....can you put my name on the overseas list? I will promise to make sure that more than I see it.

2 Topics -

1 here's my review of Eigen dvd on Transoparency I - hope this answers some of the above questions. I have also put a bookmark page in the end-corruption debating centre of omidyar http://www.omidyar.net/group/global_corruption/file/ "Amazing Grace: This begins with a most extraordinary life story- a man trained as a lawyer who joined large organisations to do good; found that on small projects he often could- as he got promoted eg at the World Bank to get involved with writing up constitutions for larger developing nations the banks own sponsors prevented corruption busting; the same pattern recurred when he went back to his native Germany where it turned out that parts of the government turned blind eyes to corruption as long as it happened inside other countries not on German soil. So in the late 1990s, Peter Founded Transparency International http://www.transparency.org . He published an integrity system kit to be used anywhere that nations and big projects were serious about zero corruption. Network branches of citizens groups have now emerged in 85 countries! Various world league tables are now published to track where industries and countries are getting worse. Koffi Annan has personally ensured that an extra 10th principle of the Global Compact is framed as the Peter Principle of make corruption history. Having set up TI, Peter envisages turning over executive control to others whilst he starts up a new institute on more contextual matters of corporate and other governance. The world would definitely be a disastrously poorer place without Peter. The DVD provides various references I need to follow, but the one thing I am currently missing as a mapmaker of reconciliation and sustainability networks is how we can all most simply start collaborating with TI. There are 2 more Eigen dvds; perhaps they will add more light for those who want to collaborate and make sure that they never get sucked into corruption the bigger their responsibilities get.

2 Is there a master thread anywhere where omidyar people connecting with Ashoka projects exchange news etc?

I ask because I have been obscenely interested in social entrepreneurship for 22 years but did not know this was the American term for something we British/Scottish future entrepreneurs (going back to James Wilson founder of The Economist in the 1840s) used different language for. Anyhow now I know I will be visiting Bill and his team as often as I can as they are a few miles from where I am online

If anyone's interested in the idea we are playing with that social entrepreneur olympics should get as much media coverage as sports olympics do mail me at wcbn007@easynet.co.uk http://social-entrepreneur.blogspot.com or come make a pledge

http://www.pledgebank.com/bbcgames

to be one of the first 2000 to help BBC governors stop being so afraid of letting journalists raise the big questions however incovenient the truth that humanity's sustainability is being put at expoentially greater risk due to twiddling our thumbs instead of actively connecting with the first few decades of social entreprenurial revolution http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A4205819

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/G1281

Has anyone seen these DVDs yet. I tried to order them but order hasnt arrived yet (30+ days)

You should have your order by now. Chris, better call them, they shipped mine to the wrong person at the right address :-/ something may be real wanky in their ordering system.

Here's two people who can help.

FYI: Just sent Tom (from Ashoka) a note that there may be problems with shipping/fulfillment for the DVD's.

yeah I phoned them 5 days ago; had quite an odd story about how the discs were only now ready as a collection of 16; then I said hey guys I live 2 miles away can I come and colect them; they took my phone and said they would get back to me

I don't want to beat up on these people but I am not confindent about recommending tyese goodies to other people until this ptrocess gets sorted

back to the meat:

q1 has anyone who has looked at these discs got a must see one to start with (or other revieq comments to make on what their biggest learning from the dvds was)

q2 given that it is co-sposored by omidyar, I would recommend a lot at the exciting project jam model going on at http://www.changemakers.net and if you have any comments on whether its the world's best jam or how to make it so, please note them here http://www.omidyar.net/group/on/news/6/?searchterm=changemakers

>>had quite an odd story about how the discs were only now ready as a collection of 16<<

That is strange. The Drayton set is holding up the second half, as I understand it, but would think they could get you the first 1/2. Maybe call them back and send them the link to this thread, maybe they can explain better here to all.

Will try to work up some thoughts in a review style soon.