Some members would like Kapneck to hold a class and discuss his formula in assisting small business during these tight economic times so that businesses can achieve their goals.

Kapneck has a great business knowledge and background and would be able to direct small business in new ways of marketing their products and creating new economic opportunities.

One item in the “Kapneck Business Formula” that has proven itself, is to set up a network with other related companies that will expand each other`s business.

It`s clear that Kapneck believes small business is the foundation of a growing economy and if his complete formula is implemented it will also create jobs, as he has demonstrated.

More about Kapneck

Kapneck lived in Washington D.C. and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School. He attended George Washington University, was elected to the Maryland State Convention, and was appointed special advisor on Higher Education to the Governor’s office. He was appointed by Governor Marvin Mandel to open Maryland’s first overseas office in Brussels, Belgium as the State’s Trade Ambassador. He assisted the Federal Government in “Invest in the USA”.

“Kapneck, for the past thirty plus years, has brought a multitude of jobs into Maryland and USA and when he is not overseas he works without remuneration to help the citizens of Maryland find jobs with companies he brings into the State.” – Maryland State officials

Popularity: 11% [?]

The Global Room for Women Launches National Campaign Alliance “Let’s Stand With Women Shaping a New Middle East”

Connecting Fearless Women Change Agents of the Middle East with American Women from the Streets of Brooklyn to the Coast of California

An alliance of American organizations, convened by the Global Room for Women, launches a national campaign and declaration of solidarity and friendship with women peace builders in the Middle East fueling a new surge of optimism throughout the region. In support of their recent courageous and inventive work on the frontlines of revolutions, uprisings, and war they have harnessed new social media tools and strategies of non-violent protest to topple decades-old regimes and outmoded systems. Current members of the alliance include CODE PINK, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Peaceful Tomorrows, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Global Oneness Project, Women’s Peace Collection, Prosperity Candle, Circle Connections, American Muslim Voice, Bay Area Women in Black, Democracy in Action, the SOP, Just Vision, Women’s Alliance for Democratic Iraq, Principle Pictures, Weaving the World, and Global Room for Women.

Members of the alliance and women across the country will meet women peace builders, straight from the frontlines in Gaza, Pakistan, Egypt, and Bahrain – women changing the world one step at a time, in the midst of an unprecedented degree of war, revolution and uncertainty besieging their communities every day. And despite a chorus of naysayers about their prospects for real and lasting peace, these women utilize their passion to fuel their work, while American women from every conceivable socio-economic background step up to listen to and learn from them. This all takes place in the safe virtual space called The Global Room for Women, the first-ever scalable platform that provides American women access to real-time, direct conversations by phone with an array of diverse women living in developing countries and war-torn regions who are reshaping the landscape for women and girls’ lives.

“We designed The Global Room for Women to be convenient and easily adapted to a woman’s busy schedule, whether she’s a teacher, an executive or a soccer mom. We invite women to take a step outside their comfort zone, come as they are, when their schedules permit. All they need to do is pick up the telephone and an entire global community of women is waiting to engage with them,” says GRW founder Linda Higdon. “The real beauty of this model is that we bring women from far-reaching areas of the world directly to busy U.S. women and can include hundreds of women across the country on each call, while creating an intimate experience through small breakout conversations. There is nothing like this out there for American women,” adds Higdon.

Although these women may not be visible in the Western media news cycle, they are working under the radar to make real change from the bottom up. “We are continually amazed at the degree to which women on each side of the conversation are benefitting from listening to the experience of the other,” adds Higdon.

Who are these women who are so driven by a fierce determination to build peace?

• A Muslim woman originally from Pakistan, Samina Sundas became an outsider in the United States, her home for decades, in the aftermath of 9/11. By opening her doors to all ethnicities and faith groups, she dispelled misperceptions and created groundbreaking conversations between many who thought it impossible. “After 9/11, we were living in a culture of fear and I said, ‘I am a Muslim woman and welcome to my home.’” Founder of American Muslim Voice, Samina is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize awarded by Fellowship of Reconciliation.

• A Gaza City physician, Dr. Mona ElFarra is a builder of refugee camp cultural and health centers, and serves as Vice President of the Gazan Red Crescent Society. “For children living in camps in the Gaza Strip, the most tragic thing is the loss of hope. So we keep saying over and over ‘We Love You.’ It is our duty to provide them a chance and a right to be a child – that is our hope for our own futures and what keeps me going.”

• The voice of young Cairo beyond the revolution – Aya Faissal’s back story reveals one woman’s ongoing adventure of joining millions of youth en mass to invoke reform in Egypt. And for her day job she uplifts those women she can – of the million people trapped in the poverty-ridden slums of Cairo. As one of only a few students studying in France prior to coming home to Egypt, she defied the headscarf law while preserving her own customs and personal identity.

• With unrest sweeping through the Middle East, a positive counter-force is organized by youth, leveraging social media and technology – and it’s surging beneath the radar of most. Esra’a Al Shafei organized MideastYouth, a grassroots, digital network of fresh, vibrant free-thinkers and activists across North Africa and the Middle East staring down governments and historic regimes. And the West has their eyes on her work, particularly Harvard, TED Fellow Awards and Think Social.

Members pay a small fee ($12-16) per series of calls and there is no limit to how many they can attend. Each woman chooses her own experience, and there is no pressure to do more than listen. After each call many engage with each other as a living global community. Through “My Global Room,” a social networking space, they live chat after each call, organize, or keep the conversation going. Through Maestro technology, members receive one another’s contact information. The Global Room site provides and supports actions, initiatives, projects, resources, and success stories emerging continuously within the community. To learn about the upcoming roster of speakers or to register, click http://www.globalroomforwomen.com/events.html or visit our site at www.globalroomforwomen.com.

Popularity: 18% [?]

During the past years when the recession was starting to take hold and change the American way of life and the American dream, there were those who worked harder and longer each day to help their fellow citizens, keep their heads above water. One of these individuals was Maryland Trade Ambassador Philip Kapneck who was able to contact and reconnect with business and industry he attracted to the USA over the past 30 years, that created jobs for individuals in Maryland.

Since the recession, Ambassador Kapneck called on the same companies he helped to set up their businesses in past years, and surfing the wave of goodwill, he was able to find jobs for people who lost theirs with other companies. While this was not one of his duties, he felt that it was essential to help those in need of work.

Ambassador Kapneck does not want any notoriety or press coverage about his work, but it seems that the press has a yearning to cover his unselfish work in helping others.

People like Ambassador Kapneck and their hard work are responsible for 2011’s third straight month in creating new employment over the 200,000 mark in the USA.
Through research we were able to supply a list of some positions that Ambassador Kapneck held and some he is still holding as follows:

• Delegate to the Maryland State Convention
• He was appointed by Governor Marvin Mandel to open Maryland’s first overseas office in Brussels, Belgium as the State’s Trade Ambassador. He assisted the Federal Government in “Invest in the USA”.
• He was appointed by Secretary of Business and Economic Development to represent the State of Maryland with international companies in Asia and the South Pacific.
• He was appointed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Rowlings as Special Advisor Ambassador/Maryland Trade Ambassador to assist companies in New Zealand and Australia doing business in the USA.
• He has been appointed by each administration to date, since his first appointment to Belgium over 30 years ago, and is still serving as Maryland Trade Ambassador.

Ambassador Kapneck’s ability to achieve the goals set before him, and always extending a helping hand, when it is possible to do so, has made him an icon in his own time, from his success in attracting business and industry to the creation of jobs.

To learn more about Hon Philip Kapneck: Trade Ambassador Kapneck Official Site: http://tradeambassadorkapneck.com.

If you would like to nominate someone to be featured in out next story, email them to newsroom@thesop.org.

Popularity: 88% [?]

The U.S. Census Bureau has released more detailed 2010 Census population totals and demographic characteristics to the governor and leadership of the state legislature in Wisconsin. These data provide the first look at population counts for small areas and race, Hispanic origin, voting age and housing unit data released from the 2010 Census.

The official 2010 Census Redistricting Data Summary File can be used to redraw federal, state and local legislative districts under Public Law 94-171. The census data are used by state officials to realign congressional and state legislative districts in their states, taking into account population shifts since the 2000 Census.

Data for Wisconsin show that the five most populous incorporated places and their 2010 Census counts are Milwaukee, 594,833; Madison, 233,209; Green Bay, 104,057; Kenosha, 99,218; and Racine, 78,860. Milwaukee decreased by 0.4 percent since the 2000 Census. Madison grew by 12.1 percent, Green Bay grew by 1.7 percent, Kenosha grew by 9.8 percent, and Racine decreased by 3.7 percent.

The largest county is Milwaukee, with a population of 947,735. Its population grew by 0.8 percent since 2000. The other counties in the top five include Dane, with a population of 488,073 (increase of 14.4 percent); Waukesha, 389,891 (increase of 8.1 percent); Brown, 248,007 (increase of 9.4 percent); and Racine, 195,408 (increase of 3.5 percent).

The redistricting file consists of five detailed tables: the first shows the population by race, including six single race groups and 57 multiple race groups (63 total race categories); the second shows the Hispanic or Latino population as well as the non-Hispanic or Latino population cross-tabulated by the 63 race categories. These tabulations are repeated in the third and fourth tables for the population 18 years and over and are for the resident population of the United States. The fifth table provides counts of housing units and their occupancy status.

These five detailed tables are available to the public online via FTP download at http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/01-Redistricting_File–PL_94-171/ and will be available within 24 hours at http://factfinder2.census.gov.  (Access 2003 or Access 2007 shells or SAS scripts are provided to assist with importing and accessing the summary file data from the FTP site.  These shells and scripts can be found at http://www.census.gov/rdo/tech_tips.  This Web page also contains special instructions for linking data downloaded from FactFinder and/or the FTP site with the Census Bureau’s geographic products.)

By April 1, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will receive these data for the following areas: state, congressional districts (for 111th Congress), counties, minor civil divisions, state legislative districts, places, school districts, census tracts, block groups and blocks, and if applicable, American Indian and Alaska Native areas and Hawaiian home lands. In addition, data are available for the 46 states that voluntarily provided voting districts to the Census Bureau’s Redistricting Data Program. Unique geographies for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are also available.

Race and Hispanic Origin Data

The Census Bureau collects race and Hispanic origin information following the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) standards for collecting and tabulating data on race and ethnicity. In October 1997, the OMB issued the current standards, which identify five race groups: white, black or African-American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The Census Bureau also utilized a sixth category — “some other race.” Respondents who reported only one race are shown in these six groups.

Individuals were first presented with the option to self-identify with more than one race in the 2000 Census, and this continued in the 2010 Census. People who identify with more than one race may choose to provide multiple races in response to the race question. The 2010 Census results provide new data on the size and makeup of the nation’s multiracial population.

Respondents who reported more than one of the six race groups are included in the “two or more races” population. There are 57 possible combinations of the six race groups.

The Census Bureau included the “some other race” category for responses that could not be classified in any of the other race categories on the questionnaire. In the 2000 Census, the vast majority of people who reported only as “some other race” were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Data on Hispanics or Latinos, who may be of any race, were obtained from a separate question on ethnicity.

Popularity: 15% [?]

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is visiting Milwaukee on Thursday at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Water Street at noon to counter billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign of fear against Badger State gun owners.

Bloomberg has teamed up with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to send a moving billboard truck around the country claiming that 34 Americans are “murdered with guns every day.” CCRKBA Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb said Bloomberg’s campaign “tells less than half of a story, so on Thursday we’re setting the record straight in Wisconsin with the help of Nik Clark from Wisconsin Carry.”

“We’re answering Bloomberg’s flash with genuine substance,” he explained. “We’re telling people what Bloomberg isn’t telling them. Guns save between 800,000 and 2.5 million lives annually. That’s 2,100 to 6,800 people every day who successfully use firearms to defend themselves, or prevent a criminal attack. In the majority of those incidents, no shots are fired, and nobody is injured or killed. In some cases where shots are fired by armed citizens, several lives are saved.”

CCRKBA has teamed up with the Second Amendment Foundation, which is producing educational materials on firearms rights, the number of lives saved and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

“While Bloomberg is shooting blanks,” Gottlieb explained, “CCRKBA is hitting the bull’s eye with information Americans need to protect their civil rights.

“Bloomberg’s campaign is a smokescreen,” he continued. “America needs to look behind the facade to see that his ultimate goal is to convince Congress to implement New York-style gun control laws, ban most semiautomatic firearms, stretch background checks out to between six and nine months, and to put gun shows out of business.

“No mayor, regardless how wealthy he is, should dictate to Congress or the people of Wisconsin the terms of their civil rights,” Gottlieb said. “Michael Bloomberg is spreading hysteria about gun rights. We’re spreading the truth.”

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Milwaukee-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers President Dennis Slater issued the following statement in response to the House Appropriations Committee’s plan to cut the federal transportation budget:

“News that the House Appropriations Committee intends to cut the federal transportation budget by 17 percent is discouraging and raises questions about what is – and isn’t – actual deficit spending. The Highway Transportation Fund is not deficit spending, it’s the people’s money.

“America’s commuters have paid their fair share into the Highway Trust Fund for the 2010-11 fiscal year through a dedicated 18.4 cent federal fuel and 24.4 diesel tax, and they deserve to see a full return on their investment.

“The nation’s highways, roads and bridges do not require 17 percent less repair today than yesterday. The average commute time is not 17 percent shorter nor are America’s manufacturers and farmers able to transport goods 17 percent more efficiently.

“Americans were promised that their hard-earned contributions to the Highway Trust Fund would be dedicated to the maintenance and improvement of our nation’s transportation infrastructure, and not to deficit reduction or any other purpose, and they should not be short-changed.  That promise should be kept.”

Popularity: 10% [?]

In an era of high-priced endorsement deals and costly sponsorships, Miller High Life is breaking away from the norm by sponsoring something that’s actually worthwhile – the customer.

The brand that brought you the one-second ad and last year shared its “Big Game” commercial with small businesses is once again standing up for common sense by becoming the “Official Beer of You.” By offering to “sponsor” thousands of regular folks who embody the brand’s honest and authentic values, Miller High Life is challenging the notion that overpaid athletes and celebrities make the best brand spokespersons.

“Miller High Life won’t get caught up in the runaround of who can endorse the highest profile athlete or air the most ridiculous commercial during the biggest game of the year,” said Miller High Life Brand Manager Brendan Noonan. “We wouldn’t call it the High Life if we didn’t help real people live it, so this year we’re becoming the ‘Official Beer of You’ by endorsing the folks who truly represent the High Life every day.”

Legal-drinking age consumers who sign the “Official Beer of You” contract at www.MillerHighLife.com and share photos and stories of how they live the High Life could have the chance to be featured in a Miller High Life advertisement or on the brand’s Facebook page.

Additionally, High Life-sponsored consumers will be compensated with their choice of a $1 coupon for Miller High Life (where legal) or a check for $1 with the option of donating their check directly to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Participants will also receive a downloadable sponsorship kit including their personalized “Official Beer of [YOUR NAME]” logo and the opportunity to purchase their very own personalized Miller High Life T-shirts, mugs, beer koozies and more.

The Miller High Life “Official Beer of You” program will be supported with print, television, radio and online advertising, point-of-sale and public relations efforts. For more information, visit www.MillerHighLife.com.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Student participants in the Milwaukee school voucher program have graduation rates that are 18 percent higher than those of students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), according to a new report released by John Robert Warren, an education expert and professor at the University of Minnesota.

Data gathered since 2003 show clearly the benefits of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP)—which allows students from low-income families to attend participating private schools in Wisconsin’s largest city.  Had graduation rates for MPS matched those of the MPCP, nearly 4,000 additional students would have graduated from 2003 to 2009.  Job-related productivity from those additional graduates would have also resulted in approximately $4.2 million in additional tax revenue.

The findings from Milwaukee echo those from the voucher program in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Patrick Wolf, a University of Arkansas professor was the principal investigator in a U.S. Department of Education study on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), which last year found that graduation rates for OSP participants were 21 points higher than for non-OSP students.  The program, which began in 2004, awards scholarships to low-income families in the nation’s capital so they can attend the school of their choice.  Despite a host of data showing that the OSP has delivered positive results, Congress has so far failed to reauthorize the program.

“It’s so encouraging to see such strong performance from the Milwaukee program, where we’re celebrating the 20-year anniversary of expanded educational opportunities for low-income families,” said Betsy DeVos, the chairman of the American Federation for Children and the Alliance for School Choice. “What is happening in Milwaukee isn’t an outlier, and it’s becoming clear around the nation—school choice works.  It’s no surprise, therefore, that public officials from both major political parties – in states from Florida to Pennsylvania, and from Indiana to Louisiana – are embracing broader school choice in greater numbers than ever before.”

The MPCP is the longest-running school choice program in the United States.  The program, which now boasts more than 20,000 participants, costs taxpayers $6,442 per student. By comparison, Milwaukee Public Schools spending is $15,034 per student, more than twice the cost of the MPCP.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Arrested at gunpoint, shocked and stunned, Krysta Sutterfield was told she was being taken to jail for carrying her gun in church last July, irrespective of the fact that she had a permit to lawfully carry it.

Today, she has won a lawsuit against the city and the police that arrested her for $7,500.

In July 2010, Sutterfield was standing as a congregant at Unitarian Universalist Church with her holstered handgun in sight. Someone at the church called police to ask about the situation, and they showed up in droves. They stopped her as she was driving home at gunpoint and took her away. However, the Waukesha County DA did not file charges against her.

Gun rights advocacy group Wisconsin Carry Inc. joined Sutterfield as a plaintiff in the case, and said in a statement after the lawsuit: “[We] will continue to use legal recourse to deter unlawful treatment of law-abiding Wisconsin residents who currently exercise their right to open carry, and soon will exercise their right to concealed carry in Wisconsin.”

The city of Brookfield, who faced the lawsuit in October, said of the settlement: “[The settlement] is not an admission of liability on behalf of these defendants, and should not be construed as such.”

Popularity: 23% [?]

Milwaukee-based Manpower Inc. says a greater number of employers are beginning to hire more permanent workers as the December U.S. jobs report, released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed the economy created 103,000 jobs during the final month of 2010 and the unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 9.4 percent.

“Almost a year into the recovery, we are starting to see more of a conversion from temporary to permanent recruitment, which is very encouraging for both employers and workers, and is the key to creating the momentum and confidence needed to drive hiring through 2011,” said Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO. “Companies are starting to take on more permanent staff as they experience greater demand for their goods and services, and temporary jobs continue to be created as firms see a need to generate more product.”

The number of unemployed people in the U.S. decreased by 556,000 to 14.5 million in December, while the unemployment rate of 9.4 percent is the lowest since May 2009. Temporary hiring, which typically precedes an uptick in permanent employment, increased 15,900 following a surge of 31,100 in November.

“Today’s news also strongly indicates that the recovery is gathering pace across the economy, not just within the manufacturing sector, as December and January are historically weak months for hiring,” added Joerres.

Joerres appeared on CNBC’s The Strategy Session yesterday and Street Signs today to discuss the U.S. jobs situation. Manpower’s most recent quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, which measures employers’ hiring intentions for the coming quarter, indicated the most optimistic first-quarter hiring sentiment in three years among American employers for the first quarter of 2011.

Popularity: 11% [?]