Why Am I in China?

Originally posted on facebook Wednesday, May 27, 2009 

I am a graduate student at the Clinton School for Public Service in Little Rock, Arkansas. The only program in the country that offers a Masters in public service. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu for more info. 30% of our credits are in the field, so my cohort just completed 2 semester practicum projects that placed us throughout Arkansas to impact communities with particular emphasis in the Arkansas Delta. My practicum was conceptualizing a Delta Visual Arts Center in the northern sector of the delta. Check out the pics from my album labeled as Delta Visual Arts Center.

Our summer project is an International Public Service Project (IPSP) that places students across the world (again, check out the website for specific placements) for 10 weeks. I am in Shanghai, China working with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the leading international business association in China from May 24 -Aug 4. My project centers on corporate social responsiblity and the efforts of this chamber to bring coordinated corporate service to the forefront. More specifically, I will work to develop a set of guidelines for corporate service initiatives for members of AMCHAM. In the interim I hope to do some emmerse myself in local culture, visit some cool places, make some new friends, and have a good time. 

I blogged a bit - if you call what I did blogging - during the school year at www.wtoddmoore.blogspot.com( I still have pending posts on that site so apologies to Harvell and the Exit 143 fashion show and Regina who does an excellent job mentoring two young ladies on weekends. I wanted to post them but took somethings for granted - like access and time.) So the plan was to continue blogging on that site. Unfortunately, I ran into the Great Firewall of China and subsequently lack access to some key sites (Actually, I have to be very careful with wording in case I trigger a key word and it all gets booted, which has happened several times already).

Apparently some of the Chinese gods love me because I have ready access to Facebook and Twitter. You can catch some of my earlier 140 character posts on Twitter at @wtm911. I actually like twitter because it makes me be brief and I need all the help I can get on that front! I will try to flesh out those tweets here and connect pictures with words. 

Enjoy! 

Todd

Updates from abroad

This blog was originally posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009 0n facebook. Jasmin will be posting future blogs here because of the problems described in the post below!

Hey folks! I know you want to hear from me and I had hoped that I would be able to post to my blog at www.wtoddmoore.blogspot.com. Not gonna happen with the firewall I face here. So while my laptop is on its way (oh yeah, my laptop broke the day before I left. I had to send it back to Little Rock with Jasmin) which gives me wifi options, I am at the mercy of the Shining Court. So I will post my thoughts on FB. Enjoy!

The Great Firewall of China

The Great Firewall of China is NOT a myth.  

Todd cannot access his blog but can tweet. Catch him @wtm911 (www.twitter.com/wtm911) on twitter for udpates on his adventures in Shanghai until further notice.

Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, spoke to Clinton students today in the Public Service Advocacy class. He discussed the importance of advocating for nonprofit organizations and encouraged us to “listen to our heart,” identify community needs and let the passion drive our goals to connect to people on a human level.

The Wrecking Crew

Posted by BEN BEAUMONT - Wall Street Journal columnist and author Thomas Frank was a big hit last night at the Clinton School. The author of the bestselling “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” and more recently, “The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule,” Frank discussed his views on what he describes as the “misrule” of conservative government. Frank was introduced by Clinton School student and Kansas native Todd Moore. Video of his lecture will be posted at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com.

Delta Visual Arts Center: A Practical Practicum

This was posted to the Clinton School blog by a fellow classmate. Special thanks to all my classmates who made it up for the event. Enjoy! -T

Posted by student EMILY FISCHER - The Delta Visual Arts Center’s Inaugural Event in Newport, Ark., was a huge success on Saturday. Almost 200 visitors attended to participate in workshops, buy art and visit with the 13 Delta artists–Melverue Abraham, Darlene Kirkpatrick Black, Kay Brand, Tim Davis, Gail Fogleman, Judy Gagner, Donia Giannakouros, Austin Grimes, Ariston Jacks, Mindy Lacefield, Julie Lamons, Barbara Smock and Nancy LaFarra Wilson.

The event was organized by the Delta Visual Arts Center Committee and myself along with classmates Joanna Klak and Todd Moore. We have been working on developing the Center since August, and this event was the public culmination of our efforts.


Field Service Coordinator Marie Lindquist, Dean Skip Rutherford, as well as nine other Clinton School students were in attendance.

The Delta Visual Arts Center is a joint endeavor between the Newport Economic Development Commission (NEDC), the Downtown Revitalization and Improvement Volunteer Effort (D.R.I.V.E.), the Iron Mountain Regional Arts Council (IMRAC), the City of Newport and the Clinton School of Public Service. The purpose is to create an innovative center that invites Delta artists to use studio space, sell their work, and teach workshops to the community. This engagement with artists will open the door to hosting a creative economy in Northeast, AR and be an addition to the revitalization of downtown.

Spirit Week

How much Spirit can one take in a month? How about a week?

My classmate, Spirit Rowan single-handedly saved Black History Month, producing a 'double feature' of Black Pride goodness. Spirit co-sponsored the Third Annual "Reel" Civil Rights Film Festival in February. The festival features documentaries and films related to past and current civil and human rights issues in the United States and abroad. Jasmin and I attended "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes" written and directed by Byron Hurt. Byron showed the film in Austin through Hands On Central Texas Cultural Connections film series a few years ago, so I was familiar with the film but no less impacted. Hip hop has to clean its act up, but from the top down, not the bottom up. There are some quality artists - ARTISTS - out there that can bring it, they just need the appropriate (financial) incentive to do so. We are rewarding this senseless... [insert soapbox rant here]... so I hope you will see that Hip Hop is for suckas.

We also watched "For the Bible Tells Me So" written and directed by Daniel Karslake, "Something's Moving" directed by Randy Vasquez and produced by Jonathan Skurnik, and "Where the Water Meets the Sky" written by Jordan Roberts and directed by David Eberts. David Eberts visited the school this past Fall as well so that was a special treat.

The 'Second Feature' was so special. Spirit wrote and produced a play about her mother's life. "One Ninth" tells Minnijean Brown's (Spirit's mom) story from the perspective of a 'regular teenager,'granting an insider's look at the desegregation of Central High. It was a wonderful play; I could hear Spirit's soul in this play - her energy, voice inflections, every idiosyncratic mannerism manifested in the show. Very cool feeling.

Thanks, Spirit for saving Black History Month for me.