It was a fun and enlightening evening. Thanks guys!
Tag Archives: Proving Ground Book
De-friending America (corrected)
So Eduardo Saverin (Facebook cofounder) has renounced his U.S. citizenship to live in capital-gains-tax-free Singapore. He stands to save $67 million on his tax bill. That means that instead of reaping “only” $2.82 BILLION from the Facebook public offering, he stands to make $2.89 BILLION. A big difference? Sure. A significant difference? No. Eduardo, that’s a rotten way to treat the country that took you in (from Brazil), educated you (at Harvard), and gave you the opportunity to make more money than you ever dreamed possible. That kinda sucks.
Mott Community College Eminent Persons Lecture Series Address
Thanks to everyone in Flint who was a part of the STANDING ROOM ONLY crowd at the Mott Community College Regional Technology Center last Friday. Thanks also to everyone who purchased a copy of Proving Ground to take home. The venue was splendid and the atmosphere was stimulating. I enjoyed meeting the faculty and students at Mott, and seeing so many hometown friends in the audience. Speaking of hometown friends, thanks so much to Lennetta Coney for making my appearance at Mott possible.
One more note: Bill Ballenger’s introduction was one of the best I have ever received (“is that ME he’s talking about?”), and the list of previous speakers was awe-inspiring. They included Werner Von Braun, R. Buckminster Fuller, Arthur SchlesingerJr., Margaret Mead, William Shirer, Allen Ginsburg, Dick Gregory, Alex Haley, Bill Moyers, Spike Lee, and many more.
Signing a copy of Proving Ground for lifelong friend Karen McDonald Lopez -- now THAT was special!
With HS basket ball coach Clif Turner: "GET TARVER OUT OF THERE!"
A special moment post-lecture with mom and Kishna.
The Regional Tech Center auditorium was a perfect venue for the lecture.
Most high-tech companies don’t need IPO, venture capital: Wired Magazine
Guess the founders of TAS weren’t so crazy after all! http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/03/ff_facebookipo//
Why are these guys smiling?
Author David Tarver and first customer Earl Howard
Earl Howard, fresh from his winter hiatus in the South, takes delivery of Proving Ground copy #1. Earl paid for his copy back in December, before we were even taking orders, just to support his fellow U-M College of Engineering alum. Earl supported the book in another way — he took the picture that graces the beginning of section 2 (Ann Arbor) 37 years ago! We both had MUCH more hair back then. After Earl paid for his book we spent the proceeds at the neighborhood Happy Hour. Good times!
Get the FAQs about Proving Ground
Proving Ground Ships!
Thank you!
Proving Ground started shipping today, two weeks ahead of schedule! To everyone who ordered the special edition, thank you! I appreciate your support, and hope you enjoy reading it. I may have a hand cramp from signing 500 books yesterday, but it was well worth the effort!
As I said in a previous e-mail, you are receiving a signed advance edition of the book, offered first to friends, family and colleagues. Proving Ground will also be available this summer in bookstores and at online sites like Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It will also be available for Kindle, Nook, and Apple iPad/iPhone. We will notify you via e-mail when Proving Ground is released to these sources, and would appreciate very much if you would go online and post a positive comment at that time. This will be a great help in introducing the book to a wider audience.
Thanks again! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book.
And one more thing: please keep spreading the word and encouraging people to visit www.provinggroundbook.com. Proving Ground makes a great graduation gift!
David
Flint survey results
Thanks to all of you who participated in our unscientific survey. As a reminder, this was the question I posed:
In the 1950s, cities like Flint and Detroit were THE places to be. Though these cities are struggling to regain their form, they have lost as much as half of their population and are economically depressed. What was the primary factor in the economic decline of Flint?
The survey was e-mailed to nearly 400 people, and responses were received from 92 people. Here are the results, in terms of the percentage ranking of each answer.
As you can see, the factor most often cited was “globalization,” followed by “poor management,” “white flight/racism,” “labor unions,” and lastly, “crime.” Note that I didn’t provide an “all of the above” choice, because I wanted people to indicate what they thought was the primary factor in Flint’s decline.
Thanks again for your participation. This definitely gives me some food for thought as I prepare for my April 13 presentation at Mott Community College.
David
Speaking in Flint April 13
On April 13, I’ll be the keynote speaker at the Ballenger Eminent Persons Lecture Series. I’m going to be talking about A) how what I learned growing up in Flint powered my career as a tech entrepreneur and community activist, and B) how what I learned during my career can help power Flint entrepreneurs and activists. I’m looking forward to lecturing and learning, and I’m expecting to see all my Flintstone peeps FRONT and CENTER! In addition to the lecture, I’ll be presenting one of the afternoon workshops, and signing copies of my new book, Proving Ground. Look forward to seeing you there! See the flyer (below), and see the event calendar on this site for details and directions:
Regarding “walking while black”
Hearing the tragic case of Trayvon Martin today, I was reminded of my own “walking while black” incident in New Jersey some years ago. If you’re not a black man, it can be hard to realize how common and how humiliating this sort of thing is. Racial division and fear have torn apart our cities. We’ve got to get past it.
The following is a brief excerpt from my memoir Proving Ground (copyright (c) 2012, W. David Tarver): Continue reading
