Killed by Elephant and Eaten by Lions

This week I met a man quite by accident, as I mistook him for another person. He had a dark complexion and indicated that he was from Nigeria. The conversation led me to confess that I had never traveled to anywhere in Africa. Somehow he assumed I might enjoy hunting big game. I laughed and assured him that I has no interest in killing animals of any magnitude. I felt badly that I automatically assigned attributes to this ebony-colored man in an awkward conversation that only lasted a few minutes. The man switched gears and shared with me a recent news item about a man killed by an elephant and eaten by lions. After this casual encounter, I had to know more. It wasn’t hard to find the story with a bit of help from Google the AP News Service.

A man suspected of being a rhino poacher was killed last week by an elephant and his remains devoured by a pride of lions at a South African park…

The New York Times report said that a Rhino Poacher was killed by elephant and eaten by lions in a South African Park. Rhino horn is worth about $9,000 per pound in Asia, driving a lucrative and illicit trade. It is a prized ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine and is considered a status symbol. “It’s one of the most expensive wildlife products on the illegal market and that’s why these poachers go after it,” Michael Slattery, founder of the Texas Christian University Rhino Inititive, says. “The current prices for a rhino horn are anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000 a kilogram. They are seeing dollar signs. It is more expensive than gold and cocaine, so the demand is driving these poachers.” South Africa is home to about 20,000 wild rhinos, more than 80 percent of the world’s population. About one-third of the animals are owned by private breeders. Since 2008, more than 7,000 rhinos have been hunted illegally, with 1unt,028 killed in 2017, according to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs. The poachers can get more money if they can deliver a complete rhino horn, but to get a full rhino horn they have to kill the animal, Professor Slattery said. Poachers drug the rhinos and then use a machete to “hack away at the face,” he said. The rhinos then bleed to death. A rhino horn, which is made of 100 percent keratin, or the equivalent of compressed hair, provides no health benefits to humans. Still, people grind up the horn and use it in a drink in a misguided effort to reduce fevers and cure hangovers, among other things. Rhino horns are also given as gifts, Professor Slattery said.

The news story and the details are fascinating and the encounter made me wonder in the context of Ubuntu how I was guilty of making assumptions about this Nigerian man as he seemed to be making about me. Ubuntu was translated for me to mean roughly I AM BECAUSE WE ARE. I didn’t know the rhino hunter who died but I cannot help thinking the animals won this time. 

MDMC 2019

#mdmc19

Seven years into the life of the annual conference conceived by Perry Drake PhD you cannot help but marvel at its growth and success. This year the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference (MDMC 19) attracted nearly 2,000 participants. This yields an impressive graphic that shows an steady growth from its humble beginning in 2013 as a local UMSL on-campus event that addressed digital disruption. This year the tone seems decidedly different: while technology is still changing business, marketing and sales forever, there is tremendous energy and enthusiasm for the tools available to communicate and market. 

Union Station in Saint Louis was once a hub for trains taking people too and from major metropolitan centers at the height of a gilded age when deals were done in an era a robber barons and political power brokers. Today, Darrell West PhD, the director of the center for technology at the Brooking Institution, delivers a keynote address and shares ideas outlined in his book, Divided Politics, Divided Nation: Hyper-conflict in the Trump Era. Dr. West is uniquely qualified to address the growing cultural split between conservative and liberal political cultures in the U.S. West grew up on a dairy farm in Ohio and now works in Washington D.C.

Keisha Mabry followed Dr. West with another keynote speech with ideas from her book, Hey Friend, 100 Ways to Connect With People in 100 Days. She asked the audience to take out their cell phones out and give it a high five. ”Doesn’t that feel silly?” she says with a smile. Her point is to stress an urgency for everyone to work on making genuine connections with others in spite of this changing world. 

After the keynoters set a kind of foundation for understanding political dynamics and the for people to make real connections, the conference attendees self direct themselves to a smorgasbord of presentations set in ballrooms. The positive energy and enthusiasm is palpable. This event over the course of three days produces so many memorable things.  Here are some vignettes of what is was like to attend this year’s remarkable happening.

• It’s standing room only in a panel discussion session on CONTENT. The conversation is grounded in marketing strategy.
• A session lead by digital strategy lead and social media manager from Bayer Crop Science Division (formerly Monsanto) talks about how employees can become company ambassadors with appropriate use of digital tools that will allow them professional development.
• Dun & Bradstreet’s digital marketing manager advocates LinkedIn to boost awareness and generate leads.
• Vanessa Cabrera exudes enthusiasm for her presentation on how to host a successful social media challenge.
• A panel discussion on the use of video lead by digital marketing specialist from Nestle Purina Petcare touches on the technology challenges of effective storytelling given the various aspect ratios driven by manufactures of digital devices.
• Stephanie Liu sparkles with her posse in the front row of the VIP section in her session about increasing influence using Facebook live video.

If this year’s MDMC conference is an indication, one must conclude that we are moving from an overall fear of the unknown impact of digital technology to a wave of enthusiastic fans who eagerly embracing possibilities.

             

The Impossible Dream

The Impossible Dream

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march
Into hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lay peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe
To reach the unreachable star

Songwriters: Joe Darion / Mitchell Leigh

The Impossible Dream lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC,

The Bicycle Music Company, Helena Music Company

Don Quixote is a 1955 sketch by Pablo Picasso of the Spanish literary hero and his sidekick, Sancho Panza. It was featured on the August 18–24 issue of the French weekly journal Les Lettres Françaises in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the first part of Cervantes’s Don Quixote. Made on August 10, 1955, the drawing Don Quixote was in a very different style than Picasso’s earlier Blue, Rose, and Cubist periods.

Larry Eberle R.I.P.

Larry - you have been a tremendous resource and good friend. Every project with Eberle Productions is a joy. You find ways to make things happen. For me it began with the holiday party at Adam's Mark downtown for 800 HBE employees in 1999. I had to come back for more with Clayco and Thermadyne and then again. You also played along with some of my underfunded endeavors, always with a smile, with meaningful ways to skin a cat. I still cannot believe you are gone. I am at a loss for words to comfort all those who knew and loved you. I can easily believe you are orchestrating something big upstairs. Save the selects for an edit session when (hopefully) we join you one day. (Fade to black - just for a while).

This beautiful item was posted on Larry’s obituary guest book. It speaks volumes:

March 18, 2019

Larry co-wrote this song at Camp Zoe in 1976. The song is called Hey, Look Around You. 

Hey, look around you,
see what you've found.
Think of the good times,
and your friends all around.

Look what has happened,
remember all the fun.
Hope it never leaves you,
Now that everything is done.

Nothing lasts forever,
even though you want it to.
Life is for living, and I'm glad
I lived this part of it with you.

Thanks Larry. Peace.

Rest in Peace Laurance Vincent Eberle

On March 9th, 2019, Laurance Vincent Eberle passed away peacefully with his family by his side. Larry was the dear son of Dr. John Paul Eberle and the late Margaret Thomas Eberle. He was the best friend and beloved husband of 40 years to Lynn Boeckmann Eberle. He was the loving father of Patrick (Molly), Paul (Emily), and Charlie (Jenny) and the much adored Papa of Annie, Lucy, Finley, and Sullivan. Larry was a kind and fun- loving brother to John (Mary), Connie Schobel, Carolyn (Steve) Hoerr, Nancy (Ryan), Janet Stasney, and the late David Eberle and Jerry Eberle. Larry was also a cherished brother-in-law, uncle, godfather, neighbor, co-worker, and friend. He was an artist, whose many talents enriched the lives of everyone he knew and served as a foundation for a long and successful career in the media industry. Larry loved to play the guitar, go fishing, ride his bike, and spend time with family and friends at his favorite place, his lake house in Cuba, MO. Larry brought energy and humor wherever he went. We'll miss his clever words, his magical voice, and his big heart. We love you, Larry. Services: A celebration of life will take place on April 14th, 2019 from 2-7 p.m. at Mike Duffy's Pub and Grill located at 124 W. Jefferson Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Easterseals Midwest, for more information and to offer condolences, please visit stlouiscremation.com