Category Archives: Projects

I wanted to get in a quick post to say that my blog on the economic slump and recession has launched. If you haven’t visited it yet, here’s the link:

Buck the Slump

I need your feedback (and maybe your writing) as I craft out the direction of Buck the Slump.
- Ben

Since the collapse of Bear Stearns and even before, many of us have been bracing for an economic downturn or, more seriously, a recession. Let me not that we are NOT in a recession yet. It takes two quarters of negative growth, and we haven’t had that yet. But there’s no doubt the economy has slowed down and unless those tax rebates we got perform some miracles, we’re going to have to deal with the issue for a while.

This is why I am launching a new website and blog on Monday, May 5th, called Buck the Slump. It is a blog on the recession and how to better succeed within it. The side images are screenshots from the website. The first one is an article page; the second one is the job board, where people can search for jobs or submit them.

I encourage you to visit Buck the Slump’s About page and learn more about what the blog will cover. I have some help, though I will be the main writer. I am looking for guest writers and promotional help. The blog is about community, and it won’t succeed in its goal to provide support and analysis in regards to the economic downturn without it.

So I’m giving you a sneak peek now. Please, tell me what you think about the design, the layout, the topics, and any bugs or issues you find. I am going to be writing content all of this weekend for the launch while I juggle my other three major projects (Novel, FriendQuilt/FreeLunch, and the GMAT. Trust me, I’ve become a master of the art of the multitask).

Tell me your opinions on the project! I’ll be reaching out for help soon: I am going to make this successful, but I can’t (and don’t want to) do it alone.
- Ben

If you don’t know, I used to serve as a Senator for Northwestern’s student government (called ASG).  After two years of it, I “retired” because of the bureaucracy and  unhealthy amount of politics within the organization.  I did what I could to reform the place, but it has nowhere near the flexibility or respect of, say, the Stanford student government.  However, I’ve been  campaigning nonstop for the man who will be able to fix it, Neal Sales-Griffin.  I’m sure I’ll write a longer dedication to my friend and fellow entrepreneur, but for now, Congrats Neal on a successful campaign!

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Now with my musing out of the way, a few things I’m doing in the next seven days.

• Preparing for the launch of the FriendQuilt Facebook application.  I promise I will write more on this project soon.
• Writing at least 25 pages of my novel.  I’ve recently overcome writer’s block and am on a mission to finish it two weeks from today.
• Chat with people in the blogosphere about Buck the Slump, my (future) blog on the recession.  I firmly believe it’s something we need, and I want to launch on May 1st, but I need to do two things first: feasibility analysis and find a partner with greater Wall street and market experience.

That’s the rundown, I’m sure I’ll have a more comprehensive update soon.  Remember, this site’s still a newborn and I haven’t worked out the bugs on it yet, but thanks for checking it out and giving me input.

- Ben