2011 - Not a great year in many respects - continued economic crisis, the big fat mess in Europe… nope, not going there. For me 2011 was a GREAT year! Why? Because I made some amazing friends in my new home town of Park City, my family has been healthy and happy, and I have been given the work opportunity of life time with a dream team of girl power at my side. ( you know who you are! H, M, N, J, J and Amanda) So coming from the space of abundance and gratitude I share with you “a few of my favorite things for 2011. ” Move over Oprah, Jacki’s list is here!!


Funniest Youtube Video- I hate to say that it’s true, but how often have you said these things to your friends, spouse, or boyfriend?

My favorite song- We Found Love by Rihanna . I got hooked when it become the opening song for one of my other new favorite things – Zumba!

Zumba is an exciting and energetic way to get in a great cardo workout and have fun while doing it. I have been going to The Law of Fitness in Park City, Utah with an amazing teacher Patrice Martin. She teaches everything from Pilates to Zumba to Funk and every class is like a party! She is so energetic and excited to whip you into the best shape of your life. It is my goal Patrice to help make you the next Tracy Anderson. My 11 ydar old daughter Allie goes with me and that makes it even that much better.

Favorite Beauty Product- In spring of 2011 Mac came out with fun new line from Wonder Woman! M∙A∙C Spring Colour 2011 is, “the feminine force that saves the day! No nemesis can match her super-sized Mineralize Skinfinish, Eye Shadows, Lipsticks and Powder Blush for this transformation!” It is a great collectors item and I love collecting anything Wonder Woman!

My Wonder Woman T-Shirt – Ok not a new favorite thing, but a classic! I order this tshirt by the dozens and give them to my favorite people. It you receive one you know the rule, you must take a picture of yourself in it and send it to me. I you have not received one for me send me an email telling be why you deserve one and I will send to the top 5 requests! pursepundit@gmail.com ( include your mailing address)

My Favorite New website for buying great gifts and all things handmade and Vintage: Etsy. My fav thing to buy as a gift are PeaceCords – a new product by the company ARZU, founded by my friend and former Goldman Collegue Connie Duckworth. Buy one for everybody and help the women of Afghanistan.

As I have taken on a new role as Co Chair of Women Moving Millions I have obsessively been reading books about philanthropy. Here are two, new, sure to be classics by authors I met this year, alongside by two other favs by women who are also my fav people!

Do More that Give - Leslie Crutchfield, John Kania and Mark Kramer. new

Giving $mart by Thomas Tierney and Joel Fleishman. new

Inspired Philanthropy: Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy by Tracy Gary

The Generosity Plan: Sharing Your Time, Treasures, and Talent to Shape the World by Kathy LeMay

My favorite thing to watch this year are TED videos, especially the women. Hard to pick one out of the crowd by I really loved this one by Sheryl Sandburg of FACEBOOK at the inaugural TED Women Conference. (Why we have too few women leaders)

My favorite article – Do you sometimes read an article that literally gives you the chills because it speaks directly to something you have been thinking about? This is how I felt when I read the article called “Collective Impact” by John Kania and Mark Kramer appearing in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The article frames how ‘large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination.” Since reading it I have adopted a “collective impact mind-set” with all the social change work I am doing.

My favorite drink – Ok it is a toss up between an alcoholic drink called “The Love Potion” and Vitamin Water Zero. Perhaps they balance each other out? One for the night and one for the morning after? The recipe for this fabulous drink – 2.5 shots citron vodka, 2 shorts Lillet (white), 2 shorts St. Germaine, and 1 cup grapefruit juice. YUM.

Lastly I am ending with my new fav joke. Always gotta have one to pull out in times of emergency.

What Religion is Your Bra?

A man walked into the ladies department of a Macy’s And shyly walked up to the woman behind the counter and said, “I’d like to buy a bra for my wife.” “What type of bra?” Asked the clerk. “Type?” inquires the man, “There’s more than one type?” “Look around,” Said the saleslady, As she showed a sea of bras in every shape, size, color And material imaginable. “Actually, Even with all of this variety, There are really only Four types of bras to choose from.” Relieved, the man asked About the types. The saleslady replied:

“There are the Catholic, The Salvation Army, The Presbyterian, And the Baptist types. Which one would you prefer?”

Now totally befuddled, The man asked about The differences between them. The Saleslady responded, “It is all really quite simple. ..

The Catholic type Supports the masses; The Salvation Army type lifts the fallen; The Presbyterian type keeps them staunch and upright; and The Baptist makes mountains out of mole hills.”

Have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, and H are the letters used To define bra sizes? If you have wondered why, But couldn’t figure out What the letters stood for, It is about time You became informed!

(A} Almost Boobs…

{B} Barely there…

{C} Can’t Complain!…

{D} Dang!…

{DD} Double dang!……

{E} Enormous!…

{F} Fake…

{G} Get a Reduction…

{H} Help me, I’ve fallen And I can’t get up!…

Once again have a Very Happy Holiday and a Gorgeous 2012! Jacki

A "Modern Miracle"

“A Modern Miracle” was a top headline in the Financial Times yesterday. Your mind may be wandering to thoughts of a soldier coming home to his family, a lost child being found unharmed, a life saving surgery or other such heart-warming human stories. However, the article was referring to a violent video game, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," which has recently shattered video and movie game records. It is a "Modern (sales) Miracle." It was reported by Activision Blizzard Inc., the games distributor, that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 rang up $1 billion in sales just 16 days after it launched in stores Nov. 8. 2011. (NY Times 2011).

Activision, in a statement released Monday morning, placed Call of Duty in the same pantheon of other mega-entertainment franchises such as "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" and the "National Football League" (LA Times, Dec. 13, 2011). Unlike those ones this came is rated M for Mature and is about killing people. The Entertainment Software Rating Board defines M rating as, “Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.”

While the Call of Duty website requires visitors to enter their birthday (17 years and older are allowed to enter the site) it is hardly a practical form of parental control over such a violent site. Most recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has recruited popular actors like Sam Worthington (from Avatar), Jonah Hill (from Moneyball and Superbad) and Dwight Howard (NBA basketball star for the Orlando Magic), to star in a live-action trailer for the video game. In the Minute and a half long trailer guns and weapons of all types are constant reminders of the violent and crude nature of the game. If you want to take a look, click here.

Perhaps the most alarming statistics are for the trailer and the overall sales of the game. The trailer alone has received 17,640,028 million views and 31,775 comments since its November 8, 2011 release date. Many hit TV shows and movies will never see that kind of viewing. To put things into perspective, it took James Cameron's "Avatar," a record breaking 17 days to reap $1 billion after its release in 2009. It also went on to break multiple North American and worldwide box office records, including becoming the highest grossing movie of all time worldwide. Meanwhile, it only took 16 days for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 to reach $1 billion in sales. Of the top 10 titles sold on Amazon.com in 2011, six are violent and rated for mature audiences.

Top 10 titles sold on Amazon.com in 2011*

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision Blizzard) (Rated M for Mature)

2. Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft Entertainment) (Rated E 10+ for Everyone over 10)

3. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks) (Rated M for Mature)

4. Battlefield 3 (Electronic Arts) (Rated M for Mature)

5. Portal 2 (Electronic Arts) (Rated E 10+ for Everyone over 10)

6. Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros. Interactive) (Rated T for Teen)

7. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft) (Rated E 10+ for Everyone over 10)

8. Madden NFL 12 (Electronic Arts) (Rated E for Everyone)

9. Gears of War 3 (Microsoft) (Rated M for Mature)

10. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision) (Rated M for Mature) (LA Times 2011)

So is this the kind of "Modern Miracle" we should be celebrating? Further what is this saying about our culture? What is this saying about what our sons, our young men ( primarily) want to do with their spare time? Their downtime is spent killing people in more and more realistic ways. An amazing film which premiered at Sundance last year and likely to be an Academy Award Nominee is called "Hell and Back Again." This Film follows the US Marines Echo Company in Afghanistan, and one particular solider back to the US after an injury. What did he like to do in his spare time at home while in recovery? Play violent video games because they were so 'realistic' and gave him that rush which he so missed. I honor those serving our country but I also believe that violence is a drug. You can come to need it, even be addicted to it, and it can have horrible and devastating consequences for the individual, our families, our communities and our world.

My 11 year old daughter just started debate in school and her first assignment was on whether violent video games led to more violent behavior amongst school age children. Without citing all the compelling evidence the answer is yes. Do violent video games have anything to do with the increased level of random acts of violence that we seem to be witnessing more and more? I don't know, but doesn't common sense say perhaps?

My almost 15 year old son had 6 video games on his Christmas list, almost all of them violent M rated games. I stood in front of the rack at BESTBUY talking about them with him and the young male sales rep. The salesperson gave me a run down on them all - which ones involved killing real people ( women and children) versus aliens, how much blood generally spurted out when victims were shot, and so forth. I asked him if there were any games that were about solving world problems, helping people, and they both just laughed. He suggested I go over the Disney section.

Standing there I was reminded of a conversation I overheard two weeks ago on a plane. I was sitting beside a 13 year old boy and two younger boys across the aisle started talking about "Call Of Duty." There were no more than 8 years old. They were all talking about how awesome the video was, how they could not wait to get the game, how 'everyone' plays it. At the time I did not know much about the game but now I wish I would have ask that parent, 'what the heck was he thinking?"I am not perfect. My son has a couple of fighter games, but not the worse ones. I admit to cowering under the pressure of "come on mom, all my friends have these games and it's just not fair. They are not that bad. " He works so hard at school and a couple of hours of video games over the weekend truly seem to be his downtime, but it is breaking my heart.

The Christmas season is a time to take stock. It is a time to think about our family values and what messages we send our children by what we buy for them. Perhaps next year the "Modern Miracle" will be that violent video game sales are down, way down, and donations to charities that help people are way up. I know. Dream on.

Wishing you all the most joyful holiday season. Looking forward to sharing more in 2012.

Ted Women – part two

Published to Jackizehner.com on December 2, 2011
Yes can you believe it. An unannounced speaker to TEDxWomen was none other than THE Barbara Streisand. Sure I think it is cool meeting celebrities, but Barbara is beyond a celebrity to me. When I was a young girl I used to play her music, cradling the album cover in my hands, and sing to her. “The Way We Were” could possibly be my fav film. Her and Robert Redford. Remember that scene where he fell asleep at the bar and with those long fingers she pushed his hair aside. Magical.

She was at TED to talk about “Women and Heart Disease” and introduce Dr. Noel BaireyMerzis, the director of the Cedars-Sinair Women’s Heart Center. That will be the topic of a future blog entry but suffice it to say it is the leading cause of death for women. Let’s imagine for a minute that heart disease gets the attention and funding it deserves. Imagine.

My hat is off to Pat Mitchell for a truly spectacular day. Spectacular. Last year in Washington was amazing but I have to say, this was better. The diversity of the speakers and performers was off the charts. It ranged from the three girls who recently won the GOOGLE science awards, to the legendary Jane Fonda. Al told there were over 30 speakers and my head is exploding with after thoughts. If that were not enough Debbie Reynolds was at the Paley Center giving an intimate tour of her costume collection that was there for display and auction. She is almost 80 years old and so charming, and funny, and well, just delightful. It was indeed a very special day.

TED Women LA – The Conversation Continues

Published to Jackizehner.com on December 1, 2011

I am here in LA for TED x Women – The Conversation continues. The first session – Resilience- was great. All the speakers were amazing but I truly connected with the words of Gayle Tzemach Lemmonis, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributing editor-at-large for Newsweek Daily Beast. I have had met Gayle and she is truly, the real deal.

Gayle has interviewed women that are economic and social agents of change around the world. A few quotes from her remarks in somewhat freeform…

We do not invest in victimes we invest in survivors. We must move beyond micro thinking for women. Women are an emerging market in emerging markets. We need to replace lofty words with the power of our wallets. Investing in women is not about doing good but about economic growth. We are 50% of the population and not a special interest group. Never import other people’s limitations. Women are not exceptions. We need to think Bigger.

Check out Gayle’s book – The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Women Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe

For the full TED Women Schedule – click here

A shout out to the most incredible Pat Mitchell President and CEO of the Paley Center for Media. She is hosting this event and is a co founder of TED Women. I am so blessed to know some of the world’s most incredible women and Pat is most certainly at the top of that list. She is a tireless supporter of women. Tireless. Let us never lose hope in our goal to creating a more gender balanced world.

Deepak Chopra – The Soul Of Leadership

Published to Jackizehner.com on November 29, 2011
It was a pleasure and honor today to be interviewed by Deepak Chopra, the author of more than fifty-five books, including his latest one “The Soul of Leadership.” This book, this interview, could not have come at a more important moment for me and is a perfect example of “Synchronicity.” In the book Mr. Chopra uses the acronym L-E-A-D-E-R-S to provide us with a very practical guide to the development of these crucial skills. S is my favorite – Synchronicity. He defines it as “the unseen intelligence that puts you in the right place at the right time.” That has been the story of my life….

I chose to go the finance route in college because of a party I went to while visiting the school that was filled with commerce students. They convinced me that a business undergrad would be much more practical then a liberal arts one en route to law school.

In my junior year three amazing men decided to create a portfolio management program at the University of British Columbia to give students the real life experience of running money. Their generosity led to some incredible work experience, which contributed greatly to me being hired to Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 1988.

Of all the possible positions I could have been chosen for at Goldman I ended up in mortgage-backed trading where I became the youngest woman and first female trader. People left at the right time to open up opportunities for me and thanks to amazing mentors my track was very short.

I became passionate about working on diversity and other human captial issues within the firm and the right people were there to make it happen. I truly loved that work and contributed greatly to know my second career, working for the advancement of women and girls around the world.

At the moment I was truly searching for a way to make a difference along came Women Moving Millions. This initiative to encourage women to make gifts of a million helped me step in to my capacity, not only as a donor, but as a leader.

Now as Co-Chair of this brand new organization I will need all the crucial skills Mr. Chopra so beautifully lays out in his book. He is encouraging us to be leaders that look and listen, that forge emotional bonds, that have a deep sense of awareness, that do, that empower others, and that accept responsibility. Imagine our world if these were the characteristics of the leaders in government and business today.

I take this invitation to be on his show as a sign. A sign that I am on the right path. A sign that working full-out on the advancement of women and girls is indeed my calling.

The show will air tomorrow and you can find it via this link.

For those visiting because of the radio show please find below the links mentioned:

Women Moving Millions - Our new web-site is coming soon but this will provide an overview of who we are and what we do.

Women’s Funding Network - A Global Network of over 160 women’s foundations around the world. Please consider supporting a local foundation of one that shares your interests and passions.

A Future Not a Past - To Stop the Child Prostitution of Children in Atlanta

Blessings and Peace.

* Sorry for the dated information – I am a former Vice Chair and current board member of the Women’s Funding Network.

Evelyn H. Lauder – Honoring an Incredible Wonder Woman

Published to Jackizehner.com on November 20, 2011

On November 12th the world lost a very special woman and one of the leading philanthropists of our time. The cause of her death, at the age of 75, were complications of non-genetic ovarian cancer. She is survived by her beloved family: husband Leonard A. Lauder, her two sons William and Gary and five grandchildren. Though I could not attend the funeral as I was at a Women Moving Millions event in Washington, my thoughts and prayers were with her family. This week, while in New York City, I did have the opportunity to meet with Myra Biblowit, the magnificent President of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I left the BCRF board last year when I moved to Park City, but what an honor and a privilege it was to serve on it alongside Myra and Mrs. Lauder.

Mrs. Lauder’s life is a remarkable American success story. Born in Vienna, Austria, her parents fled from Europe with her during the Nazi occupation, eventually settling in New York City. Asleep when the ship bringing them to the United States arrived in New York Harbor, she awoke to see the Statue of Liberty. Mrs. Lauder would remember, and be inspired by, that symbol of hope for the rest of her life.

Mrs. Lauder was a philanthropic leader in New York City. She served on the Board of Overseers at
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and on the boards of the Central Park Conservancy and the Evelyn and Leonard Lauder Foundation. Many other charities also benefited from Mrs. Lauder’s thoughtful guidance and renowned generosity, including nonprofits devoted to health and human services, education and inner-city schools, the environment, women’s causes, and the arts.

The public perhaps best knew Mrs. Lauder for her work in bringing global awareness to women’s health, a passion that stemmed from a personal experience with early stage breast cancer. In 1992, she co-created the Pink Ribbon, now recognized as the worldwide symbol of breast health, and launched the Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign (www.bcacampaign.com). Each year, the BCA Campaign raises funds through its brands, employees, and retail partners around the world to help support breast cancer research. Mrs. Lauder founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) in 1993 to provide crucial funds to breast cancer medical and scientific researchers around the world. BCRF (www.bcrfcure.org) has raised more than $350 million and supports 186 researchers globally. She believed wholeheartedly the the prevention and cure for breast cancer resides in funding innovative research.

I would be hard pressed to name a woman who more fully used her resources – her money, her heart, her corporate affiliation, her business savvy, her network, her time – to make a difference in the lives of others. She boldly stepped out in front to be a leader in this movement to find a cure for all kinds of cancers. After sharing many stories about Mrs. Lauder over coffee at the Palace Diner on 57th street with Myra we ended thinking that “so many have great ideas, but only a small percent act on them, and an even smaller percentage result in sustainable action.” Without Mrs. Lauder there would be no pink ribbon, their would be no BCRF, and the movement to end breast cancer would not be one of the most well funded movements of our time.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Evelyn Lauder Founder’s Fund, 60 E. 56 St., 8th floor, New York, NY 10022, or www.bcrfcure.org . Please consider a donation. Blessings……………