Week-End Notations: : 5 Days of TED (Source: Ted.Com)

This is a "new feature" I'd be starting here in "ordinary faces" to reflect upon TED.   I especially like what they did with this feature called "5 days of TED" which I hope all enjoy as we gear up for a new week before us w/all its' possibilities:

Source: http://blog.ted.com/2014/04/02/5-days-of-ted-in-one-page/, retrieved 4/5/2014

What does 5 days of TED feel like? As Lucy Farey-Jones says: “Upon my re-entry to the real world, friends, clients and folks at my firm say: ‘How was TED?’ And there is a big pause from me as my brain tries and fails to sum it up. It’s an impossible question to answer. It’s like being asked ‘How is food?’ or ‘Puberty — how was it?’ Which is where this idea came in. I thought a way to answer this daunting question would be to make a graphic which tries to capture how TED makes me feel. I gave myself the challenge to capture 5 days in one page.”

Click on the image below to explore it in detail. The arrows will send you through to where you can watch talks or read more.

Courtesy of: Lucy Farey-Jones

Reflecting Upon Our World: How India forms a government - Interactive - Al Jazeera English

India is a fascinating, beautiful and complicated.   It is amazing how it somehow is able to execute the elections as it is.    What happens in India Matters as the World awaits 800 Million going to the Polls to decide ultimately who will lead them for the next 5 years:



Infographic: How India forms a government - Interactive - Al Jazeera English

Hanging out with Vint: Fun :-)

As I was working away, I was lucky enough to find out about this hangout with Vint Cerf and join the discussions.    It was insightful, fun, educational and made all of us realize the sense of purpose we needed to undertake to insure that this wonderful creation that he was a vital part (and continues to be) remains ever so vibrant as it continues to be under threat.

Here it is..courtesy of the team @ Google :-)

Well, that was awesome, Mike. On Wednesday, Internet users from all around the world had an incredible opportunity to hear from Vint Cerf, a father of the Internet. Vint joined a special Hangout hosted by Leo Laporte, where he answered questions submitted by the Take Action community. Did you get a chance to join in? If you watched the Hangout, tell us your favorite moment. And if you didn't catch it — watch it now in full. Here are some of my favorite Vint quotes from the Hangout: On keeping the Internet free and open: "The economic value of an open, free Internet is so powerful, and in my view, so compelling, that we should all be repeatedly articulating that the value of the network comes from what we put into it and what we get out of it."  Has your Internet provider upgraded to IPv6 yet? If not, you're still using the beta version of the Internet! "I honestly thought that if...the Internet idea actually worked that we would then build a production version of it. And what happened is it got loose! Into use! We've been using the experimental Internet design since 1983 when we turned it on!" Sometimes even a father of the Internet can get a little impatient: "Much of what's happened [with the Internet] is not surprising, and in some cases one wonders, why did it take so long?" And, saving the best for last, uncanny resemblances: "[Someone] once asked me, 'Are you the Architect?' And my response was, 'What makes you think you're not in The Matrix?'"  What was your favorite moment? Share it now: https://takeaction.withgoogle.com/favorite-vint-cerf-moment Thanks. More to come soon! Derek Slater Google Inc.

A "Thought 4 the Week" As Q2 Begins......

Gearing Up For the Q2 2014: Brief Thoughts.....

As I write this, I am listening to a CCTV Interview with former President Jimmy Carter.  It is a testament to the strength of our World about how things have become so ever close and fascinating ever more.

As a new quarter dawns, I could not help but wonder about the journey that has been in many ways transformational.   It has been a very challenging Quarter with Russia and Crimea, the on-going challenges in Africa and Venezuela's Revolt--to name a few.     This is as Turkey's struggle for its' political future has taken a turn for the Worst and India is getting ready to elect a new Government that would be quite engaging to watch.


As I have reflected upon the challenges of our World in  here and also released it to "Outsider Views", the one that I have a keen interest in is Afghanistan.   It was the war in Afghanistan that was one of the driving forces behind the initial launch of this blog that evolved into a "personal portal" that is the opening "blog channel" into the evolving world that continues to develop itself into "Outsiders".    Afghanistan is in the midst of a war that seems to have no end in sight.   When the offices of the Afghan Election Commision are attacked, there is a major problem.    When one of the safest places in Kabul is attacked (a major hotel), there is a problem.   Although in all instances the culprits were killed, it underscores the profound sense of insecurity that persists.'

I ran across this admonition from Jonathan Luckwood Huie that underscores how we should view the World which is the underlying philosophy that would drive the ongoing development of all the current "blog channels" and the evolving nature of this project--a key admonition to remember--a lot to be thankful for:

All times are times of crisis. Wars, earthquakes, diseases, floods and murders have been constant companions of humankind from the beginning. 300,000 people die each and every single day. Yet against this backdrop, the magnificence of human accomplishment, human love and compassion, and great human happiness plays out each day. Let us marvel, and have infinite gratitude for, the human spirit that towers above the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

I conclude this w/these thoughts & a clip courtesy of the John Maxwell Team--and wishing all peace and happiness as the new Quarter is before Us:

It is hardly possible to build anything if frustration, bitterness

and a mood of helplessness prevail.

- Lech Walesa  

When I look back on all these worries,

I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed

that he had had a lot of trouble in his life,

most of which had never happened.

- Winston Churchill

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,

even if your whole world seems upset.

- Saint Francis de Sales 

 

Click Here to Play Video

Some Brief "thougths 4 the Week" As the Quarter Ends....

As I work away, I have been listening to the arguments on the Hobby Lobby Case before the Supreme Court.  It is a wonderful discourse on the issue of religion and the so-called "compelling interest" and how the Justices on both sides have been tough on both parties.

As the Quarter ends, I ran across this courtesy of the daily thoughts by Jonathan Lockwood Huie.   It is a reminder that we're limited by the power of our own imagination: 

This world is but a canvas to our imagination.

- Henry David Thoreau

The power of imagination makes us infinite.

- John Muir

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand,

while imagination embraces the entire world,

and all there ever will be to know and understand.

- Albert Einstein- 

As the great Diane Nyad always notes, "Onward" .....

View of the Week: On the Federal Budget

As the new Quarter is at hand, I was quite taken by the work done by the National Priorities Project on the subject of taxes.   They do some interesting work in understanding the Federal Budget: 

Tax Day is April 15. Do you know where your federal income taxes went? National Priorities Project has released our annual tax receipt showing how the federal government spent every penny of your income taxes in 2013.  Check out your own personalized tax receipt to see a breakdown of how your money was spent, as well as average taxpayer receipts for the United States and every individual state. And don't miss our Taxes 101 fact sheet with the seven things you need to knowabout taxes. Everyone who pays income taxes should read this! Here's what else happened this week: Federal Spending in Your State Each year, as part of the president's budget request, the White House releases projected spending on grants to the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Find out how much in federal funds your state is projected to get in 2015 for everything from special education to clean drinking water. Our Work, By Issue Area This week we debuted an easy way to find all our online research and tools by issue area. We have new videos, fact sheets, and in-depth reports on: the budget process, education, military, taxes, debt and deficit, health care, earned benefits programs, and government transparency.