Jan 29
Yes, I have a “problem,” but it’s not the one all of you seem to think it is.
Jan 29
GENEVA — As 2015 begins, the values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are under threat. Around the world, personal liberty, human rights, and democracy are at risk — even in countries that have embraced democratic ideals. The international community is deeply divided, blocking progress on a host of global challenges, ranging from the crises in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine to climate change and international trade.
Three factors — all likely to persist this year — are driving these unsettling trends.
First, globalization may have delivered many benefits, but it has also eroded the capacity of societies to determine their own destinies. Many modern challenges — including tax avoidance, organized crime, cyber insecurity, terrorism, climate change, international migration and financial flows, both licit and illicit — have one thing in common: the traditional instruments of a sovereign state have become inadequate to manage them.
Second, failed military solutions in Afghanistan and Iraq have played a large role in undermining the international community’s unity, and eroding confidence in intervention in general, even as established powers cut budgets and emerging powers shy away from taking on new responsibilities. In 2014, leaders in my native Africa and elsewhere challenged the objectivity and effectiveness of the International Criminal Court, the creation of which was a major milestone in the struggle to end impunity for national leaders.
Finally, we have failed to modernize the international system’s institutional architecture. The most important institutions — the United Nations Security Council, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund — remain dominated by the European and American victors of World War II, countries that represent an increasingly small minority of the world’s population and a shrinking share of its economic output. The failure to reflect the changing balance of global power brought about by the rise of China, Brazil, South Africa, and other emerging countries undermines both the effectiveness and the legitimacy of today’s international system, particularly in the eyes of those who feel denied of proper recognition.
And yet, whatever the shortcomings of the international system, it is important to remember that never before in human history have so few people (as a proportion of world population) died from armed conflict. It may not make headlines, but the international system, with its rules and institutions, allows states to settle most of their disputes peacefully, most of the time.
For better or worse, fighting epidemics like Ebola or preventing the most harmful consequences of climate change requires solidarity and cooperation. Retreating into unilateralism, ultra-nationalism, or the politics of identity will produce nothing but a bitter, fragmented, parochial and dangerous world.
The world desperately needs brave leaders who can take the long view. In a world where power ebbs and flows, it is in everyone’s interest to adhere to a fair system of rules that respect both national sovereignty and individual rights. The heads of the world’s historical powers need to recognize that it is in their interest, too, to follow the rules, and to allow rising states to help write these rules. As I have often argued, the Security Council must be enlarged, and developing countries should be given greater voting rights in the Bretton Woods institutions: the IMF and the World Bank.
In exchange, the world’s newest powers must begin to take on a greater share of responsibility for the global order upon which their success depends. They can no longer stand on the sidelines, denouncing the injustices of the past. Instead, they must join their peers in building the future.
We often hear talk about the shortcomings of the U.N., which stands at the heart of the international system. Too seldom do we note its achievements and successes, of which there have been many. Rather than retreat from a system that has yielded exceptional results, we must use the international community’s current crisis as a historic opportunity to reshape the existing order to better meet our modern challenges.
Jan 29
I keep coming across amazing, beautiful and smart women that are being owned by life, and it fires me up! YOU are so much more powerful than you think but the second you blame anything you are throwing that power away.
In my 12-week program we talk a lot about taking responsibility.
We are all adults now and it’s time that we started acting like it. We’re old enough to drive a car, go out with friends and have financial commitments but the minute something doesn’t go our way we start blaming other things — our boss, our parents, our partner, our friend, fuel prices, the taxman etc.
We so easily point the finger, but we rarely look in the mirror. When we blame we give away our power. We use up so much energy getting pissed off at whatever it is we’re putting the blame onto rather than trying to come up with a solution to the problem that we’ve gotten ourselves in to.
This is an honest post. It’s one that I relate to on so many different levels; because for so long I blamed so many other things for the way that I was living. An ex for using me. Another for physically abusing me. My friends for being dishonest. My boss for not appreciating my hard work. Money because I never had enough. Time because my hangovers stole my days. My body because it didn’t look the way I wanted it to. My family for not getting it.
All of my energy was going into being so angry about what had happened to me. I spent so long simmering over every misfortune. I felt so wound up all the time — so negative. On the outside I was this hard shell, this faker. My words were poisonous but it was acceptable in the environment that I was in — everyone bonded over their misfortunes. It was toxic. It was eating me alive but because I couldn’t physically see it and it was so easy to ignore all the warning signs from my body, I let it go on for years.
It’s not owning your life.
Are you doing it? Are you using excuses and shifting blame because you’re too scared of what will happen if you are truly honest with yourself? Does it scare you to look in the mirror?
It scared the absolute crap out of me. It was so confrontational. It was so rewarding.
Let me teach you how to take responsibility. How to take back control of your life and start living the one that YOU want to be living — it’s the most amazing feeling in the world to have everything you wished for and to know that anything is possible.
Whenever I find myself using an excuse to avoid being honest about the way I’m actually feeling I remind myself that I have a CHOICE. In every situation I can decide to take responsibility or to give it away – to choose love or fear.
If you want better relationships, to find love, to know how to manage your money so that you can afford the things that you want, to not feel lonely anymore, to have self-worth, to not feel uncertainty about the future, to be happy — then get out of your own way!
I write these blogs to help you, to make you realize that you’re not alone in the way that you’re feeling but that you don’t have to feel the way you feel. You can change. Your life can be so much more than what it is. But without the right tools, without the knowledge, without the support — you’ll keep doing what you do and feeling the way you feel.
Don’t let another year fly by — don’t let your excuses and that blame eat you up any longer than it has.
“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.” — J. Michael Straczynski
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Jan 29
Many people stay away from online dating because they’re afraid it’s disingenuous, or worry that the people they meet online aren’t going to be like the people they meet in real life. Fortunately, for the most part, people are honest, and any of the millions of people who have found a great relationship online will tell you that.
Still, as you venture into the world of online dating, you’ll notice a few white lies on — or left off — dating profiles. Here are some of the most common ones we’ve seen:
1. Job title and salary: Everyone likes to paint themselves in the best possible light, and sometimes that leads to minor inflations when it comes to job title or salary. That “founder and CEO” title might just mean he’s working on a business plan.
2. Height and body type: Again, it’s natural to want to look your best. People will describe themselves as “athletic” or “average” even if they don’t truly fit that description, and may post misleading photos to accompany those descriptions. Be on the lookout!
3. Relationship status: Eventually, you’ll come across lurkers who claim to be single but in actuality are married or in a relationship. These types of people are few and far between, but be wary of signs they’re in a relationship.
4. Interests and hobbies: Sometimes, you’ll see people claiming to have luxurious or exotic-sounding hobbies, when in actuality they aren’t actively practicing. A self-described “wine connoisseur” might not have as sophisticated a taste as he/she claims.
5. Intentions: A person may want a long-term relationship, or he/she may want a one-time fling. That same person may also claim to want something different on his/her dating profile in an attempt to subvert his/her intentions.
It’s human nature to want to make a good first impression, and occasionally that leads potential dates to have a less-than-honest profile. Be patient, look carefully, and always take your time when getting to know someone.
Jan 29
Technology dictated many major events in 2014. It was a year bookended by airline disasters, with three planes linked to Malaysian Airlines involved in catastrophes. It was a year of unrest — abroad and within the U.S. The actions and atrocities of the Islamic State drew near universal condemnation globally. Actions by police leading to the deaths of two black men caused riots and mass protests in the U.S. and may have inspired the murder of two police officers in New York City by a deranged man. We faced the resurgence of Ebola and a botched medical response in the U.S. The massive technology breaches that affected Target, Home Depot and Sony made people feel vulnerable (temporarily anyway).
As much as 2014 will be remembered by these seemingly unlinked events and tragedies, the common element to the widely publicized stories was the role of technology in causing the problem or the inability of technology to solve it. Because we love the beauty of technological solutions, we demand advances, even when concerns are raised by individuals or nations.
How could the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 carrying 239 people, a Boeing 777 jet that was 242 feet long, 61 feet tall, weighing up to 660,000 pounds, just disappear? Its systems connected hourly with a satellite telecommunications company even after all other communications stopped. Hope remains that the jet will be found at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, but the incident remains a mystery. Shortly after Malaysian Airlines flight 370 disappeared, another Boeing 777, this time carrying 298 people, exploded over the Ukraine, when it was hit by a missile fired by a surface-to-air system. The missile, traveling at a speed of 1,900 mph, decimated the airliner. And at the end of the year, Air Asia flight 8501, an Airbus A-320 aircraft with 162 people onboard, crashed apparently because of technical engine failures due to weather. Because Air Asia is a 49 percent subsidiary, it represented another blow to Malaysian Airlines. One question arising from the three air disasters is simple: at a time when components can “talk” and weapons have amazing speed, power and ability to kill, why couldn’t technology prevent ice crystals from forming in an airliner’s engines or even lead the plane around the problem thunderstorm?
In the United States, the shooting in Ferguson, Missouri sparked riots and heated debate. It also encouraged the practice of equipping police with body cameras that document their activities. The underlying theory is that the transparency afforded by such technology will provide better evidence to the public when something goes wrong (and may even cause all parties to mind their behavior). The theory was put to the test when the death of a man who struggled with police in New York was videotaped and disseminated widely. Even so, there was no clear picture because of the wide interpretations of what happened in the video. Again, it seems we have great confidence that technology will provide an answer to certain problems, but how do you address the interpretation and judgment issues that go hand in hand with the use of technology?
When the Ebola epidemic spread in West Africa this year, people in the U.S. were assured that such a problem could not happen here. The assurance evoked much cynicism when a hospital in Dallas seemed not to follow protocol when Ebola struck. Fortunately, we appear able to contain Ebola and cure those who are infected, but the same therapeutic technologies don’t seem to be available or effective in West Africa. In this case, there does not seem to be a technology solution.
Finally, in 2014, the data breaches at Target and Home Depot affected many U.S. consumers as credit card and other information was potentially exposed when hackers accessed secure terminals at those companies. This caused the reissuance of many credit cards and extra attention to monthly charges to determine if fraud had been committed as a result of the breaches. Near the end of the year, however, the Sony breach seemed to be more challenging because it exposed electronic information on a much broader scale and involved internal documents and communications. The U.S. government has called it an act of state-supported terrorism by North Korea.
The link across these top stories is the misuse and ineffectiveness of technology. Advances in technology in recent years have enabled many positive societal outcomes. Most people have cell phones, new cars have black boxes to record data (similar to an airplane) in case of an accident, cameras linked to traffic control software create smoother traffic flow in many cities and wearable technology allows people to monitor their activity, health, and connect with others. In 2014, many of the main stories emphasized the shortcomings of technology. While this may be affected by the proclivity of the media to emphasize the negative, it illustrates the vulnerability that is caused by dependence on technology, belief in technical solutions and the escalation of the problem.
Some individuals have noted that we are entering an age of the Internet of Things (IoT). This refers to the ability of devices and appliances to talk to each other remotely and wirelessly. In positive form, it allows you to lock your doors remotely, turn your oven on or off and view activities in your home or office from afar. It also allows the devices to “help” you by braking your car if you get too close to another vehicle or turning your water off if a leak is detected. But it also creates an enormous technology vulnerability that could be hacked. There have already been television plots involving deaths when someone hacked into an individual’s addressable implanted medical device. There is also much writing and discussion about advances in artificial intelligence and the ethical issues that must be addressed as we equip computers and robots to act like human beings. Will the common flaws in 2014’s top stories be tragically exposed in a worse way involving artificial intelligence in a future year?
Our societal and business challenge is to ensure the design of adequate safeguards in new and existing IoT systems and to avoid panic about the inevitable changes that will be created by open communication among devices and appliances. Moreover, in some ways, the coming wave of technology enhancements brings a darker connotation to the title of P.D. James novel and miniseries, Devices and Desires, as the enabling of devices unleashes some of man’s less noble desires.
My hope for 2015 is that we recognize the need to consider humanity while seeking a technology that is the next big thing. At one point in time, dinosaurs were the big thing. Ironically, technology could send humans the way of the dinosaurs as easily as it could improve our lives. The difference is at the margin but the cost is infinite.
Jan 29
The World Clock shows the past, present, and future happening simultaneously
Posted in: Today's Chili
Time is a major point of interest for us. We have meetings and gatherings to attend, and that keeps us on a strict schedule. Of course, the entire world does not run on the same time as you. Some places are many hours ahead or behind, and should you work internationally it’s part of your job to keep track of who is where and when. While your phone has a world clock that you can open, it can take a while for you to find the exact time zone you’re looking for.
It seems easier to keep a clock on your desk that will tell you when in the world another time zone is. The 11+ World Clock is a clock that displays multiple time zones at once. There is a rolling mechanism that will change every time you wheel it towards another city, which is displayed all along the outside circle. Moving it in this fashion will change the noon position while the hands stay in place, giving you the new time with little more than a flick of your wrist.
When you’re done looking at the time in another part of the world, simply release the clock and the counterweight will roll it back to what is set at your home time zone. This will cost you $50 unless you have a MoMa membership, in which case this would cost you $45. While it would certainly be useful in a professional setting, it would also be quite helpful for those who have family sprinkled all over the world and want to do phone or Skype calls at an appropriate hour for both sides.
Available for purchase on momastore
[ The World Clock shows the past, present, and future happening simultaneously copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jan 29
The Super Bowl commercial for Terminator: Genisys has come early, and like the last trailer , it looks way better than any movie that intentionally misspells “Genesis” should. On paper, it sounds so bad, but then I see the footage of the old Arnold vs. young Arnold Terminators, and I just get all giddy.
Jan 29
Jan 29
There’s at least one funny joke in Sex Tape. While frantically trying to cut off access to the amateur porn vid he accidentally uploaded to iCloud, Jason Segel tries to explain why deleting the file won’t work. “Nobody understands the cloud,” he says. “It’s a fucking mystery!” He’s kind of right.
Jan 29
Even with an instruction manual, assembling Ikea furniture can challenge the most amateur of do-it-yourselfers. But in this simple Mac and PC game called Höme Improvisåtion, players are challenged to assemble a box of parts into lamps, desks, and other furniture without any manuals, guidance, or idea of what the final product should look like. It sounds like the most entertaining way to spend a frustrated afternoon.
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.