Annual Geminids meteor shower lights up night sky

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8410702.stm

Skywatchers in the northern hemisphere have turned their heads upwards to see the annual Geminids meteor shower.

The shower was especially easy to see this year because it is nearly the new Moon, meaning there was less moonlight to obscure it. The meteors could be seen streaking across the night sky from 2000 GMT; peaking around 2200.

Robert Massey, of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, said about 100 meteors an hour made it a "nice sight".

Normally, meteor showers result from dust which has been blown away from comets which have passed near the sun. The warmth of our star melts part of the icy comet, releasing rock fragments.

The naked eye is usually best for seeing meteors, which can often streak across more than 45 degrees of the sky.
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stranger than fiction

There's languaging being created today by great scientists & thinkers whose present experiments more accurately prove the validity of quantum physics - removing a lot of gray areas & the hocus-pocus-ness from it.

This new findings finally make concrete & reliable what ancient scriptures & ageless mystical practices have recorded in stuff like the Teachings of the Magi, Egyptian Mysteries, revelations from the Dead Sea Scrolls, etc. All those mystical trainings written about in books like The Nine Faces of Christ.

All that mind-blowing stuff can finally be proven beyond shred of doubt. Miraculous! But it's when these grand ideas are matched by one's own personal experience that true magic is made manifest.

Then ancient & ageless wisdom is organically absorbed & can naturally bloom in me. When nourished & nurtured this can then spill out & extend beyond me - expanding & empowering myself & others.

Much more tangibly than any white paper written by some highly acclaimed expert I have never met - that's my true purpose to continue to learn & grow!

apartment rental fraud

is there nothing held safe & sacred anymore?

New York NY : TRULY AND AMAZING HIGH END 2BD APRT.FOR $600/MONTH

what goes thru your mind when you see an ad like this?

eager & excited as you may be - your reason says, too good to be true, right?

I can dream can't I? ? ?

Property Description
AVAILABLE NOW: *GORGEOUS 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT* *FLOOR TO CEILING WINDOWS* *STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES* *WASHER/DRYER IN UNIT* *MARBLE BATH W/MARBLE COUNTERTOP* *GRANITE GOURMET KITCHEN* *DOORMAN / ELEVATOR* *FITNESS CENTER W/ BASKETBALL COURT* *PET FRIENDLY* *STEPS TO TRANSPORTATION, FINE DINING AND SHOPPING* *RESIDENTS ROOFDECK LOUNGE* *TRULY AN AMAZING DEAL FOR A HIGH END APARTMENT* *MULTIPLE APARTMENTS TO CHOOSE FROM

the legacy of a leader

The ability to inspire & motivate others to excellence ranks topmost among the 15 specific competencies effective leaders share, according to leading institutions like Harvard & Stanford.

In the past, it was believed that inspiring others was a skill you need to be born with to possess but new research has determined that it is a skill anyone can & should learn.

Leader attributes such as leading by example, being a change catalyst, building connection - can all be learned & acquired.

bus ride fees

why does it take $1.50 to get from one end of Rockland County to another?

yet it costs $14 to get to New Paltz? seems ridiculous!

is that the price of freedom? any county can decide what it does?

what about the hapless tax-payer? ? ?

the brain, mind & thought

The prefrontal cortex is the region of the brain in charge of executive functions. The integral link between our personality and the functions of the prefrontal cortex - alertness, emotional links with deeper brain structures related to control of our fight-flight-freeze responses - pleasure, pain, anger, rage, panic, aggression, sexual and other desires.

It is the part of our brain (3) that regulates judgment, planning, problem solving, decision making, moral reasoning - our sense of self. When it is out of whack, we are unable to plan ahead or make far-reaching decisions - unable to see the big picture.

Our thoughts affect us - our body & how we perceive our self - internally & externally, on the surface & deeply, in all areas & at all levels.

women of substance

http://www.oprah.com/media/20081009_tows_atswomen

Maria Shriver, Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King and Oprah discuss women's rights. Find out more!

From The Oprah Winfrey Show - http://www.oprah.com/media/20081009_tows_atswomen
Maria Shriver, Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King and Oprah discuss women's rights. Find out more!

From The Oprah Winfrey Show Women Who Changed the World

Hans Rosling - the stats guru

reddit + TED interview Hans Rosling, the stats guru who brought sexy back to stats
Posted by alexis [kn0thing] at 10:07

Ask Hans anything. We had such a great time interviewing Sir Ken Robinson with our partners TED that we thought we ought to keep it going. Take a moment to read Sir Ken's answers if you haven't already.

Hans Rosling is already a bit of a rock star on reddit and we're thrilled to have him as our next interviewee (if you're already jumping out of your seat, click here to submit your questions in the reddit thread). If you haven't seen Hans' TED talks, we'll let it slide, but you owe it to yourself to take the time to watch.

He presents data in a way that is as compelling as it is beautiful.Furthermore, he's made his tools available to the public via Gapminder.org with the hope that we can all live in a slightly more fact based world view.

Give it a try, and while you're creating your best Hans Rosling impression, think of a question you'd like to ask him. We'll ask the top 10 questions as of 5pm Pacific on Thursday, September 3rd.

Here is his most recent TED Talk (and also the 500th TED talk - a tremendous achievement) - http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/620.

andragogy (adult learning)

what approach do you take?

adults have a wealth of knowledge - do you prefer to learn? do you prefer to teach?

want involvement in learning - do you listen? follow instructions? do things your way? participate fully?

want hands-on experience - do you watch & learn? apply trial & error? cite the experts?

are practical - define what is practical to you - are you pragmatic or practiced? do you prefer what is useful or what is usable? based on theoretical practice or tangible results?

are motivated by their own needs - what dictates these needs? personality? environment? circumstance? beliefs?

want their own learning styles maximized - what motivates you? your wins or losses? when challenged, do you step up or step back? stand still or make a stand?

need time to think and reflect - do you analyze on the go or not? solo or by consensus?

how do you show up in your life?

going viral

down with some bug that's making me so B-L-A-H-H-H !

up & about again but my head still feels like it's stuffed with steel wool & ready to explode

arghhh!

all this time. . . .come & gone

it's been going on the third month. . . .

& still no website! URGHHHHH ! ! !

no contact, no communication, no output

bummer!

communication in retrograde

the world over - given the advances made in technology - you'd think communication would be greatly improved

I can wish can't I : )

fried modem anyone? ? ?

talk about needing something like a hole in the head. . . .

the website is very Very VERY late. . . .

& what happens? we get a great big thunderstorm. . . .

& it fried our modem!

another 2 to 3 days to get it replaced. . . .lovely! ! !
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working on a website

priorities. . . .PRIORITIES. . . .

decisions. . . .DECISIONS. . . .

content. . . .eye candy. . . .catch phrases. . . .

ad sense. . . .nitching. . . .navigability. . . .

all of the above ! ! !

my love affair with gadgets

it's such a love / hate relationship

& I'm prone to be victim to the technology

when it works - it's very good

& when it doesn't - it horrid!
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spirituality & psychotherapy

is psychotherapy becoming more spiritual to match humanity's evolution or to smartly dodge oblivion?

philosophical foundations of existential psychotherapy are contrasted with those of theism today - leading to approaches being reconsidered

TalkShoe

why does it seem so easy when you just come to listen

tried hosting my first trial session - what a fiasco!

need all the help I can get

change your mind !

turning concept into function

when you change the mechanism of how your mind works it causes a shift in your perspective or existing paradigm

that's the key to the transformation of information

which leads to transmutation of the Self

evolution, expansion, excalation

the world spins on & humanity hurtles along or falls behind

as the the energies build momentum and reach velocity we are either on board or not

technology can be such a tool but all too often, we're only at the start of unfolding discoveries when some new gadget, gizmo or toy is already obsolete

how then to prioritize & optimize - what serves the most? & what lends distraction? or leads to destruction?

ITs role in this economic downturn

For companies spared the worst, downturns can be important opportunities to strengthen and reorganize.

IT, once considered a discretionary expense, is now the heartbeat of business.

IT possesses the combined values of being strategic, innovative and frugal.

Companies are prioritizing IT investments even as they cut operating expenses - a change from past downturns, when drastic cuts in discretionary IT investment were common.

New technologies that bring productivity improvements and are priced attractively can offer companies genuine competitive and operating gains.

Keeping track of what people are thinking, what they are seeing, and what they are feeling is important in times of uncertainty. The combination of data sources can bring real insight to an organization.

Those insights will be essential to companies as they seek to stay viable in a tough market that tests their executives' skills.

excerpted from an article by Deborah Asbrand for Microsoft

eMotion

E=MC2

energy in motion = emotion

change your emotion & change your situation

your body determines your physical condition

master your emotions & empower your physiology

this changes your equation for manifestation
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MOM vs CEO

Allison writes:
They don't give college degrees in motherhood,
they don't bankroll the startup of a family,
they don't give medals or awards or cash bonuses
for people who take on the job of being a mother -
but my mother chose to jump in and
do the thankless, guideless, 24-7 job of being a mom.

if you listed the tasks a mother takes on in raising her brood, it puts the top CEOs to shame

brain drain

Fast Company post by Michael Cannell - Thu May 7, 2009 at 4:17 PM

Neuroscientists are uncovering how the design of your home or office can make you smarter, faster, happier. Is brain science the next big design trend?

Now backed up by empirical evidence as new research in neuroscience hints at how our surroundings affect feelings and behavior. In the current issue of Scientific American Mind, Emily Anthes describes how ceiling height, colors and other design factors influence attention and creativity. Scientists are just beginning to address these questions, in part by studying changes in brain activity as subjects make their way through virtual reality rooms.

What's your vote on this?

Is design insignificant, a nuisance or an opportunity?

How do your surroundings, environment or attitude affect your thoughts, processes and output?
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cultural anthropology

the sum of practical knowledge: the sum of a society's or culture's practical knowledge, especially with reference to its material culture

for example, if you want to build a lasting home today, what would that take?

an architect & engineer are no longer adequate - maybe an industrial designer plus an energy efficency engineer may get the job done

the wave of the future demands harnessing more elements of technology, design, development & skill to deliver up to expectations

with the evolution of humanity, our material culture is no longer boxed into the mundane or the tangible only - it has morphed & mutated into a whole new species

if you have experienced any of Santiago Calatrava's "breathing" sculptures, monuments or buildings - you will begin to get the drift

if you've read any of Pico Iyer's nomadic travelogues, articles or books - you'll be infected

if you are mindful in each moment of your breath. . . .there is no escaping it
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define. . . .

pol·y·math [ póllee màth ] (plural pol·y·maths) noun

pol·y·math·ic [ pòllee máthik ] adjective

Definition: a person who endeavors to develop his/her capacities as fully as possible, both mentally and physically, without affectation

related terms : generalis, universal genius, courtier, Rennaisance Man, Homo Universalis

partial list of polymaths then: Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Leon Battista Alberti

partial list of polymaths today: Bill Gates, Bono of U2, Shen Wei, the Dalai Lama, Georgia O'Keefe, Helen Keller
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