In Africa, a step backward on human rights
Mar/100
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are part of so many families. They are part of the human family. They are part of God’s family. And of course they are part of the African family. But a wave of hate is spreading across my beloved continent. People are again being denied their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Hate has no place in the house of God. No one should be excluded from our love, our compassion or our concern because of race or gender, faith or ethnicity – or because of their sexual orientation. Nor should anyone be excluded from health care on any of these grounds. In my country of South Africa, we struggled for years against the evil system of apartheid that divided human beings, children of the same God, by racial classification and then denied many of them fundamental human rights. We knew this was wrong. Thankfully, the world supported us in our struggle for freedom and dignity.
Journey to the Arctic Circle (7 photographs)
Mar/100
© All photographs by Yassine Ouhilal
Yassine Ouhilal captures surfer Cheyne Cottrell riding an icy wave amidst the snow-capped mountains of Norway’s Arctic. This shot was taken around 11 PM due to the high latitude and prevailing midnight sun.
Photographer Yassine Ouhilal, known as “Yazzy,” recently traveled to Norway’s Arctic Circle for a surfing expedition feature with Outside magazine. In Norway, Yazzy was also able to shoot for Eddie Bauer, who sponsored the trip. He produced a documentary while traveling that is posted on YouTube, and which has been seen in 200 countries.
Following a custom in surfing culture, Pat Millin named this “spot” Whitmills after he became the first surfer to ride a wave at this location.
Aurora Borealis in Northern Norway.
This memorial for Canadian Folk Artist, Maud Lewis, is made of stainless steel sheets with lights shining from within.
Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajokull, Iceland, photographed from the air.
The dark rocks and vegetation of Iceland’s interior absorb heat, unlike ice and snow, which would normally reflect it back to the atmosphere. This is a contributing factor in the increased global temperatures.
The glacier’s last dance: giant icebergs flow into the lagoon and go out to sea where the action of waves, saltwater, and sun ultimately play the final note.
Brilliant Thinkers Relish Ambiguity
Mar/100
Brilliant thinkers are very comfortable with ambiguity – they welcome it. Routine thinkers like clarity and simplicity; they dislike ambiguity. There is a tendency in our society to reduce complex issues down to simple issues with obviously clear solutions. We see evidence of this in the tabloid press. There have been some terrible crimes committed in our cities. A violent offender received what is seen to be a lenient sentence. This shows that judges are out of touch with what is needed and that heavy punishment will stop the crime wave. The brilliant thinker is wary of simple nostrums like these. He or she knows that complex issues usually involve many causes and these may need many different and even conflicting solutions.
Routine thinkers are often dogmatic. They see a clear route forward and they want to follow it. The advantage of this is that they can make decisive and effective executives – up to a point. If the simple route happens to be a good one then they get on with the journey. The downside is that they will likely follow the most obvious idea and not consider creative, complex or controversial choices. The exceptional thinker can see many possibilities and relishes reviewing both sides of any argument. They are happy to discuss and explore multiple possibilities and are keen to challenge conventional wisdom. People around them and subordinates can sometimes consider this approach to be frustrating and indecisive.
Albert Einstein was able to conceive his theory of relativity because he thought that time and space might not be immutable. Neils Bohr made breakthroughs in physics because he was able to think of light as both a stream of particles and as a wave. Picasso could paint classical portraits and yet conceive cubist representations of people.
How can you welcome ambiguity? First by admitting that there are few absolute truths and that for most common beliefs the opposite view might also be true. If the general view is that you can either get high quality or low price the brilliant thinker will ask, ‘Why can’t we get both? How can we deliver great quality at really affordable prices?’
Cognitive dissonance is the concept of holding two very different ideas in your mind at the same time. This is something all the great composers do when they think of two melodic themes and how they can intertwine, adapt and combine them. We would find it very difficult to whistle one tune while thinking of an entirely different one but that is the sort of thing that Beethoven or Mozart would consider trifling. When we mull over the interaction of two opposing ideas in our minds then the creative possibilities are legion. A wind-up clock and an electrically operated radio are two very different concepts but by imagining their combination Trevor Bayliss was able to conceive of the clockwork radio. Most of us would dismiss such an idea out of hand. It seems incongruous to have a large mechanical winding device inside a small radio. And we can immediately see the drawback that the programme we were listening to would stop when the winder ran down so that we would have to get up and wind the thing again. That appears a very tedious operation. But Bayliss saw beyond these limitations and considered the needs of people in the developing world who did not have access to reliable mains electricity and who could not afford batteries. For them winding up a radio is a minor inconvenience. The clockwork radio has transformed their lives.
If we want creative solutions and real innovations then we should welcome ambiguity. We should explore the possibilities of two different things interacting together. We should let opposites play.
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum.Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
How Many Couples Get Back Together After A Break Up?
Dec/090
If your relationship has recently ended you are probably going through a wave of emotions wondering what the chances are that you and your ex will get back together. If you are struggling day to day, wanting nothing more than to have your ex back in your arms listen careful as I will show you how you can dramatically improve your chances to get your ex back. why your ex wont take you back
Couples get back together after a break up every single day and your relationship is no different. Regardless of the reason for your break up, no break up is ever final. In many cases a break up can be a heart breaking warning sign from your ex that your relationship must change immediately before you can continue as a couple.
To improve your chances to reunite with your ex you must avoid making silly mistakes like must people who are dumped by letting their emotions get the better of them. Avoid using manipulation and guilt tactics in desperation of winning your ex back.
Be mature, level headed and try and contain your emotions as best you can. Sit down and look back at your relationship, put yourself in your exs shoes and try and understand your relationship through their eyes.
It’s time to be completely honest and understand that both you and your ex are responsible for the direction of your relationship, this means that you must avoid taking responsibility for everything that went wrong but also accept it when you know you are at fault.
Put your pride and ego aside and try and look at things honestly, the problems in your relationship that lead to the break will not be magically fixed by making empty promises or wishful thinking.
Dramatically improve your chances to get back together with your ex by using a method so controversial your ex will be unable to resist.
Don’t leave getting your ex back to chance, follow a proven step by step formula to get your ex back today at ex wont return your calls
Winning Back Your Ex After A Nasty Break Up
Nov/090
Winning back your ex after a nasty break up can be one of the most challenging experiences you will ever go through. Getting our ex back after a break up is not rocket science but requires you to control the wave of emotions you are going through right now in order to turn things around.
All break ups end in a whirlwind of emotions, emotions flying back and forth as both partners pull in opposite directions. Although you may feel hopeless right now and feel that you have done everything you can to win your ex back, you must remember that almost ALL relationships can be saved. how to deal with a bad break up
The most important thing you can do for winning back your ex after a nasty break up is to let you and your ex gather your thoughts and let your emotions settle. You may feel the constant urge to call or message your ex trying to make sure that you do not lose contact with them, you must stop this immediately.
Give your ex space and time and look at what went wrong in your relationship. No matter how much you do not want to hear that your relationship is over, you must acknowledge that your relationship is broken and in urgent need of repair.
Winning back your ex requires you to avoid impulsive actions and irrational behavior at all costs. Nothing will push your ex away faster than an ex that can not respect their decision and is constantly begging, pleading, crying and promising everything will change with just “one more chance”.
Accept the break up and begin to look at ways you can fix the problems that lead to the break up first, once you understand what went wrong and have your emotions in check, you can then reconnect with your ex.
Don’t risk making mistakes that will push your ex away forever. Win your ex back using a controversial but effective strategy.
Avoid losing your ex to someone else, get tips, tricks and tactics to get your ex back today at why you must give your ex space