This American Moment — The Surprises

On Tuesday night, Obama reached out to the other half. For those who did not vote for him, he said, “I will be your president, too.”

What an idea — simple and obvious. But like so much American common sense, it’s been missing for too long.

clipped from egan.blogs.nytimes.com This American Moment — The Surprises Guess who won Joe the Plumber’s vote. Not Joe the symbol and unlicensed tax-dodger coming soon to a garage sale near you, but real people who make about $42,000 a year, the median income for plumbers and pipefitters. Barack Obama carried hard-working Americans of that income stripe by 10 points, according to exit polls. And the only voters who were told directly that their taxes would go up under a new Democratic president? Obama took the rich as well, winning by six points that small sliver of the electorate that makes more than $200,000 year. Soak ’em. One of the better lines in Obama’s election night speech was a slap to the rejectionist politics of Bush. Rove always insisted a president only needed 50 percent plus one to win. And Bush governed that way, permanently angering half the population. On Tuesday night, Obama reached out to the other half. For those who did not vote for him, he said, “I will be your president, too.” What an idea — simple

Your iBrain: How Technology Changes the Way We Think

Because of the current technological revolution, our brains are evolving right now—at a speed like never before.

New pathways being created and old ones discarded. This applies to young and old doing internet searches, for example.

clipped from www.sciam.com The brain’s plasticity—its ability to change in response to stimuli from the environment—is well known. What has been less appreciated is how the expanding use of technology is shaping neural processing. Young people are exposed to digital stimulation for several hours every day, and many older adults are not far behind. Even using a computer for Web searches for just an hour a day changes the way the brain processes information. A constant barrage of e-contacts is both stimulating—sharpening certain cognitive skills—and draining, studies show. The current explosion of digital technology not only is changing the way we live and communicate but also is rapidly and profoundly altering our brains. Daily exposure to high technology—computers, smart phones, video games, search engines such as Google and Yahoo—stimulates brain cell alteration and neurotransmitter release, gradually strengthening new neural pathways in our brains while weakening old ones

Obama Picks High-Tech and Washington Veteran to Transition Team

Obama getting to work with high tech jobs concept- already! We picked the right guy for the job.

clipped from voices.washingtonpost.com A veteran of Internet business operations and Washington tech policy was named to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, a move that could signal the prominence of high-tech policy in the new administration. Julius Genachowski, a former executive of Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, will help Obama choose members of his new administration, according to Obama's transition headquarters in Chicago. Genachowski, who served at the Federal Communications Commission as chief counsel to former Democratic Chairman Reed Hundt, has been advising Obama's campaign on tech policy issues and chaired a group of advisors on the president-elect's Tech & Innovation Plan. With a relationship with Obama that goes back to their days at Harvard Law School, Genachowski helped push technology issues to a more prominent spot in the campaign, according to analysts and high-tech lobbyists.

Businesses should learn from MyBarackObama

If you are in business and do not have a interactive communications strategy - you will be left behind...


obama, social networking

clipped from www.informationweek.com Obama Election Ushering In First Internet Presidency Pioneering use of Web 2.0 and social-networking technologies by the president-elect's campaign has seemingly transformed politics, and could influence government as well. perhaps a bigger change over the long term was the crowning of the Internet as the king of all political media. It was the end of the era of television presidency that started with JFK, and the beginning of the Internet presidency. The Obama administration is expected to build on a foundation of grassroots support in his private social network, on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. clipped from www.informationweek.com "MyBarackObama was very much a key place," Obama's Internet candidacy should be a lesson for business as well, said Trippi, who does both political and business consulting on the use of the Internet. "You have to change your whole way of thinking," he said. "You're going to lose control of your brand to a large degree, unless you create networks to change your brand."

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Giants Stadium: Out in the Street and No Surrender

Bruuuuce!

clipped from www.lemonde.fr

78 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

The hits keep on coming!

clipped from www.biblelife.org 78 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications. 1. Sugar can suppress the immune system. 2. Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance. 3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children. 16. Sugar can be a risk factor in gall bladder cancer. 20. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia. 21. Sugar can produce an acidic stomach. 23. Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease. 24. Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair. 25. Sugar can lead to alcoholism. 30. Sugar can cause arthritis 32. Sugar can cause candidiasis (yeast infection). 36. Sugar can cause appendicitis. 48. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure. 55. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA. 75. Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon. 78. Sugar increases the risk of Alzheimer Disease.

Einstein’s Secret to Amazing Problem Solving

and 10 specific ways you can use it

clipped from litemind.com by uciano Passuello The Problem Is To Know What the Problem Is Problem Definition Tools and Strategies 1. Rephrase the Problem When a Toyota executive asked employees to brainstorm “ways to increase their productivity”, all he got back were blank stares. When he rephrased his request as “ways to make their jobs easier”, he could barely keep up with the amount of suggestions. 2. Expose and Challenge Assumptions Every problem — no matter how apparently simple it may be — comes with a long list of assumptions attached. Many of these assumptions may be inaccurate and could make your problem statement inadequate or even misguided. 5. Find Multiple Perspectives 6. Use Effective Language Constructs 7. Make It Engaging 8. Reverse the Problem 9. Gather Facts 10. Problem-Solve Your Problem Statement You may want to give yourself an Idea Quota of problem statements. Or write a List of 100 problems to solve. SCAMPER your problem definition. These are just some of dozen techniques you can try.

The Art of Now: Six Steps to Living in the Moment

Take a head break!

clipped from content.clipmarks.com clipped from www.psychologytoday.com "We're living in a world that contributes in a major way to mental fragmentation, disintegration, distraction, decoherence," says Buddhist scholar B. Alan Wallace. We dwell on intrusive memories of the past or fret about what may or may not happen in the future Most of us don't undertake our thoughts in awareness. Rather, our thoughts control us "Ordinary thoughts course through our mind like a deafening waterfall," writes Jon Kabat-Zinn clipped from www.psychologytoday.com You can become mindful at any moment just by paying attention to your immediate experience. Think of yourself as an eternal witness, and just observe the moment clipped from www.psychologytoday.com 1: To improve your performance, stop thinking about it (unselfconsciousness). clipped from www.psychologytoday.com 2: To avoid worrying about the future, focus on the present (savoring). clipped from www.psychologytoday.com 3: If you want a future with your significant other, inhabit the present (breathe). 4: To make the most of time, lose track of it (flow). clipped from www.psychologytoday.com 5: If something is bothering you, move toward it rather than away from it (acceptance). clipped from www.psychologytoday.com 6: Know that you don't know