The reality will be stranger than Science Fiction: excerpt of talk at FutureDay 2014. Futurist Gerd – Video

Posted on by


The reality will be stranger than Science Fiction: excerpt of talk at FutureDay 2014. Futurist Gerd
This is a brief except from my talk at Future Day 2014 in Istanbul, see http://gerd.fm/1mZmwGd for details, slides and full version, The entire talk is also ...

By: Gerd Leonhard

See the rest here:

The reality will be stranger than Science Fiction: excerpt of talk at FutureDay 2014. Futurist Gerd - Video

Outsourcing our brains to apps and the cloud: excerpt from Future Day 2014 Futurist Speaker Gerd – Video

Posted on by


Outsourcing our brains to apps and the cloud: excerpt from Future Day 2014 Futurist Speaker Gerd
Apps are running our lives now...? An except from my talk at Future Day 2014 in Istanbul, see http://gerd.fm/1mZmwGd for details, slides and full version, en...

By: Gerd Leonhard

Continued here:

Outsourcing our brains to apps and the cloud: excerpt from Future Day 2014 Futurist Speaker Gerd - Video

Future Trendspots: In the Air with Emirates First Class (Futurist Anders Sorman-Nilsson) – Video

Posted on by


Future Trendspots: In the Air with Emirates First Class (Futurist Anders Sorman-Nilsson)
In this Future Trendspots Episode, from the air between Sydney and Dubai aboard EK414 global futurist Anders Sorman-Nilsson gives us a new perspective from 3...

By: Anders Sorman-Nilsson

Excerpt from:

Future Trendspots: In the Air with Emirates First Class (Futurist Anders Sorman-Nilsson) - Video

south_africa_apartheid_freedom_day_reuters_270414.JPG

Posted on by

April 27, 2014

A man cheers and waves a flag during Freedom Day celebrations at the Union Buildings in Pretoria today, making the 20th anniversary of the end of apartheid politics. Reuters pic, April 27, 2014. President Jacob Zuma led celebrations today to mark the 20th anniversary of post-apartheid democracy in South Africa, saying it was closer to achieving the dream of a united multi-racial nation.

"Our country has done well," Zuma said at a ceremony held two decades after the first all-race election that saw Nelson Mandela become the country's first black president.

"We all have a good story to tell."

"We have moved closer to our cherished dream of a united non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa," he said at the "Freedom Day" ceremony held in the gardens of the Union Buildings, the seat of government in Pretoria.

South Africa is now the most developed country on the continent and boasts among other things, a strong constitution and an independent judiciary.

But its successes have been sullied by mismanagement and high-level corruption blamed largely on the ANC-led government, as well as a legacy of racial inequality, poverty, rampant crime and a lack of basic services.

The government failings have become a rallying point for the opposition ahead of general elections on May 7, the fifth since the end of decades of sanctioned racial oppression.

But Zuma who himself has been tarnished by corruption allegations used his speech to warn rivals not to dismiss the "tremendous" gains in the country of 51 million people.

"I am sure you all agree with me that working together in the past 20 years and the past five years, we have made South Africa a much better place to live in," Zuma said.

Read the rest here:

south_africa_apartheid_freedom_day_reuters_270414.JPG

Cynthia Nixon Hosts Freedom to Marry Celebration, Featuring Performance by Laura Benanti, April 28

Posted on by

Cynthia Nixon Hosts Freedom to Marry Celebration, Featuring Performance by Laura Benanti, April 28

By Michael Gioia 28 Apr 2014

Cheers to Ten Years, celebrating the Freedom to Marry campaign that was founded in 2003 by Evan Wolfson who was named by Time magazine one of the "100 most influential people in the world" is held April 28 in New York City.

The 10th anniversary celebration includes a reception and theatrical showcase produced by Peter Spears and will debut "Until We Could," a short film based on an original poem for Freedom to Marry by 2012 presidential inaugural poet Richard Blanco.

The film, by Sundance directors David Lowery and Yen Tan, features voiceovers by Ben Foster (Orphans) and Robin Wright ("House of Cards") and was recently announced as an official selection for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Also featured at Cheers to Ten Years is an original composition by Tony Award nominee Andrew Lippa (I Am Harvey Milk, Big Fish, The Addams Family), performed by Tony Award winner Laura Benanti (Gypsy, "The Sound of Music Live!"), and a choreographed dance by MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham's company Abraham.In.Motion.

Advertisement

The organization, according to press notes, "is the largest funder of marriage campaigns in the United States, investing tens of millions of dollars to win the freedom to marry in 17 states and Washington, DC, help grow public support to record levels (59% of Americans), overturn federal marriage discrimination, and lay the groundwork for a nationwide victory before the U.S. Supreme Court."

The Signature Theatreis located at 480 West 42nd Street. For more information, click here.

Visit link:

Cynthia Nixon Hosts Freedom to Marry Celebration, Featuring Performance by Laura Benanti, April 28

10 tips for financial freedom

Posted on by

For majority of us, our primary source of income is from our personal efforts (job, business or profession). More often than not, our entire lives and consequently those of our families, revolve around our careers - long hours of work, ruthless competition, insecurity about the future, lack of personal time, and so on.

To keep up with our own demands, as well as so as not to be left behind in society, we immerse deeper into our work, resulting in even more stress, failures in personal relationships and lower self esteem. Ironically, all this is done with the desired objective of providing our families with a better quality of life. Wouldnt it be great if one doesnt have to entirely depend upon personal efforts to take care of ones needs? This would entail creating additional streams of regular income, to supplement or even replace the primary source. If this was possible, most of us would no longer be working without choice, but would work for joy and self fulfillment.

We would have the flexibility to work at our own pace and devote our time to other pursuits we are interested in. Our objective of a better quality of life would be fulfilled. This is what is known as financial freedom when one is no longer dependent upon personal efforts to maintain a desired level of living standard. Financial freedom is directly linked to wealth creation, and cannot be achieved without elaborate planning, first to reach the goal of being financially independent, and second to maintain that level. The goal is to achieve an amount of capital which not only provides enough regular returns to meet ongoing lifestyle expenses, but also that the composition of capital is such that it is likely to increase in value over time, so that future returns are generated on the increased capital base and are able to take care of the future increase in expenses due to inflation. While for the majority of families it would seem very difficult to reach such a level, it is certainly not impossible, and can be achieved with some discipline and sacrifices. Below are some of the rules which from my experience are paramount in wealth creation and consequently, in achieving financial freedom: Decide upon your level of wealth required for financial freedom This will be directly proportional to the lifestyle you wish to follow after becoming financially independent. If one is used to living and dining in Five Star comfort regularly and expects it to continue after becoming financially independent, obviously a much higher level of wealth has to be targeted than for someone who is happy eating out once or twice a month. Hence scaling down ones lifestyle can lower the threshold required for financial freedom. Know where you are before you start It is essential to make a complete list of ones Assets and Liabilities, Incomes and expenses (both current and expected in future) and cash flows before one starts. One cannot reach a destination without knowing where he or she is starting at. Give priority to protection of what you have Insure all your assets as well as payment of liabilities against unforeseen circumstances which have the potential to destroy your wealth. Know your attitude to risk - This depends upon ones personality, age, commitments, current level of assets/liabilities/income, etc. Attitude to risk is not fixed, and may change over time or due to changing personal or external circumstances. Generally, higher the capacity and willingness to bear risk, higher is the return, but this is not always true. Get your finances under control This implies stopping money leakages, however small or insignificant they may seem. Most money leakages are through unnecessary tax and interest expenses, wrong spending and wrong investments. Money leakages are the most common reason for inability to create wealth. Pay off debts on priority - Unless the debt is incurred for creating an asset which is expected to increase in value or for business purposes, it is not advisable to incur debt. Any other debt, if incurred, should be paid off on priority. Keep the taxman at bay Apart from interest, tax expense is the highest expense item which prevents long term wealth creation. Be prepared to pay for expert tax and financial advice. It may seem expensive at first, but the benefits will far outweigh the costs in the long run. Understand that there is no such thing as free advice Advice given by many financial product sellers may seem to be free (as they do not charge you fees but earn from product commissions), but in the long run it must align with your financial goals. If not, it can be very costly indeed. There are only two mantras that ultimately work spend less than you earn, and buy low and sell high. Understand that gaining wealth is a slow process Earning it too quickly (say a lottery or inheritance) may make you rich, but it does not give you experience in acquiring wealth, which is vital for keeping and growing that wealth. Understand and implement the power of compound interest - Albert Einstein called it the Eighth wonder of the world. Interest compounded over a long period of time has a tremendous capacity to create unimaginable amounts of wealth. Lastly, understand and accept that money is not the solution to all problem - It makes life easier, but does not solve all problems. It is the oil that smoothens the engine. It is not the engine. So take it easy and do not be consumed by the exclusive desire to earn more and more, as it will destroy peace of mind and defeat the objective of being financially independent.

Source: InvestmentYogi is one of the leading personal finance portals in India

Original post:

10 tips for financial freedom

South Africa Celebrates 20 Years Of Democracy

Posted on by

hide captionPeople attend South Africa's Freedom Day celebrations in Pretoria, with the federal Union Building in the background Sunday. The day marks the end of the apartheid era, when all races went to the polls to vote in historic 1994 elections.

People attend South Africa's Freedom Day celebrations in Pretoria, with the federal Union Building in the background Sunday. The day marks the end of the apartheid era, when all races went to the polls to vote in historic 1994 elections.

President Jacob Zuma led Freedom Day celebrations in Pretoria Sunday, as South Africa marked the 20th anniversary of democratic rule. The nation held its first general elections in 1994, when voters sent Nelson Mandela to the presidency with a resounding win that helped the country distance itself from the scourge of apartheid.

The 1994 election concluded a lengthy transition process that began after decades of apartheid ended. Four years earlier, Mandela had been freed from prison. At the same time, political parties such as his African National Congress were released from a government ban.

After the historic vote of April 27, 1994, Mandela went on to lead South Africa into a new era. The death of the inspirational leader last December sent the country into mourning.

As it celebrates Freedom Day in 2014, South Africa is gripped by entrenched economic inequality that is fueling a contentious election season. Voters will head to the polls next month.

President Zuma spoke about the country's progress today:

"The precious right to vote was gained through relentless struggles and sacrifices. Therefore, on the 7th of May, let us go out in our millions to vote and celebrate our hard won freedom and democracy. Let us vote to consolidate democracy and all the achievements of our young nation. And, as we did in 1994 and in subsequent elections, let us deliver peaceful, free and fair elections."

That's according to news channel SABC, which also noted that speakers from other political groups were booed off the stage at a Freedom Day celebration in Durban.

The current state of affairs led Archbishop Desmond Tutu to say he is happy Mandela isn't around to see South Africa's struggles.

Excerpt from:

South Africa Celebrates 20 Years Of Democracy

Tanzania: Alien Grass Threatens Ngorongoro Eco-System

Posted on by

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is facing a new threat: Fast spreading and widely distributed alien plants are threatening both wildlife and livestock in the 'Mixed world heritage site.'

The strangely named tall, thick and chunky 'Goose Grass' crops, known by their botanical name of 'Eleusine Jaegeri' or locally as 'Makutiani' are rapidly growing in the Conservation Area, inhibiting the growth of other vegetation and threatening the survival of wildlife species as well as cattle.

The Acting Ecologist with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) Mr Patrice Mattay, revealed in Ngorongoro that the so-called 'buffalo grass' are among the 142 alien plants that in one way or another, have invaded

Tanzania's leading tourism and conservation hot spot.

"The NCAA had set aside a budget of 135 million/- to clear invasive alien plants for the fiscal year 2013/2014 but with the problem getting more serious, the allocation has been boosted with additional 80 million/-," stated Mr Mattay.

The problem with buffalo grass, according to the NCAA ecologist, is that the alien plants prevent other grasses to flourish in the conservation and these are the ones that wild herbivores feed on.

"They are also extremely hard which means when cattle and other animals try to eat them, their teeth fall off," pointed out Mr Mattay adding that it is only the buffalo species of wildlife that can eat the alien grass without problem but the remaining stable, including cattle belonging to the Maasai living within the NCAA face acute problem and danger from the invasive weeds.

The 'Makutiani' weeds, according to experts in the area are also resilient to fire because they store large amounts of water in their deep-grounded roots causing fires to be automatically put off.

"The only method of clearing the invasive 'Goose grass' is through hiring people to pull the weeds from the ground," said Mr Mattay, admitting that the process was extremely slow and cumbersome, taking into consideration that the conservation area measures a 8000 plus square kilometres.

Apparently, being a restricted conservation area, the NCAA management cannot employ chemical (herbicide) usage due to environmental concerns and at the moment, there are ongoing research studies to find out alternative ways of eliminating the 'Makutiani' weeds.

More:

Tanzania: Alien Grass Threatens Ngorongoro Eco-System