Simon Sinek- Why, how, what (TED)

THE GOLDEN CIRCLE









Start with why

Case Study #1 (First To Flight) (8:14-10:54)

* at the beginning of the 20th Century, there was a race to become the first in flight and almost everyone was doing it
* Samuel Pierpont Langley was the favorite: he worked at the Smithsonian, he was extremely well accomplished, well connected, and well funded, he had a dream team working for him, and he was being followed by everybody, even by The New York Times
* The Wright Brothers (Orville & Wilbur) were the exact opposite: they lacked adequate funding, connections, and education; most of their team even lacked high school education
* they also had different motivations: The Wright Brothers were motivated by wanting to change and improve the world, while Langley was motivated by fame and fortune
* On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers took flight; when Langley heard about it he and his team quit

Lesson:

* “When people believe in what you believe in, they work with their blood, sweat and tears. When they don’t believe in what you believe in, they work for your money.”




transcript

How do you explain when things don't go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? For example: Why is Apple so innovative? Year after year, after year, after year, they're more innovative than all their competition. And yet, they're just a computer company. They're just like everyone else. They have the same access to the same talent, the same agencies, the same consultants, the same media. Then why is it that they seem to have something different? Why is it that Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement? He wasn't the only man who suffered in a pre-civil rights America. And he certainly wasn't the only great orator of the day. Why him? And why is it that the Wright brothers were able to figure out control-powered, manned flight when there were certainly other teams who were better qualified, better funded, and they didn't achieve powered man flight, and the Wright brothers beat them to it. There's something else at play here.

About three and a half years ago I made a discovery, and this discovery profoundly changed my view on how I thought the world worked. And it even profoundly changed the way in which I operate in it. As it turns out -- there's a pattern -- as it turns out, all the great and inspiring leaders and organizations in the world, whether it's Apple, or Martin Luther King or the Wright brothers, they all think, act and communicate the exact same way. And it's the complete opposite to everyone else. All I did was codify it. And it's probably the world's simplest idea. I call it the golden circle.

Why? How? What? This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren't. Let me define the terms really quickly. Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent. Some know how they do it, whether you call it your differentiated value proposition or your proprietary process or your USP. But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by "why" I don't mean "to make a profit." That's a result. It's always a result. By "why" I mean: what's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? Well, as a result, the way we think, the way we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in. It's obvious. We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations, regardless of their size, regardless of their industry, all think, act and communicate from the inside out.

Let me give you an example. I use Apple because they're easy to understand and everybody gets it. If Apple were like everyone else, a marketing message from them might sound like this. "We make great computers. They're beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. Want to buy one?" Neh. And that's how most of us communicate. That's how most marketing is done. That's how most sales are done. And that's how most of us communicate interpersonally. We say what we do, we say how we're different or how we're better and we expect some sort of a behavior, a purchase, a vote, something like that. Here's our new law firm. We have the best lawyers with the biggest clients. We always perform for our clients who do business with us. Here's our new car. It gets great gas mileage. It has leather seats. Buy our car. But it's uninspiring.

Here's how Apple actually communicates. "Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?" Totally different right? You're ready to buy a computer from me. All I did was reverse the order of information. What it proves to us is that people don't buy what you do; people buy why you do it. People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it.

This explains why every single person in this room is perfectly comfortable buying a computer from Apple. But we're also perfectly comfortable buying an MP3 player from Apple, or a phone from Apple, or a DVR from Apple. But, as I said before, Apple's just a computer company. There's nothing that distinguishes them structurally from any of their competitors. Their competitors are all equally qualified to make all of these products. In fact, they tried. A few years ago, Gateway came out with flat screen TVs. They're eminently qualified to make flat screen TVs. They've been making flat screen monitors for years. Nobody bought one. Dell came out with MP3 players and PDAs. And they make great quality products. And they can make perfectly well-designed products. And nobody bought one. In fact, talking about it now, we can't even imagine buying an MP3 player from Dell. Why would you buy an MP3 player from a computer company? But we do it every day. People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe. Here's the best part.

None of what I'm telling you is my opinion. It's all grounded in the tenets of biology. Not psychology, biology. If you look at a cross-section of the human brain, looking from the top down, What you see is the human brain is actually broken into three major components that correlate perfectly with the golden circle. Our newest brain, our homo sapien brain, our neocortex, corresponds with the "what" level. The neocortex is responsible for all of our rational and analytical thought and language. The middle two sections make up our limbic brains. And our limbic brains are responsible for all of our feelings, like trust and loyalty. It's also responsible for all human behavior, all decision-making, and it has no capacity for language.

In other words, when we communicate from the outside in, yes, people can understand vast amounts of complicated information like features and benefits and facts and figures. It just doesn't drive behavior. When we can communicate from the inside out, we're talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do. This is where gut decisions come from. You know, sometimes you can give somebody all the facts and figures, and they say, "I know what all the facts and details say, but it just doesn't feel right." Why would we use that verb, it doesn't "feel" right? Because the part of the brain that controls decision-making, doesn't control language. And the best we can muster up is, "I don't know. It just doesn't feel right." Or sometimes you say you're leading with your heart, or you're leading with your soul. Well, I hate to break it to you, those aren't other body parts controlling your behavior. It's all happening here in you limbic brain, the part of the brain that controls decision-making and not language.

But if you don't know why you do what you do, and people respond to why you do what you do, then how you ever get people to vote for you, or buy something from you, or, more importantly, be loyal and want to be a part of what it is that you do. Again, the goal is not just to sell to people who need what you have; the goal is to sell to people who believe what you believe. The goal is not just to hire people who need a job; it's to hired people who believe what you believe. I always say that, you know, if you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money, but if you hire people who believe what you believe, they'll work for your you with blood and sweat and tears. And nowhere else is there a better example of this than with the Wright brothers.

Most people don't know about Samuel Pierpont Langley. And back in the early 20th century, the pursuit of powered man flight was like the dot com of the day. Everybody was trying it. And Samuel Pierpont Langley had, what we assume, to be the recipe for success. I mean, even now, you ask people, "Why did your product or why did your company fail?" and people always give you the same permutation of the same three things, under-capitalized, the wrong people, bad market conditions. It's always the same three things, so let's explore that. Samuel Pierpont Langley was given 50,000 dollars by the War Deptartment to figure out this flying machine. Money was no problem. He held a seat at Harvard and worked at the Smithsonian and was extremely well-connected. He knew all the big minds of the day. He hired the best minds money could find. And the market conditions were fantastic. The New York Times followed him around everywhere. And everyone was rooting for Langley. Then how come you've never heard of Samuel Pierpont Langley?

A few hundred miles away in Dayton Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright, they had none of what we consider to be the recipe for success. They had no money. They paid for their dream with the proceeds from their bicycle shop. Not a single person on the Wright brothers' team had a college education, not even Orville or Wilbur. And the New York Times followed them around nowhere. The difference was, Orville and Wilbur were driven by a cause, by a purpose, by a belief. They believed that if they could figure out this flying machine, it'll change the course of the world. Samuel Pierpont Langley was different. He wanted to be rich, and he wanted to be famous. He was in pursuit of the result. He was in pursuit of the riches. And lo and behold, look what happened. The people who believed in the Wright brothers' dream, worked with them with blood and sweat and tears. The others just worked for the paycheck. And they tell stories of how every time the Wright brothers went out, they would have to take five sets of parts, because that's how many times they would crash before they came in for supper.

And, eventually, on December 17th, 1903, the Wright brothers took flight, and no one was there to even experience it. We found out about it a few days later. And further proof that Langley was motivated by the wrong thing, the day the Wright brothers took flight, he quit. He could have said, "That's an amazing discovery guys, and I will improve upon your technology," but he didn't. He wasn't first, he didn't get rich, he didn't get famous, so he quit.

People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And if you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe. But why is it important to attract those who believe what you believe? Something called the law of diffusion of innovation. And if you don't know the law, you definitely know the terminology. The first two and a half percent of our population are our innovators. The next 13 and a half percent of our population are our early adopters. The next 34 percent are your early majority, your late majority and your laggards. The only reason these people buy touch tone phones is because you can't buy rotary phones anymore.

(Laughter)

We all sit at various places at various times on this scale, but what the law of diffusion of innovation tells us is that if you want mass-market success or mass-market acceptance of an idea, you cannot have it until you achieve this tipping point between 15 and 18 percent market penetration. And then the system tips. And I love asking businesses, "What's your conversion on new business?" And they love to tell you, "Oh, it's about 10 percent," proudly. Well, you can trip over 10 percent of the customers. We all have about 10 percent who just "get it." That's how we describe them, right. That's like that gut feeling, "Oh, they just get it." The problem is: How do you find the ones that get it before you're doing business with them versus the ones who don't get it? So it's this here, this little gap, that you have to close, as Jeffrey Moore calls it, "crossing the chasm." Because, you see, the early majority will not try something until someone else has tried it first. And these guys, the innovators and the early adopters, they're comfortable making those gut decisions. They're more comfortable making those intuitive decisions that are driven by what they believe about the world and not just what product is available.

These are the people who stood on line for six hours to buy an iPhone when they first came out, when you could have just walked into the store the next week and bought one off the shelf. These are the people 40,000 dollars on flat screen TVs when they first came out, even though the technology was substandard. And, by the way, they didn't do it because the technology was so great. They did it for themselves. It's because they wanted to be first. People don't buy what you do; they buy what you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe. In fact, people will do the things that prove what they believe. The reason that person bought the iPhone in the first six hours, stood in line for six hours, was because of what they believed about the world, and how they wanted everybody to see them. They were first. People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it.

So let me give you a famous example, a famous failure and a famous success of the law of diffusion of innovation. First, the famous failure. It's a commercial example. As we said before, a second ago, the recipe for success is money and the right people and the right market conditions. Right. You should have success then. Look at TiVo. From the time TiVo came out, about eight or nine years ago, to this current day, they are the single highest-quality product on the market, hands down, there is no dispute. They were extremely well-funded. Market conditions were fantastic. I mean, we use TiVo as verb. I TiVo stuff on my piece of junk Time Warner DVR all the time.

But TiVo's a commercial failure. They've never made money. And when they went IPO, their stock was at about 30 or 40 dollars and then plummeted, and it's never traded above 10. In fact, I don't even think it's traded above six, except for a couple of little spikes. Because you see, when TiVo launched their product, they told us all what they had. They said, "We have a product that pauses live TV, skips commercials, rewinds live TV and memorizes your viewing habits without you even asking." And the cynical majority said, "We don't believe you. We don't need it. We don't like it. You're scaring us." What if they had said, "If you're the kind of person who likes to have total control over every aspect of your life, boy, do we have a product for you. It pauses live TV, skips commercials, memorizes your viewing habits, etc., etc." People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply serves as the proof of what you believe.

Now let me give you a successful example of the law of diffusion of innovation. In the summer of 1963, 250,000 people showed up on the mall in Washington to hear Dr. King speak. They sent out no invitations, and there was no website to check the date. How do you do that? Well, Dr. King wasn't the only man in America who was a great orator. He wasn't the only man in America who suffered in a pre-civil rights America. In fact, some of his ideas were bad. But he had a gift. He didn't go around telling people what needed to change in America. He went around and told people what he believed. "I believe. I believe. I believe," he told people. And people who believed what he believed took his cause, and they made it their own, and they told people. And some of those people created structures to get the word out to even more people. And low and behold, 250,000 people showed up on the right day, at the right time, to hear him speak.

How many of them showed up for him? Zero. They showed up for themselves. It's what they believed about America that got them to travel in a bus for eight hours, to stand in the sun in Washington in the middle of August. It's what they believed, and it wasn't about black versus white. 25 percent of the audience was white. Dr. King believed that there are two types of laws in this world, those that are made by a higher authority and those that are made by man. And not until all the laws that are made by man are consistent with the laws that are made by the higher authority, will we live in a just world. It just so happened that the Civil Rights Movement was the perfect thing to help him bring his cause to life. We followed, not for him, but for ourselves. And, by the way, he gave the "I have a dream" speech, not the "I have a plan" speech.

(Laughter)

Listen to politicians now with their comprehensive 12-point plans. They're not inspiring anybody. Because there are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority. But those who lead inspire us. Whether they're individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it's those who start with "why" that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.

Thank you very much.

kindle for the web

who are you, teacher? Getting to know you

The Getting to Know You, Getting to Know Me (click Game)

Brainstorm



Jot down quick questions about these words that describe me and my life.

1. TERUEL
2. ENGLAND, POLAND
3. MARRIED, TWO

4. TRANSLATOR, BARMAN, SPORTS COACH
5. FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
6. FAR-EAST STUDIES (WEBPAGE)

7. history of the gypsies, jews
8. www.omniglot.com
9. Ljubljana, Montreal, Meknes

10. 26
11. falafel, pekin duck

12. Pillars of the earth, A brave, new world
13. philoxenias (φιλο + ξενίας ; NOT xenophobic)
= hospitality, philo= to like xenia (foreign things)
  (see here an entry on philoxenia)



Jot down quick notes on words that describe you and your life.

1- WHAT IS YOUR province of birth? WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
2- WHAT countries DID YOU live in?
3- WHAT IS YOUR marital status? HAVE YOU GOT CHILDREN?

4- WHAT WERE YOUR/ CAN YOU NAME THREE previous jobs?
5- DO YOU HAVE a job you dream(ed) of having?
6- DO YOU HAVE other degree(s)/ studies / further qualifications?

7- WHAT ARE YOUR hobbies and interests?
8- CAN YOU TELL US Y'R fave website?
9- WHAT ARE THE CITIES you’ve been on holiday?

10- how long you’ve been teaching (number)
11- COULD YOU WRITE SOME OF Y'R fave exotic food?

12- What are y'r fave novel(s)?
13.1 - IS THERE ANYTHING unusual about you & you want to share?
13.2- WHAT IS YOUR fave English word?
Philoxenia> A radical approach to friendship is a discourse of friendship that, according to Gandhi, finds its existence through philoxenia, “a love for guests, strangers, and foreigners.” Ghandi continues that “philoxenic solidarities are .. emotionally risky.

mangelcastenglishlearner

the truth about lies-paul ekman

microexpressions







How Do People Actually Lie to Each Other?
"Half the truth is often a great lie."--Benjamin Franklin

Deception can take so many different forms that it is impossible to describe all the ways that lovers can mislead each other.
It is much easier to describe the basic verbal strategies that people use when lying, rather than list all the possible forms that deception can take.


What Counts as Cheating?
In a very broad sense, cheating involves betraying a partner’s expectations about the type of contact they have with others.

When a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, violates one’s expectations about what is appropriate, people feel betrayed. Keep in mind that relationships are not based on logic, but they are influenced by our emotions.

Accordingly, cheating is difficult to define because people differ in the type of contact they feel it is appropriate for a partner to have with someone else.

news -languages

Guardian- on Swiss parliament (24/09/2010)

A historic vote in the Swiss parliament today has formed an executive consisting of more female ministers than male, propelling the country to the forefront of sexual equality in politics just four decades after it granted women the vote.

The election of Simonetta Sommaruga, of the Social Democratic party, to the seven-member Swiss federal council means there are now four women and three men at the helm of the country's political system. Accepting her new role in French, Italian and German, Sommaruga said the government should work hard to further the rights of minorities.

OPENideo: "Teach and Travel" Agency: travelers volunteer as teachers

CHALLENGE BRIEF
Enterprising Schools, an initiative of Gray Matters Capital Foundation, is sponsoring this challenge, focused on increasing the access of low-cost and appropriate learning tools for affordable private schools in India and worldwide. The submissions will contribute to the development of a catalogue of existing tools and would provide inspirational concepts to entrepreneurs who will be encouraged to take them forward and build businesses to provide affordable private schools with much-needed tools and materials. The purpose of this engagement is to provide access to quality learning tools and materials to affordable private schools first in India, and secondarily, worldwide.

YORGOS KOPANIAS
"Teach & Travel" Agency: travelers volunteer as teachers
An online travel agency/platform that facilitates people from other countries who are willing to work in local schools as volunteers, either by teaching or by helping in administration or anything else a local school could need.

Based on the inspirations of Yanis Josephine, Marek Hyla and Eduardo Amaro, why don't we create an online travel agency/platform that connects local schools with travelers who are willing and able to teach or help in anything else that they are able to (administration, maintenance)?

Who could this be for?

- students or graduates who want to spend a summer teaching in a local school and gain experience for their CV
- retired teachers who want to contribute and make an impact globally
- anyone who speaks and can teach languages
- tech savvy people who are willing to professionally educate local youngsters (IT or more even more basic crafts like wood working, masonry etc)
- education organisations (schools, universities etc) of developed countries who are willing to make a global impact by voluntarily "lending" some of their teaching stuff to developing countries for a few months or a semester.


Why is it important for local children?

- Visiting teachers do not only bring dry technical knowledge, they also bring a different culture and a different point of view. They are a reminder of the diversity of civilisations and places, they inspire children to try to surpass their regional limits.
Cost
Local communities do not have to pay anything for this service: - Travelers themselves would be willing to pay the cost of traveling and living (as they would anyway if they traveled there), because they would benefit by gaining work and cultural experience. More and more travelers are nowadays keen on engaging with the local communities and not just being typical tourists that have a superficial contact with the country they visit. - Prestigious educational organisations (schools or universities) could sponsor some of their stuff or students to travel & teach, in order to widen their perspective and impact.
Distribution & Delivery
visiting teachers could help in any of these subjects: - English and other languages courses - professional lessons (crafts etc) - academic lessons (maths, physics, etc) - non-academic lessons (drawing, sculpture, music, dancing, sports etc. This is a very interesting field if we think about how differently each culture approaches those fields. Moreover there are no language barriers) visiting teachers could also connect with local teachers by exchanging ideas on teaching materials (books, methods, etc) or administrational issues.
Local Need. Enterprising Schools has identified key areas of need for Affordable Private Schools. What local learning need(s) does this concept address?
English language learning (speaking, reading, writing)
Tech literacy
Professional development
Other
Adoption
- the basic tool will be an online platform that connects local schools with global volunteers. - this platform will be marketed to teachers' unions, universities, schools and any other group that would be willing to combine traveling and volunteering teaching in another country - a local NGO could do the offline work of informing local schools and connecting them with the network
Who would implement this?
A local entrepreneur or small organization
A globally-based social entrepreneur
NGOs and Foundations

SAEB OF TABRIZ: the thousand splendid suns

Mīrzā Muḥammad ʿalī Ṣāʾib (1601/02-1677) also called Saeb Of TabriZ

A line from Ṣāʾib's poem on Kabul provided the title for Khaled Hosseini's 2007 novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
TRAILER

Ah! How beautiful is Kabul encircled by her arid mountains
And Rose, of the trails of thorns she envies
Her gusts of powdered soil, slightly sting my eyes
But I love her, for knowing and loving are born of this same dust

My song exhalts her dazzling tulips
And at the beauty of her trees, I blush
How sparkling the water flows from Pul-I-Mastaan!
May Allah protect such beauty from the evil eye of man!

Khizr chose the path to Kabul in order to reach Paradise
For her mountains brought him close to the delights of heaven
From the fort with sprawling walls, A Dragon of protection
Each stone is there more precious than the treasure of Shayagan

Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye
Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass
One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls

Her laughter of mornings has the gaiety of flowers
Her nights of darkness, the reflections of lustrous hair
Her melodious nightingales, with passion sing their songs
Ardent tunes, as leaves enflamed, cascading from their throats

And I, I sing in the gardens of Jahanara, of Sharbara
And even the trumpets of heaven envy their green pastures

Visit his videos at his own page
Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris.
He earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988 & a Medical Degree in 1993.

INTERVIEW WITH HOSSEINI



For his other hit, The kite runner, see this review about the film.

Travel tips -msnbc

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

airfare is only the beginning these days for would be travelers trying to calculate the entire cost of a trip. extra fees abound for everything from baggage and carry-ons and boarding changes. it's really a fee frenzy we're talking about here. good morning.

good morning, alex. and you know what? today there is a peak surcharge for flying. so today and tomorrow. today it's $20 they tack on to your --

> just for today?

for today and for tomorrow it's $30. it happens all summer, but i checked a chart on farecompare.com and just for today and tomorrow $20 and $30 for tomorrow. these hidden fees, but you get them all over the summer. midweek, it's cheaper than that. you have to be a smart fliieflier. everything is delineated so that you can be a smarter flier. and this is really hitting the average traveler, the family the hardest. they're not like me, they're not a frequent flier.

> they're not searching --

that's right.

> that's why i'm glad you can bring up some of that. and the people making a mint off of this are the airlines. check out how much they've made just from january to march alone. in terms of the baggage fees, $769 million were made on that, and then a whopping $554 million from reservation change fees.

yes.

> so we know they're businesses, but are these all fair? in the big picture if you look at it?

probably not. they're probably not fair. but they are operating in the red, most of these airlines, so it helps them move into the black. and we are in a recession. but no, is it really fair to check your bag for $15 to $25? bag number one and bag number two? i don't think that's fair. but do you have to check a bag? you need to start thinking about that.

> do you think people may be traveling less because of all of this? you say revenue's down and all of that, they're trying to make money. do you think if they went back to the way it was people might be more inclined to travel? because travelers are annoyed.

they may not be able to operate solvently if they go back to the way it was. things have changed out there financially, but they don't have to gouge you and, you know, tit for tat that kind of -- those kind of fees. so it's smart to do everything online if you can. because everything is cheaper online if you check a bag. if you book online, if you don't go to a reservation agent to make your reservation. but there's just a lot of information that a traveler has to process.

> how about this -- should airlines be more upfront with all of the fees they charge? that's another thing people get annoyed about. why do i have to pay for this?

yes, there has to be more i have friends who say, oh, my god, i had to check a bag and it cost me this amount of money. and they didn't know it because it's not disclosed and they get hit over the head with it.

> you find it out. how can people do that? can you even call a reservations agent and say what do you charge for?

you can do that without being charged.

> you can do that?

yes. but it is all delineated on the site. and also these great charts like i mentioned originally. ultimate guide to airline fees, smartertravel.com has it as well as airfarewatchdog.com. what is it going to cost for me to send a pet, for instance, there's a fee for that, as well. how much is it for me to get extra leg room? and you can look airline by airline. for instance, jetblue and, you know, jetblue is an airline that is very positive for travelers to -- it doesn't really gouge you as well as southwest.

> jetblue, if you fly cross country, it's nice to get in the first five seats. it's right up front.

not a lot of fees with both southwest or jetblue. so you've got to consider and choose carefully who you're

exodus, moses

Mother Earth could have parted sea for Moses' escape
Study cites perfect storm that could have helped with biblical exodus

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

in the meantime, scientists have put science into the parting of the red sea and they think there might be a physical explanation for moses's miracle. might not have been like the classic movie, "the ten commandments." the new study indicates that strong persistent winds could have been a major factor in the sea's movement. they did these computer simulations re-creating 3,000-year-old acts and found that 63-mile-per-hour winds blowing for 12 hours could have actually pushed the water to bend. scientists base their study on shifting depths over waterways over time .
you're sticking with the bible?
that and a guy called moses happened to be there with his hands open like this.
if he looked like charleston heldstone, who is going to ....

NEWS
Mother Earth could have parted the Red Sea, hatching the great escape described in the biblical book of Exodus, a new study finds.
A strong east wind, blowing overnight, could have swept water off a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon along the Mediterranean Sea, said study team member Carl Drews of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. While archaeologists and Egyptologists have found little evidence that any events described in Exodus actually happened, the study outlines a perfect storm that could have led to the 3,000-year-old escape.
"People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts," Drews said. "What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws."

Drew and his colleagues used models that showed that a wind of 63 mph, lasting for 12 hours, would have pushed back waters estimated to be 6 feet deep. This would have exposed mud flats for four hours, creating a dry passage about 2 to 2.5 miles long and 3 miles wide.
To match the account in the Bible, the water would have to be pushed back into both the lake and the channel of the river, creating barriers of water on both sides of newly exposed mud flats, which is exactly what the models show could have happened.
As soon as the winds stopped, the waters would come rushing back. Anyone still on the mud flats would be at risk of drowning.
As the Bible story goes, Moses and the fleeing Israelites were trapped between the Pharaoh's advancing chariots and a body of water that has been variously translated as the Red Sea or the Sea of Reeds. In a divine miracle, a mighty east wind blew all night, splitting the waters and leaving a passage of dry land with walls of water on both sides. The Israelites were able to flee to the other shore. But when the Pharaoh's army attempted to pursue them in the morning, the waters rushed back and drowned the soldiers.

"The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus," Drews said. "The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in."
A similar phenomenon is found on Lake Erie near Toledo, Ohio, where water will recede several feet when a strong wind blows through, Drews told OurAmazingPlanet.
The research shows how strong and persistent winds can affect water depths, and will also help with understanding storm surges, Drews said.
By pinpointing a possible site south of the Mediterranean Sea for the crossing, about 75 miles north of the Suez reef, where other groups have focused, it also could be of benefit to experts seeking to research whether such an event ever took place.

funny pictures

Elif Shafak - the bastard of istambul

elif shafak webpage

Elif Shafak is the most-read female author in Turkey, where she is as well known for her descriptions of backstreets Istanbul as she is for her global and multicultural perspective. Her writing is at once rooted in her politically feminist education and her deep respect for and knowledge of Sufism and Ottoman culture.
Using these paradoxes, she creates a third way to understand Turkey's intricate history. Shafak's international sensibilities have been shaped by a life spent in a very diverse range of cities, including Ankara, Cologne, Madrid, Amman and Boston. She has written novels in Turkish -- such as her first work, Pinhan ("The Sufi") -- as well as English, including her most recent novel, The Forty Rules of Love, in which two powerful parallel narratives take the reader from contemporary Boston to thirteenth-century Konya, where the Sufi poet Rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the whirling dervish known as Shams.

interview -Npr

Election Night By Multitouch Tv 2 Norway - VidoEmo - Emotional Video Unity

Election Night By Multitouch Tv 2 Norway - VidoEmo - Emotional Video Unity

touch screen-Jeff Han

Jeff Han's intuitive "interface-free" computer displays -- controlled by the touch of fingertips -- will change forever the way you think about computers.

Sound like a scene from the latest Sci-Fi movie? Check again! Take a look at this demonstration by Jeff Han and see for yourself the reality of this technology.

The world's first ever Immersive Technology Summit will be held at the Los Angeles Center Studios (LACS) on October 21st, 2010.

Imagine The Possibilities Of 3m™ Multi Touch

DINNER FOR ONE -humour-upper class

Almost always broadcast with its original English soundtrack, it is quite brilliant in its simplicity: Miss Sophie, celebrating her 90th birthday, sits down to dinner with four friends and is served by her faithful butler, James (Frinton)....(Daily Telegraph)

wikipedia: dinner for one

dinner for one, vostfr, très drôle !!
Cargado por asilis93. - Mira más vídeos divertidos.

FULL DIALOGUE
James: Good evening, Miss Sophie, good evening.

Miss Sophie: Good evening, James.

James: You are looking very well this evening, Miss Sophie.

Miss Sophie: Well, I am feeling very much better, thank you, James.

James: Good, good.

Miss Sophie: Well, I must say that everything looks nice.

James: Thank you very much, Miss Sophie, thank you.

Miss Sophie: Is everybody here?

James: Indeed, they are, yeah. Yes...They are all here for your anniversary, Miss Sophie.

Miss Sophie: All five places are laid out?

James: All laid out as usual.

Miss Sophie: Sir Toby?

James: Sir Toby, yes, he's sitting here this year, Miss Sophie.

Miss Sophie: Admiral von Schneider?

James: Admiral von Schneider is sitting here, Miss Sophie.

Miss Sophie: Mr. Pommeroy?

James: Mr. Pommeroy I put round here for you.

Miss Sophie: And my very dear friend, Mr. Winterbottom?

James: On your right, as you requested, Miss Sophie!

Miss Sophie: Thank you, James. You may now serve the soup.

James: The soup, thank you very much, Miss Sophie, thank you. They are all waiting for you. Little drop of mulligatawny soup, Miss Sophie?

Miss Sophie: I am particularly fond of mulligatawny soup, James.

ted challenges, IDEO, Fresh food

ted challenges, IDEO,

Introduction to OpenIDEO / OpenIDEO.com from IDEO on Vimeo







Fresh food
to create a Food Revolution in America, to change the way kids eat by teaching them how to cook and what fresh food can do for them

Jamie Oliver Introduces the OpenIDEO Challenge / OpenIDEO.com from IDEO on Vimeo.

praga: 8 españoles trabajando allá

De tarbaja a Praga,

que no estamos tan mal vistos....




Donde poner las manos en el puente Carlos,

donde se rodó Los Ojos de mi niña de Trueba

la mejor cerveceria del Reino -1499 U fleku

Jazz en el Moldava

y trenta t tres cosa mas....

Nicholas Christakis: How social networks predict epidemics | Video on TED.com

Nicholas Christakis: How social networks predict epidemics | Video on TED.com

borges, after some time

After some time, one learns the subtle difference between holding hands and entwining souls, and one learns that love doesn't mean mean sleeping together, and that company doesn't mean safety, and one begins to learn...

That kisses are not contracts and gifts are not promises and one begins to accept his failures with his head held high and open eyes and one learns to lay out his paths today, because the terrain of tomorrow is too unsure for plans... and the future has a way of falling apart.


And after some time one learns that if it is too much, even the heat of the sun will burn.

So one plants his own garden and adorns his own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring him flowers.

And one learns that he really can endure, that he really is strong, that he really is worth something, and one learns and learns... and with every day one learns.

With time you learn that being with someone because they offer you a good future means that sooner or later you will want to return to your past.

With time you understand that only the person capable of loving you with all your defects, without trying to change you, can give you all the happiness you desire.

With time you realize that if you are at the side of that person just to accompany your loneliness, you will inevitably end up not wanting to see them again.

With time you understand that true friends are numbered, and that he who does not fight for them sooner or later will see himself surrounded only by false friendships.

With time you learn that words said in a moment of rage can continue to hurt the one you wounded, for an entire lifetime.

With time you learn that anyone can apologize, but only those with great souls are able to forgive.

With time you learn that if you have hurt a friend badly, the friendship will likely never be the same again.

With time you realize that although you are happy with your friends, some day you will cry for those that you let go.

With time you realize that every experience with every person is unrepeatable.

With time you realize that he who humiliates or degrades a human being sooner or later will suffer the same humiliation or degradation four-fold.

With time you understand that hurrying things or forcing them to happen will result in them not turning out how you hoped.

With time you realize that in reality, the best thing was not the future, but the moment you were living right at that instant.

With time you will see that although you are happy with those by your side, you will grieve for those who were with you yesterday but have now left.

With time you will learn that trying to forgive or ask forgiveness, saying you love, saying you miss, saying you need, saying that you want to be a friend, before a grave no longer makes sense.

But unfortunately, only with time...

Jorge Luis Borges.

Funny Newspaper Headlines

Funny Newspaper Headlines

1. Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case

2. Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted

3. Survivor of Siamese Twins Joins Parents

4. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms

5. Eye Drops off Shelf

6. Reagan Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead

7. Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66

8. Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Axe

9. Two Soviet Ships Collide, One Dies

10.Two Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter

11.Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

12.Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge

13.Deer Kill 17,000

14.Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge

15.New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group

16.Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

17.Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy

18.Fire British Union Finds Dwarfs in Short Supply

19.Worcester Residents Can Drop Off Trees

20.Include your Children When Baking Cookies

Laing in tombuktu -1826

http://greatbritishnutters.blogspot.com/2008/08/alexander-gordon-laing-mission-to.html

His wounds were gruesome in the extreme. He sustained five deep sabre cuts on his right arm which smashed the bones in his wrist, broke three fingers and almost severed the hand. His left arm was also broken and slashed in three places. There was a deep gash on the back of Laing’s neck, another on his left leg - and a musket ball was lodged in his hip. But perhaps the worst damage was about the head: three sabre cuts on the left temple had chipped away bits of bone; another blow had fractured his jawbone; his left ear was split in two and left dangling; his right temple had a gaping wound.

In total, Laing suffered twenty-four injuries in the night attack at Wadi Ahnet, eighteen of them severe