Cultural Advantage 2.0

Message from Lord Jesus

2009-09-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

A few days ago there is message from Lord Jesus, view in this URL:

http://goodnewsfromlord.co.cc/

Gallery of Southeast Asia art

2009-01-03T01:17:00.000-08:00

Tyler Rollins's Gallery of Southeast Asia art can be found at: http://www.trfineart.com/

Steady art blog of http://time.com/lookingaround

New books on Cultural Advantage

2009-01-02T09:53:00.001-08:00

There are new books on Cultural Advantages:

- http://www.gallup.unm.edu/~smarandache/CulturalAdvantage.pdf

- http://fs.gallup.unm.edu//CulturalChina.pdf

Sumba Island

2008-09-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Legend has it that Sumba's first inhabitants descended a ladder from heaven, but as soon as their feet hit the ground, they started battling. The natives' reputation convinced European traders to avoid the island in southern Indonesia, leaving it relatively undeveloped for centuries. The warrior culture lives on in the annual Pasola ritual war festival held each February and March, in which horsemen from various tribes joust using spears. For more mellow activities, the island's southern coast has great surfing — 12-foot swells are not uncommon.

Source: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-23518292;_ylc=X3oDMTIwbjhrMmlwBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrA2RyZWFtaXNsYW5kcy0yMDA4LTgtMjQ-

America's Most Affordable Places to Retire

2008-09-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

Factors like the cost of living, jobs and access to health services make these cities tops for those in their second acts.

A significant number of Americans will soon retire, but many won't be looking so much for a place to settle down as to live it up.

That's what they'll find in Columbus, Ohio. This river city tops our list of most affordable places to retire, thanks to reasonably priced housing relative to income and a 4.5% inflation rate that allows a buck to stretch a little further than other quickly growing areas. With tens of thousands of Ohio State Buckeyes, folks will enjoy the verve and energy that comes with a bustling college town.

Texas also welcomes retirees. Dallas and Houston ranked second and fourth, respectively. A warm climate and growing economies make both of these spots great places to live up their golden years. Each city can brag about latter-year employment possibilities for the enterprising type; that's because 20% of those 65 and over collect a weekly paycheck.

Minneapolis, Minn. ranked third. The South made a strong showing with No. 9 Atlanta and No. 10 Nashville, Tenn.

Source: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-most-affordable-places-to-retire.html

Our Imperiled Oceans

2008-09-09T06:48:00.001-07:00

The world's largest protected area, established this year in the remote Pacific, points the way to restoring marine ecosystems.

At first sight, the people of Kiribati, a nation of tiny islands in the central Pacific, would not appear to be model conservationists. Trash is abundant all along Tarawa, the capital island, a skinny atoll shaped like a backward L and crammed with 40,000 people. (It was the site of one of the costliest landings in World War II, in which 1,000 U.S. marines were killed.) The rustic charm of the traditional thatched houses, which have raised platform floors and no walls, is offset by the smell of human waste wafting from the beaches. The groundwater is contaminated. Infant mortality is high, life expectancy low. And yet this past January impoverished Kiribati established the world's largest protected area, a marine reserve the size of California.

It surrounds the Phoenix Islands, a remote, largely unpopulated archipelago 1,000 miles east of Tarawa. The 158,000-square-mile Phoenix Islands Protected Area, covering about 12 percent of Kiribati's watery domain, holds some of the world's most pristine coral reefs as well as a great abundance and diversity of tropical marine life. And it's the first reserve to place such a large area of open ocean off-limits to commercial fishing. The reserve is one of the planet's ecological bright spots, the boldest, most dramatic effort to save the oceans' coral reefs, the richest habitat in the seas. No wonder the I-Kiribati (pronounced ee-kiri-bahs, which is what the people call themselves; the country is pronounced kiri-bahs) want to showcase the reserve as a uniquely un- spoiled center for marine science, recreational diving and eco-tourism.

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/26868194.html

Macau Hits the Jackpot

2008-09-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday night and jet foils are pulling into Macau's ferry terminal every 15 minutes, bearing crowds from Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Shenzhen, each about 40 miles distant. A mile to the north, arrivals by land elbow their way toward customs checkpoints in a hall longer than two football fields. By 9 o'clock, visitors will arrive at the rate of some 16,000 an hour. They carry pockets full of cash and very little luggage. Most will stay one day or less. They will spend almost every minute in one of Macau's 29 casinos.

On their way to the hospitality buses that provide round-the-clock transit to the casinos, few of the land travelers will give more than a glance to a modest stone arch built in 1870 by the Portuguese, who administered Macau for almost 450 years.

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/26869304.html

Odyssey's End?: The Search for Ancient Ithaca

2008-09-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

A British researcher believes he has at last pinpointed the island to which Homer's wanderer returned and a new wealth of data supports his thesis.

For more than 2,000 years, scholars have been mystified—and intrigued—by a question central to our understanding of the ancient world: where is the Ithaca described in Homer’s Odyssey? The descriptions in the epic poem do not coincide with the geography of the modern island of Ithaca, one of the Ionian islands off the western coast of Greece.

Since 2003, an interdisciplinary team of geologists, classicists and archaeologists has proposed a paradigm-shifting answer to that longstanding mystery. Their breakthrough thesis—that the peninsula of Paliki on the Ionian island of Cephalonia is the site of ancient Ithaca—was revealed in Odysseus Unbound: The Search for Ancient Ithaca, published to acclaim by Cambridge University Press in 2006.

Today, in the journal Geoscientist, the team of pioneering scholars releases detailed results and photographs from research conducted during the first year of sponsorship by FUGRO, the global geotechnical, survey and geoscientific service company. The wealth of new data provides dramatic support for the thesis that Paliki is indeed the site of ancient Ithaca.

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/ithaca.html

Brisbane Eye

2008-09-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Brisbane Eye... taken by a friend while walking along South Bank Brisbane river. -- Photo sent by V

Brisbane eye

2008-09-09T06:38:00.003-07:00

Brisbane Eye... taken by a friend while walking along South Bank Brisbane river. -- Photo sent by V

Lake near Hengshui City

2008-09-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Photo from Hengshui City. Thanks to Prof Fu Yuhua

Hengshui City

2008-09-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Photo from Hengshui City. Thanks to Prof Fu Yuhua

Cyprus launches historic talks for peace deal

2008-09-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus leaders launch talks on September 3 to reunite the divided island in what diplomats say is the best chance in decades to end a conflict threatening Turkey's European Union aspirations.

Mediators are pinning hopes on two moderates -- newly elected Greek Cypriot Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Ali Talat -- for a realistic prospect of ending a feud that has long defied international efforts.

"This is the best chance on Cyprus in at least a generation," said a diplomat close to the talks, speaking on confition of anonymity. "Both leaders are genuinely committed for a deal, and that is what was lacking before."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080901/wl_nm/cyprus_talks_dc

Homeland

2008-08-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

South Oakland, where Andy Warhol came from.

Andy Warhol self-portrait

2008-08-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

A self-portrait by late U.S. pop artist Andy Warhol is seen hanging on a wall of the Art Museum in St. Gallen, Switzerland, which is pasted with an 'Andy Warhol Self-portrait' wallpaper, on Friday, June 11, 2004. (AP Photo/Keystone, R. Kuehne)

Source:http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Andy-Warhol/ss/events/lf/080608andywarhol;_ylt=An579CUVTSx1_cPKn2iW.dnlWMcF#photoViewer=/ydownload_ap/20080806/photos_net_ap_en/1218076116

Andy Warhol photo

2008-08-08T06:33:00.001-07:00

Pop artist Andy Warhol is shown in this file picture taken in 1987. Warhol died on Feb. 22, 1987. (AP Photo)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Andy-Warhol/ss/events/lf/080608andywarhol;_ylt=An579CUVTSx1_cPKn2iW.dnlWMcF#photoViewer=/ydownload_ap/20080806/photos_net_ap_en/1218076003

Absolut Warhol

2008-08-08T06:32:00.001-07:00

Andy Warhol's 1986 acrylic and silkscreen on canvas piece 'Absolut Warhol' is seen in a viewing room at the storage facility for the Absolut art collection on April 16, 2004, in New York. Warhol's piece was the first commissioned piece starting Absolut's art collection. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

Source:http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Andy-Warhol/ss/events/lf/080608andywarhol;_ylt=An579CUVTSx1_cPKn2iW.dnlWMcF#photoViewer=/ydownload_ap/20080806/photos_net_ap_en/1218057704

Marylin

2008-08-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

A cleaning person vacums in front of Andy Warhol's ''Marilyn Monroe'' collection at the Andy Warhol museum in the eastern Slovak town of Medzilaborce on July 15, 2008. The exhibition is being put off until September due to defective air conditioning, the venue in Slovakia said on Tuesday. (AFP/File/Joe Klamar)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Andy-Warhol/ss/events/lf/080608andywarhol;_ylt=An579CUVTSx1_cPKn2iW.dnlWMcF#photoViewer=/080729/photos_ennew_afp/8e32be5dac876bfeff40e4872b3db8f4

Superman

2008-08-08T06:30:00.001-07:00

A handout image from the Ardberg museum near Stockholm shows a lithograph by Andy Warhol titled "Superman".

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Andy-Warhol/ss/events/lf/080608andywarhol;_ylt=An579CUVTSx1_cPKn2iW.dnlWMcF#photoViewer=/080718/ids_photos_en/r629602198.jpg

Mickey Mouse

2008-08-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

Andy Warhol's "Mickey Mouse". A collection at Swedish art museum Friday by American icons Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Andy-Warhol/ss/events/lf/080608andywarhol;_ylt=An579CUVTSx1_cPKn2iW.dnlWMcF#photoViewer=/080718/photos_ts_wl_afp/23351c6c9e8503acb270452232ede461

Bali dancers

2008-07-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

This photo showing Bali dancers performing traditional dance. These local dancers have become popular thanks to various painting by modern painters.

The most famous was perhaps the German musician and painter, Walter Spies, who settled in Bali until the war broke out. His exquisite paintings introduced a new aesthetics, which the Balinese were quick to respond to and adopt. Miguel Covarrubias, the Mexican artist-anthropologist and his wife also settled in the Ubud area to create the great study, "Island of Bali", which remains unrivalled today as an exposition of Balinese culture. Also came Colin McPhee and his wife Jane Belo, who wrote "A House in Bali" and "Trance in Bali" respectively, and Margaret Mead with her husband, Gregory Bateson, who made important anthropological studies. The Dutch painter Rudolph Bonnet, Swiss Theo Meyer and the Belgian Le Mayeur de Perpres came to live in Bali, each creating and contributing to the development of painting which still flourishes on the island.

To read more: http://baliwww.com/bali-plus/history.htm

See these links if you are interested:
(a)http://paintings.balihand.com/product.php?cat=Bali+Dancer+Paintings

(b)http://www.flickr.com/photos/araleya/376152673/

(c)http://www.balihand.com/product.php?main=Paintings&sub=Bali+Dancer+Paintings

(d)http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/101195296/Oil_Painting_Bali_Dancer.html

Temple Dalem Agung

2008-07-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Another photo showing stone carving with Balinese style. Photo taken at Temple Dalem Agung.

The most important institution in Bali, temples reflect the important role religion plays in the life of the Balinese. A temple is a place for communicating with the divine spirits through offerings and prayers. On holy days, when the deities and ancestral spirits descend from heaven to visit earth, the temples, become centres of activity. Temple festivals are guide by purification by the sprinkling of holy water.

See also: http://indahnesia.com/indonesia/SEEBAL/see_bali.php

A temple gate

2008-07-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

This photo gives illustration of stone carving at the gate of a local temple in Bali. Most temples have similar carving art style which has Hindu influence.

Religious beliefs are celebrated in rituals and festivals that are said to lead a Balinese from birth to death and even into the afterworld. Balinese communities are all based on religious customs and holidays. Entertainment and social gatherings are set on the background of the Balinese religious calendar and its associated rituals. In Bali, religion permeates the culture and the Balinese cannot be thought of separately from their religion.

In this way Balinese Hinduism is much different from the Hinduism of India. In Bali, Hinduism developed in its own way. Balinese call their religion Agama Tirta, namely, science of the holy water. Agama Tirta is much closer to the natural world and is more animistic than the original Hinduism. Balinese believe that there are many ways to please God. Worshippers consider daily offerings and participation in village and temple festivals to be much more important than religious theories or beliefs. Bali is always full of a variety of such religious rituals and festivals.

To read more: http://www.oceanbluebali.com/NEW/Jan/html/service/destination.asp

Sacred Fountain

2008-07-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

The photo showing a Sacred Fountain at Kintamani temple. Local people believe the fountain water bring multitude healthy impact to its visitors, including youth.

Bali, called an "island of Gods," is a beautiful tropical island that is located in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago. Located eight degrees below the equator, it is 5620 square kilometers in size. You can see all of these in Bali: terraced rice paddies, volcanoes, thick tropical jungles, warm seawater, white sandy beaches, wonderful waves and friendly people who live keeping their traditions and culture.

In Bali, regardless of their age, all people can rest comfortably. Rich ancient traditions exist together with the modern shopping centers and facilities all over the island. The unique Balinese Hindu culture that has been observed through the history of the island is still alive and can be seen in the daily lives of the residents and in the various ceremonies and festivals held here as well as in the brilliant temples and palaces.

Bali with its many charming attractions, splendid beaches, rich natural environments and reasonable shopping and accommodations attracts tourists from all over the world.

To read more: http://www.oceanbluebali.com/NEW/Jan/html/service/destination.asp

Batur Temple at Kintamani

2008-07-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

This photo shows Prof F Smarandache at Batur Temple Located in Batur Village, Kintamani, near Mount Batur. The temple, consists of nine temples, is another popular temple in the island.

The principle temple, Pura Penataran Agung Batur, houses five multi-tiered shrines dedicated to deities and saints. Each pura serves a specific purpose, spiritual (in honor of the gods) or worldly (agriculture, craftwork, hot springs and the like). People, especially farmers come from all over Bali to worship Vishnu because of the temple's strong connection with irrigation and proximity to Lake Batur. Each year, a grand temple festival takes place here during the 10th Balinese month.

See here for more photo from Mount Batur: http://travel.webshots.com/album/560245540TtShZn

To read more: http://www.oceanbluebali.com/NEW/Jan/html/service/destination.asp

Besakih Temple at Mount Agung

2008-07-27T07:24:00.001-07:00

This photo shows Prof F Smarandache praising to Hyang Widhi at Besakih Temple at Mount Agung, Bali Island. The temple is one of the most popular temples in the island.

High on the slopes of Bali's Mount Agung sits Pura Besakih, widely referred to as the "Mother Temple" of Hinduism in Bali. Pura Besakih, or Besakih Temple in English, is the largest of the island's 11,000 or so Hindu temples; its 35 shrines and halls draw devotees from all over Bali in massive numbers each year.

Over a thousand years old, steps ascend through split gates to the main courtyard where the Trinity shrines are wrapped in cloth and decorated with flower offerings.
Around the three main temples dedicated to the Trinity: Shiva, Brahma and Wisnu, are 18 separate sanctuaries belonging to different regencies and caste groups.

To the Balinese, a visit to the temples sanctuaries is a special pilgrimage. Each has its own anniversary celebration or "Odalan". The sight of the temple against the background of the mountain is impressive and during festivals, coloured banners add a touch of gaiety.

See also:
http://indahnesia.com/indonesia/SEEBAL/see_bali.php
http://goseasia.about.com/od/sacredsites/Sacred_Sites_Temples_Churches_and_Mosques_of_Southeast_Asia.htm

Other book: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120085257/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Turtles at Benoa

2008-07-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Large Turtles at Tanjung Benoa are also example of preserved species. They have become tourists' interest since long time ago, because some of them are believed to get alive until as old as a century.

Species reserved

2008-07-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

This photo showing example of aves species reserved from extinction.

Taken: may 2006

Phyton

2008-07-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

This image displays a traditional sensation (the same with Indian and elsewhere), a performance with phyton.

Terrace of Blanco Museum

2008-07-27T07:14:00.001-07:00

Another photo showing Western-style influence to art in Bali island, located at Terrace of Blanco Museum, Campuan, Ubud.

The Blanco Renaissance Museum

The Blanco museum embodies Antonio Blanco's life and dreams. Built in his former home on the gentle hilltops of Campuan, Ubud since December 28th 1998, the Blanco Museum exudes a rococo charm. Many streams of Balinese life converge in this extraordinary building, as the museum site continues to represent the Balinese world as seen through Blanco's eyes.

Blanco built the museum to commemorate his love for Bali and to house his important works. It is built on 20k square meters land in accordance with the precepts of the Hindu faith. The three stories are symbolic of Balinese faith, and represent the Upper, Middle and Lower worlds, where Gods, man and Demons all have a rightful place, hence, the topmost floor of the museum houses the artist's most esoteric works.
A huge green Italian marble archway in 15 meters height fronts the entrance steps, that are also guarded by two massive mythical stone dragons. The fountain in front of the entrance is an emissary of the waves of the sea, also connected to the whole cosmos. The museum has a pair of stairs symbolizing all duality in the material world. The second level of the museum represents the Middle world. It is here that Antonio Blanco's poetry is conserved.

(ps: the distinction between the 'Upper' World and 'Middle' World may remind us to JRR Tolkien's epic Lord of The Ring trilogy).

To read more: http://www.oceanbluebali.com/NEW/Jan/html/service/destination.asp

Coconut ice

2008-07-27T07:11:00.001-07:00

A photo showing a local beverage from tropical island: the coconut with ice. It is a favorite drink especially under hot-dry sun.

At Merapi Volcano

2008-07-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken near Merapi Volcano, showing activities of the volcano at those days. Merapi Volcano is one of the largest mount in the Central Java island.

Mannequin

2008-07-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

A mannequin of a guard from Paku Buwono style in Mataram Palace, Jogyakarta.

Western-style statue

2008-07-27T07:05:00.001-07:00

A statue inside the Mataram Palace at Jogyakarta, showing Western-style influence in Javanese art.

Traditional clothes

2008-07-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

This photo taken at museum inside Mataram Palace, showing traditional clothes. Nowadays these clothing style remains to be used in ceremonies, like wedding ceremonies in Javanese style.

Gamelan set

2008-07-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

A set of gamelan, a classic Javanese music tools. These tools are usually used to perform classical music for dances, puppet shows (wayang) etc.

This photo is taken at Pengging, Central Java, May 2006

Traditional dance

2008-07-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

An example of rich cultural activities surrounding the Borobudur Temple is traditional dance, performing periodically.

At the bottom of Temple

2008-07-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here is photo showing Prof F Smarandache at the bottom of Borobudur Temple, a largest temple located at Central Java. This temple also once belonged to one of the World's Magnificent Seven.

Indonesia needs to develop its tourism infrastructure

2008-07-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

Indonesia needs to develop its tourism infrastructure
to attract more overseas tourists to visit the
country, as the 2008 Travel and Tourism (T&T)
Competitiveness Index report says that index for the
Indonesian infrastructure is the lowest.

The report is also highlighting the health and
hygiene, cultural resources, and Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure sectors
to be the lowest sub-indicator points among other
sub-indicators.

The indicators on the report, which was released on
March 4 by the World Economic Forum, are divided into
three major categories of competitiveness strength
from 1 to 7 scale: Regulatory framework
competitiveness; Business environment and
infrastructure; and Human, cultural and natural
resources indicators.

The report, under the theme Balancing Economic
Development and Environmental Sustainability, ranks
Indonesia as 80th out of 130 countries, with its
overall index decreasing from 4.2 to 3.7 this year.

In 2007's report, Indonesia was on the 60th rank of
the 124 countries.

Despite the decreasing scale of its index of last
year, Indonesia has attracted at least 5.51 million
foreign tourists visited Indonesia in 2007, up from
4.87 million in 2006 and the international tourist
arrivals have brought more than US$ 4.45 million last
year.

According to UN World Tourism Organization, the travel
and tourism sector in Indonesia has brought US$ 10.17
million of gross domestic products (GDP) and employed
nearly 2 million people to work within the industry
last year.

The World Travel and Tourism Council is estimating the
country to reach 5.7 percent annual growth on its GDP
and the employment growth will increase 1.5 percent
annually.

Meanwhile, the highest ranked country for the T&T
competitiveness within the South-East Asia regions is
Singapore, for placing the first place among the seven
South-East Asian countries listed or the 16th rank out
of 130 total countries with its overall index
decreasing from 5.31 to 5.06 this year.

Followed by Malaysia, which is on the 32nd rank of the
total 130 countries with its overall index 4.63,
Thailand is on the 42nd rank with index 4.37,
Indonesia is on the 80th rank with index 3.7,
Philippines is on the 81st rank with index 3.70,
Vietnam is on the 96th rank with index 3.57, and
Cambodia is on the 112th rank with index 3.32.

Indonesia is on the 4th position among the seven
Southeast Asian countries on the list.

Not like Indonesia who has significant dropped on its
scale index of last year report, Switzerland, Austria
and Germany remain the top three countries, which have
the most attractive environments for developing the
travel and tourism industry, as the report says.

This second annual report, is also consecutively
listed Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the
United States, Sweden, Canada and France as countries
in its top ten list, which have most appealing natures
to attract visitors after the three countries above.

The 2008 T&T report index uses hard data from publicly
available sources such as the International Air
Transport Association (IATA), the World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO), the World Trade Organization
(WTO), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as
well as survey data from the World Economic Forum’s
Executive Opinion Survey which provides unique
information on many qualitative institutional and
business environment issues.

The World Economic Forum is an independent
international non-profit organization, based in
Geneva, Switzerland, committed to improving the state
of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to
shape global, regional and industry agendas.

The forum was first established in January 1971 when a
group of European business leaders met under the
patronage of the European Commission and European
industrial associations.

Neutrosophic Logic Presentation at Middle Java

2008-07-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

This is another image taken Prof F Smaran- dache while giving his lecture on his Neutrosophic Logic theory at a Central (Middle) Java university. The audiences were more than 50 people, mostly students from electronics department. Some questions were quite interesting, on robotics etc.

Taken: May 2006

Indonesia National Monument

2008-07-23T07:04:00.001-07:00

Here is Prof F Smarandache with Indonesia National Monument at the background. It is one of the most-often cited monument from the country.

Taken: may 2006

Indonesia traditional cuisine

2008-07-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

Indonesia traditional culinary is as diverse as national's native languages. With thousands of tribes each are eager to keep their own traditional culinary, the image shown above is only a small part of vast array of Java Indonesia traditional cuisine.

Taken : May 2006

Indonesia National Museum

2008-07-23T05:41:00.001-07:00

This image was taken by Prof F Smarandache, during his visit around 2 years ago. The Indonesia National Museum is a national landmark for visitors just coming to Indonesia.
The collection of the museum covers both ancient history and also modern history (20th) century of the country. It offers compelling insight of how the country evolved throughout the course of history. It is simply worth to visit.

Taken: mid May 2006.

New blog on New energy

2008-06-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

There is new blog dedicated to New Energy issues:

http://newenergy.blogspot.com

Welcome to this new blogspot!

Yours
admin@sciprint.org

Stop Whining and Start Leading

2008-06-20T07:23:00.001-07:00

We all know people who suffer from "victimitis" -- the poor-little-me syndrome whose verbal symptoms include: "They are doing it to me again," "There's nothing I can do," "It's all their fault." Indeed, many supervisors and middle managers agree that victimitis is a big problem at work.

Unfortunately, they don't recognize the extent of their own infection.

Looking right past themselves, they look for ways to change everyone else. They aspire to lead but end up demoralizing their own teams and frustrating themselves by choosing to be disempowered by their bosses. They give away their power by believing that they don't have any. They unwittingly fall for the cult of heroic management -- the notion that leadership comes down from on high.

These middle leaders could energize their teams and organizations. Instead they Dilbertize their workplaces by living in Pity City and modelling helplessness and cynicism. They often complain bitterly as they wait for their boss and others higher in the organization to open doors for them. But they don't realize that the handle is on the inside.

It's all too easy to point fingers upward and shake our heads in disgust. It is much harder to point our finger at the mirror as another potential source of our leadership problems. As journalist and author P.J. O'Rourke puts it: "When we do find someone to blame, it's remarkable how often his picture turns up on your driver's licence."

Research on high-performing organizations that adapt rapidly to change increasingly points to the crucial role of middle and lower managers.

European Institute of Business Administration professor Quy Nguyen Huy found that at companies making lasting, effective changes, middle managers are far better than most senior managers at leveraging informal networks and staying attuned to employees' emotional needs.

Source: http://www.saferpak.com/leadership_art3.htm

Happiness Formula

2008-06-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

From Mr Scott Adams' Diary:

I fantasize about writing a book called The Happiness Formula. The idea would be to create a simple formula for troubleshooting your life and improving your happiness. On page one would be this top formula.

Happiness = health + money + social life + meaning

The rest of the book would be nested formulas that further explain each component of happiness. For example…

Health = sleep + diet + exercise

And then down another level…

Sleep = schedule + technique

And down another level until it starts getting practical…

Sleep Technique = consistent bedtime and waking time + no reading or TV in bed + no booze or caffeine…

And so on.

To make the Happiness Formulas extra useful, the highest priorities would appear first (leftmost) in the formula. For example, in the top Happiness Formula (Happiness = health + money + social life + meaning), health is a higher priority than money, which is a higher priority than social life, etc.

I realize you’ll argue with my ranking of priorities and point out all the exceptions. For example, if you have no money, you can’t afford to be healthy. But the formula only shows priorities, not absolutes. Obviously you always need a source of money, but the priority list shows that you shouldn’t take a job with high pay that will significantly affect your health. It makes more sense to get healthy and then leverage your health to get the best job. (Healthy looking people land better jobs and are more highly paid. Their brains work better too, and they have more energy.)

I rank money higher than social life or meaning because once you have money, those other things are easier to get. For example, you won’t have much of a social life if you can’t afford to do anything. And you can’t make money if your health is a mess.

source: http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/03/happiness_formu.html

Online marketers wanted!

2008-06-16T02:19:00.000-07:00

We're looking for a number of online marketers to promote our 'Cultural advantage for Cities' ebook. Interested? Send your email and list of previous marketing project/clients to email: vxianto@yahoo.com or vxianto@gmail.com before end of June 2008.

administrator
vxianto@gmail.com

toCaf.com -- social network for cook lovers

2008-05-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

Are you a souschef and chef looking for colleagues
whom you can share your next great idea with? Or just
want to find an old friend from college days?

Or are you a housewife looking for a better way to
make your husband feels more at home?

Or just looking for a good kitchen-tested recipe for
your next gathering event?

You can find it in http://toCaf.com -- social network
for cook lovers.

Yes, toCaf.com is a online place for international
culinary lovers sharing their idea, concept or trend
of food, and especially their own secret recipes.

Come and join us at http://toCaf.com -- social network
for cook lovers.

Travel & tourism: A new itinerary

2008-05-18T00:18:00.000-07:00

Both as destinations and as new sources of tourists, emerging economies are transforming the travel industry.

The rise of emerging economies marks the third revolution the travel industry has undergone in the past 50 years. The first came in the 1960s, in the shape of cheap air travel and package tours. Rising incomes enabled people of modest means to travel more, to farther-flung parts of the globe, and to take advantage of “all-in” offers that may have included sightseeing trips, scuba diving or camel rides. The second was the advent of the internet, which has allowed millions to book flights, hotels, hire cars and package tours without going near a high-street travel agent.

Now fast-growing emerging economies—not just Dubai but also the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and others, such as South Korea and Vietnam—are changing the world of travel once again, either as destinations or as sources of newly affluent travellers. Often, citizens of these countries are visiting similar, emerging lands.

The WTTC claims that travel and tourism is the world's biggest industry in terms of its contribution to global GDP and employment.

Source:
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=11374574

Cultural Advantage for Cities (book)

2008-05-12T00:35:00.000-07:00

After more than a decade Michael Porter’s book Competitive Advantage of Nations stays ahead of the other books, in particular as alternative framework from the comparative advantage idea inspired by Adam Smith.

This small book is merely a small proposition, a postscript perhaps, to Porter’s book, with basic idea that one cannot rely merely on industrial processes alone to keep stay ahead of market changes. Hence, for cities in developing countries the municipal shall find out their city’s potential resources, and develop their city starting from there, instead of striving blindly in the conventional industrial path.

What we would like to emphasize here is the word ‘alternative’ in this book title. What we mean is that the proposed strategy is not always true for all conditions. for instance, in Hawaii, where industrialization and resources are very few the best strategy is perhaps to foster its 'cultural approach'. Meanwhile for other cities where there is no extensive cultural potential, then industrialization approach seems still working.

After all we do not pretend to have the last word on proper remedies to problems encountered by each developing country. It would need substantial study based on each particular country’s problems, contexts and resources.

To read more, you can download the complete ebook in www.sciprint.org --> user --> culturaladvantage. This is zipped file with password, to get the password, send $28 via paypal.com to email: vxianto@gmail.com. Then forward the paypal notification to the same email address.

admin@podtime.net

==========

Note: the photo shown above is Adam Smith. Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/June-2008

Zimbu: Does evolution gives advantage to monkey?

2008-05-10T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hi,

If you use PC quite extensively, you may think as I do that perhaps it shall be better if we have special-wing to click the 'mouse' without leaving our two hands from the keypad. Sometimes I also wonder whether it is possible to configure these tools in a more efficient way.

And then yesterday I find that Dilbert also had had similar conversation with Zimbu (see Dilbert comic strip). [1] Zimbu is a monkey that company hired for specific tasks on PC, and it uses its tail to click the mouse so it can do it faster than human does. [2][3]

One day, Dilbert had had enough with Zimbu and warned that it cannot use tail to click 'mouse'. But Zimbu replied, that Dilbert only doesn't realize the irony side of the situation, that human has created PC with user-intuitive interfaces that enable monkeys to do their tails for their own advantages. In other words, according to Zimbu, time has come that evolution beats human back with their own technologies. Zimbu concludes that 'I can hear the evolution clocks tick tick tick...'

Frankly speaking, I think that Zimbu has something deep to say (behind this ironic humor), that perhaps human has created cultures, technologies etc which unfortunately are going to beat human back. For instance, we keep on produce pollution, and nature send us back acid rain etc.

Then perhaps it seems time has come to think whether we shall do re-thinking of this culture which has become so destructive for human being themselves. I just remember Fritjof Capra's book The Turning Point, which essentially reminds us of this hard-science, hard technology [4]. Now it seems time has come to switch our culture towards soft-science and more human approach to Nature.

VC
admin@podtime,net

Further reading:

[1] "Zimbu. A monkey who humiliates Dilbert and Wally by constantly outperforming them. He uses his tail to operate the computer mouse" http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_characters_in_Dilbert

[2] http://www.a-a-p.org/presentations.html

[3] http://www.zimbu.org/

[4] www.mountainman.com.au/capra_0.html

[5] http://www.wplus.net/pp/Julia/Capra/Cpt1.htm