Sixth Annual NaBloPoMo

It's almost November!  That means it's almost NaBloPoMo time!

Blogger Eden Kennedy founded NaBloPoMo in November 2006 as a "goof" on National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo. Kennedy challenged bloggers to post every day for the month of November.

And people did.

I got the "Close, but no Cigar" award last year. I am entering again this year and intend to do a little better. We'll see. 

The folks who run NaBloPoMo have recently moved their site to BlogHer.com. They say guys are still welcome to post. We'll see about that, too. 

I have to admit, I am a bit dubious.  

Blogging is about improving writing skills as judged in the minds of readers. NaBloPoMo is about a community encouraging each other to do just that--achieve a life well said. I am inclined to support the equality agenda as opposed to the feminist agenda. 

How would female bloggers feel if the site were moved to DudesWhoBlog.com? 

Thrive: What on Earth Will it Take?

Thrive.

The video is intriguing and fairly self-explanatory. Have a look and let me know what you think. Is there universal power in some geometric forms? Do certain symbols offer proof of extraterrestrial intelligence? Does our future on this planet depend upon our ability to harness the power of the Torus?

Some additional information and reference material for those of you whose interest is piqued:

Torus defined and illustrated

Interesting paper Geometry of the Cosmos 

The surface area and interior volume of a torus are easily computed using Pappus's centroid theorem 

 

Please see ThriveMovement.com for more information


Hit tap: Jhymnal

"No, I Eat Both Vegetables And Humans"

Photo: http://bit.ly/uDwsMQ

Mr Costello, are you an avowed vegetarian?

Just like, uh, your opinion, man...

My favorite OWS poster, by far. Can you just hear the Dude's voice speaking that line?

Hat tip: MCG, Priestess of Dudeism

How Recruiters Use Social Networks to Screen Candidates

Do recruiters use Social Networks to screen candidates? Absolutely. As they should!

Those of us who use social media would do well to read and heed Mashable's fascinating information graphic.

Visit Mashable for a closer look.

Hat Tip: April

Dear Occupy Wall Street ...

Original Photo HERE

Dave Ramsey writes a clear and balanced critique of the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement in this recent article. He lists some common demands that have fueled OWS and sparked similar Occupy... protests around the world. These demands include:

 “No Government Bailouts!”
“Down With Corporate Greed!”
"Wealth Redistribution Is the Answer!”

For each stated demand, Ramsey provides a direct, and sometimes pithy, response. His bottom line is that while OWS has values that are admirable, there is no coherent, actionable plan. Without a plan, the actions are not likely to produce any real change.

Ramsey's article is not so much a defense of capitalism as an appeal for the OWS movement to come up with something concrete, born of values, and capable of being challenged in debate.

Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, has given us one of the best Value-Focused Thinking quotes ever, He said, "The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands."  Start with values. Make a plan. Grade results against values, not against the plan. 

Values (Heart). Get the values right or the numbers don't matter
Plan (Head). Get the numbers right, or the results don't matter.
Action (Hands). Execute the plan and get results that matter.

The OWS movement has clearly tapped into an issue that resonates around the globe. If the OWS movement will accomplish anything, they must find a way to present their values in a concrete way. They must develop an actionable plan that's open to review and which lends itself to modeling and testing. Without an actionable plan, the leaderless OWS movement will soon be ignored as just so many malcontents.

Compare and contrast OWS with the Tea Party. As James Sinclair's Venn diagram below shows, the two groups have similar issues. While neither group claims a single leader, the Tea Party has managed to produce a platform and to advance its values in an organized fashion.  

James Sinclair's original Venn diagram HERE

Hat tip to Randy for bringing the Dave Ramsey article to my attention

More about Dave Ramsey HERE

Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network

Courtesy of Organization for Tropical Studies, a member of the TEAM network - http://www.teamnetwork.org/

Conservation International

Volcan Barva, Costa Rica. Panthera onca (Jaguar) - largest cat in the western hemisphere and a near threatened species.

This image is one of nearly 52,000 photos of 105 mammal species, taken as part of the first global camera trap mammal study done by the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network.

To learn more visit: http://www.conservation.org/

Hat tip: Mark

PERMITTED USE: This image may be downloaded at no charge for one-time use for the first “Global Camera Trap Mammal” study. No copying, distribution or archiving permitted. No sublicensing, sale or resale permitted.

REQUIRED CREDIT AND CAPTION: All image uses must be properly credited to Organization for Tropical Studies as part of the TEAM Network Partnership/www.teamnetwork.org. All images must be accompanied by a caption, which makes reference to the first “Global Camera Trap Mammal” study. Any uses in which the image appears without proper credit and caption referencing the “First Global Camera Trap Mammal Study” are subject to a separate written use agreement.