PowerPoint Is Evil:

PowerPoint Is Evil:

'Power Corrupts. PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely' says Edward R. Tufte, professor emeritus of political science, computer science and statistics, and graphic design at Yale.
Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to make us beautiful but didn't. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication. These side effects would rightly lead to a worldwide product recall.
Yet slideware -computer programs for presentations - is everywhere: Several hundred million copies of Microsoft PowerPoint are churning out trillions of slides each year. Slideware may help speakers outline their talks, but convenience for the speaker can be punishing to both content and audience. The standard PowerPoint presentation elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch. Read the full story: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html

Dr. Martin Seligman on Happiness:

Dr. Martin Seligman on Happiness:

Psychologist Martin Seligman has identified three components of happiness: the hedonic life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life.

- Hedonic is the most fleeting – it is the pleasure we get from buying a new television or from eating chocolate.

- Engaged is what you are when you are absorbed by what you’re doing, usually to the extent that time flies.

- The meaningful life is a life that serves something beyond yourself, whether religious faith or helping others.
Seligman believes that happiness can be improved. Most people concentrate too much on hedonic happiness – which feels good at the time but offers little lasting impact – and too little on engaged and meaningful happiness.

By discovering your strengths – those activities that engage you the most – and concentrating on developing those areas that offer lasting happiness, overall mental wellbeing can be increased.

In general, Seligman recommends that people be thankful for what they have rather than focus on negatives, help others, savour the smallest pleasures, formally express gratitude to people who help them, learn to forgive, and spend time with family and friends. Essentially, people will be happiest when living a good life rather than trying to acquire pleasure.
See www.authentichappiness.org for tests and other exercises.

The Earth Charter - Social Change Agents in Action

The Earth Charter - Social Change Agents in Action

The development of the Earth Charter is a great example of how a small group of change agents can have a major global impact. The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society for the 21st century

Spearheaded by change agent Mikhail Gorbachev, The Earth Charter was created by the largest global consultation process ever associated with an international declaration with inputs from more than 5000 people. The Earth Charter has been endorsed by thousands of organizations representing millions of individuals. Many thousands of individuals have also endorsed the Earth Charter

The 4 principles of the Earth Charter:

1. Respect and Care for the Community of Life

2. 2.Ecological Integrity

3. 3.Social and Economic Justice

4. 4.Democracy, Non-Violence and Peace

Learn more about the Earth Charter http://www.earthcharter.org/