MuseClouds

Well, this post may be inspirational or non-inspirational. It depends on your point of view. From my point of view … I’m still undecided, but there’s definitely an inspirational part in the end. This is the kind of stuff where big claims about big guns are made, i.e. the perfect place for conspiracy theories to develop. I’m still overly skeptic, mainly because I don’t have enough information about this subject so, I’ve not taken any position yet. I truly believe economics take the leading role in every decision, as we notice it happening more and more. We can now access immense information enabling us to explore deeper the inner workings of mankind as a whole, so nothing is impossible, everything is possible, but let us not rush to the conclusions. Anyway, I’m blogging about this because I want you to look at the 11 (yes, 11!) videos on this post and tell me what you think of them, if you have the time to see them all. It takes just a few to get into the theme.

Rima E. Laibow is the Medical Director of the Natural Solutions Foundation and she has been a drugs-free, natural medicine practitioner for 35 years. I’m all about natural treatments too because I’ve witnessed that my organism responds much better to some of them when compared to their drug-based counterparts. Anyway, back to what I was saying, Dr. Rima Laibow seems to be a pretty trustable and knowledgeable source and you’ll hear her making some really bold statements in the videos. All about Codex Alimentarius, a programme created in 1963 by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the WHO (World Health Organization) to develop standards and guidelines, in order to protect consumer health and ensure fair trade policies in food trade, as well as coordinating food standards work by international organizations. I won’t go into further detail, because the videos are long and full of it so, just watch.

Last month, Dr. Rima Laibow has been present as a public observer in the Codex Alimentarius Commission Meeting in Geneve. These are her reports from there and you can see how concerned this woman is about the developing countries. Best of all, she’s not just talking about it. She’s ready and in action! Another life servicing other’s needs. Beautiful!

Well, it still is! At least when I want to fill the gas tank on my car. This is an interesting graph comparing the relative price of some well-known liquids. I found it on this blog. It’s probably a bit old, but still funny to look at anyway.

Also from Nick Vujicic, of whom I posted earlier today, comes a motivational program aptly named “Attitude is Altitude“. I’m so happy he’s using his life to help and inspire others. He’s turned his disabilities into major blessings, not only for him, but for so many others, and that’s a great gift we all should take the time to enjoy. And I do believe every word he says. He’s the living proof of it all!

Nick speaks from experience. He was born with no arms and no legs. To most this would be a great detriment, but to Nick it was a challenge to triumph . Yes, the other children insulted him, poked fun, and asked many questions. There were bouts of great despair and darkness, but Nick made a conscious effort to prevail and to dream big. Realizing it was about how he perceived his own situation, Nick changed the course of his life. He had a purpose. Today people gather strength from Nick and tap into their own worth, as he guides them through an insightful method of achieving greatness, regardless of situation.

Nick’s inspirational program is sure to captivate the world. People will learn how to overcome adversity, persevere under any circumstance and attain the height of their ambition. Nick Vujicic is reaching out to the corporate world and the educational system with powerful words of encouragement. We all matter!

There’s simply no words for describing this amazing 25 year old boy from Melbourne, Australia. He’s a real and true life lesson to everyone. Why do I whine and complain when I’ve got so many reasons and blessings to be thankful for? Nick Vujicic is a beautiful and powerful example of how God can give our lives a purpose no matter who we are, and how He can make our journey a truly inspiring experience for us, for those around us, forever.

You can find Nick’s website at: www.lifewithoutlimbs.org.

A beautiful and inspiring venture by a young girl named Cassidy. Back in July 2006 she started a blog with a mission: sell Playful Pancakes, a cool name for handmade toys for cats, and giving all the money to Kids for Kids, an organization that helps poor children living in Darfur and Sudan, by buying goats. This is an amazing and sustainable idea that can really make a difference, regarding their specific needs:

Kids for Kids lends 6 goats to a family for 2 years - providing milk for the children, and forming the nucleus of a little flock. They agree not to sell the Kids for Kids goats and they sign an undertaking to care for them in trust - but the kids are theirs. After 2 years they pass on 6 first born offspring to another family in need. And so on. Donating even one little goat makes an enormous difference because its offspring will go to another family, and another.

When the project started, each Playful Pancake sale was enough to buy a goat, but with the ongoing inflation and a new lower pancake sales price of $14, they now need 3 pancakes to do so. The project has moved on to a new website and domain and, as of April 2008, they have bought 250 goats. So, please give Cassidy a visit and, who knows, you might end helping her in this important mission too! And not having a cat is not an excuse. Playful Pancakes are great for dogs too!

Just read in the news about a recent study conducted by Microsoft Research tracking all Microsoft Messenger conversations from June 2006 (30 billion instant messages sent by 240 million people). As the researchers, Jure Leskovec and Eric Horvitz, state in their publication abstract:

We investigate on a planetary-scale the oft-cited report that people are separated by “six degrees of separation” and find that the average path length among Messenger users is 6.6.

You can read more about the subject on this news story. If you don’t want to read the entire publication, Mashable has also put up a great post on the subject back in March with a map showing the messenger use distribution across the globe.

Although this study is not considered scientifically reliable, the idea behind it, which is not new, inspired a play, a TV series, a film, a game and SixDegrees.org, a brilliant charitable initiative of actor Kevin Bacon in partnership with Network for Good. Also built upon this concept is ConnectingCadence, a social mapping network tracing the connections between you and those people important to you.

Reality or not, it’s an inspiring thought for sure!

I have to tell you about one of the best websites to go for inspiration: TED. Almost every speech there can touch you in so many different ways… I just recently got time to watch some new videos, because they’re usually longer than most of the canned content we get to see on sites like YouTube. TED speeches are usually not the kind you can go and watch several in a row, because you start loosing the message you just heard. They are that powerful, and you have to take the time to fully absorb them. Most little gems in life do require our time and attention.

Benjamin Zander is an English-American conductor and the music director for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He’s also an highly regarded interpreter of Mahler and Beethoven. However, he’s a lot more than a conductor or, as the small description on TED says: he “has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it — and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections”. That’s the most amazing part of his speech besides the music, as he goes on to a deeper level where everything he says can be applied to almost every aspect of our lifes. I would lie if I told you I wasn’t moved by this presentation. He’s someone that truly inspires and I hope that you take the time to watch the entire video.

As a side note, back in 2002, Benjamin published a book which I didn’t know of: The Art of Possibility - Transforming Professional and Personal Life. I’m now certainly interested in reading it!