XYBOOM Conference Discusses Workplace Community

Posted on January 12, 2012 by John Horn

[Editor's note: whether you're an un-or-under-employed Millennial, Gen Xer, or Baby Boomer, you should be paying attention to an upcoming awesometastic collaboration between Service Canada, My Loudspeaker, the post-secondary community, and many change-making businesses from Metro Vancouver and beyond. It's called the XYBOOM Conference and it will be community-building at its finest!]

Vancouver, BC – January 10, 2012 – When a business loses an employee, it loses more than a staff member: employee turnover is estimated to cost more than double the cost of retainment. Loss of productivity, resources and time spent re-hiring and training are some of the burdens of employee replacement. The BC Business Council urges businesses to be more competitive in their retention strategies, suggesting investing in succession planning and staff development as solutions. The XYBOOM Conference seeks to address these issues with a dynamic, intergenerational approach.

Sustainable hiring systems and employee development and retention are key topics to be addressed at the conference on January 20th. This unique initiative, funded primarily by Service Canada brings togther business professionals and youth with experts from three generations – X,Y and Baby Boomer – to collaborate on finding strategies and solutions on mitigating the growing labour shortage.

The conference offers more than ten industry panelists who have diverse career backgrounds – including expertise in human resources, intercultural understanding, workplace organization and strategic marketing – as well as engaging, participatory workshops sessions, guaranteeing attendees will leave with strategies and insights on the issues at hand.

“The conference plays an important role in mitigating the pending labour shortage as baby boomers exit the workforce” says Alden Habacon, UBC Director of Intercultural Understanding Strategy Development and XYBOOM panelist. With baby boomers beginning to retire and a looming labour shortage, employee replacement is becoming a growing financial burden for unprepared businesses. Higher retention rates give businesses a competitive edge during labour shortages.

Business applications for XYBOOM will be accepted at www.xyboom.ca.

Hosted by My Loud Speaker, the XYBOOM Conference will be held on January 20th from 9-5pm at the Yaletown Roundhouse. This not-for-profit event will also include a live streaming feature for off-site youth participants across the Lower Mainland, XYBOOM awards for businesses, case study reports and an interactive art installation created by Gen Why Media Project at the W2 atrium from Jan 19-21st.

Please visit www.xyboom.ca for more information on the conference, issues at hand, and a complete guest panelist list.

Devon Wong – Media Relations
604 250 4662 | www.xyboom.ca
XYBOOM: January 20, 2012

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Masthead photo (The Train at the Roundhouse Theatre in Yaletown) courtesy of goldberg

Stories from the Writers’ Room: Kids, Creativity and Careers

Posted on December 30, 2011 by John Horn

A burgeoning superstar being tutored by a gentleman in a plaid shirt who needs to do a better job of knowing when the camera's on him...

Last week I was lucky enough to work with Sarah Maitland and the Kidsafe Writers’ Room team to create and deliver some superawesome – and super educational – literacy programming for kids from East Vancouver during their Winter Holiday Break. The program content was career-related – Wait, where are you going? No, trust me, it was fun and not serious at all and you will enjoy reading this!- and it was absolutely inspiring to work with over 160 kids as they invented their jobs of the future.

Fun fact: a student who enrolled in college or university in September 2011 will probably work in a job that does not exist today. For this reason, I often encourage post-secondary students who I meet to imagine and/or create future work that will address future challenges/opportunities and to consider the skills that will be needed to tackle this kind of work. It’s not my idea, but one that stems from guru/personal-hero, Jim Bright, who teaches the aptly-named Chaos Theory of Careers to students, practitioners and job seekers the world-over.

Needless to say, I was extremely curious and very excited to see how the kids, who ranged in age from five to fifteen, treated this exercise. For starters, here is a selection of some of the job titles that were created:

Teacher
Space Cooker
Cleaner
Driver
The World Helpers (there was a “Kids with Problems” helper, an Animal Helper, and a Health Helper)
Sky Welder
Inventor
Physicist
Super Spy
Star Gatherer
Owner of a Petting Zoo for Endangered Species
Poop Collector
TV Watcher
Video Game Tester
Fart Soldier
Princess
Social Worker
Toy Maker
Solar Plane Engineer
Veterinarian
Inventor of the Massaging Toilet

Interesting. And awesome.

So, how did the kids get here? Well, before working with some exceptional volunteer tutors to complete an activity sheet (pictured), I engaged the kids in a discussion about jobs – and work – that has come and gone over the last 150 years; the idea was that the kids needed to know what work started and stopped, and when it did, in order to get a sense of what might come in the future. The discussion was actually more of a yell-fest (there should be more yelling in school, in my opinion), as I brought up volunteers who held up a picture of a job (e.g. Lamplighter or Pony Express Rider), which I explained to the group, and then moved it along a giant time line (crafted on a huge piece of white paper), which spanned from 1875 to 2025. When they got to a point on the time line that the audience didn’t agree with, we all booed. And when the kid got to the right spot (this differed from group to group, as some of the kids felt that vinyl record production stopped in 2010) everybody cheered.

And that’s how we got to the activity sheets. Here are some examples of the great work these kids did:

I’ll go so far as to say that pretty much everybody enjoyed the group-activity (even Lucy, the intractable volunteer who experienced/put-up-with all 10 of my workshops); however, watching the kids – especially the boys – tackle the worksheets was a bit different. About half of the kids immediately took to the activity. The others, well, I can safely say – and I say it with much fairness – that not everyone became immediately super-enthusiastic about their career during the holidays…when they’re eight years old. And here’s the magical thing: as soon as the activity was framed with the questions ‘what do you like to do?’ and ‘how can you turn that into something that you could do for work?’ nearly everyone got into it. Oh, and the fact that the kids got to draw pictures as themselves doing the work was pretty darn fantastic. Especially the Fart Soldier!

Describing the very good feelings that bubbled within when the kids proudly shared their pictures and stories with me and especially when they excitedly (and some, I’ll admit, begrudgingly) commented on the value of the exercise and that thinking about a future career – or simply what careers might look like in the future – was “really helpful” or “important” or “pretty cool” is difficult to say the least. So I’ll just say that working with kids in a way that helps them to think about blending interests, talent, passion, and future possibilities in the world of work was as enjoyable as it was meaningful.

So, what’s the work that you want to tackle in the future?

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All photos courtesy of Sarah Maitland

The Early Entrepreneurs Experiment

Posted on December 28, 2011 by John Horn

This is all kinds of community-awesome.

Earlier today, Friend of The ‘Boot, Zac Whyte, shared the video below, which is a very awesome Taylor Conroy’s Destroy Normal campaign. Check it out here:

Simply put, there needs to be more of this. Later this week I’m going to be writing a post about my volunteer experience with Vancouver’s Kidsafe Writers’ Room, and part of my article will discuss the creative horsepower of kids. The Early Entrepreneurs Experiment wonderfully gets to the heart of this fact, as it showcases how kids as young as six can have a positive impact on their classmates, their neighbourhoods and people from communities that are thousands of kilometers away.

Further to this, entrepreneurial projects provide exceptional educational testing grounds – or case studies – where learners can apply concepts (math, writing, performing, building, repairing, etc.) in an integrated capacity. Through such experiential learning, students have the opportunity to use multiple academic (and life) skills all at once in the same place as part of a team. In addition to a basic understanding of our interconnected global village as well as learning how to positively and successfully engage in the business of life provides youngsters with a head-start on building the skills that will help them to not just be – but to lead – the change that they want to see in this world.

Finally, never underestimate the power of kids’ creativity. Sir Ken Robinson has taught us that schools aren’t properly designed to engage and expand it with our communities’ kids. Which is why we should invest more in our kids’ ideas before they’re crushed by a system that encourages certain kinds of thinking that will prepare people to solve the same old problems in the same old way. And this isn’t a great way to be or to lead change.

Well done, kids!

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Masthead photo courtesy of Sustainable Sanitation

The Britannia Homework Club

Posted on December 11, 2011 by John Horn

Who are you?

We are a non-profit society that draws its students from Vancouver’s 3 poorest neighbourhoods – Strathcona, Grandview-Woodlands and the Downtown East Side. Our mission is to support the academic, social/emotional and financial needs of youth at Britannia Secondary, struggling to graduate and achieve post-secondary success by providing free tutoring, fresh fruit and snacks, and bursaries for post-secondary education. Each year, approximately 370 students attend Homework Club, and we have provided between $3,000 and $9,000 worth of bursaries each year. This year, we had a shortfall in funding and appealed to a variety of sources in hopes of securing enough money to sustain us this year, and expand in the future. We entered the Aviva Community Fund for a chance to win $150,000 and last week, found ourselves in the semi-finals. Our plans for the money can be found on the Aviva website www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf11198 and you can learn more about our organization at www.wix.com/ksleary/homework-club

How is your organization fun?

Nutella, Nutella, Nutella! It’s what the kids line up for, and probably one of the few ways to make homework fun!

What is your organization’s superpower?

Blasting through obstacles like homework, finances and social/emotional problems to help kids in need.

How do you use it to build community?

While we work primarily with high school aged youth, the program has broader benefits for families and communities as younger siblings and parents see the powerful benefits of school attendance and success. By strengthening families HWC also promotes effective community capacity building because strong families are the building blocks of strong communities.

Some of the Coolest School (Community) Programs in Vancouver

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Kurt Heinrich

Ok, this is the first time (though likely not the last time) I’m going to toot the horn about my employer the Vancouver School Board. Part of the reason I wanted to write this blog post is because there are some truly amazing little communities existing, in many cases, right below our noses. After five months of sleuthing around the VSB, I’m starting to realize the wide range of programs I’ve been exposed to are only the tip of the iceberg.

So without further adieu, here’s a brief round-up of some of the coolest programs I’ve discovered recently:

Scientist in Residence Program

This school year is off to a busy start with the Scientist in Residence Program. Fifteen Vancouver School District teachers began their collaborative work with seven partner scientists so they can prepare their 341 primary and intermediate students for a scientific experience that’ll give them a firsthand opportunity to see how fun and tangible science can be. Click here to read the full story!

UBC/VSB Transition Program

UBC/VSB Transition Program

Nestled off West Mall in the heart of the University of British Columbia is a small wood-paneled three story building that houses one of the Vancouver School Board’s most dynamic learning environments – the VSB/UBC Transition Program.

It’s a place whose alumni include the head of Microsoft’s Extreme Programming division, a 20 year old entrepreneur generating millions of venture capital for innovations in electronic communications, and a young Assistant Professor of Philosophy at UBC with a doctorate in Classics from Oxford. The level of accomplishment is palpable. Click here to read the full story.

John Oliver’s Digital Immersion Program

This Revolution will not be Televised!

John Oliver School is on the cusp of a digital revolution engineered by Principal Gino Bondi and a band of tech-savvy teachers. The school’s digital immersion program is one of the first of its kind in British Columbia and administrators and teachers are hopeful it could become the cornerstone for a new innovative style of instruction and learning that will one day become the norm in all Vancouver’s schools. Click here to read more.

99 Ways to Leverage Our Humanity – Part 3

Posted on December 5, 2011 by John Horn

[Editor's note: I must start by saying that what unfolds below is a team effort - thanks to everyone who has contributed to this list! So, for better or worse, many parts of the world have been recently occupied - and in some places, like Vancouver, this may or may not be coming to an end. Many elements of the Occupy Movement have issued demands. Personally, I see many problems with demands, as they imply binary-negotiating and/or unchangeable beliefs. Personally, I see more value and possibility in ideas and collaborative brainstorming - though this is a much harder process for certain. Some other folks share a love for collaboration and they have kindly offered their ideas in world-changing list-form. So, without further ado, here is part three of a four-part series that is meant to get our community thinking about how our brilliant, passionate, inspiring, adaptive, funny, delicious, healthy, and innovative humanity can make the world a better place. Thanks for the memories, everyone!].

How can we leverage our humanity to solve the world’s problems?

Here are ideas 1-25. And here are ideas 26-50. And here are ideas 51-75:

Hike. Get out in nature’s bosom. Commune with the forest spirits. Skinny dip. Roll in dirt. It’s clean. Sit. Listen. Yell! Pee your name in the snow (men only, I think). Play capture the flag. Know Nature. Know Its value to you personally. Because you can’t want to protect something if you don’t even know what it is.
Cycle. You’ll see more and feel good. Buy rain pants and suit up. You’ll be dry under you clothes (and naked!). Be visible. Cyclists are the future: fuckin non-motorized, non-electronic cyborgs on wheels.
Draw. Not for art’s sake. For communicating. Long before we wrote, we drew. On cave walls and on bark and hide. Appreciate the symbolic nature of signs and symbols, and the miracle that allows all humans to interpret them. Ed Emberley is a prophet.
Drink. Water. H2O. Its ubiquity only adds to its many mysteries.
Learn. A language. Or several. Or even just a smattering of words. Knowing another’s tongue is the quickest way to break the ice and will allow you to more easily understand ‘the other’.
Objectify. Be partial. Know that your opinions are opinions and based on what you believe you know. Do not mistake passion for rightfulness. Choose to be emotional; do not make emotional choices.
Listen. You talk too much. Listening allows for ideas to reveal themselves to speakers who may not even know they have such ideas. If you can’t listen, pretend to listen, as this often has the same effect.
Keep. Imbue physical objects with meaning. A ring, a rock, or even a house. We are physical creatures living in a physical world, not virtual avatars. Don’t tear down old buildings. Believe in ghosts and spirits.
Teach. To teach is to learn well. Whether it be abstract or practical knowledge, by teaching it you will learn it deeper, and it will become you.
Smile. In monkeys it lowers tension and creates group harmony. We are all monkeys. Faking is acceptable as it often leads to the real thing. Emotions and your facial muscles are inextriclaby linked. You can fool your own brain.
Don’t. Don’t do anything. Eke. Survive. Be simple. Learn the art of inertia. Laziness is godliness. The planet will thank you for it.
Think critically. Do not accept things for what they are and ask lots and lots of questions.
Perform. Sock puppets, Shakespeare, Improv, and Musicals are great ways to tell stories as well as tackle the pesky problem of fearing public speaking.
Dance with people. And, to quote a wise man named Jim, “never let the rhythm control your dancing.”
It might’ve been said before but it bears repeating: learn another language. This will help when you visit other places. And it will really help you visit communities not just tourist attractions.
Have heroes and role models who exist in the real world, not the hyper-sexed and overly violent fictional worlds of so much media.
Send handwritten thank you cards. First, because it’s the right thing to do. Second, people love getting mail and, let’s face it, the cards are outstanding advertising for your personal brand!
Be skeptical and question authority. This doesn’t mean rebelling against anything and everything; it just means that you shouldn’t take everyone at their word all the time.
Strive to be a bit more of an armchair economist so that you can understand – and share knowledge about – the complex workings of the global financial system.
Commit to keeping the complex complex. Sometimes simple solutions come at the erosion and sacrifice of necessarily complex and important things.
Remember that the things you own end up owning you. The only logical solution here is for you to give your things away so that they can own other people.
Take off/out your headphones and/or earbuds and listen to the world around you. This will expose you to funny things, interesting things, and things that will inspire you to engage members of your community in conversation.
Collaborate. Like a symphony. Working together is the only way that we’re going to pull ourselves out of this mess.
Find common ground with someone who has a totally different worldview than you. It’s possible. I mean, Kurt and John do it every day on this blog!
Recognize that humanity’s adaptability will see us through tsunamis, earthquakes, peak oil, and the zombie apocalypse; however, there will be catastrophic collateral damage and many of us will not survive the next 100 years. Try your best to be okay with this fact and also try really, really hard to not be a weird survivalist who makes people super uncomfortable while riding the bus…

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Masthead photo courtesy of Kurt Heinrich, who is awesome.

What’s in the Head of Young Australians?

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Jilly Charlwood

Each year, youth charity organization Mission Australia conducts Australia’s largest formal survey of young people.

Over three months each year the survey asks Australians aged 11 to 24 what they value, where they turn for advice and support, what issues concern them, how they are involved with their community and their feelings about their future. The results are not only a valuable insight into the minds of young people, but also help social policy makers to produce information and develop services relevant to the needs of young Australians.

This year, just under 46,000 young people were surveyed, and the results were a mix of inspiring, concerning and thought-provoking.

Inspiring: In this year’s survey, young people were asked for the first time how they felt about the future. The answer was resoundingly optimistic, with over two-thirds responding that they felt positive about the future. It seems young Australians are a very grounded bunch, who, when asked what they value most highly, listed family and friendships well above financial security and personal independence.

Given the pasting that Gen-Y’s get from the media as self-obsessed and lazy, it’s pretty awesome to remember that young people are actually a lot more switched-on when it comes to values and ideals than we given them credit for.

Concerning: When asked where they would go for help on their main issues of concern, over 20 per cent of young Australians said they did not have anywhere to go for assistance and advice. For me, this was one of the saddest findings of the survey, and seems to explain, in a basic way, why suicide is the main cause of death for young Australians aged between 15 and 24.

Despite all the Facebooking, texting, Skyping, instant messaging and Google chatting, young Australians feel like they have no one to talk to. It’s obvious that traditional methods of support for young people are failing, and that more time and money needs to be invested in reaching out to young people through the channels that they are familiar with. For a generation that has grown up with the internet, accessing online support and communities feels safe, comfortable and easy, in a way that speaking to someone face to face just doesn’t.

Thought-provoking: A vast majority of the young people surveyed showed a strong awareness of the issues important to the wider community. When asked for unprompted views on the biggest issues facing Australian society, 45.7 per cent of young people listed the environment as a top concern.

It’s both comforting and inspiring to know that the future of the planet rests in the hands of people who value environmental issues. Young Australians have demonstrated that they want strong government leadership as well as a broad community response to environmental issues, and they are prepared to take personal responsibility for their environmental behavior in a way that previous generations have not.

For a deeper look into the minds of young Australians (and some pretty amazing web design) check out the You’re Probably Wrong Test

Masthead photo from this photostream, body photo from this photostream. Both used with the permission of a Creative Commons license.

99 Ways to Leverage our Humanity – Part 2

Posted on November 29, 2011 by John Horn

[Editor's note: I must start by saying that what unfolds below is a team effort - thanks to everyone who has contributed to this list! So, for better or worse, many parts of the world have been recently occupied - and in some places, like Vancouver, this may or may not be coming to an end. Many elements of the Occupy Movement have issued demands. Personally, I see many problems with demands, as they imply binary-negotiating and/or unchangeable beliefs. Personally, I see more value and possibility in ideas and collaborative brainstorming - though this is a much harder process for certain. Some other folks share a love for collaboration and they have kindly offered their ideas in world-changing list-form. So, without further ado, here is part two of a four-part series that is meant to get our community thinking about how our brilliant, passionate, inspiring, adaptive, funny, delicious, healthy, and innovative humanity can make the world a better place. Thanks for the memories, everyone!].

How can we leverage our humanity to solve the world’s problems?

Here are ideas 1-25. And here are ideas 26-50:

Find photos from the nineteenth century. Strive to emulate the facial hair styles found in the photos. It is hard to take yourself too seriously with a silly looking beard or mustache and the world would likely be a better place if we all took our ourselves less seriously.
Find your passion. And help others find theirs, too.
Volunteer at something. It could totally sync with your interests and talent and get you the experience you need to start a career, or it could be a task, trade or activity that makes a difference and/or brings you pure joy.
Strive to eat foods that are inspired by other cultures and contain locally harvested ingredients.
Go camping. And take an urbanite with you so that they can see the stars!
Honour your grandparents. Ask them to talk about their lives. Listen with pure love.
Practice compassion. You may not be able to take on all causes, but you can send your support in spirit. Leverage those warm fuzzies, draw from the marrow of your own sorrows, and send loving understanding out to all who struggle.
Forgive someone. Feel that painful weight you’ve held in your chest for years? Let it go.
Come to your senses, and no, I don’t mean your common sense. Savour delicious morsels, pause to listen to cello players peeling out beauty in the subway, lift your face up to the sun.
Another way to leverage your humanity is to make out more often. Grab your lover and take luscious long moments to reconnect. Simple pleasures will fuel you in the good fight.
Do whatever you can to empower women, especially in the developing world. Honestly, doing what we can to be in possession of more female leaders will make the world a better place.
Speaking of #31, to the senior citizens (about 78% of our readership) out there, leverage your epic knowledge of life, the universe and everything and tell it to one, or several, young person/people.
Speaking of #37, which spoke of #31, to the young people (about 4% of our readership) out there, write down our elders’ life lessons. Ideally, digitize them on the Internets.
Google “Slow Food.” When you begin to think about the taste and texture of what you consume, you also start to think about the quality of your food and where it comes from — it’s amazing what we realize when we slow things down.
Watch a TED talk once a week. Start with this one.
If you have children or you want to have children, consider what poet Kahlil Gibran wrote: “ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the earrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.”
Laughter feels so good. Find the “funny” in as many things as you can. People are more likely to listen if they think you don’t take yourself too seriously.
Take the opportunity to gain a basic understand of how the law works; of how your body works, of how your car works and how your computer works. And the teach your children. It’s nice to be able to fix even the most basic of problems, yourself.
Personally, I think this is one of the most important things you can possibly do to change the world: tell the people you love, like, and care about how you feel about them. Today. This week. This year. Text, email, call or set up a coffee date. It’s hard at first but if we close ourselves off to the words that heal others, we risk hurting ourselves.
Start a book club and hand over your reading time to someone else — you never know where inspiration is going to come from.
Continue to give to charities but consider whether the non-profits you support encourage the people on the other end to climb up and out of poverty and prosper. Kiva is a great organization to start with as well as charity:water.
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. Also, let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.
Get involved in mentoring; inspire someone who is coming up in the world and also soak up wisdom and experience from people who have been where you want to go and done what you’re planning to do.
Listen actively and carefully. Showing that your absorbing someone else’s story is a immensely rewarding experience both for yourself and for the one telling the story.
Have children. The world recently reached 8 billion and we have a population crisis. Yet, having a child can be the ultimate affirmation that another life will make your world better.

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Masthead photo courtesy of Kurt Heinrich, who is awesome.

Get Warm on the Inside

Posted on November 23, 2011 by John Horn

John and Michelle - prepared for the snow...or their frigid living room!

Here in Vancouver it’s November gross outside. “John, what does November gross mean?” you ask. Well, it means that the temperature hovers around 0° Celsius, it’s probably drizzling or raining or slushing, everything is dark and grey, and an unexplicable dampness penetrates all of your layers and chills you to the bone. This weather is best encapsulated by rainslush, which is neither snow nor rain and is absolutely all kinds of disgusting.

Why am I telling you this?

Here’s why: Michelle and I have had no heat in our apartment for five days. And, yes, I realize that, in the grand scheme of things, this is a small and silly problem to have and there are much bigger ones to solve. Still, we are occupying the living room over the issue!

The past few days have seen Michelle and I find creative ways to stay warm. For all of you about to endure a Canadian winter, here are a few tips on how to be hot with no heat:

Dress for the outside inside! That’s right, toques and fleeces (see above) aren’t just accessories for getting to-and-from places; they’re useful within the comfort of your own home, too! This strategy can be extra-successful if you combine it with cuddling and indoor sports, such as hallway soccer or cleaning.
Eat and drink hot things! Spicy food and piping hot tea will warm you to the core for certain; however, if your curry or enchiladas or curried enchiladas make you sweat, be sure to towel-down and layer-up quickly, as perspiration, once cooled, can drop your temperature like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are going to drop passes on Sunday!
Go outside. Wait. And then come back inside! This one is right out of my dad’s Parenting Playbook (Chapter 5: Winter). Basically, you stand outside for, like, 15-20 minutes while wearing inside-clothes and by the time you return indoors it feels like you’re watching television on 30° summer day!

As you get out – or in – there and build some warm community, be sure to have fun with it!

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Masthead image courtesy of biketrouble

A Community of 7 Billion

Posted on November 7, 2011 by John Horn

Last week the population of our global community hit and surpassed seven billion. We started out pretty slowly, but – over the last few decades – we’ve exploded our baby-making and alive-people-keeping, which has resulted in our planet’s population doubling in the last 50 years.

Wow. Seven billion, eh?

How did this happen? Well, just in case rhetorical questions aren’t your thing, here’s a pretty cool explanation from NPR:

How do you feel about this? Where do you fit into this story of human life? Check out this supercool tool from BBC News and learn your exact number in our world’s current population figures.

So, with at least 6,999,999,999 people on the planet besides you, what will be some of our community’s biggest challenges going forward? Here are the top three challenges that you and I can work on together:

Food and Water. There’s enough of it, sure, but it’s not really distributed equally or efficiently and we waste a lot of it, especially after Thanksgiving dinners and when we flush toilets in North America. Oh, and we also destroy and contaminate a lot of it, too.
Greed. It almost ruined our global economy three years ago and, well, it hasn’t really gone away. In fact, it’s being applied to strategically control many, many things from the above category. Transforming our world from me to we might be the most important – and difficult – hurdle that our global community clears.
Aliens and/or Robots from the Future. If James Cameron and Will Smith have taught us anything it’s that, eventually, our fragmented global community will unite to confront terrifying aliens/cyborgs bent on destroying us. If your name is John Connor or Neo please wear a helmet when you do dangerous things, as you will be important in this struggle.

To wrap things up I encourage you to expand your mind regarding what you know about our brave new world. This fact-filled video with sweet beats presents some compelling data on everything from language to technology to education to the environment to media:

Alright, that’s it, folks! I’m gonna wrap this up before my Android (a phone, not Lieutenant Commander Data) becomes even more suspicious…

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Masthead photo courtesy of UggBoy UggGirl

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Category Archives: Education