Robin Sharma: Leading Without a Title (IESE)

How to Write a Résumé That Doesn't Annoy People

http://blogs.hbr.org/2009/06/how-to-write-a-resume-that-doe/

The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received

http://blogs.hbr.org/2009/06/the-best-cover-letter/

11 Books Every Young Leader Must Read

http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/10/11-books-every-young-leader-mu/

Phenomenal 2 letter word

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP'. It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?  Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?  We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.  We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.  

At other times, this little word has real special meaning.  People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.  

And this UP is confusing:  A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.  We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of  UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary.  In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.  

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.  It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.  

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth.  When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP .

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . . my time is UP!

Oh . . . one more thing:  What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

U P!

Did that one crack you UP?

Don't screw UP.  Send this on to everyone you look UP in your address book . . . or not .. . . it's UP to you.
Now I'll shut UP!

Sophie Scholl and the White Rose

Annete Dumbach & Jud Newborn, "Sophie Scholl and the White Rose", Oneworld, 2010, 238 pages [July 2013]

Spain's future is bright

Science of Persuasion

Amazing mind reader reveals his 'gift'

With God in Russia

"With God in Russia" by Father Walter J Ciszek SJ My twenty-three years as a priest in Soviet prisions and Siberian labor camps 1964, Ignatius Press, 433 pages

Bryan Dyson's 30-Second Speech

Says the former CEO of Coca-Cola: Of the five balls you juggle in life, you can drop only one. Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. They are Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit, and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the four others – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be scuffed, nicked, damaged, even shattered. And it will never be the same. Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give proper time to your family and friends, and take a decent rest. Value has a value only if its value is valued. Source: http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/bc-blogs/insights/2010/09/21/bryan-dyson039s-30-second-speech

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

http://www.startwithwhy.com

 

2.1 Kids: Stable Population

Is God good?

101 books Gen Ys must read before they die

http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/101_books_gen_y_must_read_before_they_die

Marriage = Biology (Not Bigotry)

Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone?

There is no such thing as society

"There is no such thing as society. There is living tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate." (Margaret Thatcher)

Source: http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=106689

How do you feel?...

Margaret Thatcher: "How do you feel?" / "Oh, I don't feel comfortable." / "Oh, I'm so sorry, we the group, we're feeling..." Do you know, one of the greatest problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas? Now, thoughts and ideas, that interests me...

From: The Iron Lady

Be someone!

Margaret Thatcher: It used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone.

From: The Iron Lady

Watch your thoughts...

Margaret Thatcher: Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become... habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think we become.

From: The Iron Lady

Advice for young lawyers

A lawyer never apologises in writing...

Creative thinking books

Recommended by Peter Harris, The Creative Coach (Warrane Wednesday Night Guest 2011)

-Covey: daily reflections
-Whatever you think, think the opposite
-Breakthrough thinking
-De Bono: six hats creative thinking

Talk by Professor David Flint AM

(Warrane Wednesday Night Guest 2009)

What Philip brought to australia:
1 The Rule of Law
2 The Crown
3 The English language
4 The Judeo-Christian heritage

Business success built on seven boxes

Talk by Anthony Howard

(Warrane College Wednesday Night Guest)

Business success is made up of seven boxes:

1st: Business accumen

2nd: Technical capability

(These two items are the most important ones, initially. As you progress and come under the limelight the most important aspect then becomes how you relate to others)

3rd: Interpersonal skills

4th: Self awareness

5th: Character: good habits

6th: Conscience

7th: Knowledge of reality

Questions that call for an explanation

Talk by Fr Peter Joseph
For the launch of the book: The Scope of Philosophy (May 2009)

There are four questions that require an explanation:
-existence
-pain
-evil
-death

Order is the mark of a mind at work

Cicero: there is no nonsense in the world that has not found a philosopher to support it

Invictus

Invictus

- "You are risking your political capital... The day I am afraid to do that, that day I am unfit to lead"

- "If I can't change when circumstances demand it, how can I expect others to do it"

- "The doctor has no sense of vocation"

Marriage and Parenting 101

Talk by Jim Stenson
(delivered on 9 September 2005 to the parents of the PARED Schools, Sydey)

-you don't know what your 20 year old should be like, but you know what your son in law should be like!

-give more than you expect to get: marriage is not a 50/50 proposition

-preparing them for marriage and they may have a good career

-young people are looking for a life to imitate

-give praise

Email writing protocol

Protocol for witten communications used at Accenture.

Follow the following order:
1 Situation
2 Complications
3 Question
4 Answer

Was the decision wise?

"Was the decision wise? There are cases in life in which two alternative solutions both seem equally unsatisfactory. Soren Kierkegaard had personally experienced these painful circumstances, and he nicely formulated the dilemma: "Do it / or don't do it - you will regret both."" (Either-Or, vol 2, Princeton, 1944, p 134). (page 141)

Source: Alice von Hildebrand, "The soul of a lion: Dietrich von Hildebrand", Ignatius Press, 2000, 322 pages

Keys to professional success

Talk by Peter Limbers

Keys to professional success:
-have the necessary "skills" (ie virtues)
-be a team player
-learn to work with difficult people
-be "other centered"

Hold onto your convictions: convictions engender trust:
-business is about trust
-people join the dots: he is honest, he is trustful

Work-family life balance
-there is never enough time
-it comes down to choices (ie priorities)
-how is my life lining up w my priorities
-know your priorities
-be prepared to say NO

Advice for young professionals

Talk by Maurice Watson
Delivered at "The Breakfast Forum" in Martin Place, Sydney (c 2006)

Advice for young professionals:
-soft skills are important
-pick the right wife or you'll pay for it!
-in every relationship: time, attention & affection
-try to understand: ask people how they see something
-don't procrastinate

Qualities listed in the Australian War Memorial

Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT

Qualities:

fighting:
coolness
control
audacity
endurance
decision

personal:
resource
candour
devotion
curiosity
independence

social qualities:
comradeship
ancestry
patriotism
chivalry
loyalty

Are you unconsciously incompetent?

Talk by Simon Linge, Vice-President of BHP Steel

(held at Drummond Study Centre, Melbourne, on 2 August 2003)

Some people are:

-consciously incompetent
-unconsciously incompetent
-consciously competent
-unconsciously competent

If you have struck the balance, you are dead some degree of chaos is necessary

Advice for leaders:

-Have a clear set of values
-People should know where you are coming from
-People should know what they are going to be assessed against
-Recognise that some people may have a better way

Organic food – it's a religion

Organic food – it's a religion

Article by David Leyonhjelm (posted Friday, 6 July 2012) in OnLineOpinion.com.au

On Relativism

On Relativism
Edward T. Oakes, S.J.
First Things (Sep 5, 2007)

At first glance, the expression "the dictatorship of relativism" sounds like a paradox, maybe even an oxymoron. After all, aren't dictatorships a form of absolutism? And don't relativists find it difficult, if not impossible, to make judgments about differing moral systems? So how can they "dictate" the behavior and thoughts of others if they can't make judgments about what people should think and do?

More...

Great things depend on little ones

Four qualities of human love

Las cuatro propiedades que determinan la calidad del amor. El amor ideal es 

- sacrificado, 

- desinteresado, 

- respetuoso y 

- libre.

Esos cuatro parametros -entrega operativa, rectitud de intencion, desprendimiento y libertad interior-, tan dificiles de casar con una mirada superficial, van mas alla de la pregunta mas habitual: "Que tal evoluciona ese noviazgo o ese matrimonio?", y de la respuesta mas facil y frecuente: "Nos llevamos bien, nos queremos mucho".

Las dos primeras cualidades estan ligadas a la verdad del amor, y las dos ultimas, a la libertad en el amor.

Cualidades visibles:
- La capacidad de sacrificio. Lo que hacemos concretamente para contribuir al bien de la persona amada pone de manifiesto la verdad de nuestro amor: "obras son amores y no buenas razones", dice el refran.
- El respeto a la libertad de la persona amada, implica ante todo evitar las imposiciones.

Cualidades invisibles:
- La rectitud de intencion. Un mismo acto puede estar motivado por intenciones diversas. Estas son rectas cuando no se antepone el propio provecho al bien de la person amada. Amar es lo contrario de utilizar.
- La libertad inteior. Mas que un ambito, es una capacidad de autodeterminacion. No soy libre solo porque nadie me obligue, sino sobre todo porque soy capaz de hacer las cosas porque me da la gana. La libertad interior arranca de la madurez, pero la principal fuente que la alimenta es el amor, en cuanto que implica una sintonia con los deseos de la persona amada.

(Source and more details: Michel Esparza, Amor y Autoestima, Patmos (2009), p 59-66)

Types of human love

Es posible distinguir tres tipos de amor humano:
- gustar (que apela a lo fisico, al cuerpo),
- querer (algo mas emocional, afectivo, propio del corazon) y
- amar (definitivamenet volcado a la esfera mas espiritual del hombre, al alma).

Lo ideal seria que los amantes se gusten, se quieran y sean buenos amigos.

Tambien, en sentido inverso, se pueden encontrar tres tipos de egoismo:
- fisico (acaparamiento sexual),
- afectivo (afan posesivo) y
- espiritual (orgullo).

Esas tres eferas se corresponden tambien con tres tipos de felicidad y de infelicidad: buena comida o dolor de muelas, alegria o desencuentro afectivo, paz interior o remordimientos.

(Source and more details: Michel Esparza, Amor y Autoestima, Patmos (2009), p 58-9)

Three reasons why we find people upsetting

"Si alguien nos resulta molesto, es quizá por una de estas tres razones: porque tiene una virtud que no tenemos (envidia), porque compartimos con él un defecto que nos cuesta reconocer (orgullo), o porque hemos vencido ese defecto y pensamos que también él debería superarlo (piénsese por ejemplo en la intolerancia de algunos ex-fumadores para con quienessiguen fumando)."

Michel Esparza, Una Vision Cristiana de la Autoestima, p 28

What is true humility?

"En la práctica, la verdadera humildad conduce al espontáneo olvido de uno mismo, lo cual facilita la entrega desinteresada a los demás. «No imaginéis —observa Lewis— que si conocéis a un hombre realmente humilde será lo que la mayoría de la gente llama "humilde" hoy en día. No será la clase de persona untuosa y reverente que no cesa de decir que él, naturalmente, no es nadie. Seguramente lo que pensaréis de él es que se trata de un hombre alegre e inteligente que pareció interesarse realmente en lo que vosotros le decíais a él. Si os cae mal será porque sentís una cierta envidia de alguien que parece disfrutar con tanta facilidad de la vida. Ese hombre no estará pensando en la humildad: no estará pensando en sí mismo en absoluto». No se trata, por tanto, ni de decir que uno no vale nada ni de defender a toda costa la propia dignidad, sino que se trata más bien de no andar preocupado por el propio valor o por el qué dirán. Sería una contradicción afirmar que uno es verdaderamente humilde y empeñarse en demostrarlo a toda costa."

Michel Esparza, Amor y Autoestima, Patmos (2009), p 115-6

Also: http://www.scribd.com/doc/65877555/Esparza-Michel-Una-Vision-Cristiana-de-La-Autoestima

The danger of rejecting oneself

"Bien lo explica Nouwen, cuando escribe: «Con el correr de los años me he ido percatando deque el peligro más importante para nuestra vida no es tanto el éxito, la popularidad o el poder, sino el autorrechazo. Es evidente que las tentaciones del éxito, de la popularidad o de la prepotencia son considerables, pero nuestra vulnerabilidad ante ellas depende de la medidaen que hemos consentido ante otra tentación más grave que es el autorrechazo. Si escuchamos esas voces que nos susurran que no tenemos dignidad y que nadie nos ama, entonces caemos en la trampa del rechazo de sí y a continuación somos seducidos por la aureola del éxito, de la popularidad o de la prepotencia, buscando en ello ese aprecio que echamos de menos. [...] Quizá pienses que la arrogancia es una tentación mayor que elrechazo de sí. Pero, ¿no son arrogancia y autorrechazo anverso y reverso de la misma moneda? ¿No significa la arrogancia que te pones encima de un pedestal para evitar que los demás te vean como realmente eres?» (H. Nouwen, Een parel in Gods ogen, Lannoo, Tielt 1992, p. 23-24)"

Michel Esparza, Amor y Autoestima, Patmos (2009), p 113

Also: http://www.scribd.com/doc/65877555/Esparza-Michel-Una-Vision-Cristiana-de-La-Autoestima

Lost friendship

"When Dietriech received the news that Max Scheler was no longer in this world, he grieved deeply. But the main source of his sorrow was that Scheler, as far as he knew, did not find his way back to God and His Church. Their long-lasting friendship had “died” in 1922, when Max sought to have his marriage annulled. Understandably, Dietriech could now express his affection for this tragic man only in his daily prayers for one who had helped so many to find their way to the Church but who, because of his undisciplined heart, had himself strayed from the path of peace."

Alice von Hildebrand, The Soul of a Lion: Dietriech von Hildrebrand, Ignatius, p 218

Suicide and moral relativism

"The high youth suicide rate bothered many young Australians. For each of the last seven or eight years as Prime Minister I, along with the Leader of the Opposition, would attend a conference in Parliament House which brought together young men and women from all around Australia to talk about personal beliefs and the values of our society.


I spoke about my own values, spiritual beliefs and what meaning I found in life. On quite a number of occasions the question was asked of me, why did I think the youth suicide rate in Australia was so high. It was not an easy question to answer. The high suicide rate clearly troubled those young people. I replied that one of the reasons was that we no longer lived in a society governed by absolutes. Everything in life had become relative. Taking one's life had been, years ago, one of those taboo, or absolutely unthinkable, acts, which only the most completely desperate contemplated. Perhaps society's steady descent into relativism was one of the explanations why suicide, especially among the young, had become more common."


John Howard, Lazarus Rising, Harper Collins (2010), p 491.

Reasons for religious belief

"Any religious belief requires a large act of faith. To many people, believing in something that cannot be proved is simply a step too far. To me, by contrast, human life seems so complex and hard to explain yet so extraordinary that the existence of God has always seemed to offer a better explanation of its meaning than any other."

John Howard, Lazarus Rising, Harper Collins (2010), p 15

Freedom of speech

“That freedom of speech carries with it a responsibility on all those who exercise that freedom to do so in a moderate and tolerant fashion and not to convert the new-found freedom, if I may put it that way, into a vehicle for using needlessly insensitive and intolerant language”


John Howard, Lazarus Rising, Harper Collins (2010), p 259

Lies, damned lies and statistics (about TEDTalks)

Just do it!

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"...if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."

(Part IV, Chapter 14: Folly and Female Education)

Service

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"Submission to a weak man is discipline. Submission to a strong man is only servility."

(Part II, Chapter 3: The Insane Necessity)

Authority

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"The essence of an army is the idea of official inequality, founded on unofficial equality. The Colonel is not obeyed because he is the best man, but because he is the Colonel."

(Part II, Chapter 3: The Insane Necessity)

Women staying at home to raise their children

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding sales, banquets, labors and holidays; to be Whiteley within a certain area, providing toys, boots, sheets cakes. and books, to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene; I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness."

(Part III, Chapter 3: The Emancipation of Domesticity)

Men-Women

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"That is, the woman does not work because the man tells her to work and she obeys. On the contrary, the woman works because she has told the man to work and he hasn't obeyed."

(Part III, Chapter 6: The Pedant and the Savage)

Divorce - "incompatibility of temper

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"The two must hold each other to do justice to each other. If Americans can be divorced for "incompatibility of temper" I cannot conceive why they are not all divorced. I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable. For a man and a woman, as such, are incompatible."

(Part I, Chapter 7: The Free Family)

Private property

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"Property is merely the art of the democracy. It means that every man should have something that he can shape in his own image, as he is shaped in the image of heaven."

(Part I, Chapter 6: The Enemies of Property)

Christianity not tried

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"But in the modern world we are primarily confronted with the extraordinary spectacle of people turning to new ideals because they have not tried the old. Men have not got tired of Christianity; they have never found enough Christianity to get tired of. Men have never wearied of political justice; they have wearied of waiting for it."

(Part I, Chapter 6: The Enemies of Property)

Christianity too hard

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried."

(Part I, Chapter 5: The Unfinished Temple)

The world need a colour scheme of ideals

GK Chesterton
"What's wrong with the world"

"...abundance of colours and loss of a colour scheme is a pretty perfect parable of all that is wrong with our modern ideals..."

(Part IV, Chapter 9: The Broken Rainbow)

Supply a demand

I am like any other man. All I do is supply a demand. (Al Capone)

Bronte on religion

Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last.  Charlotte Bronte, English novelist (1816-1855).

Neither from the right nor from the left

"There is bound to be formed a solid right that is determined to live in a world that no longer exists. There is bound to be formed a scattered left, captivated by now this, now that new possibility. But what will count is a perhaps not numerous center, big enough to be at home in both the old and the new, painstaking enough to work out one by one the transitions to be made, strong enough to refuse half measures and insist on complete solutions even though it has to wait." (Bernard J F Lonergan)

We are all equal

All animals are equal but some are more equal than others (George Orwell, "Animal Farm")

Ad pedem litterae (Latin adage)

I will not be hungry again...

As God is my witness, as God is my witness, I will not be hungry again if I have to steal, cheat or kill, I will not be hungry again (Gone with the wind, movie)

Do I care?

Frankly my dear, I don't give a dam (Gone with the wind)

Prejudices

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. (J Lubbock)

You can't buy my heart

"You can buy a person's hand, but you can't buy his heart. His heart is where his enthusiasm, his loyalty is. You can buy his back, but you can't buy his brain. That's where his creativity is, his ingenuity, his resourcefulness."

(Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of highly effective people, 518)

Father-Mother

What you have you owe to your father, what you are you owe to your mother. (Anonymous)

The focus of love

Es pues, Amor, segun he oido decir a mis mayores, deseo de belleza, y esta definicion le dan entre otras muchas, los que en esta cuestion han llegado mas al cabo. Pues si se me concede que el amor es deseo de belleza, forzosamente se me ha de conceder que, cual fuere la belleza que se amare, tal sera el amor con que se ama. (Miguel de Cervantes, "Paginas escogidas")

Every adult has in him not one but three distinct men

Pope John Paul I, "Illustrissimi"

“Man is more complex than he seems. Every adult has in him not one but three distinct men. Take any man called John. In him there is John the First, that is the man he thinks he is; there’s John the Second, the man others think he is; and finally there’s John the Third, the man he really is.” (From the letter to Mark Twain).

Three stages of prudence

Pope John Paul I, "Illustrissimi"

Prudence. Stages that should be considered.

Deliberation. Seeking the means that lead to eh end. It is made on the basis of reflection, of advice that has been asked for, of careful examination.

Decision. After examining the various possible methods, make up your mind to use one of them. Prudence is not an everlasting see-saw, suspending everything and tearing the mind apart with uncertainty; nor is it waiting in order to decide for the best.

Execution. The most important of the three: prudence linked with strength, prevents discouragement in the face of difficulties and impediments. This is the time when a man is shown to be a leader and guide.

Climb on to another's shoulders

Pope John Paul I, "Illustrissimi"

Is it better to be the receiver of great ideas of the originator of mediocre ones? Pascal used to say: He who has climbed on to another’s shoulders will see further than the other, even if he is smaller than he is.

The quality of mercy is not strained

Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice

Act IV, scene I

Portia.
The quality of mercy is not strained;
it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
it blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
the throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
the attribute to awe and majesty,
wherein doth sit the dead and fear of kings;
but mercy is above this scept’red sway;
it is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
it is an attribute to God himself,
and earthly power doth then show likest God’s
when mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
though justice be thy plea, consider this:
That in the course of justice, none of us
should see salvation. We do pray for mercy,
and that same prayer doth teach us all to render
the deeds of mercy. I have spoken thus much
to mitigate the justice of thy plea;
which if though follow, this strict court of Venice
must needs give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.

All that glisters is not gold

Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice

Act II, scene VII

Morocco. …
“All that glisters is not gold;
often have you heard that told.
Many a man his life hath sold
but my outside to behold;
guilded tombs do worms infold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
young in limbs, in judgement old,
your answer had not been inscrolled.
Fare you well, your suit is cold”

A goodly apple rotten at the heart

Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice

Act I, scene III

Antonio. Mark you this, Bassanio,
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.
O what a goodly outside falsehood hath!

the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father

Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice

Act I, scene II

"Portia. I may neither choose who I would nor refuse who I dislike, so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father."

Talking too much...

Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice

Act I, scene I

Bassiano. Gratiano speaks an infinite deal of nothing, more than any man in all Venice. His reasons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff: you shall seek all day ere you find them, and when you have them they are not worth the search.

One Ring to rule them all

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

(The Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past, HarperCollins 2001, p 49)

Just do it

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

"There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."

(The Two Towers, The Riders of Rohan, HarperCollins 2001, p 430)

It was Pity that stayed his hand

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

"What a pity Bilbo did not stab the vile creature, when he had a chance!

Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need.

I do not feel any pity for Gollum. He deserves death.

Deserves death! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give that to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see all ends."

(The Two Towers, The Taming of Smeagol, HarperCollins 2001, p 601)

All that is gold does not glitter

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

(The Fellowship of the Ring, Strider, HarperCollins 2001, p 167)

I am not made for perilous quests

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

"‘I do really wish to destroy it!’ cried Frodo. ‘Or, well, to have it destroyed. I am not made for perilous quests. I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?

‘Such questions cannot be answered,’ said Gandalf. ‘You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess: not for power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.’"

(The Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past, HarperCollins 2001, p 60)

But that is not for them to decide

JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

"‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

(The Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past, HarperCollins 2001, p 50)

Study is good for you!

San Agustín. "Confesiones"
Libro Primero. Infancia

"Para eso fui enviado a la escuela a aprender las letras yo que, miserable de mí, ignoraba lo que en ellas había de provecho. Y, con todo si era remiso en aprender, se me golpeaba. Las personas mayores aprobaban este método y no pocos, antes que nosotros, llevando tal género de vida, habían trazado caminos agobiantes por los que se nos obligaba a transitar, multiplicando las fatigas y el dolor, a los hijos de Adán."

(Cap. IX. En la escuela primaria. Los castigos.)

(Saint Augustine, Confessions)

Heart of Darkness

“The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness. It was very quiet there. At night sometimes the roll of drums behind the curtain of trees would run up the river and remain sustained faintly, as if hovering in the air high above our heads, till the first break of the day. Whether it meant war, peace, or prayer we could not tell. The dawns were heralded by the descent of a chill stillness; the wood-cutters slept, their fires burned low; the snapping of a twig would make you start. We were wonderers on prehistoric earth, on an earth that wore the aspect of an unknown planet. We could have fancied ourselves the first of men taking possession of an accursed inheritance, to be subdued at the cost of profound anguish and of excessive toil.”

(Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness", Chapter II)

Habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire

"For our purposes, we will define a habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire.

Knowledge is the theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why. Skill is the how to do. And desire is the motivation, the want to do. In order to make something a habit in our lives, we have to have all three."

(Stephen Covey, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", Australia:The Business Library, 1989, p 47)

Our character is a composite of our habits

"Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny,” the maxim goes."

(Stephen Covey, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", Australia:The Business Library, 1989, p 46)

Peter Wilkinson on Journalism and Public Relations

Ideas from a talk by Peter Wilkinson at Warrane College UNSW on 4 May 2011

Journalism is about balancing competing interests, eg:

(core values of journalism)
1. The public's right to know
2. Fairness
3. Accuracy

versus

1. Circulation
2. Deadlines
3. Budgets

---

Journalism needs a victim, a villain and an expert.

Media thrives on conflict

When not to cooperate? It will depend... if you are the only villain then you can pull out and the story will collapse - you need to know.

Never say: "no comment"

---

Interview tips:

Formulate the key message (write it down!):
1. The incident message
2. The corporate message
3. The personal message (it is with emotions that you connect with people)

Take control of the interview by always referring back to one of these messages: STAY ON MESSAGE

Attack with a feather duster, eg: ...if you had done your research...

---

Article about the talk here

If it cannot be measured, it cannot be managed...

The secret to a happy marriage in twelve words

I am sorry
I was wrong
Please forgive me
I love you

(mentioned by a priest during a wedding homily)

Suppose the Parliament would make a law that God should not be God...

(While More was in the Tower the King sent three of his people to deprive him of his books, besides they had another errand which was more important and which could hide itself behind the other: to get More to speak indiscreetly, unguardedly, some of his opinions.)

Listen to him while you pack the books. So while the other two were packing the books, Rich was in conversation with the astute More. He asked More if More would not accept him, Rich, as King if Parliament should so decree.

“Yes, Sir,” quote Sir Thomas More. “That would I.” Then Rich asked him another question, still as in idle conversation. If Parliament should elect him, -Rich- Pope, would not More accept him as Pope?

More answered such a question with a better question: “Suppose the Parliament would make a law that God should not be God; would you then, Master Rich say that God were not God?

(Daniel Sargent, "Thomas More", Unicorn Books, p 258)

I die loyal to God and the King, but to God first of all

“I die loyal to God and the King, but to God first of all.”

His lips moved in a short prayer as he kneeled on the scaffold: the Miserere. Then with the lips which had said the prayer and which then had kissed the executioner, he to the executioner made merry. “Pluck up thy spirit, man and be not afraid to do thy office; my neck is very short; take heed therefore that thou strike not awry, for saving of thy honesty.”

Then he covered his own eyes, saying to the executioner who had tried to do it for him: “Nay, I will cover them myself.” His eyes, which were so much his, would be blinded by no other.

He stretched himself full length on the scaffold, for it was necessary to do so, the execution-block being no more than a low log. Measured thus at full humility he made but a second’s delay in order to shove the beard, which he was nor used to, out over the block, at the same time remarking that it was not to be cut: “it had never committed treason.”

Then the axe descended severing so appropriately that part of him which was so guilty in a great confusion and perplexity of having thought straight: his head. 

(Daniel Sargent, "Thomas More", Unicorn Books, p 279)

General Peter Cosgrove on leadership

Talk by General Peter Cosgrove in Summit 2000 (held at Clancy Auditorium, UNSW)

Key ideas:

Attributes required in order to be a good leader:
0. Motivation to lead, see a challenge
1. Integrity
2. Courage. Physical courage is not absolutely necessary. Moral courage is
3. Compassion
4. Humility. Seek consensus
5. Be able to communicate

A leader should be able to spot strengths and hide the vulnerabilities of the people he leads.

Leading by example with a smile.

There is a spiritual component to leadership.

Frases Que No Dijeron

Es fácil encontrarnos con frases que la gente dice sin más, y que la costumbre se encarga de hacerlas tópicos, aunque no sean verdad. Incluso los historiadores toman esas frases como si manifestaran verdad. Estos son algunos ejemplos:

Los errores admitidos están estampados con tal fuerza en la conciencia colectiva que se atornillan en nuestras mentes, y es muy difícil desprenderse de ellos. Aunque hayamos leído las aclaraciones precedentes, tanto ustedes como yo cada vez que escuchemos lo de los pasteles, "el estado soy yo", "pero se mueve", etc pensaremos automáticamente en María Antonieta, Luis XIV y Galileo

María Antonieta, Reina de Francia: "si no tienen pan, que coman pasteles" La frase comenzó a circular duante su cautiverio para desacreditarla. Hoy es inseparable de su recuerdo, y sirve para la trama del latiguillo en discursos de ínfima calidad. ¿De dónde viene la frase? ¿la pronunció alguna figura histórica en situación equivalente a la de María Antonieta? Aparece por primera vez en las confesiones de Juan Jacobo Rousseau, que se refiere a un episodio ocurrido en Grenoble dieciseis años antes de nacer Maria Antonieta, y atribuye el comentario a "una gran princesa"

Otra de estas frases es "E PUR SI MUOVE", que tampoco dijo Galileo, ni inventó el telescopio, ni fue tortuado o encarcelado por la Inquisición (sufrió lo que hoy se llama un breve arresto domiciliario), ni dejó caer ningún cachivache desde la torre inclinada de Pisa para demostrar que la velocidad de descenso no cambia con el peso.

La canción OJOS NEGROS que consideramos más rusa que el Volga fue escrita por una alemana, Florian Hofmann.

Las AVESTRUCES jamás se les ha ocurrido una idea tan idiota como enterrar la cabeza en la arena ante el peligro.

John F. Kenedy no fue quien acuño: "NO PREGUNTES LO QUE TU PATRIA PUEDE HACER POR TI, PREGUNTATE LO QUE TU PUEDES HACER POR TU PATRIA"

Luis XIV no afirmó "EL ESTADO SOY YO" se lo atribuyó Voltaire muchos años después de muerto, y lo repitió Napoleón ante el senado francés en l8l4, por su afán de parecerse al Rey Sol.

EDISON NO ES EL INVENTOR DE LA BOMBILLA, que puso en función el físico inglés J.W.Swan dieciocho años antes que el americano.

LA RESPUESTA A CUAL ES EL PUNTO MAS DISTANTE DEL CENTRO DE LA TIERRA, no es el Everest, sino el Chimborazo en los Andes, porque la tierra no es redonda, sino achatada.

(Juan Antonio Vallejo, "Vallejo y yo. Cronica De Mi Consulta Psiquiatrica", p 131)

La libertad, Sancho, es uno de los más preciosos dones que a los hombres dieron los cielos; con ella no pueden igualarse los tesoros que encierra la tierra ni el mar encubre; por la libertad así como por la honra se puede y debe aventurar la vida... (Miguel de Cervantes, Segunda parte del ingenioso caballero don Quijote de la Mancha, Capítulo LVIII)

“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882)

"One may go wrong in many directions, but right only in one" (Aristotle)

“In matters controversial
my perception’s rather fine
I always see both points of view,
the one that’s wrong, and mine.
(Anonymous)

"Cuida tus pensamientos, porque tus pensamientos generan palabras, las palabras hechos, los hechos costumbres, las costumbres habitos y los habitos forman un caracter." (Maxima anonima)

Charity

"One can always be kind to people about whom one cares nothing" (Oscar Wilde, The picture of Dorian Gray)

Engagement with Our World: Considerations Inspired by St. Thomas More

Talk delivered by Dr Andrew Hegarty (Director, Thomas More Institute, London) at the UNIV 2010 Congress in Rome:

Podcast

Transcript

Proper place of religious belief within the political process

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO THE UNITED KINGDOM

(SEPTEMBER 16-19, 2010)

MEETING WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES OF BRITISH SOCIETY,

INCLUDING THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, POLITICIANS, ACADEMICS

AND BUSINESS LEADERS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Westminster Hall - City of Westminster

Friday, 17 September 2010

  

Mr Speaker,

Thank you for your words of welcome on behalf of this distinguished gathering. As I address you, I am conscious of the privilege afforded me to speak to the British people and their representatives in Westminster Hall, a building of unique significance in the civil and political history of the people of these islands. Allow me also to express my esteem for the Parliament which has existed on this site for centuries and which has had such a profound influence on the development of participative government among the nations, especially in the Commonwealth and the English-speaking world at large. Your common law tradition serves as the basis of legal systems in many parts of the world, and your particular vision of the respective rights and duties of the state and the individual, and of the separation of powers, remains an inspiration to many across the globe.

As I speak to you in this historic setting, I think of the countless men and women down the centuries who have played their part in the momentous events that have taken place within these walls and have shaped the lives of many generations of Britons, and others besides. In particular, I recall the figure of Saint Thomas More, the great English scholar and statesman, who is admired by believers and non-believers alike for the integrity with which he followed his conscience, even at the cost of displeasing the sovereign whose “good servant” he was, because he chose to serve God first. The dilemma which faced More in those difficult times, the perennial question of the relationship between what is owed to Caesar and what is owed to God, allows me the opportunity to reflect with you briefly on the proper place of religious belief within the political process.

This country’s Parliamentary tradition owes much to the national instinct for moderation, to the desire to achieve a genuine balance between the legitimate claims of government and the rights of those subject to it. While decisive steps have been taken at several points in your history to place limits on the exercise of power, the nation’s political institutions have been able to evolve with a remarkable degree of stability. In the process, Britain has emerged as a pluralist democracy which places great value on freedom of speech, freedom of political affiliation and respect for the rule of law, with a strong sense of the individual’s rights and duties, and of the equality of all citizens before the law. While couched in different language, Catholic social teaching has much in common with this approach, in its overriding concern to safeguard the unique dignity of every human person, created in the image and likeness of God, and in its emphasis on the duty of civil authority to foster the common good.

And yet the fundamental questions at stake in Thomas More’s trial continue to present themselves in ever-changing terms as new social conditions emerge. Each generation, as it seeks to advance the common good, must ask anew: what are the requirements that governments may reasonably impose upon citizens, and how far do they extend? By appeal to what authority can moral dilemmas be resolved? These questions take us directly to the ethical foundations of civil discourse. If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of the process becomes all too evident - herein lies the real challenge for democracy.

The inadequacy of pragmatic, short-term solutions to complex social and ethical problems has been illustrated all too clearly by the recent global financial crisis. There is widespread agreement that the lack of a solid ethical foundation for economic activity has contributed to the grave difficulties now being experienced by millions of people throughout the world. Just as “every economic decision has a moral consequence” (Caritas in Veritate, 37), so too in the political field, the ethical dimension of policy has far-reaching consequences that no government can afford to ignore. A positive illustration of this is found in one of the British Parliament’s particularly notable achievements – the abolition of the slave trade. The campaign that led to this landmark legislation was built upon firm ethical principles, rooted in the natural law, and it has made a contribution to civilization of which this nation may be justly proud.

The central question at issue, then, is this: where is the ethical foundation for political choices to be found? The Catholic tradition maintains that the objective norms governing right action are accessible to reason, prescinding from the content of revelation. According to this understanding, the role of religion in political debate is not so much to supply these norms, as if they could not be known by non-believers – still less to propose concrete political solutions, which would lie altogether outside the competence of religion – but rather to help purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles. This “corrective” role of religion vis-à-vis reason is not always welcomed, though, partly because distorted forms of religion, such as sectarianism and fundamentalism, can be seen to create serious social problems themselves. And in their turn, these distortions of religion arise when insufficient attention is given to the purifying and structuring role of reason within religion. It is a two-way process. Without the corrective supplied by religion, though, reason too can fall prey to distortions, as when it is manipulated by ideology, or applied in a partial way that fails to take full account of the dignity of the human person. Such misuse of reason, after all, was what gave rise to the slave trade in the first place and to many other social evils, not least the totalitarian ideologies of the twentieth century. This is why I would suggest that the world of reason and the world of faith – the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief – need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilization.

Religion, in other words, is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation. In this light, I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance. There are those who would advocate that the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere. There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none. And there are those who argue – paradoxically with the intention of eliminating discrimination – that Christians in public roles should be required at times to act against their conscience. These are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also the legitimate role of religion in the public square. I would invite all of you, therefore, within your respective spheres of influence, to seek ways of promoting and encouraging dialogue between faith and reason at every level of national life.

Your readiness to do so is already implied in the unprecedented invitation extended to me today. And it finds expression in the fields of concern in which your Government has been engaged with the Holy See. In the area of peace, there have been exchanges regarding the elaboration of an international arms trade treaty; regarding human rights, the Holy See and the United Kingdom have welcomed the spread of democracy, especially in the last sixty-five years; in the field of development, there has been collaboration on debt relief, fair trade and financing for development, particularly through the International Finance Facility, the International Immunization Bond, and the Advanced Market Commitment. The Holy See also looks forward to exploring with the United Kingdom new ways to promote environmental responsibility, to the benefit of all.

I also note that the present Government has committed the United Kingdom to devoting 0.7% of national income to development aid by 2013. In recent years it has been encouraging to witness the positive signs of a worldwide growth in solidarity towards the poor. But to turn this solidarity into effective action calls for fresh thinking that will improve life conditions in many important areas, such as food production, clean water, job creation, education, support to families, especially migrants, and basic healthcare. Where human lives are concerned, time is always short: yet the world has witnessed the vast resources that governments can draw upon to rescue financial institutions deemed “too big to fail”. Surely the integral human development of the world’s peoples is no less important: here is an enterprise, worthy of the world’s attention, that is truly “too big to fail”.

This overview of recent cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Holy See illustrates well how much progress has been made, in the years that have passed since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, in promoting throughout the world the many core values that we share. I hope and pray that this relationship will continue to bear fruit, and that it will be mirrored in a growing acceptance of the need for dialogue and respect at every level of society between the world of reason and the world of faith. I am convinced that, within this country too, there are many areas in which the Church and the public authorities can work together for the good of citizens, in harmony with this Parliament’s historic practice of invoking the Spirit’s guidance upon those who seek to improve the conditions of all mankind. For such cooperation to be possible, religious bodies – including institutions linked to the Catholic Church – need to be free to act in accordance with their own principles and specific convictions based upon the faith and the official teaching of the Church. In this way, such basic rights as religious freedom, freedom of conscience and freedom of association are guaranteed. The angels looking down on us from the magnificent ceiling of this ancient Hall remind us of the long tradition from which British Parliamentary democracy has evolved. They remind us that God is constantly watching over us to guide and protect us. And they summon us to acknowledge the vital contribution that religious belief has made and can continue to make to the life of the nation.

Mr Speaker, I thank you once again for this opportunity briefly to address this distinguished audience. Let me assure you and the Lord Speaker of my continued good wishes and prayers for you and for the fruitful work of both Houses of this ancient Parliament. Thank you and God bless you all!

Rent a friend... - What friendship is not!

Mate's rates: the friendships bought by the hour

SMH
Samantha Selinger-Morris
May 21, 2011 - 12:03AM

TOO tired or busy to, you know, function?

Until now, the concept of outsourcing all our undesirable chores - from the mundane to the profound - has largely thrived overseas.

In Japan, an agency called Hagemashi-tai - meaning ''We want to cheer you up'' - supplies clients with adult actors to impersonate blood relations, like a trial husband to leave towels on a bathroom floor, to help people practising for coming marriages. And in the United States, a growing industry of ''baby planners'' helps mothers-to-be with everything from choosing the perfect moniker for their unborn child to fitting their car with a baby capsule.

Now, the trend has hit Sydney.

Deborah Webber, 57, and Tasmin Sharp, 35, are just two of 181 Australians who have recently signed up with www.rentafriend.com to offer their friendship - for a fee.

''I'm hoping [someone] will rent me and say, 'Can you show me around Sydney?''' says Webber, a home healthcare worker. ''I like to help people that need help.'' Ms Sharp, an actress who works part-time in marketing and promotions, said: ''I thought, well, it could be quite cool to have that as your job, to get paid to hang out with someone.''

Scott Rosenbaum, the New Jersey owner of rentafriend.com, attributes the success of his company - 417,000 friends for rent worldwide and 4100 renters - to a growing group of people open to hiring ''purely platonic'' friends for various reasons. They include business travellers who want a local to attend a boring corporate function with them and others who simply want ''to get an outsider's point of view'' on personal problems.

A social behaviour and trends expert, David Chalke of AustraliaSCAN, sees a future in Sydney for rentafriend.com, and continuing success for other existing companies, such as Melbourne's Rent A Crowd (which provides revellers to musicians and comedians who are just starting out) and The Yellow Brick Guide, an audio GPS system that not only tells travellers how to find various wineries in the Hunter Valley, but also advises them on what to do there once they arrive.

''We've certainly been through the loss of the extended family, as we've become more mobile, and there isn't the family compound [for support any more],'' Chalke says. ''What we seem to be doing these days is recreating our own personal villages that are not bounded by geography. Because the trouble with real villages is that it's got nutters, it's got thieves, it's got vagabonds.''

That renters on rentafriend.com could possibly be just as unscrupulous as members of our own communities is an issue of concern, say Webber and Sharp.

But it's not an issue for Rob Marjenberg, creator of The Yellow Brick Guide audio tours, whose know-it-all winemakers offering tips - like giving fellow Hunter Valley tourists parked at a renowned romantic spot ''some space'' - are, after all, present only in voice.

Another reason Marjenberg is confident his new business will find a market: ''It's the typical traveller's dilemma,'' he says. ''You want to give yourself over to the wonder of a new place, but don't know what to do when you get there. That's always been the case. The difference is now, with the net, there's so much information. It's draining making all those decisions.''

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/mates-rates-the-friendships-bought-by-the-hour-20110520-1ewq3.html

May Feelings IV