The indomitable human spirit at its best.

Today I needed to be motivated. I was down and was turned off by the countless depressing stories all over the media.  Then I thought to myself, where can I find those moving stories that would inspire me to seize the day? Stories that epitomize the better side of humanity. Certainly death, destruction and mayhem have more than their share of coverage in the media; in fact, the media thrives off it.  But where can I find those stories of the courageous, the compassionate, the resourceful, the kind hearted?  I believe you get the message.  Stories that unveil the indomitable human spirit at its best!  I realized that this might require a lot of searching, and researching but then I thought, why not start here. I expect that this might require screening and scrutinizing on a large scale but I am prepared to take on one story at a time.

I thought of what I believed was one of the world's more influential events of recent times but with research, I have been enlightened. There are actually countless personal opinions, general views and statements on world-changing events, so I thought I would bring to the fore, those that have moved me.

Today's inspirational moment will focus on the events of September 11, 2001. Though tragic, the countless stories of bravery and heroism that have been defined by this moment in time, are nothing short of awe-inspiring! From the acts of kindness on that day to the changes in the aviation and security industries and to the shock to global economies, the colossal impact on world affairs has forever changed the way we live.  Though I was reluctant to draw attention to any specific website, fearing unintentional omission of worthy examples, I am inspired by the work that has been accomplished thus far and found exploring the 911 Memorial a rewarding, uplifting and motivational experience. It was just what I needed to start my day.

What about the weather?

This might seem random for many but I can see that, for starters, my blogs will be as random as they come.

That said, folks close to me know that I often say that mankind is messing with this planet's weather. But don't just take my word for it, think of your hometown, any freaky weather phenomenon within the last five years? I'll bet while reading this you'll say, yeah - now that you've mentioned it - there's that time ...

The internet has made it so easy to find supporting evidence - thank goodness for technology. As you might expect, there are tons of websites on this topic but I'll refer you to a few that have really caught my attention. Take a look at NASA's evidence supporting climate change and NOAA's - Sea of change, you'll surely be amazed! I thought NRDC on Global Warming was extremely helpful and even suggested possible solutions to the planet's global warming concerns. Even though their 'Extreme Weather Map 2012' depicts the United States only, the figures are startling.  Finally, I really love how the Union of Concerned Scientists outline their summations. The headings read that "global warming is happening now" and "the scientific evidence is clear" that "we are the cause."  Since we have choices, together we can act now to tackle global warming (http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/).

Now I know there are skeptics out there who would question everything under the sun, like Skeptical Science for example, but I accept my reality and my experiences. What about you? If someone, anyone can explain, beyond doubt, why there is a marked increase in freaky weather events all over the globe, then they'll receive my undivided attention.  Until then, I'm convinced that mankind is messing with this planet's weather and we need to act now before it's too late.

Plain language?!

Yesterday I began researching an intriguing topic - writing in plain language. It wasn't long before I realized that this concept is a big deal.  So much so that the government, in 2010, made it a law.  It mandates federal agencies to use "clear Government communication that the public can understand and use." http://www.plainlanguage.gov/plLaw/index.cfm

How can this be accomplished you may ask? There are many strategies referenced all over the internet but I am drawn to Jodie Renner’s (2010) guidelines for communicating clearly and effectively in your writing.  Renner incorporates some of the ideas presented by Robert W. Harris' "When Good People Write Bad Sentences: 12 Steps to Better Writing Habits" (2004) with the following six tips:

1.      Avoid unnecessarily long sentences and excess wordiness;

2.      Use active voice instead of passive voice;

3.      Avoid redundancies and unnecessary qualifiers;

4.      Don’t use multiple negatives;

5.      Don’t use a pretentious word or phrase when an ordinary one will do; and
6.      Finally, wherever possible, write in a visually appealing style.

Bring it on!

Awesome, it's done. Today I created my first blog - ever! Funny I don't feel as intimidated as I thought I would be.  Of course I accept that with all the wonderful people out there in cyber land, there may be just as many who might not play so nice.  But such is life.

Since I've learnt to accept the great moments with the not so good, I actually feel terribly excited about embarking upon this new (at least for me) and hopefully remarkable technological journey.  What lies ahead? Only God one knows but I am looking forward to it. So bring it on!