Think Different - The Power of Changing the Way You Think

Very interesting clip about not only doing things differently but most importantly thinking different. "Instead of changing what you do, try changing how you think about it" - Roger Martin, a strategic advisor to global businesses and Dean of the Rotman School of Management.

Patrice O'Neal

Patrice O'Neal has passed away due to complications from a stroke he suffered on October 19. One of Patrice's last appearances was in September when being part of Charlie Sheen's Comedy Central Roast. May he Rest in Peace. Check out his stand-up set "Elephant In The Room".

The other four parts are below.

Family Values

w/ Rihanna. Narrated by Jay-Z.

What It's All About

It's not what the meaning WAS, but what it IS :: It's about appreciating Love • Life • Health • Family & Friends; And to not forget people who are missing any of these essentials. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!

Rest in Paradise

This week has been a very emotional week, due to the losses of Heavyweight Champion SMOKIN' JOE  FRAZIER and rap legend, Dwight "HEAVY D" Myer.

"Joe Frazier, may your soul rest in peace. You too were the greatest. Without you Ali is not who he is and vice versa. Respect." - Lenny Kravitz 

check below for the Heavy D Tribute

Ridley Scott presents: Life In A Day – Full Movie

 

Life In A Day is a historic film capturing for future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010. On that day thousands of people uploaded films to Youtube, in order to participate in this exciting experiment. The resulting film was cut together from overall 4500 hours of film. It was executive produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald. Watch the film below.

One Like = One Meal

50 Cent continues his quest to provide 1 billion meals to people in need - by purchasing the Street King energy drink. This week every “Like” on the Street King Facebook page will also equal a meal for a hungry child. Go like the page or order the energy drink for a great cause! Check below for the SK Promo Video.

Technology Legend - Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs.

 

Text by CNN: Steve Jobs, the visionary in the black turtleneck who co-founded Apple in a Silicon Valley garage, built it into the world's leading tech company and led a mobile-computing revolution with wildly popular devices such as the iPhone, died Wednesday. He was 56.

The hard-driving executive pioneered the concept of the personal computer and of navigating them by clicking onscreen images with a mouse. In more recent years, he introduced the iPod portable music player, the iPhone and the iPad tablet -- all of which changed how we consume content in the digital age.

His friends and Apple fans on Wednesday night mourned the passing of a tech titan.
"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," Apple said in a statement. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

More than one pundit, praising Jobs' ability to transform entire industries with his inventions, called him a modern-day Leonardo Da Vinci.

"Steve Jobs is one of the great innovators in the history of modern capitalism," New York Times columnist Joe Nocera said in August. "His intuition has been phenomenal over the years."

Jobs' death, while dreaded by Apple's legions of fans, was not unexpected. He had battled cancer for years, took a medical leave from Apple in January and stepped down as chief executive in August because he could "no longer meet (his) duties and expectations."

Born February 24, 1955, and then adopted, Jobs grew up in Cupertino, California -- which would become home to Apple's headquarters -- and showed an early interest in electronics. As a teenager, he phoned William Hewlett, president of Hewlett-Packard, to request parts for a school project. He got them, along with an offer of a summer job at HP.

Jobs dropped out of Oregon's Reed College after one semester, although he returned to audit a class in calligraphy, which he says influenced Apple's graceful, minimalist aesthetic. He quit one of his first jobs, designing video games for Atari, to backpack across India and take psychedelic drugs. Those experiences, Jobs said later, shaped his creative vision.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future," he told Stanford University graduates during a commencement speech in 2005. "You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

While at HP, Jobs befriended Steve Wozniak, who impressed him with his skill at assembling electronic components. The two later joined a Silicon Valley computer hobbyists club, and when he was 21, Jobs teamed with Wozniak and two other men to launch Apple Computer Inc.
It's long been Silicon Valley legend: Jobs and Wozniak built their first commercial product, the Apple 1, in Jobs' parents' garage in 1976. Jobs sold his Volkswagen van to help finance the venture. The primitive computer, priced at $666.66, had no keyboard or display, and customers had to assemble it themselves.

The following year, Apple unveiled the Apple II computer at the inaugural West Coast Computer Faire. The machine was a hit, and the personal computing revolution was under way.
Jobs was among the first computer engineers to recognize the appeal of the mouse and the graphical interface, which let users operate computers by clicking on images instead of writing text.

Apple's pioneering Macintosh computer launched in early 1984 with a now-iconic, Orwellian-themed Super Bowl ad. The boxy beige Macintosh sold well, but the demanding Jobs clashed frequently with colleagues, and in 1986, he was ousted from Apple after a power struggle.

Then came a 10-year hiatus during which he founded NeXT Computer, whose pricey, cube-shaped computer workstations never caught on with consumers.

Jobs had more success when he bought Pixar Animation Studios from George Lucas before the company made it big with "Toy Story." Jobs brought the same marketing skill to Pixar that he became known for at Apple. His brief but emotional pitch for "Finding Nemo," for example, was a masterful bit of succinct storytelling.

In 1996, Apple bought NeXT, returning Jobs to the then-struggling company he had co-founded. Within a year, he was running Apple again -- older and perhaps wiser but no less of a perfectionist. And in 2001, he took the stage to introduce the original iPod, the little white device that transformed portable music and kick-started Apple's furious comeback.

Thus began one of the most remarkable second acts in the history of business. Over the next decade, Jobs wowed launch-event audiences, and consumers, with one game-changing hit after another: iTunes (2003), the iPhone (2007), the App Store (2008), and the iPad (2010).

Observers marveled at Jobs' skills as a pitchman, his ability to inspire godlike devotion among Apple "fanboys" (and scorn from PC fans) and his "one more thing" surprise announcements. Time after time, he sold people on a product they didn't know they needed until he invented it. And all this on an official annual salary of $1.

He also built a reputation as a hard-driving, mercurial and sometimes difficult boss who oversaw almost every detail of Apple's products and rejected prototypes that didn't meet his exacting standards.

By the late 2000s, his once-renegade tech company, the David to Microsoft's Goliath, was entrenched at the uppermost tier of American business. Apple now operates more than 300 retail stores in 11 countries. The company has sold more than 275 million iPods, 100 million iPhones and 25 million iPads worldwide.

Jobs' climb to the top was complete in summer 2011, when Apple listed more cash reserves than the U.S. Treasury and even briefly surpassed Exxon Mobil as the world's most valuable company.
But Jobs' health problems sometimes cast a shadow over his company's success. In 2004, he announced to his employees that he was being treated for pancreatic cancer. He lost weight and appeared unusually gaunt at keynote speeches to Apple developers, spurring concerns about his health and fluctuations in the company's stock price. One wire service accidentally published Jobs' obituary.

Jobs had a secret liver transplant in 2009 in Tennessee during a six-month medical leave of absence from Apple. He took another medical leave in January this year. Perhaps mindful of his legacy, he cooperated on his first authorized biography, scheduled to be published by Simon & Schuster in November.

Jobs is survived by his wife of 20 years, Laurene, and four children, including one from a prior relationship.

He always spoke with immense pride about what he and his engineers accomplished at Apple.
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do," he told the Stanford grads in 2005.

"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

Source

Time For Change & Equality

Saudi King: "Women will be allowed to vote and run for office."

(CNN) -- Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to vote and run for office in future municipal elections, King Abdullah announced Sunday.

In an address on Saudi state TV, the king said women will be allowed to nominate candidates for the next set of municipal elections. Although he did not use the word "vote," allowing women to take part in the nomination process would amount to voting within Saudi Arabia's system.

The country is holding municipal elections Thursday for the only the second time in nearly 50 years. The changes the king announced would go into effect for the next set of elections -- and it is unclear when those might take place.

Saudi women's rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider called the announcement "great news."

"Women's voices will be heard finally," she said. "Now it's time to remove other barriers like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function and live a normal life without a male guardian."

The White House also hailed the announcement.

"We welcome Saudi King Abdullah's announcement today that women will serve as full members of the Shura Council in the next session, and will have the right to participate in future elections," it said in a statement. "These reforms recognize the significant contributions women in Saudi Arabia make to their society and will offer them new ways to participate in the decisions that affect their lives and communities." The move, according to the White House, is "an important step forward in expanding the rights of women in Saudi Arabia."

King Abdullah's announcement followed increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia to allow women to vote.

"Since we reject to marginalize the role of women in the Saudi society, in every field of works, according to the (Islamic) Sharia guidelines, and after consultations with many of our scholars, especially those in the senior scholars council, and others, who have expressed the preference for this orientation, and supported this trend, we have decided the following," the king said, according to an English translation of his remarks released by the Saudi government.

First, he announced, women will be allowed to participate in the Shura council, the Consultative Council appointed by the king.

The U.S. State Department says there are already some women on the 150-member Consultative Council. In 2010, "the number of female advisers on the Consultative Council increased from 10 to 13," the U.S. State Department said in its human rights report on Saudi Arabia, citing "local sources."

The king also announced Sunday that, "As of the next session, women will have the right to nominate themselves for membership of Municipal Councils, and also have the right to participate in the nomination of candidates with the Islamic guidelines."

Elections for those councils were held in 2005 for the first time since 1963. Only men were eligible to vote, the U.S. State Department says.

Another set of elections was scheduled for 2009 but was delayed repeatedly -- ultimately being scheduled for this week.

Earlier this year, Saudi women activists wrote the government requesting that women be allowed to vote and be candidates in the municipal elections, according to the U.S. Library of Congress.

Saudi Arabia's "Minister of Municipality and Rural Affairs declared that Saudi women will not be able to either run or vote in this election," the Library of Congress reported on its blog. "According to news reports, the Minister stated that the ban on women's participation is due to the lack of segregated voting facilities."

When election centers opened in April for voters to register, some groups of women turned up and were turned away. It was one of the first public acts of the "Saudi Women Revolution," a movement set up to campaign for the end of Saudi Arabia's discriminatory laws.

In June, a number of Saudi women took to the streets -- in cars -- to demand the right for women to drive and travel freely in the country.

There are no specific traffic laws that make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia. However, religious edicts are often interpreted as a prohibition of female drivers. Such edicts also prevent women from opening bank accounts, obtaining passports or even going to school without the presence of a male guardian.

Authorities stopped Manal al Sharif, 32, for driving a car May 21 and detained her the next day. She said she was forced to sign a form promising not to drive again and spent a week in jail. Her case became a rallying cry for women activists.

via CNN

Setting a Good Example

50 Cent launches his newest campaign 'SK (Street King)' to feed one billion starving people in Africa. Let's all work together and help to successfully achieve this goal!

Remembering & Never Forgetting

9/11.

Tokyo Rising

starring Pharrell Williams

Spiral Wine Cellar

by Spiral Cellars, UK

If you’re a wine connoiseur and have always wanted to set up a place to store your wines but don’t have the space, Spiral Cellars, a UK company is here to help. They have created the spiral wine cellar that is part staircase, part wine cooler.

The Spiral Wine Cellar is designed in such a way that is small enough to fit in any space in your home and part of the staircase doubles as wine storage so you can make the most of your space. So now you can bring back as much wine as you like from your Napa Valley trip and keep it fresh and tasty for years to come in the comfort of your own home.

via SD

Vacation Needed?

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

When Milton wrote about Paradise Lost, he obviously hadn’t been to The Maldives yet. Situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a new luxury resort has been developed that’s situated right in the heart of the Maldives Islands. Although its existence has been a well-kept secret, word has slowly spread about a new luxury resort that’s recently been developed in the area. For €1,240 EUR a night (approximately $1,770 USD), couples can opt to stay in the resort’s underwater Honeymoon Suite which is located five meters below sea level and surrounded by swarms of exotic fish. With 50 houses on stilts, 79 private villas and beach villas, Conrad Rangali Island truly is paradise on earth for those looking for a nice, relaxing getaway.

:: How You Know You’re on the Right Track ::

“If you are never scared, embarrassed, or hurt, it means you never take chances.” -Julia Soul

If you think you may have made mistakes, you are probably on the right track. That means you’re doing things even though you’re not perfect at them, which is the only way to learn and grow.

If you think you may have looked stupid, you are probably on the right track. That means you’re letting yourself be vulnerable, which is the only way to fully experience something new.

If you think you may have said the wrong thing, you are probably on the right track. That means you’re talking to people you don’t feel completely comfortable around, which opens you up to new relationships and possibilities.

If you think you may have failed, you are probably on the right track. That means you put yourself out there, instead of waiting for the perfect time, which doesn’t actually exist.

If you think you may have blown your one opportunity, you are probably wrong.

This is what keeps us from taking risks: the fear that we may somehow suffer for trying and doing poorly. Not just that we’ll experience uncomfortable feelings, but that we’ll ruin our only chance.

We’ll have countless chances in our lives, if we’re willing to take them. We’ll have limitless possibilities to seize, if we remember all those uncomfortable feelings are worth the possible rewards.

Today if you find you feel scared, embarrassed, hurt, or vulnerable, remember: feelings eventually fade, but what you create in spite of them can change your life forever.


via TB

Words speak louder

Urban Poetry Art by Robert Montgomery

"Before I Die" by Candy Chang

The Pharrell Williams Resource Center

Recording artist and producer (and Virginia Beach native) Pharrell Williams is partnering with the City of Virginia Beach to build a resource center, in Williams Farm Park. The purpose of the center is to provide an environment conducive to learning and serve as a place to “inspire and educate”. The Center’s programs will seek to change the world of the underserved kids, one kid at a time, by giving them resources/tools to meet their unique potential. The vision of the center is to modernize the community center concept by empowering kids to learn through new technologies, arts, and media.

Simon Sinek: "How Great Leaders Inspire Action"

this is great.

"Words2LiveBy"