Supreme Green: How the Dutch and Danish Dominate Sustainable Living

The effect is melodic — clankety clank, clankety clank — the sound of bicycles plugging along. At first you don’t notice — the absence of taxi horns squawking with ire, or tailpipe exhaust assaulting your lungs, or stressed-out drivers mouthing invectives behind the wheel – but as soon as you do, as soon you notice …

The Rise of the Asset-Light Generation

Every year, Mary “Queen of the Net” Meeker releases her must-read “State of the Internet” report, gleaning insight from predominant internet trends, with almost prescient accuracy. In this year’s presentation, one of the major themes she identifies is the rise of the “sharing economy” or as Mary calls it, a shift to an “Asset-Light Generation.” A simple translation …

Aristotle’s 12 Virtues and The Path to Happiness

Every now and then, I like to consult the wisdom of the great philosophers, as a matter of existential hygiene. Or, as John Mayer puts it, to contemplate: Am I living it right? As far as philosophers go, Aristotle ranks amongst the best of the best, considered one of the most influential founding figures in Western philosophy. A …

A Labor Day Question: Will You Be Living Your Passion At 80 Years?

This weekend, I experienced the mellifluous genius of John Williams conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl through a series of scores he has composed over his fifty-plus year career. The man responsible for creating the iconic themes to Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones, E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter (the list …

The Key To Winning Gold, In Anything

As the Olympics begin to wrap-up and I take a Yoda-moment to reflect on the dedication and drive required to, not only be an Olympic athlete but to win gold in such prodigious company, my thoughts gravitate to an interview I watched with Michael Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman. Bowman revealed how during training, he would …

John Hughes Never Stopped Writing Until His Heart Stopped Beating

John Hughes, one of my favorite, most beloved screenwriters and filmmakers, passed away three years ago, on August 6, 2009. That his work has managed to stand the test of time, a feat so many writers fail to achieve, is a remarkable phenomenon in itself. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is now over twenty-five years old. …

France overall holds the most Greek debt

As Greek voters returns to the polls for the second time in six weeks in an election that may determine the fate of the euro currency, the rest of the world watches with eager eyes. Below is a breakdown of exposure to Greek debt, by country. While France overall has lent the most to Greece, it’s …

Great Expectations: Pixar anoints its first female protoganist in “Brave”

Dear Pixar: You had me at her hair… With a resplendent mane of fiery red curls, Merinda, the hero of Pixar’s latest animated feature “Brave” is truly the hallmark of a princess whose time has come. And not just because the animation of her volume of hair required a technological breakthrough, which it did. Six years in the …

Norway proving the future of hydrogen vehicles

A team of Norwegian drivers recently crossed Europe in a pair of hydrogen-powered cars using only existing hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The Oslo to Monte Carlo trip hit the record books as the longest a hydrogen-fueled vehicle has ever travelled using only fuel from permanent hydrogen filling stations. Other cars have circumnavigated the globe and crossed North America, but …

The lucky last aisle seat next to the “Fat Man” on the plane

Yesterday, I had an experience that restored my faith in humanity. One of those heart-swelling moments when I thought to myself, “Yes, all is right and good in the world.” I was flying on Southwest from LAX to BWI. I don’t regularly fly on the airline (but when offered a free flight, I’m not one …