The Avnon World Series

Defining the future through personal optimism and a desire for peace.

Thursday, January 4, 2007

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Posted by Harry Young at 9:44 AM

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Welcome

As we look at the world today, we seek new ways to understand and define the future. Is it realism, idealism, materialism, consumerism, or some other "ism"? While I do not have a pat answer, I suggest that the fundamental "ism" needed is OPTIMISM. This point was driven home to me when I listened to the 2006 Noble Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus. He stated that if you accept that proverty will always exist then it will as the structures/systems we create will ensure it. If we start with the premise that proverty need not exist then, and only then, will we create the environment to eliminate it.

With this in mind, The Avnon World Series brings together happenings from around the world that illustrate and inspire a brighter future. The Series is alive with inspiring people, projects, actions, and pictures. Further, I hope you will review my writings as I comment on the world around us. I am confident that we all have the skill, knoweldge and courage to make a difference.

Enjoy these offerings and be encourage to respond with thoughts, suggestions, questions and comments. It would be even more rewarding if you are moved to action in your own way.

Harry Young, Ph.D

About Me

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Aging optimist with vaying interests ranging from Sponge Bob Square Pants to nano technology via brain activity of slugs. Not interested in living forever but forever living mentally and physically fit.
View my complete profile

Eunuchs

Eunuchs
Eunuchs in the village Koovagam near Madras (Chennai) re-enact a story adopted from the Indian epic Mahabharata, in which they pretend to marry a warrior-god, Aravan.

Art

Art
Ali

Al Gore

Al Gore
"Al Gore has made a difference," Norwegian Member of Parliament Boerge Brende said in announcing Gore's Nobel nomination.

Green Children

  • http://www.thegreenchildren.org

China in Africa

China in Africa
A Chinese man waves Sudanese flags as he joins a traditional musical band welcoming Chinese President Hu Jintao on an official visit.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, Thursday

Bolivia's popular fairs

Bolivia's popular fairs
Chicha is Bolivia's national drink, and no festivity or fair is complete without this milky, sour beverage. Made out of fermented corn, quinoa or peanuts, chicha can be a potent alcoholic drink or a refreshing soft drink. There is an ancient connection between chicha and religion: the Incas used it to communicate with the spirits in religious ceremonies and rituals. These days however, many use it as a cheap way to get drunk.

Festival of Timkat, Ethiopia

Festival of Timkat, Ethiopia
Crowds gather around the church of St George (Bet Giyorgis) to watch the Tabot being returned to the inner sanctum at the culmination of the Timkat.

Urban food gardening

Urban food gardening
Since coming to power in 1999, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has implemented a range of social and economic programmes. One of them aims to change the way city dwellers think about food through the creation of organic urban gardens and to promote self-sufficiency.

Christian blood

Christian blood
Flagellation in the Phillipines as part of a Good Friday ritual

muslim blood

muslim blood
Afghan Shia Muslims flail themselves in a procession during the 10 day mourning period of Ashura in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Parade

Parade
A grand parade was held in India's capital, Delhi, to mark the country's 58th Republic Day, 2007.

chilean future

chilean future
Fernando González lost only five games on his way to defeating Tommy Haas in the semifinals of the Australian Open, 2007.

Future plans

Future plans
Jawaharlal Nehru visited in October 1949, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Nehru toured the campus and met the faculty members and students of the school. Photograph shows Mr. Nehru being greeted by James R. Kalliair, the president of the school, as the Indian students look on.

Young Gandhii

Young Gandhii
Mahatma Gandhii as a Barrister at Johannesburg, South Africa. (01/01/1893)

March forward

March forward
Mahathma Gandhi is seen on the eve of his historic "Dandi March" (Salt Satyagraha) that started on March 12, 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram. Sarojini Naidu is also seen along with him. ( 12/03/1930)

Beautiful!

Beautiful!
The Tapir or Mountain Cow (Tapirello Bairdii) is the largest land mammal of the American tropics.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

Fortunate Son

Fortunate Son
A photograph from the Texas Air National Guard archives shows former enlisted Air Guardsman George W. Bush (left) having his second lieutenant bars pinned on by his father, George H.W. Bush, during a 1968 commissioning ceremony. The image is comprised of the faces of those who lost their lives in the war in Iraq. On October 25, 2005 the Pentagon announced that there have been 2,000 deaths of U.S. Soldiers since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003.

Grand Sumo

Grand Sumo
LAS VEGAS GRAND SUMO TOURNAMENT (STORY SUMMARY): Grand Sumo, the Japanese National Sport, is unique to Japanese tradition and culture, taking shape over 1,500 years. For the first time in over 20 years, the Grand Sumo held a competition in the United States, choosing Las Vegas as the host city as it coincides with the city's 100th year-old anniversary. Making the event as true to traditional arenas as possible, the organizers shipped thousands of pounds of special clay to construct a full size Dohyo, complete with the suspended Shinto Shrine overhead signifying the seasons of the year.

Black in white future

Black in white future
Serena williams in Australia, Jan. 2007

Courage

Courage
SPORTS PORTFOLIO - "Bloodied Victory": After losing the first 9 rounds, Jorge Arce of Mexico celebrates his 10th round TKO over Hussein Arce of Australia during their WBC Flyweight Elimination Fight at the MGM Grand Hotel on March 19, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Future stock

Future stock
A stockbroker reacts after the Sensex crossed the 9,500 mark during day trading in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Jan 3, 2006. Shares in India closed at an all-time high Tuesday on continued fund buying in blue chips and technology stocks. The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-stock Sensitive Index, or Sensex, closed 1.3 percent up at 9,539.37 points, just off its record intra-day high of 9,546.78 points.

Serena Williams...nothing to add

Serena Williams...nothing to add
Serena Williams reacts to a point win during her semifinal (Australia, Jan. 2007) . (AP Photo/Rick Stevens)

Data optimist

Data optimist
'I'm depressed Ms. Hartwig. Send in some optimistic economic data to cheer me up.'

Spanish future

Spanish future
Rafael Nadal

Preparing for the Future

Preparing for the Future
White Stupa Temple being refurbished for the Beijing Olympics, 2008

Future Art

Future Art
Vermeer's Girl With A Pear earring - computer version, left, good version, right.

Green Beauty

Green Beauty
A float of the Samba School 'Mocidade Independente do Padre Miguel' in the 2006 Carnival Parade at the Sambodromo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Futuristic Structure

Futuristic Structure
The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.

future leader

future leader
Obama's December trip to New Hampshire put the spotlight on him

Irony in hope

Irony in hope
In a Baghdad plagued with oil shortages, a man sets off hopefully in search of petrol.

Youth at Play

Youth at Play
Sonal Chaudhary: "Boys doing head stands on the beach in Sierra Leone."

Future Blue

Future Blue
Islands fringe Belize's barrier reef, one of the world's largest

Grasping the Opportunity

Grasping the Opportunity
Children use stones as chairs in their tent school in Juba, Sudan

Look of the Future

Look of the Future
Chinese acupuncturist Wei Shengchu displays his self-acupuncturing skills at a show in Chongqing.

Past form for the Future

Past form for the Future
An Indian holy man, or sadhu, performs yoga during the Hindu religious ceremony of Ardh Kumbh Mela.

Portrait of Young Optimist

Portrait of Young Optimist
Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara at Havana airport in 1962

Beyond the Athlete, a man of peace

Beyond the Athlete, a man of peace
Muhammad Ali at a news conference that he conducts from inside the ring in Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 24, 1970

A Human Path

A Human Path
Mother Teresa prays during a religious service in 1977

Courage in action

Courage in action
A Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Cangan Blvd. in Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela
Mandela was a TIME Man of the Year in 1993

South Africa

South Africa
Zulu Tradition

Pakistan

Pakistan
In Pakistan, relatives greet the first arrivals returning from Mecca where they have undertaken the Hajj pilgrimage.

Japan

Japan
Meanwhile, a traditional Japanese ball game is part of new year celebrations at Japan's Shimogamo shrine in Kyoto.

India

India
Indian boatmen, who are spending their days and nights on the River Ganges during the 45-day Ardh Kumbh Mela festival, prepare their dinner.

Links

  • BELIZE
  • Christian Science Monitor
  • http://design-planning.blogspot.com
  • http://google.com
  • http://grameenfoundation.org
  • http://odemagazine.com
  • Oprah
  • TED
  • Test your level of optimism for free
  • The Economist
  • World Economic Forum
  • www.ascendalliance.com

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      • Hope and reconciliation in liberia
      • Reversal of fortunes
      • Africa's Inland Deltas
      • Thailand allows copycat AIDS, heart disease drugs
      • Ghana United
      • Burka anyone?
      • Relaxed future
      • Shaping the future
      • Respect for knowledge
      • Class in success
      • Movement of vision
      • The time is now to negotiate the future
      • Nation of Hope
      • World Future
      • Working for Peace
      • Innovative approach to microloans
      • Welcome
      • Visions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
      • Oprah's Beam of Light
      • Poverty Reduction
      • A Glimpse of China 2005
      • Optimism as a self-fulfilling profecy
      • Pillars of optimism in the rubble of a tragedy
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