Changing the Axis of Development Interventions

I was walking by a university one weekend and saw a group learning aikido in the yard.

How can we apply techniques from aikido in development work?

1. when pushed, pull. when pulled, push.

2. use opponents momentum

3. if you have to push too hard, you're not pushing in the right way.

4. use circular motion

5. use leverage

Singularity University

I just heard about Singularity University. I think this is the next school I want to attend.

Emotional Hostage-taking

I was just on the subway home tonight when two young women in the train I was in started shouting at each other inside the train. It affected the emotional energy in the entire train.

Somebody pushed the alarm, and in the next stop, a transit staff came in to check our cab. She reported into her walkie-talkie and the train would not start moving, and we knew it was because of these two arguing ladies. By this time, the shouting had died down, and other passengers where egging them to get off the train so that we could move on. One lady, a smart looking woman in her early 20s clung to one of the rails inside the train, refusing to budge.

I knew that they were holding up, not only our train, but the trains behind us, and the passengers downstream who were waiting for our train to move on.

How often are decisions or systems held hostage because emotions get in the way? Palestinians and Arabs, environmentalists and businessmen, preachers and scientists...