To begin-
"Too many people expect wonders from democracy, when the most wonderful thing of all is just having it."
Author: Walter Winchell
Personally when I blog, I try to be as generic as possible due to the fact that I rather inform and lighten the day.  The world consists of very stressful times without adding more issues.  When one blogs, what are said are remain forever.  Its permanent.  Its not erasable.  Its going to be searchable in Google and Wikipedia. 
The rights of having free speech becomes more filtered and partisan.  Its not difficult to find folks thinking or writing or responding back to attacks or clips or sound-bites that are not favorable to them.  What is becoming a trend right now is that its becoming more not agree to disagree.  The prove came from the financial crisis when Congress first rejected the bill.  In other countries like mine, Canada, the Parliament was like a circus.  There is a grave concern that there may be the lowest voter turnout.  (Thats my personal thought) We had 3 elections in the last 5 years.  I went to the polls and will be heading to the polls including local elections for the 4th time. 
Coalition government
Election clips and highlights

Orginial quote: "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" is one of those wonderfully useful questions for those of us determined to live authentically... but what does it mean to "not be afraid"? Is there a difference between fearlessness and recklessness? Between being courageous and being foolhardy?
"If you fear making anyone mad, then you ultimately probe for the lowest common denominator of human achievement."- James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr.

There is no chance that I will not be afraid of something or a task or fearful of a person that I would encounter.  It is more of how you conquer your fears and admit that you will be afraid and face up your fears with courage and with support that you can find or sort out of.  In my blog entries, I do not really like to get too personal about how fear comes in many forms throughout my lifetime.  Rather, this blog is about communicating with others and through the stories that I can find from friends or daily lives or news clippings or books etc, these are the things that inspires me to become less fearful.  That encourages me living out of my own shell.  I like sharing stories through personal interactions face to face, even through I embrace technology.  My list of afraids:
Admitting that you are afraid takes a lot of courage. 
Admitting making mistakes and you know that you are afraid with butterflies is normal. 
Admitting that the fear of unknown is an okay thing. 
Admitting that I am a moral and somehow fear does occur unless you are immortal. 
Since I could not answer all these sets of Q and A in one session, I will try to attempt to follow up unfinished questions.   

There are the uncertainly in this economic times.  How does it relates to these difficult times?  Change is one of the thing that most of us are fear of.  We do not like change that are surrounding us.  As I went and discuss with some of the people on and offline, I see only disappointment, but I also see a glimmer of hope.  The hope comes from taking new opportunities and seeking new or reviewing ideas that are not so new.  In these economic difficulties, now its not the time to be fearful.  Rather, its time to conquer and work out with our fears.  So often we do not do with our hearts and our guts.  Our instints overtake what is our fears of what may happen.  Our forefathers, I cannot use a better word, I wish I could for the genderless base people, think with our consciences, our guts and what is right to ME, YOU or to your family and what makes sense to this trying times. 

"Information is the currency of democracy."  ~Thomas Jefferson

Disclaimer: In no way this blogger or Gaia says whose views the readers should be for at any time. Please this is only an opinion. 

Socialism failed because it couldn't tell the economic truth; capitalism may fail because it couldn't tell the ecological truth.
Lester Brown, Fortune Brainstorm Conference, 2006

Christmas is the time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it.  Deficits are when adults tell government what they want and their kids pay for it.  ~Richard Lamm

No nation is fit to set in judgment upon any other nation.  ~Woodrow Wilson

There is no pure free-market economy.
Jeane Kirkpatrick

Is there a way to generate a healthy discussion upon these quotes?  Some were from the past, do you find these quotes ring true or are they out of touch?  What would be your own quote? 

Here is 15 mins of fame inspired by Andy Warhol.  Privacy is what you choose to do with your information that you have. 
Quote- Privacy is the right to be alone--the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by civilized man.
Author: Louis D. Brandeis
“It is appallingly obvious our technology has exceeded our humanity”-  Albert Einstein
What do readers think?  Does it create less thinking time, reflection to self therefore less privacy?

Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose.  ~Turkish Proverb
Defining human- Concerned with human welfare and the alleviation of suffering: charitable, compassionate, humane, humanitarian, merciful.
"human." Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Answers.com 09 Oct. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/human-1
I would not be able to address the What differentiates humans from other creatures?
A few days ago, I went to an all night arts show, there were a number of art displays.  A great deal of human interactions through various different ways.  Through displays, drawings, videos, lectures, performances, tours, shows and more.  Diversity makes what makes us human beings.
For more of my Flickr photos- nuit Blanche
20th Century Iconic Images by Vanity Fair blog entry

There are a very few things in my life that I can remember by heart because I do not have a good short term memory.  I would like to remember a few more short sayings of the day.  There are a few things in my life that are worth remembering that I do put on my white-board.  I started to collect quotes and trying to use keywords to remember major events that are of importance or meaning to me.  Those sayings and quotes can get me through days that can be difficult at times when clouds are above your head.  I also find that a good hearthy conversation can be lighten up with humor if necessary.  

Uploaded on October 18, 2007
by del-fuego's
Very often with sharing our sadness, we break our stereotypes.  Men=strong and masculine.  Female=all together for her family and ladylike.   For the last few years, I went to wakes, so called funerals.  I am from a culture that really gives grieving a big exaggeration.  When I went to wakes that were mellower then our own culture, I tried to understand why.  I tried to understand the people and the family within it.  The only thing would be: people grieved privately.  Expect when I went to a Catholic funeral, I feel a bit more like home.  People actually grieved more openly.  I am not a Catholic myself.  I am a Chinese background.  Grieving in the right places are numerous, in which to itself is a relief. 
I do not know if its the lack of beliefs or understanding more then our own selves that we could not grief.  Or grieving is not an emotion that we really want to deal with?  People like to be happy and positive at all times and are not equipped with ups and downs.  Sharing our sorrows are a taboo.  Its increasingly a societal issue that I find that needs to be addressed starting from little steps such as having a dialogs such as these from here. 

These are all how I would sum up my ways of positive success at work: ie: through pictures, good thoughts, cats and music
Quote of the day- The difference between success and failure is often not who has the most money, or the best education: it's motivation. As George Washington Carver once said, "Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."

To keep moving- Motivation is a battle for the heart, not just an appeal to the mind. Passion is always an expression of the soul.

    * Patrick Dixon, Building a Better Business (2005), p. 159
Finally-
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans.
The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

    * Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Body and emotions are co-related.  Everyday I face ups and downs.  Do I ever not liking it too much.  Somedays, do I ever feel so exhausted!  I wonder why people do have limits?  Though, through a lifetime of journeys and a lot of hit and misses, we can only be more aware of our own emotions more.  We can perhaps grow more as a person.  A few things I learn that emotions can affect the body and spirits:
1. Exhaustion
2. Anger
3. Bitterness
4. Soreness
5. Sleepiness
6. Tummy ache
7. Headache
8. Difficulty of breathing
9. Bewilderment
10. Shock
Yes, as one gets older, one hopes to connect more with its own body and its soul.  Is it a juggle to balance as these economic woes?  The only thing that I remember out of would be: there is always the yellow brick road....

There are a few things that assist me throughout my life.  Unconventional provoking thinking or thoughts.  I love reading books.  As modern technology does allow the downloads of books, I find it does slow down the chance of sorting some personal growth on own terms at times.  This past week, I saw a video of Marcus Buckingham, a well known author who wrote 5 books.  The recent one:  "The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success", aims to the younger generation or people who would like to think differently about putting their strengths first when they are at a job. 
A few focal points:
Find true career direction.
Capitalize on your uniqueness.
Create a work life that plays to your strengths.
A video interview with Marcus Buckingham
Marcus Buckingham's Official Website

Seeing my love again to celebrate belated birthday and renew with one another through conversation. 

Photo by damselfly58

I do a few things, but one of my favorite is sleeping.  

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/410891/