Words of Wisdom — August 24, 2014

Kofi Annan on Human Solidarity

“We need to create a world that is equitable, that is stable and a world where we bear in mind the needs of others, and not only what we need immediately. We are all in the same boat.”

-Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006)

Annan was the seventh person to serve as leader of the United Nations:

1. Trygve Lie, Norway (1946-52)

2. Dag Hammarskjöld, Sweden (1953-61)

3. U Thant, Burma (1961-71)

4. Kurt Waldheim, Austria (1972-81)

5. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peru (1982-91)

6. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egypt (1992-96)

7. Kofi Annan, Ghana (1997-2006)

8. Ban Ki-moon, South Korea (2007-Present)

Secretaries-general are elected to 5-year terms. Although there is no set term limit, none in the position have ever achieved a third. Ban Ki-moon, up for re-election again in 2016, could become the first. If he chooses to retire, the progressive factions may prioritize electing a woman to be the 9th secretary-general.

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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