Finance Minister Senator Penny Wong

Penny Ying-yen Wong is an Australian senator who represents South Australia. She is the Commonwealth Minister for Finance and Deregulation and Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Wong was born in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, lcoated in East Malaysia. She moved to Austalia at age eight with her mother and browther after her parents seperated. Wong attended Scotch College. She recieved a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide. Wong also received a Graduate Diploma in LEgal Practice at University of South Australia.

At age 18, she took over the Adelaide University Labor Club. She has been a delegate to the South Australian Labor Party every year since 1989.

Wong is among the top 21 women you should admire by Daily Life. She is the first Asian-born federal minister, and the first openly lesbian member of the Australian cabinet. Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache had their first child, Alexandra in 2011. Wong has worked behind the scenes for same sex rights and marriage equality. Through her achievements she has shown that you do not need to be loud to make a difference.

Michael Eric Dyson and Dr. Imani Perry on the George Zimmerman Verdict

The Verdict

In this video Michael Eric Dyson and Dr. Imani Perry are interviewed on their perspective on the George Zimmerman case results. There have been many perspectives on the results. These two don’t necessarily focus on the case specifically but what it means for an African American citizen in today’s society.

Dr. Imani Perry has a Ph.D. and J.D. from Harvard. She is a professor at the Center for African American Studies. Her research specifically focuses on race and African American Culture.

Michael Eric Dyson was named one of the hundred most influential black Americans. He is an author of sixteen books and is a University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University.

Eboo Patel: Generation Islam

Eboo Patel talks about strong woman influences on his life and how faith can be used as a bridge of cooperation.

One of my mentors, introduced me to Eboo Patel.  Patel is a member of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.  Patel was a Rhodes scholar who earned a doctoral degree in the Sociology of Religion from Oxford  University.   He is an American Ismaili Muslim of Gujarati Indian.  He is the founder and president if the Interfaith Youth Core.

I had the opportunity to attend an IFYC Conference.  The leaders of the conference were students who identified themselves as followers of different religions.  They provided insight into their understanding of their own religion and created an environment where we could talk about religious and non-religious beliefs.

Patel is an activist for diversity, service, and faith.  I admire Patel’s passion, knowledge, and charisma.  Patel is one of the few people that can talk fluently about religion and faith, frequently quoting Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, and a variety of other religious and non-religious leaders.  His goal is to help spark a religious grass-roots movement to bring religion to the forefront.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about people who are passionate.  Hearing people talk about their passions and getting excited about life, is so inspiring!

Hugh McClelland

Hugh McClelland is a certified Yoga Instructor and Laugh Leader. McClelland identifies the specific benefits of laughter. He asks you to laugh like a baby, without getting the joke.

You have heard that laughing is wonderful for you but this video really exemplifies that any laughing is wonderful for you.  You don’t need to get the joke to benefit from laughing.  He does raise the question on normalizing laughter for no reason.

How will you laugh more?  How will you create a culture of laughter at work or home?

Woody Hayes

You Win With People!

“I recruit people who are good team players and understand how to respect one another…. You can’t respect anyone else until you’ve learned to respect yourself.”  -Hayes

This interview of Woody Hayes focuses on how he recruits good team players.  He focuses on discipline and respect.  Researching Woody Hayes, he seems to really care about his students and does not care what other people think of him.  As a staff member here at Ohio State I was able to take a Woody Hayes tour for his anniversary.  Hearing from those who were coached by him, they believe they were extremely lucky to have known him.  There has been some controversy on his style of coaching and his termination.  However, I asked someone who worked for him and he stated that Woody Hayes was smart and he would have adapted his coaching.  You see, back when Woody Hayes coached, there was a style of coaching considered tough love, and Hayes utilized it with his team.  However, that does not change the fact that Hayes cared about his students.  This video gives you a good look into his life.

Woody Hayes focused on respect and discipline.

 

What are you doing with discipline?