#2 Letter of Inspiration - Luxury: admired, desired, and declared dead
The understanding of luxury is changing, which triggers a decline of inflationary consumption. Modern consumerism is shifting toward a luxury of connoisseurship. This puts a new emphasis on you: on individual knowledge, on personal relations, on network and, ultimately, on the creation of your own context. Taking a look at the book of Hans-Ulrich Obris titled 'Ways of curating' might give you a first impulse on this new perspective. I also invite you to read my blog posts!
Luxury: admired, desired, and declared dead
The luxury industry for a long time was considered a seismograph for the mass market. A big statement, starting with the question of what luxury actually means and ending with the question mark of what that means for my business.
The next generations (known in the media as Millennials and Gen Z), have been fortunate enough to grow up in an environment, in which nothing has ever been missing. They did not experience neither financial crises, no war. In fact, they have lived their formative years (between 10 and 25) in a globalized world, without geographical boundaries or limited access to products. When there is access to everything, the quest for meaning becomes even stronger. However, it would be very naive to assume that the latter has no impact on an industry dominated by consumption and material things.
One example is the airline industry: what was once a symbol for luxury and only accessible to a select group of people, has filtered down to the mass market. Nowadays flying is even perceived by many as a burden. Although, concepts such as NetJets, a private-flight provider, are steadily gaining ground. Why? This company does not sell flights anymore, but safety and independence for an exclusive clientele. These values describe the new luxury.
Knowledge creates conscious awareness, therefore meaning. The quest for meaning has made materialism replaceable. The understanding of luxury evolves from status to connoisseurship. Ultimately, the depth of knowledge about the product dictates the level of enjoyment. For example the menu presentations of Michelin-Star restaurants mention not only the local farmers, but even the dairy cows, creating a deeper understanding of the product.
How does this trend affect your business? Success will manifest itself for those who create meaning and place this new value in the right context.
The age of connoisseurs
I see a new chapter opening up: suddenly people gain attraction over big brands. Our current era values individual thinking and a certain level of depth over the superficial results of an average Google search. An upcoming revival of the appreciation for craftsmanship signals the shift of values: from the growing popularity of baristas who are experts in roasting temperatures and grinding, to the increasing willingness of customers to wait up to three months for a handmade pair of leather shoes.
The age of connoisseurs suddenly brings our attention to a profession that has only been found in the art world: the curator. This group cleverly combines individual works into an exhibition by creating a higher context, based on their connections with connoisseurs (artists). Sooner than later the skill of curating will be more and more prevalent in other industries as well, laying the foundation for a new form of recognition. The search for meaning no longer puts consumers in front of boutiques to wait in queues, but prompts them to seek access to connoisseurs.
I recently published an article about 'curating inspiration', which you can find here.
Let me give you an example, how the purpose of meaning can make a difference in a highly competitive market. James Freeman, the founder of the California-based coffee chain Blue Bottle had a dream: he wanted to offer the best coffee in the world. That was a huge vision back in 2004, especially because of the fierce competition among existing coffee chains. The best coffee for Freeman meant the most tasteful coffee. Many conversations, tastings and researches later, he found out that the peak of flavor decreased significantly 48 hours after roasting. After this discovery, Freeman's goal was clear: to only offer coffee that is enjoyed within 48 hours after roasting. The result? More than 60 stores worldwide and revenue of $22.5 million.
The end of consumption
Excessive consumption is no longer chic. The luxury of connoisseurship can be distilled in radical sophistication, presenting itself in a more silent, unobtrusive enjoyment. Simply picking the most expensive red wine from the list is no longer enough. The quest for meaning breaks through the surface of price and status. The insight into wine style, winemakers, grape growing and winemaking draws the customer's attention. The sommelier, who is actually a curator of wine, becomes the gatekeeper to knowledge. If he is not convincing, new generations will rather order water with lemon… or celleric juice.
People seek more clarity: easy access to information and domain-specific knowledge reduces our willingness to compromise. The consumer is more aware, educated and curious than probably ever before. According to a study by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI), this trend will continue, stating that "the consumer is also a producer". Let's theoretically expand the circle of connoisseurship! As our own expectations are increasing and craftsmanship is celebrating a revival, could our motivation to buy one day be replaced by "doing-it-yourself" and barter?
What has inspired me recently?
The desire for lightness. I had a beautiful imagine in my mind of colorful houses, embedded among the rocks on the Tyrrhenian seashore and white, little beaches, inviting to refresh from the hot August sun. The reality of the Amalfi Coast was a different one: crowded pass roads, black, hot and rocky beaches where you had fit your towel as if playing Tetris between all the others.
Space, solitude, independence - for me attributes of new luxury - have not even come close to what I experienced. Three days at the coast in southern Italian has been nevertheless enriching: people, especially Italians, who seemed not to notice any of what I just described. These people truly enjoyed the moment being fully present, with style and pleasure, far from self-optimization or the staging of a next Instagram post. In our fast-moving society there is a huge urge to reconnect to oneself: yoga, mediation, plant-based diet, and artificial minimalism through the self-imposed reduction to only 100 items and so on. However, lightness might not come to those who spend all their energy on forcing themselves to reach a certain state, but to those who can let things go and simply... be.
Thank you for staying with me. I hope you received fruitful impulses. Please feel free to share the content with colleagues and friends.
Curating Inspiration for Natural Leaders
Abstract: Natural leaders are always considered to be models, sources of inspiration and confident decision makers. However, these roles can become burdensome. How can you inspire someone who represents a spark of inspiration for others? Zero Senses curates inspiration for natural leaders, providing an unbiased mirror and personalized impulses to break through the narrow perspective of their comfort zone.
"All authentic art is conceived at a sacred moment and nourished in a blessed hour; an inner impulse creates it, often without the artist being aware of it"
- Kaspar David Friedrich
Who Inspires the Inspirer?
Natural leaders are charismatic individuals with an innate talent for guiding and inspiring others. Yet, they face the same struggles as everyone else, feeling the paralysis of great life decisions and the immense fear of missing out on a large deal. The natural skill of leadership comes at a price, which is meeting expectations - to always make the right decisions, never lose out on an opportunity, stand undaunted in front of adversities, and remain a constant source of inspiration.
Natural leaders are in a constant delivery mode to satisfy the people around them: on the surface they seem to be in charge, yet even the life of a successful CEO is dictated by the agenda. When facing the void, like unexpected freedom, they feel lost. Entangled in the quagmire of daily affairs, natural leaders rarely seek inspiration; which, if it happens, only comes from within their current field of awareness. The sweet spot is to open up perception and find inspiration from beyond their field, enlarging their horizon.
Artists of romanticism like Kaspar David Friedrich painted almost perfectly realistic landscapes, portraits and historical scenes, adding only a touch of drama by deliberately emphasizing a certain aspect in the composition. They made this emphasis through, for instance, an abundant application of vivid color or an exaggerated depiction of emotions that almost slides into sentimentality. The result is an image that is grounded in reality, yet bestows upon us a sensation of magic that we struggle to describe. In the business context, Zero Senses adds this sprinkling of drama by curating an "exhibition" of inspiring impulses to open up perception and ultimately inspire the inspirer.
Impulses: Sparkles of Awareness
There is one element that is always behind inspiration: the impulse.
Through impulses, Zero Senses opens up perception. The result is inspiration, which enlarges your vision of reality and offers a higher level of awareness. The ultimate reference point is always reality. However, awareness of values, motivations, and drivers is the foundation of conscious action in business life.
Anything that inspires you can be an impulse. It can be a sensory stimulus (food, wine, opera, etc.), an experience (physical or intellectual, such as exhibitions, speeches, new technologies, etc. ), or an encounter with an inspiring individual. However, to really touch your awareness, impulses have to be individual. An impulse is a "glimpse of fire" that triggers an emotional or intellectual response, activating past experiences, personal values, beliefs, and motivations.
You can only receive new impulses that you find relevant or familiar. When you cannot relate to an impulse, it simply takes too much effort to connect with it - therefore, you subconsciously ignore it. However, if you are genuinely interested in an area, awareness will arise more naturally. That is why Zero Senses sets impulses that are individual and very personalized to your needs, including those of your business.
The Phases of Curating Impulses
Zero Senses offers a journey of 0+3 Phases.
Like a curator who builds a context by carefully selecting art pieces for an exhibition, we pick the right impulses to trigger your awareness. As a curator needs to understand artists, we need to understand you.
The journey therefore starts with Phase 0 (Zero), which is an in-depth conversation. We guide your thoughts with the "Zero Senses Matrix", based on Tanja's 15 years of experience working with and in large companies. We identify fields that represent personal interests (i.e. inner drivers), external factors like objective megatrends, including environmental matters (i.e. sustainability and new technologies) and societal developments (i.e. changes in societal behavior, preferences of the next generation, or the understanding of luxury). We also take current projects into account. The outcome is your essence, which sets the framework for the following phases.
After we identify your needs, we will not sit in a classroom browsing PowerPoint slides. Mere knowledge is not enough. Instead, we go for a walk. Phase 1 (Impulse) is a session of curated impulses, which can include a stimulation of the senses, encounters with creators, and personal trend experiences (new technologies, social behaviors, environmental changes). In Phase 2 (Translation) we condense the essence and connect it to your business (vision, goals, plan of action). In Phase 3 (Companionship), you will apply the essence on a concrete example and learn to use it consciously. During the journey, we constantly build and maintain a bridge between personal experience and your business life.
Zero Senses provides an independent, detached, free, and inquisitive mirror; besides an extensive network and the right mix of personalized impulses to break through conditioned and narrow perspectives. Ultimately, the journey of inspiration leads natural leaders to become aware of their creation.
#1 Letter of Inspiration - Embracing the VOID.
In this letter you find impulses on the magical endurance of uncertainty, on how to use cultivated intuition to make clear decisions, and on what inspired me recently on the subject of 'sustainability'. Last but not least: you can find the essential thoughts from my speech titled "From Rational to Emotional Thinking", which I gave to 250 managers in Zurich (in German).
Embracing the VOID
Building a business is certainly not an easy task, but for me it is probably the most exciting and formative experience so far:
- It is exciting, because I can do everything for the first time, without any support from a company, or the protection of a boss, or the security of a superficial senior title. I am - just myself. Even though it is a huge initial effort, it's a time when I grow almost daily. I dive deeply into topics, I learn to translate my experience into a new context, to eventually reach the moment when I can apply this experience - let it be a client meeting, a lecture or a conversation about an acquisition. I'm preparing to eventually share my 'new', transformed knowledge. What's so exciting about all this, you may wonder? The moment of uncertainty; not knowing whether my idea will be understood, acknowledged or even lead to inspiration. The brief moment of silence, the VOID, which feels like minutes even though it only lasts seconds, triggers a feeling of floating without a firm ground below.…
- It is a formative experience, because the moment of uncertainty triggers a void, which I learned to enjoy. The feeling of tightrope walking without a safety harness, which I described above, makes me relive on my own experience and forces me to use the latter in my arguments. A child who has once touched a burning candle, will not only avoid the the burning flames, but also will be careful when sitting around the campfire with friends. The art of enjoying the void is to instill what one experienced in the past into the present moment and instead of seeing the void as danger (burning campfire), enjoy it (gently warming fire).
Sharpening our sensory awareness is one way to learn transferring our experience into the now. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba and former teacher, illustrated the importance of our soft skills in a convincing interview at the WEF 2018 in Davos. He brought up the education system as an example to illustrate how crucial it will be in the future to reactivate our soft skills, like our talent for painting or music.
The Gut Feeling - A Myth?
What a wonderful world it would be, in which I easily make decisions based on my feelings - from the weather forecast "I feel that it is going to rain today!" to business decisions "I just feel that this is the right way to go for our company". The reality, however, is different; Intuition is an unused potential that, like everything else in life, must be learned. Andrew McAfee, MIT Cambridge USA, a man who is always a great source of inspiration for me, expressed the importance to learn intuition quite drastically in his Harvard Business Review article in 2010: "Following intuition is a deeply misguided advice".
What does one of the digital thought leaders mean by this? It's not about naively following a feeling, but...
... it takes time to develop intuition
... we must train our ability to actively listen and perceive first
... to lay the foundation for intuition as awareness of ourselves, we need consistency in our own perception to be able to use its power. How can you do that? Read this article 'ZERO is the light'
Almost 10 years later, I came across an interview in Forbes Magazine with Ryan Caldwell, the founder of a fast-growing technology company called MX. Ryan impressively describes what it entails to trust in one's own intuition. In the end, I can summarize the takeaway with the concept of clarity: Clarity of who I am; and what that means to my business = values; Clarity, in words and behavior; Clarity to make consistent decisions.
"Intuition is neither a caprice nor a sixth sense; it is a form of intelligence"
Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer."
I agree without McAfee and Caldwell: Intuition has tremendous potential that allows us to make more independent and conscious decisions. We need to reactivate and cultivate this suppressed strength in order to apply it. I like the comparison with sports. If I decided to do sports on a daily basis, I would probably stick to my decision for no more than five days, but to integrate sports as daily routine and let them become a habit, it takes consistency, stamina and a strong belief that our effort will add value. It works the same way with intuition. "Intuition is neither a caprice nor a sixth sense; it is a form of intelligence," said Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer, director of the Max Planck Institute in Berlin. For me, intuition is the ability to connect knowledge (ratio) with feeling (emotion) and to translate them into the present moment.
I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on how intuition can be cultivated as a way of thinking and life style at a conference in Zurich recently. The host set an inspiring stage for an audience of 250 managers. You can find here a teaser of my main thoughts and, only if you are curious to see more, you can also watch the 30-minute talk (in German).
Sustainability will probably be named as the "non-word of the year" soon. Every entrepreneur, but also almost all friends have the same opinion "Yes, we have to do something...". There are wild ideas on how to implement sustainable aspects in companies and ultimately in our life. One strives for an ISO certification for his company, the other buys only regional products, while another refrains from flying within the EU, but enjoys his avocado toast every morning (by the way, anyone wondered how avocados get from Mexico to Switzerland?). I was lucky enough to experience what sustainability means in holistic terms, when I temporarily lived in the Netherlands a few months ago.
Obviously, the consequences of climate change will directly affect cities like Amsterdam, which lie below sea level. Although I am convinced, that this is not the only reason, this country is closely connected to nature and the fate of the latter. It is apparent in their holistic approach through emobility, the generally healthy lifestyle, and an amazingly high number of impact startups and sustainable food concepts.
Jack Bean, a vegan fast food start-up: One of the founders, a star chef from Rotterdam, wanted to prove the fact that vegan food tastes good, easy to make and sustainable to produce. This young team uses only products grown in the region (i.e., no avocado or quinoa). They have a digital ordering process via tablets and tableware from renewable materials. Their target group are men who want to eat healthily, without giving up on taste. Of course, Jack Bean offers home delivery too, but only by bike or e-scooter and in recyclable boxes. A holistic concept with a great potential.
With this, my Letter of Inspiration comes to an end… Thank you for joining me on the way to more clarity. If you like this episode, please feel free to share it with like-minded colleagues and friends, encouraging them to subscribe!
Companion of Self-Reflection
"When we are alienated from our gut feelings, we have no longer a sense of reality or a sense of truth. The good news is: human beings can regain connection to themselves (…). All we have to do – not an easy task, but is certainly available to us – is to get back to our true nature."
Dr. Gabor Maté - Canadian Physician
Speech at the 2012 National Bioneers Conference
A Reset to Stillness
Alienation from our authentic self means losing sight of what truly matters to us, because we are distracted by the siren song of false drivers. The noisy, hyperactive superficiality of consumerism provides plentiful substitutes of the lost meaning: we chase job titles, awards, possessions, embellishments of material success, and social recognition. As the above-quoted Dr. Maté said in the same presentation: "Much of the economy is based on a loss of meaning in our culture."
The loss of trust in intuition is the direct result of our alienation. After the Second World War, artists of the ZERO movement abandoned the very concept of art to find a pure expression of truth. Similarly, to find your true self, you need to let go of the substitutes that fill your inner void: the embellishments of visibility, the internalized command to fulfil societal expectations, and the general misuse of the concept of "career" as a source of identity. A complete reset to stillness and emptiness is essential to perceive who we are in the first place.
Tanja Schug, the founder of Zero Senses and a former brand consultant, is deeply passionate about wine. In the past, she contemplated different ways of pursuing her hobby, from becoming a winemaker to running a vineyard in California. Yet, none of the options felt right, as if wine were only a transmitter of a deeper meaning. When we taste a sip of wine, we naturally struggle to distinguish the components, the mental images behind the rich cacophony of flavour and smell. As Gordon M. Shepherd wrote in his book, Neuroenology: How the Brain Creates the Taste of Wine:
"(…) Although one consciously perceives a smell, a smell that has properties of an image, that image is not conscious. (…) We are very good at recognizing complex patterns, such as someone's face, but lack the vocabulary to describe them. This is exactly the challenge in describing the qualities of a wine aroma."
Wine tasting is a conscious effort to identify layers of sensation, like traces of pineapple or blueberry. Through conscious discernment, you create a bridge between past experience and the sensory perception of the moment. Hence, wine becomes a vehicle to instil your existing knowledge into a new context. Once Tanja came to this realization, she decided to apply the same pattern in her life, extending the notion to new domains.
"Awareness of my feelings and the ability to connect them with my experience provide me with an unshakeable trust in myself", she affirms. Self-confidence and independence from outside influences (i.e., statistics, analysis, and confirmation) stem from the cornerstone of self-trust. Tanja became a change catalyst and companion of natural leaders in realizing their personal strengths and reactivating their intuition through conscious intelligence. The latter emerges from the balanced connection of rationality and emotions through the sharpening of sensory awareness.
Agreeing to the Journey
Returning to ourselves is a tedious journey. The undertaking might seem daunting because of its apparent loneliness and defiance of societal expectations. As the most fundamentally intimate and important things in life, we are essentially alone with the responsibility and effort bestowed upon us by our commitment.
In Tanja's view, the first step is agreeing to the departure: "The decision to sign up for the journey is harder than it appears. We are instinctively afraid of change. However, it is better to decide consciously that we are indeed at a point where we need change. Otherwise, life will force us into change."
Leaving the concern of everyday business and throwing out the unnecessary garments of superficial trivialities takes courageous determination. Deliberately locking out the noise and at least temporarily leaving our ordinary context is essential to start seeing beyond the surface of everyday life. Yet we do not have to be lonely on this journey.
It is no coincidence that even mythological figures were led by trusted guides through their journeys. At the beginning of his Divine Comedy, the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri finds himself in a dark forest, completely lost and overtaken by fear. Yet, he soon found a guide: Virgil, the Latin poet, leads him through the steps of a mystical journey from hell to paradise. As he told Dante: "I therefore think and judge it best for thee / to follow me; and I shall be thy guide."
Most of us are too busy running on our treadmills to realize the true magnitude of our self-alienation, let alone to consciously look for sources of inspiration or an adept guide to lead us back to ourselves. As our ancestors showed us, we never walked alone on new or difficult paths.
A Mirroring Companion
Reaching a state of clarity is a prerequisite of change. Zero Senses is a detached and neutral mirror, purely reflecting your deepest values, drivers, and aspirations, without adding or taking away anything. Without guidance, you might follow the path you already know. Without safety, fear of judgment might deter you. Zero Senses not only creates a safe atmosphere of acceptance to awaken your awareness, but also curates impulses to widen your perception. We accompany you on a journey of transformation.
Tasting wine taught Tanja that understanding emerges both from knowledge and experience. The sharpening of sensory awareness and the reactivation of intuition lead to more clarity, which in turn becomes the foundation of personal independence and inner stability.
However, there is no uniform way to cultivate awareness. Zero Senses curates the impulses through choosing sensory stimuli that match the personal characteristics of natural leaders. During a profiling phase, we identify the key topics of interest and relevance, ranging from visuality (e.g., art and nature) to human impulses (e.g., meaningful discussions with inspiring people).
Ultimately, we distill your essence: as your strengths manifest themselves, you can start translating and using them intuitively within every moment, discussion and situation. As your conscious intelligence improves, you can slowly unravel and change the underlying patterns of your life.
ZERO Is The Light
ZERO announces a new beginning. In my belief, this new start gets created by oneself. In this world we're living in, we are distracted by outside impulses: our need for belonging, our wish to be seen, our hope to be successful. But where do we actually want to belong? By whom do we really want to be seen? And what does success truly mean for us? ZERO is the starting point for a new way of thinking, of finding what truly matters. Because it starts with you, your essence, your being. ZERO is you. An unmanifest silent space inside of you filled with pure possibilities. Therefore ZERO is not judging, it is positive, immensely optimistic. Its fuel is curiosity, the curiosity to create.
What inspired me to found Zero Senses is that you cannot find purity on the surface of anything. You have to see beyond the obvious to find ZERO. The art movement I am referring to experimented with new forms of expression after the Second World War. ZERO SENSES translates this into business reality, offers a path to find your ZERO, and empowers you to use it as a basis on which to live your true self.
"Zero means silence, Zero is the new beginning, Zero is round, Zero is the moon and the sun.
—Mack, Piene, Uecker, 1963
The Art of Letting Go
In the aftermath of the Second World War, a small group of German artists aimed to break away from the reigning post-war pessimism and artistic conventions. In the early 1960s, the founders of the ZERO art movement (Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Günther Uecker) decided to return to the origin of creation, to ZERO. The artists let go of a damaged universe with optimistic resignation. It wasn't the fake hurrah-optimism of today's performance-society (Leistungsgesellschaft): they had to give a new meaning to their lives embracing nothingness because the very meaning of human existence had seemingly vanished.
Obtaining a clean slate of purity meant forgetting the past, thus freeing the future from its burden. ZERO artists jettisoned dusty dogmas and the stifling conditions of expectations. For others, emptiness might have been fearfully paralyzing. For them, it meant unprecedented depth and endless possibilities. First, they questioned the very basis of art by emptying the canvas. Then they questioned the canvas too. When almost nothing remained, they stripped down art to its essence: light, space, materials, and shapes. Instead of brushes, the artists took nails or alternators, scribbled on metal wires, explored the infinite meanings of a single color, or flapped aluminium blades in the light.
ZERO artists distinguished their style by focusing their creative energy in a single means of expression. Günther Uecker introduced a new layer of vision by using a hammer and nails instead of paint and brush, opening up an unusual entry point for the observer. Otto Piene expressed depth with lights and fire. Creators who joined the movement later further enlarged its repertoire. Lucio Fontana directly broke through the canvas by cutting or hammering holes in it, shattering the seemingly suffocating two-dimensionality. Yves Klein showed that even a single color (monochrome), his famous ultramarine blue, condensed endless layers of depth.
"I make a hole in the canvas in order to leave behind the old pictorial formulae, the painting and the traditional view of art and I escape symbolically, but also materially, from the prison of the flat surface."
Touchpoint of ZERO and Senses
"Before you can express yourself, you need to assert yourself", said Günther Uecker. Knowing who you are and what truly matters to you comes first. Challenging expectations and societal conventions only follows. ZERO artists courageously abandoned dogma and expectations without compromise in order to create space for the purest, deepest, and most authentic form of art: expressing the true self.
Modern life has inundated us with constant noise, endless opportunities, and lingering uncertainty. Stress stems from our own expectations, fuelled by the exterior: we relentlessly crave recognition, title, money, and status. We nurture an ardent desire to belong, to be visible, and to be successful. However, we rarely question the very mindset of constant performance. Where do we actually want to belong? Who shall see us? What does success mean at all?
Tanja Schug, the founder of Zero Senses felt that we need a similarly profound and purifying change in business life. Inspired by the art of letting go, she helps natural leaders reach their personal point ZERO in a safe environment. She has understood that curated stimuli of the senses (like seeing, smelling, and tasting) sharpens the awareness of feelings. Connecting ZERO with Senses, Tanja invites you to embark on the journey of discovering, embracing, and gradually realizing your true self through cultivated intuition and ultimately more clarity in any decision.
Following the Path of ZERO Artists
The emptiness of point ZERO is the silence before the creation of the universe. The first step is to leave the crowd and courageously retreat from the minutiae of daily life. Like Günther Uecker's hammer that struck nails through the canvas, one by one, the impulses of Zero Senses gradually increase your sensory awareness.While Lucio Fontana defied the two-dimensionality of the flat canvas by breaking through it, Zero Senses helps you gently transcend the surface of your everyday routine to finally see your life as it is, and make decisions with the clarity of a higher context.
The resulting balance between your rational and creative sides will restore your trust in your own intuition. Clarity is the foundation of a profound transformation. The fog of everyday routine will slowly dissipate, revealing the old patterns and habits which are invisibly intertwined with all aspects of your life. However, cultivating clarity requires tremendous effort and commitment. As Otto Piene saw it, "darkness has the potential to become light". Just like light and shadow, struggle and joy belong together, stemming from and feeding on each other.
The journey starts with you, your essence, your being. You will not only understand, you will start to see. Similarly to ZERO artists, by connecting previously unforeseen dots, you will be able to transmit your true self into your reality.
ZERO is your beginning.
Cultivating intuition for more
clarity in your decisions
Connect@zerosenses.ch
© Zero Senses 2021
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BOOK REVIEW • The Restless Sea: Exploring the World Beneath the Waves
Dean A. McManus
Book Information: The Restless Sea: Exploring the World Beneath the Waves, by R. Kunzig, 336 pages, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 0-393-04562-5
@article{article, author = {Dean A. McManus | University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA}, title = {The Restless Sea: Exploring the World Beneath the Waves}, journal = {Oceanography}, year = {2000}, month = {}, note = {}, volume = {13}, url = {https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2000.24}, }
TY - JOUR AU - Dean A. McManus | University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA PY - 2000 TI - The Restless Sea: Exploring the World Beneath the Waves JO - Oceanography VL - 13 UR - https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2000.24 ER -
First Paragraph
Robert Kunzig is European editor of Discover magazine. The fact that he received awards for excellence in science journalism is quickly discerned upon reading the first few pages of this engrossing book. Kunzig artfully combines elegant writing with a facility for explaining science in plain English. His approach is to sketch both the very human activity of scientists who helped create an understanding of the ocean, over mainly the last fifty years, and the highlights of that understanding. That he combines both these aspects of science (a human activity and a collection of facts leading to understanding of the world around us) is, in my opinion, the primary value of the book.
McManus, D.A. 2000. Review of The Restless Sea: Exploring the World Beneath the Waves, by R. Kunzig. Oceanography 13(3):120–121, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2000.24.


UN renews smaller DRC peacekeeping force
Security Council cuts number of MONUSCO mission troops as US seeks cutting costs and streamlining of UN's operations.
31 Mar 2017 19:43 GMT
The United Nations Security Council has renewed the mandate of the peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo but decided to cut its numbers.
The 15-member council on Friday unanimously renewed the $1.2bn mission for another year amid warnings that violence was spreading across the country before elections this year.
The French-drafted resolution reduced the authorised size of the military component of the MONUSCO mission from 19,815 to 16,215 troops, but the force is already under-strength and, in practice, fewer than 500 will go home.
The document is the first adopted since the United States began a review of the 16 UN peacekeeping missions as part of its plan to cut foreign aid and reform the world body's operations.
WATCH: US demands cuts to UN's DRC troop deployment (2:03)
The resolution authorises the replacement of some troops with better-trained specialised units and gives the force a green light to intervene anywhere in the country if needed and not just in the volatile east.
It also calls for a dialogue between the UN and the Congolese government, led by President Joseph Kabila, on an "exit strategy".
Support of the resolution by all 15 council members reflects widespread backing for the US goal of streamlining the UN's operations that deploy over 107,000 troops and civilians at an annual cost of more than $7.8bn.
MONUSCO is the biggest and costliest UN mission with about 22,400 people, including nearly 17,000 soldiers and over 1,350 police.
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, told the council she was "very proud" that all members had voted to cut the troop ceiling and make the mission stronger and more effective.
The UN force is going "to make sure the elections are safe, to make sure that we're keeping people safe, and that we're actually looking at the political problems on the ground", she said.
Potential war crime
At the start of Friday's council meeting, members stood in silent tribute to two UN experts killed while investigating alleged human rights violations by Congolese forces and local militia groups and all other victims of violence in the country.
The bodies of American Michael Sharp, Swedish national Zaida Catalan and their interpreter, Betu Tshintela, were found earlier this week - but three other Congolese members of their team remain missing.
READ MORE: Bodies of missing UN workers found in DRC
Recent acts of violence, including the killing of the experts, could constitute war crimes, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor said on Friday.
"There have been reports of violent clashes between local militia and Congolese forces, a large number of killings of both civilians and non-civilians, kidnappings and summary executions," Fatou Bensouda wrote in a statement.
"Such acts could constitute crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court."
The remote central province of Kasai has been plagued by violence since mid-August, when government forces killed Kamwina Nsapu, a tribal chief and militia leader who had rebelled against Kabila's central government.
The violence has spilled over from Kasai to the neighbouring provinces of Kasai-Oriental and Lomami, leaving at least 400 people dead.
UN members are pressing Kabila's government to honour a power-sharing deal with the opposition before elections later this year.
INSIDE STORY: Is the president of the DRC clinging on to power? (25:15)


Trib Reporters Say Stories Shown to Readers Before Published
By Adweek Staff,
Reporters at the Chicago Tribune say they believe the marketing department in recent weeks solicited subscribers' opinions on stories before they were published, a practice they said raises ethical questions, as well as legal and competitive issues.
An e-mail signed by 55 reporters and editors, sent Wednesday to Editor Gerould Kern and Managing Editor Jane Hirt and obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, questions why the newspaper was conducting the surveys and what stories were used. They also wanted to know which readers were surveyed and whether any story had been altered as a result of reader comment.
"It is a fundamental principle of journalism that we do not give people outside the newspaper the option of deciding whether or not we should publish a story, whether they be advertisers, politicians or just regular readers," the e-mail read. "Focus grouping as done in the past is one thing. But this appears to break the bond between reporters and editors in a fundamental way."
The reporters and editors also said many have become uncomfortable that the marketing department appeared to be playing an undefined role in the newsroom.
No member of the news staff would comment on the issue.
"We'll let the e-mail speak for itself," said reporter John Chase.
Chicago Tribune editor Gerould Kern, who was to meet with the news staff Thursday afternoon, issued a statement late in the day saying the newspaper had discontinued "a brief market research project that tested reader reaction to working story ideas that have not yet been published."
"Premature dissemination of information about stories under development compromises the reporting process," Kern said. "Our goal is to provide people with news reports that are fair, accurate and complete. Therefore, we publish stories only when they are ready … Research is an important tool in understanding consumer needs. It provides context, and we listen to it carefully. Each day, news decisions are made by journalists."
Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization in St. Petersburg, Fla., said he could not say whether the Tribune survey was unique, but is not aware of such an effort elsewhere.
The closest example he could cite was a feature, now discontinued, by the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, which allowed readers to pick a story for its front page.
"Now more than ever we have people saying we have to be sensitive to what our readers want," Edmunds said. "It seems a little odd to be putting it to a vote before the fact. It could end up with story mix more Brittany Spears that what is going on in City Hall."
If true, the Tribune survey is only the latest practice by a Tribune Co. newspaper to raise the eyebrows of journalism professionals.
Earlier in April, The Los Angeles Times ran an advertisement resembling a news story on its front page. The ad, for the NBC program "Southland," was labeled as an advertisement at the top, but was in a vertical column previously reserved for news. The text was next to a banner ad for the show at the bottom of the page.
A statement by the newspaper afterward indicated it was testing new approaches to the delivery of news, including new marketing opportunities for its advertisers. News industry analyst Ken Doctor of Outsell Inc. called the ad a "loony idea" that blurred the line on what readers can trust in the newspaper.
The controversy in the Tribune newsroom comes after 53 jobs were cut last week as part of a newsroom reorganization designed to help the company weather an economic downturn. The company had previously been forced to seek Chapter 11 protection from creditors. With the cuts, the newspaper has a newsroom staff of about 430.
In addition to the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, Chicago-based Tribune Co. owns The (Baltimore) Sun and other dailies, as well as 23 television stations and the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
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