Yesterday was Cleveland's first TEDx event and it was incredible.  Organized by  Hallie Bram and Eric Kogelschatz,  the event was a total success - despite the snow that closed down virtually every school system in NE Ohio and snarled roads.  Check out the event and the speakers.  On a gray snowy day, it was one of the most uplifting, exciting, encouraging events in Cleveland in a long time - there is so much passion and creativity,  invention and innovation going on that you would wonder why someone is paying the press (Forbes??) to give us such bad 'press'!  The range of speakers talking about what they are doing in CLE - from healthcare innovation to design and fashion to urban renewal to advanced energy and electric vehicle s to hi-tech/art to cooking to finding unique ways to give back (by lawyers no less!) shows the depth and breadth of talent, knowledge and opportunity here.  Who knew that outside of NYC, CLE was the fashion mecca decades ago?

So, please, take a look at the TEDxCLE site (www.tedxcle.com ) and make sure you can get to it next year because it will be sold out again.  And keep an eye on Cleveland, very very cool things are happening...on the North Coast. 

Dan Pink talked about English being a huge issue for the next decade and beyond.  While we worry about our kids learning chinese, it's the law in China for chinese kids to learn English! Go figure -- interesting talk by Jay Walker on 'English Mania" - as the world's 2nd language - a necessity to living in a global world...this isn't an American 'pull' technique, it's a rest of the world 'pull' thing - this is an important, brief, video to watch.

Jay Walker is the guy that started Priceline by the way...

Dan Pink (A Whole New Mind ) has a new book coming out on motivating your people - here he is at TED - while it may be obvious to some of us,  sadly it's not to all, and Dan makes it clear - you can pre-order his new book here.