April 26th, 2010
Two weeks ago, a book that could change your life was released. Sound like a hefty claim? Not according to J. Kirk Boyd, author of 2048: Humanity’s Agreement to Live Together. Kirk’s claim, precisely, is that your life and the lives of every human being on the planet will change by the year 2048. This is the year that, according to the book, mankind will implement an International Bill of Human Rights, designed to fully realize the freedoms we are born with. And apparently, Kirk isn’t the only one who believes this is possible—far from it. Last week, 2048, Kirk’s debut book, climbed all the way to an impressive #2 on the San Francisco Chronicle’s NCIBA/IndieBound Bestseller List.
The exciting announcement comes on the heels of a weeklong tour through the Bay Area, during which Kirk conversed with attendees and sought input on the document he feels can be a reality by the year 2048, the 100th anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a major inspiration behind the book. Through 2048, Kirk hopes to fulfill the dreams of Eleanor Roosevelt and many others who imagined a world in which human rights are globally protected.
Kirk recently returned from a mini-tour of Canada, and plans are in the works for an extensive East Coast tour in the fall. In the meantime, he encourages people to visit the website of the 2048 Project and contribute their insights and feedback on the current draft of the Bill. For Kirk, the key to successfully creating a more just society is the participation of as many people, from as many walks of life as possible.
We at ELISE extend our heartfelt congratulations to Kirk, who is changing the world one book at a time.
January 5th, 2010
Happy New Year! We hope all of you are as excited for 2010 as we are here at ELISE. This is proving to be a fantastic year, chock-full of many new events and experiences. Over the next few months ELISE will be on the go, East Coast to West Coast and everywhere in between.
Here is just a sampling of some of our exciting work to come:
February 11-13, 2010: Tech4Society, an Ashoka-Lemelson celebration, will be held in Hyderabad, India. Tech4Society is a three-day conference that is expected to draw over 250 social entrepreneurs, innovators, business leaders and movers and shakers who will explore how technology can drive social change.
March 5, 2010: Opening of the Marvels and Ciphers exhibit at the museum at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Old City, Philadelphia. The world premiere exhibition examines the dichotomy that exists between scientist and citizen: the first group trying to understand the universe, and the second trying to understand the scientist.
March 8, 2010: Richard Holmes will be hosting a lecture and reading at CHF. Holmes is a biographer, whose latest book, The Age of Wonder (2008), was recently named the best nonfiction book of 2009 by TIME. The Age of Wonder focuses on the life and work of the Romantic-age scientists who laid the foundation for modern science.
March 25-27, 2010: NCIIA’s annual March Madness for the Mind 2010 will be held at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. The event showcases the nation’s top “E-Teams”—collaborating groups of college students, faculty and industry mentors who have received NCIIA grants—unveiling their inventions to the public, many for the first time.
Week of April 12, 2010: Launch of Kirk Boyd’s book, 2048: Humanity’s Agreement to Live Together, in San Francisco, California. The University of California, Berkeley Law Professor’s book focuses on an enforceable international agreement that will create a social order based upon human rights.
We are looking forward to all that 2010 has to offer. Let us know if we will see you at any of these events and be sure to visit us on this blog and our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
