In order to truly benefit from working out and weightlifting, you must have to have the right diet. Many people think they can go to the weight lifting room for two or three hours a day and see muscle gains. However, this kind of routine is merely doing your body a disfavor if you are not also supplementing your working out with the correct nutrition. While many potential eating plans are available, we will explore the various essential categories of food for bulking.
Carbs for Drive and Restoration
carbs are stored as glycogen in the muscles, which provides the fuel for your exercising. The amount of carbs you require varies according to the intensity and extent of your workout. Body size is also a determining factor. For example, a person under 200 pounds who works out for less than an hour a day requires only 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of their body weight each day. A person over 200 pounds who works out with longer routines would require 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrates per pound of their body weight each day.
Not simply do you want to consume enough carbohydrates to energize your workout, but you also want to replenish your body with carbohydrates after you work out in order to get more muscle correctly. To not get tired of the same foods all the time, you can experiment with these great carbohydrate sources: bananas, granola, baked potatoes (without a lot of extras containing saturated fats), whole wheat breads, beans, peas, red and green peppers, vegetable greens.
Proteins for Rebuilding Muscle
In order to bulk up properly, you must break it down through exercising and then build it back up through rest and proper nutrition. Proteins are necessary to rebuilding muscle. Protein consists of amino acids which are the basic building block of muscles. Athletes and weight lifters require more protein in each day than those who do not exercising. Those trying to gain muscle should typically take in 0.6 and 0.8 grams of protein per pound per day. This is equal to around 100 grams of protein per day for the 150 pound athlete and around 140 grams of protein every day for the 200 pound athlete.
Not simply should you eat foods with protein on a regular basis to heal muscle, but you should especially concentrate on protein intake directly after working your muscles. The most desirable carbohydrate to protein ratio is four to one. You should always eat a significant meal of carbs and protein (with the 4:1 ratio) within 30 minutes after a workout. This will drastically increase insulin response, which provides a greater amount of stored glycogen for your next workout. eating rightly after a workout will also provide very positive effects in gaining muscle. Some of the most desirable foods that hold high amounts of protein are low fat milk, salmon, egg whites, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, lean ham and turkey, nuts, and protein shakes.
Fats for a Balanced nutrition plan
Realize that gaining muscle requires some diligent work in the area of food input. they must avoid fats altogether, but good-for-you fats provide several necessary vitamins and create a storehouse of endurance in the body for gaining muscle. Unsaturated, healthy fats should round off your diet, making up less than 30% of your total calorie input each day.
Tuna, salmon, and nuts allhold healthy fats. You can also have an omega-3 supplement to provide your body with fatty acids.
Rounding It Off
To round off your nutrition plan for gaining muscle, you should take a multivitamin each day. Though a balanced nutrition plan will already provide many vitamins, the multivitamin can fill in for whatever is missing in your diet plan. You should also remember to stay hydrated. Drinking eight glasses of water each day is a good place to start, but you also need to stay hydrated during and after your workout. You should be drinking extra amounts during these times.
keep in mind that a balanced diet plan with the correct foods is to gaining muscle, so stop trying to get the guns with merely exercise.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Conserve energy and reduce costs
Energy-efficient appliances not only pare down electricity bills, they
reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power generation too.
AT the height of the oil crisis in the 1970s, renewable energy and
energy efficiency (EE) were touted as Malaysia’s fifth fuel. However,
the discovery of substantial deposits of oil and natural gas in the
1980s relegated EE issues to the back burner in no time.
The promotion of EE was “renewed” in the 1990s by the Electricity and
Gas Supply Department (EGSD) and the Ministry of Energy (now the
Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, or KeTTHA). Some
regulations on EE were drafted then but were not implemented due to
“legal issues”.
Looking back, there was actually an EE unit that was established under
EGSD (the predecessor of the present day Energy Commission), but its
regulatory scope covered only lamp chokes and fans. Efforts at
consumer education on EE was spotty and haphazard, though under the
8th Malaysia Plan (2001-2005), there was again some official
proclamation of making EE (and renewable energy) the “fifth fuel”,
after oil, natural gas, coal and hydroelectric.
Air-conditioners are another high energy user.
In his 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) speech, then Prime Minister Tun
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that adequate and quality energy supply is
key to the nation’s development. “The public has to realise the value
and scarcity of such resources. An energy conservation culture must be
inculcated. Buildings should be designed to optimise energy usage.
Such resources need to be prudently and carefully utilised.
“The Government will adopt measures to reduce wastage by enhancing
energy efficiency and increasing energy sufficiency. The Government is
also committed to reduce dependence on petroleum products through the
increased usage of alternative fuels such as biofuel and biodiesel as
well as renewable energy.”
Malaysia is now into its 10th Plan (2011-2015), and EE still remains
pretty much a concept that has yet to be translated into widespread
measures on the ground. If anything, national utility provider Tenaga
Nasional Bhd (TNB) has gone on a fuel oil buying spree due to the lack
of natural gas supply from Petronas for power generation, a phenomenon
labelled as “gas curtailment”. According to Petronas, supply has to be
curtailed as some of its offshore production facilities have to
undergo maintenance and upgrading.
The episode of gas curtailment blew away the myth of Malaysia having a
power generation reserve margin of 40%. In reality, reserve margin is
about reserve installed capacity, not actual amount of electricity
that is “put to waste” as reserve.
Having a hefty installed reserve capacity means nothing if there is no
fuel to power them, and this is precisely what happened at the height
of the gas curtailment in the first half of this year, where TNB even
had to buy about 180 megawatt (MW) of electricity from Singapore to
cover the shortfall in actual running reserve margin, marking the
first time that Singapore exported electricity to Malaysia. Just last
week, TNB said that it expects to spend an additional RM3bil this year
to buy fossil fuels (excluding gas) like fuel oil, coal and
distillates to run its stations in the face of sustained gas
curtailment.
The Energy Commission’s sixyear- old energy efficiency label is still
not compulsory for electrical appliances manufacturers and importers.
Energy guzzler
Malaysia is a high energy user. According to the World Bank, each
Malaysian used 2,693kg of oil in 2008. In comparison, each Indonesian
used only 870kg, Filipino 455kg and Chinese, 1,598kg. In terms of
electricity use, each Malaysian used an average of 3,667kWh (kilowatt
hours) in 2008.
A glance at the consumption pattern in developed countries shows that
Malaysia could easily double its demand for electricity as it
continues to climb the ladder of affluence. For example, Hong Kong’s
per capita consumption was 5,899kWh, Germany 7,184kWh, Switzerland
8,163kWh, Japan 8,474kWh and Singapore, 8,513kWh. According to KeTTHA,
electricity consumption is expected to grow at an average rate of 3%
to 4% annually until 2020.
In the face of depleting oil and gas reserves, and rising carbon
dioxide emissions, curtailing the amount of fossil fuel burnt for
power generation is the clear way to go. While waiting for that to
happen, KeTTHA has announced the banning of incandescent light bulbs
by 2014, and to mandate that air-conditioners be set no lower than
24°C, starting with Government-owned buildings.
As far as the consumer is concerned, the most visible manifestation of
EE education is the sweeteners amounting to RM50mil currently being
dispensed by KeTTHA called Sustainability Achieved via Energy
Efficiency (SAVE) programme. SAVE is envisaged to create a culture of
efficient energy usage among the general public and business entities
by inducing them to choose energy-efficient electrical appliance
through the offer of rebates for purchases of such goods. The
programme aims to save up to 127.3GWh (gigawatt hours) this year –
equivalent to the amount of electricity consumed by 425,000 houses
(assuming an average monthly consumption of 300kWh.)
It is hoped that SAVE could “save” the need to set aside 26MW in
generation capacity. For comparison, the latest coal-fired plant
ordered by TNB in Manjung, Perak, scheduled to be online by 2015, is
sized at 1,000MW.
KeTTHA hopes that widespread adoption of greener appliances can help
consumers save costs and at the same time, reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Targetting household appliances makes perfect sense,
especially those that consume the lion’s share of a home’s electricity
usage. Typically, these are refrigerators, air-conditioners and
clothes driers.
Modern energy-efficient appliances use significantly less energy than
older appliances. Current energy-efficient refrigerators, for example,
use 40% less energy than conventional models did in 2001. As such,
replacement of old appliances is one of the most efficient measures to
reduce electricity usage.
According to Bosch Germany: “Modern household appliances consume up to
73% less electricity than comparable appliances of 15 years ago and
thus offer enormous potential for reducing energy consumption and CO2
emissions. The highly efficient appliances that were sold in Europe in
2010 by Bosch (including Siemens) will lead to electricity savings of
1.9 billion kWh.’’
Following this, if all households in Europe changed their more than 10
years old appliances into new ones, 20 billion kWh of electricity
would be saved annually, hence reducing carbon dioxide emissions by
almost 18 million tonnes.
Efficiency labels
KeTTHA’s way of informing consumers on what constitutes an
energy-efficient appliance is through its little known EE label, which
uses a star rating, with the most efficient appliance having a
five-star rating. EE labelling is entirely voluntary at the moment but
at least a dozen manufacturers have come on board to support SAVE,
which is actually a rebate system to induce consumers to choose
five-star rated appliances over those that are less efficient.
Even though SAVE was launched in Putrajaya two months ago, those who
are familiar with the pulse of green purchasing do not think that
Malaysians are aware of the concept of energy efficiency in the first
place.
“I don’t think Malaysians have been properly educated on energy
efficiency concepts. This view is, of course, not backed by
statistics, but merely an observation. This is because our
electricity, being subsidised indirectly through lower priced gas to
TNB, is relatively cheap,’’ said David Lee Boon Siew, managing editor
of Green Purchasing Asia, a publication specialising in green
procurement.
Anthony Tan, executive director of the Centre for Environment,
Technology & Development Malaysia (Cetdem) feels the same way,
remarking that what attracts Malaysians are low-priced products.
“Understanding about saving electricity is perhaps confined only to
the use of low-wattage compact fluorescent lamps or LED bulbs instead
of high wattage incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes.”
It also does not help the cause of EE or conservation when households
using less than RM20 (or up to 92kWh) of electricity a month get away
with paying nothing since October 2008.
Lee is of the opinion that Malaysians are generally unaware of the
Energy Commission’s energy efficiency labelling. “The industry has
been using other more well-known labels (from Europe, the United
States, Japan or Singapore). Unless it is made compulsory, they will
not want to paste so many labels on a product. The Energy Commission
will have to do more to promote the label if it wants buy-in.”
According to Tan, the average Malaysian does not recognise the EE
label, let alone understand what it means, even though it is already
six years old. “The voluntary part actually serves as a disincentive
to retailers to display the label on products. While the intentions of
SAVE are good, the Malaysian consumer has to first understand what EE
is all about, and why it is important to achieve EE as a nation.
People have to understand the concept of climate change and the
relationship between wasteful energy use and high carbon dioxide
emissions. Good intent and good results don’t necessarily come hand in
hand.”
Tan is cautious in his prediction whether SAVE will achieve its
intended objectives. “Some people might end up buying larger capacity
equipment because they realise that they can get away with paying the
same amount every month yet enjoy the use of a larger capacity
air-conditioner, television, or refrigerator. To overcome this,
education and awareness are key issues that need to be addressed.”
Carrots and sticks
At any case, those who have bought five-star rated appliances are
happy with the results they are seeing. Lee had bought a five-star
rated Panasonic inverter 395-litre fridge last November to replace his
creaky 15-year-old fridge. “I noticed an immediate drop in my
electricity bill by about RM40. While I didn’t do an in-depth check on
whether it was due to the fridge alone, I would say it definitely
helped. My normal electricity bill is about RM200.”
While giving of rebates is practised by some countries, other
developed countries like Singapore has chosen a non-rebate model to
push for EE. It made energy-labelling compulsory for air-conditioners
and refrigerators in 2008, and added clothes dryer to the list in
2009. Early this month, it enforced a “minimum energy performance
standards” (MEPS) on all registrable appliances (air-conditioners,
refrigerators and clothes dryers) sold there, with regular audits and
checks on the stock sold in the market to ensure compliance.
KeTTHA denies that it is putting the cart before the horse by dishing
out rebates in the face of non-compulsory EE labelling, and the
non-existence of MEPS for most products on sale now. “Actually, there
are lots of things we have to do. We are currently preparing the EE
masterplan for the Government’s approval, but there are many things
that need to move first. Getting the law sorted out takes at least 16
months, and we cannot be waiting for everything to fall into place
before doing things,” said Badriyah Abdul Malek, KeTTHA’s
under-secretary for the sustainable energy division.
Pointing to the feed-in tariff (FiT) programme which is expected to be
implemented by Dec 1 after several postponements (due to various
regulatory hurdles), Badriyah said that the raising of awareness is
important in the meantime. “We want people to know about EE, and to
get their buy-in, even as the regulations are being worked upon. We
cannot wait until the entire EE masterplan is ready before we start
doing things. We do not want it to be like the FiT where nothing can
move until all the laws are in place.”
She maintains that pushing for EE through appliance purchases is a
quick and effective way of achieving the Government’s goals of curbing
carbon intensity and at the same time, provide real savings to the
people. Alluding that this is indeed the plucking of low-hanging
fruits, Badriyah said that pushing the entire slew of EE measures will
be a long journey. “Yes, it is carrots first, but rest assured that
the whip will follow. You don’t want to start by punishing people.”
Green fridge
Assistant Editor Meng Yew Choong has consistently clocked less than
220kWh per month since purchasing a four-tick rated (given by
Singapore’s National Environment Agency and equivalent to a five-star
rating) 460-litre Panasonic refrigerator nearly two years ago.
------------------------------------------------------
reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power generation too.
AT the height of the oil crisis in the 1970s, renewable energy and
energy efficiency (EE) were touted as Malaysia’s fifth fuel. However,
the discovery of substantial deposits of oil and natural gas in the
1980s relegated EE issues to the back burner in no time.
The promotion of EE was “renewed” in the 1990s by the Electricity and
Gas Supply Department (EGSD) and the Ministry of Energy (now the
Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, or KeTTHA). Some
regulations on EE were drafted then but were not implemented due to
“legal issues”.
Looking back, there was actually an EE unit that was established under
EGSD (the predecessor of the present day Energy Commission), but its
regulatory scope covered only lamp chokes and fans. Efforts at
consumer education on EE was spotty and haphazard, though under the
8th Malaysia Plan (2001-2005), there was again some official
proclamation of making EE (and renewable energy) the “fifth fuel”,
after oil, natural gas, coal and hydroelectric.
Air-conditioners are another high energy user.
In his 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) speech, then Prime Minister Tun
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that adequate and quality energy supply is
key to the nation’s development. “The public has to realise the value
and scarcity of such resources. An energy conservation culture must be
inculcated. Buildings should be designed to optimise energy usage.
Such resources need to be prudently and carefully utilised.
“The Government will adopt measures to reduce wastage by enhancing
energy efficiency and increasing energy sufficiency. The Government is
also committed to reduce dependence on petroleum products through the
increased usage of alternative fuels such as biofuel and biodiesel as
well as renewable energy.”
Malaysia is now into its 10th Plan (2011-2015), and EE still remains
pretty much a concept that has yet to be translated into widespread
measures on the ground. If anything, national utility provider Tenaga
Nasional Bhd (TNB) has gone on a fuel oil buying spree due to the lack
of natural gas supply from Petronas for power generation, a phenomenon
labelled as “gas curtailment”. According to Petronas, supply has to be
curtailed as some of its offshore production facilities have to
undergo maintenance and upgrading.
The episode of gas curtailment blew away the myth of Malaysia having a
power generation reserve margin of 40%. In reality, reserve margin is
about reserve installed capacity, not actual amount of electricity
that is “put to waste” as reserve.
Having a hefty installed reserve capacity means nothing if there is no
fuel to power them, and this is precisely what happened at the height
of the gas curtailment in the first half of this year, where TNB even
had to buy about 180 megawatt (MW) of electricity from Singapore to
cover the shortfall in actual running reserve margin, marking the
first time that Singapore exported electricity to Malaysia. Just last
week, TNB said that it expects to spend an additional RM3bil this year
to buy fossil fuels (excluding gas) like fuel oil, coal and
distillates to run its stations in the face of sustained gas
curtailment.
The Energy Commission’s sixyear- old energy efficiency label is still
not compulsory for electrical appliances manufacturers and importers.
Energy guzzler
Malaysia is a high energy user. According to the World Bank, each
Malaysian used 2,693kg of oil in 2008. In comparison, each Indonesian
used only 870kg, Filipino 455kg and Chinese, 1,598kg. In terms of
electricity use, each Malaysian used an average of 3,667kWh (kilowatt
hours) in 2008.
A glance at the consumption pattern in developed countries shows that
Malaysia could easily double its demand for electricity as it
continues to climb the ladder of affluence. For example, Hong Kong’s
per capita consumption was 5,899kWh, Germany 7,184kWh, Switzerland
8,163kWh, Japan 8,474kWh and Singapore, 8,513kWh. According to KeTTHA,
electricity consumption is expected to grow at an average rate of 3%
to 4% annually until 2020.
In the face of depleting oil and gas reserves, and rising carbon
dioxide emissions, curtailing the amount of fossil fuel burnt for
power generation is the clear way to go. While waiting for that to
happen, KeTTHA has announced the banning of incandescent light bulbs
by 2014, and to mandate that air-conditioners be set no lower than
24°C, starting with Government-owned buildings.
As far as the consumer is concerned, the most visible manifestation of
EE education is the sweeteners amounting to RM50mil currently being
dispensed by KeTTHA called Sustainability Achieved via Energy
Efficiency (SAVE) programme. SAVE is envisaged to create a culture of
efficient energy usage among the general public and business entities
by inducing them to choose energy-efficient electrical appliance
through the offer of rebates for purchases of such goods. The
programme aims to save up to 127.3GWh (gigawatt hours) this year –
equivalent to the amount of electricity consumed by 425,000 houses
(assuming an average monthly consumption of 300kWh.)
It is hoped that SAVE could “save” the need to set aside 26MW in
generation capacity. For comparison, the latest coal-fired plant
ordered by TNB in Manjung, Perak, scheduled to be online by 2015, is
sized at 1,000MW.
KeTTHA hopes that widespread adoption of greener appliances can help
consumers save costs and at the same time, reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Targetting household appliances makes perfect sense,
especially those that consume the lion’s share of a home’s electricity
usage. Typically, these are refrigerators, air-conditioners and
clothes driers.
Modern energy-efficient appliances use significantly less energy than
older appliances. Current energy-efficient refrigerators, for example,
use 40% less energy than conventional models did in 2001. As such,
replacement of old appliances is one of the most efficient measures to
reduce electricity usage.
According to Bosch Germany: “Modern household appliances consume up to
73% less electricity than comparable appliances of 15 years ago and
thus offer enormous potential for reducing energy consumption and CO2
emissions. The highly efficient appliances that were sold in Europe in
2010 by Bosch (including Siemens) will lead to electricity savings of
1.9 billion kWh.’’
Following this, if all households in Europe changed their more than 10
years old appliances into new ones, 20 billion kWh of electricity
would be saved annually, hence reducing carbon dioxide emissions by
almost 18 million tonnes.
Efficiency labels
KeTTHA’s way of informing consumers on what constitutes an
energy-efficient appliance is through its little known EE label, which
uses a star rating, with the most efficient appliance having a
five-star rating. EE labelling is entirely voluntary at the moment but
at least a dozen manufacturers have come on board to support SAVE,
which is actually a rebate system to induce consumers to choose
five-star rated appliances over those that are less efficient.
Even though SAVE was launched in Putrajaya two months ago, those who
are familiar with the pulse of green purchasing do not think that
Malaysians are aware of the concept of energy efficiency in the first
place.
“I don’t think Malaysians have been properly educated on energy
efficiency concepts. This view is, of course, not backed by
statistics, but merely an observation. This is because our
electricity, being subsidised indirectly through lower priced gas to
TNB, is relatively cheap,’’ said David Lee Boon Siew, managing editor
of Green Purchasing Asia, a publication specialising in green
procurement.
Anthony Tan, executive director of the Centre for Environment,
Technology & Development Malaysia (Cetdem) feels the same way,
remarking that what attracts Malaysians are low-priced products.
“Understanding about saving electricity is perhaps confined only to
the use of low-wattage compact fluorescent lamps or LED bulbs instead
of high wattage incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes.”
It also does not help the cause of EE or conservation when households
using less than RM20 (or up to 92kWh) of electricity a month get away
with paying nothing since October 2008.
Lee is of the opinion that Malaysians are generally unaware of the
Energy Commission’s energy efficiency labelling. “The industry has
been using other more well-known labels (from Europe, the United
States, Japan or Singapore). Unless it is made compulsory, they will
not want to paste so many labels on a product. The Energy Commission
will have to do more to promote the label if it wants buy-in.”
According to Tan, the average Malaysian does not recognise the EE
label, let alone understand what it means, even though it is already
six years old. “The voluntary part actually serves as a disincentive
to retailers to display the label on products. While the intentions of
SAVE are good, the Malaysian consumer has to first understand what EE
is all about, and why it is important to achieve EE as a nation.
People have to understand the concept of climate change and the
relationship between wasteful energy use and high carbon dioxide
emissions. Good intent and good results don’t necessarily come hand in
hand.”
Tan is cautious in his prediction whether SAVE will achieve its
intended objectives. “Some people might end up buying larger capacity
equipment because they realise that they can get away with paying the
same amount every month yet enjoy the use of a larger capacity
air-conditioner, television, or refrigerator. To overcome this,
education and awareness are key issues that need to be addressed.”
Carrots and sticks
At any case, those who have bought five-star rated appliances are
happy with the results they are seeing. Lee had bought a five-star
rated Panasonic inverter 395-litre fridge last November to replace his
creaky 15-year-old fridge. “I noticed an immediate drop in my
electricity bill by about RM40. While I didn’t do an in-depth check on
whether it was due to the fridge alone, I would say it definitely
helped. My normal electricity bill is about RM200.”
While giving of rebates is practised by some countries, other
developed countries like Singapore has chosen a non-rebate model to
push for EE. It made energy-labelling compulsory for air-conditioners
and refrigerators in 2008, and added clothes dryer to the list in
2009. Early this month, it enforced a “minimum energy performance
standards” (MEPS) on all registrable appliances (air-conditioners,
refrigerators and clothes dryers) sold there, with regular audits and
checks on the stock sold in the market to ensure compliance.
KeTTHA denies that it is putting the cart before the horse by dishing
out rebates in the face of non-compulsory EE labelling, and the
non-existence of MEPS for most products on sale now. “Actually, there
are lots of things we have to do. We are currently preparing the EE
masterplan for the Government’s approval, but there are many things
that need to move first. Getting the law sorted out takes at least 16
months, and we cannot be waiting for everything to fall into place
before doing things,” said Badriyah Abdul Malek, KeTTHA’s
under-secretary for the sustainable energy division.
Pointing to the feed-in tariff (FiT) programme which is expected to be
implemented by Dec 1 after several postponements (due to various
regulatory hurdles), Badriyah said that the raising of awareness is
important in the meantime. “We want people to know about EE, and to
get their buy-in, even as the regulations are being worked upon. We
cannot wait until the entire EE masterplan is ready before we start
doing things. We do not want it to be like the FiT where nothing can
move until all the laws are in place.”
She maintains that pushing for EE through appliance purchases is a
quick and effective way of achieving the Government’s goals of curbing
carbon intensity and at the same time, provide real savings to the
people. Alluding that this is indeed the plucking of low-hanging
fruits, Badriyah said that pushing the entire slew of EE measures will
be a long journey. “Yes, it is carrots first, but rest assured that
the whip will follow. You don’t want to start by punishing people.”
Green fridge
Assistant Editor Meng Yew Choong has consistently clocked less than
220kWh per month since purchasing a four-tick rated (given by
Singapore’s National Environment Agency and equivalent to a five-star
rating) 460-litre Panasonic refrigerator nearly two years ago.
------------------------------------------------------
Friday, September 16, 2011
} phone conservation
The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had
not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of
the main computers resolved, he dialled the employee's home phone number
and was greeted with a child's whisper. ' Hello ? '
'Is your daddy home?' he asked.
' Yes ,' whispered the small voice.
May I talk with him?'
The child whispered, ' No .'
Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, 'Is your
Mummy there?' ' Yes '
hi paul
'May I talk with her?' Again the small voice whispered, ' No '
Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss
asked, 'Is anybody else there?'
' Yes , ' whispered the child, ' a policeman . '
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss
asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?'
' No, he's busy , ' whispered the child.
'Busy doing what?'
' Talking to Daddy and Mummy and the Fireman , ' came the whispered
answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through
the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, 'What is that noise?'
' A helicopter ' answered the whispering voice.
'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered,
' The search team just landed a helicopter '
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, 'What are they
searching for?'
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle...
' ME . '
not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of
the main computers resolved, he dialled the employee's home phone number
and was greeted with a child's whisper. ' Hello ? '
'Is your daddy home?' he asked.
' Yes ,' whispered the small voice.
May I talk with him?'
The child whispered, ' No .'
Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, 'Is your
Mummy there?' ' Yes '
hi paul
'May I talk with her?' Again the small voice whispered, ' No '
Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss
asked, 'Is anybody else there?'
' Yes , ' whispered the child, ' a policeman . '
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss
asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?'
' No, he's busy , ' whispered the child.
'Busy doing what?'
' Talking to Daddy and Mummy and the Fireman , ' came the whispered
answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through
the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, 'What is that noise?'
' A helicopter ' answered the whispering voice.
'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered,
' The search team just landed a helicopter '
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, 'What are they
searching for?'
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle...
' ME . '
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Managers have larger brain: Study
CANBERRA: Managing other people at work triggers structural changes in
the brain, protecting its memory and learning centre well into old
age, an Australian study revealed on Friday.
University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers have, for the first
time, identified a clear link between managerial experience throughout
a person's working life, and the integrity and larger size of an
individual's hippocampus (the area of the brain responsible for
learning and memory) at the age of 80, reports China's news agency
Xinhua.
"We found a clear relationship between the number of employees a
person may have supervised or been responsible for and the size of the
hippocampus," Dr Michael Valenzuela, leader of Regenerative
Neuroscience in UNSW's School of Psychiatry, said in a statement
released on Friday.
"This could be linked to the unique mental demands of managing people,
which requires continuous problem solving, short term memory and a lot
of emotional intelligence, such as the ability to put yourself in
another person's shoes. Over time this could translate into the
structural brain changes we observed."
The findings confirm that staying mentally active promotes brain
health, potentially warding off neurodegenerative diseases such as
Alzheimer's.
Using MRI imagery in a cohort of 75-92-year-olds, researchers found
larger hippocampal volumes in those with managerial experience
compared to those without. The effect was also seen in women who had
taken on managerial roles in nursing or teaching, for example.
The study was presented at this week's Brain Sciences UNSW symposium
Brain Plasticity: The Adaptable Brain, held in Australia. - Bernama
---------------
the brain, protecting its memory and learning centre well into old
age, an Australian study revealed on Friday.
University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers have, for the first
time, identified a clear link between managerial experience throughout
a person's working life, and the integrity and larger size of an
individual's hippocampus (the area of the brain responsible for
learning and memory) at the age of 80, reports China's news agency
Xinhua.
"We found a clear relationship between the number of employees a
person may have supervised or been responsible for and the size of the
hippocampus," Dr Michael Valenzuela, leader of Regenerative
Neuroscience in UNSW's School of Psychiatry, said in a statement
released on Friday.
"This could be linked to the unique mental demands of managing people,
which requires continuous problem solving, short term memory and a lot
of emotional intelligence, such as the ability to put yourself in
another person's shoes. Over time this could translate into the
structural brain changes we observed."
The findings confirm that staying mentally active promotes brain
health, potentially warding off neurodegenerative diseases such as
Alzheimer's.
Using MRI imagery in a cohort of 75-92-year-olds, researchers found
larger hippocampal volumes in those with managerial experience
compared to those without. The effect was also seen in women who had
taken on managerial roles in nursing or teaching, for example.
The study was presented at this week's Brain Sciences UNSW symposium
Brain Plasticity: The Adaptable Brain, held in Australia. - Bernama
---------------
Perfection in a teacup
THE brewing and drinking of tea is a delicate art that involves many
variables. Certain rules must be followed if you want a perfectly
brewed cup.
According to Stephen Twining, director of corporate relations for
Twinings of London — one of the oldest English tea companies in the
world — cleanliness, water temperature, ratio of tea leaves to water
and brewing time, are all essential factors.
He dispensed his advice during a workshop on ‘How to Make the Perfect
Cuppa’ for members of the media and other guests at the E&O Hotel in
Penang.
First, start with the teapot itself.
According to Twining, it is important to keep it clean, as tea has a
tendency to soak up flavours from the residue inside the pot,
resulting in a stale and bitter taste.
One should also boil with fresh cold water, as it contains lots of
dissolved oxygen particles that help carry the flavour molecules.
A teapot that has been pre-warmed also helps release the flavours.
“You should also select the proper ration of tea to water, depending
on how intense you would like the flavour to be,” Twining said at the
workshop on Wednesday.
The water should be added just as it comes to a boil, or slightly
before, depending on the type of tea used.
The tea should then be left to brew undisturbed, for around three
minutes, and then stirred to distribute flavours evenly within the
pot.
Pointing out a cardinal sin that many people commit when making tea,
he said, “Whatever you do, don’t jiggle the teabag in and out of the
water!”
As tea also absorbs moisture from the air and flavours from its
surroundings, it is also important to store the leaves in an airtight
environment, especially when in a tropical environment.
“If you leave it beside flowers, in a week it will have hints of
floral aroma. But you definitely wouldn’t want to put it next to
vinegar or detergent!” he quipped.
After taking in Twining’s demonstration of his company’s time-honoured
technique of brewing tea, the workshop’s 30 participants then sampled
three blends, paired with English afternoon tea tidbits.
The first was Earl Grey, a blend which the company originally
concocted for Charles Grey, the second prime minister of England, in
the 1830s.
Also served were Jasmine Green Tea and an Iced Strawberry and Mango
Tea Infusion.
The company, established in 1706, now offers around 250 different
blends in 115 countries.
It boasts of a ‘tea library’ with over 30,000 tea leaf varieties at
its premises in The Strand, London.
From that collection, Twining explains, master tea blenders mix and
match batches of leaves to ensure the taste and quality of a
particular blend remains constant.
“This is because the flavour of the tea leaves changes according to
the weather,” he said, adding that one blend may consist anywhere from
several to a hundred different components.
The company has been the official tea supplier to the households of
every British monarch since being first appointed to that role by
Queen Victoria in 1837.
A 10th generation descendant of the famous tea family, Twining, who
hails from Chorleywood in Herfordshire, is deeply passionate about tea
and drinks at least 15 cups of varying brews each day.
“Tea is a wonderful gift from nature. When you’re hot, it cools you
down. When you’re cold, it warms you up.
“If you’re over excited it calms you down, and when you’re down, it
lifts you up!” he enthused.
variables. Certain rules must be followed if you want a perfectly
brewed cup.
According to Stephen Twining, director of corporate relations for
Twinings of London — one of the oldest English tea companies in the
world — cleanliness, water temperature, ratio of tea leaves to water
and brewing time, are all essential factors.
He dispensed his advice during a workshop on ‘How to Make the Perfect
Cuppa’ for members of the media and other guests at the E&O Hotel in
Penang.
First, start with the teapot itself.
According to Twining, it is important to keep it clean, as tea has a
tendency to soak up flavours from the residue inside the pot,
resulting in a stale and bitter taste.
One should also boil with fresh cold water, as it contains lots of
dissolved oxygen particles that help carry the flavour molecules.
A teapot that has been pre-warmed also helps release the flavours.
“You should also select the proper ration of tea to water, depending
on how intense you would like the flavour to be,” Twining said at the
workshop on Wednesday.
The water should be added just as it comes to a boil, or slightly
before, depending on the type of tea used.
The tea should then be left to brew undisturbed, for around three
minutes, and then stirred to distribute flavours evenly within the
pot.
Pointing out a cardinal sin that many people commit when making tea,
he said, “Whatever you do, don’t jiggle the teabag in and out of the
water!”
As tea also absorbs moisture from the air and flavours from its
surroundings, it is also important to store the leaves in an airtight
environment, especially when in a tropical environment.
“If you leave it beside flowers, in a week it will have hints of
floral aroma. But you definitely wouldn’t want to put it next to
vinegar or detergent!” he quipped.
After taking in Twining’s demonstration of his company’s time-honoured
technique of brewing tea, the workshop’s 30 participants then sampled
three blends, paired with English afternoon tea tidbits.
The first was Earl Grey, a blend which the company originally
concocted for Charles Grey, the second prime minister of England, in
the 1830s.
Also served were Jasmine Green Tea and an Iced Strawberry and Mango
Tea Infusion.
The company, established in 1706, now offers around 250 different
blends in 115 countries.
It boasts of a ‘tea library’ with over 30,000 tea leaf varieties at
its premises in The Strand, London.
From that collection, Twining explains, master tea blenders mix and
match batches of leaves to ensure the taste and quality of a
particular blend remains constant.
“This is because the flavour of the tea leaves changes according to
the weather,” he said, adding that one blend may consist anywhere from
several to a hundred different components.
The company has been the official tea supplier to the households of
every British monarch since being first appointed to that role by
Queen Victoria in 1837.
A 10th generation descendant of the famous tea family, Twining, who
hails from Chorleywood in Herfordshire, is deeply passionate about tea
and drinks at least 15 cups of varying brews each day.
“Tea is a wonderful gift from nature. When you’re hot, it cools you
down. When you’re cold, it warms you up.
“If you’re over excited it calms you down, and when you’re down, it
lifts you up!” he enthused.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
A MUST have ingredient in tomato pasta sauce, tomatoes helps lend a
sour tang to various cuisines around the world and is a fruit that can
be eaten raw.
Tomato refers to the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) and the fruit which it bears.
Tomato is a fruit but is commonly mistaken for a vegetable as it is
used among other vegetables in the culinary sense.
Many uses: Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene.
The fruit is consumed in many ways and can be used in sauces, roasted,
fried, sauteed, added to soups and also used in drinks.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant compound and cooked tomatoes
have higher levels of lycopene.
Studies have suggested that lycopene has beneficial health effects
especially in helping to keep some cancers at a distance.
The tomato belongs to the nightshade family.
The plants typically grow to 1–3 metres in height with a weak stem
that often sprawls over the ground and vines over other plants.
It is a perennial in its native habitat but often grown outdoors in
temperate climates as an annual.
sour tang to various cuisines around the world and is a fruit that can
be eaten raw.
Tomato refers to the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) and the fruit which it bears.
Tomato is a fruit but is commonly mistaken for a vegetable as it is
used among other vegetables in the culinary sense.
Many uses: Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene.
The fruit is consumed in many ways and can be used in sauces, roasted,
fried, sauteed, added to soups and also used in drinks.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant compound and cooked tomatoes
have higher levels of lycopene.
Studies have suggested that lycopene has beneficial health effects
especially in helping to keep some cancers at a distance.
The tomato belongs to the nightshade family.
The plants typically grow to 1–3 metres in height with a weak stem
that often sprawls over the ground and vines over other plants.
It is a perennial in its native habitat but often grown outdoors in
temperate climates as an annual.
Think you are having a bad day?
Fire authorities in California found a corpse in a burned-out section of forest
while assessing the damage done by a forest fire. The deceased male was dressed
in a full wet suit, complete with scuba tanks on his back, flippers,
and face mask.
A postmortem test revealed that the man died not from burns, but from
massive internal
injuries. Dental records provided a positive identification. Investigators then
set about to determine how a fully clothed diver ended up in the
middle of a forest
fire.
It was revealed that on the day of the fire, the man went diving off the coast,
some 20 miles from the forest. The fire fighters, seeking to control the fire
as quickly as possible, had called in a fleet of helicopters with very large dip
buckets. Water was dipped from the ocean and emptied at the site of the forest
fire.
You guessed it. One minute our diver was making like Flipper in the Pacific, the
next, he was doing the breast stroke in a fire dip bucket 300 feet in the air.
Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. but keep reading....
Still think you 're having a bad day?
A man was working on his motorcycle on the patio, his wife nearby in
the kitchen.
While racing the engine, the motorcycle accidentally slipped into gear. The man,
still holding onto the handlebars, was dragged along as it burst
through the glass
patio doors.
His wife, hearing the crash, ran in the room to find her husband cut
and bleeding,
the motorcycle, and the shattered patio door. She called for an ambulance and,
because the house sat on a fairly large hill, went down the several
flights of stairs
to meet the paramedics and escort them to her husband.
While the attendants were loading her husband, the wife managed to
right the motorcycle
and push it outside. She also quickly blotted up the spilled gasoline with some
paper towels and tossed them into the toilet.
After being treated and released, the man returned home, looked at the shattered
patio door and the damage done to his motorcycle. He went into the bathroom and
consoled himself with a cigarette while attending to his business.
About to stand, he flipped the butt between his legs.
The wife, who was in the kitchen, heard a loud explosion and her
husband screaming.
Finding him lying on the bathroom floor with his trousers blown away and burns
on his buttocks, legs and groin, she once again phoned for an
ambulance. The same
paramedic crew was dispatched.
As the paramedics carried the man down the stairs to the ambulance
they asked the
wife how he had come to burn himself. She told them. They started laughing so
hard, one slipped, the stretcher dumping the husband out. He fell down
the remaining
stairs, breaking his arm.
Still having a bad day? Just remember, it could be worse...
The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil
spill in Alaska
was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals
were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers.
A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both.
Still think you are having a bad day?
A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost
in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the
electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked
him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to
that moment,
he had been happily listening to his Walkman.
STILL think you 're having a bad day?
Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to
a slaughterhouse in Bonn , Germany ..
Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence,
stampeding madly. The two hapless protesters were trampled to death.
What?! STILL having a bad day??
Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter
bomb. It came
back with 'return to sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the
bomb, he opened
it and was blown to bits.
Hey, my day is going really well but just in case I'll say my prayers
in the morning
while assessing the damage done by a forest fire. The deceased male was dressed
in a full wet suit, complete with scuba tanks on his back, flippers,
and face mask.
A postmortem test revealed that the man died not from burns, but from
massive internal
injuries. Dental records provided a positive identification. Investigators then
set about to determine how a fully clothed diver ended up in the
middle of a forest
fire.
It was revealed that on the day of the fire, the man went diving off the coast,
some 20 miles from the forest. The fire fighters, seeking to control the fire
as quickly as possible, had called in a fleet of helicopters with very large dip
buckets. Water was dipped from the ocean and emptied at the site of the forest
fire.
You guessed it. One minute our diver was making like Flipper in the Pacific, the
next, he was doing the breast stroke in a fire dip bucket 300 feet in the air.
Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. but keep reading....
Still think you 're having a bad day?
A man was working on his motorcycle on the patio, his wife nearby in
the kitchen.
While racing the engine, the motorcycle accidentally slipped into gear. The man,
still holding onto the handlebars, was dragged along as it burst
through the glass
patio doors.
His wife, hearing the crash, ran in the room to find her husband cut
and bleeding,
the motorcycle, and the shattered patio door. She called for an ambulance and,
because the house sat on a fairly large hill, went down the several
flights of stairs
to meet the paramedics and escort them to her husband.
While the attendants were loading her husband, the wife managed to
right the motorcycle
and push it outside. She also quickly blotted up the spilled gasoline with some
paper towels and tossed them into the toilet.
After being treated and released, the man returned home, looked at the shattered
patio door and the damage done to his motorcycle. He went into the bathroom and
consoled himself with a cigarette while attending to his business.
About to stand, he flipped the butt between his legs.
The wife, who was in the kitchen, heard a loud explosion and her
husband screaming.
Finding him lying on the bathroom floor with his trousers blown away and burns
on his buttocks, legs and groin, she once again phoned for an
ambulance. The same
paramedic crew was dispatched.
As the paramedics carried the man down the stairs to the ambulance
they asked the
wife how he had come to burn himself. She told them. They started laughing so
hard, one slipped, the stretcher dumping the husband out. He fell down
the remaining
stairs, breaking his arm.
Still having a bad day? Just remember, it could be worse...
The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil
spill in Alaska
was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals
were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers.
A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both.
Still think you are having a bad day?
A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost
in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the
electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked
him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to
that moment,
he had been happily listening to his Walkman.
STILL think you 're having a bad day?
Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to
a slaughterhouse in Bonn , Germany ..
Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence,
stampeding madly. The two hapless protesters were trampled to death.
What?! STILL having a bad day??
Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter
bomb. It came
back with 'return to sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the
bomb, he opened
it and was blown to bits.
Hey, my day is going really well but just in case I'll say my prayers
in the morning
A chuckle is good
There was a little old lady, who every morning stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted: 'PRAISE THE LORD!'
One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady.
Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell: 'THERE IS NO LORD!'
Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day.
One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted: 'PRAISE THE LORD! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!
The next morning she stepped out onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there.
'PRAISE THE LORD!' she cried out. 'HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!'
The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted: 'THERE IS NO LORD; I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!!'
The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: 'PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!'
One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady.
Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell: 'THERE IS NO LORD!'
Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day.
One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted: 'PRAISE THE LORD! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!
The next morning she stepped out onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there.
'PRAISE THE LORD!' she cried out. 'HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!'
The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted: 'THERE IS NO LORD; I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!!'
The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: 'PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!'
Friday, September 09, 2011
Life Challenges part 4
Nowadays, I feel moody and bad about myself. I'm forced to do 5 essay questions in one day time. So, 2 days ago, I did my work non-stop without resting. I feel that I've limitations but no one understands me except God alone. I've lots of pressure. I can't take the pressure. Teachers asked me to do 3 essay questions within 20 minutes and 2 essay questions within 45 minutes. However I couldn't reach what my teacher target. I exceeded the time limit as I finished the work. I didn't get enough sleep. Some of my friends challenge me to stay awake: not to take a nap in the afternoon and not to sleep during the night. They said they had got used not to sleep during the night for few days and they sleep for 2 hours only. So they asked me, "why can't you go without sleep?" I'm confused of what they say. I'm really confused as I thought sleep is important to rejuvennate our body. when I attend a talk 2 weeks ago, the advisor said that we have enough sleep, we can go through a longer journey. I'm really a sensitive girl as I can't stop thinking of hurtful words my friends say. People are really cruel nowadays. There are only 72 more days to STPM and I live in fear. Teachers and parents push me a lot. Some teachers only think that only their subject is important. I don't know how to divide time to study all the subjects I take for daily study. How?? This morning, I was feeling moody in school. I'm afraid as my teacher was very impatient when teaching. That's why I'm afraid to ask questions as teacher is always scolding and talking loudly. I can't stand. But sometimes this is her nature of talking loudly. How? should I force myself or not?? when I'm tired, I can't absorb what I study and I feel blur. But there are only few days left. What does it mean when people say "I just need to try my best?" I thought to some people, trying best means we need to get perfect result.. Some people give cruel advice. I dislike going to school as I feel moody every morning and afraid of being scolded. sometimes I pretend to be happy. Last night I talked to my pastor and she said I only need to focus on my studies now and have to stop thinking of other things. Does it mean that I've to stop eating, sleeping, and so on?? sometimes I'm afraid of things that happen in my life: my parents quarrel, my friends treat me badly, and so on. I just feel that before we talk, we should think whether our words may hurt others or not. I just hope that we'll all love each other and not to treat each other badly. I pray to God that He will give me a peaceful heart.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Ma discusses possibilities for the next 25 years in Harvard University essay
vNEW YORK--In an article published in a special September-October issue of Harvard Magazine, President Ma Ying-jeou predicted that over the next 25 years, the world will become increasingly multipolar, with global power shared among several nations.To celebrate Harvard University's 375th anniversary, Ma, who has a doctorate degree from Harvard Law School, was invited along with 14 important alumni to discuss the development of the university in the next quarter-century.
In Ma's short essay titled “Harvard in a Multipolar World,” he said while the United States (U.S.) will remain a dominant player in international affairs, it will no longer be a unilateral power. China will overtake the U.S. to become the world's largest economy in the next decade, transforming Asia into the center of the global economy.
Still the U.S. will continue to prosper as it retains several advantages over China, including the English language and the U.S. dollar, which will remain as the international language and currency, Ma wrote.
Foreign talent will continue to flock to the U.S. for years to come due to strong universities, with many schools in the top-50 of global college rankings and with a growing number of Nobel Prize winners, Ma added.
Harvard University will no doubt remain the apex of U.S. academia, and continue to hold national and international influence, Ma noted.
He suggested, though, the university needs to look beyond the realm of academics by directing how mankind reflects upon itself and “orders its thoughts.”
Pursuits over the last century that have encouraged global capitalism and democracy are no longer sufficient in solving issues such as global warming, population pressures, shortages of energy resources and water, the clash of civilizations, and terrorism, Ma wrote.
In the concluding paragraph, Ma hoped Harvard University could become a beacon of hope for mankind by being a leader beyond the academic world.
In Ma's short essay titled “Harvard in a Multipolar World,” he said while the United States (U.S.) will remain a dominant player in international affairs, it will no longer be a unilateral power. China will overtake the U.S. to become the world's largest economy in the next decade, transforming Asia into the center of the global economy.
Still the U.S. will continue to prosper as it retains several advantages over China, including the English language and the U.S. dollar, which will remain as the international language and currency, Ma wrote.
Foreign talent will continue to flock to the U.S. for years to come due to strong universities, with many schools in the top-50 of global college rankings and with a growing number of Nobel Prize winners, Ma added.
Harvard University will no doubt remain the apex of U.S. academia, and continue to hold national and international influence, Ma noted.
He suggested, though, the university needs to look beyond the realm of academics by directing how mankind reflects upon itself and “orders its thoughts.”
Pursuits over the last century that have encouraged global capitalism and democracy are no longer sufficient in solving issues such as global warming, population pressures, shortages of energy resources and water, the clash of civilizations, and terrorism, Ma wrote.
In the concluding paragraph, Ma hoped Harvard University could become a beacon of hope for mankind by being a leader beyond the academic world.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
"Pencil and Eraser".
Pencil: I'm sorry....
Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.
Pencil: I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was Made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)
I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.
Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.
Pencil: I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was Made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)
I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.
Telling Lies
Everyone knows that telling lies can get you into trouble. Most of us learned that as a kid. When Mom or Dad found out it was you, not the dog, who ate the last piece of chocolate cake, you were in for it. But what if you got away with it? Chances are, if you did get away with it, you tried it again and if it continued to work for you, lying became a useful tool in life. The thing is, sooner or later that kind of antisocial behavior catches up with you. It starts to affect your relationships and it can most assuredly affect your health.
The Mind Body Connection
Our nervous systems are connected to our immune systems so it makes sense that our brain and our emotions can send out messages that affect our health. To put it simply, your body responds to the way you think. When we think happy thoughts our bodies produce endorphins; hormones that make us feel good. Those chemicals also contribute to a stronger, healthier immune system. Conversely, when we are worried, anxious or generally stressed out, our bodies produce different kinds of hormones such as cortisol, and norepinephrine.
Cortisol increases blood sugar and suppresses the immune system. Norepinephrine kick starts the "flight or fight" response meaning our heart rate accelerates and our blood pressure goes up.
Modern medical doctors as well as holistic practitioners agree that a person who lies continuously will eventually face anxiety, depression, physical illness and even psychological illness.
Why Do We Lie?
Psychologists tell us that we lie because we are fearful of the consequences of telling the truth. Guilt bears a heavy burden on those who live into it, so people lie to avoid looking stupid, or incompetent, or so someone won't get angry at them.
There are other reasons why people lie. People are afraid of being punished. They may feel embarrassed, they may loose face, status, or they might not get what they want, as many liars lie to manipulate people.
Liars think they are protecting themselves, but that kind of payoff obliterates the meager benefits listed above and it can be devastating to one's health and happiness.
First off, it takes a lot more effort to tell a lie than to tell the truth.
To be a believable liar, you have to live into the lie, which often means believing in the lie yourself. Deluding yourself is stressful work because it's a lot easier to remember the truth than it is to remember details of a lie. If you're questioned about the situation that led to the lie, you have to stick with it even if someone challenges your lie with proof that you're lying. It takes a smooth operator to gloss over every challenge and it takes a sharp memory to defend every lie with conviction. Even the most convincing liar constantly worries that his or her lies will be exposed. It's that kind of anxiety that brings on ulcers, headaches, sleepless nights and paranoia.
Lying is not only an anti-social behavior, liars often become anti-social themselves. If they hang around people they've lied to, they begin to dislike those people. They may even blame them for their problems. It's no wonder that lies can ruin work relationships, marriages and friendships. If you're caught in a lie, your credibility drops to zero. Without credibility or friends it's easy to understand why liars are prone to self-criticism and depression.
Don't Worry About Choosing the Truth
If you are tempted to lie, relax. Remember that the repercussions of telling the truth are really much easier on the mind and body than are the repercussions of telling a lie. There are a lot of benefits in choosing to tell the truth, including saving your sanity and physical health.
Simply by saying you're sorry (if you did something wrong) and offering to make up for your error may end the ordeal quickly and you won't be plagued with having to constantly substantiate the charade of the lie.
Simply by telling the truth about an embarrassing situation and taking responsibility for your actions can win you respect and perhaps even the support of others.
You'll also gain a reputation for being an honest person. True, you may be known for making mistakes, but honesty is still the best policy and you'll avoid that stomach ulcer.
People may just become more truthful to you and that has lots of advantages. You'll worry less about whether others are telling you lies.
By being a truthful person, you'll become more persuasive. People will trust you more. It's ironic, but truthful people get more of what they want in life and if you get what you want you have less to stress about.
By being truthful, you'll sleep better, eat healthier and consequently, you'll look better.
To Stay Healthy, Stay Honest
Remember, whether you call them fibs, white lies, or exaggerations, if it isn't the whole truth..it's a lie.
We don't often realize that something as simple as the words we chose, can make us ill, but it's true. Lies will eventually eat you alive; the truth will support and nourish your mind, body and spirit.
So don't jeopardize your mental and physical well-being by letting fear rule your actions and choice of words. Lies will enslave you...and as the saying goes, "The truth will set you free".
The Mind Body Connection
Our nervous systems are connected to our immune systems so it makes sense that our brain and our emotions can send out messages that affect our health. To put it simply, your body responds to the way you think. When we think happy thoughts our bodies produce endorphins; hormones that make us feel good. Those chemicals also contribute to a stronger, healthier immune system. Conversely, when we are worried, anxious or generally stressed out, our bodies produce different kinds of hormones such as cortisol, and norepinephrine.
Cortisol increases blood sugar and suppresses the immune system. Norepinephrine kick starts the "flight or fight" response meaning our heart rate accelerates and our blood pressure goes up.
Modern medical doctors as well as holistic practitioners agree that a person who lies continuously will eventually face anxiety, depression, physical illness and even psychological illness.
Why Do We Lie?
Psychologists tell us that we lie because we are fearful of the consequences of telling the truth. Guilt bears a heavy burden on those who live into it, so people lie to avoid looking stupid, or incompetent, or so someone won't get angry at them.
There are other reasons why people lie. People are afraid of being punished. They may feel embarrassed, they may loose face, status, or they might not get what they want, as many liars lie to manipulate people.
Liars think they are protecting themselves, but that kind of payoff obliterates the meager benefits listed above and it can be devastating to one's health and happiness.
First off, it takes a lot more effort to tell a lie than to tell the truth.
To be a believable liar, you have to live into the lie, which often means believing in the lie yourself. Deluding yourself is stressful work because it's a lot easier to remember the truth than it is to remember details of a lie. If you're questioned about the situation that led to the lie, you have to stick with it even if someone challenges your lie with proof that you're lying. It takes a smooth operator to gloss over every challenge and it takes a sharp memory to defend every lie with conviction. Even the most convincing liar constantly worries that his or her lies will be exposed. It's that kind of anxiety that brings on ulcers, headaches, sleepless nights and paranoia.
Lying is not only an anti-social behavior, liars often become anti-social themselves. If they hang around people they've lied to, they begin to dislike those people. They may even blame them for their problems. It's no wonder that lies can ruin work relationships, marriages and friendships. If you're caught in a lie, your credibility drops to zero. Without credibility or friends it's easy to understand why liars are prone to self-criticism and depression.
Don't Worry About Choosing the Truth
If you are tempted to lie, relax. Remember that the repercussions of telling the truth are really much easier on the mind and body than are the repercussions of telling a lie. There are a lot of benefits in choosing to tell the truth, including saving your sanity and physical health.
Simply by saying you're sorry (if you did something wrong) and offering to make up for your error may end the ordeal quickly and you won't be plagued with having to constantly substantiate the charade of the lie.
Simply by telling the truth about an embarrassing situation and taking responsibility for your actions can win you respect and perhaps even the support of others.
You'll also gain a reputation for being an honest person. True, you may be known for making mistakes, but honesty is still the best policy and you'll avoid that stomach ulcer.
People may just become more truthful to you and that has lots of advantages. You'll worry less about whether others are telling you lies.
By being a truthful person, you'll become more persuasive. People will trust you more. It's ironic, but truthful people get more of what they want in life and if you get what you want you have less to stress about.
By being truthful, you'll sleep better, eat healthier and consequently, you'll look better.
To Stay Healthy, Stay Honest
Remember, whether you call them fibs, white lies, or exaggerations, if it isn't the whole truth..it's a lie.
We don't often realize that something as simple as the words we chose, can make us ill, but it's true. Lies will eventually eat you alive; the truth will support and nourish your mind, body and spirit.
So don't jeopardize your mental and physical well-being by letting fear rule your actions and choice of words. Lies will enslave you...and as the saying goes, "The truth will set you free".
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