1. The search to find cures for the annoying aches and pains that are part of everyday life can be found in the recorded histories of every culture.
2. The use of hot peppers, mustard, radishes and sugar are among the many food items central to the art of healing found throughout history. Researchers have begun to study some of these ancient methods of pain relief. In particular, scientists are examining the ability of certain foods to reduce pain.
3. Do foods such as these work as pain relievers or are their effects simply physiological? Researchers say that the results of several studies indicate the pain relief is real. It is believed that certain foods stimulate the body's natural pain-killer called endorphins. Sugar appears to be one such food.
4. Infants given sugar water, before having their fingers pricked to obtain a blood sample, cried 50 percent less than those given plain water. Hot substances, such as peppers, are believed to fool the body into thinking it's in pain. They irritate the tongue causing a searing sensation; tears come into the eyes. Your body thinks it is being hurt. Endorphins flood into the body and you start to feel better.
5. While no one is suggesting replacing aspirin with hot peppers, the research does indicate that there is more to some of the ancient cures than we suspected. New studies indicate foods high in needed minerals such as copper and manganese act to block the pain or reduce it frequency.
6. The gravity of such findings is clear. Certainly the prospect of stimulating the body's natural pain-control system, as a means of reducing the reliance on pills, would be a positive achievement.
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Thursday, December 4, 2008
Don't Interrupt Others or Finish Their Sentences
Don't Interrupt Others or Finish Their Sentences
It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized how often I interrupted others and/or finished their sentences. Shortlly thereafter, I also realized how destructive this habit was, not only to the respect and love I received from others but also for the tremendous amount of energy it takes to try to be in two heads at once! Think about it for a moment.
When vou hurry someone along, interrupt someone, or finish his or her sentence, you have to keep track not only of your onn thoughts but of those of the person you are interrupting as well. This tendency (which, by the way, is extremely common in busy people), encourages both parties to speed up their speech and their thinking.
This, in turn, makes both people- nervous, -irritable, and annoyed. lt's downright exhausting. lt's also the cause of many arguments,because if there's one thing almost everyone resents, it's someone who doesn't listen to what they are saying. And how can you really listen to what someone is saying when you are speaking for that person?
Once you begin noticing yourself interrupting others, you'll see that this insidious tendency is nothing more than an innocent habit that has become invisible to you. This is good news because it means that all you really have to do is to begin catching yourself when you forget.
Remind yourself (before a conversation begins, if possible) to be patient and wait. Tell yourself to allow the other person to finish speaking before you take your turn. You'll notice, right away, how much the interactions with the people in your life will improve as a direct result of this simple act.
The people you communicate with will feel much more relaxed.around you when they feel heard and listened to. You'll also notice how much more relaxed you'll feel when you stop interrupting others. Your heart and pulse rates will slow down, and you'll begin to enjoy your conversations rather than rush through them. This is an easy way to become a more relaxed, loving person.
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How Dictionaries Are Made?
"How Dictionaries Are Made?
1. The task of writing a dictionary begins with the reading of vast amounts of the literature of the period or subject that it is intended to cover. As the editors read, they copy on cards every interesting or rare word, every unusual or peculiar occurrence of a common word, a large number of common words in their ordinary uses, and also the sentences in which each of these words appears, thus:
pail
The dairy pails bring home increase of milk
Keats, Endymion
I,44-45
2. That is to say, the context of each word is collected, along with word itself. For a really big job of dictionary writing, such as the Oxford English Dictionary (usually bound in about 25 volumes), millions of such cards are collected, and the task of editing occupies decades.
3. As the cards are collected, they are alphabetized and sorted. When the sorting is completed, there will be for each word anywhere from two to three to several hundred illustrative quotations, each on its card.
4. To define a word, then, the dictionary editor places before him the stack of cards illustrating that word; each of the cards represents an actual use of the word by a writer of some literary or historical importance.
5. He reads the cards carefully, discards some, rereads the rest, and divides up the stack according to what he thinks are the several senses of the word. Finally, he writes his definitions, following the hard-and-fast rule that each definition must be based on what the quotations in front of him reveal about the meaning of the word.
6. The editor cannot be influenced by what he thinks a given word ought to mean. He must work according to the cards or not at all.
7. The writing of a dictionary, therefore, is not a task of setting up authoritative statements about the "true meanings" of words, but a task of recording, to the best of one's ability, what various words have meant to authors in the distant or immediate past.
8. The writer of a dictionary is a historian, not a lawgiver. If, for example, we had been writing a dictionary in 1890, or even as late as 1919, we could have said that the word broadcast means "to scatter" (seed and so on) but we could not have decreed that from 1921 on, the commonest meaning of the word should become "to disseminate audible messages, etc., by wireless telephony."
9. To regard the dictionary, as an "authority," therefore, is to credit the dictionary writer with gifts of prophecy which neither he nor anyone else possesses. In choosing our words when we speak or write, we can be guided by the historical record afforded us by the dictionary,
10. but we cannot be bound by it, because new situations, new experiences, new inventions, new feelings, are always compelling us to give new uses to old words. Looking under a "hood," we should ordinarily have found, five hundred years ago, a monk; today, we find a motorcar engine.
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1. The task of writing a dictionary begins with the reading of vast amounts of the literature of the period or subject that it is intended to cover. As the editors read, they copy on cards every interesting or rare word, every unusual or peculiar occurrence of a common word, a large number of common words in their ordinary uses, and also the sentences in which each of these words appears, thus:
pail
The dairy pails bring home increase of milk
Keats, Endymion
I,44-45
2. That is to say, the context of each word is collected, along with word itself. For a really big job of dictionary writing, such as the Oxford English Dictionary (usually bound in about 25 volumes), millions of such cards are collected, and the task of editing occupies decades.
3. As the cards are collected, they are alphabetized and sorted. When the sorting is completed, there will be for each word anywhere from two to three to several hundred illustrative quotations, each on its card.
4. To define a word, then, the dictionary editor places before him the stack of cards illustrating that word; each of the cards represents an actual use of the word by a writer of some literary or historical importance.
5. He reads the cards carefully, discards some, rereads the rest, and divides up the stack according to what he thinks are the several senses of the word. Finally, he writes his definitions, following the hard-and-fast rule that each definition must be based on what the quotations in front of him reveal about the meaning of the word.
6. The editor cannot be influenced by what he thinks a given word ought to mean. He must work according to the cards or not at all.
7. The writing of a dictionary, therefore, is not a task of setting up authoritative statements about the "true meanings" of words, but a task of recording, to the best of one's ability, what various words have meant to authors in the distant or immediate past.
8. The writer of a dictionary is a historian, not a lawgiver. If, for example, we had been writing a dictionary in 1890, or even as late as 1919, we could have said that the word broadcast means "to scatter" (seed and so on) but we could not have decreed that from 1921 on, the commonest meaning of the word should become "to disseminate audible messages, etc., by wireless telephony."
9. To regard the dictionary, as an "authority," therefore, is to credit the dictionary writer with gifts of prophecy which neither he nor anyone else possesses. In choosing our words when we speak or write, we can be guided by the historical record afforded us by the dictionary,
10. but we cannot be bound by it, because new situations, new experiences, new inventions, new feelings, are always compelling us to give new uses to old words. Looking under a "hood," we should ordinarily have found, five hundred years ago, a monk; today, we find a motorcar engine.
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Plants
Plants
Why do some desert plants grow tall and thin like organ pipes? Why do most trees in the tropics keep their leaves year round? Why in the Arctic tundra are there no trees at all? After many years without convincing general answers, we now know much about what sets the fashion in plant design.
Using terminology more characteristic of a thermal engineer than of a botanist, we can think of plants as mechanisms that must balance their heat budgets. A plant by day is staked out under the Sun with no way of sheltering itself. All day long it absorbs heat. If it did not lose as much heat as it gained, then eventually it would die. Plants get rid of their heat by warming the air around them, by evaporating water, and by radiating heat to the atmosphere and the cold, black reaches of space. Each plant must balance its heat budget so that its temperature is tolerable for the processes of life.
Plants in the Arctic tundra lie close to the ground in the thinlayer of still air that clings there. A foot or two above the ground are the winds of Arctic cold. Tundra plants absorb eat from the Sun and tend to warm up; they probably balance most of their heat budgets by radiating heat to space, but also b warming the still air that is trapped among them. As long as Arctic plants are close to te ground, they can balance their heat budgets. But if they should stretch up as a tree does, they would lift their working parts, their leaves, into the streaming Arctic winds.Then it is likely that the plants could not absorbed enough heat from the Sun to avoid being cooled below a critical temperature. Your heat budget does not critical temperature. You heat budget does not balance if you stand tall in the Arctic.
Such thinking also helps explain other characteristics of plant design. A desert plant faces the opposite problem from that of an Arctic plant -----the danger of overheating. It is short of water and so cannot cool itself by evaporation without dehydrating. The familiar sticklike shape of desert plants represents one of the solutions to this problem: the shape exposes the smallest possible surgace to incoming solar radiation and provide the largest possible surface from which the plant can radiate heat. In tropical rain forests, by way of contrast, the scorching Sun is not a problem for plants because there is sufficient water.
This working model allows us to connect the general characteristics of the forms of plants in different habitats with factors such as temperature, availability of water, and presence or absence of seasonal differences. Our Earth is covered with a patchwork quilt of meteorological conditions, and the patterns of this patchwork are faithfully reflected by the plants.
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Why do some desert plants grow tall and thin like organ pipes? Why do most trees in the tropics keep their leaves year round? Why in the Arctic tundra are there no trees at all? After many years without convincing general answers, we now know much about what sets the fashion in plant design.
Using terminology more characteristic of a thermal engineer than of a botanist, we can think of plants as mechanisms that must balance their heat budgets. A plant by day is staked out under the Sun with no way of sheltering itself. All day long it absorbs heat. If it did not lose as much heat as it gained, then eventually it would die. Plants get rid of their heat by warming the air around them, by evaporating water, and by radiating heat to the atmosphere and the cold, black reaches of space. Each plant must balance its heat budget so that its temperature is tolerable for the processes of life.
Plants in the Arctic tundra lie close to the ground in the thinlayer of still air that clings there. A foot or two above the ground are the winds of Arctic cold. Tundra plants absorb eat from the Sun and tend to warm up; they probably balance most of their heat budgets by radiating heat to space, but also b warming the still air that is trapped among them. As long as Arctic plants are close to te ground, they can balance their heat budgets. But if they should stretch up as a tree does, they would lift their working parts, their leaves, into the streaming Arctic winds.Then it is likely that the plants could not absorbed enough heat from the Sun to avoid being cooled below a critical temperature. Your heat budget does not critical temperature. You heat budget does not balance if you stand tall in the Arctic.
Such thinking also helps explain other characteristics of plant design. A desert plant faces the opposite problem from that of an Arctic plant -----the danger of overheating. It is short of water and so cannot cool itself by evaporation without dehydrating. The familiar sticklike shape of desert plants represents one of the solutions to this problem: the shape exposes the smallest possible surgace to incoming solar radiation and provide the largest possible surface from which the plant can radiate heat. In tropical rain forests, by way of contrast, the scorching Sun is not a problem for plants because there is sufficient water.
This working model allows us to connect the general characteristics of the forms of plants in different habitats with factors such as temperature, availability of water, and presence or absence of seasonal differences. Our Earth is covered with a patchwork quilt of meteorological conditions, and the patterns of this patchwork are faithfully reflected by the plants.
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Columbus and the Arawak Indians
Golumbus and the Arawak Indians
When Christopher Columbus landed in the islands of the Caribbean, about 40 million people lived in North and South America. But Columbus did not know that he had discovered a new land.- Indeed, he thought he had landed in India, so upon seeing the natives, he called them -lndians.- Today they are known as Native Americans. One of the many tribes that lived on these islands was the Arawaks.
- The Arawaks were quite different from any people that Columbus had ever seen-and indeed, Columbus and his men. arriving on the huge ship wearing their outlandish clothing, were quite unlike anything the Arawak had ever seen.
- But despite the language barriers, the Arawak and Columbus were able to communicate in a friendly way. Columbus learned that they could take the poison out of a root called manioc (MAN-ee-ock).
- They then ground this up and combined it with other ingredients to make bread. The Arawak also ate fish. sharks, turtles, and yams. The Arawaks were impressed bv Columbus' ships, the Nina, th.e Pinta and the Santa Maria, on which Columbus sailed.
- The Arawak had never even envisioned such crafts, but they did have giant canoes that could hold up to 100 people. (There were about 40 people on the Pinta.) They made these canoes by chopping down huge trees and then lighting small fires in the logs.
- After burning out the middle, they used stone tools to scoop out the ashes. Ther fashioned huge oars from the limbs of the trees. The Arawak were skilled in guiding the canoes and, with many rowers, could get up good speed.
- Columbus learned many things about the Arawaks. One thing that surprised him was that, like the Europeans, the Arawaks also played games for fun. The Arawaks played a game called batey (bah-Tay). Which was lots a lot like soccer.
- It was played with rubber balls, with participants kicking the ball across a huge field. Instead of just playing for fun, the Arawaks played batey to settle problems without fighting. The Arawak did not have any metal items such as knives or guns.
- As Columbus traveled throughout the C-aribbean, he met many other Native American tribes. Some of these he treated with respect and some he took as prisoners to be brought back to Spain.
- Columbus made four voyages to the New World, but he died without ever knowing that he had found a land previously unknown to the Europeans. He always thought that he was just sailing around islands near what must be China or India.
- He never set foot on what is now the United States. Columbus was really looking for a route to the east (China) and for gold. What he found were two entirely unknown continents that contained fascinating people who had been living there for thousands of years.
by Mary Rose
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Friday, November 28, 2008
On Being Friends
On Being Friends
Mike, a rough-and-ready kind of boy, and Jonathan who was just the opposite,were the best of friends. Jonathan had a severe heart condition that prohibited him from engaging in any kind of strenuous activity.The story that follows is part of a longer story called" On Being Friends."*As the episode below opens Mike and Jonathan are taking a shortcut through the woods on their way home from school.
1. Jonathan and Mike broke out of the woods, and there was the pond-frozen over. Mike became excited and said that he hoped to be able to go skatingthe next day, which was Saturday. He said to Jonathan, "I 'm going to test the ice to see if it's okay for skating."
2. Jonathan didn't think that was a good idea. He said, "No, Mike. Don't do that. The police will test the ice, and they'll put a sign up if it's safe to skate." "I'm going to test it anyway." Mike replied."I won't go far."Then he picked up a slender branch about eight feet long and handed it to Jonathan.
3. "Here, Jon, you hold this branch on one end, and I'll hold the other end. If the ice cracks or breaks, you can pull me in." Then, seeing the doubt on Jonathan's face,he continued, "It's going to be okay, Jon. I won't be out there more than a few feet."
4. Jonathan still had misgivings but Mike seemed sure of himself, so Jon didn't protest anymore. He just warned Mike to be careful and not to let go of the branch. Mike stepped gingerly onto the ice. "See,"h e said. "It's solid." Then he ventured the length of the branch, one step at a time. Suddenly, the ice cracked.
5. Mike screamed and down he went into the icy water, over his head. Then be bobbed u p. Jonathan was almost pulled onto the ice when Mike went down, but somehow he managed to stay on shore and hold on to the branch.
6. Mike was trying desperately to get back on the ice, but although he tried again and again he couldn't make it. He was rapidly becoming cold and numb; he couldn't survive much longer.
7. Jonathan kept tugging on the branch, but to no avail. Finally, Mike's stiffened hands gave up the branch. He shouted, "Jon! Go for help. I can't get out! I can't get out!" Jonathan didn't know what to do. The nearest house was'about half of a mile away. He knew he couldn't run that far, and he had the awful feeling that Mike would slip under the ice and never be found if he left.
8. He decided that there was only one thing to do try to save Mike himself. He picked up a rock somewhat smaller than a soccer ball. He was going to break a path through the ice to Mike;then Mike could swim and walk out. The next step was when Jonathan showed his true intelligence. Instead of pounding the ice starting from the shore, he laid himself on the ice and wriggled out to the edge of the ice that surrounded Mike.
9. H e did it that way because h e knew that if he started from the shore and worked outward he would be in frigid water. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to stand that-his heart would give up. After he reached the open water by Mike he laboriously lifted the rock over his head and pounded it on the ice. Crunch, a piece of the ice broke off.
10. Then, he wriggled a little backward toward the shore. Crunch, another piece. Wriggle. Crunch, another piece. With each piece Mike moved a little closer to the shore. Jonathan was becoming exhausted; he didn't have much wind or strength left, but he did have determination. Wriggle, crunch, and still another piece broke off. Mike was now up to his waist because the bank of the pond sloped upward, and he was able to help Jonathan. He took the rock from his friend and began breaking the ice with all his strength.
11. Suddenly, the ice gave way and Jonathan was in the water. But now Mike could walk out because there was an open path to the shore.H e pulled Jonathan with him until both Iay exhausted and gasping on the beach.Jonathan was all but done in.
12. Mike knew they couldn't stay on the shore. Jonathan would die if Mike didn't fetch h elp. Then, Mike showed his real mettle. He took off his coat, laid it on the ground, and dragged Jonathan until he was lying on the coat. Then he used the coat as a sled to pull Jonathan over the snow-covered ground.
13. After prodigious effort Mike hauled his friend within a quarter mile of the nearest house. He didn't have the strength to pull anymore. So he told Jonathan to stay there, that he was going to run to the nearest house and get help. Mike covered the distance to the house in Olympic- record time. He pounded on the door, roused the people, and told them the problem.
14. Mike and the man of the house ran to where Jon was lying. Meanwhile, the man's wife called the emergency squad. The man, a strapping fellow, picked Jonathan up and ran for the house. Mike, with the welcome siren of the emergency vehicle in his ears, trailed behind. When they reached the house, the man's wife was waiting with blankets in her arms.
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008
How to Tell Bad News
How to tell bad news.
Mr. H. and the Steward.
Mr. H. Ha! Steward, how are you, my old. boy? How
do things go on at home ?
Steward. Bad. enough, your honor; the magpie is dead.
H. Poor Mag ! So he's gone. How came he to die ?
S. Overeat himself, sir.
H. Did. he ? A greedy dog; why, what did he get he
liked so well ?
S. Horseflesh, sir; he died" of eating horseflesh.
H. How came he to get so much horseflesh?
S. All your father's horses, sir.
H. What ! are they dead, too ?
S. Ay, sir; they died of overwork.
H. And why were they overworked, pray ?
S. To carry water, sir.
H. To carry water ! and what were they carrying water
for ?
S. Sure, sir, to put out the fire.
H. Fire ! what fire ?
S. O, sir, your father's house is burned to the ground.
H. My father's house burned down ! and how came it
set on fire ?
S. I think sir, it must have been the torches.
H. Torches ! what torches ?
S. At your mother's funeral.
H. My mother dead !
S. Ah, poor lady! she never looked up, after it
H. After what ?
S. The loss of your father.
H. My father gone, too ?
S. Yes, poor gentleman ! he took to his bed as soon as
he heard of it.
H. Heard of what ?
S. The bad news, sir, and please your honor
H. What! more miseries! more bad news!
S. Yes, sir; your bank has failed, and your credit is
lost, and you are not worth a shilling in the world. I
made bold, sir, to wait on you about it, for I thought you
would like to hear the news.
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Mr. H. and the Steward.
Mr. H. Ha! Steward, how are you, my old. boy? How
do things go on at home ?
Steward. Bad. enough, your honor; the magpie is dead.
H. Poor Mag ! So he's gone. How came he to die ?
S. Overeat himself, sir.
H. Did. he ? A greedy dog; why, what did he get he
liked so well ?
S. Horseflesh, sir; he died" of eating horseflesh.
H. How came he to get so much horseflesh?
S. All your father's horses, sir.
H. What ! are they dead, too ?
S. Ay, sir; they died of overwork.
H. And why were they overworked, pray ?
S. To carry water, sir.
H. To carry water ! and what were they carrying water
for ?
S. Sure, sir, to put out the fire.
H. Fire ! what fire ?
S. O, sir, your father's house is burned to the ground.
H. My father's house burned down ! and how came it
set on fire ?
S. I think sir, it must have been the torches.
H. Torches ! what torches ?
S. At your mother's funeral.
H. My mother dead !
S. Ah, poor lady! she never looked up, after it
H. After what ?
S. The loss of your father.
H. My father gone, too ?
S. Yes, poor gentleman ! he took to his bed as soon as
he heard of it.
H. Heard of what ?
S. The bad news, sir, and please your honor
H. What! more miseries! more bad news!
S. Yes, sir; your bank has failed, and your credit is
lost, and you are not worth a shilling in the world. I
made bold, sir, to wait on you about it, for I thought you
would like to hear the news.
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Electric Cars are coming
Pollution Emissions= Zero
Trenton, New Jersey 1. Imagine a car that has no en-gine, burns no gasoline, gives off no air pollutants,makesvery clean noise, and has practically no vibration.That's what is possible with a battery-powered automobile. What's more, there are hundreds of such vehicles now in use.
2. Ordinary automobiles burn gasolineor diesel fuel, and,when that happens,poisonous gases suchas carbon monoxide, one of the gases that make smog, are released.The result is pollutedair that can be harmful to your health.
3. Although progress has been made in reducing the gases given off by fuel-burning engines,it is doubtful that they will ever be perfect.So, the search is on for nonpolluting ways to power cars and trucks. The electric car may be the best solution to the problem. Car makers and state and federal governments are spending millions on researching ways to make practical,affordable battery-powered vehicles.
4. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protectionand Energy-NJDEPE for short-is experimenting with an electric car. You can see the car in and around the streets and roads of Trenton,N. J. You'll know the car when you see it. It's a minivan with the sign "ElectricPowered" ona side panel.It probably won't be traveling in the fast lane of a highway, although it can go as fast as 52 miles an hour. You might get a little impatient if you are behind it at a stop street. The vehicle doesn't have a fast getaway.
5. Don't expect to hear the kind of roaring noise that ordinary vehicles make. The van's electric motor makes a soft, whining sound-somethinglikethe sound you hear coming from a refrigeratormotor. As reported in The Times(Trenton,N. J.), Nancy Wittenberg,a director in the
6. Electric PoweredVan
NJDEPE, took the electric car for a spin. Afterwards she was quotedas saying, "There'sno noise. It's very weird. But it's a regular van-nice, comfy seats, a radio and cassette player."
7. After about 60 miles on the road,the car's several batteries need recharging. No problem: just plug them into a special outlet outside your house or garage. Ms. Wittenberg spoke of the future when she said,"Someone's going to market an electric car with a long range, that's easy to recharge,andfor a good price, andit's goingto be successful." Let's hope she's right-we will all breathe easier.
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Trenton, New Jersey 1. Imagine a car that has no en-gine, burns no gasoline, gives off no air pollutants,makesvery clean noise, and has practically no vibration.That's what is possible with a battery-powered automobile. What's more, there are hundreds of such vehicles now in use.
2. Ordinary automobiles burn gasolineor diesel fuel, and,when that happens,poisonous gases suchas carbon monoxide, one of the gases that make smog, are released.The result is pollutedair that can be harmful to your health.
3. Although progress has been made in reducing the gases given off by fuel-burning engines,it is doubtful that they will ever be perfect.So, the search is on for nonpolluting ways to power cars and trucks. The electric car may be the best solution to the problem. Car makers and state and federal governments are spending millions on researching ways to make practical,affordable battery-powered vehicles.
4. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protectionand Energy-NJDEPE for short-is experimenting with an electric car. You can see the car in and around the streets and roads of Trenton,N. J. You'll know the car when you see it. It's a minivan with the sign "ElectricPowered" ona side panel.It probably won't be traveling in the fast lane of a highway, although it can go as fast as 52 miles an hour. You might get a little impatient if you are behind it at a stop street. The vehicle doesn't have a fast getaway.
5. Don't expect to hear the kind of roaring noise that ordinary vehicles make. The van's electric motor makes a soft, whining sound-somethinglikethe sound you hear coming from a refrigeratormotor. As reported in The Times(Trenton,N. J.), Nancy Wittenberg,a director in the
6. Electric PoweredVan
NJDEPE, took the electric car for a spin. Afterwards she was quotedas saying, "There'sno noise. It's very weird. But it's a regular van-nice, comfy seats, a radio and cassette player."
7. After about 60 miles on the road,the car's several batteries need recharging. No problem: just plug them into a special outlet outside your house or garage. Ms. Wittenberg spoke of the future when she said,"Someone's going to market an electric car with a long range, that's easy to recharge,andfor a good price, andit's goingto be successful." Let's hope she's right-we will all breathe easier.
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Desert Storm Decision
In the 1991 Persian Gulf War, where the United Nations forces, led by Americans, ousted the invading Iraqi army from Kuwaifs soil, the cessation of combat took place in short order after the Allies were able to wrest control of the sldes from the infamous Saddam Hussein's air force.
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf the U.S. field commander, tended to bristle when asked by the media why he hadn't pursued the enemy all the way to Baghdad, saying:
"It would have been foolhardy for us to try to occupy that capital city and pile up American casualties from sniper attacks by Iraq's guerillas. That may be hard for you Monday morning quarterbacks to understand but I thoroughly agreed with the president who was convinced that such an action would have sent a bad message to the Arab world and would have splintered the Allied partnership."
Schwarzkopf reiterated that it was his mission to hurl back the invaders with a minimum of bloodshed but not, he added in a caustic tone, 'to splatter Saddam over the desert sands. That dictator's days are numbered," the general concluded, 'but I expect his end is likely to come at the hands of his own people."
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General H. Norman Schwarzkopf the U.S. field commander, tended to bristle when asked by the media why he hadn't pursued the enemy all the way to Baghdad, saying:
"It would have been foolhardy for us to try to occupy that capital city and pile up American casualties from sniper attacks by Iraq's guerillas. That may be hard for you Monday morning quarterbacks to understand but I thoroughly agreed with the president who was convinced that such an action would have sent a bad message to the Arab world and would have splintered the Allied partnership."
Schwarzkopf reiterated that it was his mission to hurl back the invaders with a minimum of bloodshed but not, he added in a caustic tone, 'to splatter Saddam over the desert sands. That dictator's days are numbered," the general concluded, 'but I expect his end is likely to come at the hands of his own people."
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Don't Interrupt Others or Finish Their Sentences
It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized how often I interrupted others and/or finished their sentences. Shortlly thereafter, I also realized how destructive this habit was, not only to the respect and love I received from others but also for the tremendous amount of energy it takes to try to be in two heads at once! Think about it for a moment.
When you hurry someone along, interrupt someone, or finish his or her sentence, you have to keep track not only of your own thoughts but of those of the person you are interrupting as well. This tendency (which, by the way, is extremely common in busy people), encourages both parties to speed up their speech and their thinking.
This, in turn, makes both people- nervous, -irritable, and annoyed. lt's downright exhausting. lt's also the cause of many arguments,because if there's one thing almost everyone resents, it's someone who doesn't listen to what they are saying. And how can you really listen to what someone is saying when you are speaking for that person?
Once you begin noticing yourself interrupting others, you'll see that this insidious tendency is nothing more than an innocent habit that has become invisible to you. This is good news because it means that all you really have to do is to begin catching yourself when you forget.Remind yourself (before a conversation begins, if possible) to be patient and wait.
Tell yourself to allow the other person to finish speaking before you take your turn. You'll notice, right away, how much the interactions with the people in your life will improve as a direct result of this simple act.The people you communicate with will feel much more relaxed.around you when they feel heard and listened to.
You'll also notice how much more relaxed you'll feel when you stop interrupting others. Your heart and pulse rates will slow down, and you'll begin to enjoy your conversations rather than rush through them. This is an easy way to become a more relaxed, loving person.
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When you hurry someone along, interrupt someone, or finish his or her sentence, you have to keep track not only of your own thoughts but of those of the person you are interrupting as well. This tendency (which, by the way, is extremely common in busy people), encourages both parties to speed up their speech and their thinking.
This, in turn, makes both people- nervous, -irritable, and annoyed. lt's downright exhausting. lt's also the cause of many arguments,because if there's one thing almost everyone resents, it's someone who doesn't listen to what they are saying. And how can you really listen to what someone is saying when you are speaking for that person?
Once you begin noticing yourself interrupting others, you'll see that this insidious tendency is nothing more than an innocent habit that has become invisible to you. This is good news because it means that all you really have to do is to begin catching yourself when you forget.Remind yourself (before a conversation begins, if possible) to be patient and wait.
Tell yourself to allow the other person to finish speaking before you take your turn. You'll notice, right away, how much the interactions with the people in your life will improve as a direct result of this simple act.The people you communicate with will feel much more relaxed.around you when they feel heard and listened to.
You'll also notice how much more relaxed you'll feel when you stop interrupting others. Your heart and pulse rates will slow down, and you'll begin to enjoy your conversations rather than rush through them. This is an easy way to become a more relaxed, loving person.
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Do Something Nice for Someone Else and Don't Tell Anyone About It
While many of us frequently do nice things for others, we are almost certain to mention our acts of kindness to someone else, secretly seeking their approval.When we share our own niceness or generosity with someone else, it makes us feel like we are thoughtful people, it reminds us of how nice we are and how deserving we are of kindness.
While all acts of kindness are inherently wonderful, there is something even more magical about doing something thoughtful but mentioning it to no one, ever.You always feel good when you give to others. Rather than diluting the positive feelings by telling others about your own kindness, by keeping it to yourself you get to retain all the positive feelings.
It's really true that one should give for the sake of giving not to receive something in return. This is precisely what you are doing when you don't mention your kindness to others --- your rewards are the warm feelings that come from the act of giving.The next time you do something really nice for someone else, keep it to yourself and revel in the abundant joy of giving.
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While all acts of kindness are inherently wonderful, there is something even more magical about doing something thoughtful but mentioning it to no one, ever.You always feel good when you give to others. Rather than diluting the positive feelings by telling others about your own kindness, by keeping it to yourself you get to retain all the positive feelings.
It's really true that one should give for the sake of giving not to receive something in return. This is precisely what you are doing when you don't mention your kindness to others --- your rewards are the warm feelings that come from the act of giving.The next time you do something really nice for someone else, keep it to yourself and revel in the abundant joy of giving.
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Driving While Drunk
Throughout literature we find recurring tales of forthright people who are outspoken in condemning illegal practices only to be brought low themselves when they, or members of their families, commit such acts.
Since literature reflects life, we can expect to find similar instances in which a person's ethics are compromised, and he falls prey to the pernicious evil that he had publicly denounced.
Take the story of Barry Vernon (not his real name), an aggressive Ohio district attorney. Vernon could be counted upon to make acrimonious remarks about anyone who was driving while intoxicated.
On numerous speaking engagements, he railed against drunkenness and swore that any such culprit who was found behind the wheel of a car would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
As fate would have it. Vernon's own son smashed into several cars, injuring four people seriously, and then failed a sobriety test.
Following that flagrant violation of the law, Vernon resigned from office, saying that as a private citizen he would continue his crusade against those who drive under the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, he wished to spend more time with his son to try to understand the young man's behavior.
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Since literature reflects life, we can expect to find similar instances in which a person's ethics are compromised, and he falls prey to the pernicious evil that he had publicly denounced.
Take the story of Barry Vernon (not his real name), an aggressive Ohio district attorney. Vernon could be counted upon to make acrimonious remarks about anyone who was driving while intoxicated.
On numerous speaking engagements, he railed against drunkenness and swore that any such culprit who was found behind the wheel of a car would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
As fate would have it. Vernon's own son smashed into several cars, injuring four people seriously, and then failed a sobriety test.
Following that flagrant violation of the law, Vernon resigned from office, saying that as a private citizen he would continue his crusade against those who drive under the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, he wished to spend more time with his son to try to understand the young man's behavior.
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Coffee
Coffee Drinkers Might Live LongerFor women, especially, the brew could boost heart health, study findsBy Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -
Good news for coffee lovers: Drinking up to six cups a day of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee daily won't shorten your life span, a new study shows.In fact, coffee might even help the heart, especially for women, the researchers found.
"Our results suggest that long-term, regular coffee consumption does not increase the risk of death and probably has several beneficial effects on health," said lead researcher Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Autonoma University in Madrid, Spain.Her team published its findings in the June 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.Lopez-Garcia stressed that the findings may only hold true only for healthy folk. "Peoplewith any disease or condition should ask their doctor about their risk, because caffeine still has an acute effect on short-term increase of blood pressure," she said.
the study, the Spanish team looked at the relationships between coffee drinking and the risks of dying from heart disease, cancer, or any cause in almost 42,000 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and more than 84,000 women who had participated in the Nurses' Health Study. At the study start, all participants were free of heart disease and cancer.The participants completed questionnaires every two to four years, including information about their coffee drinking, other dietary habits, smoking and health conditions.
The research team looked at the frequency of death from any cause, death due to heart disease, and death due to cancer among people with different coffee-drinking habits, comparing them to those who didn't drink the brew.They also controlled for other risk factors, including diet, smoking and body size.The researchers found that women who drank two or three cups of caffeinated coffee daily had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease during the follow-up (from 1980 to 2004) than non-drinkers.
Women also had an 18 percent lower death risk from a cause other than cancer or heart disease compared with non-coffee drinkers.For men, drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily was a "wash" -- not associated with either an increased or a decreased risk of death during the follow up, from 1986 to 2004.The lower death rate was mainly due to a lower risk for heart disease deaths, the researchers found, while no link was discovered for coffee drinking and cancer deaths. The relationship did not seem to be directly related to caffeine, according to the researchers, since those who drank decaf also had a lower death rate than those who didn't drink either kind of coffee.
In the past, studies have come up with mixed results on the health effects of coffee, with some finding coffee increased the risk of death and others not.More recently, research has found coffee drinking linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers, and preventing the development of cardiovascular disease, Lopez-Garcia said.The strength of her current study, she said, includes the large number of participants and long follow-up period.
While the study is interesting, it does have its shortcomings, said Dr. Peter Galier, an internal medicine specialist, former chief of staff at Santa Monica UCLA and Orthopedic Hospital and associate professor of medicine at the University of California Los Angeles' David Geffen School of Medicine.Self-reporting is one shortcoming, he said, because people may have under- or over-reported their coffee consumption, for instance. "I think what this study tells us is not so much that coffee is the answer to everything," he said. But, rather, that some compounds, such as the antioxidants found in coffee, may be healthy.
Galier's advice for consumers: "I would tell them to weigh the subjective risk of their coffee consumption," he said. For instance, "if they love coffee, but it makes them jittery, and they can't sleep, the need to adjust it," he said. "Look at your symptoms," he tells patients. "If decaf is no problem, I wouldn't put a limit on that."The research was funded by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
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The History of Coffee
1. The history of coffee is as rich as the brew itself , dating back more than a thousand years. The first coffee plants are said to have come from the Horn of Africa on the shores of the Red Sea. Originally, coffee beans were taken as a food and not as a beverage. East African tribes would grind the coffee cherries together, mixing the results into a paste with animal fat. Rolled into little balls, the mixture was said to give warriors much-needed energy for battle. Later, around the year 1000 AD, Ethiopians concocted a type of wine from coffee berries, fermenting the dried beans in water. Coffee also grew naturally on the Arabian Peninsula, and it was there, during the 11th century that coffee was first developed into a hot drink.
2. The so-called stimulating properties of coffee were thought by many during these ancient times to give a sort of religious ecstasy, and the drink earned a very mystical sort of reputation, shrouded in secrecy and associated with priests and doctors. So, it is not surprising that two prominent legends emerged to explain the discovery of this magic bean.
3. According to one story, a goat-herder noticed that his herd became friskier than usual after consuming the red cherries of a wild coffee shrub. Curious, he tasted the fruit himself. He was delighted by its invigorating effects, and was even spotted by a group of nearby monks dancing with his goats. Soon the monks began to boil the bean themselves and use the liquid to stay awake during all-night ceremonies. The other story is about a Muslim dervish who wascondemned by his enemies to wander in the desert and eventually die of starvation. In his delirium, the young man heard a voice instructing him to eat the fruit from a nearby coffee tree. Confused, the dervish tried to soften the beans in water, and when this failed, he simply drank the liquid. Interpreting his survival and energy as a sign of God, he returned to his people, spreading the faith and the recipe.
4. The cultivation of coffee began sometime in the fifteenth century, and for many centuries to follow, the Yemen province of Arabia was the world'sprimary source of coffee. The demand for coffee in the Near East was very high. The beans leaving the Yemeni port of Mocha for trade with Alexandria and Constantinople were highly guarded. In fact, no fertile plants were allowed to leave the country. Despite the restrictions, Muslim pilgrims from across the globe during their pilgrimages to Mecca managed to smuggle coffee plants back to their homelands, and coffee crops soon took root in India.
5. Coffee also made its way into Europe around this time through the city of Venice, where fleets traded perfumes, teas, dyes and fabrics with Arabic merchants along the Spice Route. The beverage eventually gained popularity with the masses when street lemonade vendors began selling it in addition to cold beverages. Many European merchants grew accustomed to drinking coffee overseas and brought it back with them.
6. By the middle of the 17th century the Dutch dominated the world's merchant shipping industry, and they introduced large-scale coffee cultivation to their colonies in Indonesia on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Bali. Coffee arrived in Latin America several decades later, when the French brought a cutting of a coffee plant to Martinique. But when a rare plant disease spread through the coffee fields of Southeast Asia in the mid 19th century, Brazil emerged as the world's foremost coffee producer, an honor the country still holds today.
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America's First Female Doctor
Elizabeth Blackwell [1821-1910] didn't always enjoy medicine. But once she chose to become a doctor, she let nothing stop her. In the mid-1800s, medical schools did not accept female students.
People believed then that women could never become capable doctors. This view made Elizabeth angry. She knew that many women would feel more at ease consulting a woman rather than a man about their health. Despite public opinion, she decided to follow her dream.
Elizabeth applied to dozens of medical schools, but she was rejected by each and every one. Refusing to be discouraged, Elizabeth made alternate plans for her education.
She read thick medical textbooks on her own. She convinced an understanding doctor to be her private tutor. She never stopped working, and she never gave up hope.
Finally, in 1847, a small college in upstate New York admitted Elizabeth Blackwell into its medical program. When she got there, she learned that her acceptance was a joke.
People treated her as an outsider. Teachers and classmates teased her. Others ignored her. But Elizabeth did not let such rude behavior keep her from accomplishing her goal.
An industrious student, she went to her classes and studied hard. She earned the admiration of her fellow students.
In January 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell graduated at the head of her class.She became the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.
At her graduation, she said, "It shall be the effort of my life to shed honor on this disploma." In so doing, she broke down the barriers that prevented women from practicing medicine.
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People believed then that women could never become capable doctors. This view made Elizabeth angry. She knew that many women would feel more at ease consulting a woman rather than a man about their health. Despite public opinion, she decided to follow her dream.
Elizabeth applied to dozens of medical schools, but she was rejected by each and every one. Refusing to be discouraged, Elizabeth made alternate plans for her education.
She read thick medical textbooks on her own. She convinced an understanding doctor to be her private tutor. She never stopped working, and she never gave up hope.
Finally, in 1847, a small college in upstate New York admitted Elizabeth Blackwell into its medical program. When she got there, she learned that her acceptance was a joke.
People treated her as an outsider. Teachers and classmates teased her. Others ignored her. But Elizabeth did not let such rude behavior keep her from accomplishing her goal.
An industrious student, she went to her classes and studied hard. She earned the admiration of her fellow students.
In January 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell graduated at the head of her class.She became the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.
At her graduation, she said, "It shall be the effort of my life to shed honor on this disploma." In so doing, she broke down the barriers that prevented women from practicing medicine.
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Want to Run for Office?
In recent years, we have seen the phenomenon of incumbent politicians retiring in record numbers. When interviewed, many of them admitted that they had lost their taste for the job because of the abuse to which an aspirant for office is subjected.
"My last campaign was a sordid affair in which my opponent did everything to belittle my record and air scurrilous charges about my private life," said one congressman. "l don't have to stand still for such treatment," he added, "which was terribly embarrassing to me and my entire family."
Citizen groups, appalled by the candidates' mudslinging, have sought to do something about the situation. Committees have been formed in a number of states to study ways to elevate the tone of the process, reduce the emotionalism, and eliminate the frenzy of name calling that is generated as election day draws near.
"Unless we clean up this mess," said the chairman of an Illinois caucus, "we will lose the best and the brightest from the political arena. After all, who but a masochist wants to be a punching bag, the subject of daily vilification in the media, and a target for every malcontent in town?"
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"My last campaign was a sordid affair in which my opponent did everything to belittle my record and air scurrilous charges about my private life," said one congressman. "l don't have to stand still for such treatment," he added, "which was terribly embarrassing to me and my entire family."
Citizen groups, appalled by the candidates' mudslinging, have sought to do something about the situation. Committees have been formed in a number of states to study ways to elevate the tone of the process, reduce the emotionalism, and eliminate the frenzy of name calling that is generated as election day draws near.
"Unless we clean up this mess," said the chairman of an Illinois caucus, "we will lose the best and the brightest from the political arena. After all, who but a masochist wants to be a punching bag, the subject of daily vilification in the media, and a target for every malcontent in town?"
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The Best Laid Plans
Gloria Rogers overslept and then had to sprint to catch the same Greyhound Bus that she boarded on the last Thursday of every month. After a three-hour uneventful ride, she finally arrived at the bus terminal where a courtesy van was ready to transport bus passengers to Visitors Day at the State Penitentiary.
Although Gloria tried to act casual, she was more than a little nervous. Her boyfriend, Art, a convicted felon , had managed to gain admittance to the prison's hospital on the pretext of having a gall bladder attack.
Under her own slacks and bulky sweater, Gloria was wearing a set of clothes that she removed in the hospital bathroom and passed on to Art. He planned to use them after making his escape in the back of the prison ambulance that was parked outside his ward.
Art had spelled out his escape plan during Glorias last visit, spending an hour trying to cajole her into being his accomplice. All that she had to do was appear to have a seizure. Then she would fabricate a story about her epilepsy while Art, with the smuggled clothes concealed under his prison bathrobe, would slip out of the ward during the excitement.
Unfortunately for the schemers, a vigilant hospital guard spotted Art climbing into the rear of the ambulance and quickly foiled the escape attempt. The result was that Art had three years added to his sentence and Gloria was imprisoned for her role in the misadventure.
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Although Gloria tried to act casual, she was more than a little nervous. Her boyfriend, Art, a convicted felon , had managed to gain admittance to the prison's hospital on the pretext of having a gall bladder attack.
Under her own slacks and bulky sweater, Gloria was wearing a set of clothes that she removed in the hospital bathroom and passed on to Art. He planned to use them after making his escape in the back of the prison ambulance that was parked outside his ward.
Art had spelled out his escape plan during Glorias last visit, spending an hour trying to cajole her into being his accomplice. All that she had to do was appear to have a seizure. Then she would fabricate a story about her epilepsy while Art, with the smuggled clothes concealed under his prison bathrobe, would slip out of the ward during the excitement.
Unfortunately for the schemers, a vigilant hospital guard spotted Art climbing into the rear of the ambulance and quickly foiled the escape attempt. The result was that Art had three years added to his sentence and Gloria was imprisoned for her role in the misadventure.
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Reggie the Con Man
In the annals of crime, there are few scoundrels who could match the exploits of Reggie Hayes, who also used the names of Reginald Haven, Ricardo Hermosa, Father Harris, and dozens of other aliases.
Reggie's police record, principally in Chicago and Baltimore, is replete with scams that he perpetrated upon gullible people. Generally, his favorite target was a matron who should have known better.
Dressed as a priest ("Father Harris"), he was most convincing, however. His method of operation was to "find" a wallet stuffed with hundred dollar bills outside a supermarket and then implore an unsuspecting woman to share his good fortune, since there was no identification in the wallet.
But first, to establish her credibility, his victim had to put up a sum of money as a testimonial to her good faith. Mrs. Emma Schultz, age 72, tearfully told the police that she had withdrawn $14,000 from her bank and placed it in a shopping bag supplied by the helpful priest.
He told her to hold onto the bag while he went next door to a lawyer's office to make the sharing of their good fortune legal. After a seemingly interminable wait, Mrs. Schultz discovered to her chagrin that the heartless thief had skipped out the back way, leaving her "holding the bag"-a switched bag containing shredded newspaper-while he made his getaway with her life savings.
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Reggie's police record, principally in Chicago and Baltimore, is replete with scams that he perpetrated upon gullible people. Generally, his favorite target was a matron who should have known better.
Dressed as a priest ("Father Harris"), he was most convincing, however. His method of operation was to "find" a wallet stuffed with hundred dollar bills outside a supermarket and then implore an unsuspecting woman to share his good fortune, since there was no identification in the wallet.
But first, to establish her credibility, his victim had to put up a sum of money as a testimonial to her good faith. Mrs. Emma Schultz, age 72, tearfully told the police that she had withdrawn $14,000 from her bank and placed it in a shopping bag supplied by the helpful priest.
He told her to hold onto the bag while he went next door to a lawyer's office to make the sharing of their good fortune legal. After a seemingly interminable wait, Mrs. Schultz discovered to her chagrin that the heartless thief had skipped out the back way, leaving her "holding the bag"-a switched bag containing shredded newspaper-while he made his getaway with her life savings.
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