This is actually really freaky!! (Mainly the end part, but read it all first)
1) New York City has 11 letters
2) Afghanistan has 11 letters.
3) Ramsin Yuseb (The terrorist who threatened to destroy the Twin Towers in 1993) has 11 letters.
4) George W Bush has 11 letters.
This could be a mere coincidence, but this gets more interesting:
1) New York is the 11th state.
2) The first plane crashing against the Twin Towers was flight number 11.
3) Flight 11 was carrying 92 passengers. 9 + 2 = 11
4) Flight 77 which also hit Twin Towers, was carrying 65 passengers. 6+5 = 11
5) The tragedy was on September 11, or 9/11 as it is now known. 9 + 1+ 1 = 11
6) The date is equal to the US emergency services telephone number 911. 9 + 1 + 1 = 11
Sheer coincidence. .?!
Read on and make up your own mind:
1) The total number of victims inside all the hi-jacked planes was 254. 2 + 5 + 4 = 11.
2) September 11 is day number 254 of the calendar year. Again 2 + 5 + 4 = 11.
3) The Madrid bombing took place on 3/11/2004. 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 11.
4) The tragedy of Madrid happened 911 days after the Twin Towers incident.
Now this is where things get totally eerie: The most recognized symbol for the US, after the Stars & Stripes, is the Eagle.
Unconvinced about this entire Still ..?!
Try this and see how you feel afterwards, it made my hair stand on end: Open Microsoft Word and do the following:
1. Type in capitals Q33 NY. This is the flight number of the first plane to hit one of the Twin Towers.
2. Highlight the. Q33 NY
3. Change the font size to 48.
4. Change the actual font to the WINGDINGS What do you think now?!! its a plane two towers a sign of danager and a star
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
THE INDIAN DREAM
Ever since the phrase “American dream” was coined in the 1930s there has been varying definitions about what it really meant.
While some talk of it as a dream of an egalitarian social order, others look upon it as the pursuit of material prosperity— a family with a comfortable home in the suburb, a large car, plentiful food and all the creature comforts to live the good life.
Whatever the definition Americans prefer, it’s probably not a bad idea to define what the Indian dream is all about.
For many of us of the Indian middle class, it is usually having a family with two children (preferably a boy and a girl) studying in reputed educational institutions, a steady paying job, a three-bedroom house (one for guests or for ageing parents), an up-market car, holidays in hills stations or abroad, a circle of friends to party with, contributions to a charity and no worries of bomb blasts or being mugged on the way home.
With oil prices shooting up and climate change all too evident perhaps it’s time to redefine that dream rather than make the mistakes made by our American friends or those living in other G8 countries.
Maybe having a personal vehicle is not such a good idea especially if you have to spend Rs 300 a day on petrol for the car just to commute to office. Not to mention cost of the vehicle, its maintenance, repairs and insurance. Instead, our dream should be to have an excellent public transport system like a metro rail that could get you to most places in the city without you having to pay too much or wade through traffic snarls.
If you have to buy a family vehicle, instead of dreaming about a gas-guzzling SUV to take you and the brats up the hills, a compact fuel efficient car may be the best thing to aspire for.Our dream houses too could undergo a change. They could be made far more energy efficient both in the way it is insulated against heat and cold so that we spend far less on air-conditioners or room heaters.
We could dream of a day where we would all have heaters or lights powered by solar-charged batteries that we install on the roof of our houses. Or even by community windmills if we lived in a co-operative society that has land to spare.
We could also think of doing away with the use of plastic bags for shopping and insisting that the appliances we buy or the bulbs that we install are energy efficient and don’t harm the environment when disposed off.
Call it the new Indian dream but it is worth aspiring for because we could lead the world by example in our quest to save ourselves and the earth.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
INDO-US Nuclear deal
* The amendment overturns a 30-year-old US ban on supplying India with nuclear fuel and technology, implemented after India's first nuclear test in 1974.
* Under the amendment, India must separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities, and submit civilian facilities to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
WHY IS IT CONTROVERSIAL?
* Critics say it undermines the NPT, which holds that only countries which renounce nuclear weapons qualify for civilian nuclear assistance.
* The accord sends the wrong message: it could undercut a US-led campaign to curtail Iran's nuclear program, and open the way for a potential arms race in South Asia.
* India says 14 of its 22 nuclear facilities are civilian. Critics say the pact could make bomb making at the other eight easier, as civilian nuclear fuel needs will be met by the US
WHAT DO THE DEAL'S SUPPORTERS SAY?
* US President George Bush calls the deal necessary to reflect the countries' improved relations. It strengthens international security by tightening US ties to ally India, the world's biggest democracy. It also ensures some of its nuclear industry will undergo international inspection.
* New Delhi, which relies on imported oil for some 70 per cent of its energy needs, says nuclear power will help feed its rapidly expanding economy.
* France, which signed a similar deal with India in February 2006, says the move will help fight climate change and aid non-proliferation efforts.
HOW IS PAKISTAN INVOLVED?
* Pakistan sought a similar civilian technology deal with the US but was refused last in March. It is the only other confirmed nuclear power not to have signed the NPT - saying it will join after India does.
* Pakistan's own expanding nuclear program could fan the rivalry between India and Pakistan.
INTERNATIONAL RIVALRIES?
* China is said to have supported Pakistan's nuclear weapons program since the 1980s. Some analysts see the Indo-US deal as part of attempts by larger powers, the US and China, to shore up influence in South Asia by building up rival arsenals.
* The IAEA said in 2004 that Libya and Iran's nuclear programs were based on Chinese technology provided by Pakistan.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
How Software Agents and Search Engines Work
There are at least three elements to search engines that I think are important: information discovery & the database, the user search, and the presentation and ranking of results.
Discovery and Database
A search engine finds information for its database by accepting listings sent in by authors wanting exposure, or by getting the information from their "Web crawlers," "spiders," or "robots," programs that roam the Internet storing links to and information about each page they visit. Web crawler programs are a subset of "software agents," programs with an unusual degree of autonomy which perform tasks for the user. How do these really work? Do they go across the net by IP number one by one? Do they store all or most of everything on the Web?
According to The WWW Robot Page, these agents normally start with a historical list of links, such as server lists, and lists of the most popular or best sites, and follow the links on these pages to find more links to add to the database. This makes most engines, without a doubt, biased toward more popular sites. A Web crawler could send back just the title and URL of each page it visits, or just parse some HTML tags, or it could send back the entire text of each page. Alta Vista is clearly hell-bent on indexing anything and everything, with over 30 million pages indexed (7/96). Excite actually claims more pages. OpenText, on the other hand, indexes the full text of less than a million pages (5/96), but stores many more URLs. Inktomi has implemented HotBot as a distributed computing solution, which they claim can grow with the Web and index it in entirety no matter how many users or how many pages are on the Web. By the way, in case you are worrying about software agents taking over the world, or your Web site, look over the Robot Attack Page. Normally, "good" robots can be excluded by a bit of Exclusion Standard code on your site.
It seems unfair, but developers aren't rewarded much by location services for sending in the URLs of their pages for indexing. The typical time from sending your URL in to getting it into the database seems to be 6-8 weeks. Not only that, but a submission for one of my sites expired very rapidly, no longer appearing in searches after a month or two, apparently because I didn't update it often enough. Most search engines check their databases to see if URLs still exist and to see if they are recently updated.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
y2k
The letters Y and K separated by the number 2 made a very interesting word just before the year 2000. Y2K was really a shorthand term with a potentially scary meaning back in 1998 and 1999. Y2K is an abbreviation for “The Year 2000.”
It was most often used when talking about potential computer problems that were anticipated with the world moving into the 21st century. Back in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, when computers were first built, the designers of the programs that made the computers run used only two numbers instead of four to indicate the year. For example, 1998 was 98. This was done as a cost-saving measure. In the 1990s, many computer programmers continued using the two numbers instead of four.
As we moved toward the year 2000, it was realized that a massive computer problem could occur, because all computer processors and software using the two-digit feature were going to stop moving forward and revert back to 1900, instead of to 2000. Fears were that all computer-operated equipment manufactured with a computer processor, like televisions and microwave ovens, would fail because the computer memory would not recognize the date 00.
Some really negative people were frightening folks with comments about the world going dark at midnight on January 1, 2000, since electrical systems were operated by computers. Some were saying that the world would become chaotic and that money in the stock market would disappear since those monies had not been around in 1900, leaving investors penniless.
Well, here we are several years after Y2K and we now know, that at midnight, January 1, 2000, very little changed. Many computer companies spent the last few years of the 20th century fixing the glitch that panicked the world. An interesting side effect from all of this effort came as a large increase in computer service companies. These companies moved from being small businesses started to repair a potentially frightening computer problem, to the bright technological future we see ahead of us.
Some people feel that the integrated technology companies in India started with this one computer problem being addressed. Many feel that the New York Stock Exchange was able to reassemble its systems shortly after the 9/11 disaster because of the related Y2K repair work they had done.
January 1, 2000 marked a very important date in the history of the world. It moved into the 21st Century with technology designed to make our lives easier and let us work smarter, all because of Y2K.Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Indians enjoy happy sex lives, but know little till 15
Indians lead fulfilling sex lives but get their first formal sex education at a little over 15 years of age as compared to the West where lessons on the birds and the bees start from 12, says a new global study.
Though Indians know how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, awareness on how to avoid pregnancy is very low.
These are the findings of the 'Face of Global Sex 2008 - The path to sexual confidence' survey conducted among 26,000 people in 26 countries by condom manufacturer Durex to explore the effectiveness of sex education.
'India starts sex education for children a little after 15 years, though in Western countries it starts from 12 onwards,' the report said.
This could be one of the reasons why Indians had little knowledge of how to avoid pregnancy. Indians scored a mere 70 percent, even less than Japan at 70.9 percent. The highest was scored by South Africa (86.5 percent) and Spain (86 percent).
'These results highlight the need for good school-based education. Unfortunately, in many countries high quality school-based sexual education is lacking,' the report said.
The study also found that most Asian countries fell well behind Western countries when it came to being confident about protecting themselves against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS.
It pointed out that in Mexico, a child receives formal sex education at the age of 12 - perhaps the reason why its people scored one of the highest (81.6 percent) on overall confidence about sex.
'Comprehensive and inclusive sex education between the ages of 11 and 16 is vital for people to develop sexual confidence in later life. Also, those who have more confidence are better equipped to protect themselves against STIs and unwanted pregnancies,' it said.
In Asia, India and China are the two countries that start sex education in school when children are 15 years and above. Other countries in the region start education either a little before or a little after a child turns 14.
Indians, however, seemed to fare better as far as other Asian countries were concerned on knowing where to go for help and guidance on sex.
While India scored 68.8 percent, Malaysia stood at 67.6 percent and China scored 66.1 when it came to knowing where to go for help on sex. The other countries were Singapore (66.1 percent), Hong Kong (63.2 percent) and Thailand (61.7 percent).
The survey showed that Japan scored less in terms of most criteria - not only in Asia but globally too. Despite Japan starting sex education at 12 years, they are the least confident about sex (58.8 percent), have no idea whom to turn to for guidance (42.4 percent) and how to avoid pregnancy (70.9 percent).
No wonder people in Japan do not lead a happy and fulfilling sex life. They scored 54.3 percent - the lowest in the world - with the highest scored by Brazil (79.6 percent), Mexicans (78.4 percent) and Nigerians (78.2 percent) in this aspect.
India scored 72.4 percent as far as having a good sex life was concerned. As compared to other Asian countries, it scored a little less than Malaysia that got 73.5 percent.
In this aspect, India was also better off than Germany, France, Australia, Poland, Russia, Singapore and Thailand as far as having a fulfilling sex life is concerned, the report said.
The report found that although parents and guardians were the most successful confidence boosters, they were only listed as the eighth most likely source to be approached for sex education - falling well behind friends, the internet and TV.
There were also distinct gender differences in terms of where people go for information on sexual issues. Males were more likely to use the media - magazines, the internet, TV and radio - or institutional sources.
Females, on the other hand, preferred more interpersonal sources, such as parents, partners, family and doctors.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Every government has its pet phrases. Indira Gandhi gave a call Garibi Hatao many years
back and the BJP came up with “India Shining”. The government of Sonia Gandhi-
Manmohan Singh swears by aam admi and regularly talk of “Inclusive Growth” which has
indeed become a fashionable phrase these days. All speeches, from election rallies to
speeches to the corporate sector, today include these two phrases. With allocations
running from thousands of crores for schemes allocated for the aam admi one would think
that some of the problems of the poor would have been solved, sixty years after
independence. Yet, these phrases sound hollow. This feature examines whether
government is serious about “Inclusive Growth”, what it is and how can it be tackled.
India has achieved a great deal in recent years.
Breaking the shackles of socialism that had sapped
the strength of Indian entrepreneurs, the country
has done well economically, achieving growth rates
that had hitherto seemed impossible.
However, India’s success story is marred by glaring
poverty and inequalities. It is assumed that the gap
between the rich and the poor is growing and that
India’s growth is one-sided. Any talk of growth thus
gets bogged down in the poverty debate. Even international
organisations have joined in the chorus. It has
become fashionable to talk about the poor without actually
doing anything for them. The government is leading
the chorus, with the Prime Minister advising everyone
that there should be social equality.
Historical background If problems in India were to be solved by slogans,
our government could have accomplished a great
deal. Not only would we have a “socialist pattern of
society” and “equality for all” that our Constitution
talks about, but poverty would have been banished and
India would be shining. The government of Sonia
Gandhi-Manmohan Singh has fallen into the same trap
of making fashionable noises while actually doing nothing
for the country. They now want to make growth
“inclusive”, that is, the benefits of growth should be
shared by all sections of society.
Nobody can deny that this is a noble objective. If
the country is growing, why should the rich get richer
and the gap between the rich and the poor keep
increasing? The word “inclusive” means: “not excluding
any section of society”.
The thinking is not new. Since independence, our
leaders have been obsessed—in public at least—with
the poor. They rejected the economic ideology of USA
and UK, which were both rich countries, and adopted
instead the economic model of the Soviet Union. The
idea was to achieve a socialistic pattern of society. This
was the first attempt for inclusive growth, even though
the phrase was not fashionable at that time.
The results of that misguided policy are for all to
see. In the forty years of socialism, India became one of
the poorest countries of the world. Almost 40% of the
population was pushed below the poverty line. Instead
of harnessing the Indian spirit, it destroyed it by creating
a frightful bureaucracy: Government babus controlled
everything, right from deciding how much cloth
a particular factory should produce. The economy was
marked by shortages and black economy. To buy a
scooter, for example, one had to wait for more than five
years! The achievement of years of socialism has been
rampant corruption and a total disregard for the poor.
The policy also worked against the Indian entrepreneur.
Profit was seen as a dirty word and private companies
and multinationals were seen as evil empires.
The government tried to run companies and even set up
bread and scooter factories, but only a few could do
well. The poor were left to fend for themselves. The
dominant aspiration for the middle class youth was to
get government jobs and make money on the side.
Even after the Soviet Union broke up, our country
continued its destructive economic policy. Forced by a
declining balance of payments situation in the early
nineties, the government grudgingly agreed to liberalise
and to include the Indian entrepreneur in the economic
process. In just a few years, the face of India began to
change. Companies like Infosys were born and Indian
companies began to grow with competition. In just a
few years we began to talk of a Shining India and the
world began to take Indian companies seriously. As a
result of liberalisation, today India shares space with
China as the most promising emerging market. People
became rich and the affluence began to show on the
streets as new malls and clubs opened. The newspapers
reported that an Indian, Mr Mukesh Ambani, has
become the richest man in the world, displacing the legendary
Bill Gates, who held the title for many years.
These things were inconceivable in the years of licence
raj, as the control by government babus was called.
In the meantime, politics in the country also underwent
a change. Poor governance and lopsided priorities
resulted in lame duck governments, with no political
party able to get a majority in the Parliament. As political
parties learnt the art of managing coalition governments,
they desperately searched for something that
would earn them votes. So they fell back on the past,
talking of poverty again. They found a slogan in Inclusive
Growth, that is, the challenge of including the poor
to share the fruits of development. The slogan has been
convenient, for who can deny that caring for the poor is
a bad thing?
would earn them votes. So they fell back on the past,
talking of poverty again. They found a slogan in Inclusive
Growth, that is, the challenge of including the poor
to share the fruits of development. The slogan has been
convenient, for who can deny that caring for the poor is
a bad thing?
Government Response
The title of the Approach Paper on the Eleventh
Five-Year Plan “Towards faster and more inclusive
growth” reflects the need to make growth “more inclusive”,
that is, to make benefits of employment and
income flow to those sections of society which have
been bypassed by higher rates of economic growth witnessed
in recent years. On paper, this is a very good
idea. The poor should get more employment opportunities,
coupled with better delivery distribution, to ensure
access to benefits of growth. The government woke up
to the concern of human development and the midterm
appraisal of the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007)
released by the Planning Commission contains nearly
100 pages on “Human Development”.
The problem lies in achieving these goals. Reports
by the Planning Commission or slogan shouting by the
Prime Minister do not result in positive results. A review
of target values reveals that in almost all indicators we
are off-track. Only for one indicator, namely, the proportion
of the population below the poverty line, our
performance is favourable.
So, is the talk of Inclusive Growth just a desperate
attempt to gather votes from the people? Or is it something
serious?
The response of the Manmohan Singh government
to achieve Inclusive Growth has been three-pronged:
1. Talk about it in all speeches and in the Planning
Commission;
2. Increase caste-based reservations;
3. Throw money in government schemes.
It is easy to see that this strategy is deeply flawed.
Talking about a problem rarely solves a problem and, in
any case, the Planning Commission is a defunct orga -
nisation. The policy of increasing caste-based reservations
has only resulted in increasing friction in society,
with different communities now demanding special status
for themselves, leading to violence on the streets.
Likewise, making budget allocations and throwing thousands
of crores of rupees in schemes that achieve little
is hardly a good way of tackling national problems.
Government Schemes:
Throwing Good Money after Bad The government frequently comes up with
schemes to show its commitment to the poor.
Usually named in Hindi to show national concerns,
these schemes have lofty goals that
Government Response
The title of the Approach Paper on the Eleventh
Five-Year Plan “Towards faster and more inclusive
growth” reflects the need to make growth “more inclusive”,
that is, to make benefits of employment and
income flow to those sections of society which have
been bypassed by higher rates of economic growth witnessed
in recent years. On paper, this is a very good
idea. The poor should get more employment opportunities,
coupled with better delivery distribution, to ensure
access to benefits of growth. The government woke up
to the concern of human development and the midterm
appraisal of the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007)
released by the Planning Commission contains nearly
100 pages on “Human Development”.
The problem lies in achieving these goals. Reports
by the Planning Commission or slogan shouting by the
Prime Minister do not result in positive results. A review
of target values reveals that in almost all indicators we
are off-track. Only for one indicator, namely, the proportion
of the population below the poverty line, our
performance is favourable.
So, is the talk of Inclusive Growth just a desperate
attempt to gather votes from the people? Or is it something
serious?
The response of the Manmohan Singh government
to achieve Inclusive Growth has been three-pronged:
1. Talk about it in all speeches and in the Planning
Commission;
2. Increase caste-based reservations;
3. Throw money in government schemes.
It is easy to see that this strategy is deeply flawed.
Talking about a problem rarely solves a problem and, in
any case, the Planning Commission is a defunct orga -
nisation. The policy of increasing caste-based reservations
has only resulted in increasing friction in society,
with different communities now demanding special status
for themselves, leading to violence on the streets.
Likewise, making budget allocations and throwing thousands
of crores of rupees in schemes that achieve little
is hardly a good way of tackling national problems.
Government Schemes:
Throwing Good Money after Bad The government frequently comes up with
schemes to show its commitment to the poor.
Usually named in Hindi to show national concerns,
these schemes have lofty goals that
promise to make our
country great. But, a look
at the achievements of the
schemes show that inclusive
growth remains at
best a fashionable phrase
mouthed by politicians:
1. Pradhan Mantri
Grameen Sadak Yojna: A
scheme of the Central government,
it aimes at providing
all-weather roads to
over 65,000 unconnected
villages. It is to be
financed with half of the
cess on fuel, with an
expenditure of Rs 48,000
crore. Only a fraction of
the work has been done.
Official figures say that
44,000 km of rural roads
were constructed and another 1,46,000 km have to be
built by 2009. There are delays of implementation,
many villages still have to see any proper road, and in
many places the quality of the roads is so bad that they
are washed out every monsoon.
2. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(NREG): The scheme aims to provide 100 days of
employment per financial year to adult members of a
rural household who are willing to do manual work.The
Rural Development Ministry estimates that Rs 20,000
crore is required for the scheme every year. Official
figures speak of the achievements in glowing terms.
However, in most places, the scheme is a classic
example of creating useless employment, that is, of digging
holes and filling them up, because the work done
is temporary. For instance, it would be much better to
impart abilities that help a poverty-stricken family to
build their economic future, rather than having a few
days of employment. Also, the labour under the scheme
should be used so that the villages actually get schools,
hospitals and roads. Yet, none of these have been made
or even planned by the policy makers.
3. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM): The aim
of NRHM is to provide assessable, affordable, accountable,
effective and reliable primary health care facilities
for the poor and vulnerable sections of the population.
Over Rs 26,000 crore has been allocated. NRHM seeks to
halve infant mortality, reduce fertility rate, maternal
mortality and prevalence of diseases and to revitalise
primary healthcare in rural India. Despite government
claims, finding an efficient and working primary healthcare
centre in a village is an exception rather than the
rule. Most rural population depends on private doctors
and even quacks. Because of government policies, doctors
do not want to serve
in rural areas and many
health centers have been
without doctors and
equipment for years. If you
see the state of rural
healthcare, you would
wonder where the massive
allocations of thousands
of crores of rupees have
gone.
4. Sarv Shiksha
Abhiyan: Highly publicised,
the Sarv Shiksha
Abhiyan aims for useful
and relevant elementary
education to all children in
the age group of 6-14
years by 2010. The government
imposed a 2% education
cess to be used for the
scheme and the Mid-day meal scheme. Government allocation
is Rs 10,393 crore. Officially, it is said that the
schemes have been a success in many districts. A large
number of poor people have started sending their children
to school. However, government schools remain a
picture of apathy. Many schools function without
teachers. Teachers are appointed and transferred on
political considerations and often go to school only to
collect their salaries. The quality of education is also
questionable. The mid-day meals are also in controversies
as newspapers regularly report bad quality of food
served in government schools.
While the intention of the above schemes is commendable,
they are marred by corruption. Little is ever
achieved. Every budget makes greater allocations and
launches new schemes but their effect on the ground is
surprisingly little. Thus, the allocations merely amount
to throwing money at problems. It is high time that the
government admitted its errors and changed track.
What can be done If government response is insincere and inadequate,
what can really be done? How can the poor of the
country be brought to share in economic growth? If
nothing is done, the friction in society will only
increase, making the country unstable.
Fortunately, the problem is not unique, and
solutions do exist, if only we care to look:
1. Encouraging private philanthropy. Multinational
companies and organisations have philanthropic
arms as a means to give back to society. Regretfully,
the government has done nothing to give a
support to such activities. The government should be
an enabler, rather than sponsor of schemes that just
[ COVER STORY ]
4 Janaury 2008 THE COMPETITION MASTER
encourage corruption. A coalition of companies that are
working in similar fields needs to be made. Delivery will
be more efficient. It is time that India’s managerial
expertise is used in social areas.
2. Public Private Partnerships (PPP): In India, PPP
is surprisingly absent, even though India has many
companies and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)
willing to work with the government. The government
can form coalitions with those companies that have a
proven record of taking up social activities. Instead of
implementing schemes through leaking government
machinery, they can be implemented through honest
and transparent organisations. But, this initiative is
missing in India.
3. Economic reform. If a little economic reform
could result in our economic growth jumping to over 9%
per annum now, it shows that the answer lies in more
liberalisation and more reform. Yet, successive governments
have not been able to give a support to reforms,
perhaps because of the fear of losing control. Even the
present government, which is widely seen to be progressive,
has failed on making the desired policies that
would liberate the Indian spirit.
4. Harnessing Religion. India is one of the most
religious countries of the world. Great amounts of
money are offered in millions of temples across the
country. If one just adds the contributions made in the
big temples like Tirupati, Golden Temple and Vaishno
Devi, we would come at a staggering figure of over Rs
1000 crore. Nobody knows where this money goes, and
religion has been silent in the fields of education,
female infanticide and health services. In that respect,
our religion has been an utter failure. Accountability in
use of funds of all religions has to be made mandatory.
They should be encouraged to start free schools for
girls, educate the people about health and hygiene, and
to start rehabilitation programmes for the poor. In
many other countries, religious organisations have provided
support systems for the poor and have helped
guide the movement of money from the rich to
the poor. If such a conduit
exists, much of the problem
of inclusive growth
can be solved.
5. Focused and Better
governance. A major
shortcoming in including
the poor in development
is the lack of governance.
Our institutions—the
police and judiciary, for
example—seem to exist
only for the rich. It is difficult
for the poor to get
a case registered or to
fight it out in the courts. Unless governance is
improved, the poor will continue to be marginalised.
Yet, the government that claims to be for aam admi
continues to fight battles of no consequence, such as
trying to control AIIMS or sending notices to Amitabh
Bachchan. When governance becomes this narrow, it is
useless to talk of including poor in the development
process.
6. Investment in infrastructure. It is said that
Indians suffer the acts of their mediocre leaders. This is
true of the present government also. The government
should provide proper infrastructure and security and
leave the rest to people. Yet, the infrastructure in our
country is pathetic in almost all spheres. Investment in
infrastructure would have a multiplier effect and boost
the entire economy, pulling the rich and the poor.
7. Learn from successful countries. A look at the
map of the world shows that the countries that are leading
on all HDI indices have achieved equality by implementing
a series of policies that have encouraged
human development. We also have world-renowned
people like Amartya Sen, who has done remarkable
work on poverty. The government fails to learn from
other countries, or even involve its own people for
development. Is it surprising that Indians can work and
make a name in all other countries except their own?
The country must now show the same level of
dynamism and innovation in tackling basic
health and education inequalities as it has displayed
in global technology markets. This was
stated in the Human Development Report (HDR) 2005.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
reviews show that while there has been an overall
progress globally, many individual countries are not
making the progress needed to achieve the MDGs by
2015. The Human Development Report 2005 argued
that extreme inequality is a brake on achieving the
MDGs and wider human development goals.
The Report warns that
some of the most highly
visible globalisation ‘success
stories’, including
China and India, are failing
to convert wealth creation
and rising incomes
into more rapid progress
on the social indicators.
The Report points out that
at a lower level of income
and with far lower growth,
Bangladesh has overtaken
India in its progress on
some of the c r i t i c a l
Development Goals.
back and the BJP came up with “India Shining”. The government of Sonia Gandhi-
Manmohan Singh swears by aam admi and regularly talk of “Inclusive Growth” which has
indeed become a fashionable phrase these days. All speeches, from election rallies to
speeches to the corporate sector, today include these two phrases. With allocations
running from thousands of crores for schemes allocated for the aam admi one would think
that some of the problems of the poor would have been solved, sixty years after
independence. Yet, these phrases sound hollow. This feature examines whether
government is serious about “Inclusive Growth”, what it is and how can it be tackled.
India has achieved a great deal in recent years.
Breaking the shackles of socialism that had sapped
the strength of Indian entrepreneurs, the country
has done well economically, achieving growth rates
that had hitherto seemed impossible.
However, India’s success story is marred by glaring
poverty and inequalities. It is assumed that the gap
between the rich and the poor is growing and that
India’s growth is one-sided. Any talk of growth thus
gets bogged down in the poverty debate. Even international
organisations have joined in the chorus. It has
become fashionable to talk about the poor without actually
doing anything for them. The government is leading
the chorus, with the Prime Minister advising everyone
that there should be social equality.
Historical background If problems in India were to be solved by slogans,
our government could have accomplished a great
deal. Not only would we have a “socialist pattern of
society” and “equality for all” that our Constitution
talks about, but poverty would have been banished and
India would be shining. The government of Sonia
Gandhi-Manmohan Singh has fallen into the same trap
of making fashionable noises while actually doing nothing
for the country. They now want to make growth
“inclusive”, that is, the benefits of growth should be
shared by all sections of society.
Nobody can deny that this is a noble objective. If
the country is growing, why should the rich get richer
and the gap between the rich and the poor keep
increasing? The word “inclusive” means: “not excluding
any section of society”.
The thinking is not new. Since independence, our
leaders have been obsessed—in public at least—with
the poor. They rejected the economic ideology of USA
and UK, which were both rich countries, and adopted
instead the economic model of the Soviet Union. The
idea was to achieve a socialistic pattern of society. This
was the first attempt for inclusive growth, even though
the phrase was not fashionable at that time.
The results of that misguided policy are for all to
see. In the forty years of socialism, India became one of
the poorest countries of the world. Almost 40% of the
population was pushed below the poverty line. Instead
of harnessing the Indian spirit, it destroyed it by creating
a frightful bureaucracy: Government babus controlled
everything, right from deciding how much cloth
a particular factory should produce. The economy was
marked by shortages and black economy. To buy a
scooter, for example, one had to wait for more than five
years! The achievement of years of socialism has been
rampant corruption and a total disregard for the poor.
The policy also worked against the Indian entrepreneur.
Profit was seen as a dirty word and private companies
and multinationals were seen as evil empires.
The government tried to run companies and even set up
bread and scooter factories, but only a few could do
well. The poor were left to fend for themselves. The
dominant aspiration for the middle class youth was to
get government jobs and make money on the side.
Even after the Soviet Union broke up, our country
continued its destructive economic policy. Forced by a
declining balance of payments situation in the early
nineties, the government grudgingly agreed to liberalise
and to include the Indian entrepreneur in the economic
process. In just a few years, the face of India began to
change. Companies like Infosys were born and Indian
companies began to grow with competition. In just a
few years we began to talk of a Shining India and the
world began to take Indian companies seriously. As a
result of liberalisation, today India shares space with
China as the most promising emerging market. People
became rich and the affluence began to show on the
streets as new malls and clubs opened. The newspapers
reported that an Indian, Mr Mukesh Ambani, has
become the richest man in the world, displacing the legendary
Bill Gates, who held the title for many years.
These things were inconceivable in the years of licence
raj, as the control by government babus was called.
In the meantime, politics in the country also underwent
a change. Poor governance and lopsided priorities
resulted in lame duck governments, with no political
party able to get a majority in the Parliament. As political
parties learnt the art of managing coalition governments,
they desperately searched for something that
would earn them votes. So they fell back on the past,
talking of poverty again. They found a slogan in Inclusive
Growth, that is, the challenge of including the poor
to share the fruits of development. The slogan has been
convenient, for who can deny that caring for the poor is
a bad thing?
would earn them votes. So they fell back on the past,
talking of poverty again. They found a slogan in Inclusive
Growth, that is, the challenge of including the poor
to share the fruits of development. The slogan has been
convenient, for who can deny that caring for the poor is
a bad thing?
Government Response
The title of the Approach Paper on the Eleventh
Five-Year Plan “Towards faster and more inclusive
growth” reflects the need to make growth “more inclusive”,
that is, to make benefits of employment and
income flow to those sections of society which have
been bypassed by higher rates of economic growth witnessed
in recent years. On paper, this is a very good
idea. The poor should get more employment opportunities,
coupled with better delivery distribution, to ensure
access to benefits of growth. The government woke up
to the concern of human development and the midterm
appraisal of the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007)
released by the Planning Commission contains nearly
100 pages on “Human Development”.
The problem lies in achieving these goals. Reports
by the Planning Commission or slogan shouting by the
Prime Minister do not result in positive results. A review
of target values reveals that in almost all indicators we
are off-track. Only for one indicator, namely, the proportion
of the population below the poverty line, our
performance is favourable.
So, is the talk of Inclusive Growth just a desperate
attempt to gather votes from the people? Or is it something
serious?
The response of the Manmohan Singh government
to achieve Inclusive Growth has been three-pronged:
1. Talk about it in all speeches and in the Planning
Commission;
2. Increase caste-based reservations;
3. Throw money in government schemes.
It is easy to see that this strategy is deeply flawed.
Talking about a problem rarely solves a problem and, in
any case, the Planning Commission is a defunct orga -
nisation. The policy of increasing caste-based reservations
has only resulted in increasing friction in society,
with different communities now demanding special status
for themselves, leading to violence on the streets.
Likewise, making budget allocations and throwing thousands
of crores of rupees in schemes that achieve little
is hardly a good way of tackling national problems.
Government Schemes:
Throwing Good Money after Bad The government frequently comes up with
schemes to show its commitment to the poor.
Usually named in Hindi to show national concerns,
these schemes have lofty goals that
Government Response
The title of the Approach Paper on the Eleventh
Five-Year Plan “Towards faster and more inclusive
growth” reflects the need to make growth “more inclusive”,
that is, to make benefits of employment and
income flow to those sections of society which have
been bypassed by higher rates of economic growth witnessed
in recent years. On paper, this is a very good
idea. The poor should get more employment opportunities,
coupled with better delivery distribution, to ensure
access to benefits of growth. The government woke up
to the concern of human development and the midterm
appraisal of the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007)
released by the Planning Commission contains nearly
100 pages on “Human Development”.
The problem lies in achieving these goals. Reports
by the Planning Commission or slogan shouting by the
Prime Minister do not result in positive results. A review
of target values reveals that in almost all indicators we
are off-track. Only for one indicator, namely, the proportion
of the population below the poverty line, our
performance is favourable.
So, is the talk of Inclusive Growth just a desperate
attempt to gather votes from the people? Or is it something
serious?
The response of the Manmohan Singh government
to achieve Inclusive Growth has been three-pronged:
1. Talk about it in all speeches and in the Planning
Commission;
2. Increase caste-based reservations;
3. Throw money in government schemes.
It is easy to see that this strategy is deeply flawed.
Talking about a problem rarely solves a problem and, in
any case, the Planning Commission is a defunct orga -
nisation. The policy of increasing caste-based reservations
has only resulted in increasing friction in society,
with different communities now demanding special status
for themselves, leading to violence on the streets.
Likewise, making budget allocations and throwing thousands
of crores of rupees in schemes that achieve little
is hardly a good way of tackling national problems.
Government Schemes:
Throwing Good Money after Bad The government frequently comes up with
schemes to show its commitment to the poor.
Usually named in Hindi to show national concerns,
these schemes have lofty goals that
promise to make our
country great. But, a look
at the achievements of the
schemes show that inclusive
growth remains at
best a fashionable phrase
mouthed by politicians:
1. Pradhan Mantri
Grameen Sadak Yojna: A
scheme of the Central government,
it aimes at providing
all-weather roads to
over 65,000 unconnected
villages. It is to be
financed with half of the
cess on fuel, with an
expenditure of Rs 48,000
crore. Only a fraction of
the work has been done.
Official figures say that
44,000 km of rural roads
were constructed and another 1,46,000 km have to be
built by 2009. There are delays of implementation,
many villages still have to see any proper road, and in
many places the quality of the roads is so bad that they
are washed out every monsoon.
2. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(NREG): The scheme aims to provide 100 days of
employment per financial year to adult members of a
rural household who are willing to do manual work.The
Rural Development Ministry estimates that Rs 20,000
crore is required for the scheme every year. Official
figures speak of the achievements in glowing terms.
However, in most places, the scheme is a classic
example of creating useless employment, that is, of digging
holes and filling them up, because the work done
is temporary. For instance, it would be much better to
impart abilities that help a poverty-stricken family to
build their economic future, rather than having a few
days of employment. Also, the labour under the scheme
should be used so that the villages actually get schools,
hospitals and roads. Yet, none of these have been made
or even planned by the policy makers.
3. National Rural Health Mission (NRHM): The aim
of NRHM is to provide assessable, affordable, accountable,
effective and reliable primary health care facilities
for the poor and vulnerable sections of the population.
Over Rs 26,000 crore has been allocated. NRHM seeks to
halve infant mortality, reduce fertility rate, maternal
mortality and prevalence of diseases and to revitalise
primary healthcare in rural India. Despite government
claims, finding an efficient and working primary healthcare
centre in a village is an exception rather than the
rule. Most rural population depends on private doctors
and even quacks. Because of government policies, doctors
do not want to serve
in rural areas and many
health centers have been
without doctors and
equipment for years. If you
see the state of rural
healthcare, you would
wonder where the massive
allocations of thousands
of crores of rupees have
gone.
4. Sarv Shiksha
Abhiyan: Highly publicised,
the Sarv Shiksha
Abhiyan aims for useful
and relevant elementary
education to all children in
the age group of 6-14
years by 2010. The government
imposed a 2% education
cess to be used for the
scheme and the Mid-day meal scheme. Government allocation
is Rs 10,393 crore. Officially, it is said that the
schemes have been a success in many districts. A large
number of poor people have started sending their children
to school. However, government schools remain a
picture of apathy. Many schools function without
teachers. Teachers are appointed and transferred on
political considerations and often go to school only to
collect their salaries. The quality of education is also
questionable. The mid-day meals are also in controversies
as newspapers regularly report bad quality of food
served in government schools.
While the intention of the above schemes is commendable,
they are marred by corruption. Little is ever
achieved. Every budget makes greater allocations and
launches new schemes but their effect on the ground is
surprisingly little. Thus, the allocations merely amount
to throwing money at problems. It is high time that the
government admitted its errors and changed track.
What can be done If government response is insincere and inadequate,
what can really be done? How can the poor of the
country be brought to share in economic growth? If
nothing is done, the friction in society will only
increase, making the country unstable.
Fortunately, the problem is not unique, and
solutions do exist, if only we care to look:
1. Encouraging private philanthropy. Multinational
companies and organisations have philanthropic
arms as a means to give back to society. Regretfully,
the government has done nothing to give a
support to such activities. The government should be
an enabler, rather than sponsor of schemes that just
[ COVER STORY ]
4 Janaury 2008 THE COMPETITION MASTER
encourage corruption. A coalition of companies that are
working in similar fields needs to be made. Delivery will
be more efficient. It is time that India’s managerial
expertise is used in social areas.
2. Public Private Partnerships (PPP): In India, PPP
is surprisingly absent, even though India has many
companies and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)
willing to work with the government. The government
can form coalitions with those companies that have a
proven record of taking up social activities. Instead of
implementing schemes through leaking government
machinery, they can be implemented through honest
and transparent organisations. But, this initiative is
missing in India.
3. Economic reform. If a little economic reform
could result in our economic growth jumping to over 9%
per annum now, it shows that the answer lies in more
liberalisation and more reform. Yet, successive governments
have not been able to give a support to reforms,
perhaps because of the fear of losing control. Even the
present government, which is widely seen to be progressive,
has failed on making the desired policies that
would liberate the Indian spirit.
4. Harnessing Religion. India is one of the most
religious countries of the world. Great amounts of
money are offered in millions of temples across the
country. If one just adds the contributions made in the
big temples like Tirupati, Golden Temple and Vaishno
Devi, we would come at a staggering figure of over Rs
1000 crore. Nobody knows where this money goes, and
religion has been silent in the fields of education,
female infanticide and health services. In that respect,
our religion has been an utter failure. Accountability in
use of funds of all religions has to be made mandatory.
They should be encouraged to start free schools for
girls, educate the people about health and hygiene, and
to start rehabilitation programmes for the poor. In
many other countries, religious organisations have provided
support systems for the poor and have helped
guide the movement of money from the rich to
the poor. If such a conduit
exists, much of the problem
of inclusive growth
can be solved.
5. Focused and Better
governance. A major
shortcoming in including
the poor in development
is the lack of governance.
Our institutions—the
police and judiciary, for
example—seem to exist
only for the rich. It is difficult
for the poor to get
a case registered or to
fight it out in the courts. Unless governance is
improved, the poor will continue to be marginalised.
Yet, the government that claims to be for aam admi
continues to fight battles of no consequence, such as
trying to control AIIMS or sending notices to Amitabh
Bachchan. When governance becomes this narrow, it is
useless to talk of including poor in the development
process.
6. Investment in infrastructure. It is said that
Indians suffer the acts of their mediocre leaders. This is
true of the present government also. The government
should provide proper infrastructure and security and
leave the rest to people. Yet, the infrastructure in our
country is pathetic in almost all spheres. Investment in
infrastructure would have a multiplier effect and boost
the entire economy, pulling the rich and the poor.
7. Learn from successful countries. A look at the
map of the world shows that the countries that are leading
on all HDI indices have achieved equality by implementing
a series of policies that have encouraged
human development. We also have world-renowned
people like Amartya Sen, who has done remarkable
work on poverty. The government fails to learn from
other countries, or even involve its own people for
development. Is it surprising that Indians can work and
make a name in all other countries except their own?
The country must now show the same level of
dynamism and innovation in tackling basic
health and education inequalities as it has displayed
in global technology markets. This was
stated in the Human Development Report (HDR) 2005.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
reviews show that while there has been an overall
progress globally, many individual countries are not
making the progress needed to achieve the MDGs by
2015. The Human Development Report 2005 argued
that extreme inequality is a brake on achieving the
MDGs and wider human development goals.
The Report warns that
some of the most highly
visible globalisation ‘success
stories’, including
China and India, are failing
to convert wealth creation
and rising incomes
into more rapid progress
on the social indicators.
The Report points out that
at a lower level of income
and with far lower growth,
Bangladesh has overtaken
India in its progress on
some of the c r i t i c a l
Development Goals.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Sony shows off some of its latest HDTV technology
Kevin Miller, a contributing editor for CNET, was recently invited to Japan by Sony for a weeklong trip to show off some of the company's new HDTV technology. Among the highlights were Sony's new 4K by 2K projector, the SRX-R220, its new line of Bravia, and the XBR flat panel LCD HDTVs, a new proprietary wireless HDMI technology, called Bravia Wireless Link, and some updates on its new OLED displays.
Sony demonstrated its new Bravia XBR8 series televisions, due stateside this fall, adjacent to Samsung's LN-T4681F and Pioneer's PDP-4280HD from 2007. Kevin said that "the blacks on the new XBR8 series look to be the best of any LCD that I have seen to date by a good margin." Sony chalks up those deep blacks to its Triluminous technology, which utilizes LEDs that can be dimmed independently across the screen, instead of the standard fluorescent backlight that remains constantly turned on. Sony also exhibited what the company calls Motionflow Pro, a step up from its standard MotionFlow technology available on current models like the KDL-46W4100. We expect to review the XBR8 models as soon as they're available.
Coming closer to reducing the tangle of cords often associated with modern home entertainment systems, Sony also showed off its wireless HDMI technology. This will allow users to house their components in a closed cabinet, eliminating the need to run several wires through the wall to the television. The specification currently only supports 1080i though, although Sony is working on a 1080p version.
Lastly and probably the coolest item on Kevin's itinerary was all the OLED goodness. While Sony has a 11-inch model on the market, the XEL-1, priced at a whopping $2,500, it plans to invest $220 million in 2009 to further bring down the price and to develop larger screen sizes. Eventually the company wants to integrate the displays into "rolled goods, like window shades that drop down, covering your window to turn [it] into a TV."
We could see ultrathin OLED displays used in a number of applications. How about animated advertising on the side of skyscrapers, sans the low-res neon light bulbs, similar to what's seen in the movie, Bladerunner? Or what about digital, animated clothing, a built-in monitor for your office desk, or a flexible video-esque newspaper that can be folded and snugged into your pocket?
Clearly the possibilities are endless--but what do you think? Will this technology catch on (if the price comes down) and really revolutionize our lives, or is this just more hype from Sony?
Apple homes in on iPod-iPhone remote control
Apple is working on an application aimed at letting people remotely control iTunes in the home via their iPod Touch or iPhone, according to a report on MacRumors.com.
The application is described in information included with the iTunes 7.7 pre-release version that was made available to developers on Thursday.
According to the MacRumors report, the application will "presumably" allow people to play back their iTunes audio with the help of Wi-Fi.
The report offers these details from the developers pre-release version, based on the "Read Me" area of the iTunes installer:
Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home--a free download from the App Store.
Such an application would add momentum to Apple's unveiling of its iPhone software development kit in March.
nakia music express
its a cool and nice phone
in one word i just love to have it
General
2G Network GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
GSM 850 / 1800 / 1900 - US version
Announced 2007, August
Status Available. Released 2007, October
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels, 31.5 x 41.5 mm
- Downloadable themes
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, MP4, WMA, AAC, video tones
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
Size 240 x 320 pixels, 31.5 x 41.5 mm
- Downloadable themes
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, MP4, WMA, AAC, video tones
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
Memory
Phonebook 2000 entries, Photocall
Call records Yes
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB, hotswap, buy memory
- 30 MB internal memory
Phonebook 2000 entries, Photocall
Call records Yes
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB, hotswap, buy memory
- 30 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS Class 32
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 32, up to 177 kbits
3G No
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
GPRS Class 32
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 32, up to 177 kbits
3G No
WLAN No
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
Features
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (Opera mini)
Games Snake II, Music Guess, Towerbloxx, order now
Colors Red, Blue, Pink, Black
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF)
- Java MIDP 2.1- Stereo FM radio with RDS- MP3/MP4/AAC/eAAc/WMA player- 3.5 mm AV jack- Nokia sensor- Nokia mobile search- World Clock II- Converter II- T9- Stopwatch- Built-in handsfree- Voice memo/commands
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (Opera mini)
Games Snake II, Music Guess, Towerbloxx, order now
Colors Red, Blue, Pink, Black
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF)
- Java MIDP 2.1- Stereo FM radio with RDS- MP3/MP4/AAC/eAAc/WMA player- 3.5 mm AV jack- Nokia sensor- Nokia mobile search- World Clock II- Converter II- T9- Stopwatch- Built-in handsfree- Voice memo/commands
iphone
Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do — again.
Phone
Make a call by tapping a name or send a text with the intelligent keyboard.
iPod
Phone
Make a call by tapping a name or send a text with the intelligent keyboard.
iPod
Enjoy music and video on a widescreen display and shop for music with a tap.
Internet
Browse the real web, get HTML email, and find yourself with GPS maps.
Internet
Browse the real web, get HTML email, and find yourself with GPS maps.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
5 Tricks to Keep Fit
Recently the weather is changing so unexpectedly that many people around me got flu symptoms and find it quite difficult to recover. I was preaching this 5 tricks to keep fit so often that I decided to write it on the Internet to share with my fellow readers.
I understand that different people have different physical body shape or background, that’s actually the first trick to look at when talking about keeping fit. Some people gain weight easily due to genetical heredity, somebody the other way round. This affects how we look and how we weight. In the chinese traditional saying, there are ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ body types. For ‘yin’ people, they feel cold easily, sometimes their hands and feet are so cold no matter how much clothes they put on. (This is also related to the personal characteristics, ‘yin’ people are most of the time relax and easy-going. But this is out of topic of this post.) For ‘yang’ people, you can say the other way round, they’re hot tempered, warm body and sweat easily. Different body types should look for different diet.
This lead to the second trick - Diet. There are many websites talking about diet, especially for people who wants to loss weight. I’m not a professional doctor, so I’m not going into details here. (If you’re interested, please go to this webpage for further detail: http://www.diet.com/tracking/index_c.php?id=1611 ) But for people with different physical shape, diet can be a critical part to stay healthy and fit. As mentioned, ‘yin’ people feel cold easily, so try to avoid cold drinks or cold food like ice-cream. For ‘yang’ people, deep fried stuff is the killer. (I know, it is really difficult to cut your favorite food, I’m not saying that you should stop eating these food forever, anyhow you need to give yourself a treat.) But it is a matter of persistence.
Persistence, our third trick. As we all know, cutting the food we love is like taking my life away sometimes… (You’re right, I love eating and sometimes can hardly cut those ‘attractive yummy little snacks’. That’s where you can see how fragile our mind can be.) I think to be persistent, especially regarding how to lose weight or how to keep fit, it is better tell your plan to your friends and family so they can give you the support you need. On the other hand, you must remind yourself how good to be healthy and look great all the time. Set a target, e.g. not to fall sick during the flu season or lose 5 lbs. in a month, etc. If you achieve your goal, maybe then you can give yourself a little treat. This will keep you motivated.
Metabolism rate is another trick to help you achieve your plan to keep fit. As we all know, metabolism rate is the mystery dominating our body shape and recovery rate, too fast or too slow is not the best to us, but how to keep it at a steady rate? Sleep and exercise are the keys. Without sleep or rest, our metabolism will slow down, causing us to gain weight easily. According to research, it is better that we have 6 hours of sleep every day, the best before 12 as our kidney can cooperate to cleanse the body. Exercise can make our metabolism goes faster, so as to burn extra calories. Another research saying that 2 hours per week of exercising is the best duration.
Last but not least, have a yearly body check. It is always a good idea to know your body and how it changes over time. If you want to master it, you have to understand it. As you know, some skinny people do have a high cholesterol rating! Afterall, it is also a good time to have a free consultation with the doctor regarding some tips on keeping fit!
Hope the above 5 tricks to keep fit can help you to stay out of flu and influenza during this hard season. If you need more detail, you can check the following link: http://www.diet.com/tracking/index.php?id=1611
Friday, May 16, 2008
Saving Time on Routine Tasks: Optimized Reading
If I were to attempt to project the demographics that make up a typical lifehackista, according to the comments I see here and the roots of the phrase life hacks, I’d say that the average specimen spends a heck of a lot of time reading and writing, online and off, pretty much every single day.
It surely doesn’t apply to everyone who loves lifehacks, but then again, you’re reading this now. You may have typed a URL or search query to get here. In the quest to save time on routine tasks, there are plenty of ways we can optimize these core practices of everyday life.
In the next couple of articles, we look at making reading and writing quicker and easier. Let’s start with reading.
In the next couple of articles, we look at making reading and writing quicker and easier. Let’s start with reading.
Saving Time on Reading
When you think of saving time on reading, the first thing that comes to mind is reading quicker - otherwise known across the Western world as speed reading.
There are a bunch of techniques popular amongst the personal development crowd that boost your reading rates in only a few minutes, with a bit of practice and attention. These techniques are derived and boiled down from plenty of different speed reading systems. If you read a lot of books, you might have seen some of these before.
When you think of saving time on reading, the first thing that comes to mind is reading quicker - otherwise known across the Western world as speed reading.
There are a bunch of techniques popular amongst the personal development crowd that boost your reading rates in only a few minutes, with a bit of practice and attention. These techniques are derived and boiled down from plenty of different speed reading systems. If you read a lot of books, you might have seen some of these before.
1. Tracing with a Pen
A good idea is to take a pen or pencil (or a twig, if that’s what suits you) and use it as a pointing device while you read. Keep its tip under the word you are reading as you go, constantly moving, and your eye will follow. You can practice moving the pen faster as you get used to reading this way - as your eye starts to naturally follow along, you’ll be able to read faster just by moving the pen faster. Be steady and consistent. Speeding up and slowing down a lot isn’t recommended.
A good idea is to take a pen or pencil (or a twig, if that’s what suits you) and use it as a pointing device while you read. Keep its tip under the word you are reading as you go, constantly moving, and your eye will follow. You can practice moving the pen faster as you get used to reading this way - as your eye starts to naturally follow along, you’ll be able to read faster just by moving the pen faster. Be steady and consistent. Speeding up and slowing down a lot isn’t recommended.
2. Learn to Capture Phrases
A common obstacle in increasing reading speed is your eye span, or the number of words you take in at a time. If you read each word individually, you’re crippling your speed. If you take in phrases in one glance, or fixation, instead of single words, you can boost your reading speed by an amazing amount. This takes a fair bit of practice, but there’s really nothing more to it than taking a mental “photograph” of a cluster of words at a time, instead of just one. Don’t overanalyze what you see in front of you. Some call it looking through the words instead of at them, but I think the best analogy would be taking a snapshot. Fake it until what you’re reading starts to make some sense!
A common obstacle in increasing reading speed is your eye span, or the number of words you take in at a time. If you read each word individually, you’re crippling your speed. If you take in phrases in one glance, or fixation, instead of single words, you can boost your reading speed by an amazing amount. This takes a fair bit of practice, but there’s really nothing more to it than taking a mental “photograph” of a cluster of words at a time, instead of just one. Don’t overanalyze what you see in front of you. Some call it looking through the words instead of at them, but I think the best analogy would be taking a snapshot. Fake it until what you’re reading starts to make some sense!
3. Capture Quickly with Snapshots - Not Long Exposure!
When you’re taking in clusters of words instead of single words, work on reducing the amount of time the fixation takes. As you get started with this skill, you’ll be stopping and starting and reading in a fairly jerky fashion as you move from one cluster to another. This is because the fixation time takes longer. The solution is to smooth this out by taking faster snapshots.
Intuitively, one might think it’s best to practice speed reading until you naturally get faster. In fact, it’s better to learn this not by expecting it to come with time, but by forcing it; start running your eyes across each line without stopping in a smooth but rapid fashion, attempting to capture phrases and speed read as you go. You probably won’t have great comprehension at first, but your brain will be forced to keep up with the movement of your eyes and you’ll get it with repetition and dedication. Just remember not to stop the eye movement to take longer fixations, or you’ll get nowhere!
When you’re taking in clusters of words instead of single words, work on reducing the amount of time the fixation takes. As you get started with this skill, you’ll be stopping and starting and reading in a fairly jerky fashion as you move from one cluster to another. This is because the fixation time takes longer. The solution is to smooth this out by taking faster snapshots.
Intuitively, one might think it’s best to practice speed reading until you naturally get faster. In fact, it’s better to learn this not by expecting it to come with time, but by forcing it; start running your eyes across each line without stopping in a smooth but rapid fashion, attempting to capture phrases and speed read as you go. You probably won’t have great comprehension at first, but your brain will be forced to keep up with the movement of your eyes and you’ll get it with repetition and dedication. Just remember not to stop the eye movement to take longer fixations, or you’ll get nowhere!
You will have to temporarily sacrifice comprehension until you are good at it, so don’t try this on important documents unless you intend to re-read them later.
Once you get this skill down, you’ll be able to read a line in the amount of time it takes to roll your eye across it.
It takes dedicated practice (like all things that are worthwhile), but eventually you’ll be able to capture not just phrases but entire lines at once (perhaps in two glances for really wide texts, ie one-column websites). At this point, you can practice making the process even faster by scanning down the page rapidly, instead of across.
Allow your eyes to run over each line without stopping. With practice, you’ll be reading each line in the time it takes to run your eyes over it.
Once you get this skill down, you’ll be able to read a line in the amount of time it takes to roll your eye across it.
It takes dedicated practice (like all things that are worthwhile), but eventually you’ll be able to capture not just phrases but entire lines at once (perhaps in two glances for really wide texts, ie one-column websites). At this point, you can practice making the process even faster by scanning down the page rapidly, instead of across.
Allow your eyes to run over each line without stopping. With practice, you’ll be reading each line in the time it takes to run your eyes over it.
Remember that the most common reason for slow reading is fear (just like most obstacles in life); fear of missing an important word or line, of confusing the meaning of the text down the track, of having to go back to the top of the page and start again. Lose this fear and allow yourself to go with the flow, keep reading forward - never backward, unless you’ve truly missed something. This takes practice, because backtracking is an ingrained habit, ever since your first grade teacher told you to read slow and take your time, word-by-word. How inefficient!
One Book at a Time
Maybe one word at a time is a bad idea, but perhaps not so much when it comes to reading one book at a time!
Trying to read two fiction books and four non-fiction books at once is not doing you any favors. In fact, you’d be sabotaging yourself from every perspective; it would take more time, since it’s harder to pick up the book and keep reading where you left off if your attention is divided between more than one, and you’d have a much harder time absorbing the content. So, the multitasked books are not only taking more of your time, but there’s no reason to read them in the first place since you’re not learning anything. That’s a lifehackista’s nightmare!
It is wise to limit yourself to one fiction and one non-fiction book at all times. This is the perfect reading level, and not only do I suggest you not exceed it, but you should not be reading any less than this amount at a given time. Both are important for different reasons to our productivity and growth.
You can safely read a fiction and non-fiction book at the same time - your brain won’t confuse the two like it will confuse two stories or two textbooks.
Maybe one word at a time is a bad idea, but perhaps not so much when it comes to reading one book at a time!
Trying to read two fiction books and four non-fiction books at once is not doing you any favors. In fact, you’d be sabotaging yourself from every perspective; it would take more time, since it’s harder to pick up the book and keep reading where you left off if your attention is divided between more than one, and you’d have a much harder time absorbing the content. So, the multitasked books are not only taking more of your time, but there’s no reason to read them in the first place since you’re not learning anything. That’s a lifehackista’s nightmare!
It is wise to limit yourself to one fiction and one non-fiction book at all times. This is the perfect reading level, and not only do I suggest you not exceed it, but you should not be reading any less than this amount at a given time. Both are important for different reasons to our productivity and growth.
You can safely read a fiction and non-fiction book at the same time - your brain won’t confuse the two like it will confuse two stories or two textbooks.
Ditch Yer Browser, Use RSS
One excellent way to read faster, when it comes web content, is to use RSS wherever it’s available. The process of switching from one website to another, and then going deeper into each website to read new content, takes a lot more time than reading the new content in one aggregated location. I’d say using an RSS reader can at least halve the time it takes to do your daily online reading. Take advantage of it.
One excellent way to read faster, when it comes web content, is to use RSS wherever it’s available. The process of switching from one website to another, and then going deeper into each website to read new content, takes a lot more time than reading the new content in one aggregated location. I’d say using an RSS reader can at least halve the time it takes to do your daily online reading. Take advantage of it.
10 Hard Ways to Make Life Better
Some of the most worthwhile things in life aren’t easy. One of the things I dislike most about “power of positive thinking”-style personal development philosophies (such as “The Secret”) is the implication that if you just have the right attitude and the right state of mind, the rest will just fall into place. I think it causes a lot of hurt and disappointment in people who invest their time, effort, and of course, money into these systems and find themselves, one or two or five years down the line, exactly where they were before.
“You must not have wanted it badly enough,” the authors of these philosophies seem to be saying. “There must still be something wrong with you.”
I don’t think that, ultimately, God or the Spirits or the Universe or the world “provides”. I think a lot of times the world puts obstacles in our way, and no amount of positive thinking makes them go away. And I think that a lot of the people who are “successful”, by whatever standard you want to use, have as much “wrong” with them as a lot of the ones who aren’t successful. Maybe more.
I don’t think that, ultimately, God or the Spirits or the Universe or the world “provides”. I think a lot of times the world puts obstacles in our way, and no amount of positive thinking makes them go away. And I think that a lot of the people who are “successful”, by whatever standard you want to use, have as much “wrong” with them as a lot of the ones who aren’t successful. Maybe more.
In any case, wherever the motivation comes from, the things that really make our lives worth living can be quite difficult. (And who knows, maybe thinking positively helps take some of the edge off of doing the hard stuff?) What’s more, they can take a lot of time to do, and even more time to get right. But I think that doing is the important thing, not the result — throwing yourself into something with all your heart, mind, and soul is the success, not the “growing rich” part.
Here, then, are ten things that are really hard to do but which have an incredible power to make your life better.
Here, then, are ten things that are really hard to do but which have an incredible power to make your life better.
1. Start a business
My dad, who has been self-employed almost all his life, used to tell me that “Only jerks work for jerks.” Working for someone else puts you at their mercy and subjects you to their whims — and often their poor management skills. Not only that, but the profit of your labor goes into their pockets.
Starting a business puts you in control of your work life, and your money. It’s hard — small businesses fail every day. But the rewards of even a failed venture can far outweigh the risk. Just knowing that your failure was the result of your own choices — instead of a decision made at a corporate office a thousand miles away — can be liberating.
My dad, who has been self-employed almost all his life, used to tell me that “Only jerks work for jerks.” Working for someone else puts you at their mercy and subjects you to their whims — and often their poor management skills. Not only that, but the profit of your labor goes into their pockets.
Starting a business puts you in control of your work life, and your money. It’s hard — small businesses fail every day. But the rewards of even a failed venture can far outweigh the risk. Just knowing that your failure was the result of your own choices — instead of a decision made at a corporate office a thousand miles away — can be liberating.
2. Organize a group
What makes you passionate? Chances are, being around other people who are passionate about the same thing would make you even more passionate about it. Often the only thing keeping you and them from coming together is that nobody’s put out a sign saying “Come and talk!” Getting a group going is a tremendous challenge, and very often the personality of the founder leaves a tremendous mark on the group as a whole. Seeing a group grow and take off can be tremendously awarding — but even failing can teach you important things about leadership.
What makes you passionate? Chances are, being around other people who are passionate about the same thing would make you even more passionate about it. Often the only thing keeping you and them from coming together is that nobody’s put out a sign saying “Come and talk!” Getting a group going is a tremendous challenge, and very often the personality of the founder leaves a tremendous mark on the group as a whole. Seeing a group grow and take off can be tremendously awarding — but even failing can teach you important things about leadership.
3. Volunteer
I don’t mean spend Thanksgiving at a soup kitchen, though that can often be challenging enough. What I mean, though, is to make a long-term investment in your community by joining school committees, donating three hours a week in a shelter, hosting a monthly read-along at the library, tutoring at-risk children after school, teaching adult literacy classes at a local prison, or any of a million ways to play a role in the lives of people who need you. Perhaps the most pressing need in our society is for people to take an interest in and engage with their communities.
I don’t mean spend Thanksgiving at a soup kitchen, though that can often be challenging enough. What I mean, though, is to make a long-term investment in your community by joining school committees, donating three hours a week in a shelter, hosting a monthly read-along at the library, tutoring at-risk children after school, teaching adult literacy classes at a local prison, or any of a million ways to play a role in the lives of people who need you. Perhaps the most pressing need in our society is for people to take an interest in and engage with their communities.
4. Take an active role in your children’s’ activities
Pick one thing your child does and commit yourself to it. Coach their team, become a Brownie leader, spend a weekend day in the workshop with them, buy a bike and ride along with them — make their passions your own. Don’t crowd them — especially if you have teenagers — but show them that you value something they do by giving them your time and interest.
Pick one thing your child does and commit yourself to it. Coach their team, become a Brownie leader, spend a weekend day in the workshop with them, buy a bike and ride along with them — make their passions your own. Don’t crowd them — especially if you have teenagers — but show them that you value something they do by giving them your time and interest.
5. Start a family
I don’t mean have kids. That can be all too easy! Make the decision to have a family, which means to give of yourself fully to another person or several people. Risk being vulnerable by sharing your fears, quirks, and failures with someone else; you might find it makes you stronger than ever before.
This transcends marriage and parenthood. There are lots of people who can’t marry because the law prevents it. There are people who can’t have children. These are not the essential ingredients of family. The essential ingredients are love, mutual respect, trust, and open giving. Find (or make) someone you can share that with.
I don’t mean have kids. That can be all too easy! Make the decision to have a family, which means to give of yourself fully to another person or several people. Risk being vulnerable by sharing your fears, quirks, and failures with someone else; you might find it makes you stronger than ever before.
This transcends marriage and parenthood. There are lots of people who can’t marry because the law prevents it. There are people who can’t have children. These are not the essential ingredients of family. The essential ingredients are love, mutual respect, trust, and open giving. Find (or make) someone you can share that with.
6. Write a book
It feels really, really good to see your name on a book cover, but it feels even better to know that someone, somewhere, might find his or her life changed by something you’ve written. Share your particular expertise, whether it’s story-telling or woodworking, with the world — or just your family. Time isn’t the big issue (though it is an issue — don’t let the positive thinkists tell you otherwise!) but if you commit yourself to a page a day — a couple hundred words — within a year you’ll have a pretty decent-sized manuscript. That’s something to work with!
It feels really, really good to see your name on a book cover, but it feels even better to know that someone, somewhere, might find his or her life changed by something you’ve written. Share your particular expertise, whether it’s story-telling or woodworking, with the world — or just your family. Time isn’t the big issue (though it is an issue — don’t let the positive thinkists tell you otherwise!) but if you commit yourself to a page a day — a couple hundred words — within a year you’ll have a pretty decent-sized manuscript. That’s something to work with!
7. Learn an art
Take painting lessons, a pottery workshop, a music class, whatever — learn to express yourself and you might find a self worth expressing. Don’t settle for being a “Sunday painter” — devote yourself to an art and master it.
Take painting lessons, a pottery workshop, a music class, whatever — learn to express yourself and you might find a self worth expressing. Don’t settle for being a “Sunday painter” — devote yourself to an art and master it.
8. Run for office
The world needs smart, dedicated, and upright people to take care of all the fiddly details of making things run. As it happens, running for local office isn’t as challenging as you’d think (which isn’t to say it’s easy) — Michael Moore, the filmmaker, ran for school board while he was still in high school. Just for kicks. And won! It’s fine to have your heart set on the White House or Capital Hill, but try your hand at city councilperson, county registrar, or something closer to home first. And be clean — run for the experience of putting your community on a better path, and not for the power.
The world needs smart, dedicated, and upright people to take care of all the fiddly details of making things run. As it happens, running for local office isn’t as challenging as you’d think (which isn’t to say it’s easy) — Michael Moore, the filmmaker, ran for school board while he was still in high school. Just for kicks. And won! It’s fine to have your heart set on the White House or Capital Hill, but try your hand at city councilperson, county registrar, or something closer to home first. And be clean — run for the experience of putting your community on a better path, and not for the power.
9. Take up a sport
Enough with the working out already! Sure, you want to be healthy, but the whole treadmill-running, iPod-listening, 45-minutes-after-work thing is a little anti-social, don’t you think? OK, you want some solitude once in a while — fine. But at least add a sport, something you do with other people. You’ll be spending time interacting with others, while also developing team-building and leadership skills. And, you might learn something from your fellow players.
Enough with the working out already! Sure, you want to be healthy, but the whole treadmill-running, iPod-listening, 45-minutes-after-work thing is a little anti-social, don’t you think? OK, you want some solitude once in a while — fine. But at least add a sport, something you do with other people. You’ll be spending time interacting with others, while also developing team-building and leadership skills. And, you might learn something from your fellow players.
10. Set an outrageous goal — and achieve it!
The nine tips above are only a handful of ideas about how to make your life better. Maybe you want to record an album, climb a mountain, make the Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca), see 20 countries — don’t just settle for tiny goals, push yourself all the way to the edge and figure out how to make the craziest thing you can think of happen. Yes, you’ll have to learn a lot along the way, and plan months or even years in advance — that’s what makes outlandish goals worthwhile.
I don’t want to suggest that you need to do all these things to be happy — doing just one is quite a handful! But if you’re unhappy with your life, if you want to make a change for the better, you need to think big and you need to be ready to put in the work to make it happen. It’s easy to “visualize success” and to “think positively”; it’s not so easy to throw yourself into the unknown and make it work. But if you can make it work, you’ll gain far more than you can imagine.
The nine tips above are only a handful of ideas about how to make your life better. Maybe you want to record an album, climb a mountain, make the Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca), see 20 countries — don’t just settle for tiny goals, push yourself all the way to the edge and figure out how to make the craziest thing you can think of happen. Yes, you’ll have to learn a lot along the way, and plan months or even years in advance — that’s what makes outlandish goals worthwhile.
I don’t want to suggest that you need to do all these things to be happy — doing just one is quite a handful! But if you’re unhappy with your life, if you want to make a change for the better, you need to think big and you need to be ready to put in the work to make it happen. It’s easy to “visualize success” and to “think positively”; it’s not so easy to throw yourself into the unknown and make it work. But if you can make it work, you’ll gain far more than you can imagine.
Monday, May 12, 2008
CO2 level is at record high, but Earth may cool for a decade
The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 387 parts per million, the highest level in 650,000 years, and it has been rising by 2.1 ppm each year since 2000, NOAA scientists report. (About 150 years ago, the Earth’s CO2 level was 280 parts per million.)
Certainly the world warmed up from 1998 until last year. The question now is, will that warming continue at the same rate forever, or even warm faster with more CO2?
If the trend of the last 10 years continues, and Earth grew that much hotter each decade, many of us on coastal cities soon will be frying in unbearable heat and chased by rising oceans into the suburban highlands.
Cooling interim? But other scientists are predicting the next decade will be cooler. If the CO2 level is rising, and if increasing CO2 causes global warming, why would the world cool over the next decade? Scientists in Germany say natural shifts in ocean circulation will do the cooling and then, after the next decade, we’ll be heating up again.
Global warming is here, but let’s have more debate on what is causing it, how long it is likely and what the risks are. I think we’ve heard only one side so far.
Certainly the world warmed up from 1998 until last year. The question now is, will that warming continue at the same rate forever, or even warm faster with more CO2?
If the trend of the last 10 years continues, and Earth grew that much hotter each decade, many of us on coastal cities soon will be frying in unbearable heat and chased by rising oceans into the suburban highlands.
Cooling interim? But other scientists are predicting the next decade will be cooler. If the CO2 level is rising, and if increasing CO2 causes global warming, why would the world cool over the next decade? Scientists in Germany say natural shifts in ocean circulation will do the cooling and then, after the next decade, we’ll be heating up again.
Global warming is here, but let’s have more debate on what is causing it, how long it is likely and what the risks are. I think we’ve heard only one side so far.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Choose A Secure And Hack-proof Email Password
To create an email password that is hard to crack:
- Pick a sentence you can remember easily.
- This could be a summary of a significant event, a description of your favorite place or the first difficult sentence you learned in a new language.
- Combine word segments to form a new string.
- Make sure the string is at least 8 characters long. Strive for 10 or more characters, though. Your password's length is probably the prime ingredient for security.
- Combine word endings, beginnings and other parts similar to how new words are formed out of two existing words. Make sure the resulting string is easy to remember and has nice ring and rhythm.
- Do not use too mechanical a process — like using every word's first character, for example.
- Make sure the string is at least 8 characters long. Strive for 10 or more characters, though. Your password's length is probably the prime ingredient for security.
- Capitalize two or more characters where it makes sense.
- Pick the "words" that convey your sentence's core message, for example.
- Do not just capitalize the first or last character.
- Some email systems may not regard to case in passwords. I'd still use the mixed-case password in these cases, except when the email service does require an all-lower-case password.
- Pick the "words" that convey your sentence's core message, for example.
- Introduce two or more numbers, dots, ampersands or other special characters.
- Look for places where punctuation makes sense in your string, preferably somewhere in the middle.
- Of course, do turn numbers (in your original phrase) into digits. You can also replace "for" with "4", and look for other expressions that lend themselves to being turned into numbers easily.
- Some email services may not allow extra characters. Make sure you have an all-character password ready and well-established for these.
- Look for places where punctuation makes sense in your string, preferably somewhere in the middle.
- Include a character or two derived from the email system for which the password is used.
- Make sure you can easily reproduce the characters you come up with.
- This creates a unique password for each email service.
- Make sure you can easily reproduce the characters you come up with.
Secure Email Password Example
Let say...
- Momotaro went walking toward the sea.
- ...is our initial sentence.
- From a hugely popular fairy tale, this sentence is not perfect, of course. Try to pick something unique and personal that does not yet appear on the web.
- ...is our initial sentence.
- morowewalintodse
- I have picked a few characters and word segments, mostly by random (our password does sound like a somewhat twisted Japanese word now, though, does it not?):
- momotaro went walking toward the sea.
- I have picked a few characters and word segments, mostly by random (our password does sound like a somewhat twisted Japanese word now, though, does it not?):
- moroWeWalintodSe
- Let's say went walking and sea contain our original sentence's core message.
- moro%WeWa1in2dSe
- The l looks a bit like a 1, so let's exchange the two.
- To, of course, becomes 2.
- Finally, a percent sign marks our hero, little peach boy.
- The l looks a bit like a 1, so let's exchange the two.
How to make successful relationships
Among the many pleasures we experience in life, one of the most important and potentially rewarding is the pleasure we derive from our relationships with friends and loved ones.
The people with whom we have the most contact will have either a positive or negative impact on our levels of confidence, satisfaction, well-being and optimism.We all know people who are positive, happy and joyful to be around. They brighten our days with their vibrant, optimistic attitudes and their ability to energize everyone around them. In their company we feel like a million dollars.
Most of us also know negative thinkers who drain our energy and bring us down. They see difficulties in every possibility and disasters around every corner. We may find these individuals right in our own families. Whereas we can’t choose our family, we can choose our friends and romantic partners.Supporting others to be more positive
Ideally, we want to surround ourselves with happy, positive, encouraging friends. But what if you have a good friend who tends toward the negative and yet you value the person’s friendship and want to maintain it? With a little finesse, you can make them aware of how their negativity is impacting the people around them — not to mention themselves.Start by modeling a behavior called "Active-Constructive responding." It’s a simple, powerful communications tool that results in more successful relationships.
When something goes right
When we have a positive experience or a success in our lives, most of us want to share it; our joy will not be contained. We want a witness to the moments that make our lives worth living, so we turn to those close to us — our friends and loved ones — to share with, savor, relive, and celebrate our joy. How they respond can have a positive or negative impact.Likewise, how we respond to someone else’s excitement can either boost them up or bring them down. The way we respond to good events has a striking effect on the quality of our relationships with others. It can spell the difference between success and failure. When something goes right for someone, we may respond in one of four ways:
- Active-Constructive: Enthusiastically asking lots of questions, being present and engaged, maintaining eye contact, showing genuine interest, enjoyment and excitement about the good event.
- Active-Destructive: Becoming critical, finding the cloud in the silver lining, pointing out the potential problems or downsides of the good event.
- Passive-Constructive: Saying little, displaying a muted happiness for the other person, underplaying the importance of the good event.
- Passive-Destructive: Being indifferent, disengaged, not paying attention, showing no interest or concern about the good event.
- Active-Constructive:“That’s great news! Your skills and beautiful work are definitely paying off. Your goal to be a sought-after illustrator will happen in no time. What’s the new series about?”
- Active-Destructive: “Honey, you’ve never done anything like that. Are you sure you can handle it? It sounds like a lot of work. You’ll probably have to put in even longer hours.”
- Passive-Constructive: “That’s very nice, dear.”
- Passive-Destructive: “I’m tired. Save it ... say, what’s for dinner?”
When we respond enthusiastically — in an active-constructive manner — we are accomplishing several things. We are acknowledging the importance of a positive event to our friend or loved one and recognizing the associated implications. This conveys shared values, caring and closeness.
Passive and destructive responses convey the opposite — that the good event is insignificant, or that we don’t know or care about what the other person finds important.This response conveys that the other person’s thoughts, emotions and values are of little or no concern or importance.
Destructive and passive responses don’t contribute to healthy relationships. When we are responded to with disparaging criticism, with no acknowledgment or interest in what we value, we experience a diminished sense of connection to the person with whom we are engaged. This creates feelings of alienation as well as a decrease in positive emotion, well-being, and optimism.A common mistake many people fall into is to hone in on the potential problems in an otherwise positive event in an effort to protect a friend or loved from future disappointment or in the name of realism and objectivity. This does not affirm the other person and is not really supportive. Celebrate with them first, and set potential problems aside in your mind for discussion at a different time.
Another pitfall is attempting to respond when we are preoccupied with work or some other pressing issue. In this situation we may, without meaning to, find ourselves using a passive-constructive response.Realize that at that moment you’re not in a position to do justice to what your friend is telling you. Be honest and say something like, “That sounds terrific. I definitely want to know more, but right now I’m tied up with something I must finish. Would you fill me in when I’m done, please?”
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