windmills in my mind

Graduations...

2010-03-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

I must be getting that old, though i am not feeling it... Swear..

My wife reminded me that i must come home for the double graduation of our two kids. The eldest will finish high school and the youngest will finish elementary.

Since in the Philippines, high school and college are four years only. That would mean that in the next four years, my children will again have a double graduation.. Wow...

My son is moving to college. He said he plans to take Accountancy. Good. I am planning to give him a calculator and a Dummy's Guide to Basic Accounting book... 'not joking. He was asking for a laptop or a PS2 in exchange for a respectable above-80 average. Hmm.. We'll see..

The daughter was asking for the moon... Her own laptop. Tough luck, hija. Your declining academics is hardly worth an incentive....

I am such a worrier that i am beginning to get sleepless nights when i think June is just around the corner.

I worry for my daughter, because ever since i went for overseas work, her studies just went down and i can feel the dissipating enthusiasm for study in her. She just avoids discussion on her studies and grades. Often when we talked over the phone, she would gushed about he she made it to Chess team or the English club, until i realize that these were just smoke-screen for her declining academic performance. Grounded. That's what i told her. no more extra-kuri2x.

I just have to give kudos to my wife for keeping the kids in line. I know it's tough for them growing up with their father in a far away land....

But i hope and pray they will grow up as fine and successful professionals...

AMDG.

Toilet and Smoking Room Ideas

2009-06-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Received this from Malu Manar.
---

Awesome Toilet

THE LADY IS GETTING READY TO ENTER!!

This is a picture of a public toilet in Houston

Now that you've seen the outside view, take a look at the inside view...

It's made entirely of one-way glass!

No one can see you from the outside, but when you are inside it's like sitting in a clear
glass box!

Now would you... COULD YOU.....???

PAINTED BATHROOM FLOOR!!!

IMAGINE YOU ARE AT A PARTY .

Tenth floor of a hi-rise building.....

AND THEN YOU HAVE TO VISIT THE BATHROOM....

You open the door...

NOW, REMEMBER THE FLOOR IS JUST A PAINTED FLOOR !

KINDA TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY.....

DOESN'T IT?

......

THIS IS A CEILING MURAL IN A SMOKER'S LOUNGE.

The World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman

2009-04-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Thomas Friedman’s examination of the influences shaping business and competition in a technology-fueled global environment is a call to action for governments, businesses and individuals who must stay ahead of these trends in order to remain competitive.

In a narrative punctuated by case studies, interviews and sometimes surprising statistics, Friedman’s message is clear: be prepared, because this phenomenon waits for no one. Without rhetoric or scare tactics, he paints a picture of a world moving faster than most can keep up. As we explore America’s place in the fast-evolving world economic platform, Friedman presents not only the problems we face, but preventative measures and possible solutions.

The World is Flat is an historical and geographical journey, with stories and anecdotes from the days of Columbus to a modern day Indian call center; from the Great Depression to the home office of a Midwestern-USA housewife demonstrating the pervasiveness of the world-flattening trend. Spanning a broad range of industries, cultures and schools of thought, the real-world examples presented as evidence of his theory are undeniable.

From teleconferencing to podcasts and manufacturing to restaurant order taking, The World is Flat leaves no stone unturned in a quest for answers to a problem that most cannot even define. Friedman’s dissection of globalization is a valiant attempt at explaining and understanding the forces driving the flattening of the world, though he admits that the very nature of beast prevents one from having all of the answers. This candor is in keeping with the theme of the entire book, in that we must learn how to learn, teaching ourselves to stay curious and innovative, if we are to excel in a global economy.

As he moves towards the end of this presentation of his theory, Friedman warns of the forces that could seriously harm or slow the flattening of the world, particularly the threat posed by terrorist networks such as Al-Qaeda. His perspective is refreshing in a media driven largely by scare tactics and fear mongering as he encourages a realistic and objective approach to this threat.

As people become more able to collaborate, compete and share with others of different cultures, religions, educational backgrounds and languages, The World is Flat is a necessary reality check to bring these factors into perspective and offer, if not answers to every problem, the drive to uncover working solutions.

Chapter One – While I Was Sleeping

As we are introduced to Friedman’s theory that the world is flat, we accompany him on a journey to the various locations around the globe that led him to this conclusion. We start off in Bangalore, India, where he finds himself surrounded by advertisements of traditionally American companies such as Pizza Hut, Epson, HP and Texas Instruments during a round of golf. Traveling with a crew from the Discovery Times channel, he encounters Indian workers and businesspeople working for American companies, speaking in American accents and even adopting American names in their own country. A visit to Infosys Technologies Ltd leaves Friedman in wonder at the massive conferencing system they have created that allows people from around the globe to congregate and collaborate in one giant room via satellite and teleconferencing technology.

Friedman guides us through the different eras of globalization as he has defined them in an historical narrative from the days of Columbus to our present day state. We see the ever increasing pace of globalization through his encounters with people such as Jaithirth “Jerry” Rao, an outsourced businessman in India, and others. Through Jerry, we learn about the process of information exchange online and the effect it has on businesses to perform various duties from remote locations with everything from tax preparation to hair appointment scheduling to hospital bookings cited as examples of outsourcing.

As Friedman travels through Japan, China and back to America, we study various examples of the business outsourcing phenomenon and its impact, positive and negative, on the players involved. Homesourcing and military outsourcing are explored as Friedman explains the sheer prevalence of outsourcing in our society.

Chapter Two – The Ten Forces That Flattened the World

We are introduced to Friedman’s interpretation of the ten influencing factors that led to globalization and world flattening, the first being the falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which tipped the balance of power across the world towards democratic free market and away from authoritarian rule. A second flattener is identified as our ability to not only author our own content, but to send it worldwide with the 1995 launch of the Internet. Subsequently, free workflow software was developed, allowing people from around the world to collaborate and work together on projects using a shared medium. As Apache and Wikipedia came into play, we became able to develop and upload web content and community collaboration became another flattening force. Preparations for Y2K required resources beyond those available in the United States and as a result, we see that India became responsible for a huge portion of these preparations. Offshoring, using the Chinese manufacturing sector as a prime example, has forced other developing countries to try to keep up with their low cost solutions, resulting in better quality and cheaper products being produced worldwide.

The seventh flattening factor is our introduction to supply chaining, which is discussed in much greater detail later in Chapter Fourteen. Rounding out his list with insourcing, in-forming and “the steroids”, Friedman examines his flattening factors, their origins and the effect they will have on the way we do business in the future.
List of Ten Forces

1. Collapse of Berlin Wall--11/89: The event not only symbolized the end of the Cold war, it allowed people from other side of the wall to join the economic mainstream. (11/09/1989)
2. Netscape: Netscape and the Web broadened the audience for the Internet from its roots as a communications medium used primarily by 'early adopters and geeks' to something that made the Internet accessible to everyone from five-year-olds to eighty-five-year olds. (8/9/1995)
3. Work Flow Software: The ability of machines to talk to other machines with no humans involved. Friedman believes these first three forces have become a “crude foundation of a whole new global platform for collaboration.”
4. Uploading: Communities uploading and collaborating on online projects. Examples include open source software, blogs, and Wikipedia. Friedman considers the phenomenon "the most disruptive force of all."
5. Outsourcing: Friedman argues that outsourcing has allowed companies to split service and manufacturing activities into components, with each component performed in most efficient, cost-effective way.
6. Offshoring: Manufacturing's version of outsourcing.
7. Supply-Chaining: Friedman compares the modern retail supply chain to a river, and points to Wal-Mart as the best example of a company using technology to streamline item sales, distribution, and shipping.
8. Insourcing: Friedman uses UPS as a prime example for insourcing, in which the company's employees perform services--beyond shipping--for another company. For example, UPS itself repairs Toshiba computers on behalf of Toshiba. The work is done at the UPS hub, by UPS employees.
9. In-forming: Google and other search engines are the prime example. "Never before in the history of the planet have so many people-on their own-had the ability to find so much information about so many things and about so many other people", writes Friedman.
10. "The Steroids": Personal digital devices like mobile phones, iPods, personal digital assistants, instant messaging, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Chapter Three: The Triple Convergence

Acknowledging that the ten factors he discussed in Chapter Two could not have flattened the world all on their own, Friedman explains that as each of the factors came together, they had to spread and take root to create the environment rich for flattening. He credits this spread, the creation of complementary software and the internet, and political factors that caused several developing countries, including China, Russia, India and Latin America, to open their borders at this time with the creation of the perfect storm that led to the rapid-fire pace of globalization.

Through interviews with U.S. Embassy officials in Beijing, we explore the desperation of Chinese students to study and work in America. For the first time in history, we see that talent has become more important than geography in determining a person’s opportunity in life. We follow the path of a Boeing jet as components of its manufacture are outsourced to Russia and then India, allowing for faster and cheaper development of more planes as Friedman demonstrates the need for individuals and businesses to be able to compete in a global marketplace.

Friedman works to dispel common myths about globalization as we explore the dot.com boom and bust, the American government’s misinformation of the public as the triple convergence took place and the IT revolution we have heard so much about in the last 20 years.

Chapter Four – The Great Sorting Out

Friedman calls for a reality check as we explore the manner in which countries and societies will cope with and adapt to the dramatic changes that globalization brings to the way we do business, as individuals and entities. His comparison of the Industrial Revolution to the current IT Revolution leads us to believe that the world flattening we see today could have been predicted by Karl Marx.

An interview with Harvard’s noted political theorist Michael J. Sandel discusses whether or not exploitation is globalization; are the outsourced people from India being exploited or given opportunity they would not otherwise have had? In search of an answer to this question, Friedman examines the India-Indiana story from 2003, where an Indian company was outsourced to upgrade Indiana’s unemployment computer system, effectively taking work from people in Indiana in order to provide more work for people in India. We examine the blurring boundaries between companies and different groups of workers, as well as the relationships between communities and the businesses that operate within them. Friedman demonstrates that as little people begin to act big, so too are big people able to connect on the smallest level. Identities become harder to define, which will also need to be sorted out. The traditional roles of consumer, employee, citizen, taxpayer and shareholder have all become blurred and intertwined.

Friedman summarizes the chapter with an examination of intellectual property law and means that must be put in place to protect it, as well as the death of the human bond in the online world.
Chapter Five – America and Free Trade

Does free trade still exist in a flat world? As he sets out to explore this dilemma, Friedman considers the banning of outsourcing, an action called for by many, to protect our country’s workers and the effect such an action would have on globalization. He concludes that erecting borders and walls would be detrimental to our goals and that Americans must instead be prepared to compete on a global playing field.

Friedman encourages better education and training, as Americans now compete not only with other Americans, but with the most brilliant minds around the globe for positions. We explore the “lump of labor” theory and new job creation in a global economy. He identifies the workers that will suffer most, should they be unable to keep ahead of the globalization trend, and offers large-scale suggestions to remedy this problem. Using the history of the American agricultural industry as an indicator of future trends in various industries today, he stresses the importance of an ability to adapt and specialize where there is a need. We learn that fear stimulates change and that this is a good thing.

Chapter Six – The Untouchables

Friedman addresses a concern shared by many Americans: what do we tell our kids? As the competition for jobs stiffens, how do we prepare them for the increased competition? His suggestion that we must make ourselves “untouchables” is explored in detail as he identifies three broad categories of workers who will have job security in the flat world. Synthesizers, explainers, leveragers, versatilists and more are identified and explained as viable career options, as well as strategies for preparing for these positions.

Chapter Seven – The Right Stuff

In a frank discussion of the fear amongst Americans regarding competition and education, Friedman explores the “right stuff”; the educational requirements needed to survive in the flattened world and more importantly, the availability of said education in our current system. Stressing the importance of self-learning and learning to learn, Friedman offers valuable advice to parents unsure of their children’s educational and professional futures. He recommends building right-brain skills, or those that cannot be duplicated by a computer, and explores different vehicles to higher learning, including music. Friedman examines the factors necessary to create the right environment for this learning and contemplates methods of achieving this in modern day America.

Chapter Eight – The Quiet Crisis

We begin by examining the U.S Olympic Basketball Team’s unexpected loss at the 2004 Games as an example of our complacency as the rest of the world is learning and catching up in areas we are used to dominating. An interview with Shirley Ann Jackson, 2004 President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, demonstrates that a quiet crisis is happening slowly but surely as multiple and complex forces at work creating the perfect storm; demographic, political, social, cultural, economic, etc that could lead to America falling behind in innovation, science and technology. We explore the dirty little secrets that no one is talking about – a lack of highly skilled scientists and engineers, disinterest in math and science by our younger population, lack of ambition as television and video games take over, an outdated basic education system, lack of funding for research, lack of infrastructure as we focus on war and other countries focus on developing sustainable and innovative business. Friedman explores the differences between different country’s educational systems with Bill Gates and ultimately poses the question, why are we so focused on idolizing Britney Spears when competing countries are idolizing Bill Gates?

Friedman contemplates The “Innovate America” Report, a well-meaning document ignored by the President as he chased his own agenda – and wonders whether China will beat us to the implementation of our own innovation. He sums up the chapter with a call to action to kick-start the long process of preparing ourselves for the future into motion before we are literally left behind.

Chapter Nine – This Is Not a Test

In a call to action, Friedman stresses that we simply cannot do things the same old way anymore and people must be willing to change and adapt. He compares our current crisis to that we faced in competing with the Soviet Union and the launch of Sputnik; the main challenge then came from those who wanted to put up walls while we now have to face those who want to tear them down. Now, as then, we must change our strategy to overcome these issues. He discusses the difficulty in getting America to stand up and take notice of the importance of this issue in a supercharged society where hype and terror are needed to get the public’s attention and support.

Friedman stresses the importance of shoving political barriers aside in what he calls “compassionate flatism” to prepare our country for what lies ahead. He questions leadership and education; who will lead us into the forefront of this new globalized economy? The necessity for lifelong learning and benefits to allow workers to remain mobile and adaptable is very real, though it seems to be at the bottom of our to-do list.

Finally, Friedman examines how companies such as Capital One are working on the lifelong learning objective by providing training and upgrading to employees, increasing their own productivity and bottom line in the process, as he calls for social programs that encourage workers to be creative and hardworking.

Chapter Ten – The Virgin of Guadalupe

We see the Chinese manufacture of statuettes of The Virgin of Guadalupe and their subsequent importation into Mexico as an example of the problem created when one developing country competes with another, as China replaced Mexico as the U.S.’s number two importer in 2003. Friedman discusses the need for developing countries to put policies in place to create the right environment for their companies and entrepreneurs to succeed in the flat world. He states that countries must be brutally honest with themselves in determining their place in the world market if they are to adapt and survive. A comparison of countries who have opened their borders and adopted free trade policies versus those who have not and been left behind illustrates his point.

The concept of reform retail and wholesale is introduced as we explore changes in education, infrastructure and governance. Ireland becomes a case study for financial success as their per capita GDP has risen to second highest in the European Union. Friedman contemplates a society’s ability and willingness to sacrifice for the purpose of economic development and leaders with vision as vehicles of change and conversely, the reason some countries will not.

Chapter Eleven – How Companies Cope

Friedman opines that companies willing to change and accept change are more likely to do things than have things done to them. In profiling Jill and Ken Greer, creators of Greer & Associates multimedia company, we learn of their experience with the rise of freelancers as their competition, as well as the fact that technology that should have simplified their operations made it more difficult by requiring more of them.

We look into commoditization in a wide range of industries, where everything is the same and supply is plentiful. Clients are flooded with options and everyone becomes the same. Each company is driven to be more creative and innovative, or risk falling between the cracks. At this point we meet Fadi Ghandour, cofounder and CEO of Aramex, a home-grown package delivery service. His web-based global network cut costs and allowed him to compete with the biggest in the business and come out ahead. We see through other business models that globalization forces the big to act small: case in point, Starbucks learning from their customers to use soy milk in their coffees. We learn that companies must be willing to collaborate and focus on niche markets, doing themselves what they need to do to stay in front of their customers and outsourcing the rest. The best companies use outsourcing as a method of growth, not to shrink their workforce. Outsourcing allows them to provide more and better services more efficiently.

We also explore socially responsible outsourcing; giving the outsourced workers a good wage and opportunity within their own country that they would not have otherwise.

Chapter Twelve: The Unflat World

Friedman shares stories of the world flattening but humbly announces that he does indeed realize the world is not yet flat. He wants to draw attention to the flattening and the ever-increasing pace at which it is occurring. Part of this understanding must come from a recognization of factors that are preventing globalization from occurring in some people.

Friedman examines different groups of people he believes are disadvantaged for one reason or another and the way that this keeps them from moving forward into a flattened world. The AIDS epidemic affects people who are too sick to hope they will ever make it to middle class. Disempowered people are those who live in areas touched by the flattening of the world but lack the means, knowledge and infrastructure to benefit from it. For example, in India only 2% of the entire population are involved in the high-tech and manufacturing for export sectors.

Different societies and cultures are coming into contact with each other more frequently and more quickly than ever before, leading to great frustration. Using the Arab-Muslim world and his journalistic encounters with their youth as an example, Friedman explores the impact of freedom of thought and expression that world flattening has created and its impact on a traditionally closed society. He warns of a potential threat lurking in the not too distant future: a depletion of our natural resources as people compete to have more and better.

Chapter Thirteen: Globalization of the Local

In this examination of the impact of globalization on world cultures, we learn that globalization came to be seen by many as Americanization, creating a backlash by those who felt that they would be steamrolled and homogenized into being mini-Americans.

But as new forms of communication and innovation create a global platform for the sharing of work, entertainment and opinion, Friedman believes that globalization serves more to enrich and preserve culture than to destroy it, as each person is given their own voice and vehicle of expression through podcasts, websites, etc. The nature of the beast is such that the bad will always be there with the good. As humanitarians and businesses connect online to share ideas, so too do terrorists and predators.
Chapter Fourteen: The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention

We begin with an in-depth study of the supply chain, using the purchase of Friedman’s own computer as a case study. This leads to an examination of how geopolitical conflicts could derail or slow globalization.

Friedman’s theory is that two countries invested in a business together by being part of the same global supply-chain are less likely to go to war, as they are now heavily invested in the success of the business venture. Any interruption to that supply chain would be critical. As we reflect on the evolution of supply chains and the effect they have had on politics and the stability of countries they affect, we remember that Asia, as opposed to much of the Middle East, has become more stable because they are part of many supply chains and therefore more interested in doing good business. Overall, the price of war is higher than it used to be and countries will have to consider the effect of a war on their place in the business world. Friedman explores both the China-Taiwan relations and India-Pakistan as examples of how the flattening of the world and supply chain have a calming effect and cause countries to think rationally about the true cost of war, making diplomatic solution more likely.

As we explore the darker side of the supply chain phenomenon, we understand how Al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks form mutant supply chains for the purpose of destruction, not profit. In a flat world, the transmission of terror is much easier. We must examine our abilities to derail the nuclear threat by using our capabilities to disrupt the terrorists supply chain.
Chapter Fifteen: 11/9 Versus 9/11

We begin by examining two significant dates in world flattening: 11/9 as an example of creative imagination and 9/11 as destructive imagination. 11/9, with the destruction of the Berlin Wall, was the door opening to a freer, flatter, and more democratic world, where 9/11 saw our world try to snap shut against outside threat. This is Friedman’s call for positive creativity and giving people the tools to do positive things with what is available through the opening of so many doors.

We see the innovation and creativity that Bin Laden put into his 9/11 plan, as horrible as it was. Friedman concludes that the forces that flatten the world can be used to bring everyone up to the same level, or to bring them all down to the same level. Those of us who live in free and progressive societies must lead others to use their imaginations without allowing their imaginations to get the best of them – or us. Technology cannot protect us; we must harness that technology and decide how it will be used. This requires us to define the line between precaution and paranoia to keep things in perspective in a flat world. We are called to remember who we are to avoid losing our identity in a flat world. In exploring eBay as a virtual community, India as the second largest Muslim country where the context and imagination are different than in other parts of the Arab world, and the curse of oil and how it keeps countries from moving forward in other ventures, we learn about different types of creativity.

Friedman reflects on his story of Aramex from Chapter Eleven as an inspirational closing thought; one of a small Arab company that made it big in the world platform.
--
Source: http://www.wikisummaries.org/The_World_Is_Flat

Book Summary: Freakanomics (A rogue economist explores..)

2009-04-04T04:27:00.000-07:00

Economics is often regarded as the study of dry, uninteresting financial trends and market developments, but Steven Levitt’s groundbreaking work in the field reveals that the tools of economic research can be put to use in the study of the relationships that underlie the events and problems that we encounter and hear about every day. In Freakonomics, Levitt and his co-author, journalist Stephen Dubner, offer a survey of some of the most interesting research topics Levitt has tackled during his career.

Chapter 1 defines economics as nothing more than the study of incentives and how they are pursued. Sometimes a particular set of incentives is so irresistible that people are driven to attain them through unscrupulous behavior. The authors undertake a study of several prominent instances of cheating. In each instance, Levitt devised a way of analyzing data to detect not only the presence of cheating, but also some of the patterns and incentives that may have served to compel the cheaters to act unethically. The cases that are afforded the most attention include the Chicago public school teachers who changed answers on their students’ high-stakes standardized tests and Japanese sumo wrestlers who conspired to throw certain high-stakes matches.

Chapter 2 centers on the theme of information and the way that individuals, organizations, and businesses often exploit their access to crucial information at the expense of others. First, the authors describe the way that journalist Stetson Kennedy exploited information to help bring about the downfall of the Ku Klux Klan. Then, Levitt’s research on the actions of real estate agents offers another perspective to the discussion. His analysis of real estate data found that agents behave quite differently when the homes they are selling are their own. A few other examples of applications of information asymmetry are also described. Throughout the novel the author consistently employs patisian views accented with a nostalgic attitude; consistenly refering to previous periods.

In Chapter 3, Levitt offers an in-depth discussion of the economic workings of a Chicago drug gang, shattering the common misconception that all drug dealers are wealthy. His analysis of the financial records of a Chicago gang proved that most street-level dealers earned far less than minimum wage. He turns to the socioeconomic context of most gangs for an explanation of the incentives that compel young men to become drug dealers. The influence of gangs is a critical part to the function of the economy because it consistently creates jobs and programs to the fight the prevalent issues.

Chapter 4 sets forth what is arguably Levitt’s most controversial finding: his research revealed a strong link between the legalization of abortion in the United States in 1973 and the sharp decline in violent crime that the nation experienced in the mid-1990s. He bolsters the credibility of this claim by demonstrating that most other explanations for the crime rate drop are untenable.

Chapters 5 and 6 both address various aspects of parenting and the way that parents’ status, choices, and actions can impact the outcomes of their children's lives'. First, Levitt details the outcome of his study of the safety of backyard swimming pools, which found that children are 100 times more likely to drown in a backyard pool than they are likely to die while playing with a gun. Then, he summarizes the findings of a series of studies about parenting practices, all of which suggest that parental socioeconomic status is a more reliable predictor of high academic outcomes in children than most other parenting practices that are commonly recommended by experts, such as reading books to your children. He then turns to the study of children’s names; specifically, the different economic impacts of “white” versus “black” names. Levitt concludes with a discussion of the patterns that govern the popularity of children’s names in the United States.

Contents

Chapter Summaries Introduction: The Hidden Side of Everything

In this introductory chapter, co-author Stephen Dubner offers an overview of the diverse and seemingly unrelated topics that renowned economist and co-author Steven Levitt has addressed in his body of research. The authors state that there is no unifying theme of the book, although the aim throughout is to explore the hidden side of things and the subtle relationships that link everyday phenomena.

The book is based on four fundamental ideas:

* 1) Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life.
* 2) Conventional wisdom is often wrong.
* 3) Dramatic effects often have distant, even subtle, causes.
* 4) "Experts" use their informational advantage to serve their own interests.

Chapter 1: What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?

The authors define the study of economics as the study of incentives. How do we profit by the things that we do? And what incentives are so attractive that they compel us to act unethically in order to attain them? Levitt describes the series of research processes that he used to identify a number of Chicago public school teachers who cheated or helped their students cheat on standardized tests. He analyzed standardized test answer patterns and identified suspicious blocks of correct answers, also comparing test scores to students’ past academic performance. Eventually, a controlled retest was administered to identify cheating teachers with greater precision. The findings resulted in the termination of the boldest offenders, as well as reforms in the school system’s standardized testing procedures.

Another of Levitt’s research projects involved the analysis of the scores and bout records of Japan’s elite-level sumo wrestlers. Although allegations of cheating are rampant in the sport, no definitive proof had ever been garnered, as the techniques that are suspected to be used are very subtle. By analyzing and comparing the performances of the wrestlers in matches with vastly different stakes and potential consequences, Levitt determined that cheating does often occur in the sport.

The story of an entrepreneur who sold bagels using the honor system to office workers in Washington, D.C. concludes the chapter. The owner/operator kept detailed financial records, and by analyzing them, Levitt was able to discern a number of remarkably consistent patterns in the behavior of those who took bagels without paying for them. In this story, Levitt demonstrates that cheating, like almost everything else that involves incentives, can be predicted.

Chapter 2: How is the Ku Klux Klan like a Group of Real-Estate Agents?

The authors assert that information asymmetry is one of the most powerful economic tools. Entire industries have flourished and many significant historical events have transpired as the result of an imbalance in the flow of information. In keeping with this theory, the authors offer the story of a man who helped cripple the racist Ku Klux Klan simply by widely disseminating their secrets.

Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the group in the World War II-era and systematically documented the secret rituals and codes of the organization. Kennedy then supplied the records to Hollywood writers, who used the information to create a long-running story arc on the wildly popular Superman radio serial. Children across the United States imitated the shows in their schoolyard games, and gradually, the mystery, grandeur, and influence of the group were profoundly diminished.

The authors relate a number of other instances of information asymmetry being used as an economic tool, including, most prominently, the practices of real estate agencies. By analyzing data about real estate agents common practices when they are selling their own houses, Levitt discovered that they may not always have their clients’ best interests at heart. The Internet, the authors note, has prompted a massive shift in many industries simply by providing consumers with more information than they have ever readily had access to. Other examples of information asymmetry and resulting misjudgments are explored in the behaviors of game show contestants and users of Internet dating services. Throughout the novel the author consistenly employs partisian diction along with a nostalgic attitude; consistentle referring to previous periods of time.

Chapter 3: Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?

This chapter offers a detailed glimpse into the economics of a drug-dealing street gang. The authors follow the research efforts of sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh, whose years conducting field studies in the housing projects of Chicago granted him unprecedented access to the inner workings of the gang. Venkatesh befriended many of his research subjects, one of whom gave him several years of financial records kept by the gang, which Venkatesh later provided to Levitt.

With extensive analysis of the data, Levitt was able to debunk the common perception that crack dealers are all very wealthy individuals. He found that although a few participants profit mightily from their involvement, these are usually the higher-ups who lead the organization, rather than the large numbers of street dealers who form the lower ranks of the group. Levitt compares the organizational structure of the gang to McDonalds, in which a comparatively few executives and managers prosper from the labor of thousands of low-wage workers. This comparison proved to be particularly apt when he found that most street dealers made less than minimum wage, while also bearing a 1-in-4 risk of death.

The authors relate the rise of crack in inner-city America to the historical crime pattern in the country and the social progress of the African American community. The chapter ends with an overview of the wave of violent crime that gripped the country in the early 1990s, and then began a mysterious and rapid decline.

Chapter 4: Where Have All the Criminals Gone?

In this chapter, the authors set forth the controversial claim that has generated more attention than any other aspect of the book: Levitt’s research has suggested that the 1973 legalization of abortion was the cause of the dramatic decline in violent crime that had become apparent by the mid-1990s. Recognizing the volatility of this argument, the authors approach it from numerous perspectives, methodically challenging and undermining all of the most common theories that have been advanced to explain the sudden crime drop. In a detailed analysis, they demonstrate that factors such as improved policing strategies, new prisons, diminished drug demand, an aging population, stricter gun control, a strong economy, and a number of other possible explanations simply do not correlate with the available crime data.

The authors note a number of variables that are strongly correlated with criminality, such as poverty or an unstable family environment, are also likely to be the same reasons that compel pregnant young women to seek abortions. Levitt’s research suggests that the drop in violent crime in the United States occurred at the same time that the first wave of babies conceived after the legalization of abortion were entering late adolescence. Presumably, many of the additional 1.6 million children who would have been born annually if abortion had remained illegal would have been at high risk for engaging in violent crime. Although the authors refrain from taking an ideological stance on the issue, they do conclude that women with the right to choose abortion tend to make good decisions, based on the crime data.

Chapter 5: What Makes a Perfect Parent?

Several years before Freakonomics was published, author Steven Levitt lost his infant son Andrew to a sudden, fatal bout of pneumococcal meningitis. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Levitt and his wife became active in several support groups for bereaved parents. Even as he sought help and guidance for the terrible loss, Levitt noticed the disproportionate number of parents in the groups whose children had drowned in backyard swimming pools. This prompted him to research the issue, as well as a number of other aspects of parenting, from an economic point of view. His research uncovered the high risk of allowing children to play in swimming pools: Levitt estimates that a child is more than 100 times more likely to die in a swimming pool than playing with a gun.

In a series of subsequent articles, Levitt explored other facets of parenthood and their outcomes. He determined that in spite of the cottage industry of parenting and the millions of how-to books on the subject sold every year, who you are matters much more than what you do. In other words, positive parenting outcomes are linked more strongly to factors such as socioeconomic status and parental education than any specific parenting practices. Factors that are important in determining high standardized test scores in children include: highly educated parents, high socioeconomic status, maternal age of greater than thirty when the child was born, low birth weight, English as the primary language spoken in the home, parental involvement in the PTA, and many books in the home environment. Also, adopted children tended to have lower standardized test scores than their non-adopted peers.

Chapter 6: Perfect Parenting, Part II, or: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?

In this chapter, the authors extend the discussion of parenting with an overview of more economic aspects of parental choices. Specifically, they focus upon the economic implications of children’s names, especially the overtly ethnic African-American names that have become common over the last several decades. The authors tied this issue to a larger question about contemporary black culture in the United States: is distinctive black culture merely a reflection of the economic gap between whites and blacks, or has it actively caused the gap to widen?

Using several decades of name data drawn from California birth certificate records, Levitt’s analysis revealed a number of interesting trends. The authors cite previous research that has shown that similar résumés with white and distinctively black names result in job offers being extended to the white-sounding applicant far more frequently than the black-sounding applicant. Among other things, it was determined that having a distinctively black name was linked to lower attainment and negative life outcomes in terms of employment, income, and education.

Levitt then turned to the question of how names become popular among white Americans. In addition to the general trend of increasingly unique names for white children, Levitt describes a pattern by which highly educated parents popularize obscure names, gradually compelling the names to achieve broader popularity. Finally, after a period of several years, white parents from lower socioeconomic classes adopt the names, prompting a selection of new names among highly-educated white parents, and the repetition of another cycle.

Epilogue: Two Paths to Harvard

The life paths of two Harvard graduates who may have seemed to be locked into divergent patterns of achievement based on their backgrounds are outlined. Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, came from a privileged background and had access to all of the resources that are typically correlated with success, whereas Roland G. Fryer, an African-American man who was raised in an impoverished, unstable family environment, is now a promising Harvard economist. The book ends with this brief reminder that there are limits to the ability of economic analysis to predict every possible outcome.
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Source: wikisummaries.org

The Tipping Point - Summary

2009-04-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Tipping Point
From WikiSummaries: Free Book Summaries
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Author Malcolm Gladwell

ISBN ISBN 0316346624, ISBN 0-316-31696-2 (first edition)

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By offering readers a groundbreaking analysis of how trends are sparked and take hold, Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point became an exemplification of the very processes he was describing. Upon its 2000 release, the book became a national bestseller whose influence would help to initiate paradigm shifts in fields ranging from marketing to public health.

The processes and mechanisms by which some trends achieve exponential popularity while others sputter and fade into oblivion have long been thought to be mysterious and resistant to analysis. However, Gladwell’s central argument is that there are actually a number of patterns and factors that are at play in virtually every influential trend, ranging from the spread of communicable diseases to the unprecedented popularity of a particular children’s television show. If you analyze the evolution of any major phenomenon, the author suggests, you will find that the processes involved are strikingly similar.

The nature of modern culture is such that many new ideas are constantly being introduced from a wide variety of sources, ranging from trend-setting teens and twenty-somethings in the nation’s metropolitan centers to new product offerings from established corporations. Some of these achieve a measure of steady, consistent success, some fail, and some take off on an upward trajectory of exponential popularity and influence.

Based on his in-depth research spanning a number of different fields, industries, and scholarly disciplines, Gladwell identifies three key factors that each play in role in determining whether a particular trend will “tip” into wide-scale popularity. Gladwell’s discussion and illustration of the concepts of the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context comprise the majority of the book.

The Law of the Few contends that before widespread popularity can be attained, a few key types of people must champion an idea, concept, or product before it can reach the tipping point. Gladwell describes these key types as Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. If individuals representing all three of these groups endorse and advocate a new idea, it is much more likely that it will tip into exponential success.

Gladwell defines the Stickiness Factor as the quality that compels people to pay close, sustained attention to a product, concept, or idea. Stickiness is hard to define, and its presence or absence often depends heavily on context. Often, the way that the Stickiness Factor is generated is unconventional, unexpected, and contrary to received wisdom.

The concept that Gladwell terms the Power of Context is enormously important in determining whether a particular phenomenon will tip into widespread popularity. Even minute changes in the environment can play a major factor in the propensity of a given concept attaining the tipping point. Also, Gladwell defines the term context very broadly, discussing the implications of small variations in social groups and minor changes in a neighborhood or community environment as shifts that can cause a new idea to tip.

After identifying and describing these key concepts, Gladwell dedicates the remainder of the book to illustrating them and their interdependency in a series of compelling case studies and examples. An afterword included in the newest edition of the book updates some of Gladwell’s arguments for more pertinent application in an era of widespread Internet connectivity.

Chapter Summaries Introduction

Gladwell begins by discussing the inexplicable resurgence of then-terminally-uncool Hush Puppies shoes among a handful of hipsters in Manhattan’s cutting-edge enclaves in the 1990s, a trend which soon spread across the United States and resulted in exponential increases in the company’s sales. Using this phenomenon as an introduction to the book’s analytical theme, the author states that he will identify, dissect and explain the mechanisms by which certain trends take hold, while others fail.

Chapter 1: The Three Rules of Epidemics

Gladwell asserts that most trends, styles, and phenomena are born and spread according to routes of transmission and conveyance that are strikingly similar. In most of these scenarios, whether the event in question is the spread of syphilis in Baltimore’s mean streets or the sudden spike in the popularity of Hush Puppies sales, there is a crucial juncture, which Gladwell terms the “tipping point,” that signals a key moment of crystallization that unifies isolated events into a significant trend. What factors decide whether a particular trend or pattern will take hold? Gladwell introduces three variables that determine whether and when the tipping point will be achieved.

The three “rules of epidemics” that Gladwell identifies are: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. He concludes the chapter with a preliminary discussion of the Law of the Few, noting that the origins of most major epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases can be traced back to the disproportionate influence of a few “super infectors” who are personally responsible for dozens, or in some cases, hundreds of transmissions. This role is analogous to the category of people that Gladwell identifies as “Connectors,” who play an inordinate role in helping new trends begin to “tip,” or spread rapidly.

Chapter 2: The Law of the Few: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen

The attainment of the tipping point that transforms a phenomenon into an influential trend usually requires the intervention of a number of influential types of people. In the disease epidemic model Gladwell introduced in Chapter 1, he demonstrated that many outbreaks could be traced back to a small group of infectors. Likewise, on the path toward the tipping point, many trends are ushered into popularity by small groups of individuals that can be classified as Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen.

Connectors are individuals who have ties in many different realms and act as conduits between them, helping to engender connections, relationships, and “cross-fertilization” that otherwise might not have ever occurred. Mavens are people who have a strong compulsion to help other consumers by helping them make informed decisions. Salesmen are people whose unusual charisma allows them to be extremely persuasive in inducing others’ buying decisions and behaviors. Gladwell identifies a number of examples of past trends and events that hinged on the influence and involvement of Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen at key moments in their development.

Chapter 3: The Stickiness Factor: Sesame Street, Blue’s Clues, and the Educational Virus

Another crucial factor that plays a key role in determining whether a trend will attain exponential popularity is what Gladwell terms “the stickiness factor.” This refers to a unique quality that compels the phenomenon to “stick” in the minds of the public and influence their future behavior.

An interesting element of stickiness, as defined by Gladwell, is the fact that it is often counterintuitive, or contradictory to the prevailing conventional wisdom. To illustrate this point, Gladwell undertakes an in-depth discussion of the evolution of children’s television between the 1960s and the 2000s.

The PBS show Sesame Street represented a vast improvement in the “stickiness” of children’s television, in large part because it turned many of the long-established assumptions about children’s cognitive abilities and television-watching behaviors on their heads. These changes, based in large part on extensive research, resulted in a show that actually helped toddlers and preschoolers develop literacy.

Years later, the television show Blue’s Clues applied many of these same techniques to Sesame Street itself, resulting in the development of a program that research has shown can generate significant improvements in children’s logic and reasoning abilities. The attribute of stickiness, Gladwell argues, often represents a dramatic divergence from the conventional wisdom of the era.

Chapter 4: The Power of Context (Part One): Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York

City Crime

Another crucial aspect of the complex processes and mechanisms that cause trends to “tip” into mass popularity is what Gladwell terms the Power of Context. If the environment or historical moment in which a trend is introduced is not right, it is not as likely that the tipping point will be attained. To illustrate the power of context, Gladwell takes on the strangely rapid decline in violent crime rates that occurred in the 1990s in New York City.

Although Gladwell acknowledges that a wide variety of complex factors and variables likely played a role in sparking the decline, he argues convincingly that it was a few small but influential changes in the environment of the city that allowed these factors to tip into a major reduction in crime. He cites the fact that a number of New York City agencies began to make decisions based on the Broken Windows theory, which held that minor, unchecked signs of deterioration in a neighborhood or community could, over time, result in major declines in the quality of living.

To reverse these trends, city authorities started focusing on seemingly small goals like painting over graffiti, cracking down on subway toll skippers, and dissuading public acts of degeneracy. Gladwell contends that these changes in the environment allowed the other factors, like the decline in crack cocaine use and the aging of the population, to gradually tip into a major decline in the crime rate in the city.

Chapter 5: The Power of Context (Part Two): The Magic Number One Hundred and Fifty

Clearly, in order for a trend to tip into massive popularity, large numbers of people need to embrace it. However, Gladwell points out that groups of certain sizes and certain types can often be uniquely conducive to achieving the tipping point. He traces the path of the novel The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood from regional cult favorite to national best-seller. Gladwell notes that the unique content of the novel appealed strongly to reading groups of middle-aged women in Northern California, and that these women were uniquely well-positioned to catapult the book to national success as a result of an informal campaign of recommendations and advocacy.

Gladwell also remarks upon the unusual properties tied to the size of social groups. Groups of less than 150 members usually display a level of intimacy, interdependency, and efficiency that begins to dissipate markedly as soon as the group’s size increases over 150. This concept has been exploited by a number of corporations that use it as the foundation of their organizational structures and marketing campaigns.

Chapter 6: Case Study: Rumors, Sneakers, and the Power of Translation

In this case study-oriented chapter, Gladwell discusses the rise and decline of Airwalk shoes. The brand was originally geared towards the skateboarding subculture of Southern California, but sought to transcend this niche market and attain national name recognition. They succeeded in this endeavor with the help of an advertising agency with a unique understanding of the factors and variables that influence the public’s perception of "coolness." The marketing campaign ruthlessly honed in on and exploited several timely avatars of coolness, such as Tibetan Buddhism, pachuco gang culture, and hipsters’ ironic embrace of preppy culture, rendering Airwalk shoes cool by association in the process.

The company’s unique strategy of offering unique products to boutique stores and a more mainstream shoe selection to department stores had long kept both cutting-edge hipsters and their more mainstream, impressionable counterparts content. However, as a cost-cutting measure, Airwalk eventually began providing all of its distributors with a single line of shoes. The delicate balance that had long rendered the company’s products cool in the minds of the public was disturbed, and sales declined significantly.

Chapter 7: Case Study: Suicide, Smoking, and the Search for the Unsticky Cigarette

In another case study, Gladwell discusses the relationship between a sudden, alarming rise in suicide among adolescent males in Micronesia and the persistent problem of teen cigarette use in the United States. In both instances, teens were induced to become involved in potentially lethal experimentation. Gladwell asserts that both trends were predicated upon two main factors. First, teenagers are inherently, perhaps even genetically predisposed to imitate others and try on new behaviors and attitudes during adolescence. Second, the types of the people who are more likely to engage in dramatic, easily romanticized behavior such as early cigarette smoking or suicide are also more likely to be those that others tend to gravitate toward and seek to emulate.

Gladwell also considers the origins and implications of the curiously large middle ground that exists between those who abstain altogether from potentially dangerous activities, and those who engage in them in a consistently low-level manner. In terms of cigarette use, these “chippers” typically never smoke enough to tip into full-blown addiction, and thus escape most of the ill effects of long-term tobacco use. Gladwell suggests that infrequent teenage experimentation with drugs or smoking should not be regarded with hysteria, but rather, should be accepted as inevitable and is, in all likelihood, benign.

Chapter 8: Conclusion: Focus, Test, Believe

In this chapter, Gladwell concludes with an account of the type of solution that reflects an understanding of the concept of the tipping point: A nurse seeking an effective, low-cost way to raise breast cancer awareness among African-American women shunned traditional routes and enlisted the help of hairstylists. In this environment, she reasoned, most people are relaxed and receptive to new information in a way that most education efforts can’t duplicate. Gladwell acknowledges that this type of thinking is often derided as being a “band-aid” solution that treats symptoms, rather than underlying problems. However, he asserts that these solutions are often the very type of cumulative, low-key approach that can, over time, build to a tipping point of massive popularity and influence.

Afterword

In the newly-penned afterword to The Tipping Point, Gladwell updates a number of the case studies and anecdotes offered in the original text with new data. He also reconsiders the role of the Internet and Internet-related technologies, such as e-mail, and their impact upon the spread of trends and influence. However, he cautions that the overuse and sheer ubiquity of these formats can make the recipients "immune" to their effects.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki)

2009-04-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

Rich Dad, Poor Dad
From WikiSummaries: Free Book Summaries
Author Robert Kiyosaki
ISBN ISBN 0446677450

The book is the story of a person (the narrator and author) who has two fathers: the first was his biological father – the poor dad - and the other was the father of his childhood best friend, Mike – the rich dad. Both fathers taught the author how to achieve success but with very disparate approaches. It became evident to the author which father's approach made more financial sense. Throughout the book, the author compares both fathers – their principles, ideas, financial practices, and degree of dynamism and how his real father, the poor and struggling but highly educated man, paled against his rich dad in terms of asset building and business acumen.

The author compares his poor dad to those people who are perpetually scampering in the Rat Race, helplessly trapped in a vicious cycle of needing more but never able to satisfy their dreams for wealth because of one glaring lack: financial literacy. They spend so much time in school learning about the problems of the world, but have not acquired any valuable lessons about money, simply because it is never taught in school. His rich dad, by contrast, represents the independently wealthy core of society who deliberately takes advantage of the power of corporations and their personal knowledge of tax and accounting (or that of their financial advisers) which they manipulate to their advantage.

The book’s theme reduces to two fundamental concepts: a can-do attitude and fearless entrepreneurship. The author highlights these two concepts by providing multiple examples for each and focusing on the need for financial literacy, how the power of corporations contribute to making the wealthy even wealthier, minding your own business, overcoming obstacles by not fostering laziness, fear, cynicism and other negative attitudes, and recognizing the characteristics of humans and how their preconceived notions and upbringing hamper their financial freedom goals.

The author presents six major lessons which he discusses throughout the book:

* The rich don’t work for money
* The importance of financial literacy
* Minding Your own business
* Taxes and corporations
* The rich invent money
* The need to work to learn and not to work for money

Character Summaries

Rich Dad, Poor Dad revolves around three main characters: poor dad, rich dad (Kiyosaki’s second father) and the son (the author himself as narrator of the book). The essence of each character is:

* Poor dad – educated but lacking the street smarts
* Rich dad – very little education (eighth grade), tons of street smarts
* Kiyosaki – the spectator who learns lessons from both but internalizes only rich dad’s traits

Poor Dad

The author compares his poor dad to the millions of fathers who encourage their sons to do well in school so they could get a good job with a good company. Poor dad believed in the traditional principles of working hard, saving money, and not buying material things that one cannot afford. He believed that having a good job with a solid company is what one should aspire for; hence he expresses disappointment when his son leaves the employ of a large, reputable corporation.

Poor dad looks to education as the passport to success. He held a doctorate degree, went to Ivy League universities, but was always struggling financially. He believed he would never be a rich man and the author points out that this became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Poor dad was more interested in a good education than the subject of money. The author wrote that his poor dad would always say things like, “I’m not interested in money” or “money doesn’t matter.”

The author points out that poor dad was preoccupied with things like job tenure and security, Social Security, vacation and sick leaves, company insurance and salary raises and promotions. The author felt that his poor dad was more interested in these factors rather than on the job itself. This is what the author calls being trapped in the Rat Race. His poor dad worked hard incessantly but somehow never made it ahead financially. Poor dad’s approach to the subject of money was based on working hard to have enough money to pay the bills (in contrast to rich dad’s approach to make one’s money work for him).

Rich Dad

The author wrote that it was when he was nine years old that he started realizing that his rich dad made much more sense than his poor dad. It was from rich dad that the author learned not to say, “I can’t afford it”, but instead to ask, “how can I afford it?” He explains this principle by relating an incident when he and his best friend Mike went to work for Mike’s father. Rich dad paid them very low wages deliberately so that would stir anger and a sense of injustice in them and eventually for them to realize that in order to get ahead, one must work for himself and not for others. For example, in that part of the book when the author complains to rich dad that he can hardly afford to buy anything with the wages he is paid, rich dad tells him that he shouldn’t dwell on the fact that his wages are low, but instead ask “how can I make more money” because this stimulates the brain to take action. His rich dad says that when someone says, “I can’t afford it”, his brain stops working. It therefore kills initiative and promotes passivity.

The author adds that while his poor dad invested time and effort in education, he did not have any knowledge on investing. His rich dad, by contrast, was very skilled in the investment game because that’s all he did. The attitude of his rich dad about money was manifested in the saying “the lack of money is the root of all evil” (his poor dad, on the other hand, believed that the love of money is the root of all evil).

According to the author, rich dad also nurtured the idea that taxes punished producers and rewarded the non-producers. He was the type who encouraged money talk at the dinner table and was portrayed by the author as someone who learned to manage risk, instead of not taking risks.

The Son (Robert T. Kiyosaki)

The author begins his book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by saying that he is fortunate in having had two fathers. He learned valuable lessons from both of them, but in Chapter One it becomes evident which father had the more sensible approach towards money. He compares and contrasts both fathers’ views about working hard, getting an education, saving and investing and realizing how habits of the rich and poor significantly differ. He attributes his financial acumen through the many conversations he carried out with his rich dad.

The author takes a common sense approach to the subject of money and emphasizes the need for accounting knowledge so that the reader clearly understands what assets and liabilities are. He makes simple diagrams that show the inflow and outflow of money and how the rich build up the asset column and the poor build up the liability column (expenses). It is obvious that the author places much importance on accounting knowledge – no matter how boring it is - because he says it is “the most important subject in your life.”

By using numerous examples and anecdotes, the author drives home his messages effectively, revealing his pro-capitalist stance.

The author also shows his understanding of the mechanisms employed by the government and the tax man and concludes that it is the middle class that actually pay for the poor. The rich are the ones who are hardly taxed because they have the knowledge to use tax legislation to their advantage.

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1: Rich Dad, Poor Dad

The story of Robert Kiyosaki and Mike starts in 1956 Hawaii, when both boys were a nine years old. Their first get-rich scheme was a counterfeit nickel making company. They made plaster molds of the nickels and melted lead toothpaste tubes and filled the molds to produce the nickels. Their plan was foiled by Mike's father, who informed the boys of their illegal activity. After that day, the boys dedicated their free time to leaning about finance and economics from Mike’s father, the rich dad. The first lesson Mike’s dad made the boys experience was hatred of the “Rat Race”. He was able to achieve this by making the boys work in one of his grocery stores for three hours for ten cents an hour pay. Within a few weeks, Kiyosaki, tired of being exploited for labor, demanded that he receive a raise, but instead, Mike’s father cut his pay and told him to work for free. Eventually, both boys tired of being under appreciated (and unpaid) and they met individually with Mike's father. In their meetings with rich dad, he apologized for lack of pay and he offered them either the moral of the lesson or a pay raise. Both boys chose to learn the moral of the lesson, while rich dad offered them pay raises. He started at twenty-five cents, a dollar, two dollars, and even five dollars, which would have been considered a large amount of money for an hourly wage, but the boys still remained strong with their decision to learn the moral of the lesson. The lesson to get out of the “Rat Race” and instead of spending your whole life working to put a little money in your pocket and a bunch of money in someone else’s pocket, have people work hard to put money in your pocket. Out of all the lessons that were taught to the boys, this one was the most important. (Kiyosaki and Lechter 28-35)

Chapter 2: The Rich Don’t Work for Money

The author tells his readers to forget the notion that life teaches. He says “the only thing that life does is push you around.”

This chapter talks about people who are more comfortable in playing it safe because they were not taught early to take risks. The author develops the ideas that the poor and the middle class work for money, fear and greed cause ignorance and poverty, and the importance of using one’s emotions versus thinking with emotions. The author also stresses that opportunities in life come and go; the rich recognize them instantly and turn them into gold bullions. Others do not see these opportunities because they’re too busy seeking money and security. As the author says, well “that’s all they’re going to get.”

Chapter 3: Why Teach Financial Literacy

The story of Kiyosaki and Mike continues later in life, 1990, and both of the now adults have made incredible leaps and bounds with regards to their finances and their socioeconomic status. Mike was able to take the lesson from his father and apply them to his life. He took control of his father’s large business and increased every aspect of the empire and he is currently raising his son to take control of the company once he retires. As for Kiyosaki, he was able to retire at the age of 47 with his wife Kim. At a business meeting at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, Charles Schwab, Samuel Insull, Howard Hopson, Ivar Kreuger, Leon Frazier, Richard Whitney, Arthur Cotton, Jesse Livermore and Albert Fall met to talk about different investments and money schemes. Twenty-five years later, a report stated that a large majority of those extremely wealthy people that met in Chicago either ended up in jail, dead or penniless. The major idea to take from the results of these unfortunate entrepreneurs is that you need financial literacy to be and stay safe. The idea that was represented with the big 1920’s entrepreneurs is still prevalent today with some of the professional athletes making poor financial decisions and ending up with next to nothing. This specific lesson is meant to teach people not to be wise with your money once you have it, but rather be smart with your money before you have it. In a way, don’t try to build a skyscraper or even a house without building a strong foundation first. According to Kiyosaki, there is one rule, and only rule that can help a person to build a strong foundation; know the difference between an asset and a liability, and make sure that you only control assets. (Kiyosaki and Lechter 56)

When it comes to beliefs about money buying freedom and the ability to enjoy retirement without fear of outliving one’s money, this chapter catches the essence of the author’s advocacy for financial independence. He says, “Intelligence solves problems and produces money. Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone.”

The author believes that financial literacy begins with a working knowledge of accounting. It is essential to know the difference between assets and liabilities. To make these two terms understandable to readers, the author makes a rudimentary diagram of these two concepts to motivate them to purchase assets in order to solidify the asset column, while keeping the liabilities (expenses) to a bare minimum. The author states that poor people remain poor because they do the opposite. They pile up on their liabilities and have zero assets so that their balance sheets and income statements look out of kilter. People have to understand that it’s not how much they make, but how much they keep according to the author, and this is an essential principle that this chapter focuses on.

Chapter 4: Mind Your Own Business

In this chapter, the author slowly introduces the concept of real estate investing and uses McDonald’s as an example. He points out that McDonald’s may not make the best hamburgers in the world, but owns the “most valuable intersections and streets in America.” The author remarks that individuals need to mind their own business if they wish to become financially self-sufficient. They shouldn’t mind their employer’s business, they should strive for ways to become their own boss and nurture their own businesses.

The author continues his discussion on building assets. To him, real assets are anything with value – stocks, bonds, mutual funds, income-producing real estate, notes, royalties from intellectual property, etc.

This chapter also reveals the author’s investment preferences: real estate and stocks. For real estate, he says he starts small, and trades his properties for bigger ones and then delays paying taxes on capital gains through one IRS mechanism.

Chapter 5: The History of Taxes and the Power of Corporations

The author states that the poor let the big machinery (corporations) manipulate them whereas the rich know how to use big machinery. This means that the rich possess the knowledge and savoir faire to use the power of the corporation to protect and enhance their assets. The advantage of a corporation versus that of the individual lies in how corporations pay taxes, according to the author. He makes this point clearly: individuals earn money, pay taxes on that money, and live with what’s left. The corporation, on the other hand, earns money, spends everything it can, and is taxed on anything that’s left. The author adds that individuals may not be aware of how much they’re being manipulated; they work from January to mid-May to enrich the government by paying taxes on their income. In the meantime, the rich are hardly taxed.

The author recommends developing one’s financial IQ as one way of leaving the humdrum of daily existence. This is accomplished by gaining knowledge of accounting, investing, understanding the markets, and the law. He says being ignorant gets you bullied whereas being informed translates into “you have a fighting chance.”

Chapter 6: The Rich Invent Money

The author develops the concept of self-doubt. He says that each person is born with talent but that talent is suppressed because of self-doubt and fear. He remarks that it’s not necessarily the educated smart people who get ahead but the bold and adventurous. People never get ahead financially even if they have plenty of money because they have opportunities that they fail to tap, he stresses. Most of them just sit around waiting for opportunity to happen. The author’s idea is that people create luck; they should not wait around for it. He says it’s the same with money. It has to be created.

In this chapter, the author discusses the importance of an education (although some critics say that he appears to downplay its importance). The author is clear by saying, “a trained mind is a rich mind.” In his analysis, there are two types of investors, each with a different mind set: those who go for the packaged investment, and those who customize investments to suit their objectives.

The author encourages people to hire people more intelligent than they because by capitalizing on the knowledge of others, an intelligent individual builds his own knowledge base and therefore has more power over those who don’t know.

Chapter 7: Work to Learn, Don’t Work for Money

This is the chapter where the author talks about the skills individuals need to develop for financial success.

The reader is given an example of a young woman who had a Master’s Degree in English Literature and who was offended when it was suggested that she learn to sell and do direct marketing. After all the hard work for her degree, she didn’t think she would have to stoop so low to learn how to be a salesperson, a profession she didn’t think very highly of. The author uses this example to emphasize that there are other skills people need to cultivate to help them on the road towards financial freedom.

The author mentions management skills. He says individuals need to know how to manage cash flow, systems, and people. To that he throws in selling and marketing skills. He puts equal emphasis on communication skills. He says there are many people who have the scientific bent and hence have a powerhouse of knowledge, but they fail miserably in communications. These are the people who are “one skill away from great wealth.”

The author calls attention to one outstanding trait of great wealthy families: they give money away – plenty of it – unlike the poor who feel that charity begins at home.

Chapter 8: Overcoming Obstacles

The opinion of the author is that five personality traits hamper human beings: fear, cynicism, laziness, bad habits, arrogance. He explains that while it’s normal to have fear, what matters is how one handles it. The author shares his sentiment about his particular fondness for Texas and Texans: “When they win, they win big and when they lose, it’s spectacular.”

The author maintains that it’s not merely a question of balance but also FOCUS. He recommends that the Chicken Littles of the world be ignored. They’re only concerned about the sky falling, spending the rest of their lives in pessimism. He says he constantly hears people saying they want to be rich, but when it’s suggested that money can be made from real estate, their initial reaction is “but I don’t want to fix toilets.” The author believes it’s ironic that they’re more concerned about trivia like fixing toilets rather than what lies ahead in real estate. As a final point, the author states that it is healthy to be greedy, so when faced with a decision, a person must always ask, “What’s in it for me?”

Chapter 9: Getting Started

This chapter serves as a section on tips to create and build personal wealth. His first tip is, find a reason greater than reality to motivate you. What he means by this is to wake up the financial genius in oneself by empowering the mind. He says that people must have a strong /purpose for living.

The next tip is to feed the mind. By feeding the mind, the author contends that people acquire power of choice.

The author also advises people to choose friends carefully. He says to avoid people who proclaim incessantly that the sky is falling and instead encourages readers to spend time with people who enjoy talking about money because they may have valuable lessons to share. The author also believes that people should study one field, and then go out and learn a new one, although it is important to choose what one studies.

Here is another tip that the author observes most people don’t practice: pay yourself first. Even if short of cash, people must pay themselves first. This goes in tandem with managing three things efficiently: cash flow, people and personal time.

Another tip the author gives is being generous. He thinks it makes a lot of sense to pay one’s broker well as he’s an ally, and “your eyes and ears to the market.”

The author suggests having heroes. They are indispensable in life because they not only inspire, they also make it seem so easy. They stimulate the human mind into thinking, “If they can do it, why can’t I?”

“Teach and you shall receive” is another tip that the author shares. His words are eloquent concerning this idea: “There are powers in this world that are much smarter than we are. You can get there on your own, but it’s easier with the help of the powers that be. All you need to be is generous with what you have, and the powers will be generous with you.”

Chapter 10: Still Want More? Here are Some To Do’s

This chapter is sort of a supplement to the previous chapter. It gives readers additional tips to help them reach for financial rewards. One tip is to stop doing what you’re doing – that is, if it’s no longer working or viable. The author encourages readers to look for new ideas, to pick the brains of individuals who have the experience and who have already done what one aspires to do. He advises on keeping the learning curve alive, taking courses, buying tapes, attending seminars.

In looking for real estate investment opportunities, the author recommends looking in the right places. One way of doing this is to jog around the neighborhood one is interested in. People can acquire real estate even if they don’t have sufficient funds for the down payment. In fact, with a bit of cleverness, the author says people can even make money with no capital.

Themes in Rich Dad, Poor Dad

One theme that’s apparent in this book is that for an individual to be wealthy, he must aim to own the system or means of production, rather than work for another individual. The author stresses that there is obviously something confining about being an employee; it shuts the mind to other possibilities and it stunts initiative.

Financial intelligence is THE most powerful asset. By studying the precepts of accounting and investing, the author believes that individuals will be able to see the difference between an asset and a liability; in fact it is the more concrete application of learning what’s right and what’s wrong. Generating a string of expenses is wrong, building assets is right.

Unlike individuals who earn and then pay taxes on what they earn, corporations earn, spend what they want to spend, and pay taxes on what’s left. Corporations, therefore, hold a certain degree of power. The rich know how to use this power, the poor don’t.

The author also believes that true luxuries are experienced when they are the outward manifestations of intelligent investing and asset building. He cites the example of his wife purchasing a Mercedes Benz because it was the car she liked and worked hard to be able to purchase it. The author cautions however about keeping up with the Joneses and getting into debt because of this human frailty.

Fear, laziness, cynicism and arrogance are to be blamed for most of human inaction.

Sharing the Love...

2009-03-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.

"No", she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in"

"We do not go into a House together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How n ice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter's advice," said the husband to his wife.

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, t he lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"

-Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy.

-Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it.

-Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.

-Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage.

Put a smile in your face

2009-03-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

NOTICE TO ALL EMPLOYEES!

All personnel will now be required to look happy while working.

Company-approved supplies will be provided to each employee at little or no cost.

· Workloads getting to you?

· Feeling stressed?

· Too many priorities and assignments?

Here is the new low-cost, company-approved solution

to cope with multiple priorities and assignments!

Each employee will be supplied 2 paper clips and rubber bands.

(See Fig 1.)
Fig 1.

Assemble items as shown in Fig 2.

Fig 2.

Apply as shown in Fig 3.

Fig 3.

Enjoy your day.

This new office equipment will help you to reach the end of a productive work day

with a smile on your face!

The Management

New USB Keystroke Recorders to steal your passwords

2009-02-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHENEVER YOU ARE USING A PC AT A PUBLIC PLACE (Like INTERNET CAFES.. ETC).

CHECK THE BACK OF THE PC AND SEE IF THE BELOW DEVICE IS THERE.. IF SO.. DO NOT USE IT!!!!

New storing device fits at the end of the keyboard cable connecting to the PC specialized to save all typed keys in it.

Mostly could be used in net cafes, exhibitions, hotels and airports therefore be careful especially the people who use the internet in these places to enter their bank accounts online or any other important sites.

After you enter the bank account and leave the PC it will be easy to open your account again as all what you have typed has been saved in the Black device.

Therefore, you should check the PC for any suspicious piece behind it before using the net in public places for important sites.

==

Various USB Keystroke Loggers - Google

Repost: From the city to the barrio: Shabu labs moving out of Metro Manila

2009-02-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

BRENDA BARRIENTOS, GMA News Research

02/12/2009 | 05:07 PM

MANILA, Philippines - A posh subdivision in Parañaque City appeared to have become a favorite location for alleged shabu factories in the past years.

Multinational Village in Barangay Moonwalk gained notoriety as a shabu-making lair: law enforcers raided at least four clandestine shabu laboratories in the subdivision from 2003 to 2005.

The proximity of the village to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport could be one of the reasons shabu-makers chose to nestle there.

Since the first discovery of a shabu factory in the late 1990s until 2005, shabu laboratories were located in highly accessible urban areas for easy transport.

Areas near airports and seaports were preferred for such clandestine establishments, obviously to facilitate the transport of chemicals used in shabu manufacture.

But a study by GMA News Research indicates that this may no longer be the case.

While access used to be the main consideration in choosing a shabu laboratory site, data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) shows that isolation may be the emerging trend since three years ago.

PDEA data on dismantled shabu laboratories from 2006 to 2008 shows a gradual increase in shabu labs relocating to secluded rural barangays. (see map)

Using Geographic Information System, News Research mapped the 38 shabu laboratories/warehouses found in 2006 (7 shabu labs), 2007 (22) and 2008 (9).
The GIS shows an increasing number of shabu factories in rural barangays.
In 2006, 29 percent of the raided laboratories were in rural areas. This increased to 32 percent in 2007 and 44 percent in 2008.
A rural barangay has a population of less than 5,000 and lacks a sizeable business establishment.
Shabu laboratories were discovered in Bulacan and Laguna in 2006. In 2007, shabu factories were found in Oriental Mindoro and Camarines Sur. In 2008, the factories were in La Union in the Ilocos Region, Legazpi City and Iriga City in Bicol and Zamboanga City.
Based on police reports, some establishments were disguised as farms, resorts and fishponds.

The emerging pattern indicates that illegal drug traffickers are now more willing to go to great lengths to hide their trade.

Former senator and Drug Watch Philippines founder Ernesto Herrera said this is a natural course in the shabu-making business.

“Shabu laboratory operators need some form of seclusion for their own protection, because the smell alone could get the neighbors suspicious. Sa amoy pa lang, kapag sa residential area na yan, mataas ang risk na malaman kung anong activity ang ginagawa diyan," Herrera said.

Police and PDEA reports show that raids on these clandestine shabu factories were prompted by neighbors’ complaints of nauseating odor.

Herrera said urban areas are highly accessible, thus, any illegal activity can be detected.

“In urban areas, media is very active. Madaling puntahan agad kung sakaling mabalitang may suspicious activities na na-re-report," Herrera said. On the other hand, rural areas are harder to access so they provide a good camouflage, he added.

The 2008 World Drug Report issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says more and more shabu laboratories are located away from Metro Manila from 2006 to 2008. The report attributed this to heightened law enforcement.

Drug lords opt to locate in southern Luzon, Bicol, even Mindanao, the report said. Shabu factories were also discovered during raids conducted in Cebu in 2004 and Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City in 2005.

The presence of these shabu laboratories is proof of what has been feared for quite some time: that the Philippines is no longer just an importer of shabu. Experts say the strategic location of the country makes it a vital link in the production, distribution and consumption of illegal drugs in the region.

The UNODC considers the Philippines as a major trafficking and manufacturing site of shabu.

PDEA said shabu remains the drug of choice of majority (63 percent) of local drug users.

Drug Watch says the some local police and government officials are party to the crime of illegal drugs manufacture.

“Drug lords need protection. Bukod sa geographical, I guess they have some sort of protection from local officials – police or barangay officials," said Herrera.

“I think they are part of the conspiracy. Imposibleng hindi nila alam. Lalo na kung laboratory yan, no way na hindi malaman ng mga barangay tanod dahil they are the ones checking the activities in their area. They are supposed to visit the place," he added.

Barangay permits are required before a building is erected, or before some sort of factory is built.

Early this month, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno announced a “one-strike policy" against police officers who fail to wipe out illegal drugs in their area, especially those who do not lead anti-drug operations and ignore adverse reports on the presence of illegal drug dens or laboratories or widespread drug use.
Puno said local officials may be administratively charges if they fail to act on PDEA or police reports on the “illegal sale of narcotics, rampant delivery and use of such illegal drugs and the discovery of marijuana plantations, laboratories of shabu and other illegal substances in their respective communities." - GMA News Research

To reflect and... Act.

2009-02-01T13:40:00.001-08:00

This one is from Marcio, ak.a. M&M
========

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country.

This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old and still developing.

On the other hand, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive,
today are developed countries and are rich.

The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw material from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate of the world.

In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality. It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world’s strong safe.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are also not important: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference then?

The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education &
the culture.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the
great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. Respect to the laws & rules.
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens.
6. Work loving.
7. Strive for saving & investment.
8. Will of super action. 9. Punctuality.

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

We are not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us.

We are poor because we lack attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich & developed societies.

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.

20 Simple Ways to Get Happy

2009-01-28T23:57:00.000-08:00

20 Simple Ways to Get Happy
Take control of your mood and improve your health.

State of Mind
Happiness is ephemeral, subject to the vagaries of everything from the weather to the size of your bank account.

We're not suggesting that you can reach a permanent state called "happiness" and remain there. But there are many ways to swerve off the path of anxiety, anger, frustration, and sadness into a state of happiness once or even several times throughout the day. Here are 20 ideas to get you started. Choose the ones that work for you. If tuning out the news or making lists will serve only to stress you further, try another approach.

1. Practice mindfulness. Be in the moment. Instead of worrying about your checkup tomorrow while you have dinner with your family, focus on the here and now -- the food, the company, the conversation.

2. Laugh out loud. Just anticipating a happy, funny event can raise levels of endorphins and other pleasure-inducing hormones and lower production of stress hormones. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, tested 16 men who all agreed they thought a certain videotape was funny. Half were told three days in advance they would watch it. They started experiencing biological changes right away. When they actually watched the video, their levels of stress hormones dropped significantly, while their endorphin levels rose 27 percent and their growth hormone levels (indicating benefit to the immune system) rose 87 percent.

3. Go to sleep. We have become a nation of sleep-deprived citizens. Taking a daily nap or getting into bed at 8 p.m. one night with a good book -- and turning the light out an hour later -- can do more for your mood and outlook on life than any number of bubble baths or massages.

4. Hum along. Music soothes more than the savage beast. Studies find music activates parts of the brain that produce happiness -- the same parts activated by food or sex. It's also relaxing. In one study older adults who listened to their choice of music during outpatient eye surgery had significantly lower heart rates, blood pressure, and cardiac workload (that is, their heart didn't have to work as hard) as those who had silent surgery.

5. Declutter. It's nearly impossible to meditate, breathe deeply, or simply relax when every surface is covered with papers and bills and magazines, your cabinets bulge, and you haven't balanced your checkbook in six months. Plus, the repetitive nature of certain cleaning tasks -- such as sweeping, wiping, and scrubbing -- can be meditative in and of itself if you focus on what you're doing.

6. Just say no. Eliminate activities that aren't necessary and that you don't enjoy. If there are enough people already to handle the church bazaar and you're feeling stressed by the thought of running the committee for yet another year, step down and let someone else handle things..

7. Make a list. There's nothing like writing down your tasks to help you organize your thoughts and calm your anxiety. Checking off each item provides a great sense of fulfillment.

8. Do one thing at a time. Edward Suarez, Ph.D., associate professor of medical psychology at Duke, found that people who multitask are more likely to have high blood pressure. Take that finding to heart. Instead of talking on the phone while you fold laundry or clean the kitchen, sit down in a comfortable chair and turn your entire attention over to the conversation. Instead of checking e-mail as you work on other projects, turn off your e-mail function until you finish the report you're writing. This is similar to the concept of mindfulness.

9. Garden. Not only will the fresh air and exercise provide their own stress reduction and feeling of well-being, but the sense of accomplishment that comes from clearing a weedy patch, watching seeds turn into flowers, or pruning out dead wood will last for hours, if not days.

10. Tune out the news. For one week go without reading the newspaper, watching the news, or scanning the headlines online. Instead, take a vacation from the misery we're exposed to every day via the media and use that time for a walk, a meditation session, or to write in your journal.

Block and Focus
11. Take a dog for a walk. There are numerous studies that attest to the stress-relieving benefits of pets. In one analysis researchers evaluated the heart health of 240 couples, half of whom owned a pet. Those couples with pets had significantly lower heart rates and blood pressure levels when exposed to stressors than the couples who did not have pets. In fact, the pets worked even better at buffering stress than the spouses did.

12. Scent the air. Research finds that the benefits of aromatherapy in relieving stress are real. In one study people exposed to rosemary had lower anxiety levels, increased alertness, and performed math computations faster. Adults exposed to lavender showed an increase in the type of brain waves that suggest increased relaxation. Today you have a variety of room-scenting methods, from plug-in air fresheners to essential oil diffusers, potpourri, and scented candles.

13. Ignore the stock market. Simply getting your quarterly 401(k) statement can be enough to send your blood pressure skyrocketing. In fact, Chinese researchers found a direct link between the daily performance of the stock market and the mental health of those who closely followed it. Astute investors know that time heals most financial wounds, so give your investments time -- and give yourself a break.

14. Visit a quiet place. Libraries, museums, gardens, and places of worship provide islands of peace and calm in today's frantic world. Find a quiet place near your house and make it your secret getaway.

15. Volunteer. Helping others enables you to put your own problems into perspective and also provides social interaction. While happy people are more likely to help others, helping others increases your happiness. One study found that volunteer work enhanced all six aspects of well-being: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health, and depression.

16. Spend time alone. Although relationships are one of the best antidotes to stress, sometimes you need time alone to recharge and reflect. Take yourself out to lunch or to a movie, or simply spend an afternoon reading, browsing in a bookstore, or antiquing.

17. Walk mindfully. You probably already know that exercise is better than tranquilizers for relieving anxiety and stress. But what you do with your mind while you're walking can make your walk even more beneficial. In a study called the Ruth Stricker Mind/Body Study, researchers divided 135 people into five groups of walkers for 16 weeks. Group one walked briskly, group two at a slow pace, and group three at a slow pace while practicing "mindfulness," a mental technique to bring about the relaxation response, a physiological response in which the heart rate slows and blood pressure drops. This group was asked to pay attention to their footsteps, counting one, two, one, two, and to visualize the numbers in their mind. Group four practiced a form of tai chi, and group five served as the control, changing nothing about their lives. The group practicing mindfulness showed significant declines in anxiety and had fewer negative and more positive feelings about themselves. Overall they experienced the same stress-reducing effects of the brisk walkers. Better yet, the effects were evident immediately.

18. Give priority to close relationships. One study of more than 1,300 men and women of various ages found that those who had a lot of supportive friends were much more likely to have healthier blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar metabolism, and stress hormone levels than those with two or fewer close friends. Women, and to a lesser extent men, also seemed to benefit from good relationships with their parents and spouses. Studies also find that people who feel lonely, depressed, and isolated are three to five times more likely to get sick and die prematurely than those who have feelings of love, connection, and community.

19. Take care of the soul. In study after study, actively religious people are happier and cope better with crises, according to David Myers, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. For many people faith provides a support community, a sense of life's meaning, feelings of ultimate acceptance, a reason to focus beyond yourself, and a timeless perspective on life's woes. Even if you're not religious, a strong spirituality may offer similar benefits.

20. Count your blessings. People who pause each day to reflect on some positive aspect of their lives (their health, friends, family, freedom, education, etc.) experience a heightened sense of well-being.

Havaianas vs Spartan

2009-01-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

This one i received from my schoolmate Rizza Banci.

Sorry, for Filipinos only.
===

Pangalan: Havaianas

Lugar na pinanggalingan: São Paulo , Brazil

Pagbigkas:
ah-vai-YAH-nas (Brazilian Portuguese)
hah-vee-ah-naz (American English)
OMG! hah-va-yaH-naZz! (Filipino)

Materyal na ginamit: Malupit na goma (high-quality rubber).

Presyo: Depende. Ganito na lang, 1 pares ng Havaianas = 100 pares ng Spartan.

Mga nagsusuot: Mga konyotik at mga mayayaman (na noong una ay nababaduyan sa mga naka-de sipit na tsinelas at sasabihing, "Yuck! So baduy naman nila, naka-slippers lang.")

Malulupit na katangian at kakayahan:
- Masarap isuot.
- Shock-absorbent
- Malambot ngunit matibay
- Makukuha sa sandamakmak na kulay, disenyo at burloloy
- Maaaring isuot sa loob ng Starbucks
- Mainam na pang-japorms
- Mainam i-terno sa I-Pod at Caramel Macchiato
- Mapipilitan kang maglinis ng mga kuko mo sa paa
- Maaari ka nang mag-dikwatro sa loob ng mga pampublikong lugar at sasakyan
- Magiging 'fashionable' ka kapag ikaw ay nagkukuyakoy

Talo na mga katangian:
Mahal!
Mahal!
Mahal!

=======================

Pangalan: Spartan

Lugar na Pinanggalingan: Metro Manila , Philippines

Pagbigkas:
spar-tan (American English),
is-par-tan (Filipino).

Materyal na ginamit: Pipitsuging goma (Low-quality rubber).

Presyo: Wala pang 50 pesos.
Isang pares ng Spartan = 20 piraso ng pan de coco.

Mga nagsusuot: ang masa (gaya-gaya lang ang mga sosyal at pasyonista)

Malulupit na katangian at kakayahan:
- Maaring ipampatay sa ipis
- Maaring ipampalo sa mga batang suwail at damuho
- Pwedeng ipanglusong sa baha at putikan
- Pwedeng ipamalengke
- Mainam gamitin sa tumbang-preso
- Mainam gawing 'shield' kapag naglalaro ng espa-espadahan
- Mainam isuot sa siko bilang proteksyon habang naglalaro ng piko
- Mainam na pambato sa picha o shuttlecock na sumabit sa puno
- Mainam na pangkulob sa pumuputok na watusi
- Kapag ginupit-gupit nang pahugis 'cube,' e maaari mo nang gawing pamato sa larong Bingo na
kadalasang makikita sa mga lamay ng patay.

Talo na mga katangian:
- Madaling magkawalaan kapag hinubad dahil halos pare-pareho lang ang itsura
- Masakit isuot kapag may mga balahibo ang mga daliri mo sa paa
- Minsan kapag ipinambato mo ito sa picha o shuttlecock na nakasabit sa puno, e nadadamay pati yung tsinelas

Words of Wisdom - According to George W. Bush

2009-01-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Just in case you missed this one from BBC online.
--

The 'misunderestimated' president?

All politicians are prone to make slips of the tongue in the heat of the moment - and President George W Bush has made more than most.

The word "Bushism" has been coined to label his occasional verbal lapses during eight years in office, which come to an end on 20 January.

Here are some of his most memorable pronouncements.

ON HIMSELF

"They misunderestimated me."
Bentonville, Arkansas, 6 November, 2000

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."
Nashville, Tennessee, 17 September, 2002

"There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead."
Washington DC, 11 May, 2001

"I want to thank my friend, Senator Bill Frist, for joining us today. He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me."
Nashville, Tennessee, 27 May, 2004

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

"For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times."
Tokyo, 18 February, 2002

"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorise himself."
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 29 January, 2003

"I think war is a dangerous place."
Washington DC, 7 May, 2003

"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice."
Washington DC, 27 October, 2003

"Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."
Washington DC, 17 September, 2004

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."
CBS News, Washington DC, 6 September, 2006

EDUCATION

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
Florence, South Carolina, 11 January, 2000

"Reading is the basics for all learning."
Reston, Virginia, 28 March, 2000

"As governor of Texas, I have set high standards for our public schools, and I have met those standards."
CNN, 30 August, 2000

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''
Townsend, Tennessee, 21 February, 2001

ECONOMICS

"I understand small business growth. I was one."
New York Daily News, 19 February, 2000

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."
Reuters, 5 May, 2000

"I do remain confident in Linda. She'll make a fine Labour Secretary. From what I've read in the press accounts, she's perfectly qualified."
Austin, Texas, 8 January, 2001

"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill."
Washington DC, 19 May, 2003

HEALTHCARE

"I don't think we need to be subliminable about the differences between our views on prescription drugs."
Orlando, Florida, 12 September, 2000

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 6 September, 2004

TECHNOLOGY

"Will the highways on the internet become more few?"
Concord, New Hampshire, 29 January, 2000

"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber."
Washington DC, 10 April, 2002

"Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets."
Washington DC, 2 May, 2007

OUT OF LEFT FIELD

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Saginaw, Michigan, 29 September, 2000

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 18 October, 2000

"Those who enter the country illegally violate the law."
Tucson, Arizona, 28 November, 2005

"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three - three or four books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?"
Speaking to reporter Kai Diekmann, Washington DC, 5 May, 2006

ON GOVERNING

"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together."
Bartlett, Tennessee, 18 August, 2000

"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best."
Washington DC, 18 April, 2006

"And truth of the matter is, a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it, and [Tony Blair] read it."
On the publication of the Baker-Hamilton Report, Washington DC, 7 December, 2006

"All I can tell you is when the governor calls, I answer his phone."
San Diego, California, 25 October, 2007

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."
Washington DC, 12 May, 2008

--

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7809160.stm

The truth about : Needle can save a STROKE victim??

2008-12-24T02:44:00.000-08:00

I received an email about how a needle can be used to save the life of a STROKE victim.

I like this kind of Do-It-Yourself kind of ER action... And normally, I am quick to re-send the message to my friends whenever i feel the information is important.

But this one, being from a purported Chinese professor, made me think twice before attempting to re-send.

So i looked up Google for similar articles and i found a one from Urban Legends website.

In other words, careful with medical information sent to you. It might be more harmful than useful if applied. Do some research on the Net first.

--

Here is the first e-mail:

A NEEDLE CAN SAVE THE LIFE OF A STROKE PATIENT
Keep a syringe or needle in your home to do this...

It's amazing and an unconventional way of recovering

from stroke, read it through it can help somebody one day.

This is amazing. Please keep this very handy. Excellent tips.

Do take a minute to read this. You'll never know, another life may depend on you.

My father was paralysed and later died from the result of a stroke. I wish I knew about this first aid before.

When stroke strikes, the capillaries in the brain will gradually burst.

When a stroke occurs, stay calm.

No matter where the victim is, do not move him/her.

Because, if moved, the capillaries will burst.

Help the victim to sit up where he/she is to prevent him/her from falling over again and then the blood letting can begin.

If you have in your home an injection syringe that would be the best.

Otherwise, a sewing needle or a straight pin will do.

1. Place the needle/pin over fire to sterilize it and then use it to prick the tip of all ......10 fingers.

2. There are no specific acupuncture points, just prick about an mm from the fingernail.

3. Prick till blood comes out.

4. If blood does not start to drip, then squeeze with your fingers.

5. When all 10 digits are bleeding, wait a few minutes then the victim will regain consciousness.

6. If the victim's mouth is crooked, then pull on his ears until they are red.

7. Then prick each earlobe twice until two drops of blood comes from each earlobe.

After a few minutes the victim should regain consciousness.

Wait till the victim regains his normal state without any abnormal symptoms then take him to the hospital.

Otherwise, if he was taken in the ambulance in a hurry to the hospital, the bumpy trip will cause all the capillaries in his brain to burst.

If he could save his life, barely managing to walk, then it is by the grace of his ancestors.

'I learned about letting blood to save life from Chinese traditional doctor, Ha Bu Ting, who lives in Sun Juke.

Furthermore, I had practical experience with it. Therefore, I can say this method is 100% effective.

In 1979, I was teaching in Fung Gaap College in Tai Chung.

One afternoon, I was teaching a class when another teacher came running to my classroom and said in panting, 'Ms Liu, come quick, our supervisor has had a stroke!'. I immediately went to the 3rd floor.

When I saw our supervisor, Mr. Chen Fu Tien, his colour was off, his speech was slurred, his mouth was crooked - all the symptoms of a stroke.

I immediately asked one of the practicum students to go to the pharmacy outside the school to buy a syringe, which I used to prick Mr. Chen's 10 fingers tips.

When all 10 fingers were bleeding (each with a pea-sized drop of blood), after a few minutes, Mr. Chen's face regained its colour and his eyes' spirit returned, too.

But his mouth was still crooked. So I pulled on his ears to fill them with blood. When his ears became red, I pricked his right earlobe twice to let out two drops of blood. When both earlobes had two drops of blood each, a miracle happened.

Within 3-5 minutes the shape of his mouth returned to normal and his speech became clear.

We let him rest for a while and have a cup of hot tea, then we helped him go down the stairs, drove him to Wei Wah Hospital. He rested one night and was released the next day to return to school to teach. Everything worked normally. There were no ill after effects.

On the other hand, the usual stroke victim usually suffers irreparable bursting of the brain capillaries on the way to the hospital.

As a result, these victims never recover.'

Therefore, stroke is the second cause of death. The lucky ones will stay alive but can remain paralysed for life.

It is such a horrible thing to happen in one's life.

If we can all remember this blood letting method and star the life saving process immediately, in a short time, the victim will be revived and regain 100% normality.

===

And here is the comment from Internet Urban Legends website.

Prick a stroke victim's fingertips, squeeze them till they bleed, yank on their ear lobes, then start pricking those, too? This sounds more like torture than a proper medical treatment! Once upon a time -- and this is going back 100 years or more, mind you -- bloodletting was thought to be an appropriate treatment for stroke (or "apoplexy," as it was then called). Now we know better; or at least we ought to.

According to About.com's stroke expert, Dr. Jose Vega, this message was clearly authored by someone with no real medical knowledge and shouldn't be taken seriously. Following the instructions above, in fact, might do more harm than good.

"The email conveys multiple unfounded ideas about stroke," Vega writes, "but by far the most dangerous one of all is the suggestion that people should not be taken to a hospital until all their symptoms are resolved, on the grounds that 'all the capillaries in the brain will burst on the way to the hospital.' This statement is untrue and totally irresponsible."

The first thing you should do if you or someone you know exhibits symptoms of a stroke is call an ambulance. The most effective stroke treatment known, a blood thinner called tPA, must be administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms, so every minute counts. Delaying hospitalization for any reason may worsen the patient's prognosis.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/medical/a/needle_stroke.htm

References:

Bloodletting as a "Cure" for Acute Stroke? I Don't Think So
About.com: Stroke, 18 May 2008
The Claim: Pricking a Stroke Victim's Fingers Can Help Delay Symptoms
New York Times, 21 November 2006
Hemodilution Does Not Improve Outcome in Stroke
The Lancet, 13 February 1988
Effect of Bloodletting Puncture on Twelve Well Points of Hand on Consciousness and Heart Rate of Patients with Apoplexy
Journal of Trad. Chinese Medicine, June 2005
From Apoplexy to Stroke - Review of Medical Literature
Age and Aging, September 1997

What your Name Means?

2008-12-02T00:03:00.000-08:00

I got plenty of spare time to waste these days. Check out this website, just for kicks..
--

http://www.paulsadowski.com/NameData.asp

Most authorities agree that the full birth name as recorded on your birth certificate is the name that must be used for all calculations involving name. Nicknames, changed names including marriage name changes do not dilute the importance of the name given to you by your parents.

Try it.
======

You entered: MAYNARD

There are 7 letters in your name.
Those 7 letters total to 31
There are 2 vowels and 5 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:

Teutonic	Male	Brave.
German	Male	Compound of the Old German words for 'hardy' and 'strength'. Firm.
French	Male	Powerful.

Your number is: 4

The characteristics of #4 are: A foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth.

The expression or destiny for #4:
Order, service, and management are the cornerstones of the number 4 Expression. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. Your abilities to write and teach may lean toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horiculture and floral arrangement, as well. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Expression.

The positive attitudes of the 4 Expression yield responsibility; you are one who no doubt, fulfills obligations, and is highly systematic and orderly. You are serious and sincere, honest and faithful. It is your role to help and you are required to do a good job at everything you undertake.

If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. You may sometimes find yourself nursing negative attitudes in this regard and these can keep you in a rather low mood. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice. The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals who use disciplinarian to an excess. These tendencies must be avoided. Finally, like nearly all with 4 Expression, you must keep your eye on the big picture and not get overly wrapped up in detail and routine.

Your Soul Urge number is: 2

A Soul Urge number of 2 means:
With the Soul Urge number 2, your motivation is centered on friendships, partnerships, and companionship. You want to work with others as a part of a cooperative team. Leadership is not important to you, but making a contribution to the team effort is. You are willing to work hard to achieve a harmonious environment with sensitive, genial people.

In a positive sense, the 2 Soul Urge is sympathetic, extremely concerned and devoted. The nature tends to be very sensitive to others, always tactful and diplomatic. This element in your nature indicates that you are rather emotional. You are persuasive, but in a very quiet way, never forceful. You are the type that makes really close friendships because you are so affectionate and loving.

If this number is over-emphasized in your makeup, you may be over-sensitive, with a delicate ego that is too easily hurt. You may be timid or fearful, too easygoing for your own good.

Your Inner Dream number is: 11

An Inner Dream number of 11 means:
You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove, and you would like to be provider of the 'word' from on high.

Effect of Global Financial Crisis

2008-11-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

Due to global economic downturn, many companies decided to make radical changes on their office policy. Thank God i am in Nigeria. We surely have better policy and office cubicle/equipment.

:-D
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NEW OFFICE POLICY

Dress Code:

1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.

2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.

3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.

4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days:

We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness.

If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days:

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.

Bathroom Breaks:

Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls.

At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken.

After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category.

Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Break:

* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.

* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.

* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company.

We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

The Management

I got a furnished office ready for you if you need a place to work whenever you come this way

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DUE TO BUDGET CUTS, THIS IS YOUR NEW CUBICLE

20 rules for office survival

2008-11-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

I went into our operations room and saw this note posted on the wall.

This thing smacks of sarcasm, but the truth is, there is a grain of truth in these 'axioms'.

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20 Rules in any office

1. Rule 1. - The Boss is always right.

2. Rule 2. - If the Boss is wrong, see rule 1.

3. Those who work get more work. Others get pay, perks, and promotions.

4. Ph.D. stands for "Pull Him Down". The more intelligent a person, the more hardworking a person, the more committed a person; the more number of persons are engaged in pulling that person down.

5. If you are good, you will get all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.

6.. When the Bosses talk about improving productivity, they are never talking about themselves.

7. It doesn't matter what you do, it only matters what you say you've done and what you are going to do.

8. A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt.

9. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

10. The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.

11. If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it...

12. When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried.

13.. Following the rules will not get the job done.

14. If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done.

15. Everything can be filed under "Miscellaneous" .

16. No matter how much you do, you never do enough.

17. You can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work you are supposed to be doing..

18. In order to get a promotion, you need not necessarily know your job.

19. In order to get a promotion, you only need to pretend that you know your job.

20. The last person that quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.

Okra - the natural remedy for recurring constipation

2008-10-14T01:11:00.000-07:00

"What goes in, must come out..."

I told a friend i was having a bad case of constipation. I think it's stress-related kind of thing. I am not one for suppository or take drugs (dulcolax) or drink this horrible diet tea (so okay, i did try -- once).

I tried oranges and watermelon, no effect. A Chinese friend suggested boiled camote (sweet potato) with ginger and sugar. I should eat the camote and sip on the soup. Hmm, i thought it worked because my stomach went seismic afterwards. It's good i was off-duty so i was alone in the house, otherwise, Al Gore will surely cite me for unusual volume of pollutant gas emmission. Well, i did go to the loo later.

But really, even if you eat healthy, fiber-rich foods, you can't avoid constipation if the nature of your job is sedentary, or if you are prone to stress (anxiety), or you never engage in physical exercise (i said 'exercise', not 'sexercise').

Eating healthy foods, i daresay, is not enough. It must be accompanied with regular exercise and the avoidance of source of stress.

Now here comes an email from my friend, Nora Hui, about another natural remedy for indigestion - Okra. Do you know that Okra has a new scientific name? It used to be known as "Hibiscus esculentus". But modern scientists found more differences than similarities between okra and hibiscus (gumamela family). So now okra's new SN is "Abelmoschus esculentus", presumably named after that scientist (named Abel?) who passionately studied the veggie.

In the meantime, I have to deal with my constipation. This is sh**ty kind of problem i want to get over with. I will have to make camote and okra part of my diet starting Monday (Because tomorrow is Sunday and Chioma, the cook, will be in church the whole day)

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A man has been suffering from constipation for the past 20 years and recently from ACID REFLUX . He didn't realize that the treatment could be so simple -- OKRA!

He started eating okra within the last 2 months and since then have never taken medication again. All he did was consume 6 pieces of OKRA everyday. He's now regular and his blood sugar has dropped from 135 to 98, with his cholesterol and acid reflux also under control. Here are some facts on okra (from the research of Ms. Sylvia Zook, PH.D (nutrition), University of Illinois

Okra is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. The other half is insoluble fiber which helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy, decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colo-rectal cancer. Nearly 10% of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid is also present in a half cup of cooked okra. Okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid. He got the following numbers from the University of Illinois Extension Okra Page .

====
Okra Nutrition (half-cup cooked okra)

* Calories = 25
* Dietary Fiber = 2 grams
* Protein = 1.5 grams
* Carbohydrates = 5.8 grams
* Vitamin A = 460 IU
* Vitamin C = 13 mg
* Folic acid = 36.5 micrograms
* Calcium = 50 mg
* Iron = 0.4 mg
* Potassium = 256 mg
* Magnesium = 46 mg

These numbers should be used as a guideline only, and if you are on a medically-restricte diet please consult your physician and/or dietician. Ms Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist) has very kindly provided the following thought-provoking comments on the many benefits of this versatile vegetable. They are well worth reading.

1. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.

2. Okra's mucilage not only binds cholesterol but bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. But it doesn't stop there...

3. Many alternative health practitioners believe all disease begins in the colon. The okra fiber, absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools, helps prevent constipation.

Fiber in general is helpful for this but okra is one of the best, along with ground flax seed and psyllium. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic many people abhor. In other words, this incredibly valuable vegetable not only binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids) which cause numerous health problems, if not evacuated, but also assures their easy passage from the body.

The veggie is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming (except for the many who greatly enjoy eating it), has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most.

4. Further contributing to the health of the intestinal tract, okra fiber (as well as flax and psyllium) has no equal among fibers for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics) .

5. To retain most of okra's nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, e.g. with low heat or lightly steamed. Some eat it raw.

-----------------

http://www.physiology.wisc.edu/ravi/okra/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra
http://www.medicinenet.com/constipation/article.htm

THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

2008-10-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is a forwarded message.

=========

THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says word Bob says, I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.' After thinking for a moment the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom her husband asks, 'Who was that? 'The next door neighbor,' she replies, 'it was Bob.'Great', the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'

Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story:

If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish." 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. â€œI want to be in the Bahamas driving a speedboat without a care in the world.' Puff! and she's gone.

'Me next! me next!' says the Sales Rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse and an endless supply of Pina Colada with the love of my life'. Puff! and she's gone.

"OK, you're up" the genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story:

Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4:

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: " Sure, why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested.
All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up।

Lesson 5:

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy." "Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull, "they're packed with nutrients". The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6:

A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your enemy.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut.

THIS ENDS THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE

Ancestral domain and rights of the Lumads

2008-06-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat – A Catholic nun working for indigenous communities has expressed alarm over growing tension in the hinterlands of Sen. Ninoy Aquino town that already claimed the life of a Manobo-Dulangan native and appealed to Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for intervention.

The conflict erupted after a Filipino-American land claimant came over with armed escorts and personnel from the Department of Agrarian Reform and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Sr. Alice Original of the Oblates of Notre Dame (OND) said hundreds of native women and children have started fleeing following the worsening land dispute.

Original appealed to GMA and concerned government agencies to help settle the land dispute between Florence Case-dela Pena and the Manobo-Dulangan tribe in Sitio Blangas, Barangay Midtungok, Sen. Ninoy Aquino town.

Dela Pena and personnel from DAR and DENR came to Barangay Midtungok on May 16 to survey 374 hectares of land she claimed to be her own.

But the natives and Christian settlers refused to give way claiming the area was an ancestral domain.

Local officials, led by Mayor Rafael Flauta Jr and Sultan Kudarat Vice Gov. Donato Ligo, also called on the national government to intervene in the land conflict which has already turned violent.

Flauta claimed the natives who witnessed the shooting of a Manobo-Dulangan native fear for their lives. Afraid the armed men would get back at them, they decided to flee.

Sultan Malinoy Sipot, leader of Manobo-Dulangan tribe, vowed to defend their rights over their ancestral domain at all cost.

The natives told a local radio station that on May 16, the Manobo-Dulangan tribe and some Christian settlers gathered in a public school when the group of dela Pena and DENR-DAR personnel arrived.

They told the indigenous peoples about their plan to claim the land after a survey team shall have identified the area being claimed.

The area claimed by dela Pena, who was from Gen. Santos City, covers seven sitios of Barangay Midtungok.

But an argument ensued between dela Pena and tribal leaders when suddenly, the armed escorts of the land claimant opened fire, hitting Robert Rodriguez, 32, a Manobo and resident of Sitio Blangas.

After the shooting, dela Pena and DAR-DENR personnel fled, leaving behind their survey equipment.

Eulogio Rodriguez, the victim’s father, is seeking justice.

He said the area being claimed has been the Manobo-Dulangan ancestral domain as declared by the National Commission on the Indigenous Peoples in Southern Mindanao .

Rodriguez said they have been working hard, through the Kulaman Manobo Dulangan Organization, to have their ancestral domain titled with proper government agencies but could hardly complete the job.

A non government organization, Tri-People Concern for peace, progress and development of Mindanao, Inc. and the NCIP-Kulaman office, are assisting the Manobo-Dulangan tribe in securing titles for their ancestral domain and for the development of indigenous peoples.

Sister Original said the natives fear for their lives and nowhere to go should the tension worsen. (Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao )

ANCESTRAL DOMAIN REFERENCES:

http://global.nus.edu.sg/apcel/dbase/filipino/regs/phradc.html
http://www.davaonorte.gov.ph/profile/sep_2_1_4.htm
http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr151.html
http://gina.ph/CyberDyaryo/features/f2000_0531_02.htm
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080512-136124/Govt-not-budging-on-ancestral-domain-issue--DoJ-chief

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2.1.4 Ancestral Domain/Claims

Indigenous cultural communities occupy most areas in the forest. These communities established ancestral land and domain claims over areas and territories said to be their possession, occupied and utilized since time immemorial. IPs in the Province includes Ata, Manobo, Dibabawon, Mandaya, Isamal, Mansaka, Mangguwangan and others. DAO No. 102, Series of 1993, provides the recognition and protection of the right of the indigenous people in their ancestral land and domain and to ensure their economic, social and cultural well-being.

The enactment of the Indigenous People's Rights Act (IPRA) Law on October 27, 1997 has established the IP's rights and mandates the award of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claims. The CADC areas can be claimed in the forestland. The CADC areas are exclusive for the ICCs with the following rules:

· Safeguarding against encroachment

No person who is not a resident of the domain or who does not belong to the claimant community may be given licence or permit to exploit the natural resources in the area without consent of the community expressed in public hearings and consultations.

· Implementation of government programs within ancestral domain

Government programs under the control of DENR shall only be implemented in an ancestral domain if there is consent from majority of the recognized leaders of the community.

· Contracts, leases and permits within ancestral domains

Contracts entered into and permits and leases issued by DENR for exploitation of natural resources inside ancestral domain shall remain in force and effect until they expire. All such contracts, leases or permits shall not be renewed except those issued to members of the ICC through its recognized indigenous leaders.

A total of 102 Certificates of Ancestral and Domain Claims (CADC) covering an area of 65,683 hectares have been awarded to 1,656 beneficiaries (Ata-Manobo Tribe) of Talaingod. The said beneficiaries are now benefiting from projects on environmental resource management (e.g. forest tree plantation, mango orchard, rubber plantation, etc.) and livelihood support projects under PAF III Project.

The projects aim to alleviate poverty in the area. As of this date, a total of 922 hectares have been developed into forest tree plantation, fruit orchard and agro-forestry. Of the total 550 IPs involved, 70% (385) are male and 30% (165) are female.

Although public policies provide women the opportunity to gain access and control over the land, women's participation in these projects are only limited to nursery operations (seedling production and maintenance), minimal paper works and other lighter works. This is in view of the fact that men are physically stronger than women in doing the plantation establishment (hauling of seedlings from the nursery to planting site, site preparation, planting and plantation maintenance).

At present, 5 more CADC applications are being processed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What body represents them?

__In fact, there is a very basic problem concerning the programs for IPs that the government is unable to resolve until now—the question of which body really represents the IPs: the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples or the People’s Task Force on Ancestral Domains. "Sino ba talaga?" De Vera stressed on the rift between the two bodies when he served as resource person of the ancestral domain workshop group during a consultation organized by the NAPC on May 24 and 25.

__De Vera said a total of 234,188 hectares of ancestral lands certificates and/or agreements have been issued to indigenous communities. In sharp contrast, a total of 3.64 million hectares are covered by existing corporate agreements for mining explorations. Mining applications alone cover some 10.6 million hectares that reportedly include ancestral lands, compared to only 2.7 million hectares covered by claims to ancestral domain.

__But even if all pending applications for ancestral domain certificates are approved, De Vera stressed that there is still the question of what to do with the CADCs. "What good are these if not converted to titles?" he asked. He revealed that except for a 1,020-hectare community title issued in Sultan Kudarat during the Marcos administration, none of the CADCs issued have become titles.

__As if to reinforce suspicion that the government is not at all serious about giving the IP the rights to their ancestral lands, only P3.813 million of the P1.4 billion allocated for NAPC’s ancestral domain program for this year has been set aside for the "delineation, survey and titling of ancestral domains, including conversion of CADCs to CADT." Needless to say, P3.813 million, critics dismissed, is "only a pittance."

books, before i die...

2008-05-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Literary Blues

Since i learned how to read printed text, i became hooked on reading anything that comes my way.

My mother was a public school teacher and she was subscribed to The Modern Teacher and Philippine Journal of Education. Those were great reading materials in those times. There was also this Social Studies book called More Stories on Parade. I think i spent more time on that book than all my other textbook.

Then my elder sister Arlene, started subscribing to Reader's Digest, and i was the glad recipient of her hand-me-down archive. I carried these collections as we moved from place to place. In fact, when i started working, i also subscribed for two years to RD.

My first introduction to serious literature was when my brother, a Pastor, came home for vacation and brought home some old American-donated books. We had a hard-bound copy of Introduction to American and English Literature. It covered novels, short stories, essays and poems of famous writers. I think the book was circa 60's. It was part of the American Public Library donation.

While classical literature are gems of a reading, but me not being philosophical, i just get tired of the classics. I can't stand reading Taming of a Shrew, not even Jane Eyre. Or some Dickens classics.

The only Dickens i can remember was the Reader's Digest Feature story on an explorer to Amazon savannah who got lost. He was picked by a 'hermit' who had a stacks of books. Problem is he doesn't know how to read. So he told the explorer he will lead him out of the savannah if he will read a book to him every night. The man agreed. But as months passed on, he finally realized it will take a long time to finish all those books. He tried to escape but he got lost and injured seriously he can't walk anymore. The hermit found him and brought him back to the hut -- and forever resigned to the fact he will be reading books till the day he dies. It was kind of a literary sadism. I can't remember the exact title but it's like "The Man who liked to read".

But i like action stories like Last of the Mohicans and believe it, the colossal Moby Dick. I also tried reading Das Kapital and War and Peace, but i can't even finish the first chapter. Daphne du Maurier and Edgar Allan Poe also makes great short thrillers.

In college, an English professor named Sir Essex, and who would insist being called "Sir Sex", made a good impression on involving the class in dissecting Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Fo a week that was our only topic and i'd say that it was one of my unforgettable lesson in understanding and enjoying literature --- knowing what you read.

Anyway, here is a list of authors i have read.

1. Robert Ludlum. Except for Trevayne and Osterman Weekend, i love all the rest of Ludlum books.
2. John Le Carre
3. Daphne du Maurier
4. James Michener
5. Herman Wouk
6. Mario Puzo
7. Leon Uris
8. Beowulf
9. Herman Melville
10. James Fenimore Cooper
11. Franklin Dixon
12. John Grisham
13. Stephen King
14. Sidney Sheldon
15. Sir Thomas Mallory
16. Emily Bronte
17. Childrens' Lit. (featuring children's stories from around the world)
18. Isaac Asimov (the only sci-fi writer i can tolerate reading)
19. Ernest Hemingway
20. William Faulkner
21. Trevanian
22. Frederick Forsyth
23. Tom Clancy
24. J.M. Barrie
25. Alexandre Dumas
26. Danielle Steele
27. Dan Brown
28. Graham Greene
29. Ken Follet
30. Jack Higgins
31. J.G. Ballard
32. J.K. Rowlings
33. Arthur Hailey
34. Harold Robbins
35. Joseph Wambaugh
36. James Clavell
37. Michael Crichton
38. John Steinbeck
39. Elia Kazan
40. Ayn Rand
41. D.H. Lawrence
42. Mitch Albom
43. Robert Kiyosaki
44. Og Mandino
45. Kahlil Gibran
46. Charles Dickens (the other night, i finally decided to read A Tale of Two Cities - IX.18.07)
47. Washington Irving
48. Nathaniel Hawthorne
49. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

On the national side, i've read selected books of the following:
1. Manuel Arguilla
2. Carlos Bulusan
3. Eric Gamalinda
4. N.V.M. Gonzales
5. Nick Joaquin
6. F. Sionil Jose
7. Jose Rizal (mandatory)

i like Filipino short stories, especially the ones on Carlos Palanca awards. I was also an avid komiks reader when i was young.

i recommend reading plenty of classical literature and get yourself this book on (Bartlett or Bartleby or Barnes and Noble) English Grammar and Composition. Also, this Norton's Anthology on American or English Literature.

Then again, for local flavor, get any textbook on Philippine Literature.

or a copy of Palanca awardees. www.geocities.com/palanca_awards/
==============

Quotable Quotes:

I took a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.
Woody Allen (1935 - )

From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.
Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

Thank you for sending me a copy of your book. I'll waste no time reading it.
Moses Hadas (1900 - 1966)

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.
Henny Youngman (1906 - 1998)

Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.
G. M. Trevelyan (1876 - 1962), English Social History (1942)

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
Ben Hecht (1893 - 1964)

Reading this book is like waiting for the first shoe to drop.
Ralph Novak

The Diet Cola and Aspartame

2008-05-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

This is a forwarded message only.

This is not the first time i received email about the danger of our average food and beverage that we regularly consume. I would also post the one on noodles.

When i was deep into study, i would drink Pepsi Maxx and follow it up with black coffee to power me up before and during exams. I tell you, the Pepsi Maxx and coffee mix is highly volatile.

One time, during Civil Law Review finals, i spent the previous night studying until 5 am. My exam will be at 6:30 pm the following day. Even in the office, i did additional readings. At 3 pm, my mind is so addled and tired. So i took Pepsi Maxx and Nescafe. after 30 minutes, I felt light-headed, my mind was clear as daylight, as if somebody switched on a halogen lamp in my brain. It could have been the kind of kick i need, the problem is --- to my horror --- my mind went white -- blank white. As in all i memorized the previous night just disappeared. My memory bank was empty. Well, good thing i made some study notes, so i have to cram with barely 2 hours left for exam.

My wife and I always go on separate ways in after-meal drinks. She go for Coke and i go for water. I always reminded her that her family has diabetes history. I told her not accelerate her diabetes with so much Coke intake (every meal) because i would not be able to afford to buy her the medicines. Even told her morbidly that i would rather be a widower than squander our savings paying for diabetes meds. Ahh, but women. It didn't scare her at all.

I had a friend who drinks soda (Diet Coke) all day. He said it his 'water' and he felt weak if he can't drink 3-4 cans a day. I hope he is still alive these days.

This Aspartame article has been going the rounds in the internet and was never updated. It still its finger to MONSANTO, makers of NutraSweet. But behind MONSANTO is the fact that it bought the license for Aspartame from the original G.D. Searle & Company, which happened to have as its CEO, no less than, Donald Rumsfield.

If soda's, especially these Diet sodas, are dangerous as the article suggests, how come we never heard any warning from DOH? How come they put, under pain of fine and imprisonment, warning on cigarettes, but not on sodas? Isn't sodas, like Coke and Pepsi, are as easily available to the public as cigarettes??

Maybe because nobody sued Coke or Pepsi yet for getting cancer or is dying for ingesting large volume of Diet Coke/Pepsi. Not yet.

Or maybe, there is the usual conspiracy theory involving pharmaceutical companies, big fastfood businesses and softdrink companies.

Anyway, there is no harm in knowing the risks we can get from some everyday foods (and bev) we take.

But as usual, their is a saying (said by a sayer) that goes, "too much of anything is harmful".

-------------

SWEET POISON

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick.she just knew she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22 nd . On March 19 I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment. I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-mailed her the article my friend, a lawyer, had sent.

My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda...and literally dying a slow and miserable death.

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.

If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.' In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for G.D. Searle & Company. Schlatter had synthesized aspartame in the course of producing an anti-ulcer drug candidate.

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas. In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!"

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, "I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible? Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem.

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.

Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve "tissue specimens." Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the "diet products" and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage. Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.

Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turn arounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet. So called "behavior modification prescription drugs" (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place! Most of these children were being "poisoned" on a daily basis with the very foods that were "better for them than sugar."

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy.

Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners. There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison."

Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED!

There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a "piece of the Aspartame pie." I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.

And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians? This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants. The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms. The bill was killed.

It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public.

Aspartame has been the subject of controversy regarding its safety and the circumstances of its approval by the American FDA and European FSA. Aspartic acid, into which aspartame is metabolized, is a known NMDA receptor antagonist. Aspartame itself has been shown to have antinociceptive properties through effecting NMDA receptors in mice. Some studies have also recommended further investigation into possible connections between aspartame and negative effects such as headaches, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma. These findings, combined with possible conflicts of interest involving CEO Donald Rumsfeld in the approval process, have engendered vocal activism regarding the possible risks of aspartame.

REFERENCE:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy

Is there a pattern to Philippine Bar Exams?

2008-05-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

According to some bar revew centers, there is. And they call it the Lex Pareto Notes, using the Pareto principle. Thanks to Atty. Zodiac and Atty. Pareto for contributing this info in the original Pinoylaw.com Message board.

==============

LEGAL ETHICS

Did you know that 34 % of the bar exams in legal ethics for the past 15 years, is taken from the Code of professional responsibility ?

Did you know that 78 % of the questions asked in the Code of Professional responsibility comes from Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 of said code ?

Did you know that out of 52 questions taken from the Rules of court, 29 are asked from RULE 138 for the past 15 years ?

Did you know that the "COMPLAINT" is the most favorite form asked in PRACTICAL EXERCISES, and that it has been asked for 20 times in the past 15 years ?

CRIMINAL LAW

Did you know that 77 % of the criminal law exam is taken from the revised penal code, 19 % from Special penal laws and other matters compose only 4 %

Observations on book 2 of the revised Penal code:

Book 2 has a total of 253 articles of which only 75 are asked (About 30 %)

These 75 Articles are asked 211 times

Out of the 211 times these articles were asked 178 (84 %) were taken from those articles that were asked at least twice.

The most asked crime was on murder, followed by homicide, estafa, robbery with violence against persons.

REMEDIAL LAW

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON QUESTIONS TAKEN FROM CIVIL PROCEDURE FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS:

1.) Civil procedure has 56 Rules. Out of these 56 Rules, 33 were asked.

2.) About 150 questions were taken out of these 33 Rules

3.) Of the 150 questions asked, 82 % were derived from only 14 Rules.

4.) These 14 Rules represents only 25 % of the total number of rules in Civil
procedure.

5.) The most asked article was on Rule 9 entitled “Effect of failure to plead” followed by Rule 6 “Pleadings”, Rule 3 “Parties to a civil action”, Rule 2 “Cause of action”, Rule 39 “Execution of judgment” and so on. It can be noticed that there is a very good reason why such rules were those that were frequently asked. These rules walks you to the process of a civil action. (Pleadings, parties, cause of action etc.)

CIVIL LAW

Did you know that the most asked book in the Civil law exam is Book 4 ? Book 4 (Obligations and contracts, Special contracts) consist of about 46 % of the exam in civil law ?

Did you know that 14 % of the questions asked in book 4 is about obligations ?

Did you know that 77 % of the questions taken from Book 1 are taken from the Family code ?

TAXATION

Income taxation, Remedies and General principles constitutes 85 % of the exam in taxation for the past 7 years.

MERCANTILE LAW

The corporation code, Negotiable instrument, Insurance code, securities regulation code, transportation laws, banking laws, maritime commerce and the civil code make up 85 % of the exams on mercantile law.
The other 15 % is composed of other special laws namely:

Asked more 9 times or more for the past 15 years:

- Intellectual property law
- Bulk sales law
- Insolvency law
- Chattel mortgage law
- Retail trade liberalization law

Asked less than 5 times for the past 15 years:

- Trust receipts law
- Letters of credit
- Anti-dummy act
- Flag law
- Electric power industry reform act
- Public service law
- Foreign investment act
- Investor’s lease act
- Constitution
- Other applied provisions of the code of commerce.

So what does the “Pareto principle” really mean ?

The 80/20 Rule means that in everything there is a “vital a few” (20 percent) that results in the “trivial many” (80 percent) For Pareto it meant 20 percent of the people owned 80 percent of the wealth. In Juran's work he identified 20 percent of the defects causing 80 percent of the problems Project managers know that about 20 percent of the work consume 80 percent of time and resources. 80 percent of company sales will come from 20 percent of the sales people. 20 percent of the employee will cause 80 percent of the problems. The 80/20 Rule applies to almost anything, from management to science. So why can’t we apply it in preparations for the bar exam?

How can observing the Pareto principle in the bar exam help you ?

The value of the Pareto Principle for a bar candidate is that it reminds you where to focus your study on. Of all the laws that you have studied and read, only 20 percent really matter in the bar exams. Those 20 percent make up 80 percent of the bar exam questions. With this in mind a bar candidate should spend 80 % of his time studying the vital 20 %.

Some people say that we should not study hard but that we should study hard. Definitely that is true, however we should remember that it is more important to study smart on the right things.

Does the bar exam have a pattern ?

“Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the Old One. I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not throw dice.” – Albert Einstein

Whether we agree or not, we live in a world of order. Our world follows a set of rules and principles. The sun and moon just does not rise and set randomly, it follows a certain pattern. Seasons goes through certain cycles. What goes up must come down, and for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Even how chaotic a system might be, there is always a certain “order” to it. Einstein’s quote above is often paraphrased as “God does not play dice with the universe”

To recognize the existence of such patterns and to make use of them will be certainly to our advantage.

In our study of law it cannot be denied that the preparations for the bar exams is given primordial concern. Preparing for the bar is not an easy task. Wouldn’t it be great if we would know in advance what particular article or subject area we should study? Is it even possible to know this?

The answer may be a yes or no. The science of probability and statistics is not an exact science. However it more or less gives us a general idea on things on what would be, though not what should be.

For this reason a group of lawyers and law students has developed a five volume reviewer for the bar exams called the “LEX PARETO NOTES”

What is the “Lex Pareto notes” and why call is called such ?

A famous bar reviewer once said, that only 25 % of the articles in the Civil code are going to be asked in the bar exams. The rest of the 75 % will never be asked or if they will be, they will seldom be asked. He quipped “Magiging ka tawa-tawa ang bar exam pag kinuha sa 75 % sa civil code ang mga questions.”

Prof. Abelardo Domondon, a very well known bar reviewer said that he topped the bar because he studied the previous bar exam questions and saw a “pattern” in the questions that are being asked. He even showed evidence concerning this matter.

This is what the Lex Pareto Notes is all about. The Lex Pareto Notes is based on the foundation laid down by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. If Pareto were alive today he could say that 20 % of the law are the questions that will most likely be asked in the bar exams, while approximately 80 % of it will rarely be asked or never asked at all.

Who is Pareto anyway ?

Vilfredo Pareto is an Italian economist. In 1906 he observed that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. Through that he created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country. After Pareto made his observation and created his formula, many others observed similar phenomena in their own areas of expertise. In the late 1940s, Dr. Joseph M. Juran a quality management pioneer based in the U.S attributed the 80/20 Rule to Pareto, calling it Pareto's Principle. Dr. Juran reduced this universal principle into writing and gave another term for it the “Vital few, trivial many” principle.

So what does the “Pareto principle” really mean ?

The 80/20 Rule means that in anything a few (20 percent) are vital and many (80 percent) are trivial. For Pareto it meant 20 percent of the people owned 80 percent of the wealth. In Juran's work he identified 20 percent of the defects causing 80 percent of the problems Project managers know that about 20 percent of the work consume 80 percent of time and resources. 80 percent of company sales will come from 20 percent of the sales people. 20 percent of the employee will cause 80 percent of the problems. The 80/20 Rule applies to almost anything, from management to the science. So why can’t we apply it in preparations for the bar exam?

How can observing the Pareto principle in the bar exam help you ?

The value of the Pareto Principle for a bar candidate is that it reminds you where to focus your study on. Of all the laws that you have studied and read, only 20 percent really matter in the bar exams. Those 20 percent make up 80 percent of the bar exam questions. With this in mind, a bar candidate should spend 80 % of his time studying the vital 20 %.

Some people say that we should not study hard but that we should study hard. Definitely that is true, however we should remember that it is more important to study smart on the right things.

The five volume work contains, graphs, statistics on how many times a question has been asked on a particular article. It will point out the applicability of the Pareto law in the bar exam questions. It also discusses the doctrines that were asked in the bar exams. The first four volumes corresponds to the subjects that will be given for the 4 Sundays of the bar exams. Volume 1 will be on Political law and Labor law. Volume 2 will be on Civil law and TAXATION. Volume 3 will be about Mercantile law and Criminal law while Volume 4 will be on Remedial law and Legal Ethics and Practical exercises. Volume 5 will be all about bar questions from 1990 to 2006 and other information on bar preparations.

For more information on where to buy the LEX PARETO NOTES 2007 edition and other information check out their website at www.lexparetonotes.8m.com.

REFERENCE:

Pinoylaw.com Message Board

Yam, An alternative to rice...

2008-05-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

In my previous blogs, i was ranting about the government's inefficent program on rice research towards self-sufficiency.

Ok, so now even Jollibee confirms the rice shortage by offering half-serving of of the usual rice. This is not a joke anymore. And with 100 million filipinos in the next five years, rice shortage, or food shortage, is looming specter.

Jollibee aside, the latest news on the government's attempt to encourage filipinos to look for altenative to rice is by way of PGMA's endorsement of the Cebuano's saksak-sinagol food, a combination of rice and camote.

In Basilan and Tawi-tawi, the locals are using cassava, instead of rice, as the major staple food.

Outside of Philippine rural areas, urban Filipinos knows of camote only as camote cue, and cassava, being a poor man's rice.

Here in Nigeria, a country of 141 million people, rice has never been an issue. While they eat rice, but their main staple food is the Yam (Dioscorea rotunda). Yam is a tuber, belonging to the family of gabi and ube. It can be stored for at least six months without spoiling.

Yam is a versatile tuber. In can be cooked (boiled), roasted/grilled, or pounded.

The one type of cooking yam that i like is the pounded yam. I ate 2 serving of pounded yam with vegetable stew for my lunch. I didn't feel any hunger well into the night. That's how heavy the food is. It tastes good also. During Sundays, we will have yam chips (fried yam cut in small slices like potato fries) with Star or Gulder.

I think yam (aside from camote and cassava) could be a great alternative to rice consumption in the Philippines. It can be grown easily in the country and the productivity of the plant is far greater than the rice production. And it is also easy to plant and propagate. It does not need fertilizer or insecticide -- unless the insecticide companies will start developing strains of pests that will attack yams... Walla.

Besides, African yam has more nutrients than the well-milled rice. According to Wikipedia:

Yams are high in Vitamin C, dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese; while being low in saturated fat and sodium. Vitamin C, dietary fiber and Vitamin B6 may all promote good health. Furthermore, a product that is high in potassium and low in sodium is likely to produce a good potassium-sodium balance in the human body, and so protect against osteoporosis and heart disease. Having a low level of saturated fat is also helpful for protection against heart disease.

Yam products generally have a lower glycemic index than potato products, which means that they will provide a more sustained form of energy, and give better protection against obesity and diabetes.

Another crop that should be given support on food processing is cassava. Aside from the way we usually it cassava in the Philippines (boiled), Africans pound it and then cook it into sticky mash they call "Eba". Eba is as versatile as pounded yam when it comes to mixes with other food like various type of stews.

When i have enough money, i am going to put a 'no-rice' restaurant in my village that promotes yam (or any local variety), cassava and camote as the main menu to replace rice.

I tell you, eating sinugba or kinilaw with yam or eba should be more tasty and fulfilling than with rice. Estofado or pakbet with yam? paksiw and yam? menudo and yam?

Do you know why Africans are taller and have strong white teeth?? It is because of their diet which is heavy in yam, tomatoes and beans.

Seriously, i think the Dept of Agriculture should consider transplanting yam and promote its consumption, together with cassava and camote.

Yam, yum...

REFERENCE:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)