Saturday, May 4

SELF

To Survive And Thrive, You Need To Be Flexible
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SELF

To Survive And Thrive, You Need To Be Flexible

We Can Choose Our Attitude How would you describe your life right now? Are you surviving from day-to-day or thriving? I don't intend to underscore your troubles but help you gain an insight into your current conditions. It takes courage to take an introspective look into ourselves, particularly when we don't like what we see. Most people never take this journey because highlighting their shortfalls threatens their self-esteem. The problem is that we stay stuck and stagnant, without growing and advancing. I'm certain if you're reading this article, you're not that person. You're not the person to rest on your laurels because something inside of you identifies with growth and expansion. Even if you don't know how to improve your life, you recognise you are not satisfied. If you are no...
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Do You Think That’s Funny?
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SELF, SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

Do You Think That’s Funny?

We all enjoy a good laugh on occasion, and indeed humour can be a very effective way of easing areas of tension or breaking the ice in a new relationship. But one thing to remember when using humour is that we each have our own distinctive preferences in the things that we find funny and different tastes regarding what we enjoy. Some may like slapstick, sketches, joke telling, others may prefer a more subtle, observational style. Laughter has been found to improve our overall health, boost our immune system and reduce both our stress levels and blood pressure. It releases endorphins, the feel good, happy chemicals in the brain which are released whenever we exercise, laugh and feel upbeat. Laughing for 10-15 minutes has even been found to burn off up to 40 calories! So, if you're strug...
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Do You Walk The Walk Or Just Talk The Talk?
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SELF

Do You Walk The Walk Or Just Talk The Talk?

We've all no doubt had experience of people who 'know it all', who claim to be skilled and proficient in many areas, who are full-on, keen to be involved and who make very impressive statements about their experience and abilities but who then repeatedly fail to deliver what's they've promised. Or those who are constantly boasting, full of grand ideas and plans about where they're going, what they're doing, all sounding very exciting and fulfilling. Yet they never happen. Are these people fantasists or liars, are they lazy and unable to put the effort in? Or are they overwhelmed at what they've shouted from the rooftops, but then can't walk the walk due to their lack of ability, hiding behind a thin veneer of bravado, as they dread the truth being revealed? Sometimes listening to anot...
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Black Licorice Spooky And Dangerous Side
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SELF

Black Licorice Spooky And Dangerous Side

Black licorice may look and taste like an innocent treat, but this candy has a dark side. On Sept. 23, 2020, it was reported that black licorice was the culprit in the death of a 54-year-old man in Massachusetts. How could this be? Overdosing on licorice sounds more like a twisted tale than a plausible fact. I have a longstanding interest in how chemicals in our food and the environment affect our body and mind. When something seemingly harmless like licorice is implicated in a death, we are reminded of the famous proclamation by Swiss physician Paracelsus, the Father of Toxicology: “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.” I am a professor in the department of pharmacology and toxicology and author of the book “Pleased...
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The urge to punish is not only about revenge – unfairness can unleash it, too
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SELF

The urge to punish is not only about revenge – unfairness can unleash it, too

Imagine you and your friend are at a party and someone orders pizza. You’re starving. You put a couple of slices on your plate and sit down at the table. Before you start eating, you excuse yourself to wash your hands. On your way back from the bathroom, you look across the room just in time to see your friend grab one of the slices off your plate and start to eat it. This would probably make you mad, right? You might even feel an urge to get back at them somehow. Now imagine a slightly different scenario. You and your friend are at the same party but before you have the chance to get pizza, you excuse yourself to wash your hands. While you’re gone, the pizza is served and your friend grabs a couple slices for themself but only one for you. This would also probably make you kind of mad,...
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To be a great innovator, learn to embrace and thrive in uncertainty
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SELF

To be a great innovator, learn to embrace and thrive in uncertainty

Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, was America’s first female self-made millionaire. She pioneered a line of hair care and beauty products for people of color early in the 20th century, and the recent Netflix series “Self Made” details the story of this talented innovator and the challenges she overcame on the way to her success. To accomplish her goals, she had to face overwhelming uncertainties. How would she finance her business? Would her partnerships fail? Would her products sell? Would ruthless competition and racism get in her way? Madame Walker’s future was far from certain when she began her journey, but that did not dissuade her. Madam Walker was willing and able to face uncertain situations as she grew her business. The Smithsonian via Wikimedia Commons It is tempting to ...
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Brewing Mesopotamian beer brings a sip of this vibrant ancient drinking culture back to life
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SELF

Brewing Mesopotamian beer brings a sip of this vibrant ancient drinking culture back to life

It’s been about five months since I set foot in a bar. Like many of you navigating life in a pandemic, I miss bars. I miss the simple pleasure of sharing a beer with friends. And I know I’m not alone. People have been gathering over a beer for thousands of years. As an archaeologist, I can tell you the history of beer stretches deep into the human past – and the history of bars is not far behind. If you could travel back in time to one of the bustling cities of ancient Mesopotamia (c. 4000–330 B.C.), for example, you would have no trouble finding yourself a bar or a beer. Beer was the beverage of choice in Mesopotamia. In fact, to be a Mesopotamian was to drink beer. A beloved beverage For the Sumerians, Akkadians and Babylonians, the ancient inhabitants of modern-day Iraq, beer was a da...
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6 ways to build motivation to do your schoolwork now that you’re forced to learn online at home
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SELF

6 ways to build motivation to do your schoolwork now that you’re forced to learn online at home

Even in normal circumstances, it can be hard to get motivated to do your schoolwork. But these are not normal circumstances. The switch to remote instruction caused by COVID-19 has been unsettling. Patterns have changed. Habits have been disrupted. Remote classes are simply different from classes that involve face-to-face instruction. As a researcher who looks at what it takes to get through college, I have a few tips that could maximize your motivation and productivity when you’re at home going to school online. 1. Guard your time You do not need large amounts of time to be productive. Instead, be intentional and focused in short blocks where you can work without interruption. Protect these open times by setting up your workspace to minimize distraction – including silencing notificatio...
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Who Can You Trust and Why?
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SELF

Who Can You Trust and Why?

I always find it interesting to watch politicians who attack their opponents and then, when they drop out of the race because of lack of support, back the person who they have been trashing. It is easy to attack others and make promises when you are hoping that others will vote for you! But the process doesn't always seem to be honourable. It is easy to listen to a charming individual who seems to have a good line but keep in mind the old expression that states: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". To trust means that you have confidence that someone or something is reliable and honest. You can trust the sun to rise each day. But how do you know who you can trust? There are several markers that will help you to decide if you should trust someone: They have a good tra...
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10 time-saving tips to get important stuff done
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SELF

10 time-saving tips to get important stuff done

The irony of time management is that there is no time to address time management issues. “Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both” are wise words by Benjamin Franklin that still ring true today — perhaps even more so in this harried technologically advanced age. RescueTime.com editor Jory McKay pointed out that the irony of time management is that there is no time to address time management issues. However, never ending for many individuals is stress and concern that not enough time exists in a day to tackle necessary tasks. Peter Turla, a time management expert based in Flower Mound, Texas, said key advice is the old adage “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” or in his words: “Don’t spend dollar time on penny projects.” He encourages individuals to evaluate daily schedul...
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