"Beauty of a mother"
The first time it happened, we're out walk ing: my little boy hold ing my left hand, his older sister on my right, and the baby, six weeks old, asleep in her snugly. We're still at the stage when my taking a shower seems like an accomplishment.
I haven't lost all the weight I gained while pregnant, it's been months since I had my hair highlighted to preserve the conceit that I remain as blonde as I was at 16, I look like I'm getting as little sleep as I am, and I am wearing a nursing bra? In short, not a glamorous moment.
Really, I-don't-need-anyoneto-tell-me-so, drop-dead beautiful. It has taken three children to deliver me to this state, this symmetry of boy on my left, girl on my right, and baby on my breast. Ridiculous, but as we f navigate the sidewalk I feel ra diant, as if I were wearing a dress encrusted with precious stones, reflecting the sun's light.
Wasn't I supposed to feel this way on the day I married my children's father? Photographs suggest I made an attractive bride, but I was so over whelmed by the momentous ness of the occasion that all I felt was scared, not at all sure I was equal to the promises I was about to make.
Perhaps it's all the fairy tales I've been reading with the older children. The princess is always beautiful, she anticipates the arrival of her prince and their union? The point of which is to make a prince or princess of their own.
My mother was 18 when I I was born, an event she associ t ated with stretch marks, vari cose veins, and the encum t brance of a baby she didn't f want? Not with beauty, not at all. What little power she had, she believed, in being desirable to a man, and I had stolen that from her. Tired, worn, perspir ing under the snugly straps, I wouldn't expect to feel even I presentable. But the consciousness of walking forward into life flanked by children is transforming, it is for someone like me, for whom motherhood has redeemed an unhappy past.
From this moment on, I never feel more beautiful than when I am with my children.
Perhaps we've just emerged from the car, rumpled, cross, covered with dog hair? Every mile spent together on the road undoes a minute of primping.
To visit the cousins: I might as well have skipped the shower, the mascara, the hairbrush.
Still, when we walk through the door, I'm smiling from something cosmetics can't deliver. It's the consciousness of my good fortune.
My husband took pictures of me holding our first child, we were in a garden. It was March 1990, and the light had the ten der quality of early spring, pulling forth pale green buds.
I'm not looking at the camera, the baby has all my attention.
Wow, I thought, when I saw those pictures? What a lovely face that woman has. It took 10 years, two more babies, and many more rolls of film before I understood, That's me. That's what I look like. I don't always beam at my children? What mother does? But when I do, I'm beautiful.
Facebook VS Google
Facebook, Google to battle over smarter web?
Google takes a step today toward lock ing horns with Facebook over creating a smarter web. The sultan of search announced it has acquired Metaweb, a fledgling outfit that's been working on packaging information on the internet so it can be searched and connected in more meaningful ways than nests of links.
"Over time we've improved search by deepening our understanding of queries and web pages," Jack Menzel wrote on the official Google blog. He went on to say, "The web isn't merely words -it's information about things in the real world, and understanding the relationships between real-world entities can help us deliver relevant information more quickly."
"Today," he adds, "we've acquired Metaweb, a company that maintains an open database of things in the world. Working together we want to improve search and make the web richer and more meaningful for everyone."
Noble sentiments, indeed. But what exactly is Menzel getting at? He's talking about being able to conduct searches that are closer to a scalpel than a jackhammer. He explains it this way: "Type `Barack Obama birthday' in the search box and see the answer right at the top of the page. Or search for [events in San Jose] and see a list of specific events and dates. We can offer this kind of experience because we understand facts about real people and real events out in the world.
But what about colleges on the west coast with tuition under USD 30,000 or actors over 40 who have won at least one Oscar? These are hard questions, and we've acquired Metaweb because we believe working together we'll be able to provide better answers." Google, though, isn't the only one looking for those answers. Facebook is looking for them, too. In the spring, it announced its Open Graph initiative.
Open Graph is also trying to tie together the far corners of the web into packages that can be more meaning ful to its users. "Yelp is mapping out the part of the graph that relates to small businesses," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly told an audience at the company's F8 developer's conference in April. "Pandora is mapping out the part of the graph that re lates to music. If we can take these separate maps of the graph and pull them all together, then we can create a web that's smarter, more social, more personalised, and more semantically aware."
In their quest for a more perfect web, though, it appears the two giants could be heading for a collision course over metadata. The metadata for Facebook's initiative could create a rival structure to what Metaweb has built, argues Kim-Mai Cutter at the Deals & More website. She adds, "Because Facebook has the `like' data recording the preferences of its 500 millions users, it could harness the metadata to create a compelling search product."
Needless to say, the prospect of a compelling search product from anyone but Google isn't going to make anyone at Google very happy.
Spider-Man Toxic City
This brawler starring your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man 
offers evolved action...and clunky controls.
offers evolved action...and clunky controls.Side-scrolling brawler games and superheroes seem to be a perfect match. Superheroes are known for fighting their way through swaths of enemies, and having a game that constantly scrolls to one side sets up climactic super villain showdowns waiting on the other end of the level. And Spider-Man: Toxic City 3D is a very good side-scrolling superhero ac tion game.
You play as Spider-Man and must stop the Green Goblin from turning New Yorkers into hideous monsters. At times, you'll also play as Spidey's alter ego Peter Parker -without the costume -but with all the same moves, including the web slinging, which would be a dead giveaway if anyone from the Daily Bugle saw him. The game starts you off fighting street thugs, but you'll work your way up to mutants and killer robots quickly enough.
At the same time, the game tells a story about Peter and his love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Because you're off fighting monsters as Spider-Man, you'll miss a date to the school dance only to have more villains show up by the time you arrive. And in a humorous twist at the end, Mary Jane herself be comes instrumental in defeating the Green Goblin.
The environments in SpiderMan: Toxic City
3D are heroic in their own right. You'll climb up vertical surfaces and dodge falling barrels, as well as run across landscapes with a camera that swivels around you to show off the environments. Plus, the levels offer a good variety, from the school dance to a bank robbery in progress, ending with a big fight on top of the "Imperial State" building.
3D are heroic in their own right. You'll climb up vertical surfaces and dodge falling barrels, as well as run across landscapes with a camera that swivels around you to show off the environments. Plus, the levels offer a good variety, from the school dance to a bank robbery in progress, ending with a big fight on top of the "Imperial State" building.
The game's real problem is that the controls are a bit too clunky.You can't run and jump at the same time, and the aerial combat never feels quite right. As a result, you'll often find yourself keeping the notoriously acrobatic superhero grounded, relying on punches and kicks instead. Certain jumping segments are also a lot less fun because of the controls. Still, even though it's a short run, this brawler gives you plenty to do. You can unlock achievements, collect hidden comic books, and try to beat your best scores in survival and time attack modes.
What your handshakes says about you?
Your handshake can reveal your person ality. Which of the following handshake style more closely resembles your personality?
1. Firm and brief Conveys confidence, assertiveness and professionalism. The person using this handshake is perceived to be trustworthy and willing to listen. A firm handshake provides opportunity for a favourable first impression, it suggests a person who is knowledgeable and possesses excellent social skills.
There may be circumstances where a woman's assertive behaviour can be misinterpreted as being too forward..
2. A real shake It indicates an open and outgoing person who has habit of being warm and pleasant to everybody. An overly eager handshake shows power, determination and the desire to remain in control of situations. If exaggerated, the handshake can make people appear inflexible and it can also reveal insecurity, a person who doesn't know when to quit.
3.The knuckle cruncher The knuckle cruncher usually wants to express a message of power and in timidation. For those peo ple who want to cover up their feelings of insecurity this handshake may be used to keep others at a dis tance..
There are also cases where the person is being sin cere. How ever while the inten tion may be to convey warmth, the impres sion creat d ed is definitely that of a per n son who is high strung and ke lacks sensitivity..
4.The lingering a e handshake o it Sometimes people keep a your hand in their hand for w too long and seem to not want to give it back. This may denote reliability and trustworthiness or it may suggest that the person hasn't revealed all of his/her cards. It may also mean that the person is expecting something more that what was agreed upon.
5. Light and brief fingertip grips Someone who is not interested in building rapport and wants to escape the greeting ritual as soon as possible.
This person is perceived to be passive and reserved, without the interest and energy required to complete people focused tasks. This type of handshake indicates a lacklustre personality and usually draws a lasting impression.
6. Use both hands It denotes an eagerness to convey a message. This is favourite handshake of politicians because it im plies a quick sincerity and intimacy. It is open to inter pretation whether the per son is trying to sell some thing that's not really there, or is someone who is gen uine and agreeable.
7.Teacup Like the claw of a lobster, the other person's thumb and fingers touch the palm of the hand and there is no palm-to-palm contact.
Timid and insecure, this person fears connecting at a deep level and may face challenges building rela tionships. This handshake indicates that the person may be hiding something.
8.Won't initiate a handshake This person will only re act to the other party's first move. In a case such as this, the person may be object ing to a situation, however if this behaviour is consistent, the person may be hesitant and reserved by nature.
9. Pat the other person's arm or shoulder May reveal a sense of su periority. Depending on the person's social position this handshake can be a sincere effort to show understand ing or it can be an attempt to belittle someone.
10.The stiff-arm thrust Keeping the arm close to the body while bending it at the elbow, this handshake is used by people who do not want to take risks. It can also act as a defence mechanism for people who feel a threat to their territory, and tends to be used by aggressive people who want to keep others at a distance.
READY FOR MONSOON'S SCARY SPELL..........
Monsoon
brings with it relief from scorching summer. But monsoons reduce the immunity of our body and make us susceptible to many diseases which are commonly associated with this season. It is time for us to keep our body resistant against diseases by boosting our immunity and taking precautions against these diseases. It is time we get our safeguards ready and gear ourselves up to face monsoon.
brings with it relief from scorching summer. But monsoons reduce the immunity of our body and make us susceptible to many diseases which are commonly associated with this season. It is time for us to keep our body resistant against diseases by boosting our immunity and taking precautions against these diseases. It is time we get our safeguards ready and gear ourselves up to face monsoon.Water borne diseases Diseases that spread during monsoon are basically water borne and gastrointestinal infections such as cholera and typhoid. Diarrhoea and jaundice are also common. Accumulation of water on the roads promotes the growth of the mosquitoes causing malaria and dengue. Eye flu and infections of the foot are also observed in this season. Also diseases like dryness, spasmodic pain, high blood pressure, leptospirosis and conjunctivitis, gas formation and gastric disturbances occur frequently. Also one comes across cases of viral attacks and coughs and colds.
Causes: Contaminated surface water sources and large poorly functioning municipal water distribution systems contribute to transmission of waterborne bacterial diseases. Our body's intestinal and digestive system becomes weak during the rainy season, which makes us highly susceptible to all kinds of infections. Contamination of water and unhygienic conditions are very often the cause of many monsoon ailments. Skin conditions, asthma and arthritis also get aggravated because of excess humidity. Infection can result not only from drinking the water but also from swimming in the water where it can enter the body in other ways such as through broken skin. Waterborne disease is a huge health issue worldwide.
Gastro intestinal infections: People are prone to typhoid, diarrhoea and jaundice (hepatitis A and E). Cholera is infectious, and spreads as an epidemic on account of drinking contaminated water or eating unsafe food.
Viral infections: No illnesses are as common and as bothersome as the colds, flu, sore throats and the accompanying fevers. Monsoon witnesses a rapid rise in cases of viral infections as low temperature is ideal for the spread and growth of viruses.
Skin infections: Avoid walking bare feet as they may lead to diseases such as leptospirosis, which is rat urine borne disease. A lot of airborne and waterborne microbe circulate in the monsoon air. Wash your feet thoroughly in clean water, and keep them dry and clean. Shoes, socks and rain coat too need to be dry.
Body immunity: Summer dehydration weakens the stomach, which needs to be strengthened during monsoon.
During this season, the temperature fluctuates between hot and bright sun alternating with an unending rain. A sudden temperature change affects the immune system, and the body becomes easy prey to various maladies.
Ways to ultimate happiness
Happiness
is not fa away if you un derstand life an embrace it. To liv life to the fullest and make i more positive you just hav to follow simple rules. Her are some simple rules of lif that will help you to bette you and better tomorrow.
is not fa away if you un derstand life an embrace it. To liv life to the fullest and make i more positive you just hav to follow simple rules. Her are some simple rules of lif that will help you to bette you and better tomorrow. 1. Learn to listen: Only the mind that listens can understand anything. Listening is not passive as most of us think. It means to let a message sink in, with out being judgmental. Don't criticise. Don't comment. Let not your conditioning interfere with understanding what you are hearing. Put off your filters. Let your intelligence take a break. Don't validate anything. Listen with a still, calm mind and you'll hear the deeper meanings. The contrived tree rends a healthy workload. So, be happy in working envirinment too.
You'll understand the Truth.
2. Understand yourself: Go Inward. Look inside you. Just relax and let your thoughts come out. Don't try to comment, criticise or judge them. Your anger, greed, jealousy and envy must be understood by you.
Only when you know the filth and mistakes inside can you change it. If you refuse that you are bad or deny it, then you can never be happy.3. Be in sync with nature: You must understand the larger perspective of life. We are designed to live with nature, we depend on it for air, water, food et cetera. We can't go against it. Love the flowers, plants and trees. Do what you can to protect and nurture it. Live in harmony with it. And you'll find the happiness. Remember, as a child, you were thrilled by the first sprout of the seed you sowed in the garden.
4. Love
unconditionally: The whole world seems to be doing this wrong. As children grow up, we ask them to do certain things. If they do, we shower love on them. If they don't, we scold them. We deny them our love.
unconditionally: The whole world seems to be doing this wrong. As children grow up, we ask them to do certain things. If they do, we shower love on them. If they don't, we scold them. We deny them our love.
The teacher does it. The boss is no different. And the partner is the same too. Rejection, scorn, cold shoulders, that's what people get when they don't follow the carrot and stick policy.Do what I say, do what I like, only you'll be my best friend, you'll get my love. But, conditional a love works in the short term. Unconditional love to o children, friends, partners t and parents, that's the wint ning strategy. Try and you won't regret.
5. Speak the truth: Truth is the foundation on b which true love is built. Lies a and falseness can crush a romantic relationship. Sooner or later, the person is going to find out the truth and then the love bonds are gone -disappearing into the thin air. When you're wrong or make a mistake, accept it. And the person will forgive you, not just that the bonds of love grow stronger after that.
Honking heroes pollute..........
My friend and I do many things in the same manner. We enjoy riding bikes on the streets, highways and narrow alleys. I envy him sometimes, because he shows some better skills on the wheels. But he has a very nagging habit that I wish him to change.
Not only him, if all the youths of this country could change that habit, we would move a notch up in civic behavior. The issue is about honking.
Honk... Beep.... Blare...Toot... Honking, everywhere, every time and by everyone.
Irritated with my continuous plea not to blow the horn, my friend once asked if we were not to blow the horn why had it been fitted on vehicles. It is supposed to be used in emergencies, not every other second to make our environmentally polluted city further polluted by sound. We also have a mouth and throat that can make a very loud noise. If we were to shout every time without purpose, what would people think about it? If people start venting their ire, anger, happiness, love everything loudly on the street, not caring about the other people, just imagine how noisy would our environment be. Blowing the horn every now and then is almost the same, if not more. We vehicle riders should be considerate about other people's ear drums because our vehicles are roaring all the time. We know the engines can't be silenced up to a certain level, that's why we have to restrain ourselves from blaring unnecessarily.
How to avoid other vehicles coming from the other side in the turning?
How to make people give space to you on the road? How to make the vehicle in front of you to let you go? How to ask the gate keeper to open the gate? How to draw the attention of the girls. How to irritate your competitor in the other bike, how to enter into the main road, how to call a friend to come down, how to ... ? You are supposed to use your eyes, not to just depend on horns to avoid collisions. If you are prepared to respect the pedestrians, just go slowly behind them, they will let you go. You will at the most lose around five to seven minutes by not blowing the horn, but you might have saved your life by slowing down and keeping watchful eyes on the road. Use your head to understand that no one wants to be late, so the vehicle ahead is not stopping there for no reason. You blowing the horn won't push the traffic forward.
"Is life really a struggle or do optimists rule the world?"
I remember a conversation with my mother, not long ago, in which she told me that she’d rather tone down her expectations almost to a point of non-existence than be disappointed by things not happening the way she wants them to. I was a bit shocked to hear such pessimism
come from my strong and wise mother. It seems to go against the sign of the times, too, with everyone talking about positive thinking, the law of attraction and the likes.
come from my strong and wise mother. It seems to go against the sign of the times, too, with everyone talking about positive thinking, the law of attraction and the likes. As a coach, I agree with the discourse of optimism. I know how important it is to keep a positive outlook on what you want to achieve. Moreover, I know it is possible to influence your emotions by changing your thoughts from negative ruminating to a more optimistic internal voice.
As a private person, I know myself to be my mother’s son and in my darkest hour, the fear of expecting too much is no stranger to me.
As I ponder on this, I’m reminded of something I remember reading in one of my psychology text books: those who see life as a struggle are probably more correct in their negative thinking than those who view the world in a very positive light. However, this does not bring success and happiness to the righteous and truthful pessimists. The naive optimist, although statistically more often on the unrealistic side of the equation, does have a much better chance of a successful and happy life.
So, even if statistically speaking, more people face failure than success in general, you better make sure your thoughts are on the optimist side.
In other words, the optimists seem to attract more than their share of success. And as I write this, I realise there is no such thing as `more of their share' when it comes to success and happiness. Thinking optimistically, as I try to do most of the time, I know for sure that success and happiness do not come in fixed quantities. We can make it more and we can make it turn our way if we invite it nicely. That much I do know. So positive thinking and law of attraction? I guess I am a fan, be it somewhat reluctantly ...
do not come in fixed quantities. We can make it more and we can make it turn our way if we invite it nicely. That much I do know. So positive thinking and law of attraction? I guess I am a fan, be it somewhat reluctantly ...Knight and Day
Tom Cruise
can't go wrong with an action thriller and there are many blockbusters to prove that.
can't go wrong with an action thriller and there are many blockbusters to prove that.Cameron Diaz is perfect as a goofy, high on life and bubbly girl next door. And director James Mangold has gems like Walk the Line and Girl Interrupted to his credit. When such stalwarts come together, you expect nothing but a blockbuster.
However, somehow Knight and Day falls short of all expectations. Blame it on the `formula' script that fails to bind it into a memorable watch. But what shines despite the run-ofthe-mill, secret agent meets girl next door story, is the crackling chemistry between the lead actors.
The movie begins with June Havens (Diaz) getting on a plane she was not supposed to be on where comes across the charming and intriguing Roy Miller (Cruise) whom she had already bumped into twice at the airport. The sparks fly and she is all set to seduce Roy but she is not aware that he has already assassinated a few other passengers and pilot on board. After landing on a field Roy warns June to be careful with people who will come after her to know about Roy and they might even kill her. June tries to run away from all the troubles that follow after the crash, but realises she and Roy have to work as a team if she wants to survive. Roy explains he is trying to save a genius high school inventor Simon (Paul Dano) and his cre ation -a perpetual energy battery called the Zephyr -from falling into wrong hands. While on their way to take Simon to a safe location, they are chased by the FBI and a Spanish arms dealer, Antonio (Jordi Molla). While June falls for Roy's charm, while in hiding in Austria June comes to know that Roy himself is involved in trading the Zephyr with Antonio.
The movie has been shot in exotic locations like Austria and Spain and involves lots of action and thrill. The lead actors are given ample space to let their chemistry bloom on screen. Cruise is one of the most bankable stars of Hollywood and he proves it in the movie which n spite of having a nothing new to offer has been ef ortlessly carried by him with his charm and acting skills. Diaz has done full ustice to her role as con used and bubbly girl goof ng things up. It's because of hese two that one can find he movie interesting enough till the last scene.
All said and done, don't go to watch it expecting it to be next MI series or Mr and Mrs Smith as it is not that sleek or that smouldering.Take it as a summer fling, which is interesting, engaging and a fun way to pass time.
Genre: Action, thriller, comedy, romance
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Jordi Molla and Viola Davis
"TOLSTOY'S INNER WORLD..."
In my opinion there are two film critics in America, Stephen Hunter who won a Pulitzer Prize for his criticism, and Roger Ebert. One of the things great critics require is gravitas, which is generally achieved by age and seeing one heck of a lot of films and have a vast and wide ranging knowledge of the finer things of life. For example, on his criticism of The Last Station, the story of ups and downs of the aging Leo Tolstoy and his wife, he quotes the remarkable story of a publisher who goes off to ask James Joyce’s wife to secure the rights to Ulysses. The publisher is reported to have said “Nora, you have a brilliant husband” to which she responded “You don’t have to live with the bloody fool”.
Both Tolstoy and Joyce in completely different ways were much larger than life and tended to dwarf all those
around them except Tolstoy waged a battle of love and non-understanding with his wife the countess Sofya.
Says Roger Ebert, “The Last Station focuses on the last year of Count Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer), a full-bearded Shakespearian figure presiding over a household of intrigues. The chief schemer is Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), his intense follower, who idealistically believes Tolstoy should leave his literary fortune to the Russian people. It’s just the sort of idea that Tolstoy might seize upon in his utopian zeal. Sofya (Helen Mirren), on behalf of herself and her children, is livid.
Chertkov, the quasi-leader of Tolstoy’s quasi-cult, hires a young man named Valentin (James McAvoy) to become the count’s private secretary.
In this capacity, he is to act as a double agent, observing moments between Leo and Sofya when Chertkov would not be welcome.
It might be hard for us to understand how seriously Tolstoy was taken at the time.
To call him comparable in stature to Gandhi would not be an exaggeration, and indeed Gandhi adopted many of his ideas. Tolstoy in his 82nd year remained active and robust, but everyone knew his end might be approaching, and the Russian equivalent of paparazzi and gossips lurked in the neighbourhood.
The Last Station has the look of a Merchant-Ivory film, with the pastoral setting, the dashing costumer, the meals taken on lawns.
But did Merchant and Ivory ever deal with such a demonstrative family? If the British are known for suppressing their emotions, the Russians seem to bellow their whims. If a British woman in Merchant-Ivory land desires sex, she bestows a significant glance in the candlelight. Sofya clucks like a chicken to arouse old Leo’s rooster.
The dramatic movement in the film takes place mostly within Valentin, who joins the household already an acolyte of Tolstoy. Young and handsome, he says he is celibate. Sofya has him pegged as gay, but Masha (Kerry Condon), a nubile Tolstoyian, pegs him otherwise.
Valentin also takes note that Tolstoy, like many charismatic leaders, exempts himself from his own teachings.
Some women are simply sexy forever. Mirren is a woman like that. She’s 64. As she enters her 70s, we will begin to develop a fondness for sexy septuagenarians.
Mirren and Plummer make Leo and Sofya Tolstoy more vital than you might expect in a historical picture.
Giamatti has a specialty in a specialty in seeming to be up to something, and McAvoy and Condon take on a glow from f e e l i n g noble while sinning. In real life, I learn, To l s t oy provided Sofya with more unpleasant sunset years, but could we stand to see Mirren treated like that?" Mirren was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress as well as a Golden Globe.
Getting along: Age no bar......
Do the youngest people in today's work force lack loyalty and a strong work ethic? Or are they simply more focused on results and less on blind loyalty to a company?
As baby boomers approach retirement and are replaced by the latest generation to enter the working world, the millennial, managers are faced with a dynamic mix of age groups working together. Although this can lead to conflict, experts say it's also possible to make the generational differences strengthen the workplace.
Here's a rough overview of the four generations in the work force today -
· Traditionalists: Born in 1945
· Baby Boomers: Born in 1946 to 1964
· Generation X: Born in 1965 to 1979
· Millennials: Born in 1980 and after Workers in their mid-50s and older are less likely than their younger colleagues to be motivated by external incentives like competition, money and opportunities for advancement, said Ilke Inceoglu, a senior research psychologist with SHL Group Ltd.
"For this age group, intrinsic incentives such as having autonomy and stimulating work become more motivating."
These employees "have probably already achieved quite a lot in their jobs," she said, including promotions and pay increases.
According to diversity consultant Simma Lieberman, the youngest workers are more likely to quit if these rewards aren't forthcoming. For example, younger employees are likely to leave a workplace where rewards are based largely on seniority.
"Baby boomers and traditionalists say, `We spent all this money training you and you're leaving after only six months?'" Lieberman said.
Boomers, on the other hand, may believe that younger workers don't respect their years of experience and contributions to the company, she continued. "They have a really hard time when they see a younger person come in and the younger person is a know-it-all."
Many of the things the millennials want at work -a casual environment, flexible hours, respect -would make workers of all ages happy. The difference, according to Lisa Orrell, a speaker and consultant who is an expert on relations among generations, is that millennials are less willing to stick with a company that's not providing such perks.
How to get along?
Experts offer these keys to in r-generational harmony: Respect: This is the most im portant, especially for managers. A younger supervisor needs to listen to older employees and respect their contributions. So does an older manager with younger employees. Comments like, "You're just like my mother" or "You remind me of my son" may be meant as compliments but are not helpful.
Work/life balance: Younger workers may demand flexible schedules, but workers of all ages enjoy them. Such schedules are not always possible, however, "There are some jobs where somebody has to be there at a certain time," Lieberman said. But when employees are able to adjust their hours to fit their lives, it can make workers of all generations happy.
Rewards and recognition: Companies may start out trying to improve their rewards and recognition programmes to give younger workers the incentives they want.
But recognising good work will help motivate staff of all ages.
Communication: Younger workers want more communi cation from their bosses than older ones are used to. "It's causing a very big manage ment shift in corporate cul tures," Orrell said. Although the older workers may not be ask ing to hear from the boss more often, more communication generally leads to a better workplace for everyone.
Mentoring programmes: Younger workers want "some one that they know they can go to for questions and answers and guidance," Orrell said. "If you really want to attract millennials to your company, you need to be telling them you do have a mentorship programme in place."
And experts offer an important caveat: Don't make too much of generational differences.
Better for everybody Finally, remember that improving the workplace for younger employees can benefit everyone. In fact, if the workplace becomes more flexible and fun, Orrell said, it's possible that some baby boomers may delay their retirements for a few years, easing the pressure that compa nies will feel to fill their spots. And when they do retire, a more hospitable place will have younger workers in the pipeline to replace them. These are the future managers and leaders for every corporation. -Margaret Steen
The innocent mistake......
The lady either had a genuine intention or had done it mistakenly when she exchanged my scooter with hers. Last Friday, we had a get together in the evening. I hurriedly rushed towards the party venue and parked my scooter in the parking lot. It was almost 7:00 in the evening when our party began. It was fun before before we finished around 8:00 and wished each other goodnight.
Looking for my scooter, I found it missing. I asked the restaurant owner about my scooter, and he said one of his regular customers had dragged it to a work shop. Now, questions were flowing like waves one after the other-why , when, where etc. The situation was something unexpected and there was a big crowd now. Somebody from the crowd said that a lady around 35, in an inebriated state was seen dragging a bike to the work shop. We rushed towards it and found my scooter in a damaged condition. The lock was broken and the body parts were scattered around. The immediate question was what to do with the scooter-leave it as it was or call the police (Dial 900).
I argued with the mechanic why he broke the lock without checking the blue book as I knew there was a strict instruction by the police to every garage that they were not authorized to open the lock without the authenticity of the owner. He was perturbed.
However, I cannot complain about that man as he did what he was instructed to by the lady who had given him a few hundred bucks.We made a complaint at 103 and I am very much thankful to the police. They took quick action and they came to the place where the incident occurred and took the scooters (mine as well as that lady's) into custody. Since it was Friday, we had to wait till Sunday to clear up things and get the vehicles back.
On Sunday morning, I was at the police station and the lady too. We had a short talk and concluded with the understanding that my scooter would be taken to a workshop and repaired. I am thankful to the lady for she kept her words.It is, in fact, very astonishing why people drink so much that they forget they have to return home. And, the worst part is why it is difficult for them to recognize their vehicle. Intoxicated people not only trouble others but they put themselves in greater trouble too.
Everyone make mistakes but be sure to realise and correct it.
My unsure love, finally sure.........
Well, when I was a 13 years girl who just stepped the teen age fall in love with one guy named Alex, who was 2 years older than me. I don't know when and where I fall for him. He was also studying in same school where I used to study. Actually he was the popular guy of our school and of our city.
Everybody loves him and teachers used to admire him. In Actual he was sort of celebrity because he used to act in the Tele movie. Which was great hit and he was playing the leading role in that. He was good at acting, well at studies, well in sports and he was well mannered. Well he is good in playing Basketball and the captain of the team of our school. Actually our school had won many games of basketball and it’s because of him and his team player. He was all rounder and he was the coolest guy of our school and state as well.
At first I used to talk about him a lot and one day I just met him in the school bus. Actually he usually didn’t go by bus but he was coincidentally in the bus. So there I met him there for the first time. At that time he was already in the school bus and me and my pal Michelle we were entering the school bus there was other notorious and bully boys. Among them one of the boy just kept the leg in front of my way and I didn’t see it and I was about to fall suddenly Alex caught me in his warm arms and I was clanged in his arms for a moment. At that time I introduce me and my friend and thanked him. I was very at that moment and felt like an angel.
After then we just stare each other in the school. But we never ever talked and shared our feelings with each other because I used to feel uneasy and used to scare to talk with him. He always used to stare me in every break time and when we coincidently met each other but he didn't used to utter a word. I loved him from inside but couldn't show him and share him. finally when he passed his grade-10 and had a last day on school which was farewell day, I farewell him without uttering a word because I wasn't sure that he love me or not and I was scared to propose him if his answer will be 'no' .so, Neither I told him something nor he told me something for his high school and we never met thereafter and only his memory was left behind.
After that we began to see each other coincidently sometime like I used to see him coincidentally once in long interval of time because he was still inside the city. He was still in the state and hasn’t moved to the city and I was so shocked by that and was curious to know the reason why he didn’t move to city?
But one day when I passed my school then I got some time and I was going for the violin class and was in the way to return back home. I saw him with his Pal in his splendid car. I was aw. At that time he was not only a Tele movie star but also a film star.
After that time, I saw him everyday when I was returning back home. As I told it that he used to stare me. Throughout this time he was staring me and one day I was with my Pal and busy talking ,returning from violin class I was on the way to my home there he came in his car and came out of the car, yanked me, told "I love u" and kissed me. At that time my whole body was freezing. I was so confused what to say or what to do. I was motionless at that time and then he wrote something on my hand. While he finished writing he told me again "if you love me too then you'll call me tonight". He told this much and he went away. As he was going away from me some people and chic recognize him and was screaming and following him to take autograph of him. But I was there only staring him.
My Pal Michelle who was with me was also shocked for a moment and after a while she started to mock me. When I reached at home I was totally perplexed what to do. That was past and after that moment when he's last day of school was on, I stopped to think about him and here I had already one Boyfriend Steve. I think a lot and recalled my past moments and came to conclusion that he is my first love so I should give a chance to it.
Then I phoned him and talked with him. From that I came to know that he wanted me to be first to propose him and start this relation but I was unaware about it and when he saw me on the way he could not stop himself and he exposed it. So, after that I was feeling great but another problem stood there and that is about my boyfriend. I thought for a moment and came in conclusion that I should give up that relationship with my boyfriend. I phoned him and told all things that happened to me. He also loved me very much. At first he wasn’t ready to leave me but he understood a bit later that I love someone and I could be happy with someone. At that time I was little bit sad because I broke someone’s heart to mend my heart but I promised him that you’ll be my true friend for ever and I’ll be helping you and shall not forget whole my life.
Well then one day again Alex phoned me and said that I needed to meet you.
We choose the Best Restaurant of our state for the Dating and I was so excited that for the first time I am going date with coolest and was also famous actor Alex. The night when he phoned me I was happy and I choose a best cloth that suits me and bought it from the mall and be almost ready to go for the dating.
Next day I began to be ready for tonight dating. The time came to go for dating and I went to the place where we decided yesterday to go. As I reached restaurant and went inside I didn’t see a single person except him.
He booked the whole restaurant only for me, I thought. As he saw me he hastily came to me to welcome me. We really had a great time there. We had a delicious food and talk as well. I really enjoyed that night. It was the biggest and memorable day of my life.
From that day we were lovers and our relationship bond was very strong as well.
Here I am now stepping in 30 and we still love each other very much and we are planning to marry in next six months.
Where is the Love......
What's wrong with the world, mama People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrateAnd that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all
Verse 1:
[People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek
Father, Father, Father help us
Send us some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)
Where is the love (The love)*2
Where is the love*2]
It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all
Verse 1 repeat
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found
Verse 1 repeat
Where is the love (The love)*4
(A very good song from Black eyed peas)
Conflict Desert Storm
Conflict: Desert Storm's problematic gameplay and run-of-the-mill presentation keep it from succeeding on any level.
Conflict: Desert Storm is a military-themed tactical third-person shooter set in the Middle East during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the resulting Operation: Desert Storm. It puts you in charge of up to four troops at once, and while the squad element opens up some interesting strategic possibilities, the game fails to compete with other, similar PC games. Its problematic gameplay and run-of-the-mill presentation keep it from succeeding on any level.
You'll meet and command four teammates in Conflict: Desert Storm.
Desert Storm starts out with a brief optional tutorial segment. This training sequence teaches you the intricacies of movement, combat, and commanding your squad. From there, you're given control of one man and are sent on your first mission. Halfway through, you'll rescue the second member of your squad. As the game proceeds, you'll work your way up to four troops, each with different specialties. Some are better medics than others and some are better marksmen, and each starts with a different set of weaponry, including an M16, a sniper rifle, and other real-world weaponry. As you move from mission to mission, your troops gain experience. If one soldier uses a lot of medikits in a mission, he might become more proficient at healing. Other actions will improve your other stats, such as marksmanship, which is key considering how awful the game's auto-aim is at taking enemies out quickly.
Each level has a series of objectives that you must accomplish to move to the next level. Almost every mission suggests that you take a stealthy approach, but the game's definition of stealth is pretty loose. While you might think you've approached an enemy without being spotted, or even fired off a stealthy shot or two with a silenced pistol, most enemies automatically spot you as soon as you're in visual range, even if you're lying prone or ducking. Getting spotted will eventually cause the base you're infiltrating to raise the alarm, bringing more troops and other enemies to your location. Once your squad is at the four-soldier limit, however, dealing with enemy assaults isn't terribly difficult. Most objectives are usually as simple as escorting a diplomat through a dangerous area, destroying targets of military importance, and so on. Once you've completed your objectives, you simply need to get to the landing zone for extraction.
Everything about Desert Storm's gameplay is really, really clunky. The soldiers move in a very jerky way, and the mouse-based aiming control is never as smooth as you need it to be to make accurate shots. The interface used to order your other troops around is weird and unintuitive. There is neither a point-and-click interface to assign orders nor a first-person-shooter-styled inventory control system; instead, you need to hold down an item select button and use your movement keys to scroll through your list of items. Your entire inventory is accessed from one list of equippable items, and you must equip items in real time. So, if you're taking heavy fire and need to heal immediately, you'll have to hold the inventory button to bring up the list, scroll through the list until you find the medikit, use it, and then scroll back to your weapon. The same goes for planting explosives, using binoculars, or doing just about anything else. Breaking up weapons and other items into different categories or including the ability to set up quick access to important items would have been a much more straightforward way of dealing with the game's inventory. Instead, you'll find yourself fumbling for your detonator, wondering which soldier is holding the antitank rockets, or wasting medikits in the heat of battle.
While the single-player campaign is pretty straightforward, Desert Storm does feature a multiplayer option that lets you play a few different games over a LAN or the Internet. There are six different gameplay modes, including deathmatch, team deathmatch, and other team-based missions, such as assault/defend, VIP assassination, and recovery. The game lacks any sort of in-game player matching, so you'll have to seek out other players and server information on your own. The multiplayer options are nice, in theory, but they do little to make the game more entertaining, and they don't solve any of the game's interface and gameplay troubles.
Unfortunately, the game doesn't really stand out from other tactical shooters.
The presentation of Conflict: Desert Storm fails to distinguish itself in any way. It has a generic style to it that delivers a smooth frame rate but not much else. The game's textures seem realistic, but they're a little too blurry. Also, it's worth noting that your soldiers never really die from gunfire--getting another soldier over to the wounded guy with a medikit will fix up the fallen comrade quickly and easily. The game's voice work is all over the place. The in-game stuff is decently done, but the drill sergeants who train you in the beginning of the game are pretty awful. If you're going to spend time basing your drill sergeants on Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket, you might as well just go to the source and hire R. Lee Ermey to do it.
Conflict: Desert Storm has a couple of decent ideas, but fans of realistic tactical combat games would be better off with Ghost Recon, Operation Flashpoint, America's Army: Operations, or, if you're new to the genre and looking for something a little less complicated, The Sum of All Fears. The competition in this genre simply squeezes games like Conflict: Desert Storm right out of the picture.
"Averting negative thoughts..........."
All of us view everything through our prevailing mental attitude. If our thoughts are positive, that is fine, but if they are negative, our lives and circumstances will probably mirror these thoughts. We all have negative thoughts every now and then. This is normal behavior as we might have gone through some unpleasant experiences in our lives. But too many negative thoughts are bad and can be self-destructive.
Negative thinking appears to be more prevalent than positive thinking.
Positive thinking requires some effort, whereas negative thinking comes easily and uninvited. This has much to do with education and the environment one has been living in. Many teenagers experience and develop negative thoughts--either because they are unhappy with school or their life is not going the way they thought it would, or because of peer pressure or failures. Negative thoughts such as greed, anger and hatred are like viruses. If you give them any attention, they will start to breed and become increasingly difficult to get rid of. To have a positive impact on your life, negative thoughts should not be left unattended. They are a thousand times more addictive then drugs. Over time, they overwhelm you so much that you cannot distinguish thoughts as being separate from you.
Depression is an outcome of negative views towards oneself, the world, and especially the future. Our thoughts, emotions and behavior, all affect each other. By changing how we view them we can make significant changes to improve our lives. When we learn to get rid of negative thoughts, we become a more positive person who is happier. All the advices we get about "think positive" just doesn't work if you cannot get rid of negative thoughts first. Persistent inner working can change habits of thinking. We must be willing to put energy and time into pursuing positive thinking in order to change our mental attitude. So, every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, reject the thought and think positives ones instead. Open your mind to a positive attitude and events. Expect them and think about them, and soon your life will change for the better.Decide that from today -from this very moment -you are leaving tnegative thinking behind, and starting positive thinking and behavior.
JADEN KICKS TO THE TOP "KARATE KID"
The Karate Kid before release was thought to be an okay movie. But then, the unexpected happened. It became a huge success. Both the critics and the audiences loved it despite the fact that the original Karate Kid was a 26 year old franchise, but recently the 11year-old star Jaden Smith surprised even the studio that made the new movie, Columbia Pictures, by bringing in $55.7 million on opening. People said that the most the movie would bring in was $ 30 million.
"We were definitely thinking low 30s would be great", said Doug Belgrad, President of Columbia Pictures, "Anything more than that would be gravy. And anything over $ 40 million was the kind of number you wouldn't dare to speak of, it was so out of the realm of the possible". What worked was the movie was it a score of A with test audiences with the under 18s giving it an A+.
Then there were the parents who grew up in 1984 who watched the original and wanted their children to meet Mr Miyagi and Daniel-san.
When Jaden began taking Karate classes his father thought about remaking the old hit. Jaden had already acted with Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness.
Jaden is reported to have said, "Dad was seeing how good I was getting and he was like, `You know what Jaden? We should remake The Karate Kid. I was like, `Seriously?
Whoa!"'.
Whoa!"'.
Columbia who backed Will Smith in the Men In Black days gave the green light, switched the story's setting to China -where there's a huge audience, adding a global star like Jackie Chan to what's an amazingly non white cast with pros like Will and his wife Jada who's Jaden's mother on board as hands-on produces just made everything right. Said The Karate Kid director Harald Zwart, "Will thought of everything including getting Justin Bieber to sing one of the songs."
Said Columbia's head, "We have started talking about a sequel but we didn't want to jinx it before it opened."
The other star Jackie Chan whose real name is Chan-Kong-San has appeared in more than 100 films. His highest grossing film was 2001's Rush Hour 2.
He worked as a stuntman on Bruce Lee's master pieces Fist Of Fury and Enter The Dragon before headlining his own Mega hit in 1978, Drunken Master.
He holds the Guinness records for "most stunts by a living actor" his animated show Jackie Chan adventures ran for five seasons. He voiced characters in Kungu Fu Panda. He has released 20 albums in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and English.
And he studied at the Pecking Opera School as a child and still often sings his own theme songs for his movies. With all this and the Smiths and Jaden high kicking and Bieber singing I guess you pay what it takes to see The Karate Kid.
Said Jaden Smith, "When I was younger, I was like, `I want to be trained by Jackie Chan.' And now here I am doing a movie with him!" Of his three-hour daily training regimen, the hardest thing was probably the stretching. I'd cry sometimes, it was so painful. I have always wanted to be an actor. My parents said, `You can pick your career, do whatever you want to do. Now if you mess up, don't blame it on us'."
Showing proper martial-arts respect, Jaden made sure to check in with the original Kid, Ralph Macchio. "I talked to him over the phone once. He said, `This is going to be a good movie. Don't screw it up."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)