Loud Thinking

Archive for May, 2014

Q: What did the spider do on the computer?
A: Made a website!

Q: What did the computer do at lunchtime?
A: Had a byte!

An office technician got a call from a user. The user told the tech that her computer was not working. She described the problem and the tech concluded that the computer needed to be brought in and serviced.

He told her to “Unplug the power cord and bring it up to the service center and I will fix it.”

About fifteen minutes later she shows up at the service center with the power cord in her hand.

Six million Dollar Questions..?

Few simple questions to Mr. Narendra Modi, Mian Nawaz Sharif, political leadership, intelligentsia, civil and military bureaucracy of India and Pakistan:

When famous players of both the countries namely Aisam ul Haq and Rohan Bopanna can team up for the cause of sports, why can’t the two nations team up to win the wars against diseases, illiteracy and poverty?

Why India and Pakistan have to be the prisoners of the past?

Why the two nations are living like the divided Korea?

Why can’t India and Pakistan live like the United Europe?

Why the leadership of both the countries is so weak that they can’t even think of taking bold decision for peace?

Is there a dearth of true statesmen in both the countries?

Few simple questions to Mr. Narendra Modi, Mian Nawaz Sharif, political leadership, intelligentsia, civil and military bureaucracy of India and Pakistan:

When famous players of both the countries namely Aisam ul Haq and Rohan Bopanna can team up for the cause of sports, why can’t the two nations team up to win the wars against diseases, illiteracy and poverty?

Why India and Pakistan have to be the prisoners of the past?

Why the two nations are living like the divided Korea?

Why can’t India and Pakistan live like the United Europe?

Why the leadership of both the countries is so weak that they can’t even think of taking bold decision for peace?

Is there a dearth of true statesmen in both the countries?

“Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you’re going to live your life.”

— Joel Osteen

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

— Aesop

Olive, Sunflower or Canola – Which Oil is Healthier?

NDTV Cooks | Updated: May 21, 2014 19:06 IST

With a wide variety to chose from, we often find ourselves wondering which cooking oil is the best for us. Since each holds a different set of pros and cons it is hard to pick one. According to leading health expert Dr. Shikha Sharma, “Changing or rotating oils is healthy as it gives the body the different essential fatty acids which it needs. Normally, no single oil has all the essential fatty acids and the fatty acids ratio which the body needs.For example we need a judicious combination of mono-unsaturates, poly unsaturates and saturated fatty acids.”

Recently, Vitamin E rich oils like canola, soybean and corn have shot to fame owing to their health benefits but this new research has something surprising to offer. According to a study conducted by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, allegedly healthy Vitamin E-rich oils like canola, soybean and corn – may lead to lung inflammation and, possibly, asthma.

These oils contain Vitamin E in the form of a compound called gamma-tocopherol which may adversely affect the functions of the lung, the study reports. On the contrary, the other form of Vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol, which you may find in olive and sunflower oils, does you good.

“This is the first study which shows that gamma-tocopherol is associated with worse lung function,” said senior author Joan Cook-Mills, an associate professor of medicine in allergy/immunology at Northwestern University. While comparing the proportion of asthmatic pateints in various countries, she noted that those with significantly lower rates of asthma consume more olive and sunflower oils.

“People in countries that consume olive and sunflower oil have the lowest rate of asthma and those that consume soybean, corn and canola oil have the highest rate of asthma,” Cook-Mills claimed. When people consume alpha-tocopherol, found in olive oil and sunflower oil, it improves their lung functions, she added.

The study examined 4,526 individuals from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA). The CARDIA results for individual lung function tests at four intervals from baseline to 20 years were recorded and studied. It was found that a high level of gamma-tocopherol was associated with a 10 to 17 percent reduction in healthy lung functions.

“The blood plasma showed how much they had acquired it in their tissues. You get vitamin E from your diet or supplements. A 10 percent reduction in the lung functions is like an asthmatic condition. People have more trouble breathing. They take in less air, and it’s harder to expel. Their lungs have reduced capacity,” she warned.

People with asthma already have lower lung function, so if they have high gamma-tocopherol levels, they would have even more difficulty breathing, Cook-Mills maintained. The study has been published in the journal Respiratory Research. (More: How sunlight reduces asthma)

Besides this, olive and sunflower oil is better for the heart than canola oil, though all three are good sources of heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Another recent study showed that it is olive oil that makes a Mediterranean diet healthy as a combination of olive oil with veggies helps to reduce blood pressure and the risk of other heart ailments.

With inputs from IANS
Story first published: May 21, 2014 15:10 IST

How Bosses Can Maintain Friendships at Work

It’s not always easy to have friends at work when you’re the boss. The critical skill senior leaders need to maintain their leadership and friendships is emotional courage – the willingness to act powerfully in the face of deep emotion. Three tactics can help you navigate this complexity – and make you a more capable leader overall.
Have a strong, clear commitment to your business objectives. If you want to achieve something, you must be willing to make hard decisions. Be transparent, upfront, and passionate, even as others, including friends, disagree with you.
Develop your friendship skills. Certain skills, like unwavering integrity, empathetic listening, and strong boundaries, can help you manage dual roles of friend and business leader.
Be prepared to lose the friendship. Recognize that you ultimately can’t control what happens to the friendship. Some people just might not be able to live with your decisions. Learn to feel the sadness and move on.

Adapted by HBR from “ How to Have Friends at Work When You’re the Boss” by Peter Bregman.

“When life’s problems seem overwhelming, look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself fortunate.”

— Ann Landers

Gratitude Can Inspire Patience, and Long-Term Success

Most of us favor short-term gratification over long-term rewards, and that’s not a good thing. For example, if offered a choice between receiving $75 today or $100 in a year, most people would choose the $75 even though that’s less money. The tendency to discount future value can contribute to various problems like credit-card debt or substance abuse. We’re often told that using willpower to suppress our emotions can curb this desire for instant gratification; however, using emotions can actually be helpful. According to a new study, after prompting participants to think about things they’re grateful for, they demonstrated more patience, and were able to keep their impulses in check. This suggests that gratitude can foster long-term thinking. Because we all know that willpower can (and will) fail at times, having an alternative source of patience – one that stems from something as simple as reflecting on an emotional memory – offers an important tool for long-term success.

Adapted by HBR from “ Gratitude Is the New Willpower” by David DeSteno.