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Reggia TVCF

2012-01-31T10:59:00.000+02:00

Advertised Brand: Reggia
Advert Title: Food
Advertising Agency: Euro RSCG Beirut
Regional Creative Director: Karim Achy
Production House: Fantastic Film Factory
Published: January 2012

Note: Agency's Offline Cut

How To Taste Wines

2012-01-22T23:39:00.001+02:00

Learning how to taste wines is a straightforward adventure that will deepen your appreciation for both wines and winemakers. Look, smell, taste - starting with your basic senses and expanding from there you will learn how to taste wines like the pros in no time! Keep in mind that you can smell thousands of unique scents, but your taste perception is limited to salty, sweet, sour and bitter. It is the combination of smell and taste that allows you to discern flavor. Here's How:

Look: Check out the Color and Clarity.
Pour a glass of wine into a suitable wine glass. Then take a good look at the wine. Tilt the glass away from you and check out the color of the wine from the rim edges to the middle of the glass (it's helpful to have a white background - either paper, napkin or a white tablecloth).

What color is it? Look beyond red, white or blush. If it's a red wine is the color maroon, purple, ruby, garnet, red, brick or even brownish? If it's a white wine is it clear, pale yellow, straw-like, light green, golden, amber or brown in appearance?

Still Looking. Move on to the wine's opacity. Is the wine watery or dark, translucent or opaque, dull or brilliant, cloudy or clear? Can you see sediment? Tilt your glass a bit, give it a little swirl - look again, is there sediment, bits of cork or any other floaters? An older red wine will often have more orange tinges on the edges of color than younger red wines. Older white wines are darker, than younger white wines when comparing the same varietal at different ages.

Smell:
Our sense of smell is critical in properly analyzing a glass of wine. To get a good impression of your wine's aroma, swirl your glass for a solid 10-12 seconds (this helps vaporize some of the wine's alcohol and release more of its natural aromas) and then take a quick whiff to gain a first impression.

Still Smelling. Now stick your nose down into the glass and take a deep inhale through your nose. What are your second impressions? Do you smell oak, berry, flowers, vanilla or citrus? A wine's aroma is an excellent indicator of its quality and unique characteristics. Swirl the wine and let the aromas mix and mingle, and sniff again.

Taste:
Finally, take a taste. Start with a small sip and let it roll around your mouth. There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, the Evolution phase and the Finish.

The Attack Phase, is the initial impression that the wine makes on your palate. The Attack is comprised of four pieces of the wine puzzle: alcohol content, tannin levels,acidity and residual sugar. These four puzzle pieces display initial sensations on the palate. Ideally these components will be well-balanced one piece will not be more prominent than the others. These four pieces do not display a specific flavor per se, they meld together to offer impressions in intensity and complexity, soft or firm, light or heavy, crisp or creamy, sweet or dry, but not necessarily true flavors like fruit or spice.

The Evolution Phase is next, also called the mid-palate or middle range phase, this is the wine’s actual taste on the palate. In this phase you are looking to discern the flavor profile of the wine. If it’s a red wine you may start noting fruit – berry, plum, prune or fig; perhaps some spice – pepper, clove, cinnamon, or maybe a woody flavor like oak, cedar, or a detectable smokiness. If you are in the Evolution Phase of a white wine you may taste apple, pear, tropical or citrus fruits, or the taste may be more floral in nature or consist of honey, butter, herbs or a bit of earthiness.

The Finish is appropriately labeled as the final phase. The wine's finish is how long the flavor impression lasts after it is swallowed. This is where the wine culminates, where the aftertaste comes into play. Did it last several seconds? Was it light-bodied (like the weight of water), medium-bodied (similar in weight to milk) or full-bodied (like the consistency of cream)? Can you taste the remnant of the wine on the back of your mouth and throat? Do you want another sip or was the wine too bitter at the end? What was your last flavor impression – fruit, butter, oak? Does the taste persist or is it short-lived?

After you have taken the time to taste your wine, you might record some of your impressions. Did you like the wine overall? Was it sweet, sour or bitter? How was the wine's acidity? Was it well balanced? Does it taste better with cheese, bread or a heavy meal? Will you buy it again? If so, jot the wine's name, producer and vintage year down for future reference.

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2012-01-21T22:16:00.002+02:00

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2012-01-16T13:06:00.000+02:00

Support Edward Maalouf Now!

2011-12-06T21:06:00.002+02:00

- Account No: 13652404USD4421
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- Bank: BIT BANK SAL- RIAD EL SOLH BRANCH- BEIRUT
- Swift Code: BTLVLBBE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Maalouf

The Lebanese Flag

2011-11-18T21:22:00.001+02:00

National Flag of Lebanon
Country: Republic Of Lebanon

Lebanese Flag Description:
The flag of Lebanon consists of two equal-sized red horizontal stripes that are placed at the top and bottom of the flag. In between, the Red stripes is a White stripe that is equal in size to the Red stripes. In the middle of the flag and White stripe there is an image of a Green Cedar tree.

The Lebanese Flag Meaning:
The Cedar tree is a prominent feature of the Lebanese flag. It has been used as a symbol by the Maronite Christians of Lebanon since the 18th and 19th centuries. The tree represents peace, immortality and tolerance. The Red stripes symbolize martyrdom and self-sacrifice, and the White represents the snow-capped peaks of Lebanon's mountains. Historically, Red and White have symbolized the Kayssites (Red) and the Yemmenites (White), who were opposing clans within the Lebanese territory between 634 and 1711.

The Lebanese Flag History:
The Lebanese flag was adopted on December 7, 1943 after gaining independence on November 22, 1943. Lebanon was created by France in 1920 and the Lebanese flag is based on the French tricolor. The Cedar tree was placed in the White of the French flag. When Lebanon claimed independence from France they got rid of the French Blue and changed the stripes from vertical to horizontal. A Green Cedar tree on a White base was used as a Lebanese flag after Ottoman (Turkish) rule came to an end in the region at the end of the First World War, in 1918.

Interesting Lebanese Flag Facts:
Some flag manufacturers have made the Cedar tree Green and Brown, but Lebanon's constitution states that the tree should be Green only.

Word of the Day

2011-10-12T09:31:00.000+03:00

Goodbye Steve, Goodbye

2011-10-06T13:53:00.002+03:00

Born to be...

2011-09-23T00:52:00.002+03:00

The Ministry of Stress

2011-09-17T00:04:00.004+03:00

Have you ever noticed that the news is always full of depressing information? Political scandals, poor economic recovery, crime, global warming, and more? It seems that the press just can't spread bad news fast enough, and now with instant access via technology, we are exposed to it at lightning speed and finding it increasingly difficult to avoid. It's easy to blame journalists for cranking out and exposing us to all the gloom and doom, but the fact of the matter is that if there was no demand for such negativity, there would cease to be a need to supply it, especially in such unrelenting quantities.

So why does negativity spread so quickly and what can we do to keep the "goo" from getting on us? Negative energy has momentum. Positive energy does not. While negative energy carries forth on its own until something or someone stops it, positive energy needs to be constantly regenerated.

Consider this workplace scenario; one worker whispers to the other at the water cooler, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty," and proceeds to fill the coworker on the latest news. Now as you're reading this, I'm sure you're automatically assuming that the news is negative in nature. Something like, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty, she got caught kissing Joe in the supply room and Joe is married." You most likely weren't thinking the news would be something along the lines of, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty, she gave $1,000 to a children's charity last week." You can just about bet that if the news is negative it will spread beyond the water cooler and make its way through the office in very little time. If, on the other hand, the news is positive, it is unlikely that the subject of Betty's contribution to charity is going to be the topic of conversation amongst the other employees. Why is this so? It's because it is the nature of negative energy to spread. Its momentum carries it forth and lowers the energy of everyone in its path. Like fire, the flames of negativity are perpetuated from person to person through gossip, lying, unkind words, deeds, negative thinking, and more. One of my friends used to own a restaurant. He once told me, "I do my best to keep my customers happy. If someone likes my restaurant, they might tell one other person. If they don't, they'll tell ten people." Such is the momentum of negativity.

While negative energy gets carried away by its own momentum, positive energy must be regenerated, and sometimes this can be challenging and difficult, especially if you're spending a lot of time around negative people.

So what can you do to generate positive energy? Here are several quick ideas to get you started.

• Give someone a sincere compliment. How many times have you thought something nice about someone, their look, their smile, what they're wearing, the good job they did, etc., and not said anything? Don't keep that positive energy to yourself. Share it with the person. You might just make their day.
• Be patient in traffic. I know, it may be hard to play it cool when someone cuts you off or makes some other thoughtless move while driving, but two wrongs don't make a right. When you don't engage with the energy of the bad driver, you are not only putting a stop to their energy affecting your day, but may possibly prevent an accident while doing so.
• Treat yourself with kindness. For some people, this is very difficult. You most likely wouldn't want to be friends with someone who spoke to you the way you speak to yourself. Next time you think of how fat your thighs look, consider that there are many people in the world that would give anything to have two working legs, fat or not.
• On the subject of turning negative self-talk into positive self-talk, get in the habit of counting your blessings. Right now, on your fingers, count five or more things that you are grateful for. It will pull you out of your negative state of mind in no time at all.
• Exercise and eat healthy food. Exercise brings oxygen into your cells and revitalizes them. Fresh, organically grown food has a strong life-force that in turn will feed your body and affect the way you feel. Have you ever noticed that people who don't take care of themselves seem to be more negative and complain more negative than those who do? Well, there's a reason for that! The negative energy that comes with not exercising and eating junk food perpetuates itself and makes it even more challenging for people with poor health habits to become healthy. Those who experience the positive results from exercising and eating right must make a conscious choice to do so every day. That positive energy must be regenerated for their good health to continue.
• Avoid negative people. This may be easier for some than others. Negativity is contagious, and spreads like wildfire. Put the fire out by not joining in by perpetuating gossip and judgmental comments. Instead, concentrate on sharing positive observations and feelings with others. You'll feel better being part of the solution rather than the problem.
• Spend time in nature. Take a walk, sit outside, go to the beach, relax under a tree. There is nothing like the beauty of nature to soothe the soul and remind us that goodness resides in a bird, a leaf, and a flower. Just the pleasure of noticing and being a part of nature can shift our energy from negative to positive.
• Use a psychic vacuum cleaner. This is easy and fun. If you feel negative, or have spent any time in the company of negative people, you may feel what I like to call "slimed." To get the goo off of you, simply picture a giant vacuum cleaner sucking all the negative energy off you. Feel the negativity leave you, filling up the vacuum cleaner as it does so. When you feel all the negative energy is gone, send the vacuum off to the sun to be burned up and neutralized by its purifying fire. Once the vacuum has done its work, picture a rain shower of white golden light washing you off and filling you up with light and positive energy.
• Use a shielding technique when forced to be around negative energy. Simply imagine yourself surrounded by a golden white light, almost like a force field around you. You can do this around your body, your home, and even your car. It will help strengthen and protect your own personal aura and negative energy will find another, more available place to be.
• Keep your surroundings orderly and peaceful. Feng Shui strives to create a soothing, nurturing environment and can do a great deal to help create a supporting, positive atmosphere in your home.
• Use therapeutic-grade essential oils. Essential oils and aromatherapy have been used for centuries to heal and uplift the body, mind, and spirit. Therapeutic-grade essential oils are free of chemicals and when diffused and inhaled increase the positive energy frequencies of the human body.
• Appreciate the moment. Instead of fretting over the past, and worrying about the future, enjoy the gifts of the present.
I'm sure you can think of other ways to generate positive energy. These are just a few ideas to get you started. If you remember that negative energy is like a virus that is spread through thoughts, words, and deeds, you will be able to keep yourself from getting infected by choosing to stay positive, protected, and healthy. If everyone did that, what a wonderful world it would be!

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2011-09-01T00:44:00.000+03:00

Beirut Night Life

2011-08-31T22:14:00.002+03:00

From Pit-Stop to Take-Off

2011-08-30T17:01:00.001+03:00

How F1 is changing the future of air travel

The world of Formula One may seem an unlikely source of inspiration for a major carbon-cutting initiative, but technology used for coordinating pit-stops is primed to slash emissions from airports across the globe.

According to Britain's National Air Traffic Services (NATS), more than half the planes landing at London's Heathrow airport are stuck in circles overhead -- often for 20 minutes at a time -- as they wait for its congested runways to clear.

NATS says the carbon cost of this pile-up in the sky is an estimated 600 tons a day.

And this is where McLaren, the hugely successful Formula One team behind former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, have come in with an unexpected solution.

Over the years the company has developed modeling software to analyze live racing data and visualize a range of potential scenarios -- allowing pit crews to make strategic decisions in the blink of an eye -- all in an effort to get their cars back out onto the racetrack milliseconds ahead of their competitors.

It's this ground-level tracking technology that could hold the key to unlocking congestion, reducing CO2 emissions by streamlining the way aircraft make their own pit-stops once they've landed -- dropping off passengers, refueling and departing again with F1 efficiency.

This similarity between a motor race and an airport runway was first observed by Peter Tomlinson, head of aviation data solutions at NATS, while attending a workshop on cross-industry collaboration at McLaren's UK technology center three years ago.

"It became clear that the pit-stop in a race track, with cars coming in, changing tyres and refueling and going out again actually is pretty similar to an aircraft arriving at the airport, parking at the gate, passengers getting off, refueling and going out," said the air traffic veteran, who has over 30 years experience in the industry.

The beauty of McLaren's system is that it reduces the complexity of a racetrack into a circle "so at the point of decision, presentation of the data is very simple, which allows the engineer in a very stressful environment to make the right strategic decision and also see the data in a very clear, crisp format," said Tomlinson.

For the last three years NATS has been working with McLaren's engineers to map Heathrow's taxiways and runways -- much as they do a Formula One track.

But now, says Tomlinson, in place of a race strategist the system is operated by Heathrow's air traffic control, and instead of a circle the airport's network of runways and taxi lanes are represented by a simple rectangle -- enabling planes to be guided around the airport with greater ease and accuracy once they've landed.

The collaboration has been "groundbreaking" according to Geoff McGrath, managing director of McLaren Applied Technologies -- the F1 team's tech division.

"To my knowledge this is a first -- NATS has invested in this because there is nothing like it available," he added.

The system is now in its "proof of concept" stage and hopes are high that it will be used by airports around the world within a year.

"Think in terms of the environmental benefits of that," enthused Tomlinson. "Large airports with about 1300 to 1400 flights a day - if you save just one minute of taxi time per flight on average, that equates to one day's worth of taxi time - and that's how much we could save using McLaren's technology."

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2011-08-03T04:25:00.001+03:00

Bill Gates On Life

2011-08-02T20:20:00.001+03:00

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about eleven (11) things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good and politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself

Rule 3: You will not make $60,000+ a year right out of high school. You won't be a VP with a car phone until you earn both

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to anything in real life

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time

Rule 10: Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Now, if you can read this... Thank a Teacher
If you can read this in English... Thank a Soldier
And for life and everything else you have... Thank God.

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2011-07-18T04:00:00.000+03:00

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2011-07-17T19:14:00.001+03:00

Amin Maalouf Elected Member of the Académie Française

2011-06-25T11:48:00.002+03:00

Jun 23, 2011

The Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, Prince of Asturias de las Letras, was today elected member of the Académie française, which will replace the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, who died in October 2009.

“Immortals”, as it is known to scholars in France, was reverted by Maalouf in the first ballot, according to “Le Monde”, which recalled that the author of the African “Leon”, had been candidate for a seat in 2004.

In 2007, he was also eligible for the title of academician, but he decided to retire after the discomfort which had led the Academy within its support to a manifesto proclaiming the death of la Francophonie.

Born on the 25th of February 1949 in Beirut, Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese author. Although his native language is Arabic, he writes in French, and his works have been translated into many languages. He received the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for his novel The Rock of Tanios (English translation of, Le Rocher de Tanios). He has also been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature in its 2010 edition. He was elected at the Académie française on 23 June 2011, on seat 29.

Maalouf is the second of four children. His parents' families were from the Lebanese mountain village of Ain el Kabou. His parents married in Cairo in 1945, where Odette, his mother, was born of a Maronite Christian father from the village, who had left to work in Egypt, and a mother born in Turkey. Amin's father, Ruchdi, was from the Melkite Greek Catholic community. One of his ancestors was a priest whose son converted to become a Presbyterian parson. The parson's son (Maalouf's grandfather) was a "rationalist, anticlerical, probably a freemason, and refused to baptise his children". While the Protestant branch of the family sent their children to British or American schools, Maalouf's mother was a staunch Catholic who insisted on sending him to a French Jesuit school. He studied sociology at the Francophone Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.

He worked as the director of the Beirut-based daily newspaper An-Nahar until the start of the Lebanese civil war in 1975, when he moved to Paris, which became his permanent home.

Adding Up the Benefits of Calcium

2011-06-18T22:27:00.000+03:00

Calcium, the most common mineral in the body, plays an essential role in blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, and bone and tooth formation. Studies indicate that calcium plays a role in blood vessels contraction and dilation which effects blood pressure. Also, the role of calcium in helping with weight control appears is promising.

Test Your Bone Fracture Risk
A constant level of calcium is maintained in body fluid and tissues so that these vital body processes function efficiently. More than 99 percent of body calcium is stored in the bones and teeth; the remaining 1 percent is found in blood, muscle and the fluid between cells.

Calcium is lost from the body every day in urine and feces, and trace amounts are lost in sweat, shedding skin, hair and nails. The lost calcium is normally replaced by calcium from food. If your diet does not contain enough calcium or if you don’t absorb enough calcium from your food or supplements to replace the lost calcium, the body breaks down bone to get the calcium it needs.

To absorb enough calcium, your body also needs vitamin D. Your skin can make vitamin D when it is exposed to direct sunlight. Other sources of vitamin D are fatty fish, eggs, liver, butter, fortified foods such as milk and multivitamins. People at risk for having too little vitamin D are elderly adults, those in institutions and some people with chronic neurological or gastrointestinal diseases. People living north of the 45th parallel may need supplements in the winter to maintain adequate vitamin D levels.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the amount of calcium you need each day depends on your age. Children ages 1 to 3 years need 500 mg a day; children 4 to 8 years old need 800 mg a day; and children 9 to 18 need 1,300 mg a day. Adults ages 19 to 50 should get 1,000 mg a day; those older than 50 need 1,200 mg a day. The best way to get calcium is from food. The USDA recommends a minimum of three cups of nonfat or low-fat vitamin D-fortified milk or equivalent milk products each day.

Many Benefits
A consistent level of calcium in the body’s fluids and tissues is needed for muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmission of messages through the nervous system. Adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D may help prevent some conditions. Adequate calcium throughout a person’s lifetime can help build and maintain adequate bone mass, helping to prevent osteoporosis.

Calcium from dairy products in combination with a diet high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy can help keep blood pressure in check and help prevent the absorption of dietary fat; this helps decrease blood cholesterol.

For people on weight-loss diets, three or more servings of dairy products a day may accelerate weight loss and may help prevent weight gain.

In a limited number of studies, consuming milk products has been related to a decreased risk for insulin resistance syndrome, otherwise known as syndrome X or the metabolic syndrome. This syndrome leads to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

But calcium may need other nutrients to help achieve these health benefits. In most studies that looked at calcium and prevention of disease, milk was the major source of calcium. In addition to calcium, milk contains potassium, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin A. The extent to which these other components work with calcium to prevent conditions is not known.

Getting Enough Calcium
To help consume enough calcium each day, start with food and drink. . Calcium in food is better absorbed by the body than calcium in a supplement. The additional compounds in dairy products act with calcium to promote its benefits. Strive to consume at least three calcium-rich foods daily such as low-fat or nonfat yogurt, 1 percent or skim milk, low-fat ice cream, calcium-fortified orange or grapefruit juice, low-fat cheese and low-fat cottage cheese.

Adding Up the Benefits of Calcium
Also, look for foods with added calcium such as rice and some breakfast cereals. If you're lactose intolerant, don't avoid dairy products. Lactose intolerance is easy to manage. Aged cheese and yogurt tend to be more easily digested by people who are lactose intolerant; eat them in small quantities along with other food. Foods made with active or "live" cultures, like yogurt or buttermilk, are also easier to digest because their "friendly" bacteria help digest lactose. Other options include lactose-free milk, lactose-free cottage cheese and nondairy sources of calcium, such as calcium-fortified soy milk, tofu, baked beans, almonds, broccoli, kale and other dark green leafy vegetables, and canned salmon and sardines with the bones. For canned fish, you need to eat the bones to get the calcium.

Vitamin D is necessary for your body to absorb the calcium you get from foods or supplements. You can get vitamin D from foods fortified with it or by spending 10 to 15 minutes in the sun at least two times per week. Adults 19 to 50 need at least 200 IU of vitamin D a day; those 51 and older need 600 to 800 IU a day.

Sizing Up Your Supplement
Although lots of foods contain calcium, for the most part, people are still not meeting the recommended intake. If you're not consuming at least three calcium-rich foods per day, consider taking a calcium supplement. If you use a supplement, however, don't depend on it to meet your calcium needs. A good bet: Take a 500 mg calcium supplement each day and try to get the remaining 500 to 700 mg of calcium from food. Calcium supplements come in different forms, such as calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. Some have vitamin D added to them for extra benefit. Research indicates that calcium citrate is absorbed better than other supplements, such as calcium carbonate. But to get the enhance a calcium supplement's absorption, take it with a citrus based food - like orange juice.

The 48 Laws of Power

2011-06-03T00:18:00.002+03:00

"Although I totally disagree with many of these laws, here are the ‘Judgments’ of yet another interesting book".

S†MoN®

LAW 1: NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. If your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

LAW 2: NEVER PUT TOO MUCH TRUST IN FRIENDS, LEARN HOW TO USE ENEMIES

Be wary of friends – they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

LAW 3: CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.

LAW 4: ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY

When you are trying to impress people by words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinx-like. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

LAW 5: SO MUCH DEPENDS ON REPUTATION - GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE

Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

LAW 6: COURT ATTENTION AT ALL COST

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is an unseen count for nothing. Never get yourself loss in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, and more mysterious than the bland and timid masses.

LAW 7: GET OTHERS TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU, BUT ALWAYS TAKE THE CREDIT

Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a God-like aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.

LAW 8: MAKE OTHER PEOPLE COME TO YOU – USE BAIT IF NECESSARY

When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.

LAW 9: WIN THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS, NEVER THROUGH ARGUMENT

Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

LAW 10: INFECTION: AVOID THE UNHAPPY AND UNLUCKY

You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as diseases. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; whey will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.

LAW 11: LEARN TO KEEP PEOPLE DEPENDENT ON YOU

To maintain your independence you must be always needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

LAW 12: USE SELECTIVE HONESTY AND GENEROSITY TO DISARM YOUR VICTIM

One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.

LAW 13: WHEN ASKING FOR HELP, APPEAL TO PEOPLE SELF-INTEREST, NEVER TO THEIR MERCY OR GRATITUDE

If you need to turn for an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.

LAW 14: POSE AS A FRIEND, WORK AS A SPY

Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to prove. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.

LAW 15: CRUSH YOUR ENEMY TOTALLY

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.

LAW 16: USE ABSENCE TO INCREASE RESPECT AND HONOR

Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.

LAW 17: KEEP OTHERS IN SUSPENDED TERROR: CULTIVATE AN AIR OF UNPREDICTABILITY

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

LAW 18: DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES TO PROTECT YOURSELF – ISOLATION IS DANGEROUS

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people, find allies, and mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

LAW 19: KNOW WHO YOU’RE DEALING WITH – DO NOT OFFEND THE WRONG PERSON

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lamb’s clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.

LAW 20: DO NOT COMMIT TO ANYONE

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.

LAW 21: PLAY A SUCKER TO CATCH A SUCKER – SEEM DUMBER THAN YOUR MARK

No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.

LAW 22: USE THE SURRENDER TACTIC: TRANSFORM WEAKNESS INTO POWER

When you are weaker, never fight for honor sake, and choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other cheek you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.

LAW 23: CONCETRATE YOUR FORCES

Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.

LAW 24: PLAY THE PERFECT COURTIER

The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the most oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.

LAW 25: RE-CREATE YOURSELF

Do not accept the role that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your image rather than letting others define it for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.

LAW 26: KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN

You must seem the paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.

LAW 27: PLAY ON PEOPLE NEED TO BELIEVE TO CREATE A CULTLIKE FOLLOWING

People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.

LAW 28: ENTER ACTION WITH BOLDNESS

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

LAW 29: PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END

The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.

LAW 30: MAKE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS SEEM EFFORTLESS

Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

LAW 31: CONTROL THE OPTIONS: GET OTHERS TO PLAY WITH THE CARDS YOU DEAL

The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.

LAW 32: PLAY TO PEOPLE’S FANTASIES

The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality useless you are prepared for the anger that comes from disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance of conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.

LAW 33: DISCOVER EACH MAN’S THUMBSCREW

Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can be also a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

LAW 34: BE ROYAL IN YOUR OWN FASHION: ACT LIKE A KING TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE

The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respect himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.

LAW 35: MASTER THE ART OF TIMING

Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.

LAW 36: DISDAIN THINGS YOU CANNOT HAVE: IGNORING THEM IS THE BEST REVENGE

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

LAW 37: CREATE COMPELLING SPECTACLES

Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone respond to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then, full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.

LAW 38: THINK AS YOU LIKE BUT BEHAVE LIKE OTHERS

If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.

LAW 39: STIR UP WATERS TO CATCH FISH

Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.

LAW 40: DESPISE THE FREE LUNCH

What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corner with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.

LAW 41: AVOID STEPPING INTO A GREAT MAN’S SHOES

What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or struck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.

LAW 42: STRIKE THE SHEPHERD AND THE SHEEP WILL SCATTER

Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual – the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoner of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them – they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.

LAW 43: WORK ON THE HEARTS AND MIND OF OTHERS

Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.

LAW 44: DISARM AND INFURIATE WITH THE MIRROR EFFECT

The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of the Mirror Effect.

LAW 45: PREACH THE NEED FOR CHANGE, BUT NEVER REFORM TOO MUCH AT ONCE

Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.

LAW 46: NEVER APPEAR TO PERFECT

Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weakness. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.

LAW 47: DO NOT GO PAST THE MARK YOU AIMED FOR; IN VICTORY, LEARN WHEN TO STOP

The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.

LAW 48: ASSUME FORMLESSNESS

By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water, never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.

Shaping Young Minds

2011-06-02T22:29:00.001+03:00

Respond Instead of Reacting

I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young people. The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize the importance of youth. At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life.

The First Lesson I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with us.
There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming." They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.

The Second Lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found.
My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to be absolutely delicious. The difference was that she has cooked it!
In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it.

The Third Lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.

The Fourth Lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savour the memory of the good things while they lasted.

The Fifth Lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.

The Sixth Lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity, wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.

The Seventh Lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination.

And The Final Lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate my politeness?

In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without a cause. Today, I realize that my rebellion was another kind of conformity. We defied our elders to fall in line with our peers! Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do.

I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life.

Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.

Azim Premji
Chairman, Wipro Corporation

Print Ad of the Week

2011-05-21T20:51:00.002+03:00

A Very Weird & Nice Administration on Love & Marriage

2011-05-18T23:21:00.000+03:00

One day, Plato asked his teacher, “What is Love? How can I find it?”
His teacher answered: “There is a vast wheat field in front. Walk forward without turning back, and pick only one stalk. If you find the most magnificent stalk, then you have found Love.”
Plato walked forward, and before long, he returned with empty hands, having picked nothing.
His teacher asked: “Why you did not pick any stalk?”
Plato answered: “Because I could only pick once, and yet I could not turn back. I did find the most magnificent stalk, but did not know if there were any better ones ahead, so I did not pick it. As I walked further, the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier one, so I did not pick any in the end.”
His teacher then said: “And that is Love!”

On another day, Plato asked his teacher: What is Marriage? How can I find it?”
His teacher answered: “There is a thriving forest in front. Walk forward without turning back, and chop down only one tree. If you find the tallest tree, then you have found Marriage.”
Plato walked forward, and before long, he returned with a tree. The tree was not thriving, and it was not tall either. It was only an ordinary tree.
His teacher asked: “Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree?”
Plato answered: “Because of my previous experience. I walked halfway through the forest, but returned with empty hands. This time, I saw this tree, and I felt that it was not bad, so I chopped it down and brought it back. I did not want to miss the opportunity.”
His teacher then said: “And that is Marriage!”

Postcard of the Week

2011-05-18T23:18:00.000+03:00

The Path to the Sky, to Harissa.

Print Ad of the Week

2011-04-23T15:16:00.000+03:00

Food for Thought

2011-04-18T00:06:00.003+03:00

... There are moments in life when you really miss someone. And you wish you could just pluck them from your dreams... and just hug them for real. If someone loves you, love him / her back. If someone hurts you, love him / her back unconditionally. The irony is not that love hurts sometimes; it’s the fact that the cut of each is felt equally as deep.

The best kind of friend is the one that you could sit on a porch and swing with, and never say a word... then get up and walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had. It’s also true that you never know what you’ve been missing until something or someone else arrives. It’s true that you never know what you’ve got until you lose it... a careless word may kindle strife. A cruel word usually wrecks a life. Timely words help level stress. But, it’s loving words that heal and bless.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything in life... perhaps they’re just good at making the best of most everything that life brings along their way. Tender moments aren’t really tender at all. They are some of the few times... when things like pride and gender are swallowed and you allow yourself emotional, spiritual, and physical happiness. It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return. It’s even more painful to love someone and... never find the courage to let that person know just how it is you feel.

Never say goodbye if you still want to try. Never give up when there’s hope to go on. Never say you don’t love them... if you know that you’re the one that can’t let go. You’ve experienced true love if: you’ve taken away the feelings, taken away passion, and taken away romance... only to find that after all that, you still care. Giving love is no assurance love will be returned. So don’t expect it. Wait for it to grow in the other’s heart... just in case it doesn’t, be content in knowing that the love was able to grow in yours.

If you have God in your life, food on your table, a roof over your head, clothes on your back, reasonable income and, love and faith in your heart... be happy and glad. For anything else that life can offer is nothing more than La-La-La...

Book Smarts or Street Smarts Better at Work?

2011-04-04T23:44:00.000+03:00

When it comes to succeeding in business, which is more important: book smarts or street smarts?

In a televised social experiment, Donald Trump put this question to the test. During the third season of "The Apprentice," he divided contestants into two teams: those with just a high school diploma and those with college and graduate school degrees.

In the end, though the "street smart" folks made an impressive showing, it was a "book smart" contestant who walked away with the prize.

In real life, it's harder to say who comes out on top.

Take Sarah, a successful investment manager who was competing for a portfolio manager job against a Harvard MBA. Sarah had an excellent track record and had done very well in her interview; still, the other candidate was chosen for the position.

"I went to a community college then finished up at a city branch of a state university," Sarah lamented. "I just couldn't compete with the luster of a Harvard MBA."

But wait -- the story doesn't end there. Four months later, Sarah got a call from the company that had rejected her. The Harvard MBA hadn't worked out after all, and they wanted her to join the firm -- at a salary $10,000 higher than the maximum point of the range they'd initially discussed.

That was five years ago. Today Sarah has advanced up the ranks and earned her MBA at Wharton. A hedge fund director, Sarah now makes numerous hiring decisions herself.

"An MBA from a top-drawer university is great to have and, all things equal, may be a tiebreaker," she says.

"However I don't measure candidates as much by their education or years of experience as by their achievements and results."

To be sure, the world is full of college dropouts who achieved great things.

Dell Computer founder Michael Dell dropped out of the University of Texas; Oracle Computer founder Larry Ellison and Apple Computer founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs (who went on to create neXT and Pixar) also left school to follow their dreams. Even Bill Gates dropped out (well, Harvard, but still he dropped out) to form Microsoft.

And it's not just the techies who eschewed college and made good. Wayne Huizenga, former owner of Waste Management, CEO of Blockbuster Video and owner of the NFL Miami Dolphins, NHL Florida Panthers and Miami's Pro Player Stadium, left Calvin College after just three semesters.

Some moguls even left college involuntarily. David Geffen (founder of Geffen Records and Dreamworks SKG) flunked out of both the University of Texas and Brooklyn College, and media mogul Ted Turner was reportedly kicked out of school.

Others such as Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records and Atlantic Airways, never bothered to go at all.

Anecdotal evidence shows a solid foundation of street smarts (personal drive, people skills and the ability to communicate and sell) is essential for any successful business person. Add to that experience and education, and you have a recipe for success.

"Neither book smarts nor street smarts is as helpful as a rich relative," jokes Tim Knox who decided to forgo college and today is the founder and president of four successful technology companies.

"An advanced degree -- especially from a prestigious university will definitely open doors, but in the end, it really doesn't matter how much education, experience, talent, luck or money you have. It's what you do with it that matters."

10 Tips for Making Better Presentations

2011-04-01T04:00:00.002+03:00

Making better presentations is an evolving skill. These 10 presentation tips might assist you in creating presentations that have more impact on your targeted audience.

1. What is the Purpose of this Presentation?
Is this presentation to sell a product? Are you teaching a concept? Are you presenting an argument for a cause?
Many presenters make the mistake of trying to incorporate too many ideas or a variety of topics into one presentation. This only serves to confuse an audience. You need to clearly define the primary reason for this presentation, and there should only be one key message, a message that is important to the audience.

2. Who is Your Audience?
This step works in conjunction with the purpose of the presentation. Do you know the level of the audience's expertise on this topic? Are they the "doers" in a company or are they the primary decision makers? Perhaps there will be competitors seeing what you have to offer.
Do your homework and research any information you can gain about your prospective audience. Tailor your content with all of these factors in mind.

3. Make it Simple
Compose your presentation with "Threes" in mind. Break it into three sections.
- Beginning: Tell them what you are going to tell them. A brief overview of what today is all about.
- Middle: Tell them. The middle section is the most detailed. You should break this into three sections as well. Three points about your topic and expand further with three items about each of those points.
- Conclusion: Tell them what you told them. Summarize your content.

4. Edit, Edit, Edit
Be brutal when you edit your content. Although you know everything there is to know about this topic, you do not want to demonstrate all this knowledge. Remember that you are focusing on one key point or area. Think of ways to keep the audience interested.
- Use photographs that have an impact.
- Use simple charts that explain your point. Pictographs are very effective.
- Keep your language simple. Avoid "techno-speak".

5. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts
If you plan to use PowerPoint in your presentation, it is a good idea to learn pertinent keyboard shortcuts to quickly navigate to specific slides if necessary. With a few quick clicks you can access the information you want with ease and avoid fumbling around trying to locate the information.

6. How Do You Sound as a Presenter?
Do the ultimate test for yourself before the big day. Record your voice while you run through your whole presentation. Then play it back to hear how you would sound to the audience. You might be surprised.

Note - There are many free sound recording software titles available to use for this task. If you are using PowerPoint as an aid in your presentation, you can simply use the record feature as a test and delete the recording once you are happy with the result.

7. Rehearsals Are Not Just for Broadway
It is surprising how many people fail to properly rehearse their presentation. They might go through it once or twice and think all is well. Keep in mind that you are not your best critic. You know your topic and it all seems clear to you, so that is not a proper test.
A good practice is to rehearse in front of a few colleagues or friends who have limited knowledge of your topic. Be willing to accept their constructive criticism, as they are the best audience to tell you whether your material is clear, and interesting.

8. Equipment Check
If using a projector is part of your game plan, check all the equipment and rehearse your presentation, using this projector and computer long before your time to present. Make sure the necessary software is installed on the computer you will be using. Carry an extra projector bulb.

9. Check Out the Room
If possible, check the lighting in the room you will be presenting in, prior to your time in the limelight. Make sure you know how to dim the lights if the room is too bright.

10. Always Have a "Plan B"
What if your projector dies? Or the computer crashes? Or the CD drive doesn’t work? Or your CD gets stepped on?
For the first two scenarios, you may have no choice but to go with an AV free presentation, so have a printed copy of your notes with you.
Carry a backup of your presentation on a USB flash drive or email yourself a copy, or better yet, do both.

Cartoon of the Week

2011-03-31T23:18:00.000+03:00

A Basic Guide to Conducting Effective Meetings

2011-03-21T22:17:00.000+02:00

Meeting management tends to be a set of skills often overlooked by leaders and managers. The following information is a rather "Cadillac" version of meeting management suggestions. Keep in mind that meetings are very expensive activities when one considers the cost of labor for the meeting and how much can or cannot get done in them. So take meeting management very seriously.

The process used in a meeting depends on the kind of meeting you plan to have, e.g., staff meeting, planning meeting, problem solving meeting, etc. However, there are certain basics that are common to various types of meetings. These basics are described below.

(Note that there may seem to be a lot of suggestions listed below for something as apparently simple as having a meeting. However, any important activity would include a long list of suggestions. The list seems to become much smaller once you master how to conduct the activity.)

Selecting Participants
- The decision about who is to attend depends on what you want to accomplish in the meeting. This may seem too obvious to state, but it's surprising how many meetings occur without the right people there
- Don't depend on your own judgment about who should come. Ask several other people for their opinion as well
- If possible, call each person to tell them about the meeting, it's overall purpose and why their attendance is important
- Follow-up your call with a meeting notice, including the purpose of the meeting, where it will be held and when, the list of participants and whom to contact if they have questions.
- Send out a copy of the proposed agenda along with the meeting notice
- Have someone designated to record important actions, assignments and due dates during the meeting. This person should ensure that this information is distributed to all participants shortly after the meeting.

Developing Agendas
- Develop the agenda together with key participants in the meeting. Think of what overall outcome you want from the meeting and what activities need to occur to reach that outcome. The agenda should be organized so that these activities are conducted during the meeting. In the agenda, state the overall outcome that you want from the meeting
- Design the agenda so that participants get involved early by having something for them to do right away and so they come on time
- Next to each major topic, include the type of action needed, the type of output expected (decision, vote, action assigned to someone), and time estimates for addressing each topic
- Ask participants if they'll commit to the agenda
- Keep the agenda posted at all times
- Don't overly design meetings; be willing to adapt the meeting agenda if members are making progress in the planning process
- Think about how you label an event, so people come in with that mindset; it may pay to have a short dialogue around the label to develop a common mindset among attendees, particularly if they include representatives from various cultures.

Opening Meetings
- Always start on time; this respects those who showed up on time and reminds late-comers that the scheduling is serious
- Welcome attendees and thank them for their time
- Review the agenda at the beginning of each meeting, giving participants a chance to understand all proposed major topics, change them and accept them
- Note that a meeting recorder if used will take minutes and provide them back to each participant shortly after the meeting
- Model the kind of energy and participant needed by meeting participants
- Clarify your role(s) in the meeting.

Establishing Ground Rules for Meetings
You don't need to develop new ground rules each time you have a meeting, surely. However, it pays to have a few basic ground rules that can be used for most of your meetings. These ground rules cultivate the basic ingredients needed for a successful meeting
- Four powerful ground rules are: participate, get focus, maintain momentum and reach closure. (You may want a ground rule about confidentiality)
- List your primary ground rules on the agenda
- If you have new attendees who are not used to your meetings, you might review each ground rule
- Keep the ground rules posted at all times.

Time Management
- One of the most difficult facilitation tasks is time management -- time seems to run out before tasks are completed. Therefore, the biggest challenge is keeping momentum to keep the process moving
- You might ask attendees to help you keep track of the time
- If the planned time on the agenda is getting out of hand, present it to the group and ask for their input as to a resolution.

Evaluations of Meeting Process
- It's amazing how often people will complain about a meeting being a complete waste of time -- but they only say so after the meeting. Get their feedback during the meeting when you can improve the meeting process right away. Evaluating a meeting only at the end of the meeting is usually too late to do anything about participants' feedback
- Every couple of hours, conduct 5-10 minutes "satisfaction checks"
- In a round-table approach, quickly have each participant indicate how they think the meeting is going.

Evaluating the Overall Meeting
- Leave 5-10 minutes at the end of the meeting to evaluate the meeting; don't skip this portion of the meeting
- Have each member rank the meeting from 1-5, with 5 as the highest, and have each member explain their ranking
- Have the chief executive rank the meeting last.

Closing Meetings
- Always end meetings on time and attempt to end on a positive note
- At the end of a meeting, review actions and assignments, and set the time for the next meeting and ask each person if they can make it or not (to get their commitment)
- Clarify that meeting minutes and/or actions will be reported back to members in at most a week (this helps to keep momentum going).

Deir Mimas

2011-03-04T00:40:00.001+02:00

Deir Mimas is a picturesque town 88 km southeast of Beirut in Lebanon. Named in honor of Saint Mamas, the town overlooks the Litani River and the medieval Beaufort Castle to the west and the snow-capped summits of Mount Hermon to the east.

Agriculture
In addition to the cultivation of grapes and figs, Deir Mimas continues to be a major producer of olives and olive oil.

Demography
The inhabitants of Deir Mimas are mostly followers of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches. One of the priests that served most of his entire life is buried at the back of the church in Mar Mama. His name was the servant of God Gerges Chammas. The location is behind the church to the east side. He devoted his life to serve Christ and his followers.

Etymology
Deir is derivative from the Semitic, meaning house or convent. Mimas refers to Saint Mamas, the third century shepherd who preached Christianity and had a lion as a protector. Saint Mamas became martyr after his examination in the persecutions of Aurelian. In the Middle Ages, a convent was built in honor of Saint Mamas on top of a hill surrounded by olive groves. A village grew around the convent, and it was eventually named in honor of the Convent of Saint Mamas. Therefore, Deir Mimas means "Convent of Saint Mamas."

Holidays
In addition to Christmas and Easter, the town celebrates the feast of Saint Mamas on September 15. Grand festivities are organized each year to honor the town's patron saint.

Highest Elevation 650 m
Lowest Elevation 550 m

Midlife Crisis

2011-02-25T11:12:00.002+02:00

Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" or middle age of life, as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age. Sometimes, a crisis can be triggered by transitions experienced in these years, such as extramarital affairs, andropause or menopause, the death of parents or other causes of grief, unemployment or underemployment, realizing that a job or career is hated but not knowing how else to earn an equivalent living, or children leaving home. The result may be a desire to make significant changes in core aspects of day-to-day life or situation, such as in career, work-life balance, marriage, romantic relationships, big-ticket expenditures, or physical appearance.

Academic research since the 1980s rejects the notion of midlife crisis as a phase that most adults go through. In one study, fewer than 10% of people in the United States had psychological crises due to their age or aging. Personality type and a history of psychological crisis are believed to predispose some people to this "traditional" midlife crisis. People going through this suffer a variety of symptoms and exhibit a disparate range of behaviors.

Many middle aged adults experience major life events that can cause a period of psychological stress or depression, such as the death of a loved one, or a career setback. However, those events could have happened earlier or later in life, making them a "crisis," but not necessarily a midlife one. In the same study, 15% of middle-aged adults experienced this type of midlife turmoil.

Some studies indicate that some cultures may be more sensitive to this phenomenon than others, one study found that there is little evidence that people undergo midlife crises in Japanese and Indian cultures, raising the question of whether a midlife crises is mainly a cultural construct. The authors hypothesized that the "Culture of Youth" in Western societies accounts for the popularity of the midlife crisis concept there.

Researchers have found that midlife is often a time for reflection and reassessment, but this is not always accompanied by the psychological upheaval popularly associated with "midlife crisis."

For the approximately 10% of middle aged adults who go through an age-related midlife crisis, the condition is most common ranging from the ages of 40-60 (a large study in the 1990s found that the average age at onset of a self-described midlife crisis was 46). Midlife crises last about 3–10 years in men and 2–5 years in women.

Occurrence
A midlife crisis could be caused by aging itself, or aging in combination with changes, problems, or regrets over:
- Work or career (or lack thereof)
- Spousal relationships (or lack thereof)
- Maturation of children (or lack of children)
- Aging or death of parents
- Physical changes associated with aging

Midlife crises seem to affect men and women differently. Researchers have proposed that the triggers for midlife crisis differ between men and women, with male midlife crisis more likely to be caused by work issues. Some have hypothesized that another cause of the male midlife crisis is the imminent menopause of the female partner and end of her reproductive career.

Characteristics
At least some of the market for sports cars can be attributed to conspicuous consumption spurred by customers' midlife insecurities. Individuals experiencing a midlife crisis have some of these feelings:
- Search of an undefined dream or goal
- A deep sense of remorse for goals not accomplished
- A fear of humiliation amongst more successful colleagues
- Desire to achieve a feeling of youthfulness
- Need to spend more time alone or with certain peers

Insecurities go so far as to affixing the badge of an expensive sports car to a cheaper one, in an attempt to convey a false sense of success. They exhibit some of these behaviors:
- Abuse of alcohol
- Acquisition of unusual or expensive items such as motorbikes, boats, clothing, sports cars, jewelry, gadgets, tattoos, piercings, etc.
- Pretend acquisition of expensive items via non-authentic materials or automobile badge replacement
- Depression
- Blaming themselves for their failures
- Paying special attention to physical appearance such as covering baldness, wearing "younger" designer clothes etc.
- Entering relationships with younger people (either/or sexual, professional, parental, etc.)
- Placing overimportance (and possibly a psychologically damaging amount) on their children to excel in areas such as sports, arts or academics

Theoretical Basis
"The notion of the midlife crisis began with followers of Sigmund Freud, who thought that during middle age everyone’s thoughts were driven by the fear of impending death". Although midlife crisis has lately received more attention in popular culture than serious research, there are some theoretical constructs supporting the notion. Jungian theory holds that midlife is key to individuation, a process of self-actualization and self-awareness that contains many potential paradoxes. Although Carl Jung did not describe midlife crisis per se, the midlife integration of thinking, sensation, feeling, and intuition that he describes could, it seems, lead to confusion about one's life to date and one's goals.

Erik Erikson held that in life's seventh stage, middle adulthood, people struggle to find new meaning and purpose to their lives; their questioning, he believed, could lead to what we now call a midlife crisis.

Some psychologists believe men's midlife crisis is a psychological reaction to the imminent menopause and end of reproductive career of their spouses. Their genes may be influencing men to be more attracted to reproductive women, and less attached to their non-reproductive spouses.

Criticism
Some people have challenged the existence of midlife crises altogether. One study found that 23% of participants had what they called a "midlife crisis," but in digging deeper, only one-third of those—8% of the total—said the crisis was associated with realizations about aging.

The balance (15% of those surveyed) had experienced major life experiences or transitions such as divorce or loss of a job in middle age and described them as "midlife crisis." While there is no doubt these events can be traumatic—the associated grief reactions can be indistinguishable from depression -- these upheavals aren't unique to middle age and aren't an age-related midlife crisis.

University of California - Davis researchers Carolyn Alwin and Michael Levenson presented the current view of midlife crisis in a 2001 article:

Costa and McCrae (1980) found little evidence for an increase in neuroticism in midlife ... While they did find that some people were likely to experience such crises, ... these individuals were likely to experience crises in their 20s and 30s, and these experiences were not unique to midlife. ...Robinson, Rosenberg, and Farrell (1999) reinterviewed (500) men. Looking back over their midlife period, it became evident that while not necessarily entailing crisis, it was a time for re-evaluation."

Wrapping up their review of men's midlife crisis, Alwin and Levenson wrote that "... Given the bulk of the data, it is likely that, for most men, midlife is a time of achievement and satisfaction. For a certain proportion of men, however, the passage is not at all smooth." They found a similar pattern when they reviewed research on what are commonly thought to be triggers for women's midlife crisis: menopause, children leaving home, the "sandwich" of caring for both parents and children. Most women navigated those periods without a traumatic psychological "crisis."

The enduring popularity of the midlife crisis concept may be explained by another finding by Robinson et al. As Alwin and Levenson summarize: "... younger men, now middle-aged Baby Boomers, used the term "midlife crisis" to describe nearly any setback, either in their career or family life."

Levinson's findings were research about the possible existence of a midlife crisis and its implications. Whereas Levinson (1978) found that 80% of middle-aged participants had a crisis, and Ciernia (1985) reported that 70% of men in midlife said they had a crisis (Shek, 1996) others could not replicate those findings including Shek (1996), Kruger (1994), McCrae and Costa (1990), and Whitbourne (2010). The debate of whether or not there is a midlife crisis is being answered through recent research that attempts to balance such factors as response bias and experimenter effects in order to establish internal validity. The above mentioned research does not support Levinson's model of a single age in the middle years that is a designated time of transition and potential "crisis." Instead, changes in personality can occur throughout the adult years with no peak in general distress or psychosocial crisis (Whitbourne, Sneed, and Sayer, 2009).

For the most part, at all ages researchers in Positive Adult Development have found improvement or at worst, stasis for most of the population.

In Popular Culture
The midlife crisis has been the subject of many television series and films, often the source of amusement in sitcoms, soaps and other television productions. The 1970s Polish television series, Czterdziestolatek meaning "The 40-Year-Old" was entirely geared towards covering midlife crisis issues in a comedy series. In the Australian television series, Neighbours, Karl Kennedy went though a midlife crisis dating young women and changing his appearance.

While the classic 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch deals with the supposed decline of marital quality after seven years of marriage, the protagonist Richard Sherman (played by Tom Ewell) is obviously going through a midlife crisis. In fact, the book that proposes the seven-year-itch hypothesis, entitled "Of Man and the Unconscious", even has a chapter on "The Repressed Urge in the Middle-Aged Male: Its Roots and lts Consequences" connecting it to the midlife crisis in men. As an editor for a publishing house, Sherman reads – and reads into – this psychological study which he believes directly corresponds to increasingly erotic, frenetic, and ultimately frantic daydreams stemming from his flirtation with the new nubile neighbor upstairs (Marilyn Monroe in one of her most memorable roles).

Decidedly more serious takes on the subject include John Cheever's short stories, "The Country Husband" and "The Swimmer", shedding light on modern '60s era suburbia, as well as more bittersweet and timely turns at the turn of the millennium in the films American Beauty (2000 Academy Awards Best Picture winner) and Lost in Translation.

English progressive rocker, Roger Waters, formerly of Pink Floyd, also released a solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch-Hiking, which explores a man and his midlife crisis as he dreams of having an affair and tries desperately to find solutions to his problems. Similarly, The Kinks' songs, "Shangri-La" and "Clichés of the World (B Movie)", also appear to describe someone going through a midlife crisis.

Print Ad of the Week

2011-02-10T05:00:00.000+02:00

Social Exchange Theory

2011-02-09T22:17:00.000+02:00

S†MoN® says:
"Social exchange theory is based upon rewards and costs of a relationship. We base our decision to develop or maintain a relationship from the amount of profits that we could receive. Social exchange uses the equation: Rewards - Costs = Profits to figure out whether a relationship is worth the time. Usually, the typical person decides to pursue relationships where the rewards are greater than the cost. They understand that in order to get the rewards that there will be costs that they will have to deal with. Social exchange practice is based upon the degree of intimacy in a relationship. We disclose more and develop a closer relationship with the person we work with; we see him for numerous amount of hours a week, plan and act with him on tasks and develop campaigns from scratch. In the advertising world, such practice is observed to be essential between colleagues. The level of stress and frustration swallowed push each and every one to the limit. Individuals tend to crack under heavy loads of work and pressure. Therefore, time to unwind is very essential and vital. But we must not neglect that a person should have the ability to deal with others. Social exchange between colleagues positively affects the overall outcome and performance of a company. It also help increase the level of communication and talent of every party".

Picture of the Day

2011-01-01T21:41:00.000+02:00

The 10 Most Common Presentation Mistakes

2010-12-22T22:59:00.002+02:00

What presentation mistakes are sure-fire ways to put your audience to sleep or send them running for the doors? Even the best presentation can be destroyed by a bad presenter -- from the person who mumbles, to the one who talks too fast, to the one who just wasn’t prepared. But perhaps nothing is as irritating as the person who misuses and abuses presentation software. Read on to learn about the 10 most common presentation mistakes.

1. You Don't Know Your Topic!
You memorized the content (and it shows, by the way). Someone has a question. Panic sets in. You never prepared for questions and all you know about this topic is what is written on the slides.

A better scenario
Know your material so well, that you could easily do the presentation without an electronic enhancement such as PowerPoint. Nothing will ruin your credibility as a presenter faster, than not knowing everything about your topic. Use key words and phrases and include only essential information to keep the audience focused and interested. Be prepared for questions and know the answers.

2. The Slides Are NOT Your Presentation
An audience member says that she can't read the slides. You graciously tell her you will be reading them and proceed to do so, while looking up at the screen. Each of your slides in filled with the text of your speech. Why do they need you?

A better scenario
Always remember that you are the presentation. The slide show should only be used as anaccompaniment to your talk. Simplify the content, by using bullet points for key information. Keep the most important points near the top of the slide for easy reading in the back rows. Focus on a single topic area for this presentation and use no more than four bullets per slide.Speak to the audience, not to the screen.

3. T. M. I. (Too Much Information)
You know so much about the topic, that you jump from here to there and back again talking about everything there is to know about your brand new widget, and no one can follow the thread of the presentation.

A better scenario
Use the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple, Silly) when designing a presentation. Stick to three, or at the most, four points about your topic and expound on them. The audience will be more likely to retain the information.

4. Poorly Chosen Design Template or Design Theme
You heard blue was a good color for a design template or design theme. You found a really cool template/theme on the internet, with a beach scene. Water is blue, right? Unfortunately, your presentation is about some nifty new tools to show at a Woodcarvers’ convention.

A better scenario
Choose a design that is appropriate for the audience. A clean, straightforward layout is best for business presentations. Young children respond to presentations that are full of color and contain a variety of shapes.

5. Electrifying Color Choices
Audiences don't like unusual color combinations. Some are unsettling and red and green combos can't be differentiated by those with color blindness.

A better scenario
Good contrast with the background is essential to make your text easy to read. Dark text on a light background is best. Off white or light beige is easier on the eyes than the typical white. Dark backgrounds are very effective, if the text is light for easy reading. Patterned or textured backgrounds make text hard to read. Keep the color scheme consistent.

6. Poor Font Choices
Small, script type fonts might look great when you are sitting 18 inches away from the monitor. You didn't consider the lady sitting 200 feet away from the screen who can't read them.

A better scenario
Stick to easy to read fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman. Avoid script type fonts which are hard to read on screen. Use no more than two different fonts – one for headings, another for content and no less than a 30 pt font so that people at the back of the room can read them easily.

7. Extraneous Photos & Graphs
You figured no one will notice that you didn't do much research on your topic if you add lots of photos and complicated looking graphs.

A better scenario
“Time is Money” is really true in today's world. No one wants to waste their time sitting through a presentation with no substance. Use photos, charts and diagrams only to emphasize key points of your presentation. They add a nice break to the material, and when used correctly, can only enhance your oral presentation. Illustrate, don't decorate.

8. W-A-Y Too Many Slides
Your vacation cruise was so fantastic that you took 500 photos, and put them all in a digital photo album to impress your friends. After the first 100 slides, snores were heard in the room.

A better scenario
Ensure your audience stays focused by keeping the number of slides to a minimum. 10 to 12 is plenty. Some concessions can be made for a photo album, since most pictures will be on screen for only a short time. Be kind though. Think how much you enjoy everyone else’s vacation pictures!

9. Different Animations on Every Slide
You found all the really cool animations and sounds and used 85% of them in your presentation, to impress everyone with your flair. Except -- the audience doesn’t know where to look, and have totally lost the message of your presentation.

A better scenario
Animations and sounds, used well, can heighten interest, but don't distract the audience with too much of a good thing. Design your presentation with the "less is more” philosophy. Don't let your audience suffer from animation overload.

10. Hardware Malfunctions
The audience is settled. You are all set to start your presentation and - guess what? The projector doesn't work. You didn’t bother to check it out earlier.

A better scenario
Check all the equipment and rehearse your presentation, using this projector long before your time to present. Carry an extra projector bulb. If possible, check the lighting in the room you will be presenting in, prior to your time in the limelight. Make sure you know how to dim the lights if the room is too bright.

Print Ad of the Week

2010-12-20T18:45:00.000+02:00

Playing it Safe in the Social Media World

2010-11-23T19:24:00.000+02:00

Rants about your boss or your job may have once been reserved for during after-work drinks at a bar, but employee gripes are now being voiced in the social media sphere.

Workplace complaints posted on popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace could get you fired, and often times not hired. Workers should still be wary about what they post on social media sites. About a quarter of employers recently surveyed had disciplined an employee for improper activities on social networking sites. If a worker posts something negative, and a manager finds it, he or she can legally be fired.

Now, how can you engage in online forums without losing your job?

1. Think before you post
Imagine if the comment you posted or tweeted will appear in the local newspaper. While that rule of thumb may sound extreme, it is a safe way to manage your content. On a social media site, the audience is unlimited, and the content is permanent. An employee may post one photo and quickly remove it, but someone could still archive the page or make a copy.

2. Be picky about who you friend
Only allow people you trust into your social network. Instead of casually accepting all the co-workers or managers who ask to friend you, be selective about who you allow to view your posts. Employees may forget who they let into their network and that could lead to problems later on.

3. Do it on your own time and computer
Try to limit your Facebook and Twitter activity to your personal computer. If you engage in problematic activity on the company property and time, this can provide the managers more leverage. Many employers and workplaces already ban the sites at the workplace to prevent social media spats from becoming an issue.

4. Watch what you post at home
Many workers are unaware that mentioning their company in a negative light on the internet -- even if it's done on personal time at home -- could lead to disciplinary measures. Many organizations have departments that monitor social media comments and photographs that pertain to the company.

5. Keep the dialogue positive
Social media can be a great way to foster conversations about an employee's recent promotion or a company event. But certain topics such as trade secrets should never be disclosed online.

6. Figure out privacy settings
Social media privacy settings may be tricky, but take the time to consider all the different settings. Implementing filters and grouping co-workers and bosses is recommended so that certain information does not reach everyone.

7. Learn your employee rights
Employees need to make the effort to understand corporate policy regarding the use social media at work and at home. However, most companies don't have such policies in place.

Cartoon of the Week

2010-11-18T00:31:00.000+02:00

When Stress is Good for You

2010-11-17T00:16:00.000+02:00

You may have heard that there's "good stress" and "bad stress." Do you know what people mean by that? We rarely hear people say, "I'm really feeling stressed -- isn't that great?" But if we didn't have some stress in our lives -- the 'good stress' variety -- we'd feel rudderless and unhappy. If we define stress as anything that alters our homeostasis, for good or for bad, then good stress, in its many forms, is vital for a healthy life. However, good stress can turn into bad stress, and vice-versa. Here's what you need to know about good stress.

Good Stress Vs. Bad Stress
So-called "good stress," or what psychologists refer to as "eustress," is the type of stress we feel when we feel excited. Our pulse quickens, our hormones change, but there is no threat or fear. We feel this type of stress when we ride a roller coaster, gun for a promotion, or go on a first date. There are many triggers for this good stress, and it keeps us feeling alive and excited about life.

Another type of stress is acute stress. It comes from quick surprises that need a response. Acute stress triggers the body's stress response as well, but the triggers aren't always happy and exciting. This is what we normally think of as "stress." Acute stress in itself doesn't take a heavy toll if we find ways to relax quickly. Once the stressor has been dealt with, we need to return our body to homeostasis, or its pre-stress state, to be healthy and happy.

The type of stress we really have to worry about is chronic stress. This type of stress comes when we repeatedly face stressors that take a heavy toll and feel inescapable. A stressful job or an unhappy home life can bring chronic stress. This is what we normally thing of as serious stress. Because our bodies aren't designed for chronic stress, we can face negative health effects (both physical and emotional) if we deal with chronic stress for an extended period of time.

Sources of Good Stress
Okay, back to good stress. Knowing about the different types of stress, it makes sense to get more good stress into your life. Because you actually can get too much of even the good type of stress, it's important to choose activities in your life that make you feel good, happy, and excited about life. It's also a good idea to cut out as many activities as you can that drain you, or lead to the experience of chronic stress. One good way to gauge whether or not an activity is worth your time is to pay attention to how the thought of it makes you feel. Do you feel excited at the thought? Is it a "want to" activity, or a "have to" activity? Be sure your "want to" activities are all things you really do want to do, and your "have to" activities are all absolutely necessary.

How Good Stress Can Become Bad Stress
Good stress can become bad for you if you experience too much of it. This is because your stress response is triggered either way, and if you're adding that to chronic stress, or several other stressors, there is still a cumulative effect: lots of stress! That's why it's important to be in tune with yourself and be able to tell when you've had too much.

How Bad Stress Can Become Good Stress
Not all forms of bad stress can become good stress, but it is possible to change your perception of some of the stressors in your life, and this shift in perception can change your experience of stress. This is because the body's stress response reacts strongly to perceived threats; if you don't perceive something as a threat, there is generally no threat-based stress response. If you perceive something as a challenge, the fear your would normally experience may turn into excitement and anticipation, or at least steeled resolve. You can often make the shift in perception by focusing on resources, seeing the hidden potential benefits of a situation, and reminding yourself of your strengths. Getting into the habit of thinking like an optimist can also help. Once you are in the practice of looking at things as challenges more often, it becomes more automatic.

Overall, it's important to have good stress in your life. By making the effort to cut out as much chronic stress as possible, changing your perception of stress where you can, and adding some positive activities in the mix to promote eustress, you can create a nice balance of good stress in your life.

Cartoon of the Week

2010-10-04T23:08:00.000+03:00

Print Ad of the Week

2010-09-29T23:12:00.002+03:00

10 Things You Do On Facebook That Make You A Loser

2010-09-24T19:03:00.003+03:00

1. You Play Farmville
2. You Promote For a Club / Bar
3. You Are A Member of Over 500 Groups
4. You Use the Like Button Way too Much
5. You Mobile Upload Pictures Taken of Yourself in the Bathroom
6. You Poke People
7. You Change Your Status Every 15 Minutes
8. You Comment on Your Friends Picture with Beautiful and Adorable
9. You Have Over 3,000 Friends
10. You Bug Others with Your Mood Feeds and Location Every 30 Minutes

The Biggest Lit Cross In The World

2010-09-14T15:20:00.001+03:00

An illuminated towering cross is seen in the village of Qanat Bakish, in the Lebanese mountains 1,800 metres above sea level on September 13, 2010. Lebanon's Maronite Christian church inaugurated the towering cross that stands 73.8 meters tall. The cross lit up with 1,800 lights was built on a mountain near a church constructed in 1898. Building the cross took about two years and cost some $1.5 million, mainly using donations from the Maronite church and a French Catholic group. The cross which its builders say is the largest in the world was inaugurated on the eve of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, marking the recovery of the cross on which Jesus Christ is believed to have been crucified by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius in 627 AD after defeating the Sassanid Persians.

Photo: AFP PHOTO / JOSEPH EID

Postcard of the Week

2010-08-31T16:22:00.001+03:00

Qanat Bakish - Lebanon

Stop Yourself from Making Egregious Email Errors

2010-08-23T21:47:00.001+03:00

Composing an e-mail is kind of like making out: Everyone assumes they know what they're doing, but in reality plenty of people could use some pointers. We're all pretty much constantly sending missives around the web. In 2009, worldwide e-mail traffic amounted to 247 billion messages per day, according to market research firm Radicati. But practice doesn't make perfect, and myriad senders are horrifying recipients every day. Here are three big e-mail mistakes you're probably making. (Sorry, we can't do anything about your iguana-like kissing skills. Drag.)

Egregious e-mail error: Recklessly BCC'ing and forwarding
E-mail entry forms are not that complicated. We all understand how BCC (blind carbon copy) and Forward work. Why, then, do so many people persist in using them incorrectly -- awkwardly fumbling about in the internet ether?
Use BCC when you're e-mailing a gazillion people and you don't want to junk up their inboxes with the recipient list, and/or you don't need everyone to see everyone else on the list.
For example, if you're sending a mass e-mail to let your networking contacts know you're on the lookout for a new job, it wouldn't really be good form to give everybody the e-mail address of that big-shot VP your parents know. Also use BCC if you're giving a whole list of people bad news (e.g., that they didn't get a gig).
Last year, Twitter published the e-mails of scads of rejected job applicants. Awkwardness and tail-between-the-legs sheepishness ensued.
Do not use BCC to secretly let someone know an e-mail exchange is going down. You run the risk that the idiot will fail to notice he wasn't candidly CC'ed, in which case he can hit reply-all, blow your cover and create a situation so awkward, it rivals that walk of shame where you ran into your boss in the same clothes you wore to work the day before -- only backward.
The smarter way to loop a buddy in (say, you want to clue a co-worker in on a client's latest display of stunning idiocy): Reply to the client, then forward the whole exchange to your colleague. Just bear in mind that said recipient is going to read everything in the convo up until that point.
It's easy to be like, "Oh, we're talking about meeting up at Samson's, I'll forward this last one to Samson," forgetting that Samson is going to read six e-mails into your and Julie's personal e-mail exchange, where she reveals that last night's episode of "Friday Night Lights" really spoke to her about her and Jude's relationship problems.

Egregious e-mail error: Being a thankless jerk
In interoffice e-mails, especially, the purpose of an exchange is almost always to demand or supply information. In the give-and-take, you must remember the magic words your mom drilled into your head until you were huddled terrified in the corner, simpering into your Apple Jacks: please and thank you.
When you request something via e-mail and get back what you need, it's easy to think, "Oh, I won't clutter up his tremblingly overstuffed inbox with a pointless note of gratitude."
But if you say thanks as soon as you get the info, you won't throw off his e-mail-checking routine. Just try to respond quickly -- if it's been more than 20 minutes, skip the gratuitous gratitude and tack the thanks on to the next e-mail volley. ("I appreciate your sending me those survey results last week. I'd like to set up a meeting to discuss...")
If you're the one providing the info, don't just paste it into the body of an e-mail and hit send without salutations or a sign-off. That just makes it sound like you're pissed off to have to help.
"Here you go, thanks" takes three seconds to type, and prevents resentment from brewing in the bowels of your coworkers. Leave that to pay cuts, the hellish drone of fluorescent lights and increasingly bizarre money-saving schemes.

Egregious e-mail error: Playing fascist dictator
Show of hands: How many of you under-30s have ever received the following e-mail from a higher-up?

"???"

It's typically a response to your e-mail or a forward of something someone else said, right? And yeah, it feels like a nauseating shot of Wild Turkey and makes you momentarily hate your boss, right?
Now imagine sending that same e-mail to your boss: She sends a note giving you a completely unrealistic new deadline, say, and you just hit Reply and give that question mark three jabs. Ridiculous, right?
My friend even had a higher-up pepper a message with comic book-style cuss words: "There's no way I'm calling another #&$% meeting..." Classy.
The rule here is simple: Address your employee the same way you'd address your boss. Unless you're still a two-finger typist, "I'm not clear why this hasn't been taken care of. Can you please send me a status report? Thanks," is not an onerous message to compose.
If you're especially bad at judging how your e-mails come across, there's ToneCheck, a (slightly silly) plug-in that flags harsh phrases. If you can prevent your workers from feeling like Bazooka gum on the bottom of your shoe, surprise! -- they'll actually want to impress you. Kissing ass is a whole lot easier to master than the other kind.
The thing I see is just the general lack of sense and tact when using email. Email is not a text message you're sending to your buddy to see if he wants to hook up for a beer. Email is a primary business communication tool and, well, if you want to look like a "tool" then just fire off a few stupid emails with poor grammar and lots of misspelled words. When you are preparing to write or send that email, remember that it is never, ever going to go away, and you will be judged by the tone and quality of your written words, which will surely be taken out of context when reviewed by some random 3rd party in the future.

I've seen coworkers fired over emails. It's that serious, especially if you work for a public entity that is required to keep every correspondence for years.

Biggest problem though, you can't fix stupid.

I love it when folks make mistakes and say "Well, I'm not a computer savvy"... Reading and thinking have been around much longer than computers!

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2010-08-19T13:26:00.000+03:00

What is Causing My High Cholesterol?

2010-08-04T13:11:00.001+03:00

So, you went to your healthcare provider for your regular physical, and have found out that your cholesterol levels are too high. While being diagnosed with high cholesterol can be a little overwhelming at first, the good news is that you can do plenty of things to treat it. First, take an inventory of your life. Do you remember whether or not your mother, father, or sibling was diagnosed with high cholesterol? Perhaps it may have something to do with your doughnut run on the way to work every morning. Once you have identified any potential problems below, you can begin to change them -- and your cholesterol.

1. You have several risk factors for high cholesterol
Several risk factors could place you at risk for having high cholesterol, including your age, your lifestyle, and your genes. Of course, you can't control certain circumstances in your life, such as your age or family history. But you would be surprised how many risk factors you can change in your life. The following articles address things that could place you at risk for having high cholesterol. Do any of those risks look familiar to you?

2. Your diet is poor
Did you know that the type of food you consume can also play a large role in raising your cholesterol levels? It's true. We live in a fast-paced world full of fast food and quick meals. Unfortunately, these foods are high in fat and not very nutritious. Your diet should have a mixture of nutritious foods, including vegetables, fruits, and other foods that are high in fiber and low in saturated and trans fats. Knowing the foods to avoid, as well as checking food labels, can help you avoid high-fat foods that are not as heart healthy.

3. You don't get enough exercise
Exercise can play an important role in your health. Of course, it can keep your waist trim, and strengthen muscles. But it also has other added benefits including lowering your cholesterol. Research studies have shown that moderate exercise can boost your heart health, and it doesn't take much time out of your day to do it. Additionally, you can do many types of exercise to satisfy this requirement such as yoga, weight-bearing exercises, and aerobic exercise.

4. You have certain, uncontrolled medical conditions
Many conditions such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or thyroid disease could also cause your cholesterol levels to be high. Many of these conditions require lifestyle changes and medication to get these conditions under control. The good news is that by controlling these conditions, you may be able to lower your high cholesterol levels, too.

5. You take certain medications
Medications are designed to help you treat many conditions. Unfortunately, some side effects are associated with them. Surprisingly enough, some of the medications you take may be causing your cholesterol levels to be high. Knowing which meds can increase you cholesterol levels can help you plan ahead and watch your cholesterol more closely. Your healthcare provider can also change your medication if your cholesterol gets out of hand. Of course, you can take some measures to help lower it, including:

6. You smoke
Smoking -- it's certainly a bad habit, but it can also become a deadly one. Smoking affects all aspects of your health including your cholesterol and heart health. Quitting smoking does not happen overnight and can be difficult. But there are many healthy advantages to doing so. By quitting smoking now, you can offset some of the damage that smoking can do to your heart -- and the rest of your body.

Said Akl

2010-07-25T22:59:00.001+03:00

Said Akl, born July 4, 1912 is a prominent Lebanese poet, writer and ideologue. He was born in Zahle, Lebanon, and is considered one of the most important modern Lebanese poets.
He is best known for his radical Lebanese Nationalistic sentiments; in 1972, he helped to found the “Lebanese Renewal Party” which was proposed by May Murr, the renowned historian of ancient Lebanon. This party was a non-sectarian party that adhered to Lebanese Nationalism. During the Lebanese Civil War, Akl served as the spiritual leader of the radical Lebanese Nationalist movement Guardians of the Cedars.

Early Life
Said Akl was born to a Maronite Catholic family in the city of Zahle. After losing his father at the age of 15, he had to drop out of school and later worked as a teacher and then journalist. He then studied theology, literature and Islamic history, becoming a university instructor and subsequently lecturing in many Lebanese universities and policy institutes.

Ideology
During his early years, Said Akl was an adherent of the Syrian Social Nationalist party led by Antun Saadeh, eventually being expelled by the later due to irreconcilable ideological disputes.
Said Akl adopted a powerful doctrine of the authentic millennial character of Lebanon resonating with an exalted sense of Lebanese dignity. His admiration to the Lebanese history and culture was marked by strong enmity towards the Arab language and culture according to Aharon Amir. This view is crystallized by Akl once stating “I would cut off my right hand just not to be an Arab”. In 1968 he stated that literary Arabic would vanish from Lebanon.
For him Lebanon is the cradle of culture and the inheritor of the Oriental civilization, well before the arrival of the Arabs on the historical stage.
He emphasized the Phoenician legacy of the Lebanese people and promoted the use of the Lebanese dialect written in a modified Latin alphabet, that had been influenced by the Phoenician alphabet, rather than the Arabic one.
In a magazine he published during the '70s he offered a prize in each issue to whoever authored the best essay in Lebanese Arabic. Since then the Said Akl awards had been granted to many Lebanese intellectuals and artists.

Works
Said Akl has tens of writings ranging from theatrical plays, epics and poetry. His first published work was released in 1935, a theatrical play written in Arabic. His other works are written in either Lebanese Arabic, literary Arabic, or French.

Postcard of the Week

2010-07-18T21:52:00.001+03:00

Faqra - Lebanon

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2010-07-10T11:01:00.000+03:00

When Worlds Collide: Soccer vs. Politics

2010-07-08T00:10:00.001+03:00

"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death... I assure you it is much, much more important than that."

As Bill Shankly, the legendary former manager of English club Liverpool, pointed out shortly before he passed away in 1981, the significance of the beautiful game can never be underestimated -- and that doesn't just apply to fans of the sport, either.
Soccer can affect lives on a national and international scale, inspiring revolutions and causing wars as well as having the capability to create peace and lift entire nations.
The "Football War" between Honduras and El Salvador in 1969 is perhaps the most famous example of the sport's wider implications. The two Central American nations famously came to blows following their qualification match for the 1970 World Cup.
But this wasn't the first time, and definitely won't be the last, that the worlds of football and politics collide with remarkable results.

1. Mussolini manipulates the "Man in Black," 1934
"Il Duce" was determined to use this World Cup on home soil to showcase his fascist Italy. Mussolini had his own trophy created for the event -- the Coppa Del Duce -- which was six times the size of the Jules Rimet, and to this day allegations remain the tournament was fixed so that only Italy would collect it.
According to the BBC's "World Cup Stories" book by Chris Hunt, there were suggestions that the Italian dictator himself picked the referees. In the semifinal against Austria, Mussolini's Azzurri team won 2-1, but after the game their opponents complained the game was fixed.
"The referee even played for them," said Austrian striker Josef Bican. "When I passed for the ball out to the right wing, one of our players, Cicek, ran for it and the referee headed it back to the Italians. It was unbelievable."

2. Austrian star humiliates Nazis, 1938
Austria had one of the game's greatest sides in the 1930s, but when the Nazis annexed their neighbors, the nation's "Wunderteam" were forced to withdraw from the World Cup and merge with Germany.
Star striker Matthias Sindelar so opposed his nation's loss of independence that he refused to play for Germany. He pleaded old age, but Germany's manager Sepp Herberger would later recall: "I almost had the impression that discomfort and rejection, linked to the political developments, had prompted his refusal."
During a so-called "Reconciliation Game" to mark the merging of the two sides, Sindelar made his feelings quite clear in a 2-0 win for Austria. According to German historian Nils Havemann's book "Fussball unterm Hakenkreuz," the center-forward scored his beloved country's first and then, when the second goal went in, he danced in celebration in front of Nazi officials.
In 1939, Sindelar and his girlfriend were killed in his apartment by a gas leak. Controversy still reigns over whether it was murder or suicide -- or just an accident.

3. Algerians play for independence, 1958
Halfway through Algeria's War of Independence, the French national team called up a handful of Algerians playing in the French soccer league for the World Cup in Sweden.
Given the chance of glory, fame and fortune, the players chose national identity instead. Rather than attend a pre-tournament friendly against Switzerland, they decided to flee France, gather at the headquarters of the Front Liberation National in Tunisia and launch an "illegal" national team, risking arrest for desertion in the process.
Rachid Maflouki had won the French championship with Saint Etienne before getting the call from Les Bleus, but decided there were more important matters at stake than his personal success.
"I didn't hesitate," he told Ian Hawkey, author of "Feet of the Chameleon."
"Okay, I would have to give up my club. And yes, I was thinking about the World Cup, but what did that count for in comparison with my country's independence?"

4. Zaire players crack under Presidential pressure, 1974
It's remembered as one of the World Cup's funniest moments, but the truth is much darker. Already 3-0 down and facing a Brazilian free-kick, Zaire's right-back Ilunga Mwepu seemingly forgot the rules of the game, charged at the ball and hoofed it away before the whistle had even been blown.
The Leopards, the first sub-Saharan African nation to reach the finals, had already been humiliated 9-0 by Yugoslavia before losing 2-0 to Scotland, and were told by President Mobutu's henchmen that if they lost to Brazil by more than three goals they wouldn't be allowed to return home.
"Do you think I'd deliberately make myself look like an idiot? You have to remember we were playing for our lives," he said in the book "Death or Glory, the Dark History of the World Cup" by Jon Spurling.
Mwepu's act of "madness," it turns out, was in fact a very sane attempt to waste time.

5. The German nation divided, 1974
East Germany versus West at the 1974 World Cup was perhaps the most politically-charged match of all time. After the Second World War, the divided nation had become the main arena for the Cold War, and this fixture in Hamburg represented a head-to-head between the two ideologies.
Although the game was actually the last in the group and it had become clear that both teams would qualify from the group stage, that did not diminish the tension surrounding the clash.
With home advantage, European champions West Germany were favorites but it was the East German Jurgen Sparwasser who scored the only goal of the game.
East Germany heralded their triumph, but the victory was rendered a little hollow after they were knocked out in the next round and their bitter rivals went on to win the tournament.

6. Argentine junta swaps grain for glory, 1978
Argentina's junta, which had seized power just a couple of years earlier, was determined to use the World Cup it was hosting as propaganda for the regime.
According to a 1986 article by journalist Maria Laura Avignolo of Britain's Sunday Times, and supported by David Yallop in his book "How They Stole the Game," the junta used bribery and intimidation to help win the cup.
In the group stages, Argentina needed to beat Peru by four goals in their last game to progress. General Jorge Videla made a timely pre-match visit to the Peruvian dressing-room to talk to the players about "Latin American unity" before the host nation rattled six past a side that had previously held eventual finalists Holland to a goalless draw.
Avignolo claimed that in the weeks following the Peru game, an impromptu cargo of 35,000 tonnes of wheat left Argentina for Lima and that the military regime issued an interest-free loan of $50 million to the Peruvian government.

7. Iran's football revolution, 1998
They may have been two of the least significant footballing sides at France '98, but nevertheless this fixture caught the world's imagination because Iran and the United States had been at loggerheads since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Although political relations were strained, the clash of civilizations never quite happened on the pitch. Instead, both sides showed the utmost respect, swapping flowers, gifts and photographs before the kick-off.
The Iranians won 2-1, but, celebrations back home had a destabilizing effect as hundreds of thousands of young people, including women, partied in the streets in defiance of government warnings.
"In my neighborhood everybody goes out into the streets," one young Iranian told the BBC's Jim Muir. "It's a good excuse for boys and girls to mix, and in a way it's political, because it's a demand for social change."

8. Germany enjoys "Partyotism," 2006
The tournament slogan "A time to make friends" pretty much said it all. The organizers of Germany 2006 set out to woo the world, and in the process the country learned to love themselves.
A combination of a flawless summer and coach Jurgen Klinsmann's flee-flowing football injected a feel-good factor back into the national psyche, and Germans realized they could enjoy patriotism again -- or as the local media billed it, "partyotism."
"In the space of one month, Klinsmann managed to bring together a society ashamed of displays of nationalism and still divided along East-West lines, turning Germany into a nation of face-painting, flag-waving patriots," Hunt said in his "World Cup Stories" book.
"Never mind the final," Britain's The Times newspaper wrote. "Germans are the real World Cup winners."

9. The Koreas refuse to play nicely, 2008
North and South Korea both successfully managed to qualify for South Africa 2010, but there were plenty of bad-tempered squabbles along the way.
The bickering got so bad that world governing body FIFA eventually had to intervene after North Korea announced it would not let the South play its national anthem or wave its flag on their territory.
So determined were the North Koreans that they were even prepared to play their "home" game abroad. In the end, the fixture took place in Shanghai, where the North Korean coach complained that their rivals had poisoned their food.
In a statement about the match, the North's football association said: "It was beyond all doubt that the incident was a product of a deliberate act perpetrated by adulterated foodstuff as [the players] could not get up all of a sudden just before the match."
According to a report by the BBC, the South's soccer federation -- Korea Football Association -- said a sports doctor had examined the North Korean players and found no serious problem.

10. Football diplomacy between old enemies, 2008-09
Serious sport is war minus the shooting, remarked English author George Orwell. So it was refreshing last year when Armenia and Turkey used the beautiful game to make peace.
The leaders of the two countries met up to watch a World Cup qualifier between their nations after almost a century of bitterness following the killing of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Turks during World War One.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul attended the initial game in Armenia in 2008, which the hosts lost 2-0, and his counterpart Serzh Sarkisian agreed to join him for the return fixture the following year for further thawing of diplomatic relations.
No doubt the fact that neither side had a chance of qualifying for South Africa helped keep things civil.

Cartoon of the Week

2010-07-02T22:26:00.000+03:00

The Life & Death of Nicolas G. Hayek

2010-06-30T00:17:00.003+03:00

Nicolas George Hayek (19 February 1928, Beirut – 28 June 2010, Biel) was a Swiss-Lebanese entrepreneur, co-founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Swatch Group, with principal Headquarters in Biel. Hayek was born to a Lebanese mother and Lebanese American father, both from well-regarded Greek-Orthodox Christian Lebanese families with deep roots in Lebanon's Northern Governorate of El-Koura. His father was a dentist.

Hayek originally headed a business consulting firm, who was called on by a group of Swiss bankers to oversee a liquidation of Swiss watch manufacturing firms ASUAG and SSIH, who were encountering stiff competition from Japanese watch manufacturers. Hayek believed that the Swiss watch manufacturing industry could remain competitive with a restructuring and a focus on different business areas. After having engineered and implemented the reorganization of the ASUAG and SSIH watch companies for more than four years, finally bringing about their merger, Hayek, with a group of Swiss investors, took over a majority shareholding in the new group in 1985. He became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer in 1986.

Hayek played a decisive role in the recovery of the Swatch Group with its watch brands Swatch, Blancpain, Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot, Certina, Mido, Hamilton, Pierre Balmain, Calvin Klein, Flik Flak, Breguet and Lanco. The strategies he developed in the early 1980s led to the success of the entire Swiss watch industry and regained its leading position worldwide since 1984.

Hayek was awarded the title of Doctor honoris causa of Law and Economics of the Faculty of Beni Culturali of the University of Bologna (Italy) in June 1998, after being awarded doctor honoris causa of Law and Economics of the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland) in 1996.

Nicolas G. Hayek was also the founder, Chairman of the Board and C.E.O. of Hayek Engineering Inc. with headquarters in Zurich.

Hayek is also credited with having a fundamental role in the creation of the Smart Car, a small European car created for inner city use by Mercedes Benz. Original names for the car revolved around the Swatch name — and even today aspects of the car such as its interchangeable body panels are clearly linked with the Swatch philosophy of individuality.

In 2003, his son, Nick Hayek, Jr. became the CEO of the Swatch Group. Hayek remained however chairman of the board of the Swatch Group to his death.

In 2007, Hayek was rated the world's 273rd richest person with an estimated wealth of US$3.2 billion.

Hayek died unexpectedly on 28 June 2010 of cardiac arrest during work at the Swatch Group headquarters in Biel. The death of Mr Hayek, 82, robs Switzerland of one of its most inventive business leaders. “We owe Mr Hayek a lot,” said Doris Leuthard, the Swiss president.

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2010-06-22T00:04:00.002+03:00

Pointure TVCF

2010-06-16T19:33:00.001+03:00

How to pick the perfect name for your blog or startup

2010-06-16T16:38:00.001+03:00

Anyone who has sat stymied with their cursor blinking in a "username" field knows that coming up with a name is harder than you'd think.
How do you find that perfect Twitter handle or that ideal epithet for your blog, website or startup -- one that's snappy and memorable, and that you won't hate by next year?
We talked to bloggers, social media gurus, linguists and naming experts (yes, they exist!) to get the scoop on finding a name that will work on the web.

How Do I Start?
Naming consultant Christopher Johnson, author of the The Name Inspector blog, says you should begin by brainstorming a list of keywords that relate to your blog, website or company. Then hit the reference materials; scan lists of synonyms and etymologies for more options. Friends are useful, too -- find the best Scrabble player in your circle and get her involved.
Try to think of all different types of names. You can compound words (Facebook, YouTube), blend together words (Microsoft, Netscape), add affixes (Friendster, coComment), make up words (Squidoo, Odeo) or use phrases (StumbleUpon, GoToMeeting).

Once you've got a healthy list, start culling. Ask yourself:

Does It Mean Something?
Names can be classified on a continuum based on how they communicate to consumers, says Nina Beckhardt, president of The Naming Group, an agency whose employees have crafted names for Walmart, Target and Puma. "There's a spectrum from descriptive names which speak directly to a product benefit or attribute, to empty vessel names, where it doesn't mean anything about the product that we're talking about."
Descriptive names, such as Stuff White People Like or Blogging Basics 101, immediately convey information about what you do. They are simple, intuitive and help consumers easily identify the mandate of a blog or company.
The downside? They can sound generic and boring, and the accompanying domain name is usually taken. They are also limiting in a fast-moving industry like tech, where what you do now might not be what you'll be doing in a few years. "A name can be a prison," says Michael Martine, the blogging and SEO expert behind Remarkablogger. "Take AT&T. There, the last T stands for telegraph."

Or Does It Mean Nothing?
Beckhardt says that empty vessel names can be completely made-up words (Kodak or Squidoo), words in another language (Hulu, which roughly translates both to "holder of precious things" and "interactive recording" in Mandarin), or those whose meaning is so obscure that people interpret it as an invented word (Google is sparked from "googol," the name for the number consisting of a one followed by a hundred zeros).
Empty vessel names can be fun to say, can separate you from the crowd, and can be subtler than descriptive ones. "Empty vessel names generate buzz in how different they are from the norm," says Beckhardt. "They can also create phonetic impact."
But you may need to put in more money to get the word out initially, says Martine. "Generally, the more of a disconnect there is between the name of a blog and what the blog's about, the greater the chance it will not succeed." And a word to the wise: Check to see if the word means something in another language -- you don't want unintended meanings to make a mockery of your carefully crafted name.
If neither descriptive nor empty vessel names appeal, try a suggestive name, which lies somewhere in between. Names like Apple or Yahoo all indirectly allude to the values for which the brand would like to be known.

Will It Work Online?
Nothing kills a name faster than finding out someone else already has it -- and in the online hunt for domain names, it sometimes seems like every possible option is taken.
One solution, says Johnson, is to opt for misspelled, made-up or compound words, as in Flickr, Digg or Topix. He says that intentional Web 2.0 misspellings are "attempts to capture meaning and associations of a real English word without having to spend tens or hundreds of thousands on the domain name."
Johnson also says that search engine issues have affected the style of names. People consciously try to create names with unique keywords so theirs will be the only result in targeted Google searches.
Others incorporate popular keywords into the name in an attempt to improve their position in search results, though Martine believes this is a losing strategy from a branding point of view. "It's lifeless," he says. "A keyword is not a brand, where there's emotional connection with the words." Plus, since spammers rely heavily on popular keywords, names generated solely with SEO in mind can seem spammy.

Is It Sticky?
Amidst all the search engine and domain name drama, consider that names are memorable when they sound good. "When you're creating a name, remember you're putting together syllables -- a good design is going to be about pleasing contrasts between consonants and vowels, and consonants themselves," says Johnson.
But don't get intimidated by the linguistics-speak. Humans are naturally pretty good at inferring whether a name is melodious or not. Just don't forsake that natural ability because you're so focused on domain names, SEO and empty vessels.
You can also use poetic devices to ensure the names stick. Names based on rhymes (TopShop, T-Mobile HotSpot), repetition (Bebo, Lala), and alliteration (Firefox, BlackBerry) tend to be memorable.
For the advanced namers out there, try what Beckhardt calls the "Part of Speech Test." Beckhardt argues that names that can be used in multiple parts of speech are stronger because people will use them in speech more often. LinkedIn, for instance, can be used as a noun ("We connected on LinkedIn"), as an adjective ("Did you look at her LinkedIn profile?"), and as a verb ("I am going to LinkIn with him"). When a name passes the Part of Speech test, Beckhardt says, it becomes pervasive.

Is It Simple?
"The name should be easy to pronounce, easy to understand when you hear it, easy to spell when you hear it, and easy to know the pronunciation when you see it written," says Johnson. However, you can mitigate confusion by buying domain names with likely misspellings and redirecting users to your site.
Punctuation is trickier. Although adding hyphens to domain names or underscores to Twitter handles may allow you to get the name you wanted, people are likely to accidentally leave them out, especially when typing on mobile devices. You're better off avoiding punctuation if you can.
Finally, shorter is usually better (especially for Twitter handles if you want to be retweeted). If it must be long, the name should be simple and memorable; Postcards From Yo Momma, for example.

Forget the Rules
If a name is really meaningful to you, it might work even if it doesn't quite meet all the other criteria.
"Name strength is evaluated on an individual basis," says Beckhardt. So don't be intimidated by the rules -- just grab your thesaurus and get going.

A Sneak Peek at Pointure TVCF

2010-06-14T12:21:00.001+03:00

See it soon on YouTube

Advertised Brand: Pointure
Advert Title: Design & Style
Advertising Agency: Da Vinci, Beirut, Lebanon
Art Director: Carla Di Natale
Illustrator: Alberto Vitale
Computer Graphics: Nocturne Animation, Beirut, Lebanon
Sound Design: Nadim Abou Chacra Audio Production, Beirut, Lebanon
Storyboard Artist: Massimo Pazzini
Published: June 2010

Where is the Ball? Bring it On!

2010-06-10T13:05:00.001+03:00

BP Delivers on its Promise - Print Ad from 1999

2010-06-10T00:16:00.000+03:00

Peace --Bob Dylan

2010-06-07T17:17:00.000+03:00

What Those Company Initials Stand For

2010-06-02T23:00:00.000+03:00

Dozens of companies use acronyms or initials in their names, but how well do you know what the abbreviated letters mean? Let's take a look at the etymologies behind a few abbreviated company names.

1. CVS
Sorry, drugstore fans, there aren't three fat cat pharmacists with these initials running around out there. When the pharmacy chain was founded in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1963, it was known as "Consumer Value Stores." Over time the name became abbreviated to simply CVS.

2. K-Mart
Longtime five-and-dime mogul Sebastian S. Kresge opened his first larger store in Garden City, Michigan, in 1962. The store was named K-Mart after him. (Kresge had earned the right to have a store named for him; he opened up his new venture at the tender age of 94.)

3. IKEA
The Swedish furniture giant and noted charity takes its name from founder Ingvar Kamprad's initials conjoined with a the first initial of the farm where Kamprad grew up, Elmtaryd, and the parish he calls home, Agunnaryd.

4. DHL
In the late 1960s, Larry Hillblom was a broke student at the University of California, Berkeley's law school, so to pick up a bit of extra cash, he would make courier runs from San Francisco.
After he finished law school, he decided the courier business was the real racket for him, so he recruited his pals Adrian Dalsey and Robert Lynn to help him with the runs. Although they started out making their delivery trips in a single Plymouth Duster, the company quickly took off, and they named it after their respective last initials.

5. AT&T
No surprises here. The telecom giant sprang to life in 1885 as American Telephone and Telegraph, although it's now legally known as just AT&T.

6. JBL
The speaker company is named after its founder, James Bullough Lansing. But if Lansing had kept his original name, the company might have been called Martini Speakers.
Lansing was born James Martini in 1902, but when he was 25, he changed his name to James Lansing at the suggestion of the woman who would become his wife. (The martini was already a popular cocktail at the time, and several of Lansing's brothers had also changed their name by shortening it to Martin.)

7. 3M
The conglomerate behind Post-It Notes gets its name from its roots as a company that mined stone to make grinding wheels. Since it was located in Two Harbors, Minnesota, the company was known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, which was later shortened to 3M.

8. BVD
The stalwart men's underwear maker was originally founded by a group of New Yorkers named Bradley, Voorhees, and Day to make women's bustles.
Eventually the trio branched out into knitted union suits for men, and their wares became so popular that "BVDs" has become a generic term for any underwear.

9. H&M
The beloved clothing store began in Sweden in 1947. Founder Erling Persson was only selling women's duds, so he called the store Hennes -- Swedish for "hers."
Twenty-one years later, he bought up a hunting supplier called Mauritz Widforss. After the acquisition, Persson branched out into men's clothing and began calling the store Hennes and Mauritz, which eventually became shortened to H&M.

10. A&W Root Beer
Roy Allen opened his first root beer stand in Lodi, California, in the summer of 1919, and quickly began expanding to the surrounding areas. Within a year he had partnered with Frank Wright, and the pair christened their flagship product "A&W Root Beer."

11. GEICO
The adorable gecko's employer is more formally known as the Government Employees Insurance Company. Although GEICO has always been a private, standalone company, its name reflects its original purpose: Leo Goodwin founded the company in 1936 to sell insurance directly to employees of the federal government.

12. YKK
The initials you see on darn near every zipper you own stand for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikigaisha, which translates into "Yoshida Manufacturing Corporation." The company is named after Tadao Yoshida, who started the zipper concern in Tokyo in 1934.

13. P.F. Chang's
If you go looking for Mr. P.F. Chang, you'll be in for a long search. The Asian dining chain's name is actually a composite of the founding restaurateur Paul Fleming's initials and a simplification of founding chef Philip Chiang's last name.

14. BJ's Wholesale Club
The bulk retailer is named after Beverly Jean Weich, whose father, Mervyn, helped found the chain as a spinoff from discount retailer Zayre in 1983.

15. ING Group
The banking giant's name is an abbreviation of Internationale Nederlanden Groep, or "International Netherlands Group," a nod to the company's dutch origins and headquarters.
The company's heavy use of the color orange in its buildings and promotion is also a shoutout to the Netherlands; orange is the color of the Dutch royal family dating all the way back to William of Orange.

16. H&R Block
Brothers Henry and Richard Bloch founding the tax preparation firm in Kansas City in 1955. Their only problem was their last name. The brothers worried that people would mispronounce their surname as "blotch," hardly a term you want associated with your tax return.
They decided to sidestep this problem by spelling the company's name "Block" instead, so that nobody would miss the solid hard "k" sound.

Now, We Pray.

2010-05-28T10:44:00.000+03:00

Print Ad of the Week

2010-05-25T08:54:00.002+03:00

If you have a heart. Give one.

2010-05-21T23:50:00.001+03:00

Give Philippe Hage a heart. Give Anne-Marie, Fadi, Magalie, and Cyril a smile from the heart. Philippe is about 25 years old. Born with a weak heart that has failed him couple of weeks back. He will undergo a heart transplant at Georges Pampidou Hospital in France. The cost for his operation is around 200,000 Euros. Do not fail him. Do not fail to save him by giving at:

BLOM Bank 03201300133426812 LBP
IBAN LB 17001400003201300133426812
03202300133426811 USD
IBAN LB 52001400003202300133426811

May God Bless You and Keep You

Teleferique Food Court & Playgrounds TVCF

2010-05-19T20:59:00.004+03:00

Miss USA 2010

2010-05-18T04:00:00.001+03:00

24-year old Lebanese American Rima Fakih wins Miss USA 2010

Rima Fakih, a 24-year-old Lebanese-American, won the 2010 title in Las Vegas on Sunday after strutting confidently in an Orange and Gold bikini, wearing a strapless white gown that resembled a wedding dress and saying health insurance should cover birth control pills.
Fakih, from Dearborn, Michigan, nearly stumbled in her evening gown, but she said she believed she had the title after glancing at pageant owner Donald Trump as she awaited the results with the first runner-up, Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard.
"That's the same look that he gives them when he says, 'you're hired'," she said, referring to Trump's catchphrase from his reality show The Apprentice.
"She's a great girl," said Trump, who owns the pageant with the NBC television network in a joint venture.
In a moment that was replayed during the broadcast, Fakih nearly fell while finishing her walk in her gown because of the length of its train. But she made it without a spill and went on to win.
"I did it here, I better not do it at Miss Universe," she said.
"Modelling does help, after all."
When asked how she felt about winning the crown, Fakih said, "Ask me after I've had a pizza."
The pageant, held at Vegas' Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on Sunday night, was hosted by Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone and NBC correspondent Natalie Morales.
Fakih, a Lebanese immigrant, moved to the United States as a baby and was raised in New York, where she attended a Catholic school. Her family moved to Michigan in 2003.
She told pageant organisers her family celebrated both Muslim and Christian faiths.
Fakih replaces Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and won a spot representing the United States later this year in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant.
She also gets a one-year lease in a New York apartment with living expenses, an undisclosed salary and various health, professional and beauty services.

A Sneak Peek at Teleferique Food Court & Playgrounds TVCF

2010-05-17T13:40:00.005+03:00

See it on YouTube on May 20, 2010

Advertised Brand: Teleferique Food Court & Playgrounds
Advert Title: Fun
Advertising Agency: Da Vinci, Beirut, Lebanon
Art Director: Alessandra Bianchi
Copywriter: Ramzi Touma
Illustrator: Alberto Vitale
Computer Graphics: Nocturne Animation, Beirut, Lebanon
Sound Design: Nadim Abou Chacra Audio Production, Beirut, Lebanon
Storyboard Artist: Gaby Ferneine
Published: May 2010

Cartoon of the Week

2010-05-16T23:32:00.000+03:00

Shakira & Freshlyground Sing Official FIFA World Cup™ Song

2010-05-06T23:08:00.003+03:00

FIFA and Sony have chosen Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) as the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa. The song was written by Shakira, the world-famous singer from Latin America and Lebanese origin, who will perform with South African band Freshlyground.

Once again, the announcement of the official FIFA World Cup™ song was keenly awaited. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) is the name of the new football anthem, and with its rhythmical African sounds, the song represents the vitality and energy of the host continent. South African guitars back up the Afro-Colombian rhythm and Soca beat. The chorus is similar to that of a popular Cameroon song made famous by Golden Voices in particular.

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter is delighted with the new FIFA World Cup Song: “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) represents what we football fans can expect in South Africa: liveliness, power and dynamism. It represents the four-week festival of football we are about to witness in South Africa. Nothing represents the joy of football better than music, especially when it is a song so full of energy and dynamism like Waka Waka.”

Shakira will perform the song with the famous South African band Freshlyground. “I am honoured that Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) has been chosen to be part of the excitement and the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Shakira. “The FIFA World Cup is a miracle of global excitement, connecting every country, race, religion and condition around a single passion. It represents an event that has the power to unite and integrate, and that’s what this song is about.”

“We are thrilled to have collaborated with Shakira on Waka Waka (This Time For Africa), especially as we feel that the song captures the spirit and energy of the African FIFA World Cup,” said Zolani Mahola of Freshlyground. “We are certain that the song will inspire people around the world to celebrate the gathering of nations at the place where it all started. Here in Africa!”

All proceeds from the single as well as from the “Listen Up: The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Album” will be donated to the 20 Centres for 2010 campaign. The aim of the official campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ is to achieve positive social change through football by building 20 Football for Hope Centres in Africa to offer education and healthcare services as well as football training.

FIFA and Sony Music have enjoyed a successful partnership in the official music programme ever since 1994. The tradition of an official song dates back to the 1966 FIFA World Cup™ in England with a song for the first Official Mascot, “World Cup Willie”, who was a lion. Ever since, the official music programme and the Official Mascot have become a more and more significant component of the event, providing an excellent opportunity for more than just football fans to identify with the world’s biggest single-sport event.

Official songs at recent FIFA World Cup™ competitions have included Un’estate italiana by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini in 1990, Gloryland by Daryl Hall with Sounds of Blackness in 1994, and La Copa de la Vida by Ricky Martin in 1998. In 2002, the official song was Boom by Anastacia, while Vangelis’ vocal official anthem featured typical Korean and Japanese sonic elements. In 2006, The Time of Our Lives by the Il Divo quartet was a resounding success.

The End of Microsoft

2010-05-02T20:21:00.002+03:00

The End of Microsoft. A door opens to a new cloud. As apps migrate to the Net, the software giant's old model looks older every day. Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO salesforce.com recently wrote:

"I have been waiting for something spectacular to happen any day. And it’s not the explosion of another volcano in Iceland, but it will be a global event with far reaching ramifications that will be as well known. Apple’s market capitalization is about to be worth more than Microsoft's. That is quite a change from a decade ago.

This became clear to me after I recently invited Mary Meeker, Morgan Stanley’s renowned prophet (note that’s prophet with a “ph” and not an “f”), to speak to my management team about her most recent manifesto, “The Mobile Internet Report.” Mary did a brilliant job reviewing the most important developments in the technology market place from 400 million users on Facebook to 75 million iPhones to 4 billion apps downloaded on the Appstore. What struck me as more significant than what was included was what was conspicuously absent. When she opened the discussion for questions I made one observation: "Mary in your entire hour-long presentation on the future you didn’t mention Microsoft even once." I had spent my career with Microsoft as the ever looming Goliath: from my days at Oracle wondering how Bill Gates and Co. would steal away our database business to starting salesforce.com and waiting (and waiting) for Microsoft to turn to the cloud and offer a product that our customers would want (Neither happened).

After Mary’s presentation I joked with my team about one of Microsoft’s new commercials. "I'm a PC, and Windows 7 is my idea," says the woman in French sitting in Paris outside of a busy cafe. "My PC used to crash all the time, and I told Microsoft I wanted it to stop." I don’t really get the campaign, but what I find most baffling is that she didn't ask for any other innovation. How is that possible? How can’t someone want more? How can Microsoft think this is what customers demand most?

Facebook’s success, as well as the rise of other new technologies like YouTube, devices like the iPhone and the iPad and models like Cloud Computing are evidence of a huge shift happening in computing — and it’s bigger than anything we have seen before. And although Microsoft is a casualty, it certainly is not the cause. This is the fundamental nature of our industry in which every 10 years or so a radical new paradigm of computing emerges. From mainframes (70's) to minicomputers (80's) to PCs and LANs (90's) to Cloud 1-the desktop Internet (2000's) to Cloud 2-the mobile Internet (2010+), we can safely say that the only constant in the last 50 years of computing is change. And no company or individual can escape the velocity of change of our industry. Today's customers do want far more. In contrast to the innovation stagnation at Microsoft, Apple is delivering in a profound way. And, having taken a music player and transforming it to change the way we all use the Net, Apple dominates the current mobile paradigm. Facebook, as the single most popular app on the net today, is also training the future users of computing. In many ways it is becoming the new connector of everything on the Internet with universal like. And as it nears half a billion users and is growing faster than ever before, it’s only a matter of time before a billion people use this new way to communicate. Everything about Facebook, the app, the entire ecosystem around it, and all of the user’s data and metadata is in the cloud. It’s a 100% pure Internet app. Most importantly, none of it is written with any Microsoft software. (That's universal unlike.)

As we try to keep pace with these changes to a new computing industry, we are left with only two choices: innovate or die. Microsoft like DEC before it, and IBM before it, tried too long to hold on to its Windows model believing it was permanent in an industry of impermanence. But it didn’t work out that way. Google outsmarted Microsoft into the Internet, and it dominated the next Internet paradigm. Now Apple is the clear winner in the new mobile paradigm.

We are fully entrenched in the world of Cloud 2. Smart phones that run apps have replaced PC's. We are mobile. We touch, not click. We are social, not siloed. Our location is known, not anonymous. We know more about what our friends are doing than our own employees, and sometimes our own families. Facebook, Apple, and a new generation of technologies are defining our daily experiences. The old model looks older every day as it tries to hold on in a last gasp of updates based on stability instead of innovation.

The way we run our lives has forever changed. The employees we are hiring right out of school are appalled by the technology we use to run our companies. They are more productive at home than they are in the office. They call for a change that is difficult to hear in companies that rank seniority over insight. The new paradigm is amplified as entire industries like communications, music, and education are transformed forever.

As a CEO I am restless as I think how I will transform our company, customer base, and ecosystem to the modern era. It’s not easy. Will some remain in Cloud 1 peering backward gleefully while our last generation competitors stagnate in the PC paradigm? Or, can we do better? Can we step forward with new technology and new products — and advance the new paradigm? This is the reason that I am putting our best teams on our best chance — a new service called Chatter, which offers a brand new way to collaborate with people at work. You have to make big bets in business to get big returns. Steve Jobs has once again reminded us of that lesson and has shared with us the rewards".

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2010-04-24T08:40:00.000+03:00