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30 July 2007

I'll keep this one short and simple, I'd like simply, and honestly to clarify some things for my most recent article on human extinction. The article was not an attack on, nor was it a blame on group or individual person. I was merely attempting to bring to light some of our greatest, and easily fixable mistakes as a species during our tenure on this planet.

Some of you may think that I'm neglecting our past indiscretions (WWII, Cold War, Bay of Pigs, Rodney King, etc), I assure you I'm not.

I was simply stating that what we have learned from these horrific tragedies has yet to be applied on a large scale. If these statements have offended anyone, or prompted you to label me as, "fucking nuts," then that's fine all I ask is that you think and explore recent political and societal goings on; not only in your nook of the planet but abroad before labeling me as such.



Well, I'm done and leave you with a song/video to think about: Right In Two By Tool
Signing-Off

Myles Taylor


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Right In Two lyrics

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28 July 2007

Many people feel nervous and shy when they have to make conversation with others, especially when they don't know they very well. Does this happen to you, especially when you are trying to make small talk with someone?

Once you start to criticize yourself in your mind, your ability to make conversation successfully will go down hill very quickly.

What can you do to improve your conversation confidence?

One of the best ways to become more confident at making conversation is to notice what negative messages you are sending yourself about your conversation ability.

You may have negative messages to yourself that are very automatic, that start appearing in your mind as soon as you say anything that you think is less than perfect.

Notice exactly what you are saying to yourself. Only then can you fight back against your negative messages by putting new positive messages in their place.

Pay attention to your negative self thoughts. Write them down so you can examine them. Chances are that your messages to yourself are very critical. For example, you may be mentally calling yourself names like “loser” and “idiot”.

Why would you do this? This may be a habit you have developed because you have low self esteem. Or you may be simply repeating the kinds of words your parents often said to you.

Why would you put yourself down this way and repeat this harsh criticism to yourself?

The real reason is that some part of your mind thinks that by criticizing you harshly with such negative words you will change your behavior and suddenly become a confident, competent person.

Does this technique actually work? No! If you have been criticizing yourself this way in the past, you already know that it does not make you perform better. In fact, all this negative internal criticism will only make you more nervous, more shy, more awkward, more embarrassed and more tongue-tied.

And this negative self criticism will not bring you one step closer to becoming a popular, relaxed confident person who can talk easily with anybody.

So, how can you switch your mind to a more positive way of thinking so that your confidence and your conversation performance will actually improve?

There are several different ways to do this, and you may benefit from using more than one method.

One good method to use as a starting point is to counteract the actual content of what you are telling yourself when you say those negative criticisms. You counteract your negative automatic thoughts using positive logical statements.

Here’s an example. Suppose that while you were having a conversation with somebody, you just said mentally to yourself, “I’m such a loser. I never say anything right. Every thing I say sounds so stupid. These people must all think I’m an idiot. No wonder no one ever likes me.”

These are certainly very negative statements to use on yourself. Will such negative thoughts help you to perform better in the future? Will they give you the confidence you need to relax and enjoy talking with other people? No they won’t!

And they are not even realistic statements. They are not based on real facts. They are just very negative, automatic statements that have become a habit for you. So change this way of thinking!

First, tell yourself to stop thinking the negative thoughts. Give your mind a clear signal to stop. You can simply say "Stop" to yourself. Say to yourself, "I will no longer make such negative statements to myself. I will search for a better, more positive message to send to myself in the future."

Here’s an example you can use:

"I just noticed that I’m automatically saying all those negative things to myself again. I called myself an idiot over and over again. But am I really an idiot? That’s just name calling. I’m not really an idiot. I’m actually smart in a lot of ways. Do I really say stupid things all the time? I probably say stupid things once in a while, but not any more often than everybody else does. I don’t know whether other people think I’m an idiot or not. I’m not really a mind reader. And I guess if some people sometimes think I sometimes say stupid things, it’s unfortunate, but it’s not really the end of the world."

"When I tell myself that nobody could like me, once again I'm making negative statements where I exaggerate and think that I really know what other people are thinking. I don't know for sure whether all other people like me or not. It’s more logical to think that some people like me and some people don’t. All I can do is to try to be myself."

When you consistently retrain yourself to change your negative thoughts about the way you perform when you are talking with others with positive thoughts, you will become much more relaxed and confident when you make conversation with others.

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26 July 2007

Having a healthy sex life can help to create more sparks in relationships. But to have a good sex life, one needs to know how to please his woman, with the right techniques to stimulate her.

Let me just show you some of the secrets in stimulating your woman:

1. Slow down.
It may seem obvious, but the number one way to make sex last longer is to do everything slower. Breathing, feeling, foreplay, kissing and intercourse are all parts of the sex act that do not need to be rushed.

2. Give everything time.
Every moment in sex is worth experiencing fully. Let things unfold in their own time and you will be rewarded with richer experiences during sex and more learning and satisfaction from sex.

3. Deepen your breathing.
Our breath connects us deeply to our body and its rhythms, as well as the rhythm of other bodies near us. Focusing on breathing also helps to quiet the mind and sooth any internal dialogue that may be interfering with our natural enjoyment of the sex.
Here's a hint, try synchronising your deep slow breathing with your partner's.

4. Let go of expectations.
Without expectations around sex, we are free to more naturally savour the experience … however it is! We can be more open to the experience and learn more as a result. Without expectations we free ourselves from disappointment. Here's a trick … see if you can implement these techniques to improve your sex, without caring whether they work!

5. Focus on pleasure in sex rather than the sex act or outcome.
Regardless of certain ideas of sex perpetuated in the world, sex is not about the ending, it is about the whole experience. Getting the girl, having an orgasm, giving an orgasm … these are all important aspects of sex. But the most important element of sex is pleasure! When you start enjoying every moment of sex … it will go on as long as you want!

6. Increase knowledge of your body.
Take the time to understand what brings you pleasure and learn how to pleasure yourself better. Don't forget to share your new knowledge with your partner too. Read up about anatomy. The human body is amazing!

7. Increase knowledge of your partner's body.
Don't be afraid to ask questions and always be open to trying new things in bed. Explore every part of your partner's body like you have never seen or touched it before. Every time you engage in sex it is a perfect opportunity to expand your sexual knowledge. You can learn a lot about the human body by asking friends about their experiences too.

8. Reframe sex as a nurturing healing act.
When we attach shame and guilt to sex it is no wonder that it doesn't flow naturally. Adjust your mindset around sex to reflect only positive aspects. Sex feels so good, how could a gift like this be anything other than healing!

9. Let go of performance anxiety.
Performance anxiety is unnecessary. Be kind to yourself. Learn to forgive yourself if things don't go perfectly, and then learn to stop caring about perfect anyway.

10. Feel your body from within.
Our sensual experience can be deepened dramatically by focusing on our experience from within our body. Get out of your head and let your consciousness move to the centre of your body.

11. Be present.
Don't let the mind wander or engage in pointless internal chatter. Don't let your fantasies and thoughts take you further from the experience at hand. Be in the present experience and the present moment.

So there you have it. Any of these tips individually can start to impact on your sexual performance right now. If you learn them all, you will be a master of your body in and out of the bedroom.

Don't be daunted if it takes a little time though … these are life changing techniques and may take a bit of practice.

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25 July 2007

Here we are in 2007, and this is quite possibly the second most frightening time to be alive. Why? well its quite simple we as a species are a complete failure, for example we are the only species to, on a regular basis "kill for fun" and not feel ashamed.

We are also the only species to openly, and outwardly defy Darwin's theory of survival, which in-part states: A species survives because it develops a survival advantage over other species. Here's a newsflash we have Billions of dollars of "survival advantages," yet at this rate I may not live to be 40!!

I certainly feel an immense fear when I wake up every day, not because I'm worried some adrenaline junkie asshole may walk up and shoot me for "fun," hell at this point I'd welcome that kind of eventual death at age 90 while standing in a bank; rather them say, waking up tomorrow and having a two-ton hydrogen-based "survival advantage" dropped on my fucking head!!

Humans whilst possibly being the most interesting species to study, are at times the worst to be a part of, for we are the only species who hunt their own for no "logical" reason whatsoever(not that lions killing their own because they tried tried to hunt outside the pack is anymore "logical" but at least there's a certain justification to be noted by them doing so). and we are also the only species to unjustifiably murder our young.

So who's to blame for these so-called "failures?" that's an easy one..... we are this is such because we lack one key component that every other species has, that is the ability to come together as a species (blacks, whites, etc. and stand up for our right as human beings of all creeds, races, and religions to survive, and function freely and unopposed amongst each other.

OK, that's all, now if you'll excuse me I'm off to got hit a dear friend of mine with my car repeatedly because he wears red shoes.
Signing-Off



Myles Taylor


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This one's not political, it's a major pet peeve of mine that is, people who use "Netspeak" (omg, etc) NOT 133t (just to make that clear) so much so that their sentences become illegible loose all original purpose.

Now I realize it is convenient , and I use it when I need to be quick (ie sup, u, etc). I just feel as though some people over use it, hence causing all loss of purpose to the comment/post this in turn causes me to often sell the poster of said comment short and consider them stupid (in the severe cases).

Now whilst I feel a great love for shorthand, I've also seen many people actually get linguistically dumber or less literate from an excessive use of shorthand, I've also noticed some people gain a smarter sense of that orgy of a language we call English, when they cut back on the amount of Netspeak used. All-in-all I think Mark Twain would be rolling over in his grave if he were aware of what we were doing to our beloved language.

That's it for me, today's article is brought to you by the word, "enunciate." Kids, can you say "enunciate?"
Signing-Off

Myles Taylor

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If you don't feel comfortable making casual conversation with new people you have just met, you will find it harder to make new friends. You will also find it more difficult to fit in at your workplace.

One of the most common reasons that people have difficulty making conversation with someone they don't know very well is because they put too much pressure on themselves to be brilliant conversationalists.

Many people think that when they meet someone new, they have to say something really interesting and brilliant, right from the beginning. Even before they know the other person very well. They think they have to really put up a great performance to impress the other person.

People who find conversations with strangers to be difficult are usually trying too hard. They don't let themselves just be ordinary, and talk about fairly ordinary things.

Here's a very important lesson to learn about making conversation with new people: Insisting to yourself that you have to be brilliant and dazzling in all your conversations will not win you new friends. It will not even improve your conversational performance.

When you think to yourself that you have to perform perfectly in all your conversations, you will actually make your performance worse! You will become too nervous and awkward, and too focused on your own performance. You won't be focused on getting to know the new person you've just met.

New people that you meet are not looking for brilliant conversation. What they are looking for is someone who will be comfortable to be with, and fun to talk to. But most of all they are looking for someone who seems interested in them!

For conversational success, it's more important to be a good listener than to be a great talker.

When you are just starting out talking to a person, you can use your immediate surroundings or the weather as a basis for a few starting remarks.

If you want to know that person better, move on quickly to a slightly more personal level of discussion. Ask a few basic questions and offer a little bit of information about yourself, your likes or dislikes, or your opinion on some neutral topic. Notice whether the other person lights up with interest about any topics you mention.

This can give you new interesting areas for both of you to discuss.

Even if it seems somewhat difficult and awkward for you in the beginning, develop the habit of introducing yourself to others as soon as you meet them, or very early in the conversation. Otherwise you could spend hours talking and neither of you will have any idea of what your conversation partner's name is.

Socially confident people introduce themselves to their conversation partners very early in the course of conversation. People who are shy or socially awkward tend to introduce themselves much later, or not at all.

Shy people often wait until someone asks for their name, but they rarely volunteer to give it, and they rarely ask the other person what their name is.

Sometimes it is easier to ask the other person for their name first, and then offer your own. If you practice the new behavior enough times, it will eventually become second nature to you. With enough practice, it will no longer seem intimidating to take a more active role.

The important thing is simply to develop the habit of starting simple little conversations with lots more people. Look for the interests you have in common.

If you want to be more socially successful, take the initiative yourself. Introduce yourself to new people and get the conversational ball rolling. Don't hold back and let other people make all the first moves.

If you have been holding back, waiting for other people to do all the work in the relationship, you are shirking your responsibility in making the relationship move forward.

Show interest in other people. Smile. Listen. Look at the person you’re talking with.

Whenever you start talking to new people, don't think you have to come up with great dialogue, or the perfect opening lines. Just get started, and keep on talking. Practice making conversations with a lot of new people. You will eventually get better at it.

It's also important that you don't beat yourself up if the conversation doesn't turn into a friendship immediately.

Don't decide that you're a failure. After all, the majority of conversations between new people don't really go anywhere.

But that's all right. It takes time and effort to turn casual strangers into friends.

Remember, that all of the friends you already have were strangers to you at one point in your life. Until you started talking and found out what you have in common.

Learning how to make conversation with people you don't know well can be the first step in making many new friends.

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23 July 2007
So you're laying in your bed it's 3:00 A.M. and you haven't slept at all, why? well because you don't like going to school for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is the subject of my next column: Not Fitting In. Now what does it mean to "not fit in?" It can mean any number of things, including but not limited to:

1.Being socially underdeveloped(For more on this click here or here)
2. Being just plain disliked by peers.
3. Wanting be Different.


The third thing in that list is going to be my main focus today. When we think "different" we consider that someone who "goes against the grain," or violates practices that we consider to be normal. But as of late it has come to my attention that to be "normal" nowadays means to be different.....like everyone else. Now you're reading this probably saying, "But Myles that's an oxymoron, you moron!!!" Well kiddies let me explain what I mean and what better example to then Mr. Irregular himself Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols, here's a guy who with the help of a equally rebellious crew, fought normal for years in his music and public antics.

Now back to my point, back in his prime and even today Johnny is viewed as THE symbol for breaking the status quo, so kids everywhere look to him and people like The Ramones for guidance on being different, but unfortunately that "being different" has become the norm. Kids nowadays (I'm still a kid myself at 19 years old, so label me a hypocrite if you so wish) seem to have lost the respect for what these guys stood for and are wearing these t-shirts, and other apparel because it's considered "cool."

Now if these kids were (like me) raised on the music it's ok for them to preach the beliefs, etc. of these bands, but don't get me wrong I'm not lashing out at the new generation of kids who are exposing themselves to the music. I'm just saying that if your gonna do something at least know why, beyond the fact that it's "cool" to do so. Being different is no longer what it used to be, because we pride ourselves on it so much that it, in itself has become a form of conformism.

Now thats not to say it's impossible to be different that is simply conformism outside the box (ie. being raised as and praying at a Roman Catholic every Sunday, yet also devoutly following the teachings of Buddha at the same time,) people do that all the time. Why because to many (myself included) Buddhism is more than a religion its a way of life and I have found a way to blend my left-wing Liberal-Socialist/Leninist views with a very right-wing protective system that keeps my faith in a higher being (not necessarily god) grounded and in the same token I maintain an at times gory, brutal sense of honesty, and reality whereby I don't conform to one particular group, nor do I conform to no group at all.

Well, here's your spoonful of cocaine, come see me in one week
Signing-Off

Myles Taylor


Sources

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22 July 2007
We have all been in the situation where somebody asks us to do them, a favor and, even though there are a gazillion other things we should do first, we find it difficult to turn the other person down. The reasons vary from things like he or she has done us a favor in the past, to they are a close friend or a family member.

So we reluctantly say yes, when we really wanted to say no, but couldn’t; and so we find ourselves trapped into doing something that we really did not want to do. We can sometimes be so worried at causing disappointment in other people that we will try to please them; often at the expense of our own activities and interests.

Frankly, knowing how to say ‘no’ requires skill. Others might say that it shouldn’t be hard to do. But, let’s face it. We live as social beings and acceptance often occupies the number one spot in the list of virtues we want to achieve. Despite this, there are actually ways we can circumvent this difficulty using the following tips.

1. Say ‘no’; then show what the other person has to do to get a ‘yes’.
For example the person wants you to help clean out her garage and storage shed. You know this means you work while she is on the phone. You do not want to do that so you say “no.” Then before they can take a breath: Tell the person that they must be willing to help do the work, and anything you say is trash gets thrown away with no argument. You can add on other conditions like she is buying the pizza, and soda, and so on. Once that person agrees to your conditions then you will say yes.

2. Make it impersonal.
I always give my daughter an out, I tell her to blame me. She can say no to her friends and then tell them her dad is making her stay home that night. Other people use me as the excuse; such as my neighbors tell their friends that they can’t party there as that guy across the street will call the cops.

3. Say ‘no’ in a way that will make the other person have to say ‘no’.
Instead of saying ‘no’, teach the other person to say ‘yes’ to what you want. Do this subtly, of course. Say your friend wants to borrow your lawn mower, say yes but add the condition that they have to mow your yard first. Most people when faced with extra work will balk, and change their minds.

4. Say you want to say ‘yes’, but…
You feel like your being extorted and used. Tell the person honestly that you do not feel they should be doing that right now. Do not offer excuses; just tell them ‘no’ in a stern manner. Explain that you are not there to support them; they should learn how to support themselves.

This is especially true when loaning money. Never sacrifice your own well being, tell them you will not loan them any money until they repay the last amount, and when they do, tell them you will not loan them any money because they are not managing it well. Offer to help them manage it, or get them help if they choose, but do not continue to propagate the problem.

5. Say it nicely.
You’re giving negative news, so you might as well do it nicely. Let the other person down easy to avoid misunderstandings. It’s the least you can for the disappointed. People tend to be more accepting of bad news if it’s brought in a polite and sympathetic manner. Put the onus on them: Tell them you can see their point, but you are not going to help them do something you feel is a bad idea.

For example the neighbor’s kid wants to borrow your lawn mower so he can mow lawns to make some money. The last time you did this it came back dirty, broke and out of gas. So you explain that since he did not treat your stuff with respect he can not use it again. Thus saying no, but in a manner that causes no hard feeling towards yourself.

So to sum up: Do not ever feel guilty about saying “No”; remember it is your life and not theirs. No sense in being miserable, if saying yes makes you happy then do so; on the other hand if saying yes cause discomfort, pain and personal dissatisfaction, then say “No.”

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Have you ever been called stupid and felt that it was true at one point or another? Well, don't be intimidated by what other people believe, because intelligence has many different meanings. People often define an intellectual person to be strongly analytical and highly educated, but in fact this is just another broad generalization of what it means to be intelligent.

So, What excatly is intelligence?
A Harvard professor named Dr. Howard Gardner has spent many years studying the topic of intelligence in human beings. As a result of his studies, Dr. Gardner has proposed that our current beliefs about intelligence should be revised and expanded.

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He has suggested we consider at least seven different forms of intelligence.

1) verbal-linguistic

People who have a strong linguistic-verbal intelligence will respond in a deep way to language and words. They love the way that language sounds and the way that words can be put together to create moods and special effects. A person who is high in linguistic intelligence will get a deep sense of meaning and pleasure from the way that language is used. Writers, poets, rappers, and editors have a very high degree of linguistic or verbal intelligence. People who exhibit a strong need to correct errors in grammar are also very strong in this trait.

2) logical-mathematical

People with logical-mathematical intelligence are logical and systematic. They are are very good at analyzing data and they can follow complex chains of ideas to reach a logical conclusion. These people favor reason over passion. People with logical-mathematical intelligence can become successful lawyers, mathematicians, computer programmers, and scientists.

3) visual-spatial

Artists, decorators, fashion designers, sculptors, photographers and architects must possess strong visual-spatial intelligence to succeed in their fields. Among people who have this trait, some will have a glorious, passionate understanding of color. Others will very strongly respond to visual line, texture, or three-dimensional space.

4) musical

A person with musical intelligence may not necessarily play or compose music, but he will be always be a passionate lover of music, getting far more out of the experience than an average person. Musical intelligence is an ability to understand and respond to music, not just as background noise, but with a capacity to get deep meaning from the interaction of melodies, textures and rhythms.

5) bodily-kinesthetic

Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is very high in those people who are athletes and dancers. It is also a great asset in actors. These people are extremely attuned to where all parts of their body are located in space and are able to exert very subtle yet powerful control over all their muscles.

6) social-interpersonal

People with a high degree of interpersonal intelligence are good at picking up cues to the emotions of others and understanding the emotional states of those around them. They are particularly good at empathizing with others, and they know how to comfort, inspire and lead people. This is a good trait to have in a political leader. It is also a desirable quality in teachers, therapists and salespeople.

7) intra-personal

Intra-personal intelligence is the ability to deeply know and understand oneself. It is the ability to analyze and assess one’s innermost qualities and behaviors. This is a form of intelligence that may be found in philosophers and spiritual leaders.


The test most frequently used today to measure intelligence is called the Stanford Binet Intelligence Test. A person with an IQ score of 100 is considered to be of average intelligence, while a person with an IQ above 130 is deemed to be intellectually gifted.

Although the IQ test is very widely used, does having a high IQ score guarantee success in later life? No, it doesn’t! It doesn’t even guarantee success in school.

Unfortunantly, industries such as Boieng, Bristol, NAV Canada, or any other industries that require you to have a vast ammount of aptitude level still require the use of IQ/Aptitude test. That is because in our current world, an aptitude for reading, logic and mathematics has been defined as 'synonymous' with intelligence. When you take an IQ test, this narrow range of abilities is what is measured, and then the score is said to be a measure of your intelligence.

So if you happen to do poorly at logic and language because your skills are elsewhere, these tests and our school systems may label you as a moron.

Standard intelligence tests focus a lot on exploring and measuring a person’s ability to understand logic, language and mathematics. But is that really the same as intelligence? No, its not!

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There was a show I was watching a few months ago on BBC or TLC that tracked down some of the people with the highest IQ scores in North America. And guess what... one of them wasn't a doctor, a pilot, an engineer etc... No! This man works as a motorcycle mechanic. He hangs out with biker gangs and is frequently in and out of jail. Another worked as a bouncer in a bar for ten years. This man, who by virtue of his IQ score is a genius, and yet earns minimum wage, and lives in a tiny garage.

So what does this say about having a high IQ? Clearly, a high IQ is not enough to guarantee success in life. What IQ tests measure is a certain type of potential. That potential still needs to be developed and nurtured by the person who has it. And not everyone who has a potential talent also possesses the desire to do something with it.

Being creative, optimistic, and flexible are most important hallmarks of many successful people. Common sense, the ability to get along with other people, and knowing a good idea when you see one, may be more useful qualities than having a genius IQ.

So, don't let your IQ score hold you back! There are many other qualities that are necessary to contribute to success.

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How can anyone be “too nice”? Isn’t being “nice” a good quality to have in a relationship?

When niceness is a sign of genuine respect, kindness and interest in another, it is a wonderful quality to have. When the “niceness” is a by-product of low self-esteem, passivity, or desperate loneliness, it can be a liability, and can make other people feel uneasy.

Have you ever met a person who never expresses their real preferences, opinions, or desires, even in the smallest matters? When someone asks them, “Where do you want to go tonight?” they reply, “I don’t care, anything is fine with me, where do you want to eat?”

A person who won’t state their opinion or preference may think they are being nice, but this is not niceness, this is a form of fearfulness, and a lack of self-respect.

Some people develop the trait of never asking for what they want because they were raised in a family where expressing wants or opinions was discouraged, or even disallowed. They may have been literally taught that they shouldn’t speak up, that they shouldn’t want anything for themselves, and that everyone else’s opinion mattered more than theirs did.

A child who grew up in a family where they weren’t allowed to express their needs or opinions, may grow up believing that this is how the whole world wants them to behave, even after they have become adults. They may find it difficult to take the initiative in any situation involving other people. They may feel uncomfortable or fearful expressing their desires. They may even feel they are being “bad” if they ask for anything.

Although they may think that being extremely passive and refusing to make decisions is their way of “being nice”, it isn’t always fun having a person who is this self-effacing as a friend.

It can be tiring for the other person in the friendship to have to make every decision just because their passive friend won’t make any. In relationships that are healthy and satisfying, both people share responsibility equally when making plans and decisions.

If you believe that being nice means never asking for anything for yourself, it’s important to learn to pay attention to your needs, to respect yourself, and to ask for what you want and need. Take your turn making decisions with others. Make your needs and preferences heard.

If you find your wishes are always being ignored, take a close look at why this is happening and see how you can change it.

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21 July 2007
Most of us aren't, but we're so used to living in a sleep deprived state that for many of us, feeling exhausted is normal. We barely notice it anymore, and we drive our exhaustion from our minds by consuming ever more cups of coffee so we can still function, sort of. How can you tell if you are getting enough sleep? The ideal amount varies from person to person, and it is not always the same.

Ask yourself: When you wake up, do you feel refreshed and ready to go? Or is your body longing for more sleep? Do you rely on a lot of coffee to get you through the day?

There are steps you can take to improve the quantity and quality of your sleep. The first step for most of us is to examine how much caffeine we consume in a day. Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, and many types of cola. It is also present in many over-the-counter medications. Caffeine enters the bloodstream very quickly and its stimulative effect lasts several hours. If you are have a hard time getting settled down at night, it could be due at least in part to an excess of caffeine throughout the day.

If you are not getting enough good quality sleep, make the effort to cut your consumption of caffeinated beverages to just one or two cups a day, or stop drinking caffeine all together. In order to have a more restful evening, don’t drink anything caffeinated after lunch. There are plenty of beverages without caffeine that you can substitute. For most people, a cup of warm milk before bedtime will promote sleepiness.

Some of us are physically addicted to caffeine and will actually go through withdrawal symptoms if we try to cut back, or quit using it altogether. You may find that when you stop ingesting caffeine, it takes up to two weeks to get over your physical craving for it. In the meantime you may experience headaches, dizziness and insomnia.

Another factor that can disrupt your sleep patterns is consuming alcohol. Although alcohol initially can make you drowsy, it suppresses the REM stage of sleep, which appears to be essential in restoring a sense of wellbeing.

There are many other possible causes of poor sleep. If poor quality sleep is a problem for you, it will be worth the effort to become a detective and track down the cause. Often the problems of poor sleep can easily be fixed.

A poor quality mattress will lead to poor quality sleep. So will poor ventilation in your bedroom. Or too much light. Or too much noise. Or a television set.

Are you getting enough exercise? Most of us today do not move our bodies nearly as much as our bodies were designed to move. If we have an office job we are often so mentally fatigued by the time we get home that we don’t want to get off the couch. Our brains may be exhausted, but our body still needs exercise.

A lack of sufficient physical exercise will lead to poor quality sleep. However, vigorous exercise too close to bedtime can leave you too stimulated to sleep.

Here are some tips to help you sleep better:

1) Keep a regular schedule for sleeping. If you are always tired, start going to bed half an hour earlier than usual.
2) Maintain a comfortable, restful bedroom.
3) Don’t use your bed for anything other than sex and sleep.
4) Don’t have the television in your bedroom.
5) Get at least half an hour of physical exercise a day, preferably outdoors.
6) Slow down your physical and mental activities as bedtime approaches.
7) Cultivate a relaxed, calm state of mind at all times, but particularly before bedtime. Stop listening to the nightly news.
8) Avoid shift work.
9) Avoid stimulants or alcohol before bedtime.

You may, if you like... listen to these as well.

If you try all these recommendations and you still feel that you are not sleeping well, you may have a medical condition that interferes with the quality of sleep you are getting, or you may be taking medication that interferes with your sleep.

For example, if you always wake up feeling exhausted, you may be suffering from a medical condition such as fibromyalgia, or sleep apnea. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, anxious and unable to sleep again, this can be caused by depression or stress.

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[Originating Article]

Do you ever feel lonely? If you do, you may spend a lot of time wondering what’s wrong with you. It may seem as if everyone else but you has lots of friends. It may seem like everyone else is always getting invited to go to exciting parties. And it may seem like you're the only one who is left at home, waiting for the phone to ring, wondering why no one ever calls you to invite you out. Actually, loneliness is much more common than you might think. There is actually an epidemic of loneliness in many societies today. This may surprise you.

After all, so many millions of us in the modern world are jammed close together in large teeming cities, and we have at hand all the technological conveniences that are supposed to bring people closer together, such as e-mail, telephones, faxes, and the Internet.

Why are so many of us more lonely than ever?

The reason is that society has changed very rapidly in the past two or three hundred years. Many of the social factors that used to make it easy to make and keep friends for a lifetime have disappeared.

Families have changed a lot in recent decades. A hundred years ago, most families were very large, with many children, aunts and uncles and cousins living close by. Family members often worked together on the farm or in a family business all day long.

Today, families have shrunk in size. Family members are now so busy with their own separate projects, they rarely see each other. Families break up more often than they used to, and it is now much more common for family members to move thousands of miles away, to new jobs, new wives, or new husbands.

In the past, people used to live in the same small community for their entire lives. They stayed in the same job for decades.

These factors made it easy to make friends and keep friends.

Today, many people change jobs every few years, and they move to new cities, and leave behind family members and friends.

And many people today are very, very busy. In many ways, modern technology has not freed us from having to work harder. It has actually had the opposite effect of making us work harder and faster just to stay in the same place.

Another factor that contributes to increased loneliness is modern entertainment and communication technology.

Before the advent of television and the Internet, people had ways of having fun together every day. Many of these primitive methods of having fun have almost disappeared in the modern world.

In the old days, people used to actually talk to each other! They would play games together. They would make music.

Now this sort of primitive entertainment only occurs during a power outage. Most people now feel lost without a TV set and computer. Even in the same family, people barely know each other.

The increase in these modern forms of communication have actually decreased other forms of human interaction.

As people spend more time on the Internet, or with their text messaging, or playing games on computers, they are spending far less time actually interacting with the people around them. It has become a lot easier for people to cocoon themselves in their homes, and never see anyone.

Many people are actually spending less time developing their social skills while they may be vastly improving their computer skills.

In the modern world it seems almost everyone is pressed for time. We are often far too busy at work to develop friendships, and when we come home exhausted at the end of the day, we are too tired to make plans to socialize.

Some of us live in neighborhoods where it isn’t really safe to go out after dark. It becomes all too easy to eat a quick supper and spend our evening hours mentally decompressing in front of the television set or computer.

Loneliness is a bigger problem for more people today than at any previous time in history. The truly ironic fact about loneliness is that if you are lonely, you are not alone!

Still, even if you have been lonely in the past, and even if you feel lonely today, it is possible to make new friends in this modern world.

If you have been suffering from loneliness, it’s time to stop blaming yourself, and it’s time to stop blaming the rest of the world. It’s time to do something to solve the problem of loneliness.

How to Deal With Lonelyness: [Credit]

  1. Realize that we all get lonely. It doesn't mean there is
    anything wrong with you or that you have to stay lonely. We're
    particularly prone to loneliness when we're making transitions,
    especially for the better. If you're changing, such as exploring
    new alternatives and paths for yourself, you're bound to get a
    little lonely as you look for people who share your new interests
    and thoughts.

  2. Call or get together with the people you know, even if they
    aren't who you want to be with right now. Human contact makes more
    contact easier. This includes your mother and the guy at the deli
    counter. Talk until the feeling eases. Make as many calls as
    necessary.

  3. Get involved in anything where you will meet people. If you are
    very shy, find a group for social anxiety, even if it has to be
    online (obviously it's better if it's not). Look on places like
    Craig's List for activities in your area. Volunteering can
    help.

  4. Challenge yourself to take the initiative in social
    relationships whenever you can. YOU ask the person if they want to
    chat, get a coffee, whatever. Remember how much you like it when
    people are attracted to you.

  5. Take risks about revealing yourself. Say what's on your mind,
    if it seems at all likely the other person will be receptive. It
    can hurt when it backfires, but it's worth it a million times over
    when it works out.

  6. Befriend someone lonelier than you are. This will not be the
    last friend you make.

  7. Remember that we are all alone inside our heads; we are born
    and die alone; it's nothing special. Every person who has ever
    lived has been lonely. Love wouldn't exist without loneliness to
    inspire it. Look at your loneliness with detachment.

  8. Notice the difference between loneliness and solitude. Imagine
    this is the last day you will ever be alone. What would you
    do?

  9. Join an online community, sometimes, it can help.

  10. When feeling lonely, don't allow yourself to bask in your
    loneliness. Do something, anything! Take a walk, ride your
    bike.



You can make new friends and have the social life you dream of. To have more friends you will have to learn new techniques of socializing and making conversation. You will have to make the effort to meet many more new people.

If you learn the secrets of those people who make friends easily, and implement these techniques into your life, you too can have a happy social life.

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Have you been trying hard to make friends with no good results to show for all of your efforts? If it seems that you have been trying hard to make friends, but that other people still don't want to be your friend, you may have come to the conclusion that there's something wrong with you. That maybe you are basically unlikeable. Many of us go through such torment of self doubt, especially during our teenage years, when teens are often the victims of vicious bullying from their peers for no reason at all.

If you feel as if the people you are trying to befriend don’t like you, the first thing you must do is to ask yourself: Do you have any real evidence that others don't like you? Or are you just imagining the worst because you are always very harsh with yourself?

People who have low self-esteem, or who are suffering from depression, are often convinced that others don't like them, even when there is no evidence for their negative belief. People who have a poor self image can be surrounded by others who like them, care about them, and enjoy their company; yet because these people don't believe they are worthy of being liked, they are convinced that no one else likes them either.

So, if you are feeling as if nobody likes you, try to find out if there is some real evidence that others don't like you, or whether you are just being very negative in your opinion of yourself.

On the other hand, there are times when it's not just your imagination that others don’t like you. It might be really true that most of the people you meet are consistently rejecting you, even when you make social overtures and try to be as friendly to them as possible.

There are many reasons this can happen.

You may have moved to a society where the people are very tight knit with each other, and they don't open up to newcomers easily.

You might be surrounded by people who automatically dislike people of your particular religion, ethnic background, sexual orientation, skin color, or bodily appearance.

You may be surrounded by people who reject you because the clothes you wear are not the latest and most expensive fashion.

In high school years in particular, many teens are strongly conformist, and can be very cruel to those who seem to be different from the norm. Sadly, some people never grow out of the stage of judging others for trivial and superficial reasons.

If you are really are being rejected by others, it is important that you don’t make the situation worse by attacking yourself.

This will only make you feel worse, and will make you lose confidence in approaching new people in the future.

Saying negative things to yourself could start you on a downward spiral of self-doubt and self-hatred. Or you might turn your anger outwards in a spirit of bitterness and revenge towards other people. This is not a solution that will win you friends or peace of mind.

It's also important to take a good, hard look at yourself and the way that you interact with other people. There may be specific behaviors that are causing others to dislike you, and these are behaviors which you can change.

Ask yourself the questions on this checklist. If it looks as if any of these behaviors are a problem for you, it's very likely that if you change this behavior, that other people will like you better.

1. Are you always very negative and complaining all the time? Most people find this habit very annoying.

2. Do you actively participate in conversations with others? Or do you hold back and let other people do all the work in making conversation. If so, learn to improve your conversational skills so that talking with you is an experience that others look forward to.

3. Do you endlessly talk about yourself and show little interest in the people you are talking with? Other people will become bored with you very quickly if you seem only interested in yourself.

4. Do you try too hard to please others, always agreeing with everything that they say, and never having any opinions of your own? People won't respect you if you don't respect yourself.

5. Do you often say things that hurt the feelings of others and then say it was just a joke? Do you say mean things behind other people's backs? No one will trust you if they think that you are basically an unkind person.

If you want to make other people your friends, it's very important that you don't give up. Keep approaching people, keep trying to make conversation. Get rid of your bad social habits if they are getting in the way of friendship.

If you are being given the cold shoulder by many of the people you encounter, particularly in your school or workplace, keep looking elsewhere for people you can confide in and befriend. You can try in your church, in your community, and in your own family.

Work on developing the talents and good qualities within yourself so that you can appeal in a new way to other people with whom you will have more in common. Continue to actively search out other people who will like you and accept you.

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Based on this article, Popular Mechanics outlined a very important and contriversial topic that I need to debunk as a pilot. They claimed to have gone and studied every American plane crash since 1971 and found that the survival rate for backseat flyers is higher than those in first & business class.

They even go as far as saying:
The funny thing about all those expert opinions: They're not really based on hard data about actual airline accidents. A look at real-world crash stats, however, suggests that the farther back you sit, the better your odds of survival. Passengers near the tail of a plane are about 40 percent more likely to survive a crash than those in the first few rows up front.

Those so called 'expert opinions' can't be based on hard facts becuase you have to realise something about how aviation accidents happens before looking at the statistics. You simply can't investigate and plant statistics on an aircrash the same way you do with car crashes... it just doesn't work that way when it comes to aviation.

1) Analyzing previous plane crashes will not predict fatalities or fatality placement (in the cabin) in future plane crashes. Whenever an accident occurs, it is investigated and anything that failed is repaired on all airplanes in service, so most likely that particular kind of failure/accident will not occur again.

2) There are so many variables that occur during takeoff, flying and landing that it is impossible to predict future crashes-and if future crashes could be predicted they would be designed out of the airplane.

3)It is usually not the plane that determines the crash so much as poor weather or human error (such as the case with many mid air collisions).

The truth still remains as a fact, not as a 'myth'. Theres no safe place inside an airplane durring a crash, and any pilot (student to comercial) will tell you the same thing. Luck and chance ditermains your fate durring a plane crash, not where you are seated... its that simple!

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[Originating Article]

20 July 2007
This time I thought I'd cut to the chase and forget the introduction. This entry is a sumerisation of [Mind Tool's] memorization article so the credit goes to them. And without delay, heres a few tips you can do to help aid your memory:

1) When you need to remember something important, find a way to create an image about it in your mind that is very funny or bizarre. Your brain easily remembers things that are unusual, or funny or scary, while it easily forgets things that don’t stand out in any way. (A Full Article [here] explains how.)

2) Make written lists of what you need to do or to remember. This will free up your brain to remember other things that are more important.

3) Be sure to get enough sleep. Your brain uses its sleeping hours to put new information into long term memory storage.

4) To remember a long string of letters or numbers such as a telephone number, break the information up into small chunks of two or three numbers or letters at a time, such as 555 – 216 - 9827. Most people will find it very hard to remember 9 or 10 numbers in a row, but they can easily remember two or three numbers in a row.

5) When you need to learn and remember something, give yourself time to review the same material the next day for a few minutes and then a week later for a few minutes. Repetition and review will help your brain remember the material better.

6) When you are studying a lot of material, schedule a break every forty minutes to get up and walk and do something completely different. When you sit down to study again, your brain will be more refreshed and better able to pay attention.

7) When you are trying to study something, give yourself plenty of time to understand it and review it several times. Cramming at the last minute doesn’t work very well.

8) Give your brain a good workout by practicing memorization as a fun exercise. Every few days, pick a new poem or favorite passage to memorize, and then write it out or speak it out loud.

9) Get a basic children’s arithmetic book with simple number exercises such as 1 + 8 = ___ or 5 X 3 = ___ and commit to doing fifty such calculations every day as quickly as you can. Research has shown that quickly doing very simple arithmetic problems activates a lot of your brain.

10) Reduce the stress in your life by simplifying your schedule, delegating more tasks to others, getting regular physical exercise and practicing daily meditation. Long term stress can interfere with your ability to concentrate and to think clearly, and with your ability to form memories or to recall them later.

11) Get yourself a study buddy or a conversation partner, and try teach the other person what you are learning. This is a good way to signal your brain that what you are learning is important and you will remember more.

12) Learn how to create and use mind maps to organize your information. Many people can learn better by using mind maps than by writing out notes the traditional way.

13) Make up little rhymes and songs to help you remember important information. It's often a lot easier to remember facts that have been made into a song or a rhyme, such as "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November".

14) Your brain will remember things a lot better if you are breathing deeply in a relaxed way. Instead of just breathing shallowly from the upper part of your chest, learn to breathe smoothly from your belly, using your diaphragm muscle to move the air in and out.

15) Include a lot of berries in your diet that have dark red and blue colored skins. In an experiment where aging rats were fed a diet high in blueberries, their memory losses reversed and they grew new brain cells.

16) When you need to remember several unrelated items, use the first letter of each word and try to make a word out of it that will help you remember them. For example, if you need to buy bread, milk, apples, ink and bananas, you could use the first letter of each word to create the word "BAMBI" to jog your memory.

17) Focus on doing one task at a time and concentrating on one topic at a time. When you try to do too many things at once, your mind will be distracted and it will be difficult to perform every task as well as you need to, and difficult to remember what you need to remember.

18) Your brain is about 85 % water, so it is easily dehydrated. Try to avoid drinking too much coffee and too many pop drinks and instead, give your brain the hydration it craves by drinking half a fluid ounce of water for every pound of your body weight each day.

Can't get enough? Check out this list from a fellow blogger: JasPari: Simple Tricks for Memorizing easily !.:Quotes, Wallpapers, Recipes, Health and Beauty Tips:.

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[Originating Article]

We've all been a student at one point in our lives, and we know how it can be sometimes difficult to retain something of value. But why is this, and why is it that our memory fails us when ever we need it most? Well, there are a couple reasons why our memory fails us and one of those reasons just happen to be due to the amount of general knowledge we have. So-- less you know, the less likely your are to remember. Of course that’s not the case with any gifted child but when it all comes down to the average person, its most likely the case.

"So how is it that my memory is effected by the amount of knowledge I have?" Well, it doesn't. The key is using general knowledge to help remember something new. According to Psychologists there are two ways of memorizing or retaining information, 1) by pegging, and 2) logical association.



Pegging involves the "repetition of information and usually requires long and laborious drill to acquire the information" (ie: remembering phone numbers, the alphabet, plate numbers etc..). Logical association however allows you to "link new facts with something already in the mind" (ie: learning meteorology by linking it with thermodynamics or vice versa).
Logical Association not only requires less time and effort but it's also the most effective and efficient way of retaining new information. But why only go as far as using general knowledge to optimize your memory retaining habits?

Memory optimization isn't the only reason why you should continuously learn something new. Learning across a wide range of subjects gives you a broad knowledge of unfamiliar situations that feeds innovation by inspiring us to think creatively and providing examples to follow. It can help us more easily and readily adapt to new situations, and make us more confident. Learning how to play the guitar or how to draw and paint artistically will help you gain confidence in your creative thinking, above all--- it will inspire you to think outside the box. Its been proven that the majority of artistically creative individuals are more likely to survive primitively than those who only invest in increasing their intellect academically. After all, "creativity is more important than knowledge" -- says Einstein.

I’m providing some links below to help aid with your learning. Sometimes I have difficulty finding something new to learn so I would usually go to these sources.

1. Wikipedia's “Featured Article
Once a day Wikipedia will email you a featured article which to me is way better than thinking of something you wanna know in Wikipedia. Not a fan of Wikipedia, not to worry... answers.com has something similar.

2. Read something interesting: "Did you Know that?"
This is a quick way of learning facts our of the blue. Its interesting and mildly entertaining. If you’re like the rest of us "Get things done" type of person and always on-the-go, then you can subscribe to Brain Food Podcast. Its a similar form of entertainment but in an audio form not ever a lazy bastard can resist.

3. Learn a new Language
Being bi-lingual I know for a fact that there some words in Arabic, Tagalog, and Spanish that you just won't be able to translate into English. Learning a new language is tough but it will defiantly expand your horizons. If your not into text based learning and you have an iPod, then try these out.

4. Learn a new word
Its no brainer, learning new words not only help you find a better vocabulary to express yourself, it also helps you think in other ways you haven’t done before.

5. Expand your Abstract thinking
Phrazes.org put together a phrase of the week subscription that simply highlights the days most favored phrases.

6. Learn & TRY to survive primitively
I say 'TRY' because there’s a difference between learning something, and taking part n actually trying it out.

7. Hack your brain
Its like defragging your computer, optimizing it to work more effectively and efficiently.

8. Understanding the Brain
You can’t optimize something when you don’t know how it works.

Tip: When learning something new, take a 5-15 min break in between hours. Its important you give your self a break in order for your brain to retain everything its just learned. Continuing to learn more information without a break will require your brain to forget something you just learned earlier.

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19 July 2007
So what can a lowly blogger/nerd teach you about politics? (probably no more than a monkey can teach you about evolution, but I'll give it a shot anyways.) So let's start with one of the most heated and highly debated topics around: Racism. Why start here? well because its as I said, the most debated, heated, and complex topic around, yet it is the simplest to explain, and exile from existence. Let me begin by taking you backwards to the time of Fred, Barney, and Wilma our local cave people, now let's say Fred and Barney are on their way to church(separate churches for the purposes of this piece.) their conversation on that walk to church would probably resemble this:

Fred: "Hey Barney, old chum where you off to?"
Barney: "Oh hey Fred I'm off to the church of the Stegosaurus, and you good pal where you off to?"
Fred: "I'm off to T-Rex-- What church of Stegosaurus??? T-Rex Temple is waaaaaaaaay better."
Barney: "No Stegosaurus is better!!!"


At this point they'd pull out their clubs and bash each other to death....or so we thought

During the Fight
Fred: "Hey food!!!"
Barney: "Let's go get that dinosaur, I'm starved!!"


Now the two stop fighting and overcome differences for a greater cause...... SURVIVAL!!

My point is, is that we can do the same and should, and that the only reason that differences cause societal schisms is because only now are we "smart enough' to consider them negative differences and attach to them a negative(and quite destructive) "consequence" that we call Religious Differences/war.

You may be asking, duh what can I do boss??? well its quite simple don't qualify a friendship that you've had for twenty-years as dead because your friend's a Catholic and your a Jew, don't exit stage left on something that may very well be the Best thing in your life at the moment just because a book written/interpreted by someone who may very well be your friend's Great(x800)uncle. Hell if I'd done that I'd be all alone right now and forever (sniffs, I love you couch.)

Well until next week, Read chapters 1-4 in your textbook.
Signing-Off

Myles Taylor

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Almost everybody feels shy at one time or another.In fact, only about 7% of the population claims that they never feel shy. For the rest of us, shyness can range from being an occasional, minor inconvenience, to being a major problem.

Some people are afflicted with a degree of shyness so severe that it is almost disabling. This type of acute shyness is not only very painful to experience, but it can have devastating effects on a person’s social life, happiness, and career.

Severe shyness is a complex mix of biology, upbringing, traumatic experiences, and negative self-talk. Severe shyness can co-exist with other debilitating psychological conditions such as low self-esteem, perfectionism, depression and anxiety.

Extreme shyness can take many forms, and can show up differently in different people. Some very shy people have problems being in large gatherings, yet they may feel comfortable in small groups. Some shy people only feel acute discomfort with persons they have just met, while others are never comfortable around people, even those they have known a long time.

People who suffer from severe shyness often end up very lonely, may never marry, and have few friends. Psychiatrists and psychologists use the term "social anxiety disorder" to describe extremely debilitating shyness. There isn’t complete agreement about whether severe, disabling social anxiety disorder is simply a more severe type of shyness, or whether it is another type of disorder altogether.

Getting over your Shyness
Some very shy people are able to overcome their fears by learning better social skills and practicing them frequently in social situations. Many also find it useful to gain some measure of control over their uncomfortable physical reactions such as sweating and trembling, by using special relaxation techniques and bio-feedback training.

One way that many people who are very shy choose to deal with their social anxiety is to simply avoid any social situations that might trigger their discomfort. This may mean turning down invitations to parties and other social events, crossing the street in order to avoid running into someone they know, and even turning down promotions at work.

Although avoiding the feared situation may seem to the shy person like the perfect solution, it actually makes the problem worse in the long run. Every time a shy person chooses to avoid social interaction, he reinforces in his mind how much he fears dealing with other people. By choosing the short-term benefit of avoiding his anxious feelings, he reinforces the power that his fear holds over him

Psychologists who specialize in the treatment of shyness disorders have discovered that avoiding social situations can actually make the problem worse. Many psychologists who treat people aflicted by shyness recommend a program of repeated and gradually increasing exposure to the feared situation, combined with helping the client learn new ways of thinking.

In some cases, certain prescription medications can help control the feelings of extreme anxiety that they experience when they are around others.

If your shyness is very severe, you can benefit from seeing a therapist who has proven effectiveness in successfully treating shyness. Not all forms of psychotherapy have been proven effective in treating shyness.

Those forms of therapy where the patient relives past traumas and digs deeply into past relationships are not particularly helpful for overcoming shyness.

The types of therapy that seem to have the best track record for overcoming shyness are cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy.

Both of these types of therapy concentrate on dealing with the present, and teaching the patient new ways of thinking and behaving when they are around others.

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18 July 2007

There was an article I read about a few weeks ago by Extreme Tech that argues about how the messier the person the more organized he/she actually is. To some degree I agree with this statement so here’s my take on it. Being organized doesn’t necessary mean being clean. It just means that you've created a system for your self to know exactly where everything is and being messy just makes you more productive. Being clean and organized at the same time cuts down on productivity because of the amount of time you spend cleaning and putting everything back to the way it was again. And having a messy system doesn’t make you less organized than the person next door who spends every second trying to look neat and tidy.

Here’s my example:
When I was first starting out as a student pilot at day one, I was overwhelmed with the amount of panels, switches, and gauges even a small airplane had. I had no previous training, no simulator experience so I was clueless and stuffed with fear of never understanding the instrument panels. As my training progressed, I worked hard and began reading up on how these instruments worked, I even went as far as trying to replicate everything on paper, drawing everything little detail on that flight deck from memory and compared it with the actual picture. If I missed, or mispositioned something then I made a promise to start from scratch.

After a few failures I realized something with the way a flight deck was layed out. These instruments weren’t just placed randomly... no, they were actually placed specifically to make logical sense based on their function and how often an instrument is used. This chaotic flight panel is actually grouped in such a way that what every task you had to deal with whether it be navigation or an emergency situation, were so well organized that any one regardless of training could navigate them provided they knew the layouts algorithm.

If you were to look at an A320's flight deck you'd be so overwhelmed with the numbers of buttons and start to wonder... "how do pilots remember where all the buttons are?" and the answer to that is... they don’t. Its all about knowing where to expect the switches and buttons for a specific tast. It may seem chaotic and very messy, but to a pilot its the best way to deal with every demanding task and still be productive during the job.

Now remember what I said earlier... about being clean and organized? Well imagine if a pilot had to deal with that in his/her environment. Imagine being in an emergency situation where the pilot actually had a switch to open a group of other switches... lol sounds ridiculous right? Well that’s because it is. Not only does it take up precious time, but you'll be dead before the pilot can read the next paragraph on that Emergency Reference Handbook.

Most air traffic controllers are actually messy during their job. No, I don't mean they pick their nose and wipe it on the guy next to him to conserve time... I mean the fact that they don't have the time to neatly organize something. They must do it the fastest way possible and the only way to do that is by bieng messy.

Now similarly in a much more miniscule concept such as your work-area, your much less prone to emergency such as the one I described above in fact, I don't recall the last time I heard of a house with a flight deck falling 18,000ft from the sky before. So what’s the correlation here? Simple.. cleanliness will simply make you less productive!

Now this doesn't meen you have to go as far as avoid taking a shower for a few days just to be productive. Its just a general idea you should only apply to your work habit and not your entire life.

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Do you ever have trouble making conversation with others even though you consider yourself to be an intelligent person? If so, you may wonder why you are so poor at making conversation with others, even though you are very smart, and know a lot of interesting things. The truth is that many average people with average intelligence and average interests are much better at making small talk and have better social skills than people who are very intelligent. And many people who are very intelligent are extremely poor at making small talk conversation and may have poor social skills.

Why should this be?

1.) They may be perfectionists. These people may have very high expectations of themselves about everything they do. When they think they have failed at anything, they judge themselves very harshly. If they think they are failing at small talk, they just get even more nervous and tongue tied. Their harsh self judgment makes them so anxious that they cannot relax and simply enjoy being with other people.

2.) People who are very smart may have spent most of their life trying to become very intellectually developed, but sometimes they neglect to develop their social and emotional side. They may feel that developing their social and emotional side is not very important, or they may feel that it is too late to try learn these new difficult skills.

3. ) They may be very serious people and believe that they should only spend their time thinking about serious matters and talking about serious matters. They may believe that talking about unimportant things is a waste of time. This makes them get bored very quickly with small talk that doesn’t seem to lead anywhere.

4. ) In some cases, people who are smarter than average actually feel superior to others and believe they should not have to waste their time with average people having average conversations. They may really truly be snobs at heart.

5. ) Many very intelligent people suffer from extreme shyness or from poor self esteem. This may cause them to feel that they have nothing interesting or worthwhile to contribute to a conversation.

6. ) Some very intelligent people, particularly those who are strong in achedemics may have a condition called 'Asperger’s syndrome'. (Cite: Video/Wiki) This condition which is believed to be related to autism. Often, the person who has some degree of Asperger’s is extremely good at focusing on a scientific topic, but is unable to understand the kinds of social interactions that most other people take for granted. People with Asperger’s may talk in a rigid, mechanical way, and be uninterested in other people’s emotional lives.

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Yes, we've all heard of youtube and it's success, and we've even seen it get gobbled up by the big giant. Now that we've enjoyed those classic moments of watching full movies on youtube we sit here and watch as our number one site for piracy goes down the drain. So fello pirates, what is there to look forward to? LOTS! Infact, the general idea of streaming video content sparked a lot of innovative ways to deliver both legal and illegal content to the general public using internet. Today I use a combination of Joost to get my National Geographic Fix, and TVUPlayer to get my bradcasting of Nick, Cartoon Network, G4TechTV just to name a few. So call your cable providor, cancel your subscriptions and save your money! Interested to know more... read on!

On Demand
On demand broadcasting is typicly like having a TiVO installed in your computer. You choose what you want when you want to watch its that plain and simple. In its own way, its like IPTV-- the only difrence is that the majority of the content in this particular case is Network Broadcasting such as Aljazeera, National Geographics, etc...

1. Joost [Screenshot]
2. Babbelgum [Screenshot]
3. MyTVPal [Screenshot]
4. Zattoo [Screenshot]

Local & Network TV Streaming (P2P TV)
P2P TV has come a long way... but, to explain what this is, its simply like using your computer as a cable box. People nice enough to share and broadcast their TV to your computer lets you choose from a variety of difrent channels or 'user broadcasted' contents this p2p topography has to offer.

1. TVAnts
2. UUSee (Website)
3. TVUPlayer
4. PPLive
5. PPStream

Web Streamed Content
Title says it all, this is basicly a youtube clone or what ever you use to use back in the day. Its web based so you don't need to install anything (Except maybe a browser, or a plugin for that matter).

1. Episodenetwork
2. ChannelChooser
3. FreeTube
4. Don't Watch Me
5. TVLinks
6. PeekVid
7. TV Video
8. Choose and Watch
9. Joox
10. ShareTV
11. SideReel
12. IMVITE
13. Quick SilverScreen

These are just my personal recomendation, there are hundreds if not THOUSANDS of others out there waiting to be the next youtube. Theres a full list of online video service at http://ovguide.com/

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