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World Cup bid 'better for 2022'
AN Australian bid for the 2018 World Cup would demonstrate the country's credibility as a soccer nation and prepare the ground for a bid for 2022, which would have a greater chance of success, according to FFA chief executive John O'Neill.
posted by Peter Konnecke at
23:27
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Sunday-Night Depression Afflicts Even Happy Employees
From CareerJournal.com the Wall Street Journal Executive Career Site
On Sunday nights, Caleb Weintraub gets the blues.
The studio-art professor says he likes his job, but the imminent end of his freedom from workday obligations makes him less personable and outgoing on Sundays than on any other day of the week. Luckily for him and his family, his Sunday-night slump isn't as deep as it used to be when, through tears, he would tell his mother, "School is worse than eggs!"
People who suffer from the Sunday-night doldrums don't necessarily dislike work, but they sure don't like the thought of it. For many of the afflicted, the pre-Monday funk is yet another workplace echo of grade school. The only difference between this one and fire drills, cafeteria trays, bullies, teams and report cards (a.k.a. performance reviews) is that it happens every week, and yelling "Force field!" won't protect you.
To this day, Prof. Weintraub tries to squeeze as much weekend out of the weekend as he can. "I know if I sleep, the next thing I know I'll wake up and it will be Monday," he says. His favorite night of the week isn't Friday but Thursday, because then he can still anticipate the weekend before the clock has started running on it. Come to think of it, he says, his Sunday nights really begin on Saturday, when he realizes the weekend is half over and the workweek is looming.
For Sunday sufferers, it can be hard to seize the day when they have already snatched it from themselves. "We're always living about 18 hours ahead of ourselves," says William Bridges, an author and consultant on business transition.
Leave it to the Buddhists to figure out that time shifting is a root cause of unhappiness. "We live in our expectations, not our experience," Mr. Bridges notes. "Buddhism emphasizes learning mindfulness of the moment. That's the answer as much as anything."
Not all of us have that kind of enlightenment handy, but Francine Maroukian is pretty close. The food and culture author prepares during the week for the angst that will befall her on Sunday. Whenever she hits a suspenseful moment in a book, she stops reading and saves it for Sunday night. She also makes sure she'll find comfort in her apartment. "Lighting is critical," she says, and "never underestimate the healing power of melted cheese. There's something soothing about eating it."
"Rearming for the new week can produce anxiety and a sense of loss," confirms psychologist Gary Hayes of the New York management consulting firm Hayes, Brunswick & Partners. It's a result of the loss of momentary control that we gain on the weekend and then all but surrender during the workweek.
For one former Wall Street analyst, who had to catch a 4:45 a.m. train every weekday, Sunday nights seemed to start early in the day. "There was anxiety building up through the afternoon," she says. "It was just impossible to relax and enjoy anything. If I wasn't home, it would make me more anxious." Even Mondays were better than Sundays, she adds, "because the nonsense had at least begun." She found some relief by switching jobs. Now she's in marketing, and while Sundays are still tough, they're not nearly as bad.
Health researcher Anna Nicholson copes by spending some of her Sunday morning preparing for Monday morning: She reads over her work e-mail, makes sure the house is clean, packs her bags for the gym, and even lays out clothes for the next day. "Funny thing is," she says, "I don't necessarily pick out my work clothes on any of the other weeknights."
But that doesn't mean she can change her ways. In fact, if she goes away for vacation, she'll return on a Saturday so that she can go through her preparation ritual. "It's tricking yourself," she says. "It's trying to be in control."
Sunday night television shows are a refuge for some. Lawrence Savell, an attorney at Chadbourne & Parke, says he spent his youth watching "Mission: Impossible," knowing that "when the show ended, that meant my weekend was over, it was time for bed."
As he got older, his Sunday slump became less severe, but when he had kids, he relapsed. "On the couch with 'Mission: Impossible' at 11 has been replaced by in the rocking chair with boy and milk at nine," he says, "and the Sunday night blues are a lot tougher than they were before."
But not for everyone. Harj Dhillon's bouts with Sunday nights used to get ugly, particularly when he worked in jobs he didn't like. But these days, his Sundays are difficult for different reasons. He has small children who seem to know, despite many statements to the contrary, that he can be interrupted at their convenience.
"No one is checking my Palm Pilot to see that I have to watch football from one to four on a Sunday afternoon, followed by a nap," he says of his family's incursion into his Sunday agenda. "Work has guardrails, stop signs and etiquette," he notes. "Home is barely contained entropy."
posted by Peter Konnecke at
15:01
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posted by Peter Konnecke at
13:22
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RSS creation and metrics firm SimpleFeed is expected to introduce a technology today that enables delivery of secure RSS protected by a user name, password and unique URL.
The system could be a boon to publishers seeking registration data for ad targeting, or to offer paid subscription services. It could also help marketers communicate sensitive information -- such as financial services or transaction data -- to customers via RSS.
"That's generated a lot of interest in the media vertical and financial services," Mark Carlson, CEO of SimpleFeed, told ClickZ News. "Banks, for example, have problems with sending e-mail and getting caught in various filters. RSS holds the benefit that it's a direct push from their domain, so it's hard to get between them and their customers."
posted by Peter Konnecke at
20:40
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Amazon Testing Contextual Ad Program with Affiliates
Amazon.com confirms it's dipping its toes into online advertising. The retail giant is testing a program to distribute third-party contextual ad links to its network of affiliates.
Though Amazon won't say who is providing the ads, a spokesperson says the retailer and the affiliate will each receive a cut whenever someone clicks through. Similarly to Google AdSense or Yahoo! Publisher Network, the ads are targeted based on the content on the page. The links will appear on the same pages as affiliates' links to products on Amazon.
posted by Peter Konnecke at
20:35
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Amid Controversy, AOL to Keep Enhanced Whitelist
After fielding criticism from e-mail senders and other stakeholders for its plan to eliminate its free, merit-based whitelist, America Online has reversed its earlier decision and will continue to offer its Enhanced Whitelist in addition to its new CertifiedEmail service.
"The Enhanced Whitelist is going to remain in place as long as it continues to serve our members," AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham told ClickZ News. "We had a very successful week of discussions, both internally and externally with stakeholders and e-mail partners. We recognized the value of an Enhanced Whitelist for our members, as well as the marketplace."
posted by Peter Konnecke at
20:21
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An eBay auction run by four Sydney blokes offering nothing more than a weekend of friendship, beer and snags has accepted a winning bid $1300 as it concluded earlier than scheduled on Saturday.
posted by Peter Konnecke at
11:04
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TrackStick: GPS Tracking on a USB Stick
Here's a cool (and maybe an illegal) way to track either your family or employee's activities. The TrackStick, powered by a pair of AA batteries, has a mini-GPS inside records time, date, location, speed, direction and altitude at preset intervals. It receives signals from 24 satellites orbiting our planet. The built-in 1MB memory allows months of travel information, which can be exported to RTF, XLS, HTML or KML to a PC via USB port.
posted by Peter Konnecke at
19:27
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From Wired 14.02: Geeks in Toyland
The email from Denmark was only a few lines long. "It basically said, 'We have an opportunity for you here, but we can't tell you anything until you sign a nondisclosure agreement," says Steve Hassenplug, a soft-spoken software engineer from Lafayette, Indiana. The cryptic tone of the email from Lego headquarters hinted at something more than a simple customer survey, but Hassenplug didn't know what.
He guessed it had something to do with Mindstorms, Lego's programmable robotics kit. After all, he's a master at assembling the plastic bricks into complex robots, like his wheeled, self-balancing machine dubbed the LegWay, and he's something of a celebrity in the Mindstorms world.
posted by Peter Konnecke at
13:16
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From Wired 14.02: I Spy
Sometime around dawn on the first day of the 1991 Gulf War, Ted Molczan was woken by a mysterious phone call. Molczan had been up until 3:30 am in his Toronto apartment, riveted by the televised images of Tomahawk missiles raining down on Baghdad, so he was groggy when the phone rang. A male voice with a thick accent said: "I know you're involved in satellite tracking. I'm interested in doing a trade." The caller offered Molczan information on the orbiting patterns of a constellation of eight US satellites. In exchange, he wanted to know the orbits for the CIA's KH-11 "Keyhole" satellites - from space they can discern an object as small as a softball, and they were sending US forces hi-res digital imagery of Iraq and Kuwait.
posted by Peter Konnecke at
13:15
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The Power of Negative Thinking
By Remez Sasson
For some reason, most people find it easier to think in a negative way than in a positive manner. It seems that some effort is needed to think positive thoughts, whereas negative thinking comes easily and uninvited. This has much to do with education and the environment one has been living in.
In order to understand how positive thinking works, and how to use it efficiently, it is important to understand the power of negative thinking.
If you have been brought up in a happy and positive atmosphere, where people value success and self-improvement, then it will be easier for you to think positively and expect success. If you have been brought up under poor or difficult situations, you will probably go on expecting difficulties and failure.
From an early age people let outside influences shape their minds. They view everything through their predominant mental attitude. If their thoughts are positive, that is fine, but if they are negative, their lives and circumstances will probably mirror these thoughts.
If you believe that you are going to fail, you will unconsciously sabotage every opportunity to succeed. If you are afraid of meeting new people or having close relationships, you will do everything to avoid people and relationships, and then complain that you are lonely and nobody loves you.
Do you often think about difficulties, failure and disasters? Do you keep thinking about the negative news you have seen on the TV or read in the newspapers?
Do you see yourself stuck and unable to improve your life or your health? Do you frequently think that you do not deserve happiness or money, or that it is too difficult to get them? If you do, then you will close your mind, see no opportunities, and behave and react in such ways, as to repel people and opportunities. You let the power of negative thinking rule your life.
The mind does not usually judge or examine thoughts and opinions before accepting them. If what it hears, sees and reads is always negative, it accepts this as the standard way of thinking and behavior.
The media constantly bombards the mind with a lot of information about disasters, catastrophes, wars and other negative happenings. This information sinks into the subconscious mind, and let the power of negative thinking grow. By occupying the mind with negative thoughts and expectations one radiate negative energy into the surrounding world, thus creating and recreating more negativity, failures and disasters.
The mind can be directed towards positive thinking or negative thinking. The power of thoughts is a neutral power. The way one thinks determines whether the results are positive and beneficial or negative and harmful. It is the same of energy acting in different ways.
Persistent inner work can change habits of thoughts. You must be willing to put energy and time to avoid negative thinking and pursue positive thinking, in order to change your mental attitude.
Every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, change it into a positive one.
If you catch yourself visualizing failure, switch to visualizing success.
If you hear yourself repeating negative words, switch to positive ones.
If you hear yourself saying, "I cannot", say to yourself, "I can".
Do you repeat useless and unnecessary negative words and phrases in your mind? Change them to positive ones.
Open your mind to positive attitude, happenings and events. Expect them and think about them, and soon you life will change for the better.
Decide that from today, from this very moment, you are leaving negative thinking behind, and starting on the way towards positive thinking and behavior. It is never too late. Soon your life will turn into a fascinating, wonderful journey.
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© Copyright Remez Sasson
Remez Sasson teaches and writes about positive thinking, creative visualization, success, motivation, mind power, self-improvement, inner power and strength, peace of mind, spiritual growth and meditation. He is the author of several books about the above subjects, and the publisher of the ezine "Consciousness and Success".
Visit his website, Success Consciousness, and find articles, advice, guidance, ebooks and quotes!
Website: http://www.SuccessConsciousness.com
Books: http://www.successconsciousness.com/ebooks_and_books.htm
posted by Peter Konnecke at
11:00
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Developing Will Power and Self Discipline
By Remez Sasson
Most people admire and respect strong individuals, who have won great success by manifesting will power and self discipline. They admire people, who with sheer will power, self discipline and ambition, have improved their life, learned new skills, overcame difficulties and hardships, reduced their weight, rose high in their chosen field or advanced on the spiritual path.
The truth is that everyone can reach high levels of will power and self-discipline through a practical method of training. These inner power are not reserved for a few special people.
Will power and self discipline are two of the most important and useful inner powers in everyone’s life, and have always been considered as essential tools for success in all areas of life. They can be learned and developed like any other skill, yet, in spite of this, only few take any steps to develop and strengthen them in a systematic way.
What is will power?
It is the inner strength to make a decision, take action, and handle and execute any aim or task until it is accomplished, regardless of inner and outer resistance, discomfort or difficulties.
It bestows the ability to overcomes laziness, temptations and negative habits, and to carry out actions, even if they require effort, are unpleasant and tedious or are contrary to one’s habits.
What is self discipline?
It is the rejection of instant gratification in favor of something better. It is the giving up of instant pleasure and satisfaction for a higher and better goal.
It manifests as the ability to stick to actions, thoughts and behavior, which lead to improvement and success. Self-discipline is self-control, and it manifests in spiritual, mental, emotional and physical discipline.
The purpose of self-discipline is not living a limiting or a restrictive lifestyle. It does not mean being narrow minded or living like a fakir. It is one of the pillars of success and power. It bestows the inner strength to focus all your energy on your goal, and persevere until it is accomplished.
Both of these abilities are required for daily actions and decisions, and also for making major decisions and attaining major success. They are required for doing a good job, for studying, building a business, losing weight, bodybuilding and physical exercises, maintaining good relationships, changing habits, self improvement, meditation, spiritual growth, keeping and carrying out promises and for almost everything else.
One of the most simple and effective methods to develop will power and self-discipline is by refusing to satisfy unimportant and unnecessary desires. Everyone is constantly confronted and tempted by an endless stream of desires and temptations, many of which are not really important or desirable. By learning to refuse to satisfy every one of them, you get stronger.
Refusing and rejecting useless, harmful or unnecessary desires and actions, and intentionally acting contrary to your habits, sharpen and strengthen your inner strength. By constant practice your inner power grows, just like exercising your muscles at a gym increases your physical strength. In both cases, when you need inner power or physical strength, they are available at your disposal.
Here are a few exercises:
- Don’t read the newspaper for a day or two.
- Drink water when thirsty, in spite of your desire to have a soft drink.
- Walk up and down the stairs, instead of taking the lift.
- Get down from the bus one station before or after your destination, and walk the rest of the way.
- For one week, go to sleep one hour earlier than usual.
- If you like ice cream, don't have any, for a day or two.
These are only a few examples of the many exercises that can be conducted in order to develop will power and self-discipline. You might think that practicing these exercises is being tough on yourself, but they add much to the storehouse of your inner strength. By following a systematic method of training you can reach far, have more control over yourself and your life, attain your goals, improve your life, and gain satisfaction and peace of mind.
Show and prove to yourself that you are strong and in control, and practice the above exercises for a little while, before passing any judgement.
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© Copyright Remez Sasson
Remez Sasson teaches and writes about positive thinking, creative visualization, success, motivation, mind power, self-improvement, inner power and strength, peace of mind, spiritual growth and meditation. He is the author of several books about the above subjects, and the publisher of the ezine "Consciousness and Success".
Visit his website, Success Consciousness, and find articles, advice, guidance, ebooks and quotes!
Website: http://www.SuccessConsciousness.com
Books: http://www.successconsciousness.com/ebooks_and_books.htm
posted by Peter Konnecke at
12:33
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News, views, rants, raves, opinions and images from an Australian perspective.
