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Thursday, November 22, 2007

let's go bipolar!

The Proven Benefits of Thinking Fast
by www.SixWise.com


Manic behavior is typically thought of as a bad thing. It can include abnormally high excitement (usually because of tension), extreme busyness, impulsive behaviors, excessive physical activity and rapidly changing ideas.

Thinking fast

Thinking fast has been proven to make you happy ... even if you're thinking about something sad.

But there's at least one aspect of mania that is beneficial for you (and your mood in particular): manic thinking.

If you've ever lain in bed at night with thoughts racing through your mind, you've experienced manic thinking. Likewise if you've been brainstorming or just thought of a great idea, and your thoughts seem to be coming in at lightening speed.

Manic thinking (also sometimes called fast thinking or racing thoughts) is also a symptom of the clinical psychiatric disorder bipolar disorder, or manic depression.

During a manic episode people tend to feel extremely alert, energetic and even euphoric. The problem is that the euphoria soon gives way to depression -- and feelings of hopelessness, guilt and fatigue.

As it turns out, healthy people who are able to take part in manic thinking -- without the corresponding crash -- have much to gain emotionally.

Fast Thinking Can Make You Happy

A study by Princeton University psychologist Emily Pronin and Daniel Wegner of Harvard University found that fast thinking impacts your mood -- in a very good way.

In the study, they asked participants to read a series of statements, then manipulated the pace at which they were read. Half of the group read the statements at twice the normal reading speed, while the others read at a pace twice as slow as normal reading speed.

accelerate your thinking

How can you accelerate your thinking? Brainstorming is an excellent way to speed up your thoughts, as is consciously speeding up the rate of your reading. You'll also experience it anytime you think of a great idea, or are excited about planning something (like your annual holiday party).

When the participants were asked about their mood, energy level and more, the fast readers felt:

  • Happier

  • More energetic

  • More creative

  • More powerful

  • More grandiose

Interestingly, some of the participants also read statements that were either very depressing or very positive.

It turned out that the speed at which they read the statement impacted their mood just as much as the content of the message.

So even when they read something very sad, if they read it quickly it made them happy.

"The results of our experiment suggest the intriguing possibility that even during moments when people feel stuck having depressed thoughts, interventions that accelerate the speed of such thoughts may serve to boost feelings of positive affect and energy," the researchers said.

So the next time you're feeling down, try this out for yourself. Speed up your thoughts, read faster, and avoid thinking slowly. The researchers feel confident that such simple manipulations could improve your:

  • Self-esteem

  • Mood

  • Energy

And, the next time a light bulb goes off in your mind and your thoughts begin to accelerate, go with it. It should leave you feeling great about yourself, and you'll likely accomplish something grand.


Sources

Psychological Science Volume 17 Issue 9 Page 807-813, September 2006

Science Daily September 27, 2006


http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/11/21/the_proven_benefits_of_thinking_fast.htm

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The Beginnings of Urbanity

Are we losing our understanding of trust?

It's a mistake to underestimate the importance of trust to a civilized life

Featured postIf you google the word "trust," it can be a surprising experience. I was more than 20 pages into the results before meeting a single instance of trust in the sense of belief in something or someone.

There were all types of financial trusts, businesses with "trust" in their names, companies eager to help you set up personal trusts, charitable trusts of every kind—but nothing about putting your trust in anything or anyone. When I did find an entry relating to trust in this common sense, it was about mistrust; a psychiatrist offering help for people whose trust had been abused through infidelity or fraud.

What is going on? Is talking about trust becoming merely another form of selling—more of a marketing concept than something heartfelt and real?

Trust is fundamental to life. If you cannot trust in anything or anyone, life becomes intolerable—a constant battle against paranoia and looming disaster. You can't have relationships without trust, let alone good ones. Intimacy depends on it. I suspect more marriages are wrecked by lack of trust than by infidelity. The partner who can't trust the other not to betray him or her will either drive them away or force them into some real or assumed act of faithlessness.

Trust needs to spread to the workplace too

In the workplace too, trust is essential. An organization without trust will be full of backstabbing, fear, and paranoid suspicion. If you work for a boss who doesn't trust her people to do things right, you'll have a miserable time of it. She'll be checking up on you all the time, correcting "mistakes" and "oversights" and constantly reminding you to do this or that. Colleagues who don't trust one another need to spend more time watching their backs than doing any useful work. The office politics in a place like that would make Machiavelli blush.

Organizations are always trying to cut costs. Think of all the additional tasks that are caused directly by lack of trust.

Audit departments only exist because of it. Companies keep voluminous records because they don't trust their suppliers, their contractors, and their customers. Probably more than half of all administrative work is only there because of a pervasive sense that "you can't trust anyone these days." If even a small part of such valueless work could be removed, the savings would run into billions of dollars.

Think about at all this extra work—plus the work we load onto ourselves because we don't trust people either. The checking, following through, doing things ourselves because we don't believe others will do them properly—or at all. If you took all that way, how much extra time would you suddenly find in your day? How much of your work pressure would disappear?

Lack of trust makes work pressures greater

I'm constantly amazed when people claim to be overworked and under constant pressure, yet fail to do the one thing most likely to ease their burdens: trust other people more:

  • They don't delegate, because they don't trust people to do what they've been asked to do; so they have to take on every significant task themselves.
  • They attend every meeting, however futile, because they don't trust others not to talk about them behind their back, or reach decisions they don't like.
  • They demand copies of every memo, report and e-mail, because they don't trust what might be said if they're not watching.
  • They're constantly keyed-up and tense, watching for rivals or other departments to launch some covert operation to undermine their position.

It's not the pressure of actual work that's driving them towards some stress-related illness, it's their lack of trust in anyone and anything. Is it any wonder many are so close to burnout?

Someone has to begin the cycle of trust by an act of faith. It's no use waiting for the other person to make the first move. They're waiting for you. It takes a conscious act of unconditional belief in that other person's good sense, ability, honesty, or sense of commitment to set the ball rolling.

Will your trust sometimes be misplaced? Of course. Life isn't perfect and some people aren't trustworthy. But will increasing your willingness to trust produce, on balance, a positive benefit? Will it make your life more pleasant and less stressful? I believe so. You have little to lose by trying.

Trust has to start somewhere. Why not with you? Why not today? Why not right now?

http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/?p=305

Posted by Carmine Coyote under Best of Slow , Slow Leadership , Trust

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Why you should ALWAYS take business personally

The basis of all ethics is concern and respect for other people

In the movie You’ve Got Mail, whenever Tom Hanks’ character wants to avoid responsibility for some piece of aggressive or unpleasant business trickery, he says the same thing: “It isn’t personal, it’s business.” But surely business is personal. It’s all personal. Every choice you make is personal, because you’re a person doing it, and people are involved in the outcome. Nobody can walk away from responsibility in that way. Thinking about business in personal terms is going to be the best way of avoiding the kind of ethical mistakes which have been staining the reputations of so many corporations in recent years.

The depersonalization of business is a tempting idea to all those executives who would rather not have to think to hard about what their “business” decisions are doing to real men and women. By saying, “It’s not personal, it’s business,” they distance themselves from the human dilemmas involved when the obsessive search for profit collides with the well-being of employees, customers, or society at large.

What this phrase reveals is today’s tendency to dehumanize the business environment; to make it into a matter of figures on a balance sheet and abstract conceptions of return on investment and market share. These oh-so-scientific and objective concepts allow the leaders involved to act as if they are simply moving inanimate objects around, not meddling in the lives of others.

Cui bono? (Who benefits?)

This isn’t a cheerful topic at a any time, but it’s a necessary one if we want to remain a civilized society. It’s easy not to think about it, just as it’s easy not to think about the poor, the lonely, the homeless or the dispossessed. In the frenzy of grabbing and competing that is modern business, the emphasis is shifted onto how much business can be gained, and at what level of profit, not whether it should be gained in the first place—or gained in that way.

When the news media talk about “outsourcing,” it sounds comfortingly like just another piece of business jargon. Of course, what it really means is shifting work away from one set of people—deemed too expensive and demanding—and placing it with another group who can be employed at less cost and with fewer (or no) benefits.

Who gains? Well, some people in a Third World country somewhere get new jobs, but often at bad rates or pay. I guess they gain something. The corporation gains profits, which disproportionally benefits already rich executives, plus big financial institutions. And a whole lot of people in the corporation’s home country lose their jobs, pensions, and other benefits—not to mention their hopes and dreams.

I’m not arguing that outsourcing is never justifiable and that there is not a perfectly good case to be made for helping developing countries by using their resources of labor. But how often are the human aspects of such situations—the cost-benefit analysis of lives enhanced versus lives diminished—set alongside the financial ones when the decision is being made?

Best not to feel what you are doing, guys

Depersonalizing a situation is a favorite trick of oppressors and cheats throughout history. If you can persuade people to believe that those they oppress are less than human, they will carry out torture and murder on an epic scale . . . and still sleep at night. If the feelings of the people you cheat are ignored, or they are seen merely as impersonal “consumers,” it’s much easier to focus on the profits involved and forget the ethical violations behind them.

Fortunately, we’re still a long way from businesses resorting to physical oppression, but the principle of dehumanization is well established in other ways. Are “consumers” human beings—or creatures to be manipulated for profit? Is “increasing market share” the same as finding things to sell that more people want to buy—or a competitive game played between businesses where people are the pawns on the board, to be tricked or bluffed into buying, if that is what it takes? Is “focusing on the bottom line” a sensible financial strategy—or evidence of unchecked corporate greed that’s ready to destroy people’s livelihood, enrich a very few at the expense of everyone else, and morally taint our whole society?

Before you laugh, think about this. Much of the problem of so-called “sub-prime loans” was simply the result of companies large and small deliberately persuading people to take on more debt than they could reasonably afford. In some cases, their financial status was deliberately mis-stated to justify bigger loans. They were persuaded into loans with payment terms that began easily, then swiftly imposed ruinous rates of interest; or told not to worry about punitive conditions that prevented them from re-financing to get away from the worst results of their actions.The purpose was simple—to make money from them. It was an extremely lucrative market, so: “it wasn’t personal, it was simply business.”

Is that an acceptable business strategy? Should companies sell harmful products, or do so in unethical ways, just because they can create a profitable market to be exploited? Is it enough to say that the customers agreed to the terms, when everyone knew most of them were financially naive and blinded by the opportunity dangled in front of them to purchase the kind of home that they believed (rightly, as it has turned out) they could never afford? Should the social consequences of burdening people with crippling debt be ignored for the sake of short-term profit?

Ethics are the heart and soul of civilized business

In working life, it’s so very easy to label people in ways that dehumanize them and thus make it easier to justify treating them badly for the sake of short-term profits. Handing out pink slips to boost quarterly results “isn’t personal, it’s business.” Yet I guess those being laid off feel it personally enough. Following the advice to fire the lowest ten percent of performers, as judged by flawed and crazy performance appraisal data, “isn’t personal, it’s business.” So, presumably, they shouldn’t feel bad about it either. Making profits out of lending money to people who can’t afford the payments “isn’t personal, it’s business.” So it’s alright for them to face bankruptcy and foreclosure, while the organizations hurt by their own eagerness to profit from risky investments howl to governments for support to save their bacon.

Being personal about our choices is our best guard against unethical or downright unpleasant actions, whether individually or in business situations. Being personal forces you to think about the human consequences of your actions. It puts you, for a moment, on the receiving end, able to feel what it is like to be treated in that way. To touch a computer key and fire ten thousand people you never see is not the same as facing one person in your office and watching his or her emotions as you destroy hopes and peace of mind.

Nobody likes to be a cog in the machine or a number. Why allow it to be justified on the spurious grounds that “it’s not personal, it’s business?”

http://www.slowleadership.org/blog/?p=262

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Crispy Skins

This was inspired by a Taiwanese speciality whose name I didn't quite catch. It's a skin made with pork and flour (seasoned, of course) pounded and rolled very fine. They say that it can be done only on dry days; ambient humidity will not let the sheets cure properly. Sadly, this speciality is a dying art.

Since I most likely will never be able to achieve that, I adapted the lowly pinsec frito into a - hopefully! - close approximation of what it would be like fried.

Here is my standard filling recipe:
350 g minced pork
150 g shrimp, shelled and deveined
soy sauce
pepper
scallions, minced
sesame oil

Using soy sauce adds more flavour to the filling without making it too salty. Fresh shrimp also bring more flavour, but can easily be skipped if preferred or is not available. You can adjust the ratio as well, but the taste of shrimp can easily overpower the more delicate pork.

Scallions and sesame are omitted when filling siewmai but not wontons. Flour [either wheat or tapioca aka "wonder powder"] and an egg is also added for a smoother texture.

Whir everything together in a processor until very smooth; pick out any gristle. I normally "process" the filling using 2 cleavers and a chopping block. It takes longer and is more tiring, but you have more control over texture. In this case, there shouldn't be any lumps at all, not even tiny ones.

Spread filling thinly over spring roll sheets, and top with another sheet. Go over with a rolling pin to ensure evenness. Prick with a fork.

Fry in enough oil to cover, pressing down with a turner to limit puffing. As always, DRAIN WELL. Cut into portions while hot; the skins will just crumble when cool.

It sure looks like we do a lot of frying around here, but I reckon this is a bake-able recipe. The oven's currently out of whack so I can't say definitively, sorry!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Squash Flowers

It’s been a while since I last posted anything under Kitchen Adventures; this should have gone in there as well, but I reckoned there was far too much talk than actual recipes on this topic.

We’re very lucky to have itinerant fishmonger and greengrocer in our village. They knock on our gate almost every day, parking their carts just in front and displaying fresh produce and seafood for Mum to choose from.

The greengrocer had fresh squash flowers on offer, a very rare treat. Mum didn’t want them at first, since it’s not something that we ate, but I managed to convince her to let me have a go.

First step: Prep. Cut off stalks; set those aside. Take out the stamens, slitting through the corolla if needed; you can trim any dried sepals but you can leave those on if you want. Rinse away pollen that may have fallen off the stamens. Leave to one side to drain and air dry.

As a cook I eyeball everything, and simply toss together whatever I find suitable in our pantry. Here is what I came up with:


Tempura

squash flowers, cleaned and trimmed
rice flour
cold water
salt
enough oil for deep frying


Make a light batter with the flour and cold water, and season with salt. Dip flowers to coat, then drop in hot oil. Cooks in seconds. Drain well; the flower cavity tends to accumulate oil so drain the flowers pointing downward.


A Japanese lady once said that her grandmother taught her how to cook tempura by telling her this story: Tempura like to swim, and at first they go to the bottom of the hot, hot lake. But they also need to come up for air, so after a while they will rise to the top. When they do, catch them quickly lest they get away. That’s actually an excellent method of imparting deep frying techniques. Well done, Grandma!


Rice flour has a neat quality when frying: Even if your pan is not non-stick, it will lift off by itself once cooked through. Another thing, it stays crispier over time than wheat flour batter would. As with any deep frying, DRAIN WELL.


Stuffed Flowers

squash flowers, cleaned and trimmed
pork, minced fine
scallions
sesame oil
salt
pepper
rice flour
cold water
enough oil for deep frying


Combine meat, scallions, sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Fill the flower cavities but do not over-fill (might burst). Dip in a light, unseasoned batter of rice flour and cold water, then drop into hot oil. Drain well. Serve immediately.


Scallions and sesame are an excellent pairing. Try a scallion and sesame omelet one time – you won’t regret it, provided you don’t brown anything.


Not one to throw anything away, I next focused on the stalks. Although we’ve never had squash flowers ever, I figured that since the whole talbos ng calabasa is edible the flower stalks can get the same treatment.


I am not sure if trimming the stalks is a crucial step, but I like to take the extra step. As the stalks get older, the skin toughens up and becomes gritty eating – not happy. It’s easy enough to trim, just nip the end furthest from the flower with your knife, and pull the “strings” downward. Then cut to your preferred length. Tastes nutty when fried or freshly green if blanched, but with a firm and stringy texture either way.


Crisps


stalks, trimmed and cut
rice flour
salt
pepper
cold water
enough oil for deep frying


Combine flour, salt, pepper and cold water to make a light batter. Toss in the stalks and drop batter by spoonfuls into very hot oil. DRAIN WELL.


It’s important to drain the crisps very well. The crisps take on a rice cracker quality if made thinly, and will be rock hard if over-cooked. You can actually skip the stalks and just make plain crisps.


Pickles are always a welcome side to fried food, with the acid cutting through the oiliness. A balance between sweet, salty, sour and spicy is also refreshing.


Quick Pickles


stalks, trimmed, cut, and blanched
cold water
vinegar
salt
sugar
pepper


Combine everything to taste. Let the stalks soak up the pickle solution for a bit before serving.