44- Ginny Hronek
TIPS FOR BUILDING A WINNING TEAM
1. Lay the foundation before you begin construction. In my experience, the most successful teams invest time in laying the foundation to create a common framework for everyone. The building blocks are in the team infrastructure and team dynamics. You may get started by addressing the following: What is the purpose of the team; their function in relation to the business goals; the actual team goal? I recently posed these questions to a newly formed team of 17 people and got 17 different perspectives. Don't assume everyone is on the same page until you have the discussion.
2. Make the team aware of the four stages of development. Those stages are: forming, storming, norming and performing. Explain that the team will progress and digress depending on multiple variables such as turnover and change. Ask the team which stage of development they see themselves and what needs to occur to move to a higher level.
3.Take a team "pulse." This can happen in a couple of different ways. One way is through an initial team survey that generates data on how members perceive team functioning and interactions. A survey will include topics such as commitment, trust, communication, and conflict resolution. Administer the survey at least quarterly to determine progress and team development priorities. Another way to take a team "pulse" is to have periodic frank discussions about what is working and what is not. Practice regular, informal conversations that keep communication channels open.
4. Assess. Identify a tool to assess behavior work style (such as DISC) of each team member. This exercise invariably illuminates each member's style preferences, their team contributions, and gives everyone information to adapt and work together more effectively. For most people this creates an "ah ha" experience that is pivotal in fostering understanding and communication.
5. Push proactivity. Don't wait until there is conflict to establish a team charter. A charter, generated by team members, should specify guidelines and behavioral boundaries. This will set expectations and clarify what is acceptable and intolerant behavior. Make it clear that the charter can always be amended. Be sure everyone has a copy. Review it on a regular basis and go through it carefully with a new team member.
6. Form common skills. Be sure everyone has a common skill base for communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, giving and receiving peer feedback. I find that teams who have these common skill sets are much more productive than teams that don't. Technical expertise is only half of the success quotient.
7. Examine expectations. Are the expectations of team members and the leader clearly communicated? This goes beyond job descriptions. For example, what do people expect to get out of working together as a team, i.e, expression, creativity; what can be expected of their contributions? There is a very user-friendly instrument, Managing Work Expectations, by Inscape Publishing, that be helpful in this process
8. Acknowledge unique talents and contributions. Each team member brings value to the team. Point out or showcase various abilities. Take time in a meeting to recognize one or two members. Be sure everyone receives equal recognition.
9. Build dialogue, extinguish monologue. Aim toward two-way interaction, exchange of ideas, and developing new insights in regular communication. Invite members to ask about others reasoning or thinking and explain how they think of or see a situation. The Ladder of Inference referred to in Peter Senge's, The Fifth Discipline, is a good starting ground.
10. Do some teambuilding. Initially you may consider a series of team sessions that incorporate the suggestions above with team building activities. Once the team is grounded, you may benefit by having quarterly or bi-annual team building sessions. The type of team building you choose, from classroom experiential to rope climbing, needs to match the culture and challenges of the team. There are hundreds of activities that are metaphors for what goes on or doesn't go on, in the team experience. Whatever you choose to do, be certain there will be valuable learning and fun.
11. Laugh together. Laughter is a common language the entire team will understand. So legitimize levity among team members and you will likely lessen their stress and build their bond. Create times for people to laugh together and loosen up. This will also stimulate creativity. Consider some of these ideas: start a meeting with a relevant joke or funny story, show a clip of a comedy video tape (or sports bloopers) that pertains to a current challenge; buy everyone a pair of Groucho Marx style nose and glasses.
12. Celebrate. Provide a continental breakfast or bring in lunch and celebrate for no special reason than to say thank you to the team. Or identify a theme (Mardi Gras, Cinco de Mayo) and ask people to bring in food to share. Play music and decorate the lunch room. Don't expect employees to gather after work hours. Most people have family obligations and personal commitments
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
diabetesinformationhub
TIPS TO AVOID DIABETES COMPLICATIONS
Maintaining proper control of your diabetes will help you avoid diabetes complications such as heart problems, nerve pain and neuropathy, and foot problems. Here's what you can do right now:
Lose weight if you need to. About 80% to 90% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Losing the excess weight helps control blood sugars and improve diabetes.
Monitor your blood sugar closely. Check glucose levels two or more times a day. Keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible or within the range advised by your doctor. It helps to keep a log so you can track progress and determine the effect of diet and activity on your levels.
Know that high blood sugar levels can wreak much damage, including damaging the blood vessels that feed the eye's retina, leading to diabetic retinopathy, which can result in blurred vision and eventually blindness. High blood sugar levels can damage the kidneys, too. Get regular tests, called A1C, to find out your average blood sugar for the past two to three months. Most people with type 2 diabetes should aim for an A1C of 7% or lower. Ask your doctor how often you need to get an A1C test.
Pay attention to your carbohydrate intake. Keep track of how many carbohydrates you eat, and how often. Managing your carbs can help keep blood sugar under control. Aim for high-fiber, complex carbs such as green vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains.
Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels under control. Heart disease is a common complication of diabetes, so try to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol at normal levels. Ask your doctor to set goals for your cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. Work closely with your doctor to reach those goals, and take medications as prescribed.
Keep moving. Regular exercise can help keep weight under control. Exercise also helps control blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, and also reduces stress. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercise five days a week. Start out more slowly if you have been sedentary. Exercises for diabetes control can include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, swimming, tennis, or a stationary bike. You can break up the 30 minutes -- by taking a 10-minute walk after every meal, for instance. Strength training and stretching are also recommended.
Get sufficient sleep. When you are sleep deprived, you tend to eat more, and you can put on weight, setting you up for complications. People with diabetes who get enough sleep often have healthier eating habits and improvement of blood sugar.
Manage stress. Stress and diabetes don't mix. Excess stress can elevate blood sugar. Learn stress reduction techniques that work for you. Among them: Sit quietly for 15 minutes and do nothing; meditate; practice yoga.
See your doctor every year. At your annual physical, your doctor (or doctors) should give you a dilated eye exam, blood pressure check, foot exam, and screen for other complications such as signs of kidney damage, nerve damage, and heart disease
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
Microsoft
TIPS FOR CREATING BETTER POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
1. Select or create your own theme.
Themes are the evolution of design templates in PowerPoint, but they're also much more than that. The themes features was introduced in Microsoft Office 2007 to help you easily create the right look for your presentations and to coordinate all of your Microsoft Office documents almost instantly.
A theme is a coordinated set of fonts, colors, and graphic effects that you can apply to your entire document with just a click. The same themes are available for your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, Microsoft Word documents, Microsoft Excel workbooks, and even your Microsoft Outlook email messages (and in Office 2010, your Microsoft Access database forms and reports), so it's easy to create your own personal or business branding throughout all of your documents.
In PowerPoint, the theme also includes the slide master and slide layouts, which you will learn more about later in this article, and slide background options.
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Five versions of the same slide: It took just one click to apply a theme that changed the fonts, colors, graphic effects, and slide design for each option shown here. Shown clockwise from top are the Office (default), Adjacency, Couture, Newsprint, and Slipstream themes.
When you apply a theme in your presentation, you automatically get slide layouts, color, fonts, and graphic effects that go together, and you can format content with just a few clicks, as you'll see later in this article.
Find many built-in themes in the Themes gallery on the Design tab, in the Themes group. Just point to options to preview that theme in your documents. In Office 2010, you also see a selection of themes in this gallery that are automatically updated periodically from Office.com.
You can also mix and match a slide design with different theme colors, fonts, and effects to quickly create your own look. Select separate theme color, theme font, and theme effect sets from their respective galleries on the Design tab:
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You can even easily create a completely custom theme with your own colors, fonts and slide designs.
Tip: If you change the theme in your presentation and the formatting doesn't change, you may not have used theme-ready formatting when you created your presentation. When you start with a new PowerPoint 2010 or PowerPoint 2007 presentation, theme-ready formatting is automatic for fonts and colors on slide layouts and for Microsoft Office graphics, such as SmartArt graphics, charts, and shapes.
2. Use video and audio to convey your message more effectively.
Dynamic content, such as a brief video that illustrates an important point, is a great way to engage your audience. Using audio that helps convey your message can also help you keep your slides clean and approachable, such as by adding recorded narration to slides when sending your presentation to others to view on their own.
In PowerPoint 2010, video you insert from your files is now embedded by default, so you don't have to include multiple files when sharing your presentation electronically. You can also customize your embedded videos with easy-to-use tools such as video trim, fades, and effects. And with PowerPoint 2010, you can insert a video that you've uploaded to a website to play directly in your presentation
3. Use graphics to emphasize key points
A well-chosen chart or diagram can often convey much more to your audience than boring bulleted text. Fortunately, creating charts and graphics has never been easier. In Office 2010 and Office 2007, Office graphics coordinate automatically with the active theme in your presentation.
If Excel is installed on your computer, you automatically get the power of Excel charts when you create a chart in PowerPoint. Just click the chart icon on any content placeholder in the PowerPoint presentation to create a chart.
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When your chart is created, an Excel worksheet opens where you can add and edit your data. And when you select the chart in your document, you see the Chart Tools Design, Layout, and Format tabs that make it easy to format and edit your chart. Find chart styles on the Design tab that automatically coordinate with your active document theme.
4. Use animations and transitions wisely.
Having text and graphics appear on-screen just when you need them can be a nice touch. However, using too much animation can distract from your presentation's content.
For effects that emphasize your points without overwhelming your audience, limit animation to key points, and use consistent animation choices throughout the presentation.
Customize, preview, and apply animations directly from the Animations tab in PowerPoint 2010. In PowerPoint 2007, find the Custom Animation pane on the Animations tab.
Tip: Animation effects in PowerPoint 2010 are improved to provide more realistic movement. You can also trigger the animation of an object to begin when you reach a specific point in the playback of audio or video content on your slide.
Consistent or complementary choices in slide transitions can also provide a professional touch without being distracting.
Customize, preview, and apply transitions from the Transitions tab in PowerPoint 2010 or the Animations tab in PowerPoint 2007.
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PowerPoint 2010 adds several new 3-D slide transitions with stunning visual effects, such as the gallery transition shown here
Clearly communicate your information
Want slides that clearly communicate your most important points? You might be surprised at how little work it takes to go from basic to brilliant. PowerPoint provides a host of tools for keeping your slides consistent, precise, and professional.
Take a look at two versions of a basic bulleted text slide below. The text in both slides is identical. Which would you prefer to present?
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Two versions of the same content: The version on the right uses the slide master and layout formatting in the presentation theme for a more organized, readable slide
5. Start by outlining your presentation.
Take time to outline your presentation before you begin to create your slides. Doing so can save time and help you give a more clear and effective presentation.
You can create your outline by typing a slide title and bullets points for your main topics on each slide. But you can also use the Outline pane to type your entire presentation outline in one window and add slides to your presentation as you go. To do this:
In the Slides pane that appears on the left of your PowerPoint screen in Normal view, click the Outline tab. (If you don't see the Slides pane, on the View tab, click Normal.)
Notice that a slide number and icon appears for your first slide. Type a title for the slide and then press ENTER to create your next slide.
Press TAB to demote the text level and add points to the current slide in your outline. Or press SHIFT+TAB to promote the text level and add an additional slide.
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The Outline pane is available in both PowerPoint 2010 (shown here) and PowerPoint 2007.
6. Use masters and layouts to save time and get better results.
The slide master is one of the most important tools in PowerPoint for creating easy-to-use, great-looking presentations. The master gives you a central place to add content and formatting that you want to appear on all (or most) of your slides. Formatting and layout that you do on the slide master automatically updates throughout the slide layouts in your presentation, saving you a tremendous amount of time and effort, and helping to keep your slides consistent. For example, place your logo on the slide master, and it will appear on all slides in the presentation.
A slide master includes a set of slide layouts for different types of content. Nine slide layouts are available by default in the Layout gallery on the Home tab, and they are formatted based on the slide master. You can customize any of these layouts individually and create your own custom slide layouts as well
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The Layout gallery displays the name of the active theme at the top and provides thumbnails of each available slide layout. When you add custom layouts to your presentation, those appear in this gallery as well
7. Consider differences between print and on-screen presentations.
Presentations designed to be viewed on screen don't always work well when you print them. Dark backgrounds that look good on slides, for example, rarely print well. Similarly, footer content that you need in print is likely to be distracting on-screen. Fortunately, PowerPoint makes it easy to switch between print and screen presentation options. Here are two features that can help:
When you format your presentation using a theme, slide master, and layouts, as described earlier in this article, you can change from a light background to a dark background in just a click, and text on your slides automatically changes color to be visible on the new background. Find the slide background gallery on the Design tab, in the Background group.
To quickly show or hide footer, page number, and date content on all slides at once, on the Insert tab, click Header & Footer. In the Header and Footer dialog box, you can select the options to display them on screen or clear selections to hide content, and then click Apply to All. (Note that if you remove the footer, page number, or date placeholder on any slide, the slide will not display this content even if you turn it on in this dialog box.)
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8. Use notes pages and handouts to help deliver the story.
Use the Notes pane that appears below the slide in Normal view to write notes to yourself for your presentation or to create notes that you can print for your viewers instead of crowding your slides with too much text. You can also format and print handouts that contain up to nine slides per page
Stay in control of your presentations
Custom colors, layouts, and graphics can do a lot for your presentation. But a misaligned flowchart, or a presentation that crashes on your client's computer, isn't likely to make the impression you want. For example, take a look at the two timeline graphic images below
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Two versions of the same content: Nudging and fussing to create the graphic on the left took about an hour, and it's far from perfect. Using available PowerPoint tools, it took just a few minutes to create the flawless diagram on the right
9. Keep file size manageable.
A common cause of stress when you work in PowerPoint is that the file becomes too large to edit or for the presentation to run smoothly. Fortunately, this problem is easy to avoid by compressing the media in your files and using native PowerPoint features whenever possible (such as tables, charts, SmartArt graphics, and shapes) instead of importing and embedding objects from other programs
10. Use the tools available to get it right the first time.
You've already seen in this article that you can use features like slide layouts to quickly create consistent slides. Or use tools such as SmartArt graphics to create a professional-quality graphic in no-time. But when you need to do your own thing—and that thing doesn't belong on a slide layout or fit an available graphic style—PowerPoint still provides tools to save you time and improve your results
11. Turn off (or manage) AutoCorrect layout options.
PowerPoint provides several automatic formatting options to help your slides conform to the provided layouts. They can be big time-savers, but they can also be frustrating if you're not using them intentionally and they cause formatting (such as the font size in slide titles) to become inconsistent from one slide to the next. If you don't want your text to shrink automatically to fit content, you can easily disable those features in the AutoCorrect Options dialog box.
In PowerPoint 2010, click the File tab to open Backstage view, and then click Options. In PowerPoint 2007, click the Microsoft Office button and then click PowerPoint Options.
On the Proofing tab, click AutoCorrect Options.
On the AutoFormat As You Type tab, clear the AutoFit title text to placeholders and AutoFit body text to placeholders check boxes
12. Know exactly what your viewers will see.
When you want to be sure that what you send is what viewers see, you can save the presentation in the PowerPoint slide show format, so that the show starts for the recipients as soon as they open the file. But, some variables, such as whether media will play correctly on the recipient's computer, may still affect what viewers see.
PowerPoint 2010 introduces a new feature that makes it easy to share your presentation perfectly with almost anyone, anywhere. You can now create a high-quality video of your presentation, complete with your saved narration and timings, in just a few clicks. PowerPoint creates the video in the background while you keep working
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
TIPS FOR HEALTHY TEETH
Dental treatments are among the most expensive in modern era. These simple tips will ensure that you save your valuable time, money and energy from combating dental problems. If you are already suffering from dental ailments, these can help you reverse the same. These age-old proven tips from India can put the best of dentists in awe. Follow it for a few weeks to test yourself.
Please note that some of these tips also relate to general health. So once you start following them, you will find difference in overall health apart from stronger teeth.
1. Drink lots of water. At least 2 liters are recommended unless you have any medical constraints.
2. Avoid chilled water. Water at near body temperature is best.
3. Do not consume frozen food or cold fluids immediately after hot food.
4. Do not swallow food. Chew it until is becomes a paste.
5. Do not gulp water or other fluids. Rinse each sip gradually in mouth and then slowly sip in.
6. Ensure that mouth is tightly closed and jaws tightly clenched while urination or excretion. This single practice can bring wonders to your teeth health.
7. Wash your mouth after every meal. The right method of washing is to use your index or middle finger to massage the teeth and clear any remnants of food in mouth.
8. Avoid consumption of soft or rubbery foods like chocolates, pizza, chewing gum etc. Some claim that chewing gum helps exercise gum. The next point lists a better and sure-shot method for strong teeth.
9. Develop a habit of cleaning your teeth and gum with tongue every now and them. Imagine as if the tongue is a broom.
10. Needless to say, cleaning of teeth twice a day is a must. At least once a day is inexcusable.
11. The best way to clean teeth is by using any fine Ayurvedic tooth powder. Most tooth-pastes are marketing gimmicks focusing more on flavor and color than dental health. Use tooth powder and use your index or middle finger for cleaning teeth.
No toothbrush can match the maneuverability and effectiveness of finger. Make sure you have a habit of cleaning your hands regularly with soap. The procedure is as follows (for a right-handed person): put some tooth powder on left palm. Slightly wet your right index or middle finger. Now touch this finger over the tooth powder on left hand. The powder will stick to the finger. Put it in mouth and use it as a tooth brush. Do focus on massaging the jaws. Repeat it until the tooth powder on left hands is over. Keep the powder in mouth for few minutes. You can wash your hands and finish off other tasks meanwhile. Then clean your teeth with plain water as usual.
12. The rock salt formula is extremely effective. You can do it in night, at least once in 2 days. If you have time, you can do it in morning or night and follow it up with normal tooth powder cleaning. Read about this formula here: Get back your teeth
13. Ensure that the first thing you do after waking up in morning is to rinse your mouth and consume at least a litre of lukewarm water slowly. Resist the urge for urination or excretion until you complete this.
14. Avoid dental-cleaning and whitening treatments. Try these tips before deciding for tooth removal
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
Dental treatments are among the most expensive in modern era. These simple tips will ensure that you save your valuable time, money and energy from combating dental problems. If you are already suffering from dental ailments, these can help you reverse the same. These age-old proven tips from India can put the best of dentists in awe. Follow it for a few weeks to test yourself.
Please note that some of these tips also relate to general health. So once you start following them, you will find difference in overall health apart from stronger teeth.
1. Drink lots of water. At least 2 liters are recommended unless you have any medical constraints.
2. Avoid chilled water. Water at near body temperature is best.
3. Do not consume frozen food or cold fluids immediately after hot food.
4. Do not swallow food. Chew it until is becomes a paste.
5. Do not gulp water or other fluids. Rinse each sip gradually in mouth and then slowly sip in.
6. Ensure that mouth is tightly closed and jaws tightly clenched while urination or excretion. This single practice can bring wonders to your teeth health.
7. Wash your mouth after every meal. The right method of washing is to use your index or middle finger to massage the teeth and clear any remnants of food in mouth.
8. Avoid consumption of soft or rubbery foods like chocolates, pizza, chewing gum etc. Some claim that chewing gum helps exercise gum. The next point lists a better and sure-shot method for strong teeth.
9. Develop a habit of cleaning your teeth and gum with tongue every now and them. Imagine as if the tongue is a broom.
10. Needless to say, cleaning of teeth twice a day is a must. At least once a day is inexcusable.
11. The best way to clean teeth is by using any fine Ayurvedic tooth powder. Most tooth-pastes are marketing gimmicks focusing more on flavor and color than dental health. Use tooth powder and use your index or middle finger for cleaning teeth.
No toothbrush can match the maneuverability and effectiveness of finger. Make sure you have a habit of cleaning your hands regularly with soap. The procedure is as follows (for a right-handed person): put some tooth powder on left palm. Slightly wet your right index or middle finger. Now touch this finger over the tooth powder on left hand. The powder will stick to the finger. Put it in mouth and use it as a tooth brush. Do focus on massaging the jaws. Repeat it until the tooth powder on left hands is over. Keep the powder in mouth for few minutes. You can wash your hands and finish off other tasks meanwhile. Then clean your teeth with plain water as usual.
12. The rock salt formula is extremely effective. You can do it in night, at least once in 2 days. If you have time, you can do it in morning or night and follow it up with normal tooth powder cleaning. Read about this formula here: Get back your teeth
13. Ensure that the first thing you do after waking up in morning is to rinse your mouth and consume at least a litre of lukewarm water slowly. Resist the urge for urination or excretion until you complete this.
14. Avoid dental-cleaning and whitening treatments. Try these tips before deciding for tooth removal
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
HR Today
TIPS TO PREVENT ATTRITION
Although attrition is a natural element of any business, it would be nice to keep your employees with your, especially if they are great workers, for as long as possible. However, in some cases it is impossible to avoid, such as in the event of retirement. But other examples of attrition can be successfully avoided. Here are five great ways to prevent employee attrition.
1. Recruitment. When you look for a new employee, don’t settle. If you have released a job posting, don’t fill the position until you have found someone that is perfect for the job. Avoid hiring someone “because you have to.” Make sure you hire those who are the utmost best for the position.
2. Make them feel irreplaceable. If they feel that they are worth something in the company, your employees will likely want to stay in such as flattering position. Don’t be shy with praise and let your workers know that without them the business cannot be successful. This must be given constantly in order to keep your employees happy as much as you possibly can.
3. Career advancement. Many employees will leave a company because they feel that have reached the pinnacle of what they can do for you. This should be avoided. Make sure that your employees know that there is never an end to potential advancement.
4. Be aware of the way they feel about your company. Many employees leave a company because they are not happy with either their work or the mission statement of the company. Make sure your employees are satisfied, challenged, and happy with their work and with your company in general. They should enjoy coming to work every day.
5. Be aware of any problems between employees and management. Many problems occur when an employee is dissatisfied with their immediate supervisor. You must stay aware of these relationships. Many people leave their job because of a poor relationship with their bosses
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
TIPS FOR AVOIDING FRADULENT EMAILS
Be cautious when it comes to opening attachments or downloading files attached to email messages, regardless of who sent them.
If you get email or see a pop-up asking for personal information (usernames and passwords; credit card, bank account and social insurance numbers), do not reply to it or click on any link in the message.
Legitimate companies don't ask for this information via email.
If the email looks like it came from Bell Internet, make sure Bell Internet was the sender before you reply to it or click on any link in the message. View the Bell Internet Email Communication Policy to help you verify the email.
If you're concerned about your account, contact the organization in question via telephone (using a valid phone number) or open a new Internet browser window and go to the company's real web site (type the name of the organization in Google or enter the company's URL in the address bar)
Do not send personal or financial information via email.
It's not a secure way of transmitting any private information. If you need to provide your personal or financial information on an organization's web site, make sure the site is secure—look for a lock icon on the browser's status bar (at the bottom of your screen) or see if the URL (web site address) for the site begins "https" (the "s" stands for "secure"). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof. Some phishers (people who use email to illegally obtain your personal or financial information) have learned to forge security icons.
Download free "patches" for your operating system (like Windows or Linux) and navigator (like Internet Explorer or Firefox) to close “holes” in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
Be cautious when it comes to opening attachments or downloading files attached to email messages, regardless of who sent them.
If you get email or see a pop-up asking for personal information (usernames and passwords; credit card, bank account and social insurance numbers), do not reply to it or click on any link in the message.
Legitimate companies don't ask for this information via email.
If the email looks like it came from Bell Internet, make sure Bell Internet was the sender before you reply to it or click on any link in the message. View the Bell Internet Email Communication Policy to help you verify the email.
If you're concerned about your account, contact the organization in question via telephone (using a valid phone number) or open a new Internet browser window and go to the company's real web site (type the name of the organization in Google or enter the company's URL in the address bar)
Do not send personal or financial information via email.
It's not a secure way of transmitting any private information. If you need to provide your personal or financial information on an organization's web site, make sure the site is secure—look for a lock icon on the browser's status bar (at the bottom of your screen) or see if the URL (web site address) for the site begins "https" (the "s" stands for "secure"). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof. Some phishers (people who use email to illegally obtain your personal or financial information) have learned to forge security icons.
Download free "patches" for your operating system (like Windows or Linux) and navigator (like Internet Explorer or Firefox) to close “holes” in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
By Mike Burton
TIPS TO ENSURE GOOD HYGIENE PRACTICE IN THE KITCHEN
There are a number of strict regulations and guidelines that need to be enforced at all times (these can be seen in full on the Food Standards Association’s website); however in the meantime we can impart some quick and easy tips that will help maintain a high level of hygiene in your commercial kitchen, as well as prevent food poisoning, the advancement of disease or worse.
1) Clean as you go
We strongly advise cleaning as you go along when cooking, particularly during the preparation stage where food scraps can easily go astray. This simple approach will help prevent bacteria spreading and potential accidents in and around the kitchen.
2) Don’t be slack with food
If food ever falls on the floor, irrespective how clean you think your floor is, or you’re tempted to use the veggie chopping board to cut some meat, just remember the vast quantities of bacteria you’re cross-contaminating.
3) Don’t cheat with meat
Always ensure you cook meat thoroughly, and in particular, never share the surface or utensils used for raw meat or poultry with any other items unless it’s been sufficiently sanitised first.
4) Don’t forget the ‘big’ clean too!
We certainly suggest a ‘big’ clean of fridges, freezes, cupboards and surfaces at least once a week. If you store large quantities of food and drink, remember that this will attract bacteria as the above locations are prime spots for breeding. Also check the dates of all stock before serving.
This may sound obvious, but meat that is a one day out of date could potentially be lethal to an unsuspecting customer.
5) Undercover
The use of a well-maintained and washable apron will help to prevent cross-contamination, particularly between your hands and food.
6) Think about others
Certainly don’t have contact with food if you feel unwell, have an infection or open wound. In fact, with the first two you shouldn’t be in work at all; however, at least cover up any cuts with the correct waterproof plasters. You can also easily spread infections by sharing cutlery and utensils. In addition try not to taste food in-between cooking (yes, we all like to do that at times) or from a utensil that is put back into the food that you are preparing.
7) Grasp the concept of clean hands!
Last but by no means least; ensure your hands are super clean at all times, particularly before and after handling food and using the toilet. Many employees will smoke during work hours too, so make sure you enforce the issue by introducing signs throughout the kitchen to jog their memory. A suitable flow of water, hand cleaning agents and towels should be accessible at all times.
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
TIPS ON MONEY MANAGEMENT
Know When To Stop
Probably the hardest thing to do is to stop when it is needed, especially in terms of having more than what could be paid off. We should be able to know what things are plausible and valid to be supported with our own means of productivity. When we get more than what we could support, chances are that we end up giving them up, or worse, wrongly choosing what things to retain and what things to let go.
The idea of knowing the needs and wants also fit in this description as we should be able to determine first what things we need than want. This prevents us from being biased in our judgment in acquiring. More often than not, the things that we want are more appealing and are a greater risk of snagging us in a trap of financial burden and chaos in the long run.
Taking time to stop and think first and then evaluating what to prioritize first is essential to a progressive and stable money management.
Impulsiveness Means Disaster
One of the basic tips to manage money is to stop one’s self from being impulsive. Even if we have already determined what to prioritize, we still have to further evaluate for alternatives and not actually spend on the first offer that comes our way. When we are impulsive, there is a very high chance that we risk our money into spending for something that we could have gotten away with at much of a lesser price.
Risk Is Healthier Than Full Security
Risking the resources we have for a productive cause and viable profit earner is a healthy practice to take by an individual. Though this may mean a loss of capital in the form of personal money, not investing and instead just putting it in your personal safety vault or the bank will stagnate your extra resources.
Nevertheless, careful planning and feasibility study of a business venture is needed to determine the most efficient way to establish and commence a risky business deal into a promising profit earner.
Planning Ahead Is Essential
Even if we still have a lot of flexible time to just sit around and enjoy each day as it passes by, planning ahead of schedule in terms of a few months to several years is important in projecting one’s self when the future comes.
It does not have to be followed as rigidly as it should be, but just enough to become a basis of many activities and choices by the individual. Knowing where to go and what to do lessens the chances of getting stuck up in a crossroad of future choices. Furthermore, this lessens the worries and anxieties that a person might be thinking as important dates draw near. In addition to that, these pre-set guidelines would serve as a means to calibrate the performance of the self with the intended output, therefore allowing him to properly reset or recalibrate the means of work and production in order for him to further increase the expected outcome reasonably.
These basic tips to manage money are just a few of the many means to effectively have more resources than just getting break evened with your salaries and allowances
Get serious about the business of money.
Keep a list of your goals to remind yourself why you don’t want to overspend.
Keep your checkbook up to date.
For highest earnings on savings, get highest interest paid, most frequent compounding, least amount of service charges.
The longer you borrow money, the more interest you will pay.
Use one bank for as many services as possible, to develop a “Preferred Customer” status.
Minimize number and usage of credit cards. Minimizing accounts will also minimize postage.
Keep track of credit card purchases so you can pay bills in full before you are charged interest.
Never sign anything you do not understand.
Plan how to spend your money before you get it. When money for any budget category is gone, stop spending in that category.
After paying off a loan, contribute your new excess to savings.
Never buy any big ticket item the same day you choose it.
Keep savings account deposit slips with bills to be paid, so as you pay your bills, you pay yourself, too.
Learn to manage your own investments.
Examine your attitude! Consider budgeting as a reward system, not a deprivation system
CRK
crk.mbahr@yahoo.com
From India, Vijayawada
Know When To Stop
Probably the hardest thing to do is to stop when it is needed, especially in terms of having more than what could be paid off. We should be able to know what things are plausible and valid to be supported with our own means of productivity. When we get more than what we could support, chances are that we end up giving them up, or worse, wrongly choosing what things to retain and what things to let go.
The idea of knowing the needs and wants also fit in this description as we should be able to determine first what things we need than want. This prevents us from being biased in our judgment in acquiring. More often than not, the things that we want are more appealing and are a greater risk of snagging us in a trap of financial burden and chaos in the long run.
Taking time to stop and think first and then evaluating what to prioritize first is essential to a progressive and stable money management.
Impulsiveness Means Disaster
One of the basic tips to manage money is to stop one’s self from being impulsive. Even if we have already determined what to prioritize, we still have to further evaluate for alternatives and not actually spend on the first offer that comes our way. When we are impulsive, there is a very high chance that we risk our money into spending for something that we could have gotten away with at much of a lesser price.
Risk Is Healthier Than Full Security
Risking the resources we have for a productive cause and viable profit earner is a healthy practice to take by an individual. Though this may mean a loss of capital in the form of personal money, not investing and instead just putting it in your personal safety vault or the bank will stagnate your extra resources.
Nevertheless, careful planning and feasibility study of a business venture is needed to determine the most efficient way to establish and commence a risky business deal into a promising profit earner.
Planning Ahead Is Essential
Even if we still have a lot of flexible time to just sit around and enjoy each day as it passes by, planning ahead of schedule in terms of a few months to several years is important in projecting one’s self when the future comes.
It does not have to be followed as rigidly as it should be, but just enough to become a basis of many activities and choices by the individual. Knowing where to go and what to do lessens the chances of getting stuck up in a crossroad of future choices. Furthermore, this lessens the worries and anxieties that a person might be thinking as important dates draw near. In addition to that, these pre-set guidelines would serve as a means to calibrate the performance of the self with the intended output, therefore allowing him to properly reset or recalibrate the means of work and production in order for him to further increase the expected outcome reasonably.
These basic tips to manage money are just a few of the many means to effectively have more resources than just getting break evened with your salaries and allowances
Get serious about the business of money.
Keep a list of your goals to remind yourself why you don’t want to overspend.
Keep your checkbook up to date.
For highest earnings on savings, get highest interest paid, most frequent compounding, least amount of service charges.
The longer you borrow money, the more interest you will pay.
Use one bank for as many services as possible, to develop a “Preferred Customer” status.
Minimize number and usage of credit cards. Minimizing accounts will also minimize postage.
Keep track of credit card purchases so you can pay bills in full before you are charged interest.
Never sign anything you do not understand.
Plan how to spend your money before you get it. When money for any budget category is gone, stop spending in that category.
After paying off a loan, contribute your new excess to savings.
Never buy any big ticket item the same day you choose it.
Keep savings account deposit slips with bills to be paid, so as you pay your bills, you pay yourself, too.
Learn to manage your own investments.
Examine your attitude! Consider budgeting as a reward system, not a deprivation system
CRK
crk.mbahr@yahoo.com
From India, Vijayawada
TIPS TO PREPARE FOR EXAMINATIONS
1. Prepare ahead of time. There is no better substitute than reading your notes early so that you would be better prepared for the exam. Not only will you be more familiar with the terms but it will give you more confidence knowing that you have prepared for it in the first place.
2. Take down your own notes. To each his own, it is really not advisable that you borrow somebody else's notes since they may have their own style in taking down the notes or a different appreciation of the facts from your own. Besides, writing them down will better aid your memorization skills.
3. Use tools in reviewing for your exam. You can use highlighters to give a word an emphasis, or mnemonics to better remember things that are enumerated.
4. Join a study group. This is a great way for you guys to have a good exchange of ideas. It will also better improve your memory work and lighten your burden at the same time since you have other people doing other parts of the leg work for you!
5. Relax. A few days before the exam, try to relax. Go out with friends or play a video game just to let off some of the stress and the tension. This will make your mind fresher and relaxed for the mind boggling exams.
6. Eat well and sleep right. C'mon guys, you do not go partying all night and get drunk the night before your exams and expect to pass it now, would you? That would simply be serving your own failure on a silver platter don't you agree? And it is simply the most stupid thing you can do before an exam. So reserve the partying energy for later. Eat well and try to get a decent sleep.
Don't be lazy. Success does not favor those who do not aim and work hard for it. Do your part and for sure you will be ready for any kind of exam out there. After all, success will be right at your fingertips if you choose to seize the moment!
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
1. Prepare ahead of time. There is no better substitute than reading your notes early so that you would be better prepared for the exam. Not only will you be more familiar with the terms but it will give you more confidence knowing that you have prepared for it in the first place.
2. Take down your own notes. To each his own, it is really not advisable that you borrow somebody else's notes since they may have their own style in taking down the notes or a different appreciation of the facts from your own. Besides, writing them down will better aid your memorization skills.
3. Use tools in reviewing for your exam. You can use highlighters to give a word an emphasis, or mnemonics to better remember things that are enumerated.
4. Join a study group. This is a great way for you guys to have a good exchange of ideas. It will also better improve your memory work and lighten your burden at the same time since you have other people doing other parts of the leg work for you!
5. Relax. A few days before the exam, try to relax. Go out with friends or play a video game just to let off some of the stress and the tension. This will make your mind fresher and relaxed for the mind boggling exams.
6. Eat well and sleep right. C'mon guys, you do not go partying all night and get drunk the night before your exams and expect to pass it now, would you? That would simply be serving your own failure on a silver platter don't you agree? And it is simply the most stupid thing you can do before an exam. So reserve the partying energy for later. Eat well and try to get a decent sleep.
Don't be lazy. Success does not favor those who do not aim and work hard for it. Do your part and for sure you will be ready for any kind of exam out there. After all, success will be right at your fingertips if you choose to seize the moment!
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
TIPS FOR ENHANCING OUR SELF ESTEEM
Almost everyone wants to develop self esteem. Some always manage to feel best all the time where as some people are all the time nervous. So what is the way to have a healthy self esteem?
1. The first thing you have to practice is to be happy with yourself and what you do. You should not seek approval from others, but yourself. As a child you were expected to get the approval of parents, but as an adult it is you who has to approve of your actions.
2. To approve your actions, you should know the purpose of your life. This implies that you should know yourself very well. This does not mean believing what others say about you. It is you who has to introspect about oneself and then decide what your purpose in life is. There will be scores of people telling you what to do. But in the end it is you who has to take the call. Once you know this purpose, go and pursue it till you achieve it. This success will really boost your self esteem a lot.
3. It is not wise to blame yourself, when things which you could in no way control go wrong. Genuine self approval occurs only when you accept the fact that there are some things which you can control in no way.
4. Never underestimate your talent and capabilities. A person with low self esteem will always feel that he does not posses qualities and talent required to do any task. But if you have a healthy self esteem you can progress very fast in life.
5. Do you feel that there is something more deep cause for your low self esteem? you could seek help form a counselor or psychologist to help you out. Its no harm seeking their help. Some of us, need help from such experts.
6. Know who you truly are. This implies evaluating your value system and knowing what you support. This is as per you and not what other people think about you. When you are completely confident about yourself, no one in this world will ever be able to bring you down.
7. Be responsible for the actions you take in life. This is how you will be genuinely happy. Once you accept that you are the creator of your destiny, you will be able to achieve your goals.
8. Jot down the things that worry you. Once you do this exercise, go through the list again. I am sure you will find that there are many things about which you worry more than what they deserve.
9. Once you learn from your failures, you can easily achieve success. This is because you would know what mistakes you did. So every failure is a treasure for you to unearth the reason why success alluded you. Hence go deep analyzing what you did wrong, if you want to be successful.
10. A very common mistake that people commit is to compete with others. Remember on thing: you never compete with others in life. It is you who you want to beat. You are only as good as your last performance. Your aim must be to better yourself everytime you do a task.
11. Be a risk taker. Low esteemed people will always be nervous while pursing their dreams. While those with high self esteem are high risk takers. And this risk taking ability pays them off well. When you take risks and succeed, you boost your self esteem.
12. Be positive, think positive. Positive thinking has proven to be an essential ingredient for many people. Success can be achieved only if you think and do positive.
It is much easier to have a healthy self esteem than you thought to be. The above steps should see you developing a healthy self esteem
<image no longer exists>
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
Almost everyone wants to develop self esteem. Some always manage to feel best all the time where as some people are all the time nervous. So what is the way to have a healthy self esteem?
1. The first thing you have to practice is to be happy with yourself and what you do. You should not seek approval from others, but yourself. As a child you were expected to get the approval of parents, but as an adult it is you who has to approve of your actions.
2. To approve your actions, you should know the purpose of your life. This implies that you should know yourself very well. This does not mean believing what others say about you. It is you who has to introspect about oneself and then decide what your purpose in life is. There will be scores of people telling you what to do. But in the end it is you who has to take the call. Once you know this purpose, go and pursue it till you achieve it. This success will really boost your self esteem a lot.
3. It is not wise to blame yourself, when things which you could in no way control go wrong. Genuine self approval occurs only when you accept the fact that there are some things which you can control in no way.
4. Never underestimate your talent and capabilities. A person with low self esteem will always feel that he does not posses qualities and talent required to do any task. But if you have a healthy self esteem you can progress very fast in life.
5. Do you feel that there is something more deep cause for your low self esteem? you could seek help form a counselor or psychologist to help you out. Its no harm seeking their help. Some of us, need help from such experts.
6. Know who you truly are. This implies evaluating your value system and knowing what you support. This is as per you and not what other people think about you. When you are completely confident about yourself, no one in this world will ever be able to bring you down.
7. Be responsible for the actions you take in life. This is how you will be genuinely happy. Once you accept that you are the creator of your destiny, you will be able to achieve your goals.
8. Jot down the things that worry you. Once you do this exercise, go through the list again. I am sure you will find that there are many things about which you worry more than what they deserve.
9. Once you learn from your failures, you can easily achieve success. This is because you would know what mistakes you did. So every failure is a treasure for you to unearth the reason why success alluded you. Hence go deep analyzing what you did wrong, if you want to be successful.
10. A very common mistake that people commit is to compete with others. Remember on thing: you never compete with others in life. It is you who you want to beat. You are only as good as your last performance. Your aim must be to better yourself everytime you do a task.
11. Be a risk taker. Low esteemed people will always be nervous while pursing their dreams. While those with high self esteem are high risk takers. And this risk taking ability pays them off well. When you take risks and succeed, you boost your self esteem.
12. Be positive, think positive. Positive thinking has proven to be an essential ingredient for many people. Success can be achieved only if you think and do positive.
It is much easier to have a healthy self esteem than you thought to be. The above steps should see you developing a healthy self esteem
<image no longer exists>
CRK
From India, Vijayawada
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