Juice recipes for weight loss

I am thinking of adding some la weight loss recipes to this blog. A lot of teens seem to be looking for such tips. Specially the search is for juice recipes for weight loss. The sad part however is that most stuff found online are scams.

And here is the rest of it.
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Ten Ways to Green the Office (Guest Post)

"A big thanks to Andrew C. Hartley for writing this guest post. I found his blog on environment to be fantastic and asked him to write a piece for me."

Business and reality are often disconnected.

What’s that you say? You’ve been taught in business school that business is reality? That if business were not based on reality that it wouldn’t be able to survive – much less make a profit?

I’m here to tell you today that business, as it is run today, is a problem.

And I’ll also tell you that business, as it will be run tomorrow, will be the solution.

Now let me give you my credentials – My name is A. Caleb Hartley. I have been an environmentalist for as long as I can remember, and I have ranged from disillusionment (I can’t do enough, so I won’t do anything) to near addiction (I’ll do everything in my power regardless of the cost). I have a bachelors degree in Aviation Management with a minor in general business, as well as an MBA in entrepreneurship, so no – I am not going to preach to business people as a person with no business background. My blog, environmentastic!, talks about all the good things happening in the environment today – but it doesn’t ignore the bad.

In fact, environmentastic! is almost entirely based on the idea and the belief that environmental change will not – cannot – happen by trying to change people’s lifestyle expectations; but that the most effective way to bring about true environmental improvement is to change the products that people use to meet their lifestyle expectations.

With that in mind, the following are the top ten simple things you can do to help the environment as you enter the work force and begin your strategy for world domination:

1. Bring Your Own Coffee Mug!
   
   Most offices use styrofoam cups for their coffee containers. Since these cups are disposable, it’s possible to be incredibly wasteful and throw away several of these cups per day – how many cups of coffee do you drink each day? Additionally, these cups never degrade. Every single styrofoam cup ever made still exists. Think about that.
   



2. Use Fair Trade, Shade Grown, Organic Coffee
   
   Since we’re on a coffee track right now, try to find coffee that is shade grown, organic, and fair trade. Coffee is one of the most environmentally destructive products in existence – buying organic, fair trade and shade grown minimizes the impact your coffee has both on the earth and on the farmers who grow it.


3. Use Paper Wisely
   
   Obviously, you should buy recycled paper for printers, fax machines, and copiers that has the highest percentage of post consumer content you can find. You should also ensure that employees have easy access to a container for used paper to be recycled. Consider placing recycle bins at every desk and making the “normal” trash can a community receptacle. Additionally – print on and copy on both sides of the page! This alone will cut your paper use in half!
   


4. Encourage Public Transportation Use
   
   We all have to get to work somehow – if it’s at all possible, perhaps your company can cover the cost for its employees to use public transportation! This keeps cars off the road – lowering traffic, pollution, and your employees’ stress levels! The might even get things done during the ride to and from work! ;)
   


5. Think Energy Savings
   
   Saving energy means less pollution from power plants – and lower utility bills for your company! Consider motion sensing lights in the restrooms (the lights will be off unless needed), turning off interior lights overnight (if possible), changing the thermostat temperature when the office is unoccupied (lower in the winter, higher in the summer), and having low-flow faucets installed to reduce water usage. One multi-function printer/fax/copier can do the job of multiple individual units while reducing the amount of energy used. These kinds of improvements go directly to the bottom line – no business-person can argue with that!
   


6. Reduce Business Travel
   
   It used to be a necessity to travel to do business. These days, it’s almost passé! With technology advancing, you can “be there” without actually having to be there. Video conferencing and digital media makes it easier than ever to connect and negotiate with people around the world – without ever actually leaving the office. Every trip you don’t take keeps greenhouse gases out of our Earth’s atmosphere!
   


7. Fundraise Creatively
   
   Find a way to get your whole company involved in raising funds for environmental or social groups in your community. Maybe you can have a weekly “dress-down” day – but only for people who bring in non-perishable food items for a local food pantry or pay three dollars that will be donated to your local Sierra Club chapter. You could raise money for a different charity each week!
   


8. Create a Learning Library
   
   If your company is not too big, consider limiting the number of industry magazine subscriptions and sharing one issue instead of each person having their own. Even if the subscription is free, it’s a waste to have so many when they’re not needed. According to Coop America, only 34% of magazines are even read – the other 66% leftover end up in landfills!
   


9. Know your Company’s Carbon Footprint
   
   A “carbon footprint” is the amount of carbon released through an individual’s or company’s actions – such as purchases, travel, lifestyle, etc. A neat tool to help determine your own, individual carbon footprint can be found at The Nature Conservancy. There are companies that will help you determine your company’s carbon footprint – as well as ways to reduce it. Consider “Carbon Offsets” for yourself and your company as an interim solution while you try to reduce your footprint!
   


10. Clean, Landscape, and Maintain your Office without Toxins
    
    There are multitudes of cleaning supplies, cleaning services, landscape services, etc. that do not harm the environment. An additional benefit is that using products that aren’t full of chemicals may actually decrease the number of sick days your employees take – indirectly increasing productivity! Again – straight to the bottom line – what could be better?
    

This has been a bit of a long post, so I’ll end it here, but let me finish by saying that the best thing you can do for the environment is to keep your eyes and your mind open – look for ways to be more efficient with the natural capital your company uses, read about how businesses are trying to reconcile themselves to the environment (this topic is becoming more and more common today), and don’t give up! Even though the environment is a hot topic today (no pun intended), it’s still a new topic – especially in business. So don’t get frustrated if all of your grand plans aren’t immediately implemented – but don’t stop trying to improve things.

Your fresh view of the world of business is what will save business from itself – don’t forget that!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

---

What do you think about the above ideas? Do you have any of your own? Leave a comment about this post, and come on over to environmentastic!, where we are always discussing green good and bad, and become part of our green community!

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Career: Introduction to Resumes

Even though many people might claim that there are a lot of resume styles the most important three types of resumes according to me are chronological, functional, and combination. The type of resume must be chosen keeping in mind your experiences and industry or one that you are comfortable with. Here I will give a brief description of each type of resumes.

Chronological Resume:

Chronological resumes present information in a timeline approach. Typically, the most recent work or educational experience is listed first, followed by the next most recent. Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it's easy to see what jobs you have held and when you have worked at them.

Keep in mind that this type of resume is best if you have demonstrated experience within your desired career field. It highlights the positions you have held and the companies for which you have worked. So for a fresh graduate with little work experience choosing the chronological resume type may not be a very wise decision.

Advantages

• Many employers and recruiters expect and prefer this format
• Employers can easily scan chronological resumes
• Provides a straightforward history of your work experiences

Disadvantages

• Can demonstrate a lack of work experience
• Will show any gaps in employment history
• Employers can guess your age if you include older experiences

Sample Chronological Resume

Functional Resumes:

Functional resumes group work experience and skills by skill area or job function. Use functional resumes pointing out your skills over your specific employment history.

You can showcase the work experience that is most important to your career objective. The functional resume can be used to minimize employment gaps. It highlights more relevant skills instead of position titles. This type of resume may work best for first-time job seekers, those reentering the workforce after a long break from employment, or those changing careers.

Advantages

• Provides a flexible approach
• De-emphasizes lack of experience in a field
• Minimizes possible age discrimination

Disadvantages

• Employers may expect the chronological format

Sample Functional Resume

Combination Resume:

Combination resumes merge the chronological and functional styles. They present the knowledge, skills and abilities gained from work in a reverse-chronological order. With this type of resume you can highlight the skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for, and also provide the chronological work history that employers prefer.

Advantages

• Provides employers with the expected chronological format
• Highlights your skills

Disadvantages

• Can be repetitious if similar functions or skills are utilized in different positions
• May be longer than the chronological and functional formats

Sample Combination Resume Read more!

Say 'adios' to acne !!

We all hate ACNE. There is no doubt about that. So I felt that it would be good if I researched a bit on the subject and give some tips that can help people in their everlasting fight against acne.

Some facts about acne:

• Acne is not caused by dirt that lies on the skin. Poor hygiene does NOT contribute to acne. The truth is that dead skin cell accumulation and clogging leads to an increase in "sebum," or an oily secretion of the body, that is used to cover the dead skin cells and bring them to the surface. This natural cleaning process leads to acne. Nonetheless, acne is genetic, whether your parents wish to believe so or not.

• Second, washing everyday does not mean that you have cured the situation. No matter how many times you wash, acne can continue to resurface. Also, scrubbing hard may actually exacerbate the situation. So what can be done?

• This next topic on the cause of acne is debated by doctors, scientists, and people like you and I. Some medical studies show that diet - including chocolate, pizza and french fries - rarely affects acne. While others show that they will make acne worse. But to be on the safe side its better to avoid rich food not only to avoid acne but also to be healthy.

Prevention is better than cure

Like everything else, it is always better to prevent acne than to try curing it. Below, I am listing the usual prevention techniques that can be used.

Avoid excessive sun exposure: Small amounts of sun exposure will initially improve acne. However, the benefit is temporary. Consistent sun bathing will increase plugging of the pores and increases the production of whiteheads and blackheads, which makes acne worse. It can also lead to premature aging and skin cancer. If your work type does not allow you to stay indoors, try to use a product that blocks both UVA and UVB rays and provides a SPF of at least 15.

Avoid over-washing acne prone areas:Limit washing to no more that two to three times per day. This goes for face, chest, neck, back, and where ever else you might break out. Washing more then three times per day can often irritate the skin, will offer no further benefit, and may lead to increased oil production. Products such as harsh facial scrubs with almond shell fragments or with high levels of isopropyl alcohol are not recommended because they tend to tear or irritate fragile skin, which can aggravate acne.

Avoid picking on your acne: I know it's tempting to pick on your pimples but hold your self back! Squeezing and picking blemishes can force bacteria deeper into the skin, causing even greater inflammation and infection. Remember that picking leads to scarring. Also, the rubbing of your hands on your skin can lead to irritation and more pimples.

Keep your skin free of oils and bacteria: Just by starting a few healthy habits, you can keep your skin free of grime and bacteria that can cause pimples. Wash your hands frequently. Avoid touching your face, including resting your chin in your hands as you think or read.

Avoid stress: Stress can raise levels of the hormone cortisone, which causes increased secretion of oil in your skin.

Lead a healthy lifestyle: Eat a balanced diet, get adequate sleep, exercise and drink plenty of water. These will make you feel good and keep your skin looking at its best.

Types of medications to treat acne

First of all, if you think you have severe inflammatory acne I would recommend going to a trained dermatologist. The solutions that I'm going to suggest are only for milder acne and are just samples.

You can use these medicines on your face, back, chest, neck, or where ever else you have acne. Here is a list of medicines that are in many of the acne products. I'll tell you what each one of the medicines does so you'll know what to look for in the products.

Benzoyl Peroxide - A key antibacterial agent used to fight acne. It also helps to dry up the skin to clear up pimples. Benzoyl Peroxide is most commonly found in face washes and creams to put on acne.

Salicylic Acid - Used for unblocking pores so the face can be cleaned. Most commonly found in face washes and body scrubs.

Sulfur - Extremely effective in absorbing excess oils and calming inflammation. Usually found in facemasks.

Kaolin - Also known as China Clay, it helps absorb excess oils from the skin. Usually found in facemasks.

Hydroquinone U.S.P. - Gently and gradually lightens dark areas of skin caused by acne. Found in skin lightning lotions and products.

Natural Acids - Help renew skin by removing dead skin cells and balancing skin tone. Found in skin lightning lotions and products.

Guggulesterones - They claim these will help acne by decreasing the number and size of blemishes.

Zinc-Zinc is also an acne treating supplement. Zinc has been known to rid the body of toxins, presumably those bacteria that cause acne.
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Reports:Eco304

This is a report for the course Eco304-Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory II. I have always liked macroeconomics more than micro(mainly because micro is more mathematical and I suck at anything mathematical). So here is the report that I did for this course. The report studies the impact of the floating exchange rate on the economy of Bangladesh.

Download Section (Click report title to download file)

Eco304

1. Effect of the floating exchange rate on the economy of Bangladesh [Credits-Asif, Saif]

Description: A very interesting report for those who would like to study the impact of a transition from a Fixed Exchange Rate to a completely Floating one. This is act as an extremely good case study.

Content: Report

Course Description

Eco304 (Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory-II)-This course covers topics in macro theory. Topics include neo-classical models, rational expectations models of macro economic analysis including wage theories, basic growth theory, introduction to computable general equilibrium and other topics. Read more!

Avoid Procrastination: Save Your Career!!!

"Procrastination is the thief of time"-Joseph Keller.

I really don't know who Joseph Keller is and what he did (he must have been pretty important because when I searched procrastination quotes on Google this was the first quote that I found") and I really don't intend on finding out.

At first I thought that it would be a great idea if I wrote an article on how to avoid procrastination. Usually before writing something I do a thorough research on that topic. That is where my wish of writing an article on procrastination vanished. This time I came upon an article which I think is a hundred times better than what I could have wrote. So here it is for you.

Stop Procrastination- -Now! (From about.com)

Never do today what you can put off for tomorrow. Better yet, never put off 'til tomorrow what you can avoid altogether!

I don't know who coined these phrases, but they must have been a depressive. The symptoms that we face, such as fatigue and hopelessness, make it so easy to say to ourselves, "I'll just put this off until tomorrow when I feel better". Before we know it, that deadline is creeping up on us and we're starting to panic. What's the best way to deal with panic? Hide your head in the sand and hope it goes away! Not really, but procrastination an easy habit to fall into and as the panic mounts, so does the depression. The more depressed we get, the more we avoid reality.

Why We Procrastinate

Why do we fall into the procrastination trap time after time? Because procrastination becomes a way--no matter how maladaptive-- of coping with the emotions and physical symptoms that accompany depression. It may bring some temporary relief, but we eventually wake up the following day and find that no brownies have dropped in overnight and done our work for us.

Which style of procrastination fits you?

Organizing thoughts and actions and keeping on track with plans is difficult. (People with ADD/ADHD may fall into this category.)

a. Tasks seem overwhelming so it's futile to even try.

b. Hostile feelings towards someone cause you to want to punish them by putting things off.

c. Routine and schedule causes you to feel rebellious.

d. You fear disapproval.

These procrastination styles can overlap in one of four themes:

Self-Doubt - These people feel there are rigid standards about how thing ought to be done and they fear they will fail. They second-guess themselves and delay taking action.

Discomfort Dodging - This person avoids activities that will cause them distress, discomfort or anxiety. Rather ironically, the act of dodging the activity doesn't make it go away so tensions mount because of this avoidance.

Guilt-Driven - The person feels guilt over tasks undone, but rather than correct the original lack of action continues to procrastinate in order to not face up to the guilt feelings.

Habitual - The person has procrastinated so many times, it becomes an ingrained response. The person no longer thinks about why they do it, they feel it's just a part of themselves. It becomes an automatic response to say, "This is too hard", "I'm too tired", or to laugh it off as a character flaw.

Once you recognize your style of procrastination, you can take steps to stop it.

Time Management Tips to Avoid Procrastination

One of the most important things you an do for yourself is to get organized. Make lists, take a class in organization, or purchase an organizer. Do whatever works for you. One word of advice: follow the KISS principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid). If your organization system is too complicated, it will become just another task to avoid. Here's my own system. You are welcome to use it if it works for you.

Make a list of what needs to get done. This can be listed in no particular order and will give you a handle on just what you need to accomplish.

Prioritize these. My way of doing this is by deadlines. I arrange them in order of when they are due. You may also choose to rank them by how important it is to get them done. For example, paying your bills on time may be more important to you than cleaning out your closets. Do that first.

Get yourself a calendar with room to write notes in. I personally use a bound notebook and write in dates as I go. I make pages with dates for long-term planning and also keep a separate list that I transfer my short-term goals to.

Take what's at the top of your priority list and determine how long it will take to accomplish it. If it's a quick task, put that down to be done the current day. If it will take a longer time, divide it into smaller tasks to be spread out over several days. Write this in your calendar with specific dates for accomplishing each. Include your deadline for completion of this task on your calendar as well.

Keep filling your calendar until you have a time set aside to do each item while still meeting your deadlines. Be careful to not overbook yourself and allow plenty of time for delays. This will allow you to feel confident that you can accomplish all you need to in the time you have. Now you can relax and work on one item at a time without feeling you have to do it all at once.

Bite Off Only What You Can Chew

Ever notice how broken up large shopping malls are? Lots of twists and turns, levels, and side corridors? There's a very good reason for this. If malls were laid out straight we could see just how far we are really walking. If we actually knew how far apart stores are, we would probably leave the mall, get in our cars and drive from store to store. By having our view broken up into small chunks, we feel as if it's a smaller distance. This same psychological trick can be used to help us overcome procrastination. Break large projects up into smaller tasks. For example, doing your taxes can be broken up into: pick up necessary forms, get records organized, fill in forms, double check forms for accuracy and mail. It won't seem nearly so burdensome if you take a small bit at a time.

Just Do It!

Next time you catch yourself saying, "I can do this later", think Nike.

Just do it! Push on through the feelings and do it now. The feeling you get when you finish will be so much better than any relief you get from putting it off.

Schedule Reward Time

As you go work through your tasks, you may find your mind drifting off to all the activities you'd rather be doing. You will find it much easier to concentrate on your work if you know that you have scheduled time for these activities. Tell yourself, I will work hard today accomplishing my goals because tomorrow is Saturday and I have scheduled time to go fishing. Knowing that you have finished your tasks will also make it easier to relax and enjoy your leisure time.

Anxiety Busters

Does the thought of performing a certain task fill you will anxiety? First, try this:

a. Inhale deeply while counting five heart beats (you may check this easily by feeling your pulse).

b. Exhale as you count five heart beats.

You should notice after each breath that your heart rate is actually slowing and you are feeling less tense. Now, do something, not matter how small. Just make a start. The very act of accomplishing something will ease your anxiety.

Change Your Expectations

Perfectionism and feelings that things should be a certain way, can be stumbling blocks to beating procrastination. Next time you catch yourself using language like "should" or "must", evaluate if these are only restrictions you are imposing on yourself or they backed up by the reality of the situation.

Perfectionistic thinking: "I must get an A on this paper or I'll be a total failure. There's just so much work to do. I'll wait until tomorrow when I am feeling better and can do a better job."

Reality: Not doing your work now will lead to a sloppy, rushed job just before your deadline and will leave you feeling too anxious and depressed to do a proper job.

Coping Strategy: Look at why you are procrastinating. Does the thought of failing make you feel anxious? Take deep breaths, replace your negative thoughts of failure with thoughts of your previous academic successes, and select a smaller task (such as preparing a bibliography) to begin chipping away at.

Mental Tricks to Give You Momentum

If you have several small items to do which are directly related to the project at hand, do these first. Even though you have some larger tasks left, psychologically it feels as if you have less to do when the list isn't so long. It gives you a feeling that you have accomplished something. Just remember, it must be a task that is relevant to accomplishing your goal. Raking the leaves may be a quick and easy task, but if what you really need to accomplish is a big term paper, you won't be helping yourself.

When you have accomplished a task, mark it out on your list with a pen. It gives you visual confirmation that you are getting somewhere. Again, this gives you a psychological boost. Sometimes I feel as if I'm getting nothing done, but when I look over what's marked out I see I've actually done quite a bit. I'm just constantly adding new tasks.

The Best Laid Plans...

Remember, if something can go wrong, it will. Allow yourself more than adequate time to finish each task. If you do not need all the time you've allowed, you will be able to progress ahead of schedule. This will be a psychological boost to you. At the very least, you won't be left rushed to finish.

Don't panic if you get behind schedule. If you've allowed yourself extra time each day, you will simply shift everything forward until you catch up. The key is to leave yourself room to be flexible.

What if you really don't have time to finish everything? Get creative. Request extensions on deadlines, get help from friends and relatives, delegate tasks to others, drop non-essential items from your schedule (the world won't end if you can't redecorate before your mother-in-law visits), or hire outside help. I haven't found a situation yet that couldn't be solved somehow once I let my expectations change about how it should be.

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Start of the semester

My new semester has just started a few days back. I did my International Financial Management course today and it seemed quite interesting but also scary. All those call and put options will require quite some time for me to understand. Another finance related course that I picked for this semester is Investment Theory. I am really looking forward to this course as I have recently started to invest in the Stock Market. I hope to get some good tips during the course which will help me reap some $$$.

Other than these two I have two other courses, Applied Mathematics-II and Special Topics in Economics (the special topic being Globalization). The course instructor for this course on Globalization is one of the former students of Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize winner in economics. If my predictions are not wrong then this semester is going to be a real pain in the ass. I just pray that I can manage to get enough time for blogging with which I am deeply in love.
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Speed Reading: Part II

This post follows the previous post on speed reading and will elaborate further on the topic.

How to prepare for speed reading?

Nothing in our life comes easy. To achieve something we must really want it. There are three main factors involved in improving reading speed.

a. The desire to improve.
b. The willingness to try new techniques.
c. The motivation to practice.

How to read faster?

Reading speed can be improved by following the tips below.

a. Often, very slow reading is related to uncorrected eye defects. Before embarking on a speed reading program, make sure that any correctable eye defects you may have are taken care of.

b. A lot of us try to read out what we are reading and are not comfortable while reading silently. However, by reading silently we can increase our reading speed by up to 2 to 3 times.

c. The average student reading at 250 words per minute regresses or rereads about 20 times per page. Rereading words and phrases is a habit which will slow your reading speed down to a snail's pace.

d. Try to develop a wider eye span and read a bigger block of word at a time. Written material is less meaningful if read word by word and more when read in phrases or units.

How to optimize your Speed Reading?

Poor results are inevitable if the reader attempts to use the same rate for all types of material and for all reading purposes. He must learn to adjust his rate to his purpose in reading and to the difficulty of the material. The effective reader adjusts his rate; the ineffective reader always uses the same.

Rate may be adjusted overall for an entire article, or internally for parts of an article. Reading rate should also vary according to your reading purpose. To understand information, for example, skim or scan at a rapid rate. To determine the value of material or to read for enjoyment, read rapidly or slowly according to your feeling. To read analytically, read at a moderate pace to permit you to interrelate ideas.

The nature and difficulty of the material also calls for adjustments in rate. Obviously, level of difficulty depends greatly on the particular reader's knowledge. While Einstein's theories may be extremely difficult for most laymen, they would be very simple and clear to a professor of physics. Hence, the layman and the physics professor will read the same material at different rates. Generally, difficult material will entail a slower rate; simpler material will permit a faster rate.

Increase Speed When:

a. Unfamiliar terminology. Try to understand it in context at that point; otherwise, read on and return to it later.

b. Difficult sentence and paragraph structure. Slow down enough to enable you to untangle them and get accurate context for the passage.

c. Unfamiliar or abstract concepts. Look for applications or examples of your own as well as studying those of the writer. Take enough time to get them clearly in mind.

d. Detailed, technical material. This includes complicated directions, statements of difficult principles, and materials on which you have scant background.

e. Material on which you want detailed retention.

Decrease Speed When:

a. Simple material with few ideas which are new to you. Move rapidly over the familiar ones; spend most of your time on the unfamiliar ideas.

b. Unnecessary examples and illustrations. Since these are included to clarify ideas, move over them rapidly when they are not needed.

c. Detailed explanation and idea elaboration which you do not need.

d. Broad, generalized ideas and ideas which are restatements of previous ones. These can be readily grasped, even with scan techniques.
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Speed Reading: Part I

Reading is one of the biggest “inevitable” of our life. Whether it is an English assignment, or an office report or simply a gaze at an attractive billboard we are all continuously reading. Since we all have to do it, why not improve our ‘reading skills’?

Reading skills in my opinion refer to two things. The first is the speed of reading. The other is the comprehension ability. I am going to go through some simple methods of improving ones ‘reading speed’ aka ‘Speed Reading’ which will be covered in two parts. Here is part I which will explain what speed reading is.

What is Speed Reading?

Speed reading is the act of quickly absorbing written information. The goal is to read very quickly, but at the same time retain the information. Otherwise it would not benefit anybody. The average college student reads between 250 and 350 words per minute on fiction and non-technical materials. A "good" reading speed is around 500 to 700 words per minute, but some people can read 1000 words per minute or more on these materials.

Speed reading relies on chunking, skimming, and eliminating sub-vocalization to increase speed. Readers will not "read" the words aloud in their minds. Their eyes skim through the material and comprehension is formed within the brain processes. A speed reader may not read every word on the page. They may skip some sections as it as little overall consequence to the meaning. Some researchers believe that as long as the first and last letter is in place, the arrangement of the other letters in the word can still be understood by the brain because it logically puts each piece into place.

Why Speed Reading?

The name says it all. Speed reading saves time, and time is money. It is safe to say that almost anybody can double their reading speed while maintaining equal or even better comprehension level. Studies have also shown a positive relationship between speed and understanding. Contrary to popular belief, slow reading speed actually decreases ones comprehension ability.

This is the end of part I of speed reading. The next part is coming very soon and will explain the techniques of reading faster.
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Report: Soc101

This is a very interesting report made for the course Sociology. However it can be used in many other subjects as well. Regardless of whether you can use this or not, this is one report which everyone can enjoy reading.

Download Section (Click on report title to download)

Soc101

1. Bangladeshi culture in everyday life [Credits-Suraiya]

Description: The report looks into the significance of culture, the characteristics of culture as well as cultural categories in a Bangladesh perspective.

Content: Report

Course Description

Soc101(Introduction to Sociology)-Examination of how societies grow and change; reciprocal effects of economic, political, familial, and scientific institutions on each other and on individual life; changes and social conflict, problems of bureaucratic growth and planned and unplanned social change.

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A little about me

When I first started this blog I wanted it to be purely informational and resource friendly and decided that it would not contain anything about me. However, my opinion on this issue has changed. I believe that maintaining a journal of myself would allow me to connect much better with the readers. So this is the post starting from which I am going to talk about bits and pieces of my life. Now the question is, what to write??

I am 21, energetic, optimistic, think about too many things at a time and also tagged unemotional by some people. I am in my final year of graduation (Majoring in Finance and Economics). My 4th year classes just started today and I can very well understand that I am in for a hell semester. I would also like to talk about my younger brother Saad(former graphics moderator of www.gg-game.com). He does all the graphics related work for me. In my opinion he is a graphics wiz and he is just 14 years old. Watch out for his blog on graphics designing which is soon to be released.

Thats it for now. Updates coming soon. :)
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Review: Nokia 5310

Nokia 5310 made thousands of fans with its very announcement. Packing a 16M color QVGA display, dedicated music keys, stereo Bluetooth and FM radio in a sleek thin body, this neat handset is sure to appeal to quite a lot of slim phone admirers. Plus, the XpressMusic logo is a good enough premise for music phone fans to be on the watch-out too. With the first XpressMusic bar-shape we have an amazingly thin and lightweight handset with serious sonic power.

Key Features

• 9.9 mm slim and lightweight
• 3.5 mm standard jack
• Lots of preloaded applications
• 2" 16M color display with QVGA resolution
• Ambient light sensor
• Decent keypad
• Bluetooth with A2DP
• S40 5th edition user interface
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Dedicated music keys
• microSD card slot (2GB memory card included)

Main disadvantages

• Mediocre camera with no flash or auto focus, really slow
• Tri-band only
• No 3G
• Memory card slot under the battery cover
• Inadequate QCIF video recording
• Uneven backlighting

The release of this phone signifies Nokia's attempt to capture the slim phone market. Its looks and high quality sound may be just enough to win the hearts of the masses. So if you are planning on buying a mobile phone remember to give this one a thought.

Source:GSMArena

Read more!

Reports: MIS105, MIS205

I haven't yet seen a MIS major in my university. So I guess that majority people from my university would be only doing these two MIS courses. So here they go. Both of these reports are done by me and both got pretty high marks. For those people from other Universities please refer to the course descriptions to see whether these reports would come to any use.

Download Section (Click on report title to download)

MIS105-Introduction to Computers

1. SalesPro-A Simple Sales Program

Description: A basic sales system for a computer sales shop. The program has been created in Ms Excel using macro codes and simple visual basic.

Content: Report, Presentation, Software, Flowcharts

MIS205-Computer Information Systems

1. Onix Cement Company- Sales and Stock Management System

Description: An advanced sales and stock management system created for an imaginary Cement Manufacturing company. The software has been developed using Ms Access and contains databases, forms and queries.

Content: Project Proposal, Report, Presentation.

Course Descriptions

Mis105(Introduction to Computers)-Provides a general understanding of computer applications and functions of the components of a computer system. Topics include components of computer systems; concepts of software; introduction to operating systems; history of computer languages; programming fundamentals; basics such as constant, variables, data type, operators and expressions, pointer; concepts of database; internet technology and World Wide Web. This course undertaken in a lab setting also provides functional orientation to word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database and WebPages design. The students also learn some basic skills in searching and evaluating online resources.

Mis205(Computer Information Systems)-Fundamentals of information systems; the components of computer based information systems; overview of different types of systems (TPS, MIS, DSS, ESS); phases of system development and implementation; database management system and distributed systems; data communication and network; Internet and E-commerce; artificial intelligence and its applications; knowledge management; examples of strategic application of IT in an organization; privacy, security, social and ethical issues. The course requires the students to analyze business cases applying their technical and problem solving skills. Read more!

A2 level Economics Notes [Edexcel]

The second part of the A level Economics notes containing units 4,5 and 6.

Unit 4- Industrial Economics
Unit 5-Labor Markets
Unit 6- The UK in the Global Economy (Synoptic Unit)

Please remember to give your feedback on the quality of these notes. Once again, for any queries or questions or problems about A level Economics mail me or leave a comment. Read more!

Career: Internship Resume 101

In the previous post in the career section I have tried to outline the difference between a Resume and a CV. Now its time to know a little bit more about 'resumes'. For a revision purpose a resume is a document, usually one page in length which serves as an introduction to prospective employers. A Curriculum Vita on the other hand is much more descriptive and is usually at least 3 pages in length.

Internship Resume vs Normal Resume

Now, whenever students search for sample resumes online they find themselves baffled. That is because they actually look at normal resumes and not internship resumes. Normal resumes are meant for individuals who already have a good amount of work experience. However, we cannot expect that fresh graduates would have that much work experience. So fresh graduates usually resort to internship resumes which contain more information on academic learning.

The goal of an internship resume is to help you obtain practical experience to compliment your academic experience in a particular career field of interest. An internship resume helps the employer place your current level of knowledge and skill development in your college educational process. The focus for an internship resume is not on knowledge and professional skills, but on the academic background and transferable skills you will be able to apply in an internship setting. Transferable skills like interpersonal communication, teamwork, initiative, and self-directed leadership are gained through campus involvement and employment during the school year and college breaks.

Resume Content

1. Name, address, telephone and email—if you are living on campus include your current and permanent address and use a telephone number where you can easily be reached. Remember to ensure your current voice mail greeting is professional and others answering your phone take accurate and complete messages once your resume has been sent to an employer. Your name should be typed in a larger font size to make it easier for an employer to identify and remember your resume.

2. Internship objective—the objective is a concise statement of exactly what you want to pursue in an internship experience and should be catered to each internship position for which you apply. It is better not to include an objective at all than to use one that is too broad or extremely narrow.

3. Education—emphasize the highest level you have achieved, including study abroad experiences. If your GPA is at or above a 3.0, include it as well as academic honors and awards.

4. Relevant coursework, academic highlights, and/or research experience—list courses relevant to the type of internship you would like to pursue and describe research projects or academic experiences related to the type of work your hope to do in an internship.

5. Skills—list language skills, computer skills, and special certifications that relate to the internship opportunity.

6. Work or relevant experience—use this section to highlight the transferable skills you have developed by tying them to the responsibilities you have had in employment experiences. If necessary, employment from high school may be listed in this section, although it is not preferred.

7. Campus and Community Activities—list transferable skills by tying them to involvement in campus organizations, church and volunteer activities in which you participated at Hope or during college breaks.

8. Additional information—if may be necessary to include publications of poetry, articles, etc., posters, or other artistic work. Faculty and OCS staff are available to help you determine if additional information is expected in your career field of interest.

How to Describe Experiences

Transferable skills are outlined through descriptions of your work experience and campus/community activities. Because the employer wants to see the most relevant information first, each description begins with a subheading that includes a position title first, followed by an employer name (if applicable), the geographic location (if applicable), and the dates of the experience.

Descriptions may be in the format of a paragraph with several phrases/sentences that outline each experience or they may be represented in a bulleted list below each description’s subheading, but the format must be consistent throughout the resume.

Action Verbs

Each descriptive phrase used each sub-heading should begin with an action very in the past tense; no subject nouns or pronouns are used. Be sure to use a variety of action verbs in order to keep your resume from appearing repetitive.

Links

List of Action Verbs

Sample Internship Resume


Read more!

Funny Pictures: Worlds best ANTIVIRUS!!!

With an antivirus like that who the hell in the world would need to buy antivirus softwares. This new model of antivius also comes in different flavors for both male and female. Read more!

Jokes:Evils of liquor

A chemistry teacher wanted to teach his 5th grade class a lesson about the evils of liquor, so he produced an experiment that involved a glass of water, a glass of whiskey and two worms.

"Now, class. Observe the worms closely," said the teacher putting a worm first into the water. The worm in the water writhed about, happy as a worm in water could be.

The second worm, he put into the whiskey. It writhed painfully, and quickly sank to the bottom, dead as a door nail.

"Now, what lesson can we derive from this experiment?" the teacher asked.

Johnny, who naturally sits at the back, raised his hand and wisely, responded, "Drink whiskey and you won't get worms."

Read more!

AS levels Economics Notes

Some A levels economics notes [Edexcel] for students. I am putting the first 3 units for the time being. The last three would be posted later. These are not the best quality notes. However they still provide a guideline for students.

Unit 1-Markets: How they work
Unit 2-Markets: Why they fail
Unit 3-Managing the economy

If anybody has any other questions regarding A level economics please feel free to mail me at kh.asif@gmail.com. Read more!

Report: Env214, Mgt321

Download Section ( Click on report title to download)

Env214-Environmental Management

1. Waste to Energy.[Credits:Asif]

Description: coming soon

Contents: coming soon

Mgt321-Organizational Behavior

1. Effectiveness of Transformational Leadership in Organizational Setting.[Credits: Safwan, Naziat Nibras, Sami, Shafkat]

Description: This is a very technical report based on transformational leadership.

Contents: Report, Questionnaire

Course Description

Env 214 (Environmental Management)-A problem-solution approach to natural resource management with particular focus on management of forests, rangelands, parks, biodiversity, air, soil and water; solid and hazardous waste management; management of renewable and non-renewable resources; management issues arising out of legal, economic and social aspects of environmental factors; role of individuals, institutions, state and the global community in addressing these issues; eco-centric and human approaches to environmental management; environmental management systems: theory and implementation.

Mgt 321 (Organizational Behavior)-Understanding the behaviour of employees in work organizations. Topics include behavioral concepts and techniques used to enhance worker motivation, satisfaction and productivity. Read more!

Selected Powerpoint Templates

I have sorted my favourite Powerpoint Templates for the readers. As usual they are zipped and uploaded in MIHD.net. If anyone is still facing problems in downloading from MIHD.net then please refer to the 'Help' section in the left sidebar.

DOWNLOAD LINK

Remember to give feedbacks on the helpfulness of these templates. Also requests for specific type of custom made templates will also be taken [subject to my free time]. Thanks. Read more!

Jokes: Know it all

It was the first day of school and a new student, the son of a Japanese businessman, Toshiba, entered the fourth grade.

The teacher greeted the class and said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American history." Who said "Give me Liberty,or give me death?"

She saw only a sea of blank faces, except for that of Toshiba, who had his hand up. "Patrick Henry, 1775," said the boy.

"Now," said the teacher, "who said 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth?"

Again, no response except from Toshiba: "Abraham Lincoln, 1863."

The teacher snapped at the class, "You should be ashamed. Toshiba, who is new to our country, knows more about it than you do."

As she turned to write something on the blackboard, she heard a loud whisper: "Damned Japanese."

"Who said that?" she demanded.

Toshiba put his hand up. "Lee Iacocca, 1982," he said.

At that point, feeling completely disgusted by Toshiba's classroom superiority, a student in the back sighed, "I'm gonna throw up."

Teacher says "Who said that?".

Again, Toshiba raises his hand and says "George Bush to Japanese Prime Minister, 1991."

Now furious, another student yells, "Oh yeah? Well, suck my...."

Once again, it's Toshiba with the answer, "Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky, 1997."

Read more!

The Contest: Tylercruz VS WinningTheWeb

This is not a scam. Tyler from tylercruz.com and Gyutae from WinningTheWeb.com are jointly hosting a contest that allows the participants to win $100. It is that easy. Participants only have to decide who is the better blogger.

As for me I would like to vote for Tyler simply because he has more traffic to his blog. So bloggers go try out your luck. As for the non bloggers give blogging a try. You never know, you can become the next big moneymaker.

The following guidelines has been copied from www.tylercruz.com.

How to Enter

1. Write a blog post on why you think Tyler/Gyutae deserves to win or why you are voting for Tyler/Gyutae.

2. Make sure you write somewhere in your post about this contest, and link to both my blog and Gyutae’s. This only needs to be 2-3 sentences, but must be in the post somewhere (at the bottom is fine). You will probably want to link to this post as well.

3. Once done, post a comment in this post (or Gyutae’s post at WinningTheWeb.com if you vote for him) stating the URL of your “vote”. If you vote for me, leave your Entrecard e-mail address as well (or e-mail it to me if you don’t want it public) so that I can send you your 100 credits!

The contest runs for 11 days from January 3rd at 12:00am Pacific (3:00pm Eastern) to January 14th at 6:00pm Pacific (9:00pm Eastern).

Rules & Guidelines

• Please write a minimum of 300 words in your blog post.
• You must link to the winner’s site (and when you mention the contest, both TylerCruz.com and WinningTheWeb.com)
• You may vote for only one person, either Gyutae or me.
• You may only win once; if you name gets drawn twice, we will draw again.
• “TylerReviews” are not eligible for this contest.

The posts do not need to be 100% serious, and can be written in a fun and humorous manner, but serious ones are more than welcome too, of course.

Read more!

Career: CV vs Resume

It is surprising that being a Business Administration student I did not know the difference between a CV and a resume until some time ago. Then I decided to ask my friends about this, and know what, none of them knew the difference.

Basically the primary differences between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV) are the length, what is included and what each is used for. A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. While a resume is brief and concise - no more than a page or two, a Curriculum Vitae is a longer (at least two page) and more detailed synopsis.

A Curriculum Vitae includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. In Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, employers expect to receive a curriculum vitae. A curriculum vitae is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. It is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants.

Read more!

English Essay Collection

Back in my O level days my English teacher at school made us write quite a number of essays. There are about 20 essays in total here all having a word limit of around 300-350 if i am not mistaken.

Download Link [Credits:Asif]

I am posting two paragraphs from the essay titled 'The complaining party is civilisation'.

"After the horror and mass death in New York, Washington, Afghanistan and Palestine we would say that the Christians or the Muslims have suffered. However, that is fallacious because the complaining party is not nationality or religion or ethnicity but it is civilization everywhere.

After the attacks on the twin towers the primary emotions have been grief, outrage, and deep sadness. As a UN spokesperson so emotionally said, ‘ We come from all; over the world, but today we are all New Yorkers and Washingtonians.’ Today we are all suffering fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, fellow citizens, trying to summon a hope we pray can stern the mounting despair. Like John Donne has said ‘Any man’s death diminishes me’. Our chief identity is not religion or culture but that we are all humans."

Read more!

Review: Nokia N82

Nokia N82 is considered the next N-series bestseller and, guess what, it has already hit the shelves. Following the sweeping success of Nokia N73, it was a pretty sure bet that a worthy successor wouldn't take long to appear. As we see it, Nokia N82 fits that description perfectly and our eagerness to test it for you should come as no surprise. So join us as we explore the world of Nokia N82.

Key features

• 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and Carl Zeiss optics
• Xenon flash and active lens cover
• 2.4" 16M color QVGA display
• 128 MB RAM
• Wi-Fi with UPnP
• Built-in GPS receiver and A-GPS functionality
• Nokia maps application covering over 100 countries worldwide
• Convenient standard 3.5 mm audio jack on the top
• 3G (with HSDPA), EDGE and GPRS support
• Symbian OS 9.2 Series 60 3rd edition Feature Pack 1 UI
• TV-out functionality
• Automatic UI rotation
• Stereo speakers
• Large capacity battery

Main disadvantages

• Controversial design and questionable ergonomics
• No RDS for the FM radio
• Below average GPS performance
• Extra charges apply for voice assisted navigation
• No office documents editing application
• Doesn't charge off USB

Source: www.gsmarena.com
Read more!

Reports:Mkt202

2 marketing plans for Mkt202-Introduction to Marketing. The first one only has the report while the second contains both report and presentation. I also added a template for creating marketing plan.

Download Section (Click on report title to download)

Mkt202

1. Cool: A tobacco product. [Credits:Tuhin, Tawseef]

Desctiption: Marketing plan for a tobacco product.

Content: Report

2. Integra Leasing and Financial Company. [Credits:Asif]

Desctiption: Detailed marketing plan of an imaginary 'non banking financial institution.'

Content: Report, Presentation

3. Marketing Plan Powerpoint Template.

Desctiption: Its a simple powerpoint template to create marketing plans. Relevant sections for a a marketing plan are built in this template.

Content: Powerpoint Template

Keep the comments running.

Course Description

Mkt 202 -Provides an understanding of fundamental marketing concepts, techniques, thoughts and their application by business and non-business organizations. Read more!

Reports:Eng105

Back again with these two new reports done for the course Eng105-Advanced Composition.

Download Section (Click on report title to download)

Eng105

1. Biman Bangladesh Airlines: Your Home (or grave???) in the air. [Credits:Sabih Uddin Ahmed]

Description: The report studies the performance of Bangladesh Biman the National Airlines of Bangladesh. It focuses on the failures, success, growth opportunity and finally recommendations to help improve the organization.

Content:Report

2. Drive against food adulteration. [Credits:Asif]

Description: This report identifies the general response of the students regarding the 'drive against food adulteration'. It also identifies methods to improve the drive.

Contents: Report, Presentation, Questionnaire, Speech

Course Description

Eng 105-Development of expressive, persuasive and referential writing with emphasis on planning, organization, cohesion and coherence. Participation in small group discussions and presentation of research paper. Practice on research techniques, study skills and methods of documentation. Read more!

Report: Fin440

2 reports for the course Fin440-Corporate Finance. Hope these will come handy while doing your project.

Download Section (Click on report title to download)

1. Small Business Survey. [Credits:Asif, Emon,Ony, Ziad, Ryan]

Description: Brief financial analysis of a small computer sales shop. The task of the report was to learn the method of analysing SME's who have little on no financial information available.

Content: Report

2. Semestral Project. [Credits:Asif, Emon,Ony, Ziad, Ryan]

Description: Detailed financial analysis of three pharmaceuticals company ( Beximco, Square and GlaxoSmithKline). Report looked in leverage, external financial need, strengths and weaknesses etc issues.

Content: Report

Course Description

Fin 440(Corporate Finance)-Examines in details investment and financing, and their interrelatedness. The overall goal is to obtain a comprehensive and in-depth perspective of the area of Corporate Finance. Major topics include financial analysis and planning, valuation, capital budgeting, capital structure, dividend policy, working capital management, mergers and acquisition, hybrid financing, bankruptcy, multinational financial management, and risk management. Special emphasis is given on integration of the concepts of financial management into a total systems approach to business decision-making. Read more!

Help on downloading files from MIHD

Some people had problems on downloading from www.mihd.net for which I decided to write this post. Its very simple actually. First click on any file download link in www.youthcocktail.blogspot.com. When the new page loads look for a text called "Request Download". Click that and you will be provided with the actual download link. If anybody faces furthur problems feel free to ask for help in "comments". Read more!

Reports: Mgt210,Bus251

3 new reports along with powerpoint slides. Both are for the course Mgt210. I also put the link for the older report for ease of use. From now on all new reports will be provided in this format.

Download Section (Click on report titles to download)

Mgt210

1. Job Satisfaction and Working Conditions.[Credits:Asif]

Description: The report studies the job satisfaction and working condition of employees in two banks and two non banking financial institutions. Using the data collected through questionnaires, the 4 organizations are ranked.

Contents: Report, Presentation

2. Business ethics in real life.[Credits:Asif]

Description: This is a simple report which studies extent to which business ethics are present in a real life organization. The organization studied here is "Far East Finance and Investment Limited" which is a non banking financial institution.

Contents: Report, Presentation, Questionnaire

3. Recruitment in Bank Asia. [Credits: Maria, Mohsina, Happy, Rion]

Description: This report studies the current recruitment process used by Bank Asia. It also looks at the changes in this process that took place.

Contents: Report

Bus251

1. Glossophobia: The fear of public speaking.[Credits:Asif]

Description: This report tries to identify the reasons which cause people to be afraid while presenting in public. The report also contains methods on how to prevent glossophobia and become a good public speaker.

Contents: Report, Presentation, Questionnaire, Speech

2. ICT and its effects on corporate communication. [Credits: Safwan, Naziat, Sarita]

Description- The report tries to identify the ICT tools used by AMICUS properties. It also finds out the problems that were faced by company in using the ICT tools. Finally, the report contains recommendation on how to solve these problems.

Contents- Report, Presentation, Questionnaire

Course Description

Mgt 210-Provides a basic discussion of the environments, approaches, principles and process of management. Topics include environmental forces, planning, organizing and control processes, motivation, teamwork, group dynamics, and leadership in business and non-business organizations.

Bus 251-Examines communication tools and techniques in different business settings. Topics include communication as a tool of administration and management; practice in writing a wide variety of types and forms of communication; and techniques of oral and visual communication. Read more!

Keep your antivirus updated

A reminder to all the users to update your antivirus programs everyday. New trojans and viruses are coming up everyday and we better not get caught unprepared. If you dont have an antivirus program then I would personally suggest the Kaspersky antivirus which you can download at http://www.kaspersky.com/downloads which provides a 30 day trial. However thanks to my friend Ony and warez sites I have been able to get this pack of Kaspersky registry keys. There are 10 keys in this pack, and if one of them is found to be blacklisted then please try the next one.

Download Registry Crack Read more!

Powerpoint templates

Check out the following sites for some high quality Powerpoint templates. Different categories of such templates are there. So go ahead and download the one that will suit your topic.

http://www.poweredtemplates.com/free-ppt-powerpoint-templates.html
http://www.presentersuniversity.com [may need to register]
http://www.templateswise.com

However as you people will understand in due time time that sometimes no suitable templates can be found. In such desperate times we go for desperate measures. Like finding suitable backgrounds for the specific presentation topic and editing them. I usually download free stock pictures and edit using Adobe Photoshop. For example, if my presentation topic is 'Substitute of Oil as Energy Source' I could just download a picture of a Windmill and edit it so that I can use it as my presentation background. I would try to create a personal tutorial of how this is done. For the time being enjoy these websites which provides free stock photos.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
http://www.freeimages.co.uk/
http://www.stockvault.net
http://www.sxc.hu/home Read more!

Presentation Media

Presentations nowadays are always done with some presentation software which makes things much more interesting and graphic and helps catch readers' attention. Such a software is Microsoft Powerpoint. It is simple, easy to learn and use, and at the same time can create some pretty attractive presentations. www.actden.com provides some simple and interactive tutorials for learning Powerpoint. So go ahead and learn how to create your own presentations. Read more!

Time to be the great speaker!!

For all u people who are interested in improving their public speaking skills or maybe trying to overcome their fear I would recommend that you visit this great site which provides a lot of useful hints and tips. Others who want to do a research paper or term paper on Glossophobia can check out my research paper on the subject which also contains the Powerpoint presentation. In my next posts I would try to focus on creating Powerpoint presentations.


http://www.school-for-champions.com/speaking/fear.htm [tips on public speaking]
http://mihd.net/eo2k8j [my research paper] Read more!

Public Speaking. Is it really that hard?

One of the most important realization in my life was about the importance of public speaking. This was something that interested me a lot and I quite a lot of research on public speaking and even did a research paper and presentation on "Glossophobia: The fear of public speaking". The findings were startling. Of all the fears in the world, Glossophobia is the most feared. So my first few posts would be directed at improving public speaking. In due time I would also provide my complete research paper along with the Powerpoint presentation. Read more!

The Beginning

The first post of this blog. I would like to start my first post with the reason behind creating this blog. Life as I see it requires a balance. Whether it is entertainment, education, hobbies etc we need a bit of everything in our life. Like the name suggests, this blog will contain a mixture of many things which will come handy to people. Adios. Read more!