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Many of today’s work environments are rife with moody bosses and co-workers, repetitive tasks and unpredictable market pressures. Stress abounds. Managers often tell me they can’t afford the time or cost for my humor workshops; how can they afford not to address workplace stress.

We know clinically that laughter and play have medicinal qualities, offering physical, psychological and physiological benefits as well. In the workplace, humor and fun can increase productivity, encourage creativity, enhance team building, and thus improve esprit de corps.

While we may not be able to control everything that happens to us in our jobs and work environments, we do have control over how we choose to react. I coach others how to create an environment which is safe and friendly, and use humor to help maintain a healthy balance between the pressure and seriousness which comes from high stakes jobs and a competitive marketplace. Remember that humor starts from within. Being able to laugh at your own foibles goes a long way toward creating a healthy work climate in which to flourish.

The following are activities and strategies for you as individuals, workgroups and managers. Be creative and use these ideas to stimulate your own remedies to workplace stress.

- Adorn your work area with cartoons, headlines or funny photos which bring a smile to your face and visiting co-workers’. Whether you’re surrounded by your favorite Pez dispensers childhood, or wry cartoons that speak to your tastes, let your work area comfort and humor you while taking some of the edge off the standard office decor.

- Tap a co-worker to be your humor-partner. Bring a daily joke to share. Commiserate about funny workplace events. Keep each other buoyed with good cheer. When the chips are down your humor partner can chip away at your depression, and vice versa.

- Don’t think cubicles limit your humor options. I’ve seen shower curtains, umbrellas and other devices used effectively to set a light or semi-serious tone. For some, creativity flourishes behind their cubicle’s shower curtain. People tampering with your work area? Don’t get angry…protect it with yellow “Crime Scene” tape!

- Subscribe to a humor website to be e-mailed a free daily or weekly humorous story, joke and anecdote. Sites such as www.netfunny.com/rhf/ or www.oraclehumor.com/ are two examples.

Are You Laughin’ At Me? One manager, known for his moodiness, acknowledged it with a “Mood-O-Meter” outside his door. Both he and his employees took turns forecasting his mood: from fire-breathing to variable clouds to periodic eruptions…proceed at your own risk. Don’t underestimate the power of self-effacing humor for making yourself more accessible and liked.


Room for Laughter. Some companies designate a room, work area or corner of their office as a romper room, where frolicking and silliness is allowed. Whether yours has a punching bag, games, a dartboard or foosball, it’s a room for letting off steam and taking a break from the grind.

Whine Not. Everyone loathes whiners yet we all need to blow off steam periodically. One group of creative trainers and their manager decreed Thursdays to be effective whining days. They self-policed themselves the rest of the week, making sure not to whine. Yet even their Thursday gripes had a departmental sanction and somehow seemed healthier. After all, they belly ached together. A ripple effect actually improved the morale of departments adjacent to theirs!

Meting Out Humor. Many professionals approach meetings with trepidation. A dash of humor can make a difference. For regular meetings earmark one or two minutes each meeting for a humorous interlude. In one workgroup a “humor hand” rotates from meeting to meeting. Employees take turns setting a lighter tone to the meeting, insuring everybody is engaged. An anecdote, verbal or physical activity focuses the group on the task at hand and brings colleagues together in a spirit of fun.

When not to use Humor. Not all humor is good humor. Humor that hurts, ostracizes or is cruel will have a detrimental effect on others and you. Strive for humor that is inclusive, creative and captures our human essence. By now you know that sexist, racist, ageist jokes and crude humor are not only inappropriate, but can lead to sanctions, termination or even lawsuits. Be sensitive when telling jokes involving terminations, reductions in force (RIFs) and personal tragedies. Their hurt can linger long after the fact. . When in doubt…leave it out!

Appropriate humor can make hard tasks easier, collaborations fun and certainly make workdays go faster. Laugh, and the work world laughs with you!

Craig Harrison
http://www.articlesbase.com/ethics-articles/laugh-and-the-work-world-laughs-with-you-74711.html

In the 1960’s people used to talk about the Iron Curtain. That has now gone, hopefully forever, but at the same time people used to say “yes but beware of the ‘Silk Curtain”. Even then they knew that China would be the next great participant in the global economy and the fear was that they may overtake the Western countries with their progress.

In a way they were right, but in a way although China is still a Communist country, there is a feeing of optimism about China becoming part of the
Global integration. They are providing us with all sorts of new opportunities and ideas and employment. Whole departments of famous British automotive and engineering companies have happily moved to China to share their knowledge and expertise. We are glad that much of China will be part of the world’s affluent, instead of being pushed back into being a large part of the world’s poor. We know that there are injustices there and exploitation, but surely much less than in some other parts of the world.

Now our Mayor, Mr Livingstone plans to recruit teachers from China to help London children learn Mandarin. This must surely be one of his better ideas. He believes we must capitalise on the burgeoning Chinese economy. There will be huge numbers of visitors from China to London over the next few years possibly 100 million by 2020.

Mandarin is a very difficult language and the best time to learn a second language is when you’re very young. By 2020 we should have many bilingual
English/ Chinese speakers, which will be an enormous benefit both to those learning to and speak the language and those who are involved in the tourist, education and business sectors.
One of the wonderful qualities of the Chinese is their curiosity and desire to know about matters outside their own experience and they will no doubt come to London to see its famous landmarks and learn about its long and extraordinary history.

If only the government would follow Mr Livingstone’s lead and make a second language compulsory to learn, for all children from Primary school age.
Let’s hope these plans come to successful fruition. He also has India in his sights.

© 2006 languagejobs4.com

Jane Merrow
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/china-in-london-74941.html

Need some quick Halloween decorations, that even the kids can help with? Here are three great Halloween decorating ideas using easy to find, inexpensive materials.

Craft Foam Creepies

Craft foam is sold in sheets at the craft store in a whole array of colors. It is similar to construction paper, but made of thin, durable foam you can easily cut with scissors. Trace simple Halloween shapes onto the backside of the foam sheets and cut out. Use contrasting colors and a glue stick to add details such as a jack o lantern face, red eyes on a bat, or the face of a silly ghost. You can make these cutouts as large or as small as you want. Hang them in WINDOWS or hang them with clear thread form curtain rods, doorways, or in your front entry. (This works really well with bats, hang them from the tips of each wing, and one place on the body to make them appear to be flying) These can even be used on protected porches as the foam is water resistant.

Graveyard

A graveyard near your front walk is a creepy and creative touch to the Halloween spirit. We used scrap pieces of plywood and siding and cut them into rectangles with the tops rounded, like a gravestone. We first painted them gray, then washed over them with a watery white paint for age and spook factor. We used black paint to add amusing names and epitaphs, such as “I.M. Gone” or “Ben Dismembered”. Screw a wooded stake to the back and pound into the ground. I like to group them together on an area of grass, then rope them off with chains, add a few pumpkins (and in my neck of the woods, tumbleweeds are a nice touch) and line the edge of your “graveyard” with lighted jackolanterns for Hallows Eve. My kids have the lost fun with this!

Giant spiders and webs

First of all, set the stage for your spiders by picking up some webbing…it is really cheap, and stretches a LONG way! Corners of rooms or porches, or stretched over a door are great effects. To make the spiders, pick up large black pom poms and large black chenille stems from the craft store. Take 4 chenille stems and twist them together in the middle. This creates the eight legs. Bend the stems downward about halfway down each leg. Now use tacky glue or a glue gun (glue gun is my choice as it sets almost instantly, but the adult must handle this!) to secure a large pom pom in the center of the legs at the twist to form the body. You can add google eyes as some do, but I prefer to cut scary red eyes from felt or craft foam and glue on. Set your spiders in their webs, and you can bend the leg tips to attach them to a picture frame or a lamp chain. Remember, with this project, the bigger, the better, so buy the bargest legs and pom poms you can find!

Three great projects for Halloween, make enough of any of these and you can turn your home into a haunted House without the huge price tag. (Don’t forget to pack them away for next year!)

Kathy Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/quick-and-easy-halloween-decorations-67338.html

There are numerous reasons why someone wants to have a living room makeover. You might be expecting important guests coming for the holidays or there might be an important occasion you want to celebrate in your home. Or you are just simply ready for a change or a new look for your living room. Whatever reason you may have, you must consider that a living room make over is a demanding task. You have to have the basic planning skill and be creative enough to come up with ideas that are both economical and stylish. Here are a few tips you can consider so you can begin with your decorating task right away.

1. Determine the damages in your living room. This is the first step to change the whole outlook of the room. Hide worn out upholstered furniture by using slip covers. If the furniture still looks that it is sagging even after the slip covers were put on, try putting a board under the pillows and place padding on the much needed areas so it will not appear worn out. If other furniture like a side table is broken, then have it fixed. If there are some pieces which cannot be repaired anymore, you should just probably replace them. Another way of fixing the other pieces of furniture is to paint or add tiles on the flat surfaces.

2. If you are lucky enough to have a high ceiling, invest in large wall hangings. Place these above a bed or sofa to achieve its maximum effect. This is a great way to fill up a plain, flat wall space and create a touch of creativity in the whole area. These iron pieces will add dimension, depth and interesting detail to any room.

3. Create a mood or certain atmosphere for your room to instantly change its feel. This can be achieved by softening light features or installing light dimmers. Paintings and art pieces can also enhance the mood you want to produce. The larger the piece of art you incorporate into the room, the bigger impact it will have on its unique presentation. A candle is a delicate way of changing the smell and feel of any room. Buy candles that have relaxing scents.

4. A color scheme for your living room can radically liven up a boring room. Pick out a specific color you like and purchase ornaments and accents that coordinates with the whole look of your living room. This can be done by purchasing throw pillows or new curtain panels with similar hues to the basic color scheme.

5. You can also harmonize the different pieces in your living room by decorating according to the season. During the Christmas holidays, red and green can be your primary colors while you can enhance fall colors by using ornaments in hues of yellow or gold.

You need not make drastic changes in order to change the look of your living room. Adding color and a little bit of imagination is all it takes to make it cozier or sophisticated for your taste. Choose colors that suit your personality and lifestyle. Be bold and add art pieces like large wall hangings to create personality to your living room. Incorporating these ideas will definitely make you living room looking brand new.

Alyssa Davis
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/interior-design-101-creative-tips-for-a-living-room-makeover-749188.html

There are a lot of resources over the internet which give numerous baby shower gift ideas, but still, I have come across scores of people who have been grappling to get that perfect new born baby gift. The reason for such confusion is that infants do not really have a judgment of their own, and something which might be heaven to one toddler, might not be accepted by another. Infants are too picky and therefore, people are in a constant fix over getting a gift for them. Things become all the more difficult when you want to provide the baby with a personalized baby gift.

Personalization requires creativity and money, and if you are not particularly artistic, be prepared to shell out a lot more than anticipated. Most personalized gifts bear either the photographs of the baby or the baby’s name and other similar details. How you get these details engraved and imprinted on the gift would depend upon your creativity and how much you are willing to spend for the sake of personalization.

If you want to maintain a low budget, while providing uniqueness to the gift, you best bet would be going for candles. Wax candles are beautiful and mesmerizing, and by playing around with wax in various ways, you can add personal tones and textures to the candles, besides giving them a desired shape. You can get the name and birth details engraved inside the candle in wax of contrasting colors, so that the details are seen distinctly. Using the merging of a different color of was with the original color of the candle to get your message imprinted can cost you a fortune, and you are better off if you rather get the details painted or ‘written’ on the candle, or the candle stand.

Another economical option is to personalize chocolates, by getting the chocolate wrappers printed with details of the baby. You might have to contact the chocolate manufacturing company in order to do so. You can also get the name of the baby imprinted on the chocolate bar itself, which obviously would cost a lot more than getting it printed on the wrapper. You will have to get a special order placed for such kind of personalization, and every chocolate manufacturing company doesn’t provide such options. You might want to search the internet for more details on which companies offer such customization on their chocolates and other baby-edible products.

Curtains and bed sheets containing some of the baby’s favorite cartoon characters or animals are good gifting options. You can directly approach a bed sheet or curtain manufacturer and place your order. This would be an easy thing to do, and generally all bed-sheet manufacturers provide such customization on their products. Pillow covers and soft toys of a famous cartoon character could be coupled with a baby bed-sheet containing cartoons of the same character and gifted to the baby. All these things can be combined to form a baby gift basket focused on the cartoon character as its theme. In case of girls, famous companies like Barbie and Disney provide such customization options on their websites.

Sarah McDermott
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/the-perfect-newborn-baby-gift-personalized-and-unique-gifts-become-true-keepsakes-681658.html

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Mahabharata was written more than 5000 years back. The Hindus call God as Brahman. Brahman is our soul. Brahman makes the whole world. There is nothing but Brahman in the world according to Hinduism. We do not see our true nature because of Maya. The goal is to break the curtain of Maya and see the self. Guru helps in doing that.

The foundation of Hinduism is non-dualism. God is same as we are. God shows himself as this world. Our objective is to achieve the godhood. That is the goal of a true Hindu. One who has done this becomes a Siddha.

Hinduism believes in the trinity of God. The three names are- Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. In different forms God performs differently. Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains and Mahesh or Shiva destroys. All three are same as Brahman.

Many people in India want to get extraordinary powers. Some of these powers are for doing well to others while others are for evil acts. That is black magic. For getting good powers, there is no way other than a true Guru. For other powers that are evil, people learn magic and do tantric and mantric practices. Most of these practices are performed in cremation grounds.

Beware of any Indian Guru who shows any magic. True Gurus avoid that. If you come across a guru who performs extraordinary actions, please keep away. You cannot follow more than one Guru. Following guru does not mean listening to him; it is much beyond that. Guru arouses the Kunadlini and helps his disciple reach enlightenment. Most of the Indians do not seek Guru. Most of them do not know who is a Guru. Any preacher can fool them. When a disciple attains enlightenment, he/she becomes Guru. Buddha, Lord Dattatreya, Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Baba Nityananda and Baba Muktananda are some of the Gurus of India.

CD Mohatta
http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/hinduism-the-basic-ideas-134853.html

Remodeling or renovating your bathroom can be an involved undertaking and even require expert skills, but you will find that the bathroom decorating ideas below are not hard for the average homeowner and don’t cost a lot or make a mess either!

Simplify
Here’s a bathroom decorating idea that won’t break the bank - clean off the junk on the vanity and also other surfaces and that should provide a big improvement. You may even put it in the vanity or buy decorative holders or containers and put the stuff in there.

Accessorize
Don’t forget to accessorize your bathroom by using selected toothbrush holders, soap dishes and even unique soaps. It’s the attention to detail that will give the interior design a put together style.

Artwork
Who wouldn’t want to gaze at framed artwork in the powder room? Putting up some pleasant works of art in beautiful frames can give your guests something pleasing to look at plus add ambiance to the room.

Paint
This is really the least pricey way that will alter the look of the bathroom the most. It won’t take a long time to paint and a new color can affect the entire appeal. Don’t be afraid to use bright paint - you could always repaint. Coordinate your shades with any accessories or curtains you already have and would like to continue using.

Plants
Plants look perfect in most every space and the bath is no exception. If you don’t get enough light in the bath to allow for thriving plant life, think about getting a few silk plants, but, be aware that inexpensive ones won’t look decent so you do have to select decent quality silk plants.

Lighting
Is your bathroom well lit? Modern bathroom lighting might create a huge difference and is one of the brightest bathroom decorating ideas although it might need an electrician. Think about using recessed bathroom lighting if it is within your budget or just purchase new lighting over the vanity for a less pricey answer.

Shower Curtain
You most likely change your shower curtain out regularly, but do you really give a great deal of thought to it? This time why not choose something that is that is more pricey yet will get a great look. Complete the look with rugs and accessories that match.

Rugs
Every bathroom should have a decent bathmat so why not add bath mats that match with all your other pieces?

Towels
Obviously you take advantage of towels in the bathroom on a daily basis, but do you use them to decorate? To enhance a fantastic appeal place decorative towels in a container or basket on the floor.

There it is, simple and inexpensive bathroom decorating ideas that you can pull off in a weekend without breaking the bank!

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/bathroom-decorating-ideas-for-the-budget-minded-110423.html

This article will present a few fabric window treatment ideas that you might want to use as you cover your house up and put the drapes on. You can also use these ideas as the take-off point for your own ideas in improving your window treatment.

If your House has a low ceiling and few WINDOWS, do not use velvet or other heavy drapery, as they can increase your cooling bill. Use such drapes in the winter, but stash them away and put on the sheer curtains during the summer or spring months. You can also layer your curtains: put lace over cotton, to create a cottage, down-home feel; or place veil over glossy material to imitate a bridal gown.

If you cannot afford heavy drapes but still want color in your window, then add stained glass panels to your window, or hang up stained glass chimes. These can change the color of the light coming into your home, and can add to the appeal of your windows.

You can also innovate on the different ways to tie your drapes: tie them with different colored ribbons, or place dried flowers in your knots. Hang on braided fabrics to the edges or knots in your curtain. If your house is made up of cool stone or brick, you can turn your home into a castle by hanging up brocade or velvet curtains with embroidery.

These are only a few fabric window treatment ideas that you can use, so be creative and adventurous, and add accessories or decorations where you like. If you have heavy drapes, do not overdo your set-up, and instead let the design of your fabrics stand on their own. If you want to use thin, simple, or sheer drapes, however, you can add decorations, but make sure that they do not make the window appear too over-laden with accessories.

Do not settle for only one or two fabric window treatment ideas to decorate your window for the next three years. Innovate constantly, and make sure that you get your drapes washed regularly. You can have a pretty window in no time, with the best fabrics showing off your interests and style.

Tim Lee
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/fabric-window-treatment-ideas-139854.html

Do you need kitchen design ideas to help you freshen up the look of your kitchen?

There are different ways you can achieve your interior decorating goal, even if you have a limited bank account. You don’t need to base your kitchen on a specific décor theme. Sometimes the best way to give your kitchen a makeover is to keep certain elements you really like and replace the old with new.

To give you an idea of how you can revamp your kitchen without having to remodel it, the following are some great kitchen design ideas you can put to good use:

Paint - Paint is an inexpensive way to pump vitality back into your walls. If you tend to stick to neutrals because you are afraid of color, it’s time to put your fear of color behind you. Your kitchen should be a happy space full of energy.

Consider brightening up your walls with a nice mild or bold shade of yellow, orange or red. These colors promote warmth, socialization and orange can even boost your appetite.

On the other hand, if you really love the color green, perhaps you should focus your kitchen decorating ideas around this shade. After all, the only person you should be pleasing when you decorate your kitchen is you.

Curtains - If you don’t feel your walls need paint, you don’t want to paint, or even if you decide to, curtains are kitchen design ideas you should also consider. Adding curtains is another way to add color and decoration to your kitchen.

You can choose a solid colored curtain that picks up the accent color in the room, or try something with a simple pattern. Flowers, ivy, fruits, and herbs are popular pattern choices for interior decorating.

Towels - How old are your hand towels, dish towels and cloths? Have you ever considered changing them to match the color and style of your kitchen?

For example, if you are doing a floral theme as part of your kitchen design ideas, there are plenty of towels that feature various floral patterns in a number of colors. Maybe it’s time you turned your current towels into rags and replaced them with a whole new set.

Accessories - We all get tired of looking at the same things day in and day out. That is why one of the most important kitchen design ideas is to change up the items we use on a daily basis every once in a while.

There are a number of accessories in your kitchen that you can change and are not costly to replace. Some of these items include: salt and pepper shakers, bread box, paper towel rack, napkin holder, storage jars, fruit bowl, etc. Many of these items come in a variety of colors to allow you the opportunity to change the look of your kitchen.

Other accessories that may not be as cheap to replace but should be considered for replacement include coffeemaker, teapots, kettle, wall pictures, and floor mat. Using the floral design as an example, if the flowers you are using for a pattern include red roses, consider purchasing a red coffeemaker to match the roses, or a floral teapot. In addition, you can find floor mats and wall pictures that feature flowers.

The more creative you are with your kitchen design ideas, the more money you will save. All you need to do is sit down and really think about the specific elements in your kitchen you would like to change.

Michael Holland
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/easy-and-affordable-spring-kitchen-design-ideas-139275.html