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What is Wood Turning

Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe (see also antique wooden polelathe). Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it. Many intricate shapes and designs can be made by turning wood.

There are two distinct methods of turning wood spindle turning and faceplate turning. In spindle turning, the wood is fixed between 2 points. The spur center digs in to the wood and is powered by a motor. The other, a hard center or a live center may be a point or set of points in the tailstock. In face plate turning, the wood is secured with screws to a faceplate or in a chuck or jig. the tail stock and a center may also be used for added support on large pieces with a faceplate. Most bowls, platters and many vessels are face plate turned, while, Pens, furniture legs, spindles, and some vessels are spindle turned. The method used may differ depending on the shape of the blank and the technique of the turner, and both methods may be used on the same piece.

When wood is cut in such a way that the fiber being cut is not supported by the fiber below it, it tends to separate and tear. This "tearout" exhibits a rough, highly damaged looking surface texture and greatly reduces the value of any product exhibiting it. The direction of cut is different in spindle turning and faceplate turning because cutting in the wrong direction can cause tearout. Spindle turning cuts are made from high points toward the axis on the outside of the piece, and from the axis toward the outside when hollowing. When faceplate turning, the opposite applies.

The origin of woodturning dates to around 1300BC when the Egyptians first developed a two-person lathe. One person would turn the wood with a rope while the other used a sharp tool to cut shapes in the wood. The Romans improved the Egyptian design with the addition of a turning bow. Early bow lathes were also developed and used in Germany, France and Britain. In the Middle Ages a pedal replaced hand-operated turning, freeing both the craftsman's hands to hold the woodturning tools. The pedal was usually connected to a pole, often a straight-grained sapling. The system today is called the "spring pole" lathe (see Polelathe). Spring pole lathes were in common use into the early 20th Century. A two-person lathe, called a "great lathe", allowed a piece to turn continuously (like today's power lathes). A master would cut the wood while an apprentice turned the crank.

If you are interested in wood turning, whether to get started in the craft or just to see some amazing artists, the US America network highly encourages you to take a moment to visit The American Woodturner, a unique website devoted to turning, offering tutorials, information, news, and stories from and about woodturners. And it is free.

Tips For Using a Wood Lathe

If you learn the right way to use a wood turning lathe, it will soon become one of your favorite tools. Here are three important tips for using a lathe. They're applicable to all projects and you should keep them in mind whether you're turning a big, thick table leg or a delicate candlestick.

Good Projects Start with Good Wood

Before you even think of starting a wood turning lathe project, double-check the quality of the wood you're using. Using the right kind of wood is important, but that only one consideration.

You need to check the wood carefully to be certain it's the right size. Remember, you may lose a portion of the piece's top and bottom. That means you'll want to use pieces that are slightly longer than the project requires. There's nothing more frustrating than turning a great piece and then finding that you just can't use it.

You'll also want to inspect the wood carefully for quality. If you find deep scratches or cracks in your wood, you may end up with a final piece that will fall short of your quality standards. Check your wood for appearance, as well. Some pieces may have slightly discolored areas or grain patterns that just won't look right when you're done.

Using the Right Tool for the Job

A particular project may call for the use of a wood turning lathe, but that doesn't mean that any lathe will do. This fact becomes quite clear when you witness someone "biting off more than he or she can chew" by trying to handle an oversized piece of wood in a smaller lathe.

A pen lathe is great for a number of different jobs, but it won't be up to task for bigger projects. Likewise, smaller lathes may offer more precision and control than larger ones, making them ideal for small projects. Step back and evaluate both your project and your equipment. Are they really a good match? You should be able to answer that question in the affirmative without hesitation.

Your Hands and Eyes are Worth More than a Great Table

Every single project involving a wood turning lathe is serious. That's because you're using powerful equipment that has the potential of hurting you if not used correctly. "Safety first" may seem like a worn-out cliche, but it bears repeating when it comes to lathe work.

Be certain your wood is properly placed and is snugly fitted into the lathe. Use all necessary protective gear. Never touch a moving piece of wood with your hands--it only takes a few moments for the machine to come to stop. Don't remove a piece of wood until you've flipped the power switch to "off."

You may be excited to finish your project in record time, but it doesn't make sense to trade your safety and well-being to save a few minutes. Take the time and care to keep yourself safe.

To learn more about the wonderful world of wood turning and wood turners, and become a part of the fastest growing hobby in America, visit American Woodturner, and dive right in.

Cigarettes Harbor Many Bacteria Harmful to Human Health

Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France.

The research team describes the study as the first to show that "cigarettes themselves could be the direct source of exposure to a wide array of potentially pathogenic microbes among smokers and other people exposed to secondhand smoke." Still, the researchers caution that the public health implications are unclear and urge further research.

Expert Says Number of Children's Books About Obama Is Astounding

Given the media blitz surrounding the last U.S. presidential campaign and that book authors are often inspired by the world around them, it's no wonder the market for children's literature has seen its share of books about the new president, according to a Kansas State University children's literature expert.

But the number of titles about Barack Obama is astounding, said Phil Nel, K-State professor of English and head of K-State's children's literature program.

Family Pet's Injury Bridges Deep Athletic Rivalries for a Mississippi Family

“Don’t tell them you’re a Rebel,” Tommy Walker whispered to his son’s badly injured dog, Tayson, as they approached the entrance to Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

That was a remarkable statement from a loyal and supportive 1983 University of Mississippi pharmacy alumnus. Athletic competition between Ole Miss and Mississippi State can deeply divide families and friends into opposing camps, particularly in November, when the Egg Bowl rolls around. But a crisis, like the one the Walker family faced now, would unite the two camps of one of the most heated sports rivalries in the state.

African-American Children Cope Well With Behavioral Risks

Melvin Wilson

An eight-year study of African-American, white and Hispanic-American children in three regions of the United States has found that African-Americans had the highest level of exposure to risk factors that could lead to behavioral problems, but do not engage in bad behavior at higher rates than the other two groups.

The finding by community-clinical psychologists at the University of Virginia, University of Pittsburgh, the University of Oregon and Oxford University, is published in the current edition of the journal Prevention Science.

The investigators followed a sample of participants at high risk for conduct disorders in Pittsburgh and in rural areas outside of Charlottesville, Va., and Eugene, Ore.

Pass on the Gas: Tips to Reduce Flatulence

Passing gas -- flatulence -- is normal and happens to everyone. But for some people, excessive gas and pain interfere with normal activities. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource offers tips to reduce gas.

Gas is often caused by what and how one eats and drinks. “One common cause is swallowed air,” says G. Richard Locke, III, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist. “Eating fast, drinking out of a bottle or drinking carbonated beverages can increase the amount of air you swallow and the gas you produce.”

Mouth Is Indicator of Overall Health, Says Dental School Professor

One day in medical clinics, the big picture of a patient’s state of health may be found in little pictures from the mouth, says Li Mao, MD, a new professor at the University of Maryland Dental School.

The mouth or oral cavity area is an excellent indicator of the whole body’s health, says Mao, who is the chair of the new Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the School.

Mao recently joined the Dental School to be at the forefront of a movement to retool dental education, he says, to make dentists practice more within the bigger health care community.

Researchers Identify a Weak Link in Cancer Cell Armor

The seeming invincibility of cancerous tumors may be crumbling, thanks to a promising new gene therapy that eliminates the ability of certain cells to repair themselves. Researchers at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine have discovered that inactivation of a DNA repair gene called Hus1 efficiently kills cells lacking p53 -- a gene mutated in the majority of human cancers.

Using a mouse model, senior author Robert Weiss, associate professor of molecular genetics, first author and graduate student Stephanie Yazinski and colleagues explored how cells respond when both genes are inhibited. When they inactivated the Hus1 gene in healthy mammary gland tissues, the researchers report, it caused genome damage and cell death. And when they studied the effects of Hus1 inactivation in p53-deficient cells, which are highly resistant to cell death, they discovered that the ability of Hus1 inactivation to kill cells was even greater.

Lack of Social Engagement Is a Risk Factor for Self-Neglect in Older Adults

Seniors who neglect themselves, risking their own health and safety, tend to be individuals with limited social networks and little social engagement, according to a study by Rush University Medical Center.

The study, currently appearing online in the medical journal Gerontology, is the largest epidemiological study to date examining a wide range of sociodemographic, health-related and psychosocial characteristics associated with elder self-neglect.

"We need to better understand elder self-neglect – who is at risk and why – so that we can find solutions and establish appropriate policies," said Dr. Xinqi Dong, a researcher and geriatrician at Rush University Medical Center and the study’s lead author. "This is particularly important because reports of self-neglect to social service agencies are rising.

Summer Smart: How to Make the Most of the Season—Safely

Newswise — Summer brings sun, fun—and some health risks, if you aren’t careful. Here’s how to keep the “good” in the “good ol’ summertime.”

Save Your Skin

According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 60,000 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States in 2007. “You can’t keep people from going out in the sun, but you can be smart about it,” says Jason Medina, M.D., a family practice physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland. Here are some strategies for protecting yourself:

· Avoid direct sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

· Wear protective clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

· Wear a wide-brimmed hat that shades your face, neck and ears. “Protecting the scalp is especially important for people with fair or thinning hair,”
Dr. Medina says.

· Seek shade whenever possible.

· Apply SPF 30, UVA/UVB sunscreen about 15 to 30 minutes before going into the water. Reapply regularly, especially after swimming, perspiring heavily or drying off with a towel.

Keep Your Cool

To help prevent heat-related illness, drink plenty of fluids. “Sports drinks or plain water are best; try to avoid spending all day drinking alcohol or caffeinated drinks, since they increase dehydration,” Dr. Medina says. Also, avoid strenuous activity during the hottest parts of the day. When high temperatures combine with high humidity, be on the lookout for signs of heat exhaustion, including:

· Heavy sweating

· Muscle cramps

· Paleness, weakness, rapid heartbeat

· Headache, nausea, fainting

“Your body can no longer control its internal temperature, and that can be dangerous,” Dr. Medina says. If you are experiencing symptoms, move to a shady or air-conditioned area and drink plenty of fluids. If symptoms don’t subside within about 30 minutes, seek medical help.

Watch Your Step

Finally, “we don’t want to see you in the emergency room,” Dr. Medina says. Here’s how to make him happy:

· Wear helmets and proper safety gear when biking, skating or rock climbing.

· Supervise children around any form of water, and learn CPR.

· Leave snakes alone, even if they appear not to be alive. If a bite should occur, call 9-1-1. If you can, snap a quick photo of the snake on your cell phone.

· Prevent mosquito- and tick-borne diseases such as West Nile virus by avoiding outdoor activities between dusk and dawn and wearing long sleeves and pants.

· When grilling, use separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked meat. Wash hands before preparing and eating food.

· Leave the fireworks to the professionals.

For more information about Baylor Medical Center at Garland, visit www.BaylorHealth.com or call 1-800-4BAYLOR.

New Study Indicates That Parents’ Influence on Children’s Eating Habits is Small

Newswise — The popular belief that healthy eating starts at home and that parents’ dietary choices help children establish their nutritional beliefs and behaviors may need rethinking, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An examination of dietary intakes and patterns among U.S. families found that the resemblance between children’s and their parents’ eating habits is weak. The results are published in the May 25, 2009, issue of Social Science and Medicine.

“Child-parent dietary resemblance in the U.S. is relatively weak, and varies by nutrients and food groups and by the types of parent-child dyads and social demographic characteristics such as age, gender and family income,” said Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, senior author of the study and associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Human Nutrition. “When looking at overall diet quality, parent-child correlation in healthy eating index score was similar for both younger and older children. To our knowledge, this is the first such study that examined the similarities between children’s and their parents’ dietary intakes in the United States based on nationally representative data. Our findings indicate that factors other than family and parental eating behaviors may play an important role in affecting American children’s dietary intakes.”

Researchers examined data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, a nationally representative multi-stage sample of 16,103 people containing information about dietary intake, socioeconomic, demographic and health parameters surveyed from 1994 to 1996. Average dietary intake and dietary quality indicators were assessed using two 24-hour dietary recalls provided by study participants. Researchers also assessed the overall quality of the participating children’s and their parents’ diets based on the USDA 2005 Health Eating Index (HEI) along with a number of other covariates.

They found that the correlations between children’s and their parents’ HEI scores ranged from 0.26 to 0.29 across various child-parent dyads such as mother-daughter and father-son; for total energy intake they were 0.14 to 0.29, and for fat intake, -0.04 to 0.28. The range of the correlation measure is between -1 and 1, while 0 means no resemblance and 1 indicates a perfect resemblance. The researchers also found some differences in the resemblance between different types of child-parent dyads and nutrient intakes, and by children’s age and family income.

“Factors other than parental eating behaviors such as community and school, food environment, peer influence, television viewing, as well as individual factors such as self-image and self-esteem seem to play an important role in young people’s dietary intake,” said May A. Beydoun, PhD, co-author of the study and a former postdoctoral research fellow at the Bloomberg School.

“Our findings have a number of important public health implications. In particular, the overall weak to moderate parent-child resemblance in food groups, nutrients and healthy eating index scores suggest that interventions targeting parents could have only a moderate effect on improving their children’s diet. Nevertheless, based on our findings stratified by population groups, for interventions targeting parents, those would be more effective when targeted at mothers, minority groups, and as early as possible in childhood. We suspect that the child-parent resemblance in dietary intake may have become weaker over time, due to the growing influence of other factors outside of the family,” said Wang.

“Parent-child dietary intake resemblance in the United States: Evidence from a large representative survey” was written by May A. Beydoun and Youfa Wang.
The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

This Logical Consequence Helps Kids Discuss Solutions

Jean Tracy

When your children misbehave, would you like them to take responsibility? If you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions, use your kids' reasoning powers to show you how.

Do your children sass?
Do your children whine?
Do your children avoid chores?
Do your children fight?
Do your children lie?

In my counseling practice, parents didn't want to be judge and jury. Instead, they wanted their kids to take responsibility for their own actions. If your children exhibit similar behaviors to the above, you can get out of the middle and help your children change. Below is a method that works with children from elementary grades through high school. Don't worry if your kids don't like it. They're not supposed to.

Discover the Best Hand Lotion to Prevent and Lighten Age Spots

Laurel Levine

Ever wondered what's the best hand lotion to prevent and lighten age spots? You actually have several choices. Some are of course better than others. I would recommend that you avoid any product containing hydroquinone. It has been banned in several countries, because it is a probable carcinogen, but it is still used by US manufacturers.

It's hard to get any cosmetic ingredient banned in the US. Despite scientific research indicating otherwise, many manufacturers still insist that there is nothing wrong with using toxins, poisons, allergens or irritants on the outside of your body. For thousands of years, natural health experts have advised that we put nothing on the skin that we would not also eat. I think that's a good rule of thumb to follow. There are safe and effective ingredients that will inhibit melanin production and fade age spots. You can find them in some of the better lotions on the market.

The best hand lotion to prevent and lighten age spots may be a night cream designed for the face. It is an "anti-aging" night cream, containing ingredients that are proven to increase skin cell production, improve firmness and lessen wrinkles. There are a number of active compounds in the creams, but the two that do the most for lightening heavily pigmented areas are Shea butter and Functional Keratin.

The spot is composed of cells that contain melanin; a pigment secreted by specialized cells and passed on into the new cells of the epidermis as they are produced in the basal layer. They gradually work their way out to the stratum corneum, the outermost layer. Once there, you see a spot.

Functional Keratin is part of the best hand lotion to prevent and lighten age spots, because it stimulates the production of new skin cells. If you avoid exposure to the sun, those cells should contain less melanin. Shea butter is known to fade the spots in four to six weeks, although the mechanism of action is unclear. It is mostly composed of fat, very similar to sebum, the skin's natural moisturizer. Another ingredient that has a known mechanism of action is nut-grass root. Extracts from the root have been shown to inhibit melanin production when included in creams at certain concentrations. In the best hand lotion to prevent and lighten age spots, the concentration is .5%. This concentration is usually only found in face creams designed for whitening. But, no one says that you can't use it on your hands. You just need to be aware that it will probably lighten the overall tint of the skin. That might not be desirable.

Make no mistake about it. When you are shopping for creams or lotions, there is one ingredient that you should always look for, natural vitamin E. Vitamin E has many proven benefits for the skin's health. It helps to delay the signs of aging by fighting free radicals. The best hand lotion to prevent and lighten age spots contains vitamin E for this purpose and also because it is an effective natural preservative.

Outdoor Photography Tips - That Shiny Round Thing Is The Lens...

Here's a stunning concept to get a grip on before you buy that $4,000 middle of the range Canonikon. The first rule of outdoor photography is... Go outdoors!

Imagine this: You just sent your credit card into cardiac arrest. You have a beautiful black beast THAT NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO TOUCH! It's probably going to sit in your cupboard until it becomes obsolete (and has zero resale value) so GET OUT THERE AND TAKE LOTS OF SHOTS!

If you're going to sit at home and read articles like this one you're really missing the point. Don't read any further, get your butt out of that chair right now, grab the camera, go outside, and shoot what you see.

But it's night time…

So? This is the DIGITAL age! Here's the first tip:

Shoot What You See. You can shoot anything you can see and fix it in the computer later. YOU see the photos – the camera doesn't. So, it's night. Night shots can look stunning. Shoot the cityscape (it's outdoors isn't it?). Shoot your own house with the big yellow moon behind it. Shoot people shopping. Shoot your local park with mist shrouding the ground and shafts coming down from the streetlights… Just GO OUT AND SHOOT!

Here are some more very basic tips:

Get A Camera. You probably already have one, but if you haven't, go buy one. Don't spend a fortune. The bottom of the range Sony Cybershots are excellent little cameras for beginners that take great pictures.

Shoot Lots Of Pictures. Do I need to explain this? This is what cameras are for. They don't survive for long in captivity... They DO take photographs.

Read The Manual That Came With The Camera. No, really? Oh, yes, Grasshopper. Those manuals are jam-packed full of useful stuff. You have NO IDEA what your camera can do until you study the manual. No kidding!

Put A Skylight Or UV (Ultraviolet) Filter On It. Outdoors you can get dust, pollen, mist, water on your lens. Lenses are expensive, filters are cheap. So get a filter on the lens fast and if you have to clean things, clean the filter while the lens stays protected.

Buy Another Battery. Don't be a wimp. Just buy another battery and keep it charged.

Buy Another Memory Stick. Ditto.

Get Some Kind Of Real Software For Editing Your Shots. Most cameras come with a CD of software and it's specifically designed for people with low expectations. I always go back to Photoshop Whatever or Corel Something. You usually can't fix a shot if it is blurred, out of focus, or seriously over-exposed (too pale or whitish) or under-exposed (too dark) images. But you can always try…

Get A Tripod. Some purists say you shouldn't leave home without one. If you want a love/hate relationship, buy a cheap one. A tripod's main purpose is to eliminate blurred images due to camera movement. Unless you have trained as a Special Forces sniper, when your shutter speed goes below 1/60th of a second, you'll probably get camera movement. Think wisely before purchasing…Remember that you have to carry it around with you.

Polarizing Filter. These filters work the same as Polaroid sunglasses. They eliminate reflections off water, shiny objects and so on. The air is full of water particles, so… When you see a shot with a vivid blue sky, it is usually because the photographer used a polarizing filter.

Other Nifty Filters And Stuff. Where do you stop once you've started? If you want to be a perfectionist about Outdoor Photography – or if you want to do it semi-professionally – just take the family down to your camera shop and ask if they will do a trade-in. Who knows? Anyway, most filter effects can be fudged in a decent photo editing program.

Shoot It Now - Fix It Later. Dr Photo Editing Software can treat most illnesses. Don't hesitate – shoot it now! Don't wait for a better moment. THIS is the better moment. Shoot now, repent later.

He Who Hesitates…Can Always Go Back The Next Day. Shoot lots of pictures. (Did I already mention this?) The only really bad picture is the one you missed because you hesitated. But everyone blows it at some time. Don't panic. Just go back the next day. Maybe the shot will still be there. Maybe there'll be a better one. Maybe you really blew it. Go somewhere else and keep shooting.

Cameras are built to take photos. Make yours happy.

~ Lance Carr

How to Become a Top Bartender and Earn More Money

Is being a bartender really your passion? Are you fond of showing your bartending skills to your peers? Are you somebody who is outgoing and connects easily with other people? Do you enjoy being in the social-scene most of the time? Is working late more appealing to you? Then, bartending is really for you!

Being a bartender means you have to engage yourself in the hospitality industry, which means, you deal mostly with various people in different locations, wherever your job might bring you. Bartending is indeed a very rewarding profession, with great pay and flexible work schedules however as a bartender, you must remember that most of your income comes from the tips given by your customers. So you need to have that special something in you to retain your clients and attract new prospective clients. Do you wish to standout in your chosen profession? Here are some tips on becoming the best bartender you can be:

Total awareness of the details You must pay attention to what your clients are asking from you. Like for example: Your client orders 10 drinks and wants them at the same time; focus and listen well to your guest, so that you'll be able to give out their orders correctly without having to let them repeat the ordered drinks a lot of times.

Maintain a cool mood most of the time You need to be calm despite of working under pressure. Being calm means you have good command of your work as a bartender.

Good Memory. Know your Drinks by heart! There are so many drinks available all over the world (beers, wines, cocktails, spirits, etc.), all coming with different varieties and preparations; and having to deal with them could get tricky, not to mention the large volume of customers - both the regular and the new comers that you also have to transact with. Having a good memory plays an important part in the bartending world. You also have to make your own strategies so as to be able to remember all mixed drinks, like learning the mnemonics of the recipes to make your job a lot easier. Take note that making your own strategies not only works for game websites like Getminted, it can also be valuable in the bartending scene. There are however, some thirsty customers from across the bar who likes to try out something new. You could offer them some suggestion of you personal choice or you could ask them about their preferences so that you'd ha
ve an
idea of what they wanted for a drink. It is vital that you keep in mind the drinks that your clienteles order moderately and also make an effort to experiment on the new ones, in case a customer would ask for your suggestion for a good drink.

Needs to be good in math Being a bartender does not only mean giving out drinks. You also have to know your mixing proportions especially with mixed drinks. You also need to be quick in making change, so a good math skill is needed.

Stay looking sharp You need to be well-groomed when you are a bartender. This is to show people that you are a professional and that your work is dignified. However, this also can depend on the theme of the bar you are working.

Good Inter-personal skills As a bartender you mingle with different kinds of people everyday. In order to make them as regular customers of your bar, especially those who give generous tips, you have to have a good personality and treat them nicely. Also, never let work pressure get the best of you especially when you are so busy at the bar and you still have to deal with some regular customers who have had much of a drink.

Act Professionally Some pubs or bars have their themes. As the bartender of a themed bar, you have to merge with the bar. This means that you have to blend in it by dressing-up to fit in. However, despite of what you look like or what you wear, always act in a decorous manner so as to gain respect.Act Professionally Some pubs or bars have their themes. As the bartender of a themed bar, you have to merge with the bar. This means that you have to blend in it by dressing-up to fit in. However, despite of what you look like or what you wear, always act in a decorous manner so as to gain respect. You also have to be friendly and courteous in dealing with your customers, however, you have to be firm with them. You have to be courageous and determined especially when your patrons tend to become unruly after a few drinks. If you think that your regular guest and/or patron have had too much to drink, you have the liberty to tell them so in a manner that's polite.

Team player Remember that in some bars, especially the high-volume ones you are not the only bartender working there. There are other bartenders as well. So, to make your work a lot easier, you have to have good working relationships with your colleagues.

Know your customers You have to know your regular customer's name. Develop a good professional relationship with them. Your customers would have more of a reason for coming over at your bar for a drink if they see that they are being treated nicely.

These are just some of the helpful ways on how to become a top bartender. As long as you are determined and you persevere, you could always stand-out.

~ John Freeman

Just The Facts Please

Lisa Hayes

My son and I were having a very heated conversation about a very emotional subject last night. At some point he pointed out to me that my emotions were clouding my judgment and impairing my ability to be effective in the situation.

Body: My son and I were having a very heated conversation about a very emotional subject last night. At some point he pointed out to me that my emotions were clouding my judgment and impairing my ability to be effective in the situation. Not what I wanted to hear from my child, but true none the less. I am a "live from the gut" kind of gal. I lead with emotion a lot of the time. It usually serves me very well. However, when I'm dealing with a difficult subject, and my emotions are running a muck and running the show, the end result is often, well, mucky. Complicating things, in this conversation with my son, was the he was in the same boat. So there we were, two of us, paddling up stream, all emotional, less then effective, with clouded judgment. It was like chaos squared. I see this chaos squared syndrome in complicated emotional conversations between people all the time. It doesn't matter if it's a husband and wife, child and parent, business partners - anytime you put the energy of two highly charged emotional people in one confrontational conversation, getting clear gets almost impossible.

So, how do you work your way out of this communication quick sand? It's very simple. Go straight to the facts. What do you know for sure?? When we agreed to commit to only reacting to what we knew for sure, both my son and myself found we had very little to be upset about. Making assumptions, dealing in speculation, guessing, and basing opinion on past history, is a sure fire way to make yourself crazy. None of those things are based in fact. None of those things are based in the here and now and we all know that now is all there really is. Truth of the matter is when we looked at our situation almost everything we were both upset about wasn't real. It was almost all speculation. We knew very little for sure. What we did know for a fact was manageable. The most important thing we knew in the all important moment of now is that we loved each other very much.

How much time do we spend worrying about things that aren't established fact? How much do we speculate we know about other peoples feelings and motives? How often do we spin out about what we are afraid might be true, but aren't sure?? This wouldn't be a bad habit is we were in a pattern of supposing that everyone was out to make our day and conspire on our behalf. However, for most of us, our imaginations take us in a much darker direction. Even bigger problem is we get in a pattern of taking what we are imagining we know as FACT even when it's not.

So the next time you are in a conversation where you find your less then lovely emotions directing the show, take a step back and take a cold hard look at the facts. Write down what you know for absolutely certain and let everything else go. It's like a magic wand that works magic on your most difficult moments.

Lisa Hayes is an entrepreneur, life coach, mother, and friend. In her writing, speaking engagements, and classes she teaches, her primary goal is working with women to help them achieve peace, and even bliss, in the chaos of their everyday lives. Lisa began the pursuit of the healing arts more then a decade ago when she completed her degree in natural health and nutrition. She continued that path as a yoga and meditation instructor before becoming a life coach. Lisa is also a Certified/Registered Hypnotherapist. She utilizes the insight she received from her training in every project she undertakes.

Computer Games for Brain Fitness

Just came across some interesting research from Arthur Kramer at the University of Illinois, which buttresses the already steady stream of information about how brain fitness can be improved.

This study indicates that 60 and 70 year old folks can improve some brain or cognitive skills by playing a strategic video game.

From the Science Digest article about the study,

"A desire to rule the world may be a good thing if you're over 60 and worried about losing your mental faculties. A new study found that adults in their 60s and 70s can improve a number of cognitive functions by playing a strategic video game that rewards nation-building and territorial expansion."

According to the article, "this is the first such study of older adults, and it is the first to find such pronounced effects on cognitive skills not directly related to the skills learned in the video game, said University of Illinois psychology professor Arthur Kramer, an author on the study."

"Decades of laboratory studies designed to improve specific cognitive skills, such as short-term memory, have found again and again that trainees improve almost exclusively on the tasks they perform in the lab - and only under laboratory conditions, Kramer said."

This is important for those of us with 60 year old brains who are interested is sustaining our viability, especially if you are a parent, like me, of a 10 and 4 year old brain. I want my training to generalize to the rest of my life. When I lift weights, the strength that results is very useful in lawn mowing and parenting realms. It makes it possible for me to wrestle with my kids, for example, and even their friends. I can feel the strength when I am tasked with that chore, which overwhelms my younger wife. I want my brain fitness to translate to my parenting and counseling practice in the same way. I also like to know what Dr. I would like to know what Dr. Kramer's opinion of the fluid intelligence training provided by the dual n back task is in regards to executive intelligence.

"When you train somebody on a task they tend to improve in that task, whatever it is, but it usually doesn't transfer much beyond that skill or beyond the particular situation in which they learned it," he said. "And there are virtually no studies that examine whether there's any transfer outside the lab to things people care about."

This has been a concern for me with some of the commercial programs available to consumers. Other

programs have indicated that the training in the exercise translates to other activities, and some have said there is limited or no transfer to activities not specifically in the game. Kramer is saying. I would be very curious to know what games the researchers tried and discarded and why.

"Kramer and his colleagues wanted to know whether a more integrated training approach could go beyond the training environment to enhance the cognitive skills used in every day life. Specifically, the researchers wondered whether interactive video games might benefit those cognitive functions that decline most with age."

"Older people tend to fare less well on things that are called executive control processes," Kramer said. "These include things like scheduling, planning, working memory, multitasking and dealing with ambiguity."

So it is old age and not ADD? Will my wife believe that? She is already sceptical].

The evidence in this study indicates that there was improvement.

"In medical terminology, these would be dose-response effects," Kramer said. "The more drug - or in this case the more training on the video game - the more benefit."

The findings are meaningful, Basak said, because they show that multi-dimensional training can affect many individual components of cognitive function.

"The fact that you're training people in a molecule and finding transfer to atoms I think is very impressive," she said.

"This is one mode in which older people can stay mentally fit, cognitively fit," Kramer said. "I'm not suggesting, however, that it's the only thing they should do."

Other activities, in particular socializing, exercising and eating well, are also important to maintaining healthy cognitive function in later years, he said.

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