November 2017 | Learn Something New !

Explain Math Using LEGO

in family - on 11/30/2017 07:48:00 AM - No comments

A Teacher Discovered The Genius Way of Explaining Math Using LEGO

Just when you thought that LEGO couldn't get any cooler a teacher has now found a practical use for everyone's favourite childhood toy and it involves teaching children math. It's no secret that LEGO can be a brilliant educational aid, but 3rd-grade teacher Alycia Zimmerman from New York uses small blocks in order to explain fractions and other math concepts.

Zimmerman goes into great detail here on how LEGO can be used to help explain many math concepts. Great not just for the classroom but for helping kids with homework too!.

9 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

in health - on 11/29/2017 03:31:00 PM - No comments

Small changes can make a big difference

Rachel Hosie

And the good news is that these are changes that can be easily incorporated into your life.

They may make a huge difference too.

1. Walk tall

A study has found that by actively trying to walk tall with your head held high and shoulders back, you’re more likely to experience good moods. If you walk with your shoulders slouched, you’re more likely to focus on negatives rather than positives, Time reports.

2. Stop taking pictures of everything

You may think photographing moments makes you more likely to remember them, but a study published in Psychological Science suggests otherwise. If you do still want to snap your lunch or view (for the ‘gram, obvs), make sure you focus on your subjects.

3. Exercise

Exercising three times a week decreases your risk of being depressed by 19 per cent, according to a study by University College London. Researchers found that active people are less likely to be depressed and depressed people are less likely to be active.

4. Stop procrastinating

The longer you put off a task because you’re afraid or anxious about doing it, the more nerve-wracking - and potentially debilitating - it can be. Ease your stress by listening to music or exercising, then tackle the task head-on.

5. Get out of a toxic relationship

Being in a relationship with someone who constantly puts you down can knock away at someone’s self-esteem without their realising, ultimately making them anxious and potentially depressed. Listen to your friends’ and family’s concerns about your partner if they have any and read up on the signs of an abusive relationship.

6. Sleep more

Your body can’t function properly if you don’t get enough sleep. If you’re struggling to sleep, try and workout why and seek help if you can’t.

7. Make time for yourself

Between friends, family and work, keeping everyone happy can mean you neglect yourself and never have any me-time. Make time to be alone and do things for yourself, as this helps keep anxiety and depression at bay.

8. Take time out from your digital devices

Smartphones, tablets and laptops can overstimulate our brains, and if you never take any time out from them, you won’t be doing your mental health any favours. Take a mini digital detox every week, even for just half a day or a couple of hours.

9. Stop multitasking

Eating your lunch while sending emails may not seem too dangerous, but multitasking has actually been shown to make us more stressed. Instead, focus on the one thing you’re doing and what’s going on around you.

Source: Independent

6 Ways to Become a Wiser Person

in wisdom - on 11/29/2017 02:00:00 PM - No comments

Intelligence is something, say some, we are born with.

On the other hand, wisdom, far more useful, is definitely something one can accumulate over a lifetime. Many search for ways to become wise, but few feel they have really achieved it. The Berlin Wisdom Project of the late 80s defined wisdom as:

- Spiritual knowledge

- Factual knowledge

- Excellent judgment

- Excellent problem solving skills

- Ability to learn from past experience

- Humility, emotional strength or ability to recover from defeat

- Openness and maturity - allowing another to see you as you really are

- A deeper understanding of human nature, including empathy for others and other cultures

However, if you don't think you embody all these qualities, there are SIX other ways to become wiser in the human experience:

1. Being Social

Research has shown that people who keep more contact with other people display higher levels of wisdom than those who remain more secluded. Some think this may be due to new people constantly giving us new ideas to think about, new information, new experiences, and this enriches the mind and gives us more wisdom. So make an effort, if not for others than for yourself. Stay in touch with old friends, go take a course, and stay in contact with those around you, it's the wise thing to do.

2. Open mindedness

Wisdom is the ability to understand all aspects of a problem, without surrendering to personal feelings. The meaning of an open mind is to find true empathy and to understand that everyone has a life story that affects them in some way, and it is not our place to judge. A good habit is to write down, every day, what ails you. At the end of the day, take a look at that list and try to get a new perspective on each problem, you'll be surprised what things will come to mind.

3. "I could be mistaken"

A smart person understands that it is impossible to know everything, and that life always throws you a curve when you least expect it. Acknowledging our mistakes may, and often does, lead to greater wisdom. Remember, your ability to be wrong shouldn't damage your reputation as a wise man, but should increase it, because wise people know how to take responsibility for their mistakes. Nietzsche is quoted to have said: "Wisdom sets limits on knowledge, too.". Acknowledge the limits of your knowledge and admit when you are wrong.

4. Experiencing new things

While we each have our own personal tastes in books, music, art or just what is good cinema, it is important to note that getting familiar with styles unknown will broaden your horizons and introduce new world views, new ideas and new outlooks on life. So put down the novel you're reading and try a science fiction story, a history book or just a great romance. Whatever it is you almost never read, now is the time to add some real experience in things you haven't really touched on. So try something new, or learn a new skill - it won't just make you wiser, it'll also keep you young!

5. Self awareness

Many will say they have rich life experience, but when was the last time you really stopped to think of all you've learned throughout life?

Try this exercise: Write down your three biggest failures and your three biggest successes. Next to each of them write some of the events that lead to it and the lessons you learned. Look for patterns, without pride or regret, simple patterns to teach you about how you used each experience to drive you forward. After all, knowing yourself is the biggest challenge of all.

6. Know what goes on around you

Yes, the news is often dramatic, misrepresented or just depressing. But it's hard to make balanced decisions for yourself and others if you don't learn from the mistakes that happen to others and to on larger scales, to your city, country and world. Keep updated, read a newspaper, watch the news or just read a news site online from time to time. Read the articles, not just headlines, and understand how you fit into this bigger world, and where you stand. This is crucial for true wisdom.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Article Source; Ba-Bamail

15 Tactics Restaurants Use to Get You to Spend More

in GoodToKnow - on 11/29/2017 07:47:00 AM - No comments

You may not know this, but whenever you go into a restaurant, you are subjected to a barrage of psychological tricks and manipulations, and most people aren’t even aware of it. These are the 15 most common tricks restaurants use.

1. They use absurd descriptions for dishes

Did you ever see an item with descriptions “decadent” or “indulgent” on it? How about “Creamy” ice cream? Feels redundant, right? But these words have an effect on people, making them crave the dish more.

2. They don’t display currency signs in the menu

Nice restaurants avoid putting a currency sign on their menus to separate the sense of spending and dining. They want you to think about the food, not the money it costs you.

3. Everything is .99

$9.99 looks less than $10.00, right? It is, by one cent. This is a classic method meant to make you think you’re spending less, so you don’t realize you’ve blown your budget.

4. They try to make you feel at home

Using terms “Grandma’s Special Pie”, or “Mother’s Famous Soup” creates a sense of nostalgia and a desire to experience an old favorite taste again, no matter the price.

5. They use terms you don’t know to sound authentic

Did you ever go to an Italian restaurant and order the “shrimp scampi tagliatelle”? You just ordered “noodles with shrimp and butter.” Tagliatelle is Italian for noodles.

6. Using brand names

Many restaurants use brand names to make dishes sound more special. TGI Friday’s have their famous Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, which makes fans want to purchase it more.

7. Item “anchoring”

When you’re offered 2 entrées, one of which is considerably more expensive than the other, you’ll probably avoid it, but when you calculate it into the meal’s tally, you might think the price is more reasonable. It’s not.

8. Boring items are highlighted

Spaghetti and meatballs? That’s our chef’s specialty! That’s why we’re charging four times the price of what it should be, but you don’t care, because you think it’s special.

9. They make it difficult to compare prices

Using different fonts and unconventional menu layouts makes it much harder to compare prices of individual items.

10. The menu’s layout is meant to confuse you

You’ll often find a much cheaper item next to the most expensive one, but don’t be fooled – that’s usually the item with the highest profit margin – they know you’re going to go for it because you think it’s the better deal.

11. They add words to make things more exciting

Did you just order strawberries with crème Fraiche? You’re getting strawberries with cream. “Crème Fraiche” means fresh cream in French, but you thought you were getting some fancy French dish, right?

12. The menu’s designed to direct your eyes to certain items

According to studies, most people would look at the top right of a menu first, which is where you’ll usually find the most expensive items. If you look at the bottom left, you’ll usually find the cheaper items.

13. Thinking inside the box

Putting boxes around certain items makes them stand out and catch your eye, and whatever catches your eye has a higher chance of you ordering it.

14. You’ll rarely know the size of the portion you’re getting

Let’s say you only want to get half a salad, but it costs $3.99, while a whole salad costs $5 – sounds a great deal, no? But do you actually know the size difference between a salad and “half salad”?

15. They use the “Number One” trick

Generally, the first item in any category will be the most expensive because people are more ly to choose the first option they are presented with.

3 Ways People Use CC in Emails for Office Politics

in Professional - on 11/28/2017 08:02:00 PM - 1 comment

Using “cc” (carbon copy) on email, a seemingly harmless tool has become a weapon of passive aggressive office warfare. Here are 3 ways “cc” is used politically in the world of work.

1. CC for “e-tattling”.

Probably the most common strategy is including someones boss or a whole bunch of “higher ups” in the company to an email chain. The tactical purpose of this move is to cover ones back and to snitch on someone by including other people to bear witness to the electronic trail that provides evidence of that individuals inadequacy. This is also referred to as “cowards copy”.

2. CC to force a response.

There is that person that constantly cc’s your boss (and the whole world) every time they make a request, demonstrating that they do not trust you to respond timeously or to make you look bad if you turn down the request. In addition, this tactic also serves to escalate a matter in an underhanded manner.

3. CC for shameless self-promoting.

Individuals who want to look smart and busy to senior managers go out of their way to cc people unnecessarily. This tactic is particularly effective when the emails are sent out late at night or early in the morning to show commitment and provide visibility for their “hard work”.
What has been your experience with this?
https://prop

Detach Yourself from Desires

in wisdom - on 11/28/2017 04:00:00 PM - No comments

Desires cause peace to disappear. You think that acquiring things will make you feel secure, but the reality is that the more you have the more fear there usually is of losing it, and the further you are from peace. Desires are the cause of all conflicts. When you want something and cannot get it you become frustrated.

Learning to be free from desires is learning how to stay peaceful.
picture credit: Pixabay