What Not To Wear to Work


They say that appearance is everything. And in a world where jobs are few and far between, never has office attire been as important as it is now. But office dress codes have never been more confusing.

Sharon Napier, chief executive of Partners + Napier, a Rochester, N.Y., advertising company, recently called two interns into her office--one was wearing short shorts and the other had piercings in her nose and mouth. She told them outright to go home to change what they'd worn to work. "I [said to] them, 'I'm not making judgments about your fashion choices, but you need to look professional if you want your talents to be recognized. I can't put you in front of clients the way you're dressed now." She advised the interns to look at what the supervisors at her firm were wearing before they went home, so they'd know how to alter their appearances.

Instances like this one are more common than you'd think.

10 Office Fashion Don'ts

Napier's company, like many others these days, allows employees to choose between traditional and business casual attire and doesn't have a formal dress code. But more choices have led to greater confusion about what's proper to wear to work and how to communicate this to employees. Does business casual mean neatly pressed pants and a collared shirt or cut offs and T-shirts? If bare legs and bare arms are allowed, what about bare backs or bellies? Where's the line between business casual and weekend casual? And just how short or clingy is unprofessional?

"The problem is business casual means something different to employees at different levels of every company and in every industry--and 'dress down Friday' has become dress down every day in many workplaces," says Marion Gellatly, president of Powerful Presence, a Pebble Beach, Calif.-based image consultancy. "It was easier when the suit was the business uniform because everyone knew what it looked like."

Some companies, especially financial services and law firms, have written dress codes that offer precise guidelines. Barclays Capital, for instance, requires employees to wear suits or traditional business attire when they are meeting with clients. Barclays also defines "inappropriate casual dress" as "denim items of any color, shorts, T-shirts, sweatshirts, any sports footwear such as training shoes, any items of clothing with slogans and beach style footwear." Appropriate casual dress at Barclays includes "blazers, sports jackets, collared shirts, pressed trousers, casual skirts and smart casual trousers," among other items.

But who's to say exactly what constitutes a "casual skirt" and when said skirt crosses the line? This means, at many companies these days, it's up to individual managers to set fashion guidelines and enforce them--or hire consultants like Gellatly to offer counsel. "I'm called in when companies have a problem that they don't know how to deal with," she says.

The problems she sees most often are employees who dress in clothes that are too revealing or too sloppy. She cringes when she sees a woman at a business meeting whose cleavage is showing or whose mini-skirt is exposing most of her thighs, or a woman whose hemline is torn, or a man with a crumpled shirt that isn't tucked into his trousers.

"Even though there aren't many hard and fast rules anymore, you need to scrutinize your image because that's the memory you leave behind when you leave the room," she advises employees who want to get ahead or just keep their jobs. "I ask employees, 'do you want to be remembered as credible and authoritative, or sexy, or disheveled? If your sweater is cut so low that everyone can see your bra, how seriously are you going to be taken? That's a problem not just for your company but for you," she says.


Napier says she must speak up more often and remind employees to dress professionally in the summer when the line between business and weekend casual often blurs. She tells women who wear sundresses to the office to keep a cardigan or jacket at their desk that they can throw on if they have a client meeting. And when a male employee once showed up in flip flops and cut-off shorts, she told him he shouldn't come to work looking like he was about to cut his lawn.

Her employees listen, she says, because they realize that what's good for the company is also good for their careers. The intern who had a lot of piercings removed them after Napier talked with her, and later wrote her a thank you note. The intern who'd worn short shorts started wearing slacks and skirts.

And when Napier's 21-year-old daughter landed a business internship in New York this summer, she gave her the same guidance that she'd offered to her interns. She took her daughter shopping and helped her choose a few basic office fashions: a black suit, black dress, a gray skirt and a few solid colored shirts.

"I told her 'if you wear open-toed shoes or sandals, make sure your toes are manicured.' I said, 'no matter how good a job you are doing, looking the part is very important. People will never forget if you look sloppy,'" she says.

While some fashion faux pas--such as flip flops or see-through shirts--apply to all workplaces, each company has its own fashion culture. "It's important to learn what that is because you don't want to stick out, you want to be part of the team," says Jill Wiseman, who until recently was a director in the brand management group of American Express Co. "If you're working in an image-conscious industry such as advertising or fashion, you have to make sure your wardrobe is up to date," she says. "If you're on a trading floor of a bank, you're going to have to dress more conservatively."

Wiseman is glad women are no longer expected to dress like men in boxy suits with floppy bow ties, as they were when they first began climbing the corporate ladder 30 years ago. But she consciously dresses differently for work than she does on weekends or for evenings out with her husband and friends. In the winter she opts for navy, gray and black suits--often wearing them as separates. Come summer, she wears brightly colored shirts and jackets. "Within the confines of dressing professionally, I like to express who I am by wearing clothes I love and playing with colors and accessories," she says.

Gellatly advises women who want to be perceived as strong and capable at work to choose a dark navy over a peach-colored jacket. "Dark colors project more authority," she says. So do lightweight wool or cotton fabrics that are firm, vs. soft and pliable jersey fabrics, she believes. "If you take a monochromatic sleeveless dress and throw a solid-colored cardigan over it, you'll look a lot more professional than if you wear a flashy, floral pattern," she says.

forbes.com

Travel Magazine Tags Bangkok As Top City



Travel magazine Travel + Leisure has just awarded its “Top City” honor, inspite of recent civilian unrest and violence there. Bangkok city officials acknowledged and welcomed the award, coming in the heels of violent protests and riots organized by Thailand’s political opposition.

The August issue of the magazine placed Bangkok at the top of the list. Almost 16,000 readers and voters were asked to name their favourite cities, islands, hotels, and airlines.

The poll was made before the recent riots in Bangkok, and may not accurately represent the current sentiments of tourists.

Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said it was like a nightmare for the whole country when tourists departed hastily amid the riots. He assured incoming tourists that authorities are under control and the security situation has stabilized.

“What we have in our hands is very precious,” said Sukhumbhand. “We must prevent troubles and any more losses from happening in our beloved city. We should not damage it any further.”

Despite the reassurance, some incidents of violence continue to happen in the capital. On Sunday, a grenade exploded in a crowded area, killing one, and wounding ten people. Officials downplayed the incident as isolated and refused to tie it to the violent riots.

Thailand and its capital Bangkok is a famous tourist destination known for drawing huge numbers of tourists year after year. However, political strife and violence has also plagued the country with the riots the recent one in a string of incidents over the years.

empowerednews.net

A dam big project: Incredible images of construction work on 1,900ft-long Hoover Bridge

It is one of the planet's newest awe-inspiring superstructures - the Hoover Dam Bridge.

Now the giant construction project which is on schedule to be completed in September can be seen in all its glory in a series of stunning photographs.

Twelve years in planning and five years under construction, the development - known officially as the 'Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge' - is finally taking shape.

Hoover bridge

Spectacular structure: The Hoover Dam Bridge rises from the river banks in the middle stages of the £160million project. This image, which was taken in April this year, shows how the new bridge will replace the old road which crossed the top of the dam

Rising 890 ft above the Colorado River, when finished, its total length will be 1,900 ft, with its longest supported span running to 1080 ft.

Built in the shadow of the iconic Hoover Dam, which powers most of states Nevada and Arizona, the construction is the first concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States.

With costs estimated to run to £160 million, the bridge is designed to take the pressure off the congested US Highway 93, which connects Las Vegas, Nevada, in the west with Arizona and the Grand Canyon in the east.

The bridge is expected to carry 17,000 trucks and cars every day and will allow the roadway that runs on top of the Hoover Dam to close.

Having long been the most accessible river crossing between Nevada and Arizona, the dam is thought to be at risk of a terror strike, with trucks already banned from crossing.

In November, cars will no longer be able to cross the dam which was built in 1936.

Hoover Dam Bridge

Don't look down: Workers use a crane to construct the top of the bridge's arch during the large-scale project. The picture, taken in August, 2009, shows how engineers anchored the structure in the canyon's sides

Hoover Bridge Dam

Let there be light: Night work on the Hoover Bridge continues unabated thanks to huge lighting towers in September last year. The bridge is due to be completed later this year

Designed by T.Y Lin International, the bridge will be four lanes wide and is designed to match the style of the dam shadowing it, which holds back artificial Lake Mead.

Around 3,000 workers have helped construct the bridge using 2,300 feet long steel cables held aloft by a 'high line' crane system.

The distinctive arches are made up of 106 concrete and steel arches, each one 24ft-long.

The bridge has been named after Mike O'Callaghan, a former Nevada Governor and Pat Tillman, the American Football player who left the NFL and joined the army after the 9/11 attacks.

Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004.

Documenting the last 18 months on camera has been Santa Fe resident Jamey Stillings, 38.

Hoover Dam Bridge

Patriotic: The new bridge will provide much needed relief for cars and lorries using U.S. Highway 93. The road provides a scenic link betweej the Grand Canyon, to the east and Las Vegas to the west

'I was driving on a road trip through Nevada across to Arizona when I took in the Hoover Dam as a tourist,' said Jamey, who has been photographing the Bridge since March 2009.

'I came across the construction of the bridge without warning and it captured a piece of my imagination.'

Deciding to stay for a night nearby, Jamey set about forming a project to photograph the bridge as it's put together step-by-step.

'I fell in love with it and wanted to begin a photographic project immediately,' said Jamey.

'I have been a photographer working in environments such as war zones in Nicaragua and in advertising and corporate work, but this was a chance to return to my roots.

'I have made ten trips in total to the bridge. I have spent 26 days and nights at the site with the workers and have taken over 12,000 frames.'

bridge

High and mighty: The bridge nears completion, providing a four-lane highway crossing from Arizona to Nevada and on to Las Vegas

The Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam, seen in the background, was started in 1931 and completed in 1936. It spans the Black Canyon and uses the Colorado River in a giant hydroelectricity project

Hoover Dam

Relief from congestion: A satellite image showing how the bridge will connect US Highway 93 at the top of the picture with the road towards the bottom

dailymail.co.uk

It seems there's nothing the stars won't try to look good - but could a celebrity diet work for YOU?

As Naomi Campbell’s bizarre maple syrup and cayenne pepper diet proved last week, celebrities have some strange ideas about what constitutes a decent meal. Here, we enlist Ursula Arens, from the British Dietetic Association, and Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, to give their opinions...
Jennifer Aniston

Baby food cleanse: Jennifer Aniston

JENNIFER ANISTON

Super-skinny celeb trainer Tracy Anderson is apparently responsible for Jennifer Aniston's latest diet, which has seen her drop half a stone.

Dubbed 'The Baby Food Cleanse', the idea is that throughout the day you consume 14 portions of puréed food.

All the purées are free of oils, spices and salt, and can range from fruit smoothies and oatmeal to soups containing dandelion greens.

In the evening, a normal dinner of lean meat and vegetables is allowed.

Tracy apparently believes that the easier it is for your body to process food, the swifter you'll lose weight.

URSULA SAYS: This seems totally counter-intuitive to me.

If your food is easier to digest, it means the calories are more readily available to your body.

It's the reason why eating an apple actually gives you fewer calories than if you drink the juice of one apple.

STEVE SAYS: Human beings need roughage.

Eating lots of green veg and food that bulks out the bowel prevents bowel cancer, so by liquidising your food, you run pointless and unnecessary risks with your long-term health.

Naomi Campbell: Advocates the Maple Syrup Diet

Naomi Campbell: Advocates the Maple Syrup Diet

NAOMI CAMPBELL

Alongside a host of other celebrities - including Beyonce, who used the plan to shed 22lb in ten days - Naomi has admitted to being a fan of the Master Cleanse, also known as The Lemonade or Maple Syrup Diet.

This diet involves drinking between six and 12 glasses a day of a maple syrup, lemon juice, water and cayenne pepper mixture.

She told Oprah last week that she tries to do the cleanse three times a year and the longest that she's ever done it for is 18 days.

She believes it's important to 'clean your body out once in a while'.

URSULA SAYS: If this mixture is all you are consuming, you are going to lose weight because it is an incredibly low-­calorie diet, but you're not going to keep the weight off when you stop.

The only way to lose weight that will last is slowly and sensibly.

STEVE SAYS: The human body is brilliant at detoxing itself. The liver and kidneys are all that you need.

To suggest that you need to give your digestive system a break is just nonsense.


Cheryl Cole

Cheryl Cole: Theories behind her Blood Type Diet are unproven

CHERYL COLE

Cheryl insists that she changed her diet to feel better rather than to stay slim, and she's convinced that it has increased her energy levels.

The Blood Type Diet was developed by Peter D'Adamo and is based on the idea that your blood group indicates physiological differences that make certain foods easier for your body to digest.

According to the plan, if you are blood type O, you should follow a high-protein, low-carb diet, cutting out most grains. If you're blood type A, you should eat a mainly vegetarian diet low in fat and high in carbs.

Type Bs should eat a varied diet, including meat and dairy, while type AB can eat most foods recommended for both A and B blood types.

URSULA SAYS: It might sound as if it's rooted in science, but there's no strong evidence to suggest that differences between blood types have a noticeable effect on digestion.

Some people have allergies and sensitivities to certain foods, but there's nothing to suggest that this is related to blood groups.

STEVE SAYS: Cutting entire food groups out of your diet arbitrarily could result in you being deficient in certain essential vitamins and minerals, so a diet like this, which has no credible basis, is not advisable.

Cindy Crawford

Complicated diet plan: Cindy Crawford

CINDY CRAWFORD

The supermodel is a fan of The Zone Diet, when everything you eat is in the ratio of 40 per cent carbohydrates, 30 per cent protein and 30 per cent fat.

The diet bans sugar, bread, pasta, rice, alcohol and caffeine.

It also recommends you restrict high-sugar fruit and vegetables, such as papaya, mango and carrots.

And alongside your three main meals, you have two mini-meals to maintain blood sugar levels.

URSULA SAYS: Three meals and two snacks is a sensible way to eat, as long as it is nutritious.

The diet demands that you keep the proportions for every meal and snack.

Calculating something like this is a bit of a faff if you don't have your own personal chef.

STEVE SAYS: If things are complicated, you're more likely to fall off the wagon.

There are far better ways to spend your time than measuring out exact ratios of food.

Claudia Schiffer

Cuts out alcohol: Claudia Schiffer

CLAUDIA SCHIFFER

Unlike many irritating celebs who insist they eat whatever they like, Claudia admits she has to work hard for her body.

She doesn't drink alcohol, steers clear of caffeine and exercises regularly. She doesn't believe in dieting as it messes up your metabolism, but has her own rigid healthy eating plan.

She eats only fruit and vegetables before noon, has a light lunch of salad, vegetables or soup, and for dinner has a chicken or tuna salad, or grilled chicken and steamed veg.

URSULA SAYS: There's something to be said for sticking to a regime rather than yo-yo dieting, as studies in animals suggest that fluctuating weight can have an adverse effect on health.

Cutting out alcohol stops you taking in calories that aren't accompanied by any nutritional benefits.

STEVE SAYS: This isn't a diet I'd advocate for most people because if you're only eating fruit in the mornings, you might not get enough fibre and carbs, and could find your blood sugar levels dropping in the afternoon.

Whole fruit is far preferable to fruit juice - the former provides fibre while the latter is really just sugar.

Strict regime: Heidi Klum

Strict regime: Heidi Klum

HEIDI KLUM

The supermodel is a fan of a strict regime called the Ultimate New York Body Plan, which she used to get back into catwalk shape six weeks after the birth of her second child.

Alcohol, bread, starchy carbs, caffeine, dairy, sweets, fruit and most fats are totally forbidden. You consume no more than 1,200 calories a day in the form of lean protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, such as flaxseed oil, olive oil, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

You eat every three hours to boost your metabolism, and you must exercise for 90 minutes a day. The plan is meant to be a two-week kickstart.

To keep her motivated, Heidi apparently photographs herself naked once a week.

URSULA SAYS: On such a calorie restricted diet that's also low in carbs, there's no question that you're going to lose weight and lose fat.

Eating little and often helps keep blood-sugar levels steady, but it's unlikely to boost your metabolic rate significantly.

STEVE SAYS: High-protein, low-carb diets can put a lot of strain on the kidneys, as they have to excrete high concentrations of urea. If someone unknowingly has poor kidney function, this could cause problems.

Dukan diet fan: Gisele Bundchen

Dukan diet fan: Gisele Bundchen

GISELE BUNDCHEN

Gisele is a fan of the latest diet from France which is the brainchild of nutritionist, Dr Pierre Dukan.

The four-phase diet starts with the seven-day Attack Stage, which is a stricter version of Atkins and South Beach, where you choose from 72 protein-rich foods.

In the second Weight Loss Stage, you alternate days of the high protein diet with days of a low-carb vegetarian diet. When you reach your target weight, you move to the Consolidation Stage, when you gradually add carbs.

They suggest that for every pound you have lost you stay on this stage for 4.5 days.

Finally, you get to the Stabilisation Stage when you can eat what you want except one day per week when you revert to the Attack Stage.

URSULA SAYS: This sounds very similar to the South Beach diet which has three phases.

It's an appealing formula and you will lose weight in the initial stage.

Cutting your calories one day of the week will keep your weight stable if you have an occasional slip.

STEVE SAYS: It's just not healthy to exclude vegetables and carbs from your diet, even if it's just for one day a week.

Sensible approach: Kate Moss

Sensible approach: Kate Moss

KATE MOSS

Kate decided to overhaul her health with something she dubbed The Vibrancy Diet.

Based on three sensible meals a day, she kicked off with probiotic yoghurts, fruit and toast and then had two meals of grilled fish, or chicken and veg.

She had lots of iced water to keep her appetite down, and it was also said she ditched beer, wine and champagne and only drank vodka with fresh lemon.

Rumour has it that the plan required her to clean her face with boiled milk.

URSULA SAYS: While some studies suggest that drinking a pint of water before meals can reduce how much you eat, it's not proven in the long-term.

As for probiotics, although they're not going to do you any harm, a recent European review of food labelling rejected every health claim made by foods containing them.

STEVE SAYS: Overall, this looks like a sensible approach to eating. The biggest thing she can do in terms of health is stop smoking.

It has a negative effect on the entire body.


Kale soup and exercise: Gwyneth Paltrow

Kale soup and exercise: Gwyneth Paltrow

GWYNETH PALTROW

Tracy Anderson is the brains behind Gwyneth's diet for her movie Ironman 2. This plan includes an exercise regime that includes 45 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of legs and 30 minutes of arms. She did this every day, to lose her 'extra winter weight'.

It is an intense five-day diet. Breakfast is a protein bar or shake. After a workout you get kale juice, and lunch is grilled chicken and vegetables.

Dinner is turkey kale soup and a salad.

URSULA SAYS: You'll definitely see a difference after five days, but you're unlikely to lose fat.

If you do any diet, the first place the body goes for energy is your glycogen, the form in which the body stores glucose.

Glycogen binds water to it, so when you use up glycogen, you also get rid of stored water, which can make it look like you're losing weight.

As soon as you start eating carbs again, your body replenishes carb stores, and the water you've lost.

STEVE SAYS: Calories aren't a bad thing, especially if you're exercising a lot, and restrictive diets with intensive workouts can make people tired, irritable and ultimately depressed.


dailymail.co.uk

The World's Happiest Countries


In the wake of their World Cup loss, residents of the Netherlands may be feeling depressed. But there's reason to believe they won't be done in by the agony of defeat: According to a recent poll, the country is one of the happiest in the world.

Championship-winning Spain, on the other hand, was swept with euphoria and national pride, but that may have been an unfamiliar feeling. The country ranks No. 17 of 21 European countries in terms of happiness.

The fact is good times probably have more to do with the size of your wallet than the size of your trophy shelf. The five happiest countries in the world--Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands--are all clustered in the same region, and all enjoy high levels of prosperity.

In Depth: The World's Happiest Countries

"The Scandinavian countries do really well," says Jim Harter, a chief scientist at Gallup, which developed the poll. "One theory why is that they have their basic needs taken care of to a higher degree than other countries. When we look at all the data, those basic needs explain the relationship between income and well-being."

Behind the Numbers
Quantifying happiness isn't an easy task. Researchers at the Gallup World Poll went about it by surveying thousands of respondents in 155 countries, between 2005 and 2009, in order to measure two types of well-being.

First they asked subjects to reflect on their overall satisfaction with their lives, and ranked their answers using a "life evaluation" score between 1 and 10. Then they asked questions about how each subject had felt the previous day. Those answers allowed researchers to score their "daily experiences"--things like whether they felt well-rested, respected, free of pain and intellectually engaged.

Subjects that reported high scores were considered "thriving." The percentage of thriving individuals in each country determined our rankings. For a complete list of countries surveyed, including the percentages thriving and their daily happiness scores, click here.

Money Matters
The Gallup researchers found evidence of what many have long suspected: money does buy happiness--at least a certain kind of it. In a related report, they studied the reasons why countries with high gross domestic products won out for well-being, and found an association between life satisfaction and income.


"Money is an object that many or most people desire, and pursue during the majority of their waking hours," researchers wrote in the report. "It would be surprising if success at this pursuit had no influence whatsoever when people were asked to evaluate their lives."

Indeed, Denmark, the world's happiest country, had a per-capita GDP of $36,000 in 2009, according to the Central Intelligence Agency. That's higher than 196 of the 227 countries for which the CIA collects statistics.

But there's more to happiness than riches. The Gallup study showed that while income undoubtedly influenced happiness, it did so for a particular kind of well-being--the kind one feels when reflecting on his or her own successes and prospects for the future. Day-to-day happiness is more likely to be associated with how well one's psychological and social needs are being met, and that's harder to achieve with a paycheck.

Take Costa Rica. The sixth-happiest country in the world, and the happiest country in the Americas, it beat out richer countries like the United States. That's because social networks in Costa Rica are tight, allowing individuals to feel happy with their lot, regardless of financial success.

"Costa Rica ranks really high on social and psychological prosperity," says Harter. "It's probably things systemic to the society that make people over time develop better relationships, and put more value on relationships. Daily positive feelings rank really high there."

Inhabitants of some rich countries are bound to feel happier. But happiness is elusive to define, and money isn't the only thing that influences it. Harter explains that the more abstract sense of happiness to which wealth contributes has a different effect on one's life than daily happiness.

"Each of us is two different people. We evaluate our lives periodically; we sit back and reflect and summarize things that have gone on in our lives to date," Harter says. "Another side is how you experience things daily. Daily experience affects your stress and your psychology. How you evaluate your life affects your decisions. It's important to think about how you can leverage that well-being."

In Depth: The World's Happiest Countries

forbes.com

The World's Hottest Young Royals


The wedding of Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria was the invitation of the season. Dozens of royals descended on Stockholm in June to help celebrate the country's first royal wedding since 1976. Among the guests were Monaco's Prince Albert, the Netherlands' Queen Beatrix and Jordan's Queen Rania (who tweeted about the event).

Princess Victoria married former gym owner Daniel Westling in a lavish ceremony estimated to have cost $2 million. The ceremony had both pomp--the princess' 16.5 foot train dress was topped with a cameo tiara made of gold, pearls and cameos that her mother had worn to her own wedding--and pop as two Swedish singers performed "When You Tell The World You're Mine." And it had style watchers around the globe dissecting what the world's royals were wearing.

After the ceremony, hundreds of thousands of well-wishers lined the streets to get a glimpse of the newlyweds as they rode through the capital in a horse-drawn carriage. It capped a two-week celebration leading up to the wedding dubbed "Love Stockholm 2010," which hosted free events around town.

In Pictures: The World's Hottest Young Royals

Sweden's crown princess is one of 13 young royals who have captured our attention this year, and she comes in at No. 3 on our list. Indeed, one YouTube clip of Princess Victoria's wedding day has been viewed over 235,000 times so far. Even toy giant Mattel jumped in, introducing a Princess Victoria doll this year.

Topping our list is Britain's Prince William, who has over 8 million Google hits and numerous fan sites feverishly speculating whether the second in line to the British throne will or won't ask long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton, to be his wife. Royal watchers would love a redux of the famed 1981 nuptials of his parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.

Prince William's cousin, Zara Phillips (No. 7), is also talking about marriage to her live-in boyfriend, rugby player Mike Tindall. She is reportedly waiting for the palace's blessing, and timing may depend on when and whether Prince William intends to marry.

Monaco's Prince Albert, the playboy prince who once dated Brooke Shields and Claudia Schiffer and made headlines when he acknowledged fathering two illegitimate children, is settling down, too. In June he announced his engagement to Charlene Wittstock after he presented the former South African Olympic swimmer with a ring reportedly worth $100,000.

Wittstock (No. 4), who has been increasingly covered by the press since she moved to Monaco in 2006 and began being seen with the Prince, will be closely followed as she plans the royal wedding, rumored to be next summer. She will become the principality's first crown princess since the death of Princess Grace in 1982.

Sports have also shone a spotlight on certain royals. The World Cup--which had an estimated global TV audience of 125 million per game--brought thousands of soccer fans to the tiny Royal Bafokeng Nation, which spent $70 million upgrading its 39,000-seat stadium and building a special sports training complex for the U.K. team. King Leruo Tshekedi Molotlegi (No. 13) hopes to use sports to help boost the living standards of the nation's population of 300,000.


Meanwhile, the U.K.'s Princess Beatrice (No. 6), granddaughter of England's Queen Elizabeth, completed the London Marathon, apparently the first royal to do so, while also setting a new Guinness World Record by taking part in a "human caterpillar," a chain of 30-plus runners led by Sam and Holly Branson, the son and daughter of billionaire Sir Richard Branson.

But perhaps the most unforgettable sports moment for a royal this year was when Prince Harry fell off his horse at a polo event on New York's Governor's Island in June. It was a moment memorialized in local tabloids, proving that royals may live a glamorous, high-end lifestyle but it is one that offers little chance of escaping the media glare.

To compile the ranking, Forbes counted international Web and media buzz determined by Google and Factiva mentions, family wealth, as well as newsworthy activity over the past year. Only royals, or in one case, Charlene Wittstock--a soon to be royal--under the age of 45 were considered.

forbes.com

How do you find time to build the Big Society?



By Jon Kelly
BBC News Magazine

The prime minister wants to build a "big society" by getting volunteers to run services. With our work-life balance already under pressure, how do those with busy jobs and families find the spare time?

OK, so you'd like to give something back to the community. You want to improve the lot of your fellow citizens. Well done.

But first you have to commute to work, put in a shift and trudge back home.

Then the kids need feeding, the dog needs walking and the house needs a clean... and already, the day is almost over.

David Cameron says he wants to rebuild Britain by harnessing "people power" - getting volunteers to run post offices, libraries, transport services and shape housing projects.

But if surveys are to be believed, it may be that the biggest obstacle to his plans may not be his political opponents, but the 24-hour clock.

A 2007 survey for the Cabinet Office (PDF) found that 41% of those who had stopped volunteering had done so because they did not have enough time.

Likewise, a 2009 poll by the Hansard Society asked people who did not feel that they have an influence in decision-making - but who wanted to be involved - what was stopping them. Some 40% cited lack of time as the main reason.

Volunteering chart

But is the issue really lack of time - or lack of time management?

Certainly, it is hardly surprising that people blessed with an abundance of free afternoons and a lack of financial pressures - that is, those who tend to be both older and better-off - find it easiest to be good citizens.

One recent study (PDF) concluded that those who participate in local decision making "generally are more likely to be white, older, better educated, richer, middle-class males" while volunteers were typically "women, of higher social grades, in managerial positions, degree educated, and middle aged".

However, there are many who face the normal pressures of work and family - yet still manage to devote hours each week to their communities.

Finding time for a big society

Jenny Wood Patrick Hall

jenny

PA, 46, of Hoddesdon, Herts, volunteers for Girlguiding UK

Patrick Hall

Rail signaller, 34, of Scunthorpe, Lincs, volunteers for Samaritans

In an extremely busy week I'd give up six hours on a Saturday and three evenings for two hours each - usually it's not as much as that, but it's just a question of balancing and prioritising.

My family will always come first - I have three children. But I know what a positive impact I'm making on these girls' lives and that's what drives me.

Essentially, you've got to love it. There's no point doing it otherwise. If you're not enjoying yourself, the girls won't be having fun.

I'm very fortunate because my family are very supportive - my husband is a volunteer canoe lifeguard, so he understands. And I think my family has got so much out of it because we've met such a wide range of people.

I think the big society is a good idea. There are always people who can come forward and help their communities.

However, there needs to be more recognition of what they do. Too often parents do not understand the word "volunteer" and believe that we are actually paid.

Guiding is something I've given a lot to, but I get so much back from it as well.

My job involved a 24-hour rota, and I do most of my volunteering at night - typically, three or four hours a week.

Obviously, the Samaritans always need someone to be there to pick up the phone and it's more convenient for me.

It's a very straightforward way to make a big difference. You're listening to people who are going through very distressing episodes in their lives and it really does help them.

People say they don't have time to volunteer, but if they sit down and think about it they probably do. Most of us spend a couple of hours a week not really doing anything.

The main thing is that you have to be realistic about what you can manage. There's no point taking on more than you can cope with.

When my partner met me I was already volunteering so it's never been an issue between us. Everyone around me has always been supportive and that's crucial.

I think there's always been a big society out there. There's so many people doing so many wonderful things.

Laura Leaper

Rob Beard

Laura Leaper

Marketing executive, 26, from London, mentors with TimeBank

Rob Beard

Computer engineer, 31, of Torquay, Devon, helps volunteer IT scheme

I work up to 10-hour days and have quite a busy social life but I incorporate volunteering into my routine.

I'm not saying it's easy - it's still difficult to fit in.

But the benefits far outweigh the time I spend and it's an incentive to do it. I never walk away thinking it was a waste of time.

I mentor another young adult who is recovering from mental health issues. We meet up once a fortnight for a couple of hours in the evening or longer if it's a weekend.

I've been doing it for nine months and I can already see that I've made a positive difference.

One of the things we've done is build up her comfort levels visiting new places on public transport - it's simple to me and you but for her it's a big deal.

I had a couple of friends and family members who had been affected by mental health issues - I wanted to contribute something.

It's given me a lot of fulfilment and satisfaction. A lot of people sit at dinner parties and talk about causes they believe in, but I'm doing something about it.

The project I'm currently involved with is in Exeter, which is about an hour away on the bus - my car is out of action at the moment.

We got funding from a local charitable trust and were able to provide six computers to a community centre.

This meant we could provide access to the internet as well as things like computer training and after-school groups for kids.

A lot of these youngsters don't have computers at home - as well as giving them something to do, they're learning skills that will help them in later life.

Obviously, all this takes time.

It helps that my wife volunteers at Sure Start centres, so we understand where we're both coming from.

We can divide up childcare between us so that someone's always at home with the kids - it's just a question of being organised.

I don't know what the politics of the Big Society are all about. But I think anything that encourages volunteering and makes the most of people doing things for their community has got to be positive.

Their capacity to volunteer begs the question: how can the government motivate those who are not currently volunteering to do so?

Recent schools of academic thought have suggested that individuals can be gently coaxed into doing so if they are given the right frameworks.

The writer Clay Shirkey has evangelised for the collaborative and collective potential of the web through crowdsourcing.

The book Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, which argues governments need to give people better incentives to do the right thing, has been cited as a major influence on Cameron's Conservatives.

Manchester University's Professor Peter John has been involved in a project to road-test this theory - for instance, increasing book donation in libraries by 22% after publicly displaying donors' names, and attracting 63 volunteers in one community by asking everyone who rang a call centre if they wanted to help out.

"I think it's all about giving people a nudge in a way that recognises how they live their lives," he says.

"Very often, it's not that people don't want to volunteer - it's that they haven't been asked."

Whether the government can successfully harness this approach in its bid to build the big society is, of course, one of the key criteria on which it will be judged.

Add your comments using the form below

I think it's great to see such examples as above. I volunteer as a special constable and also spend a lot of time helping run an amateur theatre company, as well as my job. I admit the pressure on my time is starting to tell after a couple of years, but I could easily manage one or the other! One day a weekend is all it needs, or even once a fortnight. I'd encourage everyone to get out and volunteer, it's added so much to my life (and it's how I met my wife!).

Bas, London

I found the case studies interesting but they are all of a like mind and no-one seems to be putting the opposing point of view. Time IS tight and while it's easy to talk about the big society, the communities that used to make it up have all but disappeared. Village life is fantastic because you know your neighbours, but how many people living in towns and cities actually know other people who live in their flats, on their street, or in the neighbourhood. At the moment it's all talk and it's failing to address the root cause of society's breakdown.

TiggerUSM, Essex

I currently volunteer for about four hours each fortnight and I find it reasonably easy as I work flexitime. If employers were encouraged to allow flexible working for volunteers in the same way they do for carers and parents, then more people would be able to find the time to volunteer.

Antonia, Watford

Anything that gets people volunteering more is great. But core services shouldn't be run by volunteers - that leads to an uneven quality of service. It also takes us back to the time when people treated those less fortunate as charity cases, to be picked up and put down according to their time and interest. We shouldn't go back to treating people with unpopular disorders such as learning disabilities as if services to support them and their families are an act of charity.

Kriss, York

I'm retired and have worked for the last year donating one day a week to a local hospice. The problem I've found with volunteering is that often managers don't know how to use us productively. I'm well-educated, have good computer and organisational skills, but all I've been asked to do is very mundane repetitive jobs such as envelope filling, simple data-processing etc. I appreciate that these things have to be done, but I also would like something more constructive to do for part of my time - after all, I am giving up a day of my week.

Kathryn Coddington, Whitchurch, Shropshire

The Big Society is a Big Con - all it means is that government expects people to work for free where previously it was a government service, run to government regulations. The Big Society means services will become patchy and less reliable, and standards will decrease. But then who cares? Those affected are least likely to have a strong lobby to defend them. Shame on you, Mr Cameron, and let's hope you won't one day depend on volunteers yourself.

Paulina Smid, London

Voluntary activity in recent years has decreased not because of lack of time but because of the overbearing weight of regulation and responsibility now loaded on to the shoulders of volunteer groups. I am an active member of a small local sailing club and like many of my fellow club members give generously of our time (and money) to teach adults and youngsters alike to sail. However the weight of responsibility and the associated costs now make our club look more like an administration centre with a sailing club attached rather than the other way round. Big Society would be given a huge boost simply by reducing the weight of burdensome bureaucracy.

Will Patterson, Dumfries

I pay money to have people do these jobs for me so I can get on with my life. I call the money "taxes" and the people a "government". It works fine for me - maybe David Cameron should try it.

Steve Goodall, Sheffield, UK

As usual there seem to be a lot of people going off at the deep end and complaining vociferously about the idea of doing something for free, we've got so used to the state stepping in we've forgotten how to be self-reliant. The Big Society doesn't have to be about BIG costly projects or volunteers doing work which was previously paid. It could just be something simple like asking an elderly neighbour if they need any shopping done while you do yours, getting together to do a bit of guerrilla gardening to turn a waste spot into something beautiful or lending your professional expertise to a local group.

Diana, Bristol

When I was a full-time housewife I was involved in a range of voluntary activities. If I'm absolutely honest, however, it was more for my own benefit than for the benefits of others. Whilst in principle this is a win-win situation, we have to be careful that less popular causes do not get abandoned. We also need to be aware that some people will become volunteers in order to take up roles that they are not qualified to do. David Cameron's mother was a JP. Perhaps this is where he got his "big idea" from.

Maggie Linnell, Emsworth

Why foreign accents make speakers seem less honest (...it's just too hard for us to try to understand)


A foreign accent makes a person seem less honest, researchers have found.

Listeners are less likely to regard what the speaker says as truthful, and the problem increases with the strength of the accent, according to a study from the University of Chicago.

To test the impact of accent on a person's perceived credibility, participants were asked to judge the truthfulness of trivia statements by native or non-native speakers of English, such as: 'A giraffe can go without water longer than a camel can.'

The researchers tried to minimise the effect of prejudice by telling participants the statements were prepared for the speakers, and were not based on their own knowledge.

But despite knowing they were simply reciting from a script, the participants judged as less truthful the statements coming from people with foreign accents.

On a truthfulness scale prepared for the experiment, they gave native speakers a score of 7.5, those with mild accents 6.95 and those with heavy accents 6.84.

Professor Boaz Keysar, of the University of Chicago, said: 'The results have important implications for how people perceive non-native speakers of a language, particularly as mobility increases in the modern world, leading millions of people to be non-native speakers of the language they use daily.'

'The accent makes it harder for people to understand what the non-native speaker is saying,' Prof Keysar added.

'They misattribute the difficulty of understanding the speech to the truthfulness of the statements.'

'Accent might reduce the credibility of non-native job seekers, eyewitnesses, reporters or people taking calls in foreign call centres, said Shiri Lev-Ari, lead author of Why Don't We Believe Non-native Speakers? The Influence Of Accent On Credibility,' written with Prof Keysar and published in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

In a second experiment, researchers tested whether awareness reduces the impact of accent on perceived truthfulness.

Researchers told participants that they were being tested to see if accents undermine credibility.

That experiment was conducted with identical recorded statements, but with different results.

While participants rated statements with mild accent just as truthful as statements by native speakers, they rated heavily accented statements as less truthful, Lev-Ari said.

Accent is one of the factors that influences people's perception of foreigners in a society, Prof Keysar pointed out.

But its insidious impact on credibility is something researchers had not previously known, he added.

dailymail.co.uk

Expression & Seeing Quotes

I shut my eyes in order to see. Paul Gauguin

Sophocles: Inspirational Quotes on Expression
Much wisdom often goes with fewer words.

Benjamin Disraeli: Inspirational Quotes on Expression
Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth.

Martin Luther King: Inspirational Quotes on Expression
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Pablo Picasso: Inspirational Quotes on Expression
Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.

Percy Bysshe Shelley: Inspirational Quotes on Expression
Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar.

Euripides: Motivational Quotes on Expression
Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no questioning before he speaks.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Motivational Quotes on Expression
Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying.

Brian Tracy: Motivational Quotes on Expression
Your attitude is an expression of your values, beliefs and expectations.

Zig Ziglar: Motivational Quotes on Self Expression
Remember, what you say comes back to you.

George S. Patton: Motivational Quotes on Self Expression
Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Aristotle: Quotes on Self Expression
Happiness is an expression of the soul in considered actions.

Edward Hopper: Quotes on Self Expression
If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.
Mother Teresa: Quotes on Self Expression
Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.
Joseph Chilton Pearce: Inspirational Quotes on Seeing
Seeing within changes one's outer vision.
Publilius Syrus: Inspirational Quotes on Seeing
The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing.
Jack Kerouac: Quotes on Seeing
Don't think of words when you stop but to see the picture better.
Samuel T. Coleridge: Quotes on Seeing
My eyes make pictures when they are shut.
Ayn Rand: Inspirational Quotes on Seeing
The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see.
Jonathan Swift: Motivational Quotes on Seeing
Vision is the art of seeing things invisible to others.
Robert Creeley: Motivational Quotes on Seeing
What has happened makes the world. Live on the edge, looking.
John Lubbock: Motivational Quotes on Seeing
What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
Carl Jung: Motivational Quotes on Seeing
Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.
Charles H. Perkhurst: Inspirational Quotes on Seeing
The heart has eyes which the brain knows nothing of.
Henry David Thoreau: Inspirational Quotes on Seeing
The question is not what you look at, but what you see.
Aristotle: Motivational Quotes on Seeing
The soul never thinks without a mental picture.
Never let any mistake cause you to stop believing in yourself. Learn from it and go on." Norman Vincent Peale
Failure is nature’s plan to prepare you for great responsibilities.” – Napoleon Hill

Orison Swett Marden: Inspirational Quotes on Seeing
The golden rule for every business man is this: Put yourself in your customer's place.

I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. William Ernest Henley

INSPIRATIONAL OR ENTERTAINING QUOTES AND SAYINGS

Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is. Vince Lombardi
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt
Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. Rabindranath Tagore
Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives. Viktor Frankl
I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson
Be yourself....you're better at it.
Those needing proof refuse to see it. (Walter Bartoo)
The time-travel convention will be held two weeks ago.

Every hard-boiled egg is yellow inside.
Everything starts as somebody's daydream (Larry Niven)
The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.
The arm of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. (M.L.King)
Mondays are the potholes in the road of life. (Tom Wilson)
Change starts when someone sees the next step. (William Drayton)
At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet. (Plato)
Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.
The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it. (Richard Bach)
Sometimes the fool who rushes in gets the job done. (Al Bernstein)
Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. (Steven Wright)
A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.
Spring appears and we are once more children.
In the race for quality, there is no finish line. (David T. Kearns)
Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.
A true friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else.
Money is a good servant, but a bad master.
Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope (B.Cosby)
A leading authority is anyone who has guessed right more than once.
Make no judgments where you have no compassion.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most do. (Dale Carnegie)
It takes a long time to grow an old friend.
If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it!
Communication is the universal solvent.
You can't act like a skunk without someone getting wind of it.
Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. (Mildred Barthel)
Cherishing children is the mark of a civilized society. (Joan Ganz Cooney)
Statistics are no substitute for judgment. (Henry Clay)
Just remember, when you're over the hill, you begin to pick up speed.
The hours that make us happy make us wise. (John Masefield)
186,000 miles per second isn't just a good idea - it's the law!
Wherever you go, there you are. (Buckaroo Banzai)
You can drag a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
When God created Man she was only kidding.
Any problem, to be a problem, must contain a lie
The more adapted you are, the less adaptable you tend to be.
The enemy's cold heart summons the arrow to it. (Zen saying)
Touch the hole in your life, and there flowers will bloom. (Zen saying)
If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Averages: head in the oven, feet in the freezer, on average I'm comfortable
1 hour is the time it takes to move 1 liter of boiling water 1 kilometer
The race is not always to the swift but to those who keep on running
What do women want, my God what do they want? (Sigmund Freud)
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.
Good cooking takes time. If you are made to wait, it is to serve you better.
Add little to little and there will be a big pile
Practice is the best of all instructors
Experience is a dear teacher, but fools will learn from no other.
There is nothing in this world constant but inconstancy
None love the bearer of bad news
Life is tough, and then you die
What we do not understand we do not possess
Always keep a record of data - it indicates you've been working.
On a clear disk you can seek forever
There is no problem a good miracle can't solve
Reach out and byte someone
The future isn't what it used to be - Arthur C. Clarke
The later you arrive at work, the earlier you can leave
We can get better ideas in 2 hrs of 'creative loafing' than in 8 hrs at work
The subconscious mind is a mental fireless cooker where ideas simmer & develop
Without wind, grass does not move. Without Software, Hardware is useless.
A well-used door needs no oil in its hinges
A swift flowing-stream does not grow stagnant
Neither sound nor thoughts can travel through a vacuum
I want to live forever, or die in the attempt.
Siberia is a winter wonderland
An investment is anything that costs more than you can possibly afford.
The tower in Pisa is straight - the rest of the world is crooked.
I am only visiting this planet
Never talk to strange men
To gain a good reputation, endeavor to be what you desire to appear. -Socrates
"Easy to use" is easy to say.
Here's to looking at you, kid!
If music be the food of love then play on
Life is the only thing worth living for
You didn't walk out on me Mama, you just beat me to the door
The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention
I thought my window was down, but found it was up when I put my hand through it
The telephone pole was approaching fast
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.
My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle, and vanished.
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
When we are back from backing up the backups the system will be back up.
The first step of handling anything is gaining an ability to face it
Man thrives only in the presence of a challenging environment
Happiness is the overcoming of not unknown obstacles toward a known goal
If man cannot face what he is, then man cannot be free
Be true to your own goals
Life is a game. A game consists of freedom, barriers and purposes.
Probably the most neglected friend you have is you
Any information is valuable to the degree that you can use it
An sane person has difficulty in insane surroundings
There is no greater curse than total idleness
The supreme test of a person is his ability to make things go right
Insecurity exists in the absence of knowledge
Without order, nothing can grow or expand.
A group is as capable as it contains capable individual members
Confusion is contagious
If a person lacks problems he will invent them
Man will endure a lot of pain to obtain a little pleasure
To give you must be willing to receive. To receive you must be willing to give.
There is no liar lying like an angry man
Anything which is not directly observed tends to persist
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? -- T.S. Eliot
Open the Pod bay doors Hal...
The end is only the beginning...
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance -- U.S.A.F.
When machines go wrong they remind you of how powerful they are
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain
The Empires of the future are the Empires of the mind - Winston Churchill
Of all the gin joints in all the towns of the world she walks into mine
What is true for you is what you have observed yourself
Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today, and you make your tomorrow.
The only richness there is is understanding
Ideas, and not battles mark the forward progress of mankind.
All the happiness you ever find lies in you
On the day when we can fully trust each other, there will be peace on Earth.
Never give a sucker an even break. (W.C.Fields)
Never desert a comrade in need, in danger, or in trouble.
Never withdraw allegiance once granted.
Every time I kiss you I'm still not certain that you really love me. (Elvis)
How many programmers to screw in a light bulb? None, it's a hardware problem!
Solution to software problems: wait and while and they might just disappear
Solution to hardware problems: throw it away and buy a new one
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How it got into it, I don't know.
God gave me this illness to remind me that I'm not #1; he is. (Muhammed Ali)
All answers are basically simple
A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists
When in doubt, communicate!
I can't be overdrawn, I still have some checks left.
Good taste is the enemy of creativity. Picasso.
Old too soon, smart too late.
If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting it off.
Workaholics Unanimous Myth #5: There is only one best way
I don't care about money, I just want to be wonderful. M.Monroe.
If you have to be liked, you are spiked.
If all things you eschew, they are glue.
If you don't have a datum, create it.
If you want to last, just move fast.
If your vision is all blurry, you've got another worry.
What you resist you become. (Taoist saying)
There is a sucker born every minute.
People with dogs are cowards who don't dare bite people themselves.
Some people give their worries swimming lessons in stead of drowning them.
Difficult things take long time, impossible things a little longer.
Flatter is healthy, if you don't inhale. A.Stevenson
You don't grow rich by a big income, but by small expenses.
Life is a riddle. The solution is written on the backside.
When you speak badly about others, you are telling who you are yourself.
What I learned I don't remember. What little I know I have guessed. N.Chamford
Do you love life? Then don't waste your time, 'cause that's what life is made of
The biggest mistake you can make is to always be afraid of making one.
A man who makes a mistake and doesn't correct it, is making another. Konfutse
To fail to do good is as bad as doing harm. (Plutarch)
Life consists of little short moments.
Truth is owned by everyone.
There are 3 kinds of men who don't understand women: young, old, & middleaged.
Let's live in a way so that even the undertaker gets sad when we die. Mark Twain
A billion here, a billion there - pretty soon it adds up to real money.
Do you think the person next to you knows everything you don't know?
Never let a fool kiss you, never let a kiss fool you.
Never kid a kidder.
Make it as simple as possible but no simpler. (Albert Einstein)
God is not playing dice with the universe. (Albert Einstein)
The map is not the territory. (Alfred Korzybski)
The meaning of a communication is the result you get. (R.Bandler)
People are basically good.
Disappointment requires adequate planning. (R.Bandler)
You can't solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that created it. (A.Einstein)
Imagination is more important than knowledge. (A.Einstein)
Belief is not the beginning of knowledge -- it is the end. (Goethe)
Speech is hard, but who can keep quiet?
Act as if you'll live forever. Plan as if you would die tomorrow.
Everything the government gives out it has taken from someone else.
A word is a word, and a man is a floor rag.
The sixth sheik's sheep's sick.
There are no failures -- only feedback. (R.Bandler)
We gotta keep up with the Joneses
Great spirits often encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds. (Einstein)
Wake up - the time is Now!
You are much too intelligent to be affected by flattery
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Don't be fooled by appearances, but be a master of illusion.
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. (Albert Einstein)
If you are a hammer everything looks like a nail.
Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.
There is a 50 percent chance of anything -- either it happens or it doesn't.
Keep cool, but do not freeze.
If anything can't go wrong, it will.
Anything adjustable will sooner or later need adjustment.
People are more likely to believe a quote if it is anonymous. (Anonymous)
You always find something in the last place you look for it.
If at first you do succeed -- try to hide your astonishment.
Traffic increases to fill the road space available.
Do not speak more clearly than you think.
It's deja vu all over again
Secrecy is the enemy of efficiency, but don't let anyone know it.
The less you know about an opportunity, the more attractive it is.
He who laughs first laughs last .. if nobody laughs in the middle.
Nothing is impossible for the man who will not listen to reason.
Double negatives are a no-no
Matter cannot be created or destroyed, nor can it be returned without a receipt.
If it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight.
A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg.
When the smoke alarm goes off, dinner is served.
Principles become modified in practice by facts.
A pessimist is a person who mourns the future.
Start every day with a smile and get it over with. (W.C.Fields)
It's not what you know, it's how fast you can find it out.
The longer the patient lives, the greater his chances of recovery.
The chief enemy of good is better.
Life is a do-it-yourself project.
The tedium here is relieved only by the boredom.
Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once.
When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.
Dividing 100% responsibility between two people gives 10% for each of them.
You never know until you find out.
Good enough isn't.
I don't know. I'm making it up as I go along.
Computers are stupid -- they do exactly what you tell them to do.
Keep your feet close to the ground.
Every time you lend money to a friend you damage his memory.
If nobody minds, it doesn't matter.
If it weren't for lawyers, we wouldn't need them.
Any attempt to adjust the air conditioner will make it worse.
Obviously crime pays, or there'd be no crime. (G.Gordon Liddy)
He who laughs last .. thinks slowest.
Blessed is he who has nothing to say and cannot be persuaded to say it.
Too much ain't enough.
Successful people never have to go to the bathroom.
They -- whoever they may be -- can do whatever they want.
The purpose of organizations is to stop things from happening.
All men/women have ten faults. Pick ten faults you can live with.
Go ahead, rock the boat. The only people who care are the ones who can't swim.
You are totally unique, just like everyone else.
If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done.
Anything with teeth sooner or later bites.
A difference to be a difference must make a difference.
All machines have an innate sense of irresponsibility.
The best things in life are messy.
Do not judge other people, just snicker at them.
Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday.
The worst whistlers whistle the most.
If you need four screws for a job, the first three will be easy to find.
Any idea that was not put in by reason cannot be taken out by reason.
The older I get, the better I used to be.
Minds at rest rust.
There is so much apathy in the world today .. but who cares?
One hologram is worth 1,000,000,000 words.
The secret of life is that there is no secret of life.
In order to finish first, you must first finish.
How long you live has nothing to do with how long you are going to be dead.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. (Theodore Roosevelt)
If it succeeds, it is right; if it fails, it is wrong.
The person who has all the answers understands none of the problems.
Never mistake activity for progress.
If you don't make waves, you're not under way.
Only fools can be certain; it takes wisdom to be confused.
Sit at the feet of the masters long enough, and they'll start to smell.
You want it bad, you'll get it bad.
The floor moves further away when you bend over.
You can't make a fact out of an opinion by raising your voice.
If we weren't all a little crazy, we'd go nuts.
It is far better to get nowhere fast than to get nowhere slowly.
Never get in a battle of wits without ammunition.
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities.
If you talk about someone behind their back, their back will be right behind you
If you're asked to join a parade, don't march behind the elephants.
If you work on a nonexistent problem there are much fewer obstacles to overcome.
And on the Eighth day God said the world was funny, and She created Laughter.
Thou shalt not practice mirth control.
When you find a sacred cow, milk it for all it is worth.
If the fit wears, shoo it.
The journey is more important than the destination.
Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.
Never clarify tomorrow what you can obscure today.
A myth is an effeminate moth.
The universe rearranges itself to accommodate your picture of reality.
On a clear day you can see forever.
Money is far more persuasive than logical arguments. (Euripides)
Welcome to the next level!
Look at me, I worked myself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty. (Groucho Marx)
You say you love me? Well, that and a nickel might buy me a cigar.
Here's a dollar, go buy yourself a clean shirt.
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough. (Wm.Blake)
If you need a helping hand, the best place to look is at the end of your sleeve.
Fear knocked on the door, Faith opened it, and there was no one there!
As long as you have a window, life is exciting.
Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character.
Trust everybody, but cut the cards yourself. (W.C.Fields)
We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in darkness.
Next to power without honor, the most dangerous thing in the world is power without humor.
When you help someone up a hill, you're that much nearer the top yourself.
The more I encourage a child to think for himself, the more he will care what I think.
The one thing worse than a quitter is the one who is afraid to begin.
May I never miss a rainbow or a sunset because I am looking down.
Life is a song. Love is the music.
When you've boxed yourself in, there is no sunshine.
Each day slowly shapes our lives, as dripping water shapes the stone.
Time, like a snowflake, disappears while we're trying to decide what to do with it.
Most of today's worries are like puddles: tomorrow they will have evaporated.
Being alive is loving being alive.
Too many folks go through life running from something that isn't after them.
Nobody really finds out what he believes until he begins to instruct his children.
Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
If I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant an apple tree.
People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
The heart must have its time of snow .. to rest in silence, and then to grow.
Be careful how you live; you may be the only Bible some people ever read.
If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within.
The best gifts are tied with heart strings.
Take care of the minutes, and the hours and years will take care of themselves.
Love arrives on tiptoe and bangs the door when it leaves. (Robert Lembke)
To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides. (David Viscott)
To hande yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart.
I do not feel any age yet. There is no age to the spirit.
I did not hear to words you said, instead I heard the love.
Never close your lips to those to whom you have opened your heart. (C.Dickens)
Life is an adventure in forgiving. (Norman Cousins)
Happiness is made to be shared.
A friend is a gift you give yourself. (Robert L. Stevenson)
You don't know where your shadow will fall.
Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. (Churchill)
Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.
Gather the crumbs of happiness and they will make you a loaf of contentment.
Minds are like parachutes -- they only function when open.
Some people think they are generous because they give away free advice.
How to levitate: throw yourself to the floor and miss it.
The answer to the question: "What is the meaning of life and the universe?" is: 42.
Believing is a find thing, but placing those beliefs into execution is a test of strength.
Everybody wants sympathy, but nobody wants anybody feeling sorry for them.
If you love someone you must be strong enough to allow them to be.
Children need love, especially when they don't deserve it.
Failure is not defeat until you stop trying.
It isn't what happens, it's how you deal with it.
The mind forgets, but the heart always remembers.
Live, Love, Laugh, and be happy.
Habit is like a soft bed, easy to get into but hard to get out of.
Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true. (Bacon)
I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which have never happened. (MarkTwain)
Earth laughs in flowers.
Taking a moment to take it easy is being a friend to yourself.
Why not go out on the limb? That's where all the fruit is.
Time flies, but remember: you are the navigator.
People who do things that count, never stop to count them.
When spring is dancing among the hills, one should not stay in a little dark corner.
When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. (Mark Twain)
Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. (Immanual Kant)
Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.
Peace is not a season, it is a way of life.
We forfeit three fourths of ourselves in order to be like other people. (Schopenhauer)
Do what you can with what you have where you are. (Teddy Roosevelt)
Have you hugged someone today?
A laugh is just like sunshine. It freshens all the day.
Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.
Life is hard by the yard, but by the inch, life's a cinch.
Love sought is good, but given unsought is better. (Shakespeare)
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
Soft is the heart of a child; do not harden it.
You cannot build a reputation on the things you are going to do.
You cannot push anyone up the ladder, unless he is willing to climb himself.
The way to learn is to begin.
Make your life an act of love.
It takes both the sun and the rain to make a beautiful rainbow.
All the wonders you seek are within yourself. (Sir Thomas Brown)
Take a little time to do whatever makes a happy you.
When the outlook is poor, try the uplook.
Giving makes living more loving.
Happiness is like jam. You can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself.
An apology is a good way to have the last word.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
Patience is the ability to put up with people you'd like to put down.
If you are willing to admit when you are wrong, you are right.
Make your life an act of love.
It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.
In my garden love grows.
We may give without loving, but we cannot love without giving.
Friends multiply joy and divide sorrow.
The only reason some people listen to reason is to gain time for rebuttal.
Beware what you set your heart upon, for it surely shall be yours. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
A yawn is a silent shout. (G.K.Chesterton)
Lift where you stand.
Anyone bored these days is not paying attention. (Bill Copeland)
Try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value. (Albert Einstein)
Some things have to be believed to be seen. (Ralph Hodgson)
My conscience doesn't keep me from doing things. It does keep me from enjoying them.
The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.
You have achieved success if you have lived well, laughed often and loved much.
Let there be spaces in your togetherness.
Experience is the best teacher, but the tuition is very costly.
To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of is the only end in life.
Refusing to ask for help when you need it is refusing someone the chance to be helpful.
A good rule for going through life is to keep the heart a little softer than the head.
Cheerfulness is the atmosphere under which all things thrive. (Jean Paul Richter)
Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. (Schweitzer)
A little smile adds a great deal to your face value.
Years wrinkle the skin, but lack of enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. (N.V.Peale)
There is no thrill quite like doing something you didn't know you could.
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
For every problem there is an opportunity.
Duty is a matter of the mind. Commitment is a matter of the heart.
The first duty of love is to listen.
You create your own reality.
I can alter my life by altering the attitude of my mind.
May you live all the days of your life. (Jonathan Swift)
Aim at the sun. You may not reach it, but you will fly higher than if you never aimed.
The true vocation of man is to find his way to himself. (Hesse)
Liberty is always unfinished business.
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. (Mark Twain)
Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. (Kierkegaard)
A fault recognized is half corrected.
Time is like the ocean, always there, always different. (Ogden Nash)
Time is nature's way of preventing everything from happening at once.
What the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow. (James Stephens)
The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.
The grass is greener on the other side, but it is just as hard to mow.
A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.
We must constantly build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
You must believe to achieve.
We should be patient with everyone, but above all with ourselves.
The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.
Life is there for the taking .. or the refusing.
Friendship is the only cement that can hold the world together.
Be a living expression of God's kindness. - Mother Theresa
Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.
A person's life is dyed with the color of his imagination. (Marcus Aurelius)
Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes. (Thoreau)
Happiness is not always measured in smiles.
Deal with the faults of others as gently as with your own.
To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are.
Do not follow where the path leads. Rather go where there is no path and leave a trail.
The true art of memory is the art of attention.
He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must himself pass.
Think all you speak, but speak not all you think.
Success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone.
We are all ignorant about different things. (Will Rogers)
Your dreams come true when you act to turn them into realities.
A person who aims at nothing has a target he can't miss.
Some people give and forgive; Others get and forget.
A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.
Go often to the house of a friend, for weeds choke the unused path.
The man who rows the boat seldom has time to rock it. (Bill Copeland)
Goodwill is earned by many acts; it can be lost by one. (Duncan Stuart)
If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.
The control center of your life is your attitude.
Sadness is but a wall between two gardens. (Kahlil Gibran)
A man of peace does more good than a very learned man. (Thomas a'Kempis)
Happiness is acceptance.
If you must worry - worry BIG!
Most of all - let love guide your life. (Colossians 3:14)
Wealth is not what we have, but what we are.
The darkest hour is only 60 minutes long.
You can save yourself a lot of trouble by not borrowing any.
Love is what dreams are made of.
When you love others you aren't nervous. (Mary Martin)
Live in peace in a time of stress.
Words should be weighed - not counted.
Work is love made visible.
No matter what your lot in life may be, build something on it.
Gentle words work better than hard ones.
Children have more need of models than of critics.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
The gift of happiness belongs to those who unwrap it.
You are never fully dressed until you wear a smile.
Our best preparation for tomorrow is the proper use of today.
People who like others are people others like.
There's always room for improvement; It's the biggest room in the house.
Make one person happy each day, even if it's yourself.
Believe that you have it, and you have it.
He who has no fire in himself cannot warm others.
You cannot sit on the road to success for if you do, you will get run over.
You won't even get started if you wait for all the conditions to be "just right."
Where there is an open mind there will always be a frontier.
It is far better that we should err in action than completely refuse to perform.
A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.
A man can't ride your back unless it's bent. (M.L.King)
Improvement begins with "I".
To love something is to give it room enough to grow.
It's not a matter of growing old, it's getting old if you don't grow.
A happy memory is a joy forever.
A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle. (Kelly)
Sometimes you already have what you pray for.
The person who makes no mistakes usually does not make anything.
To enjoy life we must touch much of it lightly. (Voltaire)
The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one. (Elvis Presley)
The world is more alive at night; it's like God isn't looking. (Elvis Presley)
Visualize the type of person you want to be. Then act as if you already ARE that person.
Cashews are nuts.
Guillotine operators get severance pay.
Refrigerators are frigid.
This is your slum - keep it clean.
War is good business.
Lincoln is alive and living in Disneyland.
Do I have the party to whom I am speaking?
Love yourself, love the Earth, respect life.
Destiny is not a matter of chance. It's a matter of choice.
Believe you can, believe you can't - either way, you're right.
Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
Winners expect to win in advance. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.
If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.
Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.
Well done is better than well said.
Success is a journey, not a destination.
Bravery is not a lack of fear. It's proceeding in spite of it.
Even if on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
All things are difficult before they are easy.
The price of greatness is responsibility.
Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.
Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left over by those who hustle.
A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first.
Chance favors the prepared mind.
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.
Luck is what happens when preparation and opportunity meet.
Consistency isn't a necessary aspect of life. The universe is unfinished, you know.
The threshold of insult is in direct relation to intelligence.
A mistake proves that at least someone stopped talking long enough to do something.
Well the trouble with being a good sport is that you have to lose to prove it.
Before borrowing money from a friend, first decide which you need more.
The world owes you nothing -- it was here first.
One way to stop people from jumping down your throat is to keep your mouth shut.
If there's something I can't stand, it's a person who talks while I'm interrupting.
If hard work is the greatest thing on earth, I'll try Mars.
The shortest answer is doing.
It is better to wear out than rust out.
One doesn't get chances -- one takes chances.
Imagination is real.
Everything is true.
On Western civilization: "I think it would be a good idea." -- Mahatma Gandhi
We are all just crash dummies on the information highway -- Steve Worona
If we do not succeed, then we face the risk of failure. -- Dan Quayle
It's difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent. -- Q (from Star Trek)
Money - the root of all evil... Man needs roots.
If you're happy and you know it, clank your chains!
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. - The Dalai Lama
We do not remember days, we remember moments. - Casare Pavese
Do every act of your life as if it were your last. - Marcus Aurelius
The purpose of life is a life of purpose. - Robert Byrne
The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe. - Joanna Macy
Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself. - Erasmus
Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow - perhaps it all will.
Experience praises the most happy the one who made the most people happy.
Each small task of everyday life is part of the total harmony of the universe.
It is in the shelter of each other that the people live. - Irish proverb
Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless. - M.Theresa
Let the beauty we love be what we do. - Rumi
It is better to give and receive. - Bernard Gunther
When strangers start acting like neighbors, communities are reinvigorated. - R.Nader
Do everything with a mind that lets go. Do not expect praise or reward. - Achaan Chah
Always try to be a little kinder than is necessary. - Sir James Barrie
If you stop to be kind, you must swerve often from your path. - Mary Webb
Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness. - Seneca
There must be more to life than having everything! - Maurice Sendak
Kindness is the noblest weapon to conquer with.
We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now. - M.L.King
Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.
There is nothing wrong with you that some prozak and a polo mallet wouldn't handle.
If you can explain it, you aren't experiencing it.

The first prerequisite of an advanced being is a sense of humor. - Richard Bach
The only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting what you want.
The reason we have time is so everything doesn't happen at once.
Oh, you actors on the stage of life, playing the parts of that which you are not. - The Bible
Zenmaster to Hotdog Vendor: "Make me one with everything"
The designer of the path is the guy standing at the end of it. - Amos Jessup
DARE to get the CIA off drugs.
The fire of adversity will melt you like butter, or temper you like steel. The choice is yours.
It's easier to apologize afterwards than getting something allowed in the first place. - Clifford Stoll
There is never any need to worry. We have enough shovels to bury everybody.
The quickest way to kill the human spirit is to ask someone to do mediocre work. - Ayn Rand
"A stand can be made against invasion by an army; no stand can be made
against invasion by an idea." --Victor Hugo, _Histoire d'un Crime_
Refuse Novacaine... Transcend Dental Medication