Congrats Letter

Dear Joey,

I was much too sensitive about your Mohawk, tattoo and pierced nose. I now realize motorcycles aren't really that dangerous, and I really should not have reacted that way to the fact that you have never held a job.

I am also very sure that some other very nice people live under the bridge in the park, too. Sure my daughter is only 18 and wants to marry you instead of going to Harvard on full scholarship. After all, you can't learn everything about life from books.

I sometimes forget how backward I can be. I was wrong. I was a fool. I have now come to my senses and you have my full blessing to marry my daughter.

Sincerely, Your future father-in-law.

P.S. Congratulations on winning the lottery!

How to Choose Right Person for the Job?

Put about 100 bricks in some Particular order in a closed room with an open window,Then send 2 or 3 candidates in the room and close the door.


Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours and then analyze the situation



If they are counting the Bricks,Put them in the accounts Department.



If they are recounting them....Put them in auditing .


If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks,thenPut them in engineering.


If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order,Put them in planning.


If they are throwing the Bricks at each other,Put them in operations .


If they are sleeping,Put them in security.



If they have broken the bricks Into pieces,Put them in information technology.




If they are sitting idle,Put them in human resources.



If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a brick has
Been moved. Put them in sales.



If they have already left for the day,Put them in marketing.




If they are staring out of the Window,Put them on strategic Planning.




And then last but not least......If they are talking to each other and not a single brick Has been Moved.




Congratulate them and put them In top management

NEVER GIVE UP

We can never guarantee success in our lives,since every attempt at anything holds within it the possibility of failure,If we love,there is always the risk of rejection.if we follow a dream,there is always the possibility of falling short.We cannot guarantee success,but we can guarantee failure merely by choosing not to try at all.

Workaholics with No Balanced Life

There is no indefinite job security. Market conditions fluctuate so
fast that workers would rather play it safe by working into the
good books of the employer. What better way to do that than to
be the first person to step into the office and the last to leave. What
started out as pure work enthusiasts end up being workaholics.
Workaholics' lives center around work and nothing else.
Workaholism was a topic we used to joke about, but as people
became more conscious of leading balanced lifestyles, it had
changed it status to a medical problem and was labeled Work
Addiction. Work addicts are in a different class. Many do not
work for the monetary rewards, promotion or recognition; they
work because they just cannot stop working. Bosses naturally love
to employ these people since their engines can run even without
fuel. The problem is that their engines don't last. Like a machine,
they lose touch with the social aspects of life and have little regard
for friends and family. They 'burn-out' at an early age, and are
often ill and depressed. How do we tell that a person is addicted
to work? What can we do to help them lead a balanced life?

Moral:

Man's life is predestined.
Man by nature loves to work.

Quotable Quotes:

“For workaholics, all the eggs of self-esteem are in the
basket of work.”

Lessons in life:

The social problems arising out of this compulsive behavior are
plenty. We mentioned health as a major consequence.
Workaholics have a tendency to neglect their health. They
delay seeking medical treatment for their sickness and prefer to
spend their day working in office than recuperating at home.
Sometimes, it may be delayed so much that the sickness becomes
incurable. Common ailments are blood pressure and heart
problems, caused mainly by the work pressure they put onto
their shoulders.

Besides physical condition, the emotional aspects of a workaholic
have to be considered. The moment he hits home, he would be
too tired to give any attention to his family members and loved
ones. He may be listening to his children, but his mind is
somewhere else, probably thinking of the uncompleted
assignments and projects. With little emotional bonding within
the family unit, it is a matter of time that he splits ways and the
spouse files for divorce.

There are telling signs of work addiction. Look around your
office or place of work and if you spot someone with several of
these symptoms, they are either already workaholics or have the
potential to be:-

    * Works extraordinarily long hours.
    * Always in a hurry.
    * A perfectionist.
    * Does not like to delegate work.
    * Likes to stay in control.
    * Emails you in the middle of the night.
    * Wants everything done urgently and quickly.
    * Impatient and has a low tolerance for mistakes.
    * Always talking about work matters.
    * Does not socialize unless forced to.
    * Routine is home – office – home and nowhere else.
    * Possibly temperamental and hostile.
    * Takes little care of personal health and hygiene.
    * Goes to work when on medical leave.
    * Does not take vacation leave.


Within this broad generalization, there are also those who
choose to overwork themselves. We shall deal first with the true
blue workaholics i.e., those who take their work seriously and
cannot kick the habit of working. Such people have to
progressively understand that work is never-ending. Rather
than undertake the work alone, they should learn to delegate
and farm out the work. Bosses often pile work on workaholics
because they can produce results. A person has but two hands
and there is a limit as to how much work he can handle. It is
therefore useful to learn how to say “No” and to reject work. If
attention is spread too thin among all the assignments, quality is
adversely affected and it would not benefit the company. Devote
more time to relationships. Be convinced that success in life is
incomplete if it is only a success at work but a failure at home.

The second group of workers intentionally put themselves in
that position of a workaholic for various reasons:-

1. The pretender

He works hard only when his bosses are looking. One Japanese
bank manager we knew had this daily routine. He would leave his
computer on, switch to a password-protected screensaver mode,
and sneak out of the office at about 5pm. He had his dinner,
shower, booze and returned to office at 8pm. He then worked till
midnight and returned home after that. His boss would leave the
office at about 11pm, and was always pleased to see this manager
at his desk even at that late hour.

2. The opportunist

There is a rosy opportunity, a managerial position that is recently
vacant and up for grabs. This person has been eyeing it for a long
time and decides to become a work addict overnight to prove to
the management that he has the cut for the job. He makes a lot of
'noise' while at work just so that people know that he is working
hard.

3. The insecure

At the other end of the spectrum, instead of a possible promotion,
this person senses a threat to his position. He may get fired
because he handled something badly or there is a new employee
who is better qualified. The feeling of insecurity motivates this
person to work.

4. The procrastinator

He sits on files, drags his feet. Close to the deadline, he suddenly
wakes up to the reality that his career is on the line if he does not
complete the assignment. During this last stretch of the race, and
so close to the deadline, he has no alternative but to work doubly
hard.

5. The escapist

Family unhappiness causes him to stay out of the home. With
nowhere else to go, he stays in office for as long as he can and dives
into work to keep his mind away from his marital problems.

Curing the habit for these lot of people will depend on the reason
for them wanting to work long hours. A good boss should
encourage his employees to have a balanced life. The best way to
do that is to be the exemplary figure. If bosses leave the office
right after office hours, openly talk about their golf and other
social hobbies, and party away on weekends, the workers are
likely to follow suit.

Lion, The Manager

One day a Lion was sitting outside his cave, lying lazily in the sun. Along comes a fox, out on a walk.

Fox: "Do you know the time, because my watch is broken"

Lion: "Oh, I can easily fix the watch for you"

Fox: "Hmm... But it's a very complicated mechanism, and your big claws will only destroy it even more"

Lion: "Oh no, give it to me, and it will be fixed"

Fox: "That's ridiculous! Any fool knows that lazy lions with great claws cannot fix complicated watches"

Lion: "Sure they do, give it to me and it will be fixed"

The lion disappears into his cave, and after a while he comes back with the watch which is running perfectly. The fox is impressed, and the lion continues to lie lazily in the sun, looking very pleased with himself.

Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the lazy lion in the sun.

Wolf: "Can I come and watch TV tonight with you, because mine is broken"

Lion: "Oh, I can easily fix your TV for you"

Wolf: "You don't expect me to believe such rubbish, do you? There is no way that a lazy lion with big claws can fix a complicated TV"

Lion: "No problem. Do you want to try it?"

The lion goes into his cave, and after a while comes back with a perfectly fixed TV. The wolf goes away happily and amazed.

Inside the Cave:

In one corner are half a dozen small and intelligent looking rabbits who are busily doing very complicated work with very detailed instruments. In the other corner lies a huge lion looking very pleased with himself.

Moral :

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY A MANAGER IS FAMOUS, LOOK AT THE WORK OF HIS SUBORDINATES.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY SOMEONE UNDESERVED IS PROMOTED; LOOK AT THE WORK OF HIS SUBORDINATES.

Before Buying a Home: Dos and Don’ts

For most middle and upper-middle class families, a house is the most expensive asset owned by them. The asset also has emotional value and therefore families should perform meticulous research before buying the same. The following is a set of must-dos before buying a house.

Due diligence of a property:

To ensure credibility of the builder, two must-have documents for a home buyer are the approved drawings of the project and the Intimation of Disapproval (IOD) which is an instruction set pertaining to construction from an authority to the builder.

Buyers looking to buy space in under-construction buildings should obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the lender, if the property is mortgaged, and a commencement certificate which is a proof that the builder has obtained all licenses and permissions from the appropriate statutory authorities. In case the buyer doesn't hold the NOC and the builder defaults on his mortgage payments, the buyer may be evicted from the property. The builder should provide a clear land title, which implies that the property is free of litigation and associated debt. A source of risk for under-construction projects is the uncertainty on completion time.

Banks and housing finance companies (HFCs) are pre-approving residential projects by carrying out property due diligence themselves. This provides credibility to the project from the buyer's perspective. Hence before opting for a loan one can check if the particular project they are interested in is pre-approved.

The buyer should ensure that the property he is evaluating has adequate water supply and there is no problem of voltage fluctuation which can damage electrical appliances.

Evaluation of hidden costs:

Buyers ought to be wary about per square feet price quoted by builders, as there are myriad hidden costs not captured in the quote. Stamp duty and registration fees are mandatory fees and amount to approximately 5% of the value of the property. Majority of urban property purchases are financed by home loans and therefore there is the cost of an insurance policy to cover the loan. Customizing the property to the buyer's tastes and preferences entails a substantial expenditure on purchase of, interior furnishing, furniture and white goods. Liabilities like unpaid telephone and electricity bills may be present in case of a second hand property.

Accessing your home loan:

It is advisable for buyers to approach a bank or housing finance company only after selecting the property to buy. Some banks are averse to financing purchases of more than 15 years old property which has been resold more than twice. Financing purchases of under construction properties, which are not listed with any of the banks for pre-approved loans, is difficult. Large builders may have tie ups with banks or HFCs which offer lower rates and lend up to 85% of the property value. It is always advisable for borrowers to lower their loan exposure.

Interest rate on home loan:

As per the prevailing economic situation, floating rate loans score over fixed rate loans. Transparent floating rate home loans are at least 2% cheaper than a loan of identical tenure. There is the risk of rate charged on a floating rate loan being revised upwards when market rates rise. 90% of home loan consumers opt for floating rate loans making it difficult for policymakers to raise interest rates dramatically. The buyer should check whether a bank passes on the benefit of reduced rates to the consumer by going through its past record of benchmark rates say in 2002-03.

Other charges associated with a home loan:

These should be looked into to understand the exact amount of expenses the buyer would incur towards the home loan. Processing fees, amounting to 0.5-1% of loan amount is charged by most lenders, in addition to administrative fees and legal charges during loan disbursement. The buyer has to pay stamp duty which depends on the amount of the loan and the state in which the property is purchased. Prepayment charges are levied on loan repayments made over and above the amount stipulated by the repayment schedule. Making EMI payments after the due date attracts delayed payment charges. Hence, it makes sense for the buyer to take into consideration the total loan cost or money outgo throughout the loan tenure when comparing loan offers. This will provide a clear picture of which loan is the most affordable for the buyer.

Hair colour

There is a blonde driving through the country. She has just died her hair brown because she is sick of being made fun of. She is really hungry.

She stops at a farmer’s house and says "Hi! If I can guess how many sheep you have, can I have one?"

Farmer says ok. She quickly counts them and says "91!"

The farmer looks around puzzledly and says "Ok. Take one."

When the Blonde is walking back to her car the farmer asks, "If I can guess your natural hair color, can I have my dog back?"

Reasons To Allow Drinking At Work

The list below are valid reasons as to why drinking should be allowed at work. If you use them wisely, you may even be able to convince your boss into allowing alcohol.

1. It's an incentive to show up.

2. It reduces stress.

3. It leads to more honest communications.

4. It helps save on heating costs in the winter.

5. It eliminates vacations because people would rather come to work.

6. It makes the cafeteria food taste better.

7. Bosses are more likely to hand out raises when they are wasted.

8. Salary negotiations are a lot more profitable.

9. If someone does something stupid on the job, it will be quickly forgotten.

A Really Bad Day

There was a guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half of an hour.

Then, big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying.

The truck driver says, "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry."

"No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me.

When I leave the building to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing.

I get a cab to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away."

"I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar.

And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison."

The dilapidated old boat

Once there were twins, Joe and John. Joe was the owner of a dilapidated old boat.

It so happened that John's wife died A few days later, a kindly old woman saw Joe and mistook him for John.

She said, "I'm sorry to hear about your loss. You must just feel terrible."

Joe, thinking that she was talking about his boat, said, "Heck no, fact is I'm sort of glad to be rid of her. Her bottom was all shrivelled up and she smelled like old dead fish.

She was always losing her water, she had a bad crack in the back.

Every time I used her, her hole got bigger I guess what finally finished her off was when I rented her to these four guys looking for a good time.I warned them that she wasn't very good, The fools tried to get in her all at once and she split right up the middle."

The old lady fainted.

Effective Delegation of Work

Effective managers and leaders know that they can climb greater
heights and achieve remarkable goals only if they delegate work
to the good, able and talented people around them. The logic is
simple – if they are able to rope in more brains and bodies to do
the tasks, they are able to get more things done within the same
time frame. Having these tasks out of the managers' hands will
free up their time and allow them to concentrate on value-added
jobs which befit their status and qualifications. The ability to
delegate work is therefore a vital asset that all good leaders and
managers should have. Other than time management, effective
delegation of work may take the pressure off work stress and
substantially improve the work life.

As we shall discuss, delegation is not about farming out work and
forgetting about it altogether. For the delegation of work to be
effective and to result in win-win situations, there are certain
myths worth clarifying.

Story:

The Wolf and the Shepherd

Effective Delegation of Work



A Wolf had been prowling around a flock of Sheep for a long time,
and the Shepherd watched very anxiously to prevent him from
carrying off a Lamb. But the Wolf did not try to do any harm.
Instead he seemed to be helping the Shepherd take care of the
Sheep. At last the Shepherd got so used to seeing the Wolf about
that he forgot how wicked he could be.

One day he even went so far as to leave his flock in the Wolf's care
while he went on an errand. But when he came back and saw how
many of the flock had been killed and carried off, he knew how
foolish to trust a Wolf as he exclaimed. “I have been rightly
served; why did I trust my sheep to a Wolf?”

Moral:

Delegate your task wisely, and only to people you trust.

The Best Employee

    *  One day rabbit was sitting outside his burrow,typing something in a typewriter. Along came a fox.



    * Fox: "What are you working on?"



    * Rabbit: "My thesis."



    * Fox: "Hmm... What is it about?"



    * Rabbit: "Oh, I'm writing about how rabbits eat foxes."



    * Fox: "That's ridiculous ! Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat foxes!



    * Rabbit: "Come with me and I'll show you!"



    * They both disappear into the rabbit's burrow. After few minutes, gnawing on a fox bone, the rabbit returns to his typewriter and resumes typing.



    * Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the hardworking rabbit.



    * Wolf: "What's that you are writing?"



    * Rabbit: "I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat wolves."



    * Wolf:"That's ridiculous ! Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat wolves!"



    * Rabbit: "No problem. Do you want to see how?"



    * The rabbit and the wolf go into the burrow and again the rabbit returns by himself, after a few minutes, and goes back to typing.



    * Finally a bear comes along and asks, "What are you doing?



    * Rabbit: "I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat bears."



    * Bear: "That's ridiculous ! Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat bears!"



    * Rabbit: "Come into my home and I'll show you"



    * SCENE :
      As they enter the burrow, the rabbit introduces the bear to the lion.

Lesson


IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW SILLY YOUR THESIS TOPIC IS; WHAT MATTERS IS WHOM YOU HAVE AS A SUPERVISOR.


IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW BAD YOUR PERFORMANCE IS; WHAT MATTERS IS WHETHER YOUR BOSS LIKES YOU OR NOT

Talk With Your Hands And Solve Problems

A new study has suggested that talking with hands can trigger mental images that can help solve complex problems relating to spatial visualization, an important skill for both students and professionals.

Spatial visualization is the ability to mentally rotate or move an object to a different position or view.

"Hand gestures are spontaneous and don't need to be taught, but they can improve spatial visualization," said Mingyuan Chu, who conducted the research with Sotaro Kita at the University of Birmingham in England.

As many as three studies examined the relationship between hand gestures and spatial visualization using various mental rotation tests.

In the first experiment, 132 students at the University of Birmingham were tested individually. Using a hidden camera, researchers recorded the number of hand gestures and found that spontaneous gestures increased as the problems became more difficult.

A second experiment divided 66 students into three groups. One group was encouraged to use gestures, the second was given no instructions, and the third had to sit on their hands to prevent any gestures. The gesture-encouraged group performed significantly better on the tests than the other groups and also fared better on later tests where all of the participants had to sit on their hands, showing that the benefits of gestures may become internalized.

In a final experiment with 32 students, a gesture-encouraged group performed better on several tests, which demonstrated that gestures may help solve a range of spatial visualization problems.

Hand gestures may improve spatial visualization by helping a person keep track of an object in the mind as it is rotated to a new position. Since our hands are used so much in daily life to manipulate objects, gestures also may provide additional feedback and visual cues by simulating how an object would move if the hand were holding it, said Chu.

Students in a physics class could be encouraged to use hand gestures to help understand invisible forces such as magnetic fields. Art students could talk with their hands in a still-life class to picture a bowl of fruit or a nude model from a different angle to create a more vivid painting that creates the illusion of three dimensions on a flat canvas.

The findings appeared in the February issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

Legal and Logical Explained

After having failed his exam in "Logistics and Organization", a student goes and confronts his lecturer about it.

Student: "Sir, do you really understand anything about the subject?"

Professor: "Surely I must. Otherwise I would not be a professor!"

Student: "Great, well then I would like to ask you a question.

If you can give me the correct answer, I will accept my mark as is and go. If you however do not know the answer, I want you give me an "A" for the exam. "

Professor: "Okay, it's a deal. So what is the question?"

Student: "What is legal, but not logical, logical, but not legal, and neither logical, nor legal?"

Even after some long and hard consideration, the professor cannot give the student an answer, and therefore changes his exam mark into an "A", as agreed.

Later on the professor calls on his best student and asks him the same question.

He immediately answers: "Sir, you are 63 years old and married to a 35 year old woman, which is legal, but not logical. Your wife has a 25 year old lover, which is logical, but not legal. The fact that you have given your wife's lover an "A", although he really should have failed, is neither legal, nor logical."

Anger can be an Expensive Luxury

Want to keep your boss happy? Smile at your customers. Is getting employees to smile good for an organization? Not necessarily so...

Faking it

Want to keep your boss happy? Smile at your customers. Is getting employees to smile good for an organisation? Not necessarily so. Workers who put on fake smiles through the day get into a depression after withdrawing from work. Smiling for the sake of smiling can lead to emotional exhaustion and withdrawal. But workers who smile as a result of positive thoughts improve their mood and withdraw less. One of the first of its kind studies to examine emotional displays over a period of time, the research appeared in the February issue of the Academy of Management Journal.

In and Out of Bad Moods

Research confirms that bad moods can impair one's productivity. And it can spread to others. But what causes bad moods? The standard theory is rooted in a psychological quirk known as 'ego depletion' (that is, when acts of self-control gets exhausted). A classic example is that of cranky dieters-people who are on a diet and are often found to be irritable and aggressive. At the root is the idea of "non conscious goals" and the fact that people succeed and fail at these all the time. Negative moods happen because one fails at a goal one didn't know one had. Research is beginning to show how this affects our health, the way we perform and the judgments we make about others. Self-awareness is the first step toward minimizing the negative impact of a bad mood.

Angry? Start Praying

If someone leaves you fuming, say a prayer. That's what new research from the US and the Netherlands show. The benefits of prayer lie in the act of praying-shows the report published this month in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin-because prayer changes the way people think about a negative situation and helps them take it less personally. What's more, prayer calms people regardless of their religious affiliation, or how religious they are in everyday life. So next time you feel provoked, just pray.

Anger can Spur Heart Attack

Anger figures in a new ranking of heart attack triggers. Conducted by Belgian researchers, the study is based on a large-scale analysis of data on potential triggers for heart attacks. Published in the journal, Lancet, this month, the research shows that while negative emotions in general are linked to 4 per cent of heart attacks, anger specifically is linked to over 3 per cent. Apart from anger, coffee, alcohol, sex and air pollution are the other new factors found to spur an attack.

2011 NBA Playoffs Schedule

Here is the complete schedule and national television & radio arrangements for the Eastern and Western Conference first-round series.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Chicago vs. Indiana

Game 1 - Sat April 16, Indiana at Chicago, 1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN3D
Game 2 - Mon April 18, Indiana at Chicago, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 - Thu April 21, Chicago at Indiana, 7:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 4 - Sat April 23, Chicago at Indiana, 2:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, Indiana at Chicago, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28, Chicago at Indiana, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30, Indiana at Chicago, TBD, TNT

Miami vs. Philadelphia

Game 1 - Sat April 16, Philadelphia at Miami, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 2 - Mon April 18, Philadelphia at Miami, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 - Thu April 21, Miami at Philadelphia, 8:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4 - Sun April 24, Miami at Philadelphia, 1:00 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5 * Wed April 27, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29, Miami at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBD

Boston vs. New York

Game 1 - Sun April 17, New York at Boston, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 - Tue April 19, New York at Boston, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 - Fri April 22, Boston at New York, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 - Sun April 24, Boston at New York, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 5 * Tue April 26, New York at Boston, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29, Boston at New York, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1, New York at Boston, TBD, TBD

Orlando vs. Atlanta

Game 1 - Sat April 16, Atlanta at Orlando, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 - Tue April 19, Atlanta at Orlando, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3 - Fri April 22, Orlando at Atlanta, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN3D
Game 4 - Sun April 24, Orlando at Atlanta, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, Atlanta at Orlando, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28, Orlando at Atlanta, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30, Atlanta at Orlando, TBD, TNT
___________________________________________________________________

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Antonio vs. Memphis

Game 1 - Sun April 17, Memphis at San Antonio, 1:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 - Wed April 20, Memphis at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Game 3 - Sat April 23, San Antonio at Memphis, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 - Mon April 25, San Antonio at Memphis, TBD, TBD
Game 5 * Wed April 27, Memphis at San Antonio, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29, San Antonio at Memphis, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1, Memphis at San Antonio, TBD, TBD

L.A. Lakers vs. New Orleans

Game 1 - Sun April 17, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 2 - Wed April 20, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 - Fri April 22, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 - Sun April 24, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD, TNT

Dallas vs. Portland

Game 1 - Sat April 16, Portland at Dallas, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 - Tue April 19, Portland at Dallas, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 - Thu April 21, Dallas at Portland, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4 - Sat April 23, Dallas at Portland, 5:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Mon April 25, Portland at Dallas, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28, Dallas at Portland, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30, Portland at Dallas, TBD, TNT

Oklahoma City vs. Denver

Game 1 - Sun April 17, Denver at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 - Wed April 20, Denver at Oklahoma City, 8:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 - Sat April 23, Oklahoma City at Denver, 10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/R
Game 4 - Mon April 25, Oklahoma City at Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Wed April 27, Denver at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29, Oklahoma City at Denver, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1, Denver at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBD

*If necessary
TBD - To Be Determined
R - ESPN Radio
ESPN3D - ESPN 3D

Care for your hair

After shampooing your hair, towel dry it and use a heat protectant product especially at the hair ends. l Massage a dollop of straightening balm, spreading it evenly through your hair.

- Place your blow dryer on a low setting. Then, as you run your fingers through your hair, combing it, blow dry gently. This will remove the excess moisture in your hair.

- Part your hair into three sections, one portion falling back while two at the sides. Clip up the portions that fall at the sides.

- Select a small portion of hair from the un-clipped section that falls on either side. Now, using a thick, round brush, start at the roots of your hair and brush through it gently using a blow dryer, moving to the ends. Make sure you pull you hair away from the head, straightening it as you run your hairbrush through it.

- Always, start with the underside of your hair gradually moving to the upper part so it dries completely.

- Even distribute the heat over whichever section of hair you work on. This allows a uniform hair texture and also prevents over drying of hair.

- When done with one portion, select and blow smaller parts of hair. Continue till you straighten the whole section.

- Now repeat the process on the remaining two portions of hair.

A LOVE STORY

There was once a guy who suffered from cancer... a cancer that can't be treated. He was 18 years old and he could die anytime. All his life, he was stuck in his house being taken cared by his mother. He never went outside but he was sick of staying home and wanted to go out for once.

So he asked his mother and she gave him permission. He walked down his block and found a lot of stores. He passed a CD store and looked through the front door for a second as he walked. He stopped and went back to look into the store. He saw a young girl about his age and he knew it was love at first sight. He opened the door and walked in, not looking at anything else but her. He walked closer and closer until he was finally at the front desk where she sat.

She looked up and asked Can I help you She smiled and he thought it was the most beautiful smile he has ever seen before and wanted to kiss her right there.

He said Uh... Yeah... Umm... I would like to buy a CD. He picked one out and gave her money for it.

Would you like me to wrap it for you she asked, smiling her cute smile again.

He nodded and she went to the back.

She came back with the wrapped CD and gave it to him. He took it and walked out of the store. He went home and from then on, he went to that store everyday and bought a CD, and she wrapped it for him. He took the CD home and put it in his closet. He was still too shy to ask her out and he really wanted to but he couldn't. His mother found out about this and told him to just ask her.

So the next day, he took all his courage and went to the store. He bought a CD like he did everyday and once again she went to the back of the store and came back with it wrapped. He took it and when she wasn't looking, he left his phone number on the desk and ran out...

!!!RRRRRING!!!

The mother picked up the phone and said, Hello

It was the girl!!! She asked for the boy and the mother started to cry and said, You don't know He passed away yesterday...

The line was quiet except for the cries of the boy's mother.

Later in the day. the mother went into the boy's room because she wanted to remember him. She thought she would start by looking at his clothes. So she opened the closet. She was face to face with piles and piles and piles of unopened CDs. She was surprised to find all those CDs and she picked one up and sat down on the bed and she started to open one.

Inside, there was a CD and as she took it out of the wrapper, out fell a piece of paper. The mother picked it up and started to read it.

It said Hi... I think U R really cute. Do u wanna go out with me Love, Jacelyn

The mother opened another CD...

Again there was a piece of paper. It said Hi... I think U R really cute. Do u wanna go out with me Love, Jacelyn

Love is... when you've had a huge fight but then decide to put aside your egos, hold hands and say, I Love You.

Music Friday (Power Of Two)

Power Of Two

Now the parking lot is empty
Everyone's gone someplace
I pick you up and in the trunk I've packed
A cooler and a two-day suitcase
Cause there's a place we like to drive
Way out in the country
Five miles out of the city limit we're singing
And your hand's upon my knee

So we're okay, we're fine
Baby I'm here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
I'm stronger than the monster beneath your bed
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart
We'll look at them together then we'll take them apart
Adding up the total of a love that's true
Multiply life by the power of two

You know the things I'm afraid of
I'm not afraid to tell
And if we ever leave a legacy
It's that we loved each other well
Cause I've seen the shadows of so many people
Trying on the treasures of youth
But a road that's fancy and fast ends in a fatal crash
And I'm glad we got off to tell you the truth

Cause we're okay, we're fine
Baby I'm here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
I'm stronger than the monster beneath your bed
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart
We'll look at them together then we'll take them apart
Adding up the total of a love that's true
Multiply life by the power of two

Emily:
All the shiny little trinkets of temptation
Something new instead of something old
All you gotta do is scratch beneath the surface
And it's fool's gold
Fool's gold
Fool's gold
Amy:
Make new friends but
Keep the old
But remember
What is gold
What is gold
What is gold


Now we're talking bout a difficult thing
And your eyes are getting wet
I tookus for better and I took us for worse
Now don't you ever forget
Now the steel bars between me and a promise
Suddenly bend with ease
And the closer I'm bound in love to you
The closer I am to free

So we're okay, we're fine
Baby I'm here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
I'm stronger than a monster beneath your bed
I'm smarter than the tricks played on your heart
We'll look at them together then we'll take them apart
Adding up the totals of a love that's true
Multiply life by the power of two

Painkillers Increase Heart Risk

A new study has associated common painkillers to increased risk of heart problems.

The drugs include traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) as well as new generation anti-inflammatory drugs, known as COX-2 inhibitors.

NSAIDs have been the cornerstone of managing pain in patients with osteoarthritis and other painful conditions.

So researchers in Switzerland performed a comprehensive analysis of all randomised controlled trials comparing any NSAID with other NSAIDs or placebo.

They included 31 trials and 116,429 patients taking seven different drugs (naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, celecoxib, etoricoxib, rofecoxib, lumiracoxib) or placebo to provide a more reliable estimate of the cardiovascular risks of these drugs than previous studies.

Overall, the number of harmful outcomes that could be compared for placebo versus treatment was low.

In 29 trials there was a total of 554 heart attacks; in 26 trials there were 377 strokes, and in 28 trials there were 676 deaths. So the absolute risk of cardiovascular problems among people taking painkillers was low, but the researchers did find that, relative to placebo, the drugs carried important risks.

For instance, compared with placebo, rofecoxib and lumiracoxib were associated with twice the risk of heart attack, while ibuprofen was associated with more than three times the risk of stroke.

Etoricoxib and diclofenac were associated with the highest risk of cardiovascular death.

Naproxen appeared least harmful in terms of cardiovascular safety among the seven analyzed preparations.

The Power of Media

A servant enrolled his donkey in a race & won.

The local paper read:'SERVANT's A*s WON'


The king was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the servant not to enter the donkey in another race.

Next day the local paper headline read:'KING SCRATCHES SERVANT's A*s'.


This was too much for the king, he ordered the servant to get rid of the donkey. He gave the donkey to the queen.

The local paper heading the news: "QUEEN HAS THE BEST A*s IN TOWN".
The king fainted.


Queen sold the donkey to a farmer for 10$.

Next day paper read:"QUEEN SELLS A*s FOR $10"


This was too much, KING ordered the queen to buy back the donkey & lead it to jungle.

The next day Headlines:"QUEEN ANNOUNCES HER A*s IS WILD & FREE"

The king was buried next day!

...Power of media

I'll Be on Leave Tomorow

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