The Four-Letter Word that Makes You and Your Work Irresistible
Mark Sanborn, Harvard Business Review, April 14, 2010
LOVE is a four-letter word in the business world. It makes us uncomfortable. It seems inappropriate or even taboo.
It can also make you and your work irresistible.
Let me explain: Some years ago I wrote a book about an extraordinary individual who loves his work. My editor at the time deleted the word love every place I used it. Instead, he suggested using the phrase "generosity of spirit."
"Why not love?" I inquired.
"Because the word love freaks out businesspeople," he responded.
In my estimation, he was half-right. I think the word love freaks out most people, especially when applied to work. That's because more often than not it is associated with sugary sweet emotion or sentimentality. "I love my colleagues." "I love my customers." "I love the daily grind." Hollow. Superficial. Cliché.
Nobody I know loves every aspect of her or his job. I don't know of any perfect jobs in this imperfect world. I wish they existed. But I know that it is possible to love the work we perform, love the people we work with, and love the people we serve.
What does love look like when it shows up for work? If you pay attention, you'll notice it more often than you think.
A few months ago, I spent time at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Atlanta. Everyone you'll meet at the Ritz is typically on top of his or her game. The staff refers to you by name and exhibits the attitude of "ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." Their unique brand of service will ruin you for all other hotel chains. But it also makes it challenging for a Ritz-Carlton employee to truly stand out.
After a night's rest, I entered the hotel restaurant and took my place in line at the breakfast buffet. A chef named Jeremy staffed the omelet station. "What can I prepare for you, sir?" he asked.
I ordered an egg-white omelet with lots of vegetables, ham, and a little cheese. "You've got to add a little cheese to an egg-white omelet;" I shared with Jeremy, "otherwise it's just too boring."
"Not my omelets!" he boomed. "They're never boring. That's because I add a special ingredient. He paused for effect. "I make my omelets with loooovvvveeee!"
His unorthodox pronouncement got my attention, but I smiled politely and took the plate. With one bite, I could tell that Jeremy had created an extraordinary dish for me. A few moments later, he came by the table to see how I liked it. I told him it was terrific, probably because it was made with love. Jeremy got serious for a moment and said, "If you can't do it with love, why do it at all?"
Chef Jeremy gets it. He understands that when we allow love to define who we are as we work, we become people with a contagious passion for what we do.
To begin, we must reorient our conventional understanding of the term love, defining it as finding a deep-seated passion for what we do, the people we do it with, and the people we do it for. Regardless of the type of work we do, we can find fulfillment and meaning in at least one of these areas.
Take Sam, for instance.
One hot South African afternoon, a stranger photographed him carrying a frail 75-year-old man down the side of a busy road. The rescued man had missed his bus home and collapsed outside the Pick n' Pay where Sam Tsukudu has worked for twenty-plus years.
Sam's heroic act of kindness is just part of who he is. He walks a blind man home from the store every week and helps him unpack his bags. Over a decade of friendship, Tsukudu decodes what groceries Chandler needs, using bits and pieces of empty cartons and labels.
According to one of Sam's customers, "We can't imagine Pick n' Pay without him. He always comes to our rescue and says, "Don't fear; Sam is near."
I don't know Sam, obviously, but I'd be willing to wager he loves his work and his customers. When I first read the story, I was reminded of Duke Ellington. He used to end his performances with "Love you madly!"
Can you say--or at least think--something like that at the end of your "performance" each day? Do you find satisfaction or fulfillment in your daily responsibilities? Do you enjoy working with your colleagues on specific projects or for a common cause? Do you desire to see your business or company have an impact on your town, city, or country? And if no, why not?
Our lives and work are marked by love when we seek to give instead of receive, focus on how we do something rather than just doing it, see a task as a privilege rather than an obligation, make relationships a priority, and move beyond simple action to the accompanying emotions.
Kahil Gibran famously said, "Work is love made visible." That probably sounded exotic when back in seventh grade when we didn't have a job . . . but after a few years of employment, I wonder how many of us could quote him with a straight face?
But there are those who love--whether it be what they do, who they do it with, who they do it for, or all three--and they "make love visible" in a variety of ways.
For love to make any difference it needs to be demonstrated and not simply felt; it needs to be both attitude and action. To remember what can be done to infuse the irresistible ingredient into any type of work, I use the acronym "P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E-S." If you can understand the powerful upside of adding love to your work, here's a way to do it regardless of your job or title or lack thereof:
Patience. I don't think Mother Theresa woke up in the morning and mourned, "Oh Lord, not more lepers!" She did some of the hardest work on the planet, and she seemed to be far more fulfilled and content than we who sit comfortably in our air-conditioned offices. How could that be?
Love is choosing to accept someone--imperfections, weaknesses, demands, and all--no matter his or her circumstances or needs. We need to meet our coworkers and customers where they are, not where we want them to be. Patience requires us to set our own expectations aside without indulging in frustration or negativity.
Recognition. According to Mary Kay Ash, founder of the eponymous multi-million dollar cosmetics company, "There are two things people want more than sex and money--recognition and praise."
Love is paying attention. We don't ignore that which we love, whether a person or an activity. Focus equals fondness.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." Not surprisingly, the recognition of another's potential often starts him or her toward its achievement.
We have to recognize the specific needs and desires of those with whom we work and those whom we serve. Applying the irresistible ingredient requires us to move beyond small talk to the deeper issues in people's lives. It's far too easy to judge a coworker or customer by how he or she looks or acts rather than doing the hard work of understanding why. Challenging ourselves to really know people is unusual in our culture, but the relationships we build will measure our success in the long run.
Appreciation. Friends of mine just launched an Internet company called Propadoo. The idea is insanely simple: use the web to make it easy for people to give and receive "props" online. Want to give a service provider a recommendation? Do it instantly at Propadoo. Want your clients to know about the rave reviews others give you? Use Propadoo. Yes, there is a monetary payoff, but the social driver is more interesting to me. Propadoo is about recognition and appreciation. Propadoo lets people use technology to send a message that says, "You matter. Your work matters. I appreciate you."
Appreciation comes from looking for what's right rather than being hypersensitive to what's wrong. It is about choosing to focus on the positive even when you can't ignore the negative.
Too often we forget to stop and express our appreciation to the people who serve alongside us and the people who serve us. From the smallest gesture--a smile or a quick internet "prop"--to the largest bonus or award, people need to know that their work matters to us. Our customers and coworkers will respond positively every time we offer genuine appreciation.
Counsel. Don't tell people what they want to hear. Tell them what they need to hear. Just make sure you tell them in a way that they will listen!
I recall being put off by a sales professional in an electronics store until he confided in me that the DVD player I was about to purchase was inexpensive but laden with problems. He would have made a commission had I bought the unit, and yet he demonstrated his concern for me by sharing that insight instead. His interest in helping me make a good buying decision instantly changed my attitude about him.
Love is offering wise and insightful advice that is in the best interest of the receiver rather than the giver. When asked, it is easy to criticize or suggest the first thought that comes to mind, no matter its validity. A thoughtful input or response shows that we value the individual and care about his or her need.
Time. Love is taking time to address another's needs. In our lightning-fast world where the average attention span is less than two minutes, time is a valuable commodity and should be handled as such. By giving the gift of time to a coworker or customer, we show that we value them above all of the other things that cry out for our attention.
One of the most powerful love practices at work is the pause, making time to be fully present with another person. We ask each other "How are you doing?" all the time and never really mean it. How tragic! Take the time.
Instruction. Teacher Tom Lewis started The Fishing School decades ago in downtown Washington, D.C., hoping to give children from a disadvantaged background a chance to succeed as adults. Recently, the team from ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stumbled across Tom's school while working in the area. The camera showed shot after shot of bright-eyed children studying, working with their teachers, and playing in a broken-down building with heavy bars on every window and door.
Interviewers asked the kids where they thought they might be if they didn't have the Fishing School. "On the street. . . . In jail with my brothers. . . . Maybe dead like my dad." Next, they asked what the kids wanted to be when they grew up. "Mr. Lewis said I can be a doctor someday if I study hard." "I want to be a pilot." "I'm gonna be the president!"
Best of all were the comments, "I want to be Mr. Lewis. I asked him to be my daddy because I never had one. I want to build my own school and teach kids just like he does."
One of my favorite teachers from high school taught a subject for which I initially had little regard. However, it soon became clear that he was as interested in his students as he was his subject, and he taught it in such a way that they would truly benefit from his instruction.
Love is teaching someone else with gentleness, discernment, and selflessness. By offering up our experience and hard-won knowledge, we can help others to avoid mistakes that we've made, achieve results that we've been able to achieve, and improve beyond what we've been able to accomplish. The most effective teachers walk alongside their students as they learn, appreciating their accomplishments rather than emphasizing their shortcomings.
Compassion. Of course we can all go through the motions--do the right things, implement the right practices and believe in the right ways--but how we do our work makes all the difference. Acting with passion and out of compassion is the difference between mundane and memorable.
Over thirty years ago I heard a highly successful entrepreneur speak. The only point I can remember is his comment, "Everybody hurts." As professionals, we carefully cultivate a slick, confident veneer with our Armani suits. But in truth, we are all broken, hurting, wounded people. That's life. My pal author and speaker Ken Davis encapsulated our situation well: "I'm not okay, you're not okay, and that's okay."
Acknowledging our weaknesses, mourning our losses, and comforting each other through difficult times will strengthen our relationships like nothing else can. True compassion requires us to be vulnerable and to admit our own struggles even as we offer empathy and support to others.
Encouragement. Love is offering heartfelt words of affirmation, inspiration, and motivation to our customers and coworkers. We all need someone--not something--to root us on from the sidelines of our lives. We should seek to notice when others do well and hold them up when they fail. Often neglected, encouragement is probably the easiest way to incorporate the irresistible ingredient into our lives and relationships. If we just look around, opportunities to encourage others are everywhere.
Service. Love is serving others without expecting anything in return. Service is part of nearly every job description, but the concept goes far beyond making sure that a customer's questions are answered or requests are fulfilled. Irresistible service happens when we anticipate needs and respond with insight and excellence.
Becky Rand owns a small short-order diner on the wharf in Portland, Maine. The tony area held several upscale restaurants--all of whom charged high prices and didn't want a blue collar crowd. Nearly twenty years ago, Becky scraped together her savings and opened a democratic little place where lobstermen and captains of industry, cops on the beat and paranoid schizophrenics, university professors and cab drivers rub shoulders at the counter.
All of her meals are backed by a no-strings-attached guarantee: If you don't like it, you don't pay. Better yet, every customer quickly becomes a regular . . . and a treasured friend. Many folks in the area eat at Becky's daily. When regulars don't show, they call in beforehand. Otherwise, Becky or one of her staff is on the way with a bowl of homemade soup and a muffin straight from the oven.
Her outstanding service has inspired countless publicity offers, franchise opportunities, and more. But there is only one Becky, and she's motivated by one thing: love. She loves what she does, the staff she does it with, and the customers she does it for.
Ernest Dimnet in The Art of Thinking wrote, "Love, whether it be the attraction of Truth, or pure, simple, elemental love, always opens up the intellect and gives it freedom of genius."
We all work. Whether we cook omelets, prepare taxes, sell cars, or lead corporations, we spend more than one-third of our lives in the workplace. We can choose to blend in, putting in our time with one eye on the clock, or we can take part in something bigger than ourselves.
When we add the irresistible ingredient of love into every element of our work, a job becomes an occupation, then becomes a career, and then becomes a successful career. We will build meaningful relationships with our colleagues. We will cultivate solid, trustworthy business relationships with our clients. And we will develop a very real, satisfying connection with the actual tasks at hand.
A positive cycle develops quickly, greatly impacting the effectiveness of our business. When we deliver them with love, our products and services become more attractive, leading to better customer response, greater employee retention, and more. Best of all, the results will invariably lead to a sense of personal fulfillment and renewed motivation.
According to an article in USA Today, a Dutch psychologist investigated the differences between chess masters and grand chess masters. He found no difference in IQ, memory, or spatial reasoning. The only difference he could identify: the grand masters simply loved chess more. He concluded that they had more passion about and commitment to the game.
I've observed that you don't have to love what you do to be very good at it. I know very competent and successful individuals who have developed the skills to succeed at their work. By their own admission, they see what they do as a means to an end. They don't love their work, nor are they passionate about it. They are, however, good at it.
But when it comes to greatness, I intuitively concur with the Dutch researcher. The inspired performers, the über-achievers and the grand masters of life seem to share a common denominator.
Love is the difference. This four-letter word will make you and what you do quite irresistible.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Birthdays
Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. ~Larry Lorenzoni
You're not 40, you're eighteen with 22 years experience. ~Author Unknown
Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life. ~Herbert Asquith
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. ~Author Unknown
They say that age is all in your mind. The trick is keeping it from creeping down into your body. ~Author Unknown
A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip. ~Author Unknown
Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:
Your birthday as my own to me is dear...
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend.
~Martial
Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again. ~Menachem Mendel Schneerson
You're not 40, you're eighteen with 22 years experience. ~Author Unknown
Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life. ~Herbert Asquith
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely. ~Author Unknown
They say that age is all in your mind. The trick is keeping it from creeping down into your body. ~Author Unknown
A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip. ~Author Unknown
Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:
Your birthday as my own to me is dear...
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend.
~Martial
Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again. ~Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Did you know this about basketball? I didn't...
The Roots of Basketball
Chuck Colson, BreakPoint, April 7, 2010
Here's a good trivia question for you. Which major sport was invented as an evangelistic tool?
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, John Murray recalled the story of the game's founding. The inventor of basketball, James Naismith, became convinced that he stood a better chance of exemplifying the Christian life through sports rather than through preaching. So he took a job as a physical education instructor at the YMCA's International Training School for Christian Workers in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith's vision was "to win men for the Master through the gym."
In 1891, Naismith set out to invent a new indoor game that students could play during winter. He spent weeks testing various games, including versions of soccer, football, and lacrosse, to no avail. "Finally," Murray writes, "Naismith decided to draw from all of these sports: with a ball that could be easily handled, play that involved running and passing with no tackling, and a goal at each end of the floor." In short, he came up with basketball.
From the beginning, Naismith and his athletic director, Luther Gulick, held the players to a high standard. As Gulick wrote in 1897, "The game must be kept clean." A Christian college cannot tolerate "not merely ungentlemanly treatment of guests, but slugging and that which violates the elementary principles of morals." He recommended that a coach should "excuse for the rest of the year any player who is not clean in his play."
Basketball served as an important evangelical tool during the next 50 years, Murray noted. In 1941, Naismith wrote that "whenever I witness games in a church league, I feel that my vision, almost half a century ago, of the time when the Christian people would recognize the true value of athletics, has become a reality."
In the last 100 years, we've seen no shortage of Christian athletes who use their skill, self-discipline, and sportsmanship as a witness to Christ-from Olympic runner Eric Liddel in the 1920s, to football player Tim Tebow in our own generation.
In fact, so many athletes give the glory to God after a game that sportswriters sometimes get irritated with them. To which I respond: Which would you prefer--players known for their faith and good sportsmanship, or players who are arrested for assault or drug use?
If you have a young basketball fan in your family, tell him or her the story of how basketball was invented. And pray for Christian players who can use the public's love of sports the way Naismith envisioned when he invented basketball--as a witnessing tool to "win men for the Master through the gym."
Chuck Colson, BreakPoint, April 7, 2010
Here's a good trivia question for you. Which major sport was invented as an evangelistic tool?
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, John Murray recalled the story of the game's founding. The inventor of basketball, James Naismith, became convinced that he stood a better chance of exemplifying the Christian life through sports rather than through preaching. So he took a job as a physical education instructor at the YMCA's International Training School for Christian Workers in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith's vision was "to win men for the Master through the gym."
In 1891, Naismith set out to invent a new indoor game that students could play during winter. He spent weeks testing various games, including versions of soccer, football, and lacrosse, to no avail. "Finally," Murray writes, "Naismith decided to draw from all of these sports: with a ball that could be easily handled, play that involved running and passing with no tackling, and a goal at each end of the floor." In short, he came up with basketball.
From the beginning, Naismith and his athletic director, Luther Gulick, held the players to a high standard. As Gulick wrote in 1897, "The game must be kept clean." A Christian college cannot tolerate "not merely ungentlemanly treatment of guests, but slugging and that which violates the elementary principles of morals." He recommended that a coach should "excuse for the rest of the year any player who is not clean in his play."
Basketball served as an important evangelical tool during the next 50 years, Murray noted. In 1941, Naismith wrote that "whenever I witness games in a church league, I feel that my vision, almost half a century ago, of the time when the Christian people would recognize the true value of athletics, has become a reality."
In the last 100 years, we've seen no shortage of Christian athletes who use their skill, self-discipline, and sportsmanship as a witness to Christ-from Olympic runner Eric Liddel in the 1920s, to football player Tim Tebow in our own generation.
In fact, so many athletes give the glory to God after a game that sportswriters sometimes get irritated with them. To which I respond: Which would you prefer--players known for their faith and good sportsmanship, or players who are arrested for assault or drug use?
If you have a young basketball fan in your family, tell him or her the story of how basketball was invented. And pray for Christian players who can use the public's love of sports the way Naismith envisioned when he invented basketball--as a witnessing tool to "win men for the Master through the gym."
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Happier children
"Both faith and fear may sail into your harbor, but allow only faith to drop anchor."--Author unknown
Children happier for being spiritual: study
By Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service, April 6, 2010
Kathleen Ennis's son was three years old and leafing through a book in the back seat as she drove him home from swimming lessons when he suddenly piped up and asked who her mother and father were. They're his grandparents, she explained. And who are their parents, he wanted to know, and where are they?
Ennis explained that their parents were her grandparents, and they had died. There were a few beats of silence before the little boy exclaimed, "Oh, they're risen!" revealing an understanding of his family's Catholic faith that caught his mother by surprise.
That day a decade ago, Ennis discovered something as a parent that new Canadian studies have just revealed, much to the surprise of researchers: Children have an unexpectedly sophisticated grasp of spirituality, and they're happier for it.
"There had never been that language; that link had never been made for him," Ennis, director of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a children's program in the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, says of her son's epiphany.
Newly published research from the University of British Columbia finds that spirituality--a personal belief in a higher power--is strongly linked to the happiness of children ages eight to 12, but religiousness--practices such as attending church--is not. The original study was conducted with relatively affluent, predominantly Caucasian and Christian children in B.C., but it's just been repeated with children in the very different milieu of New Delhi, and lead author Mark Holder, an associate professor of psychology at UBC's Okanagan campus, says preliminary analysis shows the same surprising results.
"I wasn't even sure we could measure spirituality in kids," he says. "I wasn't sure when we gave them the questionnaires whether they'd be able to understand it (or) we'd end up with what we refer to as a 'wash,' which means we don't find anything significant because children don't get it and they just guess and respond randomly. The fact that we got such strong results indicates that they must somehow be understanding it."
What's more, the studies showed varying effects for different aspects of spirituality, suggesting that children grasp their faith with a subtlety that may elude many adults, Holder says.
Ennis works with children under age six in the Archdiocese of Toronto, and she says she's constantly amazed by the spiritual and metaphorical links they're able to build on their own. She starts talking about the Parable of the Good Shepherd who cares benevolently for his flock when the children are just three or four years old, she says, and almost immediately they grasp that they themselves are the sheep watched over by Jesus.
"They're beautiful and also profound, and theologically, they're very sound," she says of their revelations.
She uses simple stories and few words to convey these religious lessons to the youngest parishioners, Ennis says, and the Biblical stories come to life with the help of figurines to act out the stories or tiny mustard seeds representing those to which God's kingdom is compared.
And she always knows when the children are enthralled because the wiggling and fidgeting stops, she says.
Amy Crawford, program minister for children, young teens and youth with the United Church of Canada, says she believes that, rather than limiting spirituality, the developmental stage of childhood enhances it.
Often when people talk about a spiritual experience, they'll recall something from childhood, she says, but over time, society and even religious institutions themselves encourage people to suppress that youthful capacity for wonder.
For a long time, society failed to "honour and respect" the capabilities of children in this context, Crawford says, but she believes children experience the presence of a higher power in the same moments adults do--even if they don't always know how to express it.
There's been plenty of academic research on the relationship between adult spirituality and happiness, Holder says, and even some work on adolescents, but very little on the spiritual lives of children. Now that his studies have demonstrated that children understand these concepts, he's hopeful more research on the topic will follow.
Children happier for being spiritual: study
By Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service, April 6, 2010
Kathleen Ennis's son was three years old and leafing through a book in the back seat as she drove him home from swimming lessons when he suddenly piped up and asked who her mother and father were. They're his grandparents, she explained. And who are their parents, he wanted to know, and where are they?
Ennis explained that their parents were her grandparents, and they had died. There were a few beats of silence before the little boy exclaimed, "Oh, they're risen!" revealing an understanding of his family's Catholic faith that caught his mother by surprise.
That day a decade ago, Ennis discovered something as a parent that new Canadian studies have just revealed, much to the surprise of researchers: Children have an unexpectedly sophisticated grasp of spirituality, and they're happier for it.
"There had never been that language; that link had never been made for him," Ennis, director of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a children's program in the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, says of her son's epiphany.
Newly published research from the University of British Columbia finds that spirituality--a personal belief in a higher power--is strongly linked to the happiness of children ages eight to 12, but religiousness--practices such as attending church--is not. The original study was conducted with relatively affluent, predominantly Caucasian and Christian children in B.C., but it's just been repeated with children in the very different milieu of New Delhi, and lead author Mark Holder, an associate professor of psychology at UBC's Okanagan campus, says preliminary analysis shows the same surprising results.
"I wasn't even sure we could measure spirituality in kids," he says. "I wasn't sure when we gave them the questionnaires whether they'd be able to understand it (or) we'd end up with what we refer to as a 'wash,' which means we don't find anything significant because children don't get it and they just guess and respond randomly. The fact that we got such strong results indicates that they must somehow be understanding it."
What's more, the studies showed varying effects for different aspects of spirituality, suggesting that children grasp their faith with a subtlety that may elude many adults, Holder says.
Ennis works with children under age six in the Archdiocese of Toronto, and she says she's constantly amazed by the spiritual and metaphorical links they're able to build on their own. She starts talking about the Parable of the Good Shepherd who cares benevolently for his flock when the children are just three or four years old, she says, and almost immediately they grasp that they themselves are the sheep watched over by Jesus.
"They're beautiful and also profound, and theologically, they're very sound," she says of their revelations.
She uses simple stories and few words to convey these religious lessons to the youngest parishioners, Ennis says, and the Biblical stories come to life with the help of figurines to act out the stories or tiny mustard seeds representing those to which God's kingdom is compared.
And she always knows when the children are enthralled because the wiggling and fidgeting stops, she says.
Amy Crawford, program minister for children, young teens and youth with the United Church of Canada, says she believes that, rather than limiting spirituality, the developmental stage of childhood enhances it.
Often when people talk about a spiritual experience, they'll recall something from childhood, she says, but over time, society and even religious institutions themselves encourage people to suppress that youthful capacity for wonder.
For a long time, society failed to "honour and respect" the capabilities of children in this context, Crawford says, but she believes children experience the presence of a higher power in the same moments adults do--even if they don't always know how to express it.
There's been plenty of academic research on the relationship between adult spirituality and happiness, Holder says, and even some work on adolescents, but very little on the spiritual lives of children. Now that his studies have demonstrated that children understand these concepts, he's hopeful more research on the topic will follow.
Miners miracles
Rescue of 114 at Chinese Coal Mine Called 'Miracle'
By Sharon LaFraniere, NY Times, April 5, 2010
BEIJING--From the start, China's latest coal mine disaster seemed likely to end like so many others in a country where an average of seven miners die every day: a failed rescue effort, grieving relatives and few, if any, survivors.
But for reasons still unclear, the March 28 accident at the Wangjialing mine in Shanxi Province in northern China turned out differently.
More than a week after the mine flooded with water, rescuers found that most of the 153 men trapped underground were still alive. And by midafternoon Monday, 114 of them had been pulled to safety.
Rescue efforts continued on Monday, and rescuers hugged each other and wept for joy, a scene broadcast repeatedly on national television on Tomb-Sweeping Day, China's national holiday to commemorate the dead. A spokesman for a rescue team of more than 3,000 workers declared the outcome "a miracle."
"This is probably one of the most amazing rescues in the history of mining anywhere," David Feickert, a coal mine safety adviser to the Chinese government, told The Associated Press.
The accident occurred when workers digging tunnels broke through a wall into an old shaft filled with water, suddenly flooding the new V-shaped shaft with millions of gallons and submerging five of the miners' nine work platforms.
The mine's managers had ignored evidence of dangerous water leaks in the half-built mine days before the disaster, according to a preliminary investigation by the State Administration of Work Safety. Workers had been ordered to step up the pace of construction in order to meet an October deadline to begin production, the agency found. The Chinese government has managed in recent years to dramatically cut the death rate at its coal mines, but they remain among the world's most dangerous.
There were 261 workers in the mine when the March 28 accident occurred. Of them, 108 quickly made it to safety, but 153 remained trapped in the watery pit and were feared dead.
The rescue operation was huge: A battery of pumps was installed, draining as much as half a million gallons of water a day from the mine in the hope that rescuers could safely enter it. By Friday, five days after the flooding, the water level inside the mine had dropped nearly 11 feet.
Then on Friday afternoon came a glimmer of hope as rescuers heard tapping on a metal pipe underground. They tapped and shouted into a pipe in response, and sent down hundreds of bags of glucose, a phone, pen, paper and two letters of encouragement inside a plastic bottle.
When they pulled a pipe back up to the surface, rescuers found an iron wire tied to the end, an apparent signal from survivors, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency. Rescuers also spotted swaying lights at the opposite end of the shaft, another possible sign of life.
By Sunday night, 100 rescue workers had descended into the mine and located the first group of nine survivors. They were carried out of mine shortly after midnight and rushed to the nearest hospital in ambulances as thousands of people keeping vigil along the roadside cheered. Those survivors were later reported to be in stable condition.
Up to 300 rescuers were inside the mine by Monday morning. China Central Television, the state-controlled network, showed rescuers carrying out miners one by one. The men were wrapped in green blankets on stretchers, their eyes covered with towels to shield them from the light.
Some of the trapped miners had used their belts to attach themselves to the shaft walls, and hung there for days. Some managed to jump into a floating mine cart, the network reported.
The miners did not drink the water that flooded the mine, afraid that it was contaminated, the state news media reported. A medical officer told reporters that the survivors suffered from severe dehydration, hypothermia and skin infections from prolonged exposure to the water.
Some were in shock, according to news reports, and one was still gripping his miner's lamp when rescued.
"I have not slept for several days," one rescuer, Wei Fusheng, told the television station, weeping with happiness. "Our efforts have not been in vain."
By Sharon LaFraniere, NY Times, April 5, 2010
BEIJING--From the start, China's latest coal mine disaster seemed likely to end like so many others in a country where an average of seven miners die every day: a failed rescue effort, grieving relatives and few, if any, survivors.
But for reasons still unclear, the March 28 accident at the Wangjialing mine in Shanxi Province in northern China turned out differently.
More than a week after the mine flooded with water, rescuers found that most of the 153 men trapped underground were still alive. And by midafternoon Monday, 114 of them had been pulled to safety.
Rescue efforts continued on Monday, and rescuers hugged each other and wept for joy, a scene broadcast repeatedly on national television on Tomb-Sweeping Day, China's national holiday to commemorate the dead. A spokesman for a rescue team of more than 3,000 workers declared the outcome "a miracle."
"This is probably one of the most amazing rescues in the history of mining anywhere," David Feickert, a coal mine safety adviser to the Chinese government, told The Associated Press.
The accident occurred when workers digging tunnels broke through a wall into an old shaft filled with water, suddenly flooding the new V-shaped shaft with millions of gallons and submerging five of the miners' nine work platforms.
The mine's managers had ignored evidence of dangerous water leaks in the half-built mine days before the disaster, according to a preliminary investigation by the State Administration of Work Safety. Workers had been ordered to step up the pace of construction in order to meet an October deadline to begin production, the agency found. The Chinese government has managed in recent years to dramatically cut the death rate at its coal mines, but they remain among the world's most dangerous.
There were 261 workers in the mine when the March 28 accident occurred. Of them, 108 quickly made it to safety, but 153 remained trapped in the watery pit and were feared dead.
The rescue operation was huge: A battery of pumps was installed, draining as much as half a million gallons of water a day from the mine in the hope that rescuers could safely enter it. By Friday, five days after the flooding, the water level inside the mine had dropped nearly 11 feet.
Then on Friday afternoon came a glimmer of hope as rescuers heard tapping on a metal pipe underground. They tapped and shouted into a pipe in response, and sent down hundreds of bags of glucose, a phone, pen, paper and two letters of encouragement inside a plastic bottle.
When they pulled a pipe back up to the surface, rescuers found an iron wire tied to the end, an apparent signal from survivors, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency. Rescuers also spotted swaying lights at the opposite end of the shaft, another possible sign of life.
By Sunday night, 100 rescue workers had descended into the mine and located the first group of nine survivors. They were carried out of mine shortly after midnight and rushed to the nearest hospital in ambulances as thousands of people keeping vigil along the roadside cheered. Those survivors were later reported to be in stable condition.
Up to 300 rescuers were inside the mine by Monday morning. China Central Television, the state-controlled network, showed rescuers carrying out miners one by one. The men were wrapped in green blankets on stretchers, their eyes covered with towels to shield them from the light.
Some of the trapped miners had used their belts to attach themselves to the shaft walls, and hung there for days. Some managed to jump into a floating mine cart, the network reported.
The miners did not drink the water that flooded the mine, afraid that it was contaminated, the state news media reported. A medical officer told reporters that the survivors suffered from severe dehydration, hypothermia and skin infections from prolonged exposure to the water.
Some were in shock, according to news reports, and one was still gripping his miner's lamp when rescued.
"I have not slept for several days," one rescuer, Wei Fusheng, told the television station, weeping with happiness. "Our efforts have not been in vain."
Monday, 5 April 2010
Raw Potatoe juice to heal Rheuma, Artheritis etc....
The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most favorite and popular vegetables in many countries of the world. It came to our lands from the Southern American continent, namely the mountains of Peru, and for centuries it has been used in many folk medicines (starting from Oriental or Russian and ending with Central American) for its numerous therapeutic properties. Recently, it was scientifically proven that the vitamins, organic acids, mineral composites, enzymes and microelements that can be found in raw potato juice have various positive effects on our health.
First of all, potato juice is a valuable natural remedy which can assist in improving the function of our digestive system to a great extent. It can help eliminate an acid condition in the stomach and relieve ulcer pains. For such treatment, it is recommended to use the juice of red potatoes. It is important that red potato juice should be consumed right after is it made. For making a good potato juice, red potatoes should be washed out, dried out, grated and squeezed. Also, you should never use juice of immature potatoes or the potatoes with black dots since such potatoes can contain certain toxic substances. If you mix it with carrot juice (50 g of raw potato juice and 100 g of fresh carrot juice), raw potato juice can help to calm down burning sensation and gastritis pains.
The second most valuable property of potato juice is its ability to treat rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, lumbago, and so on. In terms of such treatment, potato juice can be taken with various herbal teas, such as sage or nettle teas. Also, arthritis pains can be very effectively relieved by using a tea made of clean potato peels. Raw potato juice is effective for constant migraines and constipation. Finally, taken regularly on rising in the morning (or 30-20 minutes before breakfast), 100-150 g of raw potato juice can be used as a very powerful liver cleanser. Some patients reported that drinking raw potato juice assisted in relieving certain skin problems, such as eczema, skin blemishes, dry and itchy skin, and so on.
Since raw potato juice can not be considered too pleasant for drinking, it can be mixed with other juices: not only with carrot or other vegetable juices, but also with fresh lemon juice and honey. In particular, drinking raw potato juice mixed with some honey can substantially lower the risks of possible food poisoning, and also can remove the excess uric acid from the body and disinfect your bowels in a natural way. In addition, raw potato juice has very good properties and can assist in diarrhea treatment.
If you want to try some more or less serious raw potato juice treatment program, I would recommend drinking 100-150 g of fresh juice for a fortnight every morning and every evening, 1.5-2 hours before meal. Then, after a 7-day break you should repeat the treatment for other 2-3 weeks. It is very important to remember that you should eat a light and healthy diet during the treatment. However, you should not start a potato juice treatment or eat a potato diet without consulting a nutritionist or your personal therapist. There are certain problems and ailments connected with the function of our digestive system, which can be escalated by using a potato therapy.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
First of all, potato juice is a valuable natural remedy which can assist in improving the function of our digestive system to a great extent. It can help eliminate an acid condition in the stomach and relieve ulcer pains. For such treatment, it is recommended to use the juice of red potatoes. It is important that red potato juice should be consumed right after is it made. For making a good potato juice, red potatoes should be washed out, dried out, grated and squeezed. Also, you should never use juice of immature potatoes or the potatoes with black dots since such potatoes can contain certain toxic substances. If you mix it with carrot juice (50 g of raw potato juice and 100 g of fresh carrot juice), raw potato juice can help to calm down burning sensation and gastritis pains.
The second most valuable property of potato juice is its ability to treat rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, lumbago, and so on. In terms of such treatment, potato juice can be taken with various herbal teas, such as sage or nettle teas. Also, arthritis pains can be very effectively relieved by using a tea made of clean potato peels. Raw potato juice is effective for constant migraines and constipation. Finally, taken regularly on rising in the morning (or 30-20 minutes before breakfast), 100-150 g of raw potato juice can be used as a very powerful liver cleanser. Some patients reported that drinking raw potato juice assisted in relieving certain skin problems, such as eczema, skin blemishes, dry and itchy skin, and so on.
Since raw potato juice can not be considered too pleasant for drinking, it can be mixed with other juices: not only with carrot or other vegetable juices, but also with fresh lemon juice and honey. In particular, drinking raw potato juice mixed with some honey can substantially lower the risks of possible food poisoning, and also can remove the excess uric acid from the body and disinfect your bowels in a natural way. In addition, raw potato juice has very good properties and can assist in diarrhea treatment.
If you want to try some more or less serious raw potato juice treatment program, I would recommend drinking 100-150 g of fresh juice for a fortnight every morning and every evening, 1.5-2 hours before meal. Then, after a 7-day break you should repeat the treatment for other 2-3 weeks. It is very important to remember that you should eat a light and healthy diet during the treatment. However, you should not start a potato juice treatment or eat a potato diet without consulting a nutritionist or your personal therapist. There are certain problems and ailments connected with the function of our digestive system, which can be escalated by using a potato therapy.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Ein frohes Auferstehungsfest
A man who was completely innocent offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act. -- Mahatma Gandhi
http://tommyswindow.com/new_downloads_english.htm
Ein total unschuldiger Mann bot sich selbst dar, als Opfer für alle anderen, seine Feinde eingeschlossen, und erlöste damit die Welt. Es war eine perfekte Handlung. -- Mahatma Gandhi
http://tommyswindow.com/downloads_german_01.htm
Un homme complètement innocent s'offre comme sacrifice pour le bien des autres, ses enemies inclus, et a payé la rançon pour le monde. C'était une action parfaite.
Mahatma Gandhi
http://tommyswindow.com/downloads_french_01.htm
http://tommyswindow.com/new_downloads_english.htm
Ein total unschuldiger Mann bot sich selbst dar, als Opfer für alle anderen, seine Feinde eingeschlossen, und erlöste damit die Welt. Es war eine perfekte Handlung. -- Mahatma Gandhi
http://tommyswindow.com/downloads_german_01.htm
Un homme complètement innocent s'offre comme sacrifice pour le bien des autres, ses enemies inclus, et a payé la rançon pour le monde. C'était une action parfaite.
Mahatma Gandhi
http://tommyswindow.com/downloads_french_01.htm
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