Tuesday, March 23, 2021

The upside to calling it quits

Quitting isn’t always bad. Whether it’s a job that makes you unhappy or a book that you can’t seem to finish, you’re not a failure for moving on. The idea of quitting as a bad thing is a cultural norm that follows us from childhood into our professional pursuits and you’d be better off ignoring it. Though many might worry about the lost time or failed investment when they do quit, they can take pride in developing another skill in place of those: knowing when to walk away. (Fast Company)

What if every task feels important?

In today’s workplace environment, it can feel like there are not enough hours in the day to complete your tasks, making it difficult to manage your time effectively. Some experts share eight prioritization tips for when everything feels important:

• Prioritize tasks based on potential outcomes
• say “no” to work you do not need to do
• time block your day
• schedule important work during peak productivity hours
• make a to-do list
• set boundaries
• get at least one task done
• set multiple deadlines for larger projects. 

(Forbes)

Embrace learning in a career pivot

While many in 2020 may have gone through a career pivot during the pandemic, 2021 could prove another big year for radical professional reinvention. If you’re craving a change of pace and feeling “stuck, bored and unmotivated,” some experts suggest adopting an always-developing student mindset. A pivot should be “an intentional shift in a new direction” that doesn’t necessarily require new skills but an ability to “repackage” them. They also suggest embracing a “life-long-learning ethos” to quell fear and to view careers as a journey and not a final destination. (Financial Times)

SUV Washington woman bought with stimulus money catches fire 30 minutes later

A woman in Yakima, Washington was driving home in an SUV she had just bought using her stimulus check when it caught on fire. The driver said she got her $1,400 stimulus check and bought the older model Jeep Grand Cherokee for $1,200 later that day. She noticed smoke emanating from the hood and got off I-82. The electrical fire spread throughout the SUV as crews arrived to put out the blaze. The woman was able to get out of the Jeep uninjured. Investigators believe the fire was caused by an electrical problem in the vehicle. The woman said she reached out to the seller of the vehicle but she has not heard back. She said she bought the SUV because the car she currently owns did not have enough room for her dog. (KIMA)

Scientists are Studying if Chanting Gayatri Mantra Can Cure Covid-19

The All India Institute of Medical Science is conducting research on whether chanting the Gayatri Mantra and doing Pranayama can cure coronavirus, along with usual modes of treatment. This study has been commissioned by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. The idea behind the study is to see if the mantra and the pranayama can actually accentuate the Covid-19 treatment and heal patients faster as compared to just getting the traditional treatment for coronavirus. For this, the institute is conducting a study on twenty patients. Twenty patients selected by the government have been divided into two groups consisting of ten people each. The first group will be chanting the Gayatri Mantra and will undergo an hour-long session of pranayama in the mornings and evenings along with the usual treatment for Covid-19. The second group will only get the usual Covid-19 treatment. The two groups will be observed for 14 days in order to record any changes in the inflammation level in the body. After 14 days, the researchers will record the results of the study and determine if the group that chanted and did pranayama saw any changes as compared to the other group. According to Outlook, the principal investigator of the project has refused to give out any details. This is not the first time such an incident has been reported. In June 2020, India witnessed an Annual Solar Eclipse. This particular eclipse was said to be the ‘deepest’ annular solar eclipse in nearly a hundred years, but Indians had only one question in their minds: Will the solar eclipse kill coronavirus? This is because in a bizarre claim, a scientist based in Chennai has said that there are connections between the coronavirus outbreak and the solar eclipse which took place on December 26th. Another scientist had once said that breathing “correctly” could kill coronavirus. According to a report, if a person breathes in through their nose and exhales through their mouth then it will be more beneficial for their body. (News 18)

Utah governor signs bill requiring biological fathers to share the cost of pregnancy

Biological fathers will have to pay for half of the out-of-pocket costs of pregnancy and childbirth under a bill signed into law by Utah Governor Spencer Cox. HB113, which was sponsored by Representative Brady Brammer and Senator Daniel McCay, was proposed as a “pro-life” bill that would increase responsibility “for men in the bringing of life into the world.” Under the new law, fathers won’t have to pay for abortions they didn’t consent to unless the pregnancy was the result of rape or the mother’s life is in danger. If paternity is in question, the father won’t have to pay until after paternity is established. After that, the father would have to pay back 50% of the medical costs. The bill passed the Senate unanimously but was opposed by Democrats in the House. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had expressed concerns about the challenges that mothers might face in getting the money, especially if the father was an abusive partner that they might then be tied to as a result. The bill would function similarly to existing child support laws. (The Salt Lake Tribune)

Policeman missing since the 2004 tsunami is believed to be found in psychiatric facility, over 16 years later

A police officer who had gone missing since the disastrous tsunami in Asia, which killed more than 200,000 people more than 16 years ago, is believed to be found in a psychiatric hospital. On December 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, leading to several tsunamis that devastated at least 12 countries, including Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. These tsunamis, one of the deadliest disasters in modern history, took the lives of nearly 230,000 people, with thousands of people missing, including a man from West Java, Indonesia, who in 2004 was a police officer stationed in Aceh, the capital of Indonesian province Banda Aceh. Now, 16 years after, the Aceh authorities claimed they finally found the missing man who they believe is their police officer. In 2009, a village chief in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, spotted a man wandering in the area nearby. The officer ultimately admitted the man to a psychiatric facility since his identity was unknown at that time. The man stayed in the hospital as local people refused to accept him in the village. When his old photo in police uniform recently circulated in the media, local police in Aceh compared the picture of a foreign patient to that of the man, leading them to suspect that these two may be the same person. It remains unclear what happened to the man throughout the five years from the moment the tsunami hit Indonesia until he was found in a psychiatric institution. Police also did not reveal his mental condition. (The Vancouver Sun)

Man stabbed Jack in the Box manager three times after refusing to wear mask

A 53-year-old-man League City, Texas stabbed a Jack in the Box manager three times on Wednesday after he was asked to wear a face mask, investigators said. League City police said the man walked into the restaurant without a mask on and was told he needed to wear one or use the drive-thru. The man belligerently refused and the staff did not want to serve him because he was homeless and began yelling that he would be contacting his attorney as he was filming with his cellphone, according to the League City police Chief during a news conference. Store surveillance video shows the manager showing the man the store’s written policy and escorting him from the restaurant. Moments after the manager turns his back and returns to the restaurant, the man runs after him and attacks the manager with a pocketknife. Soon after, the man fled the area on a bicycle with a yellow flag. The bicycle was later found abandoned. An arrest warrant was issued for the man who is still on the loose.The manager was taken to a hospital with injuries to his arm and torso. He was treated and released. (KTRK)

Apple Fined $2 Million in Brazil for Selling iPhones Without Chargers

Apple has been slapped with a near $2 million fine in the Brazilian state of São Paulo over violations of the Consumer Law Code due to the lack of a charger in the box for newer iPhones. Procon-SP, São Paulo’s consumer protection agency, decided to fine Apple following intense scrutiny over the decision to remove the power adapter from the boxes of iPhones. With the iPhone 12, Apple removed the power adapter from the box, saying that doing so will reduce carbon emissions and the use of rare-earth metals. In December, the Brazilian agency informed Apple that selling an iPhone in the country without a charger in the box is a violation of the Consumer Defense Code. Apple responded to the agency’s concerns by saying that most customers already have spare adapters and that providing another one in the box is unneeded. Fernando Capez, Procon-SP’s executive director, offered a stern warning to Apple following the fine, saying that it needs to respect and understand Brazilian consumer law and institutions. Apple will have a chance to appeal to the $2 million fine. (Tilt)

China is limiting the use of Teslas among state and military personnel due to fears the data collected could result in national security leaks

Chinese government officials expressed concerns that the vehicle can record images via camera and sync with users’ phone contact lists. The restrictions apply to all individuals in the military, government agencies, and state-owned enterprises, such as aerospace firms. The Chinese President is looking to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign technology. China is an important market for Tesla. 138,000 Models 3s were sold in China last year, making it the best-selling electric vehicle in the Asian nation. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla vehicles aren’t used to spy on its customers. However, in the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it had started 27 investigations into Tesla vehicle accidents, and 23 are still open. The NHTSA is investigating two separate crashes in Michigan that have occurred in the past few weeks. (CNBC)

Tensions rise as vaccine gap widens

The pandemic made the global middle class contract for the first time in decades, according to Pew Research Center estimates. The number of people falling out of the middle class, as well as those falling into it from higher income levels, surpassed 150 million last year, more than the populations of France and Germany combined. More than a third of those falling into low income or poverty brackets are in South Asia. (Pew Research Center)

What will work look like after the vaccine rollout?

Digitization, artificial intelligence, remote work and automation are just a few of the key components of what is essentially the fourth Industrial Revolution. Yet international systems may need to play a more active role this time around. According to an analysis by the J.P. Morgan International Council, a new legal framework will need to be in place to help overcome the crisis that has consumed our lives. (J.P. Morgan)

**WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES!!**

Penis Size Is Shrinking Due To Environmental Pollution, Scientist Warns

Environmental pollution isn’t just having a terrible effect on our lungs – its impact can be felt in every area of our health, including our reproductive systems. Environmental and reproductive epidemiologists at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, reveals that not only are our fertility rates dropping as human beings, but men’s penis sizes are shrinking due to the chemical damage we’ve inflicted on the planet.

• Pollution is disrupting and in possibly destroying our hormone balance – The chemicals responsible for disrupting these important hormones are found in everyday items including plastic containers, cleaning products, electronics, body care products such as shampoos and skincare, and more. There are elements also known as “forever chemicals” that literally never degrade and just continue to amass in your body, causing irreparable harm.
• Sperm levels have dropped 60% since 1973 – That’s an average of 1.25% drop per year. If we continue on this path, sperm levels could become nonexistent by 2045.
• Not just men seeing lower fertility rates, women also suffer – Considering that women have a much smaller window in which they can have children in the first place, this is even more concerning. In some parts of the world, the average woman in her twenties is less fertile than her grandmother was at 35.
• Men’s penis sizes are shrinking across the board as well as the volume of the testes – While this may be more of a vanity issue than a practical one, the fact that human physiology is being irrevocably altered by environmental pollution is a serious concern.
• Researchers have found a relationship between women’s phthalate levels and their sexual satisfaction – Researchers in China found that workers with higher levels of bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, in their blood were more likely to have sexual problems, including decreased desire.
• The United States has very limited laws that regulates exposure to these dangerous chemicals – A scientific study found phthalate exposure ‘widespread’ in infants, and that the chemicals were found in the urine of babies who came into contact with baby shampoos, lotions, and powders. However, they remark that because of lobbying on behalf of these major corporations in the industry, lawmakers aren’t keen to act. There is the Pollution Prevention for Our Future Act, but even that is pretty limited. (Bolde)

Tuesday Cruises Along With:

• 3-D Day
• Agriculture Day
• American Diabetes Association Alert Day
• Chia Day
• Chip and Dip Day
• Education and Sharing Day
• Melba Toast Day
• Near Miss Day
• OK Day
• Puppy Day
• Tamale Day
• World Meteorological Day