Testing yourself repeatedly before an exam teaches the brain to retrieve and apply knowledge from memory. The method is more effective than re-reading a textbook, says Jeffrey Karpicke, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University. If you are facing a test on the digestive system, he says, practice explaining how it works from start to finish, rather than studying a list of its parts.
Aevia — Consider the Source
An old prospector shuffled into town leading a tired old pack mule. The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat.
He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitching rail. As he stood there brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.
The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, “Hey old man, have you ever danced?”
The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, “No, I never did dance . . . never really wanted to.”
A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, “Well you old fool, you’re gonna dance now,” and started shooting at the old man’s feet.
The old prospector, not wanting to get a toe blown off, started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied.
When the last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.
The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.
The crowd stopped laughing immediately.
The young gunslinger heard the sounds too and he turned around very slowly. The silence was almost deafening. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.
The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man’s hand, as he quietly said, “Son, have you ever kissed a mule’s ass?”
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, “No sir . . . but . . . I’ve always wanted to.”
There are a few lessons for us all here: Never be arrogant. Don’t waste ammunition.
WHISKEY MAKES YOU THINK YOU ARE SMARTER THEN YOU ARE!
Don’t mess with old men . . . they didn’t get old by being stupid!
Be a lifesaver; not a bystander. Learn Continuous Chest Compression CPR from Gordon A. Ewy, MD, and Karl Kern, MD, the physician researchers who developed this new approach to CPR. Based on much research, including from the University of Arizona Resuscitation Research Group, the American Heart Association has changed its guidelines. It now recommends that in the event of witnessed cardiac arrest (you see or hear someone suddenly collapse), chest compressions should be done with minimal interruptions. For people trained in CPR, the ABC (airway, breathing, compression) steps that you probably learned have been changed to CAB (compressions, airway, breaths).
In the past year or so, there have been some important developments that have dramatically changed the startup landscape.
First, entrepreneurs involved with startups have grown more sophisticated, experienced and creative about how they start, operate and finance a new business.
These are people who have been earning their stripes and valuable experience working for startups without the benefit of growth capital. As a result, they have learned to be flexible and creative.
Just as important, they have a keen appreciation for how to squeeze as much as they can from every dollar they spend. It means that with even a small amount of financing, they can go a long way and get a lot done.
Second, there has been a healthy expansion in the amount of seed and startup capital available from venture capitalists and angels. Given how lean and mean startups can operate, investors can inject $250,000 to $500,000 into a startup to support major growth in the product or service plus sales and marketing activities.
Aevia — Consider the Source
The National Science Foundation wants to take researchers’ big ideas from the laboratory to marketplace through a new program called Innovation Corps.
The public-private partnership between NSF, the Kauffman Foundation, and the Deshpande Foundation will provide $50,000 grants to help scientists turn research into viable products, says NSF program manager Errol Arkilic. The grants are limited to researchers who have already been funded by NSF. They’re intended to support the projects for up to six months while the teams research how their technology could benefit society.
The program will use the curriculum of Stanford University’s Lean Launchpad, a class developed by serial tech entrepreneur Steve Blank to teach entrepreneurship to engineers, scientists, and other professionals. Blank will also be an I-Corps instructor. He says the main goal of his course is to get students out of their labs to see if what they have to offer is what a customer really needs.
Aevia — Consider the Source
U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled a new food icon as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate is designed to encourage us to build a healthier plate at meal time. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups. It is an easy-to-understand visual cue that helps consumers adopt healthy eating habits.
The Guidelines messages include:
Balance Calories
• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to Increase
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains
Foods to Reduce
• Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Coupled with these tested, actionable messages will be the “how-tos” for consumer behavior change. A multi-year campaign calendar will focus on one action-prompting message at a time starting with “Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables.”
“What we have learned over the years is that consumers are bombarded by so many nutrition messages that it makes it difficult to focus on changes that are necessary to improve their diet,” said Secretary Vilsack. “This new campaign calendar will help unify the public and private sectors to coordinate efforts and highlight one desired change for consumers at a time.”
As part of this new initiative, USDA wants to see how consumers are putting MyPlate in to action by encouraging consumers to take a photo of their plates and share on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate.
Nancy Chapman, Executive Director, Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA)
“Now more than ever the 2010 Dietary Guidelines are relevant for all Americans, regardless of age, cultural preferences, or dietary needs. By creating the new food icon, USDA helps all adults and children understand what a healthy plate should look like when they sit down at the dinner table. SANA applauds the Administration for taking another huge step with this practical guidance.”
Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
“In order to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in the U.S., both parents and kids need accurate, easy to understand information about what constitutes a healthy diet. First Lady Obama has done an excellent job helping parents and kids understand the importance of eating right and staying active, but many Americans still need help understanding how to plan healthy meals. We are pleased that the USDA has seized the opportunity to help consumers better understand the basics of good nutrition and hope that this new icon helps parents make healthier choices for their families.”
Wayne T. Gattinella, CEO and President of WebMD
“WebMD fully supports the USDA’s new initiatives to encourage healthy food choices for consumers. As an organization founded on the philosophy of empowering consumers with clear, actionable health information, WebMD will leverage its reach to over 90 million consumers to educate them on the USDA’s new nutrition icon and guidelines.”
James H. Hodges, President, American Meat Institute Foundation
“We are pleased that the new food icon unveiled today, just as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, affirms in a clear and simple fashion that protein is a critical component of a balanced, healthy diet. Lean meat and poultry products are some the most nutrient rich foods available, are excellent sources of complete protein, iron and zinc and maintain an excellent nutrition per calorie ratio. AMI will continue to voice support for the premise that a well-balanced diet, proper portion sizes and exercise are keys to overall good health and wellness.”
Ric Jurgens, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Hy-Vee, Inc.
“As a company committed to making peoples’ lives easier, healthier and happier, we applaud the USDA and the Let’s Move! initiative for taking this important step forward in nutrition education. We will do all we can to support the icon’s success.”
Barbara Byrd Keenan, Executive Vice President for the Institute of Food Technologists
“The new Dietary Guidelines set high standards that will require a concerted effort among numerous scientific disciplines to gradually change consumer behavior. This new icon will make it easier for consumers to incorporate the dietary guidelines into their food choices, which will ultimately help improve the health of our country.”
David A. Kessler M.D., Former FDA Commissioner, Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
“The Plate is a major step forward in our nation’s efforts to promote health and prevent disease. In today’s environment, when food is on every corner, at every event, and two-thirds of the nation is overweight or obese, consumers need clear guidance on healthy eating. The Plate shows more clearly than the Pyramid what healthy eating is. The Plate and the comprehensive communications effort it represents will help reverse trends for obesity. The First Lady and Secretary Vilsack are taking an important stand for public health. The First Lady has challenged our country’s food companies to lead in our fight against obesity. The new Plate will help everyone who has accepted her challenge.”
David Kirchhoff, President and CEO of Weight Watchers International, Inc.
“We applaud the introduction of the new, common sense icon for the Dietary Guidelines, the plate. Like the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, which were released in January, the new Plate is important because it can help guide more Americans to the smart food choices that can help them reach a healthier weight. By fostering a leaner nation, we can in turn help to cut the health care costs linked to weight related illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and some types of cancer. This is an important step.”
Robb MacKie, American Bakers Association President and CEO
“ABA commends USDA, HHS, and especially First Lady Michelle Obama for developing the new healthy eating icon based on the sound science of the new dietary guidelines. Consumers are struggling to find simple, clear and easy to follow directives. The new icon is a powerful tool to help adults, parents and their children integrate healthy and sensible eating habits into their daily lives. Appropriately, grains occupy the single largest portion on the plate – a reaffirmation of enriched and whole grains as the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.”
Manuela McDonough, Program Manager, Institute of Hispanic Health at the National Council of La Raza
“NCLR welcomes the new food icon. We applaud the USDA on creating an easy-to-understand tool that will help Americans, especially Latinos, make healthier food choices.”
Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, executive director of human nutrition research, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
“America’s cattle farmers and ranchers are eager to help consumers use this new visual tool. We believe illustrating how to create a balanced mix of nutrition from all food groups to create a healthful plate gets back to basics. More than 90 percent of Americans are enjoying beef in their diets. Now, this straightforward visual illustrates how to build a healthful plate using protein-rich foods like lean beef.”
Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, New York University
“The new plate icon makes it clear that healthy eating means lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and for that alone it is a big step forward. The plate is easy to understand. You don’t need a computer to use it. It lets you fill your plate with whatever foods you like without worrying about portion numbers. Best of all are the messages that come with it. Enjoy your food! Yes! High marks to USDA for this one.”
Dr. Elizabeth Pivonka, president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH)
“This science-based government recommendation to make half your plate fruits and vegetables is a significant and positive step in the battle to fight obesity and related health issues in America. The plate icon is a simple, memorable way to show Americans the proportion of fruits and vegetables they should be eating at every meal occasion,” says Dr. Elizabeth Pivonka, president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), the nonprofit entity in partnership with CDC behind the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® national public health initiative.”
Nancy Rice, SNS, President, School Nutrition Association
“The School Nutrition Association (SNA) welcomes USDA’s new food icon and encourages all Americans to use it as a guide for planning their meals daily, weekly and throughout the year. School nutrition professionals are thrilled to have this new resource to help students understand the importance of healthy eating and well-balanced meals. The new food icon clearly shows young people just how important eating fruits and vegetables with their school meals are to their diet, health and development. We hope that parents, teachers and all role models for children will join us in promoting the new food icon to help children gravitate to a lifetime of healthier eating habits.”
Leslie G. Sarasin, President and CEO, Food Marketing Institute
“The new USDA food graphic offers Americans a clear visual of a healthy plate representing the full spectrum of nutritious foods we all need in our diets. As FMI member companies seek to feed families and enrich lives, this new icon will serve supermarket shoppers as a vivid reminder of what to put in their shopping carts so that it will later become part of a well-balanced plate.”
David B. Schmidt, President and CEO, International Food Information Council Foundation
“We look forward to helping USDA and DHHS motivate more consumers to adopt healthful diets and lifestyles. The IFIC Foundation has been pleased to partner with these Departments on key nutrition education initiatives and we are ready to serve as a resource for government officials, health professionals, journalists and consumers who seek key insights on health, nutrition, and food safety.”
Lieutenant General Norman R. Seip, US Air Force (Ret.), member of the national nonprofit Mission: Readiness
“The USDA’s new campaign to promote better eating habits is an important step toward making sure our obesity crisis does not become a national security crisis. Currently, about one in four young adults is too overweight to join the military, and the Defense Department has told Congress that weight problems, coupled with other factors, could undermine future recruiting efforts.”
Tom Stenzel, President and CEO, United Fresh Produce Association
“The new dietary guidance icon will be a tipping point in how Americans literally visualize what they should eat. The message to ‘make half your plate fruits and vegetables’ is simple, compelling and effective. It is a breakthrough message that consumers can practice every day at every meal. The produce industry is firmly committed to working closely with USDA and others to support the new dietary guidance and help promote “make half your plate fruits and vegetables” as part of a lifetime of healthy eating. USDA’s new icon can have a dramatically positive impact on childhood nutrition as well, especially when combined with the progress we are making in placing salad bars in schools. Making half your plate fruits and vegetables complements the exciting ‘Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools’ initiative, which supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s ‘Let’s Move!’ initiative to end childhood obesity. Combining the message to eat more produce with increased availability through school salad bars will benefit the health of millions of kids across our nation.”
Connie Tipton, President and CEO, International Dairy Foods Association
“We’re delighted that this new education tool provides a clear, visual message that milk and other dairy products are important for a nutritious diet. The dairy industry commends the USDA for highlighting how beneficial a serving of dairy at every meal can be, and for educating people about dairy’s role on the table and in the American diet.”
Josh Wachs, Chief Strategy Officer, Share Our Strength
“We applaud USDA for adopting this creative new food icon, which provides a streamlined guide to daily food choices. Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters has brought USDA’s food icon to life for more than 74,000 low income families across the country, many of whom are at risk for hunger. The ‘plate’ reinforces our cooking-based approach to healthy eating and will continue to be an essential part of our curriculum.”
Margo G. Wootan, Nutrition Policy Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest
“While no one graphic can communicate every nuance of healthy eating, this easy-to-understand illustration will help people remember what their own plate should look like. It likely will surprise most people into recognizing that they need to eat a heck of a lot more vegetables and fruits. Most people are eating about a quarter of a plate of fruits or vegetables, not a half a plate as recommended.”
Ideology has taken a bad rap in the shallows these days. And yet, ideals elevate the public discourse. They are the driving force behind even the most material aspects of a society’s achievements. While the mechanism of civilization may be intelligently controlled, occasionally directed by wisdom, it is Spiritual Idealism that advances us from one level of attainment to the next.
In 1934-1954, Arnold Joseph Toynbee’s ten-volume A Study of History came out in three separate installments. Of the 21 civilizations Toynbee identified, sixteen were dead by 1940 and four of the remaining five were under severe pressure from the one named Western Christendom – or simply The West.
Toynbee explained breakdowns of civilizations as a failure of creative power in the creative minority leading to a consequent loss of social unity in the society as a whole. Toynbee further characterized this decline as a “moral failure.” He presented history in terms of challenge-and-response. Civilizations arose in response to some set of challenges of extreme difficulty, when “creative minorities” devised solutions that reoriented their entire society.
Toynbee was severely criticized by other historians due to his use of myths and metaphors “as though they are of comparable value to factual data.”
The novelist Ray Bradbury seized upon this very criticism to underscore the value of fiction, or perhaps “the vision thing,” in relation to the self-fulfilling prophesy. His short story, The Toynbee Convector conveys lessons for the one-eyed materialist as well as the child within us.