Friday, October 25, 2013
An... interesting use of taxpayers' money
As seen on LyricsFreak
"Don't Expose Yourself To Extortion" - a message brought to you by the Singapore Police Force
Follow Your Passion: the results of pernicious motivational drivel
Solving Gen Y's Passion Problem - Cal Newport - Harvard Business Review
"One of the best-known books about my cohort, for instance, is titled Generation Me. The New York Post called us “The Worst Generation,” while USA Today noted that we are “pampered” and “high maintenance.” Earlier this year, a New York Times op-ed called us “Generation Why Bother,” noting that we’re “perhaps…too happy at home checking Facebook,” when we could be out aggressively seeking new jobs and helping the economy recover. The fact that up to a third of 25-34 year-olds now live with their parents only supports these gripes.
To many, the core problem of this generation is clear: we’re entitled. I don’t deny these behaviors, but having recently finished researching and writing a book on career advice, I have a different explanation. The problem is not that we’re intrinsically selfish or entitled. It’s that we’ve been misinformed.
Generation Y was raised during the period when “follow your passion” became pervasive career advice. The chart below, generated using Google’s N-Gram Viewer, shows the occurrences of this phrase in printed English over time.
Notice that the phrase begins its rise in the 1990s and skyrockets in the 2000s: the period when Generation Y was in its formative schooling years.
Why is this a problem? This simple phrase, “follow your passion,” turns out to be surprisingly pernicious. It’s hard to argue, of course, against the general idea that you should aim for a fulfilling working life. But this phrase requires something more. The verb “follow” implies that you start by identifying a passion and then match this preexisting calling to a job. Because the passion precedes the job, it stands to reason that you should love your work from the very first day.
It’s this final implication that causes damage. When I studied people who love what they do for a living, I found that in most cases their passion developed slowly, often over unexpected and complicated paths. It’s rare, for example, to find someone who loves their career before they’ve become very good at it — expertise generates many different engaging traits, such as respect, impact, autonomy — and the process of becoming good can be frustrating and take years.
The early stages of a fantastic career might not feel fantastic at all, a reality that clashes with the fantasy world implied by the advice to “follow your passion” — an alternate universe where there’s a perfect job waiting for you, one that you’ll love right away once you discover it. It shouldn’t be surprising that members of Generation Y demand a lot from their working life right away and are frequently disappointed about what they experience instead.
The good news is that this explanation yields a clear solution: we need a more nuanced conversation surrounding the quest for a compelling career. We currently lack, for example, a good phrase for describing those tough first years on a job where you grind away at building up skills while being shoveled less-than-inspiring entry-level work. This tough skill-building phase can provide the foundation for a wonderful career, but in this common scenario the “follow your passion” dogma would tell you that this work is not immediately enjoyable and therefore is not your passion. We need a deeper way to discuss the value of this early period in a long working life.
We also lack a sophisticated way to discuss the role of serendipity in building a passionate pursuit. Steve Jobs, for example, in his oft-cited Stanford Commencement address, told the crowd to not “settle” for anything less than work they loved. Jobs clearly loved building Apple, but as his biographers reveal, he stumbled into this career path at a time when he was more concerned with issues of philosophy and Eastern mysticism. This is a more complicated story than him simply following a clear preexisting passion, but it’s a story we need to tell more.
These are just two examples among many of the type of nuance we could inject into our cultural conversation surrounding satisfying work — a conversation that my generation, and those that follow us, need to hear. We’re ambitious and ready to work hard, but we need the right direction for investing this energy. “Follow your passion” is an inspiring slogan, but its reign as the cornerstone of modern American career advice needs to end.
We don’t need slogans, we need information — concrete, evidence-based observations about how people really end up loving what they do."
"One of the best-known books about my cohort, for instance, is titled Generation Me. The New York Post called us “The Worst Generation,” while USA Today noted that we are “pampered” and “high maintenance.” Earlier this year, a New York Times op-ed called us “Generation Why Bother,” noting that we’re “perhaps…too happy at home checking Facebook,” when we could be out aggressively seeking new jobs and helping the economy recover. The fact that up to a third of 25-34 year-olds now live with their parents only supports these gripes.
To many, the core problem of this generation is clear: we’re entitled. I don’t deny these behaviors, but having recently finished researching and writing a book on career advice, I have a different explanation. The problem is not that we’re intrinsically selfish or entitled. It’s that we’ve been misinformed.
Generation Y was raised during the period when “follow your passion” became pervasive career advice. The chart below, generated using Google’s N-Gram Viewer, shows the occurrences of this phrase in printed English over time.
Notice that the phrase begins its rise in the 1990s and skyrockets in the 2000s: the period when Generation Y was in its formative schooling years.
Why is this a problem? This simple phrase, “follow your passion,” turns out to be surprisingly pernicious. It’s hard to argue, of course, against the general idea that you should aim for a fulfilling working life. But this phrase requires something more. The verb “follow” implies that you start by identifying a passion and then match this preexisting calling to a job. Because the passion precedes the job, it stands to reason that you should love your work from the very first day.
It’s this final implication that causes damage. When I studied people who love what they do for a living, I found that in most cases their passion developed slowly, often over unexpected and complicated paths. It’s rare, for example, to find someone who loves their career before they’ve become very good at it — expertise generates many different engaging traits, such as respect, impact, autonomy — and the process of becoming good can be frustrating and take years.
The early stages of a fantastic career might not feel fantastic at all, a reality that clashes with the fantasy world implied by the advice to “follow your passion” — an alternate universe where there’s a perfect job waiting for you, one that you’ll love right away once you discover it. It shouldn’t be surprising that members of Generation Y demand a lot from their working life right away and are frequently disappointed about what they experience instead.
The good news is that this explanation yields a clear solution: we need a more nuanced conversation surrounding the quest for a compelling career. We currently lack, for example, a good phrase for describing those tough first years on a job where you grind away at building up skills while being shoveled less-than-inspiring entry-level work. This tough skill-building phase can provide the foundation for a wonderful career, but in this common scenario the “follow your passion” dogma would tell you that this work is not immediately enjoyable and therefore is not your passion. We need a deeper way to discuss the value of this early period in a long working life.
We also lack a sophisticated way to discuss the role of serendipity in building a passionate pursuit. Steve Jobs, for example, in his oft-cited Stanford Commencement address, told the crowd to not “settle” for anything less than work they loved. Jobs clearly loved building Apple, but as his biographers reveal, he stumbled into this career path at a time when he was more concerned with issues of philosophy and Eastern mysticism. This is a more complicated story than him simply following a clear preexisting passion, but it’s a story we need to tell more.
These are just two examples among many of the type of nuance we could inject into our cultural conversation surrounding satisfying work — a conversation that my generation, and those that follow us, need to hear. We’re ambitious and ready to work hard, but we need the right direction for investing this energy. “Follow your passion” is an inspiring slogan, but its reign as the cornerstone of modern American career advice needs to end.
We don’t need slogans, we need information — concrete, evidence-based observations about how people really end up loving what they do."
Thursday, October 24, 2013
D*ck Maintenance - Banned Commercial!
Schaeffers New Zealand Style Deck Sealant:
"The accent is so confused. It is a weird mix of southern hemisphere; it has elements of south african, australian and new zealand accents."
"The accent is so confused. It is a weird mix of southern hemisphere; it has elements of south african, australian and new zealand accents."
Does Race Exist?
Does Race Exist? (Scientific American)
"Polymorphisms that occur at different frequencies around the world can, however, be used to sort people roughly into groups. One useful class of polymorphisms consists of the Alus, short pieces of DNA that are similar in sequence to one another. Alus replicate occasionally, and the resulting copy splices itself at random into a new position on the original chromosome or on another chromosome, usually in a location that has no effect on the functioning of nearby genes. Each insertion is a unique event. Once an Alu sequence inserts itself, it can remain in place for eons, getting passed from one person to his or her descendants. Therefore, if two people have the same Alu sequence at the same spot in their genome, they must be descended from a common ancestor who gave them that specific segment of DNA.
One of us (Bamshad), working with University of Utah scientists Lynn B. Jorde, Stephen Wooding and W. Scott Watkins and with Mark A. Batzer of Louisiana State University, examined 100 different Alu polymorphisms in 565 people born in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Europe. First we determined the presence or absence of the 100 Alus in each of the 565 people. Next we removed all the identifying labels (such as place of origin and ethnic group) from the data and sorted the people into groups using only their genetic information.
Our analysis yielded four different groups. When we added the labels back to see whether each individual's group assignment correlated to common, predefined labels for race or ethnicity, we saw that two of the groups consisted only of individuals from sub-Saharan Africa, with one of those two made up almost entirely of Mbuti Pygmies. The other two groups consisted only of individuals from Europe and East Asia, respectively. We found that we needed 60 Alu polymorphisms to assign individuals to their continent of origin with 90 percent accuracy. To achieve nearly 100 percent accuracy, however, we needed to use about 100 Alus.
Other studies have produced comparable results. Noah A. Rosenberg and Jonathan K. Pritchard, geneticists formerly in the laboratory of Marcus W. Feldman of Stanford University, assayed approximately 375 polymorphisms called short tandem repeats in more than 1,000 people from 52 ethnic groups in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. By looking at the varying frequencies of these polymorphisms, they were able to distinguish five different groups of people whose ancestors were typically isolated by oceans, deserts or mountains: sub-Saharan Africans; Europeans and Asians west of the Himalayas; East Asians; inhabitants of New Guinea and Melanesia; and Native Americans. They were also able to identify subgroups within each region that usually corresponded with each member's self-reported ethnicity.
The results of these studies indicate that genetic analyses can distinguish groups of people according to their geographic origin. But caution is warranted. The groups easiest to resolve were those that were widely separated from one another geographically. Such samples maximize the genetic variation among groups. When Bamshad and his co-workers used their 100 Alu polymorphisms to try to classify a sample of individuals from southern India into a separate group, the Indians instead had more in common with either Europeans or Asians. In other words, because India has been subject to many genetic influences from Europe and Asia, people on the subcontinent did not group into a unique cluster. We concluded that many hundreds--or perhaps thousands--of polymorphisms might have to be examined to distinguish between groups whose ancestors have historically interbred with multiple populations...
Because traits such as skin color have been strongly affected by natural selection, they do not necessarily reflect the population processes that have shaped the distribution of neutral polymorphisms such as Alus or short tandem repeats. Therefore, traits or polymorphisms affected by natural selection may be poor predictors of group membership and may imply genetic relatedness where, in fact, little exists...
According to Shriver's analyses, approximately 30 percent of Americans who consider themselves "white" have less than 90 percent European ancestry. Thus, self-reported ancestry is not necessarily a good predictor of the genetic composition of a large number of Americans. Accordingly, common notions of race do not always reflect a person's genetic background...
Several polymorphisms in CCR5 do not prevent infection but instead influence the rate at which HIV-1 infection leads to AIDS and death. Some of these polymorphisms have similar effects in different populations; others only alter the speed of disease progression in selected groups. One polymorphism, for example, is associated with delayed disease progression in European-Americans but accelerated disease in African-Americans. Researchers can only study such population-specific effects--and use that knowledge to direct therapy--if they can sort people into groups.
In these examples--and others like them--a polymorphism has a relatively large effect in a given disease. If genetic screening were inexpensive and efficient, all individuals could be screened for all such disease-related gene variants. But genetic testing remains costly. Perhaps more significantly, genetic screening raises concerns about privacy and consent: some people might not want to know about genetic factors that could increase their risk of developing a particular disease. Until these issues are resolved further, self-reported ancestry will continue to be a potentially useful diagnostic tool for physicians.
Ancestry may also be relevant for some diseases that are widespread in particular populations"
"Polymorphisms that occur at different frequencies around the world can, however, be used to sort people roughly into groups. One useful class of polymorphisms consists of the Alus, short pieces of DNA that are similar in sequence to one another. Alus replicate occasionally, and the resulting copy splices itself at random into a new position on the original chromosome or on another chromosome, usually in a location that has no effect on the functioning of nearby genes. Each insertion is a unique event. Once an Alu sequence inserts itself, it can remain in place for eons, getting passed from one person to his or her descendants. Therefore, if two people have the same Alu sequence at the same spot in their genome, they must be descended from a common ancestor who gave them that specific segment of DNA.
One of us (Bamshad), working with University of Utah scientists Lynn B. Jorde, Stephen Wooding and W. Scott Watkins and with Mark A. Batzer of Louisiana State University, examined 100 different Alu polymorphisms in 565 people born in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Europe. First we determined the presence or absence of the 100 Alus in each of the 565 people. Next we removed all the identifying labels (such as place of origin and ethnic group) from the data and sorted the people into groups using only their genetic information.
Our analysis yielded four different groups. When we added the labels back to see whether each individual's group assignment correlated to common, predefined labels for race or ethnicity, we saw that two of the groups consisted only of individuals from sub-Saharan Africa, with one of those two made up almost entirely of Mbuti Pygmies. The other two groups consisted only of individuals from Europe and East Asia, respectively. We found that we needed 60 Alu polymorphisms to assign individuals to their continent of origin with 90 percent accuracy. To achieve nearly 100 percent accuracy, however, we needed to use about 100 Alus.
Other studies have produced comparable results. Noah A. Rosenberg and Jonathan K. Pritchard, geneticists formerly in the laboratory of Marcus W. Feldman of Stanford University, assayed approximately 375 polymorphisms called short tandem repeats in more than 1,000 people from 52 ethnic groups in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. By looking at the varying frequencies of these polymorphisms, they were able to distinguish five different groups of people whose ancestors were typically isolated by oceans, deserts or mountains: sub-Saharan Africans; Europeans and Asians west of the Himalayas; East Asians; inhabitants of New Guinea and Melanesia; and Native Americans. They were also able to identify subgroups within each region that usually corresponded with each member's self-reported ethnicity.
The results of these studies indicate that genetic analyses can distinguish groups of people according to their geographic origin. But caution is warranted. The groups easiest to resolve were those that were widely separated from one another geographically. Such samples maximize the genetic variation among groups. When Bamshad and his co-workers used their 100 Alu polymorphisms to try to classify a sample of individuals from southern India into a separate group, the Indians instead had more in common with either Europeans or Asians. In other words, because India has been subject to many genetic influences from Europe and Asia, people on the subcontinent did not group into a unique cluster. We concluded that many hundreds--or perhaps thousands--of polymorphisms might have to be examined to distinguish between groups whose ancestors have historically interbred with multiple populations...
Because traits such as skin color have been strongly affected by natural selection, they do not necessarily reflect the population processes that have shaped the distribution of neutral polymorphisms such as Alus or short tandem repeats. Therefore, traits or polymorphisms affected by natural selection may be poor predictors of group membership and may imply genetic relatedness where, in fact, little exists...
According to Shriver's analyses, approximately 30 percent of Americans who consider themselves "white" have less than 90 percent European ancestry. Thus, self-reported ancestry is not necessarily a good predictor of the genetic composition of a large number of Americans. Accordingly, common notions of race do not always reflect a person's genetic background...
Several polymorphisms in CCR5 do not prevent infection but instead influence the rate at which HIV-1 infection leads to AIDS and death. Some of these polymorphisms have similar effects in different populations; others only alter the speed of disease progression in selected groups. One polymorphism, for example, is associated with delayed disease progression in European-Americans but accelerated disease in African-Americans. Researchers can only study such population-specific effects--and use that knowledge to direct therapy--if they can sort people into groups.
In these examples--and others like them--a polymorphism has a relatively large effect in a given disease. If genetic screening were inexpensive and efficient, all individuals could be screened for all such disease-related gene variants. But genetic testing remains costly. Perhaps more significantly, genetic screening raises concerns about privacy and consent: some people might not want to know about genetic factors that could increase their risk of developing a particular disease. Until these issues are resolved further, self-reported ancestry will continue to be a potentially useful diagnostic tool for physicians.
Ancestry may also be relevant for some diseases that are widespread in particular populations"
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Conscription in Switzerland: Study Trip vs Reality
CSNS will review lessons learnt from Swiss conscription system: Dr Ng
19 Oct 2013
Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS) will review the lessons learnt from its study of the conscription system in Switzerland.
Dr Ng, who chairs the committee, made the comments at the end of the CSNS's study trip to Switzerland and Finland from October 16 to 18.
He noted that the Swiss Army Forces has an efficient conscript training system which takes into consideration conscripts' abilities, motivation and aptitude during the assignment of military vocations.
He said the CSNS will consider ways to optimise the contributions of Singapore’s servicemen.
Dr Ng added that Swiss women can also volunteer for conscription.
A statement from the Singapore's Ministry of Defence said the CSNS delegation also learnt how the Swiss Armed Forces has strengthened employers' support for conscription.
This is done through various engagement activities which allow the employers to better appreciate how military training develops the individual and brings value to their companies.
The delegation visited Payerne Air Base and was briefed on how conscripts support the operations of the air base.
It also learnt how Swiss reservists maintain their military skills and technical competencies.
***
Armée suisse: Les soldats voient peu d'intérêt à leur service militaire - Suisse - lematin.ch (Swiss Army: Soldiers have little interest in their military service - translation below)
15.02.2013
Armée suisse — Les soldats pensent que le service militaire a peu de sens. Selon une récente enquête, seuls 40% d'entre eux ont réellement le sentiment de contribuer à la sécurité de la Suisse.
Selon une enquête menée auprès des membres de l'armée, seuls 40% d'entre eux ont réellement le sentiment de contribuer à la sécurité de la Suisse.
Environ la même proportion de sondés pense pouvoir profiter du service militaire dans la vie civile. L'enquête relayée vendredi par la Neue Zürcher Zeitung et dont l'ATS a pu se procurer les résultats, a été menée l'an dernier auprès de 11'000 soldats et cadres de l'armée.
De nombreux employeurs ne voient également pas l'intérêt de l'armée. Seuls 40% des sondés estiment que leur employeur a de la compréhension pour leur service militaire. Moins de 30% recommanderaient à leurs connaissances une formation dans l'armée.
Les soldats évaluent toutefois positivement l'esprit de camaraderie qui règne à l'armée, ainsi que la compétence de leurs instructeurs. Deux tiers sont satisfaits du matériel mis à disposition. A contrario, à peine plus de la moitié trouvent leur service stimulant et clair.
Le chef de l'armée en tire les conséquences
«Ces chiffres sont mauvais et ne suffisent pas. Nous devons mieux expliquer aux soldats pourquoi la Suisse a une armée et à quoi elle sert», a réagi le porte-parole de l'armée Christoph Brunner, interrogé par l'ats.
Le chef de l'armée André Blattmann a décidé que ce rôle sera dévolu aux éléments les plus expérimentés. Environ une vingtaine de brigadiers et de divisionnaires visiteront les troupes en 2013 et feront un discours devant chaque unité.
Par ailleurs, selon Christoph Brunner, 150'000 membres actifs de l'armée seront interrogés au cours de l'année. L'enquête sera menée comme celle de l'année dernière. Les réponses pourront être données par SMS, l'armée s'engageant à traiter les données de manière anonyme.
Translation:
Swiss Army: Soldiers have little interest in their military service
Swiss Army - Soldiers think that their military service is pointless. According to a recent survey, only 40% of them felt that they were really contributing to Swiss national security.
According to a survey conducted among members of the armed forces, only 40% of them really felt that they were contributing to Swiss national security.
About the same proportion of those polled thought they could benefit from their military service in civilian life. The survey reported Friday by Neue Zürcher Zeitung and for which ATS managed to get the results, was conducted last year among 11,000 soldiers and commanders of the military.
Many employers do not have interest in the armed forces either. Only 40% of the polled thought that their employer understood their military service. less than 30% would recommend military training to those they knew.
Nonetheless, the soldiers positively evaluated the spirit of camaraderie which reigned in the armed forces, as well as the competence of their instructors. Two thirds were satisfied with the equipment available. On the other hand, hardly more than a half found their service stimulating and clear.
The Head of the Armed Forces will draw the necessary conclusions
"The numbers are bad and inadequate. We must better explain to soldiers why Switzerland has armed forces and what they are for", commented the armed forces spokesman Christoph Brunner interviewed by ATS.
The Head of the Armed Forces André Blattmann has decided that the role will be delegated to more experimental parties. About 20 brigadiers and generals will visit the troops in 2013 and give a talk to each unit.
Also, according to Christoph Brunner, 150,000 active members of the armed forces will be interviewed over the year. The interview will be conducted like last year's. The responses will be able to be given by SMS, and the armed forces commits to keeping responses confidential.
19 Oct 2013
Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS) will review the lessons learnt from its study of the conscription system in Switzerland.
Dr Ng, who chairs the committee, made the comments at the end of the CSNS's study trip to Switzerland and Finland from October 16 to 18.
He noted that the Swiss Army Forces has an efficient conscript training system which takes into consideration conscripts' abilities, motivation and aptitude during the assignment of military vocations.
He said the CSNS will consider ways to optimise the contributions of Singapore’s servicemen.
Dr Ng added that Swiss women can also volunteer for conscription.
A statement from the Singapore's Ministry of Defence said the CSNS delegation also learnt how the Swiss Armed Forces has strengthened employers' support for conscription.
This is done through various engagement activities which allow the employers to better appreciate how military training develops the individual and brings value to their companies.
The delegation visited Payerne Air Base and was briefed on how conscripts support the operations of the air base.
It also learnt how Swiss reservists maintain their military skills and technical competencies.
***
Armée suisse: Les soldats voient peu d'intérêt à leur service militaire - Suisse - lematin.ch (Swiss Army: Soldiers have little interest in their military service - translation below)
15.02.2013
Armée suisse — Les soldats pensent que le service militaire a peu de sens. Selon une récente enquête, seuls 40% d'entre eux ont réellement le sentiment de contribuer à la sécurité de la Suisse.
Selon une enquête menée auprès des membres de l'armée, seuls 40% d'entre eux ont réellement le sentiment de contribuer à la sécurité de la Suisse.
Environ la même proportion de sondés pense pouvoir profiter du service militaire dans la vie civile. L'enquête relayée vendredi par la Neue Zürcher Zeitung et dont l'ATS a pu se procurer les résultats, a été menée l'an dernier auprès de 11'000 soldats et cadres de l'armée.
De nombreux employeurs ne voient également pas l'intérêt de l'armée. Seuls 40% des sondés estiment que leur employeur a de la compréhension pour leur service militaire. Moins de 30% recommanderaient à leurs connaissances une formation dans l'armée.
Les soldats évaluent toutefois positivement l'esprit de camaraderie qui règne à l'armée, ainsi que la compétence de leurs instructeurs. Deux tiers sont satisfaits du matériel mis à disposition. A contrario, à peine plus de la moitié trouvent leur service stimulant et clair.
Le chef de l'armée en tire les conséquences
«Ces chiffres sont mauvais et ne suffisent pas. Nous devons mieux expliquer aux soldats pourquoi la Suisse a une armée et à quoi elle sert», a réagi le porte-parole de l'armée Christoph Brunner, interrogé par l'ats.
Le chef de l'armée André Blattmann a décidé que ce rôle sera dévolu aux éléments les plus expérimentés. Environ une vingtaine de brigadiers et de divisionnaires visiteront les troupes en 2013 et feront un discours devant chaque unité.
Par ailleurs, selon Christoph Brunner, 150'000 membres actifs de l'armée seront interrogés au cours de l'année. L'enquête sera menée comme celle de l'année dernière. Les réponses pourront être données par SMS, l'armée s'engageant à traiter les données de manière anonyme.
Translation:
Swiss Army: Soldiers have little interest in their military service
Swiss Army - Soldiers think that their military service is pointless. According to a recent survey, only 40% of them felt that they were really contributing to Swiss national security.
According to a survey conducted among members of the armed forces, only 40% of them really felt that they were contributing to Swiss national security.
About the same proportion of those polled thought they could benefit from their military service in civilian life. The survey reported Friday by Neue Zürcher Zeitung and for which ATS managed to get the results, was conducted last year among 11,000 soldiers and commanders of the military.
Many employers do not have interest in the armed forces either. Only 40% of the polled thought that their employer understood their military service. less than 30% would recommend military training to those they knew.
Nonetheless, the soldiers positively evaluated the spirit of camaraderie which reigned in the armed forces, as well as the competence of their instructors. Two thirds were satisfied with the equipment available. On the other hand, hardly more than a half found their service stimulating and clear.
The Head of the Armed Forces will draw the necessary conclusions
"The numbers are bad and inadequate. We must better explain to soldiers why Switzerland has armed forces and what they are for", commented the armed forces spokesman Christoph Brunner interviewed by ATS.
The Head of the Armed Forces André Blattmann has decided that the role will be delegated to more experimental parties. About 20 brigadiers and generals will visit the troops in 2013 and give a talk to each unit.
Also, according to Christoph Brunner, 150,000 active members of the armed forces will be interviewed over the year. The interview will be conducted like last year's. The responses will be able to be given by SMS, and the armed forces commits to keeping responses confidential.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Tout est fini à 50 ans
Tout recommence à 50 ans
"Certains le disent haut et fort, d’autres le reconnaissent à demi-mots: pas facile d’affronter les cinquantièmes rugissants. «Pour les femmes surtout, nuancent Régine Lemoine-Darthois et Elisabeth Weissinan. La cinquantaine marque une rupture dans la vie des femmes car elle est synonyme de transformations physiques et fonctionnelles, soulignent-elles. Pour amorcer une nouvelle vie, elles doivent faire leur deuil des bébés qu’elles n’auront plus et de la femme jeune et séduisarne qu’elles ne seront plus.»
Des quinquas aux prises avec le mal-être de la ménopause. Monique Barbery, 52 ans, gynécologue, en voit passer beaucoup dans son cabinet parisien. «Elles sont plus charnellement liées que les hommes au facteur temps. Elles enragent souvent de cette horloge biologique implacable, mais peut-être sont-elles ainsi mieux préparées qu’eux à vieillir, du moins celles qui ne s’épuisent pas dans une vaine quête de l’éternelle jeunesse. Au fond, beaucoup franchissent avec vaillance le mur du son de la cinquantaine. Avec force soupirs et parfois une certaine complaisance dans la plainte, mais il y a de l’exorcisme dans ce lamento.» Dur, pour les filles de la génération «hommes, femmes, même combat», d’accepter l’inégalité biologique: leurs hommes peuvent encore faire des enfants, elles, non. Pis. «leurs compagnons peuvent être saisis d’angoisse face à leur ménopause, observe la psychanalyste Jacqueline Schaeffèr [Le Refus du féminin, PUF]: elle les renvoie â leur cinquantaine, dont ils ne veulent pas entendre parler, eux qui se sentent en pleine maturité, surtout s’ils ont réussi socialement»."
"Certains le disent haut et fort, d’autres le reconnaissent à demi-mots: pas facile d’affronter les cinquantièmes rugissants. «Pour les femmes surtout, nuancent Régine Lemoine-Darthois et Elisabeth Weissinan. La cinquantaine marque une rupture dans la vie des femmes car elle est synonyme de transformations physiques et fonctionnelles, soulignent-elles. Pour amorcer une nouvelle vie, elles doivent faire leur deuil des bébés qu’elles n’auront plus et de la femme jeune et séduisarne qu’elles ne seront plus.»
Des quinquas aux prises avec le mal-être de la ménopause. Monique Barbery, 52 ans, gynécologue, en voit passer beaucoup dans son cabinet parisien. «Elles sont plus charnellement liées que les hommes au facteur temps. Elles enragent souvent de cette horloge biologique implacable, mais peut-être sont-elles ainsi mieux préparées qu’eux à vieillir, du moins celles qui ne s’épuisent pas dans une vaine quête de l’éternelle jeunesse. Au fond, beaucoup franchissent avec vaillance le mur du son de la cinquantaine. Avec force soupirs et parfois une certaine complaisance dans la plainte, mais il y a de l’exorcisme dans ce lamento.» Dur, pour les filles de la génération «hommes, femmes, même combat», d’accepter l’inégalité biologique: leurs hommes peuvent encore faire des enfants, elles, non. Pis. «leurs compagnons peuvent être saisis d’angoisse face à leur ménopause, observe la psychanalyste Jacqueline Schaeffèr [Le Refus du féminin, PUF]: elle les renvoie â leur cinquantaine, dont ils ne veulent pas entendre parler, eux qui se sentent en pleine maturité, surtout s’ils ont réussi socialement»."
Bad Career Advice: Do What You Love and You'll Never Work a Day
Bad Career Advice: Do What You Love and You'll Never Work a Day
"Oh man, this one kills me. It’s so frequently repeated that hardly anyone questions its truth anymore. And the sad fact is this: If you do what you love for a living, you’ll probably end up loving it a little bit less...
This is a blatant, hurtful lie that far too many people fall for. And they end up feeling like something is wrong with them, when really something is wrong with the idea they’ve been sold.
When something you love becomes work, it fundamentally—and unavoidably—changes the way in which you interact with it...
Work is called work because it’s not play. Once you depend on something to put food on your table, it becomes something different. It’s no longer “that thing you do for fun,” it’s “that thing you have to do for survival.”
That doesn’t mean you won’t end up enjoying or maybe even loving the work you do. But it will also be work. You probably won’t mistake it for anything else.
Once you take an activity you love (for me, writing) and start doing it for pay, you involve the opinions and needs of others. Writing for a living means I often have to set aside my personal artistic vision, and simply follow the instructions of my client. I sometimes call myself a “writer monkey” because I feel so caged in.
I still write for myself, to explore my own ideas and personal style, and, on most days, I’d say I love the work I do…but these are two different things. The writing I do for work is not the writing I do for play...
Work is about more than the thing you’re doing. It offers nourishment in a number of different ways. So, when you think about finding work you’ll enjoy (work that, hopefully, can be truly nourishing) think about the entire experience.
It’s dangerous to suggest that work can be anything other than work. Doing what you love can certainly make it a more enjoyable experience. But you’ll also experience a new side of that activity, and it won’t be comfortable...
I’m very lucky to do what I love for a living. But sometimes, I’m like the gourmet chef who lives off takeout and frozen meals. When you do an activity all day long and depend on it for survival, the playfulness can disappear quickly. Just like in a marriage, it sometimes takes effort to stay in love. At the end of the workday, I have to force myself to write for pleasure after I’ve been writing for eight hours already.
Do I sound cynical? Perhaps a little. But too many people sit around convinced that if only they could turn their NASCAR obsession into a fulltime job, they’d finally be happy. I encourage you to take a deeper look at the things you love and what work means to you. There might be a happy intersection of the two, but don’t force it."
"Oh man, this one kills me. It’s so frequently repeated that hardly anyone questions its truth anymore. And the sad fact is this: If you do what you love for a living, you’ll probably end up loving it a little bit less...
This is a blatant, hurtful lie that far too many people fall for. And they end up feeling like something is wrong with them, when really something is wrong with the idea they’ve been sold.
When something you love becomes work, it fundamentally—and unavoidably—changes the way in which you interact with it...
Work is called work because it’s not play. Once you depend on something to put food on your table, it becomes something different. It’s no longer “that thing you do for fun,” it’s “that thing you have to do for survival.”
That doesn’t mean you won’t end up enjoying or maybe even loving the work you do. But it will also be work. You probably won’t mistake it for anything else.
Once you take an activity you love (for me, writing) and start doing it for pay, you involve the opinions and needs of others. Writing for a living means I often have to set aside my personal artistic vision, and simply follow the instructions of my client. I sometimes call myself a “writer monkey” because I feel so caged in.
I still write for myself, to explore my own ideas and personal style, and, on most days, I’d say I love the work I do…but these are two different things. The writing I do for work is not the writing I do for play...
Work is about more than the thing you’re doing. It offers nourishment in a number of different ways. So, when you think about finding work you’ll enjoy (work that, hopefully, can be truly nourishing) think about the entire experience.
It’s dangerous to suggest that work can be anything other than work. Doing what you love can certainly make it a more enjoyable experience. But you’ll also experience a new side of that activity, and it won’t be comfortable...
I’m very lucky to do what I love for a living. But sometimes, I’m like the gourmet chef who lives off takeout and frozen meals. When you do an activity all day long and depend on it for survival, the playfulness can disappear quickly. Just like in a marriage, it sometimes takes effort to stay in love. At the end of the workday, I have to force myself to write for pleasure after I’ve been writing for eight hours already.
Do I sound cynical? Perhaps a little. But too many people sit around convinced that if only they could turn their NASCAR obsession into a fulltime job, they’d finally be happy. I encourage you to take a deeper look at the things you love and what work means to you. There might be a happy intersection of the two, but don’t force it."
Monday, October 21, 2013
Links - 21st October 2013
Singaporean ship cruises to N. Korea - "GIANT speakers thump out club hits as the deejay bellows: “Everybody get on the dance floor!” The nightspot is a boarded-up swimming pool on a ship sailing in North Korean waters. The groovers are mainly middle-aged men and women wearing pins featuring pictures of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. Conspicuously missing was the beat of South Korean popstar Psy’s Gangnam Style. “We’re not allowed to play that one,” explains Danny Tay, the 46-year-old Singaporean who owns the ship."
Answer to China: What things do mainland Chinese people find surprising when they visit Taiwan? - Quora - "most people approaching or offering help in Taiwan are actually honest, not trying to cheat you or scam you. Normally if approached by a stranger in mainland China many peoples' first reaction is to ignore them and walk away, but quickly realize that in Taiwan this is absolutely not necessary."
Decoding the Female Happiness Paradox - "The feminist triumph has deprived women of an essential element of their erotic lives. By raising women’s status and emphasizing “equality,” feminism has performed the psychological equivalent of a clitoridectomy on our society’s women. Rather than objects of lust and passion, they are now competitors, rivals and colleagues — their erotic capital is significantly diminished. The men around them are no longer strong and dominant, but cowed, vacillating and timid. Women’s opportunities to “feel like a woman” have been radically curtailed. Hypergamous needs are left unfulfilled by their “equal” husbands and boyfriends. Is it any wonder that women report less happiness? For all the trouble feminism has caused us men over the decades, it appears that it has been a significant source of misery for women as well. This is why feminism will ultimately fail: in their hearts, women don’t want it."
Porn 'downloaded in Vatican City': 'Female and transsexual porn shared in Catholic Church HQ' - "a 2012 survey by Religious Institute..found that 'one in five clergy reported intentionally visiting a sexually explicit website in the past six months.' But 16 percent of those asked replied that they 'preferred not to answer the question about their personal use of these sites.'"
Back to hostility: the roots of Russia’s anti-gay attitudes - "Russians’ tolerance of gays and lesbians has varied throughout history, although periods of increased authoritarianism have always resulted in a crackdown on homosexual behavior."
Want a top-notch startup sector? Reform the Singapore Armed Forces - "Two key differences that emerge upon a brief review of Israel’s and Singapore’s culture are the following:
• the freedom to question assumptions
• military service culture"
Thank you for joining my homepage - "Thank you for joining my homepage. These photos I made in winter 2003-2004. I took this mongolian bitches and fucked them very well. Ok, enjoy this site." (NSFW)"
This is very bizarre
Success or Just Showing Up?: Uniforms Inspire Attendance, Not Achievement - Real Time Economics - WSJ - "School uniforms may improve attendance, particularly among females, a new study shows. Attendance among middle-school and high-school students improved slightly – between 0.3 and 0.4 of a percentage point — when students were required to wear uniforms... uniforms had some positive impacts, but had little influence on important barometers of student achievement and behavior... School uniforms were more effective in improving attendance in mixed-race or primarily white or Asian high schools and middle schools. The effects tended to be most prominent among low-achieving students and students who were economically disadvantaged... Teacher attrition fell by five percentage points after uniforms were required... "In terms of discipline we also find little evidence of uniform effects""
Le spam nigérian le plus poétique (et drôle)
▶ Tsubomi.avi - YouTube
This is a demanding exercise routine
日本女人VS中国女人：说的有点狠，不过也有几分道理！_中华论坛_中华网论坛--网友影响中国--全国最大社区媒体 - "日本的女人平时是淑女,床上是贱人. 中国的女人很多床上是淑女,床下是贱人."
UF study shows long-term drug abuse starts with alcohol » News » University of Florida - "Alcohol — not marijuana — is the gateway drug that leads adolescents down the path toward more serious substances"
How to Handle an Unhappy Bridesmaid : Brides - ""One of my bridesmaids is constantly complaining about how much she hates the dress, while all the others like it"...
Assuming you still like this carping, uncooperative friend, take her aside and ask what is really bothering her. Is it the dress? Is it the price? Is it her weight? Is it something about being single?"
Jealous B*tches series: The Fat B*tch in Denial | LovelySexyBeauty: adventures in love, enchantment, & beauty - "The Fat B*tch in Denial is one of the most annoying Jealous B*tches a girl may ever have to deal with. Deep down inside these girls KNOW that being overweight is not cool. Instead of spending hours controlling their appetites, picking out healthy and moderate meals, and hitting the gym, they spend most of their time putting together “slimming” outfits (usually in shades of black), carefully photoshopping pictures to put up online, and causing problems for us skinnier ones."
Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another
Belief in hell, according to international data, is associated with reduced crime - "undergraduate students were more likely to cheat when they believe in a forgiving God than a punishing God... supernatural punishment had emerged as a very effective cultural innovation to get people to act more ethically with each other. In 2003, he said, Harvard University researchers Robert J. Barro and Rachel M. McCleary had found that gross domestic product was higher in developed countries when people believed in hell more than they did in heaven."
Highly religious people are less motivated by compassion than are non-believers - "compassion consistently drove less religious people to be more generous. For highly religious people, however, compassion was largely unrelated to how generous they were"
Can religion make you fat? - "young churchgoers were 50 percent more likely to turn into obese middle-agers than those who avoided church... "Our best guess," says Matthew Feinstein, the study's lead author, is that "more frequent participation in church is associated with good works and people may be rewarding themselves with large meals." It's also to do with holy matrimony, says Kenneth F. Ferraro of Purdue University, quoted by CNN. "Weight gain is common after marriage and... marriage is highly valued in most religious groups."
Geylang's China sex worker writes open letter to S'pore men - "She said the men she encountered were mostly generous and considerate. And she was so impressed that she even toyed with the thought of staying on in the hope of settling down with a local man. But on the other hand, she also felt Singapore men were too naive. 'No matter how well you treat the streetwalkers, you are just a fool in their eyes. 'When you sympathise with them, you will definitely fork out money to support them. 'But behind your backs, they are laughing at how they've conned you.' She also added: 'Just treat it (the encounter) as a sexual transaction.'"
How To Win That Music Competition? Send A Video - "the volunteers were better able to identify the winners when they couldn't hear the music at all, compared with when they could only hear the music. In fact, it was even worse than that: When the volunteers could see the musicians and hear the music, they became less accurate in picking the winners compared with when they could only see the performers. The music was actually a distraction. Tsay says this not only says something about the volunteers, but it also says something important about the original experts who judged the competitions."
Ikea at last cracks China market, but success has meant adapting to local ways - "On a king-size bed in the middle of the largest showroom, a little boy wakes from a nap next to his (also sleeping) grandmother. When the old woman casually helps the boy urinate into an empty water bottle, dripping liquid liberally on the grey mattress under his feet, most passers-by seem not to mind or even notice"
Threesome Planning - Menage a Trois Planning - Marie Claire - "I occasionally mention the name of a female friend. "Would she be acceptable?" "Absolutely," he says. It turns out that all of my girlfriends and practically all the spouses of his friends would potentially make the cut, including the pregnant ones... "You won't believe what my husband wants for his birthday." I tell her that I've agreed to it in principle but that I haven't yet found the third party. I think she gets that I'm propositioning her, but instead of taking the bait, she becomes the Cassandra of threesomes... Not only is Emma out of the running, she seems to be morphing into that most dreaded of creatures: the friend. She talks of future lunch dates at other Asian restaurants. I'm suddenly sympathetic to those male "friends" of mine who disappeared when I got engaged. Why stick around?... It occurs to me that planning this threesome has become another one of the things I do, like organizing playdates and supervising the renovation of our kitchen. Nevertheless, my new man's-eye view of the world is thrilling. I notice women everywhere — at the photo shop, in line at the supermarket. I even scan my book group — middle-aged expatriates who like to read about the Holocaust — for candidates. I have a belated feminist revelation: Women don't demand raises and promotions, because we're trained to sit pretty and let someone else chase us. In my new role as decider, I don't care what anyone thinks of me. I just go after what I want from them. It's refreshing to have some time off from wondering whether I look fat... Everyone (at least everyone male) wants to have one, but no one's had a good one... How do I convince a woman to take off her clothes? My husband, who spent years of his life addressing this particular challenge, gives me a little pep talk. "With women, you have to listen to all the stuff they say," he explains. "They have all these complex emotional issues, and you have to try to figure out what they are. Just keep asking questions. Be pleasant and reassuring but also slightly mysterious"... I'm not sure what kind of plans she wants to make. We'll each suck one of his toes? I'll read him poetry while she pirouettes?"
Answer to China: What things do mainland Chinese people find surprising when they visit Taiwan? - Quora - "most people approaching or offering help in Taiwan are actually honest, not trying to cheat you or scam you. Normally if approached by a stranger in mainland China many peoples' first reaction is to ignore them and walk away, but quickly realize that in Taiwan this is absolutely not necessary."
Decoding the Female Happiness Paradox - "The feminist triumph has deprived women of an essential element of their erotic lives. By raising women’s status and emphasizing “equality,” feminism has performed the psychological equivalent of a clitoridectomy on our society’s women. Rather than objects of lust and passion, they are now competitors, rivals and colleagues — their erotic capital is significantly diminished. The men around them are no longer strong and dominant, but cowed, vacillating and timid. Women’s opportunities to “feel like a woman” have been radically curtailed. Hypergamous needs are left unfulfilled by their “equal” husbands and boyfriends. Is it any wonder that women report less happiness? For all the trouble feminism has caused us men over the decades, it appears that it has been a significant source of misery for women as well. This is why feminism will ultimately fail: in their hearts, women don’t want it."
Porn 'downloaded in Vatican City': 'Female and transsexual porn shared in Catholic Church HQ' - "a 2012 survey by Religious Institute..found that 'one in five clergy reported intentionally visiting a sexually explicit website in the past six months.' But 16 percent of those asked replied that they 'preferred not to answer the question about their personal use of these sites.'"
Back to hostility: the roots of Russia’s anti-gay attitudes - "Russians’ tolerance of gays and lesbians has varied throughout history, although periods of increased authoritarianism have always resulted in a crackdown on homosexual behavior."
Want a top-notch startup sector? Reform the Singapore Armed Forces - "Two key differences that emerge upon a brief review of Israel’s and Singapore’s culture are the following:
• the freedom to question assumptions
• military service culture"
Thank you for joining my homepage - "Thank you for joining my homepage. These photos I made in winter 2003-2004. I took this mongolian bitches and fucked them very well. Ok, enjoy this site." (NSFW)"
This is very bizarre
Success or Just Showing Up?: Uniforms Inspire Attendance, Not Achievement - Real Time Economics - WSJ - "School uniforms may improve attendance, particularly among females, a new study shows. Attendance among middle-school and high-school students improved slightly – between 0.3 and 0.4 of a percentage point — when students were required to wear uniforms... uniforms had some positive impacts, but had little influence on important barometers of student achievement and behavior... School uniforms were more effective in improving attendance in mixed-race or primarily white or Asian high schools and middle schools. The effects tended to be most prominent among low-achieving students and students who were economically disadvantaged... Teacher attrition fell by five percentage points after uniforms were required... "In terms of discipline we also find little evidence of uniform effects""
Le spam nigérian le plus poétique (et drôle)
▶ Tsubomi.avi - YouTube
This is a demanding exercise routine
日本女人VS中国女人：说的有点狠，不过也有几分道理！_中华论坛_中华网论坛--网友影响中国--全国最大社区媒体 - "日本的女人平时是淑女,床上是贱人. 中国的女人很多床上是淑女,床下是贱人."
UF study shows long-term drug abuse starts with alcohol » News » University of Florida - "Alcohol — not marijuana — is the gateway drug that leads adolescents down the path toward more serious substances"
How to Handle an Unhappy Bridesmaid : Brides - ""One of my bridesmaids is constantly complaining about how much she hates the dress, while all the others like it"...
Assuming you still like this carping, uncooperative friend, take her aside and ask what is really bothering her. Is it the dress? Is it the price? Is it her weight? Is it something about being single?"
Jealous B*tches series: The Fat B*tch in Denial | LovelySexyBeauty: adventures in love, enchantment, & beauty - "The Fat B*tch in Denial is one of the most annoying Jealous B*tches a girl may ever have to deal with. Deep down inside these girls KNOW that being overweight is not cool. Instead of spending hours controlling their appetites, picking out healthy and moderate meals, and hitting the gym, they spend most of their time putting together “slimming” outfits (usually in shades of black), carefully photoshopping pictures to put up online, and causing problems for us skinnier ones."
Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another
Belief in hell, according to international data, is associated with reduced crime - "undergraduate students were more likely to cheat when they believe in a forgiving God than a punishing God... supernatural punishment had emerged as a very effective cultural innovation to get people to act more ethically with each other. In 2003, he said, Harvard University researchers Robert J. Barro and Rachel M. McCleary had found that gross domestic product was higher in developed countries when people believed in hell more than they did in heaven."
Highly religious people are less motivated by compassion than are non-believers - "compassion consistently drove less religious people to be more generous. For highly religious people, however, compassion was largely unrelated to how generous they were"
Can religion make you fat? - "young churchgoers were 50 percent more likely to turn into obese middle-agers than those who avoided church... "Our best guess," says Matthew Feinstein, the study's lead author, is that "more frequent participation in church is associated with good works and people may be rewarding themselves with large meals." It's also to do with holy matrimony, says Kenneth F. Ferraro of Purdue University, quoted by CNN. "Weight gain is common after marriage and... marriage is highly valued in most religious groups."
Geylang's China sex worker writes open letter to S'pore men - "She said the men she encountered were mostly generous and considerate. And she was so impressed that she even toyed with the thought of staying on in the hope of settling down with a local man. But on the other hand, she also felt Singapore men were too naive. 'No matter how well you treat the streetwalkers, you are just a fool in their eyes. 'When you sympathise with them, you will definitely fork out money to support them. 'But behind your backs, they are laughing at how they've conned you.' She also added: 'Just treat it (the encounter) as a sexual transaction.'"
How To Win That Music Competition? Send A Video - "the volunteers were better able to identify the winners when they couldn't hear the music at all, compared with when they could only hear the music. In fact, it was even worse than that: When the volunteers could see the musicians and hear the music, they became less accurate in picking the winners compared with when they could only see the performers. The music was actually a distraction. Tsay says this not only says something about the volunteers, but it also says something important about the original experts who judged the competitions."
Ikea at last cracks China market, but success has meant adapting to local ways - "On a king-size bed in the middle of the largest showroom, a little boy wakes from a nap next to his (also sleeping) grandmother. When the old woman casually helps the boy urinate into an empty water bottle, dripping liquid liberally on the grey mattress under his feet, most passers-by seem not to mind or even notice"
Threesome Planning - Menage a Trois Planning - Marie Claire - "I occasionally mention the name of a female friend. "Would she be acceptable?" "Absolutely," he says. It turns out that all of my girlfriends and practically all the spouses of his friends would potentially make the cut, including the pregnant ones... "You won't believe what my husband wants for his birthday." I tell her that I've agreed to it in principle but that I haven't yet found the third party. I think she gets that I'm propositioning her, but instead of taking the bait, she becomes the Cassandra of threesomes... Not only is Emma out of the running, she seems to be morphing into that most dreaded of creatures: the friend. She talks of future lunch dates at other Asian restaurants. I'm suddenly sympathetic to those male "friends" of mine who disappeared when I got engaged. Why stick around?... It occurs to me that planning this threesome has become another one of the things I do, like organizing playdates and supervising the renovation of our kitchen. Nevertheless, my new man's-eye view of the world is thrilling. I notice women everywhere — at the photo shop, in line at the supermarket. I even scan my book group — middle-aged expatriates who like to read about the Holocaust — for candidates. I have a belated feminist revelation: Women don't demand raises and promotions, because we're trained to sit pretty and let someone else chase us. In my new role as decider, I don't care what anyone thinks of me. I just go after what I want from them. It's refreshing to have some time off from wondering whether I look fat... Everyone (at least everyone male) wants to have one, but no one's had a good one... How do I convince a woman to take off her clothes? My husband, who spent years of his life addressing this particular challenge, gives me a little pep talk. "With women, you have to listen to all the stuff they say," he explains. "They have all these complex emotional issues, and you have to try to figure out what they are. Just keep asking questions. Be pleasant and reassuring but also slightly mysterious"... I'm not sure what kind of plans she wants to make. We'll each suck one of his toes? I'll read him poetry while she pirouettes?"
Singapore on the BBC
Amused that "Singapore's mid-life crisis" is now the 9th most read article on the BBC website
BBC News - Singapore's mid-life crisis as citizens find their voice
One Man Died For All
"ONE MAN DIED FOR ALL"
WHO IS THIS MAN?
Obi-wan.
HOW DOES HIS DEATH HELP US?
To escape the Death Star.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE REMEMBER HIM?
Because he comes back as a ghost at random times and it can be quite surprising.
