TO RAGE OR NOT TO RAGE

Is it ever a good idea to get openly angry at work? The answer depends on who you ask.
Medical researchers say repressing "desk rage" could be hazardous to your health. Men who suppress anger at work are two to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from heart disease than those who express it, says a study by Swedish researchers published in a recent issue of the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Most at risk are workers who use "covert coping"—that is, refraining from confronting a co-worker who treats you unfairly, ignoring the situation or walking away instead. Researchers tracked 2,755 men with no history of heart problems from the early 1990s until 2003 and found those who used covert coping were far more likely by 2003 to have heart attacks or die from heart disease. The results were controlled for age, socioeconomic factors, job strain and biological risk factors. Workers who reacted by protesting directly, yelling or airing their grievances right away had significantly less heart trouble.
Career coaches would usually give different advice—to avoid blowups at work, rather than damage your career or important work relationships.
Readers:
"As someone who has worked with a couple of gentlemen who chose to vent at work, letting loose with expletive-laden tirades at subordinates, slamming fists on to tables, etc., I can only say "HOLD IT IN!!" … I don't want to work in an environment where people feel free to vent at will."
"I have on many occasions expressed anger at work, and it hasn't hurt my career…You don't have to yell, scream or throw things. … You can calmly and sternly tell a co-worker, "It is inappropriate for you to attempt to give my reports work without asking me" without throwing a tantrum. When you use your anger in that way people actually respect you."

DO YOU REMEMBER?

It is a pretty safe assumption to say that, for many of us, our early exposure to reading came via a wonderful series called Little Golden Books. After all, some billion and a half of these charming stories have been sold since 1942, when they were first introduced by publishing house, Simon and Shuster for the affordable price of 25 cents. Perhaps the most popular titles of the series are The Poky Little Puppy, which boasts sales in excess of 15 million copies, along with Mother Goose, The Little Red Caboose, Tootle the Train, and The Little Red Hen.
As we remember these literary jewels of childhood, we also want to share some interesting info on the genesis of the artwork style that became a trademark of these books – courtesy of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Take a look at this informative article which focuses on the work of Swedish-American illustrator, Gustaf Tenggren, who also happened to be the chief illustrator for The Walt Disney Company in the 30s, and contributed to such iconic films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, and Pinocchio. If the art of book illustration interests you, we think you will find it to be an interesting read.

INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY IMAGES

HERE COME THE HAGGIS

US haggis fans rejoice - 21 year old ban on haggis imports lifted!

on Jan 26th, 2010 at 5:00PM

Any fans of boiled sheep heart, liver and lungs cooked with oatmeal inside an animal stomach? Well, good news for you - the twenty one year old US ban on Haggis imports has been lifted!

Back in 1989, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (better known as mad cow disease) forced authorities to ban the import of haggis. Apparently, sheep offal can be lethal when infected with BSE.

Even though haggis is not exactly the kind of dish most Scots serve for dinner once a week, it is an important part of the heritage. During the annual Burns Night celebrations, Haggis is always on the table.

American butchers tried making their own haggis, but seriously, who in their right mind would eat an American copycat haggis served in a can - especially when it looks (and apparently smells) like dog food?

It will take a couple of months for the first Scottish produced haggis to make it over here, and even then, you'll need a specialty butcher to actually get your hands on one.

LET'S TAK A BREAK

As many a nomadic modern road warrior knows all too well, while you can get Internet access, juice for your laptop, and phone service on-the-go, privacy is at a premium. Thankfully, an Australian Design Science student named Kerry Jia Yi Lin has developed a little something called Hermit -- an "experimental interactive shell" that uses RFID tags to know when you've crossed your arms and set your head down for a nap. Once you've assumed the position, the felt shell closes above you, providing "a personal refuge in a communal environment." Sounds nice and peaceful, no?  If you prefer a low-tech version, we suppose you could just throw a coat over your head.

THE LINE STARTS HERE

TODAY IN HISTORY

JANUARY 27

1945:Soviet troops liberate thousands of inmates at Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp, where more than 1 million were killed.

1967: Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee perish in a fire aboard the command module during an Apollo I preflight test in Florida.

5 CRAYONS GET DUMPED

Image by crayonsman via Flickr

Cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith introduced their first eight Crayola crayons in 1903. Since then, the world has changed, and so, too, have the names of their waxy creations. Be it ever-shifting societal, racial, or political atmospheres, these crayons of yore have a revisionist history unto themselves.

1. “Flesh” Crayons Change Their Name

While everyone acknowledges that the civil rights movement brought about great strides in American society, most individuals overlook the huge advances it brought to the crayon community. In 1962, Crayola voluntarily changed Flesh to Peach in an attempt to avoid any legal issues and encourage people to embrace seeing the world in black and peach.

2. Prussian Blue receives Icy Treatment

The Kingdom of Prussia (part of modern-day Germany and Poland) remained an independent state from 1701 to 1871, but the crayon dubbed Prussian Blue had a far shorter reign in the kingdom of colors. Introduced in 1949 alongside a cadre of 39 new cohorts, Prussian Blue was unceremoniously stripped of its name in 1958, after teachers continued to voice concerns that the crayon wasn’t Cold War–sensitive. Crayola hoped the color’s new name, Midnight Blue, would help make it less political and certainly less useful in coloring Iron Curtains.

3. Indian Red was a nod to India?!

Introduced in 1958 with 15 additional colors (finally giving children 64 shades to work with!), this color was actually named for a pigment that originated in India. Over the years, teachers began to worry that children would see the crayon as a reference to American Indians’ skin color. In 1999, the Crayola company changed the name to Chestnut—but that too came with a disclaimer. The crayon manufacturer warned children that, despite the famous song, these chestnuts should never be roasted over an open fire. Mainly because they soften and melt at around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Eight Men Out: Colors Get Waxed Off

The year 1990 brought about the first forced retirement of colors in the house of Crayola. And just like that, old fogies Blue Gray, Green Blue, Lemon Yellow, Maize, Orange Red, Orange Yellow, Raw Umber, and Violet Blue were sent out to waxy pastures. They were replaced with new-generation colors including Cerulean, Fuchsia, and Dandelion, which were considered bolder, more vibrant, and more likely to boost your Scrabble® score.

5. Kindergarteners Get Drunk with Power

In celebration of Crayola’s 100th birthday in 2003, consumers were encouraged to suggest new crayon names as well as vote out four crayon colors. The casualties of the Crayola tribal council were newer colors Blizzard Blue, Magic Mint, and Teal Blue, and the older Mulberry. These proud veterans stepped aside for such wildly creative crayons as Inch Worm, Jazzberry Jam, Mango Tango and Wild Blue Yonder—proving that allowing kindergarteners to have veto power over your marketing department isn’t always the best idea.

RECYCLING TIP

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Even the most avid recyclers have moments of brain freeze where we forget if something can be recycled or needs to be just tossed out. Here's what to do when you're not sure.
Of course, the easiest approach would be to fling the item into the regular trash. On the other hand, is it really that big of a deal if you guess wrong and toss an non-recyclable item in with your other recyclables?
A single plastic cup in the wrong trash bin isn't going to bring the entire recycling industry to its knees, so mixing similar items—like milk jugs and yogurt cups, for example—isn't much to worry about. Putting distinctly different materials together, however, might cause a big headache (think glass bottles in machinery meant to digest plastic recyclables). Most unwanted items will be culled at the recycling facility before they can do any damage, but it never hurts to be proactive.
If you think the packaging from the frozen dinner you just ate might be recyclable but you're not sure, here's what to do:

The next time you find yourself hovering indecisively over a set of trash bins, here are some rules of thumb. Plastics marked No. 1 or No. 2 are virtually guaranteed to be accepted, so go ahead and toss them in with your recycling. Newspaper, corrugated cardboard, magazines, and office paper are almost always good to go as well. If your mystery object doesn't fall into one of those categories, trash it.

GET READY FOR THE LUNCH RUSH

ROTARY 2010 ASSEMBLY

After taking the stage to the tune of "California, Here I Come," RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith announced the 2010-11 RI theme, Building Communities -- Bridging Continents, during the opening plenary session of the 2010 International Assembly .
Klinginsmith said he arrived at the theme after reviewing RI themes of years past. He noticed that only a few spoke to non-Rotarians.
"As a result, I decided to search for a briefly stated theme that would fulfill two objectives: the first to explain Rotary to non-Rotarians, and the second to validate our work for Rotarians," he said. "The words I have selected to describe Rotary's current mission and to highlight our achievements are what we do best: Building Communities -- Bridging Continents. "

The president-elect described how his 50 years of Rotary experience have contributed to his focus on communities at home and abroad. For example, as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar, he studied for a year in South Africa, becoming the first student from his small town of Unionville, Missouri, USA, to study abroad.

The timing of the theme announcement, which took place in the evening, was a break in tradition from past assemblies and a reflection of Klinginsmith's willingness to embrace change. He encouraged district governors-elect to reexamine traditional procedures that were no longer best practices and to begin new traditions where appropriate.
He also paid homage to Rotarians of the past who helped raise Rotary to a place of prominence on the world stage. He urged district governors-elect to meet the past RI presidents and other former officers in attendance to deepen their connection to Rotary's past.
"I love it," says Governor-elect Robert Martin, of District 5020 (British Columbia, Canada; Washington, USA). "I'm going to be promoting Rotary pride in our district next year, and Building Communities -- Bridging Continents is something we can all be proud of."

AND I QUOTE

"We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse." – Anne-Sophie Swetchine

BOOK 'EM, DAN-O

It’s been 30 years since we last saw Detective Steve McGarrett and Danny “Danno” Williams, faithful public servants for the Hawaii State Police Department on the long-running crime drama, Hawaii Five-O. And while rumors have circulated for months about a potential return, it is now confirmed that the popular police show is making a comeback!
CBS has officially given the green light for an all-new series, although no airdate has been announced yet, nor who will star in the series. What we do know is that the show is expected to revolve around the son of the now-deceased Detective McGarrett (played in the original series by Jack Lord). And perhaps more intriguing, the pilot episode was written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, whose credits include the most recent Star Trek and Transformers movies, as well as television’s Fringe and Alias. The talented writing team will also serve as executive producers of the series.

ROTARIANS IN HAITI

As president of the Rotary Club of Houston, it had been Michelle Bohreer's dream to travel to Haiti and conduct a service project to improve the lives of children there.
On 12 January, 45 minutes into a weeklong trip to Port-au-Prince to do just that, the dream quickly spiraled into a nightmare.
Bohreer and a team of five Rotarians from Houston were heading into Haiti’s capital city to implement a water project for an orphanage when a powerful earthquake rocked the area, causing widespread devastation.
"Minutes after the quake happened, thousands of people poured out into the street running and screaming. Hundreds were walking around bleeding," says Bohreer. "It was moments like that when the absolute catastrophe hit you."
The quake, the worst in the region in more than 200 years, flattened much of the capital, killing as many as 200,000 and leaving millions more injured. A massive international relief operation is underway to bring food, water, and medicine to those who need it.
"I was overwhelmed by sights, sounds, and smells that I will never forget," says team member Vicki Brentin, past president of the Houston club. "I held tight to the hands of frightened, injured children and looked deep into the eyes of their mothers or fathers begging for help. That left a compelling and lasting impression on me."
Unable to leave the country, the team members spent four days in Port-au-Prince trying to help in any way they could. They found a collapsed hospital, sifted through the wreckage, and found Tylenol and antibiotic ointment to distribute to injured people.
"The injuries were too severe for the medicine we had, but receiving care of any kind during that time gave them hope. It gave us hope," says Bohreer. "I've never been so proud to be a Rotarian."
On 15 January, she and her team were able to board a charter flight to the Dominican Republic and, from there, back to Houston, where they arrived safely the next day.
Brentin said the team drew strength from the Haitian people who they encountered. "I was so moved by the amazing spirit of the Haitian people who, in the face of their own tragedy, pain and suffering, reached out to us with such kindness and concern for our well being."
Bohreer says her club will be back to help the country rebuild.
"We as Rotary have an obligation to take care of people who are suffering under such difficult conditions," she said.

From safety into catastrophe

A day after the earthquake, Caleb Lucien, a member of the Rotary Club of Pignon, and nine other Haitians traveled 85 miles south from Pignon to Port-au-Prince to assess the damage and help victims.
"The city is completely destroyed," says Lucien, Health and Hunger Resource Group coordinator for District 7020 in the Caribbean. "We drove past hundreds and hundreds of dead bodies. The loss of life is beyond belief."
Lucien spent US$3,500 of his own money on water and food to distribute to victims. He also searched for Rotarians who he knew lived in affected areas and helped evacuate more than 120 injured people to Pignon.
"It was not a time to feel or think about the devastation. It was a time to act," he says. "I grieve, but I have to move forward and focus on getting Rotarians to help in the recovery."
He is working closely to bring relief supplies to affected areas with District 7020's Haiti Task Force, established two years ago to administer financial aid to the nation.
"The immediate need for the next two to six months is shelter, food, and clean water," says Lucien. "In the long term, I hope to see Rotary help with rebuilding infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and churches."

How to help

• Download a PDF about the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
• Download a PDF of frequently asked questions
• If you’re a Rotarian outside the United States, e-mail Errol Alberga, governor of District 7020, to learn how to help.
• Visit the District 7020 website for more information.
• Learn about other disaster relief organizations you can contribute to.
• Read letter from Rotary leaders