Want your kids to be altruistic, tolerant, and open-minded? Expose them to the arts.

 "Want your kids to be altruistic, tolerant, and open-minded? Expose them to the arts.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago report that   people who engage in the arts -- or even those who see others engaging in the arts -- contribute more to society than those who don't.


And, despite earlier studies to the contrary, Generation X respondents in this research were more civically engaged than older people."

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The Heart of a Leader

Enjoy the following excerpt from the work by Ken Blanchard who is a legendary business author. The principles do not apply only to business field but to any area requiring human empowerment. I like Aung San Suu Kyi as a personal favorite. 

An excerpt from The Heart of a Leader by Ken Blanchard

A river without banks is a large puddle ~ Ken Blanchard

Start your people on a journey to the land of empowerment, but don't forget that they need boundaries. If you cut them loose without any direction, they will get lost and revert back to their old unempowered habits. Like the banks of a river, boundaries have the ability to channel energy in the right direction. If you take away the boundaries, your people will lose their momentum and direction. Boundaries that create autonomy include: Purpose—what does your company do? Values—what are your company's operational guidelines? Goals—where is your company headed? Roles—who does what? Structure—how is your company organized? Don't send inexperienced people off alone and then punish them when they make mistakes. Establish clear boundaries that will free them to make decisions, take initiative, act like owners, and stay on track.

LOW MONSOON RAINS IN INDIA MEANS LESS RICE FOR THE WORLD IN 2012 – UN AGENCY

LOW MONSOON RAINS IN INDIA MEANS LESS RICE FOR THE WORLD IN 2012 – UN AGENCY
New York, Aug  6 2012 12:10PM
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today that global rice paddy production for 2012 is expected to be lower than originally expected, owing to below normal monsoon rains in India.

The July 2012 issue of the <"http://www.fao.org/economic/est/publications/rice-publications/rice-market-monitor-rmm/en/">Rice Market Monitor, released by FAO today, says that production is expected to total 724.5 million tonnes – a 7.8 million tonne downward revision compared to the original forecast in April. But global output should still slightly surpass the results achieved in 2011.

“The downward revision was mainly the result of a 22 per cent lower-than-average monsoon rainfall in India through mid-July, which is likely to reduce output in the country this season,” FAO stated in a <"http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/154122/icode/">news release.

Production forecasts were also reduced for Cambodia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Nepal and Taiwan, Province of China, all of which may see a production drop in 2012, the agency added.

Also, unlike with maize and wheat, rice prices have remained “surprisingly stable” after gaining two per cent in May. “Amid abundant rice supplies and stocks, the likelihood of a strong price rebound in coming months is minimal, but the future direction of rice prices remains uncertain,” said FAO.

Some countries are expected to see production gains, including China, Indonesia and Thailand, along with several other Asian nations. Production in Africa may increase by as much as three percent, while Australia’s rice harvest was 32 per cent higher than last year.

Prospects are also good for Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela, but poor precipitation and shifts towards more remunerative products in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are behind a seven per cent drop of production in Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole.

FAO expects that Asia – the world’s leading rice producer – will reap 657 million tonnes in 2012, up 0.4 per cent from last year.
Aug  6 2012 12:10PM
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news