Prastic - A wonderful invention (1/2)

Man has lived in the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and now we are in the Plastic Age. When plastic was a new material, it was cheap both in quality and in cost. Anything made of plastic was usually an inferior copy of a stronger, higher-quality item. Older adults can recall the poor-quality toys, handbags, shower curtains, shoes, etc., that were made in large numbers after World War II.

Today, however, the value of plastic has changed completely, because scientists have learned better ways to make a wide variety of quality plastics. It is currently possible to manufacture plastic so strong and so versatile that it can replace steel, aluminum, glass, and even paper. American automobile manufacturers are planning to make cars with plastic bumpers and fenders in the near future. Japanese auto makers are working on plastic car windows. These have the advantage of not only being lighter but also reflecting heat better than glass. Ultimately, any metal car parts will no doubt be replaced by plastic. With the use of plastic, rust problems will be eliminated, and repairs should be less expensive.

Food companies are also working with plastic for packaging their products. Many are putting precooked food into plastic bags that can be heated in either microwave or conventional ovens. One company now uses a squeezable plastic bottle for ketchup, making it easy to use up all the ketchup. In the conventional glass bottle, it was nearly impossible to get out all the ketchup. The plastic container is a little more expensive than the glass bottle, but shipping costs are lower because plastic weighs less. Another important point about plastic is that it does not break.

(to be continued...)

Free Time - Why do we always lose it? (2/2)

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Where does the free time go? This question persists in spite of growing list of timesaving devices that come into our lives. We don't have leisure time: time to relax, to talk peacefully with family or friends. In fact, all kinds of "organizers" (an efficient system of recording appointments) are sold in large numbers. We are busy, busy, busy.

The answer to the free time question seem to be that people find new activities for their leisure time. They do things they always wanted to do but didn't have the time. That's how they get busy all over again. Colleges have more and more older adults as students. Going to class and doing homework keep them quite busy. People of all ages also do a lot of traveling. They travel across the United States and also visit foreign countries. In this way they get an education in the real world.

Some people learn how to play golf and other sports. These games give people a new interest in life and make it easy to meet new people. Other people like to use leisure time to do things with their hands - like gardening and painting pictures. These activities are very relaxing. Many Americans are very busy keeping their bodies in good condition. Every morning joggers run through the streets; in the evenings they go to gyms to do exercises; and sometimes they go to lectures to learn about eating properly.

It's easy to see that people always do something new and enjoyable with their free time. It's always hard to find more free time for that relaxing bath or unhurried walk without a destination.

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Free Time - Why do we always lose it? (1/2)

Americans use all kinds of wonderful things that make life easy and save lots of time - things like cars, computers, phones, and dishwashers. In spite of this, people lack free time in their lives; they keep wishing for it. We rarely have time for a long, relaxing bath or an unhurried walk without a destination. People seem to be always busy. The question is, with all the timesaving devices we use today, where does the free time go?

Today we shop in supermarkets. We can store a week's supply of meat and vegetables in spacious refrigerators. Dependable freezers enable us to store food for months. This save a great deal of time.

Food itself has become "fast". Famous fast-food shops seem to be everywhere. Even coffee comes in an instant form. For those who want other types of meals at home, there is a large variety of foods to choose from: fresh food, prepared food, canned food, and frozen food. Microwave ovens defrost frozen food in minutes. It is no longer necessary to spend hours in the kitchen preparing meals; food companies do most of the work for us. This saves much time and works.

We even have a choice of how to serve food at home. We can use paper plates or dishes that can be cleaned in an automatic dishwasher. Either way we save a lot of time.

There are always new inventions that do things faster and easier. We can clean our teeth quickly with an electric toothbrush. We never have to touch a garage door to open or close it; an "electric eye" takes care of that. Television sets can be worked by remote control.

The timesaving tricks that modern telephones can do are really amazing. Dialing numbers has become old-fashioned; gently tapping them is much faster. Phones with a memory are now available. By tapping a preset code number, we can make a call. Phones in cars are becoming very popular, too. Being able to drive and talk saves a lot of time.
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(to be continued)

CLARENCE TULLY - A Man With a Secret (2/2)

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When Tully went to military meetings or gatherings with real veterans as a reporter, he would dress in a serviceman's uniform. As he became more comfortable with the uniform and the imaginary stories about his years in the Air Force, he began to wear medals of honor and make the stories more danger-filled and exciting. Also, as he got more important jobs in real life, he gave himself a higher rank in his fictitious military life. He became a second lieutenant, then a first lieutenant, then a major. It got to the point where he himself could not tell the difference between fact and fiction anymore. In reality, he never attended college or served in the Air Force.
Tully was doing very well in his career, and people easily trusted and respected him. He was always careful and consistent when he talked about his military adventures. He did not make mistakes with his "facts." He was a clever impostor; he told believable phony stories. No one questioned the exciting, brave, dangerous events of his nonexistent military experience. he deceived everyone for many years.
Recently, something happened that changed Tully's whole life. In his newspaper, he published some negative articles about a well-known lawyer of his city. This lawyer became very angry with Tully. He decided to investigate Tully's personal life. In a short time, he discovered that Tully was a impostor. He publicized the fact that Tully told untrue stories about himself. Tully immediately acknowledged all his dishonest information and resigned from his job. He did not give any explanation for his behavior. He put himself in the care of a psychiatrist in order to find out why he did this. As he entered a hospital in Arizona, he said, "I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me." With these words, the fantasy life-style of "Duke" Tully ended.
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CLARENCE TULLY - A Man With a Secret (1/2)

Clarence Darrow Tully was tall, good-looking, and intelligent. He worked as a reporter at first and eventually became publisher of two newspapers in Arizona. He was a competent newspaper executive and got along well with other important people in the community. He was very successful in his career. These was, however, something unusual about Tully that was a secret for a long, long time.
When Clarence Darrow Tully was a young man, he told everyone to call him "Duke." He copied that name from a famous movie actor, whom Americans liked because he was strong, tough and brave. Tully want to be admired for the same reasons as this actor was. He also believed that men in military uniform looked strong, tough, and brave. Tully wanted very much to make this impression on others. His desire for this image got stronger and stronger as time went on.
He tried to join the Air Force, but poor vision prevented him from being accepted. His older brother became a Marine pilot and was killed in service in 1942. When this happened, Tully began to put his imagination to work: he started to tell untrue stories about his personal life. At first, he simply claimed he was in the Air Force and that he had a college degree. Every time he got a promotion in his career, he added more stories about brave active duty in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
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(to be continued...)

On Being Shy (2/2)

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We can help ourselves be rid of shyness. Nobody is perfect, and everybody has good qualities. Is it fair to pay attention to our imperfections and overlook our good qualities? Definitely not! The following suggestions may be helpful in reducing shyness:
1. First, understand that you cannot eliminate shyness overnight. It is a slow process that you must work on gradually.
2. Think about situations when being shy is most painful. Perhaps your biggest problem is making small talk with a stranger at a party. In that case, prepare yourself with some interesting current news to talk about. The weather is a topic often used for starting conversations.
3. Getting the other person to talk about himself/herself is a clever idea. Many people enjoy talking about themselves - or give their opinions. For example, you can say something like, "I notice you like modern jewelry; your rings are very unusual. Did you design them yourself?" This can be the start of a friendship.
4. Whenever you begin making negative comparisons between yourself and others, force yourself to stop doing that immediately. Take your thoughts off yourself. Observe others and think of a compliment with which to start a conversation with someone.
5. If you are shy at work where there are many coworkers, choose the least intimidating person to perhaps have coffee with or make casual small talk with.
6. Know that if an effort to socialize sometimes is unsuccessful, it happens to everyone now and then. Feel proud of yourself for making the effort.
7. If you are required to give a report to a group, tell them that you feel nervous. This feeling is quite natural, and everyone can sympathize. Expressing that to the group will make you feel better.
8. Think about your good qualities and believe that you are as good as anyone else... because you are!
9. Take a course in developing self-confidence or read books on the subject.
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Life is much more enjoyable for people who are not shy.

On Being Shy (1/2)

How many times have you felt angry with yourself because you were too shy to speak up when you really wanted to have a conversation with another person? Are parties times for standing in the corner and watching others chat and dance - afraid to join them? Do you listen to discussions but do not give your opinions because you think you are not smart enough? Do you wish to be friendly but don't know how? All these thoughts lead to unhappy feelings.
This kind of unhappiness comes about not because other people are trying to hurt us. We make this unhappiness for ourselves. Naturally, we really don't want to hurt ourselves, but often we grow up thinking we are not as good as others - we are inferior; everyone is better, smarter, and more interesting. These negative thoughts make us shy. Why do we do this to ourselves? Only a psychologist can discover the reasons. It is interesting to note that very large numbers of people are shy. There is, however, good news. If we want to get rid of shyness, it can be done.
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(to be continued)