Know About The Dark Side of Valentine’s Day you had ever known

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Hey Everyone!,

Know About The  

Dark Side 

of 

Valentine’s Day 

You Had Ever Known

PHOTO: GETTYIMAGES

The colour red is associated with Valentine's Day because it's scientifically linked to passion and sexuality. But given what we now know of Valentine's Day's sinister history, we're wondering if the association doesn't have more to do with blood spatter.

Blood and Roses: The History of Valentine’s Day

Ah, Valentine’s Day. Such a glorious excuse to dwell on love and romance. But ironically, this day of roses, chocolates, and heart-shaped cards has a dark history. 

PHOTO: GETTYIMAGES

Valentine’s Day actually marks the date of the execution of St. Valentine by the Roman emperor Claudius II during the third century AD. And what was St. Valentine’s crime? The most popular theory holds that he’d been officiating at the weddings of soldiers, despite that marriage had been outlawed for them. Apparently, the emperor felt that love and romance made for weaker soldiers. 

Long before St. Valentine’s execution, February 14 had come to be associated with fertility—and blood. Between February 13 and 15, Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia by sacrificing a goat and a dog and then whipping naked women with the hides, all in the interest of making the women more fertile. In the fifth century AD, Pope Gelasius I outlawed Lupercalia and officially declared February 14 to be the feast of St. Valentine, or Valentine’s Day. 

As the years went on, Valentine’s Day may have become conflated with the Norman celebration of “Galatin’s Day,” according to NPR (Galatin referred to a “lover of women”). As such, by the time Geoffrey Chaucer wrote Parliament of Fowls, which referred to St. Valentine’s Day as the day when birds found their mates (late 14th century), St. Valentine’s Day had already entered the public consciousness as a day associated with love. By the late 16th century, William Shakespeare used a reference to St. Valentine’s Day to foreshadow Ophelia’s suicide in Hamlet.



Although Valentine’s Day continues to be associated with hearts and flowers, in the last century, it has also continued to be associated with blood spatter and murder. A few notable bloody Valentine’s Days include:

• The Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929.
• The unsolved murder of young lovers Jesse McBane and Patricia Mann, which occurred on Valentine’s Day 1971.
• The unsolved murder of teens Nicholas Kunselman and Stephanie Hart (who were dating) on Valentine’ Day 2000.
• The murder by Oscar Pistorius of Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’ Day 2013.
• The murder-suicide of an elderly couple in Alabama on Valentine’ Day 2015.

But hey, don’t want to kill the mood—so please, instead of thinking about Valentine’s Day’s surprisingly dark history, consider these Creative Romantic Ideas to Say “I Love You” or what you can do for yourself on Valentine’s Day if you’re single.

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Know And Understand Impact / Effects Of Using Mobile Phones On Our Health ( Speech And Communication)

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Hey Everyone!,

Know And Understand The 

Impact / Effects

Of  Using 

Mobile Phones On Our 

Health 

( Speech And Communication)

PHOTO: GETTYIMAGES

Over the past few years, cell phones have become a must have in our lives as they give us access to voice and data services in almost every part of the world. Overdependency on these small devices has exposed us to hazardous effects as these are kept on our bodies, in our pockets, or held in our hands.

In a recent publication, it was seen that 56% of children between the ages of 10–13 have a smartphone. Also, it is seen that 25% of children between the ages of 2 and 5 have a smartphone. School-grade students today beg for smartphones more than even new dresses or shoes.

Effect of using mobile phones on speech and communication

In today’s era, children using handheld devices are more likely to have delays in expressive speech. These children start talking much later than their peers. Since the cell phone does not respond back to their communication, children cannot develop a communication channel with it. Soon, they get accustomed to using signs and symbols for things rather than asking for the same. They just get used to the mechanical model of handling cell phones by following few simple steps. In human beings, speech is mastered gradually and progressively. If the child skips on the fundamentals of speech, which include constant repetition of letters, consonants, syllables, and words, his speech tends to get delayed.

As per famous research conducted in Toronto, it was found that with every 30 minutes of screen time, the risk of delayed speech increased by 49%. Usually, infants should be able to communicate in sentences between three and four words by the age of 2-3 years. However, those who spent most of their time on handheld devices were found to struggle with communication skills. As per another popular study conducted in the UK, electronic gadgets may be blamed for 70% rise in speech problems in past 6 years. Another famous study conducted in University College London found that screen time also had an impact on sleep of infants, which affected their brains.

As per the opinion of education leaders and speech specialists, many children are deprived of conversation with their family since they spend a lot of time on electronic devices. The noise and activity on a screen can distract a small child and cause a disconnect between them and their parents. Screen time is slowly replacing parent-child interactions which are critical for healthy development.

How to address this issue?

The best way to teach language to children is by interacting and talking to them, using different vocabulary, playing with them, being creative, and pointing things out to them. However, if you feel that owing to negligence your child already has issues with his speech and communication, then visiting a professional speech therapist and counselor can make a huge difference.

Hope You Enjoyed Reading This.

“What Do You Think?Do you agree or Disagree or Have any other ideas?Please Share your thoughts in the comments below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me!"

Bye for Know

Sameer 

https://amzn.to/2Ssg4ff

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Know And Understand These Tips To Build A Culture For An All-Remote Team

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Hey Everyone,

PHOTO: gettyimages

Know And Understand These 

Tips To Build A Culture 

For 

An All-Remote Team

Working remotely is becoming more and more common among today's professionals. The convenience of being able to work from anywhere allows for more flexibility, greater work-life balance and can even increase productivity. However, when employees are so physically and geographically spread out, it becomes even more difficult to create a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.

Top strategies for building company culture and improving morale in an all-remote team are. 

Develop A Common Cultural Language

Get the team physically together for a leadership training in which all members are able to learn about themselves and each other through a common cultural language. Afterward, hold weekly video meetings where time is withheld for team members to continue to explore themselves and give and receive feedback. Encourage vulnerability and mutual respect. 

Stay In Touch Through Video

Give up thinking in the three-dimensional paradigm and get creative. We are completely virtual and flexible, with unlimited PTO. We do many things to stay in touch: a weekly email thread where we share our personal updates, we hold brown bag lunches, have hosted wedding and baby showers, hold an annual holiday party with games, shipped gifts—all using an inexpensive video platform. 

Encourage Cross-Collaboration

As someone that has worked 16-plus years remotely, the single most important cultural tool is cross-collaboration. Remote teams that integrate cross-collaboration among team members tend to create deeper and more personal relationships. It ultimately tends to translate into deeper personal bonds that not only help maintain but also evolve the organizational culture. 

Host Regular 'Virtual Coffees'

With today's great video conferencing tools, a great tactic is to host regular virtual coffees with the entire team. Everyone literally comes to the conference with a coffee, tea or water to catch up in an informal way. You can have a mixture of topics—work and non-work related sessions—to add a ton of variety. For global teams, remember to rotate times to accommodate the multiple time zones. 

Prioritize Two-Way Communication And Dialogue

Communicate, but not the usual way. Yes, sharing info is important—clarifying goals and strategies, celebrating wins. But the secret sauce is two-way dialogue: talking with people, not at them. Fully listening, hearing, understanding and answering what's asked shows your respect. Encourage remote folks to connect and get to know each other. Building engagement builds commitment.

Schedule One-On-Ones And Virtual Office Hours

You don’t have the benefit of being able to walk by someone’s office when you’re working remotely. Be deliberate in scheduling one-on-ones and holding virtual office hours when anyone can “drop by” and catch up or ask questions. Also, be creative—virtual happy hours with non-work related discussions can help build stronger connections. 

Host A Team Retreat

While my team is spread across the entire U.S., once a year we all come together for a few days in person for a team retreat. It doesn't have to be expensive—we rent a house and keep it simple! This is a great opportunity for us to really plan what is next for the business as well as spend some quality time nurturing the team and culture we are building. 

Restate Your Company Mission At The Start Of Team Calls

Our behavior today is a function of the future that we see for ourselves. Keeping the vision, the mission and the future of the company front and center will unify your team no matter where they are. Give them something to brag about. Use your mission to create meaning for the team. Making money isn't meaning. Tell them why you do what you do. Share stories of the difference they are making. 

Ask Your Experts

Ask your team members from far and wide for their ideas and suggestions on how to build culture and improve morale. Suggestions from the top might not hit the mark for virtual workers. Also, what works for one may not work for another, hence why soliciting a variety of responses gets everyone involved, provides a range of ideas and often encourages even more innovative solutions. 

Share Progress With Your Colleagues

An issue I frequently run into with clients who have remote teams is that team members often wait until a project is complete (or nearly so) to share it with colleagues. At that point, it might be too late to incorporate helpful feedback. Sharing early—and often—can help teammates feel more connected to each other, build trust and yield better results too! 

Leverage Digital Engagement For Connectedness And Inclusivity

Utilize digital technologies to increase interaction, strengthen bonds, solicit ideas, provide feedback and amplify the effects of good leadership on remote teams. Use video communication tools so teams see each other live while collaborating. Integrate emojis into digital messaging to reinforce organizational values, positive emotions and intent, show appreciation and promote team connection. 

Have A Non-Work Group Chat

Remote employees need a place where they can communicate to their colleagues to let off steam. Starting group chats on apps like Slack or WhatsApp where they can build personal connections, poke fun at each other and discuss non-work related topics will go a long way in building morale. I have seen this in other companies and it has worked very well for their remote employees. 

Establish 'Check-In' And 'Check-Out' Processes

Building a sense of community in an all-remote team is essential. Start with a brief "check-in" and end with a brief "check-out" practice. This helps team members to connect with each other at another level before diving into work topics and before signing off. Sometimes it's just one word, sometimes it's a sentence that is shared. Video calls versus audio only also make a big difference. 

Regularly Share Best Practices

One of the significant advantages of an all-remote team is the diversity it brings. Teams can leverage this and learn from it. Having regular opportunities to share successes not only helps apply best practices across the whole team, but also creates a sense of unity around a common mission. Each member feels valued and appreciated for their contribution to the team's success. 

Build High-Performing Teams

When building high-performing teams, we need to ensure that we are giving the team the ability to self-direct, and not micromanaging the team members. This is the No. 1 killer of morale when fostering a culture that focuses on team collaboration. 

Hope You Enjoyed Reading This.

“What Do You Think?Do you agree or Disagree or Have any other ideas?? Please Share your thoughts in the comments below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me!” 

Bye for Know

Sameer 

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Know And Understand Everything About Coronavirus

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Hey Everyone!,

Know And Understand Everything 

 About Coronavirus 

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

There are now three presumptive cases of coronavirus confirmed in Toronto and B.C.

What you need to know about the coronavirus

The outbreak of a new coronavirus in China is continuing to spread, and so far two cases have been confirmed in Toronto.

While Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, said the risk to the Canadian public is low, municipal and provincial agencies are working together to prevent further spread of the illness.

The virus has already infected more than 800 people and killed at least 26, most of them in China.
The new virus, known as Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is concerning precisely because it’s new. “We are in the very early stages and some of the details and facts we would like to know are not quite available,” says Robert Kim-Farley, MD, professor-in-residence at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Also of concern is the emergence of potential super-spreaders—people who seem to be more infectious and cause more infections than experts would predict.

Here’s what you should know about the coronavirus, and the role super-spreaders can play in outbreaks.

What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause various respiratory illnesses, including the common cold. According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), coronavirus accounts for 10 per cent to 30 per cent of all adult upper respiratory infections.

This group of viruses is actually found more often in animals, including pigs, chickens, ducks and wild birds, according to the Government of Ontario. “What usually happens is that the virus will infect an animal then evolve and infect humans, so there’s potential for human-to-human spread,” says Miriam A. Smith, MD, chief of infectious disease at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in Queens, New York.

There are seven basic types of coronavirus that affect humans. Four usually cause mild illness. Three are more ominous and all jumped from animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States. One was severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which originated in China. The other was Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), which appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The third is the current outbreak.

Where did the current outbreak originate?

Epidemiologists have traced the current outbreak of illness to a busy seafood and poultry market in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province in Central China. According to the JAMA article, Chinese officials announced the outbreak on Dec. 31, 2019.

No one knows which animal might have been responsible for the outbreak, but interest is currently on snakes, says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious diseases specialist with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. There’s also some speculation about bats, which is intriguing, says Dr. Schaffner, because both MERS and SARS were ultimately linked to bats.

So far, the outbreak is still centred in Wuhan City, but has moved to other parts of China. In addition to the two cases in Canada and 50 in the United States, patients have been diagnosed in other areas of Asia, namely Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, according to the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of Hong Kong.

What are the symptoms?

Coronaviruses affect the respiratory system, so symptoms can be similar to the cold or flu. This can include cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, headache and overall feeling of being unwell, reports the Government of Canada. But symptoms do vary with the current virus mainly showing up as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, says Dr. Messonier.

MERS caused respiratory symptoms (50 per cent to 89 per cent of patients needed help breathing through mechanical ventilation) but also gastrointestinal problems and kidney failure, according to the JAMA article. Like the current coronavirus, SARS patients had fever, cough, and shortness of breath, but some also had watery diarrhea. Up to a third of SARS patients needed mechanical ventilation. Some people with the Wuhan coronavirus have had pneumonia (in which the virus affects the lungs), says. Dr. Messonier.

How serious is the current virus?

Here’s a bit of good news: So far, the new coronavirus does not appear to be as virulent as SARS or MERS, says Dr. Schaffner. The fatality rate for MERS was 36 per cent, and it was 10 per cent for SARS, the JAMA authors stated. The fatality rate for the Wuhan coronavirus stands at about four per cent, says Dr. Messonier, although that will likely change. In general, the deaths have been in people with pneumonia—often the elderly or people who had an underlying medical condition.

“The virus obviously has the potential to kill people,” says Dr. Kim-Farley, who was on loan to the World Health Organization because of previous service as an employee of the CDC for 18 years.

How is the new coronavirus spread?

Scientists are still figuring this out.”The assumption is that the outbreak was initially based on exposure to a live animal market,” says Dr. Smith. “Now the virus appears to be spreading from human to human, but we don’t yet know how or how easily,” she says.

“It’s early days, but the assumption is that transmissibility is going to be somewhere between SARS and MERS,” says Wes Van Voorhis, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID) at the University of Washington. Although both of these coronaviruses had high mortality rates, SARS was easily transmittable while MERS did not spread as easily, says Dr. Schaffner.

In general, coronaviruses are spread from person to person through respiratory droplets—either through the air or if you touch a surface that has the virus on it, says Dr. Messonier. “Right now, we don’t know if this is how the Wuhan virus is spreading. We also don’t know if you have to be in close, face-to-face contact for it to spread, or if more casual contact is enough,” says Dr. Schaffner.

What is a “super-spreader”?

This term refers to a person (or animal) who can spread the virus more efficiently to other people. “Their cough and sneeze seem to be more effective,” says Dr. Kim-Farley.

The super-spreader label was first coined in 2005 by doctors investigating a SARS outbreak: They used it to describe certain people with the virus who infected an unexpectedly high number of others, forcing epidemiologists to redo their models of expected transmission. Researchers have also found super-spreaders in outbreaks of the MERS, Ebola, and Marburg viruses, among others.

Doctors may have identified a potential super-spreader in the current outbreak: A patient in Wuhan infected 15 healthcare workers in a hospital—which would certainly count as a super-spreader, says Dr. Schaffner. Still, super-spreaders are relatively rare in outbreaks, he adds.

“The assumption is that super-spreaders are a little different immunologically, especially that their innate immunity that helps control the virus,” says Dr. Van Voorhis, who is also director of the Biomedical Interventions Group, part of the Megacenter for Pandemic Diseases Preparedness and Global Health Security, which will be working on vaccines, treatments, and ways to diagnose the new virus. “Super-spreaders have higher virus levels, presumably shedding more virus.”

Bear in mind, though, that the supposed super-spreader in China was ill and in contact with healthcare workers before the virus had been recognized, says Dr. Kim-Farley. “The guard was down, so to speak,” he says.

Can doctors diagnose the virus?

Within two weeks of announcing the outbreak, scientists in China had identified the culprit as a coronavirus and posted the genetic sequence online. Thanks to that quick work, Ontario’s Ministry of Health can now investigate, complete lab tests and do case and contact management to prevent and control further spread of the infection.

Are there treatments or vaccines?

Right now there’s no specific treatment for the new coronavirus, although researchers are racing to develop one. In the meantime, patients are getting supportive care, such as making sure they’re getting enough oxygen and staying hydrated, says Dr. Kim-Farley,

To prevent the spread of the virus, hospitals are relying on isolation and quarantine. Isolation is when a patient with symptoms is put in a negative-pressure room in the hospital (the air pulls in when the door opens instead of out). Those who have been in contact with the virus and are at risk are kept in quarantine, likely staying at home and being monitored by a public health department.

Efforts are also underway to develop a vaccine, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

What are health experts doing?

The World Health Organization convened an emergency meeting on January 22 but decided it was too early to declare a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” though members will continue to meet and re-evaluate the situation.

As of January 27, Ontario’s Ministry of Health is meeting with hospitals, paramedics and local public health units near Pearson International Airport to provide further information on federal border screening measures.

What are hospitals doing?

Many, if not most or all hospitals in Canada, have already implemented emergency preparedness measures.

What can you do to protect yourself and those around you?

Based on the information available now, you should take the same precautions you would take to avoid getting a cold, the flu, or any other infectious diseases year-round. The experts view the virus as a respiratory infection, so follow smart anti-infection practices that you would year-round: “Cover your cough and wash your hands regularly,” says Dr. Messonier.

If you do feel sick, avoid contact with other people and immediately call your doctor.


Hope You Enjoyed Reading This.

“What Do You Think?Do you agree or Disagree or Have any other ideas?Please Share your thoughts in the comments below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me!"

Bye for Know


Sameer

There’s more to that

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