MEDIA SUBSCRIBE AUDIO HUB ‘Save peace while it lasts,’ says General Assembly President, ahead of UN summit on sustaining peace

"By preventing conflict, we save human lives and we also save billions of dollars," said Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák, in a recent interview with UN News. "Therefore, we have to focus on prevention of conflicts rather than consequences of conflicts. We have to save peace while it lasts, not to deal with the situation once peace is lost."

"There is no development, there is no protection of human rights, if there is no peace," Mr.  Lajčák stressed, recalling the UN was created to achieve peace and the first sentence of the UN Charter is about saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war.

The High-Level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace will take place at UN Headquarters in New York on 24 and 25 April, bringing together leaders of countries, UN entities and civil society.

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THE RICH CULTURE OF SINHALA AT STC IN YEARS GONE BY...

Please see Sinhala article: Tyretracks blog
While our Alma Mater, S Thomas' College, celebrates its 100 years at Mt Lavinia, here I take the liberty to capture the essence of a rich Sinhala culture that existed alongside the English, Tamil, Latin and Greek language scholarship that permeated the lives of students, thanks to the indefatigable services rendered by teachers, such as, Kalasuri Arisen Ahubudu, (Writer, poet, Sinhala lyricist, author, scholar, playwright, teacher and orator), Sandedas Coperahewa, (Poet, author, journalist and teacher) of the Hela Havula, father of Prof. Sandagomi Coperahewa, to name a few, whose memories we still cherish.

Even though this era was well known for its richness in English, Latin and Greek, with much familiarity with William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Milton, we also loved Sidath Sangara, Amawathura, Salalihini Sandeshaya and Guththilaya. We were regular readers of "Subasa" ( The Subasa paved the way for the resurgence of a literary tradition that proved the efficacy of the Sinhala language to express any idea lucidly, succinctly and proficiently) and trekked to Ahubudu's residence at Mt Lavinia, for basic Pali lessons. My advice to students is to be proficient both in the mother tongue and English, for success in life. Here is a short appreciation I wrote a few days ago in Sinhala for someone who wanted an article. " Esto Perpetua" 

The 12 Psychology Studies of Christmas

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We all want a happy Christmas (or cultural equivalent), but how do we get it? This research into happiness and Christmas suggests that a focus on spending and consumption is associated with less happiness while family and religious experiences are associated with more happiness. Not exactly earth-shattering, but satisfying to quote to little Billy when he complains about his presents.

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Virus-free. www.avg.com

A Beautiful Mind Seminar 2 Sept 10 am BMICH

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The Drink That Cuts Alzheimer’s Risk Up To 86%

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Drinking tea is linked to a dramatic reduction in the risk of cognitive impairment in older people, new research suggests.

A single daily cup of tea reduces cognitive decline in those over 55 by 50%, the Chinese study found.

Among those with a genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer's, though, this risk reduction increased to 86%.

It did not matter which type of tea people consumed: green, black or oolong.

The only thing that mattered was that the tea was brewed from tea leaves.

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Extra Virgin Olive Oil Protects Brain Tissue Against Alzheimer's In New Study

This has been a fantastic month for olive oil. A recent study showed that it stops brain cancer tumors in lab tests, and now a new study shows that it protects brain tissue from the toxic substances thought to cause Alzheimer's disease. The experiment used a well-verified Alzheimer's mouse model ...

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Physical Activity Is Linked to Brain Health, Says a New Alzheimer's Study

Just keep moving. Scientists studying Alzheimer's have found that staying moderately active can lead to healthier brain functions in those at risk of developing the disease, potentially giving us …

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Mind of the Organization

The 35 words you’re (probably) getting wrong

Have you made a flagrant error, in confusing your alternative choices? The legendary Fleet Street editor Harold Evans proscribes this glossary to solve your language dilemmas I freely acknowledge that, in a list of this sort, "glossary" is a fancy Latin word for a collection of pet peeves (noun, ...

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6 Ways Exercise Benefits The Body And Brain

Though some people actually love physical activity and look forward to it, for many of us, exercising is a mighty drag. Exercise has also had an added PR problem in recent years: A growing body of evidence has shown that it's not all that good for weight loss, which was probably many people's rea...

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Small Saturn moon has most of conditions needed to sustain life, Nasa says

A tiny moon of Saturn has most of the conditions necessary for life, Nasa announced on Thursday, unveiling a discovery from an underground ocean that makes the world a leading candidate for organisms as humans know them.

Scientists stressed that the discovery on a moon named Enceladus is not evidence that life has in fact developed on another world, but they have managed to establish the existence of the water, chemistry and energy sources that are necessary for it.

"We now know that Enceladus has almost all of the ingredients that you need to support life as we know it on Earth," said Linda Spilker, a project scientist who said the finding essentially confirmed vents on the moon's seafloor...

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Employee Burnout Is a Problem with the Company, Not the Person

Employee burnout is a common phenomenon, but it is one that companies tend to treat as a talent management or personal issue rather than a broader organizational challenge. That's a mistake.The psychological and physical problems of burned-out employees, which cost an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion a year in healthcare spending in the U.S., are just the most obvious impacts. The true cost to business can be far greater, thanks to low productivity across organizations, high turnover, and the loss of the most capable talent. Executives need to own up to their role in creating the workplace stress that leads to burnout—heavy workloads, job insecurity, and frustrating work routines that include too many meetings and far too little time for creative work. Once executives confront the problem at an organizational level, they can use organizational measures to address it.

In our book Time, Talent and Energy, we note that when employees aren't as productive as they could be, it's usually the organization, not its employees, that is to blame. The same is true for employee burnout. When we looked inside companies with high burnout rates, we saw three common culprits: excessive collaboration, weak time management disciplines, and a tendency to overload the most capable with too much work. These forces not only rob employees of time to concentrate on completing complex tasks or for idea generation, they also crunch the downtime that is necessary for restoration. Here's how leaders can address them.

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Science of God Conference

The Professor and the Prophet in an exclusive exploration of the marvels of God….Join us in this discovery.

Looking at the vast expanse in the cosmos above or the depths of the blue oceans below, they speak volumes of the splendor of God who was directly involved in His creation. As humans we marvel at the enormous complexity which is breathtaking. God also gave us wisdom and an enormous capacity to explore His creation, which today tell us specific details of the "how" and "what" of His creation.

As he unleashes His love and shower His glory upon us, we obediently study His word, get closer to Him and adore Him day by day for this beauty and marvel of this creation.

Here is your opportunity to take a tour of the specific examples from the field of science , a deeper exposure to His word and a chance to bathe in His love and Glory

While we tackle issues, such as, the Big bang, expanding universe....

quantum theory, Fibonacci sequence, Uniqueness of His blood, DNA, Heart intelligence and more, you will also have adequate time to worship, release your addictions and hear from Him.......

Join us at Hotel Taj on 29 April

Collaboration Overload Is a Symptom of a Deeper Organizational Problem

Many leaders are now aware of the dangers of collaboration overload and collaboration-tool overload in the workplace. The evidence continues to mount that, for many organizations, the costs associated with meetings, emails, IMs and other forms of workforce collaboration now exceed the benefits.

But what can get lost in the eye-popping statistics around excess email and meetings is this: Collaboration overload is almost always a symptom of some deeper organizational pathology and rarely an ailment that can be treated effectively on its own. Attempts to liberate unproductive time by employing new tools (for example, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Box) or imposing new guidelines and meeting disciplines will prove fruitless unless steps are taken to deal with the underlying organizational illness. Companies that have successfully combatted the excesses of overload have done so by focusing on the root causes of unproductive collaboration—and not merely the symptoms—in devising the cure.

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Sweden Becomes First Western Nation to Reject Low-fat Diet Dogma in Favor of Low-carb High-fat Nutrition

Sweden has become the first Western nation to develop national dietary guidelines that reject the popular low-fat diet dogma in favor of  low-carb high-fat nutrition advice.

The switch in dietary advice followed the publication of a two-year study by the independent Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment. The committee reviewed 16,000 studies published through May 31, 2013.

Swedish doctor, Andreas Eenfeldt, who runs the most popular health blog in Scandinavia (DietDoctor.com) published some of the highlights of this study in English:

Health markers will improve on a low-carbohydrate diet:

…a greater increase in HDL cholesterol ("the good cholesterol") without having any adverse affects on LDL cholesterol ("the bad cholesterol"). This applies to both the moderate low-carbohydrate intake of less than 40 percent of the total energy intake, as well as to the stricter low-carbohydrate diet, where carbohydrate intake is less than 20 percent of the total energy intake. In addition, the stricter low-carbohydrate diet will lead to improved glucose levels for individuals with obesity and diabetes, and to marginally decreased levels of triglycerides." (Source.)

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Why Experts Now Think You Should Eat More Fat

For more than half a century, the conventional wisdom among nutritionists and public health officials was that fat is dietary enemy number one – the leading cause of obesity and heart disease.

It appears the wisdom was off. And not just off. Almost entirely backward.

According to a new study from the National Institutes of Health, a diet that reduces carbohydrates in favor of fat – including the saturated fat in meat and butter – improves nearly every health measurement, from reducing our waistlines to keeping our arteries clear, more than the low-fat diets that have been recommended for generations. "The medical establishment got it wrong," says cardiologist Dennis Goodman, director of Integrative Medicine at New York Medical Associates. "The belief system didn't pan out."

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12 Most Mind-Blowing Mental Delusions and Syndromes

Delusions come in all shapes and sizes; from transient episodes to full-blown and incurable mental illnesses.

But they all have one thing in common: being detached from reality. Delusions do not listen to reason and they do not bow to facts.

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How the Most Emotionally Intelligent CEOs Handle Their Power

Most of the CEOs I've met and worked with had years to prepare for their jobs. As they entered middle management, most of them learned that being a good leader is more important than being a good do-er. Many have stories to tell about stumbling along the way, about micromanaging people, about destroying a team's morale with unreasonable demands, about losing a great team member because enough time and attention weren't given to the relationship.

Most survived these types of difficult experiences and, more important, learned from them. They learned to let go of control and instead support people in doing their jobs. They learned to watch their teams for signs of burnout and rebellion. They learned to help people work smarter, not harder. They learned to read people well. They got very good at recognizing who needs appreciation, who needs support, who's motivated by achievement, and who needs very collegial relationships — even with the boss. They learned tricks for building stronger teams, for dealing with conflict, and for negotiating.

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Male depression: Understanding the issues

Male depression is a serious medical condition, but many men try to ignore it or refuse treatment. Learn the signs and symptoms — and what to do.

Do you feel irritable, isolated or withdrawn? Do you find yourself working all the time? Drinking too much? These unhealthy coping strategies may be clues that you have male depression.

Depression can affect men and women differently. When depression occurs in men, it may be masked by unhealthy coping behavior. For a number of reasons, male depression often goes undiagnosed and can have devastating consequences when it goes untreated. But male depression usually gets better with treatment.

Male depression signs and symptoms

Depression signs and symptoms can differ in men and women. Men also tend to use different coping skills — both healthy and unhealthy — than women do. It isn't clear why men and women may experience depression differently. It likely involves a number of factors, including brain chemistry, hormones and life experiences.

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10 Telling Signs You’re an Emotionally Intelligent Person

Emotionally intelligent people are the advice-givers among their group of friends. Do you have a friend who seems to know what you're feeling before you've verbalized it? This friend is emotionally intelligent. There are many of those people in the world. They are the healers, the untrained therapists among friends.

"Oh, ask Stacy. She always knows what to do." Stacy is emotionally intelligent. That's why she knows what your boyfriend is thinking having never had more than a five-minute conversation with the dude.

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