For generations people have been saying that laughter is good medicine. And now the scientists have taken an interest it turns out great-grandma was right. The boffins have discovered that laughter releases helpful goodies in the body which boost your immune system. In fact the therapeutic benefits of laughter are now being harnessed by academia and the business community into laughter workshops and other formalized chuckle sessions. Get the workers laughing and you raise productivity, so it seems.

However it is extremely easy to get humor wrong. And a joke that's sent to someone who doesn't see the funny side will create more ill health through raised blood pressure than a few laughs could ever cure.

So what's the answer? How do we harness humor and make it work for us, not against us?

People often say that the internet's international nature makes it an unsuitable environment for humor for fear of it not translating across national boundaries led stadium light wholesale - and inadvertently causing offense. But there are a couple of simple rules which - although not universal panaceas that always work - can help you use humor without risk.

Use humor about situations, not people.  If you think about it, the butt of many jokes and other humor is a person or group of people, so it's hardly surprising that offense is caused. The more extreme types are obvious - mother-in-law jokes, blonde jokes, women jokes, men jokes - but there are many more subtle ones too.

Then there are the nationality gags. I remember in one year hearing exactly the same joke (in three different languages) told by an American about the Polish, by a Canadian about Newfoundlanders, by a French person about Belgians, by a French-speaking Belgian about the Flemish, and by a Flemish person about the Dutch.

Obviously most humor is going to involve people in one way or another. But as long as the butt of the joke is a situation or set of circumstances, not the people, you're far less likely to upset anyone. And there is an added advantage here. Whoever they are and wherever they come from, people will usually identify with a situation. Take this one for example...

Some people are driving along at night and are stopped by a police car. The officer goes to the driver and warns him that one of the rear lights on his SUV isn't working. The driver jumps out and looks terribly upset. The officer reassures him that he won't get a ticket, it's just a warning, so there's no problem. "Oh yes there is a problem," says the man as he rushes towards the back of the car. "if you could see my rear lights it means I've lost my trailer."

As the butt of the joke is the broken rear light and the loss of the trailer, not the policeman or the driver, no-one can be offended. And most people can identify with how that would feel.

The other key issue with humor is wordplays, puns, and anything else that's based on figurative speech, slang, or jargon. The short answer is they don't work internationally. However if the play or double entendre is in the concept rather than the words, it probably will work.

These may be funny to us, but would not be understood by anyone who is not a good English speaker because there is a play on the words:

* Deja moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.* The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.

These, however, probably would be understood because the humor is in the concept, not in the words themselves:

* You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.* The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was.

Overall, I think it's wise to use humor as a spicy condiment in your business comms. And just as you would with the chili powder, use it in moderation if you don't know the audience well ... and if you know they have a very sensitive palate, don't use it at all!

A chandelier can be an ideal option for lighting in your home. Not just for foyers and formal dining areas, but chandeliers can also be used to provide lighting in kitchens, bedrooms, as well as the children's room. But before you go out and look for that perfect chandelier, here are some things that you need to consider.

Criteria For Buying Chandeliers

1) Size of the chandelier: The most important element to consider is the size. If not sized correctly, a chandelier will not be able to provide lighting as desired and may well not fit into its designated spot. So here's what you need to know about sizing a chandelier.

? When choosing a chandelier for a particular room, you need to first measure the width and length of the room. Add these two measurements and the resultant sum (in inches) is how wide your chandelier should be. For instance, if your room is 14 feet wide by 16 feet long, you need to add these two numbers which gives you 30. Thus, the ideal width for a chandelier for this room will be 30 inches. However, you also need to consider the height at which the chandelier will hang. If you have low ceilings and the chandelier will hang quite low, you should buy a slightly smaller one (26-28 inches). But, if you have really high ceilings, then you should go in for a bigger one (34-36 inches). This is because the higher the chandelier, the smaller it is going to appear.

? Another important size consideration is the length. A chandelier should be at least 30 inches above the table that it will hang over. This is the optimum height as it is high enough to leave adequate room to place things under the chandelier and is low enough to provide the desired lighting. Thus, after subtracting 30 inches from the top of the table to the ceiling, and 3-4 inches for the chandelier hook, the space left can be used to decide the length of the chandelier. Once again, you can be a little flexible here. If you usually use very tall centerpieces on your table, you should choose a chandelier that is a little shorter.

2) Type of lighting required: The kind of lighting that you need is also an important criterion to consider. Here are the various types of chandeliers used to bring about different kinds of lighting:

? Ambient Lighting: If you wish to achieve ambient (general) lighting, you should go in for a big one, which has plenty of bulbs and open lights. This will ensure that the fujinglight solar led street light wholesale chandelier provides light for the entire room.

? Accent Lighting: If you want to place your chandelier over something specific so as to illuminate that object, or if you want it to provide you with accent lighting for specific areas, then you should choose one with spotlights and down lights. A spotlight will help you to focus lighting on special works of art and help to bring about their beauty. With down lights, you can provide accent lighting for tabletops and other specific areas.

? Diffused Lighting: Many people like to have sober diffused lighting in their home. They do not like the glare of very bright lights. If you too desire such lighting, you should choose a chandelier with uplights. An uplight will throw light on the ceiling which then gets diffused and provides a very warm glow. You can also choose a chandelier with shades as this will help to maximize the light filtering down but reduce the glare at the same time.

Thus, once you have decided on what type of lighting effect you wish to achieve, you can select a chandelier accordingly.

3) Style of the chandelier: As it is most likely going to be the center of attention in any room, it is essential that you choose a chandelier that has a look and style which is in keeping with the rest of your d?cor. You do not want to draw attention to your chandelier for all the wrong reasons after all!

While a traditional crystal chandelier can look at home in almost any setting, if you want to go in for an ornate wrought iron chandelier, or perhaps a contemporary one, it is important to first determine that such a design will match your home d?cor. Remember, while choosing a chandelier style, you want to go in for one that matches your d?cor and not contrasts with it.

In addition to the above, ease of cleaning, number of bulbs (depending on how much lighting you require), and your budget are the other factors to consider when choosing a chandelier.

Every year you plan that THIS will be the year you have pots and pots of lush plants on your balcony or deck. Then you visit your local nursery in the spring and reality hits -? the cost for your fantasy is just outrageous! Sound familiar?

But you can have the planters of your dreams at a fraction of the cost and with a choice of varieties far beyond what the local garden center offers. How? Start your own flower seeds now.

If you've never grown from seeds indoors before, it's best to begin with just a few types. Easy starters: Trailing lobelia and petunias make a bright and simple garden for sunny spots. Licorice plant and dwarf nasturtiums are also attractive.

Once you've decided on your plants, you must know two things to determine when the seeds should be started: the last frost date for your area, and the time required before transplanting.

The last frost date is the date beyond which there is a low chance (usually about 10%) of temperatures at or below the freezing mark. This is important because many traditional plants for hanging baskets are tender, that is, they will not survive when frozen. You may already know what the frost date is for your area. If not ask gardening neighbors or your local gardening center. If you are in the USA, visit ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/documentlibrary/freezefrost/Spring32F_hires.jpg for information from the national Climatic Data Center.

The time required before transplanting is different for each type of flower. You'll see this listed in seed catalogs or on the seed packet. For example, a packet might tell you to 'start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date.? Some seeds such as nasturtiums, zinnias, or cosmos may be sown directly outside but if you have to wait after the danger of a frost has passed, you may want to get a jump on spring by starting those inside too.

Licorice plants and geraniums need 12 weeks to sprout from seed. So if my last frost date is May 15th, I'll want to start them around the last week of February. Petunias, fujinglight led high bay light manufacturers impatiens and lobelia require 10-12 weeks, so I would start them around the first of March. Morning glories, which make a beautiful privacy fence from a plain piece of latticework, need six weeks from start to transplant, but can't be put outside until two weeks after the last frost date. This would mean starting them indoors about mid-April. I'd start nasturtiums and zinnias about then too.

Your goal is to promote germination (with heat and water) and seedling growth (with light) while preventing your seedlings? chief enemy, 'damping-off? (with air circulation and proper drainage). Here are some tips for successful seed growing.

Use plastic containers, about 2? deep, fairly wide and with multiple drainage holes. Growers? cell packs are ideal but you can also use yogurt or cottage cheese containers as long as you sanitize them with a mild bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water) for 15 minutes and then punch several holes in the bottoms.

Use commercial seed-starting mix. It's sterilized and contains the necessary food to aid germination. You might also want to try using a product specially formulated to prevent damping-off.

Plant seeds sparingly. You'll have to thin them anyway. Some growers plant only two seeds per cell pot. If you're planting in flat trays, place seeds 1/2? to 1? (1 to 2.5 cm) apart, depending on the seed size, and space the rows 1 1/2? to 2? (3-5 cm) apart. Make a depression in the soil with your finger or a pencil and plant the seed about three times as deep as its diameter. If the packet says the seed requires light to germinate, then put it just on the surface of the soil.

Set the containers in a water-filled tray. This allows the pots to draw water from the bottom without disturbing the seeds. Cover tray and pots with plastic to help hold moisture and heat.

Place the entire set-up on a heat source between 75 - 85? F (24 - 29? C). Although a heat mat designed for this purpose is ideal, you can also use the top of a fridge, or a spot near a radiator or space heater.

Once the seeds have germinated, remove the plastic and put the pots (with the water tray) near a light source at a reduced temperature. Good light is crucial at this point to ensure good growth. Fluorescent shop lights within a few inches of the tops of the seedlings are perfectly suited. You can also try a sunny south window but ideally the light should be on the plants for 16 hours out of each 24-hour period. In my climate, we just don't have 16 hours of daylight this time of year! Seedlings respond best to daytime temperatures of 60 - 70? F (16 - 21?C) and night temperatures of 50 - 60? F (10 - 16?C).

Here's where it becomes critical to prevent damping-off. One way to do this is to let an electric fan blow gently across the surface of the soil during daylight hours. There are also specially formulated products on the market that can be applied to the surface of the soil when you are planting seeds that will help stop damping-off from developing.

When the seedlings have developed their first set of true leaves (not the round little germination leaves), pull all but one plant per cell. It's hard, I know, to pull up living plants but it's necessary to prevent overcrowding that will kill all of them.

When the seedlings have developed their second set of true leaves, start watering them (from the bottom) with fertilizer diluted to quarter strength.

A week or 10 days before you plan to plant them outside, start ?hardening off? the tender seedlings. Stop fertilizing, and cut the amount of water in half. If possible, keep them in a cooler space inside and start introducing them to the direct sun and fluctuating temperatures of the outdoors. Begin by setting the trays outside for an hour in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon ad gradually lengthen the time to several hours. Don't put them out in heavy rain or cold, strong wind and be sure to bring them indoors at night.

Follow these steps and you'll have a bounty of young, strong plants to fill your hanging baskets and pots. This year, you'll have the planters of your dreams!

If you are shopping for a new computer, you usually look at the size of the hard disk first, but you should also know what monitor you are purchasing. The monitor displays the messages and data that are processed and utilized as the CPU (central processing units) speed or hard disk size.

There are two kinds of monitor technologies available on the market ? the CRT (cathode-ray tubes) monitors and LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors.  CRTs are fujinglight led high bay light manufacturers bigger and bulkier than the LCD, and they consume a lot more power. The screen also tends to flicker. The LCD monitors are more expensive than the CRT and have less color replication. However, LCD technology has advanced, and its viewing quality is comparable to CRT. Most people still choose the CRT monitor.

For many years, the CRT monitors were the only choice consumers had for monitor technology. CRT technology is used in most televisions and computer monitors.

 It works by moving an electron beam back and forth across the back of the screen. Each time the beam passes across the screen, it lights up phosphor dots on the inside of the glass tube. and  it illuminates the active portions of the screen. By drawing many such lines from the top to the bottom of the screen, it creates an entire screen of images.

LCD technology is used in digital watches and computer monitors. This display has two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align, and light cannot pass through them. Each crystal, is like a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it. To produce color, LCD displays use two basic techniques: Passive matrix and thin film transistor (TFT).  Passive matrix is the less expensive of the two. TFT, or active-matrix, produces sharp color images like the CRT, but is much more expensive.

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From a hiding place he watched the man fall asleep. Even his evil heart felt wonder and awe as the woman was formed, so like the man, yet so different. But the Serpent vowed, ?I will devise it so that a man will leave his wife, and a woman her husband, and I will make them to cling to father and mother, and the one flesh shall become two.? This too would soon be so.

And on the seventh day, as the Almighty rested from His labors and enjoyed fellowship with His creation, the Serpent skulked in the gloom, vowing that he would never rest, but would roam through the earth, insinuating, reviling, perverting, destroying.

But the Serpent never realized that the darkness he preferred was really a shadow, a shadow made by a divine light from the future. And that light was illuminating a cross. And it was good; behold, it was very good.