The mere thought of barbecue's smokey scents and intoxicating flavors is enough to get most mouths watering. However, there is a lot of chemistry that sets barbecue apart from other cooking methods and results in such a delicious experience.   Cooking is the process of using high temperatures to drive chemical reactions that change food at a molecular level.Barbecue: Open flame cookingOn a barbecue, the hot grill grates heat the food via direct contact through a process known as conductionThe food also warms and cooks by absorbing radiation directly from the flames below

Cooking With Fire: The Chemistry Of Bar-Be-Que

<ul><li>When foods are exposed to heat for prolonged periods of time, non-carbon atoms in the food break down, leaving behind the crispy, black carbon.</li><li>Cooking over the direct heat of a barbecue allows you to add just the amount of char to match your taste, but some of the chemicals in charred meat are known carcinogens.</li><li>When smoke comes in contact with food, the components of the smoke can get absorbed.  </li><li>One way to use chemistry to make food smokier is to periodically spray it with water during the barbecuing process.</li></ul>

That Smokey Flavour

From char and crisp, to nutty and meaty, there's science behind every flavor and texture. The secret is an open flame.

food

Food

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

These are the chemical reactions that make barbecue so delicious

Some of the oldest jokes in history are still in use today.It is striking that the earliest recorded joke is about toilet humour. The earliest jokes we have on record suggest that crude jokes stand the test of time. Flatulence, for example, is funny because it shows our "uncontrollable physicality".

The Oldest Jokes Are About Toilet Humor

<ul><li>Finding a universally funny joke is challenging.</li><li>Effective jokes are a "benign violation" always walking a delicate balancing act between too soft and too extreme.</li><li>The purpose of a benign violation is to elicit laughter and disgust at the same time.</li><li>Jokes in the times of all-powerful medieval monarchs were a risky business.</li><li>Many of the oldest written jokes were scribbled in the margins of ornate early Latin Bibles.</li><li>Raw intelligence is the most effective indicator of whether someone is funny.</li></ul>

Jokes Through The Centuries

Stand-up comedy in recent years has evolved at speed. Kylie Brakeman was one of the early adopters of a new kind of observational comedy that emerged at the start of the pandemic. Her to-camera Twitter videos have attracted millions of views and kicked off an era in which the day's events can be parodied within minutes. Online comedians are increasingly at the bleeding edge of satire. If something happened in the news you could jump on it right away. It's an advantage that online comedians have.

Stand Up Comedy Is Evolving

We are told "the old ones are the best ones" – and some of the oldest jokes in history are still in use today. It’s worth going back a few thousand years to find out why.

history

History

entertainment

Entertainment

The jokes that have made people laugh for thousands of years

Your personal brand is basically your reputation and how people perceive you or your company. Having a strong personal brand differentiates you from the rest within a crowded discipline.It also functions as a 24/7/365 self-promotion agent that ensures you to become a magnet for new and interesting work opportunities.

The Importance of Personal Branding

Do you remember what you've been taught for your first job interview? That you must carefully craft your resume and wear an outfit that sends the message "I'm well-suited for this job."This is because the way you present yourself ultimately makes the difference between getting hired or not. Sure there are other factors that count but employers take note of how you carry yourself, how you accurately display your level or expertise, and nowadays, what you post on social media.

Your personal brand & career go hand-in-hand

Your reputation precedes you. You are the one in control of creating your reputation by placing yourself in social situations (even online) where you create, network, and showcase yourself.By putting yourself out there, you're allowing other people to get to know you better, or at least create a perception of you. Through this, they try to find something in common with you to have something to talk about.

Using your personal brand as an icebreaker

Nowadays, working hard and having great ideas alone is simply not enough anymore. Regardless of what your goals are, the key is to be in control of your professional P.I.E.Performance  - by delivering quality results consistentlyImage  - having a persona that attracts your audienceExposure  - by making sure that people know who you are and what you stand for If you want your personal brand to succeed, all three pieces of your professional pie need to work in your favor.

Pieces of your professional PIE

<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Clean up your social media accounts or create a personal website and a portfolio.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Choose a domain name that allows potential clients and employers to easily search you.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Have a strong resolve. Building a personal brand takes time and effort. Focus on becoming an expert at what you do and build a reputation for the things you want to be known for.</li></ol>There is no limit to personal branding so do what suits you best.

Improving your personal brand

Your personal brand can make or break your career. Here's how. 

career

Career

Hyper-consumerism is no longer the only way to live, as millions of people around the world prefer a different life where they buy new experiences instead of products.
Experiences may be better than mindless consumerism, but experiences are still desires, and reality is beyond the pursuit of all kinds of desire.

An Awakened World

“You have to understand that it is your attempt to get special experiences from life that makes you miss the actual experience of life. Life is not something you get; it’s something you experience.”

Stoics practiced ‘The Last Time’ meditation to experience life to the fullest. It is a mindset that makes us enjoy our experiences more. <ul><li>At random times during the day, imagine that the experience you are having is for the last time.</li><li>If you are having coffee, pretend that it is the last time you will be able to taste coffee. If you are having dinner with your parents, imagine that this is the last time you will ever meet them.</li><li>Imagining that the experience will never occur again is a way to be more appreciative and to enjoy it at a different level.</li></ul>

This Could Be The Last Time

The pursuit of change is ingrained in us, as most of us want to change our clothes, car, house etc., just to attain something better. We can have an alternative view about our present life, believing that change is optional and we are good and happy with how life is right now. It is a good way to live in contentment with things we cannot change.

Change Is Just An Option

When you’re trying hard to experience something special in life, you’re actually chasing your desires without being aware of them.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

habits

Habits

Every Experience Is Worth Having - Darius Foroux

The Supreme Court Of The United States is the final expositor(an entity explaining complicated ideas or theories) of the U.S. Constitution and also the final court of appeal.
It was created by the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and formally established after the Judiciary act of 1789. It serves mostly as an appellate court, where decisions are sent for appeal, hoping for a reversal.

The Supreme Court Of The United States

<ul><li>The Supreme Court comprised six justices till 1807, after which they were increased gradually, amounting to ten in 1863.</li><li>Appointments to the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts are made by the President along with the Senate.</li><li>These appointments are made for life terms, and there has been only one case of impeachment till now, which also resulted in an acquittal.</li><li>As the volume of cases increased, nine intermediate appellate courts having final authority over appeals were added.</li></ul>

Size And Membership Of The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has exclusive discretion over its caseload and hears about a hundred cases per term, which begins on the first Monday of October and ends in late June. It receives about 7000 review requests over decisions each year, called certiorari requests, which at least four justices go through.

Procedures Of The Supreme Court

The decision-making process is first made in secret voting, and then the official decision is issued.<ul><li>If the voting is in favour of the Chief Justice, the justice who will issue the official decision is chosen by him/her.</li><li>If the Chief Justice is in the minority, the longest-serving member of the majority will create the official decision.</li></ul>

The Decision Making Process

Executive administrative and judicial actions by the Congress and the State are subject to be reviewed by the court, through the process of judicial review. The Supreme Court has nullified state laws and regulations that were unconstitutional or discriminatory.There are various clauses and amendments, like the Fifth Amendment or the Fourteenth Amendment that have been used to protect people and companies against repressive or draconian acts of the government.

The Power Of Judicial Review

Supreme Court of the United States | History, Rules, Opinions, & Facts | Britannica

Japan is famous for its animated movies. Ghibli, meaning "desert wind" in Libyan, is one of a kind, and its beautiful painted visions set the stage for many more subsequent movies.
Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and have produced 21 movies to date. Those who have seen the films love them with all their heart.

Studio Ghibli movies

This movie has often introduced people to Ghibli. It won the best-animated feature trophy at the 2003 Academy Awards.
The story is of a 10-year-old girl, Chihiro, who moves with her parents to a new home. When her father takes a shortcut, she ends up lost and alone in the spirit world and has to navigate a landscape to save her parents.

Spirited Away (2001)

<ul>
<li>My Neighbour Totoro (1988) is the tale of two young girls and their father who move to a new country home near the hospital where their mother is recovering. They meet Totoro and his friends.</li>
<li>Pom Poko (1994) has a strong environmental message. A tribe of raccoons have to deal with their differences to stop developers from destroying their wooded hillside.</li>
</ul>

My Neighbour Totoro, and Pom Poko

<ul>
<li>Porco Rosso (1992) is an Italian WWI flying expert who by a curse changed into a humanoid pig. Now he is working as a bounty hunter battling sky pirates over the Adriatic.</li>
<li>Grave of the Fireflies (1988) tells of Seita and his younger sister fighting to survive in Japan at the end of WWII. Their mother died in a bombing raid, and their father is fighting in the Japanese Navy, leaving the children to fend for themselves.</li>
<li>The Wind Rises (2013) tells a fictionalised life story of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of the Mitsubishi Zero that formed the basis of Japan's aerial might in WWII.</li>
</ul>

WWI and WWII settings

<ul><li>Whisper of the Heart (1995) is a story about a bookish girl, Shizuku, who finds that all the books she borrows from the library have been checked out by a boy, and she sets out to find him.</li><li>Only Yesterday (1991) is about a 27-year-old woman recollecting her life and the choices she's made.</li><li>From up on Poppy Hill (2011) is the recurring Ghibli theme of supposed progress replacing tradition. Two young people fight to save a school clubhouse from demolition.</li></ul>

Contemporary drama 

<ul>
<li>When Marnie was There (2014) is based on Joan G Robinson's 1967 novel about a 12-year-old girl who starts a friendship with Marnie, who is not all she seems.</li>
<li>Arrietty (2010) is based on Mary Norton's The Borrowers (1952).</li>
<li>Tales from Earthsea (2006) is loosely based on Ursula K Le Guin's quartet of novels.</li>
<li>Howl's Moving Castle (2004) is loosely based on the 1986 Diana Wynne Jones novel and features a strong anti-war message.</li>
</ul>

Adaptations of treasured books

<ul>
<li>Princess Monoke (1997) was Ghibli's most successful movie before Spirited Away. A young prince is caught between the ecologically greedy inhabitants of an industrial town intent on clearing a huge forest to mine for iron, and the diverse spirits who live in the threatened woods.</li>
<li>The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013) is about a poor couple who find a tiny girl growing inside a bamboo shoot.</li>
</ul>

Princess stories

<ul>
<li>The Cat Returns (2002) is a fantasy story about a young girl who can talk to cats. After she saves an apparent street cat, she gets inducted into the world of the Cat Kingdom.</li>
<li>Ponyo (2008) is the name of a goldfish found by a young boy, but in reality, she is one of many shape-shifting siblings who live in an underwater community.</li>
</ul>

Animal stories

<ul>
<li>Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) takes place in a post-apocalyptic future with gigantic marauding insects. A young woman hopes to find a way for humans to co-exist with mutated insect creatures in the jungle.</li>
<li>Laputa: Castle In The Sky (1986) is an adventure with an aerial city, sky pirates, airships, giant old steampunk robots, and a quest by two young heroes to protect a magic crystal.</li>
</ul>

Futuristic stories

<ul>
<li>My Neighbours the Yamadas (1999) is a tale that starts as a family comedy but then turns into surreal territory.</li>
<li>Kiki's Delivery Service (2003) A 13-year-old witch, Kiki, hops on her broomstick with her cat to offer her witchy services to the citizens of a town. Things don't go as planned, and Kiki learns from her mistakes.</li>
</ul>

My Neighbours the Yamadas, and Kiki's delivery service

Now that 21 films made by the legendary Japanese animation house are available to stream, David Barnett lists which films to watch, according to your mood.

movies

Movies & Shows

anime

Anime

Studio Ghibli films: An indispensable guide

Our cognitive resources are one of the most valuable individual and collective assets we possess.
Cognitive kindness is extending a generosity of spirit toward others' minds and one's own mind. It starts from valuing our individual and collective cognitive abilities - to reason, to understand, to imagine, create, dream, enact.

Being kind to our minds

Being kind to the mind depends on understanding how our minds work.
For example, studies show that people often overestimate how transparent they appear to others. In one study, participants induced to lie overestimated the extent to which others could tell they were lying.

The illusion of transparency

<ul>
<li>Broadcast your intentions. Even if we think our intentions are apparent to others, they may not be.</li>
<li>Broadcast or even exaggerate your interest. If you are attending a presentation that you're very interested in, exaggerate your interest by leaning forward, nodding your head, and making eye contact.</li>
<li>Find other ways you can overcome the illusion of transparency with the goal of making another's thinking easier.</li>
</ul>

How to overcome the illusion of transparency

Our minds are among our most valuable individual and collective resources, and yet we often don’t treat them that way. Cognitive kindness offers a way forward.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

health

Health

problemsolving

Problem Solving

communication

Communication

What Is Cognitive Kindness?

Fears can keep us safe throughout our lives. We lock our doors at night and check for ticks after a hike. But fears can also hold us back - especially at work. We may wonder which valuable ideas got left behind because we couldn't find the courage to speak up.
There is nothing wrong with being afraid, but fear should not rule us.

Fear is the default for many people

The emotion we feel when we see a fire is the same feeling we have when we need to have a difficult conversation - it keeps us safe.
We will never stop being scared in this world. Fear doesn't make you weak. But if we give fear power in our lives, it can stop us from doing what we're supposed to do, say what we're supposed to say, and be who we're supposed to be.

It is natural to feel afraid

We can create monsters of our fears in our heads.
<ul>
<li>We have to stop giving fear power. We do that by saying, "I'm afraid, but I'm going to do it anyway."</li>
<li>Saying your fears out loud or writing them down helps - you see how small the fear really is.</li>
<li>We can decide always to do the thing we feel compelled to do, even if we feel scared about it.</li>
</ul>

Normalise the idea of fear

Being an authentic person means having specific opinions and values, and people who have different values will not like what you say or do.
To overcome the fear of being your authentic self:
<ul>
<li>Show that excellence is not tied to external packaging.</li>
<li>Bring yourself to work, then be excellent.</li>
<li>Show that your work is going to bring value, even with blue hair or braids.</li>
</ul>

Overcome the fear of being your true self

When you have to do something difficult, ask yourself these questions to determine if you're impulsive or need to speak up.
<ul>
<li>Do I really mean it, or do I just want to hear my own voice?</li>
<li>Can I defend it if I'm challenged on it?</li>
<li>Can I say it thoughtfully?</li>
</ul>

When to speak up

Luvvie Ajayi Jones on speaking up, asking for what you want, and being yourself at work.

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

How to Stop Letting Our Fears Run the Show

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is our ability to identify, determine, and manage our emotions as well as the emotions of others in order to manage our thoughts and actions. 
Being able to relieve stress, communicate effectively, and empathize with others is a part of emotional intelligence since it is a branch of social intelligence.

The Concept of Emotional Intelligence

<ol>
<li>Self-Awareness - when you can recognize your own emotions</li>
<li>Self-Management - being in control of your reactions and emotions</li>
<li>Social Awareness - being able to understand what is happening to the society you're in; and</li>
<li>Relationship Management - when you're able to inspire people to develop and change themselves </li>
</ol>

The Components of Emotional Intelligence

It is important that we cultivate and expand our understanding of what emotional intelligence is because it brings so many benefits into our lives: it helps achieve goals and build communication with different people at different levels. 
Emotionally intelligent people are more cognitive and productive. Alongside this, it also includes an increase in one's job performance and leadership skills that may lead to success.

Developing Our Emotional Intelligence

<ol>
<li>Learn the concept of emotional intelligence and understand its role in your productivity and success. </li>
<li>Take tests to figure out how emotionally intelligent you are. </li>
<li>Watch motivational videos that talk about boosting your emotional intelligence and those that provide their insighs for better productivity</li>
<li>Involve yourself with social work such as chairty, donations, or volunteering. </li>
<li>Pay attention to your workspace and keep things organized.</li>
</ol>

Developing Emotional Intelligence to Produce Better Productivity Results

Cultivating one's own emotional intelligence is a lengthy process and it is does not happen in an instant so concentrate on self-awareness: 
<ul>
<li>Listen to your body and don't overwork yourself</li>
<li>Listen to your heart and connect words with emotions. It is important to know why you feel a certain way, what triggers certain behaviors and emotions, and figure out what you can do to better the situation</li>
<li>Be more understanding towards yourself and the unconscious behavior you may have not been noticing</li>
</ul>

Developing Self-Awareness

Actionable information to increase your emotional intelligence

productivity

Productivity

mentalhealth

Mental Health

teamwork

Teamwork

How to Control Your Productivity With Emotional Intelligence | LifeDev

Self-control has two components:
<ul>
<li>Our ability to resist temptations</li>
<li>Our ability to exercise control over our behaviour and emotions.</li>
</ul>
Self-control plays a key role in our lives, keeping us sane and alive, as we don’t give in to things that may be harmful now or in the future. It involves resilience, tolerance, patience, time and effort investment and deliberate practice.

Self-Control Components

While it’s obvious we need to exhibit a certain amount of self-control while choosing what we put in our bodies, that is not the whole story.
If we educate our bodies and learn about nutrition, longevity and how our individual bodies function, we could be eating a lot healthier.

Self Control and Eating Healthy

There is a lot of stuff available for us to do that makes us feel better instantly. Watching TV, going to the beach, drinking alcohol, smoking, and almost every other activity that seems pleasurable to us, giving us temporary pleasure in a jiffy. When we keep doing that, the long term effects are bad, and we feel older, weaker, sicker, while not having any achievement in our lives.
This is a natural process of a slow movement towards disorder, is also the second law of thermodynamics, called Entropy.

The Pleasures Of Life

If we do not rest, recover, rebuild, adapt, and restore ourselves using self-control, the natural law of entropy (things and systems naturally move towards disorder) takes over our lives and we start to deteriorate.
This deterioration is so slow that it is unnoticeable. We need to invest in ourselves on a daily basis, even if we are not able to see any improvement.

Moving Away From Disorder

We need to have a singular drive or pursuit that motivates us in our every breath. Shallow pursuits like some materialistic desires cannot make us demonstrate self-control for long.
If we are completely committed to a high pursuit, it won’t be difficult to exercise self-control.

Purpose and Self-Control

A system is a set of habits, behaviours and productivity hacks that help us stay consistent and productive. One has to practice self-control by picking a direction and sticking with it, making our long-term goals our focus.
Example: If the long-term goal is being a public speaker, the system can be, taking classes, training people, reading and exercising on a daily basis, using self-control to stay on track.

About Systems

If we look into our daily routine, we will find that a lot is being done by us just to minimize and manage our stress. We wind up our ‘springs’ so much by our commitments and work pressure that we have to unwind by taking vacations and buying stuff.
Another way is to not let that much stress creep into you in the first place. As a moderate amount of stress is good for you, you can practice self-control and design your life the way it does not accumulate that much stress. It’s better than coping up with stress.

Take No Stress

Most of us want to have a fulfilling career, vibrant social life, be in shape, etc. Here's the thing: We need self-control to make those good things happen

These are the chemical reactions that make barbecue so delicious

The jokes that have made people laugh for thousands of years

Your personal brand can make or break your career. Here's how.

Every Experience Is Worth Having - Darius Foroux

Supreme Court of the United States | History, Rules, Opinions, & Facts | Britannica

Max Johnston