Amazongate: new evidence of the IPCC’s failures
The claim in an IPCC report that 40 per cent of the Amazon rainforest could disappear through global warming turned out to be unfounded Photo: LEE FOSTER/ALAMY It is now six weeks since I launched an investigation, with my colleague Richard North, into the affairs of Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate …
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
How To Create A Positive Team Working Environment
Managing a group of people in a working environment can often be a difficult task due to the many levels of responsibility placed upon you. With each mistake made and each objective failed, the blame and pressure falls on you. Therefore, a better way of resolving this or alleviating the strain on you is to implement a strong and positive team working strategy. You will also need to gain a good rapport with your team before you start implementing this strategy.
When starting a new team working strategy you will need to plan what your overall objective is for you team – are you looking to see improvements in the way they work? Do you want the team to communicate with one another? Is your aim to reach a certain financial target through promoting good teamwork and improve performances? These are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself when making a plan of action.
The next step is to discuss with the team their needs and individual objectives. This can be completed in the form of appraisals and reviews. These are generally kept private and confidential; therefore, you will not be permitted to report this all back to the rest of the team. Most of the team members will be familiar with they work with one another and quite possibly have their own method put in place when working.
With each review and appraisal, you will be able to determine how best he or she works and what methods they use. This can be implemented in the strategy, to which you could then refer back. In order to build upon a positive atmosphere and improve the team working environment, it may be a good idea to get an external agency in to deliver training strategy for the team mates. This will entail activities such as splitting the team up into groups, partaking in group exercises, establishing your own objectives and possible role playing exercises.
Another way to implement a more positive working environment is to show appreciation on every target met, rather than assuming that the team already know. It is a known fact that if you are continuously (without over-doing it) make it apparent that you are genuinely pleased with the work achieved and completed then that member of staff will continue with the good work. This will help boost their confidence and motivate them to work at a high standard.
If you feel your team is falling behind it is a good idea to focus your attention on that, rather than diving into the deep end of organising expensive team training. This way you can see what will need to be improved upon and how best to avoid the same problem in future. One thing to keep in mind is to address each problem as a challenge and instigate a method of finding the solution in a logical approach and as a team rather than delegating someone to resolve this.
Anna Stenning is an expert on improving the team working environment having worked on training strategies in the past.
Article Source: ArticleSpan
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
Global Warming Dogma Melts in Glaciergate – Front Page
Recent history has been unkind to those who maintain that human activity is leading to catastrophic climate change. Two months ago, we had ?Climategate,? the scandal that revealed how the University of East Anglia?s Climate Research Unit had …
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
The SOTU We Wish We’d Seen
Homepage: Subject: Comment: * We changed our spam software to better filter comments.
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
Creating A Healthy Living Environment
Maintaining a healthy body goes beyond physical fitness or the right diet, it also requires that you live in a healthy environment. Our surroundings have a direct influence on the way we feel, how we function and our general health.
Where you live, work and play can all affect you physically and emotionally. A smoggy commute to work followed by a day in a noisy office and an evening in a smoky bar can all work together to have a negative impact on your body.
Remember, you are what you breathe and the toxic fumes from sitting in traffic can nearly triple your risk for a heart attack. In fact, when cities reduce their pollution rates, the rate of cardiovascular illnesses also declines.
Indoor air has its hazards too. Prolonged exposure to mold, dust and cigarette smoke can aggravate asthma or allergies and expose your lungs to a toxic level of air pollution. To live a long and healthy life, you need to live in a healthy environment. Here are 6 tips you can use to improve your air quality:
Get a HEPA filter.
HEPA filters are air systems designed to filter out extremely small dust particles that can worsen allergy and asthma symptoms. Choose a HEPA filter that’s large enough to handle the size of your room, you can also purchase household HEPA systems designed to filter an entire house or workplace.
Stop smoking.
You know why smoking is bad for you – increased rate of heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke, but it also makes you look older too. Yellowing skin, lip wrinkles and crow’s feet are all smoking symptoms.
Declare war on dust.
Tear up your carpets, clear your clutter and start staying on top of dusting. Use a damp mop on wood or laminate floors as you battle dust bunnies.
Hire a mold inspector.
Have your house inspected for toxic molds, like Stachybotrys chartarum – a particularly nasty mold that can grow anywhere there is moisture and air.
Stay out of traffic.
If you can avoid spending long hours sitting in traffic, do so. Try to consolidate your errands to one trip done at a less-busy time of day. If you can work from home, do so.
Fix your leaks.
Water leaks can be a major cause of mold infestations. Leaking water gets, accumulating moisture and creating a breeding ground for toxic molds. Also, check your home’s waterproofing and drainage on a regular basis.
Please visit Spirituality-Based Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery and President Bush Talks About His Drinking Days
Article Source: ArticleSpan
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
Global Warming: Prince Charles And David Cameron Are Featherweights Blowing With The Wind
GLOBAL Warming: Prince Charles has been to the CRU at East Anglia University. The truth is that Charles may be the most qualified expert there.
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
Natural Skincare Products – Great For You, And The Environment Too!
Our skin is our largest organ and is a live body system performing amazing functions. So it’s vital to keep it well looked after. Skin is affected by the weather (don’t we know it!), and particularly in the severely drying conditions found in warmer climates, where there is plenty of sun, as well as dry, cold climates too.
In fact, any climate can affect your skin, that’s what your skin is there for, to interact with the outside world. So there is no rest when it comes to effective skin treatments. Whilst, despite the claims of many manufacturers, it’s difficult to tell just how deep treatments work down into the layers, putting products on your skin definitely makes a difference. For healthy skin, it’s what you put on it that counts.
Natural Skincare Makes The Difference
You see, many natural skincare products have qualities that nourish and care for the skin. And there are a number of businesses all over the world now, who are focused on delivering the best, the safest and purely natural skincare products, when it comes to skin care and natural beauty.
Natural skin care products often have plant extracts beautifully combined with specialist man-made ingredients to make them most effective. In this respect, they are usually healthy, chemical free alternatives to give you great, healthy looking skin – maybe even knocking years off you!
Natural Skincare Products Are Perfect For Your Skin
Skincare products, with their ingredients carefully extracted from nature, might well be all that you need to give you your beautiful and healthy looking skin. Because they are from nature, is quite obvious that they will blend more easily on your skin, which is a part of nature itself.
They fit well, look and smell just great and you have the satisfaction of knowing that they are healthier for your skin, for you, and for the environment at large as well. It simply makes better sense to ‘go natural’, whether it’s skin care, what we eat, what we wear or anything we choose to use anywhere in our lives.
You can imagine that products made from plants, natural oils, the sea and elsewhere in nature (where, of course, it hurts nothing at all), can have the most wonderful effect on your body. Not forgetting that natural skincare products are often a lot less expensive than some of the man-made junk you can find in just about any store.
Natural Skincare Products – Or Organic, That’s The Question
The major difference between natural and organic is the standards that apply to the ingredients in the organic skincare products. In fact, whilst there is nothing wrong at all with natural skincare products, they are a bit of a half way house in terms of quality and provenance.
In many countries, organic skincare products are made with enormous investment upfront to get the soil quality right, before they open themselves up to scrutiny by the attesting body. And that can be why some organic products are a bit more expensive – yet for many, it’s a price worth paying for the knowledge that they are getting absolutely the purest ingredients for their skin care.
Natural Skincare Products Have It All
Natural skin care products are manufactured only with ingredients derived simply from nature. They are growing in demand throughout the world, to the surprise of few. You see, when nature is the ingredient to use on your own body, then the chances of great success are so much better.
You see, natural skin care products are the better alternative, for everyone, everywhere.
(c) 2008 Skin Care Guidelines. Want to easily keep your skin clear, bright and young looking? Worry no more, you can checkout Martin Haworth’s skincare website, where you can find lots more useful information on a whole range of skincare issues at http://www.SkinCareGuidelines.com
Article Source: ArticleSpan
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
global warming is real. – Daily Mail
resolutesteve wrote… to rational people who are not overly influenced by false ideology. it should matter. I think we can safely assume you are not talking from experience. resolutesteve wrote… even if we imagine that there is a 90% chance global …
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
GLOBAL WARMING IS A BIG LIE – Daily Mail
ramblemania wrote… Well, the adherents of ‘man made global warming’ adjusted their position. Because obviously other factors have influence on climate besides the activities of man, but also because the concept of ‘Climate change’ is a brilliant …
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
Health And Safety Ensuring A Better Working Environment
From the moment we enter our place of work it is imperative to simple tasks such as keeping our work space in good working order free from potential hazards which could put ourselves or others at risk, this essentially is just good common sense, but by law Health and Safety in the workplace has to be regulated, which strongly lies on the shoulders of our employers.
Health and Safety training is nothing new and can be applied in every place of work, however each place of work will differ depending on industry and therefore so too does the degree of training required, also the areas covered too.
For example, health and safety regulations within the food industry will be strict and applied to every aspect of work from food preparation to serving customers, aspects covered will ensure that safe preparation of food using the right equipment and hygiene standards are adhered too, wearing the appropriate protective clothing, removing jewellery, keeping hair tied back or covered completely when dealing with food, also knowing procedures for food preparation, cleaning and using equipment also the maintenance of equipment. Included in this will be knowing how to cook and store food avoiding cross contamination.
In an office environment, health and safety will apply more to risk assessment, essential evaluation of workstations, seating and visual display units and maintaining a safe environment free from loose cables which could cause a potential hazard. Those who teach or within youth services will be required to be trained in risk assessments, they must be competent in undertaking routine checks of equipment on a regular basis.
Other places of work will focus on equipment training, such as those places which require the use of scaffolding or mobile elevated platforms, construction workers will have to be educated in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for example the use of hardhats whilst onsite.
COSHH is one area of health and safety which applies to control of substances hazardous to health such as acids, bodily fluids, and chemicals, it is essential for anyone working within an industry dealing with dangerous substances to have undergone full training in these areas.
Health and Safety training can be a little bit of a minefield of information, rules and regulations, but none the less has to be adhered to in order to prevent accident or injury within the workplace, when you consider that nearly 200 deaths each year are caused by accidents occurring at work it brings home just how important essential training is.
Most companies will make update employee’s health and safeties training an ongoing process, sending employees on annual training courses to improve their knowledge and training as stricter laws are put in place.
Anna Stenning takes a closer look at the various health and safety issues which arise in the workplace and the relevant training required by law.
Article Source: ArticleSpan
Nancy – GotSmog.com – The Pollution-Reducing Blog
Next Page »