Lincoln

"When it rains, it pours."  I recently wrote about the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, and gave it the highest marks. Well, there is another movie that recently came out that surpasses even that movie, Stephen Spielberg's "Lincoln".  Recently, it received 7 Golden Glove nominations, including best picture, best director and best actor.

There is probably no president who attracts more attention than Abraham Lincoln. It is said that more books have been written about Lincoln than any other person in history, with the exception of Jesus Christ!  He is a fascinating figure and is on Mount Rushmore for a reason.

The movie captures Lincoln in a way we have never seen him before.  Played by the English actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, he comes to life on the screen. You may remember the movie, "Young Mr. Lincoln," which is sometimes shown on late night television. Henry Fonda played the young Lincoln as he came into his own as a lawyer and politician. I always thought that was one of the best performances of Lincoln I had ever seen.  Day-Lewis does not merely portray Lincoln, he is Lincoln for almost two and one half hours.

Now no one knows exactly how Lincoln sounded or moved because there are no movies or recordings, but based upon contemporary accounts, Day-Lewis, with the help no doubt of Spielberg, has captured the man and not just the president

The movie, based upon the book by Doris Kearns-Goodwin, "Team of Rivals," details the last few months of Lincoln's life. It shows both the intimate side of his relationship with his children and his wife, Mary, called Molly, played by Sally Fields, and his frantic efforts to get the 13th amendment banning slavery passed by the House of Representatives and to end the Civil War.

The Lincoln in the movie has the warts of every man and is not portrayed as just the saint he is sometimes seen as.  He is not above offering postmaster jobs and other patronage to congressmen in return for votes for the amendment. Although we all know the outcome of his efforts, nonetheless, it makes for exciting viewing.

If you haven't seen it yet, now is the time to see "Lincoln".

The Baby Boomer's Practical Guide to Everday Negotiations

Some people hate negotiating. They think it is too confrontational or they just don’t want to be bothered. They would rather pay full price than negotiate. When they buy a car, they pay the sticker price. When they experience problems with an appliance or computer they have purchased, they accept the response that there is nothing to be done from the customer complaint office. As a result, they sometimes become frustrated, blaming themselves for giving in or being timid.

This practical guide will show you that negotiating those everyday transactions and maneuvering life’s daily little annoyances does not have to be confrontational at all and can sometimes even be quite fun. It will show you how you can avoid confrontation in certain circumstances and still achieve your goals in the negotiation, whether it is getting the best price on a new car or dealing with an overworked and underpaid service representative. It will provide you with a new way of dealing with those pesky call and service centers that never seem able to help you. Although intended primarily for baby boomers, I think it will help just about anyone to be a better negotiator in those day to day negotiations.

 What is Negotiation?

The dictionary defines "negotiation" as the "mutual discussion and arrangement of the terms of a transaction or agreement." [1] From this definition, it is apparent that one of the characteristics of a negotiation is that it is "mutual." That means that a negotiation is not intended to be one-sided. Each party is expected to be heard.

There are some people who believe that unless they receive everything they are seeking in a negotiation, they have failed. They are usually the ones who are rude and love confrontation. However, as the Rolling Stones sang, "you can't always get what you want." That is not to say that you should not try to get whatever you can. But keep in mind, in a negotiation there are bound to be compromises by both parties.

There are other people who believe that at the end of the negotiations each party should have received something of value. Often, this is called a "win win" result. While that may be the best result for all parties, the reality is that generally one party does get more than the other. This guide will help you be the one who gets more. Stuart Diamond, the author of a book on negotiation, in fact, titled his book, "Getting More." As he notes repeatedly in his book, that does not mean getting everything.[2]

How to Become a Successful Negotiator

What makes someone a good negotiator? There are many books on the subject of negotiations and seminars that may cost thousands of dollars. In this small guide, I hope to distil the best practices of a good negotiator in everyday situations. The best way to become one yourself is to practice. As the old joke went: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”  “Practice, practice, practice!” Let me suggest that the following guidelines are a good start. Much of what follows is simply common sense. Yet too often we forget them.

This is the first in a series of posts on negotiations which will appear periodically on this blog. So, stay tuned.

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[1] www.Dictionary.com

[2] www.gettingmore.com

How to lose weight while sleeping,

Have you ever noticed that if you weigh yourself at night and again in the morning, you will inevitably weigh less in the morning? I am not sure what causes that phenomenon but a number of recent scientific studies have clearly shown that there is a direct correlation between the amount of sleep you get each night and your ability to lose weight.  But it is not what you think. The studies have shown that the more that you sleep while trying to lose weight, the more weight you can lose.

I know this sounds almost too good to be true, but an article in the Ann Intern Med, dated November 2, 2010, summarizes the results of.a study of some 10 men and women who were trying to lose weight.The results were quite surprising. Those who slept 5.5 hours a night over a 14 day period lost 55% less weight than those who slept 8.5 hours The authors of the study concluded that the amount of sleep plays a role in the maintenance of fat free body mass. Lack of sufficient sleep may cause the diets not to work as efficiently as they otherwise would.

So, don't worry if you are sleeping more while dieting.  It is a good thing, not a bad one!

Getting Through Airport Security with Gifts and Food

Millions of people will be traveling during this holiday season. Many of them will be traveling by air. Some of those people will be bringing with them gifts and food for family and friends.  So what is the easiest way to get through airport security with gifts and food items?

The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offers a few tips on traveling with food or gifts on its website. www.tsa.gov. Often people will be carrying with them gifts which they have already wrapped. TSA does not prohibit wrapped gifts.  However, the security officers may unwrap the gift if it sets off an alarm or looks suspicious.  If you are traveling with gifts, leave them unwrapped and bring with you separately wrapping paper, ribbons, bows etc. which you can use to wrap the present after you reach your destination.  It's a simple tip but it saves time and trouble.

Many people like to bring food items either as gifts or to use in preparing holiday dinners at their destination.  The TSA has compiled a list of such items which it suggests should be placed in your checked bag, shipped ahead of time or left at home if in excess of the permitted 3.4 ounces.  These include cranberry sauce, cheese dips, jams, jellies and gift baskets containing such items.

Happy Holidays!

Should You Be Eating That Grapefruit?

For years doctors have been advising patients who take cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor not to eat grapefruit. Most of us probably never knew why. A recent study in the journal of the Canadian Medical Association, CMAJ, suggests that grapefruit as well as other citrus fruits such as Seville oranges and limes contain something called furanocoumarins which can inactivate a certain enzyme in the body. When that enzyme is inactivated, certain drugs remain in the system longer than they should.Serious side effects may result, including kidney failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and even sudden death.

The CMAJ study, which was conducted by a pharmacologist from the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, Canada, concluded that as many as 85 drugs may interact with grapefruit and the other citrus fruits in that way. As little as one grapefruit or a 7 ounce glass of grapefruit juice can be enough to cause these problems. Those over the age of 45 are believed to be the most at risk.

While grapefruit  and Seville oranges (which is sometimes used in marmalade) appear to be the worst culprits, fortunately, the two common varieties of oranges, Valencia and navel oranges are not implicated.

Bottom line: before grabbing that glass of  grapefruit juice in the morning, talk to your doctor and ask her whether you might have a problem with an interaction with one of your medications. It may save your life.

The Baby Boomer's Practical Guide to Everday Negotations

"The Baby Boomer's Practical Guide to Everyday Negotiations", a free e-book is now available on this blog at the entry dated November 24, 2012.  Let me know what you think.

Stand Up for Good Health

If your mother was anything like my mother, when I was a kid watching television, she was always chiding me to "sit up straight." Then it seemed like it was good healthful advice. Turns out mothers were wrong. We shouldn't be sitting at all. Recent research cited in The New York Times suggests that we should be standing, not sitting, when working on our computers or at our work desk or cubicle.

Reporting on two studies in the The British Journal of Sports Medicine and Diabetogia, the Times article, Taking a Stand for Office Ergonomics, quotes Dr. Toni Yancey, a professor of health services at UCLA,  as saying, "we believe that sitting is harmful in itself." According to the article, sitting at your computer for an extended period of time (over an hour or so) can significantly reduce the number of fat burning enzymes and can also lower the amount of good (HDL) cholesterol in the blood. It may even contribute to diabetes and heart disease.

So, what is the solution?  One answer is standing while working.  This usually involves some form of stand-up desk.  There are many models for sale ranging from a few hundred dollars to thousands. There are even under the desk treadmills and stationary cycles that you can pedal while seated. An easier (and cheaper) solution is to put your laptop on a bookcase and work from that. I have tried it and it works quite well. I suggest you give it a try and let me know if it works for you.