The Eyes Have it

Here is an interesting view on pupil dilation from body language expert Tonya Reiman http://www.tonyareiman.com/index.htm. Tonya can be seen on The O’Reily Factor on Fox News channel analyzing politicians, celebrities and various news makers. She’s also touted as a very effective motivational speaker.

Personally, I have found this lady to be very accurate in reading body language. Check out her take on “the eyes”

Q: I attended one of your seminars where you spoke about pupil dilation. You can tell me a little more about this fascinating topic.
Tonya -Pupil dilation is the natural response to seeing something you like or something that interests you. The pupils will dilate to let more of what you are looking at in. Pupil dilation is a physiological response to excitement and an excellent tool to use for monitoring arousal, interest, and liking. Interestingly enough, when you look at someone you are attracted to, your pupils will dilate. Subconsciously, the other person will perceive this and assume that you like them – what happens, they become more attracted to you because on a subconscious level they recognize that you are attracted to them and we like people who like us… Confusing?? It shouldn’t be after you read it once or twice. Many years ago, women used a plant extract known as belladonna because it caused pupil dilation and women realized men found this trait more attractive. I will follow this quick answer up with an article over the next few weeks. This subject is simply to irresistible to not delve into.

I never knew this but it’s interesting, makes a nice experiment of sorts don’t you think?

….Now let me just get up on you close enough to see if your eyes are dilating since you say you are my friend……

MSN Careers – 15 Weirdest Work Stories of 2007 – Career Advice Article

This from MSN Careers web pages. Have a weird work story? Share it with us here at TalkingPoints4Now.
I have to admit work can make for some bizzare situations sometimes.
MSN Careers – 15 Weirdest Work Stories of 2007 – Career Advice Article: “15 Weirdest Work Stories of 2007″

Gift Cards – Could Offend

“‘When you give someone a gift card, you’re saying ” I’m giving you money as a gift but I want you to spend it here” Also you only have a certain amount of time to spend it.

Sounds sort of callous and thoughtless.

Back in the day it was considered thoughtless to throw money at people as gifts as opposed to putting the thought and effort into acquiring a gift that had meaning, substance, and sustainability. I think most people want their gift to be around and be useful for a while after it is given. Don’t think so? Why do you think women love a beautiful piece of jewelry? Men a nice big screen TV? Try giving someone the value of a beautiful diamond ring in the form of a coffee shop gift card and brace yourself for the reaction. Or on the eve of an engagement give the lady a gift card to the jewelry store.

Gifts are received and retained because the giver thought enough to search and ponder for something suitable for the personality and possible desire of the person they are giving to. Gift Cards in our fast paced environment seem almost a common mainstay as takeout food. However, that doesn’t fly either. We have a resource at our disposal that we didn’t have back in the day that leaves no out for finding that perfect gift It’s called online shopping. No crowds, no sales pressure, no gas consumption, and literally hundreds of competitors to compare prices. You can take your time when you want and come up with a gift surely to be embraced and treasured.

Gift card to me says you didn’t even think about what the recipient would like. “Let’s just get em some gift cards and they can get what they want” Really? What confirms the thinking that I want coffee for a gift from the coffee shop I buy it at everyday? What makes you think I would want an everyday common staple as a gift?

Yeah, he likes coffee, but if I’ve paid for it up to this point I probably can keep doing it. Besides the coffee is my choice, a gift should be the giver’s choice not influenced necessarily by a habit of the receiver.

I think we should return to investing a little more into those that matter enough to invest in a gift for…….like our time and touch in selecting a gift that will be remembered as opposed to “spent” Try it, you won’t regret it. The reciepient sure won’t.

8 Lessons I Learned From The Cheapest Family In The Nation

Are you looking to crack down and save some money for the upcoming new year? Some thing out there you been trying to acquire but just never seem to have the funds? Or maybe you are finally admitting you’re throwing a lot of money to the wind when you dont have to. Take some tips from this family of family of seven living on $35,000 a year after taxes. It will take some sacrificing and discipline but if you inventory your lifestyle, I’ll bet you find there is a whole lot of areas you could trim, and then most importantly put the savings away.
8 Lessons I Learned From The Cheapest Family In The Nation

What say you?

Holiday Shopping Awareness

With the holidays among us it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of shopping, giving and receiving and drop our awareness of what’s going on around us.

Be cognisant of your surroundings when out and about, especially when shopping.
I urge daytime shopping if at all possible if you are having to go at it alone. Go early in the morning or even better mid-day during mid-week when most everyone else is at work.

When using garages or lots at night, always park in a well lit area, that has substantial human traffic. Never leave packages in plain view in a vehicle, SUV owners make sure the cargo area is concealed. Tint your cargo windows, get a pit bull for the back, but don’t leave a shopping extravaganza in full view. Always lock your vehicle and inspect the interior before entering when returning from your shopping excursions. Try to avoid parking next to closed in vans and trucks whenever possible, and when approaching your vehicle look underneath as well.

When juggling small children and packages and returning to a vehicle parked in the rear of a mall lot during night hours, request a security escort. If that is not possible have your keys ready and walk directly and determined to the location of your vehicle. The most vunerable person for a shopping related robbery is one that has small children and packages with them.

Unloading at home. I try to be as discreet as possible when taking packages inside, I do it quickly, and quietly. Trust me, there are individuals quite content with letting you do their Christmas shopping for them, and picking up the goods while you’re at work or out. Depending upon the effectiveness of your neighborhood watch, or resident canine, displaying wrapped packages under a Christmas tree in an open window may or may not be a good idea. Be careful with this. Frankly for me my resident canine takes care of any peeping toms turned cat burglars.

And plastic payment seems the currency of choice during the holiday season. Check this story http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/21/60minutes/main3530302.shtml that aired on CBS 60 minutes Sunday, November 25th, 2007 regarding brick and mortar security breeches relating to credit card and other personal information. Be careful who you hand your plastic payment to and watch the process through from beginning to end, and always get a receipt for the authorized card charges as well as the purchases. Use trusted sites when shopping online, and ignore these scams requesting you help the widow of some honorable dignitary get money out of a bank in some third world cave.

Enjoy your holiday, be safe and cautious about the season. Comments and tips? Feel free!

Gas Prices & Spikes Memo

Gas prices seem to rise and fall at the drop of a hat ( or foreign conflict) these days. I’m suspect to to some of the reasons behind the spikes.
Consider :
Typically, the demand for gas spikes during the summer, when lots of people go on vacation. Holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July create logjams of tourist traffic during the summer. This high demand usually translates into higher gasoline prices, although that’s not always the case. For instance, while gas prices soared 31 cents in April and early May of 2001, reaching $1.71 per gallon (which now seems inexpensive compared to today’s prices), prices actually declined during the 2001 summer.

In 2004, prices continued to rise past the end of the summer travel season for a variety of reasons, including hurricanes and an increase in the price of crude oil. And in 2005, Hurricane Katrina (along with a sizeable increase in crude oil prices) pushed prices to $3.07 per gallon on September 5, 2005. Prices settled down somewhat in November and December of 2005. But now the numbers are climbing again, with an average price for regular unleaded gas at $3.26 right now (May 21, 2007), an all-time high.

Price increases generally occur when the world crude-oil market tightens and lowers inventories. Go here http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx for a view of gas prices around the country.

One effective response to spikes is to make sure your vehicle is top operating condition giving you the most mileage per gallon you can possibly obtain. And shop and compare before purchasing.
As long as there are politicians and natural disasters as well as Middle East Concerns, expect the see sawing of gas prices to continue to. Thoughts?

Study States Women with Big Hips Have Higher IQ’s

Women with small waists and big hips also have big IQs, a new U.S. study has found.
A study of 16,000 women determined those with hourglass figures were more intelligent than their counterparts with round or straight bodies, The Sunday Times of London reported. Curvier women also tended to have more intelligent children, possibly because omega3 fatty acids are stored in their hips, the British newspaper said. Skinny women, or those whose fat deposits are around their waists do not have such deposits. The study, to be published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior this week, may explain earlier findings that men prefer women with smaller waists than hips even if they are compared to slimmer women, said the study’s authors at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
It may also help break down the stereotype that attractive women are not intelligent, sexual and relationship psychologist Paula Hall told the newspaper. Copyright 2007 by United Press International