Four (or Five!) Reasons Why

…Most People Only Change For The Money

1. The Environment. While it has been many moons since the effects of global warming have been brought to the international stage and most of the planet has seen Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” the reality is that most people won’t make changes to their global footprint until it starts to hit them in their wallet. Hybrid cars didn’t really start to become popular and there wasn’t a lot of thought around alternatives to car travel until gas prices started to soar. The movement to buy local, in-season fruits and vegetables only recently became highlighted by a surge in food prices (caused by higher input costs). Corporations only went “green” when they realized they could charge consumers a premium for it. And consumers only stop using plastic supermarket bags when they start getting charged for it. Sort of sad.

2. Charity. There is no doubt that giving to worthy causes is a good thing. A ton of people do it every year and many organizations survive on the generosity of others. We’ve already commented that there is a sense of charity fatigue developing. Another trend that seems to be emerging is the concept of charitable lotteries, where promises of million dollar give-aways and dream homes result in the sale of high priced tickets. It’s unfortunate that more people are inspired to give when there is the probability, albeit extremely low, that they’ll win something in return.

3. Health. Most people know what’s bad for you. Smoking. Eating too much. Not exercising. Stepping into oncoming traffic. Some of this is out of your control. Some of it is not. Although we know that we can make changes to improve our health, there is a strong tendency not to do so and rationalize every which way as an explanation. But some studies show that financial incentive brings beneficial effects, with attendance at exercise sessions improving when personal trainers and even more so when money is involved. While the long-term benefits are debatable, it’s clear that money talks and walks and runs.

4. Personal finance. When times are good, the money flows. Banks are more than eager to extend a helping hand when you need money for the extra square footage you didn’t know you had to have when looking for a house. Credit is practically free and card companies more than happy to increase your line of credit so you can spend more. Retirement savings? Pshaw! They’ll be plenty of time for that. Well, the bubble has burst yet again and somehow we’re all surprised when we see the carnage left behind. Yes, it’s lesson learned. But it’s also an awfully painful one that could have been avoided. Think objectively about your real needs and live within your means.

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…This Is The Perfect Time Of The Year

1. Crappy weather makes people cranky and sometimes crazy. Long, cold winters can bring heightened levels of depression, anger and anxiety, while lower levels of general happiness. We also tend to stay indoors, which means less physical activity, and feast on chocolate, meatloaf and other comfort foods. With the emergence of summer, things change. People change. Attitudes changes. Everyone becomes a lot nicer, we start smiling at each other and a city’s vibe begins to improve. It’s like a flower blooming. But take advantage while you can, because it doesn’t take long before we all become immune to the warmth and our friendliness cools off.

2. For those of us in geographies that have distinctive seasons, it’s nice to see people peeling back the layers. Gone are the parkas, boots, raincoats and umbrellas. Out come the shorts, skirts, flip-flops and sunglasses. Nicer weather brings better people watching and more people to watch you.

3. Office life starts to improve with the combination of improved attitudes, the prospects of going on holiday, and your colleagues (i.e. boss’s) absence as he/she goes on holiday. Everyone just seems a little more relaxed and work seems to get easier as the longer days feels like you get more time to do stuff outside of office hours. And if you happen to live in Europe, you score hugely by the fact that the whole continent seems to shut down for the summer.

4. The transition into early summer is a sports fan’s dream. You have the NHL and NBA playoffs wrapping up, the MLB gearing up, the French Open for tennis and golf’s US Open. This year we are blessed with Euro2008 as well. But it doesn’t take too long before you get into the dog days of summer and the only thing we are left with is baseball. And we’ve already blogged here about how “exciting” mid-summer baseball can be.

5. It is the perfect season for hanging out on a patio. Just like Baby Bear’s porridge – not too hold, not too cold. It’s juuuuuuuuust right. There’s nothing like that first opportunity to sit outside and appreciate the nourishment that warmer weather brings.

With the excitement of summer fun upon, don’t forget about the harmful effects of getting too much sun. Visit the Sun Safety Alliance for more details.

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…Cocaine Is Making A Comeback

1. Cocaine is cheap, relative to other drugs, and has become even more of a designer drug. While meth remains drug enforcements biggest concern, cocaine has re-emerged as a cheaper alternative for dealers looking to move large volumes. As News10 in California notes, meth is currently going for $22,000 per pound, while coke is fetching $10,000. Dealers are also cutting it with flavorings like strawberry, mint and lemon to appeal to teens.

2. Both acreage dedicated to coca bush production and plant yields are rising. In Peru, plots have increased by one-third since 1999, to about 127,000 acres, and other South American countries have seen similar effects. Some experts have noted that the density of coca plantings has increased dramatically and fertilizers have helped leaves yield a higher proportion of cocaine alkaloid, the active ingredient in cocaine.

3. Despite the most recent financial crisis facing the U.S., developed economies across the world have prospered. With prosperity comes disposable income, which inevitably leads to “recreational activities.

4. Facing higher demand, and the growing disparity in income levels with producing nations, there are few better alternatives for some farmers to make a living. A farmer in Peru says, “Here, there is no alternative to coca. They come and they offer us a few chickens and some cacao. How am I to survive on that?”

5. It’s getting harder to catch traffickers, despite best efforts. The traditional cartels have broken down into  a series of international, smaller-scale entrepreneurs. “We’re up against an army of ants,” quotes General Miguel Hidalgo, head of Peru’s national anti-drug police. In addition, many South American rebel groups have recognized that trafficking is in fact a lucrative operation and is eschewing political ideology in the face of business theory.

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…You Should Give Up Caffeine

1. Caffeine is a drug. And like any drug, it wraps its tentacles around your soul and slowly imposes your dependence on it. Giving up caffeine, even for a short period of time, proves that you have the will to kick the addiction in the ass and the strength to live without it. Over time, your body adjusts and the “need” that you feel to kick start your day disappears.

2. If nothing else, you will sleep better. Having caffeine late in the day makes it harder to get to sleep, makes you sleep for a shorter period of time, shortens the amount of deep sleep you have, and give you more “dream sleep” at first, but less over the course of a night. (Apparently it’s not all about deep sleep. Dream sleep is important too. 75-80% of sleep is non-REM, of which deep sleep is key component.)

3. You never know what other benefits it may bring. While a jolt of Joe will have some great short-term effects, that little pick-me-up that most drugs deliver, the long-term effects can be quite the opposite. Having more than 600mg of caffeine per day can lead to sleeplessness, worry, depression and upset stomachs. Kicking the habit can make you more mentally alert and bring a great sense of physical wellbeing.

4. According to this article, approximately 90% of Americans consume some form of caffeine every single day, with more than half of those people consume more than 300mg. Considering that coffee and soda pop counts for much of that intake, eliminating those two things from your diet can’t help but make you feel better, both physically and mentally. Think of all the empty calories, sugar, corn derivatives, etc. (BTW - an average 12-ounce soft drink contains 150 calories, 9 teaspoons of sugar, and absolutely no nutritional value.)

5. It can save you money. Assuming that you spend $5 a day on coffee, quitting could save you over $1,800 a year!

For more on the caffeine content for some of your favourite foods, check out the Center for Science in the Public Interest. And here’s is Starbucks nutritional site. And check out The Caffeine Curve.

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…”Maturing” Is Way Overrated

1. Aging sucks. Not getting old and geriatric. Just plain old getting older. The emergence from the blissful ignorance of youth into the stressors of adult life (jobs, kids, partners, spouses, mortgages, debt) inevitably leads to a progressive failure of one’s basic mental faculty. Your memory is no longer perfect, so you need to start writing lists. Music seems louder, so you don’t go to concerts quite as often. It’s harder to motivate to go out, so a quiet night in front of the TV is something to look forward to. It doesn’t all happen at once, but in stages. And slowly. And you never know when it starts. But at some point you realize you are mature.

2. Leon Trotsky once said, “Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man.” This is no more evident than on any given night, for any given sport, in any given men’s beer league. Trying to relive the glory days of their youth, or foolishly thinking they still have a shot at The Bigs, men race around like they’re 22 - which is seriously worrying when you see the state of their physical fitness. And when the injuries occur, and they do more frequently than ever before, it take a long time to recover. Not surprisingly, this admission of “maturing” is a total drag.

3. The more you see, the less things surprise you. On the one hand, that’s good. That’s what experience teaches you. But on the other hand, the naive fantasy of the world slowly gets squeezed out. Think back to when you learned to ride a bike? Imagine that feeling! Those moments don’t happen often enough. When is the last time it happened to you? (I had to jump out of a plane.)

4. The more you live, the more trivial knowledge there is to fill you brain. How is it that I remember the words from the worst of 80’s pop songs, but I can’t remember what I had for lunch? Just think of how cool it would be to dump all of that inconsequential information and make room for new stuff!

5. Hangovers.

For a fascinating tutorial on Photoshop techniques for age progression, check out Exguides. (Sorry Katie, even Scientology can’t save you from time’s slow march!)

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