Survey - Regrets

Regrets.

I asked some people about their lifestyle and their decisions. How many people are not doing what they want? How often do they regret about what have they done?
The majority of people I asked were between 18 and 25 years old. There were also  a lot of people under 18.

Speaking about the main question –“Have you ever committed some actions in the past that you regret about?” – the majority of respondents answered positively (about 78%).  

Talking about how often people regret about something, we can see, that there is a middle way. The most feck of respondents regret about something from time to time (about 47%), but some of them never do this (nearly 21%) and the rest of them do it very often. 

Going deeper into this question, I found out, that the most popular thing people regret about is “Telling or not-telling something to somebody” (48% of respondents answered that way). About 36% regret about their reckless decision and the the remainder of the interviewees have purchased something useless.

The World on Music Waves

                No matter when and where we may be, music is all around us.

                When you’re watching TV, most likely TV shows and commercials have background music. Turning on a radio, you can have nearly any genre at the press of a button. Just walking down a street you can hear it: the blaring of a car stereo, the chirping of birds, someone passing by and humming their favorite song. The ambiance can be set in any room by simply adding soft music in a restaurant or a shopping mall. Several famous athletes have been known to listen to music as part of their pre-game/match ritual. And let's not forget those unforgettable soundtracks to our favorite films. Yes, music is everywhere.

                It’s also a known fact, that music has its cultural and historical background and plays an important part in our history. For example in Greece, it was an essential detail of all public, social and religious gatherings. Now we have a song that almost everyone knows to sing at birthdays, the wedding march most commonly used today despite the fact that it was written in 1842 and the same with the funeral march. In the 20^th century, music became a significant component to the survival and revival of the culture after all the wars. People expressed their protests with music in the 1960s and 1980s. So, we should say that popular music of any time is like a soundtrack for that historical period.

               

                Your favorite music can tell who you really are.

                Don’t deny that you’ve never been a bit judgy when you hear someone’s taste in music, because of course you have. And you were right – music taste can tell a lot about everyone. According to different surveys, almost 100% of people like to listen to music, and there exist many genres. Psychologists already know that music preferences are linked to personality, and it is also associated with the way you think. The researchers hypothesize that people seek out music that reflects and reinforces their own mental states.

                Spotify is a Swedish commercial music streaming, podcast and video service, one of the biggest ones in the world.

 David Greenberg, a Ph.D. candidate at Cambridge, once said in The Huffington Post interview that people’s musical choices is like a mirror of who they are. In his opinion, empathizers (empathetic individuals), who have a drive to understand the thoughts and feelings of others, preferred music which featured low energy, negative emotions (such as sadness) and emotional depth. On the other hand, systemizers (analytic minds), who have a drive to understand and analyze the patterns that underpin the world, preferred music which not only features high energy and positive emotions.

                According to music psychology scholar Adrian North (PhD, who conducted a three-year study correlating the musical preferences and personality traits of more than 36,000 participants), there is an exemplary statistic about some music genres and personality:

Rap/Hip-Hop: high self-esteem, outgoing, not very eco-friendly;

Heavy Metal: gentle, low self-esteem, reserved, and comfortable with themselves;

Indie Rock: low self-esteem, creative, lazy, headstrong;

Electronic/Dance: sociable, headstrong, outgoing, creative;

Classical: high self-esteem, introverted, high earners, eco-friendly;

Pop: high self esteem, hard working, outgoing, low creativity, nervous.

                So, the phrase "I love Slayer, Megadeth, and lots of cuddles" might not be as outlandish as it sounds. I know many heavy metal fans who are quite adorable and softhearted unlike Tailor Swift and Justin Bieber fans who may be quite selfish and aggressive.

                Some ways music can save or improve your life.

1)      Music creates or changes your mood.

People often chose their favorite song because it’s associated with an intense emotional experience in their life, and listen to a specific genre because of their mood. But sometimes they would rather chose something energetic to lift spirit instead of habitual melancholic and calm songs or backward. Carlos Santana once said: "Music can change your molecular structure". In other words, music can completely change your mood and turn your world upside down.

2)      Music brings people together.

There is a certain type of connection, which comes when you are listening to music in a group of people and interacting with music through dance. Concerts and festivals can make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger. As an example, many teenagers say, ‘Well, I don’t have any close friends,’ ‘My family hates me,’ and ‘I have no one.’ But then they go to a concert of favorite band and see that there’re other people who feel the same way as them, and there’re people that believe in a better life, as well. They make you forget the outside world. In terms of music enjoyment, I can compare nothing with seeing a favorite band preform live, it’s one of those times you wish you could relive again and again. Such an incredible and crazy feeling, isn’t it? The same is true for those who create music in a band.

3)      Music reduces pain.

When “Ibuprofen” isn't dоing the jоb, it might be time tо put оn my favоrite sоng. It helps me relax and stop concentrating on pain. Even doctors sometimes recommend their patients to listen to music before, during and after an operation. That is the reason why we can say that music can become an addiction – we’re always addicted to something that takes away the pain.

4)      Music expresses more than words.

Sometimes words fail to express what our heart so desperately wants to say, therefore people use music to deal with it. Everyone who listens to a song has their own personal variations of the meaning associated with it. After a while, certain songs can even become the soundtrack of someone’s life (as for me, I have about 15 such songs). However, you should remember that if someone tells you to listen to a song, listen to it. It may be the worst song you’ve ever heard, but may be this person wants to share it with you because doesn’t know how to tell you something with simple words.

5)      Music saves lives.

There are a lot of situations, when music helps to avoid suicide, depression, social anxiety, panic attacks and etc., because many songs have lyrics which inspire and make you sure that life is beautiful. Music can be the outlet that lets people know they’re not alone. It gives people hope and a sense of belonging, expresses emotions in a way that nothing else really seems to be able to. It may sound silly, but my iPod is one of my best friends, because it never leaves me like anyone can do at any moment.

                Music is one of the most beloved human experiences. Everyone enjoys some kind of music and that is evident in almost every important life event. Each adventure requires an anthem, every moment needs a melody, and all of life's little pains deserve a soothing lullaby. So, maybe Carlos Santana was right. If musiс сhanges оur mоleсular struсture, what wоuld we be without it?

The world is heading towards unchartered territory at 'frightening speed'

The world is heading towards unchartered territory at 'frightening speed'

         Deep in the Arctic a mother polar is returning from a long, hard day of hunting. But looking ahead she sees the ice floes she uses to get home are much farther apart. It will be a lot harder to make it home. She jumps in and swims for it but pretty soon becomes exhausted. Just when she can’t make it any further another ice floe appears. She barely made it.

         Sadly, not all polar bears are this lucky. The North Polar ice caps are melting rapidly causing all sorts of problems needing grave attention. The cause of this problem I can sum up in two words. Global warming. Global warming is caused by carbon dioxide and other air pollution that’s collecting up and trapping the sun’s heat. Many of us never dream that little things like driving a car and turning on the lights could be part of the reason this planet is warming up. Scientists believe that U.S. temperatures could be 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of the century. To make matters worse, global warming doesn’t only affect polar bears, but people and places all over the world. It is crucial we take action against global warming and all the issues it has caused before it’s too late.

         Global warming is a huge problem most people don’t seem to be aware of. And the environment is just one of the things changing around us. Things never hear of before are jeopardizing our planet. In 2002, Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon suffered through one of the worst wildfire seasons ever. At the same time, Montana and Texas endured droughts that were creating dust storms. And to add to all these rugged weather changes, jus the next year, 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1,500 deaths in India. Talk about changing climate.

         And I’m only getting started. Let’s go back to the polar bears. As I briefly mentioned before, in the Arctic and Antarctic dramatic changes are happening. Even though the Arctic is a region meant to stay frozen 365 days a year, the ice cap is melting rapidly. Unless we stop releasing greenhouse gases the polar ice cap will completely disappear each year during summertime. In the book An Inconvenient Truth, it clearly states, “This is a dangerous situation for all of us, because the Arctic ice cap plays a very crucial role in cooling the entire planet.” We are in a very serious position. We must stop Global Warming!

         As Al Gore once said, “Each one of us is a cause of global warming, but each of us can become part of the solution…”

It isn’t too late to stop global warming, or at least slow it down a bit. And who better than us, the cause of this awful problem, to do just that.

         Tell me, how often do you use your car? Don’t get me wrong1 I don’t want you to stop using it completely, but cars are the 2nd to largest source of global warming. Cars burn off tons carbon dioxide. This creates a hole in the ozone layer. Very strong sunlight shines through the hole which contributes to global warming.

         One quick and easy way to save money and gas is too carpool with your friends and family. That way instead of the pollution from 2 cars, it will be just one! Or even better, buy a hybrid car! These energy efficient cars have gas electric engines and cut global warming pollution by one third or more1 Much better then Hummers and SUV’s. The popularity of these cars has generated a 20% increase in transportation-related carbon dioxide pollution.

         It’s hard to believe that something as simple as the light bulb could play a major role in global warming. But there is a way to save energy for everything. Instead of picking incandescent light bulb choose a compact fluoresant one instead. You’ll lower your energy bill AND keep nearly 700 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air. How about that, a way to save money, and the environment1 Another way to reduce carbon dioxide pollution is to take a chance and try a refrigerator with the Energy Star label. That indicates it uses at least 15 percent less energy then the federal requirement. Try to make everything you do one more step towards solving global warming. Every little thing counts.

         If we want our children to grow up in a carefree, healthy world, we need to start working toward it now. We are not just hurting the earth, but hurting ourselves and the way we live. Some of it we can’t help, but most of it we can and should try to change. When so much has already been lost to us think how life might be in a few years.

Public prefers cellular phone to be healthy lifestyle

Public prefers cellular phone to be healthy lifestyle

                                                                                          

The public is quite concerned about the question of enjoying their green old age. It's one of the main questions of our time. The majority of the respondents were between 18 and 25 years old. This age is more connected with overusing cellular phones. All people have cellular phones, it’s is not news.

More than 90 per cent of respondents use their phones every day.

Nearly 70 per cent of respondents strongly agree that using their phones is harmful for their health. But about 20 per cent of people only agree with it.  

Only 23 per cent of public say that they can live without their mobile. It's horrible. Not all people use their phones to call.

About 45 per cent of people use their phones to call. And respondents says that they are using their cellular to play only. It’s about 75 per cent. But statistics show that more than 85 percent of the respondents answered that they strongly agree on this question. It’s a good result.

In my opinion, telephone is a very useful and important device. We simply can’t live without it in the modern world, even though it is not safe for health. The only solution is to try to use it less in everyday life.

Follow the School Dress Code?

     Everybody knows that people today judge you by what you wear. It gives them the first impression of you. I believe, you've heard before that your shoes have to be always tidy or people can say that you're messy, lazy or slovenly (and all that only by your shoes). But perhaps you've just overslept and couldn't find time for cleaning your shoes. Or maybe you just don't like to do it. But that's how people today define you. You are what you wear.
     So, what do you usually wear? You know that it depends on the day, event and so on. And you're right. If you work in a bank, for example, you just can't go there wearing your favourite Aloha shirt because it's not appropriate for this kind of job. Have you ever seen that people who work in a bank wear something unusual? Neither have I. It means that banks have some dress codes and clothes like casual shirts or even jeans violate it.  Nobody cares whether you feel comfortable in it or not. But there are dress codes also for students. And, the question is: Is it necessary have dress codes in schools?
    I live in Russia and study in a pedagogical university in Tula. And I can't say that we have a dress code here because people dress as they want. There are no strict rules about it. I wear same casual clothes at home and in the university. So, I don't have any problems with it. But, it's not the same for schools. Male students have to wear red knitted waistcoats with symbols of their schools and also black pants. It doesn't seem too hard to follow the rule. But according to words of students, sometimes it's not as easy as it seems to wear these waistcoats.
    "You know, it's just impossible to wear it, especially in May, when it's boiling hot outside." says my friend Andrei, who is a school student. "And it's prohibited to take vest off. Some of my classmates can't even breathe and it distracts them from studies. But nobody cares about it. "All students should follow these rules" that's what teachers usually say.
     Once, he has been noticed without this vest. And what do you think? Teachers called his parents. Yes. It's so stupid.
     It should be mentioned that when I was in school, there was no dress code then. We didn't have problems with clothes at all. So, I don't understand what the purpose of all these school uniforms is. They just prevent self expression of students. Ok, maybe if we let students wear what they want, some of them will dress absolutely inappropriately. But I think that parents will care about it and won't allow them to do it. And what about teachers? They spend so much time discussing how bad you are because you've forgotten your red vest at home, although, teachers could explain something new and useful to students.
     Dress code makes sense when you're working but not when you're studying. One of my friends works in a hotel now and I've asked him about his clothes.
    "Of course, we have a dress code and I think it's necessary to have it for professions like mine. As for me, I should represent my hotel by what I wear. I should show all guests that this hotel is a prestigious place and they can trust me. I don't think that casual outfit like jeans and sneakers will help me with it." said Egor.
    That's true, but not for schools. What we can show by all these vests? That we are from School №71? That's ridiculous.
    For example, in the UK school uniforms shame girls because they're so "provocative". Even teachers say so. And, sometimes, these costumes lead to sexism, because it's girls with their dresses who distract boys from studies. But again, what should they do? Should they just sit at home because their skirts are too short? That's interesting, that they can't go to school in jeans. In this case, they will violate the dress code. But usually nobody cares when male students break the rules.
    So, do we really need these dress codes in schools if they distract students and lead to gender inequality and injustice? Some parents say that their children don't spend their time in the morning choosing what to wear. And also it's so good for poor families, because school uniform is not so expensive. You buy this costume and your child will wear it all year round. But they don't think that if their child messes up his vest, they will have to buy a new one. They have no alternatives.
    And, of course, parents often don't want to know what their children think about it. It seems sometimes that parents go to schools but not their children.
     So, as for me, I think that first of all, students should feel comfortable in their clothes. And as I see, it's impossible with such school uniforms. Many students complain about school uniforms. If they don't like it, maybe it's time to change?

Dedication to the basketball

To learn more about the life of Alexander Kharchenkov I contacted with one of his players. Nikolai Serov played in the Alexander’s team almost 15 years ago. Now he is tall dark-haired man in his middle 40’s. However, every time he mention his former mentor, he talk like he is 20, full of respect and admiration to Alexander. Nikolai better than others can tell the life story of the great coach and athlete because even today they are close friends with Kharchenkov. We met at the Arsenals training base. He could not wait to tell as much as possible.

That extremely important match was held in Leningrad[А1]  in 1974. The new team of the USSR consisting of young players met with the most formidable contender in the world of basketball- USA. Americans visited Russia in the framework of friendly matches but the management of the USSR team gave great importance to this event. The fate of the team depended on the outcome of this day.

Alexander went to the court with a sense of great excitement but nobody could notice it. It took him only a couple of minutes to calm down and concentrate. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists and made a deep breath. A feeling of anxiety was replaced by enthusiasm from the awareness of the moment. Hum of the crowd returned Alexander back to reality. He exchanged glances with his teammate, inspiring nodded and the first half of the match began.

Since childhood, sport was great Alexander’s great passion. To tell the truth his favorite game was football. He changed many sports sections, but his growth was welcomed only in basketball. His first mentor was Edward M. Milner. He instilled in Alexander the love to the orange ball. At the age of 15, he became the player of CSKA- one of the elite teams in the country. It was very hard to combine active training with studies at secondary school. The difficult financial situation of the family also added to the pressure.

The national team of the USSR won the world championship in Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, the team still had great financial difficulties. “We played basketball for our country, not to achieve material wealth. We were in love with the game itself, rather than what it can bring to us.” Alexander said in his interview for the “Orangeball.com”.

Many players left the team with a deep sense of disappointment. Sports career is not forever. New people are coming and experienced players often lose strength and love for the sport. Most of Alexander’s teammates left the professional basketball in search for material benefits for themselves and their families.

Years passed but Alexander’s enthusiasm only grew . He began to analyze the game of his teammates, developed schemes and combinations. Later he was assigned to conduct training at a youth team. It was completely different level of game understanding. Some friends of Alexander called it an obsession.

In the late 80’s the European basketball community spotted Alexander’s talent of leadership. For several years, he was an active player and coach in many German clubs. A big stress for Alexander was the bankruptcy of his main team. Financial problems constantly harassed him. Chagrined but not broken he returned to Saint Petersburg.

During his absence, management of «Spartak» was completely replaced. The new boss cut the budget to minimum. Alexander’s aim was to lead the team to the victory despite the ridiculous working conditions. Players were not paid for half a year. Mass strike began in the club. It was the darkest time in Alexander’s career. He could no longer play, because of his age. Even in such a difficult time, he never lost his composure and calmness.

He moved to Volgograd where he was offered a coach place in «Akvarius», a stable but very poor team. It was like a «new life» for Alexander. He understood that there would not be big fees, but after all the bustle that he saw in big teams that work was like a «salvation».

Alexander loved coaching but deep in his heart, he longed to enter basketball court as a player at least one more time. He was given that chance in 2001.  One of his players was seriously injured during a friendly match with Estonia. It was too dangerous to release an unexperienced player. He went by himself to the court at the age of 49. Spectators and opposing team openly mocked him. “I remember the coach one of the teams shouted his players from the bench: "Don’t keep him, he will do nothing!". “To everyone's[А2]  surprise Alexander showed the result of a young athlete. He played the full match in multiple positions and brought his team more than 70 points. It was one of the happiest moments in his life. By his example, he strongly motivated young players and this match became a legend of the «Akvarius» club.

 The main secret of his success, is a sincere love of basketball. As Alexander says himself  he never chased after richness and glory. When his friends fell into depression because of lost dreams, he continued to work, just enjoying the process. Influenced by his fellows, he doubted too. But every time when it happened he remembered his childhood. The boy from a poor family became a player of CSKA at the age of 15. He believed that was a sign. The sign that he was made for this sport.

At a training camp Alexander met his future wife. His son was born in Germany. He became a professional player in one of the dominating clubs. In all his speeches, he remembers his father and says how much he is proud of him. So, figuratively speaking, basketball gave Alexander a wonderful family.

The main principle of his life, Alexander fit in his famous phrase:” Sport is a state of mind, not just the body. If you are ready to become an athlete, even not for victories, only for yourself. It means that you're ready to live but not to exist.”

---

 [А1]

 [А2]

Feature: Designing the future with The Venus Project.

Our civilization achieved great things in last fifty years. We reached Moon, we sent our satellites to Mars and Venus. A lot of diseases were cured with the help of the new scientific inventions. But still there are a lot of people who suffer from poverty, hunger, and wars. What causes all these huge problems? Can we overwhelm them? How can we, simple people, influence all of this?

It seems members of the international organization called “The Venus Project” know the answers to these questions. Evgeny Slyuzko is the main representative of the movement in Russian-speaking countries. “Here, in Venus Project we seek a better future for humanity”, he says during webinar. “We think that sustainable development of society is possible only if all people are equally allowed to use resources of planet”.

This organization was founded by American designer and engineer Jacques Fresco. He calls himself “social engineer”. In his documentary “Future by design” Jacques says: “How can we talk about modern democracy, when one percent of planet population controls forty percents of resources?” 

The idea of creating such organization came to Jacques’ head more than forty years ago. First he established “Sociocyberneering, Inc.”, which further evolved into The Venus Project. This name descends from the name of a little village in USA.

During Q & A session Jacques Fresco said that the thing, which inspired him to create such a movement, was the Great Depression. He witnessed it when he was a child. “And I looked around, and stores had everything in the windows: radios and such things. Whatever people would need but they had no money. So, then I thought there was something wrong with our system”.

As it was previously mentioned, dembers of The Venus Project, according to Evgeny Slyuzko, promote the idea of “resource-based economy”. It is kind of socialistic idea of distribution of wealth equally to all people.

Venus Project has no offices around the world, no hierarchy or something like that. Every member can suggest new ideas via Internet. It is like a union of people who share some similar thoughts. This fact makes this movement unique. 

“Well, some people consider us as a Left-winged party”, says Evgeny. “In the sphere of politics it may seem so, but we think that politicians cannot solve the problems. Just ask them what they know about hydroponics. They will tell you:”I don’t know much about it”. Ask them about agriculture, robotics, cybernetics and the answers will be similar. So, we don't consider ourselves as a political organisation”.

In the capitalist system there are always millions of people who have very few money for living, people who witness wars and so on. The reason of all this suffering is hidden deep in the modern economic system. Also this system leads to environmental pollutions because today’s capitalism is aimed to get maximum profit with less investment.

So, what are the main purposes of The Venus Project?

The Venus Project offers a brand new socio-economic system, in which automation and technology would be integrated into all spheres of life and aimed mainly to improve the standard of living, without getting any profit. The project also offers a set of practical and realizable values ​​of human existence.

“These values ​​are in harmony with the spiritual aspects and ideals that can be found in most religions of the world. However, the hallmark of The Venus Project is a proposal to put these ideals into reality”, is written on the official site of the movement.

The first stage of the long-term plans for the project is already underway. Jacque Fresco and his associate Roxanne Meadows completed the construction of a research center on the area of ​​9 hectares in Venus, Florida. Videos, brochures, and the recently published book “All the best that money cannot buy” were issued to inform the public about the project and its proposals.

The second stage involves the creation of full-length feature film, which will show the work of the proposed project innovations. “The film”, says Evgeny, “will bring the audience the positive vision of a peaceful society, in which all people are one big family on planet Earth”.

And, finally, here comes the third stage. The third stage involves the creation of experimental research city that will allow testing plans and proposals. This experimental city will work to achieve the objectives and proposals of the project:

1.     All Earth’s resources belong to humanity in general, not to certain persons.

2.     The transition from monetary-oriented national economies of individual countries to the global resource-based economy.

3.     The restoration of environment.

4.     Complete phase-out of such forms of management as corporations and governments.

5.     The interchange of technologies for the benefit of all peoples.

This is not the full list of plans, but still it looks quite impressive and ambitious.

Nowadays humanity stands on the verge of changes. We face a lot of social, economic and environmental problems. And following the words of Jacques Fresco: “If we want to see the future we must invent it”. The Venus Project is not a utopia. It does not reflect the ideals of impractical dreamers. It is based on realistic goals. Our only limitations are those that only in our heads.

“So, what will we choose?” asks Jacques Fresco. “Oblivion or paradise?”