A primeira vez

Um escritor nunca esquece a primeira vez em que aceita algumas moedas ou um elogio em troca de uma história. Nunca esquece a primeira vez em que sente o doce veneno da vaidade no sangue e começa a acreditar que, se conseguir disfarçar sua falta de talento, o sonho da literatura será capaz de garantir um teto sobre sua cabeça, um prato quente no final do dia e aquilo que mais deseja: seu nome impresso num miserável pedaço de papel que certamente vai viver mais do que ele. Um escritor está condenado a recordar esse momento porque, a partir daí, ele está perdido e sua alma já tem um preço.

Origem: O Jogo do Anjo, Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Do Propósito

(por Woodrow Wilson)

Você não está aqui apenas para ganhar seu sustento.

Está aqui para permitir que o mundo viva de maneira mais ampla, com uma visão mais ampla, com um espírito de esperança e realização melhor.

Está aqui para enriquecer o mundo, e você se empobrece ao esquecer essa mensagem.

xxx

Um assunto perigoso de tratar

A felicidade! Sim, a felicidade é uma coisa que todos buscam, e que ninguém ainda definiu. Pois bem, a felicidade é o bem-estar, grande problema que a civilização moderna está resolvendo pela indústria, pelo comércio, pela liberdade, e pela religião. Para ser feliz é mister ser virtuoso; a virtude é ao mesmo tempo uma afecção da alma, e uma verdade demonstrada; cumpre senti-la e compreendê-la pelo instinto e pela razão. As sociedades modernas têm compreendido melhor os destinos humanos, buscando na elevação das suas idéias e dos seus pensamentos o remédio para todos os seus males.

A guerra, que era, por assim dizer, o elemento de todas as civilizações antigas, tornar-se-á impossível pela civilização moderna. O poder do pensamento destruirá um dia o flagelo da guerra. Quando a inteligência levar os meios de destruição a um ponto inevitável, e quando esses meios se tornarem gerais pela ciência e pelas artes, comuns a todos os povos, a guerra será inútil, porque não haverá triunfo possível; (…)

 

(Mme. de Stael. Da Literatura, &c. In: LIMA, General José Ignácio de Abreu e, 1794-1869. O Socialismo. 2ªEd. Rio de Janeiro: Paz e Terra / FAPERJ. 2001)

A diferença entre o FBI e a CIA

O FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) é uma espécie de Polícia Federal dos Estados Unidos, uma agência governamental que possui o papel de amparar a lei através da investigação de violações da lei penal federal. Entretanto, ao contrário do que alguns pensam, o FBI não é um departamento de polícia nacional, mas sim, uma jurisdição diferente para certos tipos de crimes, administrada pelo Procurador Geral da Justiça dos Estados Unidos. Criada em 26 de julho de 1908 pelo promotor público Charles Joseph Bonaparte, o FBI é considerado a maior agência policial do mundo, contando com trinta mil funcionários e atuando em sessenta países.

De uma forma bem simples, a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) é o serviço de inteligência estadunidense, cujo papel é coletar informações de fontes humanas, avaliar se essas informações ameaçam a segurança nacional, além de informar os responsáveis para que sejam tomadas medidas cabíveis.

 O serviço de inteligência estadunidense foi criado para satisfazer uma necessidade estratégica em virtude da Guerra Fria e do avanço do comunismo. Atualmente a CIA perdeu um pouco de sua importância, pois seu trabalho é restrito à investigação de informações de fontes humanas, a obtenção de informações obtidas de sinais de comunicação (SIGINT) é tarefa de outro órgão, a NSA.

 Embora o compartilhamento de informações entre o FBI e a CIA possa ser algo comum, existem grandes diferenças entre os órgãos. A maior delas é que, enquanto o FBI possui uma atuação maior dentro dos Estados Unidos, o trabalho da CIA é realizado no exterior. Essa distinção, porém, já foi desrespeitada diversas vezes.

 Crédito: Brasil Escola

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Aos que ainda desconhecem, é extremamente válido o material disponibilizado pela CIA referente à situação atual dos países no mundo.

 The World Factbook  (Lists population, government, military, and economic information for nations recognized by the United States.)

How to Be Smart

Much of our media looks down on smart people. They like to produce stories on beautiful and famous people with problems. Sometimes it almost seems to be unpopular to be smart. Such an attitude will not fare you well in the real world. Cultivating your intelligence, not just faking it, is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your happiness and financial success in life.

Steps

• 1. Set goals once a week. Do the important things first.
• 2. Work on your vocabulary. Read good books (not bestsellers), try to use a few definitions from the dictionary each day, or subscribe to a “word-of-the-day” service on-line. You can also take the vocabulary tests in Readers Digest or buy a book on increasing your working vocabulary. Read the dictionary one letter at a time. This will take you a year at least but you will grow intellectually.
• 3. Further your education. Keep in mind an education isn’t the crap you are forced to do in school for diplomas and degrees but an understanding of the world around you and its working because of fascination. People are naturally curious but begin to stop asking questions the moment they hit school but the truly brilliant mind always questions about their world and tries to make sense of it that is the secret to genius. Do not let the relentless orders and busywork of school called an “education” fool you. Schools are one potential resource if you enjoy the environment but by no means are they necessary for brilliance and by no means are they the best way. For more information learn about Unschooling. Note the significant contributions Unschoolers have made.
• 4. Watch the news and talk about recent things that have happened around the world. Try to watch (or, more preferably, read) news everyday on TV for the rest of your life. Also analyze it for the media does occasionally sell propaganda.
• 5. Cultivate an interest in subjects like current events, interesting facts, funny and inspiring quotations, good books and movies, scientific studies and interesting inventions. Educational television is a great way to learn. Check out PBS or History channel. People who have something to talk about other than their own internal problems and worries appear far more interesting and intelligent.
• 6. Read good books. They will make you both appear and be smarter. Reading really is fun and your mind will grow. Keep your reading diverse by reading books of all genres including non-fiction. Make sure the books are interesting to you. As you read more you will soon learn that, just like movies, some books are better than others. Keep searching out the ones you think are good. If not sure what to read… ask a teacher or go to the library. Get a library card.
• 7. Be organized. Begin each day by planning. Get a notebook or small digital planner to write down your daily homework assignments and write down the due dates for tests and papers. Get a weekly planner with your class schedule and plan your activities. Get a monthly calender to write down birthdays and big events. Write down what classes you have, when to do homework and what your homework is, dates, when you are hanging out with friends etc. all in your planner.
• 8. Learn to listen carefully to others’ opinions about controversial things, or things they know about and you do not. You do not have to agree with them but remember everybody has something to teach you. Keep an open mind. The more intelligent you are the more questions you will ask of your friends, teachers and parents. It is great for social conversations too but don’t do it in class.
• 9. Be nice to people. Care about the well being of others. Sometimes people don’t realize if another person is hurting or sad. Look at their faces and in their eyes when you talk to them. There will always be bullies. They may call you names: a nerd, a freak, a geek, or use a racial or homophobic slur, but in this case they really will only be jealous and petty. Being nice to all people is also a sign of maturity, class and intelligence. Keep it up and people will notice. You will start to feel very good inside. Sometimes a good tactic is to go along with their mockery and laugh at yourself. Stand up for people who are getting bullied even if you might start getting bullied. Never insult anyone, gossip or hurt someone physically. Don’t make offensive jokes.If someone is abusive to you, you can ignore them or go to adults for advice on how to deal with them. Be respectful to yourself, friends, parents and teachers.
• 10. Be friends with smart people who do all of the above. It will boost your self-esteem, confidence, make you less likely to be teased, prevent depression, help you study harder, make your life happier and otherwise enrich your life. You can also make studying fun with your friends.
• 11. Exercise your mind. Learn how to solve the Rubik’s cube. It is easier than it appears if you learn tricks in visualizing the cube’s geometry. Also do word and math puzzles-such as Sudoku. This will make you at least twice as smart!
• 12. Learn how to do mental sums or speed math. There are all sorts of tricks for doing complicated math in your head that will amaze others. Plus it can potentially increase working memory.
• 13. Visit new places as much as you can. If possible, try to visit other countries too. Visiting cities in your country or in a different one, gives you a open mind and teaches you about the world we live in. You will be able to understand other cultures(how people live in a different place, how they behave with each other, how they live and so on). You will also be able to understand that the planet earth is huge and there are so much to see and do. You will be fascinated on how there are so many different people and culture in the world. That will make you smart and interesting.
• 14. Visualize. Smart people use the visual sense. They observe a lot. That’s a much better way of taking in and representing information than verbally (for example, in words,) or in sound, smell, touch, etc.
• 15. Deconstruct complex situations into objects. That will enable you to understand each object and its properties (and therefore behavior) better, and will give you a good, in-depth view of how the system as a whole interacts together.

Tips

• Remember, smart people don’t necessarily talk a lot. If you do say something, make it witty. Never brag about what you know, like how the universe was created. Always be willing to help if someone asks.
• If you need help in getting organized, ask an adult or a teacher.
• If someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to, be honest and tell them you do not know. Find out what the answer is from someone.
• If your parents are not educated it does not mean they are stupid, maybe they just did not have the chance. Try to improve yourself but not make fun if they are ignorant.
• Don’t let other people’s rude comments get to you. They’re just ignorant if they feel they need to insult you in order to feel better about themselves. Never obsess about what other people think of you. It is a waste of time and may increase your stress.
• Try to find a role model- someone who is very intelligent – and observe them. But still know who you are.
• Take the time to study.
• Beware that drugs and alcohol can lower your intelligence. Exercise and eating soy help the brain to grow big. Eat lots of soy. Except, for females, soy has isoflavones which can naturally escalate your estrogen levels-limit to a small bowl a day of soybeans and/or a glass of soy milk. Too much soy is not good-it will alter your hormone levels!
• Take your time and learn to communicate well.
• Don’t be jealous about other people’s life and know that we are all the same and we are all different…we are all humans, but we are all unique. Be happy with what you got in your life. It is the smartest, and best, thing you can possibly do.
• There is more than one “type” of smart. There are booksmarts, streetsmarts, and so many others out there. No one is technically “stupid” or “dumb” it is just that everyone is smarter at something than someone else!
• Learn to work with people. Sure it’s great to be right most of the time using your intelligence, but you also need to learn to work with other people. Don’t expect them to understand everything you can understand. Make things simple or obvious for them, but not too obvious so that you sound like you’re mocking them. Don’t command them. Ask questions that will help spur their thinking. And find reasons that they can related to for accepting an idea or solution, etc.

Warnings

• Don’t become a know-it-all or do-it-all. It is obnoxious! It is better to be subtle, not obvious.
• Try very hard to enjoy working with others on projects. It says a lot about you if you are successful. Other people have valuable ideas too. Listen to what others have to say.
• Always keep your promises to other people.
• Treat others as you want to be treated
• Be a Good Clean and well presented person.

xxx