Reckless Highway Behavior - Breathing Space Blog

Has the situation improved? From 11 years ago: 

NBC Channel 10 in Philadelphia reported that "New Jersey legislators pushed forward a plan to make it illegal to text message while driving. The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee voted unanimously to release the proposal after several legislators admitted frequently firing off text messages while behind the wheel, even though they know doing so is dangerous."

"Assemblyman Paul Moriarty acknowledges doing it himself, but he's not proud of it. 'It's very, very dangerous,' he said. Citing that risk, the Democratic assemblyman wants to stop motorists from sending text messages while driving."

"'It's more dangerous than talking on a cell phone because I believe you can keep your eyes on the road when talking on a cell phone,' Moriarty said. That's not the case when typing and sending text messages, he said. 'I only assume they're using their knees to drive,' Moriarty said."

Email Lives On and On - Breathing Space Blog

We've all been there: sent off an email a bit too soon, and then realized we can't take it back.

By now it's clear to everyone: anything you ever email at work will be stored for evermore and might one day be used against you. “

A word to Breathing Space enthusiasts: if you write it and send it, your message will live on. So think twice before you hit “send.”

Too Real: Inept Phone Service - Breathing Space Blog

Welcome to the XYZ Company's electronic answering system. If you know your party's extension, why did you call our main switchboard?

(With Government) You have reached a non-working number at the U.S. Department of Labor, and hence we can't connect you with anyone.

Calls are taken in the order received so please stay on the line so that we can repeat this irritating message at least a half a dozen times. You will not be disconnected, unless, of course, you are.

Your call is important to us, which is why we're willing to tie up your phone for a half an hour.

If you're calling from a touch-tone phone and would like to leave a message, press the # sign followed by the number 2, followed by the digits of your social security number...

Once your message is completed, if you'd like to change it, press star button followed by the number 4, or wait for further overly-complex instructions.

To reach a customer service representative, who will practice learning English during your call, press 5.

To reach technical support, press 7 and please make sure you have your customer ID number, equipment serial number, original invoice, and lots of reading material.

For all other departments, please stay on the line where you'll be subjected to Muzak.

Got Breathing Space? - Breathing Space Blog

When you don't have, or feel you don't have, an extra moment to read philosophy, history, or science, when great literature, plays, and novels are as foreign to you as hieroglyphics, do you have any chance of seeing your work, career, or life in a new light?

Some Breathing Space Each Day - Breathing Space Blog

An article in Wall Street Journal discussed how some people think they can fly off to a spa, have two weeks of idyllic living, come back, and be ready to go. A growing body of research, however, suggests that this approach is wrong and that multi-millions of people manage stress incorrectly. They stress out all day and defer relaxation to isolated blocks of time, such as evening yoga classes and weekend trips.

The problem with this approach to stress management is that the relentless exposure to daily, chronic anxiety is the most toxic form of stress. The body releases chemicals under high stress that can damage the immune system and increase the risk of all types of illness. Stress can harm neurons in the brain, hamper sexual performance, and even lead to heart attacks and premature death.

The conclusion from these findings: people need breathing space throughout the day, every day.

Untold Duped Masses - Breathing Space Blog

Several times a week, for at least 18 years, I receive various moronic "help me" move my "fortune to the USA" email letters. How can the same transparent tactics continue to be employed more than 12,000 times unless there are legions of recipients who actually respond to such letters?

How difficult can it be for full-faculty recipients to figure out that these bogus claims are perpetrated by career criminals in their sorted dens and in world's cyber cafes where their thievery is largely untraceable?

Let Your Fingers Do the Walking - Breathing Space Blog

A tip worth employing: Use Google to find a topic-specific search engine, then use that engine to locate the sites that are most applicable to your needs.