Aubrey de Grey dice que podemos evitar el envejecimiento. Aubrey de Grey says we can avoid aging.

El investigador de Cambridge Aubrey de Grey sostiene que envejecer es simplemente una enfermedad, y que es curable. Dice que los humanos envejecemos de siete formas básicas, todas ellas pueden evitarse.

Aubrey de Grey, British researcher on aging, claims he has drawn a roadmap to defeat biological aging. He provocatively proposes that the first human beings who will live to 1,000 years old have already been born.

Aubrey de Grey: Seeker of immortality

Source:  TED Conversations.  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/es/aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_aging.html

Ocho cosas que deberíamos hacer antes de ir a trabajar

Sabemos que las mañanas son duras y que por cinco minutos más en la cama luego tenemos que ir corriendo por casa como si de una contrareloj se tratase. Pero lo ideal sería levantarnos con un poco más de tiempo para luego no ir atacados en el coche camino del trabajo o con el estrés de perder el tren. Y, aunque sabemos que es complicado, te recomendamos unas pautas para que tu día sea mucho más tranquilo y productivo.

1. Tómate tu tiempo para salir de la cama. El sonido del despertador, por mucha aplicación del iPhone con sonidos de las olas del mar, no debería ser el comienzo de un día de trabajo. ¿Lo ideal? Poder despertarse uno mismo de un modo natural y menos violento, hacer dos o tres inspiraciones profundas, algunos estiramientos, y empezar el día a un ritmo menos acelerado. Pero como eso es difícil que ocurra a las seis de la mañana, al menos debes dar al cuerpo y a la mente la oportunidad de despertar del todo antes de saltar de la cama es un primer paso para tener un día tranquilo y productivo.

2. Escucha algo de música. La música es una fuente de inspiración y energía. Usa tu canción favorita o la música que te relaja como si fuera la banda sonora de tus mañanas mientras te duchas, te vistes, desayunas... Y por supuesto esto es aplicable al metro o al coche. Sintoniza esa emisora que sabes que te pone las canciones que te suben el ánimo para intentar entrar a la oficina con una sonrisa en tu rostro.

3. Desayuna con tiempo. Considera el desayuno como una comida en toda regla. Intenta disfrutar el café y lo que comas en lugar de tomártelo de pie y deprisa, tómate tu tiempo para disfrutar del momento. Planifica un desayuno variado con frutas y algo de cereales. Sentarse a desayunar es un modo inteligente de empezar una mañana de trabajo.

4. Si puedes hacer un poco de ejercicio, aunque sea un paseo corto de 20 minutos, tu organismo lo agradecerá y te sentirás como nuevo.

5. Lee. Si tienes un desplazamiento más o menos largo hasta llegar al trabajo, aprovecha ese tiempo para leer o para escuchar buena música. Busca concienzudamente el libro para la ocasión o hazte un buen play list que consiga que llegues de buen humor al trabajo.

6. Conecta con tus amigos. Si tienes Whatsapp es un modo gratis y rápido de hacer que tu energía se multiplique. Conectar con tu red emocional es una fuente de energía positiva que te hará sentir bien el resto del día. Un email, un SMS, repasar tu timeline o publicar un estado en facebook valdrán para sentirte bien y vere permitirá ver las cosas en perspectiva.

7. Riéte. Por muy mal que se presente el día o por mala noche que hayas pasado, dale una nueva oportunidad al día que empieza y piensa que todo podría ser peor. La risa te hará sentirte mucho mejor y contagiarás este estado de ánimo a los que te rodean.

8. Ponte guapo. Puede parece algo superficial, pero lo cierto es que verte guapo ante el espejo hará subir tu autoestima y tu estado de ánimo en general. Además si tú te ves bien, los demás lo harán...


Fuente: El Economista http://www.eleconomista.es/evasion/noticias/4059810/06/12/Cinco-cosas-que-deberiamos-hacer-antes-de-ir-a-trabajar.html

Grecia: la penúltima oportunidad de ser sensatos

Las elecciones de mañana en Grecia se nos han presentado por parte de nuestros administradores europeos como un día clave (y van..... no sé he perdido la cuenta). Nos llevan asusutando, especialmente a los griegos, de que votar contra las opiniones de Bruselas y de Merkel, es peor que una herejía y que se desencadenaría una guerra nuclarae planetaria y que planetas enteros explotarán... y demás milongas.

hay que recordar que estos mismos administradores europeos llevan cuatro años (sí más de 4 años!!!) gestionando una crisis y que en vez de arreglarla cada vez está peor y la economía de la zona cada vez más hundida.

Si tomásemos nuestras decisiones por los resultados que se obtienen, está claro que ningún griego con dos dedos de frente votaría seguir en esta hoguera de las vanidades en que se ha convertido la zona Euro. Parafraseando al Señor de los Anillos:

Una moneda para gobernarlos a todos, una moneda para encontrarlos,

una moneda para atraerlos a todos y atarlos en las tinieblas.

Sí, una moneda sin una política fiscal común, sin una política administrativa común, sin un banco central que la apoye, pues nació capado y así prosigue por obra de nuestros políticos, sin un objetivo de crecimiento, sin posibilidad de comprar deuda en los mercados primarios, sin nada detrás.... La moneda más débil del mundo.

No es argumento razonable decir lo mal que nos iría si hiciéramos algo que no se ha hecho y aducir un miedo que nadie conoce. Que yo sepa desde que murió Merlín no hay en este mundo adivinadores del futuro, y desde luego la Troica es la menos preparada para ver el futuro. 

Grecia tiene ante sí la posibilidad de salirse de este mundo de Mordor que no está tocando vivir sin sentido. Un mundo donde no se cambia nada, donde no se toman decisiones, y donde la oscuridad cada vez se torna más oscura haciéndose compañera inevitable de nuestras fatigas. Un mundo donde perdemos de un plumazo derechos adquiridos a base de esfuerzo y de lucha. Todo por el Anillo de Poder, digo la Moneda de Poder.

Griegos innovad!!! Buscar otra salida aún que estáis a tiempo. El ojo de Mordor está puesto sobre vosotros de forma inquietante.

Como decía Tucídides, "Es la libertad o la tranquilidad. Tienes que elegir. Serás libre o estarás tranquilo. No puedes tener ambas cosas."

Fernando García

The 7 Biggest Creativity Killers

By: Gaia and Andrew Grant

Andrew and Gaia Grant, authors of Who Killed Creativity? And How To Get It Back, introduce us to some insidious professional killers and recommend ways to stop them.

A crime scene investigation is underway to investigate a death. This is not an average death, this is the death of creative thinking. You see while IQ levels have been rising owing to enriched environments (the Flynn effect), creativity scores have actually been falling over time. After analyzing up to 300,000 Torrance scores from children and adults (the gold standard in creativity measurement), it has been discovered that although creativity scores rose along with IQ scores until 1990, creativity scores have since dropped significantly.

This decline is also evident across an individual’s lifespan. Research into the decline of creativity has led to some startling conclusions. In a sample of 1500 children aged 3–5, 98 percent ranked as "geniuses" in divergent thinking; in children aged 8–10 the figure fell to just 32 percent; and by age 13–15 it had declined further to a mere 10 percent. In other words, children become less creative as they grow older. Moreover, in a control test of 2000 adults (aged 25+), only 2 percent ranked as geniuses.

When, more than 50 years ago, American psychologist E. Paul Torrance began identifying the key elements in creative thinking and assessing individuals according to these criteria, he had no idea what these assessments would eventually reveal. Torrance and his colleague Garnet Millar, who followed individuals over time, found that the qualities they identified in young children were major predictors for creative professional success. By looking at the lifetime data Torrance and his associates collected, and reanalyzing it, it was found that the correlation to lifetime creative accomplishments is nearly three times stronger for childhood creativity than it is for childhood IQ.

It’s time to identify and deal with the creativity killers. Through our surveys of thousands of workshop participants from a range of backgrounds and experiences over more than 20 years, we have narrowed down the list of suspects to 7 key profiles. By recognizing and managing these effectively, we believe it will be possible to revive and nurture creative thinking. Allow us to take a creative approach to interrogating these murder suspects:

Creativity killer profile 1: the Control Crew

Also known as bully oppressors, the control killer profile tends to stifle creative thinking through suppressing the ability to think freely and independently. When systems are set up that restrict freedom of thought, and when individuals perpetuate those systems through controlling approaches and actions, creativity has no room to flourish. Like the real mafia, the control killers can operate through a coercion which instills fear, which can then itself become a killer.

To deal with this killer:

Recognize areas in your life that may have become suppressed, and identify why this has happened and how this can be dealt with.

Develop a mindset that is open to exploration.

Ask open-ended questions to challenge established beliefs and assumptions without expecting specific outcomes or solutions.

Creativity killer profile 2: the Fear Family

An often unsuspected killer that can intimidate the most intrepid, this highly prolific villain thrives on anxieties about trialling new ideas and the possibility of failure. A childlike ability to take risks and risk failure without fear is critical to creative thinking, but when anxiety intervenes the fear can be crippling. It’s not surprising that one of Apple’s guiding innovation principles is to "fail wisely."

To deal with this killer:

Have the courage to face fears of possible failure and uncertainty. Learn to see them as an important part of the creative process.

Learn to accept and embrace apparently opposing ideas (ambiguity) to open up new possibilities.

Creativity killer profile 3: the Pressure Pack
This seductive assassin dispatches its victims by exercising a stranglehold of real or perceived expectations. The faster pace of life, a greater reliance on technology, and significantly increased communication speeds, have all contributed to its prevalence. Under pressure, the body’s instinctive response is "fight, flight or freeze." The constant adrenaline need for the "fight" response can lead to dangerous physical and psychological symptoms and ultimately literally shut down the brain, and the "flight" and "freeze" responses can lead to an inability to face up to the pressure and deal with it effectively. By using up precious mental energy at the primitive brain stem simply for survival, thus limiting access to the pre-frontal cortex where real creative thinking can occur, this killer restricts the ability to be creative.

To deal with this killer:

Identify your own typical responses to pressure.

Stand up to pressure – recognize that you have the power to stay in control of the impact of external circumstances, and find specific ways to balance your time and energy more effectively.

Be proactive in designing your life to control pressure: e.g., try drawing up a fresh schedule for yourself that gives you the time and space to do the things you would like to do as well as fitting in the things you need to do.

Prepare a platform to unleash your imagination – trial "brain teaser" exercises designed to stretch your mind into exploring a range of possibilities.

Creativity killer profile 4: the Insulation Clique
Also known as isolating killers, those fitting the insulation profile employ a lethal combination of segregation and homogeneity that can lead to biased conformity. They quarantine their victims from different ideas and information, denying them exposure to a diversity of opinions and therefore access to potentially life-saving devices. In the same way that placing prisoners in solitary confinement limits their experiences and restricts their brain capability, insulation confines the victims’ experiences and limits their capabilities over the long term. When information sources are limited in content but overwhelming in quantity, the brain simply can’t cope, and will stick with the safe secure options rather than trialling creative new ideas. A lack of diversity in teams and organizations at all levels can also limit creativity.

To deal with this killer:

Deliberately expose yourself to different people, different sources of information and different ideas. Be open and receptive to opinions and ideas that don’t match your own-- ensure there is receptivity to apparently opposing perspectives.

Learn how to master conscious awareness, so that you can access difference parts of your own mental capacity and not just that parts that you usually access (try brain training exercises that utilize different capabilities, eg to access both ‘left’ and ‘right’ brain functions.)

Creativity killer profile 5: the Apathy Clan
Murderers fitting the apathy profile lack motivation and drive. These villains are often themselves victims of systems that have deadened their will to succeed, and the profile can often be detected in those with cutting sarcasm and acerbic cynicism. An apparent lack of motivation, concern or passion can be twisted into a deliberate ‘stab in the back’ or a ‘cutting remark’. A major finding Malcolm Gladwell reached through his research was that, rather than simply a genetic inheritance, successful genius is cultivated through a potent mix of lucky circumstance and sheer hard work, so apathy has no place in the process of creative development.

To deal with this killer:

Assess your own levels of engagement in what you do, and detect where there might be a lack of engagement. Recognize sarcasm or cynicism, and identify what the root cause of these might be.
Challenge your old, conservative habits and behaviors with new approaches--even if they are initially uncomfortable. Draw up a chart to list in columns: "The way I usually approach what I do," and "A new approach"

Find ways to connect with your passions and use these as a base for action.

Creativity killer profile 6: the Narrow-minded Mob
With a stubborn and often headstrong approach, killers fitting the narrow-minded profile ensure their dupes remain trapped in their standard, familiar patterns of behavior. Victims are unwitting casualties of their own habitual ways of thinking and behaving. Narrow-mindedness leads to convergent thinking, and the full creative process requires divergent thinking before a specific focus is chosen.

Human thought patterns tend to slip into these standard channels, or set ways of thinking, if they are not regularly challenged. The brain seeks to organize its thoughts--often in response to incoming information--into temporarily stable states that succeed each other to give a sequence. When a sequence or pattern is repeated, it becomes a thought-pattern or mindset that channels future thoughts more easily along the same path. It thus becomes a habitual standard way of looking at a situation or problem. Blinkered expertise, prejudice and groupthink are all examples of the way narrow-mindedness can manifest itself.

To deal with this killer:

Embrace "creative innocence"--try putting aside any notions of expertise, recognize any biases or prejudices you may have developed, and approach a situation as a child would instead.

Practice divergent thinking through exercises that encourage this.

Put yourself in others’ shoes to open up different ways of thinking. E.g., think of a problem that has to be solved, identify your usual action, then think about the different paths others in your situation might take. See if you can come up with several different possible ways the problem could have been solved.

Creativity killer profile 7: the Pessimism Posse
Another stealthy killer which operates like a chemical weapon, this profile type subtly perpetrates destruction through a toxic mindset. Sufferers of the disease initially communicate in negative ways, and eventually undermine their own and others’ attempts at creative thinking. Pessimists tend to blame themselves when things go wrong, becoming more reluctant to try again with each negative experience. Most people would most likely be unaware that as humans we have developed a natural bias against creative thinking, which interferes with our ability to recognize a creative ideas when we come across them, so it is important to recognize the profound influence of this creativity killer profile and deal with it.

To deal with this killer:

Take up a new hobby or sport, and don’t give up until you have mastered it.

Learn the art of positive self-talk and optimistic thinking and language.

Reword or rework limiting language and experiences into positive outcomes. Try keeping a diary of the things that happen each day – then track how many of these were framed in a positive way and how many in a negative way. Practice reframing the negative experiences.


Gaia Grant and Andrew Grant are the founders of Tirian International Consultancy and are the authors of Who Killed Creativity? (Jossey Bass / Wiley), newly released in the U.S.

Source:  http://www.fastcocreate.com/1680919/the-7-biggest-creativity-killers

IARC: Diesel engines exhaust carcinogenic

Lyon, France, June 12, 2012 ‐‐ After a week-long meeting of international experts, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO), today classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer.

Background.

In 1988, IARC classified diesel exhaust as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). An Advisory Group which reviews and recommends future priorities for the IARC Monographs Program had recommended diesel exhaust as a high priority for re-evaluation since 1998.

There has been mounting concern about the cancer-causing potential of diesel exhaust, particularly based on findings in epidemiological studies of workers exposed in various settings. This was re-emphasized by the publication in March 2012 of the results of a large US National Cancer Institute/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study of occupational exposure to such emissions in underground miners, which showed an increased risk of death from lung cancer in exposed workers (1).

Evaluation

The scientific evidence was reviewed thoroughly by the Working Group and overall it was concluded that there was sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of diesel exhaust. The Working Group found that diesel exhaust is a cause of lung cancer (sufficient evidence) and also noted a positive association (limited evidence) with an increased risk of bladder cancer (Group 1).

The Working Group concluded that gasoline exhaust was possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), a finding unchanged from the previous evaluation in 1989.

Public health

Large populations are exposed to diesel exhaust in everyday life, whether through their occupation or
through the ambient air. People are exposed not only to motor vehicle exhausts but also to exhausts from other diesel engines, including from other modes of transport (e.g. diesel trains and ships) and from power generators.

Given the Working Group’s rigorous, independent assessment of the science, governments and other
decision-makers have a valuable evidence-base on which to consider environmental standards for diesel exhaust emissions and to continue to work with the engine and fuel manufacturers towards those goals.

Increasing environmental concerns over the past two decades have resulted in regulatory action in North America, Europe and elsewhere with successively tighter emission standards for both diesel and gasoline engines. There is a strong interplay between standards and technology – standards drive technology and new technology enables more stringent standards. For diesel engines, this required changes in the fuel such as marked decreases in sulfur content, changes in engine design to burn diesel fuel more efficiently and reductions in emissions through exhaust control technology.

However, while the amount of particulates and chemicals are reduced with these changes, it is not yet
clear how the quantitative and qualitative changes may translate into altered health effects; research intothis question is needed. In addition, existing fuels and vehicles without these modifications will take many years to be replaced, particularly in less developed countries, where regulatory measures are currently also less stringent. It is notable that many parts of the developing world lack regulatory standards, and data on the occurrence and impact of diesel exhaust are limited.

Conclusions

Dr Christopher Portier, Chairman of the IARC working Group, stated that “The scientific evidence was compelling and the Working Group’s conclusion was unanimous: diesel engine exhaust causes lung cancer in humans.” Dr Portier continued: “Given the additional health impacts from diesel particulates, exposure to this mixture of chemicals should be reduced worldwide.“(2)

Dr Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC Monographs Program, indicated that “The main studies that led to this conclusion were in highly exposed workers. However, we have learned from other carcinogens, such as radon, that initial studies showing a risk in heavily exposed occupational groups were followed by positive findings for the general population. Therefore actions to reduce exposures should encompass workers and the general population.”

Dr Christopher Wild, Director, IARC, said that “while IARC’s remit is to establish the evidence-base for regulatory decisions at national and international level, today’s conclusion sends a strong signal that public health action is warranted. This emphasis is needed globally, including among the more vulnerable populations in developing countries where new technology and protective measures may otherwise take many years to be adopted.”

Summary evaluation

The summary of the evaluation will appear in The Lancet Oncology as an online publication ahead of print on June 15, 2012.

(1) JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2012) doi:10.1093/jnci/djs034
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/03/05/jnci.djs034.abstract; and
JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2012) doi: 10.1093/jnci/djs035
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/03/05/jnci.djs035.abstract

(2) Dr Portier is Director of the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA).

Source: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 2012

Compradas 833 acciones de Repsol

Aprovechando sus mínimos desde hace años, hemos entrado en Repsol comprando 833 aciones a 11,97€.  La inversión la proyectamos a medio plazo, donde pensamos que por fundamentales lo unico que puede hacer es recuperar el excesivo castigo sufrido, aunque no decartamos incluso una OPA a estos precios.

En tres días ya ha subido un 3%, aunque esto es coyuntural, ya que la inversión es a medio plazo. El ojetivo es que volviera a alcanzar el entorno de los 18€, recordr que era donde estaba hace sólo mes y medio!!!!. Debería recuperar cuanto antes el nivel de 14,36€.

Gran parte de la recuperación estará ligada a la resolución del tema bancario en España. Imaginamos que se resolverá positivamente, ya empieza a haber movimiento por parte de la UE.

Un saludo,

Fernando García

5 de junio de 2012. Día Mundial del Medio Ambiente

“... La tierra no es su hermana sino su enemiga, y una vez conquistada sigue su camino, dejando atrás la tumba de sus padres sin importarle. Asola la tierra de sus hijos, tampoco le importa. Tanto la tumba de sus padres, como el patrimonio de sus hijos son olvidados. Trata a su madre, la tierra, y a su hermano, el firmamento, como objetos que se compran, se explotan y se venden, como ovejas o cuentas de colores. Su apetito devorará la tierra dejando atrás sólo un desierto
...
No existe un lugar tranquilo en las ciudades del hombre blanco, ni hay sitio donde escuchar cómo se abren las hojas de los árboles en la primavera o cómo aletean los insectos. Pero quizás también esto debe ser porque soy un salvaje que no comprende nada. El ruido sólo parece insultar nuestros oídos. Y después de todo, ¿para qué sirve la vida si el hombre no puede escuchar el grito solitario del chotacabras ni las discusiones nocturnas de las ranas al borde de un estanque?
...
Esto sabemos: la tierra no pertenece al hombre, el hombre pertenece a la tierra”
.....
Extracto de la carta de NOAH SEALTH, Jefe Indio, al presidente Franklin Pierce, en respuesta a la propuesta de este de adquirir sus tierras mediante el tratado de Point Elliot.

1854
Primer manifiesto en defensa del Medio Ambiente.