We all know that excessive exposure to sunlight can cause skin cancer, wrinkling of the skin, and aging of the skin. However, sunlight is very good for our overall health.

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Understanding the power of sunlight is very important. Sunlight intensity is measured in "lux" or "luxes", for example, on a bright sunny day outdoor light can reach three-thousand lux. However, an indoor environment brightly lit will provide only 400 lux. That is less than 15 percent of daylight brightness.

The human body depends on a natural body hormone called melatonin to enhance sleep. Throughout our adult life melatonin decreases, but peaks during childhood. Have you ever wondered why children sleep so much longer and better than adults do?

The body regulates melatonin production carefully. The light-dark cycle largely controls this process. During the nighttime in a dark environment, melatonin production is at its peak. This process is regulated by the pineal gland, which is located at the center of the brain. The pineal gland serves as a type of "clock" that regulates this process at the right time.

The body does not stockpile melatonin. In order to sleep well at night, we need a moderate supply. In order to boost melatonin output it is known that daily exposure to natural sunlight is a necessity. Manufactured supplements and artificial lights are a weak substitute, and are not worth the effort. The best way to get the melatonin your body needs is to get daily sun exposure.

Nevertheless, there are other benefits of getting adequate sunlight. Sunlight is a potent germ killer. That is why in the olden days people laid their blankets, quilts, and other items out in the sun to be sterilized. Sunlight also gives the skin a healthy glow and makes it smooth and malleable.

A sense of well-being is also attributed to sunlight along with the elevation of mood in most people. Although sun exposure is very beneficial, you must remember to use moderation when you expose yourself to direct sunlight. Acute and chronic depression can also be treated with sunshine along with exercise. Have you ever wondered why we feel so gloomy on a rainy day? During the winter months, try to get as much sunshine as possible.

Vitamin D is another great benefit of the sun's rays. When the sun hits the skin, the body is able to manufacture vitamin D. The body needs vitamin D in order to pick up calcium from the intestines for use in the building of healthy strong bones. Osteoporosis, and both childhood and adult rickets can be prevented with adequate sun exposure.

Other benefits of sunlight also include:

Jumpstarts the immune system

Alleviates pain from swollen arthritic joints

Lower blood cholesterol levels

Relieve certain symptoms of PMS

Did you know?

- PMS, fertility, sleep, and your energy can all be improved with an extra hour of sun light a day.

- Mental health can be affected positively by seasonal variations in light levels. A great indication of this is a person who suffers with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is treated with light therapy.

- Colon, breast, and prostate cancer are less likely to affect people that get more sunshine.

Although sunlight has many benefits, there are also risk factors. Sunlight can cause skin cancer, especially in light-skinned people. Everyone should be careful and use the necessary precautions before exposing the skin to sunlight over a long period. Healthy living tissue is burned when over exposed to the sun. Skin cancer could become a reality for people who get repeated burns, which can also cause irreversible damage. Premature aging, wrinkling of the skin, oil glands, and skin elasticity can all be damaged due to repeated sunburn and deep tanning of the skin. A high-fat diet along with excessive exposure to the sun is also associated with an increased risk factor to getting skin cancer.

Here are some guidelines for safe, healthy exposure to sunlight:

- Like wearing sunglasses on your skin, modest tanning can be protective. However, you must know your own tolerance to sunlight. Five minutes of sun exposure a day should be a starting point for fair-skinned people and redheads. Ten to fifteen minutes a day could be a starting point for darker skinned people. For most people the ultimate goal should be thirty minutes of sunlight a day.

- Sunburns raise the risk of both malignant melanoma (the deadliest form of cancer), and squamous cell carcinoma, which kills a combined nine-thousand Americans a year. Therefore, it is not wise to burn. If needed wear protective clothing, eyewear, and a protective sunscreen.

- Get your skin ready with proper moisturizing before heading on trips or vacations to hot locations.

- All the vitamin D you need will be provided by five minutes of sunshine on your face and hands each day.

- Lift your spirits, and improve your health by opening your windows and letting the sunlight in each morning.

- There is no substitute for the real thing. Each day should be spent soaking up some sunlight.

According to the Book on Military Administration, "In battles, as verbal communication cannot be heard clearly, cymbals and drums are used as commands" As visual communication and eye contact are hampered, banners and flags are used as signals. Now the purpose of using cymbals, drums, flags and banners is to draw attention of the troops and focus them for combat under the direction of the commander. Once the troops are united as one body, the courageous ones will not advance forward by themselves and the cowardly ones will not retreat by themselves. This is the art of directing larges forces in battles. - Chapter Seven, Sun Tzu Art of War

For battles at night, use more torches and drums. For battles in the day, use more banners and flags. These different means of communication can be designed to influence the judgment of the enemy. - Chapter Seven, Sun Tzu Art of War

As mentioned above, during day operations more banners and flags should be used for communication and during night operations, drums and torches should be used instead. From here we can see how observant Sun Tzu is. He even noted down what type of communication we should use 샌즈카지노 during each battle, but of course the list of tools mentioned is not exhaustive, communication channels should depend on the terrain as well. For example, if you are in a flat terrain, a larger banner (daytime) or fireworks (night) should be used for communication because they can convey accurate messages, if you have explained accurately what each signals meant. But note here is that your signals, not tools, should be like your strategy, it should change with every battle. If you have a fixed form of communication signals, sooner or later, your enemy will be able to decipher them and that is would likely be the result of your defeat. This explains why Sun Tzu said the means of communication can be used to influence the enemy.

Business Application

Communication is very important in business. Communication breakdown can be detrimental to a business, like losing a big client or slow reaction to a rival's move. With a strong understanding of each communication tools weakness and strength would you then be able to use it to your advantage. Good communication system can grant a company great flexibility, shorter reaction time and faster response. It is similar to an irrigation system. With good proper control system of the flow, accurate amount of water, water flowing to the right place, the fields will flourish because of it. These are capabilities that are extremely valuable in this dynamic business environment. Some forms of communication channels are e-mail, letters, internet messenger, telephone, internet telephony or video conferencing and face to face. I shall talk about their usage within the company. Please take note that having the proper communication tools is only one aspect of a good communication system though.

E-mail

E-mail could be formal or informal, nowadays because of the corporate frauds that happened in US, companies are now required to keep a copy of all the e-mails that are sent out to within and outside the company. E-mails does not solicit fast response from the recipients. It can be secure if the security system's guideline and usage is strictly adhere to. E-mail is a cheap way of sending information and documents within the company and these information can be stored electronically thus cost savings arise from these characteristic. But one downfall of communication is emotions are not properly conveyed out. E-mails would be suitable for clear cut instructions or information that does not require immediate attention and preferably within a department. Cheap because can transfer with least costs throughout company even if overseas. It is prone to technology risks.

Letter

What is described here are paper letters sent from one department to another. It is only needed when you want to formalize a request or a work order. But this kind of communication is slowly being taken over by e-mail. Letters are more concrete than e-mail because electronic files are usually subjected to suspicion of editing or changing. Letter has the same characteristics as that of the e-mail but since it is tangible, it is not like e-mail where you can deny you have received it.. Security wise, it could be better or worse than e-mail depending on situations. It could be costly if you need to send it overseas. It is more reliable than electronic mode of communication.

Internet Messenger (Instant Messaging)

With the popular use of internet, internet messenger like ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger are being popularized, it allows fast relay of information and nowadays these messengers have the capabilities to help you