Facing up to Stress

Stress affects millions of people, and its effects have big financial consequences for the economy, as well as a high personal toll on those affected. In high profile professions, such as sport, an individual's stress -related illness is subject to media scrutiny, scepticism and even ridicule from pundits and followers who expect their stars to live up to the macho stereotype.

This excellent article highlights how two of the leading stars of cricket have recently faced up to their own battles with stress, and the challenges they have faced in the public eye as a result.

Read Peter Roebuck's article here.

What's luck got to do with it?

Many successful people attribute their fate to luck. Being in the right place at the right time, being rejected for a position that led to a profitable plan B - even being born to the right parents (so says Bill Gates). But how much should we attribute to luck, and how much of our path is actually within our own ability to influence?

It's a well worn question, but this article in Management Today provides an entertaining take on the debate, along with some insightful examples of successful (or maybe good luck?) stories and 10 top tips on being "lucky".

Read Dave Waller's article here:

Crisis Management - from the head AND the heart

Dealing with fatalities is never easy, but is particularly tough when children are involved. After a recent road accident in New Jersey that left two children dead, the school's Crisis Management plan swung into action.

This article outlines the response, and how care for the welfare of those involved was an absolute priority. See the News Transcript story here

Poles accuse Daily Mail of xenophobic propaganda

Rarely does a day pass without a headline in the Daily Mail warning the British public of impending doom at the hands of the invading foreign masses. It appears that they have upset the Polish community by the tone of their articles, which it is claimed have promoted anti-Polish sentiment within local communities.

The Daily Mail in turn have rejected the allegations, countering that their hobby horse of immigration is a valid topic given the vast numbers of migrants entering the UK.

Read the article from the Guardian here:

docleaf Briefs

A shoplifter looking to make a quick getaway from a Dutch supermarket after stealing a packet of meat left police a crucial piece of evidence -- his 12-year-old son.

In his haste the 45-year-old thief made a solo dash to his car, batting away a supermarket worker who had flung himself on the vehicles' bonnet in a bid to stop the escape.

Police in the southern Dutch town of Kerkrade said they managed to contact the thief via the boy, but he had refused to return and collect his son. The man told officers to get hold of the youngster's mother instead. The thief later turned himself in, a police spokeswoman said. (Reuters)

South Korean police said Friday they had arrested a woman accused of telling her six-year-old daughter to steal some 140,000 dollars from a bank.

The girl took cash and cheques on Thursday from a small safe under the desk in the VIP room of a bank in the southern island of Jeju, they said. The room was temporarily empty apart from the child. The mother was arrested the same day after a closed-circuit TV clip showed the child near the safe. Police seized the money and cash as evidence.

"The mother insists she did not tell the kid to steal the money," a detective told AFP by phone. (AFP)