The Well-Dressed Salesman (short story)

A little old man answered a knock on the door one day, only to be dealing with a very well-dressed young man  in a navy blue pinstriped suit, red silk tie, white shirt, shoes polished like black mirrors, and carrying a vacuum cleaner.

"Good morning," said the young man. "If I could take a couple minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners."

"Get lost, Mister fancy suit!" said the old man. "I haven't got any money" and he proceeded to close the door.

Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his polished shoe in the door and pushed it wide open.

"Don't be too hasty!" he said. "Not until you have at least seen my demonstration."

The old man again told him to get lost. And with that, the young man emptied a bucket of mud all over his hallway carpet.

"If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this mess from your carpet, Sir, I will personally eat the remainder.

"I got a better idea" said the old man, looking the young man up and down "If you don't clean it all up, I'll swap those fancy clothes of yours for my overalls."

"Fine, sir!" said the young man confidently.

"That fancy suit and  tie are gonna look good on me!" said the old man."But take them shoes off first!"

"But sir! I haven't demonstrated the vacuum yet!"

"Yes, you have. The electricity is not working"

LeBron James with plenty of time to match NBA legends (gossip)

 

MIAMI Heat Forward, LeBron James is 28 years old. When Michael Jordan was that age, he had one championship ring but LeBron James now has two. This isn’t to suggest James definitely will reach Jordan’s six rings but he has plenty of time to get there. After winning a second straight title Thursday, James legacy is still being built. The way he has improved in each of the past two seasons, he might not even have peaked yet. If the Miami Heat star is still going strong at 35, the age when Jordan won his sixth crown with Chicago in 1998, that would mean James has at least seven more good cracks at continuing to win titles. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was James current age, he had one ring, and he also would end up with six. When Shaquille O’Neal was 28 , he had also had just one, and he finished with four. When Tim Duncan was that age, he had two and now he has four. Larry Bird at that point had two of the three he would get. Yes, Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, O’Neal, Duncan and Bird all spent at least three years in college while James never stepped into one university class. Kobe Bryant also didn’t go to college and had three rings at age 28 . But Bryant didn’t get his fourth until he was nearly 31, so James needs just one in the next two years to move ahead of that pace. And while were fully dissecting the age of various greats and their ring totals, Magic Johnson had four of his five when he was James current age. And Bill Russell, whose 11 titles never will be equaled, had five at the time. The bottom line is James championship pace now compares favorably with many of the legends of the game. And his Most Valuable Player award pace is off the charts. James four are more than anybody ever has had at his age and are two shy of Abdul-Jabbar’s record total of six. Abdul-Jabbar had told FOX Sports Florida last month, As long as LeBron stays healthy and keeps playing the game at a high level, he, of course, could break my record. The last two seasons have elevated James stock tremendously. He has joined Russell (1961 and 1962) and Jordan (1991 and 1992) as the only players to have won the MVP trophy and championships in consecutive seasons. I want to be, if not the greatest, one of the greatest to ever play this game, James said after his Heat had polished off the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in Game 7 to secure the crown. And I will continue to work for that, and continue to put on this uniform and be the best I can be every night. James already is one of the best. He’s not top five yet, but he’s getting close. Bryant recently told ESPN Radio in Los Angeles his five greatest NBA players ever are Johnson, Jordan, Bird, Russell and Abdul-Jabbar. I agree with that list except I would replace Bird with Wilt Chamberlain. Yes, I know Wilt the Stilt was often Wilt the Stiff in the postseason with just two titles, but its hard to ignore his overall dominance. And, in case you’re wondering, both of Chamberlains championships came after he was LeBron’s current age. When it comes to the greatest players ever, James is now in the second five. But he’s got plenty of time left in his career to move up to the first team. No, James cant go 6 for 6 in Finals the way Jordan did. He’s already lost twice in four trips. But, when all is said and done, there should be no shame in that. Johnson dropped four Finals in nine visits. Abdul-Jabbar fell four times in 10 trips. Bird (out of five Finals) and Bryant (out of seven) also each had two defeats. (James has) been in a championship four times and he’s won two of them. That’s a great percentage when you can make it to the Finals, said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who actually has a better percentage, having won three of four Finals. So the story is still yet to be seen what he’s going end up with. But, right now, he’s going to enjoy No. 2. Winning back-to-back, there’s not a lot of people who have done that. Jordan, of course, won three in a row twice and that will be James quest next season to do it a first time. When Jordan completed his initial three-peat, he was 30 years, four months. If James can do it next season, he would be roughly 10 months younger. 

 

Smoke Abuse, and How to Stop (scientific essay)

Introduction: Tobacco use is the most popular form of substance abuse used by us teenagers worldwide. The question is, why? Tobacco use has so many harmful affects that you don’t know. However, smoking has become one of the most popular drugs put out there for teenagers to use, and yes, tobacco is a drug. Teenagers like us, must become aware of what cigarettes are made of, and the terrible harm that smoking can do to our well being. How Nicotine Works: Nicotine causes chemical or biological changes in the brain. This effect is called psychoactive and although it is less affected than heroin or cocaine, the strength of the addiction is just as  strong. It is a 'reinforcing' drug, which means that users desire the drug regardless of the damaging effects. For example, in research conducted in 1994, only 50% of smokers who suffered a heart attack managed to quit smoking even though their doctors advised them to. Unexpectedly, 50% of all regular smokers die as a result of smoking. Nicotine addiction is a physical dependency. Withdrawal symptoms are severe and most smokers cannot quit on their first attempt. Its because the human body builds a tolerance to nicotine and the effect of the drug is reduced over time. As a result, regular smokers can inhale greater amounts of smoke and therefore greater amounts of toxins, without showing immediate effects. Nicotine is extremely poisonous if consumed in large amounts and most people feel sick and dizzy the first time they smoke. These negative affects are quickly overcome. Over time the body builds a tolerance to nicotine, resulting in an increase in the amount of cigarettes smoked.
Nicotine in the Body: Cigarette smoke is acidic and therefore nicotine is absorbed through the lungs. Human lungs are very efficient in absorbing nicotine which then moves through the bloodstream and into the brain and other organs of the body. It takes only 10 seconds for nicotine to reach the brain after being inhaled. This causes several physiological reactions. It also increase in heart rate and blood pressure and constriction of blood vessels causing a temperature drop in the hands and feet. Why We Should Not Smoke (Short Term Effects):
Tobacco smoke consists of tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and other gases. The amount of nicotine and other substances that is absorbed through the lungs depends on how much of the smoke is inhaled. Nicotine is a stimulant and users feel that tobacco helps them relieve boredom, tiredness and also helps them reduce stress and anxiety. The effects are almost immediate but fade quickly, which encourages constant use. Some people may experience nausea and dizziness when they inhale tobacco smoke. While the user may believe that the smoking is helping their emotional stress and anxiety, they are only harming themselves in the long run. Many users of tobacco are also worried that if they do quit they will be subject to weight gain. The media has brought upon the thought that being as thin as models on magazine covers is healthy (see Eating Disorders) , but on the contrary this is very unhealthy, another reason to stop smoking! Gaining weight is not a health problem, it is the thinness and the smoking that will cause the harmful effects.		.
Why We Should Not Smoke (Long Term Effects): ·         More than 144,000 women die every year from smoking-related diseases. ·         Smoking causes 20 percent of all deaths in the United States each year. ·         Lung cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death among women (this has increased nearly 400% in the past 20 years). Smoking can cause: ·         Diminished or extinguished sense of smell and taste. ·         Frequent colds, smoker's cough, and chronic bronchitis. ·         Gastric ulcers. ·         Increase in heart rate and blood pressure. ·         Premature and more abundant face wrinkles. ·         Emphysema, heart disease, strokes. ·         Cancers of the Mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, cervix, uterus and bladder. ·         Among teenagers, smoking increases problems from asthma, and the respiratory problems associated with smoking are more pronounced in asthmatics. Asthma has been found to be more common in 11 to 16 year-olds who smoke, and the progress of asthma throughout childhood and early adulthood does not improve as greatly in smokers than in non-smokers. (Also see Statistics, below) Quit Smoking: There are now more former smokers (26%), over the age of 15, than current smokers (25%). The most common reason given for quitting smoking is concern about future personal health. Other reasons for quitting were life-style changes, cost of cigarettes, having a baby, and smoke-related illness or death of a friend or family member. Conclusion:
The most serious health hazard of tobacco for youth is addiction and its long-term effects. Although lack of research makes it difficult to say with certainty how quickly nicotine addiction develops in young tobacco users, an evidence indicates that most smokers become addicted while still in teenage years. This addiction results in an increased risk of developing and prematurely dying from tobacco-related diseases. The more a person smokes/the longer a person smokes, the more likely they are to suffer from sicknesses. Smoking releases epinephrine, a hormone which creates physiological stress in the smoker, rather than relaxation. The addictive quality of the drug makes the user feel he must smoke more to calm down, when in effect the smoking itself is causing the agitation. Therefore tobacco is likely to cause physical and psychological dependency in a short space of time if it is smoked regularly. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have smaller babies and run a bigger risk of losing the child. This is why it is strongly encouraged to STOP SMOKING! When you stop, the chances of developing cancer and heart disease is immediately decreased. After a number of years, the risk of a person who has stopped smoking is the same as a person who has never smoked. However, it is even more strongly encouraged to not even start. If you never start you are not putting yourself in danger, and you do not have to put yourself through trouble. 2013 National Survey of Smokers for Ages 12 and Older (in percentage) Drug Time Ages Ages Ages Period 12 or Older 18 through 25 26 or Older Cigarettes (any use) Lifetime [62.8] 61 [68.6] Past Year [26.1] 42.3 24.9 Past Month [22.1] 33.5 21.9 Smokeless Tobacco Lifetime 18 20.4 18.9 Past Year 4.6 [9.4] 3.7 Past Month 3.2 [5.4] 3