tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55076656479945325002024-03-12T22:00:41.485-07:00Odd NewsOdd NewsDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-44007719053073797912011-06-23T07:12:00.000-07:002011-06-23T07:12:00.689-07:00Rss Feeds Scroller Converter<p>It Allows Publisher To Convert Their Rss Feeds Into A News Scroller Ticker Either Display Vertical Scrolling Style Or Horizontal Scrolling Style.</p><br /><a href="http://danielgu.vinasoft.hop.clickbank.net/">Check it out!</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-35757563935602674552011-06-23T04:07:00.000-07:002011-06-23T04:07:00.160-07:00Standing Tall In The Shadows Of A New York Tragedy That United The World: September 11, 2001 <P>It has been almost a decade now and there's much to remember when it comes to the tragedy that befell New York, The United States and the world at the hands of Islamic terrorists on September 11th, 2001. The catastrophe itself was a real horror for those killed and injured as well as for the family of those attacked in New York City, in planes, in the air, and at the mighty Pentagon. Those people should not ever be forgotten. Pain fades but it creates scars and scars never disappear, but for those who survive, it takes plenty of help to move forward. In light of the apparent death of Osama Bin Laden, there is some closure in regards to the actual crime that was committed against humanity that day, but from every great tragedy, there comes stories of extraordinary heroism, bravery, hope and humanity. September 11th was no exception. A decade later I want to remember the good that came from the aftermath of this tragedy, the help, solidarity and compassion shared by New Yorkers and the rest of the United States in the face of such a tremendous man-made catastrophe.</P><P>Most people know the heart breaking details of what happened on 9/11. On a cool, crisp autumn morning, a handful of terrorists kidnapped several commercial jetliners. One crashed on its way to Washington D.C., killing all aboard, including a few brave passengers who tried to take the plane back from the terrorists. The plane plunged into the ground, thus saving hundreds or perhaps thousands more lives than if the aircraft had reached its destination. Two more planes flew into the World Trade Center, toppling and forever destroying the wondrous man-made towers. Many that were inside, simply going through a seemingly normal day at work, died in their attempt to escape the destruction or in their efforts to save people from the catastrophe. A third plane plunged into the Pentagon, killing many more people working to protect American lives and interests.</P><P>When all was said and done, 2819 people died in that tragedy. Over 400 firefighters, policemen, paramedics and civil servants died saving many people, and trying to save many more. We have been at war with terrorism ever since. This was an unabated attack on innocent civilian lives, affecting many more than those killed or wounded in the attack itself. It also affected many more than just New Yorkers. Over 100 different nationalities lost citizens in the attack. The Twin Towers were more than just a few extremely tall buildings. The World Trade Center complex was a beacon illuminating hope in the city from 1973 to that fateful day in 2001. The designs were finalized in 1964 for the 7 building project with the Twin Towers to be the heart of the finished complex. Construction began on August 5th of 1966. The completed towers were 1368 and 1362 feet tall respectively, 110 stories in height, once and the tallest buildings in existence. They housed approximately 50,000 employees and saw 20,000 visitors per day. People came to see the grandeur of New York. The towers were part of the financial hub of the country and the world. To many around the planet they were a symbol of freedom. Many people from many nations went there to build a better existence for themselves, as well as for their families and their communities.</P><P>That is America in a nutshell, opportunity and hope, where anyone can come and enjoy the freedom. We are a nation built of immigrants, and New York is the epicenter of the melting pot. This was no more evident than when such a large number of people from so many nations died along with thousands of New Yorkers in those buildings, and when the intrepid New York public workers, firefighters and policemen went into that building facing death or injury, they went to save anyone that they possibly could, not just New Yorkers. People from around the nation streamed to New York in the days that followed, making extensive attempts in whatever way possible to offer their help, as well as searching for survivors and victims. America always has unified in times of crisis, even if we squabble when there is no crisis. However, that's the beauty of America. We argue and fight to find the best way for all, so we can each enjoy our own freedoms without hurting others, and if need be when push comes to shove, we will even help each other out. America often gets a bum rap, as do New Yorkers. We are often labeled burly, loud, grumpy, and so forth, but September 11th perhaps more than any other tragedy exposed the true heart and character of Americans and New Yorkers. The love and sympathy and unity that grew from that tragedy showed who we are.</P><P>New Yorkers, in spite of their many differences, attitudes, and famous lack of patience, have always managed to come through for each other and the world. Believe it or not, New Yorkers are one giant family of dedicated citizens that help each other out in times of sorrow and need. We always have. Although New Yorkers are accustomed to social, political and economic upheavals, crime, overcrowding, deterioration of neighborhoods, intolerable housing, outrageous rents and high taxes, they accept the turbulence that is associated with daily life as a normal and inevitable way of life. However, it still doesn't stop them from being aggravated with these issues and complaining about them, as well. There are a few rotten apples in the Big Apple too, but then there are rotten apples and chronic complainers everywhere.</P><P>But what about all the emergency workers who bravely sacrificed their lives in the face of enormous endangerment that day and what of thousands of other emergency workers and New York citizens who faced the same peril that day and survived? Those terrorists didn't just violently take down the Twin Towers and kill thousands of hard-working people they attacked the American Dream personified.</P><P>Keep in mind that when we remember 9/11, we must remember New York and America's response to that attack. The bravery, the unity, the poise that was displayed, and love and human bonding that formed. In place of the victims and the towers that fell that bloody day stood a unified city and nation, united to seek justice against terrorism wherever it might run and hide. The commercial hub of the United States, the epicenter of trade, fashion, entertainment, banking, publishing, and shipping was assaulted, as were freedom and hope. Nevertheless as always, we persevered.</P><P>Leaders like Mayor Giuliani displayed resolve and poise. He guided the city through the horrors that we endured. Like him or not, he was a picture of leadership during that crisis. He did not sway but remained calm and focused. He gave the city and the nation the stoic, resolved face that it needed to see at the time. What of the united policemen and emergency workers who lost friends and relatives, who stood together exhausted as the President, addressed them and vowed justice. What of millions of New Yorkers who donated time, energy and resources to help the survivors get through the crisis?</P><P>It wasn't just New Yorkers who displayed the unity that the country and the world felt in the aftermath of 9/11. At the first home Boston Red Sox game after the sports world resumed as all pro sports ceased for days and weeks after September 11th, thousands of Red Sox fans stood and sang "New York, New York" to honor the victims of 9/11 and the citizens that survived. The fact that Boston fans, die-hard fans of a team with a 100 year heated rivalry with the New York Yankees, would show such love and support to such a hated rival says a lot about this nation, its true feelings for its fellow citizens, and its understanding of true priority.</P><P>Numerous nations around the world held a unified moment of silence to honor the victims. Many nations sent donations and assistance to aid in the recovery. In New York, as in the rest of the United States and most of the world, humanity exists, even in this day and age. We must always remember this.</P><P>We must also always remember September 11, 2001. We must remember the 400 emergency workers that gave their lives to save others to protect the symbol and ideal of hope, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. We must remember the brave passengers on flight 93 that gave their lives to stop the hijackers from attaining their goal. The famous last words of a heroic victim, Todd Beamer, who died aboard that plane, were: "Are you ready? Let's roll."</P><P>Those words must not have been uttered in vain. Let's roll means to move on, to take action, and they hold more contexts in regards to September 11th and its true meaning than to take a plane back. We must move on and forward. We must learn from the heroism displayed by victims, by New Yorkers and Americans during that tragedy and its aftermath. We must roll on in the name of hope and freedom. We must roll on in honor of those victims. We must remember the unity, support and love that New Yorkers and the nation shared. We must always remember and pay homage to the wreckage and destruction of the symbol of the American Dream that were known as the Twin Towers. We must always remember and pay homage to the victims caught in that destruction and to those that have died since, protecting the very American Dream that the Twin Towers personified. That's the irony of it all. By destroying the symbol of freedom and the American way, the terrorists utterly failed. They united us in the name of those principles, strengthening our common bond. We must continue to build on that strength when we honor and remember those that died on September 11, 2001, and we must continue to prevail.</P><P>How about it America, are you ready to roll? Let's go build upon the American Dream that the terrorists tried to destroy on September 11th. Let's continue to protect and honor freedom, and lead the world by our actions and deeds, not our words.</P><P>Let's roll.</P><P>With 12 years of research experience, History in all its manifestations is Miriam B. Medina's passion, and she loves nothing more than sharing what she learns with everyone. So be sure to check it out at http://thehistorybox.com/ny_city/history_box_remembers_9-11_nycity.htm, a one-stop resource center for writers, journalists, historians, teachers and students.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6241333" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-29753365463236813412011-06-23T00:33:00.000-07:002011-06-23T00:33:01.045-07:00Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos<img src="/51VX6WTWA5LSL500.jpg" alt="Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos"width="300" align="left" style="margin-right: 7px;" />In <i>Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos</i>, you command four futuristic battle cruisers and a band of revolutionary pirates in an all-consuming battle against impossible odds. The setting is the Badlands cluster, 100 years after the first Independence War. Corporations killed your father for a bad debt, and you've spent 15 years rotting in jail for trying to get justice. Now it's time for vengeance. Turn back the corporations before they corrupt the entire universe. <p><i>Independence War 2</i> features an innovative user-friendly interface--90 percent of the functions can be programmed on the joystick, keyboard, or both. Get online multiplayer support for up to eight people. Play deathmatch, capture the flag, and various other unique scenarios. This game utilizes the revolutionary Flux graphics engine, is Microsoft Direct3D compatible, has surface effects such as rust, decay, and wear on the ships, and features stunning fire and flare effects. All ships in the game are modeled using the textures and details from the ships created for the CGI <a href="http://truemoviestw.blogspot.com/">movie</a>s, and use a Newtonian mechanics simulation, moving according to the same rules as real spacecraft. This includes a simulation of both linear and angular momentum, inertia, and rotational moment of inertia. Ships can use either a free-flight mode or use computer-assisted fly-by-wire flight controls. <p>Team up against the enemy with detachable fighters. Keep them onboard as murderous gun turrets or order them to attack as wingmen. Nonlinear gameplay spans 16 star systems. Interact with dynamically created space traffic. Command four flyable ships and more than 30 weapons and ship accessories that you can use in near-infinite combinations. Get to know the locals, including taxicab ships, freighters, space patrols, and pirates. Watch the space opera unfold through a rich story line in four acts.<p><b>Price: </b>$9.95</p><br /><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005ASGK/ref=nosim/gojberblo-20" title="Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos" target="_blank"><b>Click here to buy from Amazon</b></a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-47468611340719300962011-06-22T19:57:00.000-07:002011-06-22T19:57:00.255-07:00Forex Magnates Retail Forex Industry Report Q1 2011<p>Forex Magnates is the premier source of forex industry news. Forex Magnates quarterly report is your ABC guide to retail forex including invaluable industry overview and forecast, news, broker information and forex yellow pages of software providers.</p><br /><a href="http://danielgu.magnates1.hop.clickbank.net/">Check it out!</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-63215817046131266932011-06-22T16:45:00.000-07:002011-06-22T16:45:00.231-07:00Rayman 3 - Hoodlum Havoc<img src="/41R82TjRFLSL500.jpg" alt="Rayman 3 - Hoodlum Havoc" align="left" style="margin-right: 7px;" />Ultimate Powers. Ultimate Enemies. Ultimate Havoc!Product Information Rayman's universe has exploded into a wacked-out world of cartoon mayhem andmind-blowing battles! When Globox accidentally swallows the Lord of theDark Lums a fanatic army of trigger-happy Hoodlums wreaks total havoc to gettheir lord back! Rayman's only chance? Journey the vast reaches ofthe world to purge the Dark Lum Lord from the manic Globox scour the lands forunearthly new powers and do battle with hordes of Hoodlum soldierscontraptions and maniacal bosses. This time it's war!Product Features Rayman's Bustin' Loose! Rayman's in prime form with new high-tech powers and gear like Shock Rockets the LockJaw. Funky-Boards and other cool stuff! Totally Wild Enemies! Charge into intense battles with the crazy Hoodlum Army and massive transforming meanies! One Big Bizarre Adventure! Romp through giant amazing worlds jumpin' with zany jokes and funny folks - featuring John Leguizamo as Globox. Official trailer featuring Madder by Groove Armada courtesy of Jive Records.Windows Requirements Windows 98 Me 2000 XP only Pentium III 600 MHz Celeron or AMD Athlon processor (Pentium III 1000 Celeron or AMD Athlon recommended) 256 MB of RAM Direct3D compatible 32 MB Video Card with DirectX 8.1 (included on disc) 800 MB minimum Hard Drive space 4X or faster CD-ROM drive (not recommended for use with CD-RWs) DirectX 8.1 compatible Sound Card Windows compatible Mouse required Windows compatible Keyboard required Dual Analog Controller strongly recommended DirectX 8.1 compatible 3D Video Cards with 32 MB (GeForce equivalent or better). Intel graphics controllers and onboard (built-in) Video Cards not supported.<p><b>Price: </b>$9.99</p><br /><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000AP41ZU/ref=nosim/gojberblo-20" title="Rayman 3 - Hoodlum Havoc" target="_blank"><b>Click here to buy from Amazon</b></a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-25259345122614626572011-06-22T13:33:00.000-07:002011-06-22T13:33:00.330-07:00Lottery Harvester Lottery Systems<p>Lottery Harvester Lottery System 12, 15 and 24 lottery systems which will reduce the odds of winning the lottery by over 95% and explode your lottery winnings. Lottery systems that are very easy to use backed up with 24/7 support.</p><br /><a href="http://danielgu.rayne49.hop.clickbank.net/">Check it out!</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-71035714118369012602011-06-22T09:24:00.000-07:002011-06-22T09:24:00.494-07:00Displaying the Flag <P>When you decide to put a flag outside your house, it's critical that the fabric doesn't touch the dirt. Purity is key when considering the well-being of your flag and keeping it pristine. When the displaying of the fabric comes into discussion some people on the street don't appreciate it if the flag is flowing the opposite direction even if it's not on a pole but rather attached to the house. It doesn't matter in the end how it is shown to the world, it's important to maintain the health and wellness of the flag when it is folded and put away for a season.</P><P>Once we put these flags are placed in a large circle, in order to respect them in the proper way it is important to salute it and sing the national anthem. Those who choose to not sing the national anthem are welcome to remain silent and can still participate in the ceremony. It is truly an awe-inspiring experience when all the neighbors come and join together to show gratitude to their country and those who have fallen in the past to maintain their freedom.</P><P>There are some important points to consider in the storage of the United States flag. The military actually has a special process of folding it in triangular shapes and having one soldier stand on each side and making sure that no part of the fabric touches the pavement or dirt underneath it. The symbolism of this process is very complex, but does not need to be fully understood to do it in individual congregations or communities. Boy Scouts in particular are taught to fold flags in a respectful way.</P><P>There have been many wars fought in order to maintain the freedom of the men and women and children that would live as a part of this great nation. In the Revolutionary War there were many Americans who forfeited their lives for the cause. Since then, there have been more than hundreds of thousands of fatalities in a like manner.</P><P>Along with this large number of brave men and women who have died, there have always been an even more numerous amount of non-contributing zeros who have repeatedly mocked those who have protected their freedoms. Sadly, this great faction still exists today by the masses amongst the great population of this nation and they have a great political voice which continues to contribute to a great political and economic decline.</P><P>Many times people think they can leave this faction of people and show some patriotism by wearing an American flag in order to gain the respect of some respectful citizens so they can get somewhere in life. However, it is not always respectful to wear the stars and stripes on articles of clothing. If they are worn, it should be one or the other.</P><P>Drew Hawkins is a trusted expert in displaying and caring for the American flag. He has assisted in the creation hundreds of natural rock flagpole bases over the last decade.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6239447" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-81862177129222416852011-06-22T06:23:00.000-07:002011-06-22T06:23:01.236-07:00End of the World: Is It Real or a Hoax? <P>Many people are aware of the news that the end of the world is coming near. Some even gave the exact date and time of the dreaded mass extinction. However, none of these are proven true unless the time will come. Different prophecies have been circulating around regarding the said end of the world thing. For those people who do not have the faith, they tend to lose it and be carried away by these thoughts.</P><P>Of all the prophecies and predictions that were roaming around, the very best one was that of the Mayan Prophecy. It is said that the world will suffer from its demise in 2012; as of this day, it will be next year. This prophecy has been proven its worth to different scholars, which in response they said that it was really imminent. Nevertheless, you need to know that as long as there are believers and non-believers; argument will always be in the middle.</P><P>In order for you to fully understand the Mayan's prediction, you need to know its origin. Based on the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012, will be the exact date of the dreaded end of the world. However, it is not detailed on how the earth will suffer from this dreaded catastrophe. To make matters even worse, several groups of people have already assembled and gathered, supporting the advocacy that this will really happen.</P><P>They even began the countdown with regards to this matter. Some of them even said that there will be an unknown planet that will collide against earth, making way for the two planets to be destroyed and leave nothing on its wrath. If you will base your knowledge according to the Mayan calendar, there is no doubt that you might be consumed by the concept. This will let you embrace the fact that it will really happen in 2012. Nevertheless, these assumptions are needed to be justified in order to help you to go on with your normal state of mind.</P><P>Overall, this heated debate on whether the projection of the impending mass extinction is real or just a hoax will go on until the very day that this will come. As of now, people have to wait for them to see if this alarming and mind-boggling thought will really happen. Mayan calendar has been the most accurate prophecy that anyone can count on, but still, it is just an assumption. You really need to wait if you want to know the truth.</P><P>Mayan Calendar has become the most reliable prophecy when it comes in the event of the dreaded mass extinction. The dreaded thought of the end of the world will really go on until the assumed day will come.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6268372" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-52301455457513542572011-06-22T02:02:00.000-07:002011-06-22T02:02:00.879-07:00Japan's Earthquake Reminds Us That the World Is a Fragile Place <P>I started this a month ago:</P><P>It's been quite awhile since my last post. Lots on my mind but not much pouring out on paper. Last night, I was checking on the weather channel for the weekend outlook, and instead, I saw the earthquake unfolding in Japan.</P><P>Mesmerized, I watched as reporters described the devastation with increasing details. Video clips of walls of mud pushing hundreds of vehicles inland - most, very likely, still with passengers. My heart and the hearts of the global family caught in my chest in a synchronized ache. There is no way to understand the scope of this phenomenon by watching safely from one's own warm home thousands of miles away.</P><P>Tsunami warnings for the countries touching the Pacific Ocean immediately went out and people watched uneasily through the night, tracking the 500 + MPH speed of the waves.</P><P>This morning, I called my daughter to see if she'd heard anything about it. She said she had not and reminded me that she didn't have TV. "Oh," I said, forgetting that she had cut herself off from the American advertisers and stupid sitcoms. She does have a top notch big screen TV with 3 terabytes of storage for a gazillion <a href="http://truemoviestw.blogspot.com/">movie</a>s. A terabyte is a number that reminds me of the national debt. So huge as to be past my comprehension. She spends quite a bit of time watching many <a href="http://truemoviestw.blogspot.com/">movie</a>s and old versions of her fave shows.</P><P>She thinks this is better than TV. I'm not so sure. If the world is relatively predictable and our leaders and citizens are rather trustworthy, well, it would make sense that even though there were ups and downs, living isolated from the "bad news" dished up daily could make sense. After all, aren't we supposed to follow our bliss and ignore the bad stuff?</P><P>I'm not so sure. It seems that the tide has changed and many people are no longer content to live oblivious of their environment. Like they say, people who don't take care of their liberty don't really deserve to have it - and the liberty that we have left is nothing like what we had 10 years ago. But, I digress.</P><P>Stuff happens in the world. Much of it is amazingly wonderful and much of that goes unnoticed, even when the great stuff is our own.</P><P>The times, they are a-changing. Make sure you are not caught just looking at the ground or just up to the end of your own nose.</P><P>To help you quickly learn the systems behind a successful online marketing business and have your first website up and running FAST. Download Your FREE e-Book HERE</P><P>Go visit http://debbauer.com/ for blog articles with more information, resources and Tony Robbins 30 day Personal Power II review.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6184210" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-84112140693934164342011-06-22T00:16:00.000-07:002011-06-22T00:16:00.631-07:00Conducting Investigative Due Diligence in the Developing World <P>Investigative due diligence is the process of identifying hidden or undisclosed information related to a company or individual that is involved in a potential investment, acquisition or business relationship. This type of proactive commercial investigation looks to identify the areas of concern that may not be reflected in a company's financial or legal due diligence such as intangibles like the company's reputation and that of its senior principals, as well as potential red flags or areas of concern in their backgrounds. The investigations are often invaluable in their ability to provide points of negotiation or information that could avoid a costly commitment being made.</P><P>Investigative due diligence is an essential step for anyone conducting business in the emerging or developing markets. This is particularly important for any US or European companies with respect to the requirements of anti-corruption acts such as the FCPA and UK Bribery Act.</P><P>Asia Diligence is a company with its operation base in South East Asia that has on the ground experience of conducting due diligence investigations and background checks in over 90 countries throughout the world. Asia Diligence has managed over one thousand of these investigations primarily in emerging and developing countries and offers some insight into conducting these investigations in those jurisdictions:</P><P>-Know the jurisdiction and what information can be obtained</P><P>Different countries offer a different level of information that can be accessed publicly, knowing what is available and the limitations of that information are critical in how it can be used and assessed. Unfortunately even local sources are not always aware of everything that is available because publicly available information does not necessarily mean that it is hosted on a public website. Experience of working in a jurisdiction and knowledge of how different types of information can be legally obtained is critical.</P><P>-Understand how an investigation should be structured and what areas to focus on</P><P>A professionally conducted investigation cannot be split into constituent parts and scattered between a number of companies or investigators as has become more typical with some of the large volume FCPA suppliers looking for cost benefits. For example, a check of media relating to a company can indicate different information than the company records, however the assumption that the records are correct is not always true as there may be older versions and in extreme cases fake or false company names have been used. Reputation enquiries and media checks may identify court cases outside of the regions being checked, reputation enquiries can also identify situations involving related companies or the company under an old trade name, whereas the media information can indicate potential sources to speak to. In effect everything is interlinked and therefore needs to be assessed as a whole in order for areas of concern or inconsistencies to be identified. Companies that split the investigations up to save costs look upon investigative due diligence as a product rather than a service.</P><P>-Understand and interpret the information obtained</P><P>In many jurisdictions throughout the world but particularly in the emerging and developing countries, public sources are limited and of questionable use, media is incomplete and there is a lot of opaqueness when it comes to conducting business. For example in one jurisdiction in Central Africa, individuals could easily access and even edit their own court files, subsequently allowing them to change details and thereby making any checks ineffective. In a jurisdiction in Asia, company records are often miss-spelt, sometimes with different spellings in the same document and with a lack of press freedom media information is always positive. In these locations, collecting information through discrete enquiries with industry sources, clients, suppliers and where possible government/official sources is essential to obtaining an understanding of the company you are dealing with. Overlooking this or dealing with the process circumspectly will seriously weaken the usefulness of the investigations. Knowledge of the limitations of the intelligence received and a good level of experience of conducting investigative due diligence, will ensure that the information reported is as effective as possible.</P><P>Due diligence investigations are often considered to be less important than other types of commercial investigations resulting in a standard approach with little thought into the information coming back. In reality correctly conducting these investigations, can go a long way to avoiding the need for other types of commercial investigations at a later date.</P><P>Asia Diligence is a commercial investigations company that specializes in providing global investigative due diligence services, individual background checks and company background checks as well as targeted commercial investigations. The company's primary focus is the emerging and developing markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, South and Central America and it is well placed to support clients looking to, or operating, in these markets.</P><P>For further enquiries please contact:</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6323117" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-82481373716042800572011-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:002011-06-21T21:10:00.585-07:00What Is Cultural Role Playing? <P>With increasing involvement abroad, cultural role playing is becoming a prevalent training tool that military branches and other groups use as they prepare for interaction with people from different cultures. The ultimate goal in using cultural role playing as a training tool is to give military troops and other groups an opportunity to be involved in scenarios that are likely to appear as they work abroad and learn how to handle those situations in an appropriate way according to the cultural norms and traditions of the particular country.</P><P>Cultural role playing is especially prevalent while preparing to work in cultures in the middle east and Asia where the customs, traditions and norms are often very different to what American citizens are exposed to as they are usually born and raised in the United States.</P><P>Often times, cultural role playing consists of having natives of the target culture dress, speak and act like the people who are currently living in that country. As they are doing this, the participants will attempt to communicate with them effectively while accomplishing tasks that support their mission. Each training session is often closed with a discussion on what the participants could have done differently, answering any questions that came up in the scenario and offering constructive criticism to the participants for when they are in a real situation that requires them to use the skills and cultural competency acquired in these trainings.</P><P>A good indicator of an effective cultural role player is that he or she has had many years of experience living and communicating in both the target culture as well as the culture that he or she is teaching to the learners. This indicates that the cultural role player has a strong grasp of the customs, traditions and cultural norms of both groups and can readily identify and explain the differences that the participants will experience while they are working abroad.</P><P>Using cultural role playing as a training tool will help troops and other groups that intend to work abroad not only be able to work and communicate effectively with a different group of people, but they will also gain more understanding about the native peoples' perspectives. This, in turn, will prevent debilitating misunderstandings between the two groups of people and will make for a more positive outcome at the end of any project.</P><P>As groups from the United States continue to be involved abroad, cultural role playing will grow to be an increasingly prevalent training method that will help groups prepare for the differences they will find while working with another culture.</P><P>Nisar Nikzad is a freelance writer of informational websites on Translation Services. He is associated with Translation Excellence that provides language translation, medical, legal, certified translation, english-to-arabic-translation, government translation and interpretation services. Accurate and effective interpretation services.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6282544" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-57761065505429579642011-06-21T21:02:00.000-07:002011-06-21T21:02:00.798-07:00Animal Testing By Cosmetics Companies <P>We all use cosmetics to some extent. Most men, women, and even kids use some beauty products to look good. But did you know that the very same products that you use and love, were tested on innocent animals before they were presented to you in pretty packaging? It is a fact that most beauty products available on the market today, have been tested on animals. And the cosmetics companies will not deny it.</P><P><B>The Draize Test</B></P><P>Here is one of the most common tests conducted on animals when testing a beauty product for safety. In 1944, an FDA toxicologist named John H. Draize devised what later came to be known as the Draize test. The basic premise of the test is to evaluate the risks that one could be subject to, when exposed to new cosmetics products for a short period of time.</P><P>Here is how it is done. A small amount of the substance to be tested, in this case your moisturizer or shampoo, is applied either to the eyes or on the skin of an animal for hours in a row. If it is in the eyes, the animal is strapped into a contraption that keeps it from touching its face, the eye lids are clamped open, and drops of the product are put into the eyes. For the equally horrific skin version of the test, the animal's fur is shaved, then several layers of skin are removed, and only then is the substance applied to the raw skin and then covered with a plastic sheet.</P><P>The animal is then under observation for a couple of weeks to see if the product causes any irritation.</P><P>Have you ever gotten shampoo into your eyes by mistake? Know how it burns? Now imagine not being able to immediately splash some water and wash it away for a week or two. That is what the animal has to go through. And that is what you are indirectly condoning every time you buy a product that is tested on an animal. Ignorance is no excuse.</P><P>The tests are obviously painful. The animals are put to death after the tests. The cosmetics companies treat animals like things, not living beings. They are only kept alive for as long as they are useful, after which they are discarded like so much unwanted garbage. This is completely wrong and we all must appose it.</P><P>Thus, to show your disapproval to the above test and similar tests, do not buy products that are animal tested. Some day, this will stop if all of us work together.</P><P>So the next time you go online, instead of searching for something as regular as free makeup advice, try to make a difference in the world by reading up on animal testing. Learn about cosmetic companies that test on animals and boycott their products.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6286044" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-17981950593448092052011-06-21T17:50:00.001-07:002011-06-21T17:50:00.614-07:00Sexual Nuclear Meltdown <P>At a quarter to 6:00 on March 11, 2011 an earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 45 miles from the Oshika peninsula in northern Japan. The earthquake reported 9.0 on the rector scale and sent shock waves that were felt as far away as the Pacific Coast of North America. The Tohoku Earthquake triggered a 30 foot full tsunami wave that within minutes barreled into the northeastern coast of Japan. Cities like Ishinomaki, Miyagi and Onagawa were literally swept from the face of the earth. The latest count in confirmed deaths is more than 11,000 and nearly 18,000 people are still unaccounted for. The earthquake and tsunami did severe damage to several nuclear reactors including the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Explosions occurred, electrical power that ran crucial cooling pumps was knocked out. And within days a nuclear meltdown started to occur.</P><P>We have lived through some life changing events, Sept. 11, 2001, the economic crash of 2008. But it remains to be seen if this cataclysmic event will change our world in a way that not one of us can predict or anticipate. I submit to you that this kind of sweeping 3-fold, iconic transformation is not without precedent. You, in many ways are living in the radiation aftermath of another unprecedented societal earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown.</P><P>In the late 1940's a wave of soldiers returned home to America from WWII. They found wives that had of necessity left the comforts of home to enter the work force and did not want to return. Those repatriated husbands and emancipated wives began to have babies in record numbers. Baby boomers they were called and I am one of them, the largest single generation in the history of the world. Twenty years later, that wave of baby-boomers began to place their stamp of influence on the culture of America. They were put off by the work ethic of their depression era parents. They were moved to liberation by the same radical thinking that produced the civil rights movement and women's lib. And they were delivered from the fear of unwanted pregnancy by the newly approved birth control pill. Some time in the 1960's an earthquake hit the world that we call "the sexual revolution". The hippies of history that are almost a caricature today really did introduce free love, sex without consequences, and a morality of self-gratification.</P><P>By 1962, 1.2 million women were using the pill. The number of young people that were having sex outside of marriage had skyrocketed and the epicenter of the Great Society (as Lyndon Johnson called it) became a conglomerate of social acceptance and sexual promiscuity - - the earth quake. Not long after the sexual earth quake of the 60's came the tsunami of the 70's, 80's and 90's; an openly sexual culture that not only condoned but propagated sexuality as separate from marriage or religious mores. Beginning as a gentle swell the tsunami ballooned through TV, advertising, and print media to literally overwhelm our culture and our world with images and expressions of sex and sexual connectedness. At the height of that wave was a confluence of pornographic material and the easy access of the internet. This porn tsunami continues to drown our world in a morass of sexual debris. Today it looks something like this: - In the US, we spend $3,075 dollars every second on pornographic material - There is a porn video produced every 39 minutes in the U.S. - World-wide $98 billion dollars in revenue is earned by the porn industry per year. (More than MLB, MBA, and NFL combined). - In the US, more people view porn each evening than ABC, CBS and NBC combined. There are 4.2 million pornographic websites (12% of the internet). - Last week 53% of American men viewed at least one pornographic website and 94 million women (that is a 17% increase since 2007). - Last year Hollywood released about 200 first-run <a href="http://truemoviestw.blogspot.com/">movie</a>s. In 2008, the US produced 13,588 pornographic films. Tsunami is a mild word for the sweeping destruction that has overtaken our society as a result of the earthquake of the sexual revolution. But that is not what I want to talk about. I want to talk to you about living in the nuclear radioactive fall-out of the meltdown that has occurred.</P><P>First, there is a loss of intimacy. Genesis 2:24 says "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and they will become one flesh." We are created for intimate relationships. God created male and female to be united sexually face to face, different from all other created beings. This one flesh intimacy is the design of God to bring completeness and wholeness to His most beloved creation. Let's talk about the brain. The limbic system or mammalian brain such areas in the human being as emotions, desires, drives and impulses. This includes sexual impulses. When we experience sexual attraction the neurotransmitter dopamine floods the brain and triggers feelings of pleasure, and reward. It neuro-chemically activates your feel good, whether it's sex, eating, exercising or chocolate. Dopamine is the craving or the "I've got to have it" neurotransmitter. The more dopamine you release positive reinforcement you experience. It is called the cocaine of the brain. So whether it's viewing pornography, or an intimate sexual relationship, the brain begins to crave the adrenal rush. Three other things happen. There is a lower serotonin level. Serotonin is the flexibility chemical that enables me to change my mind, reconsider, back-up. So I become stuck or obsessed with this sexual thinking. Second, the pre-frontal cortex disengages. This is the judgment system or safety system of the brain so that my ability to make good choices is hampered. Finally, oxytocin is released in the brain. Oxytocin is the bonding chemical. One of the times when oxytocin is most present is during childbirth. At childbirth a mother's oxytocin level is 500 times its normal level. So, it's no wonder when that little baby is placed in the mother's arms, she bonds immediately. When these chemical interactions are repeatedly taking place without the subsequent object of affection upon which to attach they become watered down and weakened. The ability to connect is in danger and we lose our healthy facility for intimacy.</P><P>I saw a young father a few years ago. I'll call him Jamie. Jamie was a good guy. He had a wife and a couple of kids. He was involved in his church. He also was a chronic, addicted pornography user. One day he just walked out on his family. He left his wife, left his kids, left his life. When I met with him he said, "I just don't care anymore. I don't feel like I have it in me to love any of them." Repeated sexual connectedness to images on a computer screen took from him his ability to be intimate.</P><P>The second tragedy that comes as a result of this nuclear meltdown is a loss of identity. In Genesis 1:26 God says "Let us make man in our image. In the image of God He made them, male and female, created He them." Here I want to talk about the heart. Psychologists for sixty years have understood the importance and value of self-differentiation. I am born into a family and my identity, my personhood begins there. I have my father's eyes. I talk like my mother. You and your brother act just alike. Athletically, intellectually, and socially, all my identity is given me by my family of origin. At some point around 11 or 12 I begin to differentiate, to stand on my own and find my own identity. Then the characteristics of the other becomes, not my identity, but a reflection, an image. Like a mirror I reflect the other's image in my own. So God says, "Let us make man in our image". We are not God but we reflect the image of God. It's who we are. Now, as we begin to connect sexually, we give a piece of ourselves, our identity to the other and we take their reflection into our own identity. I exchange a part of who I am with who my sexual partner is. We begin to reflect each other. Whether human sexual contact or pornography use, each time we connect we exchange some of our identity with the other. That's why two old people who have been married for a long time begin to look alike or why a room full of addicts have a similar appearance. The more I exchange myself with another, the more my own God-given image is diluted until I become a complex reflection of all the others but not of myself. I lose who I am.</P><P>I'll call her Sally. She came to Branches about 3 years ago to seek spiritual guidance and to deal with depression. Over the next two years I met with her on a regular basis and began to understand the depth of her struggle. Sally had been viscously and repeatedly sexually abused from her earliest childhood until well into adulthood. After that her life was a series of dozens of sexual partners and encounters, sometimes several sex partners at once. As I began to hear her it became apparent that she had given away her identity. So much so that we discover at least 15 separate personalities living in her. We call that DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder. And in fact the real true self, Sally, was dead. The primary presenting identity only spoke for her and assumed her place in society but announced finally that Sally was dead. I know this is an extreme illustration but it speaks to the loss of identity that we face as a result of surrendering to the radioactive fallout of our sexual culture.</P><P>Finally, there is a loss of influence. This has to do with the soul. I Cor. 6:19 says "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God?" We are born, every one of us, with a spark of the Divine in us, the presence of God. When we invite Christ into our lives and become Christ followers, we receive not only forgiveness and His righteousness, we receive the full blown spirit of God living inside us. Galatians 2:20 says "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me." The God of the universe, the Triune Godhead dwells fully in you. In part He dwells in you for the sake of influence. We're called to be world changers. We're called and empowered to change the universe, maybe not the entire created universe, maybe not the 8 billion people on the planet, but the world in which we live, our part, our circle of influence. There are some people I believe that God has planned for you to reach and He dwells in you for that very purpose - influence. Paul says that every time we give ourselves to this radioactive fallout of sexual permissiveness the God influence in us is diminished. I Cor. 6: 13-17 says "The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. By His power God raised the Lord from the dead and He will raise us also.</P><P>Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said 'the two will become one flesh'. But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit." The great fear of the radioactive contagion in Japan is its potential to spread geographically and genealogically. Lettuce and milk from the Miyagi prefect around the Fukushima plant is showing up in other regions of Japan. Wind above the nuclear reactor is drifting toward North America. And the children and grandchildren yet to be born from those affects will potentially bear the deformities of this destructive force. The loss of intimacy and identity is tragic and painful for you. If I could somehow keep you from that pain, I would. But a far greater tragedy is the loss of influence when you leave this campus, when you leave this room. There are friends and families that are desperate for the spirit of God in you and the loss of influence over them and over your children, and over your children's children is unimaginable.</P><P>One more story, I'll call him Mike. Actually his name is Mike. He is me. I was privileged to be the pastor of two great churches. I would preach every Sunday to hundreds of people and influence them, their families, and their communities for good and for God. I was in a place and a position to change a pretty big part of the world. But radioactive sickness got the best of me. I succumbed to the sexual fallout from the earthquake of the 60's and the tsunami of the next 3 decades. I gave into sexual sin and I lost my identity. Now don't get me wrong, God has healed me. He has restored my family, my walk with Him, and in many ways, my purity. I am so grateful for Branches and am amazed at the number of lives that are changed daily by that ministry. But the influence I had as a pastor and preacher is gone. I will never occupy the pulpit in the same way. I lost that influence because of my moral failure. I do not want you to lose your intimacy. I am warning you about the loss of identity. But the most devastating thing of all is to lose your ability to influence your kids, your friends, your family, the people you work with. Don't you dare lose that. Don't you put that at risk. My kids, my grandkids need you and your influence. Don't you let them down. The earthquake has come and gone and we are beginning to rebuild in its aftermath. The tsunami has passed. We have buried the dead and cleared away the debris. But the nuclear fallout is with us in every breath we take. We have got to be aware of it, stand against it, and overcome it. And you can do that. You must do that.</P><P>Here are 5 steps to help you: 1. Make a moral commitment now to sexual purity. 2. Decide right now your sexual boundaries. 3. Establish accountability partners to support your purity. 4. Ask for and accept God's offer of secondary virginity. 5. Keep the faces of those you may influence ever before you.</P><P>Paul says, "We are new creatures in Christ Jesus. Old things are passed away. All things are made new." I don't know all there is to know about the tragedies and disasters in Japan. I do know that if history is a reference and if God gives us grace, the world will overcome these things and life will go on. The question will be whether or not we go on better or we revert to our old ways of living. In the same way, we can survive the sexual fallout in our world. We can be new creatures in Christ. The question for you is will you be better or simply live life like you always have. I encourage you to strive for better.</P><P>Mike Courtney, Ph.D. <BR>Licensed Pastoral Counselor<BR>Executive Director, Branches Recovery Center<BR>http://www.branchesrecoverycenter.com/<BR>Author of "Failure And How I Achieved It"</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6265626" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-82711798731098908722011-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:002011-06-21T17:50:01.036-07:00Against All Odds [VHS]<img src="/21XA7A5KV2LSL500.jpg" alt="Against All Odds [VHS]" align="left" style="margin-right: 7px;" />James Woods doesn't get to play many romantic leads--and he certainly doesn't get the girl in this handsome, if occasionally hollow, remake of <I>Out of the Past</I>. As the mover-and-shaker lover of Rachel Ward, he loses her--if only temporarily--to ex-football star Jeff Bridges. 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Reach millions of visitors, readers, journalists and editors associated with top 100 news and business websites.</p><br /><a href="http://danielgu.ankitn123.hop.clickbank.net/">Check it out!</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-63764282098940657382011-06-21T13:46:00.000-07:002011-06-21T13:46:00.762-07:00RARE VINTAGE VHS: Maharaji, Madrid, Spain (Maharaji - Prem Rawat &amp; His Message) **FREE RARE VINTAGE PAPERBACK: The Inward Pilgrimage: Spiritual Classics From Augustine To Bonhoeffer By Bernhard Christensen**OWN THIS RARE, IMPOSSIBLE-TO-FIND VINTAGE VHS Unavailable Anywhere -- Including His Own Web Site! Enjoy Teachings Of Prem Rawat, Known Around The World By His Honorary Title 'Maharaji'. From Maharaji, 'Hear Your Own Heart's Cry, 'I Want Freedom.' Someone Must Win! 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This is a very smart skill you can learn in 15 minutes and then keep making money on demand for life, anytime, anywhere</p><br /><a href="http://danielgu.paul3h.hop.clickbank.net/">Check it out!</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-7439687808052844062011-06-21T10:17:00.000-07:002011-06-21T10:17:00.537-07:00The Evolution of Ink and Its Usage in Society <P>The following is a brief and selective history of the evolution of the usage ink from monks transcribing documents in medieval times to bloggers of the present day.</P><P>Northern England, 1323, a monastery: A studious man sits quietly anchored to his desk, penitent and devout as he attends to a seemingly endless task. He has a copy of the Bible in front of him, handwritten by some other monk, that he is copying page by page in a show of his faith. It will be months if not years before he is done, until every page is immaculately rendered, and then the cycle will begin anew. It will be another century before the invention of the printing press gives monks vast blocks of time they never had. This is how books get made.</P><P>London, 1590, the Globe Theater: It's been a century and a half now since a former goldsmith named Johannes Guttenberg built the first printing press off of existing screw processes, and the world of printing has come a long way. Nearly 200 million volumes have been printed, and among them is work after work by a playwright with a theater next to the Thames River. William Shakespeare will enjoy modest success and praise in his lifetime and not be a celebrity until two centuries after his death, though the works he publishes will endure to the current day.</P><P>Boston, 1850, a factory: Another few hundred years have passed, and printing and the world in general have undergone another metamorphosis. The weaver sits at her loom late into the evening, the sun long since given its notice for the day, the smoke from the oil lamps in her workplace blackening the walls. For her six days and 70 hours of work this week, she will earn approximately $3.25 (about $84 in today's money). Conditions will not change much within her lifetime, though literature has already began to reflect the emergence of the Industrial Revolution. It is making note of her struggles, if only for posterity.</P><P>New York, 1909, the streets: It is the best of times to own a newspaper in New York. It is the worst of times. Because of an ever-burgeoning immigrant population as well as a heavy volume of other transplants to America's most populous city, there are now 11 daily newspapers (eight of which will be long-dead a century later.) They are publications with names like World, American, and Mirror, newspapers that fight pitched battles between each other in the battle for supremacy, sending their paperboys out like foot soldiers. Rivers could run black with all the ink in use.</P><P>Sydney, current day, a living room: The blogger sits on a barstool at his counter, laptop before him, tapping out his post for the day. His canvas is the Web, his audience digital, and it's rare for him to furnish physical copies of his work. There's simply no need for it. This is what printing has come to. Sure, the blogger has a few unopened Canon ink cartridges in his closet that may be of use at some point in the future but the Internet provides its own means of vast distribution, and in a sense things have come full circle. The blogger is a monk of the modern age.</P><P>John Sheenan is the author of this article on the history of ink from monks to ink cartridges and bloggers. John distributes Canon ink cartridges for a living.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6223110" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-31903506966632059122011-06-21T09:12:00.000-07:002011-06-21T09:12:00.221-07:00McSteven's Cocoa Combos Chocolate and Bacon Drink Mix, 7-Ounce Cans (Pack of 3)<img src="/51gItljF9ELSL500.jpg" alt="McSteven's Cocoa Combos Chocolate and Bacon Drink Mix, 7-Ounce Cans (Pack of 3)"width="300" align="left" style="margin-right: 7px;" />Oddly delicious flavor combinations will make Cocoa Combos your new favorites. 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For instance, the stamps suggest using reusable shopping bags...fixing water leaks...using energy efficient light bulbs...maintaining tire pressure...switching off lights when not in use. You know the drill. You've heard it before. These are the simple things that your parents tried to tell you about responsible behavior. Now the USPS is telling you, too. Nag. Nag. Nag. Maybe you should listen this time. But beyond the obvious value of preserving life on earth, there may be a financial benefit to using these stamps. Actuaries and Uncle Scrooge, take note!</P><P>Consider this: If you send 200 Christmas cards each year and you figure you've still got 30 Christmases ahead of you, that's 6,000 stamps you'll be licking in December. Maybe you mail 20 birthday cards, bills and miscellaneous whatnots each month. 20 x 12 months in a year x 30 years. That's another 7200 stamps over 30 years. Total: 13,200 First Class stamps in your future.</P><P>Buy in bulk today and pay just 44 cents forever. So even if rates go up, you're protecting your position at 44 cents. No more postal inflation. Future rate hikes be damned! For a measly $5808 investment today you've protected yourself against future First Class postage rate increases. Buy today and save enough $$$ in 50 years to put your great grandchildren through college! Or at least buy them a beer after class.</P><P>Now if the USPS simply invests that $5808 at 8%, in 64 years it will be worth big bucks! The mind boggles with possibilities. It's like buying futures when you can actually see into the future. It's so good it oughta be illegal.</P><P>The mind also boggles with possibilities of what will happen to our planet if more of us don't recycle, conserve water and use less energy. $4 a gallon for gas is just the tip of the iceberg. Oh yes, and the real icebergs-and the polar bears, walruses and seals who depend on them-will soon be just a bittersweet memory, relegated to the History Channel.</P><P>So consider this stamp a winning trifecta. Save the planet, just a bit, save some $$ in the bargain, and maybe most important of all, get ego-boosting "I told you so" points for reminding your less-than-aware friends about the importance of conserving our natural resources.</P><P>Way to go, Post Office!</P><P>Ellen is President of Paul&Partners, Inc, a full service direct marketing company in Northern Virginia where she watches the environment from her windows and keeps an eye on the USPS for her clients.</P><P>If you've liked what you read today, you'll want to get her weekly blog. Go to her company website, http://www.paulandpartners.net/ and sign up.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6207111" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-67347944276304412602011-06-21T06:06:00.000-07:002011-06-21T06:06:01.356-07:00The Only Football Betting System With a 90% Hit Rate<p>Insane Conversions Of 1 / 16, Less Than 4% Refunds! Simply copy and paste from the affiliate tools for easy money! This Is 25,000 Words Of Detailed Research Into Soccer Betting And The Aspects The Bookmakers Consider When Publishing The Odds.</p><br /><a href="http://danielgu.money2b.hop.clickbank.net/">Check it out!</a>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-71585780053761739092011-06-21T05:19:00.000-07:002011-06-21T05:19:00.555-07:00Mullahs in Nation-Building <P>There is no doubt in my mind that when Mr. Jinnah mobilized the Muslim identity as a marker of difference from Majority Hindus, it was only a strategic assertion. The creation of a new and separate homeland for the Muslims of India, in Muslim majority areas, depended on this assertion but nowhere in Jinnah's arguments can we find convincing proof that he had envisioned this future state to be an Islamic state. In fact, Ayesha Jalal (The Sole Spokesman) quite convincingly suggests that Jinnah would have been rather happy in a confederacy in which the Muslims were given a parity in the future national assembly.</P><P>However, it is no surprise that the very slogan that was essential to mobilize a nationalist movement has now come to haunt us: the slogan has become the truth. This articulation of the nation, in which the slogan becomes the truth, manifested itself immediately after the creation of Pakistan, Remember, we were told that Pakistan was not able to create and ratify a constitution until 1956: we were taught this in high school. But no one bothered to teach us that, besides other things, what delayed the writing and adoption of the constitution was the fight between the Islamists-who wanted a strict Islamic state-and those opposed to a purely Islamic articulation of the nation. This fight, or aporia, thus is within the very fiber of our national genealogy.</P><P>In essence what kind of nation we would be if all that the diverse groups of mullahs continue to insist on from their pulpits, through media channels, and through their published works. Here is a possible sample:</P><P>‧ A nation in which women have less rights than men. <BR>‧ A nation in which non-Muslims have less rights than Muslims. <BR>‧ A nation in which feudal system can still thrive, as there are no strictures against it. <BR>‧ A nation in which justice is harsh and immediate: sometimes without due process and sometimes meted out by private individuals.</P><P>So, in its true essence, the mullahs want to abolish modernity, retrieve an eighth century politics, and then posit it as a recipe for our national future. The constitutive power of this vision, therefore, is always an idealized past upon which the present can have no bearing as the discourse of the present is not authentic enough to form a new constitutive force for the future.</P><P>In posting their views about a purely Islamist nation, the mullahs mobilize varied historical narratives without ever acknowledging that history is always inherently textual: we know of it because it has been written down. The mere acceptance of this fact allows us to imagine that if the history is a record then it must contain, unless written by a computer, the temporal, spatial and personal biases and ideologies of those who recorded it. History, therefore, is never unmotivated and if mobilized uncritically can undermine the present and seriously damage the future in the name of tradition.</P><P>By and large, after the Zia-ul-Haq years, we have totally conceded the public sphere to the mullahs: you cannot think the nation without running into one or the other bizarre articulations of the nation by one or the other mullah. Somehow, it seems, that their answer to all our problems is more religion. But more religion has not really solved any of our problems. In fact, since the foregrounding of a religious national identity we have become a more intolerant, sexist, racist, and chauvinistic society. <BR>Of course, it is not the religion that is to be blamed for it. But the politicized and militaristic interpretations of certain aspects of religion play an important role in this. In pretty much all debates about the role of religion in the public sphere, the mullahs mobilize religion only as a system of justice. Yes, Islam has certain laws about justice, but is there no love in our religion? And if there is love, mhuhabbah, then how come it does not shine through in our public undertakings.</P><P>The recent murders of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti are two important cases in point: both these persons were murdered by "Muslims" because they had, by opposing a destructive law, somehow, blasphemed. What kind of a civil society allows public citizens to be murdered by private citizens as an act of popular justice? And if that kind of murder is permissible, then why have the blasphemy laws? Why not just accept that people themselves have the right to judge and punish their own fellow human beings.</P><P>Sadly, the rise of private media has not, in any way, diminished the role of half-baked theories of the mullahs; the private media, in fact, have provided the mullahs with a much larger frame and enabled them to spread their vitriol to larger audiences.</P><P>There can be no short-term solution to this problem of perpetuation of hate in the name of tradition and religion. A good start would be to, at least, pass some hate-speech legislation: a law that forbids any acts of rhetorical violence against any group, individual or entity. This could at least regulate speech in the public sphere; it may not affect what the mullahs are saying in their mosques, but at least there they can be told to keep it to their own captive audiences.</P><P>On the whole, having read and followed the public debates by most of Pakistani religious leaders and scholars, I, in all due humility, can say very positively that I have found nothing in their articulations of the Pakistani nation that can create a viable, pluralistic, and compassionate nation-state for all those who call themselves Pakistanis.</P><P>Source: http://www.freshwrites.net/2011/03/31/mullahs-in-nation-building-2/</P><P>Author of Constructing Pakistan (Oxford University press, 2011) Masood Raja is an assistant professor of literature and the editor of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies. Raja is also the founding editor of Fresh Writes ( http://freshwrites.net/ ), a community-themed writing website.</P><br /><p><a href="http://EzineArticles.com/6219248" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Danielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00381186166613980884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507665647994532500.post-79227809777180404672011-06-21T03:09:00.000-07:002011-06-21T03:09:00.125-07:00Coping skills 4 anxiety<p>This is a great self - help E-book written by a person who has been through the tough times of fighting anxiety. 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