Law History

Top 10 Jobs For Ex Felons

2012-02-10T01:03:00.001-08:00

Getting a job with a felony on your record can be very difficult, as you probably already know. Jobs for felons are difficult to get, and most companies wont hire a felon. The ones that do generally don't pay very well. I have compiled a list of the top 10 jobs for felons. Helpful tip: if your felony is over 7 years old, most states dont allow background checks to go back that far. If your state has this law, you can answer 'no' on an application.

Top 10 List

#10 Job - UPS Delivery Driver

UPS has been known to hire felons. They have moderate salaries and is a stable job to have.

#9 Job - Join the army

The army accepts people with criminal backgrounds, depending on the crime. Contact a recruiter to see if you qualify to join.

#8 Job - Truck driver

Many trucking companies are willing to hire felons. Most likely you will need to obtain a trucking license.

#7 Job - Start your own business

You can start your own business. One idea is to go to school to be a locksmith, and start your own company. Also consider getting a barber license.

#6 Job - Telephone Customer Service

Many companies are willing to hire felons for over the phone customer service, because you aren't dealing with the people in person.

#5 Job - Temp Agency

Temp agencies can occasionally find good work for you. Many times it will be day labor, so be in good physical shape.

#4 Job - Family business

See if you can work in a family or friend's business. They will be happy to hire you if you are willing to work hard. They will probably be glad to help you get back on your feet.

#3 Job - Independent Contractor

Many people will still use your services as long as you get the job done. If you work hard, it doesn't matter that you have a felony on your record.

#2 Job - Privately owned small businesses

Some chain businesses have rules against accepting felons. Small business owners are more likely to accept you. They will take more of a 'risk' in hiring employees, and you can be more personal with the business owner.

---> #1 Recommended Job - Online GPT Services

This is the best job for a felon, because it requires no screenings whether it be background checks, drug tests, etc. Everyone is accepted, and you work on your own time and you can work as much or as little as you want. Online 'GPT' or "Get-Paid-To" services offer a great way to make a few hundred dollars a month without spending a lot of time working. There are many GPT services available, some better then others. My experience with GPT services has been a great one, and I recommend this as the best job in my list of Top 10 Jobs for Felons.

Definition of Corporate Culture

2012-02-08T18:52:00.001-08:00

Are you looking for a clear definition of corporate culture? You have come to the right place!

I have developed a definition of corporate culture after nearly 20 years of working with organizations and viewing them from the perspective of a cultural anthropologist as well as a strategy consultant with an MBA in finance.

The easiest way to think of corporate culture is that it is an energy field that determines how people think, act, and view the world around them. I often compare culture to electricity. Culture is powerful and invisible and its effects are far reaching. Culture is an energy force that becomes woven through the thinking, behavior, and identity of those within the group.

Corporate culture is created naturally and automatically. Every time people come together with a shared purpose, culture is created. This group of people could be a family, neighborhood, project team, or company. Culture is automatically created out of the combined thoughts, energies, and attitudes of the people in the group.

I have worked with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists involved in the start-up of technology companies. They want to work on the corporate culture once the company is profitable or "in the black". It is much more difficult to change the corporate culture once it has emerged than to proactively create the corporate culture they want from the start.

The corporate culture energy field determines a company's dress code, work environment, work hours, rules for getting ahead and getting promoted, how the business world is viewed, what is valued, who is valued, and much more.

Every company or organizations has numerous corporate cultures. For example, the marketing department and the engineering department may have very different corporate cultures which are both influenced by the overall organizational corporate culture. Many times these two sub-cultures clash.

Culture shows up in both visible and invisible ways. Some expressions of corporate culture are easy to observe. You can see the dress code, work environment, perks, and titles in a company. This is the surface layer of culture. These are only some of the visible manifestations of a culture.

Surface Layer of Corporate Culture: Visible Expressions

·Dress Code

· Work Environment

· Benefits

· Perks

· Conversations

· Work/Life Balance

· Titles & Job Descriptions

· Organizational Structure

· Relationships

The far more powerful aspects of corporate culture are invisible. The cultural core is composed of the beliefs, values, standards, paradigms, worldviews, moods, internal conversations, and private conversations of the people that are part of the group. This is the foundation for all actions and decisions within a team, department, or organization.

Core Layer of Corporate Culture: Invisible Manifestations

· Values

· Private Conversations (with self or confidants)

· Invisible Rules

· Attitudes

· Beliefs

· Worldviews

· Moods and Emotions

· Unconscious Interpretations

· Standards

· Paradigms

· Assumptions

Business leaders often assume that their company's vision, values, and strategic priorities are synonymous with their company's culture. Unfortunately, too often, the vision, values, and strategic priorities may only be words hanging on a plaque on the wall.

Corporate culture is actually the container for the vision, mission and values. It is not synonymous with them. In a thriving profitable company, employees will embody the values, vision, and strategic priorities of their company.

What creates this embodiment (or lack of embodiment) is the corporate culture energy field that permeates the employees' psyches, bodies, conversations, and actions.
Companies need a good definition of corporate culture before they can begin to understand how to change the corporate culture.

Homes for Sale By Owner Land Contract Michigan

2012-02-05T02:57:00.001-08:00

The homes for sale by owner land contract Michigan residents are able to provide to interested parties a home at an affordable price. A land contract in Michigan is often beneficial for both parties, when conducted in the correct manner.

There are a number of instances in which reputable and reliable individuals in Michigan will find themselves in financial trouble and facing a possible foreclosure on their home or land. Instead of succumbing to this problem, it is important that these individuals realize that hope does not need to be lost in these unfortunate situations.

Even in these troubling times, there are alternatives available to these people aside from the foreclosure on their property. A land contract in Michigan can be just the thing to help these people, or anyone that is looking to sell their property quickly and without involving a mortgage company.

As a contract between the owner of the property in the state of Michigan and the buyer or purchaser of the aforementioned property, a land contract in Michigan allows the transaction to take place for a pre-determined and specified monetary amount, in exchange for the rights to the land or home. The purchaser agrees to make the decided upon payments for the property over time to the seller, who is required to hand over the physical manifestation of the deed to the property owner or purchaser when the entirety of the land contract has been paid in full.

The laws surrounding the homes for sale by owner land contract Michigan residents must adhere to are outlined in a very clear way in these instances. Possession and living rights, for all intents and purposes, are immediately available to the purchasers of the many available homes for sale by owner land contract Michigan residents have to offer. In the end, it is the title that is not turned over to the purchasers until the payments have all been made. This is what allows the sellers to maintain some collateral when they are in the process of selling their properties. Homes for sale by owner land contract Michigan laws are able to protect sellers in this way.

However, land contracts are also beneficial for interested buyers as well. For example, buyers who want to own a home but have poor or damaged credit can often work with sellers on terms. Investors, like us here, can also help educate buyers on ways to repair their credit and get them the financing they need.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people and someone who can make monthly payments and has some money to put down on a home should be able to buy one, even if the bank isn't willing to give out a loan.

he sale of the home in this specific type of contractual agreement , therefore, is able to help all involved parties. Despite the many benefits, there are a number of states that have, over the years, presented a number of problems when it comes to making the ownership of a property easy in the form of a land contract.

Homes for Sale By Owner Land Contract Michigan

However, a land contract in Michigan is a valid form of property transaction. Homes for sale by owner via land contract in Michigan bring supply to the market as options for potential buyers who would otherwise not be able to buy a home.

As long as the seller is motivated and willing to work on terms and the buyer has stable income to make monthly payments and has a bit of money for a downpayment, a win/win situation can often be structured.

A Classical View - Why Do People Commit Crimes?

2012-02-04T13:56:00.001-08:00

A Classical View: Why Do People Commit Crimes?

People commit crimes because that is what they want to do. Criminal behavior is a matter of choices. Today, there are many excuses cloaked as reasons for criminal behavior. The misguided nature of these assertions has a serious impact upon crime control strategies. The classical approach to crime control strategies deals with direct intervention tactics. Law enforcement, within this rubric, takes an aggressive posture toward criminal acts. The delayed tactics of a reactionary position is relegated to the illusion of rehabilitation. In the classical view, deviance and crime are addressed in a proactive manner. This strives to be consistent with both legal and social aspects of constraint. Deviant behavior in the form of criminal activity must necessitate a punitive approach to behavior. Such an approach must come with speed, precision and certainty. For control sanctions to work, the systems of justice must work decisively. The attendant criminal justice systems must be capable of deploying the necessary resources. From an historic perspective, the classical school of criminology is often overlooked as a viable crime prevention strategy.

All available scientific, forensic and technical resources should press full force behind a more classical approach to criminology. This effort should be applied within the context of modern times. Following a doctrine of "psychological hedonism", the classical approach holds that people choose freely among alternatives of behavior. In this view, the perpetrator plans his or her criminal behavior before carrying out his or her actions. The individual creates the basis for their departure from socially, morally or legally sanctioned aspects of behavior. A person calculates the "pain versus the pleasure of an act", or the gain minus the risk of doing a certain thing. Not unlike the rest of us, the perpetrator carries out his or her conduct as a result of personal calculations. Such acts of deviance stem from the pleasure being greater than the risk. In other words, they want to take something that someone else has. Criminals want the shortest distance between two points. The implication of the doctrine is that the societal reaction to crime should be the administration of a measured amount of pain. The general proposition of the classical school is that it is necessary to make undesirable acts painful. Attaching punishment is crucial to making an impact on behavior. Likewise, punishment requires re-education, so that criminals learn through painful costly consequence such behavior is counterproductive.

Accountability and responsibility are attached in definite ways, so the perceived loss will exceed the gain. Since the punishment must be one that can be calculated, it must be the same for all individuals. No one is excused regardless of age, mentality, social or economic status, political influence or other self-indulgent conditions. People are held in absolute accountability to the actions they choose. Deterrence and moral retribution replace rehabilitation. Preventing criminal behavior before it happens is part of the overall strategy of crime control objectives. This perspective presupposes that people will take advantage of opportunities. Since people freely decide their course of conduct, rapid societal interdiction is necessary. A concept of "free-will" criminology is necessary to ensure society does not disintegrate due to an obsession with behavioral excuses. Behavior is influenced by a decision-making process that relies on consequences. As such, so is criminal behavior.

The motivation to commit acts of criminal behavior relate to basic internal desires of control, dominance, anger, revenge and display of personally perceived inadequacy. A quadrangle of self-motivated thinking transpires. Desire, opportunity, ability and gain merge to formulate the strategy of motivation. A multi-dimensional realm within the mind transforms into an outer expression of exploitation. As such, our crime control strategies and tactics must consider the inherent motivation of the criminal. The inherent motivation is the subjugation of another person for personal gain. Approaches based on hasty generalizations and politically correct agendas are counterproductive to the health, safety and welfare of the community. We must consider what the individual criminal is like. He or she is not much different than the rest of us. Except that the criminal prefers "the short cut" in stead of the legitimate way of doing things. Forget about the pseudo-scientific approaches that come up with impressive labels and complex diagnoses. And, forget about the short-term fads or fetishes of quick fixes for long-term problems. Fancy theoretical constructs do not solve crime. Instead, determined and dedicated hard working police officers do. They are the ones who solve criminal behavior issues affecting society. They do this through the collective interaction of public support and involvement. Not by politicians, media hype, fad or fiction.

People commit crimes as part of a selfish desire to get something for nothing. Their "private logic" focuses on their alleged "suffering" at the hands of an insensitive and cruel world. They selfishly desire to take advantage of opportunities, exploit their prurient interests, and assert their abilities. All this is done based on their individual capabilities to get what they think is rightfully theirs. The criminal is not a victim of society. Neither is he or she forced into a position of disadvantage by others. Criminals refuse to accept responsibility and accountability for their behavior. When caught, they are quick to puppet excuses the social sciences, the media and politicians have preconceived for them. Criminals develop their thinking processes on the basis of "being owed" something. His or her behavior becomes connected to what they believe is "entitlement".

Personal choice dominates the motives of individual actions. We think, we fantasize and we act according to our underlying belief system. Through a process of rational conscious thought, we select the temptations of preference. Regardless of what comes into us from external sources, we pick what we want. We employ our learning history to do things we conjure in our own minds. Such is the rational process by which we pick and select the course of action we take. In a kind of "economic view" of the world, people balance the risks, or the costs, involved in doing a certain act. Upon validation that the "benefit" outweighs the cost, we decide to act. Then again, we might decide not to act. Crime, in a sense, holds a seductive quality and grips our attention. We are mesmerized by the darkness in the balance between good and evil. Good and evil is simply picture thinking about the scope of human nature. For some, crime pays, until caught. At the very least, we calculate a "pain versus pleasure" reality.

References:

1. Jeffery, C. R., Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, (Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1971), page 24;

2. Samenow, E. S., Inside the Criminal Mind, (New York: Crown Business, 1984), pgs. 20-22;

3. Schmalleger, F., Criminology Today - An Integrative Introduction - Fourth Edition, (Upper Saddle River: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2006), page 118-119;

Understanding Copyright

2012-02-04T00:46:00.001-08:00

The basis for copyright law in the USA is found in the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 as follows:

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

The first copyright law was the Copyright Act of 1790. We are currently operating under the Copyright of 1976 as amended.

Copyrights have a term of the life of the author plus 70 years. We Boomers can thank Sonny Bono (Sonny and Cher) for this. The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998—alternatively known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act set the current term of copyrights.

When you write original content, it is copyrighted even if you do not specify “Copyright” or use the “circle C” © copyright symbol.

The best way to approach using any information that you have not created yourself is to consider that it is copyrighted.

To copyright an item, you must establish a dated record of some type when you first created the item so you can prove the date of the copyright if someone challenges you. The earliest date will get the copyright. Before computers, a technique was to write the piece and have it notarized or witnessed. Another technique was to enclose the item in an envelope and mail it to yourself. The postmark established the date.

Now we have computers that record the date of file creation for anything we record on them. This date becomes the date of the copyright.

All you have to do to copyright something is to create it and follow the previously specified procedure by specifying “Copyright © (Date of first Creation) ( Name of author)” Use of the copyright symbol is not required.

The following procedure is for MS Word: To insert the copyright symbol, click Insert on the tool bar, Click Symbol on the dropdown and you will be presented a table of all kinds of symbols. Highlight the “circle C” and click the Insert button and the © will appear where your cursor is located. You will have to click on the Close button to close the Symbol box.

There, that was easy. Now start creating content on which you can proudly hang that “circle C”.

Supreme Court Ruling on MAP

2012-02-03T00:06:00.001-08:00

The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision to make it easier for manufacturers to require retailers to honor manufacturer assigned Minimum Advertised Price (MAP). Dissenting justices said that the ruling would likely drive up retail prices. What will be the ruling of the consumers?

The high court's decision overrules an existing anti-trust statute that made MAP agreements illegal. In the future, courts will evaluate each individual case to determine if it violates anti-trust laws. With regards to the old anti-trust statute, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "It is a flawed anti-trust doctrine that serves the interests of the lawyers."

The Consumer Electronics Association issued the following statement, "CEA applauds the Supreme Court decision today reversing the per se rule against resale price maintenance. The Supreme Court holding that the "rule of reason" should apply to the legality of manufacturer pricing decisions, means simply that all the facts will be examined before a finding of illegality - replacing a black and white rule of illegality in every case. Reasonableness has come back to the antitrust laws, and in consumer electronics industry, where sales training, industry marketing, and after-sales service are highly valued by manufacturers and reputable retailers, it makes perfect sense to consider these factors when evaluating a manufacturer's requirement that threshold prices be maintained."

With this ruling, new lines for measuring anti-trust will be determined by judges on a case by case basis. Each case will document and establish boundaries for future reference.

Level Playing Field?

One possible outcome of the ruling is that it creates an opportunity to level the playing field between major retail enterprise like Best Buy, Circuit City and Wal-Mart with the locally owned independent dealers. If a manufacturer requires all locations to honor the manufacturer imposed Minimum Advertised Price, then it is feasible that a product may have exactly the same price regardless of the sales channel.

For end-user consumers, if there is sudden consistency in retail pricing from every location, then different considerations would become more important in the decision making process. If there is no competitive price advantage between online options and brick-and-mortar neighborhood retail stores, then consumers may be swayed by convenience, installation options, service or speed of delivery. Service and Solutions could begin to take precedence over price and performance.

Although the move could create competitive consistency for the Minimum Advertised Price for consumers, it does not imply that the same will apply to the purchasing power of the large retail chains. Even if the retail price is the same to consumer, companies like Costco, Wal-Mart and Best Buy will still have significantly stronger purchasing power in comparison to the smaller chains or resellers. Although the price to big retail would not go up, the margin and profit could benefit from consistent retail pricing. Increased margin would enable big buyers to become more competitive in other areas of the business.

Derivative Product

A common method of maneuvering between the desire to maintain a high price and high value associated with a particular model compared to the desire to increase market share with a burst of low cost product has been to leverage derivative models and burst SKU's. By changing a few features, disabling a component, modifying the color or the label on the product, manufacturers have been able to provide low cost cousins to high value flagship products in the past. The new ruling by the high court would make this practice even more attractive for manufacturers and retailers to control price by product. This type of control may be a healthy necessity as plummeting prices have reduced the perception of some technology in consumer electronics to commodity status.

Business Finds a Way

The Supreme Court has removed a large stone from the center or the rapidly moving stream of Consumer Electronics business. With time, there will be a series of smaller stones placed in the stream as various advocates challenge and test the boundaries of reasonableness in court. Despite the expense of litigation and the inevitable stones that will be placed in it's path, business and commerce will adjust the flow just as fast flowing water continues to find a way downstream.

The ruling itself is an acknowledgement of a significant change in the marketplace for technology in commerce. The number of brands and manufacturers competing on Consumer Electronics is much larger and more diverse today than in the past. It is mush easier to establish new brands with direct access to dealer channels for original equipment manufacturers. How will the up and coming brands respond to the ability to designate Minimum Advertised Price in comparison to the desire for a bigger piece of the market share pie? Price and demand can not be dictated locally in a global market.

The advent of personal media that can be downloaded from the Internet and stored on personal devices has virtually wiped out an entire market of retail music stores in the blink of an eye. Record Stores are now few and far between, primarily relegated to small sections inside of consumer electronics retail stores or bookstores. Online music venues offer easy options for artists, albums or single tracks. It was not a Supreme Court ruling that imposed such a dramatic change to the industry, but rather the fast flowing course of business as determined by consumer demand.

Have you tried to use a public pay phone lately? Could you find one now if you needed it? Cell phones are not free to manufacture, but they can be free from a carrier if you sign-up for service. If the cell phone manufacturers impose a Minimum Advertised Price for the product, will it be the carrier or the consumer who pays the price? Ultimately, the individual or entity that pays the price may determine which product is in stock and which product sells.

Will it be a court ruling that determines the future of satellite radio, or will it ultimately be defined by consumer demand? Did satellite dishes replace cable networks or merely create an alternative in an existing market that was once ruled by radio waves and rabbit ear antennas? It was not necessary for the courts to require competing alternatives between VHS and BETA, or to interfere with the format war between Blu-Ray and HD DVD. Business finds a way.

We salute the Supreme Court for a ruling that acknowledges a fundamental rule of business. The Courts will not determine preservation or pricing, consumers will.

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Words of Wisdom

"If you can not fill up the lake with the cup that you have, what makes you think that you can fill up the ocean with the same cup?"
- Samson Eshetu

"For decades we all competed in what I would call an 'invent and assert' industry. We would create new technologies and then we asserted - we projected and marketed - what we thought the technology could be used for. We have reached a point in our evolution where we can no longer be an industry driven by gizmos and guessing. We cannot grow this industry on that basis. Instead, we have to be driven by the needs of our clients."
- Samuel J. Palmisano, chairman and CEO, IBM

"The only new thing in the world is the history you don't know."
- Harry S. Truman

The Jewish Menorah - A History

2012-01-30T15:18:00.001-08:00

The menorah is a seven branched candelabra which has come to represent the Jewish People and Israel. Its origins directly derive from the Torah and its symbolism has proven to be long lasting.

Early coins and pottery containing images of the menorah and dating back to biblical times have been recovered from archaeological sites.

The first menorah was originally made for the tabernacle and later placed in the first and second temples. The Torah records how the great artist, Bezalel, fashioned the menorah in accordance to detailed Divine instructions. These instructions are recorded in Exodus 25:31-40, see excerpt below:

"31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side thereof..."

Listed below are some of the facets of the menorah:

- (as stated above) it was hewn out of a single block of pure gold

- it weighed approximately 150 pounds and just under 5 ft in height

- it had seven branches; a middle branch and three branches extending from each side

- according to Maimonides and Rashi, the side-branches extended from the middle branch in a diagonal line, not in a semi-circular arc as most drawings depict

- extra pure olive oil was used in the cups - gently pressed, not crushed and just the first emerging drops were considered pure enough

- it was positioned beside the southern wall of the temple, opposite the 'shulchan', the table which held the twelve show-breads.

The daily maintenance and lighting of the menorah was a task allocated to the Kohanim (priests). Interestingly, although only the Kohanim were permitted to prepare the menorah, there were no restrictions as to who could light it.

It is written that one branch of the menorah miraculously stayed alight continuously. Synagogues today have a 'ner tamid' (everlasting light) situated opposite the ark, which contains the Torah scrolls. This reminds us of the significance of the menorah during temple times. In addition many synagogues also display a menorah, or an artistic impression of one, in painted decorations or on stained glass windows.

After the fall of the Second Temple, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus recorded that the menorah was taken to Rome and carried along during the triumphant homecoming parade. A depiction of this event is preserved on the Arch of Titus that still stands today in Rome.

During the Jewish festival of Chanukah a menorah is lit on each of the eight nights. This menorah differs from the temple's menorah in that it has nine branches instead of seven.

The location of the original menorah is unknown today but the symbolism lives on; the national emblem of the State of Israel is a menorah, flanked by two olive branches.

History of Bipolar Disorder - Bipolar Disorder Already Existed Centuries Ago

2012-01-29T19:21:00.001-08:00

Bipolar Disorder has been discovered many years ago however, a lot of people find it hard to understand the condition and was not accepted as an illness right away. The history of Bipolar Disorder can be traced back as far as the second century when Aretaeus from the ancient city of Turkey called Cappadocia determined some of the symptoms of mania and depression. He thought that both mania and depression warning signs were interrelated. The world of medicine didn't recognize his findings back then since no one was able to support his theory.

The next study that followed the second century findings wasn't around for many centuries. It was only made public in 1650 when Richard Burton, a scientist, wrote and published a book called "The Anatomy of Melancholia." He was the first one to successfully study the condition of depression and his book is still widely used today in the mental health field as a key reference. Because of this, he was named the father of depression as a mental illness.

In 1854, Jules Falret instigated the term "folie circulaire" which means circular insanity because he discovered the difference between the depression moments and heightened moods of an individual. He even supported that depression and suicide are both linked together. His findings of depression and manic episodes led to the term Bipolar Disorder but in 1875, his findings were officially called Manic-Depressive Psychosis and it has been recognized as a psychiatric disorder that is different from simple depression alone. Falret even proved that the disease has a genetic linkage as he observed that it is present within certain families.

Francois Baillarger has made an important role in the history of Bipolar Disorder as he differentiated bipolar disorder from schizophrenia for their characteristics of depressive phase. His findings allowed the Bipolar Disorder to be classified apart from the other known mental disorders during the era.

Emil Krapelin in 1913 coined the term manic-depressive as he studied the effects of depression and manic episodes. His unique approach to the mental illness was fully accepted during his time and became the most widely accepted theory of the early 1930's.

In 1948, Dr. John Cade, a Psychiatrist of Bundoora Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, was able to discover the positive effects of Lithium Carbonate in treating some of the World War II veterans who have been experiencing manic-depressive psychosis. This was the first time a drug has been discovered to have some successful effect in treating a psychiatric condition. Until now, the compound of Lithium Carbonate is being widely used as a medication for the Bipolar Disorder.

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorder published an article in 1952 about the genetic linkage of manic-depressive. It has revealed the possibility of manic-depressive to run in the family stricken with the mental illness. In the 1960's, anyone who has been showing the symptoms of the disease were institutionalized but were given little help by the government since they refused to accept manic-depression as a mental illness. The early 1970's made the mark for new laws that established to help those who were afflicted with the manic-depressive illness. The year 1979 was the year of birth of the National Association of Mental Health or NAMI.

The term Bipolar Disorder replaced the known manic-depressive disorder in 1980 when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association used it as a diagnostic term. Throughout the 1980's, studies have been conducted to tell the difference between adult and childhood bipolar disorders. To this day, the history of Bipolar Disorder continues to prosper as more and more studies are being conducted to know the probable causes as well as newer methods to treat the mental illness.

Do Ill-mannered In-laws or Rude Relatives Ruin Your Holidays?

2012-01-27T18:49:00.001-08:00

Do difficult relatives ruin your holidays year after year? I had a colleague, Traci, who proclaimed a few weeks before Thanksgiving that the family gathering would be ruined as usual because of her sister-in-law, husband, and meddlesome nephew. She had a defeatist attitude plus she figuratively put on full battle gear ready to go to war with these despicable in-laws.

I reminded her from previous conversations that you can't change the other person, but by changing how you approach this person, you could get a more favorable response. I explained that the minute they walked in the door they would sense her hostility and react accordingly. I suggested that she pretend this is the first time they are meeting. Welcome them into her home and as the hostess, keep the conversation light.

At the same time, she can make wise decisions based on their experience with the misbehaving nephew. She has a right to set boundaries and enforce them if the parents don't. What could she do differently this time since he didn't listen previously to not touch the computer? Traci decided to remove the keyboard from the computer. She also denied him access to the hot tub, which he had damaged the previous year.

I asked Traci why she went along with the suggestion that she have Thanksgiving at her house each year when both she and her husband had to work the day before and after the holiday. Her explanation was that her relatives expected it. Does that mean she is stuck in a rut forever? No! I asked if she had considered going out to dinner. There are plenty of places now where you can have a tasty turkey dinner and more. Traci agreed that the concept sounded like a great solution.

Well, Traci did succeed in letting go of her battle gear and having a good time. The in-laws responded favorably to her relaxed body language, and having to control the obnoxious nephew was much easier because both Traci and her husband enforced the boundaries. They turned a deaf ear to his constant whining.

However, the next year, Traci and her husband decided to recapture the pleasure of the holiday by announcing to the family that they were not going to have Thanksgiving dinner at their house. They were going out to eat. Eventually someone else volunteered--the in-laws she disliked! All she had to do was bring a dessert. The nephew was happy because he was in his own house and everyone had a good time.

Here are specific examples of how hot buttons are pushed based on the four perceptual styles: Audio, Feeler, Visual, and Wholistic. In each instance the person is operating through his or her Limiting Tendencies rather than Empowering Tendencies. Therefore they are reactive and hope to get a reaction from you. Following each example is a remedy for defusing the situation.

Audio: Uncle Bob is always argumentative. He claims he is just playing the Devil's Advocate. But eventually it triggers a shouting match because he is also sarcastic. Uncle Bob wants to evoke a reaction because simmering beneath the surface is anger and he's looking for a way to vent. Once you react, he's won! He now has an excuse to shout to intimidate you. He uses his temper to control others.

Remedy: When you start seeing red, take a deep breath and assess the situation. If you can leave the room, do so to calm down. There is always a reason to go into the kitchen, whether it's to check on the food or to get a glass of water. If you feel you would be deserting the guests if you got up and went into the kitchen, change the subject. If appropriate, tell a joke--getting everyone laughing is a great way to defuse the situation.

Feeler: Aunt Jane enjoys being the martyr. The driving force behind her indignation is, "After all I've done for you and this is all the appreciation I get?" So she will tell you her tale of woe or all of her worries. Her subconscious goal is for you to feel sorry for her and maybe even wallow with her in her self-pity--misery does love company!

Remedy: Sometimes just quietly listening to her is all she needs. She wants to pour out all her problems and worries. Then steer the conversation to things she has been doing. Sincerely compliment her on her accomplishments, no matter how small. She just wants to feel needed and appreciated. If she offers to help, by all means accept it!

Visual: John is frustrated with his life. It's just not turning out the way he had envisioned it. Subconsciously he wants you to feel as frustrated as he is. He might attack ideas with "No, it'll never work." Or he might slip into a funk and use the silent treatment: "If you don't know what's bothering me, I'm not going to tell you." Either of those actions can frustrate you!

Remedy: Realize it's a game to control you. Keep that smile on your face when you say, "I'm really sorry, John, that you aren't having a good day. Hope you feel better soon." Then walk away. If it's at the dinner table, change the subject or turn your attention to someone else.

Wholistic: For years Chris has expressed resentment that she hasn't gotten her just rewards. She should have gotten that promotion, but then what do you expect? There is a glass ceiling for women! This resentment triggers irritability and moodiness. So sometimes Chris goes off and sulks. With a sour look on her face she withdraws from the others. She secretly likes the thought that others might be wondering what's her problem. "Good, let them wonder." When she joins the others for the holiday dinner, she manipulates the conversation so she can impose her opinion about why life isn't fair.

Remedy: Let her sulk. It's not your problem! Otherwise when she becomes negatively opinionated, you can quickly defuse the situation by saying, "You are entitled to your opinion. You brought up some points that I will have to think about." End of conversation! Even though you disagree, don't get into an argument with her. You will not win!

If you believe certain relatives will ruin the holiday again because they always do, you're setting yourself up for failure. You'll get what you anticipate. So throw away the battle gear and bring out the good cheer. It is possible to have "Happy Holidays."

Video Surveillance and Surveillance Laws

2012-01-27T02:43:00.001-08:00

The dependability and prevalence of video surveillance cameras has increased dramatically in the past decade. Numerous home and business owners have integrated video cameras into their security systems to ensure safety, crack down on regulations, and catch criminals in the act. Surveillance is considered covert when the cameras are hidden or aren't identifiable. Security Cameras are largely legal in the United States, as long as it doesn't directly infringe on a person's fourth amendment right to privacy.

Uses of Covert Surveillance

"A picture is worth a thousand words." This saying rings true in court. According to a recent study, when a jury is presented with surveillance footage, it is twice as likely to convict as when not shown video surveillance evidence. The strategic placement of covert surveillance cameras aid in the detection and prosecution of vandalism, theft, child abuse, elder neglect, stalking, and harassment.

Some of the more common places to use covert camera surveillance are: Homes, Casinos, Police Stations, Nursing Homes, Construction Sites, Prisons, Hospitals and Retail Stores.

Monitoring the activities of nannies and household help with covert surveillance cameras is a growing trend. Due to recent advances in technology, cameras are now small enough to be hidden in many home items such as teddy bears, house plants, clocks, and wall paintings.

Surveillance Laws

Most camera surveillance is legal in the United States. The majority of surveillance laws concern the invasion of privacy with the use of covert video surveillance. The use of covert surveillance is particularly controversial in areas in which a high level of personal privacy is expected, such as: locker rooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and bathroom stalls. There are some general guidelines to follow to ensure the legality of your camera surveillance system.

Covert surveillance is illegal when: Audio surveillance is also taking place, without the consent of those being monitored and the person being monitored by the video surveillance has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Covert surveillance may be illegal when: The video surveillance encourages an illegal activity and the subject under video surveillance has a right to counsel, as when being questioned by law authorities and the person in charge of the premises have not given permission for video surveillance.

If you opt to incorporate a covert video surveillance system into your home or business, consult with a lawyer or your local law enforcement agency to ensure your compliance with local, state, and federal video surveillance laws.

Many independent studies in the United States and United Kingdom have suggested that video surveillance acts as a powerful deterrent, stopping crimes before they happen. Studies also show strong evidence that video surveillance systems can be an extremely effective tool in detection and prosecution.

Oil Filled Radiator Heaters - How They Work, And Uses

2012-01-26T11:21:00.001-08:00

Why buy a Oil Filled Radiator Heater instead of different types?

The
most obvious reason to purchase a oil filled radiator heater is for safety and a
silent operation. These heaters operate by warming up a special heat-conserving
oil inside the heater. Then it circulates the oil throughout the coils and fins
of the radiator to heat them. Those coils and fins radiate the heat into the
rest of the room through convection. Cold air is warmed by the heat radiating
from the fins of the heater and the warmed air rises drawing in the air below it
which is usually colder than the air above and the process repeats. Since it
does not have fans to move the air around the radiator is silent.

How are Oil Filled Radiator Heaters different from other heaters?

The
heat conserving oil is sealed inside the coils of the radiator. Since the oil is
only warmed, is never burned, and never needs to be replaced or refilled it
makes oil filled radiator heaters very efficient to operate. In addition, some
heaters have safety covers that prevent children and pets from touching the
heating elements that radiate the warmth. Generally they have a lower surface
temperature than other heaters, and because of the large surface area of the
heater they heat the room just as fast.

How do most people use Oil Filled Heaters?

These radiators are perfect
for chilly bedrooms and offices. They spot heat anywhere, and can be very
compact. Some are light in weight, letting you place them anywhere where you
need a little bit more heat. Several are made to fit into the area beneath a
desk so they can be unobtrusive and since they are quiet nobody would notice
their presence. Another important thing about the under desk radiators is that
they only take 40 watts of power to run so you could plug them into the same
circuit as your computer. The area of heat our radiator heaters can warm range
from 150 square feet to an area as small as 40 square feet for an under desk style unit.
An added benefit of the small desk-type units is that they are extremely
efficient.

Buy a SAFE Oil Filled Radiator Heater for personal comfort.

These heaters are ideal if you
just need that extra bit of warmth or your co workers prefer it colder than you
like, or when you would
like to save money by not heating the whole building and only your little corner
of the house. Not only are they safer
than other heaters with tip over safety switches and overheat auto shutoff
switched, they require almost no maintenance, and are quite easy to
move.

Customer Service and the United States Post Office

2012-01-24T07:39:00.001-08:00

Running a post office is no easy chore and many times there is a line. Customers waiting in line obviously believe that if they have to wait too long that the customer service is no good. They equate their time being wasted to poor service. It is not difficult to run a post office, but it is difficult to staff the front office.

This is because the customers come in spurts and there are mandatory breaks for the employees. Additionally many people go to the post office during their lunch break and that is the exact same time there are fewer front desk helpers at the post office working.

Problems are compounded during the Christmas rush. Most of the post office’s are open additional hours to help alleviate some of the lines, but it is not so easy for them to add extra people on duty during Christmas only like UPS does.

Still, these lines are equated by customers to lousy service. Excuses are not good enough for the customer who has to wait in line 20 minutes and pay money and it is difficult to convince the customer after they have waited in line that the service is good.

The United States Post Office goes out of its way to promote good customer service and trains all its people to respect the customer and to deal with aggressive behavior. Nevertheless, people still get out of line because they are infuriated at having to wait for 20 minutes just to mail a letter or a package.

Customer service is never easy whether it is at a post office or a local retail store. But it is something that must be given or the customers will be very upset. Please consider all this in 2006.

Dubai Lifestyle - The History of the City and Day to Day Life in Dubai

2012-01-23T17:09:00.001-08:00

Background Information to the United Arab Emirates and Dubai: -

Dubai is one of the seven states that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE); it is located in the Middle East. The UAE borders the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf and is situated between Oman and Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971 by the then 'Trucial States' after their independence from Britain.

The UAE is governed by a Supreme Council of Rulers, the council is made up of the seven emirs and they appoint the prime minister and the cabinet for the country. Despite being ultimately ruled by the Supreme Council, as with the other six states, Dubai maintains a large degree of autonomy from the UAE when it comes to general decision making for the city's development.

Oil was first discovered in the United Arab Emirates in the 1950s, before that the country's economy was built on fishing and pearling, since 1962, when Abu Dhabi became the first of the emirates to begin exporting the oil, the country's economy has been completely transformed.

Sheikh Zayed, who has been the president of the UAE since its inception, quickly understood the economic potential for the country from the oil industry. He has continued to ensure that each of the emirates benefits from the oil generated wealth, he has insisted on the reinvestment of oil revenues into the healthcare system, the education system and the general national infrastructure.

The development of the oil industry has led to a large influx of foreign workers to the UAE, in fact Dubai's population is the fastest growing in the world and the foreign population makes up about three quarters of the entire UAE population! As a direct result of this fact the UAE is one of the most liberal countries in the Gulf, with other cultures and beliefs tolerated. Dubai has also been quick to understand the need for diversification. Oil in the region is only projected to last for about 30 years and so Dubai has successfully embarked upon a major diversification program aimed to at developing industries and commercial enterprises to take the place of oil as the predominate commodity of the state's economy.

The climate in Dubai is sub-tropical and arid or desert like. The city enjoys almost year round sunny blue skies. Rain is infrequent and if it does fall, it falls in the winter.

Temperatures range from lows of 10°C to extreme summer highs of 48°C. The average maximum daily temperature in January is 24°C and the average maximum daily temperature in July is 41°C when humidity is very high.

About the city of Dubai

Dubai is recognised as the commercial and tourism capital of the UAE and is globally regarded as one of the most sophisticated, futuristic and cosmopolitan cities in the world, in fact Dubai is something of a phenomenon! It is an Arab Muslim society with the fastest growing foreign population in the world, and it has successfully developed harmony through ethnic diversity. It is a city with unrivalled levels of economic energy and architectural ambition, a unique city of contrasts where the most modern and architecturally stunning skyscrapers stand alongside traditional beautiful Arabic structures.

The experiences and attractions available in Dubai are many and varied. From the miles of immaculate beautiful white sandy beaches to the richly exotic Arabian heritage, from the awe inspiring majesty of the desert to the lively international bars, restaurants and nightclubs - a visitor to Dubai is guaranteed an incredible, never to be forgotten experience.
In 2003 Dubai was voted safest holiday destination in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine, and in fact Dubai is recognised globally as one of the safest cities in the world. Living in Dubai you will find that it is virtually crime-free with the Dubai police ensuring personal safety and security. Anyone found guilty of committing a serious crime will be severely punished. Alcohol and drug related offences are considered serious.

The economy of the city of Dubai is a mainly service-driven economy, with every business amenity from banking to telecommunications offered. International trading and industrialisation are actively encouraged through the provision of favourable taxation advantages, offshore status, specialist free trade zones etc. Recent innovative projects in the city include the foundation of Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City, bringing 21st century technology to Dubai in the world's very first 'Free Zone' wholly dedicated to e-business.

Day to Day Life in Dubai

Accommodation

If you are considering moving to Dubai one of your first thoughts will no doubt be finding somewhere to live. This is not something you'll find too tricky, there are many companies advertising rental accommodation in the classified sections of local newspapers and they offer everything from private villas to luxury apartments or even shared accommodation. Whatever your budgetary and lifestyle requirements are, the specialist relocation and housing companies will be sure to have something to assist you. If you prefer to find your accommodation privately and avoid any agency costs, many people use supermarkets notice boards to advertise or request accommodation.

In terms of which areas of the city offer the type of accommodation you are after, Jumeirah, Umm Sequiem and the Safa Park area are upmarket and offer villa-type accommodation. Satwa and Garhoud also offer villas but are slightly cheaper. Rashidiya, Mirdif and Al Quoz are mainly Arabic areas and they actually attract a lot of expats.

If you are after an apartment the most popular areas are around Bur Dubai, the Sheikh Zayed Road with cheaper flats are available in Deira, Satwa and Karama. Some of the more exclusive apartment developments offer shared gym and pool facilities together with garaged car parking and the like.

Education

If you are considering moving to Dubai with family and are interested in finding out about the education system and the availability and quality of schools, one of the best ways is to ask around! Because of the numbers of expats in Dubai there is actually a large number of primary and secondary schools from which you can to choose. Most schools are private fee paying schools and really the best way to get an idea of the reputation of a school is to ask friends, colleagues and other expats who live in Dubai. Many of the schools also have their own websites where you can learn about the curriculum they follow, after school programs etc.

When it comes to enrolling your child in the UAE there are a few restrictions you should be aware of. For example you are not allowed to change your child's school during the academic year...unless approval is given by the Ministry of Education and the circumstances are 'special'. This means that you have to make sure the school you choose for your child will definitely suit them. Another restriction you should be aware of is that is you move to Dubai on or after the 1st May each year you can't enrol your child into the schooling system for that year. Instead you'll have to enrol for the beginning of the new school year which is usually the beginning of September.

Health

Another consideration you may have if thinking about relocation to Dubai may be the state of the health care system available there. It is fair to say that Dubai has many very well equipped hospitals and surgeries. Dubai's Department of Health and Medical Services runs Dubai, Rashid, Maktoum and Al Wasl hospitals, with Dubai Hospital one of the best medical centres in the entire Middle East. Al Wasl is a maternity and gynaecology hospital.

The Department of Health also run out patient clinics or surgeries and in addition there are a number of quality private hospitals in Dubai offering in and out patient facilities - e.g., The American and Welcare Hospitals. Overall both the private and publicly offered health care services in Dubai are first class.

Working

Working in Dubai you will enjoy a tax free salary and all shop goods can be bought at tax free prices, making it an incredibly attractive city to international workers and international companies. Job opportunities in Dubai and diverse and plentiful, particularly since the additions of the Media and Internet cities...Dubai is a city expanding its horizons at an unrivalled rate.

It is important to mention that some countries worldwide have tax laws enabling them to tax their nationals on their worldwide income. It is important to check your status with an international accountant before taking up employment in the city.

Lifestyle

Dubai has a thriving expat population who make the most of their tax free lifestyle in this amazing city of opportunity. The nightlife in the city is excellent, with cocktail bars, wine bars, themed bars and typical British or Irish pubs available, many of which offer food and entertainment as well.

High standard international cuisine is available in the city's many restaurants and if you are looking for lively evening entertainment there are numerous night clubs around the city. Some of the clubs attract international DJs; there are also Middle Eastern, Indian and Asian nightclubs offering entertainment with singers and dancers. Dubai also welcomes international touring singing and entertainment acts which cater to all tastes and ages...from traditional theatre groups to ballet, from opera to international rock and pop bands - all are regular visitors to the United Arab Emirates.

You can be assured of an exciting pace of life in Dubai and a high standard of living.

Illegal Immigration to Canada

2012-01-22T11:37:00.001-08:00

Illegal immigrants are people who are not legally permitted to live in a country. Every year, hundreds and thousands of people attempt to enter Canada illegally from Hungary, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, Panama, Central America, Eastern Europe, Ireland and other countries. Both the United States and Canada face serious illegal immigration problems. Failed refugee claimants and people with expired visas are illegal immigrants. It is believed that about 8% of foreigners attempt to enter Canada illegally. Another 64,000 people (8%) have expired visas. Some people enter the country as undocumented persons because of economic reasons.

As per an immigration report in 2003, the estimated number of undocumented people living in Canada is somewhere between 100,000 to 200,000. A few illegal immigrants exhaust all avenues of becoming legal and continue to live, work and contribute to Canada's economy for long. Increased security protection in United States following September 11, 2001 has also resulted in an increase in the number of illegal immigrants to Canada.

Illegal immigration to Canada can be reduced by verifying social insurance numbers. In Canada, a social insurance number beginning with the number nine shows that the person holding it is not a citizen. The expiration date must be verified to make sure that the number is still valid. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada can support problems in this region.

When compared to United States, illegal immigration to Canada is less. One can enter Canada either illegally, or as a refugee, citizen, or permanent immigrant. Entering illegally should not be necessary in Canada, because the country has the most liberal immigration and refugee entry laws in the world.

For political reasons, the Canadian government took the initiative to legalize undocumented people by granting amnesty. Illegal immigrants in Canada are granted permanent immigrant status during these amnesties. People who commit serious crimes are unlikely to get amnesty.

What is Deferred Adjudication?

2012-01-21T20:52:00.001-08:00

Deferred adjudication basically means that the final judgment in a situation has been deferred until a later time. Between the announcement of deferred adjudication and the time when final judgment will be announced, the charged individual is given the chance or opportunity to do something that will result in the crime not being listed as a "guilty" sentence on his or her record.

For many small or minor crimes, an individual who has maybe no prior arrests or convictions will be given the opportunity to keep his or her record clean through deferred adjudication. A judge will give an individual an opportunity to complete community service hours or an alcohol awareness class.

Deferred adjudication is a plea bargain agreement between a defendant and a Texas criminal court. The final or formal judgment is withheld, postponed, or "deferred" until the end of a probation period. If the individual completes the probation period successfully, the charges are dismissed. In addition to the probation period, a person may have a number of conditions to meet that the court assigns.

Prior to receiving deferred adjudication from a court, a defendant is required to enter either a plea of guilty to the charges or a plea of no contest to the charges against him or her. Either way, the plea means that the defendant admits to the crime charged. A plea of no contest has the advantage of offering a degree of protection from any future civil charges that have been levied against him or her.

While a successful deferred adjudication judgment ultimately results in the criminal charges being dismissed by the criminal court, there are two very important pieces of information that will remain on a person's record and be viewable by the general public for the rest of an individual's life. The two visible records that remain are:

1. The original arrest record. This record contains all of the arresting officer's notes and reports. It will also usually include any investigator's notes, photographs, confessions, or any other type of evidence seizer or testimony taken during the arrest.

2. The record of the action of the court. The actions of the court will be recorded into a document. The document typically contains the order and terms of the probation which were signed by the defendant in order to qualify for deferred adjudication. In addition, the record will contain the plea entered by the defendant.

Fortunately, many deferred adjudication situations can be expunged or the records can be sealed.

Rise of the Antichrist, False Prophet and a 10 Nation Confederacy

2012-01-19T17:01:00.001-08:00

The Bible says that an unholy trinity will arise in the latter days. This unholy trinity will be Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Satan is called the Dragon in Revelations. He has always wanted to be like God, if not God, and this will be his one and only chance to actually "play God" in the last 7 years on earth. Satan will take the role of God the Father, the Antichrist will take the role of Jesus and the False Prophet will take the role of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit's job is to lead people to Jesus. In the same way, the False Prophet will be the one to lead the world to serve the Antichrist. He will be instrumental in arranging for people to have the mark of the beast put on either their right hands or their foreheads.

The 10 nation confederacy will be 10 nations that the Antichrist and False Prophet will rule from. The consensus is that the 10 nation confederacy will be 10 nations from Europe. Right now, there are 25 countries in what is called the European Union. By the time the Antichrist gets ready to take center stage, there can only be 10 countries left to fulfill Scripture.

I'm going to list the main verses from Scripture having to do with the Antichrist, the False Prophet and the 10 nation confederacy that they will rule from. Read these verses very carefully! You are getting an incredible look into the future from the Word of God as to what will becoming our way!

1. The Antichrist is called the Beast, the Lawless One, the Man of Sin and the Son of Perdition in the following verses. The first verse is right out of Revelations.

"Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name ... and the
dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast, and worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blaspheming against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to him over every tribe, tongue and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Revelations 13:1-10)

Jesus is the Lamb. Notice that Satan is the one who arranges to give full power to the Antichrist to be able to rule with the power and authority that he will have. This verse literally tells us that the Antichrist will have full rule over the entire world for a short period of time before Jesus finally comes back to defeat him.

2. The next verse tells you that the 10 horns mentioned in the above verse are 10 kings - 10 nations that will give their allegiance to the Antichrist.

"And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdoms as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called chosen and faithful." (Revelations 17:12-14)

3. The next verse comes from the prophet Daniel out of the Old Testament. Daniel was given very powerful dreams and visions as to what was going to happen at the end of time. The first verse was a dream given to him by God on the Antichrist. This verse also tells you that the Antichrist will be a man!

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the other beasts before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." (Daniel 7:7-8)

Notice Daniel's description of the Antichrist. He tells us that this man will be the worst dictator the world has ever seen. He will make Hitler look pale in comparison to what he is going to do once he gets on center stage. He says this beast is different than all the other beasts that have ever come before him and that he will be terrible, dreadful and exceedingly strong!

The above verse also implies that 3 of the kingdoms under the Antichrist may not at first go willingly under his rule. He will have to subdue them to get their allegiance as will be shown in the next verse.

4. The next verse from Daniel also interprets the 10 horns as being 10 kingdoms. It goes on to say that the Antichrist will subdue 3 of these kings. It also says that he will be allowed to persecute the saints of God for three and half years. An Angel from God is giving him this message.

Thus he said: "The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall arise after them: He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, shall intend to change times and laws. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, and times and half a time."
(Daniel 7:23-25)

A time = 1 year. Times = 2 years. Half a time = half a year. This comes to a total of three and half years. The first verse from Revelations 13:1-10 - states he will have authority to continue for 42 months which is also three and half years.

5. The next verse from Daniel gives more information as to some of the personality traits of the Antichrist. He will have fierce features, understands sinister schemes, will be very cunning and will be the epitome of conceit and arrogance.

"And in the latter time of this kingdom, when the transgressors have revealed their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully and shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human hand." (Daniel 8:23-26)

Notice the last sentence. He will not be destroyed by any one man or nation - but by Jesus Himself when He comes back for the 2nd time to our earth. The description of what Jesus does with him will be in the caption on the battle of Armageddon.

6. The next verse in Daniel gives some additional information on this man. He may be gay as he has no desire for women. He also may have some Jewish descent in him as it states he has no "regard" for the God of his fathers.

"Then the king shall do according to his own will; he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above them all." (Daniel 11:36-37)

This man will end up being the ultimate ego-maniac of all time!

7. The next verse out of John tells us that his name is Antichrist.

"Little children, in the LAST HOUR; and as you have heard that the
ANTICHRIST is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour." (1 John 2:18).

8. The next verse tells us that he is also called the lawless one.

"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders." (2 Thessalonians 2:9)

9. The next verse shows that he is called the man of sin and the son of perdition. This verse also tells us that when he seats himself in the rebuilt Jewish Temple at the halfway point in the Tribulation, he will literally pronounce himself to be God!

"Let no one deceive you by any means for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

10. The next 2 verses are on the False Prophet. The 1st verse tells exactly what this man is going to do. The 2nd verse gives us his name - the False Prophet. The Bible also calls him another beast.

"Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by these signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive the mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666." (Revelations 13:11-18)

"Then the beast was captured, and with him THE FALSE PROPHET who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image." (Revelations 19:20)

You will also note that the Antichrist apparently receives some kind of wound that should kill him. My guess is that there is probably some kind of assassination attempt on his life. He miraculously survives this wound and apparently receives a real healing - obviously from Satan himself and this causes the entire world to marvel at him and makes it easier for the rest of the world to fall under his demonic spell and follow him.

Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet will now set the stage for what is called the 7 year Tribulation.
THIS 7 TRIBULATION PERIOD WILL BE THE WORST PERIOD OF TIME THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. JESUS HIMSELF TOLD THE APOSTLES THAT THERE NEVER HAS BEEN A TIME OF TROUBLE THROUGHOUT HUMAN HISTORY AS BAD AS THIS TIME IS GOING TO BE AND THAT THERE WILL NEVER EVER BE ANOTHER PERIOD AS BAD AS THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE!

Just as God gave His Son three and half years to walk with His power on this earth, God is going to allow Satan, through the Antichrist, to wreak as much havoc and destruction on this earth as he possibly can in the last three and half years of the Tribulation.

This is the 4th part of a 22 part series of end time events.

How a Foreign National Can Buy Real Estate in America

2012-01-16T22:23:00.001-08:00

Opportunities for real estate investment for foreigners is wide and varied in the United States. It doesn't matter where you're from and what currency you'd be using to purchase a property, you have a property waiting for you.

There are generally three kinds of real estate investment available to foreigners. These investments include the commercial estate investment and residential property investment. Residential properties are further classified into single family properties, apartments or condominiums and recreational properties. Regardless of what kind of real estate you are interested in, there are all sorts of tax ramifications, financing options and legal requirements that you have to deal with.

Why Should You Invest in the U.S. Real Estate Market?

You've probably heard of the increasing number of foreign real estate investments in the United States. This is not surprising. With the troubles that the real estate investment market is facing in the United States, greater opportunities in real estate investment were opened to foreign investors.

With the dollar's value in its all time low, foreign investors are finding real estate bargains all over the United States. There are no shortages of deals in this market. More and more distressed properties are being sold everywhere and foreigners are pouring in millions buying these foreclosed or distressed properties. The United States real estate has become a fairly attractive long-term investment for foreign investors.

In November of 2006, the National Association of Realtors released a report entitled "Foreign Investments in U.S Real Estate: Current Trends and Historical Perspective". The report showed that there has been a steady increase in foreign real estate investment in the United States. This is especially after the euro and the loonie became stronger in the face of the continuous devaluation of the US dollar. Prime bargains were opened to foreigners. Many foreigners have now looked into the possibility of retiring or settling in the United States.

If you're a foreigner, you would find a lot of reasons why you should invest in the United States real estate market. Aside from the fact that the floating exchange rate has given you a lot of leverage over the bargaining table, the financial market is a pretty good reason why you should invest in the US real estate.

The financial market in the United States in relation to the real estate market is quite liberal and the restrictions against foreign investors are pretty reasonable. This is ideal for foreign companies that are seeking to invest in the real estate market in the United States in order to avoid tariff restrictions and are considering setting up an office or a company in the United States.

Furthermore, despite the devaluation of the US dollar and the wide foreclosures of a lot of property, the real estate market remains to be stable, though slightly shaky, due to foreign investors' capital appreciation. Domestic real estate buyers may not necessarily share the same opinion, but the market has remained to be strong for foreign real estate buyers. This may be largely credited to the fact that there is minimal risk for them.

Why are Foreign Real Estate Investments Safe and Profitable?

There are a lot of investments you can make, but the safest you can make right now is investing your money in real properties. This is another good reason aside from the fact that you can make a pretty nifty profit, if you like, particularly now with the widespread property foreclosures and seemingly continuous US dollar devaluation. This is especially true if you are going to use the euro or the loonie when making your investment.

But why is US real estate investment safe for foreigners?

It is undeniable that stock investments are not a safe avenue at this point. The recession has not only affected the US economy; the same recession has greatly affected worldwide stock investments. Stocks values are dropping. It is also a fact that even without the current economic situation, stock values fluctuates.

On the other hand, real estate investments are pretty stable if you would compare it to stock investments - or even bond or mutual fund investments. With real estate investment, you'd be putting your money in an investment that would grow in value as years go by.

What are the Benefits of Foreign Real Estate Investment?

US state government supports foreign investments and along this line has formulated various tax breaks to encourage foreign investment on real estate. Many of these tax breaks are not available in many countries. In fact, most countries would frown at foreigners owning real properties within their territory.

Foreign real estate investment in the United States is open to everyone. As long as you can afford to buy the property or at least comply with the mortgage requirements and payments, you can secure for yourself a pretty good property in the United States. Again, with the current economic situation of the United States, this is the perfect chance for you to make an investment.

Another great benefit that you can take advantage of is the availability of mortgage financing. Lenders have opened their doors to foreign investors who are looking into purchasing a property. So, you don't have to actually deplete your bank account. You can actually secure a mortgage loan and gradually pay it off.

I'm Canadian, What Are My Financing Options?

There is a steady increasing rate of Canadian real estate investors in the United States; and accordingly, the government has made certain that they have attractive financing options available to them.

If you're Canadian - or if you're a foreigner - you'd find a lot of reasons why you should buy a piece of real property in the United States. For Canadians, the parity of the currencies or the apparent devaluation of the US dollar is a pretty good reason itself. But how do you finance your purchase?

There are various financing options available to you depending on which state you are in. In Arizona, for instance, you'd get favorable financing terms if you are purchasing a property for recreational purposes, that is, you do not derive any income or benefit from your purchase or ownership. You will be required, however, to sign up a disclosure agreement and give a 30% down payment for your loan. To qualify though for a loan, you may be required to show availability of liquid reserves for a period of three to six months. You may also be required to present a minimum of 3-month bank statement.

If you are purchasing a property for investment, you'd probably meet stricter terms. Requirements may be more stringent. For instance, you could be required to give a down payment of more than 30% and you may be required to show one year worth of liquidity reserves.

Regardless of your reasons, if you feel like you can fulfill the requirements of a financing loan, you can then proceed to actually applying for a mortgage loan. Also, keeping yourself updated with the financing terms flux may be a wise idea.

Understanding the Tax Ramifications of Real Estate Investment

The first foreigner to have ever bought a real estate property in the United States was Peter Minuit. This opened the doors to foreign real estate investors. After a couple of centuries later, foreign real estate investment has grown into huge proportions, accounting for billion-of-dollar worth of industry.

The low risk attached to US real estate market, the availability of countless properties, and the steady market liquidity attract foreign investors in droves. The initial snag, however, is the process of understanding the legal ramifications of foreign real estate investment.

What you have to understand is that foreign investment in the United States can take a lot of forms. A foreigner has various options. He can acquire direct interest. He can acquire an interest in the real estate through a partnership, a corporation, or a limited liability company. The latter is the typical structure used by foreign investors.

Limited partnership or Limited Liability Company offers financial protection or indirect asset protection, especially in cases of bankruptcy, law suits and taxes. Foreign investors are generally taxed on the property as if they hold the property in direct interest.

Ideally, you should secure the services of a real estate accountant to help you out with the tax ramifications, but it would help if you, at least, know the basics before you actually talk to an accountant.

There are tax consequences that you have to deal with when you buy a real estate in the United States. You would need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number which you will use with all your tax transactions. Your investment in real estates can be treated as a portfolio investment and will be accounted for as an investment income which can either be fixed or a periodic income. This is typically taxed at 30% on gross revenues. This tax though does not apply though to all foreign investors. Tax rates would vary depending on the tax personality the foreign investor opted for. For instance, a corporation would be taxed differently.

Other things that you should take note of are availability and requirements of tax refunds and state tax laws on real estate properties as they may differ from federal laws, among other things.

By knowing all these things, you may save yourself from a lot of hassles when you finally approach a real estate accountant. You'd be in same wavelength when you finally get down to talking business. It is, however, very important that you secure the services of an accountant. You'd have an easier time dealing with the taxes ramifications. You'd also have assistance ensuring that you comply with all the accounting aspect of your investment. This is especially true if you are purchasing a real property for investment purposes.

Do You Need to Secure the Service of a Real Estate Lawyer?

If you are considering buying a property in the United States, you need to secure the services of a real estate attorney - someone who could help you with the legal issues concerning your purchase. It is tempting to forego securing the service of a lawyer to save money, but this could cost you a lot of money in the long run. Make sure that you have an experienced and trustworthy lawyer to help you out. Make sure that you have thoroughly checked out his credentials, profile, history of successful cases handled by him, and other factors that would influence your decision. You could check online and look for a lawyer working within the state where you are considering purchasing a property.

Functions of a Real Estate Lawyer

There is no actual distinctive function for a lawyer in a real estate case. However, you would really need the assistance of a lawyer for various tasks. A real estate lawyer would review the sales contract for you. He would also check on the title and other documents relating to the property. A lawyer would also review your mortgage contract and make the necessary adjustments or corrections. You could also get him to review with you the legal and tax issues concerning the purchase. A real estate attorney could also make the necessary adjustments relating to various expenses and costs involved in the purchase. He would assess your eligibility for tax refunds and draft the documents and statements relating to this.

Putting it simply, a real estate lawyer will be your watchdog. He would guide you through the whole process of purchasing a real estate in the United States in order to make sure that you will be legally protected. You will have a capable and trustworthy liaison to help you out with the contract. He will also face legal disputes if any arise.

Tips on How to Invest in Real Estate Successfully

Now, if you've fully bought into the idea of real estate investing in the United States, you might just want to know how to go about investing in real estate successfully. If you want to be successful in this venture, the first thing that you have to avoid is overanalyzing. Of course, it is a good idea to carefully think through your actions but it is a bad idea to overanalyze your investment to nonexistence. You might lose a great opportunity.

Before you purchase the property though, it might be wise to check the property value. If it sits well with you and you can reasonably afford the property, go ahead and make the purchase.

If you are considering the property for a quick flip, make sure that the property is in perfect condition and in good area. This is to ensure that you could double or actually triple your return of investment. If you can inspect the property yourself, do so. If not, a good and trustworthy agent can help you with this task.

Another important thing to remember when you're buying real estate is good financing. You should take your time to carefully consider all your financing options. Foreign investors can email in their queries to various lending institutions. It is a good idea to make sure that you've had their terms and rates on paper because they tend to change these terms and charge you with a lot of junk. Your real estate agent can help you with reviewing the escrow charges.

The bottom line, however, is that it is very important that you do your homework before you actually buy a real property. Investing in real properties in the United States can be profitable especially during these times. In fact, it may be the wisest and most perfect investment you can make right now.

General Revelation - What is it and How Does it Contrast to Special Revelation?

2012-01-11T08:22:00.001-08:00

General Revelation is the belief that God is revealed to all men, apart from the special revelation of God in Jesus Christ. This revelation is in nature. The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows man His handiwork. The creation speaks to the mind and the conscience concerning the existence of God. Men's consciences will accuse or excuse them, said St. Paul in the Roman Epistle, if they do not have a written law. They can see the existence of God in the things that are made, and they are without excuse. Indeed when they knew God, they refused to recognize him."

General Revelation is Not Salvatory
This knowledge will not save man, but it is a general revelation of God to every man that does not involve Christ and special revelation. Even though it does not deal with the transcendent questions it is still good for society. If men will believe in the existence of God and will accept His moral law as the basis for social and civil rule, he will have safer streets and better adjusted families and relationships.

How Does Orthodoxy Feel About General Revelation?
Orthodoxy, which does not believe in any revelation of God to man that's does not Involve the work and the Person of Christ, answers that God made the worlds by Jesus Christ. Everything that has been made was created by Him. Christ was slain in the councils of God before the world was created. And God has never revealed anything to man except through Jesus Christ. If you take the mediation of Jesus Christ out of the picture there are no heavens and earth to show forth the glory of God and no man with a conscience and a mind to think of God or to feel conviction.

The Source of the Revelation of God
The argument is not whether the heavens and earth show the evidences of the Creator, but whether this is part of the special mediatorial work of Christ.

The Dialecticism of Karl Barth
The Special-Revelation views of Historic Christian Orthodoxy should not be confused in any way with the claims of Karl Barth that God never did anything in this world and toward man except through Jesus Christ. Barth means something else altogether by the term Christ than fundamental Christianity, be it Orthodox, Calvinist or Evangelical Conservative.

CCC Valuescope & USAA Conspiring to Defraud, Committing RICO Act Violations?

2012-01-10T16:16:00.001-08:00

I am filing a consumer complaint against CCC Valuescope (CCCG) and my insurer USAA for falsely alleging a fair "market value" of my automobile.

My insurer USAA has breached its duty to exercise the utmost good faith to me its insured. By using CCC Valuescope (a company I allege violates the U.S. federal RICO Act) USAA has intentionally provided me a low and fraudulent valuation of my automobile in hopes of obtaining an unreasonable and unfair settlement.

CCC Valuescope (formerly known as CCC Information Services Group Inc - CCCG) can by no means be deemed a fair and market value of automobiles as CCC Valuescope works exclusively for insurers and therefore has an economic interest to supply valuations that are intentionally below the actual fair market value of what insured vehicles are truly worth.

It is known fact throughout the insurance industry that CCC gathers its values from what car dealers would sell a vehicle for at basement wholesale prices, not the true "retail value of an auto of like kind and quality prior to the accident" as mandated by FL insurance regulations. Moreover CCC Valuescope uses a mix of vehicles formerly leased, used, and abused among wrecked cars when compiling valuations to afford their insurance company customers paying out total losses the lowest possible "values" to present their insured.

Ironically, nearly every vehicle in CCC Valuescope's appraisal of my car report consisted of vehicles that had over 20 records indicative of issues such as accidents and faulty cars. Among the report, some cars had 28, 31, and 32 records.

Cutting costs and denying its insured "the utmost due care" historically can be documented against USAA beginning with the class action lawsuit against USAA in Washington's King County (March 12, 1999) for compelling auto repair shops to use "imitation" parts in repairs, while simultaneously hiding this practice from policyholders. Beyond auto insurance, USAA has countless complaints filed against it in 27 states across the country.

CCC Valuescope is not independent in their valuations since they are a hired gun for the insurance companies! Upon conducting a VIN search on the vehicles within the CCC report 39813905, many cars had over 20 records indicative of numerous collisions, issues with the vehicle, and several changes of ownership. By relying upon CCC's intentionally low valuation of my vehicle, USAA is breaching its fiduciary duty to act in good faith in handling my claim. No fair and honest evaluation of my claim can be performed by CCC as it is contracted by insurers for the primary purpose of minimizing monies paid out by insurers to its fiduciaries. By using CCC Valuescope, USAA is clearly not exercising the "utmost due care" in the interest of me its insured as required by Baxter v. Royal Indemnity.

CCC admitted itself in its SEC Filing on 3-16-2005 that "the Company sometimes pays a new customer for the remaining commitment of its previous contract with third parties as an incentive". In regard to regulation, CCC mentions in the same filing "in most states, however, there is no formal approval process for total loss valuation products". CCC itself confesses in the same report "individual state departments of insurance have taken positions as to whether the use of CCC Valuescope valuations is in compliance with a states claim handling regulations".

"The Company is aware that since 2002 the California Department of Insurance has advised some of the Company's customers (which management estimates to be approximately 14% of the total revenue earned in 2004 from the Company's CCC Valuescope valuation product and service) that the Department believed that their use of CCC Valuescope had not been in compliance with the California insurance regulations in effect prior to October 4, 2004, with respect to certain components of the products methodology. The Company believes the product was in compliance with the applicable California regulations."

"On April 24, 2003, the California Department of Insurance formally adopted new regulations that required the Company to change its methodology for computing total loss valuations in California." There is good reason therefore to believe CCC Valuescope's valuation methodology is terribly flawed and skewed to favor its insurance company customers.

In CCC's annual report filed February 13, 2004 the legal proceedings and numerous class action lawsuits against CCC are documented in pages 35, 42, 43, and 44 of the 53 page report.

On page 35, CCC Valuescope admits to setting aside $4.3 million as an estimate towards potential settlement to "resolve potential claims arising out of approximately 30% of the transaction volume of CCC Valuescope".

By acknowledging 30% of transaction volume becoming potential claims, CCC Valuescope thereby makes it public record that it anticipates a sizeable percentage of lawsuits for unfair and fraudulent valuations. Such a high percentage of transaction volume alone attests to the flawed methodology of CCC's report, its unscrupulous dealings, and wholehearted commitment to protect the financial interests of the insurers it serves.

Ironically, four of CCC Valuescope's automobile insurance company customers have made contractual and, in some cases, also common law indemnification claims against CCC for litigation costs, attorneys' fees, settlement payments and other costs allegedly incurred by them in connection with litigation relating to their use of CCC's flawed TOTAL LOSS valuation product.

Certainly the countless class action lawsuits filed across the United States against CCC Valuescape provides further evidence concerning the grossly low and inaccurate valuations of vehicles they give the insurers they serve. Among the many are:

CCC Settles Class Action Suit on Valuation of Total Loss Vehicles (July 15, 2005)

Chicago-based claims software-maker CCC Information Services Inc. announced that it and 15 of its customers signed a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs in various class action suits pending in Madison County, Ill. These consolidated suits, Case Nos. 01 L 157, et al., relate to the valuation of vehicles that have been declared total losses by insurers.

Terms of the settlement agreement will require CCC to pay notice and administration fees and other costs associated with the settlement. The company estimates that these costs will total about $8 million, and including available insurance proceeds of $1.8 million, the company is fully reserved for these payments. Other settlement costs, including claims by class members, will be paid by the insurance companies that are participating in the settlement.

August 23, 2000, a putative statewide class action was filed in the Circuit Court for Hillsborough County, FL, against CCC and USAA Casualty Insurance Company (Peter Sintes et al. v. USAA Casualty Insurance Company and CCC Information Services, Inc., Case No. 00-006308). Plaintiffs allege that USAA contracted with CCC to provide valuations of "total loss" vehicles and that CCC supplied valuations that were intentionally below the actual fair market value of the insured vehicle.

Iinsurance companies "owe a duty to the insured to exercise the utmost good faith." Baxter v. Royal Indemnity Company, 285 So.2d 652 (Fla. 1st DCA 1973).

Given the countless and ongoing class action lawsuits against CCC Valuescope there should now be no question that CCC Valuescope is not independent in its auto valuations and is guilty of violating the U.S. federal RICO Act and National Insurance Regulations, along with many of the complicit insurance companies such as USAA who willingly and knowingly use their product with the intent to deceive.

The Dream Act - Immigration Law Reform in 2010?

2012-01-08T07:42:00.001-08:00

One of the many changes President Obama has promised America is immigration law reform. Many ideas have been discussed. One of them is the DREAM Act, sponsored by Senator Lugar from Indiana and Senator Durbin from Illinois, among others. The basic idea is to allow certain illegal immigrants who were brought here by their parents at a young age and who have been educated in American schools to become permanent residents.

Under the DREAM Act, certain undocumented individuals could become legal residents. The first step in this process is for the individual to enroll in some type of higher education, such as a university, vocational school, or apprenticeship program. Another option is to enroll in the U.S. military. If certain requirements are met, this person may apply for conditional residency in the U.S. Upon receipt of an associates degree or a 2-year equivalent within six years of the initial petition, the conditional status can be changed and the individual can become a legal permanent resident of the United States.

To be eligible for permanent residency under the DREAM Act, the individual must have entered the United States before turning 16 years of age and must have been in the United States for at least five years without interruption. The individual must also demonstrate the ability to speak English.

Conditional residents under the DREAM Act will be eligible for private loans to fund their education, but will not be eligible for Pell grants. Under the DREAM Act, 65,000 students could become conditional residents each year, and eventually become permanent residents and citizens if they comply with current immigration rules and regulations.

One of the ideas behind the DREAM Act is to better utilize the taxpayer dollars that are being used to educate illegal immigrant youth in public schools across the country. If these youth are willing to continue their education through additional schooling or through the military, they would be allowed to become a legal part of our society without the fear of losing their families through deportation. In addition, the DREAM Act initially only benefits those who most likely were taken across the border by their parents through no decision of their own. Many of these individuals have spent more years illegally in the United States than in their home countries.

The DREAM Act could be merged with other legislation as part of comprehensive immigration law reform in 2010. If other ideas do not receive the necessary support from members of Congress, the DREAM Act could be enacted without additional reform measures. Either way, even the proposal of such legislation gives hope to many people now living in the United States who currently have no way of becoming a legal resident.

Insurance Law - An Indian Perspective

2012-01-04T05:46:00.001-08:00

INTRODUCTION

"Insurance should be bought to protect you against a calamity that would otherwise be financially devastating."

In simple terms, insurance allows someone who suffers a loss or accident to be compensated for the effects of their misfortune. It lets you protect yourself against everyday risks to your health, home and financial situation.

Insurance in India started without any regulation in the Nineteenth Century. It was a typical story of a colonial epoch: few British insurance companies dominating the market serving mostly large urban centers. After the independence, it took a theatrical turn. Insurance was nationalized. First, the life insurance companies were nationalized in 1956, and then the general insurance business was nationalized in 1972. It was only in 1999 that the private insurance companies have been allowed back into the business of insurance with a maximum of 26% of foreign holding.

"The insurance industry is enormous and can be quite intimidating. Insurance is being sold for almost anything and everything you can imagine. Determining what's right for you can be a very daunting task."

Concepts of insurance have been extended beyond the coverage of tangible asset. Now the risk of losses due to sudden changes in currency exchange rates, political disturbance, negligence and liability for the damages can also be covered.

But if a person thoughtfully invests in insurance for his property prior to any unexpected contingency then he will be suitably compensated for his loss as soon as the extent of damage is ascertained.

The entry of the State Bank of India with its proposal of bank assurance brings a new dynamics in the game. The collective experience of the other countries in Asia has already deregulated their markets and has allowed foreign companies to participate. If the experience of the other countries is any guide, the dominance of the Life Insurance Corporation and the General Insurance Corporation is not going to disappear any time soon.
The aim of all insurance is to compensate the owner against loss arising from a variety of risks, which he anticipates, to his life, property and business. Insurance is mainly of two types: life insurance and general insurance. General insurance means Fire, Marine and Miscellaneous insurance which includes insurance against burglary or theft, fidelity guarantee, insurance for employer's liability, and insurance of motor vehicles, livestock and crops.

LIFE INSURANCE IN INDIA

"Life insurance is the heartfelt love letter ever written.

It calms down the crying of a hungry baby at night. It relieves the heart of a bereaved widow.

It is the comforting whisper in the dark silent hours of the night."

Life insurance made its debut in India well over 100 years ago. Its salient features are not as widely understood in our country as they ought to be. There is no statutory definition of life insurance, but it has been defined as a contract of insurance whereby the insured agrees to pay certain sums called premiums, at specified time, and in consideration thereof the insurer agreed to pay certain sums of money on certain condition sand in specified way upon happening of a particular event contingent upon the duration of human life.

Life insurance is superior to other forms of savings!

"There is no death. Life Insurance exalts life and defeats death.

It is the premium we pay for the freedom of living after death."

Savings through life insurance guarantee full protection against risk of death of the saver. In life insurance, on death, the full sum assured is payable (with bonuses wherever applicable) whereas in other savings schemes, only the amount saved (with interest) is payable.

The essential features of life insurance are a) it is a contract relating to human life, which b) provides for payment of lump-sum amount, and c) the amount is paid after the expiry of certain period or on the death of the assured. The very purpose and object of the assured in taking policies from life insurance companies is to safeguard the interest of his dependents viz., wife and children as the case may be, in the even of premature death of the assured as a result of the happening in any contingency. A life insurance policy is also generally accepted as security for even a commercial loan.

NON-LIFE INSURANCE

"Every asset has a value and the business of general insurance is related to the protection of economic value of assets."

Non-life insurance means insurance other than life insurance such as fire, marine, accident, medical, motor vehicle and household insurance. Assets would have been created through the efforts of owner, which can be in the form of building, vehicles, machinery and other tangible properties. Since tangible property has a physical shape and consistency, it is subject to many risks ranging from fire, allied perils to theft and robbery.
Few of the General Insurance policies are:

Property Insurance: The home is most valued possession. The policy is designed to cover the various risks under a single policy. It provides protection for property and interest of the insured and family.

Health Insurance: It provides cover, which takes care of medical expenses following hospitalization from sudden illness or accident.
Personal Accident Insurance: This insurance policy provides compensation for loss of life or injury (partial or permanent) caused by an accident. This includes reimbursement of cost of treatment and the use of hospital facilities for the treatment.

Travel Insurance: The policy covers the insured against various eventualities while traveling abroad. It covers the insured against personal accident, medical expenses and repatriation, loss of checked baggage, passport etc.

Liability Insurance: This policy indemnifies the Directors or Officers or other professionals against loss arising from claims made against them by reason of any wrongful Act in their Official capacity.

Motor Insurance: Motor Vehicles Act states that every motor vehicle plying on the road has to be insured, with at least Liability only policy. There are two types of policy one covering the act of liability, while other covers insurers all liability and damage caused to one's vehicles.

JOURNEY FROM AN INFANT TO ADOLESCENCE!

Historical Perspective

The history of life insurance in India dates back to 1818 when it was conceived as a means to provide for English Widows. Interestingly in those days a higher premium was charged for Indian lives than the non-Indian lives as Indian lives were considered more risky for coverage.

The Bombay Mutual Life Insurance Society started its business in 1870. It was the first company to charge same premium for both Indian and non-Indian lives. The Oriental Assurance Company was established in 1880. The General insurance business in India, on the other hand, can trace its roots to the Triton (Tital) Insurance Company Limited, the first general insurance company established in the year 1850 in Calcutta by the British. Till the end of nineteenth century insurance business was almost entirely in the hands of overseas companies.

Insurance regulation formally began in India with the passing of the Life Insurance Companies Act of 1912 and the Provident Fund Act of 1912. Several frauds during 20's and 30's desecrated insurance business in India. By 1938 there were 176 insurance companies. The first comprehensive legislation was introduced with the Insurance Act of 1938 that provided strict State Control over insurance business. The insurance business grew at a faster pace after independence. Indian companies strengthened their hold on this business but despite the growth that was witnessed, insurance remained an urban phenomenon.

The Government of India in 1956, brought together over 240 private life insurers and provident societies under one nationalized monopoly corporation and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) was born. Nationalization was justified on the grounds that it would create much needed funds for rapid industrialization. This was in conformity with the Government's chosen path of State lead planning and development.

The (non-life) insurance business continued to prosper with the private sector till 1972. Their operations were restricted to organized trade and industry in large cities. The general insurance industry was nationalized in 1972. With this, nearly 107 insurers were amalgamated and grouped into four companies - National Insurance Company, New India Assurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company and United India Insurance Company. These were subsidiaries of the General Insurance Company (GIC).

The life insurance industry was nationalized under the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) Act of India. In some ways, the LIC has become very flourishing. Regardless of being a monopoly, it has some 60-70 million policyholders. Given that the Indian middle-class is around 250-300 million, the LIC has managed to capture some 30 odd percent of it. Around 48% of the customers of the LIC are from rural and semi-urban areas. This probably would not have happened had the charter of the LIC not specifically set out the goal of serving the rural areas. A high saving rate in India is one of the exogenous factors that have helped the LIC to grow rapidly in recent years. Despite the saving rate being high in India (compared with other countries with a similar level of development), Indians display high degree of risk aversion. Thus, nearly half of the investments are in physical assets (like property and gold). Around twenty three percent are in (low yielding but safe) bank deposits. In addition, some 1.3 percent of the GDP are in life insurance related savings vehicles. This figure has doubled between 1985 and 1995.

A World viewpoint - Life Insurance in India

In many countries, insurance has been a form of savings. In many developed countries, a significant fraction of domestic saving is in the form of donation insurance plans. This is not surprising. The prominence of some developing countries is more surprising. For example, South Africa features at the number two spot. India is nestled between Chile and Italy. This is even more surprising given the levels of economic development in Chile and Italy. Thus, we can conclude that there is an insurance culture in India despite a low per capita income. This promises well for future growth. Specifically, when the income level improves, insurance (especially life) is likely to grow rapidly.

INSURANCE SECTOR REFORM:

Committee Reports: One Known, One Anonymous!

Although Indian markets were privatized and opened up to foreign companies in a number of sectors in 1991, insurance remained out of bounds on both counts. The government wanted to proceed with caution. With pressure from the opposition, the government (at the time, dominated by the Congress Party) decided to set up a committee headed by Mr. R. N. Malhotra (the then Governor of the Reserve Bank of India).

Malhotra Committee

Liberalization of the Indian insurance market was suggested in a report released in 1994 by the Malhotra Committee, indicating that the market should be opened to private-sector competition, and eventually, foreign private-sector competition. It also investigated the level of satisfaction of the customers of the LIC. Inquisitively, the level of customer satisfaction seemed to be high.

In 1993, Malhotra Committee - headed by former Finance Secretary and RBI Governor Mr. R. N. Malhotra - was formed to evaluate the Indian insurance industry and recommend its future course. The Malhotra committee was set up with the aim of complementing the reforms initiated in the financial sector. The reforms were aimed at creating a more efficient and competitive financial system suitable for the needs of the economy keeping in mind the structural changes presently happening and recognizing that insurance is an important part of the overall financial system where it was necessary to address the need for similar reforms. In 1994, the committee submitted the report and some of the key recommendations included:

o Structure

Government bet in the insurance Companies to be brought down to 50%. Government should take over the holdings of GIC and its subsidiaries so that these subsidiaries can act as independent corporations. All the insurance companies should be given greater freedom to operate.
Competition

Private Companies with a minimum paid up capital of Rs.1 billion should be allowed to enter the sector. No Company should deal in both Life and General Insurance through a single entity. Foreign companies may be allowed to enter the industry in collaboration with the domestic companies. Postal Life Insurance should be allowed to operate in the rural market. Only one State Level Life Insurance Company should be allowed to operate in each state.

o Regulatory Body

The Insurance Act should be changed. An Insurance Regulatory body should be set up. Controller of Insurance - a part of the Finance Ministry- should be made Independent.

o Investments

Compulsory Investments of LIC Life Fund in government securities to be reduced from 75% to 50%. GIC and its subsidiaries are not to hold more than 5% in any company (there current holdings to be brought down to this level over a period of time).

o Customer Service

LIC should pay interest on delays in payments beyond 30 days. Insurance companies must be encouraged to set up unit linked pension plans. Computerization of operations and updating of technology to be carried out in the insurance industry. The committee accentuated that in order to improve the customer services and increase the coverage of insurance policies, industry should be opened up to competition. But at the same time, the committee felt the need to exercise caution as any failure on the part of new competitors could ruin the public confidence in the industry. Hence, it was decided to allow competition in a limited way by stipulating the minimum capital requirement of Rs.100 crores.

The committee felt the need to provide greater autonomy to insurance companies in order to improve their performance and enable them to act as independent companies with economic motives. For this purpose, it had proposed setting up an independent regulatory body - The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority.

Reforms in the Insurance sector were initiated with the passage of the IRDA Bill in Parliament in December 1999. The IRDA since its incorporation as a statutory body in April 2000 has meticulously stuck to its schedule of framing regulations and registering the private sector insurance companies.

Since being set up as an independent statutory body the IRDA has put in a framework of globally compatible regulations. The other decision taken at the same time to provide the supporting systems to the insurance sector and in particular the life insurance companies was the launch of the IRDA online service for issue and renewal of licenses to agents. The approval of institutions for imparting training to agents has also ensured that the insurance companies would have a trained workforce of insurance agents in place to sell their products.

The Government of India liberalized the insurance sector in March 2000 with the passage of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) Bill, lifting all entry restrictions for private players and allowing foreign players to enter the market with some limits on direct foreign ownership. Under the current guidelines, there is a 26 percent equity lid for foreign partners in an insurance company. There is a proposal to increase this limit to 49 percent.

The opening up of the sector is likely to lead to greater spread and deepening of insurance in India and this may also include restructuring and revitalizing of the public sector companies. In the private sector 12 life insurance and 8 general insurance companies have been registered. A host of private Insurance companies operating in both life and non-life segments have started selling their insurance policies since 2001

Mukherjee Committee

Immediately after the publication of the Malhotra Committee Report, a new committee, Mukherjee Committee was set up to make concrete plans for the requirements of the newly formed insurance companies. Recommendations of the Mukherjee Committee were never disclosed to the public. But, from the information that filtered out it became clear that the committee recommended the inclusion of certain ratios in insurance company balance sheets to ensure transparency in accounting. But the Finance Minister objected to it and it was argued by him, probably on the advice of some of the potential competitors, that it could affect the prospects of a developing insurance company.

LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA ON REVISION OF THE INSURANCE ACT 1938 - 190th Law Commission Report

The Law Commission on 16th June 2003 released a Consultation Paper on the Revision of the Insurance Act, 1938. The previous exercise to amend the Insurance Act, 1938 was undertaken in 1999 at the time of enactment of the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority Act, 1999 (IRDA Act).

The Commission undertook the present exercise in the context of the changed policy that has permitted private insurance companies both in the life and non-life sectors. A need has been felt to toughen the regulatory mechanism even while streamlining the existing legislation with a view to removing portions that have become superfluous as a consequence of the recent changes.

Among the major areas of changes, the Consultation paper suggested the following:

a. merging of the provisions of the IRDA Act with the Insurance Act to avoid multiplicity of legislations;

b. deletion of redundant and transitory provisions in the Insurance Act, 1938;

c. Amendments reflect the changed policy of permitting private insurance companies and strengthening the regulatory mechanism;

d. Providing for stringent norms regarding maintenance of 'solvency margin' and investments by both public sector and private sector insurance companies;

e. Providing for a full-fledged grievance redressal mechanism that includes:

o The constitution of Grievance Redressal Authorities (GRAs) comprising one judicial and two technical members to deal with complaints/claims of policyholders against insurers (the GRAs are expected to replace the present system of insurer appointed Ombudsman);

o Appointment of adjudicating officers by the IRDA to determine and levy penalties on defaulting insurers, insurance intermediaries and insurance agents;

o Providing for an appeal against the decisions of the IRDA, GRAs and adjudicating officers to an Insurance Appellate Tribunal (IAT) comprising a judge (sitting or retired) of the Supreme Court/Chief Justice of a High Court as presiding officer and two other members having sufficient experience in insurance matters;

o Providing for a statutory appeal to the Supreme Court against the decisions of the IAT.

LIFE & NON-LIFE INSURANCE - Development and Growth!

The year 2006 turned out to be a momentous year for the insurance sector as regulator the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority Act, laid the foundation for free pricing general insurance from 2007, while many companies announced plans to attack into the sector.

Both domestic and foreign players robustly pursued their long-pending demand for increasing the FDI limit from 26 per cent to 49 per cent and toward the fag end of the year, the Government sent the Comprehensive Insurance Bill to Group of Ministers for consideration amid strong reservation from Left parties. The Bill is likely to be taken up in the Budget session of Parliament.

The infiltration rates of health and other non-life insurances in India are well below the international level. These facts indicate immense growth potential of the insurance sector. The hike in FDI limit to 49 per cent was proposed by the Government last year. This has not been operationalized as legislative changes are required for such hike. Since opening up of the insurance sector in 1999, foreign investments of Rs. 8.7 billion have tipped into the Indian market and 21 private companies have been granted licenses.

The involvement of the private insurers in various industry segments has increased on account of both their capturing a part of the business which was earlier underwritten by the public sector insurers and also creating additional business boulevards. To this effect, the public sector insurers have been unable to draw upon their inherent strengths to capture additional premium. Of the growth in premium in 2004-05, 66.27 per cent has been captured by the private insurers despite having 20 per cent market share.

The life insurance industry recorded a premium income of Rs.82854.80 crore during the financial year 2004-05 as against Rs.66653.75 crore in the previous financial year, recording a growth of 24.31 per cent. The contribution of first year premium, single premium and renewal premium to the total premium was Rs.15881.33 crore (19.16 per cent); Rs.10336.30 crore (12.47 per cent); and Rs.56637.16 crore (68.36 per cent), respectively. In the year 2000-01, when the industry was opened up to the private players, the life insurance premium was Rs.34,898.48 crore which constituted of Rs. 6996.95 crore of first year premium, Rs. 25191.07 crore of renewal premium and Rs. 2740.45 crore of single premium. Post opening up, single premium had declined from Rs.9, 194.07 crore in the year 2001-02 to Rs.5674.14 crore in 2002-03 with the withdrawal of the guaranteed return policies. Though it went up marginally in 2003-04 to Rs.5936.50 crore (4.62 per cent growth) 2004-05, however, witnessed a significant shift with the single premium income rising to Rs. 10336.30 crore showing 74.11 per cent growth over 2003-04.

The size of life insurance market increased on the strength of growth in the economy and concomitant increase in per capita income. This resulted in a favourable growth in total premium both for LIC (18.25 per cent) and to the new insurers (147.65 per cent) in 2004-05. The higher growth for the new insurers is to be viewed in the context of a low base in 2003- 04. However, the new insurers have improved their market share from 4.68 in 2003-04 to 9.33 in 2004-05.

The segment wise break up of fire, marine and miscellaneous segments in case of the public sector insurers was Rs.2411.38 crore, Rs.982.99 crore and Rs.10578.59 crore, i.e., a growth of (-)1.43 per cent, 1.81 per cent and 6.58 per cent. The public sector insurers reported growth in Motor and Health segments (9 and 24 per cent). These segments accounted for 45 and 10 per cent of the business underwritten by the public sector insurers. Fire and "Others" accounted for 17.26 and 11 per cent of the premium underwritten. Aviation, Liability, "Others" and Fire recorded negative growth of 29, 21, 3.58 and 1.43 per cent. In no other country that opened at the same time as India have foreign companies been able to grab a 22 per cent market share in the life segment and about 20 per cent in the general insurance segment. The share of foreign insurers in other competing Asian markets is not more than 5 to 10 per cent.

The life insurance sector grew new premium at a rate not seen before while the general insurance sector grew at a faster rate. Two new players entered into life insurance - Shriram Life and Bharti Axa Life - taking the total number of life players to 16. There was one new entrant to the non-life sector in the form of a standalone health insurance company - Star Health and Allied Insurance, taking the non-life players to 14.

A large number of companies, mostly nationalized banks (about 14) such as Bank of India and Punjab National Bank, have announced plans to enter the insurance sector and some of them have also formed joint ventures.

The proposed change in FDI cap is part of the comprehensive amendments to insurance laws - The Insurance Act of 1999, LIC Act, 1956 and IRDA Act, 1999. After the proposed amendments in the insurance laws LIC would be able to maintain reserves while insurance companies would be able to raise resources other than equity.

About 14 banks are in queue to enter insurance sector and the year 2006 saw several joint venture announcements while others scout partners. Bank of India has teamed up with Union Bank and Japanese insurance major Dai-ichi Mutual Life while PNB tied up with Vijaya Bank and Principal for foraying into life insurance. Allahabad Bank, Karnataka Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Dabur Investment Corporation and Sompo Japan Insurance Inc have tied up for forming a non-life insurance company while Bank of Maharashtra has tied up with Shriram Group and South Africa's Sanlam group for non-life insurance venture.

CONCLUSION

It seems cynical that the LIC and the GIC will wither and die within the next decade or two. The IRDA has taken "at a snail's pace" approach. It has been very cautious in granting licenses. It has set up fairly strict standards for all aspects of the insurance business (with the probable exception of the disclosure requirements). The regulators always walk a fine line. Too many regulations kill the motivation of the newcomers; too relaxed regulations may induce failure and fraud that led to nationalization in the first place. India is not unique among the developing countries where the insurance business has been opened up to foreign competitors.

The insurance business is at a critical stage in India. Over the next couple of decades we are likely to witness high growth in the insurance sector for two reasons namely; financial deregulation always speeds up the development of the insurance sector and growth in per capita GDP also helps the insurance business to grow.

US Citizenship Options For Elderly Applicants - Medical & Exam Waivers

2011-12-31T21:28:00.001-08:00

I frequently receive calls from the adult children of US permanent residents (i.e. green card holders) who want to know how their parent can become a US citizen if the parent cannot study for the English history test and / or does not speak English very well. I have created an article for you on the two most common scenarios that I answer weekly in my US Immigration Law Office of Lena Korial-Yonan, P.A.:

1. My mom is eligible for US citizenship because she has had the green card for 5 years, and she does not have extensive travel or any criminal issues. The problem is that she does not speak or read English and cannot study for the history test. Any solution?

USCIS has specific rules that relate to an applicant's age and how long they have had the green card that can exempt them from having to take the US English History test and also exempt them from passing the interview portion of the N-400 as well as the reading and writing exam. Please see the next question for more details on this.

However, here the applicant has had the green card for only 5 years and so the only solution is to see whether the applicant is eligible for a medical disability waiver. A medical disability waiver is completed by a US licensed general medical doctor, licensed clinical psychologist or other specific doctor on USCIS form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exemptions. The form must be completed a specific way and with specific wording / answers before USCIS will approve the medical waiver. The doctor, in order to complete the medical disability form, must give your parent, the N-400 applicant, a test to determine whether he or she can learn or remember basic things. This test can include having to recite basic information just explained to your parent and may also include basic exams having your parent place a circle object with circle object, etc.

Applicants with dementia or Alzheimer's, for example, are eligible to file form N-648, Medical Disability Waiver, which states that because of their mental limits, they cannot study for the US history test. A major limitation for eligibility under form N-648 is that the resulting mental disability cannot be a result of drug use.

Our immigration law office has successfully completed medical waivers prepared by licensed doctors of applicant's own choosing for the mental conditions of dementia, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia. Please note that these cases are being mentioned are examples and in no way guarantee that your case will have similar results for both the mental conditions listed and for the USCIS district that you will file citizenship with. Please contact an experienced immigration lawyer of your choosing for a detailed analysis of your own specific case.

Although our immigration law office does not have any doctor(s) that we recommend for completion of Form N-648, we will let you know if a particular type of doctor can complete the form on your behalf. We also review the Form N-648 for completeness, as USCIS is strict in the language that they require from the licensed medical doctor in order for the US citizenship applicant to be approved. If the Form N-648 is approved by the US Immigration Officer, then the US citizenship applicant does not have to take any test in order to have their form N-400 approved and be sworn-in.

Also, at least in the USCIS district office located in Jacksonville Fl, we usually file a copy of the Form N-648 with the N-400 application, and we bring the original N-648 with us to the N-400 interview. You may of course provide the original N-648 in your initial filing if you wish. Just be sure to keep a copy of the form N-648, as it is not uncommon for USCIS to require a few changes to the form N-648 before your case can be approved.

2. My mom is 65 years old and she has resided in the US as a green card holder for over 20 years. Does she still have to take the English test, etc.?

No, your mom has to take a modified version of the civics test in her language of choice. She does not have to take the reading or writing test. The N-400 interview, which includes reviewing the details of the N-400 and asking whether your mom has ever been arrested, files US taxes, etc. is completed with the help of the translator that your mom brings with her to the N-400 interview. She must bring her own translator with her to the N-400 interview so that the translator can translate the civics questions in your mom's best native language.

The age qualifications that exempt applicants from the English, reading and writing tests are as follows:

· 65 years and has resided in US as a green card holder for 20 years or more.
· 55 years old and has resided in the US as a green card holder for 15 years or more.
· 50 years old and has resided in the US as a green card holder for 20 years or more.

Again, Applicants that meet one of the above categories must only take the civics test in their language of choice.

I hope that the above provides some answers to the questions asked of me weekly in my immigration law office of Lena Korial-Yonan, PA. by the adult children of elderly parents who have had the green card for 5 years and now want to become US citizens.

How Leadership Affects Culture and Culture Affects Leadership

2011-12-29T05:27:00.001-08:00

There has been so much written on leadership that there is very little I can really add. Leaders should be story tellers, communicators, holistic, strategic, encouraging, creative, conservative, risk taking, ethical, competitive, inspiring, and a whole host of other attributes that are too numerous to mention. There are 940 books currently available on the subject and it would not surprise me if you there were close over half a million articles on the subject. It is the bread and butter of every consulting firm throughout the world. With so much thought and insight, why is it still an issue?

The answer lies with culture. The entire purpose of leadership is to create a culture. In a large and well established organization it can be difficult for an outsider to implement a new culture. So, does leadership create a culture or does culture create a leadership? The answer to both questions is yes.

Culture Affecting Leadership

"I have been here 25 years." said the director of a large municipality. "I have outlasted 3 City Managers so far and I will outlast this one." That is the attitude that many leaders face, especially when they are brought in from outside organizations to run or manage large, well established ones. The negative cultures especially can undermine positive leadership as initiatives are actively undermined by managers who have a stake in the old culture. Whether it through manipulation or complacency, negative cultures can be create significant challenges for change.

Negative leadership, however, can have a fast, dramatic affect on a positive culture. WorldCom was a telecom leader and very innovative culture until Bernie Ebbers took over. While squeezing every cent he could from the environment and putting pressure on employees to work harder with less, he was pillaging the company. Turnover soared and, within a few years, WorldCom was bankrupt.

Culture as a Function of Leadership

Companies reflect the ethics of the leaders who run them. Bob Page felt like an outsider and had to hide his sexuality. When he built Replacements Ltd. he ensured that it would be a place that accepted diversity not just of lifestyle but of thought and would invest in building their community. Anita Roddick founded the Body Shop to show that you could build an environmentally friendly corporation that reflected her commitment to environmental activism. Jim Goodnight's commitment to work-life balance is part of the culture at SAS, the largest privately held company in the world. Jack Welch's commitment to being the best created an environment of excellence at General Electric. In each of these cases, the ethics of the leader became a central part of the culture.

The Obstacles to Culture Change

The real obstacles to culture change are what we call the internal obstacles. False ego, fear, complacency, and preconceived ideas create a negative environment. When change is introduced there is resistance, even when the change is positive. People learn different coping mechanisms to avoid the change such as hiding behind procedures, 'office cooler' talk or gossip and complaining, or actively undermining the initiative. The question then becomes how can leadership have a positive impact on the culture of an organization.

How can a leadership influence culture

Whether a leader comes up through the organization or is brought in from the outside to change the organization, there are ways that leadership can have an impact on culture.

1. Walk the Talk People observe what you do, not just what you say and the values of the leader, not just what they say, While Enron C.E.O. Kenneth Lay and his management team were stealing from shareholders, many of his traders were laughing how they were going to bankrupt little old ladies for their heating bills. This is the toughest part of leadership. Having worked with people who wrote books on the subject, I can tell you that often times their actions did not match their words and the affect was that a number of people had no respect for them. When you say you are going to do something, you need to follow through and do.

2. Rewards and enforcement are a function of ethics. .
We value what we recognize. How are people rewarded or recognized? For instance, if you want collaboration and teamwork and then reward people for 'hitting their numbers' then their energies will be on what they are recognized for. Jim Goodnight from SAS enforces that people only work 37.5 hours a week because they will be burned out if they work late hours and are therefore less productive. If 'yes' people are promoted, then the culture will see that conforming is the only way to succeed and you will create a hierarchical culture.

3. Be Passionate
Passion is contagious and people like to be part of it. As the saying in the Marine Corp. leadership program goes, "People will follow you because they have to or because they want to and who do you want with a gun at your back?" When you inspire people to make change, you literally reprogram their brains and they will take ownership to ensure success.

4. Get Networked with the Organization
Many senior leaders are very removed from the front lines, which is literally where the tire hits the road. These are the people who ultimately create the culture. Many leaders really only interact with their direct reports, which gives them a skewed sense of what is going on. What is really happening at the front lines of the organization? Who are the enablers and resisters in the organization? That is the one advantage of promoting within the organization - they know the people. Of course, the problems within the organization may call for new leadership. Either way it is important to be networked in the culture. There is the culture you have and the culture many leaders think they have.

A number of years ago, I heard this story from a client. He was upset that the organization was getting rid of their smoking rooms because smoking was being banned by law from the entire building. "Even though I don't smoke," he told me. "I was amazed by what was happening in there. People were really talking without regards to title because they had one thing in common - an addiction. One day a Senior Vice President came to me and told me about this guy he was talking to who had a number of very good suggestions regarding labor relations he wanted to implement. He asked me who he was, I looked it up and found out he was part of the custodial staff. He was literally the janitor."

Leaders need to remove the layers around them and build in "smoking rooms".

5. Communicate clearly
It may sound like an obvious statement but in the absence of clear communication there is unclear and informal communication, i.e. gossip. Gossip can undermine any change and have a negative impact on the culture. People appreciate honest and straightforward communication, even when it is negative. The worst part is not knowing.

Management Styles - A History and Case Study

2011-12-28T00:43:00.001-08:00

Introduction Lewis Jeans has been operating as a manufacturer of jeans for ten years, and is currently one of the UK's leading manufacturers. 300 employees are divided over 3 geographic areas, with the head office in Croydon.

Due to an array of contributory factors, there has been a downturn in sales and profits over the previous 12 month period.

Sales - 20% reduction
Profit - 40% reduction
Returns due to quality issues - 15%

These figures, coupled with a worrying turnover of staff, and high manufacturing costs have ensured that a fundamental review of the whole structure of the company is necessary to halt further degeneration, and to allow the company to re-establish itself as a market leader.

This report will investigate the following areas:
Organisational and Managerial Structure
Organisational Culture
Staff Motivation

Each of these areas will be considered within the Lewis Jeans framework and formal advice will be given covering: Inherent strengths and weaknesses within Lewis Jeans. Recommendations for improvement.

Organisational and Managerial Structures

"An organisation is a system, having an established structure and conscious planning, in which people work and deal with one another in a coordinated and cooperative manner for the accomplishment of recognised tasks"

The above paragraph is a typical definition of what makes an organisation. The type of structure will influence everything about the organisation, including the relationships between individuals, who is empowered within the authority to make decisions, and how information is communicated throughout the organisation. Getting the correct structure in place to suit the objectives of the organisation, and the aspirations of its staff is imperative if the business is to flourish.

Lewis Jeans currently operates with a geographical structure. Three manufacturing facilities are located in the Northern, Central, and Southern areas of the United Kingdom. This geographic grouping of functions can be a viable option for some organisations, Tesco PLC being a prime example. Tesco needs retail outlets in most towns to allow it's customers to purchase the goods it offers.

The geographical structure can have a number of distinct advantages: Responding quickly to local needs and issues, allowing the organisation to become more sensitive to customer and employee needs. Bureaucratic 'red tape' can be reduced if each division is empowered with more decision making authority. There is a greater ability to tailor operations to local differences, such as language, law etc.

However, there can also be significant disadvantages: The duplication of facilities and roles. Additional management positions are required. Lack of unity in objectives and direction of semi-autonomous units.

Lewis Jeans has little necessity for a geographic structure to the organisation and many of the disadvantages discussed manifest themselves within the company. The argument for three plants could reasonably be made if Lewis Jeans were manufacturing multiple products which required different processes, staff specialisations, tooling and machinery, and supplying these products to differing markets with unique needs. A company which essentially manufactures one product range may benefit from one central production plant. It could be argued that additional storage and distribution depots may be advantageous, and could result in a more economical production process, with efficient distribution throughout the UK.

The simplified organisational chart below demonstrates how the organisation could be streamlined. The links flowing from top to bottom demonstrate the hierarchical structure (the direction of authority from top to bottom). The horizontal lines demonstrate the lines of communications which should exist between functional areas. Each 'area' forms a specialized team which will encourage team-working.

A Central Management Team consisting of specialists in each field make strategic decisions on company objectives and policy. Daily meetings will allow current and future issues to be decided quickly and efficiently. Lower level managers, who must be developed through training, appraisals etc, will make decisions on the day to day running of their departments. This allows the management team to look at 'the bigger picture' and not be consumed by the day to day production, sales and distribution issues.

Functional Structure

The simplified organisational chart above demonstrates how a functional structure may work for Lewis Jeans. The business is divided according to the business function performed by each department. Each functional area plays its own specialist role in working towards the objectives of the organisation. Groups of specialists are delegated control over specific work areas, thus avoiding duplication within the company. Potential problems regarding inter-departmental transfers and rivalry can occur but it is for the management team to resolve such issues before they occur.

Product Based Structure

An organisation is divided by the products it sells. Each product division performs all of its business functions, whilst working towards the organisations aims and objectives. With only one main product, or a variation on the theme, this structural framework would not benefit Lewis Jeans.

Matrix Structure

In a large organisation it may be useful to allow members of the company to be within more than one functional group. The introduction of 'Product Development Teams' which may produce more than one product (jeans, denim jackets) may be useful. Marketing and Sales could be linked, with specialists working in both areas.

Matrix structures do have a number of advantages: The organisation can focus on a number of aims at the same time. Flexibility to adapt and respond to changing demands and resources. Exchange of ideas between multi-role staff, instead of the insular approach of isolated departments.

The 'matrix approach' can result in an overcomplicated structure, with employees losing sight of the major aims of the organisation, a due to more than one chain of command, power struggles can occur.

The geographical structure of Lewis Jeans cannot be justified at the present time. One central production unit would make good business sense, providing premises could be adapted, or new premises located. Alternatively, North and South production facilities with an additional central distribution depot may allow suitable financial savings, coupled with an increased efficiency. A new single production unit may allow for a reduction in staff by as much as 30 - 40%, dependant on improvement in processes, technology etc. Relocation of staff may be possible if local distribution depots are introduced. Final consideration to locations would need to take into account customer locations, export markets and the need for storage. If products are transferred very quickly then a single distribution unit may suffice.

A further advantage of a single production unit would be the ability to implement a robust quality control system to ensure satisfactory standards. There may be additional factors involved in the quality issue, which will be discussed later.

Managerial Structure

At present, authority and decision making is firmly centralised at head office, with Mr. Bart Lewis making all decisions, and cascading those decisions down to his managers at the production units. The flow of communications is very much in a downward direction, with managers purely responsible for carrying out the directions of the Managing Director. The hierarchical principle stemmed from the theories of Bruno Lussato. The 'Scalar Concept' viewed an organisation as a group of grades, arranged in a sequence. Superior grades carried authority which could be delegated to the grade immediately below. Lower grades carried no authority at all. Authority descended from the top to the bottom along a well defined scale of posts. In the current system within Lewis Jeans, little authority is delegated at all, with managers little more than supervisors, passing down the orders from above.

Management Styles

Lippitt & White are among many researchers who have identified a range of leadership styles. Tightly controlled (autocratic) The leader alone makes decisions, with staff being informed of these decisions and then carrying out the task. Democratic (Persuasive or Consultative) The leader makes the decisions, and then persuades workers that his decision is the correct one. The leader consults staff before a decision is made. The leader has the final say, but takes staff views into consideration. Laissez-faire (loose) Opinions are not forced on staff, with no formal structure for decision making.

None of the above is the correct approach, but they do have differing effects on those within the organisation. The style adopted at Lewis Jeans is autocratic in nature. This type of management style may have a negative effect on middle managers and workers alike. Managers may feel that they are not trusted or empowered to manage their departments. The organisation is output orientated, and this will certainly affect motivation of all staff. A supportive management style, as argued by Charles Handy is said to foster: Worker satisfaction. Lower staff turnover and grievance rates. Fewer inter-group conflicts.

With extremely high levels of staff turnover, the style of management may have an important role to play in this area. Motivation is also significant and this will be discussed further on in this report.

Spans of Control

The span of control within an organisation is important. General Sir Iain Hamilton once said that, "No one brain can effectively control more than 6 or 7 other brains". It has been proven through research that the span of control (the number of subordinates that a person is directly responsible for) should be 3-6.

At present Mr. Lewis controls sixteen managers at present, five in each of the factories and a centralised sales manager. Each factory has eleven managers and three supervisors. This is not an efficient allocation of power and authority. One person having day to day responsibility for all areas of an organisation, some of which may not be his area of expertise can create failings in certain functions. As the organisational chart on page 4 demonstrates, with a higher level of trust and authority vested in professional, skilled managers, the 'span of control' could be significantly reduced for Mr. Lewis, but widened for lower level management staff. This would allow Mr. Lewis to concentrate on the 'strategic' decision-making of the organisation within a central management team, whilst allowing lower level managers to concentrate on the day to day issues of production, distribution, sales, and marketing. Regular managerial meetings would allow for updates on production, sales targets and organisational objectives which may change due to the dynamic nature of the clothing industry. A suitable structure would include weekly or monthly targets communicated to the responsible managers. Daily communication as happens at present will only reinforce managers opinions that they are not allowed to 'manage'. The flow of communication will be up as well as down the chain of command, giving local managers and subordinates a role in decision making. Those in the local facilities will be able to supply quality feedback on problems of stock, quality, retention issues etc. This will allow the management team to adjust their aims and objectives according to the latest information available. In addition to this, a well-organised system of recording and monitoring will ensure that all communication, orders, sales, returns and forecasts can be used as historic data to support future decisions.

Organisational Culture

The structure of an organisation is strongly influenced by the culture within it. A definition of culture is "the way we see and do things around here". History, traditions and structure are influencing factors on a company's culture. Behaviour of new workers within an organisation is often influenced by the 'norms' of behaviour already prevalent. The need to 'fit in' and be 'accepted' can often put pressure on individuals to conform. Culture can change over time as new people join the organisation, and as external factor change.

Charles Handy observed behaviour in a large number of organisations and described four main types of culture.

Power Culture

The centralisation of power is the main factor of this type of organisation. One person makes all the decisions. Individuals may feel suppressed by those with power. A 'Power Culture' is evident within Lewis Jeans.

Role Culture

Typically found in large organisations divided into layers of offices and officials. Power is hierarchical and determined by a person's position within the company. Strict job descriptions and communications prevail. Very little scope for individual growth or development.

Task Culture

A job or project orientated organisation. The task dictates how a team works, not strict, set down rules and regulations. The freedom and flexibility can make for a rewarding work environment. Due to the lack of formality, the management and control of a task culture can be difficult.

Person Culture

An organisation with a cluster of people, all working at the same level. Hierarchies cannot be formed without mutual consent.

Changing a culture to fit the objectives of the organisation is not straightforward. Some writers believe that the culture is created by the people, and a manager cannot change it on a whim. It is widely agreed that the actions of managers can have a profound influence on the culture within an organisation, far more so than written statements about what should happen.

A move away from the 'power culture' within Lewis Jeans could have profound effects on the attitude of workers. Empowering managers to make decisions, to run their departments, and to build confidence and desire within the workforce, to succeed for both themselves and for the organisation. A narrower span of control for the management team will force them to concentrate on the direction of the business and not be directly involved in the intricacies of production, distribution, and marketing. Providing suitable structures, quality managers, systems of work, and staff motivation needs are met, the Managing Director and his team need to be figureheads for the organisation, inspiring confidence, fairness and trust in all.

Staff Motivation

Lewis Jeans has developed a trend for a rapid turnover of staff. Less than 50% have been within the company for more than a year. This creates problems for the organisation: A lack of specialised and skilled staff. Low Morale amongst current staff. Poor image in the wider community, from where new employees may come. A lack of team vision. Little motivation to excel, and to rise to the challenges facing the company.

Managers can only perform well, and achieve the objectives required if they have an equally motivated team working with them.

To make a realistic analysis of the workers at Lewis Jeans, it is necessary to relate to some research into motivation, and lack of it.

Abraham Maslow

Maslow popularised the theory that people have needs. Maslow developed a 'Hierarchy of Needs' and concluded that when the needs of an individual were met at one level a higher level of motivation would develop. The levels from lowest to highest are: Physiological Needs Shelter & Safety Love & Belonging Esteem Self Actualisation

When applied to the workplace it can be seen that work can provide a means of helping people satisfy their needs. Not everyone has the same needs, so this must be taken into account.

Frederick Hertzberg

Hertzberg carried out research based on interviews to find out what satisfied and dissatisfied workers. He found a number off areas which were a potential cause for dissatisfaction. He called these 'Hygiene Factors'. Only when the hygiene factors have been adequately met can other factors improve performance. These are called 'Motivators'.

By considering the structure, management style, leadership and culture at Lewis Jeans, and then considering the factors mentioned above, it becomes clearer as to why the retention of staff is at a low ebb. The giving of financial bonuses and such incentives can provide short term solutions. It is necessary to consider that these production bonuses, coupled with low levels of motivation within the company are the major factor affecting the poor quality of goods. Staff have little loyalty to the organisation, and can see that turning out large quantities of goods, regardless of quality can result in useful additions to wage packets. There is a wider range of needs and motivators for most staff. If they feel used, undervalued, and have little chance of self improvement then motivation to perform will suffer. Whether it involves leaving the company, or working at levels that reduce quality purely to realise financial bonuses. These symptoms are all clearly visible within the company.

However, it is also a basis to design strategies which will alleviate such problems. Motivating the workforce through empowerment, delegation, recognition and a chance to improve themselves will promote a real change in the workforce.

Staff Appraisals

Regular staff appraisals are an essential part of developing a company's human resources. A yearly meeting with each member of staff allows both sides to highlight areas where performance has been good, and to look at areas of difficulty which may need some attention. It allows the appraisee to highlight development needs they may have; this could include training courses or aspirations for promotion. The appraiser needs to ensure that a fair and non-confrontational approach is adopted, and to make it clear that the meeting is for the benefit of both parties. Ideally, the appraiser and appraisee should have suitable paperwork to record their views at least 2-3 weeks before the appraisal meeting. When the discussion takes place, a 'meeting of minds' should occur, with both sides agreed on a way forward for the next year. An appropriate system of referral to another manager should be in place in case agreement cannot be reached. The process needs to be transparent and honest. Staff can become resentful of appraisal systems if they are not treated to all the facts surrounding the system.

Recommendations for Change

Lewis Jeans as been running under the same organisational and managerial structure for some ten years. In recent times performance has dropped and most of the problems have been created by the organisation itself. This can be changed. Changes in structure can be made fairly quickly. Cultural change can take considerably longer. Strong leadership will play a vital role in changing this culture. The recommendations below should be implemented as soon as practicable to ensure that change takes place. With a change such as this there will have to be a transitional period, but the impetus for change must be immediate.

Initiate changes to a functional structure for the company. Considerable planning will be required to implement changes in property use and re-deployment of staff. This may not be possible in certain cases and decisions will have to be made. Redundancies may be unavoidable, but should be a last resort. There is no reason why the organisation cannot introduce multiple structures to afford the best options to functional departments. Within the Finance Department there is a need for formal structures due to the procedural systems which need to be adopted. This would almost certainly set down fairly prescriptive definitions of what staff should do. Within a production or distribution department there will be considerably more scope for staff to demonstrate individual flair and team-working qualities. There is more option for an informal structure to these departments. This does not imply that an autocratic management style is suitable for any department, but demonstrates that different organisational and management structures can co-exist within one organisation.

Management and Leadership style must change. A Central Management Team will decide on aims and objectives. This should consider input from all levels of the organisation. A Staff Council allowing workers to contribute to the success of Lewis Jeans will undoubtedly motivate workers. Meetings with all levels of management will ensure that managers feel trusted and empowered to deal with their own departments, the areas in which their expertise lies.

Changes in management style will certainly affect the 'culture' within Lewis Jeans. The 'power culture' which currently exists is detrimental to the future success of the business. People will determine the success or failure of this organisation. A move towards a 'task culture' where staff work in teams, where there is little need for authoritarian management, where people feel that they can succeed and develop, should be the aspiration of the company. There can still be a discipline within the culture, but it should be more orientated towards 'self discipline' rather that autocracy.

Motivation of staff needs to be a focal point. All the recommendations above will contribute to this. Financial incentive, if delivered correctly can to a certain extent motivate workers. There are many other factors involved. A share of profits rather than production bonuses will focus staff on company success rather than short term individual gain. The need to ensure quality of goods thus increasing the good reputation of Lewis Jeans will lead to success and higher profits. These successes, which the workforce will have played a direct role in, will lead to financial reward and personal pride.

Communication between all sections must improve. Within this report we have discussed various strategies to enhance inter-personnel communication. There is also a need to communicate organisational plans to the correct areas. The Central Management Team meetings will agree strategy. This should be a consultative process. It is essential to draw on all areas of expertise within the organisation. Consultations with key staff and trades union officials / staff council members will assist co-operation. Weekly team meetings will allow concerns to be passed up the chain of command if necessary. Senior managers need to communicate directly with team leaders where possible. The telephone should be in place as a backup system. The use of electronic communication / video conferencing can be utilised for remote locations.

For growth to occur for Lewis Jeans, a wholesale evaluation of the marketing strategy needs to take place. The previous ten years have allowed Lewis Jeans to fall behind the current market leaders, with regard to diversification of the product base. The days where one style of jeans suited all are gone. There needs to be a thorough evaluation of current and future trends, and a marketing strategy adopted to reflect this. There may be a need for project team to be developed (this could draw on expertise from throughout the company) to create a radical marketing plan. This will need to consider product development, publicity, distribution methods (mail order catalogues, internet based sales, retail outlets). New products need to satisfy the needs of the existing clientele, but to drive the products into the 21st Century.

The image of the product is important. Potential users need to feel that these products can make a fashion statement. A large scale public relations exercise should be used to change opinions among the targeted public. This can consist of press releases, product publicity, advertising to show this exciting brand. If packaging is necessary it can be used to make the product noticeable, to convey the brand image, and to make it appeal to customers. Marketing therefore, needs to be at the forefront of the strategy.

Conclusion

This report places some exacting demands on Lewis Jeans. There are no simple solutions to its current problems. However, the organisation can turn its fortunes around if it accepts this report as the first building block towards future success. There will be no room for egos in the revitalised Lewis Jeans. Everyone MUST pull together to make this happen. People are the strength within this organisation, and with a unified, dynamic, progressive team, success is certain.

Singapore - The Fine City

2011-12-25T07:14:00.001-08:00

Singapore is famous for being the cleanest city in the world. Tourists will be astonished and impressed by the strict rules and regulations formed by the Singapore government. There are many posters in buildings and parks telling people what they should do, what they shouldn't do and how much they will be fined if they break the rules. That is the reason why Singapore is called "the fine city".

The Singaporean government wants to establish a clean and green country where all citizens are well educated and are considerately to others. Therefore they have set many strict rules as well as put a lot of instructions and reminders in public places so that people always remember what they aren't allowed to do and everything is orderly. Children are taught at school and in their family, right from very early ages, about what they should do and how to behave in this society.

If you are a tourist visiting Singapore, you should be considerate and pay attention to every one of your actions. There are many things considered normal in your country but which are illegal in Singapore. You will be fined heavily if you litter or smoke in public places. Also remember to flush public toilets after using it so that you aren't fined S$500.

It is summer and you enjoy lying on the beach sunbathing. However, if you are in Singapore, you mustn't go nude or topless when sunbathing, even if it is your own back yard. It is forbidden in Singapore and you will be fined if you're caught doing that.

Chewing gum is not forbidden in Singapore but bringing gum into the country in large amount is illegal and the gum seller can be sent to jail. Therefore, be careful with what you bring to Singapore. You can find more information about what is not allowed to be brought into Singapore by visiting the Singaporean customs' website.

Drugs are strictly forbidden in Singapore. People trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15g of heroin, 30g of morphine, 30g of cocaine, 500g of cannabis, 200g of cannabis resin and 1.2kg of opium are sentenced to death. Possessing these amounts is also regarded as trafficking and equals a death penalty. Therefore you must not get involved in drugs in Singapore by any means.

Thanks to the strict laws of Singapore, this country is very safe and orderly. There is virtually no crime, no corruption and you are safe even when walking alone at night. There may be some pickpockets in crowded places. However, they are rare unlike any other Asian countries.

Every year a large number of tourists are fined during their stay in Singapore because they are unaware of the strict rules and regulations. You should read about its rules and regulations carefully before going there and be aware of every board, poster or sign you see. Being a decent person and showing your respect to others, you won't encounter any problems and will have an enjoyable stay in this clean country.

Greek Mythology Hercules - The Mortal Who Became a God

2011-12-24T10:28:00.001-08:00

When Hercules was born to Alcmene, she named him Herakles. But in Roman, Herakles is pronounced Hercules, which is the name we use for Hercules to this day. Hercules in Greek mythology is a great figure of valor and muscle strength. Hercules bravery earned him a place among the gods. After he left the mortal world, he found a position on Mount Olympus, the gods' dwelling place.

Zeus, the King of the gods was an unfaithful husband. He had a weakness for worldly pleasures. He fell in love with Alcmene, the wife of Amphitryon. In a short time, Alcmene conceived Hercules. This angered Hera and she tried to kill Hercules. Hercules survived his first fatal assault with a miracle.

When Hercules reached adulthood he became a famous warrior. He also fell in love with a beautiful woman called Megara. Megara became the mother of Hercules' children and together they made a happy family. However, things were to be different. Hera took a vow to irritate Hercules during his lifetime. She tricked Hercules into a wild rage. In his rage, the mortal god Hercules killed his family. This was exactly what Hera wanted!

When Hercules returned to his normal state of mind, he saw things were beyond remedy. He prayed to Apollo to get rid of his crime. Apollo was the sun god who could read into the future. We find in Greek Mythology that Hercules requested his advice. Apollo assigned him ten important tasks (later it was turned to twelve) as the way of purifying his soul.

The Delphic oracle sent him to Tiryns where the king Eurystheus ruled. Hercules was expected to serve him as laborer for twelve years of his life. However, the difficult service was not fruitless. Apollo promised him immortality. He was to become a god. However, the great Hercules of greek mythology had one problem, Hera. She actually kept her promise to make Hercules' life as wretched as she could. Nevertheless, with the assistance of Hermes and Athena, Hercules pulled off his term of twelve years with excellence. In addition, he became the greatest mortal on the earth to become a god.

Hercules In Greek Mythology - What Made Him So Special?

The honorable penance of Hercules and his eventual success is what makes him so special. His success brought him immortality, which would have been unthinkable for ordinary mortals. Hercules' first task was to peel off the skin of the horrifying Nemean Lion after capturing one. His next task was to kill The Lernean Hydra. The Lernean Hydra was a serpent with nine heads, which never gave peace to the lives of those around it. The third task for him was to bring a Hind (a sacred red deer) from Ceryneia to the king. The deer was the pet of Diana, the Moon goddess.

The fourth task for Hercules was to bring a live Erymanthian Boar. It was very dangerous to men and animals living around the mountain Erymanthus. Then Hercules was asked to clean up King Augeas' stables in one day. Are you thinking what is so great about it? King Augeas had an awesome amount of cattle of cows, bulls, goats, sheep and horses. Hercules proposed to King Augeas that he would clean the stable only if he rewarded Hercules with a tenth of his cattle.

After this success, Eurystheus was planning to make something tougher for Hercules. He commanded Hercules to force out an enormous flock of birds, which assembled at a lake near the town of Stymphalos. Goddess Athena helped him with a pair of bronze krotala, an item similiar to castanets. The Cretan Bull was an easy task for Hercules. Hercules wrestled the bull, and then delivered it back to King Eurystheus.

The eighth task was to bring the Man-Eating Horses of Diomedes. It was followed by the battle against the Amazonian female army to get the belt of Hippolyte, the queen. The tenth labor was an awesome one. Hercules had to go around the world, to bring the cattle of the Monster Geryon. It had three heads and three sets of legs all attached at the waist.

The tricky assignment was the eleventh one. Eurystheus asked Hercules to get the Apples of the Hesperides. These were the golden apples gifted by Hera to Zeus. These apples were strictly guarded by a hundred-headed dragon, named Ladon, and also by Hesperides, daughters of Atlas. The other obstacle was that Hercules had no idea where these apples of Hesperides were located. Eventually, Hercules found the location from Nereus whom he seized until Nereus gave him the location of the apples of Hesperides.

Then Hercules found out through Prometheus, whom Hercules had helped, that he would have to have Atlas retrieve the apples. Hercules agreed to hold the sky and the earth while Atlas retrieved the apples. When Atlas returned with the apples, he told Hercules that if he would hold the sky and earth for the rest of time, that he would take them to Eurystheus himself. But Hercules fooled Atlas by asking him to hold the earth until he padded his shoulders. Atlas took Hercules place holding the earth, and Hercules picked up the apples and ran.

After making the great Hercules do all sorts of unbelievable errands, Eurystheus made sure that he did not succeed the last time. So, he ordered Hercules to abduct Cerberus, the underworld beast. Did you ever hear a living man visiting the Hades? However, Greek mythology tells us Hercules was no ordinary man. He was a hero.

He eventually did complete all the tasks, purified his soul and rescued the princess of Troy from a ravenous sea-monster. He also facilitated Zeus to beat the Giants in a great battle for the control of Olympus. He married again, to the charming Deianira. She presented him a cloak, which was coated with what she mistakenly thought to be a magic love potion. She was told that the balm would make the person love her forever.

Ironically, it was poison, which burned Hercules skin. Hercules, not being able to endure the pain asked his friends to kindle a fire. Then Hercules placed himself on the fire to be burned up alive. But the gods looked down, and Zeus thought that Hercules had suffered enough. So he asked Hera to end her anger toward Hercules, which she did. Then Hercules was brought to Olympus in Athena's chariot by Zeus' request.

This Greek mortal Hercules is undoubtedly the greatest hero of Greek Mythology. Hercules is still considered to be the perfect mythical character.

Saudi Arabia Culture - A Woman's Perspective

2011-12-23T22:19:00.001-08:00

Reading a novel about Saudi Arabian history, studying the Sunni Wahhabi beliefs, or watching the evening news doesn't give Westerners true insight into Saudi Arabia culture. Indeed, a culture that is so foreign to the Western lifestyle may seem impenetrable - until you hear the account of a Western woman who lived the culture while nursing in Saudi.

Those in the medical profession have the kind of access to the inner workings of the Kingdom in a way that other Westerners simply don't. After all, most contractors live in relative isolation, staying in compounds designed not to raise the ire of Wahhabists who view Westerners (and even other Muslims who don't ascribe to Wahhabi beliefs) as infidels. But nurses and doctors have entry into the homes and lives of Saudis that is unparalleled.

From a Western woman's perspective, Saudi Arabia culture is an eye-opener - to say the least. It's hard to imagine two cultures that are more divergent in their attitudes toward women. While it's true that women in the West still face pay inequity and the proverbial glass ceiling, the ceiling for Saudi women is seemingly made of concrete.

That's not to say that Saudi women necessarily perceive any oppression. Indeed, the abaya - the black outer garment worn by Saudi women - is embraced as an expression of religious devotion. In Saudi Arabia culture, women's attire must not be form fitting, must not attract attention, and must not be worn out of vanity. Moreover, although women must cover all but their hands and faces, some choose to (or are told to by their husbands) also wear veils and gloves.

Like a woman's clothing, a woman's role in Saudi Arabia culture is largely dictated by the prevailing religious beliefs. Unlike in the West, where a woman's equal partnership with her husband is at least given lip service, a Saudi marriage is often arranged, with the woman becoming the man's property after marriage. As such, she must be obedient and submissive; if she is not, her husband may punish her or beat hear. And, although it is less widespread than it once was, men can take more than one wife.

Saudi law generally dictates that a woman is valued as one-half of a man. For example, a woman receives half of the inheritance of her brother, and in court, a woman's testimony is given half the weight of a man's. Certain punishments, such as whipping, are dictated by law and through practice, often at the hands of what could be termed "morality police." In Saudi Arabia culture, morality has many shades of meaning; prostitution, for example, can be a crime of being in the company of a man who is not a woman's husband or male relative. Typically, a woman faces 90 lashes, although sometimes the punishment doled out is 200 lashes.

When you live in a culture so different from your own, the experience can't help but open a floodgate of feelings. On the one hand, many of the practices you witness are abhorrent and rock the very foundation of your beliefs; on the other hand, within the context of Saudi Arabia culture and society, they are terribly consistent with Wahhabi beliefs.

Teen Pregnancy - The Pros and Cons Of Abortion

2011-12-22T22:56:00.001-08:00

Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be very difficult and scary for a teenager, and deciding what to do will be even harder. No matter what her political persuasion, it always comes down to a very intimate, personal decision that no teenager makes without some degree of emotional trauma. All of the options: abortion, or raising the baby, or allowing another individual to adopt the baby carry emotional pain and personal sacrifice.

Statistics

In the U.S., 'teen' abortion accounts for 19% of all procedures of this nature. The average age of those receiving abortions is dropping from 19 to 17. Over 50% of abortions performed annually are on women under the age of 25 with the ages of 18 and 19 accounting for the highest number performed.

There are currently twenty-one states that require parental permission for a teen abortion and eighteen states that do not. There are also fourteen states that require a parental notification before performance of an abortion on a minor. The notification law requires that parents be notified, but permission of a parent is not necessary to go ahead with the procedure.

At this time in the United States abortions are legal. Teen abortion facts reveal that though the teen pregnancy rate has declined in the United States over the last ten years, the percentages have actually increased.

Teens are at higher risk for post-abortion infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and endometritis (inflammation of the uterus), which may be caused either by the spread of an undiagnosed sexually transmitted disease into the uterus during the abortion, or by micro-organisms on the surgical instruments which are inserted into the uterus.

Teens who abort are 2 to 4 times more likely to commit suicide than adults who abort, and a history of abortion is likely to be associated with adolescent suicidal thinking.

Teens who abort are more likely to develop psychological problems, and are nearly three times more likely to be admitted to mental health hospitals than teens in general.

Teens risk further injury or death because they are unlikely to inform parents of any physical complications.

The most common reasons a teenager chooses abortion are:

· Cannot afford a baby

· Doesn't want anyone to know she has had sex or is pregnant

· Doesn't want to be a single parent

· Her partner or parent wants her to have an abortion

· Not ready to become a parent

· She is too immature to have a child

· She was a survivor of rape or incest

· She or the fetus has a health problem

Medical Reasons For Partial-Birth Abortions- Medical conditions and indications may develop after the first trimester (12 weeks) of pregnancy that could threaten the mother's life and/or health. Late-occurring medical conditions can include:

· Heart failure

· Severe or uncontrollable diabetes

· Serious renal disease

· Uncontrollable hypertension (high blood pressure)

· Severe depression

Some of the consequences of 'compulsory pregnancy' or 'forced motherhood' (i.e., unwanted children) are as follows. The child:

· has more emotional handicaps

· does less well scholastically; is a low achiever

· is twice as likely to have record of juvenile delinquency

· is 4x as likely to have adult criminal record

· is more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs

· is 6x more likely to receive welfare between 16-21

· has poorer relationships with parents

· is at a higher risk to be abused or neglected by parents

Some of the disadvantages of going through with an abortion are:

· creates feelings of regret and grief

· does not give the child that is in the womb a chance at life, thus it is looked down upon by many religions

· having an abortion always lessens your chances for having children later in life

· teens who have participated in abortion repeatedly report feeling deceived by those selling abortions and become preoccupied with concern for 'God's judgment and punishment'

· the "would-be-mother" will always wonder 'what if' and may feel some level of guilt for the rest of her life about the child she could have had

Adoption vs. Abortion

With adoption:

· You usually feel positive about your choice

· You can have continued contact with your baby

· You will have plenty of time to plan you and your baby's future

· You will remember giving birth

· Your pregnancy ends with giving life

With Abortion:

· Abortion is final; you can't go back on your decision

· You may feel guilt and shame about your choice

· You will miss the opportunity to see your child develop

· You will remember taking a life

· Your pregnancy ends with death

Teens are more likely to make a snap judgment and try to cover up their pregnancy from their parents by having an abortion. Teens are also more likely to report having wanted to keep the baby, higher levels of feeling misinformed in pre-abortion counseling, less satisfaction with abortion services and greater post-abortion stress. Teens were also more likely to use immature coping strategies such as projection of their problems on to others, denial, or "acting out", than older women, strategies researchers speculate might become permanent.

Despite the fact that supporters without parental consent continually leave the spiritual devastation component out of the discussions, teen abortion facts tell us that teens who have participated in abortion repeatedly feel deceived by those selling abortions and become preoccupied with concern for God's judgment and punishment.

Teen abortion is an especially difficult thing to deal with, especially when having to possibly confront your parents and hoping that your partner will be supportive.

Teens are encouraged to involve parents in their decision to have an abortion, and most do have a parent involved. In most of these states, if she can't talk with her parents - or chooses not to - she can appear before a judge. The judge will consider whether she's mature enough to decide on her own. If not, the judge will decide whether an abortion is in the teen's best interests. In any case, if there are complications during the procedure, parents of minors may be notified.

Before a teenager makes decisions in haste, or as an attempt to undo a wrong, teens and parents on both sides of the parental consent debate should get the teen abortion facts and found out as much about abortion and post-abortion procedure complications.

If you are a pregnant teen, keeping your perspective at this time is critical. The most important thing to remember is that you do have a choice. There are three main paths: parenting, abortion or adoption.

A Brief History of Public Speaking

2011-12-22T03:00:00.001-08:00

Public Speaking is one of the oldest forms of communication known to mankind. The concept of speaking publicly is extremely important. The first manual for public speaking was written around 4500 B.C. by the people of ancient Egypt. Public speaking was the first known mass communication process. Throughout history civilizations would rely on powerful, as well as, eloquent speakers to inform, pass laws and uplift audiences.

Ancient nations such as India, Africa and China used public speaking. Aztecs and Central and Southern American cultures used systems for speaking to massive groups. They would set up "relays" where the "relayers" would repeat what was being said.

In the Greece and Rome public speaking became principal and more intergraded in the prospective cultures. The Greeks and Romans used it as a way of education. Talking to large amounts in a group was very common place. Aristotle and Plato used to teach there philosophies, math and history in front of the eager listeners.

Imagine being able to theorize on deep and meaningful things and not be able to explain or talk about those things due to fear or some other reason. The question I would ask myself is this, what would be the point of actually thinking about a subject, coming to conclusions and not being able to effectively tell anyone about it?

History provides prime examples of problem solving techniques that work for humankind. Public speaking is no different; the ancient peoples valued it, taught it and practiced it. You and I should learn from their example. Practical reasons might encourage you to become a better public speaker. Work promotions sometimes hinge on public speaking and the courage it takes to speak publicly.

Driving to an appointment the other morning I sat in my car at a stop light and notice a bumper stick. "Speak Even if Your Knees Knock" is what that sticker said. I thought, "Wow!" I never thought of it that way. Perhaps that is a perfect way of putting it. People throughout history did it and you can too!

How To Find A Name And Address With Mobile Phone Number

2011-12-19T03:30:00.001-08:00

There are many ways today to find the name and address with mobile phone number of any person. One of these methods is by using a person's mobile number and do a reverse search. Many websites exist that does reverse searching to find the name and address with mobile phone number of the person. Some of the types of listings or directories that do reverse searching are the following:

Instant Research - the name and address of the person will be instantly found once the mobile phone number of the person will be entered in search. Incorrect records may be obtained using this method.
Instant Reverse Search - this will not only easily find the name and address with mobile phone number but will also reveal some public information about the person such as marriage, divorce, birth and property records. Other sensitive information such as criminal history can also be accessed.
Forward and Reverse Lookup - this is simple finding the mobile phone number of the person using his/her name or the other way around of finding the name and address of the person using the mobile phone number.
Private Reverse Record Directories - most of these websites are available only for private viewing to law enforcement officers and to licensed investigators but some have become accessible to the public as well.
Slow and Outdated Reverse Directories - these are site in which the mobile numbers are outdated for more than a year. It may take as much as 3 days to find the name and address of the person you are searching and the information is sent through your email.
Spam Websites - A lot of these sites exist and these will only lure you to click on the advertisements on their sites and spam you with the information you want.

There are a few, good reliable websites that gives accurate and reverse search in finding the name and address with mobile number of a person that is readily accessible to the public. The best reverse phone lookups not only let you lookup billing name and address with any phone numbers but also access public records such as criminal history, police records, and other court records.

Placing A Value On Your Personal Injury Claim

2011-12-18T11:23:00.001-08:00

Your Medical Doctor or Chiropractor has released you from treatment for your motor vehicle accident and enough time has passed so you're about to position yourself to sit down with Adjuster Henry Hard-Nose. His employer is Rock Solid Insurance, the company who insures Fred Fuddle, the individual who plowed into your rear end, smashing you with a tremendous crash which was responsible for your injuries plus the "Pain and Suffering" you've had to endure.

To be adequately compensated for what you've gone through you must have accumulated what's identified in the world of insurance claims as "Special Damages". Those are your Medical bills, your Lost Wages plus every dollar paid out to help with your recovery. When building the value of a personal injury claim there are several key elements you should be aware of:

LIABILITY: In the vast majority of motor vehicle accidents it's clear who was at fault. Assuming that Fuddle struck you a mighty blow in the rear end (rear-enders make up well over half of the motor vehicle accidents that take place in the United States each year) yours is a case that must be settled. (Final Statistics prove that in 83% of accident's that took place in 2003 it's clear who was at fault) !

The very doubtful liability case has little, if any, settlement value. If that's the situation you should obtain the services of the local Legal Beagle who does a good job at that, Attorney I.M. Greedy. But, if you do, be very careful when you sign Greedy's "Contingency Fee Agreement". Read it closely. Don't sign anything that will let him charge you one penny, other than his normal fee. Do not - - in any way whatsoever - - allow him to chisel any money from you, for his out-of-pocket expenses. All Greedy should be compensated for (if he's successful at busting loose some bucks from Rock Solid) is his fee and that should be no more than the usual locally published accepted percentage of the total recovery.

TYPE OF INJURY: If there are severe injuries (which make up only ten to fifteen percent of all motor vehicle accidents) you should obtain the services of a lawyer. But, if you've had minor injuries like whiplash, bumps, bruises, sprains and/or strains (and it's clear you're not at fault) you can handle and settle the claim yourself.

TYPE OF PERSON YOU ARE: Rate yourself and be brutally honest. You're most likely an average motor vehicle owner/driver, living a normal life. But, if you've spent some time behind bars, have a criminal record, or a history of character defects that often get your butt in a jam with the local cops (and this is well-known) you must take those facts into consideration when forming expectations regarding what your case is worth.

THE TYPE OF PERSON FRED FUDDLE IS: The better Fred Fuddle looks, or the better the "entity" "(Fuddle's business or company, etc.) appears, the better for Rock Solid. But, if Fuddle is a known bookie or drug dealer, they're in deep "stuff". On the other hand, if Fuddle is a well-loved philanthropist, that can be a plus for Rock Solid Insurance. Or if the vehicle that struck you was a van driven by Pastor Frederick Fuddle, and the named insured is The Fuddle Camp For Lost Souls, that can be a plus for Rock Solid.

But, if the "entity" that hit you was a dilapidated junk pile on wheels operated by Fred "Goof-Ball" Fuddle, and the named insured is The Fuddle Rotted Cow Manure Corporation, that will obviously not be favorable for Rock Solid.

DAMAGES: There are "Medical Special Damage" Expenses, "Non-Medical Special Damages" Expenses, and/or your "Property Damage" Expenses.

MEDICAL SPECIAL DAMAGE EXPENSES: These typically include Cost of Ambulance, Emergency Room, Hospital and/or Clinic Charges, Chiropractor, and/or Dentist, Over-The-Counter Drugs and/or Prescription Medications, Laboratory Fees and Services, Diagnostic Tests: X-Rays and (CT) Scan, Prosthetic Appliances or Surgical Apparatus, (Cranes & Crutches), Physical Therapy, Registered and/or Practical Nurse Fees, Ace Bandages, Gauze and Tape, Heating Pads, Creams, Lotions, Ointments, Balms and Salves.

When it comes to listing your Medical Special Damage "expenses" don't overlook one single dollar because, when it comes time to settle your claim, that dollar can increase the value of your payment for "Pain and Suffering" by a multiplier of four or even five! (Yes, that means a $20.00 bill can be worth $80.00 to $100.00 more ,in your pocket, from Rock Solid Insurance, at settlement time).

NON-MEDICAL SPECIAL DAMAGES: These typically include Lost Wages and Earnings, Lost Vacation time and/or Sick Leave, Travel Expenses (car rentals, public transportation, expenses incurred getting to and from your Chiropractor and/or hospital and/or physical therapy "treatment" of some sort) Household Help during disability and/or Child Care. Be sure to obtain written proof of such "Non Medical" Special Damages.

LOST WAGES: The income you lost, because you were unable to work, is an area where adjusters take terrible advantage of the typical claimant because they know so little about it.

Commissions and overtime can make a huge difference in your lost earnings. Be sure to get a letter from your employer, on their official letterhead, explaining that in detail. Or, if you're self-employed, get this information stated on your accountants letterhead.

The time you miss from work (thus the money you may have lost) is calculated and this element constitutes what is known as "Lost Wages" or "Lost Time Verification". In most situations you're entitled to compensation for lost time and earnings, even if you have no actual loss of money! Such as, for example, when your salary is paid by your company insurance coverage, or by taking sick leave, or some similar arrangement.

Even if you're salaried you should obtain a "Lost Earnings", or "Time Lost Verification", in writing on your employer's letterhead.

IF YOU'RE SELF-EMPLOYED: To prove your lost earnings you'll probably have to assemble some inside information for Hard-Nose. If you don't like the idea of submitting private documents to him, in the privacy of your home or office, just think how you'd feel about producing them in the non-private environment of a courtroom. When a case goes to trial, and if you want to prove your damages so as to collect adequate compensation, that's your only alternative.

TWO CRITICAL AREAS REGARDING LOST WAGES: Did the injury necessitate a change of job or employment at a lesser rate? Or, did the injury allow your going to work but only on a part-time basis? If the answer to either question is "Yes", it would be wise to ask your employer to document these facts on their letterhead.

IT'S CRUCIAL FOR YOU TO KNOW: Even if you've been paid while out of work, you can still compute your time lost from work as "Lost Wages" .

PROPERTY DAMAGE EXPENSES: These typically include Motor Vehicle Repair, Damaged Clothing, Broken Glasses, cost of Substitute Car Rentals, Towing and Storage. Make copies of all bills relating to any of your property damage expenses. Keep the originals. Be sure to have these in your possession when you and Hard-Nose plunk yourselves down to "Talk Turkey". Photocopies are sufficient to give him.

YOUR AGE: Because of their obvious innocence, insurance claim accident victims, up to the age of 12, generally have excellent settlement results. Those in their teens, and into their late 50's, fall into a fairly normal category because they're generally considered to be at the height of their physical stamina. Those in their late 60's, and over, usually fare extremely well; primarily due to the sympathy that's often invoked, from a judge or jury, because of general attitudes regarding frailty and the elderly.

MOST IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:The information Hard-Nose places into your file plays a major role in the ultimate value of your claim. Never underestimate the importance of his impressions and conclusions! Should, one day, your case ends up in front of a judge, or jury, what Hard-Nose feels, observes and then reports into your file at Rock Solid about you, his insured Fred Fuddle, and/or possible witnesses, etc., (in addition to the information you've documented for him) could have massive influence on the value of your claim - - especially if Fuddle is a loser and he's absolutely in the wrong. At that point the only thing stalling a settlement is the amount of money it's going cost to get rid of you.

And, should your file end up in the hands of the local defense attorney for Rock Solid Insurance, all the positive factors about you, your injury and liability, will cause him to gasp, "Hey, what's going on here? My legal fees will be higher than the few hundred more bucks this one can be dumped for."

The bottom line: Your out-of-pocket expenses correctly recorded and presented, your injury information properly documented and your lost wages clearly established will seriously increase the dollar value of your personal injury claim.

QUESTION: How does Dan know this to be true? ANSWER: "Because for 38 years Dan was right there, where he saw and done that" !

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this "How To" Insurance Claim Article "PLACING A VALUE ON YOUR PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM" is to help people understand the motor vehicle accident claim process. Dan Baldyga does not make any guarantee of any kind whatsoever, NOR do they purport to engage in rendering any professional or legal service, NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, or claims consultant, or the like. Wherever such professional help is desired it is the INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSIBILITY to obtain said services.

Dan Badlyga has had 3 "How To" Insurance Claim books published, the last being AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss) which can be found on the internet at http://www.caraccidentclaims.com or http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com.

This book explains, in simple language, "How To" handle your motor vehicle property damage and/or personal injury claim. It also contains BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula). THE BASE FORMULA will explain how to determine the value of the "Pain and Suffering" you endured - - because of your motor vehicle accident injury!

Types of Printing

2011-12-17T19:08:00.001-08:00

When you need to use a commercial printer for a job or personal assignment, it can be difficult to know what to order from the printer. There are so many different types of printing it can be confusing for any consumer to know which printing method is most suited to their particular project. With this article we are going to briefly discuss the most popular types of printing, giving you, the consumer, a bit more understanding of each method.

Often the first important factor is finding and using a printing with a strong reputation in the printing field. This printer should be able to help you or give advice on many of the decisions you might need to make while getting a printing job done. Ask around and do research on the internet if possible, compare services and prices between one printer and another.

Digital printing is a new and extremely effective form of printing. This form of printing eliminates the use of film and plates, and sends a digital file directly from a computer to the press. Digital printing is relatively fast compared to other printing methods, making it a convenient method for meeting deadlines and time restraints.

Electrostatic printing is a method similar to photocopying where colour sticks to a drum and is fused by heat to paper. Electrostatic printing is similar to digital printing in that both processes are useful and effective for short printing runs.

The most popular printing process used by most printers is Offset Lithography. This is a method where ink is used economically and set up time for the press is limited. This process is where ink is offset from metal plates to a rubber cylinder onto the paper. It is an affordable and most common method of printing.

One of the first and original printing methods is the Letterpress, which was developed by Gutenberg is 1440. This is where relief printing was first developed; the printed image is slightly raised from the surface of the plate - similar to a rubber stamp. This is a process performed by fewer printers as new technology takes over the printing world.

For the sharpest image, Engraving is a printing method where the image feels indented. This type of printing process is used for fine or expensive stationery, such as Law firm letterheads etc.

Thermography is a process which produces a raised image. This is a special powder or dust which adheres to wet ink. Then heat is applied, which makes the powder and the ink fuse to form a raised surface. This method is effective for stationery.

Reprographics is a general term which includes copying and duplicating. Most, if not all, printing companies offer a reprographics service, where they can take your original file or document and make duplicates of them.

Screen printing is a process where ink is forced through a silk screen. This is often used on non flat goods e.g. clothing, mugs, etc. This is a popular method for large scale billboards and signage.

Flexography is a printing process used for packaging products. This process uses rubber plates with printed areas raised in relief, the plates are flexible, making printing on many different materials possible, eg plastic bags, bottle labels, cardboard boxes, etc.

Gravure printing is an expensive high quality printing process which uses copper plates. This process is commonly used to print high quality large volume materials such as magazines, newspaper, catalogues and more.
The best methods to ensure you get the printing results you require are to ask questions of your printer. It is important that the printing process will deliver required results. Generally if you have chosen a good printer your products will look great.

The History Of Fabrics

2011-12-16T04:56:00.001-08:00

From the early years on, men and women have dressed with dignity. Women wore long "tunics" that covered pretty much everything and covered their heads with veils starting in the time of Noah all the way through King David. This basic style did not change all that much for centuries. In the late 1500's, fashion became much more ornate though the basic clothing remained the same: long gown with long sleeves and a head covering of some sort. There was also lots of embroidery and decoration. It was also around this time that the corset was introduced. It wasn't long before it became the classic element of women's clothing. Around the time of the French Revolution, the trend of high-waisted dresses with straight, boyish silhouettes and flattened bust lines took hold. This is the style you see in Pride and Prejudge and Jane Austin. However, this fashion revolution didn't last all that long and fashion returned back to its traditional style. Here in the United States, waistlines were at the natural spot and the styles were fancy. Men wore ruffled shirts, tight knee-breeches, and powdered wigs. In the mid-1800's, skirts started becoming very full with hoops and crinoline petticoats. You often see this style in photographs taken during the Civil War. The bustling at the back of the dress started around this time also.

Modern fashion started taking shape around the 1900's. The hemlines moved above the ankle and fashion became simpler. It is interesting to note that the women's clothing trends of the day follow the same pattern as the trends in society. The Industrial Revolution (around 1800) enabled women to work outside the home which changed the way the dressed. In 1920, women were given the right to vote and this is where we first saw the departure from the classic style of dress! In the roaring 1920's, you saw women with short hair with skirts raised to the knees and sleeveless bodices. Coco Chanel (Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel) was the driving force behind these drastic changes. Around the same time, designers Yves Saint-Laurent and Courreges introduced dressy pantsuits for women. During World War II, women were often working in factories. They wore trousers and coveralls to work but kept their feminine style of dress for home. After the war, the men came home to white-collar suits of the middle class or blue-collar uniforms of the working class. Women were expected to wear makeup and pretty dresses. In the 1960s, young people started to question society and its prim and proper dress. You would often see women with long hair, no makeup, and barefoot. Men also grew their hair long, grew beards, and wore blue jeans. Music also inspired new styles. In the 1970s, you often saw men's pantsuits and women's metallic dresses and glitter.

Below is a timeline of some interesting points in the history of fabric:

6000 BC - During a geological dig, fine-spun and plied-thread, plain weave tabby cloths and garments were found dating back to this time period.

3300 BC - In the Similaun Glacier, the Ice Man was found wearing the gear of a Neolithic traveler. The Iceman's basic piece of clothing was an unlined fur robe stitched together from pieces of ibex, chamois, and deer skin. A woven grass cape and a furry cap provided additional protection from the cold, and he wore shoes made of leather and stuffed with grass.

490 BC - Quilting was known to the ancient Persians and, at the time of the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), quilted garments were worn as armor.

1130 - Skilled weavers who came to Palermo from Greece and Turkey produced elaborate fabrics of silk interlaced with gold.

1519 - Cotton is discovered in Central and South America by Pizarro and Cortez.

1631-1633 (roughly) - Calico is imported from Calicut, India by the East India Company

1708-1716 - A series of laws prohibiting the importation of printed silk textiles thus making calico's and silk textiles more popular than ever is signed into law by William III.

1858 - Englishman Charles Worth establishes first haute couture fashion house in Paris

1873 - Levi Strauss & Company receives their patent for blue jeans

1885-1889 - Rayon is invention in France and shown at the Paris Exposition of 1889.

1913 - Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel opens a boutique in Deauville, France. She revolutionizes and democratizes women's fashion with tailored suits, chain-belted jerseys, and quilted handbags. She's the most copied fashion designer in history.

1936 - Nylon is created by DuPont

1941 - The first polyester fiber called Terylene is produced.

1942 - Polyurethane (Spandex) is invented.

1947 - Christian Dior reestablishes Paris as a fashion center. He revives haute couture with tight waist, stiff petticoats, and billowing skirts.

1948 - Textiles become the second largest industry in the US. The consume consumption per capita of fibers 27 pounds of cotton, 6.3 pounds rayon, 4.9 pounds of wool.

1950 - The first commercial application for "Orlon" an acrylic wool substitute.

1955 - Velcro is created

1958 - Eastman Kodak introduces Kodel polyester.

1960 - London boutique owner Mary Quant champions the youth movement and introduces mini-skirt, hot pants. She also launched Twiggy as supermodel and becomes 1960s most influential 1960s designer.

1966 - Kevlar, which is 5 times stronger than steel, is invented.

1968 - Calvin Klein begins producing elegant, simple clothes, favoring neural earth tones and luxurious fabrics. Ralph Lauren creates men's wear line and expands into women's wear. He favors natural fabrics, and his designs feature western or country motifs.

1970s - A growing market for organically grown food was firmly established and the production of naturally grown fabrics soon followed suit..

1974 - Giorgio Armani creates a men's wear line and popularizes Italian tailoring

1984 - Donna Karan launches line of versatile, casual knits and favors the color black.

2004 - Bamboo fabric starts being manufactured in Asia, bamboo bedding and bamboo clothing start to make their way to the United States. Since then its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds.

Clothing has always played a role in our lives throughout history. The history of fashion is intertwined with every major development in American life since we got here in the early 17th century. However, now we are seeing fashion recycle and reinvent itself. Eco-friendly fabrics are part of this new century with hemp, organic cotton and bamboo being the front runners. The fashion industry is looking for ways to not only improve the design/style, but to be environmentally friendly. By going back to an earlier time and trying to be more natural, the fashion industry has quit trying to reinvent the wheel and instead giving the consumers what they want. It'll be interesting to see what the next ninety years will hold!

John Law - Economist & Economy Crasher

2011-12-15T09:10:00.001-08:00

Years ago, in a middle school classroom in a different world, a young teacher taught a lesson on European history. One day was the story of John Law, a gambler turned economist who reached celebrity status only to wind up in exile penniless. The teacher made the story fascinating! The word swashbuckling comes to mind and it inspired me to read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, the guy who also wrote The Three Musketeers.

The part of the story about the economic collapse of France and the Mississippi Bubble were temporarily memorized for fill-in-the-blank test taking purposes, a not no uncommon middle school history tactic. Dear Mrs. "Long-gone Memory" did her job. Fast forward 30 years and the objective of the lesson plan has been accomplished. I get it now. What John Law did to France's economy is happening in America. Whoever coined the phrase "history repeats itself" knew what they were talking about once again...

John Law was born in Edinburh, Scotland into a wealthy family of bankers and goldsmiths. When his father died, he took over the family business but ran it into the ground spending money like a drunken sailor and chasing women. His extravagant exploits in luxury ultimately led him to gambling, which didn't work out so well.

In a dispute over a lady by the name of Elizabeth Villiers, Law killed a man in a dual and was given the death penalty. He somehow managed to escape and fled to Amsterdam where he studied finance. He published a thesis called Money and Trade Considered where he argued that printing more paper money and putting it into circulation would greaten the wealth of a country.

In 1716, King Louis XV of France gave Law the opportunity to implement his strategy to use paper money. Law's plan was to create a government run financial monopoly and use it's profits to pay of the exorbitant national debt incurred by ongoing wars waged by the king.

Is it just me, or DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?

Law was appointed Controller General of Finances and started the Banque Generale Privee (General Private Bank) which ultimately was changed to the Banque Royale (Royal Bank). Because the economy was so strapped, there was a shortage of precious metals which led to a shortage of coins in circulation.

The solution was to print paper money as a fiat currency or government notes guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the king. The plan was a success at first and Law was rewarded by being given control of France's holdings in America, the Louisiana Territory, using the name the Mississippi Company which soon became the richest company in France.

With the stock prices skyrocketing they figured it was a good time to print more fiat currency. Paris was a boomtown and many people were living high on the hog.

What happened next was, inflation started to creep in and the paper money was losing it's buying power. When a decline in confidence of the economy started to rear it's head, people wanted their coins back and there was a run on the bank. Or they bought up valuables like gemstones and jewelry. By the end of 1720, the bubble had finally burst and everyone wanted to get rid of their worthless paper money.

John Law was forced to flee France and moved around Europe for the rest of his life. He reverted back to gambling and ultimately died a poor man in Venice in 1729.

Anti-Discrimination Law and Individual Rights in New Jersey (NJLAD)

2011-12-14T15:28:00.001-08:00

Discrimination occurs when an individual receives unfair treatment due to legally-protected characteristics. The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination offers nearly the same protections guaranteed under the federal anti-discrimination laws; however, it is more extensive, more liberally interpreted, and offers much more in the way of rights and remedies for New Jersey employees. It guarantees the protection of civil liberties in places of public accommodation, employment, housing, credit and business contracts. In New Jersey, a person cannot be denied access to public institutions because they possess (or are perceived to possess) a certain trait that an owner finds undesirable. No place of public accommodation is permitted to restrict access on the basis of legally-protected characteristics or disabilities. A New Jersey employer cannot refuse to accept an application for any reason that does not pertain to the specific nature of the work presenting a conflict with their realistic ability to provide accommodations. They cannot deny training, promotions, or other employee work benefits. Employment rights are civil rights and an employee has an obligation to formally address their violation. Under the NJLAD, ignoring a complaint is considered a separate offense. The workplace must provide:

* Reasonable accommodations
* Readily-accessible facilities
* Fair and impartial treatment
* Non-hostile work environments
* Protection from retaliation

Schools funded by religious institutions are exempt from the NJLAD, as are private clubs. However, New Jersey is one of the few states where it is illegal for an exclusive establishment to discriminate against a member by limiting their advantages and privileges of membership on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, marital status, domestic partnership status, sex, or affectional or sexual orientation. Certain public institutions may not permit entrance to some individuals, depending on their disability, if it has been officially established in court of law that doing so will result in serious harm to the disabled person or others.

What Is the History of the Torrens Title Registration System?

2011-12-13T10:12:00.001-08:00

The English law real property and conveyancing, which became part of the law of the English colonies as well, was not entirely suited to the conditions of new settlement. Indeed, it's unsuitability was immediate apparent to anyone who cared to reflect on the matter. The social and geographical conditions of the two countries were vastly different. English land law was designed to deal with social conditions that had no parallel in the early English colonies such as those seen in New South Wales. In particular, early New South Wales had no substantial and the class, for whose benefit much of English land will have evolved. In Australia was a vast, sparsely populated territory, still largely unexplored by the new settlers, in comparison, England was small, closely settled, with its land intensively cultivated.

The complexity of the English law real property and conveyancing poster special problems of the new colony. It manifested itself particularly in the law relating to prove title to land. Proof of title necessitated tracing title back through an unbroken chain of events and documents, perhaps as far as the Crown grant. The difficulties and uncertainties inherent in this old system of title will not overcome by the deeds of registration system, because registration did not cure defects in title. What was registered was the deed, not the title. Registration of the deed was no guarantee that the parties are carried out their intent in legally effective way. And to compound the difficulties, the Antipodean legal profession, a charge of interpreting and applying inherited land law, the many years lacked the expertise and learning of its English counterpart.

In this context Robert Richard Torrens devised a system of conveyancing which bears his name. The emigrated to South Australian 1840 to take up the post of director of customers. He was not the first person to see the benefits of the new system of registration. Indeed, his proposals for reform were made in Europe when the movement favouring a new registration system is gathering considerable momentum. But his energy and commitment translated the pressures for reform into legislation. According to him, the root of the problem lay with the dependent nature of titles. This necessitated a retrospective investigation of title each time land was conveyed or otherwise dealt with. It was the chief source of the cost and delay inherent in the conveyancing process. This is the early history of how the Torrens title registration system began.

Employment Law and Fake Training Certificates Considered

2011-12-12T18:03:00.001-08:00

Creating a fake training certificate is very easy with a word processing program, a scanner, and an actual original that has someone else's name on it. Still, it is a fake, and it is a forgery, not to mention the fact that it is against the law to purport that you have taken a training course that you did not.

In Washington DC about seven or eight years ago, they were hiring a tremendous number of information technology specialists to help them upgrade all the software and computer systems that run our government. Nearly every agency was hiring for this and they needed computer people, and they were running out of people to hire.

Since the pay was very good, and because they needed so many people they were not always able to check to make sure the training certificates presented were indeed valid. Anybody with a limited amount of computer knowledge could apply for the job, show a fake certificate, and get hired. Many of them believed that if they were hired, they could then go get the training they needed. And some did just that and no one was ever the wiser.

However, a bunch of people were caught with fake degrees from online colleges (shell companies) claiming that they did computer training. These companies would ask a series of questions about your business experience in the computer field, and then they would credit your experience towards a degree in computer science. The applicant would merely lie, and the system would give them the degree; for a fee of a couple of hundred dollars.

Once you receive the certificate in the mail you could use it to help yourself get a job doing IT work for the government. You can imagine that the proverbial dog crap hit the fan when the government figured out how rampant the fraud was and how many people had broken employment laws, doctored their resumes, and lied to get a job.

Worse some very high-ranking officials in our government also had fake degrees and training certificates. Many of these cases made the national news, and made our government look impotent and stupid. Of course, the government didn't like being lied to or being made a fool by the media or in public; investigations and prosecutions swiftly followed. Much of our employment case law concerning these things got a huge upgrade at that point. Please consider all this.

Book Review - Early Swahili History Reconsidered

2011-12-12T03:12:00.001-08:00

Thomas Spear is an exceptional author, part of an assemblage of early African history contributors. His journal article on Swahili history brings with it a revolutionary look into the bases of Swahili culture through historical and linguistic claims.

A key component of Swahili which separates them from their neighbors is the emphasis they put on their Persian decent, opposing the Arabian immigrant neighbors. Swahili consider the Persian background more sophisticated than that of the Arabs.

While it has been stated that during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Swahili buildings and styles abruptly emerged from nothing, Spear actually conducts further research which contradicts this theory with supporting evidence that neither Swahili styles nor the Muslim religion emerge out of nothing, but that it rather preceded from the ninth century. Muslim stone towns, as he theorizes, came from local farming, fishing, and trading communities which slowly expanded throughout the lands. It was in the twelfth century that trade itself began to expand and this expansion led to the construction of coral buildings and the adoption of Islam.

Early linguists made the claim that the Swahili language was first written down in Arabic script and it contained a very large numbers of Arabic words, to clearly indicate Arab roots. This is also supported in his book by the earlier ethnographic claims of the word Ustaarabu which was meant to denote "Arabness". This word was applied to those who bore Arab names, appearances, and the sophisticated elitist lifestyle. However, Spear argues that while the Swahili dialects are all closely correlated it is because they were all developed from Bantu as the single ancestral language from the Northeast Congo. Arabic words appear in Swahili because the Arabs had a significant amount of influence in things such as maritime trade, religion, and the law which led the Swahili to adopt words for those specific fields.

The problems with the aforementioned interpretation, however, lies in the fact that Swahili people might speak of Shiraz, but thus far there is not concluding evidence either archeologically, culturally, or linguistically to support their influence. Another problem presents itself in the form of a chronological gap in the current archaeological, linguistic, and documentary evidence between the second and the ninth centuries. Evidence for the middle six centuries has not been discovered and after this gap in evidence the Swahili appeared.

The development of Swahili took a longer period of time to produce more defined language and this is hard to reconstruct because there were successive genetic developments brought about by population shifts, external influences caused by interaction with others, as well as the distribution of languages.

It can also be supported that Swahili is assumed to be a middlemen society. This meant that they have a very embracing town which was open to the influence of outside Arab and African languages, music, colors, dances, and foods. So while people believed that Swahili-speaking people were not derived from Bantu-speakers because of their higher intelligence which only lent itself to an Eastern European culture, Spear presents an opposing argument, attacking each point of discussion with precision and data.

Are You a Texas Driver? Know the Texas Inspection Sticker Law - 6 FAQs

2011-12-11T10:13:00.001-08:00

If you drive on Texas roads, whether it is in a passenger car, motorcycle, pickup truck, van, bus, moped, or other motorized vehicle, that vehicle must display a Texas inspection sticker. Many people attempt to have their vehicles inspected, but fail due to some mechanical problem or other. If your inspection sticker is expired, you face a fine. What do the inspectors look for? What happens if your vehicle fails? Your best bet is to be prepared as to what your vehicle needs to pass the inspection. Do you know the Texas inspection sticker law? Below are six FAQs.

What parts of my vehicle will the inspection address?

The inspection will ensure that all of the important safety aspects of the vehicle are working as they should, not only to keep you safe, but to keep other Texas drivers safe as well. The inspection center will check a variety of things, including, but not limited to, the vehicle's headlights, turn signals, windshield wipers, tires, brakes, steering, reflectors, mirrors, horn, and beam indicators.

Some vehicles require emissions testing, including gasoline powered vehicles, vehicles from two to 24 years old, and vehicles registered in designated counties that required emissions inspections.

Are any vehicles exempt from requiring a current inspection sticker?

Some vehicles are exempt from inspection. These include school buses, farm machinery, road building equipment, any vehicle required to show a slow moving vehicle emblem, and those trailers, semitrailers, pole trailers, and mobile homes whose gross weight is 4,500 pounds or less. Other vehicles included in this exemption are those displaying certain kinds of license plates, such as antique vehicles, those holding a parade or disaster license, and more. Other less common exemptions can be found at the Texas Department of Public Safety website.

When should I get my vehicle inspected?

If you are currently driving a vehicle registered in Texas, you should get your vehicle inspected in the month showing on your current inspection sticker. While an inspection certificate expires on the last day of the month indicated on your windshield sticker, there is a five-day grace period after the last day of the month for motorists to obtain their new sticker.

What are the most common reasons for a vehicle failing the inspection test?

The most common problems that prevent a vehicle from passing inspection are those concerning windshield wiper blades, brakes, parking brakes, tires, and bulbs, including turn signals, headlights, and stop lights.

What happens if my vehicle fails inspection?

If your vehicle fails inspection, you have 15 days to have the item repaired. If you take your vehicle back to the same inspection station that failed it, the re-testing will be free. If you take it to another inspection station or if you do not have the vehicle repaired and re-tested within15 days, you will be charged for a second inspection.

Where do I get my vehicle inspected?

There are many places to get your vehicle inspected, with inspection stations in most cities and towns. However, some stations offer more services than others. Some offer substantial discounts on needed repairs, such as new windshield wiper blades, headlights, and other bulbs. Believe it or not, some inspection stations even offer year-long, free replacement of windshield wiper fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and gas caps for one year as long as you go to one of their official inspection stations.

The History Of Kissing

2011-12-10T18:16:00.001-08:00

No one really knows how it all started. Oneless-than-romantic theory is that it was originally a preamble to the act of regurgitation. In the days before Heinz baby food, spoons and Moulinex blenders, cave mothers fed their young offspring by chewing morsels of food, liberally drenched with saliva, and poking the masticated mess into their mouths with their tongues.

Anthropologists pooh-pooh this theory saying that, if this was the case, mouth kissing would have gone on in all societies and eras, which it did not. In parts of Japan, Siberia and among the Eskimo culture, rubbing noses was, until modern times, the only kind of kissing that went on. Certain ancient Finnish tribes believed it is to be distasteful and indecent, even though they happily bathed naked together. In Asia, for centuries, the bow was the traditional greeting and kissing would only go on in private. In Roman times, it was an act of homage used to denote status, ranked by the body parts someone was permitted to kiss. Important nobles kissed cheeks or hands while lesser mortals had to make do with feet kissing.

However, somehow, lip contact caught on and soon became more adventurous. According to Chinese Tao tradition, a perfect balance of yin and yang is only achieved with an exchange of "liquid jade" - more prosaically-known as saliva. Or what we would call a French kiss.

"I have found men who didn't know how to kiss. I've always found time to teach them." - Mae West

In the days before toothpaste and dental floss, must have been a grim affair. To make it more palatable, young maids would carry a clove-studded apple when courting, exchanging a bite for a kiss. The apple helped to clean the suitor's teeth and the cloves to sweeten his breath. Perhaps Clark Gable should have taken a leaf out of that particular history book when filming Gone With the Wind. Reportedly, his screen lover Vivien Leigh didn't want to kiss him because he had halitosis.

It has not always been socially acceptable. In 16th century Naples, it was an offence that carried the death penalty. In Hartford, Connecticut, an old law still makes it illegal for a man to kiss his wife on a Sunday. And in Indiana there used to be a law preventing men with moustaches from kissing, presumably on the grounds of hygiene.

Countless poems, odes and books have been written with same subject. One of the lesser-known works is The Art of Kissing, written by Hugh Morris in 1936. The book analyses every aspect of the kiss and an entire chapter is devoted to How to Kiss Girls with Different Sizes of Mouth - a useful manual for any man confronted with the voluminous, bee-stung lips of today's collagen-implanted females.

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."- Ingrid Bergman

If kissing was slow to catch on in evolutionary terms, scientists concede that it has become part of "natural" human behaviour today. In trials they have found that, when seeing a woman he is attracted to, a man's saliva fills with the male hormone testosterone. It passes some of those hormones on to the female, making her more in the mood for love.

According to another survey, people who kiss their partners goodbye when they leave for work in the morning tend to earn much higher salaries than those who don't.

And the scientist who said not all of us kiss the right way? He was Professor Onur Gunturkun from Germany's Ruhr University who discovered that two thirds of people tilt their heads to the right when kissing, which means that the other one third who tilt their heads to the left are not doing it the "right" way...

Sta-kiss-stics

At the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in 1990, Alfred Wolfram from New Brighton, kissed 8001 people in 8 hours - over sixteen people a minute.

Between 1st and 6th May 1978 Americans Bobbi Sherlock and Ray Blazina held a kiss-in that lasted for 130 hours and 2 minutes.

In 1896, John C. Rice and May Irwin became the first couple to be recorded kissing in a film called The Kiss.

The longest kiss in film history was between Jane Wyman and RayTooney in the 1941 film, You're in the Army Now. The kiss lasted three-and-a-half minutes.

According to legend, any person who kisses the Blarney Stone at Cork's 15th century Blarney Castle will be endowed with the gift of eloquence and persuasive flattery.

Chile holds the world record for the largest number of people kissing, set in 2004 in the capital of Santiago when 4,400 couples locked lips en masse.

Does History Show That the Value of Land Has Always Gone Up?

2011-12-09T21:29:00.001-08:00

The value of land has been surging over the years. Land has always been considered a highly lucrative option for investment. It is always regarded as a low-risk investment option which offers attractive returns. However, it is also prone to some internal and external factors, which bring about a downfall in the valuation of the land. So, land investment may not yield you the high returns you always associate it with.

History will tell you that the land valuation has been on the surge most of the time. But, at times, it has also gone through bad patches, which have resulted in the downfall of the prices.

Land valuation is prone to the fluctuations in the real estate market. In a robust real estate market, land is always in great demand, resulting in their souring prices. The growth and development of real estate industry increases with it the demand for the land. Land is a commodity which is not going to increase and thus its increasing demand only fuels its prices further. On the other hand, if the real estate market is down, then the land valuation may be adversely affected. So, you will notice that there are times when land evaluation is souring, while some other time it may remain ecstatic.

Government policies also have an effect with land value. If rules and regulations of the government are not favoring the sector, it may subsequently see a decline in its prices.

A positive policy of the government will boost the land prices souring.

External disturbances also play a key role. For example, a complete recession followed the real estate sector and subsequently the land prices in US after the terrorist attack on the twin towers of World Trade Center in New York on September 9, 2001. It took long for the market and the economy to completely recover from the shock. The valuation of land dipped low as the demand of land went down rapidly.

The good health of the economy is essential for robust land prices. A booming economy leads to a feel-good factor, which lends a helping hand in the land sector as well.

Land is a finite commodity meaning it can not be stretched and will remain as much as it is. So, the valuation of land will always follow positive trend barring certain situations arising from factors beyond control.

A booming economy fuels the land market to new heights. As the economy grows, the real estate sector expands at a rapid pace. This, in effect, pushes the demand for land and as the demand sours, so does the price. So, it's a multiple effect which ultimately pushes the valuations of land to a new height.

The History of Golf

2011-12-09T07:57:00.001-08:00

Golf as we know it was invented in Scotland, but its roots stretches back into Flanders. The first record of "Chole" is from 1353 and portrays a something that could be described as a mix between hockey and golf played in Flanders (Belgium). The game was preferably played on ice and the players used sticks curved at the bottom to move balls from starting point to finish point. Since Scottish and Dutch merchants traveled a lot between the two regions and traded with each other, the game played in Flanders soon spread to Scotland where it developed on the grassy Scottish fields and soon ceased to be a winter game. It was the Scots that started to dig holes in the ground instead of simply selecting a finishing point. Digging a hole in the Dutch ice had naturally not been a good idea.

Even though the game changed a great deal after being introduced in Scotland, the balls where still often imported from Flanders. The more patriotic Scots claim that golf instead evolved from different stick-and-ball games that we know were played all over the British Isles as early as the Middle Ages. These games were inspired by a stick-and-ball game introduced to the British Isles by the Romans.

The first record of the term golf is from 1457 when King James II of Scotland outlawed golf as well as soccer, since the games were so popular that they made the king's archers skip their practice and play golf and soccer instead. James III re-issued this law in 1471, and James IV followed in his footsteps with a new ban in 1491. Golf did however continue its development in Scotland despite the ban. Even during these early days, all the essential parts of golf had already been invented. The players used a club to swing a ball into a hole in the ground. The player that managed to get the ball into the hole using the least amount of strokes won.

The word gold is derived from the Old Scots words "goff" or "glove", and these words in turn derive from "kolf" or "kolve", medieval Dutch words that simply meant club. When the words kolf and kolve were imported to Scottland, the old Scottish dialect transformed the letter K into G, and the game was called Goff, Glove, Golve and Gowl. During the 16th century, the word Golf became established.

The ban on golf had been issued in a time when Scotland was preparing to defend itself from the English. In 1502, the Treaty of Glasgow made it possible for James I of England (King James IV) to lift the ban. He even began to play himself and turned into a keen golf enthusiast. The game became highly fashionable and its popularity spread over the British Isles during the 16th century, partly thanks to King Charles I who loved to play golf. Mary Queen of Scots had French roots and she introduced the game to the French while she attended school in France. The word "caddie" actually steams from a French word - cadet. The cadets of the French Military helped Mary Queen of Scots when she played golf.

Two of the oldest golf courses in the world are Leith and the Old Links. Leith is located close to Edinburgh and the Old Links is found at Musselburgh. When King Charles I received the news about the Irish rebellion in 1641 he was actually standing at Leith. The Old Links was founded in 1672. The first international golf match took place at Leith in 1682. The Duke of York and George Patterson (playing for Scotland) managed to beat two English players. Strangely enough, it wasn't until 1744 that the first known golf rules were written down and published in Edinburgh.

Albert Einstein - One of Most Intelligent Persons in History

2011-12-08T02:11:00.001-08:00

Born on March 14, 1879 in the town of Ulm, located in the Kingdom of Württemberg in Germany, is one of the most intelligent and influential persons in the world - Albert Einstein.

Albert Einstein attended a Catholic school for his elementary education. At an early age, he displayed innate talent in mathematics which led him in creating mechanical models and devices. As early as five years old, when Einstein received compass as a gift from his father, he noticed that the compass pointed in whichever way he goes to. This gave the young Einstein the idea that an existing force causes the movement of the arrow in the compass.

In 1903, Eistein married a teacher named Mileva Maric. She was believed to have given significant contributions to his works. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1919. It was reported that Einstein soon married Elsa Lowenthal, his cousin, after the divorce.

In 1905, during his work at a patent office, Einstein published some of his significant works in Annalen der Physik, a physic journal in Germany. In the same year, Einstein proposed his famous equation E=mc2, where he said that "mass can be converted into an equivalent amount of energy" based on the said equation. This scientific work of Einstein is considered as the one of the greatest works in the history of science.

In 1910, Einstein wrote a paper about Critical Opalescence where he discussed the effects "of light scattered by different molecules in the atmosphere." One year after, he introduced the idea of photons. In 1911, he published his paper about the effects of gravity on light. In 1915, he came up with his Theory of Relativity, which is used until now.

In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his significant contributions to physics in discovering the Law of the Photoelectric Effect. Indeed, Albert Einstein is a Germany's Pride, a person who gave so much pride to German flag.

Business Ethics - More Than Obeying the Law

2011-12-07T12:08:00.001-08:00

In business, legality is often seen as an equivalent to morality. If a business conducts itself in accordance to the law, all is well. But is the bare minimum enough? No. Not just in an ethical sense, but as history as taught us, also for the success of the business.

Going above and beyond the law is a must in today's business climate. Look at industry leaders. Are they the ones pushing to be greener, or are they trying to hold on to the old way of doing things? The point is, morality is marketing in away. If a business is a moral leader, customers feel safer and PR is boosted significantly.

The current financial mess we are in now is due in part to financial institutions acting a legal manner but not necessarily a moral one. Loans were given out without due diligence, resulting in subprime mortgages and what have you. Perhaps if banks would have taken more moral initiative, and not just handed out loans to people that clearly were not in a position to repay them, some of this economic disaster could have been avoided.

Cutting corners and being shady can lead to short term success. There is no doubt about that. But if you want to build an organic, healthy foundation for long term business development and growth, morality must not be overlooked, from both an ethical and financial perspective. I don't want to sound like anybody's mom, but morality is a must in life, so it should be in business too.

A Brief History of Printmaking

2011-12-06T09:29:00.001-08:00

Before the printing press came into existence, printmaking was not considered to be an art form. It was viewed as a way of communicating. It was only in the 18th century when art prints began to be viewed as originals, and then in the 19th century, artists began to produce limited edition of their work and signing those prints so that the work could be authenticated.

Engraving is as old as the cave art when it was used not just on stones and bones, but also on the walls of caves. Some 3,000 years ago, the Sumerians were engraving designs on stone cylinder seals. However, historians believe that it was the Chinese who were responsible for the first form of printing in 2nd century AD which they did by means of rubbing. However, the first authentic prints were made in the middle of the 8th century by the Japanese which consisted of wood block rubbings made into Buddha charms.

The Europeans were printing textile in sixth century, but paper printing started later when the technology of making paper arrived from the Far East. The first paper was produced in 1151 in Jativa, Spain. In the 15th century, the first woodcuts printed on paper were in the form of playing cards. Just before that, Henry VI made the first royal seals and stamps.

A few decades after woodcut, metal engraving started. It was an art that only the goldsmiths and weapon makers used. The earliest printed engraving is from 1446 which is a German print. Germany gets the credit for developing intaglio printing from where it made its way to Italy and the Low Countries.

In the 17th century, printing was seen as ornamental decorations all over Europe. This form of printmaking was primarily used for decorating portraits and paintings. Intaglio printing at this time was done with the help of acid as artists at that time considered it to be a work of creativity. Although etching was primarily done in Italy, most of the etching artists were foreigners like Jacque Callot and Claude Lorrain from France and Jose de la Ribera from Spain. In Netherlands, etching was done by the master painter Rmbrandt, who produced nearly 300 etched plates.

In the 18th century, the entire printmaking was concentrated in Italy with the rise of Tiepolo. It is believed that Francisco Goya was highly influenced by Tiepolo. After that came Canaletto, who is considered to be most important architectural printmaker, making around 3,000 architectural etchings.

In the 19century, printmaking had made its way to France and printmakers like Ingres, Delacroix, Theodore Rousseau and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot were in great demand. Also Impressionist like Manet and Degas are considered to important printmakers during that period.

In the first half of the 20th century, printmakers were led by Pablo Picasso, and then Malaga. In fact, Picasso gets the credit for making France the hotbed for printmaking. After that came Braque, Matisse, Rouault, Chagal, Joan Miro, Max Ernt, Jan Arp, and Salvador Dali among many others. Germany saw the likes of Emil Nolde, Max Beckmann, George Grosz, Ernt Barlach, Erich Heckel and Oskar Kokoschka. These were the Expressionists.

In England, Henry Moore was busy creating sculptures and lithographs. While in the US, printmakers like George Wesley Bellows produced lithographs, John Sloan and Reginald March etchings, and Milton Avery drypoint. However, the most important printmakers in America was Edward Hopper and Ben Shahn.

Chinese Law Of Abundance

2011-12-05T15:04:00.001-08:00

In the movie The Secret, Bob Proctor teaches the use of The Law of Attraction to create whatever we want in our life and to generate abundance and wealth. Bob Proctor explained that the secret in attracting abundance is aligning oneself and working with the one infinite power, the one universal law. We are all governed by the same universal law. Everything that is coming into our lives is the result of the images we hold in our minds. We attract whatever we hold in our minds.

This concept is based on the book "The Science of Getting Rich" by Wallace D Wattles and the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. These authors lived in the 1900's. Since the principles of The Law of Attraction is based on the Universal Law, which is as old as the Universe itself, is it possible that someone earlier in history could have discovered the secret? Or whether there are people or communities earlier in history could have lived their lives by the universal law of attraction and lived in abundance?

In a social gathering not so long ago, the topic of conversation drifted to money, wealth, success and riches. The exchange became very lively after I shared with the group about The Secret and Bob Proctor's teachings of The Law of Attraction and how we can attract abundance in our life, and that the universe will manifest itself to bring our thoughts into reality. Someone commented that this law of abundance is practiced by the Chinese many thousands of years ago. My thoughts are, this is surely way before Wallace D Wattles and Napoleon Hill. I was intrigued by this idea and decided to find out if ever there was a "Chinese Law of Abundance".

I did some researching and reading. What I found is that the Chinese people of the Taoist faith lived their lives in close semblance to the universal law of abundance. The Taoist values freedom, and to live a life in accordance to the law of abundance is a choice in living a life free of lack and deprivation.

We can find evidence of the law of abundance in the Dao De Jing, which is the Taoist "great book of the Way and Virtue". The universe and the concept of its beginning is known as "nothingness". This is similar to the "formless substance" that Wallace D Wattles spoke of in his book "The Science of Getting Rich". And the concept of abundance is termed as "haveness" in the ancient text.

In the Dao De Jing we find phrases relating to the law of abundance, such as:

Nothingness named beginning of universe, haveness named mother of all objects.
Thus be always in nothingness, if you desire to perceive the Dao's wonder.
Always in haveness, if you desire to discover the bountiful phenomena.

Empty yet produces endlessly, the more it works the more results it gets.

The more one acts in harmony with the universe (the Mother of the ten thousand things), the more one will achieve, with less effort.

Isn't it wonderful to know that people in ancient history knew and practiced the law of abundance? I am thrilled that the law of abundance is not lost in time and has been brought back by Bob Proctor. He has not only revived an ancient principle, but also has put together The Science of Getting Rich Program, specially designed to help people learn how to use the Law of Attraction to manifest abundance and wealth in their lives.

Does History Repeat Itself?

2011-12-05T00:12:00.001-08:00

In the fall of 1995, I started high school at Brgy. Hilaitan National High School, Guihulngan Negros Oriental, Philippines. Even though that was many years ago, I still recall my first day at Hilaitan and attending my first class, which happened to be History. My history teacher started the class by asking the question: Does history repeat itself?

As we began to discuss this question, our teacher provided us with some incredible facts that gave us much to consider in how we formed our answer. As we neared the end of the class time, he asked us to consider the following: Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

The major social issue during both of their presidencies was Civil Rights. Both of the presidents were elected by less than 50% of the popular vote. Lincoln's opponent, Douglas, was born in 1813. Kennedy's opponent, Nixon, was born in 1913. Both of the presidents lost a child while they were living in the White House. Both of the presidents were shot in the back of the head and both died on a Friday. Both assassins are known by all three of their names: John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. Both successors to the presidency were Democratic Senators with the last name of Johnson. Andrew Johnson was born in 1808. Lynden Johnson was born in 1908.

Following this impressive list of facts concerning American history, we were thrown for a loop. We were forced to closely examine what our teacher was asking after he had presented those facts to us. Even though he had produced what seemed such compelling information, I determined that, no, history does not repeat itself, but rather man is prone to make the same mistakes repeatedly.

Through my observation of what happening in the society around the world, I've learned that there are three classes of people. The first learn from their own experience -these are the wisest people. The second learn from the experience of others - these are the happy ones. The third neither learn from their own experience nor from the experience of others - these are the fools!

Readers which in the three classes of people in the world are you belong?

Again I repeat, history does not repeat itself, but rather man is prone to make the same mistakes repeatedly!

Genealogy - Find Out Your Family's History

2011-12-04T09:15:00.001-08:00

Are you related to someone famous? You could be related to a member of royalty or a powerful political figure. Perhaps you're related to a successful business person or a famous celebrity. How would it feel to discover that you're related to Bill Gates, Brad Pitt or Oprah Winfrey? What if someone in your family ancestry was a leader of a rebellion or a hero in a war or the person responsible for discovering the cure for a disease? Can you imagine the excitement of discovering someone like this in your family history? What if you have a family history of heart disease or diabetes, but you didn't know it? These are all reasons to study your family history.

Thanks to the idea of "six degrees of separation" (made popular by playwright John Guare and again by actor, Kevin Bacon) which has taken the world by storm; it seems that we all want to find out how we are connected to one another. In fact many people want to know just how many "degrees of separation" separate us from someone famous. To find these things out, genealogy is one of the tools we can turn to for help.

To give you an idea of how genealogy helps us to learn how people are connected, consider this fact: President George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States of America, is related to his 2004 Presidential candidate rival, Senator John Kerry! How are they related? They both share a common relative, Playboy magazine founder, Hugh Hefner, who is the ninth cousin of both men. Do you see how interesting genealogy is yet?

In spite of what you might think of today's "modern" generation with their high tech gadgets and seemingly decreased desire to meet people face-to-face and instead to meet online, there appears to be a growing interest in genealogy and family history. Each person's interest in genealogy may be very different ranging from looking for a lost relative, hoping to discover an inheritance, or even looking for family health history. Despite our many reasons, one thing we all have in common is that a lot of us are looking for our family history.

Let's clarify a bit about genealogy and family history. Many people use these terms interchangeably, but they don't mean the same thing. Genealogy, in the simplest terms, is the science of relationships - how one person is related to another by law or by blood (or both). Family history takes the concept of genealogy and makes it more detailed. When you research family history, you usually aren't only interested in how one person is related to another, but you're also interested in the stories of their lives. Genealogists may also study those things as well, but their intent is not to learn the stories, but to learn the facts which may lead them to discover more relationships to other people. If you're going to study your family history, you'll be interested to learn those things too!

Genealogy research can be difficult and time consuming, as well as rewarding and even fun! (Remember that you may uncover some exciting, forgotten or unknown family history facts!) You may find that you feel like a detective or investigative reporter on the case of a mystery, determined to find the solution.

Where do you begin your genealogy and family history treasure hunt? Probably the best first place to start is with your immediate family, starting with yourself. You will need to learn how to become an expert interviewer (don't worry - you can learn how to do this - I promise!). Start with your aging relatives and ask a series of questions to them (write or record their answers). Then, make trips to the public library or to research court document archives. Don't forget to study any pictures, illustrations, and maps that you may find during your research. Each of these can give you clues that will lead to your next big lead to follow.

Are you ready to begin your genealogy and family history treasure hunt? Why not start now? You may find yourself related to someone famous in history! You may find that you have an inheritance waiting for you from a long-lost relative. Or you may discover an important piece of health information. Either way, you have a lot of history to discover. You better get started now!

Employment Law: Time Limits for Bringing Employment Tribunal Claims

2011-12-03T20:31:00.001-08:00

In the case of Chouafi v London United Busways Ltd [2005], the claimant was employed as a bus driver by the defendant company. In October 2003, he was diagnosed with severe depression and was signed off work until February 2004. He was dismissed in January 2004 on the grounds of his medical condition and complained to the employment tribunal of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.

The Employment Rights Act 1996 provides that an employment tribunal shall not consider a complaint for unfair dismissal unless it is presented to the tribunal within three months of the effective date of termination of employment. However this three-month limitation period may be extended if the tribunal considers that in the relevant case, it was not reasonably practicable for the complaint to be presented within the three months. There are similar provisions under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

The tribunal decided that:-

The complaint of unfair dismissal had not been presented within the three-month time limit, pursuant to s 111 of the Employment Rights Act 1996;

The complaint of disability discrimination had not been presented within the three-month time limit, pursuant to the para 3 Schedule 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and
Accordingly, the tribunal did not have jurisdiction to hear the claims.
The employee appealed to the Employment Appeal Tribunal ("EAT") against the decision. The EAT held that:-

Decisions on whether or not a claim would be admitted out of time, for unfair dismissal or disability discrimination, were essentially questions of facts on which the tribunal should decide based upon the evidence submitted by the parties;

The onus of proof was on the claimant to show it was not reasonably practicable to bring an action within the three-month time limit;

If the claimant failed to discharge that burden of proof, his/her case would inevitably fail;

In this case, the claimant failed to attend the hearing and provide more evidence about his mental health; and
The Tribunal was right in concluding that the employee had failed to provide an adequate explanation for filing his claim outside the time limit; and

The tribunal's decision would be upheld.

The claimant's appeal was therefore dismissed.

If you require further information contact us.

Email: enquiries@rtcoopers.com

© RT COOPERS, 2005. This Briefing Note does not provide a comprehensive or complete statement of the law relating to the issues discussed nor does it constitute legal advice. It is intended only to highlight general issues. Specialist legal advice should always be sought in relation to particular circumstances.

The History of Mac Cosmetics

2011-12-03T06:33:00.001-08:00

Mac Cosmetics was established by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. It was founded by the two in Canada in 1984. Originally, Angelo was the owner while Toskan was the makeup artist and at the same time the photographer.

Since then, it has successfully climbed up the latter and now become one of the most popular and influential companies in the world. The company's main concerns are women in the fashion industry.

Frank Toskan was the man behind the now famous products of Mac cosmetics. He was the one who was instrumental in coming up with the different cosmetic products of the company through his intensive research. Actually, he did not do it alone. His brother-in-law, Victor Casale, a chemist was the one who helped him out with every success of each cosmetic product that the company now can boast of.

People in the high fashion industry are the target market of this company. Hence, all their products are definitely of good quality and unique too. This is why it has readily captured the market and gained popularity that somehow lead to its huge increase in sales and overall development. It opened its first store in 1991 in New York. Five years later it opened another branch in Paris in 1996. It was two years after the original owners of the company sold its controlling interest to another cosmetic company owned by Estee Lauder. The transfer was done in 1994. But it was only in 1998 that the company fully took over the company after Frank Angelo died in 1997. After Angelo's death, Frank Toskan left Mac Cosmetics along with his brother-in-law.

Estee Lauder, the new owner of the company did not change the name of the company. This was done in order to ensure that everything remained the same. The company continued with its original name Mac Cosmetics ensuring that the products are of the same quality. Bearing the same name known for its quality products indeed proved beneficial for the company.

Recently, Mac Cosmetics are no longer restricted to people in the fashion industry. Even ordinary ones or those from different walks of life can now readily get any products of Mac cosmetics at very affordable price. A much wider selection of real quality products are now readily available in the market. Hence, if you want real quality cosmetic products you should try to look for Mac Cosmetics.

Paul Delaroche - A Short History

2011-12-02T14:54:00.001-08:00

Paul Delaroche was worn in 1797 in Paris. His real name was Hippolyte Delaroche. His father was a wealthy, successful trader and was delighted that Paul showed talent as an artist at an early age. Paul was placed under the tutelage of L E Waterlet (a landscape painter) and later Baron Gros (from 1818), who painted life size historical scenes. He later went on to become a successful teacher himself.

He painted a wide range of historical scenes, but was particularly inspired by English history as can be seen form the painting "The death of Queen Elizabeth" in 1828. He also painted religious art, and during his life his work received wide international acclaim, although as with all artists there were some notable detractors, like Theophile Gautier.

In 1832, at the age of 35, Paul was the youngest artist to be elected to the Institut National des Sciences et des Arts.

Paul had a studio in Paris and taught many gifted students there. In 1835, he painted "Head of an Angel", a study of Louise Vernet, his love for whom became his passion in life.

He married Louise Vernet in 1835, and she died in 1845. Paul is said to have never fully recovered from the shock of the death of Louise. Louise was the only daughter of the Director of the French Academy, Horace Vernet. Paul got on well with his father-in-law and traveled to Italy with him on two occasions, in 1838 and 1843. Following Louise's death many have argued that Paul painted his best series of works about the Passion. The scenes, depicting the virgin, and Peter and John in a dark room, shows the divine story in a simple and effective way.

Paul was commissioned to paint a large painting (27 m long) in the lecture theatre of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. The picture represents the great artists of modern times with the thrones at the top filled by architects and sculptors. Female elements are added in the form of genii and muses, symbolizing ownership and appreciation of the arts. The detail is exquisite and clear. He completed the work in 1841, and unfortunately there was damage from a fire in 1855. He commenced the repair but died prior to its completion.

Paul Delaroche influenced the art world as a statesman and in the legacy of his paintings. He died in 1856.

Law Of Attraction - Free

2011-12-02T02:35:00.001-08:00

You may not feel the power yet but the Law of Attraction can pull the right people, friends, relationships or career and finances to you at this very instant!

Once activated, the Law of Attraction will free the powerful visualization that is hidden untapped inside you!

The Law of Attraction was first revealed in "The Secret" - a movie and companion book produced by Rhonda Byrne. "The Secret" has been top of international bestseller lists.

Marketed in the self-help genre, it has attracted endorsements from influential celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey. Its readers and viewers are promised that the key to achieving their life goals is through the power of positive thinking.

The Law of Attraction was believed to be understood by some of the most prominent people as well as renowned great thinkers, inventors, scientists, and theologians in history, including Beethoven, Carnegie, Edison, Einstein, Galileo and Plato, with fragments of it found in literature, philosophies and religions throughout centuries.

The Law of Attraction was also said to have been passed down through the ages, highly coveted, hidden, lost, stolen and then bought for vast sums of money.

What exactly is the Law of Attraction?

It has been said that we create our own reality.

The Law of Attraction is about how you attract to your life with whatever you have given of your attention, energy and focus, regardless of whether it is wanted or unwanted. Our constant thoughts produce feelings or vibrations.

The Law of Attraction responds to whatever feelings or vibrations you are offering. Circumstances or people that match these feelings and vibrations are being attracted towards us, regardless of whether it is wanted or unwanted, intentionally or not, by this powerful law of the universe.

The Law of Attraction teaches us how to attract more of the circumstances or people that we want, deliberately or intentionally. We are vibrating positively when we feel confident, energetic, enthusiastic or loving.

By following its simple formula, the Law of Attraction helps you to visualize positively. Once you unleashed this incredible power of visualization inside you, nothing will stand in your way. The more precisely you visualize, the better the Law of Attraction works. You have the power to reverse the negative and fatal attractions you are experiencing in your life.

After practicing the Law of Attraction, you should be able to achieve the following.

o become the master of your emotions and mind

o develop greater focus to learn and achieve more

o increase your foresight to see better and seize opportunities

o move through each day with unwavering confidence, supercharged energy and overwhelming levels of productivity

o present yourself to the world with an abundance of self-esteem

o take your learning ability to the next higher level

Philippine Literature - A Brief History

2011-11-30T19:22:00.001-08:00

Philippine is a country rich in diversity and language heritage. Even before Spanish colonization, its literature had evolved tremendously. Some of the notable literatures are a general reflection of the influence exerted by Spaniards during the colonization of Philippine. During pre-colonial times, there has been widespread evidence that the island inhabitants display a culture rich with traditions. Folk speeches, folk songs and indigenous rituals are part of their daily lives. The infusion of such elements represents a lifestyle deeply ingrained in the locals. An understanding on the history of Philippine literature will allow us to appreciate the literary riches of this nation.

The colonization by Spain did not subject literature development to a halt. Rather, it breathed a different kind of life into the local literary works. European civilization was imbued into the local traditions through religion and institutions. During that period of time, performing theaters were introduced and the local languages experienced enrichment. Much later, Spain brought about liberal ideas and a sense of internationalism to the people of Philippines. Similar to the period of renaissance, it has substantial influence on local intellectuals. They start to question and portray the meanings of "liberty and freedom" in their works. The history of Philippine literature demonstrates that the combination of realism and surrealism gives rise to some of the greatest Philippines literature today.

19th century marks a change in the literary development when Filipino intellectuals educated in Europe wrote about colonization and the associated downsides. This realization brought about a reformation movement which eventually led to the downfall of the Spanish colonial. The history of Philippine literature was once again marked by a change when English was introduced. The introduction of English language led to the slow demise of Spanish, and subsequently literature written in Spanish. The sustaining use of English language birthed some of the well known English poems, short stories and once again enriched the local literature in a unique way.

Upon examination, we will discover that Philippine literature encompasses a way of life and values cherished by the locals. The local literature is a uniting element among its people, and will continue to evolve as enriched by modern changes.

A Brief History of Real Estate: The Fee Simple Ownership

2011-11-30T01:20:00.001-08:00

Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), Duke of Wellington, is reputed to have been the one to exclaim 'All good things come from England, but cavalry is not one of them' while facing Napoleon's French Army at Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Wellesley had learnt his military trade in India applying his study of the art of war and had became a master of the reverse-slope tactic - keeping his forces screened from artillery fire behind the brow of a hill. At Waterloo, however, Wellesley's Armies were outwitted by Napoleon. The French Emperor had imitated Wellesley's tactics by positioning 200 heavy artillery guns behind a ridge at La Haye Sainte. When the Hussars and Dragoons cavalrymen led by Lord Uxbridge attacked in the famous Charge of the Scots Greys, Napoleon commanded the guns on the topline of the ridge and one of the epic artillery bombardments in history began. It was at this very moment, at the height of the Charge and while his 3,000 cavalrymen were being slaughtered by the rapid artillery fire of Napoleon's heavy guns, that the phlegmatic English General is reputed to have exclaimed his now famous remark, directed at Lord Uxbridge who had apparently ordered the Charge without Wellesley knowing it. The day was saved by Gebhard von Blucher (1742-1819), Field Marshal of Prussia, who led the assault of the Kaiser's Prussian Cavalry against the French right wing, thus causing the entire French line to collapse.

Wellesley's famous remark has been retouched several times throughout the years, depending on one's point of view. The British dropped the second part - the reference to the ill-fated cavalry charge - thus creating the popular short version 'All good things come from England' - period. When about a century later Britain had the unwise idea of attacking the Ottoman Empire and the British and French Armies were fighting the Turks side-by-side in WWI, General Mustapha Kemal - the English-speaking Commander of the Turkish Garrison and victorious defender of Gallipoli - paraphrased the English dictum after 289 days of siege by turning it, somewhat deprecatingly, into: "No good things ever come from England". And Mahatma Gandhi throughout his teachings of non-violent conflicts resolutions makes reference to the fact that "All good things come from India".

Alas, no matter what your point of view is, I shall submit to readers of my Blog that "at least two good things comes from England" : Fee Simple Ownership and Organized Real Estate.

English real estate law (or 'Estate Law' as it was known back then) was imported, through colonization, into the earlier forms of law in the U.S.A., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Many of these states, or their territories, have since modified this historical law, to varying degrees. A study of the old feudal land system of England provides us with an invaluable glimpse of legal history regulating the most valuable asset of them all: land. In medieval times, land was the sole form of wealth and it depended primarily on possession. You had it, you owned it. You wanted it, you fought for it. You found it, you kept it. There were no courts or police force ready to recognize or enforce "legal rights" as we know them today. All this changed with the Norman conquest of England in 1066. William decreed that he owned all of the land in England by right of conquest. Not one acre of England was to be exempted from this massive expropriation. This sudden vacuum of privately-held land was promptly filled by a variety of huge land grants given by the new King to either his Norman officers or to those of the English who were ready to recognize him as king. The device used by the King to control and administer his land was that of tenure. Tenure was the key component of the feudal system. The King struck a bargain with a Lord for a large chunk of land. The Lords that held their tenure directly from the King were called Tenants-in-chief. It was this group of persons who formed the basis of English aristocracy and began, by the process of subletting the King's land, the implementation of the feudal system.

Tenures were of a variety of duration known as "estates" and the Fee Simple Estate was the most extensive and allowed the Tenant to sell or to convey by will or be transferred to the Tenant's heir if he died. In modern law, almost all land is held in fee simple and this is as close as one can get to absolute ownership in common law. It was in this context that the British began their dominion over the seas and their explorations which led to the modern nations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America. The concept of developing an informal association of local real estate agents originated in the United States in the 1880s, and by the turn of the century about 15 Real Estate Boards had been established. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) was formed in the U.S. in 1908 with 19 boards and one state association. Organized real estate in Canada is almost as old as the country itself. The very first Real Estate Board was set up in 1888 in the growing community of Vancouver. Back then, a commercial lot on Hornby Street near the Hotel Vancouver sold for $600. The Vancouver Board - as it was known then - was active until the start of the First World War, when operations were suspended. It resumed in 1919, and has been operating ever since.

The distinction of the oldest, continuous running Board belongs to Winnipeg, Manitoba. It started in 1903, and the Winnipeg Real Estate Board was the first in Canada to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The Toronto Board was incorporated in 1920, followed by boards in Ottawa, Hamilton, Regina and Victoria in 1921. More than half of the existing Real Estate Boards in Canada were created after 1955, in part because of the evolution of the "Photo Co-Op System" that was introduced in 1951. That was the forerunner of today's MLS®, introduced in 1962. The Co-op System not only created a need for an organization to establish rules and promote co-operation among agents, but also to provide funds to operate a real estate board. That's when technology first changed the real estate industry.

What Is The Importance Of History?

2011-11-29T11:37:00.001-08:00

When we study about what has happened in the past, we always look at important figures, important events, important groups, ideas, and movements. History is so broad that it can include everything from what has happened in Latin America, China and Europe. Learning about history is important because some of it should be common knowledge. By knowing a bit about what has happened in our world, you can help see why things are the way they are as of know, what will happen in the future, how great minds work, how evil people work and much more. It doesn't hurt to know too much about history.

One basic importance of history is to know enough to do well because your knowledge of it is tested. It can be in the classroom, it can be in the UN, or for a historian meeting. If you do not know enough, than you put yourself at risk of not achieving what you can.

It is also important to know about world history because you can then educate others who do not know as much. They may not need to know much about history in their selected fields of study but without knowing a little is not acceptable. If you do not know about what has happened, you do not truly understand the word. By looking at what has happened, you can understand cause and effect, how important ideas and events played out and more.

When you understand history, you understand basic concepts and ideas. You will learn about cause and effect, relationships and human nature. Since history is mainly about what causes the next event or action, people can clearly understand how things are related to one another. For example, is there is extreme repression of the people in a certain country over many years, there will probably be some people who will take the stand to fight back, possibly forming a revolution. Another example is when the China government copied their ideals from the communist ideas of Marxism because of what they felt about the majority of the people. Reading further on, if you know enough about history, you can see how people's attitudes and feelings are changed as a result of an action. Some of these people may choose to use violent tactics or choose to use non violent measures. You can understand the nature of these kinds of people.

When you also know about history, you can understand what it really means to be in someone else's shoes. We all live our own separate lives and choose to be affected by what we see around us. We can take action or we can remain passive. When you read about the history of various countries, you can understand the pain, the joy and more that people feel when they do something difficult or amazing. You can understand what it means to have no food, or what is means to be rich and without love. Just like reading a book, history is a big book filled with many real stories. Know you can picture what it is like to live in china during communism or what it means to be an American.

By understanding history, you can understand why things are they way they are right now. Many of the past events and histories in the world have shaped what we are as of now. From the major wars, including the American Revolution only go to show the nationalism and pride of the people of America. If you look at Africa, you can understand why it is not as modern and strong as other countries today. They have been isolated from the world for some time until European colonists came and took over. Countries such as Bolivia are in a horrible situation because of the fact that they were slow to move forward. Globalization affects everyone, but some people are taken advantaged over while other gain much more. If you look at India, you can understand why it freed itself from Britain. Lead by a man who used non-violent actions, they were able to prove that they were being taken advantaged of. You can also understand why countries have conflicts because of territories, because of disputes and more. All of these countries that make up the world today have changed since the beginning of time. The reason for change is evident and helps us understand the current place we are in now.

By understanding what has happened in the past and the current situation of today, we can better understand what can happen in the future. By looking at what has happened, we can understand what we should avoid and what we should make better. We live in a country that is strong today because of what the past leaders have all done. If we avoid problems that we have done, such as the Great Depression, we won't have to deal with that ever again. If we understand the importance of friendship and rights, we can make them stronger than ever. If we have read about a problem that we say should have been taken cared of a long while ago, then you should help out situations that are happening now. Some of these situations include Darfur and the war in Iraq. History allows us to make the changes needed to make this a better world.

Lastly, history is so important because each of us is part of the history that takes place. We may not know much about what is going around, but each of us is a member of what is going on right now. We can choose to help out situations that matter to us and do avoid ones that we choose not to tackle. Remember, history does not stop at the textbooks, it merely continues until the end of time. Each one of us is a living textbook of what is to come.

Immigration Law - Avoiding Pitfalls

2011-11-28T20:50:00.001-08:00

In law school, future attorneys are taught how to make the best argument on behalf of clients, and that every issue can be viewed in different ways. Indeed, our standard judicial system is designed with that concept in mind. Opposing parties get to bring their case into a courtroom, present laws and arguments to the presiding judge, and await a decision. In the end, we expect that justice will be achieved when adversaries are afforded the opportunity to present their case in the most favorable light.

In the arena of immigration law, however, the opportunity to present a client's case is limited in various ways. Adjudicators, consular officers, and immigration judges make decisions within a complex framework that affords few rights to the foreign individuals before them. In many instances, particularly at consulates, counsel cannot be present during the process to help clients present their case. In further contrast to the standard judicial system, very limited appeals procedures exist in immigration law. To make matters worse, at first blush the immigration system can seem simple- file a few forms, take a couple of passport photos, and voila! In fact, immigration law is highly technical and complex, and one small misstep along the way can lead to big problems. At best, a denial will result in losing the high filing fee paid to the government. In more grave situations, an improper filing can lead to deportation. Wrong answers or "little white lies" can cause admissibility problems in the future. The potential for pitfalls is boundless.

Some clients have begun the process alone, but wisely recognize the need to get help when a problem arises. In one situation, a client sought our legal advice after filing for naturalization (citizenship) on her own and running into problems. A few years earlier, she had been arrested in North Carolina and charged with a misdemeanor. In exchange for an admission to the offense, she was permitted to participate in a "first offender" deferred prosecution program offered by the state. At the successful completion of the program, the charge was dismissed.

Believing that no conviction existed, the client completed the naturalization petition stating that she had never been arrested; had never been charged with committing any crime or offense; and had never been convicted of a crime or offense. Unfortunately, under immigration law, her earlier "admission" was construed as a "conviction," leading to an apparent failure of the "Good Moral Character" requirement for citizenship. Fortunately for this client, we were able to demonstrate to the adjudicator a narrow exception within the immigration code for this type of "conviction."

The bigger concern was that her answers might be construed as lying. "False testimony" can also preclude a finding of "Good Moral Character" and derail hopes of naturalization. In the end, we were able to present a convincing, thoughtful disclosure of her circumstances to the adjudicator before any damage was done. She is now a U.S. citizen.

Another recent matter involved a client seeking to bring his fiancee to the United States from the Philippines. One logical prerequisite for a fiancee visa is that the individuals must be legally free to marry each other. In this case, the fiancee was previously married, but her husband had disappeared some years earlier. The government of the Philippines does not permit divorce, and instead she was issued a judicial declaration of absence or presumptive death "for all intents and purposes."

Unfamiliar with this document and its legal effect, the U.S. government issued a request for evidence, and the couple sought our aid in responding to that request. Coordinating with our clients' legal counsel in the Philippines, we were able to provide documents and legal authority to demonstrate that they were in fact free to marry each other. The petition was approved and forwarded to the consulate.

While not every case has a happy ending in the world of immigration law, the foregoing cases provide just a few examples of how solutions may be found, even when a client has started down the immigration path before seeking legal counsel. Our job is to apply creativity and critical thinking to our clients' cases, helping them avoid falling into the traps along the way.

The History Of Cardboard Boxes

2011-11-27T23:49:00.001-08:00

The simple cardboard box plays an important, but unsung role in our modern society. It's hard to imagine how we ever got along before they were invented but they have only been in common use for the last hundred years or so. The story of this simple but important invention follows.

Cardboard boxes are industrially prefabricated boxes, which are primarily used for packaging goods and materials or for moving. The first commercial cardboard box was produced in England in 1817 by Sir Malcolm Thornhil and the first cardboard box manufactured in the United States was made in 1895.

By 1900, wooden crates and boxes were being replaced by corrugated paper shipping cartons. The advent of flaked cereals increased the use of cardboard boxes. The first to use cardboard boxes as cereal cartons were the Kellogg brothers.

In France the cardboard box has an even longer history. The Musée du Cartonnage et de l'Imprimerie (Museum of the Cardboard Box) in Valréas, France traces the history of cardboard box making in the region and notes that cardboard boxes have been used there since 1840 for transporting the Bombyx mori moth and its eggs from Japan to Europe by silk manufacturers. In addition, for more than a century the manufacture of cardboard boxes was a major industry in the area.

Cardboard boxes and children

A common cliché says that if a child is given a large and expensive new toy, he/she will quickly become bored with the toy and play with the box instead.

Although this is usually said somewhat jokingly, children certainly enjoy playing with boxes, using their imagination to portray the box as an infinite variety of objects.

One example of this from popular culture is Calvin of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. He often used a cardboard box for imaginative purposes from a "transmogrifier" to a time machine

So prevalent is the cardboard box's reputation as a plaything that in 2005 a cardboard box was added to the National Toy Hall of Fame. It is one of the very few non-brand-specific toys to be honored with inclusion. In addition, a toy cardboard box "house" (actually a log cabin) made from a large cardboard box was also added to the Hall, housed at the Strong - National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

Another more somber use of the cardboard box is the stereotypical image of homeless people living in a cardboard box. In 2005 Melbourne architect Peter Ryan actually designed a house composed largely of cardboard.

A vital item of commerce, a toy for children, a home of last resort, these are just some of the roles played by cardboard boxes in the last two hundred years.

Immigration Law in the USA - A Brief History

2011-11-27T08:25:00.001-08:00

America's Earliest Immigrants

Although he most likely wasn't the first immigrant, Ponce de Leon travelled to what is now Florida in 1513. His discovery led other Spaniards to travel to The New World that is now America, and their numbers quickly spread throughout the Southwest and the western Coastal areas of what would later become the United States. Their influence is still felt today in those areas' architecture, customs and cultures.

The English explorers, seeking a passage to the trade-rich Indies, were sent to America in the 16th century. King James I established a permanent outpost at Jamestown, Virginia that attracted more adventurers seeking their fortunes in the original colonies of America. They were naturally followed by those who sought religious and political freedom in the vast, untamed lands of North America.

People from all over Europe trickled into what would become the United States during the 16th and 17th centuries, providing the base from which our modern population originated. The country was well on its way to becoming the wonderful "melting pot" that we have today.

The Journey to the Present

Ellis Island is what most modern history students think of when they hear the term "immigration". In the early 1800's, nearly five million people immigrated from Northern and Western Europe for a variety of reasons, famine chief among them.

In just the twenty short years between 1840-1860, waves of immigrants from Ireland fled to America to escape the potato famine and Germans fled to our shores to escape economic and political unrest and tragedy. Ellis Island was the landing pad, so to speak, where these immigrants were processed and admitted to the country. Although they often found prejudice and cruelty, they also found acceptance and freedom and the chance to realize their dreams of personal and financial freedom.

These immigrants from Europe and other nations eagerly learned the language and customs of America while still treasuring their own traditions and culture. It wasn't unusual to see an American school child, living and working like all of his friends and classmates, return in the evening to a home that served traditional German food and whose elders spoke their mother tongue-but only in the privacy of their home, never among the general public. They were, after all, Americans! This attitude shaped a new United States and strengthened society and the economy more than anyone knew at the time.

Immigration Today

Today, immigration laws are very confusing to Americans themselves as well as to those who would like to become citizens. Misinformation and contradictory attitudes contribute to many disappointed families as well as legal trouble for potential citizens. Since immigration laws are almost constantly changing due to economic or political conditions, it would be a wise move for anyone wanting to immigrate to the United States to consult with or engage and Immigration law firm.

Attorneys that are familiar with immigration laws and their frequent changes are able to guide a person in the correct way to legally become a citizen of America. Due to misinformation in the countries where immigrants originate, a well meaning person could well walk past the borders on the way to a promised job and citizenship only to be deported at their own expense. They often find themselves in a much worse position in their original homeland than when they began their journey.

It's not difficult to engage the services of a law firm that specializes in immigration law. Consultations are often free or available at a nominal cost and the attorneys will educate their client on exactly what steps they need to take to successfully immigrate. They will know their limitations, which forms they will need to fill out and where to submit them. A good immigration attorney will make citizenship much easier and less costly.

America has always welcomed those who want to call her home. The path to immigration may be confusing these days but to those who truly want to become citizens, it will be worth it.

Polish Immigration to the UK - As They Say, the Rest is History

2011-11-26T17:24:00.001-08:00

London is a hybrid of cultures, races and ethnicities. Referred to by some as "the centre of the universe," London is a melting pot of career opportunities. For years, people from all over the world have been immigrating here to start a new life, Polish immigrants included. Polish immigration into the UK peaked in the 1940's with overall immigration currently divided into three different waves. This has resulted in a large generation gap between the Polish Britons who have been here for 60+ years and recent Polish immigrants.

Second World War:

The history of Polish immigration to the UK began at the end of the Second World War, the conclusion of which saw one of the largest migrations of Polish immigrants in the 20th Century. The war had a devastating effect on Poland; approximately 25% of all Polish people died during WWII. A vast majority of the survivors were sent to labour camps in Siberia and ended up in the UK after they were released at the end of the war. For Poles, there was no question of returning to their homeland, owing the political turmoil in the country. The labour Government assisted Polish immigrants to settle into life in the UK and during this time over 160,000 Poles immigrated. The transition was not easy, as many Poles were threatened by xenophobes and did not feel welcome.

Post-war Migration:

This wave happened during the martial law that developed during the 1980's. Poles were effectively imprisoned in their own country as airports were closed and borders sealed. The situation became extreme and the Polish people had no freedom. Many could not handle the regime and escaped to the UK where accepted as refugees. Polish immigrants who migrated to the UK in the 1980's have now settled and made a life for themselves, running business and raising families but still maintaining their Polish roots.

Joining of EU:

In 2004, Poland joined the European Union which meant that there were no longer any border restrictions for EU citizens and they were free to enter and live in the UK. The current wave of Polish immigrants is able to move into established Polish communities within London so they are able to maintain their accustomed way of life. In addition to families seeking to broaden their prospects, younger generation of Poles is moving to the UK in order to study further.

Polish immigrants have to content with a change in culture as well as a language barrier, with some individuals needing Polish English translation in order to communicate; generally younger generations find it easier to adapt to both culture and language differences than their older counterparts. Despite the difficulties inherent in immigration, many Poles see themselves as British citizens as they have made the UK their home and have seen their children and even their grandchildren grow up here.

According to statistics there are well over 1 million Polish immigrants in the UK currently, with the numbers increasing daily. There have been debates as to whether the migration is affecting working opportunities for UK citizens in London, but Polish immigrants bring with them skills and expertise that contribute to the economy.

A Brief History of St Louis, Missouri

2011-11-26T03:44:00.001-08:00

Construction began on what would much later become the city of St. Louis, Missouri in February of 1764. A group of French men, mostly traders, began putting together the settlement in order to take advantage of the trade coming downstream. Two years later, the settlement was made the capital of northern Louisiana, and was governed by the French lieutenant governor. St. Louis was not handed to the United States until 1803, as part of the Louisiana Purchase. However, French continued to be one of the primary languages spoken in St. Louis, and the period of French ownership continues to influence the city today.

Missouri became a state in 1821, and St. Louis was incorporated as a city in December of 1822. The first legislators were elected in 1808, and the United States began constructing an arsenal in the city in 1827. The beginning of the steamboat era, a famous part of history in the Missouri area, began in 1817. Steamboats made river trade a booming industry in the area, and caused several cities along the rivers to increase rapidly in population and economic strength, one of which was St. Louis.

Immigrants began coming into St. Louis around 1840, especially from Germany and Ireland. The population grew from under twenty thousand in 1840, to over seventy-five thousand ten years later. In 1860, the population had reached over one hundred sixty thousand. The development of public transit was able to help get the increasing number of residents around the city. The first streetcar tracks were laid in 1859. During the Civil War, St. Louis barely saw any combat, and only a few skirmishes made it to the area around the city. The state was nominally a slave owning state, although much of its economy came from ship building, and after the Civil War it continued to produce ships for trade and the American Navy.

St. Louis continued to grow and prosper into the 20th century. It completed the first rail bridge across the Mississippi River in 1874, and built and tested a number of important experimental aircraft for both World War I and World War II. St. Louis experienced a large scale expansion in the early 20th century, due largely to the rapid increase in the number of industrial production companies. Today, St. Louis has revitalized its urban centers and stands at a population of about three hundred and fifty thousand people.

An Easy to Understand Definition of the Law of Attraction

2011-11-25T09:41:00.001-08:00

The Law of Attraction is always at work in your life.

It's there responding to your thoughts and emotional vibrations, without judgment, and always in perfect match to them. It's a law of energy.

Your thinking sets in motion everything in your body and all of your experiences. Once you realize this is a reality and you take responsibility for your thoughts, you'll be able to learn how to use them to consciously create more of the things you want to experience.

However, it does take a lot of personal introspection and consistent practice but it's worth it and there are many tools and people available to guide you. But before I get to that...let me give a definition of Law Of Attraction.

The history of the Law of Attraction is ancient and goes back to the beginning of humanity. As much as it may look to some in our 21st century world to be a marketing tool, it isn't. The Law of Attraction is real.

The basic definition of Law of Attraction states that energy attracts to itself other energy with which it's in vibrational resonance with.

Both the nonphysical and physical aspects of our Universe are made up of energy and intelligence that vibrates. Nothing rests. The difference between the physical and the nonphysical is the rate of vibration.

This law is responsible for the difference between what we can see with our naked eyes, like our hands, for example, and that which we cannot see but is there, like a radio wave.

Have you ever noticed how many things come in waves? A wave of water in the ocean, a wave of light from the sun, a wave of air in the wind, a wave of sound from thunder, a wave of heat in your oven, a wave of emotion that comes over you. All energy travels in waves (or vibrations) and it can never be created or destroyed - it just changes forms.

Your thoughts are energy too and your brain is the most powerful electromagnetic processing tool ever created. If you use it wisely to choose positive thoughts, the things you desire will start to move your way until it materializes in its physical counterpart. The more you focus and concentrate, the faster and more potent the frequency gets.

Ok, even if you don't "understand" or even "believe" in it, that doesn't take away the fact that it IS at work at in your life. You may not "understand" how gravity works, yet you accept IT as a reality. It's the same kind of universal law that just IS.

The difference is that we can learn to purposefully utilize it by choosing our thoughts consciously.

For you to believe in it, you must experience it by observing your thoughts and feelings and becoming more aware of what those are drawing into your life.

I, like millions of others, was inspired to learn more about the Law of Attraction after watching The Secret DVD.

I think the movie did a great job of introducing it for awareness purposes, but to experience actual results, people need to learn how to use it and put them into daily practice.

You can't expect your mind to hear this potentially life- altering information and then throw away the years of beliefs that you've developed about yourself and your world and then say,

"Okay great, now I know I can create lots of money, find a great mate and have a fit body. So, I'll just keep thinking positive thoughts and it will come."

It's just not that easy.

The actual creation process comes from your beliefs (being), your thoughts, your words and finally your actions. In that order.

The role of taking action can be overlooked by some when interpreting this law. Controlling your thoughts actually allows you to attract the necessary opportunities for you to act and therefore physically bringing about your desires.

Once you understand the way the world works and which tools to use and how, it IS possible to create it the way you want it.

To me, the absolute key to grasping the principles of Law of Attraction and the Spiritual Laws is through repetition. Science teaches us that the brain is a pattern-making machine. Repetition automatically causes your brain to replace old and limiting thoughts with new ones.

It's like studying for school except you're learning the most important skills of your life.

Remember the thrill you got when you first fully understood a complex math problem? Remember that very instant that it became clear to you? You knew the answer was always there but you could finally see it clearly for the first time.That's the same feeling learning about the Law of Attraction gives you only your entire life shifts and way of the world becomes clear.

The Basic Concept of Credit History

2011-11-24T14:45:00.001-08:00

How does credit rating and credit history word? We have always heard of terms such as credit history. We are told that if we do not behave well, repayment of credit wise, we will have a bad credit history. And this is supposed to be a very bad thing. But what it does credit history all about?

In this article I will be introducing you to the basic idea, not the technical details, about credit history. Imagine that I am a lender. I'll lend money to people. In return I on my income from the interest that people pay me on the money I loaned to them.

I find that some people are really good and responsible. Not just to the repay the loan in time, but they also pay the interest at the pre-decided rate of interest.

But some people are bad they are irresponsible. They do not care about the commitments and obligations that they have already made. They borrow money, but at the time of repayment do not have the this possibility are character make the repayments. Let alone the interest that they owe me, they go so far as to not even repay the principal.

As a lender, it is these bad people that bother me. I wish there were some mechanism by which I could distinguish the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad, the people who intend to repay my money from the people who do not have the character to repay money that the owe others.

Think of a credit card issuer. This credit card issuer is quite unlike the money lender that I just described. This company, financial institution, or bank allows you to purchase goods with the swipe of a plastic card, with the belief that when the time arises you will retake the issue of their money. After all the issuer has to pay the merchant the money that you have already spent by borrowing it from the issuer. As a result if there are some people who do not make credit card payments on time, it halts the credit card issuer a lot. They lose business, they lose money, and can go so far as to lose its solvency and go bankrupt.

This is where the concept of credit history comes in. Credit rating agencies, keep track of all the expenses and repayments and buildings often radiate a credit card holders so that when the need arises to evaluate such a world or, they can do it on the basis of the track record and history. How do these credit rating agencies get all the information that they need? Quite simple, it is required by law, as well as by common sense, as well as by good business practices, that credit agencies, money lenders, financial institutions and others who lend money report their billing and every payment experience with these borrowers.

On the basis of this history and information, the credit rating agency evaluates whether you have a good credit history or a bad credit history. Lenders, credit card issuers, and probably I, will use this credit history to decide whether to loan you money.

The History of the Social Security Act and SSI Benefits

2011-11-23T23:39:00.001-08:00

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his committee drafted the Social Security Act as part of the New Deal. The act was created to limit the dangers of modern American life including the elderly, poverty, problems faced by widows, fatherless children, and unemployment. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits help those who fall under these categories get monetary aid. For the elderly, the SSI benefits will allocate money to assist them from the state. SSI benefits also go to mothers collecting child welfare and the disabled. The act also provides SSI benefits to retirees and those whose loved ones have died. The Social Security Act is also known as the Old Age Pension Act. Roosevelt wanted to protect the American people against these financial hardships with SSI benefits. He was the first president who wanted to protect the elderly from inevitable money hardships.

There has been plenty of controversy with the Social Security Act over the years. Many believed that by drafting this act, this would cause a huge loss of jobs. Others believed this would be a good thing because it would cause many elderly people to lose their jobs, which would in turn create more jobs for the younger and more able. The program is now one of the most popular in the United States.

One interesting fact is that when it first began, it initially excluded women and only catered to white males in the categories of old age pensions and unemployment insurance. Also, there were a lot of jobs that were not covered by the SSI benefits, including agricultural labor, domestic services, government employees, teachers, nurses, librarians, and social workers. SSI benefits from the act did not originally cover on and off seasonal workers. Non-white employees and women once dominated those jobs. These exclusions exempted half of all of the working population.

It is thought that the southern democrats developed this discrimination. Many southern congressmen supported the act to help relieve all the financial blows individuals were facing because of the Great Depression. A lot of these southern congressmen didn't agree with allowing nonwhites to receive the same SSI benefits of the act as white males. Many southern congressmen avoided signing the legislation because of this. In order to get the signatures in the south (which was a major component to getting the act signed), the solution was to allow the individual states to be held responsible for who would be excluded from the Social Security Act.

Social security in the US is a social insurance program funded through dedicated payroll taxes called the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). To get SSI benefits, you must fill out an application with the correct information regarding medical information, work history, correct addresses, and correct telephone numbers. The social security application or SSI application is a very time consuming process. After finishing the application, the Social Security Administration will review your case and see if you qualify for the benefits or not. The application is tedious, but SSI benefits are worth the effort. President Roosevelt started the Social Security Act, and it still benefits many Americans in their time of need today, just as the original policy was enacted to do.

How You Can Help World Conditions With The Law Of Attraction

2011-11-23T11:32:00.001-08:00

All through history, the world has experienced many changes, some good and some bad. Our current world today is so full of different perceptions and opinions that we are in a world of ever changing religion, politics, and culture, each one believing that they have the right answer and each one believing they have the only answer.

There is not just one answer to a question; there are many answers to a question that work just as well as the next. By being such a diverse world, we can benefit from listening to all the different perspectives and come up with something that could benefit the world in general. Is it possible for this to happen? I would like to think so but with so much contrast about so many different things the change would need to happen on a scale of mass consciousness.

So is there anything that we can do with the Law of Attraction to help the world condition being just one person? There are three answers to that question: Yes, yes, and yes.

Create a separate visualization for the world in general. What world would you like to see and be a part of? Maybe countries that help one another through catastrophes, help the hungry and the sick, and help the poverty stricken. When you visualize the world as a whole, make sure that you don't focus on the lack of what is happening. When focusing on the pain and desperation of catastrophe, you will most certainly begin to attract just that.

When you focus on what you would like the world to be (sending food for the people who have lost homes, medical supplies for the sick, and money to sponsor a poverty stricken village) and you visualize the joy and relief of the people who have been helped, then you will begin to see a difference from within your perspective.

As each one of us focuses on the joy and happiness of helping our fellow human beings through generosity and compassion we will in fact change the world. Think about how wonderful if you and your friends who practice the Law of Attraction got together and created a wonderful group visualization. The more you focus and see only the positive within the world, the more your own world and the whole world would benefit.

We can't ignore what is going on around us but we can begin to become non reactive to what we see with our eyes and change our perception from pity and fear to help and compassion. By giving focus to the solution of world hunger, war, illness we will be doing so much more for this physical world that we live in.

Donate money out of compassion to help mankind, but not from a space of feeling that you have to help because you have guilt or shame that this has happened to someone. Leave the guilt and shame behind and focus on the positive aspect of what your money will do for the people of the world who need it. And thank the Universe for the ability to be able to help.

Civilian Jobs in Law Enforcement - Do They Exist?

2011-11-22T22:27:00.001-08:00

Does community work run in your blood and you want to help your community in a civilian capacity? It is a common misconception that when you want to do some work in the community especially in law enforcement, you need to be a uniformed personnel. Well this is not true.

Now is the time to break that false conception; there are civilian jobs in law enforcement as well. And for sure you have noticed and you are aware of these civilian jobs in law enforcement. But the only problem is that most of these jobs aren't seen front and center. It's because these civilian jobs in law enforcement are often done in the sidelines. These are the jobs that are tasked to do support roles for the front liners- they do mostly police support roles. And though they are at the sidelines, still they are essential to the overall operations of the police force and law enforcement. And thanks to these civilian jobs in law enforcement, the enforcement of law for every state always becomes effective and efficient.

Majority of these police and law imposition support jobs are focused on assisting the police officers and the visitors during office hours. These support jobs also include manning the emergency phone numbers of the police, preparing the necessary papers that can be used in prosecuting criminals, helping in the development of the infrastructure and the IT systems of the military and police and acting as neighborhood watches. These are just some of the roles that can be played as support by the civilian jobs in law enforcement. Remember that the jobs are numerous, if you just know where to look. Want to know more about the civilian jobs in law enforcement? Here are some of the major categories for these jobs;

· Support in investigations

· Intelligence research

· Statement takers

· Drivers

· Investigative assistant jobs and many more

Of these major categories, perhaps the most common are for statement takers and for investigative jobs. These are civilian jobs in law enforcement that you can also get if you are interested to dip your fingers into enforcement of the law. When you say investigative jobs, these jobs will refer to activities that may require you to work with different law administration agencies. These jobs are tasked to provide a number of clerical assistance jobs like doing clerical and routine jobs like filing reports, doing some administrative works and gathering much needed evidence needed in the prosecution and investigation. If you are into police work when you were a kid, then you can practice that skill on a job like this. Another common police enforcement support job is that for permanent or even temporary taker of statements. Your interview skills will be practiced here, and you will be required to work with officers and investigators. Who said that you cannot work in the military or in the enforcement of law as a civilian? Yes you can; take a look at these common jobs and decide for yourself!