tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12513484485504237542024-02-19T22:22:53.805-08:00EducationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-49670749921724103012012-11-18T21:56:00.000-08:002012-11-19T21:56:31.232-08:00Stop Youth From Dying In Sports<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
Recently the news media seems to be filled with one tragic story
after another of youngsters dying from sports and/or other physically
demanding activities. What in the world is going on with our youths'
health?<br />
Let
me make this perfectly clear before continuing, I am not pointing
fingers, assigning blame or declaring it's the work of the Lord for the
rash of tragedies befallen our young athletes. I am simply sickened by
the mishaps and want to call attention to them so perhaps someone
smarter than I can arrive at an answer which will stop this appalling
trend.<br />
Although all of these deaths are awful, some can be
contributed to being the result of a purely weird accident. A baseball
player warming up before a game is struck by a thrown pitch and dies, I
see no reason to go into the details of the event as the family has
suffered enough, but it was a rare quirk of events resulting in the
tragic accident.<br />
This type of accident can not be avoided. I read a
sudden gush of advice from self-appointed sports gurus about how and
where to warm up, preventing players from being struck by bats and etc.
The type of advice every baseball coach I've ever known automatically
implements, because a whole lot of it is common sense.<br />
Other
events were of natural causes, heart failures, which were caused by
unknown birth defects, which manifested when physically challenged with
awful results. Again, there was no indication of a health issue, some
medical professionals have declared it was inevitable and there was no
way to alter the ending.<br />
These passing's, although gut wrenching,
are a fact of life where the "Good Die Young," and we are left to
question the reasoning. I guess you could say if all the tragedies fell
into these two categories, we could sadly go on our way and attempt to
shrug off the depression with the knowledge there was nothing we could
had done to prevent it.<br />
However, the question I am wrestling with is "Is This Actually True?"<br />
I
originated long before the generation X, Y or Z, when a transistor
radio was the newest of technological advance and it wouldn't be
replaced by a newer version the following week. I suppose you could say
we lived in a primitive time, but it was a time when full physical
exertion of kids, from after school till nightfall, was the norm, not
the rarity.<br />
The only way you stayed inside on a sunny day was if
you were sick, or as often was the case in my particular situation,
grounded for being mischievous. The idea of playing games inside, toy
soldiers or Barbie dolls, never crossed our minds when the sun shown.<br />
Today
too many of our kids shield themselves inside their rooms, behind
closed curtains which shut out the sunlight, in order to play video
games. I'm not smashing video games, well maybe, but I've never known of
a pair of strong thumbs doing pushups or running the 100 yard dash. We
have raised a generation of the most coordinated and quickly reflexed
thumbs and fingers known to mankind, but the rest of the body is jell-o.<br />
I'm
sure it happened when I was a kid, but I don't ever remember a sports
player dying at such a young age. Did the fact that we played baseball,
football, soccer or basketball continuously from the age of 5 or 6 until
our teens immune our bodies to a "Sudden Exertion Syndrome" which led
to severe consequences. It only makes sense if your body is accustomed
to being pushed from an early age, it would react better to stress at an
older age.<br />
Again, I'm not near educated enough to propose
solutions to today's sports health issues, but as a former player and
coach I will claim the right of experience, and my experience tells me
we need to seriously look at the way our youngsters are physically
developing, or not developing.<br />
I read articles the U.S is behind
All other nations in science and mathematics, yet we are also falling
behind the world in physical fitness, which means we don't study or
exercise. What the hell are we doing with our time?<br />
I tend to
ramble when I'm passionate about something and our Kids seemingly
senselessly dying on the sports field is one such issue. I beg authority
figures from parents, teachers, coaches and politicians to take a close
look into the mirror and ask yourself if you're doing all you can to
insure our kids live a long and healthy life.<br />
</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-39523719404391990772012-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:002012-11-19T21:55:52.669-08:00Best Online Stock Trading Platforms<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
Best Online Stock Trading Platforms Reviewed<br />
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</ul>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-15507802064116937222012-11-05T21:54:00.000-08:002012-11-19T21:55:13.222-08:00Infinite Power of the Subconscious Mind<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
This week's article is about the infinite power of the
subconscious mind to manifest your desires. Creating more what you want
is challenging, as you've no doubt witnessed in your own life. Why?
Well, you see at a deeper level we've all been conditioned to think and
respond in a certain way as early as childhood. From the moment you were
an infant, your parents or guardians instructed you how to behave -
albeit in a loving a nurturing way for your greater good.<br />
You
were taught how to think and what to believe. Many of your beliefs were
formed during an impressionable period of your life; which you possibly
still hold true. Whilst I don't mean to portray a unpromising setting;
my aim is to illustrate the context in which we create our lives.<br />
The
school you attended had an influence on your life. I still recall my
high school teachers who formed many of my current beliefs. I attended a
Catholic boy's school run by Christian Brothers. Our education had a
strong foundation in religion, sport and academia. I enjoyed my time
there, yet recall the disciplinary teachings imposed upon us.<br />
I
had very little say at such a young age as to which school I would
attend. I recall my mother using her influence with the local church
priest in my area to help get me admitted into that school - it paid off
and the rest is history.<br />
As an adult I have a different view of
the world compared to my twenties. I've come to realise that most of
what I was taught was not of my choosing. I have challenged many of
these beliefs over the years as they no longer served ME. They were
scripts passed down from my parents who inherited the same scripts from
their parents - thus creating a generational hierarchy of recycled
information.<br />
The process of self awareness relies on the
realisation that no one is at fault. Your parents, guardians or loved
ones acted from their current level of awareness. The more we know, the
greater the choices we have to live in accordance with a greater image
of ourselves.<br />
Accepting that many of our habitual daily actions
are subconscious poses a challenge in some ways. If you desire one
million dollars by the end of the year, is it possible that you're well
equipped to manifest it? Unless you're Donald Trump or Warren Buffet,
the chances of creating with certainty that level of wealth in a short
period of time is highly unlikely, for a number of reasons.<br />
Belief
is one of them. You must, without doubt have an undeniable belief you
can manifest one million dollars with every living cell in your body. By
the way I'm using money as an example, since most people can identify
with it as a source of financial stability.<br />
Your belief fuels your
mind. It is the ignition switch to manifesting with power and intent.
It communicates with the subconscious mind by reprogramming and
adjusting your thought landscape toward your desires. Adding emotion to
it is akin to lighting the belief with a match - BAM!<br />
If you've
read stories about cancer survivors or anyone having endured a rescue
ordeal, you'll note an undeniable BELIEF in the power of their healing
or rescue. There was an inner knowing, despite physical evidence to
prove otherwise.<br />
The second reason is subconscious programmes.
These may also be called subconscious beliefs (SB). A SB is a
reaffirming thought system which your mind accepts as factual. An
example might be: <em>money doesn't grow on trees, hard work is required to achieve success</em> or <em>romantic relationships are hard work</em>.<br />
The
belief is shaped first and then we look for evidence in our lives to
substantiate it - not the other way around. Why would anyone want to
believe that money is hard to come by, yet consciously wish to attract a
million dollars? That would be self defeating. You're subconscious
beliefs must match your conscious desires in order to create with
certainty, more of what you desire.<br />
Sounds easy? The challenge
with aligning the subconscious mind (SM) with your desires is that many
of your SB are deeply embedded within the recesses of your mind. Your
beliefs have been archived for storage long ago and are rarely called
upon for examination.<br />
It would be akin to filing a book in a
library's dungeon for storage and forgetting about it for years. Only
when the library undergoes renovation it is accidentally stumbled upon
accumulating dust; since it was never called upon for use.<br />
But
here's the kicker. When we're ready to examine the SB, it locks onto
other similar beliefs by growing a network of similar thought patterns.
Over time, when you have a belief <em>that money doesn't grow on trees</em>, the accompanying beliefs are given life and subsequently drawn into the storyline.<br />
To
break the cycle, it is vital to examine all the beliefs connected to
the storyline. The good news is when examining the outdated belief; they
fall away like trees in forest. Once you target the main tree, the
other trees feeding off it consequently fall away. You're now ready to
plant new, empowering beliefs which are aligned with your authentic
self.<br />
</div>
<div id="article-resource" style="text-align: justify;">
Tony Fahkry is an expert in integrating the mind-body connection
with health & healing and personal growth to achieve greater human
potential.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-38506903732352750252012-10-29T21:53:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:54:08.272-08:00Reform for Sales Success<div style="text-align: justify;">
We don't typically use political jargon when referring to sales. Yet,
aren't politicians always selling? They are either selling us, as
voters, or they are selling other politicians on their ideas and
programs.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As
I read Decision Points- The Presidential Memoir of George W. Bush, I
couldn't help but recognize some parallels. For instance, in the chapter
titled Leading, the President discusses his decision that leads to the
"No Child Left Behind" legislation and says the following: "You cannot
solve a problem until you diagnose it."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While this isn't a huge
"ah-ha" for any of us, he then makes a quantum leap to "Accountability
would serve as a catalyst for reform". Again, this isn't big news.
Everyone knows that, to exact change, one must implement a system to
ensure that necessary behaviors are being performed. Right?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As I
think about the dozens of sales organizations we have worked with over
the years, in nearly every instance, the chief executive's objective is
to achieve some variation of reform. While their companies are not
broken, they are working imperfectly, producing less than desirable
results. These executives need a different set of outcomes and they
realize that change is necessary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In his book, the former
president goes on to discuss the fact that, as a nation, the USA
finished 3rd from the bottom, above only Cyprus and South Africa in the
subject of mathematics. Sad placement for our country, known as a super
power and the most influential country in the world.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But how could
this happen? Surely our educational programs include quality math
curriculums. It turns out the curriculums are not the problem.
Apparently a lack of accountability- no checks and balances- is to
blame.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Apparently there were no accountability measures set up to
track progress. This tracking would have helped schools and reformers
determine how to best duplicate occurring success or failure. As it was,
there was no record and therefore no statistics to which one might
refer. Given a lack of measurable data, accountability was impossible
and success, or lack thereof, became a judgment call.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Translating
this analogy to the business of selling, this means that if there is
anything in your sales results that you can no longer accept, you must
reach beyond treatment of the symptom to find the root cause of a
problem. Then set standards. Then track the data. Then compare the data
to the previously set standards.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Achieving success is not a
one-step process, done when goals have been identified. Achieving
success is a continuous and on-going job requiring discipline and
process.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In other words, if your sales are falling short, where
are the choke-points? Do your salespeople fail in closing? Or do they
not prospect consistently? Do they sell on price and neglect the value
your product brings to the prospect? Does your sales team even know that
you, as chief executive, are looking for volume? Or margin? Or to
expand distribution into other vertical channels?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In other words,
your company's choke points could span executive, management and sales
teams. Minus a deep-dive to uncover all the problems, you might easily
address the wrong ones.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However the following issues typically
come to light when we perform our diagnostics to help companies discover
their choke-points-- the first step to reforming for sales success.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
•
Crucial Elements of Success are specific strengths or weaknesses that
impact an individual's ability to grow and to be coached. These crucial
elements include desire, commitment, responsibility and outlook, traits
that largely impact an individual's performance in life and in sales.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
•
Major Performance Factor are deficits that impact execution of ANY
sales system. These factors include need-for-approval, money issues,
poor record-collection, and non-supportive buy-cycle.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• Strategies
and priorities for the business are not aligned between senior
management and sales management, thereby creating a disconnect between
what should be executed and what is executed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• Hiring - the
population that is supposed to execute the strategies and priorities are
incapable of doing so because they are not the right hires-- wrong
hiring criteria was used.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
• On-boarding - Accountability standards
to execute sales activities to drive early success are missing.
Additionally, there is often a lack of a consistent process to keep a
new hire's pipeline full.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These are some of the major issues we
uncover as we help companies reform their sales organizations. While you
may be successfully treating some of your company's symptoms, chances
are there are deeper issues that will inhibit long term change and
growth and, in order to compete in today's hyper competitive
environment, these issues will require deep diagnosis and consistently
implemented accountability measures.</div>
<div style="overflow: hidden; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-17248910767242154072012-10-22T21:53:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:53:25.834-08:00Robbing the Country of $4 Trillion in Lunch Money Count As Bullying<div style="text-align: justify;">
The media have been gasping in horror over claims that Mitt Romney
engaged in gay bashing 50 years ago in high school, including one iconic
incident in which he brutally hacked off a gay student's bleached blond
locks.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Except that said student, John Lauber, wasn't openly gay. When interviewed by the non-partisan <em>Auto Weekly</em>
before the haircut story surfaced in the mainstream media, key witness
Phillip Maxwell never even mentioned the supposedly traumatizing
incident.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Maxwell, a Democrat, did offer that Romney was
disciplined, focused, and smart, and would probably make a great
president-points that somehow didn't make it into the trim 5,500-word <em>Post</em> piece, no doubt due to space restrictions. One tipoff that the <em>Post</em> may have been proffering a biased report was its admission that most of the five witnesses it interviewed were Democrats.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
Post originally reported that another classmate, Stu White, had "long
been bothered" by the incident-then had to publish a correction stating
that White never knew about the incident until an unnamed source relayed
it to him several weeks ago.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lauber's three sisters issued statements expressing their disavowal of the <em>Post's</em> portrayal of their deceased brother and their distress over his use as a political prop.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Other details of the report claim that Romney teased another closeted gay student at Cranbrook School, though the <em>Post</em> confesses that other students and even teachers used language similar to Romney's.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Liberal commentators have studiously ignored the 95% of the <em>Post</em>
report that focused on Romney's leadership in dozens of school
organizations, extensive community service, robust work ethic, and
all-around popularity and joviality, even as cited by many of the
"victims" of his pranks.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <em>Post</em> notes that Cranbrook
was especially strict, and that it frequently expelled students for tiny
infractions. If Romney was breaking rules and causing mayhem left and
right, he sure was discreet about it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What do we know about
Romney's character later in life? We know that, much more recently than
high school, he risked his life to save a family of six and their dog
from drowning in a boating accident in 2003. Have you heard about that
in the <em>Post</em> recently? Do you think you would have heard about it had Barack Obama done the same thing?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We
also know that in 1996 Romney shut down Bain Capital for a week and
sent his 30-person staff to New York City to scour the streets looking
for a partner's missing daughter, who had traveled there for a rave and
been abducted while on ecstasy. In a campaign commercial for Romney's
gubernatorial run, the partner tearfully credited Romney with saving his
daughter's life.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Such stories belie the mainstream media's
portrayal of Romney as lacking in humanity and prone to "targeting the
vulnerable," as <em>New York Times</em> columnist Charles Blow put it.
Targeting the vulnerable? Targeting the vulnerable for being in need of
his life-saving assistance, perhaps.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
How many lives has Obama saved with his bare hands or his personal financial resources?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile,
since we're talking about high school and character, we know from
Obama's autobiography that he "enthusiastically" used marijuana and
cocaine and abused alcohol to such an extent that he spent his last two
high school years in a "daze." We don't know what bad behavior Obama
might have been up to in his twenties, but we do know that he
steadfastly refuses to release his college or law school transcripts.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
More importantly, we know that while his political career was ascendant, the young Obama sleazily knocked
his three respected opponents for the Illinois State Senate off the
ballot in 1996, by challenging their candidacy petition signatures based
on technicalities. He also eliminated another opponent for Senate in
2004 by forcing open his challenger's sealed divorce records.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We
know that Obama hobnobbed with unrepentant domestic terrorists Bill
Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, launched his political career in their home,
attended for 20 years the church of anti-American preacher Jeremiah
Wright, possibly tried to bribe Wright into silence before the November 2008 election, and marched with the New Black Panthers five short years ago.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Paul
Begala argues the Romney bullying stories show that the candidate is a
"serial abuser of power." Begala claims that one can "draw a straight
line" from the man who orchestrated the alleged hippie-shearing to the
one who laid off hundreds of employees while at Bain and "slashed
education" while governor of Massachusetts.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Serial abuser of
power? How about applying that label to the president who exploded the
number of czars in the federal government, regularly plots to embolden
left-wing federal agency heads to act unilaterally if Congress won't
immediately implement his plans, and brags about putting his boots on
people's necks, kicking their asses, and punishing his enemies? How
about the president who threatens the Supreme Court that they had better
not engage in judicial review of his signature legislation? How about
the president who forms an enemies list of private citizens who
contribute to his competitor's campaign?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One commenter breaks down
the Begala piece: "It is tough when you have to deconstruct a
monogamous, nondrinking, nonsmoking, honest Mormon who pays millions in
taxes and gives millions to charities. You have to resort to high school
pranks to turn a good man into a bully."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A friend and I once
debated which is more pathetic: a twenty-something or fifty-something
left-wing radical. My friend argued the former, because the
fifty-something has the strength of his convictions to hold them till
adulthood. I argued the latter, since we often grow out of youthful
indiscretions and poorly thought-out ideologies through experience and
wisdom.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Romney may have been a bit of a bully 50 years ago, which
he regrets and apologizes for. Obama flirted with radicalism in his
youth, a dalliance that has since blossomed into a full-blown, committed
relationship.</div>
<div style="overflow: hidden; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-1205384411545256132012-10-15T21:52:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:52:24.507-08:00Will the True Victims Please Step Forward<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
Logic and good thinking is a hobby of mine. Conversely,
dishonesty, misleading facts and poor thinking are very irritating to me
which is why I probably I don't like most news reporting. I feel like a
good value I bring is to help people see wrong assumptions and myths in
the world around us, particularly in the financial world.<br />
In the
past I've resisted writing about housing, partly because I try to stick
with issues that directly impact personal investing rather than broader
issues of the world around us, but as Popeye would say, "That's all I
can stand, I can't stands no more."<br />
Let's talk about those who
have experienced the loss of a home through foreclosure. What I won't
dispute is the emotional difficulty of being in a situation where for
whatever reason you are forced to move. Most of us have been in that
circumstance for financial reasons, relationship reasons or career
reasons. So by this, allow me to put the emotions of the situation aside
and let's talk about the financial aspect of this.<br />
Some of those
who have been foreclosed on are victims. They were not educated on what
they were doing. Others chose foreclosure as a logical alternative to
paying a mortgage payment on a home worth half the balance of the
mortgage - personally, I find no fault with this, accepting the negative
consequence no matter what the result to the lender are simply the
rules of the game. However, from my armchair observation I haven't heard
this group complaining about losing their homes. Let me parse out a
situation which is based roughly on national averages:<br />
In 2004 a
couple buys a home in Denver for $200,000 with a payment of $1,000. The
home's value goes up to $250,000. In 2006, they decided to do what
everyone else was doing at the time and cash out $50,000. By 2009, the
market value of the home had dropped back down to $200,000 and the
couple divorces and because neither of them could individually afford
the home, they let it go (helping the decision is that they are
upside-down on the mortgage). The foreclosure process takes 18 months
between the month they last make a payment and when they got the
eviction deadline. So, let's review the numbers, between buying the
house is 2004 and when moved out was about 72 months. At $1,000 per
month this is $72,000. However, they cashed out (tax free) $50,000 and
they got free rent for 18 months (or a $18,000 savings). So 68 of those
72 months were free and they really only paid $4,000 (or what averages
out over 72 months as less than $100.00 per month for six years).<br />
Folks,
it's simply not honest to look at these people as victims of the
housing crisis. And foreclosure is far from a death sentence for one's
credit - the couple would be able to buy a house three years after a
foreclosure which puts us to today in the year 2012 in an environment
where interest rates and housing prices are even lower than their first
house.<br />
The victim is the lender who took a large loss on a loan
(my guess recouping $175,000 or so on a $250,000 loan minus the interest
lost over a few years during the foreclosure process which of course
extends several additional months after the people move out). Denver did
not really have explosive housing growth like Florida or Arizona. We
could run this scenario with those markets and you could easily imagine
somebody cashing out a home and getting hundreds of thousands and not
only living for free, but actually <em>making</em> money off their foreclosure.<br />
Not
everyone is in this situation and some people need help, but there are
probably fewer victims than people simply going through foreclosure. It
is not that I am unsympathetic, but as a whole although the banks have
been villainized in the media, it's the banks who have taken more losses
than individuals who we buying a home for the first time during the
boom -bank loses are a shade less visceral level than for families.<br />
Of
course not all situations are like this situation; there are people who
were elderly who cashed out or responsible buys who put 20% down and
still became upside-down, but my guess is that a great deal of people
approximately fit into this scenario.<br />
The banks don't need an
apologist. After spending almost a decade working in them in my career, I
don't expect much love from my bank. Banks are what they are: for
profit institutions. If you have money at a bank, just like any business
you are getting a service with the assumption that they are making
money off you. And there's no shame in this. However, in my opinion,
someone who has enjoy free or reduced rent has in essence realized a <em>profit </em>not
a loss, particularly if they carried out refinancings that gave them
cash in excess of their cost. Financially, the homeowner was the winner
and the victim was the lender.<br />
</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-47110026492992085072012-10-08T21:51:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:51:30.317-08:00Like It Or Not, It's Still Montana, USA<div style="text-align: justify;">
Montana is prettier, emptier and, if you catch it at the wrong time,
colder than most places in the United States. But it is still part of
the United States - even if the state Supreme Court wants to pretend
that it isn't.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Five of the state court's seven justices recently expressed their disapproval of the U.S. Supreme Court's <em>Citizens United</em> decision by announcing that, due to Montana's special history, <em>Citizens United</em> does not apply beneath the famous Big Sky.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There
is no chance that this position will stand. There will be no need to
send in Federal troops, notwithstanding an old saying, dating back to
the Gold Rush of the 1860s and 1870s, that "the Confederate Army never
surrendered; it just retreated to Montana." But the state court's
action, and the encouraging response it received from two members of the
U.S. Supreme Court, is still disturbing.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Montana is one of a
handful of states that have a highly developed sense of being unique by
virtue of geography, history and local culture. I know Montana's
perspective because I lived there for nearly seven years while I went to
college and started my working career.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In 1972, shortly before I
arrived, Montana wrote itself a brand-new constitution, filled with
cutting-edge innovations such as guaranteeing the public's right to
attend government meetings and see government documents. Montana has a
deep-seated interest in maintaining clean, responsive and open
government.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is largely a reaction to the state's political
history of corruption and exploitation at the hands of out-of-state
corporate interests, which has gradually enlarged to a sometimes
self-defeating mythology. Such corporate interests ran rampant in the
early 20th century, most notably in the case of warring "copper kings,"
whose feuds ultimately resolved in the consolidation of power by the
Anaconda Copper Company. Anaconda controlled most of the state's leading
newspapers, and many facets of state and local government, until the
late 1950s.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Steve Bullock, Montana's Democratic Attorney General,
told NPR, "Our legislature, our judges, down to the local county
assessors, were almost bought and paid for. Mark Twain even said that,
you know, the amount of money coming in in Montana makes the smell of
corruption almost sweet." (1)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In response, Montana legislators
passed the state's Corrupt Practices Act in 1912. The law prohibited
corporations from spending money to promote or attack political
candidates, a position that <em>Citizens United</em> overturned by
holding that corporations and labor unions have a free-speech right to
spend their own money on political advertising.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of course, Montana
being what it was in 1912, there were ulterior motives for the passage
of the Corrupt Practices Act. By that point, the state's most powerful
interests had gained control of Montana's politics and newspapers. They
did not need to spend money on political advertising; their editors, who
ran the newspapers I later worked for, hyped or killed the stories they
were told to hype or kill. The Corrupt Practices Act was designed to
entrench Montana's then-existing power structure.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But the Montana
Supreme Court cited the purportedly pure goals of the 1912 law when it
took the position - one that it knew full well it had no power to take -
that <em>Citizens United</em> has no force within Montana's boundaries.
The Montana justices, in a 5-2 decision, argued that the state law
somehow superseded the federal decision.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is as though Mississippi had rejected <em>Brown v. Board of Education</em>, or as if California had ignored <em>Loving v. Virginia</em>.
Imagine if the Florida Supreme Court had contended that the U.S.
Supreme Court had no authority to rule on Florida's election recount in
2000's <em>Bush v. Gore</em>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The justices in Washington rightly
stayed the Montana court's decision. But two justices, Ruth Bader
Ginsberg and Stephen Breyer, foolishly encouraged the state's position
by arguing that the Montana case is a suitable vehicle through which the
U.S. Supreme Court might revisit <em>Citizens United</em>, a decision from which both Ginsberg and Breyer dissented.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Would they feel equally disposed to review a state Supreme Court decision holding that <em>Roe v. Wade</em> is of no force and effect? I highly doubt it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Reversal
of the Montana ruling is a foregone conclusion. Even the Montana judges
know this. Montana Justice James C. Nelson was clear about his personal
issues with <em>Citizens United</em> in his dissent, but went on to write, "Like it or not, <em>Citizens United</em> is the law of the land as regards corporate political speech. There is no 'Montana exception.'" (2)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
question, then, is whether the Montana judges can get another shot at
the Supreme Court simply by brazenly defying a two-year-old holding. It
is noteworthy that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who dissented in <em>Citizens United </em>along
with Ginsberg and Breyer, did not join Breyer's memorandum calling for a
rehearing. Neither did Justice Elena Kagan, who was not yet on the
court when it decided the case.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A rehearing would be exactly the wrong response to Montana's defiance. The right response would be a summary reversal.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Assuming none of the justices who were in the <em>Citizens United</em>
majority are inclined to revisit the issue, both Sotomayor and Kagan
would have to join Breyer and Ginsberg in voting to hear the Montana
case in order to get it before the court. Here's hoping at least one of
them has enough sense not to do so. If we start inviting state courts to
disregard Supreme Court holdings, there is no telling where that path
could lead, other than "nowhere good."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have a lot of affection
for Montana and its residents, but the state is not nearly as special,
nor as oppressed or vulnerable to oppression, as its people think it is.
In the 30 years since I left Montana, its neighbor to the west, Idaho,
has developed a significant technology industry. To the east, South
Dakota has made itself a banking center, and North Dakota has become
headquarters to an energy boom. What industry has Montana itself
developed since I departed? Not much, except electronic gambling. Almost
every bar in the state (this is a state with an amazing ratio of bars
to people) has video poker and similar machines.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That's not
oppression by out-of-state money. That's a symptom of a state that is
too busy pitying itself to fully participate in the 21st century. I
visit once or twice a year, and I feel sad for this place that I still
care about.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Out-of-state money doesn't vote in Montana elections.
It buys ads, as it does everywhere else, and those ads represent nothing
more than political speech. For good or ill, Montanans will decide
their own elections and their own fate. But Montana is still one of the
50 states, and the U.S. Supreme Court has legal jurisdiction over all 50
of them.</div>
<div style="overflow: hidden; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-26530767600066052342012-10-01T21:50:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:50:36.378-08:00Things You Must Know Before Joining an MBA Course<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
MBA is a craze these days. Many youngsters plan to do MBA after
their graduation. However not many of them really know what it exactly
is and what they should really do to make most out of their investment.
Most of these ignorant fellows end up in wasting huge money on an
inferior institution that takes them nowhere in fact. Here are some
things which you must know before opting for an MBA.<br />
1.
Nomenclature: MBA, abbreviated from Master in Business Administration
is an internationally recognized PG course covering various business
-oriented subjects, such as Marketing, Finance, Human Resources<br />
2.
Origin: Originated from the United States in the late nineteenth
century, started in India in 1961 with IIMS that were not authorized to
offer MBA degrees and were issuing PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in
Management).<br />
3. First b-schools of India: IIM Calcutta was the
first to be established with the collaboration of MIT Sloan School of
Management. Next to follow was IIM Ahmadabad, in initial collaboration
with Harvard Business School. In 1955, the University of Delhi initiated
the Faculty Management Studies (FMS) and during 1968, first launched
the MBA program for graduates.<br />
4. Course to be selected from i)
Full time and Industry Accepted ii) Regular 2 years iii) One Year Part
time for executives iv) Distance Learning online by weekends v) Open
University vi) Finishing School Concepts.<br />
5. Specialization
Subjects: General MBA provides options for Marketing, HR and Finance.
IIMs and other top b-schools offer a number of electives that don't
attract student. Job prospects marketing 70% finance & HR 10% and
balance 10% covers all specialization. Don't get lured by low budget
programs offering new specialization.<br />
6. Special Courses: Select
institutes marked 'specialized' for specialized courses. Choose to join
IIFT for Foreign Trade or IRMA for Rural Management. Other specialized
courses are International Business, Entrepreneurship, Media Management,
Healthcare, NGO & Rural Development, Tourism and Travels etc.
Private institutes charging fees less than Rs 6-7 lakhs can't provide
good quality specialized courses.<br />
7. Self-Interrogation: Sort out
the pros and cons with regard to the course and institute you are going
to select. What are your motivations such as prospective job openings or
establishing your own business? Thinking of in-country education or
abroad? Low budget course or high profile institutes? Financial
resources available or intending to avail study loan. Which course with
what investment gives you the optimum Return on Investment?<br />
8.
Selection procedure of foreign b-schools: The base is GMAT or Graduate
Management Admission Test, TOEFL or Test of English as a foreign
language and IELTS or International English Language Testing System.
Letters of Recommendation and personal interviews are other means of
selection. Join only the high-ranking ones.<br />
9. Ranking of b-School
is done by Bloomberg Business week, US news & World Report,
Eduniversal, the Economist and FT.com. D& B gives list of all
b-schools in India and interviews associated (dnb.co.in/indias) Leading
Business Schools. Ranking up to top ten may be authentic while the rest
may be manipulative, favoring particular institute.<br />
10. Qualifying
Ability: You are to score the minimum cut-off marks in Common Admission
Test or CAT. Check your own past academic performance at matriculation
or +2 levels. Your earlier good performance in mathematics and basic
knowledge of Economics, and Quantitative Techniques, good communication
skills in English, both written and spoken, involvement in
extracurricular activities and perseverance will help you better after
you join any b-school of your choice.<br />
</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-37869044080450918572012-09-24T21:49:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:49:55.897-08:00Type 2 Diabetes<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
Being overweight or obese are often problems for most people who
are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. These diabetics are usually told
weight loss intervention can help to control the disease as well as
prevent damage to their heart and blood vessel disease.<br />
Unfortunately,
heart attacks are a prime cause of death in middle-aged people with
Type 2 diabetes. Fatality rates are two to four times higher than those
of middle-aged people without diabetes. Recent studies reveal between 35
and 50 percent of heart attack victims had abnormal blood sugar at the
time of the attack. People with high blood pressure are also at a higher
risk.<br />
Researchers at the University of California in San
Francisco, United States, however, who are concerned weight loss
programs could have complications, undertook a study to ascertain what
effects, if any, weight loss interventions could have on the bones of
people with Type 2 diabetes.<br />
Their study, published in the <em>Journal of Bone Mineral Research </em>in December 2011, included 1274 obese or overweight people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.<br />
One group was given:<br />
<ul>
<li>an intensive lifestyle weight loss intervention, while</li>
<li>the other group was given basic diabetes support and education over a period of one year.</li>
</ul>
At the end of the study weight loss, basic fitness, and
blood sugar levels showed improvement in the weight loss intervention
group. The bad news is the weight loss intervention group also
demonstrated loss of bone mineral density in their hip and thigh bones.<br />
People
with diabetes can be susceptible to falls due to diabetic neuropathy
and poor vision. Hip fractures can have serious consequences, sometimes
requiring surgery, frequently limiting mobility, and sometimes even
leading to death.<br />
<strong>Fortunately, there are ways of fighting the loss of bone density.</strong> Bones need calcium, so getting enough calcium is one way of keeping your bones healthy.<br />
<ul>
<li>a cup of unfortified oatmeal has 4 percent of the recommended daily
allowance (RDA) of calcium for an adult, and a cup of fortified oatmeal
has 10 per cent.</li>
<li>broccoli, spinach, kale, and turnip greens are good sources of
calcium. One cup of spinach contains 20 per cent of the RDA of calcium
for an adult. A cup of broccoli has 4 per cent and a cup of turnip
greens provides 10 per cent. A cup of kale has 9 per cent, so have a big
green salad for lunch.</li>
<li>calcium supplements are also available.</li>
</ul>
It's not enough though to just take calcium supplements
or eat high-calcium foods; you need to cut down on foods that are
diuretics: caffeine and alcohol.<br />
To be used for bone growth and
repair, calcium needs some help from vitamin D, which is often lacking
in people with Type 2 diabetes:<br />
<ul>
<li>getting a few minutes of sunlight every day without a sunscreen is helpful for making vitamin D,</li>
<li>foods such as soy milk can be fortified with vitamin D.</li>
<li>supplements of vitamin D are recommended for those who live in
latitudes with little sunlight or cold climates or those who are unable
to have much sun exposure due to lifestyle or dress.</li>
</ul>
Weight-bearing exercises are also important for growth
and repair of bones, so take a walk every day in addition to taking in
calcium and vitamin D.<br />
If your bone density is lowered to the
point of being dangerous, it is termed osteoporosis, and medications are
available to treat it. Your bone mineral density can be measured and
your doctor can prescribe much needed drugs if necessary.<br />
</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-41274563587814542522012-09-17T21:48:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:49:03.060-08:00What Is Facebook?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Electronic media trends are changing rapidly. A social networking
website is an online platform where users can create a profile and share
their thoughts that connects to other users. These social networking
websites contain lots of features, providing avenues for both content
evaluation and creation. Users share thoughts, photos, opinions and
news. Traditionally, these websites allowed people to stay connected
with family and friends, and individuals with similar interest to share.
The top four social media networks worldwide are Facebook, Linked-In,
MySpace or Twitter.
<br />
What is Facebook? Facebook is really a best platform. It's turning
into an extremely significant platform for online communicating. It's
speedily, turning into another type of marketing and interaction and
advertising for a lot of businesses over the world. It's a continually
expanding, online communicating and interaction source. Facebook is
definitely a WWW is a social network website that allows people to share
communications.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This
platform is used by billions of people over the world, but only a few
people know how to properly use this website. Facebook is often a widely
used online networking program that allows peoples to share information
with other people. It's an effective advertising and marketing resource
that allows brands and services to get in touch and promote them. It's a
wonderful website and advertising strategy to complement your online
marketing technique. It's totally free of charge strategy, suitable as
an online resource to offer your services and products. Facebook has
consequently turned into an advertising and marketing strategy to attain
a particular target customers quickly. It's now a popular focus on for
social online marketing. It's an excellent learning platform for
educators.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Facebook enables peoples to place their thoughts
freely. It's much better for organizations and it allows you to gain
knowledge from peoples you wouldn't ordinarily have contiguous exposure
to, otherwise. It's used by all, not only the Athletic Individuals,
Writers, celebrities, and Organization members. It's the open social
networking platform; here peoples can compliment you honestly regarding
your products and services. It's an uninterrupted pulse item that means
it may really run your attention span. It's best for making a buzz about
a cool service kick off or advertising and marketing of an active
product or service. It's perfect for offering your services or products.
It's the perfect location to market your services or products or site
at this time as it's very hot.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Facebook is social media site that
actually works similar to MySpace or Twitter. It's closer to blogs while
MySpace or Facebook fits in the whole online community group. Facebook
is really a social media site for keeping hooked up with family members,
friends, organizations, co-workers, or communities with the same
interests and hobbies. It has been a big part of my connectedness, my
client base, with my past associates. It has been very accessible and I
have had no issues with the services that Facebook provides.</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-71615585353837309262012-09-10T21:47:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:48:08.826-08:00Positive Benefits of Video Games<div style="text-align: justify;">
We all have read news reports about the negative influences of video
games. It is true that these games can have some bad consequences on the
child's behavior but there are also a lot of positive benefits. Video
games engage children in many learning activities which help children
learn certain skills. Computers are an important social tool in today's
modern world and children should be given enough opportunities to play
with them. Some studies have also shown that video games can teach
children with attention deficit disorders to modulate their brain waves
associated with focusing. With proper training these children have shown
to improve their social and organizational skills.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Positive Benefits for Children</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>As Educational Tool-These games are fun and exciting for children so they stimulate learning.</li>
<li>Spatial skills-Spatial skills abilities help children visualize objects in two and three dimensions.</li>
<li>Goal Setting<b>-</b>Goals are set in every game and they need to rehearse these goals.</li>
<li>Maths skills-They see their scores while playing and hence learn some basic maths skills.</li>
<li>Language skills-They learn how to follow directions and read certain words like 'Go','Stop','Start'.</li>
<li>Social Skills-Children can talk about their passion with their
friends in school and can make new friends who share a common interest.</li>
<li>Decision-making skills</li>
<li>It teaches Strategy</li>
<li>Teaches children Computer Skills</li>
<li>It teaches Memory and Mapping</li>
<li>Multitasking</li>
<li>Quick Reasoning and Critical thinking</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Caution for Parents</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Always remember that your supervision is a must if your child is very young.</li>
<li>Children must not be allowed to play these games for a long time as
it can interfere with their home-work and other daily responsibilities.</li>
<li>You must monitor the effects of these games on your child's
behavior. If you don't want him to play violent games then it's okay to
be a little strict.</li>
<li>Engage your child in other activities by interacting with him,
reading books,sports and even watching television. This will not make
him addicted to these games.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tips for Choosing Video Games</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Check the ratings of the game and pick the ones that is acceptable to your family.</li>
<li>Look for games that involve strategy making and activities that stimulate your child's brain.</li>
<li>Choose a game that is appropriate for your child's age.</li>
<li>Encourage group play by picking games which involve multiple players.</li>
</ul>
<div style="overflow: hidden; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-29781222789036712092012-09-03T21:46:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:47:27.980-08:00Active Retirees Speak, Sell Books, Reports On Retirement Made Easy<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
Are you a retiree who is looking for something intriguing and fun
to do, while making extra money? If your answer is yes, you are not
alone. In fact, most older employees (65 percent) told researchers they
would like to have some form of work in their retirement, according to a
2011 Harris Interactive survey of 1,001 people age 55 and older
commissioned by Sun America.<br />
Interestingly,
of those surveyed few said they want full time work; only 4 percent
told Harris researchers they want to work full time in retirement. Some
25 percent said they want to work part time in retirement, and 36
percent would rather to go back and forth between work and leisure,
reports Dave Bernard for U.S. News.<br />
If you find yourself looking
for either full or part time activity to keep your brain active, while
making some extra money, consider speaking before groups of pre and
post-retirees about successful retirement ideas. A popular way to get
started is speaking before a local organization or club, with a well
researched book or report to sell at the back of the room.<br />
With
retirement a good topic to address (it should be, since baby boomers are
starting to retire in large numbers), here are three important
retirement questions that you could write a speech around:<br />
-- Why are some people more ready for retirement than others?<br />
-- Are there any specific issues that most people overlook when considering retirement?<br />
-- Why is the idea of retirement difficult for some, and easy for others?<br />
Any
speakers who are fast on their feet with answers to questions like
these should impress their audience. To prepare to speak before a group,
here is some quick help in preparing your cheat sheet (or talking
points) for your speech on making retirement easy, focusing on several
or all of these questions.<br />
<b>Who really IS ready for retirement?</b><br />
People
who help or coach others to prepare for retirement often introduce some
of the following issues to see if the people they are working with are
retirement-ready:<br />
--Do you believe your financial support plan covers you appropriately for the years ahead?<br />
--Do you have other plans for your retirement (how you will spend your time)?<br />
--Do you exercise for 20 minutes without a break at least three times a week?<br />
All
are appropriate questions, and even more like them come from The
Retirement Readiness Assessment sponsored by My Next Phase. I took the
online quiz and actually learned a few things about retirement
readiness, so I challenge you to take it, too.<br />
<b>So, what appears to be some over-looked retirement issues?</b><br />
While
people who are retiring are typically advised to take stock of their
financial resources, they don't always consider their psychological
resources, says Nancy Schlossberg, Professor Emerita of Education at the
University of Maryland.<br />
Dr. Schlossberg has written extensively
about retirement planning, noting that many baby boomers "didn't realize
what was at stake when they left their jobs. They didn't think about
things like how to structure their lives, their time, and how they might
matter to others."<br />
This researcher tells About Senior Living
editor Shannon O'Brien that identity is key. "...when someone can say,
for example, "I'm a professor," that's one thing, but when that identity
is no longer there, it can be quite upsetting. It can take time to
figure out a new identity."<br />
Now, moving on to...<br />
<b>Why is retirement hard for some, and easier for others?</b><br />
As
a retirement blogger and author, I do not see this question asked often
enough, and it is a good one. "Jacob" who blogs for Early Retirement
Extremes, notes that how people approach personal finance makes a true
difference, distinguishing why some people retire easier than others.<br />
According
to this "extreme" blogger: "To get ahead, you must either press the
accelerator harder or ease on the brake. Apparently lots of people are
not fully aware of just how hard they're flooring the brake. Therefore
try this exercise. Every time you touch something [that you are
considering for purchase], ask yourself whether this item has
accelerated your income or whether it has decreased your savings."<br />
<b>Any other important, last-minute tips?</b><br />
A
wealth of retirement information is found online just by searching with
the major browsers. I suggest taking a look at Investopedia, a
particularly helpful site filled with many sophisticated ideas for
soon-to-be retirees. Here is one of its many last-minute retirement
tips:<br />
Establish a Cash Emergency Fund to get you through the hard
times. "It acts as a safety net in case something expensive or unplanned
happens, such as medical expenses, market downturns or expensive home
maintenance issues, just to name a few."<br />
In fact, retirees are
often advised to have three to six months of emergency cash reserves
available separate from their investment portfolio. In normal economic
times, this may be okay, but if the economic downturns, and the retiree
is living off savings then it would help to add 12 to 18 months of cash
to the investment portfolio to allow bonds and stocks to recover during
bad times, according to Investopedia.<br />
Are you ready for your
retirement speech? With this information in hand, and your additional
research, you should keep the attention of your audience. (Be sure to
have your well-researched book or report ready to sell, and business
cards to hand out.)</div>
<div id="article-resource" style="text-align: justify;">
Susan Klopfer, author and speaker, writes on civil rights and
diversity. Her newest books, Who Killed Emmett Till?" "Where Rebels
Roost: Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited" and "The Emmett Till Book"
are now in print and are carried in most online bookstores including
Amazon, Barnes & Noble and in eBook versions on iBooks and
Smashwords. "Where Rebels Roost" focuses on the Mississippi Delta, with
stories about Emmett Till, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Amzie Moore
and many other civil rights foot soldiers. These books emphasize
unsolved murders of Delta blacks from mid 1950s on. She is also the
author of eBook, Cash In On Diversity. Klopfer is an award-winning
journalist and former acquisitions and development editor for
Prentice-Hall. Her computer book, "Abort, Retry, Fail!" was an alternate
selection by the Book of-the-Month Club.</div>
<div style="overflow: hidden; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-12835083060479608532012-08-27T21:46:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:46:27.393-08:00Self Mastery Can Improve Your Life<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
In the words of Leonard da Vinci "One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself".<br />
Self
mastery is the ability to recognize, understand and manage the
different aspects of your personality, and in so doing, to create a
higher quality of life experience. It is the ability to make the most
out of your physical, mental and spiritual health and below are some
areas of your life which will help you on your path towards developing
effective self-mastery.<br />
<strong>Vision:</strong> All self-mastery
starts with you: the roadmap that you will create to take you to where
you want to be. You need to be self-disciplined and committed to your
vision and to always keep it in the forefront of your mind. Write your
aims down, and share them with others, so that you will be accountable
to yourself.<br />
<strong>Accept people</strong>: Once you accept
people for who and what they are, you won't waste time and energy being
frustrated in trying to change them. Everyone is different and that
means that we have to learn the life skill of people management. Not
everyone thinks and acts as we would like.<br />
<strong>Don't wait for perfection</strong>:
Appreciate who you are, what you are, and what you have so far
accomplished. You may not achieve the same results as your idealised
role model but the important factor is to work your way towards getting
there whilst not expecting it to happen overnight.<br />
<strong>Look after your body</strong>:
Your body is an incredibly complex machine that needs daily
maintenance, so make sure you give it the nutrients and exercise it
needs for optimum performance. If it becomes damaged in part, it has the
ability to self-heal, provided you recognise the fact that you,
yourself, need to help the process.<br />
<strong>Self Discipline</strong>:
People who demonstrate strong self-mastery are not controlled by their
emotions. They learn to control their fears, their likes and dislikes,
in order to move forward unencumbered by inner doubts but reinforced by
facts and the unemotional assessment of risk, gain or loss.<br />
<strong>Appreciation</strong>:
Always be aware of the gift of health, the natural world, your family,
your children, your education, your place in the community and in
society, and the peace that spirituality can give to you in times of
hardship or stress.<br />
<strong>Communicate:</strong> You have the
power to make someone smile just by openly smiling yourself and by
making time to talk to others in a way that could make all the
difference to their day.<br />
<strong>Cognitive Restructuring</strong>:
This technique involves modifying the automatic negative thoughts that
occur in an anxiety-provoking situation, to a positive mindset that
enables you to manage the challenge instead of mismanaging it. You need
to always remind yourself of your natural talents and experience. If you
convince yourself that you can win, then you may well do so.
Unfortunately, however, the opposite holds just as true!<br />
<strong>Concentrate</strong>:
Try not to have a 'butterfly mind' that flits from one topic to
another. Focus your mind on one thing at a time and gain the fulfillment
of achieving a goal and then feeling that sense of satisfaction before
moving onto something else.<br />
<strong>Emotional Intelligence</strong>:
Those that have gained self-mastery are usually well aware of other
people's needs and emotions and take them into consideration when
communicating. Of course, in a negotiating context, that can be the
winning factor.<br />
<strong>Let go</strong>: We are all reluctant to
let go of the past and focus on the future. This is often because the
past is more comfortable to deal with, as it holds no secrets, whereas
the future is bound to hold many unknown challenges. However, letting-go
is essential in order to move forward unencumbered with the 'baggage'
of previous relationships.<br />
Self-mastery is a life skill that takes
times and effort. It's a continuous process that should be integral to
one's daily life script for everyday living. Once you have mastered it,
you will also be able to help others to achieve the same skill. And that
in itself, can be one of the most satisfying and humbling experience of
our own lives.<br />
Written by Carole Spiers and reprinted with the kind permission of Gulf News.<br />
</div>
<div id="article-resource" style="text-align: justify;">
Carole Spiers is a world authority on work stress, a BBC Guest-Broadcaster and author of a new book 'Show Stress Who's Boss!'</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-79343102200133569962012-08-20T21:44:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:45:16.834-08:00The Power of 10<div style="text-align: justify;">
I recently tried launching a product and like many entrepreneurs,
money is tight and there is no room for any losses or miscalculations. I
thought, wrecked my brain, and went through everything that I had
learned in school reviewing my textbooks to see what types of marketing
mix I could come up with to get this $19.95 product in the field to
solve a problem of many highway motorist. The result of my research
brought me back to my original issue, not enough capital to fund the
launch.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>My Story</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
April
2, 2012, my entire life changed forever and I mean forever. At the age
of 56 while at work I had an acute asthma attack. You're probably saying
what does this have to do with launching and marketing a product? We'll
get to that. A few weeks earlier I visited my family doctor due to
breathing problems. The pollen here in Charlotte, NC was seriously bad
and the pollen conditions were being reported on the news as much as
three and four times daily. My doctor treated me with a breathing
treatment, some antibiotics, a portable breathing machine, and released
me. The following week I was unable to get out of bed to even walk to
the bathroom without seriously being out of breath. I was disciplined at
work for calling out. A top performer, written up for the first time in
my 47 years of working. That caused stress in my life and I went into
work Sunday and Monday the 1st and 2nd of April 2012.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The morning of <strong>April 2, 2012 at 12:30</strong>
a supervisor passed by and asked if I was wheezing and my reply was "if
you can hear me I guess I am" so I got up and took a breathing
treatment and came back to my desk(<strong>1:00pm</strong>) immediately
emailing my wife to come pick me up early from work because I thought I
might have some difficulties later on; she was out at lunch and never
got my message. At <strong>2:30</strong> I was unable to stand, talk, or
breathe. I threw a pen across the room to get someones attention and
they immediately called my wife and dialed 911. The next 1 hour was the
longest hour in my life not being exhale, listening to the radio traffic
when I hear my wife has arrived at the gate of my job in front of the
ambulance and they veer off and go to the wrong building.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Finally,
the emergency team arrives and immediately try to force air in my face
and fight begins. Try pushing a needed product in the face of it's
intended user. Regardless of the need there is still opposition to the
delivery. I was told the EMT worked on me for about <strong>15 minutes</strong>
in the parking lot prior to the trip to the hospital. The critical part
of this journey had just begun; I was resuscitated twice during the
night; <strong>gone, dead. </strong>Hearing the many stories about this
incredible battle with life, the miracle, along with a spiritual
experience in the brightest light that I've ever seen along with a
moving conversation that turned my entire life around which brings me to
where we are now..<strong>The Power of 10</strong>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Service
Industry and for as much any business can very well be a ministry if you
are truly in the business to serve and help people. Notice I didn't say
in the business for profit. Profits will come if you flow with your <strong>heart; your passion</strong>.
How do you flow with your passion? Make sure you are doing something
that you really are good at and you enjoy. Really simple. Why would you
do something because there is " a lot of money in it" and you're
stressed out daily because you are spending more time trying to get the
education about the business while you are trying to make a profit? You
are wasting time on something that doesn't express your <strong>heart, your passion.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm
not trying to convert or sway you spiritually or cause conflict between
you and your religious beliefs, but we are all created with one thing
that makes us unique, <strong>DNA</strong>. This means that you have
something that is especially made for you and only you can produce it.
So going after a business because there is a lot of money to be made may
not be for you if there is no <strong>heart or passion and is out of your character.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Try
this, ask your friends, family members, and co-workers for their candid
opinion. Let them know that you want to know the truth and you are not
looking for compliments. You are searching for your natural and
spiritual gifts and abilities. Yes this may mean that you have to step
back and punt again, but I think you would feel a lot better doing
something that you are passionate about.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Power of 10</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
parable of the ten minas teaches that we are expected to use the gifts
we've received from God to do good. We're to "invest" them so that
they'll earn a return even greater than the original gift. This brings
me to heart, service, and going back to basic teaching of giving. I was
in Virginia Beach, Va for a family emergency sitting on my parents front
porch when the words <strong>"Give it away"</strong> just exploded in my head. Who am I to argue with the <strong>Voice</strong>?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here
I was sitting on my parent's front porch in Virginia Beach, Va looking
at my targeted market drive by one car after another. I introduced
myself to a young man driving an older Nissan SUV that had been given to
him with over 200,000 miles on it. I began talking to him about his
vehicle and a product that I was going to give to him because I wanted
to help him with the maintenance of his vehicle. What had I just done? I
just established a relationship and a new friend.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My wife arrived
about five hours later from Charlotte, NC and I immediately went over
to my trunk, had him start his engine to let it warm up, and I applied
the product to his engine and told him to just drive and tell me about
it. When he came back after being gone for a few hours, he had cleaned
the vehicle inside and out and began telling me how well the vehicle was
running compared to several hours ago. He went to his pastor to tell
about this man who had given him a gift that would allow him to keep his
vehicle a little while longer while he was getting on his feet. He
brought back his pastor and nine other men who needed the product for
their older model, high mileage vehicles. A seed had been sown and my
return was ten new clients. I did this again to another gentleman who
was driving a Chevy Conversion Van, yes there are still some on the
road, and the return was again ten plus some of his lodge members
indicated they were purchasing also from the site.</div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251348448550423754.post-88202175795590898622012-08-13T21:43:00.000-07:002012-11-19T21:43:45.626-08:00Resume Tips for the IT Professional<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">
According to U.S. News & World Report's article on "The 50
Best Careers of 2011," many technology positions made it into the top 50
list of careers providing overall satisfaction. They include computer
software engineers, computer support specialists, computer systems
analysts, and network architects.<br />
So how are you making yourself stand out from the crowd of other resumes that employers are reviewing?<br />
Finding a job in today's market is particularly difficult. However, there are resume tips to help IT professionals get noticed.<br />
<ol>
<li><strong>Add "Technical Expertise and Certifications" at the top of your resume.</strong><br />Regardless
of whether you have one year or 10 years of experience in the field, it
is especially critical to effectively demonstrate technical knowledge
and skills. What matters to most employers hiring an IT professional is
not the years of experience you have to offer, but how current you are
with today's latest technology, applications, and if you have the
technical certifications to do the job. Highlighting your "Technical
Expertise and Certifications" up front on your resume will immediately
inform the employer that you have what it takes to do the job.</li>
<br />
<li><strong>I</strong><strong>nclude a section on "Technical Skills."</strong>This
is a section that allows you to outline all the specific technical
language those in the field will be familiar with to demonstrate your
familiarity with subject matter expertise and the type of
technology-related working environments you have been exposed to. It's
an effective and quick way to help employers see that you are relevant
for the job. It also supports keyword searches for specific tools and
technologies.</li>
<br />
<li><strong>Demonstrate achievements, accomplishments and results in "Professional Experience."</strong><br />This
is where most IT Professionals go wrong in that they merely list their
roles responsibilities and tasks. The problem is that hundreds of people
in similar job functions can say the same thing so this does not
differentiate you.<br /><br />
If you are on the infrastructure side, detail the environment in terms
of users, servers and locations. Then describe your performance. How do
you rank against your peers in terms of productivity? Are you the
'go-to' person for any particular issues? Are you known for resolving
issues on the first attempt?<br /><br />
If you are on the applications or project management side, do not detail
every project you did as they will not have the same kinds of projects.
Instead, indicate the total number of initiatives you were involved in
and only highlight the ones that you are most proud of. Also highlight
whether you managed the full lifecycle, what tools, best practices and
methodologies you used, and how good you are at working with disparate
stakeholders to gather their requirements, drive consensus and ensure
that what you are delivering is what they want.<br /><br />
If you are new to the field, then you need to highlight the courses you
took and projects you completed as part of your education. Include the
number of hours of training and the technologies that you grasped.</li>
<br />
<li><strong>A</strong><strong>pply relevant keywords to all parts of your resume.</strong><br />A
majority of employers use scanning technology to help pull out the most
relevant resumes to review, so the more keyword relevance you can offer
in your resume, the greater the chance of your resume getting noticed.
Carefully review the job posting on specific technical skills desired or
required. Also look at other job descriptions for the same position on
job boards to get a better sense of which technical skills are
particularly desired. Apply those keywords in context at different
sections of your resume. You want the regular HR person to understand
what you have to offer as well.</li>
</ol>
The market for IT
professionals is much stronger than others today and is very
competitive. Use these tips to make sure your IT resume stands out.<br />
</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14004115474140034954noreply@blogger.com0