Saturday, February 12, 2011

Smiles Will Constantly Brighten Your Day

Whinston Sparks



Grinning is 1 of the easiest and cheapest methods to enhance one's high quality of life and the advantages from grinning reach extra than just a single individual at a time. Smiling is contagious, alterations our mood, can make us look younger and additional interesting, creates us glimpse extra successful and relieves pressure.

Grinning is contagious. When you smile, it causes others smile. It is like when you see others grinning it creates you want to smile as well. It just can make you think excellent when you see an individual smiling at you ir even just in your direction and when you smile you are doing the same for other people. You are actively passing along a great feeling via your actions and you will draw people today towards you by presenting a appearance of happiness.

Like somewhat stated above, smiling can also transform your mood. Seeing other individuals smile adjustments your mood simply because they are presenting a seem of happiness. If you are feeling low, you ought to try smiling even if your feelings on the inside do not reflect it. It has been proven that grinning can trick your body into tricking your mood and can reverse sad or depressed feelings.

Smiling draws individuals in also simply because a smile on ones face can make them appearance additional appealing. Smiling also causes people search younger mainly because when you smile it lifts the muscles in the face. In addition, nothing is much more appealing to a potential partner then an irresistible smile, so start grinning and spread the love.

Grinning can make you extra flourishing. Even though this may be tough to believe, it is true. When you walk into function, wearing a smile you will seem extra pleasant and outgoing. It has been proven that people today who smile a lot more though on the task are less likely to be passed up for promotions. Use this bit of facts to enhance the high quality of your existence and moving ahead in your career. Your next work advancement may possibly just be a smile away.

If you feel stressed at operate, home, or just in general try a smile on for size. Smiling initial gives you the appearance of not being stressed and second it helps by lowering your blood pressure, boosts your immune system, and releases endorphins that make you feel excellent and melts the pressure away.

It is awesome how such a little act can transform so several lives for the much better all at once.
About The Author
Brighten someone's day by sending http://www.eligr.com/ It's a sure way to make someone smile!
The author invites you to visit:
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I'm feelin' kinda (very) gay.




Regardless of the title and the picture, this post is (semi) serious business. I was sitting around, thinking and the thought of shudo crossed my mind. Shudo was a system of age-structured homosexuality in ancient Japan. Homosexuality was found in Buddhist temples, among samurai and even regular relationships between men were seen as deeper and held more meaning than a heterosexual relationship. In the warrior class, it was customary for a young man to be apprenticing a more experienced samurai. The older men were permitted to take the younger boy as their lover if they both agreed to it, if they did, both would have to sign a "brotherhood" contract. If both men signed this contract, it was an agreement that they should take no other lovers and to remain only together. Similar to marriage, no?
Before Japan adopted the ways of the Europeans, Japan was open about sexuality with old paintings depicting orgies and women being tentacle-raped by giant octopi. Today, sexuality is something that is kept behind closed doors in Japan. (Well, at least where I stayed, I didn't see anyone holding hands or hugging there. Not one.) Some gays and lesbians are fighting to be acknowledged, but many others hide their sexuality by marrying people and keep that part of themselves a secret. This led me to wonder, "Were other ancient cultures open to homosexuality? What happened?"



First off, let's start with China. China, like Japan, was once open to homosexuality in the ancient times, but have completely closed their minds to the knowledge that men who like men exist. I've heard that Hong Kong has a gay scene, but most of the men and women there are told by their parents that they will have to settle down, get married and have children one day. As though they will grow out of this "ridiculous stage".

One day, a young Chinese scholar came to an interesting (and in my opinion, hilarious) conclusion:

Nearly every emperor in the Han dynasty has had a least one or more male lovers.

Sorry girls, but there is little to no reference of lesbians as of yet, just wait a little longer, okay? Moving on, during the dynasties, poems and stories revolving around homosexual love flourished. Records dating from the Liu Song dynasty (420-479 AD) claimed that homosexuality was just as common as homosexuality in the third century.

"All the gentlemen and officials esteemed it. All men in the realm followed this fashion to the extent that husbands and wives were estranged. Resentful unmarried women became jealous."

Ancient China, like ancient Japan also had actor-prostitutes. In those days, women were not allowed to act. Just like the Elizabethan era, all female roles were played by young men. These young actors, would engage in other activities when they were not on stage, it was more common than you think. It's a living, right?

It was not until the Tang dynasty did a change occur.

The ways of the other countries bled into the east and new opinions arose. China became influenced by the sexual morals of foreigners and female companions of emperors began to gain political power that used to be accumulated by the male companions. At the same time, the power of the imperial court was declining due to the ruling of scholar-bureaucrats. During this time, the first negative word for homosexuality appears. This attitude continues into the Song dynasty, homosexual behavior was documented among the commoners, since it was the working class people who did most of the writing of poetry and stories. In addition to central Asian influence, the nation began adopting Indian Buddhism as well, which derided sexuality in general. Monetization of all kinds of sexuality was caused by the increase of urbanization. The first law against male prostitutes went into effect. However, not effectively enforced.
Then, good ol' whitey walked in the street of China and he did not like what he saw. This missionary preached about their 'perverted ways' openly. Sure, the homosexual men of China never faced the kind of persecution as the European homosexuals did. Hell, marriage-like ceremonies between men were still held (they were even allowed to adopt/ raise children who weren't their own) and were meant to last 20 years until they were to be separated to find a wife to procreate. Most of the homosexual activity centered around the province of Fujian. However, the government did come to like the "cults" promoting sexual perversions, so China officially instilled a law prohibiting consensual, non-monetized homosexuality in the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). The punishment? A month in prison and 100 heavy blows, and that was the lightest punishment you could get. Thanks Europeans, for bringing science and homophobia to the wonderful land of China, they won't even show gay movies anymore, unless you're in Hong Kong and want to see a heavily-edited version. :[



Though often ignored or suppressed by European explorers and colonialists, homosexual expression in native Africa was also present and took a variety of forms. Anthropologists Stephen Murray and Will Roscoe reported that women in Lesotho engaged in socially sanctioned "long term, erotic relationships" called motsoalle. Only if a woman acted "man-enough", she was treated as such. Those women were even able to take on wives and hunt like a regular man. E. E. Evans-Pritchard also recorded that male Azande warriors in the northern Congo routinely took on young male lovers between the ages of twelve and twenty, who helped with household tasks and participated in intercrural sex with their older husbands. The practice had died out by the early 20th century, after Europeans had gained control of African countries, but was recounted to Evans-Pritchard by the elders to whom he spoke.
The first recorded homosexual couple in history is commonly regarded as Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, an Egyptian male couple, who lived around the 2400 BCE. The pair are portrayed in a nose-kissing position, the most intimate pose in Egyptian art, surrounded by what appear to be their heirs.
Yet another case of European expansion repressing a culture's view of something that was once seen as miniscule into perversion. You wouldn't think that ancient Africa would have homosexuality embedded into some of the culture, but there it is. Not much of it is known, all I could gather was this ancient Egyptian story of gods, sex, manipulation and humiliation.
One of the most famous displays of homosexuality in Ancient Egypt is in the battle for kingship between the Gods Horus and Set. It is told in a story known as the 'Contendings of Horus and Seth.' In one part of this story Seth invites Horus to his house, and in the evening a bed is prepared for the both of them. In a shrewd plan Horus manages to catch the semen of Seth and disposes of it. He then goes to his mother who comes up with an idea to trick Seth into ingesting Horus' semen by placing it in a lettuce, which was Seth's favorite food. In the end, the god Thoth declares that the semen of Horus comes-forth; Seth is humiliated and loses his fight for the throne.


In the pre-European colonized Americas, the type of same-sex sexuality centered around the figure a 'two-spirited' person. Normally, this person is recognized early in life and was given a choice by the parents to follow the path and, if the child accepted the role, raised in the appropriate manner, learning the customs of the gender they had chosen. The two-spirit was considered to be a person with masculine and feminine souls, or possesses the souls of a warrior and a clan-mother at the same time. The two-spirits were commonly shamans and were revered as having powers of that of no ordinary shamans. Their sexual life was with the ordinary tribe members of the same sex.
Meanwhile, in what is now known was Latin America, homosexuality was also common among the Aztec, Mayan, Tupinambá, etc. Of course, this terrified the Spanish colonists and they attempted to squish out the sodomy by executing those who 'practiced' it by burning and having them torn to pieces by dogs, in public. You called them "savages"? The natives seemed to possess a caring, openness and acceptance that took Europeans generations to develop. Who exactly is barbaric?

Hell, in some islands of the Pacific, heterosexuality was seen as a sin, but once again, colonization settled in. Set 'em straight. (lol c wut i did thar?)



Butt-sex vase? Anyone?

Finally, we get to the heart of the matter. The Europeans. Everyone has heard of the ancient Greeks and Romans who dominated Europe. It was even said that 1 in 3 men were gay during those days (I forgot where I heard that statistic from), it was a social norm. How did this come to be? How did they turn from promiscuous, fun-loving people into homophobic missionaries forcing their way of life to every other country in the known world? First, let's examine the history:

(You may now cheer, lesbians are finally mentioned.)
The earliest Western documents concerning same-sex relationships came from ancient Greece.
In regard of male homosexuality such documents depict a world in which relationships with women and relationships with youths were the essential foundation of a normal man's love life. Same-sex relationships were a social institution variously constructed over time and from one city to another. The formal practice, an erotic yet often restrained relationship between a free adult male and a free adolescent, was valued for its pedagogic benefits and as a means of population control, though occasionally blamed for causing disorder. Plato praised its benefits in his early writings, but in his late works proposed its prohibition. In the Symposium (182B-D), Plato equates acceptance of homosexuality with democracy, and its suppression with despotism, saying that homosexuality "is shameful to barbarians because of their despotic governments, just as philosophy and athletics are, since it is apparently not in best interests of such rulers to have great ideas engendered in their subjects, or powerful friendships or physical unions, all of which love is particularly apt to produce". Aristotle, in the Politics, dismissed Plato's ideas about abolishing homosexuality; he explains that barbarians like the Celts accorded it a special honor, while the Cretans used it to regulate the population .
Little is known of female homosexuality in antiquity. Sappho, born on the island of Lesbos (LOL), was included by later Greeks in the canonical list of nine lyric poets. The adjectives deriving from her name and place of birth (Sapphic and Lesbian) came to be applied to female homosexuality beginning in the 19th century. Sappho's poetry centers on passion and love for various personages and both genders. The narrators of many of her poems speak of infatuations and love for various females, but descriptions of physical acts between women are few.
In ancient Rome the young male body remained a focus of male sexual attention, but relationships were between older free men and slaves or freed youths who took the receptive role in sex. (Sound familiar?) All the emperors with the exception of Claudius took male lovers. The Hellenophile emperor Hadrian is renowned for his relationship with Antinous, but the Christian emperor Theodosius I decreed a law on August 6, 390, condemning passive males to be burned at the stake. Justinian, towards the end of his reign, expanded the proscription to the active partner as well (in 558), warning that such conduct can lead to the destruction of cities through the "wrath of God". Notwithstanding these regulations, taxes on brothels of boys available for homosexual sex continued to be collected until the end of the reign of Anastasius I in 518.
During the Renaissance, wealthy cities in northern Italy (particularly Florence and Venice) were renowned for their widespread practice of same-sex love, engaged in by a considerable part of the male population and constructed along the classical pattern of Greece and Rome. Even as many of the male population were engaging in same-sex relationships, the authorities, under the aegis of the Officers of the Night court, were prosecuting, fining, and imprisoning a good portion of that population. The eclipse of this period of relative artistic and erotic freedom was precipitated by the rise to power of the moralizing monk Girolamo Savonarola. In northern Europe the artistic discourse on sodomy was turned against its proponents by artists such as Rembrandt, who in his Rape of Ganymede no longer depicted Ganymede as a willing youth, but as a squalling baby attacked by a rapacious bird of prey.
The relationships of socially prominent figures, such as King James I and the Duke of Buckingham, served to highlight the issue, including in anonymously authored street pamphlets: "The world is chang'd I know not how, For men Kiss Men, not Women now;...Of J. the First and Buckingham: He, true it is, his Wives Embraces fled, To slabber his lov'd Ganimede" (Mundus Foppensis, or The Fop Display'd, 1691).
Love Letters Between a Certain Late Nobleman and the Famous Mr. Wilson was published in 1723 in England and was presumed by some modern scholars to be a novel. The 1749 edition of John Cleland's popular novel Fanny Hill includes a homosexual scene, but this was removed in its 1750 edition. Also in 1749, the earliest extended and serious defense of homosexuality in English, Ancient and Modern Pederasty Investigated and Exemplified, written by Thomas Cannon, was published, but was suppressed almost immediately. It includes the passage, "Unnatural Desire is a Contradiction in Terms; downright Nonsense. Desire is an amatory Impulse of the inmost human Parts." Around 1785 Jeremy Bentham wrote another defense, but this was not published until 1978. Executions for sodomy continued in the Netherlands until 1803, and in England until 1835.
Between 1864 and 1880 Karl Heinrich Ulrichs published a series of twelve tracts, which he collectively titled Research on the Riddle of Man-Manly Love. In 1867 he became the first self-proclaimed homosexual person to speak out publicly in defense of homosexuality when he pleaded at the Congress of German Jurists in Munich for a resolution urging the repeal of anti-homosexual laws. Sexual Inversion by Havelock Ellis, published in 1896, challenged theories that homosexuality was abnormal, as well as stereotypes, and insisted on the ubiquity of homosexuality and its association with intellectual and artistic achievement. Although medical texts like these (written partly in Latin to obscure the sexual details) were not widely read by the general public, they did lead to the rise of Magnus Hirschfeld's Scientific Humanitarian Committee, which campaigned from 1897 to 1933 against anti-sodomy laws in Germany as well as a much more informal, unpublicized movement among British intellectuals and writers, led by such figures as Edward Carpenter and John Addington Symonds. Beginning in 1894 with Homogenic Love, Socialist activist and poet Edward Carpenter wrote a string of pro-homosexual articles and pamphlets, and "came out" in 1916 in his book My Days and Dreams. In 1900, Elisar von Kupffer published an anthology of homosexual literature from antiquity to his own time, Lieblingminne und Freundesliebe in der Weltliteratur. His aim was to broaden the public perspective of homosexuality beyond its being viewed simply as a medical or biological issue, but also as an ethical and cultural one. In a backlash to this, the Third Reich specifically targeted LGBT individuals as well in the holocaust. Homosexuals were even marked with the upside-down pink triangle to identify them in the concentration camps. That same triangle is used as a symbol for pride today. Looking through the European history, there seems as though there was a time when the church was accepting of homosexuality. There are even records of gay priests dating before the 1200's, such as Saint Aelred, whose poetry remains to this day.  I've found two theories as to why the Christian religion suddenly declared that homosexuality is deemed "unclean" after some rigorous searching on the internet. (In my opinion, all sex is 'unclean'. Don't you agree?)

Theory 1: " After a dismal loss in the Crusades the church began an intense legalistic campaign that would climax with the Inquisition and last until the 17th Century. Of course, this led to all kinds of repression. The first to feel it were the Jews and Muslims of Europe, then came all women practicing midwifery and traditional healing, all racial minorities and of course homosexuals. In the face of growing Islamic threat from the Mediterranean and Middle East and Pagan invaders from Eastern Europe, Mongol and China, there was a zealous thrust to replenish diminished European armies and increase the population and power of the Church’s domain. It was at the Lateran III Council of 1179 the Church took its first official position to outlaw all forms of non-procreative sex. In the 1200's the writings of Thomas Aquinas, reinforced the new thinking of the Catholic Church that semen was thought to be life itself and must never be wasted. Early illustrations of sperm in those times depicted them as tiny human souls. Sex for pleasure was sinful, even between a husband and wife and should only be used for reproduction. Any men caught in the act of anal or oral copulation were burned, this traditional punishment led to the derogatory term of “faggot”, which means a piece of wood for burning."

Theory 2: "The early church fathers, particularly those who founded the monastic orders, often looked to "nature" for examples of morality and immorality. This rather risky business was fraught with difficulties, not the least of which was the fact that nature itself was very poorly understood during this period of history. Nature was considered inherently beautiful and moral, even though almost any activity of man considered to be immoral can be shown to be engaged in by animals. This inconvenient fact was simply ignored by the ancients, or they were not aware of it. The exceptions were animals that the ancients considered to be revolting or disgusting for whatever reason, or were believed to engage in bizarre behaviors. For example, it was believed during this time that hyenas were fond of digging up graves and eating the corpses. It was also believed that hares grew a new anal opening every year, and that weasels mated through the mouth and bore their young through the ear.
Because hyenas were considered to be rather disgusting animals, and because they were believed to engage in homosexual sex predominantly, homosexuality itself began to be considered to be disgusting by them through their association with the animals the ancients considered disgusting. Because homosexuality became associated with hyenas, an animal believed to rob graves and eat the corpses, it's not surprising that early church fathers and monastics held homosexuality itself to be repugnant since it was associated with such repugnant animals.
Thus began a campaign against homosexuality by certain church fathers, among them Augustine, and Clement, a man who mistakenly associated homosexuality with a form of child slavery in which male children were often sold into slavery as prostitutes. These two men and others like them began to associate homosexuality not just with unsavory animal practices, but with other practices they didn't happen to like, such as paganism, or pederastry, etc."
Both theories are understandable. In case you were wondering, females hyenas have a mock penis. Which is what would give the second theory some credibility, but I'm not too keen on the fact that priests would look out their stained glass windows and see hyenas. Unless they were missionaries centered in Africa or something. I'm going to just rule that one out and go with the first, which makes much more sense than the latter. How often is premarital sex spoken against in the bible? Want me to prove it?

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. (First Corinthians 6:9)

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. (Ephesians 5:3)

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication. (First Thessalonians 4:3)


The dictionary defines fornication as, "voluntary sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other."

Therefore, the bible condemns premarital sex.

If you have people marrying each other, then they have a duty to fulfill by producing children. If people should have sex before wedlock, then they have having sex for pleasure, which is a sin. However, people are forgetting one major thing:

It's 2010.

People don't marry to produce heirs these days. People marry for love now. Hell, people marry because they're shit-faced drunk in Vegas. The world is over-populated out the wazoo and hey, barren couples are allowed to marry, why not homosexual ones? You've done your job, clergy, but I think it's time to restore things to how they used to be before you decided, centuries ago, that homosexuals are unable to produce children and since they are having sex for pleasure, it is wrong. You've done your job, you've repressed homosexuality so that those under your thumb may multiply. Congratulations. However, how people began to believe that the acceptance of homosexuality will destroy the world, I have no idea. Hell, if that were true, the earth would've magically exploded thousands of years ago when emperors and everyone's dad was screwing around with an actor-prostitute in China.
Yeah, some Christians believe that Rome and Greece fell because of their acceptance of homosexuality.

That's totally the reason.

The fall of those great empires had nothing to do with rapid expansion and having little to no control over their lands that were obviously prone to invasion because of poor governmental management. Nope.

This took me forever to write and I'm far too lazy to edit it. I doubt anyone is actually going to read this all the way through. Whatever, I'm tired. Good night.

P.S: In case you were wondering why I was thinking of shudo. It's for a fanfiction plot-bunny. And I ended up writing/ copy-pasting this instead.

Cant Let go of someone?

Can't Let Go of That Certain Someone?

Neither can I.
I have been seeing this guy off and on for a few years. He's always the one to come back and always the one to leave. And it always seems that when I feel so close to being able to find someone else and let him go, that's when he decides to come back. But I always take him back because I love the big lug.
I know I am not alone with this situation and that in fact so many girls also go through this very same predicament. We're stuck. In love with people who think we are expendable to them, in love with people who don't know what they want, in love with people who maybe just really are horrible at staying in a committed relationship.
Sometimes I stop and think of other guys that I may have let slip by. Guys that could've been great if I had just let my guard down a little bit and let them in. Guys that, even if it wouldn't last forever, could at least give me the nudge I needed to get back into the dating world.
I think that sometimes, we as girls need to step back and try to clearly think about what we are doing with ourselves here. I mean, sure...he may be the one, he may not be, but I don't think it's fair that we just sit around and wait for them to figure it out. We just need to remember sometimes that we don't need anyone who doesn't need us. We should go out and do what we want and live our lives. If they come back, then maybe it really is meant to last longer, and if not, at least we didn't waste our time.
What do you think? Have you been a relationship like this?

Interpreting Dreams

riday, 11 February 2011

  • /META/Interpreting Your Dreams: There IS a Reason Why Your Cat Drove a Schoolbus/META/



    I found this really cool website that is essentially a dictionary for your dreams. The major themes in your dream can be looked up and interpreted all on one website. Sounds cool right? Skeptical? Well, lets check it out. I will explain a dream I once had, and then analyze it based on the websites interpretation. Ready? Let's begin! 

    So I’m in this dream and I really have to poo, like really bad. I go into this room and sit down on the toilet. For some reason I don’t notice that there was an 8-piece family sitting at a dinner table next to me. They are either speaking French, or I just know they are French. So here I am, sitting on the toilet and this foreign family is sitting having dinner. I feel awkward because I can see they are talking about me, and snickering. Plus I am going number 2 during their salad course. It was really awkward. The tension gets worse as I wipe, with each pass of the paper it builds. I rush out of the bathroom, wondering why those people had a toilet in their dining room, or a dining room in their bathroom. Weird right? That's all I can remember.

     

    Now, Let's analyze using the website!:
    The weird bathroom: To dream that you are in a public restroom with no stalls or that there are a lot of people around while you are trying to do your business, signifies your frustrations about getting enough privacy. You are always putting others ahead of your own needs. As a result, you are lacking a sense of personal space. Alternatively, the dream indicates that you are having difficulties letting go of old emotions. You are afraid that if you reveal these feelings, then others around you will judge and criticize you.
    Guest at a dinner party: To dream that you are a guest at a dinner party, signifies enjoyable pleasures with close friends.
    Hearing French: If you do not speak French and you hear French in your dream, signifies a sensual and romantic part of yourself. It is often referred to as the language of love. Alternatively, the dream represents your unwillingness to understand some issue. You are not giving enough attention to some waking relationship.
    Need for Poop: According to Freud, feces is related to possession, pride, shame, money/financial matters, or aggressive acts.
    Now basically if I put all of these things together I am a proud/shameful, insecure guy in love with a lot of close friends?? It's hard to assemble them but you get the drift. Sure its kind of weird and probably mostly not true, but its worth a shot! Want to see what your dreams mean? Click here!

    Do you think this stuff is cool or bogus?

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Has Obama Done anything?

Obama punted on the economy and reversed the fortunes of the Democrats in 365 days.
He’s misjudged the character of the country in his whole approach. There’s the saying, “It’s the economy, stupid.” He didn’t get it. He was determined somehow or other to adopt a whole new agenda. He didn’t address the main issue.
This health-care plan is going to be a fiscal disaster for the country. Most of the country wanted to deal with costs, not expansion of coverage. This is going to raise costs dramatically.
In the campaign, he said he would change politics as usual. He did change them. It’s now worse than it was. I’ve now seen the kind of buying off of politicians that I’ve never seen before. It’s politically corrupt and it’s starting at the top. It’s revolting.
Five states got deals on health care—one of them was Harry Reid’s. It is disgusting, just disgusting. I’ve never seen anything like it. The unions just got them to drop the tax on Cadillac plans in the health-care bill. It was pure union politics. They just went along with it. It’s a bizarre form of political corruption. It’s bribery. I suppose they could say, that’s the system. He was supposed to change it or try to change it.
Even that is not the worst part. He could have said, “I know. I promised these things, but let me try to do them one at a time.” You want to deal with health care? Fine. Issue No. 1 with health care was the cost. You know I think it was 37 percent or 33 who were worried about coverage. Fine, I wrote an editorial to this effect. Focus on cost-containment first. But he’s trying to boil the ocean, trying to do too much. This is not leadership.
More Daily Beast opinion on Obama’s first year Obama’s ability to connect with voters is what launched him. But what has surprised me is how he has failed to connect with the voters since he’s been in office. He’s had so much overexposure. You have to be selective. He was doing five Sunday shows. How many press conferences? And now people stop listening to him. The fact is he had 49.5 million listeners to first speech on the economy. On Medicare, he had 24 million. He’s lost his audience. He has not rallied public opinion. He has plunged in the polls more than any other political figure since we’ve been using polls. He’s done everything wrong. Well, not everything, but the major things.
I don’t consider it a triumph. I consider it a disaster.
One business leader said to me, “In the Clinton administration, the policy people were at the center, and the political people were on the sideline. In the Obama administration, the political people are at the center, and the policy people are on the sidelines.”
I’m very disappointed. We endorsed him. I voted for him. I supported him publicly and privately.
I hope there are changes. I think he’s already laid in huge problems for the country. The fiscal program was a disaster. You have to get the money as quickly as possible into the economy. They didn’t do that. By end of the first year, only one-third of the money was spent. Why is that?
He should have jammed a stimulus plan into Congress and said, “This is it. No changes. Don’t give me that bullshit. We have a national emergency.” Instead they turned it over to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi who can run circles around him.
It’s very sad. It’s really sad.
He’s improved America’s image in the world. He absolutely did. But you have to translate that into something. Let me tell you what a major leader said to me recently. “We are convinced,” he said, “that he is not strong enough to confront his enemy. We are concerned,” he said “that he is not strong to support his friends.”
The political leadership of the world is very, very dismayed. He better turn it around. The Democrats are going to get killed in this election. Jesus, looks what’s happening in Massachusetts.
It’s really interesting because he had brilliant, brilliant political instincts during the campaign. I don’t know what has happened to them. His appointments present somebody who has a lot to learn about how government works. He better get some very talented businesspeople who know how to implement things. It’s unbelievable. Everybody says so. You can’t believe how dismayed people are. That’s why he’s plunging in the polls.
I can’t predict things two years from now, but if he continues on the downward spiral he is on, he won’t be reelected. In the meantime, the Democrats have recreated the Republican Party. And when I say Democrats, I mean the Obama administration. In the generic vote, the Democrats were ahead something like 52 to 30. They are now behind the Republicans 48 to 44 in the last poll. Nobody has ever seen anything that dramatic.

Why i hate my Job!!!

Cope With Your Job
If everybody loved their job, they probably wouldn't call it work. The lucky ones are those guys who have figured out how to get paid for doing what they love, while the rest of us simply get paid so we can afford to do what we love on the weekends.

But for some of us, the workplace can be miserable, so much so that it consumes your whole life. And in a tough job market, the idea of quitting without having another job lined up is just too risky.

If you find yourself dreading work in the morning, or unable to relax at the end of the week, here are a few tips to help you cope with a job you hate - whether you decide to tough it out or find something else.

These 11 tips will help you cope regardless of why you hate your job, whether it's a terrible boss, nasty coworkers, or incompetent subordinates.

1- Rant, rave and holler

Just don't do it at the office. It used to be that the only people who heard us complain about work were our wives or girlfriends. However, this is the age of feminism, so she's probably working too. Your friends are out, they have their own problems, and you can't complain to your coworkers since they might be part of the problem.

Try posting your gripes on a site like Jobvent.com. You'll feel better when you get it off your chest, and while you're looking for a new place to work, you can see what people have to say about some of the companies you're looking at. Plus, if there's one universal rule, it's that someone else always has it worse, so, the other guy's horror stories might put things into perspective.

2- Remind yourself that this isn't permanent

It's easy to think that things won't ever change. But that's just not true. The average worker no longer has just one career. According to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, a group that tracks economic trends, the number of careers a worker can expect to have in a lifetime is five -- and growing. Changing your job every few years has become common practice, so you shouldn't think that a few years here and a few years there is a warning sign on your resume.

3- Make time for yourself

The truth is that this is good advice whether you hate your job or not. It's easy to get into the painful grind of sleeping, working and eating. Choose an activity that you enjoy (anything from working out to reading the paper) and apply it your morning routine; that way you'll be getting up for the activity, rather than the job.

4- Add something fun to the mix at work


Nobody works all of the time at the office. Try and give yourself a little break from your workday. Check out your favorite sports teams on ESPN.com. Or, listen to music (if you can). Step out for lunch and use that time to decompress from the rigors of the office. Play the occasional game on your computer. The trick is to find something that you like and have fun with it for a few minutes during your day.

5- Keep your sense of humor


It's not just an old wives' tale that laughter is the best medicine. Many scientists believe that humor can enhance your ability to cope with a number of situations by giving you perspective and helping you to see that the problem is manageable. Try and add humor to your daily routine whenever possible. Watch a sitcom over a drama or listen to a goofy morning radio show rather than the news. Keeping your sense of humor will allow you to be optimistic in the face of adversity, which will help you keep the ball rolling forward every day.

6- Focus on life outside of the office


If you spend eight hours a day at work, and eight hours sleeping, that leaves you eight hours all to yourself. When you let a crappy day at work take over your life, you're letting the company steal your time without paying you for it. Take your time during the day and focus on what you want. Release tension by playing ball with the guys. Go see a movie with that cute woman in your building. Or, have a nice meal on a Tuesday night for no reason at all. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that you leave your work at work.

7- Be a better worker


You may not be happy at work, but you don't have to waste your time. Since you're likely applying for other jobs anyway, you might as well do all you can to enhance your skills. Take advantage of training programs, if your company offers them. Better still, try and convince your boss that you need to leave early once a week to attend a class at a local community college. That way you'll get out of work and make yourself more attractive to future employers at the same time.

8- Don't jeopardize your job


On a note related to the previous tip, however awful things are, you don't want to ruin all of the hard work you've done. Even if you're eventually leaving your job, you don't want to leave it on bad terms, so make all the effort you can to keep from destroying relationships at your job. Also, don't slack off. How you perform at your current job can determine if you get your next one. Use that as motivation to keep your performance up. A positive attitude will go a long way in getting you out of a bad situation.

9- Organize an activity at work


If your problem at work is that it has become a grind, chances are that some of your coworkers probably feel the same way. Assuming that you actually like your coworkers, try suggesting an activity with them to liven things up. Make plans for the office to go bowling one night. Or, get a weekly softball game together (ask some of the companies you do business with if they'd like to play against your team and maximize your networking potential).

10- Set job-hunting goals for yourself


The best way to get through a hard time is to set goals in terms of finding new employment and meet them. By setting goals you identify a finish line, and by meeting the goals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis you give yourself something to feel good about. The goals can range from sending out resumes to expanding your networking opportunities.

11- Seek professional help


More than 19 million American suffer from depression. While workplace stress isn't the sole cause of depression, it is a factor. If you find that you can't cope with your job, it's important to seek professional help before a more serious problem develops. Your goal here is to maintain your sanity above all else. To do that, you should check with your employer to see if they offer counseling through an EAP (Employee Assistance Program).

Many larger companies offer these programs to help workers cope with job-related problems on the theory that a happy worker is a productive worker. If your employer doesn't offer an EAP, check with your insurance company to see if you're covered for visits to a mental health professional.

working 9 to 5

A bad job can seem like the end of the world. The key to surviving it is to have vision beyond the troubles of today. You don't need to figure out a way to love the job you hate, and you don't need to fix all of the problems at work. All you need to do is cope long enough to find a new job.


Love!!!!

To love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart, and to sing it to them when they have forgotten. - By Anonymous

Guys are you aware of the famous love stories that have become the role models for lovebirds. I'm sure we all are familiar with famous lovers like Romeo - Juliet and Shah Jahan - Mumtaz Mahal etc. They are truly the icons of love and passion. These great love stories inspire the lovers to walk together holding each other's hands through good and touch times. Read further to know about famous love affair



Romeo - Juliet: Romeo and Juliet is a story of two passionate lovebirds belonging to two rival groups namely Capulets and the Montagues. These two lovers tied their wedding knots with the help of Romeo's friend, Friar Lawrence. Juliet's father unaware of his daughter's marriage decided to marry her off to a guy of his choice called Paris. Friar Lawrence advised Juliet to say yes for marriage and he told her his plan, which was that on the morning of the very wedding day, she would drink potion prepared by him. And after drinking it, she would go into a state of deep sleep. People would think that she has died and she would be buried. Then little later Romeo would come to rescue her. So Juliet agreed to his idea and did what was told to her. But as we all know life doesn't go the way we plan, it happened with Romeo-Juliet too. Juliet did as was told to her by Friar but before Romeo could be informed about the plan, he got the news of his sweetheart's death and he got real panicky. He reached the graveyard and killed himself. Later when Juliet awoke, she discovered what had actually happened and seeing her darling lying lifeless on the floor, she also committed suicide.
  • Laila - Majnu: it is a very famous love story of a rich girl Laila and a poor young lad called Majnu. Laila's parents didn't agree for their daughter's marriage with a poor guy and so they married her off to a boy of their choice. But laila could not bear the thought of separation from her love so she committed suicide. Hearing this news, Majnu went to the graveyard where his sweetheart was buried and killed himself. So this is the sad story of these two lovebirds.
  • Heer - Ranjha: Heer was a gorgeous lady who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. And Ranjha was a poor guy, who after having a confrontation with his brothers, left his home and kept wandering. While roaming, he reached Heer's village. Ranjha got the job to take care of Heer's cattle. He was excellent in playing flute and this is what mesmerized Heer and she gave her heart to him. And so was the case with Ranjha. Both began to do secret meetings. But then came a twist in their life that separated the two lovers. They were caught by Heer's jealous uncle "Kaido" and her parents. And the girl's parents decided to marry her off to a boy called" Saida Khera". But the girl's uncle poisoned her before she could get married and she died. On getting this bad news, her lover came running and seeing her lover lying dead on the floor, he also died.
Other Famous Couples Are: -
  • Cleopatra- Mark Antony
  • Edward VIII and Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson
  • Marie and Pierre Curie
May God rest the souls of these great lovers in peace.hahahaha!!!!

Apophis: The Asteroid That Could Smash Into the Earth on April 13th, 2036

Apophis is an asteroid with an slightly offset orbit to that of Earth's. Discovered in June 2004, astronomers have determined that it will make a very close flyby on Friday, April 13th, 2029, where it will pass to within 5 Earth diameters of us. The exact path the asteroid follows on its flyby in 2029 will determine whether it smashes into the Earth seven years later.
In 2004, it was first thought that the asteroid would hit us in the first flyby in 2029. The initial calculation for the orbit was made using only two sets of observations, those made in June and a subsequent set made in December.
From those observations, astronomers calculated a 1-in-200 chance that the asteroid would hit the Earth. If this was true, then this asteroid had become the most dangerous asteroid ever found. After taking more observations , the chances climbed even higher and by the end of December 2004, the chances of the Earth being struck by this asteroid climbed as high as 1-in-37.
Normally, when more observations are taken the chances of this kind of collision decrease. Not so here, it seemed like this thing was really going to hit us.
Luckily, some other observations from other sources were located and they allowed astronomers to calculate a more precise orbit. From those images they were able to conclude that there was no way that Apophis was going to hit the Earth. Whew!
For a while there though, you can bet there were some astronomers with some pretty tight sphincters.
We're not out of the woods yet. As you may know, when one celestial object passes close to another one, their orbits are altered a bit by the gravitational forces interacting between the two bodies. Since Apophis is much smaller than the Earth (it is 320 meters - or 1050 feet- across), its orbit will be the one affected. As it flies by our humble little planet, its orbit will change.
So, after astronomers had determined that the April 2029 encounter wasn't going to impact the Earth, they ran some simulations and found that the orbit of the asteroid will bend about 28 degrees, altering its course.
The flyby will make the orbit a bit bigger and Apophis will travel a bit slower. How much the orbit changes depends on how close it gets to us. If it flies through a specific 610-meter wide region of space as it goes past us in 2029, then Apophis' and the Earth will be in the exact same spot 7 years later on Sunday, April 13th, 2036.
So, what are the chances that Apophis will pass through that tiny region of space? Rest assured that astronomers are observing like crazy to get the best possible estimate.
Right now, it stands at 1-in-48,000.
One more time: Whew.
Just for reference, there is a 1-in-354,319 chance that you'll be killed in an airplane accident.
More definitive measurements still need to be made. Keep in mind that this thing is pretty small as astronomical bodies go. Even though its effects could be huge on the Earth if it hit us, relatively speaking and because of the vastness of space, this asteroid is tiny and very hard to see. It is currently hovering just outside of out ability to see it in telescopes.
That will change in 2010 - 2011. At that time, the asteroid will be close enough to us that optical and radar observations can be made accurately enough to make a better estimate.
I think I'll be paying attention to those results.
We are very fortunate that there are people out there whose job is to look for these things and warn us about them.
This sort of impact has happened before. It is widely believed that such an impact by an asteroid is responsible for changing the Earth in such a way as to adversely affect the dinosaurs, wiping them out. Also, The Tunguska Event is believed to be an explosion of a meteorite in the air above Siberia
There are all sorts of objects like Apophis whirling over our heads. There is a real chance that the Earth can be struck by an asteroid we haven't seen yet. Because they are so small, they are dim and are easily missed by our telescopes.
Luckily, Apophis was observed early and we have many years to watch it and prepare for what it might do. This raises all sorts of interesting questions such as, what is our plan in the event of such a disaster? How can we prepare ourselves? How many resources should be made available for such an event?
We should be able to learn sometime in the 2010 decade whether this thing will actually hit us or not. If it is found that it will, then we'll have roughly 20 years to prepare. By that time, there is no doubt that many options will be explored (and fast).
This event, however, raises the spectre of those asteroids we do not know about and that may not give us as much warning. What about them? Perhaps we should be spending some money on more telescopes whose sole purpose is to look for such objects.
As with all things, we need to weight the chance of getting hit by an asteroid against the cost of getting prepared. There are many things that would probably be prudent to develop in case such an event actually does transpire.
The fact there is a better chance of being hit by this asteroid than dying in an airplane accident should be motivation enough to give some thought to planning for such a disaster as well as allocating resources to it.
Finally, let's address the issue of what would happen if the Earth was hit by this asteroid. A lot depends on where it hits. The ocean would be a great place for this thing to hit, for example. While it would still make a mess (tidal waves, etc), a lot of the energy would be absorbed by the water.
NASA estimates the energy from this particular asteroid to be roughly the same as if 65,000 nuclear bombs were dropped on us. What happens next depends on where it hits. It would certainly trash the immediate area, and it looks like estimates (from Wikipedia) tell us that an impact winter (a period of extended cold weather brought on by dust and particles shrouding the Earth and blocking the Sun) is unlikely.
Talk about astronomy you can use...

What is true Peace

What Is True Peace?
Excerpted from Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community and the World

By Thich Nhat Hanh
Buddha - Dharma -BuddhismBuddhist Sutra Kindness Compassion Wisdom Education Vegetarian Peace www.drba.org/
Creating True Peace is both a profound work of spiritual guidance and a practical blueprint for peaceful inner change and global change. It is the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh's answer to our deep-rooted crisis of violence and our feelings of helplessness, victimization, and fear. As a world-renowned writer, scholar, spiritual leader, and Zen Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the most visible, revered activists for peace and Engaged Buddhism — the practice he created that combines mindful living and social action. Having lived through two wars in his native Vietnam, he works to prevent conflict of all kinds — from the internal violence of individual thoughts to interpersonal and international aggression.
Now, in this new book, perhaps his most important work to date, Thich Nhat Hanh uses a beautiful blend of visionary insight, inspiring stories of peacemaking, and a combination of meditation practices and instruction to show us how to take Right Action. A book for people of all faiths, it is a magnum opus — a compendium of peace practices that can help anyone practice nonviolent thought and behavior, even in the midst of world upheaval.
More than any of his previous books, Creating True Peace tells stories of Thich Nhat Hanh and his students practicing peace during wartime. These demonstrate that violence is an outmoded response we can no longer afford. The simple, but powerful daily actions and everyday interactions that Thich Nhat Hanh recommends can root out violence where it lives in our hearts and minds and help us discover the power to create peace at every level of life — personal, family, neighborhood, community, state, nation, and world.
Whether dealing with extreme emotions and challenging situations or managing interpersonal and international conflicts, Thich Nhat Hanh relies on the 2,600-year-old traditional wisdom and scholarship of the Buddha, as well as other great scriptures. He teaches us to look more deeply into our thoughts and lives so that we can know what to do and what not to do to transform them into something better. With a combination of courage, sweetness, and candor, he tells us that we can make a difference; we are not helpless; we can create peace here and now. Creating True Peace shows us how.
Chapter 1
True peace is always possible. Yet it requires strength and practice, particularly in times of great difficulty. To some, peace and nonviolence are synonymous with passivity and weakness. In truth, practicing peace and nonviolence is far from passive. To practice peace, to make peace alive in us, is to actively cultivate understanding, love, and compassion, even in the face of misperception and conflict. Practicing peace, especially in times of war, requires courage.
All of us can practice nonviolence. We begin by recognizing that, in the depths of our consciousness, we have both the seeds of compassion and the seeds of violence. We become aware that our mind is like a garden that contains all kinds of seeds: seeds of understanding, seeds of forgiveness, seeds of mindfulness, and also seeds of ignorance, fear, and hatred. We realize that, at any given moment, we can behave with either violence or compassion, depending on the strength of these seeds within us.
When the seeds of anger, violence, and fear are watered in us several times a day, they will grow stronger. Then we are unable to be happy, unable to accept ourselves; we suffer and we make those around us suffer. Yet when we know how to cultivate the seeds of love, compassion, and understanding in us every day, those seeds will become stronger, and the seeds of violence and hatred will become weaker and weaker. We know that if we water the seeds of anger, violence, and fear in us, we will lose our peace and our stability. We will suffer and we will make those around us suffer. But if we cultivate the seeds of compassion, we nourish peace within us and around us. With this understanding, we are already on the path of creating peace.
The teachings of this book are offered to help anyone who aspires to lead a life of nonviolence. These practices are the living legacy of the Buddha and of my ancestral teachers. They are as powerful today as they were at the time of the Buddha's awakening, 2,600 years ago. Together, they form a practical manual of peace - for you, your family, your community, and the world. At this time, with so much conflict in the world, I am offering this book to help us realize that violence is not inevitable. Peace is there for us in every moment. It is our choice.
The Nature of War
In 1946, during the French-Indochina War, I was a novice monk at the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, central Vietnam. At that time, the city of Hue was occupied by the French army. One day, two French soldiers arrived at our temple. While one stayed in the jeep outside the temple gate, the other came in, carrying a gun, and demanded all of our rice. We had only one sack of rice for all the monks and he wanted to take it away.


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Copyright © 2003 by The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh
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About the Author
Thich Nhat Hanh Thich Nhat Hanh (tik not hahn) is a world-renowned writer, scholar, spiritual leader, and Zen Buddhist monk. He lives in the monastic communities he founded in France, Vermont, and California, and his lineage is traceable directly to the Buddha himself. The author of the New York Times bestseller Anger as well as numerous other books, which have sold well over a million copies, he conducts public workshops throughout the world and peace-making retreats with Vietnam veterans, Palestinians, and Israelis. More