GOZmosis

The Checklist for Writing a Book and Getting Published

2012-02-13T01:28:00.000-08:00

Don’t fall down on the easy stuff. If you’re writing a novel and sending your manuscript to a publisher, it has to be in perfect shape. Make sure that you can tick every box before you consider your novel completely finished.

Technical

Have you run a spell check on your entire manuscript? (If you have problems with the passive voice, run a grammar check too.)
Have you made sure that character names and place names are consistent throughout?
Is the chronology correct?

Language

Is the language in your novel clear and understandable?
Did you make sure that the text isn’t overly complex, verbose, patronising or obscure?
If more than one comma is in a sentence, should it be two sentences?
If you use more than one adverb and adjective in any sentence, are you sure you need them? In fact, is every one of them necessary?

Character

Are all your novel's characters utterly necessary? Would the story be tidier or faster if a minor character was removed or merged with another?
Are all the characters easily distinguished from each other? If you have two characters, both aged 30 with red hair, both married to tall men called John, one called Marion and the other Miriam, merge them into one.
Do you have a strong main character?
Does the reader have a reason to identify with the main character? (Remember, ‘identify with’ isn’t the same as ‘like’. We only need to be interested in the characters and want to know what happens to them, we don’t necessarily have to fall in love with them.)
Does your protagonist have a strong antagonist; someone who wants the opposite of what they want?

Style

Have you checked that, wherever possible, you’re ‘showing’ and not ‘telling’?
Is your text colourful in the sense that it isn’t unrealistically simplistic? Things in real life are rarely pure and seldom simple. If you present them as such, your book won’t seem realistic.

Theme

Does your book have a theme?
Does it say something about something, whether implicit or explicit?
Do you know what sort of book you’ve written?
What genre (or genres) does it fall into?
Does your book have the characteristics of that genre, and if not, what have you put in their place to keep the reader interested?

Dialogue

Is the dialogue within your novel realistic?
Do you use ‘he said’ and ‘she said’ instead of ‘he expostulated’ and ‘she exclaimed’ and as sparingly as possible, only to make it clear who’s talking?
Do all the characters sound individual, or do they all sound the same?
If the characters are all the same age and social background, have you put in phrases and individual modes of speaking to help the reader tell them apart?

SOURCE: George Green and Lizzy Kremer

Come a little closer

2012-02-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

Bergmann Funeral Services

How to Make It in America Season 3

2012-02-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

How to Make It in America is a snapshot of the beating heart of young ambition and energy in New York City. Youth may flail--and even fail--but good ideas and smarts and an "angle" just might pay off in the City That Never Sleeps. The ensemble cast is terrific, including Bryan Greenberg, Victor Rasuk, Lake Bell, Shannyn Sossamon, Kid Cudi, and the always-hilarious Luis Guzmán. Some are layabouts, some are craven with ambition, some are artistes, some are thugs-and some are all of the above.

Much like Entourage does, How to Make It in America follows a group of friends and acquaintances through their daily lives, and sometimes feels as aimless as real life really is. But the writing and direction and acting are all first-rate, and anyone who's ever visited New York, or lived there, or dreamed of living there, will be captivated by the realism. The reality of New York is both romanticized and taken at harsh face value--such a vivid portrait, in fact, that the city feels like another character in the ensemble. And it's true that as a metaphor where dreams are created--or dashed--New York is unparalleled.

How to Make It in America works as a comedy, a drama, and a character study that completely draws in the viewer--even if the characters aren't always likable. TV doesn't really get any better than this. And remember--if you can "Make It" here, you can make it anywhere. --A.T. Hurley

The first season received mixed reviews. As of this writing, it currently has a score of 59/100 on review aggregator Metacritic. David Hinkley of the New York Daily News gave the show a positive review, giving the show 4/5 stars, and calling it a "winner". Brian Lowry of Variety was doubtful of the series, stating "barring a dramatic leap in quality" it probably wouldn't last on pay cable. Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald wrote critically, saying "this sad sack of a show plays like an East Coast, economically challenged version of his HBO hit “Entourage.” Randee Dawn of The Hollywood Reporter said the show "isn't as textured and riveting as it thinks it is". Other reviews, however, favored the show in comparison to Entourage.

In its second season, "How to Make It In America" averaged about 2.3 million viewers on Sunday nights -- down 25% from its first season -- and suffered from a serious lack of buzz. (In comparison, HBO didn't cancel the newbie "Enlightened," which only premiered to 1.5 million viewers.

What about season 3

Although on December 20th, 2011, HBO announced that the show was cancelled, a Season 3 is expected by the fans of the show following their protests and petition for a new season. Also the executive producer Mark Wahlberg has stated that the producers have been talking to other networks, with the hope that a third season is aired on a new network.

How to Make it in America Desktop Wallpaper

You can download the wallpaper here:

How to Make it in America

Don't Delete Cookies

2012-02-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

or else you might upset the Cookie Monster :)

Who is Gossip Girl

2012-01-31T15:09:00.000-08:00

Big Spoiler Alert! (Biggest Gossip Girl Spoiler Ever)

"Gossip girl here, your one and only source into the scandaleous lives of Manhattan's elite."

"You know you love me, XOXO"

- Gossip girl

The biggest shocker on last Monday's (January 30th, 2012) 100th episode of Gossip Girl (5x13) wasn't Blair Waldorf's (Leighton Meester) royal wedding dress, Serena Van der Woodsen's (Blake Lively) renewed love for Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) or Blair's totally mortifying moment at the altar with Prince Louis.

Obviously, there was a major sea change in Blair’s emotional and romantic life, but the big headline was the reveal of Gossip Girl herself. The scandal blogger’s identity has been hotly debated and speculated on for more than four years now, but it took a landmark episode for producers Joshua Safran and Stephanie Savage (who spoke with EW’s own Shaunna Murphy about last night’s ep) to finally relent and unmask the person behind all the texts, blasts, and video revelations.

Gossip Girl is Georgina Sparks!

So Gossip Girl's true identity is finally revelaed. No, this is not a joke. In the final scene of Gossip Girl S05E13, Georgina Sparks who popped into Manhattan after spending time in rehab, shook up the life of Serena van der Woodsen and Dan Humphrey, also crashed Blair's wedding in the very episode, signed off the Gossip Girl blog in front of a computer.

My personal opinion:

As the gossip girl (the series) tradition, the storyline had been made for utmost unpredictability, I might expect from the screenwriters to turn the tide and make up something that Georgina Sparks wasn't always the Gossip Girl and she kind of took over the gossip blog after GG was hacked or something like that. Whatsoever, the story never grows boring and it is fun - no matter what!

What the Internet press had to say - related posts :

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2094426/Gossip-Girls-identity-revealed-years-secrecy-100th-episode.html

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/spoiler-gossip-girls-identity-revealed-after-5-years-2012311

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/01/31/gossip-girl-revealed-viewer-react/

Earlier Speculations about Gossip Girl's real identity:

http://gossipgirl.wikia.com/wiki/Possible_Gossip_Girl_Identities

SOPAMan Begins

2012-01-19T02:01:00.001-08:00

The 25 Funniest iPhone AutoCorrections of 2011

2012-01-05T01:07:00.000-08:00

No clue what AutoCorrection is?

Text replacement, Replace as you type or AutoCorrect is a function commonly found in word processors such as Microsoft Word and programming for Apple Inc. products including the iPod, iPhone and the iPad. Its principal purpose is as part of the spell checker to correct common spelling or typing errors, saving time for the user. It is also used to automatically format text or insert special characters by recognising particular character usage, saving the user from having to use more tedious functions.

Input	Output
yuor	your
(r)	®
aboutit	about it
where;s	where's
bold	bold
_italic_	italic

Beware!

In certain situations, automatic corrections can cause problems. This is particularly so in technical and scientific writing. For example, the biochemical cyclic adenosine monophosphate is commonly referred to as "cyclic AMP", which in turn is abbreviated to "cAMP". A text replacement function may regard this capitalization to be erroneous, and so change it to "Camp", which in the context of biochemistry is incorrect.

Some writers and organizations choose to consistently replace some words with others as part of their editorial policy, with occasionally unforeseen results. For example, the American Family Association chose to replace all instances of the word, "gay", on its website with the word, "homosexual". Unfortunately, this caused an article about US Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay to be littered with confusing sentences such as, "In Saturday's opening heat, Homosexual pulled way up, way too soon, and nearly was caught by the field, before accelerating again and lunging in for fourth place."

Time to Laugh

Jillian Madison runs a web site called www.damnyouautocorrect.com (abbreviated DYAC) where he showcases submissions from iPhone users who have been victimized by the erroneous auto-corrections which turned into some of the funniest jokes - though maybe hasty.

To celebrate DYAC’s 1-year anniversary, Jillian compiled the top 25 most viewed on the site and other social networks. They are hilarious.

Damn You Auto Correct! - The 25 Funniest Autocorrects Of DYAC's First Year

What Really Happened at the Stonehenge

2011-11-28T14:49:00.001-08:00

Angry Birds played at the Stonehenge

Kermit about to find out about the truth who he really is

2011-10-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

-"What I'm about to tell you is gonna change your life forever." said the doctor to Kermit, while holding and looking at his x-ray film. "Are you sure you want to know it?"

iPhone Killers Killing Each Other

2011-04-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? This is the case with iPhone and Apple's so-called iOS devices.

After so much bickering at work, and in my personal life about Apple vs others, I had decided to stop sounding like a fanatic. However something happened yesterday and I could keep my silence no longer.

I and a colleague tested two smart-phones yesterday one of them on Windows mobile and the other on Android with a multi-touch screen, just to open an e-mail message, click the link on the message and then write some comments on the page where the link would take me.

Such a simple task would take less than one minute on the iPhone, but it took 10 and 5 minutes on the Windows mobile and Android devices respectively to perform exactly the same task described above.

Because on the Windows mobile device the navigation was a real pain and the user interface so confusing that we mistakenly quit the mail client (Outlook mobile) 4-5 times while struggling to receive and locate the mail message.

On Android, which I'm normally fond of, the multi-touch gestures were usually mis-interpreted and navigation was a total struggle to do anything - not even close to the ease of use and the accuracy of iPhones without gyro.

So good luck iPhone killers in your quest to bash iPhone and not each other.

Capture Attention with an Exceptional Resume

2011-02-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

THE FIRST IMPRESSION: KEY GUIDELINES TO WRITE EYE-CATCHING RESUME

Meaning: The term curriculum vitae and bio-data are used synonymously for resume. The term bio-data refers to the biographical details of somebody. The literal meaning of the term bio-data is biographical details. whereas a resume/ curriculum vitae is an abstract or selective record of one's professional and educational achievements like formal education, work experience, qualifications, abilities and so on. It is a one-page (sometimes two-pages) document summarizing one's skills, experiences and qualifications for a position in your field. It introduces the individual to a potential employer. The main objective of a resume is winning a job interview by highlighting the applicant's fitness for a particular position.

Design: There is no one right design for a resume. The design of a resume largely depends on a person's background, employment need, career goals, and professional conventions in the area of specialization. For best results a resume must be designed to reflect the candidate's personality, employment goals and his/her career aspirations. A resume should be original.

Types: There are two different formats in order to present information in resume:

The Chronological Resume:Traditionally, the information required on a resume has usually been arranged in chronological order. The Functional Resume- The functional resume focuses on skills and strengths. Resumes can be written in objective method or in detailed method. Objective resumes give dates, titles and no qualitative salesmanship information. Resumes written in detail style provide information not only of dates, title and names, but also give in detail the quality and effectiveness of work.
However, whatever the resume design, the resume must answer the following questions:
a- How can the employer contact the candidate?
b- What are his/her career objectives?
c- Which institution has been attended?
d- What courses (academic or professional) has been completed?
e- What is his/her work experience?
f- What are his/her career achievement?
g- What are his/her special skills or capabilities?
h- What are the awards or honors he/she received?
i- What are his/her activities/special interests/hobbies?
j- What is his/her personal detail?
k- Who are his references?

The answer may be integrated to these questions into different parts of a resume.

ELEMENTS OF A RESUME

The standard parts of a resume include the heading, position sought, career objective, education, work-experience, specific skills, achievements, activities, personal detail and references.

1- Heading:- The heading of a resume includes contact information, which contains the applicant's name, full postal address with pin code, telephone number with area code, fax number and e-mail address.
Example-
DR. RAHUL SINGH
6C/21, A Block
Rajendra Nagar
Jaipur-302001
M- 9897345623
E-mail: drrahulsing@gmail. com

2- Position Sought:- If applying for a solicited job position, the position sought should be mentioned. It is optional.

3- Career Objective:- It is a special part in a resume. If responding to an advertised job position, the resume should include the applicant's career objective.

Example
To contribute to the growth of high technology materials engineering enterprise by working in a position where i will have opportunities to utilize my exposure.
If you are just exploring a job position by sending an all-purpose resume, you may use a general statement as your career objective.

Another Example
Position in academic administration. Faculty position in computer aided design.

4- Professional Summary:-Some resume s may include a professional summary in place of career objective. It is a one sentence statement listing the applicant's most important qualifications, skills and key work experience.

Example
Six years experience as director in academic field.

5- Education: In this part of a resume, specific details regarding the applicant's education and professional training must be included. The name and location of the school/college/university attended, major areas of studies, degree/certificates received, grade point average/class/division should be mentioned. Relevant training programs, special courses, seminar and workshop attended or conducted should also be mentioned.

6- Work Experience: Work experience should be given in reverse chronological order, by listing the most recent employment first. Title of the position, employer's name or name of the organization, company, location of work, dates of employment and important job responsibilities, activities and accomplishment should be included.

7- Special Skills, Abilities and Aptitudes:- In this part of resume, the applicant's special skills, abilities and aptitudes that are of significance and of direct relevance to the purpose of resume are given.

Example
Special skills include computer programming, data processing and technical writing.

8- Activities and Interest:- Extracurricular, co-curricular, professional activities and interests must be mentioned in this part.

9- Achievements/Accomplishments/ Honours/ Awards:- Achievements/accomplishments/ honours/awards distinguish one person from another. This part should include scholarships, fellowships, awards, distinctions, certificates and commendations, or anything that shows achievements or recognition.

Example
Chancellor award for academic excellence (all semester) in M. Tech.

10- Personal Detail: Full name, date of birth, sex, health, marital status, religion, nationality, permanent address, contact number, email id and language known must be mentioned in this part of a resume.

11- References:- In this part of a resume minimum two or maximum three person's full name with their position, postal address, contact number and email id must be mentioned. These person may include the applicants previous employer, teacher, immediate supervision, research guide, colleague, subordinate and so on.

KEY POINTS TO WRITE EFFECTIVE RESUME

Your resume is usually your first impression to an employer, which makes it a powerful self-marketing tool which can make or break your chances at getting an interview. To make your resume stand out:

Format your resume chronologically or functionally.
Keep it short one-page, if possible
Be succinct (brief, concise)
Customize your resume for each job you reply for
Be neat; make sure that you use bullet points when necessary
Be honest about your skills and work experience?
Job objective should be written to relate both the company and the job description
Your experience should be continuous
Use action word (developed, handled, organized, created etc. ) and phrases when describing your experience
Choose effective and strong words and phrases for emphasis rather than complete sentences
Ask someone you trust to check over your resume and make sure that they really critique your works
Proofread your resume and make sure your resume is neat, visually appealing, attractive, grammatically correct and typo (misprint, typographical error) free
Always include a cover letter referencing the company needs and your qualifications for the job. Cover letter is also known as job application letter.
Lastly, the four questions your resume should answer-

a- What do you want? (Objective)
b- Why are you qualified to do it? (Professional summary)
c- Where have you done it? (Experience)
d- How well have you done it? (Achievement)

Appendices

Contact and Address Detail
# Put the contact and address details at the foot of the resume for middle and senior job vacancies, when you want maximum impact for your job-related strengths.
# Put your contact and address details at the top of the resume if you have the slightest feeling that the vacancy or the screening process involves processing large numbers of applicants, and in which basic skills and basic personal circumstances are the priority screening and selection criteria.

Writing Resume with no Career History or Work Experience
# Experience is in everything we do especially in the most important areas such as maturity (grown-up attitude) and emotional intelligence, communication, creativity, responsibility, determination, integrity, compassion, problem-solving etc. , are the qualities employers really seek so if you are leaving college/university and putting together your first resume then look for the relevant transferable learning in your life experience and use these examples with the structured resume.

Personal Profile
Write five to seven high impact statements that describes you. As
# Highly articulate, confident and persuasive, team-builder, able to motivate ant communicate to achieve exceptional business/job performance.
# High personal integrity and able to relate to and create trust to all.
# Result-driven, logical and methodical approach to achieving tasks and objectives.
# Seeks new responsibilities irrespective of reward and recognition.

Career History
Give a tight compact summary of your career.

Examples of Experience
# Planning
# Communicating
# Dealing with customers-internal/external
# Researching and exploring
# Creating
# Scheduling
# Designing and developing
# Decision making
# Directing activities
# Determining direction, policy and strategies
# Working under pressure and meeting deadlines, etc.

Examples of non-work experiences that can be used as a basic or relevant and impressive experience instead of work related experience

Teaching and helping people
Languages and creative writing
Making things
Local politics and trade union activities
Computers and telecom
Thinking and philosophizing
Becoming Expert and accumulating knowledge in anything.

Retrieved from " http://www.articlesbase.com/resumes-articles/the-first-impression-capture-attention-with-an-exceptional-resume-931752.html "

Dr. Shivali SinghLecturer in English Department of Applied Sciences & Humanities CET, IFTM Campus Moradabad-244011

Winter solstice marked by Lunar Eclipse 2010

2010-12-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's Lunar eclipse (that is the 21st of December 2010) and winter solstice to coincide for first time in 372 years. The eclipse will fall on the shortest day of the year – the winter solstice – for the first time since 1638.

Ian Sample had this to say on the Guardian UK:

The skies over Britain will turn a dark shade of red tomorrow morning as the moon moves into the Earth's shadow in a rare lunar eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon are almost exactly in line, with the moon and sun on opposite sides of our home planet.

The alignment will cause the full moon to appear much dimmer than usual, but sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere will give the lunar surface a deep reddish hue at dawn.

The eclipse is due to begin at 5.28am, as the moon enters the lightest part of Earth's shadow, known as the penumbra. In this early phase of the eclipse, the moon will appear yellowish in the pre-dawn sky.

A more significant dimming begins as the moon enters into the darker part of Earth's shadow at 6.32am and becomes completely eclipsed at 7.40am.

Unlike an eclipse of the sun, star gazers do not need protective eye equipment to observe a lunar eclipse.

» Read more...

The partial eclipse begins when the Moon first enters the dark inner, umbral part of the Earth's shadow, and will become a total eclipse at 7.40am.

It will reach its maximum at 8.17am, and end at 8.53am.

From southern parts of the UK, the initial partial phase and the beginning of totality will be visible, but the Moon will be dropping down into the western sky as dawn approaches.

From those locations, when totality begins, the Moon will be very low in the west-north-western sky, close to the horizon and in a rapidly brightening sky.

From locations in Scotland and Northern Ireland, totality will be visible in its entirety, but the Moon will be low down after the time of greatest eclipse.

John Mason, from the British Astronomical Association, said: "Observers should go out at about 6.30am when, if the sky is clear, the Moon will be visible in the western sky, and they will be able to watch as more and more of the southern part of the Moon becomes immersed in the Earth's shadow.

"They can continue watching until the eclipse becomes total at 7.40am, and hopefully for a little while after this time, if they have an unobstructed western horizon."

Dr Mason added: "For observers in the British Isles, the very low elevation of the Moon during the total phase means that it is not possible to predict just how dark the Moon will be when it is eclipsed, or what colour it will appear. One will just have to go out and have a look."

On Cure for HIV

2010-12-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

According to German doctors, an American man with HIV may have been cured of his infection by a bone marrow transplant in Germany.

In 2007, the man received a bone marrow transplant to treat his leukemia. The transplant — which treats leukemia by essentially rebooting the body's immune system and creating new white blood cells —also had the benefit of wiping out the HIV infection. Now, three and a half years later, the patient remains HIV-free, which suggests he is cured of the disease, the researchers said.

"I'm extremely excited about the result," said Jerome Zack, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies HIV infection and was not involved in the study. "It suggests that at least in this one individual, there's a long-term benefit to this approach."

In the transplant, the patient received bone marrow, which contains blood stem cells, from a donor with a rare mutation. The mutation essentially prevents the most common form of HIV from getting inside certain immune cells, called T CD4 cells, and wreaking havoc on the immune system. Afterward, the virus appeared to stop replicating in the patient's body, and he no longer needed HIV antiretroviral medication.

The bottomline: Researchers' claim that a man has been cured of HIV is exciting and suggestive, but not conclusive.

Read more of Rachael Rettner's story on msnbc.com.

A preceding story "Possible Cure For AIDS On Horizon" was published last year on Febraury 25th, 2009 which stated:

In a spectacular display of medical serendipity, doctors have successful removed the HIV virus from a man by giving him a bone marrow transplant. Like others before it, this particular method seems to have arrived completely by accident; now, it seems researchers are compiling reports of patients becoming startlingly virus-free after receiving bone marrow transplants of a specific nature. The new case, which involves a 42-year-old American male, gives researchers the stimulation they need to discover gene therapy alternatives that could replace the antiretroviral drug cocktails in the long term – one relatively inexpensive treatment might have the power to clear up the viral problem for good.

The patient in this case was treated with antiretroviral drugs in Berlin for four years in order to keep the disease at bay. He subsequently developed leukemia, for which he was treated with a bone marrow transplant. Having had to stop the use the antiretroviral drugs in the process, doctors were surprised to discover that both diseases had no resurgence in two years; he is essentially disease-free since the transplant.

According to an article in the British-based Independent,

“The man’s treatment began with a search by doctors at Berlin’s Charité Hospital for a bone marrow donor with a genetic resistance to HIV. One of the strangest features of the disease is the way some people who have been exposed to the virus on many occasions remain uninfected. Twenty years ago, it was noticed that certain prostitutes in Nairobi remained uninfected despite exposure to the virus through thousands of sexual contacts.

It has since emerged that some people carry a mutation of a gene (CCR5) that confers protection against HIV. In Western populations an estimated one to three per cent have the mutation.”

Doctors then went on to find a bone marrow donor with the particular genetic resistance to HIV which they were seeking. This systematic and deliberate approach to ridding patients of the disease has much promise and should underlie efforts of researchers for the next several years.

The story's origin goes as for as three years ago. On 2008 skytv mentioned the story. And after 2 years, the subject becomes a hot topic again with no decisive ending.

HIV 'Cure' Risky and Impractical

Experts say treatment used to 'cure' the patient is dangerous and won't work for most.

"Although it may encourage hope that a cure is feasible, this approach in practice cannot be applied to the vast majority of patients," said Dr. Douglas Richman, director of the Center for AIDS Research at the University of California at San Diego.

The "cured" patient also had leukemia, and originally received a bone marrow transplant in 2007. The researchers, led by Dr. Gero Hutter of Charite-Medical University in Berlin, first reported the man's progress at a workshop last summer and published their findings in the current issue of the journal Blood.

But the patient's marrow donor turned out to be a special case. The donor had a mutation that prevented the virus from entering cells. Research has shown that people with this mutation are rarely infected with HIV, but finding such donors is difficult.

"These donor cells are rare. About one in 100 people in central Europe have this mutation," said Dr. Frank Spinelli, who's in private practice in New York.

"We should be clear that this 'cure' will in fact have almost no impact on the average HIV-infected patient," said Bert Jacobs, a professor at Arizona State University at Tempe.

Bone marrow transplants are also inherently risky to patients. A person's own damaged bone marrow is replaced by someone else's, and the marrow donor must be a match, and such matches are difficult to find.

The procedure is also very expensive and potentially dangerous, and with other effective treatments available, it may not be worth the risk.

"The mortality rate is approximately 30 percent when it is used in cancer patients," said Spinelli.

"With modern antiretroviral therapy there is little justification for attempting such a dangerous procedure to cure a disease that is often manageable," said Jacobs.

Despite Impractical Treatment, News Is Promising

"It provides early evidence ... of the concept that HIV infection can be cured," Dr. Margaret Fischl, a professor of medicine and director of the AIDS Clinical Research Unit at the University of Miami School of Medicine, wrote in an e-mail.

"I am excited about this case," said Spinelli. "After the stem cell transplant was performed, I expected the HIV viral reservoirs would reactivate over time, and this patient's blood would show an increase in HIV viral load. That has not happened."

In addition to possibly continuing to study the role of stem cells as a potential treatment for HIV, experts said the future of research seems very bright.

"Positive results from microbicide trails, male circumcision trials, vaccine trials and pre-exposure prophylaxis trials suggest that effective, relatively passive measures to minimize transmission of HIV may be on hand within the next decade," said Jacobs.

People living with HIV will also continue to benefit from medications that are generally easy to tolerate and help improve quality of life.

"Antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV care over the past dozen years and represents one of the major medical accomplishments of the past few decades," said Richman.

Victor Maldonado is grateful for that.

"I'm currently on antiretrovirals, and the drugs work. There's no doubt about it," he said.

Even though he knows the patient in Germany is a rare case, he hopes that research like it will continue.

"Research is the lifeblood for finding treatments and a cure for HIV," he said.

Experts caution on HIV/Aids cure excitement

It could be too early for the public to start celebrating the news that a cure for the deadly HIV virus that causes Aids has finally been found, medical experts have warned.

It was reported last week that US-based scientists may have finally hit the home stretch in the long search for a cure for the disease that has ravaged nations, killing millions of people annually.

The US researchers said they have discovered a protein that can protect against a wide range of HIV, and that they now can design a vaccine against the incurable virus.

Dr Garry Nabel of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who led the US study, said the discovered proteins, called antibodies, are used by the bodies defence system to identify and neutralise foreign objects, such as bacteria and viruses.

“I am more optimistic about an Aids vaccine at this point than I have been probably in the last 10 years,’ Dr Nabel was quoted as saying, sparking unprecedented world-wide coverage of the discovery.

Welcoming the development, local medical experts and stakeholder in the HIV/Aids campaigns have termed it a positive development towards finding a cure for the scourge.

But Professor Fred Mhalu of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences warned that it is too early for Tanzanians to celebrate, thinking that a cure for HIV/Aids has been found.

Professor Mhalu said there have been similar reports in the past, which are yet to fully yield anticipated and positive results.

“It is a stepping stone towards finding a final treatment, but I can’t say for sure it is already a solution, although prospects are truly high at such level,” he told the Sunday Citizen.

Professor Mhalu heads the university’s department of Microbiology and Immunology, which has also been involved in similar research for trials for a HIV/Aids cure using volunteers from the army. He said their research has gone through two stages with satisfying results.

Asked how long it could take for the US colleagues to confirm their case, Prof Mhalu said: “That is merely a protein antibody, let’s wait until a vaccine that can stimulate it is attained, you can’t say exactly how long.”

He said scientists will receive a clear picture during the forthcoming Aids vaccine conference scheduled for Atlanta, Georgia from September 28 to October 1.

The conference is a major venue for medical researchers, providing a forum, in which highest scientific HIV researches are presented and debated.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania network for religious leaders living with HIV/Aids (Tanerela) has expressed its optimism over the latest development.

“I have been following the debate and I am of the view that this time round we might have a cure,” said reverend Amin Sandewa, a former Luthran church living with HIV/Aids.

The impact of this, he said, is that they will have more people voluntary testing for their HIV status. “Many people now fear to test, but once we have the cure, I think, more people will come out and test,” he said.

For his part, the minister for Health and Social Welfare, Professor David Mwakyusa, said there is a need to check and make sure of some facts first.

Speaking over the telephone from Dodoma, Prof Mwakyusa said: “Usually we are guided by scientific journals, and the World Health Organisation. But now I would say what I have seen indicates preliminary reports.”

He added: “It is only when we go through them and convinced it is suitable for our country, we’ll be able to say much. There are things like costs and suitability of the cure to Tanzania.”

Efforts in the past to find a vaccine that could defeat the mutations of the virus have been almost impossible. Last September, researchers reported the biggest success yet with a vaccine that appeared to slow down the rate of infection by about 30 per cent among Thai volunteers.

But the trial left many questions unanswered. Scientists have been looking for parts of the virus that do not mutate, so they can design a vaccine that will protect against the constantly changing versions.

Mobile Lawsuits

2010-10-08T00:29:00.000-07:00

Who's Suing Who in the Mobile Business.

Nokia filed a lawsuit against Apple for infringement of patent rights. Apple counter-sued Nokia for a similar cause. The chart demonstrates who's suing who in the mobile business

Lost Smoke Monster Sounds as your iPhone Ringtone

2010-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

If you are as much of a fan of Lost's smoke monster (I'm referring to the actual black smoke, and not the man in black) and the odd sounds that it makes as I am, you might want to use its strange-but-cool sound effects on your iPhone (or any other mobile device or mp3 player) as a ringtone.

The smoke monster's sounds in mp3 and m4r (iPhone ringtone) format

You can download the Lost smoke monster's sound effects here:

The video below is a compilation of scenes where the smoke monster, otherwise known as the Cerberus, appeared.

One of the looming questions about the smoke monster, besides the obvious of 'why is it on the island?' or 'how did it become trapped?' is whether or not there is more than one entitiy that travels around the island as a pillar of black smoke. We've seen the monster kill the pilot of Flight 815 and Mr. Eko, as well as members of Rousseau's team and those poor souls who stuck around the temple. We've also seen it scan others including John Locke, Kate Austen, Juliet and Richard Alpert. We've also seen Christian Shepard appear in Dharmaville to Sun and Lapidus moments after the tick tick tick of the monster was heard...

The PC strikes back

2010-06-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

This is not about work stress neither unmanaged anger. This is about that the computers have had enough, too.

Treat your PC well, especially do not be aggressive, or else...

On second thoughts, maybe we should get a Mac.

Lost Ending - Lost Finale Explained

2010-05-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

"The island is a cork of a bottle keeping the evil from spreading throughout the rest of the world"

or so, said Jacob to Richard.

The Lost Finale (episodes 17 & 18 of season 6 aka Lost S06E17) disappointed most spectators who were highly in the expectation of answers to remaining enduring mysteries or connecting the dots. The screenwriters Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof chose to leave connecting the dots or filling in the blanks to the loyal Lost fans, according to me, they also gave the rest of us a choice to tolerate the contradicting metaphors or what I would call otherwise absurdities which are explained below. This could also be considered the making of a proof that they did not plan what was to come along as the story went on, neither the finale.

Jacob was there to protect the "light", an intense source of electro-magnetic energy at the "heart" of the island. The same energy - when uncontrolled - would cause passing nearby planes to crash to the island. The same energy which turned his brother into a smoke monster which is invincible, reads people's minds, kills the characters which he no longer likes or those that the island is done with, he can also disguise himself using the bodies of dead people.

The light coming from the energy field hidden in an underground chasm is supposed to be left alone never to be visited according to Jacob's late mother who thanked her rebellious adopted son for killing her. However, as explained in the Lost Season 6 Finale (Destiny Found) when Desmond Hume and Jack Shephard went there on a sacred mission to disable the unbeatable smoke monster's powers - however they didn't turn into smoke monsters themselves for entering the cave and being exposed to the electro-magnetic power of that great source of energy! For them it was just a switch-board to turn on or off the island's power, when turned off the island would start rambling and to slowly sink into the ocean.

Talking about the smoke monster aka the man in black, who could manipulate unsuspecting souls whose only wish in his entire life was to leave the island. After the Oceanic 815 crashed on the island, the smokey chose Christian Shephard as his favorite body form as disguise to tease Jack. And in season 4, the MIB (man in black aka the smoke monster) took Claire, dwelled in a mysterious hut which would change its location as it would please (why and how never ever explained - not even in the long-awaited Finale of Lost) and fooled Ben Linus and John Locke that he was representing Jacob to tell them to move the island in order to prevent Charles Widmore (whom Jacob would later invite back to the island to bring Desmond Hume along with in Lost season 6) from sending more mercenaries to the island. In order to move the island, all one needs to do is to go to the Orchid station built by the Dharma Initiative and turn a wheel in a cold tunnel down the station. Instead he chose to stay until he could find a loophole to get someone to kill Jacob (because he can't do that himself, it's against the rules - what rules? Sorry, those rules are never explained in the Lost Finale, besides, Ben Linus finally broke it by shooting Charles Widmore to his death in the Finale. See you in another life, brothas.)

The smokey (aka the MIB) knew how this works, and at some point in season 5, he led John Locke to do it in order to teleport him to Sahara Desert from the island in a mission to bring the Oceanic 6 (otherwise known as Jack, Hurley, Kate, Sayid, Aaron and Sun) back to the island. However the smokey who is able to take any dead human's live form cannot think of doing the same for himself to leave the island - or it is Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof who can't think of such a fact or alternatively a fact that the series' spectators such as me, myself and my friends who bothered watching Lost for 6 seasons could think this was simply possible without having to kill Jacob first.

Any of this make any sense to you? Yeah, Lost, a great show. Greatest of all times with an awesome finale. OK, I admit I didn't expect the Lost finale to explain every mystery introduced earlier, but I certainly expected that the absurdities otherwise what I call "the contradictions" had a sensible explanation.

So what we've got? To summarize: some sort of bullshit never thoroughly planned from beginning to the end.

The Lost Ending, the Lost Finale or whatever you may wanna call it, at the end of 6 seasons simply sucked with proof with the crappy flash sideways which were explained as some kind of parallel universe where the Losties are already dead to encourage people like me to believe that detonating a hydrogen bomb on an island killed everyone on the island and sent them to a purgatory and others to believe whatever they want to make out of the contradiction.

Speaking of contradictions, I think I listed many of them above which proved that Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof never really planned how to end the story - they were probably following the Lost fans forum posts to change the storyline of Lost (since season 1) from what was predicted to the something unpredicted as to how they ended up with messy contradicting outcomes.

It was fan speculations which made Lost a success not the writers' method for artificial unpredictability.

Twitter's Zero-Follower Bug is the off-spring from Make-Anyone-your-Follower Bug

2010-05-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

This might be the beginning of a cyber doom's day or the judgement day for the social networking as Twitter's programmers are having a hard time fixing the "make-anyone-your-follower" bug.

The bug discovered earlier and passed on to their friend lists by social networkers was about using a reserved word (which was probably intended originally for an upcoming "invitation" feature to be added to Twitter. The word was simply "accept" when proceeded by a twitter user's handle (for example @skyhan) which would force that user to be added to your follower's list.

I was too late to exploit the bug to triple the list of my followers, as I logged in to my Twitter account, both the list of my followers and those I follow were totally gone!

By the time I tried to use the command-like combination accept @someone as a tweet, I instantly got an internal server error.

I believe Twitter's coders are on the issue and in an attempt to fix unjustly added followers, they deleted the entire follower list of many users (if not all)!

For every rising and shining star, there's a fall all the way down.

Good luck, Twitter!

xoxo

-Gossip Bird

Drivers, why you should always wear seat-belt

2010-05-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Why you should do this couldn't be expressed any better.

Watch the video to view the ultimate story-telling:

Embrace Life: Always wear your seat-belt!

Hot Math, Cool Cars

2010-05-01T17:27:00.001-07:00

Not long ago, math was considered an abstract science, with no real-world applications.

Not any more!

Watch the video from Stanford University and decide for yourself.

Developing a Plan for Your Home Business Blog

2010-04-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

A home business blog can earn you a very good income provided you have taken the time to develop an effective strategy for marketing your business. The blogging business can be very demanding therefore it is essential that you establish your business objectives and marketing strategy early on.

The planning process when creating a blog for income earning purposes is extremely important and can be broken down into 5 simple steps.

Let's have a look at the 5 steps you will need to take when planning your money making blog.

Determine Your Objectives

Here is where you 'get the ball rolling' and decide what it is you want to blog about and how you intend to get paid for your efforts. These are two HUGE decisions that could be the basis for several articles alone and should not be taken lightly.

You must be sure that whatever you choose to blog about is something that will maintain your interest and enthusiasm while also being something people are willing to pay for.

You will also have several choices as to how you will want to set up your blogging business in order to be compensated for your efforts. You can promote affiliate products, create your own products and/or use adsense on your site. You can even introduce a combination of any of these strategies. The list grows as to your selection possibilities and seems to be limited anymore only by your own imagination.

Reality Check

After you have established your objectives you will need to take an honest look at your decisions. You must determine if you have got the resources of time, skill, resolve and finances to move comfortably forward with your business objectives as they are.

Theme or Layout

When creating a blog this is probably the most enjoyable aspect for most people. This is where you will create the look and feel of your site. You will want to select an appropriate theme in accordance with your intended content. You will also want to arrange your site in a way that is comfortable to the visitor but yet reflects a certain professionalism for your business.

Content Development Strategy

To be successful in the blogging business you will need to frequently update the content on your site. This is what will attract new visitors to your blog while encouraging current subscribers to return.

How will you manage or develop the content you will need to be successful at keeping your blog updated frequently? Will you author all your own content and from where will you get your information? If you intend to outsource this task do you have the reliable means and resources to do this?

What will be the 'tone' of your delivery, or the objective of your content? Do you plan to maintain a consistent 'angle' or perspective when presenting your content or is spontaneity more preferable for your style.

These are all questions you will want to ask yourself and plan for ahead of time.

Posting Schedule

Oh yeah, remember that your content is what makes your blog successful and the more you update it the better for you and the readers.

You need to decide the frequency of your updates and if you have got the resource of time to maintain the schedule that will be needed. This is very important so be realistic when considering this particular but very important aspect of your blog.

Planning your home business blog requires careful consideration in order to develop an effective strategy for marketing your business. Establishing your business objectives and marketing strategy is essential when creating a blog to give it a clearly defined purpose and direction. By carefully focusing on each of the 5 steps we reviewed above you will be giving yourself a solid foundation upon which to build your money making blog.

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
To learn more about building a Home Business Blog and to also get a free guide that teaches valuable niche research techniques visit:http://blogbrawn.com

Tempted - A Novel Worth Looking into

2010-04-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

ISBN13: 9780312567484
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
So…you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on t. . . More >>

Tempted

Technologic Developments towards the year 3000

2010-04-21T23:44:00.001-07:00

For Earth Day, A Simple Step To Help The Planet Can Also Lower Your Cancer Risk

2010-04-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

For Earth Day, A Simple Step To Help The Planet Can Also Lower Your Cancer Risk
Tomorrow is Earth Day, and experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) say one way you can help the planet is by taking a good look at what's on your plate. A simple visual rule-of-thumb is all you need to get started making meals that will help you stay healthy, manage your weight - and do your part for conservation, AICR said today. The cancer experts stressed that food ...

Read more on Medical News Today

The Key Business Objectives of Promo Gifts

2010-04-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

The promo gifts are in fad among the business organisations. Most businesses are using it to promote their brand in an effective way. But the question that might be haunting your mind would be what are the key business objectives of promo gifts and why are they widely used? Well, here is the answer. The key business objectives of promo gifts are:

Boosting sales. There are various things that matter to a business but it is the money that does the most of the talking. A business, at the end of the day, is a profit-earning organisation and needs money to carry on with its day-to-day functioning. There are various sources of revenue for an organisation but it is the sales that get the bigger share of the cash flowing in. The importance of a strong sales volume for a business cannot be ruled out. This is why every company, whether big or small is constantly engaged in activities to takes its sales graph in the upward direction. Deploying promo gifts is just one of the attempts to enhance the sales volume. Boosting the sales is one of the key business objectives behind using promo gifts. Promo gifts are perceived as thoughtful gifts and serve as a token of care and concern. The gratitude that these promo gifts express through their humble and useful nature woos customers and gets them glued to your brand.

Brand awareness. For any business to be successful, it is important that it reaches out to its prospective audiences. You just cannot expect people to buy your product or avail your services till the time they know of its very existence. This is where the role of appropriate brand awareness comes to play. To create the appropriate brand awareness for their company, most businesses rely on promo gifts. In fact, advertising and brand promotion are one of the top notch reasons for promo gifts being used by every organisation. Promo gifts, indeed, are one of the best advertising vehicles that you can have for your business. The utility offered by these wonderful items is the key factor that is responsible in making them a great brand awareness tool. Their utility ensures that your message does not go unnoticed in any case. Promo gifts are not just an effective but also a long lasting advertising vehicle. They ensure that your message sticks around for long and you become not only a popular but also a household name.

Business relationships. The importance of smooth and cordial business relationships for an organisation is something that cannot be underestimated at all. It is the relationship that a business shares with its interest groups that decides the success or failure of the business. Promo gifts are also used quite often with an aim to build and strengthen business relationships. Promo gifts serve as the perfect gesture of thoughtfulness and friendship. These fabulous items, by the virtue of their utility convey how much you care. And there is no better way to consolidate your relationship with your audiences than to make them feel special. Promo gifts are the perfect way to ensure that your interest groups are not swayed away by the winds of competition. Give away these ardent promotional items and be rest assured about your interest groups sticking to you for a long time ahead.

These are just some of the key business objectives behind using promo gifts. There can be several other objectives such as enhancing the goodwill of the organisation, outdoing peers, and the like. To learn more about promo gifts, visit www.ideasbynet.com.

Gareth Parkin is the co-founder of Ideasbynet, the UK's largest online source of promo gifts & other promotional products & items. He has taken the UK gift market by storm by the application of modern business thinking and the latest search engine marketing techniques. For more details on promo gifts visit ideasbynet.com

Ensure Your Website Helps You Achieve Your Objectives

2010-04-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

A business website is an essential foundation for all companies today. It is a requirement to establish legitimacy for your business. It enables you to inform, educate and engage with prospective and current customers. And it enables you to have the broadest market reach to maximize your visibility and grow your business.

But it can be dizzying for a new or small business owner to navigate the different tools, styles, approaches, and vendors to determine what kind of website you need, what capabilities it should have, how it should look and function, and how much it should cost.

Here are some questions you should ask before you choose an approach and start walking down the path of Internet Marketing:

What are my business objectives? Determine what your operational and financial goals and objectives are for the next one to three years. Are you trying to penetrate a new market? Who is your target audience? Do you want to sell more of the current products and services you do today? Do you want to build a community or solicit donations and volunteers?

Answering these questions are essential to provide the direction you need to design and create your website.

How can the website help me achieve my objectives? If you are looking to sell products or services, your website should enable your customers to learn about your offerings, order them and pay for them on your website. If you are looking to grow a membership base, solicit volunteers and donations, your website should enable your contributors to signup or contribute money using an appropriate signup or payment form on your website.

If you know what you are trying to accomplish, answering these questions will enable you to ensure the tool has the right capability, and that you design your website to enable the necessary functionality.

Who is my target market or audience, and what are they looking for? Understanding your target market is critical. Who do you want coming to your website, and what will they be expecting to find when they land?

Answering this question enables you to focus the design of your website, the functionality needed, and create targeted messaging, offers, and calls to action.

How do I drive traffic to my website? You can't expect your website to stand alone and contribute to your business objectives. It can be a beautiful and well designed site, but if no one knows it exists or where to find it, it was a waste of money.

Marketing is the key to driving traffic to your website—both traditional and online. Depending on your business, your market, and your location, it will be necessary to analyze your situation and decide on the right combination of internet-based and more traditional marketing techniques to drive qualified traffic to your website. Internet Marketing techniques include paid search marketing, organic search marketing, Email marketing, social media marketing, and blogging—all with their unique characteristics and uses. In a later post, we'll spend time diving into the various Internet Marketing techniques that can increase your visibility and attract visitors to your site.

Once they arrive, how do I get people to take action on my site? Once you have identified and understood your target market, and once you have figured out what action it is you want them to take, you can begin to design and build your website.

There are many approaches to increasing conversion rates that we will address in a later post, but there are also some fundamentals that everyone should consider. The first page people land on should include:

The relevant information they are looking for
A clean and simple layout
A focused message and a clear, concise call to action
The ability to take the next step, whether it is purchase, donate, sign up for a newsletter, etc.

How much should my website cost? Pricing and value continues to vary greatly for new websites. There are many different types of website builders, from do-it-yourself, to large agencies, to boutique firms. Each has a different approach, toolset, level of quality and sophistication. When combined with your unique needs to ensure your website looks, feels and acts the way you need it to, pricing can be all over the map.

In addition, keep in mind that website costs don't end once it has been built and launched. There are costs for marketing, enhancements, updates, hosting, and maintenance that will continue over the life of your website.

The key is to remember that done right, your website is an investment in your business success, not an expense. It is not an online brochure, it is an essential foundation component driving the operational and financial success of your business. Plan wisely, invest carefully but confidently, measure your ongoing results, and adapt as necessary. The Internet Marketing path is directly ahead of you. It's time to take your first steps down the path.

Lou Unkeless is a certified internet marketing consultant. His office helps small to medium-sized businesses increase their revenue via the internet by making them more visible online, attracting more qualified visitors to their website,converting those visitors into customers, and maintaining profitable lifetime relationships with them. Lou can be reached at (916) 933-7414 or Lou@wsiMarketBuilders.com. Lou's website is www.wsiMarketbuilders.com

5 Stages of Successful Business Planning

2010-04-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

I believe that successfully developing a business involves five stages of business planning and development.

Stage 1: Situation Analysis – Where are we now?

In this first stage of business planning and development, you determine where the business is currently in terms of finance and general positioning. So, you’ll need to analyze not only the financial position, but also who the business is marketing their services or products to. Are they addressing a market that has a lot of disposable income or no? It gives you an idea of the general position of the business.

Stage 2: Business Objectives – Where do we want to go?

Secondly, you have to consider where the business wants to go. These are the objectives, or the goals of the business. This is difficult, because most people will say they don’t know when asked where they see their business in three years time! When you work out whether or not the business owner expects to triple their business or establish one that is ten times as big as they are currently, you can then start identifying the next steps the business will have to take.

Stage 3: Strategic Analysis – How will we get there?

There is never a single path to get where you want to go. In the third stage of business planning and development, you will want to consider a number of different strategies you could adopt in order to achieve the goals of the business. I’ve determined that the strategies you can choose fall within one of five categories:

Product development – you can develop more products for your existing market
Market development – use existing products and move into new markets
Diversification – develop new products for new markets and take your business into a whole new area
Market penetration – spend money to win customers from your competitors
Acquisition – buying additional businesses to grow your business (mergers)

I would say that market penetration is by far the most common path. To grow a business, though, it’s important to analyze all of the options of product and market development, as well as diversification and acquisitions.

Stage 4: Cost Analysis – How much will it cost?

Regardless of which strategy you choose, the costs will be predictable. There are a number of government agencies that can help analyze those costs, and financial forecast programs that allow you to consider the expected revenue compared with the expected expenses to see whether or not the business can afford to take on that particular business development.

Stage 5: Fund Analysis – Where will the money come from?

I believe there are really only four places where a business can get funding to develop, and they include:

Business shareholders
Bank financing
Government grants
Private/public equity

Each of these steps are crucial to ensure good business planning and development.

The Obamas Watch But Don't See the Tragic Fate of Middle East Women: A Four-Picture Allegory

2010-04-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

An article on New York Times regarding Turkey and Turks.

The Obamas Watch But Don't See the Tragic Fate of Middle East Women:
A Four-Picture Allegory
By Barry Rubin

Turkey used to be a secular state striving for modernization and a place in the Western world. That dream is turning into a nightmare. The AKP regime, despite its pretense of being a center-right, family values, good government party, is moving Turkey toward Islamism. Washington and the West in general doesn't seem to notice though horrified Turkish secularists and liberals are yelling for help.

Look at the photos below of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife arriving in Washington to meet the Obamas. It's not so much that his wife, Ermine, is wearing a hijab (in Turkey called a turban) but look at her slumped over and self-effacing like a slave. I'm of no importance, is what her posture seems to say. Compare her abject stance to the three others in the picture standing tall and proud. In the first photo her sleeves are so long to conceal her hands that she can't even control them. Her head is slumped in a pose conveying submissiveness and shame at being a woman. And then in the fourth photo, she slinks off, like a servant who has been dismissed.

The sequence seems to symbollize the fate stalking Turkish woman, subverting the equality envisioned under the Ataturk republic to a status of servility and second-class citizenship. . This holds true in much of the Muslim-majority countries and it is getting worse-- Egypt and Iraq come to mind--not better.
Yet the Obamas don't even notice what's going on before their eyes. To them, Turkey is the very model of a moderate Muslim democracy, a good model to be encouraged rather than a NATO ally slipping steadily into the Iranian-Syrian alliance.

Take a look at those photos below and shiver. But for sheer insanity there's this New York Times article.. It celebrates the growing Turkish-Syrian alignment, claiming that this means Syria is becoming more moderate! The author actually states:
"For some [in Syria ], the new closeness with secular, moderate Turkey represents a move away from Syria ’s controversial alliance with Iran . For others, it suggests an embrace of Turkey ’s more open, cosmopolitan society. And for many ― including Syria ’s president, Bashar al-Assad ― it conjures different dreams of a revitalized regional economy, less vulnerable to Western sanctions or pressure."
Let me explain something. When a former ally joins your enemies you don't cheer about how your enemy is becoming your friend.. Why should Turkey-Syria friendship mean Syria-Iran coolness, especially when Turkey and Iran are acting like great buddies? This article is just a pitiful parroting of Syrian disinformation. Shameful.

The Original article:

The Obamas Watch but Don't See the Tragic Fate of Middle East Women
Prof. Barry Rubin - 12/23/2009

Turkey used to be a secular state striving for modernization and a place in the Western world. That dream is turning into a nightmare. The AKP regime, despite its pretense of being a center-right, family values, good government party, is moving Turkey toward Islamism. Washington and the West in general doesn't seem to notice though horrified Turkish secularists and liberals are yelling for help.

Look at the photos below of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife arriving in Washington to meet the Obamas. It's not so much that his wife, Ermine, is wearing a hijab (in Turkey called a turban) but look at her slumped over and self-effacing like a slave. I'm of no importance, is what her posture seems to say. Compare her abject stance to the three others in the picture standing tall and proud. In the first photo her sleeves are so long to conceal her hands that she can't even control them. Her head is slumped in a pose conveying submissiveness and shame at being a woman. And then in the fourth photo, she slinks off, like a servant who has been dismissed.
The sequence seems to symbollize the fate stalking Turkish woman, subverting the equality envisioned under the Ataturk republic to a status of servility and second-class citizenship. This holds true in much of the Muslim-majority countries and it is getting worse--Egypt and Iraq come to mind--not better.
Yet the Obamas don't even notice what's going on before their eyes. To them, Turkey is the very model of a moderate Muslim democracy, a good model to be encouraged rather than a NATO ally slipping steadily into the Iranian-Syrian alliance.
Take a look at those photos below and shiver.
But for sheer insanity there's this New York Times article. It celebrates the growing Turkish-Syrian alignment, claiming that this means Syria is becoming more moderate! The author actually states:
"For some [in Syria], the new closeness with secular, moderate Turkey represents a move away from Syria’s controversial alliance with Iran. For others, it suggests an embrace of Turkey’s more open, cosmopolitan society. And for many — including Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad — it conjures different dreams of a revitalized regional economy, less vulnerable to Western sanctions or pressure."
Let me explain something. When a former ally joins your enemies you don't cheer about how your enemy is becoming your friend. Why should Turkey-Syria friendship mean Syria-Iran coolness, especially when Turkey and Iran are acting like great buddies? This article is just a pitiful parroting of Syrian disinformation. Shameful.
It isn't that Syria is aping a moderate pro-West Turkey but Turkey imitating an Islamist Iran. Want to see where Turkey is headed? Look at the photos below:

Prof. Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, Interdisciplinary university. His new book is The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan ).

http://www.globalpolitician. com/26122- feminism- middle-east

Westerners vs Asians

2010-04-14T11:14:00.001-07:00

Blue --> Westerners
Red --> Asians
(1) Opinion

Westerners: Talk to the point
Asians: Talk around the circle, especially if opinions are different
Asians: in time.

(4) Contacts

Westerners: Contact to related person only.
Asians: Contact everyone everywhere, business very successful.

(5) Anger

Westerners: Show that I am angry.
Asians: I am angry, but still smiling... (Beware!)

(6) Queue when Waiting

Westerners: Enjoy weekend relaxing peacefully.
Asians: Enjoy weekend in crowded places, like going to the mall.

(8) Party

Westerners: Only gather with their own group.
Asians: All focus on the one activity that is hosted by the CEO.

(9) In the restaurant

Westerners: Talk softly and gently in the restaurant.
Asians: Talk and laugh loudly like they own the restaurant.

(10) Travelling

Wes! terners: y the scenery.
Asians: Taking picture is the most important; scenery is just for the background.

(11) Handling of Problems

Westerners: T! ake any s s.
Asians: Try to avoid conflicts, and if can, don't leave any trail.

(12) Three meals a day

Westerners: Good meal for once a day is suf! ficed.&nb ce="Verdana" color="red" size="2">
Asians: At least 3 good meals a day.

(13) Transportation

Westerners: Before drove cars, now cycling for environmental protection.
Asians: Before no money and rode a bike, now got money and drive a car

(14) Elderly in day-to-day life

Westerners: The logic is: rain is pain..
Asians: More rain, more prosperity

(16) The Boss

Westerners: The boss is part of the team.
Asians: The boss is a fierce god.

(17) What's Trendy

Westerners: Eat healthy Asian cuisine.
Asians: Eat expensive Western cuisine.

(18) The Child

Westerners: The kid is going to be independent and make his/her own living.
Asians: Slog whole life for the kids, the centre of your life.

Achieving Your Business Objectives Requires A Holistic Marketing Strategy

2010-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, a Harris Interactive poll found that 80% of the U.S. adult population, 184 million people, are now spending an average of 13 hours per week on the Internet—doubling since 1999.

As the population continues to transition to using the Internet for business, purchases, finding information, and myriad personal uses, it is clear that traditional go-to-market strategies are no longer a guarantee that you will achieve your business objectives. In fact, with the continued explosion of Social Media the fundamental role of business marketing itself is shifting, from "advertising" to "engaging". One measure of this is--recent studies show that 78 percent of customers value recommendations from their peers, while only 14 percent trust traditional advertisements.

So how does a small or medium-sized business succeed in such a rapidly changing, and diverse environment? By understanding their target market-- how they look for goods, services, and information-- and leveraging the right combination of marketing tools and techniques to reach them, whether traditional or online.

There is still a place for traditional marketing, and I advocate a blended approach. However with the increased comfort that people have using the internet and with the increasing time people spend online, companies should consider re-purposing a significant amount of their marketing budgets to take advantage of internet marketing.

The key to success is taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to your internet marketing strategy. A holistic approach treats marketing as a single integrated strategy and approach, rather than a list of stand-alone marketing initiatives. There are a multitude of ways to reach your target market, including "push" based, "pull" based, "permission" based, and "engaging" your market in an ongoing conversation. To be most effective in achieving your objectives, you need to develop and execute a blended approach based on how your target market finds what it is looking for and makes decisions.

Your marketing strategy is influenced by a variety of factors, and will be unique to your company. Even so, there are a number of core internet marketing techniques that you should consider when developing your go-to-market strategy:

Search engine optimization
Paid search marketing
Social Media marketing
Email marketing
Newsletters
Social bookmarking, social networking, social tagging
Blogging
Article marketing
Press Release marketing
Podcasting
Videos
Websites designed to optimize conversions

Yet when combined with traditional marketing initiatives like advertising, direct mail, telemarketing, and tradeshows, there are an almost overwhelming number of opportunities. So how do you decide what to include in your go-to-market plan?

It goes back to knowing your target market and answering some basic questions. Who are they? What are the most prevalent ways they search for what they need? Which marketing techniques enable you to reach them or be found when they are looking? Is your website designed to welcome your target market and facilitate conversions? What combinations of techniques ensure that you can lead the prospect through the cycle, from creating awareness to converting the prospect? How do you continue to engage and nurture your existing customers to retain them and keep them coming back for more? How big is your budget? Do you have the expertise internally or do you need to go outside for help?

Developing a go-to-market strategy isn't something you do every day. But executing it is. Create your plan annually, measure the results monthly and even weekly, and update your plan quarterly or as needed. One of the benefits of internet marketing techniques is that they can be started, stopped, and changed almost immediately. This enables you to react to and even anticipate changing market conditions and get ahead of them.

It's not as hard as may sound. But you do need to commit to the process, and have someone lead you through it who understands digital marketing in this rapidly changing world and how to develop and execute an integrated marketing strategy.

Lou Unkeless is a certified internet marketing consultant. His office helps small to medium-sized businesses increase their revenue via the internet by making them more visible online, attracting more qualified visitors to their website, converting those visitors into customers, and maintaining profitable lifetime relationships with them. Lou can be reached at (916) 933-7414 or Lou@wsiMarketBuilders.com. Lou's website is www.wsiMarketbuilders.com

Sleeping Boxes in Paris

2010-04-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

How about sleeping in a box when you are just passing by a large city instead of struggling to find unoverbooked hotels?

A pretty practical solution is "Sleep boxes" where you can find at airports, like one in Paris, for example.

Size: 2 m x 1,40m x 2,30m to sleep in comfort and security.

Cheap sleep in case of emergency for anyone rich or poor!!
No time wasted looking for a hotel.
Designed to be installed at train stations and airports, and central public places or cities where acommodation is fully booked.
In tropical climate countries the sleeperbox can be installed outdoors in main streets.
The space includes bed, linnen, ventilation system, alarm. LCD TV, WiFi , space for your laptop and re chargeable phone. Under your bed and floor there is a cupboard for your luggage.
Payment is made at terminals who will give clients an electronic key that can be purchased for 15 minutes or for as many hours as you need.

El Computador vs la Computadora

2010-04-08T01:12:00.000-07:00

A Spanish language teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la Casa.'

'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'

A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?'

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your pay check on accessories for it

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ('el computador'), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

Share this with all the smart women you know... and all the men that have a sense of humor.

Don't Handle Objections, Embrace Them

2010-03-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Network marketers have been taught by training programs, their up line and printed material that they have to "handle objections" as a matter of course, to get to the sale. BS. Objections aren't really "objections", but rather an invitation from the buyer to make a connection to us. Thank them for the invitation, and connect with them. Look, it's a proven fact, buyers present 58% more objections than non-buyers, and that is before they buy. It's their way of forcing you keep connecting until you establish trust. They already know they have a need, you already know you have the solution (presumably), so once there is trust, you two can get to the "does this solution fit"?

Let me put it another way your goal as a salesperson is to help your client, which means you guys are on the same side, right?

It's not a contest, it's not a debate, it's the beginning of a relationship. (Hence the term relationship marketing) So get into what the objection is. Find out what's really behind it. What are they worried about? What does that matter? How does that work? What happens then? What's at stake for the client? It might take a few questions to get to the root cause, concern or problem. Your job is to uncover the truth. Bring it out into the light of day and examine it. Frequently, the buyer will throw up an objection that isn't really what they are concerned about. It's a reflex action. You have to listen closely and ask questions to find what their real concern is. This is an important step in the process. Skip this at your own peril. If you don't deal with the questions and objections, and I mean all of them, they will linger in your prospect's mind, even if you do manage to "make the sale". (Buyers Remorse is a common term for it) Another is "unproductive member of your team".

Okay, having said all that, let's get down to brass-tacks. How exactly, do you deal with your prospects concerns, step by step? There are a lot of formula's out there, I am sure you have seen one or more of them. I have a couple that are favorites, which I will detail here (can't remember where I got this one, wish I could)

Step #1: Hear your prospect out - Really listen.
Step #2: Restate the objection.
Step #3: Expound on it.
Step #4: Isolate it.
Step #5: Answer it.
Step #6: Have your prospect agree that you've answered it.
Step #7: Transition to the next close.

Step #1: Hear Your Prospect Out

What's important to remember is that although your prospect's concern may seem insignificant to you, it's very real and very significant to them. Don't cut him short, and don't be apathetic. Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Listen and listen very attentively. Only then can you truly decipher what your prospect is really saying.

Step #2: Restate The Objection.

Believe it or not, sometimes this is all it takes for your prospect to realize just how silly or unfounded his objection really is. By hearing his own objection coming from your mouth, it sometimes minimizes the impact or significance of it. The key here is how you restate it, your tone and inflection, and always follow up with a benefit. For example, your prospect says, "I can't afford $500 to get started." Your response would be, "You can't afford $500 for a possible return of $5,000 a month in just 12 short months?" However, the way you say it should make your prospect hear it like this: "What? Are you crazy? You can't afford $500 for this kind of return? Are you nuts or just certifiably insane? I can't believe you just said that!"

Step #3: Expound On It.

Get your prospect to talk about his concern. This is where it pays to listen very attentively. By getting your prospect to expound on the issue, it sometimes leads to the real crux of the issue. For example, maybe your prospect's objection is "I don't know how to do MLM." Your response would be, "Explain what you mean by that." "Well, I just wouldn't know where to start or how to begin." So the real issue here is a perceived lack of prospects to call on. That's an easy one to overcome. But if we get our prospect to elaborate on it, sometimes they come to their own conclusion that it's really not an obstacle after all.

Step #4: Isolate It.

By isolating the objection, you're eliminating any other reason or reasons your prospect may have for not signing up. This is a critical step in the process, so as not to put all your energy and resources into overcoming a money issue, when in fact, he also has to talk it over with his wife. For example, "Mr. Jones, in addition to your concern of coming up with the initial investment of $500, is there any other reason you can think of that would keep you from getting started in your own business today?" "Well, I would still need to talk it over with my wife." At that point, it would be prudent to involve his wife before attempting to address the money concern. If his response would have been "No, everything is fine, I just don't see how I can come up with $500," then you've isolated the objection and you can begin to answer it. Remember, the key here is being firm and direct with your prospect and getting a commitment to join before you appease his concern. "Mr. Jones, if we could find a way to come up with the $500, is there any other reason, any at all, that would keep you from getting started immediately?"

Step #5: Answer it

When answering objections, there are three golden rules you must always live by:

1. Never argue with your prospect. No matter how insane an objection may sound to you, it doesn't sound that way to your prospect. Remember, you're in this business to feed your mouth, not your ego.

2. Don't make the mistake of being perceived as attacking prospects personally when addressing their objections. Be sensitive to their feelings and show respect for their objections. It's not your job to prove them wrong. You're there to empathize with their concerns and show them through new information how their fears are groundless.

3. Lead them to overcome their own objections. People don't like to be sold; they like to be informed. By giving them proper information, they can make their own intelligent decisions.

To further illustrate Step #5, let's assume my prospect Mr. Jones' objection is, "I just don't know enough people to get involved in this kind of business." Let's also assume that I've already taken him through the first four steps, and I'm now ready to overcome his concern of not knowing enough people. The following is an example of how I would address his concern:

"Mr. Jones, I understand your concern. In fact, I understand it all too well. It was only 8 months ago that I sat in my living room thinking the very same thing when I first looked at this opportunity. I remember thinking, 'Who in the world do I know that I could possibly introduce this business opportunity to? Maybe 10 people if I'm lucky.' Then my upline sponsor gave me what's called a Memory Jogger List, and I was amazed at just how many people I really did know. It's incredible. Between the newspaper delivery man, my chiropractor, insurance agent, next door neighbor and all the rest, I came up with more than 300 people I could call on immediately. Chances are we can come up with even more than that for you."

"Mr. Jones, if I could provide you the same list, do you feel that would be sufficient in getting you enough people to call on to get started immediately?" "Sure, but what if I can't reach all of them?" "That's okay, because chances are you won't reach the majority of them. In fact, I only reached a mere 10% of the 300 I came up with on my list, and then only 10% of them got involved. But that's all it took to start me well on my way to financial freedom, and having the time with my family to enjoy it. And if I'm reading you right, and I think I am, that's exactly what you want for your family, isn't it?" "Yes."

Step #6: Have your prospect agree that you've answered it

This is self-explanatory. As in the case of Mr. Jones, he's already agreed that the Memory Jogger List would appease his concern about a lack of people to call on, and therefore be able to get started immediately. However, if I really want to be sure, I add, "Do you see how the concern you had about not knowing enough people is really no concern at all with the help of the Memory Jogger List?"

Step #7: Transition to the next close

Don't put too much credence on the term, "Closing the sale." All it simply means is bringing the presentation to the next logical conclusion, which culminates in your prospect signing the application. However, it sometimes takes more than one attempt to get a prospect to commit. As in the case of Mr. Jones, his concern was a lack of people to call on. Once I appeased his concern, and I got him to agree that I did, I would then transition to the next close. For example: "Mr. Jones, now that we see just how many potential prospects you do have to call on, let's get your application in right away, so that we can get you started making money immediately."

In closing, understand that objections are a natural part of the entire sales process. They are as common as night and day, and therefore shouldn't be feared. View them as invitations from our prospects to further enlighten and inform them. Expect them, embrace them, and be challenged by them. Make a list of the most common objections you encounter - then write at least three different responses for each objection.

Keep in mind that each response should address the objection from a completely different angle. What might make sense to one prospect may have no relevance to another. After writing your responses, practice your delivery. Get with your upline or someone who can be objective, and practice, practice, practice. Only through repetition and frequent application will you gain the confidence to overcome even the toughest of obstacles. Once you do though, the sky's the limit!

A WAH Business Entrepreneur, programmer and tool provider, Cenay Nailor publishes the popular weekly Ezine Tech-Based Marketing
Each edition of Tech-Based Marketing contains valuable hints and tips for helping you become a better marketer, communicator and person. Her irreverence for traditional teaching methods and her sense of humor make learning to build your business a fun and painless process. Sign up today for your free subscription to the Ezine and receive a free copy of her report "Free Traffic + Free Leads = Profit".

5 Sure-fire Ways to Turn Objections Into Sales

2010-03-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

When an objection has been raised by your prospect, it must be overcome or the sale will usually be lost. The reactions to objections vary widely among salespeople. The true professional salesperson says, 'I need objections. Without them, I couldn't sell.' This reaction is in sharp contrast to those salespeople who view stalls and objections as catastrophes, contemplating them with doubt, fear, and worry.

The difference in the reactions of these two types of salespeople is not so much one of experience or exposure to training as it is of attitude. Stalls and objections are almost never isolated events; they are the results of cause and effect. Objections give the professional salesperson clues about what is happening. They help him evaluate the customer or prospect and guide them toward a satisfactory resolution of the salesperson/customer relationship.

Understanding Objections

First, we must have an understanding of the person behind the objection. Let's adopt this basic premise: all stalls and objections are defensive reactions to a threat, either direct or implied. In effect, the customer is calling a halt or slowing down an action.

Objections are usually emotional reactions. Although objections are almost never logical or rational, they are very real and strong psychological reactions. To understand them, you must have a basic understanding of the psychological needs of people. The salesperson listens with his eyes, ears, and intellect. As he listens, the prospect will usually tell the salesperson about his self-image and how the sale can be made.

Overcoming Objections

Stalls or objections are in reality pleas from the prospect for reassurance; the prospect lacks the conviction in his decisions. He needs reassurance that he's right, and with proper reassurance the stalls melt away. Strong salespeople get very few stalls, in part because they exude confidence. Stalls are overcome by the salesperson sharing his self-confidence with the prospect. Using the following steps can help overcome objections and stalls.

#1 — Listen Carefully

Listen carefully to the prospect's objection. Encourage him to express himself fully, and understand that he/she's in the process of weighing alternatives.

#2 — Use a Softening Statement

Lower the prospect's resistance with a softening statement. This communicates that you have empathy for him; however, you must be sincere.

#3 — Convert to a Question

Convert the prospect's objection to a question; questions indicate interest. Think of the prospect's objections as questions you can answer, by converting them to questions.

#4 — Answer the Question

Answer the question, which was originally phrased as the prospect's objection, calmly and confidently. There is no substitution for preparation.

#5 — Closing Question

Once you have answered the prospect's objection, it's vital to ask a closing question.

The salesperson who understands himself and is confident does not feel threatened when the prospect stalls or raises objections. When he also understands human nature and his prospect or customer in particular, he stands on strong ground. The salesperson that is well-prepared will seldom be plagued by objections from customers and prospects.

Too often, salespeople get themselves involved in a game of psychological ping-pong: objections followed by responses, followed by objections and so on. Remember, people don't buy products or services, they buy the end result of what these will do for them. Translate your product knowledge into filling the needs and dreams of the customer. The successful salesperson always has the attitude that he is a problem solver and a needs-satisfier for his customers.

As you practice these techniques, you will gain confidence in your ability to listen, understand the needs of your clients, and answer their objections with self-assurance. As a result, you will undoubtedly start turning your prospects' objections into sales!

Paul J. Meyer may be a New York Times best-selling author, but it is his success as an entrepreneur that has made him a millionaire many times over. To learn more about overcoming objections to reach your sales goals, order Paul’s very practical CD, How to Turn Objections into Sales today, available at www.pauljmeyer.com or Amazon.com.

The Last Oracle: A Novel

2010-03-27T23:47:00.001-07:00

Product Description
What if you could bioengineer the next great world prophet: scientifically produce the next Buddha, the next Muhammad, or the next Jesus? Would it mark the Second Coming or initiate a chain reaction with disastrous consequences? A master at combining historical and religious intrigue with edge-of-your-seat adventure, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins brings back SIGMA Force to battle a group of rogue scientists who've unleashed a bioengineering proj... More >>

The Last Oracle: A Novel

Renault and the Turkish Automotive Market

2010-03-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Turkish automotive market. Who are the main competitors there? What role is to be played by foreign manufacturers? How do Turkish customers behave and what are their expectations?

Teaching Swimming to Kids - The Arabic Way

2010-03-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is how an Arabic child is taught how to swim. A little harsh but effective.
And the little kid doesn't seem to be dreading it.

Me, myself or I, a hero?

2010-03-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

I was just testing

en.tackfilm.se/

and this came out:

Lost's Smoke Monster Appearences

2010-03-03T03:51:00.000-08:00

Below is a montage of the famous Lost smokey.

The smoke monster is perhaps what the entire storyline is made upon.

Office War

2010-02-07T02:44:00.000-08:00

War of the employees of a corporate office

We weren't sure which department was gonna win, but what we knew for sure it's the cleaning guy who will lose and suffer the consequences.

Taken from the Geekadelphia blog archives

Lost Season 6 Episode 1 Sneak Peak Part 2

2010-02-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

Lost Season 6 Episode 1 sneak preview - part 2

Part 1 here

Lost final season premiers this evening with the first two episodes (consecutively) or one 2-hour XL episode with the slogan "No more questions, only answers!"

The first 6-minute Footage of Lost Season 6 Episode 1

2010-01-30T01:54:00.000-08:00

Lost Season 6 Episode 1 sneak preview - part 1

(part 2 here)

So the Oceanic 6 were able to "undo" the Oceanic 815 crash ?

"You betcha"!

Ah, the video was found in a USB key password-protected with 4 8 15 16 23 42 also known as the Lost sequence numbers, which came out from a bottle that was won by someone from the "Lost the final season sweepstakes" an online contest from ABC.com on January 17th

Apple's iPad Tablet - A disappointment or an Elation?

2010-01-28T01:16:00.001-08:00

Yesterday (on Jan 27th, 2010 - 3 days after the Mac's 26th anniversary), Apple announced the launch of the iPad, its new Tablet device - a completely new product line which fits somewhere between the iPhone and the iPod Touch, and the MacBook.

While some call iPad a great innovative device which could go handy as a portable multi-touch HD video player, eBook and ePaper reader i color and style, a 3D game console, and an Internet surfing and communication device as well as a basic portable Mac computer (thanks to Apple's adapted suite of photo editing tools, a Cocoa-touch version of iWork which I would call Apple's answer to Microsoft Office), others call it as a disappointment regarding to the tablet as an enlarged version of iPod Touch or an iphone without a camera - probably because of the fact that the the tablet device works much like an iPhone, running the applications presently available for the iPhone thanks to its iPhone OS-based operating system running on a microchip called A4 - Apple's own chip for the first time after about a decade.

The disappointed also complain about the limited storage capacity of iPad as well as its lack of multi-tasking capability.

iPad also lacks a camera, although it has a built-in microphone.

Maclord's Blog has a comprehensive coverage of Apple's iPad where you cand find the full specs and pricing information.

Convert Word documents to clean HTML.

2010-01-27T23:46:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon a site called word2cleanhtml.com which is a simple and easy to use web app where you paste the contents of a Microsoft Word document and it instantly converts the text into clean HTML.

Especially useful for SEO-centric webmasters who have content in MS Word format to be published on the web.

How to generate clean HTML from your Word document in 3 easy steps

Open your Word document.doc now. Edit > Select All then Edit > Copy
Go to http://word2cleanhtml.com/ Paste the contents of your Word document in the large (editable) text area box.
Press the big yellow button labeled "Convert to clean HTML"

Star Wars - The Old Republic - The Video Game

2010-01-24T03:43:00.000-08:00

Cinematics of computer games nowadays seem to outmaster those of sci-fi movies themselves.

As a Star Wars fan myself, while looking into the new video games of Star Wars, I ran into the official cinematic trailer of a new game from LucasArts named Star Wars - The Old Republic.

Here's the awesome trailer which I thought is much more stunning than the movie Star Wars Episode III : The Revenge of the Sith itself:

Alternatives to Rapidshare for free file hosting & sharing

2010-01-17T04:19:00.001-08:00

Tired of the annoying Rapidshare error messages such as the following to force you into a paid membership at unreasonable prices for file hosting:

Unfortunately right now our servers are overloaded and we have no more download slots left for non-members. Of course you can also try again later.

See what happens in most cases, when you try again later - hit the browser's refresh button and here it comes:

Currently a lot of users are downloading files. Please try again in 2 minutes or become a Premium member.

Please note, the server is not going to check again within the next 2 minutes if downloading is possible again. To provide a fair platform, all user get the same options. Your last attempt was 12 seconds ago.

Recently nothing changes and you get the same annoying messages whether you try two minutes later, or in another two hours.

Rapidshare says too many free users are downloading right now to sell more paid memberships - oh so-called - as low as 7 Euros/month. This is a price for which you can get unlimited web hosting including free site builders, databases and free CMS set-ups and not to mention e-mail with gigs of storage quota.

What free alternatives do we have to Rapidshare?

4Shared

4Shared is a large online storage facility where Internet users store their text, audio, video, photo, and other files and share them, if they wish, with other people. It is easy, handy, and free!

It also offers premium services, but unlike Rapidshare, it doesn't fool you that the servers are overloaded because of free users to force you into paid membership.

Join 4Shared Now!

DropBox

Dropbox is software that syncs your files online and across your computers.
Put your files into your Dropbox on one computer, and they'll be instantly available on any of your other computers that you've installed Dropbox on (Windows, Mac, and Linux too!) Because a copy of your files are stored on Dropbox's secure servers, you can also access them from any computer or mobile device using the Dropbox website.

Sign up free with Dropbox

Ziddu

Here are some of the features of Ziddu:

All free accounts! No Premium accounts!!
Accepts parallel downloads! no waiting !!
Apart from download, you can view / watch / listen online any uploaded file with Ziddu!
Invite, Make and Share the joy and files with your Friends.
A plethora of photo management tools such as 'Photo Album' and 'Slide Show' to share!
Easy file management with multiple folder facility.
Get paid every time others download your videos or photos or document

Join Ziddu, upload files, share with others and make money from ad revenues!

Mediafire

One of the best alternatives to Rapidshare with no annoying delays or limitations, MediaFire is the simplest file hosting service built for businesses, professionals, musicians, artists, students, or anyone in between.
Share your files through just one site without ever having to worry about disk space, hosting, or bandwidth again. MediaFire was specifically designed to be extremely simple to upload files and instantly manage and share them from any computer.

Direct/Hot Link to Files *
Bypass file download pages or stream media files.
Robust File Management
Organize and share files from folders and sub-folders.
Detailed Statistics Tracking *
Easily view detailed information on your shared files.
Flexible Sharing Options
Share folders and files any way you like including e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, and more.

Go to MediaFire

More to come soon...

Great formule for treating flu and bad cold using onion and sugar

2010-01-17T04:09:00.001-08:00

Beware of Fake Facebook notifications and Other Phishing MessagesN

2010-01-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

I received another fake Facebook phishing message, and this time, I decided to share it with my friends and readers of my blog, since some scam are so realistically designed, non-techie people could hardly tell if it is fake or real!

Ever if you receive a message which has the following to say (or anything similar), don't you dare click on the link :

Dear Facebook user,
In an effort to make your online experience safer and more enjoyable, Facebook will be implementing a new login system that will affect all Facebook users. These changes will offer new features and increased account security.
Before you are able to use the new login system, you will be required to update your account.
Click here to update your account online now.
If you have any questions, reference our New User Guide.
Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Even if you click on the link, never enter your password or else it could get stolen and therefore your account get hacked by a some pirate web site.

How to distinguish such mailing real from fake phishing crap?

Whether you are using some webmail account such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo Mail, or a hard client such as Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail, you should always be able to display the long headers of the message which should give you some clue about the true origins of the mail's sender.

You could also move the cursor over the link and wait there for a few seconds using your mouse (without clicking - just point, but don't click) after which a yellow tooltip should reveal the address (URL) of the website that the link is pointing to. If it doesn't, then you can right-click the link and copy the URL using a contextual menu item such as "Copy shortcut" or simply "Copy Link".

In the case of this fake Facebook message, the URL of the link is something like http://www.facebook.com.hyjjjh1h.com/ and not "facebook.com" which shows the true colors of the real-purpose of the scam message.

When to drink water

2009-12-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

Correct timing to take water will maximize its effectiveness to Human body.

Two (02) glass of water - After waking up - Helps activate internal organs.

One (01) glasses of water - 30 minutes before meal - Help digestion.

One (01) glass of water - Before taking a bath - Helps lower blood pressure.

One (01) glass of water - Before sleep - To avoid stroke or heart attack.

The Life and Death of Britanny Murphy

2009-12-22T04:51:00.000-08:00

Brittany Murphy (November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys. She also voiced Luanne Platter on the animated TV series King of the Hill.

Actress Brittany Murphy was found dead on Sunday, December 20th (2009) as TMZ and other media outlets have confirmed. The 'Clueless' and 'Girl, Interrupted' actress went into full cardiac arrest, and paramedics were unable to revive her. She was pronounced dead upon arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The 911 call reporting the incident was made from the home of Simon Monjack, whom Murphy married in 2007. RadarOnline is reporting that Monjack himself made the phone call, and that the Los Angeles Coroner's office is launching an investigation into Murphy's death. The police "could not say whether it would point to any criminal conduct," Los Angeles Times sources say.

According to TMZ, Murphy's mom found the actress in the shower and paramedics administered CPR at the home and on the way to the hospital. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devon Gale tells the Associated Press that the call was made at 8 a.m. on Sunday, and that one person was transported to a hospital.

Britanny Murphy's publicist, Nicole Perna, released a statement on Sunday saying: "In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."

Murphy made her big splash in Hollywood in 1995's 'Clueless,' in which she played the ditzy character Tai. She went on to co-star in popular films like 'Girl, Interrupted' with Angelina Jolie and '8 Mile,' where she played Eminem's love interest. She was also the voice of Luanne Platter for more than 230 episodes of the popular Fox cartoon sitcom 'King of the Hill.'

Aside from acting, Britanny Murphy also dabbled in music occasionally. In 2006, she scored a hit by pairing up with DJ Paul Oakenfold on the song 'Faster Kill Pussycat,' which became a club staple. She also covered two songs -- including Queen's 'Somebody to Love' -- in the animated movie 'Happy Feet.'

Ashton Kutcher, who shared the screen with Murphy in 2003's 'Just Married' and also dated her, spoke out on his Twitter to remember his friend. "See you on the other side kid ... 2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon," Kutcher wrote.

Early life

Brittany Murphy was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 10, 1977. Her parents, Sharon Murphy and Angelo Bertolotti, divorced when she was two years old, and Murphy was raised by her mother in Edison, New Jersey, and later in Los Angeles, where they moved so Murphy could pursue an acting career. Murphy said her mother never tried to stifle her creativity, and she considered her mother a crucial factor in her later success: "When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me. ... She always believed in me." Murphy's mother is of Irish and Eastern European descent and her father is Italian American. Murpy's father, a suspected mobster, has had numerous federal indictments and convictions stemming from the possession and distribution of narcotics. She was raised a Baptist and later became a non-denominational Christian.

Acting
Murphy landed her first job in Hollywood when she was age 14, starring as Brenda Drexell in the series Drexell's Class. She then went on to play Molly Morgan in the short-lived The Torkelsons spinoff Almost Home. Murphy also guest-starred on several television series, including Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Blossom and Frasier. She also had recurring roles on Sister, Sister; Party of Five and Boy Meets World. In 1997, she began voicing the character of Luanne Platter (as well as the younger version of Joseph Gribble) on the long-running animated series King of the Hill.

Britney Murphy starred in several films, including Clueless (1995); Girl, Interrupted (1999); Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999); Don't Say a Word (2001); the TV adaption of the novel The Devil's Arithmetic (2001); 8 Mile (2002) and Uptown Girls (2003) as well as many lesser-known films, such as Spun (2003). In 2004, she starred in the romantic comedy Little Black Book, and the critically acclaimed Sin City (2005). She starred in two Edward Burns films: Sidewalks of New York (2001) and The Groomsmen (2006). In 2009, she was cast in the Lifetime TV movie, Tribute, as the main character, Cilla. She was set to appear in the Sylvester Stallone film, The Expendables, which will be released in 2010.

Murphy was also a voice actor. She voiced the character Luanne Platter on the FOX animated sitcom King of the Hill for the entirety of the show's run. She also provided the voice for Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature Happy Feet. She was nominated for an Annie Award for voice acting in the King of the Hill episode "Movin' On Up".

Music and modeling

She was in a band called Blessed Soul with fellow actor Eric Balfour in the early 1990s. On June 6, 2006, Murphy and Paul Oakenfold released the single "Faster Kill Pussycat", from the album A Lively Mind. The song became a club hit, and hit number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. It also hit number seven in the UK singles chart in June 2006.

She dabbled in music again with the release of the film Happy Feet, in which she covered Queen's "Somebody to Love" and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland".

Murphy starred in Wheatus' video "A Little Respect" alongside actor Shawn Hatosy. She has also appeared in the music video for Luscious Jackson's "Here" and Tears for Fears' "Closest Thing to Heaven".

In 2005, Murphy signed as the spokesmodel for Jordache jeans.

Personal life
In late 2002, Murphy began dating Ashton Kutcher, her co-star in Just Married. Once engaged to talent manager Jeff Kwatinetz, Murphy became engaged to Joe Macaluso in December 2005, a production assistant she met while working on the film Little Black Book. In August 2006, they ended their engagement. In May 2007, Murphy married British screenwriter Simon Monjack in a private Jewish ceremony.

Murphy was a Type-2 diabetic, and suffered from a thyroid condition.

Death

At 8:00 a.m. (16:00 UTC) on December 20, 2009, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to "a medical request" at the Los Angeles home Murphy and Monjack shared. She had apparently collapsed in a bathroom. Firefighters attempted to resuscitate Murphy on the scene, and she was subsequently transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead on arrival at 10:04 a.m. after going into cardiac arrest. Cause of death is yet to be determined, but Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told the Associated Press: "It appears to be natural." An autopsy was performed on December 21, 2009. Full results will not be available for several weeks; experts are looking into her medical records and toxicology reports.

Following the news of her passing, Ashton Kutcher, who dated Murphy in the past, showed grief. She was also a trending topic on Twitter, as many users included "RIP Brittany Murphy" in their Tweets. The following day, her husband Simon spoke to Access Hollywood, claiming that "my world was destroyed". Later on, Adult Swim paid a tribute to Murphy by airing a silent bumper that read her name and the year of her birth and death.

Life and death of Chris Henry

2009-12-22T04:21:00.000-08:00

Chris Henry was an American football wide receiver who played five seasons in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at West Virginia and was drafted by the Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Chris Henry was involved in a string of legal troubles during his professional career, which include several arrests for such offenses as driving under the influence, marijuana possession, assault, and criminal damage. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2008 season.

Chris Henry died on December 17, 2009 from injuries sustained a day earlier in a vehicular accident.

Chris Henry
Height: 6-4 Weight: 200
Born: 5/17/1983 Belle Chasse , LA
College: West Virginia
Experience: 5 seasons
High School: Belle Chasse HS [LA]

The Life

of Chris Henry

Early years

Henry was born to Carolyn Lee and David Henry in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. He attended Belle Chasse High School where he was named New Orleans small schools offensive player of the year during his senior year. During that season the Fighting Cardinals made it to the Louisiana AAA State championship game, which was played at the Louisiana Superdome. Henry also excelled in basketball and track.

College career
Henry enrolled at West Virginia University in 2002, spending his first season as a redshirt. In 2003, he earned Big East Conference freshman of the year and All-Big East second-team honors for catching 41 passes and gaining 1,006 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. He also became the second player in school history to record over 1,000 receiving yards in one season (behind David Saunders), and his 24.5 yards per reception are the third most in a season in school history. Henry's best game was a career-high performance of 209 yards and two touchdowns against Syracuse. His career-long reception came against Rutgers that season, an 83-yard reception.

In 2004, Henry started seven games and caught 52 passes for 872 yards with 12 touchdowns. After catching three passes in a 30–18 loss to Florida State in the 2005 Gator Bowl, Henry announced that he would enter the 2005 NFL Draft Henry's 12 touchdowns ties him with Darius Reynaud for the school's single-season touchdown record while his 52 receptions are the eighth most in a season.

During Henry's sophomore season, he was ejected from a game at Rutgers University due to multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and was suspended for the season finale against the University of Pittsburgh. His former Mountaineers coach, Rich Rodriguez, stated that he was "an embarrassment to himself and the program" for his conduct.

Henry majored in athletic coaching education.

Accomplishments
Henry was the third player in Mountaineers' history to average more than twenty yards per catch for his career.[7] Henry's 1,878 career receiving yards is eighth most in school history, while his 93 receptions are the 14th most.[9] His 22 touchdown receptions are also second most in school history. Henry's six career 100-yard receiving games is tied for third most in school history.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals
Henry was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He made his NFL debut on September 18, 2005 against the Minnesota Vikings. In his rookie season with the Bengals, he amassed 31 receptions for 422 yards and six touchdowns. In the Bengals' first playoff game in fifteen years against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had a reception for 66 yards on the Bengals' second play from scrimmage. However, on the play, both he and Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer suffered knee injuries.

In his second season, Henry totaled 605 yards on 36 receptions for nine touchdowns, with an average of 16.8 yards per catch. On the second game of the season against the Cleveland Browns, Henry recorded five receptions for 113 yards, while he recorded two touchdowns the next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the season finale against the Steelers, Henry totaled 124 yards off of four receptions and scored one touchdown.

Henry was suspended for eight games in 2007 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. He returned in week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens, where he had four receptions for 99 yards. In the following loss to Arizona, Henry totaled eight receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown. Henry finished the season with 21 receptions for 343 yards and two touchdowns.

Following his arrest in April 2008, Henry was waived by the Bengals. President Mike Brown explained that Henry had forfeited his opportunity to pursue a career with the Bengals and that his conduct could no longer be tolerated.

Return to Cincinnati
On April 7, 2008, ESPN radio analyst and former player Michael Irvin said he took a phone call from Henry, discussing "cleaning up his act", much like Irvin encouraged Adam "Pacman" Jones to do. Henry and Jones were teammates at West Virginia, and both served NFL suspensions imposed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the 2007 NFL season.

With Bengals receivers Chad Ochocinco, T. J. Houshmandzadeh, and Andre Caldwell nursing injuries during the 2008 preseason, Henry was re-signed to a two-year contract by the Bengals on August 18.[16] The move came less than a month after Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis stated the team had no interest in bringing back Henry. After serving his four-game suspension to begin the 2008 season, Henry was activated from the exemption list on October 4. Running back Kenny Watson was released to make room for Henry on the roster. Henry finished the 2008 season with 19 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He was placed on injured reserve in November 2009, after suffering a broken forearm while making a 20-yard reception against the Baltimore Ravens.

Personal
At the time of his death, Henry was engaged to Loleini Tonga, the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident that caused his death. Tonga has three children by Henry.

Off-the-field problems
On December 15, 2005, Henry was pulled over in northern Kentucky for speeding. During a search, marijuana was found in his shoes. He was also driving without a valid driver's license or valid insurance.He pleaded guilty and avoided a jail sentence.

One month later, on January 30, 2006 he was arrested in Orlando, Florida for multiple gun charges including concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm.[20] He was reported to have been wearing his #15 Bengals jersey at the time of his arrest. He pleaded guilty to this charge and avoided jail time.

On April 29, Henry allowed three underage females (ages 18, 16 and 15) to consume alcohol at a hotel in Covington, Kentucky. One of the three, an 18-year-old woman, accused Henry of sexually assaulting her; she later retracted her story and was charged with filing a false police report. On January 25, 2007, Henry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of a city ordinance commonly referred to as a "keg law." He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with all but two of those days being suspended.

He was pulled over on Interstate 275 in Ohio on June 3 at 1:18 A.M. by Ohio Highway Patrol trooper Michael Shimko for surmised drunk driving. He voluntarily submitted to a breathalyzer test at 2:06 A.M. at the Milford Police Department and registered a .092 blood-alcohol level, .012 above the level permitted in the state of Ohio.

On October 6, he was suspended by the NFL for two games for violating the league's personal conduct and substance abuse policies. NFL policies forbade Henry from taking part in practices, however, he was allowed to attend any team meetings. Henry missed the Bengals' October 15, 2006 game at Tampa Bay and their October 22, 2006 home game versus Carolina.

The following April, Henry was suspended for the first eight games of the 2007 NFL season for violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy. His suspension on the 10th came with a stern warning that future misconduct may result in the end of his career with the NFL. Henry was given permission by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to begin practicing fully. His suspension was lifted and he played in the November 11, 2007 game versus the Baltimore Ravens, amassing 4 catches for 99 yards.

Henry allegedly assaulted a valet attendant at Newport on the Levee in Newport, Kentucky on November 6, 2007. He was arrested for a second time in Orlando on December 3 for violating his probation he was on from a January 30, 2006 arrest. On February 21, 2008, he was found not guilty.

On March 31, 2008, Henry punched a man named Gregory Meyer, 18, and threw a beer bottle through the window of his car. Henry claimed it was a case of mistaken identity and also that he thought it was somebody else that owed him money. Henry was waived by the Bengals a day after this arrest and was then served a house arrest sentence.

Death
On December 16, 2009, Henry was involved in a car accident in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he sustained grave injuries. Charlotte police stated that Henry fell out the back of a moving truck driven by his fiancee, Loleini Tonga, while they were engaged in a domestic dispute. On December 17, 2009, Charlotte police announced that Henry had died at 6:36 a.m. ET. On December 19, police confirmed that Henry died of blunt force trauma to the head. No charges had been filed against his fiancee by this date, but neither had she been cleared by the police. To honor Henry, every game of Week 15 (December 19-21) in the NFL began with a moment of silence before kickoff.

When to power off the PC (electrically)

2009-12-20T03:09:00.000-08:00

On a most stressful day, my PC at work suddenly started to mess things up and kept acting up. I thought I was left no choice but to restart Windows. But then, I was going to see, restarting the pesky operating system was not an option, because it turned out that Windows XP had taken away that right away from me:

You do not have permission to shut down and restart this computer.

What this means: keep suffering from Windows - pay the price for not switching to a Mac or not having your boss to do so.

To stay or leave? - that is the question

2009-12-08T02:04:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from “Too Good to leave, Too Bad to stay” by Mira Kirshenbaum

Thinking about that time when things between you and your partner were at their best. Looking back, would you now say that things were really very good between you then?
Has there been more that one incident of physical violence in your relationship?
Have you already made a concrete commitment to pursue a course of action or lifestyle that definitely excludes your partner?
If God or some omniscient being said it was okay to leave, would you feel tremendously relieved and have a strong sense that finally you could end your relationship?
In spite of your problems, do you and your partner have even one positively pleasurable activity or interest (besides children) that you currently share and look forward to sharing in the future, something you do together that you both like and that gives both of you a feeling of closeness for awhile?
Would you say that to you, your partner is basically nice, reasonable intelligent, not too neurotic, okay to look at, and most of the time smells alright?
Does you partner bombard you with difficulties when you try to get even the littlest thing you want; and is it your experience that almost any need you have gets obliterated; and if you ever do get what you want, is getting it such and ordeal that you don’t feel it was worth the effort?
Does it seem to you that your partner generally and consistently blocks your attempts to bring up topics or raise questions, particularly about things you care about?
Have you got to the point, when your partner says something, that you usually feel it’s more likely that he’s lying than that he’s telling the truth?
In spite of admirable qualities, and stepping back from any temporary anger or disappointment, do you genuinely like your partner, and does your partner seem to like you?
Do you feel willing to give your partner more than you’re giving already, and are you willing to do this the way things are between you now, without any expectation of being paid back?
Do both you and your partner want to touch each other and look forward to touching each other and make efforts to touch each other?
Do you feel a unique sexual attraction to your partner?
Does your partner neither see nor admit things you’ve tried to tell him/her to acknowledge that make your relationship too bad to stay in?
Is there something your partner does that makes your relationship too bad to stay in and that s/he acknowledges but that, for all intents and purposes, s/he’s unwilling to do anything about?
This problem your partner has that makes you want to leave; have you tried to let it go, ignore it, stop letting it bother you? And were you successful?
As you think about your partner’s problem that makes your relationship too bad to stay in, does s/he acknowledge it and is s/he willing to do something about it and is s/he able to change ?
Has your partner violated what for you is a bottom line?
Is there a clearly formulated, passionately held difference between you that has to do with the shape and texture and quality of your life as you actually experience it?
In spite of all the ways you’re different, would you say that deep down or in some respect that’s important to you, your partner is someone just like you in a way you feel good about?
With your new, more complete, more realistic set of information about what it would be like for you if you left, have you discovered new, more probable realities that now make leaving seem impossible, difficult or unpleasant?
With your new, more complete, more realistic set of information about what it would be like for you if you left, have you discovered new, more probable realities that now make leaving seem easier, more attractive and make staying no longer desirable?
Does your partner do such a good job of conveying the idea that you’re a nut or a jerk or a loser or an idiot about parts of yourself that are important to you that you’ve started to really become demonstrably convinced of it yourself?
As you think about your partner’s disrespect, is it clear to you that you do everything possible to limit your contact with your partner, except for times where you absolutely must interact?
Do you feel that your partner, overall and more often than not, shows concrete support for and genuine interest in the things you’re trying to do that are important to you?
Whatever was done that caused hurt and betrayal, do you have a sense that the pain and damage has lessened with time?
Is there a demonstrated capacity and mechanism for genuine forgiveness in your relationship?
Is it likely that, if you have a reasonable need, you and your partner will be able to work out a way for you to get it met without too painful a struggle?
Is there some particular need that’s so important to you that if you don’t get it met, looking back you’ll say your life wasn’t satisfying, and are you starting to get discouraged about ever having it met?
Given the way your partner acts, does it feel as though in getting close to you what he’s most interested in is subjecting you to his anger and criticism?
When the subject of intimacy comes up between you and your partner, is there generally a battle over what intimacy is and how to get it?
Does your relationship support your having fun together?
Do you currently share goals and dreams for your life together?
If all the problems in your relationship were magically solved today, would you still feel ambivalent about whether to stay or leave?

Excerpts from “Too Good to leave, Too Bad to stay” by Mira Kirshenbaum

How clouds work

2009-10-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

A weird illustration by Dan Meth for the upcoming graphic novel anthology “This Will Explain Everything” to be published by the Scotland-based Forest Publishing very soon...

"DENIAL" One of the most misused terms in modern psychology

2009-10-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Anyone familiar with the "jargon" of mental health professionals of all persuasions has undoubtedly heard the term denial. What you may not know is that it's fairly common not only for professionals but also for others to use the term improperly or in a poorly defined or overgeneralized manner. In classical (psychodynamic) psychology, denial is an unconscious ego defense mechanism. Basically, that means that a person unconsciously puts up a barrier to experiencing what is too painful to consciously bear. An example might be a situation in which a woman who has been married to the same man for 40 years has just had to rush him to the hospital because while they were out in the yard working, he began having trouble speaking and appeared in some distress. The doctors later tell her that he has suffered a stroke, is now virtually brain-dead, and will not recover. Yet, every day she comes to his bedside, holds his hand, and talks to him. The nurses tell her he cannot hear, but she talks to him anyway. The doctors tell her he will not recover, but she tells herself, “I know he’ll pull through, he’s such a strong man.” This woman is in a unique psychological state – the state of denial. She can hardly believe what has happened. Not long ago she was in the yard with her darling, enjoying one of their favorite activities. The day before, they were at a friend’s home for a get-together. He seemed the picture of happiness and health. He didn’t seem that sick when she brought him to the hospital. Now – in a blink of an eye – they’re telling her he’s gone. This is more emotional pain than she can bear just yet. She’s not ready to accept that her partner of 40 years won’t be coming home with her. She’s not quite ready yet to face a life without him. So, her unconscious mind has provided her with an effective (albeit likely temporary) defense against the pain. Eventually, as she becomes better able to accept the distressing reality, her denial mechanism will break down, and when it does, the pain it served to contain will gush forth and she will grieve.

Now, let’s take another example of so-called "denial." Joe, the class bully, strolls up to one of his unsuspecting classmates and engages in one of his favorite mischievous pastimes: pushing the books out of her arms and spilling them on the floor. It just so happens that the hall monitor sees the event and sternly hollers: “Joe!,” to which Joe, spreading his arms wide open and with a look of great shock, surprise, and innocence on his face asks: “Whaaaat?” Is Joe in an altered psychological state? Does he really not understand the reality of what has happened? Does he really think he didn’t do anything? Is he in an altered mental state brought about by more emotional pain than he could possibly bear? Is he so consumed with shame and/or guilt for what he’s done that he simply can’t bear to believe he actually did such a horrible thing? More than likely, no. Joe is probably more concerned that he has another detention hall punishment coming, which means another note to his parents, and possibly even suspension. So, he’s got one long-shot tactic to try. He’ll do his best to make the Hall Monitor believe she didn’t really see what she thought she saw. The hallway was crowded. Maybe it was someone else. Maybe it was just an “accident.” If he acts surprised, innocent, and righteously indignant enough, maybe, just maybe, she’ll begin to doubt. He prays that unlike him, maybe she is neurotic enough (i.e. has an overactive conscience and excessive sense of guilt or shame) to possibly think she might be misjudging him, maybe she’ll even berate herself for jumping to conclusions or for causing a possibly innocent party emotional pain. This tactic may have worked before. Maybe it will work again.

Professionals and lay persons alike often misuse the term denial. They fail to consider that not all "denial" is the same. Sometimes, denial is truly an unconsious psychological state. Sometimes, it's a refusal to admit a problem. Sometimes, it's a tactic of manipulation and impression management. Sometimes, it's merely a way of lying. The problem is that these distinctions are not always made. Often, when a person denies, it's simply assumed that their denial is a "defense" against the unbearable. In my experience, the term "in denial" is widely overused. Disturbed characters of all sorts frequently engage in denial. It's a rareity however, that they do so because they are in such inner distress over their behavior that they simply can't consciously accept what they're doing.

Ten Facts Credit Card Companies Don't Want You to Know

2009-09-17T04:08:00.000-07:00

The idea of a credit card is a peculiar notion that has only come about in the last fifty years. Instead of paying for purchases with wealth that we already have, we are now borrowing money for every day purchases, even things as quick trip to McDonalds or a bottle of pop from a vending machine. Debt has become a societal norm and it’s here to stay. There’s nothing inherently wrong with debt, however when debt is misused, it can become a major financial nightmare. Credit cards are one of the most abused and misused financial products on the market. Here are ten facts that the credit card companies would prefer that you didn’t know.

1. Universal Default Provisions – Even if you are making your payments as agreed with one credit card, but happen to be late on another payment or if your credit score happens to go down a bit, the credit card company could jump your interest rate by upwards of an additional 20%. You could be paying around 14% for a decent credit card, but if another bank thinks you missed a payment on an entirely different loan, your rate could jump upwards of 35%!

2. Very Few Pay Their Cards Off – According to PBS Frontline, there are 35 million Americans who only pay the minimum payment on their credit cards. These people could be paying for their everyday purchases and associated finance charges for decades before paying it off. By federal law, the banks only have to require you to make a minimum payment which takes care of all the fees per the month and one percent of the principal balance. Paying this minimum amount will cause many Americans to pay three or four times what they should have for a product

3. There’s No Maximum Interest Rate – Credit card companies specifically state in just about every card holder agreement that they can change your rate as they please and without notice. Most major banks reside in states that have no usury rate either, so in theory they could charge you whatever rate they pleased without telling you and it would be entirely legal to do so.

4. Credit Card Debt Correlates to Bankruptcy – When people file bankruptcy, more often than not they have extremely high credit card balances which are just beating them up financially. They get into some sort of mess and charge everything to their credit cards, making the problem worse. There is a statistical correlation between having high credit-card debt and filing bankruptcy. The Motley Fool states that 1,300,000 credit card users filed bankruptcy in 2005.

5. Late Payment Fiascos – In 1996, the Supreme Court made a ruling which eliminated restrictions on late fees that could be charged to consumers. Now at most major credit card companies if they even think that your payment is late by an hour, they will charge you a fee of $30, $40, or at some places even $50. Some major banks have even been accused of intentionally not depositing checks which came in on time, and then charging their customers undo late-fees.

6. American’s Are Up To Their Eyeballs in Credit Card Debt – According to the Motley fool, Americans have borrowed a total of $1,700,000,000,000 in consumer debt. Statistically, the average American carries $8,562 in credit card debt, and there was a total of $50,000,000,000 charged in finance charges annually.

7. Most Rewards Programs Aren’t Worth It – A lot of banks try to lure consumers into getting credit cards with rewards programs that are supposed to give consumers an incentive to use their credit card. However the money used to give out the rewards doesn’t come from thin air. Consumers are paying for their own rewards through finance charges and membership fees whether they are realizing it or not. With one of Wells Fargo’s rewards programs, you have to spend $5000 a year just to break even with the rewards program membership fee.

8. Credit Cards Only Serve One Purpose – If you haven’t figured it out yet, the credit card exist for one reason and one reason only—to put you into more debt. No one wants to have huge amounts of debt, so why make use of a tool that’s only purpose is to get you into debt? The best way to get out of credit card debt is to never get into it in the first place.

9. Statistically You Spend More With Credit – A Dunn and Bradstreet study stated that if you pay with a credit card, you will statistically spend 12%-18% more on your purchases as opposed to paying with cash. When you pay cash, you feel the money leaving you and it hurts; with credit cards that’s not the case. If you use a credit card, you will spend more money whether you realize it or not.

10. You Can’t Outsmart the Credit Card Industry – Credit card companies spend millions of dollars each year figuring out consumer habits and behaviors so that they can separate you from your money. They know how people act and how people think, and statistically will make money off of you. A lot of people think they are getting rich of the credit card industry through rewards points and arbitrage games, but the reality is that they’re not making much at all and are adding all sorts of risk into their life. Credit card companies can easily absorb these cost, because knows that statistically they will make much more money from people than they lose to a couple of people here and there not making the industry any money.

Psychologists Reject Gay ‘Therapy’

2009-08-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: August 5, 2009

The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments.

In a resolution adopted by the association’s governing council, and in an accompanying report, the association issued its most comprehensive repudiation of so-called reparative therapy, a concept espoused by a small but persistent group of therapists, often allied with religious conservatives, who maintain that gay men and lesbians can change.

No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the resolution, adopted by a 125-to-4 vote. The association said some research suggested that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies.

Instead of seeking such change, the association urged therapists to consider multiple options, which could include celibacy and switching churches, for helping clients live spiritually rewarding lives in instances where their sexual orientation and religious faith conflict.

The association has criticized reparative therapy in the past, but a six-member panel added weight to that position by examining 83 studies on sexual orientation change conducted since 1960. Its report was endorsed by the association’s governing council in Toronto, where the association’s annual meeting is being held this weekend.

The report breaks ground in its detailed and nuanced assessment of how therapists should deal with gay clients struggling to remain loyal to a religious faith that disapproves of homosexuality.

Judith Glassgold, a psychologist in Highland Park, N.J., who led the panel, said she hoped the document could help calm the polarized debate between religious conservatives who believe in the possibility of changing sexual orientation and the many mental health professionals who reject that option.

“Both sides have to educate themselves better," Ms. Glassgold said. “The religious psychotherapists have to open up their eyes to the potential positive aspects of being gay or lesbian. Secular therapists have to recognize that some people will choose their faith over their sexuality.”

One of the largest organizations promoting the possibility of changing sexual orientation is Exodus International, a network of ministries whose core message is “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ.”

Its president, Alan Chambers, describes himself as someone who “overcame unwanted same-sex attraction.” Mr. Chambers and other evangelicals met with association representatives after the panel was formed in 2007, and he expressed satisfaction with parts of the report that emerged.

GOZmosis

The Checklist for Writing a Book and Getting Published

SOURCE: George Green and Lizzy Kremer

Come a little closer

How to Make It in America Season 3

What about season 3

How to Make it in America Desktop Wallpaper

Don't Delete Cookies

or else you might upset the Cookie Monster :)

Who is Gossip Girl

Big Spoiler Alert! (Biggest Gossip Girl Spoiler Ever)

Gossip Girl is Georgina Sparks!

SOPAMan Begins

The 25 Funniest iPhone AutoCorrections of 2011

No clue what AutoCorrection is?

Beware!

Time to Laugh

What Really Happened at the Stonehenge

Kermit about to find out about the truth who he really is

iPhone Killers Killing Each Other

Capture Attention with an Exceptional Resume

THE FIRST IMPRESSION: KEY GUIDELINES TO WRITE EYE-CATCHING RESUME

ELEMENTS OF A RESUME

Winter solstice marked by Lunar Eclipse 2010

Tomorrow's Lunar eclipse (that is the 21st of December 2010) and winter solstice to coincide for first time in 372 years. The eclipse will fall on the shortest day of the year – the winter solstice – for the first time since 1638.

On Cure for HIV

HIV 'Cure' Risky and Impractical

Experts say treatment used to 'cure' the patient is dangerous and won't work for most.

Despite Impractical Treatment, News Is Promising

Other Videos on Cure for HIV

Experts caution on HIV/Aids cure excitement

Mobile Lawsuits

Lost Smoke Monster Sounds as your iPhone Ringtone

The PC strikes back

Lost Ending - Lost Finale Explained

"The island is a cork of a bottle keeping the evil from spreading throughout the rest of the world"

Twitter's Zero-Follower Bug is the off-spring from Make-Anyone-your-Follower Bug

Drivers, why you should always wear seat-belt

Hot Math, Cool Cars

Developing a Plan for Your Home Business Blog

Determine Your Objectives

Reality Check

Theme or Layout

Content Development Strategy

Tempted - A Novel Worth Looking into

Technologic Developments towards the year 3000

For Earth Day, A Simple Step To Help The Planet Can Also Lower Your Cancer Risk

The Key Business Objectives of Promo Gifts

Ensure Your Website Helps You Achieve Your Objectives

5 Stages of Successful Business Planning

The Obamas Watch But Don't See the Tragic Fate of Middle East Women: A Four-Picture Allegory

Westerners vs Asians

Achieving Your Business Objectives Requires A Holistic Marketing Strategy

Sleeping Boxes in Paris

How about sleeping in a box when you are just passing by a large city instead of struggling to find unoverbooked hotels?

El Computador vs la Computadora

Don't Handle Objections, Embrace Them

5 Sure-fire Ways to Turn Objections Into Sales

The Last Oracle: A Novel

Renault and the Turkish Automotive Market

Teaching Swimming to Kids - The Arabic Way

Me, myself or I, a hero?

Lost's Smoke Monster Appearences

Office War

War of the employees of a corporate office

Taken from the Geekadelphia blog archives

Lost Season 6 Episode 1 Sneak Peak Part 2

The first 6-minute Footage of Lost Season 6 Episode 1

Apple's iPad Tablet - A disappointment or an Elation?

Convert Word documents to clean HTML.

How to generate clean HTML from your Word document in 3 easy steps

Star Wars - The Old Republic - The Video Game

Alternatives to Rapidshare for free file hosting & sharing

What free alternatives do we have to Rapidshare?

4Shared

DropBox

Ziddu

Mediafire

Great formule for treating flu and bad cold using onion and sugar

Beware of Fake Facebook notifications and Other Phishing MessagesN