american idiot

Mercedes-Benz is globally recognized as a trendsetter and leader in innovation when it comes to advancing the luxury and comfort in its vehicles. Throughout the years it has introduced various features that not only have become endeared to the thousands of Benz owners but has also been emulated by other car companies. Recently another innovation that the car company ahs introduced was Ipod connectivity. Recognizing the phenomenal success and impact of Apple's Ipod, Mercedes-Benz now offers full connectivity with this gadget in all its models. Now, Benz owners can now enjoy their music collection on their state-of-the-art Benz audio systems while traveling.

Last March 15, another innovation was introduced by Mercedes Benz. This time it has tied up with Delphi Corporation, a leading manufacturer of retail satellite radio receivers. All 2005 Mercedes Benz vehicles in North America will now feature a factory installed Satellite Radio Receiver as standard equipment. Satellite radio offers its listeners hundreds of choices of music and other programming stations. It is also one of the fastest growing entertainment applications today.

With satellite radio on board, Benz vehicles offer a new dimension of entertainment. Owners will now have access to dozens of programs that are sure to keep anyone entertained while traveling. In 2002, DaimlerChrysler chose Delphi to manufacture and supply radio receiver units for its dealer installed units. The company opted for factory installed units.

Delphi is one of the leaders in this technology, having produced over 4.5 million OEM and retail satellite radio receivers. Delphi also makes satellite-ready head units. In addition, audio/video units that incorporate navigation as well as various playback devices such as DVD's, CD's, MP3's and cassettes are also manufactured by the company.

With this tie-up, Mercedes-Benz continues to offer its consumers the best innovations and features for the utmost in comfort and entertainment. Mercedes-Benz has been a leader in innovation in the automotive industry, offering vehicles that have become benchmarks of automotive and design excellence.

Meanwhile, when it comes to excellent and high quality Mercedes-Benz parts, it pays to choose nothing but the best Benz auto parts possible. There are dozens of auto parts stores, most of them with online stores, which offer an extensive array of top-notch Mercedes-Benz parts. One of the leading names is Auto Parts Train, a highly-recommended online auto parts store based in California, USA. You can check out their top-quality Benz auto parts by logging on to http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/MERCEDES_BENZ.

About The Author

Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.

jenny@partstrain.com

Are you a guy who’s interested not only in dating beautiful women, even celebrities, but would like to get beautiful women to approach YOU first Can it really be done The answer is an unqualified “yes” IF you know what to say and do, and what to avoid saying and doing.

Most guys have no clue about the day to day life of stunningly beautiful women. They have no idea how many times a DAY these beautiful women are approached by guys whose obvious interest is to “sex them up.” And for celebrities, it’s even worse. Day in, and day out they hear the same thing: “oh you’re such beautiful women… do you have boyfriends… can I take you out…” and on and on and on. Beautiful women simply become numb to guys asking them these questions, and tune them out.

Now, that’s not to say these beautiful women don’t want to meet men… because they do. Many of them desperately. But beautiful women like a guy who’ll say something different to them, something unusual, something that will create attraction in them. And most of all beautiful women crave a man who “defines authority” for them, one who is not intimidated by their looks or fame. Let me give you an example.

I’m in the business of teaching other guys how to get desirable, beautiful women to approach them first for a date, no matter their looks, age or income see www.womenapproachyou.com. And while I rarely take clients, occasionally I’ll make a mistake and let someone talk me into helping them.

A few weeks ago I was working with a guy who was desperately in need of help. Like I always do, I asked him, “What specifically do you want in beautiful women What don’t you want And most importantly, what’s your ideal experience with a woman” Most of guys, of course, have no specific answers to these questions—and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s extremely difficult to achieve any measure of success—whether with beautiful women or in any area of your life.

This guy, amazingly enough, didn’t pause with his answer: “I’d like to sex Paris Hilton—and other beautiful women” he leered. I was a bit taken aback—apparently I don’t speak the “new lingo.” “Sex Paris Hilton,” I said. “What the heck does that mean, sex Paris Hilton”

“It means I’d like to get with her you know, sex her up, sex Paris Hilton—or a woman like her.” Ah-ha. “So your goal is to share a few adventures with celebrities, or beautiful women who look like celebrities” He nodded eagerly—“I’ll settle for a look-alike,” he said, “but what do I say, what do I do to get beautiful women to even speak to me”

Here’s what I told him in regards to beautiful women: first off, get all thoughts of lust out of your head. If you want to spend time with beautiful women, you need to get to know them as people first.

Here’s what to do: when you see a beautiful woman or beautiful women you want to approach, look her in the eye, and smile slightly, using your “naughty little boy smile.” Your intent is to make her smile back at you, while you continue to hold her gaze, and smile wider and “naughtier.” Look for something unusual about her that few other guys would notice, and bring it to her attention. For example:

“You look like a well-conditioned athlete… what are you training for”

“Hmmm, that’s a most unusual tattoo… what made you decide to get that particular one”

“That’s a very professional looking business suit… what’s the occasion for dressing so professionally”

“You have a great energy, much like my friends in the martial arts… what kind of physical training do you do to have such a great energy… or is it just natural”

Or if all else fails, “What are smiling about… remembering something that makes you grin”

The key is to notice something about her environment, and ask her an open ended question letting her know you’re sincerely curious about her. Don’t tell her, “you’re a beautiful woman and I like beautiful women.” She’s heard that. You want to give her an opportunity to talk about herself, something few guys ever do. They’re trying to impress her, instead of shutting up, listening and letting her impress herself about you.

By doing this, you let her know you’re interested in her as a person as opposed to a sweaty piece of meat, that you appreciate her beauty and beautiful women but you’re not intimidated or especially impressed by it, and that you need to hear more before you let her into your life. When you do this, you will stand out from the crowd that asks her the same questions over and over and over—and she’ll be more than happy to pick YOU up! for more great tips, see www.womenapproachyou.com

About The Author

John Alanis is the author of “Secrets of Natural Attraction: How to Get Desirable, Beautiful Women to Chase You.” He also publishes a daily “politically incorrect attraction and dating tips” newsletter that reveals, in detail, how to get desirable, beautiful women to approach men for a date first, no matter your looks, age or income. You can subscribe to John’s daily secret by going to http://www.womenapproachyou.com Upon subscription, John immediately sends you five free “how to get beautiful women to approach you!” reports.

Weve all read about personal goal setting. Weve all tried it. According to the stats, most of the time we all fail.

I often used to slap hand to forehead and mutter through clinched teeth, Idiot! after realizing that I have, yet again failed to accomplish even the simplest of personal goals much less the grand New Years goal. Over the years, though, I have managed to develop a cohesive method for curing this ailment as well as curing the ever-present handprint on my forehead.

Making a positive use of the once negative pet name that I had for myself, I developed Idiots Guide to Goal Setting. Ready to cure the ever-present handprint on your forehead

First, there is one pre-requisite before launching forth.

Before we even get out of the gate, we must first get beyond the list of things that should be our goals and first commit to making ourselves priority and believing that what WE want IS important! Too often we are convinced that what we should do for ourselves is what we want to do for ourselves. This is not the case.

Push aside the should thoughts and focus on what you passionately want for yourself. What are you willing to commit to and see through to the end

In order for this commitment to be different from all of the others you must have a support system that will uphold you when the tide of daily life rigors begins to arrive once again.

This is the essential ingredient that most people dont include when they make a commitment to change. The following 5 steps are designed to help you create a resolution that is clear, specific, and planned out with the necessary support and accountability to make this swing at goal setting one for the records!

5 steps to success with goal setting

1. Keep It Simple!

Theres a temptation, to generate a list of everything youve ever wanted to change. Dont fall for it! Youll have better luck fulfilling one or two goals than you will with a list of fifty.

2. Be Specific

Lets say your goal is to create a better balanced life between health, relationships, and work. Word this carefully. Try not to think of it as "I am going to balance my life." Thats a tall glass of stress ready to be gulped! It forces you into thinking of the resolution as something you must do, not something you want to do.

Make it sound a little gentler: "Im now going to explore different ways of balancing my life." This also suggests more of a plan. You will fulfill the goal by experimenting with strategies for life balance.

The first phrasing sounds as if youre going to force yourself to have a balanced life by sheer willpower.

3. Make the Plan

Once you know what your goal is, plan it out in clear steps. Your plan doesnt have to be a complicated one. Start by answering the question, What is the first step I need to take toward accomplishing my goal

For life balance, it might look like this: Work no more than 40 hours a week Walk 3 times a week Create a date night for significant relationships

4. Write it Down

Write down your goal and your plan of action. Stick it up on the fridge or in your office. Write in the activities in your day timer or wherever you know youll see it. That way youll have a constant reminder of the resolution.

5. Get Support! In order for this goal to be different from all of the others you have set, you must first have a support system that will uphold you when the tide of daily life rigors begins to rise. This is the essential ingredient that most people dont include when they make a commitment to change. All of the previous steps hinge on this one!

Personal or Life Coaching is a perfect example of such support. Accountability, guidance and clarity are the prime focuses of these practitioners. Coaching sessions are devoted completely to setting and accomplishing your goals. Unlike family and friends, a coach is objective, well trained and committed to seeing your goals come to fruition.

Regardless of the goals you set for yourself, what is most important is making yourself priority and committing to living the best life possible with the minimal amount of handprints on your forehead!

© 2004 by Dr. Robert A. Eubanks

Article URL: http://www.bridgetosolutions.com/pages/9/index.htm

Terms of use: This article may be published electronically or in print, as long as the byline at the end of the article is included without alteration.

About The Author

Dr. Robert A. Eubanks is the founder of Bridge to Solutions Coaching. He coaches people around the country via telephone to improve organization, time management, goal setting and to create the best darn life possible! For a free 30 minute coaching session, e-mail bridgetosolutions@yahoo.com or visit www.bridgetosolutions.com.

Heather had been dating Ben for a little over two months. She quite enjoyed his company but was beginning to realize he was not the man for her. She wasnt so much physically attracted to him as she was entertained by his offbeat sense of humor and his sense of the ridiculous. Theyd had some great times together but she was contemplating giving him the “lets just be friends” speech.

On the night of her twenty-eighth birthday, Ben told her he had something special in store for her. Heather felt a twinge of discomfort but told herself she was overreacting. Ben tended to over-dramatize ordinary events, which was part of what made him fun. They enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a beautiful restaurant, then returned to Bens place so he could present her with his gift.

Heather was amused to discover that Ben had set up a treasure hunt in his apartment. In each of the rooms hed planted objects containing small folded notes. On each note hes written an obscure message which would lead her to the next clue. Ben pointed out the location of the first clue, then left her to discover the rest.

Heathers anxiety began to mount as she reached the sixth clue. She found it in Bens walk-in closet, just after she stumbled across three long dart blowers hidden behind his clothes. Shed already noticed the gun cases under the bed. At that moment Ben called out from the living room, “As soon as you find it, Ill shoot us!” Her imagination went into overdrive.

Two minutes later she found the box. It was large and beautifully wrapped. Inside it was a smaller box, and inside that one a third. When she opened the fourth box she saw the diamond ring. Heather was stunned.

By now Ben was beside her. He looked at her face and decided she was overcome with gratitude. “You dont have to say anything now,” he murmured. “Just nod if you want to marry me.”

Heather calculated her chances. Did he have any poison darts handy Could she reach the front door before he opened a gun case No, she decided. Shed have to tough it out.

“What on earth possessed you to buy this for me” she blurted.

Ben hesitated but quickly recovered. “It doesnt have to be an engagement ring,” he backpedaled. “Just accept it as a birthday gift. You can always change your mind later.”

“But I cant accept something like this,” Heather explained. “I cant stand wearing jewelry.”

Ben was so caught up in his fantasy that he hadnt noticed the blatantly obvious. On both counts.

Heather was relieved to discover that the only shooting Ben intended that night was with his camera. But the celebratory mood was over and she left shortly afterwards, minus the ring. She didnt go out with Ben again.

Have you ever miscalculated with a gift Perhaps not as blatantly as Ben did but there may have been times when you gave the wrong thing to the right person or the right thing to the wrong person. And then wondered why they didnt seem particularly grateful.

Gift giving involves thought and a certain amount of premeditation. If you dont know what to buy, ask. It doesnt have to be the person himself or herself; you can ask their father, mother, sister or best friend. Just make sure its someone who knows them well and can tell you what they would like. And dont count on someones response on a previous occasion. Many people wont tell you if they dont appreciate a gift in an effort to spare your feelings.

Putting thought into your gift selection is usually worth the effort. And perhaps the best thing about receiving a gift you love is the feeling that the other person knows you so well that they knew exactly what to choose.

About The Author

Marguerite Bonneville is a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming NLP whose passion is publishing information online. She is a contributing writer at http://www.romantic-gift-ideas-online.com, a resource site dedicated to helping visitors find the perfect romantic gift.

When Bob Hope moved into television, he lost the opportunity to hold his script in his hand , something he had gotten used to working in radio. The presentation would look too stiff to his audience. He tried to memorize his monologues, but that proved to be too cumbersome of a task and it took away from his golf game. The solution was cue cards, or idiot cards as they are known in the industry. This worked well for the performer, but was hazardous for others. On one of Hopes early NBC broadcasts a well meaning assistant director held up the cards so his star could read them, then tossed them back over his shoulder almost decapitating several members of the studio audience.

Idiot cards are a way for performers to lose the respect of their co-stars. James Caan, Robert Duvall and the rest of the cast of the 1972 classic, The Godfather , were thrilled to meet the star of the movie Marlon Brando. Actor Lenny Montana, who played the thuggish character Luca Brasi was so in awe of Brando he kept fumbling his lines when they both shared the same scenes. Director Francis Ford Coppola made it work by having the character of Luca nervously rehearse what he was going to say prior to meeting the Don, making the situation appear seamless. But if Montana was willing, if unable to learn his lines, Brando was not. In his scenes there were cue cards everywhere, causing Duvall to yell at him," Marlon, why dont you learn your lines you fat #*^%*@!"

Brando stubbornly refused to change. A year later when performing in the controversial and sex charged Last Tango In Paris he wrote some of his lines on the bottom of his shoe and in a few scenes had to hop around awkwardly to read them.

For some actors, idiot cards are the ultimate security blanket. Shortly before he died the great John Barrymore had a scene where he only had to deliver one line: "Yes". Dutifully, his personal assistant stood ready to hold up a cue card. One of the film techs informed the director that Barrymores helper was standing in the way, they would not be able to light the scene properly. The director waited for his star to arrive. "Jack, Can I talk to you" "Certainly." "Would it be possible for you do this one scene without your idiot card" "Absolutely Not". The director sighed," Jack you only have to say yes, thats it. What happens if I order your friend to leave" Barrymore looked at him coldly. "I might say no." In the end new lighting arrangements were made.

About The Author

Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks Fascinating Walt Disney and Tales Of Hollywood. The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining." Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at www.hollywoodstories.com. orgofhlly@aol.com

When Bob Hope moved into television, he lost the opportunity to hold his script in his hand , something he had gotten used to working in radio. The presentation would look too stiff to his audience. He tried to memorize his monologues, but that proved to be too cumbersome of a task and it took away from his golf game. The solution was cue cards, or idiot cards as they are known in the industry. This worked well for the performer, but was hazardous for others. On one of Hope's early NBC broadcasts a well meaning assistant director held up the cards so his star could read them, then tossed them back over his shoulder almost decapitating several members of the studio audience.

Idiot cards are a way for performers to lose the respect of their co-stars. James Caan, Robert Duvall and the rest of the cast of the 1972 classic, The Godfather , were thrilled to meet the star of the movie Marlon Brando. Actor Lenny Montana, who played the thuggish character Luca Brasi was so in awe of Brando he kept fumbling his lines when they both shared the same scenes. Director Francis Ford Coppola made it work by having the character of Luca nervously rehearse what he was going to say prior to meeting the Don, making the situation appear seamless. But if Montana was willing, if unable to learn his lines, Brando was not. In his scenes there were cue cards everywhere, causing Duvall to yell at him," Marlon, why don't you learn your lines you fat #*^%*@!"

Brando stubbornly refused to change. A year later when performing in the controversial and sex charged Last Tango In Paris he wrote some of his lines on the bottom of his shoe and in a few scenes had to hop around awkwardly to read them.

For some actors, idiot cards are the ultimate security blanket. Shortly before he died the great John Barrymore had a scene where he only had to deliver one line: "Yes". Dutifully, his personal assistant stood ready to hold up a cue card. One of the film techs informed the director that Barrymore's helper was standing in the way, they would not be able to light the scene properly. The director waited for his star to arrive. "Jack, Can I talk to you?" "Certainly." "Would it be possible for you do this one scene without your idiot card?" "Absolutely Not". The director sighed," Jack you only have to say yes, that's it. What happens if I order your friend to leave?" Barrymore looked at him coldly. "I might say no." In the end new lighting arrangements were made.

Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks Fascinating Walt Disney and Tales Of Hollywood. The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining." Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at www.hollywoodstories.com.

orgofhlly@aol.com

About the Author

Marguerite Bonneville is a former NLP Master practitioner who now works full-time creating informational web sites. Her latest project is a joint venture site called Romantic Gift Ideas Online, located at http://www.romantic-gift-ideas-online.com

Recently I received an email from someone who had read one of my articles online. This reader told me that, while reading my article, she had noticed that I had used "their" where I needed "they're." A simple mistake, but one that could have been avoided with a little better proofreading on my part. I would have been pleased to receive this reminder to be more astute, but the message didn't stop there. The reader went on to call me, among other things, an idiot.

Now we all make mistakes, and we all have our pet peeves. (Mine happens to be dawdlers.) Clearly this reader's peeve is the mixing up of homonyms, and my mistake made me a criminal in her eyes. Thus, hidden behind the anonymity of email, she attacked.

As a frequently published author, I am used to criticism, and always open to a reminder to pay more attention, even if that reminder stings a little at the time. I am not, however, nor do I think I will ever be, open to being called an idiot. Was I upset by this person? Mildly. Do I think there's a problem with web etiquette in general? Absolutely. The insulting reader wasn't doing anything different than so many other self-appointed web critics do all the time.

The basic problem with web etiquette lies in the inherent anonymity of e-correspondence. The fact that we can't see someone, or hear their voice, does not entitle us to treat them rudely. Anonymity makes us bold, and some of us tend to forget our manners when sending emails or posting on discussion boards. I have a feeling that if this reader had been speaking to me face to face the word "idiot" would never have been invoked.

Think about it, when dealing with mistakes or service problems in person, we always try to be polite while still getting our point across, right? That is a basic social rule, but one that has been all but thrown away on the web. I have read atrocious things online that I believe never would have been spoken aloud had the people involved been in the same room together.

Let's try to bring good old fashioned manners to the web. When composing an email involving a complaint or a correction, write it as though you will be reading it aloud to the person you're writing to. Yes, you want to get your point across, but do so without being nasty. When posting on a discussion board, try to keep a conversational, even-tempered tone, even if someone has attacked your statement or question. Rise above the situation and keep things polite and decorous. If we all remember our manners, the web can be a much friendlier, and more professional place.

Alvin Apple helps everyday people start businesses they will enjoy. Then he teaches them how to succeed. Read all his helpful strategies, including his latest article, "Use Hands-on Marketing to Sell Like Crazy" at http://AlvinApple.com. Reach Alvin at 801-328-9006 or alvin@drnunley.com.

When Bob Hope moved into television, he lost the opportunity to hold his script in his hand , something he had gotten used to working in radio. The presentation would look too stiff to his audience. He tried to memorize his monologues, but that proved to be too cumbersome of a task and it took away from his golf game. The solution was cue cards, or idiot cards as they are known in the industry. This worked well for the performer, but was hazardous for others. On one of Hope's early NBC broadcasts a well meaning assistant director held up the cards so his star could read them, then tossed them back over his shoulder almost decapitating several members of the studio audience.

Idiot cards are a way for performers to lose the respect of their co-stars. James Caan, Robert Duvall and the rest of the cast of the 1972 classic, The Godfather , were thrilled to meet the star of the movie Marlon Brando. Actor Lenny Montana, who played the thuggish character Luca Brasi was so in awe of Brando he kept fumbling his lines when they both shared the same scenes. Director Francis Ford Coppola made it work by having the character of Luca nervously rehearse what he was going to say prior to meeting the Don, making the situation appear seamless. But if Montana was willing, if unable to learn his lines, Brando was not. In his scenes there were cue cards everywhere, causing Duvall to yell at him," Marlon, why don't you learn your lines you fat #*^%*@!"

Brando stubbornly refused to change. A year later when performing in the controversial and sex charged Last Tango In Paris he wrote some of his lines on the bottom of his shoe and in a few scenes had to hop around awkwardly to read them.

For some actors, idiot cards are the ultimate security blanket. Shortly before he died the great John Barrymore had a scene where he only had to deliver one line: "Yes". Dutifully, his personal assistant stood ready to hold up a cue card. One of the film techs informed the director that Barrymore's helper was standing in the way, they would not be able to light the scene properly. The director waited for his star to arrive. "Jack, Can I talk to you?" "Certainly." "Would it be possible for you do this one scene without your idiot card?" "Absolutely Not". The director sighed," Jack you only have to say yes, that's it. What happens if I order your friend to leave?" Barrymore looked at him coldly. "I might say no." In the end new lighting arrangements were made.

Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks "Fascinating Walt Disney" and "Tales Of Hollywood". The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining." Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at www.hollywoodstories.com.

What are you? An electrical outlet waiting for a plug, so you can finally light up the world? Frankly, when I hear the word "soulmate" I tend to give a little shudder, especially when I think about some of the people in my past that I have considered to be my soulmates. Quite frankly, most of my soulmates were idiots! The Buddha would say that they were also my teachers -- people I have known in a previous life time who have come back in this lifetime to teach me a lesson. Boy did they, but unfortunately, it sometimes takes several soul mates to teach us just one lesson. (Hint, hint -- I think the lesson is supposed to be about "letting go" and stop trying to control, or own people -- a common problem in this society.) Most people think that they have found their soulmate just because they feel a strong connection to a person. Unfortunately, that connection may not have anything to do with spirituality at all. It is amazing how lust can convince us that we are spiritually connected to a person. The person may just seem familiar, because they remind you of an ex boyfriend, a parent, or even someone who molested you as a child. I also hate the way the term soulmate is often used by people as an excuse to stay in a relationship where they are clearly being abused ...half the time the abuser is using the concept of the soulmate as blackmail: "but you have to take this crap from me! You're beholden to me. I knew you in another life!" You can tell your soulmate is an idiot, if he left you eight months ago and you feel like he is still hanging around in your aura, or even worse, visiting you in dreams, or plaguing you with unwanted thoughts like "this was really all your fault, you know." Time to evict this tenant from your cosmic field.When it comes to soulmates, I subscribe to Oprah's theory "that everybody is your soul mate." In theory, you don't have to have sex with every soul mate you meet -- a soul mate can also be a child, a relative, a co-worker or even just a good friend. One of the hazards of getting involved sexually and emotionally with someone who we believe was sent to us by God, or who we think was sent to us as "an angel on earth" is that we often become over attached to them and have trouble severing the connection. Notice how anyone you've gotten rid off doesn't qualify as a soulmate... but anyone who dumped you automatically ALWAYS makes the grade ... ironically, you hear most people describe the last person who dumped them as their one and only soulmate. If they were such a great soulmate, then why didn't they stick around to build a future with you? Oh right, your soulmate was an idiot, too. It's O.K. to admit your soulmate is an idiot, by the way. It makes the angels laugh ... Forget meditation. There's nothing that dissolves bad karma faster than a bit of humour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sam Steven's metaphysical articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. You can meet Sam Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com where she is the staff writer. Currently she is studying technology's impact on the metaphysics.

About the Author: Joel Turtel is the author of “Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children." Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com, Email: lbooksusa@aol.com, Phone: 718-447-7348.

That would be me! From what I can see, I’m just beginning the second year of a minimum four year sentence as a Village Idiot. I say minimum because the sentence may be extended at any time and without advance notice – written or verbal.

Actually, I’m not treading on unfamiliar turf. I received a similar sentence earlier in my life. If I remember correctly, that one lasted about 14 or 15 years give or take a half dozen years or so. These things tend to get blurry after a while.

My first sentence began when my oldest child was about 13 years old. It continued uninterrupted until somewhere around the time my youngest offspring began to develop a sincere appreciation for early morning physical conditioning and hurried breakfasts in the presence of cranky, uniformed seniors. My current sentence as Village Idiot comes compliments of a teenage granddaughter who is living with us.

For those of you who have lived in a “teenager house”, this really doesn’t require much in the way of explanation, does it? It’s pretty much of an automatic transition for us parents – or grandparents in many cases. Here we are, cruising through life as wonderful, caring, nurturing, wise adults. Then suddenly one morning we wake up with ninety percent of our brains having been mysteriously removed while we slept soundly in our little beds.

We are the result of a negative parental metamorphosis. We have become the slugs of the earth. Pond scum. We are uncaring ogres – trolls guarding the bridge to a teenage life of fun and excitement.

“You don’t care about me anymore!”

“You never listen to me!”

“You hate me!”

“Stop treating me like a baby!”

“But everybody’s doing it!”

“You just don’t understand!”

“You just don’t care!”

The plaque reads “Certified Village Idiot”. Mine has four oak leaf clusters. Not bad - and I must say it does look rather nice on my office wall. I look at it and think about the day when I presented my parents with the exact same document. I remember how difficult – and frustrating - it was to try to make the transition from child to adult. To want the independence so badly without understanding what the word really meant. To desperately believe at the ripe old age of sixteen that I was all “grown up” and ready make my way into the big wide world – or at least to the edge of town.

I remember – and understand at least to some extent, the turmoil, frustration and confusion faced by teenagers. Turmoil that today is made worse by a myriad of temptations and attitudes that just didn’t exist when I was that age. Frustrations that are exacerbated by a brain still in the formative stages. And confusions that are compounded by a bombardment of conflicting messages and lifestyles.

“Certified Village Idiot.” What an awesome responsibility! What a tremendously challenging, potentially rewarding task! What a pain in the butt! (Honesty is good, remember?) All parents are bound to receive this designation sometime in their lives. And all we can do when this happens is dig deep into our patience drawer and continue to do the best we can to provide the guidance, understanding and love that will prepare our blossoming adults to someday accept the very same certificate from their children. Well worth doing, I’d say…

About The Author

Gene Simmons, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles, quotations, thoughts and links along with affordable self-help and self improvement books & materials - all designed to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life’s “secrets for survival” in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/.

gene@nupathz.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR A great one to learn from is Marlon Sanders. He REALLY has"Sold 1000s of Products From Home Using the Net." Learn how at: http://www.netplaynewsletters.com/sell1000s.html

A simple way to find out how much time your company or department is wasting through putting out other people's fires. All right, all right! This is a little harsh, I know. We don’t get to shoot the idiots. No, this isn’t a diatribe against arsonists, although anyone who’s seen a lovely stand of trees burned where one of these criminal types has been at work might agree with this solution. This little essay is about time, your time, and how much of it you spend handling things that have nothing to do with getting out the products you are paid to create.

When I was teaching Total Quality Management I had Problem Solving Teams run the following exercise in a selected departments. It was a successful way of finding problem areas for process improvement. This particular exercise could be applied to any department. I have run it on production lines, HR, Billing, Shipping & Receiving and many others.

Before I began the exercise I had a meeting with the personnel of the selected department. After describing what I meant by ‘fires’, I asked them the following question. ‘For any given week what percentage of your time is spent putting out fires?’ This question was asked of each individual in the group and I wrote each person’s answer on a white board. The more emotional said 60% to 70%. Those who worried someone in the class would think they were complaining, said 5%. The larger number of the group members thought about it and gave me their most realistic number.

In none of these exercises was this number ever less than 20%! That’s right, 20%. If you are the CFO or someone who pays the bills and salaries of your organization, this is the place where you scream in agony and start looking for someone to shoot. Don’t shoot anyone. It won’t help. You’ll just get new fires.

Here’s how the exercise was run. Each of the participating employees was given the following items at the start: A categorized Talley Sheet to log events, a stop watch and a little fireman’s hat I bought at a specialty store. They were given the following instructions. Every time you have to handle an event that does not relate to the production of those things you were hired to handle, start the stopwatch. Write a brief description of the ‘Fire’; log the time it started and the time you put it out or simply dropped it. Usually I asked for categories of ‘Fires’ from the students or provides them with a canned list. The list included things like: phone calls not related to job, requests to solve problems not related to the work, deliverables promised but not delivered, meetings that they should not have attended or that wallowed in irrelevancies, and on and on.

You’ve probably added ten categories of your own. The fireman’s hat was put up in their work area to remind them that the exercise was on going. Yes, it was necessary to go around and get people to be disciplined about taking data. It was necessary to be very firm and persuasive about it.

Usually I ran the exercise for one or two weeks. The rule is; be sure you get sufficient data that if you present your findings to management it is statistically convincing. At the end of the exercise period the group would meet and do Pareto charts of their findings. Then they analyzed and put dollar values (including overhead) of the lost time for every category of ‘Fire’. I would have them do the numbers for the two-week period, a quarter and a year. To say that the numbers were an eye opener is a vast understatement.

People are smarter than think. They asked, if everyone is averaging the same amount of lost time what are the numbers for the whole company for a year? The number is always in millions. That’s correct, millions.

Fires are upsetting. Putting out fires at work mean jobs you were supposed to be doing not getting done, schedules being delayed, you being so frustrated by the foolishness of it all that you snap at your co-workers, who then go off and snap at everyone else.

Just as a fire in a community or forest can affect many lives, so can a fire at work. If you wanted to be a fireman, you’d be out riding a bright red truck and sliding down poles. The best way to fight fire is prevention. Ferret out every possible source and get rid of it. And finally, if nothing else works shoot the idiots who start them – metaphorically of course.

About the Author

Mr. Ladew has traveled and worked all over the world. He spent many years as an aerospace engineer. He works as a technical writer and trainer. Mr. Ladew is also a novelist (2 books published), writes articles, essays, short stories and Haiku. he has also written a best selling business book for mid-level supervisors.

About the Author

A great one to learn from is Marlon Sanders. He REALLY has"Sold 1000s of Products From Home Using the Net." Learn how at: http://www.netplaynewsletters.com/sell1000s.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks "Fascinating Walt Disney" and "Tales Of Hollywood". The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining." Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at www.hollywoodstories.com.

About the Author

Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks "Fascinating Walt Disney" and "Tales Of Hollywood". The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining." Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at www.hollywoodstories.com.

Heather had been dating Ben for a little over two months. She quite enjoyed his company but was beginning to realize he was not the man for her. She wasn't so much physically attracted to him as she was entertained by his offbeat sense of humor and his sense of the ridiculous. They'd had some great times together but she was contemplating giving him the “let's just be friends” speech.

On the night of her twenty-eighth birthday, Ben told her he had something special in store for her. Heather felt a twinge of discomfort but told herself she was overreacting. Ben tended to over-dramatize ordinary events, which was part of what made him fun. They enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a beautiful restaurant, then returned to Ben's place so he could present her with his gift.

Heather was amused to discover that Ben had set up a treasure hunt in his apartment. In each of the rooms he'd planted objects containing small folded notes. On each note he's written an obscure message which would lead her to the next clue. Ben pointed out the location of the first clue, then left her to discover the rest.

Heather's anxiety began to mount as she reached the sixth clue. She found it in Ben's walk-in closet, just after she stumbled across three long dart blowers hidden behind his clothes. She'd already noticed the gun cases under the bed. At that moment Ben called out from the living room, “As soon as you find it, I'll shoot us!” Her imagination went into overdrive.

Two minutes later she found the box. It was large and beautifully wrapped. Inside it was a smaller box, and inside that one a third. When she opened the fourth box she saw the diamond ring. Heather was stunned.

By now Ben was beside her. He looked at her face and decided she was overcome with gratitude. “You don't have to say anything now,” he murmured. “Just nod if you want to marry me.”

Heather calculated her chances. Did he have any poison darts handy? Could she reach the front door before he opened a gun case? No, she decided. She'd have to tough it out.

“What on earth possessed you to buy this for me?” she blurted.

Ben hesitated but quickly recovered. “It doesn't have to be an engagement ring,” he backpedaled. “Just accept it as a birthday gift. You can always change your mind later.”

“But I can't accept something like this,” Heather explained. “I can't stand wearing jewelry.”

Ben was so caught up in his fantasy that he hadn't noticed the blatantly obvious. On both counts.

Heather was relieved to discover that the only shooting Ben intended that night was with his camera. But the celebratory mood was over and she left shortly afterwards, minus the ring. She didn't go out with Ben again.

Have you ever miscalculated with a gift? Perhaps not as blatantly as Ben did but there may have been times when you gave the wrong thing to the right person or the right thing to the wrong person. And then wondered why they didn't seem particularly grateful.

Gift giving involves thought and a certain amount of premeditation. If you don't know what to buy, ask. It doesn't have to be the person himself (or herself); you can ask their father, mother, sister or best friend. Just make sure it's someone who knows them well and can tell you what they would like. And don't count on someone's response on a previous occasion. Many people won't tell you if they don't appreciate a gift in an effort to spare your feelings.

Putting thought into your gift selection is usually worth the effort. And perhaps the best thing about receiving a gift you love is the feeling that the other person knows you so well that they knew exactly what to choose.

About The Author

Marguerite Bonneville is a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) whose passion is publishing information online. She is a contributing writer at http://www.romantic-gift-ideas-online.com, a resource site dedicated to helping visitors find the perfect romantic gift.

About the Author

Alvin Apple helps everyday people start businesses they willenjoy. Then he teaches them how to succeed. Read all hishelpful strategies, including his latest article, "Use Hands-onMarketing to Sell Like Crazy" at http://AlvinApple.com. ReachAlvin at 801-328-9006 or alvin@drnunley.com.

Most guys have no clue about the day to day life of stunningly beautiful women. They have no idea how many times a DAY these beautiful women are approached by guys whose obvious interest is to “sex them up.” And for celebrities, it’s even worse. Day in, and day out they hear the same thing: “oh you’re such beautiful women… do you have boyfriends… can I take you out…” and on and on and on. Beautiful women simply become numb to guys asking them these questions, and tune them out.

Now, that’s not to say these beautiful women don’t want to meet men… because they do. Many of them desperately. But beautiful women like a guy who’ll say something different to them, something unusual, something that will create attraction in them. And most of all beautiful women crave a man who “defines authority” for them, one who is not intimidated by their looks (or fame). Let me give you an example.

I’m in the business of teaching other guys how to get desirable, beautiful women to approach them first for a date, no matter their looks, age or income (see www.womenapproachyou.com). And while I rarely take clients, occasionally I’ll make a mistake and let someone talk me into helping them.

A few weeks ago I was working with a guy who was desperately in need of help. Like I always do, I asked him, “What specifically do you want in beautiful women? What don’t you want? And most importantly, what’s your ideal experience with a woman?” Most of guys, of course, have no specific answers to these questions—and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s extremely difficult to achieve any measure of success—whether with beautiful women or in any area of your life.

This guy, amazingly enough, didn’t pause with his answer: “I’d like to sex Paris Hilton—and other beautiful women” he leered. I was a bit taken aback—apparently I don’t speak the “new lingo.” “Sex Paris Hilton,” I said. “What the heck does that mean, sex Paris Hilton?”

“It means I’d like to get with her you know, sex her up, sex Paris Hilton—or a woman like her.” Ah-ha. “So your goal is to share a few adventures with celebrities, or beautiful women who look like celebrities?” He nodded eagerly—“I’ll settle for a look-alike,” he said, “but what do I say, what do I do to get beautiful women to even speak to me?”

Here’s what I told him in regards to beautiful women: first off, get all thoughts of lust out of your head. If you want to spend time with beautiful women, you need to get to know them as people first.

Here’s what to do: when you see a beautiful woman (or beautiful women) you want to approach, look her in the eye, and smile slightly, using your “naughty little boy smile.” Your intent is to make her smile back at you, while you continue to hold her gaze, and smile wider and “naughtier.” Look for something unusual about her that few other guys would notice, and bring it to her attention. For example:

“You look like a well-conditioned athlete… what are you training for?”

“Hmmm, that’s a most unusual tattoo… what made you decide to get that particular one?”

“That’s a very professional looking business suit… what’s the occasion for dressing so professionally?”

“You have a great energy, much like my friends in the martial arts… what kind of physical training do you do to have such a great energy… or is it just natural?”

Or if all else fails, “What are smiling about… remembering something that makes you grin?”

The key is to notice something about her environment, and ask her an open ended question letting her know you’re sincerely curious about her. Don’t tell her, “you’re a beautiful woman and I like beautiful women.” She’s heard that. You want to give her an opportunity to talk about herself, something few guys ever do. They’re trying to impress her, instead of shutting up, listening and letting her impress herself about you.

By doing this, you let her know you’re interested in her as a person (as opposed to a sweaty piece of meat), that you appreciate her beauty (and beautiful women) but you’re not intimidated or especially impressed by it, and that you need to hear more before you let her into your life. When you do this, you will stand out from the crowd that asks her the same questions over and over and over—and she’ll be more than happy to pick YOU up! (for more great tips, see www.womenapproachyou.com)

About The Author

John Alanis is the author of “Secrets of Natural Attraction: How to Get Desirable, Beautiful Women to Chase You.” He also publishes a daily “politically incorrect attraction and dating tips” newsletter that reveals, in detail, how to get desirable, beautiful women to approach men for a date first, no matter your looks, age or income. You can subscribe to John’s daily secret by going to http://www.womenapproachyou.com Upon subscription, John immediately sends you five free “how to get beautiful women to approach you!” reports.

About the Author

Sam Steven's metaphysical articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. You can meet Sam Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com where she is the staff writer. Currently she is studying technology's impact on the metaphysics.

There's an old saying that goes, "God takes care of babies and idiots."

Truly this statement applies to me, because when it comes to my search engine optimization skills, I'm on the idiot side of scale. But that's okay because idiots are loved, and can easily survive in the search engine game too.

Let me explain.

Although NONE of my 6 web sites rank in Google's top 10 (or top 20 and 30 for that matter), and I only advertise 2 of my sites using AdWords, Google still helps me make a lot of money.

That's probably because I went into this search engine optimization 'thingy' with a grain of salt. I don't keep any secret arsenals of software tools that reverse engineer web sites to figure out why their ranking high. I haven't read any of the latest must-have volumes on search engine optimization. (Although they're on my to-do list when - and IF - business ever slows down.)

And still my MVP Google does its best to make me happy. And I do my best to give its searchers relevant content. But not in the way that most SEO savvy webmasters would recognize.

"It's actually very easy to get traffic from Google if you think outside the box."

My strategy for getting traffic from Google is quite simple.

You see I don't go out of my way looking for link partners. My sites are basically 1-2 page sales letters, and nobody wants to link to me, unless they're getting paid.

Nor do I put a tremendous amount of effort into on-page optimization. I sprinkle my targeted keyphrase here and there, and I'm done with it. I write for my paying customers.

What I do is follow this process:

I find other established sites that already have good PageRank and adequate incoming links.

I make sure these sites add new content every day. Sites with frequently added content get visited by the Googlebot often... sometimes every day.

I then place an advertisement on these sites, promoting my actual web site. When the Googlebot pays these sites a visit, the ad itself (NOT my web page) is ranked in Google for the keyphrase I've used. On many occasions my ad's have reached the #1 position in Google for my targeted keyphrase, in as little as 48 hours.

"Where can you readily find such sites?"

Believe it or not, a handful (literally a handful) of classified ad sites fit the description to a tee.

Backpage.com (http://www.backpage.com/) is one of them.

Backpage.com is a free classified ad service run by New Times, a publisher of alternative news weeklies. They offer classified ad listings for 14 US cities. However even if you're not in one of their specific cities, you may still place an ad.

Certain advertisements placed through Backpage.com have reached top 10 positions in Google. The ad's that get favorably indexed in top 10 positions normally have less competitive keywords in the title. My personal synopsis is that these are keywords that receive fewer than 3,000 searches a month, according to the Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool.

An example is 'mobile pc repair.'

This is a low-traffic, but extremely targeted keyphrase.

If you do a search on Google for 'mobile pc repair' you'll notice an ad placed on Backpage.com is featured in the #5 position. Okay, so it's not the best advertisement in the world, but that's irrelevant.

The point is-- The ad got indexed in a top 10 position in Google. Backpage.com allows advertisers to include web site links in the advertisement. So even though this particular advertiser didn't include his/her URL, they very well could have. This would've generated traffic to their site.

"My point?

This is cure for getting targeted traffic while waiting for your actual web site to get ranked."

Early February 2005 webmaster forums around the world were abuzz with groans, gripes and periodic fits of happiness.

Why?

Because Google was doing a major update (dubbed Allegra).

Sites that had ranked in the top 10 for years were being mercilessly tossed around. Other sites that hadn't gotten any decent rank in the past were beginning to see the light. And still others didn't notice any changes.

As for me... well my actual sites still didn't rise much in the ranks. I'm still hovering somewhere around #50+.

But that hasn't phased me one bit.

I look at the big picture and understand that getting traffic from Google is much more than having my site reach the top 10.

If I have 50 advertisements (similar to the one's from Backpage.com) that are in top 10 positions, and they're all delivering traffic from targeted keyphrases, I haven't lost anything. All those keyphrases delivering trickles of traffic equal a flood of clicks and orders at the end of the day.

Not a bad deal for somebody who's SEO illiterate. I guess the old saying is true... God really does take care of babies and idiots.

Copyright 2005 Alexis Dawes

About The Author

Alexis Dawes is the author of "Taking The Back Road To Get On Google's First Page." This report offers details on several more loopholes you can use to get a top Google ranking. You can find more information at (http://www.Get-In-Google-Now.com).

About the Author

Stephen Brennan is the author of the popular ebook title ‘The Affiliate Guide Book’ - The Definitive guide to Affiliate SUCCESS. He also runs The Home Based Business and Affiliate Center and HomeBasedBiz Safelist

About the Author

Perfect Home Based Business Opportunities - The Net’s Top Growing Source for Home Business Information.Attention:Free Web Site Content

About the Author

Chris van der Walt is a freelance writer of self-help articles for all kinds of subjects. He has a passion for Jesus Christ, beach volleyball (savolley.com), computers and the internet. He is also owner of AJC Consulting - Affordable Website Design.

The Intrepid Inquisition (A letter from a boy to the one dear to him) By sai First of all I don’t know what to say. Second of all I think I’m starting to say something. Third of all I think I’m quite getting it. Fourth of all here it goes. It begins every morning when I wake up and get ready for school. Normally I’d wait for my friends and for that trusty jeepney. It would just be any ordinary day until I started to notice a car pass my way. I could say that I didn’t appreciate anything by that view. Then my friends and I had a fight. It was a pity we didn’t talk for days, for weeks until a month passed. I didn’t see the importance of standing in the corner and wait for someone because I had no one. Still the car passed by but now I witnessed a silhouette of a girl. She has that stare that seems endless. I just ignored it. Other mornings came but still I found no reason to position in that area and wait. No friends, lots of jeepneys but why wait? I can’t seem to figure it out. Day after day I kept on wondering what I am waiting for. I think it’s instinct that I wait but for whom or for what? Then one morning, it hit me. The car passed again. I realized that I’m waiting for a person. I don’t know. All I know is that she’s behind that tinted car’s window. It’s been three years and the window hasn’t been opened yet not even once. Maybe chance didn’t come along for me to take. There was no way. I mean I couldn’t run after the vehicle and knock on the window and try to introduce myself. That’s idiotic and typically crazy. I don’t want to bastardize the morning. Then one day I was surprised to see that the window was opened. No one was there except the father. I felt so damned. I wanted to leave. Before I turned to leave I took one last look at the car and saw the very reason why I was waiting in that corner for more than an approximate of 1,095 days of my life. Finally I got a glimpse of her! I was dumbfounded. I saw her! I couldn’t describe the feeling within me. I felt I had accomplished a goal. I can’t seem to put into words the way she looked that day. She didn’t seem happy or sad but to me she looked so beautiful. For the next days, I hoped to see more of her but the window was closed. I thought it would open until further notice. I almost gave up. I know that patience was never my virtue but I guess I have a little amount of it knowing that I’ve waited for three long years. I tried to ask people if they are familiar or acquainted with her. To my dismay, no one responded. I felt that fate wouldn’t allow anything or any way to make me know her. Maybe I chose the wrong person or maybe I assumed too much that she’s the one. Sometimes I even question if she had thoughts about me. I even doubt if she ever saw. Am I the one she’s staring at? Then time came that opportunity rested on my hands. Their car broke in the middle of the road. Her father pushed it aside but he literally couldn’t do it alone. I then decided to help. When I reached the stretch she went out of the car. I was amazed to see her. We successfully forced the car at the side. Her father thanked me and to my delight she spoke a simple “Thanks”. I felt glorious. But the most awaited event happened when one afternoon, on my way home, I rode this jeepney, which happened to be the same PUJ she rode in. I sat across her but she didn’t perceive my presence. I thought this is so hard. Then she turned to my direction and smiled. I smiled back. Mine was bigger than her smile, which indicated that I was pleased to see her. I finally broke off and said, “How’s your car?”. She replied and we conversed for the rest of the trip. Now we’re good friends and I’m glad that the three long years of waiting ended splendidly or it has just begun. I bet you get what I’m trying to narrate. I’m thankful that I got the chance to know the girl who makes my mornings better. I feel blessed with your company because I learned to have patience and I treasured the value of friendship. I set my ego aside and reconciled with my friends. I was relieved to know that they understood. Now it’s you. For the 1,095 plus days that I sacrificed in silence, I found the encouragement to make this decision. I decided to accept the fact that I loved you and still love you at the present. It is not of my requirement that you respond or not for as long as I let you know what my mind and heart speak of. This is and will always be a fact. I dare not end this because I still have forever to wait. The Inevitable Riposte (Her reply) By sai It’s really out of the ordinary that one expresses his feelings through personal mail. It is yet is much appreciated. First of all may I borrow your words? Second of all receiving the letter came as a shock. I never imagined that someone like you would write that lengthy composition for someone like me. I feel I’m not worth it but you made me feel I am. Thank you for the effort and the heart you placed in it. Third of all the three long years was very hard and extensive. I didn’t know anyone who could wait that long as you did. I admit that I have seen you for countless times already. It has also been three years that I’ve been catching a glimpse of your early morning condition. You were the first one I noticed on the first day of our permanent vacation in the vicinity. I’d catch you at least twice or thrice a week. Sometimes you were with your friends or sometimes all alone. Then I’d see you again in the afternoon when we pass by your school on the way home. You seemed to have the best time of your life with your friends in that little eatery. Lately I’m surprised to see you standing unaccompanied. I knew you were waiting for your friends but one day I have observed that you and your pal had your backs against each other. I wondered if you were just being catchy or if you had an argument. I saw you one afternoon with another buddy. I thought it was a miracle to see you go home that early. Turned backs, new friend, early curfew, I concluded that there was really something going on. Until now you are still standing by yourself, waiting. I stared at you. You seemed to stare back. I asked myself once whom you have been waiting for. You were in a quarrel with your friends and there are lots of jeepneys around but why wait? Now it’s the issue about the window. Since it’s early in the morning the cold breeze would freeze me and the unbearable dust would fly around. I never thought about the fact that you could see me from the outside until a friend of mine once waved at me behind the closed window. I was quite horrified. I had this generalization that you could see me too. Then our car broke. I was not expecting you to help since I had this impression that guys would never dare or even try to sweat and smudge themselves with filth early in the morning. Perhaps I was wrong. You had more important priorities than vanity. I was enchanted to see you work hand in hand with the others. I thought you all deserved a “Thank you”. The jeepney ride was pure coincidence wasn’t it? I never wanted to do anything that would suggest of something meaningful like a “Hello” but I remembered that you did a great deal of helping my father with the car. I was stunned yet felicitous to see you reply with that big smile. It did mean something to me. Fourth of all it’s a good start. This time fate was just testing our persons. How would you imagine this: in 1,095 days, you kept on seeing this person, that same old face you catch a glimpse of every morning yet seemed to look better each day? Don’t be flattered by what I’m saying because they’re not meant to flatter you. I’m not trying to be apathetic or naïve but I’m trying to keep this simple yet substantial. I know it’s hard for your part to pour out everything that your mind and heart are screaming of. I congratulate you for being courageous enough to step up to the challenge and show the other side of you- the side I never knew. I admit that this is amazing. We were complete strangers but because of a reason that I don’t know we became good friends. I’m quite fortunate to have you around. I don’t want to say anything to you for now but this question is all that I could leave you with: How long is forever?

About the Author: I write, that's all >> Please do judge my work. I'm open to criticisms.

"Menis - the author translates as "indignant rage" - It is the kind of rage arising from social betrayal that impairs a persons dignity through violation of "whats right." p21, Achilles In Viet Nam - Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character, Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph D.

"The vulnerable relationship between child and parent is a metaphor for the relationship between a soldier and his army. It is also more than a metaphor when we consider the formation and maintenance of good character. The parents betrayal themis - the ability to feel good about oneself , self esteem, self image - through incest, abuse, or neglect puts the child in mortal danger. Despite intellectual limitations, the small child usually grasps the danger, although the childs mental representation of the danger differs from adults. The childs inner sense of safety in the world emerges from the trustworthiness, reliability, and simple competence of the family.

"Similarly, the childs acquisition of self-control, self esteem, and consideration of others depends upon the family. Absent inherited mental disorders, good parenting will produce good character and all the other adult resources of dignity and maturity, including ideals, respect for others, self respect, ambitions, self-care, pro-social rather than anti-social activity, reliable capacity to distinguish reality from fantasy, and so forth.

"Lurking behind these supposedly settled truths is the platonic assertion that good character is a firm wall between a good person and evil acts, regardless of the betrayals of "whats right" and other blows, such as bereavement that may simply happen to an adult. Often there is the invisible unstated assumption that those that hold power in society exhibit loyalty and care in fulfillment of themis. p 32

"If military practice tells soldiers that their emotions of love and grief - which are inseparable from their humanity - do not matter, then the civilian society that has sent them to fight on their behalf should not be shocked by their "inhumanity" when they return to civilian life. p 67

"Viet Nam narratives reveal that the events that drive soldiers berserk are betrayal, insult, or humiliation by a leader; death of a friend-in-arms; being wounded; being overrun, surrounded, or trapped; seeing dead comrades who have been mutilated by the enemy; and unexpected deliverance from certain death." p 80

Even in families without children the parents are leaders. Parents make financial decisions that impact the future of their children, their stature in the community, self worth, and dignity. There is nothing dignified about the effects of predatory financing. Yet there is an initial assumption that those who impact the credit scores of Americans are exhibiting loyalty and care in fulfillment of their chosen occupation. Americans believe our laws and regulations such as Regulation "Z" protect their rights. There is a strong belief that the system will work.

The economic downturn of 2000 through 2002 is firmly grounded in consumer spending and consumer debt. The real estate boom infused more disposable income into the economy. Exportation of manufacturing and services sector jobs to foreign countries, plus the huge trade deficit add to our woes. In early 2003 the federal budget deficit and the threat of war add to troubled economic times. Bankruptcies achieved record high levels. However, as with history and military battles, we must learn from the past to see the future and prevent future mistakes.

William F. Aldinger started his career with CitiGroup, learning quickly that sub-prime financing in the CitiFinancial subsidiary was a lucrative business. After leaving Citi, Aldinger went to Wells Fargo, and then to Household International as CEO. All three companies are now classified as predatory financing companies, and all three have been forced to settle with the states, government, and consumers. Household restated earnings for the entire time that Aldinger was with the company. HSBC has a four year agreement with Aldinger to continue as Chairman and CEO of Household under HSBC, and then he will become chairman and CEO of HSBC North America, Inc and director of HSBC Holdings. The past tells us the future. HSBC contends that there will be no changes to their business model. Therefore it is safe to predict that HSBC will become the largest global predatory lender ever witnessed by a civilized orderly society.

Those that managed to delude themselves into thinking they are financiers providing a service to society, while masquerading as predators, argue that they are servicing a sector of society that would otherwise not receive adequate attention. Countering that argument, the Community Reinvestment Act perhaps should be revisited and strengthened. Perhaps federal and state governments should remove predatory abilities from the private sector while providing structure and funding. Americans should not be abused by a system that is failing.

Historically, if we use the actions of predators to show us what areas need reform we can reverse the economic downturn we see today. Just like gangs, organized crime, and similar activities, the government should look for the cause of the problem while instituting prevention and removal of the opportunity for predators.

Credit cards are responsible for a huge portion of American debt. Easy credit and the need for credit is expected in todays society. Again predators have an opportunity. Household International provides financing for, and ongoing compensation to merchants under their existing contracts. Again, there is an initial assumption that those who impact the credit scores of Americans are exhibiting loyalty and care in fulfillment of their duties, that they will follow Fair Credit Reporting and Fair Credit Billing, etc. With over twenty million transactions a day, and over sixty participating merchants, Household International impacts the lives and family values of many taxpaying Americans every day.

Consumer watchdog organization Household Watch receives consumer complaints daily. Based on their web site log statistics Household Watch only receives complaints from 5% of those who visit. Many others get the information they need from their web site data. Over 400 people per day use the Household Watch web site to find links which enable them to pay their bill online. The Federal Trade Commission, therefore, recognizes Household Watch and sister site BestBuyCard as a source of consumer help. Where predators see an opportunity the government should step in to stop them. When the government does not step in, consumer organizations step in to fill the gap. We sincerely hope, therefore, that the consumer organizations will be heard a loudly as the predators and the government when decisions are made. They speak for the public, with emphasis on the public that experiences violations of regulation "Z" and other areas where they expected special trust and confidence.

About The Author

Timothy Blake has a Bachelors Degree in Business with a specialty in Management of Technology. He is an investigator for Consumer Advocacy organization Household Watch at www.householdwatch.com

A gadfly on a dinosaurs butt, or the hood-winking of the American stock investor.

Have you ever noticed how some words in the English language are so perfectly named for what they describe And how some words seem to be, I guess you could say, backwards For instance, the word sunflower! How wonderfully aptly named is the sunflower, that beautiful yellow flower that follows the sun from sunrise to sunset.

And then there are those words in the English language where there meaning appears to be backward, so to speak - like parkway and driveway. When my car is parked at home, I would think it would be parked on, well, a parkway - and when I’m on the road driving somewhere, I would think I’d be driving on a – a driveway.

In the stock market world, I think the word analyst is a perfect word in the English language and stockbroker sounds right to me, too. And this leads me to what I call the ‘brainwashing mantras’ of Wall Street.

The brainwashing mantras of Wall Street may take the form of a number, such as a stock rating of 1, 2, 3 etc. Or the mantras may be a star, 1 star, 2 stars etc. The mantras may be a word or a group of words- attractive, unattractive, neutral, market perform, market out-perform, market under-perform, market under-weight, market equal weight, market over-weight, sector perform, strong buy, buy, sell, strong sell.

These mantras are so ingrained in Wall Street and investor’s minds that they have created multi-billion dollar industries. There are other types of mantras, such as RSI relative strength index-a trading volume indicator, Bollinger Bands named after its creator John Bollinger he use to be a regular on CNBC and the bands deal with the channels a stock trades in, in relation to its ‘moving average’- another mantra, Stochastics used to tell if a stock is 75 % overbought - too many people have been buying or 25% oversold too many people have been selling, Momentum, MACD Convergence/Divergence- price of stock, up or down, in relation to its moving average, 50 day, 200 day moving averages, triple bottoms and tops, pendants, flags, bear and bull markets, head and shoulders formations, double bottoms, P/E ratios etc, etc, etc, etc. All these mantras serve a purpose and if you’re inclined to trade in the market they are, I admit, useful tools - they create commissions.

And in my opinion, have no meaning what-so-ever for the long-term, dollar-cost averaging, buying investor of company’s shares, free of commission charges, whose companies raise their dividend every year, with the investor’s idea or purpose being to provide an 85% tax-free income, through ever-increasing dividends for the rest of their lives, no matter what the price of the stock at any given time in the market place may be. Whew! What a sentence!

Here’s another mantra that comes to mind – ‘consensus estimates’. The analysts that follow a company on Wall Street created this mantra. There may be three analysts or thirty analysts following a company and a consensus estimate of the company’s next quarterly earnings will be projected from these analysts. For example, last quarter the company XYZ had record earnings of 90 cents a share. The company’s consensus estimate predicted by the analyst for the next quarter is for one dollar a share. XYZ on the day the earnings are to be announced is selling at $40.00 a share. The earnings for the company are reported during the day and XYZ reported making 95 cents a share, missing the analyst consensus estimates of one dollar and the stock immediately drops to $38.00 a share. Never mind that XYZ had just made another quarter of record earnings, never mind that XYZ is paying a 4% dividend and has raised their dividend for the past twenty-five to thirty consecutive years and three months from now the normally scheduled dividend increase will occur; after all, they’ll have the money to raise it again, with record earnings and all. The only words that I can come up with to explain this type of stock price behavior after seeing something similar happen time and again through the years are ‘brainwashing mantra at work.’

I think I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the mother of all mantras – the mutual fund, though I hesitate to mess with this mantra. They being soooo big in investor’s minds, and me just being a lowly gadfly on a dinosaurs butt; it really shouldn’t matter what I say, one way or the other. As I write this, some are in such a mess - caused by illegal trading practices costing investors tens of millions of dollars. One mutual fund has been fined $100 million, another $125 million. I wonder where they’ll get the money to pay the fine. I believe all investors in a fund pay the fund’s operating expenses, as well as the fund’s marketing and management fees. They are called ‘hidden fees’ I don’t believe there is a hidden ‘fee-fees’- this would be a fee that enables you to pay the fees - naw! Don’t laugh- one mutual fund recently had been fined 450 million for ‘hidden fee’ practices. It is really, at the time of this writing to early to determine if the mutual fund industry has been ‘riding a good horse to death.

There is an enormous amount of investor dollars supporting some whopper salaries on Wall Street. Just recently the summer of 2003, Richard Grasso, the once former head CEO of the New York stock exchange was forced to resign, after his salary for the past 2 years were made public. His salary - 12 million a year for the past two years, a check for $48 million, which his advisor suggested he return which he did and a pay-package of $139.5 million which he hasn’t returned, as of this writing-mid-2004 and a lawsuit to recover some of the monies is pending. Now, that is just one man’s salary on Wall Street and it is certainly good work if you can get it! Where did all this money for his salary come from If the money didn’t come from investor’s dollars, why were Pension fund managers so outraged by Grasso’s salary that they threatened to pull billions of Pension fund dollars from the New York exchange

I really don’t know where the money came from to pay his salary. What I do know is the one place where the money for his salary didn’t come from, and that is from the Stockopoly investor. Not one cent!

For more excerpts from the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan’ visit http://www.thestockopolyplan.com

About The Author

Charles M. O’Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. Author of the book ‘The Stockopoly Plan’, soon to be released by American Book Publishing.

You have permission to this article either electronically or in print as long as the author bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way typos excluded Please provide a courtesy e-mail to charles@thestockopolyplan.com telling where the article was published.

chassmo99@yahoo.com

Yeah, we are a nation of financial dummies.

Look at all the worthless get-rich schemes on the Net and TV. These ads exist BECAUSE people are buying.

Watch the confused look on the cashier’s face when you hand over extra coins AFTER the register displays your change.

Witness the people standing in line overnight for the privilege of “25% savings.” Aren’t they waiting to SPEND money

If you’re a non-believer, read these statistics:

According to fool.com, “68% PER CENT of graduating high school seniors surveyed by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy failed a personal finance test in 2002, compared with 44% who failed in 1997.”

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group states that “40 percent of college students are graduating with unmanageable levels of student loan debt, and half of those have an average credit card debt of $3000.”

Near retirement age baby boomers have saved only 12% of what they think they will need for retirement.

THE REASONS WHY

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group attributes the debt issue to rising costs.

The deputy assistant secretary for financial education at the Treasury department testified before the House, "The downstream, adult problems of rising bankruptcy rates, low savings rates and misuse of credit can all be traced upstream to how our schools FAIL TO adequately prepare children for their financial futures."

So far, the reasons why we we’re financially dumb are because of rising costs and inadequate schooling. But clearly, these are not all the contributing factors…

There are other reasons, including…

Math skills are declining. This is the author’s observation. It’s based on teaching high school math 30 years ago compared to teaching college-level math in 2003. Kids in the same area are less skilled than 30 years ago.

Parents forget they are financial role models. They miss opportunities to develop their kids money smarts.

CONSIDER THIS SOLUTION

Hate to ride the “family values train” because there are conflicts with the conductor. And the author’s opinion is an educated guess.

But, parents, consider this…your kids reflect your money habits, attitudes, and behavior. What are YOU teaching your kids about money

About The Author

Valerie Mills is a sales copywriter specializing in direct mail and web advertising. She has written sales letters, web pages, and brochures for the finance, self-help, and technology areas. Using her background and experience as an educator and corporate trainer, Valerie has also written several articles and an ebook for parents Please refer to http://teachyourkidsaboutmoney.com for more information. vmills@comcast.net

Any man who has dated Asian ladies who live in the United States, has witness the wrath, jealously and prejudice of American women towards Asian ladies. I know I have, as have many of my friends. The stereotypical has some merit: American women can’t compete against the Asians’ sexuality, American women feel threaten and some American women simply think Asians are stealing their men. These all bear some truth.

My experience is first hand. I dated many Asian ladies and have heard the comments. If we frequent a typical American club, I have had my dates threaten by American women in the restroom. In time, Asian clubs sprung up in the United States. At an Asian club, American women are welcome. I have never seen an American lady being threaten by Asians in a typical Asian club. It just isn’t their nature. The crowd in these clubs are usually Asian ladies and American men.

There are many Asian ladies in the U.S., especially from the Philippines. A lot of these ladies arrived via meeting an American G.I. I really don’t know the percentage, but there is no doubt that most Filipina ladies have a military connection in some way. They met in the Philippines, got married, and came to the United States with their military husband. Consequently, you’ll meet Asian ladies in clubs who are married. If you mingle with Asian ladies that frequent the clubs for any length of time, you will eventually meet ladies who are unfaithful. This unfaithfulness is how Filipina ladies are branded as whores by American women. This doesn’t carry the same stigma for American women who may do the same. Hypocrisy is always evident when behaviors of the two cultures are compared.

What the American GI has discovered is now catching on with non-military men. Asian dating sites have sprung up all over the internet. Some of these sites try to exploit the Asians’ sexuality. However, there are many Asian ladies who want to meet a sincere gentlemen for a relationship. As attractive as Asian ladies may be, American men are also captivated by the Asians’ behavior towards men. A man’s dream of having a wife who wants to please him, appreciates his love and treasures his efforts in making a home seems to have been found by American men in the Asian culture. You’ll hear American men call these values “traditional values” because at one time these were the values that held the American family together.

The tired argument about these women being a servant to their husband, is one sided. Do these women like serving their husband Yes, most do. But not as slaves. They are not forced to do so, but have the desire to please their man out of appreciation and love. These ladies are doing what they want to do. I repeat, they WANT to please their man, do things for him and show their appreciation. In turn, these men are happy, want to provide for their wife and have no desire to look elsewhere for this appreciation. It’s chemistry that once prevailed many years ago in the United States and has been lost in the myriad of women rights in American society.

Why do Filipina women want to marry a foreigner from another country I’m not going to argue the fact that these ladies want a better life. It’s probably true. I will argue that most women, no matter the country, want to marry in to a better life. Again, it is the hypocrisy of who you are that makes a behavior negative or not. Most women, in the United States, need to look in a mirror before judging ladies from other cultures. Besides wanting a better life, most Asian ladies want better treatment. In a Filipina lady’s eyes, men from the West treat women better then men from their country. Is there truth to this The feed back I get from the ladies at my website is yes or at least they perceive it to be so. I’m sure the social status of your family makes a difference of how you are treated regardless of your gender, but I’m talking about the average Filipina lady. The difference is simple. In her country what she does for her man or husband is expected without appreciation. Here in the United States, most men come to expect a lady isn’t required to serve him, to want to please him, and love him for who he is. When an Asian lady does, his appreciation is certain. For an Asian lady, the man doesn’t have to be super rich or look like a movie star, just treat her well and show his love. It’s a merry-go-round with respect and love as it’s focal point. She wants to please him, he loves her for pleasing him, she loves him for showing he appreciates her love and so on.

All the above words, statements and my observations have their exceptions. There is no doubt, there are bad men in every country. There is no doubt that some women only are in it for the money or to get a free pass to the United States. These are the exceptions and it is this minority that the media and others will use to blanket a whole culture in a negative light. I’m sure most of you have seen in print or on the news about “mail order bride” scandals or “mail order bride” mistreatment as if this defines all courtships and marriages that develop through the internet. If a few instances defines the standards, then just getting a marriage license in the United States should have a warning imprinted in gold. No matter if a couple met through the internet or at the neighborhood church, you have your share of scandals and mistreatment. The last culture of experts that needs to be giving advise about how to meet and marry a women is the United States – is there any other country whose divorce rate is higher

The Philippines does not condone online dating sites. For that matter, it is against the law. I’m not going to quote their law here, but it has to do with moral issues. Again hypocrisy!. If the Philippines are so worried about women rights, there are other issues they could concentrate on besides taking away a women’s right to find happiness, love and a better life for herself. She wouldn’t be looking elsewhere, if the Philippine government took care of her needs. Should I complain Probably not, or most Filipina women would not be joining online dating sites to meet American men. My objection to this law is how it is used in the Philippines as a political vehicle rather then sincere concern for women’s rights. Hypocrisy, it is everywhere, isn’t it

I started this article to comment on why a lot of American women despise Asian women. Not all American women, but a lot. But the discrimination doesn’t stop there. It is evident in the media, politics and indeed in their own country. The people who are forgotten, are the couples themselves. Why not just ask them If two people who found each other are happy, in love and want to be together, why does the media and politician think they know better. More then likely, it isn’t about what the couple want, but more about politics and sensationalism to sell news. Take your hatred, your narrow minded views and negative publicity elsewhere and let us find love – even if we find it on the internet.

About The Author

Steve Eyes is the webmaster and owner of FilipinaEyes Association. His experience comes from finding love on the internet and helping others do the same. http://www.filipinaeyes.com http://www.filipinalady.biz http://www.filipina-lady.net http://www.filipina-lady.org

Youve made up your mind, its the American Pit Bull Terrier you want as your companion. Are you ready for this breed Read this article and then decide if you want to go ahead with your decision.

Does your lifestyle fit the ***American Pit Bull Terrier lifestyle

These dogs are packed with energy from head to toe. Craving a good run like a champion athlete. Exercise is critical to a heathy, happy bulldog. High energy is their middle name and is a large part of their personalities. Play, work, and activity is something you must be able to give these dogs

If youre a couch potato you should find another breed to live with.

Do you have the security

American Pit Bull Terriers are the Houdinis of the canine world. Able to leap tall fences with a single bound, dig under them with amazing speed and stealth, and unlock gates that adult people would have trouble with. Escaping will happen if you dont take the precautions to secure their living area.

You should have 6 privacy fence, beware of dog signs, hot wiring at the top and bottom of the fence, out door housing that keeps them out of the sun even if they live indoors, and supervision are required for these dogs. You cant leave them alone for long outside because one of two things may happen:

1. They escape.

2. Theyre stolen.

Are you prepared for the scrutiny of neighbors and friends

American Pit Bull Terriers are notorious. They have a bad name and the misinformed public is out to get them. It seems like everyday another "Baby mauled by pit bull" story runs, diminishing your choice of breed.

People will dislike you for your choice. Some may even try to kill your dog. Others will direct comments at you, vulgar, hateful comments, and friends and family may also be in conflict with your choice.

Be prepared for some rude behavior and protect your dog by teaching food refusal from strangers.

Can you train your dog

There are two methods of training. One is to train your dog by showing it how to sit and lay down and then quitting. The other lasts forever. Real training is life long training that starts when the puppy arrives at your home and ends with death.

Unless youre prepared to work with your dog 5-10-15 minutes per day, everyday, all week, every week, all year, every year, you may want to rethink your decision to get a Pit Bulldog. Actually, if youre not prepared to train your dog, you should rethink getting any dog. Training is a fact of life and must be done in order to prevent a lot of trouble down the road.

If you can not control your dog, you dont need one.

Can you afford them

Dog food, vet bills, training, leashes and collars, and dog houses all cost money. Money you may not have right now. A quality dog food can cost as much as $800 per year. Do you have this kind of extra money to spend on food If not, wait until you do before you bring home that puppy.

Do you want a American Pit Bull Terrier to impress people

If this is the case, stop! Do not, repeat, do not bring one home. Youre doing yourself and the dog a great injustice.

American Pit Bull Terriers are in demand because of their all around strength, agility, great looks, and mystic. Breeders are pumping puppies out like unleaded gasoline. Puppies are being neglected and bad breeding practices are producing unstable dogs. Beware before you make any final decisions.

If I may point you in a different direction. Every day there are thousands of great bulldogs put down because no one will adopt them or they are deemed "unadoptable" by shelters.

Consider a Rescue Dog.

People who love this breed have created rescues for these dogs and hundreds of dogs are available for adoption.

Rescues are a win-win-win way to go. You give a dog that would otherwise not have a home, a home. You give your money which in most cases is a small adoption fee to the rescue so they can continue their work, and you get an awesome dog that will 9 times out of 10 deliver more than any pure-bred dog could on their best day.

In closing, before you run out and buy a American Pit Bull Terrier, think about your options, make sure you have what it takes to provide and care for the dog, and take your time to find a dog that matches your desires.

About The Author

Jason Mann is the proud dad to two American Pit Bull Terriers. Angel and Honey. If would like to learn more about the American Pit Bull Terrier visit his website at: http://www.pitbulllovers.com.

This article is Copyright 2004 Jason Mann and PitBulllovers.com if you would like to reprint this article you may do so only if you keep the article as is.

webmaster@pitbulllovers.com

As pointed out by Jack Shapiro, an internationally-known healthcare marketing consultant For the first nine months of this year, the U.S. imported $40 billion in pharmaceuticals and exported only $21 billion. In 2003, we imported $50 billion and exported $23 billion. So what makes buying from your local U.S. based pharmacy any safer then purchasing from Mexico or Canada

Many of todays elderly U.S. cross the borders of Mexico and Canada in order to get their prescriptions filled at a huge discount. For some it has become a necessity because they simply cant afford necessary drug treatments any other way.

But what about those who dont live near the borders; how can they take advantage of these savings Fact is there are a lot of prescription drugs that can be purchased online from international locations for a fraction of the cost people pay here in the United States. A good example of this is RXMex.org where many of todays best known brand drugs can be found such as Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Zocor, Zoloft, Propecia and more. However they not only offer name brand drugs at sharp discounts they also give seniors the opportunity to buy generic versions of most of these name brand drugs for savings that can reach up to 80% less then their name brand counterparts!

When a drug company first invents a drug eg. Prozac that company is the only one allowed to make that drug for a certain number of years approximately 10 years in the US. After this time period, other companies are allowed to make the same drug. These drugs are called generics. The original drug eg. Prozac is called a brand name drug. Brand name drugs and their generics are IDENTICAL in terms of active ingredients. The generic pills may look different because they are made by a different company but inside is exactly the same active ingredient which works in exactly the same way. The only difference between brand name drugs and generic drugs is that generics are always less expensive.

Most all drugs found at http://www.rxmex.org require a prescription so this licensed pharmacy can fill most orders by having the purchaser fax them their prescription and the shipped order can be tracked online. Another benefit to ordering this way is that there is no tax to be paid and orders are shipped internationally.

While some headway has been made in the last year or so in regards to reducing prescription drug costs for seniors, for now its simply not enough for so many of our elderly. With the political clout of todays drug companies who converge on Washington D.C. like vultures Im not sure the costs will ever get to the point where it should be. Until then places like http://www.rxmex.org with their name brand and generic low cost versions of many prescription drugs will continue to be another excellent low cost source for todays seniors.

About The Author

Stephen Dayton is the author of this article, featuring RxMex Pharmacy, a website providing people information and options to save money on their prescription drug purchases by buying Generic Prescription Drugs: http://www.rxmex.org.

While America has given birth to the song “Young at Heart”, and the phrase “you’re as young as you feel!” can be heard from coast to coast by millions of people, demographic trend point firmly toward the other direction: aging.

Currently, the 65+ population comprises slightly more than 12% 35 million of the total US population. By 2030, this percentage is predicted to almost double to just below 20% 71 million[i]. In other words, within a generation, an unprecedented demographic reality will exist in the US: 1 in 5 Americans will be older than 65.

This is indeed news worth celebrating, because it means that more Americans are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. Yet this trend also presents some very real health-related problems that American society must solve.

Various sectors are frenetically trying to position themselves to deal with this aging demographic inevitability. The dental care field is loudly lobbying to increase awareness and resource-support for age-related ailments such as defective denture and reduced saliva-flow conditions[ii]. At the same time, the allied health care field is similarly trying – and admittedly struggling -- to develop the immense resources, such as many more doctors and nurses, who will somehow absorb the imminent and overwhelming old age-related demand for surgical procedures and other health care commodities[iii].

Yet while the dental and health sectors strive to adjust to this demographic trend, the nutritional sector has not kept pace. A quick look at any health food store shelf will see energy bars and powders that are according to their marketing images suitable only for high-performance e.g. young consumers. Similarly, the nutrition sector has not done a good job at destroying the myth that macronutrients such as protein are essential parts of all healthy diets – regardless of age.

The nutrition sector’s general neglect of the senior community is something that is just barely beginning to show as the population ages, and as the “baby boomer” generation of 76 million strong moves towards retirement[iv]. However, it is inevitable that this service gap will become larger as the future unfolds. Essentially, tens of millions of seniors are going to need to find new and innovative nutrition solutions possibly for the first time in their lives.

The prospects that face a 65-year-old searching for a nutrition solution are in some ways much the same as those facing a 25-year-old: there are an array of promised solutions on the market, including energy bars, drinks, and supplements.

However, this is where the similarities between the average 65-year-old and 25-year-old end because while the latter may be able to get away with experimenting, the former cannot. In other words, a 25-year-old consumer may add energy bars to their eating regimen and realize in a few months that they’re really eating glorified, calorie-rich candy bars. A 65-year-old consumer does not have that same luxury to try, and possibly err, when it comes to making nutritional choices. His or her choices must be wise and relevant from the start, particularly since older people tend to suffer from diminished appetite, and often have poorer access to balanced nutrition than their younger counterparts.

This is a serious problem that the nutritional sector must accept and take ownership of. This means that more than simple awareness is needed actual tangible solutions are required. The basic fact is that senior citizens – like all other age groups – require balanced nutrition, and for many of them, the best and most convenient way to access it is through nutritional supplements.

This much-delayed awareness does seem, however, to be abating. There are currently innovative companies that are creating nutritional supplements suitable for all ages, regardless of physical activity. This suitability is the result of a carefully balanced protein blend that captures all essential amino acids. Since many seniors continue to lose nitrogen and thus protein as they age, it is incredibly important that seniors access ways to compensate for this gradual loss.

These low-calorie, carbohydrate-free, fat-free nutritional supplements also help seniors avoid adding unwanted body fat that would weaken muscle mass and destabilize body strength and energy levels. Furthermore, the ideal product would be available in liquid form, allowing seniors with dentures or other tooth concerns to easily ingest a serving without anxiety.

The fact that America’s population is aging is just that: a fact. It is not an opinion, an educated guess, or a possible expectation. It will happen, and it is essential that America’s seniors be provided with the solutions that they need in order to continue living full, happy lives. The dental and health care fields are already hard at work positioning themselves, as best that they can right now, to absorb this unprecedented demographic change. Thanks to a very small – but hopefully growing number – of senior-friendly supplements, there is finally a reason to add the nutrition field to this list as well.

References

[i] Source: “Public Health an Aging: Trends in Aging – United States and Worldwide”. Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5206a2.htm

[ii] Source: “Caring for America’s Aging Smiles”. Healthfinder. http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.aspdocID=521247

[iii] Source: “Aging Population Creating Higher Demand for Surgery”. ANNews. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/20http://prsc0825.htm

[iv] Source: “Baby Boomers Envision Their Retirement: an AARP Segmentation Analysis”. AARP. http://research.aarp.org/econ/boomer_seg_prn.html

About The Author

Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - www.protica.com

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at www.protica.com. You can also learn about Profect at www.profect.com.

Protein must be a part of a healthy diet for a simple reason: it is essential for life. Every single cell in the human body -- including bones, blood, skin, chemicals, and enzymes -- depend on protein for effective operation.[i]

Yet while Americans are more health-conscious than ever before, the national health dialogue continues to be dominated by a cynical theme: malnutrition. Many Americans are suffering the ill-health effects of a diet that is too high in saturated fat[ii], carbohydrates[iii], and calories[iv], while severely lacking in protein.

This wave of malnutrition is not merely disconcerting to medical professionals. It is alarming. The situation has become so desperate that obesity will soon become the nation’s leading cause of preventable death.[v]

America’s nutritional dilemma is not, however, limited to obesity concerns. Malnutrition in non-overweight individuals is nearing epidemic levels. Millions of “fit looking” individuals subsist on a diet that is far too rich in carbohydrates a problem that has been enhanced for generations by the US FDA’s encouragement of refined carbohydrates as part of a balanced diet. We now know, however, that many of these refined carbohydrates are metabolically similar to candies and sweets. Added to this problem is that saturated fats continue to dominate many meals, particular those served in fast food restaurants.

Essentially then, the problem in America can be summed up as this: eat right or prepare to suffer shape up, or die a preventable death.

The first step in balancing America’s eating practices is to reintroduce the importance of protein. This neglect is all the more stunning given that, of the three major macronutrients – carbohydrates, fats, and proteins – proteins are the only essential component that human beings cannot live without.

Reintroducing protein as part of a healthy diet is made more difficult because many consumers do not know where to find a healthy source of protein. Unfortunately, most nutritional supplement sources bring with them a range unwanted carbohydrates, facts, and calories. Powerbar™, the “granddaddy” of nutritional supplements launched in 1987, has been rejected as an option by some consumers and health professionals because of high carbohydrate levels 45 grams, and low protein levels 10 grams in each serving. Furthermore, dieters in particular have criticized Powerbar’s™ high 230 calories per bar –-more than 1/10th of the recommended caloric intake.

Other attempts to meet consumer demand for a high protein, low carbohydrate, low fat, and low calorie nutritional supplement have been supplied by products such as the York Bar™, the Blast Bar™, and the Ironman Bar™, respectively. However, each product has been judged by some consumers and medical professionals as having have similar Powerbar™-like drawbacks: high calorie levels 210, 180, 230 grams respectively, high carbohydrate levels 30, 36, and 51 grams, respectively, and most notably of all, low protein content 7, 10, and 4 grams, respectively.

While these products have certainly helped more people “think” about eating healthier, they have not, respectively, met the rigorous consumer expectation for a low carbohydrate, low calorie, low fat, and high protein nutritional supplement.

However, there is a product in the market today called Profect® that is receiving significant credible attention from both the consumer and medical communities.

Profect, a product of Pennsylvania-based Protica, Inc. www.protica.com, provides 25 grams of protein in each fat-free, carbohydrate-free 100-calorie serving. Profect also offers a range of essential nutrients in each serving, including 100% of vitamin C and 50% of B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, Biotin and Folic Acid. All of this is delivered to consumers in a 2.7-ounce container designed to be virtually indestructible. The container also serves to increase storage life and heat resistance.

The debate for America’s protein and diet IQ will not begin with what is placed on a dinner table, or what is offered at a fast food restaurant. This is where the debate will end. Where it begins will be in the minds of consumers and medical professionals everywhere. High quality, accurate, and scientifically validated information is required to carefully choose a protein-rich balanced approach. For a growing number of investigative consumers, that solution centers around products like Profect.

References

[i] Source: “The Benefits of Protein”. WebMD. http://my.webmd.com/content/article/85/98824.htm

[ii] Source: The Center for Disease Control.

[iii] Source: “Building a Better American Diet: School of Harvard Gazette Archives Public Health Conference Looks at Science Behind Diet Recommendations”. http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/09.18/15-foodpyramid.html

[iv] Source: “CDC: Americans Eating More than Ever”. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/diet.fitnehttp://more.calories.ap/

[v] Source: “Why Is America So Fat”. CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/20http://60II/main628877.shtml

About The Author

Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - www.protica.com

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at www.protica.com. You can also learn about Profect at www.profect.com.

Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American community. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in African Americans and their death rates are twenty seven percent higher than whites.

Over 2.8 million African Americans have diabetes and one third of them don’t know they have the disease. In addition, twenty five percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 – 74 have diabetes and one in four African American women, over the age of 55, have been diagnosed with the disease

The cause of diabetes is a mystery, but researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play roles in who will develop the disease.

Heredity

Researchers believe that African Americans and African Immigrants are predisposed to developing diabetes. Research suggests that African Americans and recent African immigrants have inherited a "thrifty gene" from their African ancestors.

This gene may have enabled Africans to use food energy more efficiently during cycles of feast and famine. Now, with fewer cycles of feast and famine, this gene may make weight control more difficult for African Americans and African Immigrants.

This genetic predisposition, coupled with impaired glucose tolerance, is often associated with the genetic tendency toward high blood pressure. People with impaired glucose tolerance have higher than normal blood glucose levels and are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

What is Diabetes

Diabetes, commonly know as “sugar diabetes”, is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to process sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Diabetes is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; diabetes is a serious disease and should not be ignored.

Diabetics often suffer from low glucose levels sugar in their blood. Low blood sugar levels can make you disorientated, dizzy, sweaty, hungry, have headaches, have sudden mood swings, have difficulty paying attention, or have tingling sensations around the mouth.

Types of Diabetes

Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a persons blood glucose levels is higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type II diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system, but pre-diabetes can often be controlled by controlling blood glucose levels. By controlling pre-diabetes you can often prevent or delay the onset of Type II diabetes.

Type I or juvenile-onset diabetes usually strikes people under the age of 20, but can strike at any age. Five to ten percent of African Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with this type of the disease. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body produces little or no insulin and this type of diabetes must be treated with daily insulin injections.

Type II or adult onset diabetes is responsible for ninety to ninety-five percent of diagnosed diabetes cases in African Americans. Type II results from a condition where the body fails to properly use insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, “Type II is usually found in people over 45, who have diabetes in their family, who are overweight, who dont exercise and who have cholesterol problems.” In the early stages it can often be controlled with lifestyle changes, but in the later stages diabetic pills or insulin injections are often needed.

Pregnancy related diabetes or gestational diabetes can occur in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes is often associated with high glucose blood levels or hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of all pregnant women. The disease usually goes away after delivery, but women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at a higher risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Symptoms of Diabetes

The most common symptoms of diabetes include:

excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom

increased thirst

increased appetite

blurred vision

unusual weight loss

increased fatigue

irritability

Complications from Diabetes

Diabetes can lead to many disabling and life threatening complications. Strokes, blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and amputations are common complications that effect African Americans who have diabetes

Kidney Disease

“Diabetes is the second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans, accounting for about thirty percent of the new cases each year,” says the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois. Up to twenty-one percent of people who develop diabetes will develop kidney disease.

Amputations

Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the United States. More than sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in America occur among people with diabetes and African Americans are almost three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated due to diabetes than whites. According to Center for Disease Control CDC, about 82,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed among people with diabetes in 2001.

Blindness

African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness. Diabetics can develop a condition called “Diabetic Retinopathy”, a disease affecting the blood vessels of the eye, which can lead to impaired vision and blindness. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20 – 74 years of age and up to 24,000 people loose their sight each year because of diabetes.

Heart Disease

People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease as people who don’t have diabetes. Atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries is more common in diabetics and can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and poor circulation throughout the body.

Diabetes Risk Factors

You have a greater risk for developing diabetes if you have any of the following:

Obesity

Family history of diabetes

Pre-diabetes

Low physical activity

Age greater than 45 years

High blood pressure

High blood levels of triglycerides

HDL cholesterol of less than 35

Previous diabetes during pregnancy or baby weighing more than 9 pounds

Diabetes has had a devastating effect on the African American community; it is the fifth leading cause of death and second leading cause of end stage kidney disease in African Americans.

African Americans suffer from complications from diabetes at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. African Americans are three times more likely to have a lower limb amputated because of diabetes and twice as likely to suffer from diabetes related blindness.

If you have any of the diabetes risk factors you should contact your physician and have a blood glucose test. Also discuss with your physician lifestyle changes you can take to lower your chances of developing diabetes.

About The Author

Drahcir Semaj is a freelance writer who writes about issues affecting African Americans. He can be contacted at drachir@drachirsemaj.com

Are you ready to starting building your dream home. House plan designs are abundant and easy to customize. Just getting started can sometimes be quite confusing.

Theres nothing more exciting than building your dream home. Take a look at your living area now. What would you change The floor plan for more open space, the flooring or maybe add more windows.

How about a big kitchen with a bar or a spacious family room. An office or study is a great retreat for family members. Get your family together and sketch out your ideas. Make your dream come true.

Planning is crucial, therefore have a well developed plan and put it in action. Knowing what features you need will simplify the process. Consider everyones needs when deciding on a home plan.

Carefully research home design plans and make scetches of your own for comparison. Often planners will customize pre-designed plans that will functionally meet your needs. Deciding on a home plan should be fairly easy, its the choice of materials that can send you reeling.

Most importantly, if you hire someone to contract the building of your home, take an active role, compare material cost, foundation, framing, electrical, plumming etc. Youll be surprised at the savings. Also, consider whether your willing to do any of the work yourself. Something as simple as doing your own painting could save you enough to have that pool, you may not have otherwise afforded.

Talk to everyone you know that has built a home. Most will tell you, if they had it to do over, they would have done things differently. Theres no need to hurry, a well though out plan is crutial. After all, youre building your dream home.

Charles & Lisa French http://www.decorating-country-home.com/houseplan.html

About The Author

Charles & Lisa French - Country home decorating ideas and information. http://www.decorating-country-home.com/houseplan.html

Eighteen intrepid baseball fans are about to score a home run by flying to Havana for the last three games of the Cuban National Series.

The trip is being organized by Vancouver-based CubaBall Tours with an Air Canada departure from Toronto scheduled for March 24, 2005. The group will be escorted by Canadian baseball historian Ernest "Kit" Krieger, who has booked front row seats for the final matches of the series in Havana and Pinar del Rio.

Between games tour members will meet with Cubas Baseball Commissioner, other officials, and players in the Cuban League. Krieger hopes this trip will build ties of understanding between North American fans and players and their Cuban counterparts. "We want to revive the tradition of openness between game lovers the Cubans established from the earliest days of baseball."

"Our annual trip will explore past and living baseball history. Well meet and exchange stories with contemporary players and the legendary Conrado Marrero, the last surviving major leaguer in Cuba." Krieger highlights other activities: "Well join in the lively baseball Pena in Parque Central, visit baseball monuments in several provinces, tour stadiums, and see and enjoy all western Cuba has to offer -- which is a lot!"

The registration deadline for this unique one-week trip is March 3, 2005, and some seats are still available. Hotel accommodations with breakfast, group transfers, tours and activities listed on the itinerary, guides, and the best seats at all scheduled games are included in the US$1,449 per person ground price plus US$169 single supplement, if required. Airfare and the US$25 Cuban departure tax are extra.

CubaBall assists participants arriving from the United States with Cuba flight arrangements and details U.S. government restrictions on travel to the island.

About The Author

Marcel Hatch CubaBall Tours is a Canadian nonprofit organization. Its tours are organized by Cuba Education Tours, established in 2000 as part of Havanas Cuban Movement for Peace MOVPAZ. Together theyve sent thousands to Cuba on study and volunteer programs. Their mailing address is Cuba Education Tours, 2278 East 24th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia V5N 2V2, Canada. More information on the March 2005 baseball tour is available at http://www.CubaBallTours.com or by calling 1-877-687-3817 toll free.

info@HelloCuba.ca

GoodNewsAmerica.us Atlanta July 14, 2004 - Playing with a putter from a used club bin Rookie American Todd Hamilton realized a dream win at the Open Championship. He started out playing with coffee cans his parents set up in his back yard as a child in the small Illinois town of Galesburg. Hes been a journeyman player on the Japanese Tour with 11 wins. This year he finally got his tour card and promptly won he Honda Classic in Palm Beach, CA March 14th. British betting houses had not a single bet on this American whos best Open finish to date was 44th in 1996.

Drama

The back nine on Sunday at Royal Troon separated the men from the boys in the battle for the Claret Jug. A dramatic back nine finish left the tournament in a 4 hole playoff between American Todd Hamilton and South African Ernie Els.

With Mickelson on his was to a finish of -9 with pars on the last two holes, the drama of the back nine came to a head. The grouping of Hamilton and Els both holed birdies at the Par 5 16th. A remarkable birdie at the difficult Par 3 17th catapulted Els within one of Hamilton and one ahead of Mickelson.

Heading to the 18th hole Hamilton knew a par would get him into at least a playoff , Hamilton put his drive in the long rough down the right side. His lie was marginal, but did not look like it could be advanced very far. With 204 to the green he had little chance of putting for birdie. With an 8 iron he hacked it back to the left rough into the gallery. The gallery fence impaired his swing, and he was allowed a one club length drop into a decent lie. He landed it on the green about 20 ft past the hole. If Hamilton made this putt, Ernie Els would have been forced to make his birdie for a playoff, but he left it a bit short and made bogey. Els then missed his 10 ft birdie putt and sent the championship into a playoff.

Playoff

The 4 hole cumulative playoff was the 5th playoff for the Open Championship in the last 10 years. With no obvious advantage to either player Hamilton hit a safe drive down the right hand fairway. Els stepped up to the tee with a driver and stroked a perfect drive about 40 yards short of the green and 81 yards past Hamilton.

With a light breeze from the right and 121 to the hole, Hamilton hit a full sand wedge and backed it up 20 ft short of the pin. Els bumped a skid and stop shot to 12 ft right and past the hole. Both players two putted for their pars at the 1st.

Hamilton hit a driver on the 2nd where he had bogeyed earlier in the day that ended in the wispy left-hand rough. Els hit driver just into the short rough deep down the right side. With 108 to the pin and a not so great lie Hamilton rolled a 3/4 sand wedge to within 15 ft of the back right pin position. Els lobed a sand wedge to the back of the green from a difficult look at the pin . Both players two putted again for par.

Moving over to the 228 yard Par 3 17th, Hamilton was the first to play and hit a 4 iron 16 ft short of the pin. After waiting for a jet to pass overhead, Els left his 4 iron short and was left with a difficult chip. Els second shot is left about 10 feet short and to the left. Knowing that making this birdie could almost wrap up the championship, Hamilton ran it by about 2 ft. After a birdie about an hour earlier at the 17th Els missed his par and settled for bogey and Hamilton taped in for par. In a replay of the 18th hole an hour earlier, Hamilton took the long walk to the the tee with a one shot advantage.

Halving the hole would make Hamilton the Champion but he left his drive short and in the cross-walk. Els hit a drive about 80 yards farther down the right side of the fairway. With over 200 yards to the hole Hamilton hit a 5 iron that barely cleared the pot bunkers in front of the green from a tight lie. Needing a good shot Els hit a 6 iron, similar to his putt from an hour earlier. After Hamilton carefully walked off his shot, he hit a fantastic chip with a utility club 2 ft from the hole. With an aggressive stroke Els scurried it past and taped in his par. Hamilton then taped in his par to win the Open Championship.

Upon accepting the trophy for his win he promptly congratulated his opponent Ernie Els and low Amateur Scotsman Stuart Wilson while calling the Open Fans the best he had ever seen.

Shot of the day

At the 10th he had a ball on a hill at waist level in the deep rough. He was only able to advance it to more deep rough, with another stroke he advanced the ball out into the fairway. A chip and two putts later he carded a double to fall to -7.

After the double at the 10th, Els left his drive at the 11th in a bush. From the tee it looked dead. He decided to play his second waist level shot in as many holes. His ball was sitting visible on the outside of the bush. In a bold play he decided to club the ball from the bush rather than taking an unplayable lie. His chop from the bush landed in thick rough, but he got the right bounce from his third shot to 15 ft. He made the putt for the par of his life that left him 2 back from the leaders.

About The Author

GoodNewsAmerica.us Ernest Fretwell Chief Editor webmaster@goodnewsamerica.us Article URL http://goodnewsamerica.us/content.phparticle.60 Copyright 2004 GoodNewsAmerica.us

Curious how long you may live Use the Life Expectancy Calculator: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/interactivearea/living_100.shtml. Be prepared to know your weight in stones!

TRUE or FALSE

1. Older adults have more mental health problems than younger adults.

FALSE. Overall prevalence of mental disorder in older adults is less than in any other age group, and general life satisfaction is as good as, if not better than, any other age group. APA

2. People become more difficult and rigid with advancing years.

FALSE Personality remains relatively consistent throughout the lifespan. APA

3. Sight declines with age.

FALSE Although changes in vision become more common with age, any change in vision, regardless of age, is related to a specific disease. If you’re having problems with your vision, see your doctor. National Institute on Aging, NIA

4. More women survive to old age than men.

TRUE Women tend to outlive men by an average of 8 years. There are 150 women for every 100 men over age 65, and nearly 250 women for every 100 men over 85. NIA Among centenarians, 85% are women and 15% are men, but within that group, the men are doing better.

5. Senility is a meaningless term that should be discarded.

TRUE Everyone does not become “senile” sooner or later if they live long enough. Even among those who live to be 80 or older, only 20-25% develop Alzheimer’s disease or some other incurable form of brain disease. NIA 15% of centenarians are living on their own!

6. American families have largely abandoned their older members.

FALSE The American family is still the #1 caretaker of older Americans. Most older people live close to their children and see them often; many life with their spouses. In all, 8 out of 10 men and 6 out of 10 women live in family settings. NIA

7. Modern health, medicine sanitation and lifestyle have greatly extended the overall maximum lifespan of the human species.

FALSE It seems fairly fixed at an average of around 80 years, with a few people living to a maximum of 120 years.

However, more people are reaching the 80s. 200 years ago, more than 80% of the population would be dead by the age of 50, whereas now less than 10% have died by 50. BBC

8. Most people over the age of 65 will have lost interest or capacity for sexual relations.

FALSE The majority continue to have both interest and capacity. Masters and Johnson 1966 found that the capacity for satisfying sexual relations continues into the 70s and 80s for healthy couples. The Duke Longitudinal Studies resulted in similar findings. Palmore 1974

9. The number of older Americans has doubled since 1900.

FALSE It has increased more than 10-fold. In 1990 there were only 3,000,000 people 65 and older. Now an estimated 33.3 million people 12% of the population are 65 and older. Home Instead Senior Care

10. There are currently about 10,000 people 100 years and older in the US, but the number is declining.

FALSE There are currently 65,000 people 100 years and older, and the number is projected to grow to 381,000 by 2030. HISC In fact, centenarians are the fastest growing segment of population in the US.

About The Author

© Susan Dunn, MA, cEQc, The EQ Coach™, http://www.susandunn.cc. Bringing the power of Emotional Intelligence to YOUR life through coaching, eBooks, Special Reports, and distance learning. Midlife, retirement and transition coaching, career and relationships. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE eZine. Want to be a certified EQ Coach Email me for information about this fast, affordable, comprehensive, no-residency program. Products available for licensing to build your practice.

Here are the sobering facts: studies show that almost 70% of all employees dislike or downright hate their jobs. These dissatisfied, disillusioned people have no further career goals. Dreading the workday is a common heartache in millions of homes. Our job-hating crisis leads to lower productivity, adversely affects our economy, and -- worst of all -- causes strain on personal relationships.

So whats the remedy for this epidemic The answers are here and clear, according to sought-after career coach and author of The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secrets to Self-discovery, Theresa Castro. She offers a five step process that can change anyones career for the better. Heres a quick summary:

1 Uncover the facts.

You should ask yourself, "How did I end up in my current job" Too often, people end up in a career that they dislike because they heard that it paid well or perhaps their parents encouraged them to pursue a financially "safe" occupation such as accounting, medicine, law, engineering or law enforcement. In other cases, individuals decided to follow the same profession as their parents.

2 Understand what is keeping you in your current job.

You need to think about why you continue to stay in a career that you dislike or hate. Some people say that they have too much debt or a lifestyle to maintain while others say that they just simply rely on their steady paycheck.

3 Unleash the potential.

Ask yourself, "If I had one year to live and I could have any job, what would I do" The answers to this question can be quite amazing and many times, we already know the answer to this question. However, we tend to ignore our hidden passions and dreams because we put limitations on ourselves. We think things like, "I wont get paid as much" or "It will take me forever to start a new career or to start my own business."

4 Update your resume and compare your skill set.

Dust off your resume and make notes of all of skills and talents that you have acquired over the years. Next, create an inventory of the resources and skills that you must possess in order to perform your dream career. With these two items in hand, compare them and make a final list of what you need to accomplish.

5 Undertake an action plan.

Take your list from step 4 and develop an action plan that outlines your desired goals. Breakdown larger goals into smaller goals and give yourself a deadline. Recognize that individuals only need to commit to one hour everyday to working on their plan. This one hour will give you the strength to keep the job that you hate while you work towards attaining a career that you love.

© Theresa Castro, MBA www.HealingandEnlightenment.com

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About The Author

Theresa Castro is career coach and author of the critically-acclaimed book, The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secrets to Self-discovery. To collect your free gift, worth $47, send an e-mail to Coaching@HealingandEnlightenment.com. www.HealingandEnlightenment.com Theresa@HealingandEnlightenment.com

The present model of business and career motivation , the one most closely associated with the “American Dream” which emphases enterpreuneurship, individual achievement, competition, and domination has been around for at least the last 50 years . Up to the mid 20th century, the predominant prosperity model was the Calvinist work ethic originally derived from the Puritan. The Calvinist work ethic emphasized hard work, saving for the future, and foregoing vacations, paying bills in cash, and foregoing luxuries to save for a rainy day. On the other, the motivation for moneymaking is no longer saving for the future, but, what Thornstein Veblen, the famous 19th century economist characterized as “conspicuous consumption.” Luxury homes, luxury cars, fancy electronic gadgets, and exotic vacations create the illusion of wealth. The philosophy of the Amway Corporation, now known as Quixtel in the U. S. is a good illustration of the concepts involved.

Amway Corporation is a direct selling organization that produces and markets products using a Multilevel Marketing system or MLM for short. Multilevel marketing is a form of direct selling in which manufacturers authorize independent contractors to sell their products directly to consumers, bypassing intermediaries and retail stores. Using the garage or a spare bedroom as a warehouse and a home office as a business hub, a distributor makes a profit by buying wholesale from his or her company and selling to customers at retail prices. MLM is also a recruiting business. A distributor is permitted to sign up other individuals to become part of his company’s distribution force--and is paid a commission on the wholesale product purchases made by recruits. Both methods then furnish consumers with new options in acquiring consumer items they desire.

The motivator for work and sole measure of success measured is money and the goods that money can buy:

This is a business, and a main reason people work at any business is to earn money that not only will help them pay their bills, but also meet other goals. Those may be short- or long-term goals, and they could be large like buying a new house or small like saving for a vacation.

A better standard of living is a common motivation and reward for people starting any kind of business. Money - and what it can buy - is the universally recognizable indicator of success that distributors use to motivate and establish credibility for their business.

http://www.amway.com/InfoCenter/questions/question20.asp

Another important aspect of this success model is that one has only one self’s to blame for one’s own success for failure. And yet given the low success rate in Amway, "...the data from one investigative report reveal that only 1,000 of over 200,000 distributors ever achieved the rank of Direct Distributor or higher," it is also quite clear that the company does not offer success to anyone who enters the business [Bromley, 1995:151]. How can all these well-meaning people not succeed

The only ideologically accepted explanation is that these well-meaning people had no commitment to "the dream.” The product is irrelevant. It is keeping the dream alive and resisting everything that could possibly rob one of The American Dream that counts. For "the dream" is God’s blessing, the divine will, the American Way, family, morality, and the free-enterprise system. Hence, The American Dream becomes a cardinal article of faith, a foundation stone of America’s civil religion. [Striker 1984: 128]As Streiker describes it, the product lines in Amway come to signify and reveal something central to the growth of the company and the role of ideology.

Amway is a performance-based business that rewards people in direct proportion to their effort. The bigger the financial goal, the more time and effort a distributor will need to put into his or her business. With an Amway business, a distributor can work as much or little as he or she likes. The rewards are based directly on the distributors accomplishments.

Recently, the American success model has been taken a battering. The competition for business markets and jobs is stiff . The faith in business has been eroded by corporate fraud scandals, massive layoffs, and outsourcing. However, at least for now, it remains the predominant success model in today’s America.

About The Author

Janet K. Ilacqua is a freelance writer based in Tracy, California. She specializes in academic writing and ghostwriting of books and manuals for individuals and small businesses. For more information about her services, check her website at http://www.writeupondemand.com. jilacqua@aol.com

The promises of THE AMERICAN DREAM to have it all and enjoy it all, based on materialistic values system has been holding us captive and threatening to take our power and freedom away- without our awareness, like a thief in the night.

Consciously or unconsciously we make daily decisions to either be a master of our own ship or destiny, if you will, or be a slave to our own circumstances and to other people*s expectations and belief systems that don*t serve our highest good and purpose. After all it*s your life script - claim it and discover how your own personal power can truly transform your life to make it an adventure to be lived rather than a problem to be solved. Life becomes more of a struggle only when we are not true to our own calling and we give our power away.

Superficial/external values are indeed the ultimate slave master that demand nothing less than our complete attention, and sacrifice of our power and freedom. In order to be truly happy and fulfilled, one must feel free. However, in a culture that worships external values and is driven by the promises of THE AMERICAN DREAM to the point where we become slaves to our addictions, one can*t help but wonder if we are truly free in America, Land of the Free. Just when we thought that slavery ended with the Civil war, the rat race we are all caught up in, in order to *get there*, painfully reminds us that there are still many slaves among us who are disguised as successful people. But looks can be deceiving. Behind all the outward appearances of having it all and enjoying it all, they are held prisoners and victims of the promises of THE AMERICAN DREAM. And sadly enough, those who do achieve THE AMERICAN DREAM after considerable sacrifice eventually realize that when you get *there,* there is no *there* there. They eventually discover that there is definitely more to life than achieving material success.

Isn*t it time to reclaim your own power and freedom and declare your own independence It*s easy to do when you gain awareness and develop your own spirituality. Remember that awareness and the road to discovery and recovery run parallel. When you become aware of your true nature, that is beyond the man-made, narrow definition, you*ll be amazed to discover real freedom, real success and real joy that have been overlooked because of limited awareness, misconceptions and false belief systems perpetuated by THE AMERICAN DREAM, and reinforced by Hollywood and the media. If you wish to live with purpose and meaning and want to experience the difference between living consciously and unconsciously, live by the motto: *He with the most joys lives,* rather than *He with the most toys, lives.* Don*t underestimate your power to change yourself and even the world - become somebody*s hero. All you have to do to break free is to resist the temptation to live your life according to the interpretation of what someone else expects you to be, do or have. Listen to your heart and live by your rules. Why shouldn*t you After all, it*s YOUR life and YOUR dream.

About The Author

Copyright © 2004, Geela Author of *The American Dream* http://www.Geela.com

Geela is an award winning singer/songwriter/composer, columnist, and author of the best-selling book *THE AMERICAN DREAM,* her true- life story of how she came to America as a young immigrant with nothing and overcame incredible obstacles to achieve mega-success. She founded ONE SPIRIT, ONE WORLD to help children and promote a culture of peace and harmony. Get a free sample of her music and her book at http://www.Geela.com.

The American Dream is the promise to have it all and enjoy it all. Its been glorified and sentimentalized as a utopian goal not just by the media and Hollywood stars, but also by businesses and politicians, including the President of the United States. But in reality, the American Dream is becoming more and more like the Impossible Dream. Today, many Americans believe that their odds of winning the lottery are better than attaining the American Dream.

Originally the American Dream concept was born out of lack and a genuine need for security shortly after the Great Depression and WW2. Because jobs were scarce, the greatest aspiration for most Americans was securing steady employment and owning their own home. As a result, work ethic and integrity were very strong. The focus was on a wholesome values system, family and community, all of which created pride, real prosperity and real joy. However, over time the same prosperity which resulted from being a nation of producers, also created a nation of consumers, driven not by need but rather by the desire to keep up with the Joness.

Today, the American Dream is more of a marketing concept, whereby Madison Avenue and government alike, have convinced people that they have to have a certain standard of living such as a second home, a vacation in Europe, expensive jewelry and other toys in order to be happy and fulfilled. Even the Christmas holiday has lost its original meaning and has become highly commercialized.

In other words, weve been brainwashed to believe that, He with the most toys lives, rather than He with the most joys lives. By taking on even higher amounts of personal debt, Americans are more stressed out and less optimistic and fulfilled then ever before despite their high standard of living. Thats because toys material goods, without purpose and a wholesome values system, only produce an artificial joy that is as fleeting as it is cruel.

The American Dream as we know it, is no longer something that is born out of need and lack but rather out of greed and desire. Therefore, it does not represent the true spirit of America, which was based on perspiration, innovation, risk and reward with the focus on a wholesome values system, integrity, family, community and a strong work ethic.

From an Enron economy and huge government deficits, to our failing educational system and the break down of the family system where kids are left home alone to grow up with their peers, gangs and TV, practically every facet of our lives is negatively effected by the pursuit of materialism, which is a by-product of the American Dream. In a materialistic-driven society where there is an obsession with fame and fortune and winning at all costs, the prevailing wisdom is to do whats politically correct, rather than doing whats in the best interest of the community. And when the intoxicating love of power overcomes the power of love, its easy to see why absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The concept of The American Dream as we know it now is not only a marketing concept but it is also used by politicians for getting votes and keeping constituents happy. In the cut-throat world of politics where the stakes are high, politicians are driven by their own self-serving agendas. As such, the different political parties have their own agendas when it comes to helping certain members of society achieve the American Dream. The Democratic party on the one hand supports labor unions and union contracts that provide for big wage increases for the common worker so that they can achieve a piece of The American Dream. In so doing, they guarantee work and wages for people who are not necessarily that productive, at the expense of everyone else. On the other hand, the Republican party believes philosophically in the free enterprise system. Their vision is to have an economic system that rewards primarily people who are successful, which means mostly wealthy people, at the expense of everyone else.

In other words, both political parties and the special interest groups who contribute to their election campaigns are trying to achieve the political version of the American Dream for their constituencies at the expense of everyone else. Ironically, both political parties realize that because the pie is limited, making the American Dream a reality for all Americans is virtually impossible. As a matter of fact, most people are kept in perpetual debt their whole lives in order to maintain a standard of living consistent with the new ideal of the American Dream. Its this unattainable dream that drives both parents into the work place, working longer and harder than ever before, which contributes to the ills of society.

So in order to make the American Dream possible for as many Americans to achieve, consumerism had to be created. The point of consumerism is to get people to spend more by going into debt. The logic is that higher spending produces wealth for some people. The problem is that there is a limitation on how far people can go into debt. Eventually the economy becomes a house of cards because it is unable to create jobs of value,based on producing, creating and manufacturing. Instead more and more jobs are in the services industry, catering to our insatiable need to consume. Eventually this type of faulty economy will result in financial chaos where institutions, banks and even governments fail, as weve seen by whats happening in California.

In the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, weve been looking for solutions and fulfillment in all the wrong places. The solution to restoring our economy, our failing systems and our institutions, as well as our sanity, is through the spirit. Thats because whether we realize it or not, we are spiritual beings experiencing the human experience and not the other way around. As such we were meant and designed to live a life of meaning and purpose by recognizing the unity of life and living in harmony with universal laws that are characterized by integrity and the honoring of all living things. Total prosperity and peace are dependent on the strength of our spirit.

Only when the business as usual type of politics is replaced by business with integrity whereby the power of love overcomes the love of power can we hope to see a meaningful and lasting transformation thats also cost effective. Perhaps if we live by the mantra that, He with the most joys lives, rather than He with the most toys lives, knowing that paradise is not so much a place but rather a state of mind, can we once again appreciate the simple pleasures in life while recognizing that indeed the best things in life are free. Now thats the real thing, unlike what Coca Cola claims to have.

And while most of us may not be Lords of the Rings, we are always the Lords of our own earthly destiny. Simply put, we all have the power to create our own destiny through personal responsibility no matter what weve been brainwashed to believe. Perhaps when we reconnect with our spiritual roots, and understand the unity of life, we can finally recognize that we are all connected in the web of life, that whatever effects one directly, effects us all indirectly the global economy perfectly illustrates this fact. Perhaps then confrontation will give way to cooperation and destruction will be replaced with construction. Only then we will discover that peace is not so much unity in similarity but rather unity in diversity - a diversity that needs to be celebrated. Perhaps as we realize that we are all children of God, we will also learn to honor life and finally experience true and lasting peace and harmony, which inevitably leads to total prosperity for all in a win-win spirit. Now thats something to sing about.

About The Author

Copyright © 2004, Geela Author of The American Dream http://www.Geela.com

Geela is an award winning singer/songwriter/composer, columnist, and author of the best-selling book THE AMERICAN DREAM, her true- life story of how she came to America as a young immigrant with nothing and overcame incredible obstacles to achieve mega-success. She founded ONE SPIRIT, ONE WORLD to help children and promote a culture of peace and harmony. Get a free sample of her music and her book at http://www.Geela.com.

When people are asked, “How many of you are content and happy with what you have” the reply of an overwhelming majority of people is “Not me.” And when they are asked what do they want most out of life, the typical reply is “I want to be happy,” as if happy is some kind of a place, like Disneyland or Happy Land. But happiness is not a destination. It’s a process. In fact, happiness is not even so much a sentiment contrary to popular culture reinforced by the media but more of a state of being and an attitude if you will. It comes from feeling connected with everything and everyone. It is the level of our awareness that makes the difference between living “happily” or unhappily. Living in an increasingly artificial world, it’s easy to forget our spiritual roots, and very hard not to live the illusion of life rather than life itself. When we live by the motto: “He with the most toys lives,” rather than “He with the most joys lives,” we invariably experience artificial joy that prevents us from living fully in the here and now while connecting with real people, real life and having real joy. Perhaps that’s because knowingly or unknowingly, many of us fell victim to the illusion of The American Dream and its promise for sweet success based on a materialistic values system.

So before rushing to say: “I want more money,” confusing material success with experiencing more love and joy, ask yourself “at what cost Is the high price tag for achieving success, as narrowly defined by THE AMERICAN DREAM, worth the effort and the great sacrifice In the pursuit of THE AMERICAN DREAM it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really important and overlook the many trappings of success. You may sacrifice so much just “to get there” only to discover that there is no “there” there. There is more to life than material success and living by the code of external and shallow values that really don’t serve our highest good and purpose. Then you become disillusioned and life easily becomes an empty experience devoid of meaning and real joy or purpose.

This is not to say that you should not strive for excellence or even material success. After all, there is nothing virtuous about being poor. How can you help your fellow human being when you are suffering from lack yourself It’s unfortunate that money has such a bad reputation “money is the root of all evil”. In fact it’s the love of money – greed - that drives some to commit crimes that is the root of all evil. When used properly with the element of charity being incorporated, money can be a very useful tool to actually make a difference.

It is more spiritual to live well for yourself so that you can give yourself away to benefit others. You are an expression of life itself and that demands your active participation in the process of life through creativity and prosperity. However, it’s essential that you make informed decisions based on the awareness that the promise of THE AMERICAN DREAM which is based on a materialistic and shallow values system to have it all and enjoy it all and live happily ever after is just an illusion that may not be in your best interest and can actually cause you more harm than good. Success has its own trappings. It demands a very high price tag that may not be worth it.

But if you still insist on knowing whether or not you have reached “Happy Land,” in the end you will know it when you live your life consciously. That means you practice the attitude of gratitude for all the blessings in your life remember it could always be worse. Your joy of life is not dependent on external values such as the accumulation of possessions that produce artificial joy that is as fleeting as it is cruel. You stop defining yourself based on somebody else’s narrow definition of who you are and should be. After all, your true essence, which is constantly changing and expansive, is beyond any man-made definition. Now that’s something to get excited about.

About The Author

Copyright © 2004, Geela Author of “The American Dream” http://www.Geela.com

Geela is an award winning singer/songwriter/composer, columnist, and author of the best-selling book “THE AMERICAN DREAM,” her true- life story of how she came to America as a young immigrant with nothing and overcame incredible obstacles to achieve mega-success. She founded ONE SPIRIT, ONE WORLD to help children and promote a culture of peace and harmony. Get a free sample of her music and her book at http://www.Geela.com.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” James Baldwin

At present, African Americans stand at the crossroads of great hopes for wealth and freedom exceptional for the great-and great, great-grandchildren of former slaves and great despair caused by family disintegration, generational poverty, educational disparities and the digital divide. The threat is that we will form a permanent underclass is this new society as the demand for skilled and highly educated workers and new business owners reaches a peak.

You might not like me too much for the data I present in this chapter that reveals the depths of our situation. Bill Cosby has been speaking out about these things and has taken some heat for his coarse rhetoric. We can’t change our situation until we know what we are changing. I believe that once you see the data, you will be compelled to make some changes. If that is the case, I am confident that you will finish the rest of this solutions-oriented guide.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 70% of black children are born out of wedlock. Many times, the father is absolutely out of the picture. Single moms have the toughest job there is in this country. No work demands as much immediate attention and delayed gratification. You cannot pay someone enough to do this job yet the single black mom is the poorest demographic in our society. An unimaginable 39% of black female heads of household and 33% of black children are living below the poverty line compared to 18.6% of white female heads of household and 9.6% of white children. The true shame is that all odds are stacked against these families compounding every challenge normally faced with raising children into healthy, confident and independent adults. They face long odds when it comes to living in poverty, being victimized by violence, lacking quality education, low self-esteem and poor role models.

Having a loving father around is a spiritually, mentally, emotionally and financially stabilizing force needed by every child. The numbers bear this out to be true. Only 7.1% of black married couple families live below the poverty line and only 3.3% of white married couple families live below the poverty line. God created the family to consist of both a father and mother and all other arrangements are sub-optimal for children. Be that as it may, everyone must also make the best of their situation as it may be right now.

The reality is that 300 years of slavery has devastated the African American family unit. There are many African American families that are loving and meeting the needs of their children that we don’t here about that share in the values and beliefs that stable families are good for our children. The challenge is that we were deliberately denied the benefits of family for too long. Saving the African American family needs to be the number one priority of every organization that says its purpose is to help black people. A father is the first competitive edge any young person can have in this world. A young person of any race that is raised in a fatherless home has several strikes against him or her already.

Building and strengthening African American family is the first preliminary step we need to take to get started on the track to building wealth as a people in this society.

The seven critical 21st century skills outlined in the book, The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond, will work for anyone however, accomplishing anything will always be more difficult for those with so many odds against them that they must overcome and being fatherless is a long odd, indeed. This data presented here is not designed to discourage anyone. Hopefully, it will encourage each of you to more carefully consider the needs of Black children and to find ways to provide them with what they need to flourish in this new economy starting with a responsible, loving father figure.

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the downloadable ebook by Bret Searles titled "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond" available at www.blackwealthnow.com

bret@blackwealthnow.com

“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” James 1:23-24

The black community has many success stories. Condoleeza Rice, PhD is the National Security Advisor and Colin Powell is the Secretary of State to the current U.S. president. Thurgood Marshall was a judicial giant on the U.S. Supreme Court fighting for greater liberty and against injustice. Bob Johnson, founder and former CEO of Black Entertainment Television and Oprah Winfrey, television talk show host, producer and CEO of Harpo Productions have been bright and shining examples of what African Americans are capable of achieving.

Not everyone can do what these people did but we can look to their example of perseverance and triumph against long odds. Some of the greatest role models overcame abject poverty, racism, child abuse and neglect. They had excess baggage they had to shed to get to their respective goals. The book, The 7 Simple Secrets to Building Wealth: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond, will give you some strategies you can use immediately to more elegantly overcome your personal challenges and confidently reach your goals.

On the other hand, the statistics show that our success stories are far outnumbered by the cold reality that our people are in a struggle for survival. We have a growing middle class of African Americans that are becoming increasingly separated from the rest of black America based on education, income stability and family life. As some African Americans push ahead, many are falling further behind creating an inequity between the two.

Only 13.6% of African Americans reported an annual income over $50,000 according to recent census data. That compares to 27.5% of whites reporting annual income over $50,000. We have only half the percentage of high income earners then whites do. We have twice the high school drop out rate as whites. Also, 16.5% of African Americans get a college degree versus 28.1% of whites. 32.5% of African Americans are married compared to 56.8% of whites. Finally, 44% of African American families are headed by single moms compared to only 12.7% of white families that are headed by single moms. We have an amazingly uphill battle but we must look even more closely before we can get to our solutions.

African Americans make up 13% of the population while African American men make up 66% of the prison population. Based on Justice Department crime statistics, racial differences exist, with African Americans disproportionately represented among homicide victims and offenders. African Americans have the highest violent crime victimization rates then any other group. We are six times more likely then whites to be murdered. We are seven times more likely then whites to commit homicide. And the majority of murders are intraracial. African Americans killed a whopping 94% of African American murder victims.

Furthermore, the Justice Department goes to report that based on current rates of first incarceration, an estimated 32% of African American males will enter state or federal prison during their lifetime; whites 5.9%. These are depressing figures.

The family is the place where these statistics will be turned around. Respect for life, discipline, hard work and respect for women are lessons and values that young Black boys learn best from their dads. They learn from our words, our example and through the leadership we provide in the home.

If we fail in this, our greatest responsibility, we will fail an entire generation that fought to secure our freedoms so we could realize our full potential. We will put on the chains of the slavery of poverty, prison and lack of purpose without a whimper of resistance.

The second preliminary step we need to make is taking personal responsibility for our lives and that of our families. The only way we can begin to shape the future and change our destinies is to accept our present circumstances as a fluid and temporal reality that can be changed and is never permanent however, very real, so we must take action to affect our reality.

We sometimes live as if our situation was imposed on us against our will and that we are powerless to resist. Years of conditioning make it understandable why some feel that way. The challenge is recognizing that these challenging situations and problems are truly temporary and changeable. We also want to experience the good times with greater intensity and more lasting effect. This book will provide you with strategies to do all this and will help you to view your circumstances in whatever way serves you most in getting you to your desired goals.

You’ll find that we don’t need a new leader to lead us; what we need are new leadership skills. We need an infusion of leadership at all levels in the black community and our nation needs it as well. We need African American leaders in every corner of our nation. We need African American leaders in both the Democrat and Republican parties. We need African American leaders in business and government. We need more leaders in the family and in the community.

African Americans must adopt new ideas and new thought patterns that our ancestors didn’t have the luxury to adopt in order to advance in the new economy. With all the sad statistics mentioned here, we are still standing here today at this time in history. Our country has needed us on many occasions. Even oppressed, African Americans helped build this country, fight it’s wars and turn the tide to victory from defeat.

God has a plan for America and we are an integral part of His plan for this country. More people are free around the world today because of this nation and our struggle is an example to many of the oppressed in the world of what a united, determined people can achieve.

Entrepreneurship is the key to unlocking the last chains to keep us from living out our true purpose and to become who we really are as a people. This generation of African Americans needs to tap into the power of entrepreneurship to create the kind of wealth that will truly set us free. We need to develop the required skill sets necessary for success as leaders in 21st century business. These skills truly are timeless and have been used throughout time by the captains of industry.

These skills were surely mastered by the ancient Egyptians when they built an advanced civilization and the great pyramids that cannot be replicated by any of the engineers and architects of this age. In this age, these skills are now more necessary then ever. The social experiment of communism has failed. Government cannot solve all the problems that ail people. There is no reason we should fall prey to the temptation to seek solutions to our problems from our government. Our government is extraordinarily wealthy and so is our society. The rewards go to those that provide the most service with the most value in our society. No law, regulation or tax has been able to change that. Now that our economy is switching from an industrial age economy to an information age economy, all the old rules are quickly becoming obsolete.

Failure of African Americans to adapt to this shift is economic suicide especially at a time when it’s never been easier to start a business, turn a profit and live free. Knowledge and application of the necessary skills in your entrepreneurial enterprise or at work will tilt the odds of financial security and lasting wealth in your favor despite your current station in life today.

The statistics presented show us how much work we have to do. We have always had leaders stand up at our point of greatest need throughout history. The statistics can’t tell you who they are, where they will come from or what the leaders of the 21st century will be able to accomplish but with history as our guide, we can count on it that they will change this world for the better. The only question I have for you is ‘Are you that leader’

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the downloadable ebook by Bret Searles titled "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond" available at www.blackwealthnow.com

bret@blackwealthnow.com

“To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.” W.E.B. Dubois, The Souls of Black Folk

There are historical reasons why African Americans need to make radical changes now in order to reap great financial rewards as a people. Collectively, we have been denied access to the river of wealth. A few unstoppable individuals have successfully made it but the majority is still not even close to the river’s edge.

Furthermore, as our people made progress and broke down social and political barriers in our society, dramatic economic shifts occurred that have changed how money is made and service is profitably rendered. It’s a natural progression resulting from our great technological advancements; nonetheless, the unprepared and unskilled will be the losers during these changes.

History has many examples of people of color not being in the right place at the right time during these economic shifts in time. We have historical evidence to show that the ancient Egyptian civilization was an advanced society with a stable system of government, military strength and technology such as that used to build the pyramids. They had the basic elements of a sewage system, they lived in cities and houses they constructed and practiced medicine to heal diseases.

Much of Europe during this time was in its primitive stages, still living in caves and fighting the natural elements. However, rapid population growth and overcrowding, harsh living conditions, and disease forced the European cultures to compete aggressively for growingly scarce land and food resources. They developed more advanced weaponry in their constant conflicts with each other and for hunting purposes. They came together to form stable systems of government and increased their military might. After constant warring internally with each other, they turned their eyes outward toward expansion and domination. The natural pressures on European society created a compelling fighting instinct and ingenuity. With ships, armor and superior weaponry, the “Dark Continent” was conquered. The Europeans got downstream the river of wealth. These nations would reap the rewards for centuries to come. They found mostly mild resistance in their exploitation of native peoples in the conquered territory.

The historical record doesn’t end here. The European ruling class did not treat their own people much better. They sought religious freedom and eventually a few brave souls set off for the new world across the Atlantic Ocean. These people worked hard and struggled to carve out a niche for themselves here. Others came here seeking the opportunity to achieve wealth and land ownership without being nobility. A new era was ushered in and wealth began to flow in a new direction. Those that could claim, tame and make fruitful the land in this country would form the new noble class.

At this time of wealth transference, Black people were further removed from the flow of wealth. Instead of acquiring land and property in the new world, we became the property of others, compelled to work the land in this new world. We became living symbols of wealth to those that held ownership rights over us. We served the tables of the wealthy, worked their fields and nursed their infants but we would never become wealthy under this system. We were denied ownership rights, marital and familial bonds were disallowed and decimated. Also, physical and psychological deprivation threatened to rob us completely of our humanity. Survival and freedom comprised the hopes and dreams for our children.

Leaders emerged and a movement to abolish slavery grew both aboveground and underground. Whites and Blacks put their lives at risk to end the oppressive institution of slavery. By the time the bloody Civil War ended, slavery was already an archaic institution that achieved its economic purpose and was really a liability to southern slave owners who fought to keep the social order alive.

Technology, such as the cotton gin, was more efficient and cost effective then slave labor. The industrial age was in its infancy.

The flow of wealth was again changing directions as we began to experience freedom for the first time in this country. Farming and agricultural occupations were diminishing assets and manufacturing and industrial occupations were the new vehicles for wealth creation. Meanwhile, former slaves were promised forty acres and a mule. These assets would have served as vehicles for wealth creation in the agrarian age but they represent assets of waning value in the industrial age. They would have been a nice head start for economically deprived former slaves but the promise was never kept.

New methods were developed in the industrial age economy to keep us from the banks of the river of wealth. Segregation, racism and intimidation were used as weapons to hurt us and shut us out from all means possible of wealth creation. African American workers were only allowed to perform menial jobs in this economy. African American entrepreneurs were denied much needed start up capital, prime locations and key business contacts and contracts solely based on race. During this period of time, our attention was focused on expanding our freedoms by exercising them in the face of racial hatred and ignorance. And, again, leaders emerged breaking down barriers and opening many doors through which this generation may walk.

Now a new economic era is beginning. We have been behind the curve when it comes to changes in our economy. That one deficit alone will ensure that we will fail to prosper as a people and raise our standard of living in this society. The advent of the internet is just the beginning of this new era. The defeat of Soviet communism and the opening of global markets to capitalism clear some social hurdles to help make this new economy possible. Our world is tremendously smaller and more connected then ever.

For African Americans, this represents the first time in our evolutionary 350 years struggle that we can consciously make our way to the banks of the river of wealth and to take it as far as we can go. Like many that approach the river untrained and unprepared, the risk of shipwreck lies ahead. We must learn the new thinking and new skills demanded by these times.

This book will make you aware of these new skills and guide you in how to apply them to whatever you do now or desire to do in the future. These changes call for quick and radical change today.

This part of our continuing struggle must not take as many years as the first part. Gradual change will take too much time and be too late for us to generate wealth that we can pass on to our future generations. Though we fought and were victorious in all our struggles, we are left with the scars and a few open wounds that must heal before we move forward. This also makes us unique in our quest and why this book is different from any other book written that focuses on entrepreneurship and business success aimed at the majority of Americans.

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the downloadable ebook by Bret Searles titled "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond" available at www.blackwealthnow.com

bret@blackwealthnow.com

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” Maya Angelou

Our ability to exercise self-discipline is key to taking control of our destinies. It is the ability to delay self-gratification while working toward the rewards of your long-term goals. It is also the skill of getting yourself out of unproductive emotional states and into more productive and more resourceful states using proven strategies.

Many times, we do not realize how much control we have over how we feel at any given moment. How we feel is determined by the meaning we give to events regardless of whether they are real or only perceived events. For example, we all know that the boogey man does not exist but the fear we may have experienced as children is just as legitimate as if he was real. Perceived and real threats can both cause physical manifestations such as goose bumps, increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure and cause your hair to stand on the back of your neck. Managing our emotional states is one of the most powerful skills we can acquire. Many people make decisions about business, money and relationships while in unresourceful states which can lead to disastrous consequences. Emotional mastery is achieved once you are able to recognize the emotional states you are experiencing at any moment and alter them so that your emotions are serving you instead of controlling you. Think of the parent that takes a few deep breaths and counts to ten before acting upon seeing the destruction their little one left in the living room. The parent instinctively knows that it is better to take control of her emotional state first so that she can deliver just enough punishment for it to be effective without being overly harsh. An overreaction to this situation could confuse the child and create unintended lasting impressions on the child.

The reason this is a very critical skill for African Americans such that I mention it as the first skill in my book, "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building", is that a large number of us are vulnerable in this area. The higher percentages of African Americans living in poverty, who are fatherless and live in communities where crime and violence are pervasive as well as the negative and stereotypical images of African Americans in movies, television and music videos are all damaging to our sense of self esteem and are an assault upon our spiritual and emotional fortitude.

Reversing these statistics can dramatically give us the edge we desperately need to give our future generations. Strong families, strong faith, a sense of security at home and school and positive images of black families can uplift and shield our self esteem from the negative influences in the world. There is no better gift we can give our children then to provide them with these blessings.

Many of the great successes in African American history suffered loss and defeat before ultimately achieving victory. A fragile self-esteem will find it very difficult to muster the perseverance and resolve needed to recover from defeat and succeed against the odds. Here are some strategies you can employ to successfully get yourself out of unproductive states and into more resourceful and productive states. Generate Passion Using Visualization Gain Ultimate Leverage-Know Your Values and Beliefs Prayer and forgiveness:

Each of these points will be discussed in more detail in subsequent articles. The key here is to recognize that the unique experience of African Americans calls for a different view on the solutions presented. Simply doing what ‘Whites’ do is not an adequate solution to ‘Black’ problems. We must create our own solutions that satisfy our needs. Each of these strategies attempts to do just that.

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the downloadable ebook by Bret Searles titled "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond" available at www.blackwealthnow.com

bret@blackwealthnow.com

“A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.” Dante

Generate Passion Using Visualization - Much of the interpretation of our experiences is determined by how we represent them in our minds. An experience must pass through the filter of your past experiences, personal beliefs, value systems, religious understanding and many other filters before being stored in your brain as a memory. A negative experience with telephone marketers may cause you to immediately hang up the phone whenever a telephone marketer calls in the future. A person that believes that lying is always wrong may never lie even when it means others might be hurt by the truth whereas someone with a variation of that same belief may feel it is right to lie to protect others. These beliefs and experiences affect how you represent experiences and ideas in your mind and the actions that result from those interpretations. Some research suggests that it takes seven positive statements to erase the impact of a single negative statement. Negative remarks are more inflammatory and we tend to replay them in our minds with more emotional feeling then positive remarks.

Visualization is one method you can use to reduce the intensity of negative remarks and experiences and to intensify positive remarks and experiences. There are military veterans and crime victims that get medical treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD. These people have suffered highly intense, negative life experiences and they are recalled unconsciously in their minds with such vividness, clarity, volume and proximity that they actually relive the experience many times over. They present with symptoms of sleeplessness, stress and other physical manifestations of having relived the original experience. Visualization is a process you can control. You can re-experience your life’s best moments with equal feeling and intensity as your most negative ones. This can make you more productive and more effective in your life just like PTSD can handicap those suffering from it. Consciously visualizing an image needs to be done correctly to have the desired impact.

First, mentally recreate a positive moment in your life. Feel the same good feelings you felt when you had the original experience. What are the qualities of the images that give you those feelings Are they colorful or black and white Are there sounds or is there silence If there is sound, do you hear it internally or externally Are you included in the images as actually experiencing the event in your mind or is it like you are watching the action on a television screen Are the images up close or distant Are the sounds you hear loud or soft These are merely a few of the modalities you can manipulate to either increase or decrease the emotional impact of your experiences. Play around and have fun with the visualization process.

Learn what changes create the most impact on your experience. Determine which modalities lessen the emotional content of an image and which modalities increase it. For many, a black and white image viewed as a third party from a long distance with no sound may contain the least emotional content, which can be a great way to represent your defeats, failures and mistakes. Likewise, colorful, high volume, first party images that are close up and full of detail can increase the emotional content, which will empower you and boost your self confidence as you represent your positive experiences with greater intensity. When you are negatively criticized, change the voice of the person doing it to the voice of Daffy Duck or Mickey Mouse. That same criticism just cannot have the same impact on your psyche coming from a cartoon character.

This strategy not only works in your mind, it works in real life. That is one reason why DVDs of old movies are re-released in digitally remastered formats with Dolby surround sound effects. Old black and white movies are colorized while more people are paying big bucks to get 50-inch High-Definition televisions and hooking them up with expensive surround sound systems. Once we experience this new technology in the store, we want to recreate it in our homes because it increases the impact of how the movies or sporting events we like to watch make us feel. This is exactly what happens in your mind when you visualize events. Do the same thing with your personal experiences. Take your negative ones and view them as small, gray scale, silent movies. View the image as a tape in fast-forward and blur the image. Does this take away some of the feelings you once felt when you thought of the negative words someone said or the defeat you experienced

Now take your positive experiences and bring them in close in full, rich color and surround sound. Put yourself inside the action, slow down your mental replay enough to capture all the details and nuances of the experience. Are you feeling the same as you did the day you actually lived the event Practice leads to perfection with this strategy. Keep working and getting better at visualization until you can produce the emotional states you desire at your command.

Here is another benefit to developing this strategy. The experience does not have to be real to have an impact. If you don’t have enough positive experiences in your life to reference then imagine your own. Create images of the future you desire and experience it with full intensity in the present. This exercise will help your desired future become a reality by focusing your mind on the benefits of accomplishing your goals.

This is a critical skill to have in your arsenal. This first strategy to mastering your destiny is all about mastery over the resources currently at your disposal. That means using your gray matter between your ears in the most effective manner possible. Visualization is a large step in that direction and the next strategy is another.

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the downloadable ebook by Bret Searles titled "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond" available at www.blackwealthnow.com

bret@blackwealthnow.com

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Gain Ultimate Leverage-Know Your Values and Beliefs: Simply stated, what we value and believe most will have ultimate leverage over how we think and feel on a daily basis. A belief in God may compel people to worship several times a week, pray to Mecca 5 times a day or even to change friendships, kill or willingly die based on how they practice their faith. Beliefs are powerful and a minor alteration to a single belief can completely change one’s life. If you believe that racism is a barrier to success, your mind has no choice but to confirm your belief. If you believe as Earl Graves, publisher and CEO of Black Enterprise Magazine and author of the book “How to Succeed in Business without Being White”, that racism is a nuisance, then you will be empowered to defeat this nuisance when it rears its ugly head. The reason is that your mind will work overtime to confirm your deeply held beliefs because the mind doesn’t accept contradictions well. Your brain will prefer to confirm what you believe by finding confirmatory evidence in your external world while blocking out evidence to the contrary.

Your deeply held beliefs have the power to create mental blind spots to evidence that is contradictory to those beliefs. Not all beliefs fall under the category of being deeply held but the ones closely connected to your core values usually do. If you highly value your freedom, your beliefs about what freedom means to you will likely be deeply held. A belief that is not deeply held will have much less impact on our lives. For example, a cigarette smoker may understand that smoking is unhealthy and deadly however, he may continue to smoke. There is no contradiction here. In this person’s hierarchy of beliefs, this smoker believes that the benefits of smoking are more important and more desirable then the consequences.

Your beliefs have a hierarchy. The smoker may believe that smoking is cool, social, soothing and his social circle will likely confirm these ideas. This smoker will have difficulty quitting without first changing his beliefs. If he inverted his hierarchy of beliefs about the benefits and dangers of smoking, he will be more empowered to quit. The more strongly held negative beliefs about smoking he has, the easier it will be to quit especially when coupled with the visualization of a slow, painful death from lung cancer.

This is how we can use our beliefs and values to gain leverage over our actions. This is also why for every study that attempts to prove that alcohol or caffeine may be bad for us, there are industry-sponsored studies showing that alcohol, such as red wine, or that something about caffeine exerts beneficial effects. Each study has the potential to shape our beliefs, which is one reason why so many “research” studies may come to the exactly opposite conclusions.

Politics is another area where there is enough data on either side to rationally justify voting for either of the two major parties. The most loyal party members easily disregard data that contradict their beliefs and readily counter with data that supports their viewpoints.

I am asking you to be aware of what your beliefs are and to determine if they serve or limit your capability. If your beliefs are self-limiting, you have the freedom to change or alter them. Another belief you must have is that you possess the power to change your beliefs at any time you desire. Some beliefs can undermine your business efforts. Also, a positive belief will be cancelled out by an opposing negative belief. A belief that marriage is wonderful can be totally cancelled out by a belief that all men are bastards that is self-sabotaging to any potential long-term relationship you may have with men. Adopt more positive beliefs then negative ones to tip the scales in your favor. Here are some strategies to help you take control of your beliefs so you can gain maximum positive leverage out of them in your life.

--List and rank your core values - Values are abstract ideas that get their substance and meaning from how you believe they should be expressed in your life. Freedom, honesty, integrity, loyalty, the purpose of money, the love of a family and faith in God are a few of many potential values you may have. Define what these mean to you. Freedom to one may mean being able to go where he wants to go while to another it may mean freedom to worship God. Rank your values in order of importance to you. What do you value most Knowing can help with your goal setting.

--Use questions to test your beliefs - Questioning your beliefs puts them to the test. Challenge their purpose and impact on your life. Sometimes our beliefs contain language like “all”, “always”, “must” and “impossible” to name a few. Do these qualifying words really apply Will “all” people take advantage of you Is it really ‘impossible’ to succeed and get rich in this economy ‘Must’ everything be perfect before you can start your new business Questioning your beliefs helps put your brain to work at finding answers instead of excuses. Asking the right questions will produce the right answers. If you don’t like the answer, ask a better question. The qualifying words you use may serve or hinder you in the attainment of your goals.

Strengthen your most empowering beliefs with qualifying words like the ones mentioned above and weaken your most disempowering beliefs by changing your qualifying words. Change ‘must’ to ‘maybe’ and you will take some of the leverage out of your disempowering beliefs. Changing ‘should’ to ‘must’ will add leverage to your empowering beliefs. Should you improve your organization skills or must you improve them It’s easy to put a ‘should’ off until tomorrow but your ‘musts’ must be done today. Wouldn’t you agree Are all men dogs or do some men occasionally act like dogs The second phrasing has less emotional impact and is less of a barrier to good relationships.

--Reframe - Change your negative beliefs by focusing on their positive opposites. You already are aware of how to do this. Is the glass half empty or half full How you answer this question can affect your entire outlook on everything. Instead of believing that ‘all men are dogs’, you could reframe that belief to say that your experiences have taught you what you like and dislike about men which makes you wiser now and that you will make better choices about the men you date in the future. This reframe takes the power away from external events and others and puts it back into your hands, which is right where you want it. That is the power of the reframe.

--Create new references - This is the fun part. References are the actual experiences you have that actually support you new beliefs or values. Once you are clear on your values and beliefs, asked the questions and reframed your beliefs, you can now begin creating new reference experiences for your new beliefs.

Act on your new beliefs. Don’t wait for an experience to happen your way by chance that confirms that your new belief is true. Create the experience by taking action on it. Start a business, go for a promotion, and give that speech to a large all the confidence you believed you would. Whatever belief you decided would empower you the most, take immediate action on it. Also, create a mental image of yourself successfully taking action on your new beliefs using the visualization techniques mentioned early.

Remember, the brain doesn’t care if the experience is real or not, it interprets all images the same. So, create several images with as much emotional intensity as possible to give your beliefs instant emotional power.

These are just a few of the most powerful strategies you can employ. The more of these strategies you use, the more power you will have to put yourself into your most resourceful states. As with anything that is worthwhile, these strategies require practice. Don’t give up after a few attempts. Give yourself time and these skills will become more like second nature to you so that you can implement them unconsciously.

The next strategies may not be for everyone because of their seemingly spiritual nature however the power inherent in these next strategies is undisputed. I encourage to read the next article in this series to gain true strength and leverage to shape your destiny.

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the downloadable ebook by Bret Searles titled "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond" available at www.blackwealthnow.com

bret@blackwealthnow.com

“No one can make you feel inferior without your own consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Prayer and forgiveness

Prayer and forgiveness are very spiritual by their nature. Prayer represents our communication with God and forgiveness is a godly act even us mortals are empowered to perform.

Prayer - Studies have demonstrated that sick people recover faster when people pray for them then when no one is praying for them. This holds true even when neither group knows if people are praying for them or not leading some to conclude that the power of prayer is an independent power.

Some people and even a few preachers demean the ‘act’ of prayer by repeating clichés like ‘God helps those who help themselves’ or that we need to get off our knees and take action versus taking time out to pray. I say that prayer is action. Prayer puts you in touch with the Creator of the universe.

If you have any self limiting beliefs that you can’t overcome using the above strategies then using this one can trump all obstacles and this is it - If God be with you, who can be against you. If you believe that is true with all your heart, nothing can get in your way for very long. Prayer can enlighten, calm, clear the mind and help you find strength and wisdom when you need it. As African Americans, we have a strong spiritual heritage of Christian faith. I strongly urge you to use the gift of prayer to seek wisdom and understanding from the Source above.

Forgiveness - This is an extremely difficult and supremely divine act that we are empowered to perform. As much of the legacy of slavery, lynchings, discrimination, segregation, poverty, brutality and injustice plague our communities today, each one of us must muster the strength to forgive even those that don’t ask for it. This will help us to reduce the power of these emotional anchors to the nuisance level as Publisher and CEO Earl Graves calls it.

Christ died on the cross long ago so that I could find my own redemption from the sins I committed almost 2000 years later. Put your forgiveness on the table today as Jesus did. Not everyone will accept it but that is fine. When you forgive in your heart, you rid yourself of excuses for not putting out your best efforts everyday.

Forgiveness is a very potent and mighty power. And it is a power that you don’t have to be cautious about how you use it. It will change your life and possibly the life of others around you because forgiveness changes everyone affected by it.

I remember when Reginald Denny forgave the boys that attacked him during the riot that occurred in L.A. after the Rodney King verdict that acquitted the officers that brutally beat him. I saw the parents of those boys crying and giving the biggest and warmest hugs to Mr. Denny. It was heart warming to see and unbelievable under the circumstances but forgiveness seems to have that effect on people. That moment began the healing of a deeply divided and desperate city.

Like so many of the skills and strategies I mentioned previously, the power to forgive and the willingness to exercise that power gives you control. The power is in your hands, which is right were you want it.

I understand that these are apparently very spiritual principles and they may seem odd to those that don’t hold any deeply rooted spiritual beliefs. There are therapeutic benefits to prayer and forgiveness that go beyond their obvious spiritual benefits. They can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, restore relationships and maybe even lead one to a higher level of inner peace. In fact, there are 1,200 published studies in 2004 alone on the benefits of forgiveness.

The foundation, A Campaign for Forgiveness Research, states that there are at least two benefits of forgiveness. One, forgiveness reduces the stress associated with the state of unforgiveness. Bitterness, anger, hostility, hatred, resentment and the fear of being humiliated again all have negative health consequences. They even can cause hormonal changes that can lead to immune suppression, heart disease and memory problems. Secondly, research shows that people with strong social networks of friends and family tend to be healthier then loners. In a sense, forgiveness means setting yourself free of your own suffering.

For those who do have deep religious beliefs, you already understand the power here. Either way, I highly recommend you get as much practice at this as you can. The more of these strategies that you put to work for you, the more easily you will find yourself able to get into highly resourceful states. These are just a few of the most effective ways to gain maximum leverage over your mental and emotional states.

Your mastery over yourself is the foundation upon which the rest of the skills for the 21st Century are built. Lottery winners are examples of people that acquire wealth but have not achieved personal mastery. The odds are that they will lose everything they won and end in bankruptcy just a few short years after hitting the jackpot. They had the wealth but lacked the mental discipline and preparation needed to keep it.

This mastery is especially crucial when it comes to developing the next skill required to succeed in this new economy. All seven skills and dozens of strategies can be found in the downloadable ebook, “The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond” available at www.blackwealthnow.com.

About The Author

This article is an excerpt from the downloadable ebook by Bret Searles titled "The 7 Simple Secrets to Wealth Building: An African American’s Guide to Wealth Building in the 21st Century and Beyond" available at www.blackwealthnow.com

bret@blackwealthnow.com

Never underestimate the power that comes from following your passion. It never ceases to amaze me what can happen when we put action to work for us and go after the things that we hold a true desire for. Im not sure if you are familiar with the story of William Hung www.williamhung.net or not.

William was a contestant on the reality TV show, American Idol. Incidentally, I should tell you I dont generally watch the show. I just dont particularly enjoy how at times the host breaks folks down in a sometimes-embarrassing way. In my humble opinion a persons dream deserves more then simply trying to crush them in a mean spirited way. Please dont email me giving me a hard time about this :-. Im not saying at all that its not a show worth watching. Im just expressing my own personal opinion. With that said back to Williams story...

So keeping in mind that I didnt originally see the show, a funny thing started happening... I began hearing talk of this one contestant who after being told he couldnt sing, nor dance, replied, "I have tried my best, and I have no regrets." Whoa! Now if that isnt inspiring, I dont know what is.

Interestingly enough, Williams story doesnt end there. Not by a long shot - since appearing on the show he has become quite well known both online and off, singing and doing appearances. Hes got a website, and Ive heard hes even signed a deal to offer a CD of his own.

No one knows for sure where Williams story will end, but one thing is clear, even if he doesnt make it big in his particular dream of being a singer, Ill bet you dollars to donuts that we are going to see him achieving big in the future. William, congrats to you for having the courage to set out and pursue your dreams. In doing so youve shown us that our dreams are worth taking a chance on... Yours in success, Josh Hinds

About The Author

Written by Josh Hinds of http://www.GetMotivation.com. Josh is a firm believer in the saying, "readers are leaders!" -- As such you are invited to learn more about the "Readers Edge" program that teaches you to read both faster and more fluently, which of course translates to greater success in your life. Details at http://www.GetMotivation.com/readfaster

I had lived in Vancouver very briefly as a child and it was during that time when I was first exposed to the art of the Northwest Coast Native American Indians. It was the towering colorful totem poles out in Stanley Park that everyone gazed at with wonder and appreciation. It took about 30 years later during a return trip to Vancouver when Northwest Coast Native American art caught my eyes again.

I was in Vancouver for business and landed at the citys new airport terminal. One could not help but notice the huge native carvings near the arrivals area. Later on during my stay, I decided to wander around in the Gastown district. It was in these shops and galleries in Gastown where I fell in love with Northwest Coast Native American art. I saw many wonderful wooden plaques representing different animals. There were also art prints, paintings, masks, wooden bowls and even furnature with these animals either painted or carved right into the pieces.

The colors and designs, which might be considered a bit exaggerated to non-native eyes, were striking as well as bold. I knew at that time that I wanted to include some of this magnificent artwork on my walls back at home. So I bought two plaque carvings and carried them home like newly found treasure.

Historically, the native Indians who lived along the river valleys and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest were all hunters and gatherers. The region was blessed with abundant resources from both the seas and forests. These people captured in their artwork the animals they hunted and observed. These included bears, killer whales, eagles, ravens, salmons, wolves, hummingbirds and even frogs. Chiefs and mythical characters important in their legends such as thunderbirds were also included as art subjects.

Northwest Coast Native American art is just only recently gaining some major attention in some galleries and museums around the world. Compared to other native arts such as Inuit Eskimo, exposure of Northwest Coast Native American art is still rather limited to the northwest coast of Canada and the United States. This form of artwork is virtually unknown to most parts of the world including many regions of North America. This will hopefully change as more people from around the world travel to Vancouver. The future winter Olympics in 2010 up in Whistler, BC will also have a positive impact on the regions Native Indian art. I personally believe that Northwest Coast Native American art has a lot of potential to be internationally recognized and accepted.

To see this article complete with photos of actual carvers and their artwork, go to http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca

About The Author

Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca, an online gallery specializing in Inuit and Northwest Native art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information resource articles on both Inuit and Native art as well as free eCards.

info@FreeSpiritGallery.ca

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women, ages 40-55, and African American women under the age of 45 are more likely to develop breast cancer than any other group of women in the US.

Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer; every 12 minutes a woman dies from breast cancer and every year over 5000 African American women die from the disease.

Although the cause of breast cancer is still unclear, researchers have determined that African American women tend to develop breast cancer at earlier ages than white women and they typically develop more aggressive types of tumors.

Breast cancer often occurs in African American women under the age of 40 and as early as age 25.

In a study of breast cancer tumors in African American and white women, conducted by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 2004, researchers determined that breast tumors in young African American women were more likely to be fast-growing and more aggressive than those found in white women.

"One of the important conclusions from this study is that even when you correct for stage — that is, look at tumors of the same stage from white women and African American women — tumors from the African-American women tend to have features characteristic of more aggressive and rapidly growing cancers," said Dr. Peggy Porter, lead author of the study. "If their tumors tend to grow more quickly, this may help to explain why their cancers are being diagnosed at later stages, which can lead to poorer outcomes."

Other studies have indicated that there are other possible reasons that African American women suffer high death rates from breast cancer: unemployment or underemployment, lack of health insurance, and lack of proper health education have all been cited as possible socioeconomic contributing factors.

Overall, over 16 million women nationwide lack health insurance coverage and African American women are twice as likely to be uninsured as white women; over 30 percent of African American women live in poverty, and African American women are less likely to get mammograms.

Regardless of the socioeconomic factors that may contribute to the high death rate for African American women, medical professionals agree that early detection is paramount to surviving breast cancer and they’ve issued a number of recommendations to help African American women detect the disease in its earliest stages and improve their chances of survival.

Medical professionals recommend that African American women should: Practice monthly breast self-examinations BSE starting at age 20. Have a clinical breast examination, done by their physician, at least once a year. Have at least one mammogram completed, between the ages of 30 and 35. Have a mammogram completed every one to two years until age of 50. After 50, African American women should have an annual mammogram.

Breast cancer is a common disease among women of all races in America. This year, more than 200,000 women will develop the disease and 40,000 of them will die from it. Though African American women have less incidence of developing the disease, once diagnosed, their chances of survival are less than their white sisters.

To increase their chances of surviving breast cancer, African American women need understand the risk that breast cancer poses to them and get screened for the disease earlier and more often.

For more information about breast cancer and your risk, please contact your physician or visit:

National Breast Cancer Foundation: http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org.

About The Author

Drahcir Semaj is a freelance writer who writes about issues impacting the African American Community. He can be contacted at his email address: drachir@drahcirsemaj.com.

drahcir@drahcirsemaj.com