Sitaram's literary writtings...

It really humbles me to read his works for I know I have still a way to go, but I definitelly can relate to his writing and the meanning behind his writing...
Enjoy!

Saturday, December 31, 2005
Reform of Islam

Iranian_Engineer: hello Sitaram
Iranian_Engineer: I read a bit of your childhood it was quite interesting

http://www.toosmallforsupernova.org/fromtheauthor.htm

Iranian_Engineer: special kid you were

Sitaram: oh, hi... I am watching educational television.... a Dr. who studies Tibetan monks brains while they meditate



Iranian_Engineer: its really interesting!

Sitaram: it just ended the show... and now... Religion and Ethics in World News is coming on

Sitaram: the doctor was Jon Kabat-Zin

Iranian_Engineer: what were the conclusions?

Sitaram: Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sitaram: MIT Massachusetts


Sitaram: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week703/feature.html

Iranian_Engineer: how do they study the brains of meditators

Sitaram: electrodes... brain waves

Sitaram: now the show with Fareed Zakaria is on (he is an Indian intellectual)

Iranian_Engineer: what happened to brain waves while meditating?
Iranian_Engineer: they were slow?

Sitaram: yes... very unusual...in 20 yr practitioners...
Sitaram: patterns not thought possible

Iranian_Engineer: what were the patterns like?

Sitaram: http://www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/69a4abdcde628149f5ad73f3c9a93007/

Sitaram: I am doing Google search now


Sitaram: http://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/nd04_wylie_simon.htm

Sitaram: He was dismayed that the world’s most brilliant scientists, many of whom were on his own campus, could be so sophisticated about science, yet so unsophisticated about the nature of the mind that produced the science. “We use all these fancy instruments, which are extensions of the senses—electron microscopes, radio telescopes, spectrophotometers—to study the world, but we haven’t paid much attention to who’s doing all this studying. Who’s doing all this knowing? What’s the mind of the scientist? We were, and are, smart in a lot of ways, but idiotic in a lot of other ways,” he says.



Iranian_Engineer: interesting

Sitaram:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4770779

Sitaram: http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=8817

Iranian_Engineer: do you meditate?

Sitaram: http://www.khandro.net/practice_meditation.htm

Sitaram: I did for years , now... only time to write now

Iranian_Engineer: how did you do it?

Sitaram: http://www.purifymind.com/MeditationIntro.htm

Sitaram: here is the show I just watched... from the station that broadcast

http://www.mclaughlin.com/moo/

Iranian_Engineer: you mean you read this and started meditating?

Iranian_Engineer: ah ok thank you

Sitaram: here.... Washington post... brain waves and meditation

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43006-2005Jan2.html

Sitaram: over the past few years, researchers at the University of Wisconsin working with Tibetan monks have been able to translate those mental experiences into the scientific language of high-frequency gamma waves and brain synchrony, or coordination.

Sitaram: they have pinpointed the left prefrontal cortex, an area just behind the left forehead, as the place where brain activity associated with meditation is especially intense.

Sitaram: the longtime practitioners showed brain activation on a scale we have never seen before," said Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the university's new $10 million W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior

Sitaram: Their mental practice is having an effect on the brain in the same way golf or tennis practice will enhance performance." It demonstrates, he said, that the brain is capable of being trained and physically modified in ways few people can imagine.

Sitaram: Scientists used to believe the opposite -- that connections among brain nerve cells were fixed early in life and did not change in adulthood. But that assumption was disproved over the past decade with the help of advances in brain imaging and other techniques, and in its place, scientists have embraced the concept of ongoing brain development and "neuroplasticity."

Iranian_Engineer: you know the disease ADHD?

Sitaram: yes
Sitaram: all children have it, joking
Iranian_Engineer: not all haha, some

Iranian_Engineer: in that disease which you they cant keep their attention etc

Sitaram: The Dalai Lama ultimately dispatched eight of his most accomplished practitioners to Davidson's lab to have them hooked up for electroencephalograph (EEG) testing and brain scanning. The Buddhist practitioners in the experiment had undergone training in the Tibetan Nyingmapa and Kagyupa traditions of meditation for an estimated 10,000 to 50,000 hours, over time periods of 15 to 40 years. As a control, 10 student volunteers with no previous meditation experience were also tested after one week of training.

Iranian_Engineer: and concentrate

Sitaram: The monks and volunteers were fitted with a net of 256 electrical sensors and asked to meditate for short periods. Thinking and other mental activity are known to produce slight, but detectable, bursts of electrical activity as large groupings of neurons send messages to each other, and that's what the sensors picked up. Davidson was especially interested in measuring gamma waves, some of the highest-frequency and most important electrical brain impulses.

Iranian_Engineer: and guess which part of their brain has problem?
Iranian_Engineer: the prefrontal lobe!

Sitaram: Both groups were asked to meditate, specifically on unconditional compassion. Buddhist teaching describes that state, which is at the heart of the Dalai Lama's teaching, as the "unrestricted readiness and availability to help living beings." T

Sitaram: Davidson said that the results unambiguously showed that meditation activated the trained minds of the monks in significantly different ways from those of the volunteers. Most important, the electrodes picked up much greater activation of fast-moving and unusually powerful gamma waves in the monks, and found that the movement of the waves through the brain was far better organized and coordinated than in the students.

Iranian_Engineer: yes I opened that page

Sitaram: so, the mullahs did not block it

Iranian_Engineer: its interesting
Iranian_Engineer: tell me about your experiences of meditation ..how you learned etc

Sitaram: I would need to compose an essay... to gather my thoughts...
Sitaram: which I am happy to do

Iranian_Engineer: compose essay about?

Sitaram: duh... about the complex question you just posed

Iranian_Engineer: ah ok

Sitaram: regarding my experiences with meditation

Iranian_Engineer: yes !!!I am really eager to read that essay!

Sitaram: look at this page I found JOY DETECTIVES

http://www.dharmalife.com/issue21/joydetectives.html

Sitaram: I have been writing things about it over the past 8 years
Sitaram: I suppose visions are the most interesting aspect of it
Sitaram: I will give you one link

Iranian_Engineer: what kind of visions?

Sitaram: http://toosmallforsupernova.org/page027.htm

Sitaram: there is good example
Sitaram: you can see music and pictures if this link is not blocked but I think they block this

Sitaram: http://www.members.aol.com/Sitaram/page001.htm

Iranian_Engineer: its not blocked

Sitaram: noooooo!!!!! this one
Sitaram: members.aol.com
Sitaram: is that block.... I think yes
Sitaram: here is copy at non blocked site... I think
Sitaram: http://www.sitaram.0catch.com/page001.htm
Sitaram: that is perhaps not blocked
Sitaram: otherwise, first link is minus pictures/music



Iranian_Engineer: I meant your first link doesn’t have pictures

Sitaram: duh... that’s what I told you... not blocked... but no pictures/no music
Sitaram: you can download my entire site, as zipped files ... and unzip it on your hard drive... with music and pictures on several pages

Sitaram: http://www.toosmallforsupernova.org/downloads.htm

Iranian_Engineer: ah there was problem the page disappeared!

Sitaram: but... perhaps, if the authorities discovered it on your hard drive... you might be in big trouble

Iranian_Engineer: come on

Iranian_Engineer: haha

Sitaram: if you download only the first 100 pages... plus wav plus gif

Sitaram: I am serious... after page 100, there are some pages which would get you executed or imprisoned in Saudi

Sitaram: but, if you only download 1st 100 pages, wav, gif, jpg... you can see music and pictures

Iranian_Engineer: well how can they know what I download?

Sitaram: well, if police come to your home.....

Iranian_Engineer: why police should come to my home?
Iranian_Engineer: its not that much anarchy
Sitaram: for example... let us say that I am charged here with some crime.... and police get search warrant (this is hypothetical example).... but this has happened.... and they seize my computer... and find child pornography on hard drive... then I could go to prison

Iranian_Engineer: and what are those which they can execute me for?
Iranian_Engineer: but here there are no such rules

Sitaram: ok... TODAY you do not have such a government... but how do you know that there will not be SOME OTHER REVOLUTION... another ayatollah, or perhaps.... some Wahabi group will gain power

Iranian_Engineer: I dont think so?

Sitaram: oh... nonsense... you have had morality police... and women are lashed for improper dress, makeup.. or acid in uncovered face (or is that just Afghanistan)

Iranian_Engineer: why should I fear of something which doesn’t exist?

Sitaram: well... in 1920... if I talked concentration camps to a German, and lamps made of human skin, that German would say "oh I don’t think so"

Iranian_Engineer: when there many fearful things already?

Sitaram: in northern Nigeria, they now have Sharia law, and are cutting off the hands of adolescents..... and stoning women... who would have foreseen that

Iranian_Engineer: you know

Iranian_Engineer: if they find out what I talk here etc ..they might put me in prison

Sitaram: in 1930s who would have foreseen in USA the Senator McCarthy witch hunts for communists,.... and the blackball lists which ruined careers of entertainers and others

Sitaram: OK, so... excellent example

Iranian_Engineer: but I don’t care
Iranian_Engineer: I don’t limit myself!!

Sitaram: martyrs rarely do

Sitaram: Nabokov said, in "Pale Fire", "Curiosity is the highest form of insubordination"


Iranian_Engineer: interesting

Iranian_Engineer: here many people are fearful

Iranian_Engineer: you know there are enough outer authorities without creating for yourself an inner authority to haunt you and stalk you.

Iranian_Engineer: but the main problem comes when you make yourself a prison

Sitaram: I was quoting something today to my wife, said I think by Asar Nafisi, or some Iranian... cant remember

Iranian_Engineer: yes?

Sitaram: they said that "the ultimate degree of religious fanaticism is when you do not feel comfortable even in your own home"
Iranian_Engineer: yes

Sitaram: my wife said... "what does that mean"...

Iranian_Engineer: well she wasn’t living here so she might not understand

Sitaram: I said "well, you are alone at home, and you worry that you are properly covered up, ... or look at the clock for time of prayer.... or you must release gas, and you worry...
Sitaram: a paranoia that you are always being watched, judged
Sitaram: even when alone

Iranian_Engineer: I know what it means

Sitaram: hadith give account of one city where the toilets faced Mecca,.... so the muslims would turn their face away, as they moved their bowels
Sitaram: this is not a joke, but a true account

Iranian_Engineer: haha

Iranian_Engineer: how stupid
Sitaram: so.... they do not feel at ease even to take a dump in the toilet... or fart


Iranian_Engineer: haha

Sitaram: oh.... Islam teaches in Hadith, that if you wash wudu, and enter masjid, and then fart, you must hold your nose, walk out of masjid, wash again, and then return to prayer

Sitaram: that is not a joke... that is an actual hadith

Iranian_Engineer: these are nonsense !! and people are stupid really...you see how dangerous religion could be for blind followers!

Sitaram: I cite these to give dramatic illustration of how one might feel ill at ease even alone in home or in bathroom

Sitaram: you know.... I got to be intimately familiar with Sikh scriptures , the Adhi Granth, and Nanak, the founder... and it is truly ISLAM reformed.... and quite appealing and compelling....

Sitaram: Sikhism developed around 16th century, in an area in Punjab India, where Muslims and Hindus lived side by side

Iranian_Engineer: you are starting a religious talk again

Sitaram: so, we shall change the subject... I thought you might find the Sikh example fascinating

Sitaram: we shall change subject


Iranian_Engineer: you know that I agree those things are stupid and they exist in every religon and stupid people follow such silly rules and.......

Iranian_Engineer: so don’t try to persuade me how terrible things are
Iranian_Engineer: I am more interested to know about meditation
Iranian_Engineer: or how can we change the situation?
Iranian_Engineer: you know its negative critic ...and its not productive
Iranian_Engineer: negative

Sitaram: well, I told you about engineer in Tehran, who went to yoga classes,.... and when I asked what mullahs thought, he said it is billed as exercise, not religion

Iranian_Engineer: imagine a poor girl in a country like Iran
Iranian_Engineer: yes true

Sitaram: but the notion was that it was a secret way to go some place, and be spiritual in a hidden fashion


Iranian_Engineer: I am so worried about the future of my country I love to know what am I able to do!!!

Sitaram: you know... I felt the concern of my African friends for their troubled societies

Sitaram: which is why I created http://voicesofafricaunited.myfreeforum.org



Sitaram: so... I am not deaf and blind to the problems and sufferings of other nations and cultures...

Iranian_Engineer: I know

Sitaram: you are right.... what is to be done in countries such as yours
Sitaram: is there not a way to have Islam and also Democracy, human rights, freedom of speech, tolerance for other religious beliefs

Iranian_Engineer: you feel everything is in its wrong place and you cant do anything..upper system is corrupted!

Iranian_Engineer: I think not

Sitaram: you have mentioned a key word... corruption

Iranian_Engineer: I don’t think one can rule a country with religious absolutism?

Sitaram: in so many nations
Sitaram: the Philippines... such corruption.... when it could be a shining star...
Sitaram: in so many African nations..... those who seize power, and steal resources from their starving people
Sitaram: north Korea has now suddenly refused food from NGO foreign groups
Sitaram: Non Government Organizations

Iranian_Engineer: yes like us. we have such oil !! the price of oil increases each day and we become poorer each day

Sitaram: they will only accept help for power plants.... and no one wants to give that, because of their agenda for nuclear weapons
Sitaram: I will tell you a saying from American farmers...
Sitaram: the farmer is the only one who BUYS retail, and sells wholesale
Sitaram: if farmer needs hammer, he goes to hardware store, and pays retail price...

Iranian_Engineer: what does it mean?

Sitaram: but he sells his milk wholesale for such little price... but the milk factory (i forget correct term)... becomes wealthier, and grocery store becomes wealthier, than farmer who makes the milk

Iranian_Engineer: true!

Sitaram: wholesales is cheap price
Sitaram: retail is highest price to consumer...

Iranian_Engineer: yes
Iranian_Engineer: that’s a sad truth

Sitaram: the diamonds miners do not make the same profit as the jewelers

Iranian_Engineer: I know

Iranian_Engineer: that’s what happens to our poor people


// posted by Sitaram @ 8:18 AM 0 comments links to this post

palLABS: laboratory of the universal particular

On the other hand...while Stumblin Upon a little more, I found this trully elaborate, yet simple blog, which, I think establishes a common denominator with the way I view life and living today...


palLABS: laboratory of the universal particular: "palLABS: laboratory of the universal particular

philosophy + spacetime. quality + tea. push + boundaries. containers + emotions. meticulous + neon. introduction + sleep. hindsight + semiotics. foreground + needs. scratch + thermocol. needs + windshield. 73 + alien. spine + instead. etc."


Furthermore, I clicked one of the links within...(he he, notice I said within, not inside...
and lo and behold, I found another interesting site...It is called Urban Dharma. I will probably stop by again at both spots...

But, what really caught my attention was the article there about Hurricanes and Karma...
Here is sort of an intro to the essay:

Was the Tsunami Caused by Karma? - A Buddhist View -- by Kusala Bhikshu


The world is filled with so much pain and suffering and now a Tsunami kills over 170,000 people. Why did so many people have to die, was it their karma?

I was watching the news, listening to a famous American Buddhist scholar say the death and destruction caused by the Tsunami, "Was karma." A simple answer and a great sound bite to a complex question, but to say the reason behind this tragic event was simply karma appears glib and indifferent.

I've never found the cause of anything in Buddhism to be just one thing. Saying the reason for a complex chain of events is the result of one action-- whether it's God, sin or karma-- doesn't seem like a viable option for a Buddhist. Buddhist cosmology is non-theistic and lacks a first cause. I admit some Buddhists feel karma can replace God as a first cause, because Buddhism has a moral code and lacks a divine law giver... But is it fair to say that a Tsunami is the moral consequence of unskillful intention, speech and action?

The Buddha was clear on this. We lack a realistic world view because of lust, greed, hatred and delusion. Science can add some clarity and meaning, but the Buddha warned us about this world of ours (samsara) being unsatisfactory, it's the place where birth, death and change occur. We experience pain because we have a body/mind, and suffer because of desire and impermanence.

Sickness, injury, aging and death are simply the signs of flux in an insufferable world.

Early Buddhism gives us something called the five Niyamas, or the five aspects of cosmic order. These Niyamas can deepen our understanding and give meaning to why things happen. Niyama is a Pali term (language of early Buddhism) for cosmic order. The Niyamas show how certain conditions, laws of nature, work at different levels of cause and effect.
read the rest of the article here

I've seen it all now...!

Here is a perfect example of a stupid criticism of people, places or things...
How in the world is th eplacing of cookies by the NSA different from what has happened in the internet since the invention of the cookies to track you and me on the internet???!
C'mon folks...Give me a break will ya???

Here is the post:

December 29, 2005
Is the NSA a Cookie Monster?/New Year's Greetings

Another lazy post from me while I am traveling....Can you believe that the National Security Agency has been covertly placing cookies on the computers of people who visit its website? With these cookies, the NSA could track the Internet surfing of those visitors. That's what AP is reporting:

The National Security Agency's Internet site has been placing files on visitors' computers that can track their Web surfing activity despite strict federal rules banning most files of that type.

Track back url: http://www.davidcorn.com/archives/2005/12/is_the_nsa_a_co.php
Technorati tags: cookies,internet,whinning,for real!

PNN-Positive News Network

Ahhhh! Positive news. Cool! Way Cool!

PNN-Positive News Network

Top Ten Reasons to Live a Life of Integrity...

It has been a rough life for me this last year. I have refused to get into the 8 to 5 life of corporate schemes and rendezvues. I have paid a price for it. I also have embarked all this last year in the divine assignment I was given to start my own business. In the process, I have also paid a high price, incorporating, marketing and customer development, promotion, multitasking 7 days a week, no vacation, insurance, and many others...
I agree with the reasons Mr. Angier lists for living a life of integrity. I agree with the motivation behind all 10 of his reasons, but I have had several nights of insomnia, my health has not been the greatest,and my peace of mind has fluctuated. But I have to agree with him: I'd rather live a life of integrity, in spite of it all, than live a lie...
Life and Living for real is healthier, saner, better than the alternative...



The Top Ten Reasons
to Live a Life of Integrity

by Michael Angier


You might think that it's a no-brainer why one should live an honest life. But it's apparent to me that a life of integrity is the exception rather than the rule. How many people do you know who are honest all the time?

We could make a case about the morality and the "rightness" of living honestly. Religious leaders have been advocating this for thousands of years. It's doubtful that even they could provide a true model of integrity.

I believe in the moral and ethical value of integrity but I also think there are very practical and worthwhile reasons for living an impeccable life. Here are ten:

1. Trust. In order to be successful in business or hold a responsible job, a person must have a reputation of honesty. Resources are not entrusted to people who have proven themselves as untrustworthy.

2. Good Health. I have no research to support this, but I'd be willing to bet that people who tell the truth are healthier. They have less concern, less stress and feel better about themselves. This has to translate into better health.

3. Pride. I've yet to meet a liar who has any real pride in themselves. Any good leadership training will stress the importance and value of having pride in what you do and who you are. If your reputation is grounded in deception, your opinion of yourself is poor indeed. Being honest just plain feels good.

4. Peace of Mind. If you cheat on your income taxes, you may get away with it, but you'll probably always worry that you'll get audited and face fines, extra charges and even jail as a result. Your reputation would also be tarnished. When you deal honestly, you have peace of mind. It's impossible to worry and be happy at the same time.

5. Remembering. It's been said that no one has a good enough memory to be a good liar. When you don't tell the truth, you have to INVENT it. When you do, you'll often be asked to recall your rendition of the truth, and you may not be able to do so because you forgot what you said. You KNOW the truth, but you can't remember your version of it. Very embarrassing. Besides, it's hard work to continually come up with false stories.

6. Good Sleep. If you lie—unless you have no conscience at all—you'll often lose sleep because of your fears of being found out. Your worry and your guilt will keep you awake. A good night's sleep is one of life's many pleasures and honest people sleep better.

7. Confidence. Many people have excellent "bull" detectors. They know—at least at some level—when you're being fake. If telling lies is your modus operandi, you know that these people will often see though your façade. There's no way to have real confidence in oneself when you're walking on "bull."

8. Good Relationships. Relationships are the jewels of our lives. Some would argue that relationships ARE our lives. And breeches in trust are the death knell of relationships. When trust is gone, there is no foundation upon which to build. Relationships lacking in trust seem hollow and shallow. They lack joy.

9. Legal Problems. We don't have to look very far to see the legal trouble people get themselves into from dishonesty. Lying in a court of law or to an officer of the law is literally AGAINST the law. Conversely, if you have no secrets, you can rest easy and its hard for anyone to blackmail you.

10. It Doesn't Work. All too often our deceptions and duplicity are discovered. In the information age in which we live, it's even more likely that lies will sooner or later be seen for what they are. Dishonesty is just plain inefficient.

The right thing to do is seldom the easy thing to do. But it's worth it.



Technorati tags: integrity,life,living,truth

Focus of Our Attention

Focus of Our Attention
By Jeanie Marshall

"A weak mind is like a microscope,
which magnifies trifling things but cannot receive great ones."
- Lord Chesterfield

The focus of our attention determines our life experiences. Where we put our attention, we put our energy. Where we put our attention, we put our consciousness. We draw into our lives the thing to which we give our attention, whether we want it or not. We seed the thing or idea that has our attention. That seed grows into the experiences of everyday life.



Technorati tags: affirmations,health,focus,life

An Unhappy 25th Anniversary

An Unhappy 25th Anniversary

by Joal Ryan
Dec 7, 2005, 4:55 PM PT

Music, activism, vigils.

Things that were so much a part of John Lennon's life are being used to mark the 25th anniversary of his death. In New York City, fans of former Beatle will gather Thursday night outside the apartment building where he was shot to death on the evening of Dec. 8, 1980.

Not far from the imposing facade of the Dakota, others will pay their respects at Strawberry Fields, the Central Park oasis dedicated in 1985 to the memory of Lennon.

read on...









Technorati tags: Lennon,anniversary,Imagine,vigil

Holiday shopping ideas...

This article came to me in a newsletter I am subscribed to:
* Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter * Issue # 378
Week of December 6-7, 2005
Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com

----------------------------------------------------
***Article: The Most Important Gifts of All – By Pauline
Wallin, Ph.D.***
----------------------------------------------------
In This Season of Gift-Buying, Don't Ignore The Most Important Gifts ofAll.
In this season of holiday gift buying, advertisers bombard us withmessages, some
of them contradictory.
One ad tells us that the best way for men to show love is to spend three
months' salary on a piece of diamond jewelry.
On the other hand, MasterCard commercials remind us that there are some
things ("Priceless" moments) that monëy can't buy."Oh, that's a sweet
sentiment," you might say, "but can it reallysubstitute for the latest video
game or hot toy?"
Very few children raised in this materialistic culture would say, "Gee mom,
thanks for making my favorite meal.
What a great Christmas gift!"
Yet 20 years from nöw, these same children probably won't remember the
items they got for the current Christmas. They will, however, recall the special
games that their family played together, the time that their older brother took
them to a movie, or the way their parents tucked them in at night.
These are the little moments, which over time, have a huge impact.
Unfortunately people tend to take them for granted.
With so much emphasison holiday shopping, and on buying the perfect
gift, we can losë sight ofthe importance of the less flashy, but "priceless"
gifts: gifts such as thoughtfulness and gratitude that we can give to one
another all year round.
A diamond may be forever, but its value is nothing compared to a lïfetime
of moments that monëy can't buy.
I'm not suggesting that you forego the presents this holiday season, but
don't worry so much about how "perfect" they are.
Go ahead and buy somegifts, but more importantly, resolve to focus your
energy on helping others feel valued and appreciated. They will remember your
acts of thoughtfulness and compassion long after the material gifts are
gone.
Hëre are some examples of small gestures that can help people around
youfeel valued:
1. Show your appreciation with a thank-you, a smile or a hug (or allthree).
It takes just a moment, but it can make a person's day.
2. Practice a random act of kindness every day. Make this your "gift" to
astranger. For example, let someone in front of you in line. Hold a door open
for someone. Smile and greet people you pass at work. These acts take only a few
seconds or less, yet they create a mood that can last for hours.
3. Call up someone you haven't spoken to in a while, just to catch up on
how they are. You've probably been meaning to do this for a long time. Nöw is a
good time.
4. If you have children, give one child at a time your full attention foran
afternoon: Go for a walk; go to the library; or just sit and read or draw
together. The activity itself isn't as important as sharing time and interacting
together. Going to a movie or watching a video doesn't count.
5. Write a note of appreciation to someone who is important to you. Don't
be surprised if that person keeps the note for years to come.
6. Think of the way you'd like to be remembered by those around you, and
give of yourself accordingly throughout the year. The added benefit for you is
that you'll be in a more positive frame of mind overall.

About the Author:Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in Camp Hill, PA,
and author of"Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating
Behavior"(Beyond Words Publishing, 2001).
Visit http://www.innerbrat.com
for more information, and subscribe to her frëe, monthly Inner Brat
Newsletter.

Technorati tags: holidays,gifts,ideas,marketing

Reference, Facts, News ... Free and Family-friendly Resources

Reference, Facts, News ... Free and Family-friendly Resources:

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.' - Charles Caleb Colton"

Retailers usher in holidays with deep discounts

Shoppers begin heading to stores across the country on ‘Black Friday’

Updated: 7:27 a.m. ET Nov. 25, 2005

NEW YORK - Bargain shoppers woke up before dawn to head to the nation’s malls and stores Friday, the official start of the holiday shopping season, hoping to snap up early bird specials on items, from toys to digital music players.

In an improving but still challenging economy, merchants are hoping for big crowds to set a positive tone for the entire holiday season.

read on...

 

I ask myself, what are the root causes of a "challenging" economy...I could come up with a miriad of speculative thoughts, as an economist, and still not hit the nail in the head. I know there are other economists out there, smarter, brighter, wealthier and better educated than I am asking themselves the same question...

As a behavioral science, Economics will never, in my estimate, be able to catch up with what the term full employment economies "should be" all about. Statistically, yes, we can achieve full employment provided we set the standard ourselvese: 4 percent, 5 percent unemployment rate, or what have you...

 SOMETHING IS STILL MISSING... But what is it? How do we bridge the gap?

 

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8 Rules For Good Customer Service

I just had to blog this. These simple rules from Susan will not only let you go a long ways in business, but life in general...

http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/customerservice/a/custservrules.htm

8 Rules For Good Customer Service
Your Guide, Susan Ward From Susan Ward,
Your Guide to Small Business: Canada.
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Good Customer Service Made Simple

Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won’t be profitable for long.

Good customer service is all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy – happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers.

If you’re a good salesperson, you can sell anything to anyone once. But it will be your approach to customer service that determines whether or not you’ll ever be able to sell that person anything else. The essence of good customer service is forming a relationship with customers – a relationship that that individual customer feels that he would like to pursue.

How do you go about forming such a relationship? By remembering the one true secret of good customer service and acting accordingly; “You will be judged by what you do, not what you say.”

1) Answer your phone.

Get call forwarding. Or an answering service. Hire staff if you need to. But make sure that someone is picking up the phone when someone calls your business. (Notice I say “someone”. People who call want to talk to a live person, not a “fake recorded robot”.) For more on answering the phone, see Phone Answering Tips to Win Business.

2) Don’t make promises unless you WILL keep them.

Not plan to keep them. Will keep them. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say, “Your new bedroom furniture will be delivered on Tuesday”, make sure it is delivered on Tuesday. Otherwise, don’t say it. The same rule applies to client appointments, deadlines, etc.. Think before you give any promise – because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.

3) Listen to your customers.

Is there anything more exasperating than telling someone what you want or what your problem is and then discovering that that person hasn’t been paying attention and needs to have it explained again? From a customer’s point of view, I doubt it. Can the sales pitches and the product babble. Let your customer talk and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting how to solve the problem.

4) Deal with complaints.

No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, “You can’t please all the people all the time”. Maybe not, but if you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time - and position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service.

5) Be helpful - even if there’s no immediate profit in it.

The other day I popped into a local watch shop because I had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When I explained the problem, the proprietor said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to my watch band – and charged me nothing! Where do you think I’ll go when I need a new watch band or even a new watch? And how many people do you think I’ve told this story to?

6) Train your staff (if you have any) to be ALWAYS helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable.

Do it yourself or hire someone to train them. Talk to them about good customer service and what it is (and isn’t) regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, “I don’t know, but so-and-so will be back at...”

7) Take the extra step.

For instance, if someone walks into your store and asks you to help them find something, don’t just say, “It’s in Aisle 3.” Lead the customer to the item. Better yet, wait and see if he has questions about it, or further needs. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people.

8) Throw in something extra.

Whether it’s a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. And don’t think that a gesture has to be large to be effective. The local art framer that we use attaches a package of picture hangers to every picture he frames. A small thing, but so appreciated.

If you apply these eight simple rules consistently, your business will become known for its good customer service. And the best part? The irony of good customer service is that over time it will bring in more new customers than promotions and price slashing ever did

 

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There are no coincidences in life...

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Immigrant Resource Center in a Bind

Immigrant Resource Center in a Bind
Saundra Amrhein
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
November 11, 2005
Copyright 2005 Times Publishing Company

A school that offers free English classes to adults might shut down if it can't come up with the money to apply for a zoning change.
SEFFNER - In their countries, they were dentists and business people.
But here in this breezy yellow brick house off Parsons Avenue, they are students seeking a path out of manual labor.
At the Multicultural Resource Center, more than two dozen adult immigrant students gather four mornings a week to study English in a house turned into a language school and computer lab.
Another 80 are on a waiting list.
But the popular school, which was started in the late '90s, might be shut down next month unless directors come up with $3,500 to apply for a zoning change. The county sought the change after a neighbor complained.
For many with night jobs or schoolage children to care for, the free morning classes are like a salvation.
"My daughter is studying in school, and how can I help her?" asked Carmen Moncayo, 45, originally of Peru. Her daughter is 9. "How can I help her if I don't know English?"
Seated next to her, 62-year-old Elsa Icaza, a dentist in her native country of Ecuador, can't return to her profession until she learns English. She cares for her two grandchildren in the afternoons and evenings.
"If it weren't for this (morning) class," she said, "I couldn't study."

read more...






Technorati tags: inmigrants,school,politics,money

Need a hand or two?

Need a hand or two?

It comes a time when things get kicked around a bit, and reevaluation follows. This post's aim is to let you know that I am ready willing and able to engage in practical and income generating ventures. If you like what you have read over the months here at Economics made simple and feel you could use my experiences, knowledge or just need an extra hand to handle whatever it is you or your company is in need of, drop me a line and let me know how I can help.
I can provide references, a resume or whatever complementary information you might need from me to engage in a fruitful and productive win-win relationship.
Thanks for reading.
Se habla Español tambien...



Technorati tags: work,errands,jobs,win-win

The Five O'Clock Club

On Gratitude
by Richard C. Bayer, Ph.D.

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. -Mark Twain

We should all learn gratitude if we want to be genuinely happy. Gratitude is most certainly a virtue; and a virtue is a positive habit of character that helps one to act in a reasonable and constructive way.

The full exercise of this virtue involves three steps. One first recognizes the need for gratitude as a response to a favor; one then should express gratitude in word; finally one should express gratitude in deed. In this way gratitude comes to full fruition and brings no small amount of pleasure to all parties concerned!

Recognition of the Need for Gratitude

Humility is a virtue integral to gratitude. We cannot recognize the need for gratitude without it. People who are puffed up with their own accomplishments and who do not see how dependent they are on other people and (economic) systems which have favored them are rarely grateful. They are blind to the ways in which they have been favored, perhaps beyond what they deserve. Therefore, the vice of pride is the death of humility.

In his classic work The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, argues that people (even as economic agents) who don’t feel gratitude are cheating themselves out of happiness. “Failing to feel grateful to those who came before is such a corrosive notion, it must account at some level for part of our bad feelings about the present. The solution —a rebirth of thankfulness— is in our self-interest. … For us not to feel grateful is treacherous selfishness.”

Gratitude in Word

Gratitude is also a form of courtesy, which is mindful of how others have been helpful, and reciprocates in word. We have all felt the annoyance or even outright pain when people fail to verbalize gratitude for something significant we have done for them. This is not only ingratitude, it is also rudeness. Think about your friends or co-workers whom you have helped without receiving a word of gratitude for your good deeds. This is painful indeed. Also think about this: you can enhance the good reputation of those who do good deeds when you speak a kind word about them to others! Hence, expressions of gratitude bring further rewards.

Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, argued that those who don’t feel gratitude are cheating themselves out of happiness.

Gratitude in Deed

Gratitude for things large and small should also be repaid by appropriate actions. There are many such occasions in the world of work. People who want to benefit from having a “team of advisors” —(a recommended technique for getting advice from those more senior than you to move along in your career) should be careful to express gratitude with deeds. Do you simply take from people? If you do not give back and show gratitude, even by helping those less fortunate than you, you risk proving Mark Twain right in his analysis of the difference between a dog and a man.

Gratitude for Life in General

According to gratitude guru Gregg Easterbrook, author of The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse, “Those who describe themselves as being thankful to others, or to God, or to “Creation in general” have more vitality, suffer less stress and experience fewer episodes of clinical depression. Well, aren’t they the lucky ones? Grateful people are less materialistic, less concerned with status, less controlling and arrogant…than the population at large.”

Beyond gratitude for specific things, there is a second type of gratitude. Let’s call it gratitude for life in general. For those who believe in God, Allah, or some source of being itself, that deity, as the Source of life, is the object of this gratefulness. This is a personality trait characterized by happiness for gifts (s)he has received. It is a positive attitude that can produce a buoyant personality. The attitude is not simply grateful for some specific things, but for life in general.

This gratitude for being or reality in general can also mean being grateful for what one does not have! Since it assumes that that basic reality (or God) is essentially benevolent, it assumes there are good reasons for not having things as well.

Thankful people have more vitality, less stress, and fewer episodes of depression.

Gratitude for being also requires humility, since it recognizes the gifts given by God Him/Her self. Pride—here meaning the opposite of humility—makes the recognition of the gifts impossible. The self-made person does not understand the gifts he has received, and therefore is blind to the need for gratitude. In this context, gratitude is also often expressed in a special word, which is called prayer.

Gratitude for being also plays itself out in good deeds. It brings a person to do good deeds to others because of the sense of gratitude to God. The good things from God are passed on to another.
The five 0'clock club

A Thought

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

"Here lies in honored glory an American soldier known but to God."

It is a fitting place and a focal point to honor American veterans, but as General George S. Patton, Jr., reminded us, "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." Indeed.

Technorati tags: veteran,war,life,living

Blogging on myself...

I was thinking about what could I possibly say of my own, at this my "Economics Made Simple" blog.
I thought and I thought and it did not take long before I came up with the idea that it is time to give credit, where credit is due.
First of all, if it would not have been for Blogger.com, I would not have been able to create not only this, but other few blogs I have expressed myself with.
The first one in the list is "Life and Living For Real". It is a blog basically about my thoughts, but it is also a blog to allow you, the reader to perhaps grab onto a post that you can relate with and perhaps help make your life a little better as a result of having come across it. I know, you say, but you just want to benefit your ego and yourself by writing about you. And my answer is, well, maybe that is the case, it was not my intention to create more value for my own ego than the intention of having you relate to my issues and causes and thereby make a friend or two in the process. Well, you could be right. I am selfish, selfcentered, and I want what I want when I want it. But my motives were not too different than the average blog writer. Please correct me if I am wrong... And, with what I have been reading lately, I hope I can move in the direction of focusing more on you, the reader.
Anyway, there are other blogs in the roster of blogger.com: Internet for People like Us, Asi es La Vida, Links for all, and my 2 newest ones: B+, which is a team blog, and Beach Blog.
I am grateful to Blogger.com, again and again, for allowing me to have been able to speak my mind so that not only I but you, the reader perhaps benefits from something I have posted, said in my own words or came across that has made an impact in my life and lifestyle. Of course, there are numerous other sites thatI have found worthy of my including them on each and everyone of those sites. All the sites are is not only the result of my thinking, but of th ethinking of numerous people to whom I have given, and still give them credit for where I am at in mind and spirit.
There is definitely a therapeutic value to writing and journaling, but that value is increased tenfold when I focus my efforts on your needs and wants.
I will be talking more about other sites and valuable insights I have gained as a result of the weblogging trends I have followed for the past few months...
Thank you for reading.



Technorati tags: blogs,gratitude,value,blogger.com

Love is...

Watch the movie. It is short. It is to the point. www.thelovemovie.com

craigslist: london, UK classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

All I can say is...wow!

craigslist: london, UK classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events: " "

Getting better, day by day...

To all my fans, readers, subscribers, lurkers, enemies, and friends...
It is getting better day by day, as the title suggests, and I atribute the improvement to a variety of factors:

1. God (the God of my understanding never ever gives up on me in spite of myself! LOL)
2. My Wife... the closest thing I will ever experience to God on this earthly plane of existence
3. My friends...Those afar and those near. Those at phone call length and those at email or comments length
4. My Spiritual advisors
5. My internal and external supports, ie, prayer, meditation, introspection, family and friends in general...

So, to all of you if you were included in the list above...

A BIG BIG THANK YOU, AND BLESSINGS TO ALL OF YOU!

Feeling about the same...

I had a rough one today!
I don't know...I think it is in the air...It is really catching up with me... Not that I am th eonly one, and not that things are not any more difficult for you. But today I am feeling the weeks and months of all this stress that we are all experiencing out there as a result of what is going on in the world. I just had the thought that, perhaps th eguy that wrote Revelation is not too wacked out, and that perhaps I ought to pay a little closer attention to that book to have some discernment.
I do trust God. I trust the God of my understanding. And somehow today I really can feel that I (or my household) don't want to be left behind...







Technorati tags: feelings,God,Profecies,Revelation

When I feel insane...

Music soothes my soul… Here’s a favorite:

Crosby Stills Nash Young >> Chicago

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Nash, 1970
Though your brother’s bound and gagged
And they’ve chained him to a chair
Won’t you please come to Chicago
Just to sing
In a land that’s known as freedom
How can such a thing be fair
Won’t you plaese come to Chicago
For the help we can bring
We can change the world -
Re arrange the world
It’s dying to get better
Politicians sit yourself down,
There’s nothing for you here
Won’t you please come to Chicago
For a ride
Don’t ask Jack to help you
Cause he’ll turn the other ear
Won’t you please come to Chicago
Or else join the other side
We can change the world -
Re arrange the world
It’s dying if you believe in justice
It’s dying and if you believe in freedom
It’s dying let a man live it’s own life
It’s dying rules and regulations, who needs them
Open up the door
Somehow people must be free
I hope the day comes soon
Won’t you please come to Chicago
Show your face
From the bottom to the ocean
To the mountains of the moon
Won’t you please come to Chicago
No one else can take your place
We can change the world -
Re-arrange the world
It’s dying if you believe in justice
It’s dying and if you believe in freedom
It’s dying let a man live it’s own life
It’s dying rules and regulations, who needs them
Open up the door
We can change the world
http://kabish.com/lyrics/lyrics.php?id=6371&Crosby_Stills_Nash_Young=lyrics

See more progress on: embrace my insanity

The following is a list of useful links dealing with disaster preparedness:

Hurricane Preparedness Week: The goal of this Hurricane Awareness Web site is to inform the public about the hurricane hazards and provide knowledge which can be used to take ACTION. This information can be used to save lives at work, home, while on the road, or on the water.

Be Prepared: Throughout this Web site, information has been provided regarding actions that you can take based on specific hurricane hazards. The most important thing that you can do is to be informed and prepared. Disaster prevention includes both being prepared as well as reducing damages (mitigation).

Disaster Prevention should include:

• Developing a Family Plan
• Creating a Disaster Supply Kit
• Having a Place to Go
• Securing your Home
• Having a Pet Plan

Florida State Emergency Response Team

Pinellas County Hurricane Preparedness

weather.com - Hurricane Central

weather.com - Hurricane Central

Hurricane Central
Hurricane Wilma winds now 175 mph!

5:28 a.m. ET 10/19/2005
Matthew Newman, Senior Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

Wilma Now a Hurricane, May Threaten Fla.

NOAA UPGRADES WILMA TO A HURRICANE
2005 Season Sets Additional Records
Wilma became the 12th hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season on Tuesday over the northwestern Caribbean Sea. This season now shares the record for the most hurricanes in one season with 1969. On Monday, Wilma became the season's 21st named storm, tying the seasonal record first set in 1933. Hurricane records date back to 1851. Wilma also is the final name on the 2005 list of storm names. Any additional tropical storms and hurricanes that form this season will be classified by the NOAA National Hurricane Center using the Greek alphabet, beginning with Alpha. Doing so would be a first since the naming of storms began in 1953.


Technorati tags: hurricane wilma,news,weather

Parts of America are as Poor as Third World

One of the places I Stumble Upon, has a variety of interesting and exotic as well as informative sites to look at and read. Here is an article I found at mr-infomaniac's weblog regarding a report that came out from the UN.
It is no longer news I think for those of us that live here, but perhaps it could be for some that might not be quit in touch with reality.
I can relate to denial for I grew up in an environment were denial was, and still is a way of life...

Friday, September 30, 2005
UN Hits Back at US in Report Saying Parts of America are as Poor as Third World
Published on Thursday, September 8, 2005 by the lndependent/UK
UN Hits Back at US in Report Saying Parts of America are as Poor as Third World
by Paul Vallely
Parts of the United States are as poor as the Third World, according to a shocking United Nations report on global inequality.
Claims that the New Orleans floods have laid bare a growing racial and economic divide in the US have, until now, been rejected by the American political establishment as emotional rhetoric. But yesterday's UN report provides statistical proof that for many - well beyond those affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - the great American Dream is an ongoing nightmare.

Tags: poverty,UN report,New Orleans,American Dream

Cause Change

The status quo may be comforting, but for there to be growth, there must be change. Since you seek growth, you must seek change. You must see yourself and your environment not only as it is, but also as it could and should be. You seek the changes necessary to reach the better you so that you can play your part in making a better world.
First, you change yourself. Can you change your day and spend more time with your family? Can you change your standard lunch routine and take a walk? Can you change your drive home and stop at a nursing home for twenty minutes and see someone who may have few visitors? Can you change your office habits and find the time to make five more phone calls? What are the possible consequences of not changing? Realize that many people don’t make plans because they don’t want to risk any change. Doing little with your life is much easier and safer than taking risks, but then you will be a small person. Instead, seek the changes which will allow you to be all that you can be.success.org

Wow, that is an order that is tough to follow sometimes. My life changed dramatically the moment I decided to go into business for myself. I am no longer bound by a clock and a hierarchy of people asking me and telling me to do things their way for the benefit of their company or place of business. However, I am still boud by other variables, perhaps more stringent than the ones “I thought I left” behind. I am bound by my customers, I am also bound not as much by a clock anymore but by the amount of productive output I generate. Sometimes I generate a lot of things that perhaps are not necessary, but a lot of times I feel that the things I generate are helpful not only to me but to others, regardless of the financial rewards that I thought might be involved in the process.
I like a challenge. I like change. Sometimes changing a routime or a behavior is really difficult.
Change is the only thing I have been guaranteed in life. We are changing the moment we are born into this world (even when in our mother’s woumb) we still are changing even after death…
One of the things I have learned is that I have to cause change in me first, in order to even attempt to change something or someone outside of myself…
I also need to find balance between action and inaction, but I suspect that Bill already has talked about it in a different Action Principle.

See more progress on: apply success principles in my life daily

Great way to learn about reality...

I have been attending Socrates Cafe meetings at a couple of different places within my community, and they are excellent ways to get to know reality and likeminded people. I was just at the library today and skimmed Christopher Phillips’ book “Socrates Cafe”...Basically, the Socratic method of learning is one of asking questions about th enature of reality and about anything we want to learn more about…I will start by asking the five basic questions he asked in his book.WHAT IS THE QUESTION?
Yes, really, the question is what can be asked that generates enough interest in a topic so as to creeate enough interest for otherse to ask other questions as well. How about
WHY ASK QUESTIONS?

See more progress on: start a Socrates Cafe at 43 Things

Get Tough.

Tough means that you are willing to stand tall and persevere. Even when your mind and body signal perfectly good reasons for giving up, you go on. This tough is obvious. But tough can be seen every day if we choose to look. Tough may be a patient undergoing cancer treatments or a single mother struggling to raise children. Tough can be an alcoholic ready to face rehab or an athlete living in a wheelchair. Tough can be rejecting false praise and honestly accepting you and your children for who and what you are. Tough is an ability to make the best from what you are given. Tough is making the decision to replace self-pity, complaints and dependence with self-reliance, independence and action.
You’ve got to be tough to do the big things in life like taking risks, admitting mistakes, and changing bad habits. You’ve got to be tough to do the little things like biting your tongue, waiting your turn and putting up with fools. Self-reliance and self-confidence will demand your toughness. Then, you must temper toughness with kindness, realizing that many times it will be tough to be kind. Be kind anyway.
Success.org

Tough! Yeah! when I think of tough, I remember the hard sessions of sweat at the dojang where I trained about 4 times a week for about an hour and 15 minutes a crack.
Sometimes it was so strainning that had to stop the session to gasp for breath and prevent choking on vomit!
I remember leaving the training hall to get dressed again and my face would still be red from all the blood pumped as a result of the extreme cardiovascular and aerobic workout. I remember the dobak uniform being completely saturated wet with sweat, including the whole belt…I remember the slabs of wood under my feet slowly begin to feel very slipery as a result of drips of sweat thru the entire session.
Did that teach me anything? You bet! It taught me to work hard for what I want, It taught me to understand that nothing in life comes easy, not even health of mind and body, and that if I want something, I better keep my focus on the goal, work towards the goal the best I can, and practice, practice, practice…
As Bill from Success.org also said, there are other aspects of toughness out there for you and me to see: tough can be the homeless dude waiting for a coin or two middle of a sunny and hot day, amidst the red light waiting traffic, tough also is having a birth defect that prevents you from swallowing properly and having to have a handkerchief at hand at all times because you cannot contain your saliva or swalllow it if it becomes excess in your mouth, tough can be being told you have cancer and that your time left to live is limited, tough is having to tell your child that he is going to have to go to bed because there is no more food in the house (if there is still a house), tough is being wheelchair bound for life, having cerebral palsy, tough is facing a world that can be so mean and cruel to people that are perfectly normal otherwise, but are hard of hearing, or have a muscular defect that makes them look as if they have a mental disability…... so many other tough definitions, I could spend the entire night writing…

See more progress on: apply success principles in my life daily

Positive News, Inspiration, Motivational Quotes, Motivation

Is Positive News Really An Oxy-Moron?
Hello Welcome to PNN, the Positive News Network™
PNN-The Positive News Network provides you with an alternative news service that reports on positive stories, events and solutions. We are also dedicated to finding, celebrating and promoting people from all walks of life who are making a Positive contribution to their communities, locally, nationally and internationally.

Now many people have told me "it won't work", Positive news is an “oxy-moron" but universally many, many more people have said "oh we need that" and I agree with the later group. We understand that the chances of us putting any news organization out of business are slim...for now. However, we are committed to offering you an alternative to the prevailing philosophy of "if it bleeds, it leads" which pervades our news today.

read more...

BusinessPundit: A Blog About Business

BusinessPundit: A Blog About Business: "Why Blog?

I agree with this. Blogging helps me discover what I think.

I also agree with who agrees with him...Bogging expands your horizons, it is like fertilizer to your neurones...(in a nice sense of the word..he he he)

Kid's stuff...

A friend posted this at a forum and I thought it is priceless!


Seen some of these before but they still make me laugh!

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

( 1 ) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10

( 2 ) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-- Kirsten, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

( 1 ) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10

( 2 ) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.
-- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

( 1 ) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

( 1 ) Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE

( 1 ) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

( 2 ) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10 (wise beyond his years)

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

( 1 ) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

( 1 ) When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7

( 2 ) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
-- Curt, age 7

( 3 ) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-- Howard, age 8 (this one has very good morals)

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

( 1 ) I don't know which is better, but I'll tell you one thing. I'm never going to have s*x with my wife. I don't want to be all grossed out.
-- Theodore, age 8

( 2 ) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

( 1 )There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favourite is........

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
-- Ricky, age 10

Third Age has now a blog!

Hello. I thought I'd make a late anouncement anyway, just in case you did not know already. Thridage.com has now a blog!
Thirdage is a dear place to me. It is there I learned HTML basics and intermediary. It is there that I was able to create one of my first web pages, which is still preety functional...The other two places I built web pages for free, have now closed their doors on me cause I did not upgrade...Well, too bad for them, for now I can always praise and give credit were credit is due, and brag about the wonderful people thaqt manage and serve at Thirdage.com...
Here is the excerpt I got in the mail (I am subscribed to their newsletter):

Join the Online Conversation!
We've launched our very own cocktail party -- a ThirdAge blog -- and we've invited some of the best "conversationalists" in relationships and dating, career and legacy planning, and health and wellness to sound off. You're invited to join your favorite experts, chime in, ask questions and share your experiences.
read more...

Fucus spiralis is just seaweed: Freedom is not free

Keung Ye!

Fucus spiralis is just seaweed: Freedom is not free

BloggersBlog.com

BloggersBlog.com Hurricane Rita Blogs and News Coverage [Open In New Window] Posted on: 9/21/2005 10:26:00 PM
Rita is intensifying and is now a category four storm. The Houston Chronicle has launched a blog for Hurricane Rita. KHOU.com, a local Houston television network is also blogging. Many other bloggers have also turned their focus on dangerous Hurricane Rita. Here is a list of some of the blogs and resources.

NOOA National Hurricane Center: Latest updates

Billionaires Open Their Wallets - Forbes.com

This is as much information I was allowed to get before the servers at Forbes magazine cut me off from being able to get the rest of the story...I was browsing with Firefox, maybe IE has a different story, maybe I will try to get the rest of the news and the link at a later point in time. This will have to do for now...
God bless those guys anyway...(Oops here I go with my silly nonsensical non objective and unscientific silly me opinions)


Hurricane Katrina
Billionaires Open Their Wallets
Allison Fass and Helen Coster, 09.14.05, 6:00 AM ET

American billionaires hold much of the wealth in the U.S. and also control many of its largest companies. As such, they are in a unique position to influence national giving much in the same way as celebrities and sports stars are.

But instead of making bold donations and speaking out publicly about their contributions to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, all but a rare few have chosen to shun the limelight. Among those who won't comment on their personal giving in face of this tragedy are

Billionaires open their wallets part II

Woo Hoo... I tried with IE and it worked... Is IE better than Firefox?
I don't know, what I wanted to retrieve is the news from Forbest about the blessed billionaires that gave to Katrina's victimes. God bless you people!

Billionaires Open Their Wallets
Allison Fass and Helen Coster, 09.14.05, 6:00 AM ET

FORBES MAGAZINE

American billionaires hold much of the wealth in the U.S. and also control many of its largest companies. As such, they are in a unique position to influence national giving much in the same way as celebrities and sports stars are.

But instead of making bold donations and speaking out publicly about their contributions to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, all but a rare few have chosen to shun the limelight. Among those who won't comment on their personal giving in face of this tragedy are Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway (nyse: BRKA - news - people ), Larry Ellison of Oracle (nasdaq: ORCL - news - people ), Jeff Bezos of Amazon (nasdaq: AMZN - news - people ) and Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Katrina's Billionaire Donors

Others such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former presidential candidate Ross Perot confirm they have given something but won't say to whom or how much. Even such outspoken billionaires as Donald Trump and Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban are uncharacteristically quiet. Trump won't say if he sent a personal check but did confirm he is sending cases of Trump water to the Gulf Coast. Cuban, meanwhile, wrote a detailed account in his personal blog of his unsuccessful odyssey to donate $50,000 worth of clothes and criticized relief agencies and the media for not helping make it easier for folks to donate.

Cut the billionaires some slack. Some may not want to appear to be taking advantage of the cause for their own gain. Others may not want too many nonprofits calling on them.

Luckily there are exceptions to the low-profile rule; rich folks who realize that doing good publicly can set an example. Click here to read more about Katrina's billionaire donors.


katrina's billionaires donors

Trio of Google billionaires slashed salary - U.S. Business - MSNBC.com

FACT OR FICTION? PROBABLY FACT...
GOD BLESS THEM. GOD BLESS BILLIONAIRIES AND MILLIONAIRIES LIKE THEM! (Here I go again, strainning away from pure scientific rational behavior...silly me!)

Trio of Google billionaires slashed salary
Co-founders Page and Brin, CEO Schmidt earned $1 last year

Updated: 7:20 p.m. ET April 8, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO - The trio of billionaires who run — and own much of — online search engine leader Google Inc. reduced their individual salaries to $1 last year and rejected a recent attempt to give them a raise, according to documents filed Friday.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and the company’s chief executive, Eric Schmidt, dramatically lowered their salaries last spring — right around the time that the Mountain View-based company filed its plans for a much-anticipated initial public offering of stock that made their paychecks largely irrelevant.

Before the concessions, Google paid Page and Brin an annual salary of $150,000 apiece. Schmidt collected a $250,000 annually before lowering it to a buck. In the months leading up to the pay cuts, Page and Brin each collected $43,750 of their former salaries while Schmidt pocketed $81,432, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

read the rest of the story...

Java Art...

Just click and drag the corner of the triangle...

http://www.whitney.org/artport/commissions/codedoc/Wattenberg/connect.html

Spanish speaking folks bloging in English

http://boingboing.net/2005_01_01_archive.html



Sounds like somebody is finally thinking... What a world of opportunities would a chap like me bring to you and your business, were you to consider the posibilities of my linking you to thousand other Spanish speaking folks like me?

I found the post below at one of the best blogging scenes on the planet:
Boing Boing

Spanish-speaking bloggers blogging in English: an aggregator
Blogger and communications professor Jose Luis Orihuela in Pamplona, Spain says: "Thanks to Víctor Ruiz, an idea that's been around for a long time -- an RSS aggregator for feeds of English-language blogs from Spanish-speaking bloggers -- has finally launched. A beta version is available here: Link." There's more background (in Spanish) in this post on Jose Luis' blog: Link

posted by Xeni Jardin

Technorati tags: blog,
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pop culture.

Major Religions Ranked by Size

I found this site to be very interesting, listing all major Religions of the world. Take a look... I found it Stumbling Upon...Check the social community also: Stumble Upon

http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

The next level at 43T

This social community and the geeky folks that helped create it never cease to amaze me…
Theeze wabbitz awre somezing elze…

See more progress on: Help test 43people.com: the next new thing from The Robot Co-op

Never thought I would find this here....

LOL who would’ve thought of KISS in wikipedia?
I certainly would have never thought about it…
so here it is: K.I.S.S.

See more progress on: Keep It Simple