Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/129308159?client_source=feed&format=rss
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বুধবার, ৩১ আগস্ট, ২০১১
For Those Of You Who Wish To Quit Smoking Here Are Several ...
The side effects of smoking are actually taking their toll and a growing number of men and women want to quit. Even though non-smokers may believe that if a smoker really wants to quit they can just quit, smokers know differently. For many smokers the craving and addictions of smoking make it extremely hard to quit without some type of help. Of course some men and women have utilized different sorts of therapies and therapists to help them quit smoking. You will even discover that many men and women who used to smoke belong to support groups to enable them to not go back to smoking. Below you are going to discover some suggestions of things you can do that can help your desire to quit a little easier.
The smoking itself is not really what you are addicted to. Despite the fact that the habit of bringing your hand to your mouth is a thing that makes giving up smoking hard it is just a habit and habits can be broken. What you really are addicted to, is the actual nicotine inside the actual cigarettes. So it?s not the smoking but the nicotine you are addicted to. However you must know that there are now other ways to get this nicotine, like the nicotine gum or even the nicotine patches which are available everywhere these days. While this can help men and women to be successful when stopping smoking one thing you should understand is that if you really don?t wish to quit then they truly won?t help that much.
You may even want to stock up on toothpicks, as this has helped a lot of men and women I know. Although the gum or the patch can help your body get over the need for nicotine, you?ve still got the hand to mouth habit to manage. And like I stated before this is just a habit but the toothpicks can help you break that habit. Everyone in my family has utilized cinnamon toothpicks when they quit smoking, although they are commonly something you will need to order from the internet. So when you crave a cigarette all you have to do is put a toothpick in your mouth instead. Many men and women find that the flavored toothpicks seem to suppress the urge better, although I am not actually sure why.
One more big thing that can assist you to quit smoking is to discover some type of motivation. For many men and women it is their spouses or children that provide them with the motivation they require. I am sure you do not want to die before your time, leaving your partner or even children with out a parent figure. This type of motivation can genuinely be effective in helping you stop smoking.
You will see that no matter how hard you try, you still may not be able to quit. If that?s the way it is, and you really want to quit, you should try going to a hypnotist or a doctor. Hypnosis is something that could be very helpful and many people have successfully quit with this approach. Finally when all else fails, go to your doctor and ask for a medicine that can assist you to quit, it is available. You should make certain you have exhausted all the other quitting techniques before you select the medication.
Make sure you read this article to enhance your body?s overall health and fitness:lower ab workout and quicktrim
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মঙ্গলবার, ৩০ আগস্ট, ২০১১
Dick Cheney's memoir: Full of 'cheap shots'? (The Week)
New York ? Colin Powell accuses the former vice president of trashing his Bush administration colleagues to sell more books
This week, former Secretary of State Colin Powell blasted Dick Cheney for taking "cheap shots" at other members of the Bush administration in his new memoir, In My Time. Powell charged that Cheney was just trying to boost book sales, and said it was "nonsense" for the former vice president to accuse Powell of criticizing George W. Bush's policies to people outside the administration. He also said Cheney's criticism of Powell's successor, Condoleezza Rice, was "almost condescending." Does Powell have a legitimate complaint?
Yes. Cheney's book is just mean: Powell "stopped just short of calling [Cheney] a liar," says Jamie Stiehm at U.S. News & World Report. Remember, Cheney let Powell "play the fool in front of the United Nations," attempting to justify the Iraq War with false claims about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. Then Cheney persuaded Bush to "dump Powell after one term, for not being a team player." And now Cheney's belittling Powell in his book? Talk about a "sore winner."
"Dick Cheney's memoir the saddest story of our time"
Hold on. Powell is the one taking cheap shots: Powell is no doubt peeved that Cheney lays blame for the Valerie Plame affair, which led to a conviction for Cheney aide Scooter Libby, on Powell deputy Richard Armitage, says Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post. "But on this one Cheney has him dead to rights." Powell sat "stone silent" at Bush's side while the president said he didn't know who had outed Plame as a CIA operative, even though Powell knew the information came from Armitage. "Not very loyal or honest, was it?"
"Colin Powell's cheap shot"
These two have been feuding for years: Cheney and Powell "have had a rocky relationship for decades," says Yochi J. Dreazen at The Atlantic. During the first Gulf War, Cheney (then Defense secretary) accused Powell (then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) of constantly upstaging him. The tensions only grew as Powell countered Cheney's arguments for invading Iraq under George W. Bush. No matter who wins this round, it's clear the members of the Bush team will "continue to publicly relitigate decisions" they made years ago.
"Powell: Cheney's book is full of 'cheap shots'"
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Theory, Theory, Theory? What is your Theory? | The Lesbian ...
Theory, Theory, Theory? What is your Theory?
By Zero on August 28, 2011Has anyone of you experience or wondered why when in a crowded area and people know your gay is they seem to be turn off personally, shutting all the chances or opportunity to befriend them, especially on women? Why straight women seem to easily accept more the gay men and not the gay women? What?s the difference?
Before, when I think I?m still normal until I turned 20 that I realize I am not, I experience this. In the presence of a girl (straight), I feel at ease, but when I know that she?s gay, I feel bothered and guarded. While in a boy?s presence, I feel not at ease but guarded, but when I know he?s gay, I feel at ease and intrigued. Why is that? So, I wondered the difference from not-knowing and knowing.
And my theory is this:
1. ?????????? In a straight (girl) subconscious, between the man and woman connection, the only difference is the guy only has a potential tendency to form or develop a romantic/intimate relationship to them which is the only recognize by their subconscious, thus make them to cope-up when a man court or just talk to a woman and be at ease. But if shift to woman it is not the same, ?the potential tendency to form a romantic relationship? that a straight girl gets from a man is turned to be a woman, is not recognized by the subconscious, thus they don?t know how to cope that making them feel uneasy. Even by just talking or have a conversation with a lesbian is hard for them, even though they know the lesbian doesn?t like them, because their subconscious tells them ?she like you in a romantic way?, which is not at all the case.
2. ?????????? There are people who know things and who are able to know but choose or pretend not to know what they know, because for one thing, things are easier for them that way. The point here is, it is based on the capacity of one?s person to cope on things around them.
3. ?????????? Back in 9th grade, there is this question in a conversation I overheard between two friends that I will never forget, the boy ask ?why does women use a sanitary napkin?? I kind of agree to the phrase ?boy?s are clueless? on that. I mean between women this is considered a dumb question, right? My point here is there are things between women that are common and wasn?t spoken of, yet you know, same with men. This factors why some straight women has an easy way coping or accepting more the gay men than gay women, is because with regards to no. 1, the straight (girl) is emotionally is liked a naked person before a lesbian (women reads well emotions than men), unlike in the presence of a man, the straight (girl) can hide its true feelings well, while doing the same with a woman is harder.
Source: http://www.thelesbianquestion.com/2011/08/28/theory-theory-theory-what-is-your-theory/
সোমবার, ২৯ আগস্ট, ২০১১
Dog Training ? When Good Pets Go Bad : Dog Training
The other night my girlfriend and I went to our good friends? house for dinner. After dinner we all sat down and our host turned on the TV. The first thing she turned to was a show that I did not want to watch.
The show when good Pets go bad came on.
Shows like when good Pets go bad are like a car accident that you pass as you drive down the highway, you try to look away but you need to see what happened.
When good Pets go bad comes on you start to watch it and before you know it an hour has gone by, you?re sitting there in disbelief, with a bad taste in your mouth because you have just observed some truly horrific stuff.
It does not surprise me when I see the national statistics for dog bites. Shows like when good Pets go bad do not shock me the way they used to. As someone who makes his living working with pets I have seen first hand how dogs are treated and I am NOT talking about the pet owners.
I?m talking about the trainers. I have seen first hand how some dogs are trained. I have seen dogs choked, hung, beaten, shocked, slammed, and I could share some horror stories with you that you would make you ill.
In a lot of ways, dog trainers cause more problems than help. Look at some of the books on dog training, I won?t mention any names here but one of the most popular dog training books was written by a guy that says you should carry a wooden stick in your back pocket. If the dog acts up use the stick to whack the dog across the nose.
This guy was the trainer for Walt Disney studios back in the 1960?s ? scary.
On the show when good Pet go bad, they show actual footage of elephants being beaten with slicks and whipped with chains, not to mention the awful conditions that they live in.
Why is it so hard to convince some people that dog training does not have to be harsh? What is the big deal about rewarding behavior, especially with a treat?
Behavior is reward driven. Relationships that are strong and lasting are developed though love and patience not anger, pain and dominance.
I know, I?m starting to sound like an animal activist. I?m not. I also believe that punishment, used correctly, can be an effective form of behavior modification ? notice I said used correctly.
Punishment is often doled out when we are angry or upset with our dogs. Punishment is often associated with the owner and not the behavior and the timing is almost always wrong.
In my book The Amazing Dog Training Man, I discuss the chalk board theory which basically goes like this:
On the top left side you write the word negative. on the right side you write the word positive.
Now every time you do something negative to your dog ie., scruff shake, leash correction, yell, smack, etc, you write a minus sign in that column. every time you do something positive to your dog ie., give your dog a treat, play ball, play tug, etc you put a plus sign in the positive column. If you had a chalk board and could keep score you would be able to see how many negative and positive signs you have.
As you look at the board you should have way more plus signs than minus signs on the board. If you have more minus signs than plus signs you have a problem.
Add up enough minus signs and guess what.there is a good chance you will start to see aggressive behavior.
It?s not rocket science. Raise a kid by beating him and yelling and screaming, there?s a very good chance that he?ll grow up to be an aggressive person.
Take a kid and raise him with love and patience and there?s a good chance that he?ll grow up to be the same way.
Dogs that have been trained with hitting, Alpha rollovers, choke chains, and electronic collars run a very good chance that they will become aggressive.
Most of the pets in when good Pets go bad have had a lot of negative experiences and look what happens. every person and every animal has a breaking point. Your tolerance level for certain activities may be higher than mine.
My girlfriend never, ever gets mad at other drivers. She can get cut off, stuck behind slow drivers, traffic, whatever, she never gets upset or angry.
Me on the other hand, I don?t have her tolerance for driving. Some days are better than others but I can be frustrated much more easily than she is.
Training has to be done by spending the majority of time rewarding behavior. The only way we are going to see the number of dog bites go down in the United States is by changing the way we train dogs.
We can change the way we train or we can continue to hear about and watch shows where dogs are attacking and in some cases killing people.
Wouldn?t it be great if we could turn on the TV and see a show when bad Pets go good?
Source: http://www.dogtrainingvinci.com/dog-training-when-good-pets-go-bad/
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Preparing for a Hurricane (ContributorNetwork)
With hurricane season in full force, now would be a great time to look over or create your family's emergency plan for surviving a hurricane. Currently, Hurricane Irene is a category 3 storm that has prompted evacuations in North Carolina and many northeastern states and cities to declare emergencies. The storm is expected to hit the coast of North Carolina and travel up as far as Boston.
Here are the top five things you can do to prepare for a potential hurricane.
Step 1: Form Evacuation Plan
The most important thing you can do in advance of a hurricane is make an evacuation plan. Your plan should involve three main things: two different potential routes out of town, a safe place far inland and a local shelter that will be open to take in hurricane victims. The two routes are needed in case one route may be blocked.
Make sure all members of your family know the plan and know where to meet in the event that you are split up at the time the hurricane hits. It is also a good idea to keep a list of phone numbers for the hospitals in the area, the shelters and family or friends you may need to contact during or after the storm arrives.
Step 2: Stockpile
The next thing to be sure to have is a stockpile of essential supplies to last for up to one week. The essentials will include water and non-perishable food. Food items will need to be rotated out as they approach the expiration date but should last through one hurricane season without a problem. Also have flashlights, batteries, household bleach, medications, matches, tools, clothing, cash, radios, pillows and blankets on hand. If you have children, make sure they have toys or activities to keep them occupied.
Step 3: Pack an Evacuation Bag
It's a good idea to keep a bag full of important items that you would need if you had to evacuate quickly. This bag may include personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene items, a hair brush, shampoo, a towel, a change of clothes, deodorant, soap, a roll of toilet paper and anything else you may need. Be sure to include a flashlight and batteries and a first aid kit. For children, this may include a blanket or stuffed animal they will find comfort in. Be sure to include some water and non-perishable foods.
Step 4: Make Arrangements for your Pets
You should arrange plans for your pets. If a local shelter is taking in animals for evacuees, this may be an option. You should always have a pet carrier ready to go and a bag packed for your pets. The bag may include food, water, bedding, toys and other items you know your pet would need or find comfort in while you are away from home. If you are going to a friend or relative's home, contact a local boarder or kennel for your pet to stay. Be sure to have an updated copy of your pet's vaccinations on hand.
Step 5: Use Common Sense
Always use common sense. It would be horrible to lose your possessions, home or vehicle in any natural disaster. However, it is not worth staying behind and risking your life over things that can, for the most part, be replaced. There is likely nothing you could do to save your home or belongings if the hurricane hits. Do not stay in an area, or drive through an area, that is unsafe and always listen to emergency personnel.
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রবিবার, ২৮ আগস্ট, ২০১১
3 Online Home Business ... - Successful Home Based Business
I have seen a lot of changes on the Internet in the last years. This is especially true as it pertains to online home business opportunities.
However, in some instances the more things change the more they remain the same. Here are 3 online home business opportunities that are still working.
1. Network marketing. This business model has actually benefited from all of the changes happening on the Internet.
When I was in network marketing several years ago it was difficult to prospect, hold meetings, deliver products, and so on. oday there are people that are not only making money and their primary MLM company, they are also making money in multiple network marketing businesses.
The power of the Internet really lies in the ability to prospect, sort through leads, and identify interested candidates. This can all be automated so you can spend your time doing other things.
The other thing is that Internet based MLM products are doing extremely well. Products that don?t require any shipping allow you to build a worldwide business very quickly.
However, you cannot discount the longtime MLM companies. It is amazing to see Amway doing $7 billion a year. There are many network marketing companies that do over $1 billion a year and many more that do more than $100 million a year in business.
This has happened because of all of the online opportunities to make money from home building an MLM business.
2. Affiliate marketing. When Amazon started an affiliate program back in 1995 few people really understood it.
Some people were quick to catch on to the advantage of Clickbank products and made a lot of money selling them in the early 2000?s. What?s really changed in the past few years is the ability for people to make money with cost per action programs as well as Google Adsense.
Getting people to click on ad is not hard to do. Getting someone to fill out a short lead form is not hard to do either. These are both ways you can build an online home business in affiliate marketing.
3. Direct sales. Avon is an $11 Billion Dollar a year business. and they are easily the largest direct selling company in the world.
They are still very big on promoting their products through their company brochures that come out every two weeks. However many Avon representatives run their business primarily on the Internet.
If you want to make money in Avon you can become an epresentative and stay at home and sell products that way. The same thing is true for other direct sales opportunities such as Primo Vacations where you can earn $500 a sale promoting their vacation club travel business.
These are a few examples of online home business opportunities that are still working!
Tags: Business, Home, Online, Opportunities, Still, Working
Posted in business ideas
Source: http://www.killersnails.com/?p=543
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শনিবার, ২৭ আগস্ট, ২০১১
Eye exercises to improve eyesight naturally | Articles Century
There are not so many eye exercises; only three, of which, two are geared towards relaxing eye muscles while the third one improves our vision through stretching.
To start with, there is the sunning eye exercise which most people do unconscious of the fact that, they are actually working to improve their eyesight. Sunning, even from the word itself, involves the sun. The sun has a powerful healing effect that helps us to get a better vision, however; it could be dangerous when precaution is not taken. That is why we need to be cautious when doing this exercise.
While sunning, we need to fully relax our eye muscles, use your palm and fingers to cover one of your eyes as this not only ensures the best cover from sunlight but, also has a healing effect since palms emit healing energy. While doing this, spin your head like a pendulum from side to side. Engage in this for at least two minutes or less then do the same with the other eye.
Palming is the second exercise which should be done after sunning so as to reinforce relaxation. To start with, rub your hands vigorously against each other till they warm up then, put them one on another, in or across and cover your eye such that, the centre of your palm, rests exactly on your eyes. For best effect spend a minimum of five minutes. When you are done, put your hands down while your eyes closed, then inhale deeply to supply fresh oxygen to your lungs. This helps relax your body as well as the eye muscles, you can finally open your eyes slowly. Depending on how well you have relaxed, you will be able see better than before. When palming, do not stare; instead, think of something nice because closing your eyes does not automatically guarantee relaxation.
The last exercise is about stretching your vision. For instance, if you are hyperopic, then you pull it closer. This technique will improve and even restore your eye sight. Unfortunately, it does little good when you do it while walking instead; one should just sit in a fairly dim light and look roughly 25 meters away from where you sit. You will not just look, but instead keep a good vision for as long as possible. While stretching, look for a place where you can most keep that flash of good vision for long. A very important point to remember is that, when you get this good vision, keep it while you are fully relaxed or else it will not be effective because you will experience discomfort and even pain in your eyes.
Discover the award winning vision improvement program and learn how to improve eyesight ? eye exercises to improve eyesight
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Carrie Fisher Reveals 50-Lb. Weight Loss
It's been a long time since actress Carrie Fisher was as svelte as she was during the famous chained-to-Jabba-the-Hut scene in 1983's Return of the Jedi, in which she wore a metal bikini still talked about by Star Wars fanboys to this day. Now 54, Fisher recently became the new face of Jenny Craig, and in the last nine months has lost a whopping 50 pounds! Wednesday morning she revealed her slimmer self on the Today show, speaking candidly (and humorously) with Ann Curry about her weight loss. Watch the interview -- and see the new, thinner Fisher -- below!
Known mainly as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, Fisher has previously spoken about the unrealistic expectations placed on her by that unforgettable metal-bikini scene in Return of the Jedi. And, in her Today interview on Wednesday, she opened up about just how painful it was to gain so much weight (she reportedly topped out around 180 pounds). "I couldn't leave the house (to go shopping), because they didn't have sizes (large enough)," she admits. "I exhausted the alphabet on bra sizes."
One of the pleasures for Fisher is going shopping for clothes now, because her options have multiplied -- though she'll avoid wearing anything that's sleeveless. "After 50, there should probably be a law," she joked.
And she insists she still gets to enjoy eating. "The Jenny Craig food is good!" she gushed. "I'm not the type to say it if wasn't. I like the cereal. It tastes like contraband, it tastes like you're cheating, which I like."
Still, it has to be hard to stay on track with such a strict diet plan. How does Fisher do it? "I had a consultant who I could complain to and stamp my fat foot and say I didn't want to do it," she said. "It's sort of like the same principle as 12-step stuff." Indeed, Fisher admits that being accountable to someone certainly has helped her stay the course. "I start things just to give them up," she joked. "I have given up everything I've ever started."
When asked what motivated her get her weight under control, Fisher quipped, "The spark was that I weighed 3 million pounds."
Though Fisher ways about 2,999,870 pounds less than that now, she's determined to lose even more weight. "I want to get back into the metal bikini and walk around the house like an idiot," she cracked, referring to her Return of the Jedi swimsuit. "Go on Jenny Craig and you too can wear a metal bikini over 40."
Source: http://www.ivillage.com/carrie-fisher-reveals-50-lb-weight-loss/1-a-375915
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শুক্রবার, ২৬ আগস্ট, ২০১১
Let's begin easing you out of the pits of ... - Monroe NC real estate
Let?s begin easing you out of the pits of Monroe NC land, I mean, comfort zone! | Monroe NC real estate
I?m going to leisurely and methodically provide you as several little sparks and insights to the relatively straightforward ways in which that standard people use assets to realize weird results.
Stories are the simplest spark plugs. They let you casually for Monroe NC real estate view from a secure, safe and sound and understandable read point. I will put pen to paper to rejoin most of the queries that I feel I actually would raise if I was reading what you are about to read.
I need you to know something from the very start of this report which something is this: I care concerning you and I sincerely mean that. I very do need you to move to a replacement comfort zone, one that is pleasurable and free from Monroe NC real estate and apprehension. An area where you understand you have the facility to realize larger things than you currently can imagine.
It?s attainable for you to start being a more powerfully directed purpose-driven person who is well organized and on course to higher achievement. You?ll modification and grow, little by little and steadily with each Monroe NC real estate you read. With every thought and insight you gain, your desire and courage will grow as well.
Napoleon Hill wrote one among the best books of all fun time. It?s known as ?Think and Grow Rich.? The essence of that volume, the secret it reveals occasion and once more is this: you must develop a aflame aspiration for Monroe NC real estate.
Do not place this manuscript down thinking the prior statement is clich? and that you just already knew that! I?m simply leading you to my next point, the subsequent point being is ? your desire wants a starting point. Therefore to start out developing need, my secret is you want to have a purpose. Why do you would like to pursue assets? I grasp what you are thinking: to form cash, to have security, to feel useful and appear successful. Good points. I agree you?ll have all of that and additional if that?s what you yearning is Monroe NC real estate.
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Report: Vaccines generally safe, some side effects
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Vaccines can cause certain side effects but serious ones appear very rare ? and there's no link with autism and Type 1 diabetes, the Institute of Medicine says in the first comprehensive safety review in 17 years.
The report released Thursday isn't aimed at nervous parents. And the side effects it lists as proven are some that doctors long have known about, such as fever-caused seizures and occasional brain inflammation.
Instead, the review comes at the request of the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which as the name implies, pays damages to people who are injured by vaccines. Federal law requires this type of independent review as officials update side effects on that list to be sure they agree with the latest science.
"Vaccines are important tools in preventing serious infectious disease across the lifespan, from infancy through adulthood. All health care interventions, however, carry the possibility of risk and vaccines are no exception," said pediatrician and bioethicist Dr. Ellen Wright Clayton of Vanderbilt University, who chaired the institute panel.
Still, the report stresses that vaccines generally are safe, and it may help doctors address worries from a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise.
"I am hopeful that it will allay some people's concerns," Clayton said.
The review echoed numerous other scientific reports that dismiss an autism link.
But it found convincing evidence of 14 side effects:
?Fever-triggered seizures, which seldom cause long-term consequences, from the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine.
?MMR also can cause a rare form of brain inflammation in some people with immune problems.
?The varicella vaccine against chickenpox sometimes triggers that viral infection, resulting in widespread chickenpox or a painful relative called shingles. It also occasionally can lead to pneumonia, hepatitis or meningitis.
?Six vaccines ? MMR and the chickenpox, hepatitis B, meningococcal and tetanus-containing vaccines ? can cause severe allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis.
?Vaccines in general sometimes trigger fainting or a type of shoulder inflammation.
There's suggestive evidence but not proof of a few other side effects, including anaphylaxis from the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine and short-term joint pain in some women and children from the MMR vaccine.
On the other hand, the report cleared flu shots of blame for two long-suspected side effects: Bell's palsy and worsening of asthma.
That doesn't mean there aren't other side effects ? the review couldn't find enough evidence to decide about more than 100 other possibilities. Some vaccines are just too new to link to something really rare. Another example: Flu shots have long come with a caution about rare, paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome, but Clayton said research hasn't settled if that's a coincidence since the disorder is more common during the winter.
The Health Resources and Services Administration, which runs the vaccine compensation program, is reviewing the report but said it's too early to predict if it will prompt changes to the injury list.
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৫ আগস্ট, ২০১১
China replaces Tibet's hard-line party boss (AP)
BEIJING ? China on Thursday replaced Tibet's hard-line Communist Party boss under whom bloody rioting broke out in the Himalayan region three years ago.
The official Xinhua News Agency said Zhang Qingli, the region's highest-ranking official, is being moved to another position which it did not identify. It said he will be replaced by Chen Quanguo, a longtime party official in the eastern province of Henan who last served as governor of Hebei province surrounding Beijing.
Like all of Tibet's party chiefs, Chen is not Tibetan but a member of China's majority Han ethnic group.
No reason was given for the move, although Zhang has served five years in the position, roughly the standard term for provincial officials.
China's policies for Tibet are set at the highest levels in Beijing and there is no reason to believe the move heralds any major change.
Zhang, a former top official in Xinjiang, another ethnically troubled region, took over as Tibet party secretary in 2006 during a relatively quiet period.
Two years later, deadly anti-government rioting broke out among Tibetans in the capital, Lhasa, spreading quickly to Tibetan areas of western China in the most severe and sustained unrest in decades.
Security forces poured in and a massive crackdown ensued, with China closing Tibet to foreign tourists for a year. Foreign journalists remain barred from Tibet except on rare, tightly scripted government-organized trips.
During his term, Zhang saved his harshest rhetoric for Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, calling the 76-year-old cleric a "wolf in monk's robes" and the "scum of Buddhism."
Beijing considers Chinese sovereignty over Tibet unquestionable and inviolable. It says Tibet has been its territory for centuries, although many Tibetans say they were essentially an independent nation until Communist forces invaded in 1950.
The Dalai Lama recently shifted his political responsibilities to the prime minister of the self-proclaimed India-based Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, a 43-year-old Harvard legal scholar who grew up a refugee.
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What's the deal with the new Libyan flag?
As Libyan rebels take over, embassies worldwide have been replacing he old Libyan flag with a new one. Where does this new flag come from?
Until recently, the flag of Libya held a special place in the hearts of vexillophiles as The World's Most Boring Flag. That's because it was nothing but a green rectangle, with no markings of any kind.
Skip to next paragraphBut starting in February, a new flag ? red, black, and green with a white star and crescent in the center ? has been hoisted at Libyan embassies around the world, from Switzerland to Bangladesh. It is the same flag being flown by the jubilant rebels themselves as they descend on Tripoli.
So what's the deal with this new flag? Is there a Libyan Betsy Ross among the rebels? Where did it come from?
The new flag is actually a retro flag. It's the flag of the Kingdom of Libya, which existed from 1951 to 1969, until a group of military officers led by Col. Muammar Qaddafi overthrew the government. The rebel National Transitional Council is calling for the establishment of a republic, but many of the rebels have been seen displaying photos of the country's first and only king, Idris of Libya, who died in exile in 1983.
Before independence, Libya was governed by the Allies, the Italians, and from the 15th century to 1911, the Ottoman Empire.
The Kingdom of Libya's flag is based on the flag of the Emirate of Cyrenaica, a region in eastern Libya that in 1949 unilaterally declared independence from the Allies under King Idris, who then went on to unite it with the country's other two historical regions, Tripolitania and Fezzan.
Cyrenaica's flag was black with a white star and crescent. When Libya gained independence from the Allied forces in 1951, King Idris added a red stripe at the top to represent the blood of Libyans who died under Italian fascist rule, and a green stripe at the bottom to symbolize independence.
Upon taking power in 1969, Qaddafi renamed the country the "Libyan Arab Republic" and replaced the country's flag with a red, white, and black horizontal tricolor. In 1977, he changed the name of the country again, this time calling it the "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya." ("Jamahiriya" is a word coined by Qaddafi and often left untranslated. It roughly means "state of the masses" or "peopledom.")
For the flag of this newly renamed state, Qaddafi opted to go monochrome. Green is the traditional color of Islam, traditionally the favorite color of the Prophet Mohammed, and a powerful symbol of life for people living in the desert. The color also complements the Green Book, Qaddafi's 1975 collection of musings and aphorisms on everything from economics to the biological differences between women and men, which all Libyan schoolchildren were required to study for at least two hours a week.
Qaddafi's green flag is not unprecedented: It was also the banner of the Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled over North Africa, including what is now Libya, from 909 to 1171. Like that flag, it seems that Qaddafi's green flag will soon become little more than a historical curiosity.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/0EyJHAZlGH4/What-s-the-deal-with-the-new-Libyan-flag
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বুধবার, ২৪ আগস্ট, ২০১১
Wall St's early gains fade (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. stocks relinquished gains on Wednesday, with the Dow and S&P briefly turning negative on weakness in energy and gold stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 11.89 points, or 0.11 percent, to 11,188.65. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index added 1.10 points, or 0.09 percent, to 1,163.45. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 10.18 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,435.88.
(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak)
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মঙ্গলবার, ২৩ আগস্ট, ২০১১
How A Realtor Chooses A Realtor To Sell His Parents' Home ...
How A Realtor Chooses A Realtor To Sell His Parents' Home
By , today at 7:07 am
Well, at least this is about how I'm going about choosing a realtor to sell my parents' home. I wonder how other realtors would do this. Actually, one of my first real estate blog posts was about how to choose a realtor. Of course, now that it's hitting a lot closer to home I need to get a lot more concrete. For instance, I quickly realized that I could borrow a technique used by corporations for vendor selection - the Request For Proposal (RFP). The nice thing about this approach is that I don't have to set up appointments and spend a lot of time listening to marketing BS. I can just put my questions out there and collect responses that I can review as I have time.
So the first thing I did was come up with a list of screening questions for listing agents and post them on the Web with some background information and a request that interested agents submit their responses via email. This eliminates any of the agents that still operate in the 20th century - especially since I'm remote and need to primarily correspond via email. Incidentally, I really don't need to meet any of these agents until I'm ready to pick one - just to make sure they don't come across as a used car salesman or a bored socialite.
Then I needed to figure out how to solicit responses - believe it or not, easier said than done. I finally decided to post a solicitation, along with a link to my RFP page, on a few real estate sites known to have realtors trolling for clients in their forums. Consumers often post questions on these sites and get 15 - 20 responses from realtors looking to pick up some easy business.
You can't make links active on these sites so the first filter is that a realtor has to know how to copy and paste a URL into their Web browser - pretty tricky stuff - for a 5 year old or the average realtor. Apparently, the whole process was either too intimidating or too difficult for most realtors because only a handful of realtors responded and most of them couldn't follow my directions - an immediate disqualification. They posted a generic response right on the forum. I only received two legitimate responses.
I needed to come up with a couple more candidates so I did get a referral from my sister-in-law (more on that later) and I went looking for real estate blogs in Dallas. Interestingly, I did find one blogger whose blog reminded me a lot of my own - he had a healthy cynicism about the real estate industry. Obviously this guy is brilliant so he gets an extra point.
What really matters in choosing a realtor
So I'm relisting my screening questions here with a little explanation of why I'm asking these questions.
- How long have you been a realtor? I really don't care if they've been a realtor for 2 years or 15 years but I do want to know if they've only been in the business for 3 months.
- Are you engaged in any occupation other than real estate? I will not work with a part time real estate agent. They just don't have the schedule flexibility that a listing requires.
- Tell me what has been going on in this area. Zillow makes it look like NOTHING has sold. Can that be true? I just want to make sure they know how to analyze data and I do need an answer to this question.
- What is the typical co-op commission in Dallas? I need this as a baseline and to understand how the commission will be split. I do not want the co-op cut.
- Assuming a sales price between $500K and 600K what would the total commission be and how much of that would be for the co-op commission? Cost does matter and, again, I don't want to cut the co-op commission.
- How would we handle the commission if an unrepresented buyer submitted an offer that we accepted? I'm assuming in this case that all you do for this buyer is fill in the contract. Some of my smarter listing prospects ask this question. This could be a really long discussion but in a nut shell if there is no co-operating broker why do I need to pay the co-op commission? Also, I don't want to create a conflict of interest.
- Do you charge any other fees?
- What are your thoughts on dual agency? I won't rule out dual agency but it's a really tricky situation.
- Do you hold earnest money?
- Who takes your photographs? I want to make sure I get professional photographs.
- Please provide a link to a listing that demonstrates the quality of the photographs that you use. Just making sure.
- Will the listing have photographs as soon as it goes live? Some realtors will initially activate a listing without photos. This is a disaster. Most buyers will look at the listing within 24 hours of discovering it and if there are no photos they may skip over it and never come back.
- What marketing vehicles will you be using? This is probably the most important question. A realtor's reputation and promises aren't really worth that much. What really matters is what they are going to do for you.
- What Internet/ MLS statistics can you provide me on a regular basis that will demonstrate how the market is reacting to the listing? Another key question and part of the "what are you going to do for me?" issue.
- How will you keep me apprised of the level of showing activity and the response from those showings? Ditto.
- How will you keep me apprised of the current state of the local market? Ditto again.
- The house will be vacant. Will you be attending all showings or will you be using a lockbox? A good realtor will attend every showing in order to sell the home's features and obtain real time feedback. In addition, I have security concerns.
- How will you be handling conflicts between showing requests and your schedule? This is a key issue. I don't know how many times I can't get my buyers into a property because the listing agent is not available. I don't want to lose any buyers.
?
What doesn't matter in choosing a realtor
The criteria that is not on my list (some of which was suggested by my wife and parents) is every bit as telling as what is on the list. You will note that I am not the least bit interested in:
- How big and great their brokerage is and how they "have buyers". This is all BS.
- Whether or not an agent is a "top producer". As I've written before, not only is this irrelevant but it could be a detriment. A lot of these folks are so busy that they won't give you the time of day once they get the listing.
- How well an agent "knows the area". They need to be able to drive there on short notice and they need to be able to put together an analysis of the market but I really don't care if they've ever sold there or not. The marketing tools for this area will be the same as the marketing tools used in any other area of Dallas.
- How long an agent's listings typically take to sell, what percent sell, and their sale price to list price ratio. All of these statistics are a total crapshoot that depends upon what deck of cards the agent gets dealt. Besides, it's easy for an agent to lie about these stats.
- Existing relationships. Although I am accepting a submission from a friend of my sister-in-law the fact that they know each other carries no weight in the final decision. A listing is not a gift to be handed out.
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