Kamis, 30 Juni 2011

What Can You Do When Disaster Strikes Somewhere Else?

Several of the largest natural disasters have occurred recently. These include the earthquake and tsunami in South East Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the Southern United States. Thousands of disasters occur every year. They all don't affect thousands of people, but the impact is as dire for each one that has to experience it. Each time a disaster occurs our hearts go out to those affected. However, what can we do when we are many miles away?

The following are some of the ways you might contribute to others affected by a disaster:

1. Pray. If you believe that miracles happen every day, as I do, then prayer should be at the top of your list.

2. Give Blood. There is always a need for blood. Especially when major disasters occur. Contact the Red Cross to learn about giving blood and schedule a time to donate at 1-800-GIVELIFE.

3. Send Notes. Give hope to the victims of the disaster as well as the relief workers by sending an encouraging note. If you do not have specific individuals to send to, send your notes to the local area through relief agencies, churches, schools and newspapers.

4. Volunteer. Go with a group to the location of the disaster to be a part of the rebuilding process. This could be with a local church or organization. You can also donate your time to volunteer organizations that respond to disasters. One of the first to respond is the Salvation Army. You can register your desire to volunteer by contacting your local Salvation Army office.

5. Donate Funds. Make a financial contribution to organizations that support the victims of the disaster. The Red Cross responds to thousands of disasters each year. You can donate at 1-800-HELP-NOW.

6. Donate Items. When disaster strikes, people can be without necessities for a long time. You can help by donating some of these items. If you want to support relief efforts by providing items, one of the best ways is to build and send relief kits. The United Methodist Committee on Relief and Operation Blessing are two organizations that teach you how to make the relief kits and where to send them. You can contact these organizations at 1-800-814-8765 and 1-757-226-3401, respectively.

7. Provide Shelter. If you are a property owner with vacant rental housing, you might help those driven from their home. Contact Disaster Housing Resources Online to learn more and register your available space.

8. Have a Fundraiser. If you cannot afford to donate funds, conduct a fundraising event. The event does not need to be extravagant. I am aware of adults and kids that raised money for a cause by having a yard sale and selling lemonade.

9. Purchase Items. Shop at stores and eat at restaurants that donate a portion of their profits to support disaster relief efforts. You will discover several businesses making this kind of contribution following major disasters.

This list is a sample of things you could do. I challenge you to identify two or more ways you plan to contribute to disaster relief efforts. Act on them starting today.

Rabu, 29 Juni 2011

The Passing of Liu Zhirong

Liu Zhirong was a 42-year-old schoolteacher at Tuanjie Elementary School in the Xifeng District of Qingyang City in China. He practiced meditation and aspired to embrace and manifest truthfulness, compassion and tolerance in his daily life. His life was brought to an end prematurely by those who did not have the same lofty ideals to guide them.

Zhirong enjoyed the practice of Falun Gong. For more than six years, the Chinese Communist Party has embarked on a campaign to eliminate this peaceful meditation practice and Zhirong was a victim of the CCP's goal.

It is claimed that he was tortured to death in the Tianshui City No 3 Prison on or around January 14th 2006 in Prison Ward number 1. The address of the prison is No 196 Jianshe Road, Tianshui City, Gansu Province. The phone number there is 86-938-8278849.

What was Zhirong doing in prison? In most countries around the world, elementary school teachers are not imprisoned for meditation. Things are a little different under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. Stories such as Zhirong's are not at all uncommon.

The Clearwisdom website records these abuses. They have documented over 2800 deaths like Liu Zhirong's since 1999. Other organizations have also documented this ongoing persecution. The methods of torture utilized include so many different varieties that it is difficult to remember them all.

Records indicate that the CCP also persecutes a wide range of groups and individuals. Christians and Tibetan Buddhists as well as those who support various freedoms are among the Party's victims.

One may question why the Chinese Communist Party engages in or permits torture. It is hoped that the reader recognizes that there is no rational justification for torture and even less so in the case of peaceful, non-violent meditators like Zhirong.

Why all this violence? Why all this hatred? Sadly, the Chinese Communist Party has been a brutal entity since its very beginning. History has documented the millions of Chinese people that the CCP has killed since it took power decades ago. The tally far exceeds the number of people killed by Adolf Hitler.

Why is it that much of the world, despite the excellent documentation, continually fails to recognize this as a major problem? Is it the lure of big business? Is it that China seems too far away to make a difference to us? Hasn't history adequately demonstrated that what we ignore ends up on our back porch sooner or later?

Whatever the reason, we must not turn a blind eye and sit idly while innocent men, women and children are brutalized by the Chinese Communist Party for practicing meditation or having a belief. Each of us can stand up and provide a voice for those who have been silenced by the CCP.

Shining the international spotlight on the atrocities may help to reduce them. Writing letters and raising awareness are an important beginning.

Selasa, 28 Juni 2011

People Are Moving Out Of The City.

Americans leaving the nation’s big cities in search of cheaper homes

The Census Bureau measured domestic migration -people moving within the United States - and discovered that nearly every large metropolitan area had more people move out than move in from 2000 to 2004.

The report provides the number of people moving into and out of each state, and the 25 largest metropolitan areas. The states that lost an important part of their residents are California, New York and Illinois, while those that attracted the most new residents are Arizona, Florida and Nevada.

Many Americans are moving from large metropolitan areas to bordering counties for cheaper homes and more space. Among the 25 largest metropolitan areas, 18 had more people move out than move in from 2000 to 2004. Domestic moves have a great impact on the biggest metropolitan areas - New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The New York area alone had a loss of 211,000 residents during the 4 year interval.

Westerners are moving inland. North-Easterners are moving West or South. And just about everywhere, people are escaping to the outer suburbs, also known as exurbs.

William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution explains that this is “a middle class flight, a flight for housing affordability. It's not just white middle class, it's blacks and hispanics, too.”

Housing prices are soaring in the metropolitan areas, even as the population shrinks. This is because of the smaller, wealthier households that replace larger families in many big metropolitan areas and continually bid up prices. In response to that, middle class people are forced to move out to the exurbs in search of more affordable homes.

High housing costs on both coasts drove more Americans to cheaper cities nearby. One big winner is the inland Riverside, Calif., area. It continued to attract residents from the Southern California coast from 2000 to 2004, experts say. The area has total gain of 81,000 people a year from 2000 to 2004 and has become the 13th largest metropolitan area in the United States. It’s a short drive to several mountain ranges, and it’s within driving distance of the beach. Locally, it is known as the Inland Empire.

Homes in Riverside had a median price of 374,200 in 2005. That's not cheap, but it's certainly less expensive than $529,000, the median price of homes in Los Angeles. “In Riverside you’re able to obtain a very large home for a much lower price than elsewhere along the beaches and coastlines of Southern California”, says Cindy Roth, president of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.

Other areas that attracted a lot of new residents are Phoenix, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth. They have relatively inexpensive homes, and that's the most important reason for many middle class Americans to move in such areas.

Senin, 27 Juni 2011

Las Peliculas de Poquer Mas Recomendadas

Desde la época de oro del Oeste, jugar al Póquer ha siempre sido un juego popular en Hollywood. A pesar de que muchas de las películas de Hollywood que se localizan en póquer no son muy buenas, y a veces presentan al juego de una manera ridícula, mirar el juego desde la gran pantalla es muy divertido, especialmente si eres un jugador de Póquer.

Acá te presentamos las mejores películas que fueron producidas en Hollywood. Algunas son excelentes aparte de ser sobre el póquer, mientras que otras el juego es el tema principal de atracción. De todas maneras, si eres fanático del póquer, disfrutaras mucho de mirarlas!

1) The Sting, dirigido por George Roy Hill, 1973:
Esta película es menos a cerca del póquer y más a cerca el arte de manejar las car6tas pero te proveerá dos horas de diversión sofisticada. El ganador de los Premios Academia de 1973, presenta al joven Paul Newman como el mejor artista de todos quien conduce a Robert Redford al arte de los trucos de carta. El trabajo de David S. Warn es basado en historias de juegos reales.

2) The Cincinnati Kid, dirigida por Norman Jewison en 1965:
Este clásico es conocido por su estremecedor mano final y la inolvidable frase: "Llega a lo que se trata, no? Hacer la movida equivocada en el lugar preciso." The Cincinnati Kid es a cerca de la batalla entre Steve Macqueen que es un joven jugador de póquer conocido por "The Kid", y el veterano apostador de póquer conocido por "The Man" actuado por Edward G. Robinson, durante la gran depresión en New Orleans.

Es una de las mejore películas de póquer que he visto en la gran pantalla.

1) California Split dirigida por Robert Altman en 1974:
Puede que esta no sea una de las mejores películas de Altmans, pero es una de las mejores representaciones de la vida de dos apostadores profesionales actuada por George Segal y Elliott Gould. La narrativa no es particularmente directa y el final no es exactamente feliz, pero si logra describir una experiencia autentica. También, los fanáticos de póquer trivial disfrutaran de aprender que el legendario jugador de Póquer Amarillo Slim actúa un papel pequeño.

2) Rounders dirigida by John Dahl en 1998:
No es claro si el éxito de la película empujo al boom del Póquer en el siglo 21 o la popularidad del póquer hizo Rounders un éxito total. De una manera u otra, Rounders es una de las mejores películas de póquer que ha habido en la pantalla. El tema de la película se basa en una maratón en la que Mat Damon y Edward Norton tratan de ganar dinero para pagar deudas de apuestas. EL campeón mundial de Póquer Johnny Chan también aparece en escena.

3) Maverick dirigida por Richard Donner en 1994:
A pesar de que Maverick no es una película brillante en el ámbito del póquer, es una divertida y entretenida película par mirar. Te puede dar una idea básica de lo que era ser un jugador de póquer en el lejano oeste, con Mel Gibson como un maverick que trata de ganar suficiente dinero para el torneo del gran torneo final.

Minggu, 26 Juni 2011

The Decline Of The Local Newspaper

I have recently been hearing about how our local newspapers (in the UK) are falling into decline due to a raft of competition from various alternative media sources such as the internet.

I live in Birmingham and I am the type of person who loves to play and watch sports. Where I live we have a famous Saturday nights sports paper which arrives in the shops at around 6pm, it is called The Sports Argus and is pink in colour. This paper has been a must buy for my family for as long as I can remember and it includes all of the days football results and the latest football tables. It also has match reports from all of the local teams as well as a lot of information about other sports including the horse racing and its results. This paper will no longer be available as it appeared in the shops for the last time around three weeks ago.

A few years ago the first place to read about these results and to see the updated football divisions was via this newspaper. This is no longer the case of course. We are now able to view this information almost immediately after each football match has finished on either satellite television, the internet or even on our mobile phones. Less and less people are now purchasing this particular paper which is a shame as I had continued to do so and will miss it!

Other potential reasons for a decline in our local newspapers could include the fact that they are no longer that local, if you know what I mean. As an example some of the papers include lots and lots of national news items and only a few about local stories and events. The reason we are purchasing the paper is to find out about what is going on in our own area, if I want to know about national items I would of course buy one of the national newspapers.

A number of our local newspapers have been taken over by some of the big news corporations who have reduced the amount of pages in each edition and who have also reduced the amount of copies which are printed. What they did not reduce of course was the price, therefore they are expecting us to pay the same price for less pages and less news.

We are now also able to watch the news twenty-four hours a day if we want to and if we of course have access to satellite television. This has had a huge negative impact on the local newspaper sales.

Advertising revenue has greatly reduced in recent years for these local newspapers, this has also been a reason which has resulted in some of them deciding to stop printing.

In my opinion if the local newspapers are going to survive they need to fight back. They should become as is their name, more local. By all means include the main two or three national news stories but ninety percent of the items should be about the local area and its people.

Advertising rates should be made more affordable with perks to encourage people to become long term business partners and advertisers, such as free features of their business from time to time. I would also include some interesting competitions and offers off different products.

Sabtu, 25 Juni 2011

How to Improve your Poker Skills

If you were trying to become a professional baseball player, you would probably spend much of your time working out at the gym, at batting practice and at your position as much as you could, well gambling requires the same dedication and practice if you want to be the best.

The first thing you must do to improve your poker skills is to play as many hands of poker a day as you can. This means instead of watching television, or hanging out with friends you should be in an online poker room or online casino playing poker.

Using the internet you can find many online poker rooms that will allow you to play poker online against live opponents. Playing live players instead of the computer is always better, because when you play against the computer it will always respond the same in any given situation. The computer just goes thru an algorithm which tells it what to do, but a person has to make a decision and given the same situation two hands in a row there is no telling what a person is going to do.

Besides playing poker as much as you can, it is also important to watch the game as well. I would recommend watching poker on TV, going to the casino and just watching and many online casinos will give you the option of watching a game. This will give you the chance to practice your skills of reading people. The more you watch the better you will become at noticing those small involuntary things we all do that tell others what we are thinking. An example of this is taught to the police when they are in basic training. When trying to come up with a lie most people will unconsciously look up and to the left. This means if you ask your child if they did their homework and they look up and too the left before telling you they had no homework there is a good chance they are not telling the truth.

When you can not play poker against live players or spend time watching it you should read about it. Reading about poker will not give you the experience that you need but there are many useful things you can get from reading. One of them would be the odds of any 1 card being dealt to you. Knowing the odds against you making the hand you are going for may influence your decision and save you a lot of money in the long run. There are many books written on the subject of poker and any book store will carry a good selection of them. I recommend only reading books from mathematicians and those who have made a name for themselves playing poker professionally.

Study psychology. You may not believe his but learning psychology will give you an advantage over the other players, you can learn how to overcome involuntary reactions to good news and bad news, making it harder for your opponents to read you and figure out what cards are in your hand. it will also teach you to mislead others into thinking whatever you want them to think. This skill can be extremely helpful in helping you win games and increase your wealth.

Jumat, 24 Juni 2011

The Effects of the Banning Online

Everyone talks about the negative impact of online gambling, but they are not talking about the negative impact of banning online gambling.

A reason for banning online casinos was to make sure that underage children were not using thee parents credit cards to gamble online, but besides the fact that most online casinos did everything possible to ensure to verify the age of the account holder before allowing any gambling to occur, but by banning it you are only stopping the law abiding casinos from taking bets and not the less reputable online casinos. They will use third party account like PayPal ore Click2pay which provide a loophole in the new law.

By banning an activity especially such a popular activity as online gambling all that can be expected to happen is for people to find ways around the law, such as the Speakeasies of the 1920’s.

A Speakeasy was a nightclub that served Alcohol during prohibition and was usually hidden in the back rooms of pet stores and innocent looking book stores. Every time a speakeasy was raided the next night another one was opened, and this is what will happen with these online casinos. If the government finds one operating in the USA and gets it shut down or manages to stop the money flowing to it then another will open.

By regulating online gambling the government would know exactly who was running the casino to make sure they were running it honestly and within all the laws, and it would help make sure that the criminal element did not get rich and gain power a second time in the history of the USA because of a bad lawmaking decision.

Another reason given for the ban of online gambling was to help protect against a rise in problem gamblers from have casino gamming in your home 24 hrs a day, but no proof has ever been found that shows that people who would normally not be inclined to go to a casino and gamble would decide to do it just because it was now in their homes.

The facts actually show a steady rate of people with gambling problems and growing at the same rate it has been growing for over 25 years.

Many experts are now saying that there are some positives to the online gambling ban, but those positives would be even better if the industry was properly legalized and not, just by putting a mostly unenforceable law in place.

But this to be a pattern the government seems to always make, it is much like the war on drugs. Last time I checked thee was still a drug problem in this country even though drugs are illegal, yet in countries like Holland where the use of soft drugs like hash and grass are legal the number people with drug problems is much lower per capita then in the USA. This is because the money that is brought in the form of taxes from these sales goes to fund the public schools where they properly educate kids on the negative effects of these drugs, so most of the people who smoke are tourists and not the locals.

Maybe one day the government will learn from its past mistakes and make things right.

Kamis, 23 Juni 2011

The Essence of Law

Law defined by the Webster dictionary is a 'binding custom or practice of a community'. It is 'a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority'. Each land has its own law but the sole purpose of law is to integrate people and ensure a cohesive bond amongst different strata of the society. Breaking law, thus, is synonymous to threatening the integrity of the land.

From the ages of lawless lands of jungle where nature ruled man's lives to the modern-day courts – the journey of law, irrespective of its land of practice, is as rich and enduring as the journey of the mankind. Just as mankind is still growing, progressing and breaking new boundaries, the law that binds the mankind is also evolving continuously. Old rules are challenged; new laws are born ensuring the well-being of the land and the people who live off and on it.

The concept of law has been debated for ages – from the 1500s amongst the greats like Francis Bacon, Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu to David Hue to the modern day judges and lawyers, law has been argued and reargued again and again so that all points of time – it is the victory of the mankind, what is good and just and not the victory of an individual. This law may vary from land to land but the basic human sense of justice and truth prevails irrespective of geographical boundaries. So in essence laws of all lands are more or less similar.

Law is symbolized by the blind-folded lady – the reason being law does not see who is in front of it, but practices it equally for all. Law can be categorized under many categories – Civil law for example laws related to land, property, families and societies, Constitutional law related to the constitution of the land, Criminal laws involving the laws to curb the criminal activities in the society, Human Rights, Environment, Administrative law, International law and so on and so forth. Based on the country, the judiciary system of law differs, the structure and the power assigned to the judiciary system also varies accordingly. In countries ruled by military power or under some monarchies, often the judiciary lies with the governing power and is not considered as an independent body as in many democracies.

Practicing law is very interesting. The best part of practicing law is that one can pick up law at any point of their lives. Unlike most professions, where you need to start very young, law gives you the flexibility to study and practice law at a later stage in life as well. The practicing lawyers generally specialize in one of the categories of law. How one practices law and how the law is upheld in a society depends upon people's values of ethics and moral. The more law-abiding the citizens are, the better are the chances of prosperity for that land. However as St. Augustine had famously said 'An unjust law is not a law at all', while a law-abiding citizen must follow the laws of the land, he/she must also stand against the law that is unjust and immoral.

Rabu, 22 Juni 2011

You Can Be A Faith Healer

You can learn-almost immediately-to minister healing by faith. Yes, you can learn to minister healing by faith almost immediately.

I believe that any believer can be a faith healer if they will just do what God says...if they will just act upon His word.

Some of my earliest experiences ministering healing by faith came in a denominational church where I was pastor. I gave an invitation in one of our services for those needing healing to come forward. Between twenty and thirty people came forward for healing. Keep in mind please that these dear folk were weak in what the Bible said about healing. But they were ill and came forward anyway.

My message that night was upon being healed by laying on of hands and/or anointing with oil. I proceeded to lay hands upon and anoint with oil all those who came requesting it. As the laying on of hands and the anointing progressed, things began to happen. Healings began to occur.

One young lady said that when I laid hands on her for her healing, she felt heat come from my hands and enter her body. At that exact point in time she said she could feel all the pain and discomfort (caused from her sickness and malady) leave her.

Another person who was standing next to one to whom I was ministering healing said they could feel the healing coming from that person into them also. They too were healed then and there. The power of God was strong in the place that night.

One of these people had migraines that were debilitating to them. Yet they had been unable to get relief anywhere. That night perfect calm came over that person as the pain swiftly went away.

All we were doing was acting on what God said in His word. They simply acted by coming for laying on of hands and anointing with oil and prayer. I simply acted by laying hands on them, anointing them and praying over them. This is the unbeatable combination for healing. Just obey what God says for us to do for our healing.

Of course these are wonderful memories for me. These occurred when I was just starting out in the healing ministry. But even more wonderful and beautiful is this:

God hasn’t changed His ways, His word or His healing delivery methods. These healing delivery methods still work when we work them. They are as valid today and as powerful as they were the first time I used any of them back in the early 80’s.

You can be healed with them now...here...today. You can also (almost immediately) learn how to minister healing to others. Just get your Bible down and learn some of the eight ways God has chosen to heal His children.

Then do what He says do in these Scriptures. When you act out what He said, the healing problem is passed on to Him. He must and will heal. You can learn to minister faith healing.

Selasa, 21 Juni 2011

Variants Of Cigar Ashtrays

Everybody give a lot of importance to all kinds of accessories they use from their personal wear to their cars to their deco`s at home. In the same way even small things like Cigar ashtrays are something to be given attention to.

Important features to look for:

The simplest, most common ashtray design is that of a circle with a hollow cylindrical rim around a flat surface. Now more and more people are looking for different features in their Cigar Ashtrays. Like the size of the container, it should be large and deep enough to hold all the ash-drops that the cigar creates. You should also see that the ashtray is sturdy enough to absorb an incidental shock and also not slippery. Another important feature is that the width of the ashtray should be big enough to support a cigar on a horizontal level otherwise the cigar would be tilting down with the coal resting in the base of the tray. So, this can suffocate the one side that is touching the tray and cause the cigar to burn unevenly.

These days you would also find ashtrays with three notches at the edges, two to the width of a cigarette and one to that of the diameter of a cigar. The purpose of these notches is to provide as rests for your cigars or cigarettes while still burning. Every other minute you take a puff from your cigar you should be careful to drop the ashes in the ashtray, you surely do not want to spill the ashes everywhere .Also keep your cigar safe in the ashtray notches, obviously it will be difficult to keep your cigar in your hand the whole time when you have to do some work or get something.

Kinds of Ashtrays:

Ashtrays are something that are not only kept in your house but also in common public places like restaurants, toilets etc to keep the places clean and tidy. You would find ashtrays manufactured from glass, porcelain, stoneware, silver and even aluminium. If you are looking for an antique touch then you could probably go for wood. Crystal ashtrays are also very popular these days. They give you a more sophisticated look. The clear crystal refracts light and is a beautiful accessory for your home or office. You will find them in all shapes and sizes, rectangular, circular, square etc. They are elegant and artistically shaped crystal cigar ashtrays.

When it comes to technology it has given us probably everything we could have wanted. And now with modern technology there are smokeless cigar ashtrays now. These ashtrays collect the smoke as the cigar is at rest. While the smoke is driven to the device the air around is cleaned. For those who cannot tolerate smoke this is a life saver for them and also for smokers as they can smoke without oppressing their fellow companions.

With so many different kinds of ashtrays available you can now choose the right one for your place!

Senin, 20 Juni 2011

Laughing at the Indian Cricket Team

Indian cricket is headed for a disastrous World Cup and only those who wish to bury their head in the sand can think that they will do well there. The pitches in West Indies are fast and the players (who anyway have a tough time on such pitches) will succumb easily. They will advance (I truly hope so) to the next round by beating the weak teams but they will lose once again to the strong ones and they will find ourselves out and forgotten very soon. So instead of feeling sad, the only thing left for the fans to do is to joke about them. So here goes!

The story goes that there was a couple married for quite some time and they had a boy of 5-6 years old. Their relationship was turning sour. So finally it reached such a stage that they thought it was better for them to be divorced than to carry on such a relationship.

So they consulted a lawyer. But the big question was who would have the kid. In the hearing in the court it was decided that this choice should be left to their son. So the judge asked "Son, would you like to stay with your mummy?"

The kid replied," No, mummy beats me."
So the judge asked "Then, would you like to stay with your papa?"
The kid replied, "No, papa beats me too."

Now the judge was in a dilemma and was not able to decide what to do. After pondering for some time he smiled with the ideas he had in his mind about the child.

And he gave the judgment that the kid would stay with

Any guesses?

Come on I know you can guess this.

Ok here is the decision: The judge decided that the kid would stay with the Indian Cricket Team because they never beat anybody.

And here are some one liners to pipe up your day:
Why do Indian babies cry and complain all the time?
They are practicing how to become Indian cricketers when they grow up.

What is an handcuffed Indian Cricketer called?
A cricketer you can trust.

What are the four words that will destroy any Indian batsman?
Did you bat today?

Why doesnt the crowd blink when Tendulkar goes out to bat?
There just is no time until he gets out again.

What is the difference between an Indian batsman and an Australian one?
100 runs.

What is the difference between batteries and Indian cricketers?
Batteries have a positive side.

How do you force Indian cricketers to run between wickets?
You place food on either end.

Yes, I know that some of these jokes are really putting the Indian team down but considering their recent form (excluding the recent two victories against West Indies which I think is more of a fluke than anything else), I felt that I could say such things.

I cannot understand how such players such as Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid and the rest can let the fans down time and again. Sometimes it seems that they are not really interested in playing and that they gamble away their wicket easily. If that is the case then they should leave and let other more able and willing youngsters take a shot. They will not fare much worse in any case. What will they do? Lose. They lose anyway and to any cricket playing nation in the world!

Minggu, 19 Juni 2011

Understanding Green Card

The United States Permanent Resident Card, better understood as the Green Card, is the identification card of individuals who live permanently in the United States but are not U.S. citizens. It is the proof that the person is legally permissible to stay and work in the United States and acquires most of the rights of a U.S. citizen. Its original name was Alien Registration Receipt Card which is now called the Permanent Resident Card or form I-551 or simply Green Card.

Originally, the Permanent Resident Card is green thus the name green card. But over the years, the card’s color has been replaced several times. By 2005, the lettering at the back of the card is the only prominent part of the card that is green and the rest it white. Still, the green card marks its title to the card and the current name in use. It contains the name and photograph plus other information of the holder. The card has also been improved a number of times to avoid counterfeiting.

The rule on the green card holder is simple. When in the United States, the holder should posses the green card at all times. This is important to avoid trouble when asked by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer. This is one particular requirement of the law of the United States. Of course, the U.S. citizens need not to carry identification. This is simply because citizens have far greater constitutional rights than green card holders who are still considered as aliens. The rule to carry the card however does not exist before September 11, 2001 unless the person is coming from foreign trip where he/she needs to present the card upon re-entry to the United States. After September 11, 2001, this rule has been enforced that even when the green card holder is traveling domestically or residing in the country. The US Department of Homeland Security is the one responsible to randomly check residents if they are citizens or not then ask for the green card when needed.

Before, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) are the ones who issue green cards but it was later absorbed and replaced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The USCIS is formerly known as the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services or the BCIS which is still under the Department of Homeland Security

Getting a green card though requires a thorough and long process. It may even take years to get it. However, the application still depends on the type of criteria the applicant falls in and what country the applicant has come from. And even if he/she is most suited to become green card holder, there is a definite number of approvals per year with unlimited number of applicants.

To be eligible for a green card application, the applicant must fall in at least one of the following criteria:

One, there should be an employer ready to sponsor your to the whole green card application process. Two, you have a relative with U.S. citizenship. Three, you won the green card lottery. Four, you happen to be married with a U.S. citizen. And five, you have invested at least $500,000 on U.S. land and have created 5 full-time jobs. Other qualifications for green card are, asylum, refugee, special immigrants, adoption, private bill, and registry.

Sabtu, 18 Juni 2011

Popular Teen Halloween Costumes

When it comes to tweens, particularly boys, choosing a Halloween costume will be as much about what is “cool” as it is about what they like. You can now find fancier and fancier costumes targeted for tweens for Halloween, in fact the choices are nearly endless, so be creative!

The fact of it is, Halloween is becoming a holiday that can be enjoyed by the whole family – not just the very young. However, there seems to be a gap between the sexy adult Halloween costumes and the Halloween costumes worn by children in preschool and elementary school. This gap is becoming filled by a set of costumes marketed directly by to this middle group.

Superman and Supergirl/Superwoman

The cartoons, movies, and comics have made these characters popular with all age groups. While a simple costume may seem childish, a few tweaks and it can be sexy and cool. Everyone loves a super hero, and you are sure to see a few of these flying about your town on Halloween night.

Batman

Another member in the superhero lineup, the darker side of Batman seems perfectly suited for Halloween, especially the version from Batman Returns. Like the Superman costume, this is a classic for all ages, though certain detailing will definitely differentiate and adult/teen costume from a child's costume.

Soldier

Due to the chaotic world events, the popularity of soldier costumes is increasing. Plus, this costume can be relatively easy to put together with all the camouflage clothing that is readily available. Some face paint and your look is complete. Parents should be aware, however, that this costume does offer low visibility to oncoming traffic at night.

Ghosts and demons

These costumes are also relatively easy to put together with the help of a mask and/or some face paint, making them a popular choice for young adults on the go. The “Scream” movie ghost is one popular addition to this category.

Klownz

Bad spelling aside, these clown costumes are marketed towards the young adult crowd. They have a more modern design look to them, and are not as scary as an adult costume might be but not as silly as a child's costume. Instead of the robes usually worn, these costumes often utilize jackets and jumpers, making them popular with teens.

Fading light Phantoms
For teens willing to spend a little extra money on their Halloween costume, these specialty masks can give a spooky effect after dark. Basically the mask includes mounted lights that are set to fade in and out, creating a creepy effect in the dark. Add to that they are easy to wear, and it is no wonder they are so popular with teens.

Parents should keep in mind that many young adult costumes are not designed to be as visible to cars and other people as a child's costume might be. Because of this, some parents choose to attach reflective tape to the costume in some fashion, or have their children carry flashlights or glow sticks to make them more visible to oncoming traffic.

Jumat, 17 Juni 2011

How to Keep Predator Fish

Many people like to have fish for pets because they are low maintenance, and can be very relaxing to watch them swim. Most first time fish enthusiast like to keep cold water fish, because they are cheap and most of the different types of these fish will get along together. These fish have some bright colors and have some very fancy fins, but they are mostly large goldfish, and eventually switch to tropical fish to get a larger selection of fish. But keeping tropical fish can be a bit of a gamble, the fish cost more and some of them are very aggressive and will eat your other fish.

There are more different types of tropical fish for you to choose from, and they have a larger variety of colors then cold water fish and keeping them in an aquarium together with other tropical fish does not have to be a gamble, it is not like a trip to the casino to play blackjack, if you do things right there is no gambling involved at all.

The first thing you need to do is some reading before purchasing any fish for your tank. Reading about fish will give you an idea of what species of fish eat other fish, and which ones do not. It will also let you know which meat eating fish will live with what other fish, and make it less of a gamble that you are just buying one fish an expensive meal.

Cichlids are a type of fish that eat other fish but they are a school fish and prefer to be in a tank with other Cichlids, but you want all the other Cichlids to be about the same size, or one day you will come home from a day of playing the most Popular Casino Games in the casino to find several fish missing and one fat fish swimming around slowly.

Cichlids are a surface to medium depth fish. This means they will swim on the top and middle of the tank and will generally not go to the bottom of the tank for very long.

So many people with Cichlids will get a bottom swimmer to fill the tank out. A very popular type of bottom swimmers is catfish. There are many different fish in the species of catfish. Some of these fish are non aggressive and do not get very big, but a fish like this may not be aggressive enough to be in a tank of Cichlids.

You may want to get a more aggressive type of catfish, but if you get a large one it will surely eat the Cichlids, but if it too small you are gambling that the Cichlids will not pick its eyes out.

Just remember that no matter how much you read each fish does have a personality of their own and no matter how much you read that one fish will be friendly with another it putting them in an Aquarium together is gambling.

There is always the possibility that some of your fish will get eaten, but the only way to make keeping fish not a gamble is to keep each fish in their own separate fish tank in the hope that this will keep them all safe, but this will not make for happy fish. With trial and error you will learn what can live with what types of fish and save the gambling for Las Vegas casinos.

Kamis, 16 Juni 2011

op 8 des Bonnes Raisons de Jouer au

Lors de multiples discussions, il en est ressorti que ce qui motive une personne a jouer de plus en plus au casino et autres jeux d'argent est son rapport a la vie.
Pour ces dernieres, la vie elle meme est un jeu. Respirer est un jeu,sortir hors de chez soi est un jeu, bref, meme le quotidien est un jeu. mais le casino, quant a lui, nous offre des sensations uniques car les paris ne sont, contrairement aux mouvemet quotidiens,bases que sur le fruit du hasard. Le casino procure a l'homme une montee d'adrenaline hors norme. Le risque est donc plus fort.


Ainsi, de cette etude. il en est ressorti les resultats suivants:


Le temps des vacances:

Ces 10 dernieres annees, Las Vegas est devenue l'endroit populaire pour jouer en famille car a la mise en place de systeme de resort et d'attractions familiales.


Pour gagner et devenir riche :

De toutes personnes interviewées ces personnes sont les plus representatives du phenomene. Elles sont venues au casino avec l'espoir de devenir riches et de pouvoir changer le cours de leur destin.


Problèmes d'argent :

Rejoint l'idee precedente. Beaucoup semble croire qu'ils peuvent regler leurs problèmes d'argent en jouant. Or, il y a aussi de forte chance, si madame chance n'est pas la, qu'elles engrangent d'avantages de pertes et de problemes si elles ne peuvent gerer leurs jeux et leurs mises.

Salle de Mariage:

Pour certains, se rendre au casino est l'endroit ideal pour celebrer son mariage. Un peu comme dans une eglise quoi. Et de preference a Las Vegas ou Salt Lake City. Leurs salles deviennent a la mode pour ce genre d'evenement en raison de leur prix rentable, l'originalite de leur hall d'accueil et l'espace de la salle pouvant accueillir grand nombre d'invites.


Leurs revenus.

Pour certains, le casino est comme un metier. Certains y passent toute leur journee pour pouvoir remporter une sorte de "salaire" plus ou moins eleve d'ici la fin du mois.


Pour trouver l'ame soeur:

Vous n'imagineriez pas le nombre de personnes celibataires se rendant en casino lors de parties de celibataires, uniquement dns l'espoir de trouver l'ame soeur et pourtant. Grand nombre de personnes interrogees y ont mentionne ce desir.


Pour fuir de chez soi :

La majorite des personnes interrogees ayant repondu pour sortir de chez soi sont essentiellement des gens de la gente masculine, tous maries depuis plus de 10 ans et peres de famille. Ces derniers se rendent generalement au casino en moyenne une fois par mois pendant quelques heures avant de rentrer.


Pour le plaisir :

Ces personnes auraient eu la bonne reponse. Toutefois, j'ai du mal a croire que cette categorie, qui devrait apparaitre en premiere place, ne se trouve au final qu'au bas de la liste. En effet, jouer au casino devrait etre avant tout une partie de plaisir. Integrer une ambiance hors pair d'un casino reel, avoir des boissons gratuites et ameliorer leur techniques de jeux, telles sont leurs principales preoccupations.

Rabu, 15 Juni 2011

How to Watch the SuperBowl

On February 4th hundreds of thousands of Football fans will be gathering around their televisions to view the SuperBowl, but what are the essentials to maximizing your SuperBowl watching experience

The teams may not have been decided yet, but it is not like it really matters, no matter who plays most eyes will be glued to the game. With the exception of the fans of those teams that are playing most people who watch the SuperBowl are just hoping for a good game.

One thing people like to do to make the game more interesting is an office football pool. This is when everyone throws money into a pot and you get a box latter numbers are randomly put in each box, then at the end of each quarter the score is checked and whoever is on the box that corresponds with the current score wins some money, and who ever has the score at the end of the game gets the majority of the money.

Another thing the more hardcore gamblers like to do is to place a bet at one of the many online sportsbooks. If this is hat you are into I recommend you go to several sportsbooks before placing your bets, different sites will offer different odds. Make sure to only place your bets on the SuperBowl with the bookie who offers you the best odds.

Besides betting on the game there are many things you can do to make the game more enjoyable.

The people you watch the game with effect the enjoy ability of the game. If some of the people you watch the SuperBowl with do not like football or understand the game they are not going to get into the game and they may want to talk and be a disturbance to those who want to watch the game undisturbed.

The 2 most important things you need to watch the SuperBowl are food and beverages. SuperBowl party’s can be very wild and result in many people calling out of work the next day, because of being hung over or sick from bad food.

Make sure whatever types of foods you offer the foods were not prepared in a rush. If you are planning to order food to be delivered you may want to rethink your plan. One of the busiest nights of the year for a take out restaurant is SuperBowl Sunday, and in a rush to get all the orders delivered on time sometimes food can be undercooked, so you may want to either keep it simple like pizza or make your own food.


Beverages can be a bigger problem then the food. Most men will usually drink some beer while watching the game, but unless each person brings their own beer you risk running into someone who does not like the selection you have provided, also because the game is on a Sunday people may want to stay sober, because of work the next day. So make sure to have a good selection of beer, hard liquor and non alcoholic soft drinks. You can always ask you friends when you invite them for the game what they like to drink, then assuming no one picks something so out of the ordinary you should be able to find an acceptable mix of drinks for everyone.

As for Snacks I recommend a large selection or the basics chips, pretzels and maybe popcorn or even peanuts.

Hopefully this will help you to have a better time watching the SuperBowl, and throw a great party at the same time.

Selasa, 14 Juni 2011

How Not to Lose 10000 Dollars in the

For the last several years one Saturday of each month some friends and I would get in the car and drive to Atlantic City for a night of gambling, and it has always been one of the best days of the month.

We have never really been big gamblers we usually just stayed with the slots or the roulette table, until six months ago when someone decided we should learn to play poker because that’s where you can win lots of money fast.

So we all started playing poker in a weekly Friday night game together till we were good enough to play in the casinos. For practice I would play Online Poker in some free multiplayer poker rooms and eventually I felt confident enough to join an online casino poker room for real money.

At first I was losing hand after hand but the more hands I played the better of an understanding I was getting for the game, and every night I started making less and less mistakes and I actually started to win a few hands.
After about 2 or 3 months of this we decided it was time and we all drove to the casino to play some Poker.

We did ok for first timers, no one got rich but no one came home broke either. We decided that instead of our monthly trips we should start going every Saturday, and soon we would be leaving every Friday after work and coming back late Sunday night


Last month we decided to join this small tournament, the buy inn was only a few hundred each and the prize was 10,000 dollars, so we all decided to go for it and to try to start making real money playing poker, and in the end it paid off, I am still not sure how but I won the poker tournament and the 10,000 dollars grand prize.

Before the tournament we had all agreed that if one of us won it we would go out and have a big party with the money, but I had a much better idea


I decided that I could turn this money into a much larger amount and since it was easy to win the first time it should be easy to do it again.

Now from my personal experience I know that the Roulette table is a great way to double your money fast, there were many nights id have 20 dollars in my poker before leaving the casino and I would manage to double it on one spin of the roulette wheel, and now I had ten thousand dollars and could walk away with twenty thousand in just minutes.

So against the advice of all my friends I looked for a roulette table where the same color had won three times in a row. Once I finally found a roulette table that had come up red 3 times in a row it I place all my winnings on black and what luck it came out red again and I nearly passed out on the casino floor.

Ever since that night I have not won anything I have played. The best piece of advice I can give anyone out there is to not let winning go to your head. If you are up in the casino, go home and enjoy the money. It is important to remember that gambling in a casino or an online casino is supposed to be fun and relaxing and if it is not go read a book or something.

Senin, 13 Juni 2011

Keeping Halloween Diet Damage to a Minimum

If you are trying to avoid sugary sweets, either to lose weight or simply to have a healthier Halloween, this can be a frightful challenge. No other night of the year can compare to the amount of sugary temptations that are available, in fact, most Halloween activities center around candy. Before you run screaming this Halloween, here are some suggestions for limiting the sugar overload.

Choose healthier choices

Instead of putting all of the focus on the candy that is received at Halloween, why not put some of the focus on healthier alternatives? For example; have a costume party, create Halloween crafts, have a spooky scavenger hunt, or attend one of the Halloween alternative parties or festivals that are often offered by churches. This gives kids fun things to do on Halloween night instead of going trick-or-treating.

If you want to keep trick-or-treating in your routine, but are worried about the sugar, why not pass out goodies that are not candy? Often, children will be just as happy with a toy or other item given in lieu of candy – stickers, pencils, or even single serving snacks can be healthier alternatives to candy.

Limit the intake

Chances are, even if you aim for a healthier Halloween in your own home, somewhere along the line your child is going to come home with candy anyways. There are several strategies that you can use to dispose of it. Some parents will set a limit as to how many pieces a day can be eaten. Others will offer a trade of the candy for a toy or other item that the child has been desiring. You can also buy the candy back for a few dollars. These alternatives will help you get the candy out of sight and out of mind of your children.

Get rid of it

If you are also tempted by Halloween candy, having it hidden at the back of the cupboard may work for your kids, but often not for you. If you cannot handle the temptation of having it sitting out, find a way to get rid of it. Freeze plain chocolate to be used in recipes. You can also save some of the mini candy bars to hide in lunch boxes for a fun surprise now and again. Chop up candy bars and create cookies to send to neighbors, senior citizens, or your child's teacher. Or use the candy to bribe some neighborhood teen into raking your leaves or watching the kids while you run to the store.

Make it a learning opportunity

Halloween can be a good time to talk about good nutrition and moderation of sweets. Explain to kids why you want to limit their sweet intake, but don't take it away entirely or dwell on the topic. Doing this will only tempt them to sneak the goodies when they think you are not watching. Keep it fun and show them how they can share the goods.

Halloween doesn't have to be all about candy if you take the time to get a little creative and make smart decisions.

Minggu, 12 Juni 2011

Top 5 Ways to Choose Your Contemporary Furniture

New generation homes need contemporary furniture to make them more attractive and stylish. To create an impressive look of a modernized house, proper living room accessories should be incorporated in the design to enhance the image of the room. There are many ways to select the best priced modern furniture. I am listing out some which you will find useful while purchasing modern furniture.

1. The contemporary designs should match and suit the personality and taste of the individual. There is no need to purchase new expensive items in order to create an inspiring look. Even simple designs can create an attractive and modern living room. For example, lighting accessories like ornament lights and vanity strips enhances the décor of the room and you don’t need a fat budget to buy them.

2. There is no need to accessorize and update modern living room design with expensive designer furniture. A design of modern living room can be created with less expensive modern home accessories. You can create a total image of modern world with the use of patterned, shiny and elegant accessories subdued in colors of black, gray and silver.

3. Color magic should be incorporated in the designs of modern living room with appropriate color schemes like silver, black and white. Sticking to basic colors will reflect best contemporary look. It is better to paint modern living room using flat or matte paint finish and avoid shiny or glossy paint finish. Walls can be painted with white color and can be adorned with accessories like modern day murals or paintings to give a sophisticated flair to the room.

4. It is better to go abstract with patterned designs that bring a contemporary look to your home. Abstract designs can be used with paintings or clocks. Abstract designs convey various things when interpreted smartly. Purchasing furniture is a tedious and challenging task with a pre-planned décor and limited budget. With proper budgeting and planning it is easy to find a wide range of choices in the market at affordable prices. One has to enter a furniture store with a well designed and framed plan with a good amount of money to be spent on furniture. After fixing range and budget, the choices can be considerably narrowed down. Without this exercise, time spent in planning will not lead to any successful or fruitful purchase. Also with proper strategy, you can select furniture easily and can use the saved money for other purposes.

5. It is better to avoid unnecessary hassles while setting up new home or redoing the house. As the requirements of furniture vary with every room of the house, it is difficult to afford all of them within the budget. New set up or redecoration has to be properly planned to make the work easier. Contemporary furniture stores compete with each other in selling modern, ethnic, ultra modern, exotic and vintage items. After deciding upon the décor, the type of furniture should be chosen.

Sabtu, 11 Juni 2011

The greates cello player Pablo Casals

Pablo Casals, was a past master of the cello. He was the virtuoso in the 20th century. he was a Spanish cellist , pianist , composer , conductor , and humanitarian . As a solo cellist he was known for his beautiful tone and intellectual strength, and he introduced Bach 's cello suites into the baroque repertoire . He was consider by many as one of the world's truly great artists, who plays for them on his cello in the garden of the Governor's palace. Casal not only was spanish, but he also had some latino blood in him, the renowned cellist who was born in Spain to a Puerto Rican mother, and later on in his life he did a few concerts in San Juan de Puerto Rico in honour of his mother.

Pablo Casal, the celebrated Silesia-born maestro is known not only for his musical excellence but also for his humanitarian involvement (he has, for instance, taken part in peaceful demonstrations -- something that is rather unusual for a conductor) and his kindness. He was such an amazing human being and artist that they created in his name, The Pablo Casals Festival. A music Festival that is now dedicated to chamber music and takes place between July 26 and August 13, attracting the most renowned performers as well as major ensembles. Most concerts are performed in the medieval monastery of St. From the perspective of responsible promotion, the International Pablo Casals Cello Competition awards prizes and scholarships and arranges international performance opportunities for the top prizewinners.

Pablo Casal as a great cello performed played at the United Nations (1958) and the White House (1961), and conducted a celebrated concert of some 80 cellists at Lincoln Center (1972).

Although later in his career he became most noted for his choral and other church-related compositions, he also left a large body of instrumental music for solo instruments and ensembles. While his popular reputation was eclipsed by the fame of his sons, he was revered by musicians and composers.

One of the things that I like the most about the personality of Pablo Casal, is how he was such a humanitarian of deep principle. He even refused to play in Hitler's Germany, Casals was implacably opposed to Franco's regime (spanish dictactor) and in 1939 – threatened with execution if he returned to Spain – he went into exile in southern France.

After World War II, feeling that Britain and America were appeasing Franco, he abruptly stopped playing in public – breaking off a London recording session with Haydn's D major Concerto two-thirds done. Casals was an ardent supporter of the Spanish Republican government, and after its defeat vowed never to return to Spain until democracy was restored.
He settled in the French village of Prades, on the Spanish frontier; between 1939 and 1942 he made sporadic appearances as a cellist in the unoccupied zone of southern France and in Switzerland. When Casals died in Puerto Rico in 1973 at the age of 97, the Casals Festival was 16 years old and attracting the same class of performers who appeared at the Pablo Casals Festival in France, founded by Casals after World War II.

Jumat, 10 Juni 2011

How to buy a used car

Think of buying a car as a game of poker, the seller is your opponent he may be bluffing he may not, but just as you would at a poker room in a casino you have to try to read the seller like you would in a poker room in a casino.

Always remember to keep your eyes and ears open, when talking to someone about a used car. Make sure to ask lots of questions.

In a casino you are risking your money, in hopes of getting a big return, but when buying a car you just want to get your moneys worth, you want a car that will be reliable and dependable. You do not want a car that wont start on cold days or that stalls until its been running for a half hour.

Make sure to check the undercarriage and under the hood for rust. To a car rust is like cancer. Once rust is found it will spread unless it is cut off and replaced. Under the car and in the engine compartment you will find some rust it is only natural, but you want it to only be surface rust. This means if you take a wire brush to the rusted area you will brush off the rust and get to clean metal.

Next make sure to check the body of the car, for waves and any bubbling in the paint, this would indicate that the car was in an accident or some rust was incorrectly repaired. It is not uncommon for someone selling a car to have rust spots sanded down and painted over to give the car a fresh look, but what will happen is after a month or two the paint will start to bubble as the metal begins to rust again.

Next, look at the motor and mechanical parts under the hood of the car. The engine should be relatively clean from motor oil. If you see large buildups of oil in an area then chances are a head gasket will need to be replaces because of an oil leak.

All electrical and rubber parts should be checked for cracks. Cracks in rubber parts means that the rubber is old and dried out and will probably need to be replaced eventually.

Make sure to ask the owner if he has all the receipts for any work that has been done to the vehicle.

Another important piece of advice is to make sure to take the car for a good test drive. Do not be afraid to drive the car a little hard with the owner with you in the car, chances are they will understand, if they object then maybe there is something with the car they are trying to hide and you should move on to another car.

Many people will tell you that buying a used car is a gamble but if you take a good hard look at each car, and not get impulsive to buy, you can remove any gamble and guarantee yourself a jackpot of a car.

Kamis, 09 Juni 2011

Keeping Holiday Traditions in a Modern World

Halloween has long been a favorite holiday. For decades, little ones have dressed up in their costumes on Halloween night to go door to door throughout the neighborhood begging candy from their neighbors.

Unfortunately, Halloween is not as safe as it once was. Running around after dark leaves children vulnerable to accidents and malice. While mom and dad might have been able to accept the homemade cookies from the lady two streets over, now they have to examine their children's treats for needles and razor blades. And those who have corrupted the fun of Halloween to a night for malice and mischief have left some parents hesitant to send their little ones out at all.

However, with a few precautions, you can make sure that the Halloween spirit lives on for at least one more generation.

Stay close

You might remember going trick or treating with a group of friends while mom and dad stayed home to pass out treats. However, in today's changing society, it is simply not a good idea. Stay close to children at all times, particularly younger ones, and make sure that everyone stays within view while trick or treating. If taking out a large group, have children choose a Halloween “buddy” to stay with the entire time.

Set rules

There will be less dissension in the ranks if you set up the rules for Halloween night ahead of time. Make sure your children know before you head out what is acceptable and what isn't. This includes curfews, how far they can go trick or treating, rules about eating treats, etc.

Be visible

While the neighborhoods will be swarming with children out trick or treating, many drivers may not take the extra precautions while driving and will continue to cruise through at normal speeds. To make sure your child is visible to drivers, look for costumes that reflect the light or have your child carry glowsticks or flashlights when trick or treating.

Check the treats

Sadly, you will want to wait to get home to eat any of the treats because you will want to inspect them first. Discard any treats that are unwrapped or whose wrappers have been damaged. Look carefully for anything out of the ordinary. Avoid any homemade treats unless you personally know the person that made them – and then be careful if your child has any allergies.

Be a watchdog

While Halloween is known for costumes and candy, in more recent years it has also started attracting a crowd with more malicious intents. While some may limit their mischief to covering trees in toilet paper or smashing pumpkins, others can do even more vandalism and damage. And with so many children running around, many being only loosely supervised, there are plenty of opportunities for child predators to take advantage of the situation. Keep an eye out on the neighborhood, and report any suspicious activities to police.

If you plan for Halloween and set up some ground rules, you can help ensure that everyone has a wonderful holiday. That way, Halloween can continue to be enjoyed by children everywhere.

Rabu, 08 Juni 2011

How the Online Ban helps Al Qaeda

Groups like Al Qaeda may very well be using online casinos to raise money for their global Jihad, but does banning online gambling really hurt them. The answer to this question is absolutely not, it actually help them.

The way it helps them is easy to understand. Most of the money spent on online gambling was going to publicly owned British operators, but the online gabling ban passed by the American Congress put a stop to that.

Out of fear of repercussions, as soon as the law was signed these companies sold off all operations dealing with the USA, but online gambling is still going on, so now who is getting the money.

The problem with the Gambling ban is that it does not stop people from gambling online it only stops legitimate operations from getting the money and less reputable ones start getting rich.

It is these small casinos that before went mostly unnoticed, that will now be bringing in the billions that will still be wagered online.

It is also these casinos that have the best chance of being a front for AL Qaeda.

Some so called experts will tell you that this is not true and that it was thru owning shares in these publicly traded online casinos that terrorists were making money, but if they were buying shares of online casinos I am sure they are buying shares of Microsoft and Google. So why not ban them as well?

But once again the American people seem to be getting lied to by their elected Government officials, and it is time that we the people fight back against the government.

It is time we as a nation start to question and demand answers that make sense from them, after all they work for us, don’t they?

If you are tired of all the lies, then there is something you can do.

Jim Nickogoski the creator of the http:www.myspace.com/angryonlinegambler has started a web page to help fight against the Online Gambling Ban, the page also offers an online petition so you can tell the government you do not agree and you demand they reverse this unfair and unjust law.

The only real way for the government to ensure that money made from online gambling is not going to fund terrorism is to work together with the online casinos to regulate the industry with licensing so you really know who is getting your money. Only then can we be sure none of our money is going to the people killing out troops and threatening the American way of life.

So make your voice herd, write letters to senators, congressmen and even the President. Tell them you disagree with the law and ask them for real proof that this law is really what is best for us.

In the end I am sure the law will be reversed, maybe one day the government will learn what most Americans already know a ban on something never works, even if the government showed proof that online casinos are run by terrorists people would still play in them, just because they are not supposed to be it is just human nature.

Selasa, 07 Juni 2011

Keep Halloween from Breaking the Bank

Halloween costumes are creative and they continue to evolve each year with new and innovative materials, ideas and technology. The price can also evolve, thus, if you are strapped for cash, but still want to have a memorable Halloween, here are some tips for you.

Keep costumes traditional

The majority of the budget is often spent on Halloween costumes. The selection of costumes varies every year, with the current trend in movies and TV often influencing what is popular. In fact, you may see more Spiderman and Hannah Montana costumes on Halloween night than your traditional Dracula and fairy princess.

If you want to stretch your Halloween costume dollars, consider returning to the more traditional costumes and putting your own spin on them. You can often buy Halloween costume accessories, like clown noses, princess tiaras, and vampire teeth, inexpensively. You can then combine these other accessories such as capes, wands, and swords for an inexpensive, yet fun and creative costume.

Buy treats in bulk

Another big expense on Halloween night is in the purchasing of treats to hand out to the trick or treaters that will come ringing your bell. If you live in a neighborhood that sees a lot traffic on Halloween night, you can end up spending a small fortune in Halloween treats.

One of the easiest ways to avoid this is to buy in bulk. Warehouse stores can offer you candy for much less than the grocery store – and in big bags. If you are looking for a healthier alternative to the fun size candy bar, you can also look for bulk packaging of popular snack foods that are individually wrapped into single servings.

Another alternative is to skip the food altogether and choose a treat alternative. Dollar stores, party supply stores, toy stores, and even teacher supply stores can be a great source of Halloween-themed items like toys, stickers, pencils, and novelties. These can be an inexpensive and fun alternative to the candy bar.

Keep decorations simple

A third expense for Halloween night is the decorations. Traditional jack-o-lanterns are cheap enough to create. However, if you want to create a spookier atmosphere, consider making decorations yourself. Cardboard tombstones, bed sheet ghosts, batting cobwebs, and other handmade decorations can be as spooky to young children as the electronic gizmos that are sold by retailers. Even a few well placed spot lights and candles can give your own home a creepy atmosphere.

Of course, if you really want some of the fancier, high tech Halloween decorations, consider shopping the clearance sales in November. You can get this year's hottest decorations at a much lower cost and save them for future Halloweens.

Saving money on Halloween is all about shopping smarter and planning ahead. With a little forethought and creativity, you can come up with other Halloween money savers that will allow your budget to go a lot further this year.

Senin, 06 Juni 2011

Live Poker: How to Win Tournament Games

Now, if you are interested in being the best player, getting really good money and knowing some tricks and advices of what to do in a live tournament games, here is the best place to learn them.

1) Try not to get drunk
Some of the people that are playing, and that have few rounds to play in the tournament don't count the drinks they have during their games and at the very end of the day they don't have power to continue till the last game, which is a pity to loose such a big opportunity, so, don't drink a lot and be prepare for the last round, also come up with all your senses in order. If you drink, do it measurable and just to loose the nerves before the games but also have some other drinks like soda, water, coffee and others to hydrate your self.

2) Is it important where I sit?
Yes it is, in a tournament try not to sit next to the dealer, take a place in where you will feel that you are in front of the dealer to have the feeling that he is giving you a game. Also in a place where you will feel comfortable with your self and you will have a perspective of the other players.

3) Make your self comfortable while playing
Don't show the other players with your position what you cards are telling you. Make sure to seat back and relax, don't adopt positions that will make you move too much or feel uncomfortable during the time of the game. Some players in the tournaments show their game with the position they adopt while playing either putting the elbows on the table or resting in the bumper.

4) Do the most important thing in the brake.
Don't get distracted from what you really need to do in the brake. Take your time to go to the bathroom and rest, sometimes the discussions about the previous game or lines for getting drinks will waste your time for what is really important.

5) Also your words and mimic are important during the game.
When ever you are playing don't show your cards to the other player in the way you talk or look, is important that they will have other impression, for example in your hand Is good you can try on making faces or saying words that show that your hand is not good, then people will think you have a bad game and you will surprise them at the end. This doesn't work all the time so try to find different ways to hide your game.Also you can read the other player's movements and words to see either they are lying or telling the truth in the hand.

Conclusion:
Ok, right now you are equipped with the best advices from the experienced card players at Live Tournament Games, then just bring all your energies and talent to the tournaments. If you are looking for fun and you don't have friends around to play with, remember that there is always a way to play by your self, you will be always welcome at online casinos so go there is you like to gain some practice for your gaming skills.

Minggu, 05 Juni 2011

Top 8 des Bonnes Raisons de Jouer au

Lors de multiples discussions, il en est ressorti que ce qui motive une personne a jouer de plus en plus au casino et autres jeux d'argent est son rapport a la vie.
Pour ces dernieres, la vie elle meme est un jeu. Respirer est un jeu,sortir hors de chez soi est un jeu, bref, meme le quotidien est un jeu. mais le casino, quant a lui, nous offre des sensations uniques car les paris ne sont, contrairement aux mouvemet quotidiens,bases que sur le fruit du hasard. Le casino procure a l'homme une montee d'adrenaline hors norme. Le risque est donc plus fort.


Ainsi, de cette etude. il en est ressorti les resultats suivants:


Le temps des vacances:

Ces 10 dernieres annees, Las Vegas est devenue l'endroit populaire pour jouer en famille car a la mise en place de systeme de resort et d'attractions familiales.


Pour gagner et devenir riche :

De toutes personnes interviewées ces personnes sont les plus representatives du phenomene. Elles sont venues au casino avec l'espoir de devenir riches et de pouvoir changer le cours de leur destin.


Problèmes d'argent :

Rejoint l'idee precedente. Beaucoup semble croire qu'ils peuvent regler leurs problèmes d'argent en jouant. Or, il y a aussi de forte chance, si madame chance n'est pas la, qu'elles engrangent d'avantages de pertes et de problemes si elles ne peuvent gerer leurs jeux et leurs mises.

Salle de Mariage:

Pour certains, se rendre au casino est l'endroit ideal pour celebrer son mariage. Un peu comme dans une eglise quoi. Et de preference a Las Vegas ou Salt Lake City. Leurs salles deviennent a la mode pour ce genre d'evenement en raison de leur prix rentable, l'originalite de leur hall d'accueil et l'espace de la salle pouvant accueillir grand nombre d'invites.


Leurs revenus.

Pour certains, le casino est comme un metier. Certains y passent toute leur journee pour pouvoir remporter une sorte de "salaire" plus ou moins eleve d'ici la fin du mois.


Pour trouver l'ame soeur:

Vous n'imagineriez pas le nombre de personnes celibataires se rendant en casino lors de parties de celibataires, uniquement dns l'espoir de trouver l'ame soeur et pourtant. Grand nombre de personnes interrogees y ont mentionne ce desir.


Pour fuir de chez soi :

La majorite des personnes interrogees ayant repondu pour sortir de chez soi sont essentiellement des gens de la gente masculine, tous maries depuis plus de 10 ans et peres de famille. Ces derniers se rendent generalement au casino en moyenne une fois par mois pendant quelques heures avant de rentrer.


Pour le plaisir :

Ces personnes auraient eu la bonne reponse. Toutefois, j'ai du mal a croire que cette categorie, qui devrait apparaitre en premiere place, ne se trouve au final qu'au bas de la liste. En effet, jouer au casino devrait etre avant tout une partie de plaisir. Integrer une ambiance hors pair d'un casino reel, avoir des boissons gratuites et ameliorer leur techniques de jeux, telles sont leurs principales preoccupations.

Sabtu, 04 Juni 2011

Shakira La Diva Latina

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll nació en 1977 en Colombia y desde los años 1990 en Latinoamérica, y desde los 2000 en los Estados Unidos se ha convertido en una gran figura de la música latina con estilo oriental que la destaca entre los demás artistas.

Ella es una exitosa cantante, escritora, instrumentalista, productora de discos y bailarina la cual ha logrado atraer los oídos y corazones de la millones de jóvenes y no tan jóvenes que disfrutan de su música original, creativa y rebelde.

Sus líricos son originales ya que escribe poesías inusuales en las cuales incluye frases como:"Tu mordiste la manzana y renunciaste al paraíso, y condenaste a una serpiente, siendo tu el que así lo quiso."

Logra producir rimas de una forma única que solo ella conoce y a su vez en sus versiones en ingles que comenzó en el 2001, logro adaptar su propio estilo sin problema de idioma.

Su primer disco en ingles se llama "Laundry Service" (Servicio de Lavanderia) convirtiéndose en un hit impresionante con el cual gano la mayoría de sus 10 Grammys ganados hasta ahora. Las canciones mas conocidas de aquel disco don "Underneath Your Clothes" (debajo de tu ropa) y "Whenever, Wherever" (Suerte) fueron los mas populares. Su música incluye tiene un estilo de Pop con Oriental, Tango, Latino y otros nuevos ritmos originales.

Fijación Oral Vol 1 and 2, fue su siguiente álbum que saco con Alejandro Sanz la canción "Tortura", con Wyclef Jean "Hips don't Lie" y luego con Vellones "Beautiful Lie" otro gran éxito.

Shakira tiene un origen descendiente catalán-Italiano mezclado con católico Libanés, la cual la caracteriza por tener un estilo oriental, latino que ha logrado obtener a lo largo de su popularidad que la diferencia de cualquier otro artista.

Shakira escribió su primer poema llamado "La Rosa de Cristal" a los cuatro años y siguió escribiendo poemas que luego se convirtieron en canciones. A la edad de 8 cuando su hermano fue matado en un accidente de motocicleta Shakira escribió su primera canción llamada "Tus Gafas Oscuras".

Su personalidad por su puesto es expresada en sus líricos y poemas, así es como también políticamente mantiene opiniones bastante polémicas como comentarios "anti-israelíes" salidos en alguna entrevista en la radio resaltando su origen libanés frente al conflicto en medio oriente.

Tu actual novio, futuro marido es Antonio de La Rua, hijo del previo Presidente de la Republica Argentina, quien no es exactamente querido por la población Argentina. A pesar de sus decisiones personales, su éxito como cantante y bailarina sigue siendo un hit y aplaudido por Sudamérica, Estados Unidos, España y demás países.

Su estilo puede ser comparado al de Alanis Morisette, pero con una sensualidad y habilidad de bailar Belly Dance, que la destaca de las demás cantantes. Lo que la ha ayudado a despegar en el mundo Internacional fue cuando saco su disco MTV Unplugged, "Donde Están los Ladrones" en 1999 el cual llego a las casas de millones de jóvenes en Estados Unidos e Europa.

Jumat, 03 Juni 2011

Pearl Guide - Pearl Formation, Distinction, Value And Care

Pearl Formation
Pearls are considered as organic gems, as they are created by living creatures. It is characterized as a hard object that is produced inside the soft tissue of a mollusk shell. It is composed of calcium carbonate in very little crystalline form which is called nacre. This material is deposited in concentric layers, and has the same material as the shell of the mollusk.

The natural process starts when a mollusk encounters an irritating microscopic object trapped within its folds. Then it will start coating the object with nacre to produce pearl. Ideally, a pearl should be round and smooth, but there are also irregularly shaped ones, which are called "baroque pearls".

Pearl Distinction
Do you know how to distinguish a freshwater from a saltwater pearl? They may look somewhat similar, but they come from different sources. Saltwater pearls are formed inside pearl oysters, which lives in tropical oceans. These are called Akoya, Tahitian, or South Sea pearls. On the other hand, freshwater pearls are formed inside mussels living in rivers, lakes or ponds.

Jewelers can tell if the pearl is natural or cultivated by running an x-ray in the gem lab. If the pearl reveals a nucleus in the x-ray, it is a natural saltwater pearl. If there is no nucleus present, but instead there are irregular and dark inner spots that indicate a visible cavity, then the pearl is cultured in freshwater. Natural pearls are usually sold using carat weight, while cultured pearls are sold in millimeters depending on their size.

Pearl Value
The value of the pearl depends upon its luster, size, color, lack of flaw and good symmetry. Among these, luster is the most important one. Luster depends upon the refraction and reflection of light from its translucent layers. This can be unique in each pearl where the more layers of the iridescent nacre there are, the finer the luster.

Definitely, the bigger the pearl the more expensive it is. Also, if the shape is perfectly round, it is very rare and valued. In terms of color, the black pearl is more expensive than their white counterpart.

Pearl Care
Pearls are made into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pendants and even rings. It is a gemstone that is truly beautiful and splendid. If you bought some freshwater cultured pearls lately, it is important to know how you should clean and care for it. These are some tips for you to follow:

1. Put your pearls on after applying your make-up, perfume and lotion.
2. Wipe it with a soft cloth (lint-free) as you take them off. This cloth may be dry or damp. If damp, the pearls should be air dried before storing it.
3. If it gets dirty, clean your pearls with mild soap and water. Never clean it with solutions that contain harsh ingredients.
4. Do not use abrasive cleaners or rough cloth. Both can wear away the nacre coating fast.
5. Do not store pearls beside other jewelries, as they can be scratched easily. Keep it in a special corner of your jewelry box or place them in a soft little bag individually.

Kamis, 02 Juni 2011

Laughter: Use It to Pick Up Women

Humour, some say, is the fruit of life, and this is especially true when it comes to picking up on a girl no matter where the location. Make them laugh, and I guarantee, that you are very close to getting their phone number and even to getting them to go out with you.

But, as we all know, making them laugh, is easier said than done. Precisely for those who find it difficult to come up with something funny to say, I am adding some funny anecdotes and wise cracks that you can memorize and then use in those situations where you need to get the girl in front of you to laugh.

1) The Prescription:
Did you hear of the lady, who walked into the pharmacist and asked for arsenic?
The man behind the counter asked in wonder, "What do you need that for?
The lady calmly replied," to kill my husband."
The pharmacist was taken aback," Are you crazy? Do you want to get us both into jail? And, anyway, why do you want to kill him? Go to a counselor. Get help for your marriage."
The lady paused and from her purse she removed a set of pictures of her husband and the wife of the pharmacist in some very creative postures.
The pharmacist looked at the snaps, put them down and smiled," lady, why did you not tell me that you have a prescription?"

2) The Tip Book
A wife calls out to her husband, "Have you seen the book, 101 Tips to Live for More Than a Hundred Years?
The husband sheepishly replies, "I burnt it."
"What?" the wife shouted out," why?"
The husband whispered back," Because your mother wanted to read it."

3) Range of Food
Looking at his wife fry meat balls in all kinds of shapes and sizes, Tom tapped her on the shoulder, "Why?"
His wife turned," Because you asked for a variety of food."

4) Mushrooms
Tom was picking mushrooms from the forest floor with his wife, when she picked up one and showed it to Tom," Is this for eating?"
Tom smiled," Yes. As long as you do not cook it."

5) Driving Around
Tom greeted his wife when she returned home," So, my dear, how was your first time driving all alone?"
His wife smiled coyly, "Do you want to hear it from me or read about it in the papers?

6) Drama
A couple are watching a film in their local theater when the wife snuggles close to her husband and points to the screen," Do you think that they will get married in the end?"
The husband sighs," Yes. These movies always have bad endings."

7) The Library
Tom visited the local library, walks up to the librarian and asks, "Do you know where I can find the book, the Supremacy of Men over Women?"
The librarian conducts a short search on the computer and looks up," you will be able to find it in the science fiction."

Conclusion:
While some of these might sound offensive, if you use them well you will be able to display not just a sense of humour, but also that you are exactly the opposite of the stereotype. How? Immediately, after you done, lean over and whisper, But I am not like that, and if you allow me to take you out, you will see that for yourself.

Rabu, 01 Juni 2011

Internet: useful or harmful?

Nowadays young generation doesn’t read books, journals, magazines and newspapers. And really why should they if they have excellent possibilities to find everything necessary on-line. Except information you can find a lot of other different things that can widen your outlook. You can visit Louver gallery with famous Mona Lisa, sitting comfortably in your armchair in front of computer screen.

You can also order different services. If you log on to Internet you can purchase anything you can imagine. Just clicking a right button, you can order term paper or pizza, or tickets to a rock concert. Your term paper order will be done easily; pizza will be tasty and day - just wonderful due to Internet services. Internet without doubt is a blessing for those who have no time and opportunities to go shopping. Besides commercial part of Internet one can also find a wide range of ways of communication. You can chat; use ICQ, instant messengers or an e-mail. With the help of new invention, like a web-camera, you can even see whom you are talking to. Thus you can see that people can practically live on-line, because it is possible to work on-line, study on-line, have fun on-line and even date on-line. But is virtual world a good place to spend your time? People can spend up to 18 hours sitting at the computer. No matter how well is screen protection installed, it is still very harmful not only for your eyes, but also for your organism. Can you imagine your body being x-rayed 18 hours in a row? But this is exactly what happens when you spend days in front of your computer. We can’t but mention considerate parents’ worries about what their kids read and see on-line. Except useful information there, children can find different sites that carry not very useful information. That’s why there are some servers that filter out information your computer receives. We can’t but mention the consequences of sitting in front of the computer all the time. It turns people into typical couch potatoes. They don’t care to stand up and go for a walk or to have some physical exercises. This can result into numerous ailments and problems.

Internet is an isolator too. No matter how much you communicate on-line, it doesn’t give you a credit in speaking with live people. You don’t see facial expressions, gestures, don’t hear their voices. That can tell much about your friend. On-line you have no choice but to believe in anything that is said to you. Then don’t be mad if somebody deceives you. You didn’t know the person well; all you knew was his/her e-mail or ICQ number. Using services provided in the Internet one has to be very careful, not to get in trouble. But what can we do without it nowadays? Due to internet a lot of other businesses started to prosper. We are talking about age of information. How can it exist without Internet? Of course, there are some advantages and disadvantages, but we can’t refuse ourselves in pleasure to get into the world of virtual wonders.