Alexander the Great. The name alone inspires images of a man with a massive army at his back, his face laden with both the burden and the right to sweep the world and bring it under his rule. During his time, and for centuries afterwards, Alexander the Great, son of the infamous Phillip of Macedon, was hailed as one of the great, if not the greatest military commanders of all time. One particular side effect that Alexander's sweeping conquests inspired admiration in the military leaders that followed after him, though he may have also made them feel a bit of status anxiety.
Scipio Africanus, and his Carthaginian counterpart Hannibal Barca were both recorded to have felt a slight sense of inadequacy at being unable to achieve the same level of military prowess as Alexander. Hannibal, in particular, can be seen as having felt status anxiety when he compared himself to Alexander. According to classical accounts, he felt that Alexander would not have been defeated in the Battle of Zama, despite the superior tactics and numbers of Scipio's Roman legions. It was said that he believed that, if he could have beaten Scipio during that critical battle, he could claim the same level of military genius as Alexander.
Julius Caesar, often heralded as the greatest man to have come from ancient Rome, also felt pressured by the myth of Alexander. Roman society, the military in particular, often felt status anxiety whenever the topic of Alexander the Great was brought up. Due to his status, Caesar often felt a great deal of pressure to at least appear to have the same status of greatness as the fabled Macedonian ruler. Julius Caesar often said that he felt as if the citizens of Rome wanted him to lead the city, along with their Italian allies, to totally dominate the world. Caesar had managed to expand the empire beyond the average Roman's wildest dreams at the time. However, according to popular legend, it was said that Julius Caesar wept when he realized he would never achieve the same greatness as that of Alexander.
Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, is sometimes said to have felt even worse than his famous uncle. Whereas Caesar experienced status anxiety from contending with the myth and legend of Alexander, Augustus had to achieve victories and glories equivalent to both the Macedonian conqueror and his late uncle. The pressure, however, did wonders for his career as dictator of Rome, followed by his later career as the imperator. Some analysts and historians believe that Augustus focused more on becoming “worthy” of the name Caesar since most of his actions were concentrated on making improvements or changes to Rome's political and social structure. His military achievements, while seen by the public as worthy of Julius Caesar, would not have been viewed as being on the same level as Alexander's.
Napoleon Bonaparte, perhaps one of the few generals that can be considered in the same league as Alexander, often compared himself unfavorably with the Macedonian. By most accounts, Napoleon was a man who was supremely confident about his talents and skills. He possessed great faith in his ability to command the French army from victory to victory. However, he was once said to have uncharacteristically humbled himself when some of the people around him compared him to Alexander. Some stories claim that he was disappointed, for he could not even begin to conquer the world, whereas the Macedonian came so close to total world domination.
Modern history also records some leaders who aspired for the same glory enjoyed by the ancient warrior-leaders. Some accounts claim that Adolf Hitler often dreamt of leading Nazi Germany to conquer the world, much like Alexander led the Macedonians. By this time, one of the prevalent myths about Alexander was that he was intent on conquering the world, purifying it by the sword. In some ways, Hitler saw a reflection of his own mission of reclaiming Aryan supremacy. By patterning himself after history's greatest general, he was, of course exercising nothing more than self-aggrandizement because Hitler can hardly be considered a military man.
In the end, it is difficult to ascertain just how much influence the facts and the myths around Alexander the Great affect modern military commanders. Perhaps, in some ways, they still feel status anxiety when their work is compared to the Macedonians, but there is no certainty in that. The only concrete influence, really, is that any military commander that goes into an expansive campaign is going to be compared to Alexander, as a testament to the great general's legacy.
Senin, 30 April 2012
Minggu, 29 April 2012
This just in...
We are invited, this fine morning, to feel superior. As we sip our coffee and munch on our toast, we're presented with a side-dish of superiority, courtesy of our regular television channel's news readers. We're invited to join and laugh with them at the hapless loser antics of, well, just about anyone and anybody who dares to raise their head above the parapet and be noticeable, everyone, that is, except for them and, of course, since we're implicitly invited to join, we ourselves. How nice to wake up and feel superior to those hapless others. How good life can be. That's on this TV channel, anyway. Let's watch together in a little more detail. I'll be mother.
Recently it's become the fashion for news readers who are doing the pop segment to openly deride the rock stars and musicians they're discussing.
God knows why they think news readers are superior. I recently saw a very creditable singing effort from someone who had been a contender in one of these staged talent TV shows, where the winners are voted for by the public and are granted seemingly wondrous record deals as a consequence. This girl had come second and was pictured in head shot doing a very creditable vocal into a mike. "She wasn't the winner" advised one newsreader. "I'm not surprised, singing like that" chortled her male companion, and off go the pair, together with the regular music scene commentator, into peals of laughter at the feeble efforts of the hapless and it must be said, slightly tubby chanteuse.
She sang great, actually. She was bang on. She was right on the money. She hit the spot. I'm a trained singer and I've done a little singing myself and I knew. She was good, and I knew and I imagine she knew too. Who didn't seem to know were the news readers and their, er, specialist music correspondent. What they'd been listening to was a dry vocal, the girl's naked voice before it had been treated with several thousand pounds worth of special effects in a studio costing a conservative few million pounds by a producer whose income a Greek chorus of news readers couldn't calculate on all their combined toes and fingers. In other words, this supposedly hapless, loser wannabe dreamer girlie singer sounded just like everyone does before it gets the studio magic added, the same way I do, the same way you do, the same way any singer you could name would if they were just singing dry into a microphone.
Now years ago, they might have got away with this. We'd all have chortled merrily away, none the wiser. Tuned in the next day for more, probably. Which is the point of the exercise. These days, though, given how relatively cheap and easy it is to have a home computer-based studio, more and more people will be aware of this and, along with me, be insulted by the suggestion that they don't.
It's ignorant not to know this and it's a greater ignorance to display this on television and a greater ignorance still to assume that your audience/viewers are similarly as ignorant and thus will feel comfortingly encouraged to chortle right along with you.
I see behaviour like this directed at the viewer - me - and I'm insulted. And it seems to be all over the shop. I recently watched a TV presenter interview a heavyweight economist about the economic conditions in a country where a school was taken over by terrorists. "In order to understand this kind of behaviour, you have to look at the economic conditions typically prevalent in the countries where it surfaces", says the economist, drawing breath to - presumably - do just that. At this point the interview promptly accused him of supporting terrorism, precipitating what looked like an imminent heart-attack on the part of the economist.
Now there is a clear distinction between being a supporter of terrorism, or even an apologist for terrorism, and observing, being expert in your field, that similar economic conditions are often in place before the rise of terrorism and going on TV in your official capacity to make mention of them. I don't need that explaining to me - do you?
In this case, the interviewer apparently believed his audience incapable of making the distinction. Again, I was insulted, myself. Since the economist almost went into apoplexy I gather he wasn't too pleased either.
Being fed up with seeing scenes like the ones I describe above mean I don't watch a lot of breakfast TV any more. I know well the saying that no-one ever went broke by under-estimating the intelligence of the public. That was before we had the internet, and access to it in every living room. This is the information age, and oh yes, this just in - you can't treat your audience as if they're ignorant any more. If you do, they won't be your audience for too much longer, and hey - how dumb is that?
Recently it's become the fashion for news readers who are doing the pop segment to openly deride the rock stars and musicians they're discussing.
God knows why they think news readers are superior. I recently saw a very creditable singing effort from someone who had been a contender in one of these staged talent TV shows, where the winners are voted for by the public and are granted seemingly wondrous record deals as a consequence. This girl had come second and was pictured in head shot doing a very creditable vocal into a mike. "She wasn't the winner" advised one newsreader. "I'm not surprised, singing like that" chortled her male companion, and off go the pair, together with the regular music scene commentator, into peals of laughter at the feeble efforts of the hapless and it must be said, slightly tubby chanteuse.
She sang great, actually. She was bang on. She was right on the money. She hit the spot. I'm a trained singer and I've done a little singing myself and I knew. She was good, and I knew and I imagine she knew too. Who didn't seem to know were the news readers and their, er, specialist music correspondent. What they'd been listening to was a dry vocal, the girl's naked voice before it had been treated with several thousand pounds worth of special effects in a studio costing a conservative few million pounds by a producer whose income a Greek chorus of news readers couldn't calculate on all their combined toes and fingers. In other words, this supposedly hapless, loser wannabe dreamer girlie singer sounded just like everyone does before it gets the studio magic added, the same way I do, the same way you do, the same way any singer you could name would if they were just singing dry into a microphone.
Now years ago, they might have got away with this. We'd all have chortled merrily away, none the wiser. Tuned in the next day for more, probably. Which is the point of the exercise. These days, though, given how relatively cheap and easy it is to have a home computer-based studio, more and more people will be aware of this and, along with me, be insulted by the suggestion that they don't.
It's ignorant not to know this and it's a greater ignorance to display this on television and a greater ignorance still to assume that your audience/viewers are similarly as ignorant and thus will feel comfortingly encouraged to chortle right along with you.
I see behaviour like this directed at the viewer - me - and I'm insulted. And it seems to be all over the shop. I recently watched a TV presenter interview a heavyweight economist about the economic conditions in a country where a school was taken over by terrorists. "In order to understand this kind of behaviour, you have to look at the economic conditions typically prevalent in the countries where it surfaces", says the economist, drawing breath to - presumably - do just that. At this point the interview promptly accused him of supporting terrorism, precipitating what looked like an imminent heart-attack on the part of the economist.
Now there is a clear distinction between being a supporter of terrorism, or even an apologist for terrorism, and observing, being expert in your field, that similar economic conditions are often in place before the rise of terrorism and going on TV in your official capacity to make mention of them. I don't need that explaining to me - do you?
In this case, the interviewer apparently believed his audience incapable of making the distinction. Again, I was insulted, myself. Since the economist almost went into apoplexy I gather he wasn't too pleased either.
Being fed up with seeing scenes like the ones I describe above mean I don't watch a lot of breakfast TV any more. I know well the saying that no-one ever went broke by under-estimating the intelligence of the public. That was before we had the internet, and access to it in every living room. This is the information age, and oh yes, this just in - you can't treat your audience as if they're ignorant any more. If you do, they won't be your audience for too much longer, and hey - how dumb is that?
Sabtu, 28 April 2012
Some great tips on the Russian brides dating
So if you decided to find and even marry a Russian bride, you can do it in different ways. Of course, you can come to Russia or another former USSR country and start you search there or you can use a safe way by joining a dating site. Russian women prefer starting relationship in a classic manner of writing letters and then having some dates. So we'll discuss this entire option.
The first letter to a Russian bride
So, you decided to find your destiny with the help of a matchmaking service or some dating site. At the very beginning you should create your dating profile, where you must mention your real age, height, weight, education and occupation, your marital status. I advise you to post some of your photos as well. In your very first letter to your Russian lady you can write everything you think is worth mentioning in the first letter to an unknown person – this can be your life position, some aims and hopes, your interests, a description of person that your are looking for. The main thing you should always remember - just be yourself.
Discussion topics
Don't be afraid of expressing your feelings and thoughts: every Russian bride is very sensitive and emotional by her nature. You should certainly ask questions and answer hers in return. You can ask everything you think is important to know about her, you can ask how she spent last week as well and tell her what you did all this time. Write about everything you find interesting. Ask her advice on this or that matter or difficult situation in your life, share your plans for the future.
It 's absolutely logical to ask about how long the acquaintance by correspondence should last. On this matter you should retain the sense of proportion. On the one hand - long correspondence makes an opportunity to get to know each other better; on the other hand - Russian women don't like inert men and will find long correspondence rather annoying. Therefore you have to pick the crucial moment of transition to personal meeting intuitively. Then you should decide where your first date will take place - in her country, in your country or in any other country. Of course, it's more comfortable for you to have a meeting in your country – you'll feel yourself a master of the situation but for your beloved one it can be difficult to be in the unknown place with a man she hardly knows. Meeting in her country may seem like a better idea – she is at home and this fact will help her to be herself, you'l be able to learn something about the way she lives and her lifestyle. But the more fair variant is to meet in any other country – there both of you are in the same conditions and out of daily routine.
Russian lady in Love
Russian women in their love usually trust their hearts, not logical thinking. One may be a tall, handsome and wealthy fellow and still fail to attract a Russian lady's attention; the other one may be crazy about her and still fail to arouse a response in her. It does not mean she needs a man with physical or spiritual shortcomings. The thing is that she must fall in love with You and Only You and then you may count on all-conquering forgiveness and on absolute devotion.
Usually Russian girls sacrifice their career and their interests because of the family interests and needs. Devotion determines to a great extent the behavior of a Russian bride in love. For most Russian women the words of the church wedding rite 'I vow to stay with my husband in grief and joy until death separates us', are still the matter of current significance.
Russian girl and her husband
A married Russian woman arranges her life values like: children - husband - relatives - her home - her job. As you can see, husband plays one of the predominant roles in her life. Always he is a regular sexual partner. A Russian women nowadays, especially those over 25-30 years old, has certain problems with finding a man to establish permanent sexual relations with. So, the husband is everything to her. The fact that after the wedding the number of female friends of a young wife is considerably reduced proves the statement.
Jumat, 27 April 2012
The Tale That Dogs the WAG
Glancing through the red-tops on certain days over the past few weeks, one could be forgiven for thinking that England’s World Cup bid revolved not around 11 strapping male athletes on the pitch in Gelsenkirchen, but rather the occasionally dubious antics of a group of Cristal fuelled, bejewelled glamour queens in Manolo Blahniks and oversized sunglasses.
Certainly this does not constitute any great departure from form on the part of either the tabloid reporters or the WAGs themselves. The likes of Victoria Beckham (neé Posh Spice), Coleen Mcloughlin et al enjoy a tumultuous but mutually beneficial relationship with the tabloid press the year round; the designer label and conspicuous consumption led lifestyle financed by their HABs’ (Husbands and Boyfriends’) nosebleed-inducing salaries providing the perfect fodder for the type of journalist that eschews ‘real’ news and the tabloids in turn providing that all important limelight presence that is the lifeblood of glamour models and dried up pop has-beens. Few can have been generally shocked at the ‘mistake’ that saw the WAGs and other family members of the England team booked into the same hotel as the majority of the British press deployed to cover the World Cup. For a few short weeks the Brenner’s Park Hotel played host to a bona fide match made in Heaven as the WAGs trailed journalists pied-piper-like around Baden Baden’s hot spots, handing out tabloid-friendly photo opportunities and faux-shocking examples of ‘scandalous’ behaviour with the generosity of spirit of an anorexic at a soup kitchen. This was truly the blonde leading the bland.
Tabloid journalists, by their very nature, are risky bedfellows who specialise in biting the hand that feeds. That docile, friendly poodle in the lap of the IT girl can turn to a ravening, bloodthirsty pack animal quicker than you can say ‘deviated septum’, and this summer’s WAG-watching exercise saw its fair share of savagery. Like wolves or hyenas, when packs of tabloid journalists select their prey they single out the weakest individuals on the outside of the herd. Top spot on the tabloid maul-o-meter in this case must go to Abigail Clancy, (erstwhile?) girlfriend of Peter Crouch, lambasted not only for having done the dirty on England’s Unlikeliest Athlete but for having come clean to him about it mere hours before England’s game against Trinidad and Tobago in which Crouch scored the opening goal. Whilst we can all appreciate that such news is never good, and few would deny that its delivery could have been better timed, the majority of tabloid umbrage at this fact seems to be drawn from the assumption that the pain of receiving such news might have stymied Crouch’s game. This, of course, quite ignores the fact that until Crouch’s golden moment in the 83rd minute and his subsequent lamentable dance display he was one of the lesser known stars of English football whose very inclusion in the squad was the subject of dark and doubtful mutterings in some quarters. Had Abi Clancy’s relationship misdemeanours indeed put the kybosh on Crouch’s ability to play at top level, the goal would never have gone in and the entire sorry episode would barely have been newsworthy to start with. There again, when did we ever look to the tabloids for logic?
Of course, now that England have returned in ignominious circumstances it’s not just Abi Clancy who has strayed within the tabloid zone of terror. Having made such a towering media edifice of the England team in recent weeks, the hacks of Middle England now balk at the prospect of knocking it down, so instead they cast around for a scapegoat. All accusations seem to slide from erstwhile manager Sven-Goran Eriksson like droplets from a well-oiled silver duck, and in any case what does Sven care? He’s already packed his bags for Sweden and kissed his love affair with English football a fond goodbye. All in all, it looks like the blame for England’s poor performance (it just wouldn’t do to recycle an excuse from the past 40 years) may well be laid at several pairs of immaculately manicured feet in very expensive heels! Come to that, so what? In return for such a lavish existence and a media presence second to none (certainly to none who do so little to warrant it) couldn’t they at least shoulder a little blame now and again? Is that too much to ask?
Certainly this does not constitute any great departure from form on the part of either the tabloid reporters or the WAGs themselves. The likes of Victoria Beckham (neé Posh Spice), Coleen Mcloughlin et al enjoy a tumultuous but mutually beneficial relationship with the tabloid press the year round; the designer label and conspicuous consumption led lifestyle financed by their HABs’ (Husbands and Boyfriends’) nosebleed-inducing salaries providing the perfect fodder for the type of journalist that eschews ‘real’ news and the tabloids in turn providing that all important limelight presence that is the lifeblood of glamour models and dried up pop has-beens. Few can have been generally shocked at the ‘mistake’ that saw the WAGs and other family members of the England team booked into the same hotel as the majority of the British press deployed to cover the World Cup. For a few short weeks the Brenner’s Park Hotel played host to a bona fide match made in Heaven as the WAGs trailed journalists pied-piper-like around Baden Baden’s hot spots, handing out tabloid-friendly photo opportunities and faux-shocking examples of ‘scandalous’ behaviour with the generosity of spirit of an anorexic at a soup kitchen. This was truly the blonde leading the bland.
Tabloid journalists, by their very nature, are risky bedfellows who specialise in biting the hand that feeds. That docile, friendly poodle in the lap of the IT girl can turn to a ravening, bloodthirsty pack animal quicker than you can say ‘deviated septum’, and this summer’s WAG-watching exercise saw its fair share of savagery. Like wolves or hyenas, when packs of tabloid journalists select their prey they single out the weakest individuals on the outside of the herd. Top spot on the tabloid maul-o-meter in this case must go to Abigail Clancy, (erstwhile?) girlfriend of Peter Crouch, lambasted not only for having done the dirty on England’s Unlikeliest Athlete but for having come clean to him about it mere hours before England’s game against Trinidad and Tobago in which Crouch scored the opening goal. Whilst we can all appreciate that such news is never good, and few would deny that its delivery could have been better timed, the majority of tabloid umbrage at this fact seems to be drawn from the assumption that the pain of receiving such news might have stymied Crouch’s game. This, of course, quite ignores the fact that until Crouch’s golden moment in the 83rd minute and his subsequent lamentable dance display he was one of the lesser known stars of English football whose very inclusion in the squad was the subject of dark and doubtful mutterings in some quarters. Had Abi Clancy’s relationship misdemeanours indeed put the kybosh on Crouch’s ability to play at top level, the goal would never have gone in and the entire sorry episode would barely have been newsworthy to start with. There again, when did we ever look to the tabloids for logic?
Of course, now that England have returned in ignominious circumstances it’s not just Abi Clancy who has strayed within the tabloid zone of terror. Having made such a towering media edifice of the England team in recent weeks, the hacks of Middle England now balk at the prospect of knocking it down, so instead they cast around for a scapegoat. All accusations seem to slide from erstwhile manager Sven-Goran Eriksson like droplets from a well-oiled silver duck, and in any case what does Sven care? He’s already packed his bags for Sweden and kissed his love affair with English football a fond goodbye. All in all, it looks like the blame for England’s poor performance (it just wouldn’t do to recycle an excuse from the past 40 years) may well be laid at several pairs of immaculately manicured feet in very expensive heels! Come to that, so what? In return for such a lavish existence and a media presence second to none (certainly to none who do so little to warrant it) couldn’t they at least shoulder a little blame now and again? Is that too much to ask?
Kamis, 26 April 2012
Russian mail order brides – are they real?
Nowadays there are much more gentlemen searching for their Russian bride than during the past several years. There are a lot of web forums dedicated to Russian dating experience, Western men tell there either about their success in using Russian matchmaking services or fails and meeting Russian scams. Under the «Russian scam» we mean a woman who are using the foreigners as the way to get Visa and to escape from Russia. These can be either independant girls working alone, who have their own families and are happy living with their husbands, or even a matchmaking services. There are many women who will try to take advantage of a foreigner trying to find love. They want to use their good looks to pretend to have a relationship that they only want as a tool to get out of their country. These women just want a fake marriage which will give them a chance to move to a Western country. Sometimes after they do get their Visa they stay longer and find another partner that suits them better.You should never forget about it whilst searching for your Russian bride.
However, Russia is full of really kind and caring girls, who sincerely want to find their true love. These ladies dream about a romantic relationship and eternal love. Most reliable and truthworthing matchmaking services do their best to remove all the fake profiles. Some of them offer such a service as a «background check» for men who are not sure about if their beloved one is real or not. These agencies do this by requesting the women fill out very extensive questionnaires, to reveal their real age, background, some document that can assure their identity and marital status, as well as explaining their motivation in signing up for a matchmaking service to find a foreign man. This really does eliminate the women who are just trying to scam you.
The term "Mail order bride" is insulting to Russian women in general because they don't want to be perceived like that. It is a term that is compared with shopping through a catalog and picking your product and then purchasing it. It's not something that they are looking for. They want men to know that dating a real Russian woman is challenging. Also, they know that the promise of a better life in the United States or the U.K. is no longer the "holy grail" as they once thought it was. Russian ladies know what is going on in Western Cultures and they know that it is not as grand as they once thought.
Matchmaking services have improved over the years, and the term Russian mail order brides means more than just a few letters and picture of a woman. It means real interactive communication with the woman that you are interested in, may be even your future bride. Agents are aware and more experienced when it comes to finding the best match for you, and their goal is to do that. They know about the Russian scams and they are trying to do their best to get rid of them completely.
Before starting your Russian bride search, you should explain to your matchmaker what you are really looking for. Specify what type of profile you are looking for and why. Men sometimes are searching for a bride in Russia just for a thrill of meeting a lady who is different than what they are used to see at home. The truth is, the women have real feelings and want someone who is interested in true love and marriage. These women are hoping you might be the one to treat them well, and respect them. Marriage is a serious step and taking on a Russian bride is not a game. If you are only looking for a temporary date or a one night stand then it is better to make this clear right from the beginning. Otherwise you can risk ending up with someone that loves you but you will never love. Russian ladies in love are very loyal and you might feel bad about eventually having to hurt her feelings. There are many examples of very successful relationships between Russian women and foreigners.
My advice is – make sure of what you are looking for. Learn to read between the lines to see if the woman is really interested in you. Get to know her well before asking her to marry you, and make sure she is the one you are ready to spend your life with.
Rabu, 25 April 2012
What Can Happen to You as a Victim of Identity Theft, Facts & Figures
Is identity theft really that serious? Thousands of people every year are victims of this terrible crime. Thieves use your personal information to commit fraud or other crimes in your name and can cause significant credit damage. Identifying information taken without your permission, such as your Social Security number (SSN), credit card number, or your drivers' license, can be used to “steal your identity.”
The effects of identity theft are much greater than most people suspect. Victims can spend years trying to re-establish their credit and their good names. The cost of this process, both financially and emotionally, is often quite high. But there are options (see below).
Identity theft is a serious crime. The Federal Trade Commission reports identity theft as its number one source of complaints by consumers. The average victim pays more than $1,000 repairing the damage and loses an average of $6,767. A recent study by CBS News claims that a thief steals someone's identity “every 79 seconds.”2 An estimated 750,000 people are victimized each year.3
How can you tell if you are a victim of identity theft? There are some clues. First, it's important to always monitor the balances on your checking, savings, or other financial accounts. Keep an eye out for unexplained charges or withdrawals made without your permission. Carefully reading your monthly bank and credit card statements, then checking the amounts against your check register or other record-keeping method could catch a thief in the act of assuming your identity and spending your hard-earned money.
Identity thieves may change the address on one or more of your bills, so make sure you know when you usually receive specific notices. For instance, if you receive your credit card statement at the beginning of the month and it doesn't arrive in the mail, this could signal an address change by an identity thief. Another clue that comes in the mail is a credit card for which you didn't apply or a statement for a credit card that you have never used. Someone may have used your information to apply for a line of credit.
Also take note if you are getting phone calls from debt collection agencies, credit departments, or other companies regarding merchandise or services that you did not purchase. Someone may be acquiring goods and services in your name.
And finally, when applying for a line of credit, be aware of your credit standing. If you know you have a good credit rating and get turned down by a credit card company, this is a red flag that someone else may be sullying your rating. Even if you don't know your credit score, always ask why you were declined and verify the reason against your credit report.
Once your identity has been stolen and your credit has been damaged, the long process of regaining your name and good standing could cost you more than inconvenience. Victims are unable to qualify for loans, to purchase houses and cars, and to pay for higher education. They may be refused job opportunities and even be arrested for crimes committed by the identity thief.
In the meantime, the criminal with your personal information may:
• Go on a shopping spree with your credit or debit card account numbers. Thieves may also create counterfeit debit cards or checks. Merchandise can be sold and the criminals walk away with cash.
• Open credit or checking accounts in your name with your SSN and date of birth. As the bills pile up, your credit report reflects the delinquent account.
• Have your credit card statements sent to a phony address. Without the bills as a reference, it may take you a while to realize your account is being used.
• Take out loans in your name for big purchases, such as a new car.
• Set up telephone or internet service in your name.
• Avoid the responsibilities of debt or an impending eviction by filing bankruptcy using your SSN.
• Give your name to police when being arrested. If the criminal is released on bond but fails to appear for the court date, police may issue an arrest warrant for you.
• If you have need to contact the three main credit bureaus, go to www.apscreen.com to find out more.
Protecting yourself against identity theft takes a little extra time, but in comparison to the time, effort, and money it takes to reclaim your name once it has been stolen, the vigilance is well worth it.
The effects of identity theft are much greater than most people suspect. Victims can spend years trying to re-establish their credit and their good names. The cost of this process, both financially and emotionally, is often quite high. But there are options (see below).
Identity theft is a serious crime. The Federal Trade Commission reports identity theft as its number one source of complaints by consumers. The average victim pays more than $1,000 repairing the damage and loses an average of $6,767. A recent study by CBS News claims that a thief steals someone's identity “every 79 seconds.”2 An estimated 750,000 people are victimized each year.3
How can you tell if you are a victim of identity theft? There are some clues. First, it's important to always monitor the balances on your checking, savings, or other financial accounts. Keep an eye out for unexplained charges or withdrawals made without your permission. Carefully reading your monthly bank and credit card statements, then checking the amounts against your check register or other record-keeping method could catch a thief in the act of assuming your identity and spending your hard-earned money.
Identity thieves may change the address on one or more of your bills, so make sure you know when you usually receive specific notices. For instance, if you receive your credit card statement at the beginning of the month and it doesn't arrive in the mail, this could signal an address change by an identity thief. Another clue that comes in the mail is a credit card for which you didn't apply or a statement for a credit card that you have never used. Someone may have used your information to apply for a line of credit.
Also take note if you are getting phone calls from debt collection agencies, credit departments, or other companies regarding merchandise or services that you did not purchase. Someone may be acquiring goods and services in your name.
And finally, when applying for a line of credit, be aware of your credit standing. If you know you have a good credit rating and get turned down by a credit card company, this is a red flag that someone else may be sullying your rating. Even if you don't know your credit score, always ask why you were declined and verify the reason against your credit report.
Once your identity has been stolen and your credit has been damaged, the long process of regaining your name and good standing could cost you more than inconvenience. Victims are unable to qualify for loans, to purchase houses and cars, and to pay for higher education. They may be refused job opportunities and even be arrested for crimes committed by the identity thief.
In the meantime, the criminal with your personal information may:
• Go on a shopping spree with your credit or debit card account numbers. Thieves may also create counterfeit debit cards or checks. Merchandise can be sold and the criminals walk away with cash.
• Open credit or checking accounts in your name with your SSN and date of birth. As the bills pile up, your credit report reflects the delinquent account.
• Have your credit card statements sent to a phony address. Without the bills as a reference, it may take you a while to realize your account is being used.
• Take out loans in your name for big purchases, such as a new car.
• Set up telephone or internet service in your name.
• Avoid the responsibilities of debt or an impending eviction by filing bankruptcy using your SSN.
• Give your name to police when being arrested. If the criminal is released on bond but fails to appear for the court date, police may issue an arrest warrant for you.
• If you have need to contact the three main credit bureaus, go to www.apscreen.com
Protecting yourself against identity theft takes a little extra time, but in comparison to the time, effort, and money it takes to reclaim your name once it has been stolen, the vigilance is well worth it.
Selasa, 24 April 2012
Marriage Or Prostitution
It is said that prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. To prostitute means to give someone the right to use the body for a sum. Do all the prostitutes sell their bodies for money only? Some might be selling their body for food, or a gift or something else. So, we can say that prostitution means selling the right to use the body for something in exchange.
I want to talk about a marriage where a woman sold her body for money and also few other things. She is the heroine of this story and lives in a conservative society, where pretenses are at times more important than truth. Our heroine was in deep love with a married man but had no guts to say so. Therefore she agreed to marry the villain of this story, a man who proposed marriage in front of her father. While getting married to this person, she cheated him. She lied to him by hiding her real love. But that is not the point of my story. Let me come to the basics.
Our heroine was married to the man/villain in full public view, so she had no reason to deny that marriage unless she divorced him. She never loved him, but carried on with this man and let him brutalize her in all the ways possible. At times, he raped her seven to eight times a night. Was this a marriage or did she sell herself like a prostitute for something?
Let me elaborate further. What did she get in return of giving away her body? Her parents had spent quite a lot of money on the wedding. If she divorced this man, her parents might have got a bad name in society. I am talking of conservative countries and not developed nations. So the first thing she gained by selling her body was the peace of mind her parents got by looking at their daughter. That peace was totally false, because the daughter was neither truthful to them nor to society. But even knowing all this, the parents had a peace of mind that the society thought about the daughter as a happily married woman. Let the reality be totally different. It were pretenses that mattered. So the first gain - False peace of mind for parents that society thought of the heroine as a happily married person.
There are many more things, all totally wrong that our heroine of the story got for selling her body. Let us look at some more. This girl had got a baby out of getting repeatedly raped by this man. The baby called this man/villain her father and it seems that the father loved the baby. Why and if it is really true, is known only to this man. But outwardly he showed love. A man who can brutally use a woman's body repeatedly, can love anything living is impossible to comprehend. But this was shown to the society. Our heroine got her second payment as a man called father for her daughter out of rape.
What else? This man/villain said that he had no one else except our heroine in the world to call as his own. He knew it very well that the heroine was not in love with him, but had married him under compulsion of so many other factors. But he emotionally blackmailed her saying that if she left him, who else was there for him? Please therefore stay with me, keep the pretense of a married couple in public and let me rape you whenever I wish to do. The third profit was emotionally giving into the blackmail of a brute.
Let me list one more gain, though there were many more. Our heroine had no strength of character or guts to come open and say that I want to separate. She did not want to face the possibility of living alone. She did not want to lose her respect in the society. So she continued. And the biggest gain? Before I tell you about that let me add something. Our heroine was in love with someone else as I told you in the beginning. This man wanted her to come to him and denounce the marriage to the brute. He was desperate for that because he could not tolerate the rapes. They were killing him. But if our heroine does that what would she tell her daughter when she grows up? She had no guts to tell her daughter the truth. So she continued prostituting herself not only in body but also in mind, character and truth. In the whole process, she managed to kill a person who was in deep love with her and could not tolerate the rapes. She gave him a bigger blow when he realized that she believed in living a liars life forever. This man got totally broken and might have killed himself, if God had not saved him. I wonder if our heroine, the brute or the parents will ever get any peace. Untruth never gives peace but shows the path to hell.
Who is a better person? A prostitute who openly trades or our heroine? Make your own decision.
I want to talk about a marriage where a woman sold her body for money and also few other things. She is the heroine of this story and lives in a conservative society, where pretenses are at times more important than truth. Our heroine was in deep love with a married man but had no guts to say so. Therefore she agreed to marry the villain of this story, a man who proposed marriage in front of her father. While getting married to this person, she cheated him. She lied to him by hiding her real love. But that is not the point of my story. Let me come to the basics.
Our heroine was married to the man/villain in full public view, so she had no reason to deny that marriage unless she divorced him. She never loved him, but carried on with this man and let him brutalize her in all the ways possible. At times, he raped her seven to eight times a night. Was this a marriage or did she sell herself like a prostitute for something?
Let me elaborate further. What did she get in return of giving away her body? Her parents had spent quite a lot of money on the wedding. If she divorced this man, her parents might have got a bad name in society. I am talking of conservative countries and not developed nations. So the first thing she gained by selling her body was the peace of mind her parents got by looking at their daughter. That peace was totally false, because the daughter was neither truthful to them nor to society. But even knowing all this, the parents had a peace of mind that the society thought about the daughter as a happily married woman. Let the reality be totally different. It were pretenses that mattered. So the first gain - False peace of mind for parents that society thought of the heroine as a happily married person.
There are many more things, all totally wrong that our heroine of the story got for selling her body. Let us look at some more. This girl had got a baby out of getting repeatedly raped by this man. The baby called this man/villain her father and it seems that the father loved the baby. Why and if it is really true, is known only to this man. But outwardly he showed love. A man who can brutally use a woman's body repeatedly, can love anything living is impossible to comprehend. But this was shown to the society. Our heroine got her second payment as a man called father for her daughter out of rape.
What else? This man/villain said that he had no one else except our heroine in the world to call as his own. He knew it very well that the heroine was not in love with him, but had married him under compulsion of so many other factors. But he emotionally blackmailed her saying that if she left him, who else was there for him? Please therefore stay with me, keep the pretense of a married couple in public and let me rape you whenever I wish to do. The third profit was emotionally giving into the blackmail of a brute.
Let me list one more gain, though there were many more. Our heroine had no strength of character or guts to come open and say that I want to separate. She did not want to face the possibility of living alone. She did not want to lose her respect in the society. So she continued. And the biggest gain? Before I tell you about that let me add something. Our heroine was in love with someone else as I told you in the beginning. This man wanted her to come to him and denounce the marriage to the brute. He was desperate for that because he could not tolerate the rapes. They were killing him. But if our heroine does that what would she tell her daughter when she grows up? She had no guts to tell her daughter the truth. So she continued prostituting herself not only in body but also in mind, character and truth. In the whole process, she managed to kill a person who was in deep love with her and could not tolerate the rapes. She gave him a bigger blow when he realized that she believed in living a liars life forever. This man got totally broken and might have killed himself, if God had not saved him. I wonder if our heroine, the brute or the parents will ever get any peace. Untruth never gives peace but shows the path to hell.
Who is a better person? A prostitute who openly trades or our heroine? Make your own decision.
Senin, 23 April 2012
The mystery of mimicry
While people communicate they use different methods of expressing themselves - gestures always accompany our words and help to express our feelings. Correct interpretation of gestures can tell us even more than words. Some of them demonstrate partner's unconcealed intentions. Others, on the opposite, reveal his secret thoughts and hidden desires. In both cases, most gestures are considered to be subconscious. This is something that gives you an opportunity to read intentions of your partner.
Actually, your success in relations with the opposite sex depends on your abilities to understand the signals sent by your partner. If you interpret them in a right way, you can send your own appropriate signals to him and behave tactically. If you want to figure someone out, it's better to combine that person's words and gestures when analysing a situation. Whrn the words of your interlocutor are at variance with his gestures, you'd better trust the motions.
It's worth mentioning that women possess a larger spectrum of refined ways to attract attention and manipulate men. However, long stares, adjusting hair and clothes, and alluring gestures are common for both sexes. For example, blushing cheeks and dilated pupils show person's excitement. If you want to have a complete understanding between you and your partner, you can conciliate him in a fast and simple way by copying his pose and reflecting his gestures. Do it discretely and gradually, until you feel comfortable.
In case of long-distance relationship, guys want to know how to behave when meeting ladies after the long months of correspondence over the Internet. Behaving correctly is very important in these situations. So, here's one tip that will help you understand if your female partner is sexually attracted to you.
Scientists say, before two people decide if they need or want each other, their chemistry on subconscious level has already known it from the first moment of their face-to-face meeting. Every person has intimate or private space with the radius of 50 centimeters. If you want to check whether a girl likes you or not, try to get closer to her breaking this limit and step back after a few seconds. Then watch her reaction. If a woman allows you to enter her territory and feels herself relaxed, free and comfortable, it's a signal for you to get closer to her. And vice verse, if she's nervous, irritated and tries to get back from you, it means she's not ready for a close relationship with you. Such response is given by your partner on a subconscious level, she will never notice you are testing her. She may even have not understood yet, if she likes or dislikes the person.
Also, when a female is interested in the opposite sex, she involuntarily puts her feet a bit broader than usual. Her toes will be directed towards a man she is interested in, even when surrounded by several males, no matter if she's sitting or standing. Crossed legs always show emotional dissatisfaction, though sometimes a woman does so if she is highly sexually excited. That's why you should follow her mimicry and eyes as well.
By the way, women are about 1000 times more sensible to different smells than men. So, if they find some odor nice and gentle, it can greatly increase their sexual desire. Before seeing the lady of your dream, use some good toilet water, but not too strong. The next steps will depend from your first experience and meeting.
For most guys, traveling to a girls' home-country is a life altering decision, as many men may find it hard to choose their partner without actually meeting in person. That's why it is absolutely OK to take a «private tour» and meet several ladies. Most girls will understand such a course of action; Nevertheless, some may find offensive to know that there is competition.
Our best wishes in your search of A SPECIAL WOMAN! Look for YOUR SPECIAL Russian Bride!
Minggu, 22 April 2012
Western men & Russian ladies?
Many westerners, acquainted with Slavonic culture, consider a Russian bride as the ideal woman for marriage and family. They know that only Russian women have this special “magic soul”. Those fascinated men adore the gentle beauty, devoted heart and appealing sexuality of these ladies.
Russian brides have always been considered to be the best brides in the world. This is because of the special cultural background that makes Russian ladies perfect for creating a happy strong family. They are caring, faithful, loving and devoted and this attracts men all over the world.
By their nature, Russian girls are tender and at the same time they are diligent, strong and hard-working, especially, when they do something for their family and people they love. All in all, feminism didn't touch the Slavonic women. They are mostly family-oriented and traditionally, they obtain the knowledge of keeping a happy family nest from their grandmothers. Those clever old-ladies teach their granddaughters how to be kind, loving and caring with their future family. The grannies pass on to their lovely descendants the secrets of cooking, sewing, knitting and house-holding. At the early childhood they start reading Russian national fairy-tales to their granddaughters. And those old and kind folktales mostly teach the morals and show the attitude of a Russian beauty to her man.
Most of the other folktales narrate about the importance to stay inside the house as it is the only safe place where the future life can be regulated. All these fairy-tales for children are considered as a very powerful educating stuff. Because all the information that kids percept from their adult relatives stay in their minds forever.
If we are talking about Russian girls living in Kazakhstan, it's very important to mention that here, in this Central Asian country, the ladies with Russian background are influenced by the Eastern culture. This fact, makes them even more attracting for westerners, so as it occurs as a perfect chance for them to find the greatest love and create a happy family life.
Russian lady is as beautiful inside as outside. Her outer beauty reflect her wonderful inner world. She lives dreaming about the time of love and happiness with her beloved one. So, they wait for a miracle to happen in their life and wait for the moment, when they could be happy in love. Even though, sometimes some of the girls start getting fussy. This thing happens to them because it is well known, that the population majority in most of the Russian-speaking countries is the females, when for example, in the United States the male population is dominating.
As it was told before, Russian girls in Kazakhstan are influenced by Oriental culture. Thus, the girls living here are a happy medium between these two cultures. One of the some agency's Russian bride, in her letter to the American fiance says that she, being a Russian woman has learnt from her Eastern girlfriends how to be patient and docile with the men. And the foreigners married to Russian women are endlessly happy and are pretty much enjoying their choice. They say it was an absolutely perfect option for them to meet and marry their spouses. Those joyful husbands describe their sweethearts as nice, honest, not spoiled and more sincere. They are amazed by the fact that Russian women are fearless in showing their feminine side.
The girls from Kazakhstan are happy that they were born there. Local Russian ladies claim this place gave them a great chance to become unique by their personality. They still hold old traits for marriage and wanting children, as well as a good life for them.
However, it is also worth mentioning that the Russian girls are more intellectual and active than their Eastern girlfriends. They are independent, clever and hardworking enough to gain success both in their personal life and in their carrier.
One thing that is clear and unchangeable and it's about everyone's desire for a perfect love relationship and a wish to find a real soul mate that will stay beside forever.
Sabtu, 21 April 2012
The Former USSR women's mentality
Many gentlemen were surprised to know that there is such a drastic difference in attitude and mentality. Although every person is unique, there are certain common tendencies and features of character that make Ukrainian and Russian girls responsive, sensitive, feminine and unique in their traits and perception of the world.
So many poems and stories were devoted to the exceptional qualities of our women. One of the most famous poems devoted to Russian women calls them queenly, containing beautiful force and remaining ever beautiful despite the difficulties of life; it glorifies the ability of these women to work hard as much as their beauty. A famous quote from this literary piece says that if need be, a Russian woman will "stop a running horse, enter a burning building." And indeed, all these stories tell true.
Historically, Russian girls have been set apart long ago. Since the ancient days they have been known for their hard work right alongside with men. During disasters women were the ones who held families and communities together. Difficulties don't scare them. Instead, challenges strengthen women's character. They have also been culturally very protective and caring for their families and become great wives and nurturing mothers. Precisely because of these qualities Russian hostesses are known to be some of the most hospitable in the world. This landlady will welcome you and feed you as if you have not had food for months, and it will all be delicious too!
Communism also left its mark on the mentality of women (especially of older generations). Ladies, who were raised under communism, were brought up with values of self-dedication, responsibility and giving away to the society, along with strong family values. And such mindset is still very strong in many of them. Not in the political sense, but in the fact of being very giving, sometimes to their own detriment. Helping someone else is much more important than their own well-being. And when they are doing something, the key is responsibility. Of course, such values are transferred to their children, and younger women also gain such warmth, sincerity and dedication from their mothers.
However, Russian men take women and their efforts for granted. They expect women to cater to all their needs. Most men here do not know how to treat women and, therefore, treat them poorly; such attitude leaves no room for romance. It is typical for most women to work from 8 to 5, come home, cook dinner, help kids with their homework, clean the house – and manage all these things on a regular basis without any hrlp from the men's side in the regular 24 hour day, 7 days a week!!!
Since Russia, Ukraine and other FSU countries have been open to foreign influences, women have a chance to know a different attitude towards them. Many stories of our women happily living abroad have been told over and over again. Most women have a friend or a friend of a friend who is living abroad and is happy with a change in attitude from men and style of life. And once the women had a chance to see something different, compare and realize that indeed they like, want and deserve such things as romance, care and love, many of them do not want to settle for anything less. The attitude from men at home gives Russian women an opportunity to really appreciate foreign men, who treat them as ladies. Attitude of men from home also makes Russian women such that they don't always trust easily. But once they do, the gratitude of Russian women to you for being a reliable partner, who treats them with love, will have no boundaries: they will appreciate you, they will pamper you and give you all their love and emotions stored inside.
So, don't think Russian girls are too good to be true! They are real, they are incredible, and they are looking for someone who will treasure and cherish them. Give them a chance and you just might find the woman you have been missing in your life.
Jumat, 20 April 2012
Russian Dating: Traveling to Russia to meet Russian bride
According to the existing laws and visa regulations, it will be easier for you to come to Russia to see your potential bride, than to get a visitor's visa to America or Canada for a single woman.
If you've decided to come to Russia to meet your Russian bride for the first time you have different options on what to do. You can arrange a tour through an agency, for example, a travel agency or a marriage agency. If you go through a travel agency, it will cost less, but a marriage agency will know what your specific needs are in terms of being in Russia for the first time. These marriage agencies can help with translation services, along with hotels in different cities and setting up an individualized tour just for you.
Once you've decided to arrange everything by yourself you should take in account the possibilities of the Russian bride you're going to meet. You can send money to her for travel expenses or you can send a ticket that you have purchased, so that you may get the refund yourself if the plans fall through.
Make sure that everything is planned right and it'll be done correctly. Your potential bride should already have a passport for foreign travel, if not it will take an additional 2-3 months for her to get it.
What to Do and See?
There are plenty of cultural and artistic events to attend in many of the Russian cities. You should discuss with her what she would like to see and do and how she would like to spend time with you in getting to know you. A mix of social activities combined with dining alone will help you get to know each other in a variety of situations.
If you are traveling outside the country, it's always wise to travel prepared. Here’s a checklist of some things you might want to bring with you on your travels to Russia to meet a Russian bride: flashlight, neck pillow for flights and train rides, ear plugs, towelettes, tissues, Electric Adapter kits, address book with contact information, some type of container, like a pouch, for your passport traveler’s checks and other important paperwork, camera and accessories, especially film, detergent, raincoat (with liner?), umbrella, travel alarm clock, sunscreen or sun block, prescriptions & medications, best kept in original packaging, aspirin, motion sickness medicine, soap, Plastic Bags, wash cloth.
Do it Yourself Visa?
After you meet and decide to get married, you'll wish your bride to move to your hometown. For example, if you are trying to bring a Russian bride into the United States, there are a few different ways to accomplish that. Usually the main aim is to get a "fiance visa" and there are some requirements that you must follow in order to get the visa.
You can apply for it yourselves and fill out all the paperwork yourselves. This is the cheapest route, but if the paperwork is not filled out 100% perfectly, it can cause delays.
You can have a fiance visa service handle it. Make sure the service you use is licensed. Remember, the service will just be filling out the forms for you and are not usually immigration attorneys, so if any legal issues come up, they will be ill equipped to handle them.
You can alwas hire a US immigration lawyer to take care of it. This is the most expensive option, but also the one that will cause you the least hassle, especially with a bride coming over from Russia. There are lots of Do-It-Yourself Kits out there that you can look over that will give you a good idea about what is involved. The process can go smoothly, but any mistakes can cause delays and that can ruin a marriage before it even gets started.
And most important, do your research on Russian brides. There is a lot of information about Russian dating out there if you just look around and ask questions. Information is power, so use it to your best advantage.
If you've decided to come to Russia to meet your Russian bride for the first time you have different options on what to do. You can arrange a tour through an agency, for example, a travel agency or a marriage agency. If you go through a travel agency, it will cost less, but a marriage agency will know what your specific needs are in terms of being in Russia for the first time. These marriage agencies can help with translation services, along with hotels in different cities and setting up an individualized tour just for you.
Once you've decided to arrange everything by yourself you should take in account the possibilities of the Russian bride you're going to meet. You can send money to her for travel expenses or you can send a ticket that you have purchased, so that you may get the refund yourself if the plans fall through.
Make sure that everything is planned right and it'll be done correctly. Your potential bride should already have a passport for foreign travel, if not it will take an additional 2-3 months for her to get it.
What to Do and See?
There are plenty of cultural and artistic events to attend in many of the Russian cities. You should discuss with her what she would like to see and do and how she would like to spend time with you in getting to know you. A mix of social activities combined with dining alone will help you get to know each other in a variety of situations.
If you are traveling outside the country, it's always wise to travel prepared. Here’s a checklist of some things you might want to bring with you on your travels to Russia to meet a Russian bride: flashlight, neck pillow for flights and train rides, ear plugs, towelettes, tissues, Electric Adapter kits, address book with contact information, some type of container, like a pouch, for your passport traveler’s checks and other important paperwork, camera and accessories, especially film, detergent, raincoat (with liner?), umbrella, travel alarm clock, sunscreen or sun block, prescriptions & medications, best kept in original packaging, aspirin, motion sickness medicine, soap, Plastic Bags, wash cloth.
Do it Yourself Visa?
After you meet and decide to get married, you'll wish your bride to move to your hometown. For example, if you are trying to bring a Russian bride into the United States, there are a few different ways to accomplish that. Usually the main aim is to get a "fiance visa" and there are some requirements that you must follow in order to get the visa.
You can apply for it yourselves and fill out all the paperwork yourselves. This is the cheapest route, but if the paperwork is not filled out 100% perfectly, it can cause delays.
You can have a fiance visa service handle it. Make sure the service you use is licensed. Remember, the service will just be filling out the forms for you and are not usually immigration attorneys, so if any legal issues come up, they will be ill equipped to handle them.
You can alwas hire a US immigration lawyer to take care of it. This is the most expensive option, but also the one that will cause you the least hassle, especially with a bride coming over from Russia. There are lots of Do-It-Yourself Kits out there that you can look over that will give you a good idea about what is involved. The process can go smoothly, but any mistakes can cause delays and that can ruin a marriage before it even gets started.
And most important, do your research on Russian brides. There is a lot of information about Russian dating out there if you just look around and ask questions. Information is power, so use it to your best advantage.
Kamis, 19 April 2012
Russian dress-code
Although all people on our planet are on practicaly the same fashion conditions, peoples' clothes all over the world differ. So this time I'll tell you about how people are used to dress in Russia.
So in spite of the fact the daily fashion in Russia is much alike the States or UK fashion, you can notice that there are some differences in the way people dress. At first sight it can seem unusual, but there are some basic rules to adjust to these differences easily.
The first thing that is really easy to notice is the way Russian ladies are dressed. However it may seem strange and unlike the woman in States and European countries are dressed, don’t let that intimidate you. This style is absolutely typical for a Russian bride to wear high heels on a regular basis, to wear dresses and look polished and perfect even if she is simply going to a store. Most women here work and coming to office automatically implies wearing dressy clothes. You will also see many of them wear jeans, which is acceptable casual attire for men as well (as everywhere in the world I guess :-)).
Of course, it's a common knowledge that most women can spend HOURS in front of the mirror getting ready for a date, clothing choice before a big event is not any less nerve racking for men. If you are taking a Russian bride for a first date, we would strongly recommend to get dressed up – it's a simple logic that a perfectly looking girl would like to spend her time with the guy who looks good as well. A man in a suit is always an attractive sight, however if you are not big on wearing suits, slacks and shirt will be just fine.
Also your choice of attire will depend on where you are going. For people in Russia and the other FSU countries going to a restaurant is not an every-day occasion, so it implies something special. If you are planning to attend an establishment like that, your best bet is to go dressy. If you are going to a night club - pants or jeans with a button-up shirt will be just fine. If you are planning a day time outing, feel free to go as casual as you like (jeans, shorts and t-shirts are fair game).
Many people often worry about clothing when traveling to the FSU in the fall and winter. It is difficult to give one-fits all advice, because the temperatures in the cold season will vary from region to region. You can check the weather forecast in advance as well as ask the person you are visiting or one of our agents for specifics before leaving your home country, but if you take a very warm coat and several heavy sweater, you won't miss at this point :-).
Some guys do the following: they bring a light jacket and a heavy sweater just for the time of travel, and purchase the rest of the clothing once they arrive to their destination. You won’t spend as much on your clothes in Russia or Ukraine as you will at home, and you can always leave some of it if your luggage gets too heavy or if don’t have any use for the purchased items back at home. If you budget has room for such an alternative, you may find this option more convenient in terms of having a lighter luggage and leaving more room for gifts and souvenirs for your Russian bride.
If you decide to shop for clothes, you will find plenty of boutiques and stores to visit. However, if you are looking for a good deal, you can always take a trip to an open air market (these are very popular in the FSU countries). Wherever you decide to look for clothes, take extra caution to examine the items for quality, it would not be out of place.
Also, keep in mind that it is not common for people in the FSU countries to use a washer and dryer cycle, as common in the US, for example. Many clothes you will find (especially winter items) might have hand wash only, no dryer instructions. So, if you plan on buying something you would like to wear after returning home, take an extra look at clothing care instructions.
So I guess, I've revealed the most important points of how to dress in Russia. I hope these would be useful for you, guys, while you are searching for your dream!
Rabu, 18 April 2012
The FSU women's mentality
Many men wonder why there is such a drastic difference in attitude and mentality. Although, every person is unique, there are certain tendencies that make Ukrainian and Russian girls responsive, sensitive, feminine and unique in their traits and perception of the world.
There are so many poems and stories devoted to the exceptional qualities of our women. One of the most famous poems devoted to Russian women calls them queenly, containing beautiful force and remaining ever beautiful despite the difficulties of life and dirt of the surroundings; it glorifies the ability of these women to work hard as much as their beauty. A famous quote from this literary piece says that if need be, a Russian woman will "stop a running horse, enter a burning building." And indeed, all these descriptions are true.
Historically, Russian girls have been set apart long ago. Since the ancient days they have been known for their hard work right alongside with men. During disasters women were generally the ones who held families and communities together. Difficulties don't scare them. Instead, challenges strengthen women's character. They have also been culturally very protective and caring for their families and become great wives and nurturing mothers. Precisely because of these qualities Russian hostesses are known to be some of the most hospitable in the world. The woman of the house will welcome you and feed you as if you have not had food in months, and it will all be delicious too!
Communism also left its mark on the mentality of women (especially of older generations). Ladies, who were raised under communism, were brought up with values of self-dedication, responsibility and giving away to the society, along with strong family values. And such mindset is still very strong in many of them. Not in the political sense, but in the fact of being very giving, sometimes to their own detriment. Helping someone else is much more important than their own well-being. And when they are doing something, the key is responsibility. Of course, such values are transferred to their children, and younger women also gain such warmth, sincerity and dedication from their mothers.
However, Russian men take women and their efforts for granted. They expect women to cater to all their needs. Most men here do not know how to treat women and, therefore, treat them poorly; such attitude leaves no room for romance. It is typical for most women to work from 8 to 5, come home, cook dinner, help kids with their homework, clean the house – and manage all these things on a regular basis without much help in the regular 24 hour day, 7 days a week!!!
Since Russia, Ukraine and neighboring countries have been open to foreign influences, women have a chance to know a different attitude towards them. Many stories of our women happily living abroad have been told over and over again. Most women have a friend or a friend of a friend who is living abroad and is happy with a change in attitude from men and style of life. And once the women had a chance to see something different, compare and realize that indeed they like, want and deserve such things as romance, care and love, many of them do not want to settle for anything less. The attitude from men at home gives Russian women an opportunity to really appreciate foreign men, who treat them as ladies. Attitude of men from home also makes Russian women such that they don't always trust easily. But once they do, the gratitude of Russian women to you for being a reliable partner, who treats them with love, will have no boundaries: they will appreciate you, they will pamper you and give you all their love and emotions stored inside.
So, if you think Russian girls are too good to be true – don't! They are real, they are amazing, and they are looking for someone who will treasure and cherish them. Give them a chance and you just might find the woman you have been missing in your life.
Selasa, 17 April 2012
Stu Unger: Rise and Fall of a Poker Genius
Stu Unger is one of the biggest superstars to have immerged from the professional poker world. Besides being a true poker genius and a three time World Series of Poker champion, Stu Unger had a fascinating life story. It was not surprising that after his death Stu was the subject of a biography and a biopic.
Stu Unger lived the life of a rock star including the quick rise to fame, the drugs, the comeback and the unavoidable death at an early age. Here you can read about the life story of the legendary poker player Stu Unger.
The Beginning
Stuart Errol Ungar was born in 1953 to a Jewish family who lived in Manhattan on the Lower East Side. Stus father was a well known bookmaker and his mother was too ill to fight against her sons fascination with gambling. After the death of his father, 13 years old Stu had found a father figure at his neighbor Victor Romano, one of the infamous Genovese family soldiers.
Stu and Romano had at least one thing in common: they both had an incredibly sharp memory, which was mainly used in poker and gin games. By that time, Stu was already an accomplished gin player who had gained vast experience in winning gin tournaments. Stu dropped out of school to become a full time gin rummy player. The Genovese family had benefited from Stus talent. In return, they provided him protection from other gamblers who found themselves offended by his harsh and arrogant playing style.
The Rise
As a professional gin player, Stu had managed to beat all the professional gin poker players around. According to the rumors, Stu caused Harry Yonkie Stein, one of the best players around to stop playing gin completely after beating him in a gin match. Since he was out of proper competition, Stu decided to focus on playing poker professionally. In 1976, he and his girlfriend relocated to Las Vegas where they got married and had a girl, Stephanie.
In 1980, Stu won the World Series of Poker Main Event after beating experienced poker pros such as Doyle Bronson. Stu was the youngest WSOP champion in history and was nicknamed The Kid. Even though Stu won the 1981 WSOP Main Event, he still considered himself more a gin and rummy player than a poker player. After winning his first WSOP championship title, he was quoted saying that the poker world would meet better no limit players than him, but no one will ever be able to play gin rummy better than he does.
At the same time, Stu had tried to use his skill to grab money at the blackjack table. Nevertheless, the casinos were not happy with Stus presence around the blackjack tables and he was constantly barred. In 1982, he was fined by the New Jersey Gaming Commission for cheating, although Stu has not done anything illegal but using his natural skill and phenomenal memory.
The Fall
In 1990, Stu made another appearance to the WSOP. This time, he was heavily into drugs. He was a chip leader for the first three days of the event and then disappeared. He was found lying at his hotel room, unconscious from a drug overdose. However, it did not stop him from finishing ninth and earning enough money for his future cocaine supply.
The Comeback
After seven years of disappearing from the professional poker circle, Stu had returned to the WSOP. In 1997, he was broke, with damaged nostrils from cocaine abuse, addicted to horseracing and sports gambling, but still in shape to beat all the new contestants and gain back his WSOP Championship title. The local media was happy to embrace The Comeback Kid, but his success did not last long.
The Death
Stu Unger did not attend the 1998 World Series of Poker since he could not get the money to pay the entry fee. Seven months after Scotty Nguyen won the 1998 WSOP, Stu Ungar was found dead at his motel room in Las Vegas with 800 dollars in his pocket. Apparently, he died of a heart condition caused by years of drug abuse.
The Biography
Read: One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey The Kid Ungar, The Worlds Greatest Poker Player written by Nolan Dalla, Peter Alson, Mike Sexton.
Watch: High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story directed by A. W. Vidmer and starring Michael Imperioli, Christopher Moltisanti of The Sopranos, as Stu Unger
Stu Unger lived the life of a rock star including the quick rise to fame, the drugs, the comeback and the unavoidable death at an early age. Here you can read about the life story of the legendary poker player Stu Unger.
The Beginning
Stuart Errol Ungar was born in 1953 to a Jewish family who lived in Manhattan on the Lower East Side. Stus father was a well known bookmaker and his mother was too ill to fight against her sons fascination with gambling. After the death of his father, 13 years old Stu had found a father figure at his neighbor Victor Romano, one of the infamous Genovese family soldiers.
Stu and Romano had at least one thing in common: they both had an incredibly sharp memory, which was mainly used in poker and gin games. By that time, Stu was already an accomplished gin player who had gained vast experience in winning gin tournaments. Stu dropped out of school to become a full time gin rummy player. The Genovese family had benefited from Stus talent. In return, they provided him protection from other gamblers who found themselves offended by his harsh and arrogant playing style.
The Rise
As a professional gin player, Stu had managed to beat all the professional gin poker players around. According to the rumors, Stu caused Harry Yonkie Stein, one of the best players around to stop playing gin completely after beating him in a gin match. Since he was out of proper competition, Stu decided to focus on playing poker professionally. In 1976, he and his girlfriend relocated to Las Vegas where they got married and had a girl, Stephanie.
In 1980, Stu won the World Series of Poker Main Event after beating experienced poker pros such as Doyle Bronson. Stu was the youngest WSOP champion in history and was nicknamed The Kid. Even though Stu won the 1981 WSOP Main Event, he still considered himself more a gin and rummy player than a poker player. After winning his first WSOP championship title, he was quoted saying that the poker world would meet better no limit players than him, but no one will ever be able to play gin rummy better than he does.
At the same time, Stu had tried to use his skill to grab money at the blackjack table. Nevertheless, the casinos were not happy with Stus presence around the blackjack tables and he was constantly barred. In 1982, he was fined by the New Jersey Gaming Commission for cheating, although Stu has not done anything illegal but using his natural skill and phenomenal memory.
The Fall
In 1990, Stu made another appearance to the WSOP. This time, he was heavily into drugs. He was a chip leader for the first three days of the event and then disappeared. He was found lying at his hotel room, unconscious from a drug overdose. However, it did not stop him from finishing ninth and earning enough money for his future cocaine supply.
The Comeback
After seven years of disappearing from the professional poker circle, Stu had returned to the WSOP. In 1997, he was broke, with damaged nostrils from cocaine abuse, addicted to horseracing and sports gambling, but still in shape to beat all the new contestants and gain back his WSOP Championship title. The local media was happy to embrace The Comeback Kid, but his success did not last long.
The Death
Stu Unger did not attend the 1998 World Series of Poker since he could not get the money to pay the entry fee. Seven months after Scotty Nguyen won the 1998 WSOP, Stu Ungar was found dead at his motel room in Las Vegas with 800 dollars in his pocket. Apparently, he died of a heart condition caused by years of drug abuse.
The Biography
Read: One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey The Kid Ungar, The Worlds Greatest Poker Player written by Nolan Dalla, Peter Alson, Mike Sexton.
Watch: High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story directed by A. W. Vidmer and starring Michael Imperioli, Christopher Moltisanti of The Sopranos, as Stu Unger
Senin, 16 April 2012
The nature of Slavonic ladies
The word “woman” usually associates with warmth, love and tenderness. This meanings were kept for a long time but now everything has changed. Since European and American women started their fight for inderpendence and feminism, only East-European and Asian women remained warm and tender, remained feminine. Since that time the stories about Russian bride appeared and became widespread. This fact made Westerners interested about that ideal kind of wife and they have started coming to Russia in search of their brides.
So, Americans and Europeans, coming to the East European countries, were amazed by the difference between their “local” women and Russian women. The difference in attitude and mentality. Those men came to the former USSR countries pursuing their dream and they've truly discovered that Ukrainian and Russian brides are the most sensitive, feminine and unique in their traits and perception of the world.
From the ancient times the most famous poet and writers were excited and amused by the exceptional qualities of the FSU ladies, so you can find a lot of works and poems devoted to Russian women. One poem even calls them queenly, containing beautiful force and remaining ever beautiful despite the difficulties of life; it glorifies the ability of these women to work hard as much as their beauty. And indeed, all these stories are true.
Since the ancient days they have been known for their hard work right alongside with men, so historically Russian women have been set apart long ago. During disasters women held families together. Difficulties has never scared them. Challenges strengthen women's character. They have also been culturally very protective and caring for their families and become great wives and nurturing mothers. Precisely because of these qualities Russian hostesses are known to be some of the most hospitable in the world. This landlady will welcome you and feed you as if you have not had food for months, and it will all be delicious!
During the years of USSR, communism also influenced the mentality of Russian ladies (especially of older generations). Girls, who were raised under communism, were brought up with values of self-dedication, responsibility and giving away to the society, along with strong family values. And such mindset is still very strong in many of them. Just in the fact of being very giving, sometimes to their own detriment. Helping someone else is much more important than their own well-being. Of course, such values are transferred to their children, and younger women also gain such warmth, sincerity and dedication from their mothers.
Since Russia, Ukraine and other FSU countries have been open to foreign influences, women have a chance to know a different attitude towards them. Many stories of our women happily living abroad have been told over and over again. Most women have a friend or a friend of a friend who is living abroad and is happy with a change in attitude from men and style of life. And once the women had a chance to see something different, compare and realize that indeed they like, want and deserve such things as romance, care and love, many of them do not want to settle for anything less. The attitude from men at home gives Russian women an opportunity to really appreciate foreign men, who treat them as ladies. Attitude of men from home also makes Russian women such that they don't always trust easily. But once they do, the gratitude of Russian women to you for being a reliable partner, who treats them with love, will have no boundaries: they will appreciate you, they will pamper you and give you all their love and emotions stored inside.
So, the Russian brides are not only a good story – it's all truth! They are real and they are incredible, and they are looking for someone who will treasure and cherish them. So, may be it's time for you to find your Russian bride!
Minggu, 15 April 2012
The Awful Truth About Television: The little box that transformed society
Introducing TV
Based on how engrained the television is in our society, one might think that it had been around for centuries. With the ubiquitous presence of TV’s in houses, schools, banks, cars, cell phones, and more, people wonder how they ever survived without their daily dose of Oprah and Monday Night Football.
Yet, television was not officially introduced to the world until in 1939 at the World’s Fair. At that time, many people did not think that families would have enough time or patience to sit down for long periods in front of a flickering screen. “The average American family hasn’t time for it,” said one commentator.
TV ownership explodes
World War II stalled the development of television. After the war though, TV sales took off faster than you could say “Hi Ho Silver, Away!” By 1950, about 9% of American homes had a television set. By 1953, half of all households had a TV. By 1962, 90% of all households had a set . Today 98% of American households have at least one TV set and 76% of families have more than one set.
Initially, only two networks distributed television programming for approximately 3½ hours per day . Today there are hundreds of channels providing entertainment twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. As a result, people are glued to their screens for an average of 4½ hours per day. This is more than half of people’s leisure time. Many people cannot even imagine life without TV. This phenomenal transformation occurred within only three generations.
Trend for TV viewing still rising
Now television technology is exploding in other manners. No longer confined to the home, TV’s are popping up everywhere in public and private life: in schools, banks, stores, public transportation, cars, cell phones. It is now possible to turn your computer into a virtual television set and download programs from the internet.
The trend for TV viewing is rising higher as well, propelled by new technology. For example, a recent study showed that people who had digital video recorders (DVRs), like TiVo, watched 12% more TV than those who did not have DVRs. The growth of “on demand” programming will also likely increase viewing time for the average family.
Many people see TV as a necessary part of life. For example, when I announced to my mother that I was getting rid of our TV, she responded, “What am I going to do when I come to visit?” She, like most people, still cannot imagine living without TV.
"No Couch Potato Left Behind"
In November 2005, there was a huge debate in the US about cutting food stamp benefits. At the time this debate was proceeding, Congress was also considering a law that would help the poor transition to HDTV. Congress was concerned that millions of poor families might not be able to watch TV after the networks switched from analog to digital TV. Unlike food stamps, this entitlement received bi-partisan support.
Columnist George Will aptly named it the "No Couch Potato Left Behind" entitlement. President Bush signed the "No Couch Potato Left Behind" bill into law in February 2006. The final version earmarked $1.5 billion to pay for converter boxes for older television sets. Society is a long way from "the average American family hasn’t time for it".
It is time to ask, "What is the cost of this transformation?"
About 'The Awful Truth About Television' Series:
What happens when the average American spends 4 hours 32 minutes every day watching television? Trash Your TV's 'The Awful Truth About Television' Series explores the multifaceted problems with TV in eleven hard-hitting articles. Read the full series and you will never look at your television set the same way again.
sources:
http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/documents/76years_tv.pdf
http://www.tvhistory.tv/Annual_TV_Households_50-78.JPG
http://www.tvhistory.tv/TV-VCR-Remote-Cable_Ownership.JPG
http://www.tvhistory.tv/1941_June_30_WNBT_Program.jpg
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/newsreleases/2005/AvgHoursMinutes92905.pdf
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/13184519.htm
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/58513.htm
http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/02/president_bush_signs_historic_dtv_bill_cea_says_hdtv_is_on_a_roll.php
Based on how engrained the television is in our society, one might think that it had been around for centuries. With the ubiquitous presence of TV’s in houses, schools, banks, cars, cell phones, and more, people wonder how they ever survived without their daily dose of Oprah and Monday Night Football.
Yet, television was not officially introduced to the world until in 1939 at the World’s Fair. At that time, many people did not think that families would have enough time or patience to sit down for long periods in front of a flickering screen. “The average American family hasn’t time for it,” said one commentator.
TV ownership explodes
World War II stalled the development of television. After the war though, TV sales took off faster than you could say “Hi Ho Silver, Away!” By 1950, about 9% of American homes had a television set. By 1953, half of all households had a TV. By 1962, 90% of all households had a set . Today 98% of American households have at least one TV set and 76% of families have more than one set.
Initially, only two networks distributed television programming for approximately 3½ hours per day . Today there are hundreds of channels providing entertainment twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. As a result, people are glued to their screens for an average of 4½ hours per day. This is more than half of people’s leisure time. Many people cannot even imagine life without TV. This phenomenal transformation occurred within only three generations.
Trend for TV viewing still rising
Now television technology is exploding in other manners. No longer confined to the home, TV’s are popping up everywhere in public and private life: in schools, banks, stores, public transportation, cars, cell phones. It is now possible to turn your computer into a virtual television set and download programs from the internet.
The trend for TV viewing is rising higher as well, propelled by new technology. For example, a recent study showed that people who had digital video recorders (DVRs), like TiVo, watched 12% more TV than those who did not have DVRs. The growth of “on demand” programming will also likely increase viewing time for the average family.
Many people see TV as a necessary part of life. For example, when I announced to my mother that I was getting rid of our TV, she responded, “What am I going to do when I come to visit?” She, like most people, still cannot imagine living without TV.
"No Couch Potato Left Behind"
In November 2005, there was a huge debate in the US about cutting food stamp benefits. At the time this debate was proceeding, Congress was also considering a law that would help the poor transition to HDTV. Congress was concerned that millions of poor families might not be able to watch TV after the networks switched from analog to digital TV. Unlike food stamps, this entitlement received bi-partisan support.
Columnist George Will aptly named it the "No Couch Potato Left Behind" entitlement. President Bush signed the "No Couch Potato Left Behind" bill into law in February 2006. The final version earmarked $1.5 billion to pay for converter boxes for older television sets. Society is a long way from "the average American family hasn’t time for it".
It is time to ask, "What is the cost of this transformation?"
About 'The Awful Truth About Television' Series:
What happens when the average American spends 4 hours 32 minutes every day watching television? Trash Your TV's 'The Awful Truth About Television' Series explores the multifaceted problems with TV in eleven hard-hitting articles. Read the full series and you will never look at your television set the same way again.
sources:
http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history/tv/documents/76years_tv.pdf
http://www.tvhistory.tv/Annual_TV_Households_50-78.JPG
http://www.tvhistory.tv/TV-VCR-Remote-Cable_Ownership.JPG
http://www.tvhistory.tv/1941_June_30_WNBT_Program.jpg
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/newsreleases/2005/AvgHoursMinutes92905.pdf
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/13184519.htm
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/58513.htm
http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/articles/2006/02/president_bush_signs_historic_dtv_bill_cea_says_hdtv_is_on_a_roll.php
Sabtu, 14 April 2012
Urban Legends And The People Who Love Them
We've all likely heard one or two of them before. There's the story about the gang that offers girl the choice of being raped or having a facial scar in the form of a sick smile. In Japan, there is a mythical bus or train car where girls get raped and molested by the male passengers. In some areas of the US, there are stories of an psychotic killer that lurks in the backseats of cars and cuts the driver's head off with an ax. Some of us have heard stories about the Islamic woman who killed her husband's second wife with a scorpion hidden in the wedding dress. A few of us might even have heard of the highly secretive Global Conspiracy of the Bald. Or some of us might have heard one of thousands upon thousands of other stories, each with just enough truth to be believable. Regardless, the one thing that is certain is that, at some point in our lives, we've heard an urban legend.
Urban legends can sometimes be pinned down to fear and anxiety in society, particularly in the light of certain technological or social developments. For example, the “pervert bus” myth was made prevalent in Japan when trains and buses started emerging, before they became prevalent means of public transportation. Fear and anxiety, as well as ignorance, regarding the polygamous marriages allowed by Islam prompted the “scorpion in the wedding dress” myth, which shows a lack of understanding of the underlying social mores behind the multiple wives. Of course, like any good urban legend, myths of this sort persist long after the initial fear and anxiety have faded into obscurity.
Another common source of urban legends would be the products we use on a daily basis. One prevalent myth comes from the recent obsession with losing weight and staying thin. There are stories that, at one point in either the late 70s or early 80s, there was a mail-order weight loss pill that promised people who took them that they would never gain a pound. According to the stories, the weight loss pill worked because they contained parasitic worms that would inhabit the stomach. According to various records, there was never such a weight loss pill on the market. One more popular story involved a couple purchasing a car that was unbelievable in terms of fuel efficiency, having barely used a full tank after days of driving. The car was, according to the story, promptly stolen by oil companies after the couple commended the manufacturer on the engine design.
Of course, performance anxiety and social anxiety have also produced a number of urban legends, particularly of the “conspiracy theory” form. For example, there are hundreds of people that believe they are unable to get ahead in their professional lives because of pressure applied by one secret society or another. In some ways, this is a subtle form of performance anxiety, with the people unable to accept their psychological inability to perform better and placing the blame on an unseen “hand.” A touch of social anxiety also pervades in a number of conspiracy theories when taken to excess, as people become afraid of social interaction for fear of coming into contact with agents of some socio-political super-cabal. Typically, the performance anxiety that inspires a person to hold these legends as reality come with other psychological disorders.
Social anxiety can also take root in some older societies, particularly in Europe, when urban legends about secret organizations generally have more credence with the masses. The European continent is traditionally home to a variety of secret societies, which have goals ranging from world domination to controlling the global marketplace. In some respects, social anxiety sets in when people who are mentally and socially unstable in the first place hear the stories and begin to construct elaborate and implausible stories to back up the legends. The end result is that one ends up with a person that, essentially, believes that group is “out to get them.” The only real variation tends to be what the group is, though the Illuminati, the Camarilla, the Knights Templar, the Vatican, the New World Order, and Satanic cults are among the more typical.
Urban legends can sometimes be pinned down to fear and anxiety in society, particularly in the light of certain technological or social developments. For example, the “pervert bus” myth was made prevalent in Japan when trains and buses started emerging, before they became prevalent means of public transportation. Fear and anxiety, as well as ignorance, regarding the polygamous marriages allowed by Islam prompted the “scorpion in the wedding dress” myth, which shows a lack of understanding of the underlying social mores behind the multiple wives. Of course, like any good urban legend, myths of this sort persist long after the initial fear and anxiety have faded into obscurity.
Another common source of urban legends would be the products we use on a daily basis. One prevalent myth comes from the recent obsession with losing weight and staying thin. There are stories that, at one point in either the late 70s or early 80s, there was a mail-order weight loss pill that promised people who took them that they would never gain a pound. According to the stories, the weight loss pill worked because they contained parasitic worms that would inhabit the stomach. According to various records, there was never such a weight loss pill on the market. One more popular story involved a couple purchasing a car that was unbelievable in terms of fuel efficiency, having barely used a full tank after days of driving. The car was, according to the story, promptly stolen by oil companies after the couple commended the manufacturer on the engine design.
Of course, performance anxiety and social anxiety have also produced a number of urban legends, particularly of the “conspiracy theory” form. For example, there are hundreds of people that believe they are unable to get ahead in their professional lives because of pressure applied by one secret society or another. In some ways, this is a subtle form of performance anxiety, with the people unable to accept their psychological inability to perform better and placing the blame on an unseen “hand.” A touch of social anxiety also pervades in a number of conspiracy theories when taken to excess, as people become afraid of social interaction for fear of coming into contact with agents of some socio-political super-cabal. Typically, the performance anxiety that inspires a person to hold these legends as reality come with other psychological disorders.
Social anxiety can also take root in some older societies, particularly in Europe, when urban legends about secret organizations generally have more credence with the masses. The European continent is traditionally home to a variety of secret societies, which have goals ranging from world domination to controlling the global marketplace. In some respects, social anxiety sets in when people who are mentally and socially unstable in the first place hear the stories and begin to construct elaborate and implausible stories to back up the legends. The end result is that one ends up with a person that, essentially, believes that group is “out to get them.” The only real variation tends to be what the group is, though the Illuminati, the Camarilla, the Knights Templar, the Vatican, the New World Order, and Satanic cults are among the more typical.
Jumat, 13 April 2012
How I spent my Vacation in Amsterdam
During the vacation I got to see many of the wonders that Amsterdam has to offer. One of the first things I went to see was the Van Gogh Museum. Having just gotten off the plane I was tired, but some of his art is just amazing to see, and I did not want to wait to see them.
After going to the museum I headed into the city center to look around, maybe do some shopping and get some food.
I had herd many things about Amsterdam and just thought that many of them were blow out of proportion, well I am here to tell you that they are all true. The first thing that hits you is the strong smell of Marijuana, and then you start to see the almost completely naked girls in the windows.
As if the prostitutes in the windows were not enough there are live sex shows and sex shops selling every imaginable sex toy known to man on every street, but this was not what interested me.
Then as I continued walking around I started to notice something besides pot, and naked females, I saw casinos.
I grew up in New Jersey, just about 2 hours from Atlantic City, and after my 18th birthday I spend a good amount of time in the casinos. So I decided to go in and check some of them out.
Well I wound up spending most of the rest of my time in those casinos. The first one I went to was Video Gaming machines only, but they had video poker, video blackjack and Video Slot machines as well, I did not really do well her in this place so I only spent about an hour, and about 100 Euro, then left.
The next place I found was a nicer place. Unlike in New Jersey, in these casinos people are dressed up in their nice clothes instead of jeans, sneakers and T-Shirts. This casino had actual table games so I tried to play some Blackjack, but there was a player at the table that either had no idea on how to play or he was somehow involved in cheating with another player, but I am inclined to think he just did not know how to play blackjack.
So I started playing at the Roulette table, and I was doing really well, at one point I was up about 400 Euro before I started losing. So I decided to leave this casino and go walking around for a while.
The next day I found myself in another casino, and I decided to see if my luck was back, I went to a slot machine and put in some money and on the third spin I won another 200 Euro, so feeling lucky I decided to enter the poker room, and that is when things got really interesting. I got into a game and boy were these guys good, but I was winning just as much as I was losing, and in the end I may have even walked away with a few Euros more then when I walked in.
After playing for about 5 hours I decided to go outside and walk around a bit to stretch my legs. I would up deciding to sit down and have a cup of coffee, but I did not know the difference between a coffee shop and a caf?.
In Amsterdam a caf? is a place to sit and have a coffee, but a coffee shop is a place to purchase and smoke Marijuana. So as I was sitting there drinking my coffee I noticed several people rolling joints. Now I have herd about this and I hade smelled plenty of pot while I was there, but I did not realize it was sold out in the open like this. So I decided to buy some pot and try it.
I went to the counter where I saw others buying their weed and the guy behind the counter was very nice and showed me a menu of what they had for sale. I wound up buying a joint of white widow. The man behind the counter told me his was very strong stuff, but I was not prepared for this.
I managed to smoke about half of the joint, before I was hit with this feeling. I have been a drinker for many years, but even in my college days I was never out of my head like this.
Eventually I managed to get out of there and get some fresh air, and some waffles. I decided, this was the time to back into the casino and win my money back, and in the end I lost another 600 Euro, and wound up falling off my chair in the casino and needed to be helped out.
So if you are going to be going to Amsterdam, be careful the grass is really strong.
After going to the museum I headed into the city center to look around, maybe do some shopping and get some food.
I had herd many things about Amsterdam and just thought that many of them were blow out of proportion, well I am here to tell you that they are all true. The first thing that hits you is the strong smell of Marijuana, and then you start to see the almost completely naked girls in the windows.
As if the prostitutes in the windows were not enough there are live sex shows and sex shops selling every imaginable sex toy known to man on every street, but this was not what interested me.
Then as I continued walking around I started to notice something besides pot, and naked females, I saw casinos.
I grew up in New Jersey, just about 2 hours from Atlantic City, and after my 18th birthday I spend a good amount of time in the casinos. So I decided to go in and check some of them out.
Well I wound up spending most of the rest of my time in those casinos. The first one I went to was Video Gaming machines only, but they had video poker, video blackjack and Video Slot machines as well, I did not really do well her in this place so I only spent about an hour, and about 100 Euro, then left.
The next place I found was a nicer place. Unlike in New Jersey, in these casinos people are dressed up in their nice clothes instead of jeans, sneakers and T-Shirts. This casino had actual table games so I tried to play some Blackjack, but there was a player at the table that either had no idea on how to play or he was somehow involved in cheating with another player, but I am inclined to think he just did not know how to play blackjack.
So I started playing at the Roulette table, and I was doing really well, at one point I was up about 400 Euro before I started losing. So I decided to leave this casino and go walking around for a while.
The next day I found myself in another casino, and I decided to see if my luck was back, I went to a slot machine and put in some money and on the third spin I won another 200 Euro, so feeling lucky I decided to enter the poker room, and that is when things got really interesting. I got into a game and boy were these guys good, but I was winning just as much as I was losing, and in the end I may have even walked away with a few Euros more then when I walked in.
After playing for about 5 hours I decided to go outside and walk around a bit to stretch my legs. I would up deciding to sit down and have a cup of coffee, but I did not know the difference between a coffee shop and a caf?.
In Amsterdam a caf? is a place to sit and have a coffee, but a coffee shop is a place to purchase and smoke Marijuana. So as I was sitting there drinking my coffee I noticed several people rolling joints. Now I have herd about this and I hade smelled plenty of pot while I was there, but I did not realize it was sold out in the open like this. So I decided to buy some pot and try it.
I went to the counter where I saw others buying their weed and the guy behind the counter was very nice and showed me a menu of what they had for sale. I wound up buying a joint of white widow. The man behind the counter told me his was very strong stuff, but I was not prepared for this.
I managed to smoke about half of the joint, before I was hit with this feeling. I have been a drinker for many years, but even in my college days I was never out of my head like this.
Eventually I managed to get out of there and get some fresh air, and some waffles. I decided, this was the time to back into the casino and win my money back, and in the end I lost another 600 Euro, and wound up falling off my chair in the casino and needed to be helped out.
So if you are going to be going to Amsterdam, be careful the grass is really strong.
Kamis, 12 April 2012
Nonviolence for Social Change
Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated peaceful nonviolence to change ailing social systems. They and their followers were able to successfully change the social conditions of their times. Recently, a lawyer in China named Gao Shizheng has called for symbolic ongoing hunger strikes across China to support people who have encountered violence and ongoing persecution perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party which currently rules China.
For over six years now, since July of 1999, the peaceful Falun Gong practitioners have used nonviolent actions to draw world attention to the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party. If past history is any indication, the Falun Gong practitioners and human rights advocates such as Gao Shizheng will be successful in the long run.
The Chinese Communist Party is a large stumbling block to overcome. They are unwilling to admit that human rights violations are occurring in China. Fortunately, the world knows better thanks to groups like the Falun Gong practitioners, Amnesty International, Freedom House and even the United Nations Special Rappateur on Human Rights.
One can find all kinds of evidence including testimonials, video footage, and other documentation to prove the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, the very existence of a labor camp system in China demonstrates the systematic nature of the human rights violations.
Virtually everyone in the world knows what is going on, yet China continues to deny the facts. One is reminded of the many murderers throughout history that have committed terrible crimes and yet proclaimed their innocence. They are met with justice. But these are individuals in society and here we are talking about a large group of people, the Chinese Communist Party, acting in unison to perpetrate, hide and then deny their abuses. It is harder to bring an entire group to justice or convince them to change their behavior.
The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) numbers around 60 million people. That is sixty million individuals that are willing to deny in tandem any wrongdoing. It is similar to sixty million criminals all proclaiming their innocence together at the same time.
In Nazi Germany you had a smaller group of people who were able to plunge the entire world into war and commit horrible human rights violations. It could be said that they were an organized group of thugs similar but perhaps not as vicious as the Chinese Communist Party operating in China today. In fact the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for far more deaths over the decades than the Nazis were in their day.
The Nazis are gone but the Chinese Communist Party is still operating, still grossly violating human rights and still denying their own bad deeds at every turn. How long can something like this go on? It could go on for a much longer period of time, if people don't stand up and speak out against the atrocities.
Staying in tune with the nonviolent means of achieving social change in history, it becomes the duty of every individual in the world to speak about the atrocities. As much and as often as the CCP denies human rights violations every person should speak out about them. With many more voices ringing with truth to counter the lies of the CCP, ending the human rights violations is an inevitable conclusion. However, it is a conclusion that must come sooner rather than later because people are suffering.
To learn more about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China visit the FalunInfo or the Clearwisdom websites for additional information. A simple action that you can take today to help in the spirit of nonviolence is to call the nearest Chinese Embassy and say, "Stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Stop the human rights violations."
Change is inevitable. As an individual you have the ability to help bring an end to the atrocities sooner rather than later.
For over six years now, since July of 1999, the peaceful Falun Gong practitioners have used nonviolent actions to draw world attention to the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party. If past history is any indication, the Falun Gong practitioners and human rights advocates such as Gao Shizheng will be successful in the long run.
The Chinese Communist Party is a large stumbling block to overcome. They are unwilling to admit that human rights violations are occurring in China. Fortunately, the world knows better thanks to groups like the Falun Gong practitioners, Amnesty International, Freedom House and even the United Nations Special Rappateur on Human Rights.
One can find all kinds of evidence including testimonials, video footage, and other documentation to prove the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, the very existence of a labor camp system in China demonstrates the systematic nature of the human rights violations.
Virtually everyone in the world knows what is going on, yet China continues to deny the facts. One is reminded of the many murderers throughout history that have committed terrible crimes and yet proclaimed their innocence. They are met with justice. But these are individuals in society and here we are talking about a large group of people, the Chinese Communist Party, acting in unison to perpetrate, hide and then deny their abuses. It is harder to bring an entire group to justice or convince them to change their behavior.
The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) numbers around 60 million people. That is sixty million individuals that are willing to deny in tandem any wrongdoing. It is similar to sixty million criminals all proclaiming their innocence together at the same time.
In Nazi Germany you had a smaller group of people who were able to plunge the entire world into war and commit horrible human rights violations. It could be said that they were an organized group of thugs similar but perhaps not as vicious as the Chinese Communist Party operating in China today. In fact the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for far more deaths over the decades than the Nazis were in their day.
The Nazis are gone but the Chinese Communist Party is still operating, still grossly violating human rights and still denying their own bad deeds at every turn. How long can something like this go on? It could go on for a much longer period of time, if people don't stand up and speak out against the atrocities.
Staying in tune with the nonviolent means of achieving social change in history, it becomes the duty of every individual in the world to speak about the atrocities. As much and as often as the CCP denies human rights violations every person should speak out about them. With many more voices ringing with truth to counter the lies of the CCP, ending the human rights violations is an inevitable conclusion. However, it is a conclusion that must come sooner rather than later because people are suffering.
To learn more about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China visit the FalunInfo or the Clearwisdom websites for additional information. A simple action that you can take today to help in the spirit of nonviolence is to call the nearest Chinese Embassy and say, "Stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Stop the human rights violations."
Change is inevitable. As an individual you have the ability to help bring an end to the atrocities sooner rather than later.
Rabu, 11 April 2012
The negative impact of the weight loss obsession
The media has pushed upon the general public that the thinner you are, the more attractive you are. All manner of media outlets have given people the impression that being larger than a size 0 is a bad thing because it makes you fat, even though realistically, your appearance is a little too similar to that of malnourished African children. We have become trained to see the waif-like figures of fashion models to be the ideal in feminine physical beauty, even though such a form may not really have any benefits in a strictly biological sense. This has had the effect of creating the weight loss pill industry, as well as giving it the backbone it needs to be a feasible avenue of business for pharmaceutical companies eager to make a quick buck or two. However, is being thin really all that the media makes it out to be?
Perhaps the primary concern would be the impact what effect taking a weight loss pill might have on the system. By their very nature, the pills are designed to help a person lose excess weight, typically by burning stored fat or increasing the metabolic rate. However, as testing has shown, a number of the more effective forms of weight loss pill formulas can have terrible side effects on the body. Reports can vary, though some of the more common ones are nausea and occasional cases of vomiting. In some countries, where the standards are a little lax, these pills find a massive market despite the lack of testing on just what potential side effects it might have. Aside from that, a weight loss pill can easily be overdosed by people who are overzealous about losing weight, leading to potentially life-threatening situations.
However, aside from the weight loss pill boom, the media's effort to push people to become thinner has resulted in psychological damage. Even without the media at work, there will always be a segment of the population that would experience social anxiety because of their weight. Due to the emphasis on physical achievement and perfection among students, high school students typically, those who have more weight than the average student often end up being socially scorned. Large-built students who cannot find ways to compensate for their weight through activities such as sports often find themselves socially ostracized by their peers. After all, the media pushes the message “nobody wants to hang out with fat kids” rather strongly. Now, combine that with exposure to mass media, which pushes people to subconsciously dislike being “fat,” and the social anxiety simply gets worse. There are several studies behind the effects and the treatments for bulimia and anorexia, but very few have tackled the psychological issues and the social anxiety behind these eating disorders.
Finally, perhaps the worst effect the media “push” has had is the prevalent obsession with losing weight, even for those who don't need to lose weight. The media has made people consciously relate extremely thin, waif-like figures to beauty. This has had the effect of women adopting all manner of fad diets, weight loss programs, and extreme treatments to attain that “perfect” size 0. This is a far cry from the pre-Raphaelite standard, where a full figure was considered the ideal and a little meat on the bones was not necessarily a bad thing. While the public obsession with health stems from this need to get thinner, the fact that some people are stretching the limits on how thin the human body can get while still remaining healthy is not a good sign.
It is interesting to note that men seem less affected by this than women. There are several possible explanations for this, though there is a distinct lack of overly-idealized male figures in the media, as compared to the female ones. According to some studies, it is generally harder to determine an “ideal” for the male figure, apart from one that appears capable of performing the tasks subconsciously associated with the male gender, than it is for females. There are several likely sociological and evolutionary reasons for this sort of discrimination, but the number of men experiencing the same social pressures as women is increasing.
Perhaps the primary concern would be the impact what effect taking a weight loss pill might have on the system. By their very nature, the pills are designed to help a person lose excess weight, typically by burning stored fat or increasing the metabolic rate. However, as testing has shown, a number of the more effective forms of weight loss pill formulas can have terrible side effects on the body. Reports can vary, though some of the more common ones are nausea and occasional cases of vomiting. In some countries, where the standards are a little lax, these pills find a massive market despite the lack of testing on just what potential side effects it might have. Aside from that, a weight loss pill can easily be overdosed by people who are overzealous about losing weight, leading to potentially life-threatening situations.
However, aside from the weight loss pill boom, the media's effort to push people to become thinner has resulted in psychological damage. Even without the media at work, there will always be a segment of the population that would experience social anxiety because of their weight. Due to the emphasis on physical achievement and perfection among students, high school students typically, those who have more weight than the average student often end up being socially scorned. Large-built students who cannot find ways to compensate for their weight through activities such as sports often find themselves socially ostracized by their peers. After all, the media pushes the message “nobody wants to hang out with fat kids” rather strongly. Now, combine that with exposure to mass media, which pushes people to subconsciously dislike being “fat,” and the social anxiety simply gets worse. There are several studies behind the effects and the treatments for bulimia and anorexia, but very few have tackled the psychological issues and the social anxiety behind these eating disorders.
Finally, perhaps the worst effect the media “push” has had is the prevalent obsession with losing weight, even for those who don't need to lose weight. The media has made people consciously relate extremely thin, waif-like figures to beauty. This has had the effect of women adopting all manner of fad diets, weight loss programs, and extreme treatments to attain that “perfect” size 0. This is a far cry from the pre-Raphaelite standard, where a full figure was considered the ideal and a little meat on the bones was not necessarily a bad thing. While the public obsession with health stems from this need to get thinner, the fact that some people are stretching the limits on how thin the human body can get while still remaining healthy is not a good sign.
It is interesting to note that men seem less affected by this than women. There are several possible explanations for this, though there is a distinct lack of overly-idealized male figures in the media, as compared to the female ones. According to some studies, it is generally harder to determine an “ideal” for the male figure, apart from one that appears capable of performing the tasks subconsciously associated with the male gender, than it is for females. There are several likely sociological and evolutionary reasons for this sort of discrimination, but the number of men experiencing the same social pressures as women is increasing.
Selasa, 10 April 2012
John Reese's Top Traffic Secrets
Track all sources of traffic generation.
John Reese stresses the need to track where all traffic comes from and at what cost. It is crucial to know exactly how many sales, newsletter sign-ups, or other leads your particular marketing campaigns generating. This enables you to work smarter and not harder. By tracking all traffic to your site you can make twice as much while working fifty percent less.
Content is King
On the internet, people are searching for one thing....... Content! Load your website with as much content as possible. Then, continuously add content. Search engines love information and they will love your site if you've got lots of it. There's plenty of free content for the taking on the internet. You can load up your site with articles from article directories like ezinearticles.com. Or, you could be like John and use content from the public domain. Or, you can use content that is in the creative commons. This type is now easier than ever to find now that Yahoo and others have come out with a search engine designed specifically for content that is in the creative commons.
An affiliate program is critical to maximum traffic and sales. Lots of internet marketers don't take advantage of this powerful traffic-generating technique. An affiliate program allows you to have your own personal salesman spread all over the web. The best part about it is that there is absolutely no risk involved but tons of traffic and sales to gain. Your website simply cannot grow to its full potential without an effective affiliate program.
Banner Ads
John Reese advocates the use of banner ads during a time when they are largely an untapped marketing source. Banner ads are one of the most overlooked sources of targeted traffic online.
Also, banner ads are now one of the cheapest sources of targeted traffic. In the late 1990's during the dot-com boom, people were selling banner ads for $40 and $50 CPM. Then the dot-com bubble hit and these rates hit the floor. You can now buy banner ads dirt cheap, at $1 to $1.50 CPM. This is $1 for 1,000 banner impressions. The key here is to find the perfect place to advertise that will send targeted, willing to buy customers to your site.
Create viral reports that can quickly spread around the internet. This method works best when you have an affiliate program. Allow others to brand your report in order to encourage its distribution.
A quality free report can be a powerful promoter when passed around the internet. This same phenomenon can occur when you submit your articles to article directories and popular newsletters.
Take advantage of your virtual real estate.
Take advantage of the different parts of your website. Don't let any of your web pages go to waste. You can do this by adding a link to another one of your web sites or pages on your thank-you or sales confirmation pages. If you have articles on your site, place links to related articles on the bottom of the page. The longer you keep a visitor at your web site, the more valuable they become.
It is very important to funnel traffic from within the multiple sites you may have.
Continually seek out other web sites to link to you. Now, we're not just talking about any kind of link here, but powerful, traffic-generating links from respected sites. Here are some quick suggestions:
Send a related web site an article that you have written and allow them to display it on their website with a resource box at the end. Offer to exchange articles and tell them about the benefits of doing so.
Allow multiple, related web sites to distribute your free e-book or report. All web masters are looking to add value to their web site, why not make it easy for them.
There are unlimited possibilities, be creative!
Online group participation can produce a no-cost stream of traffic and sales.
Get involved in email discussion lists, online groups and forums that are related to your target market. Becoming involved in discussions makes you very credible. Traffic from forums can produce a much higher sales conversion rate.
This method can produce quite a bit of sales for you just by helping others out. Not to mention, you'll learn a lot along the way.
John Reese stresses the need to track where all traffic comes from and at what cost. It is crucial to know exactly how many sales, newsletter sign-ups, or other leads your particular marketing campaigns generating. This enables you to work smarter and not harder. By tracking all traffic to your site you can make twice as much while working fifty percent less.
Content is King
On the internet, people are searching for one thing....... Content! Load your website with as much content as possible. Then, continuously add content. Search engines love information and they will love your site if you've got lots of it. There's plenty of free content for the taking on the internet. You can load up your site with articles from article directories like ezinearticles.com. Or, you could be like John and use content from the public domain. Or, you can use content that is in the creative commons. This type is now easier than ever to find now that Yahoo and others have come out with a search engine designed specifically for content that is in the creative commons.
An affiliate program is critical to maximum traffic and sales. Lots of internet marketers don't take advantage of this powerful traffic-generating technique. An affiliate program allows you to have your own personal salesman spread all over the web. The best part about it is that there is absolutely no risk involved but tons of traffic and sales to gain. Your website simply cannot grow to its full potential without an effective affiliate program.
Banner Ads
John Reese advocates the use of banner ads during a time when they are largely an untapped marketing source. Banner ads are one of the most overlooked sources of targeted traffic online.
Also, banner ads are now one of the cheapest sources of targeted traffic. In the late 1990's during the dot-com boom, people were selling banner ads for $40 and $50 CPM. Then the dot-com bubble hit and these rates hit the floor. You can now buy banner ads dirt cheap, at $1 to $1.50 CPM. This is $1 for 1,000 banner impressions. The key here is to find the perfect place to advertise that will send targeted, willing to buy customers to your site.
Create viral reports that can quickly spread around the internet. This method works best when you have an affiliate program. Allow others to brand your report in order to encourage its distribution.
A quality free report can be a powerful promoter when passed around the internet. This same phenomenon can occur when you submit your articles to article directories and popular newsletters.
Take advantage of your virtual real estate.
Take advantage of the different parts of your website. Don't let any of your web pages go to waste. You can do this by adding a link to another one of your web sites or pages on your thank-you or sales confirmation pages. If you have articles on your site, place links to related articles on the bottom of the page. The longer you keep a visitor at your web site, the more valuable they become.
It is very important to funnel traffic from within the multiple sites you may have.
Continually seek out other web sites to link to you. Now, we're not just talking about any kind of link here, but powerful, traffic-generating links from respected sites. Here are some quick suggestions:
Send a related web site an article that you have written and allow them to display it on their website with a resource box at the end. Offer to exchange articles and tell them about the benefits of doing so.
Allow multiple, related web sites to distribute your free e-book or report. All web masters are looking to add value to their web site, why not make it easy for them.
There are unlimited possibilities, be creative!
Online group participation can produce a no-cost stream of traffic and sales.
Get involved in email discussion lists, online groups and forums that are related to your target market. Becoming involved in discussions makes you very credible. Traffic from forums can produce a much higher sales conversion rate.
This method can produce quite a bit of sales for you just by helping others out. Not to mention, you'll learn a lot along the way.
Why Russian girls?
Russian brides have always been considered to be the best brides in the world. Indeed, their cultural background makes them perfect for creating a happy strong family. They are caring, faithful, loving and devoted. And this attracts men all over the world.
By their personality, Russian girls are tender and at the same time they are diligent, strong and hard-working, especially, when they do something for their family and people they love. All in all, feminism didn't touch the Slavonic women. They are mostly family-oriented and traditionally, they obtain the knowledge of keeping a happy family nest from their grandmothers. Those clever old-ladies teach their granddaughters how to be kind, loving and caring with their future family. The grannies pass on to their lovely descendants the secrets of cooking, sewing, knitting and house-holding. At the early childhood they start reading Russian national fairy-tales to their granddaughters. And those old and kind folktales mostly teach the morals and show the attitude of a Russian beauty to her man.
Most of the other folktales narrate about the importance to stay inside the house all the time, as it is the only safe place where the future life can be regulated. All these fairy-tales for children are considered as a very powerful educating stuff. Because all the information that kids percept from their adult relatives stay in their minds forever.
If we are talking about Russian women living in Kazakhstan, it's very important to mention that here, in this Central Asian country, the ladies with Russian background are influenced by the Eastern culture. This fact, makes them even more attracting for westerners, so as it occurs as a perfect chance for them to find the greatest love and create a happy family life.
Russian lady is as beautiful inside as outside. Her outer beauty reflect her wonderful inner world. She lives dreaming about the time of love and happiness with her beloved one. So, they wait for a miracle to happen in their life and wait for the moment, when they could be happy in love. Even though, sometimes some of the girls start getting fussy. This thing happens to them because it is well known, that the population majority in most of the Russian-speaking countries is the females, when for example, in the United States the male population is dominating. As it was told before, Russian girls in Kazakhstan are influenced by Oriental culture. Thus, the girls living here are a happy medium between these two cultures. One of the some agency's Russian brides, in her letter to the American fiance says that she, being a Russian woman has learnt from her Eastern girlfriends how to be patient and docile with the men. And the foreigners married to Russian women are endlessly happy and are pretty much enjoying their choice. They say it was an absolutely perfect option for them to meet and marry their spouses. Those joyful husbands describe their sweethearts as nice, honest, not spoiled and more sincere. They are amazed by the fact that Russian women are fearless in showing their feminine side.
The girls from Kazakhstan are happy that they were born there. Local Russian ladies claim this place gave them a great chance to become unique by their personality. They still hold old traits for marriage and wanting children, as well as a good life for them.
However, it is also worth mentioning that the Russian girls are more intellectual and active than their Eastern girlfriends. They are independent, clever and hardworking enough to gain success both in their personal life and in their carrier.
One thing that is clear and unchangeable and it's about everyone's desire for a perfect love relationship and a wish to find a real soul mate that will stay beside forever.
By their personality, Russian girls are tender and at the same time they are diligent, strong and hard-working, especially, when they do something for their family and people they love. All in all, feminism didn't touch the Slavonic women. They are mostly family-oriented and traditionally, they obtain the knowledge of keeping a happy family nest from their grandmothers. Those clever old-ladies teach their granddaughters how to be kind, loving and caring with their future family. The grannies pass on to their lovely descendants the secrets of cooking, sewing, knitting and house-holding. At the early childhood they start reading Russian national fairy-tales to their granddaughters. And those old and kind folktales mostly teach the morals and show the attitude of a Russian beauty to her man.
Most of the other folktales narrate about the importance to stay inside the house all the time, as it is the only safe place where the future life can be regulated. All these fairy-tales for children are considered as a very powerful educating stuff. Because all the information that kids percept from their adult relatives stay in their minds forever.
If we are talking about Russian women living in Kazakhstan, it's very important to mention that here, in this Central Asian country, the ladies with Russian background are influenced by the Eastern culture. This fact, makes them even more attracting for westerners, so as it occurs as a perfect chance for them to find the greatest love and create a happy family life.
Russian lady is as beautiful inside as outside. Her outer beauty reflect her wonderful inner world. She lives dreaming about the time of love and happiness with her beloved one. So, they wait for a miracle to happen in their life and wait for the moment, when they could be happy in love. Even though, sometimes some of the girls start getting fussy. This thing happens to them because it is well known, that the population majority in most of the Russian-speaking countries is the females, when for example, in the United States the male population is dominating. As it was told before, Russian girls in Kazakhstan are influenced by Oriental culture. Thus, the girls living here are a happy medium between these two cultures. One of the some agency's Russian brides, in her letter to the American fiance says that she, being a Russian woman has learnt from her Eastern girlfriends how to be patient and docile with the men. And the foreigners married to Russian women are endlessly happy and are pretty much enjoying their choice. They say it was an absolutely perfect option for them to meet and marry their spouses. Those joyful husbands describe their sweethearts as nice, honest, not spoiled and more sincere. They are amazed by the fact that Russian women are fearless in showing their feminine side.
The girls from Kazakhstan are happy that they were born there. Local Russian ladies claim this place gave them a great chance to become unique by their personality. They still hold old traits for marriage and wanting children, as well as a good life for them.
However, it is also worth mentioning that the Russian girls are more intellectual and active than their Eastern girlfriends. They are independent, clever and hardworking enough to gain success both in their personal life and in their carrier.
One thing that is clear and unchangeable and it's about everyone's desire for a perfect love relationship and a wish to find a real soul mate that will stay beside forever.
Senin, 09 April 2012
The Controversy Over Roadside Field Sobriety Tests
Copyright 2006 Lance Knowlton
Roadside field sobriety tests (FSTs), developed at the behest of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are commonly employed by police officers during DUI stops to determine whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol.
FSTs generally consist of a battery of three to five exercises, such as walking and turning in a different direction, standing on one leg, nystagmus (using the eyes to track an object), touching the finger to the nose and reciting the alphabet.
The officer may subjectively decide whether the individual failed the test, or he may decide after applying recently-promulgated federal scoring standards. The NHTSA thinks these tests are a reliable way to gauge sobriety; however, there is mounting evidence that they are anything but.
Many FSTs are based on the concept of divided attention, which occurs when an individual must concentrate on more than one thing at the same time. A driver must divide her attention among various physical and mental activities to safely operate a vehicle, and her ability to do so is significantly reduced by the consumption of alcohol.
Ideally, FSTs evaluate the same mental and physical capabilities that a person needs to drive: information processing; short-term memory; judgment and decision making; steadiness, sure reactions; clear vision; small muscle control; and coordination of the limbs.
The most recently developed of the FSTs is the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test. HGN does not test a driver’s ability to divide his attention, but it is thought to be an even more accurate means to detect whether a person has consumed alcohol because it measures involuntary eye movement.
Nystagmus is an involuntary oscillation of the eye, and it occurs naturally in human eyes when they focus too far off center (straight ahead). If a sober person tracks an object from side to side, the eyes will follow it smoothly up to a certain point, when they will begin to oscillate. If an intoxicated person tracks an object from side to side, alcohol will make nystagmus more pronounced, meaning the eyes will oscillate sooner.
However, alcohol is not the only cause of pronounced nystagmus. Nystagmus can be caused by inner ear problems, flu, strep throat, measles, syphilis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, glaucoma and epilepsy.
Temporary conditions such as motion sickness, sun stroke, eye strain or fatigue, and changes in atmospheric pressure may also result in nystagmus. Further, the consumption of common substances such as caffeine, nicotine, or aspirin can also lead to nystagmus. An individual’s circadian rhythms or biorhythms also affect nystagmus readings.
The integrity of the original research affirming the validity of the HGN test has been called into question, and in 2001 additional research indicated that the test is improperly administered by most police officers. HGN, however, is not the only FST to be called into question. The entire battery of tests appears to offer dubious evidence of intoxication.
The most obvious problem is that the conditions under which FSTs are given almost guarantee failure: usually late at night; along a graveled or sloped roadside; with unsteady lighting from passing cars’ headlights, the officer’s flashlight and patrol car’s strobe and headlights; and sometimes gusts of wind from intemperate weather or passing cars. The test is given to a person who is usually nervous and possibly frightened.
In 1991, Clemson University conducted a study on the accuracy of FSTs. Police officers were shown videotapes of individuals performing six common FSTs and asked to determine whether they were too intoxicated to drive. The officers concluded that almost half of the people were too drunk to drive; however, unknown to the officers, none of them had consumed any alcohol.
Given the questionable reliability of FSTs, it is no wonder they are surrounded by controversy and DUI defense attorneys often advise people not to submit to them.
Roadside field sobriety tests (FSTs), developed at the behest of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are commonly employed by police officers during DUI stops to determine whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol.
FSTs generally consist of a battery of three to five exercises, such as walking and turning in a different direction, standing on one leg, nystagmus (using the eyes to track an object), touching the finger to the nose and reciting the alphabet.
The officer may subjectively decide whether the individual failed the test, or he may decide after applying recently-promulgated federal scoring standards. The NHTSA thinks these tests are a reliable way to gauge sobriety; however, there is mounting evidence that they are anything but.
Many FSTs are based on the concept of divided attention, which occurs when an individual must concentrate on more than one thing at the same time. A driver must divide her attention among various physical and mental activities to safely operate a vehicle, and her ability to do so is significantly reduced by the consumption of alcohol.
Ideally, FSTs evaluate the same mental and physical capabilities that a person needs to drive: information processing; short-term memory; judgment and decision making; steadiness, sure reactions; clear vision; small muscle control; and coordination of the limbs.
The most recently developed of the FSTs is the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test. HGN does not test a driver’s ability to divide his attention, but it is thought to be an even more accurate means to detect whether a person has consumed alcohol because it measures involuntary eye movement.
Nystagmus is an involuntary oscillation of the eye, and it occurs naturally in human eyes when they focus too far off center (straight ahead). If a sober person tracks an object from side to side, the eyes will follow it smoothly up to a certain point, when they will begin to oscillate. If an intoxicated person tracks an object from side to side, alcohol will make nystagmus more pronounced, meaning the eyes will oscillate sooner.
However, alcohol is not the only cause of pronounced nystagmus. Nystagmus can be caused by inner ear problems, flu, strep throat, measles, syphilis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, glaucoma and epilepsy.
Temporary conditions such as motion sickness, sun stroke, eye strain or fatigue, and changes in atmospheric pressure may also result in nystagmus. Further, the consumption of common substances such as caffeine, nicotine, or aspirin can also lead to nystagmus. An individual’s circadian rhythms or biorhythms also affect nystagmus readings.
The integrity of the original research affirming the validity of the HGN test has been called into question, and in 2001 additional research indicated that the test is improperly administered by most police officers. HGN, however, is not the only FST to be called into question. The entire battery of tests appears to offer dubious evidence of intoxication.
The most obvious problem is that the conditions under which FSTs are given almost guarantee failure: usually late at night; along a graveled or sloped roadside; with unsteady lighting from passing cars’ headlights, the officer’s flashlight and patrol car’s strobe and headlights; and sometimes gusts of wind from intemperate weather or passing cars. The test is given to a person who is usually nervous and possibly frightened.
In 1991, Clemson University conducted a study on the accuracy of FSTs. Police officers were shown videotapes of individuals performing six common FSTs and asked to determine whether they were too intoxicated to drive. The officers concluded that almost half of the people were too drunk to drive; however, unknown to the officers, none of them had consumed any alcohol.
Given the questionable reliability of FSTs, it is no wonder they are surrounded by controversy and DUI defense attorneys often advise people not to submit to them.
Minggu, 08 April 2012
The Kitchen Rebellion
“If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” -
Abigail Adams, Former US First Lady
In the book “The Animal Farm,” George Orwell wrote about the peculiar human phenomenon of rebellion. The animals led by the pigs rebelled against the Manor Farm and their human master, Mr. Jones. These animals rebelled because they wanted equality, or more appropriately, equality with human beings. In the end, they were able to attain victory and decided to run the farm all by themselves.
Today, there is a rebellion that is heating up much like what the animal characters conspired to do in the said book. This uprising is the “rebellion of women” in society. Today's sexist society has limited women by confining them within the bounds of the kitchen, beauty pageants, and prostitution. These women are often abused physically and are often the butt of many jokes. Society, men in particular, have had their share of nasty jokes pertaining to women.
The society that is dominated by men practices double-standards when it comes to women. For example, if a woman gets drunk and gets raped, she is to be blamed because she asked for it. The women is to be blamed and not the man who cannot and did not even try to control his libido. A wrong deed is wrong no matter how beautiful we present it. In culture, the self-esteem of the typical male is defined by his trophies—the women he has gone to bed with. The females, on the other hand, are defined by their virginal virtues. Perhaps, calling for equality between men and women is not too much to ask.
According to reports, violence against young girls and women is a major human rights and health concern. Physical, sexual, and psychological abuse takes place in the family, and in the general community. These may include battering, sexual abuse of children, rape and other practices degrading to women. It added that domestic violence is the most common form of violence that is linked to gender. Studies reveal that rape of women, whether attempted or consummated, is mostly perpetrated by a male intimate partner or former-partner. This form of sexual crime and abuse leads to stress and anxiety in the lives of women. The epidemic of sexual abuse had become so alarming that even celebrities had to take a stand to protect the rights of women. One such celebrity was the late Princess Diana, who as some would say, had become an advocate for women's rights and an inspiration to many abused women..including the the sick, the discriminated, and the homeless. She left a legacy that will be remembered for a lifetime. Her life became a channel through which coping with anxiety for women had become easier. Her compassion and good heart made her more beautiful in the eyes of the world. Sadly, she died almost ten years ago without seeing the wide acceptance of women's rights as a cause.
In George Orwell's book, the death of “Old Major” was used to convey the lesson about the perils of rebellion. He was well-respected by the farm animals because of his knowledge and wisdom. In the story, Old Major died three days after sharing his vision and teaching to the farm animal. His death became an inspiration to the farm revolution where the animals won.
Maybe the death of Princess Diana will be the spark of this revolution of women. The revolution that would free them of bounds of the kitchen, beauty pageants, prostitution, and abuse. The true essence of a woman will not be measured by her virginal values, her beautiful face, or the physique she displays. The true essence of a woman is her ability to share her love to others and the society she lives in. Women need not to be conformed to beauty contests or the kitchen. The kitchen rebellion will take place. And it will succeed.
Abigail Adams, Former US First Lady
In the book “The Animal Farm,” George Orwell wrote about the peculiar human phenomenon of rebellion. The animals led by the pigs rebelled against the Manor Farm and their human master, Mr. Jones. These animals rebelled because they wanted equality, or more appropriately, equality with human beings. In the end, they were able to attain victory and decided to run the farm all by themselves.
Today, there is a rebellion that is heating up much like what the animal characters conspired to do in the said book. This uprising is the “rebellion of women” in society. Today's sexist society has limited women by confining them within the bounds of the kitchen, beauty pageants, and prostitution. These women are often abused physically and are often the butt of many jokes. Society, men in particular, have had their share of nasty jokes pertaining to women.
The society that is dominated by men practices double-standards when it comes to women. For example, if a woman gets drunk and gets raped, she is to be blamed because she asked for it. The women is to be blamed and not the man who cannot and did not even try to control his libido. A wrong deed is wrong no matter how beautiful we present it. In culture, the self-esteem of the typical male is defined by his trophies—the women he has gone to bed with. The females, on the other hand, are defined by their virginal virtues. Perhaps, calling for equality between men and women is not too much to ask.
According to reports, violence against young girls and women is a major human rights and health concern. Physical, sexual, and psychological abuse takes place in the family, and in the general community. These may include battering, sexual abuse of children, rape and other practices degrading to women. It added that domestic violence is the most common form of violence that is linked to gender. Studies reveal that rape of women, whether attempted or consummated, is mostly perpetrated by a male intimate partner or former-partner. This form of sexual crime and abuse leads to stress and anxiety in the lives of women. The epidemic of sexual abuse had become so alarming that even celebrities had to take a stand to protect the rights of women. One such celebrity was the late Princess Diana, who as some would say, had become an advocate for women's rights and an inspiration to many abused women..including the the sick, the discriminated, and the homeless. She left a legacy that will be remembered for a lifetime. Her life became a channel through which coping with anxiety for women had become easier. Her compassion and good heart made her more beautiful in the eyes of the world. Sadly, she died almost ten years ago without seeing the wide acceptance of women's rights as a cause.
In George Orwell's book, the death of “Old Major” was used to convey the lesson about the perils of rebellion. He was well-respected by the farm animals because of his knowledge and wisdom. In the story, Old Major died three days after sharing his vision and teaching to the farm animal. His death became an inspiration to the farm revolution where the animals won.
Maybe the death of Princess Diana will be the spark of this revolution of women. The revolution that would free them of bounds of the kitchen, beauty pageants, prostitution, and abuse. The true essence of a woman will not be measured by her virginal values, her beautiful face, or the physique she displays. The true essence of a woman is her ability to share her love to others and the society she lives in. Women need not to be conformed to beauty contests or the kitchen. The kitchen rebellion will take place. And it will succeed.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)