Thermal Imaging Cameras - How They Can Help Firefighters in Action

Thermal Imaging Cameras

A fire department with old thermal imaging cameras would be wise to look at purchasing a newer model. Existing cameras might no longer have parts and repairs that would be supported by the manufacturer. In fact, many times parts are non-existent. The batteries often fail in at least one of the cameras at a time when it is truly needed. Many times, and older unit is in for repair. If this happens simultaneously to both, then this would leaves a department without any thermal imaging camera at all.

The goal is to have interior attack firefighter teams use the cameras. They would provide visibility to identify the fire source and to protect firefighters from unseen hazards as well as indicating the temperature inside the structure. This would greatly enhance the safety of our firefighters and provide another resource for search and rescue operations.

One can expect to budget about $8,000- $9,000 for a decent unit that meets all of the required NFPA 1801 standards. Such a camera would have a Digital Fahrenheit Readout, Temperature Awareness Colorization, Truck Mount Charging Station, and a Spare Battery.

The new units would have greater safety features than those of the old generation. These are lighter and less cumbersome. Their display screen is much easier to read, especially in difficult and dark places.

Departments should have a minimum of two such cameras. During a fire event, there are usually at least two different attack teams. With two units in service, both teams will be able to enjoy the safety of having immediate information regarding hear source, temperature and location, etc.

Cameras are of course able to show a heat source indicating victim location. This is not all that they can do as they provide vital information about heat source and hot spots. Such information is valuable in fire attack, and can prevent spread of fire since a firefighting team can put out a fire within a wall at a very specific location before the fire spreads. Another excellent use feature is that a firefighter can use the camera to check for hot spots that might re-kindle after the fire department has left a scene. A quick check with the camera can identify a source of heat not visible to the human eye, giving the attending department the ability to rectify the situation before a full-blown fire occurs either once again in a location or somewhere else in the structure.

Often times, a fire department can find a grant in order to purchase the unit. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant, or AFG, is an excellent source of funding.

Margaret L Ned

femafireactgrant.com

grants114@gmail.com

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Are No Notice Inspections Good For Schools?

During the early period of January, Ofsted, the independent inspectorate, announced it will be conducting a no notice period for all regular school inspections from September 2012.

Previously, inspections were performed on a six-year cycle. However, this changed in September 2005. Many, including teachers criticised the six-year cycle which involved a week-long inspection after a two-month notice period. Critics argued the system allowed schools to portray a different face to their normal day-to-day appearance and disrupted the normal operations of schools. From September 2005 the inspection cycle decreased to every three years with a two-day notice period, the inspection usually lasting two to three days.

However, the present system has obtained similar criticism. Aminur Alkas a secondary school teacher in South London believes that inspections without prior notice is the only way to really gauge the delivery of education in a school setting, "schools can roughly judge the cycle, a bow tie comes out when the letter arrives and inspections hinge heavily on the leniency of the head inspector."

His views are obviously shared by Ofsted, who in September 2012 will be adopting inspections to be conducted without notice. Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted's chief inspector explaining the plans said: 'Ofsted has been moving towards a position of unannounced school inspection over a period of years. I believe the time is now right for us to take that final step and make sure that for every school we visit inspectors are seeing schools as they really are in the corridors, classrooms and staff room.' An obstacle that was preventing unannounced inspections in the past were parent questionnaires, this has now been overcome with the introduction of online questionnaires.

But is this system really good? Teachers often complain of overload, not enough support and too much red tape. Nearly half of all newly qualified teachers leave the profession within five years, will the added pressure increase this statistic?

The National Association of Head Teachers said the move to no-notice school inspections was an empty gesture which would "alienate schools while doing nothing to support rising standards."

General secretary Russell Hobby said: "If a school could conceal evidence of widespread failure in just two days then the whole concept of inspection is flawed and Ofsted's protestations that it examines progress and behaviour over the long-term ring hollow."

The pressure of delivering everyday is extremely difficult in any profession. Teaching is a profession that requires professional measure with a personal pinch to captivate students. The pressure will also be on pupils with the threat of unwanted guests in the classroom or the 'white elephant' at any given time.

It also gives an impression that lower achieving schools are 'taking it lightly' and need an eye over the shoulder.

The system has its support and critics but Ofsted's experience in dealing with failing school by exerting regular visits will give it confidence. We must wait and see if the new introduction raises the standards of education to a required level in the country.

Amin Rashid, topical commenter with School Management Software

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A Year of Manifestation (5)

"...I am the God of your ancestors - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," Exodus 3:6

When God knew that He had caught Moses' attention through the strange fire in the bush, He then introduced himself. He told Moses that He was (is) the God of his ancestors - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Great! God will not introduce or show you His glory until you have given Him your attention. This is basic. And most times, He uses situations, circumstance, miracles, healing, deliverance, signs and wonders, and even unpleasant situations to attract our attention. We must always be vigilant to know when God is speaking to us through situations and events. This year, prepare to experience Him in a way that you have never. He will sure introduce Himself to you.

Now, why did He need to tell Moses that He was (is) the God of those three Hebrew Patriarchs? Sure, He wanted to show that He is the God that keeps relationships, covenants and promises. He had had a very robust relationship with these men in the past. And throughout that period He kept promising to make a great nation from them. He also told them that their children shall be blessed, innumerable, prosperous, mighty and powerful, and shall be called the people of God; for He shall always favor and be with them. And He sealed these great promises with series and levels of covenants. Wow! God of commitment!

To Abraham, God had told him from the beginning of their relationship that he should leave his country, relatives, and father's house to where He would direct Abraham promising to make him the father of a great nation. Then later, after performing a sacrifice as directed, He told him, "You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, and they will be oppressed as slaves for four hundred years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth... So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, 'I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt..." Genesis chapter fifteen, verses nine to twenty-one. Then for Isaac, God also gave the same promises. You remember when he wanted to run down to Egypt during the famine and God stopped him, asked him to stay in Gerar; dishing out same wonderful promises to him and his descendants if they would obey Him.

Now to Jacob, you also remember when he escaped Beersheba going towards Haran and at night, as he was sleeping on a stone lonely, tired, frustration and full of fears, suddenly, he saw a stairway that reached heaven from earth. Angels were going up and down it and the LORD standing on top spoke these same promises to Jacob; even in a more reassuring tone. God of Covenants! Are you seeing how He was passing the same promises, covenants, relationship and love from one generation to the other? Even after hundreds of years, He still came to Horeb to give the same assurance to Moses. He declared to him that He was (is) the God of their fathers. I have variously said in this column and in others that the best asset you can bequeath your children and descendants is a divine covenant with God. Yes, that's true! It is more powerful, valuable and durable than any material wealth. Now, what are you leaving behind for your children?? Money, estates, and businesses. Yes, all these are good. But without God they will leave your children with more confusion, sorrow and godlessness. It is only a divine covenant that will ensure that they always qualify for God's mercy and help even hundreds of years after you exit. Just look at how God was protecting, preserving, passing and performing those promises just because of one man's faith, faithfulness and friendship. Abraham attracted an eternally-generational covenant by his faithfulness and consistent walk with God.

So, God looked at the people of Israel on the basis of His covenant with their ancestors and remembered His promises. He can never forget His promises. He also saw their suffering and pain, then assured Moses that He had heard their cries. God has seen all you've been going through. He has seen your pains, disappointments, abuses, rejections, shame and mockery. And He has decided to manifest in your situation. His covenant with us in Christ Jesus will speak for you today. And if you still don't have any, I would like you to quickly bow down your head and begin to confess your sins to Him. Ask Him to forgive you and come into your life to become your Lord and Savior. Don't ever go back to sin. I pray that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of the Hebrews will manifest Himself to you and in your situation today in the mighty name of Jesus! Write and share your testimonies with us. Till next, God bless you! http://www.authorsden.com/pastorgabrielnagbo

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Introduction to Islamic Banking

The most distinguishing feature of the Islamic economic system is the prohibition of interest. Islamic economic principles have prominently been applied in financial industry especially in banking. Islamic Finance is growing in multiple dimensions and is now spreading in other financial sectors like insurance, structured finance, project finance, mutual funds, syndicated finance, investment banking etc. On the geographical level too, Islamic banking has grown from Middle East to Europe and now is well positioned in South Asian markets as well.

Shariah compliance also ensures Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and ethical compliance. Islamic banks do not conduct business with companies producing tobacco, alcohol or engaged in business of gambling, casino, nightclubs, prostitution etc. This mechanism has given Islamic banking the name of 'ethical banking' in Europe.

The balance sheet of Islamic banks is capable of taking financial shocks. Islamic banks are not obliged to give fixed return to their depositors and general creditors. The creditors, shareholders and depositors share and participate in the bank's business. Therefore, if incase, there is a shock on asset side (NPL increasing), Islamic banks will be able to share this loss with their depositors and shareholders.

Islamic banks cannot rollover loans. Therefore, the packaging and repackaging of loans and then issuing more and more debt securities on the back of these non performing loans cannot legally happen in Islamic Banks. Islamic banks are obliged to have backing of assets in all their investments. Therefore, Islamic banks losses even theoretically cannot go beyond the value of the real asset.

Financing Operations of Islamic Banks

For the provision of finance, following modes are used in Islamic banking.

Diminishing Musharakah

In Diminishing Musharakah, the customer approaches the bank for joint purchase of an asset/property. It is referred to as 'Diminishing Musharakah' because the ownership stake of the tenant increases and that of the bank decreases or diminishes with the passage of time. The rent decreases as the ownership stake of tenant increases. The share of the bank in asset/property is divided into units. These units are purchased by the customer periodically until he has purchased all the units. After the customer has purchased all the units of the bank, he becomes the sole owner of the asset/property.

Murabaha Muajjal

Murabaha is a deferred payment sale transaction. Murabaha is used in working capital financing, SME financing and trade financing. The Process flow of Murabaha is as follows:

Islamic bank and the client sign a Master Murabaha Finance Agreement and an agency agreement. According to the agency agreement, the customer purchases goods from the supplier on bank's behalf. The customer undertakes to purchase the asset from the bank. It is a one-sided promise and undertaking. The bank pays the supplier and obtains title and physical/constructive possession of the asset. The customer signs a declaration that he has purchased the goods on bank's behalf and now he is willing to purchase the asset. After offer and acceptance, sale is executed and the customer pays the agreed price to the bank.

Ijarah

Ijarah means to give something on rent. In Ijarah, right of use of a property is transferred to another person for a consideration. The process flow is as follows:

The customer approaches the bank for obtaining an asset on lease. The customer undertakes to make periodic lease payments for the lease period. Lease agreement and agency agreement is signed. The customer as an agent to the bank buys the asset. Bank receives the title of the asset and pays the vendor. The bank leases the asset and the customer starts using the asset and pays rent for each period. In the end, the customer can purchase the asset from the bank by way of a separate purchase agreement.

Salam

It is used in financing goods and services that are not ready for spot sale and will have to be delivered later. In Salam, payment is spot, but the delivery is deferred. It is used in special cases to facilitate transactions. In current practice, it is used in currency trade as an alternative for bill of exchange discounting and in agriculture financing.

Istisna

It is used in financing goods that are not yet ready for sale and will have to be manufactured. Example includes tailoring services, architect services etc. It is an order to producer to manufacture a specific commodity for the purchaser. It is used in pre-shipment exports financing and usable in all other situations where goods have to be manufactured before sale.

Deposit Side Operations of Islamic Banks

The two main categories of deposits are checking accounts and non-checking accounts. Some accounts are remunerative and some are non-remunerative. For offering deposit products, following modes are used in Islamic banking.

Non-Remunerative Accounts

Current Account is an example of a non-remunerative checking account. The money deposited in such account is considered 'Qard' (Non-interest bearing loan). The money is invested in the fund by the bank. Bank utilizes the money to invest in Ijarah, Murabaha, Diminishing Musharakah, Salam, Istisna etc. The money is payable on demand.

Remunerative Accounts

Remunerative accounts can be checking i.e. Savings Account or non-checking accounts i.e. Term Deposits. The money is invested in the fund. The bank acts as 'Mudarib' i.e. 'Fund Manager' and the customer acts as 'Rabb-ul-maal' i.e. 'investor'.

The money is only invested in Shariah compliant assets. Bank utilizes the money to invest in Ijarah, Murabaha, Diminishing Musharakah, Salam, Istisna etc. The Weightage is assigned to each category of investment that is stated to the customer at the outset. Profit is declared at the start of the month for the previous month based on the weightage previously announced. Profit is paid out of the actual Gross Income.

HalalTamweel.com is an Islamic Finance Portal with a clear aim to bridge the gap between the Investors seeking Shari'ah compliant investment options and the financial institutions offering the Shari'ah compliant solutions. In our exclusive Islamic Finance portal, we cover all aspects of investment options i.e. from simple saving account to Shari'ah compliant mutual funds, and Halal stocks. Also featured in our website are details of various financing facilities available for the purchase of assets like automobiles and homes for a consumer seeking Shari'ah compliant financing solutions.
The site provides the critical financial data on these products and the related news to help investors make the best decision on their investment in Islamic finance universe. The site also endeavors to guide Investors on different concepts of Islamic finance and increase their understanding of the subject.
We have an aim to provide financial planning to high net worth individuals, businesses and families with the goal of growing long term wealth complying with Islamic principles. We provide our expertise in investment management, estate planning, legal planning and tax planning through our in-house research expertise and through our publications in which many experts share their expert insights.
We hope and endeavor to serve our visitors and clients the best way we can. Wassalam

Sheikh Umer Sohail

http://www.halaltamweel.com/

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Ensuring Crowd Safety at Major Events

Organising an event that's likely to gather large crowds? Your priority should always be human safety. Make sure you consider this crucial factor in every decision you make. Don't jeopardise human lives, your event and reputation by making ill judgments. Plan ahead using common sense and keeping in mind the following tips.

Venue Safety

If you're not qualified in events management, your safest bet is to select a professional venue with experience in catering for large groups, and professionals on hand to deal with licensing and carrying out safety procedures.

While it may be tempting to just throw a party or a festival in an abandoned field, it's really not as simple as you'd think. You'll need to go through a long process of obtaining official authorisation. The venue and entire event will be assessed to ensure safety is taken care of. Staff checks will also be made to evaluate professionalism and skills.

Basic factors to look out for in any venue are dead ends, steep slopes, uneven surfaces, many routes leading into one and slippery areas. These could all impinge on people's safety by blocking escape routes or making them inaccessible, or causing massive pile-ups, in which people could potentially be crushed to death.

Consider the amount of restrooms in the venue and whether there are enough for the amount of people expected to turn up.

Staff Required

You never know what kind of people might show up at your event and how individuals will interact with each other. Therefore you need to provide security staff who know how to tackle fights and disperse riots. They can also help control crowds by removing persons whose behaviour is limiting other attendees' enjoyment of the event. Consider security checks at the door before letting people into the venue.

First aiders or fully qualified medical staff are a legal requirement. Make sure your team of organisers is educated in performing first aid. A great team-building activity is to attend a course together.

Don't forget general staff like ticket controllers, cleaners and bar staff. They need to be fully informed about the details of the event so they can do the best job possible and contribute to success. Select them early on in the organising process and train them well.

Temperature and Hydration

Make sure water is readily available at numerous points throughout the venue to avoid participants getting dehydrated.

Air-conditioning and other temperature control devices are vital in ensuring crowds don't get overheated and people don't start fainting or suffering from other health problems. Always check with the venue if they have the appropriate equipment or whether they rely on rented temperature control mechanisms, in which case costs will most likely have to be covered by the organisers.

Harvey McEwan writes to offer information and advice on a variety of areas, from technology to holiday destinations. Read through Harvey's other articles here to find out more.

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Global Newswire

A newswire, sometimes also referred to as a news agency or a wire service specializes in offering news reports to newspapers, magazines as well news outlets on radio and television. The first news agency, Agence France-Presse, was founded in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas - it was initially called Agence Havas. For decades after the establishment of the first news agencies, news reports had to be sent through ships, post trains and carrier pigeons. Reuters, founded by Paul Reuter, one of Havas' employees relied on carrier pigeons for decades until the telegraph links were established. Agence Havas, Reuters, and Wolffs Telegraphisches Bureau, founded by another of Havas' employees, Bernhard Wolff, remained the most important news agencies in Europe for over 75 years.

Today, there are dozens of news agencies relying phone, fax and the Internet to receive and distribute news from almost anywhere in the world. Indeed we've come a long way from the age of the post trains and the carrier pigeons with the global newswires able to convey the news of even a minor incident happening anywhere to almost every part of the world in the blink of an eye.

Global newswires today are used by the academics and the researchers in addition to the media outlets, reporters, bloggers and journalists who want to find out more about a topic. They offer news reports ranging from everything from politics, business and finance to showbiz, weather and sports etc.

For businesses who have something newsworthy to report to their customers as well as the people at large, global newswires are the best way to reach their target audience. Product launches, upcoming events, personnels change at the company, awards and honors etc are only some of the things that companies create press releases for and send to the newswires. Quarterly reports as well as news that the shareholders of a company might find interesting are also disseminated through the global newswires.

While some of the newswires require their users, which usually include newspapers, magazines, TV channels and other media outlets, to pay a subscription fee, others rely on a slightly different business model to generate their revenue. They use the traffic that is attracted by the great content on their website as their revenue stream. Some newswires also require a subscription fee from the organizations and businesses who want to send their press releases to the journalists, bloggers and media outlets etc.

Aliya vine is a marketing head with an extensive knowledge about the marketing world, the extent of which can be deduced from the various articles that she has written. Currently she is writing articles which would enable you to market your message in an effective manner. For further understanding visit: Global Newswire

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Regulatory Challenges and the Media

There is definitely a culture clash in the world, and I'm not talking about the Western World and the Middle East, rather I'm talking about in the media such as television, radio, and newspapers and the new paradigm of social media, the Internet, and all the combination variations in between. Not only that, we also note that there have been lots of regulatory changes propping up the old, and preventing the new from making headway. Let's go ahead and talk about this for a moment if we shall.

You see, the Internet is rising so quickly along with e-commerce, and social networks that the media can't keep up. In fact the old media is trying to find new ways to use social networks and the Internet to blend the content so they don't lose the next generation of readers, and can keep from losing current subscribers who are migrating to electronic formats for their intake of news. Consider if you will all the apps on the iPad for all the major news outlets, and all of the industry association trade journals.

The old media is also very upset because it is being plagiarized at such a high rate that as soon as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or any other publication puts out an article, that article is copied, or parts of it are copied and syndicated across the Internet within minutes, and redistributed to the whole world. Those that are consolidators or syndicators of news often make quite a bit of money off their advertising on their websites, but the old media still has to pay to create the content. Obviously it's easy to make a lot of money grabbing other company's work when all there is; is revenue, and someone else is generating all of the articles, videos, and news.

You can see how upsetting this is - especially considering that the new media is competing with the old media, and the old media is paying for all the content that the new media is stealing. Because of this we are noticing new regulatory challenges in the online venues. This culture clash, of the new versus the old will continue. It appears that everyone in the new media believes that all the information should be free. But the old media is trying to stand on the integrity of the reporting, often flying reporters halfway around the world doing stories in places off the beaten path.

If they are not paying for that content, they can no longer send the actual reporter there to collect the information first hand. Further if they collect the information through social media, tweets, and cell phone videos of people who are actually there, then obviously the news will be jaded, and favoring the opinions of those taking the pictures. This might seem like an okay thing, because we are getting information in real time, but we aren't necessarily getting nonbiased news.

Government regulations to try to protect the old media aren't working, attempts to shut off ISPs of those who allow the posting of plagiarized information isn't going to fly with Internet users, and it's a bad idea anyway. Nevertheless, you can expect these controversies to continue throughout 2012 and more regulations to come. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Internet Issues. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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How Volunteer Opportunities Prove Beneficial for People of All Ages

Volunteering indeed is an incredible way to give back to your community. It would certainly not be wrong to state that it is a fun and easy way to explore your diverse interests and passions. If you are doing volunteer work, it can prove to be an uncomplicated way for you to find a meaningful and stimulating life. It can be relaxing and energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or certain commitments that your family deserves. Grabbing the volunteer opportunities provides you transformed creativity, vision, and motivation that you can carry over into personal and professional life.

There are numerous people who volunteer in order to take time out for hobbies outside of work as well.

For example, if you have a desk job and yearn to spend time outdoors, you might take into consideration to help plant a community garden, lead local hikes, or lend a helping hand at a children's camp.

A good number of communities have numerous volunteer opportunities for people of all ages. They have foster grandparents programs, which match up with old people with children who have special needs or those who could reap the benefits from the care and influence of grandparents. Nothing can deny the fact that there are several senior citizens who prefer helping other seniors who may not be in the best of their health as they are. They may sit with them and discuss their problems they face or assist in meal preparation or even drive them to the appointments.

Hospital Volunteer Opportunities

Nothing else can prove to be noble than volunteering at a hospital. We come to know that taking an active part in volunteering at a hospital helps several people reap immense benefits. It surely is a worthy cause whether you opt for working with children or adults. Those individuals that are trapped in a hospital and bearing the stress of diverse ailments truly appreciate the company and assistance that are provided by volunteers. It can be rewarding for you if you work with children. You can help their parents in taking a much needed break and help brighten the day of the children.

Education and Career Exploration

One of the main reasons for volunteering is to explore career opportunities. That is why several people involve them in diverse volunteer programs. Young people and those who are seeking a change in their career often make use of volunteer positions as a means of learning more about potential career prospects prior to investing time and money in additional training. Several volunteer in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and in other organizations to get acquainted with the fact if these careers would be ideal for them to pursue.

Go Voluntouring is an organization that provides diverse opportunities to individuals that are willing to undertake volunteer opportunities in another country and contribute their skills and knowledge to less-privileged people. They gladly volunteer in various volunteer programs so that they make a difference in the lives of deprived people.

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Prison Reform for a Better Tomorrow

You work hard for your money, right? How would you feel if I told you that a portion of your hard earned money goes to the support of felons? Murderers, rapists, child molesters and others of the worst sort of the human animal, convicted felons serving life sentences for heinous crimes who can never be trusted to walk the streets freely. Or inmates serving life sentences involved in gangs and gang related activities, continuing the same anti-social violent behavior that caused them to be incarcerated. Some inmates even running gang activity from their prison cells. Controlling drug trafficking and commanding gang violence such as drive by shootings, which often harm or kill innocent by standers. Take little Sunny Elijah Peralez, who on August 6th, 1999 went to shut his East L.A. homes front door and was struck and killed by a stray bullet, innocent victim of a drive by shooting.

With an overcrowded prison system, the United States has the highest incarceration rates in the world. 750 inmates per 100,000 citizens compared to a world average of 166 per 100,000 (that's.75% compared to.17%) and although crime rates have decreased since 1990, the rate of imprisonment has continued to rise, costing the American taxpayer billions. Combined expenditures of local, state and federal governments for law enforcement and corrections total over 200 billion dollars annually, money that some of which could be better spent on something more beneficial to humankind. For instance, prisons are housing many of the nations mentally ill. The number of mentally ill inmates is nearly five times the number in inpatient mental hospitals. Large numbers of mentally ill inmates as well as inmates infected with H.I.V. tuberculosis and hepatitis (often spread through drug use and tattooing with unclean needles) also raise serious questions regarding the costs and distribution of health care resources. (Facts about the prison system in the United States October 2007)

My proposal for eliminating these costs and redistributing these funds consist of several elements. The first element being the unbiased elimination of the cause or reasons of these costs, by that I am referring to convicted felons on death row and felons serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. I mean, why are we wasting money to keep these worthless pieces society alive? If they have shown by their actions and deeds that they hold no value on human life and serve no purpose or value to mankind then they should just be put to death. Now, the immediate execution of them of course, would be unfair. We need to give them some time incarcerated to actually serve some form of punishment prior to their execution, and time to reflect on their lives and misdeeds and perhaps find their way to God to maybe give their soul a chance for salvation. After all, God is all forgiving right? That's more than most of them gave their victims. Another idea is live televised executions to maybe deter others from committing the same offense. Then maybe a nice cremation ceremony, after which their ashes would indeed make a fine fertilizer for the prison garden there by interring them to complete their life sentence. At least then they would have served some benefit from their existence.

Secondly, lesser crimes that inmates were convicted of such as non-fatal or non-violent crimes like fraud or theft, or persistent drug related petty crimes stemming from drug dependency could be given a military option to help strengthen our depleting armed forces in a more cost effective manner by having them serve their time deployed overseas. For example, let's say someone was convicted for burglary and drug related charges and was given a six year sentence. That person could opt for unpaid military service for seventy five percent of his sentence time, after which if he or she decides to remain in the military the time served could be considered applied towards a military career. Any rank they may have achieved may be considered and the time served would be applied to the twenty year requirement for retirement. That way assists in the overcrowding and expense problems related to incarceration and they have served their country and now have become a valuable and productive citizen instead of a burden and liability. The combined savings to the government from both not having to support him or her in prison and not paying him or her while in the military would no doubt be quite substantial.

Thirdly, money saved by not wasting it on death row and life without parole inmates by simply executing them could be put to better use on programs for drug therapy and rehabilitation of lesser charged inmates. Also some of the money could be used for programs for the homeless for housing, job training and programs for them as well for drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Programs for therapy and treatment of the mentally ill homeless could also be instituted to help them re-establish themselves into society so that they may live a happier and more productive life.

I am aware that opponents to my proposal would argue by saying things like that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to the inmates and against their rights. To them I say what about the rights of their victims? What if it had been your child killed by that stray bullet or found horribly abused and buried in a shallow grave? Would you still feel that it is wrong? What if your loved one had been killed in a robbery for only a few dollars they had in their pocket? Does that murderer with no sanctity for human life deserve more than to just die? And knowing that the money saved could be put to better uses to help others more deserving or in need to have a better life and to become a more productive member of society would you still want to let the murderer, rapist, child molester or serial killer languish in a cell often still perpetrating the same crimes that landed them there? Or would you rather see a nice new establishment for the betterment of mankind with a nice organically fertilized garden in front of it, providing hope for the many thousands of people this money could help? That's not really a tough question, is it?

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Beware of the Media, It Will Melt Your Mind and Make You Stupid He Said

All it is, is mass brainwashing - dummying down society, he told me. Then he explained last year how he went down to the local newsstand right after the Giant Earthquake and Japanese Tsunami and what was on the cover? One headline about the mega-disaster and several stories about such things as "some football star having an affair with a prostitute and this is not an isolated incident it happens every day worldwide."

Sure enough and we all know he's right, we all observe the same thing really. Later he equated this to be one of the reasons there is very little creativity going on in the world, and that "the majority of people seem to be happy with being told what's good for them and when it's good for them by people they've never met and have never heard before. It's like watching a flock of sheep being herded by sheepdog, as long as it doesn't affect their television they're quite happy to accept anything they're told."

Again, he's right, and we all know this, and then he told me that he was much happier living in his flat in Europe alone, without having to deal with such a screwed up world. Okay so, if you feel the same way, which I am certain many of us do from time to time, here is what I told him:

Okay so, you are happy, you win, others are happy with they are doing, so they win also. If we take away what they perceive to make them happy, and censor what they can view in the media, that is really; shame on us. Now then, I'm not saying they are not to blame, or shouldn't exercise responsibility in what they watch or take in, in fact, shame on them also. But humans just want to be happy, they tend to do the things that make them happy, often above what's good for them. If we dictate what is good for everyone, they will end up living sterile lives, and unfulfilled.

In many regards many of the rules, regulations, and onerous dictates imposed in our society is causing depression amongst the masses. I don't find that to be good, as it leads to things like depression medicines, drug use, alcohol abuse, and all sorts of other bizarre behavior and activities. None of which is any good. The biggest challenge with making rules, or deciding what is good for other people, even if you have the greatest intentions, is you are doing nothing more than paving the road to hell, and causing them to have unfulfilled and unhappy lives.

You are happy, you win, may be they are happy doing what they are doing, even if that road leads basically to know where. But then again in the end no one has ever escaped Earth alive, and everyone's life experience appears to end at the time of their departing this reality as fully functional entity. So they may as well be happy while they're here, and who are we to say what should make them happy? You see that issue?

Maybe, if people want to stop thinking, let them, as long as they don't tell us intellectual people how to live our lives or force that nonsense on us, we should be happy they are happy, or at least believe they are happy in this case. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Pitching Journalists Via Email

According to the 2010 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey, more than 70% of around 1600 PR practitioners still consider that using email is the most effective way to pitch journalists. However, journalists receive a lot of emails and they may not have enough time to read them all. Here you are some guidelines to increase your email chance to be read.

1. Target your pitch

Journalists receive tens or may be hundreds of Pitching Emails; your email may be at risk if it's not grabbing their attention enough or if it's not sent in an appropriate time through the day.

To pitch a journalist, you should act like a sales person who is showing his merchandise to a customer. If you (the sales person) are offering a medical product or service, your customer (journalist, editors and producers) should be a specialist in the field of healthcare, not someone who is working as a sports reporter.

Usually customers don't have much patience to listen to sales persons or to read long ads; so if you are pitching journalists via email, you should get their attention from the first glance, from the subject line. You should give life to your email; make it like you are doing a face-to-face presentation, this will give a better effect on the reader.

You also should make your research to know if your story has been covered before or not. If you have a new idea in expressing your story, a new perspective for a specific topic, be sure that journalists would like to get new ideas and stories, but you should also be sure you are expressing your idea in an attractive way.

2. Have a clear, concise subject

Getting a journalist attention to your email takes only one second. If you want your email to be read, not to be deleted and not to be considered as a spam, your subject line gives the first impression. Your subject line should be descriptive enough to let the journalist know what this email is talking about. E.g. Subject: SME News Release - PR's Secret.

Don't try to be funny in the subject line; the reader might not get your joke. Avoid using common words that are used by spammers. Also it's not preferred to use the word "pitch" in the subject line.

3. The body should be conversational, to the point

Around 30 seconds will decide the destiny of your email, whether to be read or to be neglected and deleted; especially if it's the first time to contact the journalist. Journalists don't have much time to read long emails, so you must keep your body brief and to the point. Format the body of your email before sending and make it easy and clear to read by using bullets or whatever. Don't include smiley faces or emoticons, make it serious and formal.

The objective of the body is to convince the journalist to contact you after getting interested in your story. To achieve this you have to include enough information to answer all the questions of a journalist. Put yourself in his shoes, think about why he should contact you later, how your topic will add a value to his publications.

Avoid attaching any clips to your email, let the journalist know the resources and samples that you have and he will request them. Get their attention in the body of your email, and then you can send more detailed information after they contact you.

After writing your body, be sure that your signature include your contact information, email address, website and phone number. Let him choose his favorite method to contact you.

4. Let them opt out

One aspect of courtesy and being polite is to give them the freedom of choice whether to receive your future updates or not. This will be appreciated by them; they will feel your respect to them and will exchange it. As a result, they might pass your email to the appropriate place and get another one to benefit from your email.

5. Paste your news release directly below your signature

It's a good idea to paste your news story below your signature. In case the journalists are interested in your story after reading your email body, they can easily scroll down to the read the exact story in details. This will save some time and save one communication step of contacting you telling that they are interested and want you to send further information about your story.

Passing this step means that you will get happy news in the first reply of the journalist.

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Young People Not the Only Ones to Fall Victim to a Cyberbully

Most people associate the word cyberbully with a disgruntled young person texting and emailing the object of his malice 30-50 times per day and setting up smear campaigns on social networks to destroy said object's social life. While this is the accepted portrait of the young cyber bully, there are also other, older people being victimized as well. Adults are reporting that they too have been victimized by a cyber bully in the course of their dealing online, on social networks and in electronic media. Many of these adults report a cyber bully "stalking" them from network forums and group discussion sites to Facebook and email. Others report that hateful, negative and derogatory comments have been leveled at them for taking a stand on issues such as animal cruelty, horse slaughter or other controversial topics. Another adult reported that she was in a domestic custody dispute over a child, and that she had to block access to certain parties from harassing her night and day. Another made enemies of a cyber bully who signed her up for adult porn sites and mail ordered items in her name, having them shipped to her home address. She is still getting intermittent messages through other channels, and proxy servers from this cyberbully.

Ways for adults to prevent cyberbullying range from closing forums to the public to making discussion group websites available by "invitation only". One of the only ways to prevent cyberbullying is to block the bully's access to these social forums. One woman stated" if they can't play nice and be respectful, they will not be allowed in". The woman in the domestic dispute was forced to cancel her email accounts and get all new account names, blocking the cyber bully from access to her phone, text and email accounts and reporting the cyber bully to the authorities and web carriers in an attempt to have that person banned from using these sites as they are in clear violation of the user agreements for the websites. The only true way to prevent cyberbullying is to have and enforce a zero tolerance for the cyber bully and his/her activities on all electronic media, websites, email and social networks. This is not only a youth problem, and must be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. Showing a zero tolerance will put a clear message to the culprit that this type of behaviour is not worth it.

Checkout chatsec's child protection Facebook app http://www.chatsec.com/ that protects your child from cyber bullying, sexual predators, abductions and much more. Chatsec uses a complex algorithm that monitors your child's account so no one except you, the parent, can see what is going on. Chatsec's displays all concerning content on an easy to read platform for your convenience.

Chatsec puts parental control back in your busy life at the click of a button.

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Fire Department Equipment - The Wise Choice of Obtaining Hydraulic Rescue Tools Part I

Is your fire department active in vehicle and accident rescue? If so, you might consider requesting rescue tools from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant in 2012.

An excellent set of equipment in this category should consist of all hydraulic rescue tools. Be sure to include at least a 28" spreader with no less than 57,000 pounds of spread force. A good set should also include a very large cutter with 121,000 pounds of force. Additionally, it should have a mini-cutter with at least a 1.5" opening, a ram set, a pulling and lifting accessory kit, and multiple sections of color coded extension hose. Do not forget to request all mounting brackets so that your department can properly affix the equipment inside of your vehicles. You will also need to purchase a power unit or generator.

Your department should budget about $32,000 for the equipment and about $11,000 for the power unit or generator.

Why would you consider purchasing this equipment? There are many possible reasons for the request, but first and foremost would be the improved safety offered to entrapped victims. The second reason would be for the safety of firefighters responsible for freeing victims at accident scenes.

Let's start with the tools' ability to free victims. If your department has no such tools and uses sledge hammers and crow bars, then these may have worked for you in the past. Certainly they did not make rescues easy, but they sufficed if that is all you had. Today this is not a possibility. Why? The high grade steel used for automobile manufacturing today is not able to be plied open with crow bars. The cage construction will not allow such tools to effectively get to a victim for medical care. They are not easily extricated from vehicles. Within an entrapment a victim cannot be properly treated, and there is always the potential for fire. The longer the victim remains untreated or only with partial medical care, then the greater the chance for complication.

Now for firefighter safety. Every minute that a firefighter spends on a roadway, there is danger of being hit by a passing car or truck. Every time a firefighter operates equipment, there is strain on muscle and back; this can lead to injury. So herein lies the argument for good equipment. It is lightweight and easy to operate. Many older hydraulic tools require two firefighters to operate. These two firefighters must attend to the victim. If the space is confined no one can help the victim while the entrapment is being resolved. Treatment time is lost.

Most older units weigh well over 100 lbs. Injury to rescuers is always a concern and we will have firefighters end up with major back injuries. Certainly, many have already had minor ones on many occasions and this could lead to greater issues.

The bottom line is - get the new equipment as soon as you can. It will help both rescuers and victims.

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Giving to Charity Trends

This article looks at some statistics regarding giving to charity in the UK. This includes the numbers giving, average donation amounts, and interesting trends.

Over half of adults in the UK donate financially to charitable causes on a regular basic. This does not include volunteering time. In 2009/2010 people in the United Kingdom were on average giving £12 a month to charity. For most people it is less than this figure but some give significantly more, therefore increasing the average figure. 8% of the total came from donations of more than £100 a month, but this does not include the very wealthy giving very large amounts. 2009/2010 statistics are not available but in 2008/2009 there were 100 donations of more than £1 million.

Impact of the Recession

The recession was expected to have a significant impact on charitable giving but this has not happened to a large extent. In 2007/2008 donations went down a little, but they have increased again since. This is shown in things such as Children in Need, where amounts raised have continued to rise despite fears that the recession would have a negative impact. Since the recession hit, both the number of donations and the average amounts have increased, although the increase could be concentrated amongst those not particular impacted by the recession.

Giving at Home or Abroad

In recent years those giving to overseas causes has increased, with around a quarter of donations having gone outside of the country in the last few years. It is difficult to judge whether this is a general trend or whether there has been more large natural disaster the last few years. These types of events attract a lot of media coverage and tend to therefore lead to large numbers of donations. The earthquake in Haiti and earthquake and tsunami in Japan are good examples of this. These are visually tragic with thousands impacted suddenly. With people emotionally involved they are more likely to donate on instinct. The increases in giving to these types of causes also suggest a higher proportion of charitable giving is through one-off donations or occasionally giving rather than it being regular, for example monthly.

Which Demographics Donate Most?

Perhaps surprisingly, the age range that donates the most to charity amongst women and amongst men are very different. The women who contribute most to good causes are those in their 40's, 50's and 60's, while men aged between 16 and 24 contribute more than any other age range.

How About Volunteering?

Around 40% of adults in the UK volunteer for a good cause at least once a year, with roughly 25% volunteering on at least a monthly basis. This has increased over the last five years. The recession has actually had a positive influence on this, with some who have been made redundant volunteering until they find suitable employment. Volunteering for a worthy cause is a good way for people to donate to charity who cannot afford to give financially. The general trend is a decrease in the numbers volunteering on a regular basis and an increase in people volunteering occasionally.

Andrew Marshall ©

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What We Don't Know About America's Most Famous Secretary

OMAHA, Neb. - Most Americans had never heard of Debbie Bosanek until she agreed to serve as a human prop for President Obama's State of the Union speech last week.

Bosanek, as millions of us now know, is Warren Buffett's secretary. She was seated near the First Lady when the president called for a "Buffett rule" that would require people making more than $1 million to pay at least 30 percent of their income in federal taxes. White House image-makers were eager to use Bosanek to symbolize a middle class that is being relentlessly squeezed by a system that favors the wealthy and well-connected.

This raised questions that we usually have no reason to ask about a corporate chieftain's assistant. Exactly how well does Bosanek fit into the president's definition, or anyone's definition, of "middle class?" Does she feel squeezed? Does she endorse the president's message that her boss should pay higher taxes?

Buffett, the multi-billionaire chairman and CEO of Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc., brought Bosanek into the public conversation last summer when, in a New York Times op-ed piece, he observed that the share of his income that goes to federal taxes is the lowest among the 20 people, including Bosanek, who work in his office. (The original op-ed column did not mention his secretary specifically, but her circumstances became the focus of many follow-up interviews and much commentary.) Wealthy people, Buffett argued, should pay more than others, not less - a point with which the president heartily agrees.

A funeral on my wife's side of the family brought me to Omaha last Thursday, just after Bosanek's moment in front of the cameras. The online world was buzzing about the suddenly famous administrative assistant, and she was front-page news in her hometown. "Buffett calls criticism of his secretary 'ridiculous,'" the Omaha World-Herald newspaper, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, reported.(1) Coincidentally or otherwise, the adjacent story above the fold reported on a hearing in the Nebraska Legislature: "Counties rip plan to drop inheritance tax."

By raising the topic of his secretary's income taxes, Buffett inevitably led people to ask how much she is paid. But he and Bosanek both refused to answer that question, saying her personal business is personal. This was true, until Buffett decided to make it the country's business too.

Buffett apparently disapproved of online speculation about Bosanek's income and about her and her husband's recent purchase of a second home in Arizona. "They can't attack the facts, so they attack the person," Buffett told the World-Herald. "It's ridiculous."

No serious person is attacking Bosanek. Asking about her income, which is necessary to understand and critique Buffett's argument about taxes generally, is not an attack. Many administrative assistants to top executives (unlike the 82-year-old Buffett, most of us don't call them secretaries nowadays) earn six-figure incomes, and in my experience, they deserve every penny. If Buffett wants us to address the facts underlying his opinions, he ought to provide some.

Here are a few facts we can deduce without getting too personal. Buffett derives most of his income from Berkshire Hathaway dividends, which are taxed at 15 percent - because the income has already been taxed at the corporate level at rates up to 35 percent. Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway also pay state taxes, which he does not address in his argument. If we consider the total tax burden on income earned by Berkshire Hathaway and passed on to Buffett, it is almost certainly larger than Bosanek's.

Bosanek and her husband, a delivery truck driver, presumably earn most of their income from wages. Their overall tax rate includes not just income taxes, but Social Security taxes. Social Security will replace a much larger share of their income than it would replace for Buffett, and Bosanek is looking forward to collecting it. "Hopefully in 10 years, when I turn 65 and Warren turns 92, I will be able to convince him to finally retire so I can retire, after working 47 years, and spend some time where the sun shines in the winter," she told the World-Herald. Buffett and Obama are drifting steadily toward an argument that Social Security taxes should just be folded into the regular income tax system, breaking any ties between what an individual earns, what he or she pays in taxes, and what he or she ultimately receives as a retirement benefit.

Long-term capital gains are also taxed at 15 percent, well below the top rate on ordinary income. The president and many in his party would be happy to see that rate raised, at least for upper-income taxpayers. They seldom mention that most middle-class families pay little or no tax on their lifetime capital gains, which for average Americans arise mostly from of their homes. A married couple can avoid tax on up to $500,000 of gain from selling a principal residence, and can do so multiple times. Other assets get a stepped-up basis when acquired from a decedent.

Middle-class families also do not pay federal estate taxes, for which married couples now have a combined $10 million lifetime exemption. Someone in Buffett's position could expect to see hundreds of millions, or even billions of dollars of his lifetime wealth accumulation taken after his death, if he wanted to pass that wealth on to his heirs. As it happens, Buffett is a proponent of the estate tax, but he does not actually expect his family to pay much. He has said publicly that he will leave only modest wealth to his heirs, devoting the rest to charity - and thus avoiding the tax. His advocacy of the tax, therefore, amounts to arguing that other wealthy people (though almost none are nearly as wealthy as he) pay a tax that he personally has no intention of paying.

This is as close to a fact-based argument as I can make with the limited facts that the Buffett and his loyal assistant have chosen to share with us.

Like most financial professionals, I respect Buffett's business acumen. Like most Americans, I take as a given that he, and his secretary, are basically honest and decent people, because most of us are honest and decent, even if we forget to acknowledge this in the heat of our disagreements.

But Buffett did not make an intellectually honest argument by insisting that his formerly anonymous secretary ought to retain her privacy after she let herself be used as a political poster child. We can only guess that Debbie Bosanek is better-paid than most administrative assistants. We know for a fact that the average assistant does not get camera time at the State of the Union address.

Source:
1) Omaha World-Herald, "Buffett: Criticism of secretary 'ridiculous'"

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Why Charitable Giving Decreases In A Tough Economy

Charitable giving has been in decline in correlation with the U.S. economy, which should come as a surprise to no one. The recession has resulted in job loss, declining wages and an overall lower standard of living for most Americans.

With money being harder to come by, American consumers have also changed their discretionary spending habits. Because of that many businesses both large and small have felt the crunch of declining sales and lower profits. Included in that crunch have been charities and non-profit organizations. Anyone who relies on charitable giving is feeling the pinch as both businesses and individuals have reigned in their donations and financial support.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, the amount written off on tax returns attributed to charitable giving declined 10 percent in 2007. Charitable giving declined another 14 percent in 2008 according to the data, a far greater drop than had been anticipated or had been expected by experts.

The obvious reason for the decline is a simple lack of cash on hand. With Americans out of work or forced to survive on lower wages, charitable giving is often the first item chopped from the household budget. With houses losing value, and many individuals in their own financial distress, it is not a shock that the amount of charitable giving is in decline.

These IRS figures reflect only the approximately 75 per cent of taxpayers who itemize their deductions, and does not include people who donate cash at cash registers, churches, or other impulse donation sites. (Even those organizations have seen a drop off in the amount of cash-based charitable giving during high giving times of the year.) Furthermore, many individuals who are more affluent cannot write off the entirety of their charitable giving, which means they are only giving up to the amount they can write off. As a result, charitable trusts and grant providing non-profits have also reported a steep decline in the amounts of grants provided because of a loss in donors.

These organizations were also particularly affected by the roller coaster performances of the stock market during the recession. While working class Americans were seeing their 401Ks and pensions decline, charitable foundations, many of which are based on sizable endowments invested in the market, saw much of the growth experienced in previous years simply disappear.

While things have been dire for the past couple of years, directors of charities and non-profits see reason for long-term optimism. They cite the long-range nature of their organizational finances and the ability of the market to rebound. A return to a healthy economy would also presumably return some of the disposable income available for charitable giving. This means a better outlook for these nonprofits that have managed to hang on in the down times.

Another reason for optimism is the emergence of organizations that have combined consumer purchasing with charitable giving. With "necessity being the mother of invention," several retail outlets have cropped up, particularly on the Internet, that have partnered with charities and non-profits to donate a portion of their revenues to these organizations. In this way, charity-conscious consumers can still buy the things they need and want and get the sense of reward associated with charitable giving.

As we enter a presidential election year, no doubt the economy and how to revive it will be front and center in the debates. Closely watching will be the directors of charities and non-profits eager to see the economy rebound, and with it, a return to the increased charitable giving they saw in years past. The millions of Americans who benefit from these organizations and the work they do will be watching as well.

Charitable giving is easy with Gifts that Give an organization that allows shoppers not only to fing great gift ideas and purchase high quality gifts for their friends and loved ones, but also gives them the opportunity to select a charitable cause to support. Visit them at http://www.giftsthatgive.com/

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It's Hard to Find Reliable Sources on the 2012 Predictions Phenomenon

What we know is very little, and what has been projected on rather shaky assumptions is unfortunately quite extensive. And some of the assumptions by those who would debunk the "predictions," are as weak as many of those made by the prognosticating prophets of doom. If profiteering, pompous ego building, and thorough indoctrination in various mindsets were all eliminated, there would be precious little information out there on this subject.

Some of the debunkers are as lacking in information as the most rabid of prognosticators. But that has not stopped them from their process of "authoritatively" debunking that, about which they have no more knowledge than anyone else.

One particular day near the end of December 2012 could very well be when we see the end of the world. But so could tomorrow for that matter. And so might yesterday have been. The debunkers are, by and large, just playing the odds by saying it is an unlikely event for December 21. And, of course, they are justified in the assumption (that is, their assessment of the odds) because such predictions have come and gone in the past, and this one is backed up by almost no serious evidence that anything unusual should be expected. But most of the time the debunkers fail to acknowledge the one caveat in that last sentence. That would be the word, "almost," describing a "nearly" complete lack of evidence for expecting anything unusual.

A great deal of effort has been marshaled in assembling an unusually wide variety of loose strands of vaguely (sometimes wildly) predictive verbiage about the tendencies of our culture and of our current planetary trends. All of this has been tied together in an almost mystical fashion, and targeted by some unexplained coincidental mechanism, to correspond to the only specific date that any of these assertions has determined. That date, of course, is December 21, 2012, which was given to us in an indirect form by the ancient Maya of Central/South America.

The date comes to us from a 2,500-year-old calendar. Is that calendar remarkable in any way? Yes, certainly, it is at least remarkable. For one thing, it has endured for over 2,000 years. For another, it is poignantly terminated at a date that corresponds to our December 21, 2012. That point alone makes it particularly interesting for our point of view here in the early 21st century. But there are numerous reasons for considering this calendar to be remarkable.

What may be most remarkable is the amount of information that has been related to that December date, just because the Mayan Long-Count Calendar ended on what is apparently that day. And running a close second in the remarkability category, might possibly be the amount of energy that has been expended on debunking the assertions made about that date's meaningfulness. Arguably, too much has been made of the whole affair. But there is that nagging perception that this entire corpus of tiring literature is about something as monumental as... yes, the end of the world. That subject should be something of at least marginal interest to anyone with a brain and currently living on this planet.

The author has created a website devoted to critical analysis of the various positions taken, both in favor of extraordinary events associated with 2012, and in rebuttal--those voices offering an attempt to debunk such claims. That website can be found at http://whatabout2012year.com/.

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Press Releases - Useful In Promoting Your Business

A press release is a news story, written in third person to reveal the details of any important ceremony, event, service or a person. Oct 28, 1906 was a landmark day in the history of formal communication, when Ivy lee drafted the 1st press release to report a railway accident. Since then, the press has been a formal way of communication directed at print and electronic media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy.

With the large scale industrial, social and technological growth, communication has also undergone several reforms and the current practices are governed by several social and ethical bindings. Press release being the formal form of communication is generally confined to 400-500 words drafted by the communication experts to make sure that the information is perceived in the right manner.

In order to achieve the desired objectives, news is often divided into several parts aimed at achieving the specific objectives.

• Caption: Aimed at grabbing the attention of the readers and also gives a clue about the body of the press release.
• Introduction: The introductory paragraph introduces the subject of the press release and gives a bird eye view of who, what, when, where, how and why.
• Main Body: Contains the further details about the subject matter.
• Boilerplate: This section provides an independent background about the issuing authority to further educate the reader that who is the reporting entity/ individual.
• Closing: At the end of the boilerplate section, standardized symbols are used to indicate the ending of the news. Following are the generally used symbols, North America("-30-"), the practice in other countries is the use of the text "ends".
• Contact Information: Contains the contact information of the media coordinator.

You can easily promote your business over the Internet as you will find a large number of news distribution services over the World Wide Web to help you. You are only required to provide them with vital details, and they will do the work on your behalf. They will have different packages available and you can opt for the one that suits your needs and requirements. All you need to do is to make sure that your press release reaches the top of the leading new sites such as Google News and Yahoo! News and major search engines like Bing and Google. As soon as your press hits the Web, you will be able to see the impact it is going to make and people will figure out what your business ought to offer. To use press for search engine marketing and press release search engines could be effective to find out the appropriate press release for your business.

Author recommend you to look for proper press release search engine with various tools to find out information published on different sources.

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Is There Prejudice Against Dark Skin Jamaican Women?

The plantation regime of slavery had a major impact on the Jamaican society long after the abolition of slavery. The lighter the skin, the more valuable you were during slavery and even today, after coming such a long way, that mentality still stands.

As recent as the 1960?s, dark skin Jamaican women were not the faces you would normally see serving in the banks, at the airline counters, at the hotel counters or at any of the higher positions in larger companies. It was well accepted that the place for the darker skin Jamaican women was certainly not in the better or more prestigious jobs. This took a major toll on the self-esteem of Young black Jamaican women, who accepted the position of living as a second class citizen. Darker skin women during the 1960?s did not bother much with higher education for various reasons, such as affordability, self-worth, having babies, not enough schools for higher education and not much in the future regarding better jobs.

The early 1970?s saw a new beginning and a turn in the direction regarding skin colour. A young politician by the name of Micheal Manley (very light complexion man) became the Prime minister of Jamaica and spoke out strongly regarding prejudice against the darker skin Jamaicans. He constantly preached about equality among all skin colour. Mr. Manley himself fell in love with and married Beverley Manley, a dark skin Jamaican woman, who sported an afro. Micheal Manley was loved by Jamaicans and was able to get his message across to many. Self-esteem among darker Jamaicans on a whole was on a high. Slogans like-PROUD TO BE BLACK and BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL were extremely popular. Songs included words like EMANCIPATE YOURSELVES FROM MENTAL SLAVERY, NONE BUT OURSELVES CAN FREE OUR MINDS ( Bob Marley ) and YOUNG GIFTED AND BLACK (made popular by Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths were soaring on the charts in the 1970?s. Darker skin women were getting a boost of self-esteem. They were "proud to be black" and sported their neat afro, dressed confidently in their pedal pushers, mini skirts and hot pants. The faces that greeted customers at the service desks, banks and persons who represented companies as senior staff and managers were now including a number of Dark skin Jamaicans. As people became more aware of their self-worth, education became a priority.

SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE IN JAMAICA

You have to have one or all of the following to be socially accepted. Money, Education, Lighter complexion. Although Jamaica had never lost the whole stigma of the fair skin Jamaicans being the superior, the darker skin Jamaicans had become very aware that if they educate themselves, they could achieve greatness and become whatever they want to be. Black Jamaicans are now Bank Managers, Hotel Managers and owners, Doctors, Teachers, business owners and Might I say Prime minister!! Education has played quite an important roll in the lives of black Jamaicans who started achieving more, becoming bosses and professionals.

BLEACHING:

What could have brought on the recent craze for lighter skin among dark skin Jamaicans especially women!! This activity is identified mostly among the poorer class and the less educated. Could this be that the quest to be socially accepted has left them with no other choice? The poorer class obviously has no money, without money it is hard to get a higher education!! So the lighter skin might be the easiest of the three!! This certainly is no excuse for bleaching of the skin, as this is an extremely dangerous practice, which can negatively affect ones health.

HAVE BLACK MEN BETRAYED DARK SKIN WOMEN?

The darker skin women are losing the battle against the lighter skin women in the quest for love. Jamaican men seem to much favour the "brownings" (women with lighter complexion) and women of different race with lighter complexion. It is very obvious to see the pride and adoration in the faces of some black men when they walk down the street hand in hand with a light complexion woman!! One explanation given to me by a black man was "Black women do not groom themselves as well and things like going to the gym and spa are not very common among them". A very famous DJ unleashed a monster among Jamaicans when he released the popular song-"mi love mi car mi love mi bike mi love mi money an ting, but most of all mi love mi browning ". That popular song (although very catchy and I must admit, I danced to the beat a few times) took us back several years, as many Jamaican men felt and still feel the need to follow suite.

A LOOK AHEAD

The future looks very promising for the Dark skin Jamaican women, who have gotten far ahead in life, becoming Lawyers, doctors, Bank managers, Hotel managers even Prime minister, achieving Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees. The future looks very bright, however loyalty from Jamaican Black men would be good. Most Black women are confident enough not to be needy, but to move forward to where they are appreciated and needed.

The question is have we really moved forward as a nation? It is really sad that a lack conscious thinking can hold a whole nation in the past.

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History of Valentine's Day - How It Came to Be

Valentine's Day on February 14 is, in some countries, the day of lovers. The traditions of this day go back to the story of one of several Christian martyrs named Valentine who, according to history, was martyred by beheading.

A memorial was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 469 AD but in 1969, it was omitted from the General Roman Calendar. However, there is still widespread celebration on Valentine's Day around worship, in which couples ask for blessings.

This day eventually became popular in the west through trade in flowers and the heavy advertising of florists and candy makers.

Customs
The popularity of the date is based on a poem by the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer, "Parliament of Birds". In 1383, probably on the occasion of Valentine's Day celebration, it was completed and was first presented publicly at the court of King Richard II.

In the poem of Chaucer, it was described how the birds gather to dedicate this holiday to the goddess of Nature so that everyone finds a partner. Since the 15th Century in England, couples began sending small gifts or poems during this day. From then on, the combination of letters and flowers was imitated by the British.

English emigrants brought the custom of Valentine's Day in the United States and so after the Second World War, the first "Valentine's Ball" was held in Nuremberg in 1950 by U.S. soldiers. Valentine's Day was generally accepted to be on the 14th so prior to February, there is an increased influx of florists and advertising of the confectionery industry.

There are now Valentine chocolates, Valentine cards and perfumes sold but the most popular gifts on February 14 are still flowers. While flowers are sold throughout the year, it is mostly men who buy flowers for women.

In Japan, women give chocolates to men on 14 February. Sometimes, women will postpone it a month later on White Day, with white chocolate as a present. Even young girls take this day as an opportunity to give chocolate to boys, which they carefully made themselves.

In South Korea, people celebrate White Day and the Black Day, in addition to Valentine's Day. On the 14th of April, people eat Jajangmyeon which are noodles with black sauce. Also in South Korea, every 14th of the month has romantic connotations to it.

Today, even in the People's Republic of China, younger generations enjoy this day as the western culture and lifestyle is increasingly becoming popular. In Brazil, Valentines is Celebrated on the 12th of June.

Now that you know how Valentines came to be, make it extra special this year with Valentines Day Deals 2012 and while you're at it, also check out Valentines Day Packages 2012 for travel deals.

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Homeless Under the Stars

There are indeed many states of homelessness. Our early ancestors, often arrived on the shores of this great North-American Continent, bearing a trunk or bag with a few possessions and mementos of the life they left behind. Some did not know where they would spend their first night and were prepared if necessary to be temporarily homeless under the stars. Even today immigrants sometimes arrive off planes with just a suitcase or two and, if they are lucky, a piece of paper with the name and address of a friend or relative they hope will give them a bed until they get on their feet. Still others arrive daily, not knowing where they will sleep on their first night, but with inspirational hope in their hearts that they will be able to use their skills, and the little money they have, to get a foothold, and make a new life here in North America.

Our proud First Nation's peoples had a Nomadic way of life under the stars. They were not homeless but saw their home as being under the stars. Nomads like the Romanian Gypsies, or the Bedouin tribes of North Africa, move their tents and caravans to new locations constantly but always under the stars.

Every summer, outdoor enthusiasts get their backpacks and tents and go trekking in the wilderness to sleep the night out in the open and wake up to the inspirational wonders around them. More and more families are taking up camping as a holiday adventure. It may be a stretch of the imagination to look on camping and backpacking as a state of homelessness. Nevertheless, sleeping in a tent or a sleeping bag under the stars is very different from sleeping in one's home.

There are the homeless who for many years, because of mental illness, severe addictions and or family relationship breakdowns, have made a life on the streets. As a volunteer in a homeless shelter in Manchester England I got to know one such individual. His name was Dave and he was addicted to cheap surgical alcohol. He was a very likeable man with a great sense of humor and was looked up to by many of his homeless peers. We volunteers decided to explore how we could assist him and after many conversations, were able to get him rehabilitated in a detox centre. We enabled him to find a job and a small furnished apartment. We got him a Television and he seemed to be very happy with life. Only a few weeks later however, when we were out scouting the derelict area where the homeless hung out, we came upon Dave, drunk again at a burning barrel of wood, with his buddies. Taking him to one side we asked him what had gone wrong. He replied "I would sooner be a king here than a nobody back there."

Then there are the homeless whose homes were lost suddenly and in a horrific manner, through fire, flood, hurricane, earthquake or tsunami. Still others have lost their homes, not quite so suddenly, through foreclosure, or eviction, and have felt the horror and same sense of loss. Yet others have lost their livelihood and subsequently their homes. Many of these people are the new homeless of our country. Some have joined the sit ins that are taking place in many big cities. They are expressing their grief, horror and outrage in protests. Financial institutions, politicians and the economy, the weather and even oil spills may be all or in part to blame. However, protesting will not give the new homeless back their homes or way of life. Neither can politicians deliver what these unfortunate people need, more than anything else, namely a sense of hope: That same inspirational hope that brought our ancestors to these shores and still brings great numbers of immigrants each year. Many of these new immigrants are fleeing countries with dire poverty, and some are fleeing the brutality of wars in their homeland. A good number, like the new homeless have been traumatized by events in the dear and cherished homeland they've left behind. They come to these shores, some, with nothing but hope in their heart and a belief in themselves. Their courage, like those of our ancestors, the early settlers is inspirational.

Cathal O'Toole is a retired Social Worker and author of a children's novel and an eBook. http://www.inpirationalchristmas.com/

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Why Is Air Superiority So Paramount in Modern Periods of Political Impasse?

A nation that has the ability to attain air superiority in short order, also possesses the negotiation power through the principle of "negotiating from a position of strength" - almost to the point that nearly guarantees that in international diplomatic matters the other side will yield far in advance of political impasse. This is a good thing, and for the United States, it's a great thing. It's also a wonderful thing for freedom and liberty around the world as long as we hold to our ideals.

You see, the United States of America has the greatest Air Force in the world, and we have the second best Air Force the world too, it's called the U.S. Navy. Depending on who you talk to in which branch of the military, they will trade barbs and tell you that the Navy has better air power, and that the Navy's wings are made of gold, and the Air Force's wings are made of lead, that's how come they are the silvery pewter color. But I digress.

Nevertheless, the whole concept of air superiority seems to have originated from the military diaries, and writings of the author of; "The Command of the Air," Giulio Douhet who was a general of artillery in the Italian army in the 1920s. His writings span from 1909 to 1929, and some of his thoughts were published after his death.

You can get a copy of his work still today, in fact the University of Alabama Press reprinted his work in 2009; ISBN: 978-0-8173-5608-8. Now then, on page 28 the author speaks of the overwhelming importance of air superiority, and therefore I'd like to ask the following questions;

In our modern age does air-superiority mean the ability to fly stuff around without being shot down, or merely preventing your enemy from flying around and then watching from the air, and sending in missiles to assigned targets? And what about the no-fly zone that the NATO forces put on Libya which cause the fall of Moammar Khadafy? The ability to do that was all about air superiority, and once it had been established the game was over, and Khadafy was finished, as it was just a matter of time.

Khadafy should've never pushed NATO, and should've backed off very quickly as soon as they said they might put up a no-fly zone. In essence that was the beginning of the end. Other nations would be wise, especially if they don't have the potential capacity to maintain air superiority, to get along better in the world. Perhaps Khadafy's demise, and the fall of his regime might be something that the Iranian regime might want to take a look at; who knows? Indeed, hope you will please consider all this and think on.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Military Technologies. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Solar Joins the Right Price Energy Club

Solar parity is here.

Honest. That's what a new study from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario says.

"Given the state of the art in the technology and favourable financing terms it is clear that PV has already obtained grid parity in specific locations," say K. Brawker, M.J.M. Pathak and J.M. Pearce in the report, "A Review of Solar Photovoltaic Levelized Cost of Electricity."

That and technological innovation, which is driving up solar system efficiencies, could open new markets and spur significant development of projects focused on harvesting the sun's energy. In California's San Joaquin Valley, we're already seeing the results with about 40 projects in the works in Fresno County and at least as many in nearby counties.

Ferocious cost reductions

Sami Grover, from treehugger.com, put it this way: "With the solar industry delivering ferocious cost reductions, falling as much as 11 percent in just six months, it's little wonder that some predict that solar will be cheaper than coal in the very near future."

A cleantechnica.com editor says the findings by Queen's University don't even take into account health, energy security and environmental costs of fossil fuels "and it STILL finds that solar has reached grid parity in many places."

The recent Durban Climate Summit clarified the dangers of allowing pollution to continue without restraint. The cost and potential damage of unparalleled production of greenhouse gases is impossible to determine. But one thing's for certain, it will be huge.

The rapid innovation of solar technology offers a way to cut into reliance on fossil fuels. Whether it will make a difference is anybody's guess.

Solar interest high

A solar research symposium at the University of California, Merced, Dec. 9, 2011, draws students and researchers from UC Merced's program, which is fast becoming a leader in solar research, and University of California campuses of Berkeley, Davis, Santa Barbara and San Diego as well as other universities. All report that their programs are working hard to improve the efficiency of solar cells.

At the symposium, Sarah Kurtz, interim director of the National Center for Photovoltaics and principal scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, tells my co-worker Sandy Nax that costs are dropping "spectacularly."

Nax also reports in a recent post that the industry is expanding at a robust rate with photovoltaic shipments doubling every two years.

Gaining efficiency

While many photovoltaic cells on the market range between 12 and 20 percent efficient, moves are being made to increase that number significantly. However, those technologies also cost more. "The challenge is to make high efficiency with low cost and high reliability," Kurtz says.

Some in our sun-drenched valley are concerned about seeing solar panels everywhere, especially on prime farmland. Nax tells me that efficiencies reduce solar's footprint and likely will improve its image, especially amongst concerned farmers.

That and estimated $1 per watt equipment costs will go a long way toward influencing standards that include photovoltaic panels as part of nearly every newly constructed building or major retrofit and remodel. Toss in escalating electricity rates, and solar may become as common as flat-screen television sets in American households.

But rather than offering entertainment, this electronic device will create a new era of distributed energy.

Nothing's easy

There will be challenges. For instance, what happens when the sun falls below the horizon? Cheap solar provides options that weren't otherwise available. Perhaps production of hydrogen will become more widespread that either can be used in fuel cells or in other applications.

Political leaders also will have to knuckle under and institute more laws like California's Global Warming Solutions Act, which seeks to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels, and the requirement that utilities get a third of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. Otherwise, the incentive by the private sector to start figuring out cleaner alternatives might not great enough to foster widespread change.

It can be done. Even at Durban, which drew representatives from 190 countries, leaders in the final hours of the Climate Summit put together what some media sources call a road map to a legally binding climate treaty by 2020.

We'll see.

Mike Nemeth, project manager of the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, spent 24 years working as a newspaperman editing and reporting from Alaska to California. The SJVCEO is a nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life through increased use of clean and alternative energy. The SJVCEO is based in Fresno, Calif. and works with cities and counties and public and private organizations to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy throughout the eight-county region of the San Joaquin Valley. For more information, go to http://www.sjvcleanenergy.org/.

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Libertarianism and Marxism

Like Communism, libertarianism is an ideology that looks good on paper. According to libertarianism, everyone is responsible for themselves and nothing else. The question becomes whether this ideology is as good in practice as it appears in writing. And the verdict for that is mixed.

I say at the outset that libertarianism is far from the worst thing out there. Wahabbism, Stalinism and military dictatorships are much worse. But what is the reality of libertarianism?

Having known a number of people who lived a libertarian way of life, I had the time to observe their experience. And one thing I've seen common to all of them is that they all live very anxious lives. They are always striving to be at the top of everything, including things that they can do very little about, and are constantly stressing. If the economy takes a dive, their industry stops growing, or their job gets outsourced, they are in a bad way. If they or a family member develops an illness, more so.

Another problem I've seen is that libertarianism appears to have a negative effect on people's character. I've seen even the kindest, warmest people turn into monsters as they embraced libertarian way of life. The attitude of everyone for themselves does away with much good in people; and just as their lives become anxious, stressful and difficult, so does their character also take a dive.

Finally, there is much that is not computed in libertarian thinking. Thus, property is seen as nature converted into productive use; but no value is seen for nature. This allows for brainless, destructive, short-sighted economical practices - such as burning the Amazonian rainforest or flooding the atmosphere with CO2 - while failing to incentivize innovation and ingenuity that actually make capitalism work as intended. Also not computed is the vast contribution to the economy that is done by entities that are not private: Altruistically-valued, government-funded science that's at the root of all technology; altruistically-valued education that makes people employable; and government projects, such as the Interstate and the Internet, that provide an infrastructure on which private enterprise can do its work. In both cases a vast oversight is made; and in both cases the results are as bad as would be expected from such major oversights.

Is libertarianism malevolent? No; but neither was Marxism. Many libertarians are perfectly well-intentioned and think that they are working to bring about a better world. Marxists did as well. Rather libertarianism is incomplete and fails to include many important factors. And until these factors are included, libertarianism will continue to produce negative side effects such as the ones I've described.

Still greater problems take place when libertarians want to make everyone live the same way that they do. This smacks of totalitarianism - something that's totally incompatible with an ideology of freedom. It's the same situation as is found with the people who claim that they are "protecting the family." Nobody is preventing people who want to have a nuclear family from having a nuclear family. The problem is that the champions of "family values" want to deny people the right to live any other way. The same is the case with coercive libertarianism. An ideology of freedom has no business forcing everyone to adopt it; and if it does, then it stops being an ideology of freedom and becomes another form of coercive population control.

Perhaps libertarians should have a test run of their ideology. Maybe they could have a state or two and see how their ways work there. If they work well, more people will want to adopt the same practices; if they don't, then they won't. At any rate freedom is reality-determined and not ideology-determined. And that is as much the case for those who don't want to be libertarians as it is the case for those who do.

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A Christian's Response to the Banning of Prayer in Public Schools

President Ronald Reagan broached the issue of prayer in public schools when he addressed the nation in February of 1984. He reminded American citizens that prayer in public schools was practiced freely for the first 200 years of our history without any adverse affects. Reagan was flummoxed by the fact that the first amendment of the Constitution permits the "Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen to march on public property (and) advocate the extermination of people of the Jewish faith and the subjugation of blacks, while the same amendment forbids our children from saying a prayer in school. "

So, what dangerous prayer was struck down by the Supreme Court? I'm sure you might be shocked to know that kindergarten children in this country used to recite this prayer before the Supremes rushed in to protect them:

"We thank you for the flowers so sweet,
We thank you for the food we eat.
We thank you for the birds that sing.
We thank you, God, For everything."

Reagan went on to say, "The first amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people from religion; that amendment was written to protect religion form government tyranny. "He referenced God in the Mayflower Compact, in the Declaration of Independence, in the Pledge of Allegiance and The National Anthem. The dollar bills we carry in our wallets have the words "In God We Trust" inscribed on them. If God is so freely symbolized in all of these, why is he considered so dangerous in public schools?

No one in their right mind could possibly believe that this prayer is detrimental to the minds and lives of our youth. It is disturbing to know that the highest court of the land can take the Constitution and twist it to mean whatever they desire for it to mean. It is obvious that the decision to take Bible reading and prayer out of public schools is not an attempt to guarantee freedom of religion. It is an attempt to promote one religion over another. Arguing as the only dissenter in Abington v. Schempp, (the court decided 8-1 to eliminate Bible reading from public schools)Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said, "a refusal to permit" religious exercises in the schools "is seen not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism." (1)

The fact is that the majority of Americans, perhaps as high as 65%, support the idea of allowing prayer in public schools. Democracies are founded on the idea that the greater good of the body of citizens must be protected. Americans are very alarmed that activist judges have twisted the constitution in ways to favor minority opinions over those of the majority. The majority of Americans oppose legalized abortion. The majority of Americans oppose redefining marriage to mean anything other than the union of one man and one woman. It seems the majority no longer have a voice in their own government.

What can proponents of prayer in public schools do? They can withdraw their children from public schools and home school them or send them to private schools. Homeschooling in America has increased over 75% in the last decade. Most Christian parents who advocate homeschooling take to heart the verses in Deuteronomy 6:6-7. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. "They embrace the teaching that it is the primary responsibility of parents to teach religious values to their children and to educate them.

Those in favor of prayer in public schools could support a law that allows all teachers to begin the day with prayer but not all teachers are Christians but many teachers would pray to whatever god they choose. They might pray to Allah or Buddha or even Oprah Winfrey. Though there are many loyal Christian educators laboring away in the public school systems, they are hampered by what they can and cannot say about God. Modern education in the United States is going to assume a denial of God or they are going to take the polytheistic (belief in many gods), politically correct approach which says that there are many gods and they all deserve equal respect in our society. Modern education reveals a type of schizophrenia, a tension between atheism and polytheism, but never a promotion of monotheism, (the belief in one God).

In many areas of the country students are given a moment of silence. It is assumed that during this time they may pray silently. The fact is, government can never take away a privilege that God grants to his children. For many, this is all a non-issue. Our children can pray anytime, anywhere they choose. God doesn't designate a certain place or a certain method but he does command that we "pray without ceasing."

When our children are being taught knowledge their education is limited and inadequate if they are not being taught the truth about Christ. The Apostle Paul warned the Colossians, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. "Education is an expression of what we believe and it is incomplete and inadequate if it doesn't include the truth of Christ. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The beginning of wisdom and knowledge is the fear of God. "If we don't expose our children to the teaching of the truth of Christ then we are cheating them because Christ cannot be separated from true education. We are disobedient if we replace the truth of God with an impotent belief in secularism.

Instead of focusing so much on what the government and the courts are not doing, perhaps we should focus more on what we should be doing. It is not the government's responsibility to teach our children about God and to educate them in the truth of God's word. That is very clearly the responsibility of Christian parents. We should teach our children to "pray without ceasing". The prophet Daniel prayed in many places he wasn't supposed to. He prayed several times a day with the windows wide open. He was rewarded by being thrown into the Lion's Den. But there, God miraculously revealed himself to Daniel and delivered him from evil. As Christians, we need to pray often in places we are not supposed to with the windows open. Some of us will lose our jobs, some will be ridiculed and cast into the Lion's Den but God, "who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly". (Matthew 6:4)

1. William T. Cavanaugh, " The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict", p. 189

Kevin Probst lives in Columbus, Georgia. He is a teacher of History and Apologetics at a private high school. He submits articles pertaining to theology, apologetics, Christian living and American culture. If you have an interest in those ideas please visit his website at: http://www.kpprobst.blogspot.com/ and offer your opinions or join the conversation.

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