"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Prayer to St. Anthony for Those Suffering with Cancer
Dear St. Anthony, you recognized Our Lord Jesus as the Divine Healer. In your goodness and kindness, please intercede for (mention name) who is suffering from cancer. If it is God's will, I ask that this day, the gift of healing be granted to (name). Comfort him/her during times of unbearable pain, and ask our Lord to grant him/her peace and patience in suffering. May God give (name) the fullness of life here on earth, or call him/her home to eternal glory forever. Amen.
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Litany of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Queen conceived without Original Sin, pray for us.
Queen of Apostles, pray for us.
Saint Peter, pray for us.
Prince of the Apostles, pray for us.
St. Peter, to whom were given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, pray for us.
St. Peter, so ardent for the glory of Christ, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose heart was pierced with one look from Jesus, pray for us.
St. Peter, who ceased not to grieve for having denied the Son of God, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose cheeks were furrowed by a stream of tears which flowed to the end of thy life,
pray for us.
St. Peter; who cried out, "Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee," pray for us.
St. Peter, bound in chains for Christ, pray for us.
St. Peter, delivered from prison by an Angel, pray for us.
St. Peter, who rejoiced to suffer for Christ, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose very shadow healed the sick, pray for us.
St. Peter, whose voice even the dead obeyed, pray for us.
St. Peter, that we may have a constant and mutual charity among ourselves, pray for us.
That we may taste and see more and more how sweet is the Lord, pray for us.
That we may be zealous in loyalty to thy successor, the present Vicar of Christ, pray for us.
That we may help, at least by prayer, to restore to the unity of thy Holy See the scattered sheep,
pray for us.
That we may be prudent and watchful in prayer, pray for us.
That we may die the death of the just, pray for us.
V. Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him,
R. And His wonderful works to the children of men.
V. Pray for us, Saint Peter the Rock,
R. That we may be worthy of the Vicar of Christ.
Let Us Pray: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who upon blessed Peter, Thine Apostle, didst bestow the pontifical power of binding and loosing, and didst give to him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, grant that his intercession may ensure our deliverance from the bondage of sin, Thou Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Prayer to Guardian Angel
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day,
be at my side
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
Prayer of St. John the Baptist
O God, You raised up St. John the Baptist to prepare a perfect people for Christ. Fill Your people with the joy of possessing His grace, and direct the minds of all the faithful in the way of peace and salvation.
Grant that as St. John was martyred for truth and justice, so we may energetically profess our Faith in You, and lead others to the Way, the Truth, and Eternal Life.
Amen.
Prayer of St. Michael of Archangel
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Prayer of St. Patrick
As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen
Prayer for the Spirit of Work
Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who pass their life in labor, obtain for me the grace to work in a spirit of penance to atone for my many sins; to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my own inclinations; to work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honor to use and develop by my labor the gifts I have received from God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever recoiling before weariness or difficulties.
Help me to work, above all, with purity of intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must render of time lost, talents wasted, good omitted, and vain complacency in success, which is so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after your example, O Patriarch Joseph! This shall be my watchword in life and death. Amen.
O Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honor to employ and to develop by labor the gifts I have received from God, to work methodically, peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty to work; above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O Patriarch St. Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and eternity. Amen.
Prayeer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
LEADERSHIP
Leadership
Leadership, a critical management skill, is the ability to motivate a group of people toward a common goal.
1. “Great Man” Theories
Great Man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent – that great leaders are born, not made. The term “Great Man” was used because leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of military leadership.
2. Trait Theories
Trait theory assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership. Trait theories often identify particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders.
3. Contingency Theories
Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers, and aspects of the situation.
4. Situational Theories
Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variable. Different styles of leadership may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-making.
5. Behavioral Theories
Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born. Rooted in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders, not on mental qualities or internal states. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation.
6. Participative Theories
Participative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account. These leaders encourage participation and contributions from group members and help group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of others.
7. Management Theories
Management theories, also known as “Transactional theories”, focus on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of reward and punishment. Managerial theories are often used in business; when employees are successful, they are rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded or punished.
8. Relationship Theories
Relationship theories, also known as “Transformational theories”, focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. These leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. Transformational leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfill his or her potential. These leaders often have high ethical and moral standards.
Reaction of a 12-year old High school student from public school regarding the leadership in our country.
Sa ating bansa ay kinakailangan ng mabuti, masipag, matalino, tapat responsable at kung anu-ano pang mga katangian ng isang leader o mamumuno sa ating bansa. Kinakailangan ito upang mapatakbo ng maayos ang kalagayan ng ating bansa.
Kung ako ang tatanungin kung sino para sa akin ang gusto kong maging leader o mamuno ng ating bansa, ang pipiliin ko ay si Ferdinand Marcos, kung sya ay nabubuhay pa sa kasalukuyansya ang aking gusto kahit hindi pa ako tao noong sya ay naging pangulo ng bansa. Noong si Ferdinand Marcos pa ang pangulo ng bansa maraming may ayaw sa marshall law ngunit ng dahil sa batas na ipinatupad ni Marcos, maayos at maganda ang pamumuhay ng mga mamamayan. Noong si Marcos ang namumuno ng bansa, kayang bilihin ng mga mamamayan ang kanilang mga pangangailangan dahil sa mura ng mga bilihin. Maayos ang takbo ng bansa sapagkat walang masyadong krimen na nagaganap at wala ring mga tambay sa lansangan ng dis-oras ng gabi ng dahil sa maaga ang curfew.
Sa ating bansa talagang kinakailangan natin ng magaling na leader o mamumuno upang gumanda ang kalagayan ng bansa.
Leadership, a critical management skill, is the ability to motivate a group of people toward a common goal.
1. “Great Man” Theories
Great Man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent – that great leaders are born, not made. The term “Great Man” was used because leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of military leadership.
2. Trait Theories
Trait theory assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership. Trait theories often identify particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders.
3. Contingency Theories
Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers, and aspects of the situation.
4. Situational Theories
Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variable. Different styles of leadership may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-making.
5. Behavioral Theories
Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born. Rooted in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders, not on mental qualities or internal states. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation.
6. Participative Theories
Participative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account. These leaders encourage participation and contributions from group members and help group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of others.
7. Management Theories
Management theories, also known as “Transactional theories”, focus on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of reward and punishment. Managerial theories are often used in business; when employees are successful, they are rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded or punished.
8. Relationship Theories
Relationship theories, also known as “Transformational theories”, focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. These leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. Transformational leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfill his or her potential. These leaders often have high ethical and moral standards.
Reaction of a 12-year old High school student from public school regarding the leadership in our country.
Sa ating bansa ay kinakailangan ng mabuti, masipag, matalino, tapat responsable at kung anu-ano pang mga katangian ng isang leader o mamumuno sa ating bansa. Kinakailangan ito upang mapatakbo ng maayos ang kalagayan ng ating bansa.
Kung ako ang tatanungin kung sino para sa akin ang gusto kong maging leader o mamuno ng ating bansa, ang pipiliin ko ay si Ferdinand Marcos, kung sya ay nabubuhay pa sa kasalukuyansya ang aking gusto kahit hindi pa ako tao noong sya ay naging pangulo ng bansa. Noong si Ferdinand Marcos pa ang pangulo ng bansa maraming may ayaw sa marshall law ngunit ng dahil sa batas na ipinatupad ni Marcos, maayos at maganda ang pamumuhay ng mga mamamayan. Noong si Marcos ang namumuno ng bansa, kayang bilihin ng mga mamamayan ang kanilang mga pangangailangan dahil sa mura ng mga bilihin. Maayos ang takbo ng bansa sapagkat walang masyadong krimen na nagaganap at wala ring mga tambay sa lansangan ng dis-oras ng gabi ng dahil sa maaga ang curfew.
Sa ating bansa talagang kinakailangan natin ng magaling na leader o mamumuno upang gumanda ang kalagayan ng bansa.
Entrepreneur
The benefits that can be derived from entrepreneurial activities are as follows:
1. Enormous personal financial gain
2. Self-employment, own bossing, offering more job satisfaction and flexibility of the work force
3. Employment for others, often in better jobs
4. Development of more industries, especially in rural areas or regions disadvantaged by economic changes, for example due to globalization effects
5. Encouragement of the processing of local materials into finished goods for domestic consumption as well as for export
6. Income generation and increased economic growth
7. Healthy competition thus encourages higher quality products
8. More goods and services available
9. Development of new markets
10. Promotion of the use of modern technology in small-scale manufacturing to enhance higher productivity
11. Encouragement of more researchers/studies and development of modern machines and equipment for domestic consumption
12. Development of entrepreneurial qualities and attitudes among potential entrepreneurs to bring about significant changes in the rural areas
13. Freedom from the dependency on the jobs offered by others
14. Ability to have great accomplishments
15. Reduction of the informal economy
16. Emigration of talent may be stopped by a better domestic entrepreneurship climate
17. Serious tax advantages
1. Enormous personal financial gain
2. Self-employment, own bossing, offering more job satisfaction and flexibility of the work force
3. Employment for others, often in better jobs
4. Development of more industries, especially in rural areas or regions disadvantaged by economic changes, for example due to globalization effects
5. Encouragement of the processing of local materials into finished goods for domestic consumption as well as for export
6. Income generation and increased economic growth
7. Healthy competition thus encourages higher quality products
8. More goods and services available
9. Development of new markets
10. Promotion of the use of modern technology in small-scale manufacturing to enhance higher productivity
11. Encouragement of more researchers/studies and development of modern machines and equipment for domestic consumption
12. Development of entrepreneurial qualities and attitudes among potential entrepreneurs to bring about significant changes in the rural areas
13. Freedom from the dependency on the jobs offered by others
14. Ability to have great accomplishments
15. Reduction of the informal economy
16. Emigration of talent may be stopped by a better domestic entrepreneurship climate
17. Serious tax advantages
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
TEACHING PLAN
Weather
Title: Weather & Memory
Language: ESL
Grade(s): High School
Program Type: TESOL
Level: beginner-intermediate
Class Profile: This class is a beginner-intermediate high school class with students from all over the world in it. There are 3 students from Haiti, 2 from South America, 2 from Bosnia, 2 from Iraq, and 1 student from India. This class is filled with students who are new in America and they are having a hard time adjusting to the culture, the language, and new environment. Most of the kids miss their friends and family that they left in their home countries. They feel alienated because they do not speak the language. This lesson plan would be part of a larger project to help the students make connections between their home countries and America.
Contest/Theme: This lesson will introduce the worldwide phenomenon of weather. Students will learn the different types of weather, temperature, and feelings associated with weather. The 4 seasons will be discussed and the different holidays that take place during them will be addressed. The students will be able to give some sort of description of their own experiences with the different seasons and holidays.
Description: This lesson will give some examples of American holidays and give the students a chance to think about their own holidays in their cultures. Hopefully the lesson will give the students an opportunity to get to know each other and the cultures that each of them comes from. If anything, the lesson is geared toward the students interacting with each other. The lesson will show that seasons and holidays are all part of life no matter where you go in the world.
Guided participation: The lesson will be introduced with picture cards of the different kinds of weather (rainy, sunny, snowy, windy, foggy, cloudy). The students will be given different thermometers to look at and there will be a short discussion about different temperatures (hot, cold, cool, warm). The students will be asked to think about how they feel when the temperature outside is hot or cold. Depending on the students, the instructor will introduce the new vocabulary (I am cold, I am hot, etc.) A blow up globe will be tossed from student to student and when the student get the globe they will tell each other about where they come from and what the weather is like and if it is hot or cold in their country. The students will get into groups of two with someone not from their own country. The students will have to discuss the seasons and holidays of their own country and present what they found out to the class.
Extension?: The students will get into groups of two and play memory with the words and pictures for all the new vocabulary—memory is a game where you have two cards that match and they are all face down on the table. You turn over two cards and try to match them.
• If there is time left over the students will give examples of how they talk about the weather in their own language. The teacher will try to find similarities to the English language. The teacher will also try to introduce the vocabulary “How’s the Weather?”
o Homework: to copy a prepared worksheet with a dialogue about what the weather is like and how to ask about the weather. The students should be prepared to do an oral presentation about it the next day.
o Week’s Homework: ask 3 other people from different states what the weather is like in those states.
Targeted Standards:
o 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
o 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.
o 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
o 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
What changes could be made to this activity to target different, or additional, standards?
To get the students to read more of the language and not have the lesson so orally based, they could read something about weather and culture in America. This activity could also be stretched into addressing other standards if the students were willing to talk to each other in depth about what the different holidays are in their different cultures. It would be important to discuss the different connections between weather and festivities, with a word of caution about discussing religion.
Title: Weather & Memory
Language: ESL
Grade(s): High School
Program Type: TESOL
Level: beginner-intermediate
Class Profile: This class is a beginner-intermediate high school class with students from all over the world in it. There are 3 students from Haiti, 2 from South America, 2 from Bosnia, 2 from Iraq, and 1 student from India. This class is filled with students who are new in America and they are having a hard time adjusting to the culture, the language, and new environment. Most of the kids miss their friends and family that they left in their home countries. They feel alienated because they do not speak the language. This lesson plan would be part of a larger project to help the students make connections between their home countries and America.
Contest/Theme: This lesson will introduce the worldwide phenomenon of weather. Students will learn the different types of weather, temperature, and feelings associated with weather. The 4 seasons will be discussed and the different holidays that take place during them will be addressed. The students will be able to give some sort of description of their own experiences with the different seasons and holidays.
Description: This lesson will give some examples of American holidays and give the students a chance to think about their own holidays in their cultures. Hopefully the lesson will give the students an opportunity to get to know each other and the cultures that each of them comes from. If anything, the lesson is geared toward the students interacting with each other. The lesson will show that seasons and holidays are all part of life no matter where you go in the world.
Guided participation: The lesson will be introduced with picture cards of the different kinds of weather (rainy, sunny, snowy, windy, foggy, cloudy). The students will be given different thermometers to look at and there will be a short discussion about different temperatures (hot, cold, cool, warm). The students will be asked to think about how they feel when the temperature outside is hot or cold. Depending on the students, the instructor will introduce the new vocabulary (I am cold, I am hot, etc.) A blow up globe will be tossed from student to student and when the student get the globe they will tell each other about where they come from and what the weather is like and if it is hot or cold in their country. The students will get into groups of two with someone not from their own country. The students will have to discuss the seasons and holidays of their own country and present what they found out to the class.
Extension?: The students will get into groups of two and play memory with the words and pictures for all the new vocabulary—memory is a game where you have two cards that match and they are all face down on the table. You turn over two cards and try to match them.
• If there is time left over the students will give examples of how they talk about the weather in their own language. The teacher will try to find similarities to the English language. The teacher will also try to introduce the vocabulary “How’s the Weather?”
o Homework: to copy a prepared worksheet with a dialogue about what the weather is like and how to ask about the weather. The students should be prepared to do an oral presentation about it the next day.
o Week’s Homework: ask 3 other people from different states what the weather is like in those states.
Targeted Standards:
o 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
o 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.
o 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
o 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
What changes could be made to this activity to target different, or additional, standards?
To get the students to read more of the language and not have the lesson so orally based, they could read something about weather and culture in America. This activity could also be stretched into addressing other standards if the students were willing to talk to each other in depth about what the different holidays are in their different cultures. It would be important to discuss the different connections between weather and festivities, with a word of caution about discussing religion.
NEWS
T.v local news
MANILA - Iminungkahi ni Speaker Prospero Nograles nitong Miyerkules sa publiko na tangkilikin ang lokal na produkto at magtipid sa paggastos ng dolyar bilang bahagi ng estratehiya upang labanan ang tumataas na inflation rate.
"Ito ay isang kampanya upang makatipid sa dolyar at mapalago ng mga lokal na industriya sa ating bansa," pahayag ni Nograles na naniniwalang mas malaki ang pag-asa ng Pilipinas kaysa sa mga kalapit na bansa para makaahon sa lumalalang krisis pang-ekonomiya sa Asya.
Ang panawagan ni Nograles na tangkilikin ang lokal na produkto ay makatutulong para mapababa ang inflation rate na doble ang itinaas nitong Hunyo, na nagtulak sa pagtaas sa presyo ng mga pagkain ng 10 hanggang 11 porsiyento.
Ang inflation rate ay pamantayan ng pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin at serbisyo.
Sinabi ni Nograles na hihilingin niya kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na magpatawag ng pulong ng Ehekutibo at Lehislatura kasama ang sektor ng bangko upang bumalangkas ng mga paraan para mapababa ang inflation rate.
"Kailangang gumawa tayo ng paraan para pababain ang lebel ng inflation rate dahil hindi ito makakayanin ng mga negosyante sa Pilipinas," ayon kay Nograles
Radio foreign news
Sa okasyon ng isang taong anibersaryo ng pagyanig ng lindol, pumunta kamakailan sa Sichuan ang mga reporter ng CRI para maikober ang hinggil sa kasalukuyang kalagayan ng purok. Napag-alaman ng mga mamamahayag na sa kabila ng mga negatibong epekto na dulot ng super-lindol noong nagdaang taon at ng kasalukuyang pandaigdigang krisis na pinansyal, salamat sa mga preperensyal na hakbangin ng pamahalaang lokal, masigasig ang mga bahay-kalakal na dayuhan sa pamumuhunan sa Sichuan.
Kaugnay ng mga pinaiiral na hakbangin ng pamahalaang lokal para maakit ang mga puhunang dayuhan sa pakikilahok sa rekonstruksyon ng mga pook na tinamaan ng lindol, ganito ang inilahad ni G. Yi Jun, opisyal mula sa Sichuan.
"Sa isang banda, nakipag-ugnayan kami sa mga multinasyonal na bahay-kalakal para matulungan silang magtakda ng kanilang pamumuhunanang larangan. Sa kabilang banda naman, aktibong nakipag-ugnayan din kami sa mga bansang dayuhan para magkasamang maitakda ang mga kooperatibong proyekto."
Napag-alamang bilang pagkatig sa rekonstruksyon, nahihikayat ng pamahalaang lokal ang mga bahay-kalakal na dayuhan na mamuhunan sa makinarya, piyesa ng sasakyang de motor at semento.
Ayon sa datos, inaasahang aabot sa 1.6 trilyong Yuan RMB o 230 bilyong dolyares ang buong halaga ng rekonstruksyon ng nilindol na Sichuan at maraming mangangalakal na dayuhan ang nakakita ng pagkakataong komersyal dito. Ang Ericsson ay isa sa mga ito at sinabi ng isa sa mga tagapangasiwa ng kompanya na si G. Li Yongqiang na:
"Pagkaraan ng lindol, nakita ng aming kompanya ang posibilidad at pagkakataon ng paglawak ng pamilihang Tsino, lalung lalo na sa larangan ng telekomunikasyon."
Sinabi naman ni G. Liu Xianguang, isang namamahalang tauhan mula sa Lee Kum Kee, isang multinasyonal na bahay-kalakal na gumagawa ng iba't ibang uri ng sauce na ang puhunan sa rekonstruksyon ay kapuwa kapaki-pakinabang sa kanyang kompanya at sa mga sinalantang lugar. Sinabi pa niya na:
"Sa pamumuhunan sa mga nilindol na lugar, makakatulong ito sa pamumuhay ng mga residenteng lokal at makakatulong din ito para sa aming kompanya na maghanap ng isang base ng pagsusuplay ng hilaw na materyal."
Ayon sa datos, bago maganap ang lindol, umabot sa 4149 ang bilang ng mga bahay-kalakal na dayuhan na may puhunan sa anim na pinakaapektadong purok ng Sichuan at pagkaraan naman ng kalamidad, naragdagan ng 174 ang bilang ng mga kompanyang dayuhan may puhunan sa nasabing mga pook.
Salin: Xian Jie
Radyo local news
Amateur Radio Nagbibigay Communication sa San Jose Kapag Vandals Gupitin himaymay
Sa umagang-umaga, lamang pagkatapos ng hatinggabi noong Abril 9, ang isang tao climbed down na apat na manholes sa San Jose, California na lugar sa ilalim ng lupa at hiwa hibla ng mata cable. Ang sabotahe na humantong sa lakit pagkaputol ng mga serbisyo ng telepono - kabilang ang mga sampu-sampung libo ng lupa na linya, ang isang hindi tiyak na bilang ng mga cell phone, Internet access at 911 emergency na serbisyo - mula sa timog sa Santa Clara County, pati na rin sa Santa Cruz at San Benito county. San Jose ay ang county upuan ng Santa Clara County. Gamit ang infrastructure disabled, ang mga lokal na opisyal ng Emergency Management tinatawag sa hamon ng radyo operator sa kanilang komunidad na magbigay ng back-up na komunikasyon. Ayon sa San Jose Merkuryo News, Santa Clara County na tinatawag na ang isang lokal na estado ng kagipitan, "ngunit worst-case scenario ay matagumpay na iwasan sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng mga hamon radios, door-to-door na tseke at dagdag-gising patrols." - ARRL
$ 250,000 gantimpala sa telepono cable paninira - San Francisco salaysay
MANILA - Iminungkahi ni Speaker Prospero Nograles nitong Miyerkules sa publiko na tangkilikin ang lokal na produkto at magtipid sa paggastos ng dolyar bilang bahagi ng estratehiya upang labanan ang tumataas na inflation rate.
"Ito ay isang kampanya upang makatipid sa dolyar at mapalago ng mga lokal na industriya sa ating bansa," pahayag ni Nograles na naniniwalang mas malaki ang pag-asa ng Pilipinas kaysa sa mga kalapit na bansa para makaahon sa lumalalang krisis pang-ekonomiya sa Asya.
Ang panawagan ni Nograles na tangkilikin ang lokal na produkto ay makatutulong para mapababa ang inflation rate na doble ang itinaas nitong Hunyo, na nagtulak sa pagtaas sa presyo ng mga pagkain ng 10 hanggang 11 porsiyento.
Ang inflation rate ay pamantayan ng pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin at serbisyo.
Sinabi ni Nograles na hihilingin niya kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na magpatawag ng pulong ng Ehekutibo at Lehislatura kasama ang sektor ng bangko upang bumalangkas ng mga paraan para mapababa ang inflation rate.
"Kailangang gumawa tayo ng paraan para pababain ang lebel ng inflation rate dahil hindi ito makakayanin ng mga negosyante sa Pilipinas," ayon kay Nograles
Radio foreign news
Sa okasyon ng isang taong anibersaryo ng pagyanig ng lindol, pumunta kamakailan sa Sichuan ang mga reporter ng CRI para maikober ang hinggil sa kasalukuyang kalagayan ng purok. Napag-alaman ng mga mamamahayag na sa kabila ng mga negatibong epekto na dulot ng super-lindol noong nagdaang taon at ng kasalukuyang pandaigdigang krisis na pinansyal, salamat sa mga preperensyal na hakbangin ng pamahalaang lokal, masigasig ang mga bahay-kalakal na dayuhan sa pamumuhunan sa Sichuan.
Kaugnay ng mga pinaiiral na hakbangin ng pamahalaang lokal para maakit ang mga puhunang dayuhan sa pakikilahok sa rekonstruksyon ng mga pook na tinamaan ng lindol, ganito ang inilahad ni G. Yi Jun, opisyal mula sa Sichuan.
"Sa isang banda, nakipag-ugnayan kami sa mga multinasyonal na bahay-kalakal para matulungan silang magtakda ng kanilang pamumuhunanang larangan. Sa kabilang banda naman, aktibong nakipag-ugnayan din kami sa mga bansang dayuhan para magkasamang maitakda ang mga kooperatibong proyekto."
Napag-alamang bilang pagkatig sa rekonstruksyon, nahihikayat ng pamahalaang lokal ang mga bahay-kalakal na dayuhan na mamuhunan sa makinarya, piyesa ng sasakyang de motor at semento.
Ayon sa datos, inaasahang aabot sa 1.6 trilyong Yuan RMB o 230 bilyong dolyares ang buong halaga ng rekonstruksyon ng nilindol na Sichuan at maraming mangangalakal na dayuhan ang nakakita ng pagkakataong komersyal dito. Ang Ericsson ay isa sa mga ito at sinabi ng isa sa mga tagapangasiwa ng kompanya na si G. Li Yongqiang na:
"Pagkaraan ng lindol, nakita ng aming kompanya ang posibilidad at pagkakataon ng paglawak ng pamilihang Tsino, lalung lalo na sa larangan ng telekomunikasyon."
Sinabi naman ni G. Liu Xianguang, isang namamahalang tauhan mula sa Lee Kum Kee, isang multinasyonal na bahay-kalakal na gumagawa ng iba't ibang uri ng sauce na ang puhunan sa rekonstruksyon ay kapuwa kapaki-pakinabang sa kanyang kompanya at sa mga sinalantang lugar. Sinabi pa niya na:
"Sa pamumuhunan sa mga nilindol na lugar, makakatulong ito sa pamumuhay ng mga residenteng lokal at makakatulong din ito para sa aming kompanya na maghanap ng isang base ng pagsusuplay ng hilaw na materyal."
Ayon sa datos, bago maganap ang lindol, umabot sa 4149 ang bilang ng mga bahay-kalakal na dayuhan na may puhunan sa anim na pinakaapektadong purok ng Sichuan at pagkaraan naman ng kalamidad, naragdagan ng 174 ang bilang ng mga kompanyang dayuhan may puhunan sa nasabing mga pook.
Salin: Xian Jie
Radyo local news
Amateur Radio Nagbibigay Communication sa San Jose Kapag Vandals Gupitin himaymay
Sa umagang-umaga, lamang pagkatapos ng hatinggabi noong Abril 9, ang isang tao climbed down na apat na manholes sa San Jose, California na lugar sa ilalim ng lupa at hiwa hibla ng mata cable. Ang sabotahe na humantong sa lakit pagkaputol ng mga serbisyo ng telepono - kabilang ang mga sampu-sampung libo ng lupa na linya, ang isang hindi tiyak na bilang ng mga cell phone, Internet access at 911 emergency na serbisyo - mula sa timog sa Santa Clara County, pati na rin sa Santa Cruz at San Benito county. San Jose ay ang county upuan ng Santa Clara County. Gamit ang infrastructure disabled, ang mga lokal na opisyal ng Emergency Management tinatawag sa hamon ng radyo operator sa kanilang komunidad na magbigay ng back-up na komunikasyon. Ayon sa San Jose Merkuryo News, Santa Clara County na tinatawag na ang isang lokal na estado ng kagipitan, "ngunit worst-case scenario ay matagumpay na iwasan sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng mga hamon radios, door-to-door na tseke at dagdag-gising patrols." - ARRL
$ 250,000 gantimpala sa telepono cable paninira - San Francisco salaysay
Emotional Intelligent
Summary:
The title of the article is “What Makes a Leader?” by Daniel Goleman. According to Daniel Goleman, that what distinguishes great leaders from good ones are isn’t the IQ or technical skills but rather the emotional intelligence. It is a group of five skills that enable the best leaders to maximize their own and their followers’ performance. He was the first to bring the term “emotional intelligence” and applied to business through this article.
Most large companies have employed trained psychologists to develop competency models. Their objective was to determine which personal capabilities drove outstanding performance within the organization and to what degree they do so. Psychologists asked senior managers to identify the capabilities of the organization’s most outstanding leaders. Wherein, they grouped it into 3 categories: purely technical skills, cognitive ability and Emotional Intelligence.
Upon interviewing and evaluating their performance, intellect or cognitive was a driver of outstanding performance but when he calculated the ratio of these 3 categories, EI proved to be twice as important as the others for jobs at all levels.
The EI skills are:
• Self-awareness—knowing one’s strengths, weaknesses, drives, values, and impact on others
• Self-regulation—controlling or redirecting disruptive impulses and moods
• Motivation—relishing achievement for its own sake
• Empathy—understanding other people’s emotional makeup
• Social skill—building rapport with others to move them in desired directions
We’re each born with certain levels of EI skills. But we can strengthen these abilities through persistence, practice, and feedback from colleagues or coaches.
He believed that intelligence, toughness, determination and vision are not enough to be a good and effective leader. There should be self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and interpersonal or social skill. He wants to emphasize the importance of the goodness of the heart combined with the brightness of our brain.
The author believed that the intelligent quotient and technical skills are “threshold capabilities” which is that these are the entry-level requirements for executive positions. And according to his research, the EI is the sine qua non of leadership meaning EI is indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient.
Daniel Goleman, author of the bestseller Emotional Intelligence, explores the power of EQ in leadership and shows how we can apply these proven principles to excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others. Studies of star performers have shown that 85% of the difference in success is attributed to emotional intelligence factors rather than cognitive abilities like IQ or technical abilities. In today s competitive world, the art of relationships is more indispensable than ever.
Reflection in this Article:
This article is awesome!!!! I have been a unit manager for almost 3 years and this article was the best thing I ever found. I always new leading people emotionally was a much better way of managing them and getting the best out of my subordinates but this article really brought it home and helped me focus on how to do it properly so as not to seem week or get walked on. It also showed me how to teach other nurses to do the same. I recommend this book to all my co workers.
I like the concept of this article; it is really a good and helpful one. I agree with Daniel Goleman, the author of this article, that it is really a heart does matter to be successful in anything we do. Above all else, our heart dictates what will our future will be. It is follows where our heart is.
The authors show that great leaders-whether CEOs or managers, coaches or politicians-excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using Emotional Intelligence competencies like empathy and self-awareness. The best leaders, they show, have resonance-a powerful ability to drive emotions in a positive direction to get results-and can fluidly interchange among a variety of leadership styles as the situation demands. Groundbreaking and timely, this article reveals the new requirements of successful leadership.
If one doesn’t t grasp the concept of emotional intelligence and how to use it in day to day life (not just for work) this is the article for you.
The title of the article is “What Makes a Leader?” by Daniel Goleman. According to Daniel Goleman, that what distinguishes great leaders from good ones are isn’t the IQ or technical skills but rather the emotional intelligence. It is a group of five skills that enable the best leaders to maximize their own and their followers’ performance. He was the first to bring the term “emotional intelligence” and applied to business through this article.
Most large companies have employed trained psychologists to develop competency models. Their objective was to determine which personal capabilities drove outstanding performance within the organization and to what degree they do so. Psychologists asked senior managers to identify the capabilities of the organization’s most outstanding leaders. Wherein, they grouped it into 3 categories: purely technical skills, cognitive ability and Emotional Intelligence.
Upon interviewing and evaluating their performance, intellect or cognitive was a driver of outstanding performance but when he calculated the ratio of these 3 categories, EI proved to be twice as important as the others for jobs at all levels.
The EI skills are:
• Self-awareness—knowing one’s strengths, weaknesses, drives, values, and impact on others
• Self-regulation—controlling or redirecting disruptive impulses and moods
• Motivation—relishing achievement for its own sake
• Empathy—understanding other people’s emotional makeup
• Social skill—building rapport with others to move them in desired directions
We’re each born with certain levels of EI skills. But we can strengthen these abilities through persistence, practice, and feedback from colleagues or coaches.
He believed that intelligence, toughness, determination and vision are not enough to be a good and effective leader. There should be self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and interpersonal or social skill. He wants to emphasize the importance of the goodness of the heart combined with the brightness of our brain.
The author believed that the intelligent quotient and technical skills are “threshold capabilities” which is that these are the entry-level requirements for executive positions. And according to his research, the EI is the sine qua non of leadership meaning EI is indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient.
Daniel Goleman, author of the bestseller Emotional Intelligence, explores the power of EQ in leadership and shows how we can apply these proven principles to excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others. Studies of star performers have shown that 85% of the difference in success is attributed to emotional intelligence factors rather than cognitive abilities like IQ or technical abilities. In today s competitive world, the art of relationships is more indispensable than ever.
Reflection in this Article:
This article is awesome!!!! I have been a unit manager for almost 3 years and this article was the best thing I ever found. I always new leading people emotionally was a much better way of managing them and getting the best out of my subordinates but this article really brought it home and helped me focus on how to do it properly so as not to seem week or get walked on. It also showed me how to teach other nurses to do the same. I recommend this book to all my co workers.
I like the concept of this article; it is really a good and helpful one. I agree with Daniel Goleman, the author of this article, that it is really a heart does matter to be successful in anything we do. Above all else, our heart dictates what will our future will be. It is follows where our heart is.
The authors show that great leaders-whether CEOs or managers, coaches or politicians-excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using Emotional Intelligence competencies like empathy and self-awareness. The best leaders, they show, have resonance-a powerful ability to drive emotions in a positive direction to get results-and can fluidly interchange among a variety of leadership styles as the situation demands. Groundbreaking and timely, this article reveals the new requirements of successful leadership.
If one doesn’t t grasp the concept of emotional intelligence and how to use it in day to day life (not just for work) this is the article for you.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
LEADERSHIP
Good leadership is of primary importance in that it provides the motivating force which leads to coordinated action and unity of effort.
Three Basic Elements of Leadership (Hollander)
Styles of Leadership:
- Productivity is usually high, but creativity, self-motivation and autonomy are reduced.
- It is useful in crisis situations.
- The control is maintained over the work group. The decision making does not involve others.
- People are motivated by coercion some are directed with commands.
- The communication flows downward. Criticism is punitive.
- It is appropriate to groups who work together for extended periods, promotes autonomy and growth in individual workers.
- Economic and ego awards are used as motivation. People are directed through suggestions and guidance.
- Communication flows up and down. Thus, decision making involves others
- Criticism is constructive.
- It is permissive with or no little control.
- Motivates by support when requested by the groups or individuals.
- Provides little or no direction.
- It does not criticize.
Three Basic Elements of Leadership (Hollander)
- Leader – including his or her personality, perceptions and abilities
- Followers – with their personalities, perceptions and abilitie
- Situation – within which the leader and followers function, including formal and informal group norms, size and density.
- Formal
- Informal
Styles of Leadership:
- Autocratic – Self-centered
- Productivity is usually high, but creativity, self-motivation and autonomy are reduced.
- It is useful in crisis situations.
- The control is maintained over the work group. The decision making does not involve others.
- People are motivated by coercion some are directed with commands.
- The communication flows downward. Criticism is punitive.
- Democratic – People-Oriented
- It is appropriate to groups who work together for extended periods, promotes autonomy and growth in individual workers.
- Economic and ego awards are used as motivation. People are directed through suggestions and guidance.
- Communication flows up and down. Thus, decision making involves others
- Criticism is constructive.
- Bureaucratic – Rule-Centered
- Laissez-faire – Permissive
- It is permissive with or no little control.
- Motivates by support when requested by the groups or individuals.
- Provides little or no direction.
- It does not criticize.
DELEGATION - FIVE RIGHTS
Five Rights of Delegation
Right Task
Right Circumstances
Right Person
Right Supervision
Right Competency, Ability, Capacity, Skills and Knowledge
TYPES OF POWER
Types of Power
Referent Power – Association with others; is when one person has an attraction somehow to the person giving the power. It derives from your subordinates’ identification or association with you. You have this power by simply being "the chief." People identify with the ideals you stand for.
Legitimate – comes from the authority of your rate and position in the chain of command.
Coercive – results from the expectation of a negative reward such as fear and punishment; the supervisor intimidating an employee to do the work or they can be fired or demoted. This can be compared to someone having a power trip complex.
Reward – Ability to grant favors; means an employee believes they are going to get some type of reward for doing their job. The reward could be pay, days off, etc.
Expert – knowledge and Skills; It is based on one individual believing that another individual has so much expertise in an area that they believe everything that is being told to them. You have expert power because your subordinates regard you as an expert in your rating.
Charismatic – Personal; dynamic and powerful persona
Informational – the need for information; it depends on your giving or withholding of information or having knowledge that others do not have.
Self – Maturity, personality, confidence and ego strength
Characteristics of a Good and Effective Leader:
Aristotelian philosophy asserts that some people are born to be lead, whereas others are born to be led.
Leaders should be:
- With good decision making
- Can Work under pressure or Flexible to any situation
- Assertive, Alert, Smart
- Creative
- Prestige
- With good interpersonal skills
- Empathetic
- With emotional balance and control
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Group Dynamics
- Initiator: Contributor who proposes or suggest group goals or redefines the problem. There may be more than one initiator during the group's lifetime.
- Information seeker: Searches for a factual basis for the group's work.
- Information giver: Offers an opinion of what the groups view of pertinent values should be.
- Opinion seeker: Seeks opinion that clarify or reflect the value of other members' suggestions.
- Elaborator: Give examples or extends meaning of suggestion given and how they could work.
- Coordinator: Clarifies and coordinates ideas, suggestions and activities of the group.
- Orienter: Summarizes decisions and actions; identifies and questions departures from predetermined goals.
- Evaluator: Questions group accomplishments and compares them to a standard.
- Energizer: Stimulates and prods the group to act and raises the level of its actions.
- Procedural technician: Faciliates group action by arranging the environment.
- Recorder: Records the group's activities and accomplishments.
Differences in Leadership and Management
MANAGERS
- Have an assigned position within the formal organization
- Have a legitimate source of power due to the delegated authority that accompanies their position
- Are expected to carry out specific functions, duties and responsibilities
- Emphasize control, decision making, decision analysis, and results
- Manipulate people, the environment, money, time and other resources to achieve organizational goals
- Have a greater formal responsibility and accountability for rationality and control than leaders
- Direct willing and unwilling subordinates
LEADERS
- Often do not have delegated authority but obtain their power through other means, such as influence
- Have a wider variety of roles than do managers
- May not be part of the formal organization
CHAPTER 1 Intergrating Leadership Roles and Management Function
- Focus on group process, information gathering, feedback and empowering others
- Emphasize interpersonal relationships
- Direct willing followers
- Have goals that may or may not reflect those of the organization
Holidays In The Philippines
January 1 - New Year's Day
April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan
Thursday of April - Holy Thursday
Friday of April - Good Friday
May 1 - Labor Day
June 12 - Independence Day
August 30 - National Heroes Day
November 30 - Bonifacio Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 30 - Rizal Day
April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan
Thursday of April - Holy Thursday
Friday of April - Good Friday
May 1 - Labor Day
June 12 - Independence Day
August 30 - National Heroes Day
November 30 - Bonifacio Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 30 - Rizal Day
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Business Tips for Successful Life
- Examine your motives. Make sure that you have a passion for owning a business and for this particular business.
- Take the long view and do long-term planning. Map out where you want to be three years from now and how you plan to get there.
- Know your mission.
- Communicate policies to all your staffs in your business. Doing so helps prevent problems and future crises, and helps solve problems before they arise.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Ways to Make Money Online
There are dozens of ways to make money online from the comforts of your home. We provide you with the information needed to gain access to the top money-making offers on the web.
Check back often as this site is updated regularly!
Make Money with Auctions
Make money online with online auctions is one of the 20th and 21st century's most reliable, true and tested, home businesses. Simply buy low, sell high and take the difference to supplement your income. Thousands of people sell on eBay or other online auctions web sites as a full time job and make well over 6 figures.
Make Money by Blogging
One of the most popular ways to make money online lately has been blogging. If you are not familiar with blogging it's basically the process of keeping an online journal that others can read. If you write something interesting enough times, your readers will grow and so will your income.
Blogging for money might sound easy enough (in some aspects it is) but, like any method make money online, it takes determination, dedication, and a true desire to make some good money.
Make Money with Paid Surveys
While not one of the most profitable of home businesses, Paid Surveys are simple and easy to do and Yes, you can make money online with them. You can make four or five dollars a pop, which can add up especially if you do a few paid surveys each day in your spare time.
Make Money with Affiliate Programs
Making money with Affiliate Programs is the process of making "feeder" web sites that drive traffic to various affiliate programs or products. Affiliate programs offer a lot more money than most advertising methods and starting your own feeder web sites is relatively easy to do.
Make Money with E-Books
Either selling your own ebooks or reselling others, making money with ebooks is one of the newer home business models available. Not everyone can make it work but those that do really make it big.
Make Money by Typing at Home
We have all seen ads on T. V. about medical transcriptionists making money from home. However, there are literally hundreds of other typing jobs available for the finger happy typist in you. Start by finding any work you can get typing from home and then develop your home career, increase your reputation and your prices.
Check back often as this site is updated regularly!
Make Money with Auctions
Make money online with online auctions is one of the 20th and 21st century's most reliable, true and tested, home businesses. Simply buy low, sell high and take the difference to supplement your income. Thousands of people sell on eBay or other online auctions web sites as a full time job and make well over 6 figures.
Make Money by Blogging
One of the most popular ways to make money online lately has been blogging. If you are not familiar with blogging it's basically the process of keeping an online journal that others can read. If you write something interesting enough times, your readers will grow and so will your income.
Blogging for money might sound easy enough (in some aspects it is) but, like any method make money online, it takes determination, dedication, and a true desire to make some good money.
Make Money with Paid Surveys
While not one of the most profitable of home businesses, Paid Surveys are simple and easy to do and Yes, you can make money online with them. You can make four or five dollars a pop, which can add up especially if you do a few paid surveys each day in your spare time.
Make Money with Affiliate Programs
Making money with Affiliate Programs is the process of making "feeder" web sites that drive traffic to various affiliate programs or products. Affiliate programs offer a lot more money than most advertising methods and starting your own feeder web sites is relatively easy to do.
Make Money with E-Books
Either selling your own ebooks or reselling others, making money with ebooks is one of the newer home business models available. Not everyone can make it work but those that do really make it big.
Make Money by Typing at Home
We have all seen ads on T. V. about medical transcriptionists making money from home. However, there are literally hundreds of other typing jobs available for the finger happy typist in you. Start by finding any work you can get typing from home and then develop your home career, increase your reputation and your prices.
Drive traffic to your site through link building
A very effective way to draw attention to your site is link baiting. This means writing content that others find interesting, exciting or useful and will link to from their own sites. If you succeed in doing this you will both get traffic directly from the links and if enough people link to you will also manage to rank high in search engines such as Google on things that relate to the content of your site. By building links the awareness of you website is bound to increase.
So how do you create good link baits? Well, the key is a catch title. To draw attention to your text piece you want it to be rated high at social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Delicious and Reddit. This rating is based on the votes cast by the users at these sites. Many of them will only see your title in a list when they vote at it, which makes the title far more important than the rest of the text.Once you have decided on a catchy title it is really important that the text delivers the things that the title promises. There is nothing more irritating than reading a text to discover that it doesn't contain what you expected. Only give promises you can deliver in the title.
Once you have a good title you should write a text that is focused and to the point on the subject. You have to deliver what you have promised in the title. This is very important. People don't read texts in online in the same way as they read a book or a magazine. Online, people skim texts and want to find what they look for fast. Use short paragraphs and sub-headers in order to make it easy for the visitor to get a grasp of the text. The subject of your text can be basically anything, but should have some connection to the things you promote on your site. To find the right angle for your piece you can use a hook. There are several different hooks that can be used:
So how do you create good link baits? Well, the key is a catch title. To draw attention to your text piece you want it to be rated high at social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Delicious and Reddit. This rating is based on the votes cast by the users at these sites. Many of them will only see your title in a list when they vote at it, which makes the title far more important than the rest of the text.Once you have decided on a catchy title it is really important that the text delivers the things that the title promises. There is nothing more irritating than reading a text to discover that it doesn't contain what you expected. Only give promises you can deliver in the title.
Once you have a good title you should write a text that is focused and to the point on the subject. You have to deliver what you have promised in the title. This is very important. People don't read texts in online in the same way as they read a book or a magazine. Online, people skim texts and want to find what they look for fast. Use short paragraphs and sub-headers in order to make it easy for the visitor to get a grasp of the text. The subject of your text can be basically anything, but should have some connection to the things you promote on your site. To find the right angle for your piece you can use a hook. There are several different hooks that can be used:
- News hook, be the first to write about something and you are sure to get loads of links.
- Resource hook, practical and useful articles or a compilation of useful information regarding your area of interest.
- Humor hook, this can be pictures, texts or list were you make fun of things regarding your niche. Everybody loves a good laugh. And if others in your field recognize themselves in your humor hook they will often link to it.
- Contrary hook, kill a myth or take a different stance in an issue of interest in your niche.If you have found the right hook and have created a piece that you think will take the world by storm you have to make sure that other people find it and link to it.
Post it on social bookmarking sites such Digg and Delicious etc. Email a link to your link bait to others in your particular field. Post links in blog comments on blogs that write about the same subjects. If you use your imagination you will see that there are numerous of ways to get others to notice your stuff. The most important stuff is to get there attention and if the content you have created is good enough the rest will follow.
Make big money with affiliate marketing programs
More and more companies are establishing their businesses on the Internet, thus, affiliate programs have risen in popularity as a strong internet marketing tool. Assigned affiliates get rewarded for directing traffic and potential customer to the company’s website. This is an excellent way to earn some extra cash on your website, as an affiliate.
The internet as a marketplace is huge, and still it lies waiting in your computer. If you can reach just a tiny fraction of the world's web visitors, you may see life-changing money rolling into your affiliate account. Amazing but true!
Now, don't quit your day job! Not every affiliate business is successful. Making a lot of money is never easy, plenty of hard work is required. Persistency, ambition, maybe a certain talent. Good ideas will help.
But people live from their affiliate businesses, and some affiliates are extremely successful. The people behind this site have been extremely successful. In this article we'll show you how to make your affiliate business boom. Starting up an affiliate business is very easy.
Just follow these five simple steps:
The internet as a marketplace is huge, and still it lies waiting in your computer. If you can reach just a tiny fraction of the world's web visitors, you may see life-changing money rolling into your affiliate account. Amazing but true!
Now, don't quit your day job! Not every affiliate business is successful. Making a lot of money is never easy, plenty of hard work is required. Persistency, ambition, maybe a certain talent. Good ideas will help.
But people live from their affiliate businesses, and some affiliates are extremely successful. The people behind this site have been extremely successful. In this article we'll show you how to make your affiliate business boom. Starting up an affiliate business is very easy.
Just follow these five simple steps:
- Build a site, if you don't already have one.
- Sign up with a few profitable affiliate programs that are related to your site.
- Link to the affiliate programs from your site using your personal tracking links.
- Generate traffic to your site.
- Make your visitors want to buy the products of the affiliate programs.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
How much can you earn online from Google Adsense
Perhaps this is the most popular question among bloggers and webmasters once they are signed up with Google Adsense. When I started blogging, I can't help but check hour after hour my Adsense account to see how much I am already earning from the Google ads. For a while, each visit to my Adsense has been disappointing as I was hardly making any buck at all.
So I started to wonder how other people claim to have earned thousands from Goodle Adsense? That's when I began researching the best practices of successful bloggers. The truth is, Adsense income is just as good as how much you are investing to make your site profitable. Making money from Google Adsense is a painstaking process-one has to build up his profits gradually.
The key to success is building traffic. The more people visiting your site the more income you will earn from page impressions and more chances for income from clicks. To achieve, your site must be regularly updated with timely and useful articles and information. It is definitely a competitive advantage to publish useful articles in your site and to have a pleasant and user-friendly layout and presentation, so that visitors will keep on coming back for more. They key is to profit from economy-of-scale. The more content you produce and the more sites you create, the higher income you will get. To illustrate, if each site earns $1 a day, that means $30 per month. So if you have 100 sites, that's an easy $3,000 a month.
For beginners, it is a must to read available information and resources on Google Adsense. It takes time to learn but once you already master the basics, it will then be just easy to create more sites and make more money.
So I started to wonder how other people claim to have earned thousands from Goodle Adsense? That's when I began researching the best practices of successful bloggers. The truth is, Adsense income is just as good as how much you are investing to make your site profitable. Making money from Google Adsense is a painstaking process-one has to build up his profits gradually.
The key to success is building traffic. The more people visiting your site the more income you will earn from page impressions and more chances for income from clicks. To achieve, your site must be regularly updated with timely and useful articles and information. It is definitely a competitive advantage to publish useful articles in your site and to have a pleasant and user-friendly layout and presentation, so that visitors will keep on coming back for more. They key is to profit from economy-of-scale. The more content you produce and the more sites you create, the higher income you will get. To illustrate, if each site earns $1 a day, that means $30 per month. So if you have 100 sites, that's an easy $3,000 a month.
For beginners, it is a must to read available information and resources on Google Adsense. It takes time to learn but once you already master the basics, it will then be just easy to create more sites and make more money.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Obama on stimulus: 'I know we did the right thing'
While aknowledging an "astounding" number of job losses in February, President Barack Obama told critics of his $787 billion economic recovery plan Friday that it is saving jobs and said, "I know we did the right thing." He suggested that critics talk to 25 police recruits in Ohio's capital city who owe their jobs to stimulus spending and "talk to the teachers who are still able to teach our children because we passed this plan."
During a graduation ceremony for the police recruits, he also noted "the nurses who are still able to care for our sick and the firefighters and first responders who are still able to keep our communities safe."
News that 651,000 jobs were lost in February brings to "an astounding 4.4 million" the number of jobs lost since the recession began, Obama said. The unemployment rate spiked to 8.1 percent.
But Obama touted the 114th police recruit class as proof that the stimulus plan, which drew scant Republican support in Congress, is paying dividends.
"I look at these young men and women, I look into their eyes and I see their badges today, and I know we did the right thing," Obama said, the recruits seated behind him on stage.
He said the police recruits had faced a future of joblessness, the same "future that millions of Americans still face right now."
"Well, that is not a future I accept for the United States of America," Obama said, explaining why he signed the stimulus bill on Feb. 17.
Source: DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer
During a graduation ceremony for the police recruits, he also noted "the nurses who are still able to care for our sick and the firefighters and first responders who are still able to keep our communities safe."
News that 651,000 jobs were lost in February brings to "an astounding 4.4 million" the number of jobs lost since the recession began, Obama said. The unemployment rate spiked to 8.1 percent.
But Obama touted the 114th police recruit class as proof that the stimulus plan, which drew scant Republican support in Congress, is paying dividends.
"I look at these young men and women, I look into their eyes and I see their badges today, and I know we did the right thing," Obama said, the recruits seated behind him on stage.
He said the police recruits had faced a future of joblessness, the same "future that millions of Americans still face right now."
"Well, that is not a future I accept for the United States of America," Obama said, explaining why he signed the stimulus bill on Feb. 17.
Source: DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer
Obama to reverse limits on stem cell work
Reversing an eight-year-old limit on potentially life-saving science, President Barack Obama plans to lift restrictions Monday on taxpayer-funded research using embryonic stem cells.
The long-promised move will allow a rush of research aimed at one day better treating, if not curing, ailments from diabetes to paralysis — research that crosses partisan lines, backed by such notables as Nancy Reagan and the late Christopher Reeve. But it stirs intense controversy over whether government crosses a moral line with such research.
Obama will hold an event at the White House to announce the move, a senior administration official said Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the policy had not yet been publicly announced.
Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can morph into any cell of the body. Scientists hope to harness them so they can create replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases — such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics, cells that could help those with Parkinson's disease or maybe even Alzheimer's, or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury.
Source: By BEN FELLER and LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press Writers Ben Feller And Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press Writers
The long-promised move will allow a rush of research aimed at one day better treating, if not curing, ailments from diabetes to paralysis — research that crosses partisan lines, backed by such notables as Nancy Reagan and the late Christopher Reeve. But it stirs intense controversy over whether government crosses a moral line with such research.
Obama will hold an event at the White House to announce the move, a senior administration official said Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the policy had not yet been publicly announced.
Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can morph into any cell of the body. Scientists hope to harness them so they can create replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases — such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics, cells that could help those with Parkinson's disease or maybe even Alzheimer's, or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury.
Source: By BEN FELLER and LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press Writers Ben Feller And Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press Writers
Friday, February 20, 2009
Obama favors free trade with Canada
On his maiden voyage outside U.S. borders as president, Barack Obama sought to reassure free-trading Canadians that his country is not cultivating a protectionist streak as its economy tanks and hemorrhages jobs.
"I want to grow trade and not contract it," Obama declared Thursday during a quick visit to court warmer relations with America's snowy northern neighbor.
The president stuck to his pledge to eventually seek changes in the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement to increase enforcement of labor and environmental standards. But he said he intends to do so in a way "that is not disruptive to the extraordinarily important trade relationships that exist between the United States and Canada."
His host, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said he might be willing to negotiate but not by "opening the whole NAFTA and unraveling what is a very complex agreement." Canada is the United States' largest trading partner and with $1.5 billion in trade between the two nations, they have the largest trading relationship in the world.
Harper sounded a similar warning on a "Buy American" clause that Congress added to the $787 billion economic stimulus package that Obama signed this week. "We expect the United States to adhere to its international obligations," Harper said. "I can't emphasize how important it is that we do that."
Source: Associated Press
"I want to grow trade and not contract it," Obama declared Thursday during a quick visit to court warmer relations with America's snowy northern neighbor.
The president stuck to his pledge to eventually seek changes in the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement to increase enforcement of labor and environmental standards. But he said he intends to do so in a way "that is not disruptive to the extraordinarily important trade relationships that exist between the United States and Canada."
His host, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said he might be willing to negotiate but not by "opening the whole NAFTA and unraveling what is a very complex agreement." Canada is the United States' largest trading partner and with $1.5 billion in trade between the two nations, they have the largest trading relationship in the world.
Harper sounded a similar warning on a "Buy American" clause that Congress added to the $787 billion economic stimulus package that Obama signed this week. "We expect the United States to adhere to its international obligations," Harper said. "I can't emphasize how important it is that we do that."
Source: Associated Press
Space junk clogging earth's orbit
Think of it as a galactic garbage dump. With a recent satellite collision still fresh on minds, participants at a meeting in the Austrian capital this week are discussing ways to deal with space debris — junk that is clogging up the orbit around the Earth.
Some suggest a cosmic cleanup is the way to go. Others say time, energy and funds are better spent on minimizing the likelihood of future crashes by improving information sharing.
The informal discussions on the sidelines of a meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which began Feb. 9 and ends Friday, arose from concern about the collision of a derelict Russian spacecraft and a working U.S. Iridium commercial satellite.
The Feb. 10 incident, which is still under investigation, generated space junk that could circle the Earth and threaten other satellites for the next 10,000 years; it added to the already worrying amount of debris surrounding the planet.
Nicholas L. Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris, said about 19,000 objects are present in the low and high orbit around the Earth — including about 900 satellites, but much of it is just plain junk.
He estimated that included in the 19,000 count are about a thousand objects larger than 10 centimeters (4 inches) that were created by last week's satellite collision, in addition to many smaller ones. He predicted that if more junk accumulates, the likelihood of similar collisions — currently very rare — will increase by 2050.
To Johnson, the "true solution" in the long run is to go get the junk — or push it away to a higher altitude before it has time to crash into anything.
"Today's environment is all right but the environment is going to get worse, therefore I need to start thinking about the future and how can I clean up sometime in the future," he said.
Johnson is the co-lead of an International Academy of Astronautics study that is exploring ways of extracting space debris from Earth orbit.
Some of the suggestions sound pretty spaced out.
One proposes attaching balloons to pieces of debris to increase their atmospheric drag and bring them back to Earth faster. Another, said Johnson, foresees attaching a 10-mile (16-kilometer) electrodynamic tether to debris that would generate a current, which then could be controlled from the ground enabling technicians to bring it down.
Many scientists are skeptical about the possibility of a cleanup.
Source: Associated Press
Some suggest a cosmic cleanup is the way to go. Others say time, energy and funds are better spent on minimizing the likelihood of future crashes by improving information sharing.
The informal discussions on the sidelines of a meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which began Feb. 9 and ends Friday, arose from concern about the collision of a derelict Russian spacecraft and a working U.S. Iridium commercial satellite.
The Feb. 10 incident, which is still under investigation, generated space junk that could circle the Earth and threaten other satellites for the next 10,000 years; it added to the already worrying amount of debris surrounding the planet.
Nicholas L. Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris, said about 19,000 objects are present in the low and high orbit around the Earth — including about 900 satellites, but much of it is just plain junk.
He estimated that included in the 19,000 count are about a thousand objects larger than 10 centimeters (4 inches) that were created by last week's satellite collision, in addition to many smaller ones. He predicted that if more junk accumulates, the likelihood of similar collisions — currently very rare — will increase by 2050.
To Johnson, the "true solution" in the long run is to go get the junk — or push it away to a higher altitude before it has time to crash into anything.
"Today's environment is all right but the environment is going to get worse, therefore I need to start thinking about the future and how can I clean up sometime in the future," he said.
Johnson is the co-lead of an International Academy of Astronautics study that is exploring ways of extracting space debris from Earth orbit.
Some of the suggestions sound pretty spaced out.
One proposes attaching balloons to pieces of debris to increase their atmospheric drag and bring them back to Earth faster. Another, said Johnson, foresees attaching a 10-mile (16-kilometer) electrodynamic tether to debris that would generate a current, which then could be controlled from the ground enabling technicians to bring it down.
Many scientists are skeptical about the possibility of a cleanup.
Source: Associated Press
Thursday, January 29, 2009
President Obama's Foreign Policy
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FOREIGN POLICY
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
President Obama and Vice President Biden will renew America’s security and standing in the world through a new era of American leadership. The Obama-Biden foreign policy will end the war in Iraq responsibly, finish the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, secure nuclear weapons and loose nuclear materials from terrorists, and renew American diplomacy to support strong alliances and to seek a lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Afghanistan and Pakistan
Afghanistan: Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security -- the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan’s economic development. Obama and Biden will demand the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade.
Pakistan: Obama and Biden will increase nonmilitary aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan.
Nuclear Weapons
A Record of Results: The gravest danger to the American people is the threat of a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon and the spread of nuclear weapons to dangerous regimes. Obama has taken bipartisan action to secure nuclear weapons and materials:
He joined Senator Dick Lugar (R-In) in passing a law to help the United States and our allies detect and stop the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world.
He joined Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Ne) to introduce a bill that seeks to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, and stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
Secure Loose Nuclear Materials from Terrorists: Obama and Biden will secure all loose nuclear materials in the world within four years. While working to secure existing stockpiles of nuclear material, Obama and Biden will negotiate a verifiable global ban on the production of new nuclear weapons material. This will deny terrorists the ability to steal or buy loose nuclear materials.
Strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Obama and Biden will crack down on nuclear proliferation by strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that countries like North Korea and Iran that break the rules will automatically face strong international sanctions.
Move Toward a Nuclear Free World: Obama and Biden will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and pursue it. Obama and Biden will always maintain a strong deterrent as long as nuclear weapons exist. But they will take several steps down the long road toward eliminating nuclear weapons. They will stop the development of new nuclear weapons; work with Russia to take U.S. and Russian ballistic missiles off hair trigger alert; seek dramatic reductions in U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons and material; and set a goal to expand the U.S.-Russian ban on intermediate-range missiles so that the agreement is global.
Iran
Diplomacy: Barack Obama supports tough and direct diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to use the power of American diplomacy to pressure Iran to stop their illicit nuclear program, support for terrorism, and threats toward Israel. Obama and Biden will offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in the World Trade Organization, economic investments, and a move toward normal diplomatic relations. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, we will step up our economic pressure and political isolation. In carrying out this diplomacy, we will coordinate closely with our allies and proceed with careful preparation. Seeking this kind of comprehensive settlement with Iran is our best way to make progress.
Energy Security
Achieving Energy Security: Obama will put America on a path to energy independence by investing $150 billion in renewable and alternative energy over the next ten years -- an investment that will create millions of jobs along the way. He’ll also make the U.S. a leader in the global effort to combat climate change by leading a new international global warming partnership.
Renewing American Diplomacy
Renew our Alliances: Obama and Biden will rebuild our alliances to meet the common challenges of the 21st century. America is strongest when we act alongside strong partners. Now is the time for a new era of international cooperation that strengthens old partnerships and builds new ones to confront the common challenges of the 21st century -- terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.
Talk to our Foes and Friends: Obama and Biden will pursue tough, direct diplomacy without preconditions with all nations, friend and foe. They will do the careful preparation necessary, but will signal that America is ready to come to the table and is willing to lead. And if America is willing to come to the table, the world will be more willing to rally behind American leadership to deal with challenges like confronting terrorism and Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Obama and Biden will make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a key diplomatic priority from day one. They will make a sustained push -- working with Israelis and Palestinians -- to achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state in Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security.
Expand our Diplomatic Presence: To make diplomacy a priority, Obama and Biden will stop shuttering consulates and start opening them in difficult corners of the world -- particularly in Africa. They will expand our foreign service, and develop our civilian capacity to work alongside the military.
Fight Global Poverty: Obama and Biden will embrace the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty and hunger around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our foreign assistance to achieve that goal. This will help the world's weakest states build healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty, develop markets, and generate wealth.
Seek New Partnerships in Asia: Obama and Biden will forge a more effective framework in Asia that goes beyond bilateral agreements, occasional summits, and ad hoc arrangements, such as the six-party talks on North Korea. They will maintain strong ties with allies like Japan, South Korea and Australia; work to build an infrastructure with countries in East Asia that can promote stability and prosperity; and work to ensure that China plays by international rules.
Israel
Ensure a Strong U.S.-Israel Partnership: Barack Obama and Joe Biden strongly support the U.S.-Israel relationship, and believe that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America's strongest ally in the region. They support this closeness, and have stated that the United States will never distance itself from Israel.
Support Israel's Right to Self Defense: During the July 2006 Lebanon war, Barack Obama stood up strongly for Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah raids and rocket attacks, cosponsoring a Senate resolution against Iran and Syria's involvement in the war, and insisting that Israel should not be pressured into a ceasefire that did not deal with the threat of Hezbollah missiles. He and Joe Biden believe strongly in Israel's right to protect its citizens.
Support Foreign Assistance to Israel: Barack Obama and Joe Biden have consistently supported foreign assistance to Israel. They defend and support the annual foreign aid package that involves both military and economic assistance to Israel and have advocated increased foreign aid budgets to ensure that these funding priorities are met. They have called for continuing U.S. cooperation with Israel in the development of missile defense systems.
Bipartisanship and Openness
A Record of Bringing People Together: In the Senate, Obama has worked with Republicans and Democrats to advance important policy initiatives on securing weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons, increasing funding for nonproliferation, and countering instability in Congo.
Consultative Group: Obama and Biden will convene a bipartisan Consultative Group of leading members of Congress to foster better executive-legislative relations and bipartisan unity on foreign policy. This group will be comprised of the congressional leadership of both political parties, and the chair and ranking members of the Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Appropriations Committees. This group will meet with the president once a month to review foreign policy priorities, and will be consulted in advance of military action.
Getting Politics out of Intelligence: Obama will insulate the Director of National Intelligence from political pressure by giving the DNI a fixed term, like the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Obama and Biden will seek consistency and integrity at the top of our intelligence community -- not just a political ally.
Change the Culture of Secrecy: Obama will institute a National Declassification Center to make declassification secure but routine, efficient, and cost-effective.
Engaging the American People on Foreign Policy: Obama and Biden will bring foreign policy decisions directly to the people by requiring their national security officials to have periodic national broadband town hall meetings to discuss foreign policy. Obama will personally deliver Your Weekly Address via webcast.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
President Obama and Vice President Biden will renew America’s security and standing in the world through a new era of American leadership. The Obama-Biden foreign policy will end the war in Iraq responsibly, finish the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, secure nuclear weapons and loose nuclear materials from terrorists, and renew American diplomacy to support strong alliances and to seek a lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Afghanistan and Pakistan
Afghanistan: Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security -- the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan’s economic development. Obama and Biden will demand the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade.
Pakistan: Obama and Biden will increase nonmilitary aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan.
Nuclear Weapons
A Record of Results: The gravest danger to the American people is the threat of a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon and the spread of nuclear weapons to dangerous regimes. Obama has taken bipartisan action to secure nuclear weapons and materials:
He joined Senator Dick Lugar (R-In) in passing a law to help the United States and our allies detect and stop the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world.
He joined Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Ne) to introduce a bill that seeks to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, and stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
Secure Loose Nuclear Materials from Terrorists: Obama and Biden will secure all loose nuclear materials in the world within four years. While working to secure existing stockpiles of nuclear material, Obama and Biden will negotiate a verifiable global ban on the production of new nuclear weapons material. This will deny terrorists the ability to steal or buy loose nuclear materials.
Strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Obama and Biden will crack down on nuclear proliferation by strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that countries like North Korea and Iran that break the rules will automatically face strong international sanctions.
Move Toward a Nuclear Free World: Obama and Biden will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and pursue it. Obama and Biden will always maintain a strong deterrent as long as nuclear weapons exist. But they will take several steps down the long road toward eliminating nuclear weapons. They will stop the development of new nuclear weapons; work with Russia to take U.S. and Russian ballistic missiles off hair trigger alert; seek dramatic reductions in U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons and material; and set a goal to expand the U.S.-Russian ban on intermediate-range missiles so that the agreement is global.
Iran
Diplomacy: Barack Obama supports tough and direct diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to use the power of American diplomacy to pressure Iran to stop their illicit nuclear program, support for terrorism, and threats toward Israel. Obama and Biden will offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in the World Trade Organization, economic investments, and a move toward normal diplomatic relations. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, we will step up our economic pressure and political isolation. In carrying out this diplomacy, we will coordinate closely with our allies and proceed with careful preparation. Seeking this kind of comprehensive settlement with Iran is our best way to make progress.
Energy Security
Achieving Energy Security: Obama will put America on a path to energy independence by investing $150 billion in renewable and alternative energy over the next ten years -- an investment that will create millions of jobs along the way. He’ll also make the U.S. a leader in the global effort to combat climate change by leading a new international global warming partnership.
Renewing American Diplomacy
Renew our Alliances: Obama and Biden will rebuild our alliances to meet the common challenges of the 21st century. America is strongest when we act alongside strong partners. Now is the time for a new era of international cooperation that strengthens old partnerships and builds new ones to confront the common challenges of the 21st century -- terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.
Talk to our Foes and Friends: Obama and Biden will pursue tough, direct diplomacy without preconditions with all nations, friend and foe. They will do the careful preparation necessary, but will signal that America is ready to come to the table and is willing to lead. And if America is willing to come to the table, the world will be more willing to rally behind American leadership to deal with challenges like confronting terrorism and Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Obama and Biden will make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a key diplomatic priority from day one. They will make a sustained push -- working with Israelis and Palestinians -- to achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state in Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security.
Expand our Diplomatic Presence: To make diplomacy a priority, Obama and Biden will stop shuttering consulates and start opening them in difficult corners of the world -- particularly in Africa. They will expand our foreign service, and develop our civilian capacity to work alongside the military.
Fight Global Poverty: Obama and Biden will embrace the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty and hunger around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our foreign assistance to achieve that goal. This will help the world's weakest states build healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty, develop markets, and generate wealth.
Seek New Partnerships in Asia: Obama and Biden will forge a more effective framework in Asia that goes beyond bilateral agreements, occasional summits, and ad hoc arrangements, such as the six-party talks on North Korea. They will maintain strong ties with allies like Japan, South Korea and Australia; work to build an infrastructure with countries in East Asia that can promote stability and prosperity; and work to ensure that China plays by international rules.
Israel
Ensure a Strong U.S.-Israel Partnership: Barack Obama and Joe Biden strongly support the U.S.-Israel relationship, and believe that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America's strongest ally in the region. They support this closeness, and have stated that the United States will never distance itself from Israel.
Support Israel's Right to Self Defense: During the July 2006 Lebanon war, Barack Obama stood up strongly for Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah raids and rocket attacks, cosponsoring a Senate resolution against Iran and Syria's involvement in the war, and insisting that Israel should not be pressured into a ceasefire that did not deal with the threat of Hezbollah missiles. He and Joe Biden believe strongly in Israel's right to protect its citizens.
Support Foreign Assistance to Israel: Barack Obama and Joe Biden have consistently supported foreign assistance to Israel. They defend and support the annual foreign aid package that involves both military and economic assistance to Israel and have advocated increased foreign aid budgets to ensure that these funding priorities are met. They have called for continuing U.S. cooperation with Israel in the development of missile defense systems.
Bipartisanship and Openness
A Record of Bringing People Together: In the Senate, Obama has worked with Republicans and Democrats to advance important policy initiatives on securing weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons, increasing funding for nonproliferation, and countering instability in Congo.
Consultative Group: Obama and Biden will convene a bipartisan Consultative Group of leading members of Congress to foster better executive-legislative relations and bipartisan unity on foreign policy. This group will be comprised of the congressional leadership of both political parties, and the chair and ranking members of the Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Appropriations Committees. This group will meet with the president once a month to review foreign policy priorities, and will be consulted in advance of military action.
Getting Politics out of Intelligence: Obama will insulate the Director of National Intelligence from political pressure by giving the DNI a fixed term, like the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Obama and Biden will seek consistency and integrity at the top of our intelligence community -- not just a political ally.
Change the Culture of Secrecy: Obama will institute a National Declassification Center to make declassification secure but routine, efficient, and cost-effective.
Engaging the American People on Foreign Policy: Obama and Biden will bring foreign policy decisions directly to the people by requiring their national security officials to have periodic national broadband town hall meetings to discuss foreign policy. Obama will personally deliver Your Weekly Address via webcast.
President Obama's Economic Agenda
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT PLAN
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov
With each passing day, families across America are watching their bills pile up and their savings disappear.
President Obama believes that if we do not act quickly, this recession could linger for years – and America could lose the competitive edge that has served as the foundation for our strength and standing in the world.
That's why the President has put forth an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will jumpstart job creation and long-term growth by:
On January 8th, 2009 -- less than two weeks before taking office -- President Obama spoke on the need for urgent action on his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to save or create over 3 million jobs while investing in priorities like health care, energy, and education that will jumpstart economic growth. The plan represents not just a new policy, but a new approach to meeting our most urgent challenges.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov
With each passing day, families across America are watching their bills pile up and their savings disappear.
President Obama believes that if we do not act quickly, this recession could linger for years – and America could lose the competitive edge that has served as the foundation for our strength and standing in the world.
That's why the President has put forth an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will jumpstart job creation and long-term growth by:
- Doubling the production of alternative energy in the next three years.
- Modernizing more than 75% of federal buildings and improve the energy efficiency of two million American homes, saving consumers and taxpayers billions on our energy bills.
Making the immediate investments necessary to ensure that within five years, all of America’s medical records are computerized. - Equipping tens of thousands of schools, community colleges, and public universities with 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries.
- Expanding broadband across America, so that a small business in a rural town can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
- Investing in the science, research, and technology that will lead to new medical breakthroughs, new discoveries, and entire new industries.
On January 8th, 2009 -- less than two weeks before taking office -- President Obama spoke on the need for urgent action on his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to save or create over 3 million jobs while investing in priorities like health care, energy, and education that will jumpstart economic growth. The plan represents not just a new policy, but a new approach to meeting our most urgent challenges.
Obama's policies: Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda
OBAMA'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS
January 22, 2009
Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Closure of Detention Facilities
Review of Detention Policy Options
Ensuring Lawful Interrogations
January 21, 2009
Presidential Records
Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel
Previous Executive Orders
OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDA
January 26, 2009
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
State of California Request for Waiver Under 42 U.S.C. 7543(b), the Clean Air Act
January 23, 2009
Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning
January 22, 2009
Review of the Detention of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri
January 21, 2009
Freedom of Information Act
Pay Freeze
Transparency and Open Government
January 22, 2009
Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Closure of Detention Facilities
Review of Detention Policy Options
Ensuring Lawful Interrogations
January 21, 2009
Presidential Records
Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel
Previous Executive Orders
OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDA
January 26, 2009
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
State of California Request for Waiver Under 42 U.S.C. 7543(b), the Clean Air Act
January 23, 2009
Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning
January 22, 2009
Review of the Detention of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri
January 21, 2009
Freedom of Information Act
Pay Freeze
Transparency and Open Government
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Obama's first full day highlights
- President Barack Obama summoned economic advisers and top military officials to the White House on Wednesday in quick steps toward delivering the change he promised as a candidate. The meeting with economic advisers was called at a time when 11 million Americans are out of work and millions more feel the loss of savings and face the prospect of foreclosures on their homes.
- Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, were among those called in for the meeting as the new president assumed the role of commander in chief.
- A prayer breakfast and open house at the presidential mansion were also on the schedule of the 44th president,
- Obama's first White House meetings as president meshed with quickened efforts in Congress to add top Cabinet officials to the roster of those confirmed on Tuesday and to advance the economic stimulus measure that is a top priority of his administration.
- Treasury Secretary-designate Tim Geithner was called before the Senate Finance Committee for a confirmation hearing certain to touch on his disclosure that he had only belatedly paid personal taxes owed earlier in the decade.
- Separately, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., awaited confirmation as secretary of state. Republicans had refused to permit her confirmation on Tuesday when several other Cabinet officials were approved.
- Within hours of Obama' taking the oath of office on Tuesday, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel ordered all federal agencies to put the brakes on any pending regulations that the Bush administration sought to push through in its final days.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
US President Obama's Inaugural Speech
My fellow citizens,
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
Continue to: We remain a young nation
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
Continue to: We remain a young nation
US President Obama's Inaugural Speech
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
Continue to: There is work to be done…
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
Continue to: There is work to be done…
US President Obama's Inaugural Speech
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
Continue to: Keepers of this legacy…
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
Continue to: Keepers of this legacy…
US President Obama's Inaugural Speech
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
Continue to: Price of citizenship
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
Continue to: Price of citizenship
US President Obama's Inaugural Speech
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Bangkok: Travel Guide to the City of Angels
Bangkok or Krung Thep means the City of Angels! This buzzling city in Asia was constructed in 1782 or 225 years ago. At present, Bangkok has approximately 10 million population and it is considered one of the biggest city in the world.
I fell in love with this exotic and eccentric city which boasts of its rich cultural heritage. The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of the Dawn, Chao Phraya River and Canals (once Venice of the East) are among the many must see places in Bangkok. It is also a noteable shopping paradise in Asia and restaurants all over the city serve excellent seafood and traditional Thai dishes. The promoninent Thai Boxing continues to attract sports-loving visitors while Thai classical dances, golfing, and a long list of other entertainments await the ever inquisitive tourists.
I went for full day tour (floating market, elephant show and snake show) and I was particularly delighted by the floating market. The market was full of sellers, selling everything from fruit, noodles, everyday necessities, to souvenirs, handicrafts, and spices. I roamed the market for about an hour, had fun testing my bargaining skills and bought fried bananas, coconuts, some spices, durians (not to be missed), and mangoes. The market was full of tourists. It was indeed a good experience, definitely one of the high points of my visit to Thailand. Must say that I enjoyed the elephant show as well.
Just around 91 miles southeast of Bankok lies Pattaya, a famous destination for its beautiful beaches, first class and all kinds of hotels, guest houses, superb sea food restuarants and water sports. Souvenir shops and museums reflecting the rich Thai cultural heritage also abound in this magnificient destination.
For the hot-blooded gents, there are a lot of open-air bars, beer bars, discotheques, cabaret shows and other night spots entertainment that keeps you upbeat, or even romantic, at all night! Infact, Pattaya has over 3000 bars catering to all tastes!
Walking Street is the main hub of the nightlife scene in Pattaya and is probably the most exciting street in the world to have fun. Here you will find all kinds of entertainment, from beer bars to cool indoor air-con bars like V2o, discos, Agogo-bars, cabaret shows, street entertainers, market stalls and much more.
Worth checking also is Baby Dolls located in Soi 15 between Walking Street and 2nd Road opposite Whats Up Agogo, where one could found pretty girls dancing or serving beer.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
More Islandreefjob offers needed to confront the economic crisis
The Islandreefjob is truly a genius marketing strategy! And imbibes a very positive attitude amidst this global economic crisis. This bold marketing strategy by the Queensland State Government to save the Great Barrier Reef's 18 million dollar tourism industry from the harsh impact of the worsening economic crisis deserves good credits and should inspire both public and private sector stakeholders around the world to follow suit.
News about the Queensland State Government hiring for the "best job in the world" has really captured global interest. This Australian state is offering globally the Islandreefjob, which will be earning a top six figure salary for just "lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months".
According to the Queensland State Government, the lucky applicant will be hired as the "island caretaker" at the Great Barrier Reef. His work includes strolling its white sand, snorkeling the reef and taking care of a few other minor tasks. The salary? A whooping 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) for this short-term employment.
While this sounds unbelievable, there is wisdom in this marketing strategy and a positive attitude worthy to be praised in this difficult times. I am sure the Queensland State Government will be successful in sustaining tourism revenues and jobs at the Great Barrier Reef by simply hiring the most expensive island caretaker while the whole world is watching!
News about the Queensland State Government hiring for the "best job in the world" has really captured global interest. This Australian state is offering globally the Islandreefjob, which will be earning a top six figure salary for just "lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months".
According to the Queensland State Government, the lucky applicant will be hired as the "island caretaker" at the Great Barrier Reef. His work includes strolling its white sand, snorkeling the reef and taking care of a few other minor tasks. The salary? A whooping 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) for this short-term employment.
While this sounds unbelievable, there is wisdom in this marketing strategy and a positive attitude worthy to be praised in this difficult times. I am sure the Queensland State Government will be successful in sustaining tourism revenues and jobs at the Great Barrier Reef by simply hiring the most expensive island caretaker while the whole world is watching!
Are you ready for the best job in the world?
The Queensland State Government is hiring! And they are offering the best job in the world! This Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world", or the Islandreef Job, which will be earning a top six figure salary for just "lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months".
According to the Queensland State Government, the lucky applicant will be hired as the "island caretaker" at the Great Barrier Reef. His work includes strolling its white sand, snorkeling the reef and taking care of a few other minor tasks. The salary? A whooping 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) for this short-term employment.
The perks also include free airfares from the winner's home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef. The list of qualifications states that the successful applicant, who will stay rent-free in a three-bedroom beach home complete with plunge pool and golf buggy, must be a good swimmer, excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English.
The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel and generally live the Queensland lifestyle makes this offer undoubtedly the best job in the world. Oh, how I love to be hired!
But the reason behind this seemingly unbelievable offer is that the Queensland State Government is campaigning to protect the state's 18 billion dollar a year tourism industry from the harsh impact of the economic crisis. This is a daring innovation from traditional tourism advertising. The hiring process will be televised all over the world and the applicants will report to the global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
Yes, this is a serious offer! A really genius marketing strategy! Applications are open until February 22. There will be eleven shortlisted candidates who will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six month contract will commence on July 1.So interested? You may apply at: Islandreefjob.com