However, in a recent exclusive interview, he has stated that it’s all a big mistake; “I think it was a typo. I said that I didn’t have to pay for my taxi journeys, as one of my friends owns the company. Somebody read it, and thought that it meant I didn’t have to pay as much tax!”

David Cameron is said to be filing a lawsuit against Logitech, the company that made the keyboard the error was typed on. He is claiming that it unnecessarily damaged his chances of winning the general election, and a badly made country may well have ruined the economy of the whole nation. The owner of the taxi company, Lucas Brigstocke (brother of the famous comedian), has stated that Lord Ashcroft has been misrepresented by the media, and that typing errors are the single third most dangerous threat to western society, after terrorism and obesity.

This has prompted the labour party to state that should they remain in power at the next general election, they would nationalise all the computer keyboard companies, so everyone would have an equally wonderful keyboard, apart from MPs and party officials, who would be provided with an ergonomic management keyboard on expenses.

The keyboard industry is in awe at this move similar to the actions of a dictatorship.

Lord Ashcroft is not commenting, afraid that his comment would be mistyped to say that he was exempt from the forces of death, as is Peter Mandelson.

Image via Wikipedia

Improve Your English

Do you know how good is your English?

Let over 15,000 employers know how good your English is, get certified and increase your chances of being hired!

You can compare your score with your friends. Spend only few minutes and take quick and fun test.

Brought to you by JobStreet.com.

Click below to get started:
http://philippines.youthsays.com/vnosyaj/improve

:

:

:

How can you get this power? Is there a secret formula that you can bring into daily life so you can be happy and successful?

Like most things in life, there are no secrets. Before you can put the power of will to use in your life, you need to understand what it is.

Whether you believe it or not, you have the power to change. You are not locked into your habits. Of course you’ve tried to quit smoking. You’ve tried to lose weight to no avail. So you’ve likely given up. But giving up is the worst you can do. You need to realize that life presents many challenges and it how you meet those challenges that determine how successful you will be.

Successful people don’t have superior will power. Like you they have fears. They have doubts about their capability to overcome problems. But they face those problems. They don’t procrastinate. They act, even as they are aware that they may fail miserably. Successful people are a success because they practice will power.

That’s the key. Practice! You have to exercise will power to become an adept in it. Just like physical exercise, it becomes better the more you apply it. Many people fear failure. They freeze up. They feel safe in a cocoon of their own making and going beyond the boundaries is something they’ve learned to be afraid of.

It’s easy to drift with the tide. It’s easy to accept the way things are and do what everyone else does. Many refuse to make decisions because they are afraid to fail. But failure is not the end to all hopes and dreams. Successful people see failures as stepping stones to greater success. When asked why he failed to invent the light bulb after a thousand experiments, Thomas Edison replied, “I haven’t failed, I just found 999 ways that wouldn’t work.” Would you enjoy Kentucky Fried Chicken today if Harlan Sanders stopped trying to sell his chicken recipe after a few feeble efforts? Would Abraham Lincoln have reached the White House if he gave up on politics after failing for the fourth time to get to Congress?

One of the keys to developing a strong will lies in your physical health. It’s hard to develop will power if you live with chronic pain or feel tired all the time. Of course the pressures of life and time constraints put a damper on your willingness to get started. If you’re not eating healthy food, if you’re not getting adequate amounts of exercise, you can hardly expect to have the power to tackle problems. If you want to develop willpower, your first step is to address your diet and eliminate those sugary and fatty foods that cause inflammation and make you vulnerable to disease. Then you can get on a good exercise program to build up endurance.

Thus the two important ways to create willpower is to change your lifestyle, determine what it is you want, then applying the power of will to get it. Exercising willpower builds experience and the more experience you have, the more your success rate will be.

When we peruse the annals of the past forty years, we would be remiss if we did not take note of the astonishing accomplishments of Michael Joseph Jackson.  From the tender young age of five until his death, at age fifty, Michael Jackson had performed for ninety-percent of his life.  From his days as the youngest member of the Jackson-Five, when a sweet-voiced child melted our hearts with Ben, we knew Michael Jackson was special.  Throughout his career, Michael constantly amazed us, from Thriller to his infamous “moonwalk” performed for the first time in the Motown 25 televised reunion that aired in May of 1983 (Markowitz, 519).  As described by Robin Markowitz in the Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, “After this, there was a buzz of excitement surrounding Jackson, as if each new gesture brought with it a revelation.”  (Markowitz, 519 par. 2)  He was a wonderful philanthropist who gave freely of himself and his wealth to make the world a better place to live in.

In 1993, Michael Jackson would stand accused when two boys came forward with allegations that he had sexually molested them.  One of the boys was the underage son of one of Jackson’s former employees (Markowitz, 519 par. 5).  We really do not know many of the details from the first case.  We know that the case concluded civilly and the investigation closed.  What we should recognize, however, is that cases such as these do not go away.  Had the allegations had any validity, one would presume that the State of California would have prosecuted Michael.  To believe that any of the 1993 allegations were true is to assume that the State of California ignored these assertions.  Monetary settlements do not negate the crime and therefore, the correct assumption would be that the allegations would not hold up in a court of law. 

Ten years later, similar accusations once again surfaced; this time the State of California took action, charging Jackson with multiple counts of abuse against the same boy (McKeen, par 5.)  The grand jury indicted Michael Jackson in 2004.  After a highly publicized trial in 2005, a jury of his peers exonerated him of all charges.  (McKeen, par. 5)

Although found innocent by a jury of his peers, these allegations followed Jackson to his grave; as demonstrated when Congressman Peter King, who recently appeared in front of a New York American Legion Post, to rant about the news coverage of Michael Jackson’s death (Dean).  In an article entitled, “Defaming the Dead: Congressman Peter King’s Michael Jackson Media Rant”, John W. Dean, former counsel to the President and current FindLaw columnist, shows his disgust at Congressman’s King’s tirade.  Mr. Dean stated “To defame Michael Jackson as “a child molester” and “a pedophile” – while claiming there was “nothing good about the guy” who devoted his considerable talents to carrying a message of peace and harmony throughout the world, was clearly way over the top.”  (Dean, par. 3)

In Mr. Dean’s article, he raises serious questions that anyone who is as moralistic as Congressman King should consider.  Questions such as “What empowers King [anyone] to nullify the jury’s “not guilty” finding?”, and “On what basis can King [anyone] elevate wild rumors to statement of fact?”  (Dean par. 4)  Congressman King is a congressional representative entrusted by the people of New York to make sound decisions.  One wonders how Mr. King’s views about Michael Jackson can be trusted when, as Mr. Dean stated, “Peter King is completely out of tune with America’s celebrity culture and apparently is uninterested in understanding it”.  (Dean 1 par. 5)  Congressman King’s moralistic objection against the King of Pop demonstrates his bias and inability to understand the premise of “innocent until proven guilty”.  If we, as Americans, truly believe that one is innocent until proven guilty, then we, as Americans should trust and respect that a jury of his peers, after a preponderance of the evidence, found Michael Jackson to be innocent of all charges. 

In examining the opposite point of view, one wonders if the public’s faith in justice system rulings has suffered irreparable damage by the perceived injustice of the OJ Simpson verdict.  When we look over our recent history, it is easy to understand how one’s trust can take a plunge when it comes to the validity of some decisions handed down by juries around our country.  However, one must remember that, Michael Jackson was determined to be “not guilty” on all charges, whereas the jury acquitted OJ Simpson of all charges due to lack of evidence.  (Morris par. 3)  OJ Simpson, earned acquittal on two charges of murder in the criminal trial, however, was determined guilty in a civil trial.

We need to focus our attention on some other very pertinent facts about Michael Jackson’s life.  Michael, like most celebrities, was a target for those who thought he was an easy mark.  We have to consider the possibilities of false accusations and the motives behind them.  We have to consider the types of abuse that Michael Jackson endured in his younger formidable years, and the fact that he never truly had a childhood.  His whole life seemed to revolve around living his lost youth, from the creation of the Neverland Ranch to his enduring love for children and fantasy.  To be a child at heart does not make you a pedophile. 

Michael Jackson, one of the most unconventional celebrities of our time, has always demonstrated a childlike demeanor.  Michael’s good friend Quincy Jones, eloquently stated, “This wonderful artist who commanded the stage with catlike grace, shattered recording-industry records, and broke down cultural boundaries around the world, and yet remained the gentlest of souls”.  (Jones par. 4)  We fell in love with Michael as a child and were in awe of him throughout his career.  He gave of himself throughout his life.  For the millions of Michael Jackson fans throughout the world, Michael will forever stand as the King of Pop. 

WORKS CITED

Dean, John W.  “Defaming the Dead: Congressman Peter King’s Michael Jackson Media Rant”.  http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20090710.html

Jones, Quincy.  ”Remembering Michael”.  (Culture; COVER STORY)  (Michael Jackson)  (Cover story)  (In memoriam).”  Newsweek.  154. 02 (July 13, 2009): 40.  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.  Gale.  Mott Community College.  19 July 2009

http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IACDocuments&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=OVRC&docId=A202557421&source=gale&userGroupName=falcon_mott&version=1.0>.

Markowitz, Robin. “Jackson, Michael (1958-)” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture.  Eds. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast.  Vol. 2.  Detroit: St. James Press, 2000.  517-519. 5 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library.  Gale.  Mott Community College.  22 July 2009 
<http://0-find.galegroup.com.elibrary.mel.org/gvrl/infomark.do?&contentSet=EBKS&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=GVRL&docId=CX3409001246&source=gale&userGroupName=lom_falconmott&version=1.0>.

McKeen, William.  “Jackson, Michael”.  World Book Student.  World Book, 2009.  Web.  19 July 2009.

Morris, Cole.  “Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson Jury Trials – A Comparison of Two Jury Trials” http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1194267/michael_jackson_and_oj_simpson_jury.html?cat=17

The Bermuda Triangle

The bermuda triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle,The boundaries of the triangle cover the straits of Florida, the Bahamas and the entire Carribean island area and the Atlantic east to the Azores. The more familiar triangular boundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Miami, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits. In this strange area, more than 75 airplanes and a thousand yachts and commercial ships with their passengers and crews disappeared without trace in the Deadly Triangle.The first ship report dates back to 1780. Despite modern navigation, communication, and search-and-rescue systems, ships and planes continue to disappear without trace into that mysterious region of the North Atlantic.The most famous US Navy losses which have occurred in the area popularly known as the Bermuda Triangle are: U.S.S Cyclops, Flight 19, The civilian tanker SS Marine Sulphur Queen.

Many reasons were concluded. Some very silly and some very serious.Some people say that these vanishings are due to an Alien invasion. Others argue that it is the work of supernatural beings. Still others believe that it is the work of tectonic plates. There are many other reasons such as: 

1.    Ghosts and the paranormal

2.    Enormous Tsunamis occurring

3.    Sea Disease

4.    Sea monsters

5.    Black hole in the ocean

6.    Volcano

7.    Vortex

8.    An Island Sucking everything

9.    Worm hole

10.  Toxic liquid and gas in that area

And many many more.. My believe lies with all of those mentioned above. I haven’t even figured it out.

HAVE YOU?

A conspiracy that was at large not so many years ago and even now is the 9/11 conspiracy, which claimed, that 9/11 was planned out by world leaders to get an excuse to raid Iraq. according to a poll 49.3% of new yorkers believed that 9/11 was a staged and fully planned attack. People think that flight 93 from Boston to New York was secretly landed in an american military base, then several remotely controlled planes took of from somewhere and directly crashed into the twin towers. The factor that causes people to believe this theory is the mistrust in the “official” explanation, so people search for a more (in their opinion) reasonable or convincing explanation.

Being Sceptical is good, but looking at this;

Image via Wikipedia

And thinking “oh yes, that  was defiantly a staged hoax” that takes a wrong type of thinking. There is a short clip of someone standing in front of a large crowd with a microphone giving a speech saying ”nobody can convince me that out president did not hire Saudi nationals with Saudi passports to come over here, to this country and fly airplanes into those buildings to give him a mandate to go over and invade Iraq as he had planned…” wow, that is surely crazy, nobody can convince me? That is not the words of a sceptic, a true sceptic wants to be convinced that this true through some thorough evidence, not refuse to listen to other opinions… We should be sceptical but we shouldn’t make stories.

And I really do hate showing you all these images but we should just see how it is really, do not let this sink into humanities roots and let these paranormal stories get to you before Oscar Stone makes another terrible movie about it. Dan Daley, who was working at fire building 22 as a firefighter would know that all these stupid theories are a hoax, he lost 55 friends that day, as soon as he saw what was happening in the news, live, he went down to the station and assembled a team, when they arrived there was already at least half an inch of thick black ash covering… everything. There were people who were choking on the ash, there were people who were bleeding all over, but even before the dust had settled, conspiracies already began emerging.

Many disagreed with what the government said, yes there were lives lost and yes there were plane crashes but what everyone couldn’t agree on was the fact that who was behind these crashes terrorists or certain members of the Pentagon or Illuminati or white house or maybe even aliens… and conceal it as fake terrorist attack. People like Dan Daley who were deeply touched and hearbroken by this event find it deeply dissrespectufl that people would think that anyone in our government could have such an evil plot, to get at their own people.

Some support themselves by footage where the planes seem or are different however these are obviously fake. Some still believe that the people on  the hijack plane are still alive somewhere and are hidden by the government… These people put the facts together, but come to a bad/false conclusion, which is where the problem arouses. 

what do you think happened? what do you believe? hoax or real terrorists? 

Webster’s dictionary defines trustworthy as: worthy of confidence, dependable.  A boy scout defines it as so much more.  A scout does not just tell the truth.  He is not just honest.  He does not just keep his promises, he is, and does so much more for the community. 

            You see a scout puts honor in honesty.  When a scout gives you his word you can depend on it.  When an elderly person is trying to cross the street, they will trust a scout to get them there.  When a scout takes on a project, you will trust that the will finish it better than you expected.  When a scout is asked to take a leadership role in the troop or in the community you can trust that he will teach.  You can trust that even in the most important and serious situations you can rely on a scout.

            Scouts don’t just bring trustworthiness on a personal level.  Scouting can bring trust into communities that otherwise may be lacking.  Scouts can lead by example, showing other scouts and peers model behavior.  In a world where it seems honesty is a dying art, even punishable, scouts stay true to their law.

            Loyalty may be, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder.  Some people may view loyalty as only a phone call away.  Some may think loyalty is always being at your finger tips, like man’s best friend.  Loyalty may also change from person to person and through time as well.

            A scout will always be loyal to his family, his friends, and his community.  This will never leave him.  He will go into the world and be loyal to his co-workers, his employees and his patrons.  His loyalty will never sway; he will always do his best to do his duty.

            Being helpful can manifest its way in many forms.  A scout may help a senior across the street or he may just hand his dad tools while he works on the family car.  He can help with bigger projects as well like building a church or going door to door for a charity.  Helping the community gives a scout a sense of pride that can not be measured.

            A scout is a friend to all.  He does not judge based on color, sex, age, or race.  A scout knows friends are always there for each other.  He knows that great knowledge comes from a diversity of friends.  Scouts will do anything to help a friend in need.  They will never leave a friend behind, and they will stand up for them if need be. 

            Being courteous seems lost in today’s society.  Not inside a scout troop, scouts still hold this law true.   Being polite is not as hard as people make it.  In a world with car horns and crude hand gestures, scouts will remember to say please and thank you.  A scout is always respectful of his fellow man.

            Kindness is a matter of the heart.  There are some people who were never made to be kind.  These people were never scouts.  Being kind is reaching into your soul to be giving and nice to others.  You can give a homeless person food or shelter, you can smile at someone who looks a little rough around the edges, or you could give a stranger a compliment.  All these things scouts do on a daily basis.

            A scout is obedient in the way that he obeys all laws and rules.  A scout will never purposefully break a law.  He will obey all rules set forth by a person or establishment.  A scout does this out of respect for the people around him.  He knows these rues are set forth for a reason and should be followed for those reasons.

            Cheerfulness isn’t tough when you are of sound mind.  A scout will always have a smile on his face.  He knows that life is worth living, especially when he does good deeds daily.  Not only can a scout be cheerful, but he can bring joy into the world.  Being cheerful can make a difference in the world or maybe just in one person’s life.

            Thriftiness is making the best from what you have.  Scouts are taught how to build a fire from sticks and rocks.  They are taught how to use a compass if they get lost.  Scouts can tell you which berries are ok to eat.  Scouts can make a shelter with nothing more than leaves and branches.  They are taught to think on their feet at every turn, this makes them a valuable member of any team or work force.

            President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “The only thing to fear is fear itself.”  Scouts take that saying seriously.  A scout will never back down from a confrontation when he knows he is right.  Scouts are brave in the face of disaster and threat.  A scout is never afraid to step up and become a leader.

            A scout is clean not only in body, but in mind and spirit as well.  While hygiene is important, it is more import and to clean of spirit.  By that I mean scouts will never do anything immoral.  Things that would make them feel dirty on the inside.  A scout must always be clean in body as well, never putting anything into his body that does not belong there. 

            Lastly a scout is reverent.  Reverence takes on many meanings today.  It does not mean that you must believe in one God, or a certain religion.  Reverence can be anything you want it to be as long as there is a strong sense of morals involved.  A scout is morally straight.

            A scout can stray at times.  No person can be all of these things all the time.  That is not what boy scouting is about.  It is about giving young men the tools to use in the real world.  Giving them the tools to take into the community and do good things.  Not all scouts will do good things, not all scouts will become eagles.  What we can do is hope for them best, give them the laws to work with, and then let them go into the world as men.  Friends this story is true, I know, I am a business man, a husband, a father, and an eagle scout.   – A.F. Thares

A major cause is related to the colonial past of many countries. The colonizing countries (Europeans) exploited the natural wealth of these countries in benefit of Europe. So, they developed further, leaving the colonized countries with no evolution. Almost all African countries achieved independence after World War II,  in the 60s. This ultimately led to dictatorships and political instability. Today, armed conflict still dominate in this countries which reduces their possibilities of development.

Natural Hazards

In general, developing countries are more vulnerable to natural hazards because the financial and technical resources available to carry out disaster prevention, saving lives and rebuilding infrastructure are lower than those of developed countries. That is why hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and droughts, very common in developing countries, have a great impact on its economy.

A good example is what happened in Haiti and Chile. A strong earthquake in Chile resulted in less than a thousand victims. In Haiti, the death rate was more than two hundred thousand.

Population Growth

Developing countries are primarily responsible for the population explosion in the world and, in general, still have high rates of natural increase due to high birth rate. Due to this rapid growth of population, we are witnessing the worsening of problems such as poverty, the growth of slums and rising of crime, violence and social instability, malnutrition, difficult access to education and lack of health care.

The Democratic Deficit

There are still many countries with single-party regimes (military or dictatorial). It’s common the disregard for human rights and press freedom, the corruption, the misuse of capital and the enrichment of the ruling classes. This triggers political and social instability, which ultimately harms their development.

Armed Conflicts

Developing countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and South Asia, continue to be heavily affected by wars. Destruction of infrastructure, refugees and casualties, expenditure on armaments and recruitment of child soldiers are some of the consequences.

International Trade

Most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East are still very dependent on the export of agricultural or mineral products. In 38 of these countries, a single product contributes half of the value of the exports. Unfortunately, there was a general fall in commodity prices between 1974 and 2004. Many of these countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa, depend on a small range of agricultural products and, therefore, the general fall of prices led them to double exports to maintain income levels constant and counter the deterioration of terms of trade. However, more offer eventually mean new lower prices and thus aggravated the terms of trade.

Transnational Corporations

The objectives of the transnational corporations are easy to summarize: lower production costs, gain more market and increase profits. But they are accused of lack of loyalty to workers and to the countries that host them, when they close its subsidiaries and move it to other countries, where production costs are lower. Many cause serious environmental damage, exploiting the raw materials and the labor-cheap population of developing countries, as their profits are repatriated almost entirely to developed countries.

In many developing countries, governments are very vulnerable to the interests of transnational corporations, yielding to corruption and allowing over-exploitation of resources of their own country.

I may be getting married soon. Not sure yet when. My parents do not approve of the union as the person I am thinking about marrying is in need of a greencard. My family is afraid that I am being used, but I love him and want to stay together. Is that so wrong? In any event, I want to be able to make my own mistakes. If this is one of them, I will have to take responsibility for it. I choose to follow my heart in this case. That is the only truth I really know. I finally finished my taxes with H and R Block and I owe $12,000 to the government. As I am unemployed, I am unable to pay and tomorrow will be going to 30 Montgomery Street IRS office to see if they could cut some slack on the bill. Also, the Newark Now office where I filed my taxes for 2008 somehow failed to include my income on the paperwork so I have to pay $2000 in fines and $200 interest. What a crazy world we live in. I recently bought the Colgate toothpaste with mouthwash beads. What a piece of crap. Please do not purchase this product as it feels disgusting and does not clean too well either. I get the feeling thay the toothpaste industry is steadily declining judging by the general quality of recent products. What a shame! Something else I discovered today is when you use salted butter to cook something, do not add additional salt, otherwise your food will end up in the trash like mine did today. I have finally decided to forget about applying for a job with employment agencies and just stick to craigslist as all the HR people are crooks. I also realized why I am not motivated to get back into the music industry. The reason is that in America, the creative arts are a business and for me music is an art and something close to my heart. At the end of the day I know that the American Dream that so many people come here to pursue is just that, a dream. It is not real. It is a false advertisement promoted by the American Government to make America look superior to other countries and keep the middle class working their ass off for little to no money in hopes of achieving the dream one day while their daily lives are a nightmare. American Dream, but at what cost? I am done dreaming and chasing after this dream which does not exist. Instead I want to find peace with my reality. I hope I will be able to do that soon because I am feeling exhausted by everything.

Kosanya~