News and Money!

Obama talks the money talk!

2008-06-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

With the state of Pennsylvania becoming one of the battleground states, Obama barack has just outlined some of his economic policies that he would be adopting if elected as the president. From what I had heard so far, I have to say that this candidate is a much better deal for us than McCain would ever be. The economic policies as outlined by Barack Obama are realistic,practical and ones that can be initiated easily.

The policies as outlined by McCain pale by comparison for they are weak, vague and more to do with election drama and bereft of any real content. McCain's policies seem to do more with short term gains than any long term benefits, reminding us all once again, that he is of the same cloth as the current president. When it comes to election rallies there are very few politicians who would come forward to outline policies with long term benefits as Obama has done.

Furthermore, McCain's policies are based primarily on slashing expenditure without any thought whatsoever to the consequences. Take for example McCain's idea of doing away with the gasoline tax, the impact of such a policy would only serve to make the oil companies richer than they already are and cause constriction in the availability of funds for community related infrastructure projects.
Everything considered, Obama is the way to go, no doubts about that.

Iowa under floods - 20,000 flee!

2008-06-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

The floods have hit the state of Iowa hard, forcing some 24,000 to lose their homes and another 20,000 to literally run for their lives. The floods are on account of unprecedented rain in the Iowa area which generally sees about a few inches of rain per year. But this time around, due to heavy rains coupled with thunderstorms, the Cedar river has risen far above the record mark it set the last time in 1929. It managed to reach a height of 32 feet, higher than the old mark by nearly 12 feet.

The Cedar river has flooded the drinking wells as well, thus limiting the amount of drinking water available to the citizens there. The wells that supply this water has been flooded and it will be quite some time before they are rendered usable again. In the meantime, with only one well still in use, it is time for the rationing to begin.

The forecast for the Cedar river area is not all that good with more rains being forecast. With most of the major levees having broken down, any more rain would only serve to make this far worse, transforming the Cedar river into raging flood waters. The fact is that despite disasters like Katrina and others, the infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle a massive exodus leave alone provide food,water and shelter for the remainder of the time needed. The question is that is Iowa planning to do in order to manage this crisis?

The Obama change!

2008-06-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

With the primaries on the last leg, Obama is sure to be the next democratic nominee, with the latest interview from Clinton hinting at a closure to this 'dirt road race'. To be honest, I have to say that the thought of another Clinton era sends shivers down my back. I am sure that there are quite a few people out there rooting for the Clinton's and likewise there are those rooting for the Obama camp.
But all politics aside, the time is ripe for change and who better than Barrack Obama to deliver the goods. I am sure that once the nominee has been declared, Hilary will lend her support to Obama all the way.

Creative professionals

2008-05-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Bohemian Rhapsody!

Creative age
The ‘creative class’ is a section of the society that is going to herald the ‘new age’ and according to Dr.Richard Florida is going to be the key to economic development in many of the cities in this post industrial age. According to dr. Richard Florida’s theory, it is the group of creative people, who are going to be the essential ingredient in the development of the city. To further elaborate on this, it is the creative professionals of today who will become a major driving force in the economy, transforming it from the agricultural and industrial based economy to one that is more prevalent to the modern times, for this is the creative age.

The creative class basically consists of the creative people, who can be further segmented into the knowledge workers, including the likes of doctors, lawyers and so on. Then we have the core group, termed as the super creative core and this consists of the ‘creamy’ creative layer and consists of people from a whole swathe of occupations, e.g. Architecture, arts, media, computer programming and so on. One can even surmise that the freemasons, the society of freemasons, with alleged linkages to the knight’s templar, with its penchant for secrecy could well fall into this category.

The last few years has seen the creative class take to technology more than any other section of the society has done, with most of the creativeness being bought out in fields like nano technology, science, arts and so on. The creative class has been very much on the rise with a decided shift towards technology, research and other relevant fields of science. This is only natural given the high amount of intelligence and sophistication that one comes across in such fields.

It is only but natural to wonder how the creative class fares across the spectrum of the modern working class, both the blue collar types as well as those of the white collar. As we all know, the blue collar worker relates more to the physical kind of work, with hourly wages, unions and in some of the cases, the siren blast to indicate the end of the working day. The white collar workers relate more to the clerical type of work, with emphasis being on a fixed base salary and multitude of other benefits that they accrue as a result of working for a company, full time.

The creative class differs from the working class in the sense that the creative class has more to do with creativity and entrepreneurship than it have to do with hourly wages or monthly remuneration packages. The white collar jobs as a result of more sophistication than the blue collar ones, appeal more to the creative class when it comes to employment. The creative class seeks by and large have conformed themselves to the ways of the society and more often than not take up jobs in companies not because they have forsaken their creative attitudes but rather on account of adapting their creative character to the ways of the society at large.
Since the society as a whole does not leave much room for nebulous states of existence, the present creative classes may have to take up a salaried position and have done so many a times so as to fit in. Today, the white-collar jobs have evolved to become more creative in nature due to the large number of such creative people trying to fit into the society’s definition of work. There are a certain number of jobs/positions that are neither white-collar nor blue-collar and one such example of that is an artist. An artist prides himself or herself on nonconformity and an artist’s work is creative to the large extent but even this is constrained by deadlines and schedules, which the artist may have to follow strictly if he or she wants to sell their work. The creative class have well adapted to the changes that the modern era has imposed on all of us so that today, such creativity flows within the contours of the modern society and not without as it may have been in the past, e.g. Alchemists.

According to Florida, the cities that provide an infrastructure so as to attract the creative professional would be the ones on the fast track to ‘creative development’ This has already happened or would happen in the near future.. Florida surmises that such a city with the right infrastructure would prove to be attractive enough to most of the creative class, that they would want to settle there, short term or for the long haul. Once the creative professionals start to trickle in, the top companies would follow closely after and set up shop in the city. Once that happens, investment in the city would be on the rise, with economic development in the wings and this forms one of the keystones to Florida’s theory on the rise of the creative class. Some of the cities and regions that are already making the necessary changes so as to attract the creative professionals are Austin, Seattle, Bangalore, India, Dublin, Ireland and Sweden, to name a few.

On a deep level, we all strive to be the same and as such, anything that makes us inherently different does not rest easy with us. As a result, this in turn has often led to a kind of a secret life, where the secrets of this society are often buried; among such secrets was the existence of the gay life. The main problem that we as a society have is that we expect each and everything to conform to the rules of the society and this has often led people to hide their innovations and at times, even their very own lifestyle in secret. With some sections of the society not conforming to the society and its rules, such people were often perceived to be nothing less than a dreg on the resources of the society at large and were ignored by the mainstream of the society.

For quite a long while now, we as the human race have resisted change every now and then, so it is only natural to expect that at times, a creative person may not be all that forthcoming about his innovative spark if that is to cause him to stand out in the crowd. At some innate level we have understood that there is safety in numbers and that it is important to fit and mingle back into the background. This instinct of ours is a throwback to our cavemen era as Carl sagan had expounded in his book ‘The dragons of Eden’. The result being that at times when our creativity tends to make us stand out, we prefer to subdue that spark so that we can fit in this constrained society of ours.

The section of the society that seems to have mastered this art for melting into the background is the bohemians. To describe a bohemian would not be all that easy, with the meaning of the very word changing every now and then. The human society seems to have carried its penchant for categorizing items through the ages and as such, did so again with the creation of the moniker “bohemian” and the alterations thereafter.
The term today refers to include all those who do not conform to society at large as the meaning rather than the original intent of the word, which was to mean a beggar, in turn ameliorated this word. The Irony is that today it is this group of people, the Bohemians, in whom the creative juices seem to flow in the most.

This is truly the creative age, we had lived in the digital age and now we have come to the conceptual age, the age of creativity. Creativity is all about creating new ideas and services as well as adapting oneself to any changed circumstances. As a species, we do not adapt ourselves to change that easily and maybe as a result of this rigid non-conformist position on change, we are not able to be as creative as we could have been were the circumstances different. Bohemians as a rule do not conform to anything in general and although as a class, they vary amongst themselves, the one thing that holds true for them is that they are non conformist to society as a whole but conformist to change and thus can adapt themselves to it very easily. In simple words, your chances of finding a Bohemian trying out different ideas would be higher than a non-bohemian trying out the same.

The creative classes of today consist of the knowledge workers, the super core and last but not least the small but essential creative group, the bohemians. With technology leading the way with a huge number of creative classes working in this field, it is in here and in science that one can expect the ‘next leap’ to occur. There is a terminology that refers to a select few that have technological advantage as well as accrued networking skills, the term is ‘netocracy’ a play on both the ‘internet’ as well as the word ‘aristocracy’. With most of the creative people adopting technology as a sort of a second home, it may well be that the term netocracy refers to the creative group that is ‘net savvy’.

The companies have all picked on the added value that a creative professional brings to their company and that by engaging the services of such people, the company hopes to cash in on their creative output over a course of time. The creative class as a whole is valued on account of the creative contributions that they render to the company; as a result, the modern companies of today prefer to give a certain ‘creative space’ to their employees. This is done so that the employee in question can give vent to his or her imagination, be as creative as possible and to be able to ‘think out of the box’. Furthermore, they have realized that by allowing such ‘creative space’ the employees have a higher degree of job satisfaction and therefore retention of valuable skilled professionals is on the rise.

It is only by conceptualizing ideas and services that these companies can hope to gain a march on their competitors. As the economy surges ahead and more new companies come into the fray, the need to be creative increases. The utilization of opportunities are increasing the number of positions in a company, this in turn leads to an increase in the job performance by the new executives thus leading to an overall increase in innovation, thus giving that company an edge. One can see that the creativity spark is being fed by the economy, which has been resurging of late as a result of the innovation in the company. In this day and age, every single company needs to be literally ‘on the ball’ and in order to do that it is essential that they embrace this creative age with open arms.

The Creative folk

The Human race has seen so much creativity first hand and as a result of that has evolved in ways the other species have not done so. For one, the invention of the wheel and the innovation of the Fire had started us on to a journey of self-discovery, one that is still on going. In spite of all the creativity that we have all seen, we are yet to describe this phenomena accurately, the closest that we can come up with is that ‘creativity is all about creating and innovating new products and services’. But in reality, creativity is not as simple as that.

Creativity has more in common with the mindset of a person than it does with the rules of the society which is supposed to govern its very creation. As a result, a person may subconsciously not feel ‘creative’ enough, if he or she were placed under rigid restrictions E.g. the factory worker with a strict schedule to follow on the supply chain.

Creativity, it seems, comes to a person in full flow when that person is not so much ‘conformed’ under the rigid rules of the society. The above example should highlight the fact that a conformist may find it harder to innovate than a non-conformist. The Bohemians are by and large non-conformists in the very sense of the word. To them, the society exists to serve as a gateway to a higher domain of pleasure and worthiness rather than have the society formulate as the main existence itself. Even today, in this modern day and age, we are still so much the conformist in the sense that we are continuously trying to re-modulate the ideas and thoughts, based on our society and our common knowledge. It is when we approach ideas and thoughts with a non-conformist approach and think ‘out of the box’ that the spark of creativity manifests itself.

As a term ‘Bohemian’ has stood for creativity not on account of the artists, writers, playwrights who were bohemian but it was more on account of their lifestyle than anything else. To be a bohemian meant to rebel against the society and its rules in one way or the other, but the modern bohemians have also evolved from the rebellious bohemians of the 18th century, the Absinthe swilling bohemians to the 21st century ones who could in turn be segmented into five different groups amongst themselves.
The Bohemians of today can be re classified as the nouveau bohemian, the Zen bohemian, the gypsy bohemian, the dandy bohemian and the beat bohemian. This classification is related more to the way of their lifestyle than any particular belief or any ideology. The bohemians are quite individualistic and as such, there are very few commonalities between one bohemian and the other, except for their creative output in one form or the other, e.g. music, art etc. and that of their notion that the self is all too important. One could even say that this attitude that most of the bohemians share prevents them from totally integrating into the society as a group.
By and large, the bohemians of today have amalgamated themselves in to the very society they deride from being a musician on a rock band who has to file an income tax record to a gypsy performer who has to pay rent. Bohemianism as a culture is fast evolving to include the EMO girls and the EMO boys of the new generation.
The creative spark in the Bohemians is very strong as a result of the non conformist nature, and furthermore, the freedom they enjoyed at so many levels allowed them to conceptualize this creative spark, thus giving them the label as the ‘creative folk’.

How is the time spent?

According to Richard Florida, the creative class refers to the group of Creative
Professionals, be they artists, musicians or IT professionals, the bands of multi thinkers have been labeled as the ‘creative group’. And Florida expounds further by saying that it is this ‘creative class’ that enables a city to surge ahead in development as well as its economy.

The creative class that Florida has highlighted to us is a group that values its individuality more than anything else, thus giving rise to the unique forms of expression that this group as a whole partakes in. For example, an IT professional may develop a code that is unique in almost every single way just as a painter may paint a mural that is equally unique. One could say that this group, that is both bourgeois and bohemian at the same time, strives hard to find their niche in this staid society with its various constraints. The society, as it is, always contains various groups, each having its own culture and ethos. This has been the way since time immemorial but the one group that lacks any of this is the ‘creative class’ as they do not see themselves as a part of any group but rather consider themselves to be individuals in almost all aspects. But even such individuals, no matter how creative they are, would have to adapt themselves to the constraints of the society, one of the main ones being time.

It is time, which holds sway over all of society, with all segments of society, industrialist or farmer, all coming under it. There is no part of society that is immune from this, for it is this time that defines us all in the end. But when it comes to the creative class, they have decided to adapt themselves to this constraint but have also decided to warp it at the same time as well. Normally, we would plan our tasks for the day according to the time, but the creative class, as much as they hate to be defined by time, in the sense that they do not want to be creative according to the deadlines and deliverables. But that is the way of this society so as a way of adapting to this time factor, the neo-bohemians or the creative class, have taken to warping this time, by either not letting time matter at all or by undertaking a multitude of tasks at the same time.

The later is naturally called ‘multi- tasking’ one that seeks to optimize ones time to the maxima and accomplishes more than what any other normal person may do in the same amount of time. A creative person may not pay heed to the time at all as in the case of the painter painting the mural, he or she may well forget that it is time to eat dinner or go to sleep and continue painting, letting their creative juices flow. Or an IT professional may prefer to load his dishwasher, sauté the onions while attending to his mobile phone and feed his cat, all at more or less the same time, thereby optimizing his time to the maximum and accomplishing more. Today, most of the creative class undertakes multi tasking to one extent or the other, from the day-to-day mundane tasks to working on many projects at the same time. As the creative class seeks out different ways to exercise their minds, multitasking offers them one venue to do so. The creative folk may have abhorred the watches at a time but not any more. The bohemian professionals of today are quite aware of the importance of time and in that aspect, are quite keen to exercise their creative ‘freedom’. Naturally being a bohemian, it is only natural they would want to exercise it by acting in a play or being a part of a music group.

An open society encourages freedom of thought and fosters a belief in one that creativity would be appreciated and not shunned. Such an open policy would in turn help the various sections of the society to be more tolerant as well as supportive of any creativity shown by others. There have been numerous cases in the past where a creative person had been shunned on account of his innovativeness, e.g. Copernicus. The modern society, although more tolerant than before is still a bit reclusive when it comes to change, especially one that may well tend to change our very outlook.

Creativity has intensified over time to such an extent that it has started to give one the impression of being ‘crunched for time’. With creativity evolving our lifestyles, time has gained a new premium in the last few years with the impression that ‘there is never enough time’ pervading to almost all the walks of life. This is a direct result of time optimization, doing a lot within a short time frame, that it is now expected of us all the time, no pun intended. The way that we relate to time has also changed, by trying to do more within less time, thus leading to the feeling that there is never enough time.
The netocrats of today experience this feeling more than anybody else in the sense, that their workdays constantly keep on extending, their schedules relate more to work than anything else, social life is minimal and trying to pack in as much as possible within the short amount of time.

For example, while we used to go to the movies and have an enjoyable time with our family and friends and then head out to dinner, the new time warp has changed all that. We are constantly aware of our work and what we can do in the free time that we seek to multi task, trying to always be on the move, preferring to watch a DVD at home while eating diner to that of heading to the multiplex.

As technology advances, so does our anticipation of what each and every moment of time should be like for us. That is, we are all trying to get the ultimate experience, by packing in as much as we possibly could within each moment. Florida has stated that amongst some of the reasons contributing to this ‘time warp’ is the flexibility of the creative class regarding their workday; this is especially all too true with regard to the neo-entrepreneurs. The creative professionals are all quite taken in by the concept of the flexible day so much so, that some of the companies have already adopted this flexible model, especially where their developers are concerned. One may have thought that with flexible workdays, the creative professional would work less hours, but the opposite is the truth, with many employees working twice as hard under such a model. Again, this is all in the quest of loading as much experience as one can achieve within the given time frame. As a result, multi tasking, is used by many a creative professional to enhance their experiences and abilities as well.

It is only logical to believe that creative folk would prefer to enhance their creative abilities be it music or art or anything else in what ever free time that they may have. Time may be the ultimate master but where the creative class is concerned, this time gets warped and optimized by them so as to accomplish more.

How do they spend their money?

Creativity has always required a certain amount of financial input so as to flourish and this; history has proved again and again. Many a ‘creative work’ in the past including the ‘Mona Lisa’, had all taken a certain amount of financial contribution by way of sponsorships or outright purchases to come to fruition. Money has always been a part of creativity, whether it is in the beginning or in the later stages, it has always been an essential part of it. The statement that creativity has nothing to do with gaining financial advantage, would not be accurate, to say the least.

The creative professionals of today are not all that different from the creative professionals of yesteryear in the sense that they all expect to be rewarded commensurate with their skills. But the creative professionals of today, in addition to being rewarded, also expect to be on the fast rack to the top. Of course, this does raise the argument, that creativity in a person often trends to impatience with others but then again, such an argument could be easily countered as what may seem as impatience to others may just be a manifestation of the creative professional’s frustration at being ‘constrained’. The creative class of today have a higher sense of self and as such, they tend to value themselves quite highly, even to the extent of enacting a ‘primma donna’, to get their way. As a result, most of the creative professionals, in the technology sector as well as those in managerial positions, get fat pay packages.

The creative class is not just a class of inventors and innovators but also of one that is able to visualize the business opportunities in life and take advantage of it. Creative class is not just about the creative professionals but also of the entrepreneurs who are able to take advantage of opportunities that come their way. This utilization of different opportunities and providing a various host of services is one of the things that led to the explosion of the dot com market.

To further explore the issue of the creative class and money, one must think back to Ancient Rome and the Modern Rome. The ancient Rome was not built in a day and its society too consisted of a certain segment of people, the senators, who did not face any hardship, who did not serve in the army and one who were born into the privilege and rank of nobility. As such, these people shaped Rome to be what is was then, an economic powerhouse and an empire with vast boundaries. Some of the senatorial positions were even given as a reward to those who showed an aptitude for development of the state. The end result being that with most of the creative class in power, especially during the time of Emperor Augustus and Hadrian, the architectural wonders of Rome rose from the ashes to blaze on to glory. They transformed Rome into an engine of development, one that would not be halted for many centuries to come. With its coffers overflowing with the spoils of many conquered lands, Rome was rebuilt many times; its aqueducts extended to many a roman city and designed to bring running water into it and the army was modernized to form the war machine, the implacable Roman army. The later years saw the decline of ancient Rome, with many of its colonies rebelling against it and fresh invasions on all fronts, the once implacable war machine being conquered, as a result of over diversification.

Where money is concerned, it is, the creative class earns more today than any other segment of the society, they expect to get remunerated more, with the end result being that they have more to spend. While the workforce of the yesteryear would stay with their families, the creative class of today has different aspirations to that. They prefer to have their own space and as a result, desire to seek out their own lodgings. They are more self – centered and on account of such self-centric motivations, they are able to express themselves in a more individualistic way than otherwise. The creative class of today is seeking to augment their individuality by attempting to ‘personalize’ any purchases. Even the places that they stay in should stand out in one way or the other and they would most definitely prefer not to stay in any urban areas or flats as such.
Where the creative classes are concerned, brands may well be the flavor of the day, with creative professionals often opting to buy the best and the most expensive, all in search of their individuality. Often some of them even resort to purchasing designer dresses as well, so that they can appear to be different in spite of the human instinct to appear the same and blend in. With this desire to be different even showing up in the most mundane of items, like ordering ones lunch. The creative professional would be extremely fussy and very particular over what he or she wants, so that in the end, the image that is presented to the world at large is one that is not one among the many but rather one that is unique.
The creative professional, being adept at technology, would have definitely purchased all the very latest from systems to ipods. Besides technology, ‘hot branding’ would definitely be the in thing with the creative professionals, that is wearing the latest trendy wear but one that is customized at the same time or if one can afford it, a designer wear. From the Plasma screen to the latest pair of shoes, more and more creative professionals have a tendency to shop online and utilize the tools of ecommerce. This is only to be expected given that they are quite comfortable with technology as a result of its sophistication.

How much are they spending?

The ‘creative class’ according to Richard Florida is a group that is constantly seeking out more open, tolerant societies, ones that would allow them to integrate in without any issues of any kind. This class of people generally consists of inventors, innovators, artists and more of the same; as such it is this creative class that is earning more remuneration more than any other segment of the society at large.
As the creative class struggle to give form to individuality in a society that still continues to believe in ‘one size fits all’ policy, they are increasingly spending on material purchases that emphasize the individual streak rather than spend on something bought at a department store.
The creative class tends to live more for today rather than for tomorrow, in the sense they are seeking a rich and a multi cultural experience. They live increasingly rich lifestyles with most of their desires taken care of. Such a lifestyle is bound to be expensive but where the creative classes are concerned, this is much preferable than living a drab lifestyle, just like one of the many and planning for a future many years away.
The expenditure clause is one where any expenditure is acceptable as long as it is able to deliver the rich experience that they seek, and this alone should describe their spending nature more than anything else.

Where do they spend their money?

The creative class as a whole of late has impressed their individuality on the society in a variety of ways, be it from that unique necklace to the one of a kind Cartier watch. They have sought to stand out from the crowd in their mode of dress, their way of speech, their entertainment requirements as well as many other things. These classes of people seek open and tolerant societies as well as tolerant work places, so that such places can adapt to their uniqueness and they do not have to compromise on their individual self.
Since the origin of the Internet, the ways of expressing oneself has increased manifold, with one of the main ones being websites and blogs. This is the age of technology, one that has been readily adapted by the creative class to express their self in, as such, it should not come as a surprise that many belonging to this group, tend to have the very latest in technology, from mobile phones, personal computer, DVD players to entertainment sets. Technology, of late has become one of the easiest ways for any of the creative class to get ‘creative’ by utilizing many of the online tools that are either readily available or can be obtained for free. The creative class has a very sublime relationship with technology that they constantly seek to harness something that is common yet the end result being unique in nature.
The creative class values its self and any thing that could lead to the development of one self. As such, many belonging to the creative class have taken part in spiritual education especially in that of yoga; as such they seek to attain a higher form of individuality. The stereotypes are disliked, as there is no ‘I’ in ‘we’. It is this very thought that often leads to the creative class shopping in select centers that provide unique merchandise.
The one thing that the creative class often seek to do is to customize their merchandises so that they are unique and not a part of anything. As such, they often purchase customized T- shirts, unique watches, tea bags made from a unique blend, anything and everything that sets them apart from the rest.
The creative class tends to gravitate more towards ethnicity than anything urban, as they are more acceptable of the differences than the commonalities. The people belonging to the creative class often pay a lot so as to customize even their colognes; this should tell anyone of their need to emphasize their difference. As it is, the creative class, often seek out entertainments which tend to appeal to both a sophisticated and an intelligent audience, as such they often visit the art galleries and museums. The creative class prefers to spend their money with the purpose of creating a preferable ambience, as is the case with art galleries or to seek out and purchase items that highlight their uniqueness like the customization of products. One is bound to run into more of the creative class in any one of the specialist shops that provide unique items for their customers.

How do they work?

The creative class stands for self, individuality, expression and development, whether it is self-development or the development of the corporate that they are working for. The companies have all realized the true potential of the individual self over that of the collective self in the sense that more or less, almost all the top companies impart training of some kind or the other to their employees.
These training sessions are generally termed as ‘soft skill’ session and their goal is two fold, one to develop the cooperativeness of the team as a whole but more importantly to encourage each and every employee to develop their individuality and thereby give full rein to that creative spark. The companies understand that the creative class forms an essential workforce that is key to the development of the company as a whole, there fore, it is imperative that the company encourages this creativity so as to retain their services for the company.
The creative class as a whole prefers to work in ambiences that are easygoing with fewer constraints placed on them. In addition, they would like to work in a challenging environment and would prefer to work on projects that are equally challenging if not more. The companies have realized that remuneration, although an important issue is not the main issue as far as the creative class goes. The people belonging to this particular group are more prone to leave their job because they felt bored on account of the various constraints at the workplace stifling their creativity. So in order to retain the creative professional, many a company may have to re-evaluate their work environment if they are to maintain that edge over their rival. In addition, by encouraging creativity, the company can expect to increase its output as well as develop host of new products/services on account of this. It is the companies that are able to adapt to the ‘creative professional’ that are bound to develop more than the ones that do nothing but complain about them.
The old image of the workforce especially during the industrial era is of the ‘9 to 5’ with the siren blasting off at 5 pm and that was the end of the workday. As the creative professionals have taken to utilizing the technology as one of their main tools of expression, it is through this very same technology that many of them are seeking mobile platforms to work on. As a result, many of the creative folk have started freelancing their talents to other companies situated elsewhere and with the ability to work round the clock from any place, any time and any where, the creative folk are able to be their own boss. In addition, this form of freelancing provides many of them with a valuable training in that particular area so that in a matter of time, many of them have a start-up company of their own.
As a result of this, many of the top companies are fast changing their work ethics so as to meet the needs of the creative professionals. This is to ensure that they do not leave the company and transform into their rivals, and all for a lack of expression at that. In the near future, with technology pervading every essence of society to one level or the other, it is inevitable that most of the creative folks would prefer freelancing as an option to working for the company and with their talents for multi tasking and time utilization, they should be able to do this quite effectively.

Where do they spend their time online?

The creative classes in their quest for individuality seek out self-help sites, networks, and social networking, to the end anything and everything that accrues to their creativity at large. To start off with, more than half the creative folk are bound to have a blog at the minimum and it is through such blogs that they tend to express themselves online most of the time.
In addition to blogs, the creative folk have taken to e-commerce in a huge way in the sense that they shop for the rare and the unusual through this method. The creative class as a whole considers itself to be both modern and progressive and it should not come as a surprise that they have adapted technology to such a huge extent.
One of the main reasons that one would find most of the creative folk online is that this technology creates a sense of openness, where the old social barriers matter no more. With options such as pc to phone talk and all done in the anonymous mode, the old labels no longer matter. As a result, on account of the openness of this technology, most of the old social barriers have disappeared and no subject is taboo online. With people from various walks of like, with many a different predilection; it is literally the gathering of all the variety of life in a box. This has resulted in the creative class being more informed on the day to day events and ironically being more in touch with what is happening around them.

Where they live?

According to Richard Florida, the cities that are hip, trendy, open and more tolerant of the various life choices of a person, generally as a tendency attract more of the creative class than the cities that are not. As a result, the engine of growth in each and every one of these cities is more dependent on the creative professionals who want to live there than on the companies themselves. Furthermore, the cities may not become an economic powerhouse by offering various incentives to the companies to open shop there but could well achieve this objective by developing various infrastructure projects that tend to portray an open and a secular face of the city for the general public.
As a result of such a make over, the city would seem a whole lot more attractive to the creative folk who by the way are on the look out for tolerant and open cities to settle in. Naturally it follows that with the creative folk as a part of the city, the top companies would only soon follow. Such cities which already have an image of being open to creativity and open to any idea, such progressive cities are the ones that would tend to grow in leaps and bounds, that said, one can say with a certain amount of certainty that Boston is definitely cooler than Florida, therefore Boston is a ‘creative city’. Some of the other so called creative cities are Austin, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, and Portland to name a few and there are the not so cool cities that are literally racing against time to perpetuate a change in their cities like Buffalo, so as to meet the challenge posed by the other cities.

This is the 21st century and the age of technology, as it is competition is severe and in order to get a march, the cities would have to adopt a more open and trendy look so as to encourage creativity in all its forms.
As ‘being different’ is what most of the creative class is concerned, the trend of urbanization relative to the creative class is on a decline. The creative class prefers to lodge in buildings, which are special in one way or the other, from being a part of an antique building to one where an incident or two had taken place. These are some of the ways that the creative class communicates its signature, from lodging at a unique place to wearing cologne that has been customized specifically for that person.
As a result of the creative workforce being more mobile, they tend to travel more and as a result, do not form long lasting relationships. The single unit family is fast disappearing as far as the creative class goes by, for the people belonging to this group, tend to disassociate from the rest of the society by immersing them selves in work. The creative folk of today are more apt to form impermanent relationships and this too, over the net than in real life.
There are various communities all over the world, which stress more on openness, individuality and creativity. One such community is none other than Auroville, a community that has now grown into an almost self-sufficient city in southern India. This place emphasizes creativity more than anything else with the modern aurovillians all taking part in this unique venture called ‘auroville’. Today, auroville, produces its own crops, harnesses its own form of electricity as well as fresh water and in addition produces a series of unique products that it markets worldwide. To be creative to the fullest one must experience a certain amount of freedom and it is this very freedom that has since time immemorial, helped the Human race as a whole patter along from the discovery of the wheel to the WWW phenomena that it is today. The creative class is bound to cause more changes in all the various strata of the society and when the creative class realizes its potential as a group, come together; then they would be powerful enough to cause great things to happen.
Dr. Richard Florida is available for a certain number of executive workshop sessions, the duration of the workshop themselves are only for a day or two at the most. These workshop sessions are to enable the small business executives to understand and come to terms with the creative economic theory. These sessions with Dr. Florida are quite small in size so as to enable more of an in-depth learning and a one to one dialogue. These sessions are aimed to empower the executives so that they would be able to optimize better and be more creative as a result of these workshops.

REFERENCES / CITATIONS: This article was based partly on the information collated from a variety of sources, which are all listed below.

http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_1_the_curse.html

http://everything2.com/e2node/creative%20class

http://sohodojo.com/mt-creative-enterprise-cluster.html

http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/economy.html

http://www.ushistory.org/lovepark/news/cp091202.htm

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110004573

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-2427.2005.00620.x
JAMIE PECK (2005) Struggling with the Creative Class
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 29 (4) , 740–770 doi:10.1111/j.1468-2427.2005.00620.x

http://creativeclass.typepad.com/thecreativityexchange/talent/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_class

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_class

http://www.creativeclass.com/workshops/

http://www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida/video/index.php?video=02_CreativeEconomy

http://www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida/video/index.php?video=03_EconomicImpact

The card help, anytime, any day, anywhere!

2008-04-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Most of us have credit cards and as such, we must have all required urgent credit card assistance at one time or the other. And when we did require such assistance, just how often did we get the help that we needed in time? Not that many times at all, actually the number of times I managed to get the assistance that I needed in the nick of time, could be counted with just two of my fingers. Most of the times when we require quick help or emergency assistance there are not that many people around to help us out or for that matter not that many online sites either.
But now, the site that I had recently come across fits the bill to the T as far as 'emergency assistance' and 'quick answers' go by. For example, be any problem, any issue regarding credit cards, you should be able to raise it here in this site and you should be able to get the answers that you seek with no problems whatsoever. This site also provides links to check out the variety of offers many of the card companies seem to be intent on offering us all the time. We can also use this site to check out the various cards, compare their interest rates as well as the local credit cards. This is the site to give us the qualified credit card assistance that we all so badly need. So if in need of urgent credit card assistance, you can always check this site out for your answer to that urgent query you may have regarding your credit cards.

Zimbabwe heads to Kangaroo district!

2008-04-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

We all have been aware of the shenanigans of Mugabe and his coterie, manipulating the law of the land to suit their own ends. With the inflation reaching the stratosphere of common sense, the country and the common man suffered for long under Mugabe. With the current elections, they had decided more or less, to show Mugabe the door and that would have happened had the election commission released the results.
But with the court refusing to get into the mess and ordering the commission to release the results, it seems that Mugabe may just well manipulate the results and try to continue as the head of the government pushing Zimbabwe further into decline. It is high time that Mugabe realised that he cannot do what ever he wants to do and expect everyone else to stick it up. The whole world is watching the Zimbabwe crisis unfold with dismay and Mugabe should realise that they would be only too happy to step into the fray. One of the most common reasons for declaring a war these days is to enforce democracy. Some of the Zimbabweans may be with Mugabe but most of them are not and this may well be the premise for any nation to attack Mugabe and install the popular leader as the head of the government!

Reservations on the call!

2008-03-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

We all love to travel and most of us have specific needs and requirements that we need to be taken care of, especially when we travel. Generally we try to book the Hotel rooms by ourselves and while doing that we tend to explain our needs to the concierge at the other end.Let's face it, in spite of the large amount of international visitors who travel overseas, language is still a huge problem and as a result of that, most of our requirements go through one ear and out through the other.
I had come across this site recently and I have to say that from a travelers perspective this is one great site. Not only was I able to book my hotel rooms according to my specifications but I was able to get all of my requirements filled up exactly. One can book anything here from Hotel rooms to motel rooms and the best part is they all come with these fantastic offers that anyone would have a very hard time saying no to.
With the communication barrier being down at this site, I would have to say that we as travelers should take full advantage of this and utilize this site to the fullest. It is often the communication barrier that prevents us from having a relaxing holiday and with the help of this site, even that problem is all taken care of. We no longer have to worry whether we are going to get the rooms that we had booked or a closet dressed up as a room. With this site, we can truly have an enriching holiday experience!
The other neat thing about this site is the rates, they are some of the lowest rates that I have seen so far. To go to this site, just click on the links above!

The Dalai Lama tells China to stop lying!

2008-03-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

It seems that the whole world is watching with baited breath as to what China plans to do next vis-a-vis Tibet. China had accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting trouble in Tibet ahead of the Beijing Olympics so as to cause troubles for the communist government. But with the recent statements emanating from France it is quite obvious that there are no takers to the 'Dalai lama is behind the Tibet violence' story.
The Dalai Lama had come to Delhi to hold a prayer meeting and had asked for all of his friends to unite over the Tibet issue. The Dalai Lama had also told Beijing in no uncertain terms that no one is ready to toe the line that Beijing would like them to toe and that it is high time that Beijing accepted the ground realities of the situation in Tibet. As much as China would like to have the Dalai Lama disappear into thin air, that is not going to happen ever and China must have realized by now that to talk with the Dalai Lama is a much better option than not talking at all. With that in mind, the Chinese government has proposed to talk with the Dalai Lama but under precondition that the Dalai Lama and his followers forsake all violence in Tibet ahead of the Olympics. The next move is all up to the Dalai Lama, let the games begin!

The cards to sort through!

2008-03-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the day that we want to apply for a credit card but there are so many of them out there, that it is more than a little difficult to chose which ones to apply for. In that sense, I have to say that this site is really good at what it does, from analysing all the cards there are out there in the market to telling us which ones and which offers should we seriously consider.
Think of this site as a more of a web organiser, because in the end, that is what it does, this site manages to review each and every card deals there are in the market from the no credit ones to the thousands of offers these card companies make each and every single day. The one thing that we must all understand is that these card offers are more often than not to the benefit of the company than to us. So we need these offers seriously analysed before we jump the gun on them and that is where this site comes in. It does that and a whole lot more than that, it manages to give us a very good idea on all about credit from the start to finish. So if you are in the market for a credit card,then do check this site out.

China - say no to Olympics!

2008-03-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

The recent Tibet violence is slowly spreading to other districts and towns in China and should give the Communists there some off for thought to see the countless thousands who are not very happy with the governance so say the least. That said,it would be a mockery to write off the current Tibet violence as a public relations disaster. It shows at the very least the amount of discord that is prevalent in this Buddhist capital, one that no matter how much the communists may try to whitewash it as something else. It is quite evident that the communist rule has been very harsh on the Tibetans living there and then to say that the Dalai Lama, his holiness, was behind all this is just typical of the kind of behaviour that one may expect from the current Chinese government.
The fact of the matter is that the current government and the style of governance is not exactly loved in China or out side of China either. The neighbouring countries like those of Japan,Taiwan and India well know the risk and the danger that China poses to the whole world. China must understand that in order to develop further and to be considered developed, it must get rid of its dependence on the age old policy of fear and intimidation and must start embracing the concepts of free speech and religious tolerance. Until and unless this happens, the other countries would soon become developed long before China has. Take a look at Japan,in spite of its connection to the war time atrocities, today Japan is accepted as a widely developed country and one that is also highlighted as a model of development. Take a look at India, with so much baggage and so much poverty, India is growing much faster than all the other developed countries put together and is already three quarters of the way to getting that label 'developed'. China,on the other hand,if it keeps on suppressing its own people, would soon find itself in very hot waters, not the kind that one would find at a spa, but one that preempts a revolution. All I can say to any Chinese reading this is to batter down, because a storm is indeed coming and it is heading for the Chinese mainland!

Gold is the hymn these days!

2008-02-26T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Yellow metal has never shined as brightly as it does these days and it seems that the gold is the way to go to for most of the investors these days. But when it comes to either purchasing or selling coins, you can do not better than to approach the Monex rare coin, a part of the Monex group of companies.
This is the company to go to for any advice that you may need on gold coins. Normally you seek to purchase gold coins either for collection purposes or for investment. For investment purposes, here at Monex, they have investment grade coins that are worth well above $10,000. There are other kind of coins available in other packages as well.
The Monex rare coins are the dealers dealer when it comes to rare coins as well as gold coins. They offer us the best rates when it comes to purchase and sales of such coins and since they have contacts in almost every coin market in the world, these are also the guys to come to in order to secure the best rate for both purchase and sales. So, irrespective of whether you are seeking valuable coins for your portfolio or for any other purpose, as long as you want the best for the least, these are the guys to call up on!

The blog genie!

2008-02-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Bloggerwave is the new guy on the block for the bloggers out there, compared to the other sites, this is one site with a difference. For starters, here the bloggers are given prominence and what is more the opps here come with a no follow tag. Which translates to no problems whatsoever for the bloggers out there.

This site certainly goes out of its way to make sure that its bloggers get good opps and one that certainly pays on time. Until now, I have never had any issues with them on any account and I have to say that of most of the sites that I have done a review for, these guys are one of the best. So, just drop by bloggerwave and see what it is all about!

How low can you get?

2008-02-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

The current election campaigns are tearing the democrats apart by all this sledging. To say that only one side is indulging in it would be a lie, since both the sides, that is the camps of both Hilary and Obama are pretty much having a go at it. But one should point out that at least Obama’s side seems to be doing their research so that whatever they ‘sledge’, it sticks.

Case in point is the NAFTA issue, which Hilary can deny until she is blue in the face but the facts speak for themselves. Whereas the Clinton camp seems to be circulating a photo of Obama wearing a turban, and implying that all those who wear one are Muslims.

Well his HRH prince Charles wore one but that did not make him one nor did the fact that Omaba was a chief guest who was asked to try out a costume stop the Clinton’s from sledging.

This election has bought out the best and the worst in Politicians, as usual but what really surprises me is the fact that a well seasoned politician like Hilary can make mistakes as the one she did with the photo. Rule of the thumb is that if you are going to sledge then you better do your homework to make sure that the dirt sticks!

Obama slams Hilary on NAFTA!

2008-02-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

We all saw Hilary having a go at Obama's mailings just a couple of days ago. The timing of such an attack is naturally suspected and Obama echoed this as well. It is only natural to assume that your rival will try and go for the jugular especially if that so called rival has been losing constantly. It seems that the ‘crocodile tears’ did not help Hilary that much this time around.

Anyway, Obama was very clear on NAFTA and today, in his speech he had pretty much clarified his position on it much to the discomfiture of both the opposing camps [count as Hilary and McCain]. This election resembles more and more a bollywood movie, with actors borrowing lines left and right. We have Hilary on one hand trying to copy Obama’s lines and failing miserably at it. Even a school child would be able to see that all that Hilary’s so called advisors are doing is re framing Obama’s lines and spewing it back to the public at large. And McCain of late seems to have taken a page from Hilary’s book and has started doing that as well. The speeches of the candidates resemble more and more like the old reruns that we get on the telly with the only difference being that at least the old re runs had some entertainment factor in them.

That was what I had thought until a couple of days ago, when Hilary all of a sudden decided to get aggressive. Well, if the heat is going to be turned on, the sooner the better as most of their recent speeches with the sole exception of Obama Barack seem to be putting me to sleep.

Regarding NAFTA, we all know that it is one agreement that is skewered in no one’s favor and that it is the one agreement that definitely either has to go or needs to be looked into. We also know the roles that both the Clinton’s played as far as this agreement goes and for Hilary to say that the mailers that the Omaba camp sent out was wrong, is laughable. More like that she did not want that to come out now with her nomination in jeopardy and with both Ohio and Texas turning out to be the crucial states.

Whatever happens in both Ohio and Texas, the one thing that most Americans as well as the rest of the world wants is a change for the better. The United States deserves a president who is strong and capable and does not get overly emotional like the way Hilary did. Obama uses Mahatma Gandhi as a role model and that is one hell of a role model to choose. Mahatma Gandhi acted on his words and led an entire nation to freedom; one can only hope that Obama performs as half as good as the Mahatma. As you can see by my post here, I would very much prefer that Obama wins the primaries and ends up winning the election. I just cannot stomach the thought of another Clinton in the White House, now or ever!

The care that we need these days!

2008-02-22T14:29:00.002-08:00

Often as a result of our work we are not that able to look after our elderly parents/relatives as well as we should. These are the days when we need to work two shifts or take two different jobs so that we an make the ends meet. Sometimes we are so tired when we return from our work that we forget to give the necessary medicines to our elderly parents/relatives. We have all been through that and maybe it is time that we all thought of nursing homes.

Whenever we think of nursing homes, we tend to think of them as nothing more than cash registers, ringing out the bill for us to pay and paying little heed to their patients. Anyway, those days are long gone, especially with a nursing home like this one.

Here, the rates are quite low compared to what the other homes charge and what is more, here they truly care about our relatives. So we would not be getting rid off them but instead we would be making sure that they get the kind of treatment that they truly deserve!

The ID burglars!

2008-02-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that a movie would become a reality and so quickly at that? What am I jabbering about? Well, I am talking about the movie 'The Net' and how true that it has all come about. These days almost every single movie that Hollywood produces seems to involve the ID theft in one way or the other. It has become that prevalent. But not to worry, with Lifelock, one of the top id protection companies, we can kiss such fears goodbye really soon. Just check out their site and their LifeLock Promo Code and you will see why I feel so reassured by them.
This site ensures that no one gets to steal your ID for a tune of one million dollars, believe it or not. They go out of their way to make sure that your id stays with you. And with such theft getting to be more common these days, it is high time that we all took some protection of some kind. This site offers various services for the protection of ones identity and one can utilize their Life Lock Promo Code to avail oneself of a huge discount.
With more and more of our banking/checking accounts becoming available online, getting such a protection would not be such a bad thing after all. I would not like to wake up one day and find out that someone had swiped my ID and had stolen all my money from my bank account. That is a scenario that can happen to anyone and to prevent it from ever happening to you, I suggest that you check out the Life Lock Promotion Code at your earliest!

Obama wows the Global democrats!

2008-02-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

The change is fast sweeping the mindsets of the democrat primaries and with Obama winning the global primaries it seems to be a non starter for the likes of Hilary Rodham Clinton. Obama seems to be on the move and both Hilary and McCain are getting a bit antsy where he is concerned. They both seem to be eager to dig up all the dirt that they can get on Obama and it seems that the dirt trail is hitting them instead. I shall cover that later.

For now, Obama is trying to look ahead to the Texas state and hope that the momentum will carry him through in that state as well. The Texas has always been a stronghold for the Clintons but thanks to George Bush and his policies, people may just want a change. The people well remember that the last time a Clinton was in the White House, the United States stood for sex, lies and videotape. So they are not going to be in a hurry to vote another Clinton in and they may well want a change for the better.

The primaries are for the next month and it is a touch and go for Hilary. Most of the media organizations are predicting a dead heat between the two of them and after the next month it will be the war of the Super delegates. I am sure that to the rest of the world this election must seem confusing at the very least, but then again, this is the process and one that we all must have to go through whether we like it
or not!

The furniture with a difference!

2008-02-14T14:03:00.002-08:00

This is the age of the internet and as such we do most of our shopping online be it for medicines or some thing as common as flowers. So one should not be all that surprised on hearing of the perfect site for discount contemporary furniture.

This is the perfect site to explore ones furniture options, this may also well be the time to throw out that dusty old furniture and get some really contemporary ones.
This site stands out from the rest of the pack in the way that it has been designed and also the price ranges here make this site quite attractive.
This site showcases all that is good in the modern era from sleekness to an aura of simplicity. Just go to the site to check it out and also there are special offers here from time to time. So check this place often and when you come across such offers, make use of it right away!

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2008-02-14T14:03:00.001-08:00

The online casino mantra!

2008-02-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

Money seems to be the go word these days in the Internet, everyone and anyone is on the lookout to make a quick buck. One of the ways that they end up doing exactly that is by playing games at an online casino like this one here.
What makes this site stand out from the rest of the pack, which is a difficult feat considering the number of online casino sites there are, is that you get a welcome bonus of $808 right away.

This site is so neatly designed that no one should have any problems playing any of the casino games that are available here! When it comes to making money more and more members here seem to be doing just that. So if you are in the mood to try your luck playing casino games, then may I suggest that you head for this virtual casino here as it seems to be the 'Lucky one' for so many people!

Obama leads Clinton in Super tuesday!

2008-02-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

Well I guess it is too early to say HUZZAH! I for one am glad that Obama barack has taken the lead, a very short lead but a lead nevertheless. It is high time that we all got rid of all the Clinton contenders once and for all.
The entire nation must have been sick to their cores with all the 'lies,sex and videotapes' surrounding the Clintons.

When Hilary turned on the waterworks, that was the clincher. There must have been a few who may have mistaken those tears for actual ones, but I would not put it past her to use a bottle of Glycerin to produce those tears. Anyway, I do not think that we have ever seen anyone so power hungry as the Clintons and now the time has come to say goodbye to them once and for all.

The super tuesday has made it clear that the race is going to be a dead heat and all bets are off. The 'Washington' factor is going to come into play soon and I hope that it says 'Obama' all the way!

The perfect processor!

2008-02-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

These days with geo politics getting shaken and stirred left and right, most of the online shops need that perfect processor to process all the credit card payments that they may receive online. As such, this site offers the perfect solution to all vendors alike and what is more, may even drum up more clientèle for the business.This is indeed that perfect Internet Credit Card Processor.

True, with things changing so fast these days, we may need all the help that we can get so that we can keep pace with our competition. Here with the help of this company your site should be able to accept all credit card payments and what is more, this site also provides for the Acceptance of Visa & Mastercard Best Rates.

There are sites where even if the customers want to purchase an item, their cards would simply not work. And most of the times this is as a result of lousy software. Well, with this site, you would no longer have that problem as they provide some of the best programs in this field. These guys provide some of the best Visa & Mastercard Payment Solutions. So for solutions of the same, come on in!

Israel, fuming and angry!

2008-02-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

Every time that the militants manage to attack a place or two, there is always a 'knee jerk' reaction from one or the other countries in that region. This is certainly true when it comes to Israel. It seems that all the middle eastern countries in that region from Jordan to Syria seem to embrace Hannibal's rule of 'an eye for an eye' more vigorously than any other civilization has done to date.

The recent attack on Israel by a suicide bomber has left Israel fuming and angry, to say that Israel is itching to get back at the militants would be an understatement. As it is, they have already launched a few Ariel strikes against Palestine and would love to do more. But what most of these countries that take part i such activities is the failure to realize that none of these attacks are doing any of them good.

For one, innocents get killed on both the sides, mothers are left childless,the investors would not want to invest in such a troubled area, the tourists would stop coming,the fuel prices would hike and as it is Israel has already stopped the supply of fuel to certain areas of Palestine.....none of this is good. True, I may have simplified the problem but what I have posted are based on facts and it is already happening!

Israel,palestine,united states,economy,tourists,syria,jordan

The trendy wear coverage!

2008-02-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

The days of the big bulky glasses are long gone, say hi to the new look in glasses. the next time that the doctor tells that you would have to wear glasses, well, just make your way to the Zenni Optical $8 Rx Glasses. For one thing, they have the new look and other than that they cost so less that the price ranges will literally take your breath away.

The main reason that the prices are so low here is that these guys manufacture their own frams and then sell them to us with no middleman or any advertising costs in between. So in my opinion this makes them the Best Thing Found: Zenni Optical. With a wide range available for both the men and the women, i wold not be all that surprised if Bono was seen sporting glasses from Great Discovery: Zenni Optical!

Venezuela bank robbers captured!

2008-01-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

It had all the hallmarks of a badly written western but at least this one had a happy ending of sorts. Venezuela, not really known for its law and order, had to face a sort of catch - 22 with the bank robbers holding some members of the public as hostage.
In the beginning they managed to take at least 30 hostages but later, released them as a sign of good faith. In the closing chapters of this episode, they took five hostages with them and fled away in an ambulance. of all the escape vehicles, this was one of the dumbest ones that they could have used. Instead of using a vehicle that would easily meld into the background, they went and chose one which was sure to stand out even in a car rally. Anyway on being surrounded, these mentally incapacitated bank robbers surrendered having at last discovered that 'Crime does not pay'.

Financing options rock!

2008-01-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

Well with the banks taking on the role of bad 'ol Scrooge, the situation for getting a loan was not all that good. Is it any surprise that with the economy being the way that it is that we all need help in one way or the other with our finances. Even if we think of going to our bank to apply for one, they drag their feet with our application approval and it would be eons, literally before we get to hear from them. So if one needs a certain amount of Start Up Financing, one has to seek out alternative venues for it other than banks!

One of the best sites that has proved to be an invaluable source of Start Up Financing is none other than this one. Here at this site, the approval of the application is so fast that it can literally make your head swim. That is not all, once approved the cash is deposited into your checking account right away!

The service here is nothing but great and all of your queries are answered right away. The nice part of the whole thing is that there is a easy repayment plan available here. As far as Start Up Financing is concerned, this is the site to go to!

Have trouble finding the perfect person?

2008-01-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

These days with the economy having one of those bad hair days, it is getting more and more difficult to find the right person for the job. Everyone who comes in is either too qualified or demands too much With everyone tightening their purses, it may be time to ask for help in this regard.

A.e.fieldman and associates are one of the best when it comes to finding that perfect person for the job. Not only do they make sure that the person is the right fit but they also take care to ensure that the person is the best one for it as well. The recruiters here are the best recruiters in the various fields that they represent from financial and risk management services, legal and legal support services to communication and technology and more.

The competition is getting tougher these days and all the jobs are equally stressful. It no longer matters whether you work from a helicopter or a skyscraper, but the only thing that should matter to any business is getting that right person for the job and that is where the A.E. Feldman Associates, Inc come in the picture. With them, getting the perfect person for any risk management jobs would be a cakewalk!

Vanity - how much is enough?

2008-01-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

The days of caring seems to be far behind us, most of us, if not nearly all of us, are as shallow as the next model to walk on the ramp.Most of us, from Women to Men, are all concerned with the way that we look. Take Brad Pitt for example, it seems that Brad hates when his birthday comes along, as it only serves to remind him as to how old he is really getting? What did he think? That he was going to remain the same forever? That should give you an idea as to how vain we all are!

Gold, attractive as usual and even more so!

2008-01-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Gold has certainly got a new shine these days and it seems to be one of the hottest selling commodities in the metal market. The economical backlash of the sub prime crisis, the mortgage issue, the Oil price raise and the pounding that some of the most major currencies have got in the world market have all contributed in one form or the other to the value of gold going all the way up. Indeed, this happens to be one of the best times to invest in the metal markets.
The metals, silver and gold are always a good buy as the world stockpiles of both, namely silver is fast running out. Coupled with the recent price surges in both and the demand rate going up, it has made both silver and gold, very hot commodities that is on the 'must buy' list of almost every investor. The one main reason why the demand for these metals is so high could be that both gold and silver are considered to be 'safe bets' in the financial markets of the world.
Here at the Monex deposit company [MDC], they cater to the needs of many an investor by providing them both the gold and silver in the form of the bullion as well as coins and ingots. This company is a part of the Monex group of companies and as such, has been a world leader in the metal markets for over 30 years. They will provide any investor with all the latest information on the metal markets and also make available all the coins and ingots that they want to purchase. What is more, any such purchases are delivered to the customer right away or deposited in a well known bank for safekeeping. All in all, if you are looking for investments and good ones at that, then you should start considering the metal markets seriously and what is more, you can pay a visit to these guys by clicking the link above.
This post is sponsored by blogitive!

Frankenstein, eat your heart out!

2008-01-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

It seems that the vision of Frankenstein is becoming more of a reality these days than you would imagine it to be so. Recently, a group of Franken -tists have managed to make a dead heart beat again by infusing it with live cells. The heart in question was of course that of a rat, and they managed to get it beating again.
This does raise wonderful possibilities for the thousands of patients suffering from heart ailments, but it also brings into focus, the question of how far are we as a species willing to go, in order to achieve immortality?
There are, of course, certain things that we live to the divine. But now, with such advancements in science and namely medicine, can we tell the difference between curing and trying to play god? Is this right?
This is one question that has no easy answer,no one side to it. In the end, all it comes to is a matter of belief, god or medicine!

What glasses do you need to read this?

2008-01-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

These days, most of us require glasses or contact lens to read one thing or the other. Although, contact lens may cause problems, we tend to wear those because our glasses are not 'stylish' enough to wear outside.
Well, if you did what I did, by taking a walk into this Great Discovery: www.ZenniOptical.com, you will change your mind very quickly. For one, I no longer use my contact lens that often. With the range of frames and lens that are available in this shop, it seems that I have literally walked into a hoard of the cool glasses that one can get anywhere. From Bifocals to single vision glasses and to add to that there are the sun sensor lens as well, and all of the above in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, need I say more.
But the best part of this shop are the price ranges that are available here. One of the reasons as to why the price tag is so low is that this shop is supplies the frames that it produces. So if you are in need of some of the coolest glasses on the planet, then just take a walk in!
THIS IS A SPONSORED POST!

The United Nations threatens action over Darfur attacks!

2008-01-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

The situation in Darfur is going from bad to worse these days just when we all thought that it cannot get any more worse than it already has. Now the Sudanese troops have taken to taking potshots at the U.N peacekeepers posted there to maintain peace and order.
It is one thing for the Sudan to feign ignorance over the attacks on the innocent civilians but totally another to say that they do not even know that the peacekeepers were attacked. It is one blatant lie that will not pass muster of any kind and it is high time that the Security council declared war on Sudan. Enough is enough, the whole world knows that the Sudanese government and the troops and the militias have one thing in their minds and that is none other than the total extermination of the refugees in Sudan. The Security council should take strong action regarding Darfur and halt the genocide that seems to be taking place in spite of the peace keepers that are posted there!

The way to build things over!

2008-01-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

It is so difficult to find a good source of information as far as the construction field goes, with so many opportunities cropping up these days, everyone is busy in one way or the other. It seems that no one has the time to give any inputs on how to go about things, the areas to specialise in and the health and the safety rules. Well, that was the situation until a few days ago but now thanks to CSkills, we need not have that worry any more.

This site is a really good source of information, it has everything that you would want to know about the construction field and what is more, it gives you really valuable tips as well. Also, if you are looking to get a certification in this area, then just go to the link above and you will get all the information on the certification process. With the pace of development skyrocketing all over the world, all the countries need all the help that they can get with regard to construction. So, if you are interested in this area and want to further develop your expertise, then it may be a good thing for you to stop over here!

Chaos reigns supreme in the Universe!

2008-01-11T14:54:00.001-08:00

It seems that Chaos does reign supreme in the Universe, according to the press conference given by the astronomers today. According to them, the Earth is surrounded by rogue black holes, gas clouds targeting the Milky way, galaxy collisions and more of the same disorder and violence.
Our Universe is no longer governed by the staid and quite laws of Physics, I for one, am no longer going to think that physics and maths are boring subjects.
We, do not have anything to be worried about as these dangers are not in our immediate neighborhood as such. But nevertheless, it is time that we all stopped thinking that the Universe is one quiet baby, it is anything but that!

The game and the nations!

2008-01-10T13:40:00.001-08:00

Europe is crazy about Rugby and with the 6 nations championship all the more near, everyone is on the edge. With everyone rooting for this or her team, it sometimes becomes difficult to separate the fact from fiction. Everyone form the common man on the street to the punters, all want to know which team is going to win the championship.
If it was only all that easy, wait a minute, it can be that easy. All you would have to do is to go to the RBS 6 nations website and log in for all the latest information on the game of Rugby. This website is dedicated to the 6 nations championship and as such, it carries all the information on the game, the teams that are playing, the venue and the rest of the trivia that any sports buff may want.
All in all, this is the one site that is sure to give you and any punter out there as to which team is going to win this championship. So just check out the site and also do not forget to check out the podcast, this also gives you all the info that you may or may not want as far as Rugby goes. This is a one stop point for all the latest rugby news! so do make a point in stopping over and root for your favorite team!

Vote Obama, Not Clinton!

2008-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the year again when all the crazies come out of the basements and try to entice us with a truckload of sweet nothings. But the one candidate that has come out on the top and seems to be sincere of the whole bunch is none other than Barack Obama. This guy certainly seems to be the one to lead the United States out of Iraq and into the golden future.

I for one would not advocate choosing Clinton, let us not forget all the baggage that goes with them. I have to say that piece where Hilary almost broke down in public seems to be too good to be true. Let us not forget that this is the woman who is supposed to have stood by her husband in spite of his cheating ways, and all for the sake of power. The Clintons have proved again and again that they would do anything for the sake of power and as such, should be given the shove to, when it comes to the nominations!

The online casino with the jackpot!

2008-01-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

This site certainly stands out , not just for the design but also for the variety of the games that are available here at this online casino. This site has a neat design that makes it really appealing and it also has very easy to use features as well; but the best part of it all is that this casino makes it really easy for you to win here, unlike some of the other ones.

The neat thing here is that there are over 130 games available and also some of the old ones like blackjack. The neat thing at this online Vegas casino is that you get 320% as a sign up bonus. The games are very easy to play with and therefore at this site, it is very easy to win one thing or the other. Unlike other places, the casino games are designed in such a way that almost everyone turns into a winner here. Want to try your luck?

The hazards of peace!

2008-01-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

With the U.S president in the Mideast, trying to keep his tryst with destiny by brokering a peace deal with Israel and Palestine, gave a very nice speech regarding peace. It is not anything new, something that all those interested in brokering peace in the Middle east had already given. All that George bush had to do was to go back and sift through history and do a copy and paste [ providing he knows how to do it] and then give his speech.

But, I do have to say that going to the Middle east at a time like this certainly takes guts and on that, I think that we can all agree, that George bush does indeed have the chutzpah! As far as peace in the Middle east is concerned, that is not going to be easy at all, the Palestine issue was unduly complicated by the British when they vacated the place. Now, it is one big unholy mess and with no easy solution in sight, I cannot for the life of me see how Georgie is going to convert this visit into something of a success!

The writing assistant!

2008-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the year when academic excellence cannot be taken for granted anymore, we all need all the help that we can get with preparing our research papers, thesis papers and even day to day assignments. We are often swamped with work, so much so, that we cannot even figure out where to start and where to end the research paper.

It is fantastic that there are sites like this one where we can actually start buying research papers. Of course, we cannot substitute these research papers as our own as that would amount to sheer plagiarism, but the idea is that by purchasing such papers, we would have an idea as how to write our own research paper.

This site also provides us with editing and proofreading services as well and I have to say that their rates are really attractive, so purchasing any paper from them would most definitely not leave you bankrupt. They also provide a marketing research paper with some really great tips on how to write it. This site is really fantastic in the sense that they provide a resource for the students, one that would go a long way to helping us all out of a jam, the research paper services provided by this site is really some of the finest that I have ever come across so far!

The cat and mouse between the Iranian Navy and the U.S Navy!

2008-01-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

With all the baggage that exists between them, one would think that these two would have much better things to do than to play a 'cat and mouse' game and on international waters at that. If things were not bad between the two of them, they have to resort to this as well. In case, you are wondering what am I jabbering about here, it is all about the Iranian Navy targeting the U.S navy ships and vice versa.

All this does is bring to my mind a line from one of the many action movies, 'Children, we must all learn to share' and this is one lesson that neither party wants to learn anytime quickly. One can understand that both the Americans and the Iranians have a lot of baggage between the two of them, but if both India and Pakistan can be matured about the relationship between them, then why on earth shouldn't the U.S and Iran start behaving themselves, at least when they are in the international arena??

The aura of Online Backgammon!

2008-01-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

These are the days when we often come across many sites that purport to be the best in the gamin arena, I am sure that there are countless 'experts' but very few who actually deliver what they say. As such, this site does deliver and does more than that as far as the game of online backgammon is concerned.
This site offers the very latest information on Backgammon tournaments and also provides its members with all the tips that they would require in order to play well. In order to play backgammon all that one has to do is to register here, the site for all online Backgammon games.
This site is one of the best in the sense that it has a neat design and is very easy to use and the best of all, it is available in about 6 different languages. The game of backgammon online has entered a new era and now we have specialised sites like these which are totally devoted to this and this only! So click on and have fun!

Clinton against the wall?

2008-01-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

With the race for the White House heating up, today say Hilary Clinton speak with her back to the wall of the popular support that Barack,Obama has managed to raise in the Iowa caucuses. With Barack Obama fast becoming the welcome option for many, Hilary Clinton would have to do start climbing uphill, throwing off her Husband's baggage.
The past always comes back and bites one and in Hilary's case it is all too true. Almost all of the United states would remember the name Clinton and not for all the right reasons,either.
Yesterday, saw the start of the Obama bandwagon, with most of the leading pollsters indicating that the major chunk of the young American voters prefer Obama to the likes of the Clinton, with more and more bad news coming into the Clinton camp, all eyes are now set on New Hampshire!

Roses for all!

2008-01-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Normally when it is time for the wedding, one of the things that a bride often worries about, amongst other things is her flower arrangement. From the cost to the appearance of the arrangement itself. Often, the cost of a good flower arrangement could run into thousands of dollars and may well put a crimp on the honeymoon plans of many a bride. But these days, with companies like the Fifty flowers, there is no need to pay that high retail tag price for the flowers when we can have the same for a lesser cost and what is more, with the flowers being all too fresh!

Fifty flowers provides flowers from all around the world and for all occasions, they provide roses, long stemmed Ecuador roses, gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, peonies and many other flowers. Be it a wedding or a simple romantic dinner, these guys are ready to provide the flower arrangement that you want. The prices of the flowers here are lesser than the wholesale , with the roses here being at a much lower price than the wholesale roses.

These guys also offer wedding arrangements where all the flower needs of the wedding is taken care of like the bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquet, corsages, boutonnieres, and table arrangements. All in all,these guys are some of the best when it comes to flowers and no order is too small or large for them. So, if you are in need of some really good quality flowers, just go to the link above!

This is sponsored by blogitive!

The SEO whiz!

2008-01-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

These days almost everyone has a website and is trying to make money online. But one of the essential things that almost every site needs now days is a good seo specialist. This site does all that and a whole lot more, it provides its clients with unique optimization and promotional
techniques, by which many a website has gained traffic.
This site has a neat design and it also provides a variety of services ranging from running a marketing campaign to writing, all in all whatever a good seo expert does, these guys do. This is a seo company that is totally dedicated to providing its clients with a jump in the traffic to their websites. Fromm what I have seen so far, they have got tremendous results and I am sure that if you require an SEO specialist,you would click on the link above!

How low can you get??

2008-01-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

As the election race heats up in the United states, so does the candidates propensity for telling out and out lies, half baked truths and rumors as facts. The end result is an electorate that is confused and do not know who to vote for and that it seems is exactly what this election is aiming to bring about.
Soon we may even have candidates who would tell us 'whoppers',it seems that truth no longer holds a value in the Presidential elections!

Is it the online backgammon time?

2008-01-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

Backgammon is one game that develops our skill and enhances our development, as to whether that is true universally, I do not know. But I do have to say that this is one game that is intellectually challenging in almost every level that we choose to play it. The game of online backgammon is fast becoming a fad amongst the young and the old, mainly, because of the intellectual challenge that it poses to many.
This site is one that is totally for this game alone so if you want to play backgammon, then this is the site that you must go to. What is more, this site is very easy to use and here you can play backgammon online for fun or for real, using real money, it is all up to you. I have to say that of all the sites that offer backgammon as one of the games, I very much prefer this one as it is one of the best and it is totally devoted to this game alone!

Both the Donkey and the Elephant are upbeat!

2008-01-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the year, when both the Donkey and the Elephant get to be upbeat, why? Because it is the time for the elections and the time for a dry run at the best.
One may think what is it that these two have to be so happy about, actually the people in general should be disappointed that we have to choose between the two of them, not because we cannot make up our minds as to whether the Donkey or the Elephant would do a good job in the White house, it is mainly because they both have done a really horrible mess of things each and every time they were elected to the White house.

The calculator!

2007-12-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

This site is a must need for every poker player out there, I thought that this was just another poker product and how good can this be? Guess what, it is not just as good as it says but even better. For one, the poker calculator is just fantastic and i have to say that this is indeed one of the best 'poker buddies' that I have come across online so far.
The neat thing about this calculator is that it spells out the odds for you correctly and gives you valuable advice as far as the game goes. With this calculator, one can get the best poker odds. So if you are one of those poker players who needs that extra edge then you need the holdem calculator to give you that extra edge!

Should we all give more?

2007-12-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

This is the query that we must have asked ourselves quite often. Should we all gove more? Why should we give and what for? For one, I believe very strongy that it is not enough that we should only think of ourselves but also of others. And I have to say that whenever I make a donation to a charity or any other charity, I get this feelig of good in me that one canot just replicate by doing anything else. So I hope that all of you who do read this post, do make an all out attempt to give some thing back to society, if not money, then how about your time?
Anyway, Boatangel is a well known organisation that goes out of its way to bring out the best in all of us, irrespective of where we may be from or who we are. Boatangel accepts donations and on that nore, you can Donate Boat. They are organising this collection to which nearly anyone and everyone can contribute to, mainly for the prupose of creating and distributing absolutely free of charge (even free shipping) Children's Christian Animations on DVDs.
The neat thing about this is that the Children's Animation DVDS can be sent to you on request, with no shipping charge whatsoever. Boatangel has been involved in many projects over the time from dealing with troubled teens to addictions. You cna say that they believe in giving themselves up for the sake of giving. Just check out the links above and feel free to Donate my Boat.

One survivor from the panama plane crash!

2007-12-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

This is indeed a Christmas miracle and it truly is that in more ways than one. Can you imagine being on a plane and falling down thousands of miles and by sheer luck, you end up surviving. The fact is that she was hurt in the accident that killed all the others in her plane and by some chance she not only managed to survive the accident but also managed to remain alive for two days before the rescue workers reached her.

It just goes to show you how truly remarkable the human spirit is, it can endure untold hardship and yet, come out of it all on the top, breathing fine. Of course, the girl does not remember much and even if she did, she would be traumatised. Her recovery is going to take some time but she seems and sounds all fine, at least what they telecast on the news channels showed that. For her parents, it must seem like they have got a miracle on their hands, after all it is not every day that one manages to survive a fall from the clouds.

The guide to a medical career!

2007-12-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

These days, the Field of medicine is getting more and more competitive as more and more people enter into medical programs. Today it is not just enough that one gets an admission to a medical program but rather which college does one get admission to? With so many medical assistant schools that are out there, this question becomes harder and harder to answer than ever before.
For every student, the hardest time is always the time just after graduation from grad school and the one before acceptance to a highly respected university. When it comes to a medical career, there are so many factors that have a say in our decision. Like I said earlier before, it is often a headache just to choose the right school as this would have a huge impact on our medical career as such. With all the medical assistant training programs that one can choose from, one should consider all the factors very well.
As such, this site does much more than just point us in the right direction. It shows us the various careers that are available in the field of medicine today. It is like the online guidance counsellor that one always needs. With all the factors listed in this site correctly and the various universities and colleges offering all those courses, it is any wonder that with this site that we would not have any problem in choosing the right program amongst all the medical assistant programs that is available today!

Tsunami anniversary!

2007-12-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

The anniversary of the big wave has come and gone and the people are still yet to regain their confidence, which they lost in that wave, three years ago to this day.
The government has made a lot of promises and not much has come out of that. They have installed an early warning device and all that but what about the promises about their livelihood?

The chat line!

2007-12-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

This is the day and the age of the Internet and almost anything and everything that we want to do these days can be done through technology. I for one am glad that Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone did what he did. Because of this invention and this company, now we can use the chat lines to talk as long as we want to.
This site actually helps us to overcome our shortcomings as far as communication goes. Some of us are a bit shy and as such we would not go out of our way to talk to strangers, but now with this site, we can not only overcome our shortcomings but end up making new friends as well. The phone chat is slowly but surely transforming our lives and in a very positive way at that. The best part is that it is all free chat, that is as long as the people we talk to are local. And in addition to chatting we can also leave messages for other prospective 'chatters' to find, so all in all, it is a neat way to find new friends!

Bush gets more for Iraq!

2007-12-19T16:07:00.000-08:00

At the end of the struggle, president Bush finally got his way with the congress approving nearly 70 billion$ for his Iraq campaign. I am not here to say whether the war was right or not, but the fact of the matter is that the Americans are in control of Iraq now and any lack of funds at this crucial stage may impact in a negative way on the development of Iraq as a whole.
We all know what the lack of funds will do, for one it may result in the temporary withdrawal of the U.S forces and once that happens, the whole of Iraq will explode under sectarian war, causing more innocents to shed blood. I think that although Bush should have not started this war, what the democrats are doing, that is holding the very existence of Iraq hostage to their whims is unconscionable.

The Forturo solution!

2007-12-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST!

Every business needs a helping hand now and then, and as such the business management software offered by this company is one of the best. From what I have seen, the site is well designed and very easy to access, all of the features are clearly listed and they are all meant to increase the Business efficiency of any small to medium business that are out there.
This is the age of the Internet and as such, every small to medium business needs to optimise in order to be efficient. This site is there to do just that, it helps all the small to medium business to optimise and to run their business solutions effectively. Lets not forget that this is indeed a 'dog eat dog' world and the competition is really ruthless at the best. In order to succeed at ones business, one needs to have the perfect business model and this is where Forturo comes in. The business solutions that they offer are adaptable right away and the results of adapting to the Forturo solution can be seen right away. So if you want to have that extra edge over your competition then this is the place to come to!

Cheney in hot flames!

2007-12-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Today, vice president Dick Cheney's office caught on fire and they had to evacuate the entire building. Cheney was with the president when this happened and I wonder what whet through his head when he learnt that his office was on fire. At least, he did not have his gun with him at that time, so he could not shoot anyone by accident this time around. So it seems that Cheney may have to look for a new office for the time being,I guess there is some truth in that saying 'play with fire, you will get burnt by it'.

The game of fun and online backgammon!

2007-12-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Can all games be so fun filled as this one, I seriously doubt that. What am I talking about, I am talking about the game of backgammon. We all know what this game is all about and I have to say that when I compare this game to all the others, this one is by far the best in my opinion. Now days we get to play this game online and the online backgammon is as much fun as the real thing and if it is possible, even more fun.
This site in particular is devoted entirely to this game and is well designed and easy to use. You can play the backgammon online here for free or for real money, it is up to you. But what ever you choose, I am sure that you will have truck loads of fun. So if you are looking to relax, then this is the place to come to!

The Russian bear tightens its grip!

2007-12-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

Putin may no longer be the president but as the prime minister he is busy consolidating his support and at the same time by picking out his successor, Dmitry Medvedev he has shown the world as to who is going to be real power in Russia. Russian politics from the time of Ivan the terrible has always been conducted behind an Iron curtain, that is the rest of the world only gets to hear of the deed much, much later.
The extent of Putin's power could be seen in the elections held recently in Kremlin. His opponents were given no quarter and everything was neatly arranged in such a way that there could be only one outcome in this election and that was the election of Putin as the prime minister of Russia.

Need a hand with the finances?

2007-12-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST!

At times like this, especially with the holidays fast approaching us, and with the holiday expenses looming rather large this year, we may all need a hand with our finances as such. With increased taxation and with the falling dollar and the credit crunch, it has become a whole lot more difficult to get a loan from the bank these days.
It is great that we have other venues to approach for Loans and as such, this company is one of the best in the sense that they go out of their way to protect your privacy. Since we do not want all our friends to hear that we got a loan to tide over our holiday expenses, this 'privacy' part has become a whole lot more important to me as such. Here, you can get Unsecured Personal Loans and once your application is approved, which by the way only takes a moment, the money gets deposited into your checking account right away. That is fast, especially when you think as to how long the banks took to approve even your bank account application!
The Pay Day Loan are fast becoming an alternative source of money to help us tide over our immediate financial needs and the banks are losing out and with good reason. This company approves your loan application really quickly,provides all the service that you would ever need in a jiffy and the most important thing of all, it protects your need for privacy!

Cheap politics and gun control!

2007-12-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

At times when there has been a news of a disaster or something of that kind, one would expect that all the politicians would all come together and lend support to the local community that has been affected. But all that they do is to gather the victims around them and give very long winded speeches and make it sound as though their rivals are to blame for the entire thing.
This is totally deplorable and yes, I know that the elections for the U.S president is just around the corner and even that does not excuse the kind of ugly behaviour shown by both the democrats and the republicans in the recent speeches in view of the latest shooting spree that took place recently!

The Spanish way!

2007-12-06T01:19:00.000-08:00

If you speak in Spanish and do not know much English to help you along and you are in the united states and would like to travel, can you imagine the difficulty that you would have coordinating the trip with most of the travel agencies? For one not all of them can understand a word that you will speak thereby making the whole process a nightmare from start to finish.
That is what was the case at least until now. With descuento en hoteles, the whole experience becomes very easy for the Spanish speaking people residing in the United states, you need no longer spend countless hours over the phone just trying to clarify your travelling details. Here, not only can they understand you perfectly they also have round the clock customer service. So if you want to travel and need to book your tickets, just go to the links above and the rest is all easy!

Iran still very much a threat - U.S!

2007-12-06T01:12:00.000-08:00

It seems that after all that was said and done, the United states still believes Iran to be very much threat and that they still believe in going ahead with the missile defense shield plans. The baggage of past relations is one that Henry Kissinger would probably understand the best of all of us, for none more than he would know how history can have this resounding effect on relations for decades to come.
Look at South Korea and North Korea, technically they are still supposed to be at war, and that was over 50 years ago, so record wise that may be the longest war that has ever been fought in the modern history of man, not counting the 100 years war. One can only hope that both Iran and the United states find some peaceful way of resolving their issues!

Iran: The report that never was!

2007-12-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

Iran seems to be more in the news these days and not for all the right reasons. The latest round in the Iran-U.S war of the meek seems to have ended in the favor of Iran. The leakage of the intelligence report telling one and all that Iran seems to have halted its nuclear weapons program way back in 2003 is not all that surprising to those who know the Iranians well. For those who do know the Iranians well, know that they have this inherent tactic for survival and that they will never take the foolhardy path of Saddam Hussein. They well know that to take that path will only lead to total and utter destruction on all sides and that it is indeed better to live and let live. On that thought, did you know that the ancient school of philosophy can be traced back to Iran and that it is in Iran that it had its roots and not in Greece as many think so!

This intelligence report has come at a time that the United states is going hammer and tongs at getting even more sanctions against Iran approved by the Security council. For one, this report does make things a little bit difficult for the United states to push for even more tougher sanctions. And anyone can see that to most Americans today, Iran and its hardliners still represent a threat not because of their religion or the fact that Iran thinks that Israel does not exist, but for the fact that many Americans were taken hostage during the Iranian revolution. What irks the Americans to this day is the fact that many Americans were taken hostage in the American embassy in Teheran. This baggage is one of the main reasons why America today finds it so difficult to even get along with Iran. The past is in the past and that is easier said than done, but it is high time that both these countries realise that there is nothing to be gained by holding onto past grudges. They should really take a page from the India-Pakistan book, the whole world knows the legendary rivalry between those two and today, they are not against each other, at least not the way that they were in the 1970's. They have matured and come a long way since then.

One thing is for sure, the other countries can breath a sigh of relief as they know that the United states would not be pressing that hard for sanctions this time around and that the Nuclear watchdog and mr.ElBaradei can go about their job and make sure that Iran has indeed complied with the IAEA rules and that Iran is only involved in fuel enrichment for peaceful purposes!

Iran,United States,India,Pakistan,iaea,nuclear,

The Credit search engine!

2007-12-05T02:58:00.000-08:00

In this day and age we are overwhelmed by the number of credit cards that are out there. Often we do not know which one to choose and which one to subscribe to. In the end we are often confused by the many offers and rewards that each and every card gives to its clients. And now that need not be the case any longer. With the credit card search engines, sorting through all the Fair Credit Credit Cards has become so much easier.
Now as a result of this search engine, we can sort through all the layers of enticing rewards and offers that each and every credit card makes to us and choose the one that makes the most sense, from our point of view. For me, the selling point would always be the lowest rate of interest as I am sure that will be the case with most of us. Here, this site features offers from leading U.S Credit Card issuers such as J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank and leading brands Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Card, and we can use this search engine feature to sort through them all and pick the one that we think would be the best for us!

Dynamite,Clinton, Crazy and a Hostage crisis?

2007-12-01T02:33:00.000-08:00

The title of this post alone should make the situation clear to all of us, one may even think that the title is a dressing for some mundane story but the sad part or the funny part is that it is all too true and that all of it had really happened.
All of this went down in ROCHESTER, N.H. The hostage taker was a man called Leeland Eisenberg. This person had been in trouble before with the law and just three days ago his wife had filed for divorce and that seems to have been the very last straw for Leeland. Normally in order to deal with the emotional issues regarding divorce or any other family issues we would go to see a psychiatrist. Since the united states does provide some form of health care to all its citizens, Leeland could have taken that and avoided doing what he did.
But Leeland is a person who does things differently, he went ahead and strapped some road flares to himself,made it look like a dynamite,walked to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign offices, and decided to hold the people there hostage. He, I believe wanted to talk to Hilary about getting some form of medical help for himself. Talk about the crazy wanting to talk to another crazy about being crazy, That is not a pun because that is how it sounded to me. Anyway he later released all the hostages and surrendered himself. This is one campaign that Hilary is not going to forget anytime soon!

Are you single? want a promotion?

2007-12-01T02:10:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the year when we Single men try to meet up and date some of the 'pretty women' that we do meet. That is easier said than done, since most of us end up becoming nervous wrecks the very firs time we end up talking to one. Each and every one of us have a very particular idea as to who we would want to date, it may be JLo or Angelian Jolie or someone like that...right? Apart from joking the one thing that most single men have in common is that they just do not know how to date leave alone to hold a proper conversation with one of them, it is time we all face the fact that we do need a dating coach.

Is this for real, can there be a dating coach available? Yes, to both of those queries, this site provides us with all the information that we would need in order to go out on a successful date. Each and every one of us may have to polish our rough edges so that we can be considered as the 'right material' by the women of this world. It is going to take a lot of effort on our part, but believe me, when I say that with this site, we can get there. i often found that the hardest part of holding a conversation with a woman was knowing what to talk about, since the one thing that we men all love to talk about is sports. Until and unless, the woman in question is a sports enthusiast like us, forget talking about that. Here at this site, there are some really great conversation starters which we can utilise.

Once we have started to get the ball rolling, the rest should be easy especially with all the tips that this site has. The one place that we can meet some really eligible women is at one of these singles events. The fun part of the whole thing is that we get to meet up with everyone and in the end we end up choosing the person that we are most compatible with. So if you want someone to really help you with dating, then this is the site to go to, just click on the links above and have fun!

Reserve or not to reserve!

2007-11-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

To reserve or not to reserve is the query that we often have to face as we travel and this is all the more true if we are travelling overseas. The problem of the language barrier is the one that often trips up most of our well laid plans as far as travel goes. Which is why I for one am glad that there is a company like this one here, where we can book our Hotel Reservations in the language that most of us are comfortable with, that is the Queen's language, English. What is more since we will be doing all our reservations in our language, we can be sure that our reservations will be secure. Just go to the link above for making all of your travel arrangements, that is what I did when I had to travel to Marrakesh. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by the fact that all of my needs which I had earlier conveyed to these guys were all taken care of!

Medical equipment on the net !

2007-11-25T08:39:00.002-08:00

I have seen many companies offering one thing or the other but none have offered medical equipment,life enhancing health care products and many more as effectively as this one does. Allegro medicals has grown from a online retailer for medical equipment and home health care supplies to today to become one of the largest retailers to include all of the above and so much more. Today, they also offer other mainstream retail products in their shops as well. I have to say that my first visit to this online bazaar was something out of this world altogether, with so many products and so many offers, I did not know what to choose first.
They have some 55,000 products, under 50 categories and hundreds of sub-categories, and you get to shop by category and sub category. Is that not just fantastic? And all of this is available online, so you can just go to the link above and fill up your shopping cart and the rest is history!

Sharif back in town!

2007-11-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

Sharif has landed in Pakistan today amid a heroes reception and it was a jubilant return for this ex-prime minister, indeed. The last time he returned, Pakistan and by that I mean President elect[alleged] Musharraf had him deported back to Riyadh and Sharif had to leave Pakistan in tears and disappointment. But this time around, there was no deportation and Sharif was allowed to enter Pakistan.
The query that is doing the rounds is why on earth did Musharraf make the situation even more dicey for him and his regime? The answer lies in the saying,' keep your friends close, but keep your enemies even closer'. With both Sharif and Bhutto in Pakistan, Musharraf will be keenly watching the two of them to see if they cause any infractions with the machinery of the law in Pakistan. And if they do so, that is all Musharraf will need top take action against the two of them. Many say that Musharraf has allowed Sharif to reenter Paksitan and that he could not forever keep Sharif out of there forever. This way at least Musharraf will know what Sharif is up to every minute of the day and if he steps out of line, then Musharraf will have all the cause he needs to wipe out Shairf once and for all!

The Internet and the personal research!

2007-11-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

In this world that is so busy all the time and we often do not have time for anything else besides our work, the Internet has indeed come into being as the most powerful tool. It really does not matter what field of work you undertake, because whatever you do, you will find that the Internet is involved in it to some extent or the other. We all love our big giant screen plasma tv's right? Before purchasing one, we normally search for the product online and generally since it is a biggie purchase on our part,we generally go to the store and see the product and buy it for ourselves.
Here again the Internet has come into being, by making this entire shopping and sorting process quite easy for us. What am I talking about? Well there is this online search engine called Krillion. What this search engine does is that it searches the Krillion database and gives us the pricing,the product and most importantly the location of the store nearest to us where we can get this product.
With Krillion and the Internet, life has certainly been made much more easier for us, has it not? So the next time you want to purchase a pioneer 50 inch LCD just go to Krillion for the location of the store nearest to you. This is just one small example of the power of the Internet!

Bombs blast Baghdad once again!

2007-11-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

This time around the bomb blasts took place in a pet market and at a central police checkpoint in Mosul. These blasts have only made it clear that the militancy in Iraq is far from over and the recent warnings by the U.S commanders not to take things easy and and not to be complacent as far as the militants are concerned seem only too true.
My query is 'What on earth is the Baghdad government doing about this?" .Today's bombings have already taken 26 lives and unless and until all the leaders in Iraq come together there will be no peace in Iraq, a militant will either be blowing himself up or there will always be some sort of sectarianism taking place. The Baghdad government needs to realise that in order to lead one should be prepared to make sacrifice!

Jellyfish swarm sends the scots berserk!

2007-11-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

The Jellyfish have started to swarm off the shores of Scotland pushing the panic button in many a Scottish fisherman.They have already managed to wipe out Northern Ireland's only Salmon farm, so their impact on the Scots fisheries dept would not be minimal at the very least.
These Jellyfish are baby ones and not the large ones but they are still highly toxic to us. So any contact with these would result in horrible pain and may even result in fatality in old people as they would have weak immune system. Either way, the people of Scotland have been asked not to venture into the sea for some time to come. This Jellyfish swarm is highly unusual in Scotland and could be there as a result of the freakish weather that we have all experienced of late!

cappella serves the foreign students well!

2007-11-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

Capella, the premier online university serves its foreign students quite well.It has indeed made the dream of many a foreign student come alive,now they can take in the quality education that is offered by Capella without having to traverse thousands of miles to do so, they can do it from the luxury of their lodgings.
capella university offers many graduate and undergraduate degrees online, and it specialises in the business, information technology, education and many more .Capella offers 104 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 15 certificate programs as well. Mot of the foreign students often face this hurdle of financing their trip to the U.S and the hurdle of getting a visa to go there. But with Capella, most of these hurdles are taken care of. One can even say that Capella has opened the doors of quality education to the whole wide world! So to know more, just click on the link above and the rest is history!

The Titanic redux in Antartica!

2007-11-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

By now I think that most of us must have seen that movie 'Titanic' and today a replay of that happened in the seas off Antarctica. A Canadian cruise ship struck submerged ice and immediately a hole the size of one's fist appeared on the hull and the ship began taking water. Since the ship was listing dangerously the call to 'abandon ship' was given and all the passengers and the crew managed to get safely into the lifeboats and were later rescued.
On inquiry, the passengers said that the only hassle they had was the freezing temperatures and that the whole incident caused them no bodily harm whatsoever. This has certainly been like the case of the Titanic and I am sure that the same thought must have run into the crew's head as they heard that the ship was sinking.

Police planning to attack the refugees in Darfur!

2007-11-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

Darfur has seen many a bloody battle of late between the police and armed militants on one side and the unarmed refugees on the other. It is indeed a shame that the United nations and the rest of the world is hesitating to take aggressive action when it is most needed at places like Darfur. Instead of worrying about Iran and Iraq and the rest of the Middle east, maybe it is high time not to think but to act as far as Darfur is concerned. The government in Sudan is playing the African union and the other leaders by asking for time while it undertakes continual elimination of the refugees in Darfur.

What makes this whole situation sad is that these people are kids,women and old men and as such they neither have the arms or the strength to fight the police and the armed militants at the same time. What is more the Police at Darfur often undertake raids into the refugee camps under one pretext or the other and what ensues is often cold blooded assault as well as murder of the unarmed refugees. Since the African union does not have the courage to step in and prevent this massacre then it is up to the United nations as well as to the other countries to do something about this!

darfur,sudan,african union,united nations,

Want to lose some steam?

2007-11-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

There are many ways to lost that extra bit of stress that we have accumulated by the end of a working day. One of my favorite ways to relax is to play a game of slots at this site. I have to say that I have been to many sites that offer many varieties of slot machines online but none as many as this one. Here the expression online slots take on a whole new meaning itself.
One would have to say that it is almost like one is at 'Slot heaven' here at this site. With so many varieties to choose from, often the dilemma of choosing which slot to play becomes all too apparent.The slot machine takes the center stage here and the rest follows. The technical support that one gets at this site is just fantastic with all of your requests and queries regarding the slot machines being answered right away. So how about a game of slots, then?

Bush pushing for glory, Israel and Palestine under the scanner!

2007-11-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

Bush is doing all that he can to make sure that his administration ends with a legacy of some kind other than the Iraq war. Of course, the real kitty that he wants in the bag deaparately is the India nuclear deal which as a result of domestic policies in India, seems to be far from becoming a reality under the current administration's term in office. That said, Bush and Condi have started pusing all out for a Mideast deal of peace of sorts, but I am sure that any such deal that is realised will not stand for long, as the state fo Palestine itself is a dived state right now. With both Fatah and Hamas on opposite sides, any deal that is borkered by the United states with one of them is bound to aggravate the status quo between the camps of the Fatah and the Hamas.

The middle east question has always been a trickly one since time immemorial as history stands witness to that. But ever since the dissolution of Palestine and the creation of Israel, this has become alarmingly a threshold point that seems to go off not rarely but all too often.

All it needs is for one small event to throw the entire Middle east in turmoil, like the accidental shooting of a young palestinian by the Israeli forces or the suicide bombing like the one at Nahariya train station in northern Israel. Getting a concrete result from the Middle east is easier said than done, many better people than Bush and Condi had tried and they all have failed. I wish the best for Bush and hope that he does manage to secure peace in the Middle east but one should always carry a ton of salt with one whenever it comes to the Middle east!

United states,Palestine,Israel,middle east,fatah,hamas,

3 Secrets to save at Amazon!

2007-11-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Amazin' Amazon! That is what this is all about, often we all tend to think of Amazon as one huge bookstore and nothing more. We would be wrong to think that, of course you do get books at Amazon, but these days you get a whole lot more than that from books,toys,gifts, music,movies and electronic items. You also can get lifestyle products,groceries,Home ec and a whole lot more. Lets just say that at Amazon, you can get everything for anything! That is right, here with this site and the products that they offer, you can do just that!
With the holidays almost on us, it is time for us to get shopping, right? And with the help of this site, we should be able to save bundles, well, at least more than we would have originally. Here at this site, it offers us great ideas as to how we can save money by shopping at Amazon, the one place for everything.
Amazon has great coupons but quite often the trick is to finding out the coupons itself,here at this site there is a list of fantastic Amazon coupons with the Amazon.com coupon code. That should start us off on the journey of saving money. These coupons are for everything from Amazon books to magazines to grocery items.
Then we have this fantastic tool here at this site, which searches Amazon for great discounts,price reductions of the 'never seen before' kind and unbelievable discounts.
I guess it is all a matter of searching in the right place, right? And we have come to the right place, with this tool we should be able to utilise the secret Amazon discounts and save some more.
With all the focus on shopping, we often tend to forget the savings that we can make with gift certificates, and at this site, we can see a list of discount Amazon gift certificates that are available at Amazon. So what are you waiting for? Click on the links and start your shopping!

The U.S,Iran and Iraq!

2007-11-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

This is indeed a quixotic situation of sorts for the Untied states, to be talking Iraq to Iran. Iran is slowly but surely increasing its influence in Iraq and there does not seem to be much that the United states can do about it. The United states realise that in order to have a stable Iraq, Iran's inputs does not only become necessary but all too essential. With the violence in Iraq having come down a notch, the government of Iraq as well as the security forces are looking for ways to press ahead their advantage and see if they can bring about a stable Iraq sooner than later. But with both the United states and Iran suffering from a trust deficit, it is only a matter of days before this latest round of talks fail as well. But that does not mean the end of the road, the journey for the Untied states-iran convoy has just began and it is a very rocky road, but there is so many miles to cover, can they overcome their hostilities and carry on?

United states,iran,iraq,peace,

The Supreme court may say 'No' to guns!

2007-11-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

In a case that will have a very large impact on the American society at large, the Supreme court is to decide whether D.C can ban handguns. American has one of the largest number of gun fatalities every single year and in my opinion it is because the guns are so easily available that teenagers can walk in to a gun shop with fake id and purchase guns and ammunition's.
It is one thing to say that the right to bear arms is enshrined in the constitution but when that very right allows young teenagers to blow off steam by shooting other innocent students and teachers to death, questions on its necessity are raised, Do we need this law at all? The right to bear arms is all fine but what about the innocent students who have lost their lives because of this asinine law? What can you tell the moms of the shot school children, that it is okay to use guns and shoot others? how will you feel if your child was shot and all because the government failed to ban guns? These are the questions that we should ask ourselves and amongst the most important of them all is this one,' do we need guns'?

The list that can sell your product!

2007-11-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

We all need all the help we can get to sell/market our product and services in this world. With everyone doing just about anything to market their product and services, can we afford to take it easy? The answer to that question is a very loud resounding 'No'. This is where Martin worldwide comes in with their product, ResponseCom™.This product is a proprietary blend of U.S. Response and U.S Consumer databases, a very potent marketing tool that can not just sell your product for you but it will literally push yours off the shelves onto the customers hands.
Just imagine a list which can be customised according to your needs, a list of people who respond to ads, who respond to direct mails, who respond to marketing phone calls, these are the people that have not been tapped. In short, with Martin worldwide and their Mailing Lists, your product will be literally flying off the shelves. So it is just a matter of how badly do you want to succeed? Since the answer to that query is obvious, just click on the link above and come right on in!

Bangladesh still felling the impact of Sidr!

2007-11-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Many a village has totally disappeared and the people are missing, the rescue crew is yet to reach some parts of the flooded Bangladesh. The agencies fear that the count of fatalities due to cyclone Sidr will in all probability go up. To say that the local administration was totally unprepared for Sidr would not be incorrect at all.
They should have done more and at the very least evacuated entire villages with a mandatory order. Bangladesh gets flooded even with a little rain but with Sidr, a strong cyclne, it is no wonder that some villages have gone totally missing. I earnestly hope that Bangladesh does not have to deal with another Sidr anytime soon!

'Emergency is for your own good', says Musharraf!

2007-11-17T10:19:00.001-08:00

At first there is the denial, then acceptance and then there is the outright demand for a crown... at least the Musharraf and the Pakistani saga seems to be fast heading in that direction. We have our ever loved dictator who of late seems to have taken 'general Zia' lessons and for those of you who can recall the past, Zia took command over the entire country with the same words, it is all for the good and benefit of Pakistan. The same thing here but those words will just no longer sail. The sad truth is that India and some of the other like minded countries with their respective think- tanks had already informed the west that all trends show that Musharraf will follow in Zia's footsteps and asked the west to take action to see that it does not happen.

But the west ignored India and ASEAN's warning and now it is too late. Even a school kid can tell you that Musharraf is playing the Americans for all they are worth and they just cannot bring themselves to the reality that Musharraf has indeed become a dictator at last. With the last vestiges of democracy stripped away from Pakistan with the dissolution of the Pakistani assembly on the 15th of November, the general has indeed stretched his hand all over the Pakistani plains. With Bhutto fast becoming the face of the opposition, will the Americans step in to make sense of the whole picture? Will they be able to rein in the rogue general who has made a dish out of the constitution of Pakistan? The common opinion is that even they cannot do much right now.

But Musharraf as much as he may like to think that he has absolute authority must realise by now that the people of Pakistan as well as the rest of the world will not be patient with him for long. The emergency has to go but Musharraf is biding his time to make sure that who ever comes to office does not prosecute him or hold him guilty for this emergency, in short Musharraf would preferably want a carte blanche'.
The Musharraf reign seems to get more bizarre by the day, he bought 2 television channels on air only to take two other ones off air, and he also managed to make the United kingdom government shut down Geo tv as well. Now we have this interview with the BBC which Musharraf gave on Saturday, in which he had indicated that he will probably have a very large say in who will get elected in the so called elections, that his emergency will in all probability get extended far beyond the elections, that he has nuclear weapons and may resort to nuclear blackmail should the need arise and last but not least, he knows what is good for everyone so they should stop objecting to his reign!
Need I say more?

Tags:Pakistan,Musharraf,India,Bhutto,election,emergency,

Do not buy a Lemon, get an Orange!

2007-11-17T10:18:00.003-08:00

When you are buying a car, do not go out and get the most flashy car in the lot, because when you do that, chances are that you would have bought yourself a lemon and all that is good for is a lemonade. Buying a car that really works according to your expectations is like finding a needle in the haystack. Most of the car dealers know their business and would do just about anything to push off a lemon car to you so you would most definitely want to watch out for that.
Remember that you are the one who is making the purchase with your hard earned dollars and therefore you are the one in control. The many things that one should do before making the actual purchase are all listed below.

1. Do the necessary research on the car and the make, lets say for example that you want to buy a red jaguar like the one that Grace Kelly owned, that would cost a lot, right! But before you hand that cash over, just go online and do some research in that car and its make and whether the customers who had purchased that car were all satisfied with the car, per se. After all when it comes to cars, all is not what it seems and that is the brutal truth of all.

2. According to Attorney Craig Thor Kimmel, of the Lemon Law Firm of Kimmel and Silverman, there is nothing better than the word of mouth, ask the people around you for their takes on whatever cars they have purchased and as to whether they are satisfied? In the end, whether you purchase a SUV, sports car or any other car, it is much much better to do it based on the reviews of the car in question as well as their review of the dealership itself.

3.Remember the MSRP, that is the manufacturers suggested retail price, most of the dealerships will offer you the car at a much lesser price than the MSRP until and unless the car is in great demand. So remember that and do not forget to ask the dealership to reduce the rates, in short, haggle as you have never done so before and believe it or not, you will end up saving thousands of dollars.

4.Go for the test run with the car in question, never, never purchase it without doing this. Unless and until you go for the test run with the car,how will you know that the car is working fine and all that? So it is always a very good idea to take the car out for a test run!

5.No warranty, no purchase is what you should remember when you step into a dealership. Getting a warranty from the dealership will be of no use as that cannot be enforced legally so it will have to be directly from the manufacturer. So remember to ask for that warranty from the manufacturer otherwise you will end up buying a lemon for sure!

6. Remember, you are the customer and as such you have rights and what is more to know more on this, your rights as well as access to cost free legal help just go to Lemon Law and you can have most of your queries answered there. So, remember all that I have posted here before you make that trip to the dealership!

Sidr blasts away at Bangladesh!

2007-11-16T10:13:00.002-08:00

Sidr the cyclone that hit Bangladesh, hit it very hard. The cyclone strengthened just before it made its landfall in Bangladesh. It was expected to hit the Orissa coastline but then it made a sudden turn and headed straight towards the Bangladesh coast. The cyclone was unexpected to be this severe and it literally blew Bangladesh off the map.
Take a look at the satellite image above and you can see for yourself the path of destruction that Sidr created when it landed in Bangladesh. Now Sidr, as the cyclone was named, has moved on to the Indian state of Assam. The destruction along the Bangladeshi coastline is enormous with many villages completely washed away. The red cross has estimated that Sidr must have caused at least 1000 fatalities this time around. The minute that the Cyclone landed in the Bangladeshi coast line, the sea overcame the land and pretty much took everything on it. The thing that one should remember is that Bangladesh is a low lying area with much of the land area below the sea level kind of like Holland. Whenever it rains, even so slightly,Bangladesh gets flooded. Now with rain accompanied with heavy to very heavy gusts of winds, you can imagine the impact that Sidr has had on Bangladesh. Many weather gurus had predicted that as the Global warming increases, the sub tropics will see unusual and destructive weather abnormalities like the Sidr. Maybe it is high time we did something with regard to Global warming and the next time a cyclone is on its way to meet us, lets all just run out of the front door.

Tags: Sidr,Cyclone,Hurricane,India,Bangladesh,weather,

Monaco, the real deal!

2007-11-16T10:13:00.001-08:00

Rare coins even ancient gold coins are a valuable investment opportunity that is made available through Monaco rare coins,part of the Monex family of companies, trusted leaders in hard asset investments for nearly 40 years. Rare coins are exactly that, extremely rare and very very valuable. To give you an idea as to what I am talking about, lets just take a short history trip shall we? If we had a time machine and went back in time to Alexandria during the reign of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony[ we all know that eternal love story] and we would have used some small change minted at that time to purchase some food and other essential stuff. At that time, such coins would be worth exactly what their value was, that is small change. But now,to find a coin, even if it is small change with both Anthony and Cleopatra inscribed in the back of the coin, the value of such a coin would be just priceless!

But today in this dog eat dog world,where nearly everyone is trying to do the other person in, it is very hard to trust someone else to help develop your investment. As far as rare coins go, yes, there are a lot of shady dealers who would cheat you at the drop of the hat. Which is why one should go to established dealers in Rare coins like Monaco and deal through them to develop your investment portfolio in it. Monaco, performs a two way service for its clients they buy as well as sell rare coin portfolios. With Monaco one can be sure of getting the least price that is available for rare coins so that one does not have to spend much to buy that rare coin and the same way through Monaco and its well established contacts all over the world one can be sure of getting the best price for ones collection. Monaco always looks after its clients and makes sure that their interests are well served, by making sure that its clients get the lowest prices in the rare coins market when it comes to buying and the biggest prices when it comes to selling them.

Monaco can help you build a valuable rare coin collection all from scratch and it will be the real deal, that is all the coins in your portfolio will be the real deal and not some made up fake item. Which is why when you are considering buying some rare coins, the people to approach are the Monaco and you could do no better than that. Monaco has access to unlimited resources and has contacts in almost all of the rare coins markets of the world, which they all put to us for their customers benefit. And all of their employees besides being experts in the rare coins are also members of Professional Numismatic Guild . . . the American Numismatic Association . . . Professional Coin Grading Service . . . Numismatic Guarantee Corporation of America . . . The National Silver Dollar Round Table . . . and numerous other numismatic trade organizations. So when you think of Rare coins think, nay, go to the link above and say hello to your rare coin guide and helper, Monaco rare coins!

Pakistan under the scanner - Negroponte!

2007-11-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

Pakistan and its dictator wannabe General Musharraf came under some fresh pressure from its so called ally in the war on terror, the United States. The United states has sent in its deputy secretary John Negroponte to make sure that Musharraf understood that the United states would love to see the constitution restored at the very earliest and that it would not condone his machinations for 'power trip'.
At the very least Musharraf is feeling the pressure which is why shortly after a telephone call from the White house, Musharraf immediately freed Bhutto and other activists from house arrest and also brought back two television channels which he had shut down earlier. The United states is fuming at the turn of events in Pakistan and is sending Negroponte to inform the general that he should not take the support of the United states for granted and that although his help is essential in the war on terror that there is no way that the United states would dilute the values of democracy and turn a blind eye to all that is happening in Pakistan. The United states would like nothing better than to have both Musharraf and Bhutto working together but since both of them have entrenched themselves in their respective positions, it is going to be difficult to make them work together leave alone have them in the same room together. Lets see if Negroponte can deliver as he has promised, would the general realise what is at stake here?

The new loan - all ready on the go!

2007-11-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs help with their financial affairs now and then, back then at least when we were just young adults we could always ask our parents for some help. But these days with the mantle of responsibility on our shoulders we have to seek out other options other than disturbing our elderly parents. With the holidays coming near with the Thanksgiving on the 22nd or so, we all have to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of friends and relatives, which naturally translates out to purchases.

If we have kids, then our financial situation may get even more strained especially if we consider the fact that children toys are so expensive these days. You may think of selling out your family heirlooms but I can tell you that selling of ones family heirlooms just so that one can have some extra money to tide over the holidays is a very dumb idea. The most viable option as far as getting some cash goes is to get some Payday Loans.

Getting them is so easy and so fast.This site in particular offers the loans for very low interest rates and has a very nice repayment plan. When you go to this site, you will see all the details that you are supposed to enter right away. The amount can be for as little as £80 up to £750. This Cash Advance is processed right away and the money is deposited into your bank account the very next moment.

You can decide on what sort of a repayment plan you prefer, this way you have a certain amount of flexibility regarding repayment of the loan. So the next time you are in a financial jam, think of a Salary Advance or a payday loan. These guys are some of the best in this field and I have to say that they have some of the lowest rates of interest that I have ever seen! So come right on in and see for yourself!

Autographs, so easy to get them now!

2007-11-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

I remember stading in the rain and in a very long Q just so that I could get the autograph of an actress. Well all I got that day for my troubles was a heavy dose of cold and a flu as well. I thought that I could never get the Autograph of her, at least that was what I had thought until now. This site is the best site that is there for getting autographs of the famous and the infamous. Their site is so well designed and there are many categories to choose from.
All you would have to do is to go to the site in question and go to the right category. There you will find all the Autographs of all the famous people that you could ever possibly need. Be it a cine star or a sports star or O.J, whoever it is you can get their autographs here at a fraction of the cost that it would have been available elsewhere. It is one thing to stand in long lines and wait for endless amount of time just so that your idol can spend nanoseconds with you to sign an autograph. But with this site, it is all so easy now, we just go to the site and choose literally whose Signed Photo we want. Then we make the necessary payment and the required signed photo will be in our hands veryt quickly. So whose autograph is it that you want?

Bhutto versus Musharraf!

2007-11-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

These days one does not need to go to a movie to get entertained, all he or she has to do is to see the daily soap on Pakistan, with things seesawing drastically from one end to the other, no one quite knows which end is up anymore. The differences between Bhutto and Musharraf is fast escalating into a war of words, but all said and done they both realise that they may still need each other, one to come into power and the other to retain absolute authority.
With Benazir becoming increasingly belligerent towards Musharraf, being the astute political leader that she is, is looking to push Musharraf towards the oblivion. Whether this would happen is any body's guess. But the Americans are getting increasingly anxious about Musharraf and the Nuclear weapons that Pakistan has, but of course they would rather eat a real crow than admit that much in public. As for the options that are facing the Americans and the rest of the world regarding Musharraf, there are not that many. It seems that Benazir Bhutto is fast becoming the most viable option for the Americans and the rest of the world. And to add to all this, the last vestiges of democracy were stripped away from Pakistan just an hour ago as the Parliament was dissolved! Goodbye democracy, hello general Zia, sorry I meant general Musharraf, but it really does not matter what you call them but they are all the same - Zia and Musharraf!

Technorati tags:Musharraf,Benazir Bhutto,Pakistan,United states,Democracy,

The college with a difference!

2007-11-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

When students think of studying for higher degrees it is only natural that they choose a college with the necessary infrastructure and access to various resources for research needs. As such, this college not only fulfills all of that but much more than that. The library in the campus is so vast that one can even play soccer int it if one wants to, just joking- the soccer part. Anyway this college is located in the heart of Chicago at Illinois so you can call it an Illinois College. Often when overseas students come to the united states to pursue their higher studies, the cultural differences can sometimes, nay, most of the times be quite overwhelming for them.
In that aspect this Chicago College goes out of its way to make its foreign students feel as though they have never left home. This college is famous for its all American hospitality and believe it or not, most of the foreign students became acclimatised to their new college within a matter of a few days itself.
The quality of the education that is available here at this college is unparalleled to any other. The various sports take place on the campus of Westwood quite often. You can say that this college concentrates not just on the academics but on the sports and by that on the overall development of its students. So just to the links above and explore Westwood, you may have found your second home after all!

That tender loving care!

2007-11-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

For a long while now gay and lesbian relationships hae always been a taboo subject. As a result there are often misconceptions about the same, but this is not about explaining all that but is rather to tell eeryone in the Whole wide world of the Internet that there is now a very good relationahip portal for people who prefer to be in the same sex relation. Even talking or say posting about this is not easy and i am sure that this post may een offend others. But i firmly believe in the philosophy 'live and let live'. Anyway I came across this site and I have to say that they are doing a pretty good job, in the sense their site is not about one night stands but a steady long standing relationships, that is what thier site stands for.

This site or Onegoodlove as it is called is all about defining yourself and finding a soul mate. It is most defintely a site with a difference. Here it is all about trying to create meaningful relationships with your partners,about discovering your self and your character. It is about building not just a relation with someone but it is also a voyage of self discovery. Here they try to get rid off the stereotype that a gay or lesbian relationship if often associated with. Which in itself is not easy since most of us by now have misconceptions about the same,but nevertheless they manage to do that.

After all,loe between one person or the other should not depend on what sex that person is,right? There are so many longstanding gay/lesbian relationships that to mention them all here would take up all of my time. Lets just say that these guys are doing a ery good job in trying to bring together like minded people. They also hae a OGL personality test which you can take to find out about yourself. One can also do corporate volunteerism and donations to GLBT charitiesoneGoodLove is headquartered in West Hollywood, California. So all in all, to undertake the voyage of self discoery, go to the links above!

The French experience!

2007-11-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

France has seen so much history and has made many a wave. Today she stands proud and tall and is a country that one can never get out of one's system that easily. One visit to France and all one can think of is the Bechamel sauce and the ever favorite French fries. I can go on and on about french cooking but there is so much more to France then its cooking. There are so many wonderful places and palaces to visit while one is in France, like the wineries and the Rhone alps. The Rhone alps are some of the most wonderful places on earth to go to ski or just to trek. Either way,
you will certainly enjoy the panoramic view that is so readily available here. As far as the accommodation goes, there is some good news for the travellers out there. The france hotels are not that expensive and there are some really fantastic offers here especially if you travel as a family group. Next,lets explore Paris!

The city of love and lovers as Paris is always known, it is still the omnipresent Eiffel tower that gives the city its true character. This city is one of the most colorful cities in the whole of Europe and as such it is most definitely a 'must see' on every travellers itinerary. The Eiffel tower stands some 300 meters tall and was actually considered 'ugly' once upon at a time. but today, it is this tower that breathes new life into this city of love. But Paris is not all about the Eiffel tower, there are numerous places to visit while one is in France, starting from the louvre. Did you know that the Louvre was originally built to defend Paris against the Vikings? anyway it became a museum around 1793. Today it is this vast museum that houses the works of famous artists and the jewel in the crown as far as the Louvre goes is none other than the Mona lisa! The paris hotels are not that expensive and their breakfast is a meal in itself. I especially loved the french bread, it is so delicious! Next lets take a drive around Nice!

When I say Nice, think of long leisurely walks with your loved one on a very pebbly beach, then a panoramic dinner set with a full moon in the back ground and some really nice french wine and a dish that is literally to die for. That is Nice in a nutshell. There are also many Museums here that are worthwhile seeing but the one for the arts is the one that really stands out. With all sorts of modern paintings all around, one will have a very surreal experience when one is in Nice. To have some good quality fun and to unwind,one must definitely go to Nice and there are some really great nice hotels here that really go out of their way to make your stay here as pleasant as possible and the really good news is that they are all easy on the wallet. So enjoy yourself and have fun in France!

The zany weather!

2007-11-10T06:31:00.001-08:00

Of late, the weather has been anything but normal. It does not rain when it is supposed to, it starts to get freezing and cold when it is supposed to be pleasant and to top all this, we get to hear the news that weather is having a drastic effect on the artic ice pack. At this rate,soon there would hardly be any artic ice left over. Is this change a result ogfwarming and is there nothing we can do? Is the ice age approaching us now?

A really Inky world and the pleasure of cartridges!

2007-11-10T06:13:00.000-08:00

Well we live in a age when we tend to take things for granted. As day by day goes we tend to get more finicky in what we want. Lets take the world of cartridges for example. Ink cartridges have come a long way and are so developed now that they can literally 'ink' out a simple sentence in so many different colors and shades that to a common lay person, it would seem as something out of this world. If you had lived in the era of second world war and had to keep changing the spool on your typewriter, can you imagine what you would think if you were given say a HP 56 Black. That would certainly blow you away!
With so many companies offering us the public so many different varieties of cartridges, it is often difficult to know what to get and where to get it. But lo behold with companies like the Carrot Ink, we can be sure of getting the best of the lot all the time. Their cartridges are some of the best in the market today. Their products are incomparable to the others like for example, their product hp ink cartridges stand head and shoulders above all the rest of the pack. Whats more with such neat offers and discounts available at their site, it is no wonder that their product ink jet cartridges are getting sold out. So do check out their site before they run out of all the cartridges!

Dried news and old news!

2007-11-10T06:12:00.001-08:00

It is indeed surprising to see the development in the fourth estate[news and media] in comparison to the other fields. If one were to go back into the past, say the time of 'Jack the ripper' one would get typing ink stains on ones hands from papers fresh off the machines. We have all come a long way since then,today we can get the latest news off an RSS feed,Internet,and even paper and all of this is done in a jiffy. I wonder what further changes we can expect in the Fourth estate,perhaps the news will be delivered to us in the form of a hologram??

The salsa meringue!

2007-11-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

I am just an average bloke and the only thing that I knew about salsa and the rest of the Latin forms of expression was what I saw on the telly or in the movies like 'True lies'. I always thought that the steps were too intricate and that you would have to practise for days on end just to get the Salsa steps right. But after a few visits to this place I managed to lean a few facts about Dancing in the spirit. One of them is that Dancing is not about getting the steps right but it is all about bringing out the inner you. The one thing that matters most as far as Salsa goes is your passion.
You will have to dance with your heart and let your passions guide you along. You would have to feel the song and dance with all of your emotions on the threshold of a new discovery. Think of it like the first time you learnt to ride a bicycle. How did you feel, how enthralling was it? That is what Salsa dancing is supposed to do to you.
I guess there is a little dancer in all of us, irrespective of how we may look or where we may be from. You can look at the Salsa video and you will be able to see how the dancers express themselves with their heart and not with their minds. To say that Salsa is all about the way you feel would not be an understatement. Here at this place not only are they the best but their Learn to dance course can be learnt in a very short amount of time. If you are like me and wanted to learn Salsa just so that you can impress your girl friend, well then you have come to the right place for it. What is more, you can go to the site via the links above and enter these details to test out the service.
name: blogsvertise

password: letmein

Bhutto gets arrested and all hell breaks loose!

2007-11-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

At last the opposition in Pakistan have a face to go with their movement. As Bhutto was preparing to leave for a rally in Rawalpindi, the barricade around her house became even more tougher. But the PPP party workers managed to get through the barricade and started shouting slogans and no prizes there as to what they were protesting about. The basic freedom is gone in Pakistan and the martial law is in place. It is no wonder that the very common man on the streets of Pakistan wants to protest against Musharraf and his goons.
The detention order placing Bhutto under house arrest was then served on her. The last time I saw the live broadcast of Bhutto on the BBC,she was giving a speech and listing out every one's objections. Then the police surrounded her and I have no idea as to what has happened to her. All i hear from the television channels is that one moment she was standing there giving a speech and then the microphone was snatched away from her and then she disappeared. The official version is that she is under house arrest, but it is any body's guess as to where she has been taken by the Pakistani security forces. Either way, the opposition against Musharraf has now got the face of Benazir Bhutto and let us hope that Musharraf listens to reason and this emergency ends real soon!

The great hotels to stay in Spain!

2007-11-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Spain the land of the Tapas, is a nice place to go on a vacation. But as usual we often tend to look at our budgets while we do that. But there are some really fantastic places to stay in Spain which do not cost that much and the food, I do not have to say much about that as it sells by itself! While in Spain, you can always visit the Torre de Bujaco, or the clock tower. It has been around since the times of the 11th century and the tales that it could tell if it could talk. Anyway the tower is open to the public and it offers one a panoramic scene of the Caceras region of Spain. You could also visit the Muralla de Avila , which is the fortress wall around the city of Avila and it is really old. You should note that cars are not allowed in but the walk in and around the ancient fortress and the citadel are breathtaking in all aspects. The sights and sounds of Spain coupled with some of the fantastic low cost hotels in spain will definitely make your stay there a memorable one!

Barcelona is a great city with some really fantastic hotels that are high on quality and low on costs. As such the Sagrada Familia is a great family hotel where you can accommodate your entire family and not spend a restless night worrying over what it will cost you. Like I said it is a family hotel and a nice and pleasant place to stay in. The buffet that they have at the Sagrada Familia is something to keep talking about. While in Barcelona you have to visit the La Boqueria, it is the market of all markets. Here the various food and their respective flavors will just overwhelm your senses leaving you watering at the mouth literally. This is a must see on your itinerary in Barcelona. The next must see place is the Gothic quarter, this is literally like a time machine. This place with its narrow streets and the mysterious air that only old buildings can give, will literally transport you a few centuries back into the mists of time itself. This Gothic quarter is aptly named and there are various 'kiosks' lining the cobbled streets, so that all of your needs can be gratified right away! For stay in Barcelona, there are some really great hotels in barcelona besides the Sagrada Familia where you can stay without worrying over your wallet!

During your visit to Madrid, there are a few places that are a definite 'must visit' such as the Prado museum, which could take up most of the day, so plan that visit well. Also, the Prado museum has several Goya paintings on exhibit. The other place that one must visit is the botanical gardens, which are a marvel to behold. Anyplace that has so many plants and trees in such abundance in a city where there are few trees left is indeed a marvel. What makes this botanical garden different from all the others is that it is located on a cliff top and that alone makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest. The view from here is incomparable and the beaches are near by as well. You can literally make a picnic of the visit to the botanical gardens. The last 'must see' on your itinerary has to be the Royal palace. This palace is the official residence of Emperor Carlos, and is steeped in history from the top to the bottom. All the rooms are huge and very nicely decorated. Do not forget to get some snaps of the Banquet hall. Madrid is really a very nice and pleasant place to visit, with the people so very helpful and with the hotels in madrid being a bit on the inexpensive side. Need i say more other than Ole!

Killer student mows down 8 in Finland!

2007-11-07T22:37:00.000-08:00

It seems that the School Killings have started all over again. I had said this before and I shall say this again, it is high time that stronger gun control laws be brought into force. It is one thing to have guns to protect oneself but totally another thing to use them to shoot innocent people, just because you do not feel okay. Here in India as well as the other countries there is a very strict gun law which is duly enforced and it is pretty much unheard of for any teen to get their hands on any guns or ammunition of any kind, leave alone, to bring them to school.
We all have gone through that 'teen' years, with all sorts of hormones running through our body. It is at this stage that a human is most vulnerable and it is at this age that he or she can learn about life and mature into a responsible adult. To learn that Bullying was the cause for this person to run amok in this Finnish school, I have to ask did no one notice that he was being bullied? Why did the school counsellor not make an attempt to intervene? These are some of the questions that many a Finnish citizen would be asking themselves today.

These killings have only shown us how easy it is for underage adults/minors to obtain guns and ammunition of all sorts in countries where gun control is limited or pretty much non existent. Why should guns be so readily available in the market? I can never accept the argument that if guns cannot be sold over the counter legally then there is always the black market. It is high time that all guns were removed from the society as such, other than the police and the armed forces. That way, we would not be threatened by school kids 'going off their rocker' or by any robbers or murderers with guns. What is more, this way, tracing a gun that has been used in a crime would definitely be a whole lot easier! The American constitution may grant one the right to defend oneself, but it is that very right that is eroding the society of Modern America and this disease is spreading to other countries that do not have strict gun control laws like that of Finland. This crime has hit the Finnish people very hard as they are fighting to understand what happened and why it has happened? It will be some time before life gets back to normal in Finland but as far as schools go, Finnish education has changed and the feeling of safety in Finnish schools has gone forever!