Just got in from a 7.5 mile slow run.  Beautiful morning and lots of time to think and enjoy the cool air and sunshine.  Today can be a very frantic experience for those of us that share Thanksgiving with several families and must travel.  I would suggest that you push aside thoughts of having a bad time today and stay focused on remaining open to what comes your way.  I know that sounds kinda new agey but when we create expectations of having a rushed or painful reunion with family our attitude may help those expectations come true.  Another helpful tip may be to let this day be for the spouse and the kids and the in-laws, and mom and dad, and know that staying out of the emotional way can go along way for their enjoyment. 

 Think, feel, act.  Our thoughts are powerful and they can create feelings that we will act on, whether they are appropriate actions or not.  More times than not, alcohol can make these situations worse.  Set down the load you are carrying and relax and take the day as it comes, it is going to be what it is going to be.  Hoping you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thursday November 26, 2009 By Kevin Morrow

So I hit the freeway early Wednesday Morning headed to Las Vegas. A mini road trip for the thanksgiving holiday. The night before I left I came into the possession of two packages of those tuna and cracker kits. I ate one that same night. I usually eat two of them. Something told me to keep the one for the road trip.

To me it really isn’t a road trip, driving to texas is more of road trip to me, but anyway I was on the road and it was a “trip.” I was in the car with family and we had only a few cd’s. Micheal Jackson’s bad album,Toni Braxton, some type of workout mix, and some others. I really only remember the bad album because that’s what was in the cd player the most.

To me I arrived in Vegas in record time, there was no traffic since we left so early, and we floated all the way there. I exited the freeway on tropicana and ended up waiting forever at the light. I see this homeless gentleman who looks really down and out. People just keep passing him as if he isn’t there. He has a sign in his hand but I couldn’t read what it said.

Without even thinking I look down and see the tuna and cracker package in between myself and the passenger seat. I roll down the window and ask him if he wants something to eat. He looks confused like he doesn’t understand but he walks over to the car and I hand him the package. It’s all I could give him at the moment, but I felt like it was more than he had in a while.

It’s hard for me to imagine that with all the food in Las Vegas at the buffets and such, that this man for whatever reason was not able to eat. It bugged me to think of this, but then I remembered that I did what I could with what I had. I always hear people say “to see a change in the world be the change.” So maybe today I started off in the right direction.

It appears to me that I will be used more in the future as an avenue to help those who need it. I accept that openly.

After that I headed to UNLV where I pretty much fell in love with the Thomas and Mack Center. I can see myself playing in that gym in the near future. For whatever the reason may be. School or whatever, I know the NBA plays there in the summer time. So it’s up to me to believe in myself no matter what the circumstances may appear to be.

I never personally went on a recruiting trip to a college, so as I was at UNLV I decided to take my own tour. They have some really nice facilities. In fact I would most likely spend most of my time in their fitness area. The gyms on the upper level were calling my name.

It was a good day, I met some cool people and returned back home in time to play practice a little basketball at the gym. I just wanted to share that story, not much else to say.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!

Clearly, strategic planning is no panacea. Strategic planning is simply a set of concepts, procedures, and tools designed to help leaders, managers, and planners think and act strategically. Used in wise and skillful ways by a “coalition of the willing,” strategic planning can help organizations focus on producing effective decisions and actions that further the organization’s mission, meet in mandates, and satisfy key stakeholders. But strategic planning is not a substitute for strategic thinking and acting. Only caring and committed people can do that. And when used thoughtlessly, strategic planning can actually drive out precisely the kind of strategic thought and action it is supposed to promote.

Furthermore, strategic planning is not a substitute for leadership. There is simply no substitute for leadership when it comes to using strategic planning to enhance organizational performance. At least some key decision makers and process champions must be committed to the strategic planning process, or any attempts to use it are bound to fail.

In addition, strategic planning is not synonymous with creating an organizational strategy. Organizational strategies have numerous sources, both planned and unplanned. Strategic planning is likely to result in statement of organizational intentions, but what is realized in practice will be some combination of what is intended and what emerges along the way. Strategic planning can help organizations develop and implement effective strategies, but they should also remain open to unforeseen opportunities. Too much attention to strategic planning and excessive reverence for strategic plans can build organizations to other unplanned and unexpected—yet incredibly useful—sources of information, insight, and action.

The discipline necessary for strategic planning can be of two sorts. The first harkens back to Latin root of the word “discipline,” emphasizing instruction, training, education, and learning. The second embodies later interpretations of the word, emphasizing order, control, and punishment. Emphasis should be placed on education and learning, although there clearly are occasions when imposing order, taking control, and enforcing appropriate sanctions are appropriate. Certainly, key leaders, managers, and planners can best use strategic planning as an educational and learning tool, to help them figure out what is really important and what should be done about it. Sometimes this means following a particular sequence of steps and preparing formal strategic plans, but not necessarily. The ultimate goal of strategic planning should not be a rigid adherence to a particular process or an instance on the production of plans. Instead, strategic planning should promote wise strategic thought and action on behalf of an organization and its key stakeholders. What steps to follow, in what sequence, and whether or not to prepare formal plans are subsidiary concerns.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.

CPA Congress in Canberra was a huge success and the National Convention Centre packed! You’ve read about the session highlights, now watch what delegates had to say about their Congress experience on CPA Australia’s YouTube channel.

If you search back in the previous posts to this blog, you’ll find the answers to most of your SAT, ACT, and college application questions.

But I’ve been collecting questions that have come up from students and parents since that blog, and I think it’s time to do another HELP question and answer.  Here goes:

Question: I’m a high school junior.  I know my PSAT scores will be available by around Christmas break.  But when should I take the SATs?

Answer: I recommend that most of my students take the March and May SATs in their junior year. Most but not all?  If you have a commitment when the March or May test is scheduled (March 13, 2010 and May 1, 2010), you can take the January test (1/23/2010) or June test (6/5/2010), but the January test is often difficult and is too soon after the PSATs come back for you to use that info to prepare for the next test.  And the June test conflicts with finals and SATIIs.  So for most kids, March and May SATs are just right.

Question: What about SATIIs?  When do I take them?

Answer: SATIIs, or SAT Subject Tests, are one-hour multiple choice tests that are given in a variety of subjects, like math, science, foreign language and history.  The most selective schools require two or more SAT Subject tests.  The fairly selective schools like to see two or more.  The less selective schools don’t much care.  You can take up to three in a day, but DON’T!  Don’t take more than two in a day.  You’ll be wiped out. Most kids take those either in June of junior year (6/5/2010) or October or November of senior year. They’re given the same day as SATs (except no SATIIs are given in March), so you can’t take both SATs and SAT Subject tests on the same day.

Question: I’ve heard about the ACTs.  Do I have to take those, too?

Answer: The ACTs used to be popular only for kids attending school in the mid-west.  Now nearly 100% of my students take the ACTs.  Some kids do substantially better on the ACTs, some do better on the SATs, and some score pretty much the same on both.  The ACTs are shorter and less stressful, and that’s reason enough for some kids to take them. Bonus: If you take the ACTs and score well, you don’t have to take SATIIs — and if you score really well, you don’t even have to take the SATs.  I’d recommend juniors take the ACTs in April (4/10/2010).  They also give the ACTs in June, but why not take them in April?  That way, you’ll have your scores back in time to decide whether you have to take June SATIIs.

Question: I’m not even in my junior year yet, but I want to get started early.  What should I do to prepare for the SATs?

Answer: One thing NOT to do is take the 10th grade PSATs.  What a waste of time and money!  There’s no value in taking that test, and it might do you harm, because if you don’t do well, you won’t be able to take the 11th grade PSATs with confidence.  Another thing NOT to do is take practice tests given by testing organizations.  I’ve found the difficulty of the tests is unreliable. Either the tests are too easy to build your confidence, or they’re too hard so the testing organization can get you to sign up for a course of prep sessions.  Don’t do it. The best thing you can do to prepare early is pay attention in math class, asking for extra help if there are concepts you don’t understand, and read.  Read.  READ.  It’s especially useful to read TIME magazine or Newsweek, especially the letters to the editor (“inbox” in TIME) and the back page essay.  The more you read essays, the better you’ll be at reading essays. Makes sense.  If you think your vocabulary is particularly weak, try SAT Vocabulary for Dummies.  I hate the name of that book, but it’s very useful.

Question: Do I really have to take the SATs more than once?  How many times can I/ should I take them?

Answer: Don’t stop at once, even with score choice, unless you get something spectacular the first time, like above 730 on each section.  This isn’t a good time to be lazy.  And don’t take them more than three times.  After three times, your score isn’t likely to improve so significantly that it would be worth the extra time and effort.  So, take the SATs twice or three times, usually twice in junior year and once in senior year.

Question: Should I send my scores to schools when I sign up for the SATs to take advantage of the four free score reports?

Answer: I used to insist that my students send their scores to different schools each time they took the test, but now that they’ve instituted score choice (you can hide entire seatings of SATs if you want), there’s not enough benefit to sending scores now.  Wait until ALL of your tests are done, which means the fall of senior year for most students, then decide which SATs, which SAT Subject tests, and/or which ACTs to send.  Don’t send anything anywhere until then.

Do you have more questions? Please do ask by posting a comment to this blog.  And feel free to tell your friends and guidance counselors about my blog.  It’s the teacher in me — I just like answering questions!

Wendy Segal

‘Read! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who Created-’

(Surah Al Alaq, verse 1, the first Revelation)

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, my dear brothers and sisters.

My sons were with some children in a pet store recently and I had the opportunity to observe certain differences in behavior between the two sets of children.

When the kids were looking at the birds in their cages, it became quite rowdy with the children raising their voices at the screeching birds. But Adam started cooing gently to the birds and said, ‘Assalamualaikum’ to a few and things started to calm down again. What was beautiful was seeing the other children follow Adam’s example and they, too, started saying ‘Assalamualaikum’ to the birds.

We, in Islam, have many references to remind us of our children’s inherent need of preferring good over bad. In the hadith, ‘children are born in a state of fitra and it is their parents who make them…’ or in the Quran, Surah Al Hijr, verse 29

‘When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit..’

I do expect Adam and Daniel to set the right example to other children because I had taught them to behave as khalifah. In the car, after a trip to collect the jewelry I had sent in to be fixed, Daniel said that he wanted to buy me a diamond ring. I told him that I didn’t need him to buy anything for me but Adam, said that it was just to show appreciation for me. (Masha’Allah! What sweet kids…)

I explained to the boys that the best way for them to show appreciation for me is by teaching and showing others the good behavior I had taught them. I reminded them of the hadith which tells us the three things that will reach us even after we are in the grave; the du’a of a child for their parents, the amal jariah (good deeds) we had done for others and beneficial knowledge that we taught to others.

Adam and Daniel show khalifah behavior not because I told them but because I showed them. Saying ‘Assalamualaikum’ to animals is something that I will always do, sometimes even reciting Al Quran or saying dzikr at them. They are Allah’s creations and they do make prostration to Allah so why shouldn’t I show gentleness and love to them as His creations..?

Children follow good example more readily than wrong behavior. The standard of behavior we set for them must be based on Al Quran and Sunnah because it is already inherent in them. It is then that you will see their great khalifah potential and subsequent behavior come forth.

]]> http://satprepny.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/1-stop-shopping-for-free-sat-study-resources/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:03:37 +0000 satprepny http://satprepny.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/1-stop-shopping-for-free-sat-study-resources/

Check out my website’s resources page for a full list of study resources for the SAT, ACT and college prep.

Hey, scroll down to the bottom: there’s a photo of my son Jun at his graduation from Northeastern University in 2007!

I was watching the History Channel last night. The show was about ancient Greece and some of the mythology. The story specifically was about Percius and Medusa. As I was watching the narator suddenly said something that stopped me in my tracks.

The narator was explaining that Percius vowed to bring back the head of Medusa and that he went out in the wilderness to find her. He explained that Percius didn’t know where she was or how he was going to kill her when he found her or even really what he was looking fir because no man had ever seen her and lived. Then, the narator told the ancient secret to everyone. He said “So what did Percius do? He did the same as all the heros in all the stories do, especially those who are the sons of Gods, Percius Prayed”.

That was fascinating. The story says that Percius’ father was a god and his mother was a mortal. The bible teaches that we are to live in this world but that we are not of this world. The Sumerian text(where Genisis originated from) say that we were created in THEIR likeness and image, their being a race from another planet who have been writen about in every culture as angels or gods. The point is we all have the same access to the same power. However, we need to not only mutter, dear God help the sick, dear God bless the poor. That is not Prayer! You can help the sick and bless the poor. A prayer is walking in Faith! Taking Action! Then when you find yourself in the middle of a task you don’t know how to complete, having the faith to continue and then pray. But when you pray claim your birthright. Know that you are not of this world. Know that you are connected to all things and able to overcome. Know that all things are as they should be and be thankful for who you are. In your prayer ask to know yourself better. Ask to see the truth about the situation and yourself because the truth will set you free. Ask for wisdom to recognize the diference between reality and illusion. Then once you have asked for everything that you need, have it. Believe that those things are now in your possession and ACT in Faith. Take a leap and be that hero who is not only human but more. Become immortal in faith. Because death is an illusion and “Lo, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear now evil, because his rod and staff protects me”. The rod and staff are truth and wisdom guiding you. Truth let’s you know that there is no such thing as evil or death, and wisdom tells you that if evil is just and illusion than there is nothing to actually be afraid of.

Rejoice because today you see the truth. If you have seen this truth before rejoice because it is unchanging. If this is the first time than rejoice because you asked to see this and it was shown to you.

Have a great day!

The Liberal Democrats today launched Act, their new network for members and supporters website where you can interact with other members and get involved in groups set up within the party.  It has the potential to transform how the party operates online, although we will have to see if it really takes off as these things can sometimes start slowly.  I got a preview of it last week and so have been playing round with it a bit since then, and it looks pretty professional but until it has a critical mass of people and also includes non-members, it is difficult to know whether it will have been worth the work in creating it.

But if I have one piece of advice for people who join the site it’s this…  change your settings as soon as you join.  The site is automatically set to email you whenever you get a friend request or a group invite or any other way in which the site or its users want to interact with you.  Half and hour and 40 emails later you are sick of the site already.  So do this:

• On the right hand sidebar click on Settings underneath where your name is.
• Then click on Email on the left hand sidebar.
• Then untick whichever items you don’t want emails about.
• Then click Save at the bottom of the page.

Once the site has become more established and the initial flurry of enthusiastic people all joining has calmed down you may want to change your settings back.  But for now, and for the sake of your own sanity, I suggest you get your settings right at the start.

The party’s new online tool, ACT, has gone online – and I think it’s a complete waste of time.

It’s designed to be a social networking tool, like Facebook, for people “sympathetic” to the Lib Dems whether or not they’re party members. It has groups and events and profiles and 140-character status updates. I spent a few days playing with it, creating comments and making friends, before deciding to leave.

I’m struggling to work out why people thought this would be a good idea, compared to Facebook. It’s another walled garden which requires people to sign up to get any benefit. The user interface is nowhere near as slick. The e-mail notifications are annoying, containing just links rather than the content, meaning you have to go to extra hassle just to find out whether you’re interested in what’s being said.

Now, I’m certainly no fan of Facebook, but the fact remains that most people I know are on it, whether they’re committed party members or just mates of mine who like to help me out every now and again. I can create events for members of my ward campaigning group, and invite a few people who aren’t comfortable being associated with the party but are happy to help me out. There’s no way I’ll be able to get all of my friends on Facebook to sign up to ACT.

Worse than that, this doubles my workload. If the Official Word from the party is that ACT is the tool to use rather than Facebook, I’m required to create events and invite people on ACT and Facebook (as well as Flock Together, the other Lib Dem events tool). I have to maintain supporters’ groups on both networks and spend time cultivating contacts on both. I’m entirely uncertain as to what ACT is supposed to be for. It’s an inferior Facebook clone which is inward-looking. When I posited the question on my ACT status, I was told “It’s good because it’s entirely dedicated to the Liberal Democrats” – precisely why I think it’s redundant and regressive.

The party seems to be focusing on e-campaigning at the moment, and it’s a very popular move – who’d want to be out in the cold delivering Focus leaflets when they could be sat in front of their computer with a cup of tea, clicking for victory? I’m not convinced of the benefits though; it’s not the case that if you blog or tweet or Facebook something about the party, then the unconverted will come to it and be inspired. Sure, you can build up a good online profile with thousands of constituents getting your message, but the best way to do that is through traditional means like Focus leaflets, using real-world contacts to direct people to your online presence.

However, I feel that the focus of the party should be on the many broken local parties, the parts of the country where there is no effective Lib Dem local presence. The places where people who join the party are ignored rather than welcomed, not invited to contribute or to benefit from their membership. Until we have a strategy to match the US Democrats’ “50 state strategy”, to make sure that we can help people help the party wherever they are in the country, then using the Internet to reach out to people we’re not already reaching locally will be largely pointless.

‘Read! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who Created-’

(Surah Al Alaq, versi 1, the 1st Revelation)

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, my dear brothers and sisters.

I needed to be reminded again about the obligation to seek knowledge so I’ve placed the first revealed ayah, Surah Al Alaq, verse 1, at the top of my posts from now onwards.

Alhamdulillah, my interest in seeking knowledge was instilled at a very young age by my mother. As a child, I would always write ‘Reading’ as my hobby but it was really more than a hobby. I wasn’t just reading- I was learning, exploring, enquiring, understanding. My thoughts weren’t just one-track wondering what the ending would be like. I was thinking, ‘But why did she do that? How did the ship end up that way? Where were the others when it happened?’

Over the years, the range of books I’ve read have varied and expanded. Books of philosophy now sit side by side with childcare and psychology books. My Agatha Christie’s are snuggled in between Muhammad Asad and Edward de Bono. With Adam and Daniel, I made a clear decision about the books they will read when they were still babies. We stayed clear of Disney cartoon character books (You know, the Mouse…) so instead the boys were given books of knowledge rather than fairy tales and comics. Alhamdulillah, now their interest is mainly in current news and science.

But the number one book in my life that I cannot live without must definitely be Al Quran. I have the Book all over my house; in the living room, in my bedroom, in the study and even in my car. And as I read more of Al Quran, I’ve come to realise that it’s the only book I’ll ever need to develop further as a human and as a khalifah.

In the Book, there is everything. (‘Everything? Everything.’ – script from Cat in the Hat movie) History? Check. Social studies? Check. Geography? Check. Biology? Check? Astronomy? Check. Theology? Check. Archaeology? (surprisingly) Check. Dietary? Check. Oceanography? Check. The list goes on…

But, most importantly, the Book holds the key to human development. There has to be a sense of urgency in all of us to study and understand the Words of God in Al Quran to halt the degeneration of our community and the state of the world we live in today. Allah Almighty said in the Quran, Surah Al Baqarah, verse 121,

” Those to whom We have sent the Book study it as it should be studied; they are the one that believe therein”

Knowledge is nothing if not understood and applied on a daily basis. In Al Quran, Allah Almighty has clearly defined the criterias of human behavior and at a larger extent, human development, be it physically, spiritually, emotionally or mentally. It is ALL explained by the One Who Created us and He is the best one to explain about His creation. Allah Almighty said in Surah Al Inshiqaq, verse 19,

“ Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage”

This ayah tells us that our development will go through a shaping process. It will take time to move from one stage to the other. So, how do we progress from one stage to the other? Through knowledge. It takes us from where we were before to where we need to be next. Knowing and understanding what it involves, what we need to proceed, how we avoid obstacles is the way to reaching a higher state of human development.

The obligation to seek knowledge comes from both Allah subhana wa ta’la and the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. who said, “For him who embarks on the path of seeking knowledge, Allah will ease for him the way to paradise.” [Muslim]

It is enough to know that in both Al Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., the command to seek knowledge had been given. Knowledge separates Man from the rest of creation. In Al Quran, Surah Al Zumar, verse 9,

” Say: Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those endued with understanding that receive admonition.”

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said,” “Allah, His angels and all those in the heavens and in the earth, even ants in their holes and the fish in their water, call down blessings on those who instruct people in beneficent knowledge.” [Tirmidhi]

May Allah subhana wa ta’ala accept my effort. Ameen.

I have been asked this question mainly by actors who are starting out in the business however, these days some of the experienced actors are also asking…  So, in my opinion…go to work…practice makes perfect….  even the short fims have there moment of glory…helloooo Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes…..I just did a Google search and found over nineteen million hits for film festivals….  http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=short+film+festival&aq=1&oq=short+film+&aqi=g10

This means people see your work.. remember that this is a business and you need to be marketed…

As I researching for my English paper on the Progressive Movement, I came across Franklin Roosevelt’s 1944 State of the Union address. I was deeply appalled that any president, especially one that is often portrayed as one of the greatest ever, would propose something that’s so against the America’s foundation. Below I will copy the address and highlight his new “rights:”

“It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.

This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.”

These are so blatantly radical, unconstitutional, and socialist. It gets a whole lot worse. According to an article on www.forbes.com, Cass Sunstein (Head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs) is a strong supporter of these rights. Sunstein wrote a book, published in 2004 titled, The Second Bill of Rights: FDR’s Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More than Ever. If you believe in the constitution, the founding of this nation, and capitalism than you should be nervous that he has such a high position. These “rights” would astronomically grow the size of government and result in excessive taxation to fund all the programs.

It seems clear that’s exactly what progressives want, the growth of government, the death of capitalism and the rise of socialism. “Obama calls himself a progressive, as does Hillary Clinton” (http://www.newsweek.com/id/189122). Al Gore also considers himself a progressive, you know the guy who’s not a scientist and cares so deeply about the environment/global cooling, err I mean warming, and thinks he knows global warming inside and out.  Now, either these liberals, progressives, which ever you prefer to call them are either unaware at the extremely radicalism of their titles or they intend completely to uproot America and “Fundamentally transform” America.

SIDE NOTE: A couple scientists got their emails hacked and proves that global warming figures have been distorted. Shocking huh? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/science/earth/21climate.html

Musashi przygotował swoje ostatnie combo video do Tekkena 6 – MUSASHI VOL.7 Tekken 6 Hwoarang combo tribute.

źródło: forum TekkenZaibatsu

“Read! In the name thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created-”

Surah Al Alaq, verse 1, the 1st Revelation

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, my dear brothers and sisters.

The other day I looked up Jerusalem on Google Maps for a training program and found this:

Jerusalem, Israel

I guess I missed the news report announcing their sovereignty over Jerusalem. Or perhaps there wasn’t one..?

Surah Ali Imran, verse 54, ‘And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and God too planned, and the best of planners is God.’

This is a very important step back toward economic liberty.  More than half of the congress has co-sponsored the bill (including 80 democrats – so truly bi-partisan) and it asks for one simple thing.  Transparency.  After all, it’s our money, and our government… shouldn’t we have a right to know where all of the money the fed prints out of thin air goes?  This clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUreWxKGOkY) seems to indicate not even they know where it goes!

Update – the hypocrisy – government promises transparency… but does not take opportunities to deliver on that promise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tRQHsXujpo

More information on auditing the Fed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx-UYvtSqeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGAQIJWUJVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpbW64vRrMc

Update – Freedom Watch – Judge Andrew Napolitano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGAQIJWUJVU – the Fed’s response (besides hiring the Enron lobbyist)

Congressional report admits economic collapse was government’s fault:

http://americaswatchtower.com/2009/07/09/congressional-report-blames-the-governement-for-the-mortgage-crisis/

You can’t fairly blame the free market anymore – after all we have not had a true free market in this country for decades.  You can try to blame lack of regulators, but some of the big organizations that they say need regulation had literally hundreds of regulators already… and the answer can’t possibly be to give the federal reserve the power to regulate the banks.  Did you know the federal reserve is a private organization?  It’s a bank… for the banks.  Giving it the power to regulate – isn’t that like allowing banks to regulate themselves?  Actually reading the plan, one learns that many of the ‘regulations’ become optional anyway (so it’s a big bank regulating (in many ways) itself… but only if it wants to).  You can read the entire plan here: http://thehill.com/images/stories/news/2009/june/white%20paper.pdf – and a critique of it here: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=20147

If I’m wrong about any of this I’d love to hear about it so I can continue the learning process.  If you agree, contact your government here – https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and tell them to support HR 1207 and government transparency.  Also, feel free naturally to forward this to others if you want.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!  I wish the best to you.

I admire this: http://www.idealist.org/ICA/root/en/Static/TheVision/default.

These guys have taken on an impressive initiative.

They have boiled the major problems of the world down into three main realities:

1. a substantial number of people want to do something to help others (even a simple act, like cleaning Granny’s gutters, say) – but they don’t, for whatever reason

2. our problems are the same world-over, but we have chosen in many cases to connect along separatist lines (just because we don’t want to get along with China doesn’t mean that pollution is going to hang around them more than us – we’re all toast)

3. there are plenty of ideas and solutions out there to tackle the problems of the world, but a lack of connection keeps them from being shared efficiently, if at all

Sounds naive?  Too optimistic?  Possibly.  But look here: list of countries! As of today, 6800+ from the US have joined the initiative, as well as people from 154 countries.  There are only approximately 195 countries in the world.  That means practically 80% of all countries in the world have at least one person who wants to imagine, connect, and act with others for the good of humanity.  If just one person in an entire country is willing to risk getting ridiculed for being an “idealist”, then I can stand with them.

Let’s at least see where it takes us, shall we?

The new build introduces the revolutionary QuoteWerks Communicator SPAM filter neutralizer and includes an enhanced Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration, improved Maximizer integration, and support for QuickBooks 2010 (USA and Canada).

ORLANDO, FL November 23, 2009 — Aspire Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of sales quoting software solutions for the global small and mid-markets, announced today the release of a new build which includes over twenty-two new features.  Included in the build are numerous features designed to help companies of all sizes reduce their cost-of-sales and improve sales worker efficiencies.

Build 51 improves some existing integrations and also adds some new features for users.  The most notable features include:

• Support for QuickBooks 2010 (USA and Canadian versions)
• New enhanced Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 integration (including support for Multi-tenancy, quote entity support, and more)
• Improved Maximizer integration for Maximizer 10.0 and 10.5

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In this release, the new QuoteWerks Communicator was introduced.  The QuoteWerks Communicator enables Aspire Technologies, Inc. to periodically send messages to QuoteWerks users informing them of build updates, new features available, and other pertinent information.  These messages are received and viewed from within the QuoteWerks application. These messages are designed to be sent infrequently so as to not inundate the customers with messages.  It also enables the users to reply directly to the messages that they receive.  They can send questions and suggestions about the product allowing for bi-directional communication for purposes of feedback and to gauge customer responses to new features.

“Our customers often upgrade their systems and applications to take advantage of new features and technologies.  It is crucial that we inform our customers when we release new integrations and functionality, ensuring that their combined CRM and accounting solutions continue to work seamlessly with QuoteWerks.  Often however, customers are unaware of new additions to QuoteWerks because email SPAM filters trap or discard our build announcement emails, disrupting legitimate email communication between us and our customer base.  The new QuoteWerks Communicator will allow us to keep our customers informed and alert them when new features are available,” comments John C. Lewe IV, President of Aspire Technologies, Inc.

A full list of all the features added in Build 51 can be viewed here.

The new QuickBooks 2010 integrations, enhanced MS CRM integration, and improved Maximizer integration (plus more) are available in Build 51 or higher of QuoteWerks version 4.0.  Visit http://www.quotewerks.com/updates/UpdateAgent.asp to download build 51.

About Aspire Technologies and QuoteWerks^®

Aspire Technologies, the creators of the award winning QuoteWerks^® sales quoting software, is the leading provider of sales quoting software with its award winning QuoteWerks^® application deployed to thousands of businesses and

enterprises worldwide. QuoteWerks^® integrates with leading CRM and accounting packages, along with IT
distributors D&H^®, Ingram Micro^®, SYNNEX^®, and Tech Data^®, enabling businesses in all industries to integrate QuoteWerks^® seamlessly into their existing environments.  Aspire Technologies is headquartered in Orlando, Florida and is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.  For more information please visit www.quotewerks.com.

QuoteWerks is a registered trademark of Aspire Technologies, Inc.  Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.