Archive for December, 2008
December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
Last year, America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth and Founding Chairman Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) launched the first-ever competition to identify the 100 Best Communities for Young People. The goal: to identify counties, cities and towns working to make their communities great places for young people to grow up. Over 1,000 communities took part in the inaugural competition and winners were named from 40 states.
To continue to build upon the success of the competition, America’s Promise is conducting a series of five regional 100 Best Forums to provide communities with an opportunity to share how they provide healthy, safe and caring environments that effectively educate young people and help them become productive citizens.
The forums will uncover, recognize and promote best practices by nonprofits, businesses, government, policymakers, educators, and youth and civic leaders. The sessions will also encourage collaboration within communities to see that all young people receive the Five Promises essential to success: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others. Participants will also be told how their communities can take part in the next 100 Best Communities for Young People competition, slated to begin Fall 2006.
State Farm will serve as the title sponsor for the forums, with additional support provided by the Ford Motor Company Fund and New Century Financial Corporation.
Every community across the country is invited to take part in one of the forums to be held:
• June 8-9, 2006, in Long Beach, California;
• July 27-28, 2006, in Providence, Rhode Island;
• September 14-15, 2006, in Charlotte, North Carolina;
• September 28-29, 2006, in Indianapolis, Indiana; and
• October 12-13, 2006, in Denver, Colorado.
In addition to the exciting sessions and workshops, all forum participants will receive a continental breakfast and lunch each day, and attend an evening reception.
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
Star of television’s “Desperate Housewives,” Alfre Woodard is sharing some secrets -no, not from Wisteria Lane, but from America’s desperate, and not so desperate, housewives.
The Emmy Award-winning actress says that a recent survey by Harris Interactive has uncovered some provocative secrets of real American housewives. “In fact, many of the findings would make great fodder for the storyline on the show,” said Woodard. According to the Playtex® Secrets® survey of more than 1,300 married U.S. women, nearly three out of four (72 percent) say they have a deep secret, but more than one in three have not divulged it to anyone.
Nearly half (44 percent) say they’ve had a secret crush. Surprisingly, nearly half of those women (48 percent) are secretly crushing on someone they work with-a co-worker, colleague or even their boss. Even more revealing, about one in five (21 percent) admit to having secretly admired their husband’s friend(s).
Three in 10 married women (29 percent) describe their relationship with their mother-in-law as one of toleration. Shockingly, as many as one in five (20 percent) say they’d love for their husband’s mother to move in with them.
About three in five married ladies (61 percent) say they gossip. Among those who do, 31 percent say they tell tales about their boss, co-workers or colleagues, while three in 10 (30 percent) dish about their neighbor(s). More than one in four (28 percent) chit-chat about their in-laws, while one in five (22 percent) talk about their husbands.
The survey was conducted by Playtex® Secrets®, a beautiful and elegant intimate apparel line for full-size women, to highlight the introduction of its new Legacy Lace™ collection. Each style offers such hidden comfort features as breathable Airform fabric.
Each bra incorporates luxurious feminine detailing, such as lace and scalloped edging, features designed to help make women feel confident and beautiful. Sizes range from 36 to 44 C, D and DD. Such fashionable bras could quickly become a woman’s best-kept secret weapon.
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
The AMC Cancer Research Center has merged with the University of Colorado Cancer Center, a step designed to help both organizations in their efforts to fight the disease.
The AMC, a nonprofit research institute located in Lakewood, Colo., will continue as an independent foundation devoted to financial support for research in cancer causation, prevention and control at the University of Colorado.
The merger also is designed to help increase philanthropic community support for cancer research, according to Dr. Al Marcus, interim scientific director at AMC.
“Combining efforts with the university makes both organizations stronger,” says Marcus. “Not only will this enhance our ability to share research approaches and resources, but it will increase grant funding and fundraising opportunities as well. The relocation will facilitate collaborations and provide access to the state-of-the-art facilities.”
AMC was originally founded as the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society in 1904, a charitable hospital and research center that treated patients with tuberculosis. In the 1950s, when that disease was brought under control, the society changed its name to the American Medical Center and directed its sizable resources to the treatment and research of cancer.
Until 1989, AMC was a hospital as well as a research center, but then began focusing entirely on research and ways to control cancer, to help patients live longer and to prevent cancer before it starts.
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
Am I wanted? Does anyone need me? Have you ever asked these questions to yourself? If no, you are a very lucky person. Let us talk more on this subject.
We all have our self-esteem. Along with our self-esteem, we also have a desire that someone should need us. That someone should want us. A mother is delighted when her children come shouting to her and ask for food. As the children grow up, they become self-reliant and move away. The mother is no longer wanted by them for anything. This creates a vacuum in her life, that she tries to fill with other work, but the satisfaction is not same. This is equally true for fathers. It is equally true with office workers who are depended upon for any task. If they feel that they are not wanted, they not only lose their self-esteem, but also feel very lonely
The desire of others to fulfil their needs connects us with them. It also gives us a great sense of self worth. And that is very important. A mother wanting love needs her children to fulfil that. As the children grow up, they are not able to give that love to their mother. An innocent young kid can give that satisfaction, not a young person of say thirty years of age! In this situation, the children also begin getting the feeling that as they grow up, they are not wanted by their mother to fulfil her need of love. Earlier in their childhood, they had the feeling of worth, that their mother wanted their love. As they grow up, they realize that they are not wanted by their mother for that need. They can not fulfil it. This change creates a feeling of vacuum in children as well.
Feeling of being wanted is very important to give us the sense of self worth. A husband feels good when he is wanted by his wife. Take the case of a husband, whose wife does not need him to fulfill any of her wants. Imagine a situation where she has enough money of her own, knows how to run the home without any help, can manage without fulfilling physical needs and needs her husband for nothing. What would be the life of such a husband? Will he feel good about himself? Surely not. He is just not wanted.
This is equally true for wives. This is true for all of us. We all have the inner desire that someone should depend upon us for a need that can be fulfilled only by us. This is true for friendships, work, family, and in every relationship. One needs the self-esteem, that comes from the feeling that one is wanted.
In our day to day life, we get so involved with urgency and work that we stop noticing the need of others to feel wanted. Kindly look around yourself and find out if anyone close to you may be facing this. If you find out that someone is not getting this satisfaction, you should give that by all the means. You will be helping that person immensely. You will be helping a person live with self esteem again.
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
Born on June 7, 1975, Allen Iverson is a graduate of Georgetown and currently plays a guard position for the Philadelphia 76ers. He stands 6′ tall and weighs 165 lbs. Following his high school years at Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, Allen Iverson was honored by having his jersey number retired during the school’s 1993 State Championship halftime ceremony. After high school, Iverson continued his love of basketball as he entered into his collegiate years. During his freshman year in college, Allen Iverson was named the Big East Rookie of the Year. The following year, during his sophomore season, Iverson was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press. In addition, he was chosen as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year consecutively.
The 1996-1997 season marked Allen Iverson’s rookie year in the NBA. After quickly establishing himself as a soon-to-be household name early in the season, Iverson went on to become the second youngest player to reach the 50-point plateau in a single game in NBA history. The points were continually racking up for the 76ers in the 1997-1998 season due, in part, to Iverson’s game strategies. In 1998-1999, Allen Iverson was named to the All-NBA First Team and continued scoring game-high points throughout the season.
During the 1999-2000 season, Allen Iverson was selected for the All-NBA Second Team and once again tied his career high 50-points in a game against Sacramento on February 6, 2000. The following season, dating 2000-2001, was one of fantastic rewards. Despite an injury that caused 11 games to be missed, Allen Iverson started in 71 games and was honored with the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. As the 76ers progressed to the 2001 NBA Playoffs, Allen Iverson was there. With an average of 32.9 points per game, he continued to set records and set career-highs during the five-game series.
During the 2005-2006 NBA season, Allen Iverson marked his 10th anniversary with a league that made him famous. He is the second player in NBA history to have ever played for only one team for this length of time. The only player to have been on a team longer is Kevin Garnett of Minnesota. After starting in 72 games and averaging 33 points per game, Iverson recorded his 19,000th career point in a game against Washington.
As an athlete who believes in giving back to his community, Allen Iverson founded the Cross Over Foundation and hosts the annual Allen Iverson Celebrity Classic. As part of the 76ers Community Assists Program, Iverson established the ‘A.I.’s Crossover Crew,’ which is a ticket distribution program that allows area-youth to attend a Philadelphia Sixers home game.
Fans who would like to request a signed photo or simply send Allen Iverson their best wishes are urged to do so in care of his NBA franchise team. If you are requesting an autograph, be sure to include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) along with your request. Letters and requests should be mailed to:
Allen Iverson
Philadelphia 76ers
First Union Center
3601 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
How do you know if you’ve ever been in love? Most people would argue that although being in love with someone is non-tangible, there is absolutely no doubt in their mind of it existing. In fact, if you are questioning whether or not you are in love, then you are most certainly not.
While I do not doubt for a second the existence of being in love (albeit being one of those sad individuals yet to experience it), I am somewhat perplexed over our perception of what constitutes humanities most sought after experience.
For me, falling in love with someone is a decision made based on the successful matching of ones own predetermined criteria or preferences.
I fondly refer to the preliminary stage of partner selection as the ‘terminator glasses’ phase, since it filters through a potential mate’s attributes and matches them off against our own unique preferences.
On the New Years Eve just passed I went to meet friends at a bar where we would be celebrating the evening. There, waiting at the door with my friend, I saw HIM for the first time. I did a quick terminator scan:
Height: Around 6 foot. MATCH.
Build: Not too skinny, not too fat, not too buff. MATCH.
Hair: Short dark brown. Not over the top alla David Beckham. MATCH.
Complexion: Dark olive. MATCH.
Lips: Plump. MATCH.
Smile: Oh my God. MATCH.
Eyes: Big, brown, expressive, with long thick lashes. MATCH!
Stance: Gentle, not cocky. MATCH.
Nationality: Clearly foreign, probably Brazilian. MATCH.
With the terminator glasses still firmly planted on my face, the confirmed Brazilian was permitted to move onto the second part of phase one: interaction. This is often the most fatal part of any potential relationship, since every sentence uttered, every look given, and every movement is put through the filter of the terminator glasses. Any miss-match could lead to premature relationship death. Very little is forgiven during this part, especially if one’s program is set at ‘long term mate’. In saying this, it is also my favorite part of the process as it is the most fun. I see it as a game we both know we’re playing, but refuse to acknowledge as existing. One can withdraw from the game at anytime without repercussion (that is, of course, when both parties are working under the same set of rules. If this is not the case a few unwanted phone numbers are collected, followed by a few awkward conversations. And depending on how weak one is – unwanted dates followed by unwanted kisses, possibly ending in unwanted sex!).
Stage two, ‘the rose coloured glasses’ phase, is extremely dangerous and not usually approached with caution by either candidate. Depending on the impact of stage one, bombs warning ‘relationship doom’ could be dropped right in front of ones eyes, yet getting let go un-noticed. Everything appears and is, invariably, utterly workable. Despite my cynicism, this stage is defiantly more exciting than the terminator phase, albeit being laced with the fear of it all ending. The premature ‘I love you’ could escape ones mouth, falling like a ball onto a roulette table. The stakes are high, but it could also very well pay off and pass you onto stage three. Or not…
Declaring the title of stage three is difficult. And the truth is, I don’t know what to call it because I’m usually making my way to the green exit sign above the fire escape before you can say ‘marry me’.
My experience with stage three is that I usually realize Mr Perfect is human. I resist accepting him just the way he is, and try to point out where he is lacking (he is usually not so open to my constructive criticism. I wonder why?). This of course does not lead him to change his ways, but firmly ground himself in them (and resent me in the process). Love and commitment gets swapped with fear and dependence. Some stay to battle it out to the very end, most head straight for the green exit light.
People claim at this point that they have ‘fallen out of love’. My argument is that they were never in love in the first place. One of my favourite movies, ‘Moulin Rouge’, melodically states, “The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return”. I believe this is what we think being in love is all about. Yet being loved in return implies that there is a condition to your giving love. So romantic love is conditional love. If romantic love only goes one-way, it is termed unrequited love or even ‘desperate’.
What if I said that true love can only be unconditional? And inside of that, true love can only mean 100% acceptance of the subject, just the way they are and just the way they’re not. What if love, real love, is just loving?
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
A criminal background search is a great tool to use for hiring purposes. If own a company or work in a human resources department you should definitely look into using a background check company in order to make sure that you are not hiring criminals.
Background check companies are skilled at finding criminal information on applicants that you may be thinking about hiring. The only thing that you need to do as a company to get set up is get your applicants to sign a waiver that states that you can run a background check on them. At this point all you need to do then is find a company that will actually do the search. This is not difficult and can be done by running a simple internet search.
After finding the right company for you, they can explain what searches are the best for which employees and situation. These background check companies are skilled at performing searches and have all of the necessary resources and contacts to provide you with accurate reports.
A criminal background search can be had for a relatively cheap cost. You can run a national criminal database search for as little as $10 on each applicant. This will pull criminal information from every state and will allow you to see if the person you are considering has a criminal record. You can also get more in depth by running a state, county, or federal criminal search.
The best thing to do is to contact a background search company and let them walk you through it. They are the experts in the business, and will be able to help you in getting set up. This is a process that every company should consider putting into place. It can save you a lot of hassle in the future.
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
At first sight it may seem that life in society is peaceful and quiet. People are surrounded by comfort and cosiness and don’t seem to be longing for anything else. The real life seems less colourful than from the first sight. The more independent we get from each other, the lonelier we become. Loneliness creates stress and aggravation within the micro climate of an individual and he/she always seeks ways to get rid of negative feelings and problems that circle a person. If a grown up is under pressure, can you imagine how hard it is for a teenager to get acquainted with the world around and face first difficulties. Both grown ups and teenagers look for a cure from stress and the first thing they gat a hold on is alcohol, cigarettes or even drugs.
Every person has a freedom of choice, but the question is will this choice be easy or right? Strong personality will never pick the easy way if it will appear to misleading. A weak personality will do everything to postpone the solution of the problem. Alcohol or the “spirits” is something that may make the world look different and friendlier for an hour or so. If that is the example of a weakness of a grown up, you can imagine, how much more impressible a teenager is. There are a couple reasons for a teenager to take a glass or two and repeat the procedure even more often than a grown up. First of all, they might be following an example of parents that have this problem within the family and consider it ok when their child drinks spirits right in front of them. Parents might not even know or care what happens even more often, than be alcohol addicted themselves. The situation in the family may be built on complete ignorance of every member as soon as it doesn’t harm anybody but the individual rebelling. The “rebelling individual” is usually a teenager that requires attention of parents that for some reason can not give it t the fullest. Another reason may be to show off, to be different, not like others that look so boring and so not fun. And another one that is called the “adult reason” is the desire to escape from the harshness of reality by means of drinking.
This is a serious problem that the government and social organizations can not fight alone. If the society realizes the importance of the cure from alcoholic addiction, then the lifestyle of the society will change for better.
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
Alcohol addiction is a serious disease. Not only can it tear a family apart and lead to financial ruin, it can also lead to the premature death of the alcoholic. Therefore, it is vital for person suffering from this disease to find help immediately. Without help, it is nearly impossible for a person with an alcohol addiction to recover and return to a normal, healthy life.
* Choosing the Right Alcohol Rehab Center
An alcohol rehab center is the best source for a person looking for assistance with addiction recovery. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the type of rehab center best suited to the individual’s needs.
There are two forms of help a person with an alcohol addiction can receive from a rehab center: inpatient and outpatient. With inpatient treatment, the patient remains on the premises of the alcohol rehab center. Outpatient treatment, on the other hand, permits the individual to continue with his or her regular life while still reporting to the rehab center for assistance and guidance. The majority of alcohol rehab centers offer both forms of treatment.
* The Support of an Alcohol Rehab Center
Regardless of the type of program the person with an alcohol addiction follows, the basics of alcohol rehab remain the same. In all cases, the addiction and other difficulties the patient faces are kept confidential. In addition, the rehab center will also include five primary components: a medical evaluation, a psychological evaluation, therapy, detox, and extended care.
* The Medical Evaluation
The medical evaluation conducted by the alcohol rehab center is meant to help the staff identify any physical problems the person with an alcohol addiction may have. Often, these physical problems are actually caused by the alcohol addiction. Problems with the liver, for example, may have developed as a result of the addiction. After medical problems have been identified, the staff of the rehab center can work toward making the patient physically healthy once more.
Improving the patient’s physical health is an important component of addiction recovery. This is because it takes a holistic approach to get an addict back on the road toward recovery. This includes taking care of the patient’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Without this three-pronged approach, the patient is more likely to fail in the process of addiction recovery.
* The Psychological Evaluation
The psychological evaluation also provides the staff of the rehab center with volumes of important information about the patient. The psychological evaluation helps the team better understand the patient. In addition, the team of specialists can determine whether the person suffering from alcohol addiction is also struggling from certain psychological problems. For example, it is common for a person suffering from alcohol addiction to also suffer from depression. If this is the case, the program developed to assist the patient will also include a plan to address this issue.
* Therapy
Generally, an alcohol rehab center will provide both group and individual therapy to its patients. The group therapy is designed to give the person with an alcohol addiction support from others who are experiencing the same difficulties. Being able to share in the struggles with those who can truly understand often makes the process easier for a patient to deal with.
Nonetheless, individual counseling is also critical to addiction recovery. Having the opportunity to work one-on-one with a counselor helps the patient work through his or her own individual conflicts. Through individual therapy, the patient can come to terms with his or her addiction and work through ways to resolve it by setting individual goals.
* Detoxification
In addition the medical and physical evaluations, patients of alcohol rehab centers generally undergo a 24-hour medically supervised detoxification and withdrawal period. During this period, the patient is forced to go without alcohol. For many patients coping with alcohol addiction, this may be the longest time they have gone without alcohol in many years.
The detoxification period is difficult for the person suffering from alcohol addiction because it is accompanied by extreme withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms take their toll on the patient both physically and mentally. For this reason, an alcohol rehab center also provides close patient monitoring and assistance during this period.
* Extended Care
Extended care, which is also sometimes referred to as aftercare, is vital to the success of addiction recovery. Through an extended care program, the patient continues to receive support and assistance from the alcohol rehab center after being released from the more intensive alcohol rehab program.
Extended care programs are designed to help monitor the patient’s success in alcohol addiction recovery. To do this appropriately, the program staff watch over the patient to be sure he or she is utilizing the new skills gained during rehab. For instance, the extended care specialist may work with the patient to be sure he or she is staying away from specific crowds of people that encourage drinking. Or, the extended care specialist may check to be sure the patient is utilizing appropriate resistance skills. Without a strong extended care program, it is easy for the patient to fall back into the cycle of abuse.
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December 18th, 2008 -- Posted in General |
For most the sound of an Alarm ringing first thing in the morning is a shock. You set it the night before, for whatever time you would like to wake up, and yet you are still annoyed with it when it actually goes off at the time you requested.
If you are like me, then you will prolong the act of getting up by constantly hitting the snooze button – which gives you another few minutes before it rings out again. The irony is that I personally never go back to sleep as I wait in anticipation for the sound of the dreaded clock to go off yet again.
Clocks nowadays have very different sounds to wake you, but none of them in my experience are welcoming, my current clock has a very high intermittent bleeping sound – which drives me crazy each morning, but without it, I would not wake up, so ironically I do depend on the irritating sound it makes. Perhaps I need to look at alternative clocks that offer a better noise to wake up to?
Traditional mechanical alarm clocks have a bell on top that rings, but digital alarm clocks can make other noises. Simple battery-powered alarm clocks make a beeping sound whereas novelty alarm clocks can speak, laugh, or sing.
Clocks have definitely improved in time (no pun intended) and the features too have improved – these range from: built-in radios, nature sounds, dual alarms, CD players, iPod docking bays, sunrise simulators, programmable snooze etc.
The Digital Clock is probably one of the most popular Alarm clocks in use today because they can be very useful (they are usually fitted with in-built radios as standard and are usually inexpensive to purchase)
However the digital clock does have its drawbacks. Since they run on electricity and have no permanent memory, digital clocks must be reset every time they are moved or the power is cut off. This is a particular problem since a power outage during the night usually results in the clock failing to trigger the alarm in the morning.
To reduce the problem, later designs often incorporate a battery backup to maintain the time during power outages.
What does the future Alarm clock have in store for us?
Among annoyances caused by alarm clocks is sleep inertia, a feeling of grogginess that results from abrupt awakening. Progressive alarm clocks claim to solve this issue. They include sunrise alarm clocks, dawn simulators and progressive auditory alarm clocks.
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