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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

2012 Washington Nationals Pitching Preview


Ever since moving to the capital city in 2005, the Washington Nationals haven't had a lot to get excited about. But there are a lot of people who think that the Nationals are finally primed to become a serious contender in the NL East after finishing third in its division with an 80-81 record. Washington is expecting their ace, Stephen Strasburg, to come out and play for them for a full season. Aside from that, they went and acquired Gio Gonzalez to give them another young and potent arm in the top of their rotation. Here is the projected starting rotation and closer situation for the Nationals in 2012.

Projected Rotation

Stephen Strasburg (RHP) - Strasburg suffered an injury to his elbow that limited him to five starts at the end of the season. He went 1-1 in the stretch, but had a 1.50 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. What was impressive was that he had just two walks in those five starts. When healthy, Strasburg has the talent and the drive to be one of the best starters the NL has to offer.

Gio Gonzalez (LHP) - Washington traded away four players in order to land Gonzalez, and he was worth it so long as he pitches like he has in his last two seasons in Oakland. The 26-year-old went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 32 starts last year, following up his strong 2010 season where he went 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He is still relatively young and his best years are still ahead of him.

Jordan Zimmerman (RHP) - Don't discount Zimmerman just yet, even with the addition of Gonzalez and the return of Strasburg, Zimmerman still has what it takes to produce at a high level. The 23-year-old righty produced solid numbers of 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 26 starts, despite returning from Tommy John Surgery.

John Lannan (LHP) - After a sub-par 2010, Lannan bounced back to perform in arguably his best season to date, when he posted a career-low 3.70 ERA and a career-high with 10 wins.

Chien-Ming Wang (RHP) - After signing with the Nationals prior to the 2010 season, Wang finally made his Nationals debut last year. He went 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 11 starts. Provided that he is healthy, he has the potential to win 10+ games and really make the Nationals' staff one of the best the NL has to offer.

Projected Closer

Drew Storen (RHP) - Storen really surprised a lot of people when he saved 43 games in his first season as the Nationals' closer. The expectations for him going forward are off-the-charts as the 24-year-old also posted a 2.75 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 74 strikeouts in just over 75 innings of work.




Be sure to visit us for help beating the baseball odds this season with expert free MLB picks from the top handicappers in the industry.




ISAIAH 9:10 JUDGMENT - Video Review and Interview With Producer Joseph Farah


In 1970 even the churches were not regularly taught the doctrine of the second coming of Christ more commonly known as premillennial prophecy. Then along came Hal Lindsey's block buster best seller, "The Late Great Planet Earth."

The nation and the world were catapulted into a revival of knowledge that even the Prophet Daniel proclaimed would not be well known or revealed until the last days. A few great works have been added to Lindsey's book and those who had only Clarence Larkin's 1918 version of "Dispensational Truth" were reinvigorated to begin again to start studying the subject of eschatology. (The last things)

Certain signs have been fulfilled in this generation that make it impossible to miss that the generation Jesus spoke of as the one sure to precede the second coming of Christ, is as the Bible says, "at hand."

Of all the latest signs and the greatest teachings and discoveries about Christ's imminent return in power that have graced this generation, none is more specific to America than the parallel Israel and America share in the passages of Isaiah 9: 10 and following.

Since online journalism often falls prey to the speed of surfing and the new lightning speed of digital browsers, I will state both early and emphatically; the Isaiah 9:10 prophecy/parallel is, without doubt, the most important and impressive discovery in this decade. It is a wakeup call that we can only ignore at our own peril.

It was apparent from the beginning that reviewing this documentary would not be easy and the standard review techniques would need to be suspended in lieu of some other means of elucidation. Joseph Farah is an articulate man who in this interview manages to touch on many of the questions anyone may think to ask, but to begin with we will use the four P's to introduce the production.

PRIMARY - In both Old and New Testament days the Lord made it clear to his apostles and prophets and servants that if they went unheard and subsequently unheeded that it was God that was being rejected not the servant. Under inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, God, his message and the messenger stand as one. That being said the primary here is Rabbi Jonathan Cahn. Jonathan is what is known as a, Messianic Rabbi, (Christian) whose message is heard daily on hundreds of radio stations across the nation.

President of the 'Hope of the World Ministries' Cahn is also the Senior Pastor of the 'Jerusalem Center/ Beth Israel located in Wayne, New Jersey. Cahn has ministered to thousands across the globe. He is the author of the bestselling book 'The Harbinger' which is subtitled "The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America's Future"

In a normal review we would hail the long list of accomplishments and roles the principle has played to accent his career. In God's economy he was only looking for someone to be obedient to what they saw or heard and in that vein Jonathan Cahn is best described.

What was spoken of about Cahn's ancient Father Abraham may also be said about him. Little more needs to be said for those whose pleasure it is to serve the living God. To Wit: "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (Gal 3: 6)

PRODUCER - Joseph Farah is the producer of the documentary and he is a man who hardly needs an introduction. As the founder and CEO of WND.com (Formerly- World Net Daily) a website that has recently been ranked among the top 500 sites in the world, he is well known for his journalism and his untiring pursuit of the truth.

Like many Christians Farah knows that Jesus said "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Jn 8: 32) When Farah decided that he would not hoard the truth to himself, but make it known to the entire world he became as Jonathan Cahn, a servant. Nothing speaks more about him than that. In the perspective of the Biblical worldview, that title, is the greatest he has ever been granted.

PREMISE - The documentary is used to show the parallel between ancient Israel and America. We are without doubt producing the same behaviors that Israel did before it began to fall under the judgment of God. Since both Israel and America were chosen to represent God's works and his message in our world it might seem apropos that we should both choose a similar path, but since it is a path to our own demise, it is anything but desirable.

In the last 24 hours before Christ's life leading up to and including his crucifixion he fulfilled some 25 major Messianic prophecies (Prophecies related to the first coming of Christ) against the odds of approximately 53,000,000 to one. The parallels between Israel's behaviors and America's reactions to the events of 9/11 have not yet been calculated in the math of compound probabilities, but if it were the odds would also be astronomical.

In the simplest terms - we are repeating the same behaviors as ancient Israel. The video fully explains these parallels, but much more than that, it indicates what we can do as individuals and as a nation to avoid the product of our behavior.

PRODUCT - All great portents are pretty much useless if all they do is entertain. The curiosity of the prophecies of Nostradamus, the sighting of UFOs, the pursuit of missing gospels and 'doomsday' predictions all have entertainment value, but they cannot be used to edify, guide or redeem anyone, thus they begin and end on the lower echelon of human influence we know as entertainment.

When signs or burning bushes are granted by God they have a much higher value. They are known as 'revelation' which means they are God's way of speaking to man. God doesn't just want to be heard like someone shouting over the crowd, he has no opinions or viewpoints. He is the author and finisher of all things, but he does want to make it clear that we play a role in the outcome of all that happens in our lives as individuals and collectively as a nation. This then, is the very heart of this documentary. It is a view of the terrible event we call 9/11 that when seen correctly, will serve to awaken us to our role, subsequent to that event.

It is God's way of saying - 'Now, what are you going to do about it!'

Bresciani - This is Rev Michael Bresciani of the American Prophet.org website and I'm interviewing Mr. Joseph Farah, the Chief Executive Officer of World Net Daily on his production of the movie 'Isaiah 9: 10 Judgment.' Welcome.

Farah - Before you get started I just want to say that, World Net Daily is the name of the website that most people are familiar with, on January first we changed it to WND, and officially we don't use World Net Daily anymore.

Bresciani - You know I should know that because I have a link to your site and a little logo on ours and it does say, simply, WND.

Farah - Old habits are hard to break.

Bresciani - The nine 'harbingers' are broken down into these categories, if I could say them quickly. 1. The Breach, 2. The Terrorist, 3. The Bricks, 4. The Tower, 5. The Gazit Stone, 6. The Sycamore, 7. The Erez Tree, 8. The Utterance, 9. The Prophecy. The first question I have is - it was the Rabbi, Jonathan Cahn who seems the be the person best versed in these harbingers, was he the one that discovered these or did somebody else find them with him, was there a collaboration or did he just come upon them - how did he discover them?

Farah - It is my understanding, although I never specifically asked that question of Jonathan, is that these were things he discovered, and I think I would be accurate in saying that he was led to these discoveries, by the Holy Spirit. He is a great student of the Bible and he is a student of the Bible in original languages and he sees a lot of deeper meanings, much more than the average English speaking Bible student and I think that certainly helps, for instance, knowing the difference between when you read in the King James Version of the bible that the sycamores were replaced by cedars. Well, cedar is not actually the word in Hebrew, it's erez tree, Erez is something, it includes the cedar, but it can be something, it's more generic than cedar and so when you see the sycamore tree in New York City being replaced by an erez tree, then you see the fulfillment of what appears to be prophecy repeating itself. So I think Jonathan is uniquely gifted and studied to be able to have made these discoveries.

The movie itself is a different kind of telling of the book he wrote, The Harbinger, and the Harbinger is a terrific book, but it is actually classified as fiction because it involves fictional characters. It's the telling of a real historical story. He does it in a way, a narrative form, that when I read it as a journalist, I said to myself, wait a minute, I'm afraid people are going to read this and think it's a nice book, but not get the fact that - its real, that its true.

I felt compelled to make this into a video documentary where we could actually show these events that took place because - seeing- is believing - for people. We increasingly live in a world where the visual is much more powerful for some people than the written word. So that was the genesis of the Isaiah 9: 10 Judgment. I knew the 'Harbinger' was going to be an incredibly successful book, which it has been and continues to be the number one Christian book in America this year.

Bresciani - That leads me into the second question I was going to ask you. How is it (The Harbinger) doing in the marketplace? I understand its rising again?

Farah - Yes, it's been consistently on the New York Times best seller list and it's really just a question of whether it's in the top ten or the top twenty five and that sort of depends on the exposure he (Jonathan Cahn) he is able to give it in media.

Bresciani - I had the feeling as I watched the documentary that it wasn't trying to be a 'prophecy,' it was being shown as a parallel, that we (America) are repeating a pattern, and no one could argue with that.

Farah - Well no, and if your familiar with the bible, you know that the bible is a book of patterns. And so it only makes sense that those patterns would continue into the future and to me this story, whether you read it in book form or watch the video, I have yet to see anybody come away with, well that's all coincidence.

Bresciani - Another question that came up is, I wondered if anyone involved like Sen. Daschle, Jon Edwards, Mayor Bloomberg, and the Governor of New York or anyone that's part of the documentary has been exposed to the video and have they made any statements or thrown back any reflections?

Farah - No, not to my knowledge, however, I will say this because this is the journalist in me, I have asked my team, my staff, to make every effort to try to reach out, particularly to Daschle and Edwards. I want to find out from Tom Daschle, who gave the first speech on September 12 and cited Isaiah 9: 10. I wanted to get somebody to talk to him or the aide or the speech writer that came up with that verse as the inspiration for his talk that day.

SUMMARY - The full length audio of the interview with Joseph Farah is 43 minutes in length and a great deal more depth and detail can be found in it, I strongly advise anyone considering the purchase of this video to listen to the entire presentation. It is totally free.

Everybody who watches this video will be impacted. Whether you are just curious about prophecies and how America fits into the biblical scheme of things, or if you are a solid student of prophecy you will be moved and enlightened and challenged by the obviously important message Jonathan Cahn is making in this powerful video presentation.

As a person with both a prophetic calling on my life and as a journalist I feel that our nation is sliding fast toward the place of no return, anything that serves to alert the nation to this misguided race to our own demise rates high on my list as important enough to declare and make known to other Americans.

I like to rate every film or production I review on a scale of 1 to 10. In all three categories, message, production and prophetic value I would be remiss if I did not give Joseph Farah's production of 'Isaiah 9: 10 Judgment,' a very strong - ten.




http://www.americanprophet.org has since 2005 featured the articles of columnist Rev Michael Bresciani along with news and reviews that have earned this site the title of The Website for Insight. Millions have read his timely reports and articles in online journals and print publications across the nation and the globe.




Southland Region New Zealand - Home of the Fiordland National Park


The Southland Region of New Zealand is sparsely populated but contains some of the most majestic natural wonders in a country which is full of spectacular nature. The region lies at the southern tip of the South Island of New Zealand and includes Stewart Island or Rakiura as it is more commonly known. The two largest cities are Invercargill with about 50,000 inhabitants and Gore with around 12,000 citizens in the area. A large swath of the region is covered by protected national parks with some of the most magnificent sights in the whole country.

Fiordland National Park is the largest national park in New Zealand, covering 7,860 square kilometers and in dramatic fashion. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the Southern Alps, with two of the most visited areas being Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound which are fjords formed by the powerful glacial activity here thousands of years ago. Milford Sound is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country with rocky peaks in the shape of an elephant head and crouching lion towering over the waters below. The area also contains Browne Falls which are (depending on the measurement 619 or 836 meters) the highest waterfall in New Zealand and the equally impressive Sutherland Falls at 580 meters. Boat tours are one of the best ways to see the fjords and temporary waterfalls are often seen in this, one of the rainiest areas on the planet with 6,813 mm of rain on average per year. The region also contains numerous lakes, among them the deepest lakes in New Zealand and the deepest of all is Lake Hauroko at 463 meters in depth.

Rakiura National Park covers over 80% of Stewart Island or Rakiura. The island lies just to the south and is administered by the Southland Region. Due to the absence of any large predators this is a great place to view kiwi in the wild as well as some other rare native birds. The island is well known for its gorgeous sunsets and sunrises along with the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights which is spectacular here. The endangered Yellow-eyed penguin has several breeding sites here and the Southern Brown Kiwi is found here as well along with a number of endangered flightless birds that were recently moved to smaller islands offshore for protection.

Invercargill is the region's largest city and one of the southernmost cities in the world. The rich farmland surrounding the area provides much of its economic activity centered on the dairy industry and the Southern Institute of Technology rejuvenated the city with its zero fees scheme. Oreti Beach is 10 km to the west and was featured in the film World's Fastest Indian which was the story of the local hero Burt Munro who set several speed records on this wide, flat swath of sand. The only indoor velodrome (cycling racetrack) in New Zealand is located here and there are several other sport stadiums as well.

Gore is the second most populated town in the region and is mostly a service town for the surrounding farming areas. The area is well known for its connection to country music and hosts the New Zealand country music awards ceremony every year. The most famous local building is the Creamoata Mill, with the porridge they produced once being considered the national breakfast. Local legends arose from the era of alcohol prohibition when the nearby Hokonui Hills produced Hokonui moonshine, which made Gore more well known to New Zealanders.

The Southland region is mostly mountainous and the similarities to the climate of the British Isles brought a large contingent of Scottish settlers here. Outside of the two largest towns, the area is sparsely populated with mountains and farmland covering the majority of the region. The Fiordland National Park is a must see destination for anyone visiting New Zealand with its fjords, lakes, and waterfalls giving it a unique beauty. As unique as some of the destinations in New Zealand are, the national parks here in Southland will rival and top that of any in the country based on their sheer grandeur. So be sure not to miss the opportunity to at least take a boat ride through either Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound when visiting here.




Lucky Rentals offers campervan rental in Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand. Campervans are an excellent way to check out the country on the open road, and to sleep out in the beautiful natural surroundings that make New Zealand so great.




Friday, September 21, 2012

More Jobs, Fewer and Lower Taxes - Applying the KISS Principle


Over the past 30 years Federal Tax receipts (Corporate, Personal, Estate, Excise, Gift, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, et al) have averaged less than 20% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Read that again, and don't think for a minute that it's not a large number.

But it's not nearly large enough to pay the bills, reduce the national debt, grow the economy, and come to the aid of all of the people in the world who need us. Why, because nearly half of us (some legally, some not so) pay little or no federal income taxes at all--- and because our elected representatives have no financial management skills.

The only taxes that always get paid are those that reduce the amount of spending money in our pockets and which raise the cost of the goods and services we purchase --- thus retarding economic growth.

There is no doubt that a Federal Sales Tax on consumption by final consumers would produce more revenue than all of the other taxes combined --- but how much, and is it OK to single out things like cigarettes and gas guzzlers for extra taxes?

We need to give it a try, and there would be added benefits: (a) we would be collecting taxes from all of those folk who earn incomes that are just not reported at all, (b) the products we try to sell in world markets would be more competitive, and (c) all of us would have more money to spend on stuff that could actually become lower in price.

There are no purely economic problems with making the shift to a consumption tax --- just political ones. The legislation has been "on the hill", and summarily ignored for decades. We need to apply cool economic sense to the elimination of the Internal Revenue Code and the Social Security Ponzi scheme.

First KISS: Create Jobs Right Now

Create jobs immediately by eliminating the corporate income tax (and all other fees, local taxes, assessments, ad nauseum) for any corporation that adds 10% to its permanent workforce and/or 20% to its total workforce.

Corporations are not the bad guys, it's the over-paid greedy dogs at the top that need to be leashed and disciplined by their employers --- the shareholders, theoretically anyway. How about this for a start: all salaries above $1 million are paid in the form of dividends on common stock; all bonuses are "divvied up" dollar for dollar between all employees, full time or part time; there are no stock option programs.

Offset the Federal tax revenue loss by outlawing all forms of "earmarks" on any legislation ever; limiting all lobbying efforts to legitimate industry, employee, and public interest associations; and by enacting a 2% Federal Sales Tax on everything purchased by final consumers--- no exceptions, period.

Create "Green Energy Bonds", sold to investors with full federal guarantees, and used to help start up a Green Energy Investment Bank chartered only to provide low interest loans for developmental private sector projects. While we're at it, bring back the distinctions between, commercial banks, savings and loans, and investment banks.

Second KISS: Lower and Eliminate Taxes

Lower taxes immediately by phasing in a mandated private SSRIA* program for all workers, private and public, from 1st day mailroom clerk to President of the US of A. Reduce Social Security Taxes to 3% over a five-year period and use that money to create a deferred, fixed-income, life-annuity for every worker.

Seventy percent of SSRIA investments would include US Government Bonds, state and local Municipal Securities, with the balance managed in non-derivative, individual equity investments regarded as Investment Grade Value Stocks*. No investment income of any kind would ever be taxable by any government.

SSRIAs would be created and managed by fixed-annuity experienced private sector companies, and the annuity contracts would "travel" with the employee until retirement. All SSRIAs would have identical provisions, no sales commissions or marketing expenses, and slightly below industry level investment management fees.

Employees would be assigned randomly to providor companies, and each contract would include "return of premium" term life insurance until annuitized. Add an additional 3% to the Federal Sales Tax to replace the reduction in Federal tax revenue.

Third KISS: Produce Sustainable Economic Growth

Now that we've become more competitive in world markets, assured retirement benefits for all workers, and helped to save the planet, it's time to provide equal opportunity for all of us to attain the American Dream without big brother's assistance.

Replace the personal income tax side of the Internal Revenue Code with a 5% flat tax and an additional 10% sales tax --- maybe even a mandated 2% insurance premium for universal basic medical coverage. But at the end of the process, all reported income pays a 5% income tax --- no exclusions, deductions, adjustments, minimums, period, and done!

Every purchase for final consumption generates a 15% contribution to support what we hope will become a smaller, less corrupt, more creative group of term-limited politicians. And, once the budget becomes balanced, further tax reductions will ensue.

Hey, write your congressperson, make some noise, Tweet, Digg, whatever. Now this is capital "c" change we can deal with --- or at least dream about.




Steve Selengut

[http://www.kiawahgolfinvestmentseminars.com/]

http://www.sancoservices.com

Professional Portfolio Management since 1979

Author of: "The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The Book that Wall Street Does Not Want YOU to Read"




Smoking and Global Warming


From a hotel room in Central Jakarta, Indonesia news agency Pena's final report describes the development of the tobacco industry today. This report in the form of 65 pages thick magazine with the headline on the front page "Hypocrisy & Myths Behind the Tobacco Industry".

Pena Indonesia claims this report is based on investigative reports on various search tobacco industry documents. Also includes two CD or compact disk that contains thousands of documents multinational industries in Indonesia. As the documents from British American Tobacco or BAT, Philips Morris and others.

The workshop was attended among journalists and health activists. Aim to provide insight into the existence of secret documents related to the coming of the giants of the world tobacco industry and its relationship with Indonesia.

This workshop also received support from the world health agency WHO's Indonesia representative, IAKMI-Public Health Specialist Association of Indonesia and SEATCA-The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance.

Pena Indonesia to work for three months and glared through the computer. Digging thousands of documents online from seven giant cigarette recorded in the period 1960 until the early 2000s. At least there are about 28,000 of thousands more documents from British American Tobacco or BAT Indonesia is stored in digital libraries of the University of California, San Francisco, United States.

Walk through also take place in the site's Legacy Tobacco Documents Library that contains an internal document of Philips Morris, RJ Reynolds, Lorillard and Brown & Williamson. The result is reported and written by Farid Gaban and Alfian Hamzah from Pena Indonesia news agency and Mardiyah Chamim of Tempo Magazine. Coverage and support in the form of grant funding from Essential Action Global Partnership for Tobacco Control, based in Washington.

This story began in 1998. This year may be spelled out in the most unfortunate for the cigarette industry in America. Attorney General State of Minnesota, United States, Hubert Humphrey III blew the whistle loud warning to cigarette industry. Attorney General asked the seven smoking industry giants to open all their secret documents to the public. Aim to find the truth.

These documents are internal documents containing various letters to the authorities, scientists, media tricks to boost the tobacco business. Seven giant companies, among others, from Philip Morris Incorporated, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, British American Tobacco (BAT), Brown and Williamson, the Ligget Group and The Tobacco Institute and The Council for Tobacco Research and the Lorillard Tobacco Company.

American courts have six million documents with 35 million pages. Each page is a seal and code number of lawyers the industry to ensure its authenticity. The court also requires the tobacco industry parties in order to deposit the documents until the year 2008.

While in England, the mountains of British American Tobacco documents typically stored in the warehouse Guilford, Surrey, England. BAT archiving online documents is done by the University of California, San Francisco, United States.

There are seven million documents in the form of scanned documents. And spent about four years to make efforts for their hard work. Unfortunately, according to Duncan Cambell, an American investigative journalist who helped search smoking industry documents, the claim that there are about 181 file that contains thousands of pages of documents had been lost. These missing documents are not clear and it is possible rimbanya associated with regions of other countries, like Indonesia.

One of the investigations of this American smoking industry had contrived movie "The Insider" that tell about the search an American television journalist uncover fraud in the levels toxins. Media in the United States to encourage and influence the people that smoking is a threat. Cigarettes became citizen issues and then encouraging the birth of a strict smoking regulations and basic.

Tobacco industry should be controlled and strictly controlled. For owners in the U.S. tobacco industry is not a condition of a good climate. And ask the American government to the strict rules that only apply in the United States alone. And does not apply to international business networks in different parts of other countries. Post-1998 invasion was in progress. And objectives that cigarette owners are the countries that enter the third country groups.

How to countries in the region, especially Indonesia in association with the document? Indonesia belonged to a third country is not it? Indonesia is a land tender and a haven for the global tobacco industry of the world. Tobacco industry in Indonesia incarnate and was like a "kingdom" of its own. He played many roles and automatic movements do not get a lot of obstacles and barriers.

Either statutory, economic, social to the political path. The smoking industry in Indonesia grew rapidly and slippery. Borrowing the term's largest daily newspaper in West Java, the People's Mind, the tobacco industry as "Spreads and entrenched". Not a lot of media in Indonesia to criticism, preaching especially to make a profound statement relating cigarette industry is. Indonesia received with open field every movement, ideas, and the influence of the tobacco industry in developing its business extensively.

We can learn many things from the tobacco industry documents. Learn how they work, determine the position and influence policy makers, economic, media until the "buy-sell" research. The document gives a clear and detailed. We just need to work hard, carefully detailing, and built of sheets of documents to obtain a complete picture of the building of the world tobacco industry as a whole.

According to the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA)-based institutions in Thailand, in its report Profiting from Death: Exposing the Tobacco Industry Tactics in ASEAN Countries, October 2007, explained that until now the region cigarette consumption of about 50 per cent of world tobacco consumption. And Asia considered as an important market future of the world tobacco industry.

While 10 countries joined to the ASEAN approximately 31 percent or 125.8 million ASEAN youth population are smokers. Or about 10 percent-1, 25 billion-from the number of young smokers smokers of the world continue to increase and the country joined ASEAN contributed to the death rate from smoking as much as 20 percent!

SEATCA is a partnership network of state agencies that merged into the ASEAN which undertakes research, advocacy and capacity building in each of its members. SEATCA work and build advocacy mission to its members who have made ratification of the WHO convention, tobacco control over the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - including Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam. While Indonesia is the only country in Asia which until this moment has not ratified these conventions.

WHO convention on tobacco control is essential to apply in the cigarette industry in Indonesia. This Convention will regulate and control the tobacco industry. There are about 38 articles in the convention and aims to improve the quality of global health.

Business development to move the tobacco industry is not in the form of a single strategic one. Business strategy will follow the situation in each area of development. He worked to organize and determine the target groups, facilitate the political policies that support good business that comes from the government or the people's representatives, to work with anyone to make promotional efforts and form a fully market.

Tobacco industry to build its image through a variety of ways. From the ad creates a direct communication with consumers by placing cigarette products through billboards, print ads and electronic media, posters, accessories, colors and logo outlets that causes the image of tobacco products.

Promotional activities by distributing free cigarette samples, offers coupons, contests, lotteries, tickets to watch sports games and racing, music concerts, fund a film, talk shows, street party to its activities in the form of corporate social responsibility or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR ) which supports scholarships, environmental aid projects and other activities under the company name or the name of the tobacco industry products. Including providing scholarships to journalists and school children are achievers.

SEATCA survey research on the control status of the rules about promotion, advertising, CSR and sponsorship in seven ASEAN countries in 2007. Including in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Five countries have quite strict rules to regulate the issue ads, prmosi, sponsorship and CSR.

These five countries include Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. Of these five countries, Thailand has very strict rules against tobacco industry and conduct strict limits. Two of the most free, no rules, no control and no restrictions are Cambodia and Indonesia!

Cambodia and Indonesia is a paradise for the tobacco industry. The two countries are relatively poor country is not it? Indonesia is estimated to have poverty rates of 49 percent with the cost of living average of two dollars per day for America. Both do not have rules and restrictions governing tobacco control issues closely.

For the tobacco industry is the most profitable opportunities. Cigarette industry has any power and capital to boost its business and profit maximization. The industry offers a dream potion and promotional advertising to the public to climb out of poverty.

And offer words suggestive ads and interesting success. This is a dream and the dream for all people. Tobacco industry's success by offering a cigarette. Giving up tobacco are one of the main way for each person to climb out of poverty and live success quickly.

Poverty became the land for profit. And the industry was well aware of this condition. Poverty, lack of regional representation and the role of government, lack of political consciousness, and the role of the media who are helpless in cigarette advertising.

AC Nielsen figures show the year 2006 tobacco sector advertising expenditure of Rp 1.6 trillion. Which moron media would lose and the offer of money for it? One media in Indonesia may be conscious and choose not to accept tobacco ads. But the question is the extent to which the power of this medium will survive? And refrain from the onslaught of cigarette advertising.

Cigarettes became the main consumption for the poor. Cigarette consumption throughout the year reached 225 billion sticks. Cigarettes have a 4000 toxic chemicals. And cigarettes are the leading cause of cancer-causing disease, heart and other diseases that cause death in the long run. Every year people die as indicated by the cigarette causes as many as 400 thousand in Indonesia!

The number of smokers Indonesia increased sharply. Based on the national economic survey Statistic The Central Bureau in the period 2001-2004, there has been surge in novice smokers and under the age of 10 years rose 0.4 percent to 2.8 percent. National Commission on Child Protection also get a number that 90 percent of teenagers smoke because of advertising Indonesia. Teenagers became the main target for the tobacco industry.

This figure is worrying, and then in February 2007 several members of the legislature moved to make some rules to restrict smoking. These rules are expected to restrict, control and restrict tobacco issues involving the activities of young children. This rule also requires an increase in cigarette excise tax by 60 percent to minimize people buy cigarettes. And encouraged to expand research on the impact of smoking on health.

In 1999, Indonesia has issued Government Regulation 81 / 1999 concerning Security Cigarettes For Health, Government Regulation 38/1999 on Procedures for the Tobacco Product Advertising Media and Government Regulation 19/2003 regarding the obligations of cigarette manufacturers to include warnings on product packaging.

Indonesia also benefited from this condition. From the cigarette industry sector contribution in the form of tax revenue amounting to Rp 38.5 trillion last year. And this year is expected to increase to Rp 42 trillion.

Cigarette business in Indonesia is very sweet. Two Indonesian families who do business in the ranks of cigarettes in the world's richest list of Forbes Magazine. Rachman Halim family including Gudang Garam owners with assets of U.S. $ 1.9 billion and occupies 538 warning. Budi Hartono and family of the order of Djarum 664 with assets of U.S. $ 1.5 billion.

Indonesia's cigarette tax mostly cheap compared with other countries. Australia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore set the cigarette tax by 70 percent. While in Indonesia, just set the highest cigarette tax by 40 percent. With this tax rate retail price of cigarettes in Indonesia is the fifth of the price compared to the price of cigarettes in Malaysia.

The price of cheap cigarettes is boosting consumer smokers in Indonesia. Access to cigarettes is very easy. Based on the last survey the WHO and the American Cancer Society, about 70 percent of Indonesian smokers are male. And 3 percent of women smokers Indonesia.

Indonesia plays a dual role misleading. One side of the income he earned from cigarette but on the other hand many of Indonesia will lose its human resources because of damage caused by cigarettes. But health insurance companies in Indonesia which would warranty his client about the consequences of smoking?

Anti-smoking campaign world continues to strengthen. Rich countries and educated aware of the dangers from smoking. Anti-smoking movement harder and try to campaign on this issue at the level of the global movement. Federation of Football Association (FIFA) and even signed an agreement with WHO to regulate and prohibit tobacco sponsorship in the football field.

MTV supports anti-smoking campaign and urged teenagers not to smoke. Countries in Europe and other Asian and ratify the convention followed tobacco control (FCTC).

But resistance to the cigarette industry in Indonesia is still very weak. Anti-smoking movement both from citizens, communities, doctors, including from the media yet strong. WHO Indonesia chose a few names of artists and athletes for the national sports anti-smoking campaign. Among tennis champion Angelique Widjaja, bodybuilder Ade Rai, and model Tracy Trinita.

But not enough to represent all three and move the people of Indonesia to establish anti-smoking movement. Indonesia needs a great figure and steady for anti-smoking movement. Not just a slogan anti-smoking course. But the anti-smoking movement is broad and strategic.

In short, the anti-smoking movement in Indonesia is still classified as impotent. He needs power and a strong force to stem the solid and aggressive opposition from the tobacco industry. And the journalist is to write the movement and continue to oversee the expansion of logging from the cigarette industry.

Advertising and propaganda war going on in the struggle of black smoke world. And Indonesia is a powerful combat areas to map the world of today's global cigarette. This is also related to the local cigarette industry in Indonesia. As the local industry in the Spirit, Malang, Jember and Kediri. Local cigarette industry in Indonesia has also played an important role in influencing the smoking community.

In Indonesia, known as clove cigarettes while smoking outside the product known as white smoke. Local cigarette industry is small kings tobacco and many are in Java. Expansion of the world tobacco industry bosses squirm with aggressive and strong and try to master the current market share. White cigarettes clove cigarettes fight.

Who is most powerful? The smoking industry to build myths, facts and misleading research about smoking. And we know that the victims of the battle is the health of everyday citizens will decline. Indonesia and countries allow their citizens health downfall.

The facts of the dangers of cigarettes and dark tobacco industry's propaganda is clear. Cigarettes are not for compromise but should be controlled and regulated by the government and the legislature. Indonesian society should be aware that cigarettes are now become an alarming epidemic.

The event will end in 2007 Indonesia was elected to conduct a global discussion about global warming. Took place in December in Bali. Global discussions is very important to discuss and take strategic steps related to the issue of global warming and the environment. Indonesia is also classified as bad in the environmental area.

Indonesia, including the red-prone areas in environmental issues such as illegal logging, mining, industrial pollution and waste emissions from motor vehicles. This global discussion will produce decisions and policies are very important. The result will encourage each state leaders and citizens to support and implement strategic measures to curb global warming today.

I was shocked when he read a daily newspaper, the National Journal. At the bottom of the column main page newspaper ads plastered on the implementation of a global warming in Bali later. With a dominant ads with light green color close to the color icon environmental issues.

This print ad includes a statement or countdown days in December 2007. These ads also put the name of a cigarette company, Sampoerna and have the word "Green" which could also be interpreted to refer to one of the main products of the Sampoerna cigarette.

I am sad to see the discussion of global warming will have to obtain sponsorship from the tobacco industry. The business and its profits are the majority coming from Indonesia's poor. Perhaps the sadness I continue to dissolve and be a voice lost and forgotten in the noisy turmoil of global warming event later.

This should be an important note, the mirror itself and becomes a question of us all. Environmental issues are common issues. He departed from his conscience and our common sense. What is worthy of global warming event comes from a tobacco company? Cigarettes, however, the toxin and one of the main causes of death. Is not nothing wrong that the global warming program would come from the tobacco industry?

A pile of tobacco industry internal documents they provided a clear answer. Problem tactics, plans, strategies, political lobbying and build awareness about the error and dirty cigarettes.

I am very sorry critical discussion of global warming there are stains and thorns. This becomes a wedge and a slap on the cliches of the world. As if life and life is going on and started from a cigarette.

Cigarette slogan is not lip service. And strength in the cigarette industry in Indonesia indicate that fact. And this is not true. Tobacco industry is seen to make traps and myths. Cigarettes are an important issue of humanity. Life of the cigarette world full of compromise power, deceit and dark strategy.

And it is probably true in the world struggle of cigarettes, as he had been written by Ben Jonson long ago in The Alchemist (The Alchemist) that "Alchemy was a kind of game, Like a card trick, to deceive man, with great charm".




Conrad really loves his home and family and lives life to the full and has been writing about his knowledge and experience. Feel free to see some of his material at Lawn Tractor Attachments and juice Dispenser [http://juicedispenser.net].




Musings of an American Refugee in New Zealand


Despite my unusual name, I happen to be a woman. I am also an American child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than 30 years of practice under my belt. Seven years ago I emigrated from the US to New Zealand, mainly for political reasons. I describe the unusual events leading up to this momentous decision in my upcoming book - The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee.

Obviously a lot has happened in seven years. I have learned I am not alone in deciding to emigrate out of frustration with the Bush administration. It turns out tens of thousands of Americans emigrated between 2000 and 2008. Polls show most of them were liberals and progressives. In November 2003 expatriate Americans led the London demonstrations protesting Bush's London visit and the war in Iraq. Expatriates also formed major voting blocs for Kerry in 2004 and for Obama in 2008. An unexpected result of creating a new life for myself as an expatriate is the unique perspective it has provided on my former life in the US.

An Awakening: Militarism is the US Government's Number One Priority

Ironically it is only in coming to a remote South Pacific nation, whose population has just exceeded four million, that I can fully appreciate the way military domination and control of the third world takes precedence over all other US foreign and domestic policy. Owing to vigorous censorship that occurs in the corporate controlled media, much of this information isn't readily available to US residents. Prior to the mid-nineties the US relied on economic dominance over smaller countries to extract a continuous supply of cheap resources they couldn't produce domestically - such as gasoline, coffee, sugar, chocolate, nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers and platinum, nickel, chromium, cobalt and other strategic metals. With the decline in US economic strength over the past 15 years, the government has come to rely on its military might to acquire the resources it needs to guarantee Americans' continued high standard of living. It seems to be common knowledge among many New Zealand intellectuals that this is the primary US government agenda.

An Awakening: the News Media Keeps Americans in the Dark about Their Government

It was only on leaving the US that I recognized how successfully the US media monopoly censors and sanitizes public information about international events and government activities. Although Rupert Murdoch's News Corp controls much of New Zealand's access to international news, we still have independent media outlets that regularly challenge and embarrass our government. Presently this type of investigative reporting is extremely rare in the American mainstream media.

An Awakening: the Price Americans Pay for Global Domination

The first thing that hit me on waking up in a new country was the enormous personal cost, in terms of quality life, that Americans pay as citizens of a regime intent on establishing and maintaining a global military empire. For example, although New Zealand ranks as one of the poorer countries in the OECD (22nd out of 30), Kiwis take for granted that their government will use their hard earned tax dollars to provide free health care for all New Zealand residents, a program the public considers essential for the long term well being and sustainability of their country.

In New Zealand it is fairly easy to support universal health care and the taxes that fund it, because this country doesn't invade or occupy other countries and bans the use of nuclear materials as weapons or for energy production. In the US, on the other hand, reaching consensus on joining the rest of the developed world in providing universal government sponsored health care is next to impossible. There is enormous resistance to increasing federal tax to pay for such a program, given that Americans are so heavily taxed already to pay for wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and to maintain a US military presence in more than 50 foreign countries it considers strategic to its interests. In the past five years the number of overseas military bases has increased from 700 to 1,000, as the US military expands into Eastern Europe, Pakistan, North and West Africa (owing to the strategic importance of African oil reserves) and Columbia (owing to the threat posed by left leaning governments in Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia).

An Awakening: the US is Less Democratic than Other Developed Countries

More importantly Americans seem to have no say in the decisions resulting in the allocation of nearly 50 cents of every tax dollar for military related spending. In fact in many ways the US is far less democratic than other developed countries. Although polling shows Americans don't want to spend their tax dollars spent on escalating the war in Afghanistan - that they want to spend them on government sponsored health care - the Obama administration does just the opposite. Obama sends 35,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and persuades congressional Democrats to drop the public option and Medicare expansion from his health care reform bill.

The New Zealand government would face massive street protests for enacting legislation opposed by the majority of New Zealanders. Yet for some reason Americans seem to take for granted that they have no say in decisions that are fundamental, not only to their own personal welfare, but to the long term economic viability and sustainability of their country. It is only in living abroad that I have become aware of this a deep resignation and apathy in the American public. It's a mindset I believe stems from deep and pervasive political repression - which is essential to maintain order in a society dedicated to global military dominance.

An Awakening: the Planet's Newest Third World Country

Obviously there are other important reasons why the US doesn't have publicly sponsored health care like Zealand and all other industrialized countries. The channeling of hundreds of billions of tax dollars into military expansion is only part of the problem. There happen to be other powerful corporate interests - led by the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies - who invested billions of dollars in the 2008 election to ensure that the Democrats and Obama refrained from enacting publicly sponsored health care. However the prioritization of the military conquest and occupation over the all domestic spending and the secrecy and deliberate misinformation over the phenomenal cost of war - an extremely unpopular public policy to begin with - make it very difficult for Americans to understand much less have a voice in how their tax dollars are spent.

The reality is that exponential increases in US military spending over the past thirty years have resulted in deep cuts in domestic spending for education and important social programs. Most of the developed world understands and accepts that unmet social problems, such as homelessness, mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse, illiteracy, unemployment, child poverty and child abuse seriously compromise the quality of life for the entire society. Yet here, too, the US is more like a third world country than an advanced industrialized society. I only saw this clearly after moving abroad.

As the military budget has increased exponentially over the past thirty years, the commitment to universal education, job training, housing and full employment as essential to meaningful participation in an advanced industrial democracy has vanished from public consciousness. The only "antipoverty" programs that persist are federal and state prisons. The US now exceeds China in its incarceration rate. Which represents an extremely uneconomical use of government funds in a recession. At an average cost of $29,000 each (totaling nearly 100 billion dollars annually), there is no question that locking people up is the most expensive way to address social problems that lead to criminal behavior.

An Awakening: the Loss of Civil Liberties in the US

The negative effect of our government's drive for global military domination is not limited to negative economic consequences - namely our inability to meet basic health, education, housing and social welfare needs. The loss of civil liberties over the last eight years is also more typical of a third world military dictatorship than the participatory democracies enjoyed by most of the developed world. This, too, was something I only fully appreciated after moving abroad.

Most of the covert activities I describe in my book - the monitoring of my calls, emails and financial transactions, the theft of business and personal mail and even the clandestine break-ins - was illegal in the late eighties. However the US government engages in all these activities legally now, thanks to successive versions of the Patriot Act.

Worse still Obama has left most of these laws, which violate basic Constitutional rights, essentially intact. He has also preserved the right of police and federal authorities to arrest and hold US citizens without charge - a violation of the right of habeas corpus guaranteed in the Bill of Rights - an fundamental feature of civilized society dating back to the 1215 Magna Carta.

This loss of civil liberties also occurred in Rome, when its leaders were forced to abandon their democratic form of government to pursue the wars of conquest that resulted in the formation of a vast Roman Empire. In most cases, military conquest and occupation of foreign territory only benefits a tiny elite at the highest level of society. Ordinary people are naturally repulsed by the idea of war and almost universally expect their hard earned tax dollars to be spent on public programs that directly benefit them.

If allowed any meaningful input, they rarely willingly agree to squander government funds on military expansion. This is why a campaign of military expansion can only succeed if the government is effective at suppressing dissent in the ruling country.

An Awakening: How US Militarism Affects the Way Americans Think

The most alarming discovery I made in acculturating myself to a new country was the extent to which I unconsciously bought into all the brainwashing and propaganda I was exposed to as a child in school and as an adult via the mainstream media. When I first arrived in New Zealand I genuinely believed that the US was not only the strongest military and economic power in the world - it was also the best at nearly everything else.

I write about this discovery in my book. Obviously New Zealand has no military ambitions, and Kiwis would feel pretty silly about promoting their country as the most democratic, productive, efficient, cleanest, healthiest, transparent, just and scientifically advanced nation in the world.

I myself feel pretty silly that as a committed leftist I continued to believe - as recently as five years ago - that the US was way ahead of other countries in these areas, as well as in military and economic strength. At some level I have known for at least 20 years that the US was less democratic than other industrialized countries. I also knew that US corporations had significantly weakened American economic influence by moving its industrial base to sweat shops overseas. Likewise I knew that air and water are seriously polluted in the US and its food supply one of the most contaminated in the world - with its reliance on toxic sludge fertilizers, as well as infestation with Mad Cow, E Coli and other illness-causing organisms that the powerful food lobby prevents the government from regulating.

I knew from my own research into alternative AIDS treatments that the US lags far behind other industrialized countries in scientific research. Mainly because it gives powerful corporations the power to dictate most of research Americans scientists engage in and to suppress any negative findings that might impact corporate profitability.

Ironically the US can no longer claim to be the most powerful economic force in the world, a fact rarely acknowledged by the US media. Although they still represent the world's largest economy, the US has less and less sway over the Asian economic powerhouse represented by China, India, Japan and South Korea. The world media frequently reports on examples of the US government caving in to China and India during trade and climate change negotiations.

The loss of American economic influence should be obvious from the steady drop in the US dollar in relation to international currencies. However because the mainstream media never makes this connection, it is rare for most Americans to make it. It never occurs to them that the main reason for the surge in the price of gasoline, food and other imported commodities is the dollar's loss in value on the world markets.




Dr Bramhall is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who emigrated to New Zealand in October 2002 for political reasons. She currently works for the New Zealand National Health Service. She is a long time activist and serves on the National Executive of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. She blogs at http://stuartbramhall.aegauthorblogs.com




Cheap TV Ads


For those entrepreneurs just starting out with a new business, advertising costs can seem astronomical. This is often the reason why many start-ups forgo traditional television advertising. The cost of a television spot is simply cost prohibitive for a shoestring budget. Finding a company that can produce and distribute cheap TV ads is a great way to begin a television advertising campaign.

As business owners begin their search for the ideal production company, many come across what seems like a steal. Companies offering to produce cheap TV ads for prices that are extraordinarily low are not quite the bargain they seem to be. In some cases, these companies produce generic, robotic or 'canned' television spots. If a business has opted to include television spots in their advertising campaign, these companies are simply a waste of money and time. Instead, entrepreneurs need to find companies that can produce unique, original and exciting spots inexpensively.

The driving force behind any television ad should be an emphasis on what is unique and true about you, your company and your products or services. Building an honest campaign, based on your core values is often the best way to convince potential customers to give you a try. The prefab, canned ads produced by some 'bargain' advertisement companies simply do not allow you to tap into this phenomenon.

Almost as important as the ability to produce original ads is the ability to place them. Professional advertising companies can place your advertisement in markets across the country. By working closely with you on a budget, they can often place ads on national stations for less than you might expect. Only work with companies who are able to promise placement on a variety of spots that are targeted.

Remember that when it comes to placement of a television ad, it comes down to the time of day, the channel and the show. By avoiding top dollar slots, it is often possible to place ads that will still be seen by a large audience. By selecting a channel and programming that is attractive to your target demographic, you will increase the chance of conversion significantly.

When it comes time to design your television ad it is important to pick an advertising company that has the talent, creativity and connections to produce top quality advertisements. The development of animation technology has enabled advertisers to avoid high costs of Ad Production. You can get a very attractive animated TV Ad for the fraction of the cost of a so-called professional production. Here are some important points to consider;

Establish Audience: Make sure that you understand who your audience is and target them. If you are selling B2B services, your audience would be business owners. This is also essential in the TV channels and programs you would like to advertise on.
Establish Identity: Tell the viewers who your company is and what you do. Connect your identity to a slogan, everybody knows who it is when we say "15 minutes can save you 15% or more on car insurance."

Establish Interest: What makes your product unique and what differentiates you from your competition? You have to be able to communicate this message clearly and effectively.

Establish Trust: Mention any professional affiliations, testimonials or awards. Give some statistics regarding your product or services. This will get the attention of the viewer.

Establish Offer: You definitely must have a call to action at the end of the TV Commercial. Provide the viewer with a clear offer such as a "Free 30 minute consultation valued at $500" You have about 5 seconds to make the user act.

Track: Make sure that you can track your conversions by tracking the call to action. This is the most essential step of advertisement; to calculate your ROI.

Purchasing and placing cheap TV ads doesn't mean you have to settle for low quality or off hours. If you would like to advertise on TV and have a budget of over 5K, Contact us, we can help. You can call us at 1-800-736-9618 We can help.




If you enjoyed this article, you also might like our other stories about Internet Marketing Company.




Be Cautious Where You Take Your Classic Car or Muscle Car


Classic car owners, including those with muscle cars, street rods, hot rods, antiques and vintage trucks, are facing uncertain times as car thefts are on the rise, and actions from thieves are becoming more bold and brazen.

I recently came across a story written by a man who owned a Daytona Blue 1963 Corvette Coupe with all matching numbers. The all-original classic sport car had an immaculate dark blue interior where only the carpet had ever been replaced. The 327 engine was said to produce a rhythmic loping that not only brought a smile to your face, but got you day dreaming of having this beauty parked in your own garage. Then disaster strikes and you're snapped out of your dream and into his nightmare!

The owner of this beautiful piece of American history took his prized car to what he called a small "backwoods" show that a friend and he decided to go to in the spur of the moment. As owner Jacob Morgan, of Bakersfield, CA described, "The event was an annual but rather unofficial gathering of classic car buffs and I was thrilled to bring my car down. Unfortunately, the part of Florida that the event was being held was extremely dry due to drought. About three or four hours after arriving, a man who owned a red GTO (I could not tell you the year because frankly I did not care afterward) decided to start up his ride for the spectators. It was just one backfire but it was enough to start the dry grass ablaze--and guess where my Corvette was parked?

Nearly thirty classic cars were consumed by the blaze started by that backfiring GTO and my Corvette was one of them. Of course I had the car properly insured but they just aren't making 1963 Corvettes any longer and the only one I could find that was similar cost $10,000 more than my policy's payoff. I guess if there is a moral to my sad tale, it is to avoid backwoods car shows at all costs because they are unregulated, disorganized, and very dangerous to classic cars like my beloved 1963 Corvette Coupe."

This may not be your traditional way of losing your prized classic car, muscle car, street rod, antique car, vintage truck or other collectible old vehicle, but it does drive home the point that we need to exercise care in even the most innocent surroundings like a car show! Freak accidents like Mr. Morgan experienced can and do account for many losses to enthusiasts - not just theft or vandalism.

Sadly though, theft isn't a rare thing and the methods are becoming more bizarre. Guy Algar and I have had pieces stolen off one of our own vehicles that we were towing back to our shop while we stopped for a quick bite to eat! We've had a good number of hubcaps taken over the years. And, we actually had the brake lights ripped off of our car hauler while we were in a parts store one day picking up parts for a customer! We've had one customer tell us the story where he had taken his wife out to dinner and had carefully parked his 1969 Corvette at a local restaurant, under a big bright light, and in what appeared to be a "safe" area, only to come out 45 minutes to an hour later to find all his emblems and trim taken right off the car! Thieves have been known to take the entire car hauler (with the classic sitting on top) right off the tow vehicle's hitch ball and transfer the hauler to their own tow vehicle when people are on the road, at a car show, or some other type of event. These are bold moves by people who do not fear the consequences.

Other thefts that have been reported around the country have included:



Dr. Phil just had his '57 Chevy Belair convertible stolen from the Burbank repair shop he had brought it to for repairs.


A 1937 Buick, valued at over $100,000 was taken from a gated community parking garage in Fort Worth, Texas.


Tom of New Mexico reported the theft of two of his collector cars to Hemming. Tom owns about half a dozen collector cars altogether, and to store them all, he rented out a storage unit. Unfortunately, when he went to check on them recently, for the first time in about six months, he found that two were missing - a 1957 two-door Chevrolet Belair and a 1967 Mercury Cougar GT.


There was also a report of a man from Jefferson City, Missouri, who actually recovered his own stolen car, a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro that had been stolen 16 years before, after seeing it in a Google search!


In a Los Angeles suburb, a woman came home to a garage empty of her prized 1957 Chevy Bel-Air which had been valued at more than $150,000. The beautiful convertible had been featured in several magazines and TV shows and won dozens of awards at car shows around the country. A neighbor's surveillance camera caught the actions of the thieves and revealed that the Bel-Air was pushed down the street by a pickup truck which had pulled into her driveway just minutes after she had left. The thieves likely loaded it onto an awaiting trailer. It's thought that the thieves spotting the car at one of the car shows, followed it home afterwards, then waited for the opportunity to steal it.


A Seattle collector was the victim of a targeted "smash-and grab" from the warehouse where he kept his cars. The thieves apparently ransacked the building and drove off with a 396/425 four-speed 1965 Corvette Stingray; and a 20,000-mile 396/four-speed 1970 Chevelle SS.


A 1959 Chevrolet Impala was stolen during a Cruise Night. The owner got good news-bad news when the police tracked down because while they did recover the classic car, he had put in a claim for the theft with his insurance policy after the theft many months before, so the car went to the insurance company rather than being returned to him. Apparently detectives recovered the Impala from a chop shop nearly eight months after it was stolen, repainted and modified.


Hemmings News also reported of a reader whose 1970 Ford Maverick was stolen from his home in Missouri. The car was found and returned, but the investigation apparently revealed that the thief had been watching the owner for 2 years, with the intention of stealing it and using it to race with. Chilling thing to find out.


A 1979 Buick Electra 225 Limited Edition was stolen out of a grocery store parking lot in suburban Detroit with the thief escaping with an urn inside the trunk that contained the remains of the owner's stepfather!


After saving for over 40 years, a man from Virginia bought the car of his dreams, a 1962 Dodge Lancer. Buying his dream car, he began his restoration project, which was about 60 percent complete when he relocated to Texas. Without a garage to keep it in after his move, he stored it in a 24-foot enclosed trailer along with a 1971 Dodge Colt he planned to turn into a race car, and kept the trailer parked at a storage lot. At the end of July, the trailer and everything in it disappeared.

The last story actually has a happy ending because it was recovered due to alert shop owners being suspicious of person wanting to unload a Lancer for only $1,500 including the many boxes of parts. After some research, the owner was reunited with his car. Guy and I have been approached on numerous occasions by people wanting to sell their vehicles. Some have hardship stories and the callers are willing to unload the car for a real bargain. We've always walked from these offers, primarily because we're not in the business of buying and selling cars (we're not dealers or re-sellers), but also because we're cautious of a "too-good-to-be-true" price. One call in particular did make us very suspicious, as the woman caller insisted that the sale had to be completed by Monday (she called our shop over the weekend) and the price was extremely low for a rather rare model Mustang. Alert shop owners can be instrumental in aiding in the recovery of stolen classic cars.

But not all stories have a happy ending like this. Classic cars, muscle cars and antiques can make their way to chop shops, end up damaged and abandoned, and even being re-sold on Internet sites such as eBay and Craigslist!

Just yesterday, I reported on a 1954 Chevy Pickup truck which was stolen from a woman's driveway in Oklahoma City. (Ironically this article was already written and scheduled for release today when the news hit. I've added her case because, unfortunately, it emphasizes how common thefts have become.) She wisely reached out to the Hemmings community of enthusiasts for help. Hemmings.com has a huge following, referred to as "Hemmings Nation", and appealing for help to a community of enthusiasts like this can be instrumental in helping to give vital information to police and authorities who can help track and recover a stolen classic car. We applaud the work that Hemmings does.

And, the methods that thieves are using, as you can see, are as varied as the types of vehicles! Even seemingly innocent little car shows and gatherings are places you need to exercise a little caution and care. As I reported in a July article, carjackings involving classic cars are even becoming more commonplace.

Surprisingly, in some cases, the Internet has been helpful in aiding in the recovery of classic cars and muscle cars. There have been numerous stories, much like the Camaro owner above, and a man who found his 1949 Ford through a listing on Craigslist (the two men responsible were arrested and charged with disassembling a vehicle after the owner positively identified it as his) where owners have been able to locate their cars in Internet searches.

For those not so fortunate, insurance is the only consolation. We highly recommend classic car or "collector" car insurance. There are a number of companies that provide this specialized insurance, and it is generally well worth the cost. Classic Car News provided an article, Purchasing Classic Car Insurance, containing a list of companies along with links to contact them. I also recommend Hagerty Insurance's publication, Deterring Collector Car Theft, which has tips on theft prevention.

In addition to the quick-strip thefts, thieves usually always alter, remove or forge VIN numbers, which make identification of the car or truck more difficult. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) are serial numbers for vehicles that are used to differentiate similar makes and models. Much like social security numbers, every vehicle has a different VIN. VIN plates are usually located on the dashboard on newer cars, but are often found in the door jams of older models. VIN plates can be switched with another vehicle for a fast coverup.

The point here is to be aware of your surroundings, including where you park your car. Don't take it for granted that just because you're at an event with fellow enthusiasts that something bad can't happen. Take preventive action by securing your old car or truck. Guy Algar suggests, "Don't forget to take precautions even at home. You may feel safe parking your ride in 'the safety' of your two car garage, but remember, even if you don't have windows where people can peer in and spot your valued car, thieves can also follow you home from work, a cruise, or even the grocery store and plan a theft after surveilling your home and learning your schedule. If you have a ride that catches people's attention, remember that it can also catch the wrong attention!"

RESOURCES:

Hagerty Insurance - Deterring Collector Car Theft

Classic Car News - Purchasing Classic Car Insurance

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The safety of your classic car or muscle car is extremely important to most owners. Everyone wants to protect their ride with methods that work, and that won't bust the bank. We draw on the experience of experts in Classic Car News' upcoming series entitled "Keep Our Rides Safe", which appear each Wednesday. - Andrea




Andrea L. Algar is co-owner of a classic car performance and restoration design shop in Leesville, Texas. Motorheads Performance specializes in repairs, maintenance, performance upgrades and restorative work on cars and trucks from the 1920's through 1970's. Her husband Guy L. Algar is a Mechanical Engineer with over 25 years experience. He holds 5 ASE Certifications from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence and has been working on old cars and trucks for over 37 years. Together they share their passion for old cars and trucks with other enthusiasts from around the country.

Have a classic car or muscle car story or question you'd like to share? Visit her blog at http://www.motorheadsperformance.blogspot.com for contact information. Her business website can be viewed at http://www.motorheadsperformance.com.




Seven Sins Common in America, and Why the Bible Teaches That God Hates Them


There is a confusion in the world that teaches that the Law (Torah) is void in this dispensation of time, and has no affect upon the Christian believer. This is a lie, it is confusion, and according to the degree that such a thought pattern is accepted by a believer is the degree of evil affect that it produces in that person's life.

First, lets establish that in the same manner that Yahweh is Love, He is also Law. We know that John, an apostle of the first century Church coined the phrase which is found in the Scripture: "God is Love." (1 John 4:16) From this love springs the mercy and grace that supplies salvation to all who believe, and in that belief call upon the name of Jesus whom God has appointed the Savior of the world. But just as a coin has two faces and neither of its faces are any more real or lasting then the other you many say that the character of God is not only love, but also law.

What is the character of law? It is that aspect of Yahweh that is just, and judges sin. It is that aspect of Him that is holy, that is completely separate from sin and sinner. It is that part of Him that says in a completely uncompromising way, "This is the way walk in it"....or "Thus saith the Lord", and then the commandment is given. It is the part of Him that says, "Thou shalt, and thou shalt not", and every disobedience to these commands demanding punishment. For He is holy, and an unclean thing can not abide in His presence.

He is truth as is indicated by the words of Jesus in John 8:14, "...I am the way the truth and the life....",and when connected with the wisdom of the psalmist one finds that God's law is referred to as truth. (Ps. 119:142 NKJV) Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth. (Ps. 119:151NKJV) You are near oh Lord, and all Your commandments are truth. So the conclusion is simple. To put God's law on the self and consider it void, or to consider it with out purpose is to put God Himself on a shelf and consider Him void and without purpose.

Some take the Apostle's Paul's remark in the Colossians 2:13-14 as proof, or indication that Christ did away with the Law at the Cross. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (NKJV) I say to you that it is impossible for Christ to have done away with the law, "nailing it to the tree". For to do that He would have had to have taken Yahweh Himself and nailed Him to the cross for the interpretation of this scripture to be that God's law was taken away and nailed to the cross. I suggest, what was nailed to the cross was our offenses, or violations of God's laws, (our sin) not the Law itself. Further, we see in Romans 3:31 that Paul communicates openly that the purpose of the Christian faith is not to make the law of God void, but to establish it. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary we establish the law. (NKJV)

There you have it! In clear and certain terms the proof that God's law is not void, but is in place, and that God Himself is law. So what did the Apostle Paul mean when he said that we are not under the law but under grace? I believe he meant that the grace of God which is found in Christ, serves as a filter that stands between a holy God, (whose absolute righteousness demands complete and unmerciful judgment of sin), and all sinners. This grace is a loving God's way of dealing with a very imperfect creation. Allowing us time and empowerment to respond to Him and put on Christ, which means that those who are in Christ choose to learn His ways and flesh them out. Thus righteousness is produced in the actions of our lives. This process is summed up in this equation which is seen in John 1:17, For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (NKJV) Law + grace = truth in the believer's life. Truth being the right and lawful expression of life that is meant by God for the believer to live. The lifestyle that reflects the person of the Lord Jesus, who is the embodiment of law, and grace,(and its accompanying mercy) and truth.

Having said these things I wish now to list a set of commandments and speak of the meaning of these commandments. For they have meaning behind them. There is a "why" behind each. For a wise God never gives a commandment without a reason. Like unto a parent who will commanded his child to either do, or not do any given thing. The parent may or may not give an explanation as to the reasoning behind the commandment, but there is one there. In like manner the eternal and wise Creator has reason behind all of His law. But to start off, lets first consider an extremely common posting of law that is found in the world. That of a stop sign.

When one pulls up to a stop sign what is it that is being communicated to the person? Undoubtedly the obvious communication is that the person must stop. But why? Nothing is said on the sign as to why the person must stop. This is taken as a thing that is understood by the driver, or if the driver is unable to understand the reasoning behind the command to stop then that driver is not supposed to be driving. The reason for the command is for the driver to stop in order that he can look both ways and thus respond to the traffic that may or may not be present on the road that day. Thus the actual commandment only has value because it allows for the more important reasoning behind it, which is to slow down sufficiently to consider the traffic on the road way, and then act accordingly.

God's laws are like this. The value of them is in the reasoning behind them, and this reasoning goes beyond the immediate sphere of men. Each of these laws have not only an earthly need for fulfillment, meaning they are needed to properly direct the affairs of man on the earth for his immediate good and protection, but also they represent heavenly and eternal realities at the same time. The following are a listing of various commandments of God and brief explanation of the heavenly realities that they reflect. Therein, offering the most extreme reason for obedience to them. For to violate them is to directly slander, or stand in rebellion toward the One who designed the commandments, to not only conduct the actions of men's lives for their immediate good, but to bring forth the true testimony of Heavenly and eternal realities.

Divorce:

In that Yahweh created the man as a living mortal illustration of Himself, and the woman as a living mortal illustration of the Church, and caused that they would come together in marriage, the act of divorce has far greater ramifications then the effects of the dissolutionment of the marriage and family, as extremely horrible as that it. For divorce is a horrendous thing, which often brings extreme damage and pain to the family members involved. Yet the slanderous testimony of heavenly things that is brought forth is the chief reason divorce is hated of God.

Marriage was created by God to represent His relationship to the believer. (1 Cor. 6:17) When one comes to the salvation of Jesus, God becomes the husband of their spirit. In that the man and the woman were created to illustrate in their person, both God and the Church, the act of unlawful divorce gives the signal that God will, or may, divorce believers, or that the believer is permitted to divorce the Lord. Our God is completely faithful and He will never divorce any soul of man until that soul has been proven unfaithful to him and will not turn from that unfaithfulness, (in other words such a one has thrown away his faith) and any soul of man that divorces the Lord will find themselves without a savior, and henceforth be destined to the Lake of Fire.

Adultery:

Again, the Creator designed and created mankind, both male and female, both man and woman to illustrate heavenly realities. The relationship of marriage was designed and the laws pertaining to it are to insure that the obedient will be able to live the fullest, happiest, and safest life possible while in this present life. However, more importantly these same laws are designed so that through obedience to them the full and proper testimony of Heavenly realties are brought forth. When the man, who is a living mortal illustration of God commits adultery with a woman, who is the living illustration of the Church or individual believer, this act is giving the picture that God will be untrue to the relationship of trust and commitment to a soul of man who has become a marriage partner (for again, every soul of man that experiences the salvation of Jesus receives the Lord as the husband of their spirit) The woman who commits adultery by her actions gives the picture of a believer leaving the Lord to enact intimacy with another god. This is idolatry. These pictures are completely untrue. They are slanderous testimonies of the Lord and His dealings with a redeemed soul, and the proper dealing of a redeemed soul with the Savior.

Fornication:

This act is similar to that of adultery. When a man and a woman fornicate it means that they participate in the act of marriage without entering into the covenant of marriage. Thus they by their action are testifying (again, in that they were created as representations of both the Lord and the believer) that God and a soul of man will enjoy the intimacy of marriage without first entering a covenant relationship. In other words, that an unconverted soul who has not experienced the regeneration of the Holy spirit, who is not born again can share intimacy with the Lord. This is an impossibility! Such action is a lie against the truth! The Holy Spirit will not enter and abide with any soul of of man and share communion with that person until that soul has been brought under the blood of Christ and has experienced regeneration. God will not dwell in an unholy place. So the heavenly illustration that fornication brings forth is that of God being married to (sharing intimacy with) a soul of man who is not His, and the woman's part illustrates a soul of man sharing intimacy with God without entering a covenant relationship, without being born again. These pictures are impossible and are altogether slanderous to the truth.

Child Rebellion:

Going beyond marriage is the obvious eventuality of parenthood. For just as the intimacy of the Lord to the Church will bring forth new believers, so it is that the intimacy of marriage, (the act of marriage) will bring forth children. So the relationship, and the laws that govern the relationship between parents and children are illustrative of the relationship that the Heavenly Father has to His own. The Father of every soul made perfect is God Himself, the mother is the Church. The seed of God (His word) sown into the Church (by means of evangelism of the unconverted) brings forth new children to God. When a child acts in disobedience or rebellion to his or her parents it is giving the picture of a child of God acting in disobedience and rebellion to the Lord Himself, and to the Church. Therefore any act or spirit of disobedience of a child to his parent is slanderous to the greater truth that marriage and family are to illustrate in the world. This is why in the Law a rebellious child who will not turn from his rebellion is commanded to be brought forth and stoned to death. For such rebellion can contaminate a society with its poison, and beyond that it is absolute slanderous picture of what the true relationship of Believer to the Lord is to be.

Sabbath Breaking:

The keeping of the Sabbath through much confusion and undoubtedly certain rebellion is by many in this generation neglected. This law was designed by God to cause the seventh day to represent Heavenly and eternal things. The Sabbath day is a banner if you will, that is to be "waved" every seventh day that testifies that God is both the creator and the redeemer of men. And if He is the creator of men, then He is henceforth the master of men. And if He is the redeemer of men, then it is in His name alone that salvation can be preached. The name of Jesus. So to not practice the Sabbath is to give the testimony that you do not believe that Yahweh is the Creator and the redeemer of men. This testimony is a lie. It is a slanderous testimony concerning God our Creator.

Cross Dressing:

The law of God commands that the sexes be adorned distinctively different, the one from the other. This law is found in Deuteronomy 22:5. It is said in this same reading that any man who dresses like a woman, or any woman who dresses like a man is an abomination to the Lord. I myself in blindness and unbelief lived in violation of this commandment until I was 42 years of age. That means I was a Christian with an active testimony for 28 years before the Holy One brought me to the place where I could see His law and be convicted of my sin. The spirit of what is called feminism, which is the disruption or deterioration of Divine Order, (the order of authority:God-Christ-Man-woman) is extremely prevalent in the world and I might add in the church. Satan wishing to corrupt the truth of God has sown much confusion into the world, teaching men that in reference to headship the woman is equal to the man, thus denying and corrupting God's order.

Again remember that the Creator created the human person illustrative of both Himself and His the chief object of His love: the church or individual Believer. The man represents God Himself, the woman represents the Church or individual Believer. Therefore when a woman dresses like a man she is saying by her practice that she is the same as, or equal to a man, which is saying that a believer is the same as, or equal to the Lord. This testimony is slanderous and therefore detestable to God. Therefore cross dressing, or the mixing of adornment is slanderous to God, and therefore an abomination. For remember that clothes have three basic purposes: 1--To protect from the elements. 2--To protect modesty, for all human persons are sexually oriented, therefore the covering of the body is of absolute necessity. 3-Clothes are illustrative. They by their nature are designed to give illustration pertaining to the one that wears them. Even as a police office is known by his uniform, or a soldier by his, or a white color worker by his. In like manner a woman's adornment much signal that she is NOT a male, but female.

Feminism or The Disruption Of Divine Order:

The laws of God that demand the keeping of Divine Order have already been mentioned, but the extreme necessity of the understanding and the obedience to these bears out that they have their own listing and discussion. God's law demands that authority be exercised in this order: God-Christ-Man-Woman. Not only is this the only order that works among men and that can bring forth life and happiness, but it is the only order that reflects Heavenly realities properly. God is the creator and henceforth the master of all things. He has chosen the man Christ Jesus, who is His physical son to be heir over all things, hence Christ is second in the line of authority.

Yahweh made the male person who grows to manhood to be the first representation of Himself, man was made in God's image, henceforth, man is next in authority. The woman was created from the rib of the man and henceforth made after the image of the man, and in that process became the very glory of the man, and henceforth is after the man in reference to authority. These things are of God, and to reverse the order of authority between the man and the woman is not only to disrupt life among men on this earth but it is also to bring forth a slanderous testimony of Heavenly and eternal realities. The which action will come under very severe judgment from Yahweh who created our lives to testify of His truth.

The word America is repent! For you have become a nation steeped in the wisdom of men, but very confused and negligent in regards to God's laws. Flush the worthless and confused preachers and educators that teach for doctrine the wisdom (man's misguided intelligence that refuses to acknowledge Yahweh and His laws) of men. He made man as the highest of all his creation, to live in the honor of knowing Him and His ways, thus by their lifestyle reflecting His truth in the world. He did not create man to wallow in the mire of the immorality that springs forth from the supposed wisdom of men. For the wisdom of men without the fear of God is at best foolishness.

A Watchman

Consider: Genesis 2:1-25, Malachi 2:16, Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19: 3-12, Mark 10: 2-12, 1 Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5: 22-33, Exodus 20:14, Exodus 20:14, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 5:3, Colossians 3:5, Jude, verse 7,




Gregory DeHart is a Bible teacher who sometimes writes under the pen name of Watchman. Gregory is the sponsor of http://AnAmericanWatchman.blogspot.com, a site dedicated to examining social issues and the preaching of righteousness, and http://MarriageRevelations.blogspot.com, a site dedicated to the practical unfolding of the mystery revealed from the Bible of how marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church. For a Bible based life perspective please feel welcome to visit our sites, saving them as favorites, and please feel free to contact us, or post a comment. To the end that men everywhere would acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As a people of faith come forth in these last days and in spite of the progression of sin, (for it will progress) to bring forth a generation where "...many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee..." (Zechariah 2:11), and ...The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelations 11:15), and for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14).




The Nigerian Banking System and Top Banks


As in any other nation, the banking and financing system is a very important aspect when it comes to economic development. Before going into the subject, it is important to mention the fact that Nigeria is an emerging market and the banking system is a key factor towards a better life status.

The Central Bank of Nigeria

In the case of Nigeria, the main institution that controls the supply of the currency Nigerian naira is the Central Bank of Nigeria established in 1958 based on the CBN Act. The objectives of the Central Bank of Nigeria changed over time, but today due to the use of capitalization, the banking system has been improved and recovered its strength.

Further on, the recent improvements in the banking system are also the result of the increase in oil prices. It is known that Nigeria is a large oil trader of USA and by applying the right financial objectives the whole nation has something to win - but most importantly more chances towards a better life. The Central Bank of Nigeria enjoyed a great success during the last 2 years due to this trading agreement, as well as the Nigerian people.

Nigeria's economy

Moreover, according to the results of the World Bank the Nigerian GDP almost doubled from 2005 until 2007, reaching $1.754 / capita in 2007. This is an important economic development achievement for an emerging market like Nigeria. Likewise, it is also a sign that Nigeria is effectively and efficiently using the available resources since it is the world's 12th largest petroleum producer.

Besides the petroleum industry, in Nigeria there is also a fast growing telecommunication market that competes at worldwide level with other important operators. In order to maximize the outcomes from the telecommunication sector, the Nigerian government is struggling to expand it to space communications since the nation has already its own space satellite.

The best Nigerian banks

Even if Nigeria is an emerging market, it offers a well-developed financial system comprising local and international financial institutions related to brokerage, insurance, investment but also financing.

In the past years, there were so many small banks available in Nigeria that these became vulnerable to fraud and other bank malpractices. Therefore, in order to provide more reliable financial services, the solution was to perform mergers. In this way, the number of banks available decreased, but the ones that remained had a better capitalization structure and were trustworthy. The current Nigerian banks are able to offer loans with longer terms as compared to before the mergers and this is an important aspect when it comes to financing the local projects.

Surprisingly or not, starting with 2006, the Nigerian financial sector enjoys success and worldwide recognition since many Nigerian banks have reached the list of the world's best 1000 banks. Having this in mind, the best Nigerian banks listed in this report are as follows:

. First Bank

. Zenith Bank

. Union Bank

. Guaranty Trust Bank

. First Inland Bank

. Intercontinental Bank.

To sum up, from an economical and financial point of view Nigeria is rapidly approaching the middle income level and this will lead to a better living status and more investment projects throughout the nation.




Atinuke Saletti - editor and writer of African and Nigerian culture and societies. A contributor for Naija Face (http://NaijaForum.net).




The Real Problem With Health Care - The Answer No One Wants to Hear!


As we all know, the reforms in health care as of late have been a hot topic. And in many ways it is splitting the population in half. We have those on one side of the field who say it's a government takeover, we're losing our freedoms, we can't afford it and it will worsen the quality of care. Then there are those in favor of it who argue we can't afford not to reform it, the insurance companies are not concerned about the individual and are raising premiums regardless and as a nation everyone should be entitled to better health either as preventive maintenance or even for those with preexisting conditions.

Either position has very strong arguments but what is really at the core of the problem? Some will say that there simply isn't enough competition that will lower costs. Others say there isn't enough regulation. My suggestion here is that the root of the problem runs much, much deeper than any of these surface issues. The root cause is the same factor that impacted the real estate market crash with the sub-prime mortgage issue, the financial meltdown, the foreign wars, the change in political administrations, the weak value of the dollar, the out of control unemployment numbers and the poor economy. All of these are merely symptoms of a system which in and of itself is flawed and broken. We can argue all day about what is the way to fix individual problems but the truth is they are all connected and this problem is proven generation after generation. This is why the gap between the rich and poor is the farthest ever and is still widening. This is why inflation continually increases while wages do not comparatively. This is why the middle-class is dwindling to the point where it one day may no longer exist.

Before I share with you the true culprit behind the health care issue let me ask you a few questions. Do you feel as though you have to work harder and harder for less and less just to get by? Are you concerned with protecting your assets and getting further ahead? Would you like to pass your accumulated wealth on to your children when you die? Do you feel anxiety about protecting your retirement and whether or not it will be enough for you to live comfortably? Do you feel your quality of life is threatened by competition or the government politics? Well if you answered "yes" to the majority of these questions then take a deep breath... look in the mirror... and realize that YOU are the true culprit!

Now before you get defensive and start justifying your actions let me elaborate on what I mean. Each of us who plays the "game of survival" may not individually be the sole source of the economics issue but collectively it is this attitude compounded that causes the social ills of the world. Let's be honest with ourselves. We've all bought into the notion that the costs of living go up year after year. A loaf of bread that used to cost 15 cents 30 to 40 years ago now costs $3.00! And we all accept this fallacy that somehow it takes more money to grow the same wheat to make the bread! Last I checked sunlight still shines on the Earth for free. The price of air hasn't gone up any from zero. And rainwater still falls upon the land at no cost. The seasons are still the same length and the dirt hasn't become any scarcer than before. And if anything, due to technology, the process of actually making bread hasn't gotten any more tedious rather it has probably gotten easier and quicker to accomplish. Why the increase in price then? Why do we accept inflation as if the same everyday processes are now somehow harder or more costly?

The real problem is that we as a society have simply gotten greedier! This notion started many thousands of years ago and we still operate off the same antiquated ideas with very little change or growth in our perspectives. Thousands of years ago as civilizations evolved and grew, the concepts of scarcity and "might makes right" become the social norm. The same practices of animal instinct still exist within the human culture. The strong simply take from the weak! Tribes would invade neighboring tribes and take their resources. And those that had the resources had to protect their accumulations. This idea of ownership & property are the driving forces behind chaos. There were those few cultures such as the Native Americans that recognized that nothing truly belonged to any one individual. They realized that what was good for the whole community was ultimately best for the individual. After all, every single one of us are born into this world with nothing but our naked bodies. However, based upon the accumulations of the parents, one child may enter the world as a wealthy person while another may enter the world in extreme poverty unable to even receive necessary milk for survival. Thus, we are forced from day one, even before we have any understanding of our environments, to accept the evil reality of the "haves" and "have-nots!"

This is the true battle being waged in congress, in political parties, between communities and between nations! Those that have want to protect it and those that don't want to get it. The unfortunate reality is that the "haves" are the ones who generally have the power and the "have-nots" lack it and therefore are the weak. The difference is money, which in this world represents power! Let's remind ourselves that money was created supposedly as a convenient tool to make bartering a simpler process. After all, it is sort of difficult to carry around a pig to trade for some eggs or milk. The problem today is because those who have money hoard it to the point that they don't really need your pig, eggs or milk. Through generations of accumulation and the advancement of technology, the wealthy don't need much that the average working person has to offer. Hence, through desperation and so-called competition the "have-nots" have to accept less and less and are forced to give their only remaining asset left - themselves! And since computers, machines and robots can generally do the same amount of work without getting tired or expecting a paycheck, even your labor has little to no value anymore.

Now I know many will argue that there are opportunities out there for those who "work hard." And based upon our current systems this is true to a degree. But understand a few facts. Ninety percent of the world's wealth is held amongst one percent of the population. Another ten percent controls the majority of the rest. And finally ninety percent of the population lives either in poverty or a couple paychecks away from losing the little they may have. Now if you're in the top 10 percent then surely you probably don't want to change a thing. And if you're comfortable with your lifestyle even though you may never become one of the top 10 percent, you probably want to protect what you do have so you don't become one of those in poverty. But let's remind ourselves that the vast majority of the wealth held within certain families and institutions wasn't earned through honest hard work and invention but rather through violent, barbaric and atrocious means. Through slave trades, invasions, genocides and good old-fashioned pillaging, the "strongest" of those, centuries ago, were able to hoard their acquisitions and then pass them down through their families generation after generation.

Why should I be able to "own" hundreds of thousands of acres of land that I will never be able to personally use? Who says that I should be able to control oil sources that belong to the earth and should benefit everyone? Why is one life more important than another? Why should the few monopoly corporations be able to buy out every new idea or invention that comes along? The only thing guaranteed in life is death and you will leave it the same way you entered it - naked and by yourself! It is foolish to thing that whatever you accumulate in life will somehow be able to be taken with you. In fact, this war between the "haves" and the "have-nots" is not really about big government versus small government or right versus left. It is really about ignorance versus wisdom; love versus greed; compassion versus selfishness! This isn't meant to sound idealistic. I don't expect a utopia overnight but the reality is that we are our own worst enemies. Everyone that buys into the ridiculous notions that life somehow gets more expensive every year is part of the problem. The birds still fly in the air for free. Animals still live off the land without taxes. And the sun still rises everyday in spite of man's attempts to end our ability to witness it.

Leo Tolstoy, the author most popularly known for 'War and Peace,' went as far as to say, "Property is thievery!" Tolstoy, who was influenced by the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, went on to write journals that influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Noble sentiments such as John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country" perhaps should have restated that as "Ask not what mankind can do for you but ask what you can do for mankind" for we in truth created our businesses, institutions and governments to serve us and not the other way around. We allow national pride, culture, languages, religions, gender and personal desires to separate us. Yet it is only through love, unity and the desire to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" that is the true strength of society.

The vast majority of mankind will continue to live in despair because we've bought into lies, become lazy and only seek to benefit ourselves. We must look in the mirror and change ourselves first. Gandhi stated "Be the change in the world that you seek!" We would all benefit to approach our personal decisions, family decisions, outlooks on life and our politics with greater compassion and love for the benefit of all. Never allow fear to drive your choices for fear will only consume you and produce loss for everyone involved. There is a cause known as the Zeitgeist Movement. It is a noble idea on how mankind can improve the world we live in not just for our nation or ourselves but also for the entire world. While I think it is still a little too idealistic based upon man's current understanding and capacity, I do think it is a worthwhile idea towards the possibilities we could enjoy if we just had a little greater trust in one another. We, unfortunately, are still a long ways away from that day. I invite you to search for the video and/ or website. We don't have to accept the evils of the world or that some people lives are not worth saving but we must develop courage and stand up against fear, selfishness and greed.

I'm not a huge Star Trek fan but in one of the earlier movies there was a scene in which the Star Trek crew had traveled from the future back in time to the current present day. A person asked Captain Kirk how much it cost to build the Starship Enterprise and his answer was that "... in the future mankind doesn't do things in terms of dollars or profit but rather for the benefit of society!" We can only put one foot in front of the other but perhaps the day may come in time, somewhere in the distant future, where this sentiment may become reality. We are One.




http://www.the1soulwithin.com

Lateef Terrell Warnick, author of "Journey of the Soul: Day One" Book & Movie at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNbWgdYa6Ss.

Also, founder of 1 S.O.U.L. Social Network & Movement, expresses teachings founded in universal love and the esoteric approach similar to that of the yogi or mystic which declares that the "kingdom of God is within."

1 S.O.U.L. is an acronym for "One Source Of Universal Love" and consists of spiritual writings, social network, blog and non-profit organization. Teachings in harmony with those of "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda, "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch, "The Power of Now" & "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle, "The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore" by Deepak Chopra, "A Course In Miracles" by Marianne Williamson, "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran, "Beyond Belief: The Secret Book of Thomas" by Elaine Pagel, Swami Vivekananda, Babaji & the lives of Jesus the Christ, Buddha, Krishna who've shown us the way towards enlightenment & Self-Realization!