Diana Nyad's Jellyfish

Diana Nyad's Jellyfish 

Diana Nyad's Jellyfish, Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is continuing her third bid to swim from Cuba to Florida despite suffering the effects of multiple Portuguese man o' war stings received only a couple of hours into the attempt.

Teachers say talking is an occupational hazard

Teachers say talking is an occupational hazard

Teachers say talking is an occupational hazard, By the end of her first day of school this month, Theresa Simon’s voice was already starting to go.“You can hear a little bit of rasp,” said the 48-year-old teacher at Cecelia Snyder Middle School in Bensalem, Pa.

High school AP classes

High school AP classes, Going to college requires more than high school honors, high school counselors, foreign language, and 4.0 / 5.0 GPAs - college preparation means AP. If you do not plan on going to college then you should definitely consider the factors below before taking high school Advanced Placement classes.
Less Time

Like high school football practice or band, high school AP classes require students to give up much more of their time than other courses. Some AP instructors, especially in AP History and AP English, will even give course work over summer and holiday breaks.


School Stress

Because of the elevated high school work load, more frequent testing, greater number of school assignments, and needing to study for the AP tests, AP classes can cause a student to become overwhelmingly stressed out. Beware of taking multiple high school AP classes at a time.

AP College Cap

Most colleges and universities will only take a certain number of high school classes on a 5.0 scale for their admissions GPA. So if a college only accepts eight weighted courses, than all high school AP courses after the eight will not give a bonus to a student's college submitted GPA.

High School AP Tests

Some colleges and universities will not give college AP credit for AP courses if students do not score high on the corresponding high school AP test. Some colleges even require a score of 5, or a perfect score. Not all colleges grant elective credit to students who earn the minimum passing score.

Extra School Costs

Some high schools require students to pay for their own high school AP textbooks and other required supplies. Students must also pay for the costs of taking the high school AP test. If a high school does not offer fee waivers or other forms of reimbursement, taking AP courses can become an expensive endeavor. Fortunately, the benefit when factoring in the college costs for the same course at a college or university usually weighs in the student's favor.

Making the Grade - 5.0 and 4.0

Depending on the high school, AP instructors might require students to earn at least an A or a B (5.0 or 4.0) to stay in an AP class. Others mandate students to take the high school AP test to be able to earn grades on a 5.0 scale. Other high schools place incoming requirements, freshman and sophomore restrictions, and other stipulations on AP bound students. Such expectations and competitiveness could make taking high school AP classes a risk and unappealing.

High School Schedules

Due to the volume of information that must be covered in high school AP classes, some schools create abnormal schedules. For example, on a quarter or block schedule, a high school AP class may go two thirds of the year instead of half (one and a half years of class time), leaving students with an extra quarter to try and work a half class into. Other classes may take up two periods on a semester schedule, or a full year (two years of class time) on a quarter schedule. Students should be aware of the particular adjustments for AP courses at their high school.



College Bound / Not College Bound

High school AP courses can be a tough hurdle to cross, so high school students should evaluate the costs and benefits before jumping in. Student's not going directly into college might find it more productive to seek out electives that focus on industry skills like auto shop, media design, or carpentry. High school students can even enroll in community college and junior college courses more relevant to their career goals. University and high school AP do not create a necessary barrier to cross to be successful in life.

Source: thegecko

Student loan debt vs. credit card debt

Student loan debt vs. credit card debt, Credit cards are no longer the largest source of debt for Americans -- according to the Wall Street Journal, student loans have taken the crown. Americans owe some $826.5 billion in revolving credit, according to June 2010 figures from the Federal Reserve. (Most of revolving credit is credit-card debt.) Student loans outstanding today -- both federal and private -- total some $829.785 billion, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com.

The change is due in part to Americans paying down credit card debt and increased credit card regulations, according to the Journal.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, passed in March, promises to regulate the student loan industry by omitting private lenders in hopes of saving the government and the taxpayer money.

Still, many struggle under the weight of student loans -- and there's no easy out. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, bankruptcy is not an automatic option:

To discharge student loans in any bankruptcy filing, you need to prove "undue hardship." What does undue hardship mean in non-legal terms? According to bankruptcy judge John Ninfo, you or your dependent has to have a mental or physical condition that prevents you from working. Just not being able to afford your payments doesn't cut it.

And as for using credit cards to pay for college -- not such a great idea. According to TheStreet.com:

84% of college students had at least one credit card in 2009, up from 76% in 2004. The average amount of debt carried by college cardholders is $3,173 which represents a 46% increase over the 2004 figure of $2,169. The average number of cards per student is 4.6. Only 17% pay off their entire balance each month and 22% make just the minimum payment.

Source: huffingtonpost

Average student loan debt 2011

Average student loan debt 2011, That's the average student debt in America, according to a report last year from the Project on Student Debt.For many students, that figure is modest. Take Aleesha Nash, a graduate of New York University. "Logging into the Federal Student Aid website," she writes on the Huffington Post, "I see that today my balance is $104,104.63 for a percentage of the information in my head."

And there's Jaclyn Cabral, too. Jaclyn chose to attend Elon University in North Carolina because it's "regarded as one of the most affordable private educations." Still, she graduated $90,000 in debt.

For many of these students, paying off their loans is a nearly unsurmountable challenge. Brandon Woods, a Hampton University alum, finds himself working two jobs -- and hardly making a dent in his $58,000 deficit.

Since HuffPost College's launch in Feb. 2010, we've been documenting the stories -- your stories -- of students and graduates in crippling, suffocating debt. The students who are America's promise, its very future, and can hardly afford to keep themselves afloat. This is our third installment in the series.

Where millionaires live

Where millionaires live, Where Millionaires Live: America’s, Where the most prosperous citizens of this country lying around? How much money do they have? Obama wants them to pay more taxes. But how are they coughing up now?

The answers to these questions can be extracted from a database rarely used statistics from the IRS income tax. Yields tax file sorting by income and by zip code.

Be wary of releasing any data that might reveal something about individual taxpayers, the IRS slices of its statistics in wide ranges. In this data set the top tier of income is $ 200,000 or more. Except, perhaps, a politician in search of increased revenues; it hardly qualifies a taxpayer as rich.

So I put a finer mesh on the basis of data on zeroing in communities where the average income in all 200K-and-up and is at least 1 million.

The result is a set of 130,400 tax returns of 64 hot spots of prosperity – suburbs, islands, and parts of cities. The list of places luxurious beaches of Fisher Island, an enclave of large yacht owners in Miami at the Tribeca area in Manhattan, where the wage slaves with seven-figure salaries has their chic loft apartments.

Your tax return in this data set if you at least $ 200 000, and you have many millionaires as neighbors. The methodology is developed here.

Ranked by income, the list of places rich begins with Fisher Island, $ 3.2 million per high taxpayers. Then came Purchase, NY at $ 2.2 million, two suburbs of New York City, New Vernon, Alpine, NJ, both at $ 2.1 million, and Atherton, California at $ 1.9 million.

I have done something more with the data that the IRS does not do: net value estimate, using figures on income from dividends, interest and business as starting points.

Estimated net value, the richest five communities are: Fisher Island, $ 57 million by the high back portion; downhill at $ 28 million; Medina, Washington, $ 26 million; Palm Beach, Florida, $ 23 million, and the King Point / Area of?? Great Neck, Long Island, $ 22 million.

Fainting recent market action for damage to the net values, but not as much as one might think. The set-off in this country hold a large number of links, too, and bonds have done well this year.

Most venues are millionaires in California, Florida and New York neighborhood, but there are some in Illinois and Texas.

Taxpayers in my data set does not pay small amount for the government, despite their tax avoidance schemes. The federal tax take from this club is $ 41 dollars, and a quarter of their 164 billion dollars in revenue. This rate of 25 percent is nearly double the rate for the average American to pay at least some federal tax. (And of course, many people do not pay income tax.)

Thus, Warren Buffett is not quite right in implying, citing its own taxes and his secretary, that the rich benefit from tax rates lower than ordinary people. But it is also clear from the data that the rich could chip in more to the U.S. Treasury without cutting too deeply or in their income or bank accounts. Combined net worth of wealthy crowd: $ 1600000000000.

Within this group of 64 rich communities, there is a wide range of tax burdens. In five of them, high-bracket taxpayers can cover all their tax bills, state, local and federal taxes and property taxes, with a quarter of the money coming in.

A quarter to the government
Medina, Washington, where Bill Gates has a beautiful house, is one of five communities where the wealthy upper bracket taxpayers cough no more than 25 percent of income at all levels of government. The other four spots are in Florida, where homes come with boat slips respectable: Fisher Island, Key Largo, Longboat Key and Boca Grande.

At the other end of the tax are the rich people in Bel Air, California, and Short Hills; NJ Their tax bills consume 45 percent or more of income.

There is a wide range, too, in charitable impulses. Donors large live in Medina Key, Longboat and the country on horseback near Charlottesville, Virginia wealthy families in these three areas set aside 5 percent or more of their income to philanthropy.

The cheapskates are concentrated in two locations: New York City and its suburbs and downtown Miami.

NYC suburbs miser tend to be found on the Hudson River. High-income residents of all four cities in New Jersey on the list to 2 percent or less of income. This is remarkable because Average Joes are at 2.9 percent: This is the percent of income given by the 40 million taxpayers whose donations levels are known because they itemize deductions.

New Jersey cities stingy: Rumson, Alpine, Short Hills and New Vernon. The price also includes two club locations in New York: Tribeca and part of White Plains.

Where the rich get their income? Just under half of the cash flow is to work: wages, pensions, social security, and IRA payments. The people in the upper 64 hotspots rich take in 52 percent of their income from property: stocks, bonds, real estate, oil wells and businesses.

For the average American taxpayer, property income is only 17 percent of the pie.

The proportion of property income peaks at 85 percent for Fisher Island. Property accounts for 75 percent or more of income in the two other communities in Florida, Boca Raton and Key Largo, and Charlottesville. It touches the bottom in fast-paced New York. Tribecans only get 25 percent of their investment income.

Tribeca, in other words, is for up-and-comers. Fisher Island is for people who have done long ago and are sitting on fat brokerage accounts.

Residences on Fisher consist mostly luxury condos with very steep maintenance costs. You cannot get on the island except by boat. Mel Gibson and Oprah Winfrey took place there.

Improve Office Teamwork

Improve Office Teamwork, We all desire recognition for a job well done, especially as members of a team. As a team, each person works together toward a common goal. Now instead of working together, imagine a team where each person was only interested in their own, separate little interests. Would you be able to get anything done?Of course not!

When you’re working within a team you have to put personal interests aside and focus on the collective. If you don’t, tempers flare and trouble ensues. Teams composed of members who can’t put differences aside don’t win. Put simply: you won’t achieve the success you want if you aren’t focused on the common goal.

United We Stand – Teamwork Tips

The key strategy to boost office morale and team productivity is to stand strong behind your common goal. By creating a unified front, you will be able to work together, instead of pulling apart.

Here are some teamwork tips:

• Appoint a team leader to oversee the progress and to keep everyone motivated to finish the project on time.

• Assign jobs according to the strengths of each team member. People naturally procrastinate when faced with a daunting task they’re uncomfortable with, so divide the work accordingly.

• Praise team members for a job well done. Acknowledge each person’s hard work and dedication and be sure to pass along any positive feedback from clients or upper level management.

• Set up a team reward upon successful completion of a project. Money doesn’t have to be the only motivating factor to spur your team. Maybe it’s time-off, a gift basket, or a trophy.

Get an Attitude of Gratitude in Your Office

How can tension within the office be turned around? Gratitude. Yes, it really is that simple! Each member needs to felt appreciated for his or her contributions and value added to the team.

• Imagine a football team. If the quarterback isn’t grateful for the offensive line who blocks for him, the wide receivers who catch his passes, and the running backs who he can hand off the ball to, he will not have confidence in his teammates. This lack of confidence will show up as miscommunications, blown plays and lost games. The same things happen in the office!

In reality, an office setting is very much like being on a football team. You have to show gratitude to the:

• Administrative assistants who keep things organized and flowing

• Salesmen who bring in new profits for the company

• Human resources representatives who bring in new talent for you to work with

• Marketers who make the company known

• Managers who coach, inspire, and lead

• Staff who tackle the finer details and makes things happen

Everyone plays an important part of the team, which is why we all need to appreciate one another in order to get things done! After all, without each other, where would you be?

Gratitude Leads to Effective Teamwork

Once you’re grateful for the skills and talents of your team members, you’ll begin to appreciate how each part of the puzzle is important for the overall success of the team. You may even discover a renewed excitement about your job and all the projects your team can accomplish.

• Let others in the office know how you appreciate their time, talents, and hard work. Send out emails or mention specific names in the company newsletter. Let your team know you care about them as people and not just as workers.

• Encourage your workers to start up office clubs or activities that everyone can enjoy as a group. Doing so will help you get to know each other on a more casual basis.

Remember: it all starts with acknowledging how grateful you are for the talents of those around you. So take a moment today to say “Thank You!”

via: getsynergized

How to disagree with your boss

How to disagree with your boss, A reader at Ask a Manager recently wrote to me about a situation where she felt her boss was asking her to do something utterly nonsensical.Often in this situation, people have one or more bad reactions: They stew about silently, or they just disregard the boss's instructions.

Neither of these is a good option. If you disagree with your boss, you should offer up your own viewpoint. (Disclaimer: This assumes your boss is sane and reasonable, not a tyrant or a lunatic. If she's one of those, that's a different topic.) Often, workplace disagreements arise when two people have different pieces of information about something. It's possible that you know something your boss doesn't know. Figure out what that might be, tell her, and see if that changes anything. At the same time, be open to new information she might give you that might change your own viewpoint.

However, if she still disagrees and you feel very strongly about it, you should talk explicitly about the fact that this is an area of disagreement. As a manager, I would much rather know if an employee vehemently disagreed with me about something. I'd want the opportunity to hear her perspective and consider her viewpoint, and to know how strongly she felt, even if I didn't ultimately come around to her way of thinking. After all, a good boss has hired you because you're smart; think of it as fulfilling your professional duties to be honest about your assessment.

You want to do this in a polite and collaborative manner, of course--I'm not advising being a jerk about it. And do it in a way that demonstrates that you understand that in the end your boss is the one who will need to make the call.

If her final decision is one you still disagree with, you can say things like, "I really feel strongly about this. Would you be willing to allow me to try it my way and we can see how it goes?" Of course, if she refuses, you'll need to accept that, since that's the nature of having a boss. You also can't keep the debate going forever. More than two separate conversations is usually overkill, depending on the specifics.

But the whole point is to be open and candid. Figure out your differences, see if they can be resolved, and if they can't, decide if you can live with that.

Alison Green is chief of staff for a medium-sized nonprofit where she oversees day-to-day management of the staff as well as hiring, firing, and staff development. She is working with the Management Center to coauthor a book on nonprofit management. Her writings have been published in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Maxim, and dozens of other newspapers.

Source: usnews

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami conspiracy

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami conspiracy

 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami conspiracy. Apocalyptic prophecies, particularly Christian apocalyptic and eschatalogical claims about the end times, the Last Judgment, and the end of the world have inspired a range of conspiracy theories. Many of these deal with the Antichrist, the foremost figure of worldly evil from the Book of Revelation. This Antichrist, also known as the Beast 666, is supposed to be a leader who will create a world empire and oppress Christians (and, in some readings, Jews as well). In apocalyptic conspiracy theory, some person from current events is alleged to be the Antichrist, and some organisation (such as the Catholic Church or the United Nations) is alleged to be the Antichrist's world organization of evil.


Countless historical figures have been called "Antichrist" in their times, from the Roman emperor Nero to Ronald Reagan to Javier Solana; see Javier Solana Antichrist allegations. . At times, apocalyptic speculation has mixed with anti-Catholicism to yield the interpretation that the reigning Pope is the Biblical Antichrist. A more recent conspiratorial interpretation sees the Antichrist as a world leader involved with the United Nations, who will create a one world government and establish a single monetary system. The latter is identified with the Mark of the Beast, which the Bible states that people in the end times will need in order to conduct trade.

Two nations often involved in apocalyptic conspiracy theories are Israel and Iraq. The former is the location of both the Temple Mount and Armageddon (Megiddo), places seen as important in prophecy. The latter is the ancient location of Babylon, which also figures in Revelation. During the Gulf War, some suggested that Saddam Hussein had ordered the excavation and repopulation of the city of Babylon, thus casting Saddam as an Antichrist figure. Other interpretations have held that "Babylon" in Revelation refers to another mighty nation, such as the Roman Empire, or more recently the Soviet Union or the United States of America.

One of the world's most persistent and longstanding conspiracy theories claims that clandestine religious groups (which may or may not actually exist in reality), carry out human sacrifice, usually of children. Such accusations are often levelled against those believed to be plotting against accepted religious and social norms. Notable groups accused of this include Jews (with whom the term is usually associated), Christians of various denominations, alleged witches, and most recently alleged "Satanic" groups.


September 11 terrorist attacks
Several conspiracy theories have been presented concerning the September 11, 2001 attacks, many of them claiming that President George W. Bush and/or individuals in his administration knew about the attacks beforehand and purposefully allowed them to occur because the attacks would generate public support for an invasion of Iraq and other aggressive foreign policies.

Proponents point to the Project for the New American Century, a conservative think tank that argues for increased American global leadership, whose former members include Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney and several other key Bush administration figures. An internal memo of the group allegedly claims that "some catastrophic and catalyzing event — like a new Pearl Harbor" would be needed to budge public opinion in their favor. David Ray Griffin, in "The New Pearl Harbor", p. 2004, questions this idea as it relates to the Bush 43 government and September 11 (Vancouver Indymedia article), as does film-maker Alex Jones in "911: the Road to Tyranny" (Internet Archive item).

Proponents of this theory also note Bush’s ties to Saudi Arabia, the nation of origin for 15 of the 19 hijackers, the fact that all but one of the videotapes of the attack on the Pentagon have been confiscated, rumors that several dignitaries were told not to fly that day, and Bush’s initial opposition to a commission to investigate the attacks.

On December 1, 2003, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean told National Public Radio’s Diane Rehm “The most interesting theory that I've heard so far — which is nothing more than a theory, I can't think — it can't be proved — is that [President Bush] was warned ahead of time [about the 9/11 attacks] by the Saudis.” Although he never stated he believed such a theory, Dean was widely criticized for his comments. Critics accuse him, notably, of spreading disinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories for partisan political purposes.

In response to some of the least creditable theories about the attacks Philip D. Zelikow, the executive director of the 9/11 Commission said that "One reason you tend to doubt conspiracy theories when you've worked in government is because you know government is not nearly competent enough to carry off elaborate theories. It's a banal explanation, but imagine how efficient it would need to be."

This response does not, however include Alex Jones' theorized global government.

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami conspiracy
Some people think the U.S. and Indian militaries deliberately caused the Indian Ocean tsunamis with electromagnetic pulse technology. This conspiracy theory is mostly expressed by popular Arab news services. Another type of theory bases its claims on oil and gas interests. Others also reason that the technology is at least feasible if not highly probable since research into such technology has been conducted by the military as far back as World War II. According to declassified files, top-secret "tsunami bomb" experiments utilyzing nuclear explosions to trigger "mini-tidal waves" were conducted off the coast of New Zealand in 1944 and 1945. The U.S. Defense Department had even expressed concern about earthquake-inducing technology in warfare well before the 2004 disaster. In 1997 Defense Secretary William S. Cohen stated, "Others are engaging even in an eco-type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves. So there are plenty of ingenious minds out there that are at work finding ways in which they can wreak terror upon other nations. It's real, and that's the reason why we have to intensify our efforts, and that's why this is so important."

War Conspiracy
The motivations for nations starting, entering, or ending wars is often suspect. Wars, after all, are by nature destructive of both people and property, and frequently have thoroughly undesirable consequences for the nations who start them. As with assassinations, the question that is often asked by conspiracists when a war breaks out is "who benefits?"

For decades, a common answer has been "munitions suppliers" — as argued by, e.g., Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler in the 1935 jeremiad "War is a Racket". According to this view, there is always a party within the nation which would benefit from going to war, on whatever pretext: the sellers of weapons and other military material. President Dwight Eisenhower referred to this source of potential conflict of interest as the military-industrial complex.

Related is the allegation that certain wars which are claimed by politicians to be in the national interest, or for humanitarian purposes, are in fact motivated by the conquest and control of natural resources for commercial interest. In 1898's Spanish-American War, the explosion of the USS Maine prompted the US annexation of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam. Opponents of the war, such as Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie, claimed that it was being fought for imperialist motives.

In recent times, wars in the Middle East such as the Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq have been described as wars for oil. During the 20th century the United States has also often been accused of plotting foreign coups d'état for commercial interest. In many cases, critics have accused the U.S. of engaging in realpolitik in the cynical sense of political action without regard for principle or morals. A war planned for economic gain can be seen as a conspiracy in the conventional sense of a secret plot — particularly when the public is presented with false pretexts for war.

It has been suggested that war is a perfect way of distracting citizens, as an electoral tactic, from difficulties facing the then current administration. This premise is the basis of the film Wag the dog.

Any of the other frequently-alleged conspiratorial groups described above; secret societies, "The Jews", etc, have also been alleged as the mastermind behind wars. For instance, Adolf Hitler repeatedly claimed in speeches that the "international finance Jews" were responsible for World War I.

Surveillance technologies
Particular technologies of surveillance and control arouse concern that has bordered upon, or crossed over into, conspiracy theory. These are technologies being developed by governments which are intended to intrude into the privacy or harm the persons of citizens, particularly dissenters. Conspiracy theories of this sort cast government agencies as pursuing vast technical powers in order to spy on people, control their minds, or otherwise suppress an alienated populace.

The plausibility of establishing such surveillance capabilities, by technical means or by a widespread network of informants, should perhaps be viewed in the context of events in former Eastern bloc countries, particularly the activities of the East German Stasi before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The various services provided by Google have also been considered to invade people's privacy, thus enabling intelligence agencies to monitor their activities.

Barcodes Conspiracy
Some conspiracy theorists have proposed that barcodes are really intended to serve as means of control by a putative world government, or that they are Satanic in intent. Mary Stewart Relfe claims in The New Money System 666 (1982) that barcodes secretly encode the number 666 - the Biblical "Number of the Beast". This theory has been adopted by other fringe figures such as the "oracle" Sollog, who refuses to label any of his books with barcodes on the grounds that "any type of computer numbering systems MANDATED by any government or business is part of the PROPHECY of the BEAST controlling you.

Diseases and epidemics
There are conspiracy theories based on the notion that AIDS was a man-made disease (i.e. created by scientists in a laboratory). Some of these theories allege that HIV was created by a conspiratorial group or by a secret agency as a tool of genocide. Other theories suggest that the virus escaped into the population at large by accident, or may have been deliberately unleashed as a means of population control or as an experiment in biological and/or psychological warfare. See: AIDS conspiracy theories.

Some who believe that HIV was a government creation see a precedent for it in the Tuskegee syphilis study, in which government-funded researchers deceptively denied treatment to black patients infected with a sexually transmitted disease.

Assassinations
Assassinations are a classic subject of conspiracy theories. The assassination of a prominent figure is a singular event which can dramatically change the course of public affairs. Those drawn to conspiracy theory are led to ask, in the aftermath of an assassination, Who benefited from this death? Though some assassinations are committed by lone individuals, and many others are overt acts by governments (such as that of Leon Trotsky), and other assassinations are committed as the result of a provable conspiracy, there have been several assassinations whose purposes and evidence remain mysterious in the public eye — and suspicious to most people.

Best-known among assassination conspiracy theories in the United States are those dealing with a rash of seemingly politically motivated deaths in the 1960s, notably those of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Investigations and scientific testing and recreations into the circumstances of John F. Kennedy's death have not settled the question of who killed him. That U.S. public opinion considers this still to be an open issue is suggested by three polls in 2003. An ABC News random telephone poll found that just 32% (plus or minus 3%) of Americans believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, while 68% do not believe Oswald acted alone. The "Discovery Channel" poll (sampling method not given) reveals that only 21% believe Oswald acted alone, while 79% do not believe Oswald acted alone. The "History Channel" poll (self-selected responses) details that only 17% of respondents believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, while 83% do not believe Oswald acted alone. It should, however, be noted that opinion polls of this type are often subject to selection and response biases.

Similar theories have arisen around the assassination of Beatle John Lennon and the attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In recent years theories about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales have made headlines.

Evil aliens
A somewhat different version of this theory maintains that humanity is actually under the control of shape-shifting alien reptiles, who require periodic ingestion of human blood to maintain their human appearance.

Satanic cults
In the United States of America, during the 1980s there was an upsurge in the old belief of "Satanic ritual abuse". Hundreds of thousands Americans, including Protestant Christians, feared that the United States was filled with child-sacrificing Satanists. Church sermons, newsletters and soon letters to newspapers and magazines, were filled with claims of tens of thousands of American children being kidnapped and murdered by supposed Satanists. These ideas soon made their way into the mainstream American media, where they initially were reported uncritically. This led to a wave of arrests against hundreds of American citizens, whose neighbors suddenly began accusing them of kidnapping, child abuse or murder. Hundreds of these people were accused of being witches or satanists, and were convicted by a jury. Only in the mid 1990s did the wave of witch hunts subside; since then the reports of tens of thousands of missing children have been proven false by official sources; there was no massive increase in kidnapping, abuse or murder. Most of the convicted "witches" or "satanists" have since been released from jail. The entire phenomenon is now considered by mainstream historians and psychologists to be an episode of mass delusion, and witch hunts, augmented by the pseudo-scientific "repressed memory syndrome" idea, which has also now been discredited by the scientific establishment. The "suppression of proof" argument could be raised as a counter-argument by conspiracy theorists critical of official sources.

Secret societies and fraternities
Secret societies and fraternal societies have aroused nervousness from some non-members since at least the time of the ancient Greeks. A secret society is a club or organization whose members do not disclose their membership, and may be sworn to hold it secret. However, the term is also used in conspiracy theory to refer to fraternal organizations such as the Freemasons or the Skull-and-Bones Society who do not conceal membership, but are thought to harbor secret beliefs or political agendas.

College fraternities such as Yale's Skull and Bones society are also popular suspects among conspiracists. Many men form lifelong friendships with their fraternity "brothers" which some believe often carry on into the political and business world. This particular conspiracy theory was presented in the movie "the Skulls".

A revival of interest

"Having read at least fifty books on the Illuminati, I am convinced that it exists and can be blamed for many of man's inhumane actions against his fellow man during the past two hundred years.""

Dr. Tim LaHaye co-Author of best selling book series "Left Behind"

Masonic conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theory about the Freemasons goes back at least to the late 18th century. The Masons were accused of plotting the American and French Revolutions, the Jack the Ripper killings, the downfall of religion, and of dominating republican politics. In fact, the historian Georges Lefebvre, generally considered an authoritative source on the subject, concedes that the Masons had a role in organizing the revolution in the city, but says it is unclear how important their role was. Worry about Masonic conspiracy grew to such an extent in the early United States as to spawn a political party, the Anti-Masonic Party. The Bavarian Illuminati, a German secret society related to Masonry, also figures into conspiracy theories of that time. Rosicrucianism and the Priory of Sion are popular topics of conspiracists.

All the Catholic Popes in the last three centuries are subjects of conspiracy theories. Some people believe that Freemasonry was condemned by the Church primarily because of its view that all religions are equal; this view was diametrically opposed to the Catholic belief that it is the only true religion. Since a number of Catholics and Protestants now agree with the Masonic principles condemned by the Church, new theories about the Masons have emerged, such as that they are devil worshippers. Others hold that these views about the origins of conspiracy theories about Masons are themselves conspiracy theories.

Source: wikipedia

Songs inspired by 9/11

Songs inspired by 9/11

Songs inspired by 9/11Like everyone else in America, I remember the morning of September 11th, 2001 vividly. Waking up, turning on the television and seeing a gaping hole in the World Trade Center, then watching in horror as another plane flew into the second tower, eliminating any chance that it was an accident. I remember the sadness, the feeling of community that came in the days and weeks following the attack. But what I remember most is the way our then-President used the feelings of hatred and revenge seething through American veins to invade a country needlessly and pass legislation that continues to divide our country.
Because I relate everything to music, I also remember the benefits for the victims families and firefighters. There have been some really great songs written about the event and the aftermath, and some truly awful. Here is my top 5 and bottom 5 of those songs.

The Best:
1. My City Of Ruin-Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Actually, the entirety of The Rising could be included here. One of my favorite Springsteen albums ever.
2. Let’s Roll-Neil Young: I couldn’t get the video to load for this one, but Young has been so politically active over the years that his writing a song about the heroes of Flight 93 shouldn’t be a surprise.
I actually prefer Young’s later tune, “Let’s Impeach The President,” but this one was great as well.


3. Words I Never Said-Lupe Fiasco: Lupe’s views may not mesh entirely with mine, but this is a great song. His conspiracy theory mindset is a bit off to me, but I wasn’t there, so I don’t know. Maybe it was a conspiracy. The opening line to his first verse is one of my favorites in a rap song: “I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullshit, just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets”
4. Exodus Damage-John Vanderslice: 9/11 plays a minor role in this song, but when it’s Vanderslice everything matters. It would be a good song without the references, but having them makes it a great one.
5. If This Is Goodbye-Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris: Heartbreaking ballad with some nice guitar work to boot.  In a way, this song echoes how the attacks on 9/11 effected everyone around the globe, hence a Brit rock god and a southern songstress come together for this tremendous song.
The Worst
1. Where Were You-Alan Jackson: Emotionally manipulative garbage. I liked it better when it was about a ladder to Heaven.
2. Courtesy Of The Red White And Blue-Toby Keith: Keith sure does love America…especially all the money he makes from writing songs cashing in on American xenophobia and outrage.
3. Raise Up (USA Remix)-Petey Pablo: And speaking of cashing in…after doing the song, and a remix featuring every state in the US, Petey Pablo tried to make his stacks a little larger by putting out an additional remix just after the attacks.
4. Have You Forgotten-Darryl Worley: “Some say this country’s just out looking for a fight
Well, after 9/11 man I’d have to say that’s right” That lyric kind of perfectly encapsulates the GOP’s mindset for the last decade.
5. Jihad-Slayer: I’ll actually say something nice about Slayer here. It may be a horrendous song, but at least the angle is interesting and it isn’t by Toby Keith.

BP to test Gulf Coast beach tar balls

BP to test Gulf Coast beach tar balls

BP to test Gulf Coast beach tar balls. Heavy surf churned up by Tropical Storm Lee sent tar balls rolling onto Alabama's prime tourist beaches, and officials said Tuesday that they plan to test the black and brown globs to find out if they're related to last year's oil spill.
Brandon Franklin, the coastal plans manager for the city of Gulf Shores, said officials are collecting samples that will be sent to Auburn University for testing.

The exact origin of the tar balls is still unclear, and BP isn't taking responsibility for the tar balls just yet. It has sent survey teams to conduct post-storm assessments along coastal beaches to determine what may have developed on the beaches and barrier islands as a result of Lee. The oil giant is prepared to mobilize response crews to affected areas if necessary, spokesman Tom Mueller said.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said most of the tar balls there were very small. The tar balls visible at Gulf Shores ranged from the size of a marble to nearly the size of a baseball.

Connie Harris of Alabaster, Ala., had stayed at a condominium in Gulf Shores over the Labor Day weekend with three friends. When she returned from a beach walk, she had to scrub her feet with soap and a wash cloth, she said.

"When we walked on the beach, we had tar on our feet," Harris said.

Grant Brown, a spokesman for the city of Gulf Shores, said he had been told the situation wasn't as bad as last year, when oil fouled beaches all along the Gulf Coast because of the BP oil spill. But it was significant, he said.

"It confirms our fear that there are tar mats just offshore and that we may have more tar coming in whenever there's a storm," he said.

Elsewhere, the remnants of Lee have knocked out power to thousands, churned up rough ocean surf and drenched areas with rain that left some rivers and creeks topping their banks. At least four people have died because of the storm, including a swimmer who went missing off the Alabama coast.

Source: nwsource

The Fence Bible: How to plan, install and build fences and gates to meet every home style and property need, no matter what size your yard

The Fence Bible: How to plan, install and build fences and gates to meet every home style and property need, no matter what size your yard, A fence is more than just a barrier. Used in imaginative ways, it can become an architectural feature that blends well with the style of your house, a landscape element that enhances the appearance of your property, or an accent piece that helps define a part of your yard or garden.


In The Fence Bible hands-on home improvement expert Jeff Beneke provides an in-depth, comprehensive how-to encyclopedia that enables homeowners to choose and build the fences and gates that are best for their landscape--both for appearance and function.

Beneke suggests the appropriate types of fence to keep the swimming pool secure, con fine the livestock, keep deer away from the garden, or create outdoor living spaces. He then discusses the essentials of proper fence design and provides step-by-step illustrated instructions for planning, building, maintaining, and repairing any style of fence.

Beneke covers every kind of fencing: wood, masonry, and metal, as well as shrubs, hedges, and trees.

Whether you have a tiny urban backyard, a sprawling suburban plot, or a small spread in the country, this book is sure to help you find the perfect fence.

About the Author
The author of more than a dozen home-improvement books, including Complete Deck Book and Build a Kid's Play Yard, Jeff Beneke is an avid woodworker, house renovator, and gardener. He has edited and contributed to dozens of books on residential design, construction, and repair. He lives near Ithaca, New York.

Source: gardenguides

Hairstyles Always in Style

Hairstyles Always in Style

Hairstyles always in style. Hairstyles are one of the best ways of expressing your personality and defining your look. All week long, both ladies and gents will get tips and updates about how best to stay coiffed. Starting off, here are the 10 looks for women that are always au courant, on matter the age or decade:

1. The Pixie
NOW: Mess it up a bit. With spiky asymmetrical pieces on top (a la Halle Berry), the new pixie is more forgiving than the flat, boy-cut versions of the past, says Mancuso.
THEN: Twiggy’s chic runway style in 1967.
INSIDER TIP: This style works best with a small face.

 2. The Flip
NOW: “Don’t take the flip too seriously,” says N.Y.C. stylist Kevin Mancuso. “Instead of the ends flying out like Mary Tyler Moore’s they should barely hint at an upturn.”
THEN: Mary Tyler Moore’s feathered flip, 1970s.
INSIDER TIP: Take a cue from Michelle Obama’s style: adding in layers and an undefined part can soften the formerly structured style.

 3. The Bob
NOW: “Keep locks longer, almost to the shoulders, so they’re choppy in the back and even and angled in front,” suggests L.A. stylist Mark Townsend, who recently cut Ashley Olsen’s hair.
THEN: Molly Ringwald’s short style in 1986.
INSIDER TIP For an elegant effect, flat iron hair starting a few inches from the scalp.

 4. The Ponytail
NOW Ditch the Pebbles Flintstone height. “These days, ponytails are low and streamlined,” says Townsend, who recommends smoothing hair before securing it a few inches above the nape of the neck, like Debra Messing’s.
THEN Pebbles Flintstone’s spunky ponytail, 1960.
INSIDER TIP: Add polish to the sleek style, wrap hair around the elastic.

 5. Waves
NOW: Waves are smoother like Sienna Miller’s, which means trading in your beach spray for a shine pomade. “The effect now is glossy soft, and a bit more refined than the messy waves we’ve been seeing in recent years,” says L.A. hairstylist Adir Abergel.
THEN: Farrah Fawcett’s signature style in 1976.
INSIDER TIP: For a relaxed wave the curl should start below the ear-line.

 6. The Shag
NOW: Play up the shag’s rock and roll vibe with choppy layers like Taylor Momsen’s, but “keep them on the straight side,” suggests Abergel. “You don’t want too much body.”
THEN: Jennifer Aniston’s famous style from her days on Friends in 1995.
INSIDER TIP: Try not to overstyle it, adds Mancuso: “A shag is best when there’s a lived-in, natural feel to it.”

 7. The Afro
NOW: Stars like Monique Coleman show that it’s time to live large. “Big Afros are strong and sexy,” says N.Y.C. stylist Ted Gibson. “The shape is somewhat abstract with uneven edges, and it’s pulled apart a little bit,” adds Mancuso.
THEN: Whitney Houston’s short and curly style in 1986.
INSIDER TIP: Keep styling products to a minimal this style should seem organic.

 8. Curly
NOW: “Keep it loose and touchable—not like the crunchy look of the ’80s,” says Townsend.
THEN: Glenn Close’s blonde curls in 1987.
INSIDER TIP: Spirals like Leighton Meester’s should also start lower on the head (around the ears as opposed to the scalp). This leaves the top of the head smooth, so you avoid the dreaded pouf.

 9. The Updo
NOW: Stick with something simple but polished, like Anne Hathaway’s low bun. The overachieving styles of Hepburn’s time feel too fussy today. “Now it’s gathered at the nape of the neck and twisted into a sleek shape,” says Townsend.
THEN: Audrey Hepburn’s iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s style in 1961.
INSIDER TIP: Tame hairline frizz with a dab of styling paste.

 10. Long & Straight
NOW: With volume at the roots and long, face-framing layers like Fergie’s, the latest version has more movement (and less weight) than in the super-straight ’70s, says Townsend: “I bend the ends of the hair as I iron it so you can see the layers more.”
THEN: Maureen Mccormick’s Brady Bunch style in 1971.
INSIDER TIP: Bend the ends of the hair as you iron it so you can see the layers more.

More Couples Sleeping Apart

More Couples Sleeping Apart

More Couples Sleeping Apart. A recent article in The New York Times points out the trend of more and more couples sleeping in separate rooms. Nearly one in four American couples does so and, according the National Association of Home Builders, it's expected that 60 percent of custom homes will have dual master bedrooms by 2015.

This got us thinking: Is this a healthy trend? I mean, sure, occasionally we think we'd get a better night's sleep with a wall (or two) between us and our snoring, TV-watching, sheet-hogging Sig O. But would our relationship suffer?

To get to the bottom of it, we asked Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Romance), psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex, and Kids: Stops Fighting About the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage, for her take:

"Sleeping apart can contribute to the disconnect that plagues many relationships," Tessina says. "It just makes it easier to avoid each other, when what's really needed is connection and contact. There are solutions to snoring and restlessness -- a memory foam mattress will stop restlessness from being felt by a partner and snoring can be helped in a number of ways."

A bit more motivation to sleep in the same bed:

• Your man may get a better night's sleep when you're with him. In a study published in the journal Sleep and Biological Rhythms, researchers found that while women slept less soundly when they shared a bed with someone they're romantically involved with, men actually slept better when next to a woman. Work out whatever issues you have with his sleeping habits and you both might get some high-quality shut-eye.

• Bedtime isn't always for sleep, if you catch our drift. It's also prime for intimacy: snuggling and sex. This private time is crucial, especially if you have kiddies (a.k.a. nookie police). Sure you could meet him in "his" room, get it on, then flee back to "your" room. But then sex becomes a scheduled chore rather than an organic, meaningful, spontaneous activity.

• Nighttime, while you're side by side, is one of the best times to communicate with each other. Between work and other responsibilities, you only have small snippets of uninterrupted time to communicate during the day. With the door shut (and iPhones snuggled into their charging stations), between the sheets is the place where you can truly talk about what's on your mind, without interruption by kid, dog, phone, cable guy, etc. "Cuddling up together and talking quietly is a great perk of married life," says Tessina. "Couples who know how to do that, and do it regularly, fare better than couples who don't."

Bottom line: Try to solve whatever sleep incompatibility issues exist between you and your partner before fleeing for the guest room.

Does your significant other have any sleeping habits that drive you nutty? Would you consider sleeping in a separate bedroom?

Source: circleofmoms