Heritage Album

how do you find your family records and history online? i would really like to know.? i want to know about my families history and where i came from. help please?

I found some records online and ...? I was researching some family history online and my Great-Grandmother's name was Anna Marie Flowers... Her maiden name I thought was Kelly. But I found a record from her infant son who was stillborn that had her maiden name listed as Shaffer. This does make sense because my Dad has a obituary clipping from a newspaper of somebody named Shaffer from that side of the family at his house. But I never knew her parents names... So I don't know if there is a way to find out her parent's names? I don't know if her real birth name was Anna Marie Shaffer or Anna Marie Kelly. How am I supposed to know. All these years I was thinking I had Irish roots, now I have German roots? I have a Family History book my Granma's sister wrote... it is spelled "Kelley" not "Kelly", ... the only thing it says is... Sara M. Chaney married Richard William Flowers, June 19, 1948. He was son of Frank and Anna (Kelley) Flowers of Portsmouth, Ohio.

Finding German records of births, deaths, marriages online? I am struggling with my family history and need to access online records from Bremen in Germany. Does anyone know how I can do this. I have been searching for what seems like forever but with little hope.

I am very interested in learning about my family's history, however every site i try online wants me to pay? a lot of money...which i don't have. I just want to learn more about my past, does anyone know any good FREE websites where I can access family records? Thanks in advance.

How to trace family history/heratige for free online? Not ancestory.com, I can't figure out how to use that site. Also, it doesn't have any records for me because I'm 14. I wanna know like what my heratige is. My mom says she is like Irish Scotish British and a little German, but I want to actually know. Is there a site that can tell me??

How do I see the birth, marriage and death records online? I am researching my family history and can find indexes for Birth Marriage and Deathe Records in England but can't find the actual documents to see the pages my family members are on, how can I find them?

Where can I see free death records online? I am big into family history, and I cant find a website that you can find death records for free. My grandpa's mom is the only great-grandma that I didn'tget to know, because she died before I was born, and I want to know when she died. I'm not sure if I should ask my Grandpa because it might be a touchy situation.

Does anyone know where you can access public records online that does not cost anything? I would like to see a copy of my father's death certificate and also look up other information for family history. I've looked up a lot but even when it says "free" it never has been...

where can I find free death records online, with NO fee? I am big into family history, and I cant find a website that you can find death records for free. My grandpa's mom is the only great-grandma that I didn'tget to know, because she died before I was born, and I want to know when she died. I'm not sure if I should ask my Grandpa because it might be a touchy situation.

How would I be able to research my family history? I guess you could say I'm on what Filipinos call a lakaran, a spiritual journey. I recently became interested in my Filipino roots and culture and want to know more about my people's history, namely my own family. Since records weren't kept in the Philippines until fairly recently, I don't know that the usual online family tree will be of much use to me. Even if it would, I can't pay for it and my parents won't buy a membership for me. My mom doesn't talk about our family's history very much either. What I do know is that we came from southern Mindanao. I'm not really at liberty to discuss my family name on here but I would like to know how I could find out about my family history. If someone could also provide me with cultural and religious demographics for the area in the revolutionary and WWII eras, it would be greatly appreciated. Salamat!

Where do I go to search for my family history? I live in London (UK) and am trying to search for my family history. I have done all the research I can online but would like to actually go somewhere to search for the records in person... I have looked at the direct gov website but it isn't telling where to go! The national archives don't have the records for births, deaths and marriages so where do I go? Thanks.

vital records online free? Im trying to find some family history and im trying to fnd birth records, marriage certificates, etc. Im trying to do this online because i dont know the exact location where my relatives were born or married, but every site i have gone to says its free but then i typein the name and get like 45 results but it wont let me view them until i pat a fee. Im looking for a site that does not do this..anyone know a site that doesnt do this? thank you

How could I order this film online? Can I order from a Latter Day Saint family history center? It is an immigration record from July 11, 1832 Philadelphia. I have found the transcribed version online at http://www.immigrantships.net/v2/1800v2/arab18320711.html Though I have this, I would like to have the original copy of the record. At the bottom of that website is says it comes from here: "National Archives and Records Administration, Film M425, Reel 47. " How could I get this online? How much will it cost? It would be very convenient if I could get at a family history center. All help is greatly appreciated.

Is there anywhere online you can access records of people coming from Germany to UK in early 1900s? Just helping someone do their family history and would like to know is there anywhere you can find immigration records especially for people coming to the UK from Germany around about the early from 1920s up.

Family history, where born? Im starting to research family history on my dads side, I have got back to my grandfather, his death record (online) say he was born in 1929, but it doesnt say where. I did get told that my dads side goes back to Germany, but if true, I dont know when this would happen. I cant go ordering birth certificates ad I cant afford it and im not in touch with my dad, does anyone know of any good sites that could help? Thanks! my grandfather died in 2004

If you know when/where you ancestors lived/died, where do you go in a town/county to get their vital records? Also, are the records usaully arranged according to towns or according to counties (parishes for my Louisiana ancestors)? I have gotten a lot of information from fellow genealogists both online and offline/old family trees my ancestors made/family history books/census records/asking my family/SSDI/some stuff on Ancesty.com... However, I find ancestry.com to be very bad with the vital records. I find it almost impossible to find vital (birth/baptism/marriage/death) records online, and when I do I always have to pay absurd amounts like $20 for a record that I'm not sure if I am going to learn anything new from. I want to get the vitals to help support/add to what I have. I know many of the towns where my ancestors lived and many I can drive to (just got my license!!). Is there like a court room or office in each town or county that I can visit. For example, many of my ancestors are from Chicago. Would all cook county vital records be found in a special buildng or does each individual town have their own place? All help is appreciated I have most of the vitals for my parents, grandparents, and great parents all thanks to my parents and grandparents. This question is for my more distant ancestors (great great and back)

How can I get my medical records if I was adopted, in Massachusetts? I am over 18. I was adopted in Massachusetts as a toddler. I do NOT wish to contact my birth parents at all. All I want to do is get a medical history now that I am at that age where I can start thinking about having children of my own - my doctor suggested that it would be a very good idea, but didn't know how I could go about obtaining them. If I understand what I've been reading online, family medical history / medical records are types of non-identifying information and as an adoptee I should be able to request it somehow. However, I have been searching online for anything that tells me HOW and I can't find anything!! Does anyone know how I can obtain my family medical history / medical records - in Massachusetts? Thanks in advance!

How do I look at online records without having to pay at all for them? I'm doing family history research, and I've been trying to look up birth, death, marriage, etc records. Every site I go to you have to pay SOMETHING for them. I want FREE online records that I can look at ONLINE without having to pay or get them shipped to my house. My Mom said to look at court houses, but I can't find our court houses online. I live in Mississippi, but I'm looking for records in Pemiscot County of Missouri. That's where most of my family moved to in the 1900's on my Dad's side. On my Mom's side, I have no clue. Probably Tennessee because they were full Cherokee Indians. And she is half Cherokee Indian. My Great Aunt has done my Dad's side of the familys history all the way back to before the civial war, but she's too picky to share with me any of it. Anyway, if anyone knows a completely free website where you can look at ONLINE records, then please tell me. And remember NO PAYMENTS. NONE. lol. Most people that answer me always give me a website and they still have some kind of a payment on there. And I don't want to have to pay anything at all.

Help tracing family history re: specific family member? I have compiled a family tree and now am looking to further research one of my relatives. However I am now stuck, hopefully someone will be able to provide some advice on the issue. He is listed on the 1881 England Census aged 41 with a spouse and children (born from 1864 through to 1877). No parents are listed so I am unable to trace back any further from this information. The 1881 England census also lists seperate records for his wife and children, just as a note to confirm the family record is complete and correct. He is however not listed on the England census's for 1871, 1861, or 1851. Which is very odd. I have just looked online regarding the 1861 census and noted that there is known missing data for the region in London around where his residence was listed in 1881. I don't know why this would mean he wasn't on the 1871 or 1851 census's though, it's not even that there is slightly differing details, rather that there is no details close at all! How can I find out who his parents were? Also, his birth is listed as: "abt 1840 - Grumboch-Nat British Subject, Preußen" Which I assume means he came over to England from Germany at some point between 1841 and 1864, how can I find out details of this? I am stuck on how to go about tracing this relative any more. By the way I do have an account for the Ancestry website so am able to look at all the records.

Where can I find reliable sources of information on my family history? I just started making a family tree and on my mother's side I got as far as my great-great grandparents (by talking to my grandmother). What should the next step be? My grandmother was born in the 20's so that would put my great-great grandparents somewhere in the 1800's. Some of the websites online seem shady and are overwhelming, plus I doubt they would have records online from Puerto Rico in the 1800's. So I'd appreciate help from people who have researched their genealogy to point me in the right direction. Thanks!!

Are there any sites that allow you to view Tennessee census records for free? I have been researching my family history online using www.familysearch.org. It is a free service but I have been having trouble finding records for a particular person and I was wondering if there was another resource that might be of help. I know for a fact that this person was living in Hamilton Tennessee on September 15 1867 and I would like to know if there is a free site I could use to look up the Tennessee census records. This project means a lot to me and my family so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Family Tree History assignment for class but I'm adopted? I have to do a family tree assignment for history. I was adopted when I was 12 and I'm 16 now. Before that I lived with my mom and I never knew my dad and have no record of who he is or anything. For the assignment we have to trace back our family back at least 3 generations. I only now my biological moms info and obviously cant ask her anything because I have no communication with her. I could use one of those online family tree things to trace it back with her info. If you were me would you do your actual family history as best as you could or just use my (adoptive) parents family history? If I use my adoptive parents family history I kept my original last name so it would be very noticeable that it wasnt my real history and I have to present it to class. I know the teacher wouldnt mind but I would feel left out that everyone had "real" stuff and this group of girls make me feel bad for it. I love my parents and to me they are my real parents. What would you do?

Ancestory - how do you research your family tree to before records began? I watched something on tv some time ago , thee was a guy on it claiming he was some distant descendant of william tell so we are talking the fourteenth century! another claimed he was a descendant of einstien, and there were several others - all descendants of famous people in history , some going back as far as the twelth century or 3oth descendants etc now iv been doing my family tree and most online records only go back to the 17th or 18th century , i may be wrong but i think birth records also only started 100 or so years ago , so were these people lying? how can anyone researc ancestors from hundreds of years ago - even professionals - where would they find the information

Family History UK question about info on birth certificates? OK. Thanks in advance. I have been able to access the various free online records of Births Deaths Marriages. Thats all cool. The trouble is that I cannot go further back after that. Unless I am missing something. I have looked for instance at my great grandmothers birth reference on the register. Its 6d 220. Now I know that its volume 6d page 220. Fine. But in order to go further back - i.e. find out who her father was and her mother I need to buy the birth certificate which will have that info on it. Except that is £10 or just under. I have a huge family and that's going to get very expensive. I mean she had 17 children for example. I don't want a copy of the certificate. I just want to view it. Is that possible online for free. Or am I living in cloud cuckoo land lol. Thanks as I said in advance. I'll get there. Hi - thanks for all your answers - it was as I feared. lol. Extra details for Mumsey - Caroline Phoebe Cox - nee Wingfield Born Jan Feb Mar in 1877 in Kings Norton Birmingham. Died 1951 Married: Arthur Cox - Born 1876 - of I believe the same area. Thanks again for all your help.

Scottish Family History? I'm the first born American in my family. My father's last name is French, Dupree, but we don't have anyone French in our family. I've tried to do a family tree search online, but they mostly cover American records. I'm really interested to see how I could begin to start to track how a family of Scottish Catholics ended up with a French Huguenot name. Does anyone know of any British family tree tools?

How to go about getting records myself? I recently had someone online look up my family history and she sent me a marriage certificate. Well I went and lost the certificate and I was wondering how I would go about getting it myself as I think it would be much cheaper for me to do it. I don't know the first thing about how but the marriage took place in New York city in 1889 and I do know both names.

Where can I find an online database with birth date records? I'm doing some research for my family history and I have been searching for a website that will allow me to look up birth, death, and marriage records for free. Most of my family has been in kentucky for a while if that makes a difference. Most all the sites I find ask you to pay or want you to order the actual certificates, but all I want is to know the dates that these events occurred. If you have any idea where I can find a website like this, I would greatly appreciate if you could let me know! Thanks!

how to check census and what is a census also? I've heard and read that alot of people check census records for family history and genealogy help, but what is a census, and how do I search it (where do I begin), because I don't even know if I know what a census is, what it shows on one, and what information it would have on it. ALSO.... how do you check census records? do you check these online, or at a library?

Help with researching family history! Please help!? I have most of the names going back to my great great grandparents. I also have a few historical events through talking with family that actually happend. Now what's next? How do I find official newspaper articles and other documents that I can print or copy? Any online resources would be better because not all of my family lives and came from the state I live now. Where can I find free public records (Companies charge but if it's public I know it should be free.) of my relatives dating back 1900 - back? Any advice and resources would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.

What is the best free site to view Italian birth, death and marriage records online for free? I'm doing a lot of research on my family tree and I've covered so much history on my mom's side of the family and my dad's mom's side. On my dad's dad's side though, it becomes very difficult... I know he was born in Italy and I got his birth and death date from the Social Security Death Index... and I found what I believe to be his immigration file from Ellis Island, but when I'm at a loss after that. I need a good place where I can look through records from Italy... and I haven't found one yet. Any help is appreciated!

Anyone know if there is or was a place called Hugana? I was looking up my family's history online and there was a historical record that said my mother's grandfather was born in Hugana in 1897 but I haven't been able to find anything about a place named Hugana. Anyone out there have any idea if its real or a really OLD typo? It should be somewhere in Eastern Europe as the family roots are in the Hungarian area.

Where can I find my Property History online for FREE? I've search google 200x's over and can't find a free history site.... The thing is I have a 3 mo. old and things have always been weird but now OMG! When my daughter is sleeping there has been ppl telling me when they glance in on her there is a man standing at her bed side just staring at her. Tonight I had some family visiting and they claim to have heard a newborn baby crying down the hall past my daughter's bedroom and I tried to ignore it becuz i knew it was not my daughter... "thank god it's not just me" is all i could say lol but this has been going on since she was born and lately she doesn't want to sleep unless some one is in the same room or holding her at all times......and lately its started at my work however I had no problems until I moved here so I'd like to know what's going on... does any1 know a site for FREE public records that actually works????

Orphanages Ealing 1918 Family History Genealogy? I'm searching for a list of Orphanages or children's homes around 1918 in Ealing, particularly one called Eric House or similar. Does anyone know of this home or know how I can go about finding orphanages and their records? Of course I have begun to search the online National Archives etc but I feel that I need to find out specifically about Children's homes and orphanages. Thanks Incidentally I wonder if anyone knows why I can't find a death record for a relation who died of Spanish flu at Whipps Cross hosp during the epidemic 1918? Were there so many deaths at that time they did something else? Is there a records database of Whipps X deaths?

Why is Paranormal Activity the scariest movie in history? I've seen The Exorcist by myself it didn't scare me. I've seen Saw,Hostel, The Grudge , and The Ring they didn't scare me. I've even seen a real life murder recording online and while shocking i slept just fine during bedtime. I watched Paranormal Activity yesterday and i couldn't sleep the whole night i had to wait for daylight and my family being awake before i could fall asleep.

Which is Better? Online Obituaries or Newspaper Obituaries? I came across an online obituary site called the National Hall of Records where you can list your families obituaries that will be online forever, you can add your family history and even upload photographs, why would anyone use the newspaper any longer when it is more expensive and only last a day or two? I added my mother and father to the National Hall of Records, I would much rather pay $87 for a lifetime than over $300 to post to a newspaper for a couple of days. I checked out Legacy but I was not impressed, they seem to be making money from the newspapers.

How do I hide emails/IMs/internet history from "Family Cyber Alert"? My parents recently installed "Family Cyber Alert" on our home computer to monitor what I do online - mostly web surfing, email, and IMs. This monitoring seems to be resulting from great distrust of me, even though I am an adult - with inadequate funds to live on my own. In any case, I feel my parents have no right to see my IMs or emails or what sites I visitied, which is why I would like to know how I can avoid being recorded by Family Cyber Alert. If whoever sees my question has any information, please contact me immediately on here. Thank You.

family history, First time i asked a question a bit ago today? Now i asked a question about the surname Church. Does somebody have a probobility statistic? Or is this an outrageous claim? Your answers were more geared twards putting down geneological sites, and one a bit more specific; About sources, now im no idiot i tested a 141 IQ on several online sites. Granted my sister is a doctor and said the test is only credible untill mid to late teens tops. I took into account the sources issue before it was said, and on a incline suggested only the probobly sound answer's. Now if like 10 families have the same info. or more what is to belive? Without shelling big buck's for a record that might not be viable? Thats what i did was research, how would i do it anymore without spending loads of money on possible dead ends? Most sites advertise as free? Im disabled and im i marine corp vet. So i cant take the chance of spending alot of money on web sites that only might offer a possibility link. Bassically my question isnt for you. Its the hopes of an distant relative spotting it, or a credible historian that can shed some light. And yes i have reserched the mothers side.

Can I publish someones criminal record on my website? There is a person who has a long criminal history and has screwed me and my family out of tenss of thousands of dollars. I went to the Texas Department of Public Safety online and ordered his criminal history / record. I have it in the form of a Adobe acrobat file and I would like to post the crimal record on my website. Is there anything illegal with posting his criminal record if it is public information?I would appreciate an answer from an attorney that has passed the BAR. Thank you.

What is the origin of the name Tyrael? In my family, it's always been important to keep a record of ones ancestory, but when it comes to my husband's family it becomes difficult since his family has keep no such records over the years. He is from the US. He appears to be of a white european lineage. But most of his family doesn't know or care about their family history. He can't tell me what countries his ancestors were from before going to the US and I've got nothing looking online! There must be some sort of information about such an unusual name! If it helps, both William and Tristan are common names among the men in his family and all of the women have the middle name Lee as far back as we can trace his line in the US. But we've had no luck with the Country of origin or any ancestors from outside the US! Anything you know about the meaning or country of origin of the name Tyrael would be of help! And, yes, its his real name. His grandfather is still alive and insists that his grandfather was also a Tyrael.

Birth records? i'm learning more and more about my family history, but i am trying to find out about my grandmother's parents and i need some kind of birth record or marriage record that is free online

Free Online Medical Record Storage? Hello all- I'm wondering if this exists... I'm not great at remembering things like when my last surgery was, or what dose of medications I'm on so I'm looking for a free place to store my medical records. I would want it to keep track of what diagnosis I've received, surgeries I've undergone, medicines I'm taking, vaccinations, family health history and all those other little pesky little questions they ask you when you go in for physicals. It would be nice too if it were to print off a nice little summary. Any ideas?

Wondering if someone could guide me in the right way about travelling to research? ok im new to all this really, and I normally search my family history by using birth, marriage and death certificates, census and some parish records if they are online. I want to travel to places where my family come from, like tredegar, to look at the parish records. but im confused by the whole thing, do I just walk in there and ask for records? i really have no idea can some one help me, and give me tips?

How Can I Assess BIRTH And DEATH Records, MARRIAGE Records And Other PUBLIC Records For FREE ...? I'm trying to track down my family history. Mama can only tell me so much, and then it's a dead end. All the older folks in my family are gone, and the public records at the courthouse only go so far. Mama is also ill, so she gets short-tempered if I ask her too many questions. I have to almost catch her when she's in a reminiscent mood ... and THEN I'll have to be ready with a tape recorder, or I'll miss a lot of what she's got to say. I can't find a good online site that'll give me anything! I can, of course, pay for the records I need just to get the names and the dates that I'm looking for ... but it'll cost me a pretty penny! Some of these records won't be in the free archives for a few more years, since they wait 50 years after the person's death to release them to the public for free. If it were a simple thing like tracing one family lineage, I probably wouldn't have much of a problem. But I'm talking centuries of scattered slaves with no Census Bureau records, as well as Native American ancestry ... and I don't even know what tribe! It'll be REALly interesting to find out if I'm related to a certain public figure with whom I share a last name ... maybe one of his ancestors owned one of mine? But, Alas! I don't exactly know where to start!

how to find your history? Is it possible to find out your family history when you don't know a lot about your family? My dad was adopted by his moms 2nd husband when he was young and knows nothing of his real father. My parents have never really told me anything about our history and we don't talk much anymore so I was wondering if i could find it out myself online or if there are records somewhere that would help. I have no grand parents that are left living except one great grand mother who has Alzheimer's so bad she thinks I've graduated high school the last 3 yrs in a row. Another really helpful tidbit is the only thing i know about my dads dad is his last name is Johnson... narrows it down a bit...

Has anyone researched this story online regarding the Osama Bin Laden killed conspiracy theory? This story last week got Yahoo message board comments shut down, manipulated, and deleted. Posing as internet copywriters and experts, here are some FBI MOST WANTED terrorists, some for U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya & Indonesia. Mark Joyner Simpleology-Seif Al Adel (Sarah Palin’s book Palinology) John Ferrero-Ramadan Shallah Yaro Starak-Umar Patek Armand Morin-Noordin M Top (said to have been “killed” years ago in Indonesia) Michael Filsaime-Ali Sayyid Muhamed Mustafa al-Bakri (Die Hard 4 “Fire Sale” the cyber attack on our infrastructure) Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian-Ammar Mansour Bouslim Carl Galletti-Ahmed Garbaya, Samir Salwwan Ted Ciuba-Abdul Rahman Yasin Willie Crawford-Fazul Mohammed Shay Patil-Atiyah Abd al-Rahman The Osama bin Laden dead, killed, conspiracy story is a total hoax to distract you. These people posing as internet marketing experts and copywriters are behind all affiliate marketing education online, mystery shopping, paid surveys, and thousands of get-rich-quick websites. This massive organization also appears to have run the last election on Youtube. After breaking this code and reporting to the FBI, I’ve been relentlessly tortured now for over 3 years. Want proof that the Osama Bin Laden killed story last week isn’t only a conspiracy, it’s a hoax? Here is a code of LOOK A LIKES for media moguls, CEO’s, and the current administration. Search Google Images for; Jay Abraham-Ayman al-Zawahri (Osama’s right hand man) Jay Conrad Levinson-George Soros (collapsing of nations currencies) Rosalind Gardner-Jill Biden Internet Million Dollars Professor James Bradley-Bill Ayers (Pentagon bomber) Stephen Pierce-Van Jones Perry Marshall-Reverend Pfleger Brett McFall-Austan Goolsbee John Childers-Andy Stern Howard L Moreland-Michael Moore Yanik Silver-Sergei Brin (Ex Google CEO) John Carlton-Jeff Bridges (Liberalist “the dude”) Carleton Sheets-Jimmy Carter Oprah Winfrey’s galpal Gayle King-Whit_ney Hous_ton Stedman Gram-Eric Holder Youtube’s-Rich Jerk videos-American Airlines Stadium NBA Maverick Mark Cuban Youtube’s-Robert Johnson Rich Jerk-Tony Rezko The Rich Jerk’s first email to millions promoted Stompernet in Atlanta Georgia with 777 airline pilot Brad Fallon, and Eben Pagan pitching a seminar called Get Altitude. 3 Days after reporting my finding to the FBI, Delta in Atlanta cancelled a large number of flights for “safety reasons” Lorrie Morgan Ferrero’s Red-Hot-Copy.com website has others associated with the current administration such as; 72 Virgin Records Richard Branson, & White House Party Crashers the Salahi’s with Valerie Jarrett’s daughter Laura. Here's more proof that the Osama Bin Laden killed story is a conspiracy; Sarah Palin never existed until months after I contacted the FBI. Her family & history is fabricated using logarithms. She became a media magnet to flush out Barack (O’Bomber) Obama’s socialist “organized community.” Maverick Sarah (Barrac)uda) Palin, is short for palindrome, such as SOROS. Maverick McCain’s likes ABBA, another palindrome. First forum to hack me online was FIB Scams 101 with the owner called Mama. Palin coined the term “mama” grizzly. Under investigation for insider trading of a search company called Mamma, was Interstate 77 American Airlines Stadium NBA Maverick Mark Cuban. On 9/11 flight 77 American Airlines hit the Pentagon. Palin’s daughter “Willow,” is short for Willow Run Airport off I-94, her birthday 7/7/94. “Piper,” also a plane, shares a birthday with Bruce Willis (John McC(l)ane the guy who fights the terrorists in Die Hard.) Sarah’s “siblings” are Heather Heath Bruce & Molly Heath McCa(n)n. “Trig” shares a birthday with 3 congressmen from WI, IL, and MI. “Track” shares a birthday with Adolf Hitler. Obama shares a birthday with Nobel Peace Prize winner Yasser Arafat. “Tripp” Palin has multiple birthdays, like Yasser. In my strongest opinion, Osama Bin Laden is a conspiracy, a spokesperson, and a look-a-like. Osama represents Obama/Biden (Bi)n La(den.) WHEN THIS STORY STARTED GETTING COPIED, MESSAGE BOARD COMMENTS GOT MANIPULATED, SHUT DOWN, ALTERED, AND DELETED. THIS CODE IS BEING SUPPRESSED SHARE THIS WITH EVERY MEDIA ORGANIZATION OUTSIDE THE U.S.

Can anyone who knows how to speak spanish translate this to Spanish for me without a online tanslator? Foreclosures are at an all-time high. Families are one step away from losing both their home and life savings. The power of real wages isn't what it used to be. . .Education and investment has a cost factor that is fast approaching unaffordability for the middle class. . .the loss of economic power of middle class families is a huge problem. If the economy doesn't allow a middle-class family to afford a university education for two kids and at least one health problem how do they have a chance for success. Economics is a powerful force that has shaped countries and empires as far back as history records. Economic trends have had diverse affects, helping cause World War Two, the collapse of the Soviet Economy and the democratization of South Korea and Japan among many others. In recent times the importance of economic power may have even increased. lets consider the facts: 1)Jobs are being outsourced. 2)Inflation is surpassing wages. 3)Consumer debt is at a all time high. 4)USA savings rate is $0. 5)More than half of American towns are turning into crime infested ghettos. 6)Skilled jobs are getting few and far and require networking to get them. 7)Industries are very limited as we head into the future. Looks like health care will be the big winner. 8)Lets see, the Government has all the money they need 9) A trembling middle-class 10)College graduates who are lost and barely making it 11) Social security is almost out 12) Most of the jobs left are service jobs!!!

Wills?..How can i find out if my mother left a will? I learned my mother past away march 2008. (i discovered this online, & got confirmation via county records dept) I was shocked by the fact my brother never let me or my children know. So now I suspect that my brother kept jewelry items my mother had promised my children. Plus i would for the sake of updating our family's health history, like to learn what her cause of death was. Any suggestions please?? (thank you)

Virgin Mobile USA texting history? Kso, I have Virgin Mobile, like the rest of my family. My mom checks through them monthly. My friends tend to text me about 1 - 3 am and Ill reply saying go to bed, or im sleeping stop texting me. If she sees the timestamps, I'll be in BIG trouble. How do I erase the records from online??

I have win XP there a history, download etc. available to show my husband how many hours he plays W.O.W.? My husband is obsessed "his description" with the game world of warcraft. His time spent on this game is causing arguements. He is convinced he never plays for more than a couple of hours each night. An average of 4-5 hrs is more accurate, there have been sessions as long as 13hrs several times. I need a way to show him in black and white a history of his time on this game. He told me years ago he listened to a recording of some guy talking using profanity every other word he finally recognized he was the guy and never uses profanity now. I'm looking for the same type of reality check. Family is getting neglected, bills are not getting paid on time, checks have bounced ect. I need to know if there is a history of online game time available with windows XP, a download or I need to purchase one somewhere. I found there is a tweleve step program for this problem, he thought that was funny. I don't and would really appricate help with this.

Finding a childhood friend through property records? I had this friend that lived down the street from me when I was really little. Like before kindergarden. She went to a different school (her catholic, me public) even though we lived just a few houses away, but we sorta remained friends and would say hi every so often. And I had become friends with her two younger brothers as well. The family moved away when I was in the sixth grade, but I'd like to try to get in touch with them through facebook or something to see how they are doing. Only thing is that I only ever heard their last name once. And I do not remember it. Only one family has owned the house since they moved out, so I'm hoping that it's possible to find their family name through some sort of property records. Does anyone know if this is possible online? I'm sure I could do it at the local library (both my parents actually work there) but I've never been good at finding things in local history. I eventually found it. I went through the online database my county has. For some reason I didnt even consider the county records at first. I now remember why. Their database is overly complicated and not user friendly. But thanks anyways. BA goes to first answerer for suggesting county employee when time allows me to choose one.

Genealogy Search Method? I've been tracing my family tree and I was wondering if someone could tell me if I'm doing everything correctly. I started out with ancestry.com. I began my searches with the names of my grandparents and great-grandparents (I have the marriage licenses of one set of grand and great-grandparents). One of my relatives has also been carefully searching the family line, and she gave me her information to use, which has been a huge help. I've also used old letters that have my ancestors names on it (one envelope I have was written to my great-great grandmother, so it has her name and address on it). I also used the family history I know of which has been told to me, and the information that is printed on the backs of old family photographs of my ancestors. I've been using mainly ancestry.com. I started out checking US Census Records which got me back to the mid 1800s. Then I used the family trees that people had put up; I know people are prone to making mistakes, so I've been fact-checking the information I find in the family trees with articles and other documents on ancestry.com, as well as outside sources I find online. I try to be very careful with the info I find. If I find any suspicious gaps in a line or if I find that people have moved around to many different regions in a short period of time, I fact-check and if I can't find any info, I abandon that particular line and try to find something that is accurate (fact-checking all the while, of course). I've also been using family trees I find posted online that are not on ancestry.com, but even so, I still use my same methods of fact-checking information that I described above. I tend not to rely on Wikipedia, since I don't believe it is known for it's accuracy (or lack thereof... no offense to Wikipedia). If someone could let me know how I'm doing, that would be great; I want to be sure I'm on the right track. Thank you! I don't entirely rely on ancestry. I know the info on the family trees there probably isn't accurate, which is why I fact check what I do find; so far, everything seems to be in order and I strongly believe I am on the right track. I have found sources for the vast majority of the names I've found pertaining to my family trees; I just haven't copied anything down (I'm using my friend's ancestry account, so I copy down my own info by hand. But I do know where to find the right sources for the right people).

Anyone know the history of the Raguse name? My mother is a Raguse. Her father (Herbert Raguse) died when she was young, and he was alienated from the rest of his family. So I know little to nothing about the Raguse side of my family. I believe they are from Germany, but I just have a few pictures, and they don't "look" very German, whatever that means. From the pictures I can tell that my mom and I look like Raguses, with dark coloring and strong facial features. No searches in online registries or records have turned up anything. Anyone know a Raguse?

Geneaology advice, please!? Hi, I'm looking into my family history and have been really disappointed to find that lots of records don't seem to be available online or at least not for free. Does anyone have any advice or tips for finding out more about my family without spending a lot of money? My family is from Southern Italy, if that helps. Thanks!

Should I monitor my husband's online activity? My husband & I have been having problems for a while now. A few months back I found out that he was talking to another woman through text messages, when I confronted him about it he said he would stop contacting her. And as far as I can tell, he did (I have been keeping an eye on the phone records). Then a couple of months after that I went out of town to visit family, when I returned home I found pictures on his computer of him sleeping with another woman in our home. I confronted him and he said it was a one time, stupid, drunken mistake. But in the past couple of weeks I have noticed him acting strange when he is on the computer and I come into the room, like closing all open windows really fast. He knows I don't mind him looking at porn if he wants to. I've asked him about this and he claims he was just finished looking at things and was going to look at something else, and it has nothing to do with me entering the room. I've tried to check the history on the computer and it's always cleared. The cookies are also deleted and I've noticed he usually goes into a private browsing page when he gets online to look at anything (even sites like facebook), even if I am in the room. I'm really worried that there is still something going on and I don't trust that he is telling me the truth about what he is doing online. I don't know if I should try installing something like a keylogger or not. He is a computer technician so I'm afraid he would find it if I did install something. I really do want to trust him, but after everything that has happened I just feel like I need some proof that I can trust him and not just go on blind faith that I'm not being lied to again. So do I take the chance and install something to see what he is doing or just trust him? Please help! And yes, I've tried talking about it and asking him several times and explaining my worries, but he always just says it's nothing and that I need to trust him because nothing is going on.

How do I fix this? Did I mess up? I know this is long but I don't know how else to explian. Please read !!!! I have been dating my boyfriend for a little more then 2 mo. and we met about 3 mo ago. He is divorced with 2 kids that practicly live with him, ( I am a single mom of 1 as well), neither one of us have met any of eachothers friends or family. He has met my son and has stayed at my house several times. I have never met his kids or even seen his house. Because of my past history ( i have dated guys who ended up being married) I am very cautious over certian things. I am at a point that I feel like he was 'hiding" me. Every time I want him to go and do something in a group he says hes shy and doesnt even know if he can get a sitter. I can appriciate this. Yesterday his brother and sister-in-law came in to town (short notice) and I told him I think I should meet them....his responce was he would call me and let me know what was going on. He went MIA for the day and didn't hear from him unitll later that night, way after they left town. I was more disapointed then anything. Well being concerned about the married thing, only because I have been stupid in the past I searched for his divorce records online and could not find him. Well I confronted him as nicely as possiable (he knows my past) and told him that I was concerned....he tried to confort me and apoligized for his brother and then he emailed me copies of his divorce papers for ease of mind. Great right, I apopigized for doubting him, and thanked him for helping to ease my mind. OK, so today....MIA again not returning my texts or calls. Im sure hes upset. I don't know what to do I care for him deeply and feel like I should apoligize but at the same time I feel like I owed it to myself to make sure. WHAT DO I DO? I don't want to loose him.

Help? :] world history for online classes.? 1. How did humans use food and plants? Pollen, Cobs 2. How advanced were their domestication skills? Art, Pottery 3. Did they deal with any climate changes? Tree Rings A key characteristic of a civilization is the specialization of labor. What does this mean? People are self-sufficient economically. All people depend on the work of others. Everyone gets to decide what type of work they'd like to do. Every family is in charge of a certain trade. What drove the Indus Valley civilization to build one of the most advanced trade networks of their time? Choose the best response. Technology, such as boats and carts, made it possible. They wanted to spread their culture worldwide. Surplus crops made it possible to trade for scarce items. The (Han, Shang, Xia, Zhou) dynasty was the first group in China to use written records. Beginning in Eurasia, two early innovations had a huge impact on agricultural societies. They allowed people to produce surplus food, and in turn, populations grew in size. What were the two innovations? domesticated rice, the plow domesticated wheat, the plow domesticated rice, irrigation domesticated wheat, irrigation The three early trading centers linked with the Mediterranean Sea were Ugarit, Byblos, and _____. Cyprus Egypt Ionia Crete and that's it.

how can i find out about Company "A", 18th infantry regiment, WW2? i am doing a family history for my kids.. i am searching into military records for my grandpa. he always said he was a paratrooper.. but after digging up his army discharge papers is says he was a riffleman and company a, 18th inf regt was on his papers. well...... i am searching ALL over the place online and even tho ww2 is sooooo well documented i can plenty on the 18th but find NOTHING on "company a". am i searching wrong? does someone know anything about this or how i can go about finding this info? i just want a better insight as to where they were and what they did in ww2.....lost... please help! (my gpa just passed away a year ago, so can not ask. he was very secretive about his military past)

Information on John D. Cook abt. 1841? I'm looking for a John D (David, Dee or Deaton) Cook b. abt 1841 in Casar, Rutherford, NC m. Elizabeth Huffman, Hoffman around 1862 and would have moved to Walker Co. GA.. father: David Cook, mother Elsie Watts both from NC The John Deaton Cook father Donald Cook, mother Alice Cook per his death certificate online. I have recorded handwritten information from 35 to 40 yrs ago, listing his wife as Becky or Betty Huffman.. I have two brothers and a sister handwritten; Arron and Riley, sister Mary Ann..all point to the John David Cook until I located the death certificate on line listing John Deaton Cook cause of death. Hit by an automobile, which ties in with family history.. How may I prove or disprove.. Thanks so much for your help and advise.

Did I mess up? Please help!!!! I know this is long but I dont know how else to explain....Please read!!! I have been dating my boyfriend for a little more then 2 mo. and we met about 3 mo ago. He is divorced with 2 kids that practicly live with him, ( I am a single mom of 1 as well), neither one of us have met any of eachothers friends or family. He has met my son and has stayed at my house several times. I have never met his kids or even seen his house. Because of my past history ( i have dated guys who ended up being married) I am very cautious over certian things. I am at a point that I feel like he was 'hiding" me. Every time I want him to go and do something in a group he says hes shy and doesnt even know if he can get a sitter. I can appriciate this. Yesterday his brother and sister-in-law came in to town (short notice) and I told him I think I should meet them....his responce was he would call me and let me know what was going on. He went MIA for the day and didn't hear from him unitll later that night, way after they left town. I was more disapointed then anything. Well being concerned about the married thing, only because I have been stupid in the past I searched for his divorce records online and could not find him. Well I confronted him as nicely as possiable (he knows my past) and told him that I was concerned....he tried to confort me and apoligized for his brother and then he emailed me copies of his divorce papers for ease of mind. Great right, I apopigized for doubting him, and thanked him for helping to ease my mind. OK, so today....MIA again not returning my texts or calls. Im sure hes upset. I don't know what to do I care for him deeply and feel like I should apoligize but at the same time I feel like I owed it to myself to make sure. WHAT DO I DO? I don't want to loose him.

Does anyone know how i can look at the federal census for 1880-1930 free of charge? I'm am trying to look up my family history to see were i come from. Looking up my surname won't give me all the answers i'm looking for because i am an african american. Looking up the federal census would help a great deal and so would taking a geneology DNA test. The problem with the census though is where ever i go to look up past family members there happens to be some sort of a fee for just looking. Now i don't have the money to travel to my family's home state to look up historical documents so that is completly out of the question. And Ansestry .com seems like they're looking to entrap people because they want you to give them your credit card number online i'm alittle bit uncomfortable with that. They also said they would give you a free 2 week trail which is nice but they want your home address,so you can't view the records unless you give them this information, I don't want to do that because i am only a teen .

Anyone know these people? Hi, I'm helping a friend find out more about his family history. Most of his relatives and ancestors are in France but he recently found out that a branch of the family apparently immigrated to the US and settled in San Diego, CA in the early 20th century, sometime after 1911. The man who came there was named Francois Brousse (died April 20, 1949). This was Americanized at Ellis Island, to Frank Brousse. He had two daughters: Lydia was married in 1944 to Malcolm Lorraine. Sheila was married in 1942 to F.H. Dain Howard. We've spent hours searching for more information online. Does anyone know anything about these people (or their descendants)? Or does anyone know how we could gain access to city archives for things like marriage records, etc? All the sites I've tried are not official and require you to pay. Thanks in advance for your help.

Do I qualify for FAFSA? I've included what they gave me? Does this say I qualify for FAFSA loans? Based on the information we have on record for you, your EFC is 0 . You may be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant and other federal student aid. Your school will use your EFC to determine your financial aid eligibility for federal grants, loans, and work study, and possible funding from your state and school. Your FAFSA has been selected for a review process called verification. Your school has the authority to request copies of certain financial documents from you and your parent(s). WHAT YOU MUST DO NOW (Use the checklist below to make sure that all of your issues are resolved.) Be sure to review the items marked with a Highlighted Field and make any corrections if necessary by selecting the 'Make Corrections' button at the bottom of the page. If you want to register with Selective Service, you can register by doing one of the following: (1) answer "Male" to Item 21 and "Register Me" to Item 22 by selecting the 'Make Corrections' button at the bottom of the Page, (2) complete a Selective Service registration form at your local post office, or (3) register online at www.sss.gov. Selective Service will not process your registration until 30 days before your 18th birthday. We assumed certain information to calculate your eligibility for federal student aid. We printed the assumption we made and a Highlighted Field for each of these items. If our assumptions are correct, do not change them. If they are incorrect, you need to make the necessary corrections by selecting the 'Make Corrections' button at the bottom of the page. We assumed you did not file and will not file a 2008 income tax return (Item 33). Please review this item. If you need to make corrections to your information, select the 'Make Corrections' button at the bottom of the page. You must use your Federal Student Aid PIN to access your record online. If you need additional help with your SAR, contact your school's financial aid office or the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). If your mailing address or e-mail address changes, you can make the correction online or call 1-800-4-FED-AID and ask a customer service representative to make the change for you. Based on the information reported on your 2009-2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you may be eligible for an Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) depending upon the type of courses that you completed in high school. We will need to ask you some additional questions. You may call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) to provide the additional information. We will send that information to your college so that they can determine if you are eligible for an ACG. All follow-up information will come from the financial aid office at your college. You were issued a Federal Student Aid PIN to sign your 2009-2010 FAFSA. Your information has been verified and your PIN has been confirmed. Do not share your PIN with anyone. Remember that your PIN stays the same from year to year and that you can use your PIN to make corrections, add school codes, view your federal student loan history, and electronically sign your Federal Direct or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Master Promissory Note. For more information on the PIN, visit www.pin.ed.gov. Your mother was issued a Federal Student Aid PIN to sign your 2009-2010 FAFSA. Her information has been verified and her PIN has been confirmed. Your mother should not share her PIN with anyone. The PIN stays the same from year to year and can be used to make corrections, add school codes, and view your federal student loan history. For more information on the PIN, your mother can visit www.pin.ed.gov.

i juss got my fasfa report back and im confused on what it means and what i should do now! somone please help!? okay this is what they sent me after i applied: Based on the information we have on record for you, your EFC is 0 . You may be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant and other federal student aid. Your school will use your EFC to determine your financial aid eligibility for federal grants, loans, and work study, and possible funding from your state and school. Your FAFSA has been selected for a review process called verification. Your school has the authority to request copies of certain financial documents from you and your parent(s). If you need to make corrections to your information, select the 'Make Corrections' button at the bottom of the page. You must use your Federal Student Aid PIN to access your record online. If you need additional help with your SAR, contact your school's financial aid office or the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). If your mailing address or e-mail address changes, you can make the correction online or call 1-800-4-FED-AID and ask a customer service representative to make the change for you. You reported that you completed a rigorous high school program or state scholars program that may qualify you for an Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG). You reported that you took and passed a series of high school courses that may qualify you for an Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG). The Financial Aid Administrator at your college will determine if you are eligible for an ACG. All follow-up information about your grant eligibility will come from the financial aid office at your college. You were issued a Federal Student Aid PIN to sign your 2010-2011 FAFSA. Your information has been verified and your PIN has been confirmed. Do not share your PIN with anyone. Remember that your PIN stays the same from year to year and that you can use your PIN to make corrections, add school codes, view your federal student loan history, and electronically sign your Federal Direct or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Master Promissory Note. For more information on the PIN, visit www.pin.ed.gov.

How can I find my father's biological relatives? My Father was born in 1941 and was given up for adoption at the age of 7 months the same year. We know his mothers first middle and last name. He was born in Trenton, NJ. His Adoptive Father died in 1979 and his adoptive mother in 2002. wrote to judge in my own name asking him to please open the records as I can't find his biological relatives on my own and need to know because of "Family Medical History". He said it was not a good cause, when i disagree with that as I see plenty of people online and on TV sometimes looking for their relatives because of a disease that they have that they didn't know about. Any suggestions?

Is it normal for 47yr old males to verbally harass and abuse 19yr old's on Yahoo! Answers? I am more than shaken after, over the past 48 hours, a Male from the U.S. , User "Barney", has verbally harassed me CONSTANTLY online after I have repeatedly told him to leave me alone and that i do not want to hear from him again - he has kept responding. His last Mail was 5 minutes ago - a record as I should have a response by now. He is dangerous. He has blasted me off the face of the erath for cursing at him but I'M NINETEEN for God sake! Of course I'm gonna curse and of course I'm gonna have atemper with a 47 yr old looser who calls me "thick" because I have Irish blood in me, who PRESUMES to tell me that i don't know my genetic and family history, who calls me all the names under the sun for not knowing what the word "Sottish" means, which i have never heard of and I'm an English Student and after researching the word in every Dictionary and online, i still haven't found it and who is basically, 47! Is it normal for this to happen? Who is wrong here - me, or the nearly 50 yr old man with "a vast waelth of life expereince" as his Profile Page says?" He started this whole fiasco with the line "we have Thanksgiving in the States.....oh, do I sense a question there?" and yes, I'll admit, his answer got me fired up so i responded. But he's 47......I'm 19..............?

what can you do if you feel your lifes been ruined and tarnished and your brandished because you have a? long term mental health record? & you had rage and anger problems because of a bullying & abusive past youve dealt with all your adult life. im a 30 year old bpd sufferer and i feel my lifes been ruined and im brandished forever. outthere people are abrupt and pertinant towards me and condesending towards me........i feel it is because of me personally and my past and people are ostracizing me.....that some people want to hamper my hopes and dreams and not give me a chance..... my long term goals are to emigrate from the uk, which is a high priority and that i must do, to build a new life. but how can i do that if people are treating me weird...ostracizing me by how they are towards me....funny looks....them being condesending, abrupt and pertinant......and the fact ive had rage and anger problems and a long mental health history... ive never made any friends in life, except a handfull online..which i dearly value...my family attack me, blame me for everything, like im in the wrong, and everythings my fault...my mum is always critisizing me, like i dont try hard enough, ive caused them hurt and pain, and its all my fault...so ive distanced myself from them... im a solitary soul with all these hopes, goals, insecurities, deep fears......and other than my few online friends, i walk alone....spend each night worrying in my one bedroom apartment. what can i do? what is the way forward for me? plus i feel my family or others who dont like me, and want to see me fail,...will try to keep me here in britain, against my wishes.....and im worrying about this to

Albert Wallace in missouri I recently started doing research again and I can't seem to get passed one of my ancestors. His name is Albert Wallace. His son, which is my great -grandfather was named Bennie (or Benjamin) Wallace. What I have so far is that Albert was born and lived in Platte County, Missouri most of his life. He is more than likely to have been born around 1861 and 1863. One census states his birth date is March 1861. He married Hulda Jane Cannon. All censuses state his father was born in Missouri and his mother was born in Missouri. In a 1880 census he is stated as being a laborer for Sarah Mulkey. His name is listed as being Albert Wollis. In 1930 he moves in with his oldest daughter, Hattie, in Arkansas. I just recently found a town history of Platte County, Missouri online. It states that Mary Ann Mulkey married Drury Wallace. The census records state his last name is actually Drury Wollis. I don't think is a coincidence. The family that Albert Wollis is stated to be working on in 1880 is the same one another Wollis met his wife. The problem is none is Mary and Drury's children are named Albert. Here is what the genealogical book states about Drury: "SARAH MULKEY having died, three miles southeast of Platte City, -Jos. Mulkey administered. Bond, $300. She was a respectable matron, with a small tract of land. I can't name her husband. Ho died many years ago. Children: 1, Sarah Mul- key (ii), m'd Feb. 10, 1869, Robt. Johnson; 2 John Mulkey, went to Texas; ::, James M. Mulkey, m'di 1st, Nov. 8, 1850, Sarah Per- kins; and m'd 2d, Sept. 19, L852, Reb. House; he lived in Platte City, and kept hotel, and held the office of constable several terms; 4, Mary Mulkey, m'd Oct. 30, 1847, Drury Wallace (see); 5, William Mulkey; <>. Nancy Mulkey, m'd Wm. Armstrong, and they had a son, Alonzo Armstrong; 7, Jos. Mulkey, m'd Lucy Smith." "Aug. 1890 DRURY WALLACE died south of Platte City; born in Cooper County, Mb., July 24, 1824; came to Platte in 1842; married October 30, 1847, Marv A. Mulkey. Children: 1„ John; i\ James ; 3, William; 4, George; 5, Sal lie. He was a Baptist, and kind hearted and industrious." What I learned about his children: Bennie Date of birth: October 1888(Actual records state October 1887) Hattie Date of birth: December 1889 Robert Date of birth: March 1892 Leonard Date of birth: July 1894 Emma Date of birth: January 1896 Daisy Date of birth: October 1898 Oregon Date of birth: Est. 1901 (19 years old during 1920 census) As you can see, I have a lot of information. I can't go past Albert. My guess is that one of Drury and Mary's children's middle name is Albert. Another possibility is that Albert isn't related to Drury. I seriously need help with this!

anorexia a mental illness? hi. after talking to a few of yahoo ans people many believe i have anorexia. i have taken some online surveys about anorexia and nearly all came back with the answer that i have an eating disorder. now my question: if i was to go to my GP and he diagnosed anorexia nervosa will this be put on my medical record as a mental illness? im afraid to seek help just incase my son wants to take a job in the future that needs a full family medical history and it turns out his mother is a nut case and i ruin his chance. id also like to know what meds if any they would consider as a treatment? i dont want anti depressents being on my medical record either.

does your criminal record automatically get sealed...? when you turn eighteen? I really don't need to hear anything about morals, because in all honesty, I didn't do it. Someone walked out near me and they charged both of us. I didn't even know her. [I later found out the sales lady got a $1000 bonus for saying that I did it too]. The "mall cops" wouldn't let me say anything. I didn't get fingerprinted or anything, just a ticket. But, the judge was also very rude and wouldnt let me say ANYTHING so I just paid the fine and left. It wasn't an actual court hearing, it was more like the court for a speeding ticket, I just walked in and he told me the fine and that was it. No talking, no lawyers, no nothing. I was 17 at the time, and was wondering if it gets sealed when you tun 18. I've tried searching for myself in online criminal history checks, but so far no site has ever found me. I've found my entire family, but no me. Would this mean I didn't have one? Im just trying to get a job and I have no clue on hos this will affect me. I have a background check on record for my school [in college for teaching] and it says its "regular". So, I'm just confused. Sorry about all the information, I'm just paranoid about this.

Does a petty theft charge get automatically sealed? when you turn eighteen? I really don't need to hear anything about morals, because in all honesty, I didn't do it. Someone walked out near me and they charged both of us. I didn't even know her. [I later found out the sales lady got a $1000 bonus for saying that I did it too]. The "mall cops" wouldn't let me say anything. I didn't get fingerprinted or anything, just a ticket. But, the judge was also very rude and wouldnt let me say ANYTHING so I just paid the fine and left. It wasn't an actual court hearing, it was more like the court for a speeding ticket, I just walked in and he told me the fine and that was it. No talking, no lawyers, no nothing. I was 17 at the time, and was wondering if it gets sealed when you tun 18. I've tried searching for myself in online criminal history checks, but so far no site has ever found me. I've found my entire family, but no me. Would this mean I didn't have one? Im just trying to get a job and I have no clue on hos this will affect me. I have a background check on record for my school [in college for teaching] and it says its "regular". So, I'm just confused. Sorry about all the information, I'm just paranoid about this.

Family Ancestral history.? Hey everyone I'm a little stumped and confused about understanding my family's record. I found some stuff online about my Father's surname, Argüello/Argüelles and it's brought me to a site about, Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research. http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2005/spaug05/spaug05.htm#SPAIN. The Article is in Spanish. so here's a translation. "This lineage precedes the ancient brotherhood of Madrid, whose name he took, comprising the municipalities of Val de Logueros, Median and Tertia Arguello Trail, nestled in the most rugged mountains of León, bordering upon the north by the province Oviedo. places belonging to the judicial district of today's Vecilla. Arguello also were established in Asturias, because of the geographical proximity of its solar house, so it's opinion of authoritative writers, who settled in that region changed their name to Argüelles, version that is guaranteed by the similarity of weapons with both lineages. Don Inigo de Argüello, a native of Carrion de los Condes, Palencia, was the first to move to Extremadura with Don Gabriel Manrique, his kinsman, first Count of Osorno, s Galisteo and defend their land. He was the son of Don Hernando de Argüello Hebi, powerful Knight of Carrion and Dona Juana de Arguello, of the same lineage, his wife, Fray hermanade Arguello, San Francisco's religious, the Infante Don Fernando Confessor, King of Aragon; Bishop of Palencia and Siguenza and Archbishop of Zaragoza and Chancellor of the King Don Alonso V of Aragon, who died in 1429; grandson of Don Inigo de Argüello and his wife Dona Leonor of Hebi, great grandson of Don Hernando de Argüello, a descendant of Seiiores of the villages of Pobladura of Arguello, median, Rudiyermo, San Martin and other places and subjects of the manor, that of Ricoshombres me in the mountains of Leon, in the council of the tertiary Argüello Road, and Aldonsa donates his consort Hemandez Manrique of the Counts of Osorno. He died the said Don Inigo de Argüello, the first step to foreign lands, in Galisteo, Caceres, June 8, 1479, as appears in his will, granted to Don Pedro de Montoya, public notary of the place. Married Dona Catalina de Carvajal, which had Don Hernando de Argüello y Carvajal, the first in this house that made his at the village of Brozas, also in Caceres, married to Dona Maria Bravo, one of his sons Don Inigo de Argüello Carvajal, born in the said population, on June 17, 1496, Rector of the University of Salamanca in 1526, Knight of the Order of Santiago in 1555, the Royal Council of Orders, who died in Madrid on 22 August 1566. His brother, Don Juan, who wore the same habit, founded the convent of the nuns, in Zamora. The Rector Don Inigo de Argüello, he married Dona Catalina de Ubirrichaga; child had to don Inigo de Argüello Carvajal parroquiade baptized at Santa Maria del Castillo in the town of Vildosola, province of Vizcaya, the year 1537, which served to King Philip II in the Philippines, in the province of Charcas, being then Brozas perpetual Regidor, where testo August 8, 1599. Don Hernando de Argüello y Carvajal, son of the aforementioned Don Hernando de Arguello and Maria Bravo gives me mayorazgo successor of his house served the emperor in the wars of Germany, who Ie made through the tithe of the place of Santiago, Village Valencia de Alcantara, for two lives, second Lord of Aldonza, was the husband of Donna Mencia de la Rocha and Ulloa, in which the father of Don Juan de Avia Carvajal Zamora perpetual Regidor and Solicitor in court for the same in the Madrid, 1583. At the same lineage, belonged Don Antonio Arguello, a native of Rio Seco, and Don Bartolome de Argiiello and Villalpando, in Villalon, Valladolid, joined the Order of Santiago between 1668 and 1644, respectively. Don Inigo de Argiiello Carvajal Alvarado Tovar, file admitted to the Calatrava. Before the Board of the noblemen of the Royal Chancery of Valladolid, his nobility came to litigate many members of this family, between the years 1519 and 1773. Argiiello Don Inigo de Carvajal, was Associate Judge of the Audiencia of Mexico, in 1628, the average ycomisario annata in 1634, Don Francisco de Argüello, archdeacon of the Cathedral of Durango in Nueva Vizcaya in 1719, Don Juan Antonio de Arguello, Mayor of Santisima Trinidad de Sonsonate, in 1776, and Don Jose Dario de Argüello, Captain of the Presidio of San Francisco, California, in 1798. The principles of the seventeenth century, was located in Guanajuato restudiado a branch of the lineage, which relates to Sardaneta which later took the title of Marquis of [St. John Deray. The arms of the Argüello are: gules, FIVE lily of ioro placed in SOTU; Bordure DE ORO. Emperor Carlos V, Valladolid privilege given by the July 20, 1538, granted a coat of arms Don Juan de Arguello, resident and alderman of the city of Popoyo in New Granada, organized like this: in a field of silver, a aguil

Women, are you safe with birth control? September 6, 2006 To All Concerned: This letter is to inform the news media, general public and more importantly, women who use the birth control pill Levlite 28. In February 2006 my wife Veronica was sent by her doctor to see an OB-GYN Dr. Diane Brinkman at the Austin Regional Clinic in Austin, Texas for imaging of a Fibroid Tumor. My wife should have not have been given this drug at her age. During my wife’s visit Dr. Brinkman recorded my wife’s medical history which aside from the tumor was very good health. My wife advised Dr. Brinkman of her complications with her monthly cycles and the doctor gave my wife 30 day samples of Levlite 28. No verbal or written instructions given. No verbal or written warnings of this drug were disclosed by Dr. Brinkman. After about 3wks of using L28 my wife developed symptoms that appeared that she was in some type of cardiac distress and was rushed to the hospital. She was placed in intensive care for several hours and was diagnosed with massive blood clots in both legs and lungs. She was hospitalized for several days. The damage now is that now my wife must remain on blood thinners for the rest of her life. She cannot lift anything over 20lbs. She must wear a medic alert bracelet at all times. She is easily fatigued. She suffers from chest discomfort and chronic leg pain. She cannot work ever again. (She was earning over $600.00 p/w before this happened) She has been diagnosed with Depression & Anxiety The family discussed this matter and we decided that someone must be made accountable for this and we agreed that Dr. Brinkman in our opinion was negligent and careless with dispersing this drug to my wife. I did extensive research on Levlite 28 and all the appropriate warnings are posted online and with pharmacies that sell it. However samples are not accompanied with warnings and if that is the norm then the responsibility should be with the medical professionals that supply the product to their patients. But what is disturbing about his case is that my wife should never have been given this drug due to her age and history. My wife has never used birth control pills and was not educated properly on the risk. Other doctors and her current cardiologist agreed that this was improper. We at this time have sought legal help from several firms in the Austin area only to be denied because of reasons that mystify us. We are told that Levlite 28 is considered a low hormone, low risk drug and the doctor is not responsible for giving verbal warnings and other law professionals are just interested in going after the drug manufacturer. And of course Texas wonderful lawsuit caps that protect health professionals from frivilous lawsuits. This case by no means is frivilous! Whatever the reasons, my wife is suffering and her life has been changed from someone that was working, shopping, physically active with housework, caring for her grandchildren, etc. Now she mostly sits at home with extremely limited activity. We have discussed this case with family members, friends and strangers and all are outraged and urge us to get legal satisfaction but lawyers are telling us that there is no case or they are not capable of pursuing this case. Well I will not accept this, nor will the rest of our families. So we intend to advise the local public of Dr. Brinkman’s casual issue of Levlite 28 and the risks, we will advise all local & national news agencies and hope they will spotlight this incident and investigate any incidents that mirror the events mentioned above. And we will also spread the events in this letter on the World Wide Web especially to women’s magazines and health websites, and all blogs and bulletin boards that appropriately address medical issues for women. We will also advise all consumer groups and regulatory agencies about this matter as well. (For instance Rip-Off Reports.com) The most important point is to alert the public so no other woman will suffer due to reckless medical consultation or practices. I and the rest of the family would like to acknowledge and thank the staff at the Round Rock Medical Center in Round Rock, Texas for their outstanding care, professionalism and support for my wife throughout this crisis. You represent what other medical centers and professionals should strive to be across the USA! Sincerely, Calvin E. Mills A Husband & Family Declaring War! February 2007 Update: Medical expenses have blown to $60,000 and growing. Her health is deteoriating and it may lead to a oncoming heart attack. She needs to be seen by Vascular surgeons and ongoing cardiac checks but when money is tight or non-existent, doctors do not want to see you unless it becomes an emergency. The Texas Medical Board is currently investigating this case and in the mean time Austin Regional Clinic wants us to pay the bill for Brinkmann's services. Basically, they want me to pay them for damaging my wife permenantly! So all bills are sent back with the simple message, "Dr Brinkmann caused the damage, she can pay for it!" I just read an article from WebMD that states that Levlite 28 should not be given if you have a fibroid tumor. The doctor that gave my wife the 30day samples should have known that. The pill were not prescribed via picking up at a pharmacy, they were given freely from doctor with no verbal or written warnings. So Lea, I will respectfully disagree with your response. RESPONSE TO SEAOFCLOUDS: I'm also a Professional. I'm a licensed Investigator. I'm responsible for disclosing certain information to my clients especially if it's vital to their safety or financial security. When I fail to do so, my career is over. We are patients, not doctors. When we come to you to help ease our pain and suffering we have to assume that your years of training and practice places you in the position to guide and educate us if we are not properly informed. If you an educated, trained physician knows that a 53 yr. old woman suffering with a fibroid tumor and heavy bleeding should not be given birthcontrol pills but yet you give out 30 day samples that caused permanent damage and you say that it's the patience's fault for not being smarter than the doctor? Yes, you are human. Mistakes do happen. But just like cops, contractors, mechanics, etc. When you are negligent and careless you must be held accountable.

Visitation Drama and Questions-Please Help!!!? I have a son with my ex. I just filed a state hearing for child support and they are supposed to be working on putting him in contempt for not paying. Not too long ago he requested a review of his child support. I'm not working but my husband is 7 days a wk full time to support me and HIS kid. He is working and supporting him and helping me raise him but apparently has no rights? What about HIS rights to see his stepson? Why aren't those acknowledged when he takes the responsibility for a child who isn't even his blood? I'm still looking for a career after college graduation last summer. Not too long ago he sent out a visitation complaint as he has not seen my son in 2 months. My son's behavior seems to have improved by having a stable home and like my mother in law said "he knows where he's going to sleep at night". I just talked to an attorney and he basically thinks he will get visitation. My son's father is a HS dropout, lives at home with his mother who harasses me and my family with slander letters, sent postcards to my mom at work at the hospital, records conversations, etc. They are crazy. He was supposed to get charged with felony theft from listing items on Ebay that didn't exist but it got thrown out with no evidence. (Even though I know he did it after we broke up and before we were together). A detective investigating him showed me video of his mom and mom's bf driving up and down my road of where me, my husband and son live. This alone scares me as this is supposed to be private and makes me think they have kidnapping plans. My ex doesn't work and has no license (taken away for not paying support), his car got repo'd, and his mom's bf would probably pick up and drop off my son. The attorney told me I could try to make them do most of the driving being that he's not paying support and they live about 50 miles away. I wanted supervised visitation but said there is none in my county and that I'd have to pay for it and I don't trust him or his family around my son. My ex probably isn't even there with my son-when he got out of jail after my son was 6 mo's old he would sit online and ignore us and go see other women while I cared for my son alone. I think they are requesting this visitation for his mother and mom's bf (no relation to my son) and not for my ex. I'm not sure what to do and don't want my son around any of them. My ex has a history of domestic violence with me and other women. He hit me when I was pregnant and threw soap at my stomach when I was pregnant. He never worked when I was pregnant and none of his family ever contributed to the expensive costs of having a child. He has a criminal record of stalking- (had 3-4 restraining orders put on him), harassment and theft online to scam people out of money but never seems to get caught. He is also a womanizer with multiple sex partners-he even gave me an STD when he got out of jail after my son was born. (Thank God I have a real man now). I'm afraid the going back and forth from home to home thing is going to hurt my son along with the relationship with my husband (his stepdad) who I am trying to grow and build as he can sometimes take off wkends but defeats the point if my son is gonna be over there. Also my son comes home for there in filthy dirty clothes, with dirt all under his nails, and unkempt. And my mom came with me to pick him up from my ex's and the one day he was out of it in the car-didn't make eye contact, didn't acknowledge me or my mom, didn't really move at all, it was like he was drugged and I don't trust them with my son. My mom even noticed it as well and told me and I trust her opinion as an RN. I took him to the Dr. because of it but it was the next day and probably out of his system by then :-( Plus I'm afraid they will try to keep him or if we agree to switching days or something that they will try to put me in contempt. I don't trust anything about them and they are not the kind of people my son should be around. He is gonna be 3 in August and doesn't understand and plus my husband is a great dad to him and I don't think he needs such a negative role model such as my ex around him. Plus the instabilitiy of his home I think is too hard for a child his age-but my ex and them never take that into consideration. Also I have a wedding party coming up and better have my son with me as I will probably see a lot of family I haven't seen in a long time and they will want to see my son. I want to contest visitation or request it be supervised (even if I have to pay). What can I do and what are my rights? What would you do if you were me? I want my husband to eventually adopt him or at least change his name. I know visitation with them is not in my son's best interest. He is too young to understand and be able to deal with all the stress and drama. Please help. I don't have money for an attorney. And I would'nt pay for visitation with someone my ex knows-just a neutral party and I doubt he'd go to that visitation if it was supervised which is what I want.

Since we're all grown women here... Question about first gyne appt? I'm going on the assumption, now that everyone here is a grown woman (even the ones posting as something else.... :-p ) How old were you for your first ob/gyne appt? Was it with an OB/Gyne doctor or a family practice doctor? Male or female? Were you sexually active at the time? If not, what motivated the appt? What did the appt consist of? Did you get a pap smear? Breast exam? Birth control discussion? If you were still living in your parents home or in college, did your parents make the appt for you or did you? Did they know about it? What could have made the whole thing easier for you? My stepdaughter (who lives with us 24/7 since she was 14 - no contact w/mom) is 17 now, about to go to college in the fall. I know that she is not sexually active - has not even dated in real life (has online beau, though). We don't have a lot of her medical history - mom kept it from us - we've just got immunization records from school and the one checkup she had when she moved in, with our family pediatrician. Ped doesn't usually keep patients after 18yo, but will make exceptions for college students. I don't think he does gyne exams, though. I did talk to her a bit about puberty at the time it came up in her life. And, we have sideways conversations about relationships & female health, but I've never talked to her directly about sex. I'm thinking I should get her started with an ob/gyne before she goes off to college (she's going to a college 15 min from our house, but will be living on campus), just to get her comfortable with the whole thing. Or, is 17/almost 18 too early, especially if she's not sexually active & not having any serious period problems? So, I'm looking for stories about other people's first experiences with the whole thing, to help me decide what to do.

Is this a good letter to send to my collection agency? Im with Tmobile now, but I just received a call from a collections agency, claiming I owe an early termination fee from AT&T last year. I looked around online and read that I should send a debt verification letter. Here is my letter, I just wanted to know if maybe I was missing anything: (MY NAME) (MY MAILING ADDRESS) (TODAYS DATE) Sent U.S. Certified, Return Receipt Mail Bureau of Collection Recovery (BCR) PO Box 9001 Minneapolis, MN 55345 Re: Bureau of Collection (BCR): Account #: (ACCOUNT NUMBER) Amount: (AMOUNT) To Whom It May Concern: In response to your letter to me dated ___________, regarding the above-stated debt, I hereby request validation of the debt. Please note this is not a request for “verification” or proof of my mailing address, but a request for validation pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I request your office provide me with competent, original evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you the amount listed above including any interest, late charges and other charges that you are claiming. Please provide me with the following: - Documentation as to what this debt is owed for; - Complete proof that your agency legally owns the debt, has been assigned the debt, and is authorized to collect it from me; - The full amount of the debt, with documented account statements by the original creditor. This includes complete payment history, including any and all fees and interest charges added to this debt and how those fees and interest charges were determined; - Copy of the original signed wireless agreement, along with the terms and conditions applicable at signing; Additionally, if your offices have reported non-validated information to any credit reporting agency, including but not limited to Experian, Equifax and Transunion, and/or pulled any credit reports without my permission, this action may constitute fraud under both Federal and State Laws. Failure to respond to this validation request within thirty (30) days from the date of your receipt, means you must delete all references to this account from all of my credit files and a copy of such deletion request shall be sent to me immediately for my records. Lastly, I hereby request no telephone contact be made by your offices to my home, cellular phone, workplace phone, telephone numbers of my family and friends. All future communications with me MUST BE DONE IN WRITING and sent to the address noted in this letter by United States Postal Service. Sincerely, (MY NAME)

Murder in 1958 Pensacola, Florida? How would I go about finding information online about a crime that was committed in 1958 (11-30-1958). My grandmother (by marriage) was shot by her husband on that day and there is no information about it anywhere. Has African-American crime not been recorded during that time in the South? And, which would be the best geneology websites to research African-American history on the web? I know about ancestry.com but can't find any data on this family on there.

michael jackson has NO one to blame but himself? excerpts from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124762029798042603.html 'The Rev. Al Sharpton got the crowd cheering with his litany: "He outsang his cynics, he outdanced his doubters, he outperformed the pessimists. Every time he got knocked down he got back up!"' 'Somehow or other Jackson convinced himself -- and seemingly, his family and partisans -- that he wasn't a powerful musical superstar. He was instead a victim of some mysterious stew of health maladies, public persecution, and secret sadnesses that, we were to understand, made this frail man-child shiver with fear.' 'On the other hand, young Michael had a recording contract at 10 and was a star at 11. (Not many 12-year-olds get six-figure royalty checks in the mail.) His group, the Jackson Five, enjoyed an impressive burst of fame.' 'His first adult solo record, "Off the Wall," (Epic) was an immediate smash and was hailed, then as now, as perhaps the greatest dance-pop record of all time. ' 'That's when he began strong-arming compliant entertainment news outlets to call him "the King of Pop." It was the start of his relentless devotion to trying to convince the world of how famous he was' 'One album, "HIStory," featured an enormous Soviet-style Jackson statue on the cover. Replicas of it were set up when he made public appearances.' 'You have to ask: What did Michael Jackson do all day? Well, he evidently spent a lot of time ingratiating himself into families with young kids, notably boys, some of them ill. He had them over for sleepovers, sometime private ones. Then he claimed to have fathered his own kids and blandly demurred when anyone pointed out that the children -- how to put this? -- were white.' 'If only he had an enormous fortune, a large family, and an extraordinary network of famous friends to help him cope with those problems. Instead of turning to them, he chose to run away from his art, become a drug addict, ruin his personal reputation, dismantle a towering fortune, embark on transparently absurd PR campaigns, and turn himself into a world-class freak show.' 'Jackson's tragedy was almost entirely self-made.' 'All of these realities are ignored by the victim talk'

Is taking out a pay day loan my only option? I need a very fast $1500 and I don't know the best solution. I live in Los Angeles and work a full time job and have another part time job on the side. However, even with that, money is still very tight. Under normal circumstances, I am able to make ends meet every month, but I rarely have much of anything left over. However, the last few months have been filled with a string of family financial problems. My parents are close to foreclosing on their house and the my dad was laid off. Consequently, I have had to help my parents pay their mortgage and bills. It is deeply saddening to see them in that state and has been horribly embarrassing for my parents to have to ask me for money. All in all, I make about 2100/month, including tips. I pay about 950 in rent and utilities and 75 for students loans. Then there's insurance, food, and some expensive prescriptions thrown in. However, because I have had to give my parents a substantial chunk of money each of the last few months (and pay my brothers rent when he couldn't, last month), i have been left with just barely enough for rent this month. I don't have any credit cards or a car. After college I had a hard time paying students loans and they went into default. However, they gave me a one time opportunity to pay my way out of default and clear my record. I did that and am back in good standing. However, this is still on my credit history (something that I have filed a claim about). Due to my own stupidity, I am facing a very big need for $1500 ASAP. This morning when I went to the DMV to apply for my CA license (from Nevada), I found out that I have an outstanding ticket from more than a year ago. I want to kick myself. Basically, I need to have a license that is valid (and warrant free) because my full time job requires me to run errands on a daily basis...and because I would like to avoid jail time! I called the courthouse and if I pay the ticket amounting to around $1500. it will be done with and I can get my California license and be legal and move on. However, I just don't have it. I don't have anything even close to it. Nor do my friends or family members. If I owned anything that was of any value, I would sell it. I can't come up with a fast solution. I have read lot's of horror stories about payday loans and 90 day installment loans and the last thing that I want to do is get back in over my head and spiral back in default. It was a terrible feeling. Is there any other reasonable solution? And if taking a payday loan is the only answer, how do I avoid shady practices? Lastly, in order to compare payday loan's, it appears that I have to fill out the forms with my info on their websites. Is this something that the credit bureau's see? I don't want to negatively impact my credit score by simply "applying" online to see quotes. Thank you for taking the time to read this long post! Best, K

What is your opinion on the National Sunday Law? [ Home ] [ The Controversy ] [ Online Books ] [ Study the Word! ] [ GOD's Health Laws ] [ Religious Liberty ] [ Links ] MANY CHURCH LEADERS and politicians are unified on the hotly debated issue of legislating Sunday as a day of rest. Today, great efforts are being made to gain influence in the executive and legislative circles of the United States federal government in order to enact laws for the observance of Sunday as a national day of rest. The thrust is not overtly religious but is couched in a concern for the welfare of the American family. This activity is being duplicated in other parts of the world as well under the same pretense. It is ironic to see this kind of legislation being promoted when you consider what has been said by the leaders of the Christian churches at different times in history. Considering this, it is also ironic to see what was the practice of Christians throughout history. In even stronger words, Pope John Paul II has asked for more strident measures be taken to insure a day of rest is observed, and to inflict punishment on those who would transgress. Of course, the day that he wants kept is Sunday, regardless of your persuasion. "In Europe, the Sunday Law issue is expected to be contentious as Pope John Paul II continues to press for mandatory Sunday closing laws" (Church & State, May, 1992). As recently as July, 1998, the Pope, in his Apostolic Letter, Dies Domini, was quoted as saying that a violator should be "punished as a heretic" (Detroit News, July 7, 1998). Currently, the Vatican is asking the “civil authorities” to cooperate with the Church in legislation of Sunday as the nation’s day of rest. “The civil authorities should be urged to cooperate with the church in maintaining and strengthening this public worship of God, and to support with their own authority the regulations set down by the church’s pastors. For it is only in this way that the faithful will understand why it is Sunday and not the Sabbath day that we now keep holy” (Roman Catechism, 1985, emphasis supplied). Someone Admits to Changing God's Law In a recent Catholic church newsletter, it stated, “Perhaps the most revolutionary change the Church ever did, happened in the first century [actually in happened in the fourth century]. The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. ‘The Day of the Lord’ [Dies Domini] was chosen, not from any direction noted in the Scriptures, but from the Church’s sense of its own power.…People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically become [Seventh-day] Adventists, and keep Saturday holy.” Saint Catherine Catholic Church Sentinel, Algonac, Michigan, May 21, 1995. No Scriptural Support Sunday is a Catholic institution and its claim to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles.…From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.”—Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, 1900. Mark of Authority “Sunday is our mark of authority.…The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” The Catholic Record, London, Ontario, September 1, 1923. A Catechism “Question: Which day is the Sabbath?” “Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath.” Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?” “Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, by Peter Geiermann, 50. What Do You Think? Do you need to be forced to keep Sunday in a way contrary to what you believe? Should you be punished for your conscientious regard or disregard for that day? Is this something the Federal government should legislate? All of this was foreseen many years ago by the men who wrote the Bible. For an exposé of the powers behind the scenes, click HERE! [ Up ] [ Next ] This Law has passed in two states already,and us as christians are allowed to worship God any day for he is the Lord of our Sabbath,but the original day God santified was Saturday,that is the original Day of cooperate worship,now this law is saying we worship any other day other than Sunday and break the Lords sabbath we shall be punished severly,even killed,this I believe is the antichrist working behind the scenes trying to imitate the Lord so my other question is are you going to be forced to worship on Sunday or take a stand For Jesus?

Clintons release Tax Returns? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 4, 2008 Statement of Jay Carson, Clinton Campaign Spokesman Today Senator Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton are releasing their tax returns for the years 2000 through 2006, and are providing information regarding their 2007 taxes as well. The Clintons have now made public thirty years of tax returns, a record matched by few people in public service. None of Hillary Clinton's presidential opponents have revealed anything close to this amount of personal financial information. What the Clintons' tax returns show is that they paid more than $33,000,000 in federal taxes and donated more than $10,000,000 to charities over the past eight years. They paid taxes and made charitable contributions at a higher rate than taxpayers at their income level. 2000 - 2007 TAX RETURN SUMMARY HILLARY & BILL CLINTON TAXES PAID: $33,783,507 The Clintons paid $33,783,507 in federal taxes - 31% of their adjusted gross income. According to the most recent data available from the IRS, in 2005 taxpayers earning $10,000,000 or more paid on average 20.8% of their adjusted gross income in taxes. CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS: $10,256,741 The Clintons donated $10,256,741 to charity - 9.5% of their adjusted gross income. According to the most recent data available from the IRS, in 2005 taxpayers earning $10,000,000 or more contributed 3.1% of their adjusted gross income in cash contributions to charity. Information about the Clinton Family Foundation, including a list of charities to which the Clintons contributed through the Foundation, is available online in the Foundation's publicly available tax returns (www.foundationcenter.org). AFTER TAX EARNINGS: $57,157,297 CUMULATIVE TOTAL(GROSS) INCOME: $109,175,175 Including, among other items: Senator Clinton's Senate Salary: $1,051,606 President Clinton's Presidential Pension: $1,217,250 Senator Clinton's Book Income: $10,457,083 President Clinton's Book Income: $29,580,525 President Clinton's Speech Income: $51,855,599 SENATOR CLINTON'S BOOK INCOME: $10,457,083 Senator Clinton's book income is comprised of earnings for Living History ($10,267,895), including an $8,000,000 advance, and It Takes a Village ($189,188). The earnings for It Takes a Village were donated to charity. Since the release of It Takes a Village in 1996, Senator Clinton has donated over $1,100,000 to charity. PRESIDENT CLINTON'S BOOK INCOME: $29,580,525 President Clinton's book income is comprised of earnings for My Life ($23,280,525), including a $15,000,000 advance, and Giving ($6,300,000). The President donated $1,000,000 of his income from Giving in 2007 to charity. PRESIDENT CLINTON'S SPEECH INCOME: $51,855,599 NOTE: The figures in this summary include 2007 estimates. Annual tax information is available for download here:

So should I give up on being interested in him? Okay so here's the story (please don't bother answering if you're going to only read part of this and just say anything): I know I guy I met online. We get along real well, have a lot in common he likes me I like him. I like him romantically but I don't know if he has any feelings for me like that. Don't be mistaken though, this is not an e-relationship. We know each other in person. See, he lives far but we have family a city over from me so we have lots of reasons to bump into each other often. Plus, I'm planning on moving to where he is (not because of him it's always been a college goal) so that's why I'm open to a relationship with him. Now the thing is his a really emotionally unavailable guy. I find him hard to read because he's so indifferent about everything. And REAL indifference, not depressed "indifference". He just really doesn't care about most things. He could take a punch to the face and let it go. He has a little history, he has a girlfriend who died and he obviously never came to terms with it and just sort of shut down, became promiscuous and drinks a lot. He takes alcohol better than most people, doesn't get angry or anything but he does say and reveal stuff I think he wouldn't otherwise. I really like him and he shows hints of liking me. I feel like I can at least help him come to terms with his shut down emotions and maybe form some sort of relationship since we've come really far. He's pretty much the only friend I ever had that doesn't tick me off every now and then, we have too much in common, we talk for hours on the phone when he's not in town even though he hates talking on the phone and he lets me do and isn't bothered by me doing a lot of stuff he wouldn't have before. Should I just continue to be there? Slowly building up our relationship? Or recognize that he's a guy who is emotionally gone and just leave it at friendship? I have a bad track record of going for guys who are emotionally unavailable, but this guy is different. There's no hostility with him and I feel like he's opening up more at least with me personally. Whenever I talk to him and he tells me how he thinks I'm adorable I feel like the ice around his heart is slowly melting or the chains are getting looser. Even if we can't be together because perhaps he's not attracted to me, I'd still like to help him come to terms with his losses and not feel so tormented by some things he has done because I can see that he regrets some of it. I'd still always what to be friends. So what do you guys think? Any suggestions? Lots of nice answers. I wanna elaborate on him a bit. I've told him, just recently that I think he has some emotional issues he hasn't dealt with. He denies this in a nice way something like"What? No, I don't think so". He's very composed. Recently he told me he kept noticing his girlfriends name everywhere and he sounded sad and a little haunted. I didn't know how to react. She died a long time again and in A LOT of ways it's like that whole situation is coincidentally connecting to me. We both realize this and sometimes it feels like fate is bringing us together for one reason or another, I won't say romantic ones but something. I don't want to get all detailed here does anyone wanna talk about this in emails? I don't have any girlfriends anymore and I'm really just wanting to chat about this and has things out.

What do you think of the following article? EXTRA HELP When Special Education Goes Too Easy on Students Parents Say Schools Game System, Let Kids Graduate Without Skills By JOHN HECHINGER and DANIEL GOLDEN August 21, 2007; Page A1 GREENPORT, N.Y. -- On June 25, 2006, Michael Bredemeyer threw his tasseled cap in the air and cheered after getting his high school diploma. Two days later, his parents mailed the diploma back. [More Data on Mainstreaming] * * * Plus, read more about the challenges of integrating special-needs students, at WSJ.com/Mainstreaming. Michael, now 19 years old, has learning disabilities and finished high school at a seventh-grade reading level, despite scoring above average on IQ tests. The Bredemeyers say he passed some classes because teachers inflated his grades and accepted poor work. By awarding him a meaningless diploma, they say, school officials avoided paying for ongoing instruction. "I felt proud because he had worked so hard," says Michael's mother, Beverly, her voice breaking. "You don't want to take that away from him. But you knew it wasn't real. What's he going to do in the future? Will he be able to go to college and get a job?" The Bredemeyers represent a new voice in special education: parents disappointed not because their children are failing, but because they're passing without learning. These families complain that schools give their children an easy academic ride through regular-education classes, undermining a new era of higher expectations for the 14% of U.S. students who are in special education. Years ago, schools assumed that students with disabilities would lag behind their non-disabled peers. They often were taught in separate buildings and left out of standardized testing. But a combination of two federal laws, adopted a quarter-century apart, have made it national policy to hold almost all children with disabilities to the same academic standards as other students. The 1975 statute now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act promoted putting special-education students in mainstream classrooms. The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act said schools would be punished if disabled children don't pass the same state tests as other students. It also requires states to set standards for high-school graduation rates and meet them for all students, including those with disabilities. By some measures, the extra attention is paying off. Test scores and classroom grades of disabled students are rising, and their high-school graduation rate increased to 54% in 2004 from 42% in 1996. But critics say some of the gains have come because schools have learned to game the system. For instance, federal rules allow states to make "reasonable accommodations" to help disabled students pass tests and graduate, such as allowing extra time on exams. Some schools, say critics, are giving students too much help, for instance by guiding students to the right answers on multiple-choice tests. MAKING THE GRADE • The Issue: Some parents of students with learning disabilities say their children are graduating too easily. • The Background: Federal laws raised school standards, but left loopholes. Increasingly, special-education students get special help to pass tests. • The Problem: If schools game the system, those students move on without the skills they need. From 2000 to 2005, special-education fourth graders showed more improvement in reading and math than the general population on an important benchmark test, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. But accommodations also increased. In 2005, 70% of fourth-grade special education students received some sort of accommodation while taking the math portion, up from 44% five years earlier. In reading, 63% used accommodations in 2005, up from 29% in 2000. On tests used to measure compliance with No Child Left Behind, more states are permitting students with disabilities to use calculators on arithmetic tests or have reading-comprehension tests be read aloud. Massachusetts education commissioner David Driscoll warned school administrators in February that an alarming number of special education students -- a quarter or half in some cases -- were receiving such accommodations on state exams. With unclear guidelines, "People start driving trucks through loopholes," he said in an interview. Some school districts have an informal policy against failing students with disabilities even if they miss many classes or aren't learning. "I can go into any school we represent and have somebody tell me we have to pass special education students" to avoid being blamed for not providing the right services if students fail, says Janet Horton, a Texas special-education attorney. Federal law says special-education students should receive a "free appropriate public education," but it doesn't prohibit failing them. Mardys Leeper and Carol Merrill, former teachers at West Philadelphia High School in Pennsylvania, say a special-education administrator there ordered them to pass special-education students. Ms. Leeper says she made concessions for students with disabilities, such as letting them write shorter essays or copy paragraphs she wrote onto a word processor rather than composing their own. But when those students didn't make an effort, or skipped class, both teachers say they sometimes sought to fail them -- only to have the administrator insist on passing grades. The reason they were given: Students had met the goals of their federally mandated individual education plans, IEPs, spelling out goals and services for each special-education student. "Students who weren't even participating, even trying, we couldn't fail them," says Ms. Merrill, an English teacher who retired this year. Even if they couldn't read, "I had to give them a 'D.'" The administrator couldn't be reached for comment. Brenda Taylor, head of special education for the Philadelphia school district, called the matter a "breakdown in communication." The district has no written policy against failing special-education students, she says. But rather than being "punitive" if a student performs poorly or cuts class, she says, the district prefers to revise a student's IEP. "We're not in the business of failing students," Ms. Taylor says. Only 19 states require all students to earn the same kind of diploma, according to a recent University of Minnesota survey. Some of those states let special-education students amass fewer course credits to earn the degree, the survey found. Other states give substitute certificates, in some cases called IEP diplomas, to special-education students who don't qualify for standard diplomas. Many special-education parents are happy to see their children advance through school and graduate. Reggie Felton, director of federal policy for the National School Boards Association, says special-education students learn more in regular classes even if they're given a break on assignments or grading. The federal government recently decided to triple the percentage of students allowed to take easier tests, to 3% from 1%. Some legislators have proposed exempting more students. But the rebellion against too-easy passing is growing, says Pam Wright, who with her husband has co-authored books on special education issues and operates a Virginia-based information clearinghouse for special-education parents. She estimates she now receives more than 1,000 email messages a year from parents lamenting that their children with disabilities take mainstream courses but aren't being taught as much as their classmates. Dozens of parents have contended in recent administrative appeals that their children did not deserve the diplomas they received, she says. The family of Alba Somoza, who has cerebral palsy and speaks only with the help of a computer, filed one such case. Alba drew national attention in the 1990s when her family successfully pushed to include the then-third grader in a regular classroom. Then-President Bill Clinton backed her cause, and Alba, now 23, graduated with honors from a New York City high school in 2002. Last year, Alba and her family filed an administrative case claiming her education was a sham. A school report prepared weeks before she graduated showed she had language and math skills at an elementary school level, court records show. "You cannot shunt children through -- you cannot scam them through the system," says Alba's mother, Mary. [Michael Bredemeyer] Since shortly after she graduated, New York has been paying for a special program for Alba that costs $400,000 a year -- including a full-time teacher, an aide, transportation and extensive technology. The city says it is doing so out of compassion, not legal obligation. The family is seeking to continue the public funding another year to help Alba receive enough education to work as a museum docent. The Somozas lost the administrative case, but a judge in U.S. District Court in Manhattan ruled in the family's favor earlier this year and ordered another hearing. Rather than develop a program that would help Alba reach her academic goals, teachers lowered the curriculum's "level of difficulty" and removed "large and meaningful portions of its substantive content," the judge said. One teacher testified that he did most of the work on Alba's final project in 2002. New York officials say the school properly adapted the curriculum for a severely disabled student. In northern California, Jennifer McGowan, an 18-year-old who is deaf in one ear and suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities, was supposed to graduate from Vacaville Unified School District in June. She didn't get her diploma -- because her family won a court injunction to stop it. In an interview, Jennifer said she often received A or B grades for poorly completed work or, at times, when she didn't do assignments at all or show up for class. Achievement tests she took in January 2005 showed that she had the math and reading skills of an elementary-school student, according to her administrative complaint. The school district denies her grades were inflated and said she showed her proficiency by passing a high-school exit exam. John Aycock, Vacaville's superintendent, said teachers did "a great job working with Jennifer." Jennifer says she failed the exit exam several times despite intensive preparation. "They just wanted to pass me and let me fly by," she says. The school system says it's not unusual to make several attempts to pass. At the Mercer Island school district in Washington state, the family of a girl with severe learning disabilities complains that, instead of the intense instruction she needed to master reading and math in eighth and ninth grades, teachers showered her with accommodations: a peer note-taker, a peer to read materials to her, oral exams, reduced assignments and a calculator on math tests. At an administrative hearing, the family -- whose names are not disclosed in the court papers -- sought to force the school system to pay for her private schooling. Noting her strong A and B grades, the district successfully argued that accommodations were helping her learn. In U.S. District Court in Seattle, a judge hearing an appeal of the case disagreed last year, saying the system improperly relied on accommodations rather than instruction, and has returned the case to a hearing officer to determine financial relief for the family. Boxes of school correspondence and Michael Bredemeyer's old tests and assignments line the hallways of his family's weather-beaten saltbox house in Orient, N.Y., on Long Island's North Fork. Michael's parents are demanding public funding for more services until age 21, to which students are entitled unless they graduate, so he can improve his academic skills for college. John Bredemeyer, a county public-health inspector, and his wife, Beverly, had high hopes for Michael, who has a strong work ethic and a knack for repairing machines. But once he entered public middle school in nearby Greenport, his parents worried that teachers were letting him skate through classes and tests. Michael, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities including dyslexia, says in some classes he "definitely earned" a passing grade, but others were "borderline." He took regular classes except for one period a day. "A little more one-on-one" instruction would have helped, he says. On state achievement exams, Michael's IEP permitted him extra time, simplified instructions and guidance from a teacher to slow him down if he rushed through answers. But when he completed the eighth-grade math test, his special-education teacher also took him to the resource room and directed him to redo problems he had answered incorrectly. According to a memo from Greenport Superintendent Charles Kozora, the teacher "exceeded the intent" of Michael's accommodations, boosting his score. The state investigated and invalidated Michael's test. [Revolt] Mr. Kozora said the school system had only two cases of testing irregularities in six years, few conflicts with parents over special education and "many successes" among students with disabilities. The district says achievement, and not cost, dictates its decisions on graduating students. When Michael was a junior at Greenport High, his chemistry teacher passed him with the minimum grade of 65, even though he says he spent much of the class doodling and playing solitaire on his laptop. Checking his assignments and tests, his parents couldn't understand how he could be passing. In a letter, the school principal acknowledged that the final grade was a "miscalculation" and should have been 56.6, or an F. The school offered to let him make up his lost credits by volunteering in the town library. When his parents balked, he was instead placed in courses in sociology and psychology. On one psychology pop quiz, five of Michael's seven answers were marked wrong, but a failing grade was crossed out on the paper and a passing score of 65 was substituted. The school district declined comment. For a senior English assignment, he received an A for one untitled paragraph. "I believe competition today has changed dramatically," he wrote. "Back in the day, sports was some of the only sports that had competition. Today, everyone wants to compete and only be successful. School work, school sports, major league sports, all involve high amounts of success and competition. Competition today has become very extreme." His English teacher, Michael Connolly, said he didn't remember the assignment and had no comment on the grade. On standardized tests, Michael had mixed results: On the SATs, which have a 200 to 800 scale, Michael received 330 and then 370 in two tries on the reading test, in the bottom 10% of all students nationally. On math, he scored 460 both times. He failed two state exams and passed five others. His school grades put him in the bottom one-third of his class. A month before graduation, the Bredemeyers debated whether he should accept the degree. "I wanted to have it," Michael says. "Get it and forget it." On graduation day, a school band played "Pomp and Circumstance." Michael's parents, his sister, his grandmother, aunts and uncles watched as he walked up to the podium and a school official handed him a purple diploma case with his name etched in gold letters. Michael says he knew his parents might not let him keep it. "I had a feeling they'd do something like that," he said, shrugging. "I'll eventually get it back, one of these days, months, years." This summer, Michael has been mowing lawns and picking up trash at a state park for $9 an hour. This fall, he plans to enter his second year at Suffolk County Community College, which does not require a high-school diploma. Last semester at Suffolk, he received a D-plus in freshman composition, D's in statistics and Western Civilization and an F in the history of rock 'n' roll. Write to John Hechinger at john.hechinger@wsj.com and Daniel Golden at dan.golden@wsj.com RELATED ARTICLES AND BLOGS Related Content may require a subscription | Subscribe Now -- Get 2 Weeks FREE Related Articles from the Online Journal • The Kids Are All Right • School Choice and Racial Balance • Back to Failing Schools • Tort-a-licious: The Trials of Law School Blog Posts About This Topic • SaukValley.com - Serving Dixon, Sterling & Rock Falls saukvalley.com • August 14, 2007 edspresso.com More related content Powered by Sphere

help i have no idea wat this means some body explain in short text 10 points best answer in plain explantion? Overview Instant messaging (IM) and chat are technologies that facilitate near real-time text based communication between two or more participants over a network. It is important to understand that what separates chat and instant messaging from technologies such as e-mail is the perceived synchronicity of the communication by the user - Chat happens in real-time before your eyes. For this reason, some people consider communication via instant messaging to be less intrusive than communication via phone. However, some systems allow the sending of messages to people not currently logged on (offline messages), thus removing much of the difference between Instant Messaging and e-mail. Instant Messaging allows instantaneous communication between a number of parties simultaneously, by transmitting information quickly. Some IM systems allow users to use webcams and Microphone which made them more popular than others. Due to this feature users can have a real-time conversation. In addition IM has additional features such as: the immediate receipt of acknowledgment or reply, group chatting, conference services (including voice and video), conversation logging and file transfer. IM allows effective and efficient communication, featuring immediate receipt of acknowledgment or reply. In certain cases Instant Messaging involves additional features, which make it even more popular, i.e. to see the other party, e.g. by using web-cams, or to talk directly for free over the Internet. It is possible to save a conversation for later reference. Instant messages are typically logged in a local message history which closes the gap to the persistent nature of e-mails and facilitates quick exchange of information like URLs or document snippets (which can be unwieldy when communicated via telephone). [edit] History In early instant messaging programs each character appeared when it was typed. The UNIX "talk" command shown in these screenshots was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s.Instant messaging actually predates the Internet, first appearing on multi-user operating systems like CTSS and Multics[1] in the mid-1960s. Initially, many of these systems, such as CTSS'.SAVED, were used as notification systems for services like printing, but quickly were used to facilitate communication with other users logged in to the same machine. As networks developed, the protocols spread with the networks. Some of these used a peer-to-peer protocol (eg talk, ntalk and ytalk), while others required peers to connect to a server (see talker and IRC). During the Bulletin board system (BBS) phenomenon that peaked during the 1980s, some systems incorporated chat features which were similar to instant messaging; Freelancin'_Roundtable was one prime example. In the last half of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the Quantum Link online service for Commodore 64 computers offered user-to-user messages between currently connected customers which they called "On-Line Messages" (or OLM for short). Quantum Link's better known later incarnation, America Online, offers a similar product under the name "AOL Instant Messages" (AIM). While the Quantum Link service ran on a Commodore 64, using only the Commodore's PETSCII text-graphics, the screen was visually divided up into sections and OLMs would appear as a yellow bar saying "Message From:" and the name of the sender along with the message across the top of whatever the user was already doing, and presented a list of options for responding.[2] As such, it could be considered a sort of GUI, albeit much more primitive than the later Unix, Windows and Macintosh based GUI IM programs. OLMs were what Q-Link called "Plus Services" meaning they charged an extra per-minute fee on top of the monthly Q-Link access costs. Modern, Internet-wide, GUI-based messaging clients, as they are known today, began to take off in the mid 1990s with ICQ (1996) being the first, followed by AOL Instant Messenger (AOL Instant Messenger, 1997). AOL later acquired Mirabilis, the creators of ICQ. A few years later ICQ (by now owned by AOL) was awarded two patents for instant messaging by the U.S. patent office. Meanwhile, other companies developed their own applications (Excite, MSN, Ubique, and Yahoo), each with its own proprietary protocol and client; users therefore had to run multiple client applications if they wished to use more than one of these networks. In 1998 IBM released IBM Lotus Sametime, a product based on technology acquired when IBM bought Haifa-based Ubique and Lexington-based Databeam. In 2000, an open source application and open standards-based protocol called Jabber was launched. Jabber servers could act as gateways to other IM protocols, reducing the need to run multiple clients. Multi-protocol clients such as Digsby,Pidgin, Trillian, Adium and Miranda can use any of the popular IM protocols by using additional local libraries for each protocol. IBM Lotus Sametime's November 2007 release added IBM Lotus Sametime Gateway support for XMPP. Recently, many instant messaging services have begun to offer video conferencing features, Voice Over IP (VoIP) and web conferencing services. Web conferencing services integrate both video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities. Some newer instant messaging companies are offering desktop sharing, IP radio, and IPTV to the voice and video features. The term "instant messenger" is a service mark of Time Warner[3] and may not be used in software not affiliated with AOL in the United States. For this reason, the instant messaging client formerly known as Gaim or gaim announced in April 2007 that they would be renamed "Pidgin"[4]. [edit] Cooperation Standard free instant messaging applications offer functions like file transfer, contact lists, the ability to have similtaneous converstations etc. These may be all the functions that a small business needs but larger organisations will require more sophisticated applications that can work together. The solution to finding applications capable of this is to use enterprise versions of instant messaging applications. These include titles like Jabber, Lotus Sametime, Microsoft Office Communicator, etc., which are often integrated with other enterprise applications such as workflow systems. These enterprise applications, or Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), are built to certain constraints, namely storing data in a common format. There have been several attempts to create a unified standard for instant messaging: IETF's SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and SIMPLE (SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions), APEX (Application Exchange), Prim (Presence and Instant Messaging Protocol), the open XML-based XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), more commonly known as Jabber and OMA's (Open Mobile Alliance) IMPS (Instant Messaging and Presence Service) created specifically for mobile devices. Most attempts at creating a unified standard for the major IM providers (AOL, Yahoo! and Microsoft) have failed and each continues to use its own proprietary protocol. However, while discussions at IETF were stalled, Reuters head of collaboration services, David Gurle (the founder of Microsoft's Real Time Communication and Collaboration business), signed the first inter-service provider connectivity agreement on September 2003. This agreement enabled AIM, ICQ and MSN Messenger users to talk with Reuters Messaging counterparts and vice-versa against an access fee. Following this, Microsoft, Yahoo! and AOL came to a deal where Microsoft's Live Communication Server 2005 users would also have the possibility to talk to public instant messaging users. This deal established SIP/SIMPLE as a standard for protocol interoperability and established a connectivity fee for accessing public instant messaging clouds. Separately, on October 13, 2005 Microsoft and Yahoo! announced that by (the Northern Hemisphere) summer of 2006 they would interoperate using SIP/SIMPLE which is followed on December 2005 by the AOL and Google strategic partnership deal where Google Talk users would be able to talk with AIM and ICQ users provided they have an identity at AOL. There are two ways to combine the many disparate protocols: One way is to combine the many disparate protocols inside the IM client application. The other way is to combine the many disparate protocols inside the IM server application. This approach moves the task of communicating to the other services to the server. Clients need not know or care about other IM protocols. For example, LCS 2005 Public IM Connectivity. This approach is popular in Jabber/XMPP servers however the so-called transport projects suffer the same reverse engineering difficulties as any other project involved with closed protocols or formats. Some approaches, such as that adopted by the Sonork enterprise IM software or the Jabber/XMPP network or Winpopup LAN Messenger, allow organizations to create their own private instant messaging network by enabling them to limit access to the server (often with the IM network entirely behind their firewall) and administer user permissions. Other corporate messaging systems allow registered users to also connect from outside the corporation LAN, by using a secure firewall-friendly HTTPS based protocol. Typically, a dedicated corporate IM server has several advantages such as pre-populated contact lists, integrated authentication, and better security and privacy. Some networks have made changes to prevent them from being utilized by such multi-network IM clients. For example, Trillian had to release several revisions and patches to allow its users to access the MSN, AOL, and Yahoo! networks, after changes were made to these networks. The major IM providers typically cite the need for formal agreements as well as security concerns as reasons for making these changes. [edit] Mobile Instant Messaging Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) is a presence enabled messaging service that aims to transpose the desktop messaging experience to the usage scenario of being on the move. While several of the core ideas of the desktop experience on one hand apply to a connected mobile device, others do not: Users usually only look at their phone's screen — presence status changes might occur under different circumstances as happens at the desktop, and several functional limits exist based on the fact that the vast majority of mobile communication devices are chosen by their users to fit into the palm of their hand. Some of the form factor and mobility related differences need to be taken into account in order to create a really adequate, powerful and yet convenient mobile experience: radio bandwidth, memory size, availability of media formats, keypad based input, screen output, CPU performance and battery power are core issues that desktop device users and even nomadic users with connected network. [edit] Friend-to-friend networks Instant Messaging may be done in a Friend-to-friend network, in which each node connects to the friends on the friendslist. This allows for communication with friends of friends and for the building of chatrooms for instant messages with all friends on that network. Emotions are often expressed in shorthand. For example; lol. But a movement is currently underway to be more accurate with the emotional expression. Real time reactions such as (chortle) (snort) (guffaw) or (eye-roll) are rapidly taking the place of acronyms.[citation needed] [edit] Business application Instant messaging has proven to be similar to personal computers, e-mail, and the WWW, in that its adoption for use as a business communications medium was driven primarily by individual employees using consumer software at work, rather than by formal mandate or provisioning by corporate information technology departments. Tens of millions of the consumer IM accounts in use are being used for business purposes by employees of companies and other organizations. In response to the demand for business-grade IM and the need to ensure security and legal compliance, a new type of instant messaging, called "Enterprise Instant Messaging" ("EIM") was created when Lotus Software launched IBM Lotus Sametime in 1998. Microsoft followed suit shortly thereafter with Microsoft Exchange Instant Messaging, later created a new platform called Microsoft Office Live Communications Server, and released Office Communications Server 2007 in October 2007. Both IBM Lotus and Microsoft have introduced federation between their EIM systems and some of the public IM networks so that employees may use a single interface to both their internal EIM system and their contacts on AOL, MSN, and Yahoo!. Current leading EIM platforms include IBM Lotus Sametime, Microsoft Office Communications Server, and Jabber XCP. In addition, industry-focused EIM platforms such as IMtrader from Pivot Incorporated, Reuters Messaging, and Bloomberg Messaging provide enhanced IM capabilities to financial services companies. The adoption of IM across corporate networks outside of the control of IT organizations creates risks and liabilities for companies who do not effectively manage and support IM use. Companies implement specialized IM archiving and security products and services like those from Secure Computing, Akonix, SurfControl, and ScanSafe to mitigate these risks and provide safe, secure, productive instant messaging capabilities to their employees. [edit] Practical Use in Enterprise The popular embrace of IM technology for sharing information has quickly led to organizations adopting IM solutions for the perceived advantages that can be brought by it. As organizations are becoming more information based (McNurlin & Sprague, 2006, p.499) the need for effective knowledge sharing, team working and collaborative environments amongst employees has become vital, especially within more geographically dispersed teams. Typically IM conversations tend to have a certain "character", they are often short and only cover one topic. Media-switching and multitasking are common throughout, however IM might also be used between established coworkers and friends for longer, more intermittent conversation. In their report of IM use at the workplace Nardi et al. (2000) identifies the four primary functions of IM which are often cited in other reports, These primary functions are: Quick Questions and Clarifications Coordinating and scheduling tasks Coordinating impromptu social meetings Keeping in touch with friends and family IM is perhaps best suited to "Quick Questions and Clarifications" as this is the most often mentioned attribute in other reports. A user can "respond rapidly without the overhead of telephone or FTF interaction. For example, IDC reports, "Users see IM as a medium for quick, semi-permanent ‘flashes’ that beg a near-immediate response" (Isaacs et al., 2002). Nardi's second and third observations are enabled in part due to the "Presence Awareness" feature of IM clients in which the user knows who is "available". This is the most relevant for colleagues who share the same physical space as each other and even paves the way for other mediums to take up the task of communication e.g. F2F or Phone. The implication is that viable communication of any sort can in someway be encouraged through IM's "Presence Awareness" feature. (Issacs et al, 2002) supports this view, "IM in business might not be the main tool for of communication, it could just be the meeting point for another type of media e.g. conference calls. Nardi's third and fourth observations focus on the social use of IM, which have also been widely publicized in other report. That IM is used for keeping in touch with friends and arranging social events has led some employers to believe that it is used primarily for this purpose. According to (Issacs et al, 2002) a market study found that "'Fear of losing employee productivity’ was the greatest concern of businesses in regards to instant messaging". The study by (Issacs et al, 2002) goes on to suggest this fear is unfounded as it was found that on average "only 13% of conversations contained personal topics", and "only 6.4% were exclusively personal". [edit] Review of Products "IM solutions can typically be catagorised into two types: Enterprise Instant Messaging (EIM) and Consumer Instant Mesaging (CIM). Enterprise solutions use an internal IM server, however this isn't always feasible, particularly for smaller businesses with limited budgets. The second option, using a (CIM) provides the advantage of being inexpensive to implement and has little need for investing in new hardware or server software. However, in recent years open source IM clients such as Jabber have emerged that provide free EIM grade solutions. (Wikipedia,. 2008) For corporate use encryption and conversation archiving are usually regarded as important features due to security concerns. Sometimes the use of different operating systems in organizations calls for the use of software that supports more than one platform. For example many software companies use Windows XP in administration departments but have software developers who use Linux. Most people have had experience of using online chat and messaging over the internet whether it is with Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger, Skype or e-mail. One form of chat and messaging currently popular is Bebo. It is a non-corporate form of messaging which allows its user to create and maintain a social network. Libraries use chat applications and Morris Messenger is an application commonly used by them. This is a power based instant messenger, which uses Perl, SQL, and small Java. It accepts input from both staff and regular customers and saves important information in an SQL database built for the system. [edit] Risks and liabilities Although instant messaging delivers many benefits, it also carries with it certain risks and liabilities, particularly when used in workplaces. Among these risks and liabilities are: Security risks (e.g. IM used to infect computers with spyware, viruses, trojans, worms) Compliance risks Inappropriate use Intellectual property leakage Crackers (malicious "hacker" or black hat hacker) have consistently used IM networks as vectors for delivering phishing attempts, "poison URL's", and virus-laden file attachments from 2004 to the present, with over 1100 discrete attacks listed by the IM Security Center[5] in 2004-2007. Hackers use two methods of delivering malicious code through IM: delivery of virus, trojan, or spyware within an infected file, and the use of "socially engineered" text with a web address that entices the recipient to click on a URL that connects him or her to a website that then downloads malicious code. Viruses, worms, and trojans typically propagate by sending themselves rapidly through the infected user's buddy list. An effective attack using a poison URL may reach tens of thousands of people in minutes when each person's buddy list receives messages appearing to be from a trusted friend. The recipients click on the web address, and the entire cycle starts again. Infections may range from nuisance to criminal, and are becoming more sophisticated each year. In addition to the malicious code threat, the use of instant messaging at work also creates a risk of non-compliance to laws and regulations governing the use of electronic communications in businesses. In the United States alone there are over 10,000 laws and regulations related to electronic messaging and records retention.[6] The more well-known of these include the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, HIPAA, and SEC 17a-3. Clarification from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") was issued to member firms in the financial services industry in December, 2007, noting that "electronic communications", "email", and "electronic correspondence" may be used interchangeably and can include such forms of electronic messaging as instant messaging and text messaging.[7] Changes to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, effective December 1, 2006, created a new category for electronic records which may be requested during discovery (law) in legal proceedings. Most countries around the world also regulate the use of electronic messaging and electronic records retention in similar fashion to the United States. The most common regulations related to IM at work involve the need to produce archived business communications to satisfy government or judicial requests under law. Many instant messaging communications fall into the category of business communications that must be archived and retrievable. Organizations of all types must protect themselves from the liability of their employees' inappropriate use of IM. The informal, immediate, and ostensibly anonymous nature of instant messaging makes it a candidate for abuse in the workplace. The topic of inappropriate IM use became front page news in October 2006 when Congressman Mark Foley resigned his seat after admitting sending offensive instant messages of a sexual nature to underage former House pages from his Congressional office PC. The Mark Foley Scandal led to media coverage and mainstream newspaper articles warning of the risks of inappropriate IM use in workplaces. In most countries, corporations have a legal responsibility to ensure harassment-free work environment for employees. The use of corporate-owned computers, networks, and software to harass an individual or spread inappropriate jokes or language creates a liability for not only the offender but also the employer. A survey by IM archiving and security provider Akonix Systems, Inc. in March 2007 showed that 31% of respondents had been harassed over IM at work.[8] Companies now include instant messaging as an integral component of their policies on appropriate use of the World Wide Web, e-mail, and other corporate assets. Within the company there is also the risk of employees using instant messaging to release confidential information and project details to an outside source. This issue is best controlled by a combination of written policy and technology. An organization's policies on use of IM in the workplace should be an integral part of the overall computing and network use policies, and should be published and communicated at least annually. In addition to written policy, organizations should implement "gateways" or IM security products to monitor content of inbound and outbound messages. Products from IM security providers (See section on IM security) typically allow administrators to set alerts and enforce policy (i.e. allow or block messages) based on keywords and regular expressions within instant messages. Employees may also misuse IM to communicate on a personal level with friends and family. This is poor use of a business’s time and resources, as the employee’s effectiveness will most certainly decrease due to the added distractions. (Licari, J., May 2005). Businesses often use IM security products to monitor and archive IM conversations for the purpose of minimizing this type of productivity drain. [edit] Security and archiving In the early 2000s, a new class of IT security provider emerged to provide remedies for the risks and liabilities faced by corporations who chose to use IM for business communications. The IM security providers created new products to be installed in corporate networks for the purpose of archiving, content-scanning, and security-scanning IM traffic moving in and out of the corporation. Similar to the e-mail filtering vendors, the IM security providers focus on the risks and liabilities described above. With rapid adoption of IM in the workplace, demand for IM security products began to grow in the mid-2000s. By 2007, the preferred platform for the purchase of security software had become the "appliance", according to IDC, who estimate that by 2008, 80% of network security products will be delivered via an appliance.[9] [edit] User base Note that many of the numbers listed in this section are not directly comparable, and some are speculative. Some instant messaging systems are distributed among many different instances and thus difficult to measure in total (e.g. Jabber). While some numbers are given by the owners of a complete instant messaging system, others are provided by commercial vendors of a part of a distributed system. Some companies may be motivated to inflate their numbers in order to increase advertisement earnings or to attract partners, clients, or customers. Importantly, some numbers are reported as the number of "active" users (without a shared standard of that activity), others indicate total user accounts, while others indicate only the users logged in during an instance of peak usage. Service User count Date/source AIM 53 million active September 2006 >100 million total January 2006 Jabber 40-50 million total January 2007, based on calculations of Jabber Inc 90 million total Based on calculations of Process-One: Process-One uses ejabberd as Jabber server software. If it is assumed that ejabberd has a 40% market share amongst public and private open source server deployments, there are 50 million users using open source servers. With Jabber Inc's numbers, this adds up to the 90 million number stated here. eBuddy 35 million total October 2006, including 4 million mobile users Windows Live Messenger 294 million active worldwide November 2007 Yahoo! Messenger 22 million total September 2006 QQ 20 million peak online (majority in China) 3 June 2006 221 million "active" (majority in China) 3 June 2006 IBM Lotus Sametime 17 million total (private, in enterprises) November 2007 ICQ 15 million active July 2006 Skype 12 million peak online February 2008 309 million total April 2008 Xfire 10 million total May 2008 MXit 7 million total (>560,000 outside of South Africa) 10 August 2007. Note that these users are part of the Jabber user base as MXit federates with the Jabber network. Gadu-Gadu 5.6 million total June 2006 Paltalk 3.3 million unique visitors per month August 2006 IMVU 1 million total June 2007 Mail.ru Agent 1 million active (daily) September 2006 Meebo 1 million total October 2006 PSYC 1 million active (daily) (majority in Brazil) February 2007. Total count cannot be accurately estimated due to the decentralized nature of the protocol. VZOchat >200,000 October 2007 [edit] IM Language Users sometimes make use of internet slang or text speak to abbreviate common words or expressions in order to quicken conversations or to reduce keystrokes. [edit] See also Comparison of instant messaging clients Comparison of instant messaging protocols Instant messaging manager LAN messenger Text messaging it is a question

What about Skeptics of Buddhism, like us ? Please Patiently read everything.? Buddhism for beginners (and sceptical Westerners) Introduction Now that Buddhism is such a fast-growing religion in the West, a lot of Westerners are attracted to its rational approach and rejection of an all-powerful deity. But all too often we Westerners quickly get stuck on the idea of rebirth and the various cultural traditions that have become a part of Buddhism in Asia. I've been there myself - wondering if rebirth is for real, if karma is scientific, if Buddhism is rational, why I have to bow to a statue, and so on - and I almost gave up at one point. I've noticed also that some Westerners pop up on the Internet looking for others who've converted to Buddhism, hoping they can discover the trick to becoming a Buddhist despite a materialist upbringing. So this page is a mixture of useful resources and my own personal experiences in fully accepting Dharma as a way of life. I hope it will be of some use to others on the same path. •Where should I start? •What is Buddhism? •Are rebirth and karma for real? •What is our purpose in life? •What's the difference between Theravada and Mahayana? •Which tradition should I choose? •How do I become a Buddhist? •Which are good books to read? Where should I start? If there's one place you should not start, it's reincarnation/rebirth. Newcomers to Buddhism tend to open every book at the section on rebirth because what happens to us after we die is all-important in the monotheistic culture we come from. But the Buddha wasn't teaching rebirth as the goal of life. He said many times, "I teach suffering, and the way out of suffering." That was his message, to make nirvana (Pali: nibbana) - the end of suffering - the goal. So the place to start is with the basics, the Four Noble Truths and a practice aimed at reducing suffering. If this seems worthwhile to you, you're on your way. In fact, the best way to start is by doing a lot of reading. You need to know about the basic principles of Buddhism, its founder, its history, the different traditions, and what it can do for you. Even though there's a lot of stuff available free on the Internet, I still think a well-written book is the best way to go. For all of the above, try John Snelling's The Buddhist Handbook : A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History or Gill Farrer-Halls' The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Buddhist Wisdom (which is also a handbook). These two books are both excellent primers to start off with. There's also a short overview titled What is Buddhism? from the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. For inspiring books written by Western monks who really understand Westerners' problems, try Ajahn Sumedho's The Mind and the Way : Buddhist Reflections of Life or Ajahn Jagaro's True Freedom, which is available online: •Chapter 1: True Freedom •Chapter 2: Compassion - The Natural Expression of Awakening •Chapter 3: Buddhism and God •Chapter 4: Beyond Boredom and Depression •Chapter 5: Buddhism and Vegetarianism •Chapter 6: Death and Dying Another book that's a must-read is Thich Nhat Hanh's little-known masterpiece, Old Path, White Clouds : Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha, a beautiful and easy-to-read story of the Buddha's life drawn from accounts in the Pali Canon and illustrated with line drawings. For a thorough explanation of the nuts and bolts of the teachings and practice, check out Ayya Khema's Being Nobody, Going Nowhere : Meditations on the Buddhist Path (very good at showing how ego rules our lives) or Henepola Gunaratana's Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness : Walking the Buddha's Path. There are a lot of good books on Dharma (Pali: Dhamma), but I'd recommend starting of with the original Theravada Buddhism and checking out the Mahayana traditions like Zen and Tibetan when you have a grasp of the basics. What you read will depend on what particular problems brought you to Buddhism in the first place. Some authors, the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh, for example, have written books on anger management. But it's important to practise too. In addition to following the Five Precepts, try practising Right Speech, generosity, compassion, being less self-centred, being less addicted to pleasures of the senses and being less concerned with possessions. And once you have a good grasp of the basic teachings and different traditions, it will be time to start meditating. Your situation in life may affect your practice and progress. If you live near a temple or Buddhist group, you'll be able to listen to Dharma talks, make Dharma friends and be with a community of like-minded people. If you don't, there are always the Internet and Buddhist forums such as E-Sangha and the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. I personally live in a Buddhist country where the majority of people don't understand the deeper teachings of Buddhism, so their focus is on making merit for a better rebirth and participating in ceremonies. So I rely a lot on the Internet, on Amazon and a few friends. I rarely go to temples. What is Buddhism? The following article is from the website of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. The author explains karma and rebirth in the traditionally accepted way and is somewhat sceptical about the origins of the Mahayana sutras, but otherwise it's an excellent overview of Buddhism. Introduction For more than 2,500 years, the religion we know today as Buddhism has been the primary inspiration behind many successful civilizations, the source of great cultural achievements and a lasting and meaningful guide to the very purpose of life for millions of people. Today, large numbers of men and women from diverse backgrounds throughout our world are following the Teachings of the Buddha. So who was the Buddha and what are His Teachings? The Buddha The man who was to become the Buddha was born Siddhattha Gotama around 2,600 years ago as a Prince of a small territory near what is now the Indian-Nepalese border. Though he was raised in splendid comfort, enjoying aristocratic status, no amount of material pleasure could satisify the enquiring and philosophic nature of the young man. At the age of 29 he left palace and family to search for a deeper meaning in the secluded forests and remote mountains of North-East India. He studied under the wisest religious teachers and philosophers of his time, learning all they had to offer, but he found it was not enough. He then struggled alone with the path of self- mortification, taking that practice to the extremes of asceticism, but still to no avail. Then, at the age of 35, on the full moon night of May, he sat beneath the branches of what is now known as the Bodhi Tree, in a secluded grove by the banks of the river Neranjara, and developed his mind in deep but luminous, tranquil meditation. Using the extraordinary clarity of such a mind with its sharp penetrative power generated by states of deep inner stillness, he turned his attention to investigate upon the hidden meanings of mind, universe and life. Thus he gained the supreme Enlightenment experience and from that time on he was known as the Buddha. His Enlightenment consisted of the most profound and all-embracing insight into the nature of mind and all phenomena. This Enlightenment was not a revelation from some divine being, but a discovery made by Himself and based on the deepest level of meditation and the clearest experience of the mind. It meant that He was no longer subject to craving, ill-will and delusion but was free from their shackles, having attained the complete ending of all forms of inner suffering and acquired unshakeable peace. The Teachings of the Buddha Having realized the goal of Perfect Enlightenment, the Buddha spent the next 45 years teaching a Path which, when diligently followed, will take anyone regardless of race, class or gender to that same Perfect Enlightenment. The Teachings about this Path are called the Dhamma, literally meaning "the nature of all things" or "the truth underlying existence". It is beyond the scope of this pamphlet to present a thorough description of all of these Teachings but the following 7 topics will give you an overview of what the Buddha taught: 1. The way of Inquiry The Buddha warned strongly against blind faith and encouraged the way of truthful inquiry. In one of His best known sermons, the Kalama Sutta, the Buddha pointed out the danger in fashioning one's beliefs merely on the following grounds: on hearsay, on tradition, because many others say it is so, on the authority of ancient scriptures, on the word of a supernatural being, or out of trust in one's teachers, elders, or priests. Instead one maintains an open mind and thoroughly investigates one's own experience of life. When one sees for oneself that a particular view agrees with both experience and reason, and leads to the happiness of one and all, then one should accept that view and live up to it! This principle, of course, applies to the Buddha's own Teachings. They should be considered and inquired into using the clarity of mind born of meditation. Only when one sees these Teachings for oneself in the experience of insight, do these Teachings become one's Truth and give blissful liberation. The traveller on the way of inquiry needs the practice of tolerance. Tolerance does not mean that one embraces every idea or view but means one doesn't get angry at what one can't accept. Further along the journey, what one once disagreed with might later be seen to be true. So in the spirit of tolerant inquiry, here are some more of the basic Teachings as the Buddha gave them. 2. The Four Noble Truths The main Teaching of the Buddha focuses not on philosophical speculations about a Creator God or the origin of the universe, or on a heaven world ever after. The Teaching, instead, is centred on the down-to-earth reality of human suffering and the urgent need to find lasting relief from all forms of discontent. The Buddha gave the simile of a man shot by a poison-tipped arrow who, before he would call a doctor to treat him, demanded to know first who shot the arrow and where the arrow was made and of what and by whom and when and where ... this foolish man would surely die before his questions could be well answered. In the same way, the Buddha said, the urgent need of our existence is to find lasting relief from recurrent suffering, which robs us of happiness and leaves us in strife. Philosophical speculations are of secondary importance and, anyway, they are best left until after one has well trained the mind in meditation to the stage where one has the ability to examine the matter clearly and find the Truth for oneself. Thus, the central Teaching of the Buddha, around which all other teachings revolve, is the Four Noble Truths: 1.That all forms of being, human and otherwise, are afflicted with suffering. 2.That the cause of this suffering is Craving, born of the illusion of a soul (see below, note 7). 3.That this suffering has a lasting end in the Experience of Enlightenment (Nibbana) which is the complete letting go of the illusion of soul and all consequent desire and aversion. 4.That this peaceful and blissful Enlightenment is achieved through a gradual training, a Path that is called the Middle Way or the Eightfold Path. It would be mistaken to label this Teaching as 'pessimistic' on the grounds that it begins by centring on suffering. Rather, Buddhism is 'realistic' in that it unflinchingly faces up to the truth of life's many sufferings and it is 'optimistic' in that it shows a final end of the problem of suffering - Nibbana, Enlightenment in this very life! Those who have achieved this ultimate peace are the inspiring examples who demonstrate once and for all that Buddhism is far from pessimistic, but it is a Path to true Happiness. 3. The Middle Way or Eightfold Path The Way to end all suffering is called the Middle Way because it avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. Only when the body is in reasonable comfort but not over-indulged has the mind the clarity and strength to meditate deeply and discover the Truth. This Middle Way consists of the diligent cultivation of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom, which is explained in more detail as the Noble Eightfold Path. 1.Right Understanding 2.Right Thought 3.Right Speech 4.Right Action 5.Right Livelihood 6.Right Effort 7.Right Mindfulness 8.Right Concentration Right Speech, Action and Livelihood constitute the training in Virtue or Morality. For a practising Buddhist it consists of maintaining the five Buddhist Precepts, which are to refrain from: 1.Deliberately causing the death of any living being; 2.Intentionally taking for one's own the property of another; 3.Sexual misconduct, in particular adultery; 4.Lying and breaking promises; 5.Drinking alcohol or taking stupefying drugs which lead to lack of mindfulness. Right Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration refer to the practice of Meditation, which purifies the mind through the experience of blissful states of inner stillness and empowers the mind to penetrate the meaning of life through profound moments of insight. Right Understanding and Thought are the manifestation of Buddha-Wisdom which ends all suffering, transforms the personality and produces unshakeable serenity and tireless compassion. According to the Buddha, without perfecting the practice of Virtue it is impossible to perfect Meditation, and without perfecting Meditation it is impossible to arrive at Enlightenment Wisdom. Thus the Buddhist Path is a Gradual Path, a Middle Way consisting of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom as explained in the Noble Eightfold Path leading to happiness and liberation. 4. Kamma Kamma means 'action'. The Law of Kamma means that there are inescapable results of our actions. There are deeds of body, speech or mind that lead to others' harm, one's own harm, or to the harm of both. Such deeds are called bad (or 'unwholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by greed, hatred or delusion. Because they bring painful results, they should not be done. There are also deeds of body, speech or mind that lead to others' well being, one's own well being, or to the well being of both. Such deeds are called good (or 'wholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by generosity, compassion or wisdom. Because they bring happy results, they should be done as often as possible. Thus much of what one experiences is the result of one's own previous kamma. When misfortune occurs, instead of blaming someone else, one can look for any fault in one's own past conduct. If a fault is found, the experience of its consequences will make one more careful in the future. When happiness occurs, instead of taking it for granted, one can look to see if it is the result of good kamma. If so, the experience of its pleasant results will encourage more good kamma in the future. The Buddha pointed out that no being whatsoever, divine or otherwise, has any power to stop the consequences of good and bad kamma. The fact that one reaps just what one sows gives to the Buddhist a greater incentive to avoid all forms of bad kamma while doing as much good kamma as possible. Though one cannot escape the results of bad kamma, one can lessen their effect. A spoon of salt mixed in a glass of pure water makes the whole very salty, whereas the same spoon of salt mixed in a freshwater lake hardly changes the taste of the water. Similarly, the result of a bad kamma in a person habitually doing only a small amount of good kamma is painful indeed, whereas the result of the same bad kamma in a person habitually doing a great deal of good kamma is only mildly felt. This natural Law of Kamma becomes the force behind, and reason for, the practice of morality and compassion in our society. 5. Rebirth The Buddha remembered clearly many of His past lives. Even today, many Buddhist monks, nuns and others also remember their past lives. Such a strong memory is a result of deep meditation. For those who remember their past life, Rebirth is an established fact which puts this life in a meaningful perspective. The Law of Kamma can only be understood in the framework of many lifetimes, because it sometimes takes this long for Kamma to bear its fruit. Thus Kamma and Rebirth offer a plausible explanation to the obvious inequalities of birth; why some are born into great wealth whereas others are born into pathetic poverty; why some children enter this world healthy and full-limbed whereas others enter deformed and diseased... The fruits of bad Kamma are not regarded as a punishment for evil deeds but as lessons from which to learn, for example, how much better to learn about the need for generosity than to be reborn among the poor! Rebirth takes place not only within this human realm. The Buddha pointed out that the realm of human beings is but one among many. There are many separate heavenly realms and grim lower realms, too, realms of the animals and realms of the ghosts. Not only can human beings go to any of these realms in the next life, but we can come from any of these realms into our present life. This explains a common objection against Rebirth that argues "How can there be Rebirth when there are ten times as many people alive today than there were 50 years ago?" The answer is that people alive today have come from many different realms. Understanding that we can come and go between these different realms, gives us more respect and compassion for the beings in these realms. It is unlikely, for example, that one would exploit animals when one has seen the link of Rebirth that connects them with us. 6. No Creator God The Buddha pointed out that no God or priest nor any other kind of being has the power to interfere in the working out of someone else's Kamma. Buddhism, therefore, teaches the individual to take full responsibility for themselves. For example, if you want to be wealthy then be trustworthy, diligent and frugal, or if you want to live in a heaven realm then always be kind to others. There is no God to ask favours from, or to put it another way there is no corruption possible in the workings of Kamma. Do Buddhists believe that a Supreme Being created the universe? Buddhists would first ask which universe do you mean? This present universe, from the moment of the 'big bang' up to now, is but one among countless millions in Buddhist cosmology. The Buddha gave an estimate of the age of a single universe-cycle of around 37,000 million years, which is quite plausible when compared to modern astrophysics. After one universe- cycle ends another begins, again and again, according to impersonal law. A Creator God is redundant in this scheme. No being is a Supreme Saviour, according to the Buddha, because whether God, human, animal or whatever, all are subject to the Law of Kamma. Even the Buddha had no power to save. He could only point out the Truth so that the wise could see it for themselves. Everyone must take responsibility for their own future well-being, and it is dangerous to give that responsibility to another. 7. The Illusion of Soul The Buddha taught that there is no soul, no essential and permanent core to a living being. Instead, that which we call a 'living being', human or other, can be seen to be but a temporary coming together of many activities and parts - when complete it is called a 'living being', but after the parts separate and the activities cease it is not called a 'living being' anymore. Like an advanced computer assembled of many parts and activities, only when it is complete and performs coherent tasks is it called a 'computer', but after the parts are disconnected and the activities cease it is no longer called a 'computer'. No essential permanent core can be found which we can truly call 'the computer', just so, no essential permanent core can be found which we can call 'the soul'. Yet Rebirth still occurs without a soul. Consider this simile: on a Buddhist shrine one candle, burnt low, is about to expire. A monk takes a new candle and lights it from the old. The old candle dies, the new candle burns bright. What went across from the old candle to the new? There was a causal link but no thing went across! In the same way, there was a causal link between your previous life and your present life, but no soul has gone across. Indeed, the illusion of a soul is said by the Buddha to be the root cause of all human suffering. The illusion of 'soul' manifests as the 'Ego'. The natural unstoppable function of the Ego is to control. Big Egos want to control the world, average Egos try to control their immediate surroundings of home, family and workplace, and almost all Egos strive to control what they take to be their own body and mind. Such control manifests as desire and aversion, it results in a lack of both inner peace and outer harmony. It is this Ego that seeks to acquire possessions, manipulate others and exploit the environment. Its aim is its own happiness but it invariably produces suffering. It craves for satisfaction but it experiences discontent. Such deep- rooted suffering cannot come to an end until one sees, through deep and powerful meditation, that the idea 'me and mine' is no more than a mirage. These seven topics are a sample of what the Buddha taught. Now, to complete this brief sketch of Buddhism, let's look at how these Teachings are practised today. Types of Buddhism One could say that there is only one type of Buddhism and that is the huge collection of Teachings that were spoken by the Buddha. The original Teachings are found in the 'Pali Canon', the ancient scripture of Theravada Buddhism, which is widely accepted as the oldest reliable record of the Buddha's words. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Between 100 to 200 years after the passing away of the Buddha, the Sangha (the monastic community) split over the political question of 'Who runs the Sangha?' A controversy over some monastic rules was decided by a committee of Arahats (fully Enlightened monks or nuns) against the views of the majority of monks. The disgruntled majority resented what they saw as the excessive influence of the small number of Arahats in monastery affairs. From then on, over a period of several decades, the disaffected majority partially succeeded in lowering the exalted status of the Arahat and raising in its place the ideal of the Bodhisattva (an unenlightened being training to be a Buddha). Previously unknown scriptures, supposedly spoken by the Buddha and hidden in the dragon world, then appeared giving a philosophical justification for the superiority of the Bodhisattva over the allegedly 'selfish' Arahat. This group of monks and nuns were first known as the 'Maha Sangha', meaning 'the great (part) of the monastic community'. Later, after impressive development, they called themselves the 'Mahayana', the 'Greater Vehicle' while quite disparagingly calling the older Theravada 'Hinayana', the 'Inferior Vehicle'. Mahayana still retains most of the original teachings of the Buddha (in the Chinese scriptures these are known as the 'Agama' and in the Tibetan version as the 'Kangyur') but these core teachings were mostly overwhelmed by layers of expansive interpretations and wholly new ideas. The Mahayana of China, still vibrant in Taiwan, reflects an earlier phase of this development, the Mahayana of Vietnam, Korea and Japan (mostly Zen) is a later development, and the Mahayana of Tibet and Mongolia is a much later development still. Buddhism's relevance to the world today Today, Buddhism continues to gain ever wider acceptance in many lands far beyond its original home. Here in Australia, many Australians through their own careful choice are adopting Buddhism's peaceful, compassionate and responsible ways. The Buddhist Teaching of the Law of Kamma offers our society a just and incorruptible foundation and reason for the practice of a moral life. It is easy to see how a wider embracing of the Law of Kamma would lead any country towards a stronger, more caring and virtuous society. The Teaching of Rebirth places this present short lifetime of ours in a broader perspective, giving more meaning to the vital events of birth and death. The understanding of Rebirth removes so much of the tragedy and grief surrounding death and turns one's attention to the quality of a lifetime, rather than its mere length. From the very beginning, the practice of meditation has been at the very heart of the Buddhist Way. Today, meditation grows increasingly popular as the proven benefits to both mental and physical well being become more widely known. When stress is shown to be such a major cause of human suffering, the quieting practice of meditation becomes ever more valued. Today's world is too small and vulnerable to live angry and alone, thus the need for tolerance, love and compassion is so very important. These qualities of mind, essential for happiness are formally developed in Buddhist meditation and then diligently put into practice in everyday life. Forgiveness and gentle tolerance, harmlessness and peaceful compassion are well known trademarks of Buddhism, they are given freely and broadly to all kinds of beings, including animals of course, and also, most importantly, to oneself. There is no place for dwelling in guilt or self-hatred in Buddhism, not even a place for feeling guilty about feeling guilty! Teachings and practices such as these are what bring about qualities of gentle kindness and unshakeable serenity, identified with the Buddhist religion for 25 centuries and sorely needed in today's world. In all its long history, no war has ever been fought in the name of Buddhism. It is this peace and this tolerance, growing out of a profound yet reasonable philosophy, which makes Buddhism so vitally relevant to today's world. Are rebirth and karma for real? Is rebirth for real - either as a human or in one of the other realms? This is the question most Westerners ask as soon as they become interested in Buddhism. Karma (Pali: Kamma) - the law of cause and effect - operates across multiple lifetimes, but where's the proof that there is any life other than the current one? It's a complex subject and each tradition has its own explanation. It isn't uncommon for different teachers in the same tradition to have a different take on rebirth. One thing's for sure, there is no scientific proof of rebirth (yet). There are rational explanations, but they all rest on unprovable assumptions. One way to approach the question of rebirth is suggested by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, who says, "You don't have to believe in rebirth, you just have to take it as a working hypothesis." Other teachers, such as Ajahn Summedho, have a similar view, that since we can never know what will happen after death, it makes sense to practise Dharma (Pali: Dhamma) and live this life in the best way possible. Some well-known monks, Ajahn Brahm and P.A. Payutto among them, say that when meditators reach the third or fourth jhana (level of absorbtion) they are able to "read their past lives" as the Buddha did and experience the truth of rebirth. But this ability is by no means universal, even among meditation masters. Another explanation championed by Buddhadasa, Thailand's most revered monk, is that rebirth in a series of physical bodies is "conventional talk" to make the subject understandable for the masses, but in "Dharma talk" what the Buddha really meant was that each life was the arising of the ego in the mind. So we experience "death" and "rebirth" (of the ego) many times each day. Similarly, the six realms of existence all correspond to states of mind. In the same way, the cause and effect of karma can be observed in our own mental states - when we do good deeds it results in a wholesome mental state, when we do bad deeds, we experience unwholesome mental states. This rational explanation of rebirth and karma doesn't necessarily exclude the traditional view. It augments it. What works for me is to take both of them as working hypotheses and practise accordingly. Recalling the Buddha's story about the man shot with a poisoned arrow, if we need to have every detail of the teaching proved to us at the outset, we'll be dead before we start practising. What is our purpose in life? The traditional answer to this is that our purpose is to attain nirvana and stop the endless cycle of rebirths and suffering. But the idea of a general purpose for mankind suggests that someone or something created that purpose, which in turn suggests an omnipotent deity. The way I think of it is that we have no pre-ordained purpose. We evolved, and here we are. Because we also evolved language and conceptual thinking, we got stuck with this concept of a self, an ego that makes us feel separate from everything else. The ego needs constant reassurance of its importance, which is why we cling to our views and defend them fanatically, and why we are constantly criticizing others. Our ego rules our lives. It is terrified of being snuffed out. We handle this in different ways. Some of us have lots of kids so we can feel that a part of us lives on forever through our descendants. Some of us perform heroic deeds so that our names will live on in history forever. Some of us get onto Ripley's Believe It Or Not with the world's longest moustache or beating the world record for smashing melons with our head, or some such nonsense, so that we'll achieve digital immortality. Some of us cling to the idea that a god will give us eternal life in some form after death. For those of us who don't find this pseudo-immortality or unguaranteed immortality satisfying, there's a need to create our own purpose in life. This is where Buddhism fits the bill nicely. Instead of being ruled by the ego and its fears, get rid of it! Being rid of the ego and the suffering it brings is what Ajahn Jagaro called "True Freedom" - a very appealing idea for all of us. If we don't achieve true freedom in this life, we should get another chance in a future life. But simply diminishing the ego and increasing freedom in this life seems like a worthwhile purpose to me. What's the difference between Theravada and Mahayana? To preserve the monastic order, the Buddha set down 227 rules for a bhikkhu (monk) to observe and 311 for a bhikkhuni (nun). Before his death (known as parinirvana) he said that some minor rules could be changed. Within a short time of his passing away there was disagreement over what could be changed and different sects emerged. The more reformist sects later called themselves Mahayana (greater vehicle) and referred to the conservative sects as Hinayana (lesser vehicle). The only conservative sect remaining today is Theravada, which is prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. Theravada recognises the Pali Canon as its scriptures and a variety of ancient Theravadin commentaries. Whereas Theravada spread to the south and east, Mahayana moved to the northwest through what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan and then across Central Asia to China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. For historical reasons, the language of Mahayana scriptures was Sanskrit and that of Theravada was Pali. Hence the difference in spelling of some common Buddhist terms: Nirvana/Nibbana, Sutra/Sutta, Karma/Kamma, Dharma/Damma, etc. Westerners are more familiar with Mahayana Sanskrit terms. Mahayana also has its own scriptures in addition to the Pali Canon, the most important of which is the Lotus Sutra. These sutras are purported to be the Buddha's secret "higher" teachings, which were handed down only to those who were ready for them - an idea emphasised at the beginning of the Lotus Sutra. Apart from a modified monastic code which made monasticism possible in harsh environments such as Tibet, Mahayana emphasises the Bodhisattva Ideal, where a man vows not to achieve final enlightenment until all sentient beings have been saved. So anyone helping others to achieve enlightenment can be considered a bodhisattva. In Theravada, the term bodhisattva usually refers only to the historical Buddha in his previous lives. Historically, some Mahayanists consider Theravadins to be selfish for seeking enlightenment only for themselves, while some Theravadins consider Mahayanists to have deviated from what the Buddha taught. The various sutras and sects of Mahayana reflect different ways of reaching enlightenment appropriate for different people with different levels of ability. Because of this, a number of "mythical" buddhas and bodhisattvas are revered and used as objects of meditation. Theravadins revere only the historical Buddha and only his image is seen in temples. Mahayana tends to emphasise the concept of sunyata (void-ness) in its teachings and tends to have a more specific idea of what passes from rebirth to rebirth (consciousness, comprising awareness and memory). Personally, I found that the more I read about Mahayana and the Tibetan tradition known as Vajrayana, the more I accepted that all sects are going in the same direction and there is no point in considering any one of them better than another. Which tradition should I choose? I suggest reading about Theravada first and then investigating the other traditions to see which suits you best. Your decision may also depend on your Buddhist friends and what is available where you live. As far as I know, the main traditions known in the West are Theravada, Tibetan, Zen, Pure Land and Nichiren. One myth that seems to have grown up over the years is that with Mahayana one can reach enlightenment in one lifetime whereas with Theravada it takes aeons. This notion seems to have been pushed by the Chinese Zen patriarchs, in particular Huang Po, as illustrated in The Zen Teaching of Huang Po. In modern times the idea has been spread by influential author-scholar John Blofeld, who translated Huang Po's works into English and wrote several excellent books on Buddhism. But it all seems pretty ridiculous because how could anyone know how many lives ago any particular person started consciously working towards enlightenment? Blofeld followed Zen and then Tibetan Buddhist Tantrism, describing both as the "Short Path." However, it isn't difficult to see that any tradition that emphasises meditation - as the Buddha did - will be a short path. In the past century, the Thai Forest Tradition is a good example of a Theravadin tradition that produced a number of enlightened masters. According to Blofeld, Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism in particular offer ways of practice to suit people at every level. After all, not everyone has an aptitude for meditation. A lot of people prefer something simpler, such as praying, chanting, various forms of devotion and pilgrimages. He describes Zen and Theravada as "formless," meaning the practice is mostly just you and your mind. But in fact there's a lot more to both than just meditation. Tibetan Buddhism seems to attract Westerners because there are now a lot of Tibetan lamas and monasteries in the West, because of the charisma of the Dalai Lama, because it can be a "Short Path," because of its reputation for developing psychic powers and because of its many varied methods of practice. However, Tibetan Buddhism has absorbed much of the ancient, shamanistic Bon religion of Tibet, so it's wise to read up on Tibet thoroughly before committing to it. Zen attracts Westerners because it's something of a "back to basics" tradition with an emphasis on meditation and very little ritual. Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha, is revered rather than the other mythical buddhas and bodhisattvas of the Mahayana sutras. Although it originated in China, the type of Zen practised in the West is mostly Japanese. Theravada attracts Western practicioners because it is seen as the oldest and purest form of Buddhism, one that reveres only Sakyamuni and in theory concentrates on meditation. The Thai Forest Tradition which developed in the late 1800s was an effort to practise exactly as the Buddha did, wandering in the jungle and meditating in caves. Although the jungle is largely gone now, a number of Westerners joined Ajahn Chah's international monastery in the 1970s and later spread the practice in other countries: Ajahn Jagaro and Ajahn Brahm in Australia, Thanissaro Bhikkhu in the USA and Ajahn Sumedho in the UK. For a brief look at the origins of this tradition, see Thanissaro Bhikkhu's Customs of the Noble Ones. For a more detailed treatment, read Forest Recollections. Pure Land was once widespread in China and is still practised among Chinese around the world. A refined form of Pure Land (Jodo and Shin Jodo) developed in Japan and has spread to the West. Pure Land involves purifying the mind by chanting the name of the Amitabha (Amida) Buddha to gain help in reaching a realm after death from where it is easy to reach enlightenment. On a deeper level, Pure Land equals pure mind and Amitabha represents our own qualities rather than an external saviour. Pure Land is sometimes combined with Zen practice. Nichiren is a homegrown Japanese tradition advocating chanting of a phrase hailing the Lotus Sutra. An offshoot of Nichiren is the lay organisation, Sokka Gakai International. There are a few Buddhist sects and organisations that are controversial in some way, usually because of their founder/leader or his particular beliefs. Before getting involved with Sokka Gakai (SGI), the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), Shugden or Diamond Way (Karma Kagyu), you might want to google for information about their background. How do I become a Buddhist? Although there is a ceremony of taking the Three Refuges (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), there isn't any "conversion" involved and you aren't required to renounce any other religion or beliefs. In fact, it seems to be more of a social statement to show others that you have become a Buddhist. In my opinion, once you accept the Buddha's teachings as a way of life and try to follow the Five Precepts for lay people, you're a Buddhist. For me, this involved a lot of reading Dharma and listening to Dharma talks on the Internet. Rather than read the scriptures (which are often difficult), I chose books by monks and nuns who already had a deep knowledge of Dharma through study and practice, and who had a talent for explaining it. I looked at how Buddhism developed over the millennia and decided to start off with Theravada, which is the original form of Buddhism based on the Pali Canon. Later, I investigated the various Mahayana traditions too. It was obvious to me that reducing the power of the ego to control our lives was a foundation of Buddhism. For my practice, I concentrated on Right Speech (a component of the Noble Eightfold Path) because I thought it would give the fastest results. I expected if I started being nice to people, eventually they'd be nicer to me. That happened, but much more than that. I found myself examining my intentions every time I felt like defending my views, arguing with someone, contradicting them, criticizing them, comparing myself with them or judging them in any way at all. Pretty soon it was obvious that much of what I said or did was designed to boost my sense of self-worth and that "true freedom" was to escape this tyranny of the ego. Later I started meditating, since this is the only way to experience the truth of the teaching rather than just understanding them intellectually. Even though the majority of people born into Buddhism may not meditate, it's essential for the serious Buddhist. Some Westerners have a problem with whether they are or aren't a Buddhist, usually because they still have some belief in god or because they haven't come to believe in rebirth. The following talk by Ajahn Jagaro, a Western monk of the Thai Forest Tradition, will be helpful for anyone asking himself, "Am I a Buddhist?" ________________________________________ Am I a Buddhist? by Ajahn Jagaro Teaching people who have only recently encountered Buddhism I am often asked the question "How do you become a Buddhist?" or "How do you know when you are a Buddhist?" This type of enquiry is indeed healthy and to be encouraged not only amongst those new to Buddhism but also for people born and raised as Buddhists. So go ahead and ask yourself: "Am I a Buddhist?" I expect that there will be many who will answer "Yes" and those who say "No", but I wonder how many will be thinking "Oh ... Ahm,.. I don't know." So let us contemplate this business of being a Buddhist a bit more. To begin our enquiry it may be worthwhile to know what the Buddha said on the matter. The following episode is taken from the Buddhist scriptures (Anguttara Nikaya, Vol IV): "Once, the Lord dwelt amongst the Sakyans in the Banyan Tree Monastery at Kapilavatthu, and while there, Mahanama the Sakyan came to him and asked; "How, Lord, does one become a lay disciple?" "When one has taken refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, then one is a lay disciple". "How, Lord, is a lay disciple virtuous?" "When a lay disciple abstains from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and drinking intoxicants, then he is virtuous." Here the Buddha clearly states that by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha one becomes a disciple or, in modern terminology, a Buddhist. The classical formula of going for refuge, which has been passed down from the time of the Buddha is as follows; Buddham Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Buddha) Dhammam Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Dhamma) Sangham Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Sangha) However one does not become a Buddhist through the mere repetition of these words nor by the performance of any other ceremony ritual or initiation. On the other hand, though one has not performed any ceremony or ritual, one may still be a Buddhist. Put simply, this means that no one can make you a Buddhist nor can anyone stop you from being a Buddhist. It is a volitional choice that one makes when one has sufficient confidence in the Teacher and the Teaching. In the commentaries to the scriptures it explains this as, "It is an act of consciousness devoid of defilements, motivated by confidence in and reverence for the Triple Gem"... Here I would like to relate something of my own experience to help explain this point. When I first came in contact with Buddhism I did not consider myself a religious person. If anything, I thought of myself as an atheist and felt that religion had little relevance to real life. However, I did find the Buddha's Teachings and in particular the practice of meditation very appealing. I had a desire to find out more about it and this lead me into a monastery where I was eventually ordained as a monk. One day a young Thai student, wanting to practise his English, casually asked me "Are you a Buddhist?" But in my mind I wondered whether or not I was a Buddhist. I must confess that it was a strange position to be in - a Buddhist monk who doesn't know whether he is a Buddhist! Yet that situation persisted for over a year before the meaning of both the question and the answer became clear to me. During that year as I continued to study and practise the Dhamma I began to feel very comfortable with the teaching and increasingly confident that this was the way for me. With this came the conscious recognition that I had chosen the Buddha as my Teacher and considered him as the embodiment of the spiritual ideals of peace and liberation. I had also chosen to follow the path contained in his Teaching (the Dhamma) being confident that it would lead to liberation. And while on this path I would seek the guidance and try to emulate the example of all the noble disciples who constitute the Sangha. It was indeed wonderful to discover that I was a Buddhist and not just a Buddhist monk! Now becoming a Buddhist does not mean that one has to either agree with or believe in everything that is taught or practised by all the countless Buddhist sects and groups throughout the world. Nor do we have to believe that it is the only way and that all the other religions are no good. It simply means that having looked at and probed into this teaching of the Buddha, having tried it and having seen that it does work, one has confidence in it and chooses to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and Sangha. However if you are still unsure as to whether you are a Buddhist or you are not, don't worry about it, just keep on practising. With Metta, Jagaro Bhikkhu. ________________________________________ If you found this page useful or have any comments you can contact me at craigo@tale ofgenji.org. [ links | home | bibliography ]

Did you Know White Terror Racist Terrorist Groups in the Heart of the USA? The Bush men decorate our holidays in Homeland Security yellow, orange and red, while demonizing Islamic green as the color of the most implacable foes of Western "civilization." Yet official silence conspires to hide genocidal maniacs in our midst who have sworn to erase the Black presence from the landscape of the United States: White Terror. Tens of thousands of members of a racist legion operate openly in every corner of the nation – men, women, juveniles, extended families, cells, gangs, churches, clans, militias, border armies, all engaged in what they consider to be a war to the death against non-white America. George Bush and John Ashcroft don't want you to hear about White Terror, understandably fearing that the lyrics of white supremacy strike the same racial chords as the Pirates' own War on Terror theme, itself a rearrangement of the many martial tunes written throughout American history in praise Manifest Destiny. Less than a decade ago Timothy McVeigh's band of terrorists got carried away with the logic of America as a White Man's Country, and may have cost the Republicans the White House in 1996. That's why the homeland security colors didn't change in May of this year, when federal agents arrested a white racist couple dealing in weapons of mass destruction in a small town near Tyler, Texas. The feds seized a cyanide bomb capable of unleashing a deadly, poison cloud, chemicals and components for additional WMDs, gas masks, 100 conventional bombs, an arsenal of automatic weapons, silencers and half a million rounds of ammunition. The bust went unreported last Spring, although George Bush was said to have been regularly briefed about the "ongoing" investigation. Finally, the Dallas-Fort Worth CBS affiliate broke the story on November 26, when longtime militiaman and traveling gun merchant William J. Krar and his common-law wife pled guilty to possession of a chemical bomb and lesser charges. Local Channel 11 news producer Todd Bensman thought he had a huge national story on his hands, but CBS network refused to pick up his report. "I guess they didn't think it was important enough," Bensman told David Neiwert, a Seattle-based journalist who has covered right-wing terrorism since 1978. In fact, the national news blackout was near-total, as reported online by The Memory Hole. The only media that saw fit to report about this terrorist plot within the US were a few newspapers and TV stations in Texas. The Web-based news outlet WorldNetDaily ran a story about it, but Google News shows that there hasn't been a word in the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, or any other big media outlet. Why have the media decided that this is a non-story? It's hard to say, but we can say with certainty that if Muslims had been caught with these weapons of mass destruction, fake I.D., gas masks, and books on making explosives, it would've been front-page news for days. A huge array of weapons, ammunition, bomb-making equipment, and racist literature were discovered in the Tyler arrest. The New York Times got around to the story on December 13, not on the news pages, but through a back door Op-Ed article titled "Enemies at Home." Daniel Levitas' piece passed the Times' blandness test. "Americans should question whether the Justice Department is making America's far-right fanatics a serious priority," Levitas wrote. "And with the F.B.I. still struggling to get up to speed on the threat posed by Islamic extremists abroad, it is questionable whether the agency has the manpower to keep tabs on our distinctly American terror cells. There is no accurate way of analyzing the budgets of the F.B.I., Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to discern how much attention is being devoted to right-wing extremists. But in light of the F.B.I.'s poor record in keeping tabs on the militia movement before the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, one wonders whether the agency has the will

Visitation Pre-Trial Questions in Ohio, Please Help!? Me and my ex-bf have a 2.5 yr old son together. He saw my child on and off but my ex and his mom and mom's bf haven't seen him in about 2 months as I was tired of the effect it had on my son. We both live in Ohio btw. My ex filed for visitation and my pre-trial is on the 15th. I do not want visitation for many reasons (read them below). My son lives with me and my husband who has been around since he was about 16 months old and he'll be 3 next month. He is in a stable home and seems so much better off than going back and forth like he was to my ex's plus I've had a lot of problems with them. He is a deadbeat who doesn't work, he's a HS dropout, has a history of theft, domestic violence against me and other women, stalking, burgulary, etc. An investigator I talked to showed me video of his mother and her boyfriend driving up and down our road in private property. This scares me with his past that he will try to nab my child, steal from me, come physically hurt me or my husband. A friend of mine told me to get a restraining order at a domestic violence shelter for my ex and his mother harassing me and other members of my family with letters, emails, text messages, IM's, etc. I get scared they want to take custody of me so I quit responding to anything. Yet I don't think his mom's bf works, or his mom and my ex doesn't work so not sure how they would support my child anyways. Plus my son hasn't been there in over 2 months and never mentions my ex's name (he calls him dada and my husband daddy). Does getting a restraining order put on him before court do anything with setting up supervised visitation for the child? I don't want them around my child and I don't want them involved in his life. I also want to get my son's name change and possibly adopted so I don't want them to have visitation with him. He and his mother are mentally unstable and I don't want his image rubbing off on my son. He is a criminal convicted of many charges, in and out of jail, doesn't work, never got his GED, and I think my son is too young to be yo-yo'ed back and forth like a toy. Plus him and his mother harass me and my family and much of it is insults about me, my family, my husband, etc. If I HAVE to have visitation, I would want it to be supervised but the attorney I talked to told me I would have to pay it. Plus I don't want to drive (me and my ex live 50 miles away) being that he is not paying support and our money is tight as it is. Does Legal Aid do anything with slander and emotional distress? It's like a daily headache dealing with the new blog he writes online about me or letter my family gets. It's like they are trying to tear me and my family apart and hurt my new marriage. This is hard and stressful to me, my family, and my new marriage to deal with this drama along with the responsibility of keeping up a home and family. I don't want this situation to affect my marriage and family and I think they use my son as an excuse to harass me especially about things involving my personal life which have nothing to do with my parenting. His mother sent me over 1500 emails, wrote letters to family members locally and out of state, sent postcards degrading me to my mother's job stating I run a **ore house, etc. (totally untrue btw) as well as threats such as father's and grandparent rights from both of them. Her bf also calls to pick up my son and I don't want ANY of them contacting me. My ex already had 3 or 4 restraining orders placed against him-3 from ex's and one from an ex's new bf which was dropped, so I am hoping it will be easy to get. Please help!! How should I word things on the orders and I hope they will not allow visitation to my son. Anyone have any advice or been in a similar situation?? Here is background about my ex and his family: I had a son who is 2.5 with my ex-bf and I am going through a stressful situation. My ex is a crazy, mentally unstable, high school drop out and I've had nothing but problems with him and his family (especially after I found someone else). They tape record phone calls, video tape you and take pics of your car, home, etc. get background reports on you, etc. I have over 1500 emails or so from my ex's mother even after me and her son broke up. I want to change my son's last and middle names (I was stupid and gave him my ex's last name and part of his 1st and middle in my son's middle name). I am now married to a great guy who is a great father to my son. My husband works 7 days a week to support us. I graduated college last summer and work part time looking for a full time job. My ex is convicted of burgulary, menancing by stalking (to the the girl he left me for lol) and felony theft. I was called by a senior special agent (criminal investigations) to talk to him and he showed me video of my ex's mother and her bf driving up and down our road and I moved 70 miles away from my mom's house and it's 50 miles or so from my ex's with my husband. My ex isn't going to change his ways, he's hardly worked his whole life plus he isn't stable in women, emotions, opinions, etc. The parenting classes is a good idea. Not sure why I can't sue for emotional distress. Slander-he is trying to ruin the reputation of me, my family, and the relationships I have with them and my new husband. That is uncalled for and has nothing to do with my son but about them trying to have control. He's had almost 4 restraining orders on him-so I'm not the 1st. So I can ask in court for him to reliquence his rights? Hmmm I doubt he will but would love if he would or that the court would decide that I save all info. like that and I am tired of being harassed. He even calls when I don't have my son demanding to talk to him and that even when I'm at work-something he knows nothing about-and it's uncalled for. I need some time away from my son and they must think he is glued to me 24/7.

How many receipt-less voting machines are used nation-wide? Search:GEMS Diebold optical scan machines are being rigged for Bush Skull & Bones connection of Bush & Kerry: "Our Side (Race) won" Fraternity News (www.wikipedia.com_skull_and_bones) Poll Tapes thrown away - Against Federal Law (must be kept for 22 mos. by law) Hacking Democracy: Diebold (Voting Machine Software) Chairman 'promises' Vote for Ohio to G.W. Bush http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/8/114.html "Why weren't voting systems being tested for Security?" - I.T.A. Independent auditors of election software. Democracy: Can we trust systems that have no accountability? * With electronic voting machines tabulating more than 80 percent of the ballots cast in America, * Seattle grandmother Bev Harris set out to determine the obvious: Do they work? * Based on the evidence presented here, the answer is "not really" * The picture that emerges as Harris unearths a treasure trove of info about mishandled votes and the inner workings of the machines is that they're not only fallible but also highly vulnerable to hacking. http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/8/114.html * This wonderful documentary proves my point that we have the best democracy that money can buy * along with our judicial system. * This film is more frightening than any horror film I've seen, because THIS IS REAL! * And this is movie biased? * Not at all. * It's an absolute eye opener that shows that your vote really doesn't count; and make sure you watch the deleted scenes(another 33 minutes of fantastic footage). Mainstream News Reports Black Box Voting » Latest News » Mainstream News Reports « Previous Next » Thread Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post Dean Logan Says Unaffiliated WriteIns will be Checkedchristine c reid14 1 2-15-08 10:34 am New York Times re Holt BillV. Kurt Bellman26 1 2-8-08 1:57 pm AP Incorrectly calls Missouri for ClintonBill Bowen1 1 2-7-08 8:04 am San Fran CA-KSFO-AM reports Repub registration problemsNancy Tobi9 1 2-7-08 5:49 am Massachusetts results via your friends at LHSMike LaBonte10 1 2-7-08 5:24 am NJ Voting delay included Gov. CorzineMichael W Mather2 1 2-6-08 1:17 pm (CA) 2/08 - Voting machine probs delay Sacramento countPerry Duke9 1 2-5-08 6:34 pm (FL) 1/08 - More Florida voting machine problemsHal Guentert8 1 2-2-08 7:19 pm (FL) 1/08 - Final Florida results inkaren reineke11 1 2-1-08 4:25 pm (CO) 1/15 Democrats Ask Coffman to ResignFran Fleming1 1 2-1-08 9:41 am (FL) 1/08 - Problems already with voting machinesBev Harris 1 1 1-29-08 10:08 am (CO) Paper ballots win over RitterCatherine Ansbro3 1 1-29-08 2:16 am (MI) 12/07 - Proposition for new way to do primaries NEWS: Reform pres. candidate selection processCatherine Ansbro11 1 1-29-08 2:14 am Americans Abroad Can Now Vote Onlinesam lark7 1 1-26-08 3:49 pm (SC) 1/19/08 - Problems at polling locationsts taylor4 1 1-24-08 9:16 pm Feedback appreciated as this unfolds...Bruce Sims2 1 1-24-08 1:52 pm (Ohio) ACLU files suit to block paper ballots New paper ballots ca...Roger Wood20 2 1-20-08 9:43 pm REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER: Election Fraud RoundtableV. Kurt Bellman10 1 1-18-08 7:05 am (CO) Legislators lose their confidence in CoffmanCatherine Ansbro13 1 1-17-08 4:01 pm Olbermann Report !! On Voting Sue West6 1 1-17-08 3:53 pm GOP Figure Contracted to Deliver E-Voting Machines in MarylandAlex Laflamme1 1 1-17-08 9:43 am (NH) Experts skeptical of N.H. ballot-count conspiracy theoryBill Bowen60 1 1-16-08 10:37 pm Making votes countFran Fleming2 1 1-16-08 12:00 pm Ron Paul says in regard to New Hampshire voteDavid Evans1 1 1-13-08 8:32 am Diebold Changing its Buisness name Catherine Ansbro2 1 1-12-08 5:20 am (NH) 1/08 - Man plans recount of Republican vote in N.H. primary...Russell Novkov7 1 1-11-08 11:03 pm (TX) 10/07 - Another corrupt official, election tampering Refugio County - "Trust Me" failureCatherine Ansbro4 1 1-11-08 6:47 pm (FL) 9/07 - Volusia County again -- lots of defective memory cards... Volusia County - Voting system: Incident reportsWilliam Reese2 1 1-8-08 9:19 pm (FL) 10/07 - New machines, still not enough safeguards State of Florida - Voting systems: Transition to optical scan, issuesDon Powers2 1 1-8-08 12:00 am PC Magazine Article 09/12/07Don Powers2 1 1-7-08 10:45 pm (US) Can You Count On These Machines?Bev Harris 21 1 1-7-08 6:18 pm (US) Problems At Poll Permeate U.S. Political ProcessV. Kurt Bellman76 1 1-5-08 4:57 pm Legal Voters Thrown Off RollsV. Kurt Bellman7 1 1-3-08 11:15 am CNN: On the eve of Iowa caucus, some states give e-voting an 'F'...Russell Novkov2 1 1-2-08 3:42 pm (TX) 11/07 - Wharton County GOP will use paper ballots in primary... NEWS: Follow up on vote-flipping incidentLore2 1 1-1-08 3:35 pm (KY) 10/7 - Candidate for elections chief pleads guilty to forgery... Boone County - "Trust Me" FailureKathleen Wynne49 1 12-26-07 2:49 pm (US) 12/07 - FEC doors shut, 'No one left to answer phones'...Alan Brau4 1 12-25-07 8:29 pm (CO) 12/07 - Boulder: Stray marks caused decertificationBev Harris 1 1 12-23-07 9:49 pm (CO) 12/07 - Mesa: Commission defiant on vote machines NEWS: Resisting Colorado decertificationFran Fleming5 1 12-22-07 1:34 pm (AK) 12/07 - Impossible to tell whether 2004 count correct NEWS - Follow up on AZ Dem Party litigationBev Harris 1 1 12-21-07 7:05 am (CO) 12/07 - Denver: Voting gear out for count NEWS: Colo. decertification of Sequoia Julio Edwards1 1 12-18-07 6:41 am (US) 12/07 - Congressional watch tool for citizens PRESS RELEASE: New Freedom of Information toolBev Harris 1 1 12-11-07 7:20 am (PA) 11/07 - Philadelphia: Voter Fraud Allegations Again NEWS: Absentee ballot fraud allegationsV. Kurt Bellman21 1 12-7-07 2:02 pm (NJ) 12/07 - 'We are Neanderthals' - paper trail delayed again... NEWS: New Jersey paper trail statusBobby Arnold2 1 12-6-07 3:20 am (OH) 11/07 - Franklin County: Former elections official charged... NEWS: Election official corruptionBev Harris 2 1 12-2-07 7:50 am (OH) 11/07 - Township results flipped because of error (Lawrence Co... Lawrence County: Voting systems - Incident ReportBev Harris 4 1 11-23-07 2:00 pm (CT) 11/07 - Diebold/Premier machine miscount changes winner Greenwich: Voting systems - Incident reportsCatherine Ansbro4 1 11-23-07 1:47 pm (MS) 11/07 - New election ordered for Louise Linzy race Tunica County: Election incidentsBev Harris 1 1 11-22-07 9:05 pm (NH) 11/07 - It's official: Jan. 8 primary date State of New Hampshire: PrimariesBev Harris 1 1 11-22-07 8:28 pm (CA) 11/07 - Sec. State Bowen sues ES&S for $15 million State of California: Voting systems, ES&SBev Harris 3 1 11-21-07 9:09 pm (MI) 11/07 - It's back on: Mich. primary will proceed... State of Michigan: Primaries, Freedom of InformationBev Harris 1 1 11-21-07 10:38 am (MI) 11/07 - Michigan primary may not happen State of Michigan: Primaries, Freedom of Information Bev Harris 1 1 11-20-07 7:22 pm (NH) 11/07 - Pres primary date STILL not certain State of New Hampshire: PrimariesBev Harris 1 1 11-20-07 7:06 pm (OH) 11/07 - Provisionals may alter outcome Clermont County: Provisional ballotsBev Harris 1 1 11-19-07 5:54 pm (TX) 11/07 - Alteration of live election data in Harris County... Harris County: Voting systems, "Trust Me"Russell Novkov12 1 11-15-07 9:18 pm (US) 11/07 - Sequoia voting systems under new ownership US - VendorsBev Harris 1 1 11-9-07 6:39 am (OH) 11/07 - Polls open later in ES&S location Putnam County - Voting Machines: Incident ReportsPatricia Berg1 1 11-7-07 4:34 am (FL) 10/07 - Appeals court rules The People "moot" Sarasota County - LitigationBev Harris 1 1 11-2-07 8:02 am (CT) 10/07 - Candidate's company will transport voting machines... New Britain - Chain of CustodyBev Harris 1 1 10-29-07 11:22 am (IN) 10/07 - Polling locations reduced to four "vote centers"... Tippecanoe County - Access to PollsBev Harris 1 1 10-29-07 8:12 am (FL) 10/07 - Wrong Ballots Sent To Miami Absentee Voters Miami-Dade County - Absentee / Mail-in Incident ReportBrant Lamb13 1 10-22-07 11:34 am (PA) 10/07 - County replacing WinVote Lackawanna County - Voting systems: Procurement Alan Brau43 1 10-18-07 7:56 pm (US) 9/07 - E-vote industry massaging itself in the media Voting systems: Security / Chain of CustodyBev Harris 52 1 10-14-07 11:07 am (OH) 10/07 - A funeral for a presidential election State of Ohio - Compliance, enforcement issuesAlan Brau3 1 10-11-07 4:32 pm (FL) 10/07 - Peculiar excuses block accountability for primary Martin County - Compliance issue: Resisting paper trailBev Harris 1 1 10-11-07 7:12 am (TX) 9/07 - Hilarious but improper: video of lawmakers cheat-voting... State of Texas - Noncompliance, enforcement issues with legislator voting rulesBrant Lamb11 1 10-3-07 5:06 am (FL) 10/07 - FL-13 testing continues... Sarasota County - Voting system: Review & testing due to incident reportsRussell Novkov2 1 10-2-07 7:57 pm (IN) 10/07 - Belly-up vendor, in come different machines Randolph County - Voting systems: ProcurementBev Harris 1 1 10-2-07 7:57 pm (FL) 10/07 - FL-13 report imminent Sarasota County - Voting system: Review & testing due to incident reportsBev Harris 1 1 10-2-07 7:46 pm (US) 9/07 - If MS Excel bug = math errors, trust e-voting? US - Computer program: Incident reportBev Harris 1 1 10-2-07 7:38 pm (NC) 9/07 - The registrar's secret lair Montgomery County - Chain of custodyBev Harris 1 1 10-1-07 4:12 pm (NJ) 9/07 - Judge stalls on paper trail Mercer County - Compliance issue: Resisting paper trailBev Harris 1 1 10-1-07 3:46 pm (US) 9/07 - Less than 1/2 of military overseas votes counted US - Absentee / mail-in voting: Incidents, access problemsBev Harris 6 1 9-30-07 3:17 pm (GA) 9/07 - What's the punishment for throwing out 93,000 voter reg... Fulton County - Chain of custody / Privacy protection issuesBev Harris 1 1 9-28-07 9:12 am (US) 9/07 - Gird for massive new voting machine purchases: New stan... US - Voting systems: Standards, certification, procurementBrant Lamb16 1 9-27-07 5:02 am (PA) 9/07 County Commissioners' Assocation Opposes HR811 State of Pennsylvania - LegislationSamuel Scharff32 1 9-24-07 11:29 pm (CT) 9/07 - Voting rights activists express disappointment at CT s... State of Connecticut - Voting systems: Security Catherine Ansbro2 1 9-22-07 6:36 pm (NV) 9/07 - County to "prove Sequioa machines are secure"... Washoe County - Voting systems: SecurityBev Harris 1 1 9-22-07 9:43 am (IL) 9/07 - Indictment: Teamster Union vote rigging Teamster's Union [Chicago] - "Trust Me" failureBev Harris 1 1 9-8-07 4:48 pm (US) 2007 National news archive (see state foru... 130 24 10-11-07 12:25 pm (US) 2006 National news archive (see state foru... 482 60 10-11-07 12:25 pm (US) 2005 National news archive (see state foru... 310 152 10-11-07 12:24 pm (US) 2004 National news archive (see state forums for state news)... 77 42 10-11-07 12:24 pm Start New Thread http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/1954.html Thread Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post 2-5-08: What to watch for -- and do -- during & after Super Power T...allenfly15 1 2-12-08 12:32 am 1-29-08: Citizen's Guide to Following Vote Transport VehiclesJoel Morine31 1 2-10-08 7:18 am 1-29-08: Questions unfolding throughout New HampshireB Lindsey57 1 2-12-08 5:53 pm 1-24-08: Now posting - New Hampshire video evidenceNancy Tobi47 1 1-31-08 6:59 am 1-20-08: Holes hidden in plain sightCatherine Ansbro77 1 1-27-08 11:24 am 1-17-08: Ballot boxes found slit; NH stops putting ballots in vault; christine c reid264 1 2-13-08 8:21 pm 1-16-08: How New Hampshire is sizing upBrant Lamb172 1 2-4-08 4:39 am 1-15-08: Can recount chain of custody be rescued?Michael W Mather29 1 1-17-08 9:02 pm 1-12-08: Red Flags over New HampshireBrant Lamb153 1 1-22-08 4:41 am 1-10-08: Kucinich stepping into trap with recount?Catherine Ansbro138 1 1-15-08 12:56 pm 1-9-08: New England voting machine firm has executive criminal recordrush40 1 1-17-08 8:37 am 1-7-08: Silvestro the Cat & New Hampshire ElectionsBrett Woodward161 1 1-14-08 11:36 am 1-4-08: Eh? Iowa Republicans STILL missing 65 precincts in resultsJoel Morine41 1 1-9-08 4:04 am 1-3-08: What to do! Iowa Caucus instructions for everyoneChism Haworth26 1 1-4-08 3:09 pm 12-30-07: New problems identified with Iowa caucuses!David Luebbers48 1 1-13-08 4:16 am 12-14-07: UPDATE on Iowa Caucus ProceduresBev Harris 14 1 1-1-08 7:21 pm 11-29-07: MOONSHINE AMERICA – Collapse of the "Trust Me" modelJohn Dean15 1 1-13-08 1:06 pm 11-12-07: Unauthorized vote alterations on Texas iVotronic voting m...Bev Harris 8 1 11-16-07 4:06 pm 10-4-07: Connecticut Mayoral Scuffle Bev Harris 8 1 10-11-07 2:40 pm 9-19-07: Moonshine Elections 2 - Family Run GovermentJim March3 1 9-26-07 12:54 am 9-6-07: Moonshine Elections - The Hunt for Joe BoltonCatherine Ansbro15 1 9-14-07 9:36 pm 8-14-07: Moonshine Elections - Kentucky seriesBev Harris 4 1 9-14-07 7:38 am 8-3-07: California Decertifies, Boots InkaVote out of L.A. for goodBev Harris 15 1 8-6-07 1:31 pm 7-30-07: An Open Letter to Calif. Secretary of State BowenMark E. Smith18 1 8-7-07 9:33 am 7-17-07: HBO film on secret vote counting gets Emmy nominationRussell Novkov2 1 7-17-07 8:12 pm 7-13-07: Riverside proud to be dropped from "Top 2 Worst Places to ...Bev Harris 1 1 7-13-07 12:20 pm 7-12-07: California court may punish county for election records de...Russell Novkov2 1 7-12-07 9:04 pm 7-5-07: Debate w. a Chair #3: Will new elections "audits" help or h...Brant Lamb187 1 8-2-07 4:24 am 7-2-07: A preview on the audit debateV. Kurt Bellman62 1 7-7-07 1:39 pm 6-29-07: Debate with a Chair #2: Is no bill worse than a flawed bill?Udar Koschka35 2 7-21-07 6:04 am 6-28-07: Debate with a Chair (Part 1)Catherine Ansbro33 1 10-14-07 9:56 am 6-25-07: New Hampshire Sec. State rebukes attack on NH campaign fin...Bruce Sims12 1 6-27-07 10:39 am 6-10-07: Kucinich abandons support; for Holt Bill HR 811Catherine Ansbro13 1 6-24-07 2:30 am 5-30-07: (Calif.) The Voting Rights Obstacle Course - And the winne...Tom Courbat12 1 6-2-07 11:25 am 5-17-07: You have 2 weeks to restore your inalienable right to kic...Brant Lamb42 1 6-5-07 5:12 am 5-11-07: Uh-Oh -- HAMMERTIME! John C. Ervin12 1 6-14-07 2:54 am 5-8-07: U.S. Experiment Ready to Sail (Holt Bill out of committee)...Brant Lamb4 1 5-11-07 12:28 pm 4-9-07: Two voting products combine to steal your political privacyJohn Washburn23 1 4-26-07 2:13 pm 3-27-07 - Elections give you: The judge, the prosecutor and the she...Bev Harris 49 1 6-7-07 6:32 am 3-14-07: Riverside Rides Again ...Bev Harris 7 1 4-9-07 8:13 pm 3-9-07: The Black Box Voting Web site is changingVickie Karp16 1 3-21-07 6:03 am 2-20-07: Voting machines as a Ponzi SchemeBev Harris 77 1 3-16-07 3:48 pm 2-14-07: America's Funny Valentine - What is this romance with mach...Troy Seman2 1 2-15-07 12:14 pm 2-13-07: Agreement among groups as to Essential Revisions to HR 811Bob Roberts15 2 3-2-07 9:44 pm 2-8-07: Beware of the Bandwagon -- A concise list of problems with ...John C. Ervin12 1 2-14-07 5:48 pm 2-7-07: The Vu Memos - Cuyahoga Elections Director conversations wi...Catherine Ansbro5 1 2-8-07 2:01 pm 2-7-07: Son of Holt Bill: TechnoElection Dream Come True (But is it...Catherine Ansbro22 1 2-10-07 6:14 pm 2-6-07: New Rush Holt Bill Bev Harris4 1 2-6-07 10:42 am 2-5-07: Convicted Ohio elections workers ask for new trialKathleen Wynne6 1 2-6-07 7:38 am 2-1-07: Arizona computer logs show cheat-peeks at results, days bef...Gentry Lange4 1 3-16-07 8:43 am 1-30-07: HAVA -- The road to Boondoggle was paved with good intenti...Brant Lamb18 1 2-5-07 5:13 am 1-24-07: Two Ohio election workers found guilty; supervisors get of...Brant Lamb19 1 1-31-07 7:40 am 1-22-07: Diebold voting machines cost $2,000 more (each) in New Ham...Bev Harris4 1 1-29-07 9:09 am 1-20-07: Reports from the front lines - Kathleen Wynne video 'Best ...Kathleen Wynne7 1 1-21-07 3:39 pm 1-9-07: Vendor issues raised in Ohio, New HampshireBev Harris3 1 1-10-07 2:55 pm 12-30-06: Sign the REQUEST BY VOTERS --- Dear American Patriot, Samuel Scharff21 1 1-12-07 1:44 pm 12-22-06: Let's get down to the root of the problem: Freedom of Acc...Bev Harris1 1 12-22-06 3:23 pm 12-5-06: Government rejects NIST recommendations for paper trailCatherine Ansbro25 1 12-9-06 1:32 pm 11-22-06: ES&S serves up a Texas Turkey - Voting system stuffed wit...Greg Bodovsky15 1 12-13-06 7:43 pm 11-21-06: ES&S problem hit 34 counties in TexasBrant Lamb7 1 2-15-07 5:50 am 11-20-06: Black Box Voting receives new legal threats from ES&SJeffrey Ortiz21 1 12-13-06 7:34 pm 11-14-06: Arizona manual audit a farceDan Oetting9 1 11-18-06 2:39 pm 11-13-06: Sarasota! Florida! Never doubt that a small group of comm...Pat Vesely19 1 11-22-06 11:26 pm 11-13-06: Yes, the files on Slashdot are legit.Bev Harris23 1 11-27-06 6:48 am 11-9-06: A quick update on doingsBob Dean15 2 11-14-06 6:08 am 11-8-06: Rumsfeld replacement (Robert Gates) was director of voting...Bev Harris 93 2 1-6-08 8:49 am 11-8-06: The Sarasota Anomaly: Some say this is a smoking gun:Catherine Ansbro18 1 11-19-06 3:11 am 11-8-06: Black Box Voting to help citizens audit VIRGINIARoberta McKnight19 1 11-10-06 5:36 pm 11-7-06: What to expect -- and look for -- in the 2006 electionJanine L. 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Hurley6 1 7-12-06 8:37 am 07-08-06: Citizen Oversight - Pay Special Attention to Missing ItemsJody Holder19 1 7-12-06 4:20 pm 7-04-06: Black Box Voting's Declaration of IndependenceBev Harris19 1 7-15-06 1:40 pm Fourth of July Fireworks: Unredacted Hursti reports, photos releasedBrant Lamb44 1 7-12-06 5:20 am 6-27-06: Whatever happens in Utah elections - Capture on camera, audioV. Kurt Bellman11 1 6-29-06 10:44 am 6-26-06: The ultimate insult: Paper ballots entered into touch-screensTom Courbat16 1 6-28-06 1:42 pm 6-22-06: A 'Plan B' for voting machines: The National Hand Count Re...Bev Harris7 1 6-24-06 11:43 am 6-15-06: Solutions through citizen oversightBrant Lamb52 1 7-25-06 7:19 pm 6-12-06: Trouble seeks trouble - King County elections chief goes t...Tom Courbat8 1 6-21-06 6:08 pm 6-6-06: Hear the train a'comin' , Comin' round the bendBrant Lamb12 1 6-9-06 10:14 am 6-5-06: Citizens -- Here's how to watchdog electionBev Harris13 1 6-6-06 12:37 pm 5-23-06: Supplmental report adds new concerns to Hursti IIBev Harris51 1 7-1-06 10:49 am 5-19-06: Substitute 'L' for 'D' - Diebold claims Utah tests failed...Kathleen Wynne16 1 6-27-06 6:26 am 5-11-06: Three-level security flaws found in Diebold touch-screensRobert Sawdey182 1 6-7-06 11:52 am 5-10-06: Update on TSx reportCatherine Ansbro5 1 5-11-06 4:47 pm 5-10-06: As the Emery County findings evolve: Diebold's and Georgia...Joseph Hall5 1 5-11-06 2:15 pm 5-9-06: The Ohio Election BackwashAdele Eisner34 1 8-2-06 3:26 pm 5-4-06: Touch-screens fail security tests, Diebold retaliatessuhkara a yahweh`16 1 5-9-06 9:15 pm 5-4-06: Your chance to get evidence: WV, NE, KY, OR, PABev Harris1 1 5-4-06 9:13 am 5-2-06: Is the 2006 election train still on its tracks?John Washburn26 1 5-12-06 3:29 pm 4-24-06: Diebold whistleblower Stephen Heller compared to Daniel El...Russell Novkov2 1 4-24-06 3:06 pm 4-13-06: Last transcript - Calif. ITA hearings.John Washburn3 1 4-14-06 9:20 am 4-8-06: Why the Rush Holt bill (H.B. 550) is dangerousJonathan104 1 5-16-06 2:46 am 4-6-06: Utah Lt. Governor's office admits: some Diebold serial numb...ed hill32 1 4-10-06 7:24 pm 4-5-06: Transcript: Wyle Labs thinks Hursti Hack means 'the system ...John Washburn11 1 4-6-06 7:59 am 4-4-06: More Voting Machine Test Lab TranscriptsBev Harris12 1 4-6-06 11:32 pm 4-3-06: ALERT - elections officials: Diebold making 'visits' to you...Bruce Sims5 1 4-4-06 11:08 am 3-31-06: Bravissima! Calif. Senate Elections Committee grills two ...Catherine Ansbro28 1 4-12-06 1:59 pm 3-29-06: FL Attorney General Hits Voting Machine Vendors With Inves...Bev Harris4 1 3-30-06 10:39 am 3-28-06: BBV EXCLUSIVE - Diebold attempts to explain TSx memory def...Bev Harris34 1 4-3-06 9:17 am 03-18-06: BBV EXCLUSIVE - Diebold TSx touch-screen study (Part I)...Joseph Hall50 1 4-7-06 10:29 am 3-17-2006: New Black Box Voting report to be issued on Diebold TSx ...Jody Holder11 1 3-19-06 11:34 pm 3-11-06: The Stephen Heller Legal Defense FundJohn Washburn6 1 3-12-06 8:23 pm 3-8-06: Ion Sancho pits his lawyers against DieboldPat Vesely10 1 3-14-06 2:02 pm 3-3-06: While Florida vindicates Ion Sancho, Jeb Bush threatens Sa...Daniel R Spak29 1 3-19-06 5:45 pm 2-28-06: Take action NOW: Bullies pounding on whistleblowerRobert Sawdey11 1 3-9-06 5:47 pm 2-23-06: Someone accessed 40 Palm Beach County voting machines Nov ...Bev Harris110 1 3-9-06 7:30 am 2-21-06: An open letter to Bruce McPherson and the citizens of the ...Joycelynn Straight22 1 2-27-06 9:01 pm 2-17-06: BREAKING: Calif. Sec. State certifies entire Diebold produ...Bev Harris52 1 4-3-06 10:20 am 2-17-06: Election family tree: Who got us into this and how did the...Catherine Ansbro4 1 3-30-06 10:40 am 2-11-06: Voting machine examiners chickening out on Senate investig...Ron Crane24 1 2-18-06 1:27 pm 2-6-06: Landes takes e-voting to Supreme CourtV. Kurt Bellman24 1 4-19-06 10:33 am 2-6-06: Diebold agrees to waive proprietary claims to GEMS database...Marian Beddill12 1 2-11-06 1:38 pm 2-5-06: What protects your personal information once it enters e-el...Paul Lehto70 1 7-21-06 1:17 pm 2-2-06: Embezzler Jeff Dean remote accessed Calif. counties for 200...Kathleen Wynne4 1 2-2-06 8:38 am 2-1-06: Voting system examiners blocked from telling what they know?Byron Hale21 1 2-6-06 3:16 am 1-31-06: Diebold anticipates $100 to $125 million in 2006 voting sy...Bev Harris1 1 1-31-06 8:56 am 1-26-06: Elections Programmer Jeff Dean worked for same firm as for...Bev Harris25 1 1-27-06 12:45 pm 1-24-06: Public Records Get The Big Chill: Alaska's Voters vs Diebo...Jim March5 1 1-31-06 2:29 pm 1-13-06: ES&S reneges on Leon County deal 2 days before HAVA deadl...Catherine Ansbro33 1 1-17-06 1:20 am 1-9-2006: DuPage County Elections paid $30,000 to Republican politi...Bev Harris12 1 2-3-06 8:20 am 1-5-06: Wisconsin moves toward public source, then guts itJohn Washburn10 1 1-5-06 4:21 pm 1-3-2006: Hold on to your lugnuts, ES&S and Sequoia may risk Hurst...Brant Lamb33 1 1-25-06 4:56 am 12-30-05: Roll up your sleeves, we ain't done yet!BBV Admin1 1 12-30-05 4:26 pm 12-28-2005: Pennsylvania declines some Diebold but reveals an odd biasArnold Peckerman24 1 12-31-05 2:17 pm 12-23-05: ES&S under fire in CaliforniaEdward Robles5 1 12-26-05 5:36 am 12-20-05: California 'Hack' test stalled as Diebold certification d...Brant Lamb116 1 1-25-06 1:27 pm 12-13-05: Devastating hack proven - Leon County dumps DieboldSamuel Scharff97 1 5-29-06 9:25 pm 12-9-05: Diebold hack test -- Sec. State / Black Box lawyer square offJim March6 1 12-12-05 3:01 pm 12-7-05: Diebold stockholder suit - here's some ammoJim March7 1 12-8-05 9:37 am 12-4-05: 'Leave it up to us, we know best' say officialsBBV Admin27 2 12-15-05 4:17 am 11-30-05: Nope, the hack test won't be todayCatherine Ansbro25 1 1-3-06 12:51 am 11-28-05: Latest on California hack situationBruce Sims45 1 11-30-05 4:40 pm 11-24-05: Turkey Day leftovers: No thanks for stuffing elections wi...Edward Robles2 1 11-27-05 7:55 am 11-23-05: Flag on the play - Calif. Sec. State official calls foul ...Catherine Ansbro17 1 11-29-05 10:18 am 11-22-05: California invites Black Box Voting to hack Diebold votin...John Washburn31 1 12-9-05 8:23 am 11-22-2005: Updates on felons - Jeffrey Dean and John ElderBBV Admin7 1 11-22-05 9:37 am 11-21-05: Diebold violates court orderBBV Admin10 1 11-28-05 8:27 am 11-18-05: Fasten your seatbelts - It's time to bring this thing in ...Edward Robles7 1 11-27-05 9:12 am 11-15-05: FEC Investigating rapper P. Diddy (but not Blackwell or M...Edward Robles5 1 11-27-05 9:16 am 11-13-05: Detroit, Michigan elections are now a significant concernBBV Admin11 1 11-23-05 5:16 am 11-9-05: Los Angeles County has the dog & pony show downEdward Robles2 1 11-27-05 9:33 am 11-8-05: Share your observations on voting today hereKathleen Wynne10 1 11-10-05 9:15 am 11-6-05: Two state elections heads resign in FloridaBBV Admin6 1 11-6-05 5:11 am 11-4-05: Mail-in votes at higher risk with Diebold systemsBBV Admin1 1 11-4-05 8:00 am 11-3-05: The first public examination under the 15004 lawJohn Washburn5 1 11-6-05 6:41 am 10-28-05: Blackwell Blunders on Voting Machine ExaminationJohn Washburn14 1 10-31-05 11:23 am 10-26-05: The 'Perimeter Defense' - Follies and FailuresBBV Admin7 1 10-31-05 3:57 pm 10-21-05: GAO & NIST - Voting machine security finally goes mainstr...From the Mailbag10 1 10-29-05 11:39 am 10-9-05: VotoScope audit tool will catch Hart Intercivic bugBev Harris22 1 10-12-05 1:06 pm 10-8-05: Investors considering Diebold class action suitBev Harris1 1 10-8-05 3:08 pm 10-5-05: Diebold Lies Move Up the LadderBev Harris5 1 10-8-05 3:21 pm 9-19-2005: Carter-Baker Panel Report: Proposed Reforms Miss the BoatBrad Friedman52 1 10-3-05 12:02 pm 9-10-2005: Here's your chance to 'Look inside the Black Box':...alex baxter21 1 11-1-05 4:23 am 9-7-2005: Digital Image ballot scanners -- good or bad?Brant Lamb19 1 10-5-05 4:41 am 8-25-2005: Voting Rights Act expiration 2007Admin3 1 8-25-05 9:56 am 8-15-05: Election Reform -- Impending ShuffleCatherine_a107 1 8-25-05 1:51 pm 8-13-2005: If this doesn't get your blood boiling...Ubetchaiam9 1 8-15-05 11:24 am 8-10-2005: Mississippi Paper Trail ImminentCatherine Ansbro18 1 12-14-05 2:47 am 8-9-2005: Exactly what we don't want: Our election on Diebold's ser...John Howard13 1 10-5-05 8:20 pm 8-8-2005: Arcata, (CA) seeks to wrest election control from corpora...jimmarch6 1 8-12-05 12:33 am 8-5-05: 'Think Outside the Black Box' - ONLINE THINK TANK Admin5 1 8-17-05 7:46 am 8-3-05: San Diego backs down on charges against BBV director Jim MarchUbetchaiam32 1 8-22-05 12:01 pm 7-29-2005: Mississippi, listen up: California just rejected the TSxadmin17 1 8-13-05 8:15 pm 7-28-05: In his own words: Jim March on taking back his civil rightsmymarkx11 1 7-29-05 11:46 am 7-26-2005: BBV Board Member Arrested in San Diego for Viewing Vote-...cleanbean63 1 7-29-05 4:17 pm 7-25-2005: Wondering about mail-in voting? Diebold's new VoteRemote...Catherine Ansbro28 1 3-30-06 12:43 pm 7-21-2005: ES&S, Diebold lobbyists had ties to bribery investigatio...mary_ann9 1 7-31-05 12:00 am 7-20-2005: Internal documents reveal more Diebold ethics problemsadmin4 1 7-20-05 7:24 am 7-18-2005: Are The Lights Going Out In Georgia?admin5 1 7-22-05 3:14 pm 7-17-2005: Gallina (Diebold) reportedly paid Blackwell, GOP cronies...admin1 1 7-17-05 12:07 pm 7-11-2005: Case Against Diebold and Florida Division of Electionskathleen_wynne3 1 7-13-05 9:32 am 7-4-2005: The Black Box ReportJohn Dean36 1 5-8-06 6:05 pm 7-3-2005: Diebold accounting mistake -- SEC stuff may be a biggieadmin11 1 7-4-05 10:58 pm 7-1-2005: July 4 Security Alert for Diebold Optical Scanscatherine_a17 1 7-5-05 1:29 am 6-24-2005: Black Box Voting Litigation Fund LaunchedBev Harris2 1 2-3-06 8:22 am 6-17-05: Report on Calif. meeting -- Decertify Diebold?ubetchaiam11 1 7-21-05 2:37 pm 6-8-2005: Palm Beach County fails auditlinda_franz7 1 6-15-05 8:29 am 5-27-05: Optical scan system hacked (3 ways) - BBV ExclusiveBrant Lamb73 1 8-9-06 11:06 am 5-9-05: Consumer Report Series -- Following the Money Trail – Part Iadmin1 1 5-9-05 3:18 pm 5-6-04: $45m (Diebold?) contract flying under radar in Cook County ...admin2 1 5-6-05 2:53 pm 5-11-05: CANCELLED - Call to action May 19, Sacramentoadmin1 1 5-6-05 11:05 am 5-04-05 – Easier Hacking Access Sneaks in w. ADA Compliance Measuresadmin1 1 5-4-05 9:25 pm 4-24-05: LA's InkaVote system tied to Malaysian gambling outfitadmin1 1 4-24-05 12:43 pm 4-20-2005: Paper trail advocates - The devil in the detailsadmin1 1 4-20-05 11:54 am 4-18-2005: Diebold Lobbyist Documents Reveal Problemsadmin1 1 4-18-05 9:54 am 3-8-2005: Hack of Real-Life Voting System Demonstratedadmin1 1 3-9-05 12:51 pm 2-22-2005: Activating the Eagles -- Events this weekend in Californiaadmin1 1 2-22-05 5:08 pm 2-21-2005: Snohomish County (WA) updateadmin1 1 2-21-05 4:51 pm 2-21-2005: Orange County (FL) updateadmin1 1 2-21-05 12:57 pm 2-21-2005: Broward County (FL) updateadmin1 1 2-21-05 12:14 pm 2-21-2005: Palm Beach County (FL) updateadmin1 1 2-21-05 11:04 am 2-21-2005: Volusia County (FL) Updateadmin1 1 2-21-05 7:02 am 2-1-2005: Black Box Voting donates $2000 to Ohio lawyersadmin1 1 2-1-05 2:51 pm 1-28-05: Eagles rolling up sleeves in Ohio, Florida, Californiaadmin1 1 1-28-05 6:30 am 1-20-05: BULLETIN: California Panel OKs Voter Privacy Removaladmin1 1 1-20-05 6:05 pm 1-18-05: Consumer Protection lawsuit activated against Dieboldadmin1 1 1-19-05 4:43 am 1-17-05: Black Box Voting Document Archiveadmin1 1 1-17-05 1:42 pm 1-10-05: Exposing the Crypto Solutionadmin1 1 1-11-05 6:20 am 1-6-05: Constitutional Equal Protection Amendment for Voters?admin1 1 1-11-05 6:15 am 1-5-05: Election Misconduct as a Public Records Crisisadmin1 1 1-11-05 6:10 am 1-5-05: Update from Washington D.C.admin1 1 1-11-05 6:01 am 12-30-2004: Volunteer Actions -- Activating the Eaglesadmin1 1 1-11-05 5:50 am 12-29-04: Update on 'Help America Audit'admin1 1 1-11-05 5:44 am 12-28-04: Update for donors, and a look to 2005admin1 1 1-11-05 5:35 am 11-18-2004: Volunteer actions -- How to 'Be the Media'admin1 1 1-11-05 5:56 am Start New Thread Mainstream News Reports Black Box Voting » Latest News » Mainstream News Reports « Previous Next » Thread Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post Dean Logan Says Unaffiliated WriteIns will be Checkedchristine c reid14 1 2-15-08 10:34 am New York Times re Holt BillV. Kurt Bellman26 1 2-8-08 1:57 pm AP Incorrectly calls Missouri for ClintonBill Bowen1 1 2-7-08 8:04 am San Fran CA-KSFO-AM reports Repub registration problemsNancy Tobi9 1 2-7-08 5:49 am Massachusetts results via your friends at LHSMike LaBonte10 1 2-7-08 5:24 am NJ Voting delay included Gov. CorzineMichael W Mather2 1 2-6-08 1:17 pm (CA) 2/08 - Voting machine probs delay Sacramento countPerry Duke9 1 2-5-08 6:34 pm (FL) 1/08 - More Florida voting machine problemsHal Guentert8 1 2-2-08 7:19 pm (FL) 1/08 - Final Florida results inkaren reineke11 1 2-1-08 4:25 pm (CO) 1/15 Democrats Ask Coffman to ResignFran Fleming1 1 2-1-08 9:41 am (FL) 1/08 - Problems already with voting machinesBev Harris 1 1 1-29-08 10:08 am (CO) Paper ballots win over RitterCatherine Ansbro3 1 1-29-08 2:16 am (MI) 12/07 - Proposition for new way to do primaries NEWS: Reform pres. candidate selection processCatherine Ansbro11 1 1-29-08 2:14 am Americans Abroad Can Now Vote Onlinesam lark7 1 1-26-08 3:49 pm (SC) 1/19/08 - Problems at polling locationsts taylor4 1 1-24-08 9:16 pm Feedback appreciated as this unfolds...Bruce Sims2 1 1-24-08 1:52 pm (Ohio) ACLU files suit to block paper ballots New paper ballots ca...Roger Wood20 2 1-20-08 9:43 pm REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER: Election Fraud RoundtableV. Kurt Bellman10 1 1-18-08 7:05 am (CO) Legislators lose their confidence in CoffmanCatherine Ansbro13 1 1-17-08 4:01 pm Olbermann Report !! On Voting Sue West6 1 1-17-08 3:53 pm GOP Figure Contracted to Deliver E-Voting Machines in MarylandAlex Laflamme1 1 1-17-08 9:43 am (NH) Experts skeptical of N.H. ballot-count conspiracy theoryBill Bowen60 1 1-16-08 10:37 pm Making votes countFran Fleming2 1 1-16-08 12:00 pm Ron Paul says in regard to New Hampshire voteDavid Evans1 1 1-13-08 8:32 am Diebold Changing its Buisness name Catherine Ansbro2 1 1-12-08 5:20 am (NH) 1/08 - Man plans recount of Republican vote in N.H. primary...Russell Novkov7 1 1-11-08 11:03 pm (TX) 10/07 - Another corrupt official, election tampering Refugio County - "Trust Me" failureCatherine Ansbro4 1 1-11-08 6:47 pm (FL) 9/07 - Volusia County again -- lots of defective memory cards... Volusia County - Voting system: Incident reportsWilliam Reese2 1 1-8-08 9:19 pm (FL) 10/07 - New machines, still not enough safeguards State of Florida - Voting systems: Transition to optical scan, issuesDon Powers2 1 1-8-08 12:00 am PC Magazine Article 09/12/07Don Powers2 1 1-7-08 10:45 pm (US) Can You Count On These Machines?Bev Harris 21 1 1-7-08 6:18 pm (US) Problems At Poll Permeate U.S. Political ProcessV. Kurt Bellman76 1 1-5-08 4:57 pm Legal Voters Thrown Off RollsV. Kurt Bellman7 1 1-3-08 11:15 am CNN: On the eve of Iowa caucus, some states give e-voting an 'F'...Russell Novkov2 1 1-2-08 3:42 pm (TX) 11/07 - Wharton County GOP will use paper ballots in primary... NEWS: Follow up on vote-flipping incidentLore2 1 1-1-08 3:35 pm (KY) 10/7 - Candidate for elections chief pleads guilty to forgery... Boone County - "Trust Me" FailureKathleen Wynne49 1 12-26-07 2:49 pm (US) 12/07 - FEC doors shut, 'No one left to answer phones'...Alan Brau4 1 12-25-07 8:29 pm (CO) 12/07 - Boulder: Stray marks caused decertificationBev Harris 1 1 12-23-07 9:49 pm (CO) 12/07 - Mesa: Commission defiant on vote machines NEWS: Resisting Colorado decertificationFran Fleming5 1 12-22-07 1:34 pm (AK) 12/07 - Impossible to tell whether 2004 count correct NEWS - Follow up on AZ Dem Party litigationBev Harris 1 1 12-21-07 7:05 am (CO) 12/07 - Denver: Voting gear out for count NEWS: Colo. decertification of Sequoia Julio Edwards1 1 12-18-07 6:41 am (US) 12/07 - Congressional watch tool for citizens PRESS RELEASE: New Freedom of Information toolBev Harris 1 1 12-11-07 7:20 am (PA) 11/07 - Philadelphia: Voter Fraud Allegations Again NEWS: Absentee ballot fraud allegationsV. Kurt Bellman21 1 12-7-07 2:02 pm (NJ) 12/07 - 'We are Neanderthals' - paper trail delayed again... NEWS: New Jersey paper trail statusBobby Arnold2 1 12-6-07 3:20 am (OH) 11/07 - Franklin County: Former elections official charged... NEWS: Election official corruptionBev Harris 2 1 12-2-07 7:50 am (OH) 11/07 - Township results flipped because of error (Lawrence Co... Lawrence County: Voting systems - Incident ReportBev Harris 4 1 11-23-07 2:00 pm (CT) 11/07 - Diebold/Premier machine miscount changes winner Greenwich: Voting systems - Incident reportsCatherine Ansbro4 1 11-23-07 1:47 pm (MS) 11/07 - New election ordered for Louise Linzy race Tunica County: Election incidentsBev Harris 1 1 11-22-07 9:05 pm (NH) 11/07 - It's official: Jan. 8 primary date State of New Hampshire: PrimariesBev Harris 1 1 11-22-07 8:28 pm (CA) 11/07 - Sec. State Bowen sues ES&S for $15 million State of California: Voting systems, ES&SBev Harris 3 1 11-21-07 9:09 pm (MI) 11/07 - It's back on: Mich. primary will proceed... State of Michigan: Primaries, Freedom of InformationBev Harris 1 1 11-21-07 10:38 am (MI) 11/07 - Michigan primary may not happen State of Michigan: Primaries, Freedom of Information Bev Harris 1 1 11-20-07 7:22 pm (NH) 11/07 - Pres primary date STILL not certain State of New Hampshire: PrimariesBev Harris 1 1 11-20-07 7:06 pm (OH) 11/07 - Provisionals may alter outcome Clermont County: Provisional ballotsBev Harris 1 1 11-19-07 5:54 pm (TX) 11/07 - Alteration of live election data in Harris County... Harris County: Voting systems, "Trust Me"Russell Novkov12 1 11-15-07 9:18 pm (US) 11/07 - Sequoia voting systems under new ownership US - VendorsBev Harris 1 1 11-9-07 6:39 am (OH) 11/07 - Polls open later in ES&S location Putnam County - Voting Machines: Incident ReportsPatricia Berg1 1 11-7-07 4:34 am (FL) 10/07 - Appeals court rules The People "moot" Sarasota County - LitigationBev Harris 1 1 11-2-07 8:02 am (CT) 10/07 - Candidate's company will transport voting machines... New Britain - Chain of CustodyBev Harris 1 1 10-29-07 11:22 am (IN) 10/07 - Polling locations reduced to four "vote centers"... Tippecanoe County - Access to PollsBev Harris 1 1 10-29-07 8:12 am (FL) 10/07 - Wrong Ballots Sent To Miami Absentee Voters Miami-Dade County - Absentee / Mail-in Incident ReportBrant Lamb13 1 10-22-07 11:34 am (PA) 10/07 - County replacing WinVote Lackawanna County - Voting systems: Procurement Alan Brau43 1 10-18-07 7:56 pm (US) 9/07 - E-vote industry massaging itself in the media Voting systems: Security / Chain of CustodyBev Harris 52 1 10-14-07 11:07 am (OH) 10/07 - A funeral for a presidential election State of Ohio - Compliance, enforcement issuesAlan Brau3 1 10-11-07 4:32 pm (FL) 10/07 - Peculiar excuses block accountability for primary Martin County - Compliance issue: Resisting paper trailBev Harris 1 1 10-11-07 7:12 am (TX) 9/07 - Hilarious but improper: video of lawmakers cheat-voting... State of Texas - Noncompliance, enforcement issues with legislator voting rulesBrant Lamb11 1 10-3-07 5:06 am (FL) 10/07 - FL-13 testing continues... Sarasota County - Voting system: Review & testing due to incident reportsRussell Novkov2 1 10-2-07 7:57 pm (IN) 10/07 - Belly-up vendor, in come different machines Randolph County - Voting systems: ProcurementBev Harris 1 1 10-2-07 7:57 pm (FL) 10/07 - FL-13 report imminent Sarasota County - Voting system: Review & testing due to incident reportsBev Harris 1 1 10-2-07 7:46 pm (US) 9/07 - If MS Excel bug = math errors, trust e-voting? US - Computer program: Incident reportBev Harris 1 1 10-2-07 7:38 pm (NC) 9/07 - The registrar's secret lair Montgomery County - Chain of custodyBev Harris 1 1 10-1-07 4:12 pm (NJ) 9/07 - Judge stalls on paper trail Mercer County - Compliance issue: Resisting paper trailBev Harris 1 1 10-1-07 3:46 pm (US) 9/07 - Less than 1/2 of military overseas votes counted US - Absentee / mail-in voting: Incidents, access problemsBev Harris 6 1 9-30-07 3:17 pm (GA) 9/07 - What's the punishment for throwing out 93,000 voter reg... Fulton County - Chain of custody / Privacy protection issuesBev Harris 1 1 9-28-07 9:12 am (US) 9/07 - Gird for massive new voting machine purchases: New stan... US - Voting systems: Standards, certification, procurementBrant Lamb16 1 9-27-07 5:02 am (PA) 9/07 County Commissioners' Assocation Opposes HR811 State of Pennsylvania - LegislationSamuel Scharff32 1 9-24-07 11:29 pm (CT) 9/07 - Voting rights activists express disappointment at CT s... State of Connecticut - Voting systems: Security Catherine Ansbro2 1 9-22-07 6:36 pm (NV) 9/07 - County to "prove Sequioa machines are secure"... Washoe County - Voting systems: SecurityBev Harris 1 1 9-22-07 9:43 am (IL) 9/07 - Indictment: Teamster Union vote rigging Teamster's Union [Chicago] - "Trust Me" failureBev Harris 1 1 9-8-07 4:48 pm (US) 2007 National news archive (see state foru... 130 24 10-11-07 12:25 pm (US) 2006 National news archive (see state foru... 482 60 10-11-07 12:25 pm (US) 2005 National news archive (see state foru... 310 152 10-11-07 12:24 pm (US) 2004 National news archive (see state forums for state news)... 77 42 10-11-07 12:24 pm Start New Thread 59 customers reviewed this movie. Write a Review Reviews Voted Most Helpful Votes are counted and displayed within 24 hours HM 1355196 37% Similar To You HM 1355196's other reviews > 5.0 Stars This is an excellent documentary that I think every American should see before they vote again. This is not a movie about Bush vs. Kerry or Republicans vs. Democrats. Its about our current voting system and exposing a multitude of problems with that system as demonstrated in the 2004 election. We are told "EVERY VOTE COUNTS" and this documentary exposes the corruption, mistruths, and shameful negligence and mishandling of these "VOTES" in a way that cannot be denied nor ignored - unless you don't watch it for yourself. 73 out of 78 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful TerBo 40% Similar To You TerBo's other reviews > 5.0 Stars This is a must-see documentary, especially for those still doubtful about whether elections in this country can be tampered with. The answer is yes, yes, yes!!! Kudos to Bev Harris who has dedicated years to exposing the corruption surrounding electronic voting. Get this. After Hacking Democracy's premiere on HBO, Harris received death threats. That's how risky and powerful her work is. 67 out of 77 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful Shiftdnb 47% Similar To You Shiftdnb's other reviews > 4.0 Stars This is an amazing documentary showing that there are problems with the way we vote in America. When a normal everyday citizen gets up and challenges the system, you see how the system fights back. This woman doesn't give up like most of us would and shows us and one election official in Florida that the way our voting system was run and still is, has errors. 29 out of 36 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful Most Recent Reviews SG 178412 23% Similar To You SG 178412's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Anyone who cares at all about the future of democracy in America (R or D or whatever else party affiliation you choose) NEEDS to see this movie. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful grw 970297 20% Similar To You grw 970297's other reviews > 5.0 Stars If our so-called government doesn't fix the problems exposed in this excellent documentary, our democracy no longer will exist. Abolish electronic voting machines!! I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful Professional Bum 63% Similar To You Professional ...'s other reviews > 5.0 Stars If you are an American & have the ability to vote, please do yourself a favor and put this in your queue immediately(especially since this is an election year). This wonderful documentary proves my point that we have the best democracy that money can buy, along with our judicial system. This film is more frightening than any horror film I've seen, because THIS IS REAL! And this is movie biased? Not at all. It's an absolute eye opener that shows that your vote really doesn't count; and make sure you watch the deleted scenes(another 33 minutes of fantastic footage). 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Member Reviews hawk5391 58% Similar To You hawk5391's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Even though I also watched the original slasher classic Black Christmas, this was the scariest movie I saw over the Christmas break. Although the filmmakers obviously have every reason to sensationalize potential problems with electronic voting systems ("good news is no news," right?), the implications here are frightening. Not only did Bev Harris (founder of a non-partisan watchdog group) find voting machine code unprotected on the internet, she was able to successfully hack it and prove that results could be manipulated (you can watch this being done in a matter of seconds in this film). The lack of oversight of the companies who control the majority of electronic voting is astounding, almost as bad as the sloppy manner in which our government oversees the elections themselves. 10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful Cassun 53% Similar To You Cassun's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Probably the scariest movie I've watched in a long time. The production value isn't good, but its worth sitting through to find out just how easy it would be for just one person with an agenda to manipulate the outcome of an election. 9 out of 12 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful LR 572736 43% Similar To You LR 572736's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Politics in America is scarey enough, but when you see what is going on with our elections system, you will just go through the roof. We have hoped through the last few centuries that a government of the people, by the people and for the people would not parish from the face of the earth, and that America would be its shining example. After viewing this flick, you will realize just how tarnished our example has become. We have realized in the past decades, that money rules, and it just feels like our votes don't count, only the money that backs our politicians. Only the corporations and special interests have access to the politicians these days, not the people that vote. This picture goes a long way to explaining how that happens. After realizing the truths in this documentary, I feel even more helpless and useless to change a corrupt government by my vote. Did my vote get counted? How would I even know? The facts put forth in this program are just about incredible, but you come away realizing their powerful credibility. I wondered why their hasn't been criminal prosecution of the election fraud that is running rampant in our country today? Where are prosecuters? Why aren't elections officials who ignore our right to have our votes counted, recounter and certified being placed on trial for crimes against the electorate? You owe it to yourself and your country to see this documentary long before the next election. Don't miss this one! 8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful CP 1799900 36% Similar To You CP 1799900's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Wow. I just finished watching this documentary, and I can't believe what I heard and saw. This is not another Michael Moore speculative film that makes assumptions with no factual evidence. This is incredible. Everyone should see this film. It is truly an amazing look inside of our election system. 8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Member Reviews 59 customers reviewed this movie. Write a Review SN 25968 62% Similar To You SN 25968's other reviews > 5.0 Stars We must all see this movie. It's not JUST about elections. It's about the undermining of our society, the breakdown. My opinion is that we should get away from secret voting and out into the public. Democracy is where WE THE PEOPLE elect our officials. You must see this to know why I write this. 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful JR 1824621 61% Similar To You JR 1824621's other reviews > 5.0 Stars This is what makes America great: a woman, with a full life, puts it all behind her because she has come across the ultimate injustice and knows that she must right it. This is the story of the creation of the group and webpage BlackBoxVoting.com Having found the Diebold's source code, a code that not even the President of the United States can see, Bev Harris takes the code to an expert. What is revealed causes Harris to criss cross America, to prove the fact that Diebold had literally hijacked democracy. Although it's possible, it's difficult to believe that anyone can think that the 2004 Presidential Election wasn't rigged after viewing this film. A 'must see' for every American. 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful PW 51% Similar To You PW's other reviews > 5.0 Stars One of the scariest movies I've ever seen... because it's true. If you liked 'All the presidents men' or 'The Insider' You'll like this movie. Actually come to think of it, what this story needs is a treatment like the above mentioned movies so the message could have a broader appeal beyond this documentary. 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful FV 1232392 44% Similar To You FV 1232392's other reviews > 4.0 Stars Highly recommedable as the documentary reveals what we all have been suspecting and fearing in an objective and somewhat scientific way. It is quite timely, and I think we can all relate to the topic at hand. I was touched by the reaction of some of the people in the movie when they proved how the voting system can be hacked without much effort 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful Steve Smith 38% Similar To You Steve Smith's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Unbelievable. That's how I describe this excellent documentary. Every citizen of the USA owes it to themselves to watch this documentary. It is just shocking. It calls into question everything we know about how our votes are recorded in this country. My jaw literally dropped when I saw one part of it. I won't ruin it for those who haven't seen it. You MUST watch this! 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful Ben5765 35% Similar To You Ben5765's other reviews > 4.0 Stars This film is all about voting machines and how votes are tabulated. It makes mincemeat of the Diebold Corporation, manufacturer of a large percentage of the electronic voting machines used in the United States. It reveals Diebold officials making lie after lie about the security of their machines. The makers of the film meticulously document how, using Diebold's machines and data cards, someone with just a basic understanding of the technology involved (including, certainly, any Diebold employee) could rig the vote count, on one machine or on thousands of them, with absolutely no record that the rigging was ever done. The film also reveals how Diebold's chief executive officer was (and maybe still is) a large contributor to the Republican Party. He once wrote a letter stating that he would "deliver" Ohio's electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election for George W. Bush. The film later shows how his company managed to persuade Cuyahoga County, Ohio (where Cleveland is) to buy its machines. Maybe there is nothing fishy going on there, but appearances matter! Lest the film be seen as partisan, it features, among others, a Republican office-seeker from Louisiana who, after losing her race, went to view a demonstration of the machines that the voters used. As part of the demonstration she pressed the button next to her name, and the machine registered a vote for her opponent. Hmmm. She was understandably troubled. Moreover, the film points out that in many parts of the country it is in fact the local Republican Party that is wary of electronic voting machines, not the Democrats. Hacking Democracy also reveals problems with punch card voting systems--problems that dwarf the famous "hanging chad" problem of the 2000 presidential vote count in Florida. The film's message is distressing, but it is one all American citizens should hear and see. 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful AdriH 34% Similar To You AdriH's other reviews > 4.0 Stars Yes, the documentary could use a bit of editing, but the points raised are valid enough to keep it interesting. Instead of taking a partisan view on the movie, realize how intensly frightening this movie really is. Should it be just one grandmother's job to inform us how we're being duped? No. It's our responsibility as citizens to stay informed and demand voting accuracy. 5 out of 7 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful DM 1548398 12% Similar To You DM 1548398's other reviews > 4.0 Stars Frightening and timely documentary that exposes the very painful truth about the U.S. electoral system and vote count fraud. A must see if you plan to vote ever! 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful PM 748973 — —% Similar To You PM 748973's other reviews > 5.0 Stars This presentation should be shown to every high school junior and senior. Maybe they will be able to bring about the changes needed to restore our country to what it once was. Our democratic republic is long gone. 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Member Reviews 59 customers reviewed this movie. Write a Review Lee Anne and Tim 64% Similar To You Lee Anne and ...'s other reviews > 5.0 Stars Every voter should see this film. It leaves you with your head shaking, wondering how the history of the last 8 years might read if the vote-tampering exposed in Hacking Democracy hadnt been possible. Also a testament to how one regular person can make a difference, this documentary is very well done. Youll hate what you learn. 6 out of 10 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful yla 83539 39% Similar To You yla 83539's other reviews > 5.0 Stars SA 1674508, Yazheirx, JR 65420, RS 305556, their reviews are absolutely the threat that we all have about democracy. It is because their kind of ignorance that this movie is a 5 star and a must for every single human being to watch and learn. There is no excuse for any voting system to be too technical, too complex, too secret that we cannot prove what the votes were years from when the votes were taken. Not even 50 years, not even 100 years, not even 1000 years, not ever. For anyone to suggest that the electronic voting system is not possible to understand and to do a documentary for by a handful of heroic citizens, it is an insult to this country and democracy. Let these be the commandments of election: 1) No voting methods should be more complicated than what pen/pencil can do on a ballot. 2) Vote handling in any election process should be transparent to the public no matter when, why, how, what, who. 3) Only 100% accuracy should be accepted. Anything less then 100% should be recounted no matter how many times, how long it takes, and how much it cost to be 100% accurate. 4) Without 100% accuracy, election cannot be concluded. Another election should be conducted immediately without further delay. 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful ayi 554466 35% Similar To You ayi 554466's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Factual information clearly presented. I fear it is all too true and I fear for the next election. 5 out of 8 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful AL 1659593 33% Similar To You AL 1659593's other reviews > 2.0 Stars For content, I'd give it 3 stars. It was an eye-opening look at the problems at the flaws of the "touch screen" and memory card system. What turned me off was the overboard emotions and cheesy speeches from the women of the watchdog groups. 4 out of 6 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful TD 1852913 31% Similar To You TD 1852913's other reviews > 5.0 Stars I simply cannot believe this is true. I simply cannot believe the voting process is so secretive! I am still in High School and I could probably devise a system more secure than what every American trusts to count their votes! Every American owes it to themselves to watch this incredible docudrama of corporate greed, secrecy, corruption, and lies. Every American. 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful AK 817970 29% Similar To You AK 817970's other reviews > 5.0 Stars I would have to agree with everyone else in stating this a must see film for everyone. I was shocked and surprised at how poorly designed the electronic voting system is. How corrupt the political voting process is. Without this video no one would have seen the voting process. Watch this film you won't regret it. 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful jes 881880 26% Similar To You jes 881880's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Eye opening. My question is, "Why haven't criminal investigations been started?!?" I agree with the majority of the comments saying we should all see this movie; i would add it's imperative we do something with what we know after watching it. Hold our representitives accountable!!! 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful KS 608754 24% Similar To You KS 608754's other reviews > 5.0 Stars If this doesn't make people realize that we need to change how our elections are held, nothing will! Republicans and Democrats should be concerned...ALL AMERICANS should be concerned and angry. If any politician does not want to fix this system, that politician needs to leave their office. 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful PD 253868 22% Similar To You PD 253868's other reviews > 5.0 Stars I believe every citizen of voting age in the United States should view this film because it is very informative on the computerized voting systems across the country. After all, if our votes don't count we have no democracy. Watch this fim and tell your family, friends and co-workers to do the same! 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful xpf 1252893 12% Similar To You xpf 1252893's other reviews > 4.0 Stars The content is compelling and if even half of it is true, our democracy is very troubled. We need to demand truth and accuracy at the polls and we need to take action NOW! 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Member Reviews 59 customers reviewed this movie. Write a Review DH 1154150 62% Similar To You DH 1154150's other reviews > 5.0 Stars Watch this movie. Tell your friends and family to watch this movie. The subjects are intelligent, articulate, and extremely courageous. This movie shows compelling evidence that makes me want to learn more about how easy it has been to alter the "results" of our government's elections, and ask what we can do to stop the fraud! 4 out of 7 people found this review helpful. I found this review Click to rate this review as helpful Yazheirx 57% Similar To You Yazheirx's other reviews > 2.0 Stars Like several other reviewers I wanted to like this movie but the spin and lack of solution suggestions prevented me. I agree with the need for more transparency with voting machines. I think we should have an open source voting program such that interest groups can spend their money to improve them. I still could not get past the spin. The final documentary cardinal sin for me is -

do you belong to a religion, a cult or a group that threaten to harm you if you leave? tell us about your experience. I was moved by the story of Mason's family and how the head of this group was able to manipulate them into submission to him. do you find similar behavior in the history of your group? -------------------------------------------- Free Manson 'family' members haunted by horror By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch, Ap Special Correspondent Sun Aug 9, 2:20 pm ET LOS ANGELES – Forty years ago, they were kids. Vulnerable, alienated, running away from a world wracked by war and rebellion. They turned to a cult leader for love and wound up tied to a web of unimaginable evil. They were part of Charles Manson's "Family" and now, on the brink of old age, they are the haunted. "I never have a day go by that I don't think about it, especially about the victims," says Barbara Hoyt who was 17 the summer of the Sharon Tate-LaBianca murders. "I've long ago accepted the fact it will never go away." The ones who aren't in prison are scattered across the country. Some live under assumed names to hide their past from friends and business associates. Some have undergone surgery to remove the "X" that Manson ordered them to carve on their foreheads, showing they were "X"ed out of society. Some live with endless regret. Those who escaped taking part in the spasm of terror that snuffed out at least nine lives would seem to be lucky. But their lives have been linked forever to one of the craziest mass murders in history. "Manson made a lot of victims besides the ones he killed," said Catherine Share, who once lived with the Manson Family under the nickname "Gypsy." "He destroyed lives. There are people sitting in prison who wouldn't be there except for him. He took all of our lives." It was 1969, the summer of the first moon landing. War was raging in Vietnam. Hippies were in the streets of San Francisco, the last bastion of the waning counterculture movement. For many, that summer is remembered for one thing — the most shocking celebrity murders to ever hit Los Angeles. Mention of the Sharon Tate murders or the name Manson four decades later is enough to make people shudder. On the morning of Aug. 9, a housekeeper ran screaming from a home in lush Benedict Canyon. She had discovered a scene of unspeakable carnage. Five bodies were scattered around the estate. The most famous, actress Sharon Tate, 26, the pregnant wife of director Roman Polanski, had been stabbed multiple times. But there were four others that day and two more the next. Abigail Folger, 25, heiress to a coffee fortune; Jay Sebring, 35, celebrity hair stylist; Voyteck Frykowski, 32, a Polish film director and Steven Parent, 18, friend of the caretaker, were found stabbed or shot in a bloody scene. On the front door the victims' blood was used to scrawl the words, "Death to Pigs." The city was thrown into a state of fear. If that was not enough, a similar murder scene was discovered the next night. Wealthy grocer Leno La Bianca, 44, and his wife Rosemary, 38, were found stabbed to death in their home across town. A killer had carved the word "WAR" on Leno La Bianca's body. The words "Helter Skelter" were written in blood on the refrigerator. "These murders were probably the most bizarre in the recorded annals of American crime," said Vincent Bugliosi, the former deputy district attorney who prosecuted the killers and wrote the book, "Helter Skelter." It would be more than three months before the name Charles Manson was linked to the crimes. And then the story became even weirder. The discovery of Manson's clan living in a high desert commune opened up the astounding story of an ex-convict who had gathered young people into a cult and ordered them to kill. His reasons still remain a subject of debate. Some say he wanted to foment a race war; others say it was senseless. "It was a real-life horror story," recalled Stephen Kay, who also prosecuted the Manson Family. "Manson is the real-life Freddie Kruger." The former prosecutors worry that Manson, 74, is becoming a folk hero to a new generation. He is the subject of several Web sites, and Manson souvenirs are sold online. "Evil has its lure and Manson has become a metaphor for evil," said Bugliosi. Those cult members lucky enough not to have killed for Manson on Aug. 9-10, 1969 have spent decades trying to bury their past and free themselves from his grasp. Some never succeeded. Sandra Good and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme committed crimes later that they said were for Manson and went to federal prison. When Good, 65, was paroled she moved near the maximum security prison that holds Manson, reportedly so she could "feel his vibes." Fromme, 60, is due for parole this summer after serving 33 years for the attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford. In 1969, there were perhaps 30 of them, a ragtag band of runaways and dropouts living on a movie ranch in the San Fernando Valley, all loyal to a sha

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white-space:nowrap; border:1px solid #fff; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; text-align:center; } #pagesettings h4{ float:left; _margin-right:-2px; font:bold 100% verdana; } #pagesettings ol{ border:1px solid transparent; margin:-1px; *border:0; *margin:0; } #pagesettings ol li{ float:left; } #themes li a,#psbca{ display:block; margin-left:6px; width:13px; height:12px; text-indent:-5000px; font-size:0px; background:url(http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/ww/sp/theme-icons_1.2.gif) no-repeat; cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; zoom:1; } #themes li a:hover{ text-decoration:none; } #themes #t1{background-position:0 0;} #themes #t2{background-position:-19px 0;} #themes #t3{background-position:-38px 0;} #themes #t4{background-position:-57px 0;} #themes #t5{background-position:-75px 0;} #themes #t7{background-position:-94px 0;} #themes #t1.on{background-position:0 -15px;} #themes #t2.on{background-position:-19px -15px;} #themes #t3.on{background-position:-38px -15px;} #themes #t4.on{background-position:-57px -15px;} #themes #t5.on{background-position:-75px -15px;} #themes #t7.on{background-position:-94px -15px;} #pagesettingscx #sizetogglelink{ display:block; margin-top:10px; padding-top:8px; border-top:1px solid #cbd4db; zoom:1; } #today{ min-height:234px; _height:234px; } #today h3{ font:bold 122% arial; color:#16387c; } #today h3 a{ font:bold 100% arial; } #today h3 a.video{ padding-left:18px; background-position:-3px -47px; } #today p{ margin:5px 0; } #today .bd{ position:relative; padding:6px 0 4px 10px; _padding:7px 0 5px 10px; min-height:114px; _height:116px; background:#fff; } #today .timestamp{ margin-bottom:6px; _margin:-1 0 6px; } #today .bd img{ float:left; margin-right:10px; width:154px; height:115px; padding:1px; border:1px solid #9dafbd; border-color:#9eb1c0 #677787 #677787 #9eb1c0; } #today .pencil,#today img.editor{ position:absolute; width:auto; height:auto; } #today .bd span.current span{ float:left; width:57%; *width:56.5%; margin-bottom:-6px; overflow:hidden; } #today .bd h3,#today .bd p,#today .bd ul{ margin:0 0 6px; } #today .bd ol,#today .bd ul,#today .bd ul li{ float:left; } #today .bd ul{ width:100%; } #today .bd ul li a{ margin-right:10px; white-space:nowrap; zoom:1; } #newsbd dl dt a, #today .bd ul.inline li a{ margin-right:3px; font:normal 77% verdana; } #today .bd ul.inline{ margin-left:-10px; } #today .bd ul.inline li{ display:inline; float:none; margin:-2px 0 -2px 4px; padding-left:5px; border-left:1px solid #B0BEC7; } #today .bd ol li a{ display:block; *display:inline; zoom:1; } #today .ft{ position:relative; padding:0 5px 22px; _padding:0 5px 23px; background:#fff; } #today .ft ul{ float:left; *float:none; padding:2px 0 0; width:100%; } #today .ft li{ position:relative; float:left; width:46%; margin-right:2%; min-height:30px; _height:30px; border:1px solid #fff; } #today .ft li img{ float:left; margin:0 5px 0 2px; padding:1px; border:1px solid #9eb1c0; border-color:#9eb1c0 #677787 #677787 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} #news.afterhours #newsbottom{ padding:4px 0 6px 10px; } #finance-data{ float:left; } #news-sponsor{ float:left; display:inline; margin-left:10px; font-size:92%; color:#333; } #news.afterhours #news-sponsor{ position:relative; top:1px; _top:0; margin:-12px 0 0 10px; _margin-top:-10px; white-space:nowrap; } #news-sponsor img{ display:block; margin:5px 0 0; } #news.afterhours #news-sponsor img{ display:inline; position:relative; top:3px; *top:4px; } #markets, #markets span, #markets ul, #markets li, #quotes fieldset{ display:inline; } #news.afterhours #markets{ margin:0; } #markets h3{ font:normal 100% verdana; display:inline; } #markets li{ white-space:nowrap; margin-left:5px; } #quotes a{ color:#333; } #quotes{ margin-top:5px; } #quotes a,#s{ margin-right:5px; } input#s{ font-size:107%; padding:1px; } #quotes .submit{ font-size:100%; padding:0 3px; } #newsbd li a cite{ display:block; font:normal 77% verdana; color:#333; } #newsbd li a:hover cite{ text-decoration:none; } #newsbd dl dt a{ margin:0; } #newsbd dl{ display:inline; margin:0 0 0 6px; border-left:1px solid #B0BEC7; } #newsbd dl dt{ display:inline; margin-left:5px; } #markets .up{color:#359c00;} #markets .down{color:#c00;} #videonewsct ul{ margin:7px 0 0 -5px; } #videonewsct li{ float:left; margin:0 -1px 10px 2px; padding:0 0 0 1px; width:49%; } #videonewsct li img{ float:left; margin-right:5px; padding:1px; border:1px solid #9dafbd; border-color:#9eb1c0 #677787 #677787 #9eb1c0; } #page #news ul.btn-more, #more-today{ position:absolute; bottom:9px; _bottom:8px; margin:0; padding:0 0 1px; color:#16387c; } #more-today{ bottom:5px; } #news ul.btn-more li, #more-today span{ display:inline; margin-right:5px; padding-right:5px; line-height:1em; border-right:1px solid #94a1c3; } #news ul.btn-more li a, #more-today a{ line-height:1em; } #news ul.btn-more li.first, #more-today .first{ border:0; padding:0; font-weight:normal; } #news ul.btn-more li.last, #more-today .last{ border:0; margin:0; padding:0; } .timestamp{ 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a.frwd{right:3px;background:url(http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/ww/t4/next.gif) no-repeat;} .nav a:hover{text-decoration:none;} .pa-alert{text-align:center;color:#16387c;padding:0 20px;_padding:0;} .pa-alert h3,.pa-alert ul{margin:5px auto 0;text-align:left;} .pa-alert h3{_margin-left:20px;_padding-left:20px;} .default{_margin-left:-20px;} .default li{float:left;padding-left:20px;} .default li.last{width:14em;padding-left:10px;margin-top:15px;} .default li.last a{font-weight:bold;text-decoration:underline;margin-top:20px;} .error,.promo{position:absolute;bottom:0;top:5px;_top:9px;left:0;right:0;background:#edf2f7 url(http://us.js2.yimg.com/us.js.yimg.com/i/ww/t9/error_bckgrnd.gif) repeat-x;} .error ul{margin:15px 10px 15px 10px;_margin-left:15px;padding:10px 0 0 80px;background:url(http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/ww/sp/error_msg.gif) no-repeat;} .error li{float:none;margin:0;} .error li.first{padding:5px 0 15px;_height:50px;min-height:35px;} .error li.first a{text-decoration:underline;font-weight:bold;} .error li.last{text-align:right;font:bold 77% verdana;} .promo{ _top:auto; padding-right:0; _padding-bottom:10px; } .promo h4{ font:normal 107% arial; color:#434343; margin:10px 0 0 0; _margin-left:20px; padding:15px 0 65px 50px; _padding-left:40px; zoom:1; } #page .promo h4 a{ font-weight:bold; text-decoration:underline; } .promo p{ position:absolute; top:50px; right:20px; font:normal 77% verdana; text-align:right; color:#434343; } .promo p .more{ display:block; font:bold 100% verdana; text-decoration:none; } .promo p .more:hover{ text-decoration:underline; } #mailpreview .error ul{background-position:0 10px;} #messengerpreview .error ul{background-position:0 -150px;} #musicpreview .error ul{background-position:0 -300px;} #weatherpreview .error ul{background-position:0 -445px;} #trafficpreview .error ul{background-position:0 -600px;} #horoscopepreview .error ul{background-position:0 -750px;} #answerspreview .error ul{background-position:0 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Depression, short term memory loss, inability to retain information? I've self-diagnosed myself with depression for reasons I will not bother to explain. I was a very good student in school, not so much because of good grades (which I never cared about) but because I could understand problems and come up with solutions very quickly, and I had a very good memory. So much so, I rarely studied for exams and did well anyway. I'm now in university, studyiing to become a mathematician. I realize very rationally being the best in school is hardly being the best in a good university, that much I can take so I don't mind knowing there are people out there better than me. I'm worried because my ability to remember, use and process information dosn't seem to be half as good as it used to. I've failed subjects that should've been easy, and no matter how hard I study, I can't seem to remember enough during exams. Lately, I've been even more worried: 1) during a vector calculus exam, I couldn't for the life of me remember the integral of ln(x). It doesn't make sense if you don't know much about calculus, but just to make things clearer, it's kinda like forgetting your time tables. It's something you're supposed to remember because you'll need it very often. I could remember the derivative, and part of the process of figuring out the integral, but I tried several times and got no answer. I passed the exam, only just, but I could've done much better. 2) During another exam, linear algebra 2, I failed to get the product of two matrices right. I multiplied them at least 7 times, and it took me about 10 to get it right. Again, it's something that shouldn't be so hard, as it was a 4x4 matrix. 3) Even more worrying still, during class on wednesday a teacher mentioned we were having a partial exam on friday, yesterday. Final exams are coming up, and she sent two emails, one saying we were trying to set the date of the final exam for may the 14th at 10am and another one saying in which classroom and what time the exam was. I figured she meant the final exam so I made a note with the information for may 14th. I went to class on friday, but the classroom was empty and I saw no one around. I remember hearing her say in class that we were doing exercises from the book, so I got some ready. I understand now she meant the classroom and time to refer to the exam, as well as preparing exercises because she sent me an e-mail asking why I didn't go to the exam. I haven't skipped class, I've been a couple of minutes late (15 min late tops), but I'm sure I'd remember being told of an exam. My question, more specifically then, is can my depression be causing this? Are there good reasons to go to a doctor or am I just paranoid? What can I do to improve my memory and my ability to retain information? I looked online, and it seems (though I saw no good references) minor concussions can cause enough damage to cause the effects I'm talking about. In case there's any relevance, I was once hit pretty hard on the head about 3 years ago... Weird incident where I was sitting down on the grass in a park with some friends and a big dog ran right at me and we bumped heads... Made me dizzy for about an hour, but I didn't think it was serious so I didn't go to a doctor. It sounds like I'm hypochondriac, I know, and I also reckon that to some extent I'm not supposed to be as smart as I was before. Just for the record, in case it made any difference, I'm not on drugs, I don't drink (I just don't like the taste of alcoholic beverages, so I don't lose neurons due to getting ridiculously drunk), and the only pills I'm taking are some birth control pills my dermatologist prescribed for acne, something to do with hormones and lipid producing glands in my face. I'm 20 years old (which shouldn't be that old), and though I doubt it's likely to be kicking in now, there's a history of alzheimer's disease in my family. I'd like straightforward answers based on facts and studies in preferably western medicine. I'm not a fan of alternative medicine, herbs, crystals or whatever, and please don't tell me to pray to God that things get better for me, because as much as I respect your belief in a God (whichever it may be) I need you to respect my decision not to believe in any. Thanks in advance for any answers.

Need help proofreading? “The Government’s Response to Hurricane Katrina” Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive natural disaster to ever hit America. Over 90,000 square miles of land was destroyed, about the size of the United Kingdom. In Mississippi, the storm obliterated coastal communities and left thousands destitute. New Orleans was overwhelmed by flooding. Along the Gulf Coast, tens of thousands suffered without basic essentials for almost a week. More than 1500 people died and not just from the storm alone. Suffering continued in the days and weeks after the storm passed because of the government’s failure at all levels to plan, prepare for and respond aggressively to the storm. In this paper, will explain how the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina greatly affected the nation and the many factors that show the government’s inability to plan, prepare for, and respond to national catastrophes lead to one of the most talked about event in history. The first factor is the long term warnings that went unheeded. Before Hurricane Katrina, government officials knew for forty years of the potentially devastating threat of a catastrophic hurricane to the Gulf region and the destruction it could cause. Government officials had plenty of time to prepare for a catastrophic hurricane but refused to heed the warnings of past hurricanes to the gulf coast. For example when New Orleans experienced flooding in some areas of remarkably similar proportions from Hurricane Betsy in 1965, and when Hurricane Camille devastated the Gulf Coast in 1969 (NOAA/ National Weather Services). When Hurricane George hit the Gulf in 1998, the state of Louisiana to ask FEMA for assistance with catastrophic hurricane planning but little was accomplished in the six years of planning. With six years of planning, the government should have had time to develop and test a catastrophic hurricane plan. In 2004, numerous experts and governmental officials had been anticipating an increase in violent hurricanes, and New Orleans’ special and growing vulnerability to catastrophic flooding due to changing geological and other conditions. If these facts were known, why weren’t plans made in order to prevent a disaster such as this from happening? It seems as though that officials at every level of government did not appear to grasp the magnitude of the storm’s potential for destruction before it made landfall despite strongly worded advisories from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and personal warnings from NHC Director Max Mayfield. Mayfield was so worried about Hurricane Katrina that he called the governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, and the mayor of New Orleans to discuss the effect Hurricane Katrina might have on their regions. Mayfield even talked about the force of Katrina during a video conference call to President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas (Lush). If Mayfield was so worried about the effects of the storm, why weren’t his advice heeded and the necessary precautions taken to reduce the effects of Hurricane Katrina? The second factor was the terrible decisions in the days before the hurricane hit. Some coastal towns in Mississippi went to extraordinary lengths to get citizens to evacuate, including sending people door-to-door to convince people to move out of harm’s way. While New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin only orders a mandatory evacuation of all residents from the city of New Orleans. Yet instead of asking for assistance to help residents who lacked the means to leave the city, he orders the Superdome to be opened as a shelter of last resort. The Superdome proved to be more like a prison than a shelter. More than 20,000 people were forced to reside inside the Superdome without working plumbing, food, water, and other necessities for nearly two weeks. Yet Ray Nagin decided that this was appropriate shelter for those people instead of evacuating everyone out of the city. Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effects were felt before the storm even reached the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. In the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katrina battered the offshore energy infrastructure and forced the evacuation of more than 75 percent of the Gulf’s 819 manned oil platforms. Two days before landfall, U.S. energy companies estimated that the approaching storm had already reduced Gulf of Mexico oil production by more than a third. The government knew that if Hurricane Katrina had that much force to evacuate 819 manned oil platforms, that the havoc it would reap on the New Orleans would be devastating. Despite the understanding of the Gulf Coast’s vulnerability to hurricane devastation, officials braced for Katrina with full awareness of critical deficiencies in their plans and enormous holes in their resources. While Katrina’s destructive force could not be denied, state and local officials did not have enough of the resources at their disposal. And even though the Governors of the three affected states requested, and President Bush issued, emergency declarations before the Hurricane hit, none of it actually prepared citizens for what they were about to experience. Another terrible decision was the lack of transportation and supplies. FEMA failed to approach other federal agencies for help with transportation to ensure that the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana had the means to evacuate their citizens. The City of New Orleans was unprepared to help people evacuate, as many buses from the city’s own fleet were submerged, while at the same time officials had not arranged in advance for drivers for those buses that were available. On Monday, August 29, 2005, Governor Blanco asked FEMA Director Michael Brown for buses, and Brown assured the state the same day that 500 buses were en route to assist in the evacuation of New Orleans and would arrive within hours. In spite of Brown’s assurances and the state’s continued requests over the course of the next two days, FEMA did not direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to send buses until very early on Wednesday, two days after Hurricane Katrina hit and the levees had broken, and the buses did not begin to arrive at all until Wednesday evening and not in significant numbers until Thursday (Millholom). By the time the government realized that they needed the buses to help get people out of the city, the levees had broken and most of the people who they intended to rescues had died or were either trapped on top of roofs on untraveled, flooded streets. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin could have prevented many deaths had he gotten people to drive the local buses through the residential areas to save the elderly and the people who had no way out. FEMA could have arraigned for buses from other towns close to New Orleans to rescue the citizens. Yet, these ideas were not thought of when they had two days before the levees broke. The government also failed to communicate properly throughout the entire Hurricane Katrina dilemma. The Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) was suppose to provide information about the disaster to decision-makers including the Secretary and the President but failed to create a system to identify and acquire all available, relevant information, and as a result situational awareness was deeply flawed. Yet reliable information on such vital developments as the levee failures, the extent of flooding, and the presence of thousands of people in need of life-sustaining assistance at the New Orleans Convention Center did not reach the White House, Secretary Chertoff or other key officials for hours, and in some cases more than a day. FEMA Director Michael Brown, then in Louisiana, contributed to the problem by refusing to communicate with Secretary Chertoff opting instead to pass information directly to White House staff (Taylor). Moreover, even though senior DHS officials did receive on the day of landfall numerous reports that should have led to an understanding of the increasingly dire situation in New Orleans, many indicated they were not aware of the crisis until sometime Tuesday morning. DHS was slow to recognize the scope of the disaster and that FEMA had become overwhelmed. On the day after landfall, DHS officials were still struggling to determine the “ground truth” about the extent of the flooding despite the many reports it had received about the catastrophe. Government officials did not grasp the need to act on the less-than-complete information that is to be expected in a disaster. DHS leaders did not become fully engaged in recovery efforts until Thursday, when in Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson’s words, they “tried to kick it up a notch”; after that, they did provide significant leadership within DHS and FEMA as well as coordination across the federal government. But this effort should have begun sooner. This effort should have been done when they realized Hurricane Katrina was coming to destroy New Orleans. They had enough time to investigate the reports that were given or to go and get a firsthand look at the destruction that Hurricane Katrina had caused. Another factor was the government’s knowledge that the levees could not withstand a level 4 or 5 hurricane. The levees which prevented New Orleans from being turned into a swamp were built to only withstand Category 3 hurricanes. Officials have known for years that the levees could fail under the pressures of a Category 4 or 5 hurricanes but did nothing to reinforce the levees (CNN). There have been many different sources acknowledging the affects the hurricane would have on the levees. In 2002 the New Orleans Times-Picayune ran a five-part series exploring the vulnerability of the city (The New Orleans Times). The newspaper and other news media as well, specifically addressed the possibility of massive floods drowning residents, destroying homes and releasing toxic chemicals throughout the city. Reuters reported that in 2004, more than 40 state, local and volunteer organizations practiced a scenario in which a massive hurricane struck and levees were breached, allowing water to flood New Orleans. Under the simulation, called "Hurricane Pam," the officials "had to deal with an imaginary storm that destroyed more than half a million buildings in New Orleans and forced the evacuation of a million residents," the Reuters report said (Kahn). If government officials knew that the levees could not stand a Category 4 or 5 hurricanes, then why wasn’t anything done to reinforce the strength of the levees. If nothing could be done to reinforce the wall, why wasn’t a secondary barrier put in place in case of the levees actually breakage? The government had enough time to do something about the levees but instead choose to ignore that it was a structural problem. If the problem had been fixed, many lives and homes would have been spared. Government has since then fixed the levees. Almost a year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared that it had restored New Orleans' levees and floodwalls to pre-Hurricane Katrina strength. But yet again another storm weaker than Hurricane Katrina can destroy the levees once again. The new levees sit atop steel sheet piles driven 20 feet (6 meters) into the ground. The piles are long interlocking wall sections that retain water and transfer pressure deeper into the ground, where the soil is more stable (Bourne). But water from holes in the canal bed, excavated before Katrina or scoured by the storm, may be seeping under the barrier through permeable layers of sand and silt. Thus again making the levees a vulnerable target for the next hurricane. The government has spent 3 billion dollars on these levees only to have them possibly torn down again (MSNBC). What was the purpose of fixing the levees if they were still going to have major structural flaws in them that could possibly cause dozens of lives to be lost again? Another major factor is the law enforcement problem that New Orleans faced after Hurricane Katrina. Law enforcement outside the Superdome and the Convention Center was a major problem, and was fueled by several contributing factors, including multiple statements by government officials inflaming the public’s perception of the lawlessness in New Orleans (New York Times). Without effective law enforcement, real or imagined safety threats interrupted every aspect of the response. So without Fearing for their personal safety, medical and search and rescue teams withdrew from their missions. FEMA and commercial vendors of critical supplies often refused to make deliveries until military escorts could be arranged. In fact, there was some lawlessness, yet for every actual act there were rumors of dozens more, leading to widespread and inaccurate reporting that severely complicated a desperate situation (Dyson). Some were looters who were stealing just to be stealing but others were looting for the supplies such as water and food that the vendors refused to bring because of other crime or speculation. Unfortunately, local, state, and federal officials did little to stanch this rumor flow. Police presence on the streets was inadequate, in part because in a matter of hours Katrina turned the New Orleans police department from protectors of the public to victims of the storm as well. Nonetheless, most New Orleans police officers appear to have reported for duty, many setting aside fears about the safety of their families or the status of their homes just to maintain order amidst the chaos. The storm also laid waste to much of the city’s police headquarters and several district offices, along with hundreds of vehicles, rounds of ammunition, and uniforms were all destroyed within the first two days of landfall. Because of this reason, the government shipped out 15, 000 soldiers to enforce the law and maintain public safety (USA TODAY). Crime eventually died down and this was one area that the government actually accomplished something and did it correctly without hesitation. Another factor was the terrible living conditions that people faced while stranded in New Orleans. Over 20,000 people took refuge in Louisiana’s Superdome under unbearable living conditions. The halls reeked of urine and feces were everywhere, a sign of the broken plumbing system; food and water supplies were diminished; and crime ran rampant in the Superdome also known as the “Terrordome” (Brinkley). The Superdome was so packed, that thousands were turned away daily that were seeking refuge from the rising, polluted floodwaters. Many people who were trapped in the city due to the flooding from the breaking of the levees. Flooding in New Orleans drove thousands of survivors to attics and rooftops to await rescue. Some people were trapped in attics and nursing homes and drowned as the dirty waters rose around them. Others escaped only by chopping their way through roofs. Others were sleeping on bridges, cars, and any place they could find that the water could not reach them. The government failed to provide these people with appropriate shelter and when they did provide shelter, the living conditions were deplorable. They failed to provide them with enough food to make sure that they were well fed and not mal-nourished. While authorities recognized the need to begin search-and-rescue missions, other aspects of the response were hindered by a failure to quickly recognize the dimensions of the disaster. Not only did they face terrible living conditions in New Orleans but during the after math as well. FEMA did not even provide adequate temporary relocated homes for many victims who got displaced because of Hurricane Katrina. FEMA offer these people, some of whom lost 300,000 dollar homes, with trailers to live in. Others were stuck in hotels across the U.S. But that didn’t last long, FEMA terminated their contract with the hotels and many people found themselves homeless once again (New York Times). The government didn’t even have a system in place for those who lost their personal information. Many victims found it difficult to reconstruct their shattered lives. In many cases, they had either lost or forgotten basic documents, such as insurance information, birth certificates, and marriage licenses, which would later prove essential to rebuilding their lives. Most of the evacuees did not have access to their medical records, which increased the risk of complications when receiving medical treatment. And many of these citizens were faced with identity theft and no way to prove if they had payed certain debts off. After the government realized that its initial response and the actions it took towards the Hurricane Katrina situation, it releases “The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned”, an extensive review, that identifies deficiencies in the Federal government's response and lays the groundwork for transforming how the Nation - from every level of government, to the private sector, to individual citizens and communities - pursues a real and lasting vision of emergency preparedness and response (Fragos-Townsend). In conclusion, there are a lot of factors that contribute to the government’s appalling response to Hurricane Katrina and destruction that it caused. There are a lot of mixed feelings when it comes to this topic but I think the government has a lot of work to do in regards to creating and implementing a hurricane disaster program. Many things could have been done to prevent Hurricane Katrina from being one of the worst natural disasters in America but it can only provide as an example to teach the government how to be more prepared when disaster strikes. Bourne, Joel K. "National Geographic News." 6 May 2007. National Geographic. 11 March 2008 <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070506-orleans-levees.html>. Brinkley, Douglas. The Great Deluge. New York City: HarperCollins, 2006. CNN. "CNN.com." September 5 2005. CNN.com. 11 March 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.chertoff/>. Dyson, Micheal Eric. Come Hell or High Water. New York City: Basic Civitas/ Perseus Books Group, 2006. Fragos-Townsend, Frances. The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned. Extensive Review Report. Washington, D.C.: Homeland Security and CounterTerrorism, 2006. Kahn, Michael. "Reuters.com." 19 April 2007. Reuters.com. 11 March 2008 <http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSIB97535720070419>. Lush, Tamara. "St. Petersburg Times Online." 30 August 2005. St. Petersburg Times Online. 11 March 2008 <http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/30/State/For_forecasting_chief.shtml>. Millholom, Michelle. "Free Republic." 18 September 2005. Free Republic. 11 March 2008 <http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1486872/posts>. MSNBC. "MSNBC." 15 December 2005. MSNBC. 11 March 2008 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10480727/>. New York Times. "New York Times." 1 September 2005. New York Times. 11 March 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/01/national/nationalspecial/01storm.html>. —. New York Times. 31 August 2006. 11 March 2008 <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/h/hurricane_katrina/index.html?offset=60&s=oldest>. NOAA/ National Weather Services. "National Hurricane Center." 31 August 2007. National Hurricane Center. 11 March 2008 <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml>. Taylor, Matthew. "Yahoo News." 31 September 2005. Yahoo. 11 March 2008 <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/katrina_disaster_response>. The New Orleans Times. "The New Orleans Times." 22 September 2002. The New Orleans Times. 11 March 2008 <http://www.nola.com/katrina/>. USA TODAY. "USA TODAY." 21 June 2006. USA TODAY. 11 March 2008 <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-20-national-guard-new-orleans_x.htm>.

LDS Temple Ordinance Records? I am working on my family history, and have several ancestors that show multiple dates for temple ordinances. Is there somewhere online I can double check these dates? Or can that only be done through Temple Ready at a family history center? Thanks. A friend helped me and we realized that I hadn't known about the 'new' in the address, and was mistakenly going to the old site still. Thanks so much!

Mormons, have you seen this? Family Search Indexing Program The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints announced the Family Search Indexing Program completed digitalizing 250 million names since its launch in 2006. Over 150,000 volunteers use the online program to convert United States census and other records into interactive digital formants for family history use. The new website pilot.familysearch.org contains almost 500 million names and is constantly growing. The church owns an estimated 20 billion names in church vaults, a roughly 170 times larger collection than the Library of Congress. It plans to digitalize all of them through volunteers using the Family Search Indexing Program. You can learn more about it at www.familysearchindexing.org.

Please paraphrase this article? Disney buys Pixar By John Borland http://news.cnet.com/Disney-buys-Pixar/2100-1026_3-6030607.html Story last modified Tue Jan 24 18:03:09 PST 2006 Walt Disney announced Tuesday that it's paying $7.4 billion in stock to acquire Pixar Animation Studios--a deal that puts Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Disney's board of directors. For the venerable animation giant, the move is a significant bet on Pixar's digital approach as the successor to the pen-and-ink industry popularized by Walt Disney. The purchase is also the latest indication of a tectonic collision between technology and Hollywood. Listen up CNET News.com reporters talk about the implications of the Disney-Pixar deal. Listen now... (10MB mp3) As part of the deal, expected to be completed this summer, two Pixar veterans will head Disney's animation efforts. Ed Catmull, who had served as Pixar's president, was named president of the combined Pixar and Disney Animation Studios. John Lasseter, the Pixar executive vice president who is widely regarded as the studio's creative leader, was named chief creative officer. Pixar will remain in its San Francisco Bay Area headquarters. Jobs said Pixar's main choices came down to selling out to Disney or working with another studio under a deal like Lucasfilm has with Twentieth Century Fox, in which the larger studio gets only a distribution fee. The latter option was somewhat attractive, Jobs said, but would still result in an arrangement with "two companies with two separate sets of shareholders and two different agendas." related coverage Pixar goes to Hollywood "Disney is the only company with animation in their DNA, and the only company that we think has this incredible collection of unique assets like the theme parks, that are very attractive to us as well," Jobs said on a conference call with investors. "They're the only company who has Bob Iger, who we like a lot and have grown to trust." Though Disney is issuing $7.4 billion worth of stock, it's paying closer to $6.3 billion after factoring in Pixar's cash holdings of slightly more than $1 billion. Pixar shareholders will receive 2.3 Disney shares for every Pixar share they own, a move that will make Jobs the largest individual shareholder of Disney. Pixar and Disney have had a long history together, though the recent past has been rocky. Pixar has had an uninterrupted string of hit features with "Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "A Bug's Life," "Monsters Inc.," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." Disney has distributed all of them. Listen up Apple and Pixar CEO--and now Disney partner--Steve Jobs talks about why he thinks Disney is a good fit for Pixar. Listen now... (2.9MB mp3) However, talks to extend the deal turned sour, with allegations flying back and forth between Jobs, who is also Pixar's CEO, and Disney's then-CEO Michael Eisner. In January 2004, Pixar announced it was breaking off talks with Disney and would look elsewhere for a studio partner to release its films. Things seem to have improved of late, though, as Disney has emerged as a major iTunes partner for Apple, with Jobs and newly installed Disney CEO Robert Iger appearing onstage at last year's launch of the video iPod. In addition to his role at the animation studio, Lasseter will serve as principal creative adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering, reporting to Iger, and will help design Disney theme parks. The deal is subject to regulatory approval as well as the nod from Pixar shareholders, though Jobs owns 50.6 percent of Pixar. He has agreed to vote shares representing at least 40 percent of Pixar in favor of the deal--enough to push the deal through even if significant opposition arises, though none is expected. Pixar's stock rose $1.43, or 2.48 percent, in after-hours trading, to $59. Disney's fell 5 cents, or 0.19 percent, to $25.94. "New Yorker" media writer Ken Auletta, who has followed Disney for many years, compared the deal to Time Warner's merger with America Online. Both Disney and Time Warner represent venerable media companies that stumbled as their businesses went high tech, and looked to a native of the new media environment for help, he said. News.com PollCan Steve Jobs restore Disney's lost luster? No Not without more control Without a doubt View results The Time Warner-AOL merger has been rocky, aptly illustrating the potential pitfalls of Old World-New World links. But Disney's decision to ally itself with Jobs could be a savvy choice, Auletta added. "This is a guy who has an amazing track record over a long period of time," Auletta said. "He's not a one-shot wonder. If you can get Jobs on your team, and then make sure he has a stake in the company succeeding, that's a desirable thing." The deal merges two opposites in the animation world: the historic leader in the art form, now grown into one of the biggest corporate entities in the world, and the high-tech trailblazer that former employees say has kept an intensely "family" feeling while creating a string of hugely popular hits. "The great thing about working (at Pixar) is the directors are in-house," said Bobby Beck, a seven-year Pixar veteran who left in 2004 to start online animation school Animationmentor.com. "You really develop a relationship with the directors. They get to know you on a first-name basis." That disparity could set the stage for a distinct culture clash between the large and the small. Indeed, the prospect of the purchase has dismayed some fans of Pixar, who are wary of seeing the independent studio lose its spark of originality. "Pixar is a remarkable place," said Doug Ward, the manager of the animation program at the University of California at Los Angeles. "The concern that we would have...is who's going to run it? Is it going to become another big corporate arm of Disney?" Both Jobs and Iger said they would do everything they could to preserve the organic nature of Pixar's culture, however. "Most of the time that Bob and I have spent talking about this hasn't been about economics," Jobs said. "It's been about preserving the Pixar culture--because we all know that's the thing that's going to determine the success here in the long run." "We spent a lot of time talking about that when we negotiated the deal," Iger agreed. "I am really deeply committed to seeing that Pixar is allowed to exist in the form it has existed." Copyright ©1995-2008 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Origin of Aids....Please someone tell me if it's true!? The Manmade Origin Of AIDS By Paris and Dr. Kwame Nantambu Yes, you read it correctly. AIDS is manmade. Here you will read, explicitly, that the US government funded the creation of this virus that would "lead to yet another method of massive killing of large populations" and "be refractory to the immunological and therapeutic processes upon which we depend to maintain our relative freedom from infectious disease." Yes, there is most definitely a war going on, and it is much scarier than you probably ever imagined. Read on: The Development of the AIDS virus was funded in 1969 through funds obtained by the United States Defense Department via House Bill 15090. The Bill, which called for the US Defense Department to receive $10 million dollars to research, test and develop the virus, was reviewed in Hearings before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives during the ninety-first Congress in review of the Defense Appropriations for 1970. Copies of the full text of the Bill are not available in any public library and are impossible to locate online, although many other Bills are. Part Five of H.R. 15090 was entitled RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION, sponsored by the Department of the Army, the Advanced Research Project Agency (now DARPA), and Defense Research and Engineering. The Feasibility program and laboratories were to have been completed by 1974 - 1975 and the virus between 1974 - 1979. The World Health Organization (WHO) started to inject AIDS - laced smallpox vaccine (Vaccina) into Africans in 1977. Over 2000 young white male homosexuals were injected with laced Hepatitis B vaccine in 1978 through the Centers for Disease Control and the New York Blood Center. The development of the virus apparently had a dual purpose: (1) As a political/ethnic weapon to be used against black individuals and (2) one of the programmed efforts at de-population. For the record it must be stated emphatically that the origin of AIDS has absolutely nothing to do with the green monkey, African people nor the Haitians. The stark reality is that, according to The Strecker Memorandum (1983): -AIDS is a man-made disease -AIDS is not a homosexual disease -AIDS is not a venereal disease -AIDS can be carried by mosquitoes -Condoms will reduce the chances of, but not prevent AIDS -There are at least six different AIDS viruses in the world 1 AIDS represents the most potent medical weapon in the armory of Europeans to annihilate, decimate and castrate African, Hispanic and Asian peoples under the rubric of European supremacy. Why and How was AIDS Created? The AIDS virus was created 'as a political/ethnic weapon to be used mainly against Blacks. 2 "AIDS is biological warfare at its Euro-supremacist zenith," according to Malcolm Turner in his book AIDS is Biological Warfare: A Warning to African People. "AIDS is not an act of God against homosexuals; it did not appear out of thin air and it did not come from Africa. It was designed to kill people of color and a review of the statistics show that this is exactly what is happening...it is the creation of a sick, demented white racist power structure... 3 The creation and subsequent deployment of the AIDS virus by the World Health Organization was not just a diabolical scientific exercise that got out of hand. It was a cold-blood successful attempt to create a killer virus which was then used in a successful experiment in Africa. 4 The creation of AIDS "was not an accident?. It was deliberate. 5 AIDS is nothing less than genocide by white racists against the rest of humanity. 6 The Real Origin of AIDS The AIDS virus was created by the United States government at Fort Dietrich in Maryland, a biological warfare laboratory in building number A550 in the P4 lab. The sum of US $10m was requested by the Defense Department to build the lab under the House of Representatives Bill number H.R. 15090 in the 91st Congress in 1970. 7 Dr. Theodore Strecker writes, "The US National Cancer institute, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, manufactured the AIDS virus in their laboratories at Fort Detrich, Maryland. They combined two deadly retroviruses, the Bovine Leukemia Virus and the Visna Virus, and injected them into human tissue cultures. The result was the AIDS virus, the first human retrovirus known to man and now believed to be 100 percent fatal to those infected. 8 Dr. Strecker further contends that AIDS couldn't have engineered itself, and reiterates that it was produced in a laboratory by virologists. "The World Health Organization (WHO) called for scientists to work with these deadly agents and attempt to make a hybrid virus that would be deadly to humans. An attempt was made to see if viruses could in fact exert selective effects on immune function. The possibility was looked into that the immune response to the virus itself would be impaired if the infecting virus damaged, more or less selectively, the cell responding to the virus? 9 The AIDS epidemic was triggered by the mass vaccination campaign which eradicated smallpox. 10 In fact, the WHO itself has studied "new scientific evidence suggesting that immunization with the smallpox vaccine Vaccinia, awakened the unsuspected, dormant human immuno defense virus infection (HIV). 11 Pearce Wright, an advisor to the WHO, writes, "I thought it was just a coincidence until we studied the latest findings about the reactions which can be caused by Vaccinia. Now I believe the smallpox vaccine theory is the explanation to the explosion of AIDS?. 12 The fact of the matter is that the WHO concluded that "in the relation to the immune response, a number of useful experimental approaches can be visualized?. 13 As a result, "they suggested that a way to do this would be to put their new killer virus (AIDS) into a vaccination program, sit back and observe the results. 14 The WHO used smallpox vaccine as their vicious vehicle to spread the AIDS virus and the geographic areas chosen were Uganda and other African countries, Haiti, Brazil and Japan. The present "AIDS epidemic coincides with these geographical areas. 15 As an addendum, "there is also substantial evidence" to show that a confidential source in the WHO has revealed that there is "a strong correlation between the proportion of people in different central African countries who consented to the smallpox vaccine program and the proportion of those now infected with AIDS. 16 The stark reality is that "the AIDS virus must be a man-made, bio-engineered virus. 17 Hence, it's no great surprise that the WHO, in true Euro-supremacist modus operandi, "started to inject AIDS-laced smallpox vaccine (Vaccina) into over 100 million Africans (as part of its global non-European population reduction program) in 1977. 18 Dr. Theodore A. Strecker further writes, "If the African green monkey could transmit AIDS to humans, the present known amount of infection in Africa makes it statistically impossible for a single episode, such as a monkey biting someone, to have brought this epidemic to this point. The doubling time of the number of people infected, about every 14 months, when correlated with the first known case, and the present known number of cases, prove beyond a doubt that a large number of people had to have been infected at the same time. Starting in 1972 with the first case from our mythical monkey and doubling the number infected from that single source every 14 months you get only a few thousand cases. From 1972 to 1987 is 15 years or 180 months. If it takes 14 months to double the number of cases, then there would have been 13 doublings, 1 then 2, then 4, then 8, etc. In 15 years, from a single source of infection there would be about 8,000 cases in Africa, not 75 million AIDS infected people. We are approaching World War II mortality statistics here without a shot being fired. 19 The fact of the matter is that under the current European global policy of annihilating people of color, "AIDS is expected to kill more people and orphan more children than all the wars of the 20th century combined. 20 The Global Impact of AIDS The spread of the AIDS virus is omnipresent among African peoples and people of color. AIDS is without any doubt, the largest epidemic in human history. The global magnitude of the impact of AIDS is such that as of June 2001, "more than 70 percent of the people with the virus that causes AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region in the world. 21 AIDS has transformed Africa into a "killing field. 22 In fifteen years, "AIDS has killed 11 million Africans, more than 80 percent of the world's AIDS deaths. 23 AIDS "has struck some 36 million people, 25.3 million of them in Africa, and orphaned 13 million children. 24 According to the United Nations in 1998, there are 5,500 AIDS-related funerals every day in Africa. 25 In Zimbabwe alone, 1,200 die each week from AIDS. As of February 2001, there are 5.8 million AIDS cases in South/Southeast Asia, 1.4 million in Latin America, and 640,000 in East Asia. In fact, in June 1991, it was reported that "by the end of this decade, Asia will be the epicenter of the worldwide AIDS epidemic, host to the fastest-growing AIDS population in the world. 26 As of February 2000, the Caribbean has as high as 700,000 people infected with AIDS, thus making the region "the second largest incidence in the world after Africa. 27 In the case of the United States, African-Americans account for about 11 percent of the national population but 57 percent of the AIDS cases. In 1999, African-Americans and Hispanics accounted for almost 70 percent of new HIV infections. However, strangely enough, death rates in Europe of people infected with the virus that causes AIDS have fallen 84 percent since 1985. 28 The reality is that two-thirds of the people in the world infected with AIDS today are in sub-Saharan Africa, but only about 2 percent are in Western Europe. That is no accident. It is genocide. The sole purpose of this heinous man-made virus is to reduce the global population of African peoples and people of color through AIDS decimation, annihilation and castration, by any and all means necessary. AIDS represents a medical intifadah declared against African people and people of color. The Tuskegee Experiment A relevant comparison analysis is the Tuskegee Experiment that was conducted by the U.S. government on innocent and unsuspecting African-American males from 1932-1972. In 1932, the United States Public Health Services solicited and recruited about 400 African-American males as guinea pigs in "one of the most notorious medical experiments ever" on the study of the effects of syphilis in Macon County, Alabama. 29 These subjects never gave informed consent for their participation in the study. "The Black men were never told they had syphilis nor were they told their disease could endanger their families. 30 In the fall of 1932, handbills were posted and circulated at several church gatherings in the poor county, where even the one black doctor served only those who could afford to pay. The ads promised "special treatment" for men with "bad blood," which, to local folks, could mean anything from VD to anemia to indigestion. Eager to take advantage of any kind of medical care that was free, men signed up in droves. Sadly, even when a penicillin treatment cure for syphilis became available in the 1940s, the men in the Tuskegee syphilis experiment "were not allowed to receive the antibiotic. 31 By U.S. government decree "other doctors in Macon County were forbidden to treat any of the men in the study. 32 These Black men were sharecroppers with no formal education. "Many had never seen a doctor, much less been treated by one. Anything white people asked them to do, they did. 33 The U.S. has stated that "the purpose of the study was to record the destructive effects of untreated syphilis and to follow closely the medical progress of the group until each man died. 34 However, according to Martin P. Levine, the experiment was easily justified by physicians and scientists because "it was widely believed that Black racial inferiority made them a notoriously syphilis-soaked race. 35 These physicians and scientists were convinced that: "(The) smaller brains (of these Black men) lacked mechanisms for controlling sexual desire, causing them to be highly promiscuous. They matured early and consequently were more sexually active, and the Black man's enormous penis with its long foreskin was prone to venereal infections. These physiological differences meant that disease must affect the races differently. 36 Conclusion In sum, the U.S. government-sponsored Tuskegee Experiment is germ-biological warfare committed on its own citizens for 40 years. It must be noted, however, that in 1974, a US Civil Rights attorney won a $10m settlement from the government for the Tuskegee victims and their heirs, and another $2.1m payment was received in 1976. On May 16, 1997, then-President Bill Clinton issued an official public apology on behalf of the U.S. government to the victims of the Tuskegee experiment. 37 So you see, the notion of waging biological warfare on so-called undesirable populations is not a foreign one to the US Government. This is it's legacy - the greatest homicidal and genocidal killing machine in the history of civilization. AS POSTED BY DAMON. Each one reach and teach one........NATION note to all :- I HAVE NOT MADE UP MY MIND! I just read this and was like wut the hell, where did this come from. I don't know what to think but honestly you really can't put nyfin past politics can you? Lol to the American Haters comment. :')

for those of you who think Obama has accomplish nothing? Obama passed legislation with Republican Senator Jim Talent to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps. The tax credit covers 30 percent of the costs of switching one or more traditional petroleum pumps to E85, which is an 85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline blend. -After a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases. -His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent. -Obama created the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families in 2000 and successfully sponsored a measure to make the credit permanent in 2003. The law offered about $105 million in tax relief over three years. -Obama joined forces with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) to pass the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation banned the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned gifts from lobbyists. Before the law was passed, one organization ranked Illinois worst among 50 states for its campaign finance regulations. -As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. -He traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. -Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting. - In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began. -Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbied the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices. -Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military. -Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services. -Obama has introduced and helped pass bipartisan legislation to limit the abuse of no-bid federal contracts. -Obama and Senator Feingold (D-WI) took on both parties and proposed ethics legislation that was described as the "gold standard" for reform. It was because of their leadership that ending subsidized corporate jet travel, mandating disclosure of lobbyists' bundling of contributions, and enacting strong new restrictions of lobbyist-sponsored trips became part of the final ethics bill that was signed into law. I really could list many, many more but I fear it would be too much to take in at one time. I hope this helps some of you know him a little better. Everyone seems to be jumping on his "Change" bandwagon. However, he does have the record to back it up. haha..i know jonathan..just spreading the message..u know

What about Skeptics of Buddhism, like us ? Please Patiently read everything.? Buddhism for beginners (and sceptical Westerners) Introduction Now that Buddhism is such a fast-growing religion in the West, a lot of Westerners are attracted to its rational approach and rejection of an all-powerful deity. But all too often we Westerners quickly get stuck on the idea of rebirth and the various cultural traditions that have become a part of Buddhism in Asia. I've been there myself - wondering if rebirth is for real, if karma is scientific, if Buddhism is rational, why I have to bow to a statue, and so on - and I almost gave up at one point. I've noticed also that some Westerners pop up on the Internet looking for others who've converted to Buddhism, hoping they can discover the trick to becoming a Buddhist despite a materialist upbringing. So this page is a mixture of useful resources and my own personal experiences in fully accepting Dharma as a way of life. I hope it will be of some use to others on the same path. •Where should I start? •What is Buddhism? •Are rebirth and karma for real? •What is our purpose in life? •What's the difference between Theravada and Mahayana? •Which tradition should I choose? •How do I become a Buddhist? •Which are good books to read? Where should I start? If there's one place you should not start, it's reincarnation/rebirth. Newcomers to Buddhism tend to open every book at the section on rebirth because what happens to us after we die is all-important in the monotheistic culture we come from. But the Buddha wasn't teaching rebirth as the goal of life. He said many times, "I teach suffering, and the way out of suffering." That was his message, to make nirvana (Pali: nibbana) - the end of suffering - the goal. So the place to start is with the basics, the Four Noble Truths and a practice aimed at reducing suffering. If this seems worthwhile to you, you're on your way. In fact, the best way to start is by doing a lot of reading. You need to know about the basic principles of Buddhism, its founder, its history, the different traditions, and what it can do for you. Even though there's a lot of stuff available free on the Internet, I still think a well-written book is the best way to go. For all of the above, try John Snelling's The Buddhist Handbook : A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History or Gill Farrer-Halls' The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Buddhist Wisdom (which is also a handbook). These two books are both excellent primers to start off with. There's also a short overview titled What is Buddhism? from the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. For inspiring books written by Western monks who really understand Westerners' problems, try Ajahn Sumedho's The Mind and the Way : Buddhist Reflections of Life or Ajahn Jagaro's True Freedom, which is available online: •Chapter 1: True Freedom •Chapter 2: Compassion - The Natural Expression of Awakening •Chapter 3: Buddhism and God •Chapter 4: Beyond Boredom and Depression •Chapter 5: Buddhism and Vegetarianism •Chapter 6: Death and Dying Another book that's a must-read is Thich Nhat Hanh's little-known masterpiece, Old Path, White Clouds : Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha, a beautiful and easy-to-read story of the Buddha's life drawn from accounts in the Pali Canon and illustrated with line drawings. For a thorough explanation of the nuts and bolts of the teachings and practice, check out Ayya Khema's Being Nobody, Going Nowhere : Meditations on the Buddhist Path (very good at showing how ego rules our lives) or Henepola Gunaratana's Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness : Walking the Buddha's Path. There are a lot of good books on Dharma (Pali: Dhamma), but I'd recommend starting of with the original Theravada Buddhism and checking out the Mahayana traditions like Zen and Tibetan when you have a grasp of the basics. What you read will depend on what particular problems brought you to Buddhism in the first place. Some authors, the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh, for example, have written books on anger management. But it's important to practise too. In addition to following the Five Precepts, try practising Right Speech, generosity, compassion, being less self-centred, being less addicted to pleasures of the senses and being less concerned with possessions. And once you have a good grasp of the basic teachings and different traditions, it will be time to start meditating. Your situation in life may affect your practice and progress. If you live near a temple or Buddhist group, you'll be able to listen to Dharma talks, make Dharma friends and be with a community of like-minded people. If you don't, there are always the Internet and Buddhist forums such as E-Sangha and the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. I personally live in a Buddhist country where the majority of people don't understand the deeper teachings of Buddhism, so their focus is on making merit for a better rebirth and participating in ceremonies. So I rely a lot on the Internet, on Amazon and a few friends. I rarely go to temples. What is Buddhism? The following article is from the website of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. The author explains karma and rebirth in the traditionally accepted way and is somewhat sceptical about the origins of the Mahayana sutras, but otherwise it's an excellent overview of Buddhism. Introduction For more than 2,500 years, the religion we know today as Buddhism has been the primary inspiration behind many successful civilizations, the source of great cultural achievements and a lasting and meaningful guide to the very purpose of life for millions of people. Today, large numbers of men and women from diverse backgrounds throughout our world are following the Teachings of the Buddha. So who was the Buddha and what are His Teachings? The Buddha The man who was to become the Buddha was born Siddhattha Gotama around 2,600 years ago as a Prince of a small territory near what is now the Indian-Nepalese border. Though he was raised in splendid comfort, enjoying aristocratic status, no amount of material pleasure could satisify the enquiring and philosophic nature of the young man. At the age of 29 he left palace and family to search for a deeper meaning in the secluded forests and remote mountains of North-East India. He studied under the wisest religious teachers and philosophers of his time, learning all they had to offer, but he found it was not enough. He then struggled alone with the path of self- mortification, taking that practice to the extremes of asceticism, but still to no avail. Then, at the age of 35, on the full moon night of May, he sat beneath the branches of what is now known as the Bodhi Tree, in a secluded grove by the banks of the river Neranjara, and developed his mind in deep but luminous, tranquil meditation. Using the extraordinary clarity of such a mind with its sharp penetrative power generated by states of deep inner stillness, he turned his attention to investigate upon the hidden meanings of mind, universe and life. Thus he gained the supreme Enlightenment experience and from that time on he was known as the Buddha. His Enlightenment consisted of the most profound and all-embracing insight into the nature of mind and all phenomena. This Enlightenment was not a revelation from some divine being, but a discovery made by Himself and based on the deepest level of meditation and the clearest experience of the mind. It meant that He was no longer subject to craving, ill-will and delusion but was free from their shackles, having attained the complete ending of all forms of inner suffering and acquired unshakeable peace. The Teachings of the Buddha Having realized the goal of Perfect Enlightenment, the Buddha spent the next 45 years teaching a Path which, when diligently followed, will take anyone regardless of race, class or gender to that same Perfect Enlightenment. The Teachings about this Path are called the Dhamma, literally meaning "the nature of all things" or "the truth underlying existence". It is beyond the scope of this pamphlet to present a thorough description of all of these Teachings but the following 7 topics will give you an overview of what the Buddha taught: 1. The way of Inquiry The Buddha warned strongly against blind faith and encouraged the way of truthful inquiry. In one of His best known sermons, the Kalama Sutta, the Buddha pointed out the danger in fashioning one's beliefs merely on the following grounds: on hearsay, on tradition, because many others say it is so, on the authority of ancient scriptures, on the word of a supernatural being, or out of trust in one's teachers, elders, or priests. Instead one maintains an open mind and thoroughly investigates one's own experience of life. When one sees for oneself that a particular view agrees with both experience and reason, and leads to the happiness of one and all, then one should accept that view and live up to it! This principle, of course, applies to the Buddha's own Teachings. They should be considered and inquired into using the clarity of mind born of meditation. Only when one sees these Teachings for oneself in the experience of insight, do these Teachings become one's Truth and give blissful liberation. The traveller on the way of inquiry needs the practice of tolerance. Tolerance does not mean that one embraces every idea or view but means one doesn't get angry at what one can't accept. Further along the journey, what one once disagreed with might later be seen to be true. So in the spirit of tolerant inquiry, here are some more of the basic Teachings as the Buddha gave them. 2. The Four Noble Truths The main Teaching of the Buddha focuses not on philosophical speculations about a Creator God or the origin of the universe, or on a heaven world ever after. The Teaching, instead, is centred on the down-to-earth reality of human suffering and the urgent need to find lasting relief from all forms of discontent. The Buddha gave the simile of a man shot by a poison-tipped arrow who, before he would call a doctor to treat him, demanded to know first who shot the arrow and where the arrow was made and of what and by whom and when and where ... this foolish man would surely die before his questions could be well answered. In the same way, the Buddha said, the urgent need of our existence is to find lasting relief from recurrent suffering, which robs us of happiness and leaves us in strife. Philosophical speculations are of secondary importance and, anyway, they are best left until after one has well trained the mind in meditation to the stage where one has the ability to examine the matter clearly and find the Truth for oneself. Thus, the central Teaching of the Buddha, around which all other teachings revolve, is the Four Noble Truths: 1.That all forms of being, human and otherwise, are afflicted with suffering. 2.That the cause of this suffering is Craving, born of the illusion of a soul (see below, note 7). 3.That this suffering has a lasting end in the Experience of Enlightenment (Nibbana) which is the complete letting go of the illusion of soul and all consequent desire and aversion. 4.That this peaceful and blissful Enlightenment is achieved through a gradual training, a Path that is called the Middle Way or the Eightfold Path. It would be mistaken to label this Teaching as 'pessimistic' on the grounds that it begins by centring on suffering. Rather, Buddhism is 'realistic' in that it unflinchingly faces up to the truth of life's many sufferings and it is 'optimistic' in that it shows a final end of the problem of suffering - Nibbana, Enlightenment in this very life! Those who have achieved this ultimate peace are the inspiring examples who demonstrate once and for all that Buddhism is far from pessimistic, but it is a Path to true Happiness. 3. The Middle Way or Eightfold Path The Way to end all suffering is called the Middle Way because it avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. Only when the body is in reasonable comfort but not over-indulged has the mind the clarity and strength to meditate deeply and discover the Truth. This Middle Way consists of the diligent cultivation of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom, which is explained in more detail as the Noble Eightfold Path. 1.Right Understanding 2.Right Thought 3.Right Speech 4.Right Action 5.Right Livelihood 6.Right Effort 7.Right Mindfulness 8.Right Concentration Right Speech, Action and Livelihood constitute the training in Virtue or Morality. For a practising Buddhist it consists of maintaining the five Buddhist Precepts, which are to refrain from: 1.Deliberately causing the death of any living being; 2.Intentionally taking for one's own the property of another; 3.Sexual misconduct, in particular adultery; 4.Lying and breaking promises; 5.Drinking alcohol or taking stupefying drugs which lead to lack of mindfulness. Right Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration refer to the practice of Meditation, which purifies the mind through the experience of blissful states of inner stillness and empowers the mind to penetrate the meaning of life through profound moments of insight. Right Understanding and Thought are the manifestation of Buddha-Wisdom which ends all suffering, transforms the personality and produces unshakeable serenity and tireless compassion. According to the Buddha, without perfecting the practice of Virtue it is impossible to perfect Meditation, and without perfecting Meditation it is impossible to arrive at Enlightenment Wisdom. Thus the Buddhist Path is a Gradual Path, a Middle Way consisting of Virtue, Meditation and Wisdom as explained in the Noble Eightfold Path leading to happiness and liberation. 4. Kamma Kamma means 'action'. The Law of Kamma means that there are inescapable results of our actions. There are deeds of body, speech or mind that lead to others' harm, one's own harm, or to the harm of both. Such deeds are called bad (or 'unwholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by greed, hatred or delusion. Because they bring painful results, they should not be done. There are also deeds of body, speech or mind that lead to others' well being, one's own well being, or to the well being of both. Such deeds are called good (or 'wholesome') kamma. They are usually motivated by generosity, compassion or wisdom. Because they bring happy results, they should be done as often as possible. Thus much of what one experiences is the result of one's own previous kamma. When misfortune occurs, instead of blaming someone else, one can look for any fault in one's own past conduct. If a fault is found, the experience of its consequences will make one more careful in the future. When happiness occurs, instead of taking it for granted, one can look to see if it is the result of good kamma. If so, the experience of its pleasant results will encourage more good kamma in the future. The Buddha pointed out that no being whatsoever, divine or otherwise, has any power to stop the consequences of good and bad kamma. The fact that one reaps just what one sows gives to the Buddhist a greater incentive to avoid all forms of bad kamma while doing as much good kamma as possible. Though one cannot escape the results of bad kamma, one can lessen their effect. A spoon of salt mixed in a glass of pure water makes the whole very salty, whereas the same spoon of salt mixed in a freshwater lake hardly changes the taste of the water. Similarly, the result of a bad kamma in a person habitually doing only a small amount of good kamma is painful indeed, whereas the result of the same bad kamma in a person habitually doing a great deal of good kamma is only mildly felt. This natural Law of Kamma becomes the force behind, and reason for, the practice of morality and compassion in our society. 5. Rebirth The Buddha remembered clearly many of His past lives. Even today, many Buddhist monks, nuns and others also remember their past lives. Such a strong memory is a result of deep meditation. For those who remember their past life, Rebirth is an established fact which puts this life in a meaningful perspective. The Law of Kamma can only be understood in the framework of many lifetimes, because it sometimes takes this long for Kamma to bear its fruit. Thus Kamma and Rebirth offer a plausible explanation to the obvious inequalities of birth; why some are born into great wealth whereas others are born into pathetic poverty; why some children enter this world healthy and full-limbed whereas others enter deformed and diseased... The fruits of bad Kamma are not regarded as a punishment for evil deeds but as lessons from which to learn, for example, how much better to learn about the need for generosity than to be reborn among the poor! Rebirth takes place not only within this human realm. The Buddha pointed out that the realm of human beings is but one among many. There are many separate heavenly realms and grim lower realms, too, realms of the animals and realms of the ghosts. Not only can human beings go to any of these realms in the next life, but we can come from any of these realms into our present life. This explains a common objection against Rebirth that argues "How can there be Rebirth when there are ten times as many people alive today than there were 50 years ago?" The answer is that people alive today have come from many different realms. Understanding that we can come and go between these different realms, gives us more respect and compassion for the beings in these realms. It is unlikely, for example, that one would exploit animals when one has seen the link of Rebirth that connects them with us. 6. No Creator God The Buddha pointed out that no God or priest nor any other kind of being has the power to interfere in the working out of someone else's Kamma. Buddhism, therefore, teaches the individual to take full responsibility for themselves. For example, if you want to be wealthy then be trustworthy, diligent and frugal, or if you want to live in a heaven realm then always be kind to others. There is no God to ask favours from, or to put it another way there is no corruption possible in the workings of Kamma. Do Buddhists believe that a Supreme Being created the universe? Buddhists would first ask which universe do you mean? This present universe, from the moment of the 'big bang' up to now, is but one among countless millions in Buddhist cosmology. The Buddha gave an estimate of the age of a single universe-cycle of around 37,000 million years, which is quite plausible when compared to modern astrophysics. After one universe- cycle ends another begins, again and again, according to impersonal law. A Creator God is redundant in this scheme. No being is a Supreme Saviour, according to the Buddha, because whether God, human, animal or whatever, all are subject to the Law of Kamma. Even the Buddha had no power to save. He could only point out the Truth so that the wise could see it for themselves. Everyone must take responsibility for their own future well-being, and it is dangerous to give that responsibility to another. 7. The Illusion of Soul The Buddha taught that there is no soul, no essential and permanent core to a living being. Instead, that which we call a 'living being', human or other, can be seen to be but a temporary coming together of many activities and parts - when complete it is called a 'living being', but after the parts separate and the activities cease it is not called a 'living being' anymore. Like an advanced computer assembled of many parts and activities, only when it is complete and performs coherent tasks is it called a 'computer', but after the parts are disconnected and the activities cease it is no longer called a 'computer'. No essential permanent core can be found which we can truly call 'the computer', just so, no essential permanent core can be found which we can call 'the soul'. Yet Rebirth still occurs without a soul. Consider this simile: on a Buddhist shrine one candle, burnt low, is about to expire. A monk takes a new candle and lights it from the old. The old candle dies, the new candle burns bright. What went across from the old candle to the new? There was a causal link but no thing went across! In the same way, there was a causal link between your previous life and your present life, but no soul has gone across. Indeed, the illusion of a soul is said by the Buddha to be the root cause of all human suffering. The illusion of 'soul' manifests as the 'Ego'. The natural unstoppable function of the Ego is to control. Big Egos want to control the world, average Egos try to control their immediate surroundings of home, family and workplace, and almost all Egos strive to control what they take to be their own body and mind. Such control manifests as desire and aversion, it results in a lack of both inner peace and outer harmony. It is this Ego that seeks to acquire possessions, manipulate others and exploit the environment. Its aim is its own happiness but it invariably produces suffering. It craves for satisfaction but it experiences discontent. Such deep- rooted suffering cannot come to an end until one sees, through deep and powerful meditation, that the idea 'me and mine' is no more than a mirage. These seven topics are a sample of what the Buddha taught. Now, to complete this brief sketch of Buddhism, let's look at how these Teachings are practised today. Types of Buddhism One could say that there is only one type of Buddhism and that is the huge collection of Teachings that were spoken by the Buddha. The original Teachings are found in the 'Pali Canon', the ancient scripture of Theravada Buddhism, which is widely accepted as the oldest reliable record of the Buddha's words. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Between 100 to 200 years after the passing away of the Buddha, the Sangha (the monastic community) split over the political question of 'Who runs the Sangha?' A controversy over some monastic rules was decided by a committee of Arahats (fully Enlightened monks or nuns) against the views of the majority of monks. The disgruntled majority resented what they saw as the excessive influence of the small number of Arahats in monastery affairs. From then on, over a period of several decades, the disaffected majority partially succeeded in lowering the exalted status of the Arahat and raising in its place the ideal of the Bodhisattva (an unenlightened being training to be a Buddha). Previously unknown scriptures, supposedly spoken by the Buddha and hidden in the dragon world, then appeared giving a philosophical justification for the superiority of the Bodhisattva over the allegedly 'selfish' Arahat. This group of monks and nuns were first known as the 'Maha Sangha', meaning 'the great (part) of the monastic community'. Later, after impressive development, they called themselves the 'Mahayana', the 'Greater Vehicle' while quite disparagingly calling the older Theravada 'Hinayana', the 'Inferior Vehicle'. Mahayana still retains most of the original teachings of the Buddha (in the Chinese scriptures these are known as the 'Agama' and in the Tibetan version as the 'Kangyur') but these core teachings were mostly overwhelmed by layers of expansive interpretations and wholly new ideas. The Mahayana of China, still vibrant in Taiwan, reflects an earlier phase of this development, the Mahayana of Vietnam, Korea and Japan (mostly Zen) is a later development, and the Mahayana of Tibet and Mongolia is a much later development still. Buddhism's relevance to the world today Today, Buddhism continues to gain ever wider acceptance in many lands far beyond its original home. Here in Australia, many Australians through their own careful choice are adopting Buddhism's peaceful, compassionate and responsible ways. The Buddhist Teaching of the Law of Kamma offers our society a just and incorruptible foundation and reason for the practice of a moral life. It is easy to see how a wider embracing of the Law of Kamma would lead any country towards a stronger, more caring and virtuous society. The Teaching of Rebirth places this present short lifetime of ours in a broader perspective, giving more meaning to the vital events of birth and death. The understanding of Rebirth removes so much of the tragedy and grief surrounding death and turns one's attention to the quality of a lifetime, rather than its mere length. From the very beginning, the practice of meditation has been at the very heart of the Buddhist Way. Today, meditation grows increasingly popular as the proven benefits to both mental and physical well being become more widely known. When stress is shown to be such a major cause of human suffering, the quieting practice of meditation becomes ever more valued. Today's world is too small and vulnerable to live angry and alone, thus the need for tolerance, love and compassion is so very important. These qualities of mind, essential for happiness are formally developed in Buddhist meditation and then diligently put into practice in everyday life. Forgiveness and gentle tolerance, harmlessness and peaceful compassion are well known trademarks of Buddhism, they are given freely and broadly to all kinds of beings, including animals of course, and also, most importantly, to oneself. There is no place for dwelling in guilt or self-hatred in Buddhism, not even a place for feeling guilty about feeling guilty! Teachings and practices such as these are what bring about qualities of gentle kindness and unshakeable serenity, identified with the Buddhist religion for 25 centuries and sorely needed in today's world. In all its long history, no war has ever been fought in the name of Buddhism. It is this peace and this tolerance, growing out of a profound yet reasonable philosophy, which makes Buddhism so vitally relevant to today's world. Are rebirth and karma for real? Is rebirth for real - either as a human or in one of the other realms? This is the question most Westerners ask as soon as they become interested in Buddhism. Karma (Pali: Kamma) - the law of cause and effect - operates across multiple lifetimes, but where's the proof that there is any life other than the current one? It's a complex subject and each tradition has its own explanation. It isn't uncommon for different teachers in the same tradition to have a different take on rebirth. One thing's for sure, there is no scientific proof of rebirth (yet). There are rational explanations, but they all rest on unprovable assumptions. One way to approach the question of rebirth is suggested by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, who says, "You don't have to believe in rebirth, you just have to take it as a working hypothesis." Other teachers, such as Ajahn Summedho, have a similar view, that since we can never know what will happen after death, it makes sense to practise Dharma (Pali: Dhamma) and live this life in the best way possible. Some well-known monks, Ajahn Brahm and P.A. Payutto among them, say that when meditators reach the third or fourth jhana (level of absorbtion) they are able to "read their past lives" as the Buddha did and experience the truth of rebirth. But this ability is by no means universal, even among meditation masters. Another explanation championed by Buddhadasa, Thailand's most revered monk, is that rebirth in a series of physical bodies is "conventional talk" to make the subject understandable for the masses, but in "Dharma talk" what the Buddha really meant was that each life was the arising of the ego in the mind. So we experience "death" and "rebirth" (of the ego) many times each day. Similarly, the six realms of existence all correspond to states of mind. In the same way, the cause and effect of karma can be observed in our own mental states - when we do good deeds it results in a wholesome mental state, when we do bad deeds, we experience unwholesome mental states. This rational explanation of rebirth and karma doesn't necessarily exclude the traditional view. It augments it. What works for me is to take both of them as working hypotheses and practise accordingly. Recalling the Buddha's story about the man shot with a poisoned arrow, if we need to have every detail of the teaching proved to us at the outset, we'll be dead before we start practising. What is our purpose in life? The traditional answer to this is that our purpose is to attain nirvana and stop the endless cycle of rebirths and suffering. But the idea of a general purpose for mankind suggests that someone or something created that purpose, which in turn suggests an omnipotent deity. The way I think of it is that we have no pre-ordained purpose. We evolved, and here we are. Because we also evolved language and conceptual thinking, we got stuck with this concept of a self, an ego that makes us feel separate from everything else. The ego needs constant reassurance of its importance, which is why we cling to our views and defend them fanatically, and why we are constantly criticizing others. Our ego rules our lives. It is terrified of being snuffed out. We handle this in different ways. Some of us have lots of kids so we can feel that a part of us lives on forever through our descendants. Some of us perform heroic deeds so that our names will live on in history forever. Some of us get onto Ripley's Believe It Or Not with the world's longest moustache or beating the world record for smashing melons with our head, or some such nonsense, so that we'll achieve digital immortality. Some of us cling to the idea that a god will give us eternal life in some form after death. For those of us who don't find this pseudo-immortality or unguaranteed immortality satisfying, there's a need to create our own purpose in life. This is where Buddhism fits the bill nicely. Instead of being ruled by the ego and its fears, get rid of it! Being rid of the ego and the suffering it brings is what Ajahn Jagaro called "True Freedom" - a very appealing idea for all of us. If we don't achieve true freedom in this life, we should get another chance in a future life. But simply diminishing the ego and increasing freedom in this life seems like a worthwhile purpose to me. What's the difference between Theravada and Mahayana? To preserve the monastic order, the Buddha set down 227 rules for a bhikkhu (monk) to observe and 311 for a bhikkhuni (nun). Before his death (known as parinirvana) he said that some minor rules could be changed. Within a short time of his passing away there was disagreement over what could be changed and different sects emerged. The more reformist sects later called themselves Mahayana (greater vehicle) and referred to the conservative sects as Hinayana (lesser vehicle). The only conservative sect remaining today is Theravada, which is prevalent in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. Theravada recognises the Pali Canon as its scriptures and a variety of ancient Theravadin commentaries. Whereas Theravada spread to the south and east, Mahayana moved to the northwest through what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan and then across Central Asia to China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. For historical reasons, the language of Mahayana scriptures was Sanskrit and that of Theravada was Pali. Hence the difference in spelling of some common Buddhist terms: Nirvana/Nibbana, Sutra/Sutta, Karma/Kamma, Dharma/Damma, etc. Westerners are more familiar with Mahayana Sanskrit terms. Mahayana also has its own scriptures in addition to the Pali Canon, the most important of which is the Lotus Sutra. These sutras are purported to be the Buddha's secret "higher" teachings, which were handed down only to those who were ready for them - an idea emphasised at the beginning of the Lotus Sutra. Apart from a modified monastic code which made monasticism possible in harsh environments such as Tibet, Mahayana emphasises the Bodhisattva Ideal, where a man vows not to achieve final enlightenment until all sentient beings have been saved. So anyone helping others to achieve enlightenment can be considered a bodhisattva. In Theravada, the term bodhisattva usually refers only to the historical Buddha in his previous lives. Historically, some Mahayanists consider Theravadins to be selfish for seeking enlightenment only for themselves, while some Theravadins consider Mahayanists to have deviated from what the Buddha taught. The various sutras and sects of Mahayana reflect different ways of reaching enlightenment appropriate for different people with different levels of ability. Because of this, a number of "mythical" buddhas and bodhisattvas are revered and used as objects of meditation. Theravadins revere only the historical Buddha and only his image is seen in temples. Mahayana tends to emphasise the concept of sunyata (void-ness) in its teachings and tends to have a more specific idea of what passes from rebirth to rebirth (consciousness, comprising awareness and memory). Personally, I found that the more I read about Mahayana and the Tibetan tradition known as Vajrayana, the more I accepted that all sects are going in the same direction and there is no point in considering any one of them better than another. Which tradition should I choose? I suggest reading about Theravada first and then investigating the other traditions to see which suits you best. Your decision may also depend on your Buddhist friends and what is available where you live. As far as I know, the main traditions known in the West are Theravada, Tibetan, Zen, Pure Land and Nichiren. One myth that seems to have grown up over the years is that with Mahayana one can reach enlightenment in one lifetime whereas with Theravada it takes aeons. This notion seems to have been pushed by the Chinese Zen patriarchs, in particular Huang Po, as illustrated in The Zen Teaching of Huang Po. In modern times the idea has been spread by influential author-scholar John Blofeld, who translated Huang Po's works into English and wrote several excellent books on Buddhism. But it all seems pretty ridiculous because how could anyone know how many lives ago any particular person started consciously working towards enlightenment? Blofeld followed Zen and then Tibetan Buddhist Tantrism, describing both as the "Short Path." However, it isn't difficult to see that any tradition that emphasises meditation - as the Buddha did - will be a short path. In the past century, the Thai Forest Tradition is a good example of a Theravadin tradition that produced a number of enlightened masters. According to Blofeld, Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism in particular offer ways of practice to suit people at every level. After all, not everyone has an aptitude for meditation. A lot of people prefer something simpler, such as praying, chanting, various forms of devotion and pilgrimages. He describes Zen and Theravada as "formless," meaning the practice is mostly just you and your mind. But in fact there's a lot more to both than just meditation. Tibetan Buddhism seems to attract Westerners because there are now a lot of Tibetan lamas and monasteries in the West, because of the charisma of the Dalai Lama, because it can be a "Short Path," because of its reputation for developing psychic powers and because of its many varied methods of practice. However, Tibetan Buddhism has absorbed much of the ancient, shamanistic Bon religion of Tibet, so it's wise to read up on Tibet thoroughly before committing to it. Zen attracts Westerners because it's something of a "back to basics" tradition with an emphasis on meditation and very little ritual. Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha, is revered rather than the other mythical buddhas and bodhisattvas of the Mahayana sutras. Although it originated in China, the type of Zen practised in the West is mostly Japanese. Theravada attracts Western practicioners because it is seen as the oldest and purest form of Buddhism, one that reveres only Sakyamuni and in theory concentrates on meditation. The Thai Forest Tradition which developed in the late 1800s was an effort to practise exactly as the Buddha did, wandering in the jungle and meditating in caves. Although the jungle is largely gone now, a number of Westerners joined Ajahn Chah's international monastery in the 1970s and later spread the practice in other countries: Ajahn Jagaro and Ajahn Brahm in Australia, Thanissaro Bhikkhu in the USA and Ajahn Sumedho in the UK. For a brief look at the origins of this tradition, see Thanissaro Bhikkhu's Customs of the Noble Ones. For a more detailed treatment, read Forest Recollections. Pure Land was once widespread in China and is still practised among Chinese around the world. A refined form of Pure Land (Jodo and Shin Jodo) developed in Japan and has spread to the West. Pure Land involves purifying the mind by chanting the name of the Amitabha (Amida) Buddha to gain help in reaching a realm after death from where it is easy to reach enlightenment. On a deeper level, Pure Land equals pure mind and Amitabha represents our own qualities rather than an external saviour. Pure Land is sometimes combined with Zen practice. Nichiren is a homegrown Japanese tradition advocating chanting of a phrase hailing the Lotus Sutra. An offshoot of Nichiren is the lay organisation, Sokka Gakai International. There are a few Buddhist sects and organisations that are controversial in some way, usually because of their founder/leader or his particular beliefs. Before getting involved with Sokka Gakai (SGI), the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), Shugden or Diamond Way (Karma Kagyu), you might want to google for information about their background. How do I become a Buddhist? Although there is a ceremony of taking the Three Refuges (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), there isn't any "conversion" involved and you aren't required to renounce any other religion or beliefs. In fact, it seems to be more of a social statement to show others that you have become a Buddhist. In my opinion, once you accept the Buddha's teachings as a way of life and try to follow the Five Precepts for lay people, you're a Buddhist. For me, this involved a lot of reading Dharma and listening to Dharma talks on the Internet. Rather than read the scriptures (which are often difficult), I chose books by monks and nuns who already had a deep knowledge of Dharma through study and practice, and who had a talent for explaining it. I looked at how Buddhism developed over the millennia and decided to start off with Theravada, which is the original form of Buddhism based on the Pali Canon. Later, I investigated the various Mahayana traditions too. It was obvious to me that reducing the power of the ego to control our lives was a foundation of Buddhism. For my practice, I concentrated on Right Speech (a component of the Noble Eightfold Path) because I thought it would give the fastest results. I expected if I started being nice to people, eventually they'd be nicer to me. That happened, but much more than that. I found myself examining my intentions every time I felt like defending my views, arguing with someone, contradicting them, criticizing them, comparing myself with them or judging them in any way at all. Pretty soon it was obvious that much of what I said or did was designed to boost my sense of self-worth and that "true freedom" was to escape this tyranny of the ego. Later I started meditating, since this is the only way to experience the truth of the teaching rather than just understanding them intellectually. Even though the majority of people born into Buddhism may not meditate, it's essential for the serious Buddhist. Some Westerners have a problem with whether they are or aren't a Buddhist, usually because they still have some belief in god or because they haven't come to believe in rebirth. The following talk by Ajahn Jagaro, a Western monk of the Thai Forest Tradition, will be helpful for anyone asking himself, "Am I a Buddhist?" ________________________________________ Am I a Buddhist? by Ajahn Jagaro Teaching people who have only recently encountered Buddhism I am often asked the question "How do you become a Buddhist?" or "How do you know when you are a Buddhist?" This type of enquiry is indeed healthy and to be encouraged not only amongst those new to Buddhism but also for people born and raised as Buddhists. So go ahead and ask yourself: "Am I a Buddhist?" I expect that there will be many who will answer "Yes" and those who say "No", but I wonder how many will be thinking "Oh ... Ahm,.. I don't know." So let us contemplate this business of being a Buddhist a bit more. To begin our enquiry it may be worthwhile to know what the Buddha said on the matter. The following episode is taken from the Buddhist scriptures (Anguttara Nikaya, Vol IV): "Once, the Lord dwelt amongst the Sakyans in the Banyan Tree Monastery at Kapilavatthu, and while there, Mahanama the Sakyan came to him and asked; "How, Lord, does one become a lay disciple?" "When one has taken refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, then one is a lay disciple". "How, Lord, is a lay disciple virtuous?" "When a lay disciple abstains from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and drinking intoxicants, then he is virtuous." Here the Buddha clearly states that by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha one becomes a disciple or, in modern terminology, a Buddhist. The classical formula of going for refuge, which has been passed down from the time of the Buddha is as follows; Buddham Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Buddha) Dhammam Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Dhamma) Sangham Saranam Gacchami (I go for refuge to the Sangha) However one does not become a Buddhist through the mere repetition of these words nor by the performance of any other ceremony ritual or initiation. On the other hand, though one has not performed any ceremony or ritual, one may still be a Buddhist. Put simply, this means that no one can make you a Buddhist nor can anyone stop you from being a Buddhist. It is a volitional choice that one makes when one has sufficient confidence in the Teacher and the Teaching. In the commentaries to the scriptures it explains this as, "It is an act of consciousness devoid of defilements, motivated by confidence in and reverence for the Triple Gem"... Here I would like to relate something of my own experience to help explain this point. When I first came in contact with Buddhism I did not consider myself a religious person. If anything, I thought of myself as an atheist and felt that religion had little relevance to real life. However, I did find the Buddha's Teachings and in particular the practice of meditation very appealing. I had a desire to find out more about it and this lead me into a monastery where I was eventually ordained as a monk. One day a young Thai student, wanting to practise his English, casually asked me "Are you a Buddhist?" But in my mind I wondered whether or not I was a Buddhist. I must confess that it was a strange position to be in - a Buddhist monk who doesn't know whether he is a Buddhist! Yet that situation persisted for over a year before the meaning of both the question and the answer became clear to me. During that year as I continued to study and practise the Dhamma I began to feel very comfortable with the teaching and increasingly confident that this was the way for me. With this came the conscious recognition that I had chosen the Buddha as my Teacher and considered him as the embodiment of the spiritual ideals of peace and liberation. I had also chosen to follow the path contained in his Teaching (the Dhamma) being confident that it would lead to liberation. And while on this path I would seek the guidance and try to emulate the example of all the noble disciples who constitute the Sangha. It was indeed wonderful to discover that I was a Buddhist and not just a Buddhist monk! Now becoming a Buddhist does not mean that one has to either agree with or believe in everything that is taught or practised by all the countless Buddhist sects and groups throughout the world. Nor do we have to believe that it is the only way and that all the other religions are no good. It simply means that having looked at and probed into this teaching of the Buddha, having tried it and having seen that it does work, one has confidence in it and chooses to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and Sangha. However if you are still unsure as to whether you are a Buddhist or you are not, don't worry about it, just keep on practising. With Metta, Jagaro Bhikkhu. ________________________________________ If you found this page useful or have any comments you can contact me at craigo@tale ofgenji.org. [ links | home | bibliography ]

How many receipt-less voting machines are used nation-wide?

How many receipt-less voting machines are used nation-wide?

How many receipt-less voting machines are used nation-wide?

So should I give up on being interested in him? Okay so here's the story (please don't bother answering if you're going to only read part of this and just say anything): I know I guy I met online. We get along real well, have a lot in common he likes me I like him. I like him romantically but I don't know if he has any feelings for me like that. Don't be mistaken though, this is not an e-relationship. We know each other in person. See, he lives far but we have family a city over from me so we have lots of reasons to bump into each other often. Plus, I'm planning on moving to where he is (not because of him it's always been a college goal) so that's why I'm open to a relationship with him. Now the thing is his a really emotionally unavailable guy. I find him hard to read because he's so indifferent about everything. And REAL indifference, not depressed "indifference". He just really doesn't care about most things. He could take a punch to the face and let it go. He has a little history, he has a girlfriend who died and he obviously never came to terms with it and just sort of shut down, became promiscuous and drinks a lot. He takes alcohol better than most people, doesn't get angry or anything but he does say and reveal stuff I think he wouldn't otherwise. I really like him and he shows hints of liking me. I feel like I can at least help him come to terms with his shut down emotions and maybe form some sort of relationship since we've come really far. He's pretty much the only friend I ever had that doesn't tick me off every now and then, we have too much in common, we talk for hours on the phone when he's not in town even though he hates talking on the phone and he lets me do and isn't bothered by me doing a lot of stuff he wouldn't have before. Should I just continue to be there? Slowly building up our relationship? Or recognize that he's a guy who is emotionally gone and just leave it at friendship? I have a bad track record of going for guys who are emotionally unavailable, but this guy is different. There's no hostility with him and I feel like he's opening up more at least with me personally. Whenever I talk to him and he tells me how he thinks I'm adorable I feel like the ice around his heart is slowly melting or the chains are getting looser. Even if we can't be together because perhaps he's not attracted to me, I'd still like to help him come to terms with his losses and not feel so tormented by some things he has done because I can see that he regrets some of it. I'd still always what to be friends. So what do you guys think? Any suggestions?

Indiana health insurance agents need help? My husband is self employed and uninsurable in our state due to a preexisting condition. We are on short term insurance for the last 2 years since i am unemployed and unable to get full time employment. i am a independent contractor. i am age 55 and looking for a good medical insurance for myself since i am currently healthy but i don't want to have to answer for 5/10 years medical history which some companies require. i tried that once 2 years ago and gave up. who can remember every doctor visit or diagnosis they had? to make it worst, if one company denies me for whatever reason, i will be like my husband and uninsurable and at age 55 that would cause us to go bankrupt if any condition should arise in the next 10 years when and/if i am still around to qualify for medicare. i am afraid of taking quotes online since if one asks the wrong question, they may deny. the only medical problems i have; 1; i smoke; i know i have to quit and i will, so please don't scream at me since i know i am an idiot. 2; i had a hernia operation this past summer. 3; high cholesterol, but the doctor has not prescribed meds and suggested low fat diet to control. 4; taking evista for menopause; only med i am taking. 5; went to pcp for RX of activan for stress (2 years ago) since i knew i was going to be fired that day which i was. 6; went to urgent care 2 months later for heart palpitations, was given an EKG that was ok, and found out i had an anxiety attack. I admitted to the doctor that i had drank a bottle of wine the previous evening due to fighting with my daughter and husband, and still being mad about being fired 2 months earlier, so he wrote on the form to quit drinking and smoking, which was a 1 time event, but still on my record. the urgent care has cause me the most distress. so many questionaires ask if you have a drinking problem, which i dont, but since the doctor put on the form to stop drinking/smoking and fu with family dr if problems, it could be considered a problem. i saw on 1 application the question on anxiety attacks and ekg and then they ask you to explain. i know that smoking makes me a higher risk and higher premiums which is ok. in the state of indiana, if no company can insure us, we are then eligible for the indiana high risk pool. my understanding is that there is a $100K lifetime maximum, which would be exhausted if a heart attach, stroke, cancer or other emergency so dont want to consider this. i want a good policy that under my good health would protect me if an emergency should occur and not cause us to sell our house and file bankruptcy. also, my understanding the indiana high risk has gone bankrupt so we maybe still sol. my husband is 14 months from age 65, so hoping to continue on short term till medicare. unfortunately, i had not have a mamogram, or other tests in fear that they find something and then cannot get any insurance at all. any suggestions? i need a minimum of 2 million or more to cover any major medical expenses or catastrophies. anything that could cause me to be denied from your experience based on the info i have given? i may have addtl questions based on your answers, so please check back. thank you kim for your help. went to site and had numerous phone calls and emails; lol my concern at first was that too much info given could hurt. i was able to answer min questions and talk to agent to before proceeding forward. found great agent who even helped with application on line with me; hopefully my app is approved and i can move forward.

Is there any hard evidence of evolution (i.e. scientific) or just guesses? Answers in Genesis: Upholding the Authority of the Bible from the Very First Verse Upholding the Authority of the Bible from the Very First Verse United Kingdom United States Other Countries ... Country: United States Language: English Good news About us Contact us Home Get Answers Store Magazine Events Creation Museum Media Creation Education Support Jobs Get Answers Article archives Creation archives TJ archives E-newsletters Feedback Devotionals Creation scientists Bookstore Monthly specials Books Multimedia Magazine Translations Answers magazine Current issue Article archive Kids Answers Subscribe Renew Event calendar Request an event Video conference coordinators Speaker biographies Creation Museum Museum blog & photos Walk-through News archive Photo archive Video archive Museum support Media Search media Answers Radio Radio archive Mini-Dramas Radio stations Video on-demand Press kit Creation education Study guides Curricula Online books PowerPoint Book reviews Writing projects Support Monthly partners Pray for the ministry Items & services needed Volunteer Planned Giving Jobs Jobs at Answers in Genesis Other creationist jobs Email to a friend Print-Friendly Answers Magazine Subscribe Now! Answers, the new Bible-affirming magazine from Answers in Genesis, is now shipping! Answers features articles on a variety of topics that impact Christians today, and includes a detachable chart, a pullout children’s magazine, excellent layman and semi-technical articles and bonus content from the AnswersMagazine.com website. Our writers, scientists and publishing team believe you’ll be thrilled with Answers. So why wait? Subscribe today! For more information, visit Q&A: Dinosaurs Dinosaurs and the Bible by Ken Ham An aura of mystery surrounds the dinosaurs. Where did they come from? Did they evolve? Did they really live millions of years ago? What happened to them? Are there any living today? Has any human being ever seen a live dinosaur? Children and adults alike are absolutely fascinated by these mysterious monsters. Numerous books and movies have been produced to satisfy a seemingly insatiable hunger for information on these puzzling creatures. The truth of the matter, however, is that there are no real mysteries at all, once you have key information that is not generally known and is withheld from the public. Come with me as we take a walk through history and uncover some amazing facts that will answer many of your questions about these ‘terrible lizards.’ Did Dinosaurs Really Exist? Dinosaurs certainly did roam the Earth in the ancient past! Fossils of dinosaurs have been found all over the world, and their bones are displayed in museums for all to see. Scientists have been able to reconstruct many of their skeletons, so we know much about how they may have looked. When Were Dinosaurs Found? The story of their discovery began back in the 1820s, when Gideon Mantell, an English doctor, found some unusual teeth and bones in a quarry. Dr Mantell realized there was something very different about these animal remains, and believed that he had found an entirely new group of reptiles. By 1841, about nine types of these different reptiles had been uncovered, including two called Megalosaurus and Iguanodon. At this time, a famous British scientist (and creationist), Dr Richard Owen, coined the name ‘Dinosauria,’ meaning ‘terrible lizard,’ for this is what the huge bones made him think of. What Makes Dinosaurs Different? Other than the huge size of some dinosaurs, the major feature that really distinguishes dinosaurs from other reptiles (such as crocodiles) is the position of their limbs. Dinosaurs had posture that was fully erect, similar to that in mammals. Most other reptiles have limbs in a sprawling position. For instance, compare the way a crocodile ‘walks’ with that of, say, a cow. Dinosaurs would have moved like a cow, with the limbs supporting the body from beneath. Crocodiles ‘waddle,’ as their limbs project sideways from their body. How Big Were Dinosaurs? Some were as small as chickens, and others were even smaller. Of course, some dinosaurs were very large, weighing in at an estimated 80 tons and standing 40 feet high! The average size of a dinosaur, however, was probably about that of a small horse. When Did Dinosaurs Live? The story we have all heard from movies, television, newspapers, and most magazines and textbooks is that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. According to evolutionists, the dinosaurs ‘ruled the Earth’ for 140 million years, dying out about 65 million years ago. However, scientists do not dig up anything labeled with those ages. They only uncover dead dinosaurs (i.e., their bones), and their bones do not have labels attached telling how old they are. The idea of millions of years of evolution is just the evolutionists’ story about the past. No scientist was there to see the dinosaurs live through this supposed dinosaur age. In fact, there is no proof whatsoever that the world and its fossil layers are millions of years old. No scientist observed dinosaurs die. Scientists only find the bones in the here and now, and because many of them are evolutionists, they try to fit the story of the dinosaurs into their view. Other scientists, called creation scientists, have a different idea about when dinosaurs lived. They believe they can solve any of the supposed dinosaur mysteries and show how the evidence fits wonderfully with their ideas about the past, beliefs that come from the Bible. The Bible, God’s very special book (or collection of books, really), claims that each writer was supernaturally inspired to write exactly what the Creator of all things wanted him to write down for us so that we can know where we (and dinosaurs) came from, why we are here, and what our future will be. The first book in the Bible—Genesis—teaches us many things about how the universe and life came into existence. Genesis tells us that God created everything—the Earth, stars, sun, moon, plants, animals, and the first two people. Although the Bible does not tell us exactly how long ago it was that God made the world and its creatures, we can make a good estimate of the date of creation by reading through the Bible and noting some interesting passages: God made everything in six days. He did this, by the way, to set a pattern for mankind, which has become our seven day week (as described in Exodus 20:11). God worked for six days and rested for one, as a model for us. Furthermore, Bible scholars will tell you that the Hebrew word for day used in Genesis 1, can only mean an ordinary day in this context. We are told God created the first man and woman—Adam and Eve—on Day Six. Many facts about when their children and their children’s children were born are given in Genesis. These genealogies are recorded throughout the Old Testament, up until the time of Christ. They certainly were not chronologies lasting millions of years. As you add up all of the dates, and accepting that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to Earth almost 2000 years ago, we come to the conclusion that the creation of the Earth and animals (including the dinosaurs) occurred only thousands of years ago (perhaps only 6000!), not millions of years. Thus, if the Bible is right (and it is!), dinosaurs must have lived within the past thousands of years. Where Did Dinosaurs Come From? Evolutionists claim that dinosaurs evolved over millions of years. They imagine that one kind of animal slowly changed over long periods of time to become a different kind of animal. For instance, they believe that amphibians changed into reptiles (including dinosaurs) by this gradual process. This would mean, of course, that there would have been millions of creatures during that time that would be ‘in between,’ as amphibians evolved into reptiles. Evidence of these ‘transitional forms,’ as they are called, should be abundant. However, many fossil experts admit that not one unquestionable transitional form between any group of creatures and another has been found anywhere. If dinosaurs evolved from amphibians, there should be, for example, fossil evidence of animals that are part dinosaur and part something else. However, there is no proof of this anywhere. In fact, if you go into any museum you will see fossils of dinosaurs that are 100% dinosaur, not something in between. There are no 25%, 50%, 75%, or even 99% dinosaurs—they are all 100% dinosaur! The Bible tells us that God created all of the land animals on the sixth day of creation. As dinosaurs were land animals, they must have been made on this day, alongside Adam and Eve, who were also created on Day Six (Genesis 1:24-31). If God designed and created dinosaurs, they would have been fully functional, designed to do what they were created for, and would have been 100% dinosaur. This fits exactly with the evidence from the fossil record. Evolutionists declare that no man ever lived alongside dinosaurs. The Bible, however, makes it plain that dinosaurs and people must have lived together. Actually, as we will soon see, there is a lot of evidence for this. What Did Dinosaurs Eat? The Bible teaches (in Genesis 1:29-30) that the original animals (and the first humans) were commanded to be vegetarian. There were no meat eaters in the original creation. Furthermore, there was no death. It was an unblemished world, with Adam and Eve and animals (including dinosaurs) living in perfect harmony, eating only plants. Sadly, it did not stay this way for very long. Adam rebelled against his Creator, bringing sin into the world (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 5:12). Because of this rebellion, Adam, and thus all of his descendants (you and me), gave up the right to live with a Holy (sinless) and just God. God therefore judged sin with death. The Bible plainly teaches from Genesis to Revelation that there was no death of animals or humans before Adam sinned. (Consider just a few of the many passages, such as: Romans 5:12; Genesis 2:17; Genesis 1:29-30; Romans 8:20-22; Acts 3:21; Hebrews 9:22; I Corinthians 15; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 22:3.) This means there could not have been any animal fossils (and no dinosaur bones) before sin. After Adam’s sin, animals and people started to die. It was now a different world, one of death and strife. A world that was once beautiful now suffered under the curse placed upon it by the Creator (Genesis 3:14-19). But a promise was given (Genesis 3:15) that God would provide a way for the penalty of sin to be paid so there would be a way for man to come back to God. Why Do We Find Dinosaur Fossils? In Genesis 6, we read that all flesh (man and animals) had ‘corrupted his way upon the Earth’ (Genesis 6:12). Perhaps people and animals were killing each other; maybe dinosaurs had started killing other animals and humans. In any case, the Bible describes the world as ‘wicked.’ Because of this wickedness, God warned a godly man named Noah that He was going to destroy the world with a Flood (Genesis 6:13). God therefore commanded him to build a great ship (the Ark) so that all the kinds of land animals (which must have included dinosaurs) and Noah’s family could survive on board while the Flood destroyed the entire Earth (Genesis 6:14-20). Some people think that dinosaurs were too big, or there were too many of them, to go on this Ark. However, there were not very many different kinds of dinosaurs. There are certainly hundreds of dinosaur names, but many of these were given to just a bit of bone or skeletons of the same dinosaur found in other countries. It is also reasonable to assume that different sizes, varieties, and sexes of the same kind of dinosaur have ended up with different names. For example, look at the many different varieties and sizes of dogs, but they are all the same kind-the dog kind! In reality, there may have been fewer than 50 kinds of dinosaurs. God sent two of every (seven of some) land animal into the Ark (Genesis 7:2-3; 7:8-9)—there were no exceptions. Therefore, dinosaurs must have been on the Ark. Even though there was ample room in the huge ship for large animals, perhaps God sent young adults into the Ark that still had plenty of room for them to grow. Well, what happened to all the land animals that did not go on the Ark? Very simply, they drowned. Many would have been covered with tons of mud as the rampaging water covered the land (Genesis 7:11-12,19). Because of this quick burial, many of the animals would have been preserved as fossils. If this happened, you would expect to find evidence of billions of dead things buried in rock layers (formed from this mud) all over the Earth. This is exactly what you do find. By the way, the Flood of Noah’s day probably occurred just over 4,500 years ago. Creationists believe that this event formed many of the fossil layers around the Earth. (Additional fossil layers were formed by other floods as the Earth settled down after the great Flood.) Thus, the dinosaur fossils which were formed as a result of this Flood were probably formed about 4,500 years ago, not millions of years ago. Have Dinosaurs Lived in Recent Times? If the different kinds of dinosaurs survived the Flood, then they must have come off the Ark and lived in the post-Flood world. In the Bible, in Job 40:15-24, God describes to Job (who lived after the Flood) a great beast with which Job was familiar. This great animal, called ‘behemoth,’ is described as ‘the chief of the ways of God,’ perhaps the biggest land animal God had created. Impressively, he moved his tail like a cedar tree! Although some Bible commentaries say this may have been an elephant or hippopotamus, the description actually fits that of a dinosaur like Brachiosaurus. Elephants and hippos certainly do not have tails like cedar trees! Actually, very few animals are singled out in the Bible for such a detailed description. Contrary to what many may think, what we know now as dinosaurs get more mention in the Scriptures than most animals! So dinosaurs—all the different kinds—must have lived alongside of people after the Flood. Are Dinosaurs Mentioned in Ancient Literature? Interestingly, the word ‘dragon’ is used a number of times in the Old Testament. In most instances, the word dinosaur could substitute for dragon and it would fit very nicely. Creation scientists believe that dinosaurs were called dragons before the word dinosaur was invented in the 1800s. We would not expect to find the word dinosaur in Bibles like the Authorized Version (1611), as it was translated well before the word dinosaur was ever used. Also, there are many very old history books in various libraries around the world that have detailed records of dragons and their encounters with people. Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly for creationists), many of these descriptions of dragons fit with how modern scientists would describe dinosaurs, even Tyrannosaurus. Unfortunately, this evidence is not considered valid by evolutionists. Why? Only because their belief is that man and dinosaurs did not live at the same time! However, the more we research the historical literature, the more we realize there is overwhelming evidence that dragons were real beasts, much like our modern reconstructions of dinosaurs, and that their existence has been recorded by many different people, even just hundreds of years ago. What Happened to Dinosaurs? Evolutionists use their imagination in a big way in answering this question. Because of their belief that dinosaurs ‘ruled’ the world for millions of years, and then disappeared millions of years before man allegedly evolved, they have had to come up with all sorts of guesses to explain this ‘mysterious’ disappearance. When reading evolutionist literature, you will be astonished at the range of ideas concerning their supposed extinction. The following is just a small list of theories: Dinosaurs starved to death; they died from overeating; they were poisoned; they became blind from cataracts and could not reproduce; mammals ate their eggs. Other causes include-volcanic dust, poisonous gases, comets, sunspots, meteorites, mass suicide, constipation, parasites, shrinking brain (and greater stupidity), slipped discs, changes in the composition of air, etc. It is obvious that evolutionists don’t know what happened and are grasping at straws. In a recent evolutionary book on dinosaurs, ‘A New Look At the Dinosaurs,’ the author made the statement: ‘Now comes the important question. What caused all these extinctions at one particular point in time, approximately 65 million years ago? Dozens of reasons have been suggested, some serious and sensible, others quite crazy, and yet others merely as a joke. Every year people come up with new theories on this thorny problem. The trouble is that if we are to find just one reason to account for them all, it would have to explain the death, all at the same time, of animals living on land and of animals living in the sea; but, in both cases, of only some of those animals, for many of the land dwellers and many of the sea-dwellers went on living quite happily into the following period. Alas, no such one explanation exists’ (Alan Charig, p. 150). But, one such explanation does exist. If you remove the evolutionary framework, get rid of the millions of years, and then take the Bible seriously, you will find an explanation that fits the facts and makes perfect sense: At the time of the Flood, many of the sea creatures died, but some survived. In addition, all of the land creatures outside the Ark died, but the representatives of all the kinds that survived on the Ark lived in the new world after the Flood. Those land animals (including dinosaurs) found the new world to be much different than the one before the Flood. Due to (1) competition for food that was no longer in abundance, (2) other catastrophes, (3) man killing for food (and perhaps for fun), and (4) the destruction of habitats, etc., many species of animals eventually died out. The group of animals we now call dinosaurs just happened to die out too. In fact, quite a number of animals become extinct each year. Extinction seems to be the rule in Earth history (not the formation of new types of animals as you would expect from evolution). Will We Ever See a Live Dinosaur? The answer is probably not … but, then again? There are some scientists who believe a few dinosaurs may have survived in remote jungles. We are still discovering new species of animals and plants today in areas that have been too difficult to explore until now. Even natives in some countries describe beasts that fit with what might be a dinosaur. Creationists, of course, would not be surprised if someone found a living dinosaur. However, evolutionists would then have to explain why they made dogmatic statements that man and dinosaur never lived at the same time. I suspect they would say something to the effect that this dinosaur somehow survived because it was trapped in a remote area that has not changed for millions of years. You see, no matter what is found, or how embarrassing it is to evolutionists’ ideas, they will always be able to concoct an ‘answer’ because evolution is a belief. It is not science—it is not fact! What Lessons Can We Learn From the Dinosaur? When we see the bones of dinosaurs, we can be reminded that death was not a part of the original creation. Death is actually an intruder, entering when the first man disobeyed God. The Bible tells us that because we are all descendants of Adam, we too have sinned: ‘Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned’ (Romans 5:12); ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). We need to recognize that the wickedness in the world is because of sin, because man rebelled against God. We can also be reminded that God, who made all things, including the dinosaurs, is also a judge of His creation. He judged Adam’s rebellion by cursing the world with death. Adam was warned about what would happen if he disobeyed God’s instruction not to eat the fruit of one particular tree. ‘But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ (Genesis 2:17). Dinosaurs can also remind us that God judged the rebellion in Noah’s day by destroying the wicked world with water, resulting in the death of millions of creatures. The Bible teaches us that He will again judge the world, but next time by fire: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up’ (2 Peter 3:10). We can also be reminded that after this judgment by fire, God will make a new heaven and Earth: ‘Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness’ (2 Peter 3:13). And what will it be like in this new Earth? ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away’ (Revelation 21:4). But we are also warned that many will not be allowed into this new Earth but will suffer for eternity: ‘But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death’ (Revelation 21:8). Humans, who are all sinful from conception (Psalm 51:5), cannot live with a Holy God, but are condemned to separation from God. But, God provided a wonderful means of deliverance from sin. The Bible teaches that God offered the perfect sacrifice needed to pay the penalty for man’s sin. God’s own Son, the one who in fact created the world (Colossians 1:16), came to Earth as a man, as a descendant of Adam, to suffer the death penalty for sin. ‘But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive’ (I Corinthians 15:20-22). The Lord Jesus Christ died on a cross, but on the third day, rose again, conquering death, so that anyone who believes in Him and accepts Him into his or her life, is able to come back to God and live for eternity with the Creator. ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16); ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (I John 1:9). For those who do not accept by faith what Christ has done for them and do not recognize their sinful nature and need for redemption, the Bible warns that such people will live forever, but will be separated from God in a place of torment that the Bible calls Hell. But for those who commit their lives to the Lord—what a wonderful message! What a wonderful Savior! What a wonderful salvation in Christ the Creator! If you, the reader of this web page, want to know more about how you can spend eternity with the God of creation, please click here. Recommended resources What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs? (Booklet) Answers to all of the most-asked questions about dinosaurs from a biblical perspective. Help keep these daily articles coming. Find out how to support AiG. Good News | About us | Contact us | Privacy policy Home | Get Answers | Store | Events | Creation Education | Media | Radio | Creation Museum | Support Chinese | Danish | Dutch | French | German | Greek | Hungarian | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Russian | Spanish Copyright © 2006 Answers in Genesis