2012: Is It Just Another Y2K?

03 Oct 2011 at 17:55

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2012

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Much of the rage in Hollywood and the media has been about the year 2012 over the last year or so.  As time draws closer and closer to 2012, the focus seems to be growing.  Why is 2012 so important for the world, and should anyone really be concerned about it?

According to archaeological studies and research, the calendar that we, as a world, save a few nations in far-reaching places of the globe, live by is the Mayan calendar.  The Mayans, a vastly intelligent civilization for their time, created this calendar, and we have all lived by this for 2011 years thus far. As most people know, the calendar actually ends in December of 2012.

Many researchers and general members of the population take this as a sign that this means that the world will actually come to an end at the specific time, and on the specific day that the calendar stops.

Speculation is, however, that the world is not actually coming to an end at all, and that the media as well as Hollywood, as portrayed in the movie of the name 2012, have made this occurrence much bigger of a deal than it actually is.

If one looks back at the Mayan civilization, and does any research or travels to Mexico, where they once lived, one can easily see why the calendar will come to an end in 2012.  The simple fact is that the entire civilization, over time, gradually disappeared and died off.

As with many ancient civilizations, the Mayans were very smart, yet they believed in sacrificial rituals.  When these types of rituals took place in the name of the Gods, they would throw the bodies of the animals and oftentimes, humans, into the water; the same water that they used for their drinking supply.  Over hundreds of years with this happening on a regular basis, they ultimately ended up poisoning themselves unknowingly as they consumed the contaminated water.  This fact leads most historians and experts to believe that this is why the civilization ultimately died off, and without anyone left to continue the calendar, it came to a stop.

So, most people are now starting to realize that the end of the Mayan calendar, as opposed to what is portrayed in the media, actually just represents the end of the Mayan civilization.

The Problems with Wind Power

18 Jul 2011 at 18:41

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Alternative Energy

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Energy keeps getting more and more expensive. It has gotten to the point that some people are actually afraid to open their monthly electric bill because they are afraid of how much it will have gone up since the previous year. With all the concern over the rising cost of energy, more and more people are looking at alternative sources of energy.

It would seem that wind energy would be very popular. After all, wind is everywhere, it’s free, and the technology is now available to convert it into electricity at a fairly low rate. However, wind energy is not nearly as popular as most people might suspect.

The only way to create wind energy is with the use of windmills, and there is a large part of the population that is opposed to the erection of these windmills. It seems that the biggest complaint that the average person has with windmills is that they simply aren’t very attractive. The last thing most people want to see when they are trying to look out over the skyline is a bunch of swirling blades.  Another problem that individuals who have erected windmills on their own property have noticed is that they are really noisy. In some cases, the sunlight glinting of the steel blades and shining into the house has been enough to drive some people a little bit crazy.

The truth is that windmills are not nearly as efficient a source of alternative energy as many people believe.  The first thing that has to be considered is the cost of installation. The cost of the windmill isn’t so bad, and the average household is usually able to pay that off in about five years. However, in addition to the actual cost of the windmill, the homeowner will also have to completely redo the wiring in their home so that the energy the windmill creates is useable.  The biggest problem with windmills is the maintenance. Windmills are constantly breaking down and the repairs can be expensive.

There are other sources of renewable energy that should be considered before a windmill is erected. In addition to the ever popular solar power, everyone should consider geo-thermal energy.

Is Reality Television Good for its Youngest Stars?

19 Jun 2011 at 16:41

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Reality TV

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It seems like every time you turn on the television, you are being bombarded with promotions for the latest reality show. One of the things that you might have noticed is that many of these shows include the lives of children, many of them quite young, as part of the “realistic” drama. More and more people are starting to question whether or not appearing on reality television is good for the children.

It really doesn’t come as a surprise that the parents of the children don’t see any problem with having the lives of their children aired on television. Most of the parents say that the studios who are handling the show are really good about making sure that the kids are handled with respect, and are also given the privacy that they need.  Most of the child-rearing experts who are also connected to the shows seem to agree.

However there is a large portion of child psychology experts that aren’t invested in the world of reality television, who are worried about how living under the constant spotlight of a camera is going to affect the child. It seems like the biggest concern that most of these experts have is not that the children are being exploited, but rather that they are going to come to depend on the camera as a means of measuring their self-worth. The concern that the experts have is that these children won’t know how to act or behave once the cameras are no longer a part of their daily life.

Child psychology experts aren’t the only ones who are concerned about the lives of the children who star in reality television shows, Hollywood is equally concerned. The organizations that are responsible for overseeing the health, working conditions, and happiness of minor-aged actors are really worried about the fact that no one is looking out for the rights of the children starring in reality television programs. As of right now, there are no guilds protecting these children.

The truth is that it is going to be a few years before anyone is going to fully understand how starring in a reality television show is going to impact the children. It will be ten or twenty years before the current crop of young stars is old enough to really gage how reality television has impacted their development.

Sex Education in Schools

01 May 2011 at 03:15

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Schools

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If you want to get in an argument with someone, all you have to do is mention sex education and schools in the same sentence. This is a very hot topic. Everyone seems to have an opinion about it.

The number of people who seem to think that sex education has no place in the schools is kind of surprising. The problem that educators are running into is that no one seems to know when sex education should be taught. Approximately 15% of all Americans feel that the only sex education that should be in schools should be focused on encouraging abstinence. This number is doubled for students in middle school.  One of the more interesting things that the debate over the importance of sex education brought to light, is that a high schools are far more likely to promote abstinence that middle schools.

There is currently a surprisingly hard push to promote abstinence in the schools. There are enough people in the United State that feel the only policy should be abstinence President Bush actually set aside federal funding for just this reason. The funds are to go to helping schools form abstinence only programs.

The problem that some parents have with abstinence only programs is that they just don’t think that they are very practical. There are lots of parents think that abstinence should be encouraged, but that safe sex should also be discussed. These parents feel that the better educated students are, the more likely they are going to be to make the right choice when the time comes.

The reality is that there is no right or wrong answer in this debate. Partly because there are so many different strong feelings involved, and partly because teenagers are all so different. Some are going to respond well to an abstinence only program, whereas others are going to find it difficult to ignore their hormones. The one thing that everyone can agree on is that the more openly parents communicate with their teenager, the easier everyone’s life is going to be.

Obama Campaign Ads Are Now Pouring In

26 Jul 2012 at 16:38

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miscellaneous

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With November coming quickly the ads have finally started to pour in by the Obama campaign. In this media age they have taken to other sites as well such as Twitter where the president has an account set up where he does tweet occasionally and his staffers give updates about the campaign. The biggest push during the campaign has been job creation, as well as healthcare reform.

Obama has many obstacles to cross for the November election. Romney is quickly catching up to him as far as popularity goes. Obama’s popularity has dropped the past several months due to far less job creation than expected and problems with his views. Many of his opponents want to know what he has actually done during his four years and where the economy is getting better at. People that are for the Obama campaign point out the good that Obama has done and where he has helped strengthen the economy. The private sector in jobs seems to be doing better than expected as is the roads and rebuilding the roads and some other jobs. Education is another big goal for the Obama campaign helping to improve the educational system that has lacked for the past several years.

The election in November has the Obama campaign running like crazy to help secure the election. In recent months Obama has come out in support of gay marriage as well as some support on immigration which has allowed him both to gain votes and lose votes to some voters. The election is approaching fast so you will be seeing more and more campaign ads begging for your vote from both sides.

Why NBC’s Castle Is The Best Show On TV

16 May 2012 at 04:15

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miscellaneous

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Few things are as disappointing as the season finale that leads too many questions unanswered. This week season finale of NBC’s Castle was one of the best TV show season finale set I’ve seen in years. If you’ve been following the show from the start note there are several different story arcs that were addressed in the season’s season finale. There was Alexis going off to college, the friendship between Esposito and Ryan, the lack of knowledge about exactly what was behind Capt. Montgomery’s death, who shot Beckett, and most importantly where the relationship between Castle and Beckett was headed.

The season finale managed to address all of these issues while still having a good case as the core of the storyline. Just in case anyone hasn’t seen the season finale I don’t want to spoil the big details, first assure you do receive an answer to all of the questions that outlined. With good writing and a stellar cast Castle and for being a mid-season addition to a solid hit in the NBC Monday lineup. If season four is any indicator Castle has several more years of great stories lined up for us.

I’m not really a big fan of most of the TV shows that are currently on network television, but Castle is definitely a big exception. If you’re looking for solid cases, good character development, lots of witty dialogue, and a great love story to boot, Castle is definitely a show that you should check out on your Monday nights. Reruns should be starting up soon so you can catch up on the best season yet, and be ready to jump right into the action when the new season begins.

Michael Douglas, The FBI, and Insider Trading

29 Feb 2012 at 02:40

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miscellaneous

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Government agencies have started to figure out that they can turn to Hollywood for help. One of the earliest examples of this was when the CIA talked to Jennifer Garner about the possibility of filming a recruiting video for them. The idea sprang from the work that she did on her hit show Alias. She agreed and both the CIA and Garner seemed to be pleased with the final results.

This time it’s the FBI that’s taking advantage of a familiar face. They selected Michael Douglas. The reason that the FBI selected Douglas instead of any of the other familiar Hollywood faces that have played FBI agents at some point in their career is because of a movie that Douglas did back in the late ‘80’s, Wall Street.

You shouldn’t expect to see the work that Douglas is doing for the FBI to appear on the big screen, this is a strictly made for TV type of deal. The topic of the commercial is greed. The FBI’s very concerned with the whole idea of insider trading. They want to punish the individuals imbibing in insider trading, but before the FBI can do that, they have to identify the culprits. That’s where Michael Douglas comes in. The hope is that the commercial starring Douglas will encourage a few people to come forward, and become witnesses the FBI can use to help them bring down an insider-trading ring.

Not only does the FBI hope that the new commercial staring Douglass will help them connect certain people to insider trading, they also hope that by airing the commercial it will help educate the general public, making them more aware of the perils of insider trading and the FBI’s part in the situation.

Why We Need Another Republican Candidate

16 Dec 2011 at 17:07

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miscellaneous

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The debates continue as Republicans vie for the top spots in the primary elections. Though Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney all think they are the best choice for the White House is 2012, the truth is that these candidates have left much of the Republican party lacking in enthusiasm about the upcoming elections. While each of these candidates has their personal strengths and weaknesses, the overall consensus is that none of them has something special that people are ready to really rally behind. That is why we need another Republican candidate.

Most Republicans and even a large number of Democrats will agree that President Obama needs to go. Our nation has steadily sunk further and further into debt under his administration and it seems like the crisis has been unrelenting with the economy. His policies have been a failure and we are ending his term in worse condition than when he first entered office.

However, the Republican candidate that can defeat President Obama in 2012 needs to be charismatic. The candidate must have passion and intelligence. We need a leader who is patriotic, educated about foreign relations, and prepared with a great plan to get the economy back in good shape. Unfortunately, none of the current primary Republican candidates exempt all of these qualities to the extent that we were hoping.

At this point, many Republicans are hoping for an Independent candidate to pop up before 2012 that has good policies and a great passion for the United States. As a registered Republican for the past decade, I recently changed my voting affiliate to Independent. It seems that my disappointment in the current Republican candidates is just a great picture of my disappointment in the Republican Party in general. If the Republican Party is going to survive and maintain any control in Washington, we need a new candidate and a new way of approaching politics.

Benefits of Extended Release Pain Medications

02 May 2011 at 03:04

Murphy

Pain Relief

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When you take your pain medication, you expect it to work, right?  All through the day or evening up until it is time for your next dose, you are relying on your medication to continue working.  That is what a pain medication should do in many people’s minds.  It should provide a consistent stream of pain medication into your system for as long as you keep taking it routinely.  Unfortunately, this does not occur with many medications and when you are hurting that can be a big problem!

There is a new medication on the market that can change all that.  Extended Release Tramadol is specifically designed to keep a constant level of medication in your system at all times.  This provides huge benefits in a number of ways.  Tramadol is a non narcotic pain reliever that works best on moderate to severe chronic pain such as back pain.  You can buy Tramadol online or at your local pharmacy but only with a valid prescription.  It is typically a well tolerated medication that overall has very few side effects and even those tend to be transient.  It is a great choice for many people, but the extended release version will give you even more reasons to talk to your doctor about switching to Tramadol.

First of all, Extended Release Tramadol will allow you to keep a constant level of pain medication in your system at all times.  This will give you much more effective pain control and allow you to continue with all the activities that you love.  By reducing the amount of break through pain that comes with traditional pain relievers, you are in fact taking the most control of your pain that you can.  No more dreading the hour before your next dose.  The medicine is in your system already, no worries there.

Secondly, by taking an extended release medication, you are reducing the sheer amount of pills that you have to take.  Not only does this help you to be more compliant since there is less chance of you forgetting your medication, but it allows for a reduction in many side effects as well since there is no huge dose into your system at once of the medication.  Slow delivery systems are always preferable when it comes to pain control.

On top of the side effect issue, you also have the benefit of cost.  If you are taking less doses of medication it will simply cost less.  You can buy Tramadol online for cheap and that includes the extended release versions.  When you decide to buy tramadol online, you also get the added benefit of having your medication delivered directly to your door.  This will allow you to spend your time and money on something you really enjoy rather than just another dosage of medication.

Extended release tramadol has many benefits.  By talking with your provider on what dosage is right for you, you will be taking the first steps to effectively controlling your pain.

Which Bingo Sites are Best?

18 Mar 2011 at 08:46

colly-news

Online Gaming

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The internet offers us the world at our fingertips. In that world, we have a vast array of choices that we have to make as well. Online bingo is one of the many things that offer a huge variety of options depending upon personal likes and preferences.

Choosing the free bingo site that is perfect for you may take a while. You are going to want to make sure that your research the sites and what they offer in the way of prizes, jackpots and amenities. One thing to look at is no deposit bingo. This offers you the opportunity to play free bingo to discover if you like the site and the way that it is run.

Many online bingo sites offer this ability to its players.  Reputable sites like tastybingo and rolloverbingo offer free bingo games almost around the clock for the enjoyment of anyone who wishes to play.

This flexible game schedule will work with everyone’s schedule and allow for a diverse and interesting group of players at each game.  When choosing an online bingo site, you will also want to visit games at various times to see the eclectic group of players that are also involved.

Take your time and visit many different online bingo sites before you commit to just one. Choosing the site that is right for you will bring you benefits that will outlast any potential jackpots. Check out popular favorites like Deal or No Deal bingo and Jackpotjoy Bingo.  The social networks that can be built and shared are priceless to many players.

Study Hall Fun

10 Feb 2011 at 19:16

Ginny Love

Online Gaming

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Do not let the fact that I sometimes need a break from being a teacher sway you into thinking that I do not like kids or my job. The truth is that I love that I am just one of many people who are working to educate our youth. It is so rewarding when you see a child learning something new and I would not give up that role for anything.

That said being around kids all day can sometimes warrant a break from reality. Thankfully in the afternoon I have the privilege of watching over the study hall class. While the kids are busy doing homework, or pretending to do homework, I like to log on to the internet to see how my sports teams are doing.

Yes, I like to watch sports but I also like sports betting Australia sites that let me win big when my teams win big. I usually do not visit such sites while at work, but I take some time once I get home from work for betting online. One thing that I really love about this particular hobby is that I can have fun while at the same time potentially win some money.

Although sports betting is not new for me, being able to do it online is something I never thought about before I found the sites that offered me the opportunity. If you have never visited any of these sites, you may be surprised how much they have to offer in terms of different kinds of sports to bet on. Soccer fans would really enjoy the sites that offer soccer betting as one of their options.

If you are a fan of the NFL, you will want to be sure that you find a site that will let you do a bit of NFL betting while online. No matter what kind of sport you like to watch, you can bet on just about anything that you want by going online. And because it is online betting, you can do it from anywhere as long as you have a connection to the internet. Even if you are surrounded by kids in a study hall, you can take a few minutes to go online to if you are one of the lucky betters who are winning big.

My Quitting Story

21 Jan 2011 at 20:02

Muriel Blankston

Quit Smoking

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After smoking for years, I had enough. When they banned smoking from public places I decided that I would quit. A couple years down the road I was still smoking as much as ever; the only real difference was that I was doing a lot more smoking outside. I hated going to movies anymore. I would get half way through and need a cigarette break. Not only did I miss parts of the movie but I had to put up with nasty stares and snotty comments. Now I am cigarette free and shouting it to the world! How did I finally succeed? That’s the not-so-secret secret I am going to share with you now.

I found out about e cigarettes from a ladies magazine in my doctor’s office. I was intrigued when I read an article describing Premium electronic cigarettes as a clean, non-toxic alternative to cigarettes. Premium e-cigs look like a cigarette. However, looks are where the similarity ends. E-cigs produce steam vapor to look like cigarette smoke. The tip end of an e-cig is not really hot or burning; it is merely a very real looking LED light set up. E-cigs contain varying amounts of nicotine in a disposable cartridge. These cartridges come in any number of flavors like tobacco, cherry and vanilla for instance.

The article in the magazine referred me to online electronic cigarette reviews and to an electronic cigarette buyer’s guide. I learned all sorts of information about e-cigs; price, cost, advantages of the top electronic cigarette brands and disadvantages as well. The guide was quite helpful because it allowed me to compare Green Smoke vs. V2 Cigs, among many other brands.  One of the first things I figured out was that I could save a lot of money using e-cigs rather than shelling out for real cigarettes in the state of Washington.

I also caught on really quick to the fact that e-cigs could save my social life. I could smoke an e-cig during a movie and never have to leave the theater again to smoke outdoors. I could “light up” an e-cig over dinner in a restaurant and I would not be breaking the law. What a relief to find that there are some alternatives for us smokers.

Online I was able to look closely at e-cigarette reviews for all major e-cig brands. I read numerous Green Smoke reviews and have developed a real admiration for their product and business philosophy. Green Smoke and The Safe Cig both feature a new atomizer with each order so that your e-cig stays clean and fresh. After I decided to buy electronic cigarettes, I went to my first movie in years with my Green Smoke starter kit, which I got a great deal on because I found a Green Smoke discount code online. I got to watch the whole show without leaving to go smoke a cigarette. I smoked my first e-cig and never left my seat; it was a very nice day.

The Latest Obsession of Newscasters Everywhere

08 Jan 2011 at 01:01

C. Delfino

Online Gaming

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If you turn on any television station or even listen to the radio, there is one topic that keeps coming up repeatedly. Among the stories of personal interests, politics, and economic turmoil, news casters are talking about the game that has captivated the world online.  They can’t get enough of internet bingo and the way it is sweeping the entire planet.

The game first started out as a United Kingdom obsession.  The various UK bingo sites gave people the chance to gamble for fun in a legal way since casinos are not legal in that area.  Internet investors soon saw the potential for a profitable business and started offering free bingo money promotions to lure people into their sites.  Hundreds of new sites cropped up each day and they all offered a different variety of bingo games along with other casino favorites.

Journalists report that bingo review sites are some of the most highly traveled places on the web as people want to know which sties are worth their time.  They want to know where the big jackpots will be each week and where they can play for free with online coupon codes and other promotions that offer no deposit gaming.  Reporters have found that sites like citybingo.com are getting thousands of hits every hour as people log in to play towards prizes like laptops, cruises, LCD televisions, and huge cash amounts.

Sites like Fluffy Favourites are also taking over the social world of the internet by giving chat capabilities to the game rooms.  While players compete for major prizes, they can be exchanging stories, advice, or even recipes with strangers from around the world.  There are bingo chats devoted to everything under the sun from poetry to parenthood.  Bingo has taken on a life of its own and the internet is just the place where it began.

Now bingo websites are advertising in print publications and on television with multimillion dollar commercial campaigns.  They are reaping the benefits as new people sign up to play every single day.  With such a high volume of people playing internet bingo, we can expect to see a lot more stories about it on the news in the future.