Today in History - April 30

Today is Wednesday, April 30, the 121st day of 2008. There are 245 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 30, 1945, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun.

On this date:

In 1789, George Washington took office in New York as the first president of the United States.

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million.

In 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state of the Union.

In 1948, the charter of the Organization of American States was signed in Bogota, Colombia.

In 1958, the American Association of Retired Persons (later simply AARP) was founded in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus.

In 1958, Britain's Life Peerages Act 1958 allowed women to become members of the House of Lords.

In 1968, New York City police forcibly removed student demonstrators occupying five buildings at Columbia University.

In 1970, President Nixon announced the U.S. was sending troops into Cambodia, an action that sparked widespread protest.

In 1973, President Nixon announced the resignations of top aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, along with Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst and White House counsel John Dean.

In 1988, Gen. Manuel Noriega, waving a machete, vowed at a rally to keep fighting U.S. efforts to oust him as Panama's military ruler.

Ten years ago: President Clinton questioned the conduct of Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr and dismissed Republican challenges to his own character as "high level static." United and Delta airlines formed an alliance that would control one-third of all U.S. passenger seats. A man set himself on fire and shot himself to death on a Los Angeles area freeway in a scene captured on live television.

Five years ago: International mediators presented Israeli and Palestinian leaders with a new Middle East "road map," a U.S.-backed blueprint for ending 31 months of violence and establishing a Palestinian state. Mahmoud Abbas took office as Palestinian prime minister. The U.S. Navy withdrew from its disputed Vieques bombing range in Puerto Rico, prompting celebrations by islanders.

One year ago: A British judge sentenced five al-Qaida-linked men, all British citizens, to life in prison for plotting to attack London targets, including a nightclub, power plants and shopping mall, with bombs. An Israeli government probe faulted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for what it called "very severe failures" in Israel's war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Actor Tom Poston died in Los Angeles at age 85.

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Trust in the Lord

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A Time for Everything

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

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John and Elizabeth Freeman - Executed in India, 1857

The "Mutiny of India" in 1857 was an uprising of Muslims and Brahmins (high caste Hindus) against the British government and particularly Christianity. It took the lives of all eight American missionaries of the Mission at Futtehgurh, including John Edgar Freeman and his wife, Elizabeth.

The Mission at Futtehgurh began 20 years earlier and included an orphanage and a Christian school. As more and more Indians came to Christ over the years, the area around the mission became a Christian village.

John Freeman manage the tent-making ministry of the mission. During his first years in India, he suffered the personal loss of two daughters and soon afterwards, his first wife. A colleague writes that John's "ministering consolation and calmness" during the dark time, was to "show the excellency and power of an inner life, fed and sustained from above."

John Freeman met his second wife, Elizabeth, while on furlough in America. Her letters from India reveal a sense of humor and an exceptional ability to evangelize and teach. Elizabeth was encouraged that the orphans to whom she taught Scripture would grow up to marry and settle in the Christian village of the mission.

In the last months before their martyrdom, the Freemans heard various reports about the "Mutiny" in other parts of India; entire congregations were being massacred. They feared for their own native Christians, but constantly renewed their hopes in the Lord. At the last possible moment, the group of eight Futtehguhr missionaries fled by boat down the Ganges River, encountering hostile villagers and military on both banks. Finally, low water prevented them from travelling further, and they slid into an island at Cawnpore.

For four days, they survived on the island until they were captured by Muslims. They were then bound and marched past exhaustion to a nearby village. June 13, 1857, they were shot at 7 a.m., execution style.

Clearly, these Christians were prepared to "part with life for Christ and His cause" if necessary, and had already counted the cost. In her last letter, Elizabeth Freeman wrote, "I sometimes think our deaths would do more good than we would do in all our lives; if so, 'His will be done.' Should I be called to lay down my life, do not grieve, dear sister, that I came here, for most joyfully will I die for Him who laid down His life for me."

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Persecuted for Christ

Note: To watch the video, please click the "pause" button on the upper right hand corner of the music box first.



This is the story of Hani, a young man who was born in a Christian family in Upper Egypt. He was proud of his Christian heritage. He was also proud of his name, which means "joyful" in Arabic. He treated people kindly; they could see joy and the love of Christ in his sparkling eyes. His Christian lamp was filled with oil and shone brightly for all to see.

During Hani's time of required military service, his commanding officer began to pressure him to convert to Islam. Though the officer and other Islamists attempted to lure him with promises of material wealth, Hani refused.

"I'll never leave the Lord, "he insisted. "I love Him. I was born a Christian, will remain a Christian and will die a Christian."

Hani was brutally murdered. His assailants may have killed him, but they didn't kill his soul...and they could not remove Jesus from his heart.

Jesus said all men would hate his followers because of Him (Matthew 10:22), but we rejoice in knowing Hani "stood firm until the end." His body was broken, he was brutally tortured, but Hani's lamp was not extinguished. His life and witness is the oil that keeps his lamp glowing now through others-- through those who hear his testimony.

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Martyrdom

"A martyr is, he who has become the instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom."

T.S. ELLIOT—MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL

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Today in History - April 26

Today is Saturday, April 26, the 117th day of 2008. There are 249 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 26, 1607, English colonists went ashore at present-day Cape Henry, Va., on an expedition to establish the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere. (They later settled at Jamestown.)

On this date:

In 1785, American naturalist and artist John James Audubon was born in present-day Haiti.

In 1865, John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, was surrounded by federal troops near Bowling Green, Va., and killed.

In 1937, planes from Nazi Germany raided the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

In 1945, Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, the head of France's Vichy government during World War II, was arrested.

In 1964, the African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.

In 1968, the United States exploded beneath the Nevada desert a 1.3 megaton nuclear device called "Boxcar."

In 1970, the Stephen Sondheim musical "Company" opened at the Alvin Theatre in New York.

In 1986, the world's worst nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union.

In 1993, Conan O'Brien was named to succeed David Letterman as host of NBC's "Late Night" program.

In 2000, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.

Ten years ago: Auxiliary Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera, a leading human rights activist in Guatemala, was bludgeoned to death two days after the public release of a report he had compiled on atrocities during Guatemala's 36-year civil war.

Five years ago: A Soyuz rocket carrying American astronaut Edward Lu and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko blasted off for the international space station. Actor Charlton Heston, diagnosed with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, made his last appearance as president of the National Rifle Association during a convention in Orlando, Fla., where he briefly thanked the membership.

One year ago: The Senate joined the House in clearing legislation calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin by Oct. 1, 2007, with a goal of a complete pullout six months later. (President Bush vetoed the measure.) Eight Democratic presidential hopefuls gathered in Orangeburg, S.C., for their first debate of the 2008 campaign, during which they heaped criticism on President Bush's Iraq policy. Former White House aide and movie industry lobbyist Jack Valenti died in Washington at age 85.


Source: AP

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Wanting Too Much

Someone has diagnosed the disease of modern Americans as affluence—either having too much or wanting too much. It seems that most want to live like the Johnsons next door (unless you are a Johnson) or they cannot possibly be happy. For many families, financial difficulties are the number one problem they face, even if they have more money than most other Americans or most other people in the world.

The authors of the book The Day America Told the Truth discovered some disturbing trends in their research. When Americans were asked, “'What would you give up to get ten million dollars?' 25 percent said they would abandon their family forever; another 25 percent said they would abandon God and the Church; 16 percent said they would leave their wives. In many homes, money has become king.”

God is quite interested in this issue as well. The Bible has more than 500 verses about prayer, around 500 verses that discuss faith, but more than 2,000 references to money and possessions! Of the 38 parables in the Bible, 16 of them, almost half, are about money.

There are five steps to God's financial plan for your family:

1. Transfer ownership of everything to God. Nothing really belongs to us; we are simply stewards of gifts.

2. Tithe and give offerings joyously. You don' t have to understand all about how tithing works; you just need to know that it does (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

3. Work hard. God's plan is for us to earn our bread by the toil and sweat of our brow. Work is satisfying, molds character and develops gratitude, appreciation and value.

4. Make a realistic budget and keep accurate records. The absence of an accurate record of spending keeps couples from making good financial decisions.

5. Escape the bondage of debt. A familiar phrase from wedding ceremonies, “Till death us do part,” has tragically become, “'Till debt us do part.”

It is critically important to teach children, from the time they're very small, five important financial principles:

1. The principle of true wealth. Children need to learn that true wealth comes from giving, not from having more. The happiest among the wealthiest are those who give a lot of their wealth to help others.

2. The principle of gratitude. A child who grows up in a family where Mom and Dad do not model and expect gratitude may never learn it on his or her own.

3. The principle of responsibility. Children who are given tasks to complete with a built-in reward for accomplishment will understand that they are in charge of their lives.

4. The principle of generosity. Many times selfishness is at the root of our financial problems. All children need to learn a most important lesson: to share and be unselfish with what they have.

5. The principle of delayed gratification. One of the greatest signs of the maturity of a parent is the ability to personally delay gratification and model that principle to children.

While Madison Avenue tells us to get what we want, God wants us to enjoy what we already have. That's why Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

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Learning to Share

The Reuters news service reported recently that Branko Zivkov, a 76-year old farmer in Belgrade, purchased a grinder and cut all of his tools in half after a court ruling ordered him to split all his property with his ex-wife. He claimed that although he "had been ready to give his wife Vukadinka her equal share of everything earned during their 45-year marriage," he became so angry at the injunction to give away half of his farm equipment that he cut all of it—including "cattle scales, a harrow and a sowing machine"—right down the middle. He told a local paper, "I still haven't decided how to split the cow. She should just say what she wants—the part with the horns or the part with the tail."

Talk about a messy split!

Mr. Zivkov's behavior would seem to be a striking example of cutting off his nose to spite his face; he may have fulfilled the court's directive to split his property with his wife, but the halves of the bisected equipment will clearly be useless to either of them. As silly as his actions appear, however, I'm sure most of us have felt at least tempted to engage in similarly irrational or childish behavior—especially when provoked by a partner or family member!

It can be surprisingly difficult to cheerfully share—not just objects we own, but especially our time, compassion, and patience. We teach children to share their toys, but can be quite selfish when it comes to sharing of ourselves, particularly when we’re already feeling overwhelmed by work or other obligations. Truly sharing of ourselves, though—not a spiteful down-the-middle split of our possessions, but a genuine and open willingness to listen to, sit with, or simply encourage another person—is one of the best gifts we can give anyone else. Perhaps not surprisingly, when you do give in this way, you often find you’re not left with half of what you started with, but in fact much more.

Learning to share well takes practice and dedication. The investment, however, is worth it—especially if it means never having to choose between “horns” and “tail”!


Source: Reuters News, April 4 2008

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Today in History - April 25

Today is Friday, April 25, the 116th day of 2008. There are 250 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
On April 25, 1945, during World War II, U.S. and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany's defenses.

On this date:
In 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller used the term "America" on a world map to refer to the huge land mass in the Western Hemisphere, in honor of Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.

In 1792, highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the first person under French law to be executed by the guillotine.

In 1859, ground was broken for the Suez Canal.

In 1898, the United States formally declared war on Spain.

In 1901, New York Gov. Benjamin Barker Odell Jr. signed an automobile registration bill which imposed a 15 mph speed limit on highways.

In 1908, broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow was born in Polecat Creek, N.C.

In 1915, during World War I, Allied soldiers invaded the Gallipoli Peninsula in an unsuccessful attempt to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

In 1945, delegates from some 50 countries met in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.

In 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened to shipping.

In 1983, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov invited Samantha Smith to visit his country after receiving a letter in which the Manchester, Maine, schoolgirl expressed fears about nuclear war.

Ten years ago: Whitewater prosecutors questioned First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on videotape about her work as a private lawyer for the failed savings and loan at the center of the investigation.

Five years ago: The Pentagon announced that Army Secretary Thomas White, whose tenure as civilian chief of the military's largest service was marked by tensions with his boss, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, was leaving office. Georgia lawmakers voted to scrap the Dixie cross from the state's flag.

One year ago: Brushing off a presidential veto threat, the House passed, 218-208, a $124.2 billion supplemental spending bill ordering U.S. troops to begin coming home from Iraq in the fall of 2007. Seven people were killed by a tornado in Maverick County on the Texas-Mexico border. The Dow Jones industrial average topped 13,000 for the first time, ending the day at 13,089.89. Rosie O'Donnell announced she was leaving the ABC talk show "The View" in June.

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Idol Bids Farewell to Carly

I thought she was going to be in the top 3. I can't believe she got voted off AI. It should have been either Jason or Brooke. Don't get me wrong, I like them both as well but I just think Carly has more talent than the two of them. Maybe it's her tattoo. Or it could be because of her past record label. I don't really know. I think American Idol has become more like a popularity contest (as it always have in the past seasons towards the end of the show)...that's why I don't really like watching American Idol anymore.

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How Identity Theft Strikes

First, what exactly is identity theft? Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information to take over your credit accounts, open new ones, take out a loan, rent an apartment, access bank accounts, or commit many other crimes using your identity.

When it strikes, the effects can be devastating. What's more, because it frequently involves no physical theft, identity theft may not be noticed by its victims until significant damage has been done -- often, several months and thousands of dollars later.

How do thieves do it? First, they steal your personal information by…

• Going through your mail or trash, looking for bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, and tax information.
• Stealing personal information from your wallet or purse such as identification, credit, or bank cards.
• Completing change-of-address forms to redirect your mail.
• Obtaining your credit report by posing as a landlord or someone else who has a lawful right to the information.
• Acquiring personal information you share on unsecured sites on the Internet.
• Buying personal information about you from an inside source -- for example, a store employee that gets your information from a credit application or by "skimming" your credit card information when you make a purchase.
• Getting your personnel records at work.

Then they use your personal information by…

• Opening new credit card accounts using your name, date of birth, and Social Security number. When they use the credit cards and don't pay the bills, the delinquency is reported on your credit report.
• Establishing phone or cellular service in your name.
• Opening a bank account in your name and writing bad checks on the account.
• Counterfeiting checks or debit cards, and draining your bank account.
• Buying cars by taking out auto loans in your name.
• Calling your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, changing the address on the account. Bills get sent to the new address, so you don't realize there's a problem until you check your credit report.
• Filing for bankruptcy using your name to avoid paying debts they've incurred under your name.

No Credit Card Is Necessary. Credit card fraud is just one type of identity theft. While a thief may use your information to apply for a new credit card, some types of identity theft don't involve credit cards at all. Someone with a bad credit rating may use your personal information to get a car loan, acquire phone, cellular service, or another utility service, or open a bank account in your name. Such cases can be seriously damaging, since you may not realize anything is wrong until you notice unfamiliar charges on your monthly bills or statements. Did You Know?

According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft complaints are broken down as follows:

• About 50% reported that a credit card was opened in their name.
• 25% reported that the thief established new telephone, cellular, or another service in their name.
• 16% reported that a bank account was opened in their name, or unauthorized withdrawals had been made from their account.
• 9% reported that the thief obtained a loan in their name.
• 8% reported that the thief obtained a fraudulent document such as a driver's license.

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Today in History - April 24

Today is Thursday, April 24, the 115th day of 2008. There are 251 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 24, 1916, some 1,600 Irish nationalists launched the Easter Rising by seizing several key sites in Dublin, Ireland. (The rising was put down by British forces almost a week later.)

On this date:

In 1792, the national anthem of France, "La Marseillaise," was composed by Captain Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.

In 1800, Congress approved a bill establishing the Library of Congress.

In 1877, federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North's post-Civil War rule in the South.

In 1898, Spain declared war on the United States after rejecting America's ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba.

In 1915, the Ottoman Empire began the brutal mass deportation of Armenians during World War I.

In 1953, British statesman Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth ll.

In 1970, the People's Republic of China launched its first satellite, which kept transmitting a song, "The East is Red."

In 1980, the United States launched an unsuccessful attempt to free the American hostages in Iran, a mission that resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. servicemen.

In 1986, Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor, for whom King Edward VIII had given up the British throne, died in Paris.

In 1988, Greek cycling champion Kanellos Kanellopoulos pedaled the human-powered aircraft "Daedalus 88" over the Aegean Sea for nearly four hours.

Ten years ago: After a month of confrontation, Russian lawmakers caved in to President Boris Yeltsin, approving the acting prime minister, 35-year-old Sergei Kiriyenko, as premier. (Kiriyenko was fired just four months later.) In Edinboro, Pa., science teacher John Gillette was shot to death at a middle school graduation dance; the gunman, 14-year-old Andrew Wurst, later pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.

Five years ago: U.S. forces in Iraq took custody of Tariq Aziz, the former Iraqi deputy prime minister. China shut down a Beijing hospital as the global death toll from SARS surpassed 260. In Red Lion, Pa., 14-year-old James Sheets shot and killed principal Eugene Segro inside a crowded junior high cafeteria, then killed himself.

One year ago: In a harsh exchange, Vice President Dick Cheney accused Democratic leader Harry Reid of personally pursuing a defeatist strategy in Iraq to win votes at home _ a charge Reid dismissed as President Bush's "attack dog" lashing out. European astronomers announced they had found a potentially habitable planet outside the solar system. Warren Avis, the founder of Avis Rent A Car, died in Ann Arbor, Mich., at age 92.

Thought for Today: "I know of no method to secure the repeal of bad or obnoxious laws so effective as their stringent execution." _ Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. President (1822-1885).

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ID Thefts: Facts and Statistics

Below are just a few recent facts and statistics about credit fraud and identity theft.

"More than 27 million Americans have been victims of identity theft in the last five years.... To deal with the problem, consumers reported nearly $5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses."
-The New York Times

"Stealing someone's identity to acquire -- and use -- new credit cards has become one of the most popular white-collar crimes today, according to fraud investigators from across the country."
-Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

"This year alone more than 500,000 Americans will be robbed of their identities…with more than $4 billion stolen in their names."
-CBSnews.com

"In one notorious case of identity theft, the US Department of Justice reported that the criminal incurred over $100,000 of credit card debt, obtained a federal home loan, and bought homes, motorcycles, and hand guns in the victim's name all the while calling his victim to taunt him."
-US Department of Justice Web site

"The number of identity thefts in the U.S. has skyrocketed during the past 15 months."
-CNN.com

"According to a convicted ID thief in Denver, CO, "On a good day I could make $5,000 in cash and another $7,000 to $8,000 in merchandise..."
-CBSnews.com

"A recent report on identity theft warned that there is likely to be "mass victimization" of consumers within the next two years. The report said consumers should be extra careful to monitor all their financial transactions for unexplained account activity, withdrawals, or fund transfers."
-The Gartner Group, a technology research group

"Every 79 seconds, a thief steals someone's identity, opens accounts in the victim's name and goes on a buying spree."
-CBSnews.com

"Experts report that a victim can spend anywhere from six months to two years recovering from identity theft."
-CNNfn.com

"Most people don't find out they have been a victim of a stolen identity until they are turned down for a loan or credit card. A copy of their credit report explaining the denial may unveil weeks or months of fraud."
-CNNfn.com

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Identity Theft

Identity theft is a crime that can have enormous implications on an individual's financial situation. The criminal obtains vital information about their victim, for example the driver's license, social security number, bank accounts, etc., and uses the information to steal the identity of the victim. Using this information, the criminal then uses the stolen identity to access credit, services, money and merchandise in their victim's name. The impact to the victim can be severe, including total financial ruin. This financial ruin almost always includes an utterly destroyed credit history and credit rating. The criminal can also use the stolen identity in participating in illegal activities, leaving the victim not only in a state of financial ruin, but under criminal investigation as well.

Many individuals do not even know they've fallen victim to identity theft until they apply for credit or loans. Only then do they realize that their credit history has been severely jeopardized. How do you know if your a victim? Have a credit evaluation done.

One of the top concerns of U.S. citizens in recent times include issues of privacy. An example of such privacy risk is now being addressed by the FTC in the area of bankruptcy proceedings. Many personal details are often recorded in these proceedings, including social insurance numbers and financial information. This data is often obtainable through court documents and proceedings, creating a high risk that personal data may fall into the wrong hands.

Identity theft is on the rise in America and elsewhere. Estimates for 2001 suggest that over 700,000 American consumers were the victims of identity theft. The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration is on the record as calling identity theft a "national crisis". The FTC believes that identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America today.

Don't be a victim!!

The identity theft center offers the following statistics:
- Certain government agencies estimate that identity theft cost American consumers over $945 million per year since 1997
- A Grand Jury in Florida estimates the average cost for the business community for each episode of identity theft is $17,000 per victim. (Over $11.9 billion dollars a year)
- The costs to federal agencies are enormous. Per identity theft case, the cost to the U.S. office of Attorneys is $11,443, and per financial crime investigation is $15-20,000.
- Victims of identity theft spend, on average, over 600 hours of their time working to clear their name.
- Victims of identity theft spend, on average, over $5000 to $6000 of their money working to clear their name.

It is important that all Americans understand how to minimize their risk of falling victim to identity theft, as well as what to do if they do become a victim.

Source: SCS

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On Democracy and Illegal Immigration

The following is not intended to condemn or belittle Americans who are Democrats politically: only to alert all the rest of the people to those cowardly pseudo-democrats who are constantly marching, pleading, striking, organizing, objecting and demanding the overthrow of this country through civil disobedience in direct opposition to the welfare of America. These mewling social dregs are dedicated to the empowerment of our most deadly, determined and vehement enemies who are dedicated to killing every one of us. The constant demands for healthcare and Welfare handouts, baseless pacifism and disgorgement of the country's coffers can only bring America to its knees in defeat.

It's a fact that when the original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish History professor at the University of Edinburgh, speculating on the success of the new American Democracy, had this to say about democracies with specific regard to the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."

"A democracy can only function until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."

"From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."

"During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage"

Professor Joseph Olson, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election: (Probably similar for the 2004 election.)

Number of States won by:
Gore: 19 Bush: 29

Square miles of land won by:
Gore: 580,000 Bush: 2,427,000

Population of counties won by:
Gore: 127 million Bush: 143 million

Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by:
Gore: 13.2 Bush: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..."

Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called “illegals” and they all become voters, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

Just think about it...when the rule of the majority determines a country's fate, and the majority wants everything for nothing, they can only vote themselves into the positions vacated by those pushed-out by popular vote, who thought of the country's welfare first, and the welfare of factional elements last. I.e., "What's good for all is good for one; but that which is only good for one, strangles the rest of us." When this country's gates are finally flung wide-open, guess which sector of the new population, the newcomers, will be in...those interested in the welfare of the country? Or those more concerned with feeding, funding and treating themselves for free: i.e., those unable to contribute equally to the Whole will, with alarming alacrity, disproportionately drain it of life.

Opening the borders to the citizens of under-developed countries without absolute rule and order and a long-term plan can only have one ultimate effect: annihilation of everything dreamed of, hoped for, and for which the rest of those who have given their lives for the sake of Freedom..

The word "illegal" means - Against the Law
"Against the Law" means - Not allowed – not legal

Something that is not allowed and patently illegal must be immediately handled with all due strength and determination!

Those who indulge in illegal acts (“illegals” and their benefactors and facilitators) are supposed to be either fined, imprisoned, rehabilitated or sent back to where they came from. In this country, after three episodes of an illegal activity (3 strikes) the law of the land is that there can be NO reprieve or leniency. So what the heck is wrong with this picture??!!

You can read all of this and smile or you can become outraged and do something…your choice.

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IF...

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who Thinks He CAN!!!!


***This is one of my most favorite poems.

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Today in History - April 23

Today is Wednesday, April 23, the 114th day of 2008. There are 252 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
April 23, 1564, is believed to be the birthdate of English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare; he died 52 years later, also on April 23.

On this date:
In 1789, President-elect George Washington moved into the first executive mansion, the Franklin House, in New York.

In 1791, James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, was born in Franklin County, Pa.

In 1896, the Vitascope system for projecting movies onto a screen was publicly demonstrated in New York City.

In 1940, about 200 people died in the Rhythm Night Club Fire in Natchez, Miss.

In 1958, the film noir thriller "Touch of Evil," starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles, who also directed, was released.

In 1968, student protesters began occupying buildings on the campus of Columbia University in New York; police put down the protests a week later.

In 1968, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.

In 1969, Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for assassinating New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. (The sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment.)

In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company announced it was changing the secret flavor formula for Coke. (Negative public reaction forced the company to resume selling the original version).

In 1988, a federal ban on smoking during domestic airline flights of two hours or less went into effect.

Ten years ago: James Earl Ray, the ex-convict who'd confessed to assassinating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 and then insisted he'd been framed, died at a Nashville, Tenn., hospital at age 70.

Five years ago: Global health officials warned travelers to avoid Beijing and Toronto, where they might get the SARS virus and export it to new locations. U.S. negotiators met with North Korean and Chinese representatives in Beijing for the first three-way meeting by the governments since the Korean War. American Airlines reported a billion-dollar first-quarter loss.

One year ago: Boris Yeltsin, the first freely elected Russian president, died in Moscow at age 76. Congressional Democratic leaders agreed on legislation requiring the first U.S. combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by Oct. 1, 2007, with a goal of a complete pullout six months later; President Bush pledged to veto such a measure. Classes at Virginia Tech resumed a week after the killings of 32 victims by a suicidal gunman. Journalist and author David Halberstam died in a car crash in Menlo Park, Calif., at age 73.

Thought for Today: "...We are such stuff/ As dreams are made on, and our little life/ Is rounded with a sleep." _ William Shakespeare (1564-1616), from "The Tempest."

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Today in History - April 22

Today is Tuesday, April 22, the 113th day of 2008. There are 253 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 22, 1889, the Oklahoma Land Rush began at noon as thousands of homesteaders staked claims.

On this date:
In 1509, Henry VIII became king of England following the death of his father, Henry the VII.
In 1864, Congress authorized the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on coins.
In 1938, 45 workers were killed in a coal mine explosion at Keen Mountain in Buchanan County, Va.
In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces began invading Japanese-held New Guinea with amphibious landings at Hollandia and Aitape.
In 1954, the publicly televised sessions of the Senate Army-McCarthy hearings began.
In 1964, President Johnson opened the New York World's Fair.
In 1970, millions of Americans concerned about the environment observed the first "Earth Day."

In 1983, the West German news magazine Stern announced the discovery of 60 volumes of personal diaries purportedly written by Adolf Hitler. However, the diaries turned out to be a hoax.
In 1994, Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, died at a New York hospital four days after suffering a stroke; he was 81.
In 2000, in a dramatic pre-dawn raid, armed immigration agents seized Elian Gonzalez from his relatives' home in Miami; Elian was reunited with his father at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.

Ten years ago: A young woman charged along with her high school sweetheart with murdering their newborn at a Delaware motel pleaded guilty to manslaughter. (Amy Grossberg ended up serving nearly two years of a 2 1/2-year sentence; Brian Peterson served 1 1/2 years of a two-year sentence.)

Five years ago: President Bush announced he would nominate Alan Greenspan for a fifth term as Federal Reserve chairman. Songwriter Felice Bryant, who, with her late husband, Boudleaux, wrote "Bye Bye Love" and other Everly Brothers hits, died in Gatlinburg, Tenn., at age 77.

One year ago: In the first round of the French presidential election, conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist rival Segolene Royal received enough votes to advance to a runoff, which Sarkozy won.

Thought for Today: "Always remember others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself." _ Richard M. Nixon, 37th president of the United States (1913-1994).

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What's Your Elevator Speech?

OK, you’re on an elevator headed from the parking garage to the fifth floor and you have a man standing next to you looking up at the lighted digits above the door, who casually sizes you up and asks: “So what do you do for a living?” What do you say?

“Oh, I’m in sales.” (Meaning: “None of your business, and your not going to be standing next to me long enough to get into any details anyway, so let it go at that.”)

“I’m an investor.” (Meaning: “Envy me for 45 seconds …and think of me as someone you wish you could be…whether I am or not. And always wonder what “kind” of investor I might be…as if you really gave a hoot”).

“For a living? Oh, not a whole lot these days…how about you? What do YOU do?” (Meaning: “None of your business. If you insist on talking, fire away it’s your nickel…Me? I’ll just pretend to listen as you babble…oops, why here’s your floor.”)

“I’m a teletype operator having a bit of a struggle finding a job, what with all them photofacsimile machines out there these days. If it weren’t for my taste for Spaghetti-O’s, my wife taking in laundry and clipping coupons, I’d be SOL. How about you? What do you do?” (Meaning: “Are you a loser too? I sure hope so because it’s awfully lonely here on the corner of Out-of-Touch-with-Reality Street and Co-Dependency Boulevard.”) “ Alrighty then…(as the door opens and closes) you go and have yourself a nice day now (you say to the back of the elevator door). Hear?” As you whisper to yourself, “Dang I wish I could afford a suit like that.”

Or maybe you’d answer the question this way: “Well actually, I work here in the building during the day; but I also dabble in real estate.” (Meaning: I’m unhappy with my plight in life and am trying to better myself without turning loose of my life ring. So don’t judge me by what my answer would have been, had I not added the ‘but I dabble in real estate’ part.”

Or, how about this one: “Who me? Oh, I’m a big time real estate investor.” (Meaning:“If you’re really interested in what I do, you’ll ask more questions and get me started, and, once on a roll, I’ll explain how you can benefit greatly from my services.‘ Otherwise…I believe this must be your floor.”)

Now, think about it…that person who was standing beside you for the ride is now gone forever, but may well have been someone you could have helped, and received value from in the process…if you’d only had exactly the right response handy. That fellow passenger may in fact have had a house to sell at a bargain price; he may have been an owner in foreclosure; he might have been a flip investor. He easily could have been a prospective buyer for that house you just rehabbed. The fact is: that particular person was an ‘all-ears, one-man captive audience’ for that 45 seconds of your life. Why on Earth didn’t you sell him something? Well, the reason you didn’t even try, was because you presumed he was just nosey; or maybe just looking for a 45 second buddy; or simply too unconcerned about you to really have asked a sincere question.

All of these assumptions may in fact have been absolutely on the mark. But the big question is: Why didn’t you use that time to your maximum advantage. Consider what just “might” have happened if you’d said the following instead:

“I help folks acquire and sell homes and investment real estate with legitimate payments take-overs.” There you go…7 seconds on the button.

Then if they say “Oh really?” Then you continue with something like: “Yup, if I’m buying, I pay full price, all cash or terms: if I’m selling I don’t require loan qualifying, a credit reports or big chunks of money up front. Here’s my card. Call me.”

There’s another 10 seconds, and we’re not even to the third floor yet…if the prospect is not interested, you just stare blankly at each other until the door opens.

Now…if that fellow passenger just happened to have been a prospect (buyer or seller) and by chance you had titillated his fancy (as it were) with your pre-planned elevator speech: did you give him every chance to know who you were and what you can do for him, were he to fit one of the criterion for your business? Sure you did! But with thoseother lame answers that others use…could any of them have made the slightest difference in your financial life? “Oh I’m an insurance agent: I make widows wealthy.” Nope! You merely wasted your precious moments with that person.

So what’s the point of all this? Well let me see. How about the point being: 1) We should all find a tall building and ride up and down in elevators all day giving one-minute elevator speeches? No! Um…2) Elevators are a great place to find motivated buyers and sellers? No! OK then, 3) It’s all right to talk to strangers on an elevator? No! 4) If I ever caught between floor in an elev…No! No! No…

The point is simply this:

You must stop what you are doing right now and take an hour to work out your “perfect,” sure-fire concise elevator speech. Once memorized and refined, have it ever at the Ready when you get the opportunity for those 45-second presentations. You will be finding and qualifying prospects everywhere you go with the minimum effort and maximum effect. Your audience will let you know instantly whether they are prospects or not. The ones who don’t need you and have nothing to offer you will say: “Oh that’s nice and begin talking about what THEY do for a living (at which point you remember having forgotten to turn off your coffee pot at home). The E.S. (elevator speech) is an absolute necessity for those of us in the real estate business (especially in THIS business), and it works everywhere: at Church, at a Chamber of Commerce Mixer, at the grocery store, at the mall, when meeting your fiancée’s parents for the first time; when meeting your daughter’s fiancée for the first time (…the latter being far worse, believe me…whoever invented nose rings and tongue piercings is an idiot); standing in the Unemployment or Welfare Line (…Ok, scratch those last two…with a good elevator speech, you’ll never need to do that).

THE MESSAGE: Develop at once a brief and concise Elevator Speech: memorize it and be ready to recite it every time someone steps up and says: “What do you do for a living?




Source:

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Today in History - April 21

Today is Monday, April 21, the 112th day of 2008. There are 254 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
On April 21, 1918, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the German ace known as the "Red Baron," was killed in action during World War I.

On this date:
In 1649, the Maryland Toleration Act, which provided for freedom of worship for all Christians, was passed by the Maryland assembly.
In 1789, John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States.
In 1816, Charlotte Bronte, author of "Jane Eyre," was born in Thornton, England.
In 1836, an army of Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring Texas independence.
In 1910, author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, died in Redding, Conn., at age 74.

In 1940, the quiz show that asked the "$64 question," "Take It or Leave It," premiered on CBS Radio.
In 1960, Brazil inaugurated its new capital, Brasilia, transferring the seat of national government from Rio de Janeiro.
In 1972, Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke explored the surface of the moon.
In 1975, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned after 10 years in office.
In 1977, the musical play "Annie," based on the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip, opened on Broadway.

Ten years ago: Astronomers announced in Washington they had discovered possible signs of a new family of planets orbiting a star 220 light-years away, the clearest evidence to date of worlds forming beyond our solar system.

Five years ago: Military officials in Iraq announced the arrest of Muhammad Hamza al-Zubaydi, a key figure in the bloody suppression of the Shiite Muslim uprising of 1991. State-run media in China reported the government had dismissed Beijing's mayor following the disclosure of a steep increase in SARS cases in the Chinese capital. Scott Peterson pleaded innocent in the deaths of his pregnant wife and unborn son. Robert Cheruiyot became the 12th Kenyan in 13 years to win the Boston Marathon; Svetlana Zakharova of Russia won the women's race. Jazz singer Nina Simone died in France at age 70.

One year ago: The Fallujah, Iraq, city council chairman, Sami Abdul-Amir al-Jumaili, a critic of al-Qaida who had taken the job after his three predecessors were assassinated, was himself killed by attackers in a passing car. American billionaire Charles Simonyi returned to Earth from a dream voyage to the international space station, riding a Russian capsule to a soft landing in Kazakhstan. Professional sailor Reid Stowe and his girlfriend, Soanya Ahmad, set off from from North Hoboken, N.J., on a 1,000-day, nonstop globe-girdling cruise. (Ahmad abandoned the cruise in February 2008, citing seasickness.)

Thought for Today: "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." _ Mark Twain (1835-1910).

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Gone for the Weekend...Again!

Tomorrow we're going to Orlando for yet another boot camp and we'll be staying there until Sunday. So that means we won't be able to go to church this Sunday and I'm missing church already. We didn't make it to church last Sunday 'coz we were still on our way back from Miami. Yes, the past few weeks have been so crazy. Nevertheless, we still manage to stay focus despite busy schedules. The trip to Miami was fun. I saw some alligators on the swampy area at Alligator Alley. The one thing I will never forget about that trip was the $100 porterhouse steak at Kobi Restaurant in Miami in the South Beach area. I'm not really sure if that's the right name of the restaurant. All I know was that it was too expensive - ridiculously expensive! And there is no way whatsoever that we're gonna pay a price that high for a freakin' slice of red meat. But hey, it's South Beach...and yes, everything, as in everything in the South Beach area is expensive. And so we ended up in a Japanese restaurant. It was still pricey but not as bad.

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Today in History - April 18

Today is Friday, April 18, the 109th day of 2008. There are 257 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
On April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000 and 6,000.

On this date:
In 1775, Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Mass., warning American colonists that the British were coming.
In 1907, San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel opened, a year to the day after the earthquake.
In 1934, the first laundromat (called a "washateria") opened, in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 1942, an air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.
In 1945, famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, 44, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa.
In 1946, the League of Nations went out of business.
In 1978, the Senate approved the Panama Canal Treaty, providing for the complete turnover of control of the waterway to Panama on the last day of 1999.
In 1980, the independent nation of Zimbabwe, formerly Zimbabwe Rhodesia, came into being.

In 1983, 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by a suicide bomber.
In 1988, an Israeli court convicted John Demjanjuk, a retired auto worker from Cleveland, of committing war crimes at the Treblinka death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. (However, Israel's Supreme Court later overturned Demjanjuk's conviction.)

Ten years ago: Despite fierce internal dissent, Northern Ireland's main Protestant party, the Ulster Unionists, approved a peace agreement. The remains of Pol Pot were cremated, three days after the Khmer Rouge leader blamed for the killings of up to 2 million Cambodians died at age 73. Former North Carolina Gov. and U.S. Sen. Terry Sanford died in Durham at age 80.

Five years ago: Iraqi police arrested Saddam Hussein's former finance minister (Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim al-Azzawi) and turned him over to the U.S. Marines. Scott Peterson was arrested in San Diego in the death of his wife, Laci, who was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Christmas Eve. (Peterson was later convicted and sentenced to death.)

One year ago: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003. Four large bombs exploded in mainly Shiite locations of Baghdad, killing at least 183 people. Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox faced the minimum 27 batters in a 6-0 no-hit victory over the Texas Rangers. Curtis Strange and Hubert Green joined the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Thought for Today: "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." _ Earl Weaver, baseball manager.

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Today in History - April 17

Today is Thursday, April 17, the 108th day of 2008. There are 258 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.
In 1521, Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings. (He was later declared an outlaw by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.)
In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazano reached present-day New York Harbor.
In 1790, American statesman Benjamin Franklin died in Philadelphia at age 84.
In 1861, the Virginia State Convention voted to secede from the Union.
In 1941, Yugoslavia surrendered to Germany in World War II.
In 1964, Ford Motor Co. unveiled its new Mustang model at the New York World's Fair.
In 1969, a jury in Los Angeles convicted Sirhan Sirhan of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

In 1969, Czechoslovak Communist Party First Secretary Alexander Dubcek was deposed.
In 1970, the astronauts of Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the Pacific, four days after a ruptured oxygen tank crippled their spacecraft.
In 1990, the Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, the civil rights activist and top aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died in Atlanta at age 64.

Ten years ago: A Thai military team collected evidence from the body of Pol Pot, former chief of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge guerrillas, to lay to rest doubts that one of the century's worst tyrants was truly dead. Photographer Linda McCartney, wife of rock legend Paul McCartney, died in Tucson, Ariz., at age 56.

Five years ago: U.S. special forces in Baghdad captured Barzan Ibrahim Hasan, a half brother of and adviser to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The U.S. government awarded Bechtel Corp. a major contract for helping rebuild Iraq's power, water and sewage systems. Diet Dr. Robert C. Atkins died in New York at age 72. Songwriter Earl King died in New Orleans at age 69. Sir J. Paul Getty Jr., the reclusive third son of American oilman J. Paul Getty, died in London at age 70.

One year ago: A day after the Virginia Tech massacre, President Bush visited the campus, where he told students and teachers at a somber convocation that the nation was praying for them and "there's a power in these prayers." In Rome, a U.S. soldier went on trial in absentia for the shooting death of Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari at an Iraqi checkpoint in March 2005. (However, a court later threw out the proceedings against Spc. Mario Lozano, saying Italy had no jurisdiction.) Actress Kitty Carlisle Hart died in New York at age 96.

Thought for Today: "A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future." _ Sydney J. Harris, American journalist (1917-1986).

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It's My Birthday...

Today is my birthday. Yup, the pope and I were born on the same date. Not that it means anything. I just find it funny. I must be special being that I have the same birthday as the pope. Haha! Gosh, I am so full of myself. But hey, it's my birthday so I have the right to say that i'm special, right? Seriously though, each and everyone of us is special. I refused to believe that monkeys are our long lost relatives. Charles Darwin must really have a low self-esteem to even think that we have the same bloodline as those of the gorillas in the forest. We are God's creation. He created us in a very unique way to where none of us have the same number of hairs, facial features and every physical attributes that you can think of. Even twins have differences. So to say that our ancestors are monkeys is nothing but pure nonsense.

Anyway, I'll stop before I get fired up against that "evolution" thing. I wanna say thank you to all who greeted me today (you know who you are) and to those who will be greeting me after reading this. Haha. And speaking of thanks, I just realized how blessed I really am. I have a great husband, a great family (although they give me headache sometimes), a few but very special friends, two very funny dogs, and squirrels in the backyard (yup, i like squirrels).

I thank God the most for another year of successful "breathing" - for the precious life He gave me. Each moment of our life is a gift from God. We are all strangers of this world therefore we must treasure every moment as if there's no tomorrow.

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Today in History - April 16

Today is Wednesday, April 16, the 107th day of 2008. There are 259 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

One year ago, on April 16, 2007, in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech before taking his own life.

On this date:

In 1789, President-elect Washington left Mount Vernon, Va., for his inauguration in New York.

In 1862, President Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia.

In 1879, Saint Bernadette, who'd described seeing visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, died in Nevers, France.

In 1912, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.

In 1917, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin returned to Russia after years of exile.

In 1935, the radio comedy program "Fibber McGee and Molly" premiered on the NBC Blue Network.

In 1947, the French ship Grandcamp blew up at the harbor in Texas City, Texas; another ship, the High Flyer, exploded the following day. The blasts and resulting fires killed nearly 600 people.

In 1947, financier and presidential confidant Bernard Baruch said in a speech at the South Carolina statehouse: "Let us not be deceived _ we are today in the midst of a cold war."

In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the moon.

In 1996, Britain's Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, the Duchess of York, announced they were in the process of getting a divorce.

Ten years ago: Paula Jones announced she would ask an appeals court to reinstate her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton after it was thrown out by a federal judge. Tornadoes claimed 11 lives in Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Five years ago: The Bush administration lowered the terror alert level from orange to yellow, saying the end of heavy fighting in Iraq has diminished the threat of terrorism in the United States. During a visit to a fighter jet factory in St. Louis, President Bush called for lifting economic sanctions against Iraq as commanders of both the U.S. military and the reconstruction effort prepared to move into the country. Michael Jordan played his last NBA game with the Washington Wizards, who lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 107-87.

One year ago: Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya won the Boston Marathon for the third time; Russia's Lidiya Grigoryeva captured the women's race. Carrie Underwood's dark hit "Before He Cheats" won video of the year, female video and best video director at the fan-voted CMT Music Awards.

Thought for Today: "Only the vanquished remember history." _ Marshall McLuhan, Canadian communications theorist (1911-1980).

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Today in History - April 15

Today is Tuesday, April 15, the 106th day of 2008. There are 260 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:
In the early hours of April 15, 1912, the British luxury liner RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, less than three hours after striking an iceberg. Some 1,500 people died.

On this date:
In 1817, the first American school for the deaf opened in Hartford, Conn.

In 1850, the city of San Francisco was incorporated.

In 1861, three days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, S.C., President Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops.

In 1865, President Lincoln died, several hours after being shot at Ford's Theater in Washington by John Wilkes Booth. Andrew Johnson became the nation's 17th president.

In 1945, during World War II, British and Canadian troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson, baseball's first black major league player, made his official debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day. (The Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves, 5-3.)

In 1959, Cuban leader Fidel Castro arrived in Washington to begin a goodwill tour of the United States.

In 1986, the United States launched an air raid against Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5; Libya said 37 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

In 1989, 96 people died in a crush of soccer fans at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England.

In 1990, actress Greta Garbo died in New York at age 84.

Ten years ago: Pol Pot, the notorious leader of the Khmer Rouge, died at age 73, evading prosecution for the deaths of 2 million Cambodians.

Five years ago: Looters and arsonists ransacked Iraq's National Library, as well as Iraq's principal Islamic library. In the Netherlands, Volkert van der Graaf, the killer of politician Pim Fortuyn, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Umpire Laz Diaz was attacked by a fan during a game between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox; the fan, Eric Dybas, was later sentenced to six months in jail and 30 months probation.

One year ago: Riot police beat and detained dozens of anti-Kremlin demonstrators in St. Petersburg, Russia, on a second day of protests against the government of President Vladimir Putin. Brant Parker, who illustrated "The Wizard of Id" comic strip, died in Lynchburg, Va., at age 86, just days after the passing of the strip's writer, Johnny Hart.

Thought for Today: "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." _ Bernard Shaw, Irish-born playwright (1856-1950).

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Telemachus

Telemachus, a fourth-century monk who lived in a monastery, felt God calling him to Rome. He couldn't figure out why God would want him in Rome, but he felt the pressure to go. Putting his possessions in a little satchel, he threw the bag over his shoulder and started out over the dusty, westward roads to Rome.

When he got to Rome, people were running about the city in great confusion. He had arrived on a day when the gladiators were going to fight both other gladiators and animals in the amphitheater. Everyone was heading to the amphitheater to watch the entertainment.
Telemachus thought this must be why God had called him to Rome. He walked into the amphitheater. He sat down among 80,000 people who cheered as the gladiators came out proclaiming, "'Hail Caesar! We die to the glory of Caesar."

The little monk thought to himself, Here we are, four centuries after Christ, in a civilized nation, and people are killing one another for the entertainment of the crowd. This isn't Christian!
Telemachus got up out of his seat, ran down the steps, climbed over the wall, walked out to the center of the amphitheater, and stood between two large gladiators. Putting his hands up, he meekly cried out, "In the name of Christ, stop!" The crowd laughed and jeered. One of the gladiators slapped Telemachus in the stomach with his sword and sent him spinning off into the dust.

Telemachus got up and again stood between the two huge gladiators. He repeated, "In the name of Christ, stop." This time the crowd chanted "Run him through!" One of the gladiators took his sword and ran it through Telemachus's stomach. He fell into the dust and the sand turned red as blood ran out of him. One last time, Telemachus weakly cried out, "'In the name of Christ, stop." He died on the amphitheater floor.

The crowd grew silent, and within minutes they emptied out of the amphitheater. History records that, thanks to Telemachus, this was the last gladiatorial contest in the history of the Roman Empire.

Telemachus changed the course of history. So can you. God loves to use one person to make a big difference in the world--and God wants to use you.

The best example we have is when God sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. One man made the greatest difference in the history of the world. God still works through individuals to accomplish His will. Will you be the one He uses next?


Source: Hot Illustrations For Youth TalksWayne Rice, Zonderzan, pp. 195-197.

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Today in History - April 14

Today is Monday, April 14, the 105th day of 2008. There are 261 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington. (Lincoln died the following morning.)

On this date:

In 1775, the first American society for the abolition of slavery was formed in Philadelphia.

In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster's "American Dictionary of the English Language" was published.

In 1890, the First International Conference of American States met in Washington, where delegates agreed to form the International Union of American Republics, a forerunner of the Organization of American States.

In 1902, James Cash Penney opened his first store, called The Golden Rule, in Kemmerer, Wyo.

In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and began sinking.

In 1931, King Alfonso XIII of Spain went into exile, and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed.

In 1939, the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first published.

In 1968, the gay-themed play "The Boys in the Band," by Matt Crowley, opened in New York.

In 1981, the first test flight of America's first operational space shuttle, the Columbia, ended successfully with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In 1986, Americans got first word of a U.S. air raid on Libya. (Because of the time difference, it was the early morning of April 15 when the attack occurred.)

Ten years ago: Despite international pleas for leniency, the state of Virginia executed Angel Francisco Breard, a Paraguayan convicted of murder. President Clinton moderated a town meeting on race with an all-star panel of sports figures. The Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for public service; author Philip Roth received the Pulitzer fiction award, his first, for "American Pastoral."

Five years ago: Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit fell with unexpectedly light resistance, the last Iraqi city to succumb to overpowering U.S.-led ground and air forces. U.S. commandos in Baghdad captured Abul Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner Achille Lauro in 1985. (Abbas died in March 2004 while in U.S. custody.) Four Islamic militants were convicted in a deadly bombing outside the U.S. Consulate in Pakistan. Assailants armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and a handgun opened fire at John McDonogh High School in New Orleans, killing one youth and wounding three others.

One year ago: Riot police beat and detained protesters as thousands defied an official ban and attempted to stage a rally in Moscow against Russian President Vladimir Putin's government. A car bomb exploded near one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines in Karbala, Iraq, killing 47 people. Don Ho, who'd entertained tourists to Waikiki for decades, died in Honolulu, Hawaii, at age 76.

Thought for Today: "If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference." _ Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).

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BEING B-U-S-Y (The Devil's Convention)

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values.

But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.

So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" shouted his angels.

"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.

"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work."

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that small still voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, VCR, DVDs, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical, contradictory music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."

"Fill their coffee-tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk-mail, sweepstakes, mail-order catalogues and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."

"Even in their recreation let them be excessive. Have them return from the recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out to nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead."

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions."

"Let them be involved in soul-winning, but crowd their lives with so many causes that they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

It was quite a convention in the end. The evil angels went to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there.

Has the devil been successful in his scheme?
You be the judge.

Does BUSY means:

B - being

U - under

S - satan's

Y - yoke

Satan's goal is to take our minds away from Christ and steer us towards the cares of the world. GOD WANTS US TO ENJOY LIFE, BUT HE MUST BE FIRST. IF WE ARE TOO BUSY FOR GOD, THEN WE ARE TOO BUSY!


Note: I first read the above article when it was posted at the Bulletin Board of the church I used to go to in the Philippines.

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Killer Bees

A man died after being stung over a 100 times by Africanized honey bees.
Medical officials said the man had a fatal reaction to the bee stings, which are not always fatal.
If tests are confirmed, it would be the first death in Florida caused by the aggressive bees. Before this incident, there have been at least 17 deaths caused by the bees across the United States since 1990.
Experts said the bees have been in Florida since 2002, and there have been a few reports about swarms of the bees attacking people.

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Today in History - April 13

Today is Sunday, April 13, the 104th day of 2008. There are 262 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 13, 1958, American pianist Van Cliburn, 23, won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

On this date:

In 1598, King Henry IV of France endorsed the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to the Protestant Huguenots. (The edict was abrogated in 1685 by King Louis the XIV, who declared France entirely Catholic again.)

In 1742, Handel's "Messiah" was first performed publicly, in Dublin, Ireland.

In 1743, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was born in Shadwell, Va.

In 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was incorporated in New York. (The original museum opened in 1872.)

In 1943, President Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial.

In 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first black performer in a leading role to win an Academy Award, for "Lilies of the Field."

In 1965, 16-year-old Lawrence Wallace Bradford Jr. was appointed by New York Republican Jacob Javits to be the first black page of the U.S. Senate.

In 1970, Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen burst. (The astronauts managed to return safely.)

In 1986, Pope John Paul II visited the Great Synagogue of Rome in the first recorded papal visit of its kind to a Jewish house of worship.

In 1992, the Great Chicago Flood took place as the city's century-old tunnel system and adjacent basements filled with water from the Chicago River.

Ten years ago: NationsBank and BankAmerica announced a merger which created Bank of America, while Banc One and First Chicago NBD said they would unite. A 500-pound steel joint fell from the upper level of New York's Yankee Stadium, crashing onto seats below. (No fans were inside the park at the time).

Five years ago: U.S.-led forces announced the capture of Watban Ibrahim Hasan, a half brother of and adviser to Saddam Hussein. After three weeks of captivity, seven U.S. POW's, including Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson, were released by Iraqi troops near Tikrit, Iraq. Mike Weir became the first Canadian to win the Masters after the first sudden-death playoff in 13 years.

One year ago: Iraq's parliament met in an extraordinary session on a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, and declared it would not bow to terrorism; a bouquet of red roses and a white lily sat in the place of a lawmaker killed in a parliament dining hall suicide bombing.

Thought for Today: "I cannot give you the formula for success but I can give you the formula for failure _ which is: Try to please everybody." _ Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist (1882-1958).

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Today in History - April 12

Today is Saturday, April 12, the 103rd day of 2008. There are 263 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 12, 1861, the American Civil War began as Confederate forces bombarded Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

On this date:

In 1606, England's King James I decreed the design of the original Union Flag, which combined the flags of England and Scotland.

In 1776, North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress authorized the colony's delegates to the Continental Congress to support independence from Britain.

In 1877, the catcher's mask was first used in a baseball game, by James Tyng of Harvard in a game against the Lynn Live Oaks.

In 1908, fire devastated the city of Chelsea, Mass.

In 1934, "Tender Is the Night" by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published in book form by Charles Scribner's Sons after being serialized in Scribner's Magazine.

In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga., at age 63; he was succeeded by Vice President Harry S. Truman.

In 1955, the Salk vaccine against polio was declared safe and effective.

In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the earth once before making a safe landing.

In 1981, the space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its first test flight.

In 1983, Chicagoans went to the polls to elect Harold Washington the city's first black mayor.

Ten years ago: Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams appealed to IRA supporters to accept Northern Ireland's compromise peace accord. Golfer Mark O'Meara won the Masters title in Augusta, Ga.

Five years ago: Finance officials from the seven richest industrial countries, meeting in Washington, agreed to support a new U.N. Security Council resolution as part of a global effort to rebuild Iraq and promised to begin talks on reducing Iraq's massive foreign debt burden. Rescued POW Jessica Lynch returned to the United States after treatment at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. Women's activists took their fight against the all-male Augusta National as close as they could get to the Masters tournament.

One year ago: A suicide bomber breached security in Iraq's parliament and blew himself up in the dining hall; a Sunni parliament member was killed. CBS fired Don Imus from his radio program for insulting the Rutgers women's basketball team on the air. In the evening, Imus met with team members at the New Jersey governor's mansion in Princeton; Gov. Jon S. Corzine, who was en route to that meeting, was seriously injured when his official vehicle, an SUV, crashed.

Thought for Today: "Eternal truths will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for every new social situation." _ President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

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Today in History - April 11

Today is Friday, April 11, the 102nd day of 2008. There are 264 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which included the Fair Housing Act, a week after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

On this date:

In 1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain.

In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as Emperor of the French and was banished to the island of Elba.

In 1898, as tensions with Spain continued to rise, President McKinley asked Congress to authorize military intervention in Cuba.

In 1899, the treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect.

In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the notorious Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany.

In 1951, President Truman relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur of his commands in the Far East.

In 1970, Apollo 13 blasted off on its ill-fated mission to the moon. (The astronauts managed to return safely).

In 1979, Idi Amin was deposed as president of Uganda as rebels and exiles backed by Tanzanian forces seized control.

In 1988, the hijackers of a Kuwait Airways jetliner killed a second hostage, dumping his body onto the ground in Larnaca, Cyprus.

In 1988, "The Last Emperor" won best picture and best director (Bernardo Bertolucci) at the 60th annual Academy Awards ceremony; Cher won best actress for "Moonstruck," Michael Douglas best actor for "Wall Street."

Ten years ago: The executive committee of the Ulster Union Party voted 55-23 to support the Northern Ireland peace accord and its leader, David Trimble, who had outmaneuvered rebels in his ranks.

Five years ago: Ten of the main suspects in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole escaped from prison in Yemen. American troops took the northern Iraqi city of Mosul without a fight. In Cuba, three men convicted of hijacking a passenger ferry the previous week were executed by firing squad, a swift response by Fidel Castro's government to a recent string of hijackings to the United States.

One year ago: North Carolina's top prosecutor dropped all charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a party, saying the athletes were innocent victims of a "tragic rush to accuse." MSNBC announced it was dropping its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage about host Don Imus' racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team. (CBS Radio followed suit the next day.) Death claimed author Kurt Vonnegut in New York at age 84 and actor Roscoe Lee Browne in Los Angeles at age 81.

Thought for Today: "We have enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." Jonathan Swift, English satirist (1667-1745).


Source: The Associated Press

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Today in History - April 10

Today is Thursday, April 10, the 101st day of 2008. There are 265 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage.

On this date:

In 1790, President Washington signed into law the first United States Patent Act.

In 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.

In 1925, the novel "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was first published.

In 1932, German president Paul Von Hindenburg was re-elected in a runoff, with Adolf Hitler coming in second.

In 1957, Egypt reopened the Suez Canal to all shipping traffic. (The canal had been closed due to wreckage resulting from the Suez Crisis.)

In 1957, John Osborne's play "The Entertainer," starring Laurence Olivier, opened in London.

In 1963, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher sank during deep-diving tests off Cape Cod, Mass., in a disaster that claimed 129 lives.

In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union joined some 70 nations in signing an agreement banning biological warfare.

In 1978, Arkady Shevchenko, a high-ranking Soviet citizen employed by the United Nations, sought political asylum in the United States.

In 1992, comedian Sam Kinison, 38, was killed in a car crash outside Needles, Calif.

Ten years ago: The Northern Ireland peace talks concluded as negotiators reached a landmark settlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks.

Five years ago: Iraqi television aired videotaped greetings from President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The House passed a bill creating a national Amber Alert system and strengthening child pornography laws. A fire in a boarding school for the deaf in southern Russia killed 30 children. Eva Narcissus Boyd, the singer formerly known as "Little Eva," died in Kinston, N.C.

One year ago: A woman wearing an explosives vest strapped underneath her black robe blew herself up in the midst of 200 Iraqi police recruits in Muqdadiyah, killing 16. Two Russian cosmonauts and U.S. billionaire Charles Simonyi arrived at the international space station. DNA tests showed that former boyfriend Larry Birkhead was the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby.

Thought for Today: "Take from me the hope that I can change the future, and you will send me mad." _ Israel Zangwill, English dramatist (1864-1926).

Source: The Associated Press

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World's Smallest Waist

I can't help but post these pictures here...

Cathie Jung has the smallest waist in the world. Her waistline is only 15 inches (38.1 cm), about the same size as a regular jar of mayonnaise. She's been wearing a corset for virtually every hour of the day and night since 1983 . The only time that she is not wearing the corset is probably the hour it takes her to shower and dry herself thoroughly. She has suffered no ill effects from wearing a corset virtually 24 hours a day since 1983. In fact, it has bolstered her spinal support. Bob Jung says: "As for the ribs, you would be surprised by how much the chest is not impacted. Only the two lower ribs, but those are the so-called floating ribs, two on each side. Everything in the midriff is flexible. The bowels and the stomach are hollow.

Source: Guiness World Records

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Fun at Philfest

We went to the Philippine Festival in Tampa last Saturday and we had so much fun. I have never seen so many Filipinos at one gathering since I came here. For a brief moment I felt like I was back in my own country. It was really nice to see hundreds of my own countrymen. I already knew that there are many Filipinos here in Florida but seeing them altogether is so different. Going there made me realized how much I miss my family and the Philippines. It reminded me of those fiesta days back in Iligan City with my siblings. Even so, I wouldn't exchange it for anything else. I enjoyed the day so much. And I will say it over and over again - I had so much fun!

Almost everything reminded me of the Philippines - the food, the merchandise that they were selling...everything Filipino! And oh, I found my sweet mango. I just knew that they're going to sell mangoes there. T'was one of the main reasons why we went there in the first place. We also had halo-halo for refreshment as it was a very hot day. Then we had chicken adobo, fried tilapia and steamed rice for lunch. When we got home, I immediately washed and sliced the mango. It was very sweet indeed - the sweetest i've ever tasted since I came here. My craving for sweet mangoes has now been satisfied.

Next year's Philippine Festival is already marked on my calendar. The dates, of course, are still unofficial but it will be a day that I will never miss.

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2:13 AM

Yup, it's already 2:13 am...and i'm not even sleepy yet! Somehow, I really do need to go to bed real soon 'coz we're supposed to go to Tampa tomorrow for the Philippine Festival. It's gonna be my first time going to the Philfest in Tampa. I was so excited about it until today. I was planning to take pictures but I broke my digital camera earlier today - it was purely an accident. I dropped it as I was getting out of the car. Gosh, how clumsy was I. I was really hoping that it was still ok. But it wasn't. Every picture I took after that were all blurred and distorted. I can't believe I broke it! Ugh! I am irked.

Yes, I love taking pictures, like most people I know. And now that I have no more camera to use ('coz I broke it) , it only means one thing - I can't take pictures, at least good ones! Granted I can use my phone but it won't be the same. And I just can't buy a new one 'coz it's not cheap - the one I like isn't. And now I just realized something that aggravates me even more. We have an upcoming business trip next week to Miami . I purposely asked J* to extend the trip for at least one more day so we can explore the city of Miami and I can take pictures at the same time.
Now what?
I won't even say it...

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Philfest 2008

PHILFEST, short for "Philippine Festival" is one of the major Filipino events in the Tampa Bay Area. It is held annually during the first week of April, usually lasting a whole weekend, as it attempts to emulate the joyful celebrations of a typical Philippine Fiesta.

The 13th Annual Philippine Festival will be held on April 4-6, 2008 at the Bayanihan Arts and Events Center Philfest Grounds Tampa, FL. Activities will include arts and crafts shows, Filipino food and beverage festival, talent shows (attended by talented Fil-Am artists from all over the United States as well as showbiz talents from the Philippines), cultural exhibitions at the Bayanihan ARTS CENTER, "Tawag ng Tanghalan", a singing contest for adults and "Tanghalang Pambata", a talent contest for minors, fashion shows, parades and many more.

So, if you're from the Philippines and you're currently residing in the Tampa Bay Area or anywhere in the US, then you shouldn't miss this!

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Ten Commandments from a Dog's Point of View

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Regular separation from you will be painful and can even cause depression. Think before you buy me.

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me don't be impatient, short-tempered or irritable.

3. Place your trust in me and I will always trust you back, respect is earned not given as some sort of inalienable right.

4. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. I am not capable of understanding why I am being locked up. I only know I have been rejected. You have your work, entertainment and friends. I only have you.

5. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your tone. "You only have to look at my tail" to know that.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget, if that treatment is unjust or bad, it may spoil the special bond between us.

7. Please do not hit me. I cannot hit back, but I can bite and scratch and I don't ever want to feel the need to do that.

8. Before you tell me off me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be wrong with me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food or I've been out in the sun too long, maybe my heart is getting old and weak, or maybe I'm just dog-tired.

9. Take care of me when I get old. You too will grow old and will also want care, love, and affection.

10. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say, "I can't bear to watch" or "Let it happen in my absence". Everything is easier for me if you are there. Remember, Irrespective of what you do I will always love you.

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