The first oligarchic revolution was in 411BC and known as ‘The Oligarchic Coup’ or ‘The Four Hundred’. This change in government came about for a number of reasons including the lack of money and resources due to the failure of the Sicilian expedition (Thuc. 6 ). The revolution started in the fleet stationed at Samos in the summer of 412BC where Alcibiades professed that he could win Persian support for the Athenians but only if they were governed by an oligarchy instead of a democracy (Oxford Dic. of the Classical World pg. 295). The second oligarchic revolution was known as the ‘The Thirty’ or ‘The Thirty Tyrants’ (coined by Diodorus)who took power after Athens defeat in the Peloponnesian war. Due to the peace terms imposed by Lysander, the thirty were chosen to run the government and draft new laws however their power led to the death of many a democratic opposition including citizens and metics and a reign of terror that saw the execution of Theramenes, the once leader of the moderate oligarchic party (Oxford Dic. of the Classical World pg. 759). The impact of the two oligarchic revolutions upon Athenian democracy had varying degrees of effect but we must also consider the political leaning of our key sources such as Xenophon, Aristotle and Thucydides. Thucydides describes the response of Athens to the crisis as “Nevertheless, with such means as they had, it was determined to resist to the last, and to provide timber and money, and to equip a fleet as they best could, to take steps to secure their confederates and above all Euboea, to reform things in the city upon a more economical footing, and to elect a board of elders to act as preliminary advisers regarding the state of affairs as occasion should arise. In short, as is the way of democracy, in the panic of the moment they were ready to be as prudent as possible (Thuc. 8. 1. 3-4). It could be inferred from that statement that to be ‘prudent’ meant a move to oligarchy and that it was deemed by Thucydides that to be a democracy meant that you were less ‘prudent’ than another form of government. This could be interpreted as Thucydides being pro-oligarchy and thus his writing being biased in favour of the oligarchs to a certain degree.

At the start of the first oligarchic revolution in 411BC Alcibiades led his listeners to believe that a democracy was too untrustworthy to win Persian support but an oligarchy would instil more trust due to a reduced amount of people in charge. Pisander, who had been sent to Athens from Samos, convinced the Athenians that an oligarchy was necessary and was charged by the Athenian people to take ten others and make the arrangements as necessary with Alcibiades. In practise the Persian negotiations did not work and Alcibiades who had hoped to be returned from exile by the oligarchs in Athens was left disappointed. By this point however the revolution was well under way and prominent democrats and opposition were slowly disappearing due to death or exile creating intense fear among the Athenian population. By the time Pisander returned in the May a meeting was held to reorganise the constitution and five men were elected to select the council of four hundred with full powers of government (Oxford Dic. of the Classical World pg. 295). Aristotle mentions in his work ‘Politics’ that by selecting a Preliminary Council over the main Council of five thousand this itself was a step towards oligarchy as the Preliminary Council have authority over the Council and though the Council itself is democratic, the Preliminary Councils power is oligarchic (Aristotle. Politics. 1299b).

The four hundred composed of many extremists who shifted the government away from a moderate oligarchy and so the four hundred never called upon the selected five thousand as agreed. The four hundred failed at peace negotiations with Sparta and lasted a meagre four months in government before being replaced by the five thousand they had never allowed to hold power. This was aided by the fleets in Samos threatening a return home to restore democracy to Athens. The change to the five thousand was perceived as a step back towards democracy but remained an oligarchy with the power now in the hands of five thousand rather than four hundred. The five thousand were made up of Athenian citizens but only those who could afford to give wealth to the war effort. In all likelihood the five thousand were probably made up only of the hoplite class and above (Ryan K. Balot pg 214). The five thousand recalled Alcibiades from exile finally in the hope that his military leadership would aid their cause.

The toll of the oligarchic revolutions of the Four Hundred on the Athenians was high. The inability of the Athenian citizens to realise the political persuasions of their fellows led to deep fragmentation into what could be described as two cities (Athens and Samos). It bred intense mistrust among the citizens within Athens but also in the democratic fleet at Samos. The oligarchs appear to want to seem legitimate in their claim that oligarchy was the necessary measure for Athens to win the Peloponnesian war which we can see by how they approached the topic; sending Pisander to speak and then Oligarchic propaganda in Athena to the idea of ‘saving the city’ (Thuc, 8.53). However the mistrust and fear propagated by the oligarchic party is amplified not only as Athenian citizens would have had a deep anxiety of anything other than democracy which they viewed as their birth right and their internal creation, much like the Romans after Sulla would have viewed a monarchy. An example of measures taken by the Athenians to attempt to prevent similar events occurring and to promote democracy would be the erection of monuments displaying democratic ideals and processes; ‘an inscribed stone recording the decision of the restored democracy in 410 to administer an oath to the Athenian people by which they swore to kill anyone who attempted to overthrow the democracy’ (Oxford Journals). The same article describes new structures built in the agora to signal the revival of democratic rule, specifically a new house for the Council of Five Hundred. The Athenians were clearly prepared to spend money on creating a strong foundation for democracy to remain and wanted to erase the memory of the oligarchic revolution of 411BC by destroying the physical remanence of what they did in the old council house and building a new structure to represent the new start featuring design that ‘encouraged transparency and accountability among councillors’ (Oxford Journals).

In 403BC the Tyranny of the Thirty was imposed upon Athens by Sparta after the Athenians loss at Aegospotami and Lysander’s siege of the city (Xen. Hell. 2.2. 7-16). This oligarchy lasted for one year before the city returned once again to democratic rule. The Tyranny of the Thirty was a much more dramatic episode in Classical Greek history than the revolution of the Four Hundred. The Thirty were led by the oligarchic extremist Critias and moderate Theramenes (though this was disputed by Lysias in his speech ‘Against Eratosthenes’ who thought of Theramenes as an extremist unlike Xenophon), who appointed sympathetic members to join the boule. The oligarchs then started on a bloody path to get rid of any prominent democratic opponents and their supporters under the instruction of Critias. Theramenes did not agree entirely with the killing of innocent men, according to Xenophon in his History of Our Times, and put forward the idea of incorporating more citizens into their rule. Critias responded by having him executed. The body count was approximated at 1,500 with many others fleeing Athens (Oxford Dic. of the Classical World pg. 759). This oligarchic revolution unlike the previous did not have the consent of the citizens and was forced rather than accepted. When Athenians took up arms against Critias in Athens, Critias brought in Spartan troops to fight, stationing them on the Acropolis and thereby alienating the Athenian citizens even more (Oxford Dic. of the Classical World pg. 759). The direct impact of the Tyranny of the Thirty was much higher in terms of how it affected the people immediately. The Athenians had lost a war, had an oligarchic rule imposed upon them after the terrible fright and turmoil of the previous oligarchic revolution and now had to face the ultimate humiliation and defeat of having Spartan troops brought into their city to support the government they didn’t approve of. The killing was much more prolific during the Tyranny of the Thirty and so Athenian emotion must have been extremely fearful, angry and disgraced.

The two oligarchic revolutions both had a serious impact upon Athens and the Athenian people but the first revolution of the Four Hundred would have had a stronger impression. This is because the revolution of the Four Hundred was accepted by the Athenian people as something necessary to win the Peloponnesian war. The second revolution of the Thirty was the result of losing that war. The hope that came with the first revolution forced the Athenians to try oligarchy, which they did with freedom. Their decision to do this would have had a much greater psychological impact on Athenian citizens than the second revolution which was to be expected by losing the war. The Athenian people introduced rites and rituals, buildings and monuments that would be seen in everyday life to impress the importance of democracy and its ideology and to remind them of the bad decision they had made in the first revolution. Symbolic inscriptions on monuments became more common and the oath being taken by Athenian citizens was of upmost importance since it was the Athenians themselves who had voted for oligarchy in the first revolution. The democrats used their cultural resources in adroit ways to promote their vision of the way Athens should be ruled. The public rituals were a facilitator for democratic ideals to be articulated to the Athenian citizens and a way to reinforce the commitment of Athenians to democracy. They now had irrefutable empirical evidence that wealth was no guarantee of reliability in the ruling class and should not have significance to power in creating an oligarchy.

After the war in 403BC when Athens regained control of her own government it was mandatory for Athenians to swear the oath of reconciliation in which each citizen publicly demonstrated his assent to democratic rule and to forget past wrongs, meaning the oligarchic revolutions. We derive the word ‘amnesty’ from the ancient Greek ‘amnestia’ which translates as ‘not remembering’ and played a key role in the Greeks moving forward from 403BC. Even thought there was a significant impact on Athenian democracy from the second revolution, the impact of the first decreed that an oligarchy would never again take control in Athens by the will of the people.

Bibliography

Aristotle, The Athenian Constitution, Penguin Classics, 1984

Balot, Ryan K, Green and Injustice in Classical Athens, Princeton University Press (15 Oct 2001)

Oxford Journals, ( http://ahr.oxfordjournals.org/content/117/4/1274.full?sid=a2353136-746a-41c6-ae2c-ca1e091db088 )

Roberts, John, Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World, Oxford University Press, 2007

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Penguin Classics, 1972

Xenophon, Hellenica (Kindle Addition), Amazon Media

Xenophon, History of My Times, Penguin Classics, 1979

Complacency – and its ill effects – is all around us.

Consider politics. Democrats held one Senate seat for 47 years, and assumed they’d win again in 2010 but didn’t.

Consider sports. 2010 is the first year since 1993 – that’s 17 years – that both number one seeds, presumably the two best teams, are meeting in the Super Bowl.

Consider business. The Dow Jones Industrial Average – a composite of 30 of the most important and strongest companies in America – has seven new members since 2000, and only five (DuPont, Proctor & Gamble, ExxonMobil, United Technologies and General Electric) have been on this list for more than 70 years.

Consider your business. Have you lost a Customer that was a surprise because they had “been with you forever” or “they love us?” Have your profits slipped a year after great performance?

To be sure, in all of these cases there are factors other than complacency at play. However, it is equally true that at least part of the reason for the above results is the insidious, sometimes undetected or under-appreciated, factor called complacency.

The good news is that complacency often comes after some success. The bad news is that it can spread quickly and reduce future success significantly. The best news is that it can be defeated. Here are six steps to help you.

Recognize it. Doctors know it is hard to treat a patient until a diagnosis is made. Complacency can start from a quiet confidence, which most would see as a positive, and slowly become a problem with first stages that aren’t noticed. What do you see different in people’s (or your) habits and approach? Are you taking the little things for granted? Are you doing less of the things that led to past successes?

Put it in context. Complacency won’t likely occur until you have had some success! Complacency comes because of the success. So, recognize and celebrate the success first, then challenge the complacent thoughts and actions. Help people remember the feeling that came with the success. When they can emotionally connect to that feeling, you can use that to ward off complacency and get focused on the next achievement.

Set new goals. If past goals have been met and no new ones set, you have a problem. Now is the time to engage others in setting new goals. Create them with the same excitement and anticipation you did in setting the past goals you and your team have met. Make sure the new goals are challenging enough to inspire the energy to combat complacency.

Keep purpose clear. Goals are great, but it is the underlying purpose or “why” that will truly drive discipline and performance and be a natural antibiotic for complacency. Remind people of your purpose. Connect people to the emotions of success and of reaching the purpose. If the purpose or vision has changed due to past achievements, recast that purpose in as meaningful a way as you possibly can.

Create healthy competition. Human beings love competition – whether with themselves or others. You can combat complacency with creative competition. Create ways to help people compete against themselves, or against the goals they surpassed last year. Allow teams to compete (though not in a destructive or disabling way) with each other in seeking common goals. Define an outside competitor as the source of your energy and effort.

Remember history and human nature. Like the examples at the beginning of this piece, history shows that complacency is a part of the human condition. Recognizing this helps you deal with it personally and as a team or organization. However, when you feel it or see it, don’t resort to guilt or blame; rather, acknowledge it, and use all your mental and emotional energy to focus on overcoming it instead of worrying about its presence.

Complacency; avoid it at your peril. When you choose to attack it before it spreads in your mind or the mind of your organization, the steps above will help prevent the spread and with consistent effort eliminate your current outbreak.

With the dawn of the new political era, many migrants and UK employers may feel uncertain about the future of UK immigration. However, what is known so far is that the main legacy of the previous Government, the Points Based Scheme, and in particular the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Schemes, will be carried forward by the new Conservative – Liberal coalition with more stringent criteria likely to be introduced in the next few months.

The new immigration minister, Damian Green, is yet to make a full statement, however immigration “caps” have been widely advertised for non- EU migrants as a set priority for the Conservative party. Similarly, the Liberal-Democrats’ amnesty championed in its electoral manifesto, will not be pursued by a Government which may already feel the pressure of having to take unpopular decisions in the domestic arena to tackle the deepening economy deficit. Immigration, as always, will remain a hot political issue in Westminster as much as in your local pubs, although the underlining benefits brought by migrants remain undeniable true by filling vacancies which settled workers are unable to fill and often providing valuable services to an aging UK population as well as paying taxes (migrants cannot access public funds).

For UK employers, compliance with the sponsor’s guidance should remain a key priority in their HR practices to recruit and retain employees. Failure to comply might lead to civil penalties and criminal prosecutions of up to 2 years on indictment for knowingly employing illegal migrants. Thus, UK employers will continue to be registered by the UK Border Agency and will need to show their ability to carry our their obligations as sponsors such as record keeping, reporting and satisfying themselves that their employees are eligible to carry out that particular job in line with the Standard Occupation Code and Tier 2 criteria.

The requirements under the Tier 1 Scheme for highly skilled migrants who do not need a sponsor are likely to be revised again in the next few months with emphasis on the uplift ratios for overseas salaries. Migra & Co has extensive expertise in all immigration categories and if you are concern about your current or future options, please contact us to discuss your specific immigration circumstances or needs.

“The year is 2045 A.D., and man has come to the point that he can, and does qualify as tenements of the new so called metallic-bodied beings, their brains incased in a spherical domicile; beings within shells, who now can live a thousand years, so they are told, but that of course is still theory, yet to be seen. Their eyes kaleidoscopically, are made up of some kind of: constantly color changing recherché adamantine material; when the eyes blink, they emit flashes of lightening, bright as the North Star. Their voices are clarion, and still maintain-for whatever reasons-human respiration, although it is an add-on, and not so perspicacious in cost. The globular heads are triangular, the metal beings have a sort of cupola back, and it is very hard for genuflections in the church I am told. The human beings that choose not to buy one of these lasting devises, calling them marionettes-freaks, with brains, are being considered prejudice, not sure if I can agree with that but who’s to say. They are not arabesque. Nor do they need to eat like humans, although they need sleep for the brain to function, and a flow of nutrients likewise. Most folks who have purchased one in their old age, have kept their old bodies in storage, as in an urn, some made them into statues of frozen ash. There is a negative to this I found out, they are subject to the ravages of some corroding acids, should someone take advantage and pour this acid on the metallic-bodied beings, in sleep, of which they only need four-hours per twenty-four. The amazing thing about this new form of being, he has super x-ray vision, diaphanous.

And people are complaining of this, especially in the bathrooms around the city here in St. Paul, Minnesota. The democrats find nothing abysmal about this, although the republicans do. There’s no need for gun control, bullets will not hurt these metallic bodied beings; so the issue of gun control is neither here nor there. Inside their torsos, or upper body parts, are frames of spiral rods and arabesque filaments, quintillions; a master Dom of science technology. Some folks who care to be different have even ordered the shells to incorporate a put-on and take-off proboscis, like a trunk for a nose; some have even ordered artificial wings to attach to the back of their metallic shells. I have ordered one myself, being at that age of enlightenment, to avoid the sepulchral, although I think I’ll save the body, I might as well as for memories of how it once was. There has been some dirty dealings with this as often people will take advantage of modern science and its gifts: those with a weird prerogative for the most part: one doctor, I can’t say his name for legal reasons (I’m afraid to be prosecuted, as everyone is today), has crafted one of these metallic bodied beings, and took it a step further, made him into an anthropomorphic, that being: half-canine and wholly diabolic, in that he now craves human flesh, a brain eater; I know you’ll ask, ‘how so… ‘ by implanting old genetic material from Neanderthal bones into his brain. I told my pupils at the university, where I teach, ‘Nothing is perfect,’ like our president has inferred, ‘and one has to expect some chaos, it’s common, especially during the adjustment period of new ideas, it’s a simple matter of new criterions; change is inevitable, change or drawn… that’s the name of the game’ implying I think, it’s even healthy: like Robert Frost inferred, so long ago: ‘I like a little corruption myself, if it’s amusing.’ Incidentally, with these new pewter-like bodies, for a premium you can get two sets of eyes, kind of comparable to a spare set of glasses; although I hear the second set is dull and lifeless.

On another note, I imagine it will be a weird ordeal, and the men whom I’ve talked to have felt as if they were being dissected. And I also heard: after the transfiguration, one’s voice and language tone are somewhat similar to: horn-like intonations for several months, a ‘recuperate period,’ so one has to expect that. My operation will be done in the diurnal period, nighttime is too spooky for me. I look forward to linguistic studying thereafter, when I can learn two or three languages at one time, evidently there is a magnetic force within the shell that helps the brain in multiform wonders such as linguistics, my wife keeps telling me as do her friends I should learn more and better Spanish, well here comes the chance. But the best asset yet is these metallic people, they’ve found-that is scientists found-were exempt from all the ordinary biological needs and desires. That is some form of pre-metallic stage I’ve got to see. When this process is complete I can devote wholly to reading and writing and research. Although my wife says, I have already done that for way too long, and the infinite grotesqueries which I’ve devised and created with them, are enough for anyone’s lifetime. Some of the side effects I understand can be: anti-social impulses and actions. As I stated before: nothing is perfect: ere a means of retardation as well. Heretofore, all the experimentalists have made that per near a doubtful reaction. The reason being, even if the body and brain are blasted into a million pieces, or fragments, they now have the knowledge to sew the brain back together-figuratively speaking-the body is useless anyhow. Yes indeed, they can reunite single atoms, electrons and protons, so why worry! All one has to worry about is the onslaughts of those brain eaters I talked about, and how many will end up being of that caliber? One out of a million. Well, dear friend, I got to go, see you in a year or so in my new body.” Sincerely, DLS

#5300/7-9-2016

The presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee has truly embraced Internet technology! Barack Obama won primaries in Iowa, North Dakota and Montana! His campaign raised over $300 million dollars during the primary Democratic campaign! He defeated well known U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton! By using social media and web 2.0 tools, Barack connected with millions of potential democratic voters and raised millions of dollars. How did he do it? Why was he so successful? How does this relate to you and your business?

Brent Leary, a CRM expert, speaker, popular columnist and award-winning blogger who has a popular internet show, “Technology for Business Sake” says, “He can make history if he becomes our next president. Not only by being the nation’s first African-American president, but he is also being referred to as potentially the first customer relationship management (CRM) president. You also may even consider him to be the first social media president based on his campaign’s savvy use of the Web.” Brent wrote a commentary in Black Enterprise Magazine. Also, he created a great slide show on Share Slide. Recently, Brent hosted a recent webinar entitled, “Barack Obama’s Social Media Lesson to Small Business” with successful popular business development expert, David Bullock.

Clearly, Barack Obama has adopted a new media strategy and it is having a positive impact on his political campaign! For example, he is everywhere on the Internet! He announced his candidacy via the web! Barack blogs! A blog is a website that contains a individual’s personal thoughts and observations. Millions of people read his opinions and political views online! Barack is also podcasting! A podcast is a video or audio file that can be downloaded from the Internet. He has a YouTube channel with over 1,145 videos! On one particular video, he had 1.2 millions views and over 4,230 comments! Over Fifteen million of people have watched a music video by singer/producer Will.I. Am. that encourages people to vote for Barack! Additionally, people can download video clips of Senator Obama to their cell phone daily! “I Got a Crush on Girl”, a popular music video about a woman’s infatuation with Senator Obama has received much attention! It has recorded over almost 9 million views and over 42,000 comments! Amber Lee Ettinger, the “Obama Girl” in the video has 115 videos on YouTube! Barack has mastered the power of the moving image and successfully applied it to his campaign! Imagine if more entrepreneurs would learn this new technology and adapt it for their own marketing campaigns. What would be the sales impact? How could YouTube benefit your business?

YouTube is not the only network that has garnered success. Barack is active on other social online networks too! He has over one million friends and supporters on his Facebook page! Barack tweets. That is, he is using Twitter. Twitter is micro-blogging. Subscribers can communicate and stay connected with friends and associates by sending short messages. Barack has over 39,594 followers who track his daily activities. Likewise, he tracks 40, 872 people! How many people does Senator Hillary connect with? Just 4,148 and she follows nobody! What does that communicate to potential voters? What would happen if more business people would actively participate in business-oriented social networks? How many more clients, strategic partners, alliances and connections could you make? How would this improve your sales?

Obama’s campaign has created over 123 widgets! These viral agents are added to any website or blog to share his vision, mission and message of change! Widgets are mini-websites that contain specific and unique information. Over 4,150 video widgets, 3,252 news widgets and 3240 convention widgets have been installed on websites or blogs! That is over 10,642 raving supporters and fans that have placed an “Obama Button” on their website or blog! Conservatively, if just 100 people saw this widget, that would produce over 1.6 million more hits for Barack! What would happen if those visitors installed it on their websites too! The viral impact for Barack would be huge! What does this mean? What would be the business impact if entrepreneurs had widgets promoting their products and services? Specially, how would you benefit from the exposure?

Also, Senator Obama sends out daily emails and news releases that are distributed everyday to supporters, community organizers, friends, politicians and financial contributors. Millions of people are briefed and updated on a daily basis on Barack’s activities, speeches, opinions, views and campaign stops. If more business owners use the power of news releases, electronic newsletters and emails, how would this improve their company and brand awareness?

Most people would agree that Senator Obama’s new media strategy has been quite successful! How has this relatively unknown U.S. Senator from Illinois improved his digital image and web presence? If you do a search on the Barack Obama’s name in Google, you will get almost 57 million search results! Barack’s viral marketing campaign has been a success, not just in the United States but all over the world! If you do a search on your name, company or your keywords that describes your business, what search results do you get? If you are not on the first page, guess who is getting the business? Your competition! By understanding, embracing and harnessing the power of the Internet, every entrepreneur can become more successful!

What does this mean for you and your business? How would this impact your sales and business is you adopted a new media strategy and action plan? If you are not actively using the Internet to attract potential clients, start now! You can not afford, not to start now! Your business might depend on it! There is plenty of opportunity to build your web presence and digital image. You must start now! Ignorance is not an option. Do not let the Internet and others define you, your brand and company! Take control!

Here are some suggestions:

o Conduct a search on your name, company and key words.

o Learn more about the Internet and how to use it to your advantage.

o Start reading business blogs and news releases.

o Discover interesting videos in your industry or profession.

o Join a social network to connect with potential clients and referral sources.

o Start blogging your personal views and observations within your industry.

o Start video and audio podcasting.

o Begin writing articles and submitting them to directories that will search your target market.

o Start an electronic newsletter.

o Initiate a monthly or weekly news release promoting your company.

o Review your company website and your SEO parameters and guidelines.

o Offer free trials and tools to encourage prospects to try your products or services.

o Discover what web 2.0 tools that you could use in your business and start using them now!

We see California Wildfires today? Where is FEMA, they should have known there might be fires in California in the future. Obviously FEMA has no crystal ball and the Bush Administration did not put in a requisition for a crystal ball or put together a team of psychics, as per Jesse Jackson's plan; who might have used their magical powers and averaged out the results to pin-point which states might have a wild fire.

Additionally President Bush is Personally responsible for the Solar Flares as the Sun is now off cycle from its solar minimum, which has heated up the atmosphere. Even the plate tectonics and continental drifts is out a little compared with scientific theories of cycles. This of course is obviously George Walker Bush's Fault in fact he is personally responsible for all of this. Should we demand a public apology, some one must be blamed, George Bush is President and so he should be blamed for the Sun's activity and the rest of the Universe too.

The Volcanic activity recently in Mexico and the Earthquake in Peru are causing seismic activity and this is causing volcanic activity which makes smoke in the atmosphere and this is Bush's Fault too.

The 2005 Hurricane Season and the Typhoons recently in Asia, yep, Bush's fault. Many are now calling for a Special Independent Impartial Federal Investigation chaired by the Honorable and Noble Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as to why Bush allowed these natural disasters to happen and why he is allowing these fires and volcanoes to spew smoke and ask into the atmosphere, which hurt wildlife; including but not limited to Elk, deer, spotted owls, desert turtles, endangered rats and panda bears in china.

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said; "Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry!" How right he is; we all know that had JF Kerry been elected that he would have put an end to this wastefulness of Continental Drift once and for all.

John Kerry the bright star of the Democratic Party in all his granger would have dimmed the Sun for us and calmed it down so it would not be so hot causing these California Wildfires. If John Kerry and Edwards were elected; John 1; would have demanded that Hurricane Katrina Stop and John 2 would have filed a cease and desist on Hurricane Rita in a Court of Law. John Edwards would have followed it up that with a Whopper of a lawsuit if Rita had persisted and then filed Mold lawsuits against homeowners trying to rebuild their homes, for the greater good.

It is Bush's fault, we want him to admit it on National TV and we want him to apologize for letting these Volcanoes, Earthquakes, wildfires, Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tsunamis, Continental Drift, Ice Age, Solar Flares and Tornadoes right now. Think on it, after all it is all George Walker Bush's fault. Next time vote for Democrats, as they promise to stop all these things by raising taxes.

Woodrow Wilson (1856 1924), the 28th U.S. president, served in office through 1913 to 1921 and led America through World War I (1914 1918). An advocate for democracy as well as world peace, Wilson is usually placed by historians as one of the nation ‘s most brilliant presidents. Wilson was a college professor, Democratic governor and university president of New Jersey prior to winning the White House in 1912. When in business, he pursued an ambitious agenda of progressive change which included the establishment of the Federal Reserve along with Federal Trade Commission. Wilson attempted to keep the United States neutral during World War I but eventually called on Congress to declare war on Germany in 1917. Following the battle, he really helped negotiate a peace treaty which incorporated a program for the League of Nations. Though the Senate rejected U.S. membership in the League, Wilson received the Nobel Prize for the peacemaking efforts of his.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson came into this world on December twenty eight, 1856, in Staunton, Virginia. The father of his, Joseph Ruggles Wilson (1822-1903), was obviously a Presbyterian minister, and his mom, Janet Woodrow Wilson (1826-1888), was a minister’s child and actually from England. Tommy Wilson, as he was named growing up, enjoyed the childhood of his as well as teen years in Augusta, Georgia, and Columbia, South Carolina. Of the American Civil War (1861 1865), Wilson’s dad served as a chaplain in the Confederate army and used the church of his as being a clinic for injured Confederate soldiers.

Wilson graduated from Princeton Faculty (then known as the College of New Jersey) in 1879 and proceeded to attend law school in the Faculty of Virginia. After briefly training law in Atlanta, Georgia, he got a Ph.D. in political science at Johns Hopkins Faculty in 1886. (Wilson is still the sole U.S. president who obtained a doctorate degree.) He taught at Bryn Mawr College and Wesleyan College prior to being hired by Princeton in 1890 as a professor of politics and jurisprudence. From 1902 to 1910, Wilson was president of Princeton, wherever he created a national track record of the educational reform policies of his.

In 1885, Wilson married Ellen Axson (1860-1914), a minister’s child and a Georgia native. The couple had 3 daughters before Ellen died of kidney disease in 1914. The following season, Wilson married Edith Bolling Galt (1872-1961), a widow whose husband had owned a Washington, D.C., jewelry business.

WOODROW WILSON’S Rise in POLITICS

In 1910, Woodrow Wilson was elected governor of New Jersey, wherever he battled daily politics and also garnered national interest as a progressive reformer. In 1912, the Democrats nominated Wilson for president, choosing Thomas Marshall (1854-1925), the governor of Indiana, as the vice of his presidential running mate. The Republican Party split over the choice of theirs for a presidential candidate: Conservative Republicans re-nominated President William Taft (1857-1930), while the progressive wing broke off to develop the Progressive (or maybe Bull Moose) Party and also nominated Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), that had served as president through 1901 to 1909.

With all the Republicans divided, Wilson, who campaigned on a platform of liberal change, received 435 electoral votes, compared to eighty eight for Roosevelt and 8 for Taft. He garnered roughly forty two percent of the popular vote; Roosevelt arrived for second place with over twenty seven percent of the widely used vote.

WOODROW WILSON’S First ADMINISTRATION

At the age of fifty six, Woodrow Wilson was sworn into office in March 1913. He was the final American president to take a trip to the inauguration ceremony of his in a horse drawn carriage. When in the White House, Wilson achieved significant progressive reform. Congress passed the Underwood Simmons Act, that reduced the tariffs on imports and also imposed an innovative federal income tax. Additionally, it passed legislation establishing the Federal Reserve (which offers a method for regulating the nation ‘s banks, recognition and cash supply) as well as the Federal Trade Commission (which investigates and also prohibits unfair business practices).

Some other accomplishments included kid labor laws, an eight hour day for railroad employees as well as government loans to growers. Furthermore, Wilson nominated the original Jewish individual to the U.S. Supreme Court, Louis Brandeis (1856-1941), who was established by the Senate in 1916.

When World War I broke out in Europe in the summer season of 1914, Wilson was motivated to maintain the United States from the struggle. On May seven, 1915, a German submarine torpedoed as well as sank the British ocean liner Lusitania, killing over 1,100 individuals (including 128 Americans). Wilson carried on to keep U.S. neutrality but warned Germany which virtually any succeeding sinkings will be seen by America as “deliberately unfriendly.”

In 1916, Wilson as well as Vice President Marshall had been re-nominated by the Democrats. The Republicans opted Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes (1862-1948) as the presidential candidate of theirs as well as Charles Fairbanks (1852-1918), the U.S. vice president under Theodore Roosevelt, as the running mate of his. Wilson, who campaigned on the slogan “He kept us from war,” received with a narrow electoral margin of 277-254 a bit over forty nine percent of the widely used vote.

WOODROW WILSON’S Second ADMINISTRATION: World War I

Woodrow Wilson’s 2nd term of business was dominated by World War I. Though the president had advocated for peace throughout the original years of the war, in early 1917 German submarines launched unrestricted submarine attacks against U.S. merchant ships. Near exactly the same period, the United States discovered the Zimmerman Telegram, in which Germany attempted to persuade Mexico to enter into an alliance against America. On April two, 1917, Congress was asked by Wilson to declare war on Germany, declaring, “The planet has to be made safe for democracy.”

America’s participation really helped get about victory for the Allies, additionally, on November eleven, 1918, an armistice was signed by the Germans. At the Paris Peace Conference, that started in January 1919 and also integrated the heads of the British, Italian and french governments, Wilson helped negotiate the Treaty of Versailles. The agreement provided the charter for the League of Nations, an trans-international organization meant to arbitrate overseas conflicts and stop later wars. Wilson had at first advanced the thought for the League in a January 1918 speech to the U.S. Congress where he outlined the “Fourteen Points” of his for any postwar peace settlement.

When Wilson returned from Europe in the summer season of 1919, opposition was encountered by him to the Versailles treaty out of isolationist Republicans in Congress who feared the League might reduce America’s autonomy and draw the nation into another battle. In September of that season, the president embarked on a cross country talking tour to promote the ideas of his for the League straight to the American folks. On the evening of September twenty five, on a train bound for Wichita, Kansas, Wilson collapsed from physical and mental tension, as well as the majority of the tour of his was cancelled. On October two, he suffered a stroke which remaining him partly paralyzed. Wilson’s situation was held mostly concealed out of the public, and his wife worked right behind the scenes to satisfy a selection of the administrative duties of his.

The Senate voted on the Treaty of Versailles initially in November 1919 and then in March 1920. Both times it didn’t obtain the two thirds vote necessary for ratification. The treaty’s defeat was mostly blamed on Wilson’s refusal to compromise together with the Republicans. The League of Nations held the first meeting of its of January 1920; the United States never ever joined the organization. Nevertheless, in December 1920, Wilson got the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for the efforts of his to add the Covenant of the League of Nations in the Treaty of Versailles.

Right after leaving office in March 1921, Woodrow Wilson resided in Washington, D.C. He along with someone created a law firm, but health that is poor prevented the president from actually practicing any really serious labor. Wilson died at the home of his on February three, 1924, at age sixty seven. He was installed in the Washington National Cathedral, the sole president to be interred in the nation ‘s capital.

Casio keyboard or Yamaha keyboards which should you buy? There is much debate today on which is the better choice if you want a musical keyboard. Well here you will learn the differences.

There are two sides these days when it comes to musical keyboards. Just like Apple vs. Microsoft, Cannon and Nikon or Republicans and Democrats, it can be hard to convince a person once they have joined a particular side.

Many people feel there are very distinct differences between the keyboards made by each of these two companies. However, when you really dig into all features, whistles and bells each has to offer, they are actually quite similar.

Both offer high quality products. Both have a wide range of keyboards from learning keyboards, to those that are light and portable to those that are digital performance designed and recording pianos.

If there is any slight difference it might be that Casio has more offerings on the lower priced end of the scale. It seems for the keyboard beginner there are more Casio choices than with Yamaha. As well, as you move up in price, it seems Yamaha has a slight bit more to offer at the top end.

But I wouldn’t take this as absolute truth. Your best bet is to research carefully and look at all the features each has to offer.

One of the best ways to make a decision on what is the best keyboard to buy is to read the reviews from people that have bought the same keyboard you may be considering. If a person takes the time to write a review they have to feel pretty strong about the product one way or another.

In reading customer reviews often a common theme will start to surface and that will help you make a more educated buying decision.

All too often people make buying decisions based on what they think is true vs. what is actually true. Both companies, Casio and Yamaha have been around a long time and make quality products. They both have devoted customers and followers.

The best way to decide is to identify what features you want on your instrument and then seek out versions that have these features, regardless of the manufacturer. Then read reviews from other buyers.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you are caught up in the debate Casio keyboard or Yamaha keyboard.

A Brief History of Palo

Palo Mayombe is an African tradition that has truly gained roots in the diaspora. It originated in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Spanish term for it – Las Reglas De Congo – or the Rules of the Congo, reflects its African roots. Today it is more widely practiced in various forms in the African diaspora, particularly in Spanish speaking countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Columbia and the Dominican Republic. Yet it can also be found as a widespread practice in the Portuguese speaking Brazil as well as the French speaking Haiti. Palo Mayombe is also known as Brillumba, Palo Monte, and Kimbisia, among other terms. But for this discourse we shall simply refer to it as Palo for simplicity.

The origin of Palo is of course the Congo Basin region of Africa, today the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was transported to the New World as part of the campaign of slavery and the African traditions have become widespread. It is estimated that over ten million people practice Palo in some form in the Western hemisphere. The major liturgies, spells and incantations of Palo rely heavily on the Kikongo language. Similarly, the spells and rituals of Palo require many herbs, items, roots and special sticks found only in the Congo Basin. In fact the name Palo itself means “stick” in Spanish.

Palo is still widely practiced today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as other neighboring African countries such as Nigeria and Benin. It is usually practiced alongside other traditional African beliefs. In the Democratic Republic of Congo it is often more common to hear the practices referred to as Vodou – as in the case of Benin – despite being very different from what is recognized as Vodou proper in Benin, or in the diaspora in Haiti. Much of the Palo practiced in the Democratic Republic of Congo today is very dissimilar in many ways to that of the diaspora.

A key difference is that African Palo is often referred to as “Jewish Palo,” whereas Palo practiced in the Spanish speaking diaspora is more likely to take the form of “Christian Palo.” The former has nothing to do with the religion of Judaism and is not intended to be pejorative. Rather, this is indicative of the fact that the former rejected syncretism with Christian traditions – such as the worship or combination of Catholic Saints with the traditional African mpungu, or spirits. In the diaspora in communities that practice “Christian Palo,” one may find that the traditional Congolese deity Kobayende is represented as Saint Lazarus. In the diaspora and African communities that practice “Jewish Palo” Kobayende remains primarily Kobayende.

There are exceptions – Catholic missionaries in Africa began a process of syncretism long before the slave trade began. And every single House in Palo practices differently. There are few concrete standards across the practice. So the history and basics of Palo up to this point should be taken as guidelines rather than absolute canon.

Spells in Palo

Palo primarily uses two spiritual forces – the power of the deceased and the power of African spirits. Both are called upon in any and every Palo ritual. The power of the deceased is especially noted. This deceased soul, or the muerto in Spansh, is linked to a magical artifact, or Nganga, that serves as the focal point of the Palero or Palo House. The more powerful the deceased soul the more powerful the spells can be.

Palo has a reputation of being evil and aligned to forces that bring illness, curses, hexes and other sickness. This is not without merit. It is widely accepted that the curses in Palo are the strongest in all spiritual communities. Even the Yoruba Priests, Vodou Houngans and Santeria Babalawo will seek out Paleros if powerful curses are needed. The curses act fast, are strong and often deadly.

But it is overlooked that Palo has the exact same power to heal. The same deceased spirits and mpungu can be called upon to heal any sickness. The power and effectiveness that they bring to the table as far as healing can be just as great as that used to curse. In many cases, even moreso.

It should be noted at this time that the spirit linked to the Nganga will largely define the power of the spells in place. For this reason many Paleros have more than one Nganga for use in different rituals. An Nganga with an evil spirit – often a condemned criminal – can be used for cursing. And an Nganga with the spirit of a deceased saint can be used for healing. Similar Nganga can also be crafted to focus on bringing love or financial prosperity.

Each Nganga is also linked to a traditional African spirit that will define the nature of the spells it can be used in. An Nganga that is linked to Kobayende will be more adept at healing than an Nganga linked to Chola Wengue, a spirit of material riches and wealth. The Tata, or Father, of a Palo House ultimately will have under his control any number of Nganga for use in various situations. Many Tata focus only in one thing – such as providing curses – while others may be “general practitioners” so to speak.

The take home point is that Palo can be used for every type of magic and spell imaginable. It is not a dark practice and it is certainly more than an evil offshoot of Santeria. Palo is a traditional Congolese religion that predates Santeria itself. It embraces the values, goals and hopes of African communities from the beginning of time. And although it can be used for nefarious purposes you can also use Palo for pure good. Palo can heal the sick, it can right wrongs, help bring you out of debt and fix relationships. In fact, compared to the narrow use of curses, Palo has far more potential for good than it does for harm in the lives of its practitioners and adherents.

Would you like to discover all of Michelle Obama diet secrets? Read this article and get all the facts on how you too can have a buff body and sculpted arms with the First Lady’s nutritional program!

Michelle Obama in contrast to most Democrats is conservative — we are not talking about politics here — we are referring to Michelle Obamas diet program of course . In a recent article in women’s health magazine Mrs. Obama revealed her “secrets” to maintaining her weight, health and having a lean — yet toned body. It all stems from her upbringing… when she was growing up McDonald’s was a very rare treat. Consequently she developed a healthy attitude towards diet and food.

However, Michelle Obama still has weaknesses — her favorite food in the whole wide world is… French Fries!

Her diet secret is really nothing new it is — MODERATION. She attempts to make good choices when it comes to food as often as possible yet she will indulge herself on occasion. So while she may not eat an entire pound of french fries — she will occasionally have them.

Her personal trainer Cornell McClellan has been helping Mrs. Obama stay in shape since 1997. The Michelle Obama workout consists of strength training, cardiovascular exercise (running, walking on a treadmill etc.) and flexibility training.

She will also on occasion mix up her cardio workouts by including kickboxing and calisthenics.

Mrs. Obama is not the only one in her family with a passion for fitness… recently President Obama was named one of the top 25 “Fittest Guys in America” by Men’s Fitness Magazine. One of the Obama diet secrets is that they both have eliminated junk food from their diets and added organic foods and vegetables.

The secrets to losing weight is all about calories. 1 pound is equal to 3500 calories so if you are looking to lose weight merely reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories and if you will add in 45 minutes to one hour of cardio you will burn an additional 500 calories. That will put you on pace to losing approximately 2 pounds per week.

You must include resistance training into your workouts to insure that you lose body fat and not muscle. Women want to retain as much muscle on their body as possible… muscle is what gives your body those curves and shape that every woman wants.

The Michelle Obama diet is really just about common sense — all things in moderation — eliminate junk food — eat healthy food and exercise regularly.