From 0 to 3 Google Page Rank

This blog awarded 3 by Google Page Rank (PR). Great!, it is truly great gift from Google for me at the end of this year. I saw my browser (Firefox) PageRank indicator bar this morning while I was opening this blog and then 3 active PR welcome me.

This is the first PR for my blog since I blogging since March 2008. Until October 2008, I just posted three articles (2 in April and 1 in May) and there was no PR for. I came back to blogging actively since last November until now, in November I posted 11 articles and 22 in December (include this one article).

How about your blog/website? have you checked yours PageRank?

>> Read More: From 0 to 3 Google Page Rank...

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income

Blogging for dollars — Do you have what it takes? Here's the place to find out. Problogger.net is where bloggers worldwide go for advice and information on enhancing their blog's presence. Whether you're just starting out or have been blogging for years, learn from two professional bloggers how to turn your passion for blogging into extra revenue or possibly a rewarding career. This is not a get-rich-quick book, but rather a practical guide to creating and marketing a blog with the potential for generating a six-figure income.

Learn to:

1. Choose subject matter that works for you
2. Handle technical issues
3. Examine different ways your blog can earn income
4. Evaluate your blog's success
5. Keep content fresh and interesting
6. Use your blog to generate income indirectly

About the Author

Darren Rowse is the guy behind ProBlogger.net, which has become one of the leading places on the Web for information about making money from blogs. He is a full-time blogger himself, making a six-figure income from blogging now since 2005. In addition to his blogging at ProBlogger, Darren also edits the popular Digital Photography School http://digital-photographyschool.com, as well as numerous other blogs. Darren is one of the founders of b5media, a blog network with hundreds of blogs across numerous different verticals, including business, sport, entertainment, style and beauty, and technology. Darren’s role at b5media is VP of Blogger Training. Darren lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Vanessa, son Xavier, and soon-to-be-born baby. In his spare time he’s a mad photographer and has an interest in emerging forms of church and spirituality.

Chris Garrett is a writer, Internet marketing consultant, and, of course, professional blogger. As well as his own blog, chrisg.com, he writes for many sites, including the Blog Herald, FreelanceSwitch, CopyBlogger, and even occasionally ProBlogger. He lives in the U.K. with his wife, Clare, his daughter Amy, his brand-new puppy, Benji, and his two overweight cats, Casper and Tigger, though would very much like to move to Vancouver, Canada, if any readers happen to carry a magic wand. When he is not at the computer (rare) you can bet he is out taking mediocre pictures with his digital camera.

Do you interested to this ebook? get it one!

>> Read More: ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income...

Al Zaidi Condition Discussion On Facebook

Muntazer (Muntadar) Al Zaidi have been coming a new popular freedom icon in the world, especially in Arabic region. He have more than 38,000 fans on Al Zaidi Facebook and they discuss on him condition at Muntadar al-Zaidi (The Shoe Thrower) discussed al-Zaidi's Current Status on their Facebook discussion board since George W. Bush thrown by Al Zaidi with shoes at him face and lead him to under security custody untill now.

The discussion not talk only on Al Zaidi individually, but also about share opinion on US occupation in Iraq generally. This discussion followed by people around the world freely without any censors. Even the admin claim his/her nick name as Muntadar al-Zaidi (The Shoe Thrower), it is easy to guess that he/she is a fans oh Al Zaidi.

"The discussion forum we're opening to discuss information on Al-Zaidi's current status. As many of you know, there have been reports of beatings, broken bones, torture, etc, and we'd like to try to get them all straightened out here. Please post your information and your sources so that we can watch over Brave Shoe-Lobber Muntadar", the admin said.

In public opinion, Al Zaidi got viciously beaten after being taken into custody, according to a police officer who accompanied him to prison and also according to medias report.

>> Read More: Al Zaidi Condition Discussion On Facebook...

International Conference on Financing for Development 2008

The Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development took place in Doha, Qatar from 29 November to 2 December 2008. The Conference was preceded by a Civil Society Forum (26-27 November) and a Business Sector Forum (28 November).

The primary purpose of the Conference was to review progress in the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus – agreed by UN Member States in 2002. The Consensus covers a broad range of development and related global finance issues, organized around chapters focussing on domestic resource mobilization, foreign direct investment (FDI), debt, official development assistance (ODA), trade and systemic issues. The financing for development process is noted for its inclusive and multi-stakeholder nature as it brings together the ! World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), civil society organizations, the business sector and other relevant actors.

The Conference came after a year of preparatory meetings and negotiations on the outcome document. Member States and other stakeholders discussed progress of implementation around the various chapters as well as barriers for further progress. The recent global financial crisis had an impact on these discussions, particularly on systemic issues.

The agreed outcome of the Conference – the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development – notes progress and advances on the Monterrey Consensus in several areas. Among its most notable aspects, the Declaration calls on Member States to determine the modalities of a UN meeting to discuss the impacts of the global financial crisis on development by the end of March 2009.

>> Read More: International Conference on Financing for Development 2008...

60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On 10 December 2008 – Human Rights Day – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) celebrated its 60th anniversary. To commemorate this day, governments, civil society organizations and UN agencies organized events and activities across the globe.

Publications, statements and opinion pieces were launched to reflect upon the achievements made in the defense of human rights since the adoption of the UDHR, such as the statement by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay and NGLS' joint publication with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) entitled The United Nations Human Rights System: How to Make it Work for you.


NGLS has been covering these commemoration activities, events, recent publications and other information as it becomes available in its Focus online page on 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

>> Read More: 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...

Cities in a Globalizing World: Governance, Performance, And Sustainability

World Bank research shows that in 2003, 48 percent of the world’s population (3 billion people) lived in urban areas—a 33 percent increase from the 1990 level. By 2020, 4.1 billion people (55 percent of the world’s population) will live in urban areas. Almost 94 percent of the increase will occur in developing countries. By 2015, there will be 22 megacities (cities or agglomeration with a population of more than 8 million) and 475 cities with populations exceeding 1 million. The forces of urbanization promise to reshape the developing world, presenting both opportunities and challenges across the socioeconomic spectrum.

At the same time, globalization is becoming the driving force behind economic growth and development. Cities will have to compete for foot-loose investment flows to generate jobs for their growing urban labor force; and they will have to provide security and access to services and urban infrastructure for their growing urban populations. This will present enormous challenges for local governments, requiring substantial improvement in local capacity and performance. The extent to which individual cities can respond to these challenges depends on a mix of factors—some that are outside any city’s immediate control, some within its control—such as individual city policies and local governance.

Cities in a Globalizing World sheds new light on the dynamics and associations among globalization, urbanization, and local governance. It demonstrates how close these associations are and how crucial they will increasingly become for sustainable development. It also makes clear that better policy design in the field of urbanization will depend on improved analysis of causality, which in turn will require the collection of much better quality data. This book will be of great interest to students and practitioners of urban management and those concerned with globalization and the developing world.

Do you want to read "Cities in a Globalizing World: Governance, Performance, And Sustainability" more? get it at free resource: PdfChm.

>> Read More: Cities in a Globalizing World: Governance, Performance, And Sustainability...

Gender in International Relations

As a scholar and teacher of international relations, J. Ann Ticner have frequently asked herself the following questions: Why are there so few women in her discipline? If she teach the field as it is conventionally defined, why are there so few readings by women to assign to her students? Why is the subject matter of her discipline so distant from women's lived experiences? Why have women been conspicuous only by their absence in the worlds of diplomacy and military and foreign policy-making?

Ticner began to think about writing this book as an attempt to answer these questions. Having spent her childhood in London during World War II and her adolescence in New York as part of a United Nations' family, international affairs were an important part of her early life. But, as one of only three female graduate students in her year in Yale University's International Relations Program in the early 1960s, Ticner began to notice that the academic discipline that she had chosen, in part because of these formative experiences, was not one that attracted many women.

Admittedly, when she returned to graduate studies in the 1970s, the number of women entering the field had grown: while her felt less isolated, she observed that women scholars and teachers of international relations were clustered in areas such as international political economy, development studies, and international political theory. She still wondered why so few women chose national and international security studies, the privileged core of the field.
Her own research has been in areas such as Third World development, North-South relations, and peace studies-- areas that were far from the mainstream of international politics in the early 1980s when she began her academic career. Like many women in international relations, she did not choose to specialize in security-linked war and peace studies, usually associated with great power relations and power politics, areas central to the subject matter of the classical discipline.

As a teacher of international relations, however, she have, of necessity, familiarized herself with what some in her field would call the "important" issues of war and peace, generally defined as national security studies. But, as only one of three women out of a total of about sixty students who participated in a course on nuclear strategy at M.I.T. in the early 1980s, her contention that this is an area of international relations not heavily populated by women was strongly reinforced. Trying to familiarize herself with the arcane and esoteric language of nuclear strategy, she remembered with some sympathy how, as an undergraduate history major, she had avoided details of war-fighting strategies and weapons development.

About the Author: J. Ann Tickner is professor of international relations at the University of Southern California.

Do you want to get this book free? just let me know here!

>> Read More: Gender in International Relations...

Sock and Awe: Hit Bush Face With a Shoe

Less than there days after press conference incident where president George W. Bush thrown with shoe at him by Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi from Al-Baghdadia television network, in Baghdad, December 14, 2008, Britain's Alex Tew launched Sock and Awe.

With Sock and Awe you could follow Zaidi to throw president Bush with a shoe for many times. Sock and Awe is a game and it's purpose is to knock Bush's face out with a shoe, a feat already attained by 1.4 million players, according to the website Tuesday.

Sock and Awe is brought by PopJam, a new comedy site that will soon be making you LOL like you've never LOL'd before.

Aptly named after the US "Shock and Awe" military campaign to knock out Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the game gives players 30 seconds to aim at a figure of Bush ducking behind a rostrum.

It was in protest against the Bush administration's Iraqi policy that journalist Durgham Zaidi threw both his shoes at the outgoing president Sunday during his swansong visit to the battleground. The action won Zaidi widespread plaudits in the Arab world where Bush's policies have drawn broad hostility.

Are you interested to throw Bush with shoe, too? go to Sock and Awe

>> Read More: Sock and Awe: Hit Bush Face With a Shoe...

Muntazer al-Zaidi Action: Democracy and Freedom in Iraq ?

Press conference incident where president George W. Bush thrown with shoe at him by Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi from Al-Baghdadia television network, in Baghdad, December 14, 2008 have invited people around the world to find up its live video. It was phenomenal tragedy for Bush dignity at the end of him occupation as a US president.

Only limited person know on Muntazer al-Zaidi condition after the incident, especially his close family. Today news online and paper said that Zaidi, who was taken into custody after the Baghdad incident, broken arm and ribs after being struck by security agents.

As democracy consequence that is brought by US policy to Iraq, Al-Baghdadia officer ask guarantee for Muntazer safe and he must get out from custody. So, what's your opinion? did Muntazer action is a "democracy and freedom consequence" in Iraq?

>> Read More: Muntazer al-Zaidi Action: Democracy and Freedom in Iraq ?...

$1 Million On Behalf Of Child Protection

Ensure that your underage children do not store their personal information in any site. Save your children from this prior hazard potential to invite a crime which the children as the target. Many criminal case has begun from this action and their parent does not consent what their children did.

Even a reliable site, such as Sony illegally also stores underage children information without parent consent. Sites with social networking features, like any web sites, need to get parental consent before collecting kids' personal information and state should guarantee through official law regulation provisional.

This week, US Federal Trade Commission has charged Sony Music Entertainment (Sony BMG is now Sony Music Entertainment Inc.) to pay $ 1 million that because it improperly collected and disclosed personal information on thousands of children under 13 without their parents' consent.

As reported by ASSOCIATED PRESS, The FTC said Sony Music, which operates more 1,000 music sites for its music artists and labels, "knowingly collected personal information from at least 30,000 underage children without first obtaining their parents' consent" on 196 of its sites.

The FTC order requires Sony Music to delete all personal information collected and maintained in violation of the rule. For the next five years, Sony also must provide links to FTC consumer education materials on those Web sites that fall under the Children's Online Privacy act - including those that target or collect personal information on children.

The FTC's complaint was filed in federal court in New York Wednesday afternoon. The settlement was submitted for the court's consideration at the same time.

I don't know whether Sony stores underage children information from outside of US and required to delete it all since FTC issued the penalty base on US Children's Online Privacy act. Hope Sony has a good faith to delete it as well.

>> Read More: $1 Million On Behalf Of Child Protection...

7 Steps to Plan Community Development Program

Implementation of community development activity can be done through determination of a development program or project. Briefly, the community development can be done through 7 planning steps, that are:

1. Problem Formulation
Empowerment is conducted based on problem or need of local communities. Some issues are usually handled by empowerment is related to the poverty, unemployment and education. Problem formulation is carried out through a research activity, group discussion, village meeting, etc.

2. Determination The Program
After the problems can be identified and agreed as a priority that need to be solved immediately, the next step is formulation the program to solve the problems.

3. Purpose Formulation
To ensure that the program could be implemented properly and it's success indicators are measureable, it is need to formulate what are the purposes of the determined program. The good goals has a clear and specific characteristic, so that, it reflect on how to achieve the objective purposes within available budget, time and labor.

4. Target Group Determination
The target groups are people who will to be improved their life quality through a determinated program

5. Source Identification and Implement Labor
Source is something that can be used to support the activity of program, including facilities, budget source and, human resources.

6. Strategy and activity schedule Determination
Strategy is a way or method that possible to be used to implement activity program

7. Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation is (atau will be) conducted to monitoring the progress and result of the program implementation. Whether the program could be accomplished based on activity chedule and strategy? Whether the program has achieved it's result accordance with the determined purpose?

>> Read More: 7 Steps to Plan Community Development Program...

Google Earth Is Missused By Terrorist

Google Map is indicated used by Mumbai Terrorist to plans their last month's attack. This statement issued by intelligence. Indian court asked by legal advocates to ban Google Earth.

Dan Goodin, wrote at The Register that the Local Advocate told that free services of Google Map aids terrorists in plotting attacks by providing detailed images used to acquaint radical militants with their targets. He asked that Google blur images of sensitive areas in the country while the case proceeds.

It's by no means the first time government authorities with a world power have taken aim at the popular satellite imaging service. Earlier this year, the US Department of Defense banned Google from capturing Street view images of military facilities after discovering 360-degree views inside a base located in Texas.
Not to be outdone, the British military jumped on the anti Google Earth bandwagon, forcing the site to remove images of military bases in Basra, Iraq. Australia and South Korea, among others, have also gotten in on the action.

But in those cases, the calls were mostly to blur or censor specific images of sensitive areas. If articles penned by The Times (of London), UPI, and others are accurate, India's request goes much further by requesting Google Earth be banned outright.

As The Times points out, investigators believe the gunmen who stormed Mumbai in late November used a wide array of high-tech gizmos to carry out their assault, including GPS systems to navigate by sea, mobile phones with multiple SIM cards, and possibly Blackberry web browsers to monitor events as they unfolded. No word yet if the government will call for a ban of those services, too.

>> Read More: Google Earth Is Missused By Terrorist...

Jamboe Hijau: New Vegetarian Cafe in Ulee Kareng - Aceh Indonesia

A friend of mine just sent me an email on new Aceh coffee shop in Ulee Kareng Banda Aceh. You have to know, that The aceh coffee has special taste. He spreaded the word about a new little cafe that has opened in Ulee kareng, Aceh called Jamboe Hijau. It has yummy vegetarian food - tempe burgers are my favourite, as well as cakes and a wicked jahe soda.

Also free wi-fi and lots of little knick knacks like wild honey, pandan sandals and big pandan mats in lots of pretty colours. It's supported by EOA the environment organisation of aceh, so it also chok full of information about environmental conservation and activism. Drop in on them at No 18 Jl T Iskandar Lamreng Ulee Kareng Banda Aceh.

His email remainds me to my hang out experience in Ulee Kareng with other NGOs worker when I still be there. The venue is very popular among both local and expatriat NGO workers, it is called Solong Coffee Shop. If you have a ngo worker friend who have came back from Aceh Indonesia, he/she should know about Solong Coffee Shop.

Have you tasted this special kind of coffee?

>> Read More: Jamboe Hijau: New Vegetarian Cafe in Ulee Kareng - Aceh Indonesia...

Rendang: Popular Indonesian Dish Originating From Minangkabau

This year Eid al-Adha ceremonial reminds me to my co-writing article with my friend, Betha Apriana, an Indonesian who stay in Denmark. We involve together in Community Empowerment Collective Society (Canada) as online volunteer. This reading is about Rendang, a popular Indonesian dish, and just as a fresh stuff for our e-newsletter.

Rendang is a popular Indonesian dish originating from the Minangkabau ethnic group in the province of West Sumatera. It is served by the Minang people at ceremonial occasions and to honor guests. Years ago rendang was taken to Malaysia by the Minang people, and has become so popular there Malaysia has claimed it as its own, naming it their national dish. As in Indonesia, Malays prepare rendang for festive occasions.

Muslims traditionally pre-pare rendang for the celebration of Eid al-Adha, a religious festival commemorating Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son, and Eid ul-Fitr, the breaking of the fast of Ramadhan. Rendang is typically made from beef or water buffalo. It is slowly cooked in coconut milk and a variety of spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone and a spicy mixture of meat and condiments remains. Chicken, goat, lamb, eel, duck or vegetables like potatoes, jackfruit or cassava may be substituted for the beef. Non-Muslims may use pork. (Editor’s note: There are hundreds of variations on this popular dish.

You might do an internet search for a recipe that is more suited to the ingredients available in your area. You can also check your local Asian market for ingredients not easily found.)

A final note from Betha – “It's really yummy. If you ever happen to encounter an Indonesian restaurant, try to come in and ask whether they have rendang. If they don't you can always en-joy other Indonesian dishes, which are also really tasty!!!"

Do you wonder on its ingredients? Just tell me here

>> Read More: Rendang: Popular Indonesian Dish Originating From Minangkabau...

Empowerment Methodology For NGO

As an NGO worker, it is essential thing to know on the empowerment methodology because empowerment is core spirit that should bring into beneficiaries community. Community Empowerment Coleticve Empowerment describes that empowerment methodology is built on several core principles:

1. While assistance can be offered, it should not be charity assistance which promotes depend-ency and weakness, but partnership, assistance, and training that promotes self reliance and in-creased capacity (ability, power and strength).

2. Recipient organisations or communities should not be controlled or forced into change. Rather, professionals trained as activists or mobilisers should intervene with stimulation, infor-mation, and guidance.

3. Organisms become stronger by exercising, struggling, and facing adversity. Empowerment methodology incorporates this principle for social organizations.

4. Hands-on participation by the recipients, especially in decision-making, is essential for their increase in capacity.

5. From the beginning, our goals should include the participants taking full control, exercising full decision-making, and accepting full responsibility for the actions which will lead to their increased strength.

>> Read More: Empowerment Methodology For NGO...

Happy International Volunteer Day: 5th December 2008

Happy International Volunteer Day: 5th December 2008! Yesterday (5th December) was annual International Volunteer Day celebration. As a volunteer, I Proud to be part of global volunteer sphere. Involve to help other borderless around the world to be better, bring a spirit, hope, solidarity and peace for human being.

You can involve, too. Many organization and community whole the world waiting for you contribution. You do not required to present physically into a host community or organization when it is impossible thing for you. Simply joint to online volunteering website community such as United Nation Online Volunteering or Nabuur. Find there what you can do based on your capacity and expertize. Choose one of myriads volunteering vacancy that posted by host organization. You can also find up volunteer vacancy on organizational website directly if you are sure and well know on an organization.

Do a useful contribution as same as real site present volunteer by to be an online volunteering, without must to leave your lovely family, work or homeland. You should only sacrifice a little of your time, thought and internet quota. And then be borderless volunteer, borderless helper for those whom need you. Satisfy your self by satisfy the other because in volunteering you will feel and gain solidarity, peace, hope and good spirit for your life and human being in generally.

>> Read More: Happy International Volunteer Day: 5th December 2008...

The Pirate Bay, New Firefox Extension to Download All Amazon.Com Illegally

The Pirates Bay is a new comer extension for Firefox that makes Amazon become angry since this extension lets users to pirates all of downloadable products that referenced by Amazon's. By use the extension, every user lets to download all multimedia products such as movies, games, TV shows, and MP3s free of charge. Article by Josh Lowensohn below explicates this issue.

New Firefox extension turns Amazon.com into illegal free-for-all

A new Firefox extension called Pirates of the Amazon lets users download movies, games, TV shows, and MP3s free of charge by cross referencing Amazon's product pages with torrent files from the Pirate Bay.

If the content can be found on the Pirate Bay's search index it shows up as a "Download 4 Free" link on the top of the Amazon product page. This links directly to the hosted .torrent tracker file, letting the user avoid having to make a purchase from Amazon in place of acquiring it illegally via BitTorrent.

The extension developer's site, along with the link to download the software is currently offline. The extension made the front page of Digg a few hours ago, which is likely what took the site out (not legal intervention). I've contacted Amazon to see if the company is making any efforts to block the extension but have not heard back yet. As it stands, the extension still works, albeit without the "Download 4 Free" thumbnail, which is hosted on the developer's servers.

As blog Torrentfreak notes, this is a really bad time for such an extension. Piracy continues to be a huge problem for movies, music albums, and PC games. Amazon's online MP3 store is one of the least expensive places to legally purchase DRM-free music, and this extension manages to make it that much simpler to pirate. It also coincides with a time of year when online retailers are getting an increase in traffic due to holiday sales.

That said, anyone who knows how to pirate content probably did not need this to continue their habit.

A similar add-on is available for IMDB users from Userscripts.org that cross references movie titles with torrent sites to find copies of films online. Despite its clear lean toward piracy, I'd argue that one of its more useful features it is to track down subtitle files, which can provide translations in smaller countries where the content might be legally available but not localized.

Watch how this extension works at news.cent.com

>> Read More: The Pirate Bay, New Firefox Extension to Download All Amazon.Com Illegally...

Global Financial Crisis Effect To Google Adsense Earning

It will terrible when the crisis strikes adsense business and your earning wings down decrease. If you're a adsense publisher, you should analyze this situation in order to defend in your online business. Perhaps, your Adsense earning does not affected by the global financial crisis yet, as I hope so. But, many reliable source states that the crisis will affect all sector in the middle of the next year (2009) and APEC has assured the world that the global financial crisis can be quelled in 18 months (2010).

It means up to 2010, the economic recession will scare us, unpredicable and we should prepare to face this situation. When your earning traffic from adsense is lower than ever in that period (eventhough your visitor traffic and click are increase), you should understood that the major causal is the crisis because the global financial crisis is supposed to affect Google on a large scale. When Google acts as a intermediary connecting advertisers and websites, this world economic crisis is expected to hurt this search engine giant badly. Many advertiser will postpone or reduce their money expend for advertising as the impact of the crisis.

I'm sure that adsense earning from product consumer blog or website will decrease since both consumer and advertiser are become economical in use their money and high competition will strike all of publisher. Tips for publisher to pass this crisis are keep update your blog or website to defend in this high competition and do post an article that will invite non-consumer product ads into your blog or website except you are sure that topic is not affected by global financial crisis. From now on, observe your earning from adsense, at least you should observe it in the three next month. If you have a different idea or opinion, please share here.

>> Read More: Global Financial Crisis Effect To Google Adsense Earning...

Fidel Castro's Comment On G20 Meeting (November 2008)

Below article was copied from Politicalaffairs.Net, a Marxist Thought Online, just to show us Fidel Castro thought on latest G20 meeting in Washington (15th November 2008). It is interesting reading since he seldom appear in public sphere and over handle his position as Cuba president to his brother, Raul Castro.

Results of G-20 Meeting on the Global Economy

By Fidel Castro

Bush seemed happy to have Lula sitting to his right during dinner on Friday. On the other hand, Hu Jintao, whom he respects for the enormous market in his country, the capacity to produce consumer goods at low cost and the volume of his reserves in US dollars and bonds was sitting to his left.

Medvedev, whom he offends with the threat of locating strategic radars and missiles not far from Moscow, was assigned a seat rather distant from the White House host.

The King of Saudi Arabia, a country that in a near future will produce 15 million tons of light oil at highly competitive prices was also sitting at his left, at Hu’s side.

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and his most faithful allied in Europe, could not be seen close to him in the pictures.

Nicolas Sarkozy, who is rather disappointed at the present architecture of the financial order, was far from him looking embittered.

The President of the Spanish Government, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a victim of Bush’s personal resentment attending the conclave in Washington, I could not even see in the television images of the dinner.

That’s how those attending the banquet were sitting.

Anyone would have thought that the following day there would be a profound debate on the thorny issue.

On Saturday morning, the press agencies were reporting on the program that would unfold at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Every second was covered. There would be an analysis of the current crisis and the actions to be taken. It would start at 11:30 a.m. local time. First, there would be a photo op, or “family picture” a Bush called it, and twenty minutes later the first plenary session would start followed by a another one in the second half of the day. Everything was strictly planned, even the fine sanitary services.

The speeches and analysis would last approximately three hours and 30 minutes. Lunch would be at 3:25 local time, immediately followed by the final declaration at 5:05. One hour later, at 6:05, Bush would be leaving for Camp David to rest, have dinner and have a pleasant sleep.

Those following the event were impatient to see the day going by and trying to know how the problems of the earth and the human specie would be dealt with in such a short time. A final declaration had been announced.

The fact is that the Summit’s final declaration was worked out by previously chosen economic advisors, very much in line with the neoliberal ideas, while Bush in his statements prior to the summit and after its conclusion claimed more power and more money for the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other world institutions under strict control of the United States and its closest allies. That country had decided to inject $700 billion to bailout its banks and multinational corporations. Europe had offered an identical or even higher figure. Japan, its strongest pillar in Asia, has promised a $100 billion contribution. In the case of the People’s Republic of China, which is developing increasing and convenient relations with Latin American countries, they are expecting another contribution of $100 billion from its reserves.

Where would so many dollars, euros and pound sterlings come from if not from the deep indebtedness of new generations? How can the structure of the new world economy be built on paper money, which is what is really circulating in the short run, when the country issuing it is suffering from an enormous fiscal deficit? Would it be worthwhile traveling by air to a place on the planet named Washington to meet with a President with only 60 more days left in government and signing a document previously designed to be adopted at the Washington Museum? Could the US radio, TV and press be right not to pay special attention to this old imperialist game in the much-trumpeted meeting?

What is really incredible is the final declaration adopted by consensus in the conclave. It is obviously the participants’ full acceptance of Bush’s demands made before and during the summit. Some of the attending countries had no choice but to adopt it; in their desperate struggle for development, they did not want to be isolated from the richest and most powerful and their financial institutions, which are the majority in the G20.

Bush was really euphoric as he spoke. He used demagogic phrases which mirror the final declaration.

He said: “The first decision I had to make was who was coming to the meeting. And obviously I decided that we ought to have the G20 nations, as opposed to the G8 or the G13. But once you make the decision to have the G20 then the fundamental question is, with that many nations, from six different continents, who all represent different stages of economic development, would I be possible to reach agreements, and not only agreements, would I be possible to reach agreements that were substantive? And I’m pleased to report the answer to that question was, absolutely.”

“The United States has taken some extraordinary measures. Those of you who have followed my career know that I’m a free market person – until you are told that if you don’t take decisive measures then it’s conceivable that our country could go into a depression greater than the Great Depression.”

“[…] we just started on the $700 billion fund to start getting money out to our banks.”

“[…] we all understand the need to work on pro-growth economic policies.”

“Transparency is very important so that investors and regulators are able to know the truth.”

The rest of what Bush said goes more or less along this line.

The final declaration of the summit, which takes half an hour to read in
public due to its length, is clearly defined in a number of selected
paragraphs:

“We, the leaders of the G20 have held a first meeting in Washington, on November 15, in the light of serious challenges to the world economy and financial markets…”

“[…] we should lay the foundations for a reform that will make this global crisis less likely to happen again in the future. Our work should be guided by the principles of the free market, free trade and investment….”

“[…] the market players sought to obtain more benefits failing to make an adequate assessment of the risks and they failed…”

“The authorities, regulators and supervisors from some developed nations did not realize or adequately warned about the risks created in the financial markets…”

“…insufficient and poorly coordinated macroeconomic policies as well as inadequate structure reforms, led to an unsustainable macroeconomic
global result.”

“Many emerging economies, which have helped sustain the world economy, are increasingly suffering from the world brakes.”

“We note the important role of the IMF in response to the crisis; we salute the new short-term liquidity mechanism and urge the constant reviewing of its instruments to ensure flexibility.”

“We shall encourage the World Bank and other multilateral developing banks to use their full capacity in support of their agenda for assistance…”

“We will make sure that the IMF, the World Bank and other multilateral developing banks have the necessary resources to continue playing their role in the solution of the crisis.”

“We shall exercise a strong monitoring of the credit agencies through the development of an international code of conduct.”

“We pledge to protect the integrity of the world financial markets by reinforcing protection to the investor and the consumer.”

“We are determined to advance in the reform of the Bretton Woods institutions so that they reflect the changes in the world economy to increase their legitimacy and effectiveness.”

“We shall meet again on April 30, 2009, to examine the implementation of the principles and decisions made today.”

“We concede that these reforms will only be successful if they are based on a serious commitment to the principles of free market, including the rule of law, respect for private property, free trade and investment, efficient and competitive markets and effectively regulated financial systems.”

“We shall refrain from erecting new barriers to investment and trade in goods and services.”

“We are aware of the impact of the current crisis on the developing nations, especially on those most vulnerable.”

“We are certain that as we advance through cooperation, collaboration and multilateralism we will overcome the challenges and restore stability and prosperity to the world economy.”

This technocratic language is beyond grasp of the masses.

The empire is treated courteously; its abusive methods are not criticized.

The IMF, the World Bank and the multilateral credit organizations are praised despite the fact that they generate debts, enormous bureaucratic expenses and investments while supplying raw materials to the large multinationals which are also responsible for the crisis.

This goes on like that until the last paragraph. It’s a boring declaration full of the usual rhetoric. It doesn’t say anything. It was signed by Bush, the champion of neoliberalism, the man responsible for genocidal wars and massacres, who has invested in his bloody adventures all the money that would have sufficed to change the economic face of the world.

The document does not have a word on the absurd policy promoted by the United States of turning food into fuel; or the unequal exchange of which the Third World countries are victims; or about the useless arms race, the production and trade of weapons, the breakup of the ecological balance and the extremely serious threats to peace that bring the world to the brink of annihilation.

Only a short four-word phrase in the long document mentions the need “to face climate change.”

The declaration reflects the demand of the countries attending the conclave to meet again in April 2009, in the United Kingdom, Japan or any other country that meets the necessary requirements – nobody knows which – to examine the situation of the world finances, dreaming that the cyclical crisis with their dramatic consequences never happen again.

Now is the time for the theoreticians from the left and the right to offer their passionate or dispassionate criteria on the document.

Form my point of view the privileges of the empire were not even touched. Having the necessary patience to read it completely, one can see that is simply a pious appeal to the ethic of the most powerful country on earth, both technologically and militarily, at the time of economic globalization; it’s like begging the wolf not to eat up little red riding hood.

--Fidel Castro Ruz
November 16, 2008

>> Read More: Fidel Castro's Comment On G20 Meeting (November 2008)...

Career Women. How to Treat This Fact?

In my mind, there is no problem about career women. Nowadays, career women is not a new issue for us. It grows coincide with human rights issue, especially women rights issue, not only in Indonesia but also around the world. Respecting to career women is a must.

But this fact is faced to some problem such as cultural and belief among community in all countries. It has different concept and perception about women and their career. In eastern country, respecting to career women grows slowly. It is caused by religion and cultural matter.

For developed country career women also triggers low population number. The state faced to lower birth since women postpone their plan to be a mother and reach higher position in career. This is a such dilemma for career woman issue.

Finally, however, we must respect to career women because they will support for human development and family wealth.

>> Read More: Career Women. How to Treat This Fact?...

Compare Your Personality To The Average Person

Knowing how you compare to the average person can give you insight into which parts of your personality stand out when you interact with other people.

Personality Measurement Is Relative
When reading your Personality Report, it is important to understand that personality measurements are what scientists call 'relative' measurements. For example, think about the statement: "Sarah B. is a talkative person." What does this statement mean? We are all talkative when we compare ourselves to a goldfish, but perhaps less talkative when we compare ourselves to a gossip journalist. The question is: 'Sarah B. is talkative, compared to whom?' The answer is: 'Compared to the average person in the population.

Researchers from the Institute for Personality Assessment in California have revealed interesting findings about the way our personality compares to the average. By carefully tracking the personality traits of hundreds of individuals from preschool through adulthood, researchers have concluded that people, on average, can and do change in predictable ways over time. Our activity level, for example, slowly decreases as we grow older. We also tend to become less emotional, less extroverted, and more thorough as we get older.

On a relative basis, though, people's comparison to the average tends to remain stable. That is, although you might become less active as you get older, if your activity level at the age of 20 was above average when compared to your peers, you will most likely still be above average when compared to your peers at the age of 70. Personality studies show, for example, that 3-year-olds who were more afraid than 37 average of unfamiliar objects (a metallic robot) also tended to be shyer than average at the age of 18. Although the children became less afraid with age, so did their peers.

To see where your personality stands out, compare yourself to the average. It is this relative nature of personality measurements that tells us what can be predicted from a personality test. A personality test cannot predict how you will act in each and every situation. On some days you will be more active, while on other days you will be less. But a personality test can predict how you will act on average, on an average day, compared to the average person.

In the case of personality measurement, it is important to remember that 'average' does not mean 'good' or 'bad', or even 'normal', it simply tells you the 'most common' score. You can consider the areas in which you deviate most from the average to be the areas of your personality that stand out the most when you interact with other people.

Ready to do test your personality? You could find up online personality test in Google

>> Read More: Compare Your Personality To The Average Person...

A Memory of Solferino: The Great Witnesseth of Classic War

If you interested in true great and classic war story (from 19th century) that ever happen in the world, A Memory of Solferino (Un Souvenir de Solférino) is good reading for you. This story based on Jean Henry Dunant Witnesseth on three party war in middle European between Franco-Sardinian Army (allied army) versus Austrian Empire in Solferino, a lower land in Lambordi province, northern of Italy.

In the book, Dunant tells us that the great battle caused more than thousand of troops died, injured without proper medical treatment. The medical unit failed carry out their duty because no universal medical tool/sign or uniform to indicated that they were a neutral party, recognize or admitted by all of hostile parties and should treat as non military target.

The allied army won this war after the war uproar for 15 hours since at 3 am, Friday 24th of June 1859. About 300.000 troops crowded the 24 km war line area. Unrespectful treatment suffered by wounded army. The wounded and killed army reach number 20.000, 1566 high military officer, 9 general and some of marshal.

In the next two month, the number increased since medical treatment and sanitation were so bad. The cold weather also exacerbate the situation.

Henry Dunant noticed his idea on international humanitarian organization and recognized by all of coutry whole the world. He also noticed on some principles for this organization to ensure it works properly.

World wide recognized that international red cross and red crescent movement founded based on this book inspiration. Henry Dunant is also granted as founding father of this humanitarian movement.

>> Read More: A Memory of Solferino: The Great Witnesseth of Classic War...