Love Poems - 3 Short Steps to Romantic Love

These three love poems illustrate the progressive steps in the growth of a romantic love relationship. The first step is realization. There is usually a time period in which we move from not knowing we are in love to gradually realizing and accepting that we are.

Dream

I dreamed a dream
I know not why
I dreamed a dream of you.

I dreamed a dream
I now know why
I dreamed a dream of you.

It took a little time for me to realize that she was interested in me. I am referring to a girl at college who is now my wife. I would walk by her after wind ensemble practice as we were putting our horns away, and she would smile at me...just smile. I returned the smile but did not think much of it.

After some time it suddenly dawned on me. Was she interested in me?

Love seems to happen differently for everyone. For some it happens at first sight. I can honestly say I do not know personally of anyone that has met their husband or wife this way, but if I am to believe what I see and hear in movies, it happens.

But I think this poem depicts the more common experience of a gradual revelation.

Once we realize that we are in love, the second step begins...talking and spending time with one another.

Affections

The more I spend
My time with you
And talk and hear your voice,

My hopes, my dreams
Get focused in
And make my heart rejoice.

It is natural for people to fall in love while spending time together. Interacting with people through voice and eye contact as well as sharing in their work or activities leads to strong feelings of attachment. Emotions start flowing that can lead to matrimony.

Years of struggle shared together as we grow old cement our relationship. And, if we make it into our golden years, our love graduates to the final level of romantic love; wordless expression.

Dictionary

Our language is
Too limited,
Its words cannot express

The wonder of
My love for you,
True rapture, I confess.

It is after many years that a different form of communication transcends words. That form is body language. An understanding smile that says, "I understand you and enjoy sharing this moment with you" communicates deeply what words can only hope to express on a shallower and incomplete level. Expressions, movement, stillness, and silence fulfill our desire to communicate our love to the highest level.

While each of us desires to hear someone say, often, that they love us, those words cannot match the level of romantic expression communicated by love birds whose years of living together have fostered an understanding look, an anticipated action, and a smile of understanding.

Robert Ogden is a Christian school teacher living in Central Florida. More of his poems can be found at http://www.poemplaques.com

By Robert Ogden

Jackson is No More

Jackson is no more,
Singer at heart and at centre core,
Hundreds or thousands might have wept,
Glorious tradition maintained and lively kept,

Millions of stars may illuminate the sky,
Jackson was the only one and nobody could say why?
Poor boy on stage felt very shy,
Today world pays homage and countless may cry,

Every inch of his body was full of magic,
Shaking like rubber and making full of comic,
Entire face looks different with surgery cosmic,
It was guided by thoughts with reasonable logic,

Music flowed with new era and changing age,
Birth of new star as if set free from cage,
Riding high on craze with melodious waves,
So up in sky with catching emotional nerves,

Not single soul could remain far
World could witness emergence of star
Revival of peace with high hope on horizon,
Though sky was loosing charm with layer ozone,

Music as deep as body may dance,
Life time occasion to see him as chance,
Russia, America England or even France,
Fans all over globe waited to have glance,

Life's steady growth may sometimes blind,
New gossips and hidden secrets may way find
Rude comments and response may seem unkind,
Glamorous world may fascinate but won't it mind

We all danced and sang with music and speed,
Madness and craze created as cult or creed,
History may speak what this soul delivered,
Weeping hearts may sob and memory cherished

Life was seized with work and promises,
Millions may cry over his sudden demise,
Death came to many as shock and surprise,
Such noble Qualities nobody would comprise

World may have to wait for many more years,
Emergence of new star with good music to ears,
Star isn't born but descended from the heaven,
Loneliness and vacuum will remain for moments then

By Hasmukh Amathalal

Slippery Ground

Heavy showers make land surface slippery,
Cautious walk with alertness and worry,
Sudden fall causes injury and makes you sorry,
While Children play in street and make it marry,

We tend to forget soon the impact of ground,
Not heeding to advice even looks sound,
In heavy rain you should avoid drive and round,
Such joy and happiness may always be not found,

Life is such thrilling and so exciting,
Lovely butterflies around make it inviting,
Youngsters go for side track and easy walk,
Wearing rosy smile and romantic talk,

Life is more or less on slippery track,
Relation may grow fast and develop crack,
Easy joy sometimes lands you in trouble,
Love disappears fast as water bubble,

As rain appeals you to go for easy ride,
Romantic mood may appear which no one should hide,
Friends sometimes open up and freely confide,
Beautiful scenes can be pictures and taken in slide,

We may call it love or mere infatuation,
Momentary burst of laughter with little fluctuation,
Serious relations may not develop and out of question,
Going for ride is only for pleasure and not for attraction,

It looks easy and but still very hard way,
Further relations may grow and have its say,
Some relations may also progress and some turn sour,
It may come as rain with more water to pour,

We may tend to caution but definitely slip,
Strong urge may prevent no more fall or skip,
One may go for kill but in turn gets killed,
Finds only sorrows and joy never filled,

Both grounds are same and to be dealt with caution
Whoever comes out of it may not face question
You may feel so as if come out of cage
Certainly it is matters in case of age.

By Hasmukh Amathalal

The Moon is Full Again

The moon is full again,
whatever is staying lush, does...

The sun is seeing her through
eyelashes of glowing red onyx;
she realizes that the palm trees
have never ceased speaking
and envisioning themselves in her,
her in them...

She walks
and the ground wants it
to always be the first step,

As the word 'again' begins to
spread out its colors
through these experiences of her mind,

The Here that says 'here',
stays,
steadying her being herself,
no matter the commandments forgotten,
never read,
far fetched and solemn-erased
she is holy-continuance,

Detours through mist and flame
are what soul-yolk is made of...

All this,
though the spirit of soul-breath
means something else,
and cannot speak about itself,
with word,
with phrase,
with anything that resembles
less than that new sun's wink...

Is the rose as ready for lovers
as they are
for its unmistakable precision
in mirroring them,
their fragile pales
and their thorn-determinations?

Life lifts life,
an ancient settling-in happens
and we proceed out in front
of our emotions,
to clear some space
to tumble into the lungs of a god,
to make forgiving self-exceptions
so to try
and have exception with others...

A writer lies sometimes,
so that the truth can someday
erase all of his leaden pages
with one fire,
one orange cloak of forgiveness

and tender walking
with the sons and daughters
of a fantastic world
that is mysteriously changing
into commonplace,

through silver-hot puddles,
reflections that awe as they matte-
solidify into disks,
plates and coins...

An incredible world,
filled with such lucky flat objects,
that our shadows have to
lay down to stand up in them,
sometimes in reverse,
so to rest the eye from all this
fading,
in-depth-detail...

The regret isn't there for Beginnings,
it is immersion,
belonging to businesses
that do not belong to us
in the order of heart-priority,
here is where the Universe speaks,
saying, 'Here is a headache,
here is someplace you're trespassing
on by walking backwards into
leaving yourself for a dream
that doesn't wake to rustle you to
stand alive and well in your inner sun,
who shines to blossom itself relentlessly.'

At the author's home-to-be,
she's already sitting at the desk
before he does,
before pencils and pens
are understood as choices
to write what's right with,
before he's born
and far after
he's rattled this life's dance out,
singing it clean of the swamp-inheritances
that call themselves
by the names of thoughtfulness,
plentitude and offering,
though do not move out
of the protected perimeter
of the heart conversing,
and into where the music
isn't rhythm anymore,
where it becomes a new 'me', 'you',
or place where the self considers
this holy inhabitance as something more
than a sober-trance to play out
a willful romance
with pain and desertions,
turning to actual deeds
and apologies who've been waiting
longer than coalescing planets
to land their light into the human heart...

She's a muse of forgetfulness,
she's anonymous and too,
wears green celebrations,
entwining turtle songs and doveless arks
to skim safely over red coral reefs,
thick with prehistory and the living...

She's the engulfed gulf of unhatched eggs,
while he's the creator of her,
she's the recipient
of his untuned conscience,
of his itches that exist for the sake
of scratching what's on the outside
so to drown out the knocking-tingling
that's occurring at the doors within.

There are fingerprints
beneath the undersides of items
that normally the world would not
claim sides upon,
where what is lonely in a person
moves about like a deserted soldier,
his solid claim
to be that bird call
who reminded him
when as a child,
how right life could be
when what's wrong
would be shed away so quickly
by the open heart
of an eternally new lotus
in a very old Forever Pond
spread out over a sphere
of his looking at his new body,
radiant, sinless and called 'Earth.'

October 3, 2009

Michael E Angell

The Usefulness of Poetry in Psychotherapy

To me, poetry is the word transformed at the edge of experience. It works on a creative level to transport people to the borders of their interpretive struggles. Providing clients with a poem to read that is relevant to their presenting problems and/or asking them to write a poem about these problems are interventions that can be harnessed to help cope with and/or give new meaning to misery and suffering. Nothing is as important as touching pain at a level beyond intellect. Thus, in addition to clinicians' creation of written lists of symptoms and presenting problems, perhaps poetry, with its compression and speed and intensity, is an especially useful exercise for the therapist. Seeing intense family and couple interactions can stuff the therapist with countertransference that needs to be worked out with more than an intellectually based consultation. Reading and writing poetry can create a healing place not only for the elderly client who may be working on his/her life review, but also for the therapist. Paying attention to the way the poem looks on the page and being aware of rhyme and line endings can actually slow us down and make us listen with different ears. Poetry has the power to make us see the heart of the matter.

If a therapist is not one to enjoy creative writing, at the least, poetry should be on his/her professional reading lists. The synthesis of feeling captured in brevity is another lens through which to view all experience and, especially, ultimate concerns. The sounds and sense of words in a poem seem to touch our brains in a way that speaks to our spirits. Poetry has healing power. It speaks to emotions. It is experiential.

The use of metaphor has been recognized by mental health leaders such as Jung, Milton Erickson, Jay Haley, and Edward Friedman as a way to access the unconscious needs, wishes, thoughts, and fears of the human being. It follows that there probably is an important connection between suffering, recovery, and the writing and reading of poetry. It is a different way to talk to each other. There is something about condensed language and structure that seems useful in times of trauma, including the crisis of aging and dying. Maybe by reading or writing a poem, a client can gain some sense of control. It can tease out the nuances of symptoms, habits, feelings, and beliefs that can help guide the way forward. It may be part of the road leading into the unconscious. We can turn to poetry to repair some damage. In the aftermath of 9/11, I remember seeing an eruption of poetry. It seemed to be a common means of exchange during those traumatic months following the attacks. Discursive language did not seem able to touch the horror the way that poems could. Poetry is a powerful way to capture the subjective and spiritual core of experience. It can take us to places that our intellect cannot access. It can help us to process unresolved issues.

Dr. Barbara Cunningham

Heaven (A Poem About Everlasting Life)

Heaven

The pebble is worn smooth

Made small over time

A product of a cataclysmic force of nature

A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock

An accidental offspring of a boulder

But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world

Is neither understood nor appreciated

But when thrown into a glassy calm pond

Its insignificance is transformed

Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond

Its signature of concentric ripples

Spiral outwards

Moving far beyond itself.

Gently affecting everything in its wake

Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning

By unleashing its unimagined power

Into a dueling force of action and reaction

Creating karmic energy

Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?

Feeling small and insignificant

But ultimately recognizing

That who we are meant to be

Can never be measured in isolation

on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:

Our everlasting future

Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles

Into the pond of life

Creating ripples

that leave unique mark on our world

Not because of thoughts

not because of well meaning plans

But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered

Because even the smallest pebble

No matter how seemingly insignificant

Changes the course of the lives

Of those we touch.

And when the icy winds of death

beckon our lasting attention

We will gently leave this life

With the knowledge that

because of that one pebble

The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven ...

Ross Rosenberg

8/18/03

Great Moral Value in "PS I Love You" Movie

Death can suddenly comes to life of people and make their life also suddenly stop for a while when their beloved one is taken by the death. The movie entitled P.S. I Love You shows us that even though our beloved one meets the death, he would join us through the tough days in our life. In this case, at least he accompanies you from beyond the grave.

"Excellent" is a proper word to describe Cecelia Ahern, the author of P.S I Love You. In her very young age, 21, she succeeds to be the author of the best seller novel worldwide. Cecelia, whose father is Bertie Ahern, the prime minister of Ireland, describes a hard life of woman named Holly after the death of her husband, Gerry. The idea of death and happiness of life in this novel is so interesting so that finally P.S I Love You comes in movie with million audiences.

P.S I Love You tells about Holly Kennedy (Hillary Swank)'s life suddenly stops when her beloved husband, Gerry (Gerard Butler), develops cancer and dies. Holly is devastated and her best friends, Denise (Lisa Kudrow) and Sharon (Gina Gershon) try to cheer up her. But nothing seems pull Holly out of her mourning after the death of Gerry.

Mourning days that is faced by Holly finally turn to be cheerful because she receives some love letters from Gerry which he writes before his death. The letters gives her some stories and instructions about the things she have to do. After Holly has done the instructions one by one with the help of her friends and family, she has found out that Gerry has prepared those letters to make her survive after his death.

Many people think that P.S I Love You is one of the most romantic novels. This novel becomes more and more popular after it comes to movie. Best performance from Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler as Holly and Gerry in this movie completes the romantic side of P.S I Love You. It is a good movie that gives you a great value about love in life.

By Vance M David

Gothic Novel and the Development of the Genre in English Literature

Gothic Novel is a type of romantic fiction. It was predominant in English literature around the late 18th century to the first two decades of the 19th century. The setting for the fiction was usually a ruined Gothic castle. The typical story of such romantic fiction revolved around the suffering of an innocent woman inflected by a cruel villain. The writers used ghosts and other supernatural occurrences. The main intend of such novels was to evoke chilling terror by skillfully using mystery and horror.

The Term Gothic Applied for:

1. The Gothic novel was also considered as Gothic romance.

2. The term Gothic is also employed to designate narrative poetry or prose of which the major elements are horror, violence, and the supernatural.

3. The selection of the locale was usually a haunted castle with dungeons, underground passages, ghost-haunted rooms, and secret stairways that produced great amount of awe, wonder and fear.

The genre was nothing but a phase of the literary movement of romanticism in English literature. It was also the precursor of the modern mystery novel.

The Major writers of the Gothic Romance:

It was Horace Walpole who inaugurated the Gothic romance. He wrote The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (1764). Other major writers were Clara Reeve, who wrote The Champion of Virtue (1777); Ann Radcliffe, who wrote The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794); Charles Robert Maturin, who wrote The Fatal Revenge (1807); and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley who wrote Frankenstein (1818).

The American professional novelist Charles Brockden Brown is known for his Gothic romances. Other American writers such as Henry James, William Faulkner, and Flannery O'Connor used Gothic elements in their fiction. The late 20th century American novelists Stephen King and Anne Rice in their works show the sustained influence and popularity of this Gothic form.

Rakesh Patel is an aspiring poet, freelance writer, self-published author and teacher. Read his blog http://englishliterature99.wordpress.com/

By Rakesh Ramubhai Patel

Psychological Novels - Some Major Novels

The psychological novel, as the name suggests, aims at revealing its characters' inner selves. As far as style is concerned, many psychological novels entail interior monologue and stream of consciousness. These are literary techniques facilitate the reader direct access to the inner most thoughts of characters.

The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye (1951) written by American writer J. D. Salinger is one famous instance of a psychological novel. The novel is narrated by a 16-year-old boy Holden Caulfield who has just flunked out of his 3rd prep school. He is unwilling to remain at school until the end of the term. So, he runs away to New York City and drifts around the city for two days. At last, drawn by the love and affection for his younger sister Phoebe, he returns home. He reveals his idealism to Phoebe by telling that he would like to be "the catcher in the rye" meaning the defender of childhood innocence who would stand in a field of rye where so many children are playing.

Seize the Day (1956) by Saul Bellow

Many American writers in the mid-20th century tried their hands on writing powerful psychological novels. Saul Bellow wrote the novella Seize the Day (1956) which describes the character Tommy Wilhelm. He loses his job and is about to lose his wife too. He seeks help from his father but it's futile. He also goes bankrupt and is left penniless. By observing Tommy's pitiable condition and his world, the readers get an intimate sense of Tommy's struggles.

A Separate Peace (1960) by John Knowles

John Knowles wrote A Separate Peace (1960). The novel is about the relationship between two boys Gene and Phineas who meet at prep school. Phineas is a charming athlete who gains widespread respect and attention. Gene on the other hand is a more serious student. Though Gene enjoys friendship but becomes jealous of Phineas's athletic talent. The key incident in the novel is an accident that Phineas suffers. By depicting Gene's internal struggles over his role in the accident, Knowles shows Gene's character.

The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath

American writer Sylvia Plath wrote The Bell Jar (1963). Through the shaky psychological condition of a character Esther, the novelist scrutinizes the challenges of being a young woman in America during the 1950s. Esther describes herself as being inside one and shows how she feels and experiences. She suffers a breakdown because of the limitations the society imposes on women. Though she is a strong scholar, she feels unhappy and attempts to commit suicide. Nevertheless, she recovers and her life moves on. There are strong biographical elements in this novel that roughly parallels events in Plath's life.

By Rakesh Ramubhai Patel

The Egyptian Napoleon - Thutmosis III

Though a lot of Pharaoh's kings of the 18th and 19th dynasties were martial chiefs, but "Thutmosis III" was absolutely one of the greatest leaders through the ancient Egyptian history.

He was the son of "Thutmosis II" and a queen called Isis. After the death of his father, he became the king at the age of 2 or 3 years old. Because he was evidently still young to resign, he was married to his stepmother "Hatshepsut", the widowed Great Regal Wife of "Thutmosis II".

He spent his childhood and teenage years training in the army, until the death of "Hatshepsut" in year 22 of their reign. At this time, he took over the throne as a fully grown adult and military leader. When she died, he was still only 24 or 25 years old and took over the rule of Egypt as the legitimate king.

At the beginning of his sole rule, he started re- definition to the borders of his land and control that Egypt had over the Near East, starting with a great campaign to "Megiddo", territory of the Hittites. With great bravery, he marched into there via the most difficult way, catching the Hittites off guard. The Egyptians, however, lost their advantage when they stopped to spoil the Hittite camp. The Hittites were able to withstand the Egyptians for more than seven months, and the Egyptians eventually returned home.

He didn't give up though. During his 50 years or so of sole rule, he made 17 additional campaigns into Syria, as well as further campaigns into Nubia - some when he was in his 80s. Through his efforts, he firmly re-established Egypt as a power to be reckoned with.

Archaeologists often refer to him as the Egypt's Napoleon because he spent most of his life fighting and claiming land in the name of Egypt. He left some very detailed military records in the Hall of Annals at Karnak temple, telling of the glorious deeds in Syria that earned him this title.

Muhammed Khaled is an assistant lecturer in a civil engineering college, he is concerned about Egyptian culture and history, and writes in Egyptian Panorama blog where you can discover and see more about Egypt through a collection of informative and simple articles and reviews about every interesting you may like to know on both ancient and modern Egypt.

By Muhammed Khaled

How Can a Comedy Booking Agency Help You Make Your Event Unforgettable?

Belonging to the corporate world doesn't mean that you can not have any fun. All work and no play and all of that stuff, means that fun should be incorporated in the workplace from time to time. Everyone likes to laugh and have fun. The work that the employees of your company work hard to make it successful. Showing appreciation by having a night of entertainment is a great way to show appreciation. After a wonderful presentation of your corporate plans and details from the previous year, you should consider using a performer from a Comedy Booking Agency to end the evening on a memorable and positive note. You can book comedians, hypnotists, mentalists and other good, clean entertainment for your event. You can find a super act that fits within your budget and wows your employees with an evening that they will not forget.

A Comedy Booking Agency can supply you with a perfect match for your planned event. They should go the extra mile to make the presentation match perfectly to the type of audience you will have there. A good high tech interactive event to help with team-building, or a magician that wows them and leaves them wondering, "How did he do that?" Anything is possible and you can be rest assured that the entertainment will be appropriate for the event you have planned.

If you have a booth set up at a trade show and want to draw people in your direction, then a Comedy Booking Agency can help by providing you with game show games for those perusing the premises to participate, a photo booths, slot car entertainment, putting greens and many other fantastic ideas to draw people to see your product or service.

If you are interested in finding entertainment for your company picnic, a Comedy Booking Agency can help with all of the fine details of fun, clean entertainment for the whole family. For example, everyone loves carnival game rentals. Inflatable stations can also be set up to provide fun for all ages. The Comedy Booking Agency can even set up a station of arts and crafts. The Company picnic can become one of the most entertaining and enjoyable events of the year. There are many ideas that can be handled by a trusted Comedy Booking Agency. You call, tell them what you are looking for and they will be sure to have it for you.

By John Yoder

Why Are Funny Video Clips So Popular?

The one thing that is for sure in this world is that comedy ad things that are funny, silly, or sexy really get people's attention ad stand out in their minds. Why do you think that advertisers use content that is really funny, pretty silly, downright stupid and/or irritating or a bit on the sexy/steamy side? It is because these things really get the viewer's attention and stick in their minds if this material is in the form of a commercial on the radio or television or the internet. The question of why funny video clips are so popular and funny is subjective. What we mean by this is that the reasons people find something funny all depends upon the individual in question.

Think about this topic this way: what you might find pretty funny, say you like watching video clips of people getting pranks or practical jokes pulled on them; someone else might look at and say that is not really that funny. They might feel that what you think is really funny is actually pretty ridiculous to them. This is basically what we mean by the statement that the actual definition of what is funny and what isn't is subjective. We have seen instance of people posting free funny video clips that they really thought were funny, like the aforementioned example of people having pranks pulled on them, only to have people look at these and say that they really were not as funny as the person shooting the video thought it was.

The main reason that funny video clips really are so popular is that they provide a means of escape for a short time. If you are looking for something to get your mind off of whatever is bothering you, mist of the time you will want to watch something funny. This is precisely why there are so many funny videos clips out there on the internet. People are always looking for something that is new and different to watch and to laugh at.

There are so many people that really want to just forget what is bothering them for a little while and have a good laugh. You know what they say about Laughter being the Best Medicine? Well, it turns out that this little bit of wisdom is actually right on the mark when it comes to helping people keep their lives as balanced as they possibly can. This is also part of the reason that so many people are watching free funny video clips online. They simply want something that will help them make their lives a little bit lighter and better. Why do you think that websites like YouTube and its siblings/offshoots are so blessed popular worldwide? It is because people can find just about anything that they are looking for in the way of videos and video clips. You really cannot say enough about what people really think is funny; except that videos are not going to be going anywhere too soon.

Bring up that laughter in you with funny video clips and free funny video clips. You are bound to cheer up after watching these funny videos.

By Kelly Hughes

Adventures With a Taxi Driver

I'm a commuter, something I'm not ashamed of. Among other things it gives me free time to write this blog. Most mornings I catch a taxi to the station. I'm not much of a talker in the morning, but some of the drivers fail to appreciate this. It is a major achievement that during a seven minute journey the driver can tell me the complete story of his life down to the most minute and personal detail. After such a journey I know why he has been divorced three times, how much alimony he plays and the amount of abortions he has had to finance.

Another interesting incite is the fact that taxi drivers all belong to a heavily persecuted minority group. The police force, IRA and local municipalities all have it in for them.

It might interest some of my more ignorant readers that many taxi drivers suffer from the rare disease known as nocbumperania. The symptoms are easily recognizable but sadly incurable. Drivers suffering from this ailment are unable to see pedestrian bumps or crossings. Some experts believe this is often due to an overdose of trial rides taken on Space Mountain.

If all this wasn't enough to make their lives miserable, many of the taxi drivers also suffer from being completely tone deaf which is clearly obvious when they accompany the songs that are blasting at full pitch from the car radio.

It is with all this bearing in mind that I pray that the next time you meet up with one of their kind you open your wallet generously and please remember - no large bills.

Steve Taite - The Taite Gallery Blog http://taitegallery.blogspot.com By Steve Taite

10 New Ways to Be Rid of Annoying People

So that annoying neighbor, colleague, relative or acquaintance does not get the hint that they are driving you crazy? The simple solution is to be direct, honest and politely ask them to leave you alone, but where is the fun in that? Use any or all of these techniques to your advantage during your next encounter. Your annoying acquaintance will most likely think you are crazy, leave you alone and tell all of his/her annoying buddies to steer clear. It's a win-win all the way around the horn.

In my experience here is the best way to approach the situation. The next time, "Bob" comes up to you and says, "Have you heard about my cat's eye infection? You better sit down for this." or "So are you going to get serious about buying some life insurance from me?" just reply:

Hey Bob:

1. Don't you think the government should reclaim Indian reservations from the Native Americans? We could use the gaming revenues from their casinos. These folks have had an easy ride for too long, the party's over. Let's call our state representative right now, I'll tell her you're in favor of this movement too. How do you spell your last name again?

2. Bob, I'm collecting money for a new charity I just started. It an Anti-Arson Fund. It helps recovering arsonists like myself to suppress their urges. In completely unrelated news, if you are having a hard time selling your house, I can make that problem disappear for a small fee. Oops, there I go again. Why am I so fascinated with fire? (twitching helps to really helps in making this one convincing)

3. Bring up the movie "Brewster's Millions" as a response to any question he/she asks. Example, "So, can you watch my cat this weekend and put in her eye drops 6 times a day?" Response, "Do you think Brewster still has any of his millions left over? Brewster is the coolest guy ever. Brewster, Brewster, Brewster!"

4. Interrupt their question/comment by asking them a simple math question. "8 x 4?" Uh, 32, why did you say that? "Oh, I guess you're not as dumb as I had thought." Repeat this process for as long as they are willing to tolerate.

5. Respond to any question that they ask with a quotation from an incorrect source. Oscar Wilde once said, "It aint over, till it's over." Does that answer your question? Increase your crazy factor by getting both the person and the quotation wrong. Winston Churchill once told the people of England, "Ask not what you can do for country, but what your country can do for you." Does that help you with your situation, Bob?

6. Argue that unemployment is high because people are simply lazy. Deny any recession and follow up with, "What are you going to tell me next, that the moon landing wasn't staged? You gullible fool!"

7. Speak in the narrative. "As Bob approached me, I couldn't help but hide my disappointment. Not only was he extremely annoying, but his breath smelled of week old Indian food."

8. Tell Bob that you have come down with a bad case of narcolepsy. Close you eyes and start snoring immediately.

9. Ask if Bob has any input on the fan letter you are preparing for Bernie Madoff. Explain that he needs our support now more than ever.

10. Openly proclaim that child support should be optional. Nobody has the right to tell me how to spend my money. If I don't live there any more, I am not responsible, right Bob?

Guy Bellefonte is a comedy writer and a regular contributor to My Pet Groundhog.

By Guy Bellefonte

The Greatest Sacrifice of This Earth - Still He is Disliked by Everyone

"Man "O" Man" when I first read about him. I could not sleep properly for many nights. I could not digest that how one could do such a brave acts at such a young age! He did what he thought. No one could break his rock-Hard determination. He sacrificed his life for country when he was just 23years old. Most of historians call it the greatest sacrifice. He also sat on hunger strike unbelievably for 3 mouths just for his country men. At that time he was only 21.

I'm talking about the legend "Bhagat Singh". He was the freedom fighter of India and from a rich family. His father opened a dairy for him and also chose one beautiful girl for him to marry when he was 19. He could have grasped this wonderful opportunity for his bright and safe future but he thought otherwise he opted to sacrifice his life for country's bright future.

He said after his sacrifice there would be revolution in the country and Indians would kick Britishers out of the country. But it did not happen even he did not get the death in proper way. After his death Britishers cut his dead body into pieces then burnt his body pieces with the kerosene and threw it into the river so that people could not find his body.

A very sad end indeed still we are not taught about him in the text books. We just find biographies of Gandhi and Nehru in all the text books because they were congressmen. After the Independence congress ruled the India and did nothing for India.

But at least this great freedom fighter needs to be remembered.

This is Rocky Saggoo, I hope that all of you will like my articles and please feel free to comment.

For More Visit Indo Diaries.com

By Rocky Saggoo

How Gold Prospectors Lived During the Gold Rush

A gold rush is a period when a lot of workers migrate to the areas where there have been commercial discoveries of gold. Gold rushes have taken place in various parts of the world throughout history such as, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Brazil.

The gold rush was a time of great optimism in which many people tried their luck in order to become wealthy. It was also a competitive time, with people trying to out run each other in the prospect of finding gold. They also helped spur cultures in the cities by initiating economic growth.

Gold rushes usually start with the discovery of gold by an individual that becomes popular. Gold is usually found in streambeds, sand or gravel, requiring only simple skills and instruments to be cleared. When the gold rush started, simple instruments such as pans were used. However, over the period, proper mining techniques were introduced such as hydraulic mining, which allowed mining on a larger industrial scale.

Many people travelled to areas where gold was discovered, to try their hand at it. People left behind families and loved ones in search of wealth. During the California Gold Rush, which was one of the most famous gold rushes in history, around 300,000 gold prospectors travelled to California. Many faced serious hardships on the way as there were no modern methods of travelling, and some even died during the journey. Some of them even faced various deadly diseases on their way, such as cholera and chicken pox.

As with all the gold rushes, the sudden increase in population was a burden on the infrastructure of the city and many people remained homeless. The living conditions were undesirable and people usually lived in tents or wood shanties. If there was an announcement of gold discovery in an area, people used to collaborate with each other and used to build tents or camps there. There were no proper sanitation or garbage disposal systems, and toilets were merely holes in the ground.

According to historical records, the social atmosphere in these camps was quite adverse. Stealing and looting was the norm, and so was drinking and gambling. Fights often used to break out between prospectors, which often lead to death. The prices were very high in these areas, and people could not afford to buy good food, let alone indulge in luxuries.

Since gold prospecting was not a stable business that could bring in money everyday, many women used to go to work while their husbands were out in the search of gold. As women were not allowed to work as gold miners, many became businesspersons, entrepreneurs, or held low-level jobs. A number of women were widowed during this time, as they lost their husbands to mining accidents.

The gold rush came as a good time for some people and bad for others. A few people were able to earn a fortune, and became wealthy; many ended with only a little more than what they had started with.

Jack Wagon is a gold investment expert. Learn how to buy gold in the times of recession. For more information visit his recommended website at http://www.goldmadesimple.com/.

By Jack Wogan

The Story of A Golden Discovery - Tutankhamun's Tomb

If you think that the golden mask of Tutankhamun which you always see in the tourist posters is just a monument like any other one..then take a while to know the importance of that mask and all the other treasures which had been discovered on that young pharaoh's tomb.

Tutankhamun's tomb is one of the most famous and monumental finds in the history of Egyptology, because it is the only undisturbed royal tomb found in Egypt. All the other royal tombs were robbed in antiquity, and indeed so was Tutankhamun's. Luckily, these burglaries were small, and the majority of Tutankhamun's goods were found intact.

In 1914, Egyptologist Howard Carter and his benefactor Lord Carnarvon started excavating in the Valley of the Kings, just after another excavator, Theodore Davis, who had worked in the area for some time, claimed that 'The Valley of the Tombs is now exhausted.' How wrong can one man be?

Carter and his team did uncover a number of tombs in the Valley, and in 1917 Carter began to search for the missing tomb of Tutankhamun (a number of objects had been discovered showing the existence of a tomb in the area).

However, by 1921 the team still had not discovered the tomb, and Lord Carnarvon considered withdrawing his funding. After much debate, Carter convinced him to fund one final season. Luckily for Carter this final season was a cracker. On 4 November 1922 his team uncovered the first stone step of Tutankhamun's tomb. The next day they cleared the steps to reveal the door, complete with ancient seals showing the tomb was intact.

The first doorway was opened on 23 November 1922, and the second doorway within the tomb on 26 November. At the opening of this door, Carter and Carnarvon saw for the first time the wonderful objects hidden for three millennia. These include solid gold coffins, gilded shrines, scores of pieces of golden jewelery, and the famous solid gold death mask.

The first chamber was officially opened on 29 November, and the burial chamber on 17 February 1923. The cataloguing of the objects started, and on 28 October 1925 the team finally opened the coffin and gazed at the face of the king who lived and died so long ago. Cataloguing and recording all the artefacts in the tomb was finally completed on 10 November 1930, eight years after the discovery.

Muhammed Khaled is an assistant lecturer in a civil engineering college, he is concerned about Egyptian culture and history, and writes in Egyptian Panorama blog where you can discover and see more about Egypt through a collection of informative and simple articles and reviews about every interesting you may like to know on both ancient and modern Egypt.

By Muhammed Khaled

Use Flash Photo Gallery to Showcase Your Image Works Online

If you are a photographer or artist with many digital photo and image files for displaying to your potential clients online, a website photo album is the best way for you showcases your talents and sell your art.

There are many online photo album and portfolio services that allow you to upload your digital photos, and create your online image gallery or photographer showcase. Many of these sites offering their service for free, as they generate their revenue from banner advertising or sponsorship.

Many People use these services because they don't need to bother with paying for a domain name, or buying hosting space. Fiddling with photo gallery software might sound difficult for non-programmers. Also many people don't have the time to learn, hence these free online photo portfolio and album services seems to offer easy solutions.

However, there are few problems with this approach. Although the photos are yours, the website is not, which means that your online photo portfolio's availability is depending on the website and the service provider. And when you want to switch to another hosting company, you would have to manually backup all the images from your existing online image portfolio, or all your work will be lost. Many online photo album website also state in their terms and conditions, that they will have ownership of the photos once they are uploaded to their server. Which means you might lose the ownership and copyright of your photos as soon as your photos are uploaded, and they might be sold or distributed without your awareness.

If you are serious about your online photo image portfolio, it would be best for you to have your own domain name and hosting, build your own website, and use a photo gallery software to establish your very own photographic image portfolio. This way all images are kept on your own PC, you can upload the portfolio to any server of your choice, and you can avoid any potential copyright issues.

You might have question about how to add an online photo gallery to website. Gone are the days when you had to learn html and php coding just to add an online photo album to your website. Now you can upload and create your own photo gallery easily using available photo gallery software tools, you can even make your entire website a photographic image portfolio, with multiple flash photo galleries.

Store the photo albums on your own web server means that you are not depending on another company to keep them online for you, and they are much safer as well. You keep the full ownership and copyright of the images. People can no longer easily download your photos using their browser, because flash gallery automatically disable the mouse right-click button. Your pictures are safely stored on your own host and you can update and upload new images anytime from your own PC.

There are various photo gallery templates available to use, with different skins designs and features such as thumbnail, scrollable photo description and slideshow function. Presenting your online portfolio or exhibition in a fancy, sophisticated and professional way is all about making you stand out from the crowd. A photo gallery software with suitable templates will allow you do that just that with no effort or time involved at all in doing so. You will be able to create and upload your own web photo gallery to your own hosting a/c with just a few clicks. You can add an unlimited number of images and photos in each album, so if you have photos on various topics such as holiday, wedding, professionally portraits, etc, you can create multiple photo album and add your photos to them very easily and fast.

Godfrey Ko, website designer and software author. Develop software including a website builder and flash photo gallery.

By Ko Fai Godfrey Ko

The Unique Answer to a Common Problem

What's the common problem all photographers face?

You can pick almost any photography segment for this illustration, but I will pick on High School Senior Portraits as an example. Randomly choose 10 Senior portrait photographers from an area of about 100 miles from your front door. These should be professionals with a reasonable amount of success. In other words, they produce good work. Now, these 10 professional senior photographers all have images on their website. They will show a variety of poses, styles, artistic effects, etc. There will be a mix of studio and outdoor images. As you look over these images what do you notice?

We are naturally wired to notice what is unique.

The images that you will remember are going to be different. The rest will fade into a blur after a few moments. Imagine these photographers creating one image each of a high school senior girl leaning against a tree. Nine of these girls are all similar. Blonde hair, yellow shirt, leaning against a large oak tree. The only thing we have to do as photographers to be noticed is to be different. Let's reveal the final image (the one you have created) of the group. Fire engine red haired young lady wearing a shirt that was just as red as her hair. Instead of leaning against a tree, she's leaning against a telephone pole, with a rustic alley in the background. Out of all these images what gets noticed?

Sometimes image quality doesn't matter.

What if your pose isn't perfect, or the lighting is off just a hair. Does it matter? Not in this example it doesn't. Everyone believes that to succeed in photography, you need the best images. It's just not true. You need unique images. When every photographer in your area is getting ready to Zig, you need to Zag. Being different means getting noticed.

Are you afraid to be different?

It can be scary to go your own way. I firmly believe that it's worth the emotional risk. When you are different, you share something personal with others. I know that's risky, but the result is worth it.

Okay, so what's the result?

That little bit of difference will resonate with a percentage of people who will love it and with a percentage that hates it. Before you realized the power of being unique you will be passed over by a lot of clients. Clients that would mesh well with your style and your personality. These clients would love the results you produce, and love working with you. Unfortunately, they don't choose you, because you didn't stand out enough to get that second glance.

Add a little difference in your area of expertise, and those clients will start looking your way, seeing the difference between you and every other photographer you compete against.

What's the common problem all photographers face?

You can pick almost any photography segment for this illustration, but I will pick on High School Senior Portraits as an example. Randomly choose 10 Senior portrait photographers from an area of about 100 miles from your front door. These should be professionals with a reasonable amount of success. In other words, they produce good work. Now, these 10 professional senior photographers all have images on their website. They will show a variety of poses, styles, artistic effects, etc. There will be a mix of studio and outdoor images. As you look over these images what do you notice?

We are naturally wired to notice what is unique.

The images that you will remember are going to be different. The rest will fade into a blur after a few moments. Imagine these photographers creating one image each of a high school senior girl leaning against a tree. Nine of these girls are all similar. Blonde hair, yellow shirt, leaning against a large oak tree. The only thing we have to do as photographers to be noticed is to be different. Let's reveal the final image (the one you have created) of the group. Fire engine red haired young lady wearing a shirt that was just as red as her hair. Instead of leaning against a tree, she's leaning against a telephone pole, with a rustic alley in the background. Out of all these images what gets noticed?

Sometimes image quality doesn't matter.

What if your pose isn't perfect, or the lighting is off just a hair. Does it matter? Not in this example it doesn't. Everyone believes that to succeed in photography, you need the best images. It's just not true. You need unique images. When every photographer in your area is getting ready to Zig, you need to Zag. Being different means getting noticed.

Are you afraid to be different?

It can be scary to go your own way. I firmly believe that it's worth the emotional risk. When you are different, you share something personal with others. I know that's risky, but the result is worth it.

Okay, so what's the result?

That little bit of difference will resonate with a percentage of people who will love it and with a percentage that hates it. Before you realized the power of being unique you will be passed over by a lot of clients. Clients that would mesh well with your style and your personality. These clients would love the results you produce, and love working with you. Unfortunately, they don't choose you, because you didn't stand out enough to get that second glance.

Add a little difference in your area of expertise, and those clients will start looking your way, seeing the difference between you and every other photographer you compete against.

By Jason H. Crowe

Take Photos With Your Digital Camera - Then Sell Your Digital Photos Online

If you are like me, you have been taking pictures for a long time. With the revolution of the Digital Camera and Digital Photos there are pictures everywhere. Anyone who likes to take pictures can take as many as they choose and do so for virtually no money. So why not turn your digital photos into an extra income online. With a little time and some good advice you can turn your Digital Camera into a cash machine.

First: You will need to organize your photos into files using only the best photos. A good file organizer is helpful and can be very useful to continue keep your bulk photos organized. I have been using Picasa for a long time and it has served me quite well. There are other photo programs that are similar and will serve the same purpose. What I like about Picasa is you can separate each section of photos into dates then you can add a title to these dates and even where the event took place.

For instance, if you shoot several different settings over a period of several days or weeks when you download them into your computer you can then split each event at the change of each date. Or even picture by picture. You can then separate your photos into categories of class and quality. It is simple and it is free.

Second: You are going to have to find web sites where you can post your digital photos. There are several sites that will accept your photos. You will have to sign up to get started. These are all free. They will give you their suggestions on what to look for when picking your digital pictures to submit to their online site. They will tell you what subject matter sells best. They will also tell you what type of material you should avoid using.

If you like taking a lot of pictures of a variety of different subjects you probably have a number of quality digital photos that will sell online. Just think when you are looking at photos on a given web site you will be looking at your very own. The ones you took with your digital camera. They are there for the world to see and it did not cost you a thing to put them there. Well, just a little time.

At AlbertsDigiCameraCash.com you will find all the information you need to get started on submitting your digital photos online. This is an eBook that tells you what type of subject matter is best and how to use the subject matter you already have. This eBook is also free and you can download it immediately. Go check it out and see for yourself how you can take digital photos with your digital camera and sell them online. Click Here Now.

By Austin Baker