The Contester Blog

Well NASA has plotted out a bold plan to put a moon base camp up there by 2020? Bold, that is not bold, that is BS. Come on we are in the year 2006 and surely we have come further than this. This is utter non-sense and weakness. A business with such a lofty timeline would be out of business by then, only government can get away with such crap.

You see folks; weakness is not an American Trait, and for those that think it is, they have no business talking about the future. We go because we can and we do it now, because we can and we discover and learn and adapt and win. Why, because that is what America is made of. And if the other nations cannot keep up and we leave the Russians, Japanese, UK, Chinese, UAE, Singapore space programs in the moon dust, so be it. Hell we ought to make Lance Armstrong an astronaut, at least he is not a pussy. We need men not mice.

Recently in an online think tank a guest stated; “By taking our time and developing Lunar (and possibly asteroidal) resources, we can make it much cheaper, easier and safer to go to Mars.”

Do both. Build a base camp on the moon, beat the competition there; small lab. Do that within 2-3 years or sooner. We can, it complete and utter BS to say we can’t, that it is just too difficult. Dump the red tape and go for it. Shit can the blob of bureaucracy, be bold and smart. Let and entrepreneur solve this problem. Trust Tenacity, blast bureaucracy.

We already know how to live in submarines, Antarctica, we need to stop studying shit and do it. Put the engineers and scientists up for the challenge, break their balls, make them work for a living, tell them we are doing this come hell or high water and shit can anyone who says it cannot be done.

Dump the naysayers and ditch the weak. That’s what I think, I think the human race is becoming weak and showing its true colors and in doings slow slowing down the natural and forward progression and quite frankly it makes me sick. Sick to think I share DNA with weakness. Is this the best humans can do? All this Space Bureaucracy and you cannot even put up a base camp on the Moon? Cannot even put a Man on Mars? We are in the year 2006 people. Get with it.

Weakness needs to take a walk and while they are busy looking at flowers lets set a course for the future shall we? Now then are my comments really over the top? Because I think this petty weakness is definitely not the side of the pendulum I care to associate with. Lets live on the upstroke and go with it.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Back in February, I updated my system and brought it into
the 21st century at last. With that faster, all-powerful,
new video card and processor in place, I believed I was
set.

Lo and behold, I have learned a lesson the hard way. When
you upgrade your video card and processor, you might need
to upgrade your power supply also.

It seems that if your machine sucks too much processing
power, the power supply will just shut down … without
notice or clue given in advance. Just bam, and you are
staring at a machine that powered down in a tenth of a
second!

A new power supply is on its way, and my power management
has been set to run with the fewest necessary resources.
I have even set my all-powerful, all-mighty video card to
only process colors in 256-color mode.

Now, I must limp to the repair of my machine, knowing
full well that if I run too many apps at one time, that
I could find myself staring at a blank screen with that
aweful feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Copyright Bill Platt – All Rights Reserved. Reprints allowed with article and resource box unedited. If you post this article on a website, you must set the links up as hyperlinks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bill Platt is the owner of http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com

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For the uninitiated, MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. The basic premise of these epic online games is that players from around the world converge on servers to do battle against computer driven opponents and often each other. Each server can hold on average up to 5,000 players at a time. It is then no wonder that these servers become home to a unique subculture of players who eat, sleep and breathe these fantasy worlds – sometimes to the detriment of everything else in their life. Countless News articles tell of players whom have forsaken family, friends, jobs and sometimes even their own lives to continue to play. Big companies continue to make money while people’s lives are turned upside down by the constant attention that these types of games demand of their players. So what keeps players coming back every day and why do they pay for the privilege?

As an ex-MMORPG enthusiast I can tell you that the hooks for players are many and varied. For the casual player the level increase and the character statistic boosts associated are your first traps. Knowing that you are only a few hours away from being better at fighting the monsters that haunt your online existence is a very good reason to keep playing. Who wouldn’t want to be 10 points stronger for only a few hours work? The problem with this is that the games designers are always one step ahead of you. Now that you can easily kill the monsters you were struggling with only moments before you leveled up, they are worth virtually no experience points. This means that in order to get to your next level, you will have to go out and find some harder monsters to kill. To someone on the outside of the trap, it is painfully obvious what is happening here – you really haven’t progressed at all. Then why do people keep playing?

Equipment drops. While you are fighting those creatures to get more experience points to go up levels to fight more monsters, they have a chance to drop useful equipment each time you kill them. Unlike the leveling process which is very linear, good equipment can drop at any time but quite often doesn’t. It seems that no matter what equipment drops, there will always be something bigger or better that the player is waiting for. Again, the onlooker can see that this is nothing more than a form of gambling. Granted the cost is only slight in real dollar terms, but the players’ time is the commodity that is spent in this transaction.

The combination of gaining new levels and waiting for equipment to drop can keep a player occupied for weeks on end. So what happens when the player realizes that this is going on and decides that they might be better off doing something a little more productive with their time? The games designers are hoping by this stage that players have made friends in the virtual world with whom they can chat and share their experiences. This makes leaving the game all the more difficult as other people may have grown to rely on the unique skills a certain player can bring to the game. Peer pressure is as alive in MMORPG players as it was in the schoolyard and this can be one of the biggest factors for people to keep playing. When players are in the game for more than a few months they are highly unlikely to give it up due to a combination of all these hooks.

Just like anything else that comes with the risk of addiction; this does not affect the entire gaming population. It is also something that I think we can’t just ignore anymore. There are so many similarities between an MMORPG and any other type of addiction that it’s hard not to become quite worried about people who are caught in this particular trap. You wouldn’t want any of your friends or family to have an uncontrollable problem with alcohol, drugs or gambling, yet we tend to see no immediate harm in someone playing a computer game to excess. With the influx of new players to this genre I think our attitude will have to change towards the ever growing problem of digital addictions before we start to loose too many good people to it.

Brendon Kirk is a creative writer working at M6.Net: ‘The web-hosting company for humans.’ M6.Net is working hard to help humanity experience the power and freedom to develop their own part of the Internet, to share their information and connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

See which lenders are charging fees 3 percent and for how much. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 9 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown.

Translated in Dutch: Woon je in Oost Gelre of Niedorp en heb je BKR’ Lenen met een BKR registratie is nergens zo eenvoudig. Verwen jezelf met een nieuwe auto met hypotheek met bkr notering, 364364 euro is geen enkel probleem om te financieren. Van Mook en Middelaar tot Skarsterln, geld lenen met een BKR notering is hier geen enkel probleem.

A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 4 percent. Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 6 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 3 percentage. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 6 percent offered by competitors will change.

Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 10 percent. Different lenders charge different fees. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 6 percent. So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust’ Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable. Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 3 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

LCD, which normally stands for Liquid Crystal Displays, is a style of telly display that has in recent times developed into being very trendy. LCD screens recently are often found in laptop screens. Other sorts of in style tellies would be plasma. Enjoy an electronics bargain today with Digital Direct’s bargain televisions!

For an extended amount of period of time tubed televisions were noticeably more cheaper than any specific brand of LCD or Plasma. Buyers trusted & felt correct with them and they knew accurately where they stood with them and for certain the main cause was because they were tremendously cheap. At this instance it’s a totally different story as tubed TVs have been removed from the stores & been replaced by bargain televisions in the model of Plasma & LCD’s, what used to be absurdly dear are nowadays amazingly discounted & excellent value for currency.

Its today possible to get hi-def televisions at a remarkably cheap price. This is the most up to date sort of product in regards to tellies. HD equipment have allowed a lot of people to get pleasure from its crystal clear picture and audio. High-Definition has taken over analog broadcasting and swapped it with an all digital system. To see true Hi-Def you require a source of Hi-def TV signals, a tuner to collect & interpret those signals & a high performance image screen that can replicate the remarkable detail and colour of HDTV pictures. You will also have to acquire a television that is HD compatible, it is feasible at the moment to purchase a low costing digital flat screen whether it is an LCD or Plasma that will be able to help you to attain this.

With a digital TV you are very likely to receive a far superior image and mechanical class. Thus you can now view anything within the comfort of your own house.

This is the second part of my tips to avoid and then transform a bad into a good day, especially when you are tired and stressed out. In the first part, I suggested you to avoid like the plague the following: TV, News, Arguments, Caffeine, and Rap music. In this second part, I will tell you about 5 other stuff that you can eliminate from your life, or, at least, avoid them at this time.

1. Negative people

So here is a co-worker who always comes to you to complain about something. Or perhaps it’s a classmate? Or, a relative, maybe? It matters not. For this person nothing seems good, or positive, or worthy. On the contrary, people like these are the epitome of heavy clouds lingering on just when you planned to spend the day at the beach. Avoid them. In fact, perhaps you should just be straight and truthful and tell them that you are now on a new mode and that you will only speak of good and positive things. They will get the message. If they don’t, just tell them you are very busy at the moment and can’t talk.

2. Cluttered surroundings

The more cluttered your space is, the more stressful you will get. Make a point of putting things away as you go. If your work space is full of papers, file them; if your dinning table is overflowing with mail and catalogs and newspapers, clean it. If your teenager’s room is overwhelming, close the door. In reality, if you are too stressed out, cleaning may be an aggravation, though, to some, it is very relaxing. If you fit in the first category, de-cluttering may mean that, just for the moment, you will have to hide everything, until you can deal with it later. Grab a laundry basket, put everything there, and then leave it somewhere where you can’t see for now, but you will see later on. Just don’t forget to file everything or put everything away when you are feeling better. God forbid you miss an important payment!

3. Shopping

Changes are you will have to drive to store, and that means you need to face traffic. Then you need to find a parking space, then you go in. Perhaps, the place is crowded which means that, after going from one place to the next, and now being ready to pay, you will face a line at the cashier. Then, you need to come back home. This may be way too much for you mood at this point. Go to the store only if it is absolutely necessary. Today, with the Internet being such a place where you can find everything under the sun, do your bulk shopping online. Leave for the store only what needs to be absolutely fresh. Perhaps you store has a delivery program. By all means, use it. It is well worth the money you will spend in shipping and handling.

4. Dealing with finances (budgeting your money)

Don’t even thing about doing your budget or checking you credit card balance or anything of the sort. You may be happily surprised with what you see, but chances are, you will not. Don’t add this aggravation to an already exhausted nervous system. Wait until you are feeling better.

5. Excitement in general

PTA meetings? Business meetings? Parties? Avoid them. Dealing with people may be way too much for you, especially if you are an extrovert. Big time socializing acts like caffeine; it is over stimulant and now is not the time for stimulation. You need quiet. Now, if you are meeting one good and supportive friend, then, by all means, go for it. Remember to avoid caffeine, sugar, and extreme sports, though. Also, for now, avoid the dentist, if you can.

Remember that not all stressors are bad for you. Learn how to differentiate them. Avoid the bad ones and learn to relax to deal with the good ones. Pay attention that your negative stressor is not consuming your good humor and/or affecting your health. Once you don’t feel good about a certain thing, better stop it immediately. After all, what good is life if we don’t feel good about it?

© Maria Moratto 2005

About the author

Dr. Maria Moratto is a life coach. She promotes seminars and courses in developing the perfect life blueprint, which includes attracting abundance and loving relationships, time management, stress management, diversity, goal setting, career search and change, values clarification, leisure, self-improvement, college life, spirituality, natural health and lifestyle. She is also writing a book on successful relationships, coming soon. Visit her website at http://www.rx4bliss.com and sign up for a free e-zine that is short, informative, and fun. Go to her blog at: http://www.rx4bliss.blogspot.com for great discussions on these topics.

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Have you ever wondered about a spiritual perspective on peace? Every country, culture and religion has fought war in the name of creating peace. Through quotes from spiritual and political leaders from several ethnic backgrounds, it is abundantly clear peace is created through spirituality; yet we continue to wage war in the guise of creating world peace.

“It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace.” André Gide

“Terrorism cannot be overcome by the use of force because it does not address the complex underlying problems. In fact the use of force may not only fail to solve the problems, it may exacerbate them and frequently leaves destruction and suffering in its wake. Likewise, acts of terrorism, especially involving violence, only make matters worse.” Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso

“Every choice we make, every thought and feeling we have, is an act of power that has biological, environmental, social, personal and global consequences. -Caroline Myss

“Those who ignore the past are condemned to repeat it.”
-Sartre

“We are not only responsible for what we do, but also, for that what we don’t do.” -Voltaire

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“In our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.” Dag Hammarskjold

“Take on a big project, like Noah.” The world is crying out to be healed of violence, hatred, poverty, and greed. Let this be our project. It is ours to do. We have to get informed and involved; we have to speak up and be heard. This year, let us repair the world with wisdom, understanding, and tolerance. But, also with strength, action, and resolve. -Rumi

“The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.” Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“Peace comes within the souls of people when they realize their oneness with the universe.” Black Elk, Lakota leader

“I do not believe that the spiritual law works on a field of its own. On the contrary, it expresses itself only through the ordinary activities of life. It thus affects the economic, the social and the political fields.” Mahatma Gandhi

“We are witnessing in our day the birth of a new age, with a new structure of freedom and justice. Now, as we face the fact of this new, emerging world, we must face the responsibilities that come along with it. A new age brings with it new challenges…First, we are challenged to rise above the narrow confines of our individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. The new world is a world of geographical togetherness. This means that no individual or nation can live alone. We must all learn to live together, or we will be forced to die together…Through our scientific genius we have made of the world a neighborhood; now through our moral and spiritual genius we must make of it brotherhood. We are all involved in the single process. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. We are all links in the great chain of humanity…We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I know as a physician that the human soul is full of goodness-and if you can just penetrate people’s psychic numbing and get to their souls and make them to cry and understand the fragility of the planet and of life on the Earth and how much they love their children and their grandchildren and their own lives and how sacred life is, people will become extremely active, focused, intelligent, witty, and clever. I saw it in the ’80s where 80% of Americans rose up and we ended the cold war with Gorbachev, and we’ll do it again. I believe in the human soul. I believe in the goodness of human beings. And I believe that good must prevail over evil.” Dr. Helen Caldicott

“No magic bullet, not even the Internet, can save us from population explosion, deforestation, climate disruption, poison by pollution, and wholesale extinction of plant and animal species. We are going to have to want different things, seek different pleasures, pursue different goals than those that have been driving us and our global economy.” Joanna Macy

“In the hearts of people today there is a deep longing for peace. When the true spirit of peace is thoroughly dominant, it becomes an inner experience with unlimited possibilities. Only when this really happens-when the spirit of peace awakens and takes possession of men’s hearts, can humanity be saved from perishing.” Albert Schweitzer

“I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both.” Abraham Flexner

“Real inquiry is a tremendous moral transforming force. It’s not just questioning and looking for a quick answer or explanation, but the process of inquiry-of questioning, of opening-opens something in the human being which has not been touched in our culture. Everybody who is human has in themselves the potential of passionate inquiry after truth, and that’s the transforming force.” Jacob Needleman

“I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth; and truth rewarded me.” Simone de Beauvoir

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” Gautama Buddha

“I do daily perceive that while everything around me is ever changing, ever dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and re-creates. That informing power or spirit is God. I see it as purely benevolent, for I can see in the midst of this, life persists. In the midst of untruth, truth persists. In the midst of darkness, light persists. Hence I gather that God is life, God is light, God is love. He is the supreme good.” Mahatma Gandhi

“There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of that force when there is suffering, or too much pain. Then, suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear the call and respond in extraordinary ways.”
Mother Teresa

“We are living in a time of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and despair. It is essential that you become aware of the light, power, and strength within each of you, and that you learn to use those inner resources in service of your own and others’ growth.” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

“Science and religion both teach that we are all interconnected, and thus interdependent. And at the very core, we are all One. But how do we live as if we know this?”
Ram Dass

“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?”
Eleanor Roosevelt

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anas Nin

“The troubles of states will not end…until philosophers become kings, or until kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers.” Plato

“The censorship of language is the censorship of consciousness.” Allan Ginsberg

“Dissent without action is consent.” Henry David Thoreau

“Sometimes we look down on politics, criticizing it as dirty. However, if you look at it properly, politics in itself is not wrong. It is an instrument to serve human society. With good motivationsincerity and honestypolitics becomes an instrument in the service of society. But when motivated by selfishness with hatred, anger, or jealousy, it becomes dirty.”
Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso

“The worst way you can choose is to choose no way at all.”
Friedrich II

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Thus, for centuries the human race has gone deeper and deeper into insanity.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life’s challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Canary Islands are some of the most beautiful islands in the world, with great beaches and unique camping spots, where campers can truly enjoy the sea and all the fantastic things that the Canary’s flora and fauna offer. It is a Spanish land, but yet very far from Europe in terms of environment and a very interesting vacation and overall experience is guaranteed. Camping in an island is always more adventurous than in the mainland, because the tradition and overall magic of the islands make thinking that you are camping in a place surrounded by the sea and that alone is a unique feeling. It might sound cliché, but actually it’s not.

As years go by, many tourists pick to camping in Canary Islands, because they are not as busy or commercialized like other places and people still enjoy the wilderness that they find there and of course the fact that many sailors used to stop there before going across the Atlantic. Camping on Canary Islands gives an opportunity to breath the Atlantic Ocean breeze, as well as the African flavor that comes form the nearby African coast. Naturally the European shade is constantly present to add more to such wonderful cultural mix.

The i640 has been a real money maker for Samsung having proved quite popular with the public. With this handset Samsung have produced something which is fairly well featured for the price. The Samsung i640 is a very well designed handset with a modern feel to it.

There are lots of special promotions on offer to prospective phone users. Using a site that compares mobile phones you may get a free line rental for 12 months or a mobile phone with a free Fujitsu laptop.

If colour is something you are interested in you may like to know that the i640 is only available in Silver,. The Samsung i640 weighs in at 148 g, In terms of size the Samsung i640 is very compact easily fitting into ones pocket. The Samsung i640 comes equipped with bluetooth, so it can be used with with a range of mobile devices. The i640 supports 2G GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 and 3G HSDPA 2100 . A 2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels, video; secondary VGA videocall is integrated into this mobile handset camera. A WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds browser allows this phone to be used for mobile Internet access. The ring-tones on the i640 are Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3 along with a vibrating tone . The battery cell usage the i640 is 6:00 talk time and 250 hrs reserve time. The battery that comes with the i640 is a Standard battery, Li-Ion 1000 mAh,. Regarding the the display the mobile phone is equipped with a 2.4 inch screen, which, if you look at alternatives for the price is an average display. The display is a TFT, 65K colors. There are also a number of additional features on the i640 like:

The i640 is amongst the newest handsets on the market, however it remains possible to find a bargain on this handset.

If you are looking to buy property abroad try Property Index, specialists in overseas property.

Even though the Property Index online service is really a recent syndicate, doing business only since March 2007, they have established their expertise very quickly. They’re a extremely cool syndicate specialized in offering expert advice to every client who is looking to buy real estate assets in the most popular regions of the world. What they avow to do is aid you laser target just what’s looked for quickly plus, even better, unproblematically. Property can easily be found in most areas of the world today, arguably the really elite area being properties available in France. It should really be dead easy to catalogue the phenomenal real estate available in France, the argument for picking property here is the houses and apartments available and the sensational possibility of being able to live amid this keen and lively people.

It’s one of the most popular regions today, and in view of the gorgeous landscape and the wonderful sunshine surrounding you, how could you conceivably say no… Property in France is very rich in history and culture, this region has a long tradition as a home to lots of sophisticated nations. Only 30 years ago you would find a mere trickle of UK citizens who are looking for real estate in France. Ask everyone who has emigrated to France and they’ll confirm it. Lots of people would are wont to call it a craze and others are wont to call it a almost a fixation. People who will actually move to this place range from young urban professionals keen on some new challenge to the older generation planning on relaxation and enjoyment.

Bear in mind, however, that you might encounter some catches when looking to acquire real estate abroad: you’ll find there are hundreds of actions be it when budgeting, touring or finalising. If you miss out on but a single minor action it can easily kick up wide-reaching catches and, most importantly, money loss. As you may have presumed with this well-liked location, real estate may well be pretty dear in this area and that’s unquestionably owing to the growing buyer demand. However, the customer is presently hard to please in such a location so determined by bright surroundings. It’s able to offer just about all property buyers may covet and lots more.