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Salute and applause should be set forth not only to former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, to Foreign Secretary Delia Albert and to Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis. It is true that they worked hard to free Angelo Dela Cruz from his captors. President Arroyo’s decision to pull the troops out of Iraq in exchange of Angelo release was right. But the most glory should be given to the Media. It was the Media who helped much in the negotiation between our Philippine government representatives and the extremists.

People behind Al-Jazeera Network, the TFC of ABS-CBN, GMA7, Radio Stations and all the Newspapers in Philippines and in the Kingdom including the Internet deserve our utmost thanks, standing ovation and appreciation for what they have done in the hour of the crisis. They have made Angelo Dela Cruz an instant sensational superstar in Philippines and round the world with their news reports. Angelo Dela Cruz had become a Filipino Everyman, a symbol of the hardworking Filipino seeking hope and opportunity, described by the former President Arroyo.

Through Media, millions of OFWs round the world witnessed the motherly care of former President Arroyo for Angelo Dela Cruz and his family left in Philippines. The media had become the linking bridge and spread sheet to fill our sentiments for Angelo and to other victims of unfavorable circumstances.

Also from them we heard and read many different views and comments from the people asking: What is the difference between Angelo Dela Cruz and a Filipina killed in Singapore? When at the time her bereaved family went to OWWA to get what was due for her, OWWA declared, “no funds!” How lucky and important was Dela Cruz compared to the three Filipino killed in Al-Khobar, to a Filipino truck driver killed in Iraq by extremists ambushed? They were also our Filipino brothers and sister, who sought hope and opportunities in foreign lands with families left in Philippines. Do their bereaved families in Philippines receive fair attention and care from Arroyo’s government?

Praise the Media for keeping us update of the crisis. We have learned our lesson now that in this hour of crisis, we should forget our differences and unite to support our newly elected President. Now the former president is facing charges of election fraud.

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Piaget’s first stage of development, the sensorimotor stage, occurs between infancy and two years of age. Since so much development occurs within the first two years of life Piaget divided the sensorimotor stage into six substages to reflect cognitive development at various ages. The first substage, reflexive schemes, occurs between birth and one month and displays a newborns inborn reflexive ability (Berk, 2008). The second substage, primary circular reactions occurs between 1–4 months. In this stage schemes begin to form by an infant making an accidental action that is later repeated intentionally (Cherry, n.d.). Secondary circular reactions which occur between 4–8 months, a child will intentionally repeat actions to get a response from the environment and will begin to understand object permanence (Cherry, n.d.). In the fifth substage, coordination of secondary circular reactions (8–12 months), a child will display intentional actions in order to get a desired response. In this stage children are also likely to begin imitating behaviors of others (Cherry, n.d.). In the tertiary circular reactions stage which takes place between 12–18 months, a child will begin a display a trial-and-error sense of experimentation. The last substage, mental representation (18-24 months), a child will begin to understand the world through mental operations instead of through actions (Cherry, n.d.).

Sources

Berk, L. E. (2008). Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Washington D.C.: Allyn & Bacon.

Cherry, K. (n.d.). Sensorimotor Stage of Cognitive Development. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from About.com:  http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/sensorimotor.htm

What makes hurt feelings and anger so hard to handle is because it involves your own judgments and interpretations. When someone disagrees with your opinion, you are apt to blame them for being close minded and not giving enough importance to your point of view. You might interpret something one way because it opens up old wounds, others confronted with the same situation might not react in the same way. It’s best to learn to understand anger and what triggered it. Holding onto a grudge is like taking rat poison and expecting the rat to die.

First of all admit how mad you are. You can’t fix anything unless you recognize the problem, otherwise you might numb yourself by over eating or some other damaging action. Next, leave the scene fast. Leaving gives you time to calm down and a chance to change your perspective. Leaving puts a wedge between you and the target of your anger. Ideally you are avoiding an outburst that you might regret. Now, keep moving, walk, exercise, scrub the floors. Activity releases the feel good hormones and relaxes you.

Talk to a good friend, someone who really knows you and can help you look at the situation from another angle. Talking about it will help release the pressure. In the Gallup poles, 94% of Americans believe it’s important to forgive, yet only half of us put that belief into action. Holding a grudge hurts no one but yourself. If you have a confrontation, don’t take it personally. Take slow deep breaths and calmly repeat your key points. Observe, as if you are a bystander. Keep a respectful tone in your voice. Remind yourself that letting go of anger takes time, for the other person as well as yourself. The Buddhists have a saying, “Send out good wishes, even to those you perceive as your enemy, and you’ll be making the world a better place.”

Ruby’s Articles:

http://socyberty.com/advice/relating-to-difficult-people/

http://socyberty.com/issues/violence-against-women/

http://socyberty.com/psychology/humanity-and-compassion/

http://socyberty.com/work/the-work-ethic/

http://socyberty.com/spirituality/are-you-more-yin-or-yang/

An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Air Act Pollution Control Policy and for Other Purposes

From the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe, it might contain toxic substances that may cause sickness or even death. This is applied not only to us human but also to all the living organisms as a whole.

In order to sustain a safe global environment, and as we pursue on cleaning our habitat, which is everybody’s concern, Republic Act 8749 also known as the Clean Air Act of 1999 was created and has been effective since the year 2000. This R.A 8749 follows the policy in the hope to protect the right of the people to a balanced and healthy ecology given that as the years pass by, it is very noticeable how our environment has changed because of different factors that we ourselves has contributed to its distraction.

Air pollution is rampant not only in our country and is not just our own problem but also the whole world. Air pollutants as defined in this Act is the presence of other toxic gases other than the natural and inert gases present in the atmosphere. With its definition alone, it cannot be denied that seriously, we are having this common problem today.

Given those provisions stated in this Act, see how effective this has become and how well it was implemented in support to provide clean air or even to reduce this problem.

Technically, it was clearly stated in Section 11 that through research and extensions, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources must in a way provide information regarding the latest technique and measures in reducing air pollution, latest standard allowed emissions, and alternative sources of fuel which are environment-friendly. As of 2010, almost 6.6 million cars were registered at the Land Transportation Office-Philippines, and almost all of these uses fuel that emits carbon monoxide and other toxic gases in the atmosphere. Imagine one car emits 1 kg of toxic gas per day, given 4 million of cars operate that day alone, product could be 4 million kg of toxic gas is produced, 28 million in one week, and not to calculate how much it is in one month. It is chaos, it’s frustrating, but it is the truth.

Alternative sources of fuel are one of the best solutions to attest this problem but consequently, it could take time and further research in order to fully implement it. However, as a response, some regions in the country encourages people to use electric-operated vehicles to help lessen smoke belching that would sabotage every one’s right to a clean air. Furthermore, another choice is to carefully consider the type of engine available in the market today which has properties that would somehow contribute in decreasing the emission problem or might help attain the standard tolerable toxic gases released during the combustion process. These options of course are with the coordination of the government as their answer regarding this air pollution problem.

The DENR is to provide the latest technology and alternative methods of prevention which can be applied most in the existing industries here in our country. Such industries include chemical plants, smelting and refinery plants, and other plants that usually exhaust gases in the atmosphere during their process. But what is happening nowadays would somehow contradict the former statement, because some industries rather chose to pay the penalties instead of adopting the new techniques suggested by the department. According to Chapter 6 Section 25, a fine of not more than 100,000.00 pesos, every day of violation, will be imposed to the responsible operators for an actual increase of air pollution or devastating the standard air quality of air under this R.A. Maybe because these equipments particularly for filtering the gas before exhaustion are really really expensive and might not take effect for a long span of time or for practicality, they can gain more than enough profit to allocate budget for their violation instead of buying new equipments, business it is.

In this connection, it should be proposed that anyone who violates the provisions under this Act should pay more than 100, 000.00 pesos per day and would still increase every year. In this way, those people who are confident in just continually discharging toxic gases would realize that protecting the environment and the people is the top priority.

There are a lot of sources which contributes in polluting the air and what is also common but not really that given attention to is smoking. It does not only kill the smoker but the higher the probability on killing also the non-smokers who will be inhaling the smoke produced from smoking. We should be alarmed because as reported in 2007, there were 4.9 million people dying per year due to smoking. In cases like this, it is the local government units who will need to exert great effort on discouraging people from smoking. I have observed campaigns and TV commercials regarding the negative effects of smoking both in our health and the environment, it could be a good path to follow in order to reduce pollution by smoking if not to hundred percent abolish it.

To incorporate equilibrium, this Act tends to balance development and environmental protection through reduction of air pollutions present in the atmosphere, providing the nation a clean environment while attaining development.

Whether or not we ourselves are violators of this law, it is our responsibility to interact and cooperate in providing a good habitat and a pleasant community to protect our lives and the secure our future. This Clean Air Act will never reach its purpose if just keep it written. Authorities have been assigned and it would be nothing without our participation.

From the time our children start to interact with other children we have to make sure we watch them well.  If we see them acting in a way that is mean or hurtful to another child we should stop them.  We need to sit them down and explain to them what they do can hurt their friend.  At a young age you may have to say it quite often but if you do it while they are young they should know better as they get older.  Of course you may have to remind them every now and again.  

My children are now old enough for me to simply say the words “Action/reaction” and they know what I mean.  I started when they were younger and every time they did something mean I sat them down and explained that when they do something mean they will hurt someone and that person will react in a way that they might not like.  I told them the best way to avoid that is not to be mean in the first place.  Do your children know about action/reaction?

Three Terms: Each related to one another and working in harmony

1. Action and Reaction

     When we think of the term action and reaction as it applies to physics, we think of Sir Isaac Newton’s third law.  This law states “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction: or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions.”  In physics, for every action that occurs, there is an opposing reaction.  However, applying the same law to the mental and emotional aspects of life can change the definition of action and reaction.  We would understand that “for every action, there is the potential for an equally positive or, greater supporting, reaction.”

     The altered action and reaction theory can become evident throughout our lives.  Take a moment to look at how individuals treat you and how willing they are to cooperate with you.  Treating somebody with respect and kindness through action can have a reaction of being treated with the same amount of respect or kindness in return.  Show an individual that you are capable of remaining calm and are willing to work together in order to achieve a positive and mutually beneficial outcome to a situation, then the other individual involved is more likely to present the same tone and attitude in return.  This has the capability of working in the opposing manner also.  Disrespecting an individual or constantly degrading them will cause the individual to perform in the same way.  Becoming angry, raising your voice and showing a lack of cooperation, will return the same results from others that are involved.

2. Cause and Effect

     One way to look at cause and effect is to realize how you want others to act around you and treat you as an individual.  Each of us needs to understand that we, as individuals, become the cause.  Our own actions and the way we treat others has a direct effect on another’s actions and how they treat us.  If we treat them with kindness, sincerity and respect, then we are providing the cause for others to do the same.  Providing the cause will create an effect on others and has a direct impact on our ability to change the world as it directly corresponds to us.  In the same regard, if we treat another in a disrespectful, insincere manner and with a lack of kindness, we tend to get the same in return.  Understanding how our cause can have a direct positive or negative effect on our surroundings is the beginning of our understanding of how we can directly effect a change the world.

3. Become the Change

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” – Gandhi

     If we want to change our world and have others treat us in a specific manner, then we must become that change.  If we want others to be more respectful of us, then we must become an example of the respect through action.  I have heard the quote “what we surround ourselves with, we become.”  This tells us that by surrounding ourselves with people that are generally happy and respectful, we will become happier and more respectful.  If you look at this from a third person view, you realize that our surrounding have become the action, cause and change.  Our surroundings are having a direct reaction, effect and change on our own self being. 

     I prefer to change that quote slightly to read “we surround ourselves with what we are.”  Using this example, we don’t rely on others to be the action, cause or change.  We rely on ourselves to be the action, cause and change to others.  Simply by becoming happier about what we do and more respectful of others will create the change we are seeking.  Others will react to the way we present ourselves, we will have a direct effect on them as individuals and we will initiate a change by becoming the change. 

Our potential for change

     Once we realize our potential to create a specific reaction, effect or change in others, we will have acquired the knowledge of how to change the world.  We will understand how a single individual can have an impact on others around them.  The same actions that have brought about hate, discrimination and general disrespect for another has the ability to create the opposite effect.  The actions that were used to make an individual rude or degrading could have the same individual become friendlier and more supportive through our own actions.  Through our ability to love, accept and be respectful of others, we can change the world.  The first thing to understand is that changing the world starts with changing your own surroundings.  Changing the world begins with the individual and creates a chain reaction to those that surround us.  As you look back on the original question that I asked “If I could change the world, I would…” it is my hopes that you now finish the statement with “start with myself.”

Resources or additional information:

Changing Your Life Through Self Awareness By Willie Horton

http://ezinearticles.com/?Changing-Your-Life-Through-Self-Awareness&id=6180336

How to Lead By Example:  Dr. Schuler’s Ten Rules for Working and Living by A. J. Schuler, Psy. D.

http://www.schulersolutions.com/how_to_lead_by_example.html

Leading by Example (Making sure you “walk the talk”) as found on MindTools

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_60.htm

Happy Friday to you all : )  My goal this day is of course to give you a chuckle or a laugh and since your here reading this lets chuckle together.

One joke and three video’s and a quote to start us off.

“The person who knows how to laugh at himself

will never cease to be amused.”

~ Shirley MacLaine

Great concept video with a chuckle or two.

Hope you like this one even more…..

Ok so we did dogs, cats now for the birds…. : )

Now for the joke about the cat who went to heaven:

Once upon a time, there was a cat who died. When she got to heaven, God asked her how she liked being on earth. She told the Lord that it was awful, she had to sleep in cold back alleys where there was no food and life was hard. God told her that he was sorry it had had turned out that way but here, in heaven, she would be happy and He would give her the most comfortable, warm pillow to sleep on. The cat laid down upon the pillow and was happy.

A few days later, about a dozen mice that came to heaven together and God asked them how they had liked earth. Earth was no better for them than it was the cat.

They explained to God that it was tough and exhausting and their feet were worn out from always running from cats and dogs and people. God felt bad for the mice and decided to give them rollerskates.

One day God sees the cat again and asked her how she was liking heaven. She explained that it was absolutely wonderful. The pillow he gave her was the most comfortable place that she had ever slept on, but even better than the pillow were the meals on wheels.

LOL…Meals on wheels indeed….. 

Smiles to you this day, the last Friday of the month.

If your in the path of hurricane Irene, please stay safe, the one precious possession that you can’t replace is your life. 

The other stuff will come and go….but you are irreplaceable.

Have a great day everyone : )

 **************

Make ME Smile Online
www.makemesmileonline.com
The ME is really all about YOU! Join today !
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Stand out in a sea of frowns and Make a Difference
 

Imagine this: you have a fetish that you know will creep out the majority of the world. Therefore, you keep it under wraps and don’t so much as mention it to anyone. There are plenty of people like this out there, myself included (no, my fetish is not pedophilia). But what if people were talking about killing anyone who had your fetish? What if, the moment anyone got the idea that you might have that fetish, they alienated you from your workplace or school? You couldn’t go anywhere without being teased or even physically abused. Sadly, things are like this for a lot of people who happen to find children more attractive than adults.

The exploitation of children is wrong, but with drawings, there are no victims and no exploitation. Very few pedophiles actually act on their fetish. It’s the select few who do that we should be trying to stop, not the ones who will never do any harm. It’s hard to tell which kind of people will apply their fantasy to reality, but we let honest citizens and serial killers alike own guns and knives, do we not?

When I said that persecution of pedophiles has become like the witch hunts, I meant that we’re just accusing everyone who likes the aesthetic appeal of children more than that of adults of being sadistic creeps, criminals, rapists, etc. It doesn’t seemlike we’re trying to protect the children so much as find ways to imprison the pedophiles, regardless of if they’ve done anything or not.

Please don’t assume I’m trying to stand up for the people who do rape children. They should be punished accordingly. I don’t think I’m expressing my thoughts on this issue very well, so I’ll summarize it here:

We should step back and think about our goals: are we trying to protect children, or are we trying to send as many scapegoats to jail as we can?

/Disclaimer: I didn’t draw the picture. I assume some Japanese guy did, in the safety of his home where he wasn’t afraid to draw cute girls without being arrested.

Since we usually just hand the cigarette to our neighbor through the door, my wife answered the door ready with a cigarette in hand. I was in my office, still trying to get through all the emails from my on-line class’s discussion forum, paying little attention to the conversation at the door. That is, until I heard the words “Oh…oh my god! Hang on just one minute, I’m sorry, the house is a mess and we’re all still in our pajamas!” and quickly realized it was probably not just our neighbor asking for a cigarette. My wife came running into my office, excited and pale. At first It was the cops or something bad, but the giant smile on my wife’s face told me not to worry. She frantically explained that at our front door, was the publisher’s clearing house prize patrol, and I nearly had a heart attack. It was kind of like that feeling you get the first time on a roller coaster, or skydiving. I didn’t know what to do, say, or think. I was stunned! Totally! I quickly put on some slippers and ran out the door to greet my new best friends while my wife struggled to get herself and the kiddo dressed and ready to be on camera. The Camera was the first thing I saw when I ran outside my house, and I soon realized I should have changed as well; or at the very least, a quick shave would have been helpful. However, the second thing I noticed was the big, giant check for ten million dollars, and I thought to myself, “I just won ten million dollars – who cares what I look like!”. Oh, the way it felt to have something like this fall into my lap was more than I can describe in a single article! 

My hands were trembling throughout the entire video interview and photo shoot with the big giant check. I wondered if my bank teller had ever had to cash a check this large. I assumed they hadn’t yet, and began to wonder where they would put such a big check; and also, should I endorse it with my normal signature, or should I make my endorsement proportionate to the size of the check? They informed me that the giant check was just for show, and that I would recieve the real payment in 7-10 days, via direct deposit, minus taxes. After completing all of the ‘winner forms’, the whole prize patrol crew shook all of our hands, and gave my daughter a cherry sucker – her favorite. And then they were gone – in a matter of minutes. Just ilke that, my dream came knocking on my door, then its messengers left us all in shock and awe. I had so much going through my mind at that moment, I almost needed a nap – just to help it all soak in! I know at one point I pinched myself just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. 

It didn’t take long for it to hit me, that this was not just luck, and was not just a coincidence. This was the works of the law of attraction. I had been trying to manifest becoming a millionaire since I realized it was even a remote possibility. After many successful attempts with ’smaller’ or ‘easier’ goals, and not so much with the big ones, I decided to step back for a minute and re-align my goals, and decide what else could be holding me back. After doing so, I had determined what I thought was a reasonable goal. I was going to set the intention in motion, that I was going to attract ten million dollars into my life! Here’s where it gets weird; it had only been a couple days since I had come to this conclusive intention, before I got an unusual pop-up on my computer for this very sweep-stake advertisement. The pop up was actually for two sweepstakes: one for five thousand dollars a week for life, and another for ten million dollars. I clicked on it, and was immediately sickened to see the same old magazine advertisements my grandma used to get for the same publisher’s clearing house. I thought to myself “There is no way in hell I’m getting sucked into buying a bunch of magazines just to try and win…”. I clicked the exit button without hesitation, and went about my merry way not thinking twice about it until the very next day, when I got the same pop up – out of nowhere. I don’t even know why I looked at it again, this second time, but I did. After a little closer examination of the page, I discovered a disclaimer at the bottom stating that no purchase was necessary, and that a purchase does not increase your chances of winning. After seeing this, I figured “what the hell, why not?”, and started signing up for just about every entry that came my way, even if it was ’spam’, and even if it was for the same exact giveaway (I also figured if they let me, then it could only help, after all). I did this, repeatedly, for about a month. All while telling myself that it was for me; it was mine, Indefinitely. I was almost so pushy about it, I felt like I was my own coach, pushing myself through the game – head on, like there was no way I could loose.  

All of this and more swam in my head for the next ten days. Then the most shocking part of it all, was seeing it physically in my account! I really had a hard time believing my eyes the first few times I looked at it. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for this golden egg of opportunity falling into my lap. As soon as I got home, I dug out my checkbook, dusted it off, and started writing checks; first to those I owed(credit debt, etc), then to my closest loved ones, then to those I knew that could use a break, and then to some charities that meant a lot to me. When I looked at what I still had left on my ledger, I wrote checks to my enemies – not to make up, but just because I had seen that they were in need and I was able to, through gratitude, look past our transgressions and not play favorites. I then looked at the amount I had left for myself, which was still more than enough to get the rest of my aspirations in motion, and every powerful intention to do so, because I had now just seen the power of the law of attraction, and knew that no matter what, I can and will accomplish everything I intend to.

Definitions describe it as a profound, passionate feeling for another person, but what are the boundaries of that feeling and how can anyone tell if it’s real? How serious can it be taken when so very, very, very many young people today abuse the word like it’s about to disappear from existence (although it might as well with how little value they place on it)? The thing about love is it’s just a romantic title for a chemical reaction in the brain. Every emotion is that very thing; a reaction in the brain, a signal being sent through our body telling us how to feel and how to act.

So what is to be thought of love? Should it be valued highly, thrown around, or just ignored and replaced with more casual and specific displays of affection? There’s more to relationships and affection than broad, general statements and little words don’t seem to cut it anymore. In fact, they cut it too much. With how often people separate and divorce in these modern times, it’s almost as if the “L” word some people hate so much should be completely off limits until their brain actually feels love.