گنجينه بیمانند «خزانه جواهرات ملی» مجموعهای از گرانبهاترين جواهرات جهان است که طی قرون و اعصار گردآوری شده است. خزانه فعلی جواهرات در سال 1334 ساخته و در سال 1339 با تاسيس بانک مرکزی ايران افتتاح و به اين بانک سپرده شد و اکنون نيز در صيانت بانک مرکزی جمهوری اسلامی ايران میباشد. در حال حاضر اين مجموعه بینظير در معرض ديد عموم قرار دارد و در شمار يکی از مهمترين و معروفترين جاذبههای گردشگری کشور محسوب میگردد.
ساعات
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نوشته شده در Fri 20 Jul 2007ساعت 11:9 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Fri 20 Jul 2007ساعت 11:5 توسط مسعود
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We just had our monthly meeting , none of my readers knows where I work or what I do for living beside giving worthless stock tips that hopefully no one has followed them I have to say this that our director Chris is a cool guy , extremely humble and someone that has not become arrogant since he got so much power but his manager TED L , is even more humble . Its amazing what the true knowledge can do to the men. Most probably these guys if were in a Islamic state would have blood on their hand but No , not in this country , this is the united states and despite the fact that The federal laws protects minorities , there is something that is called humanity and you see it a lot in advance people and especially the ones that are in charge . In the corporate America its not against the law to be a jerk and even though our immediate supervisor is like that according to many of my coworkers , I personally think he is a very good men with a very good heart that would work 16 hrs a day for a company that probably is not appreciating him enough but down the road I see his name written in a neon lights , Go Mr Gary B Go , you are doing a perfect job but just get used to the group of people that do nothing but gossip , just like you said In our meeting, most of the time when you confront my coworkers that talk behind my supervisor , they wont say anything , oh well I have no respect for my coworkers or people talk shit and are afraid to say what they want to say whenever they have the chance to do so , I just hope that one day my supervisor would change my shift to the morning or at least let me come to work at 07:15 instead of 7 pm so that I could see my wife few minutes at home instead of some freeway or under the bridge as she is heading for home and I am going to work, I am afraid that driving 100 miles an hr would get me in a serious problem one day so that I wont be late but hopefully my supervisors would change their heart and let me come to work few minutes later than what I am scheduled , I still thank God that the KKK guy
is not there to harass me any more but I have to be honest about this private equity firm Black Stone , even though they are the ones that provide me with the bread and butter and their pay goes forward to pay for my internet and this computer to do my writings my coworkers mostly say that they don't trust the 'son of the bitches " But gain that's what I been told , however I seriously doubt because I am starting to learn that these are pretty good people and would give their employees several chances to grow with them , my coworkers mostly say , Blackstone don’t care , they would do anything to cut troat and send the jobs overseas just to cut the cost down and the public is aware of it , the shares of Blackstone has droped dramatically since their IPO and they are down close to 25 percent since their initial offering Stay away from BX or FIG despite the drop on black_stone initial public offering there are some good chances for the company to grow unless the current congress stick them with the big ass hefty taxes that could easily bring the equity firm to their knees in which down the road would directly affect my job , however on the other hand with these new equity concerns in which are playing a major role in the country & especially these days that after years, investing in China has been dominated by foreign investments such as U.S.-based Carlyle Group LP and TPG. Down the road everyone would see China would back & turn in to their own domestic securities companies, flush them with cash with their own booming domestic stock market in which will take a while but not now maybe another 2 years or so , all massoud is saying is that stay away from them for now
"They seem like they could be the next big thing, but the truth is they're the last big thing."
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نوشته شده در Fri 20 Jul 2007ساعت 10:49 توسط مسعود
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This is a business I know well," since being a hedge fund manager isn't very different from being a private-equity manager, Cramer said. "I can't have you owning these stocks. ...
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نوشته شده در Fri 20 Jul 2007ساعت 10:3 توسط مسعود
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Man...this is retarded why is this stock going down. I pray everyday that it goes up while I sip on some beer , this is so embarrassing , I have lost about everything that I had made in 3 years in only 4 days , no day trading for a while , it really sucks when you buy on margins and not cash ,
4000
dollars a day for 4 consecutive days , oh men I hope wee get a lots of rain in Iowa like we did in Texas , just a big miracle , its amazing what the greed can do , I hope there is strike or a big hurricane to the point that the gas prices would go over 3 dollars , that would bring VSE or PEIX to over 20 and I can day trade again , common god please answer the humble request , I have already made a wish to give the meat of 3 sheep to the poor in streets of Tehran if ethanol prices take off .
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نوشته شده در Fri 20 Jul 2007ساعت 9:46 توسط مسعود
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I think the much overblown corn price hype was mainly speculators. It did shoot up. But that was when people didn't realize we would be growing 20% more corn this year than last. It had a lot less to do with ethanol than it did with hedge funds and traders. The farmers made out fat. The long traders in corn got slammed. It did affect some food prices a little. But it goes both ways.
Any excuse to jump on a train I guess. I am thinking Corn will go down another 60 cents or so before it bottoms. There really isn't a lasting supply/demand issue here because we grew way more corn than we are going to use. We aren't using another 20% of our corn for ethanol yet.
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نوشته شده در Fri 20 Jul 2007ساعت 9:33 توسط مسعود
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July 16 (Bloomberg) -- Gasoline futures fell 4.4 percent, the biggest drop in more than eight months, on forecasts a government report this week will show a rise in U.S. inventories
Supplies probably rose 1 million barrels last week, according to the median of 15 analyst estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. The Energy Department report is due July 18. Gasoline futures have declined 10 percent since July 10
``With the market falling, no one is going to want to hold on to these positions,'' said William Adams, a managing director who oversees commodity research and trading at JKV Global Enterprises Inc. in Chicago. ``A decline in prices on July 13 caught a lot of people off guard so everyone is going to reposition,'' he said. ``I put it up to a technical retracement.''
Gasoline for August delivery fell 9.86 cents to settle at $2.1262 a gallon at 2:52 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was the biggest drop since Oct. 30 and the lowest closing price since April 19.
The contract covers reformulated gasoline, known as RBOB, which is made to be blended with ethanol before delivery to filling stations.
Valero Energy Corp. started a hydrocracker unit at its McKee refinery in Texas after a two-month shutdown, company spokesman Bill Day said.
``There's a little weakness now in the gasoline,'' said Ray Carbone, president of Paramount Options Inc. in New York. ``People are expecting inventories to rise. Anything can happen in that refinery mess that has been going on all summer long.''
Fuel Stockpiles
U.S. gasoline supplies were 3 percent below the five-year average in Jordan
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نوشته شده در Mon 16 Jul 2007ساعت 23:47 توسط مسعود
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1. Maintain Your Tire Pressure Studies have shown that drivers use up to 10% less gas simply by keeping their tires inflated at the recommended level. Read the sidewalls of your tires to find their optimal level of inflation (usually measured in PSI). [Potential Savings = 10%]
2. Use a Gas Rebate Card Paying for your gas purchases with a rebate card can give you up to 10% cash back on all the gas you purchase – automatically . The most popular gas rebate cards are offered by Discover®, Chase, and American Express®. Refer to the charts to your right for a comparison of current offers and links to their online applications. [Potential Savings = 3% to 10%]
3. Observe Speed Limits The optimal range for fuel efficiency is 35 mph to 55 mph. For each 5 mph you drive over 55 mph, your fuel efficiency decreases by about 7%. Adhering to speed limits is not only a safer way to drive; it will help you save on gas as well. [Potential Savings = 7%]
4. Avoid Excessive Idling When your vehicle is idling, it is burning gas while sitting in place. In other words, idling gets you 0 miles-per-gallon. By simply avoiding excessive idling, you can cut down on your gas consumption by 2% or more. [Potential Savings = 2%]
5. Remove Excess Weight Are you carrying any unnecessary items in your vehicle? Removing "dead weight" can increase your gas mileage by as much as 2% for every 100 pounds you remove. [Potential Savings = 2%]
6. Use Your Cruise Control Using cruise control on the highway is a great way to regulate your speed and, in turn, improve your gas mileage. By avoiding fluctuations in your speed, you can save as much as 5% on gas. [Potential Savings = 5%]
7. Use Overdrive When your vehicle is in overdrive, its engine does not have to work as hard to maintain a high driving speed. This results in less wear-and-tear on the engine as well as better gas mileage. [Potential Savings = 2%]
8. Compare Fuel Economy Ratings Before purchasing your next vehicle, be sure to compare the fuel economy ratings of various vehicles. These ratings are posted on the window of every new vehicle (and many used vehicles) at dealerships throughout the U.S. Choosing a hybrid vehicle that gets 52 miles-per-gallon rather than an SUV that gets 13 miles-per-gallon would give you 75% better gas mileage. [Potential Savings = 75%]
9. Perform Regular Maintenance A simple tune-up can result in gas savings of up to 4%, and replacing a faulty part such as an oxygen sensor can save you as much as 40%. Changing your oil and air filter regularly can also result in better mileage. Always be sure to use the oil grade recommended for your particular engine. [Potential Savings = 4%]
10. Get a Free Gas Card Some companies offer a free gift card for gas purchases in an effort to promote awareness of their brands and gain new customers. An example of these promotional offers is a free $50 gas card redeemable at Shell, Texaco, BP, and Exxon-Mobil stations. To sign up for a free gas card, click on the offer below.
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 16:48 توسط مسعود
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With gas prices tipping the $3-a-gallon mark, many are looking at other ways to fill the tank. Ethanol made from corn is one promising substitute. Another idea is to use the inedible parts of corn plants, called biomass.
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 16:45 توسط مسعود
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Since 1979, scientists have generally agreed that a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide increases the earth’s average surface temperature by 3-8°F (1.5-4.5°C). More recent studies have suggested that the warming is likely to occur more rapidly over land than the open seas. Moreover, the warming in temperatures tends to lag behind the increase in greenhouse gases. At first, the cooler oceans will tend to absorb much of the additional heat and thereby decrease the warming of the atmosphere. Only when the ocean comes into equilibrium with the higher level of CO2 will the full warming occur.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the concentration of CO2 will double from pre-industrial levels by the mid- to late 21st century. Currently, the panel projects a global average warming of 1.0-4.5°F (0.6-2.5°C) in the next fifty years and 2.5 to 10.4°F (1.4 to 5.8°C) by the year 2100, compared with the global average temperature in 1990. The wide range in projected temperatures is due to varying assumptions about future trends in greenhouse gas emissions and sulfate aerosols.
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 16:29 توسط مسعود
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Abhishek's Pressure Leaf Filter is designed with micromesh 5-Ply ned key frame.
Mode of Operation :
The Pressure leaf filter is a vertical steel vessel where many vertically mounted S.S. filter leaves are housed inside with the help of properly designed manifold. The Pressure Leaf filters are suitable for filter aid (pre-coat) type of filtration, i.e. filter aid / bleaching earth / fuller earth etc. has to be added for filtration. The filter leaves, filter on both sides due to which gross leaf filtration area obtained is more in relatively small sized vessel. The required oil slurry is pumped into the filter vessel, clear filtration starts as the sufficient cake is built over the leaf surfaces and filtered oil comes out through the manifold. The solid keeps getting accumulated on the filter leaves and a thick cake is formed. Once the pressure reaches 3.5 Kg/cm2, the cake is dried with hot air/steam and relived from the leaves by pneumatically operated piston vibrator and drops through a large size bottom outlet. The design pressure is 4Kg/cm2 & design temperature is 120deg.C
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 15:51 توسط مسعود
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London Brent touches another 11-month high to close above $77
London: Oil leapt to a fresh 11-month high above $77 a barrel yesterday, lifted by lingering supply concerns and a rush of speculative money into the commodity.
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 13:48 توسط مسعود
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Ankara: Iran and Turkmenistan will pump 30 billion cubic metres of gas a year to Europe via Turkey, leaving no need for alternative supplies to the Nabucco pipeline project, a senior Turkish energy official said yesterday
Iran and Turkey have signed a preliminary agreement to pump Iranian gas to Europe via Turkey, Iran said earlier yesterday, a move that will open a new export market for Iran's massive reserves
"The agreement signed between Turkey and Iran paves the way for the Nabucco project and we no longer need any other supplies to meet the Nabucco gas requirement," said the official
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 13:45 توسط مسعود
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London: Iran has asked Japanese buyers of its crude oil to switch payment to the yen from dollars as it faces growing pressure from the West over its nuclear programme, a customer said yesterday
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 13:42 توسط مسعود
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Tehran: Iran plans to sell shares of 17 energy-related firms on the country's stock exchange, an Iranian official was quoted as saying yesterday, part of a long-running effort to sell off state assets
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 13:39 توسط مسعود
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Quito: A chance meeting has reunited identical twin sisters who were separated at birth nearly 15 years ago - and touched off a legal dispute over how two doctors adopted one of the girls
Petita Penaherrera says she did not know she had twins until she and her daughter Andrea came face-to-face with Marielisa Romo four months ago in the southern Ecuadorean town of Milagros - meaning "miracles" in English
Andrea and Marielisa shared the same dark eyes, the same hair, the same ... everything
Marielisa was accompanied by Roberto Romo and Isabel Garcia, the doctor couple who had delivered the twin babies - and then raised one
Investigations began and, in June, Penaherrera and her husband Augusto Freire filed a suit against the doctors saying they never mentioned Andrea's twin
"We never found out about the existence of that girl," Freire said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "After seeing a girl in the restaurant who was exactly like mine I almost fainted."
He recalled the ensuing conversation: "We asked 'Who's her father?' And the father is Dr Romo, who was the doctor who performed the Caesarean on my wife
Romo and Garcia could not be reached for comment but told Ecuavisa television that the biological mother knew about the twins but only wanted to keep one of them
"The nurse said out loud, 'Congratulations you have two girls'" Garcia told Ecuavisa. "The woman, like every adolescent who is not ready for motherhood, just cried and cried."
"I gave it appropriate time to see if the mother would show up or would feel touched," Romo said. But the couple said there was no written agreement.
Penaherrera insists that she was never told. "They stole her from me, the doctors stole my daughter," she said in an interview with Ecuavisa.
Meanwhile, Penaherrera and Freire are trying to unite the twin girls. "One day I hope to live with my two daughters," Freire told the AP.
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نوشته شده در Sun 15 Jul 2007ساعت 13:35 توسط مسعود
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- FROM New York to Washington, government suddenly seems to be in the business of promoting alternative energy. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York announced last week that the city's taxi fleet would convert to hybrids by 2012. In this year's State of the Union address
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نوشته شده در Fri 13 Jul 2007ساعت 4:30 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Fri 13 Jul 2007ساعت 4:28 توسط مسعود
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Today with $70 crude it costs 190 cents per gallon to make gasoline
Using $3 corn it cost about 130 cents per gallon to make ethanol--equal to 160 cents per gallon after adjusting for the lower BTU content of ethanol. IMO major improvements are underway in making ethanol that will drop its costs to less than 150 cents per gallon. Plus all this money is going into the popckets of Americans
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نوشته شده در Thu 12 Jul 2007ساعت 19:43 توسط مسعود
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"Gross profit on gallons produced at our facilities, which accounts for the substantial majority of our operating income, is principally dependent on the spread between ethanol and corn prices. The spread between ethanol and corn prices in 2006 was at historically high levels, driven in large part by high oil prices and shortages of ethanol. The spread between ethanol and corn prices has fallen significantly since the summer of 2006. Any reduction in the spread between ethanol and corn prices, whether as a result of an increase in corn prices or a reduction in ethanol prices, would adversely affect our financial performance. If the spread decreases below a certain level, we will likely experience losses. "
Now, let's look at futures prices for corn and ethanol from the CBOT
corn
Sept. 2007 $3.43 per bushel Dec. 2007 $3.56 Mar. 2008 $3.69 May 2008 $3.80 July 2008 $3.88 Sept. 2008 $3.93 Dec. 2008 $4.02
Conracts out into 2009 and 2010 all are well above $4 per bushel, topping out at $4.19 per bushel in July 2010.
ethanol:
Sept. 2007 $1.90 per gallon Dec. 2007 $1.86 Mar. 2008 $1.80 May 2008 $1.80 July 2008 $1.79 Sept. 2008 $1.78 Dec. 2008 $1.75
There are currently no contracts beyond Dec. 2008. This is about the only futures contract I know of where the longer dated contracts have LOWER prices than the shorter dated ones. So let's see....the experts who have no economic interest in the ethanol producers see corn prices heading higher....and ethanol prices heading lower (not surprising since supply will outstrip demand).....and ethanol producers are barely profitable now
Higher input prices.....lower selling prices.....sounds like a winning combination to me
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نوشته شده در Thu 12 Jul 2007ساعت 19:42 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Mon 9 Jul 2007ساعت 11:39 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Mon 9 Jul 2007ساعت 11:38 توسط مسعود
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This is Texas & our street is as you see flooded with all the rain we been getting , a record of 12 days in a row but god knows how bad we needed the rain
and hopefully the western states would get the same rain as we did
flood 001
flood 001
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نوشته شده در Mon 9 Jul 2007ساعت 10:36 توسط مسعود
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Tired of paying 3$ a gallon for gas? Just wait till it hits 4 $ a gallon soon, then 5. Thew price of gas is going up even in countries like Iran where gas used to be 11 cents a litter . The oil companies, Exxon foremost, made the single largest profits of any company in the history of mankind last year,......the history of mankind......... but then said the rising cost of oil and refinery shutdowns were the reason they raise their prices. When confronted with the statistics they then changed their tune and said the reason for gouging the American public was for future alternative energy technology..........its a lie.........there have been alternate sources around for decades that if used today would produce fuel for automobiles for less than 1$ a gallon......... in fact it is legal and easy to do it yourself
below , please follow the procedures to use vegetable oil & desel to put in your car .An ordinary diesel engine cannot run on 100% pure vegetable oil without conversion. Veg oil is too thick and gloopy to get through the fuel pump and injectors. Conversion is moderately expensive and is quite a commitment, so we'll leave that to the experts.
Instead, we'll try to thin down the veg oil so that it works correctly in the engine. There are two ways to do this: mix it with something, or convert it into biodiesel.
Making biodiesel is a fair old job of bucket chemistry. There are easy how-to's on the web but you need a shed and some spare time.
It's far easier to mix the veg oil with something that will make it runnier. And we have just the thing to hand: regular diesel. Just mix your veg oil into your diesel, and you have a working blend. How? Just bung it in the fuel tank. Yes, it's that easy. And yes, it feels really weird putting food into your car for the first time! But it works, and works well. The easiest way to do this is to run your tank almost empty. Then when you pop to the supermarket, fill up with diesel, and then add the veg oil. The drive home mixes it all up nicely. How much veg oil should you use? Start with a light blend, and increase each time you refill. That way, if you notice your car sputtering, you know you've hit the limit and should use less next time, and you can top up with regular diesel to thin the mixture back down.
A 10% veg oil blend will work for everyone. It meets your personal part of our Kyoto commitment, and there should be no noticeable difference in how your car drives. 27 litres of diesel and one three-litre bottle of veg oil from the supermarket.
At 25% veg oil in 75% diesel, your exhaust stops smelling like a taxi and starts smelling like a doughnut fryer. It's pleasant and a real talking point. You should notice the slight smoothness improvement around now.
33% - one part veg to two parts regular diesel - is the heaviest mix I would recommend for the British winter, unless you've got a frost-free garage. This level of blend still starts even on cold, frosty mornings.
50% is a good running blend for the rest of the year. Half-and-half is where the cost savings really show themselves. And of course, the carbon saving is good enough to offset that second TV. A note for new car owners: using non-standard fuels probably voids your warranty. This doesn't mean they're bad, just that they're not covered. Caveat emptor.
What oils to use
Any thin, clean, dry oil will work
Thin: Runny oils work better than thick, heavy oils. Once the engine is warm, it doesn't make much difference (and some nutters even run on melted lard!) but for easy starting, choose a runny oil.
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نوشته شده در Sat 7 Jul 2007ساعت 8:27 توسط مسعود
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they mandate taxpayer supported FREE education for illegals, mandated taxpayer supported ESL classes for the children of illegals who don't speak English, taxpayer supported FREE medical care for all illegals at major hospitals all over the nation, and yet these same people are going to ARREST you for HIRING ILLEGALS
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نوشته شده در Thu 5 Jul 2007ساعت 7:23 توسط مسعود
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Ethanol price history (USDA)
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نوشته شده در Tue 3 Jul 2007ساعت 6:2 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Fri 29 Jun 2007ساعت 13:2 توسط مسعود
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All that epinephrine or adrenaline is produced during the stressful bouts of fight-flight, survival mode that gets turned on all too often these days
The adrenaline is released from the adrenal gland when you are under mental pressure, and it tells the body to convert stored sugar from the liver to glucose because the energy needs of the body will increase substantially during the supposed fight-or-run-for-your-life scenario.
The bad news is that this scenario almost never plays out and the excess blood sugar that never got used up ends up being stored as fat.
One of two things can happen from a prolonged survival mode. One: Your body will keep storing up excess sugar as fat and asking for more energy from more sugar. This equals weight gain (an unpleasant side-effect of stress
Two: All of this stress and Herculean effort continually depletes your body of its energy resources until it inevitably crumples under the overload. This can either lead to adrenal exhaustion, nervous breakdown, or a broken down immune system - thereby exposing a person to disease. The vicious circle repeats itself over and over again and people never seem to be able to get out of the rat race.
Release Your Stress Here are some healthy habits you can integrate into your daily grind to free yourself from stress forever.
1. Cut the Caffeine: Caffeine stimulates the adrenaline release. Give up the cup of coffee and opt for the therapeutic benefits of caffeine-free herbal teas.
Or you can cut down on your caffeine intake by substituting green tea for coffee, which usually has 1/3 of the caffeine of a cup of coffee, but with the benefits of the antioxidant polyphenols.
2. Meditation: A daily meditation program is can be your number one method to decompress at the end of a busy day and release tension.
3. Take a Breather: Exhale the stress away. Specific exercises can detoxify your body and revitalize your being. Try this exercise, adapted from Chinese qigong and make your goal to slow down, smooth out, and deepen each breath.
With every exhalation, utter the word calm in your mind and breathe out the tension from a part of your body, starting from the top of your head and working your way down through each part of your body until you get to your feet. Release the remaining tension through your toes and the bottoms of your feet.
4. Cleanse the Clutter: Have you ever heard the saying that what you own soon owns you? Not only do these unnecessary items consume much of your energy for cleaning and maintenance, they also add to the clutter, making you disorganized and increasing your stress level. Cut back and let go. A good rule of thumb is that anything you haven't used in six months can be given away to charity.
5. Lighten Your Schedule: Cut back on the commitments in your calendar of events. If you are really scrambling for some free time, try writing in a day a week to just spend alone and relax...and stick to it!
6. Reframe Your Perspective: As you move through your day, pay attention to what causes you feelings of stress. Our response has much to do with how it will affect us; by reframing our perspective on stressful situations, we can often see that the danger is largely an illusion and maintain a calm frame of mind.
I hope you take some healthy steps toward reducing daily stress. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
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نوشته شده در Wed 27 Jun 2007ساعت 14:18 توسط مسعود
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WASHINGTON - Republican support for the Iraq war is slipping by the day. After four years of combat and more than 3,560 U.S. deaths, two Republican senators previously reluctant to challenge President Bush on the war announced they could no longer support the deployment of 157,000 troops and asked the president to begin bringing them home.
"We must not abandon our mission, but we must begin a transition where the Iraqi government and its neighbors play a larger role in stabilizing Iraq," Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, wrote in a letter to Bush.
Voinovich, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released his letter Tuesday — one day after Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the panel's top Republican, said in a floor speech that Bush's strategy was not working.
"The longer we delay the planning for a redeployment, the less likely it is to be successful," said Lugar, who plans to meet later this week with Stephen Hadley, Bush's national security adviser.
Lugar and Voinovich are not the first GOP members to call for U.S. troops to leave Iraq. Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Gordon Smith of Oregon made similar remarks earlier this year. But their public break is significant because it raises the possibility that Senate Democrats could muster the 60 votes needed to pass legislation that would call for Bush to bring troops home.
Their remarks also are an early warning shot to a lame duck president
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نوشته شده در Wed 27 Jun 2007ساعت 12:44 توسط مسعود
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در ميان فلاسفه و انديشمندان همواره سه گونه تعريف از انسان وجود داشته است: اول انديشمنداني همچون ژان ژاك روسو كه معتقدند « انسانها ذاتا خوبند » و استدلالشان هم بر اين نظر مبتني است كه چون همه انسانها زماني بچه بوده اند ، و بچه ها چون ذاتا پاك و خوب هستند ، پس انسانها نيز ذاتا خوب هستند و در واقع بعدها تحت تاثير عوامل اجتماعي و يا تجربيات زندگي است كه تغيير مي كنند.
دومين تز از آن ِ روانشناساني همچون فرويد است معتقدند « انسانها ذاتا بدند » يعني اگر درست دقت كنيم مي بينيم كه انسانها حتي در بچه گي هم شرارت هاي خودشان را نشان مي دهند و بدنبال استفاده هر چه بيشتر يا سوء استفاده از پدر و مادر و ديگران هستند.
و در نهايت ديدگاه سوم از آن ِ رفتارگرايان اجتماعي است كه بر اين اعتقادند كه « انسانها نه خوبند و نه بد ، بلكه اين محيط اجتماعي و تجربيات زندگي شان است كه آنها را خوب يا بد تربيت مي كند
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نوشته شده در Wed 27 Jun 2007ساعت 7:32 توسط مسعود
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06-08) 04:00 PDT London -- Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a member of Saudi Arabia's royal family and the kingdom's former ambassador to the United States, pocketed about $2 billion in secret payments as part of an $80 billion arms deal between Britain and Saudi Arabia first signed in 1985, British media reported Thursday.
The reports revived questions about the British government's decision in December to drop a fraud investigation into the deal, which has been plagued by allegations of bribes and secret slush funds for almost two decades
In remarks Thursday, Prime Minister Tony Blair did not comment directly on the reports made on the BBC and in the Guardian newspaper. But he repeated his often-made defense of the decision to drop the investigation on national security grounds.
"This investigation, if it had it gone ahead, would have involved the most serious allegations in investigations being made into the Saudi royal family," Blair said at a meeting of the Group of Eight nations in Germany
He added, "My job is to give advice as to whether that is a sensible thing in circumstances where I don't believe the investigation incidentally would have led anywhere except to the complete wreckage of a vital strategic relationship for our country. ... Quite apart from the fact that we would have lost thousands, thousands of British jobs
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نوشته شده در Wed 27 Jun 2007ساعت 7:28 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Mon 25 Jun 2007ساعت 11:15 توسط مسعود
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Social etiquette in conversation is about simple good manners. What's most important is that you put the person you're talking to at ease and that they feel as though they had a chance to say what they wanted to say and that you listened to them and responded to them sensitively.
There are a few things to bear in mind about conversation etiquette:
1. Don't hijack the conversation
Conversations should be two-way processes where you find out about the other person and what they think on a topic, as well as telling them what you think. Looking at the other person's body language will give you hints about when you've talked enough. Their eyes glazing over as they heave heavy sighs and glance at their watches is always a clue you should stop talking pretty soon!
2. Give people time to speak
Not everyone finds it easy to say what they want to say. Don't be afraid of a few silences in your conversations. A quick look at the face of the person you're talking to will let you know whether they're pausing to think of what to say next; if they've fallen asleep in boredom or if they're scoping the room looking for an escape route! Whatever it is, you probably ought to let them do it.
3. Invite others in
If you can see that someone is struggling for something to say - help them out. Phrase what you said differently if it needs a response and they seem not to understand. But don't be patronizing.
4.Ask questions
Make the questions easy to understand and respond to. That will give the person you're talking to a prompt and help the relax into talking to you.
5. Give people a chance to answer
And make sure you listen. Some people jump straight in with an answer; others like to ponder a question and give a considered response. Either of those options is fine, so make sure you leave time for an answer to be given. You only have to look at facial expressions and body language to know if they are wanting you to step in and rescue them by speaking again.
6. Respect other people's opinions
It doesn't really matter whether the world agrees with you, does it? People are entitled to their opinion and you don't have to launch a single-handed campaign to convince them of the error of their ways. You won't succeed anyway and why does it matter to you? Unless someone is likely to be harmed by holding a particular opinion, leave it well alone. Even if there is a risk of danger, think carefully about whether you're the right person to tell them about it.
7. Don't rain on someone's parade
That's partly linked to the last point, but basically, it means don't dampen someone's enthusiasm. You may see all sorts of pitfalls in their plans or what they're saying, but do you really have to be the person to tell them? Can't you let them find out these things for themselves? After all, the problems you fear may not actually arise.
8. Don't be a know-it-all
You may have a wealth of wisdom and knowledge to pass on to someone, but unless you do it in the right way, it won't be appreciated and it won't do any good. It's important not to be smug when passing on advice. Don't pretend you have all the answers - because you really don't. Also - don't make the other person feel stupid. It's bad manners and they won't listen to you anyway.
9. Don't make disagreement personal
It's fine to differ in opinions - even with friends and loved ones. That's just life and it doesn't hurt anyone. A difference of opinion doesn't have to cause a row and it can actually lead to an interesting conversation - if you approach it right.
That means not making the other person feel stupid for thinking as they do; don't bully or berate someone into agreeing with you - this actually won't work anyway; even if they say they now agree with you, they'll probably be lying! Don't resort to abuse and name calling - and listen to the other person's point of view; you'll have an easier life - and you may even learn something.
10. Difficult conversations were never meant to be easy
Lack of tact is a huge conversation faux pas. It alienates people and means you just don't get listened to. Choose your battles on this and make sure you're the right person to have the conversation; are you close enough and trusted enough to advise this person?
It's simple good manners to choose carefully what you say to people. Make them glad they talked to you. Try to make people feel better for having talked to you. If you know a comment will be unwanted, don't make it unless it's absolutely necessary for someone's welfare. Those are the simple rules of social etiquette in conversation.
An important point.
Neglect communication skills and you limit your happiness and success. And by default you give others control over your life. The only way to be the master of your destiny is to take charge. Know what you really want and have the courage to stand up and be counted.
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نوشته شده در Mon 25 Jun 2007ساعت 5:13 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Mon 25 Jun 2007ساعت 4:34 توسط مسعود
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نوشته شده در Mon 25 Jun 2007ساعت 4:29 توسط مسعود
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When you're done paying a credit card bill, do you call to cancel the card, or do you destroy the card
If you destroy the card and close the account the credit history goes with it. Two things affect your score by doing it. It reduces your overall credit availability and it reduces the amount of months you have had credit. By closing it you lose both factors which affect your score. You can leave the account open and don't use the card or use it once or twice to keep from having the bank closing it. People that keep switching credit cards because of lower interest find that their scores are lower than a similar person who has maintained one or two accounts. An account that has been open for two years is better than having opened and closed three accounts in that same time period. When it comes time for you to get a car or home loan, the lengthy history will work more in your favor than not. Now if you're the person who has a tendency to run up credit cards because the money is available then destroy it. Better your credit score go down than being always in debt.
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نوشته شده در Sat 23 Jun 2007ساعت 7:32 توسط مسعود
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