Unfortunately for my wallet, ethics and general crankiness won out over greed. I've always had typically Marxist reservations about test prep services, which deliver an expensive edge to the critically educationally overserved populations(i.e. the loaded- GRE sessions are $1200ish a pop). This, combined with one of the teaching metrics(literally, the number of times you say the word "Kaplan" per session.....I'm not kidding) had me running for the door within minutes.

I'm pretty sure that working for the Cult of Kaplan would a) make me a corporate whore (I know, I know, I already work for Technology Juggernaut) and b) a much less effective and robotic teacher. Eeesh.

There were several vital factors that I ran into throughout this life cycle.

Content is King – still exists and it reflects in everything you do – from your traffic to your quality – if your content is good it will filter down to conversions, happy affiliate managers etc. If its bad – well the opposite.

Program level– As an affiliate I recognized that there were a wide array of prices for the same offers.  I’d go to one network and get one price – to another and get something way off from the first. Why?  It’s all about the level at which you were working.  If you found the source of the lead gen program – if you found the top – you got paid the most and had the best relationship.  If you ended up under a program of a sub-sub affiliate – you got paid less because you were earning money for 2 – 3 – or 6 people above you.  Also what was the program called?  Where you are lead generator?  Or where you just another affiliate in a large network?  Depending on where you were and what you were doing you were anywhere from a direct affiliate – to a sub affiliate lead generator 10 levels down. (really – you wouldn’t believe the levels involved in this game!)

Otherwise known as aggregators these folks come in all shapes and sizes….the bottom line is it pays to be at the top of the pyramid.  If you can find a direct relationship you are in good hands.

If you’re working to generate education leads you’ve come to the right place.

I manage the SchoolClick.com affiliate program.  Our program bypasses the multitude of lead aggregators offering to pay you less than the full payout available.

As the agency of record for the schools with whom we work we can pay you the highest possible payout.

When you log on to CJ, LinkShare etc. you are seeing education lead gen offers from other sites who are acting as aggregators.  They basically get paid x amount per lead and only send you the smallest possible portion of that payout.  Many of these aggregators are not generating a single lead on their own – they exist as middle men depending on your work.

I have seen offers in major affiliate networks from large aggregators offing a few bucks per lead when in fact they were receiving payments of much much more than those affiliate offers.

So what’s the problem with that?    Nothing really - other than the payouts are not the best.

If you’d like to work at the top – give us a try – sign up at www.schoolclick.com

We are currently offering Ashford, Kaplan, Walden and more  Each of these payouts are over $20 per lead – contact me for exact rates and other info.

We are working to add dozen of new schools within the next few months

Simple and dope! Creative Recreation is one of our favourite brands for a reason and with this Kaplan one they have really topped their selves!!

[caption id="attachment_49" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hayki - Paşa Rhyme"][/caption]

http://carriontrak.wordpress.com |  http://myspace.com/carrion34

Türkçe Rap'in yetenekli gruplarından İhtilal Record´s (!R) bünyesinin Mc'lerinden biri olan Hayki ´Paşa Rhyme´ adlı solo albümünü çıkardı. ´Paşa Rhyme´ın prodüktörlüğünü kendisine aittir. Albümde ki beatler ise geneli Hayki (On2´Beat´Project) ye aittir. Bunun yanında Patron, Da Poet, Ehlirap, İtaat, Şehinşah ve Miralay´ında beatleri bulunmaktadır. Albüm tam tamına 22 trackten oluşmakta ve tüm kayıtlar İhtilal Record´s da alınmıştır, mix&mastering işlemleri yine Hayki´e aittir. Featler Paşa Rhyme'ın havasını iyice arttırmakla kalmamış ayrıca kalitesinide arttırmış bulunmaktadır. Kısacası featlerden şöyle bahsedeyim Tr Self 'den ´Saian & Patron´, (Saian feati zaten daha önce nete verilmişti olympos'a diss track, Patron ile de 2 parça yapılmış biri 4'lü feat diğeri ise benim favorilerimden olan 33 Punch şarkısı) yaptığı işlerle adından sıkça söz ettiren ´Da Poet´, ( tipik bi şarkı bence elle gösterilen bi şarkı pek değil ) bi hayli zamandır çalışmalarını göremediğim ´Fieber´,(bu şarkıyı da beğenmedim desem kızmazsınız demi? ama Hayki yine çok iyi) çıkarttıkları All Elementz ve GGAAS adlı mixtapeleri ile tüm Türkiye´ye seslerini duyuran Almanyadan ´Defkhan & Fırtına´ ikilisi, (işte bu şarkıda Patron'da var gayet hoş bir parça) Hayki´nin grubu İhtilal mc'lerinden ´Kaplan & Garez´, (bu bence farklı bir çalışma) gene ihtilal record´s başarılı bayan vocali Kraliçe (Yas), (süper bir parça desem abarmış olmam Yas ve Hayki'yi herhalde mutlaka dinleyin) ´Brk´ ile beraber albüm çalışmalarına devam eden İ&R bünyesinden ´Matador´ (tadımlık bi parça, zaten matador pek söylememiş) ve Sakarya'nın güçlü isimlerinden ´Miralay´ (buda fena parça değil haa) gibi isimlere rastlıyoruz. Albümdeki scratchler Almanya´dan ´Depbeatz´,´Da Poet´ ve ´Hayki´ nin pikabından. Kapak tasarımını ´Efkan´ yapmıştır. Neyse yine çok konuştum artık indirin gerçekten dinlemenizi oldukça tavsite ettiğim muazzam albüm ´Paşa Rhyme´ senle başbaşa bırakıyorum, keyifli dinlemeler...

Download:

HAYKI - PASA RHYME (tıkla indir)

Online
www.hayki34.com
www.myspace.com/hayki

-Paşa Rhyme Track List-
01-)Hayki-İntro
02-)Hayki-Yaralı Çığlıklar
03-)Hayki-Kramp(feat.Saian)
04-)Hayki-Frost
05-)Hayki-Onlar(feat.Da Poet)
06-)Hayki-Yüzündeki Hınç Kime
07-)Hayki-Paşa Rhyme
08-)Hayki-150/32
09-)Hayki-33 Punch(feat-Patron)
10-)Hayki-Ölümden Korkuyormusun
11-)Hayki-Battle Text(feat.Fieber)
12-)Hayki-Yorulur Dizler
13-)Hayki-3459(Defkhan&Fırtına&Patron)
14-)Hayki-Kentin Işıkları(feat.İhtilal)
15-)Hayki-Hayatın İnsanları(feat.Yas)
16-)Hayki-Canavar
17-)Hayki-Junlajubalam(feat.Matador)
18-)Hayki-Seni Diledim(feat.Miralay)
19-)Hayki-Anlayışınız Uykuda
20-)Hayki-Tek Yol
21-)Hayki-21.Şarkı
22-)Hayki-Hoşçakalın Şimdilik

-Paşa Rhyme İnstrumental-
Hayki(On2´Beat´Project)(1,2,3,4,6,8,10,11,12,15,17,19,20,21,22)
Hayki&Patron(9,13)
Da Poet(5)
İtaat(7)
Şehinşah(16)
Miralay( 18 )
Ehlirap(14)

First:

LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC. ACQUIRES LEADING UNIVERSITIES IN MEXICO AND COSTA RICA

Baltimore, Maryland, July 8, 2008 - Laureate Education, Inc. today announced it has acquired the Universidad Tecnológica de México (UNITEC), one of the largest private universities in Mexico, and the Universidad Latina and Universidad Americana (UAM) in Costa Rica.

UNITEC has eight campuses throughout Mexico, including six in Mexico City, one in Guadalajara and one in Monterrey. The university has a 40-year tradition of providing higher education throughout the country, and today serves more than 36,000 students….

Universidad Latina, the largest private university in Costa Rica, was founded in 1989 and has more than 16,000 students. The university is widely recognized for its health sciences programs, including medicine and dentistry. UAM, founded in 1997, has more than 4,000 students, and specializes in business education. Combined, the schools have 13 campuses throughout Costa Rica.

Continue reading here…

Second:

APOLLO GROUP, INC. APPOINTS STRATEGIC AND FINANCIAL ADVISOR CHARLES B. EDELSTEIN AS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 7, 2008--Apollo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:APOL) ("Apollo Group," "Apollo" or "the Company") today announced the appointment of Charles "Chas" B. Edelstein as Chief Executive Officer and Director, effective August 26, 2008. Apollo's founder, Dr. John G. Sperling, continues to act as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors….

Mr. Edelstein, 48, has more than 20 years of experience as a strategic and financial advisor. He joins Apollo Group from Credit Suisse, where he served as a Managing Director and headed the Global Services Group within the Investment Banking Division, as well as the Chicago investment banking office. Mr. Edelstein founded and oversaw Credit Suisse's leading advisory practice in the education industry, where he served as advisor to many of the largest education companies, including Apollo Group.

Continue reading here…

Finally, the Wall Street Journal noted, today, that Marcus Brauchli, the former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal (now owned by Rupert Murdoch) will become the Washington Post’s new executive editor. The formal press release is here.

Why profile this topic? Recall that the Washington Post, despite its iconic status, is effectively being bankrolled by private for-profit global higher ed (aka Kaplan), as we noted in an entry titled 'Pulitzer Prizes and the global higher ed industry'. This point is reinforced in the Wall Street Journal:

But the Post has been struggling with the same forces that have devastated the newspaper industry in recent years -- defections of readers and advertisers to the Web. Over the past 24 months, the paper's weekday circulation has dropped 7.1% to 673,180, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Print-ad revenue fell 13% in 2007, according to the Post. While Washington Post Co. has been somewhat insulated from the impact of these changes by its profitable Kaplan education business, the paper has lately taken steps to cut costs. It eliminated more than 100 newsroom positions, bringing the total newsroom count to about 700 from its peak of more than 900 in 2003. Some staffers worry that further cuts are coming.

These three news items are lenses onto three related development patterns:

• Diversification, dependency, and cross-subsidy via for-profit private higher ed (in the case of Kaplan).
• The extension of private higher ed networks into new 'emerging market' geographies via the acquisition of private universities (in the case of Laureate).
• Financialization, with institutions of for-profit private higher ed reaching into the calculative networks that enable global higher ed value chains to be designed and brought to life (in the case of Apollo).

Given the scale of education services on offer via Laureate, Apollo, and Kaplan - over 2 million students being served right now - these news items and development patterns are worth taking note of.

Kris Olds

Aslanla bufaloların savaşı...

Kurt avlayan kartallar...

Sürüden koyunu kapan kartal...

Ve diğerleri...

Belgesel İzle-İndir

http://belgeselindir.blogspot.com

Being an online educator at Kaplan University my IT/IS students crave a way to build some real experience and I wonder if they could do this while helping communities in need. Please send me good thoughts and prayers to see if I can be an instigator of this kind of program...maybe I can attach it to my 'women in technology' passion.

My preparation for USMLE Step 2 CK was somewhat less dramatic, less intense and less varied than step 1. However if you sit for the preparation after giving step 1 it is still tiring. The first thing is that there are not a lot of good books as options for studying step 2. Almost everyone studies the Kaplan series with some additions. The books I used were:

1. Kaplan series for Step 2 CK: IM, OB/GYN, PED, SURG, PSY (All other series like HY etc are not popular for step 2)
2. Kaplan Qbook Step 2 CK (its quite easy compared to the exam but i thought it was still good for practice)
3. USMLEworld Qbank Step 2 CK (your main source of questions)
4. Step 2 Mock Exam (Not very useful, questions are not according to pattern in exam, can contribute to knowledge, do only if time)
5. Kaplan DVD: Only ones worth watching are Medicine. Pediatrics is totally useless avoid at all costs (just reading from the book). Many people like to watch the obgyn ones but I didnt. If you are gonna sit for step 2 right after step 1, chances are u will be pretty bored and u will wanna be over with it soon. In that case if u get very bored watching any DVD is still better than reading nothing at all. One more thing the DVDs in Pakistan are quite old (2002), make sure you have the latest books)
6. If you really wanna do good at screening questions you should go through some sections of the U.S. Preventive Task Force website (Google USPSTF): Here you have to go and see the latest guidelines for immunization and prevention of the most popular diseases. The website is pretty huge and you do not need to go through all of it. Go to this page:
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/cps3dix.htm#infectious
Select the most common diseases in each category e.g. in cancer see colon, breast etc. Do the preventive measures only. Read the recommendations but make sure you LEARN only the stuff in BOLD. i.e. the actual recommendation. You can read the rationale but no need to memorize it. Remember do this only if u start early and have a lot of time. There are a good number of screening questions on the exam and although u can do most from kaplan, this web site will help you get the extra question or two correct.

Step 2 preparation is shorter and takes much less time than step 1. You should go through kaplan 3 times and then qbook and usmleworld or any other sources you can find. The main thing is to practice questions. Also you need to increase your reading speed. The questions on step 2 are much longer than step 1. Although there is a good mixture of short, medium and long questions throughout the exam but overall the question sizes are much larger. You need to practice reading through questions quickly and picking up all the facts. It is an exam of reading as much as knowledge. Remember it is one hour longer than step 1 (one extra block). It is a very tiring exam. Be very careful about time! It flies by! Do not ponder over a single question very long. You cannot do all the questions right and nobody does. If you can figure out the answer in less than minute then its fine. Otherwise take a chance and move on to the next question.

Although step 2 preparation is a little easier than step 1, ironically the exam is a bit tougher. But if you put in some good work there is no reason you shouldnt get a good score. If anyone has questions feel free to ask. Best of luck!

One of the first educational software releases was Brain Age. Brain Age 2 is now out and promises to give your brain a workout by making questioning fun and competitive. This software encourages building your 'brain power' during your spare time, just minutes a day,  in check out lines, or waiting for a ride.

Recently, a girl's junior high school in Tokyo, Japan adopted the Nintendo DS as a means of assisting the teaching of the English Language to their students. Students used the plastic stylus to spell words correctly and were awarded once they completed five levels. The English Language for Japanese program also included video of a teen ordering food in English and dialogue for the students to repeat.

The program is on a trial basis in just a few schools. Students reported the exercise as fun while they learned and an instructor said the students were inspired to achieve on the game systems. Overall, however, the reaction from educators, staff, and parents is mixed. The school is getting 40 of the systems and the software for free for being part of a test group.

There are many other educational software titles for the DS.  Kaplan is now making SAT review programs for the DS, and Electronic Arts has adapted its popular Brain Quest game to name just a few. Crossword puzzles, Suduko, and mental puzzles have also been around for quite awhile.

The verdict is indeed still out on the value of the Nintendo DS as an educational tool. I really enjoy seeing educational software and uses created and adopted for already successful systems.  A big part of education is being able to bring information to the learners' interest and life. What better way than to use technology they are already familar with and using.

What is truly needed is Software Developers Kit for Educators that is incredibly simple to use and would allow teachers to add terms and questions to the Nintendo DS and choose outcomes for correct and incorrect responses. If anyone knows a way to do this please contact the staff here at Wired Educator. One major aspect of the DS which has not even been mentioned in the eduational setting is it's ability to chat and share with other users. This could be very helpful in research, discussions, group work, and collaborative learning groups.  Lots of possibilities. It is too early to recommend but I like this direction on and educational focus.

While I was g chatting with Melinda she had the best idea evs. She wants to open a restaurant called Something Delicious. If you and your friends want to eat there you can just say "Ohhhh I want Something Delicious for dinner," how perfect. I think the motto should be "Something Delicious this way comes." A play on the infamous Macbeth quote "Something wicked this way comes."

Something Delicious would probably serve mac and cheese, cinny buns, ruby red cocktails, and really yummy roast chicken. Probably also arepas with that awesome cotijo cheese. Melinda would want pomegranate juice with soda along with chocolate lava cake. What else would we have?

After scheming I did do a little work. During lunch I had my public speaking thing and I got to do word of the day. I was choosing between borborymi (a rumbling sound caused by gas moving through the intestines), aspidistra (any plant belonging to the lily family) or bumptious (offensively self assertive). I settled on bumptious. Used in a sentence one could say "I was enraged when the bumptious young republican cut me in line at The Rookery."

(image courtesy of Prep-Unit)

After work I made my way to Clarendon to attend a Kaplan marketing event disguised as a business school fair. It was actually really great and I've decided to take a class. Yeah okay the marketing worked. But, for me, I think I need it in order to get a score that will get me into a top school.

I got home late, packed for my trip to Charleston tomorrow, watched some Sex and the City and went to bed!

Na era do conhecimento o maior patrimônio das organizações é o saber que não está sendo devidamente mensurado.

Quando observamos o modelo tradicional de balanço patrimonial, não podemos compreender de maneira clara o valor dos ativos intangíveis, porém alguns teóricos apresentam modelos de gestão do capital intelectual.

O Balanced Scorecard de Kaplan e Norton, o radar de Stewart, e o sistema de gerenciamento e avaliação de patrimônios de conhecimento de Sveiby.

Estes autores acima citados, são conhecidos internacionalmente na área de pesquisa dos ativos intangíveis.

Eles demonstram como é possível alcançar sucesso finaceiro, ampliando o foco para os ativos intangíveis, utilizando um indicador especifico, pois os indicadores financeiros tradicionais não tem a capacidade de mensura-los.

Reggie Brown, NBC5 Street Team

The second annual Gen Art Film Festival kicked off on Monday at The Music Box Theatre in Wrigleyville. The week long showcase of independent films highlights some of todays hottest actors and directors showing two films a night -- a short film to start, followed by a feature  film.

The first full feature to be shown at this year's festival was "Bart Got A Room," a autobiographical comedy starring William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, Steven Kaplan and Alia Shawkat. Written and directed by Brian Hecker, the story follows Danny (Kaplan) on his desperate journey to find a suitable date to his senior prom and his pursuit to 'Get a room'.

I caught up with co-stars Alia Shawkat (Maeby from Arrested Development) and Steven Kaplan on the red carpet, and they gave me some insight into their roles in the film (see video below).

The festival continues through Friday at AMC Piper's Alley with amazing after parties sponsored by Stella Artois and Reyka Vodka to follow each film.  Only $15 for members and $20 for non-members gets you a ticket each night and exclusive access to the after party. I'll be back out on Thursday to check out Dark Streets. The after party is at Rockit Bar and Grill, so come on out and party with me!

[dailymotion id=x5wrns]

There are a number of study guides for the DAT, including the Kaplan DAT with CD-ROM, 2007-2008 Edition. While Kaplan is probably the most well known, there are a number of other very good study guides. Barron's How to Prepare for the Dental Admissions Test is also quite good.

During my own preparation for the DAT I was very satisfied with TopScore Pro for the DAT. It contained 3 complete exams that are in the exact format of the DAT. It appeared just as if you were taking the exam, except it includes a small timer in the corner to let you know how your pace is doing compared to where you should be in the exam. With that timer you are aware if you are ahead or behind in your timing.

I might also suggest taking a look at the How To Ace Your DAT blog. You can find some good tips there to help you improve your score.

I am putting off doing my homework. I know I shouldn't but it's a nice day out and I do not want to read inside. I want to sit on a swing and smell freshly cut grass until the cows, literally come home. I wonder if my professors realize how hard it is to study when there is summer just outside the darn door! I want ice cream, bathing suits and parades...what do I get instead? Tractor pulls, Craft fairs and freshly laid cow patties! Yum (NOT).

I want a Popsicle..cherry. I want one but we have none in the house. I am on the crux of a Popsicle craving bar none and I just may cry if I do not get one soon..I may even resort to that old standby freezing koolaid...(in fact that sounds mighty good to me). I played the Lottery last night..but keep forgetting to check my numbers. If I win you can bet I am buying myself one lovely Popsicle! Cherry and maybe pay off my student loans and get my arse out of IRS hell. (meep)

Since wishes are like fishes and stink after over sitting too long I will let them go and just focus on being happy. I miss my Izzy and I can just imagine her flying about on her bike at this very moment. She has the loveliest blond hair, my Izzy, and she has a voice that phones love to listen to. I have no idea where she got the voice, mine sounds like a 13 year old. The blond hair comes from her Aunt JOJO. A fact that I use to get ribbed about "You sure she's your kid and not a product of a Mark/JOJO love-in?" I think I recall the labor thanks so much. I started labor at 6Am and didn't have her until 10:39 Pm..so you tell me..would I recall it? (Thats what I thought!) For those slow in counting thats 16 hours of labor. (The Horror!) Which resulted in a c-section and a lower tummy that hangs like a hammock off my body.

Izzy is the most gorgeous child, she looks 100% like her dad...dern it. If I ever have another child ( a very slim option at this time considering my ongoing divorce status) I would like the next one to have at the very least my smile. I kinda like my smile..or maybe my eyes, people say they are ok...certainly hoping that my nose gets skipped..cause no one should be saddled with that one..(grin) The funniest thing about my Izzy is that she may look 100% like her dad, but she is 100% me in personality..in fact as an up-his-sleeve-joke God make her worse than me by making her a Pisces. Her dreamy personality, quirky nature, and her stubborn will are paired nicely with her Capricorn moon in my opinion, (her rising sign is Scorpio) in case you wondered, she has such an imagination however that I fear for her one day husband..poor man. (grin) She has such a strong imagination that at one point she was convinced the cat was evil and staring at her in the dark..(huge drama I assure you!) Everything Isabelle feels is 120% she is just always right there with it. The good and the bad is present. I always say the things that will make her the coolest adult are also the traits that drive parents up the flipping wall! Persistence, stubbornness, inventiveness and a deeply tender emotional side that borders at times on the hysterical side. Ah yes, thats her all right!

Ok, I will now finish reading my homework, honest, but I don't have to like it..do I? I also have to read my new Wisconsin Drivers Manuel...(didn't I already do this in Florida? HUFF!!) Cricket got out of the back yard again, that dog should be renamed Houdini. This time I am wise to her, I will wait and let her make her own way back into the back yard..why chase her down if she only returns on her own anyhow? Note to self: work smarter not harder.

The tracker pull is this weekend, Shay is selling craft stuff during the festival and I hope she does well, she has been killing herself making aprons, bags, place mats, and vests. That girl can sure sew like a machine! I tried my hand at the sewing machine and will blushingly admit to creating more chuckles than actual work. I think I am sewing machine challenged. I will just wait for my cross-stitching to appear in the mail. I want very badly to do some red-work for Christmas. I will post my results here for your ohhing and ahhing pleasure. (grin)

Thats me y'all. How the hell are you?

Bekki

Sigmund Mutznock ist ein trauriges Beispiel dafür, wie ein nicht unintelligenter Charakter auf falsche Bahnen gerät und schließlich scheitert. Er biederte sich zunächst im Dankwart-Forum an, später assistierte er - ein vermeintlicher Karriereschub - dem Betrüger "J. Kaplan" in dessem "Redlichkeitsforum". Gemeinsam mit R. Pfarrpfeifer fiel er "Kaplan" in den Rücken und gründete das "Forum der guten Menschen", wo er sich auf das Lächerlichste aufspielte, "redliche" und "unredliche" Farben verteilte, was zweifellos den Höhepunkt seines Lebens darstellte. Über Nacht wurde das Forum vom Anbieter geschlossen und der Narr Mutznock verschwand in der Versenkung.

Tabu - jest to głęboki i fundamentalny zakaz kulturowy, którego złamanie powoduje spontaniczną i niejednokrotnie gwałtowną reakcję ze strony ogółu przedstawicieli tej kultury, gdyż jest przez nich odbierane jako zamach na całą strukturę tej kultury i jej integralność, a więc jako zagrożenie dla dalszego istnienia danego społeczeństwa. Tabu może obejmować czynności, miejsca, przedmioty lub osoby. W najczystszym i najpierwotniejszym znaczeniu terminu czynności te, miejsca, osoby i przedmioty są zarazem zakazane i święte.

W nieco węższym, tylko do niektórych społeczeństw odnoszącym się i bardziej potocznym sensie, są to sprawy, działania, zagadnienie, co do których istnieje rodzaj "zmowy milczenia". Funkcjonujące w danej społeczności tabu jest wówczas rodzajem autocenzury, zwykle głęboko wpajanej w trakcie procesu wychowawczego. Tabu zabrania głośno mówić, pisać, a nawet myśleć i zauważać sprawy nim objęte.

Wikipedia - Tabu

Tabu może być na przykład śmierć. Nie, nie może. Jest! Od zarania dziejów o umieraniu sie nie mówi, nawet w dzisiejszych czasach jest to temat trudny i dla wielu osób drażliwy, choć mnie osobiście jakoś nie rusza. Przepowiadanie śmierci może mieć bowiem skutki katastrofalne i do niej prowadzić. Naprawdę. Świadczy o tym pewna opowiastka.

Nie wiem czy to historia prawdziwa, czy tylko urban legend, ale podobno dawno, dawno temu żyła sobie księżniczka. No dobra, bez bajania i ściemniania i rysowania drugiego dna, które jest puste. Była sobie babeczka, taka dość młoda. Wierzyła we wróżby i prawdopodobnie w Boga (tak jak większość dewotek, które w każdą niedzielę chodzą na mszę, a w każdy poniedziałek czytają swój horoskop). Takie połączenie oczywiście nie może przynieść dobrych rezultatów, bo pan Bóg nie lubił czarowników - co dosadnie pokazała inkwizycja. No więc kobieta ta poszła do wróżki. Jak zwykle po to, żeby zadać pytania na które można odpowiedzieć w najbardziej zawiły sposób i każda odpowiedź klienta ucieszy - czy będę mieć problemy z pieniędzmi, z pracą, zdrowiem, dziećmi, mężem, piątką kotów... i tak dalej. Wróżka oczywiście odpowiedziała jak tylko potrafiła - mąż i dzieci będą się zachowywać jak dotychczas, w pracy żadnych zmian, jeden z kotów może mieć problemy z oddawaniem moczu, za miesiąc będziesz mieć dobry wpływ gotówki... i zakończyła enigmatycznym - umrzesz dokładnie za rok.
Babka się zdenerwowała, że zostało jej tak mało czasu. Ale któż by się nie zestresował, gdyby jedyna osoba, której naprawdę wierzymy, w tym wypadku pani wróżka, powiedziała, że zostało nam nie więcej niż dwanaście miesięcy życia. Więc zaczęła załatwiać wszystkie swoje sprawy, żeby niezałatwione nie zostały w spadku dla jej dzieci. Spisała testament. I tak dalej i tym podobne. A kiedy przyszedł ten dokładny dzień - umarła. Tak jak wróżka przepowiedziała. Ale nie miała żadnego wypadku, nie zginęła też na śmiertelną chorobę ani z przyczyn naturalnych. Nie skonała ze strachu, ze śmiechu ani niczym się nie udławiła. Po prostu - taka presja na niej ciążyła, że nie mogła unieść tego ciężaru - powiesiła się.

Tak więc tabu jest silne. Jest było i będzie. Zwłaszcza tabu magii, śmierci, bóstw. W czasach prehistorycznych, kiedy żadna cywilizacja się jeszcze nie tworzyła, ludzie już wymyślali bogów. Od zjawisk przyrodniczych przeważnie, bo jakoś trzeba było tłumaczyć sobie błyskawice, deszcze, gwiazdy i wiatr. Tutaj powstaje pewien paradoks, gdyż może i bóstwa budowali, ale zaraz zakazywali wymawiania ich imion, gdyż mogło być to uznane przez siły wyższe za świętokradztwo, a co za tym idzie - mogło sprowadzić karę z niebios (gdyż przeważnie tam umieszczano nowo ulepionych panów świata). Trzeba było więc wybierać z plemion kapłana, który się z bogami komunikował - był ich głosem w świecie profanum.

Właściwie to nie tylko głosem, ale również palcem bogów. Uważano bowiem, że kapłani tacy mają moc leczenia, odpędzania złych duchów, muszą odprawiać ceremonie, gdyż ceremonia bez boskiego wysłannika nie może się udać i muszą robić mnóstwo innych rzeczy. Także czarować. O tak - opłacało się być czarownikiem. Czarownik przeważnie był jednocześnie wodzem plemienia, co dawało mu szerokie pole do manewru. Mógł zmuszać ludzi do dziwnych zachowań, grożąc klątwą lub oferując błogosławieństwa. Szamani byli więc bardzo dobrze usytuowani w hierarchii społecznej. Tylko trzeba było jeszcze narzucić tabu na magię i całkowite tabu na bogów. Na tę pierwszą, żeby nie przyszedł jakiś medyk i nie odebrał mu stanowiska, mimo, że był lepsze w te klocki. Na tych drugich, aby nie przylazł ktoś, kto się uznaje za głos boski bliższy panom niż szanowany powszechnie kapłan. Jednych i drugich skazywano na śmierć. Taka zabawa.

W starożytności, trzeba o tym bowiem napomknąć, było bardzo silnie utrwalone w społeczeństwie tabu śmierci. Takie "nie wywołuj wilka z lasu". W Grecji nawet dostosowano język i bogów do tego, żeby przypadkiem komuś się nie wymsknęło. Słowo oznaczające śmierć (dzisiaj całkowicie zapomniane) zastąpiono zniknięciem (thanatos), które posłużyło jako imię dla Thanatosa - boga śmierci. Wszystko łądnie, pięknie i w ramach tabu. Grecy mieli jednak naciapane we łbie.

Potem przyszło sobie średniowiecze. Też wypełnione tabu po brzegi. Tabu na boga, które zostało do dzisiaj. Tak chronili swojego pana, że nawet mu imienia nie nadali. Oczywiście pan Bóg przez swoich kapłanów zakazał wolności słowa i wolności wyznania. A jeśli się komuś nie podobało to mógł odbyć bliskie spotkanie z gorącym pogrzebaczem, nabitym kolcami fotelem, i panem w czarnym kapturze. Inkwizycja miała to do siebie, że potrafiła się bawić. Cudzym kosztem. Dosłownie i w przenośni.

A dzisiaj? Dzisiaj wciąż mamy tabu na śmierć, tabu na "nie wywoływanie wilka z lasu", przed którym chroni się odpukując w niemalowane i inne. Głownie związane z seksem. Nie mówi się dzieciom skąd się biorą - wymyśla się bajeczki o bocianach i kapuście zamiast powiedzieć o jajkach i plemnikach. Nawet w łóżku, dorośli partnerzy nie powiedzą sobie na co mają ochotę. Obchodzą swoje fantazje naokoło mając nadzieję, że partner zrozumie o co chodzi. I nikt nie powie penis, ani pochwa, bo to takie trudne do wymówienia i krępujące. A przecież jedno małe słowo może bardzo wiele zdziałać.

I w ten sposób doszliśmy od śmierci do seksu. Tak, nekrofilia też jest tabu. Ale o tym może kiedy indziej.

Everlast - Black Jesus

All’inizio del ventunesimo secolo, il Pentagono ha completato la divisione del pianeta in “aree di responsabilità” militari attribuite a Comandi Supremi. Niente chiarisce l’ambizione egemonica a stelle e strisce meglio dell’elencazione di queste cinque - poi diventate sei - zone, che coprono tutto il Pianeta e partecipano direttamente al controllo dell’Eurasia. Essendo quest’ultima la vera posta in palio, a partire dalla dottrina Brzezinski fino agli ideologi neoconservatori William Kristol e Lawrence Kaplan i quali affermano testualmente: “La nostra supremazia non può essere mantenuta a distanza. L’America deve al contrario considerarsi sia una potenza europea, sia una potenza asiatica, sia – beninteso – una potenza mediorientale”.
Ebbene, due di questi comandi supremi non sono rilevanti per il nostro discorso. Il primo, il Comando Nord (NORTHCOM), copre il continente nordamericano ed una zona fino a cinquecento miglia marine dalle coste. Il secondo, il Comando Sud (SOUTHCOM), continuazione della vecchia Dottrina Monroe, copre l’America centrale, i Caraibi e l’insieme dell’America meridionale; controlla inoltre il Golfo del Messico, le acque territoriali prospicienti alle coste ed una parte dell’Oceano Atlantico.
Gli altri comandi ci interessano più direttamente, in particolare il terzo, il Comando Europa (EUCOM), la cui area di responsabilità non si limita all’Unione Europea ma include la zona balcanica, Ucraina, Bielorussia, il Caucaso e la Russia fino a Vladivostock. L’EUCOM, rispetto agli altri Comandi, ha una peculiarità: i suoi legami con la NATO. Il comandante dell’esercito statunitense in Europa è infatti anche il comandante supremo delle forze inquadrate nella NATO. Questo doppio comando sempre attribuito ad un alto ufficiale statunitense integra la NATO nella struttura del Pentagono e quindi nella strategia egemonica globale degli USA. Un rapporto di dipendenza che viene ribadito in un documento ufficiale dell’EUCOM quando afferma che “la trasformazione dell’EUCOM sosterrà la trasformazione della NATO”.
Il quarto è il Comando di Centro (CENTCOM) che comprende l’Egitto, il Vicino e Medio Oriente sino al Pakistan e le repubbliche dell’Asia centrale. E’ il comando che conduce le operazioni attualmente in corso in Irak ed Afghanistan, in collaborazione con la NATO.
Il quinto è il Comando Pacifico (PACOM) che ingloba l’India, il Sud-est asiatico, la Cina, il Giappone e le isole del Pacifico. La sua zona marittima si estende dalla costa occidentale del continente americano alla costa orientale dell’Africa, dall’Artico all’Antartico. Può essere considerato la zona cruciale del dispiegamento, per lo spazio che copre, perché ospita il 60% della popolazione mondiale e le sei forze armate più consistenti per numero di effettivi: Cina, India, Russia, Stati Uniti e le due Coree.
Una sesta zona di comando è stata creata nel 2007 per l’Africa. L’AFRICOM dovrebbe diventare operativa entro il 2008, coprendo tutto il continente nero tranne l’Egitto. E’ l’evidente segnale che l’Africa, a causa soprattutto della penetrazione cinese, è oggi una vera posta strategica, non distinta però dall’area eurasiatica, e lo dimostra il fatto che la sede del suo comando si trova in Germania, a Stoccarda, sede anche dell’EUCOM.

On Tuesday, hours before Obama clinched the Democratic nomination, McCain, signaling the start of the general election, told a crowd in New Orleans, "Americans ought to be concerned about the judgment of a presidential candidate who says he's ready to talk, in person and without conditions, with tyrants from Havana to Pyongyang."

This article was written by FRED KAPLAN. The complete article, along with a "neoconnified" picture of Senator Obama can be seen at :

http://www.slate.com/id/2192940/

How does Mr. McCain mean his word tyrant? Is it the standard Webster's meaning or the neocon meaning? Neocons take great liberty with the meaning of English words.

Tyrants: As Possibly Seen Through the Eyes of a Neocon:

From: Frontline's the Age of 'neocons'

Tyrant:

For the neocon, a "tyrant" is someone who does not adopt capitalist democracy. The desire to remove Saddam Hussein - then the other "rogue states" and those that belong in the "axis of evil" - comes from this impulse as much as from the corporate elites within the Bush administration who want to secure markets and privatise the delivery of services. The ideological justification for Bush's evangelical imperialism is driven by such neocon assumptions.

And the neocons seems to look at negotiation in a different way:

In the foreign policy field, concepts like detente, containment and negotiation make little sense to the neocons who are more interested in an outright war against all their enemies. In this sense, the neocons draw much from an unlikely source, someone who influenced many of them in their youth: Leon Trotsky. Many prominent acolytes of Trotsky within the U.S. took to the path of conservatism, most dramatically, James Burnham, who wrote the 1964 anti-liberal screed `Suicide of the West' and then won the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Ronald Reagan. Irving Kristol began his political life at the City University of New York in the 1930s as a follower of Trotsky, whose own critique of the USSR allowed Kristol to abandon an early flirtation with Marxism.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2102/stories/20040130000506400.htm

This article can be read at the above link.

The world is slowly "cratering" and McCain is concerned about who would sit down and talk to what he calls tyrants. Neocons are noted for wars - not negotiation. If Senator Obama was as "trigger happy" as the neocons, that would be more to the liking of the neocon:

You can't MAKE a neocon talk about the elusive yellowcake. You can't MAKE a neocon talk about why the Iraq war was started. You can't MAKE a neocon talk about KATRINA. You can't MAKE a neocon talk about how they "managed" the high price of gasoline. The neocons have been working in the employ of America for eight years and now they campaign on who Obama would talk to if elected.

Why not tell America how the neocons managed to save those "wheel chair bound" American citizens from New Orlean's floods. Obviously they could not swim.

Why not tell America why the neocons started a war of aggression against Iraq. Human beings are "funny". If they want to know something that nobody wants to talk about, they will figure it out themselves. Why did the Bush team go to war with Iraq?

Some guessed that the Iraq war was started because Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate the senior bush. No matter how much America wanted to know why its money was being spent and why its children were being killed in Iraq - MUM was the word for the Bush team. Senator McCain would rather TELL AMERICA who Obama would talk to. It is more important to TELL AMERICA why it is fighting a war in Iraq. Only the bush team knows for sure. And apparently Senator McCain feels it is more important to tell America who Obama would talk to than to tell America why its sons and daughters are being killed in Iraq. It's not about the OIL. the 2003 Secretary of Defense said: "It's not about the oil". We all know it's not about the oil - RIGHT?

Technorati : age of neocons, gasoline, havana, iraq, kaplan, katrina, mccain, pyongyang, slate, tyrants, yellowcake