What does it mean to be American

What does it really mean? How is it like to be an American? What does one make adhere to such a title? At this time of worldwide detestation, distrust and contempt towards the Americans all over the world this is a question which is important to put and it is as important to answer.
Is having citizenship simply enough to classify one as an American? The response is definitely no, as the Constitution of the USA protects all of those who live and work within the borders between Canada and Mexic regardless of their citizenship.
"American" is a word which defines all of those within the borders of the USA. It encompasses all of those who are the heirs of the early settlers, all of those who were brought to this land under the shackles of slavery, all of those who are the descendants of Native-American, and all of those who have immigrated here willingly in pursuit of a much better life.
Despite this one singular designation, "American" we are not a nation of people, for a nation of people share common heritage, common language, and common religion. The United States is not, has never been, and shall never be a nation-state.
This, I think, is something that everyone who is American can take pride in; that we all hail from different and diverse backgrounds, we are of all religious faiths, we are all of our own personal beliefs, and we come from all countries.
Not in spite of these differences, but in pride because of them, we can embrace the future as one group of people, Americans who have compassion for their fellow Americans, Americans who share the same equal rights and privileges, and above all Americans who do not carry with them contempt for their fellow Americans. These are the things that the Constitution underscores.
Yes, it is true that Americans have fought amongst themselves in the past, and in the past they have committed extraordinary crimes, despicable things that are decidedly "un-American." However, the past is the world of yesterday and of yesteryear. The past should be remembered and not ever forgotten, but it should also be left in the past, for if we cannot do that then we cannot embrace the future in and move forward through it. The future is now; it is the world of today, and of this very instance. Will we move forth together in stride, or will we be cursed to wear the sins of the past on our sleeves and drive the wedges between us deeper still? For the sake of our selves, our children, and of all future generations, we must burn those sleeves and embrace the future together, as Americans, for our time, and for all time.
For the one value that decidedly defines the term "American" is that we are a diverse group of people, that we are a tolerant people, that we are not a nation of people, rather we are an assemblage of people who hail from all of the nations of the world, and from all faiths. That is what the term "American" truly means.

Stupid American Laws and Regulations

In Atwoodville, Connecticut, it is illegal to play Scrabble while wailting for a politician to speak.

In Nebraska, a parent can be arrested in his or her child can’t hold back a burp during a church service. It is also against the law to sneeze in a Nebraska church. Meanwhile in God-fearing Alabama, it is illegal to wear a false moustache which causes laughter in church.

It is illegal to walk down the street in Maine with your shoelaces undone.

In Pennsylvania, it is illegal for a man to purchase alcohol without written consent from his wife.

When a man meets a cow in Minnesota, he is required by law to remove his hat.

In Texas, it is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.

It is illegal to spit into the wind in Nebraska.

In Ohio, women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public. In Cleveland, Ohio, it is illegal to catch mice without a hunting licence.

In North Dakota, it is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

No store is Providence, Rhode Island, is allowed to sell a toothbrush on a Sunday. But they can sell toothpaste and mouthwash on the Sabbath.

In Kansas, it’s against the law to catch fish with your bare hands.

An Ohio law states that pets have to carry lights on their tails at night.

In Florida, women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. And men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.

In Vermont, it is illegal for a woman to wear false teeth without first obtaining written permission from her husband.

In Iowa, it is illegal for a kiss to last more than five minutes.

In Oklahoma, it is illegal to get a fish drunk. You also risk arrest, a fine or a jail sentence if you are caught making “ugly faces” at a dog.

You may not eat cottage cheese after 6pm on a Sunday in Tampa Bay, Florida.

In California it is illegal to peel an orange in your hotel room.

In Milwaukee, residents must keep pet elephants on a leash while walking them on public streets.

In Mobile, Alabama, it is illegal to howl at ladies inside the city limits.

Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate on private property in groups of three or more in Oklahoma.

In Muncie, Indiana, it is illegal to carry fishing tackle in a cemetery.

It is illegal to go fishing while wearing pyjamas in Chicago.

It is strictly against the law to allow lions to run wild on the streets of Alderson, West Virginia.

In New York, a fine of $25 may still be levied for flirting. This old law prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking “at a woman in that way”. A second conviction for this crime requires the offender to wear a pair of racehorse blinkers whenever he goes out!.

In Kirkland, Illinois, it is forbidden that fly over the town.

In California, it is illegal for anyone to try and prevent a child from playfully jumping over a puddle of water.

In Tusla, you may not open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.

In California, it is illegal to threaten a butterfly, let alone kill one.

In Massachusetts, snoring it prohibited unless all bedroom windows are closed and securely locked. In the same state, goatee beards are banned unless you pay a special licence fee for the privilege of wearing one in public.

In Atlanta, Gerogia, it is forbidden to dress a mannequin without first pulling down the window blinds. It is also illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.

A law in Kansas reads: “When trains meet at a crossing, both shall come to a full stop and neither shall proceed until the other has gone.”

At International Falls, Minnesota, it is illegal for a dog to chase a cat up a telegraph pole. Owners are liable to be fined.

It is illegal to carry an ice-cream cone in your pocket in Kentucky.

Mothers-in-law. Behaviour and characteristics.

Mothers-in-law, also called “her mother”, are a unique and distinct human species. Unfortunately they do not disappear, this is the problem most married men encounter. They do not live either as normal and natural humans. They simply interfere with honest men’s life, they bother young honourable gentlemen and husbands who want to have some fun late at night in a pub or refuse to take their newly born baby out for a walk.
A typical mother-in-law is 40 or 50 years old, retired or on her way to retirement, a good looking, or on the contrary, a one in a thousand ugly woman, who has no other concern than to take care of her beloved child. The fact is most mothers-in-law totally forget that their babies are frown-ups, young responsible persons who want to enjoy at least a moment of peace and quiet. A mother-in-law leaves you no break: she is a pain in that part of the body- If you got a training session to become a SWAT, you would have more free time for yourself and your wife. But your mother-in-law might be even tougher and more challenging.
How does she behave?
On a typical day she phones you to ask if you have fed the baby and if you have bought flowers for aunt Mary’s birthday. (Who’s this aunt Mary after all?!) You did not? Oh my God!!! YOU PIG! You should go and buy some at once! She will be at your place at 12 p.m. Unlucky you, this was supposed to be your free day. The guys were coming to see a football match on TV. At 12 p.m. sharp, she knocks at the door. Your place is a mess – in her opinion – the baby cries and you stink. Your wife told you to do this and that, but you did not, she knows that and nothing can make her believe something else. Yet, the day is saved once more by your mother-in-law. She actually drives anyone crazy – and brings what she calls “order” to other people’s lives.
She starts doing the housework and claims you should do the same. Whatever, helping her is just a stage in your life. But the fact is nothing is well done. Eventually leaving home is a decision to be made. At 7 p.m., when you are back, your life is ruined. The wife knows you are lazy, drunkard and ignore the child.
And above all mum wanted to help but got no support from anybody in the house. Is it any use to get angry with her? No, there is not. She is just another pain there-
At least she makes good food, which is not the case with her daughter.

Roman Britain

In the summer of the Roman year 699, now described as the year 55BC, the Proconsul of Gaul, Gaius Julius Caesar, turned his gaze upon Britain. He knew it was inhabited by the same type of tribesmen who confronted the Roman army in Germany, Gaul and Spain.
On 26 August, 55 BC the great Roman general invaded Britain for the first time. This was to be the first military conquest of the British Isles. His army set sail from Gaul and landed somewhere near Dover. The highly efficient Roman troops had little difficulty in routing the local Celtic chieftains. Caesar decided to return the following year considering this first expedition as a preliminary to the conquest. On 6 July 54 BC, legionaries and cavalry set sail to Britain in 800 boats. Caesar conquered the south-eastern part – the most accessible and the richest - of the island but the coming of winter forced him to return to Rome. He had now the knowledge that Britain was far from being the primitive island of brutal tribesmen which Romans had previously imagined it to be.
In 43AD, emperor Claudius decides to incorporate Britain into the Roman Empire. So began what was called the “ Roman occupation “ which was to last for 360 years.
The superior Roman civilization imposed its values over the Celtic society. This material culture was strongest in the towns. The ruins of the Roman cities and villas which we can still visit today are remarkable. Having imposed a uniform set of principles in architecture all over the Empire, whether we talk about Africa, the Middle East or Europe, the new comers brought their sense for order and symmetry. Towns were planned in chessboard squares for communities dwelling under orderly government. The building rose in accordance with the pattern standardized throughout the Roman Empire. The urban areas had their forum, temples, and courts of justice, baths, markets and main drains. During the first century of occupation the builders took in consideration an increasing population. Nowadays the experts dispute the population of Roman Britain, and rivals estimates vary between 500,000 and 1.5 million. It seems certain that the army, the civil administration, the townsfolk, the high class and their dependants amounted to 300.000 or 400,000 people.
London, the Roman Londinium, had become the center of the road system and an export market for corn and cloth. An extensive and well-planned city with mighty walls took the place of the wooden trading settlement of 61AD. At the end of the 3rd century money was coined in the London mint, and the city was the headquarters of the financial administration. In the later days of the Roman occupation it seems to have been the center of civil government, as York was of the military, although it never received the status of municipium. From the objects dug up in all the south-eastern part of Britain it has been possible to reconstruct the pleasant life then enjoyed by the well-to-do under the protection of the Roman rule. Togas, shoes and sandals of leather seem to have been worn in the Roman fashion. In cold weather, rooms were kept warm by heated flues beneath mosaic-patterned floors.
Christianity seems not to have had an important role in Roman Britain, given the fact that they worshiped many different deities. The proto-martyr St. Alban, who is said to have suffered for the faith under Diocletian, is spoken of with some uncertainty. In 313 AD emperor Constantine the Great offered the possibility to practice the Christian belief. In 314 the first British bishops are present at Arles. By the year 391, when Emperor Theodosius ordered the closure of the pagan temples, the British Church was highly organized, sending its bishops and delegates to the great councils held on the continent. The British – actually Romano-Briton - Church was still not strong enough to be an influential institution in the political game. The Anglo-Saxon later gave it a status of high importance but the Normans took it to the highest point of development in the early Middle Ages, reshaping it as an efficient instrument of submission of the natives
For over 300 years Britain remained a relatively untroubled outpost of the Roman Empire, the barbarians, from beyond the frontiers being kept at bay by forts and legions along coasts and in the north by Hadrian’s Wall. Stretching 73 miles from the Tyne to Solway, it remains the most impressive surviving Roman landmark in the country.
Roman soldiers looked very different from the Celts they defeated. They wore metal helmets and articulated plate armour and carried shields with a sword suspended and dagger suspended from a belt. A high degree of fitness was demanded so that a legionary could leap fully armed on a horse or swim with all his equipment across a river. The legions were dotted across Britain and were established in forts sited to achieve maximum strategic defence. In some instances the pattern of fort-building will be followed by the Normans who also took great advantage of the old Roman roads, sometimes still in use.
There was law, order and peace and a long established custom of life during the Roman occupation. The population was free from barbarism without being sunk in sloth or luxury. The culture was just a pale reflection of the metropolis. Latin was the official language and it seems that some Latin words entered the common use of Celtic population. French, imposed as an official language by the Normans, influenced much more the existing Old English idioms. Later, historians of art and architecture have attempted to describe the Romano-Celtic culture but have generally concluded with a note of the fortunate blend that was achieved in late 7th and early 8th century. Latin had an interesting fate as it became the language of culture and of scholars in monasteries during the Middle Ages especially in Ireland, from where some monks reintroduced it in Europe. As A Maurois2 said, the language spoken in England was little influenced by the Roman rule. The Latin words in English were borrowed later from French, mainly through the Normans, or were used out of scientific needs. Among the words directly inherited from Latin we can mention: street (strata via – Stratford ), mile ( Lat. mila ), wall ( Lat. vallum ), or –chester ( Lat. castra )
By the year 400 AD, at latest, the Wall seems to have been abandoned. By now the Empire itself was beginning to crumble into ruins, and in Britain one legion after another was recalled to fight Rome’s wars on the Continent. In 407 AD the last two remaining legions were withdrew on the orders of Emperor Honorius, not to return. Until by the middle of the 5th century Rome’s protection was at an end. The islanders were left to fend for themselves.
What was the important effect of the Roman occupation on the later kingdom of England? Besides the city of London and a few ruins, the Romans left no direct significant traces on culture, arts or social life. The Romanic elements in language and in the material civilization were brought back to the island by with the coming of the Normans. The irony of history lies in the fact that the descendants of the very people who contributed to the fall of the Emperial Rome and to the withdrawal from Britain, would bring back – after more than six centuries – the seeds of the new Romanic spirit which emerged in Europe.

Grigore Vieru Has Passed Away

The Romanian poet Grigore Vieru has passed away.

All his literary and political activity followed some very good principles and one ideal: Moldova is part of Romania and she will join her mother land.
No one can tell whether his unfortunate accident was simply a matter of faith or some secret service from east has played a role in this story.
Let us not forget the accident of Doina and Ion Aldea Teodorovici.

God rest him in peace and light!

Putin and the self esteem

I guess the Russin prime minister Vladimir Putin has a very good opinion about himself and tries to establish a kind of new order in Russia and not only.

A good online dictionary

Merriam-Webster is a very good online dictionary which I have repeatedly made use of.

Children who give birth to children: Teen Pregnancy

Babies born in the U.S.A. to teenage mothers are at risk for long-term problems in many major areas of life, including school failure, poverty, and physical or mental illness. The teenage mothers themselves are also at risk for these problems.

Teenage pregnancy is usually a crisis for the pregnant girl and her family. Common reactions include anger, guilt, and denial. If the father is young and involved, similar reactions can occur in his family.

Adolescents who become pregnant may not seek proper medical care during their pregnancy, leading to an increased risk for medical complications. Pregnant teenagers require special understanding, medical care, and education--particularly about nutrition, infections, substance abuse, and complications of pregnancy. They also need to learn that using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, can damage the developing fetus. All pregnant teenagers should have medical care beginning early in their pregnancy.

Pregnant teens can have many different emotional reactions:

* some may not want their babies
* some may want them for idealized and unrealistic ways
* others may view the creation of a child as an achievement and not recognize the serious responsibilities
* some may keep a child to please another family member
* some may want a baby to have someone to love, but not recognize the amount of care the baby needs
* depression is also common among pregnant teens
* many do not anticipate that their adorable baby can also be demanding and sometimes irritating
* some become overwhelmed by guilt, anxiety, and fears about the future
* depression is also common among pregnant teens

There may be times when the pregnant teenager's emotional reactions and mental state will require referral to a qualified mental health professional.

Babies born to teenagers are at risk for neglect and abuse because their young mothers are uncertain about their roles and may be frustrated by the constant demands of caretaking. Adult parents can help prevent teenage pregnancy through open communication and by providing guidance to their children about sexuality, contraception, and the risks and responsibilities of intimate relationships and pregnancy. Some teenage girls drop out of school to have their babies and don't return. In this way, pregnant teens lose the opportunity to learn skills necessary for employment and self survival as adults. School classes in family life and sexual education, as well as clinics providing reproductive information and birth control to young people, can also help to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

If pregnancy occurs, teenagers and their families deserve honest and sensitive counseling about options available to them, from abortion to adoption. Special support systems, including consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist when needed, should be available to help the teenager throughout the pregnancy, the birth, and the decision about whether to keep the infant or give it up for adoption.

Yuri Gagarin. The First Man in Space.

His early years
Yuri was born on a farm in USSR and his family was very poor. As a teenager in World War II, he saw his first plane – a Russian fighter jet. At that moment, he knew that he wanted to be a pilot. He studied hard so that he could join a flying club. His teachers thought he was a natural pilot and told him to join the Sovietic Air Force.

What he did
He became an excellent pilot. And he was now a husband and father. But when the first Russian satellite went into space, he wanted to become an astronaut. After two years of secret training, the doctors chose Yuri because he was the best in all the tests. On 12 April 1961, when he was 27, he finally went into space. It was very dangerous, because the doctors didn’t know if Yuri could survive the journey. When he came back to Earth he was famous, and he travelled around the world to talk about his experience.

His last flight
He wanted to go into space again, so in 1967 he began training for the next space flight. He was also a test pilot for the new Air Force aeroplanes. But he next year he died when his fighter jet crashed on a test flight. He was only 34 years old.

Canada Day - 1st of July

Background

On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her Majesty's (queen Victoria) loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1^st.

The July 1 holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day.

There is no record of organized ceremonies after this first anniversary, except for the 50^th anniversary of Confederation in 1917, at which time the new Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings, under construction, was dedicated as a memorial to the Fathers of Confederation and to the valour of Canadians fighting in the First World War in Europe.

The next celebration was held in 1927 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation. It was highlighted by the laying of the cornerstone by the Governor General of the Confederation Building on Wellington Street and the inauguration of the Carillon in the Peace Tower.

Since 1958, the government has arranged for an annual observance of Canada's national day with the Secretary of State of Canada in charge of the coordination. The format provided for a Trooping the Colours ceremony on the lawn of Parliament Hill in the afternoon, a sunset ceremony in the evening followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display.

Another highlight was Canada's Centennial in 1967 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the celebrations with Parliament Hill again being the backdrop for a large scale official ceremony.

The format changed in 1968 with the addition of multicultural and professional concerts held on Parliament Hill including a nationally televised show. Up until 1975, the focus of the celebrations, under the name "Festival Canada", was held in the National Capital Region during the whole month of July and involved numerous cultural, artistic and sport activities, as well as municipalities and voluntary organizations. The celebration was cancelled in 1976 but was reactivated in 1977.

A new formula was developed in 1980 whereby the National Committee (the federal government organization charged with planning Canada's Birthday celebrations) stressed and sponsored the development of local celebrations all across Canada. "Seed money" was distributed to promote popular and amateur activities organized by volunteer groups in hundreds of local communities. The same approach was also followed for the 1981 celebrations with the addition of fireworks displays in 15 major cities across the nation.

On October 27, 1982, July 1^st which was known as "Dominion Day" became "Canada Day".

Since 1985, Canada Day Committees are established in each province and territory to plan, organize and coordinate the Canada Day celebrations locally. Grants are provided by the Department to those committees.

(source here)

The Norman Conquest - 1066. General Considerations.

Generally speaking the history of the British Isles is up to a certain moment the story of repeated waves of migrations and invasions, the story of successive waves of invaders and immigrants from the mainland Europe which gloriously closed with the Norman Conquest in 1066. The most significant aspect for the understanding of Britain’s evolution throughout time is the fact that it is an island. The south-eastern part of the archipelago situated in North Atlantic was the most suitable way of access and at the same time the guarantee of security and a favourable land for civilization. Here lay the inviting routes for invasions which, many times over, seem to have run much the same predestined course. Those who came to Britain would conquer or drive before them the previous occupants of the land, imposing each time something new on them. The Normans were to be the last of the conquerors and at the same time the most influential.
However much dispute there may be concerning the detail of the Norman impact on England, there can be no doubt whatever concerning the general importance of the coming of the Normans. Long centuries of different changes and influences made nothing more than to prepare the country for the most spectacular revolution in its history. Until 1066 England has undergone civil war, invasion and change of dynasty, but never before a change like that wrought by the Normans. Yet it is utterly misleading to ascribe to the Normans all the credit for the fine flowering of the civilization in the post-Conquest centuries or to neglect the contribution of the natives to the whole process and the fact that they were deeply rooted in the Western world. As a consequence many of the most striking achievements after 1066 were e rather cosmopolitan in character.
Till the 11^th century all invaders seem to have followed much the same objective. They were seeking to get away from the forests; they wanted room, land, dry gazing and good water. The late 11^th century would give to the act of conquering and invading a new dimension: the extortion of the resources of the country for the benefit of a hand of new foreign rulers.
The natural resources and the mild climate attracted many different people who came here as immigrants or as conquerors. We might say that British history until the Norman Conquest in 1066, was determined by two important migrations – the Celts (800 BC) and the Anglo-Saxons (410 AD) - and by one major conquest – the Romans (55 B.C.). The interposition of these historical phenomena of invasion and of conquest gives to the British history a chess board like aspect.
The insularity offered to the different pretenders an opportunity and at the same time it raised many problems concerning the efficient rule of these islands. Only twice has it ever been conquered, once in 55 BC, by the Romans and again in 1066 by the Normans. A fact which we should mention here is that the conquerors always had to have a dialogue with the pre-existing inhabitants, producing sooner or later a mixed society with elements from both.

Subiecte BAC engleza oral 2008

EXAMENUL DE BACALAUREAT 2008
Proba orală la Limba Engleză
L1 Normal / L2
TOPICS FOR SUBJECT 2

1.
We are becoming overwhelmingly dependent on computers. Is this dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits? Give arguments and examples to support your ideas.
2.
Do you agree with the idea that children should be raised by their grandparents? Why yes/no?
3.
Damage of the environment is an inevitable consequence of worldwide improvements in the standard of living. Discuss.
4.
Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
5.
How do movies or television influence people's behaviour? Use reasons and specific examples to
support your answer.
6.
If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
7.
Is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
8.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Grades (marks) encourage students to learn.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
9.
If you could go back to some time and place in the past, when and where would you go? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.
10.
You have the opportunity to visit a foreign country for two weeks. Which country would you like to visit? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.
11.
Speak about the importance of friendship in one’s life. You may give yourself as an example.
12.
Speak about a person or personality you admire most. Give reasons for your choice.
13.
Speak about the negative aspects of using the Internet. Give arguments and examples to support your
ideas.
14.
Speak about your favourite means of transport. Give arguments and examples to sustain your opinion.
15.
Speak about your favourite holiday and the traditions related to it. Give arguments and examples to
support your ideas.
16.
Speak about the things you do to have a healthy life. Give arguments and examples to sustain your
ideas.
17.
Speak about the importance of being good – mannered in one’s life.
18.
Speak about the way in which fashion influences one’s personality. Give arguments and examples to
sustain your ideas.
19.
Speak about your favourite actor / actress. Motivate your choice.
20.
Speak about a day in your life when something happened and changed your life.
21.
Describe the town where you live or another place in which you would like to live.
22.
Speak about the advantages of being a famous person. Give arguments and examples to sustain your
opinion.
23.
Despite some critical opinions, sport is believed to bring out the best in us. Speak about the benefits of
doing sports.
24.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: One has more opportunities for selfdevelopment
abroad? Bring arguments and examples to sustain your opinion.
25.
Pets occupy an esteemed place in many of our households, often being treated as members of the
family. Speak about the benefits of keeping pets.
26.
Describe your best friend (physical appearance, moral qualities - supported by examples -
hobbies/interests) and say why he/she is special to you.
27.
Speak about a hobby you have or you would like to have.
28.
Speak about the impact of music on your life.
29.
Describe an object in your house which represents you.
30.
What does advertising mean to you: information or manipulation? Give arguments to support your
ideas.
31.
Do you think a disability of some kind makes a person more determined to succeed? Give arguments
to support your ideas.
32.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being your own boss. Give arguments and examples to
support your ideas.
33.
Comment on the following statement: Where there's a will there's a way. Bring arguments and
examples to sustain your ideas.

How to become emo when on a budget

For those wanting to be "in with the emo scene" but are limited on cash, this is the guide for you. (warning * this is how to look emo, not be emo.)

Steps

1. Listen to the music. Some good bands to get into are:
* The Get Up Kids
* The Used
* Atreyu
* At The Drive-In
* Backslap

2. * Ringworm
* Underoath
* Linkin Park
* Evanescence
* With Honor
* Flirting With Suicide
* Sunny Day Real Estate
* Hawthorne Heights
* Dashboard Confessional
* Alesana

-Flirting With Suicide's songs are easily to download on the Internet. For other bands find cheap CDs at Best Buy, WalMart, Target, or the bargain racks in media stores like Virgin and Tower Records.
o Keep up with the latest bands, part of being emo or following any music trend is keeping up. Keeping up also costs no money at all.
3. Develop an emo attitude. Any "attitude" is hard to describe: like love you just know it if you have it. Observe other emos and copy their attitude. Some aspects of the emo attitude include:
* Be social, yet slightly withdrawn.
* Be a little isolated and only talk to a few people, but make friends in all groups, genders, and races.
* Don't lament: That is way too stereotypical.
* Cry sometimes so that you can be seen by your friends.
4.
float
You don't need to follow the fashion. Here are some emo fashion tips include:
Tees.
You can find these cheaply at or thrift stores.
5. Fitting jeans: You can get these at a thrift store and modify them your own way with things like fabric paint and safety pins.
A studded belt.
Pick these up for cheap at a thrift store.
Converse shoes.
You have got to splurge on these or you may be able to pick up a good original pair in a used clothing store, these are usually slightly worn.
Buy striped socks and fingerless gloves
Pick these up cheaply or knit your own. Create the gloves with a pair of scissors.
Horn-rimmed glasses
If you don't need glasses don't wear them, you'll look and feel really stupid and be blind.

* Consider bright greens, reds to black and skeleton bone shirts like My Chemical Romance wears.
* Choose the right colors. Color is important to emo culture as it helps define the kind of emo kid you are. Think about color with these tips:
* Black is always the main color, but not always the most important.

6.
Wear makeup. Everybody has their own makeup tips. Some emo kids makeup tips include:
- Don't put too much white powder, actually put none on at all!
- You can buy cheap but quality makeup in a variety of places including Walmart and Dollar Stores
- Get black nail-polish at any dollar store.


Tips

* Go to local thrift stores for some band tees.
* Check eBay and other online sites for great deals on unique items.
* Look for SALES at the most unexpected shops or markets.
* Try searching youtube for music videos if you can't afford the album itself. Although not the best quality it can help you choose between albums if you can only buy one or two.

Warnings
* A lot of people hate emos; expect to be made fun of.
* If you go too far, you look like a poser.
* Don't expect to do this in just five seconds.

Things You'll Need

* First of all a small amount of money.
* Time to shop for bargains.
* Good local stores.

Business Ethics.

Being honest, being correct and having integrity are ethical terms. They represent a principle for the people who are convinced they are right. These concepts represent in fact our moral standards. They can vary from an individual to individual because the values they are based on are different. Ethical issues represent real dilemmas for the managing staff because they stand for conflicts between the economical performance of the company (income-costs-profit) and the social evolution (expressed in terms of personal duties within the organization as well as outside). The origin of these duties can be open to some interpretation, but most of us agree that they include to a certain extent elements related to protecting the loyalty of the employees, to maintaining market competitiveness, providing useful and safe products and services. Fortunately the management dilemma relates to the costs of these obligations both for the company – assessed through financial standards – and for the managers – expressed through financial reports and audits. It is highly desirable for most of the managing staff in various companies to bring in people who have a clear vision of what means ‘honest’, “correct” and “integrity”. Thus any employee can be required not to act against the interest of the firm, not to offend other people and not to disclose any negative aspects about that particular company.

London Icons. Things to Do and Visit.

London is a city located in the south-eastern part of the UK. The old city has a lot of interesting things to offer the interested tourists. Here there are only a few of them.

Tower Bridge

It's a spectacular bridge built in the late Victorian era. Tower Bridge is truly magnificent! It's great to see the bridge open to let ships through, which happens more often than you'd think; around 900 times a year. Walking across the bridge, you see the amazing views of London, although it can get quite windy. It really gives you a sense of old London – for me it's the ultimate London icon.

The British Airways London Eye

I love the big wheel at a fair ground, so I think The BA London Eye is a fantastic way of getting a bird's-eye view of the city. On a good day you can see for miles and miles – at the peak the whole of London is laid out for you, almost like a game of Monopoly. A friend hired a private capsule for her birthday, so we were up there with all of our mates, oohing and ahhing. It was fantastic!"

Covent Garden

It's a bit of continental Europe right in the middle of London, with tables from restaurants and eateries spilling out onto the piazza. Covent Garden is also where you'll find London's best street performers, from singers belting out arias to mime artists performing crowd-pleasing stunts. Whenever my family comes to London, this is where I take them.

Piccadilly Circus

There's always a real buzz in Piccadilly Circus – the buildings are lit up with dazzling electric signs, and there are always people standing by the Statue of Eros, waiting for friends. Piccadilly Circus leads you into Soho, Chinatown and Leicester Square, areas where you'll find restaurants, pubs, clubs, theatres and cinemas. It's where I spend my Friday nights!"

St Paul's Cathedral

I was only 10 when I watched Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding on the television. I remember the 25-foot-long (7.6m) dress train trailing behind her as she walked up the aisle in St. Paul's – it looked so dramatic! I've been a fan of the cathedral ever since. You can walk around the whole of the ground floor, visit the crypt, and climb all 530 steps to the top of the dome.

Westminster Abbey

For me, Westminster Abbey is more of a historic site than a religious one. It's where every King and Queen has been crowned since 1066, and it's also the final resting place for many sovereigns, politicians and artists. I also love the choral concerts they hold here. Last Christmas Eve I went Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve – it was amazing.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament stand on the site of the old Palace of Westminster, the main London residence of Kings and Queens. It's a really stunning riverside building. The clock tower is the main timepiece of the nation and home to Big Ben (the bell). I took my son on a tour around Parliament during the summer opening and he loved it! We even managed to climb all the stairs to the top of Big Ben.

10 Places to Visit in London

Most people think they have already seen everything is worth seeing in their home country. Let's take for example the UK. A lot of British citizens want to go on vacation to the so called exotic countries without considering the opportunity to visit their wonderful country and especially their capital London. Prince Charles for example is buying land and old houses - which he completely refurbishes - in Transylvania and many other British are buying properties in Spain or Italy.
The wonderful city of London has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Romans conquered Britain and built a settlement (castrum) here and named the place Londinium replacing thus the traces left by the Picts. Later the Anglo-Saxons came and built their unique civilization . In 1066 William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Batard) came with his brave Norman warriors and started a new era in the long history of England.
London is nowadays one of the most important economical and cultural centre in the world. The banks, the companies and the cultural life of the city transformed it into one of the most successful and influential capitals of the 21st century.

If I could go to London right now these are the top 10 places that I would surely like to visit:

1. The British Museum
It is the oldest and the most important museum in the world. The public displays and the collections of the British Museum represent an important part of the cultural and material heritage of the world.

2. Buckingham Palace
Is the official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The changing of the guards is one ritual that no tourist should miss when visiting London.

3. London Eye
The giant wheel was built on the bank of the Thames - in front of the Houses of the Parliament - and offers a wonderful perspective of the whole city.

4. The Houses of Parliament (The Westminster Palace)
The world famous Big Ben is the major attraction of the building. The huge clock tower dominates the City and it precisely strikes every hour.

5. Westminster Abbey - The Coronation Cathedral
Beginning with the 25 of December 1066 - when William the Conqueror (William I r. 1066-1087) was anointed king of England - all the kings and queens receive the divine blessing in this huge cathedral.

6. The Tower of London
Before his being anointed king of England William ordered the Norman builders who were accompanying to erect a tower. The White Tower gradually became, after repeatedly being extended, what is today known as the Tower of London - a series of fortifications that were used as royal residence, prisons or Royal Treasury (for the Jewels of the Crown). Today is a famous museum and the Beefeaters are most pleased to guide all the tourists.

7. St. Paul's Cathedral
It is a Baroque master piece built under the supervision of Sir Christopher Wren. The Dome is one of the largest in the world. Christopher Wren himself was buried here. Other famous British subjects that rest under the roof of St. Paul's are Duke Wellington, Lord Nelson, John Donne or J.M.W. Turner.

8. Tower Bridge
Built in the neogothic style Tower Bridge was inaugurated in 1894. It is a wonder of technology and engineering. When finished the mobile bridge was lifted by steam engines. Now the half an hour guided tour offers the tourists another perspective of London and its achievements.

9. The National Gallery
Displays more than 2,300 paintings created between 1260-1900. The main entrance is in the Trafalgar Square but the Sainsbury wing is more appropriate for starting a tour of the exhibitions.

10. The Underground
Particularly interesting is the London Underground or the tube (initially the tunnels were perfectly round) as it also called. It is not a real touristic attraction but I consider it worth "visiting" I mean using. It is the best means of transport in London - there are also the famous double deckers or the black cabs - even if a little bit too crowded during rush hours.

Big Ben versus Big Bang

Most people take one of these phrases for the other one. Here are some information about each of them, which I hope are of interest

THE STORY OF BIG BEN

At 9'-0" diameter, 7'-6" high, and weighing in at 13 tons 10 cwts 3 qtrs 15lbs (13,760 Kg), the hour bell of the Great Clock of Westminster (the Houses of the Parliament in London, on the Thames bank) - known worldwide as 'Big Ben' - is the most famous bell ever cast at Whitechapel.
On 16th October 1834, fire succeeded where Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters had failed on 5th November 1605, and destroyed the Palace of Westminster, long the seat of the British government. Those few bits of the Old Palace that survived the fire - most notably Westminster Hall, which was built between 1097 and 1099 by William Rufus - were incorporated into the new buildings we know today, along with many new features.
In 1844, Parliament decided that the new buildings for the Houses of Parliament, by then under construction, should incorporate a tower and clock. The commission for this work was awarded to the architect Charles Barry, who initially invited just one clockmaker to produce a design and quotation. The rest of the trade objected to this, demanding the job be put out to competitive tender. The Astronomer Royal, George Airy was appointed to draft a specification for the clock. One of his requirements was that:
"the first stroke of the hour bell should register the time, correct to within one second per day, and furthermore that it should telegraph its performance twice a day to Greenwich Observatory, where a record would be kept."
Most clockmakers of the day considered such accuracy unnattainable for a large tower clock driving striking mechanisms and heavy hands exposed to wind and weather and lobbied for a lesser specification. However, Airy was adamant that the first specification be adhered to. Due to this impasse, Parliament appointed barrister Edmund Beckett Denison as co-referee with Airy. Edmund Beckett Denison, later Sir Edmund Beckett, the first Baron Grimthorpe, was a difficult man. He was described by one writer as:
"zealous but unpopular, self-accredited expert on clocks, locks, bells, buildings, as well as many branches of law, Denison was one of those people who are almost impossible as colleagues, being perfectly convinced that they know more than anybody about everything - as unhappily they often do."
Denison decided to apply himself to the problem of the clock. It was 1851 before he came up with a design which could meet the exacting specification. The clock Denison designed was built by Messrs E.J. Dent & Co., and completed in 1854. The tower was not ready until 1859, so the clock was kept on test at Dent's works for over five years.
Next came the bells, and Denison discovered that Barry, now Sir Charles Barry, had specified a 14 ton hour bell but had made no provision for its production or for that of the four smaller smaller quarter chime bells. Denison's studies of clocks had included bells and he had developed his own ideas as to how they should be designed and made.
The largest bell ever cast in Britain up to that time had been 'Great Peter' at York Minster. This weighed just 10¾ tons, so it is not surprising the bellfounders were wary of bidding for the contract to produce the new bell, particularly since Denison insisted on his own design for the shape of the bell as well as his own recipe for the bellmetal. In both respects his requirements varied significantly from traditional custom and practice. Eventually, a bell was made to his specification, albeit somewhat oversize at 16 tons, by John Warner & Sons at Stockton-on-Tees on 6th August 1856, but this cracked irreparably while under test in the Palace Yard at Westminster. It was then that Denison, who now had QC after his name, turned to the Whitechapel foundry....
George Mears, then the master bellfounder and owner of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, undertook the casting. According to foundry records, Mears originally quoted a price of £2401 for casting the bell, but this was offset to the sum of £1829 by the metal he was able to reclaim from the first bell so that the actual invoice tendered, on 28th May 1858, was in the sum of £572. It took a week to break up the old bell, three furnaces were required to melt the metal, and the mould was heated all day before the actual casting, the first time this had been done in British bell-founding. It took 20 minutes to fill the mould with molten metal, and 20 days for the metal to solidify and cool. After the bell had been tested in every way by Mears, Denison approved it before it left the foundry.
Transporting the bell the few miles from the foundry to the Houses of Parliament was a major event. Traffic stopped as the bell, mounted on a trolley drawn by sixteen brightly beribboned horses, made its way over London Bridge, along Borough Road, and over Westminster Bridge. The streets had been decorated for the occasion and enthusiastic crowds cheered the bell along the route.
The bells of the Great Clock of Westmister rang across London for the first time on 31st May 1859, and Parliament had a special sitting to decide on a suitable name for the great hour bell. During the course of the debate, and amid the many suggestions that were made, Chief Lord of the Woods and Forests, Sir Benjamin Hall, a large and ponderous man known affectionately in the House as "Big Ben", rose and gave an impressively long speech on the subject. When, at the end of this oratorical marathon, Sir Benjamin sank back into his seat, a wag in the chamber shouted out: "Why not call him Big Ben and have done with it?" The house erupted in laughter; Big Ben had been named. This, at least, is the most commonly accepted story. However, according to the booklet written for the old Ministry of Works by Alan Phillips:
"Like other nice stories, this has no documentary support; Hansard failed to record the interjection. The Times had been alluding to 'Big Ben of Westminster' aince 1856. Probably, the derivation must be sought more remotely. The current champion of the prize ring was Benjamin Caunt, who had fought terrific battles with Bendigo, and who in 1857 lasted sixty rounds of a drawn contest in his final appearance at the age of 42. As Caunt at one period scaled 17 stone (238 lbs, or 108 kilogrammes), his nickname was Big Ben, and that was readily bestowed by the populace on any object the heaviest of its class. So the anonymous MP may have snatched at what was already a catchphrase."
In September, a mere two months after it officially went into service, Big Ben cracked. Once again Denison's belief that he knew more about bells than the experts was to blame for he had used a hammer more than twice the maximum weight specified by George Mears. Big Ben was taken out of service and for the next three years the hours were struck on the largest of the quarter-bells. Eventually, a lighter hammer was fitted, a square piece of metal chipped out of the soundbow, and the bell given an eighth of a turn to present an undamaged section to the hammer. This is the bell as we hear it today, the crack giving it its distinctive but less-than-perfect tone.
Not prepared to admit any error on his part, Denison befriended one of the Foundry's moulders, plied him with drink, and got him to bear false witness that it was poor casting, disguised with filler, that had caused the cracking. (A close examination of Big Ben in 2002 failed to find a trace of filler, incidentally.) With reputations at stake this led to a court case, which Denison rightly lost. Nor was this the end of the story. Denison, obviously aggrieved at having lost the court case, continued to badmouth the Foundry. Twenty years later he was unwise enough to do so in print and this led to a second libel trial. And he lost that case, too.
In mid-2002, we uncovered a dusty old boxfile bearing a label that read "Stainbank v Beckett 1881". It contained a complete transcript of the second trial between the Foundry - this time in the person of founder Robert Stainbank - and Sir Edmund Beckett Denison. Initially, we thought we'd discovered a transcript of the original, Big Ben trial. While it's a shame we don't possess a transcript of the first trial (at least, none we've yet found) there is apparently a copy still extant at the Palace of Westminster. This may, however, be the only existing transcript of the later trial. That original, handwritten transcript will be lodged in the Foundry library after a typed record has been made.
One final point of interest is that the transcript mentions the lawyer for the Foundry using a small model to demonstrate the principles of bell-casting. This would almost certainly have been the same small, exquisitely crafted model currently on display in the Foundry's lobby museum area.
Big Ben remains the largest bell ever cast at Whitechapel. Visitors to the foundry pass through a full size profile of the bell that frames the main entrance as they enter the building. The original moulding gauge employed to form the mould used to cast Big Ben hangs on the end wall of the foundry above the furnaces to this very day.
Among the gift items available from Whitechapel Bell Foundry are a finely detailed miniature of the bell itself and an illustrated booklet about Big Ben. These can both be found on our merchandising page. (source http://www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk/bigben.htm)

THE BIG BANG THEORY
The Big Bang Theory is the dominant scientific theory about the origin of the universe. According to the big bang, the universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions.
In 1927, the Belgian priest Georges Lemaître was the first to propose that the universe began with the explosion of a primeval atom. His proposal came after observing the red shift in distant nebulas by astronomers to a model of the universe based on relativity. Years later, Edwin Powell Hubble found experimental evidence to help justify Lemaître's theory. He found that distant galaxies in every direction are going away from us with speeds proportional to their distance.
The big bang was initially suggested because it explains why distant galaxies are traveling away from us at great speeds. The theory also predicts the existence of cosmic background radiation (the glow left over from the explosion itself). The Big Bang Theory received its strongest confirmation when this radiation was discovered in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who later won the Nobel Prize for this discovery.
Although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it probably will never be proved; consequentially, leaving a number of tough, unanswered questions.

iPhone and I Talk

On the 29th of June 2007 Apple launched the new iPhone and immediately after its official releasing it became a huge success with the consumers and the pros worldwide. During the last few years Apple developed and started selling high tech devices such as Apple iPod Nano and iPod Video that integrate some of the latest technologies available in the IT domain. iPhone is not just a cell phone it is also a music player, video player, internet device and camera. The dimensions of the iPhone are: 11.6mm thick, 2.4-inches wide and 4.5-inches tall. The screen is a generous 3.5-inch, 320x480 pixels at 160 ppi touchscreen display with multitouch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the screen when it is close to your face. The iPhone has storage capacity of 4GB or 8GB supported by an internal flash memory. The mobile network connectivity offers a wide range of options: GPRS/EDGE, 2.5G GSM Quad band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), data speed up to 384kbit/s. iPhone from Apple uses a 30-pin iPod dock connector, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 to connect to a Mac or a PC.
Apple says that the battery lasts up to 5 hours for video and talk with 16 hours in music mode. There is no data available about the standby time yet.
Apple officials are confident in the new iPhone and intend to sell more over 10 million units by the end of 2008 in USA, EU and Asia. The most optimistic previsions of the professionals in the field of telecommunications and IT say that they will actually sell more than 10 million units in the next 6 months. The fame and the strong brand of Apple and the fact that the iPhone has been long time now waited for and rumored about will definitely lead to unexpected rates of market shares.
Apple is launching iPhone in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2007 and in Asia in 2008. The fact is that not all the Europeans can buy the new device as Apple intends to sell it only in the UK, France and Germany.
Hopefully we shall not wait for too long to enjoy the latest technologies in the domain of mobile phones with integrated functions.

New Age in Politics

I have just come across news about two world leaders acting quite strange in different situations in two EUropean countries.

The first is the newly appointed president of France Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy. After an official dinner with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, Mr. Sarkozy was supposed to answer the journalists' questions but it seems he was a little ... tired and too happy. The French news channel claim he was simply too tired and that he had only water during the meeting with Mr. Putin. And yet it seems that highly effective Russian persuasive arguments determined Mr. Sarkozy lose his control.
Just watch this short film



Other "interesting" episode is the one that demonstrates Mr. George Bush, the president of the USA does not really know how to talk to a Pope in Vatican, namely Pope Benedict XVI. Instead of addressing the Pope by the formal name of his office he used the words "Yes, sir".




Oh there is something more. On a visit to Albania (in the Balkans, southern Europe) Mr. Bush lost his watch, some say it has been stolen by a sincerly appreciative supporter. Perhaps some citizens there lost their Soviet made Pobeda watches.

HOT NEWS - RALU FILIP HAS PASSED AWAY

Ralu Filip, 48, passed away last night from a fatal heart attack. His name is synonymous with the well known Romanian National Audio-Visual Council (NAC/CNA in Romanian) and many of his decisions and actions have been repeatedly disagreed with by both people working in the Romanian media and politicians.
He worked for a few years as a lawyer and between 1990-2001 worked as a journalist for "Curierul National". He was appointed as a member of the NAC by the Romanian Parliament for the 2001-2008 period and then appointed President of NAC for the 2002-2008 period.
Among his long disputed decisions are the regulations imposed on TV and radio stations for the protection of children and the report on the influence of the media upon civic and electoral behaviour, a regulation that was passed shortly before the 19th of May referendum.

His contribution to the developement and the imposing of European regulations in the Romanian media is appreciated by all the active actors on the market.