Stocks rise, extending best start since 1998

In this Feb. 27, 2012 photo, traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. European markets recovered some ground Friday, March 30, 2012 after sharp losses this week, as finance ministers from the 17 euro countries discussed whether to increase the amount of resources at their disposal for future bailouts. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Feb. 27, 2012 photo, traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. European markets recovered some ground Friday, March 30, 2012 after sharp losses this week, as finance ministers from the 17 euro countries discussed whether to increase the amount of resources at their disposal for future bailouts. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Stocks are up at midday after the government reported that consumer spending grew last month.

The Dow Jones industrial average is up 51 points to 13,197. The Standard & Poor's 500 index has risen almost five points to 1,408. The Nasdaq composite rose three points to 3,099.

Friday is the last day of trading for the quarter, and stocks are headed for their best first quarter in years. The Dow is headed toward an 8 percent gain, and the S&P 500 is close to a 12 percent gain ? their best starts since 1998.

The Nasdaq is up almost 19 percent for the year, which would be its best first quarter since 1991.

Stocks in Europe rose, too.

Associated Press

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Budget experts give up on balanced budget, look to 'contain' deficit (CNN)

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Freedom from Chronic Pain - Health And Fitness Tips

Chronic pain is the body?s way of informing us that it?s not at peace; it is sick. It?s also a warranted way of getting our attention. A terrifically effective, safe and non-intrusive way we are able to respond to agony is by applying Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Actually one of the much-publicised benefits of EFT is pain alleviation.

As an EFT Practitioner, and Progressive Emotional Release (Pro-ER) Practitioner focusing on major illness, I work with people experiencing lingering physical, emotional, or psychological agony on a daily basis. Indeed, in 2003 when wheelchair-bound and seriously ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), I wrestled with chronic pain too.

Gary Craig, the originator of EFT claims: ?The cause of all negative emotions is an interruption in the body?s energy system.? That is, a idea or memory triggers a interruption in the body?s energy system and this is experienced as psychological or physiological agony. While experiencing or concentrating on a particular problem, and tapping on the meridians that carry the energy, interruptions are cleared and ordinary function can resume. When EFT is applied reasonably, a cognitive shift takes place, which frees us from our negative emotions, thoughts and sentiments, restoring health and well-being.

Our unresolved negative emotions contribute significantly to most physical pains and diseases. When we are unable (for whatever reason), to express emotions like wrath, resentment and grief, they?re swallowed and repressed. They later show up in the body as agony and illness.

At the time I became ill, I did not understand how to resolve the hurt and resentment I was experiencing, because of problems at work and in my relationship. Plus, I was coping with the sudden death of my aunt to whom I was very close. The subsequent indications of intense fatigue, joint and muscle discomfort, brain fog, noise and light sensitivities, and digestive abnormalities actually attracted my attention ? my body was screaming out to get heard.

Seven months later when I was introduced to EFT, my consultant helped me release many stressful memories, which had led on to the hurt and antagonism I was hanging on to. Extremely swiftly, I was able to review formerly troublesome memories with neutrality and acceptance: I was still aware they had occurred; only my perspective had modified. Concurrently, I realized that certain symptoms were easing or disappearing, particularly, my joint and muscle agony, and the difficulties with my digestion and food intolerances.

Unlike many types of talk treatment, with EFT it is not important to dig deeply and relive unpleasant memories in fine detail. Rather, what appears to occur is that once one or two upsetting memories are cleared, other related memories are slumped without a need to be worked on in particular.

Peeling away the complicated layers of chronic illness and agony can be complex and delicate. There may be masses of ?unpleasant memories? to work thru which have resulted in repressed emotions and later sickness. Also , on a subconscious level, a chronic illness or pain can serve a person very well. All of a sudden they?ve a purpose. When a person is seriously sick or suffering chronic pain, there are fewer expectancies put on them, so they can feel safer: they no longer have to prove themselves, achieve success or be ?perfect?.

When I begin to work with a client coping with chronic pain I ask particular questions designed to get some insightful clues regarding the root cause of the pain. One such query is:

?What is the upside of holding on to this pain/illness??

Naturally, the first reaction is, ?There is no upside, I?d like to be healthy!? but when the issue is reframed to suggest, ?What would be the downside to recovering?? the client tunes in to how their life was prior to becoming ill.

When I asked a client suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia (intense facial discomfort causing spasm) this question lately, in her first personal session, she answered, ?If I recovered, I?d need to be perfect again and I would have to look after and help everyone.? It transpired that as one of 6 children she had been expected to look after her siblings because her mother was quite sick for time. She had felt acrimony as a result. She had continued this role of looking after everybody else when she married and had a family of her own, always putting herself second. Now, subjected to intense pain, she was, finally able to be looked after and aided by others. She targeted on the acrimony and the memory of her childhood, and we applied EFT till she no longer felt any emotional power or reaction to the experience. At the end of the session, she told me the desperateness she?d felt about her facial discomfort was ?lighter? and ?didn?t seem to matter as much now?. Naturally, there is still more work to be done addressing her inability to ask for what she required (making her body ask for her) and in organising her life and relationships so that she was never having to ?give ? all the time, but could also ?receive?.

Another question which offers discernment is:

?If there had been a person or an event in your life which you?d just as soon skip, who or what would it be??

One client told me that she would never have taken that vacation to Florida as a young woman, as it had been the catalyzing agent for her health issues. Just after returning, she was assessed with CFS and later , multiple chemical sensitivities and ulcerative colitis. She had repressed emotions of outrage and regret ever since. Forty years after, she was housebound and still seriously sick. We used EFT on the holiday memory. Not only were we able to neutralize the negative principles she?d felt about herself because of the holiday, but she was able to see new possibilities for her future. Since that time, we have worked together closely and now she?ll put up with more wide-ranging foods, is able to leave the house regularly, exercises, and has a part-time job writing.

In the end if the right questions are asked, we?re able to the root cause quicker and get the answers we require to heal the issue. Furthermore, if we may be able to resolve the emotional reasons for physical sickness and chronic pain, surgery may not be obligatory.

Annabel Fisher is a licensed NLP Practitioner and runs a successful EFT practice. If you are suffering with chronic illness, fears and fears, weight issues and more; book a free 30 minute telephone consultation.
You can get your free ?The Necessities of EFT Guide? plus one hour EFT Q&A audio recording by signing up for her newsletter at: http://www.theefthealingcentre.com.

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How to ward off some class-action pay-bias suits: Grant managers ...

Do your managers have limited discretion in setting pay? If so, you may have a built-in way to prevent large class-action lawsuits over equal pay.

It?s all because of last summer?s big Supreme Court decision in Wal-Mart, Inc. v. Dukes. In that case, the giant retailer was sued by women who claimed that by allowing local managers discretion in promoting and setting pay rates for store employees, women ended up being paid less.

The women argued that because managers were mostly men, they presumably favored other men in promotions and pay.

The Supreme Court said that by giving local managers some discretion to set pay, the retailer couldn?t have discriminated against a group of similarly situated women. By definition, the women were not similarly situated, since no one corporate policy determined their promotional chances or pay rates. Those decisions were up to store managers.

Of course, sometimes managerial discretion can be a dangerous thing. It opens the door to discrimination against members of protected classes, which can trigger lawsuits. But that damage would be limited to immediate subordinates; the company probably won?t face a class-action claim.

Plus, employers can protect their interests by maintaining robust anti-discrimination practices that let employees complain about perceived discrimination.

Recent case: Luanna Scott worked as a manager for a Family Dollar store and claimed she was paid less than similarly situated male man?agers. She sought to represent all other similarly situated female managers in all Family Dollar stores in the country. A win could have meant multi-million-dollar liability.

Scott?s lawyers claimed that Family Dollar?s national management had a policy that allowed local managers wide discretion in selecting and paying subordinate managers. This, they claimed, meant the largely male ?old boys network? favored men more than women and paid women less when they were fortunate enough to get a promotion.

The court hearing the case, which was filed before the Walmart case was decided, concluded that after the Supreme Court decision, the women no longer had a tenable class-action claim based on being similarly situated.

After all, reasoned the court, each woman was promoted (or not promoted) based on individual discretion, not a common company policy.

The court dismissed Scott?s class-action claim and said the women would have to proceed individually if they wished to continue the litigation. Each will have to prove she was the victim of sex discrimination at the hands of her particular manager. (Scott, et al., v. Family Dollar Stores, No. 3:08-CV-540, WD NC, 2012)

Final note: You want to give your managers the right amount of discretion?not too much or too little. A good approach is to create pay ranges that offer some pay flexibility. Local managers can then determine where within a range a particular employee should fall, based on factors clearly set out from the top. Those might include experience, education, skill level and any other factor other than sex.

If an employee does complain, investigate thoroughly to try to ?identify any local discrimination. Fix the situation if you spot obvious disparities.

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Mike Ragogna: Bring It On Home: A Conversation With Joan Osborne

A Conversation With Joan Osborne

Mike Ragogna: Joan, your new album, Bring It On Home, is all blues and soul classics. How did you whittle the potential contenders down to twelve songs?

Joan Osborne: That's a good question, because there is so much amazing material to choose from that it is a little bit like trying to take sips out of a fire hose. You can't make it an exhaustive list. What I did was there were a handful of songs that I knew that I always wanted to sing. The label who approached me about doing it had a couple of ideas. I asked around to friends that I know who are big blues and R&B and soul scholars, I also opened it up to the band and asked if they had any ideas. So it was a collaborative song-gathering process.

MR: And one of the guys in your band was the great Allen Toussaint.

JO: Yeah, he played on one of his own compositions, a song called "Shoo-rah! Shoo-rah!" which had been a hit for Betty Wright years and years ago. We just felt like to have him on this song would be amazing, and sure enough, it was. He just has a certain feel that he brings to it, which...I mean, I don't know anybody else who can do that.

MR: Al Green comes to mind as another soul artist who puts tons of signature sound on his recordings, making it impossible to duplicate.

JO: Yeah, which is why when we covered the Al Green song "Rhymes," we really just tried to turn it on its head and give it a very different reading because, as you say, what Al Green does is very unique and very specific to him.

MR: How did the song come to you?

JO: I was out working in the garden in the country, digging weeds, and the song itself popped into my head, but it had this different, more amped-up groove behind it. I remember running into the house and picking up my recorder and getting it all dirty because I didn't have time to take my gloves off. I didn't want to forget this idea, and I recorded myself singing the first few lines with this groove underneath it was in my head. I ended up bringing it to the band and they just took off with it.

MR: Let's talk about the band. You've got "Barbecue" Bob Pomeroy on harmonica.

JO: Yep, and the core of the band is the guys I've been working with as a road band for a lot of years now. They are Keith Cotton on keyboard, Andrew Carrillo on guitar, Aaron Comess on the drums, and Richard Hammond on the bass. Each of these guys is a great musician in his own right, and they all work all the time around New York City and go touring out with other people. But I've found that when I've got them in a room together, collectively, they have this incredible chemistry and charisma, and they really feed off each other's energy. It's one of those situations of the whole being the greater than the sum of its parts, which is really fun. So they are the core of the band that was on this studio recording, and they're also the core of the band that I'm going to bring out live for the tour.

We had "Barbecue" Bob Pomeroy who I used to run into way back in the day when we would both be playing these little blues clubs in New York City when I first started out, so he's been around for a while. He's also good friends with my co-producer, Jack Petrizelli. [Jack] suggested Bob, and he was somebody who's got that classic gut-bucket harmonica through a bullet-mic sound, and he's just been doing that, that's his meat and potatoes, he's been doing that for years. I thought he'd be a perfect call so we brought him in as well.

Other guests who are really close to my heart are The Holmes Brothers. If you guys don't know about them, you should definitely check them out. They are an American roots band, they were my mentors when I was first starting out, and they're wonderful, wonderful guys, amazingly soulful singers, soulful players, with a really raw and emotive sound. I just knew that I wanted to have them come in and do some singing on this.

MR: And also you have as your horn arranger, Jimmy Vivino from Conan O'Brien's show.

JO: Yep, that's right. We brought the A-team for this record, you know? Where not fooling around.

MR: Let's looks at the track list. As you mentioned, you have "Rhymes," and you mentioned "Shoo-rah! Shoo-rah!," Allen Toussaint's song. And there's the Slim Harpo song that the Stones also covered, "Shake Your Hips," and "I Don't Need No Doctor," which Jimmy plays on.

JO: That's right, he does play on that and he rings the horns for that.

MR: "I Don't Need No Doctor" is another one of those songs that seems taboo since it's a Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Jo Armstead original that Ray Charles is associated with.

JO: Yeah. A lot of the songs on this record, we tried to put a different twist on them, and a lot of times, it worked. I felt like the song, "I Wanna Be Loved," which was originally recorded by Muddy Waters had this very aggressive delivery of the song, and I really tried to make it more feminine, sinuous, and seductive, in a way. I felt like that worked, but when we tried to take "I Don't Need No Doctor" and mess around it with it, the song obviously didn't want to be messed around with in that way. So we stuck more closely to the Ray Charles arrangement on that one.

MR: Also, it was really sweet uncovering that Ike Turner song, "Game of Love."

JO: Yeah, isn't that a great find? I'd like to take credit for that, but I can't. It was the guy at Saguaro Road, the label, who initially approached me about doing this. He actually brought that song to me and I didn't even know it before. I certainly know a lot about Ike & Tina and know a lot of their songs from the past, but this was an undiscovered gem for me. I love this song. It's so great because you think about it as something that Ike Turner wrote, but in reality, it's a feminine manifesto in the form of a blues/R&B tune with Tina just throwing it down. It's a great song.

MR: Your association with soul is pretty well-known, especially after your on-camera stint in Standing in the Shadows of Motown, plus you've done soul songs on your How Sweet It Is album.

JO: Yeah, and I also put in a Sonny Boy Williamson song on the Relish record as well, "How Sweet." That music--blues music, soul music, and R&B music--I learn to sing by trying to imitate my idols in this music, people like Etta James, Mavis Staples, Tina Turner, and Ann Peebles. Those are the people that I wanted to sound like, and that music--listening to Otis Redding, Al Green, and Muddy Waters--it was such a huge part of my world, and I feel like I connected with a part of myself that nothing else had been able to bring me to, falling in love with this music. It is something that I have regularly dipped into, but it had been a while, and for this project, it was not something that I was burning to do. It was the guy at Saguaro Road who approached me about it. I ran into him at Lincoln Center, I had been a guest vocalist on a show with The Blind Boys of Alabama and had done a couple of gospel tunes with them, which was such an amazing experience. Saguaro Road also released The Blind Boys stuff, so these guys came up to me after the show and were like, "We love it when you do this kind of stuff, would you ever consider doing a record of covers, this really raw blues stuff? If you ever want to, please call us and we would love it!" At the time, I was buried in working on some original music and wasn't jumping at the chance when they approached me about it. But it was an idea that took root in my mind, and I kept thinking about it every once in a while, like, "Gee, maybe I would do this song," or "If I ever get around to doing that, maybe I'll try that song," or "I have a great idea for this tune." Slowly but surely, I started to get really excited about it, and ultimately called them up and said, "When and where can we do this?"

MR: What's nice about this album is that you make the connection between soul and blues. Do you feel like that, like we often forget the "blues" part of rhythm and blues?

JO: Well, I don't. But they are like companion music, and I feel like so much of American music owes such a huge debt to blues and whether it's country music or jazz music or soul or R&B, or whatever it is, there is something very unique about blues. I think it's formed so much of American music. Of course, rock 'n' roll wouldn't be what it is without blues music.

MR: Joan, you cover Sonny Boy Williamson's "Bring It On Home," it being the title track, Muddy Waters' "I Want To Be Loved," and even John Mayall's song, "Broken Wings." That one, especially, is an interesting choice.

JO: Yeah, that was one that I almost didn't want to put on there because it was so raw and so mournful. But I felt like it's probably the most straight-up blues song of any of the ones on this album. It just kept coming back to me again and again, and it's just so moving. It was one of those songs where I got through with the recording and I felt like someone had wrung me out like a wet rag. It really took it out of me.

MR: My personal favorite is "Same Love That Made Me Laugh."

JO: Oh, thanks! Yeah, the Bill Withers song. I have to give credit to Jack Petruzelli, my co-producer, because he was the one who really helped with the arrangement on that and gave it that bigger ending. The Bill Withers version of it is a briefer recording, but we expanded it and gave it this bigger ending that it has, almost taking it into a Beatles-esque territory, that's one of Jack's strong suits. He's in a band called The Fab Faux, which is probably the world's pre-eminent Beatles cover band, so he's really steeped in that music and is a real scholar of that music. I think he really brought a little bit of that touch to the "Same Love That Made Me Laugh" tune.

MR: Okay, you've had one of the most memorable pop hits, "One Of Us." Growing up, what music were you listening to?

JO: When I was a little kid, my mom would take us to see the movie musicals like The Sound of Music or the Dr. Dolittle movie before Eddie Murphy. It was one of these big Hollywood musicals, and we would bring home the soundtrack records, and I would just listen to those, in particular, The Sound of Music. I just listened to that again and again, learned all the parts and would sing them along with the record. Probably, to this day, I can still sing any part of any of those songs, so I think if you have an affinity for music, you can find something to love in a lot of different places.

MR: Right, and featured on your breakthrough album Relish, the song "One Of Us" was a huge single that year. With "One Of Us" having left such a mark on culture, what do you think about it now?

JO: Well, I think it's definitely the song that I'm most known for in the wider world. I certainly have a lot of fans who know much more about me other than that song, but as far as being in the global consciousness, I'm connected with that song. If it has to be for one song, you really couldn't ask for a better one because it is a pop song, but it's got a much deeper message than almost any pop song that I know of. I think that's why it had the big moment that it did, and why it continues to resonate. They just did a cover version of it on that show Glee, and that song has been in moving, and it was the theme song for that TV show Joan of Arcadia, and it has continued to have a life beyond its first appearances as a hit. I think that's because the song itself is not telling anyone what they should believe, it's asking people to search inside themselves and figure out what they believe. I think that you don't often get something like that from a pop song. So as I said, if it has to be one song, I'm connected with that. It's a really good one.

MR: The other point to be made about that song is that it was so controversial. Basically, it seemed like politicians and pulpits tried to make it an issue for their own agendas.

JO: Well, I think I was definitely aware of that and certainly knew what was going on with all the protests and the controversy, and I do think that to a certain extent, it was a moment when religion was being talked about in popular discourse in a way that it isn't always talked about. I think that the religious groups...they had a very specific version of what they think "God" is, and they didn't like people questioning that and having alternate versions. They wanted to be part of that discourse and say, "Hey, we don't like this song and what we think is this." So I think they were just trying to get in to the public discussion that was going on at that time, and the song sparked it. Some of them did it in a way that was maybe not so nice, and I got some threatening letters and we got ticketed at some of our shows, and some of them took it to an extreme. But I think others were just trying to say, "This is what my version of it is, and this is why I don't think this song is great." But there were just as many people who thought it was wonderful, and people who sang the song in their church groups, and discussed it in their church youth groups. I would get wonderful letters from them saying that this was something that they used to open up discussion with their youth group and it was really a great tool for them. So, like I said, because it's not telling anybody what to think, it was something that could be understood in a lot of different ways.

MR: Nice. Joan, what advice do you have for new artists?

JO: Well, that is a good question. I think that if you can love doing this at every stage, even at the stage where you' re just starting out and you don't have much of an audience yet and you're not making any money and if it feels satisfying and real to you, even at that stage, then you can be a success in music for as long as you want. If you're in it just to become a big star and make a lot of money, you might have picked the wrong job because you have to give up so much of yourself to do this with your life--so much of your time, so much of your energy, and so much of everything that unless it's satisfying to you every step of the way, you can't just be doing it for some big payoff down the road.

MR: You're going to be on tour for Bring It On Home?

JO: Yes, we are. We're going to the Northeast and the South, and we're hoping to bridge out to the Midwest as well. We got some shows in California in June, so we're going to be taking it all over and the band that you hear on the recording is the band that I'm bringing with me live, so it's going to be a real party, I think.

MR: Nice, and speaking of parties, are you going to take any breaks and join The Dead for a little bit?

JO: Well, I don't know. I haven't talked to those guys in a minute, but it would be a welcome call if I got a call from them, because that was definitely a cool experience, and they just have such great songs. It would be wonderful to sing those songs again.

MR: Okay, here's the obnoxious question, and forgive me for asking it. What if God was one of us? Got any more words of wisdom on ya?

JO: Any words of wisdom...let's see. This is a good question, because I have a 7-year-old daughter, and I'm always trying to give her some life advice. To realize that it's not a bad thing that you don't get everything that you want, and that what you should do is focus on being grateful for the things that you have and not focus on the things you wish you did have.

Tracks:
1. I Don't Need No Doctor
2. Bring It On Home
3. Roll Like a Big Wheel
4. Game of Love
5. Broken Wings
6. Shoorah! Shoorah!
7. I Want to Be Loved
8. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
9. Shake Your Hips
10. I'm Qualified
11. Champagne and Wine
12. Rhymes

Transcribed by Narayana Windenberger

NOTE: Just got back from SXSW, and its ambition and number of events were quite overwhelming. Catching up is going to be a challenge, but over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting a number of SXSW interviews as well as regular interviews that have been stacking up at the airport. FYI, this festival just keeps growing and getting better. Try to take the time to look up Bruce Springsteen's inspirational keynote speech because it was very, very powerful.

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Mind Control in the Music Industry ~ Part 2 ? PARALLAX

?As artists we?re highly sensitive people, and this machine around us, this so-called ?music industry,? is such a demonic thing. It?s sacrifices people?s lives and their essences at the drop of a dime ? I had a manager once say to me, ? You know you?re worth more money dead than alive.?? ~Chaka Khan

An in-depth analysis of mind-control themes in contemporary pop music (see last week?s?Mind Control in the Music Industry ~ Part 1) would be incomplete without addressing?Metropolis. Written and directed by?German expressionist?Fritz Lang in 1927, the cult classic is set in a futuristic urban?dystopia.

The story highlights the struggle between two distinct classes, the wealthy rulers who designed the city and the oppressed, mechanized workers who live underground ? without whom the elite?s metropolis could not be sustained.

Freder, the son of the city?s creator, becomes entranced with a young woman, the charismatic, angelic Maria.

Though the restless workers are pressing for revolt, Maria acts as a people?s prophet, advocating peace. She entreats them to remain patient, promising that God will send a mediator to channel communication between the divided classes.

However, Maria is abducted by Joh Frederson (city creator and father of Freder,) along with his accomplice, the mad scientist, Rotwang. The two men take her to a black magic laboratory and hook her up to a machine which steals her likeness.

Using a fusion of satanic ritual and Tesla-esque technology, Rotwang has created a ?machine man? whom he considers ?the man of the future.??The archaic android has the faculty to assume the physical appearance of any person Rotwang programs it to imitate.

Employing this technology, the two men create a false Maria.?At the end of the procedure, the simulated Maria looks exactly like the beautiful young woman after which she has been modeled. But beneath the deceptively soft-looking skin lies a cold, programmed machine.

The false Maria is then set loose on the worker city to incite riots and discredit the movement started by the real?Maria.

The chaos is generated by an erotic dance performance by the false Maria in a red light district club. Posing as the Whore of Babylon astride a multi-headed beast, the machine-Maria inspires lust, madness, rage and violence to break out among the men.

In the end, Fredor becomes the mediator between the ruling and the working classes (though he can hardly be considered neutral, what with his father owning the city!) Yet the film closes with the feel-good caption: ?the mediator between the head and hands must be the heart.?

Metropolis is a stunning visual odyssey, a technical marvel. Widely and deservedly considered a masterpiece.

Like any work of art, the film can be interpreted in multiple ways and on multiple levels.

Clearly the head in the closing epitaph is supposed to represent the elite, framing them as the brains, and the hands represent the workers, the brawny means by which the visions of ?the head? are carried out. But what does the heart symbolize to the film?s creators?

Metropolis was co-written by Fritz Lang with his wife,?Thea von Harbou. Though she?would go on to become a passionate member of the Nazi party,?the Jewish Lang held democratic political views, having no Nazi affiliations beyond the fact that Hitler famously?admired?the film.

Some conspiracy sites (check out?Vigilent Citizen?s??Occult Symbolism in Metropolis?) have suggested?that the film is a statement made?by?the elite?for?the elite, and that the mediator symbolizes the?media, which has become increasingly?controlled by the same six corporations???in other words, a small handful of wealthy, elite?individuals.

Whatever Fritz Lang?s intended cinematic message, the film sparks interesting speculations. For instance, note that the tool used by the elite (represented by mad scientist Rotwang and city creator, Joh Frederson) to manipulate the masses was a woman dancing erotically.

Could control of the masses be as simple as sex?

Certainly, though it is rare, the CIA has publicly admitted to infiltrating the media.

Also interesting, the visage of false Maria is often imitated by today?s pop stars, who make common practice of paying tribute to Metroplis, specifically Rotwang?s creation.

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The message behind the woman as robot is similar to the message behind the woman as doll ? another theme that shows up constantly in today?s videos and popular music symbology. The visual cue subtly but firmly dictates: she is not in control of herself. She is programmable.

Often, with doll and robot imagery, comes a motif of missing limbs.

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An internet culture has been built around the regularity with which these images recur in the pop mythos. Theories that pop stars are mere puppets for higher powers wishing to impart agenda-driven messages abound.

?The idea behind Illuminati involvement in the careers of popular music icons,? notes conspiracy site?Parkalert Press,??revolves around the central concept that as new artists, athletes, and personalities arrive on the scene, there is a system in place where certain people are handpicked to go on to a further calling.?

?Pop icons are influential,? continues?Parkalert Press,??especially on young people, and their everyday movements attract the attention of millions. ?That?s why the theory exists that the Illuminati embraces them,?enlightens? them, if you will, and then supports them, further adding to their success.

?In return, these people cooperate by showing their appreciation for how they got where they are through permeating their music, videos,?interviews, books, and everyday actions with Illuminati-based symbolism, imagery, and terminology.?

Could the rise in mental health disorders today be exacerbated by the bipolar and dissociative themes in pop music today? It could be a self-feeding cycle.

Is the recurring imagery simply a case of mental health issues being common in artists and performers?

Many believe the relentless plentitude of symbols point in a more sinister direction. Monarch Programming is a specific kind of trauma-based mind control which many speculate may be rampant in the entertainment industry, what with the plethora of butterfly imagery abound.

Cathy O?Brien?is an outspoken activist?spreading awareness about the phenomenon of trauma-based mind control.?In her?expos??Trance Formation of America?she details her life as a Monarch Slave.

Also known as Marionette Programming, this dark brand of psychological warfare originated in Nazi Germany.?After the allies won WWII, a slew of Nazi scientists, doctors and psychiatrists were brought over to the US ? ostensibly so the enemy didn?t have access to their sinister skills. But then guess who did?

Out of this infamous influx of mad Rotwangs,?MK ULTRA?was born:?a covert,?illegal?human experimentation?program run by the CIA?s?Office of Scientific Intelligence. According to whistleblowers like Cathy O?Brien, Project Monarch is an outgrowth of that program, designed to artificially induce MPD and DID in victims as a means of control, creating Manchurian candidate types to do their bidding; whether it be sex slavery or assassination. The conspiracy theory line of reasoning goes ? why not pop stars, too?

Rosanne Bar?has?publicly asserted?that her Multiple Personality Disorder was ?deliberately induced by the CIA [...] after they brought all the Nazis over from Germany to run the American Psychiatric Association.?

When Larry King, with whom she is interviewing, expresses disbelief, Roseanne sticks to her story: ?I?m telling you the truth. It is all mind control and all kinds of things to invent people with multiple personalities.?

?So you have been captured by Nazis?? ribs Larry King, still not taking her seriously.?Roseanne responds, ?Well, in a way, I believe the government has implanted some kind of a chip into my head.?

Posts on her blog and repeated appearances at mind control survivor conferences affirm that her comments to Larry were no joke.

It may, too, simply be that?today?s performers are voicing the public?s own semi-subliminal sensation of existing in what is essentially a mind control environment.

We are spoon-fed what to believe by advertisers. Traumatized on a daily basis by the violence in the news. Forced to compartmentalize in order to function, perhaps by wearing a fashionable article of clothing and conveniently blocking out the conditions of the sweatshop workers who produced it. Or by eating a fast food chicken sandwich, while avoiding thinking about the crowded, unsanitary conditions of the chickens; those rows upon rows of dirty cages. And who among us does not feel they have multiple selves living within them?

Men and women alike are dehumanized, reduced to faceless consumers.

Women are objectified, many brainwashed into taking up the values of their oppressors, objectifying themselves and promoting self-objectifying to others.

In a previous post, ?The Mad Cult of the World,??I compare the socialization process to cult indoctrination. The similarities are actually quite noteworthy.

Perhaps it?makes sense for us to collectively express mind control themes through our chosen cultural?archetypes.

What do you think?

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Tagged: Lady Gaga, mind control, MK ULTRA, pop music, social commentary

Source: http://taicarmen.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/mind-control-in-the-music-industry-part-2/

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Applying for Commercial Loans | PlusStuff

Applying for Commercial Loans

Small business owners are still having trouble in getting commercial loans in spite of the attractive interest rates available in the market today. Financial institutions are aggressively offering packages on home-equity credit lines and other loan assistance.

Although there are numerous loan packages offered out there, financial institutions are still very discriminating when it comes to lending money. They don?t lend money to random people. Banks are selective when it comes to business loans.

If you?re one of those small business owners who wish to develop and expand his business but lacks capital to do so, then taking a commercial loan could be a solution for you. The challenge in applying for a commercial loan is in making sure that your application gets approved.

The first step in getting a commercial loan is finding the right bank or credit union. Lendio can help you secure commercial loans with banks and other lending companies.

When it comes to getting successful loan applications, there are no magic wands or magic potions to make things easier and fail-proof. However, there are some tips and guidelines to help small business owners like you ensure that you have a huge chance at getting your commercial loans approved.

1. Be organized even if you?re not. This is critically hard especially when you?re trying to develop your business and when you?re altering your business? internal organizations to achieve a certain growth. Looking sharp is essential when it comes to getting your commercial loans approved. Most financial institution appreciates and recognizes a well-organized package. Make sure that you have all your documents updated and ready for presentation. Documents usually include tax returns, an interim financial statement, list of account payables and account receivables, insurance records, and a cash-flow statement.

2. Assets. Financial institutions want to tie-up more assets than the commercial loans are worth. Lenders will assess your assets not in terms of how much they were worth when you acquired them. Rather, lenders will look into what and how much they could be sold for in case the business is ever to be shut down.

3. Improve your loan-to-value ratio. Industry by industry, loan-to value ratios differ. For example, leasing companies have higher acceptable loan-to-value ratios. There is no precise bar for loan-to-value ratio. What financial institutions are looking for is an assurance that your small business can succeed through recessions and a few difficult days.

4. Total debt coverage. Show the banks that your business can?t only pay the interest of the loan, but can actually cover the whole debt. It?s not enough to show that you have the capacity to produce enough money to pay off the monthly interest on the loan. Lenders nowadays, want to see that you?re more than capable of paying off the interest of the loan. They want to see that you can actually pay back the principal amount.

5. Hold back. Financial institutions say that good personal credit can be beneficial with a commercial loan because small business owners have to personally guarantee their loans. Moreover, some bad marks on your personal credit history could also hurt your application. So if you have a bad mark, or you missed some payments or have credit troubles, you can hold off your commercial loans application for a while. Clean your personal credit history first because doing so can make a he difference when applying for that business loan.

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Source: http://plusstuff.com/2012/03/applying-for-commercial-loans/

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2 blasts hit Syria capital, state news agency says

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) ? Twin bombings struck government targets in the Syrian capital early Saturday, killing security forces and civilians and leaving pools of blood and carnage in the streets, according to state-run television.

The violence comes as the country's yearlong uprising, which started with mostly peaceful protests, descends into a nascent civil war involving large-scale government assaults on rebel-held cities. President Bashar Assad's regime blamed the explosions in Damascus on the "terrorist forces" that it claims are behind the revolt.

According to the state-run news agency, SANA, preliminary information indicated the blasts were caused by car bombs that hit the aviation intelligence department and the criminal security department at around 7:30 a.m local time. Shooting broke out soon after the blast and sent residents and others who had gathered in the area fleeing, an Associated Press reporter at the scene said.

The bombings were the latest in a string of suicide attacks in Syria, which have killed dozens of people since late December.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks. But the regime has said the blasts are proof that it is being targeted by "terrorists." The opposition, however, accuses forces loyal to the government of being behind the bombings to tarnish the uprising.

SANA posted gruesome photographs of the scene Saturday, with mangled and charred corpses, bloodstains on the streets and twisted steel.

"All our windows and doors are blown out," said Majed Seibiyah, 29, who lives in the area. "I was sleeping when I heard a sound like an earthquake. I didn't grasp what was happening until I hear screaming in the street."

The Syrian government denies there is a popular will behind the uprising, saying foreign extremists and gangs are trying to destroy the country. But his opponents deny that and say an increasingly active rebel force has been driven to take up arms because the government used tanks, snipers and machine guns to crush peaceful protests.

The U.N. estimates that more that 8,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad began last March.

The last major suicide bombing in Syria happened on Feb. 10, when twin blasts struck security compounds in the government stronghold of Aleppo in northern Syria, killing 28 people. Damascus, another Assad stronghold, has seen three suicide previous bombings since December.

In recent weeks, Syrian forces have waged a series of heavy offensives against the main strongholds of the opposition ? Homs in central Syria, Idlib in the north and Daraa in the south.

The bloodshed fuels the country's sectarian tensions. The military's top leadership is stacked heavily with members of the minority Alawite sect, to which Assad and the ruling elite belong.

Sunnis are the majority in the country of 22 million and make up the backbone of the opposition.

Diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis have so far brought no result. But U.N. envoy Kofi Annan told the Security Council in a briefing Friday that he would return to Damascus even though his recent talks with Assad saw no progress in attempts to cobble together peace negotiations between the two sides.

After the confidential briefing via videolink, Annan told reporters in Geneva that he urged the council "to speak with one voice as we try to resolve the crisis in Syria." Russia and China have blocked U.N. action against Assad's regime.

"The first objective is for all of us to end the violence and human rights abuses and the killings and get unimpeded access for humanitarian access to the needy, and of course the all-important issue of political process that will lead to a democratic Syria," Annan said.

Both Assad and much of the opposition spurned Annan's appeal for talks.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this story

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-blasts-hit-syria-capital-state-news-agency-063634905.html

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Top Internet Small Home Business Ideas | Business Ideas

Are you interested in making good money sitting at home? Then ??u h?ve to l??k f?r small home-based business ideas online. This i? ? great way to start work from home. The internet i? the m?st viable option wh?n lo?king f?r small home-based business ideas.

These ideas ??n b? great for th? retirees, single parents, handicapped or th?s? willing t? work fr?m home. Further, ?f time is a factor with y?u th?n th?r? ?r? sev?ral sources on the internet thr?ugh which ??u c?n generate decent income with?ut compromising much time.

Earlier, small business alw?ys meant brick ?nd mortar; however, time h?? changed and today?s world is completely technology driven. Now, ??u ?an communicate w?th any part ?f the world over the World Wide Web.

Further, th?? h?? given rise t? innovative small home-based business ideas that ?an h?l? you earn ? handsome amount working ov?r th? internet at home.

With mor? and m?re small businesses finding it convenient t? promote the?r products ?nd services online, th?re i? ? growing fixation f?r internet marketing.

A larger part of customers now compare features ?nd prices of products ?va?l?bl? online t? make the b??t purchase. One of th? best ideas t? generate income thr?ugh small businesses ?? marketing online.

However, when looking f?r small home business ideas on th? internet, ?ou ne?d to know that implementing the idea can be tough. Traffic plays ? major role in marketing online.

Some interesting small home business ideas

There ar? s?ver?l small home business ideas that can fit your lifestyle ?nd budget. Here ar? s?me ideas for ? home based business that ??u ?an run ?ver th? internet ?t home?

If ??u are one ?f those, who often buy a must-have product that i? sold online, then ?our be?t wa? t? make money out ?f th?? would b? ?n affiliate ?f th??? products.

Now wh?t y?u n??d a? ?n affiliate i? ju?t t? refer ?our favourite product t? others. Once th?y buy the product, you would receive your commission for the sale. This ??n b? ? lucrative business ?f you ?r? ready to start an online business.

There are online auction sites l?ke eBay, wher? you hav? ? store t? showcase ??ur products. Just research through th? categories to g?t an idea ?b?ut the products that ar? offered.

Also, enquire th? number ?f bids th?t ?r? offered for the product? demand ?nd supply? providing y?u with ??m? feasibility and ideas. These hot selling products are ?va?l?bl? ?t flea markets, garage sales, ?nd second-hand stores.

There ar? var??u? avenues t? explore on the Internet. From launching new website to affiliate marketing, the internet offers ?n? ?f th? most flourishing businesses.

If ??u h?ve ? unique idea y?u can plunge online to l?ok for small home based businesses. You c?n place y?ur services, products ?r offer online suggestion t? ?thers f?r ??ur business.

However, the real advantage ?f ?uch small home business ideas i? th?t ??u ?an earn ? good amount of money sitting at th? comfort ?f your home and without making mu?h investment.

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Source: http://www.fmshugs.com/244-top-internet-small-home-business-ideas.html

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Bay Windows Could Be the Stylish Home Improvement Solution You ...

???You are here: DIME Home > Home Improvement > Bay Windows Could Be the Stylish Home Improvement Solution You?re Looking For

Without tearing down walls and construction home additions, you might think it?s impossible to make your rooms feel larger. However, bay windows can be the stylish solution you?re looking for.

Author: Brian M. McLauren
Date: Feb 29, 2012 - 5:13:39 PM

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Are you looking for a way to expand the space of your home without undergoing a major construction project? Without tearing down walls and construction home additions, you might think it?s impossible to make your rooms feel larger. However, bay windows can be the stylish solution you?re looking for.

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Advantages of Bay Windows

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Bay windows have long been an attractive home improvement to make to your home. Not only do they look great, but they offer a number of advantages that not all other styles of windows can provide you. Here are some of the many advantages of installing stylish bay windows in your home.

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Add Value to Your Home

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When you drive past a home that has bay windows, you instantly notice it. From the outside, bay windows give your home a clean and modern look. Once inside your home, the windows look elegant and make your room feel spacious. The combination of both aesthetic appeal and increased square footage add value to your home.

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Natural Light

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With a flat casement window, natural light can only enter a room from one angle. However, bay windows have panoramic views, so more natural light can enter a room from multiple directions. Not only will your room feel larger, but it?ll be brighter.

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Ventilation Advantages

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Unlike standard windows, bay windows give you more ventilation options. These windows provide the option of having two operating windows so that you and your guests can enjoy fresh air from more than one direction. You and your guests will feel more comfortable in your home.

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Versatile

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Whether your home is a Victorian style or has a more modern design aesthetic, bay windows are a popular home improvement for just about any style home. They can be installed in virtually any room and are most commonly installed in kitchens and living rooms. They also provide your home with cozy little reading nooks and banquette style seating to make the most of the extra space. ?

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Add Style to Youf Home

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Bay windows serve much more than just a functional purpose. They also add style to your home. They add visual interest to you home and can be installed in a number of sizes, window angles, and frame colors to match the look of your home.

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When you need to install new windows in your home, consider bay windows for their many style and function advantages. Make your home stand out from the rest of the homes on your block by installing beautiful bay windows.

Contact a professional home window company near you to learn more about bay windows in Orange County and to get a free in-home consultation.

View all articles by Brian M. McLauren

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<a href="http://www.dime-co.com/home-improvement/Bay-Windows-Could-Be-the-Stylish-Home-Improvement-Solution-You-re-Looking-For.shtml">Bay Windows Could Be the Stylish Home Improvement Solution You?re Looking For</a>

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Finding the right Home Gym Equipment to your Health and fitness ...

Home gym machines will give you the opportunity to duplicate fitness physical exercise in the gym without having to pay monthly fees as well as leaving your home. A lot of bits of gym fitness gear distributed for home utilization may be used to physical exercise some other part of your body. This implies that particular machine in your house may well satisfy the specifications regarding 3 unique machines you?ll use in the health and fitness center. Space saving styles as well as overall flexibility has made a number of styles of home gym equipment extremely powerful to shed weight as well as improved physical fitness and health.

You?ll find so many what to think about when evaluating a whole new little bit of pentax lenses gear. Budget as well as value will probably be initial in many individuals listing nevertheless quality as well as place needs need to arrive initial. Pricey fitness gear may not be the most suitable choice nevertheless must be backed by using a good warranty and provide a lot of reputable service in the event that maintained properly. Fresh gym fitness gear purchases must be backed by using a good warranty by way of example. Customer satisfaction is very vital and you?ll desire to establish the actual gear manufacturer includes a good status with regards to the two quality as well as good customer satisfaction.

Brand-new home gym equipment accessible may be investigated on the web enabling you to choose the best bits to suit your requirements. You?ll find so many types that will change designs enabling you to physical exercise your current hip and legs as well as thighs in a very setup along with your hands as well as second chest muscles inside one more. If you want your current brand-new item for all different uses this is the smart decision to learn in the event that you make payment for more for add-ons that permit the idea to improve designs. This can consist of manufacturer to manufacturer and several arrive like a complete collection in the first place.

Fitness center fitness gear need to engage in your premises as well as life-style. Challenging to retailer items may be left crammed away should they be too hard to go. It is wise to look into for Cuisinart DCC-1200 that?ll be fitted to the place you have reserve for this. A number of homes have place to be able to designate for fitness in your house requirements although some ought to share regions. Heavy fitness cameras can also be difficult to transfer and several types take time and effort to be able to reconfigure whenever moving over uses. This particular really should be re also investigated prior to deciding to deciding on the following item.

Home gym machines features turned into large organization and customary sense will assist you to select the best bits in your case anyone. Perhaps the old-fashioned stationary bicycles have some of specs to take care of the actual changing engineering. A lot of models incorporate they would Or ur displays, LCD electric readouts, as well as To.Sixth is v. monitors to allow for simulated cycle trips through different regions. Rowing machines as well as Tamron AF 28-300mm models offer you their rewards nevertheless locating the gym fitness gear that will help keep you anyone utilizing it is the vital thing which has a good plan.

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Source: http://alpharettaroswellyellowpages.com/?p=1026

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