Category Archives: CURRENT ISSUE

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Changing the Music Industry

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Changing World of Music Industry
Music has always been and always will be an essential part of human existence. People of Stone Age sang and danced around their fires, traveling minstrels entertained the people of Middle Ages, and operas and concerts were extremely popular during Baroque and Classical Eras. Today, as never before in human history, we are constantly surrounded by music in our everyday life. Starting with the invention of gramophone in 1887 by Emil Berliner, it became possible to enjoy music without actually going to the musical performance. The last 20 years brought an even bigger change to our ability to access any music at any given moment. Since 1992, with all technological innovations and developments, the world we live in became dramatically new place. How did music change?

The greatest thing, which influenced the music industry during the last 20 years, was the move from analog to digital technology. People can download thousands of songs on their multiple devices – be it computer, phone, iPad, iPod, MP3 player, etc. – in a matter of seconds. Access to any type of music – be it rock, bluegrass, hip-hop, DJ remixes, pop, religious, country, or ethnic of any kind – is easily available. Moreover, one of the most extraordinary developments during the period from 1992 to 2012 was the extent to which digital technology has become entrenched in every part of our culture and every strata of our society, especially among young adults and teens. How exactly is music industry affected by all these changes?

First of all, music industry is thriving. The number of albums and songs released each year is growing and new artists appear seemingly on a daily basis. Consequently, musical environment of 2012 is substantially different from that of 1992, at least quantitatively if not qualitatively (in opinions of many people, our two biggest pop stars of today, Lady Gaga and Adele, are somewhat reminiscent of Madonna and Mariah Carey). So, it seems to be good news that all technological innovations led to the positive development of music industry. However, it is not exactly so. While music industry is in good shape, record industry is negatively affected by the ease with which people can access music nowadays.

First of all, with the introduction of digital technology, the sales of music albums and CDs have drastically fallen. Also, many record stores were closed due to insufficient sales. Nowadays, record companies prefer to distribute their products through such national chains as Wal-Mart and Target to achieve bigger profits. However, one of the biggest challenges faced by the record industry today is online piracy. Record companies against such sites initiated various lawsuits as LimeWire and Pirate Bay in an attempt to prevent illegal downloads. Still, such sites as Amazon and iTunes which offer legal downloads are seeing profits. In fact, digital sales grew an astonishing 1000% from 2004 to 2010. As such, the main question today is to what future holds for music industry? While music will always be an integral part of our lives, we live in a capitalist society, in which the main mantra is, “It’s the economy, stupid!”
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Time and People

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Time and People: How and When We Started Keeping Time

Time has always been a mystifying concept, which occupied the minds of best thinkers and philosophers since antiquity. Mark Aurelius envisioned time as “a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away.” Although men are not the only beings defined by the passage of time, the humans are the only ones who – given their intellect, memory, and imagination – are able to envision the past, present, and sometimes the future. Aristotle asserted that “time, past, present, and future, forms a continuous whole.” Isaac Newton introduced the concepts of absolute, or mathematical, time which “from its own nature, flaws equably without relation to anything external” and relative time which is, “common time – some sensible and external (whether accurate or unequable) measure of duration by the means of motion, which is commonly used instead of true time, such as an hour, a day, a month, a year.”

When and why did people start keeping track of time? Ancient people, observing day/night, lunar, solar, and seasonal changes realized that they need to come up with some type of system to better predict those changes in order to be prepared for them. As such, while they did not recognize that the Earth’s revolution around the Sun caused the seasonal changes, they found it easier to observe the changing position and shape of the Moon and stars to keep track of time. First ancient calendars such as Babylonian, Mayan, Aztec, Early Roman and such were based on some combination of solar and lunar years and were subject to much confusion. Lunar months continued for about 29 days and, consequently, lunar years of twelve months were about 354 days and lunar years of thirteen months were about 383 days, which differed greatly from solar years of 365 days. Accordingly, ancient people tried to improvise their calendars to keep them in better alignment with seasonal changes. Thus, Babylonians alternated between twelve and thirteen months long years, ancient Mayans had eighteen months long years with each months having 20 days cycle plus five days at the end of the year, and early Romans had a ten months calendar and ignored 61 days each year.

By the time of Julius Caesar, the accumulated mistakes of the calendar were so great that winter came in September and fall started in July. As such, Caesar, with the help from the astronomer Sosigenes, introduced new calendar, which was calculated on the basis of solar year. The calendar, known as Julian, was widely used all over the world for more then 15 centuries and was eventually replaced by Gregorian calendar initiated by Pope Gregory the Thirteenth in 1582. The Gregorian calendar is still in use all over the world.

However, calendars were only one way of keeping time and people needed some way to keep the track of day as well. As such, first timekeeping devices were invented. Thus, ancient Egyptians introduced shadow clocks, or large obelisks, which helped to keep track of time by observing the shadow resultant from the movement of Sun. Also, at approximately the same time, or 2000 BC, ancient Mesopotamians invented water clocks, which were also used by ancient Chinese and Greeks. Other earlier devices included sundials, candle clocks, time sticks, and hourglasses. In 3rd century BC, Greeks came up with the first prototype of the watch, which used water-powered escapement mechanism, and in 10th century Chinese people used mercury-based escapement mechanisms. In 11th century, Arab engineers invented water-based watches, which used gears and weights to provide rotational movement. With time, people perfected watch mechanisms, which led to the introduction of mechanical, pendulum, and spring-powered clocks. In the 20th century, atomic clocks, the most precise watch mechanisms to date, were invented as well.

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Fearful & Fabulous Motorcycle

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The Fearful and Fabulous Motorcycle
Ask any adult what they think about riding a motorcycle and you’re likely to get one of two answers—very cool or totally nuts. For those folks that are dedicated “bikers,” no amount of scary stats on accidents, brain injuries, or deaths will convince them to give up their Harleys or Hondas; others are convinced that even a parked motorcycle is lethal. This is a machine that inspires intense feelings, good, bad, and ugly.Today, more people than ever before are riding motorcycles, some estimates put the number at about seven million which includes both drivers and passengers. Despite the enduring popular stereotype of a young, brawny dude covered in tattoos and wearing a bandana for a helmet, the fact is that both men and women of all ages are bikers. It’s evident this mode of transportation works for a lot of Americans.

Motorcycle Fears
But there are some good reasons for a cautious approach to motorcycles.
Motorcycle-related deaths increased every single year between 1997 and 2008, a 150% increase. Motorcycle crashes killed 5,290 people in 2008.

Young people are not the only ones dying in motorcycle crashes. In 2008, more than half the people killed in motorcycle crashes were 40 or older, up from 33% in 1998.
While only 9% of riders killed in motorcycle crashes in 2008 were women, almost all passengers (89%) killed in motorcycle crashes were women.
It is estimated that the economic burden of injuries and deaths from motorcycle related crashes in one year totaled $12 billion.
A study of 105 motorcyclists hospitalized at a major trauma center determined that 63% of their care was paid for by public funds, with Medicaid accounting for over half of all charges.
Perhaps it’s the last factoids about costs that drives the volatile sentiments against motorcycles but certainly the type of injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents are also frightening. The following information comes from a report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
Most incapacitating and fatal injuries were sustained when the initial point of impact (IPI) was the front of the motorcycle.
Lower-extremity injuries were the most common injuries sustained
by motorcyclists treated in level I and II trauma centers, followed by upper-extremity and head injuries. While lower-extremity injuries were more frequent, head, chest, and abdominal injuries tended to be more severe.
Injured motorcyclists sustain more leg injuries than any other type of
lower-extremity injury, with bone fractures being more common than soft-tissue injuries.
Some injuries associated primarily with motorcycle accidents include:
Biker’s Arm-a condition in which the nerves in the upper arm are damaged as a result of the biker hitting the ground. Depending on the severity, motorcyclist may lose some or all movement in the affected limb.
Head Injury or Brain Trauma-the most often cited reason for passing universal helmet laws, this type of injury can result in any number of ugly effects including seizures, paralysis, loss of memory and change in brain function. Though some of these symptoms can be temporary others may last a lifetime and cause permanent disability.
Spinal cord injuries-among the most serious of injuries this type of trauma can result in partial or complete paralysis, depending on location of the lesion, that lasts a lifetime.
As to the common causes of motorcycle accidents, in single-vehicle crashes the primary, contributing factor is driver error that results in a slide-out and fall typically from losing control and overbraking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or undercornering. Alcohol is also a culprit in more than half of all fatal accidents. In motorcycle accidents that involve another vehicle, more than two-thirds of the collisions were caused by a motorist violating the motorcycle’s right of way. It’s as if the bike and rider were “invisible.” Most riders will tell you their single greatest apprehension on the road is not being “seen” by drivers behind the wheel of a car.
Motorcycle Joys
The list of reasons to be fearful about motorcycles is sobering. Nonetheless, the popularity of motorcycles is growing which prompts the obvious question, what are the joys of riding? In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the author Robert Persig noted, “You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.” Here’s what many “in the scene” would say on behalf of motorcycles:
Freedom!-this is the first word you’re likely to hear from a motorcyclist when it comes to why ride; for many riders, the destination is secondary to the journey.
Feeling of the ride-nothing compares to the skill, alertness and dexterity required to navigate a motorcycle; it’s a thrill to be fully engaged and in harmony with the machine.
Fuel savings-bikes can get more than double the mileage of a car on a gallon of gas. With gas prices on the rise, motorcycles have come into the mainstream of American motoring consciousness.
Parking-may not seem like much but what could be more joyful than being able to pull into a parking space where SUV’s dare not go?
Connection-motorcyclists share a bond, they are part of a larger community whose members acknowledge each other on the road.
Individuality-bikers tend to show their personality through how they dress to ride and customize their cycles.
Lower carbon impact-a biker might not say he or she is an environmentalist but the fact remains that motorcycles are an efficient means of transportation
Finally, a lot of motorcyclists might not say it out loud but let’s face it there is something very cool about being a rider. No matter what you do, how you look, or what establishment you walk into, eyes turn in your direction when you carry a helmet under your arm. It is seriously hip.
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CURRENT ISSUE, FEATURED, HEALTH CARE

Testosterone: The Mighty “T”

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Testosterone, it’s a natural substance with a colorful history and now its synthetic equivalent is a powerful moneymaker for the pharmaceutical industry. The television commercials for testosterone gel are ubiquitous. They go something like this: a middle-aged male, somewhere between ages 46 and 55, can barely drag himself out of bed. He shuffles through his day at the office while the younger men around him appear to skip down the halls. He has no energy for a pick-up game of basketball or handball or tennis. He has no appetite for drinks after work and forget dinner, dancing or sex with the wife. And of course, he’s depressed. Who wouldn’t be? But all it takes is a little testosterone gel and voila, he’ll soon dance the night away, work around the clock, and be a tiger in the bedroom. The Mighty “T” has come out of the illicit steroid trade of sports and into the mainstream of men’s health care.

Let’s start with the basics. For men, testosterone is the building block of all things identified as physically male. This is the ingredient a boy requires for puberty to get under way. With the help of testosterone, the penis and testicles grow. Muscles get bigger and bones grow stronger; hair sprouts on the face and groin, sperm is produced, the sexual urge, (libido), becomes pressing, moods modify, and believe it or not, the brain functions better. This crucial stuff, one of a group of hormones called androgens, actually has a starring role that begins in the womb. A genetically male (remember the XY chromosome combo from biology?) fetus develops male genitalia thanks to testosterone.

Hormone With A Past

Long ago, before testosterone was named and known, the curious and miracle-minded in different cultures, from Egyptians to Europeans, suspected the testicles might hold something special–beyond the obvious. Aphrodisiacs made from the gonads of animals considered sexually robust were taken as a cure for impotence and a restorative of vigor. Of course, culinary appeal is a matter of individual taste and nowhere is that more evident than in the elixir brewed by one Edouard Brown-Sequard, a 19th century French scientist. His model of male potency was found in dogs and guinea pigs. He used the animals testicles to concoct his potion. Sequard claimed his drink improved everything from brain power to sexual prowess to colons. Who knew guinea pigs were such Don Juans?

Despite no scientific evidence to support the aphrodisiac claims, there are still modern day versions of this ancient idea. One such offering comes from Charlie Bigham, a pastry chef from Britain. For Valentine’s Day, Chef Bigham makes a special treat that he sells to customers interested in improving the odds for a romantic tryst. He insists his special pie made with a filling of bull testicles, ginseng, and Mama Juana’s liquor is so potent it should a health warning. Not everyone agrees. Alex James, a food critic for the The Sun, a Brit tabloid, thinks there’s a better treat to inspire a passionate, virile evening—chocolate éclairs. He says “the suggestive shape and…oozy, gooey nature makes” the dessert the perfect indulgence for a sexy evening.

Pies and elixirs aside, scientific inquiry into the mystery of the male testicles and testosterone did have a breakthrough in 1936. That year Nobel Prize winners, Adolf Friedrich Johann Butenandt and Leopold Ruzicka, were responsible for the creation of an artificial testosterone substitute. Abuse of this hormone alternative by athletes began in the 1940s and continues to this day. It’s a shame testosterone replacement has attracted so much negative press because there are legitimate uses for it, though not in the areas the general public might suspect.

Testosterone: How Low Can You Go?

Low testosterone is a tricky diagnosis. As the male body ages decreased production of the hormone naturally occurs. There is a medical standard in place to gauge if a man’s testosterone is outside of the normal range. Certain medications, injuries, or illnesses may cause a man’s testosterone to drop below the standard but the normal dwindling of production that occurs with growing older is not likely to be a problem. In other words, the male body is designed to gently ratchet down as the years go by.

Science has recognized that the benefits of this steroid are many and varied but not necessarily in the ways many people might suspect. Where synthetic testosterone has shown genuine medical promise is in the treatment of age-related heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, and chronic fatigue. For women, the “Mighty T” has shown promise, in small quantities, for increasing sexual desire after menopause.

Testosterone has been praised and blamed for much that is right and wrong with a man’s health, happiness, and behavior. But the hype about “low testosterone” that’s now galvanizing attention through ads and commercials is likely more about boosting sales of the synthetic gel than an actual epidemic of male testosterone deficiency rampant across the country.

 

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Spring is Here!

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Finally, spring has arrived and everybody can enjoy warm, sunny days, blooming flowers and trees, and birds chirping! However, in Northern Hemisphere, spring officially starts on spring equinox day which falls on March 20 this year. The word “equinox,” derived from Latin, means “equal night.” It occurs twice a year around March 20 (vernal equinox) and September 22 (autumnal equinox) when the length of day and night is approximately equal all over the world. At these days, the Earth does not tilt toward or away from the Sun as it does every other day of the year and the Sun crosses celestial equator.

In many cultures and countries, vernal equinox signifies the time of renewal and rebirth. As such, there are many customs, religious observances, and holidays associated with this day of the year. For example, some calendars, such as Iranian, mark the beginning of the year on the day of spring equinox. Thus, the New Year’s festival of Nowruz is celebrated on either March 20 or 21 each year and lasts for about 2 weeks. People buy new clothes, prepare holiday feasts, and honor their families. Over time, the holiday spread across many parts of the world and became popular in many, largely Muslim, countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, and other. In 2009, the holiday was officially registered on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; and in 2010, the United Nation’s General Assembly recognized this 3000 years old holiday as an International Day of Nowruz.

Vernal equinox also marks the beginning of New Year for the followers of Baha’i Faith and Zoroastrian religion. In addition, it is widely celebrated across South Asia in such countries as Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh where major festivals customarily take place. Moreover, major Christian and Jewish holidays such as Easter and Passover are calculated upon the basis of the spring equinox date. For example, Easter, which celebrates the Christian belief in Jesus Christ’s resurrection, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after spring equinox day. Jewish Passover, which commemorates the story of Exodus when Israelites were freed from slavery in ancient Egypt, is celebrated on the first full moon after the vernal equinox. In Japan, the day of spring equinox is a national holiday when the Japanese honor their dead by tending to their graves and conducting Buddhist services.

However, not all holidays associated with equinox are religious in their nature. In some Arab countries, the date is designated as Mother’s Day. In some countries, it is celebrated as Earth’s Day when people plant trees, clean up the streets, and promote different initiatives aimed at preservation and protection of our beautiful Earth. In Tunisia, the day of vernal equinox is observed as an Independence Day and commemorates the emancipation of the country from France in 1956. There are some interesting holidays as well which were invented to celebrate the equinox. For example, it became a tradition in Annapolis, Maryland to celebrate a festival of Burning of the Socks. On that day, people who work on boatyards and boat owners burn their socks to mark the beginning of warm season because traditionally sea people wore socks only during winter time. It is a curious tradition which seems to be a good way to greet the spring!

No matter which holiday tradition associated with vernal equinox is significant to your culture and heritage, everybody is happy that spring has arrived!

 

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St. Pat’s Day: History and Traditions

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In 1991, the U.S. Congress designated March as an Irish-American heritage month because one of the most popular Irish holidays, St. Patrick’s Day, is celebrated on March 17 every year. The holiday commemorates the death of St. Patrick, the saint patron of Ireland who introduced Christianity to the country in the fifth century. St. Patrick’s Day had been celebrated by Irish people all over the world for more than 1000 years and became very popular in the USA as well. In fact, there are about 40 million people of Irish ancestry living in the USA nowadays, which is almost 8 times the size of the population of the Republic of Ireland of about 4.5 million people.

However, while the holiday was historically religious in character with people attending the church and honoring the memory of St. Patrick, over time it became a widespread celebration of Irish culture and its achievements. There are many traditions associated with the holiday but, undoubtedly, one of the most popular traditions is St. Patrick’s parade held on March 17. In the USA, the biggest parades are held not only in cities with large Irish populations such as New York, Boston, and Chicago, but in other cities as well, for example, in Savannah, Georgia. It has been calculated that about 100 parades are held across the USA each year! In fact, the very first St. Patrick’s parade was held not in Ireland but in New York City in 1762, when British soldiers of Irish descent marched in the streets of the city to commemorate national apostle St. Patrick and reconnect with their Irish compatriots. Today, New York’s St. Patrick’s Parade is one of the largest in the world and includes about 150 thousand participants and draws about 3 million spectators. Usually, the parades present excellent occasion to listen to traditional Irish bagpipe and drum music, enjoy tasty Irish food of corned beef and cabbage, watch Irish people dressed in national clothes, and celebrate all things Irish!

In addition, some other traditions emerged over time in connection with St. Patrick’s Day. For example, it became a curious custom to dye Chicago River in Chicago green on this holiday! The tradition started in 1962 when green food coloring was used to test the purity of river water. Nowadays, about 40 pounds of green food coloring is poured in Chicago River on March 17, which makes the water turn green for several hours. In Dublin, Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was initially a religious holiday with people attending church services and spending time with their families. However, in 1995 the Irish government made a decision to designate St. Patrick’s Day a national holiday to celebrate Irish culture and to attract tourists from all over world. Thus, the holiday became a several-day long celebration with many concerts, festivals, fireworks, and parades held all over the city and it attracts up to a million visitors each year. Moreover, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in other countries as well such as Canada, Australia, Japan, Russia, and Singapore! Irish culture, which survived many difficulties, famines, and oppression for many hundred years and produced such famous people as James Joyce, Eugene O’Neill, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, and John F. Kennedy just to name the few, certainly deserves the recognition!

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

 

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Part of the New Homeless?

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Homeless veterans, just seeing the two words strung together is startling. Of course, the problem of homelessness in the United States is nothing new but in the past three years, what has changed is the “face” of the homeless. No longer are the users of shelters and cars single individuals with mental health and substance abuse problems. More and more, the ranks of the homeless are filled with adults and families that lost their housing thanks to:

1. Adjustable mortgage payments that went sky-high as the property lost value and,

2. Unemployment

But it turns out these factors aren’t driving more veterans into the “no-home” zone. In fact what’s happened is the “new” for veterans is in the focused effort that’s underway to end veteran homelessness.

In the almost forty years since the war in Vietnam ended, the sad image of once proud military men living in alleys and shelters across the country had become familiar along with their grim stories. For most homeless veterans, the path to the street was marked by chronic drug and alcohol abuse often precipitated by PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and undiagnosed TBI (traumatic brain injury) that eventually led to loss of jobs, relationships, housing, and dignity. The struggle to assist homeless veterans in the decades between 1965 and 2000 was grim…and then came Iraq, Afghanistan, and Recession.

Veterans: Some Numbers

Over the past decade, what many experts, housing advocates, and military watchers feared was how the intersection of high unemployment, mortgage meltdown, and troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan would impact the number of homeless veterans already challenging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It turns out, the VA was also keeping close tabs on the situation and made some sweeping changes that are making a difference. As a matter of national pride, not to mention public gratitude, taking care of our military veterans is one area of public policy where Americans are in agreement. But most citizens have no idea what the scope of the problem really is. Here are some numbers that help put it in perspective:

21.8 million: The number of military veterans in the United States in 2010.

Source: 2010 American Community Survey

76,000: Number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless veterans on any given night.

Source: 2010 Supplement Annual Homeless Assessment Report

144,842: Number of veterans using a shelter in 1-year period

Source: 2010 Supplement Annual Homeless Assessment Report

92%: Percentage of homeless veterans who are male

Source: 2010 Supplement Annual Homeless Assessment Report

42%: Percentage of homeless veterans who are between ages 51-61.

Source: 2010 Supplement Annual Homeless Assessment Report

Veterans: Ending Homelessness

Here’s the good news, in 2011, the number of homeless veterans had decreased from 2010. Recent efforts to focus resources on eliminating “veterans” as a category in the “homeless” lexicon seem to be working and in a recent phone conversation with Pete Dougherty, Director of Homeless programs for the VA, he talked about the fundamental change in the Department’s approach to homeless veterans: Prevention. But what does that mean?

According to Director Dougherty, that means the VA along with other federal departments such as Labor and Housing and Urban Development, have taken on President Obama’s 2009 challenge to end veteran homelessness by 2015. Here are some of the changes that have taken place:

Aggressive outreach; finding homeless veterans and those at-risk

Increase in health, mental health, and drug treatment options

Support services to keep veterans in their homes

More emergency shelter beds and supportive housing

Mortgage assistance

Dollars for employment support

Direct grants to community agencies to provide/coordinate services

In his annual talk session with the Senate Armed Services Committee, Director Dougherty has said the federal government is on track to meet the goal of eliminating veteran homelessness. Time will tell if he’s right, the signs are positive. But for now, the challenge of vets without a permanent place to sleep remains.

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Leap Year: Traditions & The Famous

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The year of 2012 is a Leap Year. It occurs every four years when an extra day is added to our calendar on February 29 in order to align the calendar with the revolutions of Earth around the Sun. It takes a little bit over 365 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun once. As such, it has been calculated that if the Leap Day was not added every four years, people would lose about 24 calendar days every 100 years! Historically, there existed many variations of Leap Year in different cultures such as Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, and Chinese. However, the modern worldwide standard of adding an extra day every four years was introduced on the basis on Gregorian calendar which was adopted in 1582.

Over time, many different traditions and beliefs emerged surrounding Leap Year. One of the most popular traditions is that women can propose marriage to men on February 29 during Leap Year. As legend asserts, St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick that some women had to wait too long for men to propose and as a result, St. Patrick allowed women to suggest marriage on this particular day. If a man refused, he had to give a woman some present such as silk dress, money, or gloves. Also, in some countries it was believed a bad luck to be married during a Leap Year, while in other countries it was considered unfortunate to be born during Leap Year or on Leap Day in particular. However, the last belief can be easily refuted if one considers that many famous and accomplished people were born during Leap Year or even on Leap Day.

For example, famous Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini was born on February 29, 1792. He was one of the most prolific composers whose work included such well-known operas as The Barber of Seville and William Tell. During his life, he wrote 39 operas as well as chamber music, piano pieces, and songs. Another famous person born during Leap Year of 1812 was Charles Dickens. He is considered to be one of the greatest English novelists whose work was widely popular during his lifetime and is still highly praised nowadays. There is probably hardly a person in the world who did not read his novels such as A Tale of Two Cities, The Adventures of Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations.

Some contemporary famous people born on Leap Day include Anthony Robbins (born February 29, 1960), a well-known American motivational speaker whose self-help programs are published in over 100 countries and used by more than 4 million people worldwide; Randy Jackson, an American music producer and singer who was born in 1952 and became widely popular television personality as a judge on American Idol show; and Mervyn Warren, a five-time Grammy award winner was born on February 29, 1964 and is well-known for producing music scores for such movies as The Wedding Planner, The Sister Act 2, and The Preacher’s Wife which starred late Whitney Houston.

Obviously, being born during Leap Year or even on Leap Day is not such a bad luck! Moreover, if you were born on February 29 you can celebrate your birthday twice (February 28 plus March 1) and join other Leapers in such organizations as The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies whose membership includes over 10 000 people since its launch in 1997.

Happy Leap Year!

 

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History of the Valentine’s Day

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Valentine’s Day, celebrated on February 14th each year, is probably one of the most romantic holidays in the world. This is a day when couples demonstrate their love and affection by exchanging thoughtful gifts, sharing romantic dinner, and giving Valentines’ cards to each other. Although some people complain that the holiday became too commercialized and lost its charm as a result of it, for many others Valentine’s Day is still a wonderful occasion to show their appreciation to their loved ones. Where did the tradition to celebrate love on Valentine’s Day come from?

There are many legends surrounding the origins of this holiday, but one of the most popular one revolves around the figure of a young Christian priest named Valentine who lived during the third century in Rome. At that time, Rome was ruled by the Emperor Julius Claudius the Second who believed that unmarried soldiers performed better in the battlefields than their married counterparts whose loyalty belonged to their families. Consequently, the Emperor prohibited his soldiers to marry.

However, Valentine disobeyed Claudius’s order and performed marriage ceremonies for those in love. Moreover, he reconciled quarreling lovers, wrote love letters for people who could write well, and presented flowers to marrying couples. When it was discovered that he broke the order of the Emperor, Valentine was jailed and sentenced to death. While in prison, he fell in love with the blind daughter of the prison’s warden and, as the legend alleges, cured her blindness by the power of his love. Before Valentine was led to his death, he sent a farewell card to his beloved which was signed “From Your Valentine.”

We will never learn how much of this legend is true, but one thing is certain- St. Valentine had died in the name of Love. Although his life was cut short, he experienced many kinds of Love- love for God, love for all people, and love for a woman. Eventually, he was canonized by the Church; and around 498 A.D. Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as a St. Valentine’s Day.

In time, the holiday grew in popularity all over the world. Thus, St. Valentine’s Day was celebrated in Great Britain since 17th century, although one of the earliest Valentine cards was written as early as in 1415 by an imprisoned Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife. In the USA, the holiday became popular around 18th century. Cards, sweets, and flowers, especially red roses, became classic symbols of the holiday. According to the Greek myth, red roses came into existence because Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty, stepped on some white roses when she was running to her lover, Adonis, and her blood colored the roses red.

Nowadays, different traditions emerged in different countries in their celebration of Valentine’s Day. For example, in Japan men receive more gifts than women – in essence, Valentine’s Day became a holiday dedicated to men. In Denmark, it is customarily to present dried white flowers as symbol of love; while in France jewelry is the traditional gift. However, no matter where you celebrate Valentine’s Day, the main thing is to remember that Love is the foundation of happiness.

Happy Valentine Day!

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Resume Writing for Today’s Job Market

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The economic situation in the world, including the USA, has been quite difficult for several years. Many people face unemployment as companies lay off workers or declare a hiring freeze. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in December 2011 was 8.5 %, or 13.5 million people in the US were out of work. The numbers were better than those in previous months, which stayed around 9 %. Several analysts attribute the slight drop of the unemployment rate to seasonal hiring during the holiday season.

Some economists believe that the updated unemployment rate, to be released on February 3, 2012, will show a return to higher levels. It is a sad fact but millions of people are still out of work and have been for extended periods of time, while many have given up looking for work altogether.

As such, resume writing is one of the most important things to learn when seeking employment. Your resume needs to stand out and make a right first impression on your potential employer.

Researchers calculate that, on average, HR managers scan most resumes in five to ten seconds. The sheer number of resumes received by most companies’ HR departments necessitates extensive exclusion of applicants and it is usually accomplished by scanning for strong points in submitted resumes.

Consequently, if you are applying for a job, your resume should be spot on. There is a plethora of resume writing help available such as professional resume writing services, job coaches and Internet tools. However, with determination, careful consideration and diligent research, anyone can produce an outstanding resume. Nevertheless, there are some cardinal rules that must be followed when writing your resume:

  1. Carefully edit your resume. Resume is not a confession or a biography. Omit all the information that is not relevant for the position you are applying for; HR managers do not fish through your resume to see if you are a good fit. Highlight the achievements and skills essential for the prospective job and disregard any other unrelated information.
  2. Research the position and company before submitting the resume and then tailor it accordingly. Companies nowadays scan resumes for “key words” essential for the position they are hiring for. Thus, you need to research the requirements for the job and include these “key words.” This will ensure that, at the least, your resume will not end up in the “reject pile” before even being read by a hiring person. Do not submit standard resume to different openings; although it might seem like a lot of work, you have to tailor your resume for each position you seek. Moreover, your research will certainly pay off if you are called for an interview (and a well-written resume just might make that happen!).
  3. Proofread your resume! Any grammatical, spelling, typographical error will automatically exclude your resume from consideration. Better yet, ask a friend or a family member to take a look at your resume with “fresh eyes,” they might catch a mistake you’ve missed.
  4. Carefully analyze the layout of your resume. Your resume should appeal visually, use bullet points and action-driven short sentences. Do not cram too much information on a single page, but keep in mind that most employers prefer 1-2 pages long resumes. Make it easy for a reader to scan the resume by using 12 points font and Times or Ariel typographical style. And, unless you are applying for a position in a creative field, avoid embellishing your resume with borders, pictures, and such.

Resume writing does not need to be a stressful endeavor. After all, most people have accomplished a lot during their careers and their resumes should duly reflect it. By following these rules, you will be able to emphasize your achievements and skills and, with some luck, land an interview and get the job!

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2012 Year of the Dragon

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2012 is a Year of Black Water Dragon:
What Does it Mean for Us?

2011 is behind us and undoubtedly, it was an interesting, albeit rather difficult, year for many people around the world. Just a short look back confirms it – revolutions in Arab countries such as Egypt, Syria, Tunis, and Libya which toppled several long-standing regimes, violent protests in London and Greece, “Occupy” movement in the US against corporate greed – those are just few political events that punctuated the year 2011.

In addition, the world saw a series of natural disasters – horrendous tsunami and subsequent earthquake in Japan, widespread flood in Thailand, devastating earthquake in Turkey, EF5 rated tornado in Joplin, MO, USA- thousands of lives were lost during those catastrophes. Most people are hoping that the year 2012 will be better- politically, economically, ecologically, and in their personal lives, of course. As such, many are curious to learn about astrology and horoscopes and what their predictions are for the upcoming year.

One of the world’s oldest astrological systems is a Chinese system based on the combination of lunar and solar calendar. Traditionally, each year in a 12-year cycle is given an animal sign, and it is believed that the characteristics and traits of an assigned animal influence the events which will occur during that specific year. According to ancient Chinese calendar, the year 2012 is a year of Black Water Dragon (which starts officially on January 23, 2012). Moreover, it is a leap year, which makes everything even more potent. According to Chinese beliefs, the Dragon is a majestic, most powerful, and somewhat unpredictable animal who can survive in the sky, on Earth, and in water. Moreover, the Dragon symbolizes strength, dominance and ambition (it is a male sign), and the Water Dragon especially symbolizes purity and wisdom. So, if you want to be lucky this year, you will have to try to act as a real Dragon! There is a Chinese saying that “the Dragon is wise in words, but not always in actions,” thus the good fortune will be on the side of those who can demonstrate firm character, clear mind and enthusiasm, but avoid hasty decisions and rudeness.

The Dragon’s main elements are Water and Earth. Thus, if your sign contains any of these elements (especially Water since it is a Water Dragon this year), you will be quite lucky this coming year. For example, the signs of Water are Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio, and the signs of Earth are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. But of course, if your sign is not one of the above mentioned, you still can secure some good luck for yourself by behaving in a way that pleases a Dragon. You need to be proactive in your work and private life, show cleverness and kindness, and be optimistic. There will be many positive chances coming towards everybody this year given the high energy of the Dragon, and your ability to recognize these opportunities will be duly rewarded. Moreover, the Dragon is an animal who loves big and colorful celebrations and shows, so do not hesitate to honor your achievements in a big way!

Happy New Year!

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Christmas Around The World

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Christmas is probably the most beloved holiday for millions of people around the world, especially children. While, strictly speaking, it is a religious holiday which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas became a very popular public holiday in both Christian and non-Christian countries as well. Historically, many ancient cultures such as Roman, Mesopotamian, and Scandinavian held mid-winter celebrations long before the advent of Christianity to honor their various gods and enjoy their harvests. However, with the spread of Christianity around the world, church representatives decided to institute the birth of Jesus Christ as an official holiday. In the fourth century, Pope Julius I selected December 25 as a date to celebrate Christmas although it was not established that Jesus Christ was actually born on that date (most people think that Christ was born sometime in spring or summer). It is commonly believed that this particular date was chosen in order to coincide with traditional winter celebrations and consequently encourage more people to observe the holiday. By Middle Ages, Christmas was widely celebrated all over Europe.

The traditions generally associated with Christmas such as gift giving, caroling, tree decorating, eggnog drinking, and the burning of Yule log predate the birth of Christ by hundreds of years and stem from pagan winter celebrations. However, over the course of history, these customs were incorporated into the celebration of Christmas as we know it now. Although these traditions are readily embraced by the countries that celebrate Christmas, there are some interesting and sometimes amusing variations.

For example, Christmas comes to Australia in summer; as a result, many people celebrate it on the beach enjoying swimming, outdoor activities, and picnicking. Instead of traditional Christmas tree, Australians usually have Christmas Bush, a local plant with small red flowers. In Austria, the celebrations start on December 6 when an evil counterpart of Santa known as Krampus punishes naughty and misbehaving children. Nowadays, men dressed in scary costumes run outside and hit people with sticks. In Spain, people take a hollowed log, prop it on four stick “legs,” and paint a face on it. Starting on December 8, the log is continually “fed” some candies, nuts and other treats; and on Christmas Day the log is beaten up with sticks and encouraged to “poop” the treats. Usually, the beating is accompanied by funny traditional songs. This tradition is similar to one in Mexico where on Christmas Day children are given sticks to hit piñatas hung on the rope to get the candies hidden inside. In Great Britain, it is customarily to bake a pudding similar to a fruitcake – but if you want to ensure a happy next year for yourself, you need to partake in preparation of a pudding. Also, there is usually a coin hidden somewhere inside the pudding and good luck is guaranteed to a person who finds it! In Christian Orthodox countries such as Russia and Greece, Christmas Day is celebrated 13 days after December 25, on a day known as a Day of Epiphany. In Japan, traditional Christmas meal is Kentucky Fried Chicken, and it is very difficult to find a place in a KFC restaurant on that day! As for people in Baltic countries such as Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, there is no better treat on a Christmas Day for them than spending some time in hot steamy sauna.

As you see, there are some curious and sometimes strange Christmas traditions around the world. However, no matter what particular tradition your family follows, the main thing is to count your blessings and take time to enjoy your friends and family on this happy day!

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Underage Drinking

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Underage Drinking During Holidays:

Generally, holidays are associated with good feelings, shared happiness, and gift exchanges. However, one of the downfalls of the holiday season is underage drinking (in the US, under the age of 21). As many as 5000 deaths each year are attributed to car crashes, suicides, homicides, falls, burns, and other kinds of accidents due to underage drinking. Most of the drinking occurs during holidays. If anything, it is a sobering statistic, and we as adults must prevent out children from jeopardizing their wellbeing as well as that of their friends.
There are two important aspects to consider.

1.      Why do adolescents drink?
First of all, they are exploring the world. Remember that at this age of abundant information, our children are exposed to much more than we were used to. As such, they are constantly bombarded with images of celebrities and stars partying and leading seemingly no-worry lifestyles. Since their judgment is still in the making, quite often the teens cannot make the right choices and are tempted to behave in a manner similar to people they admire. Second, there is peer pressure. Our children are often pressed to conform to expectations of an in-crowd and adhere to the rules they might not necessarily follow otherwise.
Third, they are not always aware of ill effects the alcohol makes on their developing brains and bodies. Usually, the teens who start drinking early in life fall back in school, become addicted to drugs or alcohol at much larger proportion than their non-drinking friends, and suffer the effects of their addictions throughout their entire lives. Also, they may engage in risky sex behavior which often results in sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.

2.      What should you do as an adult to prevent underage drinking?
First of all, get to know your children. Make an effort to meet their friends and, ideally, their parents to discuss some ground rules for the parties (such as having an adult to supervise the kids). Make sure that your children and their friends share common productive interests such as sports, music, or hobbies.
Keep the lines of communication open. Discuss frankly the dangers of underage drinking and be willing to answer some hard questions. Try to stay calm during the discussions and avoid being judgmental or negative. Always remember that although you can not be present during every encounter your child has with alcohol, your actions and words still have the strong influence. Engage your children. Volunteer with them, enroll them into sports or other activities, and underline the positive aspects of healthy and productive lifestyle. Do not be scared to hire a professional therapist if your kids drinking becomes problematic. Although it might seem as an extreme measure at the moment, it goes a long way given the fact that it is easier to prevent the problem at earlier stage.

Last, but not the least, try to be a positive example for your children. You are, after all, the first role model for them, and by behaving responsibly you can demonstrate the right, and sober, way of life.

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Strip clubs and students

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Editors Note: Names of some sources are listed as their style persona. Real names remain confidential to protect their identities.

The secret world of students working at adult clubs

Secrecy and vagueness are common traits of students working in adult clubs, former stripper and student Ursula adamantly states.

Ursula, a former stripper now attending University of Phoenix, says management at all of the clubs where she has worked regularly reminded all of their dancers and staffs to keep everything that goes on in the clubs and their addresses confidential for security reasons. She goes on to say the reason is to keep anyone from finding out the clubs involvement with illegal drugs and prostitution activities.

Stacci and Shayla, both students and dancers, give similar statements. Both are in recovery from drug and alcohol addictions. Both are concerned about fellow students becoming aware they work as strippers Hot Chocolate, a male dancer, has no qualms about marketing himself as a stripper or disclosing where he works. He says he feels it helps promote his services for private parties. It is a different atmosphere at male strip clubs because male clubs are open to the public whereas female clubs feature restrictions based on fees paid on the customers tab.

The dancers commented that there is a double standard between male clubs and female clubs. Reasons include money paid and services provided. It is all about money, Hot Chocolate says. Tips are bigger at female clubs, where drug and prostitution activities are more prevalent than at male adult clubs.

Stacci, a TSU graduate and current student at UH-Downtown, also dances at the Mens Club. She explains that one of the reasons for high security at clubs is because so many male customers are deviant. Dancers have to take care, even wearing disguises going to and from work.  Like many of the dancers, Stacci explains, I also found myself using drugs, which led me into prostitution, a part of my lifestyle for nearly five years. She has been clean and sober for two years, but it is a day-by-day thing as drugs are so prevalent at work and it is so easy to fall back into old habits.

Stacci has been working as a stripper for almost 10 years. Many dancers work in the field for as long as they remain appealing to customers. Dancers can make much more money stripping than with any other kind of work without a college degree, she says. Staccis reason for returning to college is to provide a more secure career for her future.

Shayla, who attends HCC, says she started dancing when she was 20 while attending college in California to impress a boyfriend. It was always a fantasy of hers to work as a dancer, she says, but she admits there are times it is hard to separate the entertainer persona when attending classes.  She dropped out of college when she was 21 and really did not know at the time what she wanted to do with her life.

At that time she believed that the only reason she was attending college was to please her mother. She dropped out just three months short of receiving her associates degree in business management. In hindsight, she says, it was an easy decision because the money was so good for dancing, and I did not believe I needed a college degree.

Shayla goes on to say that she fell victim to heavy drug use and prostitution until she decided she would join a recovery group. During her recovery she made the decision to return to college and only work weekends as a dancer. She says the money is lucrative and she still enjoys dancing. It helps me work towards what I really want to do, she says, which is writing and acting. She plans to graduate and open her own business.

Ursula is the inspiration for the origin of the story. I began dancing in the late 90s to help pay for college tuition, she says, and help support my two daughters. I was trying to get out of a seven-year abusive marriage to a husband who forced me into the world of adult clubs, drugs, wife-swapping and prostitution. She explains that illegal actives prevail in adult clubs and the only way you can discover what is going on is you have to be an employee. Otherwise, everything is very vague as management will not allow outsiders to discover their secrets.

Ursula is very emotional as she describes this part of her life. Starting in 1997 and for nearly 10 years I smoked crack and drank alcohol and did anything I could to get money to keep me high, she says. She knew she was addicted to cocaine, crystal meth and alcohol and could not stop using either.

In 2002 Ursula was arrested for delivering drugs and for forgery. She spent two years in state jail. I found many others [in jail] like myself in need of counseling, she says. I begin studying to help understand what I went through, which ultimately helped beat my addiction to cocaine, meth and alcohol.

Ursula says after she finished the prison sentence she returned to her hometown San Antonio and made the mistake of stripping and hanging around the same people and friends. This led her back into her old habits and in and out of prison for the next five years. After her last stint in 2008, she realized she could not continue down that path if she wanted want to live any kind of productive life and be there for her daughters. I made it a point, she says, to avoid all of my old associates and friends that were using drugs and were into prostitution. With God and the help from a very strong support group in my life now — even it is still a day-by-day process — I will beat my addiction.

Ursula says she has been clean and sober for 27 months and is now looking forward to graduating from college next summer. She comments that many women work as dancers and go to school successfully because they learn their lesson — to stay away from drinking and drugging — the hard way. When I first started dancing I did not mind if other students knew I was working at strips clubs, she says. If I was dancing today, I would try and keep it a secret. I see so many self-righteous people that frown upon stripping that I would have to keep it secret in order to stay in school.

Managements and staffs at The Pent House, Treasures, and The Mens Club –all located in Houston — were very vague and sensitive about sharing any information involving employees. Reporters get more from interviews with established source relationships, allows them to get details they are seeking.

Jessica Simmonds has been working as a full-time stripper in England and the United States for many years. She has an income of over $400,000 a year, working just four nights a week. She is one of the top-earning exotic dancers in the world. She still works, but now also teaches girls how to earn the type of money she has earned.

Jessica also agrees that reporter contacts are important but, for her contacts, are for different reasons than those of reporters.
Secrecy and vagueness are common to students and staff working in female adult clubs. The hiding has more to do with the clubs clandestine illegal actives, than with the protection of their employees. In short, club owners want to stay out of view of law.

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