Discussion of Television

Television


Today 98% of American households have a TV set and the same is true of most “developed” countries. Indeed, many homes have more than one set. Television is taken for granted, treated as an innocent “part of the furniture” but, in fact, it does more harm than good.
Supporters of television argue that TV is educational. However, research suggests that TV can slow down young children’s speech development for TV viewing is essentially a passive activity that discourages critical thinking and it does not allow children to talk actively. The fact that children who watch TV frequently tend to have a lack of will in reading and writing is the proof that the link between literacy problems and a frequent TV viewing exists. Similarly, a frequent TV viewing might cause Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Those in favor of TV claim that television is an innocent form of entertainment, which is helpful for housebound elderly people and the physically handicapped. On the other hand, television often interferes conversation between the visitors and the hosts. Seldom do the visitors end up chatting with the hosts for they tend to keep staring at “the box in the corner”. Many programmes on TV spread fear and depression by focussing on violence, war, crime, and various disasters. Even some titles of western movie show total violence on human bodies, such as cutting off one’s foot, exploding oneself using a bomb, and so forth. Seeing on-screen violence can make us immersed in it and become less sensitive to the real thing in our real life.
Proponents of TV sometimes suggest that the gap between different nations and cultures can be closed by satellite TV news and as a result, the world can have a greater cross-cultural understanding and respect. However, the fact is that the satellite channels are controlled by powerful “western” corporations and the culture of the programmes is predominantly North American, European or Australian. This is not an equal sharing of information, opinions and cultural expressions between countries. Television is often used as a propaganda tool as well. For example, Coverage of the Gulf War or Afghanistan. Television also encourages materialism in a very subtle way. People in “developing” countries develop a desire for Coca-Cola, Big Macs, fast cars, and western fashions.
In conclusion, it is undoubtely true that TV viewing accelerates the process of “Coca-colonisation”; destroys the art of conversation and a healthy, optimistic view of life; and turns people into unthinking, illiterate “couch potatoes”. Just as a drug addict must kick their habit in order to avoid an early death, so the world must switch off its TVs if it wishes to produce active and intelligent citizens!

Asian Beauty part #2

Asian Beauty part #1

Komodo in Taman Nasional NTT, Indonesia

What is Komodo Dragon?

The Komodo Dragon is referred to by the residents of Indonesia as the ora. Although only two islands of Indonesia house these mighty reptiles, they used to be present in Australia not too long ago. The Australian version of the ora was much larger and more dangerous that the modern dragon, but is extinct now. Even so, these smaller versions that exist today are pretty big. The largest ever measured was 10 feet, 2.5 inches. He, or rather she (a male who was unfortunately named "Minnie") was put on display in St. Louis during the 30's. Some villagers in Komodo Village insist that a dragon 30 feet long comes through their town, and more believable reports by the villagers of 3.5 meter dragons (about 11 feet) have been heard of. Not regarding these claims of bigger beasts, "Minnie" (or "Mickey", as he should have been called) is the largest ora found to date. Now, as an endangered species, few dragons live in zoos or are put on display (with the exception of foreign countries. The Indonesian island of Bali has a captured dragon on display for all to see). However, there was a time when the ora was in serious danger of extinction.
The Komodo Dragon was discovered in the age of the first world war, when a pilot crashed his plane in the Indonesian waters. He was able to swim to the shore of a nearby island, which we found was inhabited by giant monsters. Luckily, he was able to radio home and was rescued. When he first told his stories of the "giant reptiles" that lived on the island, no one believed him (of course). Later, his reports were confirmed by another expedition by a man interested in the stories of the dragons told by the pilot.
The Indonesians always new about the oras on the island, however. They exiled all of their public outcasts to this island, knowing of the dangers they would face (and, their ultimate demise) on the island. However, the people set up a small settlement which is still around today. Known fondly as "Komodo Village", this Muslim town derives most of its money from tourists and fishing (for fish, Mother of Pearl, etc.).

There isn't a lot to see at the island; there is a mosque, the streets are dirt, and a small school gives the 400-500 local children a decent education. The best way to describe the town is pretty much as a small village, which coincidentally lies on the edge of an extraordinary island, which is about as poor as poor is; but nobody is starving or hungry.

The Near Extinction and Protection of the Ora It is a well known fact that in the history of the world, Europeans enjoyed taking over countries, hunting wild animals to the brink of extinction for sport, and becoming a general annoyance to everyone. When the Dutch were in Indonesia, it was suggested that oras be used for handbags, purses, exotic meals, and hunting trophies. The last of the two, all thought they did not take as many animals, were in effect until the 1930's or later. Fortunately for the dragons, their skin is not good for tanning. It cracks, breaks, and put quite frankly, makes an ugly purse. And so the oras were not used for purses and spared extinction. However, dragons were killed by the rich Dutch who had the money to go down to Komodo and kill them. And so about 600 a year were taken, until a law went into effect saying that only 5 dragons could be taken in a year. The Dutch recognized this animal as a valuable ecological predator and set up laws protecting it. Now, the same rules applies; and although there isn't a lot of demand for ora hunting, those who want to do it are usually discouraged. Intimidated by the fact that one has to go to the government, fill out forms, get the blessings of the President, the Sultans, and so on. Now the dragons are protected for another reason than the one the Dutch had when they made their laws. The Indonesians could care less about protecting animal life. I have been to places in Java where you can buy stuffed cobras attacking rare birds (also stuffed) for relatively cheap prices. These people could theoretically exterminate any species without remorse. But not this one. Because money is such a valuable resource over there, and the oras are so popular with the tourists, the people of Indonesia would be idiots to make them defunct. If they did, they would see thousands of tourists and tourist dollars float away before their eyes. So the dragons are too valuable economically to kill off. This has some good and bad points. The good part was mentioned above; we will probably have wild oras around for a long time.

The Tourist Version of the Ora The bad part is that the money here comes from tourists, and tourists, aside from making Komodo Island a side-show, have a greater impact. Let's just say that when most people go halfway around the world to see the largest, smartest reptile, they don't want to fall victim to it. The last dragon casualty was in 1973, and the rangers have done a pretty good job of keeping people safe. With the exception of a dragon eating a little girl on the outskirts of Komodo Village, the dragons are pretty much domesticated. The average tourist can walk right up to them and get an exotic picture of an ora sunning itself. These dragons are calmed, their wild side appeased by the rangers of the park. They are fed deer to keep them calmed and prevent any more accidents, which would destroy the image of the park. The feedings are also at a certain spot, so when a guide takes a group of tourists there, they are assured that there are dragons there, waiting for their meal. The meal used to be a goat tossed in a pit in front of tourists, but now it is done in private. So unfortunately, the dragons that visitors see are rarely the wild ones.

The Ugly Side of the Ora The dragon has gone through several changes during the last couple decades. One of them has been, as mentioned above, the semi-domestication of this animal. However, they were not always that way, which makes for some pretty good stories about dragons attacks, casualties, close calls, and so on. Since these are interesting (and sort of creepy) I will share some of the ones I know in this section. Note: You know how these type of stories are. They are handed down from one person to the next, each time a slight change or an element added. So just keep in mind that what you are reading below was passed down through several people, and a "tall tale" may be present. In 1973, a Swiss tourist and a guide were hiking through Komodo island. He was an elderly man, and for a few thousand rupiah (no more than a few dollars) he could hire a personal guide to take him through the park. The hike was going fine, and no dragons sighted yet, but they continued. On part of the hike, the man fell and injured his knee/ankle on a rock during the fall. The guide stopped, looked at the wound, and ran down the mountain to get help. This was the big mistake. I really don't know what the guide should have done, but when he took off down the mountain, the man was in trouble. Oras have an incredible sense of smell. They are able to smell things very far away and reach the scent as quickly as possible. When they arrive at a fresh kill, they are able to consume half of their body weight in 20 minutes. Their deadly saliva and hinged jaws, like those found in an egg eating snake, enable them to consume prey as quickly as possible. So unfortunately, when the guide came back to the spot were the man fell, they (him and the 'rescue team') found only a backpack and a puddle of blood. That was the last tourist casualty by a dragon to date. Although, a few years ago, a small girl was dragged away by a dragon while she was playing on the outskirts of Komodo Village. The dragons of Komodo island are also said to be a bit more edgy during the course of the last year or so, a symptom indirectly related to humans. The most visited area of the island used to be a feeding center, now defunct. Tourists could go inside a caged area for protection from the dragons. It used to be set up so that one could "buy" some food for the oras. This usually involved a transfer of what would seem like a small amount of money to a tourist, who would purchase a deer killed by the locals. The dead deer was then tossed into a pit where the dragons would get a free meal without working. Visitors from the rim would keep camcorders and cameras running, capturing this gruesome spectacle on film. as you can see, this situation would anyone who loved the Disney movie Bambi scream. So the feeding stopped. The dragons, although still perfectly able to survive in the wild. We should consider ourselves lucky, though. If, hypothetically, an extinct relative of the ora was still around, tourists visiting Australia would have to cope with a bigger beast. The creature, which was the largest reptile ever to have lived on earth, is known by the genus name of Megalania. The Megalania was twice as long as the ora of today, and at least 5 times as bulky. Living until late Pleistocene times, the Megalania was undoubtedly the chief predator of its time. The Megalania, however, went out with a whimper, a victim of a probable ecological or environmental catastrophe.

The Hard Facts (and some widely distributed myths) Being the king of the mountain sometimes isn't enough. So let me warn you here, some of the "facts" below may exaggerated slightly. Dragon facts: The largest dragon found and confirmed by science was 10' 2.5''. The saliva of an ora contains four forms of bacteria with no known antidotes. The teeth of an ora are arranged so that the maximum amount of flesh can be bitten off and swallowed whole. An ora can run faster than 15 m.p.h. Oras smaller that 3' are fully capable to climb trees. Aside from humans, oras are the only animals that willingly control their population (by way of eating their eggs). Oras are also cannibals, eating other members of their species. In ecological disasters [such as a titanic fire] oras have been known to swim to other islands for safety. Although not confirmed by science, claims are made that the ora is a good swimmer. Some Indonesians refer to the ora as a "water crocodile"; some state that the dragon can travel relatively long distances in water, sometimes diving 12' or more. Komodo Dragons, or at least their near relatives, have existed since the Jurassic period. In conclusion, the Komodo Dragon is not only the largest reptile in the world, but a very fascinating one. They are a spectacular living example of the biodiversity of our planet, and although are in no current danger, should be preserved in their natural form and temperament for future generations and ecologists to observe.

More info

Free The Children

War-Affected Children

”The best way to protect children from wars is to prevent them from happening in the first place” -- Free The Children In as many as 50 countries across the globe, children are caught up in armed conflicts –not only as bystanders, but as deliberate targets. In times of war children are subjected to barbaric acts of physical, psychological and sexual cruelty. War-affected children are forced to kill or witness the killings of their own brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbours. Their families, schools, neighbourhoods and communities are subjugated and destroyed. Child soldiers serve as porters, spies, cooks, and messengers.

One of the most alarming trends is the recruitment or abduction of children to serve as soldiers. Drugged, raped and forced to participate in combat, children are forced to fight in a life and death struggle to survive.

• Overview and quick facts
• What you need to know
• How can you help?
• Great Resources

Overview and quick facts

Children and war ”The best way to protect children from wars is to prevent them from happening in the first place” -- Free The Children In as many as 50 countries across the globe, children are caught up in armed conflicts –not only as bystanders, but as deliberate targets. In times of war children are subjected to barbaric acts of physical, psychological and sexual cruelty.

War-affected children are forced to kill or witness the killings of their own brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbours. Their families, schools, neighbourhoods and communities are subjugated and destroyed. Child soldiers serve as porters, spies, cooks, and messengers. One of the most alarming trends is the recruitment or abduction of children to serve as soldiers. Drugged, raped and forced to participate in combat, children are forced to fight in a life and death struggle to survive.

Why should we care? “We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children” –Jimmy Carter • The involvement of children in armed conflict is a violation of the most basic ethical foundations of society. • War violates every right a child should have –the right to life, the right to be with family and community, the right to health, the right to education, the right to the development of the personality, and the right to be protected.

• Children and young people who are surrounded by violence are more likely to use violence to resolve issues.
• The violence, grief and anxiety suffered by children during armed conflict have negative effects on their mental health, quality of life and subsequent behaviour as adults.
• Children make up the majority of civilian victims of armed conflict, and the absolute numbers of children affected continue to grow.

Definitions While there is no precise definition, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers considers a child soldier: “any person under the age of 18 who is a member of or attached to government armed forces or any other regular or irregular armed force or armed political group, whether or not an armed conflict exists.

Child soldiers perform a range of tasks including participation in combat, laying mines and explosives; scouting, spying, acting as decoys, couriers or guards; training, drill or other preparations; logistics and support functions, portering, cooking and domestic labour; and sexual slavery or other recruitment for sexual purposes.”

Quick facts Each year: • War kills, injures or permanently disables many thousands of children • War sees countless children, mostly girls, raped or subjected to other forms of sexual violence • War traumatizes and displaces millions from their homes • War orphans countless young people • War exploits about 300,000 children as child soldiers • Close to 10,000 youth are killed or maimed by landmines

What you need to know!

“One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one” – Agatha Christie
Find out more about war-affected children. Here is some useful background information to get you up to speed on the issue.

Why are children targets of war? • Many believe that children are easier to control, more obedient, easier to manipulate and less likely to question orders than adults • Because of today’s technology there is a higher proportion of civilian deaths resulting from conflict

• Children are smaller than adults, and are less likely to be detected by the enemy
• Increasingly, conflicts are occurring within states as opposed to between states, and are often based on ethnicity. In ethnic conflicts, the distinction between combatant and non-combatant becomes blurred, and children and their families are likely to become deliberate targets

War: Effects on children The ways in which children may be affected by war include: • Physical disability – due to mutilation or from landmines • Psychological trauma – war-affected children suffer from a wide range of symptoms such as developmental delays, nightmares, lack of appetite and learning difficulties • Sexual abuse – girls and women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, including rape, sexual mutilation, forced prostitution and forced pregnancy. As a result, there is increased risk of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS

• Increased workloads – especially if a child has lost parents and other family members. In some cases, war-affected children may be heading households and taking care of their siblings. Child-headed households are particularly vulnerable to exploitative labour and prostitution
• Increased threats to their survival – from exposure to disease, malnutrition, and reduced access to basic health services
• Loss of their homes – forcing them to flee, becoming either refugees or internally displaced persons. At least half of all refugees and internally displaced persons are children.

Globalization, war, and children There are at least three ways in which globalization drives armed conflicts: • The “new economy of war” –Recent growth in the world economy has led to an increase in violent conflicts over natural resources: diamonds in Sierra Leone and Angola and oil in Sudan. None of these “economies of war” would flourish without the demand or markets in more developed countries. Global businesses in their quest for profit have helped to facilitate these wars

• International weapons sales – the sale of weapons, especially small arms (revolvers, rifles, grenades) has made it easier to wage wars. There are an estimated one half billion small arms and light weapons that fuel armed conflicts around the world – 1 for every 12 people. Small arms are so accessible that even the poorest communities can acquire them. Weapons like the AK-47, for example, are so light and simple to operate that they make it very easy to turn children into soldiers.
• Debt and structural adjustment policies – the debt crisis in many developing countries and the package of policies to deal with this debt crisis (structural adjustment policies) have left many countries poorer and their citizens more discontented. This has helped to fuel military coups, unrest and sometimes armed conflict, which have increasingly involved children.

How you can help Speak out! Here are some ideas of how you can help meet the challenge and tackle this issue. What can you do to help your war-affected peers?

Things you can do:

• Educate yourself – learn more about the issue of children and armed conflict. Conduct research, visit websites and gain a better understanding of the issue so that you can become an advocate for your war-affected peers.
• Create greater awareness – with your newly acquired knowledge, become a spokesperson and advocate for war-affected children. Be the voice of the countless numbers of children who have been victimized by war. Let them know that they are not alone in their struggle.
• Participate in Free The Children’s “War is Not a Game” campaign.
• Set up seminars and displays on child soldiers and related issues.
• Give speeches to school groups and community organizations. You don’s have to be an expert-let your passion guide you.
• Organize a march in your community- invite everyone! Rite a song or poem to mark the event
• Write a newspaper article- get the word out!
• Organize petitions…
…urging governments to support the International Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers, which aims to control the production and flow of small arms and light weapons to conflict zones, particularly where children are at high-risk.
…urging governments to place greater emphasis on promoting a culture of peace, through peace education programs and by challenging the popular entertainment culture that glorifies violence and gun use
…urging governments to sign on to and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict This protocol raises the minimum age from 15 to 18 for direct participation in hostilities.
• Fundraising: Help to raise funds to build schools in post-conflict zones
• Help to raise funds to buy fitted limbs (prosthesis) or wheel chairs for children who have been disabled by armed conflict.
• Work to collect school and health kits for war-affected children.

Great resources

Useful resources

The following organizations are active in helping to promote peace and have many important documents and helpful research materials.

Websites:

Amnesty International
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
Human Rights Watch – Stop the Use of Child Soldiers!
United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
United Nations Special Session on Children
Youth Ambassadors for Peace

Click here for more information.

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Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park

Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again

You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again

I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean

I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again

I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I had no options left again

I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean

I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

I'll paint it on the walls
'Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean

I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

Quotes Collection by Anonymous #1

mlomb RT Twit4Lyn RT quotme "Never underestimate a child's ability to get into more trouble." - Martin Mull

peterlocuratolo Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. -Winston Churchill

sno_buny The greatest good we can do for others is not just to share our riches with them, but to reveal theirs. Zig Ziglar

puffclean A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

RevRunWisdom If someone is strong enough to bring you down, show them your strong enough to get up! -(Twiquotations)



anthonystevens4 Instead of looking back & thinking "Why?", look ahead & say "Why not?" Unk. rt livetorque TCusack247 JumpSnap_Nation

lilach_bullock If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. Jim Rohn

cherluvya A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart. #quote

peterlocuratolo Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. -Winston Churchill

Origami_Hearts a positive mind thinks positive thoughts & gets positive results



FireAlley ”Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.” Regina Brett

JoyPaoki Joke: It's better to let someone think you are an Idiot than to open your mouth and prove it. RT brutwit

mlomb RT AmandeeTweets RT livetorque: "Whatever happens in #life is fine - just trust in that." ~ Orlando Bloom #quote

cecilemiranda Rt haraldkong "As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." ~ Nelson Mandela

HomebizTrainer With God all things are possible :-)



instantremedy RT FireAlley: ”There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” Alexander the Great

twitqwotes I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. -Mahatma Gandhi

FireAlley ”There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” Alexander the Great
When you’re tempted to lose patience with another, think how patient God has been with you. via shaanhaider newyounow

Eat drink and be merry... for tomorrow we might die. http://bit.ly/204urq via @brutwit

AskAaronLee: Don't run away from your fear. Run towards them. #Quote by robin_sharma lxlee

pramitjnathan: People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do. ~Lewis Cass linksjovanic RetiredTeacherD Power2BThin

technologywiz: It is never too late to be what you might have been. #quote

mlomb "Watch your words; they become actions."

mikehanes: "It's not what you do once in a while; it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference." Jenny Craig #quote

4prina: RT EarthLifeShop: RT Keith_Brown: "Trust your hopes, not your fears." - David Mahoney


Thanks for the support to those who are mentioned above!

35 Twitter Tips

Here are 35 Twitter tips from 35 Twitter users:

• 
  ryansholin – Be honest. Have fun. Don’t try to sell anything.
• 
  joiedevie – funny, informative and catchy: choose two.
• 
  wpcandy – Twitter about stuff that has to do with your blog, but also Twitter stuff that has nothing to do with your blog.
• 
  scottkarp – Share links, share ideas, ask questions, answer questions — anything but “what are you doing?” unless it’s really interesting
• 
  cigarjack – This was my problem at first, I just lurked. Get active and follow others. Great tool for tossing around ideas.
• 
  rosshill – Join the conversation, there are too many blog promoters on twitter who just broadcast. Learn @ and start networking :)
• 
  soniasimone – Write each word like it matters, because it does.
• 
  fairminder – share links. share insights and trends, things that are new or timely/current. Be personal. Don’t link only to yourself.
• 
  travishines – share interesting resources, not just what you ate for lunch. Twitter often, and use it to test potential blog topics.
• 
  galadarling – No cat anecdotes!
• 
  theother66 – make use of other Twitter tools to make the most of Twitter (and so it doesn’t suck up all your time)
• 
  TheNanny612 – Efficient is the key to Twitter…. short & sweet. Basically, get right to the point.
• 
  vangogh – Respect the people you follow. Be interesting. Listen first, tweat second. Don’t waste words.
• 
  empty_inbox – I’m new at it all. The #1 thing to help me has been the use of a desktop client. Without “twhirl” I would’ve given up long ago.
• 
  andrewkhunn – Frequent Twitter updates demand desktop clients: Snitter, twhirl, and Twitterific all bear mentioning.
• 
  jstamant – This often goes unsaid, but I would suggest not having twitter/twitterific open while writing. It can become very distracting.
• 
  hamstu – As far as getting followers goes; I find just being friendly and helpful does wonders. And of course shared interests help to.
• 
  MattJMcD – Don’t follow more people than you can handle. If you’ve got too much going on, you miss a lot of the good stuff.
• 
  davepit – Keep your Twitter updated and the followers will come. Stay up-to-date and you will reep the benefits.
• 
  arieanna – stop thinking that twitter is pointless and just try it. It’s all about community – reach out and be a part of it.
• 
  DrBaher – contribute positively to conversations going on inside twitter
• 
  sitemost – interact and communicate with others – it’s a social media tool, so be social
• 
  RuudHein – Share thoughts more than actions: “Pownce will kill Twitter” vs. “I’m going to the toilet”
• 
  baramunchies – add value to your stream
• 
  drmani – Look beyond the obvious (traffic, sales etc.) Add value. Build relationships. Think LONG term.
• 
  CurtMonash – Learn what people care about. I got a glowing link from RSS inventor Dave Winer my first week of active twittering.
• 
  ericabiz – Use twitterfeed. Instant feedback from readers is the best part of Twitter. Listen to others; engage them; have a conversation.
• 
  superphly – f you are using WordPress use twittertool much better
• 
  puppybraille – Advice: Think before you hit send. 140 characters have the power to help, heal or be miss-understood.
• 
  buxx – use an username as short as possible so you can twit more
• 
  kidblogger – My tip: “Keep it short” ;-)
• 
  nhgnikole – re:twitter, I’d share this with them so they could use rss in new ways with twitter and facebook:
  http://tinyurl.com/3arsm
• 
  fderfel – first advice is to add good description and link for something that would be too short in a post
• 
  fderfel – second advice make a good weekly post describing all the twitter for the previous week
• 
  silvano_v – Probably look at pounce, Im sure its going to overtake twitter, as its more feature rich. Aside from that, update often.

More

Happy Chinese New Year!

The Chinese New Year that is celebrated for about fifteen days is one moment in the year when the whole nation feels united as they can imagine each other's enjoyment. The Chinese New Year gets determined by the chinese new year calendar and therefore it is sometimes called the Lunar New Year.

In 2010, the Chinese Lunar Year Festival would start from 14th of February. As every one is aware of its significance, the working people in china can take weeks of holidays so that they can join the company of their near and dear ones and a feast with their family members on the chinese new year eve or Lunar New Year's Eve.

Although with the changing times and increasing mobility of the people the celebration of Chinese New Year Festival has undergone some changes, everybody still very fervently follow all the customs that their elders have taught them.

>> Chinese New Year Days

> 2005 Feb 9
2006 Jan 29
2007 Feb 18
2008 Feb 7
2009 Jan 26
2010 Feb 14
2011 Feb 3
2012 Jan 23


Chinese New Year Traditions



Chinese Culture is rich in its culture and traditions . They have their own beliefs and New Year traditions , which they follow ardently. Although the Chinese New Year , Nian, lasts only two or three days including the Chinese New Year's Eve, the Chinese New Year season extends from the mid-twelfth month of the previous year to the middle of the first month of the new year. A month from the onset of the Chinese New Year, it is supposed to be a good time for business. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration material, food and clothing.

It is the Chinese New Year tradition that every family gives its house a thorough cleaning, hoping to sweep away all the ill-fortune there may have been in the family to make way for the wishful in-coming good luck. People also give their doors and window-panes a new paint, usually in red color. They decorate the doors and windows with paper-cuts and couplets with the very popular theme of "happiness", "wealth", "logevity" and "satisfactory marriage with more children". Paintings of the same theme are put up in the house on top of the newly mounted wallpaper. In the old days, it was a Chinese New year tradition to distribute various kinds of food at the alta of ancestors.

The Eve of the Chinese New Year is very carefully observed. Supper is a feast, with all members coming together. One of the most popular Chinese New year tradition course is “jiaozi”, dumplings boiled in water. "Jiaozi" in Chinese literally mean "sleep together and have sons", a long-lost good wish for a family. After dinner, it is time for the whole family to sit up for the night while having fun playing cards or board games or watching TV programs dedicated to the occasion. It is also a tradition to keep every light on the whole night. At midnight, fireworks will light up the whole sky as people's excitement reach its zenith.

Very early the next morning, children greet their parents and receive their presents in terms of cash wrapped up in red paper packages from them. Then, the family starts out to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and then to their neighbors. This Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile forgetting all old grudges. The air is permeated with warmth and friendliness. During and several days following the New Year's day, people are visiting each other, with a great deal of exchange of gifts. The New Year atmosphere is brought to an anti-climax fifteen days away when the Festival of Lanterns sets in. It is an occasion of lantern shows and folk dances everywhere. One typical food is the Tang Yuan, another kind of dumplings made of sweet rice rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings. This tradition is also specially followed on Chinese New Year time.

The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year season and afterwards life becomes daily routines once again. Traditions of the Chinese New Year vary from place to place, considering that China is a big country not only geographically, but also demographically and ethnically. Yet, the spirit underlying the diverse celebrations of the Chinese New Year is the same: a sincere wish of peace and happiness for the family members and friends.


History of Chinese New Year



The Chinese New Year history is rich and diverse. This year the Chinese New Year is on February 14th.The Chinese New Year is very similar to the Western one, wrapped in traditions and rituals. The history of the Chinese New Year is so old that its origins are lost in the mists of time. It is popularly recognized as the Spring Festival and celebrations last 15 days. It is said that in ancient times, the feudal rulers placed great importance on Chinese New Year celebrations and organized grand ceremonies to mark this event.

Preparations tend to begin a month from the date of the Chinese New Year as people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are cleaned from top to bottom, to sweep away any traces of bad luck, and doors and windowpanes are given a new coat of paint, usually red. The doors and windows are then decorated with paper cuts and couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed on them.

In the history it's mentioned that Chinese peasants eagerly wait for this day because it is on this day that the kitchen God is supposed to depart away to the lord of heaven (known as to the Jade Emperor) to report about the family. During his absence-that is, the period in which He leaves the kitchen only to return in the New Year -the family members clean up the house and make a fresh start to welcome the God as well as the new promising year.

Historically speaking, the Chinese New Year Day has practically been regarded as the only day of the year when China's hard-working peasants allowed themselves to rest.

The eve of the Chinese New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the event in the history of time, as anticipation creeps in. Here, traditions and rituals are very carefully observed in everything from food to clothing. Dinner is usually a feast of seafood and dumplings, signifying different good wishes. Delicacies include prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters (or ho xi), for all things good, raw fish salad or yu sheng to bring good luck and prosperity.


So, Happy Chinese New Year! Wish you all new luck in a new year!

Top 10 Twitter Tips (Twips?)

1. Select a Good User Name


Select a simple, short and unique user name that reflects who you are and what you do. For companies, I recommend a user name that makes it blatantly clear what your company is. It’s also important to be easy to find. Here are a few good company examples:

- ussoccer (U.S. National Soccer Teams)
- nscaa (National Soccer Coaches Association of America)
- chicagoredstars (Chicago Red Stars)
- bostonbreakers (Boston Breakers)
- mlb (Major League Baseball)
- nfl (National Football League)
- womensprosoccer (Women’s Professional Soccer – *Note: we made a conscious decision not to go with “wps”. We started the Twitter account back in 2008, long before most people had even heard of the league. Just basic awareness in the social media marketplace has been a key part of the overarching strategy. You’ll see we use /womensprosoccer at every single one of our social accounts for this very reason.)

For individuals, I recommend going with a more personalized approach and select a user name that is all about you. Use your company account to spread the company message – use your personal account to be yourself (this is why people are interested in following you in the first place!). If your company message is what you choose to pump out through your individual account, great! But give followers the opportunity to get to know you as a person first, not necessarily as a mouthpiece for your company. Here are a few good personal examples:

- rdpenner (Rob Penner, WPS Communications Director)
- emmahayes1 (Emma Hayes, Head Coach of the Chicago Red Stars)
- brandichastain (Brandi Chastain, WPS player)
- biz (Biz Stone, Co-Founder of Twitter)
- itsbrunson (Jenn Brunson, Digital Media Manager at the Washington Freedom)

Importantly, consider the entire life span of your Twitter account. Will your user name follow you throughout your career, or does it limit you (and your followers) to this one job? Will you disenfranchise your users when you leave the job you’re currently in, or will it stick with you even if you change careers?

For example, Peter Wilt is an original owner of the Chicago Red Stars, and worked at the CEO of the organization for the first three years. Way back when, he started a Twitter account @redstarsCEO . You’ll notice when you click the link, however, there’s nothing there anymore.


Chicago Red StarsMilwalkee WaveChciago Fire

When Peter Wilt left his post with the Chicago Red Stars in fall 2009, he changed his Twitter user name to @PeterWilt1 by going to “settings” and changing “username”. All his followers stayed linked with his account, which is of course great, but every external like that had been built to @RedStarsCEO is now dead, and therefore the link equity applied to that URL is dead as well. So, people reading older blog posts that referenced his twitter account (I know I had a few!), or links any place on the Internet that had written a hard link to his Twitter page, now see an error message.

I do think Peter made the right decision to switch his user name, especially in this world of personal brand growth and reputation management, and kudos to Mr. Wilt, as he was one of the very first and most robust users of Twitter – so he did blaze the trail that we’re all learning from today. That said, I’d urge you to think about the big picture and your greater career path before you invest too heavily in a company Twitter username. Food for thought.

2. Optimize your Title Tag

In 4 Simple Tips to Help Your Twitter Profile Rank , Matt Leonard (@Twitter_SEO) reminds us that when optimized correctly, a Twitter profile is yet one more URL that anyone can get to rank for their name. Matt says:

Your Twitter title tag will be this formula: (Username) on Twitter.

The key point here is my name. My actual name is written in my Twitter profile as ‘Matt Leonard’, so that’s how it appears in my title tag. I do not call myself ‘MJ Leonard’, ‘MattLeonard’ or ‘Matt_Leonard’. It’s very important to remember that if you’d like to rank for your name, just as with any form of SEO, use the correct anchor text. In this case, it’s your name. You can fix this by logging into your Twitter account and clicking ‘Settings’. From there, change your ‘Name’. Do not change your ‘Username’.

3. Fill out your bio

When somebody visits your page, make sure they know who you are and what you do. Your bio is the only place you have to do this. Also, leaving your bio blank or non-descriptive doesn’t encourage people to add you. Check out this graph from Hubspot.com: Can Having a Twitter Bio Get You 8 Times as Many Followers? Looks like a resounding “Yes!” if you ask me.

graph of followers on bios

In another great resource, Five Tips to Optimize Your Twitter Bio, Brent Nau says, “I really think that people overlook the importance of their Twitter bio. There is real opportunity to leverage the information within your bio to gain additional followers.” He recommends:

1. Provide a descriptive one line bio. What I like to do is to look at some of my followers and see who they are following. When in the followers list you can hover over the user name and a pop up will come up with that particular user’s bio. If your bio is not filled out or is not very descriptive, you maybe missing out on potential followers. You have 160 characters, use them all.
2. Add a profile picture. If your Twitter account is not being used for corporate branding, add a picture of yourself. The worst thing you can do is to not add a profile picture.
3. Use your real name. This is really important on two fronts. One is for reputation management, especially if your name IS your brand. Also if you are representing a brand, having a name behind the brand will allow people to connect with the company on a more personal level.
4. Fill out your location. Just do not put “Amongst the strawberry fields”. There are plenty of opportunities to connect with other local Twits for possible offline networking.
5. Place the URL to your current blog, personal site or business. If you do not currently have any one of those, then link to one of your other social network profiles (i.e. LinkedIn). This will allow people to find out more about you, your business, or your interests.

4. Link It Up

Put links to your Twitter profile everywhere!

* Link to your Twitter page from your Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Digg and LinkedIn accounts.
* Link to you Twitter page from your blog, and in comments that you create elsewhere.
* Put your Twitter URL in your email signture.
* List-Share. Create lists that include your small-time Twitter Friends and big-time Twitter Influencers, then send them each a DM to see if they’ll return the favor. Make sure the lists you ask about are relevant to your Twitter feed. And, don’t be upset if they won’t list you – their lists are totally their prerogative.

In How to Optimize Your Site for Link Building, Ann Smarty (wow, is that your real name?) writes, “Link building takes much time and effort. You might be spending hours daily pursuing links and missing the most important thing: your resource attracts people; why not make the most of that?”

She continues: “Nowadays, I guess everyone has some web space to place your link at: be it a site or a social media profile page. Thus each of your visitors is your potential promoter. Add a well-executed call to action encouraging people to link back and you’ll see your back link number growing.” Her suggestions are:

1. Create cool badges matching your brand design. Link building with the help of badges is not a new tactic but it’s still a highly effective method, especially for user-generated sites.
2. Create a relevant widget. This shouldn’t be something too complex; a small good-looking count-down widget showing how much time before the event is left should be enough.
3. Show how to link to each of your pieces of great content. In other words, include a short piece of text informing the visitor how to link back to it at each page containing some really useful piece of content.
4. Create a separate page listing all possible methods to link to you: text links, badges, banners, widgeds, etc. Clearly state why anyone would want to link back to you. Add your contact details for more information.

5. Learn the Tweeter’s Lingo

Let’s be honest, would my blog post be complete without this video? Yo, Hit Me on Twitter @vandey01.

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While there are a plethora of terms and trends on Twitter, I think the most important bits to know are @replies, Retweets (RT) and #hashtags. Here’s the scoop:

* @replies. Anytime you use the @ character in front of somebody’s user name, you’re talking about them and to them at the same time. Note that any time you put somebody else’s @address in your Tweet, they will see it on their homepage.
* Retweet (RT). A Retweet is a repeated tweet. It is sometimes used in a reply to allow everyone to see the original tweet. It is also used to forward a message onto one’s own followers. I personally find RTing one of the biggest forms of flattery on the web today. Keep in mind that by writing Tweets that others will find interesting, you’ll increase your chances of being retweeted, and perhaps grow your Twitter followers in the process.
* #Hashtags. This is a community-driven practice of tagging an individual tweet by using a hash in front of the tag. Example: Putting #chicagoredstars in a tweet about the Chicago Red Stars. Hashtags allow the community to easily stream a particular subject. My suggestion is to Tweet about your passions in life and #hashtag them. Quality content coupled with an easy way to find it never fails. If others enjoy your content, they’ll add you. You can also join the conversation with others in the Twitosphere by using a trending #hashtag in your Tweet.

After you’ve conquered those three, check out this dictionary with more fun and useful Twitter terms. Mostly, these are terms that come up often when tweeting or when reading a blog post or article about Twitter. They are part of the everyday jargon used on Twitter. Here are a few of my faves:

* De-Friend. This is a common social networking term referring to the act of taking someone off of your friends list. De-Follow is a Twitter-specific version.
* Dweet. A tweet sent while drunk.
* Mistweet. Accidentally sending a tweet to the wrong person or wishing you didn’t send a particular tweet. Dweets can often become Mistweets.
* Nudge. An action reminding a user to update their status. You can only do this to someone who follows you and who has a device registered with Twitter.
* Tweeple. Twitter users.
* Tweeps. Twitter followers who are your friends on multiple social networks. They are your social network peeps or posse.
* Tweet. A message sent via Twitter.

In addition to the common terms in the Twitter glossary, it is also relatively common to throw a “Tw” in front of just about anything when it has something to do with Twitter. If you are tweeting while walking, you are “twalking.” And if you have a sweetheart on Twitter they are your “tweetheart.”

Also, we frequently see that people use instant messaging abbreviations to help fit a tweet into the 140 character max. If you need to brush up, check out this helpful guide to IM acronyms. My personal faves:

* ASAP: As Soon As Possible
* B4N: Bye For Now
* BRB: Be Right Back
* BTW: By The Way
* GMTA: Great Minds Think Alike
* IMO In My Opinion
* INALB: I’m Not A Lawyer But
* KIT: Keep In Touch
* LOL: Laughing Out Loud
* TMI: Too Much Info
* ROTFLMAO: Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off
* TY: Thank You

6. Join the Conversation

I was surfing around the Internet and found this guy, Rich Brooks (how is it that online marketing people seem to have the coolest names?!). He’s recently put together a few videos about Twitter:

* Getting Started on Twitter
* How to Find and Follow People on Twitter and
* How to Gain Followers on Twitter

In this video, he takes it a step further with a video on how to engage people on Twitter one-on-one by using replies, direct messages and retweets. Good stuff, Rich.

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Another way to engage in conversation is finding & following other Tweeps in your local community. Check out this article 9 Ways to Find Twitter Users in Your Town. This is a great resource for growing your local Twitter community, and may in effect grow your Twitter following – often times the people you’re looking for are looking for you too!

7. Get ReTweeted

According to Pete Cashmore’s How to Get ReTweeted, Retweets tend to contain a link. He explains – 56.69% of retweets contain a link versus 18.96% of normal tweets. So, retweets are being used to share content from around the web. Tweets containing good links get retweeted more often that Tweets that don’t.



Dan Zarella is the self-proclaimed (and well-deserved) “viral marketing scientist”. In The Science of ReTweets he says, “When we look at the most ReTweetable users we find a few common threads that lead me to believe that the content of Tweets is far more important to the number of ReTweets it will get than the user who originally posted it.”

He analyzed the semantic content of highly-Retweeted tweets, and found that a few trends became apparent:

* Calls to action (as in: “please ReTweet”), while they might sound cheesy, work very well to get ReTweets.
* Timely content gets ReTweeted a lot.
* Freebies are popular.
* Self-reference (Tweeting about Twitter) works.
* Lists are huge.
* People like to ReTweet blog posts.

Links can include photos, videos, or other good URLs. I find photos to be easy, quick and, well… awesome :-) Here are some great sites to use to share Photos on Twitter:

* TwitPic
* Pikchur
* Yfrog
* TwitGoo
* TweetPhoto

The Twitter community also loves unique contests and interesting campaigns, and when combined with the semantic content cues above, you might imagine the potential for substantial Tweet distribution. David Spark (@dspark) writes, 10 Creative Contests Powered by Social Media. He writes, “Now that social media is in vogue, there’s no reason to limit a content submission to just a one-way promotional mailing list. Social media contests are multi-directional — they allow for increased customer engagement and content generation.” Visit his blog post to see ten examples of companies that ran social media-enabled contests, each successfully achieving a different goal.

8. Track Your Results

The big question is: Does Twitter really pay off in terms of ROI? Or is it just another time-waster? Most people I talk to who tweet regularly have no idea of whether their sites get increased traffic as a result of using Twitter, or if their main business objectives are being met (ticket sales, newsletter sign-ups… whatever your conversion goals are). And it’s not like this problem of ROI tracking is unique to Twitter. So I’m glad to share a few resources you can use to measure the value of your Twitter account.

1. Keep track of various metrics using a weekly Excel spreadsheet.

* How many followers do you have?
* How many lists are you on?
* How many referrals are you getting from Twitter to your website and/or specific landing pages that you think are important? (You can use Google Analytics or whatever other analytics package you have on your site for this.)

2. Measure the success of your #hashtags and keyterms using these tools.

* TweetReach – How far did your tweet travel?
TweetBurner – Tracking the Links you share

3. Use a link-shortening service that details your click summary. Here is a great list of URL shortening services, and here are my favorites:

* Bit.ly – Shorten, share and track your links
* Tiny URL – Making long URLs usable
* Snip URL – Snippety Snip Snip

9. Get a Good Mobile App

Twitter Apps for Mobile


I love Twitter. There’s no secret there. While I’m on the go (which seems to be most times) I use my Iphone to Tweet…. But it hasn’t always been this way. I adopted Twitter early in 2008, but was working with an old school Motorola Razr… yeah, you know it – the pink one ;-) until July 2009.

When i got my iPhone, I first downloaded TweetDeck, a free application that shows you everything you want to see at once, so you can stay organized and up to date. I really thought it was great. But then I found Twittelator, and for $4.99, I think Twittelator Pro is the most powerful twitter client for your iPhone/Touch that you can download.

I also use iTweetReply, a $.99 downlaod that pushes Tweets to my @address directly to my iPhone just like a text message. It’s a great app, especially when I’m at events, because people who don’t have my cell phone number can easily get in touch with me. But iTweetReply certainly has limitations so unless you’re using Twitter as a text messaging device like I am, I’d steer clear.

I encourage you to take the time to find the application that fits your lifestyle and time commitment to Twitter. Here’s a list of Twitter apps that you might find useful. Regardless of which one you select, having Twitter access at your fingertips via a mobile device makes the experience both succinct and fun!

10. Bring your Twitter Account into the Physical World

LOVE this suggestion from Kevin Rosen: Bring your twitter account into the physical world. He says, “Every time I give a talk, speak on a panel, shoot a podcast, present slides, or hand out business cards, I figure out a way to broadcast or display my twitter account.” True dat, Kev.



Life is Tweet

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