Monthly Archives: January 2012

Sue Anne is a single divorced mother of 2 children. She works hard every workday as a customer service representative in a large office pool, to make sure her children have a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food in their belly. She doesn’t have a retirement plan, nor can she hardly afford a college loan plan for her 16 year old daughter, who will be going to college soon.

This a very common scenario in the United States. With today’s global market and economy, the average person in the United States can not afford to stop working full time, and still further their education to stay competitive in the market. A person’s educational qualities are assets that they need to be able to sell to an employer to help them succeed in life.

With this issue in mind, the employee can still obtain a degree to help further their career by getting an education through an accredited college online. There are many schools and universities that are offering college level courses via the internet today. Some schools also offer full degrees via an online study course.

Earn your degree in several different fields of study. Some of the fields of study do require that you make a physical presence in a classroom, but most often, this situation is handled as such so that the requirement is only mandated once or twice per study cycle.

Making a plan and following it through when you are still working a full time job will help you succeed. The online schools often have career counselors that can help you to make the best plan possible to help you earn your degree online. There are also online live chat counselors that can help you plan your future.

Making the most of your career for you and your family is an important issue to anyone. Not everyone can do the best from the beginning. Perhaps you had the opportunity to goto college in your younger years and have earned a degree. How valid is that degree in todays market? If it’s a degree from 20 years ago, then a lot of things have changed since then. Getting an online education to freshen up your resume can help you get the promotion that you are looking for.

Some of the more popular online educational schools and universities are University of Phoenix (Online or Campus), AIU Online, Kaplan University Online, ITT Technical Institute, Saint Leo University Online, Ashford University Online, Strayer University, CTU Online, Devry University Online, and Florida Tech University.

There are degrees of all kinds available from many online educational schools. There are many different fields of study, including, Business, Nursing, Health Care, Education, Criminal Justice, Technology, Human Services, Design, Engineering, Paralegal and Law, and General Studies.

No matter your choice for your career, there are many options available to you to help you further yourself for you and your family. Being a student of online studies is no longer a oddity. It is the norm. You can not afford to be out of the loop, as today’s world changes rapidly. Start your online education today!

The American flag is a symbol of freedom and sacrifice for United States citizens. Although we typically picture cloth versions of this national emblem, it can be anything that the observer acknowledges. Therefore, a Christmas tree adorned in red, white, and blue could be considered an American flag. Examples can be made from any material or placed on any object. The tragic events of September 11th resurrected a since of patriotism within the United States. The result has been a desire to display the American flag in front of homes, office buildings, and everywhere possible.

The historic tale of Betsy Ross painstakingly sewing the first American flag is widely known. However, many of the details of that extraordinary event, along with the circumstances leading up to it have been overlooked. To begin with, the colonies had adopted several flags as a representation of their new American beliefs. The “Don’t Tread on Me” version incorporated red and white stripes with a snake across it. A popular option used by George Washington, which signified the unification of the colonies, was similar to the British emblem. Washington raised this particular version at Prospect Hill. The Loyalists misinterpreted the emblem as a sign of defeat.

The confusion that ensued prompted General George Washington, Colonel George Ross, and Robert Morris, along with other key members of the Congressional Committee, to enlist the aid of Mrs. Ross. At the time Betsy Ross was running an upholstery business. She had completed several assignments for General Washington, and he was familiar with her work, as well as being a personal friend. They provided her with a crude drawing of the appointed American flag and commissioned her to complete the work. She began the assignment in early May and completed the job in late May or early June.

The American flag was raised on July 4, 1776 to commemorate the birth of a new nation. Independence Day offers all United States citizens an opportunity to remember the hardships that our forefathers endured to gain our freedom. The American flag has been an inspiration to citizens of the United States, since its inception. Francis Scott Key composed our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, after his relief at seeing the American flag flying at dawn following a brutal battle, during the War of 1812. The symbolic raising of this national symbol has marked other moments in United States history. Soldier’s lifted the “Colors” to signify victory and determination after the Battle of Iwo Jima; in the same way, the first astronauts to walk on the moon placed “Old Glory” within its powdery surface.

This type of patriotism waned in the late 20th century, but was brought back after tragedy gripped our nation on September 11, 2001. American flags are becoming a hot commodity and displaying “Old Glory” should be conducted with dignity. After that horrific day, citizens rose up and began displaying “Old Glory” throughout the land. A desire to perpetuate this newfound pride meant individuals wanted to keep the display up 24 hours a day. In order to maintain respect, the Colors must be properly illuminated.

Our country has seen dark days within its history and recent past, however the undying resolve of its citizens continues to surprise its foes. The American flag stands for the strength and commitment that is within all the country’s citizens.

Auschwitz was the most notorious of the Nazi labor camps in WWII. There, a man or woman could expect at any moment to be sent to the gas chambers, used for medical experiments or given a phenol injection to the heart which would cause death in 15 seconds. If lucky, they would instead be used for exhaustive labor under the most grueling conditions.

A selection committee decided who was fit for labor and who would be used for medical experiments or exterminated. One ‘doctor’ drew an arbitrary height line of 5 feet 2 inches and any child who was not tall enough was sent to the gas chambers immediately.

Many were sent to the chambers directly upon arriving at Auschwitz. For that reason records do not exist for all of the people who were killed.

Their horrible suffering and the conditions they endured were beyond belief. People would tell each other lies just to give hope. “The allies have landed in Greece”. The implication was that they would be rescued soon. There were many other stories concocted to keep one another from utter despair.

After Auschwitz was closed and the inmates released there was a reckoning. The Nazis were hunted down over the years and brought to account for their crimes one by one.

The time of Nazi Germany has ended. Yet, there exists forced labor camps in China today while Holocaust survivors still live. Have we learned nothing from history?

The labor camps in China, much like the Nazi death camps, are used to harm those whom the Chinese Communist Party does not like. They are also used to attempt to break the will and spirit of those who practice the peaceful meditation practice of Falun Gong.

From these camps the Chinese Communist Party derives a source of free labor. The goods are exported for profit and consumption around the world. Similar to the Nazi camps, these nightmarish dens of horror are a source of suffering, torture and death. Why are they tolerated? Isn’t it time that they are dismantled and eliminated?

The famous poet Elie Wiesel, himself an Auschwitz survivor, had this to say, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Simon Wiesenthal, another labor camp survivor who helped bring many Nazi criminals to justice said this. “For your benefit, learn from our tragedy. It is not a written law that the next victims must be Jews. It can also be other people. We saw it begin in Germany with Jews, but people from more than twenty other nations were also murdered. When I started this work, I said to myself, I will look for the murderers of all the victims, not only the Jewish victims. I will fight for justice.”

The Chinese Communist Party is responsible for the use of forced labor camps that house many Chinese citizens today. To do nothing is to ignore the lessons of the past as well as the suffering of the present. Isn’t it time to speak up?

Call a Chinese embassy or official and let them know what you think of their forced labor camps. Tell them to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Do not remain silent.