Making Relationships Work - Haiti Brings Us Together Once Again

Our hearts are heavy. We have all watched in horror as the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti unwinds leaving a catastrophe for survivors and aid works to comprehend and work through. And now, we witness the real courage of the families left without news or closure as they wait for news of their loved ones.

There are some that believe we as people have become immune and desensitized to horrific visions of injuries and death. After watching the events unfold in Haiti, that statement can no longer be true. We have been forced to watch and endure the pain of the families and orphaned children left behind and feeling the agony of families as they helplessly watch this unforeseen tragedy unfold.

It has been joy and happiness on one hand when survivors are found. And then grief and sorrow when hearing the news there were no survivors at some of the search locations. Our hearts ache at public outcries to aid workers to look here or there and in doing so, that life is not found. We view our television sets with incomprehension as we observe the mass graves and hear stories of the smell attached to death.

The little girl, Anika we watched as her rescuers freed her from the concrete that held her captive with one of her legs caught underneath as it also subsequently dealt the fatal blow that would take her life the next day. Anika's family called her the pride of their family as we all watched in disbelief of her death. We as silent voyeurs watched and in silence grieved with her family for their precious lost life.

Brittney, from Massachusetts one of four missing in Haiti, we watch as her dad pleads for the President to rescue his daughter. His pleas are our pleas. His anguish becomes our own silent anguish as we watch him question her whereabouts and safety. We reach for him to comfort his pain as only strangers can do through our thoughts and prayers.

There are reports of a number of the elderly and abandoned that because of their location and plight they do not have access to the food and water being dropped where most of the survivors are located. We watch as the survivors from the earthquake run towards the aid as the weak and elderly remain behind as nothing more than a faded memory as they are left to fend for themselves.

Those left behind could have been neighbors, family or friends, no matter they have been forgotten because after all it is survival of the fittest. Those that can save themselves with unabashed selfish abandonment for those who couldn't walk nor run to obtain the nourishment and water they need to survive as they lay patiently waiting for death to claim them.

Sometimes when remembering how it takes a group effort to conquer obstacles, we often hear the African proverb, it takes a village. We have proven this to be true by gathering our five and ten dollar bills and creating millions. And, by working together we all provide aid in an attempt to save a country, to save its people, the injured, the hungry and thirsty, and the dying.

Some have made light of the Haitians misfortune wanting to attach negative beliefs that their plight is about sin, politics and race. Despite the rhetoric we as people have transcended the criticism. When tragedy strikes the divisiveness that separates our nations ceases to matter. This catastrophe and others before it is still an overpowering reminder that we are our brothers' keeper.

So we come together again as we have in the past as one with the sole purpose of helping others, something that brings the best out of all us. At one point while rescuers are working, the Haitians emotions overflows and with unsuppressed anticipation, they begin chanting, "USA! USA!" as another survivor is found and removed from the ruins of their city.

This collective body of people, doing what they do best helping those in need no matter the location or devastation as they give of themselves unselfishly. We can afford to beam with pride that we are Americans despite our differences, we are Americans. More articles from this author can be found at http://www.makingrelationshipswork.net.

Current News - Do You Like to Argue But Hate to Lose?

Some news articles really excite me while other articles make me upset. For example, this morning there was an economic article about job losses in America. The article said that there was a net loss of jobs in December 2009, which was a bit of a surprise to economic forecasters. I was not surprised by this current news. Last month, in November, when the job loss situation improved significantly there were a lot of journalists projecting the beginning of an improved job market going forward. The economists who issued the statistics in November warned against that kind of optimism and recommended a wait and see approach. That made sense to me; hence I was less surprised by the December backslide into job losses.

The point is, news is emotional stuff. What happens is the news sets off a whole network of memory associations, and these associations produce an emotional reaction. My memories of the economists' warnings in November allowed me to feel dismissive of the journalists optimism and therefore not surprised by December's job losses. On the other hand, if you have no knowledge or memories about a news item then you can only process it intellectually, there are no emotional memories involved.

So skip forward a few hours and find me in a discussion with my son about the employment report. He was disappointed and argued that the numbers were merely a seasonal oddity. He didn't remember the November statistics or the warnings to "wait and see." At any rate, I didn't want to argue with him or make him feel worse about an already disappointing situation, but to myself I just noted the process. Since I had a memory reference, my emotions were brought into play rather than just reacting to current news.

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Remembering Snail Mail

Times have changed and along with it the way we go about our day to day tasks. Thanks to the influx of modern technology in our lives, most of us perform common tasks in life in similar ways. When we want to send a mail to a distant relative, we use the power of the internet. Just a few minutes spent in writing the mail is more than enough. At the click of a button, the mail is dispatched and delivered to the inbox of the intended recipient. If the person to whom the mail was sent is online at that time and if his or her mail client is open, he or she will be immediately informed that they have received a mail.

Chances are that they will scan the mail and reply back to it quickly if it is urgent enough. So, by the time we can complete a cup of coffee, our mail has been completed, sent and we have also received the reply. However, these electronic versions of mails do not have that special feeling of love and caring attached to them that were there with snail mail. For those who do not know, most people refer to postal mail as snail mail because of its slow speed compared to the speed of email.

During the good old days (depending how you look at them), we used to send copies of the photographs we had taken while touring another city or country. The photographs were hopefully appreciated by the receiver who would then proceed to date them and affix them in photo albums. The current generation sends photographs as email attachments. They do not have to spend time writing on the envelope "contains photographs... please do not bend." When they are received, the current generation of people just drops the images into folders on their hard drives if they bother to save them at all.

As with so many things, making mail and pictures too cheap and easy also destroyed much of that special value we put on them when they required more effort. Most of you who have corresponded using postal mail will remember quite a few things with nostalgia. Remember those anxious moments that you used to spend waiting for the postman to come with the letters of your beloved? Times are changing and with it our means of communicating are too. This has good and bad points, but our emails and digital images do not have the heart of letters and pictures.

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Pay to Read News Online?

It is not a new concept, It is not even something that has not been done before. What is it? It is the buzz going around that companies may start charging people to access and read the news! Who is behind this crazy change that may come to the world wide web soon? Newspapers and magazines have the most to gain from charging people to read their articles online. For a number of years now these companies have been struggling to survive in a world where information online is so readily available that they have seen fewer and fewer sales of their paper versions. Other companies have also begun to look at this idea of charging for content to visitors. So why would they do this? It all comes down to one simple fact. More and more information can be found online for free. Due to this proliferation of free information, companies that rely on making money from news are hurting more and more. Also even though all this information is usually plastered with ads not enough of us humble internet users are clicking on those ads and buying products to make up for the lack of sales in real world papers and magazines. So where is all this leading us? Will we have to pay to start visiting websites that contain important information and things that interest us? Well here is my take on how things should or could be.

The internet or world wide web or whatever you want to call it is wild animal. It seeks to devour all information and ideas that are out there from everyone and everything. This is a good thing though because as a result individuals, families and businesses both small and large have gained access to virtually anything they could ever want or need. As a result we have seen a boom in the variety of products and services available world wide including in areas that would be hard pressed to gain access to even basic necessities. We have also seen the world open up in the form of communication. Today people are meeting and getting to know more people than anyone ever has been able to before. Online communities and website have allowed us all to be closer to each other whether it be just within the family, friends, or even different cultures. So when it comes to a few companies wanting to charge for their information I think it will prove a bad direction for them to go. For one thing, even if they try to protect that information from leaking out beyond their own domains there are so many other choices out there that readers will just go elsewhere. In the end they will be left with just those loyal readers that prefer to get their news from a favored writer or in a certain format.

No matter what becomes of world of advertising and business we can be sure that the world wide web won't be going anywhere! I am sure it will change and grow in many ways and maybe even morph into a totally new experience for all of us as the world continues to change in ideas and technology. That is what makes the internet so fascinating though, and so alluring to almost everyone. So will i pay to read an article or find some information? Certainly; because I already am paying for it by using the internet through my local provider just as is almost everyone else in the world. Will I pay anything extra to access information from certain companies? Who knows; I guess it just depends on how bad I want it and if I can find the information elsewhere. What will choose to do?

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Survey Markers - Ensuring Mapping Accuracy and Integrity For Over 120 Years

Survey Markers are used to mark survey earth surface points in geodetic and land surveying. The markers may be either benchmarks, which are vertical elevation markers or trig points, which are markers for horizontal surveying. The markers are usually permanent and can be depicted in a variety of ways.

The simplest survey markers are chisel marks or nails to mark the survey points. Traditionally most professional surveyors use markers that are made of stamped metal discs set in rock or concrete pillars. As a backup, markers are stacked under the ground, in case the above ground marker is disturbed or displaced. The newest line of survey markers are long metal rods that are able to be pushed deep (up to 3 ft) into the ground. After these innovative markers are placed, a special tool is used to engage a patented "root" system that anchors the survey marker into place permanently. One of the most modern uses for these markers are in setting up GPS receiver antennas but their versatility, light weight design and speedy installation has them being used in many other applications such as the marker of choice for swampy areas where using concrete is practically impossible.

Benchmark survey markers are chiseled markers that are placed into stone structures, where an angle iron can be placed across it to form a bench. They are placed by government agencies or private survey firms. Records are kept of registered survey markers in a large computer database. The height is determined by a map of other benchmarks in the area. If you have ever been to a mountain summit you have probably seen a benchmark type survey marker. It could be a large boulder at the top of the summit, at the highest point. The benchmark typically has the station name and date stamped into it, but rarely has the elevation etched on it. The names of benchmark stations are not unique and can be used over and over again. If you see one, maybe take a picture of it.

Trig points are another type of marker and are also referred to as triangulation points. These survey markers are typically found on buildings and in urban areas.

It is against the law to intentionally remove or destroy survey markers. Anyone who deliberately destroys or removes a marker will be charged with a misdemeanor crime in most states. These markers are intended to be permanent and are used by surveyors, engineers, contractors and planners for designing, the construction of a wide variety of residential, commercial and governmental projects. While concrete or some of the newer, lighter and more permanent markers are hard to remove, many older or cheaper ones are frequently moved or just disappear. This can become quite frustrating for workers who need to track exactly where an underground pipe system might be leaking or where exactly a residential lot might end.

Survey markers form a network all the way across the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. It is estimated that there are over one million markers in place today. They are used for many residential applications but also in many major business, research and governmental applications such as the mapping of pipelines, communications grids or simply manhole covers. These markers have been being put in place since 1879 and are responsible for mapping done across the country.

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Catch Hold of All That is Latest in News

The world is advancing with rapid steps and the augmenting technology has made it possible for us to embrace even the most invincible of challenges with grace. Staying ahead with the progressing times is essential for success and thus, keeping oneself updated with happening in the country and around the world can keep you stay a step ahead of others. With a number of news channels mushrooming from every nook and corner of India, even little information is becoming breaking news.

Everything from minor to major is encompassed between the spheres of breaking news and is given undue attention by the news channels. Thus, it is the responsibility of the viewers to differentiate between quality news and trivial news. Spreading information is not only limited to television or the news channels but has also gripped the masses over the internet. Every popular news channel has its own website that hosts latest news India along with top news videos. Through these top news videos one can catch a glimpse of the latest news in India and around the globe, anytime.

Tapping on the surface of moon has been made possible after endless efforts from mankind's end. India too has registered its place amongst those developing nations able to achieve even the impossible with ease as the Indian Chandrayaan discovered water on the moon. The moon mission of the country could well be credited for the biggest finds made in space till date.

This breaking news can be seen on India's news channels. India's other mission to host the next Commonwealth Games is still to be accomplished as the preparations and the games venues were inspected by the foreign delegates. The US president Obama announced that he expects a 'fruitful relationship' with India. The global automobile company Ford too has realized that to strengthen its hold in India, launching a small car is a must, after all the product should reach masses to boost the popularity of the brand. Numerous websites offer the internet users a plethora of information on all that is latest news in India and across the world.

Sourav Sharma is freelance market analyst and is writing reviews articles on breaking news, latest news India, top news videos.

How to Send the World a Message With a Flag

Why is it that at the drop of a hat, many people run pennants up flagpoles to celebrate their successes, or the homecoming of someone much loved? Well, it could be said that this is a perfect visual way to show people either that the person or people coming home are valued. Or, it shows a sense of belonging to one cause or another. Flag stores are usually inundated with requests for family oriented flags or such and most offer a custom flag service.

Everyone will know of the identifying pennants that will be flown from sea going vessels etc. But what they may not know is that the naval service has meanings for each and every pennant it flies. When a ship is coming into port, decoration is not the only reason to fly these delightful strings of pretty colored pennants. They may spell out the name of the home port, or even a message to the country that they are visiting saying something like 'our company is honored to be in your country'.

At other times these pennants, or bunting as it is commonly called, may just be celebrating an anniversary of the monarch of that particular country. In England, the Royal Nave will always celebrate the birthday of Nelson who is considered to be one of the most beloved and respected seafarers of all times.

Cargo ships will use these pennants to show where they are registered. Very often it is not the country where the ship comes from. This is a 'convenience' pennant and is done in this way to take advantage of tax laws in that particular country. So any ships that look like they come from Panama, a favorite 'convenience' country, is normally from somewhere quite different.

Before the days of electronic communications, small pennants were used to signal from ship to ship. Each position adopted by the sailor given the task of sending the message meant a different word or letter and other ships in the area could clearly see what the message was meant to convey.

Today many companies will have a pennant designed to denote what the company does. It may be the company logo, or perhaps show something on the pennant that is relevant to the business concerned. These are usually made bigger than normal to be flown from either the top of the building or from the car park to attract attention of people driving by. Just notice how much bunting car sales lots have all around the place to attract the attention of shoppers.

Finally, for family members it is sometimes good to have a kind of crest designed to denote what the family is comprised of. For example, in many European countries in days gone by, each family would have a family crest to show who the family was. This was used to identify that particular family in times of feuds etc. Anyone not showing the family crest was promptly thrown in a dungeon or hung, drawn and quartered, whichever came first!

Connor Sullivan bought some Custom Flags for the local high school booster club. The booster president ordered custom flags from an internet flag store for the local high school fall sports.