Tuesday, November 22, 2011

THE TROUBLE WITH APATHYOSTICS

This has all got to do with a recent conversation with a good friend of mine. My friend is a devout Christ Follower, as am I, and believes strongly in studying the truth of scripture and following its messages for right living as best he can. We are all sinners existing in a fallen world, and as believers in the doctrine of Jesus Christ we are outsiders, or “aliens to this world”, as Paul so often preached to new followers of the early church. It is therefore a difficult challenge for Believers who trust in the truth of the Word as delivered to us in the bible, to live our lives as we understand that Jesus did.
My friend often laments that he is baffled by the refusal of his brother to take this challenge more seriously in his life. I have asked if his brother goes to church, and been told that yes, he does and even sings in the choir. However, when asked about becoming baptized as an adult, or joining one of my friends bible study groups, his brother remains non-committed. “In fact, I know my brother never touches a bible or reads any of the devotional material that I leave for him to look at. It’s so strange to me because we were both raised with the same background, and beliefs”. My friend fears that his brother has any association with the church at all simply out of a desire to be singing in the choir.
“Well,” I query, “does your brother even believe in God? Just because he grew up going to church with the family and sitting in Sunday school classes, is no guarantee that he holds any firm beliefs in his heart, is it?”
“Oh yes, I’ve really no doubt of that”, returns my friend.
“Well if not Atheist, is he maybe Agnostic?”
“No, no. Nothing of that sort, I’m sure. What I do think”, replied my friend with a mischievous smile, “is that if anything, he may be what you might call an Apathyist”.
“A what”? I wasn’t at all sure what could possibly be meant by this unfamiliar class of believer!
“Yeah. I think he’s just lazy and refuses to put forth any effort for his beliefs. He’s apathetic about it all. He’s an Apathyist!”
LOL, as they say.
Of course Jesus was fully Man AND fully God and was without Sin, but with persistent effort we strive to do our best in living our lives as He did. And that is certainly the key – that we must accept the challenge and make the effort – it is most definitely not an easy thing to follow these teachings of our Lord Jesus in our day-to-day living. Keeping our focus on Christ, and by stubbornly honoring in our hearts the second great command to “Love your fellow man as yourself”, thereby giving real value to people, we can avoid being unwitting devotees to Apathyism of the soul.
KEEP YER' EYES ON THE HORIZON!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Are YOU One of the Complacent of America?

I often reflect on that phrase, “ We The People…”, pondering the apparent lack of real meaning it seems to have for most of my friends and neighbors whenever it comes up in conversation. Haven’t we become way too at ease and unconcerned about the true nature of the liberty of our lives here in America as we go about our daily business? It seems as if, well sure everyone knows that’s there, somewhere in one of those documents – duh! And yet I often get the sense that few of us really believe that the voices of the people in America truly can and do determine the actual freedoms and liberties that we do now, and will in the future, in fact enjoy.
Here’s a relevant quote, if I may:
“ We all declare for liberty, but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name – liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names – liberty and tyranny. “
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1864
For most all of American history, I believe that the balance between government authority (tyranny) and individual liberty was well understood and accepted. AllFederal power was limited to that defined specifically in the Constitution and no more. In addition, that power was further limited through its dispersal among our three federal branches – the executive, legislative and judicial. And for good reason! Beyond that, the power remained with the states and ultimately with the people.
Has the American citizenry, the “little people”, the “Silent Majority”, actually allowed this power to be usurped by a greedy and manipulative system, run by so-called “elected” officials who all too often have gotten to positions of power and importance by means other than a simple and unmanipulated direct vote of “We the People”?
Yeah, we have. As the song says, teach your children. Teach them the importance of getting involved and most significantly, of learning the issues and voting! My son recently offered the observation that his one little vote just couldn’t really make any difference, anyway, could it? My response was that if just 5,000 people felt the same way, it could most certainly mean the election of the man or woman running for office that he didn’t really want representing his beliefs and desires. I think it was a point well taken – my young and sometimes thoughtful son actually nodded in apparent agreement.
Do we face the possibility of enactment of a "soft tyranny" here in America that will diminish the quality of this beloved free and civil society of ours? Indeed I sincerely do hope that we do not.
Keep 'Yer Eyes on the Horizon. Mriter.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Reflections on the movie, My Name Is Khan; (“From the epiglottis”)

I’ve gotta say right off the bat that I’m writing this commentary being compelled by some kind of sense of duty to speak up. When my wife rented this video, neither she or anyone else in the family had an idea just what it was really about. By the movie’s end, I think the feeling that I had was one of a sort of pleased incredulity. I was happily shocked!
Since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001,  I have come to feel,  as I think many Americans do, that a BIG PROBLEM, if you will,  had been created and dropped into our laps here in the U.S.  And I’m not speaking of being in a never ending war with Muslim Jihadi extremists. No – THAT problem, with its own set of causes and solutions, has created this other one.
This newer problem is about living together within the domestic domicile, the civil societies of the planet, and these, our own New American borders. What I refer to is striving to live peacefully alongside millions of non-extreme Muslim families, many of them resident here before 9/11, along with all of the other numerous foreign immigrants that make up our own country, of course. How do we know the Jihadi when we see him/her? If we are looking, are we being profilers?
Should we even care, and concern ourselves with wondering if we need to be ready to physically defend ourselves or others from dangerous strangers in our midst? Should we be ready to say, “Let’s roll”, and proceed to “get ‘er done” as the Cable Guy would say? Or instead, should we just leave it up to the officials, our Homeland Security and the police and hope for the best?
There may be a solution to this troubling wrinkle in the fabric of our society – and it doesn’t come from the non-Muslim citizenry, and it’s one I myself have voiced and heard addressed on more than one occasion in recent years. It is also this very same potential answer I speak of that is addressed in this movie, whether by design or by accident. I really don’t think it is an accident, and that is what is so exciting.
This solution that I’m talking about is actually depicted in the movie, and I say ‘HOORAH’ and it’s about time! What we see in this film is ‘moderate’ Muslims standing up and saying without fear or guilt that, “I am NOT a terrorist, even as I AM a Muslim”! And I believe it is their further duty to then stand up and say to these extremists, “YOU need to give this up! Just give up on these ancient and pagan parts of our Q’uran, and leave it in the past! This is OUR Old Testament! It is time to embrace Yaweh’s gift of the New Testament and the message of Love and Salvation”!
No one else is going to speak to these seventh-century pagan warriors as effectively as their own faithful. It is truly time for the free Muslims of the modern world, as depicted in the film by a major American TV news anchorman, who also happens to be Muslim, to wake up to their duty and help make this evil in our time go away!
Islam according to many religious scholars is not really a religion in the true sense of the word. It is much, much more than that, as was the cumbersome assemblage of Jewish Mosaic laws in the time of ancient Israel, meted out by the Pharisee Priests controlling every aspect of political and civil life, right down to what and how one eats, the clothes one wears, and how men treat women. Eve, by the by, was created to Adam’s side, not of the dust from below, even as Adam was. She came from his heart region and center, to his side to be sheltered beneath his arm and stand next to him, giving counsel as an equal – even if subordinated to him in the structure of the family. But, really, what can be more important than being the one that spawns new life?
But I digress just a bit. Islam can exist in our world if that is the chosen and desired path to God, and can lead to true belief in a desire to love one another as ones self. These timeless beliefs, deep-rooted in Moses’ Law and the Doctrine of The Christ, are the indisputable basis of our civil law in modern society, regardless of the ‘New Age’ beliefs that it is all about Man. It is not.
When the followers of Islam can stand up and bring their faith into the twenty-first century, our world may truly have the chance to follow a path that can daily lead us from our fallen selves, as it strives to become a better place.
I’d like to urge anyone who is concerned that the West is now engaged in a war for its very existence, to go out and get a copy of this movie. It’s not a violent war movie, and is actually very warm and funny and moving in a family oriented sort of way. It seemed to me that this is a movie that contributes and is way entertaining all in one package. Enjoy. Mriter.

http://www.shvoong.com/society-and-news/culture/2088322-reflections-movie-khan-epiglottis/

Thursday, September 23, 2010

SO YOU WANNA LEARN TO DESIGN A WEBSITE?


I have previously posted articles concerning the importance of having a professionally designed personal web page when promoting an online business. And for the most part, I do believe that is a correct statement. That being said, I am most certainly a believer in the value of a simpler, plainer style of web page functioning in the capacity of the familiar blogging page. I have made and use several of them myself. There really is no need for a large, monetized, flashy business web page to achieve these sorts of goals.
           Similarly, if one should choose to become involved solely in affiliate marketing for example, even the novice affiliate is generally provided with all the web pages and sites that he requires to promote the product, where the marketing and selling takes place – he is only required to send targeted traffic to these sales pages and generate sales (a task much more easily described than achieved). That is where he makes his money, eliminating the need for the managing of a well made website.
          However, where offline marketing is mostly about getting attention, by flash, or shock, or glitz or some other such technique as is seen in commercials, ads and billboard signs, online marketing is more about paying attention. Relating to the potential web surfing buyer, determining exactly what he or she is searching for, and what buttons are required to be pushed in order that they might take action and make a commitment – namely a purchase, is fundamental. All of this is of the utmost importance to the business owner that is attempting to promote their products or services online with the aid of their own attractive and well-advertised personal web page.
          In my experience, which I am the first one to admit is limited, there seems to be really three notable considerations that a business owner needs to address when setting up their website:
1.)  RESEARCH – A great deal of information must be sought out and considered as to what elements will best be suited to a promotional website targeting any specific product line or service. Some of this research for instance, might encompass the style of website for buyer appeal once a visitor arrives at the site, and how then to get this visitor to stick around for more than a cursory look upon receiving that “first impression”; also perhaps, how can each visitor be influenced to either spend some money, or at the least, bookmark the site as one that has enough appeal to come back to for a closer look later.
2.)  DRIVE TARGETED TRAFFIC TO THE SITE – This is, perhaps arguably, the biggest of challenges. If you are not getting thousands of focused, purchase-oriented visitors to the site, this as opposed to the mere “lookers”, your enterprise will not long endure. This firmly fixes our attention on the well-known phrase of “search engine optimization”, or SEO. When anyone comes to the internet to search for something that they want or need, with the intention of making an online purchase, they start with one of the major search engines. How you are able to get your site ranked to a prominent display position for the most used search inquiries related to your product, determines what kind of traffic your site will generate. Simple, right? The short answer to that is – NOT. Accumulating the knowledge and web design tools necessary for success with this marketing requirement is intensely tedious, technical, and time consuming.
3.)  BUILD THE BUSINESS – This step is really all about content, and is actually the reason for my saying in step number two that traffic is arguably the biggest of challenges. That may be the biggest physical challenge, but it is far from the most important. Once the site is set up and is generally appealing enough, easily navigated and professional looking, what the web surfer first sets his or her eyes upon in terms of a title that grabs and holds, and the gist of these first sentences and paragraphs, is of monumental importance. Layout is legitimate but content rules!
Now, if all of this sounds a bit overwhelming and a daunting, very time-consuming endeavor for you business owners, home-oriented entrepreneurs, and even you still-active Seniors seeking new challenges – well, it should! 
Spending hours and hours of your time to learn web page design, that you might create and develop a winning website for your business, obviously takes away from getting your online business to the point of making money. Here is a relevant testimonial from an active affiliate marketer and website owner on this very subject of being sure to budget your time artfully so that you are able to be actively honing the skillful content on your site as an ongoing activity : 

                                                                             "Building a web site with Site Build It! is ridiculously easy. Site Build It! takes care of everything and lets you focus on great content to make your site sell. Trust me, writing good content is a big enough job without all the added hassles of worrying about technical issues on the Internet."

                                        Allan Gardyne


Alright, this is the meat of what I’ve been leading up to in this posting – that it behooves the entrepreneurial business person seeking to have a productive presence on the WEB for promoting a product or service, to turn this most formidable and burdensome, yet absolutely fundamental task of creating a website over to a professional web design company. If I may, I would like to go out on the proverbial limb, and suggest that you visit one of the most professional of these services offering web page creation software, by clicking on the link below. Put your trust in these pros, and may you have a great marketing experience!

                             Keep Yer Eyes on the Finish Line - MarkusB



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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Smoothly Expand and Perfect Your Adwords Keywords Research

When gaining the know-how needed to create an effective Google ad campaign I have personally found that of first importance is a true commitment to studying the AdWords system of internet search engine marketing. Any potential e-commerce marketer is well served to realize that the true keys to success are the ability to establish precise topic-related keywords and keyword phrases, and honing the skills to present them with interesting relevant content in your ads and promotional blog postings and ezine articles. It is not rocket science, as the saying goes, nonetheless there is much to learn that will not be achieved overnight. With that said, the newbie internet marketer can obviously benefit from the use of one or more of the numerous "tools" available online that offer various methods for learning AdWords strategies and diagnostics insights. These marketing tools basically amount to small software programs downloadable from numerous sources.

Let me tell you of this clever little add-on tool that I absolutely love! You can actually do a bit of what feels like snooping and spying into the successful key words and phrases being used by the top listed sites, without being the least bit illegal. There is much additional knowledge to be mustered with this little gem of a tool.There's a small file that gets installed into your web browser, (Firefox is recommended), and when you do a Google search, the software places a "view keywords" button below each Adwords advertiser. When you click this button, a very neat little pop-up window appears that not only shows you the keywords that any Adwords advertiser is bidding on, but you will also see a TON of other info as well; like how much they're paying per click and how to go visit their site without costing them any money, and so on, and it is also user friendly.
After getting to know the free version, upgrades are available. This tool is a FREE download from Brad Callens' collection of marketing materials. Pick up now on the info included on Brad Callens' website promoting his FREE keyword search tool, PPCWebSpy. To take a closer look by viewing the short video, and act while it is still available for FREE, go to - http://www.ppcwebspy.com/downloads/?getitherefree.

One would also be making a wise move to further look into the other marketing items Brad has to offer, including his world-class SEOElite, and his amazing ArticleSubmitter. Promoting products and ideas online is challenging and exciting and can be profitable as well, and we can all use every bit of help we can muster.


Learning to be discerning about where you begin growing your basic building block knowledge base is pretty important. Get to know Mr. Callen and what he has to share and I think you will agree he gives just the sort of reliable guidance and assistance for web marketers of every level, even AdWords professionals. His resource links are also outstanding.

Check back and look for another name I would love to share, one that belongs to a very reliable and truly helpful sort of guy who is out there with a ton of useful nuts and bolts tutorials, links, etc. aimed at promoting online entrepreneurial aids to manage AdWords, and learning new campaigns for gaining income. Remember to be and stay committed. Keep Yer Eyes on the Finish Line. MarkusB

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Change And Grow

How many of the home business opportunities offered online have you seen that offer to change your life in more than just a business aspect?
It really is an interesting question, considering that it’s often stated that to actually make a significant change in your life, or lifestyle, you must also be willing to make personal changes. You may then ask what exactly does this infer?
Well, to me it can mean any of a number of things. Consider a high school graduate, one of maybe three or four hundred other kids in their class, who decides to become a lawyer. Through the lengthy course of leaving home to attend law school, perhaps even more than one, that high school grad will undergo many personal and even physical changes. His or her attitudes, opinions, and indeed character itself will evolve and change. Not to mention dress and appearance and even speech habits. All of which even if anticipated are fairly major changes, am I not right?
If you are like me, yes, you are primarily looking for a way to use your familiarity with the internet to get more income. The average 40K jobs that my wifey and I work, eking out an existence as we have struggled to raise two children in this cost-oriented society, have left us with no real retirement savings to speak of. But, golly-gee-whiz, in the last eighteen months or so I’ve discovered that 80% of the home business offers in internet marketing are mostly empty come-ons! How about you? What luck have you had?
Probably most of the fancy mega-ads that run on and on down the page are put together by some guy in his living room on a basic pc system setting himself up as a middleman to one of those so-called marketing ‘gurus’ . There is really nothing there but some ebook marketing information and a few tools for you to download that you could have found on your own anyhow.
So what about a REAL company that trades on the NYSE and has been promoting their line of health supplements and a successful distributorship network for the past thirty years? As I am growing my own home-based business, I am also using the very most fantastic line of products that I promote and sell in my own life, and am becoming a healthier person for it! So, entrepreneur, now let me ask what of your own physical health? Are you honestly where you want to be with that? Would it not be a desirable perc to receive in associating with a new home business venture, that with personal use of the very products which are creating your monetary wealth, you and your friends and family are also becoming healthier, stronger people, feeling better each and every day? Of course it would! Become the healthier online business person you want to be! To hear more, click on the button below and sign in for the passcode to review my mall site. Or contact me directly at markusb1@live.com, with a phone # or email. Keep On Keepin’ On. Sincerely, MBS.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Are YOU a Laptop Wannabe?(new owner, that is)

Laptops are portable, they’re stylish, and let’s face it: the opposite sex will think you more sophisticated when you’re suavely tapping out your latest blog entry at the coffee shop. Okay, that’s probably not true, but they are fun to have for both work and play. A laptop’s wi-fi can offer the same conveniences as being in the office via virtual private networks. You can take anything you need with you, having remote accesses to your files at the office so long as you have an Internet connection. It’s all there with you, even if it annoys your significant other when you bring work home.

I decided in shopping for a laptop suitable to my needs, I would search within three main areas:

1. My budget would be around $1800.

2. I needed something portable (13 in or 14 in screen), and under 5 lbs.

3. I needed a laptop that had a strong performance and manufacturing record.

This is what TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate laptop computers:

* Size: The purpose of a laptop computer is to be portable without sacrificing power. If you need something with an optical drive (CD-RW, DVD±R, etc.), a little more power and screen size, but still need a light weight machine, consider an ultra portable laptop, but remember, the smaller the package the larger the price tag.
* 13" to 15" screen size laptops will weigh between 3lbs and 6 lbs.
* 12" screen size will weigh less than 2lbs (but this may seem small for college use; it's designed for people on the go, to check emails, schedules, etc.).
* >15" screen size is for gaming, and it will weigh more than 7lbs ( forget it, not for school use).

* Battery Life: No one likes being tethered to a wall, that's the whole reason for getting the laptop. Look for a system that can hold a charge for several hours.There is nothing worse than looking for an outlet in the middle of a project.

* Screen Size: Typically the larger the laptop's screen size the larger the whole system. Remember, if you need a screen that rivals your desktop at home prepare to build those biceps. However, there are ultra slim laptops with 19 inch screens, but they are mighty expensive and although your computer will be lighter, so will your wallet.

So, for me, these have become the primary things to consider when buying a laptop :

* How much you are willing to spend for a laptop
* Size ( weight ) vs Cost
* Laptop brand vs Quality
* New laptop vs used ( refurbished)
* Laptop’s life
* Basic Configuration

My suggestions have wound up in the following order:

1. Thinkpad (shop.lenovo.com)
2. Dell
3. HP
4. Sony
5. Toshiba
6. Fujitsu
7. Acer
8. Don’t think of buying other brands.
(Thinkpad R series and T series laptops are the best ones. If you know someone who works for IBM, they can get it with an additional 15% discount below the listed price on Lenovo’s website.)

Here is a closer comparison of two of the above mentioned laptops: the dell xps 1330m and the lenovo T400. Upgraded, each of these has similar specifications and price tags:

LENOVO T400
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9600 (2.8GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)1
Genuine Windows Vista Business12
14.1 WXGA+ TFT, w/ LED Backlight, Camera
ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 with 256MB
4 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1067MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM)8
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
250 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm4
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim (Serial ATA)5
Integrated Bluetooth PAN
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (AGN)10
Integrated AT&T Mobile Broadband (3G)
6 cell Li-Ion Battery60



DELL XPS 1330m


PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9500 (2.6GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit edit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit
LCD AND CAMERA Slim and Light LED Display with VGA Webcam edit
MEMORY 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Ultra Performance: 256GB Solid State Drive edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS edit
WIRELESS CARDS Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini-card edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0

The lenovo is slightly bigger, with a 14 in screen and about 4.5 lbs vs. the dell's 13.3 in screen and 3.9 lbs. I understand that the 1330m has had some hardware troubles, in the past, and I'm not sure if they've fixed things with newer hardware (most of the complaints come from its debut in 2007, as far as I can tell). The reviews of the lenovo appear excellent, and it truly seems like a terrific feature, the idea of allowing the switching of graphics settings.
But size vs cost IS perhaps the most important of all considerations. And especially when talking of students, you will carry your laptop around campus a lot, and carrying that laptop of more than 6lbs may prove annoying to say the least. You will get a good deal on a laptop for $500, but it would weigh 7-8lbs., a fairly difficult proposition with the addition of books, or in the case of the busy exec, a briefcase.