Social Causes

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WWF hopes this public support will convince governments across the world to agree to take effective action to tackle climate change, when they meet at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December.

Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said: "WWF's Earth Hour promises to be the biggest show of support ever for action on climate change.

"By signing up to switch their lights off, millions of people will be showing world leaders that they care about tackling climate change.

"This is a simple way for people to show their support for strong action on climate change."

Skyline of Sydney, Australia

More than 3,400 cities worldwide are taking part in Earth Hour, turning off their lights for one hour at 2030 local time in protest against climate change.

New Zealand parliament building, Wellington
New Zealand was one of the first countries to take part, with government buildings switching off all but the most essential lighting.

Concert in Auckland Civic Square, New Zealand - photo Earth Hour
In Auckland, the country's biggest city, revelers turned the event into a celebration with a candlelit concert.

Candles in Fiji - Photo Earth Hour
Sydney's Luna Park

Melbourne Skyline - Photo Earth Hour

Large parts of Sydney, Australia, home to the first Earth Hour two years ago, went dark. Campaigners aim to create a huge wave of public pressure to force a new climate change treaty. Melbourne was one of hundreds of Australian municipalities taking part.

Bird's Nest stadium, Beijing - Photo Earth Hour
The normally glittering Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing looked distinctly grey.

Bank of China, HSBC building and others in Hong Kong
Hong Kong's financial district was plunged into near darkness.

Parliament lit as usual (left) and an unlit Parliament during Earth Hour
And in London, the Houses of Parliament, as well as the London Eye, Canary Wharf, the Gherkin and the BT Tower, switched their lights off.



An Indonesian family sits near candles as lights are turned off during a candlelight vigil marking Earth Hour at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Understanding Age Gap Relationships

Interestingly, a study on age gap relationships indicated that cases in which the wife was older than the husband showed a higher than usual proportion of good adjustments, as did those in which the husband was eight or more years older. Yet these same marriages showed also the highest proportion of poor adjustments.

It was found that the happiest group of husbands had wives twelve or more years younger, but that the happiest wives were from four to ten years older than their husbands. Yet the happiest couples were those in which the husband was from three to five years older. So you figure it out. Here are some helpful principles:

1. If the man is about the same age as, or somewhat older than the girl, there will be no special problem of age suitability.

2. If the girl is slightly older there will be no special problem unless one or the other feels sensitive about it. The only question then will be, "How do they feel about it?"

3. As people grow older, age differences become less important. Other things being equal, there will be less difference between a woman of fifty and a man of seventy, than between a girl of twenty and a man of forty.

4. When one is relatively young and the other as much as twelve years older, the couple should carefully review the following problems:

In these age gap relationships, there may be real differences in their interest in physical activities. If the man is the elder, this may not be too important. A man of thirty-five may play as good a game of golf or even tennis, and swim as well as a girl of twenty.

In fact their age gap may actually make them more evenly matched. A greater age gap relationship problem will be the stage in which their interests happen to be.

Younger people often want to gad about at dances, parties, night clubs, and similar activities. When people become older such activities are far less attractive and may, if indulged in too much, become boring.

If the male is considerably older and he and his wife do what he wants, she may miss out on a phase of her experience which, rightly or wrongly, she may always regret. If they do what she enjoys most, he is being dragged through the same experiences twice, perhaps after he is eager to go on to something else.

A compromise may work out. On the other hand, it may result in a type of social life which is satisfactory to neither of them. A deeper phase of the same problem concerns one's attitude toward life. To those of less experience the problems of age gap relationships seem much simpler than they actually are.

Young people are quite likely to feel that the older generation must be knaves or fools, or they would long since have abolished war, poverty, industrial strife and mosquitoes.

Older people,on the other hand, often find the enthusiasms of youth amusing. They may tolerate them in their children, but do not want them in a spouse. If the age gap is so great that the wife regards her husband as an old fogy, and the husband thinks of his wife as a simple child who spends too much effort and time in things that do not matter, the situation is not favorable to a successful marriage.

Yet the fact that age gap relationships are risky does not necessarily mean that it should not be attempted. One young lady of twenty-five who was marrying a man twice her age strongly stated that she would rather marry a first-class man of fifty than a third-rate man of thirty.

There could be other advantages to such a union. The girl who marries an older man has a better chance of knowing what she is getting. In any case, the most important consideration is not age, but maturity.

Younger people who are more mature than most of their contemporaries may actually find an older mate to be more congenial. Yet as in any age gap relationships, the preference for a much older mate should be scrutinized with great care.

The danger is that the older person is psychologically a substitute parent, rather than a mate.

The Terror That Was (Picturesque)

Bad 4 Moms & Children

India ranks 70th on Prosperity Index

The quality of secondary education, cost of starting a business & the lack of government effectiveness are among the reasons why India ranked 70th among 104 nations on the World Prosperity Index (WPI) 2008.

"India has a relatively entrepreneurial culture. It requires government effectiveness & tackling corruption," Managing Director of Legatum Institute, that has brought out the Index, Alan McCormick told PTI.

Increase in capital & education contribute directly to the value of physical & human capital & thus, directly increase economic output. Poor governance & excessive bureaucracy impose costs on business and thus restrain growth, the report released last week said.

The Institute also ranks India at 10th place on its 'Who's Going Places' list, with China on number six.

"These countries have the best context right now within which to create wealth," McCormick said.

Both economies have recently grown faster than almost any country in the rich world. Because these two giant nations are home to more than 2 billion people, these improvements in competitiveness are bringing about a dramatic lessening of the global wealth gap & are very good news for global prosperity, the report said.

"India outstrips many South Asian nations in various aspects of wealth creation. It ranks stronger with reference to other Asian countries in terms of avoiding dependence on commodity exports & foreign aid," McCormick said.

The Index, which calculates a country's prosperity on the basis of 'Economic Competitiveness' & 'Comparative Liveability', has been prepared by assessing drivers of prosperity based on 22 key indicators and 44 sub-indicators.

Australia tops the overall Index, Austria has top scores in education, & in health & Finland boasts excellent governance, the report said.

All the top 29 countries in the overall Prosperity Index score half a standard deviation or more above the global mean on good governance, the report said.

India has an exceptionally weak score in commercializing new ideas via entrepreneurship, a factor which the Index identifies as a major contributor to growth. India's score in terms of entrepreneurship is surprisingly better than Austria at 2 & Canada at 14. It, however, is doing a lot in terms of commercializing innovation.

"One of the measures we use to analyze innovation is the number of patents registered by a country with the World Intellectual Organization.

When a country is issuing lots of patents it indicates that there is a lot of research & development taking place within the country & importantly, it is being commercialized. India has increased its patents rapidly over the last few years, most notably in the pharmaceutical sector," McCormick said.

Singapore & Hong Kong have a remarkably high score in commercializing new ideas via economic openness.

Neighboring Sri Lanka, which ranks 60 on the Index, beats India at it by scoring high on commercializing new ideas via education & entrepreneurship & building social support through family & community life.

Australia ranks higher in terms of investing productively via good governance, commercializing new ideas via better education & building social support through community life, in all of which India scores low.

Germany at Number 4, Kuwait at 30, Russia at 57, Mongolia at 77 score comparatively higher than India in terms of commercializing new ideas via education.

This is the 2nd year in succession that the Institute has come up with the Prosperity Index. In 2007, only 50 countries were analyzed as compared to 104 this year.

"India was featured in last year's Index & was ranked 46th of 50 countries analyzed. Although comparisons between 2007 & 2008 rankings are nor valid due to changes in methodology of survey, the drivers & restrainers of India's prosperity are quite similar to last year," Legatum Corporate Communications Hamish Banks said.

"They include significant weaknesses in economic openness, entrepreneurship & higher standards of education; health issues remain a problem, but religious belief is a strength," Banks said.

Almost all of the countries that ranked lower than India last year - Pakistan, Zimbabwe & Bangladesh - are again ranked lower in 2008 with the exception of Egypt, which is now ranked very slightly higher than India, at 67, he said.

On a plot of 'competitiveness' & 'liveability', India comes in the bottom left quadrant, neither liveable nor competitive as opposed to Australia, Japan & Singapore that are both competitive & liveable, Russia & Ukraine that are more competitive than liveable & Saudi Arabia & Venezeula that are more liveable than competitive.

5 Reasons Couples Fight & Break-up

Nearly everyone has experienced a relationship breakup or divorce & it can be one of the most painful periods in your life as you try to heal your broken heart. What we have discovered in our relationship coaching practice, many breakups don't have to happen.

So, if breakups don't have to occur, what cases them & how can you prevent them?

Here are four ideas to help you better understand why breakups happen & what you can do to prevent them in your relationship.

1. Old Fears Surface.
It's to be expected that being in an intimate relationship will inevitable bring up fears & challenges from the past. These might include fearing not being good enough, attractive enough, wealthy enough or even feelings of abandonment. If fears are not expected, looked at & healed, they interfere in some way or another with the health of every relationship. Take some time to notice when the fears surface, be loving with yourself but look inward instead of outward blaming your partner for what clearly is your issue.

Ask yourself if your fears are "true" or are you just making "stories" up in your head. If you are creating those "stories" & there's no basis of truth to them, then change your thinking. It's not always easy to do & it takes moment by moment monitoring of your thoughts. If you need help & support to make the changes you want in your life, be courageous enough to get it.

You may not have healed your broken heart from past relationships that ended & you find it very difficult to trust your current partner or open your heart completely to him or her. We suggest that you stop living from the hurt of those past relationships & bring yourself into the present moment, without continuing the "stories" of the past. Commit to starting over, allowing your fears to be there but reminding yourself that this is a new day.

2. Not Feeling Understood, Valued, Loved & Appreciated.
Everyone wants to feel understood, valued, loved & appreciated & when we're not, we tend to either withdraw or attack the other person for not meeting our needs. If you want to be appreciated, start appreciating the other people in your life. Sounds simplistic but it really works!

If you are not feeling loved, start being open to seeing & feeling love & appreciation that people are giving you that you may not be aware of in your daily life. It may be that someone allows you to go ahead of them in traffic or tells you to go ahead in a grocery line. Send some appreciation back to them & to everyone around you & watch love snowball in your life.

3. Not Making their Relationship a Priority.
Many couples take each other for granted & don't give their relationship the attention it needs most of the time. The lack of closeness & connection can be overwhelming & can cause great loneliness. Make your relationship a priority in your life. Set aside time everyday to connect with your partner.

We believe that sex happens long before the bedroom. It starts all day long when you have thoughts about your partner. Are these thoughts positive or negative? It continues when you come together. Are you happy to see each other & express love & appreciation or do you great each other with a laundry list of chores, things to be done or grievances?

These are just a couple of ways we make our relationship a priority. Try them in yours!

4. One or Both People are Made to Feel They are "Wrong."
One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they make each other wrong. As soon as critical words are said, defenses & walls go up & suddenly that person who you love & they love you becomes an "enemy."

Before you jump into blaming & judging your partner, stop & take a moment to breathe. Ask yourself if making your partner wrong will drive you further apart or move you closer toward healing. Open your heart to understanding the dynamics of what's going on between the two of you. Understand the full story before you start making someone wrong. So often we assume to know what is in someone's heart & we really don't. Take the time to find out!

5. Not healing your heart after a previous relationship break-up
Many people go from relationship to relationship without truly healing their hearts. They never discover what went wrong in their previous relationship & what they could have done differently. They keep repeating the same mistakes over & over again & always expect a different outcome.

Lipstick Infomation

Recently a lipstick brand called 'Red Earth' Decreased their prices from $67 to $9.90.

It contained lead.

Lead is a chemical which causes cancer.

The lipstick brands that contain lead are:
CHRISTIAN DIOR
LANCÔME
CLINIQUE
Y.S.L
SHISEIDO
RED EARTH (Lip Gloss)
CHANEL (Lip Conditioner)
MARKET AMERICA-MOTNES LIPSTICK.

The higher the lead content, the greater the chance of causing cancer.

After doing a test on lipsticks, it was found that the Y.S.L. Lipstick contained the most amount of lead.

Watch out for those lipsticks which are supposed to stay longer.

If your lipstick stays longer, it is because of the higher content of lead.

Here is the test you can do yourself:

1. Put some lipstick on your hand.
2. Use a Gold ring to scratch on the lipstick.
3. If the lipstick colour changes to black.

Then you know the lipstick contains lead.

Crucial

Because of recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation... This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know.

After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans: If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you! Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their check book, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!): The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars. C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby! This should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America 's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana. I'd like you to forward this to all the you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. Send this to any you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry. Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or love one's life.