Sarah Palin and Todd Palin's Financial Information

2006 Federal Income Tax Return

2007 Federal Income Tax Return

2007-2008 Public Financial Disclosure

Footnotes to Financial Disclosure

         The organization of space travel company Space Adventures announced a few days ago, Simone once again apply for a new space trip and is expected to achieve the spring of next year. Space Adventures did not disclose more about the details of the new Simone, but it said that Russia and Simonyi will be Soyuz TMA-14 astronauts carried out a training group.

         Simonyi, Microsoft in the past 20 years, has been involved in the preparation of two important Word and Excel office software, for which he received a huge salary. In 2002, he left Microsoft to set up a software engineering company International Institute Software . In Silicon Valley, space travel may become a new symbol of status and identity. Google co-founder Sergey - Space Adventures, Brin also become customers, he had paid 5,000,000 dollars booked the flight plan.

St. Aidan's is the seventh Anglican church in Ontario, and the eleventh nationally, to secede from the Anglican Church of Canada over doctrinal issues focused on acceptance of homosexuality.

Members of the parish said they wanted to return to a more orthodox and traditional version of Anglicanism, centered around the authority of scripture and the gospel.

James I. Packer, Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, BC and one of the most highly regarded Protestant theologians today, said the Anglican Church of Canada has been "poisoned" by a liberal theology that "knows nothing of a God who uses [the Bible] to tell us things and knows nothing of sin in the heart and in the head."

Charlie Masters, the executive archdeacon of ANIC, told the Windsor Star, "The big issue (is) around the Bible and the authority of scripture and the gospel," which teaches that human sexuality is reserved for marriage, which is an exclusive commitment between a man and a woman.

In a news release, ANIC said, "Unfortunately, the Anglican Church of Canada continues to abandon mainstream Anglican teaching and doctrine, particularly in relation to the authority of the Bible, breaking with the vast majority of global Anglicans."

The Windsor Star reported that St. Aidan's bishop, the Right Rev. Robert Bennett, said, "They may not say it, but the issue of same-sex marriage is underlying the whole debate," and that he will be investigating the validity of the vote.

"We're trying to clarify the details," said Bennett. "There are also serious issues about who owns the building. We're looking at our options."

Report from the Christian telegraph

(Props to RAB).

So I'm here!
A bit of a surprise actually.

Okay.

I see I have posted 97 different links on facebook.
Which obviously means I want to share stuff with others.
But I know that blogs are the 'in' thing.
Pity they were just starting off when I had my first blog,back in 2004. Four years ago to be exact,back in October 2004.

I'm making ANOTHER return to blogging!

And this is because my blog is a pretty good way to share stuff too! AND with a larger audience!

So first off,an interesting idea poached from our rivals/friends India - a train that spreads awareness about AIDS!

I haven't seen anything like it before. It's taking mass communication to a different level. You see car advertisements all the time,but a train carrying a message? Very interesting idea that could be used very well in Pakistan, especially to get to target markets that are hard to get to. SEC C,D. Those who travel on trains. Those who spend hours waiting at platforms. Have a train refurbished and set up as a mobile exhibition. Offer incentives to get the people to look at it. Or even get a bogey attached to every train that has an exhibition. Anyone can go at anytime to the train and learn something. You could offer a variety of incentives for that too. Feasibility is the issue. Costs? Availability of bogeys/trains? Interesting,nonetheless.
The next bit of news, which is decidedly positive: A small business from Pakistan makes it to the finals of an international enterprise competition.

Sounds familiar :P (why the f is MY name misspelled?!)

The DAWN report says that "The Hashoo Foundation assists local beekeepers to boost their income by selling high-quality honey through a network of five-star hotels in Pakistan." It's a wonderful project run by the Hashwanis that should be a model for social entrepreneurship in this country - one that will help the needy AND the rich! After all, you get quality at low cost and, for being an intermediary, the opportunity of profit as well!

Details of Business Model and Goals

Press Release on Clinton Foundation

Clinton Global Initiative Feature

World Challenge Feature (with VIDEO)

PICTURES

Go on and vote for it!

[/caption] ]]> http://s2daj.wordpress.com/?p=47 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:02:54 +0000 s2daj http://s2daj.pl.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/5-of-7/ AKA -- The Short Post

Friday, I woke up and got a text from DeNae, but I couldn't return it, since my phone was still off.  I went to Omaha. My friend Andrea took me back to South Dakota. We stopped at the casino on the way and had a great time. Then it was off to my house, for a movie and a shower. Then to Vermillion, so she could see the joy that is my sad little life. We ended up going from bar to bar, doing shots and drinking jack and coke. Did some gambling at the Pressbox and then made our way to the Eagles for Karaoke.

I ran into a group of people I hadn’t seen in ages who all used to be friends with my ex, but who had all, in some way, either been fucked over by her or felt they had. We had a great heart to heart, not just about her, but about how we’d all gone our separate directions. We took some photo ops for facebook and we called it good. Andrea and I proceeded to continue drinking. Went to an afterbar where people played RockBand all night, and then went back to my place. Where nothing happened. So there. The last thing I remember was laying in bed next to her, thinking about how nice it was to have someone who actually liked me for who I am nearby. We will never date, but what I would give for a girl like her. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep with a smile on my face for the first time in weeks.

Seit kurzem ist ein weiteres qualitativ hochwertiges Fanadventure rausgekommen: Baphomets Fluch 2.5, was, wie der Name schon sagt, zwischen Teil 2 und 3 spielt. Ich habe es mir kurzerhand mal runtergeladen und kurz antestet. Mein Fazit: Die Wartezeit hat sich gelohnt.

Hier kurz die Story:

George Stobbart trifft das Schicksal in den letzten Monaten sehr hart. Erst muss er Nico wegen einer wichtigen Auslandsreise gen USA für ein Jahr verlassen, dann stirbt sein geliebter Großvater an den Folgen eines Tumors. Doch damit nicht genug. Als George Post aus Frankreich erhält, ahnt er nichts Gutes. Der Absender: Nicole Collard, Paris, Frankreich. Seine Vorahnung sollte sich in einer grausigen Gewissheit bestätigen: Nico ist tot! „Erst mein Großvater, jetzt Nico?“, denkt sicsh unser Held und nimmt das nächste Flugzeug nach Paris.
Bei seiner Ankunft: Regen, stürmischer Wind, so als hätte Petrus die passende Antwort auf die Situation Georges. In Nicos Aparment der nächste Schock: Nico ist am Leben. Völlig verdutzt erzählt er ihr von dem Telegramm, doch Nico scheint nicht sehr überrascht zu sein. Im Gegenteil, George wird von Nico gebeten, das Apartment zu verlassen. Es ist nichts von Freude zu spüren über das unerwartete Wiedersehen.
Seine Gedanken immer noch sortierend hört George im Café de la Chandelle Verte – dort, wo alles begann – von André Lobineau eine beunruhigende Geschichte über Nico, die in ihm den unerfreulichen Gedanken keimen lässt, dass die Neo-Templer noch immer existieren könnten…

Nach ein paar Minuten Anspielen fühlte ich mich sofort wieder wie im Original-Baphomet-Universum. Das liegt vorwiegend an den Dialogen, skurrilen Charakteren und vielen Anspielungen auf die anderen Games der Reihe. Sehr genial ist, dass die das Team hinter Baphomets Fluch 2.5 den Original-Sprecher von George auftreiben konnten. Aber auch die Grafik ist sehr schön geworden, die sich an den ersten beiden Teilen orientiert, was ich sowieso 1000-mal besser finde als die 3D-Grafik, der späteren Teile. ;-)

Man merkt dem Spiel einfach an, dass sich die Leute dahinter viel Mühe gegeben haben. Also, wartet nicht lange.... los los los... auf zur offiziellen Website... und ja, es ist kostenlos. ^^

www.baphometsfluch25.de

The Yankees made the announcement of Cashman's return Tuesday afternoon, after it was first reported on Newsday.com. Cashman deliberated over the decision about whether it was time to move on after 11 seasons as GM, but gave the Yankees an affirmative answer Tuesday afternoon. In the end, a Yankees source said, it came down to what was best for his family. The new contract will be for slightly more than Cashman had been making, putting it in the ballpark of $2-million per year.

In a statement from the Yankees' official release, Cashman said: "I know I've said it before, but it's an incredible opportunity and honor to hold the title of general manager for the New York Yankees. With it comes a great responsibility to ownership, the people who wear the uniform and our fan base."

A joint statement from Yankees co-chairpersons Hal and Hank Steinbrenner said: "Before we could move forward as an organization this off-season, we needed to come to a resolution on the person who would hold the important position of general manager and allow us to make another run at a 27th World Championship. We are thrilled that Brian has accepted to renew his commitment to this organization for at least three more years."

Cashman will meet with the media at Yankee Stadium Wednesday morning. Neither Cashman nor Hal Steinbrenner, with whom Cashman negotiated the deal, could immediately be reached for comment. The two work closely together, and that relationship was a huge positive for Cashman in making up his mind.

No surprise here (if you are surprised, I'm surprised that you're surprised). As I wrote earlier, Seattle which seemed like Brian's other choice, isn't a good fit for him. This works for him, in a number of ways (familiarity, family, money). Now that he's locked up, it's time to move on to the meat and potatoes of the offseason--- free agent signings and trades.

Check back soon for more updates!

What better way to furnish your office then in one shot? This complete office suite by Knoll Reff has everything you need to create a professional office space that is stylish and accommodating. This suite can be sold separately or as a set which includes: Desk, Return, Bookcase, Lateral File Credenza and Storage Credenza! The natural maple finish accentuates any office!

Knoll Reff Office Suite, Natural Maple at Office Remix

Recovery is a systematic method of breaking old habits and generating new ones.  The old habits are those that escalate to the point of no return in unhealthy sexual behavior.  This is a point which no matter what level of guilt or subconscious culpability exists the individual is not able to reverse his progress towards sexually acting out.  The point within an addicted individual can be very low in which there is very little self control, and most anything will result in reaching this point.

The breaking down of old habits results in pushing the "point of no return" to a much higher level, hopefully eliminating it.  Having no impulsive reaction to the same material that previously created a reaction is an example of healthy progress.  Once an individual has a good understanding of the struggle and how events compound to lead one to the point of no return, they can better understand how to combat the problem.

Exposure to explicit materials will create a level of excitement and pleasure, while at the same time leaving an anticipation for more.  Thetendency is to feed the feeling in order to maintain that excitement.  With acceptable conditions (no chance of being caught) and having reached a level of excitement where one can not turn back, the behavior will escalate more rapidly until the sexual desire is fulfilled.  These are the old habits that must be broken and replaced in order to eliminate the point of no return.  Once the old habits are broken down the same material that once lead to unstoppable sexual deviancy now has no results on the individual.

The biggest key to successfully establishing a healthy point of no return is to actively work on healthy habits that foster purity.  I have touched on many of these previously and will try to examine them in more detail in the coming days.

I would think that it probably is. The walk took place some 343 km over the earth.

Commander of the space mission, Zhai Zhigang, left the Shenzhou VII spacecraft at 4.43 pm Beijing time and floated in orbit for about 15 minutes. China became the third country to have an astronaut complete a spacewalk and continues China’s rise as a space and super power.

China now has an objective of building a space station. Two unmanned spacecraft and a manned mission to begin construction of the space station are to be launched by 2010.

The Shenzhou VII spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China late Thursday.

The spacecraft is scheduled to return to earth at about 5.00 pm on Sunday Beijing time and is expected to land in the northern Inner Mongolia region.

The footage below shows the first Chinese space walk:

The sexy supermodel investment opportunities up until recently were made possible by massive amounts of leverage, off-balance sheet financing, complex financial engineering and syndication.  These investments were conceived, underwritten, and sold to millions of investors around the world.  A great many anticipated them with insatiable appetites, much like a typical male teenager who has discovered the Victoria Secret catalog.

Corporate CFO's have had their pick of supermodels over the last few years, with Wall Street and its massive amounts of leverage seemingly able to offer an endless supply.  Now, the music has stopped.  Wall Street no longer exists in the same form it did as little as two weeks ago.  Furthermore, the remaining investment banks will surely no longer be allowed even 15 times leverage let along 30 or 45 in their new forms as commercial banks.  Post bailout, and after new regulations take hold, investors around the world may be forced to look at a smaller set of investment choices for their company's and for their professional and personal portfolios.

What will the remaining insurance companies, regional banks and a host of other large institutions look to invest in?  Will there be a new financially engineered product offering high returns with "little risk".  (How long would the disclaimers have to be on such a concept anyway?)

Since the beginning of the millennium, the field of finance and domestic markets have rewritten themselves despite antiquated regulations.  Moving forward it is more than likely that future investment opportunities become simpler, easier to understand, and less interconnected regardless of new regulations.  At least I'm hoping we go that way over writing longer and more complicated legislation.  The opportunity set of investments is likely to be smaller, and despite all the reported losses, there is still a ton of cash out there looking for a home, particularly when T-Bill yields have turned negative at moments in time.

In any event, I am more than hopeful that not all investments will force us to take a loss, and to the contrary, given where we are today there will be a lot of opportunities moving forward.  However, the concepts of wild leverage and massive syndication of complex instruments are probably at best on hold.  In their place will be the need for us to look a little further, and work a little harder to make good investment decisions.

This brings me to my final point, with respect corporate investment.  Corporate CFO's without huge warchests are going to face new challenges.  The opportunities to make acquisitions, to fund highly accretive but speculative investments with balance sheet, or to deploy large amounts of cash into major expansions are going to be rarer.  With the hope that interest rates stabilize, and that they will remain low for some time though, the investment hurdles ahead may force more companies to look inward.  In this environment a solid 7, 8 or 9% return may be enough to get CFO's everywhere to smile.  If this becomes the case, many investment opportunities may become inward verses outward, and corporations may be looking to rebuild infrastructure, efficiency and cost advantages.

One more lever in the case for investing more sustainable modes of business.

Sources:

Treasury Prices Firm After Auction; T-Bill Rates Below Zero
Reuters, September 24, 2008
http://www.cnbc.com/id/26867800

Bailing Upward
Larry Grafstein and Jim Millstein, The New Republic, September 26, 2008
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=86401650-e151-401b-990a-63f589621b7e

Group DOOR:

戸　戻　涙

Story:
Standing on the big DOOR is the lost child who just RETURNED to his home and bursting into TEARS.

HANOI, September 26 (Compass Direct News) – Authorities in Hanoi have responded to months of Catholic prayer vigils and demonstrations over disputed land by destroying the one-time residence of the papal nuncio in central Hanoi.

In suddenly bulldozing the land that once served as the Vatican embassy and residence near St. Joseph’s Cathedral last Friday (Sept. 19), the government broke its promise to Catholic leaders in February to negotiate a settlement concerning the property.

The destruction of the building held sacred by Catholics is the latest blow to Christians’ long struggle to get the government to return confiscated church properties. Catholic, Protestant and other religious leaders deemed the government response to peaceful Catholic pressure a serious setback for religious freedom.

Authorities cite Vietnamese law stipulating that lands subject to “land management and socialist land reform policies in place before 1991” cannot be considered.

On Monday (Sept. 22) the Vietnam News Agency reported that the Catholic Church ceded the Nha Chung Vatican Embassy property to the state in 1961 and that it would be turned into a library and park.

“Bookworms will soon be able to enjoy the facilities offered by a brand-new library, located at 42 Nha Chung Street, in Hoan Kiem District,” the state reported. “In addition to all of the services usually offered by a library, situated on the premises of an existing three-story, French-designed building surrounded by greenery and including a childrens’ playground, the renovation, which began last Friday, aims to better meet Hanoians’ demands for relaxation.”

Sources said Vietnam’s frequent pronouncements of new openness to religion, and the formation of a joint Catholic/government working committee regarding relationships with the Vatican and other outstanding matters, may have led Catholics to test the waters. Late last year Catholics began to hold prayer vigils outside the fence of the long-vacant Vatican Embassy seized by the government in the mid-1950s.

The historic building property on Nha Chung Street is adjacent to the Hanoi archbishop and cardinal’s residence and only a half block away from St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

The daily morning and evening prayer vigils began to draw large crowds, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, when thousands came to Masses at the cathedral. Authorities in a country where demonstrations are not allowed became seriously worried when warnings to stop went unheeded.

In discussion with Catholic leaders in late February, the government agreed to negotiate a settlement in good faith on the condition that Catholic leaders would call a halt to the prayer vigils. Archbishop of Hanoi Ngo Quang Kiet told Compass in April that after agreeing to a joint working committee, the government showed no sincerity in building relationships or in settling grievances.

In late August an aide to the archbishop told Compass in Hanoi that the twice daily prayer vigils had resumed. At that time about 100 people participated each time, but the number and intensity was growing. Catholic leaders made no secret of their appeal to prayer and assembled people as their only tools in their struggle with the government for redress on confiscated properties.

In recent weeks the Redemptorists at Thai Ha, also in Hanoi, also began prayer vigils to recover some of their large property. Over the years their part of an original plot of 60,000 square meters had been reduced by government confiscation to less than 2,000 square meters.

According to observers, the Catholics conducted themselves during their vigils with decorum and order as they reverently marched, prayed and sang. The government’s response however, quickly escalated from accusing the Catholics of interfering with traffic to accusing them of all night public disturbances – and then accusing Catholic leaders of inciting riots and breaking religion laws.

Catholic Leaders Warned

Authorities this week delivered a written warning to Archbishop Kiet warning him of “extreme action” if he did not stop the daily prayer vigils. They also issued a warning to four priests at a Hanoi church locked in the land dispute. The archbishop and priests are accused of “stirring the population” and encouraging illegal religious activity.

State and Hanoi city media releases and radio and TV coverage during September painted the Catholics in the worst possible light; sources said the media fabricated stories and paid people to speak against the Catholics. With no opportunity to make their side of the story known through Vietnam’s state-controlled media, Catholics are reporting events through VietCatholic News, Zenit and other overseas news sites.

Catholic calls for media to retract specific, demonstrably false stories and appeals to press laws have gone entirely unheeded. Rather, sources said, improbable accusations and vicious slander against Catholics sharply escalated.

Vietnam Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man, archbishop of Saigon, wrote a letter to all priests, religious and faithful on Monday (Sept. 22) denouncing the state’s media lies. Unrest is spreading throughout Vietnam’s Catholic community, believed to number more than 7 million, as the letter by the cardinal and others by bishops are read in the churches.

Thugs Bussed In

Demonstrations escalated this week with estimates of 7,000 to 10,000 people, including students gathered at Thai Ha on Wednesday night (Sept. 24). It was said to be the largest public demonstration since the Communist unification of Vietnam 33 years ago.

Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 24), hundreds of police and plainclothes officers tried to control an upset crowd of Catholics as a statue of the Virgin Mary was removed from the Vatican Embassy area under police protection and taken to an unknown location. The next day, sources said, authorities recruited gangs that included uniformed Communist youth league members and others and bussed them to the site, where they attacked Catholic protestors outside the archbishop’s residence.

Similar gangs destroyed property, including sacred items at Thai Ha, the same day.

The state media also announced that the 17,000-square meter Thai Ha Redemptorist property in Hanoi is also to be turned into a public park.

The reversion to old-style, default Communist repression involving violence cloaked in lies is also worrying to Vietnam’s Protestants, some of whom have joined Catholics in the prayer vigils.

Protestant leaders contacted by Compass were united in their disappointment in and condemnation of the government’s belligerent response to peaceful prayer vigils.

“Sadly, the government has again shown its true attitude toward religions,” said one Protestant leader. “We have doubted the sincerity of recent improvements, and now they have clearly shown everyone what is still in their hearts.”

Some Vietnam observers fear the government’s belligerence may be evidence of hard-liners’ ascendance in an ongoing struggle with more moderate reformers. The timing of this property destruction, some Vietnamese church leaders said, is calculated to take advantage of uncertainty in the United States, especially as elections draw near.  

Report from Compass Direct News