Financial Scandals

From Malaysiakini

Malaysia has squandered an estimated RM100 billion on financial scandals under the 22-year rule of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, according to a new book about the former prime minister.

According to Barry Wain, author of the soon-to-be launched ‘Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times’, direct financial losses amounted to about RM50 billion.

This doubled once the invisible costs, such as unrecorded write-offs, were taken into account. The RM100 billion total loss was equivalent to US$40 billion at then prevailing exchange rates.

Barry, who is a former editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal, says most of the scams, which included a government attempt to manipulate the international tin price and gambling by Bank Negara on global currency markets, occurred in the 1980s.

‘Malaysian Maverick’ is the first independent, full-length study of Mahathir, who retired in 2003 after more than two decades as premier. The book will be published globally next week by Palgrave Macmillan.

Wain writes that the Mahathir administration, which took office in 1981 with the slogan, “clean, efficient, trustworthy”, was almost immediately embroiled in financial scandals that “exploded with startling regularity”.

By the early 1990s, he says, cynics remarked that it had been “a good decade for bad behaviour, or a bad decade for good behaviour”.

From Tukartiub(TT)

Barry Wain penulis : Mahathir Muhamad in Turbulent Time membocorkan bahawa:

Madey membuat perjanjian rashia pada tahun 1984 dengan Amerika. Perjanjian ini membenarkan tentera Amerika berlatih di pusat latihan hutan di Johor.

Madey juga membuat perjanjian rashia untuk membenarkan kapal terbang C-130 Amerika berhenti di Kuala Lumpur. Juga kapal laut Amerika mendapat tempat bengkel untuk diperbaiki.

Mahathir, despite his nationalistic rants, signed a secret security agreement with the United States in 1984 that gave the Americans access to a jungle warfare training school in Johor and allowed them to set up a small-ship repair facility at Lumut and a plant in Kuala Lumpur to repair C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

Telling People What to Do is Not a Good Idea

It is often interesting how one political party will tell the other not to tell people what to do. Still if you tell other people not to do something, or tell them not to tell other people what to do, then in essence you are telling them what to do because you're telling them to "not do something" and I hope you see that point. Interestingly enough, both political parties do this, and the attack dogs on both political parties of far right, or the far left all engage in this type of political rhetoric.

On one hand the Democrats tell everyone they ought to be politically correct, and they shouldn't tell others how to live their lives, because it's none of their business quite frankly. Whereas, that maybe true, that you shouldn't tell people of a different category that you how to live their lives, or how they should act. By the same token the Democrats shouldn't tell people to be politically correct because in fact, they are telling them what to do in that case.

Of course, the Republicans do the same thing which is also interesting. As they have a different way of looking at things and they tell the other party that we as a nation shouldn't do this, that, or the other thing rather we should live our lives in this particular way. And then they rail against the Democrats who tell them what to do, when in reality they are doing the exact same thing.

"Maybe we need to dump all the hypocrisy and stop telling other people what to do," and rather than tell you to dump your hypocrisy, and this can ask you to think about it, as that is the next step telling people what to think. I'd just like you to please consider this.

Why Corruption Leaders won election

Malaysia is a unique country. Insight can not be denied by any country in the world. Apart from people of diverse religions and nations, Malaysia is ruled by one party since the country gained independence in 1957. Latest Malaysia again put in history when a leader who was sentenced by the party found guilty as above corruption political defended by the prime minister openly. Prime ministers defend because the leaders want to ensure that the party won the election (PRK) in the south of Peninsular Malaysia after repeatedly lost with opposition party alliance in the PRK. To justify the action puts party leaders such as PRK candidates, the prime minister has created a new term called "technical error" or "technical offense". Said the prime minister, offenses committed by the leaders of the only technical errors. This is the greatness of India. In Israel, the country most hated by the people of Malaysia and the only country that is not authorized by the passport to enter Malaysia (Malaysia because the country does not recognize Israel and supports the establishment of the Palestinian struggle) prime minister, Ehud Olmert was forced to resign due to face corruption charges. Corruption is Ehud Olmert accused the cases PKFZ not great, but he still pressed to resign because of the country by the people who want their leader looked clean and clean. In Malaysia, when the website Malaysia Today revealed on paper with respect to the cabinet meeting PKFZ, which investigated but not the contents of leaked papers meeting. That's impressively Malaysia. The guilty are not investigated. The victims are people who leaked the offense. The Malays and Corruption Among Malaysians, especially for those Malays who are Muslims, corruption is not a great sin. It can be purified by simply criminals when corruption is going up or perform umrah pilgrimage. While I still students and at that time involved with activism, once I states issues of corruption to the country's leaders relatives in the village. I have refuted by an aunt who I say, "If you so you will be prime minister even also take. Let the leaders present I take skirt! " At that time I realized then why the party can continue to survive even though the government has been so long in power. Malays especially those from generations before independence and the first generation after independence, provide support to them that corruption or malpractice is not considered a power offense. Attitudes and views such as this not only owned by supporters of the ruling that "nationalist", he also shared by some supporters of Islamic parties that has ruled several states after the general election (PRU) March 8, 2008. Look after March 8, 2008. How many demonstrations organized by the youth wing of the party to fight against corruption compared to the concert? Because not interested to concert, they also object to a concert of artists involved in helping human rights movement worldwide, such as Avril Lavingne known public campaign to help Amnesty International (AI), a global human rights movement to help people suffering in Darfur. Countries "reject" and corruption I lived in a country "reject" called South Korea. South Korea is not foreign to the people of Malaysia. Products such as Samsung, LG, Kia and dramas like "Winter Sonata" a strong memory in people of this country. Country one of Asia's economic giant, the corruption is a sensitive matter and criminals will take extreme action such as suicide if the accused or convicted of corruption offenses. In May this year, shocked the world when a former South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun suicide as a result of corruption charges against him. In a note left before killing himself, the Spirit said: "I have no face to show to the people. I am sorry for disappointing you. "(" I'm not willing to deal with people. Excuse me for disappointing you. ") See how the Korean stance on corruption. A former president of suicide because of shame to deal with people when associated with corruption. In Malaysia, a person who had dropped as evidenced by the practice of corruption can still compete in elections and supported by the prime minister. That Malaysia is no greatness in other countries. No wonder South Korea has been far left Malaysia. A while ago, Malaysia stood higher than South Korea. Now, Malaysians had to rely on the products from South Korea to live our lives as compared with cheaper products from Japan and the United States. Because of corruption and malpractices, Malaysians can not enjoy the service free of charge and forced to bear a high burden of debt once out of university. Because of corruption and malpractices, Malaysians are paying a high price of oil even though Malaysia is a oil producing country. Because of high oil prices, Malaysians had burdened with the cost of living is high despite their low income. As long as the majority thinking of the Malays who are Muslims will not change against corruption, while corruption is rampant in the country. As long as leaders who are facing charges of corruption can continue to compete and win in the election. When leaders who had been convicted with the offense of corruption in the election won, do not blamed if he continues to practice the culture of corruption. People who should be blamed for choosing not reject the culture of corruption. If corruption is not contained and continues to be left, do not be surprised if Malaysia will continue to be left behind and not impossible that the country will be neglected. Petroleum which serves as a backbone to the strength of the economy also will be exhausted one day. Not when it becomes reality, we will regret for the money when the country is still much we do not do anything to fight corruption

Umno removes quotas,but sts new condition

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today a minimum requirement will still be imposed on party members who intend to contest top party posts, even after nomination quotas are abolished.

The Umno constitutional amendment committee chairman said the requirement was necessary to protect the dignity of the institution of the party presidency.

“We don’t want people who join the party today only to challenge the party president the next day,” Hishammuddin told reporters after chairing the amendment committee meeting here.

But he said the party has yet to decide on the requirements to contest top posts after abolishing the nomination quota system.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the proposed amendment had, among other things, made it necessary for members who wish to contest the party’s top posts to serve a certain number of terms in the supreme council.

The requirement, however, was removed following objections from party grassroots who saw the condition as another barrier similar to the quota system and would only strengthen the supreme council instead of ordinary members.

On the number of delegates eligible to vote in the party elections, Hishammuddin said it “will be bigger than 2,500”.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the amendments propose to expand the voting base from the current 2,400 central delegates to some 146,000 delegates from branches to divisions who will choose the top leadership in one day of nation-wide elections.

“We will study it logistically and our ability. There is no use planning something that the grassroots are unable to deliver,” Hishammuddin said.

Hishammuddin added that most important point was for the proposed changes to be well accepted and understood by the party members.

“We want to institute change that is not only felt by our members but also be seen by our members,” he said.

The plan to reform the party through constitutional amendments was first unveiled by Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak at its general assembly last April, in an attempt to curb money politics.

Umno will follow LDP track

Youth Umno leader Telok Kemang Division, Mohd Faizal Ramli defend representation decision Isa Abdul Samad to nominate as a candidate for Umno BN election Bagan Pinang State Legislative Assembly this October 11. Although the former Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan is companion by friends and opponents as corrupt, but Mohd Faizal said Umno Telok Kemang and local people wanted Isa Samad, who had taken action discipline on charges of money politics.

"We do not see any problems that might arise if he is nominated for this commitment at the party machinery and the commitment given by the grassroots level because he was friendly with the community," he told Bernama. He claimed that already make the review and find the descendants of people including non-Malays accept Isa Samad. "I do not see that issues a record that Isa Samad would be a liability to Umno and the BN in the face of election Bagan Pinang," he said.

Mohd Faizal said he and former Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the same and similar as former Prime Minister also had discipline action taken by the late Tuanku Abdul Rahman. "Due to strong pressure from the grassroots, then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak bring in Mahathir back and he eventually emerged as a great leader," he said.

Reported, the selection is very accurate because of Isa that has proven their faithful to party has even taken disciplinary action and this is a good example to other members. This proves that loyalty is one thing that we prefer, so for me as Head of Youth but this may represent part of the Youth should be idol because we want to find people who truly faithful to the party, "he said.

Umno party became increasingly more day of fiber, or not what the candidate wants center stage seen by the public net. While at the candidates as he wants Tit already contaminated with corruption. If the parties reject the voice of grassroots representation and voice, Umno would have certainly suffered the same fate as the party LDP has ruled Japan for 54 years but eventually lost the general election recently.

Justice at Last Obama's Birth on Trial

Well folks, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The argument concerning Barack Obama's eligibility to hold the highest political office in our country has final found a court to hear its case. The planned court arguments are scheduled for January 11th and the judge has set the trial for January 26, 2010.

The question which the people of America and California Judge David Carter wants answered is about Obama's qualifications under the rules of our constitution. It is alleged that Obama is not a natural born citizen but rather an Indonesia citizen or even perhaps still a citizen of the nation of Kenya. If this planned court case actually continues to court as planned it will become the first of the many challenged disputes relating to Obama's birth that made it to an actual court of law. Multiple challenges have been proposed but have unfortunately been rejected by both state and the federal courts including one appeal presented to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Our constitution in Article 2 clearly states that in order to hold the highest office of president of the United States one must be a "natural born citizen." Several important issues became part of this court challenge. During preliminary hearings judge Carter heard motions concerning attorney Orly Taitz serving of proper court notice on the defendants of which it was resolved that she had.

Some arguments currently being presented question the truth in Obama being born in the state of Hawaii or even if he was possibly he was born prior to the state becoming part of the union. Additional challenges have indicated that he may perhaps have a dual citizenship through his father's Kenyan jurisdiction at the time of his birth. This too is excluded by the constitution.

Although there were no immediate moves by the judge to rule on these issues he did comment about the legitimate constitutional inquiries in regards to Mr. Obama's questionable birth location and stated that they needed to be addressed immediately and properly investigated.

A hearing of possible motives for dismissal of the case is planned for October 5 for both sides to present evidence of discover. In the event that this court case passes this particular challenge it will continue on to the pretrial hearing scheduled for the 11th of January followed by the trial two weeks after.

Here we have a man who claims to care for this country but for reasons that we can only suspect he has expended millions of dollars to hide his true birth information. It would be such a simple matter for this person to merely release a certificate of birth for all to see and the issue would be put to rest.

There are many issues concerning his background that was overlooked before he took his office as president. We have no verified knowledge of his important documents of his life such as school records, College and university records, passport or medical records. It is as if the man was simply dropped into our lap.

Cow head protestors will be charged in court

There is enough evidence to charge the cow head protestors of Section 23, Shah Alam, said Attorney General Tan Sri Gani Patail.

“I have decided to charge those who carried and spoke while stepping on the cow head under Sect 4 (1) of the Sedition Act alternatively Section 298 of the Penal Code.

“They as well the other demonstrators will also face another charge under section 27 (5) of the Police Act for illegal assembly,” he said in a press statement on Monday.

He said that the police had submitted their investigation papers to him personally on Monday afternoon and he was satisfied that, based on the facts and evidence gathered by the police, the demonstrators should be taken to court.

Residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam had staged a protest last week against the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor Government’s decision to relocate a 150-year-old temple from Section 19 to their Malay-majority area.

One of them had carried cow's head and stepped on it.

On Monday the state government said that an alternate site in Section 23 had been identified for the relocation of the temple.

The manner of the protest drew heavy criticism from various parties, including members of the public, for insulting religious sensitivities.

Residents, on the other hand, had filed a police report to say that the parade of the cow’s head was meant to be a symbol of the “stupidity of the government”, and was not meant as a religious insult to the Hindus.

The fear of stoking religious sentiments led to the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) directing news portal, Malaysiakini, to remove footage and videos on the cow’s head protest from its website immediately following numerous public complaints.

Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that he left it to the AG to determine if there were any violations of law when the residents staged the protest.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein also met with the association and representatives of residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam to find a resolution the issue.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, instead, was adamant that the Section 19 temple be relocated to Section 23, unless the residents and other interested parties could propose a more suitable location.

Since the incident, the police have recorded statements from more than 100 people to assist investigations into the matter.

A Truly Multi-Racial Malaysia In The Making?

Changes to the communal based politics in Malaysia are unlikely to transpire anytime soon, at least not within the next decade. A period of weaning is needed for the ruling UMNO Malay elite who are so used to handouts and cronyism as well as their potential for inciting racial riots. It will be very hard to remove privileges entrenched for the Malays in the fields of business, civil services and institution of higher learning. Just like opium, it will take tremendous willpower to remove the addiction without the backlash that comes with undermining UMNO's support base.

New leaders that do not think along racial lines have to emerge from the midst. For this to ever happen, various racial parties that currently formed parts of the ruling coalition have to be transformed. The modus operandi is archaic and only good for achieving independence from Britain but not for current Malaysia. A new system of governance is needed. Hitherto, the constitution could not be easily amended when a corrupt government had the command of a two-third majority in parliament. A new educational policy must be instituted to instil and breed a new generation of Malaysians that do not want to think along racial lines. The leadership realizes that Malaysia cannot afford to be divided especially in this age of globalization and all human resources must be utilized to their full potential regardless of race or religious affiliations.

Can Anwar Ibrahim assume the new leadership role? This man is a politician to the core. It must be remembered that Anwar was instrumental in implementing the New Economic Policy to the hilt. Hopefully, he has come to understand that Malaysia is now a different country. Politics along racial lines is a thing of the past; only good when the country needed to come together to achieve independence from the British. Anwar's words currently indicate that he is more for an administration that is fair and does not condone a discriminatory policy outlined in NEP. We just have to wait for awhile to see whether or not he will do the walk.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial to be heard November 3rd

PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial and his application to strike out the charge will be mentioned at the High Court on Nov 3.

Controversy regarding evidence in the sodomy case

Anwar Ibrahim demanded Tuesday 29 July, 2008 that police drop a sodomy investigation against him, producing a medical report he said showed no assault had taken place. Anwar reiterated that the allegations by a young male aide, a repeat of charges that saw him jailed a decade ago, have been fabricated to disrupt his plans to seize power from the coalition that has ruled here for half a century. Anwar maintained that The Complainant is an outright liar working hand in glove with those in power, and that the aim is to assassinate his character and attempt to derail the Malaysian people’s aspirations for change in Malaysia.

Fabrication of Sodomy Case

Equally damaging for the prosecution’s case, Malaysia Today’s editor, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, alleged that a top police official, Senior Assistant Commissioner Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof had met with Saiful three days before the charges were filed in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel. He stated that Rodwan and Saiful spoke on the telephone at least eight times before Saiful went to Hospital Puswari to report the supposed rape.

PAS DETERMINES GOVERNMENT AT 13TH ELECTION

Malaysia political scenario in PRU-13 will come to depend on various factors including the majority of voters according to race. If competition occurs between two corners of the DAP and MCA, whereas the area has 55% Chinese voters and 45% per cent Malay voters, then both the opportunity to win because people based on per cent.


The question, to which direction 40% Malay voters in a corner of two quite impossible because the DAP will lose 55% of voters in the Chinese and the DAP would be impossible even lost the support of 30% votes from the Chinese because the Chinese are likely formerly National Front supporters will turn back support DAP in the interest of political and economic agitasi them.

If DAP can reach 30% from 55% of Chinese voters, it can not guarantee the DAP will win without the support of 20% of votes from the Malay students. The same scenario will occur if there are voters in the Malay DAP and it will not be changed to support DAP PAS or PKR.

If Pakatan Rakyat leaders realize that political scenario more complex because the BN will be 'the means' to renew their mandate, all partners Pakatan Rakyat must back up each other back-up for victory as 'Political Backup back up' this alone is the most feared by all levels of UMNO leaders.

While UMNO leaders to use the mainstream media, police, SPRM, and now the court is also used to break ties brought unity in Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO, but political future depends on the weakness Pakatan Rakyat.

UMNO leaders realize the strength of Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO to create a plot arranged by Datuk Tajul Rosli Ghazali want to hold the mixture with PAS in Perak. Before the coup outside the constitution made to overthrow the leadership of PAS Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak. Coalition fails because it does not get the blessings of President and former PAS Perak Menteri Besar Dato Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.

Top UMNO leaders have no option other than 'use' SPRM capture two Assembly PKR and DAP persuade an Assembly set up to support the Barisan Nasional Government of Perak. Two Assembly PKR then diheboh-hebohkan by SPRM as those who accept bribes. If both the Assembly to support the BN then corruption is still there but the 'frozen' in the file cabinet SPRM.

Another experiment diplomatic leaders to persuade senior UMNO leaders to leave Pakatan Rakyat PAS and UMNO established with a Government of National Unity that is not formulated. If the Government of National Unity is so, how the Barisan Nasional?

Questions that need not have the answers as PAS president has flatly rejected as Tok Guru Hadi Awang wonder why UMNO PAS is required for coupling to the Government of National Unity? The answer is quite clear that UMNO top leaders already know that PAS can not be ruled the Central Government, but PAS can prevent UMNO / BN ruling from the Central Government in PRU13 later.

If PAS inclined to Pakatan Rakyat, PAS and DAP can be ordered with the DAP and PAS, if inclined to UMNO / BN then UMNO / BN can rule. Difference if PAS support UMNO / BN, PAS will only be "added rice", but if the PAS in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS are factors and institutions important in the Pakatan Rakyat.

Waves in a turbulent storm the torso UMNO PAS because they realize they will determine the living dead in the elections even in Peninsular Malaysia Sabah UMNO still dominate, so they had to make 'rough play' the game 'knockout' in the PRU-13 later.

As a strategy that experts Alliance overthrow the government in Perak Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak will find the formula to create the opportunity to persuade Tok Guru Haji Hadi Awang and Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat work with UMNO and leave the Pakatan Rakyat.

Leaders and political observers assess the inane 'dangers and effect' PAS not only to UMNO but Pakatan Rakyat will chaff PAS while Najib has long been seen wand in left hand and PAS 'Aladdin Lamp' is in the hands of senior students. But what Najib want to get both?

It is Easier to Fight

There are two subjects that as children we are taught to avoid talking about in open forums as adults. Those topics are politics and religion. Because so many people have differing opinions about the multifaceted philosophies and theologies of these two independent subjects they are considered taboo to discuss in public. The debates and arguments surrounding the person beliefs and traditions of the two subjects continue to fuel wars and heated discussions between people that believe their views are the only correct views and their opinions are always right.

Most people are unwilling to open their minds to the viewpoints and beliefs of others and would rather brood over their one sided view of how things should be than accept that another's point of view might hold validity.

In political circles the debates over how to resolve differences of opinion are often tabled in public policy meetings where sides argue over the cause and effect of issues and only on occasion discuss how to best resolve situations that require political interference. Political forums bring together charged people that are so blinded to the opposition that they will rarely if ever see eye to eye on any subject that is up for political debate.

It seems that the only way to effectively resolve arguments inside the political arena is to stack the votes of the two major opposing forces with people that are decidedly in favor of one solution. The political process allows every American citizen the right to vote for representatives that have similar opinions or follow similar lines of thinking as they do and to support the incumbents or candidates that best fit their way of life and belief systems. By loading the political battleground with like minded politicians the ability to pass bills and legislation can be accomplished through a majority vote on the issues and questions that fuel the debates.

Is Your PR Campaign Working?

Whether you have an in-house PR department, hire a public relations freelancer part time to work your campaign, or are trying to launch and implement your campaign on your own, do yourself and your company a favor and do an outside PR assessment on your campaign, objectives, strategy, game plan and implementation. Public Relations is a very refined and subtle process. You can have the right stories, but be implementing them the wrong way, or presenting them to the wrong media contacts. You could have all the elements for a successful campaign in place, but not be utilizing them correctly. There are several aspects to consider and review, including:

1. Are your press releases written in a way that will garner media attention?

2. Are you making follow-up phone calls to the media and if so are those calls being handled correctly?

3. Are you only pitching the obvious media stories? (99% of the time will be the same stories your competitors are pitching)

4. Are you thinking like a journalist and coming up with new feature stories, news business stories, trend stories and timely pitches?

5. Are you presenting yourself as an expert in your field, who can address a number of topics?

6. Are you presenting your company in a way that establishes a strong brand?

7. Are you utilizing your press coverage in your advertising and marketing programs?

8. Are you utilizing your media coverage on your blog (do you have a blog?)

9. Are you combining your traditional media campaign with social media?

These are just some of the aspects you want to consider when reviewing your public relations campaign. You could have all of the right pieces in place, but be implementing them incorrectly, or, the reverse could be the case. Sometimes it just takes some minor tweaking to turn a stalled media relations campaign into a successful one. Without a systematic review, you might never know. You could end up with the most successful media campaign that never worked.

Student council election speeches

A student council election speech is a crucial determinant of the success of your election campaign. It is often the case that an effective speech drives the candidate towards the winning spot. While you may have ambitious plans and you know you will make a good student council president, you may have difficulty in preparing that winning school council speech. Here are some tips that will make the speech effective enough to get you winning the election.

Running-of-the-mill and boring speeches are a big no no. To make a speech appealing to your fellow schoolmates, put yourself in their place and retrospect as to what kind of kind of speech would appeal to you.

Start it with an introduction of yourself. Keep it simple. It is a good idea to start with an inspiring or interesting quote. Don't forget to mention the position you are contesting for. These should be a must in your speech. Moving further, you can make it interesting and different. Here's how:

• It is common for the candidates to ask other students about what changes they would like to see in the school. You should do it too. But don't turn all the suggestions into promises. Be authentic. Promise only things that can be accomplished.
• Humor is a good tactic. It will increase audience's attention and help you make the audience comfortable with your speech. This may even build trust among the audience. But watchful and don't let humor overpower the tone of your speech. You enter the danger zone and you may just end up sounding ridiculous. While humor is good, include aspects of substance. It matters.
• Be persuasive. Don't brag about yourself. Instead of "I am creative", you can use something like "I encourage creativity". Pay close attention to how you phrase your ideas.
• The closing should be powerful. Close the speech with a promise, something that the audience will remember and vouch for. This could be very crucial in getting more people to vote for you.

Prepare your speech by using the suggestions made above. Your speech is sure to become a hit.

Separation of business and politic

In the heat of the election season and as a life-long political junkie, I can't wait for election night. It is always one of the biggest nights of the year around my house. Glued to multiple TV's, tuned to every station (and now the Internet) I watch the returns roll in. Depending upon your investment in the campaign, the emotional highs and lows intensify. It's even better to be at a party. Some friends ask why I don't wait until the next morning to read the headlines. Would you turn off the TV before the end of the big game and find out the score tomorrow? This is an important political year full of excitement, so it's easy to be engaged. We're probably finding more people expressing their opinions about politics than ever before. But what about doing this at the workplace?

Political expression comes in a lot of forms. I have to admit I got a little uneasy when I pulled into my office parking lot and saw a bumper sticker that said something derogatory about meat-eaters. Now, I don't have anything against my vegetarian friends, yet I do like a nice steak now and then. What might people think about the opinions displayed at work? Might they be offended?

What about expressing strong political opinions in a small office environment to co-workers and clients? Unless you're working in the campaign office or at the legislature, this might have its limits. I did a little research on how well the workplace tolerates political discussions. We know that public employees (and many who work for private companies) have to adhere to specific guidelines. Those rules may include personal use of company computers and the wearing or distribution of political materials. In general, private, at-will employers have a great deal of latitude in how they manage their workplaces and what political tone they choose to set.

Even if the flexibility exists for employers, politics in the workplace can bring about workplace politics. There is some basic etiquette one can use to keep tensions down. How you handle yourself may depend if you're in management or not. There appears to be a tolerance for conversations among co-workers, but managers are held to a different standard. A national survey conducted in May and June 2007 by Harris Interactive, found that nearly one out of four U.S. workers says they are uncomfortable when their top managers openly express their political preferences at work. More than a quarter of those polled said they don't fit in with their company's culture in terms of politics. The survey found generational differences between younger and older workers regarding talking politics at work. Seventy-six percent of younger employees (age 18-34) would share their political views, compared to 64% of those age 50+. Eight-four percent of younger employees were comfortable telling their boss which candidates they support. This is compared to 68% of older workers who would do the same.

So do you tip-toe around your passion for R's or D's? How can you inspire an excitement for politics at work while not creating unnecessary tensions? At a very minimum, you can create an environment that values voting. It is not inappropriate to inquire is employees or coworkers need registration information. If the outcome of certain ballot measures could affect your business or clients that could also be acceptable for discussion. Alerting family, friends and co-workers to important debates, forums or community meetings may also create involvement and engagement without appearing bias. If you're in a politically charged environment that can be exciting, but what's most important is that you vote, your vote is yours, it's private and it's important. I hope you'll mail in your ballot and be part of this great process. Remember, on election night don't call, I'll be busy, unless you're having a party.....

Kalashnikov AK 47 secret

Already for years Kalashnikov AK-47 has become a symbol for Russian weapon industry. Weapon professionals still time by time point out that the original Kalashnikov is a German invention that Russians simply copied it. It usually causes furious protests from Russian side and most often the discussion is carried on only among the professionals. However, one Russian person has decided to declare publicly that Kalashnikov isn’t a Russian weapon.

The famous biographer of the leader of the USSR – Brezhnev - Boris Sokolov in his book „Brezhnev. Golden century” comes out openly that famous Kalashnikov is a copy of assault rifle StG 44 invented by German weapons designer Hugo Schmeisser in 1943. There are only three differences – in a form of stock, in a mechanism of lock and in calibre. Germans turned it out experimentally already in 1943 but up to 1944 more than 400 000 were made. Stalin ordered to copy this successful weapon. None of famous Soviet designers – Shpagin nor Degatjarov wanted to put their names on the plagiarism and thus, a new Russian constructor Mikhail Kalashnikov was chosen for it.

Surely, this confession in the history won’t change anything and it is nothing unique.

Also Americans didn’t want to accept for a long time and so far they haven’t talked much about the fact that one of the most influential American astronautics and rocket technology „fathers” was a German scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun who worked in Germany during the war.

Nevertheless, one of the most concealed myths is connected with the most powerful spy nation in the world. The British with their James Bond suppose that they are the most elegant. But the most influential were others. Even Dan Brown couldn’t take a notice of their secret. There is a small nation that at the beginning of the 20th century developed two the most powerful spy organizations in the world that still are working. They shot at Winston Churchill, they were closely connected with communist leaders Lenin and Stalin, caused big trouble for Spanish dictator Franco, made Hitler be careful, they actually were the last ones who left Hitler’s bunker at the end of the II World War. Later they were seen in a prison cell of U2 pilot, in the last overturn of the USSR in 1991 and in many other places. It’s quite a surprise that one of them was also among the inspires of Sarah Palin. Although it is clear enough that he hasn’t got anything in common with his compatriots – spies. But who are they? It is still a secret.

Colors of election

Do you know how you can tell that we are beginning to enter an election season? I am sure there are many signs, but I am thinking of one sign that is very clear to see and a powerful election tool as well. Pretend you are driving down the street one day before an upcoming election and you look around at all the grassy yards. What do you see? During any election season these days, it seems like you will always be able to find something next to the gnomes in the front yard.

Now, do you have a better idea? The answer is campaign signs. During an election, what would look like bright green grass is usually speckled with many different colors. Each campaign sign is different because it represents its candidate who is fighting hard for a victory. Each sign wants to be different and stand apart from all the others.

Some signs stick to the classic political colors of red, white and blue while others candidates go for other bright colors and patterns as a way to draw the attention of those passing by.

Why are these signs important? Sometimes, we get so caught up in our busy lives that we do not really have enough time to research our candidates like we should. When it comes time to vote, who will we vote for?

It is possible that we will see a name on the ballot that looks familiar and vote for them thinking they are the best choice. Seeing these campaign signs is one way of advertising a candidate so people can go and research themselves, but it is also just a way of getting a name out there to be seen and heard over and over again. After seeing so many signs, each day, your brain is going to remember those names when it sees them again.

So next time you are approaching a campaign season, take some time to look closer at the campaign signs than you might have before you started reading this article. Why does one candidate deserve your vote over any of the others? Make sure to take a little time and do some research before heading to the polls.

Vote for the candidate who will be most likely to represent all of your opinions and values. This is the only way to feel satisfied with your choice and truly know that you did all you could to pick the best man or woman for the job.

Political satire

You can find political satire far back in the recordings of history. Leadership has been a target of comedians for ages. Making fun of a leader is always easier to promote because you are linking to their fame. It is also more competitive because many others are doing the same thing. The biggest downside of writing political satire is that it has a margin of time to be popular.

The easiest way to begin writing is to imagine the politician as he or she having to say what they really mean. It really isn't that hard to do with most of them. You can pick almost any issue find humor in the way a politician looks at it. You can also take everything they are for and make them against it. You can use their mannerisms and their body language to enhance your funny lines about them.

Politicians are always spending too much money or spending too much time not doing their job. So many times they say one thing and do another. It may take a little research but the funny stuff is most certainly there. Pretty much anything they do concerning their job is fair game. Their personal lives however, should go untouched. Always remember it is political and not personal.

The world is filled with funny politicians and sometimes their antics alone write the comedy lines for you. You can even imagine things like "If so and so were a different sex, what would he or she do then?" You can make them a different race, size, religion or political party and come up with hilarious material! Make yourself laugh and you can make the world laugh.

Politic ancient and modern religion

For anyone interested in religion on almost any level, the study of ancient Egypt can be a revelation. Certainly there were religions prior to that of the Egyptians, but they are not nearly so documented, nor are they so central to many of today's modern religions. Further more, it is a grand topic, who scholars have documented, but philosophers have hardly touched. This can only be a brief overview, but in frankly we wish to create inspiration and more dialog on the subject. In this respect, we will limit our discussion to some comparisons between the Christian and ancient Egyptian religion, as those are the two religions that are most familiar to us.

Christianity is considered monotheistic, meaning that Christians worship a single god, while we refer to the ancient Egyptian religion as polytheistic, meaning that they worshiped a number of gods. This is the comparison that is dictated to us from formal traditional thought, but how true is it really.

The Origin of Gods

At the dawn of civilization, city states were more common then nations, and in many instances, society grew up around and were somewhat isolated to individual villages. In Egypt, each of these usually had a principal god prior to the merger of societies. Certainly there may have been more then one god for a particular village or city, but very often there was an overwhelmingly important god that was supreme. It was probably not so much religion that forced people to worship more then one god, but rather politics. Throughout the ages, as men combined political entities, first cities, and then regions and finally merging all of these into nations, religious compromises were made. Perhaps this is most evident, or at least documented during the rule of the Greeks in Egypt, when many Greek and Egyptian gods were combined. No better example exists then Serapis, a new god that was politically created in order to present a deity that would be familiar to both the Egyptian and Greek cultures. This god combined the aspects of the Greek gods Zeus, Askelepios, and Dionysys with the Egyptian gods Osiris and the Apis bull cult.

Serapis represents, perhaps in its truest form, the religious complexities created by politics that were not present in the earliest times. Most Egyptians at the dawn of the dynastic period usually worshiped a specific supreme deity in any one specific area or city, though there were certainly a lot of deities throughout Egypt worshipped. It was most certainly politics, and the need for powerful men to gain control that forced these individual gods together in order to accommodate the religious beliefs in each of their holdings.

Basically, my point is that for any individual, and for early settlements as a whole, religion started out with a tendency to be somewhat monotheistic, just as most modern religions are today. Politics, for the most part, created polytheisticism. In fact, at one point we will see that the Egyptians created one of the most monotheistic religions ever devised.

Akhetaten, better known as Akhenaten, was called the Heretic King, because he abandoned all gods in favor of only one, Aten, the Sun God. To Akhenaten, this god was all powerful, and we know of no truer form of monotheisticisim that has existed before, or to the current day.

But there is More to Polytheisticism

Many people would argue that these ancients worshipped objects and animals. This is a common view of polytheisticism. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun, or a type of bull, but this is truly a misconception. Statues, animals and physical objects such as the moon or the sun were only representative of gods, their true form being much more mystical. Certainly the Egyptians may have seen the sun as a physical embodiment of Aten, for example, but they gave many more attributes to this god then simply being bright, or providing light.

Christians and Monotheisticism

While the early Egyptians may not have been as polytheistic as many believe, Christianity may not be as monotheistic as we would like to believe. The questions that begs answering, is what exactly is a god.

Correctly, Christians refer to their "god" as a supreme being. This is because there are, in Christianity as well as other religions, a number of supernatural beings. There are angels and demons among others, and of course the devil himself. And while Christians certainly do not worship the devil, Christian dogma does give that particular supernatural being some real control over a domain, making him supreme, if only in the realm of evil.

Even in ancient Egypt, at any one time, and particularly in any specific part of Egypt there was usually considered to be a deity that was superior to other "gods" and there are scholars that will argue that these other gods were more closely related to the Christian concepts of an angle. In this respect, the difference between Christian and ancient Egyptian religion begins to become cloudy. Certainly Christian angels operate and obtain their power and duties from the Supreme Being, but likewise many of the Egyptian "gods" also operated under the influence of a principal god.

Saints and Deified Humans

We also know that ancient Egyptian's sometimes deified humans. A classical example of this is Imhotep, an early physician and architect. He was "deified" by later Egyptians and said to be worshipped. But do we truly know the means in which he was worshipped, and can we say that it was altogether different then the more modern concept of saints? Most Egyptians who "worshipped" ancient ancestors and other deceased humans called upon them for some sort of help or aid in one manner or another, and isn't that very similar to practices associated with modern saints?

The Politics of Christianity

Christianity has also employed politics to enable its growth, in much the same way that more secular politicians have used religion to cement their territories. Of course, secular leaders bought together gods from various regions to solidify their holdings. But Christianity, having specific beliefs in a supreme being, most often bought together religious customs rather then multiple gods. Just as secular leaders made gods of various regions their own, so Christianity soaked up local customs and religious practices as its own. Examples of this abound, and as missionaries attempt to create conversions even today the practice continues. Easter comes to mind very easily in this regard, particularly in connection with Egypt. All Christians are familiar with this celebration, but what do eggs and rabbits have to do with the resurrection of Christ? Well, eggs and rabbits were symbols of renewal in ancient Egypt (and probably other ancient religions) and this polytheistic belief was easily adopted into the Christian church. But modern combinations of Christianity and local superstition, for example in areas where voodoo has been practiced, lead to some rather bazaar modern Christian practices. This is all very explainable, however. Very early Christian missionaries quickly discovered that it was far easier to make conversions by adapting local superstitions, therefore making the process more familiar and comfortable to the local populous, just as ancient secular leaders found it easier to solidify their subjects by embracing each region's gods, rather then forcing their own upon them.

Proximity

In fact, most readers must realize that there was considerable physical proximity of the Christian and the Egyptian polytheistic religion, and no one knows exactly the extent to which the Christian faith (as well as others) were influenced by the Egyptian religion. Egyptians often occupied the very heartland form which the Christian faith sprang, and was itself deeply involved in the faiths development. There are more then a few similarities between the Christian faith and the ancient Egyptian faith.

Probably the most obvious is the story of Osiris, Isis, Horus and Set, or at least their final positions, along with some of the surrounding icons. I will not repeat the story itself, but in the end, Osiris becomes the god of the heavens while Set is outcast as the evil lord of the underworld. Isis is the mother of Horus, who in tern becomes a living god in the form of the pharaoh. The associations of Osiris and the Christian supreme being, Isis as the Mother Mary Horus as Jesus and Set as the devil are obvious, and ancient icons depict Isis suckling Horus almost exactly as Mary would later be shown suckling the baby Jesus.

This is but one similarity. Perhaps another even more intriguing parallel is the Christian bible's mention of early sons of Gods who walked the earth:

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Genesis Chapter 6, New Kings James Version

Interestingly, in the Palermo Stone that documents early kings of Egypt and is important to Egyptologists for details of the early dynasties, it also documents several thousand years when mythical gods ruled, prior to the god Horus finally handing the rule of Egypt off to Menes, a human. Even were it not for this particular similarity, Genesis Chapter 6 is interesting in relationship to ancient religions.

The final analysis

In the end, many may call this analysis heretic, but in fact, the study of ancient Egyptian religion has strengthened my belief in the basic concept of modern religion. Mankind, and specifically individuals, have almost certainly always worshipped a supreme god, regardless of the name they might have called him, and there have always been "helpers" performing specific functions surrounding this deity, whether we refer to them as minor gods, or angels. But in the end, this is probably not the most scholarly article on this topic, but I hope that it simply makes people think, and understand the intrigue involved in the study of the ancient Egyptian religion, not simply placing it in the realm of archaic knowledge without real implications to our modern religions.