All Around Foreclosures

How do you think technology will change the structure of the economy in the next 100 years?

Admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:44:17 +0000

Just wondering what people think will change because of technology. Technology has drastically affected the way we live our lives. How will it effect manufacturing and the economy as we move on? Will it be a positive or negative force. Do you think space travel, democratization of manufacturing (machines that will make you whatever you want), energy on massive scales, and possibly settlements on the Moon are things that might happen in the next 100 years

But before you answer think about how much technology has changed the lives of people in the past 100 years and consider that technology doubles every 18 months (Moore’s Law).
Spotty J – Almost every measure of the capabilities of digital electronic devices is strongly linked to Moore’s law: processing speed, memory capacity, even the number and size of pixels in digital cameras. All of these are improving at exponential rates as well. This has dramatically increased the usefulness of digital electronics in nearly every segment of the world economy. Moore’s law describes this driving force of technological and social change in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
So yes moore’s law applies to transistors but those transistors make things work faster and preform better. I figured a dork like you would know that.
For the Person I picked for best answer

To say that technologies mature and plateau is the most narrow minded premise I’ve ever heard. Technology is unable to plateau, we might plateau in development because the technology meets our current needs. And development didn’t necessarily plateau in the car industry. It’s just the technology became unrealistic in a real world application. Formula 1 cars have engines that produce massive amounts of energy and rev at amazing speeds. Over 17,000 rpm (revolutions per minute). Or drag cars in the NHRA that go from 0 mph – 340 mph in less than 6 seconds. Oh no…it hasn’t plateaued and just because we don’t see it in everyday life doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. So the capability of your sedan might not have increased drastically over the past 50 years but the technology that makes it more comfortable, reliable, and safe has changed drastically.
If someone told you 15 years ago that we would have computers in our cars that told you how to get places you would have laughed and said “maybe for the super rich.” But almost every car made now has that as an option for usually under $2000.
You’re right in saying that bio-tech might yield some amazing things in the next 20 years. Where I’m keeping my eye is Nanotechnology. Almost every expert and theorist thinks this is what might reshape our society in the way we manufacture, fight disease, and other important aspects of our lives. But what is the most amazing thing to me is that as we go on all these technologies will start to converge and start yielding great advancements that will change the way we live our lives. If you’re to narrow minded to see the possibilities oh well.

What Do You Think of the Real Story of Thanksgiving???

Admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:41:57 +0000

Thanksgiving It’s True History!!!

By: Julia White
(Research materials were given to me by Terye Gonzalez, Apache, on the
history of our Thanksgiving traditions. Thank you, Terye, for your
contributions to understanding history and tradition.)
As history teaches us, the greatest conflicts and the bloodiest wars
throughout time have been waged because of belief systems and
boundaries. We can trace this from the Crusades and the Spanish
Inquisition through Hitler to the “ethnic cleansing” now going on around the world. This mentality does not tolerate differing political, social and
religious beliefs, and it does not hesitate to sieze another’s land and property if it suits a purpose.
It was the custom in European countries to mark the boundaries of land
with fences ranging from palisades to low rock walls. Once word spread
throughout Europe and Spain about this wonderful land called The
Americas, which was wild, untamed and unclaimed, this new territory
became a safe haven for outlaws, prisoners, exiles, and the radical element
of politics, social structure and religious practices – the violent and the
non-conformists.
Even though the first explorers and early settlers had been warned about
the heathen savages found in the “New World”, they found the First
Peoples of this land curious about these strange people, and more than
willing to teach them how to survive and live well in their new
surroundings. The flow of people into this country was slow in the
beginning and, even though there was the occasional hothead among the
newcomers, life was generally a peaceful co-existence for almost 150 years.
However, as the trickle of settlers turned into a steady river, the
atmosphere began to change. In 1614, a band of English explorers had
landed in the vicinity of Massachusetts Bay. When they returned home,
they took with them Native slaves they had captured, and left smallpox
behind. By the time the Puritan pilgrims sailed the Mayflower into southern Massachusetts Bay, entire nations of New England Natives were already
extinct, having been totally exterminated by smallpox.
The Puritans were religious radicals being driven into exile out of England.
Since their story is well known, I will not repeat it here. They settled and
built a colony which they called the “Plymouth Plantation”, near the ruins
of a former Native village of the Pawtuxet Nation. Only one Pawtuxet had
survived, a man named Squanto, who had spent time as a slave to the
English. Since he understood the language and customs of the Puritans, he
taught them to use the corn growing wild from the abandoned fields of the
village, taught them to fish, and about the foods, herbs and fruits of this
land. Squanto also negotiated a peace treaty between the Puritans and the
Wampanoag Nation, a very large Native nation which totally surrounded
the new Plymouth Plantation. Because of Squanto’s efforts, the Puritans
enjoyed almost 15 years of peaceful harmony with the surrounding Natives, and they prospered.
At the end of their first year, the Puritans held a great feast following the
harvest of their new farming efforts. The feast honored Squanto and their
friends, the Wampanoags. The feast was followed by 3 days of
“thanksgiving” celebrating their good fortune. This feast produced the image of the first Thanksgiving that we all grew up with as children. However,
things were doomed to change.
Until approximately 1629, there were only about 300 Puritans living in
widely scattered settlements around New England. As word leaked back to
England about their peaceful and prosperous life, more Puritans arrived by
the boatloads. As the numbers of Puritans grew, the question of ownership
of the land became a major issue. The Puritans came from the belief of
individual needs and prosperity, and had no concept of tribal living, or
group sharing. It was clear that these heathen savages had no claim on the
land because it had never been subdued, cultivated and farmed in the
European manner, and there were no fences or other boundaries marked.
The land was clearly “public domain”, and there for the taking. This
attitude met with great resistance from the original Puritans who held their
Native benefactors in high regard. These first Puritan settlers were
summarily excommunicated and expelled from the church.
With Bible passages in their hands to justify their every move, the Puritans
began their march inland from the seaside communities. Joined by British
settlers, the seized land, took the strong and young Natives as slaves to
work the land, and killed the rest. When they reached the Connecticut
Valley around 1633, they met a different type of force. The Pequot Nation, very large and very powerful, had never entered into the peace treaty
negotiated by Squanto as had other New England Native nations. When 2
slave raiders were killed by resisting Natives, the Puritans demanded that
the killers be turned over. The Pequot refused. What followed was the
Pequot War, the bloodiest of the Native wars in the northeast.
An army of over 200 settlers was formed, joined by over 1,000
Narragansett warriors. Because of the lack of fighting experience, and the
vast numbers of the fierce Pequot warriors, Commander John Mason
elected not to stage an open battle. Instead, the Pequot were attacked, one
village at a time, in the hours before dawn. Each village was set on fire with its sleeping Natives burned alive. Women and children over 14 were
captured to be sold as slaves; other survivors were massacred. The Natives
were sold into slavery in The West Indies, the Azures, Spain, Algiers and
England; everywhere the Puritan merchants traded. The slave trade was so
lucrative that boatloads of 500 at a time left the harbors of New England.
In 1641, the Dutch governor of Manhattan offered the first scalp bounty; a
common practice in many European countries. This was broadened by the
Puritans to include a bounty for Natives fit to be sold for slavery. The
Dutch and Puritans joined forces to exterminate all Natives from New
England, and village after village fell. Following an especially successful raid against the Pequot in what is now Stamford, Connecticut, the churches of
Manhattan announced a day of “thanksgiving” to celebrate victory over the
heathen savages. This was the 2nd Thanksgiving. During the feasting, the
hacked off heads of Natives were kicked through the streets of Manhattan
like soccer balls.
The killing took on a frenzy, with days of thanksgiving being held after
each successful massacre. Even the friendly Wampanoag did not escape.
Their chief was beheaded, and his head placed on a pole in Plymouth,
Massachusetts — where it remained for 24 years. Each town held
thanksgiving days to celebrate their own victories over the Natives until it
became clear that there needed to be an order to these special occasions. It
was George Washington who finally brought a system and a schedule to
thanksgiving when he declared one day to be celebrated across the nation
as Thanksgiving Day.
It was Abraham Lincoln who decreed Thanksgiving Day to be a legal
national holiday during the Civil War — on the same day and at the same
time he was ordering troops to march against the Sioux in Minnesota …..
(and subsequently ordered 38 Santee Sioux hung on christmas Eve for leaving the reservation in search of food…the promised supplies having never materialized)
In our society, it is not uncommon for our modern celebrations to have
arisen from black and evil beginnings. Over the centuries, Thanksgiving has become a special day to join with loved ones in an offering of thanks for
our blessings. Some give of their time to help with the homeless and the
hungry. It is now a day of giving, and of honor, and of true thanksgiving. I
do not mean to diminish that.
In your Thanksgivings to come, I would ask that you offer a silent prayer
for the spirits of those who were sacrificed so long ago. You and I did not
commit these atrocities, and we are certainly not responsible for the
behavior of our ancestors be they red, white, black or yellow. However, we are charged with the responsibility of learning our true history, and of
having the courage to behave with honor and dignity toward our fellow
man. Remember that, if the lessons of history are not learned, they will
surely repeat themselves. The todays and tomorrows of history are ours to
shape. Shape them carefully.

is society just plain bad for nature?

Admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:43:25 +0000

I imagine myself 10,000 years ago, before modern day society, as a human being I am able to fend for myself, use tools to catch my own food, find a mate, find shelter and live in relative harmony with the world and its creatures.

now fast forward to modern day, I am born innocent and new, just as i would have been 10,000 years ago, but immediately i am faced with a different reality, one where natural resources are expunged and depleted on a massive scale, disease infests even the most advanced cultures, the earth is polluted with almost no regard for the consequences, the creatures of the earth are progressively being wiped out. rain forests are being destroyed, oceans polluted, the air that we breathe is becoming increasingly more toxic to the point that it has disturbed natural weather patterns and now it is apparent that things are changing at an alarming rate, with a higher frequency of natural and man made disasters completely decimating human settlements, life as we know it could be completely wiped out with the touch of a button using nuclear weapons.

and more and more im being faced with the reality that the earth may have a shelf life and it is getting close to being over.

personally i feel like i should be ashamed to be a part of a structure that seemingly will inevitably bring us the end of days, and is constantly consuming and consuming until there is nothing left.

can society change its ways to appease nature, or are we doomed to live this way until we have completely destroyed everything.

it’s a serious question, can society as we know it continue without assuring our own demise?

the way things are set up now, do we even have a choice as to what happens or are we all doomed. and if you feel like i do, what exactly can one individual really do anyway? is it true that people can change or are we just destined to destroy everything?

is a revolution in order?
so what you are saying is, we are a part of nature, it was in our nature to become what we are, and we are naturally going to destroy everything. and that’s o.k…. i guess that answers my question.

What action should I take if my boss has “suggested” a demotion due to a recent disability diagnosis?

Admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:42:20 +0000

I would appreciate any advice (legal or otherwise “informed”) as to what to do if I feel I’ve been threatened to be terminated or demoted based on a recently revealed disability.

I’ll try my best to keep this as simple as possible, but a little back story is needed to really address the specifics…(I’ll break down the important parts).

My Disability…
About 5 months ago I started to suffer from prolonged aching and sometimes debilitating pain in my joints and occasional acute pain in my chest and back. I’m a 24, athletic, and in otherwise good health so after enduring this for months I finally made an appt. with a rheumatologist and have since been diagnosed with an autoimmune connective tissue disease. There is no known cure for the family of autoimmune diseases and relatively scarce knowledge even for it’s causes. It is essentially a chronic “pain management” disease, through various NSAIDs and immune suppressing drugs.

My Job…
I have been working in retail for the same company off and on for 7 (almost years now, at various store locations–part-time in high school and full-time through college and at the present. I am a stock manager and have held that position at 3 different stores for a total of about 3 years. So my experience and knowledge of my position and it’s responsibilities are well known to me by now, and up until this recent diagnosis, have been well within my physical capacity. (and while I feel it should be noted, that my mental capacity far exceeds the requirements of the job, there are unfortunately no bonus points or rewards for intellect in retail…we go by a “follow the program” and look pretty policy) lol

The (possible?) discrimination…
Though the company I work for is no stranger to VERY public discrimination suits and (massive) consequential settlements, I’ll withhold from naming names (for my sake as a current employee at this point). So the quick and dirty version of why I feel discriminated against or threatened goes like this…

I went to my store manager with the details of my medical issue and the limitations it may cause in the immediate and foreseeable future, and I asked for understanding and whether I could re-structure my work schedule to come in earlier to avoid having to work through the more painful evening/night hours. I thought this was a pretty reasonable and rational request due to the fact that I can’t escape the daily aches, and want to keep my job despite that. I just wanted to avoid the worst of it. …. While he was empathetic, he really had no say in whether the work schedule would be approved by our district manager. Soooo…. On my DM’s weekly visit I explained the same issue I was having and same request, but he was almost dismissive about it and without giving an absolute yes or no, went into “how my position REQUIRES that I be present for the hours of 1-10pm. And that my necessary duties as stock mgr. won’t be able to be covered by anyone else.” Since that first discussion, he’s asked about specifics of my condition (in a challenging it’s legitimacy kind of way), and has still maintained his position that I really have no choice but to work these hours. Finally, yesterday the straw that broke the camel’s back, was when he finally suggested that if my condition will limit my capability to handle my position then they would have to find a replacement and/or demote me to a part-time employee!!

Now I’m no civil rights expert, but even knowing nothing about law I was pretty stunned that he would even say that to me! My response was, “…um…wouldn’t that be considered discrimination based on disability…?? Since I’ve been in this position and proven my capability up until this recent diagnosis, shouldn’t I be warranted some kind of fair accommodations under the circumstances?? ” and his response (in a slightly defensive tone) was, “well, I can’t really say…. you’ll just have to call (some HR entity–can’t remember the name) … and they can tell you if you have the right to ask for those hours….”

and that was that.

What makes me nervous is his recent persitance about my performance and basically riding me about every little thing, and even telling my store manager to terminate me on the spot if I question any specific task I’m asked to do. I feel like I’m really being singled out, especially considering, upon a recent visit our Regional Mgr’s (DM’s boss) only positive remarks on our audit and store ops were about how strong the organization and maintenance was and personally thanked me for my stockroom on her way out. (RM’s aren’t prone to dolling out individual praise, especially all the way down the food chain) so I felt at least a little vindicated. I was starting to wonder whether I was delusional about how well I do my job!

Anyway… I don’t even know if this qualifies as a “yahoo question”, but I am so stressed that I might lose my job for a bogus reason because my boss doesn’t want to deal w
kagerousan: I appreciate the advice, and I realize the logistics of hearsay… but if the store mgr and other assitant mgrs can attest to his (the district mgr) position on this, does that count for anything?

I’ve only begun to look into all this tonight so my knowledge is limited, but I think I get the basics of “at-will” employment (which I am), but if a medical condition deems you impaired under the disability act, it sounds like there is an exemption from the at-will termination…??

I just doubt I’ll catch him so blatantly (and so stupidly) giving me that ultimatum again… since I called him out on it right away…. bummer.

where’s the damn iphone app for catching your boss making discriminatory statements, when ya need one?!

What do you think of this introduction?

Admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:42:41 +0000

and what do you think it is about…

A weathered rifle sluggishly rubbed against the gravel. Following darkened boots closely, it lifted to rest on the shoulder of its carrier. The man slowly rotated his head; it remained parallel to the rifle. Through his eye he could see burning. Across the plains, from his outpost, he spotted several small settlements, all of which were lit with a faint orange glow.

The night brought with it a harsh wind. The man shielded his face with his hand, but quickly resorted to a whitish surgical mask. His voice had deteriorated, he scarcely used it now, it seemed to act as another burden, as if speech was an obsolete form of etiquette; it brought with it no value anymore.

The ground was littered with a collage of debris. Even cloaked in black, the silhouette of splintered wood and shattered metal sat untouched and silent. The wood would have sat upright once, a support for a child’s tree house; the metal would have acted as the beams that supported the great structure of capitalism. Today however, neither of these forms presented themselves. The Land of the Free was most certainly a fitting tribute today.

U.S. history quiz answers!?

Admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:42:51 +0000

1. By the 1670s, planters in Virginia began to switch to slave labor because __________.
A. they could use slaves as collateral and expand their plantations
B. the use of slave labor could help them receive tax credits
C. more and more Englishmen wanted to become indentured servants
D. the advances in technology demanded more efficiency

2. Select the choice that best completes the analogy shown in the graphic.

A. towns.
B. sawmills.
C. harbors.
D. fishing boats.

3. Mercantilists believed that to become wealthy and powerful, a country had to __________.
A. constantly increase production
B. find new overseas markets
C. steadily raise prices
D. acquire gold and silver

4. What was the South’s first successful cash crop?
A. rice
B. indigo
C. tobacco
D. wheat

5. What brought prosperity to New England?
A. fishing and whaling
B. tobacco
C. rice
D. indigo

6. The plantation system in the South created what type of society?
A. democratic
B. independent
C. religious
D. one with separate social classes

7. Participation in town meetings and creation of local governments were central practices in which colonial society?
A. South
B. New England
C. Middle Colonies
D. All colonial societies

8. What contributed to colonial merchants’ success, causing some ports to turn into cities?
A. import of goods directly from England
B. the discovery of gold
C. manufactured goods produced in America
D. triangular trade

9. Who was at the top of the new social structure that emerged after the development of American cities?
A. artisans
B. wealthy merchants
C. farmers
D. ship loaders

10. The Virginia slave code defined the __________.
A. legal distinction between indentured servants and slaves
B. age at which enslaved men and women could be freed
C. laws by which indentured servants had to live
D. relationship between enslaved people and free people

11. Colonial America’s population grew through which of the following?
A. Immigration
B. High birth rate
C. Import of African slaves
D. All of the above

12. Which new way of thinking promoted logic and reasoning?
A. deductive
B. rationalism
C. naturalism
D. inductive

13. The movement that advocated rationalism, influencing the American colonies, is known as __________.
A. The Enlightenment
B. The Advancement
C. The Great Awakening
D. The Glorious Revolution

14. Which Enlightenment writer influenced the political ideas in America by encouraging a government by the choice of the people?
A. George Whitefield
B. Jonathan Edwards
C. Sir Edmund Andros
D. John Locke

15. Which idea about political power did Enlightenment writer Baron Montesquieu promote, later influencing the formation of American government?
A. political power should be held only by the president
B. political power should not be given to the people
C. political power should be separated into three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial)
D. political power should be held by the elite classes

16. The movement which involved religious revivals in the colonies was known as __________.
A. The Enlightenment
B. The Advancement
C. The Great Awakening
D. The Glorious Revolution

17. One result of the Great Awakening in the colonies was __________.
A. church attendance decreased
B. new churches were created based on new ideas, separating from traditional churches
C. people returned to traditional beliefs and ways of thinking
D. people believed a new government was needed in the colonies

18. The first skirmish of the French and Indian War occurred because __________.
A. the French organized Native American attacks on frontier settlements
B. both the French and the British wanted the Ohio River valley
C. the French ambushed a British detachment near Quebec City
D. both the French and the British claimed Louisiana

19. In response to Britain’s early interest in the Ohio River valley, what did the French do?
A. met with the British to discourage their interest
B. attacked British settlers in the area
C. built forts from Lake Ontario to the Ohio River
D. tried to negotiate a compromise to share the land

20. The Albany Plan of Union proposed that __________.
A. the Iroquois unite with the British against the French
B. the colonies unite to form a federal government
C. the colonies unite with the British against the French
D. the colonies unite with the French against the British

21. The treaty that ended the French and Indian War eliminated __________.
A. Great Britain’s debts from the war
B. colonial resentment toward Great Britain
C. Spain’s power in North America
D. French power in North America

Global History Questions ?

Admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:42:18 +0000

1) Which is a valid statement about the role of religion in modern India?

1.Buddhism has replaced Hinduism as the major religion.
2.Religion has lost most of its influence and importance.
3.Religion and politics are rigidly separated.
4.Religious beliefs and social structure are closely related.

2) The American and French Revolutions were turning points in global history because the results of these revolutions

1.led to the abolition of slavery
2.inspired other peoples seeking democracy and independence
3.marked the end of European influence in the Western Hemisphere
4.demonstrated the need for strong international peacekeeping organizations

3) The primary usefulness of the colonies acquired by European nations during the 19th century was to provide these nations with

1.sources of raw materials and markets
2.a training ground for military forces
3.sources of labor for growing industries
4.settlements for growing population

Thanks. Appreciate it

please help me in history?

Admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:45:08 +0000