Obama's High-Speed Rail System Stalls...

  

  The Obama Administration launched a high-speed rail system in the United States, in order to change the preferred way of travel.  This would improve carbon emissions, create jobs, spark a new and healthy competition within the U.S. economy, and help reduce the dependence on oil from foreign countries.  President Obama put $8 billion , for the high-speed railway, in the 2010 stimulus bill.  The government was to provide grants for 31 states while creating a network of 13 high-speed lines.  The new plan seems to be more about improving old, out-dated rails than constructing new ones.  Early on, there have been issues and concerns among these states resulting in the refusal of government funds in most cases.
     Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin are all rejecting high-speed rail funding which will cause taxpayers to have to foot the bill.  These states decided to refuse federal funds that were meant to cover the millions of dollars that were already invested in the project.
    Florida has refused $2.4 billion in grants.  Governor Rick Scott was opposed to this proposal from the start.  The new railway had been planned to run between Tampa and Orlando.  Most democrats condemned Scott's  actions of refusing the money.  Senator Bill Nelson and Representative John Mica, Chairman of the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee, are trying to find a way to make it happen.  Governor Scott doubted that the early estimates of projected paying customers were correct.  That would mean great financial loses every year. Scott was leery because the Jacksonville Skyway already loses $5 million a year. 
     The great state of Ohio was to receive $400 million for the new railway system but Governor John Kasich would rather not.  His offices believed it would be more of a burden than relief by generating only $12 million in sales yet costing $29 million to operate.  Of course, the burden would fall on the Ohio taxpayers. 
     Wisconsin has a similar case.  The state was slotted to receive $810 million in federal cash to create the new rail system.  Governor Scott Walker had his people crunch the numbers and concluded that it would create more debt for the state than it was worth.  He feels that the money would  be better spent fixing old highways and bridges rather than creating a high-speed railway.  After rejecting the funds for the high-speed line, Walker is asking for $150 million to improve the current train lines within the state. 
     Now it is North Carolina's turn to figure out if they are going forward with the project or refusing the funds.  It seems as though the Tarheel state is going to return it's $545 million share of government funds.  The legislative branch wanted to put funds, that were already accepted, into a general fund and use the money at their discretion.  However, they were quickly informed that the money was to be used for the rail system only or returned to the government.  This case is somewhat different than the other states because Governor Beverly Perdue supports it.
     Although the good will is there, many states have turned down the creation of jobs by not approving the construction of a high-speed railway.  They have cited future expenses as a major concern when compared to profit.  If the funds are not used by the state for the railway then, they must forfeit the money back to the federal government.  There was a lot of hype and energy surrounding this better mode of transportation at the start.  The whole project was likened to that of the interstate highway projects of  the Eisenhower era. Just how many more states will decline on this offer remains to be seen.   

My First Love...

    I like to dabble in poetry from time to time.  Especially for that significant other that I might have at the time.  I was up late, as usual, and I felt poetic so here goes...

.
My first love, really knew how to sing.
My first love, was the sexiest little thing.
My first love, enjoyed many cheap thrills.
My first love, always gave me major chills.
My first love, I used to admire her from afar.
My first love, I wonder if you know who you are?
My first love, will always be special to me.
My first love, there's nobody else I'd want her to be.
My first love, has a special place in my heart.
My first love, why did it all fall apart?
My first love, it was exciting to discover.
My first love, there will never be another.
My first love, we had a lot of fun in bed.
My first love, forever dances in my head.

If It Doesn't Kill You Then It Will Annoy You...

     Let's vent eh?  I am not a major complainer but I am human.  Things get to me just as much as the next guy or girl.  So let's do it.  I am gonna share with you, things that annoy and irk me.  I hope that you will leave a comment and feel free to add anything that I have missed or that you want to share.  I hope there are a lot of comments on this one because I want to see what everybody thinks is annoying.  It's a learning experience!  Now, in no particular order, here are some of my pet peeves.
     Over analyzing is a good place to start. Oh man, don't you hate it?  You say something like "I thought you were sleeping and that's why I haven't called you yet" and then you hear...  What does that mean?  So what are you trying to say?  You think all I do is sleep?  So are you trying to call me lazy?  I wonder how all of that came out of what I just said.  It is so very annoying.  Maybe it means that I just thought you might be asleep.
     Automated phone systems are another sore point.  They suck.  I take a real disliking to the ones that also use the voice recognition type of technology.  Press or say 1 if you are inquiring about a checking account.  Then, achoooo!  I am sorry, did you say 2?  Press or say 1 if you said 2, press or say 2 if you said something else, or press or say 3 if you want to return to the main menu.  And it goes on and on and on...  How annoying?
     Alarm clock buzzing is exactly what I want to hear in the morning.  This sound is dreaded for different reasons.  It can mean the end of a great weekend on a Monday morning.  It could mean that you gotta get up now and dress for work no matter if you are still tired.  It could also mean that you forgot to shut it off and now you woke up early on a Saturday for nothing.  One thing is for sure, that dreadful tone is unwelcome at my place.  I usually wake up not too long before it goes off for that very reason.  It irks me.
     Slurping annoys me to no end.  For me, Slurping is a very annoying sound that drives me crazy.  It is bad enough for someone to slurp on a cup of coffee or a drink.  But, people will slurp on anything as long as there is any amount of liquid in the food.  Loud annoying slurping sounds while everybody is eating.  I am like, what the ef are you slurping on; it's spaghetti.  This ranks high on the list with me.
     Toilet up splash irritates me too.  It is super funny that it does but it does.  When you are on the toilet and you start dropping bombs and, as you are still sitting there, you feel the water splash up on your ass.  Ewwww, nasty toilet water...  It just makes me mad that the raunchy toilet water hit my skin, not to mention the fact that it is cold.  It makes me feel all dirty.
     That is just a taste of what irks me.  Over analyzing, automated phone systems, alarm clock buzzing, slurping noises when eating (lol), and the infamous toilet up splash are just a few examples of things that get on my nerves.  What annoys you?  I know you wanna tell me.

Avatars...

    An avatar is a personalized graphic that represents a person.  There are pretty much two types: those used in forum like situations on websites and those used in gaming.  I am not a big gamer so I am going to talk about those that are found on websites.  A website usually offers a way for you to upload a file to use as an avatar to represent yourself.  It could be a real life photo of yourself or just an image that you think represent you or your business.  In Hindu mythology, an avatar is a deity that has taken on an earthly form such as a human.  Humans have created virtual worlds and the computer avatar represents human incarnation in that world.
     People choose different photos and images to represent them on the computer.  Some people choose a logo maybe to give them a recognizable brand.  Some people choose to use a celebrities photo because maybe they want to remain anonymous or they just simply like that person that much.  Others use their own photo as their avatar.  I must admit that this is my favorite.  I don't take a lot of pictures so when I get a chance to show my face then, I will jump at the chance.  I like to see the person that I am interacting with on line.  I am talking just a personal amateur picture taken that shows off their face.  There are also people who like to create a cartoonish version of themselves as an avatar.  The ones that I dislike the most, are the generic avatars that are given to you before you upload yours.  I guess hate is a strong word; let's say dislike.  I feel it just shows a special kind of laziness (sorry if that is you).
     So what is your avatar of and why?  And which ones do you like the most?  I probably missed a few so just let me know. 

Why Ping?

    Pinging notifies search engines that an update has been made on your blog.  A signal is sent to ping servers which will generate a list of blogs that have been updated with new material.  Pinging is a very useful tool and should be used to maximize a blog's exposure.  Pinging your blog is an excellent source of building link popularity while gaining global exposure to your blog.  This will help you get more traffic, more visitors, and listed in the search engines faster.  It is not difficult to ping your blog.  There are websites that will do it after you enter your information or you can set it up in your blog configuration to have it automatically done.  There are numerous free sites that will do it for you.  Two of the better ones are:  http://www.pingomatic.com/  http://www.pingler.com/  .  Basically, all you have to do is enter your blog URL and name.  Then, check all of the services that you want to know about your blog.  The more the merrier.  You can ping your blog manually or automatically.  To do it automatically on Blogger through your blog configuration, go to settings and scroll down the page to "let search engines find your blog."  Then, use the drop down box to say "yes."  Manual pinging is simply going to the above sites and filling out the form. Then, just hit the ping button.  Wait for the site to finish pinging your blog before you leave.  Refrain from sending excessive pings in a short time period because you could get banned from some search engines.

Meta Tags

      A meta tag is a code or tag in the Hypertext Markup Language or HTML that outlines features of the contents of a web page.  Internet search engines use meta tags to index a page so when people search for something that is written in your page, they are most likely to find you.  That tag is usually written in the form of  <META name = "something" content = "something else" >  It is imperative that each tag doesn't have any line breaks.  The basic types of meta tags are the description, author's name, and keywords.  Although not viewed by users, the meta description tag, the author's name tag, and the meta keyword tag provide information to user agents like search engines.  The description tag is a word, sentence, or paragraph describing the page.  The author's name tag s simply that; the author's name.  The keyword tag is a list of optimum keywords that are included in the text or appropriate synonyms of these keywords separated by commas.  Meta tags help search engines determine how to list or rank your site.  These tags can tell a browser what character set to employ.  While the majority of search engines use the contents of your page as a method to determine how to index it, don't forget to include meta tags with good keywords and descriptions.  well-written tags can make your page rank higher in search results.  After every new post or addition to your page, you should visit the HTML section and add the appropriate meta tags and then ping your blog.  I will touch on pinging your blog in my next post.  I have received a lot more traffic since following this formula.  Google likes my page due to frequent updates to the content plus the meta tags that I have used.  If you have any questions, there are several ways to contact me.  Here is how to add those valuable meta tags to your page or site.

1.Sign in to your blogger dashboard>click the 'design' button[it used to be the 'layout' button]

2.Click on the 'Edit html' tab

3. Then, check the "expand widgets" box





Here is the code you have to add

<meta content='DESCRIPTION HERE' name='description'/>
<meta content='KEYWORDS HERE' name='keywords'/>
<meta content='AUTHOR NAME HERE' name='author'/>


DESCRIPTION HERE:Write your blog description
KEYWORDS:Write the keywords of your blog
AUTHOR NAME:Write the author's name(Your name)


{ UPDATE : }
Now..You don't need to do it manually.. I created an automatic Meta Tags Generator to make this process easy for you!
Just go to this page and Enter some basic information like keywords,description,etc.. It will automatically generate you error free, effective Meta tags. Once done, copy that code and follow the next step.

4.Add the above code just after this [Look at the below screenshot]
<b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/>


Don't forget to add description, keywords, and your name
and save the changes.

5. A quick way to check to see if you added the meta tags properly is to preview or view your blog.  As long as the blog appears the same as it did before you added the tags, then you have done a great job! If there are errors, you want to go back to your to Design, Edit HTML, and Expand Widgets and check where you added the meta tags to make sure all of the keywords (except the last one) have a commas and spaces behind them.


IMPORTANT:
Several people were filling with just the keywords in the description.DON'T DO THAT.Google and other search engines will ban your site from the search engines list if you did so.And also,don't repeat the keyword more than 3 times.
That's it!You have sucessfully added the metatags to your blogger(blogpsot) blog.If you want to check whether you added the meta tags correctly or not,just type 'meta tags analyzer tool' in the google and you will find so many sites which can check whether you have added the tags correctly or not.

Phone Sex...

     Phone sex is basically sexually explicit conversation usually just between two people via telephone while one or both of the participants masturbate.  Phone sex can involve people who are together in a relationship or total complete strangers that met over the telephone.  It can be exciting to fantasize with a person with whom you have been intimate with or a stranger that either is horny or that you share the same sexual compatibility.  Phone sex does not include physical contact between the two people. Couples could use it when they are far apart in distance and can't be together physically.  Like most taboo or sexual things, there is a stigma that goes along with phone sex just like that of masturbation.  people that do it or have tried it, don't usually talk about it in public. 

     Phone sex is a billion dollar industry.  It has been thriving since the advent of 1-900 and 1-800 phone lines that provide dirty talk for a fee per minute.  People, predominately women, can be employed as phone sex operators and work from home or at a designated office.  They simply talk dirty to people who call for sexual gratification through masturbation.  Women are usually employed but there are some men working for alternative chat lines.  There are some local chat lines that are advertised as dating lines where you can call and possibly find someone who you can have a relationship with.  Maybe.  However, don't be surprised to find people who are looking for phone sex.  There are usually only amateurs on this type of chat line.  These type of phone lines are free for women but men have to pay a fee after the initial free trial is over. 
     There are different reasons that people engage in phone sex.  One reason is being sexually unhappy at home but not wanting to physically cheat.  Another is not being able to find a sexual partner in person due to their appearance or fear of sexually transmitted diseases or STD's.  Some people just might not have the time for finding an appropriate sexual partner and find mutual masturbation as a better option than settling for someone out of lust.  Sexual fantasy is another thing that might make phone sex appealing.  Some people might get turned on by the idea of a sexual act but don't want to incorporate it into their bedroom.  Embarrassment is another possible reason for participating in phone sex.  A person could be embarrassed by their sexual desires such as domination, cross-dressing, homosexuality, or any other desire not socially accepted.  And last but not least, some people just plain like dirty talk in their lives as an enhancement to sexual pleasure and have yet to find that kind of verbal stimulation in a sexual partner.

     Phone sex is a widely used but not socially accepted way to enhance mutual masturbation.  It is a billion dollar industry but there are many amateurs that enjoy it just the same.  I feel that it definitely can help out when a couple is separated or if a person just wants to fantasize while masturbating.  People can live out fantasies of interracial sexcapades, role playing, being degraded, domination, public sex, group sex or any other sexual fantasy without the stigma.  I personally feel that there is nothing wrong with it.  Many people don't even admit that they masturbate and there is nothing wrong with doing that as well.  When skype came out, that made things even more interesting but I need a whole different post to get into that one...lol.  What do you think about it? Have you ever one it (I don't expect too many people to admit it)?  I will honestly say that I have done it and I like it.  So download skype or grab your phones and enjoy!

Human Trafficking...

    

Human trafficking is illegally trading human beings for forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation.  This also considered by some as a form of slavery. In the year 2000, the United Nations, or UN, adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons.  It is the first set of international diplomatic guidelines based on human trafficking.  Another purpose of the Protocol is to assist and protect the victims with respect for their human rights.  The Trafficking Protocol was started on December 25, 2003.  Since it's inception, it has been signed by 117 countries. 
     Trafficking is a very lucrative industry.  It has become the fastest growing criminal industry in the world.  Women and children are usually the victims of this crime.  The UN suspects that over 2.5 million people, from roughly 127 different countries, are trafficked throughout the world.
     People smuggling and human trafficking are two different things.  With people smuggling, people voluntarily hire someone to transport them from one place to another.  Usually it's from one country to another involving illegal entry.  After arriving at their destination, the person is set free.  Human trafficking does not require the physical movement of someone.  However, it must involve the exploitation of a person for labor or sex.  The victims are not permitted to leave upon arrival.  They are held against their will by coercion and forced to provide services to others.  This arrangement could be structured as a work contract with very low or no payment.  Sometimes it is even set up to where the victim owes a debt to the trafficker that they are unable to pay due to low wages.
     There are basically three forms of this type of illegal labor. 
     Bonded labor is most widely used to enslave people.  The victims' labor is demanded to repay a loan or service and the terms of the contract is not clearly defined.  The system is set so the victim will not be able to pay them back in a reasonable amount of time.
     Forced labor is where the victim is forced to work against their will.  Their freedom is restricted under the threat of violence or other forms of punishment.  Men can be coerced into forms of forced labor such as agricultural, janitorial, factory, or food service jobs. 
     Sex trafficking victims are usually women in dire circumstances.  They prey on homeless individuals, runaway teens, drug addicts, and refugees.  Traffickers exploit their vulnerabilities by offering marriage, education, or just a better life.  The victims are forced to work dancing in strip clubs, in pornography, or prostitution.

     Human trafficking does not require travel from one location to another; however, a form of sex trafficking involves international brokers who arrange travel and job placement from one country to another.  Women are lured by promises of high paying job that they can't find in their own country.  But, when the reach their destination, they realize that they have been deceived.  In some cases, their passports and visas are held by their employers to prevent a safe and legal escape.
     Many impoverished countries are involved in such acts; however, it happens within the U.S. as well.  There is an estimated 10,000 forced laborers trafficked in the U.S.  The U.S. is mainly used as a destination country for victims.  States have laws against trafficking, though federal laws are much tougher.  Slavery itself was outlawed in the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  Atlanta, Georgia has been designated as the place with the highest rate of child sex trafficking.  There are many organizations with free hot lines where people can call if they are caught in a trafficking situation.  The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, or TVPA, was established to combat all forms of human trafficking in the U.S.  The TVPA has three ways to prevent human trafficking.  They include public awareness, economic alternatives, and consultation.  Basically, public awareness is raised through commercials and pamphlets that are distributed to inform the public of trafficking and how to identify it when they see it.  The government hopes by creating a steady flow of jobs, it will deter the need for such a drastic choice.  And finally, the government consults with higher authorities on new ways and ideas to combat this problem as well as educates the ones that are unaware.
     Human trafficking is a serious problem and it does exist.  Although, it is more prevalent in less fortunate countries, the U.S. is not immune.  unfortunately, women and children are the main victims.  Due to the lack of opportunities in their country, a lot of women seek work in different countries and there are people waiting to prey on them.  Homeless women and children are also targeted as victims.  How do you think we could do a better job of prevent human trafficking here in the states or in your country?  Have you ever seen it happening firsthand?