August 14, 2010 · Filed under Hot Topics · Tagged 2001 attacks, 2012, 9-11, 911, about.com, afghanistan, ambassador, america, armageddon, ask.com, blog, blogging, border patrol, BOS, Catholic church, CNBC, cnn, contoversy, coven, election, election year, elements, end of the world, facebook, free movies online, freedom of religion, google, ground zero, guide, hallowed ground, headlines, holy war, home-based business, how to, hussien, illegal, immigrant, immigration, indonesia, international, international news, iraq, islam, Islamic holy day, Islamic terrorist, jetliner, law and ordinances, linkin, local coven, local law, make money now, make money on the internet, make money on the net, mexico, mexico boarder, Michael Bloomberg, mosque, mosque near ground zero, mosque plan, muslim, myspace, national, news, Newt Gingrich, Obama, oil spill, Opinion research poll, pagan, penthouse, Peter King, playboy, plinky, plinky.com, porn, Press secretary, Ramadan, religion, Robert Gibbs, ruin your life, Sarah Palin, sept. 11, September 11, spanish, spell, spiritual, spirituality, state, State dining room, synagogues, terrorism, Top news stories, travel, twin tower, united states borders, USA, vacation, war, war on iraq, Wiccan, witch, withcraft, work-from-home, write, writing, yahoo
WASHINGTON — After skirting the controversy for weeks, President Barack Hussein Obama is weighing in forcefully on the mosque near ground zero, saying a nation built on religious freedom, simply, must allow it.
“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” Obama told an intently listening crowd gathered at the White House Friday evening to observe the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances,” he said. “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.”
The White House had not previously taken a stand on the mosque, which would be part of a $100 million Islamic community center two blocks from where nearly 3,000 people perished when hijacked jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Press secretary Robert Gibbs had insisted it was a local matter.
It was already much more than that, sparking debate around the country as top Republicans including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich announced their opposition. So did the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group.
Obama elevated it to a presidential issue Friday without equivocation.
While insisting that the place where the twin towers once stood was indeed “hallowed ground,” Obama said that the proper way to honor it was to apply American values.
Harkening back to earlier times when the building of synagogues or Catholic churches also met with opposition, Obama said: “Time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values and emerge stronger for it. So it must be and will be today.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who has been a strong supporter of the mosque, welcomed Obama’s words as a “clarion defense of the freedom of religion.”
But some Republicans were quick to pounce. “President Obama is wrong,” said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. “It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground zero.” Entering the highly charged election-year debate, Obama surely knew that his words would not only make headlines in the U.S. but be heard by Muslims worldwide. The president has made it a point to reach out to the global Muslim community, and the over 100 guests at Friday’s dinner in the State Dining Room included ambassadors and officials from numerous nations where Islam is observed, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
While his pronouncement concerning the mosque might find favor in the Muslim world, Obama’s stance runs counter to the opinions of the majority of Americans, according to polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed the mosque plan while just 29 percent approved. A number of Democratic politicians have shied away from the controversy.
Opponents, including some Sept. 11 victims’ relatives, see the prospect of a mosque so near the destroyed trade center as an insult to the memory of those killed by Islamic terrorists in the 2001 attacks.
I located this story on FoxNews.com. The original link to this article is here.
~E
July 12, 2010 · Filed under My Two Cents, Uncategorized · Tagged addiction, advertising, article, blog, college, films, government, habit, headlines, movies, music, neo-wiccan, news, Obama, pagan, penthouse, porn, religion, TMZ, TV, University, Wiccan, writing
As I sat back and pondered this question to myself, I had many things come to mind. First, there is smoking- very bad for my health and stinks, too! Let’s see, how about chocolate (ooh…no…can’t let that one go!) or sugar, caffeine, meat or candy? Perhaps sex (I think hubby may have something to say about me giving up THAT one) or alcohol (that’s an easy one since I, rarely, drink, anyway).
Then, I started thinking about all of the other things that we use everyday like email or, heck…let’s just shoot for the stars and go with giving up the internet, completely, for an entire year! What about cellphones, ipods or even our Gamestations (PS2, PS3, X-Box, Wii, GameCube, etc)- I wonder what we would do with our time if we gave up those things!
Diving deeper into my mind, I thought of things like giving up ‘talking smack’ on people for a year and saying the words, “shut-up” or what-have-you for a year…You know, to remind ourselves to be more kind to others…especially, our loved ones. I know there are going to be a lot of folks saying, “I don’t talk smack on people” but, let’s be honest here…The majority of us, like it or not, talk smack on others. It may, very well, not be to their face, but rather, in our own homes but, we do this and it is something that could be stopped- for at least a year!
I know these ‘resolutions’ are normally reserved for New Years Day but, heck…let’s think outside of the box and just go for it…Break the rules and start today! For me, I am giving up saying the words, “Shut up” to people. It is not very ladylike and is anything but respectful. I think that I can do better than to resort to speaking this way to my loved ones and I pledge to start, now!
What will be your improvement for the next twelve months? What indulgence/habit are you capable and willing to let go of this year? Let’s see if we can work on just one thing about ourselves over these next few months to make a better us, overall. What do you think? It is The Year of The Tiger, after all…the time for change and transition is NOW!
~E
July 6, 2010 · Filed under Hot Topics, My Two Cents, Tips of the Trade · Tagged article, freelance, header, headlines, music, news, porn, post, tips, title, trade, write, writing
Now, that’s a conversation starter!
Lede in’s like this are designed to raise the emotional banner, right off the bat. Think about it. Whenever you hear someone say this, does it not make you, automatically, ‘straighten-up’ and ‘prepare’ yourself for what’s to come? 
I mean, if they were going to tell you about something good that had happened, they would, probably, not opt to begin the conversation this way, right? They might start off with a, “Hey, guess what?”- or, perhaps, an “OMG, I have to tell you about x,y,z” but, certainly, not “We need to talk.”
As a writer, I can appreciate this type of lede because, well…they sure do make great headlines for articles! When someone reads those words, they feel compelled to click on the link in order to read further! Isn’t that the main objective of a title (or header) – to capture your audience and draw them in for a closer view.
The internet is a huge place loaded with tons beyond tons of articles on every subject imaginable.
As a writer, you must be creative enough to title your work in such a fashion that it will stand out above the rest as well as be on target with the subject matter of your writing.
Don’t forget about the value of a well-written first sentence, either. That first line should work to KEEP the attention of your audience that the Title brought in! It’s okay to ‘just type’ your thoughts/information but, do yourself a favor by going back over your draft and ‘fine-tuning’ it so that it will work to hook your target audience, envelope some sort of emotion within them -straight away, keep their attention and leave them with a desire to come back for more.
Until next time,
~E
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