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When you read a quotation from some enlightened author, you’re getting right down into their best material. There’s no need to sift through hours of pages in order to find the best stuff; the best stuff is in the quote!

This is why I’ve spent years reading books of quotations. Can you imagine the wisdom buzz a person can get from that? Sure, you often have to read boring quotes, but every little while you’ll run into a real good one! And when this happens, your mind is stretched, your eyes are opened, and it can become an amazing intellectual or spiritual experience. And then you start over, because it becomes addictive.

Here are ten motivational quotes based on the topics of aspiration and life that I have always loved. Take the time to dig through them and glean the great lessons that they hold.

1. When a young man sets out to learn something of his own free will, he marks himself out as an exceptional man. And he begins to rise in the world. -Herbert N. Casson

2. Life is a petty thing unless it is moved by the indomitable urge to extend its boundaries. Only in proportion as we are desirous of living do we really live. - Jose Ortega y Gasset

3. It is asked, how can the laboring man find time for self-culture? I answer that an earnest purpose finds time or makes it. It seizes on spare moments and turns fragments to golden account. A man who follows his calling with industry and spirit, and uses his earnings economically, will always have some portion of the day at command. And it is astonishing how fruitful of improvement a short season becomes when eagerly seized and faithfully used. It has often been observed, that those who have the most time at their disposal profit by it the least. A single hour a day, steadily given to the study of some interesting subject, brings unexpected accumulations of knowledge. -Channing

4. Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure. -Thomas Edison

5. I am suffocated and lost when I have not the bright feeling of progression. -Margaret Fuller

6. I know of no more encouraging fact than the ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. It is something to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so make a few objects beautiful. It is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look. This morally we can do. -Thoreau

7. What would be the use of immortality to a person who cannot use well a half hour? -Emerson

8. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain

9. If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. -Thoreau

10. 1) Sit quietly for a moment, and you realize how you have been foolishly running about.
2) Learn to keep your mouth shut, and you realize you have been talking too much.
3) Avoid getting involved in too many things, and you realize that you have been wasting your time in unnecessary things.
4) Close the door, and you realize that you have been mixed up with too many kinds of people.
5) Have few desires, and you realize why you have had so many ills.
6) Be human, and you realize that you have been too critical of others. -Chen Chiju (1588-1639)

If you liked these motivational quotes, make sure to sign up for the thought for the day at HappyPublishing.com. There’s a great new quotes page there on hardship quotes.

Vesak Day is an annual festival celebrated by practicing Buddhists in many Asian countries such as Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Buddhists observe Vesak Day which denotes perfection and commemorates the birth, enlightenment and Nirvana (liberation from earthly passions and desires) of the Buddha.

During the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950, it was agreed to celebrate Vesak as the Buddha’s birthday.

The exact date of Vesak varies according to the various lunar calendars used in different traditions.

The occasion is marked by chanting, recitations and offerings at shrines; the ritualistic bathing of Prince Siddhartha’s (the earthly name of the Buddha) statue; the practice of vegetarianism; and the release of captive animals.

On Vesak day, devout Buddhists and followers are requested to assemble in their various temples before dawn for the ceremonial, and honorable, hoisting of the Buddhist flag and the singing of hymns in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples).

The ‘Bathing the Buddha’ ceremony is held by most of the temples. The baby Prince Siddhartha (the Buddha-to-be ) is placed in perfumed water with flowers. The perfumed water is scooped with a ladle and poured over the shoulders of the Buddha and serves as a reminder to purify the mind from greed, hatred and ignorance.

Devotees may bring simple offerings of flowers, candles and joss-sticks to lay at the feet of their teacher.

Celebrating Vesak also means making special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. To this day, Buddhists will distribute gifts in cash and kind to various charitable homes throughout the country.

Eric Chan WT is the owner of http://www.interestingfestivals.com - The book is so detail that it will virtually drive you to look out for those mystique of different festivals in Asia! Make it a memorable and also enjoyable trip for you and your family.

As a Christian should you vote? Does God give us instructions on what kind of people to vote for? I will attempt to answer these questions in the scope of this article. Should a Christian vote?

Some Christian individuals and in fact some entire denominations believe that Christians shouldn’t vote or get involved with politics. They’ll say “well I’m waiting for Jesus to return and set up his kingdom” or “The bible says to have no part of the world” and it’s true, we document to expect Jesus to return at any time as a thief in the night, but he did give us civil duties as well as spiritual ones. We are not supposed to just bide time and wait until the Lord returns, he told us our job was to occupy until he comes (Luke 19:13).

Occupy means more than just take up space,we are to preach the gospel in the entire earth, and that should be our focus, however how will we be able to do that if our government continues getting more and more hostile towards Christianity. Already we have several states trying to ban the church from speaking against homosexuality. The government has no business in the church according to the 1st amendment. Jesus told us specifically to “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. ” (Mat 22:21). He expects us to carry out our spiritual duty but also our civil duties.

The Bible tells us that God appoints all leaders, well in the United States God has set it up so that the government depends on the people’s free will to vote. God has people that he desires to be in office , but he won’t buck the human spirit. He doesn’t buck the human will to save us even though the bible tells us it’s His will that all be saved. (2 Peter 3:9). That means that it is up to us to vote in Godly people into office, the kind of people that will stand up for righteousness. They aren’t going to make it in if we don’t vote because he has given us the power to do so.

Now that we have established the fact that Christians should vote, on what things should we base our votes? Biblically can we vote for anyone we want? I believe there are 4 major points we should consider when voting, especially for the president.

1. What Kind of Judges will he/she appoint? The bible tells us in Isaiah 1:26 that judges shall restore righteousness to the city of Jerusalem. You may think that doesn’t apply to our government today but what we have to realize is that our system of government was set up by the principles laid out in the bible and the position our judges hold now is very much the same as it was then. Think of this it was our judges that deemed abortion was ok and legal, and it was our judges that mis-use the term separation of church and state which is not even in the constitution. If we had been electing righteous judges then we wouldn’t have abortions legal in America. As Christians we want judges who will uphold the constitution as it is written and not put their own interpretation onto it. These judges are called strict constructionists.
2. Where does he/she stand on God’s Moral Law Why is this important, and how do I know if a particular candidate respects God’s Moral Law? That’s easy look at their position on protecting marriage as a single man + single woman couple. It is one of the main issues of the day and every candidate will deal with the topic. The bible clearly teaches homosexuality is wrong (Lev.20:13). So if they are voting for Gay Marriage or domestic partnerships they don’t respect God’s Moral Law
3. Where do they stand on inalienable rights? Our founding fathers believed that we all had certain rights endowed by our creator, if we want a righteous nation we have to respect those rights and it’s very easy to see where a candidate stands on this issue as well. Look at their position on abortion. If they don’t protect life which is the first inalienable right, then they won’t protect our right to private property or any of our other rights for that matter.
4. Where does he/she stand on religious liberties? This tells me if they are going to make my job (to preach the gospel around the world) more easy or more difficult. If they won’t support a persons right to voluntarily pray in a public forum it won’t ne long until they are trying to tell the pastor what he can and can’t preach.

After looking at those 4 issues plus a few more, there is only one candidate I can consider and that is Mike Huckabee, all of the other candidates seem to be supporting either abortion or same sex marriages both which are clearly against the will of help I believe that if we use the word of God as our voting guide Mike Huckabee is the only choice. Even if you disagree with me on who to vote for I would encourage you to stand up and be counted! Let your voice be heard! Vote in 2008!

The world does not run on absolute certainty, yet the strategic decisions we choose affects future outcomes somehow. The irony seems amplified with those who understand little toward statistical expectancy. Having adequate grasp of this subject makes a more informed investor for any business or personal desires.

The concept is simple.

E = Expectancy

P(w)= Probability of winners

S(w)= Average winner Size

P(l)= Probability of losers

S(l)= Average loser size

E = [P(w)*S(w)]-[P(l)S(l)]

E.g. let’s look at New Zealand finance companies. They pledge to provide retail investors a slightly above the government bond interest rate as long as their own investments do not experience corrections or draw-downs. Historically speaking, credit markets have a positive correlation to the general economy, and the world has experienced at least 2 years of recession each decade, or 2 out of each 10 years. From this we can conclude that these companies will not end every single year profitably.

I.e. the rough probability of a losing year is then 2/10=0.2 or 20%, and the probability of them ending each year profitably stands at 1-2/10=0.8 or 80% at best. They offer retail investors annual rates of roughly 9.x% (I’ll round it up to 10%) in the years they make performance targets, and in a bearish year the average investor looks to take a loss of 30% to 70%, averaging 50%.

So can the average retail investor “expect” to profit over the long run using these companies?

Probability of a profitable year: (80% or 0.8)

Average investor profit: (10% or 0.1)

Probability of a bad year: (20% or 0.2)

Average investor loss: (50% or 0.5)

E= (0.8)(0.1)-(0.2)(0.5)

E=0.08-0.1

E= -0.02

A negative expectancy suggests a net loss will likely occur in the long run. In fact the average roulette player has a less negative expectancy than the above; in other words you would likely lose less money playing roulette at the casino than investing with the finance companies.

To make profit or receive greater reward consistently, you need the odds on your side. Having a positive expectancy remains one of few ways to verify that. So learn the math, and make wiser decisions.

Rocko Chen
The Mathematical Think-Tank
http://matdays.blogspot.com/