The planned computer, the first step in a broader alliance between the two companies, will come with Alibaba’s e-commerce applications preinstalled and use Intel components, according to a joint statement (in Chinese).

The statement did not detail which Intel components would be used in the PC, but one likely candidate is the company’s upcoming Atom processor, due to be launched next month. Formerly called Diamondville, Atom was designed cours et soutien scolaire for low-cost laptops but will also be used in a crop of low-cost desktops. These desktops, which Intel calls nettops, are basic systems designed to be inexpensive and used for Internet applications, a description that neatly fits the announced objectives of Intel and Alibaba.

Alibaba did not immediately respond to a request seeking details on expected pricing and availability.

Alibaba, which is 40 percent owned by Yahoo, is an e-commerce giant in China. Its flagship site, Alibaba.com, matches uto : pièces et équipement foreign buyers with collections Chinese exporters. For many small Chinese manufacturers, the site is the easiest way to access a global market for their products.

Alibaba also owns Taobao.com, the most popular auction site in China. Besides consumer auctions, Taobao is also widely used by small businesses to reach a wider domestic market for their products through auctions and online storefronts.

Because of a virus infection, the Vietnamese language pack for Firefox 2 was polluted with adware, Mozilla security chief Window Snyder said in a blog posting. “Everyone who downloaded the most recent Vietnamese language pack since February 18, 2008 got an infected copy,” she wrote. “Mozilla does virus scans at upload time but the virus scanner did not catch this issue until several months after the upload.”

Mozilla is now going to add additional scans of its software to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future, she said.

The Xorer Trojan
The malware in the language pack is from the Xorer Trojan, according to discussion on Mozilla’s Bugzilla developer Web site, which indicates that Mozilla developers first discovered the issue on Tuesday.

“I think it (happened) just because the author’s local network was infected with the virus, so it modified HTML files,” wrote developer Hai-Nam Nguyen. “The infected code just display(s) annoying banner but it can’t propagate.”

Mozilla missed the code during its initial scan because antivirus vendors had not yet added detection for Xorer into their products, Snyder said in an interview. Antivirus vendor Panda Security first detected Xorer on Feb. 28, 10 days after the infected plugin was published.

Firefox developers have now scanned all of their plug-ins. The Vietnamese language pack is the only one that had this kind of code, she said.

The open-source browser maker does not know how many people were infected with the adware, but the plug-in was downloaded more than 1200 times in the past week and has been downloaded 16,667 times since November.

Disable Plug-In
On Wednesday afternoon, the Web page for the plug-in was off-line as Mozilla scrambled to come up with a new, adware-free version of the language pack. In the meantime, users of the software should disable the plug-in, Snyder said.

Xorer added a script to the Vietnamese language pack’s HTML files that would have taken Firefox users to adware servers as they were surfing the Internet, Snyder said.

Snyder did not know exactly how the adware code was added, but she said that this kind of problem could affect any software provider–open source or not. “In most software development environments the developers aren’t kept in a dark cave,” she said. “They browse the Web or take those laptops to a coffee shop “

“It’s just a fact of life,” she added.

Other vendors have been hit with similar problems. In late 2006 Apple shipped Video iPods that contained the RavMonE.exe virus. And late last year, retailer Best Buy shipped digital picture frames that contained malware.

Although some might say Mozilla’s incident underscores the risks of open-source software development, this type of issue could crop up at a company like Microsoft too, said Eric Schultze, chief technology officer at Shavlik Technologies. “Most products that ship today include HTML files in them,” he said via instant message. “Any one of them could suffer from this.”

Mozilla was already doing the achat vente d’occasion right thing scanning their code before upload, Schultze said. “But it shows the need to have tight security on developer systems.”

Skimming through the list, I’ve shortlisted the top four questions peppering my inbox. These are:

How to I integrate Internet Explorer 7 into the XP SP3 slipstream? >> Jump to page
Can I add Firefox to the XP SP3 slipstream? >> Jump to page
How to I integrate Windows Media Player 11 into the XP SP3 slipstream? >> Jump to page
I’ve heard that SP3 doesn’t contain the DST changes patch – how do I add this to the slipstreamed ISO? >> animaux et leurs accessoires Jump to page
For the basics of creating an XP SP3 slipstreamed ISO file, read this post: Creating an XP SP3 slipstreamed ISO file.

UPDATE: If you are slipstreaming under Windows Vista then you should read this update.

Note: This process is not suppored by Microsoft. Also, it’s experimental and things can go wrong. It’s advisable to test your slipstreamed ISO using Virtual PC or other virtual machine package before deploying.

Pour casser la glace de la 9e année, des dessins de jeunes artistes en herbe de Magog sont exposés dans la grange depuis le 4 mai dernier. «C’est une cinquantaine de dessins de jeunes qui fréquentent les ateliers culturels du Service loisirs et culture de Magog qui sont présentés. Déjà, les gens sont charmés et très impressionnés par leur talent. Ils travaillent forts, alors c’est un moyen de les récompenser», soutient-elle.

En ce qui a trait aux peintures, les visiteurs sont invités encore une fois à voter pour l’attribution des «Prix Méli-Art» en sélectionnant six toiles différentes de leur choix. Ainsi, les artistes peintres, qui auront accumulé le plus de votes, Art du XXème, et contemporain obtiendront des bourses totalisant 3000 $. Pour le public, des prix très intéressants seront tirés à ceux qui auront participé, dont un forfait pour deux aux Jardins champêtres d’une valeur de 250 $ et deux billets sur le train Orford Express, une valeur de 180 $.

Au mois de juin, deux passionnés de photos, Gilles Bérard et Robert Côté, exposeront leurs oeuvres et échangeront leur passion avec les visiteurs.

Également, les gens sont invités à venir participer aux mercredis du rire en pratiquant le yoga du rire. Cet art a pour but d’apporter du bien tant au niveau psychologique que physiologique.

Ordine cronologico e ambientale [modifica]
I diversi episodi della serie GTA sono, in ordine cronologico:

Scena di Grand Theft Auto 2Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto – London 1969
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto IV
Secondo gli anni in cui sono ambientati:

GTA London 1961 (1961)
GTA London 1969 (1969)
GTA Vice City Stories (1984)
GTA Vice City (1986)
GTA San Andreas (1992)
GTA (1997)
GTA Liberty City Stories (1998)
GTA III (2001)
GTA IV (2008)
GTA II (3 settimane nel futuro)

Pregi [modifica]
La serie ha molti punti di forza:

La ricostruzione pressoché integrale della città (o di più città) con abitanti, nemici e poliziotti.
L’elevato numero di mezzi di trasporto utilizzabili (auto, moto, motoscafi, aerei, treni) e di missioni secondarie (per es. guidare i taxi o le ambulanze),
La libertà d’azione concessa al giocatore: celebre è la possibilità di poter andare con una prostituta o di investire con l’auto i pedoni o di fare “stragi” di nemici o poliziotti.
La longevità: tutti i GTA sono molto lunghi le missioni della sola storyline principale variano dalle 60 alle 80 circa. Inoltre, per finire il gioco al 100% bisognerà trovare 100 “Pacchetti speciali” (in GTA III, GTA: Vice City e GTA: Liberty City Stories), “taggare” 100 tag, trovare 50 ferri di cavallo, 50 ostriche e scattare 50 fotografie (in GTA: San Andreas) oppure far scoppiare 99 palloncini rossi (in GTA: Vice City Stories).
Altre missioni secondarie importanti sono ad esempio, le missioni Taxi, Vigilante, Ambulanza, Pompiere, Venditore di Auto. Da citare anche le Acrobazie folli e le Violenze.

Questa sovrabbondanza di elementi è il tratto distintivo della serie, e ogni gioco risulta così un calderone di innumerevoli possibilità e missioni secondarie che permettono una grande longevità alla serie.

Evoluzione della serie [modifica]
La serie nasce per mano di DMA Design (gli autori di Lemmings) e si distingue subito per l’ampiezza del mondo di gioco e per la sua esplorabilità. I primi due capitoli, usciti per PC e Sony PlayStation erano caratterizzati dal fatto di mostrare il mondo di gioco da una visuale “a volo d’uccello” (ovvero una visuale bidimensionale dall’alto), dalla maturità dei temi trattati e del linguaggio usato. Con il passaggio di consegne a Rockstar e l’approdo su hardware più performanti (PlayStation 2 e PC più potenti), la serie venne traghettata sul 3D, dando la possibilità al giocatore in GTA III di scegliere la modalità 3D o 2D (per la versione per PC) raggiungendo buone performance grafiche.

Con l’aumentare del numero di episodi realizzati, la serie è andata incontro a un continuo e costante ampliamento. In GTA San Andreas, si hanno a disposizione ben tre città principali ricostruite basandosi sulle caratteristiche principali delle tre città americane di Los Angeles (che nel gioco diventa Los Santos), San Francisco (San Fierro) e Las Vegas (Las Venturas), con tanto di Golden Gate e The Strip raggiungendo il massimo di libertà.

I mezzi di trasporto utilizzabili sono davvero moltissimi e vanno dalle comuni automobili al treno, alla BMX , perfino aerei ed elicotteri. I sottogiochi variano nella sostanza e cambiano da un titolo all’altro: solo per citarne alcuni, corse clandestine e non, scommesse sui cavalli, gioco del biliardo, e così via.

Con gli ultimi titoli (a partire da GTA III in maniera più ristretta e meno semplice, da Vice City se pensiamo ad una personalizzazione più efficace) si inizia a rendere disponibile la personalizzazione dell’alter ego virtuale, che si può vestire (GTA III e Vice City) o tatuare a piacimento, e non ultimo, si deve nutrire, con la conseguenza di ingrassare se si mangia troppo, o di diventare un culturista se si passano le giornate in palestra (GTA San Andreas).

Vita reale riprodotta in 3D [modifica]
Gta è una perfetta (pur se spesso intrisa di grande umorismo) simulazione di vita criminale. In ogni capitolo si potrà uccidere, comprare armi, rubare le macchine.

La polizia [modifica]
Elemento caratteristico essenziale della saga è la costante presenza della polizia. La criminalità si basa sotto forma di stelline: 6 gradi di crimini commessi. Arrivati a 5, arriverà l’FBI con veloci macchine e armi capaci di uccidere in un solo colpo. A 6, inseguiranno il protagonista anche i Militari con armi potenti e Giubbotti antiproiettili efficacissimi, usando carri armati e camion da trasporto.A 4 stelline interviene la SWAT con i cellulari ed armi automatiche, inoltre l’elicottero che vi insegue inizia a scaricare alcuni membri SWAT contro di voi.A 3 stelline compare l’elicottero della polizia.A 2 stelline i poliziotti vi inseguono e vi sparano.Difatti ad 1 stellina i poliziotti si “limitano” ad alzarvi addosso le mani od i manganelli. In genere, dopo l’uccisione di 4 o 5 persone di fila si riceve una stellina, con l’uccisione di un poliziotto un’altra e così via. Molto spesso gli inseguimenti con la polizia risultano molto divertenti: sarà bello infatti trovare nascondigli e rifornirsi di armi per combattere “la giustizia”, ma si potrà anche evitare riverniciando la propria macchina negli appositi “Pay ‘n Spray”.

Le armi e gli oggetti [modifica]
Il gioco è anche rinomato per il considerevole numero di armi e oggetti presenti. Diverse sono le categorie presenti, come ad esempio:

Pistole (Pistola Standard, Pistola + Silenziatore, Desert Eagle)
Fucili (Fucile a pompa, Fucile a canne mozza, SPAS 12)
Armi d’assalto (AK 47, M4)
Armi da lancio (Granate, Esplosivi, Molotov)
Corpo a corpo (Tirapugni, Mazza da Baseball, Mazza da Golf, Stecca da Biliardo, machete, mannaia, fallo di gomma)
Altri oggetti (Fiori, Macchina Fotografica, Visori Notturni)

I protagonisti della serie [modifica]
Ogni gioco ha un suo protagonista:

Victor Vance, protagonista di GTA: Vice City Stories, è il fratello di Lance Vance, uno dei personaggi principali di GTA: Vice City. Muore nel filmato iniziale di Vice City (ambientato nel 1986); il nuovo capitolo “Vice City Stories”, ambientato nel 1984, spiega la sua storia.
Tommy Vercetti, italo-americano protagonista di GTA: Vice City, è divenuto piuttosto noto per il suo carisma. Egli si ritrova a Vice City essendo coinvolto in uno scambio fallito che vede coinvolto il suo Boss,Sonny Forelli. Egli è anche detto “Macellaio di Harwood” per aver assassinato undici uomini a Liberty City,mansione commissionata da Forelli.
Carl Johnson, afroamericano, è il protagonista di GTA: San Andreas. Egli è tornato dopo un periodo di assenza nella sua città Natale,Los Santos,e ha trovato tutto sottosopra.
Toni Cipriani, anch’egli mafioso italo-americano, è il protagonista di GTA: Liberty City Stories, affida inoltre qualche missione in GTA3 a Claude Speed.
Claude Speed, il corridore muto, è il protagonista di GTA2 e GTA3. Appare inoltre in GTA: San Andreas come “rivale in amore” e antagonista di Carl Johnson in una gara clandestina.
Niko Bellic, protagonista di GTA IV, un immigrato dall’est europeo e si trasferisce a Liberty City su invito di suo cugino Roman, che qui ha un’impresa di taxi. Roman ha attirato Niko promettendogli una vita facile e piena di ricchezze, ma in realtà non se la passa per niente bene. L’azienda non funziona, e Roman si è dato ad affari loschi, facendosi molti nemici.

Trama [modifica]

Grand Theft Auto [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto.

Il gioco originale è composto da più livelli, ciascuno dei quali è ambientato in una di tre città: Liberty City, San Andreas, Vice City. Sebbene i nomi delle città siano ripresi dalle puntate successive, così non è per i “boss” che affidano le missioni al giocatore. In un certo senso, la prima puntata di GTA si svolge in un “universo parallelo”.

Il giocatore è libero di agire come preferisce, esplorando la città, scorrazzando per il traffico, rubando e rivendendo macchine per guadagnare soldi. Ovviamente, per completare un livello è in pratica necessario completare le missioni proposte.

Grand Theft Auto 2 [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto 2.

Il gioco è ambientato su tre isole in cui nove gang si danno battaglia. I membri delle gang affidano dei compiti al giocatore, che li deve svolgere in modo da ottenere sempre maggiore rispetto da parte della gang e poter accedere a missioni più difficili e remunerative. Man mano però che si ottiene rispetto da una gang, inevitabilmente se ne perde nei confronti di un’altra, viceversa capita il contrario. Pertanto è impossibile essere “amici” o “nemici” di tutti.

Grand Theft Auto – London 1969 [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto – London 1969.

Il gioco è ambientato a Londra nell’anno 1969. Il giocatore interpreta ancora il ruolo di un criminale agli inizi che per guadagnare soldi e farsi una reputazione all’interno della città, dovrà portare a compimento le missioni che gli verranno assegnate dai diversi capi.

Grand Theft Auto III [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto III.

Impersonerete un personaggio muto, Claude Speed, autista di una banda di rapinatori che include anche Miguel e la ragazza di Claude, Catalina. Durante la rapina alla Liberty City Bank, Catalina tradisce la banda rubando i soldi e Claude viene arrestato. Durante il trasporto al penitenziario, il cellulare viene attaccato e Claude ne approfitta per scappare. Grazie alle conoscenze di 8ball Claude conosce Don Salvatore Leone e la sua ragazza Maria, che affideranno a voi le missioni contro il cartello capitanato dal nuovo fidanzato di Catalina.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

Tony Cipriani, un mafioso italo-americano, ha dovuto lasciare Liberty City tre anni prima dopo aver compiuto un omicidio per conto della famiglia Leone, per cui lavorava. Tornato in città, spera di ricevere l’accoglienza che merita.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

Victor Vance, fratello di un collega di Tommy Vercetti, è un militare a cui vengono affidate dal suo superiore delle missioni illegali. Espulso dopo che è stata trovata della marijuana sotto il suo letto, lavora per la malavita, prima al soldo di altri personaggi, e in seguito in proprio. Da qui in poi verrà a contatto con molti dei personaggi già incontrati in VC, come Ricardo Diaz, il boss della coca ucciso da Tommy Vercetti nel prequel (che però in realtà si svolge qualche anno dopo) e il fratello Lance. il gioco non introduce novità significative su PSP, inclundendo solo l’uso di alcuni velivoli, ma trasporta fedelmente l’atmosfera artificiale e decadente della Città del Vizio.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Tommy Vercetti è appena uscito dal carcere di Liberty City, quando viene mandato dal suo boss Sonny Forelli a fare una “vacanza” a Vice City. Una volta arrivato nella splendida metropoli del sud Tommy Vercetti inizia subito a farsi pochi amici e tanti nemici, dando il via alla conquista della città. Per diventare il padrone di Vice City Mr. Vercetti dovrà utilizzare tutto quello che la vita criminale di Liberty City gli ha insegnato, soprattutto l’arte del salvarsi la pelle e di fregare il prossimo. In questo quinto episodio sono numerosi i riferimenti cinematografici a film cult come “Scarface” e “Carlito’s Way”. Su tutti la villa situata a Starfish Island che riprende chiaramente quella di Tony Montana nel già citato Scarface. Uno dei punti forti del videogame è sicuramente la splendida colonna sonora anni ’80 che accompagna il giocatore in ogni missione grazie alle radio, ascoltabili ogni volta che si è alla guida di un mezzo di trasporto. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City è entrato nel Guinness dei Primati come videogioco più venduto di sempre.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Carl Johnson, un delinquente di quartiere afro-americano che ha vissuto per diversi anni sulla costa orientale, ritorna in California a causa della morte della madre. Lì ritrova il fratello, gli amici e la sua città. Appena arrivato però, un poliziotto corrotto lo incastra rubandogli tutti i soldi e costringendolo a fare ciò che vuole. A causa di varie vicissitudini si trova coinvolto in diversi intrighi tra la criminalità e la polizia di Los Santos. Tra gli altri, incontra il padrino Salvatore Leone.

Grand Theft Auto IV [modifica]
Per approfondire, vedi la voce Grand Theft Auto IV.

Niko Bellic è un immigrato serbo, che raggiugne il cugino Roman a Liberty City. Il suo scopo è quello di seguire il “sogno americano”: crede che il parente sia diventato ricco e conosciuto, quando in realtà possiede una piccola compagnia di Taxi ed è pieno di debiti.

Grand Theft Wiki [modifica]
Grand Theft Wiki [2] è una wiki dedicata alla serie di videogiochi Grand Theft Auto. Conta più di 5.000 pagine dedicate ai tanti temi di GTA: città, protagonisti, missioni, veicoli, armi, stazioni radio… Inoltre ci sono delle pagine dedicate ai tanti misteri che aleggiano su Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Grand Theft Wiki è disponibile in 8 lingue: Inglese, Tedesco, Olandese, Spagnolo, Filandese, Polacco, Turco e in Vallone.

X Factor Denmark – live2 – 15 years old Martin: Kiss From a Rose

Martin Short recalls his first time playing in a big celebrity poker game.

Authors can submit their articles to the content hubs. Others can then download these articles and post them on other sites. The benefit for the author is that once the article is posted on a content hub, it contains his company name and web site address. So it provides an inbound link to the author’s web site, meaning a link from another site to his. Plus, if the article is well written it will get downloaded by others and posted on their web sites, providing even more inbound links to the author’s web site.

Inbound Links and Why They’re Important

So what’s the big deal with inbound links? Well, let’s see what Google, the top search engine, says about how important they are to your web site’s ranking on the search engine:

“The heart of our software is PageRank™, a system for ranking web pages developed by our founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University. And while we have dozens of engineers working to improve every aspect of Google on a daily basis, PageRank continues to provide the basis for all of our web search tools.

“PageRank Explained

“PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page’s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves ‘important’ weigh more heavily and help to make other pages ‘important.’”

So in order for any web site to get a good page rank on Google, it has to have many sites that link to it. But not just any sites. The sites that link to yours must have a high Google page rank themselves, and if they do, Google assigns more importance and a higher page rank to your web site. So if you have many sites linking to yours, and those sites have a high page rank with Google, then you will have a high page rank also. And that helps to make your site appear higher up when someone searches on the search engine.

How to Get Inbound Links

So now we have established that getting inbound links to your web site is desirable. And we have mentioned that you can get inbound links to your site by submitting articles to content hubs.

Are there any other ways to get inbound links? Yes, there are. There are two other ways that are legitimate:

1. Find other web sites that have high page rank and have something to do with your web site or your industry, write to their webmaster and ask them to put up a link to your site on theirs. Usually it works best to put up a link to their site first before you ask them, which will make them more inclined to link to you. 2. Wait until other sites notice you and decide to put up a link to your web site.

Number one above will take many man-hours, finding the sites and writing to them and putting up a link to their site on yours. Number two means you can’t control it – not a very good option either.

So the best method, in my opinion, is submitting articles to content hubs. There are over 900 hubs on the Internet at this time, some with high Google page ranks. Once you submit an article, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for your article to appear on the search engines. After 4-6 weeks these articles will tend to drop off search engine results, so it is best to submit a new article at least once a month, better twice a month or once a week.

There is a free online tool that measure how many inbound links there are coming to any given site: http://www.marketleap.com/publinkpop/

Go to this page and enter your web site in it and also enter the web sites of some of your competitors, some of the sites that rank highly for the keywords that you want to rank highly for. This tool will give you a good yardstick for seeing how many links you have compared to your competitors. Chances are you’ll see that the competitors who are highly ranked for your desirable keywords have many more inbound links than you do.

The Solution – a Content Hub Submission Campaign

The solution is to get a campaign going of submitting articles to the content hubs. How fast you decide to go will be determined by your available resources, and the size of the gap between you and the competition.

What should you submit? If you publish a hard copy or email newsletter, then you probably have a bunch of articles that you’ve already written related to your business or industry. Here is a sampling of the article categories from a popular content hub:

Advertising Advice Affiliate Programs Autos Awards Blogs Book Reviews Business Careers CGI Computers Communication Copywriting CSS Dating DHTML Direct Mail Domain Names EBooks ECommerce Education Email Entertainment Environment Family Finance Fitness Food Free Gambling Gardening Government Health Hobbies Home Accessories Home Business Home Repair HTML Humor Insurance Internet Investment Javascript Law Link Popularity Malware Management Marketing Marriage Metaphysical MLM Motivational Multimedia Music Newsletters Non-Profit Off-Line Promotion Online Promotion Other Outdoors Pets Politics Press Releases Product Reviews Psychology Publishing Real Estate Religion RSS Sales Scams Science SE Optimization SE Positioning SE Tactics Self Help Sexuality Site Security Social Issues Spam Spirituality Sports Technology Traffic Analysis Travel Viral Marketing Web Hosting Web Design Webmasters Weight Loss Women’s Issues Writing

Chances are you can find a topic or category that will relate to your web site or business.

The important thing is to get a content hub campaign going. It’s one of the best ways to have a real impact and drive up your search engine rankings.

About the Author

John Eberhard is President of RealWebMarketing.net (http://www.realwebmarketing.net), a marketing consultant, writer and political analyst living in Los Angeles. He can be reached at http://www.realwebmarketing.net/contact.html

Exactly what Jesus of Nazareth has to do with the Byzantine circus that is the Church of Rome is far from clear. Jesus was born in a manger and is reputed to have said “the foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” He also referred to himself as “despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. His gospel is not exactly a call to sashay around places like the Sistine Palace admiring the Quattrocento, before strolling onto the balcony to wave at a sea of gawkers.

It’s a difficult connection to make. Of course Jesus has now been conveniently nailed to a cross where he hangs for eternity; a mute symbol incapable of protest. In the absence of the man himself, they can do pretty much whatever they want with his gospel; a gospel that in the hands of Roman theologians over the centuries has been the subject of enough doctrinal spin to fill a whole other testament.

Roman Catholic theology is out-of-touch with civil society today. Its moral codes are so out-of-touch they often come off as quaint. So it wasn’t in the least surprising that they elected someone as out-of-touch as Josef Ratzinger.

Ratzinger is not a people-person. The only exposure he has had to actual grass roots worshipers is top-down communication, and that happened for a brief period when he was archbishop of Munich and Freising. The rest of the time he has been cloistered in dimly lit rooms where he became famous for issuing Papal decrees and proclamations attacking the work-of-the-devil, now known by the less inquisitorial term – “moral relativism”.

This Pope is a catholic elitist who has referred to other Christian denominations as “gravely deficient”. He considers himself to be the chief keeper of the immutable “answer” to life’s complex issues, even though he has never actually partaken of experiences that the rest of us consider to be what life is all or mainly about. He has probably never even laid eyes on a condom, let alone used one, and yet he doesn’t hesitate to lay down the law to married couples and people afflicted with AIDS. On the use of condoms to help combat AIDS he is on record as saying that such a move would “result in at least the facilitation of evil”. How is using a piece latex in order to save lives and prevent the transmission of disease facilitating evil? Surely what you bring to sex in terms of personal intent, determines the moral quality of the act, not things you stick on your dick. His explanations of course deal in theological postulates that make little sense to anybody who hasn’t spent at least a few years in the Pontifical Academy.

Recently Benedict XVl has cautiously requested a report to decide if it might be alright for catholics to use the evil rubber if one spouse has HIV. The man is in danger of becoming a runaway progressive.

The problem with his attack on so-called moral relativism, is that morality is in fact relative. It varies from person to person, from nation to nation, from civilization to civilization. That’s in the real world of course, not in a theological archive. Morality like language and custom, changes through exposure to life’s changing circumstances and each of us finds our moral compass in the context of engaging with life’s issues. Ratzinger on the other hand, doesn’t wade into the deep end. He never even gets wet. But from the theological bleachers, he nonetheless feels he is in a position to criticize the rest of us. Which reminds me of another little comment by Jesus – “judge not lest ye be judged”. I’m pretty sure that also applies to Popes.

Gay sexuality is also judged to be morally deficient since it creates a “strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil”. Statements like that are meaningless in the context of personal needs and functions. Bringing the devil into a person’s orientation has little to do with the love of Christ. A lot of people wouldn’t even get it, beyond thinking that “Intrinsic Evil” might be a cool name for a heavy metal band.

It’s pointless to labor these points because Ratzinger’s opinions reflect a world view that is odd, even bizarre, by the standards of contemporary understanding. And we do know a few things these days. There are very few people around any longer who feel the need to head into the confessional and do a few stations-of-the-cross in order to handle life’s moral challenges. Most of us certainly don’t need to be lectured by an elderly recluse in funny clothes.

Interestingly enough, as Ratzinger worked his way up the ecclesiastical ladder in the Vatican, he served as prefect for Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; a role perfectly suited to someone with rigid doctrinaire views. It should come as no surprise that the lineage of said Congregation dates back to the infamous Inquisition. In his role as prefect Ratzinger kept up the venerable tradition by, for example, targeting Liberation Theologians. Thanks to the progress the rest of us have made in the world of civil society, enforcers of Roman doctrine can no longer torture and kill people who don’t agree with orthodox teachings, so as prefect, Ratzinger was restricted to issuing bans and excommunications.

The recent furor relating to Ratzinger’s indiscretions during a well publicized speech in Germany, illustrate how profoundly out-of-touch he really is. In an ill advised and poorly- thought-out effort to take a shot at Islam, he chose to quote the words of Manuel the second, a Byzantine emperor, who most people have never even heard of. The comment is lifted from a chat Manuel reputedly had with some vague individual of alleged Persian origins. Manuel characterizes the prophet Mohammed in less than flattering terms as a bringer of “things only evil and inhuman”.

This criticism is coming from the head of a Church that has been a virtual institutional incubator for pedophiles; a church moreover that aided and abetted all sorts of wars in the past, while also finding time to run an Inquisition, torture suspected witches and destroy native cultures by forcing Christianity and western education on indigenous peoples. All a bit rich. No wonder Muslims choked on their hookahs.

Ratzinger chose the name Benedict because he apparently has some affection for Giacomo della Chiesa, aka Pope Benedict XV, who lived back in the world war 1 era. Hardly surprising, when you read some of Benedict XV’s speeches. We find a precursor to moral relativism in dire warnings about the “monstrous errors of modernism”. Ratzinger it seems is a chip off the old block.

The Roman Catholic church is badly out of step with contemporary society. If this Pope continues to stake out doctrinaire theological positions, without offering realistic responses to a population that increasingly takes its cue from the norms of civil society , the church will become even more moribund, if that is indeed possible.

When the cardinals next meet to elect a Pope, it may not be such a big deal after all.

About the Author

Aidan Maconachy is a freelance writer and artist based in Ontario. His political blog can be visited at http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/

Do you feel your prayer wishes are going to the “dead letter office” with all the wish letters mailed to Santa Claus? Everybody thinks that their problems are the worst. Thinking prayers will be answered belief turns to doubt, because of false reasoning. In a state of uncertainty, to believe in and unceasingly praying is not enough.

It is important to know what a legitimate prayer is because if you pray with all your might and with all your heart to own this world, your prayer will not be answered. When we have prayers connected to material gain they are limited; there must be because God will not mend or break his laws to satisfy fanciful desires. Why pray foolishly or illogically for possessions that you could not have in your period of development at this time. There is a proper way to pray. Once you have changed your status from a beggar to God’s child; when you appeal to God from that awareness your prayer will have wisdom and power. Prayers are a demand of the soul. But what good is praying when God will not answer? Difficult as it is to get a response, it can be done.

The majority of people in anguish search for God with the self-centered desire of expelling mental or physical troubles or ills. God can easily be forgotten when you pray for money or healing for dear ones or for personal gain. The bible says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” How many of you know that verse and how many of you actually put that into practice? You can classify yourself; and I am afraid most of you never read the fine print in the footnotes; you should not be expectant in the back of your mind for the granting of a favor. When you pray your mind should not be focused on gifts but concentrating on the Giver; as a result all the gifts from the Giver will be added unto you.

All financial goals have to be earned. What is the secret law to activate universal forces to come to your aid and lead you to the place of prosperity that is rightfully yours? Stop seeking prosperity for yourself alone and include others in your own prosperity. This will prevent you from becoming poor. That means not just including your family and yourself but a larger group of people that surround you. This is serious matter; do not take it lightly. By using this secret universal law: unselfishness, and by distributing prosperity to everyone equally with no exceptions will activate the universal law of karma to come to your aid.

The two ways our needs have to be satisfied are for material gain and for ill health. When you’re sick you run to the doctor, but what happens when the limited power of the doctor or human aid no longer helps. We then look to the unlimited Power of the Maker of our body for assistance and solace. Likewise we do the same with our financial problems; when we have tried our best and it is still insufficient, again we turn to that higher power.

When your prayers have gone unanswered you have chosen to pray like a beggar.

First you need to build a relationship with God and once a relationship is established, your prayers will be answered.

A praying beggar will be given what he deserves, a paupers trifle. Never beg when you pray as beggary reduces your prayers to that of a poverty stricken vagrant.

When you pray, demand as a divine child talking to a parent asking for what is rightfully yours as a divine son. Do this with conviction and see what happens then when you pray correctly. You can pray to God in the aspect of a forgiving mother instead of a father aspect who expects you to follow his laws. A mother aspect of God will always forgive her erring son; but, make sure you follow the rules of prayer by approaching God with legitimate needs.

Let’s say you are late on your mortgage payment and you can not meet your future payments or you want a certain job. Go into silence and after deeply meditating, focus your willpower on your need without expecting results at the same time. Nothing will happen if you look for a sign every time you pray. Just bring your needs to the attention of God and do your best to help God bring your prayer desire to completion. In no way try to test God. You must believe in the possibility of what you are asking for. If you pray for a house and your mind says, “You idiot, you can’t afford a home” make your willpower stronger and take the “cant’s” out of your mind so the Divine Force may flow without interruptions.

If you have a chronic disease, take the thought that ultimately only God will help you in meditation every evening. Pray with all your determination and you will find one day you are suddenly healed and your disease has vanished. Initially, our mind is given the idea and after that the divine permeates the mind with strength and last, the mind releases the power to cure. When the inherent forces laying in the mind are released you will realize you have the power of God in your brain which controls all physical functions of the body.

God is your best security that is why the masters are emphasizing for us to seek out God through meditation. Most of all get busy in finding God because procrastination is pure laziness when the procrastinator speaks and says “I will do that tomorrow, today I am busy with other things.” You can be like that for the rest of your life. People who are always putting off things will never achieve their goals. What’s the use in reading or listening to lectures and when you go home you fall asleep spiritually. That is not applying what you read or heard. If you do not make a sincere effort it will be impossible to get ascension in a moment. It does take years and it cannot be known by weak-minded people. Laziness must be overcome; the masters say that the physically lazy man can be forgiven, but not the mentally lazy. The physically lazy could have health problems, but the lack of enthusiasm from the uninterested dull mind has no excuse.

Search out the company of people who can strengthen your faith and take the “cant’s” out of your brain. You will find God within yourself if you are a member of the fourth class of people who will not be fulfilled with merely reading or listening to a lecture or sermon about God. Who will persist until He answers?

The science of yoga is exactly that, a science. Yoga, yoga meditation, praying it is all scientific in nature. You must have a proper guide when you are in the forest of theology. If you want to know about science or medicine you need a creditable teacher. But when it comes to the science of religion and you want to understand the mysteries of God the mentor you have must be qualified and one who himself has attained realization.

When the first yearning for truth comes, somebody offers you a book or recommends a teacher to awaken you. Then when your desire is strong enough God will send you a guru, not just an ordinary teacher. If the person you follow has not realized God he is only a school teacher. There is a difference between a Guru who has realized God and a teacher. The technique in finding your true spiritual guru not a self appointed one is explained in the book “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda, a spiritual classic, which explains this in detail.

There is a shortcut approach in prayer that the masters talk about, and that is devotion. They say when you pray, pray from your heart and imagine your heart has a mouth and is talking to God. For if you pray from your mind and your prayers are not heartfelt, you are doing a little better than wasting your time. Getting back to science again, your mind is like a radio and if the antenna of your mind is weak your radio frequency will never reach God, but the heart is a different story because the heart has no boundaries or limitations.

In todays’ fast paced society everyone wants instant satisfaction or their money back. It is even hard for the average person to pick up a book and read more that twelve pages before they loose interest. One of the most important things to learn is that God is never in a hurry and impatience or a lack of patience is a character flaw. A person who cannot exercise patience under stressful conditions is normal, we all are guilty of this from time to time. But this characteristic can be a real hurdle to overcome because the spiritual path is like the razors edge. How could you expect to obtain the most priceless treasure without making the utmost sacrifices?

This article copyright 2006-Author: Gary Zalben. You may reprint this article as long as the source is kept intact. For more information about the author and self-improvement writings see =>http://www.howtoselladeadhorse.com

About the Author

Gary Zalben – Original Author, Article titled: How to Sell a Dead Horse. Gary has more than 25 years of experience in the Retail industry. With his extensive background in Retail and his in-depth knowledge of customers’ relations, he has offered exceptional customer service and satisfaction. He owned and operated five successful retail stores in Beverly Hills and Century City in the early 70′s through late 90′s. His passion is writing article