When Senator, Pauline Hansen, arrived to take her seat in the Australian Federal Senate today she caused an outrage from the leader of the House. She was wearing a berqa, a Muslim complete body cover, which many think is a religious garb. The rhetoric that headed her way from Senator Brandis was one of sheer disgust that she would offend a religious group in this way. The question is whether the covering is actually a religious garment?My observations and research into the Islamic faith proves that it is not. In the times when the Islamic religion was established in Babylon, some 4,000 years ago, there is no sign of any head covering for women in the images of that city or others built by the Amor, the inhabitants.They became the Romans when they established the city of Roma (reverse Amor) and the new religion set up by Constantine was the Catholic Church in 325 AD. Nowhere from the Assyrian Empire, the Egyptian or the Roman Empires shows anything like this garment being worn. By the time of the Romans women were wearing full length dresses but no head-gear.The Catholic Vatican appointed Augustine to start the Muslim Branch of Islam, based on its own formula, to add credibility to the things it claims, such as the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. He used a man named Mohammed whom he trained as a prophet and then possibly wrote the Koran. These things are verified in the Vatican archives and were released to the public by a Jesuit priest who worked with them.The first time I became aware of this garment is in relation to the Taliban and the Sharia law. It apparently follows the tradition from the 10th Century that women customarily veiled their faces as a sign of their upper-class status. At that time women were not allowed to partake in public-activities which heralds the start of the persecution of women.In 1899 a book by Qasim Amin noted that wearing a veil was a customary thing and not related to Islam. He lobbied for a new copy of the Qu’ran which caused considerable debate. In 1910 a woman, Malak Hifni Nassef, published the Womenests which argued against his claim, with some vigour.In the 1920′s King Amanullah stated that religion does not require a woman to cover their hands, feet, or faces. He reiterated that this was a tribal custom that impeded the ‘free will of the individual’. This is the best response to the veil so far. Also in the 20′s Ataturk from Turkey spoke out against the veil calling it demeaning, but he did not ban it.The Iranian king, Reza Pahlavi, banned the chador (means shadow) claiming the garment should be burned and anyone wearing it were not allowed on public transport and could have it cut up with scissors. He called it a symbol of injustice and shame.After the six days’ war in Egypt in 1967 women started wearing the veil as a symbol of superiority and domination. It appears that this is still the case in Australia, where it has become offensive to many in this free democracy.When Iran returned to a Republic after the revolution of 1979 women wore the chador as a symbol of defiance against the deposed king and its western support. Here again is purpose unrelated to religious values but more to a status symbol. The women were targeted who appeared in public without the veil. That means it is now a weapon of discrimination.In 1996 to 2001 the Taliban in Pakistan forced women to wear the garment in public. Their law allowed for beatings and worse if a woman defied the order. In 2004 the French government banned the burqa, and the hijabs in public schools. This brought about more rebellious reaction from Muslim women who seemed to delight in upsetting everyone around them. The president stated that “women who are prisoners behind a screen are cut off from society and deprived of identity.”In 2009 Belgium followed suit and banned the wearing of such garments in schools. In 2010 the French banned the wearing of berqas from public services and transport. Belgium then also banned the covering for public safety reasons.Pauline Hansen has called for the Australian government to follow suit as it is a mockery of women in general. With their faces covered they cannot be identified and the shield is a hindrance to law enforcement and the subject of abuse from objectors and who knows who is parading around under cover?In my opinion there is no place for berqas or any head covering in our society. The quicker they are banned for what they are the better. They have nothing to do with religion but more to do with sticking it up our noses and its time they were taken to task. Good on Pauline for raising the matter so dramatically that the world has taken notice of her.
10 Simple Steps to Online Business Success
So your online business sucks and you’re feeling like a failure… Bet you thought running an online business was easy didn’t you. I bet you said to yourself:”I have this fantastic idea to start an online business and sell what I love and am passionate about and thousands of people are going to come running to buy my products now that I’ve got a website.”That’s it, you’re done and there’s no looking back now! You’ve got your online business and you’re going to make tons of money now aren’t you?! Or, are you?The reality of the situation is, many people start a business online everyday, yet almost all of them fail to execute a few simple steps that would inevitably lead them to success. Nearly all of us at one point in our entrepreneurial career has thought that we had a great idea that everyone wants or needs and they were just as excited about it as you are. The fact of the matter is you are an expert within your particular niche and that is what you are passionate about. But how are you going to share that passion, let alone your products and services with your target audience? Here are a few simple steps you can follow to ensure you succeed with your internet business.Step 1 – Know Your Target AudienceThe idea of knowing your audience goes deeper than identifying who they are, where they hang out and what they want however. Take the time to get to know your target audience. Ask them questions and learn what it is they seek from you. Online surveys are a great way to hear directly from your target audience. Use the free service from SurveyMonkey to create an online survey and ask your target audience as well as your email list subscribers to answer the questions. Their free plan allows you to create 10 question surveys and is very useful.Step 2 – Plan Your BusinessThis is a topic I cover in greater detail in my free 15 day training course. No online business can succeed without a plan. You must create a plan of action to implement for your online business before you can ever hope to succeed. This applies whether your a brick and mortar real world business or strictly operating online, having a plan of action greatly increases your chances of success!Step 3 – Follow the LeaderIdentify who the industry leaders are within your target market or niche and follow them closely. Learn from them to identify what led to their success. Take from them what works best for you and apply the lessons you’ve learned to create a more specific and personalized method to success for your online business.Step 4 – Devise a Marketing StrategyThis is an area where many online business owners fail. If you want your online business to succeed, you need to learn how to market your business. Having a well thought out marketing plan is a major key to your online business success.Step 5 – Pay Attention to OpportunityOpportunity exists everywhere, you just need to learn how to identify it. This is done through practice, practice, practice. The best way to learn how to identify opportunity is to learn how to be a better conversationalist. Opportunities present themselves in the most unlikely of situations usually. Learning to simply have conversations with others almost always leads to some form of opportunity presenting itself to you. Learn this art and your online business will go far!Step 6 – Create Actionable GoalsGoal setting is a key requirement for you to succeed at anything you do. Set actionable goals you need to achieve in order to attain success within your online business. Each goal is a small step toward the success you seek. Make sure to include dates for when you intend to achieve your goals. Including dates gives you something more to shoot for. Also, be specific about what you intend to achieve. For example, to have a goal of “make more money” is not an actionable goal. Instead, apply an amount and date to make the goal more realistic and achievable such as “I intend to make $10,000 a month by December 31st, 2010″.Step 7 – Work Your Business EverydayThis one is a little tricky. When I say to “work your business everyday” I mean within reason. You need to find a balance, especially if you are just starting out. You must work your online business everyday, even if it is for only 30 minutes a day. Each small step you take toward your goals is a part of a larger effort to achieve success.Step 8 – Don’t be a Pencil PusherMan if I had a penny for every time I’ve seen this one! Don’t get stuck in the preparation phase of your online business. To many times I’ve seen aspiring online business owners continue to prepare or organize their online business. You’ll never be 100% prepared so quit straightening your pencils and organizing your desk. You know what your action items are, so take action and just do the things that are going to make you money!Step 9 – Create Content that MattersMake sure to provide your target audience with quality content that meets their expectations and provides value. Your target audience is looking for value and will follow you fiercely if you provide it. Answer their questions and provide for their needs and you’ll find they will help you succeed.Step 10 – Build a Relationship ListNo, no, I don’t mean you create an online dating service… You should be actively building an email subscriber list and communicating with them on a regular basis. Doing so allows you to build a relationship with your subscribers which leads to customer loyalty as well as repeat buyers. An email list is by far the single most important requirement necessary for any online business to succeed.Well I’ve certainly given you a lot to think about, so stop sucking and get’er done!!!To Your Success!
Sean Smith
S&P 500 Rallies As U.S. Dollar Pulls Back Towards Weekly Lows
Key Insights
The strong pullback in the U.S. dollar provided significant support to stocks.
Treasury yields have pulled back after touching new highs, which served as an additional positive catalyst for S&P 500.
A move above 3730 will push S&P 500 towards the resistance level at 3760.
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Pfizer Rallies After Announcing A Huge Price Hike For Its COVID-19 Vaccines
S&P 500 is currently trying to settle above 3730 as traders’ appetite for risk is growing. The U.S. dollar has recently gained strong downside momentum as the BoJ intervened to stop the rally in USD/JPY. Weaker U.S. dollar is bullish for stocks as it increases profits of multinational companies and makes U.S. equities cheaper for foreign investors.
The leading oil services company Schlumberger is up by 9% after beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Schlumberger’s peers Baker Hughes and Halliburton have also enjoyed strong support today.
Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna gained strong upside momentum after Pfizer announced that it will raise the price of its coronavirus vaccine to $110 – $130 per shot.
Biggest losers today include Verizon and Twitter. Verizon is down by 5% despite beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Subscriber numbers missed estimates, and traders pushed the stock to multi-year lows.
Twitter stock moved towards the $50 level as the U.S. may conduct a security review of Musk’s purchase of the company.
From a big picture point of view, today’s rebound is broad, and most market segments are moving higher. Treasury yields have started to move lower after testing new highs, providing additional support to S&P 500. It looks that some traders are ready to bet that Fed will be less hawkish than previously expected.
S&P 500 Tests Resistance At 3730
S&P 500 has recently managed to get above the 20 EMA and is trying to settle above the resistance at 3730. RSI is in the moderate territory, and there is plenty of room to gain additional upside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge.
If S&P 500 manages to settle above 3730, it will head towards the next resistance level at 3760. A successful test of this level will push S&P 500 towards the next resistance at October highs at 3805. The 50 EMA is located in the nearby, so S&P 500 will likely face strong resistance above the 3800 level.
On the support side, the previous resistance at 3700 will likely serve as the first support level for S&P 500. In case S&P 500 declines below this level, it will move towards the next support level at 3675. A move below 3675 will push S&P 500 towards the support at 3640.