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Recently Reuters posted a new article entitled “EU threatens to renew sanctions over US tax breaks.” This article highlights how the EU is threatening the US with “hefty sanctions” on US imports beginning May 1st if the US went through with plans to give huge tax breaks to companies deemed illegal by the WTO.

This dispute originally was in relation to tax relief plans for Foreign Service Companies (FSC’s) that consist of US companies with overseas branches of major US companies with a global reach, like computer giant Microsoft and aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

In short during 2003 the WTO held hearings on the matter and ruled that the tax breaks were in violation of international trade law. This ruling lead to a hefty 14% tariff on $4 billion worth of US imports ranging from steel and car parts to foodstuffs and textiles.

The EU then raised the sanction in 2004 after congress reportedly removed the illegal tax breaks, but has threatened to reinstate them by May of this year if translational provisions left in by congress were not removed immediately.

The good news is that the US is no longer the biggest kid on the block regarding international trade. The EU and WTO, once mere puppet enforcement organizations for US economic policy are beginning to protest high costs and unfair tax breaks in the US.

Am I the only American feeling a bit behind the ball? Why is the EU standing up for our economic rights and we, the entrepreneurs, of the US are not?

In my opinion it is very simply answered. The constant barrage of bad information and dis-information (aka propaganda) firing at us from the current administration is clouding our judgment locally while remotely being seen clearly.

More good news: The global market place has never been more lucrative to enter into and the gaps (needs) left exposed by the obvious obstinacies of our congress are comparable to pots of gold. Adversity breeds opportunity in almost all situations and this is one of them. Using our creative energies while acting as god global citizens will allow the entrepreneur to profit like never before.

The bad news: The US economy continues to suffer as more and more people find themselves out of work due to an economic centralization policy centered on warfare and the spread of American policy. I wonder if the congress and the current administration need a refresher course in Roman history.

David C Skul provides global market solutions to clients from all over the world. Please visit, read our articles, review our blog, and engage in global market discussions at http://www.relativitycorp.com.

A simple definition of success could be something about achieving one’s goal or goals.

We often read or hear, “he achieved success” in such and such a year or upon completion of a project. Success seems to be viewed by many people as an end in itself. Once reached, some sort of cup or wreath is given to the victor, and they remain “successful” for all time. The term is, somewhat confusingly, applied in several types of situations. In baseball, a batter may be successful at a single time at bat, yet not be successful for the entire game or season. A politician runs a successful campaign when he or she is elected to the office which was sought. That same politician may run an unsuccessful campaign and yet be successful in bringing some important issue or issues to the attention of the electorate.

So, it is easy to look at success as being, as mentioned, the achievement of a specific goal, whether your own or someone else’s. After all, the ballplayer may be wanting a hit to reach a new record, and his manager may want the hit to make it to one more playoff so he can hold on to his job, and the owner may want the hit in order to win the game and create an atmosphere where he can sell more tickets to future games.

However, if we are to look at success as applied to an entire life, one home run, as successful as it may be at the moment doesn’t quite define a person. After all, to continue with the baseball motif, Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard Round The World”, a home run that won the 1951 World Series to help the New York Giants win the pennant. He went on to have a good career as a ball player, but never achieved such a high level of (subjective) success as on that particular day. Oddly enough, waiting in the on-deck circle that day was a rookie who would achieve a level of success that Thomson never reached. He was a young kid named Willie Mays. At a later point, Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, one of the most successful ball players of all time, got his chance to play in the big leagues due to Thomson’s breaking his ankle.

Sticking with baseball just a little longer, let’s take a quick look at Roberto Clemente. As a ball player, he won four batting crowns and had 3,000 hits. His achievements as a baseball player include: All-Star (15): 1960-67, 1969-72; National League MVP 1966; Gold Glove (12): 1961-1972; 1971 World Series MVP. His life and career were cut short at age 38 when he died in a plane crash while flying relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. Throughout his career, his humanitarianism earned him the respect and admiration of fans, players, and the public in general. If success is doing the right thing for the right reasons, then Roberto Clemente was a successful man, just as Mother Theresa was a successful woman.

While people who achieve what the public tends to applaud as success often do gain fame and wealth, they are also often NOT the people who are considered to be the real successes of a society. And, while we often hear a great deal about people who gain momentary success by achieving some great feat or goal, such as sailing around the world, or scoring the most points in a game, we hear for decades, and often for centuries after they are gone, about those whose lifetime of success was measured in small daily actions and attitudes which contributed to the betterment of their fellow humans or the improvement of the earth upon which we all depend so completely.

So, while not to belittle the amassing of fortunes or benefits of fame, if you would be truly successful, perhaps you should try to achieve something of value each day…something of benefit to all. Perhaps you will find that you enjoy the pursuit of THAT sort of success much more than the pursuit of wealth, fame, or power.

One last note. People such as Angelina Jolie and George Clooney are rich and famous because they live in a world of make-believe and produce make-believe pieces for people who live vicariously through their stories. However, it is possible that they will be more famed and admired for the steps they have taken to improve the world they live in than for what they have done in the world of entertainment. After all, the next movie star can be discovered working at a soda fountain (they still have those?). The person who is going to change the world will have to work at it.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer, and an internet and network marketing professional. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has a blog on writing and poetry at http://ravensong-poetry.blogspot.com and he owns an online cellphone store at TexasPrepaidCellular.com.

Your lips are one of the first things people notice about you. Of course one reason for this is because they frame your teeth and are a big part of your smile. If you feel like your lips just aren’t as beautiful as they could be, there are some beauty tips that can help. The best part is, you don’t need painful and expensive injections to get better lips. A phenomenon in Hollywood is botched lip injections. There are certain well-known celebrities who are sporting what could be called trout pouts. Overinflated lips are never a good look.

The solution is to work with your natural volume and make the most of it. While you may not have lips like Angelina Jolie, you can smooth and plump what you do have. One way to do it is with a lip facial. You can get a lip facial at any day spa or salon, however it is cheaper to do it yourself at home. All you need is olive oil and sugar. There are no precise measurements required, just make a gritty paste with the oil and sugar. Apply it to your lips and massage in a circular motion. You may want to scrub a bit with a damp washcloth. For serious exfoliating, use a toothbrush to scrub away dry flakes.

After your lip facial, apply a hydrating lip balm. There are all kinds of choices on the market. Look for products that contain nourishing natural ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E. If you want to improve the cosmetic appearance of your lips there are lots of makeup tricks that can help. One mistake many women make is applying liner that is too dark. When choosing lip liner, use a nude shade that matches your lips. You can put the line ever so slightly above your natural lip line but don’t go overboard or you will look unnatural. Use the liner to fill in the lips also, then apply a clear or pale colored gloss to the center of the bottom lip. This will create the illusion of fullness.

As a general rule, dark lip colors can make the lips look smaller. Your best bet if you want fuller looking lips is to stick with natural, glossy shades. There are all kinds of shimmering glosses out there from which you can choose, some of which contain plumping ingredients. These plumping glosses may impart a tingling or burning sensation to your lips. Some women enjoy this, others don’t. You can find plumping glosses in clear as well as a variety of different shades. Once only available from high end retailers, drugstore makeup brands are now offering these lip plumping potions.

Angela Harris is an author and the owner of Drugstore Beauty Queen, a beauty blog that focuses on drugstore brand beauty products.

Sexy, outrageous, downright scary—we all have our own version of what a Halloween costume should look like. If you have the penchant for anything morbid and gruesome, you’re probably all set for a fright as a scary creature of the night. But then again, scary is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Halloween is the only time of the year when people dressed up as witches, vampires and strange creatures are considered hip and trendy. With the rise of Hollywood and showbiz fame, the definition of what’s trendy this Halloween has changed. Now, you can jazz up your old costumes and transform yourselves into your famous media couple, mythical creatures, political figures or even your favorite superheroes.

To help you with your Halloween party needs, I’ve come up with some great costume ideas that will bring you more than just stares of fright.

Hannah Montana

Undeniably, “Hannah Montana” is the best-selling tween merchandise since “Lizzie Maguire”. If you want the world at your feet for one very special night this Halloween, come out with HM’s signature long, blonde-streaked hair, glittery mini-dress and a pair of trendy boots that scream pop star. Sure enough, you’ll have everyone begging for an autograph at the after party.

Brangelina

Who wouldn’t recognize the hottest and sexiest couple of the century? With their perfect form and electrifying chemistry, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are like mythical creatures, rare and dangerous. Drag along with your significant other this Halloween and rock the Brangelina vibe with aviators and signature black suits. Everyone would drop their jaws as Mr. and Mrs. Smith steal the Halloween scene from the witch of the woods.

Barrack Obama and Sarah Palin

November 4 is Election Day, but before that, there’s Halloween. For your season of fright to be truly memorable, be politically inspired with your costume and come out as your bet for this election. Barrack Obama and Sarah Palin are just two of the most popular politicians this season. Rock the house with a sleek, brown suit like Obama and red power dress ala Sarah Palin.

The Dark Knight

The box office hit, “Batman”, is an awesome addition to costume ideas for this season. No one can go wrong with those sculptured abs, black cape and mysteriously sexy mask. Transform the venue as your own Gotham City and bring some friends to dress up as other fictional creatures of “The Dark Knight”.

Ugly Betty

TV shows are also good costume inspirations. The Emmy Award-winning series this season, “Ugly Betty”, can definitely give you an idea or two on how to make this season of Halloween parties fun. Anything tacky and inappropriate is good enough as an Ugly Betty costume. Spice up the tackiness with big reading glasses and brace, and you’re all set to show up at the party Betty style.

Famous Mythical Animals

Claim the spotlight as you go mythical this Halloween. Allure everyone with your godly presence as your favorite Greek god or enchant everyone as a Hobbit. If you want to get your hands dirty and flex your make-up muscles, dress up as a dragon, a centaur or a unicorn. These mythical creatures are show stealers this Halloween.

Who says only witches win Halloween costume contests? With these costume ideas, you’re sure to gain some stares, cause some scares and be finally steal the limelight from Count Dracula. From mythical animals to Hollywood stars, there’s something for everyone this Halloween.

A Computer Engineering student and loves to travel. Reading current news in the internet is one of his past times. Taking pictures of the things around him fully satisfies him. He loves to play badminton and his favorite pets are cats.

For more information and queries, you may visit Mythical Animals

Trying to stay in shape while pregnant is no mean feat, and until recently had been considered somewhat taboo.

However, with the press coverage of many celebrity moms and moms-to-be like Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie showing off their in-shape bodies, many women would like to discover what the secret is on how to stay in shape while pregnant.

Now, I don’t want to dwell on these celebrity moms, ‘cos let’s not forget that they are surrounded by some of the most highly paid personal trainers, nutritionists, doctors and the like, who make their money from keeping these women in tip top shape - basically their career depends on helping them to stay in shape while pregnant. So comparing yourself to them is not the way to start.

However, there are some simple steps that you can follow to help you to stay in shape while pregnant, making you and your baby healthier, and having an easier labour and delivery. Below, I’ve highlighted the top 3 things you can do to stay in shape while pregnant.

1. Control Your Cravings

Controlling your cravings is one of the most important things you’ll need to do if you’re looking to stay in shape while pregnant.

Pregnancy cravings are perfectly natural as your hormones are going haywire, and your body is telling you it needs certain foods. However, unbridled eating and submission to those cravings is one of the main reasons for excessive weight gain during pregnancy.

Choosing foods that have a low Glycemic Index (GI), like oatmeal will give you a slow and sustained energy release throughout the day, as opposed to sugary foods like chocolate that give quick bursts of energy and then trail off quickly, giving you that tell-tale emotional “drop” that always accompanies high-glucose, high-fat foods.

Try substituting some of the high GI, high fat foods for others that are lower on the scale. For example, eating a cold fruit smoothie or non-fat frozen yogurt instead of ice-cream; whole grains breads with a little jam instead of doughnuts and pastries…things like that.

Eating good regular meals will help you to avoid unnecessary snacking which often contributes to consuming high sugar foods, and making it more difficult to stay in shape while pregnant.

Feel free to indulge sometimes though, your baby needs it. And pregnancy is about the best excuse you’ll ever get!

2. Diet = Bad….Eat More = Good!

If you only take one piece of information away from this article, let it be this…Pregnancy is NOT the time to be dieting. Going on specific diets in order to stay in shape while pregnant is dangerous and can harm your baby’s health as well as your own. Most diets were never designed to be used during pregnancy, so please avoid using them.

However, there are some things you can do concerning what you eat and when you eat it, that can help you to stay in shape while pregnant.

We’ve already discussed the importance of controlling your cravings, but did you know that eating more regularly can be more beneficial to you than eating less when trying to stay in shape while pregnant?

Snacking is probably the single biggest reason for excessive weight gain during pregnancy, so how can you beat it? Try eating smaller meals more regularly.

You see, the traditional 3 meals a day works well in theory, but as you know, with such hectic lifestyles these days the practice is very different. If you miss one of those meals, let’s say lunch, you are now going several hours without eating…at which point the snacking begins.

Start your day with a good healthy breakfast that will set you up for the rest of the day. Make sure you eat a good lunch and dinner, but slightly smaller portions than normal. In between the 3 meals you can set designated times to have another “meal” - not really a full cooked meal as such, but something like a banana, small salad, pasta…stuff like that. This should help you to stay in shape while pregnant without the need for dangerous diets.

3. Exercise

Beyond making better food choices, getting regular exercise will help you to stay in shape while pregnant.

The amount of exercise you should be doing while pregnant depends on your situation and whether you were particularly active before your pregnancy. Therefore I recommend you consult your doctor before going straight out and busting your tail in the gym or something.

Types of exercises for pregnant women vary, but there is general agreement that stomach crunches and sit-ups are at best risky, and at worst dangerous, and should not be performed. As are any exercises that require you to lie on your front or put pressure on your belly.

Swimming is excellent and there are many pools with classes that cater for pregnant women. Yoga can also be performed which will help you to relax and relieve the back pains that are common while pregnant. Again, make sure you find a qualified Yoga instructor that specialises in pregnant women.

There’s no need to go through your pregnancy feeling overweight and unattractive. Find out How To Stay In Shape While Pregnant from a pregnancy expert with over 15 years experience.

For some free exercise videos showing you how to stay in shape while pregnant and a free e-course go to my website–>http://www.squidoo.com/lose_weight_while_pregnant