Hi Everyone Arina here, wanting to wish all of you THE HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS! I thought this might be a better way to wish all of you a Happy holiday season since I was not much around here, on ActiveRain, lately. I only want you to know that I did not forget all of you and specially my good friends who, over the years, were an inspiration and motivation for me to be my best.
I want to wish a Happy New Year to everyone at ActiveRain. I pray that the coming year will bring lot of peace, happiness, joy, health, prosperity and wealth in everyone's life.
My wish for each of you would be all the love you can handle , all the money you could spend and enough happyness to fill a hundred life times. Friends that will endure all time. And a great family to share it all with!!! Wishing you not just smile but laughter, not just happiness but pure joy, not just wealth but heavens treasure and above all a happy great New Year for you and your loved one!
Life itself is a challenge that we ought to face. You lose some, you win some, but if you never give up, you will discover that sacrifices have the greatest rewards!
Sometimes, God breaks our spirit to save our soul.
He breaks our heart to make us whole.
He sends us pain so we can be stronger.
Sometimes, He sends us failure so we can be humble.
He takes everything away from us so we can learn the value of everything we have.
There is nothing more refreshing than the white snow... specially in Vegas. It is magic, quiet and simply magic. Today's winter storm brought heavy snow to the Spring Mountains and the Red Rock Canyon area spreading down to Summerlin and even in few areas of Las Vegas Valley.
Las Vegas is not used to the White Christmas but today it was a quiet extraordinary disply of beauty and tranquil snow. In fact, the three snowiest months occurred in the Las Vegas Valley in the 20th Century, according to weather service records. The most snowfall was recorded in January 1949, followed by January 1974 with and January 1979.
Here are few images of what today RedRock-Summerlin encountered... Enjoy!
The History in Making!...The White House has a unique and fascinating history... I am sure, I am not wrong by saying that America did not feel the excitement, hopes for changes and enthusiasm for their new elected President since John F. Kennedy... and this time they're determined to make sure that he gets all the support he needs to make this presidency a success.
White House is the symbol of the Presidency of United States for more than 200 years. The history of the White House takes us back on December of 1790, when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress declaring that the federal government building should be in a district "not exceeding ten miles square...on the river Potomac."
The city planner Pierre L'Enfant, chose the site for the new residence which, since that time, has been the permanent residence of all elected presidents of United States - 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. WA - the pride and symbol of American democracy. A competition was held and the Irish-born architect James Hoban won the gold medal for his handsome design. Out of nine design proposals his project stood out through it's iimpeccable architectural style.
Construction began in October 1792 and President Washington oversaw the construction of the house but never lived in it... never the less he dedicated a great amount of energy and enthusiasm to see that building coming to light. It was not until 1800 when the White House, became the permanent residence of President John Adams and his wife Abigail. Since that time, every other President contributes with their own additions and changes to the splendor, style and historical value of the house. The White House is, after all, the President's private home and captured their personality.
President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the "White House" its current name in 1901.
Undoubtedly the White House's walls have many story to tell, from fires (one at the hands of the British in 1814 -during the war of 1812-, another one in the West Wing in 1929, while Herbert Hoover was President) to many transformations, renovations and new additions... But nothing was expected to re-write the history of the White House as the recent election... when the American people decided to elect the first African American President...
What a moment! It was a long, long road from the 1790 -dark years of slavery- to today's progressive society. What slaves build, 200 years ago, with their own hands, was destined to sustain the history to the day when one of their own would become the 44 President of United States.
America fall in love with Obama a young, bright, charismatic all around good man that seems to be at the right time, at the right place for the right reason... it was the destiny! The history in making...
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I found a great website that offers a spoof on White House floor plans. For a good laugh got to: www.whitehouse.org.
Have we been fair to Alan Greenspan? Is he the one to blame for the deterioration of our economy? Just few years ago Greenspan's reputation as a financial genius seemed unanimously agreed. Most economists were in total admiration and praised him as "The Maestro", the biggest mind of our times...
What went wrong?... or better say: What did he do so wrong and what is his crucial role in the ongoing global credit crisis.
Alan Greenspan is undoubtedly a complex and interesting man in his intellectual capacity. Long before becoming Federal Reserve chairman, Greenspan played the clarinet and shared Ayn Rand's philosophy... Lots of young intellectuals read and shared her politically incorrect hymn to selfishness. It was the 20th. century trend to politically incorrect view on individualism and laissez-faire -Let do ("allow to do")- capitalism. He never seems to move away from that. He later gave up on music as a profession, studied economics and became one of the most influential man of the century.
But recently his "statue" was shaken and was badly treated by the House Committee of Government Oversight and Reform. Under the enormous pressure he found himself in no other defense but to admit that he'd make some important mistakes... How important?... As per his own admission: "Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholders' equity, myself included, are in a state of shocked disbelief,"
For many observers Alan Greenspan's legacy will be his contribution to one of the
biggest financial disasters in American history. Fair?
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This is a comment I could not help but publish here into this post!!!
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Greenspan and his wife Adrea Mitchell when
I lived in DC a few years back. They were guests of an acquaintance of mine and
it just happened to be one of those random moments when fate crosses your path
with someone you would have never have expected to meet. As fate would have it a
secret service agent moments later whisked him away under the fecund call of GW
Bush. I thought to myself, poor fellow he hadn't even a moment to eat dinner and
off he was at the disposal of the President.
The impression that I received from this brief encounter was that here is a
man who suffers from intense melancholia. His demeanor was heavy and somber as
if his conscience had squished his soul down to the souls of his shoes.
Fed Bankers are an obsessive lot, entrusted with keeping our ignanomous
Fractional Reserve banking system greased and cranking. He and all Fed Chairs
since the Wilson administration have had one and only one directive: Keep
Americans in debt at any and all costs! Because Bankers Make Money from our
indebtedness. Trillions of dollars worth of unchecked profits go into the
pockets of a very select group of bankers who are the real power behind the
politics of this country.
The more the fed deregulates our banking system the more money they make off
the backs of Americans, who are in essence slaves to debt and the Banks that
hold that debt. Greenspan was only doing the job he was entrusted to do.
Unfortunately for us that job was to orchestrate the greatest financial collapse
this country has seen since the Great Depression, why because money in this
country is made from debt.
Have you noticed that virtually all the Investment Bank CEO's got paid
enormous sums of money even while they drove their businesses into the ground.
So what if you bankrupted your company when your "forced" into retirement with
billions of dollars in your severance package.
Have you noticed that the bail out funds have been used to pay for lavish
parties, corporate retreats, and end of year bonuses for the top executives
accounting for over $70 billion of the total bailout. Why are their "top"
producers getting paid bonuses when all they produced was the failure of the
their company? It's because these amoral bankers made trillions for the cadre of
banking elite that run this country.
A promise is a promise... even in the White House! The new elected president Barack Obama has promised to get a puppy for his girls if he is elected president.
The new White House puppy will follow in the paw-steps of a menagerie of animals that have come and go in the White house. Now "Sasha and Malia," Obama are in the search for their four legged friend. Can anyone guess what dog breed would be the best for Obamas?
What kind of dog? Purebred or mutt? From a shelter or breeder? Puppy or adult? Are the girls going to pick their favorite one? Who will walk the dog?... What will be the choice of name?
There is a lot of buzz on the Internet and over the blogging net about what kind of dog the girls should get but not surprisingly Obamas say that is is imperative that they adopt the dog from an animal shelter or rescue group. Which is so awesome!
So it seems as for the first time in the White House the "first puppy" would be a lovely, ordinary, most probably a breed less dog but none the less a very anticipated pet friend by the two little girls. They only wanna have fun!!!
It is "first time" for everything in the White House!
impeccable architectural style.