What is Twitter and Twitter Search

This videos  about twittering should be able to help you easily jump on the Twitter-band!

Twitter in Plain English - brief and concise explanation on what is Twitter and how it works

Total Twitter Tutorial (8 minutes) - to get you up and running. This video covers all the basics but I've added a separate video for the search function to explain how the hashtags search function works.

How to Search in Twitter

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Contact Me

Well, Hello there!

I would love for you to contact me with your comments and opinions about my beautiful blog.  All are welcome! 


I am also available to do written reviews. I'm analytical, opinionated, clear-cut, frank and no-fluff. I am VERY GOOD. 

As you will see in About Me and in my Profile, I worked for the World Health organization for 17 years. That's where I developed my analytical writing skills. 

Including the 6 years I travelled in Asia and Africa organising workshops, conferences  and administering scientific projects in Geneva. 

I have also written articles for EzineArticles and eHow in the self development and marketing arenas. Here are most of my published articles.

So, dear reader, share with me what inspires you. What empowers you? Are there certain topics you would like me to talk about some more on my blog?

I welcome all suggestions for new posts, in line of course with my blog's raison d'être - life lessons learned.

Let us share and build and inspire each other to be more!

Contact me at any time via:

E-mail: hidalgostar@gmail.com


Twitter

Facebook

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Fighting Change is Useless | Accepting It Is Hard But Do It Or Die

I'm experiencing a peculiar phenomena which is quite disturbing.

Since I started the Silva Ultramind programme and EFT e-tapping with Brad Yates to remove once and for all that last emotional monster in my closet - to be discussed in detail when I'm finished.

Strange women are being aggressive towards me and ladies of a certain age are giving me strange looks.

For instance, a woman I've known casually for a few years and whom I admire a lot gave me the cold shoulder recently. At the time, I assumed she'd had a bad day.

Then one day she tried crossing the street to avoid me; I only realized this after the fact and it's then I understood her unwelcome demeanor.  Others have almost knocked me off the pavement or have been impolite to me in stores. It finally dawned on me that something was up and I'd better figure it out fast.

I realized that I am exuding my life-changing decision to drop the final barrier, be who I am and let love into my life. I am ready for a mate. My aura precedes me and it disturbs women who are not on the same vibrational wavelength as I.  They react negatively. And you know what, I'm sure they don't even know why they're reacting that way.

I've got to tell you my change story.

First of all, know that your dreams are your guide. They will always steer you right and give you a heads up on what you're hiding from yourself whether you want to know or not.

I dream of the past, present and future and always have. Sometimes I understand it right away, other times it takes some figuring out and sometimes I just give up and tell the universe to send me a clearer message.

For the past three years I've been dreaming of a man coming into my life, falling in love, torrid sex, wedding ring, the works... He's been pretty consistent all this time, so late last year I thought maybe I should start paying attention as it's all in line with working on myself.

This year 2009, I focussed even more on this prospective mate and  decided that I want this man, whoever he is. I am ready, I think - heart beating in trepidation yet scared and excited at the prospect.

Although, since I left my gym last May and began my self-sabotage last September by not exercising at home anymore, the body I discovered in my thirties is going downhill really fast.

But, despite my jiggly butt and legs which now need serious help and are spanx'd to the max, I love my body more now than that I ever have in my entire life.

This is what delving deep into the dark recesses of my psyche got me; a brand new day, scary yet exciting because it's all so new and different. And you know, it's all about change or die.

Technorati Tags: fighting-change-is-useless, EFT, Silva Ultramind

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Time To Forgive and Forget Those Who Hurt Me

Today, it's time to tell my forgive and forget story about the men in my life who have hurt me so terribly by their disrespect; their lack of care and attention to me as a human being.

It's time to forgive and forget the unknown man of my mother's family who raped me anally when I was three. It's time to forgive and forget my stepfather who raped me when I was eleven; that shy, innocent, and fragile child who lived in her own world.

It's time to forgive the the men on the Swiss streets who make it clear without fear that they consider us women of colour to be ignorant, illiterate, an easy lay or a lay for pay.
It's time to forgive those two men who violated me decades ago and put to rest the intolerance and anger that I feel towards men. It's time to recognize that I moved on a long time ago but I'm still clinging to an old schema because I know nothing else.


It's time to stop trying to pick off the scab that I can't find anymore; it's indelible. It's time to stop finding reasons to lash out at the men I see, they've never done anything to me. I invited the disrespect intrinsic in them which part of their culture, with my angry vibrations.
 
I moved on a few years ago from that lost, lonely, hurt and destroyed little girl. I see her now, hear her insecurities and love and cherish her but I am not her.

As I've learned from Martha Beck's Four-Day Win, I pay attention (most times) when I hear her scared little voice and I say "may you be well, may you be happy, may you be free from suffering."

It is time for me to say and send this message out in the ether, gentlemen, I forgive you all for being who you are and acting as you did and still do. Most importantly, I forgive myself.

You have all made me so much stronger. And besides, not only am I better than you, I've got bigger balls too!

And that people, was my forgive and forget story. I'm learning to love myself totally now.

Thank you!




Technorati Tags: Time-To-Forgive-and-Forget

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Memories of My Incredible Pug - Elton

In memory of my beautiful boy Pug, Elton de Peralla de La Cacahuète.

He had to be put to sleep after a massive stroke in October 2006 which left him completely paralyzed.

He was a fabulous thirteen.

Elton,
my smoochie poochie
Being silly, being so dilly
You’re a honey

I love thee
Truly appreciate who you be
You’re very special to me
You taught me truly, truly, how to be.

Your reaction so subtle

Never directable, always honest
You want or you don’t
But playacting you won’t

You bound, you’re a hound
Large as life
A little star bright
Eyes always alight and spry as a little tyke.

One, two, already on the food
There’s nobody like you
And that will always be true

Now old boy age has caught up with you
No longer spry but spirits still high
To compensate for the sight
Eyes no longer bright
They barely see light.

You want to walk more but you can’t
So what do you do
You head for a shady bench, and
Sit under there
Your message clear.

Then one morn, you say
Mom, I can’t go on

Take me home

Send me on

To where hounds abound
They’re racing to the horn
Carefree all day long

What else could I do but send you along.

Heart breaking on that dawn
I feed you the best and temporarily rest
Delaying the final test of taking you over the crest
You and only you come next
You pass the test and go to your rest.

First shot, you’re out the gate
Snoring away
Then my heart truly breaks
I know what’s at stake

Second shot and you’re off the spot
Shouting, hey guys, wait up

Tears flowed to fill a boat

I’m left alone, feeling blue
Yet wonderful too
So much happiness

A kind of bliss
But poochie I tell you truly
You’ll be missed
You have a place in my heart always
A big hug and a kiss.

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Gratitude For Prosperity and Abundance Today

I thank the universe for all it's given me till now and this day in particular. I don't have a million dollars in the bank yet but it will be here by December 2010.

Even though I feel so poor sometimes, I have collateral in the bank and a lovely haven that I've created of my apartment here in Geneva.

This is all about being grateful for everything that I have in my life today: prosperity and abundance in all its forms.

I'm grateful for the credit line I received, the money I used to buy breakfast today, my clean clothes, my wonderful furnishings and all the other great things that I've bought myself; like my books, my expensive pens and sports shoes, and my Macbook.

I'm grateful for the cells in my body that keep this marvelous machine functioning so beautifully. I'm grateful too for my connection to the universe that brings these ideas to me, my superb brain that translates the vibrational energy into words, sends it down my arm, hand and fingers, through the pen and onto the paper.

My heart is so full of gratitude that as I sit here this Sunday morning in this café writing this, my eyes fill with tears. My heart is truly so full!

I have come such a long, long way since my suicidal depression in 2005; this is another Catherine that I don't know at all from 2008. I've changed again.

I was hurting so bad; I had such deep emotional pain that I never feel that I would resurface again; and I forget every single time that that's my signal to go with the flow because I'm moving to another evolutionary level.

What does that mean? I have no idea but that's what it is. The words came like that and I'm leaving them as the are. All I can say is that I'm learning and when I know what I've learnt, you'll be the second to know, after me!

I am incredibly grateful for my life and the hope and love and my sight and feelings that keep me alight.

Thank you Universe.

I'm learning to love me.




Technorati Tags: gratitude-for-prosperity-and-abundance

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Effortless Effort To Self Empowerment

The challenge in life is to keep your eyes on the prize when everything else sucks. When we're attacked, we fear.

When things happen and we don't think we can handle it, we back away in pain, fall into despair and our nemesis fear takes over.

But if we use effortless effort (Brian Clement) as our motto and trust in the universe, the fear lessens dramatically.

Why? Because it has no food. And why's that? Because it's all a test - in the sense that that's why we're here - to evolve as humans and face up to our challenges with a calm mind and a warrior spirit (Dan Millman).

It doesn't mean we don't act in the face of crisis. However, we must first reconnect with the silence within; we are part of the universe after all. From that well of silence comes the answer - directly or through an intermediary.

Can you imagine repeating the same crises over and over again because you didn't learn the lesson the previous times and so did not evolve to get past it? Ugh ...

It is only when we learn from painful experiences that we can move on. And make no mistake, we are all evolved beings who decided to return to this marvelous planet called earth to enjoy evolution in the flesh.

Technorati Tags: effortless-effort, empowerment

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Using EFT to Attract Abundance

EFT Master Carol Look's Attracting Abundance Newsletter, no. 86, guides us through the stages of attracting abundance with EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique.

EFT is such a spectacularly effective technique and I'm using it to removing my fear of not having enough money to take care of my needs. Where did that fear come from?  My mother.

I only understood earlier this year that the burst of fear which erupts in my chest sometimes,completely out of the blue, lead straight back to her. It was her constant yet unspoken fear of not having enough money after she was left high and dry with five children. And I, as an innocent kid, absorbed those feelings and the fearful message.

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Attracting Abundance Today

Excerpted from Attracting Abundance Newsletter, no. 86 by EFT Master Carol Look. This lady has just saved my life which is why I'm posting this two-part article.

Her free newsletter is an excellent source of information and check her newsletter archives.

What if there is clear evidence of abundance in your life but you haven't been looking for it?

Our attention is often on what is most obvious, or "loudest" in our experience. So it's not that the evidence hasn't been there all along, it's that we haven't been looking for it. And when you're not looking for something, you can't find it!

Choosing to actively look for evidence of abundance has many values...
(1) It's a fun "game" to play!
(2) It's surprising how much evidence you actually find!
(3) The behavior of looking and the results of searching and finding abundance raise our vibration instantly!

And remember, once we raise our vibration, we communicate a different message to the Universe - a more hopeful, expectant,"I deserve what I want" attitude that is clear and commands respect

What if you could find what you wanted just because you started to look for it?

What if you could attract more abundance into your life just by focussing on the abundance that's already there?

If you'd like to follow up your search for abundance with a "Thank You Universe for..." list for what you did find, that would speed up your attraction abilities too!

I strongly suggest that you sign up to Carol Look's free newsletter. The technique and phrases will help you focus on raising your vibration to attract more success and abundance into your life.

What is this all about and why am I pushing it? I had an emotional shock today with the dreaded "m" word, yeah money. I've just received a demand for immediate payment that I was expecting!

And just by following the suggestions in her newsletter loosened the tightness in my stomach, lifted a weight from my shoulders and let in a blast of sunshine. And I am so damn grateful because I asked the Universe for help on this very issue yesterday and this morning. Ain't life grand?!


Technorati Tags: attracting-abundance, carol-look, EFT

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TwitterTwreats - Conclusion

This is the last of the Twitter twreats I use to organize myself.

TwitterLocal
Find local twitterers in any area and also find out who's doing what. People are getting careless with their tweets! Once stuff gets on the Internet, it is over; so be careful out there.

TweetBeep
An essential tool in the twittersphere now. Get alerts via email when key words and/or phrases are used. If you've got a business/blog/website, it's a great way to find out if it's being talked about.

Twibs and Twellow
The two go hand in hand; Twibs is a business directory with a nice, clean format; Twellow's larger, a mixed bag of following and followers and broken by individual interests.

TweetLater
TweetLater is a free service that I use every single day and it saves me hours of work, no exaggeration. You can:

°Schedule your tweets and forget about them.

°Think of the status feed as your personal tweet engine; if you have a blog and/or website, register them and have automated tweets appear in a badge. I use mine for weekly affirmations or quotes of the day.

°Track keywords in Twitter.

°Save old tweets as drafts to reuse - they come in very handy.

°Vet who's following you; it gets annoying if you don't check it daily though. Because the system releases them on you, then manual vetting in Twitter is necessary.

°Follow and unfollow people.

°TweetCockpit and TweetLater Professional have too many features to list here. It is not free, however, it is very affordable. One really neat feature is the delegation of tweet accounts with individual passwords, so you don't have to share yours. That Canadian guy is very good.

°PostLater automatically updates your blog. I haven't decided yet between this one and TwitterFeed.
RELATED ARTICLE

Technorati Tags: twitter-apps

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More Twitter Twreats

I was a bit leery of Twitter at first but then a online marketer suggested I "follow" him a while back. I had no idea what he was talking about but I thought why not - the guy's made his millions and has a huge following. I wanted to learn from him how to make mine. So I joined up.

I hung around Twitter, looked and listened, and made contact with others who gave me some good advice on marketing do's and don'ts on Twitter. But there was just one thing that bugged me; it was not obvious how to do stuff on Twitter and I can't stand being frustrated like that.

Mashable on Twitter
 
Then I discovered THE social media guide - Mashable - with expert articles, informative, helpful, and user-friendly with tons of information about Twitter - Mashable. Then I usually head over to TwiTip. Between them you're sure to find what you need.

Tweet Your Blog Post
Did you know you can post a new tweet with the linked title of your blog posts via TwitterFeed? Yes, you can. And it's free too; I love good quality free stuff.

Twitter Badge
Get a badge to show your recent tweets from TwiTip and Mashable. I personally don't like the Twitter badges, they're too omnipresent.

#Hash Tags
Use hashtages to search for the latest hot topics in the Twittersphere. This post explains how hashtags work to search in Twitter. It compliments Twitter Search.

Twitter Search
If you're looking for something to blog about or just want to know the hot topic of the moment, use Twitter Search.

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Learn EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique - and How It Could Benefit You

The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a psychological and holistic approach to emotional freedom and physical wellness that uses a finger-tapping technique on certain meridians on the body, exactly like acupuncture but without the needles.

EFT liberates you from the useless and debilitating emotional anxieties which take over your lives and make you unhappy. From forgotten childhood trauma which morphed into something unrecognizable but just as destructive in your adult life, to the unacknowledged emotions which create daily stress.

Find out more about the EFT from the The Tapping Solution crew. They produced the movie Try It On Everything. 

The EFT basics on how to tap is demonstrated by Jessica Ortner in this video. Learn EFT. It can change your life!

Practise EFT every day. You will feel a difference from the very first session but be warned, it could bring memories to the surface which might make you uncomfortable. It's for this reason that all practitioners advise that you "take responsibility" for your own well-being. In other words "handle it". I am so very grateful for this technique.

You can do EFT by yourself or with a registered practitioner in their office or over the phone. Take your wellness into your own hands today. You will be able to find many tools and resources at the Tapping Solution or with Brad Yates.

Technorati Tags: learn-eft

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Twitter For Newbies

Twitter is a simple and easy-to-use micro blogging platform used to network with like-minded individuals and it's free to join. You're restricted to 140 characters - that's about twelve words; so it forces you to think when you write.

I chose it a few months ago because it's more user-friendly than Facebook or MySpace and it's a great place to link up with other business-minded people and connect with people in your area of interest.

While it's true that people publish some pretty inane stuff, it's not spam central and it's easy to block individuals who flood your mailbox with their messages.

Finding people to follow is easy in Twellow and you can unfollow people by expanding your Following list and clicking remove. Your Followers are people who find you interesting, usually from your profile, and decide to follow you. You can also use TweetLater, among others, for this purpose.  TwitterKarma does bulk follow or unfollow. 

To know more of the intricacies and subtleties of Twitter, I suggest you check out TwiTip and Mashable. Between these two sites you will be able to find out everything you need to know about Twitter!

Find people to follow in Twellow - it's a directory where you can search for people by area of expertise, profession or any other attribute listed in their personal profiles on Twitter.  Twellow is categorized by interest and you have twelve hundred characters for your bio, unlimited links.

I suggest that you:

• Complete your profile and add your website link.
• Use a real photo of yourself and your real name.
• Complete your bio and add your website link.
• Tweak your profile from time to time to observe the results, if any. I changed mine at least eight times before Followers started adding up.
• Read other tweets; find out what others are tweeting.
• Stay active. Post tweets every day.
• Reply to tweets you like.
• Post cool sites or interesting news and stuff.
• Don't post all the time about your business; that's spamming! So is constantly sending "new post, new post, have you seen this new post...."
• Tell peeps what interests you.

Have a look at the extremely helpful videos that explains Twitter in Plain English.



Technorati Tags: twitter-for-newbies

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Denigration of Women and Girls

There was a very interesting session, as usual, on Fareed Zakaria's GPS today on Afghanistan and Pakistan with Richard Holbrook and Ahmed Rashid, Pakistani journalist and author.

Mr Holbrook would like to believe that Pakistan's very powerful military realizes that their real enemy is the Al Qaeda/Taliban faction in northern Pakistan, and not India.

Mr Rashid, whom I don't think is as well known to some, believes that Pakistan is not on the verge of complete disintegration yet and that the population is waking up to the danger of the Taliban/Al Qaeda after Zardari gave them the Swat Valley.

He also believes that the US needs to use the carrot and stick approach to shake Pakistan's government and military out of their inertia and force them to act against the very real threat in their country. I liked Rashid's frank manner. He also stated that the head of Pakistan's army is the real power in the country.
I do not believe the US needs to have any boots on the ground in Pakistan. But you know, I was stunned when I heard that it's more than nine billion dollars Bush gave to his puppet Musharraf - nine billion dollars - and one knows where the money's gone!

Normally, I do not condone violence of any sort because I grew up in an abusive household. However, I do believe in standing up for what is right and in the case of those criminals in Northern Pakistan and in Afghanistan, they and their collaborators must be put in the ground; no questions asked.

Women and girls are their primary target as well as anyone who supports or tries to protect them. It is time to put a stop to their denigration and degradation. They are the future of both countries.



Technorati Tags: denigration-of-women-and-girls

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Prejudice - A Known Quantity or So We Think

We are all prejudiced in one way or another though some of us pretend we're not or at least think so, especially those of us who make a sustained effort to educate ourselves. But reality tends to prove us wrong again and again.

A case in point was last weekend as I was on my way to my favourite café for breakfast. I caught sight of a lady out of the corner of my eye who looked disheveled and as she was speaking in a loud, slurring voice, I assumed she was drunk and homeless.

As I sat on another sunny terrace a few metres away, I could still hear her - this time singing very loud. My prejudice glands were standing at attention.


After chatting up the waitress, the old lady stood up to leave and that when I really looked at her. She was clean, warmly dressed, wearing Doc Martens two sizes too big and carrying a Louis Vuitton briefcase - it was the real thing.

She might have been off her head but she certainly wasn't destitute or homeless. I assumed that because she was loud, old, speaking in a slurred voice and seated in front of a middle-Eastern café. I had put two and two together and came up with five.

Assumptions definitely made an ass of me.

Technorati Tags: Prejudice-and-assumptions

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Facebook How To's and Other Good Stuff To Read

This is for you Facebook junkies and wannabees who don't know how to navigate the system and are completely unaware of the dangers to avoid.

The uneducated and ignorant are committing career suicide and personal annihilation (no exaggeration) by the way they are exposing themselves without any thoughts of the future. 

It would be wise to check out Mashable's extremely helpful weekly articles about Facebook. They are informative, practical, useful and well-written. Why bring this up? Because I'm thinking of joining Facebook to keep company with my soon to be business buddies.

And now I can access practical how-to's and do's and don'ts like Dan Schwabel's article and tons of other great information like how to build your personal brand on Facebook, for instance.

Bookmark Mashable or subscribe to their articles via RSS (really simple syndication) feed. It's just another way of distributing news and articles in plain text and simple formatting that comes straight to your "door", so to speak. What does RSS mean?

I get all my news this way as it's very practical having it all my news in one place.

Anyway, just wanted to share that with you all.

Technorati Tags: Facebook-How-To's, Mashable

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The Mind Is A Beacon

I pay very close attention to my dreams as they always tell me exactly what's happening with me on a sub-conscious level and also keeping me in touch with what's going on around me.

Particularly useful when I'm fooling myself about something.

So there I was this morning feeling desperate because of a dream I had which I didn't think was positive and I panicked because I was so aware that I'd fallen behind with my writing.

Things just didn't go well over Easter. I felt like such a loser and of course, I went and bought cookies to make myself feel better: it didn't work!

I have this old tape in my head from childhood that plays on repeat when my self confidence is low; with me it's either stratospheric or basement level - no in between.

Anyway, I followed the advice of my little voice and asked the universe for help and as I've learnt from Abraham, the stronger the emotion felt the faster the demand is answered. My desperate plea was for help to clear my mind and psyche from those negative tapes once and for all.



Well, guess what happened? This evening while copying some stuff to my blog, I noticed an ad for free training in the Silva Ultramind method. Now I've known about Silva for years and one of my two best friends swears by it but it never interested me until now. I swear the ad was like a beacon to my mind - I had to click on that button!

I received the first lesson right away and I'll review it all when I'm done. But that's not all: right after that I fell on a blog page The Strump Financial Blog post - The Little Voice of Resistance. I had just been thinking about mine own little voice of resistance.

I just love this kind of stuff and it just goes to show that there is no such thing as coincidence.

Thank you universe for answering my request and I am very grateful. I just love it - yeah!!!

Technorati Tags: the-mind-is-a-beacon

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Children Suffering is Abnormal

A favourite blogger of mine, Randy Cohen, the NY Times ethical blogger of The Moral of the Story fame expressed some interesting sentiments in his blog post Applying Ethics to Adoption on a child's needs, international adoption and Madonna's bid to adopt a second Malawian child, in particular.

He wonders "Is it ethical for families to adopt children from poorer countries?"

Some people opposed her bid to adopt a boy a few years ago because she's a celebrity and she got special favours. But I say, who cares. As far as I'm concerned the only issue is whether the adoption is in the interest of the child. And by the way, I can guarantee you that the majority of these "protesters" have never been to Malawi, don't know the culture, it's people or their current situation. I have and I do.

Mr Cohen talks about a "... creepy evocation of colonialism when a rich American or European swoop into a poor African nation and grabs a child as if it were a baby plantation. Critics charge that the adoptive parents benefit from the of poverty ... But the ethical obligation to help suffering children does not only apply to those who wish to adopt; it is a general duty we all share."



Don't you think that's well said? As in divorce battles, I'm convinced the so-called children's advocates forget the child in their fight to oppose foreign adoptions. An orphanage is not a place for any child! The article was very well written and expressed sentiments I share.

But you know, it's only on reading the blog post that I realized how much I love children. I just want them to be happy, smiling and laughing. How I wish I could adopt them all or at least give them a magnificently rich, relaxed, deliciously extravagant childhood. Memories to cherish later on in adult life.

I grew up poor but didn't know it because I was always clean, well-clothed and well-fed. So I would like to offer them what I never had. Hmm, maybe that's why kids are always drawn to me, who knows.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw this out there as the subject of children's welfare is very close to my heart.

I am not convinced that those who are screaming the loudest in protest have any child's welfare at heart. It is a power play, plain and simple. And in the Africans' case, the issue takes them right back to the spectre of white colonialism and it's legacy that they are living today.

Read the man's blog!

Technorati Tags: the-ethical-blogger, children's-welfare

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At What Cost Human Dignitiy

Guillermo Arriaga wrote a wonderful piece in the International Herald Tribune that we get here in Europe about his "friends, the illegal immigrants".

It was very touching in the way he described the heartbreak, despair, and loneliness of this group of people of whom we know so little.

Like each and everyone of us, they just want to better life for themselves and their families. They think they know what's on the other side and if they have to brave the many dangers of sneaking across the border to earn a living wage with the possibility of a life of dignity free from want, then that's what they'll do.

Mr Arriaga touched on an issue that never occurred to me; the separation and ensuing jealousy, not only of those left behind but of those in America. Many of these people are illiterate.

And because years go by without any contact as they don't dare cross the border again, both parties wonder if another man or woman has taken their place. I think that's just so heartbreaking. It really teared me up.

All peoples want a good life, a roof over their heads to keep them warm and safe at night, food in their bellies and a sense of security; a feeling that they belong. When it's not available at home, what are they to do?

They must go where the possibilities exist. That's not hard to understand, is it?

Technorati Tags: illegal-immigrants

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Published Articles

Included below are articles I have written to-date on self-empowerment and with self-improvement techniques. The list will be updated on a regular basis.

EMPOWERMENT

• Face Your Fears and Live Your Life in Freedom
• Empower Yourself to Change: Make The Change and Save Your Life
• Get the Success You Want Effortlessly - Decide, Envision, Plan and Act
• Breaking Through the Barrier of Self Limitation to Fulfill Your Potential
• Empower Yourself - Life Challenges Must Be Celebrated When They Occur
• How to Identify Fear - The Barrier to Fulfilling Your Potential - Face it Down
• How to Empower Yourself to Change - The Challenge of Becoming Who You Are
• How to Identify Fear - The Barrier to Fulfilling Your Potential - Face What You Fear
• Identify Your Mental Barriers - Your Thoughts Have Hijacked Your Life - Take it Back, Pt 1
• Identify Your Mental Barriers - Your Thoughts Have Hijacked Your Life - Take it Back, Pt 2
• How to Find the Authentic Voice of Your Inner Being - Identify Your False Beliefs 
• How to Empower Yourself to Take Charge and Control Your Thoughts - Your Thoughts Are Not Who You Are
• Gratitude Sells Itself - Conquer Your Fear of the Unknown and Regain Clarity of Purpose
• How to Keep Goals Visible and Make Them Achievable - Write, Visualize, Plan and Act on Your Goals 
• Having Faith is Essential For Success -  3 Practical Methods to Develop Faith and Succeed 

TECHNIQUES FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT

• Fearlessness - 7 Top Tips on Becoming Fearless
• Fearlessness - Seven Top Tips on Becoming Fearless
• Change Your Thoughts and Change Your Fate - Live As Your Were Meant To
• How to Empower Yourself to Change - The Challenge of Becoming Who You Are
• Positive Thinking and Affirmations - Do They Really Work, and If Not, Why Not?
• Everyday Spirituality is the Natural Way - 8 Ways to Tap Into Your Spirituality Today
• How to Get Rid of Worry, Doubt and Fear - 8 Ways to Stop Worrying and Become Self Aware
• Positive Emotions Are the Keys to Success - Use the Magic of Affirmations to Open the Door 
• What is Poverty - Consciousness and How Do You Know If You Are Poverty-Conscious?
• Dare to Be Authentic - Let Your Heart Shine Bright and Follow the Glow

MARKETING

• Ten Reasons to be My Own Boss
• Online Home Businesses - Finding the Right One
• Marketing Your Product - Six Top Tips to Successful Marketing
• How to Write Articles for EzineArticles and Get Them Published
• Online Home Businesses - How I Found My Online Marketing Business
• How To Market Your Article: Promote Your Product with Article Writing
• Affiliate Marketing Businesses - Four Pros and Cons For Would-Be Affiliates
• Be My Own Boss - Ten Reasons Why I Want To Be My Own Boss (expanded)
• How To Use Article Writing To Promote Yourself And Market Your Product With EHow
• Article Writing - 2 Classic Mistakes to Avoid When Using Articles to Market Your Product
• How To Write Articles to Promote What You Have To Sell: Write One Hundred Articles from One Idea

PURE OPINION

• Female Violence in the Media - The Chris Brown and Rihanna Affair
• Chef Makes Fools of London Metropolitan Police
• Drowning in the American Health Care System
• What the Ego Makes Us Do - Bernie Maddoff
• American Health Care, Fear and Violence
• Chris Brown: That Sack of Pure Shite

Technorati Tags: techniques-for-self-improvement, self-empowerment

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What Am I About?

Thank you for visiting my beautiful blog!
I decided to start blogging to share the life lessons and self-improvement techniques learned which have made me become self-aware.

From my dysfunctional years growing up in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the adult years as a working zombie, to the resulting suicidal breakdown in 2005. I am here to tell the tale of the alive person that I am today,

I broke down because the emotional garbage and psychological scars I was carrying around could not be borne any longer. It was the best damned thing that ever happened to me!

All that I have lived through has given me a unique perspective on life; including working for an Amoco Oil joint venture; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York; and seventeen years for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Switzerland. The last six years involved regular travel to Asia and Africa as an administrator for the scientific meetings, workshops and projects.

My story is not unique, however I am. You see, it was the experiences in the first decade of my life which caused me to repeat exactly the same destructive schema, sabotaging myself time and time again until I hit that wall.

I celebrated my 50th birthday in 2009, and in March 2009 I had this photo taken for my blog. It was the first time I have ever seen my face happy and smiling. Firing that job of 17 years was worth it.  I am now thriving.

I have had so many teachers who have helped me get here. From my childhood abusers whom I have forgiven; to the naturopaths, channelers, natural healers, herbalists, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists whom I met along the way.

To my three very good friends, Sandra, Greer and Jackie; and an extra special lady, Claudine; my family with whom I have “retied” the knot; bookshop owners, naturalists, shamans, and many others who came across my path, including the staff and Brian Clement and Anna Maria Clement, co-Directors of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida.

Everyone has played their role to perfection and they have made me more. I would not be as I am today without any them. I offer my heartfelt gratitude to them all.

And through all of that, I delved into every book I thought was useful. Including Eastern healing techniques, dance, voice and sound therapies, oxygen treatments, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, all types of traditional massages, Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, fasting and colon cleansing, ultrasound treatments, freestyle painting, clay modelling, creating jewellery, writing poetry, adopting a raw food lifestyle (temporarily), etc.

I tried everything which caught my attention to…. I don’t know what really. I was searching and experimenting at the same time. And all in the last three years as if I had to make up for lost time. I am still learning and it will never be over.

I sincerely hope that in freeing my gifts to fulfill my potential and share with you what I learn, you dear reader, would find something useful to accompany you on your journey of becoming.

My purpose is to be authentic, speaking my truth, share life lessons learned and inspire others to do the same.

After all, life is about living.

Please feel free to contact me:

E-mail: hidalgostar@gmail.com

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Technorati Tags: About-Life-Is-About-Living-Blog

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Jeopardizing My Mental Health - Conclusion

The conclusion of my saga with Julie whom I let suck my energy and briefly jeopardize my future earnings. All because I was in a bad place emotionally when I met her. So this is my ego story.

By the time I left her I was exhausted. She invited me to her daughter's recital the next morning and that night I felt such a tightness in my stomach, I knew it was connected to her; and I also knew that I shouldn't go to her daughter's 'do' at all. But I went anyway.

I so wanted to help her by giving her two important affirmations for her self-esteem and the telephone number of an excellent psychologist that I knew.

Anyway, I get to the place only to discover that it was a some kind of religious get together. I was furious at being set up. For me religion is brain-washing and she knew this; so why the setup?

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Jeopardizing My Well-Being, Again

You know, we all have stories that we relate from time to time. Some more often than others. We all say after one or numerous times that we won't do certain things again, ever. 

So when, after many years of being used and abused by my family, I said enough is enough, I come first now and I meant it. But I was so wrong. Jeopardizing my well-being to help someone else was not supposed to be part of my psyche any more. That's what I thought anyway! Here's how my particular ego story goes.

Since I was little, they told me I was hard headed - that's Caribbean speak for stubborn - I always wanted to do things my way and did.

I'm fifty now and I haven't changed ... much. That attitude is still there but I've learnt some tough lessons along the way. When I don't pay attention to my feelings, I usually get reamed, big time.

It started when I met an ex-colleague whom I hadn't seen in two years. We'll call her Julie. She was huge, as if she was nine months pregnant with twins, and walking with difficulty as if she was ready to give birth. I didn't recognize her at first and said so.
 

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Inconsiderate Acts Powered By The Ego

The ego is the real evil in our lives. It is not this satan or devil nonsense that religions claim. Evil is simply the utter baseness of which we're all capable.

The stronger the emotion felt, the more forceful and negative the thoughts which create the monster. Eckhart Tolle calls it the "pain body" in his book A New Earth.

Here are two perfect examples of inconsiderate acts powered by the ego and its accompanying emotions. And the scary part is it's all unconscious.

The NFL player, the police officer, and the dying mother-in-law

The police officer stopped this speeding car in front of the hospital where the man's mother-in-law lay dying. Despite pleas, the police officer remained stoic, lectured the guy about his attitude and the lady died while all this was happening.




These two acts created one result: evil. It has taken root in the psyche of all those involved.

The young officer's life and that of his family have been irrevocably changed in ways that he can't possibly imagine and he will be poking at that wound for decades to come wondering what made him act the way he did.

The hate and anger in the hearts of the dead lady's family will be present for a long, long time. When they think of her, her memory will be marred by the events of that fateful night.

And in the case of the little girl, she will never forget what her father subjected her to. If she does not get the psychological help she needs now, the consequences on her life as she grows into adulthood could be devastating.


 
Technorati Tags: A-New-Earth, Eckhart-Tolle, ego, evil

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