Credit Crunch Can "Crunch" Your Career

The "credit crunch" which has several aliases as a 'credit squeeze', 'finance crunch' or 'credit crisis' has negative effects on the world of work and it is crunching people's career. Credit crunch, according to Wikipedia "is a reduction in the general availability of loans (or credit) or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rate. In such situations, the relationship between credit availability and interest rates has implicitly changed, such that either credit becomes less available at any given official interest rate, or there ceases to be a clear relationship between interest rates and credit availability (i.e. credit rationing occurs)"
As you know it doesn't take a lot of arguments to say that credit or loans play important role in most organizations and when the access to loans are reduced its ripple effects are felt by employers and employees. Last year the Center for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) warned that there would be 62,000 financial job losses in London between 2008 and 2009. Just early this year due to the wind of credit crunch it was predicted by CEBR that at least 100,000 jobs would be axed in retail sector, UK's third largest employer. Job losses through credit crunch around the world have become a running story in the media these days. Major companies have crumbled, others have downsized their employees, outsourcing and mjor changes have affected other workers negatively.
Some people who are losing their jobs these days are also changing their careers. Others are also afraid to make career change in these hard times. Jessica McGrego has advice for those who are afraid to change career. There are suggestions on how to insulate your career against the threats of credit crunch in this article, 7 Strategies to Credit Crunch Proof Your Career. Credit crunch can "crunch" your career. Some careers are crunched. There are several ways to improve you career.

Man's Attempts to Solve Death Problem

MSN Encarta Encyclopedia defines death as "irreversible ceasation of life". According to WikiAnswers between 250,000 to 300,00 people die each day. These make death scary. Because the line between life and death is very thin. Hu Shih in Chinese philosophy is right when he said, "The sun exactly at noon is exactly [beginning to] go down. And a creature when he is born is exactly [beginning to] die". David in the Bible said that there was just "a step between me and death". What he said applies to all who are living today. We are too close to death. The biggest enemy of the living is death. People are afraid of death. One thing that has not changed down through the ages is the fear of death. People have devised many means to prevent death from causing havoc to people. But unfortunately death is always out of cage to strike anytime, it defies gender, race, social status, age, economic status of its victims. In January 17th, 1944, the Time Magazine carried a story about a Russian physiologist and pathologist called Alexander Alexandrovitch Bogomoletz, who had worked on a serum to extend a person's life to 125 years, it was believed to hasten wound healing, to mend broken bones and to increase a person's defence against infection and cancer. He died at age 64 without achieving his aim of extending his own life to over 100 years. Because of death cryonics is becoming popular, Wikipedia describes it as: "the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals that can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine until resuscitation may be possible in the future. Currently, human cryopreservation is not reversible, which means that it is not currently possible to bring people out of cryopreservation alive. The rationale for cryonics is that people who are considered dead by the current legal or medical definitions will not necessarily be dead by future standards" (You can read more on cryonics). Those who believe cryonics may work in future to solve the problem of death are paying a huge money to receive what cryonics promises. The Alcor Life Extention Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona is a cryonics organization. Patients who want their entire bodies be preserved in the cycropreservation facilities must pay $150,000 and patients who pay $80,000 will have their heads and brains only preserved. More people are becoming members since the organization started in 1972. It means peopl love life and will do all they can to overcome death. In Ghana, the Ashantis believe that their greatest Traditional Priest, Okomfo Anokye travelled to find the antidote of death, but he died without coming back home. The One who can overcome death is the One who started life. God created life, He has solution to the death problem. Jesus brought those who were dead to life. One of the good news found in the Bible is: "The last enemy that will be destroyed is death" ( Corinthians 15: 20-26). All attempts that human beings are making to overcome death cannot work, only God can solve the problem of death. Humans are mortal, God is immortal.

What Everybody Should Learn About Money (I)

Money is the most popular commercial creature. Those who made it need it. Those who keep it need it, those who do not have it need it, and those who have it in abundance like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Carlos Slim Helú still need it, those who do not have it need it. Imagine that money turns to be a political candidate. It won’t take intensive campaign before voters decide for their favorite candidate-Money. Imagine that money is looking for a marriage partner today. The response will be by blink of an eye.
Money is the most influential figure in today’s world and it acts like a remote control directing the affairs of the masses. What the religionists always fail to forget is that MONEY is a major religion in the world with many followers. A lot of people are willing to die for this religion in order to go to ‘Money Paradise’. They are money martyrs. Commercial sex workers are working assiduously for money when the HIV Aids warning bell continues to toll. Armed robbers are robbing and killing, they are not afraid to die for their faith-MONEY. When such people die their names will be recorded in the money martyrs’ hall of fame oh sorry hall of shame.
Money has a kingdom and has a lot of subjects. No one has questioned his rule. Indeed money is a monarch. What has made this monarch so powerful is a million dollar question. This monarch sometimes tells some subjects to sleep while others are working in the night. He has a right to decide what one has to eat, where to eat, how to eat, when to eat and why to eat.
Money has compelled a lot of people to live in a caste system. It seems there is a gigantic economic ladder with struggles to reach the apex. One’s position on this economic ladder determines what one has to wear, a type of car to drive or not to drive, what flight to take, which school to choose, a type of house to build or buy.
Some basic principles of life are taught, but the ABC of MONEY is understood intuitively. The employer with the highest employees is MONEY. His employees are many, ranging from those who work underground to those who work in space. These people work around the clock, every minute, every hour, every day, and every night. They are working for their boss. Now you can find his workers on deep seas, in thick forests, under scorching sun and many other places. They are fishing, farming, selling, teaching, watching and managing for money.

What Everybody Should Learn About Money (II)

One day in Accra, I joined a public bus. As soon as I entered into the bus I saw this bold inscription: M.ON.E.Y. It was an acronym for money. It went like this:

“Many will suffer because of me.

Others will die because of me

Nothing can be done without me

Everything is done by me

Yes, I am the ruler of the world”

That was money talking, money is boastful. I told myself I can’t believe all the above statements made by money, even though some are true. I picked the first statement, “Many will suffer because of me”. This is true many are suffering under the effects of this credit crunch which has become albatross hanging around the necks of the rich and poor. There are a lot of money sufferers, they are wounded by money. You can find its scars around their bodies. Some dreams are shattered because of lack of money. Some cannot continue or start their education because of these financial difficulties. Money has separated many marriages and families, husbands and wives work and live in different areas. Many children lack parental affection, they see their parents occasionally. Lack of money is preventing a lot of people to seek medical care. Oh yes people will suffer because of money, it is very pathetic to hear the numerous hardships some people go through because of lack of money.

Another statement that I believe is true is that, “Others will die because of me” This is true, let us take a mental journey to the Libyan deserts in the North Africa to see energetic Africans who are carrying their meager food and water which have been diluted with drops of diesel so that they do not drink all the water which is very scarce on the desert. They do not consider their health and security. They have a sole mission that is to turn their backs to Africa and embrace the “land flowing with milk and honey”-Europe. The story of their journey is very sad to tell and only a few of them can reach their dream land. Some of them die when food, and water shortage, sickness and fatigue start to demand their tolls. Other people who try to seek greener pastures in other countries through unorthodox means sometimes reach there not alive but with their corpses and some are thrown into deep seas and die eventually.

What Everybody Should Learn About Money (III)

I don’t agree with these two statements: “Nothing can be done without me” and “Everything is done by me”. According to a quotation by an unknown author on what money can buy or do this is what the person said:

“A bed but not sleep
Books but not knowledge
Food but not appetite
Finery but not beauty
A house but not a home
Medicine but not health
Luxuries but not comfort
Pleasures but not happiness
Religion but not salvation.”

Charles F. Bunning also said that a man who possesses all the gold of the world cannot use that to buy a friend, character, and peace of mind, clear conscience or a sense of eternity. So it is obvious that money cannot do all things, it has limitation.

One might ask if money is not almighty as some people are trying to believe why it has so many followers. Money has become part of people. I heard Rev. Dr. Mensah Otabil, a Christian preacher in Ghana on television saying “Some people when they see money, their blood pressure goes up, and their eyes blink”. It may seem funny but he is right. This story that I found in The Huge Joke Book can further illustrate the point. There was an old lady who won a big money in lotto. Her family members knowing her heart problem feared that telling her about the big win could cause her a shock. The members of the family discussed how to go about it to her doctor. The doctor said based on his in training in medical profession he could handle it and break the news to her without a hitch. When the doctor met the old lady he said, “Tell me what will you do if you had a large win on lotto about 1 million pounds?” The old woman replied “I would give half of it to you”. The doctor fell down dead with a shock. With or without it money can change a person’s mood.

The last statement of money is “Yes, I am ruler of the world”. This statement to some extent is true. Now the world is divided into two, those who have money and those who do not have it. The real deciders of these world affairs are the money holders. Some poor countries in the world consult IMF for their approval before some economic policies are introduced. Money also rules some individuals, and others have learnt how not to live under the bondage of money. All the powers that money exercises on people come from the people themselves, so one can choose to make money master or servant. The choice is yours

TEN LOVE MISTAKES LOVERS MAKE BEFORE MARRIAGE

Lovers before marriage get intoxicated in what they call it ‘love’. They are meticulous in choosing schools, careers, religious organizations and other things that deal with choice. But when it comes to love leading to marriage they commit common mistakes that can be avoided. These are the mistakes you need to know.
1. Choosing or dating somebody you do not love. Most people are in such relationships because of other benefits other than love. Never be involved in such a relationship else you will regret later.
2. Choosing or dating a partner who does not love you. You can love the person because Christian principles demand that we love all people unconditionally, but it is dangerous to marry a partner who does not love you in premarital relationship.
3. Trying to please your partner. Set yourself free from that love trap. Because it is impossible to please your partner all the time. This does not negate the fact that you can do something that makes your partner happy. What I mean here is trying to please him or her at your own disadvantage.
4. Confusing sex with love. It is a lie and a double mistake to assume that your partner loves you because the person is having sex with you or wants to have sex with you. Sex should not be equated with love. There are several reasons why people have sex with others.
5. Making your feelings to decide for you. If it is your motto that “love is blind” then it is likely that you will overlook all the bad habits in your partner and fall for the person. In love matters you need to weigh issues, make assessment and evaluate all the actions and reactions between you and your partner. Those who are blinded by love fall down.
6. Thinking that there is only one person out there for you. Some people think that there is only one person that they can marry and if their love for the person is not reciprocated then there is no option. It is a mistake to have that notion. Even if you are jilted in love there is a possibility for you to meet another person. The funniest thing I hear some lovers say before marriage is “If I do not marry this person I will die”. If they go ahead and marry the said person, you meet them again and they say “If I do not divorce this person I will die”.
7. Comparing your partner to other people’s partners. The grass will always look greener if you look from a distance but when you get there you won’t see it, so don’t compare.
8. Keeping a chain of relationships with two or more partners at the same time. This leads to unfaithfulness in the relationship. That is why a lot of people are torn between two partners, and some are torn among multiple of lovers.
9. When one is always discussing his or her past relationship with the current partner. This raises a lot of questions and it breeds jealousy.
10. Master-slave relationship. One’s social status, education, look, age or wealth should not make him or her superior to the partner who lacks it. The couple should see themselves as a king and a queen or a prince and princess. When they see themselves as equals it makes the relationship stable and it brings respect to each other.
Why don’t you weigh your relationship today and see if you find these mistakes in it. Work out to eliminate them and develop a healthy relationship before marriage.

JESUS' PARTY

His party is the greatest.
His party is the best.
People may have different votes.
But in Christ Jesus there is one hope.
The party has the largest following.
Cast your vote for Him and you won’t go borrowing.
Other parties mystify truth.
Jesus’ party clarify truth.
Some parties talk about ideals.
Jesus’ party exemplify love.
Some parties classify differences.
Jesus’ party unify goals.
The tomb of other party leaders show their weaknesses.
But the tomb of Jesus shows His greatness.
Jesus’party has a comprehensive manifesto.
It covers all the needs of humanity.
Including spiritual, physical, social and emotional needs.
Other parties headquarters are located at the garage of earth.
Jesus’ party headquarters is in the golden city-heaven
It is only Jesus’ party that can heal the broken hearted and set the captive free.
It is only Jesus’ party that can make the lame to walk.
And cause the blind to see.
It is only Jesus’ party that can feed the hungry stomachs and make the dead rise again.
Other parties have myopic vision.
Jesus’ party provides for today and the future.
The party’s Founder is preparing ultra, ultra, ultra mansions for all who come to Him.
It is a tax-free society.
No electricity and water bills.
Because He is the Great Light and Water of Life.
There will be no cemeteries, because death will be no more.
The list goes on and on…
JOIN JESUS’ PARTY NOW.
CAST YOUR VOTE FOR JESUS.
DON’T BE DECEIVED, CAST YOUR VOTE WISELY.

By Tuffour Francis