Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Dog Whispering: Origins Of A Phrase And A Philosophy

What Is Dog Whispering?

Dog whispering is more than a matter of talking nicely to your dog.

It's about understanding your dog by reading and interpreting its body language. In turn, you communicate your response to your dog through your body language and actions. From an outside perspective, the calm yet firm way of the whisperer gives the impression that he or she has a bond with the animal that is more natural, or even mystical.

That Movie

The phrase itself is a borrowing from "horse whisperer," which became popular after Nicholas Evans' 1995 novel of the same name was made into a Hollywood movie starring Robert Redford in 1998. The story centers on a real life horse trainer, Irishman Daniel Sullivan. In the early 1800s, Sullivan gained notoriety all over England with his uncanny ability to train and rehabilitate problem horses. He kept his techniques mostly secret and passed them down to his prodigy Willis J. Powell, who took the knowledge overseas to the Americas. There it was passed down again and again in the same way until this secretive method was ultimately revealed more openly.

The idea of "whispering" as a form of training and especially rehabilitating problem horses began to be applied in a wider sense, not only to cattle and livestock, but also to domesticated pets, especially dogs. Dog whispering, like horse whispering, places a heavy investment in understanding the dog by studying their behavior, and responding to them with calm and firm guidance in turn.

That Guy

The best known dog whisperer today is Cesar Millan, who gained fame with his television series, The Dog Whisperer, on the National Geographic Channel. Originally from Mexico, Millan came to the United States in the 1990s. Knowing he had a proven ability to communicate with dogs in a healthy, productive, and humane way, he set out to help dog owners do the same.

Millan's techniques emphasize the importance of establishing yourself as a confident and dependable leader, and his philosophy revolves around the principles of "exercise, discipline and affection."

Nothing Too New

Even though Millan popularized the "Dog Whisperer" tag, and "dog whispering" has become a very hot topic in dog obedience training, the method and techniques it refers to are not necessarily new, nor are they unique to Cesar Millan. Though it should be said that Millan is a genuinely intuitive and caring dog trainer (or "rehabilitator," as he calls himself), and he offers a great deal to troubled dogs and troubled trainers.

Dog whispering as a dog training philosophy has been around for as long as there have been owners and trainers who deeply understand and respect these animals on their terms and "in their language." It simply occurred under different names.

Either way, those who embrace this philosophy all have one thing in common: they treat dogs neither as humans on four legs or as personal servants at our command, but as dogs.

Martin Olliver has over 12 years experience in dog training and is a proud member of the Kingdom of Pets team (http://www.kingdomofpets.com). For more great articles on dog training, including Dog Whispering: 2 Common Misconceptions, visit: http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/articles/dog_whispering.php.

The Leo Wanta Saga, Pt 24: Disturbing Twists and Turns in Release of Wanta Money and $4.5 Trillion for American People

Ambassador Leo Wanta's righteous quest to repatriate $4.5 trillion back into the U.S. economy has taken a twisted and disturbing turn for the worse, according to Michael C. Cottrell, treasurer of AmeriTrust Groupe, Inc., the corporation formed to distribute the money to the American people.

Cottrell said James R. Wilkinson, deputy national security advisor for communications, last Thursday signed off on the release of the money being held in a Clearing House Interbank Payment System credit account (CHIPS), an account credited to Goldman Sachs and Co. at Citibank.

Wilkinson and Henry M. Paulson, Jr., secretary of the Treasury, are the only two officials with signature approval over the $4.5 trillion Wanta money, but both have failed to comment publicly.

Wilkinson assumed his post in 2003 after serving as Director of Strategic Communications for General Tommy R. Franks. In his present position, he reports directly to the National Security Advisor and the White House with the specific task of crafting long-term messaging for the National Security Council.

However, according to Cottrell, after Wilkinson officially "signed-off" on the $4.5 trillion, disturbing twists and turns began to take place as the funds never were properly directed into Ambassador Wanta's account.

"We tried calling Paulson a week ago, but his secretary told us, point blank, never expect a call back from him - ever," said Cottrell Wednesday in an extended telephone conversation about the reluctance of the highest officials in the land to release trillions that would benefit the American economy.

Instead, after repeated inquiries, Cottrell learned the Bush administration had deviously devised an illegal plan to defraud Ambassador Wanta and, in turn, the American people by diverting the CHIPS account first to the Deutsche Bank/Berlin and then to two other banks.

Cottrell added this method of "signing-off and then transferring credit accounts" is used by less than scrupulous individuals as a financial smokescreen, giving the appearance the money is being released when, in fact, it is being illegally diverted for other purposes.

"They have been lying to everyone and it is clear they never want to release the $1.6 trillion into the U.S. Treasury. They are simply trying to steal the money and it appears they really want to bring down the economy and the country," said Cottrell, referring to the $1.6 trillion to be paid by Ambassador Wanta in federal taxes generated by the massive $4.5 trillion settlement.

Concerning the specific details of how officials are planning to illegally divert the Wanta money, Cottrell added:

"The process involves applying the credit of the Goldman Sachs chip to Deutsche Bank/Berlin's books. And then Deutsche Bank, through its subsidiaries, using that credit, which is illegal, begins doing a buy and sell on bank instruments, deriving a substantial profit which would eventually come back to one of several U.S. banks, for example, Wachovia.

"To verify this we have been contacted by three different credible sources telling us that this is exactly what's going on behind the scenes with Ambassador Wanta's money.

"But the main thing to remember is that the credit chip ($4.5 trillion) at Goldman and Sachs that's under Wilkinson and Paulson's signatures is specifically tagged for AmeriTrust Groupe, Inc., /Ambassador Leo Wanta and not for any other purpose which would be highly illegal."

In what has become known in international financial circles as one of the most important and explosive stories in the history of modern banking, the Wanta settlement has been the subject of a Bush administration cover-up ever since Ambassador Wanta entered into an official written agreement in November 2005 to repatriate money for the betterment of the American economy.

Further, in May Wanta verbally agreed to the distribution of the $4.5 trillion with President Bush along with the assistance of one Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) court judge and two U.S. Supreme Court Justices.

The settlement, also negotiated with the help of two major U.S. law firms, represents only a portion of the $27.5 trillion offshore fund established at the end of the Cold War, which is now under the legal control of Ambassador Wanta, as duly appointed trustor, a position given to him by former President Ronald Reagan.

Furthermore, it was always the intention of President Reagan and Ambassador Wanta to use the money for the benefit of the American people. But after Reagan left the political spotlight, Wanta was indiscriminately and illegally jailed by operatives working for the last three presidential administrations, who have instead pilfered the trillions for their own agenda and personal gain.

After Wanta's release from a Wisconsin jail in 2005, he was instructed in a 2003 memorandum opinion by Federal Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, to try and return the $27.5 trillion to U.S. coffers according to President Reagan's instructions.

The $4.5 trillion settlement is a culmination of his efforts after finding a dark and ominous financial trail of theft, bribery and deception, discovering in his quest to retrace the whereabouts of the offshore money that much of it had been stolen or diverted for private use by the last three presidential administrations.

Wanta also discovered, to his dismay, that a CIA disinformation campaign had been waged, spreading false rumors of his death, making it easier for those criminals inside the government to abscond with trillions.

To date he has provided the Arctic Beacon with documentation of more than $745 billion in stolen funds, including accounts leading to Bush. Sr., Neil Bush and former President Clinton. Wanta added that, at the time he entered into the settlement in May, he had further identified upwards of $2 trillion in stolen funds from accounts under his control, keeping the documentation as financial leverage in case the $4.5 trillion settlement falls through.

And since President Bush was notified in writing of the settlement in July, observers claim his "false American colors" have come shining through as he placed an immediate illegal hold on the money in an effort to protect the "financial dike from exploding" and the criminals in government being exposed, instead of doing the right thing and injecting an immediate trillion dollar boost into the American economy.

Regarding the possibility of a release of the much needed Wanta funds, Cottrell pointed to Sept. 7 as a date to watch. He said this date is important as the Chinese government has verbally backed Wanta's repatriation efforts, linking it together with earned investments owed the Chinese by the U.S. in the amount of $32 trillion.

After learning of the Wanta settlement and the fact the Ambassador was still alive, the Chinese set a Sept. 7 due date for the return of their investment money, long since frozen by U.S. authorities in what has become known as the "China Foundation Money."

"The link between Ambassador Wanta and the $32 trillion owed the Chinese goes back to the days of World War II-Cold War and connections with his Chinese business partner, Howe Kwong-Kok," said Cottrell, who also will appear on Greg Szymanski's radio show, The Investigative Journal, on Thursday at 1pm central at http://www.rbnlive.com and 2pm central at http://www.gcnlive.com to discuss the financial details of the Wanta story. "Out of loyalty and respect, the Chinese have thrown their support behind Ambassador Wanta and have applied added pressure so that U.S authorities release the money.

"It is also interesting that Treasury Secretary Paulson is on his way to China Thursday and we will have to wait and see if the administration does the right thing."

In other related financial shenanigans of an estimated $300 trillion in offshore money at the disposal of Bush Sr. and others intentionally diverting it from the American economy, Cottrell reported that $25 trillion of related offshore funds has been illegally sent to India in order to remove the funds from the immediate spotlight being shone into the eyes of the criminal gangs operating at the very heart of the U.S. Government and its structures.

The India connection, previously reported by Christopher Story of the International Currency Review of London, detailed the sophisticated money laundering scheme aimed at defrauding Ambassador Wanta, foreign governments owed money under the Reagan Cold War protocols and, of course, the much maligned American people.

"Specifically, the proceeds of these fund-washing operations are placed back onto the books from which funds were diverted, with the self-enrichment profits being transferred to India in the form of bonds. The key perpetrators of these continuing frauds include the President and Vice President of the United States, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Dr Ben Bernanke, the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, and also two successive Secretaries of the Treasury (John Snow and Henry M. Paulson).

Story continued: "Without going into excessive detail, the illegal operations have the effect of laundering U.S. dollars, including American taxpayers' funds of course, off the books, in collaboration with corrupt foreign officials and elected leaders with the crooked, illegal proceeds being placed back onto the books where 'holes' created by previous organized financial scams need most urgently to be plugged.

"These ongoing frauds, sanctioned at the highest levels, enable past giga-financial scams to be covered up while holders of high office participate in successive fraudulent transactions off the books with corrupt foreign counterparties lodging their illegal untaxed profits offshore. The attitude of the criminals involved is that the purpose of holding high office is self-enrichment, rather than serving the US nation and the abused American people."

Besides the Wanta settlement and Chinese money owed, under the Reagan protocols Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Spain are involved, having a special interest in the way U.S. authorities handle the Wanta settlement and the offshore money since they are due to be paid $5 billion each. In addition, $30 billion is payable to the Russian Federation.

Asked about the impending worldwide ramifications if the U.S. fails to meet its commitments, Cottrell said:

"The ramifications are, one, that the Chinese will pull the plug on all their credit chips and, two, that all the banks will also withhold or not deal with any transactions that involves the U.S. government.

"In other words, the long term financial ramifications are that the U.S. would become insolvent and go into bankruptcy as the economy comes tumbling down unnecessarily on the American people."

Greg Szymanski

Tips on Saving Money During Home Improvement Projects

Tips on Saving Money During Home Improvement Projects

John and Marylyn finally had enough money to buy a new home. It wasnt built from scratch but rather belonged to a family who lived in it for 40 years.

The foundation was still strong and the pipes were in good condition. Some retouches the couple said and this place will be good as new.

Many people think that it will cost a fortune to do a makeover on homes. This isnt true because there are ways to save money and still achieve the intended objective for those who will be living in the household.

Here are a few tips from those who can save money on home improvement projects.

The first will be to go around the house and see which areas need a makeover. Each of these places should be checked for cracks or leaks that may have accumulated through the years given that it has stood for a number of years.

Next, will be to get the advise of a friend who is an interior designer who can give some advice on how to make this happen. The expert might say this has to be torn down and replaced. These are all good ideas and this will all boil down to how much it will cost to finish the entire project.

If the quote is too expensive, perhaps asking friends and family who know other contractors who can do the job for less the price can be called in. These professionals can also be hired at an affordable price during lean months when there is not that much work going on in the neighborhood.

Those who are very hands on can replace the old shelves and cabinets by buying pre-assembled versions that are available from the hardware or furniture store. These are easy to install and can be screwed or set against the wall.

Another thing hands on people can do is repainting the ceiling or walls in the home. All the person has to do is buy some paint and plan when this will be done. The task can be done weekly so that one area of the house is finished before moving on to the next.

Home improvement is something that can be done at anytime that those in the household think it is proper. Going over the costs and knowing when this will be done can save the homeowner a few hundred dollars for other expenses.

The above article was written by Sarah Miller on behalf of a buzzing online Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling Contractors community where homeowners easily and painlessly find the right contractor for their home improvement projects and in turn, contractors can find the right Home Improvement Leads! Also check out the http://QuoteCity.com Blog for more related Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling Articles and Ideas.