The obvious step, then, is for companies to take a cue from far-sighted firms like Connecticut’s Adaptive Marketing LLC. As well as financial benefits programs including Todays Escapes (MVQ*TRAVELMEMBER) designed for the benefit of consumers, Adaptive Marketing takes on the organizational necessities so that its employees have more time to reach out to the community. Luckily, company-supported volunteering is more than blood drives and annual charitable giving. The staff of Adaptive Marketing are regularly provided with opportunities to get involved in community initiatives requiring greater and lesser amounts of effort. For these events, the locations, dates and times of the events were published well in advance, making it convenient for staff members to know what to expect, and the exact amount of time each event might specifically require from them.

Giving volunteers their say in what initiatives are available is important. Firms involved in this like Adaptive Marketing, the developers of the membership program Todays Escapes (MVQ*TRAVELMEMBER), offer their staff a wide range of projects in their community. These may include helping out children and young adults, community projects in arts, encouraging environmental initiatives et cetera. This provides Adaptive Marketing volunteers with the opportunity to use their time in meaningful, important ways and relish their time volunteering. When firms ask their members of staff to consider volunteering at schools, it tends to be during an individual event or a regularly scheduled, ongoing project. Staff may well say they don’t have the free time, though one would be surprised if they genuinely can’t set aside the hours to help at one instalment of a long-term project. You’ll find plenty of tales of firms finding ways of helping the citizens of their home town. A sense of community goodwill builds from the volunteer participation of Adaptive Marketing’s staff members over the course of these company-sponsored initiatives. One thing volunteer work is guaranteed to do is leave your workforce feeling good about themselves, creating a motivated business.

Initiatives like these were always rare occasions – in today’s world, so much more can be achieved. Shoe recycling initiatives and more active work like tree planting weekends – these are just some of the activities that have been made possible for its workforce by Adaptive Marketing. In these cases, the dates, times and locations of the events were announced, ensuring that staff members knew what to expect, and how much time a given event might actually require from them.

Making sure volunteers have a say in what programs are available is also important. Firms involved in this like Adaptive Marketing, present their staff members with a diverse list of local projects to get involved with. Staff members may find themselves community projects in arts and culture, working with youth activities, promoting environmental initiatives etc. Adaptive Marketing’s members of staff have so much to choose from that they’re certain to have something they enjoy, making their time enjoyable as well as effective.

Commonly a company-supported volunteer initiative – fundraising with a local school or assisting at a homeless shelter – is either done on a regular schedule or as a one-off event. No matter how short the time you have, we’d expect you can still find some activity to suit, which makes time no obstacle to charitable work. It’s hardly a new practice for firms to help out the community which they serve. Goodwill builds from the projects undertaken by Adaptive Marketing’s staff members, and the staff members of companies like it, over the course of these company sponsored projects. Helping around your hometown leaves you feeling like a better person – just the sort of thing to motivate your workforce in both their volunteer activities and back behind their desks, too. By now, we think, the rewards for everyone involved of a company supported volunteer program are are plain to see.

Thus, some companies are making themselves into points of organization to help their employees give back to the community through volunteer activities. One of the leaders in this is Adaptive Marketing LLC who also offer shopping and financial benefits programs including Leisure Exclusives to consumers.

Such initiatives were always annual, minor activities – but this has come to be seen as just the beginning. Shoe recycling initiatives and more energetic efforts like tree planting weekends – these and other activities have been scheduled by Adaptive Marketing for its employees. For these events, the dates, times and locations that had been arranged were announced, making sure that staff members knew what to expect, and how much of their time it would actually take.

It’s important to let volunteers choose projects that fit their interests. Employees of Adaptive Marketing, the firm who developed the financial benefits program Leisure Exclusives, choose from among a great many events. Prior projects have ranged between a wide range of areas including education for children and young adults, green projects, and events related to artistic projects. Adaptive Marketing’s members of staff have so much to choose from that they’re sure to have something they enjoy to volunteer for, ensuring they’ll spend their time productively and happily.

A one-off event or a regularly scheduled day – these are the usual ways for a firm to organize this kind of volunteer initiative, often at a nearby homeless shelter or the local school. Even those who claim they don’t have time to volunteer can usually commit to the public library’s sale of used books. Turning their profit-making skills to help the community around them is a practice with a storied history at many firms. The good worksefforts of the employees at Adaptive Marketing spread important goodwill around their home base. Helping others can make you feel like a better person – just the sort of thing to make staffers motivated both in their volunteer activities and back behind their desks. By now, we think, the positives of a company-sponsored volunteer drive for everyone involved are are obvious.

Thus, a number of companies are creating initiatives to help their employees work for the community. A leader in this field is Adaptive Marketing LLC of Connecticut who also offer financial benefits programs including ValueMax to consumers.

Fortunately, company-supported charitable work is more than blood drives and annual charitable giving. Athletic shoe recycling initiatives and more energetic campaigns like tree replanting events – these are among the activities that have been arranged for its employees by Adaptive Marketing. For events like these, the dates, times and locations that had been arranged were posted, which made it easy for employees to know what to expect, and the specific amount of time each event might specifically require.

Naturally, it’s essential to let volunteers select projects according to their own interests. At Adaptive Marketing, the company behind ValueMax, the workforce can pick and choose from a wide assortment of volunteer drives in their local area. Prior projects have ranged between a wide assortment of areas including aid and assistance for children and young adults, green programs, and events supporting theatre. Adaptive Marketing’s employees have so much to choose from that they’re certain to find something they enjoy, ensuring they’ll spend their time effectively. Usually a company supported volunteer program – fundraising with a homeless shelter, say, or helping out at a local school – is either done on a regular schedule or as a one-off event. Even those who say they haven’t time can arrange for the public library’s sale of used books or a Saturday morning spent litter picking in the park.

Lending a helping hand is a long-standing tradition at many companies. A sense of community goodwill builds from the projects undertaken by Adaptive Marketing’s employees, and the employees of companies like it, through company-sponsored projects like those touched on in this article. Assisting others leaves you feeling like a better person – just the sort of thing to leave staffers motivated in both their regular work and their volunteer activities.

The America we love to love is that of Michael Moore, the voice of the true America that will not be silenced …Here is his message to you:

Dear friends,

It appears that the Bush administration will have succeeded in colonizing Iraq sometime in the next few days. This is a blunder of such magnitude — and we will pay for it for years to come. It was not worth the life of one single American kid in uniform, let alone the thousands of Iraqis who have died, and my condolences and prayers go out to all of them.

So, where are all those weapons of mass destruction that were the pretense for this war? Ha! There is so much to say about all this, but I will save it for later.

What I am most concerned about right now is that all of you — the majority of Americans who did not support this war in the first place — not go silent or be intimidated by what will be touted as some great military victory. Now, more than ever, the voices of peace and truth must be heard. I have received a lot of mail from people who are feeling a profound sense of despair and believe that their voices have been drowned out by the drums and bombs of false patriotism. Some are afraid of retaliation at work or at school or in their neighborhoods because they have been vocal proponents of peace. They have been told over and over that it is not “appropriate” to protest once the country is at war, and that your only duty now is to “support the troops.”

Can I share with you what it’s been like for me since I used my time on the Oscar stage two weeks ago to speak out against Bush and this war? I hope that, in reading what I’m about to tell you, you’ll feel a bit more emboldened to make your voice heard in whatever way or forum that is open to you.

When “Bowling for Columbine” was announced as the Oscar winner for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards, the audience rose to its feet. It was a great moment, one that I will always cherish. They were standing and cheering for a film that says we Americans are a uniquely violent people, using our massive stash of guns to kill each other and to use them against many countries around the world. They were applauding a film that shows George W. Bush using fictitious fears to frighten the public into giving him whatever he wants. And they were honoring a film that states the following: The first Gulf War was an attempt to reinstall the dictator of Kuwait; Saddam Hussein was armed with weapons from the United States; and the American government is responsible for the deaths of a half-million children in Iraq over the past decade through its sanctions and bombing. That was the movie they were cheering, that was the movie they voted for, and so I decided that is what I should ackno wledge in my speech.

And, thus, I said the following from the Oscar stage:

“On behalf of our producers Kathleen Glynn and Michael Donovan (from Canada), I would like to thank the Academy for this award. I have invited the other Documentary nominees on stage with me. They are here in solidarity because we like non-fiction. We like non-fiction because we live in fictitious times. We live in a time where fictitious election results give us a fictitious president. We are now fighting a war for fictitious reasons. Whether it’s the fiction of duct tape or the fictitious ‘Orange Alerts,’ we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And, whenever you’ve got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, you’re time is up.”

Halfway through my remarks, some in the audience started to cheer. That immediately set off a group of people in the balcony who started to boo. Then those supporting my remarks started to shout down the booers. The L. A. Times reported that the director of the show started screaming at the orchestra “Music! Music!” in order to cut me off, so the band dutifully struck up a tune and my time was up. (For more on why I said what I said, you can read the op-ed I wrote for the L.A. Times, plus other reaction from around the country at my website www.michaelmoore.com)

The next day — and in the two weeks since — the right-wing pundits and radio shock jocks have been calling for my head. So, has all this ruckus hurt me? Have they succeeded in “silencing” me?

Well, take a look at my Oscar “backlash”:

— On the day after I criticized Bush and the war at the Academy Awards, attendance at “Bowling for Columbine” in theaters around the country went up 110% (source: Daily Variety/BoxOfficeMojo.com). The following weekend, the box office gross was up a whopping 73% (Variety). It is now the longest-running consecutive commercial release in America, 26 weeks in a row and still thriving. The number of theaters showing the film since the Oscars has INCREASED, and it has now bested the previous box office record for a documentary by nearly 300%.

— Yesterday (April 6), “Stupid White Men” shot back to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This is my book’s 50th week on the list, 8 of them at number one, and this marks its fourth return to the top position, something that virtually never happens.

— In the week after the Oscars, my website was getting 10-20 million hits A DAY (one day we even got more hits than the White House!). The mail has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive (and the hate mail has been hilarious!).

— In the two days following the Oscars, more people pre-ordered the video for “Bowling for Columbine” on Amazon.com than the video for the Oscar winner for Best Picture, “Chicago”.

— In the past week, I have obtained funding for my next documentary, and I have been offered a slot back on television to do an updated version of “TV Nation”/ “The Awful Truth.”

I tell you all of this because I want to counteract a message that is told to us all the time — that, if you take a chance to speak out politically, you will live to regret it. It will hurt you in some way, usually financially. You could lose your job. Others may not hire you. You will lose friends. And on and on and on.

Take the Dixie Chicks. I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that, because their lead singer mentioned how she was ashamed that Bush was from her home state of Texas, their record sales have “plummeted” and country stations are boycotting their music. The truth is that their sales are NOT down. This week, after all the attacks, their album is still at #1 on the Billboard country charts and, according to Entertainment Weekly, on the pop charts during all the brouhaha, they ROSE from #6 to #4. In the New York Times, Frank Rich reports that he tried to find a ticket to ANY of the Dixie Chicks’ upcoming concerts but he couldn’t because they were all sold out. (To read Rich’s column from yesterday’s Times, “Bowling for Kennebunkport,” go here: http://www.michaelmoore.com/articles/index.php?article=20030406-nytimes. He does a pretty good job of laying it all out and talks about my next film and the impact it could potentially have.) Their song, “Travelin’ Soldier” (a beautiful anti-war ballad) was the most requested song on the internet last week. They have not been hurt at all — but that is not what the media would have you believe. Why is that? Because there is nothing more important now than to keep the voices of dissent — and those who would dare to ask a question — SILENT. And what better way than to try and take a few well-known entertainers down with a pack of lies so that the average Joe or Jane gets the message loud and clear: “Wow, if they would do that to the Dixie Chicks or Michael Moore, what would they do to little ol’ me?” In other words, shut the f— up.

And that, my friends, is the real point of this film that I just got an Oscar for — how those in charge use FEAR to manipulate the public into doing whatever they are told.

Well, the good news — if there can be any good news this week — is that not only have neither I nor others been silenced, we have been joined by millions of Americans who think the same way we do. Don’t let the false patriots intimidate you by setting the agenda or the terms of the debate. Don’t be defeated by polls that show 70% of the public in favor of the war. Remember that these Americans being polled are the same Americans whose kids (or neighbor’s kids) have been sent over to Iraq. They are scared for the troops and they are being cowed into supporting a war they did not want — and they want even less to see their friends, family, and neighbors come home dead. Everyone supports the troops returning home alive and all of us need to reach out and let their families know that.

Unfortunately, Bush and Co. are not through yet. This invasion and conquest will encourage them to do it again elsewhere. The real purpose of this war was to say to the rest of the world, “Don’t Mess with Texas – If You Got What We Want, We’re Coming to Get It!” This is not the time for the majority of us who believe in a peaceful America to be quiet. Make your voices heard. Despite what they have pulled off, it is still our country.

Yours,

Michael Moore www.michaelmoore.com

About the Author

Al Seidi, Nevine, Egyptian-born (1961) obtained her BA in English Literature(Honours) from Alexandria University Egypt. She grew up in an artistic literary home where her dad acted and wrote scripts while keeping a private office of law as a Solicitor. To please him, she had to read the concise version of Shakespeare at 8 for her summer holiday. She trained as a painter at 6 under the patronage of world-famous Seif Wanli. At the age of 13, she started composing poetry in both English and Arabic. She won many contests as a painter and a poet. She has been a writer to her own circle of literary society, eversince. At the age of 18, she started getting interested in fashion seriously.She was determined to follow a career in fashion albeit studing literature. Highly, interested in theology, philosophy,sociology, economics, politics and very well informed in fashion, beauty and business. She tapped into various professions, before a career in fashion that ended at the threshold of creative writing again.Her moment of initiation was the birth of her only son Omar,now3. “Suddenly, the fashion world seemed a little too selfish a pursuit; motherhood anchored me to the reality of things. Unfortuanately, reality is not as beautiful as the fashion world” – She explains. She is an active journalist writer and poet with a deep interest in political and social affairs. She writes on many web sites on various subjects as well as various publications and periodicals. As a poet, she is published in the US. Some of her work appear in an anthology published by the L ibrary of Congress entitled: Nature’s Echoes One of her most interesting poems is published in Millennium Poets by Cader Publisheing. The Poem is titled : Surrogate God . Though amusing, it hardly expresses the poet’s belief. It is rather an expression of a mood. She is presently writing her first book: The Cultural Predicament of the Third World The Ethical vs. the Ethnical

Consequently, some firms are integrating organizing points encouraging their employees to support the community. One of the more significant examples is Adaptive Marketing LLC of Connecticut who developed shopping programs such as SavingsAce (MVQ*SAVEACE) to consumers. Company sponsoring charitable work has grown beyond once-a-year collections for charity. Looking at just one company, Adaptive Marketing has provided its staff members with chances to take part in everything from shoe recycling campaigns to local tree-planting days. For these events, the locations, dates and times of the events were announced, which made it convenient for employees to know what to expect, and how much of their time it would expectably take. Of course, it’s important to let volunteers select projects according to their own interests. Companies involved in this like Adaptive Marketing, (who offer to the public programs like SavingsAce (MVQ*SAVEACE)) present their staff members with a wide variety of projects. You’ll soon see your civic-minded employees getting involved in arts and culture, working with children and young adults, encouraging green initiatives etc. Adaptive Marketing’s staff members have so much to choose from that they’re certain to choose something they enjoy, ensuring they’ll spend their time happily as well as productively.

Most often a company sponsored volunteer initiative — fundraising with a local school, for example, or helping out at a homeless shelter — is done either as a one-off event or on a regular schedule in pursuit of a bigger goal. So if you can only find a few hours to assist at a Saturday morning spent litter picking in the park or the public library’s sale of used books, you’ve still got plenty of time to make a difference.

You’ll find plenty of examples of companies supporting the citizens of their home town. Community goodwill is created by the volunteer work done by Adaptive Marketing’s staff over the course of these programs. Helping around your home town makes you feel a lot better about yourself — which is just the sort of feeling to make employees motivated both in their daily work and their volunteer activities.

There are already many lawsuits filed in various counties across the United States against the contraceptive producer. This number is expected to reach 1,000. Typically, those effected by Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella can submit a case evaluation at TheLegalAdvocate.com to have a lawyer review their information in order to be provided with answers and eventually representation.

Women taking Yasmin, Yaz or Ocella to avoid becoming pregnant or to treat PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) or severe acne have reportedly sustained extreme injury to their health and wellness. Although most pharmaceuticals present some form of side effects, the main event surrounding Yaz seems to be that the original commercials downplayed the health risks and side effects. This attracted users to the product that may not have taken it otherwise had they been properly informed about the risks posed by Ocella, Yasmin and Yaz.