The execution of Troy Davis proves, yet again, that the death penalty is obscene. Very many people believed in his innocence but no matter what his crime that lethal injection is a worse crime. It is worse because it is supposedly administered by a democratic government. It is supposedly administered by a government which sends troops to defend people in other countries from being tortured and killed by their governments. Death row is an appalling indictment on the U.S. government which is totally out of step with all civilised nations who have banned the death penalty. What does it achieve? Certainly the prisoner, whether innocent or guilty, is dead. Does that prevent other murders, other rapes? It doesn’t seem to have any effect on crime rates. What about the fact that innocent people must have been executed before DNA was introduced? The death penalty is really a throwback to the Klu Klux Klan mentality. Every decent person should abhor it.

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There are thousands of diet plans in books, magazines and even in newspapers. Everyone you know has suggestions as to what to eat and how to eat. Some diets are bizarre while others appeal more to our commonsense. Obviously eating burgers, chips and coke every day will not help us become slim, trim and brimful of energy. We all know vegetables and fruit are good for us. Yet many of us continue to put on weight simply because we are couch potatoes. . What we have to do is to keep ourselves busy and occupied so that food does not take a dominant role in our lives. That does not mean that we have to run three marathons a week. It doesn’t mean that we have to take to the rapids in flimsy canoes every weekend. Exercise is important of course but a walk to the next bus stop is just as good if you do it regularly. Boredom is what makes many of us eat too much. You have to keep your mind occupied by having interests and hobbies. So join a club or go to classes Do anything that keeps your mind off food and your body off the sofa. So don’t diet, do it instead.

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Now is the only moment we have. So we should make the most of it. Whatever we want or need to do now is the time to do it. It is a pity that most of us do not recognise this fact. We procrastinate. We change our minds. We do something easier or less pressing. We do not accept the wonder of the here and now. Put simply we are time wasters yet time is the most precious commodity we have. That is not to say that we all have ambitions to go to the moon or discover a lost continent. Yet each one of us knows that there is something important for us t do in our lives. Each one of us knows that we need fulfilment. Each one of us knows that we can achieve something special. The things we can do may not change the world but they can change our world. So go on, make the most of now.

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Most of us would love to be described as a real lady or as a gentleman. The trouble is that most of us confuse manners with etiquette. We confuse knowing the right cutlery or the right forms of address to use with being mannerly. Yet having good manners is really about making people feel at ease in your company. It shouldn’t matter if you are speaking to a Lord or a layabout. What should matter is that when you are speaking to them they should feel as though what they say really matters to you. Manners are about consideration for others. They are about putting other people first. Whether we are on the road, in the store or in the office we should be polite to all we meet. In a rushed world we can forget the little niceties that are so important. We don’t teach our children to stand up and offer seats on the bus. We forget to say, “Please” and “Thank you.” People at work are under great strain because of the recession and they often take it out on their workmates. Such rudeness will never be profitable but having excellent and mannerly working relationships will help the company function better. Manners are about making others feel valued for who they are and what they have to offer. So manners really do matter.

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Fast food outlets are headed to make customers even more unhealthy. In a move to cope with the recession Burger King are intending to sell beer with their burgers. Starbucks and Sonic are also in on the act. So it seems as though Americans will soon be even more obese because of all those extra calories in the alcohol. If they can’t resist chips they certainly won’t resist an ice cold drink on a hot day. Furthermore it will almost certainly encourage clients to drink and drive. Then too it will send out the message to youngsters that drinking alcohol is as much part of everyday life as eating junk food. Who is going to pay the bill for all the extra heart attacks and cases of diabetes resulting from too much self indulgence? One thing is certain It won’t be the fast food outlets.

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September 10th is world suicide prevention day. There will meetings and seminars attended by those who have been bereaved by the suicide of a loved one. They will express their feelings of grief. They will be speaking of the hurt of not knowing why their loved one committed suicide. They will speak of their frustration at not having been able to prevent it happening. The specialists who will speak at such seminars will speak of depression as being a primary cause. It’s up to us all to accept depression as being as common as the measles or mumps. It’s up to us all to accept it publicly as an illness that can be treated rather than something that has to be hidden. If we suspect anyone of being depressed we should try to help them by listening to their problems and by referring them to their doctors. It’s time we all realised that suicide can happen to any family at any time. We all need to be alert to the signs and to act on them.

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A persuasive speech is a bit like Chinese whispers. You know that game children play when they whisper a message in their friend’s ear and that friend repeats it to another and so on. Sometimes the message changes completely but usually the original message is somewhere in the final version. So if your persuasive speech is about saving the world from hunger it may end up as a speech about having a coffee morning in aid of starving children in the third world. If your speech is good then the reason is probably because we hear what we want to hear. We cannot take on board the whole problem of world hunger but we can be touched by the fact that children are hungry and we can do something about it. So when you are writing a persuasive speech it is very important to get your message across repeatedly in the speech. That is not to say you should keep saying the same things but if you start by saying millions of people are starving just now you should definitely end by saying “There is something positive YOU can do.”

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Every one of us is different. In fact every single one of is unique. That’s something we tend to forget. We refer to groups of people such as politicians, teachers or workers. Yet every such group is made up of individuals all with differing personalities and talents. Every single one of us has something different to offer the world. Every single one of us can make a difference. It is a question of getting to know yourself and your abilities. Many of us waste time and energy trying to be like other people. That is not to say that others cannot teach us something but we should never forget our own potential and our own magic. When we look at others it’s alright to admire them for what they are or what they do. Yet it is even better to know that you stand out from the crowd because of your own individuality. So think about it and say, “I am me, you are you!”

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“Life is real life is earnest”, so say the words of the poem. That is, of course if you cannot see the happy side of life. That is if you are a pessimist and refuse to be positive. That is if you never see the amusing things that happen. That is if you don’t laugh and share such laughter with others. Doctors have proven it, scientists have studied it and all the experts agree that laughter is the best medicine. So why make yourself unhappy? What make yourself unpopular simply because you never laugh, never smile. Such serious people are never popular and are considered dull and boring. That is not to say, of course, that there are not tragedies in life. It is not to say that everything is funny when patently it isn’t. It is merely to say there is a balance in everything and laughter is one of Heaven’s most precious gifts. So lighten up and laugh. You’ll feel better for it and so will everyone else.

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Persuasive speeches can change lives. After all you can, by what you say, persuade someone that volunteering can be fun, to make the most of now or that dyslexics are anything but dumb. These are, of course, only examples. Your persuasive speech can cover any subject under the sun. Your choice of speech should, preferably, be determined by your beliefs. Otherwise you would be like a debater who has to speak against his convictions. A good persuasive speaker feels that something is either right or wrong and persuades his audience accordingly. It’s good to have facts to back up your beliefs. If you are speaking against drink driving for instance knowing the statistics for those killed would make your message more powerful. That is not to say that you should give loads of statistics in your speech. Examples are far easier to understand. So you should say that in the next ten years one of the people in the room is likely to be killed by a drunken driver. That should hit home. So persuade them by showing them all the advantages of what you suggest. That’s the secret of a good persuasive speech.

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