Brands are known as the recognition for anything; it could be a product, a name, place, art, music, personality, and a country etc. lot of peoples talk about brand of different countries. Countries are recognized by their brands among different group of peoples at international level. England for Ford, France for perfume brands and  Renault, Germany for BMW, Italy for Ferrari, Gucci and Hushpuppies, Japan for Honda, Suzuki, Toyota, USA for Chevrolet, GM, Levis and Ray-bin etc. Pakistan is considered well in carpet, Leather, surgical and most of all in textile industry but Pakistan is unable to get recognition at international level. Lot of clothe products labeled as “Made in Pakistan” are being sold on store likes Wal-Mart, Target, and Jc-Penny but no associated brand of Pakistan. In sport world, Pakistan has its own name, if we talk about cricket World champion (1992, 2009 T-20), if we talk about hockey (4 times World champion) if we talk about many other games like snooker, tennis, squash Pakistan has its own name. There are lot of products are being made in Pakistan i. e. footballs, nearly 80% Adidas is being produced in Pakistan. Many cricket teams at international level are using Pakistani made equipment CA and Ahsan. Sialkot which known as the soccer ball capital of the world, in nearly mid 1990 80% of the world soccer balls were being produced and stamped with “made in Pakistan” and were in fact made in Sialkot. A lot of major brands had operations in Sialkot including Nike, Adidas, and Puma.  Up till now Sialkot is known as the cottage industry. Govt has done nothing for Sialkot; even they have made an airport of international level by self at their own expenses.   Geographically, Pakistan is the most attractive market for investment, almost giving highest return then any other country but our industry has some major competitors like India and China already fighting each other to get maximum market share and producing and lowest possible cost. Pakistan is unable to compete with India and China due to high input cost. There are lots of hurdles in Pakistani market, which needs to be work out. Pakistani Govt should need to change the policies to invite more and more investment. If we talk about China, there is no tax for first five years so that investors are encouraged to invest in large and more time to establish the brands. India is also following China on the same pattern charging no taxes for first five years in many sectors. Pakistan should also get lesson and allows the investors to invest free of tax in major areas. Pakistani government imposed taxes on export of goods, which makes them costly in the international market. Cost of producing our mainly products is very high as compared to our competitors like China and India, Government should reduce the duties on importing machineries and raw material from other countries specially from low price countries like China. There is also an instant requirement to train our labour force at modern pattern to enhance the efficiency of Pakistani industry. Pakistani firms should need to register their brands in the light of Agreement on Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property rights (TRIPS) of WTO and Pakistan Trademark Ordinance 2001. Pakistani Govt should try to provide a way, a track that guides the market towards success and recognition at international level. References: http://www. articlesbase. com/international-business-articles/no-wellknown-brand-910898. html www. piac. com. pk/PIA. . . /TenderNotice_DryRation_12082009. http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1G1-149949089. html

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Apart from the importance of sports in human history, sports create employment opportunities, amasses a large followership and bring people from different backgrounds - as athletes to take part in various games, with spectators watching and administrators, directing, together. As sports unify the people in victories, so the passion is felt during losses. Many risk their properties, money and even their spouses or other valuables through bettings, because of their craze for sports. In short, sports are real business and as they spread across the world, the bug caught up with Nigeria in the early 50s. Then, Nigerian sports started as a mere exercise among the colonial masters, but later she registered her presence in world’s sports, when the country had her first appearance in the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. It took the most populated African nation only two years before she recorded her first victory in 1954, when Emmanuel Ifeajuna won a gold medal in the high jump event at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. The record of early success achieved by Nigeria in global sports would not be complete without a mention of Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey, who became the world featherweight boxing king in 1957 and Dick Tiger, who won the middleweight crown and later the world light heavyweight crown. Chioma Ajunwa, Nwankwo Kanu, Mercy Akide, Mary Onyali, the late Muda Lawal, Olusoji Fasuba and Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, to mention just a few are celebrated sports people in their own rights. Sports actually began to take solid root in the country in the 60s, when the National Sports Commission (NSC) began to function. In 1973, the National Sports Festival was introduced as an avenue for discovering athletes who will represent the country in continental and international competitions. The first National Sports Festival which was held in Lagos attracted over 6,000 athletes. The 70s witnessed tremendous successes as the Green Eagles won gold medal in the All-Africa Games, while the country’s contingent to the games won an overall second position on the medals table. 1976 and 1977 also saw the country recording victories in continental football tournaments, when the IICC of Ibadan and Rangers of Enugu excelled in the Cup Winners Cup Competition. The country’s exploits continued to soar through the 80s and 90s with uncountable achievements, especially in football. The Eagles, led by Christian Chukwu, won the Africa Cup of Nation’s for the first time in Lagos in 1980. In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria again got to the finals of that championship, only to lose on both occasions to Cameroon. Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets won the Kodak U-17 World Cup, now known as FIFA U-17 World Cup, in China and the Flying Eagles nearly did the same at the Saudi ‘89 U-20 World Cup, but lost narrowly in the final to Portugal. Nigeria’s victory “the miracle of Damman,” over Russia after trailing four goals behind and with just 25 minutes left, is still fresh in our minds. Nigeria also won silver and bronze medals in the male and female categories of 4 x100m at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Apart from these, many Nigerians had distinguished themselves in various sports. The exploit of Nigeria’s U-23 Dream Team at the Atlanta ‘96 Olympics, where they won gold medal in the football event cum Ajunwa’s glorious feat by winning a gold medal in long jump, put an icing on the cake for Nigerian sport globally. There are other achievements recorded by Nigeria in international sports, such as Eaglets’ triumph in Japan ‘93 and Eagles’ qualification for the World Cup for the first time in USA ‘94. Above all, her first position at the Coja 2003 All Africa Games and recently, the FIFA U-17 World Cup success in Korea 2007 stand the nation out as a land that is blessed with human talents and natural resources. The talents in the country are so many that many, out of either neglect by those in authorities or due to personal reasons, ditched Nigeria to feature for other countries in various sports. One of them is Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon, who played and won gold medal for the USA basketball team at the Barcelona ‘92 Olympics Francis Obikwelu, Gloria Alozie, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Rasak Omotoyosi and Emmanuel Adebayor are Nigerians, but these great sports personalities opted to compete for other countries. The list is endless. While the defection of athletes to other nations, including even the neighbouring Togo and Benin Republic is taking its toll on the nation as a result of poor sports administration in recent times, the numerous achievements recorded over the years have not been sustained by the country. The country’s various teams in all sports struggle, not only to qualify for championships, and when they manage to, the teams perform woefully and inflict untold sorrows on sports loving Nigerians. It has been a line up of disappointments and tragedies as the nation’s sports continue to nosedive. The downward slide of the economy is not helping sports either. At the recently held FIBA-Africa Basketball Championship in Libya, D’Tigers, Nigeria’s male team crashed out in the quarter finals to Cameroon. The team are now ‘looking’ for the goodwill of a wild card to earn them qualification for the FIBA World Cup in 2010. In athletics, the country’s representatives did not only fail to reach the finals in the events they entered for, (except the 4×400m relays male and female), they came back with three cases of female athletes who failed dope tests, thus dragging the country’s name into disrepute. Other sports like swimming, handball, volleyball, hockey and boxing have not performed any better, the country’s representatives only feature in championships to make up the number. Football, ‘the number one sport’ in Nigeria, is not left out, it has been a  tale of woes and tragedy from one tourney to the other. FIFA, the world soccer governing body, once banned Nigeria from featuring her junior team in age-grade competitions, due to discrepancies in ages of players. Sadly, not much has been learnt from this. The Eaglets are competing in Nigeria 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, because Nigeria is hosting, since the team failed to qualify for the event coming up this weekend. The Flying Eagles’ second round exit from the recently concluded U-20 World Cup in Egypt was another sad tale for the nation’s football. The Super Eagles are faltering in the 2010 senior World Cup qualifying series, as Coach Shuaibu Ahmodu’s squad now rely on a slip by group rivals, Tunisia, to make the finals in South Africa. The female team, Super Falcons , who have been African champions since 1991, placed third at the 2008 African Women Championship, losing to ‘minnows’ like Guinea in the semi finals. “A proper planning prevents poor performance,” so says an adage. Sadly, that is not Nigeria’s style of doing things. The nation’s fire brigade approach to preparations has failed on many occasions, yet the administrators prefer to wait till the last minute before inviting athletes for camping ahead of competitions. This cannot work. Developed nations like USA, Germany, Russia, Great Britain and others plan well ahead of time before competitions. Also, politics, favouritism and bias exist in Nigerian sports from the administration of the games down to the selection of coaches and athletes. Until these drawbacks are eliminated, Nigerian sports will continue to record poor results. Sports generally ought to get  equal attention from the government, who sponsors a large percentage of Nigerian sports. Sadly, only football enjoys that privilege, leaving other sports, otherwise known as ‘lesser sports’ to suffer. There should be massive scouting for quality young talents, who would replace the ageing athletes and should be given quality training to ensure they compete favourably with the best in the world. The target here should be to get an immediate result. Lastly, there is the need to upgrade the dilapidated facilities across the nation, while a sports policy should emphasise the maintenance of the facilities. The potential and equipment at the country’s disposal are enough to change the fortunes of sports in Nigeria if those in authority are sincere about tax payers’ money.

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The prospect of launching your first mobile marketing campaign can be downright scary. Mobile is a new platform, with new conventions, new language, and new metrics. Perhaps you’ve read a white paper in the past. It was probably dozens of pages long and filled with incomprehensible jargon. It discussed mobile marketing campaigns that promised paradigm shifting results. The only problem with the paper was that the campaigns it spoke of were dauntingly complex, and they seemed to rely on technology that has yet to truly arrive. Moreover, they were expensive, and they necessitated that you put your business in the hands of an expensive marketing firm. We understand where you are coming from. And that is why we put together this Ez Guide To Mobile Marketing With Text Messaging. What makes this paper different? Simplicity: Mobile Marketing encompasses a number of exciting different methods, from mobile video to location-based advertising. The problem with these methods is twofold: they are unproven and require consumers to possess sophisticated devices, and they are incredibly complicated for businesses to implement. That’s why we like to focus on SMS. Text messaging bypasses these hurdles. Nearly every mobile phone supports text messaging, and with 600 billion text messages sent per year in the United States, a majority of consumers are familiar with the technology. Do-It-Yourself: Mobile Marketing does not need to be difficult. This guide will show how you can quickly get started with a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solution that won’t sacrifice any of the power and effectiveness of an expensive, agency-run campaign. Cost: In economic times good or bad, you always want to keep a careful eye on the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing campaigns. DIY mobile marketing with text messaging fulfills this goal in two ways. First, text messaging is inexpensive. Rates per message are as low as a few pennies each. And second, you can use a powerful DIY mobile marketing software package to carefully monitor costs and response rates in real time. Ready to learn how easy it is to launch your first mobile marketing campaign? About Ez Texting: Since 2006, Ez Texting has led the mobile marketing industry in providing a simple, affordable text messaging platform for small to medium-sized businesses. We proudly offer the only US-based turnkey online solution that allows clients from all industries – education, hospitality, religion, politics, non-profits, technology and more – to develop and execute a text messaging campaign within minutes. Own a fast-food franchise and need to send instant coupons to hungry customers? Organizing a weekly soccer league for your kids and want a quick way to communicate with fellow parents? Looking for a way to capture incoming leads for your sales team? Look no further. Using our powerful platform, clients can setup SMS alerts, voting, contests, polls and much more. Get instant feedback from your members right to your Ez Texting inbox with our true 2-way messaging capabilities. And with the easy-to-remember shared short code 313131, setting up keywords is a breeze. We also offer advanced API and dedicated short code options. Ez Texting currently supports messaging to the US and Canada for a rapidly growing client base of over 40,000 users. A Note From Shane Neman, CEO of Ez Texting, Inc. A few years ago, the term “mobile marketing” was a concept far too esoteric and technical for businesses to grasp, let alone attempt to implement in-house. Ez Texting offers a web-based mobile text messaging platform for businesses. Here’s how it works: You connect to Ez Texting online, tap out a message and then it is sent out to your intended audience (customers, organization members, employees, etc). For marketers, customers on the receiving end can choose to either ignore the note or respond to the promotion. When a local sales team from Jostens, the yearbook and class ring company, recently used Ez Texting to remind students in the Puyallup, Wash. , area about payment due dates, the number of people who paid for the company’s graduation products ahead of schedule rose by as much as 40%. Because of that success rate this Jostens team scrapped its direct mail campaign, saving it roughly $1,000 in postage. We love helping people reach that “Aha!” moment. So many clients come to us with ideas they can only conceptualize. It’s rewarding to present them with techniques that can help their ideas evolve into real results. We also love educating customers about what exactly mobile marketing is, how they can use it and showing them what kind of results they can expect. That’s a big feat for a small team of people, but we have managed to help over 40,000 customers and continue to do so every day. - Shane Neman CEO, Ez Texting, Inc. What Is Mobile Marketing & Why Is It Different? Mobile Marketing is, simply put, the practice of extending your marketing efforts to mobile devices. Today ‘mobile devices’ primarily means mobile phones, including smart phones such as the Blackberry and the Apple iPhone. In the future we will likely see full-fledged mobile computers, with persistent connections to the Internet. Such devices will offer a rich media marketing platform. However, those services are not yet here on a meaningful scale. For example, less than a quarter of Americans have ever browsed the mobile web And this represents the fundamental conundrum facing your firm when you consider whether to launch your first mobile marketing campaign. You’ve heard that mobile marketing is the future of advertising, but just not yet. Only that’s not the case. Contrary to what you may have heard, Mobile Marketing is here, and savvy firms, from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, are already running successful mobile campaigns. SMS Text Messaging is the key to this puzzle. Nearly every phone in the United States supports text messaging. Over half of all Americans have sent or received a text message. The average mobile phone subscriber sends nearly 200 text messages every month. When you look closer, at the prized 18 – 29 demographic, the adoption rate is even higher, edging toward saturation at 85%. Among those 30 – 49 years old , the adoption rate is at 65% and climbing So Americans are clearly texting. But what do they think about being marketed to via text message? In a recent Direct Marketing Association survey, 70% of the sample revealed that they had responded to a marketing text message. To put this in perspective, the DMA adds that only 30% of those surveyed responded to a marketing email. Why are consumers so eager to respond to marketing text messages? The answer reveals the value text messaging offers to both you and your customers: It’s Interactive – 21st century marketing is about having a conversation with your customers, rather than shouting at them. A world saturated with intrusive advertising like spam, pop-ups, and commercials has overwhelmed consumers. Increasingly, they tune out messages broadcast to a wide audience, whether by using digital video recorders to skip past commercials, or simply by ignoring the banner ads on their favorite website. It’s Personal - Your customers expect you to speak to them, and text messaging allows you to reach them individually, whenever, wherever, in the palm of their hands. This reach is of value to you the marketer. It also is of value to your customers. With a few taps of their thumbs they can respond to whatever message that you have sent them. With text messaging you can build relationships with your customers. It’s Immediate – Text Messaging, like Twitter, and Instant Messaging, is blazingly fast. With text messaging you can communicate with your customers as speedily as they are now accustomed to living. You can also move quickly. Say you are a winter wear shop and you see that today a snowstorm is on its way. In less than five minutes you can send a text message to your customers containing a special offer on hats and gloves. It’s Trackable – When you send out text messages to your customers you can see, in real time, who has responded to your message. It’s New - Although thousands of companies large and small are already marketing to their customers via text message, the medium is still in its infancy. If you act now, you are letting your customers know that you are a forward-thinking firm. Your marketing efforts will break through the traditional clutter. What Is The Value Proposition? Mobile Marketing comes in many different flavors. For the vast majority of businesses, we think that text messaging is the best way to reach your consumers. In order to give you a quick overview of your options, below we walk you through the forms of mobile marketing other than text messaging that are available, explaining their pros and cons. Advertising on the Mobile Web – Many prominent websites now offer custom tailored sites for mobile phones, via WAP, and specially designed iPhone or Blackberry sites. The problem is, less than a quarter of Americans use the mobile web. This seriously restricts the reach of your mobile advertising campaign. Furthermore, when you design a banner ad for the mobile web you need to make sure that it will display correctly on thousands of different devices, made by over a dozen different manufacturers. If your firm does decide to build its own WAP site, you can easily integrate it into your text messaging campaigns. Bluetooth/Infrared – In recent years a number of brands have rolled out Bluetooth and infrared marketing campaigns. In a typical scenario, a street advertisement will offer consumers the opportunity to receive marketing content wirelessly at the ‘hotspot. ’ We have seen such initiatives from Discovery Channel and Pepsi using New York City bus stop shelters. These campaigns, while technologically innovative, are rare. Location Based Advertising – Many mobile phones are equipped with Global Position System receivers. In a typical scenario, a store may send a special offer to a consumer when they are in the neighborhood. This technology is growing in popularity overseas, but it is very much in its infancy in the US. Multimedia Message Service (MMS) – Most mobile phones support multimedia messages, which can contain text, sound, images, and even video. The iPhone, notably does not support MMS. The downside to MMS marketing is that receiving such messages can be costly to consumers. Furthermore, different networks and different devices conform to differing standards, hindering simple, ubiquitous campaigns. Successful MMS campaigns are typically run “on-deck,” which means that they confined to a single carrier. Although running an “on-deck” campaign allows you to leverage the power of MMS by conforming to a particular carrier’s technology, you are limited to that carrier’s customers Mobile Search – Marketers familiar with Cost Per Click (CPC) search advertising programs such as Google AdWords, may be aware that these programs are now available on the mobile web. Extending your CPC search campaign to the mobile web presents numerous challenges. First, mobile search suffers the same ‘reach’ drawbacks as mobile advertising. Furthermore, the major cellular carriers hope to keep searches in house, rather than ceding their users to a mobile search engine; and when consumers search on their mobile device their intentions are very different than when they are sitting at their desktop. Mobile Gaming – Consumers have begun to embrace gaming on their mobile phones. Some firms have begun to advertise within freely available games. Mobile gaming is certainly popular, but it does not offer scale. Furthermore, your firm may have difficulty finding suitable placements. As you can see, all of these marketing formats have serious drawbacks. We would not be surprised to see them become more viable in the future. For now though, none of them offer the reach, the simplicity, and the low cost of text messaging. Now let’s take a look at mobile marketing with text messaging: You Can Do-It-Yourself – Small and medium businesses that do not have the inclination or the resources to work with a marketing agency can launch a text messaging campaign in-house using a simple web-based software/service like Ez Texting. All you need is a web browser and a credit card to get started. Text Messaging Is Inexpensive – The cost of text messaging is important to you and your customers alike. Sending out a mass text messaging campaign is inexpensive (prices as low as a nickle per message). Receiving text messages comes at a very low price as well: most mobile phone plans include at least a few hundred messages per month, and additional messages cost only pennies to receive. Heavy texters – most of whom are concentrated in the 18-35 age group – are likely to have unlimited message plans. High Penetration Rate – Half of all Americans are already texting, and even those who don’t text are almost certain to own a phone that supports text messaging. Over 250 million Americans own a mobile phone, and nearly all of them are ready to receive your message. No other type of mobile marketing can match text messaging’s reach. Begin The Conversation With Text Messaging – Other types of mobile marketing will grow in importance in the future. If you start text messaging with your customers now, you’ll have the relationship (and data) in place to reach them in new ways in the future. How To Start Your Text Message Marketing Campaign In 9 Steps As this is the Ez Guide to Mobile Marketing with Text Messaging we hate to complicate things, but we do need to help you understand an important difference between the two common types of text message marketing campaigns. Don’t worry – the difference is simple, but as you will see, the steps that you will take to get started will vary based on the type of campaign that you are planning. There are two types of text messaging campaigns: pull and push. In a push campaign, your firm starts off with a database of opted in phone numbers. A pull campaign is designed to build a database of phone numbers for future use. Pick A Firm – Can they handle volume; do they support all carriers; do they offer easy-to-use software; do they offer advanced features you may want to use down the road? Target The Customers/Members You Would Like To Reach – The power of marketing with text messages is that it allows you to reach the customers you want to reach. Figure out who they are before you design your campaign. (If you are conducting a push campaign, you already have these customers’ phone numbers. If you are launching a pull campaign, you will design the campaign to best reach your target customers) Setup A Means To Collect Numbers – There are three ways to collect phone numbers. You can direct your customers to opt-in by sending a message with your keyword to a short code; you can collect customer phone numbers using a web widget; or, if you are conducting a push campaign, you can easily import previously collected phone numbers into your campaign database. Choose A Keyword – A Keyword is a short word (which may include numbers) that customers send a text message to, in order to join your list. An example would be: ‘Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE to join our text messaging list. ‘  When you select a mobile marketing firm to work with, such as Ez Texting, they will allow you to use their shared Short Code. In Ez Texting’s case this code is 313131  Feel free to give this a try! Text EZ to the number 313131 and see what happens. Choose A Good Call To Action (CTA) – You want to offer your customers value in return for joining your database. A typical CTA might go: Text KEYWORD to SHORTCODE to join our text messaging list and receive 10 percent off your next purchase at the boutique. Design Your Promotional Efforts – Your mobile marketing campaign can stand alone, or it can compliment your existing marketing campaigns. Keep It Simple! – When you send out a mass message, keep it simple. You have 160 characters. Use them wisely. And always send a test message to yourself! Always Allow Your Customers To Opt-Out – When you first text your customers you need to let them know how to Opt-Out from receiving future text messages. This is usually accomplished by replying STOP to one of your messages. Track Your Results – When you run a campaign you are going to collect a lot of data – response rates, time of day, and other data points. Use that data to design your next campaign and you’ll achieve even greater ROI! The Value Of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Mobile Marketing As we’ve already shown you, Mobile Marketing with text messaging is easy. There are other advantages, beyond ease of use, to DIY text messaging: Ease Of Use – A Mobile Marketing package like Ez Texting is simple to use. It is web-based, which means that there is no software to install. You can check on your campaigns and launch new ones from any computer with an Internet connection or even directly from your own cell phone. Cost Effective – Our current economic climate is extremely challenging. There is a good chance that your customers are spending less. Meanwhile, your competitors are cutting prices, hoping to make whatever money they can. When you start looking for places to cut corners, your marketing budget often winds up in the crosshairs. A DIY mobile marketing campaign allows you to keep talking to your customers without the upfront costs of traditional ad buys. You can’t afford to stop advertising, and text messaging allows you to eschew expensive, untargeted campaigns in favor of inexpensive, targeted campaigns. Many Ez Texting clients tell us they were able to cut back on other, more costly advertising methods once they built an effective database of opt-in customers. Control – Everyone needs a helping hand every now and then, and a premier mobile marketing firm like Ez Texting is always there to help you get started and answer your questions. What you don’t need is an expensive agency to do things you can do yourself, on their terms, instead of your own. Ez Texting’s software allows you to conceive and send messages on your own. Even more importantly, you control every dollar that you spend. Data – When you run your own mobile marketing campaign you control your data. Names, phone numbers, response rates – whatever data you collect, it is all yours. Do not rely on an agency to provide you with your data upon request. Campaigns That Are Uniquely Yours – Instead of allowing an agency to repurpose a cookie-cutter campaign, with a DIY solution you (or your marketing team) design campaigns that fit what your company does and what it represents. Text Message Marketing That Goes Beyond Mere Messages SMS Text messaging is the most popular and effective form of mobile marketing because it does exactly what it is supposed to do. You can achieve great ROI doing nothing more than occasionally texting your customers with notices, reminders and offers. But, as you will see, there is so much more that you can do. Importantly, for you and for your customers, all of these compelling methods keep things simple. Mobile Couponing - Invite customers to text in your keyword to receive instant coupons that they can display in your store for a discount. In numerous surveys, consumers report that they are especially open to messages that offer value. Contests – Commonly referred to as “Text-2-Win”, a mobile contest offers consumers the opportunity to text in to win a prize. Ez Texting’s software includes built-in contest functionality, allowing you to randomly select winners or to offer prizes to the first x number of entries. Every person that texts into the contest will be added to your database of phone numbers Voting & Trivia - Interacting with consumers often produces the most successful marketing campaigns. Not only do Voting & Trivia allow customers to put in their two cents on a topic, but you collect valuable demographic data about your target consumers’ likes, dislikes and personality trends. Tips & Tricks To Turbo Charge Your Mobile Marketing Campaign Do-It-Yourself mobile marketing with Ez Texting’s software is simple. That does not mean that our software isn’t extremely powerful. After spending a few minutes sending out experimental messages, you’ll be ready to try out some of our advanced features: Message Forwarding – The messages that your customers send you can be forwarded to your email address or directly to your own mobile phone. Radio stations use this feature to relay song requests to DJs. Churches set up forwarding to a cell phone for anonymous prayer requests during church services. Send Messages From Your Phone – When you just cannot get to a computer with an Internet connection you still can send out messages to your database of customers. This is perfect for one-the-go clients and marketers. Busy working the floor at a convention or a trade show? Send out timely messages to your clients from your mobile phone. Message Scheduling –If you know that you want to send out a message at some time in the future, just enter it into the system, schedule it, and then when the time comes the message will be sent out automatically. Web Widget - A fully customizable signup widget allows patrons to join your text messaging database from any website, email blast, MySpace or Facebook page. This security-enabled widget only subscribes unique, active cell phone numbers. Simply copy and paste the widget and you are done! Random Sends – Running a special offer? Only want to hit some of your customers? With a random send the Ez Texting software will send out messages to x number of random phone numbers in your database. Application Programming Interface (API) –Generally API is for advanced users only. If you don’t know what an API is, it is probably best to skip to the next page. Through your Ez Texting account, you can use our API to integrate the sending and receiving of text messages with your own website or application. This is helpful for firms with existing platforms, such as doctor’s offices that wish to add an SMS notification system to their CRM tool. Look Who’s Texting As we said in the introduction to this guide, mobile marketing with text messaging is already here. Businesses large and small are running campaigns this very moment. Last year, SuperStop USA, a gas station in St. Paul, MN, launched one of our favorite Ez Texting powered mobile marketing campaigns: SuperStop USA– When gas prices are scheduled to go up, SuperStop USA owner Tony Donatell knows in advance. He believed that his customers would make it a point to fill up their tanks at his station if they were alerted in advance of the price increase. What Mr. Donatell needed was a way to quickly reach his customers with this information. SuperStop USA found a solution with an Ez Texting powered program called Gas Alerts. To attract subscribers, the station deployed Point of Purchase (POP) displays featuring their CTA, ranging from in-store signs at the registers to promotional posters outside at the pumps instructing customers to text “GAS” to 25827. Super Stop amassed over 70 subscribers in less than two weeks. They reported a response rate greater than 20% for each text message blast. The program is still going strong a year later. The following three campaigns were some of 2008’s most prominent and successful mobile marketing efforts: American Idol– A few years ago, the producers of American Idol and AT&T teamed up to allow Idol viewers to vote on their favorite contestants via SMS. In 2008, fans voted in record numbers, sending in 78 million text messages. In 2008, AT&T expanded their Idol efforts to include “voting reminders, trivia, a TXT-n-Win sweepstakes promising the winner $50,000 cash and a trip for two to the Idol series finale in Los Angeles, and contestant ringtones and video clips featuring outrageous audition moments. ” President Barack Obama’s 2008 Election Campaign – Political historians will be studying Barack Obama’s historic campaign for decades to come. There is one thing that everyone already agrees upon – Obama’s New Media team leveraged the web, social networks, and text messaging in unprecedented ways to communicate with supporters, recruit donors, and enhance get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts. Famously, the Obama campaign announced their Vice Presidential selection of Joe Biden to opted in subscribers via text message. The message went out to 2. 9 million mobile phones. The phone numbers went into the campaign database. Finally, when Election Day came, supporters received text messages reminding them to vote. This was much more than a nifty way to end a campaign that exploited text messaging so successfully – research has found that SMS is more effective than all GOTV methods other than old fashioned door-to-door canvassing. Canvassing may be more effective at turning out votes, than text messaging, but it costs nearly 20x as much per recruited vote. The American Red Cross – The American Red Cross raised $190,000 dollars in 2008 with its Text 2HELP program. The program is activated during major disasters. According to The Wireless Foundation, “subscribers of participating wireless carriers can send a text message to “2HELP” (24357) containing the word “GIVE. ” A $5 tax-deductible donation will be made to the American Red Cross for disaster relief efforts. Donations will appear on customers’ monthly bills or be debited from a prepaid account balance. ” In 2008, the Text 2HELP campaign was advertised across various communications channels, and received its biggest boost when both Presidential candidates called their constituents to action. During the Republican National Convention, Mike Duncan, the chairman of the RNC, asked convention attendants to take out their mobile phones and text in a donation. The Obama campaign leveraged their own text messaging campaign to aid the Red Cross, sending their entire database of subscribers a message asking them to text GIVE to 24537 (2HELP).

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Slot machines are the most popular form of casino entertainment, both at land-based and online casinos. Types of online slot machines include classic 3-reel slots, 5-reel video slots, progressive jackpots, and bonus feature games. Bonus slots have some sort of bonus feature, such as free spins or a special bonus round. This article reviews World Cup Mania, one of Microgaming’s bonus feature slots. World Cup Mania is a 5-reel, 15 pay-line video slot from Microgaming that has a soccer theme. It accepts coins in the following denominations: 1¢, 2¢, 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, and 25¢. The maximum number of coins that you can bet per spin is 75 ($75). World Cup Mania comes with wilds (Ball), scatters (Whistle), 10 free spins, a bonus game, 35 winning combinations, and a top jackpot of 7,500 coins. In order to activate the bonus round, you need to hit three Trophy symbols on the reels. Symbols on the reels include Pizza, French Fries, Ball, Hamburger, Whistle, Tickets, Fog Horn, Hot Dog, Boots, and Tickets. World Cup Mania was released by Microgaming software in May, 2006. Microgaming online casinos do not accept player from the USA. However, all of these Microgaming online casinos welcome USA players: Rushmore, Slots Oasis, Cherry Red, Slots Plus, Sun Palace, Vegas Casino Online, Las Vegas USA, All Star Slots, Club USA, Lucky Red, and Aladdin’s Palace. So there you have it, a review of World Cup Mania, one of Microgaming’s bonus feature slot machines. Whether you play slot machines in Las Vegas or at your favorite online casino, gamble only with the money you can afford to lose. Budget your money, and never gamble when you are tired or irritable. Lastly, have fun and quit while you are ahead.

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As the summer of 2006 approaches a number of holidays and occasions are coming that stir our patriotic spirits. Of course, in the U. S. , the most obvious occasions are the fast approaching Memorial Day and Independence Day on July 4th. On a global scale, the World Cup Soccer championship is coming around again as well. With all of these events that unite countries together in a common bond, many wonder about the best way to showcase their own patriotism. Here are some fun ideas of how to show your own patriotism no matter the occasion.

First, the most obvious way to show your love for your country is by making sure you have a beautiful US flag or country flag to show your allegiance! There is nothing like a beautiful and durable American Flag flying from a pole in front of your home, or extended from your roof or porch to show your patriotism and holiday spirit in the summer. And remember, you do have a wide selection of materials and sizes from which to choose so even if you need a smaller scale U. S. flag, or if you are working within a tight budget, you can fly your Old Glory with pride.

Some older homes will also fly some of our historical US flags as well to showcase the beauty and metamorphic quality of our country. The Bennington Flag, one of our first battle flags and the Betsy Ross flags are both popular options and look particularly appropriate hanging from older, majestic homes. Additionally, many residences and businesses will also fly a state flag below their American flag to show their pride in both their country and their home state of the Union. Of course, in the U. S. , if you choose to fly multiple flags, make sure you follow the Flag Display Guidelines provided it the U. S. flag code.

As the World Cup Soccer Tournament approaches, patriotic fever will likewise grip the tournament team countries. Whether you are in England, Mexico, Angola or the Ukraine, you’ll want to show your support for your World Cup team. Of course, the easiest way is to make sure you bring your country flag to the tournament games to inspire the players on the field and show your patriotic support to the world!

If you are lucky enough to go to a game, face painting the appropriate flag of the world is popular, as well as wearable flags that come on t-shirts, hats and other apparel. Hand held flags can provide a great option for children, while larger flags have often been popular as capes and as banners for adults.

Another great way to show your spirit is to buy purchasing an official National Team Jersey for your country. You can go to the FIFA World Cup store () and shop by continent for the jersey for you country. You’ll also find lanyards, hats, jackets and bags. If you are celebrating the World Cup tournament, don’t forget to incorporate this year’s mascot, GOLEO VI, the lion in with your gear. This King of Parties should unite everyone cheering on this great sport and provide a positive spirit for good sportsmanship so that everyone can get behind great soccer and the best winning team.

No matter which patriotic event you are celebrating, in the U. S. or abroad, the other easy way to show your spirit is by using the colors of your flag, or even your continent. Africa’s pan-African colors of red, green and yellow are a great example if you want to support Africa as a country or specific countries like Ghana and Tunisia! If you want to be a little off beat, check out colorful hair dyes like Manic Panic and incorporate your countries’ colors on your head, or look for fun and silly patriotic pet gear so your dog or cat can show their own patriotism!

Whether you are participating in a global event like the World Cup or in national events like Independence Day or July 4th, showing you pride for your country can be fun and creative. From traditional symbols like U. S. flags and flags of the world, to fun iterations of patriotic displays from face painting to hair dye, have fun showing your patriotic spirit this summer!

Countries participating in the World Cup:
· Korea Republic
· England
· Mexico
· USA
· Argentina
· Brazil
· Ecuador
· Paraguay
· Australia
· Costa Rica
· Trinidad and Tobago
· Germany
· Ukraine
· Poland
· Netherlands
· Croatia
· Italy
· Portugal
· Sweden
· Serbia and Montenegro
· France
· Switzerland
· Spain
· Czech Republic
· Japan
· Saudi Arabia
· Angola
· Cote d’Ivoire
· Togo
· Ghana
· Tunisia

World Cup Official Site:
FIFA:
World Cup Tickets:

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The summer of 2006 is an incredible time for sports fans, especially for those who love soccer and basketball. Before the NBA finals’ end the soccer World Cup will start in Germany and the summer will close with the FIBA World Championship, will be played in Japan from 19th August until 3rd September in five different cities. This competition is played every 4 years and determines the best basketball nation of the world. The FIBA World Championship may not have the prestige of the soccer World Cup or even the basketball tournament of the Olympic Games, but it is one of the few opportunities that basketball fans’ have to watch most of the best players’ of the world in the same competition. That’s why FIBA (the International Basketball Federation) picked “One World, One Title” as the slogan of this Championship.
The first World Championship has taken place in 1950 in Argentina and has since then been organized 14 times. Until 1989 professional players so all of the ones who play in the NBA were not permitted to play in international competitions. The United States were forced to participate either with young college players or with other amateur players, with their performance varying significantly from time to time. The Americans were able to win the championship only twice in 1954 and in 1986. Argentina, Brazil, Soviet Union and Yugoslavia took advantage of the absence of the NBA pros to become World Champions during this period.
In 1989 FIBA allowed professional athletes to play in international competitions. So in 1994 the United States participated for the first time in the World Championship’s history with a team consisted by NBAers coached by Don Nelson, which won easily the gold medal. Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas and Reggie Miller were the biggest stars of the team. In the next competitions though, in 1998 and 2002 Yugoslavia won the gold medal, leaving the United States in the third and in the sixth place respectively. Especially the last Championship was considered as a great failure for the US national team, since the tournament took place on American soil, in Indianapolis. After the failure in Indianapolis and in the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004, where the United States national team came only third USA Basketball appointed Jerry Colangelo to be responsible for selecting the team. Colangelo has selected some of the NBA superstars to play in Japan as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Shawn Marion who are going to be coached by the legendary NCAA coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The American team will not have an easy job though, since it has to face some really strong teams as the Argentineans who won the gold medal in the Olympiad lead by Manu Ginobilli, the Serbs who are defending World Champions, the French of Ginobilli’s teammate in Spurs Tony Parker, the Germans of the Maverick Dirk Nowitzki, the Spanish of the Grizzle Pau Gasol and the Greeks who won the European Championship in 2005.
Is the United States still the dominant power of World Basketball? We have to wait till September to find out!

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Leather is liked the most by many of the shoppers who are eager to go for good quality durable accessories made out of it and can’t have anything better than leather fashion bags, belts, travel bags made out of leather that are very much in demand these days. Leather handbags are the latest in fashion today and you always have the flexibility to have them in many attractive designs and trendy colors. Each type will give a stylish appearance complimenting the attire that is worn. Fashion bags are unique gifting items for women as they are quite fascinated about fashion bags made out of PVC leather and those with PVC crocodile patterns with zippered pockets inside and outside. Fashion bags with embroidery and bead work can cost you a bit but are ideal gifting options that can be shopped for online at your own ease. Fashion bags are expensive and that too if they are made out of leather as they help achieve remarkable fashion statement for both men and women. Men are however, more curious to buy leather belts and wallets and shaving kits but women like flaunting designer fashion bags of international brands in colors of white, brown, tan, grey and in other trendy colors. A leather bag is an important wardrobe essential and is considered an international rage in the fashion world. These leather fashion bags, cell pouches, ladies fashion handbags can be used for offices. The good thing is that the designs match up with any style of yours whether contemporary or classic. Internet shopping today is regarded as the best option to explore exclusive leather fashion bags that could be gifted to loved ones. The exciting range of leather products online can make you select the most cherished and desired fashion bag in pure leather. Online visits to sites pertaining to your need of leather fashion bags and other types of utility bags can tempt you to explore wide range of leather fashion bags, ladies designer handbags, shoulder fashion bags, designer purses, fashion bags with detachable pocket mobile phones, metal frame ladies money bags, small purses that can be given as a memorable present to friends and dear ones. Stylish back packs ideal for picnics, holidays and camping are worth buying as these can be gifted to young teens to take it out for their sports sessions and recreational classes. There are online ventures that just deal in selling exquisite leather products especially the designer fashion bags and other leather products of unmatched quality but reasonably priced to suit every budget. Interested leather lovers can even go for wholesale leather fashion bags and other accessories for a less costly affair. There are exclusive websites that offer fashion bags, purses, fashion wallets, men’s wallet and belts in exclusive throw away prices that won’t let you shed of money beyond your reach. It’s just a matter of exploring websites of your choice and you will be surprised by the range offered at both wholesale and retail prices.

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HAITI: THE MAGIC LAND

By Alejandro Guevara Onofre

INTRODUCTION

In 1492 Christopher Columbus wrote about Haiti: “The most beautiful in the world”. Certainly, Haiti is a wonderful country in the Caribbean. I think that has a special beauty, with a geography and traditional culture that is totally different from all the other countries in Latin America.

Now, this essay is a historical information about Haiti, the first black republic in the modern history and one of the poorest nations on Earth. Each chapter provides details on history, economy, biographies, sport, awards, foreign relations, culture and other important aspects of Haiti. The people that don’t know Haiti very much think that Haiti is only one of the world’s poorest countries, but the Island is known for its traditional culture, hospitality, superstitions, history. Furthermore, Haiti is the home to National Park History, one of the ancient wonders of the world, and renowned women such as Edwidge Danticat and Michaëlle Jean were born there.

Since then, the dictatorships have destroyed Haitian society, economy, ecology and sport. Since 1950, two million Haitian people emigrated to the United States and other countries. Haitian-American arrived from Haiti with nothing more than their clothes. If we compare the Haiti of today to Haiti of thirty years ago, we see a change: a new multiparty democracy. Today, a vast part of the Third World and more than a billion people are under dictatorships.

Eventually, I would like to finish my introduction with a message by Albert Mangones: “Haiti is unique in history, going directly from slavery to nationhood”.

CHRONOLOGY:

1492: Columbus discovered Haiti in the 15th Century.

1520-1697: Haiti is a Spanish territory. In the late 1500 and early 1600, African slaves flocked to Island.

1697-1790: Haiti is a French colony. After 16th Century, Haiti became the most important French colony in the Americas. Island´s export to Europe included sugar, coffee and corn. The beauty of Haiti is recognized by the French in the mid-1700 Century, when they called it “Pearl the Caribbean”.

1790-1803: During the French colonization slaves suffers from maltreatment. By the late 1790, pro-independence demonstrations. An Anti-slavery movement under Toussaint L´Ouverture began. L´Ouverture is one of the most important black leaders in the history. During this period of time, Haitian slaves attack villages. Anti-French protests riots brutally suppressed. By the late 1803, under leadership of Jean Jacques Dessalines, Haiti army defeated the French forces at the Battle of Vertieres.

1804-1806:A French colony for more than hundred years, Haiti becomes independent, one of the most important events in the history. Jean Jacques Dessalines became the first president of new republic of Haiti, the first black republic in the modern history. Dessalines is the “Father of Modern Haiti”. Haiti occupies the Western third of Hispaniola, the second-largest Island in the Caribbean.

1804-1820: Unfortunately; Haiti is divided into two zones. Northern Haiti is occupied by Henri Christopher, who is named Emperor, while the north is occupied by Alexander Petion. Petion is probably the greatest Haitian politician who ever lived.

1880: Haiti has one of the richest ecosystems in the Caribbean.

1900: Haiti´s modern political has been tumultuous, marked by dictatorships

1915-1934: Haiti has not had an effective national government Invasion by United States forces. US troops sent to Haiti during civil sub-war.

1918: The Presidential Palace, one of the best national palaces in the world, is originally designed by the Haitian Georges Bassan. Bassan is inspired to White House Washington.

1926: Emily Greene Balch, a human rights activist, went to Haiti.

1928: Cator is the only Haitian ever to win olympic silver medal. After, Haitian athlete Sylvio Cator breaks the men’s long jump record in Paris. Cator was given a hero’s welcome when he returned to his country.

1937: In the Dominican Republic, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo ordered national troops to massacre of 20000 Haitian emigrants.

1940-1950: Haiti is one of the most popular travel destinations in the Caribbean.

1944: Dewitt Peters, an American school-teacher, founded the Centre d’Art in Port -au-Prince Since 1944, Centre d’Art became the centre of the Haitian painting. It is now one of Haiti´s biggest tourist attractions, and every year thousands of people came to see the paintings and other work of Haitian art.

1945: Haiti becomes the 26th member of the United Nations in October.

1956: Haiti establishes diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

1956: Daniel Fignolé is President of the Provisional Council and Head of State of Haiti

1957-1971:After working for a time as a traditional doctor, Francois Duvalier became one of Haiti’s most famous doctors. In 1957, Duvalier is elected President of the Republic of Haiti. President Duvalier announced: “My government will guarantee the exercise of liberty to all Haitians”. Francois Duvalier, also known for his nickname “Papa Doc”, emerged as Head of State and quickly gained nearly absolute power. In 1961 “Papa Doc” rewrote the National Constitution. After, he became the first “President for Eternity of Haiti”. In the 1960s and 1970s “Papa Doc” popularizes superstitions ideas to Haiti through a series of important voodoo rites. The Duvalier dictatorship instituted rig press censorship. International agencies accuse government of grave human rights abuses. His regime of terror resulted in the deaths of least 30000 Haitian. The Island is one of the most dangerous countries in the Third World.

1957-1981: Haitian First Lady Simone Ovide became one of the most dominant women in the history of Haiti. Simone, wife of the most famous dictator of Haiti, gained in influence and power through corruption and crime.

1957-1989: For many decades, Haiti does not have diplomatic relations with the USSR, People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Hungary, South Africa and East Germany.

1960: The Tonton Macoutes, the brutal secret police, initiated a “Haitian genocide” in which political prisoners were tortured and executed.

1964: Joseph Eduard Gaetjens, the idol of millions of Haitians, is arrested and killed by the Tonton Macoutes, the sinister Haitian secret police. Like John Barnes (Jamaica) and Everald “Gally” Cummings (Trinidad Tobago), he was a great footballer in the Caribbean. After, Gaetjens become a world symbol of the struggle against dictatorship in the Third World. He had dual Haitian and American nationality and played at 1950 World Cup for the United States. Son of Haitian mother and Belgium father, he played for many clubs in the United States. The year 1950 was a very important year for Gaetjens: the United States beat England 1-0, the birthplace of the modern football.

1964: Francois Duvalier changed the national flag. Black and red are the colors chosen by Duvalier. Black, which is similar to the Angolan flag, represents the descendants of the patriot Francois Toussaint L’Ouverture and is also the traditional color of the Haitian people. While, red symbolizes the country`s independence. But the original flag, used since 1803, was removed in 1986 by order of the new government.

1966: Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia, arrives in Port-au-Prince. Under the leadership of Dictator Francois Duvalier, many African countries maintain official diplomatic relations with Haiti.

1967: The Comedians, a film by British director Peter Glenville, inspired in the cruel Haitian dictatorship by the Duvalier family.

1971: After Duvalier’s death, power passed to his son Jean Claude Duvalier, the man who became known throughout the world as “Baby Doc”. Baby Doc is as dictatorial as his father. Haiti is ruled by iron hand. Duvalier, best known for his anticommunist political, is omnipresent. Many opposition leaders were arrested. He is accused of human rights abuses. Thousand of Haitian people fled the country. Corruption is prevalent at all levels of government. The health system is one of the worst in the Americas.

1974: The sporting system is one of the worst in the Third World, but Haiti qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Haiti beat Trinidad-Tobago in the World Cup qualifiers. Is one of the greatest sporting moment, in the chronology, comparing it to something like Sylvio Cator, who won a silver medal in long jump in the 1928 Olympics Games in Holland.

1975: In El Salvador, Miss Haiti, Gerthie David, is named first runner up at Miss Universe Pageant… transmitting live to millions by CBS. After, Gerthie David is acclaimed in Port-au-Prince as a national heroine. Miss Haiti competed with 71 other women from around the world for the title of Miss Universe, including Miss USA, Summer Barthollomew.

1980: Like Canada, West Germany South Korea and Kenya, Haiti boycott the Moscow Olympic Games in protest for Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

1980-1986: Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haiti’s longtime dictator, married Michelle Bennett, an aristocratic lady. A little more than three months later, Bennett-Duvalier becomes First Lady of Haiti. Like Eva Peron (Argentina) or Jiang Qing (People’s Republic of China), she was a woman with great power. Michelle Bennett promoted her mulatto countrymen to positions of leadership in the dictatorship at his expense of the African-Haitians.

1982: The National History Park (La Citadelle Laferriere, Sans Souci Palace and Ramiers) is designated as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Like Machu Picchu (Peru) and Angkor What (Cambodia), the National History Park is considered among the wonders of the world.

1982: Ronald Agenor wins a gold medal in men’s tennis singles at the Central American and Caribbean Sports Games La Havana. He captures the hearts of the Island.

1983: Pope John Paul arrives in Haiti for a visit. “Things most change here”, said John Paul II.

1986: As Jean-Claude consolidated his power, he consistently refused to consider constitutional reform. The insurrection against the dictator Jean Claude Duvalier began…Antigovernment protesters in the capital. Many deaths, injuries and arrests. Seeming end to long Haitian dictatorship with fall of Duvalier regime.

1987: Haiti has one of the America’s rates of HIV infection

1987: The New Constitution restored many of the liberties abolished by the Duvalier family. The National Constitution recognizes both French and Creole as official languages. A new opposition emerged under Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

1988: Writer Rene Depestre wins the Prix Ranandot. Depestre, a Haitian dissident now living in France, was cited his novel Hadriana dans tous mes reves. By the mid-1980s Rene Depestre had become well known in literacy circles outside Haiti.

1990: Ertha Pascall-Trouillot becomes the first black woman elected of head of state in the world.

1990: First multi-party elections. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a charismatic black leader, was elected president of Haiti. Aristide is the first democratic president since 1804. He was elected with the most popular support of any Haitian presidential candidate in the history.

1991: Military coup in the country. Raoul Cedras, leader of the coup, emerged as head of the new government. This year marked the end of eight months of democracy. Under new government, all political parties were dissolved.

1991-1995: Like Equatorial Guinea, Cuba and North Korea, Haiti has one of the most serious human rights problems in the Third World.

1993: United Nations imposed economic sanctions on Haiti, one of the most densely populated nations in the Americas.

1994: Peaceful occupation by United States forces to restore democratic electoral system. Raoul Cedras and his family went into exile in Panama City. Aristide was restored to power.

1995: In Port-au-Prince, sub-war violence includes assassination of Meireille Durocher Bertin.

1995: In Beijing, the capital of city of the People’s Republic of China, Haiti participated in the UN`s Fourth World Conference on Women

1996:More than 5,000 Haitians had been killed and miles more fled to abroad, United States, Canada, Bahamas and Dominican Republic, since 1991.

1998: Haitian president Renè Garcia Preval arrives in Taipei (Taiwan) for a four-day state visit. He and President Lee will sign a communiqué to strengthen bilateral friendship and cooperation.

1999: Dominican president Leonel Fernandez visit to Haiti as part of a new diplomacy.

2002: In Paris, Dudley Dorival finished 3rd in the 110 hurdles at the World Championships. He becomes the 1st Haitian to win an individual international medal since 1928. Dorival was born in New Jersey, United States, to Haitian parents on 1 September 1975. He in 2000 officially became a citizen of Haiti.

2000: Haiti is one of the thirty poorest countries in the Third World.

2000-2001: The elections were boycotted by the main opposition political parties. Aristide was again elected President. Widespread violent in Haiti allege that Aristide’s election victory is fraudulent. Total political censorship exists in national media.

2004: This year Haiti is celebrating the 200th Anniversary of their National Independence. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti flees to Central African Republic following anti-government demonstrations. Haiti has one of the most violent conflict areas in the Americas. After, UN troops sent to Haiti during civil sub-war.

2006: Rene Preval is sworn in as President of Haiti. Since the peaceful transfer of power in February, Haiti is the newest democracy in the Third World.

ECONOMY

Like Bangladesh, Uganda or Tanzania, Haiti is one of the poorest countries on Earth. In 1997, the Haiti’s economic growth rate (real GDP) per capita was U$ 1,300. GDP per capita for Namibia, Botswana and Equatorial Guinea are higher than for Haiti. In the country 4 million people living on less than U$2 a day. More than 6 million of the Haiti’s population still does not have access to potable water and electricity. For years of dictatorships had left the country’s economy in ruins. The country dependent on international aid. Several hundred thousand farm workers migrate each year to Dominican Republic.

In 1997, total exports for the year were U$110 million, while total imports were US$ 486 million. Since 1804, the US market has been the most important export destination for Haiti. Nearly 80 percent of Haiti’s total exports are destined for the United States. Haiti’s exports include sisal, mangoes, coffee, cotton, bauxite, and sugar. The Island’s imports from the United States include cement, oil, food, machinery and transport equipment. France has been the second largest exports destination for Haitian products.

In the past, the tourism industry occupied an eminent place in the Haitian economy, but several political problems have blocked tourism. Haiti was the first country in the Caribbean to promote tourism in an accelerated form. Haiti is a small country with vast mountains, tropical beaches and beautiful historic buildings.

CULTURE

Like Katherine Dunham, Lillian Hellman, W. B. Seabrook, Erik Leonard Ekman, Alejo Carpentier, Selden Rodman, Noel Coward and Angeline Jolie, many people say that Haiti is the most beautiful country in the Caribbean. Known as the “Magic Land”, Haiti is famous for its culture. Certainly, Haiti its culture, its superstitions and its music. The superstitions or voodoo plays a profound role in the lives of many Haitians. The voodoo was introduced into Haiti in the late 16th Century. Haiti is also famous for its painting, and finally for its ruins…for example the Sans Souci Palace, the most famous ruins in the Caribbean. Exactly, this enigmatic palace is considered a Cultural Heritage for Humanity by UNESCO. Originally constructed by black slaves, now Sans Souci is one of Haiti’s main tourist attractions.

Since the late 1940s, Haitian painting, best known as “naïve art” or “intuitive art”, is famous all around the World. The most important figure was Hector Hyppolite. His work made its biggest splash in the United States in the 20th Century. Other artists known internationally include Rigaud Benoit, Castera Bazile, Joseph Jean-Giles and Jean-Baptista Bottlex. Haiti is famous for its traditional sculpture. The best Haitian sculptor is Albert Mangoes.

FAMOUS HAITIAN

Nelust Wyclef Jean (singer/Haitian-American): Original member of 1990s hip hop group The Fugees. Wyclef Jean is probably the most popular Haitian singer of all time. Jean was born in Croix des Bouquets (Haiti) on October 17, 1972. When he was just ten years old, he moved to the United States. Under leadership of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, The Fugees had several hits in the 1990s, including The Score (The Score album sold 6 million copies). Since 1997, Wyclef Jean, as soloist, became well-known on the international music scene. Like songwriter and producer, Jean collaborated with superstars as Santana, Withney Houston, Mick Jagger,Bono,Tevin Cambpell, Bounty Killer, Eric Benet, Sarah Connor, Claudette Ortiz, Tarkan, Michael Jackson, Youssou N´Dor, Shakira, Olga Tañon, Carlos Ponce and Julio Voltio. During the last seven years, he has sold more than 10 millions albums worldwide. In 2002, his single Masquerade was a great success.

Since then, Wyclef Jean is a man that always works with love for Haiti, one of the World’s poorest countries. Recently, he makes perhaps his best work: “Yele Haiti”, a foundation which works for the human development in the Island. Like Miriam Makeba in South Africa or Bianca Jagger in Nicaragua, Jean loves his roots. In an interview for Magazine, Wyclef Jean discussed about Haitian roots: “I am 100% Haitian. I am proud to be Haitian. I still have my Haitian passport. I represent Haiti in everything that I do. Every head in the industry knows that I am Haitian…they know what I’m about. I was Haitian forst. Haitian till die!”, said Jean.

Discography: Wyclef Jean Present the Carnival Featuring the refugee All-Stars (1997) / The Ecleftic:2 Sides II a Book/ Masquerade (2002) / The Preacher’s (2003)/ Sak Pasé Presents: Creole 101( 2004) /Hips Don’t Lie (with Shakira, 2006).

SPECIAL AWARDS

Gerthie David “The Black Goddess”

In 1975, many Haitian people were shocked to open their newspapers and see photographs of Gerthie David Miss Haiti in El Salvador. On the night of July 19th 1975, in San Salvador, Gerthie David, Miss Haiti, was the second black woman to first runner-up in the history of Miss Universe Pageant. After winning the Miss Haiti title, Gerthie went to San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador, to enter the Miss Universe Contest. The competence was exhausting, very hard, for example Miss Bolivia, Jackeline Gammarra, great favorite, was eliminated. This day, Miss Haiti looks like a black goddess. Her exotic beauty and charming personality are amazing! At 1,72m in height, she was the best in the evening gown competition, but her speech about the Haitian superstitions swayed thousands of applauses in the 25th Edition of the Contest. Certainly, Miss Haiti captive to the judges Sarah Vaughan (American black singer), Maribel Arrieta (Miss El Salvador 1955 and First runner-up at Miss Universe 1955), Jean Claude Killy (French sportsmen) and Leon Uris(American writer ).

When Bob Barker, the host this pageant, announces the final placements, Gerthie was cheered by the entire auditorium. Suddenly, her pulse rate beats at thousand per minute… “First runner-up is Miss Haiti!”, said Barker. She was one of the most exotic delegates in all history of Miss Universe. In the 1970s, Gerthie David was a model from Port-au Prince and she became a symbol to the Haitian youth. Next months, in London, Joelle Apollon, Miss Haiti-World, came in sixth place at Miss World 1975. After sixteen years, Marjorie Vincent, formerly Miss Illinois 1991,won the title of Miss America Pageant. The first Miss America to originate from the Caribbean. In other words, Marjorie Vincent has Haitian roots. Furthermore, she was the second black woman to win the pageant.

SPORTS

Like in Brazil or Italy, the football is the most popular sport in Haiti. Certainly, the national pastime is the football. A different of the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico, the Haitian people don’t like the baseball. In the 20th Century, football became the most popular sport in the Island, thanks to such heroes as Sylvio Cator, Joseph Gaetjens and Emmanuel Sanon. In 1974 Haiti qualified for the World Cup in Germany.

Emmanuel Sanon was one of the Haiti’s most popular players and played at the 1974 World Cup. Sanon made a great contribution to Haitian football because he played in more World Cup qualifiers any other Haitian. He is still very popular with local fans. Other phenomenal talent was Joseph Eduard Gaetjens. He represented both Haiti and the United States. He made FIFA World Cup History: When scored United States opening goal in the 1950 World Cup against England. Joseph came to the United States in the 1940s to play in the American Soccer League. His beautiful play in the Brookhattan Club made in a national star. In 1953, he played for Haiti for the first time.

It’s practically impossible to talk about Haitian athletes without mentioning Sylvio Cator. He is a legend in this sport. Cator won the silver medal in the long jump at 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Cator returned home to a hero’s welcome. From 1928 to 1930, he was record man in the long jump. Cator was a marvelous jumper and footballer. He also played an important role in popularizing football in the Island (it was the captain of Haitian National Team).

Since then, he is an example for young people in Haiti. He died in November 1938, but today the people of Haiti still think of him with respect. Many years after Cator’s death, the National Stadium in Por-au-Prince was renamed in his honor. Cator was the first of the great Caribbean sportsmen that would come to dominate world track and field.

FAMOUS ATHLETES

Bruny Surin (Canada-Haiti/track field)/ Edrick Floreal (Canada-Haiti/track field)/ Samuel Dalembert ( USA-Haiti/basketball) / Ronald Agenor (USA-Haiti/tennis)/ Sylvio Cator (track and field)/ Yves Jeudy (Box)/ Dieudonne Lamothe (marathon)/ Ludovic Augustin (shooting)/ Ludovic Volborge (shooting)/ Joseph Eduard Gaetjens (Haiti-USA/football)/ Dudley Dorival (track field)/ Fitz Plantin Andre (football)/ Emmanuel Sanon (football)/ Josmer Altidore (Haitian-American/football).

Dudley Dorival (track and field): Dudley Dorival was born on 1 September 1975 in Elizabeth (New Jersey, USA). Dorival is the son of Haitian parents and got Haitian nationality just in time for the XXVII Summer Olympics Games. Since the 2000 Olympics, Dudley Dorival has competed in international competitions under the banner of Haiti. In Sydney (Australia) Dorival finished 7th in the 110m hurdles. He became the first Haitian to Olympic finalist since Yves Jeudy (boxer) in 1976. He won the silver medal at the 1994 World Junior Championship, the bronze at the 2001 World Chanpionship and the gold medal at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games El Salvador. Dorival is one of the best sportsman in the history of Haiti.

FAMOUS WOMEN

Michaëlla Jean (Governor-General of Canada)/ Yvonne Neptune (former Prime Minister)/Claudette Werleigh (Prime Minister 1995-1996)/Lina Blanchet (singer)/ Edwidge Danticat (writer)/ Michelle Bennett Duvalier(First Lady of Haiti 1981-1986)/ Luce Turnier (painter)/ Ertha Pascal-Trouillot (Head of State 1990-1991)/ Marie Casimir (journalist) / Sonia Sekula (Painter) / Marie Chauvet (writer)/ Suzanne Comhaire-Sylvain (writer)/ Carmen Brouard (singer)/Dayana Bennett (journalist and actress) / Elie Price (singer)/ Blanche Bosselman (singer)/ Lina Mathon (singer)/ Georgette Moliere (singer)/ Simone Ovide Duvalier (First Lady of Haiti 1957-1981)/ Marleine Bastien (human rights leader)/ Garcelle Beauvais (actress and model)/ Deborah Saint-Phard (track and field)/ Antoinette Gauthier (track and field), Louise Pierre (track and field)/ Rose Gauthier (track and field)

Edwidge Danticat (writer): One of the Caribbean’s most famous writers in the 21st Century. She has written several novels and collections of shore stories, including Kri? Kra!, nominated for a National Book Award. Danticat attracted international attention in 1997 when she wrote perhaps her most famous novel Farming of the Bones, a story about genocide Haitians under the repressive dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo.

Garcelle Beauvais (actress): She is the first Haitian actress to star on television. Although she has lived in the United States for many years, the actress and former fashion model Garcelle Beauvais was born in Saint Marc, a city in Haiti, in 1966. She is perhaps best known for her role as Francesca Monroe on TV’s the Jamie Foxx Show. Like Gerthie David, Joelle Apollon, Evelyn Miot, and Marjorie Vincent, she has the classic beauty of the Haitian black woman

REFERENCES:

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-Bishop,Randa. “Imponentes monumentos haitianos”, Americas, Washington DC, enero-febrero 1987

-Cobb,Charles. “Haiti against all odds”, National Geographic, November 1987

-Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year 1981, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chicago, 1980

-Encyclopaedia Britannica Almanac 2003, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chicago, 2002

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-Moritz, Charles. Current Biography Yearbook 1972, H. W Wilson Company, NY

-Sconfield, John. “Haiti-West Africa in the West Indies”, National Geographic, Washington DC, February 1961

-The International Who’s Who 1996-97, Europe Publications, London, 1996

-The World Almanac 2001, World Almanac Books, New Jersey, 2001

-Tibballs, Geoff. The Olympics´ strangest moments, Robson Books, London, 2004

-Vargas Llosa, Mario. “Haití: la muerte”, El Comercio, Lima, 25. 4. 1994

-Visión. “Imperio del Poder Vitalicio”, Santiago de Chile, 17 de marzo de 1967

-Wallechinsky, David. The complete Book of the Olympics, Aurum Press, London, 2004

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-WWW. Yotube. com “1975 El Salvador Miss Universe” (video)

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