There is nothing worse than that sinking feeling in your stomach as you realize that everything you have been working on for the last month is gone! It has happened to many home business owners - maybe even you. You bootup your computer one day and you realize that your computer has been hit by a virus and all your data has been wiped out! Because a lot of your home business operations are likely to be conducted and stored on your computer, setting yourself up with the proper office computer software, including virus protection is essential.

Of course before you start choosing software for your home office computer you will need to asses exactly what you need. You will need to select software customized to what you do. For example, if you are entering data reports, you will need to install spreadsheet software. Likewise, if you are writing for a living, you will need a solid word-processing software program. Photographers will require photo editing software, while a book-keeper will not.

Beside the specialized programs there will be a few other software programs that every home business should have. You will need a way to keep track of your expenses, invoices and all of the money in your business. There are a number of really good finance software programs on the market that will help you do this. Quickbooks and Quicken offer a few options depending on the size of your business and whether or not you have employees and inventory to track as well. You will also require tax preparation software; however this needs to be purchased every year. Although if you have a separate accountant or book-keeper, you will not need this.

You will also want a word-processing program that will handle basic letters, label printing, estimates and other daily business needs.
There are a number of choices here. You could try the Microsoft Works package which has an integrated word-processor. If that doesn’t quite meet your needs then Microsoft Word offers all the features that you could ever need. If your budget is really tight then make sure and check out the Open Office software package - it’s totally free and gives you a complete home office suite of programs.

Of course if you are using the Internet, you will need an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape in order to access the internet. Firefox is an especially good web browser and doesn’t suffer from nearly as many “issues” as Internet Explorer. Some of these programs also come with an email program to keep your email filed properly and allow you to compose new messages as you need to.

Of course, the most important software that you will get for your computer is virus protection software that will keep your computer safe. A firewall is also a good idea to protect your investment. Be sure to set up a backup system for your computer as well. By backing up your work, every day, once a week or at least once a month, it will not be quite such a disaster if your computer suffers a virus as you’ll be able to get all your info back and continue working.

There is a wide variety of computer software available on the market today and you may need to look around for the programs that are going to work the best for you. Remember to keep to the basics however and do not overload your computer with a bunch of programs that you will not use.

This article was provided courtesy of HomeOfficeBuddy.com where you find lots more information on open office software packages.

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An Afghan man is currently facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity from Islam. The former Muslim known as Abdul Brahman has been accused of apostasy and jailed, but is yet to be formally charged under Islamic laws.

In the United States this past week, talk shows and advocacy groups rallied their supporters, who flooded the White House and the Afghanistan Embassy with complaints against Islam. Expectedly, the incident has prompted a swift international outcry from world leaders. President Bush himself has expressed how “deeply troubled” he is over the looming death sentence.

And once again Islam is in the lime light for all the wrong reasons.

Anti-Muslim groups have been very quick to capitalise on the current sentiments. A plethora of hate literature against Islam is now rapidly circulating on the Internet, accusing Muslims of wrongfully holding back their peers who wish to opt out of the religion.

Islam is accused to be a chauvinistic and intolerant cult whose phenomenal growth is only happening because Muslims cannot leave the religion. Muslims are being portrayed as unwilling digits trapped into a religion whose clutches they have to endure silently for the rest of their life.

The more creative ones have even described Islam as “Hotel California”. You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave.

But are these accusations true? Is Islam really unforbearing towards followers of other religion, particularly apostates? Can one actually “check out”?

No Compulsion in Islam

The truth of the matter is, Islam is a religion that has never been forced upon. The very idea that a conversion into Islam is one way street in which one can never turn from is a much dissipated myth. The Quran prohibits Muslims to force Islam onto an individual. Muslims past and present have largely converted into Islam out of their own free will.

A very clear example of this commandement is the following translated Quranic verse from Surah Al-Baqara:

2:256 - “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.”

Another Quranic verse that Muslim scholars have pointed to is the following from Surah Al-Hijr which says:

15:2-3 “Again and again will those who disbelieve, wish that they had bowed (to God’s will) in Islam. Leave them alone, to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves: let (false) hope amuse them: soon will knowledge (undeceive them).”

Again, no authority has been granted to Muslims to specifically kill the apostates of Islam should they mean no harm. Apostates are to be treated fairly as non-Muslims.

Compulsion will not make sense in Islam. Islam is one of the fastest growing forces on earth today. One out of every five person in this world is a Muslim. A strong religion like Islam could not have prospered without sincere devotion and faith of its followers, especially during tumultuous times such as the numerous Muslim persecutions during the time of Muhammad and various crusades in the middle ages. At times like those, many could have just left Islam for the comfort of peace and prosperity.

But they did not. They stayed on and Islam is what it is today. The prosperity and growth of Islam in the future will still depend on that very same faith and sincerity - not compulsion.

So why are Muslims calling for the death of apostates?

The practise of granting death to apostates stems from a time in history where Jews and pagan Arabs enter Islam with the intention to disrupt and deceive the well being of the religion. According to Muslim scholars and noted historians, these hypocrites would pretend to embrace Islam in order to commit pillage and inflict damage onto the Muslim community once they are accepted in. After their job is done, they would leave Islam as fast as they had embraced it.

In instances such as these, the death penalty would have been the ultimate deterrent to stem such delinquent and potentially harmful behaviour towards Islam. Bear in mind that Islam was a religion that was highly under persecution and the avoidance of such activities was absolutely crucial to the survival community. That is the reason why there are several evidences in the Prophet’s sayings (Hadith) where permission is granted to kill these types of apostates.

On top of that, there were also highly dangerous apostates like Musylama Al-Kaththab who had gathered an army at the present-day Oman shortly after the death of Prophet Muhammad. His intention was to totally annihilate Muslims from the face of the earth. If the death penalty had not been imposed onto apostates such as him, Islam would not have survived.

But this no longer applies in the context of current times, especially in the multi-cultural societies that we live in. Sadly, societies like Afghanistan have decided to maintain the death ruling.

More tolerant Muslim societies like those in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have allowed Muslims to leave the religion- free from similar perturbations. However, Muslims who wish to leave the religion are sometimes counselled by the religious authorities and family members.

But what is the need for such counselling? Isn’t that a form of perturbation too?

Losing a member of the family is always a sad event. Similarly when the Muslim community is about to lose a member of the family, they would naturally try to prevent it from happening. Hopefully, they would change their minds.

Similar barriers, and sometimes punishments are present in other religions too. For example in Christianity, members have been explicitly told to kill apostates with their own hands.

Deuteronomy 13:6-9 “If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying: Let us go and worship other gods (gods that neither you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other, or gods of other religions), do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people.”

Deuteronomy 17:3-5 “And he should go and worship other gods and bow down to them or to the sun or the moon or all the army of the heavens, …..and you must stone such one with stones and such one must die.”

Apostasy is not alien to Islam. Muslim leaders over the ages have lived peacefully with apostates and will continue to so so in the future. Ironically, it is our tolerance and benevolence that may just be the key for them to turn back. Not violence and indifference.

The author is an editor at http://www.ewadah.com, a site that discusses the latest issues regarding Islam and Muslims. Drop by the site for more articles written by him.

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Graduation Gowns

Graduation Regalia

Academic Regalia

The history of academic regalia dates back in the 13th century when universities began taking form. The regalia consists of gowns, caps, tassels, stoles and hoods. Graduates often wear caps during academic processions and when degrees are being conferred. Most institutions have implemented the practice of requiring degree graduates to wear tassels on the right front side before conferring of degrees and to the left after degrees are awarded. Graduates are required to wear academic regalia that is appropriate for the degree level they will receive. For those graduates holding many degrees, only one hood can be worn at a given time and should match with the gown worn. Academic regalia can either be hired or bought and should fit the graduate properly. Other accessories selected should accent and compliment the entire regalia worn by the graduate.

Graduation Information On The Internet

Graduation information is available all over the internet. You’ll find multiple links which can assist you in your research. Gordon International offers a lot of information which can be useful to anyone ordering graduation regalia but if you’re looking for specific history please see the link provided below.
The Following Site Offers Great Information About Graduation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress wikipedia provides the searcher with a great information source for any type of search. You can go to their search wiki and place an random search in the engine and you’ll come across a few useful sources & articles.

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I was thinking of you…

It sounds like a greeting card, doesn’t it?

And why shouldn’t it?

Is there any prohibition against starting a sales conversation with these or similar words?

Hallmark has been doing very nicely, thank you, forever capturing the sound of sincerity with their slogans, and salespeople can learn a lot from these and similar phrase masters.

As I’ve said elsewhere, there are literally hundreds of ways to greet prospects and customers, while breaking the ice. Of course, you can have formal approaches that announce special sales, and the like.

And they’re fine, but what do you do between sales? What is your reason for calling, then?

Imagine the following opener:

“Hello, Derek? This is Gary Goodman with Customersatisfaction.com. How’s it going? Good. I was looking at the paper and reading about some interesting remodeling projects, and you popped into mind, and I thought it would be a good time to catch up with you. How’s business?”

The most important purpose served by an opener is to give YOU a feeling that the call is justified. Mostly, customers are happy to hear from us; we need to get over our call reluctance, and any concerns that we might foster about sounding foolish.

Here’s my basic criterion for having a decent opener:

Can you write it out, in everyday, conversational language, and have it sound good?

Look back at my example, above. I call it the “Thinking of You” approach.

I’m comfortable saying these exact words, and as long as that’s the case, I’m sure they’ll be well received by customers, because they take their cue from me.

If we sound insecure, they’ll be, too. If we’re unselfconscious, they’ll follow that lead, as well.
Experiment with various openers, and put them to use.

Remember, the “hallmark” of a good salesperson is one who stays close to his customers, and by doing this; he creates and harvests good will.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of http://www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

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