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If Only They Used Their Powers for Good Sadly some individuals who have the gift of charisma have misused this tool to manipulate and deceive followers to achieve personal gain or power. This has been a common problem throughout human history: Adolph Hitler…Jim Jones…David Koresh.

For decades it was incorrectly believed by many people that all great political and religious leaders possessed a trait called charisma. This influential trait was defined as “those who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm." It typically included a strong personal magnetism or charm. Unfortunately, Far too many people have actually defined leadership as if it was synonymous with charisma! (It's not)

Many military generals, business mavericks and athletic coaches have been quoted extensively to promote a “winning is everything” or the “only thing” approach to achievement or problem solving.

Recent news reports about political and business corruption highlights how certain individuals have misused charisma and their power of persuasion to abuse others for selfish personal gain. It is true that when used effectively charisma can be a powerful motivating tool by those leaders who possess it. But this does not prove an exclusive link between leadership and charisma.

As a society, our focus should not be on those who have charisma but rather on those who live and lead with integrity. Author Jim Collins comments in his book “Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t” (HarperCollins) that the difference between a good leader and a bad one is “the inner landscape of the leader”.

Study (and Follow) the Leaders Collins spent five years studying business leaders who took their companies from good to great by maintaining outstanding performance for at least 15 years. His conclusion is that the good leaders were “ambitious first and foremost for their cause, for the company, for the work. Not for themselves. They are self-confident, not self-centered”.

He found that these leaders were “self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy – a paradoxical blend of personality, humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton or Caesar.

It is a common cultural flaw to expect leaders to exhibit charisma or to closely link leadership with charisma. This flaw has led many down a path of frustration and disillusionment when the personal charisma of a leader proved to be self-absorbed and shallow.

Instead of charisma, our culture should focus on possessing leadership qualities like being trustworthy, genuine, honest and service-minded. These are the traits that reveal the “inner landscape of the leader” and provide a long-term motivation for others to follow.

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This is the most widely distributed of all our native sparrows, appearing in one form or another from Florida to Alaska and range in color from pale to dark brown.

They love water and are most numerous where streams, ponds, or marshes offer dense cover, but yards with shrubs and vines will attract them.

Their space requirements are small. A pair will live and nest in 1-1/2 acres or less. They nest on or near the ground, both parents help raise the young, and they raise up to four broods a year. Cowbirds often lay eggs in their nests, and are considered with dogs, cats, and rats as their greatest enemies.

There are many sparrows with spotted breasts, but the heavy dot in the center of the chest and the streaks on breast and flanks distinguish this bird from others.

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All the Fruits to be treated of here, except the Strawberry, are the produce of trees or of woody plants. All these may be propagated from seed, and some are so propagated.

But others are usually propagated by cuttings, slips, layers, or suckers; or by budding or grafting upon stocks. The methods of propagation, best suited to each kind, will be mentioned under the name of the kinds respectively; and, therefore, in this place I am to describe the several methods generally, and the management suited to each.

When the propagation is from seed, the sowing should be in good ground, finely broken, and the seed should by no means be sown too thick. How to save and preserve the seed will be spoken of under the names of the several trees. But, the seed being good, it should be well sown, well covered, and carefully preserved from mice and other vermin.

CUTTINGS are short pieces, cut in the spring, from shoots of the last year, and it is, in most cases, best, if they have a joint or two of the former year's wood, at the bottom of them. The cutting should have all together, about six joints, or buds; and three of these should be under ground when planted. The cuts should be performed with a sharp knife, so that there may be nothing ragged or bruised about either wood or bark.

The time for taking off cuttings is that of the breaking up of the frost. They should be planted in a shady place, and watered with rain water, in dry weather, until they have got shoots several inches long. When they have such shoots they have roots, and when they have these, no more watering is necessary.

Besides these occasional waterings, the ground should, especially in hot countries, be covered with leaves of trees, or muck, or something that will keep the ground cool during the hot and dry weather.

SLIPS differ from cuttings in this, that the former are not cut, but pulled, from the tree. You take a shoot of the last year, and pull it downwards, and thus slip it off. You trim the ragged back off; then shorten the shoot so that it have six joints left; and then plant it and manage it in the same manner as directed for. cuttings. The season for the work is also the same.

LAYERS. You take a limb, or branch of a tree, in the fall, or early in Spring, and pull it down in such a way as to cause its top, or small shoots and twigs to lie upon the ground. Then fasten the limb down by a peg or two, so that its own force will not raise it up. Then prune off all the small branches and shoots that stick upright and, having a parcel of shoots lying horizontally, lay earth upon the whole, all along upon the limb from the point where it begins to touch the ground, and also upon all the bottoms of all the shoots.

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Organic Pest Controls: - Many of us who garden with the idea of working with nature, would choose to use products in our gardens that are safe or less harmful to the environment, ourselves and the creatures who live their lives in and around our gardens. We hope to avoid substances that destroy indiscriminately, choosing commodities instead that are destructive to specific elements only. Wherever possible we try to harness organic methods in the upkeep and cultural processes in our gardens.

Pesticides may also kill beneficial organisms, which serve important functions such as controlling pests, providing nutrients to the plants and aerating the soil. This disrupts the natural ecological balance between the beneficial and destructive organisms and encourages more pest and disease attack. This drives the need for even more pesticides and fungicides and so begins a cycle of dependence. These chemicals can be effective but generally only in the short term and persistent problems usually mean the plants are ‘stressed’ and trying to survive in an unhealthy environment.

By creating a good environment in the way of soil improvement, good horticulture practises to sustain healthy well-developed plants, will go a long way to enable the plants to better withstand pest and disease attacks. Variety helps the balance, stick with one type of plant massed into a single area and you are inviting trouble. Vary your planting and this will control the population explosion of many pests.

In our bid to control or eliminate those creatures and disease which damage or ruin our crops, we must look to enhance the environment, encouraging natural predators, companion planting schemes and setting up physical barriers, we are able to avoid strong chemicals the limit of their destructive influences we do not necessarily completely understand. It is of course a long-term approach but one that can only benefit both the environment and us.

In some cases the attacks on our plants may be sporadic and unpredictable, but most of the more serious pest attacks can be expected to cause damage to certain plants year after year. Often the severity of the attacks depends on the weather conditions. A mild, wet autumn is often followed by a severe infestation of leatherjackets in the spring, and hot weather is ideal for the explosion of the greenfly and other aphid populations.

An important factor is to learn to recognize the more common pests and be able to differentiate between pests and their predators so that we can encourage the latter to live in or visit our gardens. Organic gardening relies on several overlapping strategies rather than the power of a single highly toxic chemical to kill the pests. We must encourage the pest’s natural enemies such as ladybirds, lacewings, spiders and tiny parasitic wasps. Many beneficial insects that feed on garden pests need nectar and pollen for food during part of their lifecycle. Growing a year-round supply of suitable flowers close by will maintain the insect populations throughout the year. Keep the insect eating birds visiting your garden by providing them with safe nesting sites, offer safe hiding places for frogs and hedgehogs.

Biological Control of garden and greenhouse pests is becoming more and more popular with professional and amateur gardeners and used in the right way and at the right time it is an alternative to chemicals, effective and yet safe for children, pets and wildlife.

Herbal Sprays- Many organic gardeners are familiar with using sprays made from aromatic herbs to repel pests from the garden plants. Several recent studies confirm the repellent effect of such sprays.

The essential oil of Sage and Thyme and the alcohol extracts such as Hyssop, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, and White Clover can be used in this manner. They have been shown to reduce the number of eggs laid and the amount of feeding damage to cabbage by caterpillars of large white butterflies. Sprays made from Tansy have demonstrated a repellent effect on imported cabbageworm on cabbage, reducing the number of eggs laid on the plants. Teas made from Wormwood or Nasturtiums are reputed to repel aphids from fruit trees, and sprays made from ground or blended Catnip, Chives, Feverfew, Marigolds, or Rue have also been used by gardeners against pests that feed on leaves.

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All breeds of dogs are prone to an array of health problems, and so too with Chow Chows. Of them, hip dysplasia, luxating patella and entropion are the commonest. But the chances of your pup not being dysplastic or having a mild problem with it are minimized if you buy him from a registered breeder who X-rays the hips of animals and examines them for dysplasia before they can be bred. But on the whole, we now know that about 50 percent of all Chows suffer from hip dysplasia.

Hip dysplasia: This is caused due to a malformed hip joint that results in the head of the femur bone not fitting perfectly into the hip socket in which the femoral head lies. Often, it leads to pain, lameness and arthritis. However, the good news is that this condition, though congenital, can be treated by surgery.

Again being congenital, a dysplastic dog will often and invariably produce dysplastic puppies. Therefore, to ensure you’re taking home a healthy pup, it is imperative you ask to see the sire and the dam, and inquire if they are diagnosed with this condition. If not, ask to see a certificate granted by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals or by Penn HIP, stating this.

Do not believe what you hear, but wait to see the certificate proving they are healthy and clear of this condition. Ask for a copy of the same so you can show it to your vet. Also, ask him if he will guarantee a puppy against hip dysplasia for at least two years.

Entropion: Another medical condition they suffer from is entropion. Check if your Chow Chow has runny eyes. If he does, he may well suffer from entropion, a condition caused by eyelid abnormality in which the dog’s eyelids are turned inwards rather than outwards. This irritates the eye and, if you as an owner turn a blind eye to this, it can lead to your pet turning blind. If detected in time, it can be corrected with surgery.

Usually congenital, entropion can also be acquired in later life due to an eye injury or infection. However, since this isn’t always apparent in pups, you should take care to check this out when selecting your pup. Look out for clear, dry and sparkling eyes of the parents of your prospective pup. But if you see inflamed or runny eyes or crusty eyelids, you must know immediately that your pup is suffering from an eye infection and should be treated by a vet without delay.

Luxating patella: If the small, flat and mobile bone in the front of your Chow Chow’s knee is dislocated, don’t panic, as this is a knee problem that is yet again a hereditary one, often due to overweight. But this too can be corrected surgically.

Intolerance to anesthesia: Chow owners are often worried about their pets being intolerant to anesthesia, resulting in complications from surgery and death during surgery. This happens because this breed is said to have small hearts, in comparison with their body weight, and since anesthesia is given according to body weight, often they have been given a much larger dose than their bodies can take, causing their hearts to stop functioning.

Ruptured or torn ligaments: Your Chow Chow has such straight rear legs that the angulation isn’t enough, resulting in torn cruciate ligaments. He may rupture his ligaments when exercising strenuously. Or he may chase a ball, stop and start abruptly and cry in pain and turn lame. When he stays lame for some time, you realize that he needs immediate medical attention.

Diabetes: One of the commonest hormonal disorders in dogs, diabetes is a problem of the pancreas. It is caused due to the body producing insufficient amounts of insulin, thereby affecting the endocrine system. The highest occurrences of diabetes are found in dogs aged five to seven years, of which female dogs are more prone to it. If your dog is obese, he stands a greater chance of being affected by it. It is the most common hormonal disorder in dogs.

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Before you actually try your kit, you should read on how to remove spots for some general good tips that you will need to know. Let's spend a few minutes using the kit you have just made and doing some spot removal practise. Practise is what makes perfect, and here is your chance to exercise your newly aquired abilities to be a good spot remover. If you have not yet made up the spotting kit you can just skip over this section, but do not wait too long. Because you may put it off until when you really need it, and then your efforts will be made haphazardly.

What I would like you to do is get a scrap piece of carpet. Get a piece from your attic or basement, or even buy a small square runner of some sort to practise on.

Preferably, get a piece that is light in colour, so you can have a more challenging example to work on.Get some coffee or tea with milk and sugar init and dump half a cup onto the carpet, near the edge. You will have to section the piece off because we will be using several soil examples. Next, get some grease or motor oil and rub a little onto the next section. On the third section, mash some jam or jelly into the carpet. On the forth section, get a freshly chewed piece of gum or get some tar and stick it well onto the fibres. Then get a beverage like cola and pour a good amount onto a small section so that it penetrates the carpet well. On the last section get some wet mud and rub it well into the carpet. Let all of these things dry and set for a day or two.

So now you have coffee, grease, stuck food gum/tar, large liquid and mud. Now, lets practise. Get your kit ready. Let's take our first example, the coffee. Spary on a small amount of general detergent onto the entire affected area and slightly beyond it. Agitate it gently with your blunt knife so the product penetrates. Get one of your small towels and blot the area, press it on well. Now look at the towel. Is there any transfer of coffee? If so, then you are on your way to removing it. If you need more strength, just apply the acid detergent and repeat the process. After you are through, apply your rinse water and get all of the products out. Good.

Hopefully that should have been easy for you. If any colouration remains, just apply a small amount of hydrogen peroxide with a sponge to the affected area and leave it. Chances are it will go away with one or two applications.

Next, the grease. The first thing I want you to do is apply a small portion of the solventspotter to the grease and let it sit for a few minutes. With a towel, work the spotter into the spot and use a gentle rubbing action and you should see some of it transferring to the towel. Repeat this process as much as necessary until you get it to the furthest you can. Then, apply the alkaline detergent and work it in the same manner until gone. Finallt rinse with fresh water, blot dry. Easr? If not, repeat.

Now the jam or jelly. These usually come out pretty easily with just a real small amount of general detergent and really hot water. Run hot water over the spray bottle with general detergent in it and get it good and hot inside. Apply a small amount to the area, work it slowly with your blunt knife and it should easily loosen. Repeat if necessary. Wipe off with your towel and rinse with fresh water.

Now the gum. Try to loosen the gum as best as possible with your blunt knife. If it persists, make some indentations in it and apply your solvent spotter in small amounts. Let it sit and it will loosen the gum. Work it off slowly onto a towel. Apply your general detergent and fresh water as above, towel dry.

Large liquid spills.For cola or similar beverage, use your general detergent and see what you can get to transfer onto a towel. Then apply fresh water in a heavier amount and blot the spot by standing on the towel. This usually will remove a fair amount of it. Remember that larger spills usually wick up a bit after cleaning, so apply a fair amount of your baking soda to it, let dry a day and vacuum. Repeat if necessary the whole procedure if it remains the next day.

Mud. Mud is easy because once it dries you can usually aggressively vacuum the area and remove a real good amount of it. After you do that, just use either your general detergent or alkaline detergent. Doing this will loosen the rest and more than likely take care of the whole spot.