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Volume, Number 5 June/July 2006

Publisher: GoalMinds, Inc.
Mailto:info@goalminds.com http://www.goalminds.com

Copyright 2006 GoalMinds, Inc. All rights reserved

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Happy Birthday, America!

Happy Fourth of July!

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The symbolism of the Flag was thus interpreted by
George Washington:

'We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother
country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that
we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go
down to posterity representing Liberty.'
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IN THIS ISSUE

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1. Our Symbol of Freedom

2. Have You Made These Mistakes in English?

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As we posted the colors on Rue Marielyne last week, we asked
ourselves about flag etiquette. Sad to say, we remembered
only a fraction. So here for your benefit, as well as ours,
is where you can find that information.
Http://www.holidays.net/independence/flag.htm

'I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of
America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'

Many of our readers are not Americans. We respect your
countries, traditions, and symbols. Please join with us in
celebrating the birthday of our country.

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1. Our Symbol of Freedom

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The United States Flag is the third oldest of the National
Standards of the world; older than the Union Jack of Britain
or the Tricolor of France. The flag was first authorized by
Congress June 14, 1777. This date is now observed as Flag
Day throughout America. The flag was first flown from Fort
Stanwix, on the site of the present city of Rome, New York,
on August 3, 1777. It was first under fire for three days
later in the Battle of Oriskany, August 6, 1777.

The United States Flag is unique in the deep and noble
significance of its message to the entire world, a message
of national independence, of individual liberty, of
idealism, of patriotism. It symbolizes national independence
and popular sovereignty. It is not the Flag of a reigning
family or royal house, but of 205 million free people welded
into a Nation, one and inseparable, united not only by
community of interest, but by vital unity of sentiment and
purpose; a Nation distinguished for the clear individual
conception of its citizens alike of their duties and their
privileges, their obligations and their rights. It
incarnates for all mankind the spirit of Liberty and the
glorious ideal of human Freedom; not the freedom of
unrestraint or the liberty of license, but an unique ideal
of equal opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness, safeguarded by the stern and lofty principles of
duty, of righteousness and of justice, and attainable by
obedience to self-imposed laws.

This is an Excerpt from History of the Flag on the
USACITYLINK.com website


Http://www.usacitylink.com/usa/?file=/citylink/usa/history.html
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As you may know, I lived in the Washington, DC, area for
many years. Whenever I had guests who had never been to
Washington, before taking them home with me or to their
hotels, I first took them for a drive to see the US Capitol,
the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the White
House. Later, with time permitting, we would tour the
Monuments, the National Archives, and Smithsonian Museums.
One of my fondest memories is walking on the Mall with my
eldest son, Michael, about midnight. You can really feel the
impact and the grandeur of it all in the still of the night.
It was shocking to me at first to see people taking their
coolers and blankets and having a picnic on the Mall on the
Fourth of July. Many of them stayed until evening to hear
the National Symphony Orchestra, especially Tchaikovsky's
1812 Overture with real cannons, and watch the fireworks.
Your local television station may bring the festivities into
your home. Happy Fourth of July! Click here for the National
Archives website and see the US Declaration of Independence.
Http://tinyurl.com/qarfr

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2. Have You Made These Mistakes in English?
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Effective communication skills are the mark of an
achiever-always have been-always will be.

Many of us use informal English or slang when it would be
best not to. 'I tried to get aholt of her.' What the
gentleman really meant is that he tried to contact her. Any
Texan would understand this, but it would sound strange to
almost anyone else. It would surely send a visitor from
another country scurrying for a dictionary.

'Yeah, cause you weren't supposed to go nowhere.' The use of
double negatives turns the verb into a positive one. Look at
it logically. If you weren't nowhere; you were somewhere.

Past participles mean big trouble for some people. 'When I
went to Alaska I seen the Northern Lights.' I see (present
tense-it's happening now). I saw (past tense-it happened
earlier). I have seen (past participle) needs a helping word
such as have or was. In this case 'saw' would be more
correct.

English is the language of commerce in the United States of
America. There is a lot of discussion about multilingualism,
but America is a melting pot. Sure, we want people to
remember and honor their heritage. We do that in many ways
and even have months dedicated to Black History, Hispanic
and Asian heritage. But when it comes to the workplace; we
need one common language with which to communicate; and that
language is English.

When grammar trips you up, you appear to lack education.
Don't stop talking. Reach for a good grammar book or run to
the Internet. Many schools and universities have grammar
seminars posted.

In 1997 I wrote a book with Bennie Bough, Ph.D. Bennie is
Past President of Toastmasters International. He has a lot
of experience teaching people the proper use of English. The
book we wrote and self-published, 101 Ways to Improve Your
Communication Skills Instantly, is now in its Fourth
Edition, and has been translated into ten languages-the
latest by a Croatian publisher. People all over the world
want to learn to communicate better. This book is a
tremendous help, though it is not a grammar book. It is
available at Amazon.com, in your bookstore or library, and
at http://www.goalminds.com

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'The secret to becoming a millionaire is simply using the right words!' -- Ted Nicholas
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write, can't type, and failed high school English class!'
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Get 'Bragging Rights' in less than a week!
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