Cinco de Mayo—or the fifth of May—commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States.

History of Cinco de Mayo: Battle of Puebla.

In 1861 the liberal Mexican Benito Juárez (1806-1872) became president of a country in financial ruin, and he was forced to default on his debts to European governments. In response, France, Britain and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew, but France, ruled by Napoleon III (1808-1873), decided to use the opportunity to carve a dependent empire out of Mexican territory. Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, landing a large French force and driving President Juárez and his government into retreat.

Certain that success would come swiftly, 6,000 French troops under General Charles Latrille de Lorencez (1814-1892) set out to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico. From his new headquarters in the north, Juárez rounded up a rag-tag force of 2,000 loyal men—many of them either indigenous Mexicans or of mixed ancestry—and sent them to Puebla. Led by Texas-born General Ignacio Zaragoza (1829-1862), the vastly outnumbered and poorly supplied Mexicans fortified the town and prepared for the French assault. On May 5, 1862, Lorencez drew his army, well provisioned and supported by heavy artillery, before the city of Puebla and led an assault from the north. The battle lasted from daybreak to early evening, and when the French finally retreated they had lost nearly 500 soldiers. Fewer than 100 Mexicans had been killed in the clash.

Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s success at Puebla represented a great symbolic victory for the Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement. Six years later—thanks in part to military support and political pressure from the United States, which was finally in a position to aid its besieged neighbor after the end of the Civil War—France withdrew. The same year, Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, who had been installed as emperor of Mexico by Napoleon in 1864, was captured and executed by Juárez’s forces. Puebla de Los Angeles was renamed for General Zaragoza, who died of typhoid fever months after his historic triumph there.

Cinco de Mayo in Mexico

Cinco de Mayo in Mexico is primarily observed in the state of Puebla, where Zaragoza’s unlikely triumph occurred, although other parts of the country also take part in the celebration. Traditions include military parades, recreations of the Battle of Puebla and other festive events. For many Mexicans, however, May 5 is a day like any other: It is not a federal holiday, so offices, banks and stores remain open.

Cinco de Mayo in the United States

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is widely interpreted as a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with substantial Mexican-American populations. Chicano activists raised awareness of the holiday in the 1960s, in part because they identified with the victory of indigenous Mexicans over European invaders during the Battle of Puebla. Today, revelers mark the occasion with parades, parties, mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing and traditional foods such as tacos and mole poblano. Some of the largest festivals are held in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.

Confusion with and Mexican Independence Day

Many people outside Mexico mistakenly believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla. That event is commemorated on September 16, the anniversary of the revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous “Grito de Dolores” (“Cry of Dolores”), a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war against the Spanish colonial government in 1810.

Cinco The Mayo

The first Cinco De Mayo celebration in the US took place in Southern California in 1863.

PS:This post originally appeared on the http://www.history.com/topics/cinco-de-mayo

Tony was born on 29th February 1960, a birthday he should only celebrate every leap year. He often talks about his mother having several partners and he having several fathers during his upbringing. The Robbins family often did not have much money and he has talked about charity being offered to them on Thanks Giving.

Anthony Robbins has always been big in stature, but also big on goals too. By his late teens he had already found himself studying NLP (Nero Linguistic Programming) with John Grinder, one of the founders of NLP. He did this by just pure determination and not excepting a no for an answer, so that John finally agreed to show him the skills. Still in his late teens he developed his own diamond method and became very popular in helping peoples’ fears and phobias.

He was labeled the “Wonder Kid” and was even written about in the national press and was earning some quite substantial money for someone of his age. But with success came self destruction and soon after, Anthony Robbins found himself sitting in a bachelor pad, overweight and where his biggest priority was to watch general Hospital on TV.

He describes a friend coming around to his apartment and convincing him that he was wasting his life away as the turning point at this stage. Anthony clearly had the tools and skills; he just was choosing not to demand more from himself. From this day he never looked back.

Robbins big break came in Canada, where on a local radio station he challenged that he could cure anyone with a phobia or fear instantly. He was challenged by a local Physiologist, who had a patient he had been working on for years and had never been able to cure her. That night on stage at a local hotel, many people had turned up to see this dual between Robbins and the physiologist. So many, that the audience was forced to stand around the walls. The patient had been afraid of snakes and nothing that she had tried in the past had worked. Tony used his skills that he had learned with NLP and a bit of entertainment to, and sure enough within seconds, this lady was quite happy to have snakes around her.

The publicly from this event sent Tony’s career forward at an incredible speed, everyone wanted a piece of Robbins knowledge and skills. With one year Anthony was a multimillionaire living in a castle above the cliffs of California. His books became instant best sellers and his motivational tapes were sold over the world and became the best selling motivational tapes ever. Tony was pretty much elevated to superstar status.

He now found himself helping the rich and famous. Names that publicly support Tony’s work are Michael Douglas, Andre Agassi, Quincy Jones and countless more. He has also been associated with 2 presidents, Nelson Mandella and even Princess Diana. Clearly a seriously impressive portfolio!

But at his peak, Anthony was to disappoint his fans by announcing his divorce from his wife of many years Becky. Becky had appeared on many of his tapes, had a book dedicated to her, but what really upset his followers was that his divorce seemed to contradict his teachings in his books and tapes. He had often used his relationship with Becky to show that people are different and that happy relationships can be formed and can be lasting if you follow some of Anthony’s lessons.

Although some people never forgave Tony for these events, most people moved on from this realizing that Tony is just as human as everyone else and happiness has to be the major factor of life. Becky apparently is still a friend with Robbins and she still works at one of his companies.

Robbins used the lessons from his own divorce, to put into his seminars and books to make him more popular than ever and now with his new wife is as active as he ever was.

Now in his forties, he sleeps only a few hours a day, has relentless energy and never accepts anything less than the best. Even after his seminars, which often finish at the early hours of the morning, he still goes to work to find out what he could have done better. Of course there are still those who criticize him and what he teaches and even those who think he is a fraud. But you cannot deny that Anthony Robbins has had an extraordinary life and like him or love him, extremely successful.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/210548

Are you out of ideas for blog posts? Small wonder, if the only place you’re looking is inside your own head. We all need inspiration … and you’re not going to find it banging your head against the desk and hoping an idea falls out.

You need fresh inspiration if you’re going to come up with new ideas.

To help get your inspirational motor running, here are 50 techniques for generating great blog post topics.

1. Two words: Google alerts. Set an alert with a few industry key words, and ask it to deliver at least 20 stories a day. Read the headlines and throw interesting links into a file for future use. When you get several related stories, you’ve got an instant roundup piece.
2. Skim national newspapers and magazine stories. How does national news such as the recession affect your readers? Talk about national trends, and your audience will come to rely on you to tailor big news to address their concerns.
3. Ask yourself, “What’s missing?” or “What will happen next?” Answer the questions those national rags didn’t address. What’s the next domino that will likely fall as a result of this piece of news? Point it out, and your readers will feel you (and they) are ahead of the curve.
4. Read small publications. If you have an expertise blog, check the experts’ columns in local papers or business weeklies. Few people outside your community will have read these, and their topics are often easily recycled.
5. Read trade publications. Trade pubs cover every imaginable industry and they’re a great source of trend ideas, from Ad Age to TWICE (This Week in Electronics). They’ll also track new companies and products you might mention (see #39).
6. Read your competitors. I subscribe to several competing blogs on my iGoogle desktop, for real-time headline scanning. If you write on a similar topic, you can give the other blog link love.
7. Riff on a popular post. Grab yourself some high-powered linkage by posting your reaction to a big-time blogger’s thoughts.
8. Try a new medium. Burned out on the blogosphere? Look at YouTube videos, listen to podcasts, or watch good ol’ fashioned TV shows or radio broadcasts.
9. Think about pain. What are the biggest problems your readers face? Focus on topics that would provide balm to their wounds.
10. Talk to a friend. That’s right — use your lifeline, just like on the reality TV shows. Jawing about a problem usually helps ideas bubble up.
11. Tackle a controversy. Weigh in on your industry’s hot topic. This can be especially effective if you have a contrarian viewpoint.
12. Join a blogger’s group. Knowing your group will ask what you’re posting should help concentrate the mind. Hearing what they’re blogging on will no doubt suggest subjects for you to cover, too.
13. Scan industry conference schedules. The list of session topics offers a quick guide to your audience’s hot-button issues.
14. Get a critique. Find a mentor. Have them look over your blog and point out what’s missing.
15. Mine your hobbies. People love posts that offer an unusual perspective on your topic. For instance, I once did a post called 7 Things I Learned About Business From Playing Bejeweled Blitz.
16. Do an interview. Do you have a favorite thinker in your space? Get in touch. You’ll be surprised how many authors and thought leaders are game for a quick Q&A.
17. Review your greatest hits. Read your most popular past blogs. Look for ways to take a slightly different angle and further illuminate the same topic.
18. Write a sequel. If something has happened recently that puts a new light on a past blog post, update your readers. Write a new entry and link it back to the old one.
19. Have a debate. Invite someone you strongly disagree with on for a point/counterpoint blog post. Learn from TV dramas — what do we love? Conflict, conflict, conflict!
20. Stop worrying you’ll look dumb. Buck up and be brave. Try a post idea that you’ve been scared to tackle.
21. Ask a question. Is there an industry issue that you’re undecided about? Discuss your mixed feelings.
22. Write something else. Anything. Like, a letter to your mom. A wish list for Santa. Anything that gets you into a completely different mental space. Return to your blog once the writing wheels are turning.
23. Talk about your mistakes. Folks love to hear about how other people screwed up. Be honest and talk about what you learned.
24. Make a prediction. Everybody — everybody — wants to know what’s going to happen next. Grab attention with your thoughts on the future of your sector.
25. Review the past. How has your industry changed in the past 5 years? 10 years? Look for milestones for reflection.
26. Create a regular feature. For instance, if you do a weekly news wrapup every Saturday, that’s one post you know you have covered.
27. Where are they now? If you know of an industry bigwig who’s been out of the spotlight but now they’re back, check in with them. Write about their new venture.
28. Change your view. Go to the park, a (different) coffeeshop, a museum, your backyard deck. Leave your usual writing cave.
29. Eavesdrop. While you’re out, tune in to other conversations and see where they take you.
30. Take a hike. Most writers could really stand to exercise more. It stimulates the brain, and topics will come to you naturally. Just make sure you bring something to take a few notes with.
31. Take a bath. Ideally, after the walk. Ahhhhh. That warm water just seems to release the creativity, doesn’t it?
32. Take an entire day off — every week. It’s a life-changer. Mine is Saturdays. Hit your own “refresh” button and return ready to rock your blog.
33. Take a poll. When in doubt, ask readers what they’d like you to write about.
34. Hold a contest. Provide a provocative fill-in-the-blank line, or give a prize for the best question. Presto: Instant post idea list.
35. Keep a journal. Ideally, that you write in first or last thing daily, when you’re unfocused and allow uncensored thoughts.
36. Free associate. Take five minutes and just scribble about your blog. See what percolates up.
37. Do a mind map. If you’re not familiar, mind mapping is a technique for visualizing how topics are related to each other. Draw a chart with branches for all the main topics you cover, to get a picture of where they might sprout new stems.
38. Do a book review. Tell readers if the hot new book in your niche is insightful or inane.
39. Do a product review. Ditto the book reviews, only for stuff. Is it a ripoff, or valuable?
40. Run your analytics. The most popular keyword phrases that bring people to your site provide a ready-made road map to your next post topics.
41. Read your comments. See what readers have asked about that you haven’t answered yet.
42. Read your competitors’ comments. If your blog doesn’t have a lot of comments yet, go mine someone else’s.
43. Read your social-media group’s questions. What are people chatting about? Answer on your blog, then go back and provide a link.
44. Tweet about needing ideas. Or post it on your Facebook or LinkedIn status. Let your connections do the work for you.
45. Hit an industry networking event. As you chat people up, mention your blog. Ask what they like to read about.
46. Attend a local community event. Compete in a zucchini race, volunteer at a charity auction. Get out of your head and laugh a little.
47. Think funny. While you’re laughing, consider writing a post that’s satirical or humorous for a change. I know funny bloggers are among my personal favorites.
48. Take the headline challenge. Tell yourself you need to come up with 50 story ideas today, or else. Jot down anything and everything. (This one helped me write this post.)
49. Take the one-hour challenge. You must find a post idea in the next hour. Go downtown, stick your head in shops, chat people up.
50. Recruit a guest. Or two. When all else fails, call for backup. Sometimes you just need to take the pressure off so your post-generator has a little time to recuperate.

If you’re in Network Marketing…you need to have a Network Marketing Blog…

This reason may seem obvious, but when you have a self-hosted blog (not the free one’s at WordPress.com), your content has a permanent home!!! Let me repeat that…

Your Content Has a Permanent Home

It cannot be removed for some silly reason…i.e., you accidentally violated the policy of the company where your content resides…e.g., Facebook, YouTube, Google Ads, HubPages, Squidoo, etc. If your account on these sites get shutdown, it could be a major blow to your marketing strategies.

From the reader’s standpoint, the purpose of your blog is to inform, educate, or entertain them on a topic of interest. If you engage your visitors with unique, quality content…your readers are more likely to take action. This also creates relationships with them and expands your warm market. People that trust you are more likely to buy from you, because they don’t feel like they’re being sold…remember…people love to buy, but nobody wants to be sold.

Your blog is the centerpiece of your entire digital world. Content that you create on your blog can be posted to other sites; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Squidoo, HubPages, and many other social sites. That content then points back to your blog; creating backlinks to your blog, which increases your blog’s ranking in the search engines, which drives more traffic there, for free; it’s kind of a snowball effect. The bottom line, this means that you get way more mileage out of your marketing efforts if you’re using a blog.

Blogs are easy to set up and fairly simple to manage. Blogging is the easiest way to get your message out there, create a global presence, and create your brand. Once you start creating content, you’re on your way to branding yourself as a person that has solutions to problems…remember…people buy benefits, not features. Your blog has now become a business asset.

You can get free traffic from all the search engines without really having to do anything. Once a person finds your site, they will typically Google your name to see who the heck you are or what you stand for. This traffic does not happen overnight, but you’ll be amazed at how much free traffic you actually get, more than you think. The way WordPress blogs are structured, especially if you’re using a premium blog theme, the Google spiders will crawl and index your content fast. The bottom line…Google loves WordPress blogs.

Blogs give you more credibility, trust, and help you build rapport with your audience. If you provide quality content that is problem / solution oriented, people will actively follow your blog as long as it’s providing solutions to their problems. Blogs are generally looked upon as more attractive than a long sales letter. This means that your visitors will be less likely to have their guard up waiting for your sales pitch. But typically, you should have some type of Call to Action at the end of your posts that provides more information to solve their problem.

A blog evolves and is interactive. A blog is a dynamic platform to publish your content so you can continually keep it fresh. You must post on a regular basis; at least 2-3x per week, daily posts would be better. All this adds a social dynamic to your marketing efforts, which allows you to build your own following. This is where your personality and style should come to life…don’t hold anything back.

Lastly…your blog should provide Value. Your blog posts should provide some type of benefit to the reader, that’s why they’re on your blog in the first place, they’re typically looking for a solution to solve their problem, and your content should leave your readers wanting more. This is where you insert your link inviting that they opt-in with their name and email for more information. At that point, you’re building your list. Building and taking care of your list is the most valuable asset for your business. If they buy from you once, chances are they will buy again because of the trust you have created with them.

With this optimized blogging platform, you can drive FREE traffic and start generating leads for whatever business or product you want. It can take a very long time to get your own blog set up and viewed as an “authority site”, but by blogging with your Empower Network blogging platform, this gives you an “authority” blog so you’ll start ranking right away! This is HUGE!  Especially for new marketers who have no idea how to generate leads and who may be on a TIGHT BUDGET.

Also with this basic membership, you not only get this powerful blogging system… you also gain access to Empower Network’s capture page systems, sales funnels, back office, tools, Monday night Power hour, and quick start training. All of this is valued at over $2,000. And you can pick it up now for less than the cost of a pizza with friends. And by just referring just 1 person to the system, you’re membership is FREE ..

            Only $25 to Get STARTED

PS: This article was originally published in http://ronchordigian.com/network-marketing-blog/

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about how many people around the world, are literally sitting around brainstorming about how to make money online.

It’s tremendous actually – because everyone knows that there is a ton of money to be made – IF you know what you’re doing.

Think about how many people are online right now, as you’re reading this, buying stuff.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get a few hundred of them every month to buy directly from… you?!

Problem is… very few people know how to get traffic and generate leads, let alone make sales online with an automated funnel system.

It’s a SERIOUS problem for most people because they have NO idea what they are doing… or even where to start.

They’re good people and are willing to work hard to be successful… it’s just not that easy if you don’t have anyone to show you exactly what to do or how to do it.

Well, luckily, there’s a new group that just started on Facebook that has thousands of people talking and posting about how they are doing it.

…Generating tons of Traffic, Leads & Sales.

Making great extra money online, every single day.

The whole discussion surrounds some pretty simple techniques that were developed by a couple of guys who swear that they can show pretty much anyone with a computer that wants to make money online…

How to get people to literally “Fall In Love” with buying stuff from you. I’ve seen their video and I gotta tell you…

It’s gooood stuff. Trust me – you want to see this. And apparently it works, because over 20,000 people have now been paid out nearly 4.3 million dollars in only 18 weeks using their strategies – they’ve NOT even that hard.

Pretty simple stuff actually.

Now it might or might not be for you, but if you have ever attempted to have your own online income, even just to take some of the financial pressure off, but had nobody to show you what to do or how to do it…

>>> You should see this video right away.

Watch for the 3 things that everyone’s doing to make people buy like crazy and drive ridiculous income into their accounts.

The video shows you how it all works and how simple they’ve made this for most people wanting to really do something now, and not have to wait much longer to start having money come in fast.

>>> Check the video out and let me know your thoughts.

I’ll be in touch again soon,

~ Aaron Rashkin ~

P.S. What’s so shocking is that while most people only spend money with their computer, buying useless stuff that they hardly even need, this “underground” network of people
actually know what they are doing and are teaching everyone in the group exactly how to do it.

Watch the Video and see what this whole group discussion is all about…