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The Lebanese Flag

National Flag of Lebanon
Country: Republic Of Lebanon


Lebanese Flag Description:
The flag of Lebanon consists of two equal-sized red horizontal stripes that are placed at the top and bottom of the flag. In between, the Red stripes is a White stripe that is equal in size to the Red stripes. In the middle of the flag and White stripe there is an image of a Green Cedar tree.


The Lebanese Flag Meaning:
The Cedar tree is a prominent feature of the Lebanese flag. It has been used as a symbol by the Maronite Christians of Lebanon since the 18th and 19th centuries. The tree represents peace, immortality and tolerance. The Red stripes symbolize martyrdom and self-sacrifice, and the White represents the snow-capped peaks of Lebanon's mountains. Historically, Red and White have symbolized the Kayssites (Red) and the Yemmenites (White), who were opposing clans within the Lebanese territory between 634 and 1711.


The Lebanese Flag History:
The Lebanese flag was adopted on December 7, 1943 after gaining independence on November 22, 1943. Lebanon was created by France in 1920 and the Lebanese flag is based on the French tricolor. The Cedar tree was placed in the White of the French flag. When Lebanon claimed independence from France they got rid of the French Blue and changed the stripes from vertical to horizontal. A Green Cedar tree on a White base was used as a Lebanese flag after Ottoman (Turkish) rule came to an end in the region at the end of the First World War, in 1918.


Interesting Lebanese Flag Facts:
Some flag manufacturers have made the Cedar tree Green and Brown, but Lebanon's constitution states that the tree should be Green only.

Word of the Day

Goodbye Steve, Goodbye

Born to be...

The Ministry of Stress

Have you ever noticed that the news is always full of depressing information? Political scandals, poor economic recovery, crime, global warming, and more? It seems that the press just can't spread bad news fast enough, and now with instant access via technology, we are exposed to it at lightning speed and finding it increasingly difficult to avoid. It's easy to blame journalists for cranking out and exposing us to all the gloom and doom, but the fact of the matter is that if there was no demand for such negativity, there would cease to be a need to supply it, especially in such unrelenting quantities.


So why does negativity spread so quickly and what can we do to keep the "goo" from getting on us? Negative energy has momentum. Positive energy does not. While negative energy carries forth on its own until something or someone stops it, positive energy needs to be constantly regenerated.


Consider this workplace scenario; one worker whispers to the other at the water cooler, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty," and proceeds to fill the coworker on the latest news. Now as you're reading this, I'm sure you're automatically assuming that the news is negative in nature. Something like, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty, she got caught kissing Joe in the supply room and Joe is married." You most likely weren't thinking the news would be something along the lines of, "You'll never guess what I heard about Betty, she gave $1,000 to a children's charity last week." You can just about bet that if the news is negative it will spread beyond the water cooler and make its way through the office in very little time. If, on the other hand, the news is positive, it is unlikely that the subject of Betty's contribution to charity is going to be the topic of conversation amongst the other employees. Why is this so? It's because it is the nature of negative energy to spread. Its momentum carries it forth and lowers the energy of everyone in its path. Like fire, the flames of negativity are perpetuated from person to person through gossip, lying, unkind words, deeds, negative thinking, and more. One of my friends used to own a restaurant. He once told me, "I do my best to keep my customers happy. If someone likes my restaurant, they might tell one other person. If they don't, they'll tell ten people." Such is the momentum of negativity.


While negative energy gets carried away by its own momentum, positive energy must be regenerated, and sometimes this can be challenging and difficult, especially if you're spending a lot of time around negative people.


So what can you do to generate positive energy? Here are several quick ideas to get you started.


• Give someone a sincere compliment. How many times have you thought something nice about someone, their look, their smile, what they're wearing, the good job they did, etc., and not said anything? Don't keep that positive energy to yourself. Share it with the person. You might just make their day.
• Be patient in traffic. I know, it may be hard to play it cool when someone cuts you off or makes some other thoughtless move while driving, but two wrongs don't make a right. When you don't engage with the energy of the bad driver, you are not only putting a stop to their energy affecting your day, but may possibly prevent an accident while doing so.
• Treat yourself with kindness. For some people, this is very difficult. You most likely wouldn't want to be friends with someone who spoke to you the way you speak to yourself. Next time you think of how fat your thighs look, consider that there are many people in the world that would give anything to have two working legs, fat or not.
• On the subject of turning negative self-talk into positive self-talk, get in the habit of counting your blessings. Right now, on your fingers, count five or more things that you are grateful for. It will pull you out of your negative state of mind in no time at all.
• Exercise and eat healthy food. Exercise brings oxygen into your cells and revitalizes them. Fresh, organically grown food has a strong life-force that in turn will feed your body and affect the way you feel. Have you ever noticed that people who don't take care of themselves seem to be more negative and complain more negative than those who do? Well, there's a reason for that! The negative energy that comes with not exercising and eating junk food perpetuates itself and makes it even more challenging for people with poor health habits to become healthy. Those who experience the positive results from exercising and eating right must make a conscious choice to do so every day. That positive energy must be regenerated for their good health to continue.
• Avoid negative people. This may be easier for some than others. Negativity is contagious, and spreads like wildfire. Put the fire out by not joining in by perpetuating gossip and judgmental comments. Instead, concentrate on sharing positive observations and feelings with others. You'll feel better being part of the solution rather than the problem.
• Spend time in nature. Take a walk, sit outside, go to the beach, relax under a tree. There is nothing like the beauty of nature to soothe the soul and remind us that goodness resides in a bird, a leaf, and a flower. Just the pleasure of noticing and being a part of nature can shift our energy from negative to positive.
• Use a psychic vacuum cleaner. This is easy and fun. If you feel negative, or have spent any time in the company of negative people, you may feel what I like to call "slimed." To get the goo off of you, simply picture a giant vacuum cleaner sucking all the negative energy off you. Feel the negativity leave you, filling up the vacuum cleaner as it does so. When you feel all the negative energy is gone, send the vacuum off to the sun to be burned up and neutralized by its purifying fire. Once the vacuum has done its work, picture a rain shower of white golden light washing you off and filling you up with light and positive energy.
• Use a shielding technique when forced to be around negative energy. Simply imagine yourself surrounded by a golden white light, almost like a force field around you. You can do this around your body, your home, and even your car. It will help strengthen and protect your own personal aura and negative energy will find another, more available place to be.
• Keep your surroundings orderly and peaceful. Feng Shui strives to create a soothing, nurturing environment and can do a great deal to help create a supporting, positive atmosphere in your home.
• Use therapeutic-grade essential oils. Essential oils and aromatherapy have been used for centuries to heal and uplift the body, mind, and spirit. Therapeutic-grade essential oils are free of chemicals and when diffused and inhaled increase the positive energy frequencies of the human body.
• Appreciate the moment. Instead of fretting over the past, and worrying about the future, enjoy the gifts of the present.
I'm sure you can think of other ways to generate positive energy. These are just a few ideas to get you started. If you remember that negative energy is like a virus that is spread through thoughts, words, and deeds, you will be able to keep yourself from getting infected by choosing to stay positive, protected, and healthy. If everyone did that, what a wonderful world it would be!

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Beirut Night Life

From Pit-Stop to Take-Off

How F1 is changing the future of air travel


The world of Formula One may seem an unlikely source of inspiration for a major carbon-cutting initiative, but technology used for coordinating pit-stops is primed to slash emissions from airports across the globe.


According to Britain's National Air Traffic Services (NATS), more than half the planes landing at London's Heathrow airport are stuck in circles overhead -- often for 20 minutes at a time -- as they wait for its congested runways to clear.


NATS says the carbon cost of this pile-up in the sky is an estimated 600 tons a day.


And this is where McLaren, the hugely successful Formula One team behind former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, have come in with an unexpected solution.


Over the years the company has developed modeling software to analyze live racing data and visualize a range of potential scenarios -- allowing pit crews to make strategic decisions in the blink of an eye -- all in an effort to get their cars back out onto the racetrack milliseconds ahead of their competitors.


It's this ground-level tracking technology that could hold the key to unlocking congestion, reducing CO2 emissions by streamlining the way aircraft make their own pit-stops once they've landed -- dropping off passengers, refueling and departing again with F1 efficiency.


This similarity between a motor race and an airport runway was first observed by Peter Tomlinson, head of aviation data solutions at NATS, while attending a workshop on cross-industry collaboration at McLaren's UK technology center three years ago.


"It became clear that the pit-stop in a race track, with cars coming in, changing tyres and refueling and going out again actually is pretty similar to an aircraft arriving at the airport, parking at the gate, passengers getting off, refueling and going out," said the air traffic veteran, who has over 30 years experience in the industry.


The beauty of McLaren's system is that it reduces the complexity of a racetrack into a circle "so at the point of decision, presentation of the data is very simple, which allows the engineer in a very stressful environment to make the right strategic decision and also see the data in a very clear, crisp format," said Tomlinson.


For the last three years NATS has been working with McLaren's engineers to map Heathrow's taxiways and runways -- much as they do a Formula One track.


But now, says Tomlinson, in place of a race strategist the system is operated by Heathrow's air traffic control, and instead of a circle the airport's network of runways and taxi lanes are represented by a simple rectangle -- enabling planes to be guided around the airport with greater ease and accuracy once they've landed.


The collaboration has been "groundbreaking" according to Geoff McGrath, managing director of McLaren Applied Technologies -- the F1 team's tech division.


"To my knowledge this is a first -- NATS has invested in this because there is nothing like it available," he added.


The system is now in its "proof of concept" stage and hopes are high that it will be used by airports around the world within a year.


"Think in terms of the environmental benefits of that," enthused Tomlinson. "Large airports with about 1300 to 1400 flights a day - if you save just one minute of taxi time per flight on average, that equates to one day's worth of taxi time - and that's how much we could save using McLaren's technology."

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Bill Gates On Life

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about eleven (11) things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good and politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself

Rule 3: You will not make $60,000+ a year right out of high school. You won't be a VP with a car phone until you earn both

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping. They called it opportunity

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to anything in real life

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time

Rule 10: Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Now, if you can read this... Thank a Teacher
If you can read this in English... Thank a Soldier
And for life and everything else you have... Thank God.

Cartoon of the Week

Amin Maalouf Elected Member of the Académie Française

Jun 23, 2011


The Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, Prince of Asturias de las Letras, was today elected member of the Académie française, which will replace the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, who died in October 2009.


“Immortals”, as it is known to scholars in France, was reverted by Maalouf in the first ballot, according to “Le Monde”, which recalled that the author of the African “Leon”, had been candidate for a seat in 2004.


In 2007, he was also eligible for the title of academician, but he decided to retire after the discomfort which had led the Academy within its support to a manifesto proclaiming the death of la Francophonie.


Born on the 25th of February 1949 in Beirut, Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese author. Although his native language is Arabic, he writes in French, and his works have been translated into many languages. He received the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for his novel The Rock of Tanios (English translation of, Le Rocher de Tanios). He has also been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature in its 2010 edition. He was elected at the Académie française on 23 June 2011, on seat 29.


Maalouf is the second of four children. His parents' families were from the Lebanese mountain village of Ain el Kabou. His parents married in Cairo in 1945, where Odette, his mother, was born of a Maronite Christian father from the village, who had left to work in Egypt, and a mother born in Turkey. Amin's father, Ruchdi, was from the Melkite Greek Catholic community. One of his ancestors was a priest whose son converted to become a Presbyterian parson. The parson's son (Maalouf's grandfather) was a "rationalist, anticlerical, probably a freemason, and refused to baptise his children". While the Protestant branch of the family sent their children to British or American schools, Maalouf's mother was a staunch Catholic who insisted on sending him to a French Jesuit school. He studied sociology at the Francophone Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.


He worked as the director of the Beirut-based daily newspaper An-Nahar until the start of the Lebanese civil war in 1975, when he moved to Paris, which became his permanent home.

Adding Up the Benefits of Calcium

Calcium, the most common mineral in the body, plays an essential role in blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, and bone and tooth formation. Studies indicate that calcium plays a role in blood vessels contraction and dilation which effects blood pressure. Also, the role of calcium in helping with weight control appears is promising.


Test Your Bone Fracture Risk 
A constant level of calcium is maintained in body fluid and tissues so that these vital body processes function efficiently. More than 99 percent of body calcium is stored in the bones and teeth; the remaining 1 percent is found in blood, muscle and the fluid between cells.


Calcium is lost from the body every day in urine and feces, and trace amounts are lost in sweat, shedding skin, hair and nails. The lost calcium is normally replaced by calcium from food. If your diet does not contain enough calcium or if you don’t absorb enough calcium from your food or supplements to replace the lost calcium, the body breaks down bone to get the calcium it needs.


To absorb enough calcium, your body also needs vitamin D. Your skin can make vitamin D when it is exposed to direct sunlight. Other sources of vitamin D are fatty fish, eggs, liver, butter, fortified foods such as milk and multivitamins. People at risk for having too little vitamin D are elderly adults, those in institutions and some people with chronic neurological or gastrointestinal diseases. People living north of the 45th parallel may need supplements in the winter to maintain adequate vitamin D levels.


According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the amount of calcium you need each day depends on your age. Children ages 1 to 3 years need 500 mg a day; children 4 to 8 years old need 800 mg a day; and children 9 to 18 need 1,300 mg a day. Adults ages 19 to 50 should get 1,000 mg a day; those older than 50 need 1,200 mg a day. The best way to get calcium is from food. The USDA recommends a minimum of three cups of nonfat or low-fat vitamin D-fortified milk or equivalent milk products each day.


Many Benefits
A consistent level of calcium in the body’s fluids and tissues is needed for muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmission of messages through the nervous system. Adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D may help prevent some conditions. Adequate calcium throughout a person’s lifetime can help build and maintain adequate bone mass, helping to prevent osteoporosis.


Calcium from dairy products in combination with a diet high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy can help keep blood pressure in check and help prevent the absorption of dietary fat; this helps decrease blood cholesterol.


For people on weight-loss diets, three or more servings of dairy products a day may accelerate weight loss and may help prevent weight gain.


In a limited number of studies, consuming milk products has been related to a decreased risk for insulin resistance syndrome, otherwise known as syndrome X or the metabolic syndrome. This syndrome leads to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.


But calcium may need other nutrients to help achieve these health benefits. In most studies that looked at calcium and prevention of disease, milk was the major source of calcium. In addition to calcium, milk contains potassium, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin A. The extent to which these other components work with calcium to prevent conditions is not known.


Getting Enough Calcium
To help consume enough calcium each day, start with food and drink. . Calcium in food is better absorbed by the body than calcium in a supplement. The additional compounds in dairy products act with calcium to promote its benefits. Strive to consume at least three calcium-rich foods daily such as low-fat or nonfat yogurt, 1 percent or skim milk, low-fat ice cream, calcium-fortified orange or grapefruit juice, low-fat cheese and low-fat cottage cheese.


Adding Up the Benefits of Calcium
Also, look for foods with added calcium such as rice and some breakfast cereals. If you're lactose intolerant, don't avoid dairy products. Lactose intolerance is easy to manage. Aged cheese and yogurt tend to be more easily digested by people who are lactose intolerant; eat them in small quantities along with other food. Foods made with active or "live" cultures, like yogurt or buttermilk, are also easier to digest because their "friendly" bacteria help digest lactose. Other options include lactose-free milk, lactose-free cottage cheese and nondairy sources of calcium, such as calcium-fortified soy milk, tofu, baked beans, almonds, broccoli, kale and other dark green leafy vegetables, and canned salmon and sardines with the bones. For canned fish, you need to eat the bones to get the calcium.


Vitamin D is necessary for your body to absorb the calcium you get from foods or supplements. You can get vitamin D from foods fortified with it or by spending 10 to 15 minutes in the sun at least two times per week. Adults 19 to 50 need at least 200 IU of vitamin D a day; those 51 and older need 600 to 800 IU a day.


Sizing Up Your Supplement
Although lots of foods contain calcium, for the most part, people are still not meeting the recommended intake. If you're not consuming at least three calcium-rich foods per day, consider taking a calcium supplement. If you use a supplement, however, don't depend on it to meet your calcium needs. A good bet: Take a 500 mg calcium supplement each day and try to get the remaining 500 to 700 mg of calcium from food. Calcium supplements come in different forms, such as calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. Some have vitamin D added to them for extra benefit. Research indicates that calcium citrate is absorbed better than other supplements, such as calcium carbonate. But to get the enhance a calcium supplement's absorption, take it with a citrus based food - like orange juice.

The 48 Laws of Power

"Although I totally disagree with many of these laws, here are the ‘Judgments’ of yet another interesting book".

S†MoN®

LAW 1: NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. If your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

LAW 2: NEVER PUT TOO MUCH TRUST IN FRIENDS, LEARN HOW TO USE ENEMIES

Be wary of friends – they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

LAW 3: CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.

LAW 4: ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY

When you are trying to impress people by words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinx-like. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

LAW 5: SO MUCH DEPENDS ON REPUTATION - GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE

Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

LAW 6: COURT ATTENTION AT ALL COST

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is an unseen count for nothing. Never get yourself loss in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, and more mysterious than the bland and timid masses.

LAW 7: GET OTHERS TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU, BUT ALWAYS TAKE THE CREDIT

Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a God-like aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.

LAW 8: MAKE OTHER PEOPLE COME TO YOU – USE BAIT IF NECESSARY

When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.

LAW 9: WIN THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS, NEVER THROUGH ARGUMENT

Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

LAW 10: INFECTION: AVOID THE UNHAPPY AND UNLUCKY

You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as diseases. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; whey will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.

LAW 11: LEARN TO KEEP PEOPLE DEPENDENT ON YOU

To maintain your independence you must be always needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

LAW 12: USE SELECTIVE HONESTY AND GENEROSITY TO DISARM YOUR VICTIM

One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.

LAW 13: WHEN ASKING FOR HELP, APPEAL TO PEOPLE SELF-INTEREST, NEVER TO THEIR MERCY OR GRATITUDE

If you need to turn for an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.

LAW 14: POSE AS A FRIEND, WORK AS A SPY

Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to prove. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.

LAW 15: CRUSH YOUR ENEMY TOTALLY

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.

LAW 16: USE ABSENCE TO INCREASE RESPECT AND HONOR

Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.

LAW 17: KEEP OTHERS IN SUSPENDED TERROR: CULTIVATE AN AIR OF UNPREDICTABILITY

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

LAW 18: DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES TO PROTECT YOURSELF – ISOLATION IS DANGEROUS

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people, find allies, and mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

LAW 19: KNOW WHO YOU’RE DEALING WITH – DO NOT OFFEND THE WRONG PERSON

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lamb’s clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.

LAW 20: DO NOT COMMIT TO ANYONE

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.

LAW 21: PLAY A SUCKER TO CATCH A SUCKER – SEEM DUMBER THAN YOUR MARK

No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.

LAW 22: USE THE SURRENDER TACTIC: TRANSFORM WEAKNESS INTO POWER

When you are weaker, never fight for honor sake, and choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other cheek you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.

LAW 23: CONCETRATE YOUR FORCES

Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.

LAW 24: PLAY THE PERFECT COURTIER

The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the most oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.

LAW 25: RE-CREATE YOURSELF

Do not accept the role that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your image rather than letting others define it for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.

LAW 26: KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN

You must seem the paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.

LAW 27: PLAY ON PEOPLE NEED TO BELIEVE TO CREATE A CULTLIKE FOLLOWING

People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow.  Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.

LAW 28: ENTER ACTION WITH BOLDNESS

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

LAW 29: PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END

The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.

LAW 30: MAKE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS SEEM EFFORTLESS

Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

LAW 31: CONTROL THE OPTIONS: GET OTHERS TO PLAY WITH THE CARDS YOU DEAL

The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.

LAW 32: PLAY TO PEOPLE’S FANTASIES

The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality useless you are prepared for the anger that comes from disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance of conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.

LAW 33: DISCOVER EACH MAN’S THUMBSCREW

Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can be also a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

LAW 34: BE ROYAL IN YOUR OWN FASHION: ACT LIKE A KING TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE

The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respect himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.

LAW 35: MASTER THE ART OF TIMING

Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.

LAW 36: DISDAIN THINGS YOU CANNOT HAVE: IGNORING THEM IS THE BEST REVENGE

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

LAW 37: CREATE COMPELLING SPECTACLES

Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone respond to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then, full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.

LAW 38: THINK AS YOU LIKE BUT BEHAVE LIKE OTHERS

If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.

LAW 39: STIR UP WATERS TO CATCH FISH

Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.

LAW 40: DESPISE THE FREE LUNCH

What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corner with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.

LAW 41: AVOID STEPPING INTO A GREAT MAN’S SHOES

What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or struck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.

LAW 42: STRIKE THE SHEPHERD AND THE SHEEP WILL SCATTER

Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual – the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoner of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them – they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.

LAW 43: WORK ON THE HEARTS AND MIND OF OTHERS

Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.

LAW 44: DISARM AND INFURIATE WITH THE MIRROR EFFECT

The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of the Mirror Effect.

LAW 45: PREACH THE NEED FOR CHANGE, BUT NEVER REFORM TOO MUCH AT ONCE

Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.

LAW 46: NEVER APPEAR TOO PERFECT

Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weakness. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.

LAW 47: DO NOT GO PAST THE MARK YOU AIMED FOR; IN VICTORY, LEARN WHEN TO STOP

The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.

LAW 48: ASSUME FORMLESSNESS

By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water, never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.