Jane Saeman asked:


Many people on the dating scene today aren’t there to find “the one” person that they want to settle down with for the rest of their lives. Dating is now a standardized term used for social networking. Although the word implies that those who embark on a dating experience are doing so with romance in mind, the reality is that for most people who date people who have similar interests to their own are more likely to meet again socially with nothing more than a friendship in mind.

While this isn’t so good for anyone who is looking for romance with a view to a long-term monogamous relationship, it’s a positive change to the way that dating has been perceived in the past. At one time there was a lot of anxiety placed on anyone preparing for ‘a date’. They wanted to make a perfect first impression because they wanted their date to like them. They were looking for romance and hoped to find it.

In today’s dating scene, there may well be an underlying hope that one day the romance button may be clicked when meeting someone in a dating situation, but generally expectations are lower with most people looking to just enjoy themselves with someone that they think they have enough sufficient interests in common with to relax and have a little fun. This takes the pressure off the date and allows true personalities to shine rather than ones that are edged with a “best behavior” hang-up!

Western culture in particular is increasingly moving towards a trend of increased work ethic where single people, especially those following a career path, have little time for a serious relationship. The more informal dating rules allow people who are working towards their professional goals a release to get out socially (although some choose their dates selectively in order to use this as a networking opportunity as well as a social one!) and meet with people outside of their professional environment.
There are also an increasing number of people on the dating scene who have been seriously hurt in a previous relationship. They also are looking to connect with others, but they aren’t necessarily ready to entrust their feelings to anyone else at this time. Retired people who have lost their life partner are also among those who are initially looking for friendship rather than romance from a dating experience.

This doesn’t mean however that informal dating doesn’t lead to romance. There’s many a relationship that has started out as one thing and ended as something else. Any long-lasting permanent relationship needs a number of foundation stones that will hold it together during difficult times and one of these is friendship.

If you can find someone whom you like, and trust as a friend, and this relationship grows into a romantic one, then this relationship has a much stronger chance of surviving the long-haul than one that starts with a romantic spark which then fizzles out because there’s nothing else holding it together.

Rebecca Walker asked:


There is always a need for meeting new friends. Meeting new and interesting people can be exciting, and many people enjoy the social aspect that comes with meeting someone for the first time. Furthermore making friends is important psychologically, and it can allow us to unwind and relax and forget about our daily troubles during our leisure time. For companionship and social occasions, friends are crucial in ensuring we have a good time and truly enjoy the experience. Meeting friends online has become a great way to get in touch with people with similar interests, and it can lead to long term friendships lasting for a number of years. In this article, we will look at how best to make friends online, and why making friends over the Internet first can help cement relationships over the longer term.

The first thing you should do if you are looking to make friends or meet new people on the Internet is to locate a social networking website that fits with your requirements, which shouldn’t be a difficult task at all. The Internet is currently in the midst of a revolution whereby social networking sites and others with higher levels of interactivity are coming to the fore. This means that it is easier now than ever before to get involved in shaping the Internet, as it becomes more community focused and personal, and with social networking sites to fit every niche interest area, there are plenty of ways you can get your name out there and get meeting people you want to talk to.

Whether you’re looking for friendship, romance or a combination of the two, social networking platforms are the best way to find the people you want to meet. Simply by registering with a few basic details and establishing a profile, you can present a face to the world to allow anyone who wants to chat to contact you. Whether through instant messenger or some on site communications method, this allows you the chance to chat with people you meet online to build up a level of familiarity and a relationship, eventually helping to kick things off to a great start should you ever go a step further and meet in person.

As we’ve seen, the Internet is a great way of meeting new people and making new friends. By having the ability to talk online first, and working out the personality of the person before you go on to meet in person, you can help filter out those that will become close friends. Additionally, the ability to present yourself with your interests, and look for those with things in common with yourself allows you to find exactly the kind of friends you desire, to form a new social group or simply to talk to about your shared interest. By going online today, you can make new friends and meet interesting and exciting people, in as little as ten minutes with any of these proven ways of meeting others online.

Bill Knell asked:


Already a knowledgeable New Age author, researcher and practitioner of sorts, Academy Award-winning Actress Shirley MacLaine seems to have added UFO conspiracy reporter to her resume. In her latest book, Saging While Aging, Shirley reveals what she knows or has learned about various incidents involving UFOs, the military, intelligence services and famous people. The well-known performer that has appeared in almost sixty films to date recently discussed her book and shared some of these revelations with Whitley Strieber on his Dreamland web cast.

One of the most-shocking claims made by the veteran actress is that the late John Mack, professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University and alien abductions researcher, may have been murdered. Dr Mack was killed by a drunk driver as he stepped off a curb in London, England, near Totteridge Lane and Longland Drive on September 27, 2004. He was walking home alone after a dinner with some friends when the incident occurred. Shirley says that another person named John Mack was also killed by a drunk driver around the same time in another part of London.

Another story Shirley shares is one that she heard from Lucille Ball involving the late Ronald Reagan. While he was still an actor, Ronald Reagan was attending a party with several other celebrities at a private residence in Los Angeles. The actor and his wife arrived several hours late. According to well-known actress and comedienne Lucille Ball, Reagan took her aside and told her that he and his wife Nancy had an amazing experience on the way to the party.

Ronald Regan told Lucy that he and Nancy were driving on Mulholland Drive when a UFO landed near their vehicle. Although this story has been told before, a number of new details were added. For example, Shirley MacLaine says Lucille Ball told her that Reagan claimed a ladder appeared and an alien climbed out of the craft. The alien told him to quit his acting work and go into politics. The most popular version of that same story doesn’t include the appearance of an alien or what he said to the former California Governor and President of the United States.

MacLaine had a few more surprises in store for Whitley Strieber and his audience. One was that she believed the popular account that President Eisenhower met with aliens at what is now Edwards Air Force Base in 1954. Another was her admiration for the late Dr Michael Wolf and the information he shared with paranormal researchers. Dr Wolf is well known to some in the UFO field as a U.S. Government Insider that spent roughly the last ten years of his life sharing some of what he knew or had learned about UFOs and aliens. Those revelations included as much as he was allowed to reveal about U.S. Government involvement with aliens.

Fellow paranormal researcher **** Criswell and I spent years speaking with Dr Wolf., **** much more so than I. Michael Wolf spoke about things involving UFOs and aliens in the 1990s that were completely unknown to UFO researchers at that time. That caused him more than a few problems with many in the UFO research community where already jealous and distrustful people took aim at his claims. Despite almost complete rejection by major UFO research organizations, Dr Wolf’s information was credible and time has proven him to be correct. Several video and audio presentations by or about Dr Wolf are offered at