Chinese characters are the writing system to record the Chinese language. With a history as long as 8,000 years at least, it’s perhaps the oldest surviving writing system in the world. An old Chinese legend said that Chinese characters were invented by Cangjie, a historian official under the legendary emperor, Huangdi in 2600 BC. Obviously, the fable cannot possibly be true, for the creation of a great writing system made of so many characters are such a huge project, too huge to be one single person’s accomplishment. But perhaps Cangjie really made some contributions in the existing Chinese writing system: instead of the inventor, he might be a collector and collator of scattered Chinese characters in ancient China. Thanks to many a contributor like Cangjie and the common people using and spreading characters, a complete well-developed writing system had finally come to birth. The indisputably evidence is Chinese character inscriptions found on turtle shells dating back to the Shang dynasty (1766-1123 BC), formally called Oracle bone script. Of the 4,600 known Oracle bone logographs, about 1,000 can be identified with later Chinese characters, and the other unidentifiable ones are mostly the names of people, places or clans.

In view of formation, written Chinese is a script of ideograms. Xu Shen, in the Eastern Han Dynasty (121 AD), was a distinguished scholar who had attained unparalleled fame for his etymological dictionary entitled Shuo Wen Jie Zi, whose literal meaning is “explaining written language and parsing words”. In Shuo wen, Chinese characters are classified into six categories, namely pictogram, ideograph, logical aggregates, pictophonetic compounds, borrowing and associate transformation. However, the last twos are often omitted, for the characters of these categories have been created before but somehow borrowed to represent another meaning, or detached into separate words. Generally, Chinese characters fall into four categories in view of their origin.

Pictograms (Xiang4 xing2 zi4)
Pictograms are the earliest characters to create, and they usually reflect the shape of physical objects. Examples include the sun, the moon, a woman, fire. From this picture-drawing method, the other character forming principles were subsequently developed. Over a long history, pictograms have evolved from irregular drawing into a definite form, most simplified by losing certain strokes to make ease of writing. Therefore, to see the actual picture of what it represents, you must have a lot of imagination as well as knowledge of the origin of the character and its evolution. However, only a very small portion of Chinese characters falls into this category, not more than 5 percent.

Ideograph (Zhi3 shi4 zi4)
Also called a simple indicative, Ideograph usually describes an abstract concept. It’s a combination of indicators, or adds an indicator to a pictograph. For example, a short horizontal bar on top of a circular arc represents an idea of up or on top of. Another example: placing an indicative horizontal bar at the lower part of a pictogram for wood, makes an ideograph for “root”. Like pictograms, the number of this category is also small, less than 2 percent.

Logical aggregates (Hui4 yi4 zi1)
It is a combination of pictograms to represent a meaning, rather like telling a little story. A pictograph for person on the left with a pictogram for wood on the right makes a aggregate for “rest”. This story-telling formation is relatively easier to learn, yet most of aggregates have been reformed into phonetic compounds, or just replaced by them.

Pictophonetic compounds (Xing2 sheng1 zi4)
Also called semantic-phonetic compounds, just as the name implies, it combines a semantic element with a phonetic element, taking the meaning from one and the phonetics from the other. For instance, the character for ocean with a pronunciation of yang2 is a combination of a semantic classifier which means water with the phonetic component yang2, referring to goat or sheep on its own. This last group of characters is the largest in modern Chinese, making up around 90% of all Chinese characters.
The superiority of phonetic-compounds over the first three categories lies in its unique phonetic components, for many an object and concept are hard to express through photographs or ideograms, and its association with the character pronunciation helps Chinese vocabulary extends much faster than logical aggregates. Therefore, most newly created characters take this more scientific formation approach.
However, over the centuries evolution, the Chinese language has undertaken such a great change, that most pictophonetic compounds don’t pronounce as its phonetic elements any longer, and the semantic components appear even not relevant to its current meaning. Only when knowing the origin and evolution of the character, you can understand its formation. For example, the phonetic-compound for cargo or goods takes the character for shell as the semantic element, and that’s because shells used to be a medium of exchange in ancient China, like the currency.

I do hope the above information can be of some help in your study of Chinese characters. Please tell me what you think about it, so I could be a better help in the future writing. Thank you!

Reference Information to Ease Your Chinese Character Study is a post from: Reference Education Center

Las Vegas Schools have ten new schools opening for the 2006-2007 school year. Nine are brand new schools, while one is a replacement of Rancho High School. This is part of a long term plan to meet student population demands and create modern facilities. The schools opening in August are six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. The new elementary schools are Hayden Elementary, Schorr Elementary, Steele Elementary, Thompson Elementary, Ward Elementary and Wright Elementary. The middle schools are Johnston and Tarkanian and the high schools are the new Legacy High School and the replacement Rancho High School. All these new schools create the need for more teacher and support staff. With this in mind Las Vegas Schools is engaging in a very active recruitment process including holding a recruitment fair this summer to be held at the Desert Rose Adult High School. In the area of academic staff Las Vegas Schools are hiring over one thousand new staff and teachers. But academic staff are not the only ones needed to keep a school running. These new member schools of Las Vegas Schools are also in need of bus drivers, transportation aides, vehicle mechanics and substitute food service workers.

The New Rancho High School

The newest edition to Las Vegas Schools is the placement of the old Rancho High School. The new design may seem surprisingly familiar to the students. The new Rancho High School is based on the same design used in most suburban shopping malls. The new 330,000 square foot school was built on the site of the former schools athletic field. The old school will be torn down later in the school year. The new Rancho High School follows a two story mall design and the total building cost was around $75 million. The money came from the Las Vegas Schools $3.5 billion capital improvement plan approved by voters in 1998. The new design did cause a little concern but it actually creates a very functional and friendly space which can add to the success of a school. The Rancho High School principal plans to divide the school into four distinct sections each with its own assistant principal and student services. These sections will possibly be divided based on grade level or program type. Rancho High School is well known for its magnet programs that aim towards the medical and aviation fields. These magnet programs will have new offices and special facilities on the new Ranch High School campus. The ROTC will also have a new area. The Rancho High School ROTC is one of the largest in the U.S. and the facility will be able to accommodate over five hundred students. The Ranch High School replacement is part of a long term replacement plan by Las Vegas schools. The plan was to replace five existing schools Sunrise Acres Elementary, Wendell Williams Elementary and Rancho High School are the first three with Booker Elementary and Virgin Valley Elementary to follow.

Rancho High School is Second to Have Mall Design

Rancho High School is the second Las Vegas School to have the mall design. The first was at Buffalo and Grand Teton. The mall design creates a new and unique space that provides natural light and fresh air to the classrooms while creating a more secure environment than a conventional school design. Both the current principal and the president of the construction company building the new school are former Rancho High School graduates, who are extremely pleased with the modern replacement.

Las Vegas Schools Open New Schools and Hire New Teachers is a post from: Reference Education Center

The Charlotte Mason method is named after Charlotte Mason, who is known as the originator of the homeschooling movement. She herself was a homeschooler, and she wanted to establish a basic plan for a complete and effective homeschooling program. The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes poetry, fine arts, classical music, crafts, and classical literature. This method is designed to encourage an awareness of literature and involves reading to the child every day. The child is then asked to tell what he or she has heard. This starts at the age of six. By the age of ten, the child is expected to write narrations in a book. Mason encouraged the use of nature diaries as well. The child writes observations of nature in the book as well. This creates a sense of respect for the environment in the child. Mason thought that good behavior and character were critical for a childs complete personality development.

The Eclectic Homeschooling method is a combination of several techniques. Innovative parents rely on their own judgment to select topics that make up the curriculum for their own child. These parents are always looking for the best products they can find to help them meet the needs of their home schoolers. Many of the curricula in this method are improvised. This means that, while the basic curriculum is established, parents change it to adapt to the individual needs and interests of their children. The curriculum is generally established according to the temperament, learning style, and interests of the children. These programs typically include visits to libraries, factories, and museums.

John Holt, a public educator in Boston, developed the unschooling method. Holt believed that children learn best when they learn at their own pace and are guided by their own interests. He wanted to unschool the child by requiring parents to take their cues from the children. This approach has no set curriculum, schedules, or materials. It is the most unstructured of the homeschooling techniques.

The Montessori method had its start in Italy. It was found that children go through extremely sensitive periods in which they experience periods of intense concentration. In these phases, children will repeat an action until they receive some measure of self-satisfaction from it. This method relies on prepared environments to facilitate learning. All materials utilized in this method are meant to satisfy the childs interior desire for spiritual development. Materials for this method range from simple to complex, and they are relatively costly.

Whatever method is selected, the underlying concept is flexibility and a strong interest in the childs own desires. The key is to use childrens desire for knowledge to further their education.

The Different Methods Of Home Schooling is a post from: Reference Education Center

A brief history-Sluice Pond is a 50+ acre body of water with approximately 165 homes that abut the pond. Sluice Pond, fed by the Cedar Brook and natural springs, is one of five ponds located 10 miles Northeast of Boston that meander in a Strawberry Necklace through Lynn, MA to the Atlantic. There is a public boat ramp in a northern cove at Briarcliff Lodge that enables the general public to access the pond for boating, fishing and swimming from their boats.

The pond has 12 deeded right of ways that each enable about 65 property holders on nearby parcels to egress (enter or leave the pond). These pond paths were once water access paths for cattle, which were deeded to neighbors when older farms and estates were divided into building lots. Basically, there is a good deal of access to the pond as a four seasons recreational resource for both the general public at the boat ramp and through deeded egress for neighbors via the paths. The same public access is true at neighboring Flax Pond, which has a public beach for swimming. These access points helped us to qualify for public funding.

Evaluation & Water Level

Last summer Sluice Pond was at the lowest water level in 20 years due to a new gate system that remained open and there was tremendous weed growth. Preliminary research (backed by the experts in the evaluation process) showed that some of the rapid weed growth might be due to the low water level, which enabled more sunlight to hit the ever present weeds on the bottom of the pond in a greater number of places than usual causing rapid growth along the shore.

This year the Sluice Pond Association designated a Gate Liaison who communicates regularly with the local water commission and the water level has been much higher. Consequently, there are fewer weeds visible than this point in the summer last year, even in the coves which are largely overgrown by now. No treatment for weeds has taken place yet. We continue to record and investigate water level weed control. Weeds are also plants and respond to fertilizer run off from abutters lawns, so we have initiated an effort to ask abutters to please not fertilize near the lake edge.

After several discussions regarding the abundant weed growth last summer, we called Aquatic Control Technologies, ACT (there are only two weed treatment groups in the state). ACT had been the choice in 2001 when the pond received a chemical treatment. ACT sent an evaluation team upon request, a free service. They went around the shoreline in a boat last November to inspect the weeds and to provide us with an evaluation of the types of weeds present. They gave us a preliminary estimate for the treatment. I wrote up a summary of everything they said including that we did not have Milfoil, a weed that has been treated successfully biologically with weevils that eat the weeds and die. Other weeds don’t have these biological solutions, like weevils that eat Milfoil.

Our weeds included native Broadleaf and other invasive weeds (brought in by boats), but not Milfoil. The Milfoil was successfully treated by ACT in 2001 and has not returned. Dredging was discussed since that was the choice method 25 years ago for one of our coves. Today it’s too costly and not as effective as the chemical treatments available. ACT also provides dredging services, but not often on larger bodies of water now that safer chemicals are available. Sluice Pond is not a drinking water supply pond, so our estimate was much less than the hundreds of thousands of dollars in estimates for some communities that are trying to treat their water supply ponds.

All of the chemicals ACT proposed using have been EPA tested and approved with no detectable effect on fish or wildlife in proper doses. The application requires 1-3 days of no swimming, fishing or boating and no use of the lake water for irrigation for 90 days. Since Sluice Pond is not in an endangered species zone; all that was required was a permit from the state DEP and approval of the local Conservation Commission. The license is good for 3 years in this state. It helped that our local city councilor works for the state in environmental protection. We received the information we needed easily regarding the permitting process, the application and the timeline for hearings. He helped manage the timetable for local hearings with the Conservation Commission.

Funding
We have received city, state and perhaps federal funds for the Lynn Ponds Restoration Project and conducted successful private fund raising. We only knew that finding funds would be necessary after we had an evaluation and an estimate for treatment in hand. Based on 2001 when the weed treatment cost the Sluice Pond Association $3,500 we initially thought we could get the money together from our local fund raisers without grants. After the evaluation brought in an estimate closer to $20,000 only for immediate weed treatment without a long term maintenance plan, we knew we needed assistance.

We requested and received information from ACT about the treatment, wrote a plain English, non-scientific summary to notify pond property owners and abutters of our intentions. We held meetings to organize the Sluice Pond Association, elect a Board of Directors and organize a Weed committee. We created a web site at www.sluice.org to help us raise funds. Prior to submitting our application for treatments with the city and state, we took the information from the ACT evaluation of our weed problem and
(1) vetted the issue among property owners and abutters with the newsletter,
(2) hand carried notices to all abutters every other week for six week prior to the local public hearings,
(3) held several SPA meetings prior to the official meetings to hear concerns,
(4) asked our city councilor to attend eight monthly meetings and to plan the project with us so that we could get help to secure funds from the city and the state,
(5) set up a tax exempt organization, an organizational budget and a project budget,
(6) submitted an application for federal assistance from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to be used with other funding sources and the city/state,
(7) held a raffle and raised money for ACT to complete the initial permit applications for the state and city,
(8) attended the official hearings with ACT to make a presentation and an appeal,
(9) worked with our local state reps to access state funds in case the federal money did not emerge and
(10) worked with our local city councilors to get the Parks Commission, Water Commission and City to provide matching funds for grants and help with permits.

Whatever your situation, a publicly used recreational pond might qualify for weed treatment funding. If it is a private use pond with no public uses you might want to get an estimate from ACT (free) or a local water technology group and then determine if the abutters can handle financing the treatment or if there is some private support through local foundations with interest in preservation of land in your city or town.

We did the majority of the work to preserve a recreation area used by us, our neighbors and the public. But our motivation actually came from
(1) not wanting to see people drown in our backyards, tangled in weeds and
(2) the Supreme Court’s decision in Connecticut to take away personal property and give it to developers.

Long Term Maintenance
The Sluice Pond Association is still in the process of developing a long-term maintenance plan for weed control. We are busy sharing our fortunes at fund raising by first and foremost getting results for Sluice Pond, providing neighboring ponds with assistance in organizing or fiscal management and providing information for other citizens groups.

Sluice Pond is a 5-15 minute walk from a beautiful publicly maintained golf course and the nation’s 2nd largest urban park, Lynn Woods. Greater Lynn Senior Services is on the pond and we have many elder neighbors who have resided here their entire lives. However, we are just down the hill from private land developments behind the local Union Hospital.

Hopefully our state legislature will pass very stringent laws in Massachusetts regarding the taking of private property by imminent domain for “public good” that turns out to be “good” primarily for a tiny handful of developers. We are protecting ourselves and each other from economic predators by using the common issue of the pond weeds to create a strong, local citizens organizations that will not tolerate private property largess at town hall. We stay in close contact with the local ward councilor and city councilors-at-large. The new Board of Directors appointed a Government Liaison representative who attends every city hall meeting regardless of relevance to our pond. We are happy to supply any other groups of citizens who are trying to organize with information about our process.

2006, Dale Orlando

Pond Weed Clean-Up, A Neighborhood Effort is a post from: Reference Education Center

Organizations to Know

The first stop along the introduction to online nursing continuing education is important organizations to know. One is the American Nurses Credentialing Center, or ANCC. This organization is the leading nursing credentialing organization in the U.S. When investigating continuing education courses, whether online or otherwise, an ANCC certified program is a good option. Information is available at http://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/

Another organization with useful information for nurses seeking CEUs is the American Nurses Association, or ANA. Their website is http://www.nursingworld.org/.

Types of CEUs

The next stop in the introduction to online nursing continuing education is the available options. One of the more exciting parts about CEUs is that you can find courses on virtually any aspect of nursing. If you specialize, you can choose CEUs that are directly related to your field. This option also allows you to learn about areas where you are not as familiar and want additional information or a “refresher” course on a certain aspect of nursing.

Be advised, however, that some states require that you complete certain CEUs. Before you choose only programs of interest, check with your state to determine if you need to complete a mandatory program first.

Accreditation

When choosing online CEU options, choose a provider that is accredited. You also need to be sure you understand what is required to earn the CEUs. Some online providers offer CEUs free of charge, but before you choose one of these options, ensure that the course meets all of your requirements.

While you still need to conduct thorough research into any CEU provider you are contemplating, this introduction to online nursing continuing education will help you get started.

Introduction to Online Nursing Continuing Education is a post from: Reference Education Center

a,b,c,ch,d,e,f,g,h,I,j,k,l,ll,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z.

Letters Not A Part of the Alphabet

There is some controversy, believe it or not over a couple of the letters that come from other languages of similar origin. This lies with the letters w and k. There are not any Spanish words that contain these letters, unless they were added to the language from some foreign translation. In addition the letter rr not in our list above is used in some versions of the Spanish alphabet. It is used to make a stronger r sound, usually in the case where the r is drawn out in a rolling sound.

Putting Things in ABC Order

A Spanish dictionary may add more confusion to the inclusion of some letters of this languages alphabet. For example, older edition dictionaries might list all the words containing ch after all c words. In newer versions, the words containing ch go in alphabetical order just like in English. The opposite is true when it comes to n and ?. In this case ? comes after n. This whole change took place as recently as 1994.

Not officially a part of the Spanish alphabet, there are many other letters created by the addition of accents. Many vowels such as o, e, or u have accents added which change the pronunciation and also the meaning. Many other languages treat accented letters as separate letters and add them to their alphabets. This is not true of Spanish.

What Spanish Letters Sound Like

English letters are not given names and neither are Spanish letters. However, when you say the letter it has a pronunciation all its own that could be thought of as its name. The following is the Spanish alphabet with a pronunciation guide. Remember, this is not a phonetic pronunciation, even though some of the English letters will have a similar sound. And of course, you need to take into account the Spanish accent.

A: a
B: be
C: ce
CH: che
D: de
E: e
F: efe
G: ge
H: hache
I: i
J: jota
K: ka
L: ele
LL: elle
M: eme
N: ene
: ee
O: o
P: pe
Q: cu
R: ere
S: ese
T: te
U: u
V: ve
W: doble u
X: equis
Y: i griega
Z: zeta

If you speak English (and thats a good assumptions since you are reading this in English) then you already know many Spanish words. Spanish and English have the same basis as all Romance languages. The spelling may be different such as between the words baby in English and bebe in Spanish but the pronunciation is very close, differing only in the accent given the words.

Once you have mastered the sounds of each letter it is easy to begin learning Spanish. Youll be prepared for your next vacation to Spain, or at the very least, be able to help your kids with their homework!

The Spanish people are warm and welcoming to American or other visitors. They will be flattered that you are making an effort to communicate with them in Spanish, but in tourist or cosmopolitan areas, you will find everyone also speaks fluent English. Dont let that discourage you. Keep practicing you Spanish for your next visit to Spain.

An Easy Comparison Of The English To Spanish Alphabet is a post from: Reference Education Center

What are the symptoms?
Flu-like symptoms: headaches, muscle aches, confusion, dizziness, vomiting (lasting several hours), sweating, tiredness, but most of all, fever. Anemia and jaundice can occur.
Symptoms generally occur from 7 days to a few weeks after being bitten, however may not occur for up to one year.

How is it prevented?
The following drugs should be taken before embarking on a trip to a country where malaria is prevalent:
Atovaquone/proguanil
Doxycycline
Mefloquine
Primaquine (in special circumstances)
Visit your doctor or health clinic several weeks before travelling as these drugs need to be administered in advance.
A good insect repellent should also be applied to exposed skin whilst abroad; preferably one containing DEET (N.N – diethyl meta-toulamide) which is the only ingredient guaranteed to work and is long lasting. There are other repellents on the market for those not wishing to use DEET, but they need to be applied frequently.

What countries are at risk?

Afghanistan. Angola, Brazil, Benin, Burkino, Cambodia, Camaroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial New Guinea, Eritrea, Faso Burindi, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Bissau, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Principe, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Zaire, Zambia.

BE SAFE!

MALARIA, the silent killerA simple guide for travellers is a post from: Reference Education Center

Spiritual practices for the advancement of the Mental Sheath is like the bloody Mahabharat war wherein one wards off the taints and distortions that have entered our intellectual arena. Along with this is conjoined the firm resolve (Sankalp) to establish Rams rule or a righteous world government.

With reference to this it is apt that we give due thought to discipline and self control. In ancient times, wind, bile, phlegm, indigestion, blockage of feces, change in weather, attack of venomous germs etc. were thought to be causes of various diseases. But modern research says that the mental center fully controls our body and it further elaborates that diseases based on external causes are nothing but the desire of the life force of our body. Thus with common remedies these diseases can be cured. Intense diseases are generally a result of mental distortions. These diseases cannot be cured merely by medicines and that mental purification is most required in such cases.

This is the chief cause not only of bodily diseases but also of mental illnesses. An individual, who executes vile actions due to a vile intellect, not only faces bodily diseases but also undergoes mental illnesses. Maybe such a person does not turn mad yet because of a certain amount of imbalance, he remains semi-agitated. They undergo pain for no reason and for no reason they inflict pain on others. Such a persons mental state is indeed pitiful. Even if one merely sees such a person, one feels intense turmoil. In comparison to people with bodily diseases, not only is the number of people with mental taints infinitely more, but that the pain too is more severe. The method of curing such illnesses does not lie in hospitals but is dependent on purification of the mind. The cures can take place in other ways too yet on the basis of Spiritual Science it can be more successfully overcome via sanctification of the Mental Sheath and other spiritual practices.

Students of Anatomy know fully well that nerves conjoined to the brain are spread out in the entire body. It is through these nerves that such an intricate machine i.e. the brain functions aptly. The action power, experiences of the sense organs open up in the brain. The sense organs (apparatus) can only gather information and send it to the brain center. When one undergoes mental agitation, the entire body loosens itself and ones power of actions too lags behind. Ones face becomes sad when one faces fear, worries, sorrow, despair etc. and the entire body tends to collapse. If one studies the body language of a person who is extremely furious, it is clear that all his bodily parts get excited and agitated with great intensity. Bang opposite to this a man full of joy and serenity who always experiences good health and thus lives a long life. But a person full of agitation keeps losing bodily weight and is seen to die at a very young age. These facts clearly tell us that more than the influence of food, rest, water etc. on our body, it is the influence of our mental state that is infinitely more intense.

In the body via muscular groups and tubeless glands, sentiments are active. Our entire body is full of muscular networks. Ordinarily muscles are white in color and are gross like wires. All our organs work with the help of muscles. The main muscle that reaches every organ is as gross as a rope. Its branches and sub-branches become more and more thin. Many sub-branches are as thin as a cotton fiber.

Every muscular network has 2 parts 1) Voluntary 2) Involuntary Via actions of moving, bending, swerving, picking up objects etc. we move our hands / legs as per our wish. This in turn is due to voluntary muscles. But we cannot function thus with involuntary muscles. They carry out tasks of our inner organs like heart beats, exhaling / inhaling etc.

The center of the involuntary muscles lives in the brain and is called hypothalamus. It is this hypothalamus that controls the male and female glands. Also an enzyme called dopamine oxidase, despite being scattered in the entire body, is more concentrated in the central muscular system. Hypothalamus is known to activate the pituitary gland. From this various hormones are secreted which are reactions of our sentiments and causes of other new sentiments. When new circumstances are created, the tubeless glands are pressurized and thus they secrete new hormones. These hormones react variedly in the body and based on this, new sentiments manifest. For e.g. suppose the pituitary gland secretes a hormone due to the pressure of a germ of a disease, it will result in intense turbulence in the body. Such a person becomes uneasy and thus falls down on the bed. Now in this state of illness, all the sentiments hoarded in the sub-conscious mind start manifesting externally. As a result one sees varied reaction based symptoms in the body.

When we say that the Mental Sheath is present in the brain, we mean that it is its central action office. But its subtle parts i.e. its branches and sub branches are spread all over the body. The cells of the brain are more wise and experienced than cells of other organs. Hence they are called the leaders of all cells of the body. When these leader cells move in a particular direction, the other cells follow suit. In order that the entire subtle body remains healthy, joyful, zealous and progressive, it is most required that the brain too is of that stature. If the leader keeps despairing and experiences anguish, how can one aspire for advancement? The state of a leader whether positive or negative, definitely influences his /her followers.

Dr. Fenkel, a psychologist of Vienna opines that the mental state influences ones bodily health. The cause of mental balance is the true achievement of ones life. Hence he advanced the method of Logotherapy. Dr. Fenkel believes that if a person is unaware of the true goal of life and its activities, he can never remain healthy. The basis of a blissful life is attainment of the true goal of human life. Dr. Fenkels Logotherapy encompasses discussion of topics liked/disliked by his patient so as to inspire him to walk on the path of the true goal of human life. As soon as a person understands the true goal of human life, he concentrates his mind on the energies present within him. Thus he imbibes steadfast faith in himself and starts regaining good health. If the mental state is healthy, it can help the physical body to regain good health.

A definite and clear cut reaction is seen on the gross/physical body due to the movements of the subtle body. The cause of nervous system disorders is the suppressed vile thoughts of our psyche. Even anatomists opine, that merely on the basis of mental imprints, many bodily diseases manifest. Dr. Tuk, the author of the book Influence of the Mind upon the Body writes Diseases like turmoil, indolence, bodily organs becoming handicapped, bile, leprosy, hair loss, decrease of RBC, fear, kidney diseases, distortion of the bodily organ of a fetus in its mothers womb, skin diseases, boils, eczema etc. are the result of mental agitation and vile thinking. Mental turmoil, vile sentiments, undesirable thinking are distortions of the subtle body which clearly influence our physical body. In the same way a sacred viewpoint, healthy thinking, idealistic thought flow etc. radiates our subtle body and this great influence is seen on the gross body too.

In the proposition of the extraordinary importance of positive thinking based on high ideals, Dr. Benett has put his own case in front of us. Up to the age of 50 years Dr. Benett lost good health due to despair and undesirable thinking. When he read about the good influence of positive thinking, he started imbibing it in his own life. He renounced the inertness of his mind along with mental distortions so as to fill his heart with faith based on sacred aspirations. Thus his life overflowed with bliss and serenity. Dr. Benett who had lived a life of bliss for 20 continuous years, printed photographs of himself when he was 50 years and another one when he was 70 years, in his book. The photograph when he was 50 years was indeed crestfallen and withered but the photograph when he was 70 years old was so full of bliss. Where had the withered face disappeared? This is because at the age of 70 years, he looked youthful and oozed with zest for life.

Up till now all research studies of this sort indicate that if ones mind / intellect are agitated, that person too experiences pain. Hatred, jealousy, greed etc. definitely affect a person in a big way. When the intellect experiences bliss, all bodily cells too rejoice. All these cells experience oneness between themselves. If one cell experiences pain /joy, other cells too get influenced. They share their joys and sorrows. Their mutual relationship of oneness is amazing. There are rare examples of true friendship, intense oneness and sympathy for one another. Imagine that one particular individual is extremely hungry. In front of him is a plate of delicious food items. At that moment he gets a phone call that a beloved one has died. Immediately his mind is crowded with thoughts of his beloved kin. The mind experiences oneness with the kin. The cells of the brain get agitated. This agitation is immediately passed on to the entire body. The tongue starts drying up. Those cells which were previously screaming for food due to hunger were now silenced. The heart and other organs too slump. The heart sinks, the eyes are covered with darkness and the body slumps. Thus the entire body is influenced by this mental turmoil. It is very clear that the state of the brain cells influence the state of the bodily cells.

The famous scientist cum author Dr. Bennett in his book Old Age Cause and Prevention writes about a very entertaining and educative incident. A 16-year old French girl decided to marry a young man of American origin. Because the young man was poor, it was decided that he would first earn wealth in America and then return to France to get married. Within three years the young man earned a lot of wealth but as luck would have it, he was involved in a court case and thus could not return to France for 16 years. After 16 years when he returned to France, he was amazed to see that the health and beauty of his fiance remained unchanged and hence even now at an advanced age, she radiated beauty of a 16 year old girl.

While analyzing the above incident Dr. Bennett writes Mother Nature controls the human body in such a manner that every cell of the body, which lives for 90 days is disposed off from the body via bodily dirt, just as the dirt in the sea is taken to the shores by flow and ebb of tides. Old age means the activity of cell transformation which gets depleted as one starts aging. But in the above incident, Mother Natures influence of aging was warded off. Why was it so?

Dr. Bennett induced the woman to give an answer and she said Every day I stood in front of a full length mirror and stared at myself. I would keep thinking that I am exactly as I was yesterday. My body could not be influenced by the days changes. This steadfastness of my will power, kept me joyous and zestful everyday. This is the very reason why I am looking like a 16 year old girl despite being actually 34 years old. He clearly understood the value of purification of the subtle body, elevation of our thinking and ones power of resolve (Sankalp-Shakti) after reading the book written by a great spiritualist, Dr. Marden called An Iron Ball. Dr. Marden writes If only man reforms his thinking and raises the level of his character, he can also transform his physical body. These precepts became a medicinal herb for him which gave a new life to millions of humans. If one imbibes love for all, friendship, compassion and generous thinking, anyone can benefit immensely.

Based on ones emotions the network of veins in our brain either spread out widely or shrink in size and thus manifest sensitive reactions.

It is unhealthy thoughts that give rise to bodily diseases. Right from an ordinary headache to an intense one called migraine, it is emotional tension that is its root cause. As a result the veins contract and thus the headaches start all over again. Today it has been observed that the cause of 85% of headaches is sentimental tension.

Because of sentimental tension and that of the network of veins people after partaking their meals, experience that their heart is heavy and the food refuses to move downwards. Due to excessive tension, one feels nauseous and the heart gets agitated.

Muscular diseases that are a result of emotional tension, show symptoms of belching, stomach heaviness, wind based distortions along with those of the skin, eczema, itching etc.

Today regarding hip pain it is said that majority of them are due to emotional stress.

Despite knowing that majority of todays diseases are the result of emotional stress, a major question arises as to how does one tackle emotional stress? The answer is simple imbibing a wise viewpoint in ones daily routine. Without practice this wise viewpoint can never be fully imbibed. It is only via practice that one looks upon life as a joyous game and that it is not like a heavy burden carried by an aging mule. The true royal path to be followed encompasses understanding of our limitations, making apt use of our bodily/mental energy, warding off our selfish ego, shouldering responsibilities and always advancing ones creative thoughts in ones daily living.

Ordinarily we wrongly look upon harshness, anger, fights etc. as a synonym of energy whereas a psychologist labels all this as childish tantrums. These are in fact symbols of weakness. A truly powerful person is humble and steadfast in ideals. Anger and an argumentative attitude is the creation of weakness. Practice of simplicity/ self-control is the fount of energy. But remember that futile anger vented against ones own weakness, too is not beneficial. Because vile imprints in ones psyche have gathered slowly over a long period of time, it becomes apparent that to uproot them, one should patiently work hard in a slow but sure manner. The best method is intense, ceaseless practice to uproot vile imprints of the mind. One should always remember that the basis of diseases is vileness of the mind and unethical activity. Thus it is easy to overcome them by imbibing purity of mind, love, compassion and working for the welfare of the entire world.

It is also possible to wash / clean the intellect via scientific methods. Yet spiritual methods are more powerful and capable. Its influence is infinitely more supreme.

According to the technique of Electrical Stimulation of Brain (E.S.B.), many Asian Universities have partly succeeded in brain washing. This has so far been experimented on lower species like rats, monkeys, rabbits, dogs, cats etc. They completely forget to show liking for food, enmity, friendship, fear, attacking others etc. and instead behave in a very strange manner. A cat was made to confront a rat, yet instead of attacking the rat, the cat got scared and started hiding out of fear. Further experimentation showed them attacking one another in a bloody manner, embracing one another in the very next moment etc. due to electrical influence. This electricity was aimed at the brain cells. This holds true for human beings too. Mans brain is more sacred. It has a greater power of reacting and hence in order to change it, more effort shall have to be made. It will take time to attain total success but the clear principles unearthed via research opines that even man can be induced to think in a certain manner, made to believe in certain ideals and instigated to imbibe a specific mode of action.

The spiritual practices pertaining to the Mental Sheath not only cleans the brain but also makes it more advanced, cultured and sacred.

The Mental Sheath encompasses the entire bodily and psychic arena. It influences both these areas. Because it is in a disarranged and distorted state in the psyche, its reaction is in the form of a destructive influence on the bodily and psychic area. When our individuality is turbulent, our viewpoint and actions too get tainted. As a result our activities turn vile. It is thus clear that under these circumstances, only agitations and strife will be witnessed. Many obstructions will crop up. Chaos and danger will attack us. Our entire life will be converted to hell. None can save us from this hell because even if out of ignorance, we point fingers at others for our downfall, the fact remains that it is we ourselves who are responsible for it. The precept of the mental state manifesting as external circumstances is so clear that none can refute it. Without transforming our inner character, we cannot come out of this hell-like situation. Without overcoming obstacles in our daily lives, we cannot elevate ourselves. We cannot overcome external circumstances without changing our minds.

The Mental Sheath blesses us with various types of skills and successes. Sometimes certain special people have extraordinary mental capabilities. The memory of certain people is so advanced that others can only be wonderstruck. Some people manifest skills at a very young age and thus gain immense name and fame. The answer to this extraordinary talent is that the Mental Sheath of such individuals is highly activated. From their previous births they have collected so much talent that it is manifesting at a very young age in this birth. As per the Theory of Karma (Action) man comes into this world with psychic imprints (Sanskars) of innumerable past births. Hence it could be that the Mental Sheath of such talented people is more evolved.

Behind all these amazing events, the secret is that the scattered mind gets focused. Coincidences of these types are based on certain cosmic laws. Attainments of past births play a major role in such causes. Man enters this world along with psychic imprints (Sanskars) of innumerable births. Amongst them one could be intellectual evolution. This evolution is not just the result of school education or teachings of close relatives. In fact this is just an increase in informative knowledge. If the flow of electrical energy of a powerful brain turns in the direction of a weak brain, an intense change takes place in its sharpness and this can be seen as a rise in the measure of special proteins of the brain. For intellectual nourishment, proximity of thinkers with an advanced consciousness is very useful. Their powerful vital force can fulfill the lack of a weak brain. In laboratories normal electricity is directed towards special cells of the brain and for a certain time span, the nature of these creatures can be transformed. The vital force of radiant people can influence the mental state of weak-minded people in a permanent manner.

Yale resident Dr. George Delgodo, a brain specialist has proved via his researches that the brain can either be activated or made more latent by directing external electricity towards it. Thus such a person can be induced to carry out various tasks and commands.

The audience was wonderstruck when Dr. George publicly exhibited his experiments. His hands had an electrical apparatus and in certain parts and certain number of the brain region of various creatures, electrodes were placed. Thus a radio type communication was set up between the machine and a living creature. On the basis of induced instructions, a creature acts in such a manner which is bang opposite to his otherwise normal nature. Peace loving beings became ferocious and ferocious creatures became astonishingly calm. Under the influence of this external electric treatment, buffalos, monkeys, rats, cats etc. behaved in a manner which was totally unexpected by the layman.

These experiments have been carried out on human beings too and by controlling their powers of will, wisdom and action, they were forced to think and act in a desired manner.

The rare quaality of memory power is so advanced in certain individuals, that one can only be amazed. Raivi Elija of Lithunia was well-known for memorizing 2 thousand books. He was tested in various ways and always came out with flying colors. The French political leader Lian Gaiswata was very fond of Victor Hugos writings. He had memorized many pages of these books and time and again he quoted them form his sharp memory. Not one word was out of place. In fact he knew which line was written on which page number.

Richard Porsan, a Greek scholar, memorized many books which he had read. What he read today could be quoted by him even after one month passed by and he would recite it as though he had just read it a few minutes back. Harry Nelson Pilsbury an American citizen called the Magician of Chess could memorize the moves of 20 chess players and could simultaneously direct them. All this was carried out with zeal and zest. Many players were taught by him and thus the game moved on speedily. Germans famous librarian Maithurin Besiray could impeccably repeat what others said once only. He had the amazing capacity to repeat flawlessly, conversations with others in languages that were totally alien to him. Once 12 people, speaking 12 different languages were conversing. And Maithurin flawlessly repeated their conversation one by one. An 8-year old son of Burmans called Jera Colburn would give answers of extremely difficult mathematical problems without calculating them with pen and paper. He amazed all great Mathematicians of London with his superb mathematical skills. Even John Martin Des of Hamburg was well-known for answering mathematical problems orally. In those days his mathematical brain was so advanced that even todays advanced mathematical computers fail to match his skills.

The great biologist Holger Heider of Gottenburg University, after analyzing the strange movements of the brain based on Molecular Biological studies, concluded that the educative and thinking tasks that make the intellect alert, augments the proportion of certain chemicals in the brain cells. Thus they become more sensitive and make widespread, the area of intelligence.

This proves that the act of evolving the area of the brain not only purifies the brain area but that other areas too can be influenced. Intelligence and radiance are 2 sides of mental alertness. This mental alertness can be seen right from birth itself, as a result of spiritual capacities gathered form innumerable previous lives. Further it can be augmented by undergoing spiritual practices. By imbibing the spiritual practice of purification of the Mental Sheath, one can enter this area.

There was a translator in U.S.S.R. who could translate one source language into 4 target languages at one and the same time and this he would do by dictating the translated matters to 4 stenographers for 4 different languages.

When a philosopher called Jeremy Benthem was 4 years old, he could speak correct Latin and Greek. Germanys Mathematician called Javarious amazed everyone by mentally adding numbers that had 200 digits. A garage mechanic of U.S.A. could memorize innumerable car number plates and on seeing any car, he could describe how it had been repaired previously.

When John Francis of Columbia University was appointed as a Professor of Natural History, his age was only 16 years.

Once Oxford University made extra arrangements for mathematical training of a 4 year old girl called Babel Thompson. This girl has mastered Numerology, Trigonometry and primary Material Sciences at a very young age. How can one educate a girl who has not undergone the curriculum of primary education? To solve this problem, a special panel of top educationists has been set up.

Madras Music Academy announced a special scholarship for a 2 year old boy called Ravi Kiran for his outstanding singing skills. Not only did Ravi Kiran master the art of playing various musical instruments but that he would immediately point out errors on the part of other musicians.

A Japanese citizen called Hanava Hokaishee was born in the year 1722 and he died at the age of 101 years in the year 1823. At the age of 7 years he became blind. Yet despite being blind, he alertly heard what others said and thus imbibed knowledge. He would very skillfully hear others and log it into his brain. As a result his brain was so radiant that people were wonderstruck. Later in Japan a book of 2820 chapters was published on the basis of Hanavas knowledge. Up till today this is the biggest book in the world.

An 8-year old child of Vermont called Jera Colburn, without studying mathematics systematically and without any calculations using pen and paper, answered very difficult mathematical questions and thus he amazed other great mathematicians. When a difficult mathematical problem was given to other great Mathematicians, they would take some time to solve them but Colburn would answer the same problem in a flash of a moment. Thus people were wonderstruck because Colburn had never studied various theorems, riders, laws etc. of Mathematics.

Once a Mathematician called Jodia Wallston was immersed in a mathematical problem which was very difficult. One day he met John Martin Des who possessed a powerful intellect. Des solved that problem in a few seconds. This was because Des was famous everywhere for solving difficult mathematical problems in a flash.

Sir John Fielding was a Judge in England. Although he was blind, his ears were so alert that he could recognize the voice of 3000 criminals whose case he had heard. He could easily identify them and name these criminals. After many years when the case was over, they would come to meet Sir John who would with the help of his sharp hearing capacity, identify those criminals. This radiant memory of Sir John was revered by all for a great time span.

A famous poet called Francisco Mairiya Garibaldi was born in the 14th century. He was an Italian. He was blessed with the art of writing poems with both his hands simultaneously. One poem he wrote in Latin and the other in ancient Greek.

The chief pastor of Canterbury, Thomas Fracker created a rare record by memorizing the Bible in only 3 months. He was born in the year 1724 and died in 1812. The well-known poet of Scotland, Duncan Mac Intayar was famous not only in his country but in entire Europe. But he neither knew how to read or write. He had evolved his skills only by listening and understanding.

A Greek called Porson had memorized all poems written by Milton and he could recite it not only straight but in a reverse manner too.

Once Lokroj, amazed his audience due to his powerful memory. He first heard 12 poetries of 12 different languages which he had never studied before and the very next moment, he repeated these poems with precision.

The director of the National Library of Munich, Joseph Bernard Duncan had a powerful memory. He not only studied 6 different languages but mastered them too. He would ask 6 stenographers of 6 different languages to take dictation in those 6 languages. It is thus very rare to find so much knowledge in the intellect alongwith a powerful memory.

An Indian lady called Shakuntala Devi who was called Wizard of Mathematics, once gave a show on London T.V. At that time one person asked her to solve a difficult mathematical problem. In a flash she answered, that the problem asked itself was incorrect. This question had been constructed by great Mathematicians of Britain. Hence everyone wondered how could this question be wrong? But when the B.B.C. crew members got this question analyzed, they found that truly this mathematical problem / question was incorrect. They also accepted that, the power and capacity of the brain is much more than how much we actually understand.

University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia) had a computer that weighed 20,000 pounds. This computer functioned with the help of electricity and was operated by the great Mathematicians, R. G. Smart and Barry Thornton. When a question of Mathematics was fed into the computer, it took some time in answering it but Shakuntala Devi answered it in a flash before the computer gave its answer. Everyone was amazed that Shakuntala Devis answer was cent percent correct.

With reference to the amazing powers of the mind, scientists have carried out various research studies and The Psychological Research Committee has published all the data in a book called The Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death. In this book examples of small children have been published, who were so skilful in fields like mathematics, music, art etc. that even their teachers could not match them in their talent. Adi Shankaracharya too had amazed his preceptor with his radiant intellect. When a 5 year old boy possesses a very radiant intellect without undergoing primary education, means that he has gathered this brilliance from his past births. The attainments of past lives are proof of the independent existence of the soul.

Two hundred years back, a boy called Harris Hanenken was born in Germany. When he was 3 years old, he memorized thousands of Latin sayings. He could easily add, subtract, multiply, divide numbers. At this tender age he decided to study French and Geography. The creator of Cybernatics, Weiner was 5 years old. He started taking interest in Science just like 18-year old students. Gateux wrote poems at the tender age of 6 years. Byron, Scott and Darwin who gained fame for the Theory of Evolution were very brilliant even as small children. The first scientific study of Pascal was published at the age of 15 years and in it, he had proved more than 100 scientific problems.

Americas material scientist, Dr. Stevenson has gathered 600 examples in which children up to the age of 14 years have given proof of the events of their past births. Out of these 170 were Indian children.

A 3 year old talented boy of Germany called Hamen Ken was a leader in research of the brain. Not only did he study advanced scientific texts at that age, but he could also analyze them in detail.

The principle of attainments via spiritual practices works in all areas of life. Everyone knows that hard work reaps rich dividends. People take up various tasks in this world only because they are convinced that any action will definitely give fruits. This holds true for spiritual practices too. If it is based on spiritual precepts and carried out systematically, one will definitely reap rich fruits.

In order to awaken/purify the Mental Sheath, concentration and meditation are given a lot of importance. As a result of this, ones Sankalpa(power of resolve) becomes steadfast and that we focus intensely on our goal. Benefits like advancing of the intellect and activation of brilliance in ones character too are attained.

The purification and advancement of the Mental Sheath is a post from: Reference Education Center

The Florida Constitution exempts homestead property from levy and execution by most creditors. So long as the property qualifies as homestead, the amount that can be protected is not limited, which makes the Florida Homestead an excellent asset protection vehicle. Even if the purchase of the homestead was designed to defeat creditors, the protection still applies.
Under the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005, however, debtors in bankruptcy may lose all or a portion of the homestead protection. In bankruptcy, homestead protection is capped at $125,000, unless the debtor occupied the Florida homestead property and previous Florida homestead properties for 1215 days prior to the bankruptcy filing. Also, transfers into Florida Homestead within 10 years intended to defraud creditors may be challenged by the bankruptcy trustee.

Federal creditors, such as the Internal Revenue Service, mortgage holders, and persons holding mechanics liens on Florida homestead property are not restricted by the Florida homestead provisions.

Under Florida’s Save Our Homes Act, the assessed value of a Florida Homestead is restricted to an increase of no more than 3% per year.

If a Florida resident passes away owning a Florida Homestead in his or her own name, if the resident had minor children, the minor children are entitled to the entire property, or, if the resident was married, to no less than a remainder interest in the property. A surviving spouse is entitled to no less than a life estate in Florida Homestead property. The homestead provisions can be a trap for the unwary, especially for those with estate plans drafted while a resident of another state. For example, a person owning a house in New York and a condominium in Florida may have decided, while a New York resident, to leave the house to his spouse and his condominium to a daughter from a first marriage. If the person retires to Florida as a resident and then passes away, his spouse will inherit the house under the terms of the will and then be given a life estate in the Florida condominium.

Florida Homestead Property – The Basics is a post from: Reference Education Center

How I Quickly Learned Spanish

I studied Spanish books for six weeks before going to Ecuador. I didn’t speak a word of the language during this time – a big mistake. Still, I was able to converse with the locals in the hostel in Quito the day after I arrived. Within a few days I was discussing philosophy, politics and more with Ana, who is now my wife.

How did I learn a language so quickly? I didn’t really. I had a very limited vocabulary when I arrived in Ecuador, and a very limited vocabulary when I left. However, I could use what little Spanish I knew to express myself. This I credit to a habit that fortunately is also a great technique for learning a language.

I have conversations in my head. I think of what I am about to say, and have always played out future discussions in my imagination. I found myself doing this in Spanish too. The result was that I learned how to speak the language quickly, and say a lot with few words.

Learn To Think In A Language

People imagine that they have to be fluent to think in a language. This just isn’t true. You can choose to think “I am walking to the store,” so there is no reason you can’t think “Yo estoy caminando a la tienda,” as soon as you know those six words. If you don’t know the word “caminar” (to walk), but you know how to say “Yo voy a la tienda,” (I go to the store) you can think that. Alternately, you can look up a word or two as you get “stuck.”

One reason this is a great way to learn a language is that it helps you remember the words. Repetition works, and saying the words, even if only in your mind, works better than reading or hearing them. When you make a point of translating your thoughts into your new language, you are always practicing.

It is more than just good practice, though. Putting your thoughts into your new language forces you to learn not just words and rules, but also specific ways to express what you want to say. We all talk about different things and have different interests, right? A doctor might want to know how to say “where does it hurt?” while I may want to ask where the mountains are. Often, you learn what others think you should know. This helps, but your thoughts are uniquely yours, and when you think in your new language, you are learning exactly what YOU need to learn.

Speaking a language is perhaps the best way to learn it, and thinking it is just speaking it in your mind. You’ll learn your most important words, expressions and sentences quickly if you are thinking them continually. Another tip: Carry a language dictionary with you to use whenever your thoughts stop flowing. This is a powerful way to learn a language and start speaking it quickly.

Quickly Learn A Language By Thinking In It is a post from: Reference Education Center