Thursday, November 8, 2012

Landmark Education: Enhance the Quality of Life

Landmark Forum is a personal development course. You can definitely improve the overall quality of your life by working on communication skills and attending their seminars. They assure improvement in your life. In fact, you can notice the difference in your life after attending the first session. There are introductory and advanced courses available for people interested in the Landmark course. People who are unsure about opting for the course should attend the introductory course which is free of cost. The course gives its audience an insight into its objective and what results are expected at the end of it. The leaders at Landmark Forum teach the members to let go of their bad past experiences as they are a hindrance to their future growth and development. Once people learn to overcome the obstacles and the hurdles in their path to success, it is likely that there will a positive transformation in their life.

The course promises to bring about a positive change in the lives of people. This change will be a permanent shift in their lives and improve its quality. The Landmark Education course basically focuses on encouraging people to take up challenges without hesitation. The greatest obstacle to success is the mind of an individual. The course teaches you to control your mind and to prevent negative thoughts from developing in your mind before beginning any task. Negative thoughts are the obstacles on the path to success. The professionals here teach you to be enthusiastic about a new task at hand and start working on it without thinking negatively.

We become what we think is what the course teaches. Everybody deserves the best and we should not underestimate ourselves. You should learn to keep doubts at bay and stop negative thoughts from affecting your mind. Landmark Education motivates people to live life to the fullest. The team members motivate people to think positively. They make people believe that they can reach great heights with the right attitude and hard work. It is important to aim higher in life, so that your goals keep you motivated on your path to victory. Landmark Forum teaches people to never look back or give up. Problems always seem bigger than they are and there is a solution for every one of them. You can easily resolve complications if you have trust on your capabilities. They teach you to look beyond the limitations and find a way through the difficulties.

Landmark Education courses can be found online. You should log on to their website for more details and information on the courses they provide. These courses are value for money. You will definitely be happy to see the results after attending the courses. These courses are valuable and you will see the world from a different perspective. You will bounce back quickly even if you face failure. Landmark forum is the best self-development course that can make you realize your strengths and capabilities.

Generalizations: Handle With Care!

Every individual perceives the world in a particular way and each has a personal opinion on the matters of the world. Though we may have grown up in similar environments, may share a general culture or cultural references, may have shared the same means of acquiring knowledge, may have had the same education, we still are bound to think and behave differently. If you look around you, you'll see that often your opinion differs even from that of your own siblings. Yet you had the same parents and the same upbringing. Indeed each and one of us has a distinct personality, understanding and behavior.

Yet we view the world as divided into defined groups. We create this division on some common cultural trends, languages, religions, ideas or geographical positions. The Americans, the Chinese, the Italians, the Christians, the Muslims, the Pacifists, the Opposition - more than groups of individuals, they appear to be solid blocks of something. It goes further - the Western World, the Civilized World, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and so on. We ascribe to these groups a character, a culture, a belief, a behavior, a voice and they seem to act as independent theoretical entities. Such generalization may come handy in some matters and at times may be practical, however once it establishes itself in the human minds, it creates a dangerous mentality.

While we make such generalizations in a day-to-day basis, we begin to overlook the individuals that make these groups replacing in our mind what is a chorus of voices, persons, identities with the one theoretical entity we have summarized this diversity into. Since this entity has no eyes to look into, no hands to shake, no heart that beats, we can easily forget the human element in it. When of such entity we should then wish to selectively present qualities, or examples of individuals seen as representatives, then we have slipped into something that may be truly evil.

In fact offering selected and one-sided information, as well as selectively presenting some individuals as representatives of large groups of people, is nothing more than propaganda and creation of stereotypes. Though there is who argues that propaganda may in fact be positive when put to use for higher purposes, many are the problems that arise from half-true information and crippled knowledge offered to the general public.

Let us not forget how generalization, stereotypes and propaganda were put to use against the Jewish population during World War II and at what consequences. Individuals had no longer names, but they became part of that one entity that was selectively presented to the German people through stereotypes and other forms. In addition that entity became the one to blame for all the social and economic problems and therefore the one to be eliminated. In fact at that time, the friend, the neighbor, the lover etc. became 'the Jews'.

The example I have taken is indeed extreme, though smaller scale events of the same kind we do witness every day.In the Islamic World the myth of the West grows darker by the hour and so happens to the idea of the Islamic countries to the West. Dangerous generalizations that are no better than the one described above!
It is important therefore never to overlook the individual behind the groups and the respect for that one individual whose rights and liberties we so much struggle to respect in our democratic societies, for that one individual prevents us from generalizing and makes the boundary between 'civilized' and 'uncivilized'.
Muslim Academy, is an online institution focused on '"fostering brotherhood through mutual understanding" by 'bridging the cultural divide between the Islamic World and the West through mutual exchange and education".

Who Was Swedenborg?

In the eighteenth century it was still possible to be knowledgeable in many branches of science. Thus an eminent scientist, such as Emanuel Swedenborg, was able to write books in various subjects including theoretical physics, physiology, and psychology. His scientific study was actually done in his spare time.

His day job was as an officer in the Swedish Royal College of Mining which he held for almost thirty years. He had already become highly respected in this profession owing to his published books containing a lot of information and original observations on the production of iron and copper.

He thus progressed from studying inorganic nature to organic nature. He went on to study spiritual nature. He wanted to empirically prove the immortality of the soul. This huge scientific effort was finally interrupted during a period of inner anguish after which he abandoned his scientific work and started interpreting religious scripture. During altered states of consciousness he said he experienced a hidden realm of spirit life. He resigned from his job in mining and devoted his life for the remaining twenty-five years to writing a series of books on scriptural exegesis, theology, spiritual philosophy and personal reports of what he claimed he had seen and heard in what he termed 'the spiritual world'.

He had to get his theological books printed abroad because they were opposed by the clergy of his own country. He had criticised a common Protestant idea of the eighteenth century that religious belief is what really matters: the idea -- still around in some circles today -- that "Go to church and have the right belief, and you will be saved." He was only too aware of many church-going hypocrites not to strongly oppose this doctrine, known as 'justification by faith alone'. Instead, he argued that spiritual development, requires a heartfelt desire to do the good that faith prescribes as well as putting this into useful practice in daily life. Thus in his writings, love is primary and belief is secondary: so, what one wants, what one does as well as what one believes, are all crucially important.

Swedenborg also gave what many of his followers think is a more rational alternative understanding of God as a Trinity. A mainstream Christian formulation of God is that of three persons in one from eternity: further that one of these (the Son) suffered on the cross atoning for the wrong-doing of mankind to appease the wrath of another (the Father). Instead, in summary Swedenborg's position is that God is one perfect divine human of which we each are an imperfect image. And so like us God has three dimensions of will, understanding and action. However, in God's case, there is a compassionate will, a wise understanding and powerful action. Being the source of all loving compassion God wants to hurt no-one and so the suffering of the human race is said to be self-imposed.

Swedenborg described how human beings live an afterlife each with a spirit body that corresponds to the nature of their inner character in their own communities with like-minded people. This state of life is said to mirror so much how things appear on earth that those recently deceased do not easily realise they have physically died.

He wrote about how contrary to appearance there is an inflow of inner things of heaven as well as corrupted things of hell into the natural dimension of life and which of these two influences predominate will depend on how they are received by humanity.

As a person Swedenborg changed during his life-time. He became concerned to tackle his own inclination towards for example self-love and pride. As a mature man he was an affable, sincere and cheerful gentleman: not an egotist. He himself never ascribed any of his ideas to himself although he felt he was a useful channel to provide what many today recognise as a fuller and more sensible understanding of religion, human destiny, and spiritual healing and growth.

In his own life-time there were mixed opinions about the value of his ideas. Some critics were suspicious or opposed, others thought he suffered from misguided enthusiasm and others had an attitude of appreciation and even admiration.

These days most theologians seem to agree Swedenborg was neither mentally ill nor an irrational mystic. However, the reception of his books were hampered in Sweden by an attack by a leading poet and critic Johan Kellgren and in Germany by a scathing essay in 1766 by the philosopher Emmanuel Kant. The most vigorous early followers were in England many of whom formed a separate Christian denomination called the New Church and they in turn inspired congregations in the United States. Although not becoming adherents to his religious doctrines, several great writers such as August Strindberg and William Blake have read his works and have been fascinated by his ideas which have been seen as elevating, improving and constructive. Amongst academics, Ralph Waldo Emerson made Swedenborg world-famous by electing him as one of his Representative Men in 1850.

His writings can be seen to appeal to a wider audience than that of the Christian faith and Charles Bonney a reader of Swedenborg recognised their universal relevance, and so was inspired to establish the ecumenical World parliament of Religions in 1893.

A contemporary scholar of the history of literature. Anders Hallengren, has studied the influence of Swedenborg's ideas on his followers in their activities abolishing slavery in the West Indies and liberating serfs in tsarist Russia.

So why is Swedenborg not well known? He wrote nearly all his voluminous works in Latin. Another reason is that, other than writing his books and publishing them at his own expense, he made no attempt to promote his ideas and unusual experiences but left it to his readers to make what they will from his writings.

Copyright 2012 Stephen Russell-Lacy

As a clinical psychologist, Stephen Russell-Lacy has specialised in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, working for many years with adults suffering distress and disturbance.

He edits Spiritual Questions a free eZine that explores links between spiritual philosophy and the comments and questions of spiritual seekers. You can share your views and find out more about making sense of life.

His book Heart, Head and Hands draws links between the psycho-spiritual teachings of the eighteenth century spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg and current ideas in therapy and psychology.

Why Go to Community College?

Going to a community college may be the very best decision you make for yourself. In the long term, you have plenty of decisions to make about your future. You may or may not know where you want to work. You may be anxious about the fact that you have yet to make up your mind. On the other hand, you may not want to overspend during your college years and regret it for decades to come. No matter why you are thinking about going to this type of educational setting, realize there are some key benefits to doing so.

The Affordability

While most students are spending thousands of dollars each year on mediocre education from other facilities, you can be comfortable in knowing you will pay less overall. Most of the time, going to a community college can cut down on educational costs considerably. You do not have to pay as high in terms of the tuition but you also do not have to pay as much for books, boarding and other costs related to this process.

The Decision Process

Often times, students enroll in this type of educational setting because it affords them the ability to test the waters, so to speak, in a variety of programs before making a decision about which one is right for their future. They can easily try out a variety of programs to determine if they really like it or not before making any long-term decision about getting their degree. In other words, it's safe to go to this school when you are not so sure what you want to do with your future.

It's Ideal in Some Situations

In any program in which you need an associate's degree or a certificate, this is the ideal school to get it. You will find yourself with options in associate degrees in the arts, sciences, applied sciences, and specialist programs. These programs may be short at just one to two years. They get you into the workforce faster without requiring as much time spent on the base educational studies that you may not need. Plus, many of these schools provide outstanding opportunities to help graduates to find employment or to get the internships they desire so they can begin their careers.

You may find that a community college is the ideal place for you to go to get your education. It may be the perfect location for you finally to get the level of education you need to achieve big things in the years to come. Take some time to find out what you can expect if you enroll in this type of program for your future.

5 Top Reasons Why Aseptic Techniques Training Is Important

Hospital employees who are in constant contact with ill patients need to be trained about aseptic techniques. These employees are nurses, doctors, and others who provide continual care to patients. Aseptic techniques are a set of procedures that are followed by doctors and nurses in a healthcare setting in order to prevent spreading of infection. Although not all healthcare employees deal closely with patients, it is always good for all the employees to know these techniques.

Listed below are the top five reasons why aseptic technique training is important.

• These techniques training aims at teaching healthcare workers to create a sterile environment without the presence of harmful microorganisms. Any instrument and equipment that is used on a patient must be sterilized. Cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization are good practices, although on their own they do not keep the pathogens completely away.

• These techniques are beneficial in two ways. They help prevent the spread of infection from an infected patient to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers; and it also prevents the patient getting infected with a pathogen that can make him worse. These techniques training helps keep the pathogens away, thus prevent both these scenarios.

• These techniques are especially essential during surgeries. Hence it is good for the surgical staff to be trained. These techniques need to be practiced during tube insertions, intra-arterial line insertions, and catheter and drainage tube insertions. Other than surgical care, these techniques must be followed during intravascular procedures, endoscopy, and wound care and so on. Although these techniques must be practiced in all areas of the hospital at all time, these areas are given special mention as they have a greater risk of spreading infection. It is up to the healthcare workers to do their best to put the training into practice so as to keep themselves and the patients safe.

• As in the case of all areas of the hospital, so it is that aseptic techniques must be practiced while dealing with all patients. Here again, however, there are special cases where the chance of acquiring an infection may be more, for e.g. trauma patients, cancer and diabetic patients, and burn patients. As they as already in a vulnerable state, all precautions must be taken to prevent their condition from worsening.

• Practicing aseptic techniques is the best way to keep an area sterile and to prevent spread of infection. The operating rooms come highest in level of asepsis required, nonetheless wards, and other clinical areas also need be free of infections. The high dependency unit and the isolation ward require an aseptic environment as highly dependent and vulnerable patients are placed here for care. They are prone to even the slightest of infection and thus need extra care and precautions.

Be it surgical asepsis (aseptic techniques for surgical procedures) or medical asepsis (aseptic techniques in other areas of the hospital), aseptic techniques are very important to keep the environment sterile and prevent infection. Therefore, training about these techniques is very essential and every hospital employee must undertake it.

How and When to Hire a Power Plant

Temporary power plants are essential energy solutions for power grids or communities that are suffering from down time. They can be set up to help stabilise towns or industries that are having problems with their local grid and provide much needed back up power until a permanent solution has been reached.

When a community or industry's energy demands exceeds the capacities of their current plant, a temporary solution is a good way to ensure energy is efficiently provided while a long term strategy is put in place. It's the perfect, non permanent way to supplement a grid in a large scale and without running up large, unnecessary bills from numerous small solutions trying to do the same thing.

A temporary power plant also offers the ability to implement seasonal peak shaving. This is when a temporary or additional source of power is used during busy or peak seasons to stabilise a supply that might otherwise struggle under demand. It is often a good and growing solution in countries that experience extreme temperatures or in hydro dependent countries that suffer from a lack of rainfall. It is used to supplement renewable energy sources that are not able to provide the energy needed during times of drought or low wind speeds.

In these tough conditions a temporary solution can be used to help to prevent outages, and often for only a few hours a day during peak seasons. What's more, because it is only used during peak times, it doesn't accrue costs throughout the year. Demand is also increasingly on the up due to the number of governments who are attempting to introduce renewable power solutions. These typically dependent on natural resources such as wind or rain and can therefore suffer teething problems best alleviated with some temporary help.

Another application for a temporary power plant is as way to continue to provide an uninterrupted power supply during breakdowns or scheduled maintenance. The ease and speed with which a plant can be set up and switched on can minimise down time and ensure inconvenient blackouts are avoided. They are also often called into service to provide power for large construction sites or projects that need more energy than can be provided by small-scale generators.

When choosing the best temporary power plant to suit your needs, due to the nature of most applications, you're normally going to need a company that is able to respond and provide you with a power plant hire solution rapidly. Flexibility is another major factor to consider when choosing a supplier. You want to be sure that the installed capacity of a rental package can be increased or decreased incrementally and that any required equipment can be rented on a short or long-term basis.

It's also essential that you choose a temporary power plant provider that will offer you an initial assessment of need to service back-up site as this can help you ensure you are able to choose the best solution for your power needs.

A Royal Australian Navy Mystery Lives On!

During the past decade, the ocean has yielded a conclusion to several of Australia's enduring maritime mysteries. The naval wrecks of the HMAS Sydney, HMAS AE2 and the Centaur have been found. HMAS Sydney was sunk in 1941 with the loss of 645 lives. The Australian Hospital ship Centaur was sunk two years later with a further 268 deaths. Studying the wrecks with remote deep-sea submarines has revealed much evidence to solve the mystery. A clearer picture can be painted as to what happened to love ones in the last minutes before the sinking of the vessel.
One of the oldest Royal Australian Navy mysteries still remains unsolved.

The AE1, the Royal Australian Navy's first submarine, was commissioned in the United Kingdom on Saturday 28th February 1914. Along with her sister submarine the AE2, they set off for Australian waters on the 2nd March 1914. After a journey, plagued with mechanical problems, they sailed through Sydney Heads on the 24th May 1914.

Following the outbreak of war on 5th August 1914, Australia was requested by Britain to capture German interests in New Guinea. The Australian Naval Board deemed it important to destroy the German Navy in the Pacific Ocean. The Admiralty suspected that at least five German Naval ships were located near New Guinea.

The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) a small contingent of approximately 2,000 men, was raised in Australia to attack the German Base at Rabaul in New Guinea. Australia also sent a large proportion of its fledging Navy. On the 11th September 1914 the ANMEF and the main naval force comprising the Navy ships, Australia, Sydney, Encounter, Warrego, Yarra, Parramatta, Berrima and the two submarines AE1 & AE2 were located off of Rabual New Guinea. The German wireless station that was located 7kms inland from Rabual was to be destroyed. Initially, only 100 men from the Naval contingent landed. They succeeded in destroying the wireless station and the next day the ANMEF took complete control of Rabual. The success was not without the cost of 6 Australian lives.

Although history is not always kind to remember the Australian action at Rabual it's interesting to reflect a number of 'firsts' were recorded for World War One.

*First time any Australian or British force fought the Germans on their own Territory.
*The ANMEF secured the 1st surrender of WWI.
*The Naval Men conducted the 1st bayonet charge of WWI.
* The first decorations of WWI were awarded for action at Rabual.

The Navy immediately turned their attention to finding the German Capital Ships of Gneisenau and Scharnhorst. On the 14th September 1914 the Australian submarine AE1 set sail with the Destroyer HMAS Parramatta to reconnoitre. At 3.20 pm the Destroyer lost sight of AE1. Nothing was ever seen of AE1 again, disappearing with her full compliment of 35 souls. No SOS wireless message was ever received, no oil, bodies or wreckage ever sighted. What happened to AE1 has remained a mystery to this day.

There have been several attempts to locate the AE1 wreck in Papua New Guinea waters. One attempt was carried out by the famous French oceanographer Jacques Costeau. However, all attempts have failed to locate the wreck and solve this enduring Royal Australian Navy mystery.