Month: June 2016

The Unbreakable Laws of the Universe

To live a harmonious life, you must not only abide by the laws of your country, but also by the natural Laws of the Universe. If we transgress, there will be consequences. Like any country, the universe is also governed by certain laws. We refer to these as Universal Laws or Laws of Nature, ‘whose content is set by nature and is therefore universal’ (Wikipedia).

The Law of Gravity is an example of a Universal Law. So is the Law of Conservation of Energy, that is, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. However, unlike human laws, which can vary from country to country, Universal Laws are consistent and unchanging. You interact with these laws with every breath you take. They govern your existence.

Nothing about your life has been casual or accidental!

The Universal Laws seem to be mysterious. They have hidden truths. When you identify these hidden truths and utilise them correctly, miracles or amazing results occur in your life. It may manifest as suddenly having money when you need it the most, reversing a life-threatening disease, or succeeding in a particular endeavour. These ‘miracles’, no matter how incredible they might be, are not unbelievable outcomes. They are natural outcomes based on the correct application of specific laws of nature.

Unfortunately, some of the Universal Laws are not as clear-cut as they might seem. There are unnoticed subtleties to the Universal Laws which, when understood and applied, can make all the difference between happiness and misery, prosperity and poverty, peace and conflict, ease and struggle.

It’s easy to think that some people are born to affluence and all good things happen to them. The truth is, these people aren’t simply lucky; good things don’t just ‘happen’ to them. They’re just applying the Laws of the Universe more effectively, whether they’re aware of it or not. The laws are flawless; they work perfectly every time, all the time. If you seem to be doing all the right things, but your results are poor, consider the Laws of the Universe and how you are applying them. This book will help you.

How many laws are there? Many.

These laws govern every aspect of our existence. The supreme Law of the Universe is the Law of Cause and Effect, also referred to as karma or the parable of ‘reaping what you sow’. For every effect there is a cause; for every action there is a reaction. Positive action equates to a positive result. The Law of Cause and Effect transcends time, space or form.

It operates whether you are aware of it or not.

Every human thought, word or deed is a cause that sets off a wave of energy throughout the universe, resulting in desirable or undesirable effects. If there are undesirable effects, it simply means that at some time in the past, there was a thought, word or deed that caused a wave of undesirable energy. As normal, fully-functioning people we are …

Is Taurus the Nastiest Sign of the Zodiac?

You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.

Some of my best friends are Taureans. They can be warm and friendly people, who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Yet of all the twelve signs, they arguably have the greatest capacity for causing misery.

To understand why Taurus might be the nastiest signs of the Zodiac, one has to think about its basic attributes. Taureans are often very focused, and once they decide on a course of action, they can be almost impossible to stop. At the same time, their brains can be one-tracked – they get an idea into their heads, and they then pursue it until the very end, ignoring or even destroying alternative viewpoints.

This means that Taureans have a tendency to regard the ends as justifying the means. They think about what they want to achieve, and they regard their goal as being absolute, and they’ll do whatever’s necessary to accomplish it.

An example of a Taurean who has quite recently been in the news is Bernard Madoff, the American stock broker who defrauded his clients out of billions of dollars. His fraud took place over many years, and once it started, it was apparently unstoppable. This is so typically Taurean – they move in a particular direction, and having gathered momentum, they can’t apply the brakes.

Bernard Madoff had personal contact with many of his clients, and he was able to reassure them that their money was safe with him. This is of course a very nasty way to treat people, but if you’re a Taurus the ends often justify the means.

Moving from finance to terrorism, we notice that Timothy McVeigh was a Taurus. In the mid-1990s he got upset about the way the American government was supposedly interfering in people’s lives, and as a result he blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.

So Timothy McVeigh got an idea into his head, and pursued a plan of action with ruthless efficiency, not caring about the human cost of what he was doing.

When you move from terrorism to politics, Taurus gets even scarier, and we find that some of the world’s most infamous dictators had Taurus as their star sign.

Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, was probably a Taurean. As we know, he was someone who was very brutal. He had no hesitation about executing his enemies and critics, and if a community defied him, he was prepared to destroy it. An example was the use of nerve gas again the the town of Halabja, which killed around 5000 people.

In the case of Saddam Hussein, we see another of Taurus’ less pleasant features – vindictiveness. Taureans don’t like it when people cross them, and acts of rebellion or defiance are neither forgotten nor forgiven.

Whatever Saddam Hussein’s crimes, he was outdone by Pol Pot, the Cambodian leader. Pol Pot was motivated by a powerful ideology – it was an extreme form of Maoist communism, which vilified urban lifestyle. …

15 Motivational Songs For Overcoming Obstacles

Motivational songs for overcoming obstacles are BIG songs. Packed with motivational messages and power-filled orchestration they are the kind that get you up and going at the gym even though you are tired. They are the ones we hear at the game when there are a few seconds left on the clock and the score is tied. They are the songs used in television and film in musical montages when the lead character finally faces his challenge and proceeds despite the opposition.

Motivational songs for overcoming obstacles are important because they uplift, inspire and, excite. A steady “diet” of them can keep you feeling confident, strong, and ready to take on the world. They are so effective, they’ve even supported whole movements that brought about great social and political change.

Like the US civil rights movement. A whole assortment of leading artists of time wrote and produced some of the most motivational songs for overcoming obstacles ever. Everyone from James Brown to The Jacksons contributed to this rich body of music that serves as the soundtrack for the advancement of colored people everywhere.

1. “We Shall Overcome” sung by Mahalia Jackson is the most popular protest song that became the key anthem for the US civil rights movement.

2. “Wade in the Water” sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers is a song that many internet sources and popular books claim to contain explicit instructions to fugitive slaves on how to avoid capture and the route to take to successfully make their way to freedom.

3. “Pick a Bale of Cotton” by Leadbelly is work song that was sung by workers to coordinate timing to pick a bale (480 lbs.) of cotton.

4. “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” by James Brown is notable both as one of Brown’s signature songs and as one of the most popular “black power” anthems of the 1960s.

5. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” sung by Kim Weston and written by James Weldon Johnson, was named the Black National Anthem and became the official song of the NAACP.

6. “We’re a Winner” by The Impressions was written and produced by Curtis Mayfield and was a #1 song of the black pride movement.

7. “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley is considered Marley’s most important piece of work, with lyrics derived from a speech given by the Pan-Africanist leader Marcus Garvey.

8. “Can You Feel It” by The Jacksons was written by Michael and Jackie Jackson on their album Triumph and was an international chart-topper in 1981.

9. “Aint No Stoppin Us Now” by McFadden and Whitehead is a celebratory song to honor black achievements, and became a number #1 hit selling over 2 million copies.

10. “Fight the Power” by The Isley Brothers is a protest funk song from 1975 that inspired Public Enemy to release a hip-hop version of their own in the late 1980’s.

11. “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson is one of Jackson’s most critically-acclaimed songs that hit number …

A Brief History of the American Felony Murder Rule

THE PENNSYLVANIA MURDER GRADING STATUTE

After our American Independence a number of the new states began legislative reforms to codify the crime of murder. One of the earliest states to do so was Pennsylvania. In 1794, that state enacted a murder degree statute which divided murder into first degree capital murder and second degree murder. The Pennsylvania legislature constricted the penalty for felony murder by imposing capital punishment only for such felonies as occurred in the perpetration of arson, rape, robbery or burglary. The statute further provided that all murder in the state other than ones committed in the perpetration of one of the common law felonies specified in their degree statute was to be second degree murder.

Later the felony of kidnapping was added to the list of specified felonies for purposes of felony murder. Only first degree murder served as a basis for hanging. The Pennsylvania statute did not actually formulate a felony murder rule or define the elements of murder. Instead the statute identified participation in certain felonies as a grading element that aggravated murder liability. The statute prescribed that:

All murder, which shall be perpetrated by means of poison, or by laying in wait, or by any other kind of wilful, deliberate and premeditated killing, or which shall be committed in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate any arson, rape, robbery, or burglary, shall be deemed murder in the first degree; and all other kinds of murder shall be murder in the second degree.

The implication of the statute is that murder in the course of one of the enumerated felonies did not require wilful, deliberate, and premeditated killing. The language of the statute does not suggest that the mere causing of death in the course of any felony was always murder. This idea is much more in line of what Lord Hale was proposing in his writings at the end of the seventeenth century and is similar to Judge Stephen’s jury instruction in the Serne case: that it would be murder only if the felonious act was known to be dangerous to life and likely to cause death. The word “deemed” in the statute implies the notion that a judge or jury could weigh the facts of the case and decide whether the conduct of an accused warranted a charge of murder for which the accused could be hanged.

The Pennsylvania statute was enormously influential, shaping homicide reform statutes in two thirds of the then existing states during the nineteenth century. Twelve states adopted Pennsylvania’s grading scheme with little or no modification, the states which adopted the Pennsylvania statute as drafted were: Virginia in 1796, Kentucky from 1798 to 1801, Maryland in 1810, Louisiana from its admission in1812 to 1855, Tennessee in 1829, Michigan in 1838, Arkansas in 1838, New Hampshire in 1842, Connecticut in 1846, Delaware in 1852, Massachusetts in 1858, and West Virginia, entering the Union with such a statute in 1863.

Another nineteen states adopted a somewhat modified grading scheme. The States …

Impact of Baby Boomers on American Society

Demographers’ defined the baby boom as a birth surge started in 1946, after the World War II and reached its peak in 1957 and continued until 1964 because of the postwar prosperity. Most people uses “generation” as their term but demographers precisely referred it as “cohort” (group of individuals experiencing a certain event within a specified time). This reveals that social changes interconnect with the life of every baby boomer.

There two groups of baby boomers. The babies born from 1946 to 1955 were called early boomers. Those who were born from 1956 to 1964 were called as late boomers. The last set were born during the first tour of Beatles in America and the first early ones was approximately 18 years that time. They are were noticeable because of their big populations. They crowded junior high, elementary schools, high schools, labor market, and colleges.

Studies show that the impacts brought about by the society where baby boomers grew up contributes a lot in reshaping the society. They never think like their parents. Because the population of these cohorts is unprecedented during the 20th century, their beliefs and behaviors are then predicted to dominate things.

But there is also a great discrepancy in terms of economic status between early and late boomers. Compared to the energetic job market and emerging economy laid beneath the feet of early ones, late boomers needs adjustment on economic shifts. It is due to the rapid growth of service sectors, jobs for middle class became less stable, changing locations of workers, and career market adjustments.

Most are considered economic security as an elusive thing. They are the people who were born after the era of civil rights. Conducted studies even reveals income differences according to ethnicity, race, and birthplace creating ethnic classes. It was because one third of the population are Hispanic, African-American, or Asian besides the black and white Americans. Take for instance, the black boomer’s generation are considered inferior than whites, although the generation were rated the best in terms of education.

It is a fact that the life was accompanied by postwar transformations changing the American society. The ideas about sexuality, gender, and family were altered profoundly. Likewise, parenthood changed, old age and retirement was redefined, and labor forces were transformed. Even in their old age, they seize opportunity to stay involved and active like staying in their work force to meet the responsibilities of supporting their children.

The changes in the society were never brought solely by the stereotype but also the conservative types like Seth Grossman. They expressed themselves through street protests while the conservative use other forms such as leaflets, student newspapers, and forums. Although their actions did not attract the attention of media but they achieved their success when they forced a referendum which resulted in the withdrawal of Duke students from the National Student Association.

Conservative may not be a part of the projected boomer’s image but they became a strong force in making their way silently. …

Challenges of Local Government Institutions in Bangladesh

1. Ideas and practices of local government:

Most people consider public representatives as local guardians who work with them, and with whom they can share all sorts of personal, social, religious and political thoughts and beliefs. With the increase in power and volume of activities of the government, the responsibility and duty of the local government has also been increased by several times. Around the world most challenges people face are local. So, the best way to solve them is through local initiatives and local leadership by awakening and mobilizing people. Authorities closest to the citizen or rather citizens themselves by getting directly involved can greatly contribute in solving public problems. This is how the local government takes its shape. Local government brings decision-making closer to the people. A strong local government system can ensure good governance through transparency, accountability, effective participation and equal opportunities for all. Most importantly, this system can ensure development at the grassroots level. Strong local government institutions strengthen democracy, ensure good governance, and at the same time quicken the pace of political and socioeconomic development of the country.

1.1. New view of local government:

Local government is based on community governance, and focused on citizen-centered local governance. It is the primary agent for the citizens and leader and gatekeeper for shared rule, is responsive and accountable to local voters. It is purchaser of local services, and facilitator of network mechanisms of local governance, coordinator of government providers and entities beyond government, mediator of conflicts, and developer of social capital. It is externally focused and competitive; ardent practitioner of alternative service delivery framework; open, quick, and flexible, innovative. It is risk taker within limits, autonomous in taxing, spending, regulatory, and administrative decisions. It has managerial flexibility and accountability for results. It is participatory; and works to strengthen citizen voice and exit options through direct democracy provisions, citizens’ charters, and performance budgeting. It is focused on earning trust, creating space for civic dialogue, serving the citizens, and improving social outcomes. It is fiscally prudent; works better and costs less, inclusive and participatory. It overcomes market and government failures. Local government is connected in a globalized and localized world

1.2. Citizen-centered local governance:

Reforming the institutions of local governance requires agreement on basic principles. Three basic principles are advanced to initiate such a discussion:

* Responsive governance: This principle aims for governments to do the right things-that is, to deliver services consistent with citizen preferences.

* Responsible governance: The government should also do it right-that is, manage its fiscal resources prudently. It should earn the trust of residents by working better and costing less and by managing fiscal and social risks for the community. It should strive to improve the quality and quantity of and access to public services. To do so, it needs to benchmark its performance with the best-performing local government.

* Accountable governance: A local government should be accountable to its electorate. It should adhere to appropriate safeguards to ensure that it serves the public …

What is a Monocultural Society?

Do you live in a mono-cultural or multi-cultural society?. Often we find it difficult to define. What is a mono- cultural society?

Most experts agree that the essential traits of a mono-cultural society are a common heritage, belief structure, language and usually a mono-racial identity. Since we live in a more globalized World, many of our societies are essentially multi-cultural. But still many of today’s societies still share the common traits of a mono-cultural society.

What are these common traits?

1. A common heritage

The historical heritage of the society could be based on a perception that the nations, food, language, attitudes, racial features and religious beliefs are an essential element to the nations identity.

2. A shared belief structure

The majority of the citizens of a country have a shared belief structure, based on the nation’s heritage. These beliefs form the national identity, and ‘psyche,’ which create to many a stronger bonded society, but to detractors a nation which loses out on the benefits of a multi-cultural ethnic society.

3. An inward looking ‘psyche’

To many, mono-cultural societies tend to look inwards, rather than outwards, and this can show in the nation’s culture. Television programs and news tends to be locally centered, and the cultures identity heavily promoted. A degree of ignorance of the outside World is often a product of looking inwards.

4. A suspicion of “foreigners”

The ‘psyche” of a mono-cultural society often can be suspicious towards “foreigners,” and unacceptable of their beliefs. This could lead to discouraging multi-cultural partnerships, to a ‘ghetto’ mentality of separating cultures through the areas they can live.

5. Common religious values

Whilst in some societies religion is seen as being less important, other cultures see it as part of their national or ethnic identity. A strong mono-cultural official religion often is a strong trait of a this type of society..

6. Tribalism

Citizens of strong multi-cultural societies tend to be more tribal when they live outside their own culture. Multi- cultural marriages are unacceptable, the neighbors, the food and even the workplace tends to be ‘tribal.” – the influence of the new society lessened by this strong cultural bond, between others who share it.

7. Purchasing Goods

Mono- cultural societies tend to support their own products, rather than purchase products from other nations. They tend to be proud of their industries, and economic achievements- encouraging buying nationally produced products over others. This is beneficial in a recession, but in an expanding economy can hinder the choice consumers have.

Mono-cultural societies tend to feel safer, as long as you are identified as “one of the group,” but also conservative when it comes to accepting change. Whilst threatened, these societies tend to bond together faster, but also can be guilty of the worse types of ethnic abuse.

Historic examples could be the Armenian holocaust by Turkey, or the past bloodshed in the Balkans, and Rwanda- Events that generally do not occur in more modern multi-ethnic societies, which accept the differences in ideas, …

Is Hollywood a Good Influence on People?

Whenever I hear the film industry being blamed for creating negativity in life my mind goes back to the Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Last Action Hero”. For those who may not have seen it, Arnie plays a screen character who is accidentally transported into real life, only to find that getting shot, punched, kicked and generally thrown around actually hurts. His character interacts with a young boy, and the moral of the story is that what you see on the silver screen is acting not real life.

Then I think about “Yes Man” with Jim Carrey, a film that broadly looked at the issues of positive thinking and saying “yes” to life. There were a great many interesting points wrapped up in a superbly funny storyline.

What about “The Matrix”, the first film in the series really resonated with a lot of people on the Spiritual path and you couldn’t help feeling as you watched it that Hollywood is tuned into more than big bucks and fame. Behind this and many other films you have the feeling of a number of thoughtful minds using the vehicle of film to explore popular life issues and offer a few conclusions.

That’s the positive side, let’s now look at the negative. Whenever I come to the negative the Charlie Sheen sequel “Hot Shots Part Deux” leaps immediately to mind. In that film there is a wonderful scene where he is shooting a machine gun and in one corner of the screen you have a written running commentary saying “more bullets than (name any famous action film) fired”, and the numbers keep going up. It’s a beautiful tongue-in-cheek poke at an industry that fires off more rounds of dummy ammunition in a year than teenagers have zits.

There is a great deal of casual violence in films, and no doubt there are minds out there only too willing to absorb the violence like a sponge and emulate it. Yet realistically how many times does that happen?

If you’re living in any violence besieged city in the world you will tell me “a lot”, but the truth is that if an individual doesn’t have the anger and sense of dislocation required they will not emulate anything they see in a film. At the very most violent films can provide the general public with ideas in the same way that prisons take a young person who’s made a mistake and provide exactly the training you don’t want any child to receive, thereby turning out a degree level criminal when they leave.

Everything in life is about personal choice and most well balanced people will view extremely violent films as disgusting at worst and a bit of a giggle at best. At no point will an ordinary human being feel tempted to risk their freedom and future by trying to be an Arnie, a Sly Stallone, or even a Charlie Sheen. To name a very few people who’ve been in violent films.

You’re probably more likely to find …

Review: The Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements

The Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements 2011-12 Consumer Edition by Lyle MacWilliam is a helpful resource for learning how to evaluate nutritional supplements and how they may enhance optimal health, disease prevention, and anti-aging defense. The book is an abridged edition of the 4th Professional Edition of the Comparative Guide, which is more useful for the reader who does not have a background in nutritional science or the biological sciences.

Lyle MacWilliam, MSc, FP is President of the Nutrisearch Corp., a Canadian company that serves the natural products industry. He is a former member of Parliament and Member of Legislative Assembly for British Columbia. Mr. MacWilliam has served as an advisor to a number of Canadian government health agencies.

In this edition, over 1600 US and Canadian supplements were scientifically rated and compared, using 18 critical health supportive criteria to evaluate each product.

I found the Comparative Guide to be an excellent source of information when considering the various scientific ratings conducted of nutritional supplements for this book. The Guide includes comparative ratings of many popular brands of supplements, including those sold in drug and health stores with other less well known brands which are not available through such venues.

What I liked the most in this edition are the two chapters on the Short History of Vitamin D and New Discoveries, the latest scientific findings on Vitamin D. There is an excellent summary of the overwhelming research confirming the beneficial effects of vitamin D in disease prevention, boosting immunity and strengthening bones. Some of the topics addressed by Mr. MacWilliam include: Vitamin D and cancer, Vitamin D and heart disease, Vitamin D and immune support, and how much is enough?

Mr. MacWilliam makes a compelling case that Vitamin D deficiencies contribute to many chronic and degenerative health conditions. He wrote, “Despite the rapid advancement in our knowledge about Vitamin D, chronic insufficiency of this important nutrient remains the most unrecognized and misdiagnosed nutritional deficiency in the world. Marginal improvements in the daily intakes, issued recently by the United States and Canada, appear insufficient to address the problem.”

Although the recommended daily intake of vitamin D has been raised to 600 International Units per day, there are many experts who believe it should be higher yet. While the best way to get vitamin D is still from the sun, everyone living outside the tropics or a predominantly indoor lifestyle must supplement for the sake of health, according to Mr. Macwilliam.

I recommend this guidebook as an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in the science of nutritional supplementation.…

HIPAA Law Protects Against Improper Disclosure of Health Information by Health Care Providers

In June 2009, a 22-year-old Honolulu mother of three young children was sentenced to a year in prison for illegally accessing another woman’s medical records and posting on a MySpace page that she had HIV.

The State of Hawaii brought charges against the woman under a state statute criminalizing the unauthorized access to a computer; and which categorized the conduct of the defendant as a class B felony.

According to accounts of the incidents that led to the woman’s conviction, there was a feud between the victim and the victim’s sister-in-law, a friend of the defendant. The defendant, who worked as a patient service representative at the hospital where the victim was a patient, accessed the computer for the victim’s sister-in-law.

Over the course of approximately ten months, the defendant accessed the patient’s medical records three times through a computer. After she learned of the victim’s medical condition, the defendant posted on her MySpace page that the victim had HIV. In a second posting, she said the victim was dying of AIDS.

The victim complained to hospital officials of the unauthorized access. After an internal investigation the hospital terminated the defendant’s employment.

The defendant’s conduct, of course, was egregious and inexcusable. The one-year jail term handed down by the Court exceeded the term recommended by the prosecutor. Nevertheless, beyond the issue of holding the defendant accountable for her actions some may question to what extent the hospital should bear responsibility for the breaches of confidentiality that occurred.

Federal law imposes statutory burdens on health care providers to protect against the improper use or disclosure of private health information and to reasonably limit uses and disclosures to the minimum necessary to accomplish their intended purpose.

Specifically, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996’s (“HIPAA”) privacy regulations became effective on April 14, 2003. HIPAA is intended to protect consumers’ health information, allow consumers greater access and control to such information, enhance health care, and finally to create a national framework for health privacy protection. HIPAA covers health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain financial and administrative transactions electronically.

In addition to the privacy regulations, HIPAA’s security rules became effective on April 21, 2005. Together the privacy and security regulations are the only national set of regulations that governs the use and disclosure of private, confidential and sensitive information.

Under HIPAA’s Security Rule, the standards for the protection of electronic information covered by HIPAA are divided into three groups: Administrative safeguards, Physical safeguards and Technical safeguards.

A couple of the most significant required safeguards under HIPAA are the Administrative “Sanction Policy” and “Security Awareness Training” safeguards.

The sanction policy standard requires a communication to all employees regarding the disciplinary action that will be taken by the covered entity for violations of HIPAA. The sanction policy should have a notice of civil or criminal penalties for misuses or misappropriation of health information and make employees aware that violations may result in notification to law enforcement officials …