Tag: Problems

  • Spinoza’s Ethics of Strength of the Emotions in W Somerset Maughm’s Of Human Bondage

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    The writer probes on the complex world of W. Somerset Maughm’s protagonist in the novel Of Human Bondage, using the propositions the Jewish Portuguese philosopher Baruch Spinoza postulated in his book Ethics in 1674. Some of Spinoza’s propositions are as follows( Morgan, 2006, pp 108-120):

    The following propositions of Spinoza enlighten the changing character of Philip in his own bildungsromans of his life. The force and increase of any passive emotion and its persistence in existing is defined not by the power whereby we ourselves endeavour to persist in existing, but by the power of external causes compared with our own power;

    The force of any passive emotion can surpass the rest of man’s activities or power so that the emotion stays firmly fixed in him;

    An emotion cannot be checked or destroyed except by a contrary emotion which is stronger than the emotion which is to be checked;

    Knowledge of good and evil is nothing other than the emotion of pleasure or pain insofar as we are conscious of it;

    An emotion whose cause we think to be with us in the present is stronger than it would be if we did not think the said cause to be with us;

    We are affected toward a future thing which we imagine to be imminent mo intensely than if we were to imagine its time of existence tofarther away from the present. We are also affected by a remembrance of a thing we imagine to belong to the near past more intensely if we were to imagine it to belong to the distant past;

    An emotion toward a thing which we think of as inevitable [necessarius] is more intense, other things being equal, than emotion toward a thing possible or contingent, that is, not inevitable;

    Emotion toward a thing which we know not exist in the present, and which we imagine to be possible, is, other things being equal, more intense than emotion toward a contingent thing;

    Emotion toward a contingent thing which we know not to exist in the present, is, other things being equal, feebler than emotion toward a thing past;

    No emotion can be checked by the true knowledge of good and evil, insofar as it is true, but only insofar as it is;

    Desire that arises from the true knowledge of good and evil can be extinguished or checked by many other desires that arise from the emotions by which we are assailed;

    The desires that arises from a knowledge of good and evil insofar as this knowledge has regard to to the future can be the more easily checked or extinguished by desire of things that are attractive in the present;

    Desire that arises from the true knowledge of good and evil insofar as this knowledge is concerned with contingent things can be even more easily checked by desire for things which are present;

    Desire arising from pleasure is, other things being equal, stronger than desire arising from pain;

    Every man, from the laws of his nature, necessarily seeks or avoids what he judges to be good or evil.

    The more every man endeavours and is able to seek advantage, that is, to preserve his own being, the more he is endowed with virtue. On the other hand insofar as he neglects to preserve what is to his advantage, that is, his own being to that extent he is weak.

    Philip is highly affected by nature. There is in Nature no individual thing that is surpassed in strength and power by some other thing. Whatsoever thing there is, there is another more powerful by which the said thing can be destroyed. And he was able to surpass all his problems because of the incoming different emotions, problems which proved to make him stronger if not released from “Human Bondage”.

    The force whereby a man persist in existing is limited, and infinitely surpassed by the power of external causes.

    Philip’s deformity limits his own persistence to live. But his meeting with Hayward, Clutton and Lawson, his former classmates in France, who taught him that life is all about passion and the pursuit of it, he became engross in his art. France did not also care about his clubfoot. Cronshaw taught him more philosophy in life about living in let live. Cronshaw even on his death bed, defied doctors’ prohibition. His life is anyway to end just like any other’s lives.

    Set in Kent, England, a sub-urban near London, the novel presents the multifaceted personal, social, political and religious experiences of Philip carey from his childhood to his middle age of thirty. A bildungsroman (1991, Smiley) in style, which highlights the formation of a youngman’s character through education, travels and early life experiences. Philip at the age of nine, as a young boy, is set apart from his peers by some misfortune and undergoes a humiliating experience that later proves strengthening. his first experience of love is unsuccessful or problematic one that nevertheless paves the way to a happy marriage with a suitable mate. The novel has ample observation, if not criticism, with the character’s institutions such as schools, churches and class structures.

    Philip’s personal life is truly an amalgam of life’s tragedies. But how he surpassed the seemingly insurmountable heap of oppressing weight, if not the meaninglessness or nothingness of life, is the focus of this attempt anchored on Spinoza’s propositions. To enumerate, at an early age, his mother died of tuberculosis and his father, a medical doctor, died of lung cancer. His innocence never understood the situation. He has only the temporary joy of travelling to Blackstable to live with his uncle William and childless Auntie Louisa. Forcibly liking his second family as an orphan, he is left reading his books without noise for his uncle, a Vicar in the community, is irated with children’s unruly behaviour. Aunt Louisa is incapable of understanding Philip. he is left with the care of the governess. His personal disability or deformity, being born with a club-foot, proves to be the stigma of his life forever. His early education in Kingston School, caused his early childhood bitter as his peers laughed at him, mocked and physically abused him because of his physical abnormality. Then, his adolescence which brings him to Heidelberg, Germany to study foreign languages, is never sweet. Girls chided him for his deformity. the consolation is meeting friends like Hayward and Miss Wilkinson, who flirted with him, to his disgust. His sojourn to France, albeit, his uncle’s disappointment, proves to be annihilating. His lack of talent in painting plus his deformity, made him a mediocre student. His classmate Fanny Price, who fell in love with him, on the pretext of sharing the same abnormality (hers is lack of beauty), committed suicide out of hunger and wretchedness.

    Then everything escalated to its height, when realizing that painting is not his passion, he goes back to England. He decides to change again to pursue what his uncle William tells him to do: to follow the footsteps of his father. To be a doctor. feeling he has nothing to do, he embraces the new idea. Sauntering along the Parliamentary Street of London, he is driven to dine in a cafe where he meets the slatternly waitress Mildred Rogers who awakens his sexual desire. But his languid mien, caused by his club-foot proves to be a disadvantage. the waitress prefers rugged and rich men. But his desire to pursue the pale, anaemic, aloof Mildred, beomes a challenge to him. Gradually, the two becomeclose. But the ambitious and materialistic waitress always insults him because of his deformity. to slander him cripple, would totally “cripple” his mood and emotion. Even when Philip is generous to the moody Mildred, she hurt him by marrying a German businessman Miller. His desperation is tantamount to his yearning for Mildred. He is left believing that one day, he would see Mildred again. His concentration with his medical study is forlorned. And Mildred came back,looking sickly, with a child. His generosity and forgiveness for his first love, who hurts him the most, is even greater than life. The ingrate waitress after a little recovery from poverty, elopes with Griffith, Philip’s handsome and robust classmate. That is the height of Mildred’s shamelessness. So her expected return is welcomed with derision by the newly awakened Philip. Even when Mildred turns into a prostitute, Philip is only capable of compassion, without passion or sexual desire. She is freed at last. And Philip is extricated from the pains excruciatingly caused by the destitute Mildred.

    His obsession to Mildred costs Philip his fortune and gradually his savings is left with seven pounds. He is forced to stop from his medical studies that brings him to experience unbelievable poverty. He meets the generous Athelneys who fed and sheltered him in his misery. His uncle’s death, leaving an average fortune, helps him to finish his medical studies. His fateful shelter with the Athelneys brings him to his final, harmonious and peaceful resolution to marry Sally Athelney and go on with his life beautifully. Shakespeare is affirmed by saying that “all is well that ends well.

    At this juncture, it is noteworthy to enumerate Spinoza’s propositions to elucidate Philip’s “bondage” and his strength of his emotion. Spinoza in his preface to his philosophical treatise wrote:

    I assign the term “bondage” to man’s lack of power to control and check the emotions. For a man at the mercy of his emotions is not his own master but is subject to fortune, in whose power he so lies that he is often compelled, although he sees the better course, to pursue the worse. In this Part I have set myself the task of demonstrating why is so, and also what is good and what is bad in emotions. But before I begin, I should like to make a few preliminary observations on perfection and imperfection, and on good and bad ( Morgan, 2006).

    In the beginning, Philip is a slave if not a victim of his emotion. His physical deformity, his club-foot, caused him too much pain. He learned to hate his classmates and,worst, abandoned his belief in God. He could not appreciate the God of his uncle vicar when God cannot give him the miracle he wanted to have normal feet. His painful childhood in school changed him to be rough character. He never wanted to become a vicar anymore. His obsession to Mildred indeed showed his real weakness as a man, and even wretchedness as a human being because of his deformity. he would always think that women cannot love him as he is because of his deformity.

    He who has undertaken something and has brought it to completion will say that the thing is completed; and not only he but everyone who rightly knew, or thought he knew, the intention and aim of the author of that work. For example, if anyone sees a work (which I assumed is not yet finished) and knows that the aim of author is to build a house, he will say the house is imperfect. On the other hand, as soon as he sees that the work has been brought to the conclusion that its author had intended to give it, he will say that the house is perfect. But if anyone sees a work whose like he had never seen before, and he does not know the artifecer’s intention, he cannot possibly know whether the work is perfect or imperfect.

    This appears to have been the original meaning of these terms. But when men began to form general ideas and to devise ideal type of houses, buildings, towers, and so on, and to prefer some models to others, it came about that each called “perfect” that which he saw at variance with his own preconceived ideal, although in the artifecer’s opinion it had been fully completed. There seems to be no other reason why even natural phenomena (those not made by human hand) should commonly be called perfect or imperfect. For men there are wont to form general ideas both natural phenomena and artifacts, and these ideas they regard as models, and they believed that Nature (which they consider does nothing without an end in view) looks to this ideas and holds them before herself as models. So when they see something occurring in Nature at variance with their preconceived ideal of the thing in question, they believed that Nature has then failed or blundered and has left that thing imperfect from their own preconceptions rather than from true knowledge.

    So perfection and imperfection are in reality only models of thinking, notions which we are wont to invent from comparing individuals of the same species or kind; and it is for this reason that I previously said (Def. 6, II) that by reality and perfection I mean the same thing. For we are wont to classify all the individuals in Nature under one genus which is called the highest genus, namely, the notion of Entity, which pertains to all the individuals in Nature without exception. Therefore insofar as we classify individuals in Nature under this genus and compare them with one another and find that some have more being or reality than others, to that extent we say that some are more perfect than the others. And insofar as we attribute to them something involving negotiation, such as limit, end, impotence and so on, to that extent we call them imperfect because they do not affect our minds as much as those we call perfect, and not because they lack something of anything except that which follows from the necessity of nature of its efficient cause; and whatever follows from the necessity of the nature of its efficient cause must be necessarily be so.

    To be a master of his emotion is to attain perfection. It may not be physical but spiritual, mental and emotional. His challenges may have hardened him but enlightened him to loosen up and later, embrace the beauty of life. The unattainable perfection, was answered, through his friend Cronshaw, a poet whom he met in France, that the meaning of life cannot be answered unless one lives it. he realized that men are born, study, work, marry, have children and die is the most beautiful pattern that the Persian rug edifies.

    As for the terms “good” and “bad,” they likewise indicate nothing positive in things considered in themselves, and nothing but models of thinking, or notions which we form from comparing things with one another. For one and the same thing can at the same time be good and bad, and also indifferent. For example, music is good for one who is melancholy, bad for one in mourning, and neither good or bad for the deaf. However, although this is so, these terms ought to be retained. For since we desire to form the idea of man which we may look to as model of human nature, we shall find it useful to keep these terms in the sense I have indicated. So in what follows I shall mean by “good” that which we certainly know to be the means for our approaching nearer to the model of human nature that we set before ourselves, and by “bad” that which we certainly know prevents us from reproducing the said model. For it is important to note that when I say somebody passes from a state of less perfection, to a state of greater perfection, and vice versa, I do not mean that he changes from one essence or to form to another (for example, a horse is as completely destroyed if it changes into a man as it would be if it were to change into an insect), but that we conceive his power of activity, insofar as this is understood through his nature, to be increased or diminished.

    Philip may have been both good and bad due to circumstances. he was good in the Blackstable with his Auntie Louisa and Uncle William. he became bad in school because his classmates taunted him because of his clubfoot. In Heidelberg, he is good to all the people even if he did not understand their silence and even their insolence. In France, was forced to become bad, to protect himself from the looming abuses of other foreigners. The death of an anti-social fanny Price, showed him to be the only compassionate painting student.

    Hence, after a series of Philip’s tragedy, his experiences, his meeting with different people, his education, his travel to Heidelberg, to Paris and to London, his affluence and reversal of his fortune to poverty taught him greatest lessons in life. That life can be beautiful if man knows to master his emotion, moderate his desire and be reasonable in every decision. A man is finally freed from the chains and cufflinks ” Of Human Bondage”.

    References:

    Maughm, Somerset W. (1991). Of Human Bondage.

    Canada: Bantam Book Doubleday.

    Morgan, Michael (ed.). (2006). The Essential Spinoza: Ethics And Related Writings.

    Cambridge: Hackett Publishing, Inc.

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    Source by Wilfredo M. Valois

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  • Ancient Medicinal Wisdom: Vedic Healing With Coriander

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    In Ayurveda, the rasa or taste of coriander is initially sharp or astringent. Digestion mellows this to sweetness.

    What is Ayurveda?

    This is the ancient medical system of India. Ayurveda postulates that there are three basic types of energy or doshas: Vata dosha or wind energy, Pitta dosha or fire energy, and Kapha dosha or water energy. Every individual, (indeed, all matter), is made up of different degrees and combinations of these doshas. This is called the prakriti or constitution of the individual.

    Ayurvedic belief is that coriander, seeds as well as the plant, is beneficial to all body types or doshas as it does not arouse pitta like most other spices.

    Coriander leaves, seeds and powder are used extensively in Indian kitchens because of their appetising aroma. Ancient Ayurvedic practice had recognized the benefits of coriander: the use of these seeds and powder is rooted in this.

    Multiple benefits of Coriander:

    • These seeds contain dietary fibre and this aids in good bowel movements. It also helps in removing intestinal gas and prevents nausea. Coriander seeds can be dry roasted, powdered and added to most dishes; it’s not all about flavor, they are a good digestive aid. Ayurveda tells us so!
    • It will stimulate appetite by helping to produce digestive enzymes and aid in the breakdown of food.
    • It is also good for liver function. This is probably why it is a good appetite stimulant.
    • Coriander powder and seeds do not arouse pitta. In modern scientific terms, coriander is alkaline. Thus, it is good for urinary tract infections. It is also a mild diuretic.
    • These are an age-old cure for menstrual cramps: just boil 1-2 teaspoons of coriander seeds in half a litre of water, add a teaspoon of organic sugar and drink warm. The relief is palpable.
    • Ayurveda has always known it; now modern research shows coriander seeds to inhibit bacterial growth thus making them a good anti-bacterial agent. This inhibitive property makes coriander a good fighter of stomach infections.
    • Anti-bacterial coriander is also a good anti-fungal. Coriander seeds are quite useful in fighting skin problems like eczema, itchy skin, and rashes.
    • It contain linoleic acid which is why they provide pain relief as well as act as an anti-inflammatory. This property also makes them useful in curing mouth ulcers and sores.
    • Ayurvedic cures for chronic conditions like arthritis make liberal use of coriander seeds/powder. A ‘tea’ is made by boiling ground coriander seeds in water and drinking the warm decoction.

    Here are some Ayurvedic recipes for different ailments which make generous use of coriander seeds:

    • That parched feeling that a fever causes can be relieved by boiling 1 teaspoon of coriander powder in 1 cup of water. Drink after cooling, and your thirst will vanish.
    • For fatigue or a burning sensation in the body, soak a teaspoon of coriander seeds in a glass of water. Let it stand overnight. Strain and drink first thing in the morning.
    • Boil 1 tsp of coriander seeds in half a litre of water. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Strain and drink. This relieves any burning sensation while urinating.
    • Do not pop a pill at the first signs of malaise.The harmful effects of unnecessarily medicating yourself can be controlled by these simple home remedies which carry the goodness of Mother Nature. Ayurveda views human beings as an integral part of larger creation and treats human ailments non-aggressively.
    • When medicines should be used with circumspection, what can one say about the harmful chemicals that we ingest every day unknowingly? Food production in the modern day is fraught with dangerous practices. The indiscriminate use of chemical methods of farming is poisoning almost everything we eat. The organic movement aims to reverse this. If you want to enjoy the maximum benefit of any food product, GO ORGANIC. Coriander is no different.
    • Terragreens Organic is a store of the freshest and most natural ingredients, untouched by chemicals. Enjoy the full benefit of this miracle of Mother Nature. Buy your coriander seeds or powder from the best!

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    Source by Karthik Guduru

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  • Businesses Pursuing New Product Development

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    With the aftermath of globalization, companies are carefully thinking about the best ways to extend their product and service offering. Thus, product development strategy is critical for their success. Yet, many companies are in defensive mode and merely want to maintain the position in the market place.

    However, staying in a holding position is a definite way for companies to be left behind. Innovative thinking that allows for product/service growth is a too sure way for sustainable success. In today’s discussion, we will explore the importance of product development for the growth of businesses, especially in a competitive market.

    Launching into new product offerings is not easy. According to one market research, approximately 75% of consumer-packaged goods and retail products fail to earn even $7.5 million during their first year. Harvard Business School Professor, Clayton Christensen, who is the world’s foremost authority on disruptive innovation, suggests that the failure rate of new products may actually be as high as 95%. Product failure rates relate to the number of products that are launched commercially but fail.

    Geoffrey A. Moore, the author of Crossing the Chasm, maintains the challenges of product deployment: “… the less successful product is often arguably superior. No content to slink off the stage without some revenge, this sullen and resentful crew casts about among themselves to find a scapegoat, and whom do they light upon? With unfailing consistency and unerring accuracy, all fingers point to-the vice president of marketing. It is marketing’s fault!” Thus, new product development is a risky proposition to senior executives making these critical positions as well as the organization as a whole.

    Businesses that want sustainable growth must develop new product and services often and consistently. Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller, authors of Marketing Management, “In an economy of rapid change, continuous innovation is a necessity. Highly innovative firms are able to identify and quickly seize new market opportunities.”

    In taking any actions on new product development, businesses should think strategically about their product development. Alexander Chernev, the author of Strategic Marketing Management, further argues that managing growth is the most preferred route to profitability compared to just cutting cost.

    He outlines four key issues in managing growth, which include: (a) gaining and defending a market position, (b) managing sales growth, (c) new product development, and (d) product-line management. Chernev maintains, “New products and services are the keys to sustainable growth; they enable companies to gain and sustain their market position by taking advantage of the changes in the market to create superior customer value.”

    With that said, new product development meaning having the ability to take a product or service idea and convert it into a tangible offering that customers want. The following are the steps that more products undergo for market consumption: (a) idea generation, (b) concept development, (c) business analysis, (d) product development, (e) market testing, and (f) business deployment.

    The Ansoff Matrix is a strategic tool for product development, consisting of market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification. In market penetration strategy, organizations seek to grow using its existing product offerings in existing markets. With this strategy in mind, organizations try to increase market share. In a market development strategy, companies try to expand into new markets like new buyers using their existing offerings. In product development strategy, businesses seek to create new products and services targeted at its existing buyers.

    In a diversification strategy, an organization tries to grow its market share by introducing new product offerings while at the same time entering a new market. Diversification is the most-risky approach due to simultaneous making new changes (new product, new market). Kotler and Keller further maintain the difficulty of sustainable product success: “It is increasingly difficult to identify blockbuster products that will transform a market, but continuous innovation can force competitors to play catch-up.” The concept sounds easy. However, it is riddled with problems.

    Without a doubt, many companies know that product development is a risky business. Although many consumers will proudly proclaim the success of many innovative products like Apple and Google, these same buyers are not aware of the numerous product launch failures in this country. In our discussion, I demonstrated the importance of product development for the growth of businesses, especially in a competitive market. Failures often lead to innovation.

    American great inventor, Thomas Edison, had his own share of failures, but learned how to innovate because of them: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Likewise, today’s businesses can also achieve success if they understand how to deploy their products and services to the marketplace strategically. Although there is enormous danger in failure, there is also the opportunity of unforeseen growth. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

    © 2017 by DD Green

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    Source by Dr. Daryl D. Green

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  • Cervical Traction: The Best Way to Heal a Sore Neck

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    Traction is a centuries old treatment that has been administered by chiropractors for healing conditions like a sore neck or a sore back. Alternately, traction therapy may be used for decompressing any of the ailing joints.

    Who Can Use Traction Therapy

    Traction may broadly be seen as application of continuous force to stretch the spine. It is also very often used and is highly effective for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, i.e. injuries that are not externally visible, but involve muscles, ligaments, joints, tendons, nerves, bones or the supporting structures. For muscular disorders, including muscle spasms, dislocation or for fracture, traction therapy can be very useful, and is often applied for arms, legs, back or neck.

    Traction Therapy for Neck related Issues

    In particular, traction therapy can be greatly effective for neck related problems. While neck traction is very often applied to ensure pain relief, there are various mechanisms by which it heals the neck.

    1. When traction is applied on the neck, soft tissues and joints are mobilized in the cervical spine.

    2. Alternately, it relieves pressure from the pinched nerve root by applying decompressive forces,

    3. And also reduces herniations on the spine.

    4. By applying traction, one can align any dislocations in the cervical spine, and this can effectively stabilize an injury in the cervical spine.

    5. And for anyone who has a faulty neck posture, such as the forward head posture, home traction therapy can enable the patient to get the curve in the neck again.

    6. This also works very well for anyone who suffers from conditions like military neck, wherein the curve of the neck is not bent forward, as it should ideally be. When a patient suffers from military neck, the curve of the neck is either straight or bent backwards, and with cervical traction, the patient benefits in the long term. Cervical traction not just ensures pain relief for the patient, but also increases the cervical range of motion, such that the patient can comfortably return to everyday activities.

    If one is able to treat a sore neck at home, it simply speeds up the healing process, and might even suffice in terms of treatment. Home cervical traction is advantageous because while it ensures long term pain relief, it is a non invasive treatment methodology.

    When cervical traction is administered, it relieves neck pain by stretching the soft tissue, or the tissues such as tendons, ligaments and fibrous tissue which surround, connect or support the backbone. This in turn works towards separating the spinal joint structures and ensures pain relief.

    With constant traction, the muscles are fatigued out, and the strain then rests on the joints. So with traction, the joint spaces are widened, and this induces pain relief as pressure on the cervical nerves is reduced.

    Cervical Traction: Is It Painful?

    People often wonder if traction therapy or traction devices in particular are painful. But traction therapy has been in prominence for centuries, and has worked very effectively for healing conditions like a stiff neck.

    Moreover, nowadays one can find some highly refined cervical traction devices which allow the patient to himself control the pressure. These are air inflated devices which work using a hand operated air pump, and allow the patient to adjust the air pressure to suit his needs and comfort levels.

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    Source by Harshad Jethra

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  • Pharmacy Technician Jobs – Positive Aspects

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    There often are several different positive aspects to pharmacy technician jobs. Individuals that become interested in this profession usually are looking to be of assistance to other people. These people will be given an amazing opportunity to help others every day of their career. This is advantageous for people that want to make a positive impact on the world around them.

    Individuals in this profession will be given the opportunity to help customers understand the medication that they are taking. This is advantageous because the social action will be good for the person that is performing the job. Customers usually appreciate when they are able to understand what they are putting into their body.

    People involved with this profession also will have the ability to work closely with the pharmacist to make completely certain that medications are being distributed properly. Answering customer questions is also important so that there is not interaction between medications. People involved with this line of employment often will be able to explain things very clearly to individuals.

    People that are involved with this work will also make sure that paperwork is filed properly. Documentation is a very important part of this profession. When a person has the ability to stay organized and they will be very successful in this line of making money. Organization is important so that mistakes do not happen when medication is dispensed.

    These individuals will also help to make sure that there are no problems between different medications that a patient is taking. The responsibilities of an individual that has this job will vary throughout the day. The various responsibilities will make the job extremely enjoyable for anyone that has chosen this career path.

    Interacting with medical professionals is also part of the responsibilities. Clarifying information in regards to prescriptions can also be part of the job description. Performing this task is extremely valuable so that people do not wind up taking the wrong medications. It will be very clear to understand the obligations involved with this type of employment.

    Pharmacy technician jobs are very interesting and challenging. People that are making valid attempts to look for a fantastic job that will keep them intellectually stimulated will be very pleased with this career choice. When an individual has the opportunity to remain intellectually stimulated when performing their job they will usually succeed very well. Professional success is very important to individuals who are part of this line of work.

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    Source by Susan Bean

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  • Distinguishing Drug Abuse From Drug Addiction

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    Though “drug abuse” and “drug addiction” are often used interchangeably, in reality the terms refer to two distinct behavior patterns. An individual can abuse or misuse drugs without being inevitably addicted to them. Abuse or misuse involves the use of drugs defying the culturally acceptable standards or medically prescribed doses to attain a certain effect. The substances abused may be legal, such as alcohol or prescription drugs, or illegal, like heroin and other street drugs which have no medicinal value.

    On the other hand, drug addiction, or compulsive drug use, refers to an uncontrollable desire to use a drug in spite of being aware of harmful psychological and physiological effects that they can have on the body. Addiction is often characterized by an insatiable appetite for substances by increasing the dosage, leading to a complete dependence on them.

    Since abuse and addiction are two distinct concepts, their causes are unique as well. Abuse is generally considered to be more complicated but it is not necessarily triggered by any motivational factor, unlike addiction which is caused by a powerful motivational force. Therefore, in most of the cases, abuse may not always result in addiction, but addiction can certainly lead to abuse.

    Impact of drug abuse and addiction on the brain

    It has been observed that both drug abuse and drug addiction have similar effects on mind and body. People often view abuse and addiction as a moral weakness or character flaw. One of the common myths surrounding drug use is that quitting it is directly linked to behavioral changes. In reality, addiction is a disease which alters the brain functions, hijacking the natural motivational control circuits. Thus, quitting is simply not a matter of choice or willpower. Though, the decision to use the drug initially might be voluntary, changes in the brain structure due to repeated drug use can inhibit someone’s self-control and decision-making ability, causing intense cravings.

    Experts attribute the inability to refrain from drug use to these changes in the brain. However, modern medical advancements have led to the development of an array of treatment and rehabilitation options to combat the disastrous effects of addiction and help abusers take control of their lives. Studies have shown that a combination of medications and behavioral therapy can boost the recovery process with minimal withdrawal effects.

    Possible reasons leading to drug abuse and addiction

    For those who are dependent on illegal substances, it can be difficult to know whether they have crossed the limit. Here are some possible reasons that can trigger drug abuse or addiction:

    • Connecting socially: A strong desire driven by an urge to fit into a certain group could lead people toward drugs.
    • Dealing with problems in life: Continuous drug use can get individuals accustomed to it, and soon it might become the only way to escape from problems and challenges.
    • Using drugs to combat other issues: Serious concerns, such as panic attacks or chronic pain, can cause dependence on drugs, until people discover healthier alternative methods to counter such problems.
    • Strong influence of any drug: Frequent use of drugs triggers dependence on them. Thus, what started as a voluntary choice may slowly transform into a physical and psychological need.

    Leading a drug-free life

    Many families and individuals have suffered great losses due to addiction to drugs. Fortunately, there is hope, though the battle to eliminate addiction and regain sobriety is challenging. There are numerous treatment strategies that can go a long way in helping people come out of their addiction-related problems.

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    Source by Barbara Odozi

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  • Numerology’s Secret Strength – Your Habit Challenge

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    Where do you turn in times of crisis? How do you find the inner strength to face problems which are beyond your normal strength? Numerology can tell you where your hidden strength lies, ready to come forth in the face of problems beyond your normal resources. This hidden strength is known as your Habit Challenge. This ability is also known as the Submerged Characteristic or Habit number. Normally it lays dormant, hidden in everyday life until you truly need it; Then it blossoms becoming a useful tool to be called on.

    Finding your Habit Challenge

    This is one of the simplest calculations in Numerology. You simple count the number of letters in your use name and then reduce the value with fadic addition. Your use name is what your friends call you, or how you introduce yourself. Note that since this can change through out your lifetime, your Habit Challenge will change as well. As an example, actress Angelina Jolie has a Habit Challenge value of (4) as shown below.

    Angelina Jolie (Habit Challenge) = (8 + 5) = (13) = (4)

    Habit Challenge (1) – Originality

    People with this value respond to crisis by turning to their originality. They are best served by looking to themselves to find the answers they need, usually to the complete surprise of those around them.

    Habit Challenge (2) – Collaborator

    People with this value respond to crisis by teaming up with others. They are best served by being a good follower and trusting their partners to direct them in reaching their goal. If a need for diplomacy occurs, they are truly in their element and will bring good results.

    Habit Challenge (3) – Creativity

    People with this value respond to crisis by turning to their imagination. If there is an artistic solution to their problems, then they will solve them. These souls will also find an ability to put aside their fears and not take their problems seriously, letting them work with little pressure.

    Habit Challenge (4) – Analysis

    People with this value respond to crisis by turning to pure logic and their analytical skills. They will be able to turn off their emotions and work towards a practical and orthodox solution to their problems. They will never break down or lose their head until the crisis has passed.

    Habit Challenge (5) – Flexible

    People with this value respond to crisis by being flexible. They will accept change and take risk as necessary to reach their goals. If there is a New or unusual solution to the crisis, they will find it. These people will exhibit great versatility and quick thinking throughout the crisis.

    Habit Challenge (6) – Responsible

    People with this value respond to crisis by showing sympathy for others and taking on responsibility for the problem they face. These souls will work to shield their friends and family from the affects of the crisis and offer to sacrifice themselves to resolve the problem.

    Habit Challenge (7) – Meditation

    People with this value respond to crisis by using meditation or other techniques to seek knowledge from within themselves to resolve their problems. These souls will reject advice which they have not asked for, and instead look to their intuition for ways to solve their problems. They will always act with perfect timing while the crisis last.

    Habit Challenge (8) – Ruthless

    People with this value respond to crisis by being ruthless and efficient in their actions toward solving their problems. These souls are willing to set ambitious goals and work tirelessly until they are met. They will exhibit determination and infinite patience until the crisis has passed.

    Habit Challenge (9) – Idealist

    People with this value respond to crisis by being an idealist. They will be broad minded in their dealings with others, and generous with their time and resources while the crisis last. These souls will react dramatically with great flare towards those who oppose them until their problems are resolved.

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    Source by Keith Abbott

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  • Why God Is Your Doctor

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    You have to believe that God will help you become a better person and that your life will be more meaningful. If you don’t have faith you don’t have the courage to do what is necessary in order to eliminate your evil self.

    So, you cannot triumph over all challenges. You accept the evil suggestions of your satanic anti-conscience. You don’t believe that your sense of morality has a meaning.

    God is alive and sends you enlightening messages in dreams. Now your faith in God is not based only on your religiosity. You have proof that God exists and you can have a direct communication with Him through dream messages.

    Therefore, you must trust God’s wisdom and always respect His commandments.

    You have to believe that God will help you in the situation you are. Your faith will help you be with God. You will feel that you are not alone.

    However, in order to be with God you have to respect His rules in all situations of life, even when you feel that you are in a terrible position. Sometimes you have to accept suffering in order to become a better person. If you never accept suffering you have the behavior of a cruel demon. So, you make many people suffer. You have to accept suffering when it is necessary.

    You want to protect your selfish and proud ego, but this is not what you must do in order to find sound mental health. You have to be a balanced person.

    If you are indifferent to what is bad because you are selfish and lazy, your satanic anti-conscience will take advantage of your irresponsible attitude and generate a mental disorder within your conscience.

    You want to agree with the philosophy of life of the commercial and immoral world. You don’t want to change your personality even after verifying that you make many mistakes.

    However, you have to follow your doctor’s guidance in order to be cured.

    The intelligent and helpful messages contained in your dreams prove that God is your doctor and that you have many negative tendencies. You have to change your personality and become a better person until you will attain sanctity. This is how all your mental health problems will be completely eliminated forever.

    You will attain higher consciousness and become a true genius, but you cannot arrive to this point without having a map. You have to obey your doctor to achieve this goal, even though you tend to be disobedient because you have an evil nature.

    You have to be an obedient student and patient and precisely follow God’s instructions, independently of your personal opinion. God’s wisdom is safe. Your opinion is dangerous because it is based on ignorance and suppositions.

    This is why God sends you many warnings in dreams. You have to follow His plan and accept to change your personality. Your evil self must be completely eliminated.

    You have the impression that your evil self is necessary, but this is a misleading impression imposed by your satanic anti-conscience. You don’t need to be evil in any situation. Evilness is craziness.

    You must be wise and sensitive in all situations of life. You must respect God’s commandments and truly desire to attain sanctity.

    Science helped humanity discover the importance of dreams and religion, the existence of God, and the existence of Satan. Now you have scientific explanations that help you understand the meaning of every religion.

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    Source by Christina Sponias

    Views: 0

  • Herpes Genitalis Cure

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    You’ll be glad to hear that, despite the so-called medical ‘facts’ you’ve probably heard or read, which say there is no cure for Herpes Genitalis, there is another more positive view.

    There is evidence that it is possible not just to find effective natural treatment for viral infections such as Herpes & even AIDS, but even to experience a complete cure.

    So far medical research has found no way to eradicate Herpes.

    So if you’ve tested positive for the virus you’ve probably been told there are now drugs to treat the symptoms and shorten the length of the acute attack – but that you can never get rid of the Herpes virus altogether.

    That would mean that even when you are over the first attack and you are no longer showing any symptoms the virus is still in your system and later you will probably have a flare up intermittently and need another course of treatment.

    However – it seems there are other much better possibilities than those offered medically.

    I certainly believe there are more effective ways to deal with the virus than you will be offered medically.

    The first time I saw someone successfully use a natural health method to prevent any recurrence of Herpes Genitalis was in someone who took large amounts of Tahitian Noni Juice for natural healing and then continued to take it on a regular basis over many years – and never had a recurrence of the virus after the first proven infection.

    Though she was convinced the Noni juice had saved her from further problems it is of course impossible to say whether the result was due to the Noni juice or to some other factor – such as her absolute belief in this natural treatment, for example, or perhaps some other factor in her diet or in her life – including perhaps her own healing powers that she was not at that time aware of.

    In fact it is always impossible to be certain in human beings what is the cause of a cure when it does occur – whether the person used medical or natural treatment – because there are always so many other factors that could have been involved. Even when someone takes a drug and gets better for example we cannot be certain it was the drug that produced the healing – for the same reasons.

    However – the point is – this girl was cured – by something – which shows that healing is possible.

    Over the years I have studied and used various forms of natural healing – from diets and supplements – to energy healing, laughter therapy and mind training – in an attempt to help patients who were not getting results with medical treatment or who wanted to avoid the side-effects of various medications. And although not everyone was cured there have been many cases where the healing results have been far beyond medical possibility and medical explanation.

    While still running my own medical practice for example I saw some amazing results with natural treatments. One lady was cured completely of pancreatic cancer. Another – who had been suffering severe infected psoriasis all over her body for many years – despite all medical treatments – was completely clear within a month of starting a natural treatment.

    And early in 2011 I modified my own already successful natural healing techniques after learning about university laboratory studies in which a 100% cancer cure was produced in mice – using only natural healing.

    You can learn about home remedies, experience free natural healing for Herpes Genitalis or learn how to do natural healing for yourself at Jersey Natural Health.com.

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    Source by Dr Anne Curtis

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  • The Cash Register and Their Uses

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    We have all at least seen a cash register if not used one.  Cash registers are an integral part of retail businesses and most cannot operate without one.  Invented by James Ritty after the Civil War out of necessity for the running of his saloon.  His main goal was to stop employees from skimming money and he got the idea after seeing a tool that counted the revolutions of propellers for steamships.  Patented in 1883, the cash register soon took on a life of its own and after being sold a few times, finally settled into what it is today.

    Today the cash register does not require you to break a nail while pushing down huge buttons that were known for sticking down and causing all sorts of problems.  There are no longer number tabs that pop up to show you the amount being rung up, but rather most registers are computerized.  Computer cash registers are available in many forms today and may consist of just a simple program that you run on your desktop computer that uses an interface just like a regular cash register to entire pos systems that come complete with bar code scanners, a till drawer and receipt printer.  Pos cash registers are what most of us are familiar with today as all the large retailers use them.

    Computer cash registers or pos cash registers are highly advanced and will do everything from ringing up the customer’s purchases to doing your taxes.  Many of the systems will come with a program that keeps track of your inventory which will save you time and money by streamlining the process and not having to do physical inventory.  Don’t forget the options like bar code scanners and laser receipt printers that will help keep your business running smoothly.

    Touch screen cash registers are the first choice among restaurants and grocery stores.  These registers will display menu choices and options that will make ordering quicker by just pressing the screen.  Restaurant cash registers are designed so that the kitchen will receive the order when the wait staff enters it into the computer so they can begin preparing immediately.  This makes for a much more efficient restaurant.  Many of these pos systems also come with age verification software which is handy for those in the bar business.  These registers also allow for unique user id’s that keep track of each person who uses the register, their orders and their sales.  Most are able to download your business for that day or week into tax programs such as Quick-books.

    The importance of cash register tape might seem little, but this is an important addition to any system and should be allowed some consideration before purchase.  Today, most register systems and credit card machines use thermal paper for receipts.  This paper requires special thermal printers that burn the image into the paper.  Laser printers are also used and they have their own special type of receipt paper as well.  These types of printers do not require ink, which is one less expense because in the long run ink will cost you a fortune, but they are much pricier up front than your regular paper receipt printers.

    Below is a list of registers and prices that you can expect to pay:

    • 8 Department Standard Electronic Cash Register (recommended for small businesses) starting at around $100 – These registers are very basic, but for the small retailer they are perfect – They use standard paper for their receipt printing
    • 40 to 99 Department Standard Electronic Cash Register (recommended for small to midsized businesses) from $200-$350 – Same considerations as register above
    • Touch Screen Cash Register (varies depending on size and bundles/options, recommended for restaurants and bars) $500-$2500 – These registers will almost always be used with thermal or laser receipt printers
    • POS Systems (varies depending on size and options) $1500-$3200 – Used almost always with laser or thermal printers.

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    Source by Gerald Hill

    Views: 0