Many people has the notion that enlightenment is one state. Many also believe that when it is attained, a person is forever in that state.

The following is not a definitive article on this subject. It is just an expression of my own thoughts.

My opinion is that enlightenment is not just one state but is a progressive and gradual establishing of states of consciousness.

I, myself have not reach the end of the road. But from years on a spiritual quest, I can safely say that enlightenment happens in a series or stages of self-realisations and self-discoveries.

Usually there is a difference between an initial awakening and a later stabilisation of that stage that happens through practice or experiences. The initial awakenings are new discoveries about the dynamics of consciousness, while the stabilisation is the assimilation of what is being discovered into one’s life experience. Sometimes, a new discovery can completely over-rule or modify upon an older one.

Almost all stages of enlightenment can be said to be associated with Presence. However, the enlightening Presence comes in various degrees of intensity and clarity. The degree of intensity is directly dependent on the level and depth of one’s clarity as well as one’s realisations/discoveries.

Also, as one progresses along, the relationship or connections of oneself to the universe and existence at large also becomes clearer.

Below very briefly illustrates the progressive and stage-based nature of enlightenment:

When one first begin meditating, one may first experience the all-pervading Presence. This Presence, is most often experienced when thoughts are momentarily suspended. This Presence which exists in the Eternal Present Moment is our true self.

However such an experience can only be classified as an awakening to the true self.. which is no-self. This is because, after the meditation, the Presence seems to have disappeared. One cannot understand and find the connection of presence to our everyday life. Therefore one will have difficulty re-acquiring the Presence. And it takes many stages and series cu giả of realisation to understand the relationship of Presence to our phenomenal world. It can be said that the prolonged sustaining of Presence is dependent on the stages and depth of realisation.

Also, during the earlier stages we may mistaken another state to be the pure presence. For example, we may mistaken ‘I AM’ for pure presence. This is because the thinking mind has created a reflective image of Pure Presence. This reflection of the absolute is ‘I AM’.

Usually, in order to pass through the ‘I AM’ stage, the person must move unto even deeper understandings. These understandings may include realising that one’s personality is not the doer of action. This stage may persist for a while before the person realises the illusion of subject-object division. This stage involves recognising the hypnotic impression of there being an observer and the being observed. Here is where one begins to see through the illusionary nature of our phenomenal world.

I cannot comment on the stages before me as they are beyond me. Nevertheless, one can still see from the above description that enlightenment is not so straight-forward after all.

If you are ill or injured, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for a list of local physicians and medical facilities. If you request, consular officers will help you contact family or friends. If necessary, a consul can assist in the transfer of funds from family or friends in the United States. Payment of hospital and other medical expenses is your responsibility.

Should you find yourself in legal difficulty, contact a consular officer immediately. Consular officers cannot serve as attorneys, give legal advice, or get you out of jail. If you are arrested, consular officials will visit you, advise you of your rights under local laws, provide a list of local attorneys who speak English and who may have had experience in representing U.S. citizens, and ensure that you are held under humane conditions and are treated fairly under local law.

A consular officer will contact your family or friends if you desire. When necessary, consuls can transfer money from home for you and will try to get relief for you, including food and clothing in countries where this is a problem. If you are detained, remember that under international treaties and customary international law, you have the right to talk to the U.S. consul. If you are denied this right, be politely persistent. Try to have someone get in touch for you.

Resources for U.S. Citizen Crime Victims

When a U.S. citizen becomes the victim of a crime overseas he or she may suffer physical, emotional, or financial injuries. The emotional impact of the crime may be intensified if the victim is in unfamiliar surroundings, far away from sources of comfort and support, and not fluent in the local language or knowledgeable about local laws and customs. Consuls and consular agents can provide assistance to U.S. citizen crime victims

If you become the victim of a crime overseas, contact the nearest U.S. embassy, consulate, or consular agency for assistance. Also contact local police to report the incident and obtain immediate help with safety concerns.

While consular officials cannot investigate a crime, provide legal advice, represent you in court, serve as official interpreters or translators, or pay legal, medical, or other fees for U.S. citizens, they can assist crime victims in many other ways. Consular personnel overseas are familiar with local government agencies and resources in the countries in which they are located, and they can help you:

* replace a stolen passport

* contact family, friends, or employers

* obtain appropriate medical care

* address emergency needs that arise as a result of the crime

* obtain general information about the local criminal justice process and information about your case

* obtain information about local resources to assist victims, including foreign crime victim compensation programs

* obtain information about crime victim assistance and compensation programs in the U.S.

* obtain a list of local attorneys who speak English

Victim Assistance: If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, you may benefit from specialized duong vat gia resources for crime victims available in the United States. Throughout the United States, thousands of local crime victim assistance programs offer help to victims of violent crime and most will help residents of their community who have been the victim of a crime in another country.

These include rape crisis counseling programs, shelter and counseling programs for battered women, support groups and bereavement counseling for family members of homicide victims, diagnostic and treatment programs for child abuse victims, assistance for victims of drunken driving crashes, and others. Information about locating crime victim assistance programs is below.

Victim Compensation: All states operate crime victim compensation programs and nearly half of them offer benefits to their residents who are victims of violent crime overseas. (See contact information for state compensation programs below.)

These state compensation programs provide financial assistance to eligible victims for reimbursement of expenses such as medical treatment, counseling, funeral costs, lost income or loss of support, and others. Generally victim compensation programs require the victim to report the crime to law enforcement and they usually request a copy of the police report.

Contact Information for Victim Compensation and Assistance Programs:

Information about each states crime victim compensation program and how to apply for compensation is available on the Internet at the web site of the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards.

The toll-free 24 hours a day/7 days a week hotline for sexual assault crisis counseling and referrals in the United States is 1-800-656-HOPE. It is operated by a non-profit organization, RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network).

Information about local sexual assault victim assistance programs in the U.S. is also available from each states sexual assault coalition. Contact information for these state coalitions are listed on the web site of the U.S. Department of Justice Violence Against Women Office.

The toll-free 24 hours a day /7 days a week National Domestic Violence Hotline that provides crisis counseling and referrals in the U.S. is 1-800-799-SAFE.

Information about local domestic violence victim assistance programs in the U.S. is also available from each states domestic violence coalition. Contact information for these state coalitions is listed at the web site of the U.S. Department of Justice Violence Against Women Office.

The toll-free 24 hours a day/7 days a week crisis counseling and referral line for families and friends of those who have died by violence is 1-888-818-POMC. It is operated by a non-profit organization, POMC, Inc. (The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children).

Information about national and local resources for victims and family members of victims of drunken driving crashes is available at the web site of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Contact information for non-emergency victim assistance services in communities throughout the U.S. is available at the web site of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime.

Information for crime victims on the impact of crime, safety planning, legal rights and civil legal remedies, and options for assistance and referrals to local programs is also available from the National Crime Victim Center (NCVC). Call toll free (8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST) 1-800-FYI-CALL or call TTY for hearing impaired (8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST) 1-800-211-7996.

Among all the comedies available today, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour ranks number one in the “must see” category. Few comedians can find an audience among a broad range of demographic groups, and with varying tastes among individuals, it’s quite difficult to find universally entertaining people. But Blue Collar Comedy Tour showcases four stand-up comics of such ability. The stand-up routines are filmed in Phoenix with intermittent features on the exploits of each of the men as they travel the country on their popular comedy tour. Opening up with all four men fishing in a lake, amazingly even the conversations between these men are hilarious and entertaining. What then could we expect when they take the stage? Only the best of modern redneck, working man comedy

One of the rising stars of stand-up, Ron White brandishes his liquor and tobacco drenched persona along with a loveable sarcasm to produce one of the better comic routines of the decade. White chronicles his 9-minute plane ride to Phoenix which almost ended in tragedy when the plane was forced to turn around in mid-flight due to equipment trouble. But the event didn’t phase the alcohol-induced outlook of White who advises the passenger next to him (a man who has something to live for, unlike White) that if one engine goes out, the other will take them right to the scene of the crash. And to top it off, they’ll beat the paramedics by thirty minutes

White’s act is well followed by Larry The Cable Guy, a redneck’s redneck who lives by the catchphrase “Get ‘r done!” Speaking in a redneck dialect that borders on another language, Larry The Cable Guy is a barrel of laughs for any American who loves apple pie. Providing unique insight into the world at large, his audience is presented with the great conundrum of the dog dish water purifier (among other things). Why should he buy a water purifier for an animal that eats its own crap? If you’re unfamiliar with this guy’s routine, you need to pick up a copy of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD just for him alone (or for that matter – any of these comics merit a full-length DVD by themselves).

Beginning the second half of the movie is Bill Engvall, a comic who takes a more well-spoken, family man approach to his routine. I first saw Bill on The Tonight Show when I was ten years old. He delivered the best stand-up routine I’ve ever seen, and I still remember much of it word-for-word to this day Central to the routine chim giả was his trademark tagline “Here’s your sign” (referring to a “stupid sign” handed out to people who make dumb remarks). Just like his colleague Jeff Foxworthy, Engvall has managed to keep that tagline not only going, but while inventing a hilarious treasure trove of new material. This guy is just plain funny

Rounding out the final one-man routine is Jeff Foxworthy, perhaps the most famous of the crowd due to his widely promoted “you might be a redneck if” jokes. Foxworthy starts off with a standard routine that’s really funny (this part of his career has been widely overlooked), but then he naturally moves into the part of the routine that people love to hear – the redneck jokes. My favorite of the whole Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD is his line “If a beaver bites off your nipple, you might be a redneck”. Based on a true story, you simply have to watch Blue Collar Comedy Tour in order to understand just how hilarious that one is

But the funniest part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD is when all the comics are finished with their individual routines and they gather together on stage to tell personal stories to the audience. Each story keeps the belly laughs rolling, and each comic has his moments, but Ron White steals this part of the show with his “tater salad” story. Recounting the story of his recent drunk in public arrest (he was actually drunk in the bar – they threw him into public), White tells the tale of his rise from a small town in Texas to a life replete with criminal aliases such “tater salad” and his fathering of a child named “tater tot”. You just have to it to really enjoy it!

With a host of talented funnymen, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour DVD is grade-A entertainment. Certain to be an enduring classic for years to come, this is one comedy film you don’t want to miss

What do you do when an employee disagrees with something youve written on their performance review? How can you prepare for this and deal with it effectively?

Start by listening to figure out the source of the disagreement. Is it an issue of fact (you wrote that the employee received a customer satisfaction score of 79 but the employee says that his score was actually 83), or is a matter of judgment (you wrote that the employees customer service skills were unsatisfactory; she feels that her skills are terrific)? If the disagreement involves an issue of fact, get the facts and make any corrections necessary. If its a matter of judgment, ask the employee for additional evidence. Then determine whether that evidence is weighty enough to cause you to change your mind, revise your judgment, and amend the rating that you assigned on the employees performance review.

Most of the time, you have a reasonably good understanding of the areas where disagreements are likely to pop up in the course of the performance review discussion. Before beginning the discussion, re-read the review you wrote and try to spot the areas where you and the individual may not seem eye-to-eye. Then ask yourself, What am I going to say when George disagrees with my assessment that his performance on the Thompson project just barely met expectations? If youve taken to time to review the appraisal youve written for potential hot spots, and given some thought to how youll respond, youre much less likely to be caught off guard.

During the employee performance review discussion, start with your higher ratings and move toward the lower ones. Be prepared to give additional examples besides the ones youve included on the formal written appraisal. Refer back to the informal conversations you have had with the individual over the course of the year.

Of course, if you havent had on-going, informal performance review discussions with the individual over the course of the appraisal period, then its much more likely that disagreements will surface during the review. Thats one more reason for scheduling periodic, Hows it going? discussions with each person on your team.

As soon as a disagreement pops up, switch into active listening mode. Active listening involves allowing the other person to clarify both the facts and feelings about an issue so theres nothing left under the surface. For example, using phrases as simple as, Tell me more . . . or, What else can you share with me about that . . . ? or, Really . . . ? can encourage people to talk more about their perceptions. Simply nodding without saying anything encourages people to expand on what they have said. Its not at all unlikely that the employee, allowed a sufficient chance to think aloud about what you have written, will end up saying, Yeah, I guess I see what you mean.

In dealing effectively with employee performance review disagreements, remember what your objective in the discussion is and what it isnt. Your objective in a performance review discussion is not to gain agreement. It is to gain understanding. If the employee agrees with you, thats great. But particularly if your appraisal is a tough-minded assessment of the fact the Charlies contribution toward achieving your departments objectives was only mediocre, youll probably never get him to agree. Thats OK. What you want is for him to understand why you evaluated his performance the way you did, even if his personal opinion is different.

Finally, if you have several employee performance reviews to deliver, dont start with the individual whose performance was the worst and where disagreements are the most likely to arise. Start with the easiest your best performer and move toward the more difficult. In this dương vật giả way, youll build your skills and become more comfortable with the performance review process. Remember the advice that John Dillinger, the 1930s public-enemy #1, once provided: Before you rob your first bank, knock off a couple of gas stations.

The GPS (Global Positioning System) has been fully functional for nearly two decades. GPS consists of 27 satellites positioned in a medium earth orbit. A satellite is considered to be in medium earth orbit when it is 35,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, roughly 22,000 miles. The first experimental satellite was launched in 1972. It was not until 1995, 23 years after the launch of the first experimental satellite, that GPS bore fruit as a fully function satellite tracking system. Even then the system was restricted to military and airline industry use.

Once GPS was fully functional both the military and civilian implications were quickly recognized. In 1996, then President, Bill Clinton, opened the system to civilian uses as well as military uses. Due to limitations early civilian GPS was not very reliable and so its wide spread use had been severely limited. In 1998 and again in 2004 extra civilian signals were added to GPS. The net affect of the added civilian signals was that the quality and accuracy of the data were raised to a level that civilian GPS has now become a marketable product and service. Since 2004 GPS as a market technology has realized duong vat gia sinhly16 a boom in demand with no end in potential growth in site.

How GPS Technology Works

The 27 satellites that are collectively known as the Global Positioning System have flight patterns that make four satellites available to a GPS receiver at any time any where in the world. A GPS receiver must be able to contact and communicate with a minimum of 4 satellites to be able to calculate minimally qualified location data. The larger the number of satellites a GPS receiver can contact the better it will be able to calculate a location.

In order to triangulate a geographic position a GPS receiver calculates the time that it takes for the signal of the GPS satellite to reach the GPS receiver. From this data the GPS unit is able to calculate the distance to each satellite. The time distance information is then used by the mapping software on the GPS receiver unit to determine an exact location on earth.

Satellite signal degradation from both natural and man made obstructions can affect how accurate a GPS unit is. This is why GPS units will try to contact as many GPS satellites as possible. The more satellites the GPS unit is able to contact the more accurate the location.

Uses Of GPS

The purpose of GPS technology has not changed much over the last 30 years. Its primary purpose is still to as precisely as possible pinpoint a location anywhere on Earth. How GPS technology is used has not truly changed either. It is used for two primary functions tracking and navigation.

Growth in GPS technology has not come because of changes in use but because of an increase in signal quality, decrease in component costs of a GPS unit, increase in the quality and sophistication of mapping software, the bundling of GPS units with other services, and more sophisticated marketing to a broader segment of the population.

Today GPS units large and small can be found in airplanes, cars, attached to motorcycles, in cell phones, PDAs and hidden in freight to protect from theft.The shrinking of GPS unit component sizes has enabled the use of GPS to be limited only by your imagination.

There’s a little misinformation about home organization and getting organized I need to clear up.

These are the myths of home organization…

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Myth #1: You have to be born organized to live organized, right?

Wrong! Some people mistakenly believe if you don’t have organization in your blood, it’s going to be nearly impossible to make the changes to how you live and enjoy the simplicity of being

organized.

For instance, my wife Megan definitely does not have organization in her blood. But she is a completely different person thuốc kéo dài thá» i gian quan hệ today than she was the day we got married. She’s come over to my side and has proven to herself that being organized beats the heck out of living

with the nasty side-effects of clutter.

Myth #2: You have to spend a lot of money to have the right kind of storage.

That’s definitely not the case.

First off, there are so many discount stores fighting for your business some of the latest organizing systems are being practically given away and certainly will get the job done.

Secondly, storage doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact I use more items from discount craft stores and yard sales for storage than I do from the big name stores.

Myth #3: It takes a lot of energy and motivation to get your home organized.

This is absolutely false.

It’s really only a matter of changing the way you do things and thinking differently about the excess of material things people today own.

And you certainly don’t have to take it all on at once. There are some simple rules you can start to live by that will make disorganization a thing of the past.

Even if you are not the cause of the clutter and it’s a spouse or kids living with you, you can all learn what it takes and just make a few simple changes to live a better life…being organized.

Whether you’re spending time at the office or are constantly on the move, there are some ways to make life duong vat gia easier while on-the-go. Try these tips:

-> Stay organized. Use a calendar to write down all your engagements, addresses and phone numbers. Keeping all the information in one place can keep you from wasting time looking for it later.

-> Find your time wasters. Keep track of the ways you waste time for one week. Do you spend 10 minutes finding your keys? If so, make a key hook by your door-and use it.

-> Make the most of your trips. Knock a few items off your list on the way to work or at lunch, freeing up some night and weekend time.

-> Finish what you start. When you work on a project from start to finish, it’s one less item on the to-do list.

-> Readjust priorities. Since you can’t really do it all, re-evaluate which activities really need your time and focus.

-> Look for grab and go snacks to give you a lift. Kraft To Go! snacks, which come in two cheese and cracker varieties, are a great source of calcium. They fit in your purse, briefcase or bag, and are great for women on-the-go who are looking for a wholesome, grab-and-go snack.

A Basic Guide to the Tanzanite Gemstone

The tanzanite gemstone was discovered in Tanzania by the Masaai people in 1967. Shortly thereafter, tanzanite was brought to the Western world by Tiffany and Co., who gave the stone trứng rung sinhly16 its name and introduced it to the public.

Tanzanite is popular for its dazzling color. A rare stone with the ability to appear several colors at once, tanzanite is mainly purple with shades of blue, flashes of red, and even tinges of green. The darker the tanzanite gemstone, the more valuable it will be. Lighter, more translucent stones can still be beautiful, but they are less valuable.

Tanzanite gemstone jewelry is very popular, and can be found in a wide range of options to suit all needs and tastes. Pendants, bracelets, rings and earrings can all be crafted from tanzanite. Tanzanite can be cut into a variety of shapes, the most popular being cushion, oval, round and emerald-cut.

Considered a birthstone for December since 2002, tanzanite gemstone jewelry makes a great gift for anyone born in that month.

Care should be taken when wearing tanzanite jewelry because it is not the most durable. Tanzanite ranks a 6.5 on the Moh’s scale of gemstone hardness and is more easily damaged than stones like aquamarine, sapphire, and diamond.

When cleaning your tanzanite gemstone take special care to be gentle and never use harsh jewelry cleaners. Also, using ultrasonic jewelry cleaners can ruin tanzanite. Tanzanite should not be exposed to water if at all possible. Also, leaving your tanzanite out in the sun can cause the color to fade. You can wipe your tanzanite clean with a dry cloth, or better yet, take your tanzanite gemstone to a professional jeweler who is knowledgeable in cleaning gemstones.

A beautiful tanzanite necklace can also make a fantastic gift for anyone born in the month of December, as it was added to the list of December’s official gemstones in 2002.

If you are fond of vintage items, you dont have to depend entirely on your ancestors to acquire a few of these heirlooms. Heirloom-quality jewelry from the Victorian, Edwardian, art deco and other periods is now readily available. When you wish to gift a rare piece of jewelry to your beloved, choose a unique vintage item that she will preserve for the rest of her life. Antique jewelry, a term applied to jewelry over a hundred years old, is now a favorite with the prospective brides, too. With everything that is old now coming back into fashion, most brides walking down the aisle are adorning vintage jewelry with pride.

Among the jewelry pieces that you can pick up are antique engagement rings, studded necklaces, bracelets, brooches, crosses, pendants, lockets and other extraordinary pieces of timeless art and beauty.

These antique jewelry pieces come to you through antique jewelry auctions, fairs and sales that are frequented by the jewelers to bring you pieces of extraordinary charm and elegance. Some of the jewelers also specify the age of the antique jewelry on display. For instance, some may claim to keep pieces from 1900 to 1950 (Edwardian, art deco and retro jewelry), and some may have heirloom pieces that are at least two centuries old (late Georgian or Victorian jewelry)!

Shopping for antique jewelry has an added advantage. It acquaints you to the history and culture of the era to which it belongs. You would be interested to know how the fashion of wearing delicate dresses in the Georgian era favored the use of small, light jewelry. Pendants with miniature paintings of loved ones were also prevalent in the late-Georgian era. In a similar way, jewelry belonging to duong vat gia each era is a reflection of the changing fashions. So, with every piece of antique jewelry, you also buy memories of a long lost era.

If you are fond of vintage items, you dont have to depend entirely on your ancestors to acquire a few of these heirlooms. Heirloom-quality jewelry from the Victorian, Edwardian, art deco and other periods is now readily available. When you wish to gift a rare piece of jewelry to your beloved, choose a unique vintage item that she will preserve for the rest of her life. Antique jewelry, a term applied to jewelry over a hundred years old, is now a favorite with the prospective brides, too. With everything that is old now coming back into fashion, most brides walking down the aisle are adorning vintage jewelry with pride.

Among the jewelry pieces that you can pick up are antique engagement rings, studded necklaces, bracelets, brooches, crosses, pendants, lockets and other extraordinary pieces of timeless art and beauty.

These antique jewelry pieces come to you through antique jewelry auctions, fairs and sales that are frequented by the jewelers to bring you pieces of extraordinary charm and elegance. Some of the jewelers also specify the age of the antique jewelry on display. For instance, some may claim to keep pieces from 1900 to 1950 (Edwardian, art deco and retro jewelry), and some may have heirloom pieces that are at duong vat gia least two centuries old (late Georgian or Victorian jewelry)!

Shopping for antique jewelry has an added advantage. It acquaints you to the history and culture of the era to which it belongs. You would be interested to know how the fashion of wearing delicate dresses in the Georgian era favored the use of small, light jewelry. Pendants with miniature paintings of loved ones were also prevalent in the late-Georgian era. In a similar way, jewelry belonging to each era is a reflection of the changing fashions. So, with every piece of antique jewelry, you also buy memories of a long lost era.