10 ways music can help you during the holidays

This might be a time of year where you’re looking for, oh, some different ways to soothe, level, motivate, energize yourself and otherwise get on top of your cascading emotions. The EQ Foundation Course© emphasizes the great arts as an adjunct to Emotional Intelligence, though the not-so-great are helpful too. May we suggest?

1. Need to get solidly centered

Like, as the metaphysicians say, when you vision yourself growing a tail and having it grow like an anchor down to the center of the earth kind of centered?

Try anything with a big solid bass, up loud, but make sure the lyrics don’t interfere. The right-brain will dominate and you’ll hear the music first, but your left-brain will still be getting the lyrics. Therefore avoid, for instance, "Oh Elizabeth" with it's solid beat but sad lyrics.

OUR SUGGESTION: “I Loved ‘Em Everyone,” by T. G. Sheppard

2. Need to deal with something heavy, such as last year your father died on Christmas Eve and here comes the first anniversary

OUR SUGGESTION: Only classical music will work for this and that’s why we call it classical. For such a deep need, to maintain your grip when something’s rocked the foundation of your world, we recommend, Beethoven’s “Eroica”.

"Eroica" means "heroic" and that you will need to be. Beethoven lived through the worst thing that can happen to a person. It’s there, in his music. For you.

3. To get lightly level

OUR SUGGESTION: Nothing will probably ever compare to Pachelbel’s "Canon". After that we give 5 stars to George Winston, particularly “December.” Good masseuses play these tapes. There are no ups and downs and that may be just what you're aiming at. :)

4. To rip the heart out of Christmas, like when you want to just sit down in front of the tree and cry at the beauty and the splendor of it all and get it over with and then eat a pint of Haagen Daz and go to sleep.

OUR SUGGESTION: Pavorotti's Christmas video ( youtube. com), Panis Angelicus duet with the little boy, especially if you had a little boy who now has whiskers on his cheeks. Or Placido Domingo with the Vienna Boys Choir. Then you can pull out your heart and put it on the table beside you, right there beside the dish of peppermints, and the cinnamon-scented candle, and you'll know you had Christmas.

5. Want something Christmassy but light

OUR SUGGESTION: Harp music is good for this, like for baking cookies to. It doesn’t pull the emotions. It’s close to the lyre, the instrument the Greek god Orpheus played to soothe the savage beasts, and to win a favor from Hades, the god to whom there is no altar (death), the god with whom there is no bargaining.

Completely upbeat, light and fun is "A Reggae Christmas," by Various Artists, and yes, my friend, "sensei" does rhyme with "pear tree." Listen to it on the way in to work. That's girl's laughter will carry you through your day. Go here ( tinyurl. com/y6sp ) to hear samples. Listen to it on the way in to work. That's girl's laughter will carry you through your day. (The Ras Family, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas") And June Lodge's "Joy to the World" will bring joy to YOUR world.

6. Need to get some work done, sick of Christmas, got the kids around, underfoot and bored?

GP RECOMMENDATION: (1) "Great Balls of Fire," Jerry Lee Lewis. How could you possibly be “mindful” with that going on? It’s great fun. It will clear the air. (2) "Don't Worry Be Happy," by Marley.

NC-17 RATED VERSION: The Pogues with Kristy MacColl, "Fairytale of New York". "It was Christmas Eve in the drunk tank ... The boys of the NYPD Choir were singing 'Gallway Bay' and the bells were ringing out on Christmas Day," and C. D.'s favorite line, a wry and melancholic Irish lad himself, God rest his soul in peace, "You scum bag, you maggot you cheap lousy ..., Happy Christmas your ass, I thank God it's our last." Ah, the Irish, they would've conquered the world were it not for .... No cards and letters, please. Sometimes ya gotta vent. That's what art is for, catharsis. (P. S. Use your EQ; don't take "it" out on your partner.)

7. The out-laws are coming, I mean the IN-laws, and you, exhausted, crabby and high on sugar as you are, must clean the house and you aren’t exactly in the MOOD for a Christmas Carol, if you know what I mean

OUR G SUGGESTION: If you haven’t cleaned house with your two preschoolers marching along behind you to a John Philip Sousa march, you haven’t lived. Give the little one a paper hat and get out his toy drum. Ok, now quit laughing and taking pictures and get back to work, you!

OUR PG SUGGESTION: Got older kids you need to get working with you? Call it "the main event," and put on the Jock Jams, "Let's Get Ready to Rumble."

OUR X RATED SUGGESTION: You and your partner put "Cotton Eyed Joe" on -- I mean the Texas version – and invent your own lyrics appropos to the, um, challenges of the moment. (This is popular at office holiday parties with adjusted lyrics as well!) And DO the Cotton Eye Joe as you push that vacuum around. Here's how ( wikihow. com/Do-the-Cotton-Eyed-Joe-Dance ).

8. Need to be inspired and also to get in touch with the spiritual side of Christmas

OUR SUGGESTION: Handel's “Messiah, Hallelujah Chorus,” of course. Just the chorus, unless you're an aficionado and can afford to tire yourself out.

Remember, if you will, that when you hear "The Hallelujah Chorus," you are to stand up. Do this. Right there at home in your living room. It will do something for you.

9. Now, or any time you’re beginning to feel just slightly resentful of all your “blessings”

OUR SUGGESTION: “Lord, What Did I Ever Do,” by the Oak Ridge Boys is great for attitude adjustment.

10. For the peace that passeth understanding

OUR SUGGESTION: Stille Naq, Noite de Paz, Noche de Paz, Sainte Nuit, Cicha Noc, Glade Jul, Stille Nacht, Po La`i E, or, as many of us know it, Silent Night, the lullaby that's been translated into every language on earth, composed by the greatest unsung duo in musical history, Mohr (lyrics) and Gruber (melody).

We also recommend "Ave Maria." Especially the Caccini, arranged by Brinums, sung by Inessa Galante, available here: dimusic. co. uk/Caccdeb2.ram . For more, see susandunn. cc/vivoperlei. htm .

Let them still your heart and bring you peace.

Understanding idiopathic medical conditions

In medical terminology, nosology is known as the branch of medicine that deals with the classification of medical conditions and diseases. Body conditions and diseases are generally classified according to symptoms, causes, as well as the organ systems involved.

One of the main problems in this branch of medicine, however, is classifying medical conditions and diseases that have hard to define causes or origins. As such, medical cases or conditions that have unidentifiable causes or nature are considered idiopathic.

What is idiopathic in medicine?

Idiopathic is generally referred to medical cases or conditions that do not have specific causes or origins. Idiopathic, which is coined from the Greek words idios, meaning one’s own and pathos as suffering, is commonly accredited to unique or self-originated types of conditions and diseases.

Most medical conditions or ailments today have fixed causes or origins. However, there are some cases when one or more causes cannot be determined or understood by medical professionals. To reiterate what is explained above, these conditions are then referred to as idiopathic.

During the early years, the number of medical cases with unknown origins is significantly large. As scientific and medical advancements continue to flourish, the number of medical conditions that are noted as idiopathic is considerably dropping. Experts are now discovering more root causes to a large percentage of ailments that have unknown nature.

Medical diseases and disorders that are considered idiopathic

1. Acute idiopathic polyneuritis

Also called as the Guillain-Barre syndrome, the acute idiopathic polyneuritis is among the many types of diseases that is reported to have one or more unknown causes. This condition is generally characterized by continuous symmetrical paralysis that commonly begins in the leg. Individuals who are diagnosed with this disorder also suffer from the subsequent loss of the reflexes.

2. Idiopathic scoliosis

Scoliosis is also a body disorder that is regarded as idiopathic. This condition is generally a lateral curvature of the human spine that is due to undefined causes. Scoliosis is defined according to the age when the condition starts to develop. Infantile idiopathic scoliosis is termed for patients who are three years old and below; juvenile idiopathic scoliosis for those who are between three and 10; and adolescent scoliosis for patients who are 10 years old and above.

3. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is known as the scarring of the human lungs. This medical condition can root to a number of ailments. However, pulmonary fibrosis may trigger without a distinguished cause at all. As such, this condition is thereby considered idiopathic by most medical experts. The common symptoms of this ailment are coughing, shortness of breath, and loss of interest in physical activities. Individuals diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis are recommended to consult lung specialists.

4. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP is a condition wherein an individual has a considerably low platelet count. This is considered idiopathic for it can occur for no apparent cause at all. Experts, however, relate most of this condition’s causes to antibodies against platelets. Known symptoms of ITP are skin discoloration and diathesis.

How to be more confident with women

Self-confidence is a major factor which can determine the success of a man towards approaching a woman. It can make or break a relationship in a snap.

Self-confidence is generally defined as one’s view of himself, his capabilities and his potentials. There are men who are plainly wrong in giving all of their efforts to deliver what women want. This is wrong in the sense that one must love oneself before he can love others.

Courting and dating are pretty much like having a job interview. A job interview aims to assess one’s abilities and confidence. An applicant can actually make up stories about his experience and his talents, that’s why the employer assesses him mostly on how he presents himself and on his confidence. This is also the main principle behind being with women.

So how does one develop confidence towards women? Here are some ways on how a guy can be better in dealing with girls:

- Take some time out for yourself

Again, it all begins with oneself. If a guy has low confidence towards women, he might want to give himself some time away from women and stop trying for a while. He may want to list down the things that he doesn’t like with himself, his insecurities in life and his fears. He may then proceed into detailed assessment of the reasons behind such negative thoughts about himself. Then, he must propose solutions for his own betterment.

The solutions should be carried out with dedication and inspiration. This move will not only make a man more confident amidst women, but amidst anyone in general. If one sees oneself with beauty, then he will become more confident.

-Don’t be afraid of women

Some men are simply afraid of women. For some reason, even the thought of approaching women scares them. Hopefully, the first step can help solve this awful problem by assessing oneself and finding solutions to one’s insecurities. However, dealing with women is on a whole different level. Women speak a language that is different from what men use. Men and women also think and act differently. All these factors can scare a man away from women.

A man must know how to deal with women, he will use this skill eventually in romantic relationships. Having casual conversations with women friends, colleagues and acquaintances will give a man the much needed map towards a woman’s mind. The ability to smoothly talk with women can come in at a later time but this can only be done if one is comfortable with talking with the ladies.

- Listen to stories

There is more than one way to develop the skill in dealing with women. Talking to women and being comfortable around them can be an approach, but a man can also learn from other men. Men usually talk about shallow things when it comes to women, but there are moments when men’s talk is taken in a whole different level. Moments of sensibility attacks men and they share their wholesome experiences in dealing with women. One must be keen in listening to these stories and must not take them for granted.

-Try to lessen sexual thoughts

A man’s confidence can diminish if he thinks too much of sex. Guilt will then follow and the whole approach is ruined. A man must re-assess his goals if he wants to be successful in getting the girl whom he likes. Thinking too much of sex is definitely a wrong way to deal with women.

-Don’t be too needy

There are other things in life that are as equally important as women. A man must not destroy his life by trying too hard to get girls. Sometimes, when people don’t expect it, the best things come. A man should not take the pressure of getting girls to extent of leaving everything behind and making girls his number one priority. Some people marry, some stay single, and this is a reality that every man must accept. There are many ways to achieve fulfillment and happiness in life. This kind of philosophy can boost one’s confidence in women and will improve women’s view towards him.

Boosting one’s confidence towards women would require a personal commitment. It is not achieved by acquiring more wealth or by getting on a diet. A re-shaping of one’s own view of himself is the key element towards achieving this goal.

The perfect wedding dress finding that special one

One of the things brides-to-be have to consider when buying a dress is the comfort level of the wedding dress. Sure it's nice to look like a princess on your wedding day, but if the dress causes you extreme discomfort; or cuts off your circulation, then it's not really worth it. The dress might even cause you to faint. Imagine what a nightmare that would be!

The wedding dress selection process usually starts months before the wedding. It's advisable for brides-to-be to look through the pages of wedding magazines, or to visit wedding shops. Just to give them an idea of the different types of styles of wedding dresses that are available.

Brides-to-be also have to consider their body types. It's important to get a wedding dress that looks good on you! You might have to try plenty of wedding dresses before you find that one dress that is perfect for you.

If you have set aside an extensive budget for your wedding dress. Then you can always go for a designer dress. The most famous name nowadays when it comes to bridal fashion is Vera Wang. She is known for her luxurious detailing, craftsmanship, and hand beading. Her clients for her wedding line include: Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Uma Thurman and Mariah Carey, just to name a few.

But if you don't have that much money to spare then you can always choose other options. There are a number of places where you can get your wedding dress that won't cost you a fortune. In addition to the more traditional bridal shops, wedding dresses are also available in: thrift shops, discount stores, online, and even eBay.

If you are buying on eBay, make sure the measurements of the wedding dress is included in the description. Also, the condition of the dress must be looked into. Check for feedback regarding that person's account, just to make sure that you are dealing with a credible dealer.

But if a traditional wedding is the theme you have in mind, then you might want to go for a vintage dress, in keeping with this theme. When buying a vintage dress, beware of discoloration, or stains on the dress. These might not come off so easily. Investigate the fabric of the dress, stretch it out to check for weakening, or tearing of the cloth.

Try to buy a vintage dress that is made before the 1900's. Fabrics have a tendency to deteriorate, and weaken over time. Extraordinarily old vintage dresses might look romantic, but they might not be ideal for use.

If you really have your heart set on a specific design, but you find that that dress is too old to use, or too expensive, then you can always go for a reproduction wedding dress.

Many stores specialize on reproduction dresses. They design wedding dresses based on specific themes, or eras. Some specialty wedding shops also focus on designing knock-off wedding dresses, inspired by designer wedding gowns. The huge difference being, that these wedding gowns are retailed for the fraction of the amount.

There are so many ways a future bride can go about in search for her dream wedding dress. Searching for a wedding dress should be exciting and fun. So make sure you have plenty of time in your hands before the big day, so this process doesn't become stressful, and wearisome. Instead a prelude to the happiness of the special occasion which is to become your wedding.

Mobile handheld usability testing - why it matters

Mobile phone and PDA usability testing is critical to your business. In fact, mobile and handheld usability testing could be even more important than computer-based usability testing. The main reasons for this are:

- The number of people accessing the Internet from mobile and handheld devices is increasing at a massive rate - in 2008 alone there'll be an estimated 58 million PDAs sold worldwide (source: eTForecast).

- People generally have a lot less experience of using their mobile to go online than they do of using their computer. This means that computer-based users can be assumed to have a higher level of existing expertise than mobile and handheld users.

- The platform through which users access your site is far less predictable when using mobile phones. Computer-based site visitors generally only differ from one another in their browser and operating system (i. e. most people will use a screen, mouse and keyboard), whereas the different types of mobile phones and PDAs differ can drastically.

Which mobile phones and PDAs do you need to consider?

Mobile phones and PDAs can differ from one another dramatically, and this will radically change how people experience and use websites. Some of the ways in which handheld devices can differ include:

- Screen size (small vs. large)

- Screen layout (portrait vs. landscape)

- Input device (stylus, numeric keypad, dial-wheel, QWERTY keypad)

Because the mobile phone / PDA that someone is using will have such a profound effect on their experience of your site, you should try to test with as many mobile phones and PDAs as possible.

Of course, testing with every mobile phone and PDA is impossible. Here are some ideas to help narrow down the number of devices you'll need to test with:

- Your mobile site visitors may belong to a specific audience. Certain audiences tend to prefer particular types of phones (e. g. phones with big screens that are designed to support online access vs. small-screen models that aren't).

- There are 'phone families' that offer a very similar user experience (and will not need to be tested individually).

- You may only want to test with the most popular mobile phones in Europe or the most popular models that are being used to access your site (you can check your site statistics to find out this information).

Who do you want to test with?

The people you want to conduct your mobile phone usability testing sessions with will, of course, depend on your particular business and its audience. Some things to bear in mind include:

- How much experience they should have of using their mobile phones to access services. This is particularly important as the market for accessing online services through mobile phones is growing and the percent of 'complete novices' (i. e. people using the technology for the first time) will be far higher than for computer users of your website.

- Which mobile phone or PDA they have. We would usually recommend that people use their own mobile phone in a session, so the test can focus on your website and not on the way the handheld device works.

Where should mobile usability testing sessions be conducted?

Mobile phones and PDAs are used in the real world so usability testing of handheld devices should therefore not only take place in a usability laboratory.

Where, when and how a mobile phone is used is critical to a person's experience of the site they are accessing. Any of the following circumstances could influence this experience and therefore considerations of the site's usability:

- Lighting

- Background noise

- Distractions

- Concurrent tasks (i. e. anything the person is doing at the same time)

- Physical movement

As such, we'd recommend, if possible, that any mobile phone and PDA usability testing is conducted both in a laboratory and also in the 'outside world'.

How you plan and run mobile phone usability sessions will be based on your business and its audience, but the most popular methods of mobile usability testing include:

- Lab-based (using a camera to record the session)

- Diary-studies (asking people to keep a diary of how they have used their mobile phone and any problems they encounter)

- Paper prototypes (running usability testing on a paper-based version of the site, using mobile phone screen-sized pieces of paper)

Characteristics of sound

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Sound in brief but remarkeable terms is a vibration, that our ears percieve by the sense of hearing. Most commonly vibrations travel to our ears via the air. The ear then converts these sound waves into nerve impulses that are sent to our brains, where the impulses become sound. To say all that in a more technical language: Sound "is an alternation in pressure, particle displacement, or particle velocity propagated in an elastic material" (Olson 1957). Sound is also a series of mechanical compressions and rarefactions or longitudinal waves that successively propagate through media that are at least a little compressible. What causes sound waves is known as "the source of waves". Examples of sounds sources is: A violin string that vibrates upon being bowed or plucked.

The four characteristics of sound are frequency, wavelength, amplitude and velocity.

The frequency of sound is the number of air pressure oscillations per second at a fixed point occupied by a sound wave.

The amplitude is the magnitude of sound pressure change within the wave. Basically this is the maximum amount of pressure at any point in the sound wave. A sound wave is caused literally by increases in pressure at certain points causing a "domino effect" outward, the higher pressure points are the crests in a sound wave, and behind them are low pressure points which tail them. These are known as the troughs on a wavelength graph. Sound's propagation Velocity depends largely on the type, temperature and pressure of the medium through which it propagates. Because air is nearly a perfect gas, the speed of sound does not depend on air pressure.

The frequency range of sound that is audible to humans is approx. between 20 and 20,000 Hz. This range of course varies between individuals, and goes down as are age increases. Sounds will begin to damage our ears at 85 dBSPL and sounds above approximately 130 dBSPL will cause pain, as a result are known as the: "threshold of pain". Of course again this range will vary among individuals and will change with age.

What i have learnt as a beginner to internet online business

Like tens of thousands of people who often venture online exploring ways to make a little extra money, I have been looking for ways that would allow me to eventually live a life with residual income and financial freedom.

Obviously, I did not know how except for the fact that many are making millions of dollars every year from Internet.

But I learnt fast, after having paid a lot of money to the so-called Internet gurus. I realised that there were a lot of scams, hyped-up promises, and just plain sure-way-to-loose-your-hard-earned-money programs. Very quickly, it became obvious to me that the promises of make-tons-of-money-with-no-effort-all-for-free had to be challenged because this is not true at all! What you get for nothing would be nothing. I learnt now how I should look every time before I leapt.

Building a business online is just like building a brick-and-mortar business offline. So you need both a good plan and a marketable product. Some friends advised that I should build a website around my personal interest or hobbies because it’d be fun doing so. That way, when the going gets tough, the motivation to persevere would be more likely to prevail. However I found that my own interest and hobbies were not necessarily what the market was looking for. In fact, I realized that I should look at other people’s interest instead.

The easiest way to get into business online is through affiliate programs which allow you to sign up as an affiliate member. You earn a referral commission from selling the program owners’ products.

These products are usually information products such as electronic books (eBook) and software that can be delivered as a file that is then downloaded directly to your customers' computers. They could be repeatedly reproduced and downloaded and sold at no cost. There’s no packing, shipping and delivery cost. Owing to this, affiliate program owners usually pay their affiliates high commissions (50% or more).

I learnt that it is best for beginners to start by joining a few affiliate programs, followed by announcing this to as many friends as possible to prompt them to visit my websites.

At the same time I was strongly advised against the use of “Spam”. Suddenly I found my list of friends to be pathetically short! Hardly 100 names!

I was feeling really inadequate after finding that many Internet entrepreneurs actually had a mailing lists of well over 5000, 10,000, 100,000…….

To start off, I needed a website, although people do make money without a website. By joining an affiliate program I did not have to worry about creating a website of my own because many affiliate programs do offer websites for free.

However I was advised to learn how to modify the website to differentiate it from many others having the same program so that I would have some advantages over others.

As I said, I had a miserable mailing list hence I needed to build one for visitors by their subscribing to my online newsletters. Oh yes, I have heard it a thousand times in my short stay in this business – “The money is in the list...that all important list which begins the flow of "traffic" …No list...No traffic...No traffic...No sales..”

I send these people my regular newsletter via “autoresponder” provided by the program and over time, I hope to develop a relationship with many of the visitors.

A newsletter allows me to share information and resources with my subscribers resulting in a positive rapport, friendship and eventually trust.

There’s a 30-day guide which is really cool. It takes me step by step each day to improve my business incrementally. The tips and tricks given are especially for professional business working from home. It exposes me to many possibilities, among other things, of how to drive traffic to my site. And I find joy in doing so especially in my pyjamas!

The program allows me to join a discussion forum. It is like walking into a big library, the only difference is that this is better because all the members have similar interest i. e. Internet business. This is where I find answers and solutions to my questions and problems. I find active and successful members discussing their latest findings, for instance, the best websites and software to use to improve our businesses. Another advantage in taking part in the discussion is that other members or visitors get to know my website located in my “signature file”.

Yes, I also learnt how to place my adverts. Here are some of the things that I’ve looked into:

1) The various locations where I can place an ad such as newsgroups, forums, ezines, and web sites.

2) How to post information to a mailing list or newsgroup for free but using a signature file to promote my websites.

3) How the program helps me to set up autoresponders to take away the chore of responding to visitors manually.

4) How to write articles and submit them to article directories to get free advertisement for life.

5) I’ve created a Blog of my own. It is an excellent way to provide visitors and customers with information at their fingertips, just a click away. I keep it fresh and alive by posting interesting articles on Internet business on a regular basis. The articles in the Blog also offer me free advertisement because each article carries a link to my websites.

In conclusion, if you want to make money on the Internet, it is a real possibility. But please do not expect something for nothing. You need to invest in your effort, time, commitment and at least some financial input. Once you’ve decided, go for it and. …..DON'T EVER GIVE UP!