luni, 13 august 2012

WHAT IS THE LAW?

Why Do We Need the Law?


Almost everything we do is governed by some set of rules. There are rules for games, for social clubs, for sports and for adults in the workplace. There are also rules imposed by morality and custom that play an important role in telling us what we should and should not do. However, some rules -- those made by the state or the courts -- are called "laws". Laws resemble morality because they are designed to control or alter our behaviour. But unlike rules of morality, laws are enforced by the courts; if you break a law -- whether you like that law or not -- you may be forced to pay a fine, pay damages, or go to prison.


Why are some rules so special that they are made into laws? Why do we need rules that everyone must obey? In short, what is the purpose of law?


If we did not live in a structured society with other people, laws would not be necessary. We would simply do as we please, with little regard for others. But ever since individuals began to associate with other people -- to live in society --laws have been the glue that has kept society together. For example, the law in Canada states that we must drive our cars on the right-hand side of a two-way street. If people were allowed to choose at random which side of the street to drive on, driving would be dangerous and chaotic. Laws regulating our business affairs help to ensure that people keep their promises. Laws against criminal conduct help to safeguard our personal property and our lives.


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Even in a well-ordered society, people have disagreements and conflicts arise. The law must provide a way to resolve these disputes peacefully. If two people claim to own the same piece of property, we do not want the matter settled by a duel: we turn to the law and to institutions like the courts to decide who is the real owner and to make sure that the real owner's rights are respected.


We need law, then, to ensure a safe and peaceful society in which individuals' rights are respected. But we expect even more from our law. Some totalitarian governments have cruel and arbitrary laws, enforced by police forces free to arrest and punish people without trial. Strong-arm tactics may provide a great deal of order, but we reject this form of control. The Canadian legal system respects individual rights while, at the same time, ensuring that society operates in an orderly manner. In Canada, we also believe in the Rule of Law, which means that the law applies to every person, including members of the police and other public officials, who must carry out their public duties in accordance with the law.


 


Goals of the Law


In our society, laws are not only designed to govern our conduct: they are also intended to give effect to social policies. For example, some laws provide for benefits when workers are injured on the job, for health care, as well as for loans to students who otherwise might not be able to go to university.


Another goal of the law is fairness. This means that the law should recognize and protect certain basic individual rights and freedoms, such as liberty and equality. The law also serves to ensure that strong groups and individuals do not use their powerful positions in society to take unfair advantage of weaker individuals.


However, despite the best intentions, laws are sometimes created that people later recognize as being unjust or unfair. In a democratic society like Canada, laws are not carved in stone, but must reflect the changing needs of society. In a democracy, anyone who feels that a particular law is flawed has the right to speak out publicly and to seek to change the law by lawful means.


 


The System of Law and Justice


The law is a set of rules for society, designed to protect basic rights and freedoms, and to treat everyone fairly. These rules can be divided into two basic categories: public law and private law.


Public Law


Public law deals with matters that affect society as a whole. It includes areas of the law that are known as criminal, constitutional and administrative law. These are the laws that deal with the relationship between the individual and the state, or among jurisdictions. For example, if someone breaks a criminal law, it is regarded as a wrong against society as a whole, and the state takes steps to prosecute the offender.


Private Law


Private law, on the other hand, deals with the relationships between individuals in society and is used primarily to settle private disputes. Private law deals with such matters as contracts, property ownership, the rights and obligations of family members, and damage to one's person or property caused by others. When one individual sues another over some private dispute, this is a matter for private law. Private suits are also called "civil" suits.


Of course, there is more to Canada's system of law and justice than the laws themselves. Laws must be enforced, interpreted and applied if they are to be effective, and the legal system includes a number of institutions to carry out these duties. For example, we have police forces to ensure that the law is enforced. We have courts to interpret both private and public laws in specific cases, and to impose remedies, "sanctions" or penalties. Persons found guilty by a court of a criminal act can, for example, be discharged, placed on probation, or sentenced to a fine or a period of imprisonment. Persons who violate rules of private law, such as failing to perform a contract, may be ordered to pay compensation and their property or salaries may be seized if they refuse to pay.


To understand Canada's legal system, we need to look at the way law is applied in practice -- at what happens to a person who violates a law. But first, we should examine our legal inheritance: just where did "the law" come from?

vineri, 10 august 2012

Cambridge unable to find answers to consistency riddle

Cambridge unable to find answers to consistency riddle



Cambridge 26 Blaydon 28 - National League One


A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma feels the best way to describe Cambridge this season.


It may seem melodramatic to be using Winston Churchill’s famous line about Russia in the context of a run-of-the-mill rugby game, but watching Cambridge is just that.


The reversal to Blaydon marked their third loss in a row – and the same number of consecutive home defeats – but despite those disappointing runs, it does feel as if there is a performance there bursting to get out.


And that is what must be so infuriating for the coaching staff.


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For the first 38 minutes, the hosts were in control of the game and did not look under any real pressure. But in a cumulative 20-minute period – spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second – they pressed the self destruct button as Blaydon amassed 22 points.


It is these spells that are constantly proving the undoing of Cambridge. They are the opposite of the purple patches which Bob Crooks’ side have so often in the past used to demolish opponents. But how do they eliminate them?


While many things can be ironed out and worked on in training, those passages of play cannot be replicated, and the only answer is for the players to empower themselves to stop them happening.


The errors start with one or two individuals and then spread through the side, like the plague, until reaching the more senior players, who are then tasked with trying to settle their younger team-mates. And when the affliction creeps in, it feels that opponents sense it and exploit it to get their scores on the board.


Finding that level of consistency – balancing the good and bad – and executing when they do, so they put opponents to the sword, is what is needed. That is exactly what happened against Blaydon, with only a 13-point lead after dictating play.


Tom Wheatcroft’s intelligent kicking was exploiting space behind Blaydon, making them think whether to drop deeper or play a high line.


Ien Ascroft-Leigh was getting about the pitch well from blind-side flanker and was making some big hits to keep Blaydon in their own half, as Cambridge exuded a relaxed rather than tense demeanour.


The line defence was functioning well, and even when the visitors did create a four-on-three miss-match overlap, the Cambridge scramble defence was up to keeping Blaydon out.


Wheatcroft’s kick into space was picked up by Toby Berridge to cut inside to give Cambridge the lead after 11 minutes, and the inside centre then used his boot to kick two penalties.


Andrew Baggett replied for Blaydon, and then


Mike Ayrton was sin-binned. The Cambridge winger was deemed to have deliberately tripped Tom Jeffreys, but it seemed as if the touch judge reacted on the vociferous appeals of the Blaydon bench.


From the penalty and resultant line-out, Cambridge stole possession, but then conceded another needless penalty, and from the second set-piece, Robert Bell dived over.


It left the hosts with only a three-point half-time lead when it should have been more, and they did not cope very well with being a man down after the break. Three minutes in, they were moved around before Dave Sheldon eventually touched down. Baggett soon added a penalty and then, from a turnover in midfield, Blaydon simply moved possession through numerous hands for Jeffreys to score and make it 25-13.


Cambridge were asleep and it was not until after Will Lawson’s break on 61 minutes led to Berridge’s second try that they started to rise from their slumber.


Elliot Bale kicked a penalty to reduce the arrears to 25-21, but more poor and foolish play ended with a cheap penalty which Baggett converted on 80 minutes.


Lawson got a try in the last play of the game, but the angle was too acute for Bale’s conversion, so Cambridge were condemned to another defeat.


miercuri, 8 august 2012

Supreme Secret of Divine Knowledge

Supreme Secret of Divine Knowledge


“A lot has been said and written by spiritual gurus and religiously inclined persons on how to attain the ultimate goal of self-realisation and holistic well-being. Despite advancement, both technological and economic, we are still groping to achieve peace, tranquility, universal brotherhood and tolerance.

The confused and wavering mind of Arjuna calmed down only after having gained divine knowledge from Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna called this divine knowledge the supreme secret of God. In the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 4, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna how divine knowledge was handed down from the dawn of creation. In the beginning of this universe, He taught the immortal karmayoga to Vivasvan. Vivasan in turn conveyed it to Manu and Manu imparted it to his son Iksvaku. Sri Krishna told Arjuna that only the wise seers and perfect masters who have known and seen God can impart this knowledge and not those who possess just scriptural knowledge. A sadguru who can make us see that divine light within us is an enlightened soul.

Mere bookish knowledge does not make one an enlightened soul. Kabir and Mira were not scholars. Even their worst critic would acknowledge that they were intiated into brahm gyan by their gurus namely Swami Ramanand and Sant Raidass. Since inception, the world has witnessed so many avatars and perfect masters. None of them advocated just recitation of mantras and chanting of hymns as a means of self-realisation. It is true that chanting of hymns in praise of God is a sure way of stabilizing the mind. The perfect master imparts the devotee with a methodology for knowing and seeing God. There is immediate and instant realisation of God within us when he places his holy palm on the fore-head. Brahm Gyan is energy transmitted by the perfect master on to the seeker of God....

When a seeker of truth receives brahm gyan, he or she instantly experience divine light within. Divine knowledge comprises instant and immediate practical experience of divine light, the holy name, inner music and holy nectar. God has been described as the divine light by holy scriptures like the Vedas, Shastras, the Upanishads and the puranas. As there is fire hidden in wood and it can be produced only through a technique, there is divine light hidden in every particle. A perfect master can show us that divine light within us. Our scriptures profusely emphasise that our bhakti starts only after we see and experience that divine light within us. The simran or smaran or remembrance of that eternal name which is already present in our inner-self can be done with neither tongue not with the lips. That holy name is inexpressible and hence beyond any language. The simran of this holy name makes us pure, take us on the path of true bhakti and salvation. Divine music or the anhad vani echoes in our inner-self and awakens feelings of forgiveness, morality, satisfaction, compassion and truth within us and through constant practice, we attain eternal peace and pleasure. Amrit or holy nectar is present in plenty in the human body. Amrit keeps the child alive in the womb of his mother. On taking birth, the child cries as he gets detached from God.

The role of the perfect master is to link us with the inner world which has been forgotten by us. Attainment of supreme knowledge is the right of every human being, whosoever he or she may be. It is only after we see divine light within our inner-self that self-transformation and holistic well-being shall become reality.”

marți, 7 august 2012

Why is the sea blue ?

The question '...why is the sea blue...' is one that everybody thinks they know, but only realise that they don't know when someone - usually a child - asks them.

However, the answer is know and was a discovery that earned C. V. Raman the 1930 Nobel Prize in physics. Returning to his native India by way of the Mediterranean Sea, Raman himself wondered at the sea's stunning deep blue color. Dissatisfied with the accepted explanation - that it reflected the sky - the looked into it further further and demonstrated a universal truth about the behavior of light.


In 1928, Raman discovered that when a beam of colored light enters a liquid, it scatters and some of it emerges as a different color. This deceptively simple observation had profound implications. As Raman said:

'...the character of the scattered radiations enable us to obtain an insight into the ultimate structure of the scattering substance...'

There are two reasons as to why the sea is blue:

Firstly, the sea reflects the sky does have some merit, but you have probably noticed that the sea is not very blue-looking when the sky is overcast. We know that water reflects and scatters the light that strikes it; this is shown by the fact that you can see your reflection in puddles. When the sky is brilliant blue, the sea is also, because it reflects the blue of the sky. Be aware however, that the sea is still blue-ish though not such a brilliant blue even if the sky is gray. In other words, something else is at work here.

The second reason is exactly the same reason as to why the sky is blue. Blue light is more easily bent, or refracted, than red light; therefore light refracted back from the surface of the sea appears blue. Furthermore, when you are underwater the water around you appears blue because more blue light is scattered back to your eye than red light.

The reflection part is most effective on surface to near-surface water only. However, as mentioned it is not the only reason. Try putting a glass of water under the sky and you will notice that it is not really that blue. Also, you may have already seen green sea water under the bright blue sky.


 

Now, here’s the clever part. If we talk about the sky, it slowly turns from blue to violet to black as you move into outer space. The changing of these hues also applies to the sea. The deeper the sea is, the bluer it becomes. For deeper seas, the blue color is given by the penetrating sunbeams. When a sunbeam hits the water surface, it doesn’t stop its course at once, but splits into different hues as it goes deeper. The colour yellow disappears along the first meters, then the red fades, and finally the green. The only color left is blue.

Shallow waters on the other hand can only give off a light blue and sometimes even green but deeper waters give off a deeper blue color and if you go diving deep enough, you may be surprised that the surrounding color turns black as sunlight can no longer penetrate it.

In addition you will also need to factor in material that can be found under the sea such as corals, sand, sea grass, etc.

Reknown physicists of the world welcomed Raman's finding as proof of quantum theory. Chemists found it an invaluable tool for analyzing the composition of liquids, gases, and solids. The introduction of lasers in the 1960s made it even more useful. Today, the Raman Effect is used to monitor everything from manufacturing processes to the onset of life-threatening illnesses.

And that - if you undersood all that science - is why the sea is blue or blue-ish.

duminică, 5 august 2012

How To Get the Answers To Life’s Problems

•Have you ever been “stuck” and wished someone would simply tell you the right thing to do?


•Have you ever talked yourself out of acting on an idea only to learn that someone else did it and is now hugely successful?


•Have you ever been unsure about whether you should open up and take a person into your confidence?


•Have you ever been at a cross-road in your life and overcome with fear about making a mistake?


If you said yes to any of these questions you’re not alone.


Fear and uncertainty are the two biggest stumbling blocks that hold people back from achieving their dreams.


Let’s be honest, who hasn’t wished for a wise person to appear during times of crisis to advise us on what we should do?


It was only after I become a serious student of intuition that I learned that the wise person who could guide me through life was – me.


Up until then, like most people, I had been aware that I was intuitive, and like most people the flashes and gut feelings came at random – not at the moments when I really needed them.


In my studies I learned there were techniques I could use that could elicit intuitive responses from the bodies’ intelligence right away.


Hallelujah! was my first response.


My second response was: Why did I have to struggle through life for so long? Why didn’t someone teach me this earlier?


But you don’t have wait, or be frustrated.


Here are three simple ways to get answers directly from your bodies’ intelligence:


#1 Quick-start for times you need a fast decision when you’re in a public place:


1. Go into the restroom, or walk away for a few moments. Close your eyes and ask: How am I going to feel if I choose to do XXX? (Do NOT ask if you’re making the right decision!!)


How do you feel after asking yourself this question?


Did a feeling of happiness come over you? Did you feel light and joyous? Were you tense and anxious?


Paying attention to your body is very important. Your body is intelligent and can “speak” to you if you learn its language. Read my post on how to read what your body is telling you.


Check in with your body for clues. Did your body tense up? Did your heart speed up? Did you have difficulty swallowing? Were hot? Did you go cold? Did you notice if you held your breath?


Tension is the body’s signal for caution, or stop! It’s very subtle. We live in a very stressful society so most of us are used to feeling tense which is why we may no longer pay attention to these signals.


Or, did a fleeting image pass through your mind? What was it? Analyze what you saw – it holds the answer. You may have to go to the Internet to look up what certain symbols mean. (I recently wrote about a symbol – the musical clef - I was given that made no sense until I looked up it’s meaning.)


Or, did you hear an answer in your mind? What was it? Yes? No? Stop! A phrase from a song? A piece of a poem? Analyze what you heard. You might have to look up its meaning on the Internet.


#2  Use this method to tap directly into the bodies’ intelligence for decisions. It’s especially good for finding food allergies, or what foods to avoid in your diet.


This is a form of self muscle testing.


Take off your shoes. Stand in the middle of a room away from anything you could fall against, or trip over.


Word your question properly so that the answer tells you if this (food/decision) will affect your life positively or negatively. (If you’re testing food – hold the food up against your abdomen.)


Ask the questions to yourself. If you sway/fall forward then your decision will impact you positively. If you sway/fall backwards the decision isn’t right for you.


#3 When you have time to review a complex decision more thoroughly:


1. Go somewhere quiet. Shut the door. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and get relaxed.


2. Think of the question you need to make a decision about. For example: Should I go back to school?


3. Mull over the different parts of the scenario going back to school entails:


Going back to school means quitting your job and living off your savings for a while, or selling your apartment or home and living in studio apartment.


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It means walking away from your current career and source of income. It might mean moving away from friends and family.


You might encounter negativity from people who warn you against doing it, or fear that you’re  making a poor decision. (think of all the factors affecting your decision here)


3. Now ask yourself the question: Should I go back to school? Notice how you feel. Did you feel a yes, or a no? Do you “feel good” when you heard yourself say yes? Do you feel good, but anxious? Or, do you feel anxious and have doubts overall?


4. With pad and pen nearby, write down any/all of the anxieties, doubts and fears that came to mind.


5. When you’re finished listing them switch the pen to your non-dominant hand and address each of you concerns. (Using your non-dominant hand will tap into the bodies’ intuitive intelligence. It’s a way of circumventing your logical mind)


Ask why am I feeling this way for each one of your fears. Keep writing until you feel you’ve gotten it all out.


6. Read what you’ve written. You’ll be astonished at the insights and truths you’ve unearthed. You’ll also clearly know what to do next. You’ll also know how you might creatively work with, or address those concerns too.


With practice you’ll get faster at getting the answers you desire.


Working with your intuition isn’t unlike perfecting your golf game, or becoming a better writer. It takes the same dedication, desire and practice that perfecting anything else takes.


The great thing is that you don’t need to go out and buy any fancy equipment, or go anywhere special to use it. You’re intuition goes with you everywhere you go!


So start using it!


What other practical ways can you see for using your Intuition? Have you ever used it like this to make a decision? How did it turn out?

vineri, 3 august 2012

How to Ask a Question Intelligently

How do you ask a question that not only appears intelligent but also results in an answer that satisfies the knowledge you are seeking? There are two elements that you need to be concerned about in asking questions. Those elements are process and outcomes. The two side of the process element is perspective questions and evaluative questions. The outcome elements involve knowledge questions and action questions. The best questions involve both process and outcome elements in the question.


Here are some tips for asking more open-minded and informed questions that will help not only you but others to comprehend information placed before you, as well as extracting more information useful to you.



  1. 1. Start with something simple. Asking something simple first lets the information provider know that you are about to state your opinion, but that you fully realize that you do not comprehend the whole story, and that you are hoping they can fill in some gaps. For example, "Have you heard about the latest modifications to the Farm Bill?" If this does not work ask a question you don't know and keep it broad. For example, "How is that project going?" If this still does not work go for narrow questions. "How has XYZ affected your work?" After that you will likely be able to bring the questioning broad again.

  2. If you're using questions to gather knowledge, define exactly what it is you want to know. Before you pose a question, it is important to have a concept of what is unclear about the information in your head, otherwise you risk creating confusion and not getting an answer that satisfies what you seek to know. On the other hand if you're asking questions in a leadership role it is important that you do not specifically direct the question to which you have an answer. Doing so will only frustrate those you work with and they will begin to see you as a game player. Questions are not only about knowledge, they are also about action.


    1. Don't ask: "Can you tell me more about droughts in the Southwest?"

    2. Ask: "I've heard people saying that recent droughts in the Southwest are due to global warming, but others say it's just part of a natural cycle. Which do you think it is?"


  3. Never ask a question in an aggressive manner. This indicates that you are only asking the question to prove to the other person that you are right and they are wrong, meaning that you are argumentative and not open-minded. Ask because you are genuinely interested. Otherwise, you will receive a defensive and less than helpful response.


    1. Don't ask: "Isn't it true that more people would be well-fed if we ate grains directly rather than feeding it to animals and eating their meat?"

    2. Ask: "Many vegetarians argue that there'd be more food available if society didn't invest in meat production. The argument seems to make sense, but do you know of any arguments on the flip side?"


  4. Lay your concepts or ideas and assumptions on the table. Take care to make sure that the other person is fully aware of exactly what your current thinking is and why you think it. You can do this by stating who you are and what field you are working in, studying or researching. You do not have to be studying a course - anything about which you are passionate and spend much time learning about is "study" or "research".

  5. Ask politely and second-guess carefully. You are seeking information to fill a gap in your knowledge and here is the person who may have the answer, so be polite! If appropriate, if you do not really feel comfortable with the response or feel that it does not respond to what you have asked, proceed gently by asking how they know this information. Ask what the general trend is that would short cut a path to that knowledge, meaning that you are seeking the tools to answer the questions yourself from this point onwards.

  6. Be gracious. If you find the information provider is beginning to feel uncomfortable and maybe out of their depth, do not press the issues. Unless you are questioning in a professional capacity as a journalist, Senator or a lawyer, it is rare that a public grilling amounts to any good under most situations. As a member of the public or a student in class, you are seeking information, not a roasting. Back down and thank them. Often there will be time afterwards to chase them up and discuss things privately. Even if you are trying to extract information in the public interest, intelligent questioning will gather much information towards a good campaign.

  7. Never ask a question that you are not willing to answer.


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They will find your answer in no time.

miercuri, 1 august 2012

Are you curious ?

This week NASA launched Curiosity, the new Mars rover, to explore the mysteries of the red planet. For millennia, we've gazed in wonder at the stars above our heads. Curiosity is intrinsic to our nature. As children, we naturally reach out to explore our world. Creative individuals--artists and scientists--never lose this intrinsic curiosity. 


Years ago as a college student at UC Riverside, I saw this quality in Linus Pauling when he spoke to a group of students gathered on the campus lawn. His blue eyes sparkled as he told us about his life as a scientist--following his curiosity, exploring new ideas. It was late afternoon. The sun's parting rays were at his back, but he had his own light, radiating exuberant energy and the joy of discovery. His bright spirit has been an inspiration for me ever since.


Curiosity lights our lives, inspires us to seek out answers. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found that a "hungry mind" is as significant as intelligence and effort in determining academic performance (von Strumm, Hell, & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2011). Always asking "Why?" intrinsically curious students are motivated not by test scores and grades, but by their own hunger for answers. I recall one student, Michael, whose persistent questions impressed some of his professors but annoyed many others--he even made one of them cry. Michael went on to medical school, becoming a successful researcher. Finding new treatments for diseases, he's still asking questions, still wondering "Why?"







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Curiosity, according to Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, is one of the twenty-four character strengths and virtues common to humankind. It is positively correlated with creativity, intelligence, problem-solving ability, autonomy, a sense of personal control, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. It is also associated with positive affect, subjective well-being, better long-term health, longevity, and positive interpersonal relationships.  Curiosity can be blocked by anxiety, guilt, and self-consciousness, but you can strengthen it with practice (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).


What are you curious about? What new galaxies would you like to explore? By following your curiosity, pursuing meaningful challenges, you can experience new levels of joy and fulfillment.