Do You Need to Obtain a College Health Care Plan?
Upon graduation from high school, there is no doubt that you will surely start your tertiary education in college or university. At age twenty, children will not be covered by health insurance of their parents and this can be disastrous if they are merely study and do not do part-time job. Some universities or colleges may have insurance plan offered to students. These insurance may not answer all your needs but you need to be meticulously considered it.
Most of the universities and colleges offer student health insurance plans. These plans should absolutely be at reasonable price, and can give you the school’s nearest hospitals. This option is one that you should definitely think of, if your son or daughter is enrolled in a college far away from home.
College health care scheme may vary from college to college due to laws and some other factors. Many students may think medical services are free of charge, but it is not always true. In term of clinic visit or routine checkups they may be free, however students still require to pay for special kinds of lab tests and other specialties such as x-rays, prescriptions, and a wound treatment. Compensation usually covers some types of service stated in the health care offered at college health centre. When you are referred to see an outside doctor, then the coverage will cover only 70% of your total expense and you are at risk to pay high medical cost.
You may have a problem getting treatment at the campus health centre if you have pre-existing condition. Having a pre-existing condition or illness does not mean to prevent you from obtaining health insurance plan, but you may not be eligible to have your treatment on your pre-existing condition. It can be troublesome if your new symptoms develop from a pre-existing one.
Health schemes are different, so be sure you find out everything about your health insurance plans. Be sure that your health plan stretch to summer break when you or your child do not take classes. This is vital for you because you don’t want to find out that your health care does not cover when you need it most. Some college health insurances may not cover during summer break, while others do.
Be certain that you study your plan thoroughly. Is it an HMO, or can the member utilise any service provider they went? This is critical. You need to know where you can go in case of emergency, and there is nothing worse than discovering that you will have to pay off the bill yourself.
There is no definitive solution to whether you should or should not commit yourself to college health insurance. Be certain that you study your plan thoroughly so that it answer to your need when you need it most. Although there is no free health insurance scheme, surely it will save you a lot of money in time of illness or accident.
For more information, please visit http://www.health-care-central.com
Most of the universities and colleges offer student health insurance plans. These plans should absolutely be at reasonable price, and can give you the school’s nearest hospitals. This option is one that you should definitely think of, if your son or daughter is enrolled in a college far away from home.
College health care scheme may vary from college to college due to laws and some other factors. Many students may think medical services are free of charge, but it is not always true. In term of clinic visit or routine checkups they may be free, however students still require to pay for special kinds of lab tests and other specialties such as x-rays, prescriptions, and a wound treatment. Compensation usually covers some types of service stated in the health care offered at college health centre. When you are referred to see an outside doctor, then the coverage will cover only 70% of your total expense and you are at risk to pay high medical cost.
You may have a problem getting treatment at the campus health centre if you have pre-existing condition. Having a pre-existing condition or illness does not mean to prevent you from obtaining health insurance plan, but you may not be eligible to have your treatment on your pre-existing condition. It can be troublesome if your new symptoms develop from a pre-existing one.
Health schemes are different, so be sure you find out everything about your health insurance plans. Be sure that your health plan stretch to summer break when you or your child do not take classes. This is vital for you because you don’t want to find out that your health care does not cover when you need it most. Some college health insurances may not cover during summer break, while others do.
Be certain that you study your plan thoroughly. Is it an HMO, or can the member utilise any service provider they went? This is critical. You need to know where you can go in case of emergency, and there is nothing worse than discovering that you will have to pay off the bill yourself.
There is no definitive solution to whether you should or should not commit yourself to college health insurance. Be certain that you study your plan thoroughly so that it answer to your need when you need it most. Although there is no free health insurance scheme, surely it will save you a lot of money in time of illness or accident.
For more information, please visit http://www.health-care-central.com
Zen Buddhism
An interesting but exceedingly difficult problem is the one as to what place Zen Buddhism has in Japanese culture. The answer to this question is peculiarly difficult because Zen Buddhism is not and has not been the sole religion of Japan, but during the greater part of its long history in this land it has been closely bound up with Shinto and Confucianism; so that even today, though it is officially separated from Shinto, a great many Japanese are Shintoists, Confucianists and Buddhists at one and the same time. Some writers speak of Shinto as the root, Confucianism as the branches and leaves, and Buddhism as the flowers and fruit of the tree of Japanese civilization (Dumoulin and Heisig 45). This conception is not altogether wrong, for it is true that historically Shinto comes first, and that in organizing legal and educational institutions Confucianism has played a prominent part, and that finally the chief contribution of Buddhism lies in the realm of art, philosophy and religion. But since art, philosophy and religion are not only the flower and fruit of a civilization but also in turn become the root and branches of the succeeding stages, Buddhism has been a real part of the roots, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit of the Japanese tree of life. That is, its influence has been so profound that there is no aspect of Japanese life which has not been greatly modified by it.
Among the major contributions which Buddhism made to Japanese life we must place first and foremost the fact that it has been a vehicle of the higher civilization of the continent. This was true not only during its beginnings in this land when it so obviously was the means of bringing in the wealth of Korean and Chinese culture, but down to the Tokugawa period the Buddhist monks and priests continued to be the chief means by which Japan kept in touch with the rest of the world (Eliot 112). The point cannot be overstated, for just as truly as Christian missionaries from Europe and America have been the apostles of a superior civilization to the backward nations of the world, so have the Buddhists often been to Japan the messengers of progress and light. In a real sense has Buddhism been the “Light of Asia,” and perhaps no part of Asia has received as much through it as has Japan (Eliot 115). However, it does not mean that Japan would have remained in darkness if it had not been for the religion of the Buddha. But the history of Japan having been what it was, it is correct to say that Buddhism has been a determining factor, and that the sources of Japanese culture have been either directly or indirectly mainly Buddhist.
In the field of art it is more correct to say that Zen Buddhism created certain branches of Japanese art than simply that it influenced them. Thus Japanese architecture, sculpture and painting are what they are because Zen Buddhism has made them so. Music and poetry have also been influenced, though perhaps to a lesser degree.
If in the field of architecture we were to remove from these pine-clad hills and valleys the Buddhist temples, monasteries and flights of stone steps leading up to them, very little of grandeur or beauty would remain. The average Japanese house seems to be a development of the primeval hut and as a work of architecture it cannot claim a very high place. What makes it attractive is not any architectural feature but rather the cleanliness, neatness and simplicity of the interior; or it may be its picturesque environment. The Shintō shrine, too, cannot be said to rank very high, though the shrine entrance, the Torii, may be regarded as a real work of art. But it is really only when we come to Buddhist buildings that Japanese architecture can make any claims.
In the field of sculpture Japan is relatively much richer, and it has many elements of Zen Buddhism. What existed of this art before the introduction of Zen Buddhism may be classed with the crude clay figures produced by most primitive peoples (Izutsu 54). It is surprising in what a short time really world masterpieces in bronze, clay and wood were produced. The world’s largest bronze statue belongs to Japanese Buddhism of the eighth century. It is true that this does not rank so very high as a work of art, but there are many smaller relics of that period which do rank high. And not only during that first period did the Buddhist sculptor carve his ideals in wood and bronze, but all down through the centuries he dominated this art. The thousands and tens of thousands of images and statues which are to be found in temples, temple grounds, along the highways and byways, in cities, towns and villages, in valleys, on hills, mountain sides and mountain peaks, — all these are the handiwork of the Buddhist artists (Izutsu 101).
And if Zen Buddhist ideals have guided the chisel and the knife, they have also inspired the pencil and the brush. In a land of such natural beauty as Japan one would naturally expect the painter to be inspired largely by his wonderful environment, but instead of that, practically all the older schools of painters were inspired by Chinese masterpieces introduced by Zen Buddhism. Thus one student of the subject says that “it may safely be asserted that not one in twenty of the productions of these painters, who to the present day are considered to represent the true genius of Japanese art, was inspired by the works of nature as seen in their own beautiful country.” (Dumoulin et al 88). In fact the very neglect of perspective in landscape paintings and the “impossible mountains” in these are well-known characteristics (Eliot 76). It may be that the very exquisiteness of the scenery in Japan has made the artist despair of ever producing it on canvas, and so instead he seeks only to suggest it, leaving everything but a few bold strokes marking the outline to be supplied by the imagination.
Zen can be a religion without being religious. The live Zen quality thrives on indirection, not going obviously but deviously. This may explain the love of the dragon, lurking in bronze miniature on tiny islands in gardens; larger on eaves.
The oldest Japanese painting, dating as it is believed from the seventh century, is a mural decoration in Hōryūji, a Buddhist temple near Nara (Dumoulin et al 121). Practically all the leading schools down to the present day had their birth in a Buddhist atmosphere. Thus the great painters, Chō Densu and Jōsetsu, the most famous names in the most glorious period of Japanese painting, were Buddhist priests (Izutsu 45). The great men who succeeded them and founded independent schools, all kept true to the old traditions and preferred the models introduced from China by the Buddhist monks from century to century to the infinitely more perfect models which nature itself supplies to every artist in Japan. Thus while Zen Buddhism has created and nurtured the art of painting in Japan, it may also be said to have hindered the highest development in that it has imposed a slavish adherence to classic Buddhist models, and only occasionally have artists been able to break away from this tyranny, and paint as they really saw with their own eyes (Eliot 98).
The influence of Zen Buddhism on music, the most subtle of the arts, it would be difficult for any one not a real student of oriental music to estimate. One of the best authorities on the subject of the scale in Japanese music says that it consists “of five notes of the harmonic minor scale, the fourth and the seventh being omitted, because, as there are five recognized colors, five planets, five elements, five viscera and so on, there must also be five notes in music.” (Dumoulin et al 99). Being written in the minor key its dominant note is that of melancholy and despair, and not that of joy and victory. Because of this, Japanese music, whether influenced by Zen Buddhism or not, is after all a real expression of that pessimistic philosophy of life of which Zen Buddhism is the best formulation. As one’s understanding of this philosophy of life grows, one’s ears also become more sympathetic with the music of it, and especially do one’s ears respond to the one distinctively Buddhist instrument of Japan, namely, to the rich, mellow tones of the temple bell. Thus, “The suspended bell of Japan gives forth a voice of the most exquisite sweetness and harmony — a voice that enhances the lovely landscapes and seascapes, across which the sweet solemn notes come floating on Autumn evenings, and in the stillness of Summer’s noonday hazes. The song of the bell can never be forgotten by those that have once heard it. Their notes seem to have been born amid the eternal restfulness of the Buddhist paradise, and to have gathered, on their way to human ears, echoes of the sadness that prepares the soul for Nirvāna.” (Eliot 143).
Japanese poetry, also, shows the influence of Zen Buddhism. It may be difficult to prove that the form of poetry has been much influenced but its contents reflect every aspect of Zen Buddhist thoughts and ideals. This is peculiarly true of the short stanzas called Tanka, consisting of not more than five lines and thirty-one syllables, and still more of the Hokku, consisting of only seventeen syllables (Izutsu 75). These short poems are really more like epigrams and so are apt vehicles of sentiments too deep for thought or ideals too lofty for many words. The favorite subject matter of these short poems are “the flowers, the birds, the snow, the moon, the falling leaves in autumn the mist on the mountains . . . and the shortness of human life,” but the point of view from which these are treated is usually the Buddhist (Eliot 70). Thus the favorite cherry blossom is the symbol of the brave knight who does not cleave selfishly to this life; the moon is the symbol of the change to which all things are subject, the falling leaves in Autumn point the way of all life, and the shortness of human life is, of course, an ever-recurrent note in Buddhism; and the short stanza is especially well suited to give expression to a sigh over life’s fleetingness.
Even the subject of love is dealt with in Japanese poetry from the standpoint of the Zen Buddhist doctrine of Karma. Thus lovers imagine themselves to be destined for each other because in their Karma preexistence they had loved; and the conjoint suicides so popular in this land are often inspired by the thought that the law of Karma will bring the lovers together in a future existence under more favorable conditions than the present (Izutsu 134).
Then a form of poetry which is distinctively Buddhist is the Wasan or Buddhist hymn. Though the Wasan is not ordinarily ranked very high as literature, occasionally these hymns rise to high levels and compare not unfavorably with our Christian hymns and songs (Dumoulin et al 95).
But if the influence of Zen Buddhism on Japanese life has been strong in the field of art, it has been perhaps even greater in the realm of philosophy and religion. In fact, it is very doubtful whether Shintō would have survived at all if it had been opposed by Zen Buddhism, and not incorporated into it; for Shintō was entirely too primitive to have satisfied much longer the growing intelligence of the Japanese (Eliot 77). Buddhism’s victory might have been delayed but it would have been inevitable. And Confucianism, too, gained its hold in Japan largely because Buddhists propagated it. It was fostered by them because it supplemented the Buddhist teachings, especially in the field of practical ethics. Thus, as we have said, both Shintō and Confucianism had their place in Japanese life largely on terms laid down by Buddhism. This, of course, in turn affected Zen Buddhism and made it quite different in Japan from what it was in other lands. But still the genius of the religion of the Japanese people, especially in its higher intellectual and philosophical aspects, has been for centuries and still is today, more Buddhist than anything else.
What, then, are the chief contributions to the distinctively religious life of Japan which Zen Buddhism has made? First of all, Buddhism elevated and enlarged the conception of the Divine (Izutsu 85). Shinto rather referred to polytheism, and the Japanese had not yet advanced to the idea of the universal or the monistic whole. The elements of monism or monotheism found in present-day Shinto were not there when Buddhism first reached these shores; for, as we have said above, not until Buddhism had made itself felt was there even an attempt made to build up the various legends and myths of the native religion into a connected and reasoned whole (Dumoulin et al 116). But it is the very breath of the philosophy of Mahāyāna Buddhism to reduce the plurality of being to an all-embracing Divine Whole, and to regard the myriads of gods and individual beings as in some way the expression of the All-One (Eliot 45).
It is true, of course, that in popular Buddhism the gods of polytheistic Shinto and other cults have always played a prominent part; but even so, it must be admitted that Zen Buddhism did give the Japanese a loftier conception of the ultimate source of all reality than Shinto had (Izutsu 57).
Secondly, Zen Buddhism greatly enlarged the conception of man’s destiny. The early Shinto ideal went very little beyond the conception of man as a creature of sense-experience. The gods were implored or propitiated in order that they might bestow upon the suppliant what he wanted for a prosperous and happy existence. And the happiness of existence lay not so much in the realm of an enriched personality, as in the realm of those things which satisfy the desires of the senses. What lay beyond the realm of sense or the point in time when the sense organs are dissolved in death, did not concern the early Shintoist so much (Dumoulin et al 59). Zen Buddhism, however, taught Japan that man’s present life is but a moment of his existence and that the real life is more than the life of the body. In spite of the doctrine of the non-reality of the self, Zen Buddhism has impressed, through its doctrine of Karma, the thought of the far-reaching effects of the psychic forces in human life. It taught the Japanese to think of all things and to regard especially the individual human life in its relationship to the past and the future.
Thus it both minimized and magnified the place of man in the universe. It minimized man in that it exhibited him as but a fragment of the Whole. But it also magnified human life in that it showed that however small this fragment might be its destiny is wrapped up with the destiny of the Great All. To be sure, Zen Buddhism did not always have a very clear idea as to what this destiny might be, and often it seemed to be the destiny of Vacuity, but occasionally at least it held out to man a hope of a future life which was truly inspiring (Izutsu 74). And even in quarters where the hope of a larger future was not emphasized, or where it was left among the great uncertainties, the emphasis which such Buddhist thinkers placed on self-culture carried with it by way of implication the thought of a higher destiny; for what would self-culture mean if at the end of the road lay no real positive goal? That is, the schools in Japanese Buddhism which apparently denied the future life, after all, held out some sort of desired future to the individual and so ennobled the conception of man’s destiny.
A third great contribution which Buddhism made to the religious and cultural life of Japan is the conception, or conceptions, regarding the way by which man can reach his higher destiny. Whatever have been the perversions of these conceptions — the higher Buddhism has always insisted that it must be by way of obedience to the truth. Man must know the truth, and the truth shall set him free from the bondages of his little self into the liberty of the greater Something (Eliot 132). The doctrine of Karma, which runs all through Buddhist thought, on its better side means that this universe is under law. To know this law is to know the truth, and to obey the truth is to become superior to the law, or rather to direct the operations of the inexorable law in such a way as to bring man into a better and fuller life. Thus, Buddhism has always stood for the conception of a universe of rational laws which man must obey if he would advance into a larger and nobler life. This thought of obedience to the truth naturally leads us to the moral and ethical side of life in Japan.
The Zen -invented tea cult has long permeated Japanese culture, having taken the strenuous meditation practice of Zen, to gentle and soften it so that it can be enjoyed by everyone; thus spreading a mild degree of the aesthetic, moral and religious benefit of quiet sitting. The tea house in its garden is thatched and weathered, with cherished lack of ostentation. The influence of the avoidance of duality between the natural and the refined has kept Japanese houses close to nature and the love of wood; taking in the outside through sliding walls and outdoor decks. The half-dozen guests a tea hut will hold purify their hands with a Shinto dipper of water dripping into a hollow stone from a bamboo pipe before they enter, crouching through a low door that makes them all equal (Izutsu 163). Over the door on the inside will be a Zen saying, in characters so archaic and calligraphic that few can read them without being told what they are. Burned on a board they may say: “Bamboo is green, flowers are red,” or something like “Water is water,” to express the Zen feeling that things are the way they are, and that that is good (Izutsu 165). Above the bare branch arranged in the alcove will hang a scroll with a black-ink painting of a landscape faintly suggested, at one of the four seasons, and a brief poem in keeping. The verses and the painting, illustrating and supporting each other, are done with similar brush strokes. The writing on the scroll, in thirty-one or seventeen syllables, is like a condensed sonnet, just suggesting an image and a thought. The manner of the brush is quite as important as what is written. I
In Japan to learn to write is also to learn to paint, and people may all their lives go on practicing and improving their strokes, making them more their own. Patient discipline is the price of the spontaneity sought, as all Zen training is for the sake of simplicity. The variation attainable in thickness and thinness of line, vigor and delicacy of curving and straightening, is endless. The barest characters are hardest, allowing no hiding in complexity. So Zen imbues the means of communication. Whatever it says, it first of all is (Izutsu 178).
While the tea guests sit quietly they admire the scroll and the restrained arrangement of flower or branch. The hostess comes through a low door, and sets down her tray to slide the door to. Her kneeling motions are to be appreciated, and the delicate utensils she handles in the right order: the cloth, the tea caddy, the bamboo whisk. The kettle bubbles with the sound of flowing water, or of a breeze in the pines. Sweets are passed. The climax of the ceremony comes when the honored guest is served a bowl which he will first offer to the friend on each side, then hold up to look at, but not too high, not to risk a slip (Izutsu 117). The bowl must be old, with a dull loveliness, perhaps a bit rough and unsymmetrical, but sturdy and with a story of other owners (Izutsu 118). After turning it to right and left, the guest takes the first of his three and a half swallows of the foaming green liquid. Little is said. It is something like a communion service, without a priest except for the hostess; a meditative and intimate sharing of a bit of food and drink. Medieval warriors found in this ceremony a welcome respite, as business men do today.
The spread of Zen in this accessible and friendly form compensates immensely for the remoteness of monasteries and the relegation of temples. Centering in the bowls themselves the art of ceramics developed; flower arrangement, poetry, calligraphy and painting have been motivated by what is on view in the alcove; architecture and landscape gardening have gone out from the tea house and its setting. Using the central experience of preparing and taking nourishment, Zen civilized Japan.
Thus, Zen Buddhism was both a vehicle of a higher civilization and itself the expression of such a civilization in Japan. Naturally its influence on the cultural life of the nation was incalculable. Thus the first really deep-going influence which Zen Buddhism exerts upon Japan is that it encourages Japanese people to think more profoundly upon the problems of human life. With the coming of Buddhism the Japanese language was raised into a real medium of education and culture. A very large per cent of the present vocabulary came either directly from Zen Buddhism or was added from the Chinese to give an adequate expression of the new ideas which came in the train of the new religion. The spread of the art of reading and writing, and thus education in general, was largely due to the influence of the Zen Buddhists. Zen Buddhism elements are present in Japanese logic, psychology and philosophy. And what was true in the early days remained true for centuries; namely, that whatever the Japanese knew of philosophy and science they owed largely to Zen Buddhism. This intellectual development accounts for the fact that when Western culture came to Japan in the modern period the Japanese were able to assimilate it in such a surprisingly short time, and that today there are Japanese scholars in every field of learning who can hold their own with the scholars of any nation. In short, Japan has been a cultured nation for centuries and she owes to Zen Buddhism a great debt for the major part of this culture.
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Among the major contributions which Buddhism made to Japanese life we must place first and foremost the fact that it has been a vehicle of the higher civilization of the continent. This was true not only during its beginnings in this land when it so obviously was the means of bringing in the wealth of Korean and Chinese culture, but down to the Tokugawa period the Buddhist monks and priests continued to be the chief means by which Japan kept in touch with the rest of the world (Eliot 112). The point cannot be overstated, for just as truly as Christian missionaries from Europe and America have been the apostles of a superior civilization to the backward nations of the world, so have the Buddhists often been to Japan the messengers of progress and light. In a real sense has Buddhism been the “Light of Asia,” and perhaps no part of Asia has received as much through it as has Japan (Eliot 115). However, it does not mean that Japan would have remained in darkness if it had not been for the religion of the Buddha. But the history of Japan having been what it was, it is correct to say that Buddhism has been a determining factor, and that the sources of Japanese culture have been either directly or indirectly mainly Buddhist.
In the field of art it is more correct to say that Zen Buddhism created certain branches of Japanese art than simply that it influenced them. Thus Japanese architecture, sculpture and painting are what they are because Zen Buddhism has made them so. Music and poetry have also been influenced, though perhaps to a lesser degree.
If in the field of architecture we were to remove from these pine-clad hills and valleys the Buddhist temples, monasteries and flights of stone steps leading up to them, very little of grandeur or beauty would remain. The average Japanese house seems to be a development of the primeval hut and as a work of architecture it cannot claim a very high place. What makes it attractive is not any architectural feature but rather the cleanliness, neatness and simplicity of the interior; or it may be its picturesque environment. The Shintō shrine, too, cannot be said to rank very high, though the shrine entrance, the Torii, may be regarded as a real work of art. But it is really only when we come to Buddhist buildings that Japanese architecture can make any claims.
In the field of sculpture Japan is relatively much richer, and it has many elements of Zen Buddhism. What existed of this art before the introduction of Zen Buddhism may be classed with the crude clay figures produced by most primitive peoples (Izutsu 54). It is surprising in what a short time really world masterpieces in bronze, clay and wood were produced. The world’s largest bronze statue belongs to Japanese Buddhism of the eighth century. It is true that this does not rank so very high as a work of art, but there are many smaller relics of that period which do rank high. And not only during that first period did the Buddhist sculptor carve his ideals in wood and bronze, but all down through the centuries he dominated this art. The thousands and tens of thousands of images and statues which are to be found in temples, temple grounds, along the highways and byways, in cities, towns and villages, in valleys, on hills, mountain sides and mountain peaks, — all these are the handiwork of the Buddhist artists (Izutsu 101).
And if Zen Buddhist ideals have guided the chisel and the knife, they have also inspired the pencil and the brush. In a land of such natural beauty as Japan one would naturally expect the painter to be inspired largely by his wonderful environment, but instead of that, practically all the older schools of painters were inspired by Chinese masterpieces introduced by Zen Buddhism. Thus one student of the subject says that “it may safely be asserted that not one in twenty of the productions of these painters, who to the present day are considered to represent the true genius of Japanese art, was inspired by the works of nature as seen in their own beautiful country.” (Dumoulin et al 88). In fact the very neglect of perspective in landscape paintings and the “impossible mountains” in these are well-known characteristics (Eliot 76). It may be that the very exquisiteness of the scenery in Japan has made the artist despair of ever producing it on canvas, and so instead he seeks only to suggest it, leaving everything but a few bold strokes marking the outline to be supplied by the imagination.
Zen can be a religion without being religious. The live Zen quality thrives on indirection, not going obviously but deviously. This may explain the love of the dragon, lurking in bronze miniature on tiny islands in gardens; larger on eaves.
The oldest Japanese painting, dating as it is believed from the seventh century, is a mural decoration in Hōryūji, a Buddhist temple near Nara (Dumoulin et al 121). Practically all the leading schools down to the present day had their birth in a Buddhist atmosphere. Thus the great painters, Chō Densu and Jōsetsu, the most famous names in the most glorious period of Japanese painting, were Buddhist priests (Izutsu 45). The great men who succeeded them and founded independent schools, all kept true to the old traditions and preferred the models introduced from China by the Buddhist monks from century to century to the infinitely more perfect models which nature itself supplies to every artist in Japan. Thus while Zen Buddhism has created and nurtured the art of painting in Japan, it may also be said to have hindered the highest development in that it has imposed a slavish adherence to classic Buddhist models, and only occasionally have artists been able to break away from this tyranny, and paint as they really saw with their own eyes (Eliot 98).
The influence of Zen Buddhism on music, the most subtle of the arts, it would be difficult for any one not a real student of oriental music to estimate. One of the best authorities on the subject of the scale in Japanese music says that it consists “of five notes of the harmonic minor scale, the fourth and the seventh being omitted, because, as there are five recognized colors, five planets, five elements, five viscera and so on, there must also be five notes in music.” (Dumoulin et al 99). Being written in the minor key its dominant note is that of melancholy and despair, and not that of joy and victory. Because of this, Japanese music, whether influenced by Zen Buddhism or not, is after all a real expression of that pessimistic philosophy of life of which Zen Buddhism is the best formulation. As one’s understanding of this philosophy of life grows, one’s ears also become more sympathetic with the music of it, and especially do one’s ears respond to the one distinctively Buddhist instrument of Japan, namely, to the rich, mellow tones of the temple bell. Thus, “The suspended bell of Japan gives forth a voice of the most exquisite sweetness and harmony — a voice that enhances the lovely landscapes and seascapes, across which the sweet solemn notes come floating on Autumn evenings, and in the stillness of Summer’s noonday hazes. The song of the bell can never be forgotten by those that have once heard it. Their notes seem to have been born amid the eternal restfulness of the Buddhist paradise, and to have gathered, on their way to human ears, echoes of the sadness that prepares the soul for Nirvāna.” (Eliot 143).
Japanese poetry, also, shows the influence of Zen Buddhism. It may be difficult to prove that the form of poetry has been much influenced but its contents reflect every aspect of Zen Buddhist thoughts and ideals. This is peculiarly true of the short stanzas called Tanka, consisting of not more than five lines and thirty-one syllables, and still more of the Hokku, consisting of only seventeen syllables (Izutsu 75). These short poems are really more like epigrams and so are apt vehicles of sentiments too deep for thought or ideals too lofty for many words. The favorite subject matter of these short poems are “the flowers, the birds, the snow, the moon, the falling leaves in autumn the mist on the mountains . . . and the shortness of human life,” but the point of view from which these are treated is usually the Buddhist (Eliot 70). Thus the favorite cherry blossom is the symbol of the brave knight who does not cleave selfishly to this life; the moon is the symbol of the change to which all things are subject, the falling leaves in Autumn point the way of all life, and the shortness of human life is, of course, an ever-recurrent note in Buddhism; and the short stanza is especially well suited to give expression to a sigh over life’s fleetingness.
Even the subject of love is dealt with in Japanese poetry from the standpoint of the Zen Buddhist doctrine of Karma. Thus lovers imagine themselves to be destined for each other because in their Karma preexistence they had loved; and the conjoint suicides so popular in this land are often inspired by the thought that the law of Karma will bring the lovers together in a future existence under more favorable conditions than the present (Izutsu 134).
Then a form of poetry which is distinctively Buddhist is the Wasan or Buddhist hymn. Though the Wasan is not ordinarily ranked very high as literature, occasionally these hymns rise to high levels and compare not unfavorably with our Christian hymns and songs (Dumoulin et al 95).
But if the influence of Zen Buddhism on Japanese life has been strong in the field of art, it has been perhaps even greater in the realm of philosophy and religion. In fact, it is very doubtful whether Shintō would have survived at all if it had been opposed by Zen Buddhism, and not incorporated into it; for Shintō was entirely too primitive to have satisfied much longer the growing intelligence of the Japanese (Eliot 77). Buddhism’s victory might have been delayed but it would have been inevitable. And Confucianism, too, gained its hold in Japan largely because Buddhists propagated it. It was fostered by them because it supplemented the Buddhist teachings, especially in the field of practical ethics. Thus, as we have said, both Shintō and Confucianism had their place in Japanese life largely on terms laid down by Buddhism. This, of course, in turn affected Zen Buddhism and made it quite different in Japan from what it was in other lands. But still the genius of the religion of the Japanese people, especially in its higher intellectual and philosophical aspects, has been for centuries and still is today, more Buddhist than anything else.
What, then, are the chief contributions to the distinctively religious life of Japan which Zen Buddhism has made? First of all, Buddhism elevated and enlarged the conception of the Divine (Izutsu 85). Shinto rather referred to polytheism, and the Japanese had not yet advanced to the idea of the universal or the monistic whole. The elements of monism or monotheism found in present-day Shinto were not there when Buddhism first reached these shores; for, as we have said above, not until Buddhism had made itself felt was there even an attempt made to build up the various legends and myths of the native religion into a connected and reasoned whole (Dumoulin et al 116). But it is the very breath of the philosophy of Mahāyāna Buddhism to reduce the plurality of being to an all-embracing Divine Whole, and to regard the myriads of gods and individual beings as in some way the expression of the All-One (Eliot 45).
It is true, of course, that in popular Buddhism the gods of polytheistic Shinto and other cults have always played a prominent part; but even so, it must be admitted that Zen Buddhism did give the Japanese a loftier conception of the ultimate source of all reality than Shinto had (Izutsu 57).
Secondly, Zen Buddhism greatly enlarged the conception of man’s destiny. The early Shinto ideal went very little beyond the conception of man as a creature of sense-experience. The gods were implored or propitiated in order that they might bestow upon the suppliant what he wanted for a prosperous and happy existence. And the happiness of existence lay not so much in the realm of an enriched personality, as in the realm of those things which satisfy the desires of the senses. What lay beyond the realm of sense or the point in time when the sense organs are dissolved in death, did not concern the early Shintoist so much (Dumoulin et al 59). Zen Buddhism, however, taught Japan that man’s present life is but a moment of his existence and that the real life is more than the life of the body. In spite of the doctrine of the non-reality of the self, Zen Buddhism has impressed, through its doctrine of Karma, the thought of the far-reaching effects of the psychic forces in human life. It taught the Japanese to think of all things and to regard especially the individual human life in its relationship to the past and the future.
Thus it both minimized and magnified the place of man in the universe. It minimized man in that it exhibited him as but a fragment of the Whole. But it also magnified human life in that it showed that however small this fragment might be its destiny is wrapped up with the destiny of the Great All. To be sure, Zen Buddhism did not always have a very clear idea as to what this destiny might be, and often it seemed to be the destiny of Vacuity, but occasionally at least it held out to man a hope of a future life which was truly inspiring (Izutsu 74). And even in quarters where the hope of a larger future was not emphasized, or where it was left among the great uncertainties, the emphasis which such Buddhist thinkers placed on self-culture carried with it by way of implication the thought of a higher destiny; for what would self-culture mean if at the end of the road lay no real positive goal? That is, the schools in Japanese Buddhism which apparently denied the future life, after all, held out some sort of desired future to the individual and so ennobled the conception of man’s destiny.
A third great contribution which Buddhism made to the religious and cultural life of Japan is the conception, or conceptions, regarding the way by which man can reach his higher destiny. Whatever have been the perversions of these conceptions — the higher Buddhism has always insisted that it must be by way of obedience to the truth. Man must know the truth, and the truth shall set him free from the bondages of his little self into the liberty of the greater Something (Eliot 132). The doctrine of Karma, which runs all through Buddhist thought, on its better side means that this universe is under law. To know this law is to know the truth, and to obey the truth is to become superior to the law, or rather to direct the operations of the inexorable law in such a way as to bring man into a better and fuller life. Thus, Buddhism has always stood for the conception of a universe of rational laws which man must obey if he would advance into a larger and nobler life. This thought of obedience to the truth naturally leads us to the moral and ethical side of life in Japan.
The Zen -invented tea cult has long permeated Japanese culture, having taken the strenuous meditation practice of Zen, to gentle and soften it so that it can be enjoyed by everyone; thus spreading a mild degree of the aesthetic, moral and religious benefit of quiet sitting. The tea house in its garden is thatched and weathered, with cherished lack of ostentation. The influence of the avoidance of duality between the natural and the refined has kept Japanese houses close to nature and the love of wood; taking in the outside through sliding walls and outdoor decks. The half-dozen guests a tea hut will hold purify their hands with a Shinto dipper of water dripping into a hollow stone from a bamboo pipe before they enter, crouching through a low door that makes them all equal (Izutsu 163). Over the door on the inside will be a Zen saying, in characters so archaic and calligraphic that few can read them without being told what they are. Burned on a board they may say: “Bamboo is green, flowers are red,” or something like “Water is water,” to express the Zen feeling that things are the way they are, and that that is good (Izutsu 165). Above the bare branch arranged in the alcove will hang a scroll with a black-ink painting of a landscape faintly suggested, at one of the four seasons, and a brief poem in keeping. The verses and the painting, illustrating and supporting each other, are done with similar brush strokes. The writing on the scroll, in thirty-one or seventeen syllables, is like a condensed sonnet, just suggesting an image and a thought. The manner of the brush is quite as important as what is written. I
In Japan to learn to write is also to learn to paint, and people may all their lives go on practicing and improving their strokes, making them more their own. Patient discipline is the price of the spontaneity sought, as all Zen training is for the sake of simplicity. The variation attainable in thickness and thinness of line, vigor and delicacy of curving and straightening, is endless. The barest characters are hardest, allowing no hiding in complexity. So Zen imbues the means of communication. Whatever it says, it first of all is (Izutsu 178).
While the tea guests sit quietly they admire the scroll and the restrained arrangement of flower or branch. The hostess comes through a low door, and sets down her tray to slide the door to. Her kneeling motions are to be appreciated, and the delicate utensils she handles in the right order: the cloth, the tea caddy, the bamboo whisk. The kettle bubbles with the sound of flowing water, or of a breeze in the pines. Sweets are passed. The climax of the ceremony comes when the honored guest is served a bowl which he will first offer to the friend on each side, then hold up to look at, but not too high, not to risk a slip (Izutsu 117). The bowl must be old, with a dull loveliness, perhaps a bit rough and unsymmetrical, but sturdy and with a story of other owners (Izutsu 118). After turning it to right and left, the guest takes the first of his three and a half swallows of the foaming green liquid. Little is said. It is something like a communion service, without a priest except for the hostess; a meditative and intimate sharing of a bit of food and drink. Medieval warriors found in this ceremony a welcome respite, as business men do today.
The spread of Zen in this accessible and friendly form compensates immensely for the remoteness of monasteries and the relegation of temples. Centering in the bowls themselves the art of ceramics developed; flower arrangement, poetry, calligraphy and painting have been motivated by what is on view in the alcove; architecture and landscape gardening have gone out from the tea house and its setting. Using the central experience of preparing and taking nourishment, Zen civilized Japan.
Thus, Zen Buddhism was both a vehicle of a higher civilization and itself the expression of such a civilization in Japan. Naturally its influence on the cultural life of the nation was incalculable. Thus the first really deep-going influence which Zen Buddhism exerts upon Japan is that it encourages Japanese people to think more profoundly upon the problems of human life. With the coming of Buddhism the Japanese language was raised into a real medium of education and culture. A very large per cent of the present vocabulary came either directly from Zen Buddhism or was added from the Chinese to give an adequate expression of the new ideas which came in the train of the new religion. The spread of the art of reading and writing, and thus education in general, was largely due to the influence of the Zen Buddhists. Zen Buddhism elements are present in Japanese logic, psychology and philosophy. And what was true in the early days remained true for centuries; namely, that whatever the Japanese knew of philosophy and science they owed largely to Zen Buddhism. This intellectual development accounts for the fact that when Western culture came to Japan in the modern period the Japanese were able to assimilate it in such a surprisingly short time, and that today there are Japanese scholars in every field of learning who can hold their own with the scholars of any nation. In short, Japan has been a cultured nation for centuries and she owes to Zen Buddhism a great debt for the major part of this culture.
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Tips to Writing Your Online Dating Profile
dating
Online Dating Site hookmeup offers advice on writing your online dating profile
Ever wondered why some of your single friends seem to get more matches through online dating than you? (We’re not talking about your friends who physically resemble Brad and Angelina here.) You are all of a similar standard in the looks department, but some of them just keep getting the matches. Perhaps you need to overhaul your online dating profile. Check these tips below to ensure that your online dating profile is as good as it can be:
Sell yourself up. You should never forget that your online dating profile is pretty much an advertisement for yourself. There is no point downplaying your attributes. Demonstrate your best features in a positive light. Would you purchase a car that had an uninspiring ad?
Show individuality. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the rest of the online dating singles. People get bored reading the same descriptions over and over. Make an effort to give different answers to others. Bland and safe answers are boring answers and you will not catch any one’s attention by playing it safe.
Select an appropriate name. This is a really important point that many singles overlook when online dating. Single guys should note that girls do not think that any kind of dating name that has overly sexual connotations is clever or appealing. Everyone gets the names with 69 in them, no they are not clever, and most girls find them a turn off. If you can’t think of anything original, or everything you can think of is taken, opt for your porn star name. Your porn star name is the name of your first pet and the name of your first street that you lived in. Play around with those name combinations until you find something you like.
Display a photo. Surveys show over and over that other singles will not date you if they cannot see what you look like. This makes sense since approximately 90% of initial attraction is based upon appearances. Other online dating singles want to see what you look like now, not 10 years and 10 kilos ago. Ensure that your online photo is as flattering as it can be. If you have great features make sure that they are well displayed in the photo.
Be honest. There is no point lying about your age and your hobbies. You are only wasting your time and everyone else’s. Be honest about what sort of relationship you are seeking. There are plenty of singles in online dating for all types of encounters. If you are not interested in long term relationships tick one of the other boxes. Being honest on your profile gives you a much higher chance of finding someone that you are genuinely going to have things in common with.
Don’t appear desperate. You may be desperate and dateless. You may feel that you are hopeless. You may have been single for a while. However, your online dating profile is no place to display those thoughts. No one likes misery. The more desperate you appear, the less singles you will attract. The trick to online dating is to appear happy and carefree.
Spend some time and thought on your online dating profile. Your online dating profile is definitely not the place for ‘near enough is good enough’. Your online dating profile is the equivalent of you walking into a singles club. Would you go there looking less than your best? Eye catching online dating profiles do grab the attention of online dating singles. Overhaul your profile now.
Creative Zen Vs New Ipod Nano 3
Creative Zen VS new iPod nano 3
Part one: Appearance
iPod nano: The Nano measures a petite 2.75 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 0.25 inch thick– thickness. Matte, anodized aluminum graces the faceplate?
The new nano look almost identical to the stout, squat player we’ve come to know and love. The new units will include 2-inch, QVGA, 320 x 240 screens and have the highest pixel density the company has ever shipped (204 pixels per inch).
In addition to the new screens, the extra-wide player will sport an “enhanced” UI (which looks a lot like the video we saw recently) and its own version of Cover Flow. However, the Nano’s screen is covered with a scratch-prone plastic that will quickly show wear
Creative Zen: Creative Zen has ample screen and is pleasantly compact. At just 3.3 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.4 inch, and it’s definitely pocket-friendly. We’re also pleased to note that Creative didn’t skimp on the controls and has migrated completely to the user-friendly tactile variety.
Creative Zen black. Still, it must be said that black does make an excellent frame for the awesome 2.5-inch TFT screen, which is capable of displaying 16.7 million colors. The Zen has a certain understated elegance with its shiny face and brushed-metal backside. It’s like a smaller, sleeker version of the Vision.
In total:
For screen, the Zen has a bigger screen - 2.5 vs the iPod’s 2, but iPod nano is smaller and thinner than Zen. iPod nano is much impressive design then Creative Zen, with iPod nano has an exceptionally thin all-metal body, advanced user interface. But even Creative Zen pocket-friendly design, it control pad feels cheap.
Part Two: Media capabilities
iPod nano:
1. Audio and Video: The third-generation Nano’s piece de resistance is its support for video playback. Like other iPod, it supports H.264 or MPEG4 video in either MOV, MP4, or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640×480 at as much as 30 frames per second. You can buy videos through the iTunes online store or import them into iTunes and convert them for playback. Apple hasn’t changed its audio file format support. Copy-protected AAC files purchased through iTunes are supported, of course, as well as MP3, Apple lossless, AIFF, WAV, and Audible files. (Many third-party software iPod converter Suite also do a great job converting DVD and videos for the iPod.)
2. Game: The iPod Nano’s second major new feature is support for iTunes video games. While the selection of iPod video games has grown slowly, three tried-and-true standards come bundled with the Nano right out of the box: a congenial game of Solitaire, a trivia game called iQuiz, and the brick-pummeling Vortex (think Breakout on steroids).
Creative Zen:
1. Audio and Video: Zen is its support of unprotected AAC files, meaning it will play back iTunesPlus tracks. The player can sync via drag-and-drop in Windows Explorer, or you can use a Windows Media Player or Rhapsody. Like its other family members, this Zen also supports MP3, WAV, Audible, and both protected and unprotected WMA tracks. On the video side, the Zen plays WMV and Motion JPEG out of the box and MPEG4, DiVX, and XViD with conversion. Creative includes an app–Zen Media Explorer–which can take care of the conversion painlessly and (somewhat) quickly. (Also there are third-party software Creative Zen Converter could help you convert DVD and videos for Zen)
2. Photo: Zen not only supports video and audio formats, also it let you enjoy photos on. Photos must be in JPEG format, which Windows Media Player can convert to automatically during syncing.
3. Recording and FM radio: The Zen includes Creative’s usual impressive array of features, though it’s worth noting that there is no line-in recording for audio or video (the latter in particular would have been a nice touch). You do get voice recording and an FM radio with autoscan and 32 preset slots.
4. PIM functionality: You can sync contacts, tasks, and calendar info from Outlook to the device. Plus, you get the usual shuffle and repeat playback modes, handy contextual menus, and the ability to search for artists and songs as well as rate songs on the fly and set up to 10 bookmarks. Nine preset EQs, a five-band, user-definable mode, and a bass boost function ensure that you can adjust sound to your liking.
In total:
The Zen player offers a smorgasbord of desirable extras such as an SD card expansion slot, an FM radio, a voice recorder, and a user-definable EQ and it supports subscription music. Though iPod nano do not have many function, it built-in games.
Part Three: Performance
iPod nano:
1. Sound Quality: The iPod Nano’s sound quality still sounds just middle-of-the-road. Users do get more than 20 equalization presets to choose from, ranging from subtle enhancement to dramatic bass boosting. Compared to products such as the Creative Zen, the iPod’s sound quality still leaves room for improvement.
2. Video Performance: We were highly skeptical that we’d enjoy watching video on a 2-inch screen, yet the Nano’s superfine 204ppi screen looked refreshingly sharp and bright. We still prefer the video experience of a larger player, but it’s not far-fetched to imagine watching a full-length movie on the Nano.
3. Battery life: Apple rated the battery life for their third-generation Nano at 24 hours for audio playback and 5 hours for video. Our official testing squeezed out an impressive 29 hours of audio playback and 6.7 hours of video.
Creative Zen:
1. Sound Quality:The Zen did not disappoint–once we swapped in the Shure SE530 headphones. (For their part, the included headphones were passable.) Perhaps the best thing is that all genres of music sound equally great. The bass of Zen’s disco house track “Disco Patel” was tight and enveloping without overshadowing the sparkle of the high hat and minute ting of the triangle. In the Bangles’ high-end heavy intro to “Hazy Shade of Winter,” the detail of each instrument was crystal clear, and the relatively quiet Spanish guitar was not lost among the frantic chorus of the rest of the track. Overall, music was rich, warm, and detailed…and it just made us happy.
2. Video Performance: The Zen’s screen is fabulous. Photos look vibrant and bright, with excellent color saturation and good detail. Videos are similarly impressive–clear and bright with no noticeable pixilation (though we did notice the occasional blurring around some sharp edges)–and the viewing angle from side to side is excellent. Even the interface looks stellar, right down to the transparent icons on the main menu. It’s a nice screen to look at for sure.
3. Battery life: The Creative Zen also boasts plenty of volume to drive a full-size set of ‘phones–we only had it up to about a third with some noise-isolating buds. The rated battery life of 25 hours for audio and 5 hours for video is good, if not all that awe-inspiring.
In total: They both has good video performance. And the iPod nano has the average-sounding audio quality which is poor than Creative Zen. Battery life is the same - about 4 hours for video or 24 for audio, give or take.
Part Four
Except the control pad feels cheap, Creative Zen has bigger screen, is expandable, and cheaper than the Nano .we’re hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It’s a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features.
The iPod Nano is still one of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on the market. If you are a fashion guy, it is what you want.
Article Source:: http://www.daniusoft.com/tutorial/ipod-zen.html
Part one: Appearance
iPod nano: The Nano measures a petite 2.75 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 0.25 inch thick– thickness. Matte, anodized aluminum graces the faceplate?
The new nano look almost identical to the stout, squat player we’ve come to know and love. The new units will include 2-inch, QVGA, 320 x 240 screens and have the highest pixel density the company has ever shipped (204 pixels per inch).
In addition to the new screens, the extra-wide player will sport an “enhanced” UI (which looks a lot like the video we saw recently) and its own version of Cover Flow. However, the Nano’s screen is covered with a scratch-prone plastic that will quickly show wear
Creative Zen: Creative Zen has ample screen and is pleasantly compact. At just 3.3 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.4 inch, and it’s definitely pocket-friendly. We’re also pleased to note that Creative didn’t skimp on the controls and has migrated completely to the user-friendly tactile variety.
Creative Zen black. Still, it must be said that black does make an excellent frame for the awesome 2.5-inch TFT screen, which is capable of displaying 16.7 million colors. The Zen has a certain understated elegance with its shiny face and brushed-metal backside. It’s like a smaller, sleeker version of the Vision.
In total:
For screen, the Zen has a bigger screen - 2.5 vs the iPod’s 2, but iPod nano is smaller and thinner than Zen. iPod nano is much impressive design then Creative Zen, with iPod nano has an exceptionally thin all-metal body, advanced user interface. But even Creative Zen pocket-friendly design, it control pad feels cheap.
Part Two: Media capabilities
iPod nano:
1. Audio and Video: The third-generation Nano’s piece de resistance is its support for video playback. Like other iPod, it supports H.264 or MPEG4 video in either MOV, MP4, or M4V file formats, with a maximum resolution of 640×480 at as much as 30 frames per second. You can buy videos through the iTunes online store or import them into iTunes and convert them for playback. Apple hasn’t changed its audio file format support. Copy-protected AAC files purchased through iTunes are supported, of course, as well as MP3, Apple lossless, AIFF, WAV, and Audible files. (Many third-party software iPod converter Suite also do a great job converting DVD and videos for the iPod.)
2. Game: The iPod Nano’s second major new feature is support for iTunes video games. While the selection of iPod video games has grown slowly, three tried-and-true standards come bundled with the Nano right out of the box: a congenial game of Solitaire, a trivia game called iQuiz, and the brick-pummeling Vortex (think Breakout on steroids).
Creative Zen:
1. Audio and Video: Zen is its support of unprotected AAC files, meaning it will play back iTunesPlus tracks. The player can sync via drag-and-drop in Windows Explorer, or you can use a Windows Media Player or Rhapsody. Like its other family members, this Zen also supports MP3, WAV, Audible, and both protected and unprotected WMA tracks. On the video side, the Zen plays WMV and Motion JPEG out of the box and MPEG4, DiVX, and XViD with conversion. Creative includes an app–Zen Media Explorer–which can take care of the conversion painlessly and (somewhat) quickly. (Also there are third-party software Creative Zen Converter could help you convert DVD and videos for Zen)
2. Photo: Zen not only supports video and audio formats, also it let you enjoy photos on. Photos must be in JPEG format, which Windows Media Player can convert to automatically during syncing.
3. Recording and FM radio: The Zen includes Creative’s usual impressive array of features, though it’s worth noting that there is no line-in recording for audio or video (the latter in particular would have been a nice touch). You do get voice recording and an FM radio with autoscan and 32 preset slots.
4. PIM functionality: You can sync contacts, tasks, and calendar info from Outlook to the device. Plus, you get the usual shuffle and repeat playback modes, handy contextual menus, and the ability to search for artists and songs as well as rate songs on the fly and set up to 10 bookmarks. Nine preset EQs, a five-band, user-definable mode, and a bass boost function ensure that you can adjust sound to your liking.
In total:
The Zen player offers a smorgasbord of desirable extras such as an SD card expansion slot, an FM radio, a voice recorder, and a user-definable EQ and it supports subscription music. Though iPod nano do not have many function, it built-in games.
Part Three: Performance
iPod nano:
1. Sound Quality: The iPod Nano’s sound quality still sounds just middle-of-the-road. Users do get more than 20 equalization presets to choose from, ranging from subtle enhancement to dramatic bass boosting. Compared to products such as the Creative Zen, the iPod’s sound quality still leaves room for improvement.
2. Video Performance: We were highly skeptical that we’d enjoy watching video on a 2-inch screen, yet the Nano’s superfine 204ppi screen looked refreshingly sharp and bright. We still prefer the video experience of a larger player, but it’s not far-fetched to imagine watching a full-length movie on the Nano.
3. Battery life: Apple rated the battery life for their third-generation Nano at 24 hours for audio playback and 5 hours for video. Our official testing squeezed out an impressive 29 hours of audio playback and 6.7 hours of video.
Creative Zen:
1. Sound Quality:The Zen did not disappoint–once we swapped in the Shure SE530 headphones. (For their part, the included headphones were passable.) Perhaps the best thing is that all genres of music sound equally great. The bass of Zen’s disco house track “Disco Patel” was tight and enveloping without overshadowing the sparkle of the high hat and minute ting of the triangle. In the Bangles’ high-end heavy intro to “Hazy Shade of Winter,” the detail of each instrument was crystal clear, and the relatively quiet Spanish guitar was not lost among the frantic chorus of the rest of the track. Overall, music was rich, warm, and detailed…and it just made us happy.
2. Video Performance: The Zen’s screen is fabulous. Photos look vibrant and bright, with excellent color saturation and good detail. Videos are similarly impressive–clear and bright with no noticeable pixilation (though we did notice the occasional blurring around some sharp edges)–and the viewing angle from side to side is excellent. Even the interface looks stellar, right down to the transparent icons on the main menu. It’s a nice screen to look at for sure.
3. Battery life: The Creative Zen also boasts plenty of volume to drive a full-size set of ‘phones–we only had it up to about a third with some noise-isolating buds. The rated battery life of 25 hours for audio and 5 hours for video is good, if not all that awe-inspiring.
In total: They both has good video performance. And the iPod nano has the average-sounding audio quality which is poor than Creative Zen. Battery life is the same - about 4 hours for video or 24 for audio, give or take.
Part Four
Except the control pad feels cheap, Creative Zen has bigger screen, is expandable, and cheaper than the Nano .we’re hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It’s a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features.
The iPod Nano is still one of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on the market. If you are a fashion guy, it is what you want.
Article Source:: http://www.daniusoft.com/tutorial/ipod-zen.html
Free Dating Services Online to Seek Singles
Online dating service has been having more and more users joining each month. There are several things that makes online dating appears to be interesting to its users, especially when compared to conventional dating agencies. Online dating gives you total control on your date seeking process. You get to set a profile of yourself, including your pictures and certain likes and dislikes. Then, you can use the automated search feature on online dating sites to find people of the opposite sex that matches your criteria and most likely have similarities to you. Those automated search mechanism usually look for similar interest or other feats that will make the two of you fit for each other. This is a huge advantage for you. You are obviously making contacts and new friends with people that have the same mission as you are: finding dates.
The fact that you have all the control to decide whom you want to meet and whom you are planning to make contact with are another great advantages you get from using online dating services. Online dating is also considerably safe, and you can minimize your risks as low as you want to. If you do not want people to know your personal details too much, you can always set privacy profile of your account accordingly. You also meet with new people without having to meet them physically. This can reduce the amount of time spent to search dates, and could also be safer since you are not meeting with strangers in person.
It is easy to get started with online dating services. There are several online dating services available throughout the internet, and you can even get reviews on various sites available to know which one is the best for you. Once you have decided which site to join, all you have to do is sign up to that site and start making profiles immediately. There are some sites that offer premium services, which means you have to pay a certain amount of money to use their dating services or to gain access to features only available to premium users. If you are serious about seeking a date using online dating services, these premium features might be worth the cost.
The possibilities of online dating are endless. You can meet people from all around the world just by sitting in front of your computer, in the comfort of your own house. Once you found someone you are interested in, you could send him or her messages showing your interest. In most cases, you will most certainly get replies and the conversation between the two of you will set off in no time. You see how easy it can get?
Another great point of online dating agencies is that you do not have to deal with all those first date shyness until you really know the person. Once you are truly convinced that you connect with the person you meet online, you could take the relationship offline and meet. Another great wonder of the World Wide Web.
The fact that you have all the control to decide whom you want to meet and whom you are planning to make contact with are another great advantages you get from using online dating services. Online dating is also considerably safe, and you can minimize your risks as low as you want to. If you do not want people to know your personal details too much, you can always set privacy profile of your account accordingly. You also meet with new people without having to meet them physically. This can reduce the amount of time spent to search dates, and could also be safer since you are not meeting with strangers in person.
It is easy to get started with online dating services. There are several online dating services available throughout the internet, and you can even get reviews on various sites available to know which one is the best for you. Once you have decided which site to join, all you have to do is sign up to that site and start making profiles immediately. There are some sites that offer premium services, which means you have to pay a certain amount of money to use their dating services or to gain access to features only available to premium users. If you are serious about seeking a date using online dating services, these premium features might be worth the cost.
The possibilities of online dating are endless. You can meet people from all around the world just by sitting in front of your computer, in the comfort of your own house. Once you found someone you are interested in, you could send him or her messages showing your interest. In most cases, you will most certainly get replies and the conversation between the two of you will set off in no time. You see how easy it can get?
Another great point of online dating agencies is that you do not have to deal with all those first date shyness until you really know the person. Once you are truly convinced that you connect with the person you meet online, you could take the relationship offline and meet. Another great wonder of the World Wide Web.
Zen and your Sex
Zen can be your sex, and your sex can be Zen.
Zen is one of the many paths to attaining true wisdom.
By choice, Zen could play a critical role in your life; it could serve as a beacon for your longevity living. Since sex is a part of life, Zen could also have an impact on your sex life.
Zen is not a religion; rather it is a pure spiritual philosophy connecting you in the most basic way to the core of your being, the source from which all things are created, and thereby transcending the boundaries of time and space.
Firstly, sex is sacred; it is the source of creation. Human desire is natural and should not be denied.
You don’t have to look outside of yourself for satisfaction of that desire. In Zen, everything is within yourself. Inward is where the key to happiness lies
Zen is one of the many paths to attaining true wisdom.
By choice, Zen could play a critical role in your life; it could serve as a beacon for your longevity living. Since sex is a part of life, Zen could also have an impact on your sex life.
Zen is not a religion; rather it is a pure spiritual philosophy connecting you in the most basic way to the core of your being, the source from which all things are created, and thereby transcending the boundaries of time and space.
Firstly, sex is sacred; it is the source of creation. Human desire is natural and should not be denied.
You don’t have to look outside of yourself for satisfaction of that desire. In Zen, everything is within yourself. Inward is where the key to happiness lies
A Way to Start a Personal Development Business - Online Success Education
You have likely come upon this article because you are considering starting a personal development business, or perhaps you are already a personal development speaker or coach, and you are looking for a bit of a change. What might you do if you are drawn to work in the field of self growth and personal development and you don’t know where to start? Do you love engaging in personal growth seminars and activities and desire to make a living helping others achieve their best and their dreams?
You may be excited to learn that the internet age has brought with it a business model available that may be just for you. You can immerse yourself in personal development and success training education, and you can earn ongoing residual income in the high six figures by giving others the opportunity to “virtually meet” with some of the best success mentors in the world.
This business model is known as Success University. By partnering with Success University, you are able to continue your own self development, and you are also able to point others to tools and resources to assist them in their own self development. It is a super low cost business model with practically no overhead. The education provided is all internet based, and your target consumer or customer base is unlimited since anyone can access your affiliated business services anytime, anywhere, in the world. People who believe in the power of self growth and the importance of the achievement mindset are partnering up with Success University every day. And many of these Success University affiliates are building residual incomes of more than six figures within their first year in business.
The Success University business model is also extremely simple. The marketing plan is simple and effective. An affiliate of Success University simply gives away free trial enrollments to prospective Success University students! When these students enroll in a free trial, they are given immediate access to all phases of the complete success training curriculum. The majority of students who take a free trial do continue their enrollment in Success University long term. When that happens, the referring line of affiliates may earn an ongoing monthly income from those monthly enrollments. Plus, Success University affiliates also may earn a commission override on all enrollments from their entire enrollment team too.
Finally, when referred students enroll in Success University for their free trial, they immediately receive free access to trainings and online seminar recordings from over 50 of the best well known success experts in the world - including some of the “big names” such as Dennis Waitley, Brian Tracy, Robert Allen, and yes Zig Ziglar. In the majority of cases when a new student enrolls into Success University, that student will remain as an active participant in the university for the long term, because personal development is an ongoing and continual process. If you are the affiliate who referred these students, then these long term students will be your clients, for the entire term of their enrollment. This means you may earn a steady and ongoing income in the personal development industry. Yes, the Success University business model is a model you can plug yourself into as soon as today, and with the right actions and mindset, you know that you will be able to build your profits as high as you desire.
You may be excited to learn that the internet age has brought with it a business model available that may be just for you. You can immerse yourself in personal development and success training education, and you can earn ongoing residual income in the high six figures by giving others the opportunity to “virtually meet” with some of the best success mentors in the world.
This business model is known as Success University. By partnering with Success University, you are able to continue your own self development, and you are also able to point others to tools and resources to assist them in their own self development. It is a super low cost business model with practically no overhead. The education provided is all internet based, and your target consumer or customer base is unlimited since anyone can access your affiliated business services anytime, anywhere, in the world. People who believe in the power of self growth and the importance of the achievement mindset are partnering up with Success University every day. And many of these Success University affiliates are building residual incomes of more than six figures within their first year in business.
The Success University business model is also extremely simple. The marketing plan is simple and effective. An affiliate of Success University simply gives away free trial enrollments to prospective Success University students! When these students enroll in a free trial, they are given immediate access to all phases of the complete success training curriculum. The majority of students who take a free trial do continue their enrollment in Success University long term. When that happens, the referring line of affiliates may earn an ongoing monthly income from those monthly enrollments. Plus, Success University affiliates also may earn a commission override on all enrollments from their entire enrollment team too.
Finally, when referred students enroll in Success University for their free trial, they immediately receive free access to trainings and online seminar recordings from over 50 of the best well known success experts in the world - including some of the “big names” such as Dennis Waitley, Brian Tracy, Robert Allen, and yes Zig Ziglar. In the majority of cases when a new student enrolls into Success University, that student will remain as an active participant in the university for the long term, because personal development is an ongoing and continual process. If you are the affiliate who referred these students, then these long term students will be your clients, for the entire term of their enrollment. This means you may earn a steady and ongoing income in the personal development industry. Yes, the Success University business model is a model you can plug yourself into as soon as today, and with the right actions and mindset, you know that you will be able to build your profits as high as you desire.
Ireland Single Women at Ireland Dating Online Service
We are living in this computer world so looking for love online is common these day. There are thousands of Ireland single women at Ireland dating online services for men to meet with. It is totally free to use Ireland dating sites. Ireland singles should join Ireland dating sites to find Ireland men and women. A Ireland woman seeking a Ireland man at the bars or nightclubs is the old way. People rarely go to the clubs to find Ireland singles. Seeking dates online is the new way for Ireland people and online singles. We have seen many online Ireland dating services booming on the Internet in the last few years. Many popular Ireland dating web sites offer 100% free Ireland dating services which help many online Ireland singles to find love and romance without a fee. That’s wonderful, isn’t it? Some Ireland dating services provide free membership for a limited time but some Ireland dating sites offer free for a life time to the members. There are pay Ireland dating services that were created long time ago and they charge members some fee a month. Big Ireland dating services have the amount of joined members to two million and the number of members are going up. We can see how on line Ireland singles and Ireland personals like Ireland dating services on the Net.
The main purpose of online Ireland dating services is to provide single men and single women to know each other on Net. Some Ireland dating services focus on specific area, such as Northern America, UK, Russia, Asia, or Europe regions, and there are Ireland dating services are world-wide. Single men and single girls can meet thru the on line Ireland dating sites for friendship, relationships, or marriage. On line Ireland singles, in a moment, can see other Ireland personal ads in front of computer. Statistics usually shows that profile with pictures are viewed much more than profile without pictures on these Ireland on line dating services. Selecting the best online Ireland dating services that matches your dating style is not easy. Some members use their photos that they took 20 years ago to post on the on line Ireland dating sites to attract on line Ireland singles. So, you sometimes get surprised when you meet some specific members in person. So, before make decision to meet that specific person that you know on these Ireland dating sites, make sure you ask for their latest photos. Registering a profile takes a few minutes at these Ireland dating sites and we recommend that you upload your photo to increase your chance in getting more attention from other members.
The old saying said that one picture worth thousands words which is always true. When a member look at your photo, they will contact you right away if they are interested in your photo, without reading all the information you write on your profile. So, posting your profile with a picture or two photos increase your profile values. Usually, online Ireland dating services have new members on the homepage, which have newest members with photos. Profiles without pictures are usually not displayed on the front page of these Ireland dating web sites. Let us put it this way, when you search for a profile, you always look at profiles with pictures at these Ireland online dating services. Ireland singles are waiting for you at these Ireland singles dating sites. So, are you ready to meet that special Ireland singles? Join these free Ireland dating services and meet your other half who is waiting online to see you.
The main purpose of online Ireland dating services is to provide single men and single women to know each other on Net. Some Ireland dating services focus on specific area, such as Northern America, UK, Russia, Asia, or Europe regions, and there are Ireland dating services are world-wide. Single men and single girls can meet thru the on line Ireland dating sites for friendship, relationships, or marriage. On line Ireland singles, in a moment, can see other Ireland personal ads in front of computer. Statistics usually shows that profile with pictures are viewed much more than profile without pictures on these Ireland on line dating services. Selecting the best online Ireland dating services that matches your dating style is not easy. Some members use their photos that they took 20 years ago to post on the on line Ireland dating sites to attract on line Ireland singles. So, you sometimes get surprised when you meet some specific members in person. So, before make decision to meet that specific person that you know on these Ireland dating sites, make sure you ask for their latest photos. Registering a profile takes a few minutes at these Ireland dating sites and we recommend that you upload your photo to increase your chance in getting more attention from other members.
The old saying said that one picture worth thousands words which is always true. When a member look at your photo, they will contact you right away if they are interested in your photo, without reading all the information you write on your profile. So, posting your profile with a picture or two photos increase your profile values. Usually, online Ireland dating services have new members on the homepage, which have newest members with photos. Profiles without pictures are usually not displayed on the front page of these Ireland dating web sites. Let us put it this way, when you search for a profile, you always look at profiles with pictures at these Ireland online dating services. Ireland singles are waiting for you at these Ireland singles dating sites. So, are you ready to meet that special Ireland singles? Join these free Ireland dating services and meet your other half who is waiting online to see you.
Cheap Health Insurance Made Easy
Cheap health insurance has become the issue of the moment in South Carolina and across the country. More small businesses are increasingly unable to provide cheap health insurance plans to their employees because of the rising cost and the lack of federal and state legislation that would allow small businesses to purchase cheap medical insurance in pools. In the meantime South Carolina and other states are looking to cut the costs of the Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs for the elderly and the poor. However, more affordable forms of health insurance plans are available as some private companies are experimenting with a new variation of cheap health insurance known as health discount plans. In the article that follows we’ll explain the various aspects of cheap health insurance in South Carolina and how to find a plan that works for you.
Health Care Costs due to Managed Health Care
The current health care system in America is inaccessible to approximately 47 million poor and lower middle class people. In order to address the growing health care insurance crisis in the U.S. that resulted in health care cost growth in the 1970s and 1980s, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) sprung up. These were initially as non-profit groups designed to separate unnecessary tests and treatments from those that the patient required in an effort to keep costs down. Managed care organizations began screening requested procedures by physicians to pre-authorize what the HMO would or would not cover. However, the number of people who are the riskiest to insure-diabetics, cancer, etc.-continues to rise. Many South Carolina managed care industry experts say the cost of cheap health insurance is still high because of the existing pool of insured people who use the health care system more than an average amount.
The other battle that is ongoing in South Carolina involves the health insurance companies and hospitals, the latter which cannot turn anyone away from care by law. However, as the number of South Carolinians who cannot afford cheap health insurance increases, hospital emergency rooms are handling the majority of the load. More people have to turn to hospitals as their primary health care givers given a lack of adequate or non-existant health insurance coverage.
Cheap Health Insurance Plans Through the Workplace
Most cheap medical insurance policies in South Carolina are usually written through group coverage offered at work by your employer through a private South Carolina cheap health insurance company. This is usually the more cost effective way to purchase cheap health insurance now available since a large number of employees allows South Carolina companies to reduce their insurance premiums. Similar to buying in bulk, the more health insurance plans a business can purchase for its employees the less expensive the insurance is per employee. In South Carolina, like the rest of the nation, the number of companies that can provide cheap health insurance for their employees is declining.
Personal Health Insurance Plans
Health insurance plans can be purchased by individuals and families from virtually every insurance provider in South Carolina. Trying to purchase health insurance on an individual basis can be more expensive if the person already has a health problem, known as a pre-existing condition. Many companies will not cover people with pre-existing conditions if they have no continuation of coverage-renewing health insurance coverage after only a prescribed short period of time-picked up from an earlier cheap health insurance policy.
South Carolina Health Insurance Pool
The South Carolina Health Insurance Pool is a state health insurance plan designed to provide coverage for those that either do not have or have lost medical coverage at no fault of their own and are uninsurable. The pool was created by the General Assembly to help people who couldn’t get health insurance coverage from any other source, including people with certain disabilities. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina currently administers the pool.
Coverage is available to a person who has been a state resident for at least 30 days and meets the following criteria:
They were turned down for private health insurance coverage for health reasons;
They were accepted for private health insurance, but have pre-existing illnesses or conditions excluded from coverage, for a period exceeding 12 months;
They are paying health insurance premiums for comparable coverage which are more than 150 percent of the premium levels charged by the pool;
In certain situations, other individuals whose last health insurance coverage was an employer based group health plan may be eligible for coverage.
No matter what your age, there are also several federally sponsored programs to help you if can’t afford the premiums for individual health insurance, providing you meet their eligibility guidelines.
Medicare, a health insurance program for people age 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with end-stage renal disease.
Medicaid, a program for the poorest individuals and low-income families with children.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a plan that provides health care to children whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but earn too little to afford individual health insurance.
Types of Cheap Health Insurance Coverage
Cheap health insurance plans generally fall into one of two categories: indemnity plans and managed care plans (HMOs, PPOs or POS plans). An indemnity plan allows you to choose your own doctors and pays for your medical expenses totally, in part, or up to a specified amount. Managed care plans generally provide broader coverage within a specified network of health-care providers.
Although you can purchase cheap health insurance plans that cover specific areas of health care (surgical, hospital, physician expense plans) most plans cover varying degrees of health care in a number of different areas. This health insurance coverage, known as major medical insurance, offers extremely broad coverage with a very high maximum benefit that’s designed to protect you against losses from catastrophic illness or injury.
When comparing cheap medical insurance plans, check to see if they provide additional benefits that you may need, including prescription drugs, preventive care, mental health benefits, maternity care, and vision care. A comparison of various health insurance policies and rates through many South Carolina health insurance companies can be obtained at www.insurances.sc.
Cheap Health Insurance Recipient Costs
With most cheap health insurance policies available in South Carolina, the way to control cost is to cut down on the out-of-pocket expenses. Since most health care insurance policies require you to make a co-payment (the amount you pay a health care provider with every visit), anything involving a lot of time spent in the doctor or dentist’s office can become expensive. Most also require a deductible (costs you must cover out of your pocket for any major expense before your cheap health insurance policy picks up the remaining costs). You may also have coinsurance, the percentage of cheap medical insurance cost you will still have to pay after you reach your deductibles.
Another thing to consider is COBRA health insurance. This law allows employees who leave a job the ability to stay on that South Carolina company’s employee health insurance for up to 18 months although they have to pay the full amount of the coverage. Check the COBRA benefits to see if purchasing a less expensive individual health insurance plan may be in your best interest.
How to Buy Cheap Health Insurance
If you need to purchase individual health insurance, it can be expensive. Unlike group plans, in which the costs and risks associated with health care are spread among many people; individual health policies are “medically underwritten” to take into account your personal health history. Any “pre-existing” condition such as heart disease, diabetes, and even pregnancy, can nix your chances of acceptance or boost your premiums.
To determine the acceptability of a particular applicant, a health insurance underwriter can require information regarding the following:
The individual’s age: Age determines rates and whether coverage will be issued at all.
The individual’s gender: at younger ages, males have a lower rate of illness and injury than females. That changes by age sixty.
The individual’s health history and physical condition: Someone who has had a previous condition that can contribute to a future illness/injury is not considered an ideal risk. In response to a less than ideal medical history, modified coverage may be offered depending on the individual’s health, higher than normal premiums may be issued, or the person may be denied coverage altogether.
The individual’s occupation and hobbies: Some occupations such as construction workers have higher insurance rates, along with people who enjoy dangerous activities such as skydiving or bungee jumping. At times certain occupations are considered so hazardous that insurance companies will not cover them at all.
Your first step in getting cheap health insurance coverage is to understand exactly what you need. Think carefully about what coverage you must have. Do you need health insurance for your whole family, or just yourself? Do you want to choose your providers? If you’re over 65, do you need insurance to fill the gaps in Medicare? Do you need - and can you afford - long-term disability and/or long term care coverage? Even if you begin by soliciting cheap health insurance quotes you must still know exactly what you want in terms of health insurance coverage so you will be comparing apples to apples when weighing any cheap health insurance premium quote.
After that, contact a South Carolina insurance agent in your area. Ideally, you can start with an independent South Carolina insurance agent who is familiar with the insurance companies that do business in your area. This agent is also not bound to write coverage for any particular health insurance company so he or she can give you an honest appraisal of various health insurance policies.
When you’ve found the right coverage, you’ll give information to your agent to complete the necessary forms. Be honest. It’s important to disclose your medical history thoroughly and accurately. Report all of your health problems to your agent. If any of your health information is misstated or incomplete, the company might refuse to pay your claims and could cancel your policy.
Health Care Costs due to Managed Health Care
The current health care system in America is inaccessible to approximately 47 million poor and lower middle class people. In order to address the growing health care insurance crisis in the U.S. that resulted in health care cost growth in the 1970s and 1980s, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) sprung up. These were initially as non-profit groups designed to separate unnecessary tests and treatments from those that the patient required in an effort to keep costs down. Managed care organizations began screening requested procedures by physicians to pre-authorize what the HMO would or would not cover. However, the number of people who are the riskiest to insure-diabetics, cancer, etc.-continues to rise. Many South Carolina managed care industry experts say the cost of cheap health insurance is still high because of the existing pool of insured people who use the health care system more than an average amount.
The other battle that is ongoing in South Carolina involves the health insurance companies and hospitals, the latter which cannot turn anyone away from care by law. However, as the number of South Carolinians who cannot afford cheap health insurance increases, hospital emergency rooms are handling the majority of the load. More people have to turn to hospitals as their primary health care givers given a lack of adequate or non-existant health insurance coverage.
Cheap Health Insurance Plans Through the Workplace
Most cheap medical insurance policies in South Carolina are usually written through group coverage offered at work by your employer through a private South Carolina cheap health insurance company. This is usually the more cost effective way to purchase cheap health insurance now available since a large number of employees allows South Carolina companies to reduce their insurance premiums. Similar to buying in bulk, the more health insurance plans a business can purchase for its employees the less expensive the insurance is per employee. In South Carolina, like the rest of the nation, the number of companies that can provide cheap health insurance for their employees is declining.
Personal Health Insurance Plans
Health insurance plans can be purchased by individuals and families from virtually every insurance provider in South Carolina. Trying to purchase health insurance on an individual basis can be more expensive if the person already has a health problem, known as a pre-existing condition. Many companies will not cover people with pre-existing conditions if they have no continuation of coverage-renewing health insurance coverage after only a prescribed short period of time-picked up from an earlier cheap health insurance policy.
South Carolina Health Insurance Pool
The South Carolina Health Insurance Pool is a state health insurance plan designed to provide coverage for those that either do not have or have lost medical coverage at no fault of their own and are uninsurable. The pool was created by the General Assembly to help people who couldn’t get health insurance coverage from any other source, including people with certain disabilities. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina currently administers the pool.
Coverage is available to a person who has been a state resident for at least 30 days and meets the following criteria:
They were turned down for private health insurance coverage for health reasons;
They were accepted for private health insurance, but have pre-existing illnesses or conditions excluded from coverage, for a period exceeding 12 months;
They are paying health insurance premiums for comparable coverage which are more than 150 percent of the premium levels charged by the pool;
In certain situations, other individuals whose last health insurance coverage was an employer based group health plan may be eligible for coverage.
No matter what your age, there are also several federally sponsored programs to help you if can’t afford the premiums for individual health insurance, providing you meet their eligibility guidelines.
Medicare, a health insurance program for people age 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with end-stage renal disease.
Medicaid, a program for the poorest individuals and low-income families with children.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a plan that provides health care to children whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but earn too little to afford individual health insurance.
Types of Cheap Health Insurance Coverage
Cheap health insurance plans generally fall into one of two categories: indemnity plans and managed care plans (HMOs, PPOs or POS plans). An indemnity plan allows you to choose your own doctors and pays for your medical expenses totally, in part, or up to a specified amount. Managed care plans generally provide broader coverage within a specified network of health-care providers.
Although you can purchase cheap health insurance plans that cover specific areas of health care (surgical, hospital, physician expense plans) most plans cover varying degrees of health care in a number of different areas. This health insurance coverage, known as major medical insurance, offers extremely broad coverage with a very high maximum benefit that’s designed to protect you against losses from catastrophic illness or injury.
When comparing cheap medical insurance plans, check to see if they provide additional benefits that you may need, including prescription drugs, preventive care, mental health benefits, maternity care, and vision care. A comparison of various health insurance policies and rates through many South Carolina health insurance companies can be obtained at www.insurances.sc.
Cheap Health Insurance Recipient Costs
With most cheap health insurance policies available in South Carolina, the way to control cost is to cut down on the out-of-pocket expenses. Since most health care insurance policies require you to make a co-payment (the amount you pay a health care provider with every visit), anything involving a lot of time spent in the doctor or dentist’s office can become expensive. Most also require a deductible (costs you must cover out of your pocket for any major expense before your cheap health insurance policy picks up the remaining costs). You may also have coinsurance, the percentage of cheap medical insurance cost you will still have to pay after you reach your deductibles.
Another thing to consider is COBRA health insurance. This law allows employees who leave a job the ability to stay on that South Carolina company’s employee health insurance for up to 18 months although they have to pay the full amount of the coverage. Check the COBRA benefits to see if purchasing a less expensive individual health insurance plan may be in your best interest.
How to Buy Cheap Health Insurance
If you need to purchase individual health insurance, it can be expensive. Unlike group plans, in which the costs and risks associated with health care are spread among many people; individual health policies are “medically underwritten” to take into account your personal health history. Any “pre-existing” condition such as heart disease, diabetes, and even pregnancy, can nix your chances of acceptance or boost your premiums.
To determine the acceptability of a particular applicant, a health insurance underwriter can require information regarding the following:
The individual’s age: Age determines rates and whether coverage will be issued at all.
The individual’s gender: at younger ages, males have a lower rate of illness and injury than females. That changes by age sixty.
The individual’s health history and physical condition: Someone who has had a previous condition that can contribute to a future illness/injury is not considered an ideal risk. In response to a less than ideal medical history, modified coverage may be offered depending on the individual’s health, higher than normal premiums may be issued, or the person may be denied coverage altogether.
The individual’s occupation and hobbies: Some occupations such as construction workers have higher insurance rates, along with people who enjoy dangerous activities such as skydiving or bungee jumping. At times certain occupations are considered so hazardous that insurance companies will not cover them at all.
Your first step in getting cheap health insurance coverage is to understand exactly what you need. Think carefully about what coverage you must have. Do you need health insurance for your whole family, or just yourself? Do you want to choose your providers? If you’re over 65, do you need insurance to fill the gaps in Medicare? Do you need - and can you afford - long-term disability and/or long term care coverage? Even if you begin by soliciting cheap health insurance quotes you must still know exactly what you want in terms of health insurance coverage so you will be comparing apples to apples when weighing any cheap health insurance premium quote.
After that, contact a South Carolina insurance agent in your area. Ideally, you can start with an independent South Carolina insurance agent who is familiar with the insurance companies that do business in your area. This agent is also not bound to write coverage for any particular health insurance company so he or she can give you an honest appraisal of various health insurance policies.
When you’ve found the right coverage, you’ll give information to your agent to complete the necessary forms. Be honest. It’s important to disclose your medical history thoroughly and accurately. Report all of your health problems to your agent. If any of your health information is misstated or incomplete, the company might refuse to pay your claims and could cancel your policy.
Personal Development : Being A Better Person
The benefits of and growing as a person and making constant expansion is an innate part of us as human beings. All of us want to grow more and more and one’s definition of personal growth along with a list of personal skills for use in your personal development is of paramount importance. Reaching your potential personal and professional development becomes more and more important as time goes by as everyone wants to get better in his or her life in every way possible.
Now when considering one’s personal development, looking at wanting or having more with a list of personal skills does not necessarily make you better. To become a better person you need to get better inside and in reaching your potential personal and professional development quicker that you otherwise would have. You need to improve your inner self. Personal development helps one to become a better person and the our definition of growth is one of the first things to get defined.
Taking on personal development is a serious task. To make the world a better place (reaching your potential personal and professional development) we have to start with ourselves first. When your ideas, habits and attitudes change for the better, you could help others live their lives better. Though it sounds simple, it takes a lot of effort on your part. If it is so easy then why aren’t others trying to become better? The theory of Self-actualization states that in order for human beings to grow to a higher level, they have to get their basic needs satisfied. The basic needs of a human being are: physiological, safety, acceptance or belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization. Let us see why these factors are important in helping us to become better persons.
o Man’s physiological needs are food and water, i.e. basic survival. If you are starving and not having enough food and water to take care of your hunger and thirst, where would you get the strength from to think about becoming better? Only when you physiologically satisfy these needs can you think about your psychological hunger and thirst for self-knowledge. Your basic survival needs take the first place in your life and then your personal development.
o One has to ensure his personal safety above everyone else’s security. If you do not feel safe in your personal life, how can you try to bring safety to others? Your constant fear would not make you think about others.
o With personal development acceptance or a sense of belonging is another essential need for human beings. We need understanding and love from our family and friends and the society we live in. This acceptance will make us think of doing good things for the people who accept us and in that process we become a better person.
o The need for self-esteem along with a list of personal skills - once you are a recognized person among your people, you believe that they respect you. This feeling promotes power and prestige in you. To maintain this self-esteem you would do good deeds to better their lives. This in turn would reflect on your goodness. People would recognize you as a better person among them.
o Finally, we all have a definition of personal growth and when you satisfy most of the above needs, the concept of Self-Actualization will dawn on you. With a satisfied hunger, security, acceptance and power, you want to develop stronger ties with others. You rise above yourself, in the sense you start giving more importance to other peoples’ needs and wants. You believe in being committed to a greater cause than yourself.
Once you enter the doorway for self-realization you would eventually learn to put other people ahead of you in life and you become a better person, naturally!
When is comes to personal development and our lives, the reality is that you can be whoever or whatever you choose to be, if only more of us would believe and act upon this then we would not have the level of apathy and the situation we see in our society.
Now when considering one’s personal development, looking at wanting or having more with a list of personal skills does not necessarily make you better. To become a better person you need to get better inside and in reaching your potential personal and professional development quicker that you otherwise would have. You need to improve your inner self. Personal development helps one to become a better person and the our definition of growth is one of the first things to get defined.
Taking on personal development is a serious task. To make the world a better place (reaching your potential personal and professional development) we have to start with ourselves first. When your ideas, habits and attitudes change for the better, you could help others live their lives better. Though it sounds simple, it takes a lot of effort on your part. If it is so easy then why aren’t others trying to become better? The theory of Self-actualization states that in order for human beings to grow to a higher level, they have to get their basic needs satisfied. The basic needs of a human being are: physiological, safety, acceptance or belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization. Let us see why these factors are important in helping us to become better persons.
o Man’s physiological needs are food and water, i.e. basic survival. If you are starving and not having enough food and water to take care of your hunger and thirst, where would you get the strength from to think about becoming better? Only when you physiologically satisfy these needs can you think about your psychological hunger and thirst for self-knowledge. Your basic survival needs take the first place in your life and then your personal development.
o One has to ensure his personal safety above everyone else’s security. If you do not feel safe in your personal life, how can you try to bring safety to others? Your constant fear would not make you think about others.
o With personal development acceptance or a sense of belonging is another essential need for human beings. We need understanding and love from our family and friends and the society we live in. This acceptance will make us think of doing good things for the people who accept us and in that process we become a better person.
o The need for self-esteem along with a list of personal skills - once you are a recognized person among your people, you believe that they respect you. This feeling promotes power and prestige in you. To maintain this self-esteem you would do good deeds to better their lives. This in turn would reflect on your goodness. People would recognize you as a better person among them.
o Finally, we all have a definition of personal growth and when you satisfy most of the above needs, the concept of Self-Actualization will dawn on you. With a satisfied hunger, security, acceptance and power, you want to develop stronger ties with others. You rise above yourself, in the sense you start giving more importance to other peoples’ needs and wants. You believe in being committed to a greater cause than yourself.
Once you enter the doorway for self-realization you would eventually learn to put other people ahead of you in life and you become a better person, naturally!
When is comes to personal development and our lives, the reality is that you can be whoever or whatever you choose to be, if only more of us would believe and act upon this then we would not have the level of apathy and the situation we see in our society.