The LuxMob Info Tags

A true commitment is a heart felt promise to yourself, from
which you will NOT back down, no matter what the circumstances
may be!

Many people have good intentions and dreams, but only a few are
willing to commit to what is necessary to achieve them. Do a
review on your commitment level, ask yourself these questions
and be honest with the answers.

* How badly do I want to achieve my dreams? * What will
achieving my dreams mean to me? * What price am I willing to pay
to make this happen? * Do I believe I can?

The ability to achieve your goals and dreams will be determined
by the level to which YOU are willing to commit. NOTHING is as
important as this fact!

There is a huge difference between interest and commitment. When
you are interested in something you only do it when it is
convenient. When you are committed to something you accept NO
excuses.

The enemy of commitment is resistance. Anything you wish to
achieve that is worthwhile, will meet with resistance. This can
take the form of, family friends, advisers, self-doubt,
self-defeating habits, lack of money, regulations, peer-pressure
and many other unforseen difficulties, such as illness etc.

This can leave you questioning your dreams or even your sanity!
Take some comfort in the fact that you are not alone. All those
who wish to make a better life for themselves, will meet with
resistence

Think of athletes or performers in any field. The endless hours
of practice and learning. The lack of a social life. The defeats
. The huge amount of sacrifices and challenges these people have
to meet so they can fulfill their dreams. Only YOU can decide
whether the rewards you look forward to are worth your effort.

A serious commitment to a goal does not mean you have to take
all the joy and fun out of life. Laughter and humour are an
integeral part of the human make up. Intergrate fun into your
daily goals.

Learn the difference betweeen giving up and giving in. There may
be many times when giving up a certain direction or idea, would
be wise. Giving in, on the other hand, should never even be
considered.

Life presents itself one day at a time. Take your commitments in
daily bite-sized pieces. You can do without mental indigestion!
One brick at a time, a house is built. One stroke at a time, the
artist paints! Copyright (c) Lynne Schulze

On the first Sunday of every month, Pasadena City College hosts a flea market and swap meet, from 8:00am to 3:00pm. This flea market is located on the Pasadena City College campus, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA. 91106, (626) 585-7906, on parking lots 1-4 along the south side. and the west side (Hill St.).

Over 450 vendors can be found there selling everything from high end antiques and collectibles to toys and tools to new, used and vintage clothing and used furniture. The prices are low, the lines are short and the vendors are friendly and helpful. There are also approximetly seventy (70) record vendors offering to sell and swap records, compact disks and memorabilia ranging from the big bands era to present day performers. Again the prices are quite reasonable and the vendors are friendly, helpfull and knowledgeable. They not only enjoy selling and swaping music items, they also enjoy talking about records and the music world. By the way, this is said to be one of the largest, if not the largest, record selling venues in Southern California.

According to Pasadena City College, admission to the flea market is free (this is one of the few flea markets around that still provides free admission) and parking, while sometimes difficult is also free, at the parking garage on Del Mar Blvd. or on the east side of campus at the Bonnie Avenue parking lot.

If you are looking for a flea market or swap meet that carries a good variety of merchandise, has very reasonable prices and is not overly crowded try the Pasadena City College Flea Market. Free admission and free parking makes this a good place for an outing. Even if you don’t buy anything you will have a good time and it won’t cost you anything.

After you finish with the flea market and swap meet, take a short drive up Colorado to Old Town Pasadena where you can dine at one of the numerous restaurants, have coffee, a capuchino or a lattee and a pastry at one of the bakeries, many with sidewalk patios, take in a movie, visit an art gallery, go dancing, take in a comedy act, shop at one of the many boutiques and stores or just go people watching.

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and is currently the publisher of several internet directories, including http://www.usacitydirectories.com a directory of national, state, county and city guides and directories listing local guides, directories, web sites and web pages providing resources, services and information about things to do and places to go.

Today, IT departments are strained. Internal IT staff are generally tied up working on low-level system maintenance, hit by wave after wave of patches and upgrades that are critical to keeping systems current and secure. They have too much to do, too few resources, and pressure from management to do more with less. But while the staff spends precious hours reacting to urgent demands, critical planning and evaluation work is neglected. It’s the classic example of spending 80% of resources on efforts that only return 20% of the value.

For these reasons and others, many executives have come to view IT as a necessary evil, rather than a strategic partner. They struggle with the following issues:

•Limited resources ($, Skills, Time)

•Inability to keep current with IT technologies and best practices

•70% of IT budget spent maintaining and operating older products

•IT is chaotic, reactive to problems, and not aligned to Business

•Desire to automate the routine maintenance.

Successful organizations are turning to managed service providers (MSP) for of the following benifits:

•Peace of Mind – because seasoned professionals are using advanced tools to predict and prevent any risk as soon as it is visible.

•Increased Productivity – Key network elements are more reliable and available.

•Faster & cheaper issue resolution – we notify the service people in real-time, with the exact location and cause of a real or developing problem.

•Reduce time spent on maintenance – we manage the exceptions to a library of internationally accepted standards, so you can focus on your core.

•Predictable & lower costs – we take the surprises out of IT planning and execution.

Bottom line, managed services offers a business model that aligns IT with the goals and objectives of the organization. Network problems directly control the profitability of the managed service provider. Therefore, a MSP is motivated to predict and prevent problems instead of the traditional consulting model where service providers receive more compensation for more problems. And isn’t that what everyone would like in the first place… No network problems?

Peter Radke is the Director of Managed Services for http://www.Thinsolutions.com in Cleveland, Ohio. As such, Peter implements MSP solutions that allow Thinsolutions to manage business computer networks in northeast Ohio for a fixed price. More information is available at the Thinsolutions website http://www.thinsolutions.com/managed_services.html

I have worked for Stephen Arnold and I can tell you that he
knows something about what he says.

If he says Google is working on a computing platform, my guess
is that Google is working on a computing platform.

And, though I hadn’t heard it until now, if he says they are
working on a processor to go with their OS, then they are at
that, as well.

I have e-mailed Stephen asking if he’d care to comment at this
time. If I get any tidbits, I’ll gladly send them on via the
blogosphere.

… And, before I finished typing this blog, as if on a cloud,
from my keyboard to his ears and back. Here NOW are Stephen’s
comments, with his blessings:

“When anyone buys an Appliance, that Appliance contains an OS.
The Mini is vanilla Linux. The GB-1001, GB-5005, GB-8008 contain
less vanilla Linux and more GOS. When Version 5 of the Appliance
ships, the GB-5005 and GB-8008 will support more advanced GOS
features.

I have heard that the GB-5005 and GB-8008 will “recognize” a new
Appliance plugged into the licensee’s network. Version 5 will
support clustering.

So… a Google OS. Well, it is here. With each upgrade to the
Appliances, the devices become more capable in supporting other
Applications. If Google introduces a Google “Office” to compete
with Microsoft Office, that application could run on a Google
Appliance.

Will you buy a GOS at CompUSA? Nope. Will there be more
applications that blur the line between the Google service and
the GOS? Absolutely.

Steve” - Stephen E. Arnold.

Check out www.infonortics.com for Arnold’s awesome book on
Google. Check www.arnoldit.com/sitemap.html for more Googlicious
reading.

And, enjoy!

Thanks, Steve.

While many of our clients have formed corporations, some are not aware of the basic requirements which must be met in order to properly maintain the corporation. This article is intended to point out some of these requirements and is intended for a general audience, applies to corporations organized in California, and does not constitute legal advice. As with all legal matters, you should check with an attorney concerning your particular situation.

Employer Identification Number

Every corporation filing a state or federal tax or informational return must have an employer identification number (an “EIN”) An EIN is your company’s “social security number” and it is used by banks and other companies as an identification number. The EIN is usually applied for by the attorney who incorporate the business, the company’s accountant or its payroll company.

Bank Accounts

The corporation must have its own bank account into which all income must be deposited and expenses paid. The checks should be printed with the full corporate name and any trade name it is using. To open this account you usually only need a copy of the Articles of Incorporation and your EIN. Since the passing of the Patriot Act, there are additional regulations which may require the bank to request additional information or documents. If your bank needs something else, such as a Secretary’s Certificate or similar document, your attorney can draft this for you.

Piercing The Corporate Veil and Alter Ego Liability

The corporate structure will generally protect the assets of the shareholders from the liabilities and debts of the corporation. However, this is so, only where the corporation is treated like a separate entity (distinct from its owners) and observes the corporate formalities required by law. If you fail to do so, a creditor may be able to ignore the corporation and pursue the individual shareholders’ assets in order to satisfy the debts and obligations of the corporation. We call this “piercing the corporate veil.” When the corporate veil is pierced or disregarded, then the shareholders are saddled with the liability for its debts and obligations. This type of liability is routinely called “alter ego liability.” In other words, the law will impose liability against the shareholders because there is no separateness between them and the corporation. Obviously, this would be a bad result for the shareholders.

In order to avoid these negative consequences, the corporation should keep in mind the following points.

1. Corporate Records

It is important that you maintain your corporate records in a professional manner, and in way which complies with the California Corporation’s Code. Failure to do so is one of the key factors courts will look to when considering whether or not to pierce the corporate veil.

Specifically, the corporation is required to hold annual meetings of the shareholders and annual meetings of the Board of Directors. These can be actual meetings with the required quorum, or they can be held “on paper.” What this means is that a document called a “Unanimous Written Consent in Lieu of Meeting” is drafted and executed by all persons who are required to be at that meeting.

Additionally, any extraordinary transactions must similarly be documented, and would be done so at a “Special Meeting” of the shareholders or directors (depending upon the specific facts of each transaction).

Once these meetings are held the minutes or written consents should be placed into the appropriate place in your corporate book, and maintained there for the life of the corporation.

2. Adequate Capitalization

The shareholders must invest in the company an adequate amount of capital for the nature of the company’s business. They cannot simply lend the company the money. In the case where the company is not adequately capitalized, a court may permit a creditor to look through the company and hold the owners liable for the company’s obligation. Courts have held that inadequately capitalized companies can be considered to be shams.

3. Maintaining Corporate Identity

In addition to the issues discussed above, there are a number of steps which you should take to preserve the corporation’s identity separate from its owners. These include: not using the corporation’s assets as if they were the assets of the shareholders; executing documents as an officer of the corporation (eg, “President” or Secretary”); placing the corporation’s income into the corporation’s account; not commingling the personal assets of the shareholders with the corporation’s assets; and using the full name of the company, including the designation “Inc.”

The Annual Obligations

Clients often ask what needs to be done annually to maintain their corporation. In addition to the annual meeting of shareholders and annual meeting of directors discussed above, a corporation is required to file tax returns with both the State and Federal governments. Also, the Secretary of State will send to you a “Statement of Information” form which needs to be completed and mailed in. The first such statement is usually filed by the incorporating attorney as part of the incorporation process.

Please bear in mind that the foregoing is not an exhaustive list of everything you need to know about a corporation’s duties. It is intended to answer the questions my clients have most often posed to me. However, by following these guidelines, you will be well on your way to ensuring that the corporation both complies with the law and will withstand an attack by creditors seeking to pierce the corporate veil.

Mr. Cartwright practices primarily in the areas of civil litigation, business planning, and identity theft representation. Mr. Cartwright graduated from Tulane University School of Law. While a student at Tulane, he was employed by US Customs. A native Southern Californian, he has practiced in San Diego since graduating from law school. For more information please contact him at:
glc@cartwrightlawgroup.com

http://www.cartwrightlawgroup.com

The tummy tuck, known as abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure in which excess fat and skin is removed from the abdomen. This procedure can make a major improvement to the looks of anyone who has protruding abdominal muscles, as it will help tighten the muscles in the abdomen. Tummy tucks have become quite common for both men and women alike, especially those who have gone through a dramatic weight loss and are left with extra fat and a saggy tummy. The final result is a flatter and smoother abdomen.

As with any surgery, there are risks involved including infections, blood clots, scars that heal very slowly and the risk of a second operation to correct the complication. With a tummy tuck procedure, patients will often experience pain, bruising and swelling in the abdominal region, as well as numbness. Some of these side effects may last for as long as several months.

There are several types of abdominoplasty that can be performed to enhance the appearance of the abdomen and the type for you will depend on whether your surgeon feels a full tummy tuck is in order or a simpler procedure. The first is the actual abdominoplasty or full tummy tuck. This involves an incision from one hipbone to the next that goes around the belly button. The lower skin is removed from the abdomen region up toward the ribs and the surgeon will tighten the vertical abdomen muscles. Any extra fat is removed during surgery and the skin is stretched down and cut before the flap is sewn into place. There is also the option to get a mini tummy tuck that involves a smaller incision and less recovery time. The mini tummy tuck is an effective solution for those with smaller tummy problems.

The endoscopic tummy tuck is perfect for people with extra fat, but with skin that still has good elasticity. Through the use of small incisions and a tiny camera inserted into the abdomen, the abdomen muscles can be tightened and extra fat can be liposuctioned from the area. This leaves little scarring and is one of the most popular tummy tuck procedures performed. A panniculectomy is for those who have lost a large amount of weight and have a huge overlap of skin in the abdomen region. This skin is removed along with any excess fat.

The recovery time of a full tummy tuck is under six weeks and generally, within a 2 year period, the scars will fade and flatten. It is not uncommon for those who have had this procedure to experience pain in the area for several months after the surgery. It is important to follow-up with your surgeon should you experience any major pain or discomfort, as it could be a sign of infection.

If you are contemplating getting a tummy tuck cosmetic surgery, you’ll want to do your research before you follow through. Your physician can recommend a surgeon to assist you, however, you’ll want to make sure you interview several before deciding upon who will do the procedure. Make certain your surgeon understands what you are expecting from the surgery and make sure you understand exactly what this surgery will or will not do for you.

Many individuals are getting tummy tucks in order to enhance their appearance. The surgery itself is not complicated, but the surgeon will decide if you are a good candidate for a tummy tuck. Women who are planning to have children in the future should wait to have this surgery and anyone that is considered to be obese or have a Body Mass Index over 27 should not have the surgery until they lose the necessary weight. The tummy tuck procedure is not a weight loss procedure. It is an enhancement surgery, designed to improve your looks.

This article was prepared for this Tummy Tuck Toronto site, please visit them for more information.

For the next topic of the dog’s musculo-skeletal system, I will be talking about four things. I will go over the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. These four tissues help tie together the skeletal system, which supports the animal, and allows movement.

Muscles

Muscles are what gives your dog movement. There are a lot of other systems that also contribute, but it is the contraction and relaxation of muscle that gives mechanical movement to the skeletal system, allowing dogs to walk, run, wiggle their noses, etc.

There are three different types of muscle in the mammalian body. There is Skeletal muscle, Cardiac muscle, and Smooth muscle. Cardiac muscle is just what it sounds like. This is heart muscle which has well-developed cross-striations throughout the muscle. Heart muscle beats rhythmically on its own due to Pacemaker Cells in the Myocardium which discharge and cause the involuntary heartbeat.

The Myocardium is just the thickest middle layer of the heart wall and Pacemaker Cells are just cells that set and keep a pace within the heart.

Smooth muscle also contains these pacemaker cells, but these beat at an irregular rhythm. Smooth muscle does not have any cross-striations, and is found in the internal organs of mammals, and are also involuntary.

Next comes the skeletal muscle. This is what I will be concentrating on. Skeletal muscle requires voluntary thought processes, which triggers nerve impulses, which then triggers muscle movement.

Skeletal muscle is attached to the skeleton by tendons. I will talk about these in a minute. Muscles allow movement of the skeleton to occur by contracting and relaxing. Muscles do not expand and push, they can only contract and pull. This is why there are muscles on each side of a bone. They are called Antagonistic Muscle Pairs. For example, one muscle contracts and pulls to bend the leg, the other contracts and pulls to straighten it out.

These are the basics of muscle, and from here on out things get very complicated. I will keep it simple, so here are just a few other things to know about muscle.

Skeletal muscle is made up of individual muscle fibers, that taken together, form the muscle structure. Each muscle fiber runs in a parallel line between the tendons, and most muscle fibers both begin and end at the tendons. The way that these muscle fibers are arranged makes the contractile force additive, that is, when contraction occurs, the force along the line of muscle adds up as more force occurs.

There are three main proteins that make up the contractile mechanism in skeletal muscle. They are Myosin-II, Actin, and Tropomyosin. Tropomyosin is further made up of three subunits.

I will try to generalize what happens in muscle when contraction occurs. This process is very complex, so remember, this is just a layman’s explanation.

Skeletal muscle is made up of thin filaments and thick filaments. The contraction of muscle occurs when the thin filaments slide past the thick filaments. The so called “power stroke” occurs by what I would call a lever action. A lever from the thin filament detaches from the thick filament, moves down the thick strand, re-attaches, then flexes and pulls the strand shorter. The distance moved is just a few nanometers, but when hundreds or thousands of these lever actions occur all along the muscle filaments, considerable shortening of the muscle occurs.

I hope I explained that in a way that you can understand, because you can spend months studying just the mechanism of contraction and relaxation of muscle.

There are two types of muscle fibers in the dog’s body. These are Type I and Type II fibers. The different fiber types are found in different types of muscle. Red muscle is mostly made up of Type I fibers and are darker, respond slowly and have long latency, and are responsible for maintaining posture. These are long, slow contractions.

White muscles contain mostly Type II fibers and are responsible for fine, skilled movements. They have short twitch durations.

One last tidbit about muscle is that dog skeletal muscle has the ability to exert 3 to 4 kilograms of tension per square centimeter of cross-sectional area. This is also true for human skeletal muscle.

Tendons and Ligaments

The information that I have about tendons and ligaments will be brief. Tendons are what attach the muscles to the bone, and Ligaments are what attach bone to bone. They are both very tough and fibrous. They can take a lot of stress, but once they sustain an injury, tendons and ligaments heal slowly. If they are allowed to rest, they can regain their strength and motion. But if the injury is ignored, and more damage continues to occur, it will result in obvious pain. Without rest and treatment, tendons and ligaments will never regain their original strength or range of motion.

Tendons are made up mostly of collagen protein, along with other proteins. They have a poor blood supply, and when they suffer injury, they are difficult to treat, and often do not heal well.

Ligaments are similar to tendons in structure, but attach bone to bone.

Changes in the mechanical motion of a limb also affects changes the tendons and ligaments. When tendons and ligaments are gradually placed under increasing stress, they can adapt and become stronger and more flexible. This occurs in athletic dogs and dogs that perform daily work such as herding, pulling sleds, and other activities. When dogs gradually work up to a certain work level, the tendons and ligaments adapt as well.

When your dog lays around all day, and all week, then you take them to the park to play fetch on the weekend, your dog is placing great stress on their tendons and ligaments when they are suddenly running hard, making quick turns, and putting compressional stress on their entire skeletal system.

Stretching out your dog’s muscles before any type of exercise, and making sure that they are warmed up before any activity will help decrease any chances of injury or damage on the cellular level. Take time to stretch out your dog’s legs by taking each limb, moving it in all directions, and holding it in place for a few seconds.

For example, grab one of your dog’s front legs and stretch it all the way out, and hold for a few seconds. Then stretch it all the way in the other direction and hold. Repeat this a few times. Make sure to stretch his leg at the elbow and the wrist as well. Repeat this for all limbs. Then walk your dog for at least 10 minutes before any activity to make sure he is warmed up and will not be working with “cold” muscles.

Another stressful situation placed on your dog is when you have them jump in or out of your vehicle with cold muscles. As described above, this places stress on your dog’s entire skeletal system. Over time, this will cause problems such as arthritis and hip dysplasia. Young puppies should never, ever be allowed to jump or run before they are at least one year old. To see the reason why, refer to part 1 of this series, The Dog’s Internal Anatomy: Part 1- Skeletal at the Pet Care 4 Our Animals website.

In order to reduce stress on your dog from jumping in and out of your vehicle, or on and off of your bed or couch, read about how to increase your dog’s longevity and keep him youthful.

Joints

A joint is simply the place where two bones meet. Each end of the bone is covered by a layer of cartilage called articular cartilage. The entire joint structure is covered by a joint capsule called the articular capsule. This capsule is lined on the inside by the synovial membrane, which produces joint fluid, called synovial fluid. The synovial fluid provides lubrication for the bone, muscle, ligament, and tendon at that joint.

This is a generalization, because there are many different types of joints depending on their location in the dog body, and their structure and purpose. What I have described above is called a synovial joint, which is a freely moving joint. Note that the two bones are separated by a cavity.

Synovial joints are further divided into two different types. A Hinge Joint is a freely moving joint that can only bend in one direction, such as the knee. A Ball-and-Socket Joint will allow rotaional movement and can move in all planes. An example of this would be the hipbone joint.

There are also two other types of joints. One, called Fibrous Joints are immovable joints. These joints hold bone together tightly, such as in the skull. The skull consists of many bones that do not move.

The other type of joint is called a Cartilaginous Joint. These joints allow some movement and are found mostly in the vertebral column. Each vertebrae is divided by a cartilaginous joint, which provides protection and cushion between vertebrae. Continual jumping up and down from high places can cause damage to these joints, and lead to back problems in dogs.

About the Author

Richard Delgado brings his 15 years of pet care experience to the internet community to teach all dog lovers to properly care for their dogs. His current website Pet Care 4 Our Animals at http://www.4ouranimals.com focuses on the care and prevention of dog joint diseases. Sign up for his monthly newsletter at newsletter@4ouranimals.com.

What they say is true. It’s all about the resume. I
remember my first resume and let me tell you, it was hideous. I thought that I would
sit down and create what I like to call, ” The Resume Techniques Of Today And The
Jobs We Didn’t Get Due To The Resumes Of Yesterday.” Keep in mind that all these
tips are based on my personal opinion. The first rule of thumb, nobody cares about
your hobbies and interests.

The second rule, never add pretty paper, pictures or
fragrances. Not only is this inappropriate, but it shows that you have far too much
time on your hands. The third rule of thumb, always have a short, to the point and
attractive cover letter. Don’t forget to have your name, address, email and telephone
number centered at the top of your letter. This goes for your resume page as well.
You can start your cover letter with “to whom it may concern”, or if you wish to be
fancy and effective, use the name of the business that you are applying to. Now for
the nitty gritty……. sections.

First and foremost, always have the title of your
sections in bold but not your text. I always like to start with an ‘Objective’ section
where I explain the reasons as to why I am seeking employment and as to where I
wish the employment to take me. Then I proceed with a ‘Qualifications’ section. This
is where I describe my down to earth attitude and willingness to work harder than
all of the workers in the land.

Follow this section up with your ‘Work History’. Keep
in mind in this section, to always start with your most recent place of employment.
Always put the date that you commenced employment and the date you left. Once
that is accomplished let the employer know what position you held and the duties
for which you were responsible. Only present them with three to four jobs, as
‘history’ should not be taken literally in this circumstance. Only two more to go. I’m
feeling pretty job ready. Are you?

Education is the penultimate section to this crazy
little piece of paper that us humans refer to as a resume. Please be aware that if you
graduated High School in the late 70’s, no one wants to know. Just list any College
or University schooling that you may have attended and the dates attended or are
attending. Last but not least, ‘References’. Don’t forget, pick employers who like
you.

Only list 2-3 references. Make sure you use the name of your references and
their positions, as well as their telephone number. It is also a good idea to phone
them as well, to let them know that a potential future employer may be calling them
to request a reference for you. I understand that it is possible for more then three
past employers to think highly of you.

However, try and stick with the ones that
match your work history and then just simply add ‘More References Upon Request’,
below them. Well, all the best to you and your future resume writing. I hope this
article has done some justice for your resume today and not yesterday. Your Hired!
Patent that, Trump!

Bio: Rebecca Nelken has written this article for Paul Henning, creator of Jobzilla a free
job search and job posting site.

I thought you might enjoy reading a professional article I prepared several years ago. It is just as current today and really speaks to a tragedy in our health care system that we must all try to combat. I am trying to explain some of the problems of managed care which penetrate much more deeply than out pocketbooks. These problems penetrate our minds, bodies and spirits! I am eager to hear from you, as always.

Those of us who became clinicians 15, 20, 25 and 30 years ago did so because we had a mission. Each in his or her own fashion had a reason for becoming a clinician that tapped into a need to be of service to humanity, dedicated to utilizing skills that stressed talking and listening as an art/science. We served internships, wrote dissertations and gladly entered what we saw as a ‘healing’ profession.

In fact, we achieved what I refer to as THE ENCHANTED SELF (i.e. Achieving Positive states of being that are a reflection of each person’s uniqueness). Each was able to utilize the uniqueness of one’s personal history, and talents, serving the public in a meaningful and skilled manner.

As private as the treatment room had been, most can look back on those early years, as years of collegial support and understanding. Whether one became an ego-psychologist, a behaviorist, or a family therapist, each of us knew the mentoring, and the success that went with each discipline. We were able to achieve some form of enchantment within the treatment room, offering our clients the best of ourselves, psychologically supported by our colleagues and society at large. We were confident to encourage our clients to stay for the appropriate length of treatment, comfortable making clinical judgments and enthused about learning new techniques and clinical skills. We offset our sleepless nights and anxieties around difficult clients, with elation and moments of pure joy, as we saw clients grow and heal.

Those days seem long gone. Now we are in an era of disenchantment. By that I mean we suffer the emotional and financial devastation of Managed Care. Whether a clinician chooses to practice within Managed Care or not, he or she is not protected from disenchantment. Disenchantment is all around.

The public does not respect or understand the art/science of psychotherapy as they used to. Nor are the younger clinicians trained and mentored professionally to the standards that we took for granted.

Clients come into psychotherapy, often with lowered expectations as to what therapy is, motivated primarily by their pocketbook or their Managed Care’s pocketbook. They expect cures within 4, 6 or 8 sessions. After all, that is what their plan offers. They are led to believe that a few sessions are an adequate number of contact hours with a therapist. They expect miracles while no longer having a cursory understanding of what talking therapy is all about. They, like most of America , want a quick fix, and they want it now! Of course, this can not be! Nothing good happens overnight.

Giving ourselves a genuine dose of positive regard, beginning to acknowledge our talents, strengths, coping skills and lost potential; learning how to negotiate, react and act; and finally finding pleasure and replenishment in all the right places are universal necessities to living a life of meaning and purpose.

As we find ourselves as “mental health providers” in a state of disenchantment, how can we utilize what we know about human potential to offset our own emotional and spiritual malaise? We know from the study of human potential that optimism and hope are extremely important factors in staying well both physically and emotionally. How can we hold on to these capacities within ourselves? How can we at the same time fight Managed Care? In my book, THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, I discuss how important our own histories are. Each of us has accumulated many memories. Our memory banks are unique to ourselves and hold within them, the potential for hope and optimism. Let me explain.

Only you can review your life’s history. Rather than looking for dysfunctional aspects of your past, search out and discover moments when you displayed talents, strengths and/or wonderful coping skills. Only you can review your life, discovering and recognizing the moments when you were filled with the potential for growth and success even if you were stymied. Now is a golden opportunity to look through your past and recognize these wondrous moments.

Perhaps as a child you excelled at playing chess or tennis. Perhaps you were the child that brought home and nurtured abandoned birds and animals. Perhaps you longed to study the piano but there was no money and you could not take lessons. Yet even now you may remember the longing you had to play, or, perhaps to fend off feelings of anxiety in a quarreling fancily, you developed marvelous organizational skills. Were you the adolescent that displayed leadership skills, becoming president of the junior high school student council? Or were you the child that loved to dance or write poetry or just sit and daydream? You, who have guided so many others in finding their paths, can take the time to review your own history to find what is most positive about yourself.

Once you have begun to review and itemize your talents, strengths, coping skills and potential you are well on your way to bringing enchantment back into your life. Even during these dark days of Managed Care you can utilize your own enchantment in several fashions. You may discover in reviewing your past that you have much more potential to help in the fight for Managed Care then you thought was possible. Directing yourself to be a clearer and stronger warrior in the battle will in and of itself decrease anxiety and lessen the likelihood of depression. We all know that from what we advise our clients.

If a review of your past makes clear that you are not cleared to be a warrior in this battle, you can still access long forgotten talents and pleasures which can make your life more fulfilling. Perhaps it is time to take up tennis again. After all, you may have a few more open hours. Perhaps it is time to join a writer’s group or offer volunteer services on the local first aid squad. Perhaps it is time to finally make those plans for a walking or biking tour next summer and use extra hours to strengthen those old leg muscles. In reviewing your talents you may discover new avenues to provide mental health services to your local community.

Remember, whatever way you go, you will find yourself most successful if you are utilizing your own specific talents, and coping skills. You will soon find that you are able to expand your horizons and have a more positive sense of yourself. You will be back on the road to enchantment.

About The Author

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein , originator of THE ENCHANTED SELF®, a method of bringing delight and meaning into everyday living, invites you to view her new line of ENCHANTED WOMAN products, downloadable e-books, and free gifts at http://www.enchantedself.com. Chat with others in Dr. Holstein’s e-group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/encself/join, and sign up for her fre e e-group at www.enchantedself.com. Order her book, THE ENCHANTED SELF: A Positive Therapy, or the CD-rom or tape version and her book RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT: The Secret Ingredient is YOU!, or the ED-rom version, at http://www.enchantedself.com/ordering/ordering.htm.

encself@aol.com

During a recent visit to my parent’s house I noticed a solid black briefcase on the kitchen table. I was curious as to what was inside. From it’s size, I thought it might be a laptop computer. My mom opened the briefcase to reveal several colorful tiles and game pieces. She informed me that it was her Mahjongg tile set. She plays this ancient Chinese game weekly with her friends.

I am a big fan of playing Mahjongg on the computer. I wondered if there were differences in the rules of my mom’s physical board game versus my computer game. There are many differences indeed, just as there are many versions of Mahjongg available. The board version is an intense game of strategy, logic, and planning. My mom plays with three other players and has to work with a partner. The computer version I play is basic in comparison as I just try to match tiles together to remove them from the Mahjongg tile pile.

What is the history of Mahjongg? Mahjongg is an ancient Chinese game that has a debatable origin. There are several theories as to who invented Mahjongg. Some believe that Mahjongg wasn’t invented until the middle of the 19th century. Believers of this origin maintain that Mahjongg was based on current Chinese card and domino games.

Others believe that Confucius invented the game around 500 BC. Confucius was known as a great Chinese philosopher. The theory that he started Mahjongg is based upon observation that game piece tiles and popularity relate to his philosophies and travels.

Mahjongg made its way to the United States by the early 20th century. The game was translated into English. In 1937 the National Mah Jongg League was created. The rules of Mahjongg were reviewed and revamped.

Who plays Mahjongg? Mahjongg has had a variety of players. The game requires four players and takes a few hours to play. Therefore, it is an ideal game for parties or special occasions. Players in China have played Mahjongg to celebrate life events.

When Mahjongg became popular in the United States it was primarily played by the Jewish population. Mahjongg is now making its way across all backgrounds and age levels. The physical tile game is familiar to the older generation while the computerized version is bringing in the younger generation.

How do you play Mahjongg? Good question. The answer is that it depends. There are basic rules, but rules tend to vary based on the geographic region. The main goal of the game is to find matching tile suits and complete the 14 to 17 tile set. There are rule books that cover the Western version of the game.

The Mahjongg game that my mom plays is closer to the ancient Chinese version then the computerized version I play. She enjoys the complexity and strategy of Mahjongg as well as the benefit of playing with her good friends.

Mahjongg is an exciting game to try whether you want to play with friends or on your own. I find playing the computer versions both entertaining and relaxing. Many games websites, such as Grandmatrix.com, have several PC versions of Mahjongg available. The different versions are akin to the variety of Mahjongg history, rules, and players around the world. Start your exploration of the Mahjongg variations by searching GrandMatrix under the keyword ‘Mahjongg’ and you will be well on your way to fun!

Jill is a writer for the GrandMatrix website. Read more articles, download, play and rate the latest free PC games and play thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at GrandMatrix Online Games and Downloads