Month: May 2020

General Article

The GED – Is it Too Late?

May 31, 2020 Comments Off on The GED – Is it Too Late?

The GED – Is it Too Late?

After you’ve been out of school for a while, it’s easy to start wondering, is it too late to get my high school diploma? With the GED, the most accepted high school equivalency diploma in the U.S. and Canada, it’s never too late. The GED was created as a way to help soldiers returning from World War II get back on track with their education. The program has been expanded to help any adult who needs a high school diploma. Earning a GED diploma qualifies you for more jobs and higher education, and that’s a good thing at any age.

Adults of all ages receive their GEDs each year. In 2007, Evie Eaves of Amarillo, Texas earned her GED at 97 years old, becoming the oldest GED recipient. Evie, who was born in 1910, grew up on a farm in Oklahoma where the nearest high school was a seven mile walk. Her great-granddaughter urged her to get her GED. Family, friends, and the staff at her retirement community helped Evie earn her GED, an accomplishment that made her feel she could do anything.

Let Evie’s accomplishment be an inspiration to you, too. Each week, there are new stories of people of all ages who have earned their GEDs. Twenty-two years after coming to the U.S., Vietnamese immigrant Linh Wight, after a long struggle to learn English, earned her GED in Newnan, Georgia in 2009, and days later was accepted at the University of West Georgia. It wasn’t too late for her.

Learners who achieve their GED earn pride in their accomplishment. Sherry, a GED Academy student, writes: “I passed my GED! Thanks for all of your help. Now I’ll be able to pursue my dreams of nursing”. Zaher, also a GED Academy student, writes: “I am proud that I got my GED and very happy with it, especially after I learned that no one from my country has attempted that before!”

The GED is an important achievement for most learners. It represents a triumph that they can be proud of, as well as a road to future success with a new career or a college education. Only a few years after dropping out of high school, some learners begin doubting if they’re too old to go back. They think of a GED as “high school,” for 18 or 20-year-olds… but thousands of people in their fifties, sixties, and even older get their GEDs. It’s never too late to earn a GED diploma.

If you’re ready for a fresh start, for more education, or for a better career, it’s not too late for the GED. There are many resources to help you prepare, including programs at local community colleges, adult schools, and libraries, as well as online preparation programs like the GED Academy. The learners who make a commitment to get their GEDs never regret their achievement.

General Article

Social Work: Continuing Education Throughout Your Career

May 26, 2020 Comments Off on Social Work: Continuing Education Throughout Your Career

Social Work: Continuing Education Throughout Your Career

When it comes to social work, continuing education is more than a good way to keep up with your chosen field; in many cases it is a requirement. Unlike, say, renewing your driver’s license, keeping up with those requirements and getting your license renewed will take more than simply filling out some paperwork and updating your picture. If you thought your last college class was really your last class, you went into the wrong field. Boards in all states understand the importance of keeping up with changes and developments in all of the social science fields and they know intimately how dangerous it is to let yourself fall behind the time.

With social work, continuing education requirements change depending on where you live and work. Some requirements are imposed by the state licensing board, while others are enforced by private employers. You could be up to date on all of your credits in one jurisdiction but if you move to another you could find yourself woefully behind the time. That’s why several organizations have put together some basic national standards. This helps professionals involved in those fields to make sure they attain the highest possible standards when it comes to obtaining their credits, giving them the experience and resume they need if they have to move to another jurisdiction.

In a way, social workers of today have a much easier time of it than those in years past. There are so many more social work continuing education opportunities when you consider online classes, multimedia workbooks, and so on. Few professionals find themselves forced to go sit in a classroom unless they prefer to learn that way. Still, this degree of choice can also be a sea of hazards if you aren’t careful. Some independent website is under no particular mandate to tell their customers that the credits they offer will not be accepted by such and such a state. Therefore it is always up to you to make sure the credits you’re seeking will be applied to your continuing requirements.

Remember that social work continuing education isn’t just about filling requirements. Keeping up with your chosen field is important for so many other reasons, not the least of which is your ability to connect with your charges. Let’s face it: you got into the field for a reason and that reason was more than likely the chance to help people. Don’t let that ideal slip away as you’re confronted with the harsh realities of real world circumstances. Continue learning and pass on the knowledge you obtain.

Higher Education

Tips To Treat Your Body Right Through Nutrition!

May 21, 2020 Comments Off on Tips To Treat Your Body Right Through Nutrition!

In today’s dietary universe, it is best to have an understanding of what the body needs in order to get the most nutrition each day. This is where good nutritional knowledge comes into play. Stick to the good tips in the article below to help you create a healthy diet that is nutritious.
Children generally want to do what their parents do. Involve your children when you are practicing good nutritional habits and preparing healthy meals. This will give you an opportunity to teach them the value of good nutrition and healthy food choices.
If you have diabetes, you face some needs that are unusually challenging. Fortunately, it is possible to maintain more control over the condition by sticking with basic nutritional guidelines. This allows more stability and greater control over blood sugar levels. They need to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products and dairy products with limited fat in them. They should also ensure they’re eating at about the same time each day.
If you’re thinking of going into a diet (i.e. for weight loss), read some program reviews first. An in-depth look at the diet program can give you clarity on whether the diet program fits your need or not. For instance, reading through this Eat Stop Eat review reveals that it’s a fasting diet. You then have to ask yourself if fasting still matches your nutritional goals. You get the logic?
Add seaweed to your dinner plate for a healthy addition. Certain seaweeds like kombu, nori and dulse are very nutritious with a lot of minerals and vitamins. People living close to the sea have eating these plants for many thousands of years.
Dark chocolate is a much better alternative for your health than milk chocolate. This kind contains more of the compounds that make chocolate healthy than the others. Antioxidants like these bring up your good cholesterol numbers while depressing your bad ones. Make certain you select chocolate containing no less than 70% cocoa to reap the most benefits. Although you know it’s not all bad, still eat in moderation.
Make foods with plenty of vitamins A and C a key part of your diet. Both Vitamin C and A are crucial for nutrition, as they work as antioxidants. These antioxidants neutralize free radicals that can increase risks of various diseases and cause cell damage. The best sources of vitamin A come from animals, but carrots and broccoli are packed with vitamin A, as well. You can find vitamin C in citrus, strawberries, tomatoes and broccoli.
Processed grains have become so popular because many people prefer the taste over that of whole grains. There is no argument that white flour is a better choice for some baked goods. But overall, the whole grain baked goods have a much more complex taste and even help digestion due to their high amounts of fiber.
Always eat in moderation when you are deciding on a meal plan. If you eat too much, you can take in too many nutrients and fat, leaving yourself feeling out of sorts. This is damaging to your health because it reduces your internal functional processing.
Always give new healthy recipes a try. There are many easy recipes out there. You can even make protein bars with some healthy ingredients you may already have around the house. Also, oatmeal pancakes are great tasting and healthy for your body.
As you’ve witnessed, nutrition can tremendously improve your life. With proper planning, monitoring and some patience, your life will be healthier and happier.

Education College

Master and the Self

May 17, 2020 Comments Off on Master and the Self

The Master sees everything as himself, all knowledge is within. So whatever he sees, whatever he knows, he knows his Self. That is why a Self realized soul is called omniscient. He knows everything. Why? because whatever he knows, first, he has known the Self, his Self, that omniscient part of himself. The Self is this knowledge and this is the only reality. This is the only solution. We have many problems but this is the only solution. Each of us contains the possibility of using this solution by realizing the soul. So we talk about many worldly problems, we talk about many worldly things. The only solution to these worldly problems is to know thy Self. When you know the Self you will see that gradually all problems will cease.
I bow down to the oh great soul, my Master.
You are free from all attachments and the best of the learned and good.
You are the embodiment of eternal bliss.
This spiritual knowledge is based on the Master/disciple relationship. Spiritual knowledge goes from one heart to another heart. So the Master talks about the Self. When the Master talks about the Self the Master talks about himself, because he has realized that Self and he has become that Self. So when he talks about himself his words are so strong, because every word he speaks comes out of his own realization. He speaks from his own is speaking from his own an unenlightened soul speaks about Brahman, he speaks, but because he does not have that realization he cannot show the way to another aspirant. But a person who has realized the self knows the path of realization. He knows the path through which we can go to realize the Self. That is why the total science of spirituality depends on the words of the Master. The vibration of realization is delivered through their experience, their voice, their words, their touch, their glace, their picture, their face etc…
Mantra mulam Guru vakyam (Whatever the Guru is saying, this is the only mantra.)
There is no other mantra other than this.
Dyana mulam Guru murtim (If you have to meditate, you have to meditate on the picture of the Guru)
Puja mulam Guru padam (If we have to worship, we have to worship the lotus feet of the Guru)
Moksha mulam Guru kripa (The mercy of the Master is our salvation)
When then mercy of the Master comes, only then, we realize our Self and become enlightened. Swami Pavitrananda, the Master of my Master said that the only way to come out of all the problems in this world is to follow the words of the Master. The only way to get into the problems of the world is to avoid hearing what the Master , the spiritual world is the world of the words of the Master.
(The one whose glance, like the consolidated rays of the moon, washes away the worldliness resulting from the labor of birth and death)
His glace is like the consolidated rays of the moon. The rays of the moon are bright but they are not hot. They do not burn our eyes. I do not know whether you have any experience of the sun in India, the bitter sun that we have in India. Although the sun is bright it burns the eyes. So everybody in India loves the moon because the moon has a sweet and a soft light. It is also cool. You can stay and look at the moon for a long, long time. This is what the Guru is. This is what the Master whose glance is like the consolidated rays of the moon washes away the labors of birth and death. Whatever pain we have had to endure throughout the cycles of birth and death, the Master’s glance totally diminishes this pain.
Just his glance can wash it all away. Just a glance can take us beyond the cycle of birth and death. Now in the twinkling of an eye, I have attained this indivisible and inexhaustible treasure, the bliss of the Self. Just by a glance, the disciple has realized the soul. he has realized how peaceful the soul is. Now he can describe what the soul is. We have been talking about the Self. Now we will describe what the Self is.
(By the mercy of the Guru I have become blessed, successful, and free from the grip of the dragon of birth and death. Now I have become ever full of bliss.)
Yes now he describes the Self. I am unattached. This means that I am always unattached, I am always the witness. I am always the observer of this world. I am without a body. I am without all signs, subtle but I am indivisible, whole, ever peaceful, endless, pure and eternal. I am That.I am always free, I am always beyond everything. I am without a body, even the subtle body goes along with the mind and intellect.There was never any death. The subtle body did not die. I am always beyond death. Death cannot touch me. Death is of the body. It is not of the Self, which is cannot be broken, it cannot be killed.
(The body may die but the Self cannot be killed)
(It has got no birth. It has got no death)
Whatever death we see, it is only the death of the body, and the subtle body. But I am neither physical nor subtle do not know yourself. That is why you are distracted. Go inside the mind and then go beyond the mind, go beyond the body and you will see that you are completely still. You are without vibration. The vibrations are only from this external world. Whatever vibrations you see are only from the external world. It does not have any relationship to you.
In science we used to study one theory called resonance. Resonance means that when there are vibrations in one body, those vibrations are transmitted to another body. In an airport, the people who stay close to the plane when the flight takes off, receive the vibrations of the plane. The buildings resonate with the vibrations of the flight. However, the vibrations are not from the building they are from the plane. So vibrations come from the external world, but we take these vibrations into our body and make them our own. It appears that the vibrations are coming from inside of us. In this way we develop and maintain an imaginary connection with the external world. It is not a real connection, it is imaginary.
We have to establish that this connection is imaginary. So ultimately, you do not have any vibration. You are always the Self, calm, quiet, peaceful. You are endless. Why endless? It is because you don’t have any beginning. You have no limits. You are infinite. We limit our self because we associate our self with the finite. We associate our self with the mind and that is why we limit our Self. We think that we have an end but we don’t have any end. We are pure, we are only the Self. We are only the Self, we do not have any vibration within us. We do not have any matter in us we do not have any ignorance in us we are always pure knowledge. We are only consciousness, that is beyond knowledge. You never, ever had any vibrations. You are, quiet, calm and still. We are ever present in all times. We are beyond time.
I am not the doer, I am neither he who acts nor he who experiences the result of any action.
All of our suffering comes from our actions and the result of our actions. But Vedanta says that you are neither the doer, nor do you experience the result of your actions. Everything is a phenomenon of nature, we have no relation to this. This is why a person who realizes the Self goes beyond all miseries, activities and words. At the same time, we may wonder why someone suddenly does something to us. We may think there is no reason. However, everything has a reason. However, this is the result of our actions. Every action will have a reaction. So whatever we have done, returns. But at the same time we are neither the one who experiences nor enjoys our actions.
I never attach myself to any works, nor to I have the attachment to the desire for work. This is also our nature. We are always unattached to the actions and the results of our actions. I am beyond action and I am changeless. Actions continue but I am always unattached. I am always beyond them. My nature is pure consciousness. Ignorance is illusion, illusion is maya, and again maya is also not real. If you talk about practicality, then realize that there is nothing but the Self, there is only the eternal. You are not a sinner, you have never committed any mistake. You have never done anything sinful. You are always pure, you are always divine. You are eternal bliss.
Yes, I am separate from the hearer, the speaker, the seer and the doer, the enjoyer. I am without all limits.I am eternal consciousness, this does not need any explanation. I am a manifestation of the Supreme, ever free from anything internal or external. I am Brahma, one without a second free from all imagination of I, thou, of this or that. I am free from all doubts. I am incomparable, I cannot be compared with anything, because everything is worldly, but I am always beyond this world. Everything we think we know comes from our senses. Yet, we are beyond our senses. I am the purusha, the supreme, the indivisible consciousness without ego and any idea of me or my. I am That, supreme knowledge, supreme existence and supreme bliss. I am the refuge of all, everything takes refuge in me. I hold everything and I am the destroyer of all things. I don’t have any other controller or any ego Why? Because everything is me. When you realize the Self, this knowledge will manifest itself unto you.

Higher Education

Faith Centered Leadership: Wise Leaders… Foolish Leaders

May 13, 2020 Comments Off on Faith Centered Leadership: Wise Leaders… Foolish Leaders

Have you ever wished that you could give a colleague some wise feedback that would help him or her in their career, a project, or some aspect of their responsibilities? But you couldn’t because you recognized that they weren’t receptive to it, or they would have difficulty understanding it. You recognized that their perception or beliefs about what they were doing were so strong or deeply rooted, that it would be difficult for them to see any other point of view. You may have even recognized that this could develop into a serious professional derailer for the person. Maybe you carefully planned a moment in time to have the conversation, only for the person to rebuff your remarks and try to make YOU think that you were foolish.
As much as you wanted to help the other person, to help them see the folly of their ways, you knew that you had to wait until they WANTED to listen to you. You had to wait until they fell and got bruised and tried to figure out what happened and why… then maybe, just maybe you’ll be able to help them recognize how their own behavior or decisions contributed to their situation.
Realistically, none of us are completely wise or completely foolish. There are simply areas in our lives where we exhibit more or less wisdom (sometime a lot more or a lot less). The goal is to increase the areas where wisdom shines through; to seek the counsel of other people who are wise; to be able to recognize the difference between wise and foolish behavior.
This is even more important for leaders, because their wise or foolish decisions impact not only themselves but others around them. A CEO who makes an irrational or foolish product decision can drive the company’s stock downward effecting investors and employees. A CFO who foolishly covers up material financial information similarly damages the corporate reputation and subjects the firm to negative sanctions. The greater your responsibility, the greater your need for wisdom. The greater your wisdom, the greater responsibility will come to you.
So pursue wisdom with all your heart, mind and strength.
Faith Centered Leadership Words of Wisdom
Wise leaders know that they don’t know everything. Foolish leaders think that they do know everything.
Wise leaders don’t need to tell others how vast their wisdom is. Foolish leaders need to boast about the wisdom they think they have.
Wise leaders seek more understanding to make good decisions. Foolish leaders settle for little understanding to make poor decisions.
Wise leaders consider the source of information before acting on it. Foolish leaders run with information before checking its veracity.
Wise leaders aren’t afraid to stand alone. Foolish leaders generally stand with the crowd.
Wise leaders do what is right, even if others think it’s wrong. Foolish leaders do what is wrong, because others think it’s right.
Wise leaders anticipate the future consequences of their present decisions. Foolish leaders live in the present and ignore the future.
Wise leaders value the good in others. Foolish leaders mock the good in others.
Wise leaders are rarely wise 100% of the time, but they recognize and learn from their moments of foolishness. Foolish leaders are not as wise as they think they are but they seldom recognize all the foolish moments they have.
Wise leaders freely share their wisdom with others, because they recognize that the collective wisdom of a group will improve the entire team. Foolish leaders guard their moments of wisdom closely, as if by sharing it they will lose it.
Copyright 2012 Priscilla Archangel

General Article

Even Uncle Sam Files Extensions

May 9, 2020 Comments Off on Even Uncle Sam Files Extensions

Even Uncle Sam Files Extensions

2011 marks the rare occasion when the IRS says it needs more time to prepare for the tax year filing.A� Mainly due to tax law changes enacted by Congress and signed by President Obama at the tail end of 2010, some people must now wait until late February to file tax returns in order to give the IRS time to reprogram its processing systems. The IRS is expected to announce a specific date when as to when it is fully prepared to process these types of returns.A� Although the details for accounting professionals are typically covered in most standard continuing education tax courses, the basics of those taxpayers impacted by this delay include:

Taxpayers Claiming Itemized Deductions on Schedule A-itemized deductions include mortgage interest, charitable deductions, medical and dental expenses as well as state and local taxes. Itemized deductions include the state and local general sales tax deduction that was also extended and which primarily benefits people living in areas without state and local income taxes.

Taxpayers Claiming the Higher Education Tuition and Fees Deduction-this deduction for is primarily parents and students (covering up to $4,000 of tuition and fees paid to a post-secondary institution) is claimed on Form 8917. However, the IRS emphasized that there will be no delays for millions of parents and students who claim other education credits, such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit (extended last month) or the Lifetime Learning Credit.

Taxpayers Claiming the Educator Expense Deduction-mainly for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers with out-of-pocket classroom expenses of up to $250. The educator expense deduction is claimed on Form 1040, Line 23 and Form 1040A, Line 16.

Although the vast majority of people will still be able to file according to the standard schedule, tax preparers will be required to know all of the exceptions and how they are impacted. For example, anyone who itemizes and files a Schedule A is impacted by the new laws and will need to wait to file until this new mid-to late February deadline.

Given the extent of new tax laws (including the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Acts) and the number of other tax deductions and credits for 2011 and 2012 (including the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the modified Child Tax Credit), tax preparers can be assured that this most recent information will be incorporated into this year’s tax continuing education curriculum.A� These sorts of tax CPE updates guarantee that professionals with EA certification continue to offer valuable service to tax payers.A� An enrolled agent education requirement involves maintaining a high-level knowledge of tax law updates and working with the IRS on a wide variety of issues on behalf of taxpaying public.

On the bright side, Uncle Sam has given both tax preparers and taxpayers a bit more time as well, extending this year’s due date to file tax returns to April 18th. That’s a whopping 3 more days that should give preparers plenty of time to learn, analyze and apply the 929 paged new Bill just signed into law.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure

Pursuant to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service Circular 230, we inform you that, to the extent any advice relating to a Federal tax issue is contained in this communication, including in any attachments, it was not written or intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding any tax related penalties that may be imposed on you or any other person under the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another person any transaction or matter addressed in this communication.