According to a survey conducted by Statistics Center of Dubai in 2006, about 85% of Dubai population was made of expatriates. Majority of them lives in rental units. That leaves them solely on landlords mercy. Rising rents have long been the biggest worry for these expatriates, with rents getting doubled and tripled in no time. This relation between tenants and landlords became more tensed with issues like landlords vehemently asking tenants to vacate house without any prior notice. Dubai Government first reacted by putting rental caps and now a new law signed by His Highness Sheikh Mohamad bin Rashid Al Maktoum on 26th November 2007 has been introduced. Read on to see what kind of changes it will make.
Tenants Point of View:
Tenants are relieved in many ways by this particular law. For instance
Addressing the issue of abnormal raise in rents, this law prevents any increase or amendment made in tenancy contract for first two years.
Decided rent will include the usage of utilities like car parking or swimming pools. Landlord must provide the property in sound quality.
Article 16 of this law puts the responsibility of property maintenance on landlord. But very next article states that landlord shall not make any change which will affect the tenant benefit in any way.
The landlord cannot force tenants to leave before the expiry of contract with exceptions like tenants failing to pay rent value or if tenant starts using the property for some immoral purpose, etc.
If the reason disclosed for eviction is possible collapse of property, because of its poor condition, landlord must provide a technical report confirmed by Dubai Municipality.
Another noteworthy clause of this law is that if landlord restores the property for his/her own use on expiry of contract, he/she cannot rent the property to anyone else for one year. If it happens, the tenants can take legal action against him.
Tenants should keep in mind that only those contracts are valid which are in written form and registered with RERA.
Landlords Perspective:
Landlords will be restricted to decided rent at the time of contract for two years. Keeping this in mind they can decide a reasonable rent, taking into account factors like inflation rate and time value of money.
After two years, rent can be modified. If both parties cannot settle on revised amount, this dispute will be forwarded to judicial committee, who will then decide the amount of rent.
This law is not valid for hotel establishments and any accommodation provided to employees from their companies.
The landlords are entitled to receive rent value on agreed dates.
Tenants cannot make any changes to property without landlords consent.
All taxes due to Government will be paid by tenants.
This new law would definitely keep a check on alarmingly increasing tenant problems. However there are some flaws, which will be dealt with, in near future hopefully.
Senin, 31 Maret 2014
Find the Correct Information of Fraud Law
We think we are familiar with the definition of Fraud law but little do we know about it, especially about the disputes it generates. According to the law, it is generally defined as a deliberate perversion of material existing fact made by one individual to another with the knowledge of its falseness and for the purpose of inducing the other individual to perform, upon which the other person facing the resulting harm or damage either mentally or on the basis of state material facts, usually a non disclosure or a deceptive statement.
Fraud is represented by a falsification or an error that relates to an existing fact that can be a promise to do something in near future, although the person who made the promise did so without any possible intent to achieve it or with a positive intent not to achieve it.
You can get all types of fraud information online as there are ample of sites dealing with such issues.
Federal law covers a broad scope of various types of scams. Fraud can be labeled as dishonesty meant for some advantage. A dishonest person is proclaimed as fraudulent.
It is not important that all false statements are fraudulent but to be one, a false statement must transmit a material fact. It should also pursue a person to enter into a certain frequent course of action. However a false statement that does not stand as a doubtful operation will not be measured fraudulent.
It is important that the dependant knows about the statement to be untrue. A mistaken or misrepresented statement cannot be taken as deceitful. If speciousness and materiality are proved, then the process of fraud can be proved and actions can be taken against it. The false statement also has some purpose, generally to deprive the victim of some legal rights. Victims reliance on the false statement must be reasonable. The false statement must also cause victim some injury that is either related to status in the society or professional trouble.
Fraud is most common in the real estate sector or on the matters of buying and selling of property such as bonds, stocks and personal property. Federal agencies criminalize fraud but not all cases are registered or caught.
There are mainly three types of fraud:
1.Asset misappropriation,
2.Bribery and corruption
3.Financial statement fraud.
Among these, asset misappropriation is the most common type that occurs at major level. This might include check forgery, theft of money, payroll fraud, inventory theft or theft of services.
Stats show that asset stealing happens in over 91% of fraud schemes even after being the least expensive fraud. The next most frequently occurring fraud type is bribery and corruption with the percentage of only 31%. Financial statement fraud occurs only 10% time, but it is the most expensive of all types of fraud.
Huge population around the world is the victim of some kind of fraud every day. Make sure you are not one of them. But if you are, you can always take help of an attorney dealing with fraud issues. He/she will help you get out of any scam successfully and speedily.
Fraud is represented by a falsification or an error that relates to an existing fact that can be a promise to do something in near future, although the person who made the promise did so without any possible intent to achieve it or with a positive intent not to achieve it.
You can get all types of fraud information online as there are ample of sites dealing with such issues.
Federal law covers a broad scope of various types of scams. Fraud can be labeled as dishonesty meant for some advantage. A dishonest person is proclaimed as fraudulent.
It is not important that all false statements are fraudulent but to be one, a false statement must transmit a material fact. It should also pursue a person to enter into a certain frequent course of action. However a false statement that does not stand as a doubtful operation will not be measured fraudulent.
It is important that the dependant knows about the statement to be untrue. A mistaken or misrepresented statement cannot be taken as deceitful. If speciousness and materiality are proved, then the process of fraud can be proved and actions can be taken against it. The false statement also has some purpose, generally to deprive the victim of some legal rights. Victims reliance on the false statement must be reasonable. The false statement must also cause victim some injury that is either related to status in the society or professional trouble.
Fraud is most common in the real estate sector or on the matters of buying and selling of property such as bonds, stocks and personal property. Federal agencies criminalize fraud but not all cases are registered or caught.
There are mainly three types of fraud:
1.Asset misappropriation,
2.Bribery and corruption
3.Financial statement fraud.
Among these, asset misappropriation is the most common type that occurs at major level. This might include check forgery, theft of money, payroll fraud, inventory theft or theft of services.
Stats show that asset stealing happens in over 91% of fraud schemes even after being the least expensive fraud. The next most frequently occurring fraud type is bribery and corruption with the percentage of only 31%. Financial statement fraud occurs only 10% time, but it is the most expensive of all types of fraud.
Huge population around the world is the victim of some kind of fraud every day. Make sure you are not one of them. But if you are, you can always take help of an attorney dealing with fraud issues. He/she will help you get out of any scam successfully and speedily.
Sabtu, 29 Maret 2014
Services offered by The Digital Edge Audio and Video Broadcasters
Leading digital edge services across broadcast duplication, content management, disc duplication and replication services are provided by the audio, video and technical assessment of film and television programming.
The new age digital audio and video based service can provide a wide variety of video and file based services for media professionals. Staffs having good experience and specialization in the supply of internationally approved, high-end broadcast transfer of different local and international companies in the broadcast industry. Various services offered by video audio cassettes Sydney are as follows: -CD Services -DVD Services -Broadcast Services -EcoDisc -USB Flash Drives -Technical Assessment (QC) -ProMedia -Templates The tape and film sales Sydney has perhaps the largest disc duplication facility. They provide the clients with a total solution service for any run quantity. With no minimum order quantity CD burning offers quickest turnaround. CD pressing which is also called -Replication' offers the lowest pricing for large runs and any run quantity ranging from 500 to 500,000. The CD duplication services can be used for quick turnaround of any quantity CDs which also combines the premium quality. CD pressing requires more time to produce CDs in compare to CD duplication. But it is considered the most economic method that features off-set printing or high quality screen. This service is used by many clients to burn their own CDs, using printed stock which looks professional and reinforces corporate image by adding to security. Based on the quantity and artwork specification, the discs can be thermal, screen, offset or UV cured inkjet printed.
Video audio cassettes Sydney provide clients with a total solution service for any run quantity by assisting their clients with setting up DVD-R masters and transferring material from different sources. The industry leading professional DVD authoring software along with the latest DVD production hardware replicate and duplicate different amount of DVDs for customers. The duplicated DVDs are available in different quantity but replicated DVDs are available in DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD 10, 8cm, 12cm disc or credit card size.
The artwork specifications include: using with Illustrator, Photoshop, including 2mm bleed, ensuring the covering of inner hub, ensuring fonts and embedding, CMYK color space, saving as 300dpi, supply of an accurate proof or printout for referral, supply as PDF, PSD, EPS or Ai etc.
The services offered by CD DVD packaging Sydney also include a wide range of packaging options, along with the printing of booklets and inlays for CD presentation and distribution. The various packaging outlays are: Clam Shell Mailer, Double Jewel, Jewel, Paper Sleeve, Plastic Sleeve, Slimline Jewel, Slimline Mailer. Besides providing the packaging option, you will also be assisted with the other packaging ideas.
Author is the Sales and Distribution head at video audio cassettes Sydney who looks after the tape and film sales Sydney.
The new age digital audio and video based service can provide a wide variety of video and file based services for media professionals. Staffs having good experience and specialization in the supply of internationally approved, high-end broadcast transfer of different local and international companies in the broadcast industry. Various services offered by video audio cassettes Sydney are as follows: -CD Services -DVD Services -Broadcast Services -EcoDisc -USB Flash Drives -Technical Assessment (QC) -ProMedia -Templates The tape and film sales Sydney has perhaps the largest disc duplication facility. They provide the clients with a total solution service for any run quantity. With no minimum order quantity CD burning offers quickest turnaround. CD pressing which is also called -Replication' offers the lowest pricing for large runs and any run quantity ranging from 500 to 500,000. The CD duplication services can be used for quick turnaround of any quantity CDs which also combines the premium quality. CD pressing requires more time to produce CDs in compare to CD duplication. But it is considered the most economic method that features off-set printing or high quality screen. This service is used by many clients to burn their own CDs, using printed stock which looks professional and reinforces corporate image by adding to security. Based on the quantity and artwork specification, the discs can be thermal, screen, offset or UV cured inkjet printed.
Video audio cassettes Sydney provide clients with a total solution service for any run quantity by assisting their clients with setting up DVD-R masters and transferring material from different sources. The industry leading professional DVD authoring software along with the latest DVD production hardware replicate and duplicate different amount of DVDs for customers. The duplicated DVDs are available in different quantity but replicated DVDs are available in DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD 10, 8cm, 12cm disc or credit card size.
The artwork specifications include: using with Illustrator, Photoshop, including 2mm bleed, ensuring the covering of inner hub, ensuring fonts and embedding, CMYK color space, saving as 300dpi, supply of an accurate proof or printout for referral, supply as PDF, PSD, EPS or Ai etc.
The services offered by CD DVD packaging Sydney also include a wide range of packaging options, along with the printing of booklets and inlays for CD presentation and distribution. The various packaging outlays are: Clam Shell Mailer, Double Jewel, Jewel, Paper Sleeve, Plastic Sleeve, Slimline Jewel, Slimline Mailer. Besides providing the packaging option, you will also be assisted with the other packaging ideas.
Author is the Sales and Distribution head at video audio cassettes Sydney who looks after the tape and film sales Sydney.
Rabu, 26 Maret 2014
Facta Law And Paper Shredders
FACTA stands for "Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act", a law that became effective in June 2005. The FACTA law requires companies that have one or more employees to provide them with proper document disposal equipment. In other words, according to the FACTA Law, important personal or business related documents have to be discarded in a safe way that thoroughly eliminates chances of identity theft. The best way of complying with the new FACTA is to purchase a paper shredder for your office, the most protected and successful method of removing information and eliminating sensitive documents.
Increased protection since HIPAA
Only a few businesses are aware of all the requirements of the FACTA Law. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act specifies a series of penalties for businesses that are not complying with it. FACTA law increases personal ID protection for employees and reduces the chances of identity theft from happening. The FACTA law was created to protect employee information and it followed the footsteps of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).
FACTA law fines
A company that fails to comply with the FACTA law can end up paying huge fines. State laws allow fines that go up to $1,000 while federal law allows a fine of up to $2,500 for one single violation. Besides this, if an employee accuses identity theft, and his employer is found to be guilty of unwillingly facilitating access to personal information (though poor document disposal techniques), chances are the lawsuit will be in the employee's favor. FACTA law compliancy is not difficult to achieve, as it only requires you to purchase one device - the paper shredder. You can choose from a large variety of paper shredders, from cross cut to strip cut shredders, from industrial paper shredders to small office shredding machines.
Identity theft damage
The problems caused by identity theft cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year. There are many ways in which identity theft strikes: a person having personal information on someone else can easily open fraudulent bank accounts, charge credit cards, rent buy or sell items with a different name and so on. Victims of identity theft often have a very late response and they realize that they have been robbed or cheated out of their money only weeks, months or even years later. The number one cause for identity theft are all the documents that contain such sensitive personal information and get thrown in the garbage, instead of being properly disposed of by using a paper shredder .
FACTA law and paper shredders
The fines imposed by the FACTA law for businesses that do not dispose of document containing personal employee information properly are high. The best way of avoiding both the FACTA fines and any risks of allowing employee information to fall in the wrong hands is to purchase a paper shredder. While the cots of a shredder and it's presence in the office might seem like an extra burden, the paper shredder is, in fact, your best bet against identity theft and other forms of fraud. Small office shredders are great for small offices with only a few employees, while larger corporations can purchase a cross cut paper shredder that can process thousands of documents each day.
Increased protection since HIPAA
Only a few businesses are aware of all the requirements of the FACTA Law. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act specifies a series of penalties for businesses that are not complying with it. FACTA law increases personal ID protection for employees and reduces the chances of identity theft from happening. The FACTA law was created to protect employee information and it followed the footsteps of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).
FACTA law fines
A company that fails to comply with the FACTA law can end up paying huge fines. State laws allow fines that go up to $1,000 while federal law allows a fine of up to $2,500 for one single violation. Besides this, if an employee accuses identity theft, and his employer is found to be guilty of unwillingly facilitating access to personal information (though poor document disposal techniques), chances are the lawsuit will be in the employee's favor. FACTA law compliancy is not difficult to achieve, as it only requires you to purchase one device - the paper shredder. You can choose from a large variety of paper shredders, from cross cut to strip cut shredders, from industrial paper shredders to small office shredding machines.
Identity theft damage
The problems caused by identity theft cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year. There are many ways in which identity theft strikes: a person having personal information on someone else can easily open fraudulent bank accounts, charge credit cards, rent buy or sell items with a different name and so on. Victims of identity theft often have a very late response and they realize that they have been robbed or cheated out of their money only weeks, months or even years later. The number one cause for identity theft are all the documents that contain such sensitive personal information and get thrown in the garbage, instead of being properly disposed of by using a paper shredder .
FACTA law and paper shredders
The fines imposed by the FACTA law for businesses that do not dispose of document containing personal employee information properly are high. The best way of avoiding both the FACTA fines and any risks of allowing employee information to fall in the wrong hands is to purchase a paper shredder. While the cots of a shredder and it's presence in the office might seem like an extra burden, the paper shredder is, in fact, your best bet against identity theft and other forms of fraud. Small office shredders are great for small offices with only a few employees, while larger corporations can purchase a cross cut paper shredder that can process thousands of documents each day.
Surround Sound Audio Setup
One of the first mistakes new owners of surround sound systems make is playing around with the audio setup and not knowing what they are adjusting. This happens every time someone gets a new toy, it's almost human nature, to tweak something, even if you do not know what you are doing. I did the same. This articles will explain how to setup your new surround sound audio settings. A quick note, before you make any adjustments, make sure to note what the original settings were on your system, so that you may be able to return to the manufactures default.
Welcome to your new surround sound system, it has lots of setting available to it, it may or may not have come with speakers and it has lots of interesting labels on it to tell you the formats it supports and you have no idea what it all means. Do not worry, you'll get used to it soon enough.
Settings.
First a quick note: This article is going to be referring to generalizations, because different manufactures call their features by different names, so refer to your manual to find your manufactures equivalent to the feature described.
Independent speaker volume adjustment. This adjustment allows you to make fine tuning adjustments to each speaker independent from one another.
Adjustments are normally made in decibels (db) with a positive or negative number to reduce or increase volume across one or more speakers. This feature gets abused by many new owners of surround sound systems, most people will crank up the surrounds so that they get the full surround experience. The rear surround speakers are where the special effects are played. What listeners are actually doing when they crank up the rear speakers is distorting how the surround is played. This is not how the movie is supposed to sound, directors already optimize how the surround is supposed to be played, they want their viewers to be amazed by the realism of the movie. When you crank up the rear speakers, you are taking the sound out of context.
How to adjust. This one is simple, keep all the volumes the same. If you have to make an adjustment of any kind because of speaker weakness, adjust it to 1 db (decibels) above the front speakers. Sometimes if you are having trouble following the dialog, then adjust the center speaker to 1 or 2 db's (decibels) above normal. I personally keep all volumes at 0 adjustment db (no adjustment at all). This is most manufactures default, but not all, so check to see if they are adjusted to the same volume.
DRC. Dynamic Range Control. This adjustment allows your surround sound to adjust the volumes itself during extra loud or extra low volume scenes of a movie. It is a great feature that Dolby brought to audio. I just love this feature. When you are watching a movie late at night and do not want to disturb your neighbors, DRC is what you are looking for. This is how it works. When encoding the DVD, a sound engineer will program the audio track for a normalized audio range. If the movie exceeds this volume range, DRC kicks in and lowers the volume to the normalized range of the whole move. This means that an explosion will not vibrate your walls and that a whisper in the dialog will be able to be heard.
DRC is normally used for nighttime listening because of its volume controlling nature. If you do not want to wake your kids at night when watching a movie, then turn on DRC. If you want the full audio range of a movie during the day, then turn off DRC.
Speaker existence. Some surround sound systems have this feature which allow you to tell the player whether a speaker is installed or not. If one of your speakers is not installed or has blown out, the make sure to tell the surround sound that the speaker does not exist. Many systems will try to adjust for the lack of that speaker. If at all possible, install all of the speakers and replace any blown speakers.
Distance. Distance is a measure of how far away the speakers are from the listener sweet spot. Please view my article on speaker placement before you adjust this feature. Distance from the listener translates to speaker delay. Since you want the sounds to approach you in the manner that the director intended, it is best to adjust the speaker distance so that the sounds will arrive at the same time. The setting is simple, take a measuring tape and measure the distance in a straight show from the speaker to the listener. Do this measurement for all speakers and adjust your distance accordingly.
Sometimes the distance feature is measured just in delay times or the feature itself may be called delay and the settings may be cryptic or measured in ms (milliseconds). The rule of thumb for this is 1 ms delay for every 1 foot of distance. For example if you sat 15 feet away from a speaker, the adjust that delay to 15ms. Sound travels approximately 1 foot per millisecond.
Prologic vs. Prologic II vs Dolby Digital.
Prologic and Prologic II are Dolby features. Prologic II is an enhanced version of Prologic. In fact Prologic II has a setting to make it work like Prologic. Prologic and Prologic II both process 2 channel audio to turn it into a simulated surround sound. However it is a simulated surround sound or virtual surround sound. It is a great feature! Take a normal stereo cd or stereo movie and it will transform into a great audio experience, however it is not true surround sound. For that you need Dobly Digital, however Dolby Digital is not a converter, Prologic and Prologic II are. This of couse is the dumbed down version. The technical specifications are on Dolby site.
Here's a quick chart.
MEDIA USES
DVD Movie (with a Dolby Digital soundtrack) Dolby Digital
DVD Movie (stereo soundtrack) Prologic and Prologic II
CD (Stereo or Mono) Prologic and Prologic II
Prologic and Prologic II Settings. Prologic and Prologic II takes a mono or stereo signal and phase shifts the signal to the rear speakers. In mono this means that all the speakers will play the same audio, in stereo, the front left and front right speakers are duplicated (matrixed) to the rear speakers using a mathematical formula. Then end result sounds great, but remember it is still not surround sound, just simulated surround.
A quick note: Prologic II is backwards compatable with Prologic, Meaning that all Prologic media will play on a Prologic II processor.
Prologic does not have settings, but Prologic II does.
Pro Logic - It offers users the robust surround processing of the original Pro Logic which has mono surround channels and a 7KHz surround filter.
Virtual - Is usually used when Pro Logic II is connected to a virtual process for speaker use.
Movie - It can be called Pro Logic II. It has stereo surround channels and no surround filter, unlike Pro Logic which has a mono surround channels and a 7KHz surround filter. Movie mode is the standard required for all A/V systems.
Matrix - Its the same as the Music mode except that the directional enhancement logic is turned off. It may be used to enhance mono signals by making them seem larger.
Music - Is recommended as the mode for sound music systems stereo CD's (without video).
Prologic II Music Mode. Pro Logic II Music Mode Sound Effects are available when the player is in Music Mode. The settings found in it are:
Dimension - A simple control that alters the ratio of L+R to L-R for the two channel input signals. It allows the user to gradually adjust the soundtrack either towards the front or towards the rear. If a recording is too spacious or strong from the surrounds, it can be adjusted forward to get a better balance. Likewise, if a stereo recording sounds too mono, it can be adjusted toward the rear to get a more enveloping sound.
Panorama - Extends the front stereo image to include the surround speakers for a wraparound effect.
Center Width Control - With Pro Logic decoding, dominant center signals can come only from the center speaker. If no center speaker is present, the decoder splits the center signals equally to the left and right speakers to create a phantom center image. The Center Width control allows adjustments of the center image so it may be heard only from the center speaker; only from the left/right speakers as a phantom image; or from all three front speakers to varying degrees.
Other Audio Setting to deal with stereo signals found on Surround Sound Systems.
3 Stereo - produces three channels (front left, center, front right) of sound from a two channel analog signal. It is not a surround format and does not use the surround speakers.
Soundfield Effects - Digital Soundfield Effects recreates the effects of sounds reflected from walls or ceilings to obtain the sound presence of real environments, basically this enhances a stereo soundtrack to sound like you are in a particular environment.
- Stadium: recreates a large stadium using very long reflection times.
- Stage: recreates a stage environment, increasing sound from the front speakers.
- Hall: recreates a hall using lots of reflection. Suitable for orchestral music such as classical and opera.
- Disco: recreates the disco or club music effect.
- Live: suitable for all types of music.
About the dot numbers
2.0, 2.1, 3.0,4.0, 5.1,6.1,7.1 and probably many other numbers all really mean the same thing; number of speakers and number of sub-woofers, separated by a period. As you may guess 2.0 means a standard stereo and 2.1 is a stereo with a sub-woofer. 3.0 is a stereo and center channel 3.1 is stereo and center channel with a sub-woofer. 4.0 is a quadraphonic system, now obsolete, however still has a strong following. 5.1 is a standard surround sound system with a front left, front right, center, left surround, right surround and a sub-woofer. 6.1 and 7.1 are a new type of speaker setup that has the same speakers as a 5.1, however it adds a rear channel much like the center channel for the front speakers. 6.1 has one rear speakers and 7.1 has 2 rear speakers
Welcome to your new surround sound system, it has lots of setting available to it, it may or may not have come with speakers and it has lots of interesting labels on it to tell you the formats it supports and you have no idea what it all means. Do not worry, you'll get used to it soon enough.
Settings.
First a quick note: This article is going to be referring to generalizations, because different manufactures call their features by different names, so refer to your manual to find your manufactures equivalent to the feature described.
Independent speaker volume adjustment. This adjustment allows you to make fine tuning adjustments to each speaker independent from one another.
Adjustments are normally made in decibels (db) with a positive or negative number to reduce or increase volume across one or more speakers. This feature gets abused by many new owners of surround sound systems, most people will crank up the surrounds so that they get the full surround experience. The rear surround speakers are where the special effects are played. What listeners are actually doing when they crank up the rear speakers is distorting how the surround is played. This is not how the movie is supposed to sound, directors already optimize how the surround is supposed to be played, they want their viewers to be amazed by the realism of the movie. When you crank up the rear speakers, you are taking the sound out of context.
How to adjust. This one is simple, keep all the volumes the same. If you have to make an adjustment of any kind because of speaker weakness, adjust it to 1 db (decibels) above the front speakers. Sometimes if you are having trouble following the dialog, then adjust the center speaker to 1 or 2 db's (decibels) above normal. I personally keep all volumes at 0 adjustment db (no adjustment at all). This is most manufactures default, but not all, so check to see if they are adjusted to the same volume.
DRC. Dynamic Range Control. This adjustment allows your surround sound to adjust the volumes itself during extra loud or extra low volume scenes of a movie. It is a great feature that Dolby brought to audio. I just love this feature. When you are watching a movie late at night and do not want to disturb your neighbors, DRC is what you are looking for. This is how it works. When encoding the DVD, a sound engineer will program the audio track for a normalized audio range. If the movie exceeds this volume range, DRC kicks in and lowers the volume to the normalized range of the whole move. This means that an explosion will not vibrate your walls and that a whisper in the dialog will be able to be heard.
DRC is normally used for nighttime listening because of its volume controlling nature. If you do not want to wake your kids at night when watching a movie, then turn on DRC. If you want the full audio range of a movie during the day, then turn off DRC.
Speaker existence. Some surround sound systems have this feature which allow you to tell the player whether a speaker is installed or not. If one of your speakers is not installed or has blown out, the make sure to tell the surround sound that the speaker does not exist. Many systems will try to adjust for the lack of that speaker. If at all possible, install all of the speakers and replace any blown speakers.
Distance. Distance is a measure of how far away the speakers are from the listener sweet spot. Please view my article on speaker placement before you adjust this feature. Distance from the listener translates to speaker delay. Since you want the sounds to approach you in the manner that the director intended, it is best to adjust the speaker distance so that the sounds will arrive at the same time. The setting is simple, take a measuring tape and measure the distance in a straight show from the speaker to the listener. Do this measurement for all speakers and adjust your distance accordingly.
Sometimes the distance feature is measured just in delay times or the feature itself may be called delay and the settings may be cryptic or measured in ms (milliseconds). The rule of thumb for this is 1 ms delay for every 1 foot of distance. For example if you sat 15 feet away from a speaker, the adjust that delay to 15ms. Sound travels approximately 1 foot per millisecond.
Prologic vs. Prologic II vs Dolby Digital.
Prologic and Prologic II are Dolby features. Prologic II is an enhanced version of Prologic. In fact Prologic II has a setting to make it work like Prologic. Prologic and Prologic II both process 2 channel audio to turn it into a simulated surround sound. However it is a simulated surround sound or virtual surround sound. It is a great feature! Take a normal stereo cd or stereo movie and it will transform into a great audio experience, however it is not true surround sound. For that you need Dobly Digital, however Dolby Digital is not a converter, Prologic and Prologic II are. This of couse is the dumbed down version. The technical specifications are on Dolby site.
Here's a quick chart.
MEDIA USES
DVD Movie (with a Dolby Digital soundtrack) Dolby Digital
DVD Movie (stereo soundtrack) Prologic and Prologic II
CD (Stereo or Mono) Prologic and Prologic II
Prologic and Prologic II Settings. Prologic and Prologic II takes a mono or stereo signal and phase shifts the signal to the rear speakers. In mono this means that all the speakers will play the same audio, in stereo, the front left and front right speakers are duplicated (matrixed) to the rear speakers using a mathematical formula. Then end result sounds great, but remember it is still not surround sound, just simulated surround.
A quick note: Prologic II is backwards compatable with Prologic, Meaning that all Prologic media will play on a Prologic II processor.
Prologic does not have settings, but Prologic II does.
Pro Logic - It offers users the robust surround processing of the original Pro Logic which has mono surround channels and a 7KHz surround filter.
Virtual - Is usually used when Pro Logic II is connected to a virtual process for speaker use.
Movie - It can be called Pro Logic II. It has stereo surround channels and no surround filter, unlike Pro Logic which has a mono surround channels and a 7KHz surround filter. Movie mode is the standard required for all A/V systems.
Matrix - Its the same as the Music mode except that the directional enhancement logic is turned off. It may be used to enhance mono signals by making them seem larger.
Music - Is recommended as the mode for sound music systems stereo CD's (without video).
Prologic II Music Mode. Pro Logic II Music Mode Sound Effects are available when the player is in Music Mode. The settings found in it are:
Dimension - A simple control that alters the ratio of L+R to L-R for the two channel input signals. It allows the user to gradually adjust the soundtrack either towards the front or towards the rear. If a recording is too spacious or strong from the surrounds, it can be adjusted forward to get a better balance. Likewise, if a stereo recording sounds too mono, it can be adjusted toward the rear to get a more enveloping sound.
Panorama - Extends the front stereo image to include the surround speakers for a wraparound effect.
Center Width Control - With Pro Logic decoding, dominant center signals can come only from the center speaker. If no center speaker is present, the decoder splits the center signals equally to the left and right speakers to create a phantom center image. The Center Width control allows adjustments of the center image so it may be heard only from the center speaker; only from the left/right speakers as a phantom image; or from all three front speakers to varying degrees.
Other Audio Setting to deal with stereo signals found on Surround Sound Systems.
3 Stereo - produces three channels (front left, center, front right) of sound from a two channel analog signal. It is not a surround format and does not use the surround speakers.
Soundfield Effects - Digital Soundfield Effects recreates the effects of sounds reflected from walls or ceilings to obtain the sound presence of real environments, basically this enhances a stereo soundtrack to sound like you are in a particular environment.
- Stadium: recreates a large stadium using very long reflection times.
- Stage: recreates a stage environment, increasing sound from the front speakers.
- Hall: recreates a hall using lots of reflection. Suitable for orchestral music such as classical and opera.
- Disco: recreates the disco or club music effect.
- Live: suitable for all types of music.
About the dot numbers
2.0, 2.1, 3.0,4.0, 5.1,6.1,7.1 and probably many other numbers all really mean the same thing; number of speakers and number of sub-woofers, separated by a period. As you may guess 2.0 means a standard stereo and 2.1 is a stereo with a sub-woofer. 3.0 is a stereo and center channel 3.1 is stereo and center channel with a sub-woofer. 4.0 is a quadraphonic system, now obsolete, however still has a strong following. 5.1 is a standard surround sound system with a front left, front right, center, left surround, right surround and a sub-woofer. 6.1 and 7.1 are a new type of speaker setup that has the same speakers as a 5.1, however it adds a rear channel much like the center channel for the front speakers. 6.1 has one rear speakers and 7.1 has 2 rear speakers
Selasa, 25 Maret 2014
The Benefits Of Audio & Video Lessons
The Internet is such a wonderful thing for the language learner. There are universes of resources out there in the ether that offer valuable learning opportunities and can help you scrub up on your language skills. Just one of these resources is the availability of Spanish audio and video lessons and there are many benefits to using them.
Learning Spanish through audio and video lessons is an interesting diversion for people who are learning Spanish completely online. Slogging it out alone on the Internet can get a bit monotonous for language learners so adding video lessons to the mix can liven things up and add a little fun to your Spanish learning. You are much more likely to learn Spanish effectively if you are studying by using motivating resources.
The key advantages to using audio and video lessons online to learn Spanish relate to improving your speaking, fluency, intonation and pronunciation as well as developing a better listening ability. One of the pitfalls of learning Spanish online through self study can be that you do not have guidance from an expert on pronunciation and intonation. This can lead to you developing pronunciations that are incorrect. It is best to get these things right from the word go as unlearning errors later on takes much more work.
Audio and video lessons offer a fantastic opportunity to use your Spanish and hear Spanish speakers using pronunciation, intonation and other speaking skills correctly. This helps your own pronunciation of Spanish words and phrases no end. While Spanish pronunciation is largely phonetic and not particularly hard in relation to some other languages, it is still different to English. Proper training in how to pronounce Spanish is required in order to manage the language well and be understood. Spanish is a very lyrical and rhythmic language pronouncing it badly does it a great disservice.
Audio lessons that you find online can often be downloaded to your MP3 device and used to learn Spanish while you are out and about. Video lessons can also be loaded onto an I-Pod touch or similar device to be used away from home too.
Video lessons can take the place of face to face lessons in a classroom. This is a great way for people who are either far away from face to face classes or people with busy schedules who cannot commit to a regular class time. You can find many different video lessons that are pre-recorded and placed on websites. These lessons are usually similar to a face to face lesson with a key grammar or language point and practice. Video lessons are not generally interactive between a teacher and student since they are pre-recorded.
A type of video lesson that is interactive is to find an online tutor for video conferencing lessons. These can be done through Internet programs such as MSN Messenger with a webcam. This is the best form of video lesson online as it is totally interactive and allows the teacher to correct your language skills. This type of video lesson however, is only available through payment for the service.
Using audio and video lessons to learn Spanish or to brush up on your skills can be a very effective. If you are learning Spanish through face to face classes, then this can be a good supplement to classes and help to reinforce your skills. If you are learning through self study, then audio and video lessons are vital to teach you listening skills and speaking skills. By using this type of learning resource online you can also add variety to a self study Spanish program.
Learning Spanish through audio and video lessons is an interesting diversion for people who are learning Spanish completely online. Slogging it out alone on the Internet can get a bit monotonous for language learners so adding video lessons to the mix can liven things up and add a little fun to your Spanish learning. You are much more likely to learn Spanish effectively if you are studying by using motivating resources.
The key advantages to using audio and video lessons online to learn Spanish relate to improving your speaking, fluency, intonation and pronunciation as well as developing a better listening ability. One of the pitfalls of learning Spanish online through self study can be that you do not have guidance from an expert on pronunciation and intonation. This can lead to you developing pronunciations that are incorrect. It is best to get these things right from the word go as unlearning errors later on takes much more work.
Audio and video lessons offer a fantastic opportunity to use your Spanish and hear Spanish speakers using pronunciation, intonation and other speaking skills correctly. This helps your own pronunciation of Spanish words and phrases no end. While Spanish pronunciation is largely phonetic and not particularly hard in relation to some other languages, it is still different to English. Proper training in how to pronounce Spanish is required in order to manage the language well and be understood. Spanish is a very lyrical and rhythmic language pronouncing it badly does it a great disservice.
Audio lessons that you find online can often be downloaded to your MP3 device and used to learn Spanish while you are out and about. Video lessons can also be loaded onto an I-Pod touch or similar device to be used away from home too.
Video lessons can take the place of face to face lessons in a classroom. This is a great way for people who are either far away from face to face classes or people with busy schedules who cannot commit to a regular class time. You can find many different video lessons that are pre-recorded and placed on websites. These lessons are usually similar to a face to face lesson with a key grammar or language point and practice. Video lessons are not generally interactive between a teacher and student since they are pre-recorded.
A type of video lesson that is interactive is to find an online tutor for video conferencing lessons. These can be done through Internet programs such as MSN Messenger with a webcam. This is the best form of video lesson online as it is totally interactive and allows the teacher to correct your language skills. This type of video lesson however, is only available through payment for the service.
Using audio and video lessons to learn Spanish or to brush up on your skills can be a very effective. If you are learning Spanish through face to face classes, then this can be a good supplement to classes and help to reinforce your skills. If you are learning through self study, then audio and video lessons are vital to teach you listening skills and speaking skills. By using this type of learning resource online you can also add variety to a self study Spanish program.
Can The Law Of Attraction Make You Happy
We are told that you can use the Law of Attraction to have, be, or do anything you want. Most of us would like to happy. So can the Law of Attraction make you happy?
The answer to that question is yes - and no. It all depends. The Law of Attraction is neutral, because it is a law of nature, in the same way as the Law of Gravity. It does not in itself bring happiness or unhappiness. It all comes down to how you use it.
The Law of Attraction, simply stated is "like attracts like." Or to put it another way: "That which is like unto itself, is attracted." What we need to keep in mind, following the findings of modern physics, is that everything is energy. This is true as much for what we see as solid objects as it is for light or radio waves. This is difficult for some people to accept, but it is true anyway. Even more difficult for some to accept, but still nonetheless true, is the idea that emotions and feelings are also forms of energy.
In this sense, happiness is a form of energy.
In order to use the Law of Attraction to make yourself happy, you need to be happy first. Then you will attract happiness. You will attract things and situations that create more happiness in yourself and around you. This is because, when you feel happy, the energy you give out is of that type, and so the Law of Attraction will bring you more of the same.
But how can you feel happy before you have received the things that can make you be happy? The answer to that question may be easier than you think. What you have to do is to feel as if you already had those things. This can be done in a very simple way.
Look around you, and remember that appearances can be deceptive. You may think you have nothing to be happy about, but if you look a bit more closely, you will see that there are one or two things in your life that you can be happy about. It doesn't matter how small they are, it is a start to just take notice of them.
Now focus on them. Concentrate on holding for as long as possible the pleasant, positive feelings they give you. If negative thoughts or feelings arise, such as lack, or fear of loss, just observe them and let them go. Return to the positive feelings and hold on to them. The more you do this, the better. Focus on the positive aspects in your life, and they will increase. Ignore the negative aspects as far as possible, and they will eventually fade out.
So the answer to the question: "Can the Law of Attraction make you happy?" is yes, if you are ready to work with it. And the way to work with it, is to be happy now, even if it seems at the moment like you have not much to be happy about. You can be the person you want to be, right now.
The answer to that question is yes - and no. It all depends. The Law of Attraction is neutral, because it is a law of nature, in the same way as the Law of Gravity. It does not in itself bring happiness or unhappiness. It all comes down to how you use it.
The Law of Attraction, simply stated is "like attracts like." Or to put it another way: "That which is like unto itself, is attracted." What we need to keep in mind, following the findings of modern physics, is that everything is energy. This is true as much for what we see as solid objects as it is for light or radio waves. This is difficult for some people to accept, but it is true anyway. Even more difficult for some to accept, but still nonetheless true, is the idea that emotions and feelings are also forms of energy.
In this sense, happiness is a form of energy.
In order to use the Law of Attraction to make yourself happy, you need to be happy first. Then you will attract happiness. You will attract things and situations that create more happiness in yourself and around you. This is because, when you feel happy, the energy you give out is of that type, and so the Law of Attraction will bring you more of the same.
But how can you feel happy before you have received the things that can make you be happy? The answer to that question may be easier than you think. What you have to do is to feel as if you already had those things. This can be done in a very simple way.
Look around you, and remember that appearances can be deceptive. You may think you have nothing to be happy about, but if you look a bit more closely, you will see that there are one or two things in your life that you can be happy about. It doesn't matter how small they are, it is a start to just take notice of them.
Now focus on them. Concentrate on holding for as long as possible the pleasant, positive feelings they give you. If negative thoughts or feelings arise, such as lack, or fear of loss, just observe them and let them go. Return to the positive feelings and hold on to them. The more you do this, the better. Focus on the positive aspects in your life, and they will increase. Ignore the negative aspects as far as possible, and they will eventually fade out.
So the answer to the question: "Can the Law of Attraction make you happy?" is yes, if you are ready to work with it. And the way to work with it, is to be happy now, even if it seems at the moment like you have not much to be happy about. You can be the person you want to be, right now.
Senin, 24 Maret 2014
Acquire Practical Legal Knowledge Of Law Courses At Jeen Institute Of Law
Seeking for top law colleges in India, wait and have a look on profile of Jeen Institute of Law. It is one of the best college, provides better platform and supportive environment for attaining law education in nation, with best bench of faculty. The institute ensures the student to provide legal knowledge with other disciplines like management, finance, economics and science.
Located in Alwar, Rajasthan, Jeen Law College opens door for every student, who are seeking for good environment of legal learning. The llb courses are opens for every student of undergraduate, graduate and post graduate. The law school provides student with learning environment of legal procedure with world class infrastructure for academic and intellectual growth.
Jeen Law College is a nationally recognized and highly reputed law college of India. The campus environment of college would help the student to acquire practical knowledge of legal proceedings with laws amended in constitution. It provides one of better stand for law the students for legal career in India and college grants for full placement.
Students interested in building their career in laws comes and took admission in Jeen. One can find vivid colors of from Indian youth acquiring education in college campus. With firm determination of giving best knowledge of law educations, experienced faculty worked on each student. So student of here have better understanding of rules and regulation with other legal terms granted by nations constitution. The faculty works for building better career scope and teaches the student in more comprehensive way.
Either on intellectual property laws or cyber laws, Institute would help you in understanding every law in easy way. The classroom would make the student to feel like a room of legal education.
One can take llb admission in Jeen either through regular courses or by distance learning courses. The Jeen Institute of law offers distance learning course as a complement to traditional training methods. It wants that course materials must be accessible to large the student circle interested in law education throughout India. The institute is equipped highly standard infrastructure for successful imparting of legal education.
The institute offers certificate of llb degree of three years duration. With new implantation of Indian legal education system that combines modern law techniques and traditional law styles, it is one of the best legal colleges different by other institute.
The student studying here would make their career bright and would have better scope of future legal procedure. They will never face any difficulty in life either in beginning or between of their legal career life. Planning for better legal career, those students must enroll admission In Jeen. After getting education in Jeen, the institute would take care of legal careers. The institute opens door for every student who have passed with bachelor degree or master degree in any courses or management from any reputed college or any recognized university. They all are eligible to take admission in law courses offered by Institute.
Without missing much time, join Jeen Institute of Law. For any queries and information, contact at
Jeen Institute of Law
Near SBI Bank, Court Road ,
Behror, Distt. Alwar ( Rajasthan ),
Mobile No: 09468621103, 09251604020 ( Behror office )
09911250888 ( Delhi office )
Contact Person :- Sidharth Goyal ( Advocate )
Bcom, LLB
Mobile No.: 09968445195
Located in Alwar, Rajasthan, Jeen Law College opens door for every student, who are seeking for good environment of legal learning. The llb courses are opens for every student of undergraduate, graduate and post graduate. The law school provides student with learning environment of legal procedure with world class infrastructure for academic and intellectual growth.
Jeen Law College is a nationally recognized and highly reputed law college of India. The campus environment of college would help the student to acquire practical knowledge of legal proceedings with laws amended in constitution. It provides one of better stand for law the students for legal career in India and college grants for full placement.
Students interested in building their career in laws comes and took admission in Jeen. One can find vivid colors of from Indian youth acquiring education in college campus. With firm determination of giving best knowledge of law educations, experienced faculty worked on each student. So student of here have better understanding of rules and regulation with other legal terms granted by nations constitution. The faculty works for building better career scope and teaches the student in more comprehensive way.
Either on intellectual property laws or cyber laws, Institute would help you in understanding every law in easy way. The classroom would make the student to feel like a room of legal education.
One can take llb admission in Jeen either through regular courses or by distance learning courses. The Jeen Institute of law offers distance learning course as a complement to traditional training methods. It wants that course materials must be accessible to large the student circle interested in law education throughout India. The institute is equipped highly standard infrastructure for successful imparting of legal education.
The institute offers certificate of llb degree of three years duration. With new implantation of Indian legal education system that combines modern law techniques and traditional law styles, it is one of the best legal colleges different by other institute.
The student studying here would make their career bright and would have better scope of future legal procedure. They will never face any difficulty in life either in beginning or between of their legal career life. Planning for better legal career, those students must enroll admission In Jeen. After getting education in Jeen, the institute would take care of legal careers. The institute opens door for every student who have passed with bachelor degree or master degree in any courses or management from any reputed college or any recognized university. They all are eligible to take admission in law courses offered by Institute.
Without missing much time, join Jeen Institute of Law. For any queries and information, contact at
Jeen Institute of Law
Near SBI Bank, Court Road ,
Behror, Distt. Alwar ( Rajasthan ),
Mobile No: 09468621103, 09251604020 ( Behror office )
09911250888 ( Delhi office )
Contact Person :- Sidharth Goyal ( Advocate )
Bcom, LLB
Mobile No.: 09968445195
Mp3 Download Site 'mp3 Audio Station' Is All About Speed And Safety
The first thing to hit you at MP3 Audio Station is the promise of UNLIMITED mp3 downloads, a very tempting proposition when the site gives you access to 800 million songs and videos.
MP3 Audio Station is a one-stop shop for all your mp3 downloads, including music, video and software, so its just as well they offer fast download speeds. Of course, fast download speed is only half the story; its no advantage to get your music fast if the audio quality of the music downloaded really sucks. With MP3 Audio Station, you get quality audio downloads at fast speeds, so youll be filling your mp3 player with quality tunes right from the start.
You buy your download music via subscription, and you can choose from three different levels of subscription:
1.)$29.95 buys you one year of downloads, the equivalent of $2.49 a month
2.)$32.95 buys you two years worth of downloads, the equivalent of $1.37 a month
3.)The best buy of all is the Unlimited Access deal at $34.95, which gives you unlimited music, video and software downloads for an indefinite period. (I resist using the words forever, because who knows whatll happen in the future of downloading anyway, right?) However, for those of us in the here and now with hungry mp3 players to fill, its a heck of a deal compared to the 79 cents a track at iTunes.
If you love your movies, you can upgrade to the Unlimited Full DVD and CD package, which deliver what it says for a mere $14.95 extra. Just remember that to successfully download movies, the faster your internet connection, the better.
Your subscription also includes a whole bundle of bonus software, and were not talking some backroom high school project stuff here. Software is included from developers such as LimeWire and Azureus, so you are really getting software thats going to enhance your PC, not clog it up with useless blogware.
Included in the software bundle is a neat program that lets you burn your favourite tracks to CD in a matter of minutes, so you can travel with your tunes in your car without the need for an iTrip or similar mp3 broadcast device. You can even burn movies to DVD, which is great for watching movies with friends on tv from the comfort of a sofa, rather than huddled around your PC monitor!
In these days of pop-ups and spyware, its reassuring to know that MP3 Audio Station promises no adware and no spyware (and so they should, thank you very much)! To make really sure of your PCs security, MP3 Audio Station downloads also include anti-spyware and anti-virus software, so you can be sure that your PC remains safe when using MP3 Audio Station.
One thing to note; the deals at MP3 Audio Station and MP3 Musiq appear to be identical, and I suspect by the way the websites are laid out, the same owners might be behind both sites. However, the dedicated mp3 music download fan should keep an eye to check if one site ever decides to undercut the other in the future
See the Authors Resource Box below to access the full MP3 Music Download Sites Review Blog.
MP3 Audio Station is a one-stop shop for all your mp3 downloads, including music, video and software, so its just as well they offer fast download speeds. Of course, fast download speed is only half the story; its no advantage to get your music fast if the audio quality of the music downloaded really sucks. With MP3 Audio Station, you get quality audio downloads at fast speeds, so youll be filling your mp3 player with quality tunes right from the start.
You buy your download music via subscription, and you can choose from three different levels of subscription:
1.)$29.95 buys you one year of downloads, the equivalent of $2.49 a month
2.)$32.95 buys you two years worth of downloads, the equivalent of $1.37 a month
3.)The best buy of all is the Unlimited Access deal at $34.95, which gives you unlimited music, video and software downloads for an indefinite period. (I resist using the words forever, because who knows whatll happen in the future of downloading anyway, right?) However, for those of us in the here and now with hungry mp3 players to fill, its a heck of a deal compared to the 79 cents a track at iTunes.
If you love your movies, you can upgrade to the Unlimited Full DVD and CD package, which deliver what it says for a mere $14.95 extra. Just remember that to successfully download movies, the faster your internet connection, the better.
Your subscription also includes a whole bundle of bonus software, and were not talking some backroom high school project stuff here. Software is included from developers such as LimeWire and Azureus, so you are really getting software thats going to enhance your PC, not clog it up with useless blogware.
Included in the software bundle is a neat program that lets you burn your favourite tracks to CD in a matter of minutes, so you can travel with your tunes in your car without the need for an iTrip or similar mp3 broadcast device. You can even burn movies to DVD, which is great for watching movies with friends on tv from the comfort of a sofa, rather than huddled around your PC monitor!
In these days of pop-ups and spyware, its reassuring to know that MP3 Audio Station promises no adware and no spyware (and so they should, thank you very much)! To make really sure of your PCs security, MP3 Audio Station downloads also include anti-spyware and anti-virus software, so you can be sure that your PC remains safe when using MP3 Audio Station.
One thing to note; the deals at MP3 Audio Station and MP3 Musiq appear to be identical, and I suspect by the way the websites are laid out, the same owners might be behind both sites. However, the dedicated mp3 music download fan should keep an eye to check if one site ever decides to undercut the other in the future
See the Authors Resource Box below to access the full MP3 Music Download Sites Review Blog.
Minggu, 23 Maret 2014
Basic Details about a Patent Law Firm
Have you been to a law firm office or have sough the services of a lawyer through a law firm? All over, you may notice many law firms advertising their legal services. However, do you really know the essentials about a law firm and its different forms and structures?
In many cases, they are attempting to sell you something that is overpriced and that won't produce you any new clients at all, let alone good clients. The attorneys I have worked with report to me that the whole Internet marketing process confuses them.
When a client speaks to you from the heart, the insight you receive will be priceless. The marketing materials for that Century City law firm had previously emphasized their track record, their versatility and their willingness to be tough. Had they failed to incorporate this client's insight, they would have missed a precious marketing opportunity.
Legal profession is also taken to be one of the services which is included in GATS. With the liberalization and globalization policy followed in India, multinationals and foreign corporations are increasingly entering India. Why should the firm outsource legal work offshore, a practice seen by some as adventuresome and risky, instead of staying the course, doing it "the way we have always done it."
Clearly, this law firm was not well managed, which might serve as an excuse for the managing partner's self-serving perspective on client IP legal services. It is imperative that attorneys understand this marketplace if for no other reason your potential clients and clients are moving to the Internet and yellow page advertising is a dying marketing for law firms vehicle.
Some might contend that complaints about the billable hour model have abounded for many years, but no major changes have occurred to date, thus indicating that most clients may be all bluster and no action. The legal profession as it was practiced years before by the legal stalwarts did have a very high standard. However, today that standard of profession is nowhere to be seen or experienced.
Firms fail to recognize that what a firm is can often be measured by the decisions it makes, and they often make decisions without regard to the effect they might have on clients, even in indirect ways. In many other countries, a rule is imposed that ownership interest or management of a law firm can only be given or done by lawyers. As such, the law firms' capital through "initial public offerings" on the stock market, like most other corporations, cannot be raised immediately.
In many cases, they are attempting to sell you something that is overpriced and that won't produce you any new clients at all, let alone good clients. The attorneys I have worked with report to me that the whole Internet marketing process confuses them.
When a client speaks to you from the heart, the insight you receive will be priceless. The marketing materials for that Century City law firm had previously emphasized their track record, their versatility and their willingness to be tough. Had they failed to incorporate this client's insight, they would have missed a precious marketing opportunity.
Legal profession is also taken to be one of the services which is included in GATS. With the liberalization and globalization policy followed in India, multinationals and foreign corporations are increasingly entering India. Why should the firm outsource legal work offshore, a practice seen by some as adventuresome and risky, instead of staying the course, doing it "the way we have always done it."
Clearly, this law firm was not well managed, which might serve as an excuse for the managing partner's self-serving perspective on client IP legal services. It is imperative that attorneys understand this marketplace if for no other reason your potential clients and clients are moving to the Internet and yellow page advertising is a dying marketing for law firms vehicle.
Some might contend that complaints about the billable hour model have abounded for many years, but no major changes have occurred to date, thus indicating that most clients may be all bluster and no action. The legal profession as it was practiced years before by the legal stalwarts did have a very high standard. However, today that standard of profession is nowhere to be seen or experienced.
Firms fail to recognize that what a firm is can often be measured by the decisions it makes, and they often make decisions without regard to the effect they might have on clients, even in indirect ways. In many other countries, a rule is imposed that ownership interest or management of a law firm can only be given or done by lawyers. As such, the law firms' capital through "initial public offerings" on the stock market, like most other corporations, cannot be raised immediately.
Sabtu, 22 Maret 2014
Buying Property In Greece Beware The Squatter's Law
Greece is currently a Mediterranean hotspot for foreign property buyers. Many European Union nationals are investing lifelong savings in holiday properties or land for development. This is particularly true for British and Irish expatriates who head the list of private foreign real estate investors, notably in Crete, the Peloponese and the other Greek islands. This article cautions any prospective foreign buyer to ensure that their appointed lawyer in Greece checks out that any old home or land being acquired has not changed ownership under the Greek "Squatters Rights" Law.
What is the Squatters Law?
The law relates to rights of ownership that remain with the original absent owners unless changed through a Notary Public and a legal process.
A typical scenario would be a relative who emigrated overseas in the dark post war years in Greece of the late 1940s and 1950s when the economy was in a very poor shape, and left their family village home/property in the 'capable' hands of another family member, or close neighbour who remained in the village.
Incidentally, another wave of emigration took place in the 1960's and 1970s, when a lot of men from places such as Crete and Thessaloniki went to work in the German automotive industry in Bavaria, southern Germany and other manufacturing areas of Northern Europe including the United Kingdom.
Many of these overseas workers and family members settled abroad have never come back to Crete and so leaving their property, still in the "safe keeping" and trusted hands of someone back in their home village or town.
But with recent substantial property price increases, some of the local relatives have sold the village houses in their 'own right' to foreigners.
How could this possibly happen?
Any Greek head of household can submit to a court, papers such as utility bills and other notarised documents that show that they have lived for lengthy periods in a particular property of a relative and under the squatter law had right to ownership of the property. If the court grants them that right, it is legal and above board.
While this should not have any impact on the new foreign owner, there is always the nagging question: what if the absentee family member comes back and is surprised to find out what has happened and goes to court to undo a Squatters Law judgment? Could a court subsequently overturn the earlier ruling handed down in favour of the "live - in" relatives?
The chances are not, but considering the value of real estate in Greece these days, you never know.
How to Check the Squatter's Law?
It is just a case of asking your own appointed Greek lawyer if the owner of the property you plan to purchase gained the deeds under the Squatters Rights law? The lawyer should be able to clear up the matter in their land title searches. The point is, while it is an 'obvious' fact to check out, it is better to remind your lawyer. It could be a costly oversight if it had been accidentally overlooked in the purchasing process and the problem surfaces later.
What is the Squatters Law?
The law relates to rights of ownership that remain with the original absent owners unless changed through a Notary Public and a legal process.
A typical scenario would be a relative who emigrated overseas in the dark post war years in Greece of the late 1940s and 1950s when the economy was in a very poor shape, and left their family village home/property in the 'capable' hands of another family member, or close neighbour who remained in the village.
Incidentally, another wave of emigration took place in the 1960's and 1970s, when a lot of men from places such as Crete and Thessaloniki went to work in the German automotive industry in Bavaria, southern Germany and other manufacturing areas of Northern Europe including the United Kingdom.
Many of these overseas workers and family members settled abroad have never come back to Crete and so leaving their property, still in the "safe keeping" and trusted hands of someone back in their home village or town.
But with recent substantial property price increases, some of the local relatives have sold the village houses in their 'own right' to foreigners.
How could this possibly happen?
Any Greek head of household can submit to a court, papers such as utility bills and other notarised documents that show that they have lived for lengthy periods in a particular property of a relative and under the squatter law had right to ownership of the property. If the court grants them that right, it is legal and above board.
While this should not have any impact on the new foreign owner, there is always the nagging question: what if the absentee family member comes back and is surprised to find out what has happened and goes to court to undo a Squatters Law judgment? Could a court subsequently overturn the earlier ruling handed down in favour of the "live - in" relatives?
The chances are not, but considering the value of real estate in Greece these days, you never know.
How to Check the Squatter's Law?
It is just a case of asking your own appointed Greek lawyer if the owner of the property you plan to purchase gained the deeds under the Squatters Rights law? The lawyer should be able to clear up the matter in their land title searches. The point is, while it is an 'obvious' fact to check out, it is better to remind your lawyer. It could be a costly oversight if it had been accidentally overlooked in the purchasing process and the problem surfaces later.
Kamis, 20 Maret 2014
Superbass Audio A Boon For Spanish Djs
Do you want to become a disc jockey but dont know where to begin? Then start with the equipment because no professional disc jockey (DJ) can constantly create quality music without professional equipment. Now are you wondering where to get your DJ equipment from? The easiest way is to check out the music equipment store nearest to your home but they may not stock equipments from different brands. You may also want to compare prices. Then dont run about the town. If you are in Spain then just log on to the Superbass Audio website and search any DJ equipment you need.
Information about brands like Traktor Scratch, Technics, Sennheiser, and Serato are available at Superbass Audio. Only quality audio and DJ equipment is sold by the company in Spain. This is in fact a boon for Spanish DJs since they can easily compare the features and prices of a product sold by different music equipment companies all in one place. They can also read authentic user reviews to make informed decisions. All this can be done from the comfort of their homes. Whats more? The website is in Spanish language, especially built for the Spanish DJ equipment market. Superbass Audio delivers products within the country only. And it sells only the best brands like Technics, Sennheiser, Serato, and Traktor.
Spanish DJs who are looking for low prices can check out the Superbass Audio website for some great deals and special offers. Those who are at the beginning of their career will find it even more desirable. Traktor Scratch Pro offers the best prices. High performance and supreme audio quality is what you get along with very good operation, higher reliability and exit setup. Professional DJs and amateurs can make better music and make people groove to their tunes by mixing different types of digital music files. The use of the latest software for music mixing will make them the talk of the town.
Just check out the variety of DJ equipments available at Superbass Audio. Guitars and basses, interfaces alesis, mixers firewire, cd players, laptops, video accessories, signal limiters, digital pianos, racks, suitcases, MP3 and MP4 players, software, keyboards, turntables you name it and you have it. The list of products that can be purchased at the website may not be exhaustive but with more than 2000 products to choose from, you will probably not miss anything. A major advantage for Spanish DJs who purchase products from Superbass Audio is that they will get to know the latest equipment DJs around the world are using. Even if those products are not available in Spain, Superbass Audio brings it within your easy access.
This hi-fi musical store has already gained huge popularity and a fan following in a short span of time. The customers of Superbass Audio in Spain include Spanish music enthusiasts, both professionals and those who want to become professionals. To get the DJ equipment using computer assisted CD control in Spain, Superbass Audio is the right choice.
Information about brands like Traktor Scratch, Technics, Sennheiser, and Serato are available at Superbass Audio. Only quality audio and DJ equipment is sold by the company in Spain. This is in fact a boon for Spanish DJs since they can easily compare the features and prices of a product sold by different music equipment companies all in one place. They can also read authentic user reviews to make informed decisions. All this can be done from the comfort of their homes. Whats more? The website is in Spanish language, especially built for the Spanish DJ equipment market. Superbass Audio delivers products within the country only. And it sells only the best brands like Technics, Sennheiser, Serato, and Traktor.
Spanish DJs who are looking for low prices can check out the Superbass Audio website for some great deals and special offers. Those who are at the beginning of their career will find it even more desirable. Traktor Scratch Pro offers the best prices. High performance and supreme audio quality is what you get along with very good operation, higher reliability and exit setup. Professional DJs and amateurs can make better music and make people groove to their tunes by mixing different types of digital music files. The use of the latest software for music mixing will make them the talk of the town.
Just check out the variety of DJ equipments available at Superbass Audio. Guitars and basses, interfaces alesis, mixers firewire, cd players, laptops, video accessories, signal limiters, digital pianos, racks, suitcases, MP3 and MP4 players, software, keyboards, turntables you name it and you have it. The list of products that can be purchased at the website may not be exhaustive but with more than 2000 products to choose from, you will probably not miss anything. A major advantage for Spanish DJs who purchase products from Superbass Audio is that they will get to know the latest equipment DJs around the world are using. Even if those products are not available in Spain, Superbass Audio brings it within your easy access.
This hi-fi musical store has already gained huge popularity and a fan following in a short span of time. The customers of Superbass Audio in Spain include Spanish music enthusiasts, both professionals and those who want to become professionals. To get the DJ equipment using computer assisted CD control in Spain, Superbass Audio is the right choice.
Senin, 17 Maret 2014
Streamline your cardiology coding by attending audio conferences
A specialty dealing with disorders of the heart and blood vessels, cardiology covers diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, heart failure, valvular heart disease, etc. Since this field of medicine is so complex, cardiology coding too can be a tough proposition as it baffles even the most seasoned coders. Complex anatomy and procedure notes, along with tough coding rules, make accurate coding a tough ask for many coders. Even the slightest documentation error on the clinical side can mean hundreds of dollars bleeding from the medical coffers.
What's more, as a coder, you need to be aware of the 2009 cardiology coding changes. If not, you may be leaving a lot of money uncollected. It's significant to add here that this year has witnessed many a significant coding and billing changes, never seen since the mid 90's. Just to give an instance, all of the codes previously used to submit charges for implanted device follow-up have been deleted and replaced with new codes. And keeping pace with so many changes is not easy. y.
However, there are a few things that you can do to stay up-to-date and lessen your cardiology coding woes. First, you can go for cardiology coding credentials that'll help you overcome the coding intricacies associated with this field.
Second, you can keep pace with the changes by attending cardiology audio conferences that come loaded with enough ammunition to give you a powerful edge in your coding career. These conferences have tips and information for cardiology coders, billers, managers, anyone responsible for charge capture, claim submission and appealing claim denials, among others.
So attend audio conferences and get answers to your cardiology coding queries.
Offers healthcare audio conferences and advanced Learning Opportunities for cardiology coding to gain the powerful edge in the coding career in your billing process through all types of exceptional series of training CD's, DVD's & Tapes.
What's more, as a coder, you need to be aware of the 2009 cardiology coding changes. If not, you may be leaving a lot of money uncollected. It's significant to add here that this year has witnessed many a significant coding and billing changes, never seen since the mid 90's. Just to give an instance, all of the codes previously used to submit charges for implanted device follow-up have been deleted and replaced with new codes. And keeping pace with so many changes is not easy. y.
However, there are a few things that you can do to stay up-to-date and lessen your cardiology coding woes. First, you can go for cardiology coding credentials that'll help you overcome the coding intricacies associated with this field.
Second, you can keep pace with the changes by attending cardiology audio conferences that come loaded with enough ammunition to give you a powerful edge in your coding career. These conferences have tips and information for cardiology coders, billers, managers, anyone responsible for charge capture, claim submission and appealing claim denials, among others.
So attend audio conferences and get answers to your cardiology coding queries.
Offers healthcare audio conferences and advanced Learning Opportunities for cardiology coding to gain the powerful edge in the coding career in your billing process through all types of exceptional series of training CD's, DVD's & Tapes.
Selasa, 11 Maret 2014
Yan Xin Qigong - Audio Cassette Tape Child Longevity Nine Step Qigong By Dr. Yan Xin 60 Minutes Long
Nine Step Method (Child Longevity Nine Step Qigong): A very popular method in Yan
Xin Qigong, safe and practical. In modern China, millions have been practicing the method for years with promising results. Practicing it's first step is a starting point for the learning of all other Yan Xin Qigong methods.
Yan Xin Qigong Methods: Master Yan Xin has conducted training workshops in which he taught many special advanced methods in very unique ways. Due to the unconventional energy level of these methods, workshop participants are required to keep these methods confidential. The Nine Step Method is a popularized version of an advanced method in traditional Chinese Qigong.
Yan Xin Qigong is a qigong that was developed from traditional Chinese qigongs by Dr. Yan Xin. Dr. Yan Xin is one of the most popular qigong masters in both China and the United States and is often credited with achieving seemingly "miraculous" feats. In addition to many healings he has participated in scientific experiments some of which are presented in this paper in the Literature Review chapter. Unlike many qigongs, Yan Xin qigong's Nine Step Child Longevity method utilizes an audio tape to accompany training that consists of Dr. Yan Xin instructing the proper steps and methods to take in entering the "qigong state." Most practitioners I have communicated with only do the first step of the nine step method. It can be practiced alone or in a group but, in group practice better results are believed to be obtained. In all cases the practice method consists of listening to the tape and following along (as Dr. Yan Xin is speaking Chinese in the background, while being simultaneously translated into English on the tape, this can be quite an interesting feat for non-Chinese speakers). The reason for this is that it is believed that Dr. Yan Xin can "transmit" qi and information via his voice which helps training progress faster.
I participated in a Yan Xin Qigong practice at the University of Southern Mississippi on Good Friday, April 10, 1988, from seven p.m. to approximately ten-thirty that night. The fact that it was Good Friday was important to Yan Xin practitioners as they believe that when practicing in a group session on holidays better progress can be made as there are many people in approximate mental states or outlooks. The group was smaller than usual I was told, due to the holiday, and was composed of five people: two females and one male from Taiwan, one female from Thailand, and one older female white American (who was Catholic and had just gotten back from church) with the group being composed of people of various experience levels from beginner to many years. The session was led by the group leader, one of the females from Taiwan, and began with a discussion which consisted of us helping the girl from Thailand translate some of Dr. Yan Xin's speeches into Thai. We had copies of the speech in the original Chinese and a translation into English which was an interesting process and exercise in linguistics.
The next phase of the session was listening to an audio recording of one of Dr. Yan Xin's qi-emitting lectures. These are lectures in which Dr. Yan Xin emits qi to those in the audience and he tailors each lecture to his specific audiences "needs" as he "senses" them and as well qi can be transmitted by the audio recording. I have serious reservations about the ability of qi to be transmitted by audio tape, however, as I have now been practicing qigong for a long enough time to sense or feel the manifestation that is called qi, I must admit that I did "feel" a strong qi presence or effect that was not there before or after the tape was played. Possibly this could have some relation to subliminal messages, the power of suggestion etc., which are widely believed to have an effect in people when they are implanted in audio recordings. The recording was in Chinese but the group leader translated it for us. For those of us who were non-Chinese speakers it was at times a humorous situation as Dr. Yan Xin likes to jump around to different topics, which often involved the tape being stopped so that we could be further informed of what exactly he was talking about.
Next, we progressed to the practice of the first step of the Nine Step Child Longevity method and our group sat in a circle. The method involves the playing of an audio tape and following the instructions and visualizations. In this qigong you can stand, sit on the edge of a chair or sit or lie down on the ground. Then your hands are placed facing upwards in a specific manner depending on your sex. Your tongue is then placed in various locations in the mouth depending on certain diseases or health states. You are then led through a series of visualizations in which you are to imagine yourself as a young child at different ages depending on your sex. Then progressive visualizations are added. The process reminds me very much of deepening techniques in hypnosis (see 1964 Elman). Thus, if you wished to look at qigong as a form of self-hypnosis then Yan Xin Child Longevity Qigong would most likely produce one of the deeper and more profound states of self-trance when all nine steps are able to be visualized. The ending procedure slowly brings one out of the "qigong" state and involves some additional visualizations and rubbing and massage of the body. There is a supplementary closing exercise for those that are having trouble coming out of the state. When the closing was completed everyone in the group had a profound sensation of heat and one individual had even removed his shirt, which is not recommended by Dr. Yan Xin. The American female, a newcomer to the group, had told me before the session that she had never had any sort of sensations during practice, however, during this session she as well felt the profound heat. This was one of the more powerful qigong sessions I have personally "felt" or experienced during a first time practice of a method among the various qigongs I have practiced or been exposed to.
Qigong (Chee- gong): A form of meditation and cultivation practice that is very popular in China. It is a holistic method for healing the body and the mind as well as for promoting the human potential. There are some similarities among qigong, tai-chi, martial arts, transcendental meditation, yoga, and zen. However, the true concept of qigong is beyond simple meditation.
Qi: A Chinese character which means air, atmosphere, vapor, and gas such as oxygen. In qigong and traditional Chinese medicine, qi has a broader meaning, involving intangible substances and abstract concepts, and is considered to exist as an energy field in myriad of things.
De: A Chinese character which literally means virtue and morality. De is a grounding concept in all qigong practice and cultivation. To make progress in and to keep the benefits of qigong practice, it is crucial to always hold the a moral standard.
External Qi: Well trained qigong masters and practitioners can emit qi to others through special ways. Usually, this type of qi is very productive in qigong therapy and qigong training.
Internal Qi: Qigong practitioners are able to feel certain substances flowing inside their bodies during practice and in other situations, which help the practitioners improve qi circulation among channels and acupuncture points.
Channels or Meridians: In the view of traditional Chinese medicine, the Qi and other
substances circulate inside one's body through these certain routes. Many of them originate from internal organs and end at fingers, toes, or certain acupuncture points.
Acupuncture points: Over a hundred of special points in human body that serve intricate functions and are critical in many acupuncture therapy. Many of them are located on the head and along the spine. Some examples are:
* Bai Hui (accumulation) acupuncture point: located on the top of the head,
* Tian Mu (heavenly eye) acupuncture point: located between the two eye brows,
* Shen Que (spirit's palace) acupuncture point: located at the navel, and
* Yong Quan (sprouting spring) acupuncture point: located at the center of the foot.
Opening: Almost all methods have particular opening positions to prepare the mind and the body to enter a qigong state. It is important that the opening method is followed exactly to maximize the benefits of qigong practice.
Lotus: An aquatic plant, native to southern Asia, having large leaves, fragrant, pinkish flowers, and a broad, round, perforated seed pod (The American Heritage Dictionary). The lotus flower has a long relationship to Chinese philosophy and is commonly used to symbolize virtue and morality.
Spontaneous movements and sounds: During qigong practice, some people may feel that certain parts of the body have the tendency to move or may want to make sounds. The movements can be either gentle, such as stretching arms and waving hands, over very dynamic, such as running and trembling. The sounds can be either soft, such as whispering and singing, or very loud, such as laughing or crying. These qigong reactions are usual and helpful to the practitioners and their family members. It is very important to keep good thoughts and positive attitudes should such reactions occur. Follow the spontaneous reactions naturally whenever the body perceived, and do not panic. However, do not use force to intentionally induce such movements and sounds.
Thought Adjustment and Mind Cultivation: In qigong practice it is very important to keep good hopes, optimistic attitudes, considerate thoughts, benevolent wishes, etc. Constantly think of the good side of life, and forget all past regretful mistakes, unfortunate incidents, miserable experiences, and sorrowful feelings. Always forgive, pardon, understand, and sympathize other people and things, regardless of what happened in the past. Indeed, holding high virtue and morality is the fundamental principle of all qigong practice. Regarding everyone and everything as teachers and treating all as kinds are criteria for thought adjustment and cultivation.
Breath Adjustment: As in all other meditation methods, qigong practice also requires suitable breathing control. Deep, long, subtle, and smooth breathing is most favorable. When, at certain point, holding the breath is needed, it is extremely advantageous to hold the breath as long as possible. Other forms of breathing can be achieved gradually with systematic training.
Ending: This last part of a qigong method helps to maintain the effects of each practice. It cannot be neglected since it is an important part integrated into the method. Good results often come out during the ending procedures. It is also intended to seal the Qi energy inside the body and to protect the individual from any undesired feelings.
Xin Qigong, safe and practical. In modern China, millions have been practicing the method for years with promising results. Practicing it's first step is a starting point for the learning of all other Yan Xin Qigong methods.
Yan Xin Qigong Methods: Master Yan Xin has conducted training workshops in which he taught many special advanced methods in very unique ways. Due to the unconventional energy level of these methods, workshop participants are required to keep these methods confidential. The Nine Step Method is a popularized version of an advanced method in traditional Chinese Qigong.
Yan Xin Qigong is a qigong that was developed from traditional Chinese qigongs by Dr. Yan Xin. Dr. Yan Xin is one of the most popular qigong masters in both China and the United States and is often credited with achieving seemingly "miraculous" feats. In addition to many healings he has participated in scientific experiments some of which are presented in this paper in the Literature Review chapter. Unlike many qigongs, Yan Xin qigong's Nine Step Child Longevity method utilizes an audio tape to accompany training that consists of Dr. Yan Xin instructing the proper steps and methods to take in entering the "qigong state." Most practitioners I have communicated with only do the first step of the nine step method. It can be practiced alone or in a group but, in group practice better results are believed to be obtained. In all cases the practice method consists of listening to the tape and following along (as Dr. Yan Xin is speaking Chinese in the background, while being simultaneously translated into English on the tape, this can be quite an interesting feat for non-Chinese speakers). The reason for this is that it is believed that Dr. Yan Xin can "transmit" qi and information via his voice which helps training progress faster.
I participated in a Yan Xin Qigong practice at the University of Southern Mississippi on Good Friday, April 10, 1988, from seven p.m. to approximately ten-thirty that night. The fact that it was Good Friday was important to Yan Xin practitioners as they believe that when practicing in a group session on holidays better progress can be made as there are many people in approximate mental states or outlooks. The group was smaller than usual I was told, due to the holiday, and was composed of five people: two females and one male from Taiwan, one female from Thailand, and one older female white American (who was Catholic and had just gotten back from church) with the group being composed of people of various experience levels from beginner to many years. The session was led by the group leader, one of the females from Taiwan, and began with a discussion which consisted of us helping the girl from Thailand translate some of Dr. Yan Xin's speeches into Thai. We had copies of the speech in the original Chinese and a translation into English which was an interesting process and exercise in linguistics.
The next phase of the session was listening to an audio recording of one of Dr. Yan Xin's qi-emitting lectures. These are lectures in which Dr. Yan Xin emits qi to those in the audience and he tailors each lecture to his specific audiences "needs" as he "senses" them and as well qi can be transmitted by the audio recording. I have serious reservations about the ability of qi to be transmitted by audio tape, however, as I have now been practicing qigong for a long enough time to sense or feel the manifestation that is called qi, I must admit that I did "feel" a strong qi presence or effect that was not there before or after the tape was played. Possibly this could have some relation to subliminal messages, the power of suggestion etc., which are widely believed to have an effect in people when they are implanted in audio recordings. The recording was in Chinese but the group leader translated it for us. For those of us who were non-Chinese speakers it was at times a humorous situation as Dr. Yan Xin likes to jump around to different topics, which often involved the tape being stopped so that we could be further informed of what exactly he was talking about.
Next, we progressed to the practice of the first step of the Nine Step Child Longevity method and our group sat in a circle. The method involves the playing of an audio tape and following the instructions and visualizations. In this qigong you can stand, sit on the edge of a chair or sit or lie down on the ground. Then your hands are placed facing upwards in a specific manner depending on your sex. Your tongue is then placed in various locations in the mouth depending on certain diseases or health states. You are then led through a series of visualizations in which you are to imagine yourself as a young child at different ages depending on your sex. Then progressive visualizations are added. The process reminds me very much of deepening techniques in hypnosis (see 1964 Elman). Thus, if you wished to look at qigong as a form of self-hypnosis then Yan Xin Child Longevity Qigong would most likely produce one of the deeper and more profound states of self-trance when all nine steps are able to be visualized. The ending procedure slowly brings one out of the "qigong" state and involves some additional visualizations and rubbing and massage of the body. There is a supplementary closing exercise for those that are having trouble coming out of the state. When the closing was completed everyone in the group had a profound sensation of heat and one individual had even removed his shirt, which is not recommended by Dr. Yan Xin. The American female, a newcomer to the group, had told me before the session that she had never had any sort of sensations during practice, however, during this session she as well felt the profound heat. This was one of the more powerful qigong sessions I have personally "felt" or experienced during a first time practice of a method among the various qigongs I have practiced or been exposed to.
Qigong (Chee- gong): A form of meditation and cultivation practice that is very popular in China. It is a holistic method for healing the body and the mind as well as for promoting the human potential. There are some similarities among qigong, tai-chi, martial arts, transcendental meditation, yoga, and zen. However, the true concept of qigong is beyond simple meditation.
Qi: A Chinese character which means air, atmosphere, vapor, and gas such as oxygen. In qigong and traditional Chinese medicine, qi has a broader meaning, involving intangible substances and abstract concepts, and is considered to exist as an energy field in myriad of things.
De: A Chinese character which literally means virtue and morality. De is a grounding concept in all qigong practice and cultivation. To make progress in and to keep the benefits of qigong practice, it is crucial to always hold the a moral standard.
External Qi: Well trained qigong masters and practitioners can emit qi to others through special ways. Usually, this type of qi is very productive in qigong therapy and qigong training.
Internal Qi: Qigong practitioners are able to feel certain substances flowing inside their bodies during practice and in other situations, which help the practitioners improve qi circulation among channels and acupuncture points.
Channels or Meridians: In the view of traditional Chinese medicine, the Qi and other
substances circulate inside one's body through these certain routes. Many of them originate from internal organs and end at fingers, toes, or certain acupuncture points.
Acupuncture points: Over a hundred of special points in human body that serve intricate functions and are critical in many acupuncture therapy. Many of them are located on the head and along the spine. Some examples are:
* Bai Hui (accumulation) acupuncture point: located on the top of the head,
* Tian Mu (heavenly eye) acupuncture point: located between the two eye brows,
* Shen Que (spirit's palace) acupuncture point: located at the navel, and
* Yong Quan (sprouting spring) acupuncture point: located at the center of the foot.
Opening: Almost all methods have particular opening positions to prepare the mind and the body to enter a qigong state. It is important that the opening method is followed exactly to maximize the benefits of qigong practice.
Lotus: An aquatic plant, native to southern Asia, having large leaves, fragrant, pinkish flowers, and a broad, round, perforated seed pod (The American Heritage Dictionary). The lotus flower has a long relationship to Chinese philosophy and is commonly used to symbolize virtue and morality.
Spontaneous movements and sounds: During qigong practice, some people may feel that certain parts of the body have the tendency to move or may want to make sounds. The movements can be either gentle, such as stretching arms and waving hands, over very dynamic, such as running and trembling. The sounds can be either soft, such as whispering and singing, or very loud, such as laughing or crying. These qigong reactions are usual and helpful to the practitioners and their family members. It is very important to keep good thoughts and positive attitudes should such reactions occur. Follow the spontaneous reactions naturally whenever the body perceived, and do not panic. However, do not use force to intentionally induce such movements and sounds.
Thought Adjustment and Mind Cultivation: In qigong practice it is very important to keep good hopes, optimistic attitudes, considerate thoughts, benevolent wishes, etc. Constantly think of the good side of life, and forget all past regretful mistakes, unfortunate incidents, miserable experiences, and sorrowful feelings. Always forgive, pardon, understand, and sympathize other people and things, regardless of what happened in the past. Indeed, holding high virtue and morality is the fundamental principle of all qigong practice. Regarding everyone and everything as teachers and treating all as kinds are criteria for thought adjustment and cultivation.
Breath Adjustment: As in all other meditation methods, qigong practice also requires suitable breathing control. Deep, long, subtle, and smooth breathing is most favorable. When, at certain point, holding the breath is needed, it is extremely advantageous to hold the breath as long as possible. Other forms of breathing can be achieved gradually with systematic training.
Ending: This last part of a qigong method helps to maintain the effects of each practice. It cannot be neglected since it is an important part integrated into the method. Good results often come out during the ending procedures. It is also intended to seal the Qi energy inside the body and to protect the individual from any undesired feelings.
Sabtu, 08 Maret 2014
Feminism And Feminist Research Methodology In Law
Introduction
Feminism has been part of society for over a century. This phenomenon was responsible for social change through challenging the inherent biases and oppressions against women. However, in the field of law, feminism became an instrumental aspect only after the Critical Legal Studies movement in the nineteen eighties. This emerged as an instrumental part of law because it was responsible for bridging the discourse that was existent in law with regard to women issues.
This particular essay shall focus on two specific elements of law i.e. feminist legal theory and feminist legal research. The paper will examine the portions that constitute these two aspects and what makes them interconnected. In other words, an examination of how legal feminism as a concept affects feminist legal research will be done.
Aims of feminist legal scholarship
Feminist legal scholars argue for a renewed dimension of research. They claim that gender recognitions had not been made in the past and that there is a need for adoption of a different phenomenon known as emancipator research. In other words, they are claiming that legal work needs to reflect the challenges affected by both sexes rather than merely focusing on the needs and perspectives of a universal experience. Radical legal feminists argue that mens experiences have always been treated as neutral or universal while female experiences are regarded as private or even negative. Consequently, these group of legal feminists claim that there should be a radical transformation in law by accepting and changing power roles in the profession.
Feminist research in law has been treated as something that lacks objectivity by opponents to this phenomenon. However, legal feminist researchers claim that objectivity is in fact a term coined by non feminists in an attempt to hide womens own subjectivity in law. Consequently, these proponents argue that research should not be treated as devoid off subjects. Instead, there should be an emphasis on the experiences and the actual challenges that subjects undergo in their everyday lives. Additionally, the latter adherents also claim that the utilisation of models during the research process is another way of forgetting the subject and thus renders such researches invalid.
Distinctive features about feminist approaches to the study of law and how it compares to other approaches in the course
Feminist legal theory is founded upon the premise that the law has been central in depicting historical subordination of women. There are two ways in which feminist legal theory can be treated the first is with regard to jurisprudence in which the law can be perceived as something that has been oppressive to the female gender. The second aspect is with regard to the transformation of societys perception of women through the law or through a reworking of the law.
This approach to the study of law is different from other arenas owing to the fact that it challenges the way the rights based approach to law or the liberal values in law are dealt with. The latter approach is synonymous with the liberal equality model of law. Here, greater emphasis is given to the issue of genuine rights accorded to the different genders rather than some of the conventional rights that have been accorded in the past to women. Through this school of thought, it is possible to see that there are certain links between injustice and gender.
Feminist approach to law has also been instrumental in understanding that there are real differences between the genders and that these differences need not be obscured by the law. Instead, feminists assert that these differences should be brought to the table. The latter school of thought is held by sexual difference model adherents. However, the latter model is not synonymous to other feminists who claim that in order to ensure historic preclusion by the law is completely eradicated, then there must be treatment of both sexes as equal. These proponents hold that when the differences between the genders have been emphasised, then chances are that the very characteristics that have precluded women in the eyes of the law will be perpetuated.
The latter approaches to the study of law have also been instrumental in providing an understanding of some of the dominance related issues that exist in law as put forward by dominance model adherents. It should be noted that these feminists believe that society is inherently unjust. They assert that women have been oppressed and dominated by their male counterparts for a long time and that this has prevented them from achieving their full rights. However, the latter argument has been criticised by feminists themselves who claim that the dominance model treats the woman as a recipient rather than an agent of change. She is seen as someone who cannot control her own destiny or someone whose world is shaped by external agents.
Through the anti-essentialist model of feminist legal theory, it is possible to comprehend some of the axes of oppression that exist within society as related to women. This is because the latter model holds that there can be no particular voice that can represent the general experiences of women. Instead, greater emphasis should be given to subordination issues as related to race, sexual orientation or class against the background of feminist ideals.
All the latter schools of thought are quite distinct from other approaches to law because they bring out the fact that there is a need to incorporate gender in the study of law. On top of that, they also emphasise the importance of looking at the law from another perspective i.e. as being subjective rather than being objective.
Bartletts evaluation of the three theories of knowledge in feminist thinking
Bartlett believes that there are certain perspectives in feminist thinking that make them united. The first is that there are gendered components to certain areas of law that may even seem as though they were neutral. This is also brought out by the fact that most of these assertions had much to do with the way one operates in certain realms. Additionally, certain social, economic and political aspects have been hindering the full equality of the sexes. It can also be argued that most feminists believe that history has been unfair to them.
In other words, they believe that writing history from a male perspective has certain distortions in which the male standpoint is regarded as the norm while the female one is seen as a deviation. Feminists assert that sex should not be regarded as a basis upon which people behave in the manner that they do. This means that only physical appearance is determined by ones gender; other aspects such as psychological, moral or social traits are dependent on individuals and have very little to do with ones sex.
However, the latter author brings out the fact that there are indeed some serious differences between these feminists. He claims that traditional views reflect a conflicting perspective from the other perspectives. This is because the latter adherents argue that all women are rational and that they should be given the same opportunity as men. This author argues that the latter view has somehow lost relevance in the western world and in most developed nations of the latter world.
He also discusses how liberal feminists believe in being gender neutral. In other words, they assert that women need to be given equal opportunities in the marketplace without special considerations of any form of affirmative action. These adherents claim that there should be no consideration of gender differences and that these should be erased.
The latter school of thought brings out certain discourses that have been emphasised in the third perspective of feminism known as cultural feminism. Here, adherents claim that women tend to be more inclined to certain matters such as contexts, relationships, interpersonal positions among others. On the other hand, men tend to emphasise more on such issues as logic and rights. Consequently, the latter differences need to be recognised during applications within any particular profession. It can therefore be said that the three feminist schools of thought contradict one another as each one is presenting its own school of thought.
What the methods reveal that traditional doctrinal legal methods ignore
The first thing that emanates from feminist approaches to law is that there is a serious gap in representation from the two genders with one of them being overrepresented i.e. the male gender. Certain areas of law have reflected this aspect more than others. For instance, in international law, there are very few female representatives. Most of the time, these problems are highlighted by the fact that these state institutions have very few representatives. On top of the latter, even academic matters in international law mirror this discrepancy. Most of the time international law faculties are administered by males thus necessitating the need for affirmative action.
Feminist approaches to law have been particularly instrumental in depicting some traditional concepts in law. For instance, it has been shown that seemingly hard topics such as criminal law have lesser representation from women in comparison to their male counterparts. Additionally, softer legal fields have more representation. Examples here include
Family law
Reproductive rights
Sexual violence
Harassment
Domestic violence
Gender relations
Property law
Workplace equality
Whenever one visits law firms specialising in these issues, then one is likely to find that the largest number of employees there are women. On the other hand, in seemingly tough areas of law such as international law, one is likely to find that the females working there are restricted to lower posts. Through these feminist approaches, it is also possible to understand where the concept of inequality stems from. Since women are rarely given the opportunity to govern their own home i.e. their very homes subordinate them, then chances are that the same thing is likely to happen in other public spheres. This is where the personal is political statement emanates from. It can therefore be argued that feminism has connected private lives with personal encounters.
Significance of gender as a basis for analysing social and legal issues
Gender is a crucial element of analysing legal and social issues owing to the fact that there are unique experiences that can be attributed to this gender. Some researches even add that most studies on gender reveal the fact that white middle class women have been the centre of attention while the experiences of other female groups have been treated as a side show. Most social and legal issues have been analysed through the male lens as little emphasis has been given to other unique experiences. Feminism is therefore instrumental in reflecting some of the diverse experiences that most of these women have undergone and some of them largely reflect their society; these include
Working class women
Women of colour
Lesbian women
Jewish women
Disabled women
Older women
Society usually presents certain forms of oppression that may be associated with the kind of division that one belongs to. However, gender issues are imperative in the analysis of these issues because they sometimes present double disadvantage for those who fall in two categories or they present a single disadvantage for women in general. It can therefore be asserted that there are certain commonalities that exist within the entire gender and there are also others that arise out of the differences that emanate from ones cultural context.
There is a certain level of collectiveness that can be assigned to some of these social or legal issues. For instance, it is a generally accepted fact that each society has its own bias. Consequently, the basic premise in feminist thought with regard to the personal is political reflect on the existence of certain personal challenges that women undergo in their daily lives that must then be considered as a collective challenge within a particular society. Since these challenges can be eliminated or at least reduced, gender studies are instrumental in bringing out some of the ways in which these revolutions can be carried out. It can therefore be asserted that a large share of some of these issues is subjective in nature but they can also take on a collective nature as well.
Gender is a crucial part of the analysis of legal and social issues owing to the fact that it does present an ideal way in which women can live their lives. Through gender reflections, it is possible to see certain frames of reference that societies impose upon women.
Additionally, it is possible to re-examine these references and see the way people can change the way they go about handling some of these issues without regard to any kind of dilemma presented to them. There is a political nature to everyday lives that feminists assert exists and this is what can be particularly instrumental in causing change within society.
Barriers to conducting critical social research as highlighted by Henn et al on legal issues and whether the law can accommodate female reasoning
Feminist legal scholarship challenges the traditional way of thinking in law and in any academic research process for that matter. It normally asserts that the theorist or the researcher is in fact a real person operating in a real setting.
Additionally, the process of theorising and understanding needs to be treated as a material activity rather than a perspective that lacks any kind of unanalysable trait. This means that traditional notions on the field that treat this process as being alienated from people is a big challenge. Besides these, feminist legal scholarships also attempt to emphasise the importance of performing the act of knowing. They usually claim that this process is just as important are the process of knowing itself.
It should also be noted that the initial aim of feminist legal scholarships was to include women as subject matters within particular researches. This means that the existing models and theories on these issues had to be challenged so as to ascertain that there was in deed adequate coverage of some of these realities. It can therefore be said that they wanted a more personal and subjective realm in the legal profession and that the manner in which this perspective was introduced had to be changed too. Most developments in feminist legal perspective centre on the recognition of the experiences of women and the forms of oppression that emanate as a result of their gender.
Whether feminism is a female only methodology
Feminism is not restricted to the female gender alone. This is largely because the central focus of feminism is on challenging social construction of gender. Therefore the various divisions that are associated with these constructions are considered as a crucial part of the phenomenon.
It should also be noted that there are a number of issues that are addressed in feminism that can affect either sexes and these include insubordination, inequality, power or domination. While a number of theories have been developed to reflect the centrality of men with regard to these issues, other disciplines in feminist thought have brought out the fact that economic and power struggles may not have been brought on by the role played by men in this regard. The central concern in feminist studies is to understand the concept of privilege and how this is constructed. In most circumstances, the latter may have nothing to do with the doings of women alone. Consequently, social constructions take greater precedence within this field owing to the fact that there are no clear or ideal definitions of personal challenges.
Feminism also studies oppression and inequality through the lens of other categories of individuals. Many sub branches in the field reflect upon the experiences of certain racial or ethnic minorities. Additionally, they look at the inequalities inherent in certain forms of sexual orientation or in particular economic activities such as within the corporate world or in the field of education. However, all these analyses are done against the background of the female gender. All in all, it can be asserted that feminism challenges different areas of society that are not just restricted to females alone.
Significance of the public/private divide in the organisation of society for feminists
Feminism as a movement has undergone rapid changes over the past three decades. During the nineteen seventies, it used to be considered as a form of activism. However, with the rise of the knowledge economy, this phenomenon rapidly transformed societys understanding of the personal as political. There have been a number of changes that were spread loosely over these past decades since feminism as a concept was accepted into the law profession.
Social liberalism was the first phase and it was largely characterised by the need to use political and social movements as drivers for social change. At that time, most developed nations were undergoing changes in their economies and so had family lives. Consequently, legal feminists focused on these aspects at the time. Additionally, women began being more involved in paid employment thus bringing about different challenges for the legal profession. In this regard, many feminists began addressing the problems facing female professionals.
Economic liberalism was the next transformation that society underwent. At that time, there were increased choices for the consumer and certain aspects of social democracy or liberalism began being embraced. In this regard, women continue facing contradictory roles in society. Consequently, legal feminism also addressed some of these plights and necessitated the adoption of certain kinds of mechanisms that would deal with these new issues. Thereafter, the neoliberal phase began setting in.
Here, the market economy was further developed with the incorporation of the term new managerialism into the equation. At that time, new political and social perspectives were introduced with particular emphasis on the third way. Consequently, it can be acclaimed that public services embraced private elements. Besides this, the issue of globalisation became very real in the world of feminists. In other words, legal feminist perspectives were now transforming into politics of the social and the personal in such arenas.
It can be asserted that there were certain instances in which some of the concepts largely associated with the private sector now became public. At the beginning of the feminist legal perspective, a common issue of emphasis was on the fact that the personal is in fact political. This meant that there were certain commonalities between the private lives of women that could be considered public in nature and that these could form the basis of feminist work. It should also be noted that at the onset of this movement, great emphasis was given to the sexual and gender divisions in society as seen in earlier feminist researches.
The second aspect of the divide between the private and public within society was the personal and the political element. At this point, more and more women entered into the field of feminist legal scholarship and they soon realised that there was more to feminism than mere sexual divisions. It can therefore be said that the private / public discourse was now seen through the introduction of more complex phenomenon in feminism and in feminist legal scholarships as well.
With the continual expansion of the feminist legal perspective, the political was now considered as being personal. Here, economic liberalisation began entering into neo liberalism thus leading to the recognition of globalisation and post structural feminism. All in all, it can be argued that some of the changes that society underwent publically i.e. in the economic, social and educational realms had a huge role to play in determining the way women lived their lives privately. Consequently, these shifts were reflected in some of the work which was done in feminist legal scholarships. Societys understanding of racial, ethnic, family and cultural issues have been reflected in the latter field.
This is seen by the way the personal was treated as political. Thereafter, these feminists began theorising that political nature of their society. Eventually, modernisation emerged and led to development of more complex theorising of the personal (private).
Understanding of the term essentialism and why its a problem for feminists
Essentialism refers to the belief that all human beings have an underlying essence about them. In other words, it refers to the process of resorting to physiological, biological and genetic explanations for the existence of human behaviour. One can therefore say that essentialism disregards the influences that cultural, psychological or sociological elements may have on a particular individuals behaviour. For instance, when one claims that men are more aggressive than women, then they are trying to claim that because this trait is determined by ones biology, then that behaviour cannot be changed in any manner.
Essentialism also occurs when certain sweeping statements are made without consideration of cross cultural differences that may arise out of these generalisations. For instance, if one was to say that all men are visual, then he/she would be disregarding the differences that may arise out of certain assertions that may be inherent. Besides this, there is also another way in which one can treat the issue since it can be argued that being visual incorporates the senses which largely depend on historical or geographical concepts.
When individuals within the academic sphere or in academic realms opt to use a unified concept, then they may also be perceived to be engaging in essentialism. For instance if one were to refer to a white disabled women, then they would be applying the concept of essentialism. This is because the terms women and disabled would cause problems because they lack any form of specificity. This is especially the case because women and the disabled are very heterogeneous and that no single individual has similar experiences. The latter form of essentialism is tolerated a lot more than the latter two forms.
Essentialism is indeed a problem for most feminists owing to the fact that some adherents regard it as one of the worst crime in feminism. Here they claim that women should not be subjected to this phenomenon irrespective of whether biological or social traits have been resorted to. Most of the time, many social realms have been used as the basis for essentialism but this has still brought about a lot of objection.
Essentialism is also a challenge within the field of feminism because of the fact that there are some adherents who believe that feminist essentialism does exist. These adherents claim that in almost all societies, women have been the recipients of oppression and that men have been the agents of dominance. In essence, the latter proponents assert that this occurrence brings out the fact that certain characteristics in society are constant. The very existence of this matter shows how feminist ideas sometimes contradict one another. Also, this shows disunity in the area of study.
Whether feminism will be useful in my own research/ areas of interest
A feminist perspective would definitely be an important part of my area of research owing to the fact that I have realised so many aspects of law are linked to gender based violence. In other words, there is a need for many more advocates on women issues. It is often said that a lawyer can either be two things; an agent of change or a parasite to society. It can therefore be said that sidelining female issues to the privacy of ones home is therefore failing to acknowledge the existence of these gender based problems in law and it is also failing to acknowledge the fact that change can in deed be instituted. Issues such as domestic violence have caused the country millions of dollars and there is therefore a need for lawyers to play an advocacy role to eliminate some of these issues.
Additionally, after the realisation that there are certain gaps that exist within society, then it is particularly important to look for ways in which one can address them. For instance, the issue of greater representation of the female gender in the legal profession is of particular interest and may go a long way in ensuring that most of these issues are handled adequately.
Conclusion
Feminist legal scholarship largely dwells on inequalities in society that have been perpetuated through the legal system. These studies have faced a number of barriers in research owing to traditional ways of thinking that treat feminine issues separately. Additionally, the delineation of subject matters in research and the researchers as well have caused discourses in the process of feminist legal scholarship.
References
Henn et al A Short Introduction to Social Research, Ch. 2 Critical Social Research (2006).
Bartlett, K. Feminist Legal Methods - extract from Feminist Jurisprudence Ch. 14 of Freeman, M.D.A., Lloyds Introduction to Feminist Jurisprudence, 7th ed.
Charlesworth, H., Chinkin, C. and Wright, S. Feminist Approaches to International Law (1991) 85 Am. J of Intl Law 613
David, M.E. Personal and Political: Feminism, Sociology and Family Lives Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books (2003 in press)
MacKinnon, Catharine A. Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law." Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press (1987)
Sayer, Andrew "Essentialism, Social Constructionism, and Beyond," Sociological Review 45 : 456, (August 1997)
Feminism has been part of society for over a century. This phenomenon was responsible for social change through challenging the inherent biases and oppressions against women. However, in the field of law, feminism became an instrumental aspect only after the Critical Legal Studies movement in the nineteen eighties. This emerged as an instrumental part of law because it was responsible for bridging the discourse that was existent in law with regard to women issues.
This particular essay shall focus on two specific elements of law i.e. feminist legal theory and feminist legal research. The paper will examine the portions that constitute these two aspects and what makes them interconnected. In other words, an examination of how legal feminism as a concept affects feminist legal research will be done.
Aims of feminist legal scholarship
Feminist legal scholars argue for a renewed dimension of research. They claim that gender recognitions had not been made in the past and that there is a need for adoption of a different phenomenon known as emancipator research. In other words, they are claiming that legal work needs to reflect the challenges affected by both sexes rather than merely focusing on the needs and perspectives of a universal experience. Radical legal feminists argue that mens experiences have always been treated as neutral or universal while female experiences are regarded as private or even negative. Consequently, these group of legal feminists claim that there should be a radical transformation in law by accepting and changing power roles in the profession.
Feminist research in law has been treated as something that lacks objectivity by opponents to this phenomenon. However, legal feminist researchers claim that objectivity is in fact a term coined by non feminists in an attempt to hide womens own subjectivity in law. Consequently, these proponents argue that research should not be treated as devoid off subjects. Instead, there should be an emphasis on the experiences and the actual challenges that subjects undergo in their everyday lives. Additionally, the latter adherents also claim that the utilisation of models during the research process is another way of forgetting the subject and thus renders such researches invalid.
Distinctive features about feminist approaches to the study of law and how it compares to other approaches in the course
Feminist legal theory is founded upon the premise that the law has been central in depicting historical subordination of women. There are two ways in which feminist legal theory can be treated the first is with regard to jurisprudence in which the law can be perceived as something that has been oppressive to the female gender. The second aspect is with regard to the transformation of societys perception of women through the law or through a reworking of the law.
This approach to the study of law is different from other arenas owing to the fact that it challenges the way the rights based approach to law or the liberal values in law are dealt with. The latter approach is synonymous with the liberal equality model of law. Here, greater emphasis is given to the issue of genuine rights accorded to the different genders rather than some of the conventional rights that have been accorded in the past to women. Through this school of thought, it is possible to see that there are certain links between injustice and gender.
Feminist approach to law has also been instrumental in understanding that there are real differences between the genders and that these differences need not be obscured by the law. Instead, feminists assert that these differences should be brought to the table. The latter school of thought is held by sexual difference model adherents. However, the latter model is not synonymous to other feminists who claim that in order to ensure historic preclusion by the law is completely eradicated, then there must be treatment of both sexes as equal. These proponents hold that when the differences between the genders have been emphasised, then chances are that the very characteristics that have precluded women in the eyes of the law will be perpetuated.
The latter approaches to the study of law have also been instrumental in providing an understanding of some of the dominance related issues that exist in law as put forward by dominance model adherents. It should be noted that these feminists believe that society is inherently unjust. They assert that women have been oppressed and dominated by their male counterparts for a long time and that this has prevented them from achieving their full rights. However, the latter argument has been criticised by feminists themselves who claim that the dominance model treats the woman as a recipient rather than an agent of change. She is seen as someone who cannot control her own destiny or someone whose world is shaped by external agents.
Through the anti-essentialist model of feminist legal theory, it is possible to comprehend some of the axes of oppression that exist within society as related to women. This is because the latter model holds that there can be no particular voice that can represent the general experiences of women. Instead, greater emphasis should be given to subordination issues as related to race, sexual orientation or class against the background of feminist ideals.
All the latter schools of thought are quite distinct from other approaches to law because they bring out the fact that there is a need to incorporate gender in the study of law. On top of that, they also emphasise the importance of looking at the law from another perspective i.e. as being subjective rather than being objective.
Bartletts evaluation of the three theories of knowledge in feminist thinking
Bartlett believes that there are certain perspectives in feminist thinking that make them united. The first is that there are gendered components to certain areas of law that may even seem as though they were neutral. This is also brought out by the fact that most of these assertions had much to do with the way one operates in certain realms. Additionally, certain social, economic and political aspects have been hindering the full equality of the sexes. It can also be argued that most feminists believe that history has been unfair to them.
In other words, they believe that writing history from a male perspective has certain distortions in which the male standpoint is regarded as the norm while the female one is seen as a deviation. Feminists assert that sex should not be regarded as a basis upon which people behave in the manner that they do. This means that only physical appearance is determined by ones gender; other aspects such as psychological, moral or social traits are dependent on individuals and have very little to do with ones sex.
However, the latter author brings out the fact that there are indeed some serious differences between these feminists. He claims that traditional views reflect a conflicting perspective from the other perspectives. This is because the latter adherents argue that all women are rational and that they should be given the same opportunity as men. This author argues that the latter view has somehow lost relevance in the western world and in most developed nations of the latter world.
He also discusses how liberal feminists believe in being gender neutral. In other words, they assert that women need to be given equal opportunities in the marketplace without special considerations of any form of affirmative action. These adherents claim that there should be no consideration of gender differences and that these should be erased.
The latter school of thought brings out certain discourses that have been emphasised in the third perspective of feminism known as cultural feminism. Here, adherents claim that women tend to be more inclined to certain matters such as contexts, relationships, interpersonal positions among others. On the other hand, men tend to emphasise more on such issues as logic and rights. Consequently, the latter differences need to be recognised during applications within any particular profession. It can therefore be said that the three feminist schools of thought contradict one another as each one is presenting its own school of thought.
What the methods reveal that traditional doctrinal legal methods ignore
The first thing that emanates from feminist approaches to law is that there is a serious gap in representation from the two genders with one of them being overrepresented i.e. the male gender. Certain areas of law have reflected this aspect more than others. For instance, in international law, there are very few female representatives. Most of the time, these problems are highlighted by the fact that these state institutions have very few representatives. On top of the latter, even academic matters in international law mirror this discrepancy. Most of the time international law faculties are administered by males thus necessitating the need for affirmative action.
Feminist approaches to law have been particularly instrumental in depicting some traditional concepts in law. For instance, it has been shown that seemingly hard topics such as criminal law have lesser representation from women in comparison to their male counterparts. Additionally, softer legal fields have more representation. Examples here include
Family law
Reproductive rights
Sexual violence
Harassment
Domestic violence
Gender relations
Property law
Workplace equality
Whenever one visits law firms specialising in these issues, then one is likely to find that the largest number of employees there are women. On the other hand, in seemingly tough areas of law such as international law, one is likely to find that the females working there are restricted to lower posts. Through these feminist approaches, it is also possible to understand where the concept of inequality stems from. Since women are rarely given the opportunity to govern their own home i.e. their very homes subordinate them, then chances are that the same thing is likely to happen in other public spheres. This is where the personal is political statement emanates from. It can therefore be argued that feminism has connected private lives with personal encounters.
Significance of gender as a basis for analysing social and legal issues
Gender is a crucial element of analysing legal and social issues owing to the fact that there are unique experiences that can be attributed to this gender. Some researches even add that most studies on gender reveal the fact that white middle class women have been the centre of attention while the experiences of other female groups have been treated as a side show. Most social and legal issues have been analysed through the male lens as little emphasis has been given to other unique experiences. Feminism is therefore instrumental in reflecting some of the diverse experiences that most of these women have undergone and some of them largely reflect their society; these include
Working class women
Women of colour
Lesbian women
Jewish women
Disabled women
Older women
Society usually presents certain forms of oppression that may be associated with the kind of division that one belongs to. However, gender issues are imperative in the analysis of these issues because they sometimes present double disadvantage for those who fall in two categories or they present a single disadvantage for women in general. It can therefore be asserted that there are certain commonalities that exist within the entire gender and there are also others that arise out of the differences that emanate from ones cultural context.
There is a certain level of collectiveness that can be assigned to some of these social or legal issues. For instance, it is a generally accepted fact that each society has its own bias. Consequently, the basic premise in feminist thought with regard to the personal is political reflect on the existence of certain personal challenges that women undergo in their daily lives that must then be considered as a collective challenge within a particular society. Since these challenges can be eliminated or at least reduced, gender studies are instrumental in bringing out some of the ways in which these revolutions can be carried out. It can therefore be asserted that a large share of some of these issues is subjective in nature but they can also take on a collective nature as well.
Gender is a crucial part of the analysis of legal and social issues owing to the fact that it does present an ideal way in which women can live their lives. Through gender reflections, it is possible to see certain frames of reference that societies impose upon women.
Additionally, it is possible to re-examine these references and see the way people can change the way they go about handling some of these issues without regard to any kind of dilemma presented to them. There is a political nature to everyday lives that feminists assert exists and this is what can be particularly instrumental in causing change within society.
Barriers to conducting critical social research as highlighted by Henn et al on legal issues and whether the law can accommodate female reasoning
Feminist legal scholarship challenges the traditional way of thinking in law and in any academic research process for that matter. It normally asserts that the theorist or the researcher is in fact a real person operating in a real setting.
Additionally, the process of theorising and understanding needs to be treated as a material activity rather than a perspective that lacks any kind of unanalysable trait. This means that traditional notions on the field that treat this process as being alienated from people is a big challenge. Besides these, feminist legal scholarships also attempt to emphasise the importance of performing the act of knowing. They usually claim that this process is just as important are the process of knowing itself.
It should also be noted that the initial aim of feminist legal scholarships was to include women as subject matters within particular researches. This means that the existing models and theories on these issues had to be challenged so as to ascertain that there was in deed adequate coverage of some of these realities. It can therefore be said that they wanted a more personal and subjective realm in the legal profession and that the manner in which this perspective was introduced had to be changed too. Most developments in feminist legal perspective centre on the recognition of the experiences of women and the forms of oppression that emanate as a result of their gender.
Whether feminism is a female only methodology
Feminism is not restricted to the female gender alone. This is largely because the central focus of feminism is on challenging social construction of gender. Therefore the various divisions that are associated with these constructions are considered as a crucial part of the phenomenon.
It should also be noted that there are a number of issues that are addressed in feminism that can affect either sexes and these include insubordination, inequality, power or domination. While a number of theories have been developed to reflect the centrality of men with regard to these issues, other disciplines in feminist thought have brought out the fact that economic and power struggles may not have been brought on by the role played by men in this regard. The central concern in feminist studies is to understand the concept of privilege and how this is constructed. In most circumstances, the latter may have nothing to do with the doings of women alone. Consequently, social constructions take greater precedence within this field owing to the fact that there are no clear or ideal definitions of personal challenges.
Feminism also studies oppression and inequality through the lens of other categories of individuals. Many sub branches in the field reflect upon the experiences of certain racial or ethnic minorities. Additionally, they look at the inequalities inherent in certain forms of sexual orientation or in particular economic activities such as within the corporate world or in the field of education. However, all these analyses are done against the background of the female gender. All in all, it can be asserted that feminism challenges different areas of society that are not just restricted to females alone.
Significance of the public/private divide in the organisation of society for feminists
Feminism as a movement has undergone rapid changes over the past three decades. During the nineteen seventies, it used to be considered as a form of activism. However, with the rise of the knowledge economy, this phenomenon rapidly transformed societys understanding of the personal as political. There have been a number of changes that were spread loosely over these past decades since feminism as a concept was accepted into the law profession.
Social liberalism was the first phase and it was largely characterised by the need to use political and social movements as drivers for social change. At that time, most developed nations were undergoing changes in their economies and so had family lives. Consequently, legal feminists focused on these aspects at the time. Additionally, women began being more involved in paid employment thus bringing about different challenges for the legal profession. In this regard, many feminists began addressing the problems facing female professionals.
Economic liberalism was the next transformation that society underwent. At that time, there were increased choices for the consumer and certain aspects of social democracy or liberalism began being embraced. In this regard, women continue facing contradictory roles in society. Consequently, legal feminism also addressed some of these plights and necessitated the adoption of certain kinds of mechanisms that would deal with these new issues. Thereafter, the neoliberal phase began setting in.
Here, the market economy was further developed with the incorporation of the term new managerialism into the equation. At that time, new political and social perspectives were introduced with particular emphasis on the third way. Consequently, it can be acclaimed that public services embraced private elements. Besides this, the issue of globalisation became very real in the world of feminists. In other words, legal feminist perspectives were now transforming into politics of the social and the personal in such arenas.
It can be asserted that there were certain instances in which some of the concepts largely associated with the private sector now became public. At the beginning of the feminist legal perspective, a common issue of emphasis was on the fact that the personal is in fact political. This meant that there were certain commonalities between the private lives of women that could be considered public in nature and that these could form the basis of feminist work. It should also be noted that at the onset of this movement, great emphasis was given to the sexual and gender divisions in society as seen in earlier feminist researches.
The second aspect of the divide between the private and public within society was the personal and the political element. At this point, more and more women entered into the field of feminist legal scholarship and they soon realised that there was more to feminism than mere sexual divisions. It can therefore be said that the private / public discourse was now seen through the introduction of more complex phenomenon in feminism and in feminist legal scholarships as well.
With the continual expansion of the feminist legal perspective, the political was now considered as being personal. Here, economic liberalisation began entering into neo liberalism thus leading to the recognition of globalisation and post structural feminism. All in all, it can be argued that some of the changes that society underwent publically i.e. in the economic, social and educational realms had a huge role to play in determining the way women lived their lives privately. Consequently, these shifts were reflected in some of the work which was done in feminist legal scholarships. Societys understanding of racial, ethnic, family and cultural issues have been reflected in the latter field.
This is seen by the way the personal was treated as political. Thereafter, these feminists began theorising that political nature of their society. Eventually, modernisation emerged and led to development of more complex theorising of the personal (private).
Understanding of the term essentialism and why its a problem for feminists
Essentialism refers to the belief that all human beings have an underlying essence about them. In other words, it refers to the process of resorting to physiological, biological and genetic explanations for the existence of human behaviour. One can therefore say that essentialism disregards the influences that cultural, psychological or sociological elements may have on a particular individuals behaviour. For instance, when one claims that men are more aggressive than women, then they are trying to claim that because this trait is determined by ones biology, then that behaviour cannot be changed in any manner.
Essentialism also occurs when certain sweeping statements are made without consideration of cross cultural differences that may arise out of these generalisations. For instance, if one was to say that all men are visual, then he/she would be disregarding the differences that may arise out of certain assertions that may be inherent. Besides this, there is also another way in which one can treat the issue since it can be argued that being visual incorporates the senses which largely depend on historical or geographical concepts.
When individuals within the academic sphere or in academic realms opt to use a unified concept, then they may also be perceived to be engaging in essentialism. For instance if one were to refer to a white disabled women, then they would be applying the concept of essentialism. This is because the terms women and disabled would cause problems because they lack any form of specificity. This is especially the case because women and the disabled are very heterogeneous and that no single individual has similar experiences. The latter form of essentialism is tolerated a lot more than the latter two forms.
Essentialism is indeed a problem for most feminists owing to the fact that some adherents regard it as one of the worst crime in feminism. Here they claim that women should not be subjected to this phenomenon irrespective of whether biological or social traits have been resorted to. Most of the time, many social realms have been used as the basis for essentialism but this has still brought about a lot of objection.
Essentialism is also a challenge within the field of feminism because of the fact that there are some adherents who believe that feminist essentialism does exist. These adherents claim that in almost all societies, women have been the recipients of oppression and that men have been the agents of dominance. In essence, the latter proponents assert that this occurrence brings out the fact that certain characteristics in society are constant. The very existence of this matter shows how feminist ideas sometimes contradict one another. Also, this shows disunity in the area of study.
Whether feminism will be useful in my own research/ areas of interest
A feminist perspective would definitely be an important part of my area of research owing to the fact that I have realised so many aspects of law are linked to gender based violence. In other words, there is a need for many more advocates on women issues. It is often said that a lawyer can either be two things; an agent of change or a parasite to society. It can therefore be said that sidelining female issues to the privacy of ones home is therefore failing to acknowledge the existence of these gender based problems in law and it is also failing to acknowledge the fact that change can in deed be instituted. Issues such as domestic violence have caused the country millions of dollars and there is therefore a need for lawyers to play an advocacy role to eliminate some of these issues.
Additionally, after the realisation that there are certain gaps that exist within society, then it is particularly important to look for ways in which one can address them. For instance, the issue of greater representation of the female gender in the legal profession is of particular interest and may go a long way in ensuring that most of these issues are handled adequately.
Conclusion
Feminist legal scholarship largely dwells on inequalities in society that have been perpetuated through the legal system. These studies have faced a number of barriers in research owing to traditional ways of thinking that treat feminine issues separately. Additionally, the delineation of subject matters in research and the researchers as well have caused discourses in the process of feminist legal scholarship.
References
Henn et al A Short Introduction to Social Research, Ch. 2 Critical Social Research (2006).
Bartlett, K. Feminist Legal Methods - extract from Feminist Jurisprudence Ch. 14 of Freeman, M.D.A., Lloyds Introduction to Feminist Jurisprudence, 7th ed.
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