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Resolved Question: internet troubles.... verizon... *sigh*?

ok well i am a verizon DSL internet subscriber , my problem is my internet connection was constantly dropping + i am paying for 3mbps download speeds ... when i try to download a file like for example a game file 1000mb in size it downloads @ an average of 300kbps ... well i called LAST monday not yesterday but the one prior to that & told him that i would like to discontinue the service & would like to avoid paying the cancellation fee , they told me the only way that would be possible is if one of the tech specialist came out & took a look @ it and the problem was proven to be unresolvable ... well i said fine & the appointment was setup for this past friday ... the guy came out took a look @ it... took him over 2 hours... he solved the problem with my connection constantly dropping by filtering my line ... but no improvement on the internet speed... i called verizon promptly after he left & they told me they would be running some test through my line for the next 24-48 hours to not turn off the modem for that time period... so i left it on all weekend & called them back on monday... first guy told me that they were STILL running some test and it would be ongoing until wednesday ... so i said fine than thought about it some more & felt like they were jerking me around & wasting time considering were getting close to another billing cycle... so i once AGAIN called back & talked to a new customer rep. & he went through some steps with me & came to the conclusion that my 'processes' running in task manager was the issue cause i had 55 & for a windows xp it should be within 25-30 processes running ... so i said fine hung up & started deleting a shitload of programs & files n shit till i was down to 27 & lemme tell ya my computer was looking pretty dull & empty ... but after i did that i tested out my internet speeds & it was the same.. so i called back once again... really fed up & frustrated @ this point ... the guy did a screen sharing session & "optimized" my pc ... speeds were still the same... i told him to tell me the "minimum requirements" for a computer to properly work with there service ... well after that we both saw my computer met all requirements .. so nothing wrong with my computer but he insisted that there was nothing wrong with the modem and/or the service ... he had previously stated that i should be getting @ LEAST 80% of the speed im signed up for... im like "300kbps is not 80%! its not even 50%! " at this point i was pretty pissed... going onto 2 weeks now feeling like i was getting jerked around then he said it also can be the file im trying to download and the specific server of the site hosting that file ... im like OK go ahead go to any site youd like and download ANY file at all from any site... IT WILL BE THE SAME RESULTS... so he gave me the number to some department customer solutions or something like that... im waiting till daybreak to call when there open ... what should I do? more

Voting Question: How could I summerize this paragraph?

With only the most important facts? I just need the general information on geothermal energy. Geothermal power (from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth, and thermos, meaning heat) is power extracted from heat stored in the earth. This geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of minerals, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. It has been used for space heating and bathing since ancient roman times, but is now better known for generating electricity. About 10 GW of geothermal electric capacity is installed around the world as of 2007, generating 0.3% of global electricity demand. An additional 28 GW of direct geothermal heating capacity is installed for district heating, space heating, spas, industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications.[1] Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, and environmentally friendly, but has previously been geographically limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for direct applications such as home heating. Geothermal wells tend to release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower than those of conventional fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help mitigate global warming if widely deployed instead of fossil fuels.[1] Prince Piero Ginori Conti tested the first geothermal generator on 4 July 1904, at the Larderello dry steam field in Italy.[2] The largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located at The Geysers, a geothermal field in California, United States.[3] As of 2004, five countries (El Salvador, Kenya, the Philippines, Iceland, and Costa Rica) generate more than 15% of their electricity from geothermal sources. Twenty-four countries generated a total of 56,786 GWh (204 PJ) of electricity from geothermal power in 2005, accounting for 0.3% of worldwide electricity consumption. This output is growing by 3% annually, thanks to a growing number of plants as well as improvements in their capacity factors. Because a geothermal power station does not rely on transient sources of energy, unlike, for example, wind turbines or solar panels, its capacity factor can be quite large; up to 90% has been demonstrated.[4] Their global average was 73% in 2005.[1] The global capacity was 10 GW in 2007. Geothermal electric power plants have been limited to the edges oftectonic plates until recently. Geothermal electric plants have until recently been built exclusively on the edges of tectonic plates where high temperature geothermal resources are available near the surface. The development of binary cycle power plants and improvements in drilling and extraction technology has opened the hope that enhanced geothermal systems might be viable over a much greater geographical range. A demonstration project has recently been completed in Landau-Pfalz, Germany, and others are under construction in Soultz-sous-Forêts, France and Cooper Basin,Australia. more

Resolved Question: crackpot perpetual energy generator idea!!!!?

I Guys/Gals, I have an improvement to the idea posted by climbhi in physics forums. Here is the original text: Okay, this seems like it should work, but I know that it ought not too. Please tell me what you think. My idea is for a device which will be able to perpetually produce hydroelectric power. It works based on the idea of capillary action. Start with a large pool of water, and take a whole freaking ton of small tubes which water will travel up by capillary action. Have the water travel up the tubes and then form a new pool higher up, where a new batch of capillary tubes will be waiting to suck that water higher up, and the cycle goes on untill you reach a sufficient height. Here you cause the pool which has accumulated at the top level to fall off over an edge, go down and strike a rotor which works the same as any hydroelectric plant rotor works. After it strikes this the water returns to the original pool and the process repeats. And voila! (pretty sure that's spelled wrong) you have a perpetual energy generator! Here is a link to the original question http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-865.html I think i have a solution to the problems that the replies to that question have talked about. Idiots like jerry(founder of yahoo) do not allow photos to be part of the question so i have uploaded a photo. Here is a link to the design(photo) http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn216/bmkamath2000/capillarypump.jpg Here i have the water rise in the capillary as usual. A tap halfway up the capillary opens into another container. The switch has to be operated automatically keeping it closed when the water in the capillary rises. I think the diagram needs to be modified as the switch has to be near to the capillary.(just a crude theoretical model) If you think my drawing can be tried out can you please tell me where or how? (Plz have a look at my previous question too- that too is interesting) Thanks for reading and answering in advance.Hi brother otter, I know the quantity of water sent up is small. It rises only about a few milimeters. I know. Energy is needed to close and open the tap also. I am talking of nano technology here and anything mass manufactured can give good returns. If not for generating power it can still be used to lift water for irrigation. One drop a second means 8.6 liters of water a day and thats from one assembly of tubes. A few hundred can give you lots of water at a time. I understand the practicalities/difficulties thats why, otherwise i would have done it myself by now and my patent application would have been on its way. I googled a bit and saw somethings on capillary pumps tto but its basically used to cool electronic devices by capillary action/pump.Plz look at the image i have posted as a link too. It looks workeable to me.Dear rowlfe, Ha Ha Ha i was just about to sign out and there comes a real answer. Good i agree energy needed to operate the valve outweighs the potential energy of a drop of water in the capillary but i must confess biology might one day give us energy efficient valves(part electronic/part biological). A working model would definitely work as we can make the tap as wide as possible. in fact it can be a cut capillary(at two nearby places halfway through) which when placed in place allows water to rise and when the cut piece is moved Oh My God. Ok Ok may be the water in the upper part wont flow down. I don't know. Neways thanks for your post and in answering your answer i chanced upon a simple idea to test it. I will just use a capillary in which water rises. Then lift it out to see water flows out or not. more

Resolved Question: Is Obama the luckiest guy alive OR what?

OK, here's the thing. If we look back into history, we'd be able to see this isn't the first time the economy went low. In fact, it's quite a natural process that happens in cycles; it lasts for a certain amount of time, then gradually goes away - almost entirely by itself. History also tells us that the leaders who lead at these tough times, will either be blamed or worshiped, depending when they became leaders. For example, 75% of the time Herbert Hoover was U.S. President, our country was in an extremely good shape - a powerful economical nation with high living standards. No one respected him for that. However, once the Great Depression hit the country, as well as many other countries, people started to think of the president as the devil - they blamed him, even though it was a global thing. After that, a guy named Franklin D. Roosevelt came to power. He proposed a "new deal" for the country, but it didn't work as expected. It would take three full years from his election for things to get better, only when the United States went to war. Yet, he got ALL the credit. Please try to relate this to George W. Bush and Barack Obama! Everyone blames Bush for the economy, yet they fail to know that it's a global thing. Is Bush also guilty that Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Russia, Japan, and some 200 countries are also suffering from low economy? Now, going back to the economical process, the economy HAS to go up, even if it has to do by itself. Obama will get all the credit, just like FDR, because he doesn't really have to do much - even the slightest improvement is way better than now ... it cannot get any worse! Some liberals, including atheists, call Obama ... God! That's just ridiculous, in my opinion! Therefore, this question bears itself ... *Is B. H. Obama the luckiest "SOB" on the face of the earth, or what?*U never no... by "supper power," do you mean that we, as a nation, eat a lot during our supper meal? I'm just kidding, I know you meant super power, however I have to disagree with your reasoning. You see, it is the persons such as yourself that B. O. has 'gotten' into his sack.Rose C, I hope that when you use the term "beautiful" to describe his wife, Michelle, you are simply being nice, right? If so, it's nice to be nice, even when people aren't really pretty. If not, then you possess a low level of beauty judgment! Anyway, I don't see how that answers my question. And if you wanna know my opinion, as a guy who loves zoology and girls, Michelle Obama reminds me of the water buffalo - a large and mean animal, with a nasty look and an enormous rear! I'm sorry, it felt right saying it ... Lol more

Resolved Question: More questions about accounting. This is the last time I am asking for help. I am just bad at quizzes?

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Resolved Question: Read this if you're TTC...it'll cheer you up...?

Trying to Get Pregnant - Are You Trying Too Hard? Trying to conceive is supposed to be a natural process that is easy, at least, that is what people would lead you to think. Yet, if you have been trying to conceive for many months or even years, you may realize that having children does not come easily for everyone. In fact, each month, a woman has only a twenty to thirty percent chance of conceiving. Most women will conceive within a year of trying but a small percentage of women will still not conceive even after a year of diligently trying. this article continues below advertisement If you have been trying to conceive for any length of time you have probably been given advice from well-meaning or not-so-well-meaning friends or family. You have likely heard the suggestion that you need to relax and stop trying so hard. Maybe you were told something like this “I knew this couple that tried for years to get pregnant and as soon as they stopped trying, they got pregnant”. Or another common statement you might here is a story about someone who finally decided to adopt and then they turned up pregnant. Is there any truth to this? Does trying too hard really cut down your chances of conceiving? There has been much debate about the impact of stress on fertility. Some researchers believe that stress impacts fertility but it is not clear whether the infertility causes the stress or stress causes infertility. There is no question, that fertility issues can put a strain on any relationship. For a couple trying to conceive, the journey often starts out with enthusiasm and optimism. After several cycles of trying, this optimism may soon lead to despair and frustration. Although stress may have an impact on a couple’s fertility it is more likely that stress is the result of infertility not the cause. Most couples will conceive within a year of trying. For couples who do not conceive within a year or two of trying there is almost always a physical cause for their infertility. In fact, 90% of all infertility has an identifiable physical cause. Couples will want to be evaluated by a doctor if they have been trying for over a year and have not had success at conceiving. What about the stories of couples adopting and later becoming pregnant? Does fertility improve when you stop trying? This is simply not true. Although, it is not completely unheard of for a woman to get pregnant after adopting the statistics do not show any improvement in fertility. The percentage of women getting pregnant after adopting is about 5 percent, which is the same as women who have infertility and do not adopt. (source: www.resolve.org) Can you have too much sex? Does trying too hard cut down your chances of getting pregnant? Women only have a short period of time when they are fertile. Having sex frequently during this period of time will increase your chances of getting pregnant. Most experts recommend having sex at least every other day during a woman’s fertile period. It was once suggested that men with low sperm counts abstain from sex prior to ovulation to increase their sperm count. However, recent studies have not shown that abstaining improves sperm count. In fact In men with low sperm counts, the researchers found the volume of semen increased after prolonged abstinence, but the quality got gradually worse the longer the men held back." (source:www.intelihealth.com) The bottom line is that there is no such thing as trying too hard. The difference between a couple that conceives when trying and a couple that does not is not based on how hard they try. Implying that relaxation or not trying increases your chances of getting pregnant, only alienates couples that are trying to conceive and adds to their frustration. Exactly how do you try less when you desperately want a baby? There are no penalties for trying too hard. If you and your partner have been trying to conceive for over a year consult your doctor for fertility treatment options. Trying or not trying hard enough does not cause infertility. more

Voting Question: how is the cycle time of a process defined?

business improvement techniques level 2 more

Resolved Question: Do you agree with (the norm) who answered my?

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Resolved Question: Do management theories keep getting tested on random groups of innocent workforces of the world ?

"Total Quality Improvement,(90's)or Hoshin Kanri and all those flavors of the month models of management theories just keep on coming up and getting tested on random groups of innocent workforces of the world. Deming Cycle PDSA,Kaizem Business Process Reengineering, Catastrophe theory, CMM, EFQM, Lean6, Sigma, various cocktails of 2 or three of these, are all management concepts that may have been randomly used on Collins." Terrific info. from QuiteNewAroundHere. more

Resolved Question: Can anybody answer this question on operation manament?

OPERATIONS MGT ASSIGNMENT Identify areas within your present function that has elements of operations,--Logistics,Quality assurance,Project mgt,Scheduling and forecasting,Cycles/Queing/Buffer management.(Here, you are required to choose only the ones that apply to your area – some departments may have 1, some 2 etc. Analysis is more important than anyother thing). Identify and make an overview / description of it. Highlight problems backed with the analysis of these elements backed with current available data. Propose solutions based on the on experiense in Sales or servicing coys or depts-drilling,survey,fishing services in an oil and gas industries.(Here, if you make assumptions) Method: Define processes with flow charts. Analyse problems using gantt charts or other analytical means. Propose improvements using expected flow charts and gantt charts or any other means. more

Resolved Question: What is the best six sigma certification for a software project manager?

I am a PMP certified Project Manager and looking for getting certification from ASQ. My core area of expertise is in software development life cycle. Please suggest me which Six Sigma certification should I opt for among the following offered by ASQ: Biomedical Auditor (CBA) Calibration Technician (CCT) HACCP Auditor (CHA) Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) Quality Inspector (CQI) Quality Auditor (CQA) Quality Engineer (CQE) Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) Quality Process Analyst (CQPA) Quality Technician (CQT) Reliability Engineer (CRE) Six Sigma Black Belt (SSBB) Six Sigma Green Belt (SSGB) Software Quality Engineer (CSQE) Thanks more

Resolved Question: automotivetoday?

Taking the concepts of the Toyota System and enhancing them with today’s information systems technology has been the key to allow some manufacturers to unlock the door that leads to a short-cut in process improvement projects. They are rethinking the good ideas of lean manufacturing and are using today’s factory floor information tools to quickly and easily improve factory floor performance, customer responsiveness and their bottom line. Process improvement through a leaner approach and finite scheduling for the factory floor can be demonstrated in a number of ways: Minimize cycle time Minimize inventory Meet customer expectations in quality and delivery Look for ways to improve changeover Empower the workers Create a culture for continuous improvement Creating a “culture” for continuous improvement can be realized through another lean concept… the use of visual aids. By making the http://automotivetoday-best.blogspot.com more

Resolved Question: How can people take better responsibility for their Actions and Re-actions ? if your a patient person, read on

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Resolved Question: Marie D: Did you know the practice of the mindfulness of breathing helps develop our memory, concentration, &

focus ? I read your question, but the system only allows so many words. So I had to ask the question, in order to send the information to you. In the mindfulness of breathing we use the breath as the object of our attention. We follow the physical sensations of the breath as it flows in and out of the body. This practice of discipline isn’t really a breathing exercise, for we allow the breath to flow naturally, as we observe it. So there is no control over the breath! The first thing we learn as we practice this disciplinary practice is how distracted our minds are ! We’ll observe all sorts of distracting thoughts and feelings flowing into our minds, and discover that our attention is no longer on our breath. What comes into our minds is not actually very useful, it’s actually bad for us. For example, we feel impelled, driven anxiously, or being easily angered while thinking on something else, or worrying about something we need to accomplish = we are distracted, instead of attentively being in the present moment, following the sensations of our breath. The simple practice behind this disciplinary practice is that we keep bringing our attention back to the breath, over and over again, then our mind gradually quiets/calmns down, and we are content. Preferably this is done with the eyes closed, to minimize distractions. In the mindfulness of breathing we give our breath our full attention. We are simply following the physical sensations of the breath. We start off by following the breath. After a while what tends to happen is we forget all about the breath, as we are carried away by a chain of distracting thoughts, which usually have nothing to do with what we are to be giving our attention to, at this present moment. We usually do not make any conscious decision to think about something outside of this disciplinary practice on our breath, it just simply happens as habitual patterns of behavior come into play. In fact, not only do we not choose to get distracted, we do not have much of a choice at all !! In essence, our habits are controlling us ! It is more like our thoughts are thinking us than we are thinking them ! The fact that we aren’t in control isn’t cause to become despondent – it’s the same for everyone most of the time. We have to become aware of how distracted we really are, before we can do anything about it. So what do we do when we are anxiously driven, worrying, angered, undermining ourselves, dozing off, or fantasizing about things we’d rather be doing ? These activities are not helpful, or fulfilling. And they’re definitely not things we decided to do, they are simply unwholesome habitual things we do when we are not fully aware, when we are not giving our full attention on the breath. These are hindrances to accomplishing one’s goal. There is a Big difference of being mindful, and not being mindful. If we can not be mindful with our breath, we can be mindful throughout our daily activities in life – whether at work, school, home, or wherever we are !! So how do we regain our Attention ? This is a crucial point in the mindfulness of breathing! We do not have to be driven by our unwholesome distracting habits. We can decide we no want to re-enter that distracting world, which are driven by unwholesome habits. We have the opportunity to cultivate our awareness by maintaining the mindfulness of the breath. When we realize we’ve been distracted, with full attention, we take ourselves back to our breath. We can choose not only what to do, by bringing our attention back to our breath, but also how we do it. There can be a strong temptation to be irritated with ourselves, and beat ourselves up over the head, when we’re distracted. But when we do this, we go right back into the uncontrolled habitual pattern of distractedness and we undermine ourselves, continuing to be annoyed or angry. A more creative response is that we take ourselves, our full attention to the breath with as much kindness and Patience AND Gentleness as we can! Instead of giving yourself a hard time about having been distracted, you can congratulate yourself on having brought full attention back to the breath with kindness, gentleness, and patience !! The mind has a natural tendency to wander, just like a young inquisitive animal. So there is no need in being harsh with yourself. How do we develop awareness ? We go back to the breath, which serves as an anchor that helps us stay in complete awareness, to be alert in the present moment. We are practicing recognizing the difference between awareness and unawareness. And we are working on increasing our cognitive thinking skills, memory, concentration, focus, as well as developing the qualities of Patience, kindness, compassion, gentleness, and self-control that are so very important when we realize when we’ve been unaware – when we’ve just come out of being distracted and have regained our awareness. We are also training ourselves to stay out the hindrances. Becoming distracted is a bit like falling over when you’re a child. When we try to follow the breath it’s like we’ve decided to walk. But then after a few steps, we stumble, by being distracted. But we keep picking ourselves up, by going back to the breath. The way a child learns to walk is by taking a few steps, falling, then picking themselves up, over and over again. The way we learn to be build our mind, increase our memory, build more concentration, and to be more aware is by following the breath, getting distracted, and then going back to the breath – over and over and over again. This process builds up the quality of Patience within us. How do we develop Calmness ? Hindrances are not a very satisfying states of mind. Being annoyed, or fantasizing, or undermining ourselves, all involve a lot of mental disharmony. They cause turbulence in our minds, and we find that we are not very calm. The hindrances are states in which we are not very happy. If we are fantasizing, for example – either about things we’d rather be doing, or about things we’re not happy about – then there’s emotional disharmony since we’re not happy what we’re doing. Spending less time in distracting states of mind means that we become more content. And when we’re distracted then we’re not very concentrated - our mind is jumping from one topic to another like a monkey (this is what we call our monkey mind). This doesn’t mean we don’t experience anything very deeply – like when we’re talking to someone and we’re also preoccupied and realize they’ve been talking but we don’t know what they’ve said. That kind of thing doesn’t help us connect very deeply with our experience. And how can we reflect if we can’t keep up a focused train of thought ? And if we can not reflect, how then can we learn ? Practicing mindfulness helps us to be more concentrated so that we can live more deeply, and appreciate life more fully ! As you prepare your body, then become more aware of the physical sensations of your breath. Whenever your mind wander, with patience, gently bring it back to the breath. Then, count after each breath, starting at One, placing a number after each exhalation of breath. When you get to ten, then start again at one. Next, do the same as above, but counting just before each inhalation breath. Next, Narrow your focus, until you are concentrating on the physical sensations of the breath flowing over the rims of your nostrils. Mindfulness of Breathing helps to be much more calm, at peace mentally, more focused, concentration well, in the present moment. And at the same time it energizes us, as it refreshes us within. “In the long term it helps us to develop more awareness so that we have More freedom to choose what our responses are going to be in any given situation. In situations where we might worry, or be angry, or might be anxious, we can now choose instead to cultivate Patience, wisdom, understanding, and a calm, peaceful state of mind.” Practicing Mindfulness is enormously enriching. Instead of being only half aware of what we are doing, we can fully and richly experience every moment of our lives. We’ll begin to enjoy our food more, but especially it will help us to concentrate much better at work, at home, and anywhere we are – in the present moment. It will help us to actually be more present when listening to our family’s and friends, not being distracted by roaming thoughts in our minds while the other person is speaking. It will help us to slow down our speech when speaking to another person, for rapid speech/talking fast, is always a sign of an anxious mind. We’ll begin to speak more slowly, calmly, with self-control, thus giving another our full attention. Many people also practice The Mindfulness of Breathing right before going to sleep, to give them a very calm, sound nights sleep. You might be wondering, Why the Counting of the Breath ? We train our mind, through counting, to keep us well focused. It is very easy to just, as some say, “Space out”, instead of fully practicing the mindfulness of breathing. When we “space out”, we get distracted, without even realizing it. The counting helps to give us a more objective sense of how much of the time we are distracted, and how much we are remaining aware. Counting helps us to measure how long we are maintaining our awareness. At first, it is even hard for us to really stay focused on our breath, for even five breaths. As we develop this discipline, we’ll find ourselves able to go through many cycles(of ten) breaths, before we are distracted. Counting the breath also gives us something to aim for - goal. The numbers help us to develop right effort, as well as to help us build endurance. Everyone gets distracted, even those who have been practicing the mindfulness of breathing for years. It is like having a garden: the first stage in creating a beautiful garden is to realize how many weeds need to cleared away. Dealing with “the weeds” in your mind, brings you inner peace and happiness. It’s as if you’ve just inherited a beautiful garden, which is full of weeds. You just can’t pretend that the weeds aren’t there – you have to do something about them. It is like that with your mind. By just leaving it alone, it will just get worse. The best thing to do is to get started as soon as possible on clearing out those mind – weeds. If you ever feel frustrated with your distractions, then remember that when you’ve been distracted during mindfulness of breathing, you have a choice You can choose to exercise Patience and Gentleness with yourself or you can get impatient, angry, and despondent which will only make things worse. So, as the teenagers say, “Chill” and Patiently continue to clear those weeds from your wild monkey mind. Sometimes you might find counting numbers boring and might want to drop the number altogether. This is often how the beginner feels. If you’ve finally developed a certain stillness and calmness, then you can “temporarily” drop the counting. But this does not happen too often for the beginner. But most often, the desire to drop the counting is a resistance to structure from within us, or caused by the desire to be passive. Sometimes our mind would rather just daydream. Let us be honest with ourselves as to what our real motivation is. If the numbers seem mechanical, then bear in mind that this is not inevitable – it’s a product of the way your mind is working. If you approach the numbers mechanically, then they will seem to be only mechanical to you. But if you approach the numbers gracefully, and creatively, then they’ll seem natural and fluid. One way to contact that natural fluidity is to place the numbers very lightly before and after the breath. Place the numbers very tenderly and with care, as if you are kissing your child on the cheek who has fallen asleep. However, if your mind is very distracted, then you should make the numbers more definite and firm. But try to do it with care. Counting on your fingers working when your mind has been Very distracted; needs to be under control, to come back to the breath. You don’t actually move or touch your fingers, but simply bring your awareness to the fingers, counting on them. When you are Really distracted this helps you to keep your mind more fully anchored than simply counting numbers. This method can be used as a stabilizer, like training wheels for our mind. For some, it quite helpful. After practicing The Mindfulness of Breathing for a few days, step back, and see how things are going. Learning this discipline, is not easy, it is a learned process. Learning the Mindfulness of Breathing involves learning to see ourselves – our (so to speak) warts and all. It requires that we take full responsibility for our thoughts, the words we speak, and our actions, rather than using other people as scapegoats for our own failings, ie: you made me angry, you caused me to react this way, or that way. There are always up and downs in learning any disciplinary skill. Anyone who has ever learned a new skill, like skiing, rollerblading, remembers possibly thinking “this is impossible, I’ll never learn this well, and maybe even regretting ever getting started.” It can be just like that with The Mindfulness of Breathing. But I’d like to remind you that you are not alone, and that you are going through a disciplinary process that many other people have gone through, and have come out of the other side of – successful, happy, and having peace of mind. You do, however discover that you do have some problems, or may I call them, challenges, which you never knew you had. Before you may have just had an irritating co-worker, now you realize that you are responsible for all your own mental states, and that your irritabilities are the construction of your own mind. This realization is a shock, at first. Once you, and all of us, for that matter, realize that we are responsible for our own life, for our own mental and emotional states, then we come closer to cultivating the qualities in us, to counter act those unwholesome states. Mindfulness of Breathing is sometimes like an unflattering mirror. But without this practice, it can be very easy to delude ourselves in seeing ourselves as purer, more gentle, more patient, more kinder, more intellectual, more social, than we really are. Mindfulness of Breathing helps us to see things, and ourselves – as we really are. It polishes the mirror, helping us to clearly see things, situations, other people and especially ourselves as they really are. But we realize that it is best that we deal with things, which we actually have control over, namely – ourselves. And not to harshly judge others, but to take full responsibility for ourselves, our own minds. The Path may even seem hard and rocky, the way at times may even seem impassible, but over time your stamina and resilience “will” improve, and so will your Patience, and Understanding. How to see signs of improvement. Sometimes we do not see improvements within ourselves as quickly as others see the improvements in us. I have people tell me that you are more relaxed, less negatively reactive, more patient, and more friendly. Pay more attention to the fact that you have developed more continuity of awareness, alertness, and do not allow your thoughts to go astray. You are increasing you cognitive abilities, cultivating awareness, concentration, memory; pay attention to these facts. Slowing down in life, paying closer attention to the outside world, being fully present in each and every moment, is a very good indication of improvement. Becoming aware of your thoughts, as you think them, choosing carefully what to speak beforehand, and acting as well as reacting in a wholesome manner, are all excellent signs that you have made much improvement in your practice of your mindfulness of breathing. You remember when you use to be quite impatient, and easily angered, and are now much more patient. You are able to catch your responses, choosing a more creative way to respond. That calm, mental Peace is the umpire of your mind and heart !! more

Resolved Question: Need to Focus and Concentrate better on things in life ?

And do not read or answer this PLEASE unless you need to learn to focus and concentrate better ! Thank You. In the mindfulness of breathing we use the breath as the object of our attention. We follow the physical sensations of the breath as it flows in and out of the body. This practice of discipline isn’t really a breathing exercise, for we allow the breath to flow naturally, as we observe it. So there is no control over the breath! The first thing we learn as we practice this disciplinary practice is how distracted our minds are ! We’ll observe all sorts of distracting thoughts and feelings flowing into our minds, and discover that our attention is no longer on our breath. What comes into our minds is not actually very useful, it’s actually bad for us. For example, we feel impelled, driven anxiously, or being easily angered while thinking on something else, or worrying about something we need to accomplish = we are distracted, instead of attentively being in the present moment, following the sensations of our breath. The simple practice behind this disciplinary practice is that we keep bringing our attention back to the breath, over and over again, then our mind gradually quiets/calmns down, and we are content. Preferably this is done with the eyes closed, to minimize distractions. In the mindfulness of breathing we give our breath our full attention. We are simply following the physical sensations of the breath. We start off by following the breath. After a while what tends to happen is we forget all about the breath, as we are carried away by a chain of distracting thoughts, which usually have nothing to do with what we are to be giving our attention to, at this present moment. We usually do not make any conscious decision to think about something outside of this disciplinary practice on our breath, it just simply happens as habitual patterns of behavior come into play. In fact, not only do we not choose to get distracted, we do not have much of a choice at all !! In essence, our habits are controlling us ! It is more like our thoughts are thinking us than we are thinking them ! The fact that we aren’t in control isn’t cause to become despondent – it’s the same for everyone most of the time. We have to become aware of how distracted we really are, before we can do anything about it. So what do we do when we are anxiously driven, worrying, angered, undermining ourselves, dozing off, or fantasizing about things we’d rather be doing ? These activities are not helpful, or fulfilling. And they’re definitely not things we decided to do, they are simply unwholesome habitual things we do when we are not fully aware, when we are not giving our full attention on the breath. These are hindrances to accomplishing one’s goal. There is a Big difference of being mindful, and not being mindful. If we can not be mindful with our breath, we can be mindful throughout our daily activities in life – whether at work, school, home, or wherever we are !! So how do we regain our Attention ? This is a crucial point in the mindfulness of breathing! We do not have to be driven by our unwholesome distracting habits. We can decide we no want to re-enter that distracting world, which are driven by unwholesome habits. We have the opportunity to cultivate our awareness by maintaining the mindfulness of the breath. When we realize we’ve been distracted, with full attention, we take ourselves back to our breath. We can choose not only what to do, by bringing our attention back to our breath, but also how we do it. There can be a strong temptation to be irritated with ourselves, and beat ourselves up over the head, when we’re distracted. But when we do this, we go right back into the uncontrolled habitual pattern of distractedness and we undermine ourselves, continuing to be annoyed or angry. A more creative response is that we take ourselves, our full attention to the breath with as much kindness and Patience AND Gentleness as we can! Instead of giving yourself a hard time about having been distracted, you can congratulate yourself on having brought full attention back to the breath with kindness, gentleness, and patience !! The mind has a natural tendency to wander, just like a young inquisitive animal. So there is no need in being harsh with yourself. How do we develop awareness ? We go back to the breath, which serves as an anchor that helps us stay in complete awareness, to be alert in the present moment. We are practicing recognizing the difference between awareness and unawareness. And we are working on increasing our cognitive thinking skills, memory, concentration, focus, as well as developing the qualities of Patience, kindness, compassion, gentleness, and self-control that are so very important when we realize when we’ve been unaware – when we’ve just come out of being distracted and have regained our awareness. We are also training ourselves to stay out the hindrances. Becoming distracted is a bit like falling over when you’re a child. When we try to follow the breath it’s like we’ve decided to walk. But then after a few steps, we stumble, by being distracted. But we keep picking ourselves up, by going back to the breath. The way a child learns to walk is by taking a few steps, falling, then picking themselves up, over and over again. The way we learn to be build our mind, increase our memory, build more concentration, and to be more aware is by following the breath, getting distracted, and then going back to the breath – over and over and over again. This process builds up the quality of Patience within us. How do we develop Calmness ? Hindrances are not a very satisfying states of mind. Being annoyed, or fantasizing, or undermining ourselves, all involve a lot of mental disharmony. They cause turbulence in our minds, and we find that we are not very calm. The hindrances are states in which we are not very happy. If we are fantasizing, for example – either about things we’d rather be doing, or about things we’re not happy about – then there’s emotional disharmony since we’re not happy what we’re doing. Spending less time in distracting states of mind means that we become more content. And when we’re distracted then we’re not very concentrated - our mind is jumping from one topic to another like a monkey (this is what we call our monkey mind). This doesn’t mean we don’t experience anything very deeply – like when we’re talking to someone and we’re also preoccupied and realize they’ve been talking but we don’t know what they’ve said. That kind of thing doesn’t help us connect very deeply with our experience. And how can we reflect if we can’t keep up a focused train of thought ? And if we can not reflect, how then can we learn ? Practicing mindfulness helps us to be more concentrated so that we can live more deeply, and appreciate life more fully ! As you prepare your body, then become more aware of the physical sensations of your breath. Whenever your mind wander, with patience, gently bring it back to the breath. Then, count after each breath, starting at One, placing a number after each exhalation of breath. When you get to ten, then start again at one. Next, do the same as above, but counting just before each inhalation breath. Next, Narrow your focus, until you are concentrating on the physical sensations of the breath flowing over the rims of your nostrils. Mindfulness of Breathing helps to be much more calm, at peace mentally, more focused, concentration well, in the present moment. And at the same time it energizes us, as it refreshes us within. “In the long term it helps us to develop more awareness so that we have More freedom to choose what our responses are going to be in any given situation. In situations where we might worry, or be angry, or might be anxious, we can now choose instead to cultivate Patience, wisdom, understanding, and a calm, peaceful state of mind.” Practicing Mindfulness is enormously enriching. Instead of being only half aware of what we are doing, we can fully and richly experience every moment of our lives. We’ll begin to enjoy our food more, but especially it will help us to concentrate much better at work, at home, and anywhere we are – in the present moment. It will help us to actually be more present when listening to our family’s and friends, not being distracted by roaming thoughts in our minds while the other person is speaking. It will help us to slow down our speech when speaking to another person, for rapid speech/talking fast, is always a sign of an anxious mind. We’ll begin to speak more slowly, calmly, with self-control, thus giving another our full attention. Many people also practice The Mindfulness of Breathing right before going to sleep, to give them a very calm, sound nights sleep. You might be wondering, Why the Counting of the Breath ? We train our mind, through counting, to keep us well focused. It is very easy to just, as some say, “Space out”, instead of fully practicing the mindfulness of breathing. When we “space out”, we get distracted, without even realizing it. The counting helps to give us a more objective sense of how much of the time we are distracted, and how much we are remaining aware. Counting helps us to measure how long we are maintaining our awareness. At first, it is even hard for us to really stay focused on our breath, for even five breaths. As we develop this discipline, we’ll find ourselves able to go through many cycles(of ten) breaths, before we are distracted. Counting the breath also gives us something to aim for - goal. The numbers help us to develop right effort, as well as to help us build endurance. Everyone gets distracted, even those who have been practicing the mindfulness of breathing for years. It is like having a garden: the first stage in creating a beautiful garden is to realize how many weeds need to cleared away. Dealing with “the weeds” in your mind, brings you inner peace and happiness. It’s as if you’ve just inherited a beautiful garden, which is full of weeds. You just can’t pretend that the weeds aren’t there – you have to do something about them. It is like that with your mind. By just leaving it alone, it will just get worse. The best thing to do is to get started as soon as possible on clearing out those mind – weeds. If you ever feel frustrated with your distractions, then remember that when you’ve been distracted during mindfulness of breathing, you have a choice You can choose to exercise Patience and Gentleness with yourself or you can get impatient, angry, and despondent which will only make things worse. So, as the teenagers say, “Chill” and Patiently continue to clear those weeds from your wild monkey mind. Sometimes you might find counting numbers boring and might want to drop the number altogether. This is often how the beginner feels. If you’ve finally developed a certain stillness and calmness, then you can “temporarily” drop the counting. But this does not happen too often for the beginner. But most often, the desire to drop the counting is a resistance to structure from within us, or caused by the desire to be passive. Sometimes our mind would rather just daydream. Let us be honest with ourselves as to what our real motivation is. If the numbers seem mechanical, then bear in mind that this is not inevitable – it’s a product of the way your mind is working. If you approach the numbers mechanically, then they will seem to be only mechanical to you. But if you approach the numbers gracefully, and creatively, then they’ll seem natural and fluid. One way to contact that natural fluidity is to place the numbers very lightly before and after the breath. Place the numbers very tenderly and with care, as if you are kissing your child on the cheek who has fallen asleep. However, if your mind is very distracted, then you should make the numbers more definite and firm. But try to do it with care. Counting on your fingers working when your mind has been Very distracted; needs to be under control, to come back to the breath. You don’t actually move or touch your fingers, but simply bring your awareness to the fingers, counting on them. When you are Really distracted this helps you to keep your mind more fully anchored than simply counting numbers. This method can be used as a stabilizer, like training wheels for our mind. For some, it quite helpful. After practicing The Mindfulness of Breathing for a few days, step back, and see how things are going. Learning this discipline, is not easy, it is a learned process. Learning the Mindfulness of Breathing involves learning to see ourselves – our (so to speak) warts and all. It requires that we take full responsibility for our thoughts, the words we speak, and our actions, rather than using other people as scapegoats for our own failings, ie: you made me angry, you caused me to react this way, or that way. There are always up and downs in learning any disciplinary skill. Anyone who has ever learned a new skill, like skiing, rollerblading, remembers possibly thinking “this is impossible, I’ll never learn this well, and maybe even regretting ever getting started.” It can be just like that with The Mindfulness of Breathing. But I’d like to remind you that you are not alone, and that you are going through a disciplinary process that many other people have gone through, and have come out of the other side of – successful, happy, and having peace of mind. You do, however discover that you do have some problems, or may I call them, challenges, which you never knew you had. Before you may have just had an irritating co-worker, now you realize that you are responsible for all your own mental states, and that your irritabilities are the construction of your own mind. This realization is a shock, at first. Once you, and all of us, for that matter, realize that we are responsible for our own life, for our own mental and emotional states, then we come closer to cultivating the qualities in us, to counter act those unwholesome states. Mindfulness of Breathing is sometimes like an unflattering mirror. But without this practice, it can be very easy to delude ourselves in seeing ourselves as purer, more gentle, more patient, more kinder, more intellectual, more social, than we really are. Mindfulness of Breathing helps us to see things, and ourselves – as we really are. It polishes the mirror, helping us to clearly see things, situations, other people and especially ourselves as they really are. But we realize that it is best that we deal with things, which we actually have control over, namely – ourselves. And not to harshly judge others, but to take full responsibility for ourselves, our own minds. The Path may even seem hard and rocky, the way at times may even seem impassible, but over time your stamina and resilience “will” improve, and so will your Patience, and Understanding. How to see signs of improvement. Sometimes we do not see improvements within ourselves as quickly as others see the improvements in us. I have people tell me that you are more relaxed, less negatively reactive, more patient, and more friendly. Pay more attention to the fact that you have developed more continuity of awareness, alertness, and do not allow your thoughts to go astray. You are increasing you cognitive abilities, cultivating awareness, concentration, memory; pay attention to these facts. Slowing down in life, paying closer attention to the outside world, being fully present in each and every moment, is a very good indication of improvement. Becoming aware of your thoughts, as you think them, choosing carefully what to speak beforehand, and acting as well as reacting in a wholesome manner, are all excellent signs that you have made much improvement in your practice of your mindfulness of breathing. You remember when you use to be quite impatient, and easily angered, and are now much more patient. You are able to catch your responses, choosing a more creative way to respond. That calm, mental Peace is the umpire of your mind and heart !! more

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