Online Pastoral Counseling Degrees are in great demand. The effectiveness of spiritual counseling has brought about considerable interest regarding the subject of Christian or Pastoral Counseling. By integrating information from the secular discipline of Psychology with resources from the realm of the Spirit, Pastoral Counselors have become very much in demand because they proven to be effective when dealing with difficult issues such as drug addiction, alcoholism, marriage, sexual abuse. There appears to be little distinction between Christian and Pastoral Counselors, most people appear to use the terms interchangeablyIn the past this, what little Christian Counseling education that was taught happened in seminaries. However, most seminaries do not have programs dedicated to the study of Pastoral Counseling. Consequently, to meet the demand to for qualified Pastoral Counselors a number of institutions have risen to meet the needs of those called to this ministry.Unlike Psychological Counselors, who are held accountable by state governments, Pastoral Counselors are ministers. Pastoral Counselors will typically either become members of an existing church ministry or they may choose to create a ministry of their own. As long as they are suitably educated and licensed, they become accountable primarily to the church rather than the state.Of course, it is important to check out the laws in your state to be sure of the format your ministry is consistent. There are Christian Law Associations that can assist you in this. Christian Counseling is a legal, legitimate profession in every state, but the exact verbiage used to represent what the counselor does must adhere to each state’s statutes.There are several national bodies that provide education, certification, licensing and oversight for Pastoral Counselors. The oldest and largest of these appears to be the National Christian Counselor’s Association (NCCA). There are others such as the American Association of Pastoral Counselors AAPC), and the American Association of Christian Counselors. (AACC) The AACC historically has been a supporting organization for those already involved in the ministry, while the NCCA is more oriented toward training and education.Pastoral Counseling can be learned entirely on a self-paced schedule. Most course are available in a home study or online format, allowing for them to scheduled for the convenience of the student and do not require classroom attendance.Christian Counselors have been successful at adopting therapeutic models based on temperament. While some of these models hark back to Greek roots thousands of years ago, the testing methods and results are a modern as an cellular phone. Whether they refer to the temperaments as DISC or Melancholy, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic makes little difference. One of the things that has created much success for Christian Counselors is the availability of powerful assessment tools that enable them to get to the heart of difficult problems and formulate effective treatment plans. Christian Counselors realize that people need answers to their problems, not just hand holding.
Securing Personal Loans With Bad Credit: 4 Loan Options Worth Considering
When it comes to securing personal loans with bad credit, it may all seem quite impossible. But there are plenty of options available to bad credit borrowers, often regardless of their credit score. It is usually a simple matter of finding them and meeting the criteria.The Internet has made the task of finding them a lot easier, with comparison sites allowing the best options to be found in a matter of seconds. And with the benefit of online technology, getting fast loan approval has also become a standard feature from online lenders.But while accessibility has certainly improved, there are still qualifying standards to satisfy and criteria to meet before a personal loan can be approved.Common FeaturesDespite the array of options to bad credit borrowers, the loans share the same category and so many of the same features. For a start, getting a personal loan with bad credit involves accepting higher interest rates and lower loan limits.Fast loan approval is usually only available for small and modest-sized loans. Depending on the lender, the limit may only be just $2,500, though there are loans of up to $25,000 available with a 24-hours waiting period.There are ways to improve your loan terms, such as to find a guarantor, but cosigners must have excellent credit ratings to be accepted on a personal loan application in the first place. So, what are the options available?1. Secured Personal LoansGetting a secured personal loan with bad credit is no great problem. The fact that some item has been provided as collateral means that the credit score is of no great significance at all. The lender can get compensation should the borrower default, so the risk of loss is much less.This means that interest rates are lower and fast loan approval is standard. So, when applying online, expect to get approval within a few minutes and the cash deposited into your bank account in about 2 hours.2. Unsecured Personal LoansGetting an unsecured personal loan is a different matter. Since the lender is accepting the risk completely, and has no compensation from which to salvage losses, the interest rate is a lot higher and the loan sum is lower. It means that the overall cost of the loan is higher.It is possible to get unsecured no credit check loans, where the credit score is basically ignored. However, this pushes the interest rate up further. It is a matter of how desperately the loan funds are needed. If it is very, then the terms that come with an unsecured personal loan with bad credit can be worth it3. Non-Guarantor LoansThese loans are very similar to unsecured loans, but there is no interest shown in the credit history of the applicant and fast loan approval is possible so long as your debt-to-income ratio is good enough.Typically, these personal loans are available at a higher rate of interest, and the loan sum is quite limited. However, getting a term that is a little longer will reduce the monthly cost and help make larger loans (around $10,000) more affordable.4. Payday (Cash Advance) LoansThis is arguably the most popular option for getting personal loans with bad credit. However, it is also the most expensive, with interest rates as high a 30%, and full repayment from one paycheck after just 30 days.Loans are no more than $1,500, but fast loan approval is guaranteed so long as the monthly income is enough.
Avoiding Blunders in Working Capital Financing and Cash Flow Financing
Mistakes. As Business owners we all make them. Let’s talking about wrong choices in working capital financing and how the right types of cash flow financing can turn adversity into opportunity for growth and profits.All Canadian businesses need working capital, permanently, and in many cases, on a ‘ bulge’ basis from time to time. In essence you are financing your operating cycle, and most business owners intuitively know their industry has a unique cycle – that being simply the time it takes for a dollar to flow through inventory, A/R, and back to cash.Larger or established? You probably have a better chance of seeking what people refer to as ‘ traditional’ forms of financing. Quite frankly we’re not sure anymore what traditional means, as the lines are getting blurred between what some consider as non traditional working capital financing.Maybe we’re different, but we seem to meet more and more clients that are unable to access capital for growth and development. They seek to enhance working capital in a variety of methods. Those include receivable financing, aka ‘ factoring’, asset based lines of credit, financing for purchase orders ( yes, you can finance a purchase order!), and even monetizing hard assets into revolving facilities such as a short term bridge loan on equipment, with proceeds used for working capital and cash flow.The bottom line is your need to focus on liquidity, so if you have positive working capital as calculated by the text books ( current assets – current liabilities ) you must therefore monetize those assets into the ‘ cash is king ‘ model.The harsh reality is that as you textbook calculation of working capital goes up your actual cash flow is negative, given that your investments are simply tied up in inventory and receivables which seem to be collected more slowly every year in our opinion and those of our clients.Naturally if you are able to be paid in cash at time of sale, of if inventories turn very quickly, and billed customers pay promptly,, well suffice to say the cash flow financing pressures are eased quite a bit – but reality of business usually does not give us that luxury.We are often amazed at how many clients we meet who are looking for proverbial ‘ working capital ‘ but are in a position of not being able to define the type of financing they think they needThe ultimate cash flow support tool is the Chartered bank operating line of credit. But many business owners who do not qualify for these facilities are moving to either a receivable financing facility or an asset based line of credit. These come at a higher cost, but provide liquidity often 100% greater than might have been achieved previously, had they been bankable.So whats our take away tip here – simply that you must look beyond the rate and focus on what collateral you are providing to get the liquidity you need.Ultimately you need to understand your particular need and choose a financing solution that provides you with the cash flow financing to meet your business needs, as well as grow your business. You have options, which many Canadian business owners and financial managers don’t realize. Be they traditional or alternative, one or several of them will work for your firm. Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who will put you on a clear path to the solution for working capital financing.
How Do We Define a Computer Data Network?
A computer data network is comprised of a number of components, including the computers and other associated network attached devices. The computers and other peripherals are usually connected to each other through a network switch or hub and by means of copper electrical connections, fibre or by means of wireless.The hubs or switches normally provide local connectivity for the computer devices, in what is normally referred to as a LAN (Local Area Network). LANs are normally interconnected by means of routing devices, whether they are in a private network or indeed the Public Internet. The purpose of a computer data network is one of sharing and collaboration, where resources are made available by some of the devices on the network for use by other devices.In Peer-to-Peer networks, individual devices offer resources to other peers on the network, but there is no central control of these resources. Each peer can offer resources such as disk space, files, or even processing power.The Client Server network model clearly distinguishes between client devices and server devices. All clients, or selected clients can have access to resources hosted on specific network servers, for example, an email server, http server or file server. The client does not host any services, but merely requests a service from a particular server device. Some servers often host and offer multiple services to clients.Data networks are to be found in virtually every environment, not least of all our homes, as most of us now have a connection to the Internet and run a small local network ourselves. Almost all businesses also run data networks to provide employees with connections to the Internet and to other sites owned by the business. Components within a computer network fall into 4 main areas, and these are: the computers and servers (sometimes referred to as host devices), interconnections (comprising the cables or wireless medium), switches or hubs (which provide the local connectivity and routers that enable Local Area Networks to communicate with each other.The purpose of the computers is to host the private user information and also to provide a data interface to the network itself, in order to be able to communicate with other computers, or to connect to servers that provide information or provide some other service to the client computer devices. There are many different services or applications, with the most common coming under the headings of Email, File Transfer, Collaboration, Instant Messaging, Voice and Media over IP as well as the ability to access websites through the use of HTTP.The Servers allow the user to host a particular service such as a website with content for clients to download, email system, information service, such as a database or a storage system, where files can be made available for download.The interconnections predominantly fall into two main categories, Wired and Wireless. Modern day wired connections between end user devices and the network components are normally in the form of copper twisted pair cable, but coaxial cable or fibre optic cable can also be used. Fibre optic cable is becoming more popular, but at present it is normally used to provide higher bandwidth connections between switches and routers in the network. The communications fibre can provide extremely high bandwidth, when required and has the added benefit of being virtually immunie from electromagnetic interference.Most wireless interconnections are governed by the IEEE 802.11 standards, and users will normally access a wireless network by means of a wireless router or wireless access point. Wireless local area networks (WLANs) are becoming extremely popular, mainly due to the fact that the user is freed from the cumbersome cable connection, but wireless networks also have their drawbacks. Because most wireless networks use the unlicensed ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) frequency bands, interference from other users can be a problem at times, even other adjacent wireless networks.Data switches forward the data traffic between end users and servers by using a unique identification feature known as the MAC Address, allocated to each user interface. A data switch builds up a table of all the connected user devices by reading the MAC Address in the Ethernet frames sent by each device. The table indicates to the switch the specific port of connection that each unique device is attached to. The switch can therefore ensure data is forwarded to the correctly addressed device. Some switches can provide a greater degree of sophistication by allowing the configuration of a variety of features, such as Quality of Service (QoS), port security, creation of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), port forwarding and many more.Routers are designed to provide interconnectivity between different networks or sub-networks. This is achieved by addressing each device with a logical address, the most common of which is the IP (Internet Protocol) address. A router will build up a picture or map of all the available networks and router IP packets between different networks by reading the destination IP address within each data packet. In order to achieve this, local devices within a local area network must have addresses that are within the same unique range. In other words, they must have the same common network or sub-network identity. Routers can also provide a greater degree of security by filtering traffic between different local area networks or between different individual devices on the network. 7There are many other devices on modern computer data networks, such as Firewalls, Proxy Servers, Intrusion Detection Systems, Intrusion Prevention Systems to name just a few.We have come a long way since those early networks back in the early 1980s, and today’s networks are becoming more and more sophisticated as time goes by. Real time media and multimedia over data networks would be been near impossible 20 years ago, but nowadays voice and video are common media carried across our computer data networks.
Hollywood – Martial Arts – And The World Of Hip Hop
Now brewing beer for almost 250 years and served in some 150 countries, Guinness Stout was founded as a family-owned brewery in Dublin, Ireland by Arthur Guinness. Not only is Guinness a top beverage in its own country, but even down in Jamaica the dreads swear by it, serve it up, and sip it down; ice cold, or at room temperature. Lots of big business has come out of ‘Sir Arthur’s’ product, which is known the world over, and spreading…Truthfully, many affiliations between big business and the music industry have netted fruitful endeavors for all parties involved. And now, a university-level homework assignment: see if you can use a keen eye to find a few more examples of relationships between big business, government, or social organizations with the Rap community. Chances are, there’s probably some right around you; you may not have even been aware of them before. Hint: Take a good look at those motion pictures hitting the big screen. Here’s an interesting scenario for you to sink your teeth into…action!Celebrity Will Smith laughed his way straight to the bank when many Rap fans wrote “DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince” off as lame. But before ‘the show’ was over, Smith got the starring role on TV sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” which debuted in 1990. The show had a long successful run, and continues running in syndication. Will Smith ‘the rapper’ performed the theme song, while Will Smith ‘the actor’ made sure his Rap music homey Jazzy Jeff was also cast in some shows; but Mr. Smith did not stop there. He went on to star in movies which earned him as much as $10 million a pop. There is no need to mention his list of credits; just go to Blockbuster Video or the Internet and type in the ‘search.’Finding a need to outdo ‘himself,’ Smith’s fee went from $10 million to 20 big ones, then from 20 large to $25 million per, before he dived into the big ‘M’ and ‘super-sized’ his life by marrying Jada Pinkett. She paved her own way as an impressive actress on shows like “A Different World,” “The Cosby Show,” and in blockbuster films such as “Ali,” “Jason’s Lyric,” “Menace To Society,” “Woo,” “Set It Off,” the “Matrix” spinoffs, “The Nutty Professor,” “Scream 2,” “Collateral,” and who knows what else by now. I heard a rumor that the pair might have to buy a continent to use as a tax shelter. Wow – that’s big enough to get on the Oprah list! Combined, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith account for about two dozen top films of the 20th and now, 21st centuries. And these films usually came with hot music soundtracks, too. This is another example of the deepening relationship between Hollywood and the Rap/Hip-Hop world. For the purpose of fun, let’s call their happy union “Holly-hood.” Watch out–more fun’s on the way!But hold up and wait a minute: before we dig in any further, let’s pull over at a local Asian restaurant for some grub–we’ll need it for our next stop. My fingers tingle from all this typing action on the laptop, sitting here in the ‘time out’ corner of the classroom. Where’s my Dragon voice recognition program when I need it? At home parked on the desktop computer – what a bummer!Please note that things have changed with regards to technology, folks. Not only does my voice recognition program type as I talk into a microphone, it’ll read it back to me, too. When my editorial consultant Ms. Melilli (also known as the infamous ‘XoxoJean’) sends e-mails to a friend with a text recognition program, it recognizes her name by saying “Socks-a-Jean.” I’m just happy she likes my smoked turkeys. According to information obtained from my old friend B.Brown of Bar-Red Entertainment, my confidential Author Code Name is: ‘Turkey Smoker of the Stars.’ His mother Ms. Lydia works for the Atlanta Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. Both she and Miss Jean can keep getting the big birds too, as long as their taste buds approve of the transaction.Data: A new development has just occurred. I heard a growl; my tummy’s empty from tapping into extra neurological cells to use a special, limited resource: my natural ‘superior intellect.’ I guess I owe my nephew Dez a fortune for this term–his invoice may be the death of me yet!So what’s your taste buds say? Anyone that knows me will tell you I get a little grumpy when I’m hungry. Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Thai, Vietnamese; whatever you want–it’ll be on me. Plus, we’re about to run into a whole bunch of people, and some of them may be hungry too. I’m not feeling like sharing plates today though, hence I’m buying with my per diem money. So go ahead and keep your ‘cream’ (dolla-dolla bills) in your pockets.According to our itinerary, one colorful group that is listed as being capable of running circles around the proverbial ‘viper’s pit’ has the letters “WTC” engraved in the minds of its constituents. This could mean trouble, ’cause the paperwork says they’re some kinda ‘clan.’ But as long as there’s no “K” up in the mix, I’m good. I wonder if they look alike; you know what some people can say without meeting someone first. Maybe we can all blend in and “just get along” if we’re eating some food representing the region. We’ll be having hot, buttered popcorn for desert, though. (You may see where I’m going with this in a minute – I’ll remind you.) Both Asia and the Far East are known for their delectable dishes and many forms of cultural stimuli. On our next stop, you’ll see that cultures from the Pacific Rim have plenty of interesting offerings with regards to the consumable entertainment they produce, too.Similar to us westerners, Asian food and entertainment go well together, just like popcorn and movies. One American network calls it “Dinner And A Movie.” Lots of popular flicks include what are known as ‘action movies.’ Many film buffs enjoy action movies about world destruction, extra-terrestrial invasions, espionage, crooked government officials, dirty cops, gun-slinging cliques, posses, gangsters and the mafia; in short, these subjects and characters make up good thematic content for stories about extinction-level events and the underworld. Film buffs take to action films that come loaded with explosions, chase scenes, aerial shots, fight sequences, hand-to-hand-combat, and cutting-edge weapons. I know I do. Speaking of cutting-edge weapons, New York’s Wu Tang Clan uses one as a logo. What appears to be a rounded, sharply bladed, boomerang/disk is actually the “W” in Wu Tang. From looking at the weapon however, I don’t think I’d be likely to wake up some morning with a notion of getting cut by one of those things. Ever.There are those ‘action movie heads’ who would agree that some pretty exciting films feature martial arts. Back in the 70s, we called them “Kung Fu movies.” After Carl Carlton busted out with the hit song “Kung Fu Fighting,” I built myself a pair of chuck sticks. But after a few displaced pops to the back of the head, I retired them. Alas, my dreams of becoming a ‘Samurai Ninja Martial Arts Fighter’ were shattered; but that was better than having a self-inflicted busted cranium. I went on to other things; mainly, watching martial arts movies. By the way, that minute’s ’bout up. If you know the deal, you can keep on reading. If you don’t know, you might want to ask somebody, get a map, or keep on reading, too. Whatever’s clever!It’s no secret that cultures like the Chinese have been known for their long-standing empires. They also developed a highly disciplined way to defend their ‘valuable assets’ that were stored in huge, heavily protected fortresses. Martial arts gave fighters an opportunity to go mano-a-mano in sometimes brutal displays of precision and brute strength. This Spanish term is also known as hand-to-hand, head-to-head, one-on-one, and single combat.Historic teachings show that great forces were often referred to as being god-like. Some were also referenced through vicious man-killing beasts such as lions, tigers and bears. Oh my–did you know that ancient Chinese dynasties developed many institutions or schools of thought and defense? Some were based on a mystical creature known as the dragon. One group that acknowledged “the way of the dragon” broke ground by doing it all. Setting up a great and powerful Hip-Hop dynasty along the way, they’ve been long known for their tight embrace on the discipline of building rock-solid empires. Pioneering Hip-Hop supergroup Wu Tang Clan has built upon their image of being an invincible clan of talented MCs and producers. Chief knob-twister RZA orchestrated the rise of an original, three-man group; an entire planetary movement followed.Originally synergized through a nucleus composed of RZA, GZA and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the Wu Tang Clan produced sound recordings with themes based on Hong Kong’s martial arts and Samurai movies. Along with references to the Five Percent Nation, strategic moves, chess and other thematic subject matter, the influence of ancient Chinese dynasties flowed through The Clan like a river.Soon after the original members crunk up the machine, more warriors jumped on board. The Wu Tang Clan ended up with 9 MCS, to qualify for labeling as a Hip-Hop supergroup, just on G.P. (general principle). As a producer, RZA later got a bigger break by acting in, but more importantly, composing music for the soundtrack of Forrest Whitacker’s “Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai” and “Kill Bill, Volume 1.” (I wonder if he can hook me up with Lucy Liu and her friend from the Crazy 88′s.) These movies have some great on-location scenes, and the fighting sequences are just what the doctor ordered. To kick off 2007, Spike TV offered up some new programming content. On New Year’s Eve, they unveiled “Afro Samurai,” featuring Samuel L. Jackson as a ‘superior fighting intellect.’ The great and powerful RZA popped up once again, doing the music. This concoction totally made sense to me, by this point. If you haven’t seen these visual elixirs yet, what are you waiting for, a prescription?Originating in the Far East, martial arts flicks somehow found a home in the world of American Rap music. It’s no doubt that Bruce Lee is the #1 martial artist to affect the 70s film world. Americans like Chuck “Walker, Texas Ranger” Norris, John Saxon, and Karate-chop brother Jim “Black Belt Jones” Kelly became martial arts film stars; even basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got a piece of the action in Bruce Lee’s personal project, “Game Of Death.” When Lee got offered crazy money to star in the first Hollywood-backed martial arts film (“Enter The Dragon”), he did what any red-blooded entrepreneur would have done: he put the brakes on his project and began production on the new movie.It became the biggest budget film in this genre’s history, and featured a young Jackie Chan as a stuntman. Bruce Lee’s untimely death, however, closed out an important chapter of martial art’s epic rise to fame, but Rap artists like the Wu Tang Clan used samples from “Enter The Dragon” on their debut album, opening up a whole new episode. Both of Bruce Lee’s final martial arts films went on to spread the word about this growing faction of the movie and music (more simply put: entertainment) industries. Rap artists listened and responded; they would ‘holla back’ in their own unique, urban way.On TV, David Carradine starred in the long-running, “Kung Fu.” From Belgium, Jean Claude Van Damme made his mark in ‘the arts,’ too. While Jackie Chan headed into a ‘funny-bone’ crushing direction with comedian Chris Tucker in “Rush Hour,” Jet Li got serious with Aaliyah and DMX in “Romeo Must Die” (2000). Li also teamed up again with DMX in “Cradle to the Grave” (2003). A multi-dimensional Jet Li film called “The One” blended sci-fi with martial arts. This would not be the only flick with such a combustible mixture. There’s a long-awaited 2007 film featuring Jet Li and Jackie Chan now being completed. All of these urban-based action movies featured lots of martial arts moves; more were on the way.Send requests for the conclusion of this story to me anytime.