Vincent Van Gogh, the Tragic Story of a Brilliant Painter

Twelve years after his tragic suicide, Vincent's work was discovered by a Parisian art dealer. Until then, no one, except for those who knew him personally, had ever even heard the name. Today, large sums of money are exchanged for his work.

Vincent was born in the Dutch village of Zundert, in the south of the Netherlands. He studied theology and became a preacher in the Methodist Church. He also worked for several different art dealers in The Hague, London and Paris. Only in 1880 does he start painting, first traditional and very "Dutch", reflecting the Dutch rainy climate with many dark brown colors.

In 1886 Vincent moves to Paris, and two years later to Arles, on the Mediterranean, near Marseille. On the 20th of October of that year, Vincent's friend Gauguin joins him in Arles. Vincent's art becomes lighter in color, showing the Mediterranean sunlight in it.

Two months after Gauguin comes to Arles, Vincent has a schizophrenic episode and cuts a piece of his own ear off. The years following, Vincent starts to get very sick, and he eventually kills himself in 1890. His brother, Theo van Gogh, who had supported Vincent all of his life, dies seven months after Vincent, possibly from grief.

Van Gogh never sold a painting in his life. Today, his paintings are the most expensively sold in the world, and are admired around the globe in many museums and private collections. He also is celebrated as the forerunner of the expressionist movement.

Bitterness Can Make You Sick

I watched as the razor-sharp knife of the skilled surgeon performed the delicate, life-saving task of repairing an aneurism in the elderly man's stomach. I had a close-up view from a stool beside the operating table.

At that time several years ago, I shared an office building with this surgeon and his partners. He had finally said "yes" to my request to "let me watch one day." I knew it would be interesting, but I didn't know that I'd be blessed with a very graphic life lesson in that operating room. I'll spare you most of the very gory details. I had only been used to "verbal gore," not red stuff. Thank God there are those who are called to be surgeons--I'm not!

Anyway, back to the Operating Room. The task was to cut out the aneurism and replace it with a synthetic graft.The doctor had located the aneurism, had clamped off the arteries, and had begun to remove the crud (medical term, I'm sure) from the affected section of artery. I was amazed at the amount of stuff (another medical term) that he piled into the container. This HAD to be life threatening. The blood is the life flow of the body. If it can't flow where it's needed, the person can't live. At that moment, dressed in my surgery garb and totally grossed out, a powerful insight flashed into my spirit. This blockage is a lot like bitterness. Something negative happens in your life, and little by little, its poison accumulates, blocking the flow of life energy. Before my eyes was a living metaphor for BITTERNESS. Think through it with me.

CUMULATIVE CHOICES CREATE CUMULATIVE HARM.

That patient had made lifestyle choices that resulted in an accumulation of unhealthy material in the critical arteries that sustained his life.

The bitter person also makes choices--dwelling on the offense, mentally (or physically) performing little acts of revenge, refusing to forgive. The poison accumulates.

THE PROBLEM GROWS, AND ITS IMPACT SPREADS.

From a physical standpoint, the blood flow is critical. Block its flow to the heart or other vital organs and you have a catastrophic impact.

Each person has a similar flow of emotional and spiritual energy. The consequences of a blockage in these life-giving channels are just as tragic as an aneurism can be. The problem grows and its impact spreads.

Imagine that you released a drop of red food coloring into a beaker of water. At first you'd see a red dot. Soon you'd see pink water. Like the drop of food coloring, anger that is nurtured grows and deepens. It begins to affect every "system"--relationships, attitudes, motivation, and productivity.

DRAMATIC INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY TO SAVE A LIFE.

Thankfully, under the care of this experienced and competent surgeon, the patient got a chance to live an estimated 20 to 30 years longer. He would be freer to do the things that he enjoyed. Yes, there would be a painful period of recovery from this major surgery, but it was worth it.

You may or may not need professional help to release yourself from the bitterness you've harbored. Notice I said release YOURSELF, not release the other person(s). They are going on their merry way. (Of course, this can make you madder.)

I've had clients tell me, "If I forgive, that person will go scott-free." News flash! The other person(s) are already out there ppursuing their life interests. It's YOU who is suffering for holding onto bitterness. It you whose irritability and short fuse is robbing you of peace in relationships you value. It's you whose physical health is deteriorating because of anger. It's you whose sleep is disturbed and whose positive energy is sapped. It's you whose creativity is stifled and whose productivity is diminished.

In the next article, I'll share with you some "how-to's" on FORGIVING to RELEASE YOURSELF. Stay tuned!

Possible Causes For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpus is derived from the Greek word "karpos" which means wrist. Our wrist is supported by fibrous connected tissues. The space between these fibrous tissues and the wrist bone is the carpal tunnel and the median nerve passes through this tunnel and signals are passed from the brain to the wrist through this nerve. If swelling occurs at the fibrous tissues, it can irritate the median nerve and disrupt nerve communication which will result in numbness of the fingers, medically known as "carpal tunnel syndrome".

The main causes of carpal tunnel syndrome is split up into 2 groups namely the biological causes and the working causes. Although there are 2 groups of causes, it is not easy to determine the exact cause of carpal tunnel syndrome as there are no specific tests that can be conducted.

Biological causes

Biological causes such as inflammation can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Inflammation can occur either through injuries, existing medical problems or insufficient rest between intensive usage of the hand.

Working causes

Preliminary studies have shown that most of the causes are due to working causes. Repetitive usage of the wrist may increase the pressure acting on the median nerve and increasing the chances of getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Constant repeated motion such as swinging a tennis racquet or golf club as well as typing on the keyboard for long period of time may aggravate the condition.

Medical conditions

Some medical conditions may increase the risk of contracting CTS. Some examples of them are diabetes, arthritis, osteoarthritis, obesity and pregnancy. One of the complications of diabetes is CTS. Diabetic patients are prone to neuropathy and this can affect basic sensations. Patients who rely on kidney dialysis are also prone to contracting CTS. A damaged kidney will result in the build up of beta 2-microglobulin, a type of protein. This protein will increase the risk of getting CTS.

Genetics

Genetic factors may also increase the risk of CTS. If you have family members who have CTS, you are at a higher risk. CTS can run in the family.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, there is an increase in fluid retention and swelling. This will increase the pressure build up in the wrist bone and compress the median nerve, causing CTS.

Leading a healthy lifestyle will decrease the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Ensure that your work space is ergonomic and you do frequent stretches to relieve pressure off your hands.

Automatic Backlink Software: Directory Submission Tips for Link Building

An essential part of your search engine optimization strategy is to get quality backlinks to your site. Web directories are an excellent source of one way links. Submitting your website to directories is one of the easiest ways to build links and gain exposure online. Although this strategy isn't as effective as it was in the past, integrating directory submission into your marketing campaign is still worth it.

Webmasters can choose from a large number of free and paid directories. If you want to use free directories, select those that have stood the test of time. Submitting to directories that are not related to your niche guarantees that your site will not be found by potential customers. Before you start using this link building technique, make a list of web directories that are relevant to the content of your site. Search for blogs and websites that compile directory lists.

From a search engine's point of view, the best inbound links are organic ones. Search engines assign higher rankings to the pages that people naturally link to because they found the content interesting and informative. You can use free web directories to build organic links. After you compile a list of free directories, write the titles, keywords and descriptions that you will use for each submission. Your titles will become the anchor text for your link. Choose at least three different keywords and write one or two descriptions for your link. Don't use the same text every time - it doesn't look naturally.

Sign up for a new email account that you will use when submitting your site to web directories. Include your unique selling proposition and your call to action in your description. Check your site statistics regularly to see when you have been added to a directory. Choose the most appropriate category for your website and write a brief description that resembles the description style of other sites listed in your targeted category. This way you will increase your chances of getting approved.

When combined with automatic backlink software and social media optimization, directory submission can drive tons of traffic and backlinks to your website. Read the guidelines before filling in the submission form and keep track on where and when you submitted your website information. If your site contains promotional material, consider removing the ads for the time you will be submitting the site. Don't add the same website to the same directory more than once.

How to Find the Best Household Insurance Cover

If you are looking for house insurance, there are so many ways to go about it - direct to insurers, brokers or going online to view price comparison websites. So how do you whittle the choices down and decide which is the best household insurance cover for you?

We've put together a brief guide to help you through the minefield and give you the information needed to make an informed decision to get the best household insurance cover.

You need to work out exactly what your needs and requirements are so you can get the policy that is best for you, within your budget.

First of all you need to work out what amount of contents you need to insure. This should represent the full cost of replacing all of your home and outbuildings contents with brand new items. Go through your house, step by step and make a note of any high value items or rare items such as art work, antiques, jewellery and watches as these may need to be listed specifically on your insurance.

If you are looking to insure your buildings, then you need to work out the full cost to rebuild your home - this is not the same as the current market value of your property. If you are unsure of the amount, speak to your mortgage provide as they usually have this figure specified. If you don't have a mortgage in place, contact a surveyor who will be able to provide an accurate rebuild cost.

Home Insurance Options

Once you have calculated the contents and buildings sum insured, you need to decide what level of cover you want. There are a number of options to consider:

· Accidental Damage - This provides additional cover for such accidental events that may occur in your property such as spilling red wine on a carpet. Accidental damage cover is usually an optional extension to a standard home insurance and may result in an additional charge on your insurance.

· Personal Belongings Cover - If you take items away from your home, such as jewellery and watches or gadgets, you can extend your insurance cover to include these items outside your home. This can either be on a general basis, usually if they are under £1500 in value or specifically listed on the policy if they are over that amount. Its important to check with the insurance provider as each policy varies. Again will incur an additional cost as this is an optional extension.

· Legal Expenses Cover - If you need legal assistance for circumstances such as an employment dispute or a contractual dispute with a retailer, this will cover you for legal costs. In today's ever increasing litigious society, this has become a useful cover with a relatively small cost attached.

· Excess - You have to pay the excess amount in the event of a claim. For example if you have a £250 excess and you make a claim for £750, the amount you will receive from the insurer is £500.

Insurers can often quote two types of excess - compulsory and voluntary - which are added together to provide a total excess make sure you are aware of the total excess payable. In addition check for individual excess against specific causes. For example escape of water excess has been recently increased by some insurers to £250.

Obtaining Quotes and Comparing the cover

Having done your homework and decided on the type and amount of cover you want, you now want to source the best policy to suit you. This is where you can go direct to an insurer, use a broker or go online to a price comparison site. Our recommendation is to speak to a specialist Independent Insurance Broker. Brokers are experts in the insurance market and will be able to advise you on the level of cover you require and talk you through any exclusions and warranties. A good broker will typically compare over 25 insurers and policies very much like a comparison website but with an expert eye.

If you decide to go direct to an insurer or use a comparison website, we recommend that you refer to the defaqto website. This site has a simple rating system and allows you to compare specific policies. We suggest you always to look for a 5 star rated policy.

So if you are looking for the best home insurance policy and want to speak to someone who can make sense of it all, please give us a call now on 01489 579808.

Find Love Through The Law of Attraction

I strongly believe that we can find love through the law of attraction. One's mind and thoughts are really powerful. By focusing on what we really want, we can actually bring them into our lives. Like everything else, we can surely bring love into our lives through the law of attraction. I can safely say this because, I found my man through the law of attraction.

I grew up on a farm in the countryside in Malaysia. By the age of fourteen, I knew that I wasn't going to marry a Malaysian Indian man. I found myself being attracted to Caucasians. This was something I couldn't even breathe out in my house as my parents were one of the strictest parents I had come across. There was no room for boyfriends or romance. It was made very clear that I would be a totally useless human being if I didn't excel in my education. Despite that, I saw myself with a Caucasian man in my dreams and this was done very discreetly for many years.

Almost 24 years later, my husband and I were having afternoon tea. He had brought home a nice blueberry muffin which was cut into half so that we could share it. A feeling of déjà vu swept through me. I had experienced this feeling many times before. I had had afternoon tea with my Caucasian husband many times before and we always had cakes. "Oh, my God, I had seen myself doing this in my dreams with my Caucasian man." This is something I had always wanted to do with my husband and I was doing exactly that now.

I realised then that I did find love through the law of attraction. I was now with the same man I had seen in my dreams for many years from the time I was a teenager.

I started visualizing from the age of 14. I met him only when I was 35. We were married when I was 38. After we got married, so many pieces of the jigsaw started filling the right places to form the picture I had seen many years ago. It was a very uncanny feeling. I was reliving an experience I had already visualised.

Why did I have to wait so long to meet him? Couldn't the law of attraction made us cross paths at least ten years earlier?

I could have met him earlier, if I hadn't succumbed to the negative thoughts which I allowed to overcome me numerous times. I dwelled on the fact that things weren't going right for me and wallowed in it for prolonged periods.

I asked myself why it was so difficult to find love. To love and to be loved were very basic needs. Yet it wasn't at all easy to achieve that. Can you identify with this? Do see nothing but bleakness when it comes this? I have come across so many people in this boat.

The law of attraction says that like attracts like. The more you fall prey to the thought that you haven't met anyone yet, the longer you will be alone.

When I eventually came out of the cloud I was sitting under and decided to enjoy all the opportunities that awaited me, the more men came my way.

To all singles out there, believe me when I say that you can find love through the law of attraction. You might not have had any signs of your man or woman coming anywhere close to you. Despite that, first believe with conviction that you'll meet this person. Next, visualise being with the person as often as you can.

I met my husband when I realised what the do's and don'ts of finding love through the law of attraction were. I remember how badly I wanted to share my life with someone special. I am sure many of you know the feeling. Wanting to be with someone special is a very basic need. If you have this need, you can attract this person into your life. It takes a little bit of work sometimes but it's definitely feasible.

If I could have done it, you could too.