Wunderlich

Ipod compatible music downloads are one of the most popular things on the web these days. It seems like everyone and his dog has an Ipod or similar, and with internet connections getting faster and faster, more and more people are downloading music. Ive put together a quick guide to show you a few places where you can download music for your Ipod compatible Mp3 player.

If you have an Ipod itself, the most obvious place to download some Ipod compatible music is from Itunes. They offer a pretty good service with an ever growing catalogue of titles. Another similar place is Napster, and there are a few others. They all offer a reasonable service, though if you have a big appetite for downloads, the fees will soon add up.

You can find a useful list of sites that enable completely free Ipod compatible music downloads at http://www.IpodLowdown.com

The other side of the coin to Itunes etc are the P2P or torrent sites. These work by a number of users downloading a file at one time, and can be both ridiculously slow and very fast, depending mostly on the luck of the draw. Sites like this tend to be a little disreputable, so expect to be assaulted by popups etc whenever you visit. These sites will usually allow free downloads of whatever they have, but be warned, the legality of such downloads does seem to be in a bit of a grey area. The other downside to these types of sites is that they are totally unregulated. The users upload all the content, so they are in complete control. Expect to download stuff and find out that its a completely different download altogether quite often. The problem is that the downloads can be very slow, so this is frustrating.

The final piece of the Ipod compatible music download puzzle is the legitimate download sites. These are sites which charge a one off membership fee and allow access to millions of downloads, and are typically at very high speeds. The fee covers the staffing costs and upkeep of servers, so the downloads are always up to date and very fast, and you can always expect to get the download you requested. I would recommend sites like this to anyone looking to boost their music or movie or game collection on a shoestring budget.

Hopefully thats opened your eyes a little bit-there is definitely more than Itunes to download music from-its all about finding which method you prefer and going with it, so happy experimenting!

Click HERE to find out where you can get FREE IPOD DOWNLOADS right now-And it's not just music either, Music, Movies, Games, Music Videos TV Shows and MUCH more!!
Are you looking for the best Ipod Download Sites on the net? CLICK HERE and we'll tell you where they are-knowing these sites will save you an absolute fortune!

Sean Hamilton is the webmaster at http://www.ipodlowdown.com

Prior to January 1, 2006, people purchasing hybrid vehicles were eligible to claim a significant tax deduction. Now they can claim a monstrously large tax credit.

The government attempts to modify the behavior of taxpayers by applying or reducing taxes on certain activities. Alcohol and cigarettes are viewed as health risks, so the government adds excessive taxes to them to try to discourage their use. On the energy front, the government is in favor of people buying hybrid vehicles as part of the effort to reduce our nations oil dependence. To facilitate this policy, the government is giving people who buy hybrids a huge tax windfall.

To understand the windfall, you need to understand the difference between a tax deduction and tax credit. A deduction is something you reduce from your gross income. A $1,000 deduction may save you $200 to $400 depending on your tax bill. A tax deduction is a positive thing, but pails in comparison to a tax credit.

A tax credit is not deducted from your gross income. It is deducted directly from the amount of tax you owe. Using the previous example, you would figure out how much tax you owe for the year and then deduct $1,000 from it. Put another way, the tax credit represents a dollar for dollar savings on the actual amount of taxes you owe, a huge savings.

To promote hybrid cars, the federal government lets purchasers claim a tax credit amount set by the IRS. The credit can be as high as $3,400, but is often a bit less. The IRS has just released technical guidance indicating it will allow taxpayers to claim a tax credit of $2,600 if they purchase a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid after January 1, 2006.

For example, if you go out and purchase the car tomorrow, you are going to be very happy when you prepare your taxes for 2006. Lets assume you do your taxes next March for 2006 and find out you owe $10,000 to the IRS. You would apply the $2,600 tax credit to that amount, reducing your tax bill to $7,400. Not bad, eh?

Richard A. Chapo is with BusinessTaxRecovery.com - providing information on taxes.

Neural Circuits and Memory

The neuron is a cell surrounded by electrically charged particles called ions. Some of these ions have a net positive charge and some are negative. If there are more negative ions inside the neuron, the neuron has a negative electrical charge; conversely, if there are more positive ions inside, then the neuron has a positive electrical charge. When the neuron is resting it has a negative electrical charge. However, when the neuron gets information, an electrical signal is propagated through a network of neurons by a wave of positively charged neurons. Neurons in networks with numerous synapses and feedback loops constantly receive inputs from other neurons, integrate them and generate electrical activity patterns in response. These complex interactions allow neural circuits to process and encode information, support cognitive functions and control behavior. The neural circuits in our brain are similar to electrical circuits.

Canadian psychologist, Donald Hebb, explains memory as a reactivation of the same pattern of neurons that were activated at the time of the original experience. Thinking of the Sahara desert activates one network of neurons, while thinking of rats fires up an entirely different network. Over the years, some of the neurons die or are incorporated into circuits that represent different experiences. Repeated activity between any two neurons or a network of neurons, however, strengthen their connections and the memories they represent. When one neuron is activated it tends to activate the others, which collectively re-create the original pattern that was generated during an experience. Individual neurons are involved in many different circuits and thus participate in many memories simultaneously. It is this connectivity that gives our brains the enormous capacity to encode a vast amount of information.

Holographic Encoding in the Brain and Universe

Following Karl Lashley's work, Karl Pribram, a neurophysiologist at Stanford, proposed that the brain stores information in the same way as interference patterns are encoded on holographic film. Every element in the original image is distributed over the entire film. Trillions of brain cells all contribute to a single memory by recording and combining all the signal patterns at once, including the sensory inputs into the brain. It is the combined firing pattern and interference of trillions of cells that defines a memory. This unique way of storage allows the brain to recall in linear sequences and at the same time access multiple memories.

But it is not only the brain which encodes holographically. David Bohm, separately, recognized that the universe itself appears to be a hologram being projected from the boundary of the universe. This idea has been taken forward more recently by physicists Gerard t' Hooft, Lee Smolin and others under the banner of "the holographic principle". This is not the only property that the human brain shares with the universe.

Neural Networking in the Cosmic Brain

According to the European Southern Observatory (ESO), "All recent computer-simulations of the early universe have one prediction in common: the first large-scale structures to form in the young universe are long filaments connected at their ends in 'nodes'. The models typically look like a three-dimensional spider's web, and resemble the neural structure of a brain." Now, astronomers have actually detected a "universal web" - vast filaments of hot gas tracing the web have been "seen" in the current universe. Astronomers using NASA's X-ray satellite observatory, Chandra, "viewed" the filaments stretching for millions of light years through space, with one passing through our own galaxy. Astronomers say that the filamentary structures are so hot that it would generally be invisible to optical, infrared, and radio telescopes. These invisible filaments are detected only because higher density ordinary matter tends to accumulate and condense in them - generating radiation which can be measured by scientists to confirm their existence in intergalactic space.

The visible galaxies in the universe are not isolated and disconnected but are interwoven by a filamentary web-like structure - which is the invisible dark matter scaffolding of the universe. The web-like structure is both a signature feature of invisible dark matter and magnetic plasma. The appearance of this web bears an uncanny resemblance to a cross-section of the brain. (Refer: Brain vs Universe.)

But it is not only the morphology (i.e. structural aspects) of the large scale structure of the universe which is similar to the human brain but also the physiology (i.e. the functions). These filaments carry currents of charged particles (ions) over large distances that generate magnetic fields similar to a nerve fiber. And they form circuits, just like the neural circuits in the brain.

The high degree of connectivity is what sets the brain apart from an ordinary computer. Connectivity is also apparent in the cosmic web. Galaxies are formed when filaments pinch or cross each other. A nexus of filaments (including thousands of tiny filamentary currents) will provide the connectivity for the transfer of not only energy but information from one galactic nucleus to another. This web-like structure of filaments and vortexes is also similar to the acupuncture meridian system which includes vortexes called "chakras". According to Dr David Tansely, "The seven major chakras are formed at points where standing lines of light (or meridians) cross each other 21 times. The 21 minor chakras are located at points where the energy strands cross 14 times." These meridians are supported by probably thousands of other smaller filamentary currents. This provides a significant amount of connectivity in our subtle bodies. Similar filamentary currents in the large-scale structure of the universe also provide a high degree of connectivity in the "cosmic brain". Over time, tiny filamentary currents grow into large filaments as the amount of current flowing through them increases; in others the current decreases according to plasma dynamics. These filaments form networks that reflect the state of the universe at a point in time. The filamentary currents therefore appear to be able to generate the same mechanics that occurs in a brain enabling memories to be encoded.

Magnetic fields are generated across vast regions of space and have been detected by astrophysicists. Electrical currents in the brain also generate magnetic fields which can be observed by measuring the magnetic fields they generate outside the skull in a technique called magneto-encephalography, or MEG.

Cosmic and planetary consciousness can have a valid scientific basis once we realize that the filaments and galaxies in space, and the web-like structure of filaments and vortexes on Earth, can encode information. Surely, if we can accept an electro-chemical basis for the encoding of memories, why not an electromagnetic one in space and interpenetrating the Earth (as in computers using neural networking technology)?

Earth's Brain

In the author's article Acupuncture Meridians and the Terrestrial Web, it was noted that the lower physical-etheric body of the Earth is also interpenetrated by a web of filaments and vortexes. This structure is even more apparent in the Earth's higher energy 3d-Double. These signature structures bear an uncanny resemblance to our brains - composed of nerve fibers punctuated with neural cell bodies. Just like in the cosmic brain, the Earth's (electromagnetic) brain provides a suitable infrastructure for the encoding of memories.

From the 1930s onwards, Wilder Penfield developed a surgical procedure that allowed him to operate on a patients exposed brain while the patient remained fully conscious. As he applied his electrode to the patients temporal lobe, his patients described complete flashbacks to episodes earlier in his life. If music was involved, this followed the precise original tempo; the full score of which the patients would be able to hum with total accuracy much as an autistic savant would be able to reproduce music with almost complete accuracy like a recording on a video or compact disc. Penfield, in his book The Mystery of the Mind recounted, "They were electrical activations of the sequential record of consciousness, a record that had been laid down during the patient's earlier experience. The patient 're-lived' all that he had been aware of in that earlier period of time as in a moving-picture 'flashback'." He said, "Each time I re-stimulated, she heard the melody again. It began at the same place and went on from chorus to verse."

Penfield concluded that the brain stores everything its owner has ever experienced in its original form. The flash-backs seemed to play themselves out in their proper order like scenes in a movie. "Since the electrode may activate a random sample of this strip from the distant past," he reasoned, "and since the most unimportant and completely forgotten periods of time may appear in this sampling, it seems reasonable to suppose that the record is complete and that it does include all periods of each individual's waking conscious life."

But it is not only personal memories that can be accessed. Forensic psychics actually see the scene through the "eyes" of the victim (even in cases where the victim had already transited to the next universe) or assailant. Paramahansa Yogananda, a modern mystic, recounts (in his book Autobiography of a Yogi) how his consciousness, while in meditation, was transferred to a captain of a sinking ship far away. He lived the harrowing experiences of the captain for several minutes. As the dying captain slipped into unconsciousness, the locus of consciousness was transferred back to Yogananda. This not an isolated case - cases like this have been reported and documented many times. How does the brain housed in one cranium receive information from the brain of another person (dead or alive) from a different part of Earth? Some say a psychic is reading the 'Akashic records'.

The Akashic Records

The movie-like record of experiences that Penfield observed is similar (almost identical) to what has been observed by readers of the Akashic records and also near-death experiencers during "life-reviews". Metaphysicists have identified the records imprinted in space as the "Akashic records". These records are said to be memories encoded in the fabric of spacetime. (The term "Akashic" is derived from a Sanskrit term which means "space".) Or perhaps they are encoded within the invisible dark matter scaffolding of the universe i.e. the web-like structure of filaments and vortexes that surround and interpenetrate the universe and the Earth.

According to metaphysicist, Charles Leadbeater, if the observer is not focusing on them, the Akashic records simply form the background to whatever is going on - reflecting the mental activity of a greater consciousness on a far higher plane which is accessible to us. We are in a sense living in this much larger brain. This suggests that all human beings (and other life-forms) can and do use the shared (information processing) services of Earth's "brain".

Observing the dynamic and visual Akashic records would be like watching a larger brain's movie from a distance. Associative memory ensures that thoughts relating to the same matter are connected resulting in databases and specific types of environments as evidenced in the Akashic records. Both heaven and hell may be accessed through the Earth's brain. No doubt, this is also the basis of Carl Jung's "collective unconscious".

Earth's Memory and Paranormal Imprints

There is evidence that Earth encodes memories. According to the paranormal literature, ghosts sometimes do not appear to be conscious. They are completely oblivious to observers, and always look and act the same almost like a movie being replayed over and over again. These are called "imprints" or "residual hauntings" in the paranormal literature.

Paranormal researchers believe that imprints occur when a vast amount of paranormal energy is left behind and is replayed time after time at the same location and often at the same time of day. Events that trigger such an energy release are fights, murders, rapes, kidnappings, or wars. Famous examples of imprints include the many Civil War Battlefields across the United States. In the battlefields of Gettysburg Pennsylvania the roar of cannon fire and the sounds of gunshots can often be heard in the evening hours. The smell of gun powder can also sometimes be detected in and around the road where fierce fighting took place for many hours during the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg Maryland.

It is still not generally understood how these "energy imprints" takes place. Some popular theories include the notions that the building materials "soak up the energy" of the location and replay these stored energies at a later time or it is energy stored in the atmosphere which is activated by changes in the atmosphere. According to plasma metaphysics "imprints" in the paranormal literature can be attributed to interactions between our brains and the Earth's brain. Every time a person intrudes into a location in the Earth's brain in which a memory is encoded, the memory is activated and replayed - similar to the memories that were activated and replayed by Penfield when he applied an electrode to specific locations in his patients' brains. However, most of the time these activated memories remain in our subconscious - only a powerful memory (usually endowed with strong emotions) in the Earth's brain can pop-up in our conscious awareness. Psychics, however, may sense Earth's memories and are conscious of their replays more often than others.

Interactions between Earth's Brain and our Brains

When forensic psychics access the memory of a victim or an assailant in a crime scene; or the memory associated with a particular location, a continuous flow of information could be taking place between their brains and the "Earth's brain". This may also be true when we access the Akashic records intentionally or unintentionally. Similarly, in "group consciousness", telepathy and remote viewing, the Earth's "neural networks" may be used by the participants. When the locus of consciousness of an individual moves into the Earth's brain, the individual identity is transcended.

Internalization of the Universe and Individuation

Butterflies have more photo-receptors in their visual system than we do. Because of this, their visual systems are much better than ours in certain respects. While we have a big occipital lobe in our large brains to process visual information the butterfly does a superior job with brains that are mere specks two millimeters in size and which is able to process larger amounts of information coming from its more numerous photo-receptors. Scientists have no clue as to how they do it. Plants and amoeba go about their complex activities without having brains. The single-celled slime mould even solves mazes every time it is tested. Brains are made of cells but this single cell (slime mould) behaves as if it had a brain. Where is this intelligence and information processing power coming from? Many discoveries, scientific and artistic ideas come about when scientists or artists are not actively thinking about them. Where does this intelligence emanating from below our conscious radar come from?

It appears that as bodies evolve brains (in particular, the cortex) that become larger (in proportion to the body) the more the life-form gets cut-off from non-local universal intelligence and has to rely on local intelligence in the brains housed within their bodies. Human beings, in particular, have become increasingly estranged from universal intelligence. We create our own universes within our brains which compete with the universal brain for our conscious attention. The memories generated by our personal universes then get fed back into Earth's brain resulting in public apparitions such as the Marian apparitions, apparitions of UFOs and other apparitions.

The only times we reconnect with the universal brain is when certain persistent neural processes or circuits in our brains are intentionally (as in meditation or induced trances) or unintentionally (as in brain damage due to accidents or medical conditions) broken down or "switched off". The life-forms lower down the evolutionary chain (with no or tiny brains), however, may be using universal intelligence almost all the time.

Universal Brain and Cosmic Consciousness

The Earth appears to have a brain but how does it get sensory inputs? One way is to generate life-forms. The myriad of life-forms (including human beings) on Earth are in fact the many eyes and ears of the Earth. The networks of currents in the brains of life-forms are an integral part of the network of currents in Earth's brain. It is in the universe's interest to generate life-forms so that it can see, hear, taste, touch and smell and become aware of itself.

If we are indeed connected to the Earth's brain, which is connected to a universal brain, it also means that we share a universal brain which can have contact with the brains of other planets that nurture life-forms that generate their own memories. Intelligent life-forms can send information (either intentionally or unintentionally) via the universal brain directly to our brains.

Copyright Jay Alfred 2007

Jay Alfred is the author of three books on a new field called "plasma metaphysics". The books include Our Invisible Bodies, Brains and Realities and Between the Moon and Earth. Plasma metaphysics is the application of plasma and dark matter physics to the study of our high energy subtle bodies and their corresponding environments. These bodies include the "bioplasma" bodies and "astral" bodies found in the metaphysical literature. Plasma metaphysics provides an internally consistent framework for the study of these bodies against the backdrop of modern physics. The books are available at Amazon online bookstores.

I had been thinking about buying a car for two years. After another $1000 of repairs on my 1994 Buick Roadmaster (purchased new) with over180,000 miles, it was time. In the past, when I sat in a new car (at dealers and at auto shows), the comfort did not match my Buicks sofa like seat so I put off buying. During the past 24 months I determined the make and model but not the color; thus one Friday my plan was to check the colors at a local dealer. Later, the best price would be obtained via online bidding - a proven way to obtain a competitive price.

After arriving, the salesman took some basic information and asked how much time was available. My response was 15 to 30 minutes. Four hours later, I left without buying because the deal was on a car with the light interior not the dark that was my preference. In retrospect, what transpired in those four hours was a demonstration of classic car sales techniques at their best. This realization came to light a few days later when watching a movie where the sales manager highlighted the tricks of the trade, he gloated on how to manipulate the customer. After the movie, I said: this is exactly what happened to me. Of the 14 techniques used during my four-hour ordeal, all were referenced in the movie (except in the movie a secret microphone captured the conversation between husband and wife after the salesman left the room this did not occur). The amazing thing is that I did not realize the sales tricks during the process. What were the techniques?

First, in the parking lot the salesman turned his back and said follow me to the office and I did. Next, he obtained keys for the model of interest and positioned the car so I could sit in it. Although, I have driven the model before, he insisted it was no problem. After 15 minutes we returned to the office to say goodbye, how naive.

The third technique was offering a deal that could not be refused. He quoted a trade offer two times the value of my car and eight thousand dollars off the list price! My thought, this is too good to be true. My response, need to check with the wife. No problem, he offered the use of his cell phone, technique four, remove obstacles. Now the hook was set, he had a possible buyer. After driving a second car of my preferred color, we were back at the office.

My trade was the next topic. He filled out the paper work to determine the value via an online wholesale system. He offered one thousand more than the value which somehow made me feel good even though it was one thousand less than his first offer. This was trick five. Keeping my keys, trick six.

It was next revealed that the eight thousand discount first quoted was on a demo with 4,000 miles; thus we discontinued negotiations on that car, rather, the focus shifted to the one I just drove. He said they wanted to close the first sale of the day to get things rolling, thus a big discount, trick seven. The next question was what price would close the deal; He asked me to sign on a scratch pad how much I would pay, trick eight. Any amount was ok, if it were unreasonable, he would fight with his manager for me, technique nine, the salesman was on my side.

The manager arrives. He says he would be losing money on this deal, it cost more to produce the car than you are offering. Obviously, unreasonable offers were not acceptable. He then starts the negotiations with the msrp and drops a thousand; our prior negotiations were lost somehow, trick ten. Since the car has more options than requested, a lecture on their value follows. When I request a basic version, the manager actually gets mad implying how much better discount is available with options, trick eleven intimidation. After the manager leaves, the salesman uses trick twelve, ten thousand down with three year payments and list price. This came out of the blue since from the beginning the premise was a cash deal. However, it must be a standard practice.

The manager returned with a better offer, his lowest possible price. Actually he is losing money and will have to take the loss from his department budget, trick thirteen. Technique fourteen, a one-time offer, is highlighted by the question from both sales staff: do we have a deal at this price? By this time, I am not sure if the deal is reasonable since so many numbers have been discussed. The manager places a gong on the table to announce the first deal of the day. I am holding the pen to sign when my gut says no, wait for the exact car - do not compromise on the desired interior; and, do not succumb to these pressure tactics. Somehow I manage to obtain my keys and leave as an exhausted individual.

My story ends when I purchase the exact car I wanted from another dealer at a good but not great price, the negotiation involved an offer and a counter offer via email. Since my nerves were shot; I could not tolerate any more hassle or pressure. If acknowledging these crafty and subtle techniques will make the job of buying a car easier for someone, then my experience has some value.

Jim Johnson, July 2007

Retired person recently purchasing a new car.