Can You Prevent Some of the Common Causes of Deafness?

If you knew the most common causes of deafness would you take steps to prevent your own hearing loss?

Deafness can vary from mild to severe. Deafness at birth is called congenital deafness and that which occurs after birth is called adventitious deafness. The causes of adventitious deafness are many. Lifestyle has a vital responsibility for cause of hearing loss and one of the main causes of adventitious deafness is noise.

Some common causes of deafness are:

Hereditary Disorders: Hereditary deafness happens when the parents pass the defect on to their children. It means that people are born deaf and this is generally caused by the malformations of the inner ear.

Genetic Disorders: Genetic deafness occurs when the baby is in the mother's womb.

Prenatal Exposure to Disease: When pregnant mothers suffer from influenza, mumps or rubella, the baby will either be born deaf or will have some hearing problem.

Noise: Loud noise like gunshots, firecrackers, explosions and rock concerts tends to damage the ear mechanisms. A single exposure to loud noise does not damage the eardrum. If you are repeatedly exposed to loud sound over a long period of time will affect the ear with moderate to severe hearing loss.

Disease: There are certain diseases that cause loss of hearing such as meningitis, mumps, chicken pox and cytomegalovirus. In the case of meningitis, the inner ear tends to become inflamed which leads to deafness.

Trauma: A hole in the eardrum, a fractured skull or changes in air pressure lead to deafness.

Wax: The ear canal produces a waxy substance, which is useful in lubricating and protecting the tissues. This has to be cleaned out once in a while. If not done, the wax will build leading to short term deafness. Even foreign substances such as the tip of a cotton bud or a hairpin can cause hearing loss if they puncture the eardrum. Fortunately, the eardrum heals on its own, although it can take a few weeks.

Excess Mucus: Excess mucus is caused either due to the common cold, hay fever or other allergies. This blocks the Eustachian tube, which leads to loss of hearing.

Ear Infections: During an ear infection, the fluid and pus fills in the middle ear. This does not allow full transmission of sound and leads to partial hearing.

Drugs: There are certain drugs like chloroquine, which lead to temporary deafness.

Age-related Hearing Loss: This type of hearing loss is commonly found in old people. This is normal and rarely leads to deafness. Age-related hearing loss also known as 'presbycusis' begins with loss of certain speech sounds like 'S', 'F' and 'T'.

Tinnitus: Tinnitus is the ringing sound in the ears. Middle ear infection and damage caused by loud noises can cause tinnitus. This disease can cause psychiatric symptoms.

Occupational Hearing Loss: Men working in bars, pubs, and nightclubs are liable to have their sense of hearing impaired. Such people are exposed to loud noise most of the time. The deafness is caused by the damage to the hair cells of the organ of Corti in the cochlea.

In addition to the above causes of deafness, there are many unknown causes. Loss of hearing is a serious problem. Some say it is worse than losing one's sight. The isolating nature of the condition can lead people to lose their quality of life.

Hearing loss can be very isolating but can be overcome in some cases with a hearing aid. Keep up with the latest digital hearing aids - information that Michael Jennings has put together on the subject hearing loss ==> http://www.hearing-aids-go-digital.comAllison Blog68240
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Pointe Shoes- Shopping for Your First Pair

Getting your first pair of pointe shoes is a memory not soon forgotten. From the first blisters to the spotlight at the recital, your shoes will carry you to fulfill your dancing dreams.

It is important to have your pointe shoes fitted by someone who understands the shoes purpose and the dancers bodys demands. Be certain to ask about the credentials of the person doing your fitting, especially if you have concerns about their understanding of your needs.

When you go in for your fitting, bring thin socks or tights to wear in order to keep the shoes clean and create an accurate fit. Ask your teacher if she has any shoe preferences and any padding suggestions. Understand the demands that will be on your shoes by knowing the number of classes per week that you will be taking on pointe and the duration of those classes. Call ahead for an appointment whenever possible to insure individualized service.

Once you find the shoes you like, test them. Take them off, walk around for a few minutes, and then try them on again. If they still feel right to you and look right to your teacher or fitting professional, chances are you have found your best starting shoe.

If you have any concerns, considering taking the shoes in to your teacher for a second opinion. Ask about the exchange policy before purchasing the shoes. If you are getting a second opinion, wear clean tights while trying on the shoes and use a clean towel over the floor. Do not bend, crush, or otherwise try to break in the shoes until you are certain you want to keep them.

Above all, enjoy the experience. To this day I look back with a smile on my face to the time when I bought my first pair of pointe shoes. It is a joy that brings with it new challenges and experiences that will help you to grow as a dancer.

Jenny Pemberton is a dance teacher and owner of Dance To You, Inc. - http://www.dancetoyou.com - an online dancewear shop. She has a passion for the arts and enjoys passing along her love of dance to future generations.Bernita Blog69684
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The Connection Between Blogs and Dating

What do online dating and blogging have to do with each other? At first blush it may not seem like much, but dating blogs are becoming an increasingly popular feature on online dating websites. Blogs, or online journals, can be used to address dating issues to a wide audience, or just serve as a personal space for online dating clients to record their daily thoughts or ideas. The privacy settings that most dating blogs offer let also let people keep track of their dating history online, or keep friends up to date on the romance in their lives.

Dating blogs are among many of the new features that are being offered by online dating sites. Nowadays, Internet dating isn't relegated only to messaging and browsing, but also allows people to create and customize their own profile pages. Dating blogs are just one aspect of this.

The topics people choose to discuss on their dating blogs range as widely as the many personalities found on each website. Some popular topics include dating advice, humour, dating etiquette, and single parenthood. One of the greatest advantages of the personal dating blog is its flexibility. Members can use their dating blog space to serve whatever purpose they want, whether they want to talk about very personal issues, or really topics that relate to everyone.

What sets dating blogs apart from regular blogs? Not much really, aside from the content of a blog, or its location. By nature blogs are extremely personal and flexible in terms of what people choose to write about. However, blogs found on online dating websites are usually written by people who want a space to talk about dating issues, and want to discuss things that they know others on the site will be interest in. Most of the blogs found on Internet dating sites will touch on issues related to love, romance, or dating.

Joe Davidson provides kisscafe with interesting articles about Online dating.Berthe Blog73894
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Cleveland Schools Career Fields Program

Cleveland Schools Aims to Help Students Prepare for Life After High School

All Cleveland Schools high schools have developed the Career Fields path of study to help students choose and succeed in higher education, work, and life after high school. The Career Fields places occupations into paths that share common skills. This allows teachers and students to combine educational study with more technical instruction. The six career paths chosen by Cleveland Schools are: Arts and Communications, Business and Management & Information Technology, Environmental and Agricultural Systems, Health Services, Human Resources/ Services, and Industrial and Engineering Systems. Following an educational path allows students to plan for a career after high school or a two-year technical or associate degree, or a four-year college degree. Cleveland Schools Career Fields provides the elective courses, in addition to the core requirements that will prepare them for the career of their choice.

Each Career Field is a part of a Career Pathway Certificate Programs, the only difference between these and the regular high school curriculum is that Career Pathway students may enter the workforce immediately after graduation from high school. When entering the ninth grade in the Cleveland Schools students can choose to enter the Individual Career Plan. This allows students in the Cleveland Schools to have a greater understanding of who they are, have a potential career path that is grounded in their personal skills and interests, and put together an educational plan in high school that will help them achieve their dream of a successful career.

The Six Career Pathways in the Cleveland Schools Career Fields Program

The Arts and Communications Career Field focuses on those careers that pertain to the arts in some way. Such job opportunities in the path include: vocal & instrumental music; visual and media arts; theater and film; journalism and literature; mass media, TV/radio and broadcasting; advertising, public relations, graphic design, printing/publishing, telecommunications and technical writing.

The Business, Management & Information Technology Field pathway provides training in high skilled world of business, management and administration as well as marketing, finance accounting, and data processing. Students who follow this path usually have a strong background in math, science and technical skills.

The Environmental and Agricultural Systems Career Field trains students for opportunities in agriculture, the environment and natural resources. It includes agricultural science, earth sciences, environmental sciences as well as service, research, education and production. Some careers to consider are agriculture, earth sciences, environmental studies, fisheries management, animal care, forestry, lawn care, plant care, floral work, horticulture, and wildlife management.

The Health Services Career Field path offers students education in health and treatment of injuries and disease and includes service, research, education and manufacturing areas of the health industry. There are a variety of jobs in the health services field including: working in medicine, dentistry, nursing, therapy and rehabilitation, nutrition, fitness and hygiene.

The Human Resources/Services Career Field trains students in possible pursuits in economic, political and social systems and include personal, protective, legal, educational and childrens and family services. Students will have the future opportunity to work in the law and legal services, community support areas such as fire and city services, education and personal services such as cosmetology and home health aide.

The Industrial and Engineering Systems Career Field pathway educates students in the careers that related to technologies necessary to design, develop, install and maintain physical systems for transportation, construction and manufacturing areas. The jobs in which students could pursue might include engineering and related technologies; mechanics and repair; transportation; manufacturing technology; and precision production and construction.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on Cleveland schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Ohio/Cleveland/index.htmlBrigid Blog33096
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DBA Degree Programs Are A Secure Education Choice For Solid Employment

A company's database is the heart and soul of client information. Databases store valuable information such as contacts, sales and income, financial statements and organizational plans for management, and to lose their database means a business can no longer function. Optimal care and maintenance of databases are becoming more and more important, as old accounts bog up space or the difficulty in retrieving information slows down productivity. Not only that, security in administration is a must in our high tech world, constantly under onslaught from viruses, hacker attacks and other subversive tactics meant to steal data and destroy competition. Proper care and effective management in handling databases and their administration is vital to any successful business that relies on computer technology to function, and a DBA degree program will help you acquire the necessary skills to become an integral part of an administrative team.

A DBA degree program involves learning the skills and getting solid training to be able to design, create and implement databases for important corporations and businesses. Knowing how to administer databases is also part of the practical, hands on training you'll acquire at educational facilities competent with information technology. Some institutions will include networking knowledge in the program so that you can effectively administer databases to their maximum potential. Learning the basics of networking and its application to database administration will help you become a valuable asset for multi-million dollar corporations or international businesses. Furthermore, a DBA degree will provide you with the analytical ability to troubleshoot and improve upon existing databases or design new ones that serve companies more effectively.

Security is a large part of working with databases and no company wants to discover that its database no longer functions, wiped clean thanks to an insidious virus. The popularity and ease of use of large capacity USB drives combined with curious human nature has made them a huge tool of those who would sabotage a company's functioning and databases are perfect places to strike. Learning how to protect against such threats and knowing effective backup and replication procedures to further safeguard a company's vital information is part of being a high quality database administrator. Only training will provide you with the abilities you need to meet today's standards of safety and archiving and a DBA degree program offers that know how.

Career opportunities are widespread for those who have the backup of accreditation and degrees. The investment of time and money in going after the training you need to become a valuable asset to any company is well worth the pay off, as businesses will offer strong employment packages to those who will help them protect their important information. What's more, a proper DBA degree program from a recognized educational facility will probably have employers come looking for you, rather than you having to pound the pavement with lesser skills. Colleges and universities also usually have career placement services available, with a bank of businesses looking for skilled people. The prospects of a strong, stable professional career are very good and the job market will open up to you, thanks to your newly acquired knowledge.

Finding a good, reputable educational facility to provide you with your DBA degree program is easy, as schools have developed websites with pertinent information for what you need. What's more, many schools offer different forms of financial aid or will help you locate sources to fund your education. Searching the internet turns up plenty of facilities with programs geared specifically to the information technology industry and you'll easily find a college or university that will give you the high quality education you need to be a contender in the database administration field.

Andy West is a freelance writer for Virginia College. Virginia College offers a professional dba Degree program. Please visit Virginia College at http://www.vc.edu/site/program.cfm?programID=17 to learn more about obtaining a Database Administration and Design Degree.Cal Blog68320
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Money Saving Wedding Tips

One Idea to save money is to not have your wedding on the weekend. Many vendors will offer substantially lower costs because weekdays they are usually free and not booked.

When buying a wedding gown check your local newspaper for slightly used dresses. Shop in bridal outlets they usually will offer substantially lower costs than your local bridal store. Shop consignment stores you can usually find great deals and slightly used dresses. Don't buy a designer dress if you don't have to. Designer dresses will definitely cost you more money and usually you can find similar dresses at a much lower cost than you would a designer dress.

When purchasing your cake try to keep it all the same flavor and keep it simple. Use your own decorations for the cake like fresh cut flowers or pearls. Doing this is minimizing the hand made designs that the baker does which will lower your cost of the cake.

Deciding on video and pictures have a friend with a nice camera usually 4 pixels and up take your pictures. Take your pictures to your local photo lab and edit them yourself or use your computer and add your own effects. This will save you a ton of money. Your video you can do the same. Have a friend with a nice camera and a tripod the tripod is important because you want steady video and have them shoot your wedding.

Have your wedding at home or at a friends house. When you have a wedding at home you do not pay any fees that are associated with renting a hall or ball room. Also you can bring whatever food you would like and you don't have to pay for a bartender if you do not want too.

When deciding on entertainment have a friend with access to the internet download your favorite songs and burn them to a disc and play them at your reception. This will be a huge savings.

When deciding on your wedding accessories such as your flower girl basket you can usually go to a local craft store and purchase a plain basket and decorate it yourself. You can pick up some material while your there and some pillow stuffing and a little needle and thread and make your own ring pillow.

When trying to match all of your colors together go to your local paint store and get a paint card of the colors you are using and take this everywhere you go. This will help you with matching flowers and all of your decorations you are using in your wedding.

If you are having an outdoor wedding have it in the fall. The fall time is the most beautiful weather and most likely not as hot as it would be in the summer time. Also prepare yourself for rain. Have a plan to get the cake and other decorations that are sensitive to rain put up and out of the way.

Do not be afraid to ask for help. Ask groomsmen and bridesmaids to help decorate before the wedding and assign each one of them a couple of simple tasks each. This will save you on decorating and clean up before and after the wedding.

Most of all remember it's your wedding and just enjoy yourself and have a great time.

Yolanda Nash is the owner of http://www.yolandasweddingfavors.com and wedding planner. She enjoys seeing all the different table decorations, flowers and wedding party favors on the wedding day.Alicia Blog35456
Carly Blog38861

Auto Tech Schools Versus Community College Programs

Naturally, when you are researching auto mechanic programs, one of your main concerns is cost. To many people, the tuition charged by auto tech schools seems exorbitant when compared with the less expensive programs offered at community colleges. However, as a school that specializes in one area of instruction, an automotive school offers many benefits over a low budget community college program.

For instance, most auto tech schools offer better equipment than community colleges. The reason for this is that community colleges depend on the government for their funding, and as a result are constantly struggling to pay their teachers, let alone stay up to date on equipment for their students. On the other hand, the tuition you pay at an automotive school ensures that the school can provide and maintain state of the art equipment for its students.

Another advantage of the degree programs offered by auto tech schools is superior teachers. Under funding at community colleges also results in underpaid teachers, which usually means that the best and most knowledgeable teachers wont settle for a job at a community college. Also, since an automotive school specializes in their field, rather than offering classes simply as an alternative for non-traditional or non-academic students, they tend to look for teachers who are better qualified to teach their subject.

The curriculum offered by an automotive school is also generally higher quality than those offered by community colleges. Again, this has to do with the fact that auto tech schools specialize in one field. As a result, a school that focuses on automotive training will be able to offer a choice of several different degree programs, including programs for earning Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications. ASE certifications are an important part of the automotive industry, as they demonstrate to employers and customers alike that a mechanic has mastered his or her areas of certification; as such, any good automotive education program will train and test students in the areas of ASE certification.

Besides factors that are directly related to the quality of a students education, such as high quality equipment, teachers, and educational programs, as private institutions auto tech schools can also offer superior student services, such as job placement services. Job placement services in particular are very important, as the primary reason for pursuing an education is to become more qualified for a specific job or career. Auto tech schools tend to have an office dedicated to helping graduates find jobs, and usually have a good reputation with local employers. Additionally, many auto tech schools have long term relationships with local business, meaning that many of these businesses go directly to the school when they are in need of interns or fulltime mechanics. All of these factors help the graduates of an auto tech school find jobs more easily than those who attended a community college.

Saving yourself money by attending a community college program may seem like a wise decision, but in the long run it may have a detrimental impact on your career path. Factors such as the curriculum, teachers, and equipment dictate how much you learn and how well you learn it, while support services for students, such as job placement assistance, help you translate your education into a career. The extra money it costs to enroll in a degree program at an auto tech school may be the difference between a quality education and mediocre training, a career in the fast track or just a job.

Andy West is a freelance writer for VC Tech, The Automotive School. VC Tech offers the latest and most up to date programs available at auto tech schools today. Please visit http://www.vctechnical.com to learn more.Cammi Blog19425
Aloisia Blog76167

Increasing Your Search Engine Ranking

Increasing Your Search Engine Ranking may seem like rocket science to you, so you have probably avoided dealing with this issue. I am here to tell you - the time has come to face your website! A high search engine ranking for your website is so essential that if you have the slightest desire to actually succeed in your business, there is no way you can continue to avoid this issue.

At least 85% of people looking for goods and services on the Internet find websites through search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The idea of optimizing your pages for high search engine rankings is to attract targeted customers to your site who will be more than likely to make a purchase. The higher your page comes up in search engine results, the greater the traffic that is directed to your website. That's what search engine optimization is about.

You can immerse yourself in all the technical information available online to figure out how to optimize your web pages to achieve higher rankings. Or you can look at a few simple items on your pages, make some small adjustments, and most likely see improved rankings quite rapidly. The first item you should examine is the title bar on your homepage.

The title bar is the colored bar at the top of the page.

Look at the words that appear there when you access your home page. To increase search engine rankings, the words on your homepage's title bar should include the most important keywords or phrases, one of which would include your company name.

Then click on all your links and examine the title bars on the pages you access. Each title bar on every single page of your site should contain the most important keywords and phrases taken from the page itself. However, avoid very long strings of keywords, keeping them to six words or less. Avoid repeating keywords more than once in the title bars, and make sure that identical words are not next to each other.

The next item to put under your microscope is your website content. Search engines generally list sites that contain quality content rather than scintillating graphics. The text on your site must contain the most important keywords - the words that potential customers will be typing into search engines to find your site.

Aim to have around 250 words on each page, but if this is not desirable due to your design, aim for at least 100 carefully chosen words. If you want to achieve a high ranking on search engines, this text is essential. However, the search engines must be able to read the text, meaning that the text must be in HTML and not graphic format.

To find out if your text is in HTML format, take your cursor and try to highlight a word or two. If you are able to do this, the text is HTML. If the text will not highlight, it is probably in graphic form. In this case, ask your webmaster to change the text into HTML format in order to increase your search engine rankings.

Next we come to what is called meta tags. I know this sounds like something out of science fiction, but it is really just simple code. Many people believe that meta tags are the key to high search engine rankings, but in reality, they only have a limited effect. Still, it's worth adding them in the event that a search engine will use meta tags in their ranking formula.

To find out if your page is set up with meta tags, you must access the code. To do this, click the "view" button on the browser menu bar, and select "source." This will pull up a window revealing the underlying code that created the page.

If there are meta tags, they usually appear near the top of the window. For example, a meta tag would read: meta name="keywords" content=. If you do not find code that reads like this, ask your webmaster to put them in. This may not do much for your search engine rankings, but any little boost helps.

Lastly, we come to the issue of link popularity. This is a factor that is extremely important in terms of search engine rankings. Almost all search engines use link popularity to rank your website. Link popularity is based on the quality of the sites you have linked to from your links page.

If you type in "free link popularity check" in a popular search engine, the search engine will then show you what sites are linked to your site. In the case that there aren't many sites linked up to yours, or that the sites that are linked up have low search engine rankings, consider launching a link popularity campaign. Essentially, this entails contacting quality sites and requesting that they exchange links with your site. Of course, this requires checking out the rankings of the websites you want to link up with. Linking to popular, quality sites not only boosts your search engine ranking, but it also directs more quality traffic to your website.

Search engine rankings are extremely important for a successful Internet marketing campaign. Before you go out and hire a search engine optimization company, try taking some of the simple steps listed above, and see if you can't boost your rankings yourself. Don't ever ignore this all-important factor in Internet marketing. Remember, the higher your search engine ranking, the more quality customers will be directed your way.

Dechen Lau., is an Author, Speaker and Internet Marketing Consultant Allis Blog35154
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The Value Of Proper Database Management For Your Organization

Data base management is a powerful resource tool for storage, retrieval, and evaluation of your business data, which permits large scale analysis of data for research purposes. Data base management is an often neglected aspect of many research programs, despite the fact that data constitutes a major foundation of the study. Database management provides the control over particular pieces of data that result in creating a detailed report for the end user, by manipulation the stored data to the requirements. Database management can be a complex process that can make or break a major companys marketing campaign. Database management isnt a one-time proposition it needs regular updates, through monitoring and optimization.

Data processing is by far accounts for the greatest proportion of actual computer usage at most organizations. As companies become more complex and needs higher demands, data processing software will continue to evolve and advance. Data archives, a major component of many long term monitoring programs, if not at the site, must be readily accessible.

The main value of data base research seems to be in the promotion of the notion of the decision and support systems as an important direction for the data processing and information systems. The decision-support notion was initiated by innovative organizations that were seeking to provide decision makers with readily available access to information. With the advent of distributed computing systems, data centers will not only physically archive data, but they will become the information and management source that will allow analysis in all disciplines to locate the data they need more easily and efficiently. Data bases are useless unless the information is updated on a rational basis, and properly archived. Data archives should include information on survey objective, and sets need to be archived. It is important that surveys and data analysis anticipate and respond to the expressed information needs, and that information is recorded in an adequate data storage system.

Database management is all about managing the data that youve spent the time, energy and money to generate. Database management is forecasted to be one of the fastest growing jobs through the year 2012. A database is only as effective as the last time the information was checked and updated; therefore good database management is a must. Database Management is one of the most vital parts of any organization. When looking to attain more business, a proper database management would be a boon to your business.

AARON H PRATHER owns and operates http://www.databasemanaging.com a website covering database managing techniques and a careers in database management. Data Base ManagementAudre Blog71839
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Inventory Management Made Easy

Devising an inventory management program that will generate maximum sales and profitability requires an advanced computerized program that is difficult and costly for a retailer to implement, but should be offered as part of the supplier program.

Failure to customize video sell-through programs to the needs of individual stores most often will result in erratic sales performance and lower than expected profitability. Because the dynamics involved in achieving sell-through success are different in each store, the program must be tailored to the individual situation. A cookie-cutter approach that treats all stores within a chain as essentially the same is a sure recipe for disappointment.

The supplier must devise an inventory management program -- including the size of the section, the category of titles to be stressed, the price points to be offered, and the signage and promotions to be featured -- to the particular demographics of the store. As retailers often do not have the time or extra resources to manage the complicated section on a store by store basis, especially with the enormous number of titles involved in video sell-through, finding a supplier who provides that service is vital to cashing in on the category's full potential.

Although many suppliers are now jumping into the sell-through video marketing arena, choosing a company that has extensive video experience in the supermarket environment is important. Properly managing a sell-through section is not easy. Suppliers must not only have a large number of video titles available but also be able to analyze the section's potential for succeeding. To do that, the supplier should already be familiar with the supermarket industry and have a demonstrated ability to provide solid retail support at store level. A successful program requires constant, efficient in-store service by a fully trained, experienced service staff. The supplier must be able to execute at store level.

One solution to ensuring that the supplier selected can fulfill the program's promise may be for retailers to choose a company they already have a buying relationship with or that at least has considerable experience servicing supermarket departments.

Ensuring that the video sell-through program is managed primarily by the supplier -- rather than requiring extensive in-store labor -- can be crucial to maximizing in-store profitability. The difference between staffing the department and selling product and having to run the entire operation -- from selecting titles initially to charting sales to restocking the fixtures -- is significant and can tie up a tremendous amount of valuable time.

The best programs minimize the amount of in-store labor necessary to run the section by providing a complete inventory management service. The other option -- to manage the section in-store with minimal outside help -- is often frustrating and can eventually lead to failure.

For the latest in inventory management software and systems, see: http://www.inventorymanagementinfo.net Inventory Management.Cathleen Blog35374
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Learning Spanish Easily

Methods for Learning Spanish Easily

Do you want to learn Spanish but you are worried that it might be too difficult or time consuming? Well, youre not alone, but there is good news for you. There are a many methods that can make learning Spanish easy and can also be a lot of fun for you too! This article will walk you through a number of practical ways to help you learn Spanish easily. You can choose one, or experiment with several ways, that you find suitable for helping you learn Spanish.

Technology Helps To Learn Spanish

We all earn in different ways and now, with the help of technology, learning Spanish or any language, is easier than ever. And we all have the added benefit of learning in the way that is best for us. We can watch, listen or read. And what's even better, we can take our lessons with us with the help of our mobile gadgetry. Lessons, books, and programs can be downloaded to MP3 players or played in our cars, or on portable DVD players. We can learn in our leisure time or in our travel time or even in our study time. So, let's explore some of the ways learning Spanish can be made easy.

Learning Spanish is Easy

Learning Spanish need not be viewed as a difficult task, because it is not. You can always use the following methods:

Watch TV/ Videos in Spanish Hearing the Spanish language spoken often will help you to absorb it, and will reinforce your level of your understanding of the language greatly. You can listen to news in Spanish, see Spanish movies without subtitles (so you can concentrate on the dialogues), and you can even watch cartoons. All these will help you learn the language faster and easier.

Study abroad You can consider living in a Spanish-speaking region. It is very easy to learn Spanish if you are immersed in the language or are exposed to it constantly. Of course, the best way is to forget you know any other language, concentrating only on Spanish only then you will be able to progress quickly. Conversation will make learning Spanish very easy.

Get a home tutor If you learn better with constant guidance and at your own pace, try to hiring a home tutor. This could be rather expensive; however, it is very convenient and it makes learning Spanish easy because you always have someone who can correct and guide you and teach you properly.

Make a Spanish-speaking online friend You can learn Spanish easily while chatting with your Spanish friend(s). The fact that you are making a new friend will make the process even more interesting and easy. As long as you are motivated to talk with your friends, you will be more motivated to learn and it will seem effortless.

Use bi-lingual books There are a lot of books, which use bi-lingual texts. This helps to simplify the learning process a lot. Many people learn Spanish easily with the help of these types of textbooks. Of course, you will need to read a lot to build your vocabulary.

Use tailor-made software programs There are many great software programs designed specifically to help the learning process go smoothly.which can help you. Some of these software programs guarantee that you will learn Spanish within three months and are specifically designed for speed learning. Many people have benefited from adopting this method the world over. You can try it out too.

Debbie Flores is an editor for the website http://www.learningspanishsite.com where she has more articles about learning spanish and different methods to help people learn Spanish quickly and eaasily.Annabal Blog83633
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How Does Credit Repair And Debt Consolidation Works?

Even though everyones financial situation is unique, practically all of us have some sort of debt. It might be huge debt like with mortgages and loans or small credit card or department store credit debt. The only way to wind up with debt is as a result of being extended credit. In these financial times we are in it can be difficult to get by without credit. But too often it becomes difficult to pay off the credit and that is when the trouble begins. Once you are late in your payments, your creditors will report this to the credit bureaus and it will affect your credit rating. When you are stuck with a bad credit report, even if you have a good reason such as illness, etc, it will be very difficult for you to get credit in the future when you are back on your feet financially. This means you may not be able to buy a house or a new car on credit. Or, if you are able to get a loan, it will be from a subprime lender who will charge you exorbitant interest fees.

If you have been through a tough spell and now have bad credit, you can undergo credit repair and one way to do this is through debt consolidation.

One thing about bad credit is that it can continue to get worse. It is not a case of having good or bad credit, it is a case of your credit being assigned a numerical value on a scale from good to bad and with each late payment, your credit slips farther into the bad side of the scale. So to repair your credit you need to get your creditors paid up to date as quickly as possible.

Chances are that you dont have the money to do this or you wouldnt be behind in the first place. This is when debt consolidation can be a useful tool for credit repair. You take out a single load which is used to pay off all your other loans. Now all your bills are paid up to date and you just have one monthly payment to make on your new consolidated loan which probably wont be due for thirty days so you have some breathing room to get back on your feet.

You will still owe the same amount of money, but if you arrange your loan to do so, it can be spread over a long enough period that the payments are more manageable. The advantage of a debt consolidation loan is that it can repair your credit quickly and help you get back on your feet financially.

The disadvantage of a debt consolidation loan is that if you dont use it properly it can get you deeper into financial difficulty. There is a saying that you cant borrow your way out of debt and this is very true. You should examine your financial situation carefully and make sure that your situation has improved so that you will be able to handle the payments on your new loan or you could wind up damaging your credit further and making credit repair even more difficult down the road.

Geoff Spencer is a staff writer at http://www.finance-journal.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.onlinebusinessgazette.com.Andra Blog57167
Betty Blog99509

Online Education

The Internet has shortened distances, making it possible almost all of the activities that traditionally required going from one place to another, investing extra effort, money, and time. Today, you can study from the comfort of your home, at any hour of the day or night and even wearing just your pajamas, if you want.

Online courses have the additional benefit of immediate availability. No more waiting time until the next visit of your mail carrier, just sit down and turn on your PC to enter into your virtual classroom or have your list of today's assignments displayed on your monitor.

Online education, also known as distance learning or e-learning, differs from traditional education because students are not required to visit an actual classroom and listen to an instructor face-to-face. If you have ever thought about an online education to further your current career, or to get training for a new career, now is a great time to get started.

An online education also means you do not have to take a break from your current job or career and can simultaneously become qualified for a better one. Contrary to belief, an online education is valued just as much as a regular one. In fact, people getting an online education are indicating that they are motivated to better themselves every step of the way and are willing to put in the required extra effort for this purpose.

Today, online education has come a long way. Instructors are now being hired to solely teach online. Companies are also hiring these online education programs, since a training session can not only be quick, but also be accessed at any time of the day or night. For many, it is a great opportunity because it gives us all more knowledge. We not only are able to get college degrees through this type of e-learning, but we also can have a life, without having to stay at the office overnight just to learn some material.

The choice for online education is vast. There are an unlimited number of universities and colleges that are ready to work with you and the time that you have available in order for you to get an education in the field you prefer.

Online education has made all degrees available to anyone and everyone who has the will to study. The cost of each degree differs from course to course but here too a payment plan can be worked out depending on your financial status and possibilities.

Overall, online education is much less expensive than going to a traditional school because you save on travel, time, and the courses themselves cost less. Much of the time you are able to get your degree much quicker and with much more ease in an online program than at a traditional college.

Modern technology allows surfers the access to a wide number of study materials and guides in a matter of just a few seconds. Nevertheless, apart from time, online educations provide economy, convenience and effectiveness to any learning program.

This article has been published by Kateri White currently writing on online degree programs topics for our website http://www.onlineuniversitydegreeprogram.info.For more details about the online degree programs, please visit our website. If any mistake found please mail kateriwhite@gmail.com.Camala Blog18872
Amanda Blog6249

A Fire Safety Escape Plan Tells Everyone What To Do If Your Home Catches On Fire.

In 2004, the 410 thousand residential fires in America caused more than 14 thousand injuries and 3 thousand deaths, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). You can prevent fire-related deaths and injuries, and even most residential fires by being knowledgeable about fire safety. Ensure your and your family's safety by creating an escape plan, teaching children fire safety and fire-proofing your home.

Fire Safety Escape Plan

A fire safety escape plan tells everyone what to do if your home catches on fire. Your family needs to discuss fire safety issues, and design an escape plan for your home. The escape plan needs to inform everyone in your family of the two safest routes out of each room in your house and where to meet once outside.

When discussing fire safety issues with your family, it is also a good idea to talk about each person's responsibilities in the case of a fire, such as who helps whom out of the house. Be sure to explain to each family member to crawl to a safe exit; don't stop to save anything, and, if possible, to alert others by yelling "FIRE!" or beating on doors as they crawl by.

Fire Safety and Kids

Fire safety and education begins with children. Tragically, children cause over thousands of residential fires each year, the majority stemming from children playing with matches. You need to teach your children to obey the following fire safety rules: Never play with matches or lighters, always have an adult help you when cooking, never touch gasoline or any other flammable liquids.

Always STOP, DROP, AND ROLL! If you or your clothes catch on fire. Never place anything into an electrical outlet and always get help from an adult if something catches on fire.

Your children are the most important people in your life, so educate them about fire safety and prevention.

Fire Safety and Your Home

Electrical fires are the most common type of residential fires in America. The following fire safety tips lower the probability of residential electrical fires: Don't overload outlets or piggy-back extension cords, Keep all combustible items, such as hairspray and household cleaners, away from all heaters, Check all electrical tools and appliances for frayed or cracked cords, Purchase electrical appliances that meet the Underwriter's Laboratory's (UL) safety requirements and Keep children away from electrical appliances, such as heaters and irons.

Electric stoves, ovens, stereos, heaters, and clothes dryers are responsible for the majority residential electrical fires. Follow all manufacturers' instructions, and use all appliances carefully and responsibly. Sometimes, no matter the precautionary fire safety steps you take, an electrical fire can still occur. If this happens, knowing the proper fire safety procedure is invaluable in keeping your home safe. Shut off burning appliances by unplugging the cord, Put out small fires with your home fire extinguisher, Do not put water on electrical fires, Get everyone out of the house and Do not try to handle large fires by yourself; call 911, report the fire, and tell them it is an electrical fire.

Educating yourself and your family on fire safety helps to lower your chances of a residential fire and gives you the knowledge of what to do in the case of a fire.

Ralph Winn has over 32 years of experience in the security industry. Throughout his career, he has developed cost effective security programs for numerous small, medium, large commercial and government properties and for many nationally known corporations. http://www.homesecuritystore.com.Carmelle Blog1114
Bathsheba Blog24769

UK Credit Card Tips & General Advice

As Christmas approaches, many of us in the UK will be considering taking out a new credit card to purchases those all essential gifts. With a plethora of card offers out there, deciding which card,if any, is best for you can seem a little daunting

What follows are some useful tips and advice that hopefully will help make your decision a little easier and clearer.

Loyalty/Bonus Cards

As people's circumstances vary so do the credit card deals on offer. If you intend to clear your bill each month, the interest rate on your card becomes irrelevant as you won't have to pay it. Therefore you should consider going for a card that offers some form of loyalty bonus such as redeemable points, cashback or air miles.

Interest-Free Offers

These cards are particularly useful for those don't clear their balance each month. Shop around for cards that offer 0% interest on balance transfers and purchases. The length of these offers tend to vary, so choose one that is appropriate to you needs i.e whether you intend to use the card mainly for purchases or a balance transfer.

Some cards allow you up to 59 days to pay for purchases before being charged interest on them, thus giving you some breathing space to pay for your goods or/and services.

Special Offers

One way to save money on your card debt is to take advantage of the many debt-transfer offers available from most banks. These offers are usually exclusive to new customers and allow you to pay off your debt from a more expensive card at a lower rate for a limited period.

Cash

Although you can withdraw cash from ATM's with your credit card, it is best left as a last resort as, although convenient, you will pay for the privillage through a steep interest rate.

Plus Points

Using the plastic to pay for expensive items such as jewellery, electrical goods or goods bought online, gives you the piece of mind of consumer protection i.e under the Consumer Credit Act, the card company are liable ( as is the seller of said goods or services) if there is a breach of contract.

This is especially handy if the goods either arrive faulty/damaged or don't arrive at all due to the supplier, for example, going bust. If any of these scenarios were to arise, you should have the money spent redeemed to your credit card.

Charges

Most cards will levvy a charge against you if you fail to pay your monthly repayment on time, with penalties usually around 20. You will also incurr a charge if you go over your set credit limit. Setting up a direct debit to make your monthly payment will eliminate the possibility of being late with your monthly payment and thus avoid that nasty charge.

What Card Then?

Deciding what credit card to apply for really depends on your personal circumstances and requirements.

If, for example, you intend to do some serious short-term shopping, a card that offers, say six month interest free on purchases, would be more suitable.

If you know in advance you wil be unable to clear the balance in the short term, then a card that offers a low rate for the lifetime of the balance, would be suitable as you will save a graet deal in interest paymnets compared with a card that resorts to a higher rate after any offers expire.

If you are able to clear your balance each month, then going for a card that offers rewards, such as cashback on purchases, would be most prudent.

Joe Kenny writes for the Loans Store offering secured loans and offer more information on car loans and other loan topics available on site.Alice Blog7752
Barbie Blog33577

Connecting the Dots of the Paranormal: Ghosts and Reincarnation

Ghosts are probably the most known paranormal phenomenon with the UFO category gaining on it everyday. While it's hard to understand or know why a ghost is somewhere or haunting a location, I think it's easier to figure out what it is than what business the entity might have.

This seems to be one of the easier lines to connect since its almost obvious how to get from ghosts to reincarnation. If ghosts are the lost or still departing souls of the once living, then perhaps they stick around for awhile. After the soul finishes what it still needs to do in its current life it moves on. We have no idea of knowing how long a soul will stay around once its left a body. Some ghosts are reported for hundreds of years, others seem to fade fairly quickly.

Edgar Cayce touched on a spirits journey throughout lifetimes. How skills and talents we have now are the results of past lives. In our life, we are here to try and find a karmic balance for the lessons we learn now for those we didnt learn, havent learned, or still need to learn. The lingering spirit, after death, still possibly be someone looking to close a karmic gap that they incarnated to do in this lifetime.

To those that access the Akashic Records, or Book of Life, theyll find information about a person across several lifetimes, which Cayce often used to diagnose ailments with those who sought him for readings. So, in the line, a ghost could be what we figured it was, a spirit still looking to finish some business in their life before moving on.

One more possibly comes to mind that a ghost is the collective conscious of the people leaving an imprint in reality of a persons past existence. With thought creating so much reality everyday, it could have the power to leave a visual, if hazy, representation of the spirit in question. Since everyone will imagine the spirit entity a different way, solid details are sometimes lost. This is hard to prove, of course, but after looking into thoughtforms and their effect on us, it might be possible some ghosts are the result of it.

Ive wondered as well, why we only have fairly modern day ghosts. There are no reports of an ancient Roman entity or Mongol spirit for example. This leads me to believe that the spirits only affect those of the lifetime of the being they incarnate as, when the moment is passed, they move on to another lifetime to balance their karma. Having none living to learn their lifes lessons, they would probably be forced to reincarnate and start over, either having to relearn the past lesson, or a completely one.

This is, at best, mostly speculation. The rest of the connecting dots for ghosts must reside in the metaphysical arts and possibly Eastern religions, new and old, which seemed to have a better grasp of the life and death cycle.

Robert Kreuk is an independant paranormal investigator and author of the ebook "Connecting the Dots of the Paranormal" available at http://www.paranormal-phenomenon.net.Annadiana Blog70567
Brynna Blog87411

What Is MySpace.com - Part 4

MySpace.com has become, by far, one of the most popular Internet sites on the World Wide Web today. Now, people from many countries can create a profile, customize it with premade layouts like those offered by www.mypsace.org and instantly gain access to the many features and benefits the MySpace.com service has to offer. Not only has it enabled users to chat with old friends, meet new ones, and share common interests with many others simultaneously, it has also given many professionals the platform they need to showcase their products, services, and many talents. Many independent music artists, filmmakers, and comedians have posted information about themselves, as well as files available for download so that everyone can enjoy their various sources of entertainment. Many celebrities have also created MySpace.com pages so that they can interact more with fans, while also giving the fans yet another means by which to discuss their favorite celebrity or artist. While this all sounds great on the surface, there have, however, been significant difficulties that have resulted in legal issues. These issues have affected many MySpace.com users.

In recent months, users of MySpace.com have had difficulties getting in to and maintaining their sites. Some have even found their information to have disappeared altogether, thus making it necessary for them to re-create their entire profile and all subsequent pages. It was quickly discovered that this was a result of computer hacking, which has happened to many users.

While identity theft is certainly something that has become more common and more feared in recent years, many users probably didnt imagine someone would hack into their pages to steel their information. This has become a grave concern of many computer users over the past decade, as more and more people are beginning to conduct business online.

Now, many people pay bills, shop, and conduct other various forms of business that require them to share pieces of personal information. This information can include a social security number, bank account number, credit card information, mailing address, phone number, and even E-mail address. While much of this information isnt required on the MySpace.com site, (only E-mail address and name are required), users are given the choice to include various other pieces of information that could, in turn, harm them if placed in the wrong hands.

The argument can be made, however, that just about any piece of information can be traced if the person tracing it is experienced and knows just where to look, and that MySpace.com doesnt ask for any information that could put its users in danger of identity theft.

MySpace.com has subsequently taken legal action to prevent such occurrences from happening again, and have since taken steps to keep its users as safe as possible. Users are also cautioned to provide only information they wouldnt mind others knowing, and to be careful not to reveal anything that could cause them harm. It should also be noted that MySpace.com isnt the only site of its kind to experience such issues, and they are sure to pop up almost anywhere. The key is to be careful, be aware, and to report anything that seems like it might be suspicious. This will not only help keep you safe, it will help others remain safe as well.

Magalie Noel Dresse is the Webmaster of http://www.mypsace.org which offers myspace layouts for free.Annabelle Blog17826
Camala Blog18872

Choosing The Right Health Plan For You And Your Family

Health insurance can be a confusing. So as a service to our customers we put together this handy little guide to help them decide what their needs really are. These are the types of questions that everyone should ask them selves when considering purchasing a health insurance plan. Money is hard to come and by taking a moment to seriously evaluate your needs, you may be surprised at how much money you can save when shopping for a health plan. There is no point in paying for coverage you will never use!

The following is a brief list of some guidelines and recommendations for choosing a health care plan. Please browse thru this article as it offers some important things to consider when choosing the right health care plan for you, your family, or your business.

1. What is your budget for a health care plan? How much do you think you can afford to spend each month to maintain your health care plan?

2: Type of plan you need: Ask yourself some hard questions: Do you need a major medical plan, a high deductible plan, a health discount plan, prescriptions, maternity coverage, routine care, or dental? .

3. How often do you go to the doctor? Some medical plans will cover routine doctors office visits with unlimited use but they are much more expensive than those that have some limits to doctors office visits. If you never go to the doctor, a plan that includes this type of unlimited benefit would be a waste of your money. Some health insurance policies will cover routine "Wellness Visits" at little or no cost to the policyholder.

4. Do you take any medications? Some health insurance plans include prescription drug coverage. If you don't take any medications, having a health insurance policy that covers prescriptions may be a waste of your money. If you do take medications, make sure that the plan you purchase has enough benefits to it to make it worth the added cost to have prescriptions included in the plan.

5. Do you travel much? If you travel a lot you may want to look for a plan that doesn't require you to stay within a network. The insurance benefit that a company pays out is always better if you can stay within that companies network. Some companies use nationwide networks while others may use more localized networks.

6. Are you self-employed? Self-employed people will likely have different needs than people who work for a large company. It is important to make sure your insurance policy will cover you while you are working. Not all of them will!

7. Do you plan on having children? Maternity coverage is very expensive to add to a policy. Nearly all health insurance companies require you to have a policy in force with them for at least nine months prior to becoming pregnant. If you become pregnant before the end of the waiting period, the insurance company will not cover the pregnancy or the delivery.

8. Are there any medical conditions that are considered "pre-existing"? Most health insurance will have some very strict guidelines for covering pre-existing medical conditions. However, many of the discount programs and the guaranteed acceptance discount programs have no waiting periods or pre-existing condition exclusions. These may be a good option for you. This depends largely on what the condition is and how urgent the need for care is.

9. Do you need dental and vision coverage? Sometimes a dental or vision insurance plan can be like throwing your money away. Several of the discount plans offer exceptional savings at rates that are much lower than the insurance plans. If you need major dental work right away, the dental insurance policies may not be your best choice, as they will have waiting periods for up to 1 year before major dental work will be covered. If this is the case for you, the dental discount plans are your best choice, as they have no waiting periods or limits.

10. Who will the benefits cover? Adding people to an insurance policy can cause the rates to go up. The more people on the insurance plan, the higher the risk of financial loss to the insurance company, therefore the rate must be higher.

Keeping money in your pocket is much easier than making it if you are armed with the proper knowledge about what you are shopping for.

Shad Woodman is a licensed health insurance agent and specializes in marketing health insurance and dental plans online through multiple websites:Amity Blog33905
Cati Blog2156

Content Sites - What Are They?

So just what the heck is a content site?

Glad you asked. A content site is a site that contains content. This literal definition of a content site, however, doesnt convey the sheer effectiveness of utilizing a content site for affiliate programs. There are several distinct advantages of using a full content site as opposed to a single-page sales format.

Using a sales page or a mini site is one way to sell a product, but even then the sales page is usually accessed from a content site. These larger sites, which can be 20, 30, 40 pages or more, have the advantage of many pages of keyword optimized content that just cant be reached by a single page. With pages and pages of keyword articles, the content site has the potential for a much higher rank in the search engine line.

In addition to the SEO action, a content site is much more likely to be referenced again and again. People interested in the content will bookmark it and come back to read more about it. Multiple views can only increase the chance of sales, as well as word of mouth about the content that is provided. There probably arent that many people that bookmark a sales page, but when a content site has lots of practical information that a reader can use, it has a better chance of being read. Using a content site is like having a catalog, and the sales page is the order form.

Having pages of content also allows you to go more into depth about the items you are selling. A sales page is an obvious sales pitch. Readers come in, mill around, and theyre told why the product is a good thing to buy. A content site is seen more as information about the items- and look! They just happen to sell them here.

And, unlike a smaller site, a content site has room for plenty of products. If one of the products is failing, it can always be squashed and replaced with something that can perform better. Content sites usually are concerned with a specific topic, and within that topic there is room for any number of different products to be promoted. This creates a better chance of revenue instead of relying on only one item for the entire bulk of sales. In addition to changing around the products if they become ineffective, there is also room to change the keywords for the same reason.

A content site is also easier to promote than separate pages that each have to be promoted. An informational site can be branded to create a name for the site and its products. Creating a brand is something that cant be done with just one product that is probably being sold elsewhere on countless other pages. A brand is the collection of pages, which will be unique to your site. A brand is a powerful thing in cyberspace, and can be wielded for good or evil. Or, just to make the highest number of conversions possible.

Gray Rollins is a writer for http://www.marketingeffects.com/. If you're looking to learn more tips on how to build websites that get traffic, please visit http://www.ultimatetrafficblueprint.com/blog/ and if ebay is your thing, then visit http://www.auctionconversionsecrets.com/ for a free report.Adriaens Blog91553
Bridget Blog38375

Forensics in the Classroom: Court TV comes to Atlanta Schools

Chemistry and biology students at Atlanta Schools North Atlanta High School put their lab skills into action for a Court TV film crew on April 11. As part of the Forensics in the Classroom, program, students learned how to collect and analyze evidence of a crime scene. They werent flying blind. Instead, they had help from a range of criminal investigation experts, beginning with the head of their own science department, Dr. Cadence Spearman. In addition to Dr. Spearman, students interacted with Court TV host Rachelle Savoia, Police Lt. H. Cotton Tukes, forensic investigators from the Fulton County Police Department, and a criminal science instructor from Bauder College.

The staged crime took place in the schools cafeteria and involved acts of vandalism and a cut gas line. Students worked through the crime scene, learning the proper procedures for collecting evidence. The evidence that they collected, including hair fibers, stomach contents, and blood makeup, was then analyzed in the school lab.

The exercise demonstrated a new standards - based forensics curriculum developed by Court TV, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the National Science Teachers Association. The program combines standard high school lab techniques with a mystery solving element.

Students at North Atlanta High School participated in Unit Four of the Forensics in the Classroom Curriculum. Called The Cafeteria Caper, the crime they investigated involved a trashed high school cafeteria that might be linked to an underground club. The lab techniques required for the investigation included an enzyme test and the analysis of hair, blood, and DNA all within their own school laboratory.

To begin the exercise, students were given handouts that explained the background information of the crime that they would be investigating. They are also given several handouts explaining the nature of forensic investigation and how forensic techniques are used to solve crimes.

Students examine a range of evidence. Some of it comes from the crime scene itself, but students also have access to a mock website that details the practices of the underground club they are investigating. The website provides them with additional information for the physical evidence that they collected, helping them to match the evidence with suspects from the website.

The Forensics in the Classroom Curriculum provided detailed lab guides for conducting the necessary experiments. After they had reached their conclusions, they were instructed how to fill out Crime Lab Reports documenting their evidence.

The Cafeteria Caper addressed five of the national forensics curriculum standards. These included:

Developing an understanding of the Cell (including enzyme function, organic molecules and indicators)
Developing an understanding of the Molecular Basis of Heredity (including chromosomes, DNA and genetic inheritance
Understanding and performing scientific inquiry
Analyzing and synthesizing several pieces of data to draw a conclusion
Developing an understanding of science and technology

The Forensics in the Classroom Curriculum consists of five units designed along the same lines as the Cafeteria Caper. With names such as Its Magic, The Celebration, The Car That Swims, and Renters Beware, each unit promises a unique story line and a different set of laboratory techniques to be used. All five units are available for free from Court TV at www.courttv.com.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, Which provides free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues.Candi Blog10195
Atlanta Blog57830

Take Stock in Children College Scholarships for Orlando Schools and Seminole County Public Schools

Take Stock in Children College Scholarships for Orlando Schools and Seminole County Public Schools

By Stacy Andell for www.schoolsk-12.com

An Overview of the Take Stock in Children College Scholarship Program

Take Stock in Children is a statewide scholarship program being implemented by Orlando Schools and the Seminole County Public School system. The program targets students with strong financial need as well as strong motivation to succeed in college. Beginning in eighth grade, students are invited to apply for the scholarships. These scholarships take the format of two years at a community college and then two years at a state university or college.

In order to be considered, both the student and the parents must sign a contract promising to follow the guidelines of Orlando Schools and Seminole County Public Schools. In addition, students must participate in a variety of Take Stock in Children activities throughout their high school years. Orlando and Seminole County Public School students must remain committed to graduating with their high school class and maintaining a drug and crime free student record.

The Take Stock in Children Program targets at risk students in the Orlando and Seminole County Public Schools and helps them learn the skills they need to be successful in college. The motivating factor is that a successful Orlando and Seminole County Public School student becomes a successful adult able to give back to the Orlando and Seminole County Public Schools. The connection between the needs of the community and the needs of the student results in benefits for both.

Scholarships and Support

Since 1996, one hundred and seventeen students have been awarded the Take Stock in Children scholarship in the Orlando and Seminole County Public School area. The program has 69 high school students participating in Orlando and Seminole County Public Schools. 101 students have graduated and received their scholarships. The first student to graduate from college because of the program received a Bachelors of Science from the University of Central Florida.

The scholarship fund has purchased over $300,000 worth of Florida Prepaid College Scholarships for students in the state of Florida. These scholarships are waiting for the students currently participating in the middle and high school levels of the program. Orlando and Seminole County students active in the program have additional opportunities to attend workshops and seminars to help them prepare for college and build their individual skills throughout the school year.

Mentors

Each Orlando and Seminole County Public School student is paired with a community volunteer mentor who helps motivate and guide the student throughout high school. Mentors do not give a lot of time but they do provide a lot of support for students working towards the scholarship. Usually mentors meet with Orlando and Seminole County Public School students for thirty minutes once a week on the students high school campus. Mentors also participate in the Take Stock in Children workshops and activities. Mentors come from a range of backgrounds and are united by an interested in helping the youth of Orlando and Seminole County Public Schools achieve their dreams of a college education. In addition to the mentor role, there are often opportunities to sponsor a scholarship for an Orlando and Seminole County Public School student. Every donation is matched by the state of Florida, allowing more and more students to participate in the program.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, Which provides free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues.Cathryn Blog94711
Benetta Blog47462

Buying A New Computer 101: The Basics

Ok if your reading this I'm going to asume that you already have a computer but lets face it, in todays computing enviroment the power (speed) of computers doubles about every 18 months. We like to joke that when you get a new computer its obsolete before you can get it out of the box.

You have completed the first step, deciding that you need a new computer, now we must make a vital decision before any others can be made. Do you want a Macintosh or a Windows based computer? In the past Macintosh computers could only run the Macintosh operating system, however with the release fo the Intel chipsets in the new Mac Pro line users can now run either windows or Mac OS X. The basic advantages to buying a mac are: more stable operating system (aka it doesn't crash as often), for all practical pourposes they do not get viruses, adware or spyware, the tech support is very good, you can run Windows XP or Mac OS X and the operating system is very easy to use. Now the advantages of owning a Windows based computer are: cheaper, to be honest this is the honly advantage that I can think of and the main reason they are cheaper is usually because inferior components where used.

I own several computers, two Macs and a PC. I love the macs they are a joy to work with, they never break and I never have to defrag the hard drvie or run a virus scan. The PC I use because I like to play games. It is constantly breaking down adn having problems. It really comes down to this, if you want to play games and you cant instal Windows XP on your mac then buy a PC if you cann install windows on your mac buy a mac. Macs use higher quality components and are more reliable!

My name is Ian I am running several websites right now including:Antoinette Blog98066
Alisa Blog30344

3 Reasons to Secure Your Own Domain Name - Even if it means Buying Cheap Web Hosting Services

When starting an online business, you might be tempted to use one of those "free" web page hosting services. You should beware of these plans if you want to build a successful web business. Having your own domain name is extremely important - even if it means buying cheap web hosting services! Here are three solid reasons you should secure your own domain name.

1. Build Trust with Customers

When visitors arrive at your site, they want to know that your company is legitimate and that it is there to stay. With your own domain name you reveal that you are in it for the long haul. For the mere price of cheap web hosting through a virtual host, you can have your own domain name and site up and running for as little as $20 or less as an initial investment. Some low cost hosting packages are as low as $5 or $6 per month!

It's well worth the investment to establish your own domain name and pay a small monthly fee for cheap web hosting. When you gain the trust of visitors, it's much easier to turn them into paying customers.

2. Freedom in Your Web Design

With your own domain name, you have total freedom to design your site the way you want. Even virtual hosts that offer cheap web hosting will give you the freedom to use the type of web design that will work best for your business. If you need to use PHP in your web design, you can easily find a low cost web hosting package that offers PHP integration. If you need to add MySQL databases to your site, you can find web site hosting packages with this feature included.

Another reason you need freedom to design your site is so you can test different designs and presentations to see which gets the most response from your visitors. Even with cheap web hosting, you can test almost unlimited presentations any time you want!

3. Maximize Your Promotion Efforts

When you secure your own domain name, you have complete freedom in your promotions. Many search engines, directories and other promotional sites will frown at "free" hosted sites. When you use a free web page hosting service, your site pages are placed on a website along with many other types of businesses. The search engines will not recognize your site as being a unique entity. They might even lump your site into categories with other sites that are using the free service. This wounds your promotional efforts tremendously, and you end up wasting time and money.

You'll actually save money in the long run with your own domain hosting. By securing a domain name and taking advantage of cheap web hosting, you can promote your site to the fullest.

Even with cheap web hosting packages, you can still receive a wealth of features and benefits such as email accounts, auto responders, PHP and MySQL capabilities, password protected directories and even reseller hosting opportunities.

Use these tips to start building your web business today!

Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.comArlette Blog76454
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What sort of College Savings Programs are Offered by the US Government or States?

College education in the United State is becoming excessively expensive with each passing day. Various kinds of federal and non-federal financial aids are available for students However, not only are they difficult to obtain, but also they are often not enough to abbreviate the gap in the cost of education. In attempt to make higher education easily accessible to more Americans, the federal and state governments have developed qualified tuition programs, commonly known as 529 programs. There are two types of 529 programs; first, prepaid tuition plan and second, college savings program.

Prepaid tuition plan allows the parents and grandparents to lock in tuition in the current tuition rates, that is, prevalent in recognized public colleges and universities. At present, the state government operates these plans. Prepaid tuition plans not only provide better rate of return on investment, but also involve absolutely no risk to the principal.

College saving programs allow parents to make contributions to an account, which has been specifically created to pay for the beneficiarys qualified higher education expenses as books, tuition fees, supplies and boarding. College savings programs are usually associated with investment risks, that is, their value fluctuate according to the market conditions and the investment strategy chosen.

Nowadays, college savings programs for states are typically managed by mutual fund companies. Hence, mutual funds are the most prevalent investment vehicles in these programs. Each state college savings program provides different investment options, and all these options require the creation of portfolio. The portfolio may either contain a wide assortment of investment strategies, or fixed number shares and bonds, whose composition automatically changes with time.

The state governments provide various kinds of tax benefits and incentives on college savings programs. The money in these programs grows tax-deferred, and if it is withdrawn for qualified higher education expenses, then it is tax-free. Moreover, college savings programs receive favorable treatment in student-financial-aid calculations.

Every state provides a variety of college savings programs, and no two programs are exactly alike. Hence, it would be worthwhile to conduct some research before selecting a particular program. A financial aid advisor can help you to find the best college savings program that will efficiently fulfill all your requirements. Some of the best college savings programs are as follows:

New Yorks 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan
Michigan Education Savings Program
Maryland College Investment Plan
Future Scholar, South Carolina
The Education Plan, New Mexico

Anubha Shyam is studying computers, and also works as a part-time freelance copywriter. She writes regularly for http://www.blogcharm.com/BollywoodSizzlersBenoite Blog10631
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Obtaining Unsecured Personal Loans Even With A Bad Credit Score

When a person has a bad credit score, he or she may feel that obtaining unsecured personal loans is a total impossibility. Yet, in actuality, it is not. One should not just throw ones hands in the air in despair, and resort to mental and financial misery. In the United Kingdom, nearly one of every four people have some type of poor credit history, perhaps due to late bill payments, arrears, defaults, County Court Judgments (CCJs), or even bankruptcy. Sometimes bad credit can even be traced back to a clerical error or identity fraud. These past discrepancies may be the deciding factors that bring about a poor credit report for an individual. Consequently, with that bad credit score, a person seeking a loan, is likely to be turned down by conventional lenders. But a persons search for financial deliverance should not end there, even if he is down on his luck, and there seems to be no way out of the black hole of personal debt.

One should not despair about acquiring a personal loan, even with that dreaded bad credit score, because there are companies that specialize in loans to people who have previously been turned down by other types of lenders such as High Street bankers. Indeed, if someone rents a flat and is not a homeowner, with no equity, the future must seem rather bleak when trying to obtain a personal loan. Happily, there are independent brokers who do find loans for people who want to break out of the cycle of credit card or other type of debt. Unsecured personal loans can be a persons light at the end of the tunnel of personal debt, mainly through the consolidation of many debts.

A poor credit loan might be needed for other reasons. The purchase of an automobile for work or for personal use is a legitimate expense. Perhaps there is an upcoming wedding with reception and honeymoon costs approaching in the near future. Maybe a holiday in a warm climate is desired. Certainly needing funds for starting a new business would constitute reasons for a loan. Cosmetic surgery, or the payment of other medical bills both may require funds.

The companies that offer unsecured personal loans are even available online, with applications that can be quickly filled out on a personal computer, while sitting in ones own home, or even at a Wi-Fi coffee shop. In many cases, the application is so user-friendly, that it can be finished while sipping a cappuccino! Although most of the loans that are granted are for debt consolidation, the before-mentioned reasons for obtaining a loan have merit as well. Whatever the need, the loan that can change a persons life may be available to the person with a bad credit score, but one will never know unless he or she makes that initial inquiry! It may only be the completion of a one-page application to find out for sure.

Loan applications from UK Council Tenants, Housing Association Tenants, Private Tenants, and MOD Tenants, are generally welcomed. It really doesnt matter what the residential status of a client might be, and truly home-ownership is not the only criteria that is used to determine the granting of a loan. Additional personal facts such as employment or other assets count as well. Actually, loans to tenants are much more common than the average flat resident might expect.

Tenant loan companies specialize in sourcing loans from 250 to 25,000 for any legitimate purpose. Millions of pounds every month are lent to thousands of people who complete the simple application forms, and consequently, find their loan requirements answered by a large range of financial products. There are even loan establishments that forego, completely, any upfront fees for the service. Clients can often apply online for a same day decision. Why should someone wring his hands monthly over the myriad number of bills that appear in the letterbox, when financial aid is merely a brief application away?

With a reputable loan company for tenants, there is no obligation to proceed beyond the initial application, if this is the wish of the client. So no risk or confidentiality is at stake. Indeed, every application should be regarded with the utmost confidence. No bank, employer, other individual, or institution would be contacted without the expressed permission of the person inquiring about the loan.

Operating costs are kept to a minimum at online loan companies by handling as many inquiries as possible, via e-mail and text messages. One can go to websites, 24/7, and apply during ones own non-working hours for a personal loan, without having to meet at an inconvenient time in someone elses office.

What a relief it will be for that person who has been weighed down by personal debt, to be able to throw off that burden, even though there was a poor credit score in his or her history! That freedom from creditors can be a mere few minutes of computer work away with unsecured personal loans. The final questions one should ask oneself are, Can I afford not to seek financial help? Isnt it better to place a foot on the terra firma of an online lender rather than to be struggling forever for a toehold in the quicksand of oppressive personal debt?

By PA Davis sponsored by http://www.tenantloansuk.com/ who provides Unsecured PersonalLoans: http://www.tenantloansuk.com/ from 250 to 25,000 for any purpose for non home owners. Please link to this site when using this article.Aridatha Blog74567
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The Beauty of Landscaping

In architecture, landscaping refers to the science and art of modifying land areas by organizing natural, cultivated, or constructed elements according to a comprehensive, aesthetic plan.

This landscaping involves the elements of topographical features like hills, valleys, rivers, and ponds or growing things like trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers as well as constructions like buildings, terraces, and fountains.

Today, landscaping is quite popular for homeowners who would want to improve their homes. The goal should be the house and the landscaping must complement with each other.

A GUIDE TO D-I-Y LANDSCAPING

Any house with landscape should complement each other. In order to achieve this harmony, you really need to consider and reconsider your options and the extent of landscaping you would want to have.

There are actually so many aspects in do-it-yourself landscaping like budget, skills, the climate of your region or place, personal design tastes, and the available resources. If you really want to beautify your home through landscaping, here are some do-it-yourself landscaping tips that can help you get by.

1. Make sure that you provide your landscaping with a year-round theme. The surefire tip in landscaping is to provide it something related to four seasons so youll never be outdated. A combination of a plant-selection with flowering trees or shrubs throughout, and fall foliage would do.

2. Try to layer the gardens flower beds when planting. By layering the planting beds in rows of three that include a back row filled with tall plants, a middle row planted with the next tallest plants, and a front row containing the shortest plants. The repetition of each flower bedding will give your garden a unified look.

3. Consider the use pf evergreens for continuity. When it comes to DIY landscaping usually focuses more on trees and shrubs but this doesnt mean that you cannot include evergreens because this will give the space more structure and the view of variety and continuity.

4. Experiment on using annuals to supplement perennial hues and colors. Perennial flowers are ideal for flower beds because they last for a long period of time. But since they bloom only in a specific period, it is best if you try incorporating annual plants with perennial ones so you can fill up the colorless spots in the flower beds when perennial flowers are not yet in bloom.

If you are quite particular about color coordination of the two kinds of blooms, try using a picture gallery so youll get ideas what is the right color scheme for your garden.

5. Dont forget to assimilate hardscape into your initial and final landscape design. Aside from paying much attention to plants when landscaping, dont forget to include hardscape features such as fences and other garden decorations.

If you want to be more specific, try including patios and decks to your garden because these will provide great transition from your indoors to your outdoors.

6. Dont be daunted in installing water features. One of the best focal points of any excellent landscape designs is the water feature. Aside from being one of the hottest trends in landscaping today, installing a water feature will not only make your garden more visually appealing but it can only create soothing sounds great for relaxation. The most basic water feature you can install is ponds.

When you think youre ready to do something bigger and better, consider conceptualizing a simple waterfall through the use of cheap fountains, flexible tubing, pre-formed rigid plastic liners, and durable pumps.

7. Always keep foliages and drought-tolerant plants in mind. When thinking of landscaping your house or garden, never forget to include the characteristics of a plants foliage. The varying foliage textures and colors are needed to help you liven up your yard while the presence of drought-tolerant plants so your garden will have a staple decoration.

8. Lastly, make sure that you can maintain your yard without so much hassle. Sure, you can do landscaping in your yard based on your taste and aesthetic sense, but never forget to keep it low-maintenance so you can enjoy the beauty of your work even if you dont spend much time and money keeping it.

Bob Janeway is the owner of http://landscaping.knowsmart.com/. Check it out for a great landscaping idea.Bryna Blog49816
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Is Your Weight Issue Controlling You? How to Add More Joy into Your Life with Small Changes

When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you cringe, or just cover up the mirror? You may hear the statistics, know that you don't feel physically well by having this extra weight, yet you aren't able to move forward to make any changes. It feels overwhelming to handle both your extra weight and the negative thoughts you have every time you have to look at your body. What if you were to look at the situation differently?

For most people the extra pounds came about slowly, year in and year out, new pounds, less activity entered our lives. We slowly changed our eating habits, exercised less, or added more stress to our daily lives. By the way, research is showing that stress adds pounds. With so many pounds to shed, you just forget about doing anything as it feels too daunting an effort. It's normal that when we feel overwhelmed we tend to do nothing. So what needs to change is the belief we have attached to our weight issue.

What you weigh is not who you really are, even if society places a high premium on looking slim. You have internalized that message either from parents, society, or peers and you believe that you are not good enough because you are overweight. There are a lot of overweight people contributing in many great ways to society. They are also mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, employees, employers and the list goes on regarding the many potential ways each of us add value to society. Yet you keep coming back to your weight as an indication of your worth.

Overcoming the significant belief that you are valued less because of your weight adds to the struggle of losing weight. It's a habit that is fully imbedded into your thinking patterns. How about you change the rules of the "belief" game you have played for so long. I'm not advocating that you don't lose weight, but more so, how you feel about yourself is most important. You may still want to lose weight but the process is different. Let's put the actual pounds on hold and start looking at how you can feel good about yourself. Follow the next steps and see where you end up.

Do you want to lose or gain?

So you have a number in your head about the perfect body - 10, 30, 50, or 100 pounds less of you. You want to lose them todayright! Lots of people state how many pounds they need to lose in order to feel good about themselves. Well 30 pounds could take some time and does that mean you can't feel good about yourself? Instead of using poundage to evaluate how you feel about yourself, how about you replace that focus with a different goal how much self-love do you want to gain today in your life?

Self-Love is Important

Sounds hokey, doesn't it. Your are thinking, "Feeling good about myself never helped me lose weight, so why bother." That's only because, just repeating "I love myself" doesn't make you feel better. Instead, adding small changes in the choices you make around food can help you build your self-love muscles.

How to Build Success into Your Life

If you make small changes in the way you deal with food, you build success into your life. Success is important in building your self-love muscles. In the present, every day, you are in charge in deciding what success is.

Let's use an example; you want to lose 30 lbs. You could select some type of diet and try to follow it until you lose the 30 lbs. You may or may not gain the weight back. Maybe you are successful for a short period of time, lose some weight, and then slowly go back to your old habits. Or you try the diet for one day, feel so deprived that your normal eating habits will take over and you don't feel good about yourself. Why not try something else?

What if you were to look at your eating habits and say, "I can eat one less slice of bread at lunch." Very specificvery smallyet very manageable to handle. Today, you eat one less slice of bread. That is a small success for you today. You decide to take 3-7 days eating one less slice of bread, or cup of pasta or one less of anything in your food day. At the end of this time period, you will have less calories and more success in your life. It's manageable, doesn't overwhelm you and is something you can do.

Two Warnings!

First, your negative thoughts will pop up quickly stating, "What a waste of time, one less slice of bread will do nothing in losing 30 lbs." In a day, even if you were to eat nothing, you still wouldn't lose 30 lbs. Don't let your negative thinking take over as you build your self-love muscles.

Second, I would recommend that you keep the small changes you are making to yourself, or be very selective with whom you choose to share what you are doing. Though people do care for us, they also have their own issues and can add more negativity to your life.

Why a Small Change?

You have to make sure your change is small because otherwise your negative thinking will come in and take over. If you act on small changes, they are quickly incorporated into your life without a lot of resistance from you. After 3-7 days, or when you feel ready, select another food that you would reduce in a small way. Now you will have one less slice of bread and maybe one less cookie at night. Success is built in small steps.

At the End of the Day

I suggest you keep a success journal to capture your activity for the day. Keep it simple or write to your heart's content. The goal is to write down your successes for the day: You can write: 1) ate one less slice of bread and 2) felt really good about myself because I stuck to my choice, or any other words that express how you experienced success in your day. You can also add other successes that have nothing to do with food. It's your success journal.

How Do You Feel Now?

It sounds too simple to be true, yet this powerful technique of making very small changes and writing in your success journal can add success and self-love into your life. Try it for 30 days, one day at a time, and evaluate how you feel about yourself at the end of that time.

Remember small steps are wonderful and bring more energy into your life. This is your personal journey in creating more joy in your life.

Copyright (c) 2006 Pat Brill

Pat Brill is co-founder of http://www.SilkBow.com which supports Busy Moms with free gift ideas and helpful tips to meet the challenges of motherhood. She is also co-founder of http://www.WellnessArticles.net , a directory of articles covering many areas of wellness. You can reach Pat at pat@SilkBow.com.Cathyleen Blog20052
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