Author Archives: schatzi

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Write Articles Today!

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Have you ever thought about writing an article for your personal blog or business and still have doubt about it’s effectiveness? Then continue reading because in the next few minutes you will learn the top 3 reasons article writing is and always will be one of the top ways to drive traffic to your site.

As far as we can go back article writing is one of the oldest trait known to writing. We can age back all the way to the early 1900’s and forward to today’s newspapers where article writing plays a key role to the existence of those prints. Even magazines and now the internet shows article writing is here to stay and always will be around. What’s great about article writing now is that you no longer need to work for a company to get your feet wet in this field. Welcome to the Internet Stage my friend. There are many article website out there where you can submit your article absolutely free which leads me to “The Top Three Reasons Why You Should Write Articles”.

Top Reason #1: Helps to establish yourself as an expert in that field

The more you show yourself to have knowledge in that field people will gravitate to you like a magnet even if your not a total expert. Humans tend to have role models in a field they are passionate about. They are looking for information regarding that field. So if you can give them dose of that information on a regular basis they will quickly establish you as an expert on that field and will come to your blog or website to get a solution to their problem. For example if you write an article on how to train your dog to be friendly to your guest. Now you can be considered an expert to many people because you helped them solve their dog behavior problem. So do think if you continue to write articles related to the dog training field,that you’ll build a fan base? Of course you will. Does anybody watch the show “DOG WHISPER” with Cesar Millan. Would you consider calling Mr. Millan for help with your dog behavior problems? Think about it.

Top Reason #2: Launch your Freelance career

The beautiful thing about the internet is WWW part of a website address which stands for “WORLD WIDE WEB”. You can write an article and the world can read it. Which can open up a lot of doors in your freelance career. Like I mentioned earlier, article writing has been around for years and companies will hire someone who doesn’t even live the same state or country to work for them. Now who says you have to settle for one job? How about working for 3 or 4 companies at the same time. How about writing for your own company? Opportunities are endless in the writing field.

Top Reason #3: Article writing is an inexpensive method of SEO.

If you are looking to drive traffic to your website without digging deep into your wallet, then article writing is the way to go. Most article directories are FREE!!! So marketing your website can cost you nothing. So now you know the top 3 reasons on why you should start writing articles. Start writing and start now! Like anything the more you practice the better you become at it. Hope this article help you get started on your article writing career. Take Care.

Critical Admissions Requirements to Get Into Engineering Colleges

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Gaining admission to Engineering Colleges can be tough, based upon which college you apply to. Top universities, such as Stanford University and MIT can reject admission to even the ideal individuals, whilst programs at smaller less well known colleges can have less demanding requirements.

You’ll want to suit your planning to your preferred schools, but there are some standard principles that apply in general. As well as contemplating your engineering requirements you will also have to look at the general entry requirements to the university – these must be met at the very least.

Standardized Tests

More or less all colleges will require results from a choice between the SAT or ACT tests. Most colleges accept either test without preference. Colleges that are known for Engineering programs will have more transparent requirements for math and science results, however if you are considering a liberal arts school or general undergraduate program that doesn’t ask you to declare your engineering major upfront, you ought to still consider the science requirements so you have the basis for studying engineering eventually within your degree – don’t forget just because a college’s general admission doesn’t require algebra doesn’t guarantee the engineering school won’t.

Most engineering programs will ask for a minimum of 4 years English, Math and Science. For more competitive colleges you will have to take no less than one Math and one Science test, as well as the SAT reasoning or ACT writing test. Advanced Placement programs will be required for the more competitive schools.

Hardly any colleges release recommended scores but better schools will demand 660 plus writing and 730 math, and the more competitive will need even more.

Extra Curricula Activities

The majority of colleges claim to be looking for ‘well rounded’ candidates with more than just good test scores. The fact is that without very good test scores you will not gain admission to top institutions, however good test scores alone are not enough. In spite of the schools claiming they’re trying to find a diversified cohort, most top engineering colleges have a fairly standardized look about them. Not so much well rounded as over achiever.

However even less competitive colleges want students to have a lot more than test scores. Participation in extra curricula activities – particularly those of a non-academic character, are viewed positively. Clubs, sports, volunteer work all qualify.

Grade point average

Like test scores, a necessary GPA is not generally publicized by colleges. But like test scores, obviously higher is best. The most competitive colleges will be looking a score someplace near 4.0. Other colleges can be in the 3.2 to 3.5 range. Engineering programs have a tendency to be competitive.

Students from outside the US

Individuals from nations other than the US will certainly need to meet the same prerequisites as US students, as well as in addition those whose native language isn’t English will have to supply TOEFL or IELTS English language test scores.

Additional requirements

Different engineering colleges and programs may have additional requirements including portfolios, interviews and essays.

The Most Important Requirement

The most critical requirement for entry into an engineering college is a love of critical analysis and problem solving. Much more than any other characteristics these are what clearly define a successful engineering scholar from an unsuccessful one.

Career Advancement And Career Development

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Modern developments in the field of human resources, however, have thrown both business managers and workers for a loop. The demands of businesses nowadays, are not the same as that of businesses in the past. Now, companies need innovative, creative, and multifunctional people in order to survive.

The advent of the internet and computer technologies, for instance, has put paid to archaic hiring criteria. Now, human resource managers need computer literate employees. Whereas in the past, you could get hired as long as you had the requisite education and experience needed for the job, you can lose out to someone who has less experience but is more technology-savvy than you are.

These developments in the field of human resources are becoming more and more apparent. In fact, you’ll find it very hard to find people who stay with one company for decades. More and more, people gain corporate experience then look for greener pastures (not necessarily in the same field or the same career path) or establish their own business.

Implications for Career Advancement and Career Management

Career advancement and career management, instead of becoming obsolete, have actually gained even more importance. If people can expect to change companies and even jobs many times in their working life, they need to plan and manage their career even more if they are to advance.

Career advancement now, however, can no longer be perceived as linear. Increasing career transition tendencies indicate that one can advance horizontally (moving from one field to another) rather than vertically (moving up the corporate or career ladder). Career advancement, nowadays, means acquiring skills that may be necessary in the future.

For career advancement to be possible, therefore, career management should be rigorously undertaken. We must never stop learning and training for new opportunities. We must never be content with what we know now. Rather, we must look forward and learn what we need to know to prepare us for a possibly different future than what we have once envisioned for ourselves.

This is not to say, however, that we should just go into any career without thought nor planning. We should have a definite plan, but it should be flexible. For instance, you can group various career paths that you can imagine undertaking – then manage your career in such a way that you’ll find it no hardship to move from one path to another then back again, if necessary. Career advancement and career management have simply changed face, that’s all.

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Write Articles Today!

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Have you ever thought about writing an article for your personal blog or business and still have doubt about it’s effectiveness? Then continue reading because in the next few minutes you will learn the top 3 reasons article writing is and always will be one of the top ways to drive traffic to your site.

As far as we can go back article writing is one of the oldest trait known to writing. We can age back all the way to the early 1900’s and forward to today’s newspapers where article writing plays a key role to the existence of those prints. Even magazines and now the internet shows article writing is here to stay and always will be around. What’s great about article writing now is that you no longer need to work for a company to get your feet wet in this field. Welcome to the Internet Stage my friend. There are many article website out there where you can submit your article absolutely free which leads me to “The Top Three Reasons Why You Should Write Articles”.

Top Reason #1: Helps to establish yourself as an expert in that field

The more you show yourself to have knowledge in that field people will gravitate to you like a magnet even if your not a total expert. Humans tend to have role models in a field they are passionate about. They are looking for information regarding that field. So if you can give them dose of that information on a regular basis they will quickly establish you as an expert on that field and will come to your blog or website to get a solution to their problem. For example if you write an article on how to train your dog to be friendly to your guest. Now you can be considered an expert to many people because you helped them solve their dog behavior problem. So do think if you continue to write articles related to the dog training field,that you’ll build a fan base? Of course you will. Does anybody watch the show “DOG WHISPER” with Cesar Millan. Would you consider calling Mr. Millan for help with your dog behavior problems? Think about it.

Top Reason #2: Launch your Freelance career

The beautiful thing about the internet is WWW part of a website address which stands for “WORLD WIDE WEB”. You can write an article and the world can read it. Which can open up a lot of doors in your freelance career. Like I mentioned earlier, article writing has been around for years and companies will hire someone who doesn’t even live the same state or country to work for them. Now who says you have to settle for one job? How about working for 3 or 4 companies at the same time. How about writing for your own company? Opportunities are endless in the writing field.

Top Reason #3: Article writing is an inexpensive method of SEO.

If you are looking to drive traffic to your website without digging deep into your wallet, then article writing is the way to go. Most article directories are FREE!!! So marketing your website can cost you nothing. So now you know the top 3 reasons on why you should start writing articles. Start writing and start now! Like anything the more you practice the better you become at it. Hope this article help you get started on your article writing career. Take Care.

Brief Insight Into Online Nutrition Courses

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Nutrition conscious has become the order of the day

Perhaps you might have observed; since the recent past people have become diet conscious. They always choose their food having regard to the calorie intake. You also find several newspapers and magazines coming out with numerous articles on nutrition and diet. Normally, the nutrition experts prescribe certain eating habits and also the calorie a person could consume in a day. This depends on various issues like the general health of the person, his lifestyle, age and so on. As a matter of fact, many colleges and other organizations have introduced specific courses where students are trained in nutrition. Apart from this classroom training, many online courses on nutrition also have secured significant response from the students.

Brief introduction to online nutrition classes

Many students opt for online courses on nutrition technology for the simple reason, they can study at their convenience. The online course on nutrition has several general topics like for example human anatomy, human metabolism, digestive system, RDA and RNA, diet planning and such other related topics. The students willing to join the course are required to possess certain basic academic qualifications. This requirement varies depending on the institution offering the course. As in various other online courses, even the courses on nutrition is divided into various categories like for example human nutrition, nutrition for sports personnel, therapeutic nutrition and so on. The courses are conducted in diploma, advanced diploma and also in bachelor level. Advanced courses on nutrition technology are also provided by various reputed online training institutions.

Those who undertake online courses on nutrition are closely monitored about their performance. Many institutions provide online lecture and the students are allowed to ask questions and interact with the instructor. The student can also contact the instructor either through Skype or Google talk and clarify any doubts he has. As you know, when you take the course online, you have the advantage of accessing numerous useful information through the internet. Apart from online interaction with the instructor, the students are also allowed to directly interact with the instructor either through a mobile phone.

Placement opportunities

After completion of the course, the students are given the appropriate certificate. The successful students can find placement in any of the hospitals or local clinics. They can also start their own consulting center. Some of the successful students have started online consultation center also. Nutrition technology is a promising career. You can take up this career either on full time or as a part time career also.

Learning and Recovery

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As you pursue a sober life, learning will be key to uncovering previously untapped talents and interests and discovering who you really are and all you can be. Learning makes life more interesting and rewarding. It increases self-esteem and leads to a sense of personal fulfillment. Learning is a lifelong endeavor and an ever-changing one as you, and the world around you, evolves.

Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

Learning can be formal (college courses, online courses, workshops, etc.) or informal (experiences, adventures, volunteering, etc.). You will find yourself learning in both ways. Also, as you learn something formally, you will have the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in more informal settings.

Learning can be pursued for professional reasons and for personal ones. The capacity to learn is honed as you challenge yourself and learn new things. The “capacity to learn” is, perhaps, the most important skill you can cultivate as you move forward in life. It is certainly the most prized skill in the workplace. And, importantly, learning has a profound impact on the brain. Those who pursue learning throughout their life, are less likely to suffer from dementia related impairments in their advanced years. Learning improves memory and cognitive abilities.

Learning encompasses both the mental and the physical realms. Ideally, you want to challenge yourself in both areas. Higher learning, i.e., college courses and the like, will primarily challenge you mentally. Anything that engages your body like dance, sports, and even some of the arts, will primarily challenge you physically. Most skills involve both. Driving is a classic example of a skill that engages both the mind and the body. Virtually all athletic endeavors require applying both mental and physical exertion.

As you continue challenging yourself and learning, you will cultivate an inner strength and confidence. The more you embrace learning (a life-affirming action), the more you embrace life! Most people find that as they develop and grow, they find new interests and new challenges to take on. There’s nothing static about learning. It is a continually changing and evolving pursuit which is what makes it so engaging ultimately. The list of “things to learn” is endless. Whether you decide to pursue learning formally in classrooms (in person or online) or informally (travel, volunteering, on the job) or some combination of the two, you will find the rewards far outweigh the effort.

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
-Socrates

Extreme Bodybuilding Training – Routines And Exercises

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Remember that training to increase muscular size and strength is not the same as training for a marathon or other primarily aerobic activity. Extreme Bodybuilding training is an anaerobic activity, and the training requirements are, therefore, totally different. Anaerobic training with weights requires tremendous bursts of physical effort which can only be sustained for short periods.

This is because the demands for oxygen from extreme bodybuilding/strength training are so great that the body cannot supply sufficient oxygen to the working muscles to be able to sustain their work output on an aerobic level, i.e. with oxygen. Therefore, the muscles must quickly switch over to anaerobic respiration to continue contracting. This causes a rapid build-up of metabolic by-products including lactic acid, which eventually cause the muscle to stop contracting if the set is taken to muscular failure.

This is the point at which muscle growth is greatly stimulated, and there are many techniques which can be used to take a muscle ‘beyond’ muscular failure, e.g. by quickly reducing the weight, the muscle can continue to contract and reach an even greater level of temporary fatigue, leading to even greater growth stimulation, in order to further stimulate muscular development.

Therefore, by virtue of a high-intensity weight-training session, it is neither possible, nor desirable, to do set after set of very high intensity work, without overtaxing the body, leading to a state of over training, and possible loss of strength and size, in addition to a halt of further progress. You simply cannot put your body through this kind of work for long periods, but if you train for only a short duration per workout with high intensity of effort, and train infrequently, the results you desire will be yours.

For most beginning trainees, it is recommended to train the entire body two or, at most, three times per week. The workout should involve the use of basic, compound movements that stimulate large masses of muscle, and allow the use of the largest possible training loads, relative to the starting strength of the trainee. As progress is made over time, a person may find that it is not possible to train all muscle groups effectively due to fatigue near the end of the workout.

This is because the muscles will have become larger and stronger, and the energy requirements for their contraction are thus far greater than when the person started training, leading to a faster onset of fatigue. At this point it is advisable to train different sections of the body on different days, e.g. upper body at one workout, lower body at the next, to help overcome this problem.

This will ultimately mean that you may only train the entire body once every seven to ten days, especially if you begin to split up your upper and lower body muscle groups into different workouts. However, because you are much stronger than when you started training and your training intensity will be far greater, you will be able to deliver a much larger amount of growth stimulation to your muscles per workout, which will mean that you will require more time to recover from each training session.

Therefore, you can see that the bigger and stronger you get, the more physiological damage you are capable of inflicting upon yourself at each training session, which then goes ‘hand-in-hand’ with a need for more rest and recuperation.

The exact amount of time that you should allow to elapse between workouts is variable from individual to individual; we all have slightly different tolerances for exercise and adaptation to training. The only real way to know for certain if you have recovered from a previous workout at the muscular level is to have a biopsy done on that muscle and have it structurally and biochemically examined for remaining indications of trauma.

As this is obviously not practical after every training session, it is up to you to determine the time periods between workouts that allow for the best increases in size and strength without over training and regressing.

In future articles, I will cover aspects of over training with regards to extreme bodybuilding training, and how it can be recognized and avoided for optimum gains. Until then, train hard, rest and grow!

Portland Schools Lead The Way For Healthy Kids

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Portland Schools started to make some significant changes to the diet of its children in 2006. At that time, Portland Schools eliminated all soda, sports drinks and junk food from vending machines in the schools. This was part of the district’s wellness policy in response to some federal nutrition mandates for schools receiving federal subsidized lunch money. But the Portland Schools went even further than just taking the junk food out of vending machines.

The Wellness Advisory Committee recommended significant changes to school lunch menus, advertising and fundraising sales. And Portland Schools listened. Fundraising items like doughnuts and candy cannot be sold until 30 minutes after school ends. Lunches at Portland Schools include more local and fresh produce, often grown at the school itself. And the district removed any ads for soda or sports drinks and replaced them with healthier images. Why does this put Portland Schools ahead of the curve?

The Oregon House voted, 46-11, to ban the sales of most junk food in all schools by fall of 2008. The mandate is expected to pass in the senate and has the approval of Governor Ted Kulongoski. Rep. Scott Bruum, R-West Linn, has stated that studies show that obesity in this country has tripled in the last three years. National attention given to the statistic of 1 in 6 children being overweight, and of a huge increase in childhood and Type II Diabetes also added to the sense of urgency.

The fact that Portland Schools have already addressed the issue is helpful in more ways than one. The current bill doesn’t affect school lunches, as that program is federally mandated. Also, other Oregon districts will now face a financial loss from partnerships with Coke from having the vending machines in schools. Portland Schools have already dealt with that.

Sugar, sodas and junky food have also been shown to have a severe impact on the behavior of many students. Some react with sugar highs, other with lethargy from a lack of protein and healthy whole grains, fruits and vegetables. The Portland Schools’ model has an answer for that. Abernathy Elementary School really made the grade for good nutrition. It was one of many Portland Schools to make changes, but the alterations there were huge. The school started a made-from-scratch kitchen, a hands-on school garden, and many educational programs. Portland Schools funded the pilot program through grants and district support.

If the largest school district in the Pacific Northwest made these changes voluntarily, many parents are asking what’s taking the rest of Oregon so long to catch up with Portland Schools. Of the opposing votes to last week’s bill, some representatives said they were against letting the state make decisions for individual districts. Well, Portland Schools seem to be making their own decisions, and the parents and teachers seem pretty happy about it.

Coaching Compared

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There are any number of ways in which we can help people at work perform better and solve problems; coaching is just one. Let’s consider the ways it may be similar or different to some of the other obvious techniques. Specifically, let’s look at:

Coaching and Teaching

Coaching and Training

Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching and Counselling

Coaching and Teaching

We know from our own experience at school that teaching tends to be delivered to groups, to a predetermined lesson plan, with people of mixed abilities developing their understanding as best they can.

Of course, teaching can be given on a one to one basis and there are countless people who have benefited from being taught or tutored in this way.

However, the dominant party in the teacher-pupil relationship is the teacher. The teacher’s role is to pass on knowledge, facts and wisdom. Our role, as pupils, is to do what we can to soak it all up.

We have little scope to set or follow our own agenda and we have to try to interpret what the teacher is saying and make sense of it against our own experience.

Coaching on the other hand is more often than not delivered one to one. It is the coachee (the person being coached) who is best placed to decide on the issues to be discussed and to set the agenda. As coaches, we are not there to provide input or advice or to tell the coachee how we would do things. Instead our role is to probe and encourage and help the coachee make sense of things for him or her self.

This can be a difficult concept to grasp, so let’s look at a comparison. We awake in the morning and stumble across the the bathroom to begin the first major task of the day: to look presentable.

For some this will mean dragging a razor across their face and a comb through their hair, whilst others will concentrate on applying make up and hair spray etc. All of this activity would be almost impossible without our trusty friend – the bathroom mirror.

But does the mirror say “Ooh I wouldn’t do it like that” or “that’s not how we usually shave here” or “you’ve never done your hair like that before”? Of course not! But the mirror does help us to make sense of what’s going on and to achieve our aim – in this case, to look presentable.

When we are coaching we are trying to perform the same function. The best coaches will hold up a ‘mirror’ so that people can develop a deep sense of self-awareness. When people are highly self-aware they have more choices about how to move issues forward.

Coaching and Training

With this in mind we can see that coaching is different to training. Training is concerned with helping people to perform in their roles of course, but again it is centred on the trainer and the subject matter, not the individual.

Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching and mentoring share many of the same skills and abilities but are usually delivered by different people. Mentors, typically, are senior people drawn from outside the line management relationship who take us aside and enable us to benefit from their experience.

If it is coaching we want however, we are probably best advised not to seek a more experienced person who may be overly tempted to persuade us to ‘do it their way’.

Given that we can now see that coaching is wholly concerned with drawing out and not putting in, we can also see how it is possible for anyone with the right skills to coach us – their position in the organization is irrelevant.

Coaching and Counselling

When we consider how coaching compares with counselling we need to think about the limitations of coaching. Coaching in organizations is concerned with helping people with performing well in their jobs, not in dealing with deep-rooted problems from the past.

It may be that as we coach we do uncover some painful or personal issues, but we need to know when to bring in the appropriate expertise. Many effective coaches have never trained as counsellors or therapists, but can still deliver excellent coaching support.

Arguably this exercise in comparison is academic. Do we really need to worry what method is used to develop people as long as they are being developed?

The short answer is no, but we do need to understand the unique qualities of coaching so that we can use it with choice and with greater care.

In reality good coaches draw on all of these different approaches as they work with individuals and will not be concerned with whether they are coaching or teaching at any one point in time. However, they will be wholly concerned with using the right approach based on the needs of the individual and the demands of the situation.

Are There Different Eye Exams For Contact Lenses and Eyeglasses?

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When acquiring glasses or contacts, one must have an eye exam. Most people do not think about whether there is a difference between the two exams. There are actual distinct differences between an eye exam for eyeglasses and an eye exam for contact lenses.

The following describes the differences with an eye exam for eyeglasses and an exam for contact lenses:

Eye Exam for Eyeglasses

The purpose of an eye exam is to diagnose problems with one’s vision and any diseases of the eye. You will be required to read an eye chart. This includes reading with both eyes than each on their own. The eye doctor will then perform a Retinoscopy. In a darkened exam room, the doctor will provide you with a point to stare at, and then the doctor will shine a light in the eye. How the light bounces off the eye is a determining factor in what the strength of your eyeglass prescription will be. The eye doctor will also perform a Refraction test. A device called a Phoropter is used to perform the test. You will look through a mask device held up to your face and the doctor will show you a series of letters and ask you to state which one is clearer. The doctor will be flipping lenses in the mask to different strengths. This test determines whether one has nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and/or presbyopia. The eye doctor will then perform a slit-lamp exam. This device allows the doctor to assess the structures of the eye. It is used to identify eye infection and eye disease.

Eye Exam for Contact Lenses

A contact lens exam concentrates on only one feature of eye health. The eye doctor will run tests to assess the eye’s cornea surface to make sure the contact lenses will fit properly. You will be asked questions about your lifestyle so the doctor can select the best type of contact lens for your situation. A device called a keratometer measures the surface and curvature of the eye. The doctor will measure this by using an instrument called a keratometer. A keratometer is a type of digital camera that takes pictures of your eye to create mathematical depictions of the curvature of your cornea’s surface. This test determines the correct curve and size for your contact lenses. Corneal topography may also be done to give more details about the surface of the cornea. The health of your cornea may be evaluated using a biomicroscope.You may also have your pupils measured using a pupil card, ruler, or pupillometer. A card or ruler displaying different pupil sizes will be held next to your eye to find the best match. Contact lens fittings may also include a tear film evaluation. The amount of eye moisture may be assessed using a small strip of paper placed under the lower eyelid. As well, a fluorescein dye may be placed in your eye and then the doctor will assess how long it takes for the dye to be washed away by tears.

After the tests have been completed and evaluated, your eye doctor will select the best contact lenses for you. You will then have to maintain regular eye check visits to make sure you are not developing any problems.

There are differences between exams for eyeglasses and exams for contacts. The important thing to remember is that these tests are designed to ensure that you maintain good eye health.