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By Elle Housman The scene is a sidewalk winding through a vast and neatly manicured lawn, belonging to a public elementary school with a flag waving above it. Two neatly dressed girls wearing sensible shoes converse as they walk away from the school, bent forward at the waist from the weight of their overstuffed backpacks. They appear to be average, innocent-looking middle-school-aged kids, with the exception of their oddly pubescent breasts. A blonde-haired girl with a bob haircut looks defeated as she complains to her worried looking pony-tailed companion, So far all were learning is how to take a math test, how to take a science test, and how to take a reading test. In the same boat as many parents, teachers, schools, taxpayers, and most importantly students, the cartoonist, Bob Englehart opposes standardized testing and the pressure it puts on children. The contrast created in drawing childish-looking girls with untimely large breasts highlights the unnatural pressure placed on children in the U.S., giving the impression that children today grow up too quickly. The anxious expressions on the youngsters faces imply that they are being pushed to meet the current and increasingly rigid standards, and the overstuffed backpacks illustrate the disproportionate load children are being burdened to carry. If our children were being pushed to actually learn and retain things, the childs comments at the base of the cartoon wouldnt be so bad; however they are merely learning how to take tests, which has scary implications for the future. Originally introduced to classrooms in the 1920s , standardized tests assess the basic reading, writing, math and science skills of elementary through high school aged students. It wasnt until the mid 1980s that standardized testing became political and The National Governors Association came up with the concept of performance based accountability leading to the amendment of Title 1 in 1994 making performance-based accountability mandatory. Under President Bushs 2001 education reform law, The No Child Left Behind Act, schools must administer twice as many standardized tests and students must meet twice as many standards as before. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was reauthorized in 2002, tremendously increasing school accountability along with rewards, aid and punishments. If standards are met, schools receive federal funding; if standards are not met, students are held back, teachers are sanctioned or let go, and schools lose funding and are forced to be converted to charter schools or to close. The politicians claim that putting students, teachers and school administrators in a position of accountability will increase their incentive to strive for higher standards, but unfortunately, the measures with which they assess the standards are biased and inaccurate, and therefore invalid. In light of these facts, I argue that standardized tests are a legal weapon created by and for politicians as yet another way to hold down the masses of poor, which are more often than not minorities. A current doctoral student, to whom English is a second language, grew up attending Los Angeles public schools where despite excelling in classes, she scored unbelievably low on standardized reading tests, up to and including the SAT, as did the majority of her bilingual classmates. Test questions include phrases such as, ball and chain and straight from the horses mouth reflecting the parlance of white, middle to upper class males. Frustrated middle school teacher, Don Perl sarcastically proposed dumping the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP, Colorados standardized test) and using the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunches to classify schools. What Perl is saying is that the results of standardized tests are predictable, and that it isnt hard to see the obvious socioeconomic disparity and its correlation to standardized test results. The title of The Daily Camera article, Incomes are Outcomes in the Classroom, sums it up well. The article reveals the following statistics: 76 percent of high-income fourth graders are reading at or above the proficient level; while only 43 percent of low-income fourth graders are reading at or above the proficient level. Harvard Magazine reports that schools performing high on standardized tests reflect the social capital (high socioeconomic status) of their students rather than the internal capacity of the schools, and asserts that test-based accountability widens the gap between schools serving the rich and the poor. As a result of these biases, low income (often minority) children are more likely to be retained in a grade, or placed in a lower track or special/remedial education programs when not necessary, due to test results. Those children will be negatively labeled as failures and from that point on will likely receive a dumbed down curriculum, based on practicing test taking. Alternately, the children from the white, middle-upper class income backgrounds will be placed in gifted and talented or college preparatory programs where they are challenged to read, explore, investigate, think and progress rapidly. Lets not measure a childs potential as it correlates with the financial success of their birth families. Our society was intended to be equal opportunity, not caste-based. Lets be fair to the youth of our nation and provide them with an education that they deserve, regardless socioeconomic class. Lets advocate to eliminate consequence based standardized testing. Copyright 2006-Elle Housman is a freelance writer and graphic designer based in Colorado. Her publications can be found in Toward Freedom Magazine, The Colorado Daily’s monthly Women’s Magazine, Ujama News and on the website of The Black Biomedical Research Movement. Visit her website at PositiveScribes.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elle_Housman http://EzineArticles.com/?Best-to-Test&id=328983 prescription drug tramadol buy dream online pharmaceutical tramadol discount tramadol online order cheap tramadol

By Barney Garcia How many of us are really satisfied with our natural appearance? Not many I am afraid. Most of us brood over some issues or the other, like oh how I wish I could have the lips like Angelina Jolie! Oh If only I had the face of Ket winslet!, Oh I am ready to give up everything to get that killer smile of Tom Cruise! Well, you can fulfill your dreams and achieve a perfect face like your favorite Hollywood star. No I am not joking, it is really possible. In the face of these amazing advancements in the field of cosmetic surgery, it is no longer impossible to get an angelic face like Kate Winslet and the perfect body like Halle Berry. So you seem to be serious about a complete makeover! To start from the scratch, you have to first focus on your skin. After all we all have heard of that old adage that beauty is skin deep, havent we? But skin loses its glow due to age, exposure to sun and other environmental elements. Then there are those spots, acne, scars, fine lines and what not? And the net result is an aged looking, dull, saggy skin. You want to get rid of all these and want to have a fresh and elastic skin, right? Why dont you go for the procedure called Microdermabrasion? Let me inform you how this relatively new cosmetic procedure can come to your help in achieving the beauty you have always dreamt of. So what a Microdermabrasion can do for you? Microdermabrasion is a non-surgical cosmetic skin-freshening technique that is capable of removing all scares, acne marks or fine lines from your face and renders it a rejuvenated look so that your face appears to be fresh and youthful. Now you would like to know, how does this procedure work? Well, it is a quick, non-invasive procedure with virtually no side effects. It is performed so easily and so fast that it is fondly described as “lunchtime peel”. It is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon and the process involves the removal of only the very top layers of damaged skin. Then with the use of a device like a fine sandblaster, the surgeon sprays tiny crystals across the face, to exfoliate the dead, outer layer of skin. It is followed by the formation of new smoother and clearer skin. Although the faces and necks are the most common parts of the body for performing Microdermabrasion, you can get it done in any parts of your body, such as back of the hand, if you so wish. You can rest assured Microdermabrasion is a safe and effective procedure which can be performed without any anesthetic requirements. And it is equally effective on all skin types and colors. Also the procedure does not require you to abstain from your normal working schedule. Now coming to the cost factor, well it varies. The expense varies not only from states to states; it also varies according to the surgeons fees and the operating room facilities. The surgeons fees however vary from $200 to $250 in most the US states. But if you want to be beautiful like Hollywood stars, why bother about this little amount money? By paying off this much you get a new appearance altogether! Is not that much more valuable than a few dollars? Barney Garcia writes about microdermabrasion. Visit: Microdermabrasion and At Home Microdermabrasion. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barney_Garcia http://EzineArticles.com/?Microdermabrasion-Brings-Back-Your-Youth&id=281813 buy cheap levitra online buy generic levitra online best generic levitra online buy cheap levitra online

By Shawn LeBrun I want to give you one of the most powerful keys I have ever learned and studied over the past few years. You can have anything, be anything, and do anything in life if you just make the choice to do so. The power to choose whatever you want is something that the words written here cannot give justice to. Your future has not happened yet. In fact, you create your future. The choices that you make today will shape your destiny later in life. The fact that you are reading this book tells me that there is something that you want to change in the future regarding your present fitness and weight loss situation. You can make it a habit to chose what it is you want in life. In fact, weight loss is also a choice you make. Much like you chose your mate, your occupation, or your place of residence, you can chose to lose weight and stay thin. Being overweight is not a life-long sentence you have been handed down with nothing you can do about it. You can choose to change your situation at any moment. If you are at a moment of complete frustration with your current weight, now is as good a time as any to make the choice to change. Is it a choice you are willing to make? Are you unsure of the first step to take after you’ve made the choice to change? Do not worry. We are going to go over those steps. I am going to start with a clean slate with you, so even if you know little about losing weight, you will be successful. Please do not make weight loss and weight management any harder than it really has to be. Sure, the willpower required may be a test of character, but the actual process required to lose weight isn’t physiologically difficult. You have to expend, or burn off, more calories than you consume. It seems as though the more we become technologically advanced as a society, the more overweight we also become. Also, with all of the confusing and conflicting opinions on the best weight loss methods that are available, people are misled and misinformed about what it truly takes to lose weight permanently. It’s as though many people have suffered “paralysis by analysis”. There is so many different points of view that become overwhelming, it causes some people to throw their hands up and do nothing. The way to make weight loss permanent is to replace your old unproductive habits that created an unhealthy lifestyle with newer habits that support losing weight. It starts with choosing to do so. Exercise your power of choice. You can choose to have anything, be anything, and do anything if you are willing to chose it. It is a tool at your disposal whenever you need it. In fact, the very best tool you can use for long lasting weight loss is the tool between your ears. Your brain is the best piece of equipment you can use to lose weight and keep it off. The more you feed your mind with powerful, results producing information, the better you’ll be. Study weight loss. Make it your mission. But do not lose the simplicity of it. Weight loss is no harder than choosing to eat right every three or four hours (the most important process in weight loss and weight management), exercising with some weights/resistance two to three times a week, and doing some form of cardio/aerobics two to three times a week. To lose weight and stay in great shape does not require any more than 2 to 3 hours a week total of exercise. I’ve trained many people that have managed to stay incredibly thin and in great shape with only 2 hours a week total of exercise. It all comes down to the way you choose to eat and live. It is your choice of lifestyle that determines what you weigh. The most important step you can take is to make the choice that you are going to commit to this and stick with it until you accomplish what it is you want. There are going to be many days where you want to throw in the towel and call it quits. But choose not to. Have faith that you will get what you want. It will require patience and persistence, but so do all good things in life. I asked you to dream about how it would feel to have your ideal body. How it would feel to be as thin as you want to be and as energetic and as vibrant as you’d like to be. How would you feel to have the strength and flexibility you want and to rid your body of those nagging aches and pains. Dare to dream a little and then choose to go after and make those dreams come true. Theres a huge difference between identifying what it is you want and choosing to go after it. Identifying what you want is the first step in the process. You must then make the choice to go after it. In fact, I’ve just given you the key that will unlock any fitness goal you may have now or in the future. The key to permanent weight loss and superb health is the fact that you choose it. Weight loss, muscle toning, or any fitness goal you may have is simply a choice that you make. Anything you want in life, any goal or desire can be yours if you simply choose to go after it. Things just do not fall into place naturally and without effort. Yes, they do fall, just not where you want them to. You must first “think” of what it is you want and then choose to go after it. And if you do not get what you want? Try it again. Keep trying until you get it. If you are persistent enough and work hard enough, whatever you wish for will be yours. Whether you want to lose fat or gain lean muscle and increase strength, you choose to do so. In fact, life boils down to a series of choices. The better choices you make, the better your life will be. You can choose to slim down and fit into those jeans or you can choose to give into your false feelings of hunger and deprivation. You can choose to get behind the wheel after drinking or you can choose to hand the keys to a friend. Some of the choices you make have a long lasting and dramatic impact on your life forever. The great thing is, if you choose to go after weight loss, you can be assured that it’s within your reach because others have accomplished it. Any problems that you may face in life, chances are that someone has faced them and has already battled and conquered them. Just follow what it is they did to come out on top. The question of whether or not it’s possible is not an issue. It’s whether or not you go after it. In fact, the choices you make dictate the life you will lead. Where you are today is the result of all the choices you have made up to this point. If you want better, you must make better choices.You can either move ahead or stay behind. Remember, weight loss is a choice. It’s a choice, much like we chose to go to school to further our education or a choice to take a new job. We only do things after we make the conscious decision to do them and to put our heart into them. You can want anything in life, but it’s what you’re willing to go after that matters. Look at your list of goals that you have identified. Are you willing and determined to accomplish each and every one of those goals on the list? It’s that one small factor, the step between identifying your goal and choosing to go after it, that will determine whether you succeed at weight loss or not. Simply having goals and choosing to accomplish them is what distinguishes successful people from those that merely wish. It wasn’t until I made the conscious choice to do a bodybuilding show that I began making plans about how I was going to win it. It had started with a thought about what I wanted and how I was going to get it. But it wasn’t until I made the absolute choice to do it that I took it seriously. Choice is powerful. Choice can be the ignition switch that fires up your vehicle that will allow you to reach your goals. Like I said at the top. You can choose to have anything, be anything, or do anything. The choice is yours. Begin using your power of choice. Make it a habit to chose what it is you want in life and then resolve to get it. After you have thought about what you want, choose to go after it. So many people live lives of quiet desperation because they do not make the choice to act upon their dreams. For whatever reason they are held back by fear and often times choose not to realize their dreams. Like I mentioned earlier, if you can dream it, you can achieve it. Look over your list of goals you have written. I want you to make the choice, right now, whether or not you are going to go after your goals. Choosing to go after your goals is like switching the “On” switch of a piece of machinery. Until you make the conscious choice to get what you want, you are still in limbo. By making the conscious choice to go forward, you start the process of taking steps to realize your goals. Look over your list of weight loss goals. Are you going to make the choice to go full steam. Is something still holding you back? I can tell you from personal experience, until you make the choice to go after something, the likelihood of you realizing that goal is slim. Lose body fat and gain lean muscle in the least amount of time possible. Personal trainer and natural bodybuilder Shawn Lebrun shows you exactly how: Visit Shawn Lebrun Fitness Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shawn_LeBrun http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Choose-Weight-Loss&id=104007 buying fioricet fioricet order buy brand name fioricet fioricet migraine

By Teddy Shabba Question From A Reader: I met this girl the other night and she lives a few hours away; but she is a really cool girl and we have stuff in common like music tastes. She lives too far away to see more than once a month if that; and I don’t know if I could hold her interest like that. What do you think? Answer: I don’t know if you can hold her interest like that either as it really depends on her. What you should do is continue going out and having a good time and act as if you aren’t going to be able to hold her interest. When the time comes where you might find yourself in the town that she lives in, give her a call and see what’s up. Her being a really cool girl, who has the same musical taste as you, does not mean much given the distance between the two of you. Once a month isn’t much time to be with a person you just met, which means that both parties will have to use their imagination more than living in reality to keep interest levels high. Looking over your question it amazes me how you know you don’t know if you could hold her interest yet don’t question if she will be able to hold your interest as well; which needs to be your main concern, instead of worrying about things you can’t control. It is important that you realize your interest level and happiness are the only things you can or should focus on right now. Otherwise you might find yourself holding the interest of a woman who under any other circumstance you would have lost interest in a long time ago. Teddy Shabba is a Dating Coach for Men who has a daily newsletter that provides you with a wealth of information on how to be more successful with women. You can sign up for the Teddy Shabba Dating Advice Newsletter for Men now. Also with over 500 articles from a variety of dating experts just for men our Dating Advice and Seduction Article Database is the perfect place for any man. To learn more about How To Attract Women visit our article section Attract Women Today Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Teddy_Shabba http://EzineArticles.com/?When-A-Woman-You-Just-Met-Lives-To-Far-Away-To-Keep-Her-Interested&id=548655 orlistat xenical next day xenical order xenical online buy cheap xenical online

By Steve Ubah Telling your man that you love him is part of assuring him that he is special to you. But it is not enough to verbalize how you feel about your man. To keep your love fire burning, you must find creative and thoughtful ways to express your feelings. If you want to go beyond what is in this issue of my newsletter to share your deepest thoughts, sensuous desires and intimate fantasies, you can do it without writing a single word by using Leslie Karsners Love Letter Generator. For the sake of brevity, I will offer you just 10 creative and thoughtful ways to let your man know he is your number one: Do it with notes: Yes, handwritten notes. It may seem juvenile to some, but writing love notes for your man and placing them where he will find them will put a smile on his face and warm his heart. Place your note in the clothes you know he will wear to work the next day. If he takes lunch to work, pack it for him. You can write your love note on the paper napkin you place in his lunch bag. Imagine how surprised he will be, when he wants to use the paper napkin, and finds what you have written for him. Wrap it in a gift: Use a colored pen or marker and write him a love letter or a thoughtful note on the inside of the gift wrapper. Just be sure to be around when he finds his surprise gift in your bedroom. Tell him to be careful unwrapping the gift, because you want to use the paper to make some interesting work of art, or whatever you think he will believe. When he unwraps the gift, you can bet he will give you a big hug and a kiss. Put a message in a bottle: Find a clear bottle of wine or beer and write your message. Attach a string to your message using with a small safety pin and then place your message in a bottle. Put the bottle in your refrigerator (if you live together) or in his refrigerator, if you are dating. He will be pleasantly surprised when he finds your thoughts in a bottle. Send an e-card: Go online to one of the e-card sites below and send him a card that expresses how you feel. They are fun and free to send. There are tons fun and innovative e-card websites you can visit. Say it with flowers: Yes, flowers. Just as men love to give flowers, they love to receive them as well. The best way to send your guy flowers is to send it to his job. There is just something about receiving flowers in the presence his co-workers. Their impact is quadrupled when he receives them in the presence of his colleagues, as opposed to the relative privacy of your home. To find out more about the many ways you can show your man that you love him, please visit: http://www.smartwomansguide.com. Steve Ubah is the author of Passion Keys A Womans Ultimate Guide To Unlocking The Love In A Mans Heart. To find out how you can make your man fall madly in love with you, please visit http://www.smartwomansguide.com A note to all publishers: Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, newsletter or website as long as the articles content is not modified and all links as well as the authors resource box are included. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Ubah http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Ways-to-Tell-Your-Man-You-Love-Him&id=59644 can i buy phentermine without a prescription generic phentermine without prescription how to order phentermine phentermine online with no prescription

By Vince Runza Most guys are at a loss when it comes to the woman they really want. “Seduce” is a nice idea, but what does that really mean? Can they really seduce the woman they want without scamming her? How about “buyer’s remorse”, either yours or hers? What about learning to seduce more than one woman at a time? Is that really possible? It’s just a question of experience. If you have no real experience with the mechanics of meeting really desirable women (the ones you actually want for yourself, not the ones your buddies want), you’re going to be as stuck as a kid in algebra with a pop quiz in front of him he never studied for. Trust me, you can’t just do the instinctive thing and get it right the first time. More often than not, the instinctive thing is the WRONG THING. Sure, we’re susceptible to instinctive behavior, but most of us have screwed up our instincts with social programming, bad advice from others, negative attitudes from rejection, etc. “Just be yourself” is bad advice if you’re having an identity crisis, right? It’s the same for when you actually seduce the woman you really want. You may not want to hear this, but you need to do field work. You have to get up, massage the waffle print off your butt from sitting at the computer and go talk to some women. More importantly, you have to have an outcome in mind, a specific outcome. Only you know where you are on the path to learning all the steps. There’s plenty of information available on what they are, when to take them, how to move along to the next step and close the deal. It’s up to you to take the action. Theres a ton of information on seduction online. Some of its good, most of its a waste of your time. If you really want to know how to pick up a girl, follow the lead of a guy whos been an active leader in the Seduction Community since 1999, and knows how to pick up a beautiful woman. Theres no magic secret to it just a proven set of steps you can begin to master RIGHT NOW. Go get your free tips, information, strategies and resources for how to really seduce the woman you want NOW at Seduction Methods & Top Products: An Overview. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Runza http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Pick-Up-a-Girl:-Really-Seduce-the-Woman-You-Want&id=454388 buy cialis now save up to 60 on viagra levitra cialis viagra free consultation us cialis levitra sales viagra

By Stephen Thomas Today’s fast paced, often hectic lifestyles contribute enormously to our levels of stress. Many people find that they don’t have the time to visit a local spa for a bit of de-stressing. Traditionally, after a hard days work a long hot soak in the bath has done the trick. So let’s paint a picture here. You come home and your partner is looking forward to spending some quality time with you. Trouble is your ready for that long soak in the bath and your partner is left waiting again. Now let’s try a different picture. You come home and your partner has the hot tub all warmed up and is relaxing in the tub waiting to give you a nice de-stressing massage. Which picture would you prefer? That’s right, many people are finding that this scenario is no longer a dream but a regular enjoyable experience. Hot tubs are now more affordable than ever. More and more people are finding out about how owning a hot tub has reduced their levels of stress and increased the amount of quality time they get to spend with their partners. A hot tub is a major purchase decision and you should spend some time learning a little about the basics of hot tub ownership. What type is best suited to your location and what are the running costs. Once you have that information your ready to start looking for the right hot tub for you. There are many manufacturers of hot tubs, so make sure you shop around and find the one that’s just right for you. Remember to leave a little in your budget for the extras that can make all the difference to owning a hot tub. Stephen Thomas is the owner and webmaster at Spa Hot Tubs. A site set up to inform people of the benefits of owning a hot tub. Information covers all the basics of looking after your hot tub. Visit Spa Hot Tubs for more information. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Thomas http://EzineArticles.com/?Hot-Tub-Heaven&id=135985 to increase semen flow increase in semen treating male infertility how increase semen

By Floyd Snyder Your local Chamber of Commerce. Now before you stop reading, I assure you this really works, and no, this is not an advertisement for the Chamber of Commerce although it may read like one. What seems now like a hundred years ago I owned and operated a company that was made up of three components: a monthly magazine that we converted over to the Internet (http://www.sbmag.org); a graphic art studio; and an advertising agency. While we were in our infant stages, one of the tools I used to build a client base was a one hour consultation for new business start-ups on how to get business with little or no advertising budget. This program was very successful, and we ended up with a number of excellent clients that stayed with us for years. Most, if not everything that I suggested in that one hour session many years back, is still valid today. The first thing I would recommend for a new business owner was to become a joiner. If your business is a mama-papa business, you should both join an organization or two, but not the same ones. Spread it out. The first organization I always recommended joining was the local Chamber of Commerce. Your Chamber of Commerce should be the number one advocate for business of all sizes in your community. Most are structured about the same way with a variety of committees that deal with specific issues related to different aspects that make up your community. Make sure you become active in the committee that has the closest relationship to your business. If you are a retailer, join the retail merchants committee; if you are a contractor, you may want to join the government affairs committee or the transportation and traffic committee, etc., etc. If the opportunity presents itself, you may also want to consider chairing one of these committees or gaining a seat on the board of directors. This will add instant credibility and more exposure to you and your business. But be selective and dont take on more responsibilities then you want to do or, worse yet, than you can do. Failing here can create negative public relations, the direct opposite of why you are there to begin with. Most Chambers also sponsor any number of different networking opportunities ranging form mixers to field trips. Attend as many of these functions as you can, and always make sure you wear a nametag and have plenty of businesses cards with you. My favorites were the mixers. However, dont be obnoxious about it. I have seen people attending chamber events and simply walking around and sticking their business cards in peoples faces and launching into some sort of sales pitch. This wont get it done. In fact, all it will do is tick people off. Remember, you are only there to meet and greet people and make friends and contacts, not sell them something right then and there. Also remember that most, if not all, people in attendance are probably there for the same reason you are. Quite often I found it more beneficial to listen more then talk. People that have something to say are appreciative of those that are willing to listen. I can remember incidences where someone would say to me later that I really made a great impression on so-and-so, and that they thought what a great guy I was. In reality, I hardly said more then 20 words to so-and-so, but I did spend a half hour listening to him. Some Chambers will arrange a ribbon cutting ceremony for you when you first join, assuming yours is a new business. If your business is not all that new, they may be willing to do something similar in the way of announcing you as a new member to the Chamber. Most Chambers have a monthly newsletter and accept press releases. Some also sell advertising at very reasonable price. Also keep in mind that if you are an active member and maybe even a committee chairperson or board member, you may have your own column in the newsletter or at least a listing as a committee chair or member of the board. This listing usually will include the name of your business. If your committee is dealing with important issues and or events, there may also be additional benefits in the way of local media coverage. I always made sure I chaired at least one or two events a year, and I picked the ones that were most likely to effect a large segment of the community “in a positive way”. This becomes important. For instance, you may want to think twice about chairing a committee to recall the local mayor and opt instead to take over the Christmas Parade. A lot of Chambers sponsor trade shows. If promoted right, these events will offer an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your business. The trade shows are sometimes limited to a specific type of business. An example may be an electronics show or a fashion show. Obviously, if you sell running shoes, setting up a booth among nothing but big screen TVs and laptop computers may not be the place for you. On the other hand if you sell insurance, this may be the place for you to pitch homeowners insurance to people with a lot of high priced electronic gadgets. You have to pick and choose the right place at the right time. Another function some, if not most, Chambers sponsor are seminars. Dont miss the opportunity to present yourself as an expert in your field. Explore the possibility of becoming a presenter at a seminar being offered. Dont over look the possibility of selling your goods or services directly to the Chamber itself. Its a fairly good bet that, with little exception, they are not going outside their own membership to purchase anything unless they absolutely have to. If you do get a chance to do business with them, make sure you give them the best service and the best prices you can. The last thing you want to do is over charge or under serve what is probably the largest and most influential business organization in your area. The list of possible exposure via your chamber is endless — web site listings, yearly directories both on line and hard copy, referral services, business card racks, local maps and on and on. I cant possibly cover all the advantages of membership. There will be many other opportunities that your involvement will create for you. Yet, not all of the benefits can be, nor should they be, measured in dollars and cents. One of the greatest benefits of being a member will be in the overall pride and satisfaction that you will get, knowing you are a leader working to make your community a better place to live. You cant put a price on that. Check out http://www.sbmag.org for a number of other ideas on promoting your business on a budget. No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot links included. Reciprocal links will be considered. Email floyd@sbmag.org. Floyd Snyder has been trading and investing in the stock market for three decades. He was on the forefront of the day trading craze that swept the nation back in the late 1990’s both as a trader and as the moderator of one of the Internet’s largest real time trading rooms. He is the owner of http://www.TraderAide.com , Strictly Business Magazine at http://www.sbmag.org, http://www.FrameHouseGallery.com, and http://www.EducationResourcesNetwork.com. 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By David Longo Santa Claus cookies, gingerbread men, fruit cakes, candy canes, … need we go further? Hey, it’s the holidays. We don’t know about you, but some of us here have started ournew diets ever so proudly, and …whoooops! The holidays are upon us! Ouch! Now whatdo we do?? What comes to so many people’s minds who are on the diet train? “The holidays are going to be a total struggle because, although my favorite foods will be featured attractions on so many tables, it will be others indulging and not me.” or “It’s the holidays! Why bother? The diet can start when the new year makes its debut.” Those who can adapt with a mindset that exists somewhere in between those two extremesare in the minority - yet it’s those few individuals who get through the holidays just fine and still lose weight or, at the very least, don’t gain more than a pound or two. One thing we want to make clear: yes, it’s the holidays. It’s a festive time of year - and it’ssupposed to be. So let’s decide right here and now that this does NOT have to be an “all or nothing” situation for you. As a matter of fact, you can use this holiday season as a vehicle to prove to yourself, once and for all, that “failing” with your eating plan is not an option. Yes, you can do this! And it doesn’t have to be difficult… One thing that needs to be acknowledged is that, for most who are on a diet of some kind, thethreat (yes, that’s what it feels like) of deprivation sets in. You have to face the truth in this. Youknow, that little voice that screams within you, “Oh no! I’m in for an uphill battle - I just knowI’m going to want all those foods I see on the table, and I certainly do not want to be bothered withhaving to say to myself, “No, you can’t have that!” We all have that little retaliator within us that answersback, “Oh no??! I’ll show you - don’t tell me what I can’t eat…I’m going to enjoy myself and no diet is going to ruin it for me!” And, of course, the other part of you says, “Bad! You’re going to get fat!” Sound familiar? It’s okay… relax. Instead of approaching this holiday season with this kind of mindset, let’s do it differently this year.You know it is possible to enjoy yourself and still enjoy results, too. It’s not necessary to approachthe holidays in a state of panic. Rather than thinking, “what am I cheating myself out of?” think “let’ssee, it’s the holidays…I’m going to be tempted with lots of goodies. The truth is that I have a choicein how I go about this. If I’m realistic about this whole thing, chances are pretty darn good that I’m going to indulge. But this doesn’t mean I have to give up my concept of eating healthy.” You see, if you’re involved with an eating plan that has “forbidden” you to have that chocolate brownie,and you know you’re going to have a brownie (or 3) during the festivities, then face the situation right now by preparing for it. What some people will do is get anxious about it all…and then when the day comes, they eat that brownie and then say, “Oh well… I did it now - it’s over! I might as well go all the way and pig out!” Resolve not to do it that way this time. You see, if you resist to the point of feeling cheated and wantingto retaliate, you won’t be helping yourself. It is not supposed to be a game where “sometimes you’re goodand sometimes you’re bad.” Get rid of the “Good VS Bad” mindset right now. Imperfection is okay. 1) Maintain an awareness of the portions you’ll be eating. Instead of saying “I can only have this one,” devote your energy to really savoring it - perhaps eating that cookie 3 to 5 times slower than you normally would. “More chews” will lead to more satisfaction. Instead of looking at that butterball cookie in thatrally attractive plate and thinking “I shouldn’t,” instead think (before picking it up) “how long can I make that last once it’s in my hand?” You see? You are creating a POSITIVE - not avoiding a NEGATIVE. 2) Moderate ExerciseTake a walk when you normally wouldn’t. You don’t have to go crazy with exercise - just do one extra thing a day. 3) More Healthier ChoicesWhen you have a choice between that piece of cake and a fruit, instead of thinking, “I really should eat the apple,”shift from a “feeling deprived” mindset to one that works better for you. Perhaps think, “It’s okay if I opt for the cake.The fruit is healthier. Maybe half (or quarter) a regular piece of cake and then the fruit!” This works! 4) Understand that you’re not necessarily going to live up to your expectations of yourself. THIS IS THE KEY>>>>> Don’t put yourself down for it! carisoprodol online soma buy soma cheap overseas buy cheap online soma buy soma online without rx

By Chris Le Roy Nobody can deny, deny, having children cooped up in the house on a rainy day can be one of the most infuriating and frustrating experiences ever especially when you not only have your own children in the house but the rest of the streets children as well. So what do you do? Well as a parent it is your responsibility to help these children develop the skills to act in a responsible way. The most effective way, is to do that by getting all the children involved in activities together, with you. This will do two things, one it will help you set the ground rules on behavior in the house that is acceptable and two it will allow the children as a whole to socialise and to work as a group together. Learning the ability to socialise and to work together as a team will hold them in great stead as they enter university or go into the work force. So how do we do that I have outlined below four strategies that will help you to keep the children occupied whilst it is raining outside. Strategy 1 - Play Group Games In the hustle and bustle of our world today, far too many families do not spend enough time socialising with their children. One of the best ways to do this is to turn off the computer or computer games and to play a group game together regardless of the age of the children. That is right; you can include children as young as 2 and as old as sixteen with these games. The choice which is most important is the game you play. When you are playing group games, everyone must have a role for each person or if someone is not included they are going to become disruptive and this strategy will not work. One of the games my parents used to play with me, my brother and our friends was Monopoly. Now I here you all saying it, how is a two year old going to play this game. Well, in reality, you need to include the younger people with the older children so that they can work as a team. The older member makes the decision on what houses to buy, whether to build a hotel or how much rent to charge but the younger children, can role the dice and count to where the pieces need to go on the board, slightly older children at the age of 5 or 6 could actually read the Chance cards out. From an educational point of view, having the two year olds count the number of squares their piece needs to jump to will help with them learn their numbers for school. Getting the 5 or 6 year olds to read the Chance cards helps them to learn to read and being in a team with an older child will help them learn as a team and the older children learn the ability of patience and also how to work in a team with people of varying age. Plus the most important thing is that the older children learn the value of money. Ultimately, playing group games like this will help all of the children and adolescents in their development towards becoming an adult and you as the parents will get to keep your sanity for another day. One thing I would strongly suggest is that you never tell a child they are to young to be involved, always find something for them to do in the game, so that they feel just as involved as the others. If you have ever watched a child grow up, they always tell you that they are a big kid now, help them to become one and play an important role in society as the skills you teach them now are what they will use as adults. Strategy 2 - Have a Bake Off Rainy Days are absolutely fantastic for Bake Off days. Now if you do not know what a bake off day is, it is a day where the kids make their own deserts for lunch or afternoon tea. These were fantastic times in our family and one of the key benefits it taught me was how to cook. In the days of fast food, many adults have seemed to by pass the art of cooking. When I met my wife, she was flat out boiling an egg but over the last few years she has become an accomplished cook. When you have a bake off, cook simple things like cookies or muffins as these are really simple things to cook and all the children regardless of age can help. Whilst I do not condone 2- 8 year olds going anywhere near an oven (that is for grown ups) they can play an important role in putting all the ingredients together, mixing them, measuring them out and most importantly decorating them at the end. The key advantage of getting them to do the measuring them is to help them learn measurements, counting and numbers. You can also get them to read the instructions in the cook book or on the back of the packets. When the cookies or muffins are ready to be decorated, play a game with the children in getting them to count the number of items they are going to put on their cookies or muffins. For example if they were going to put a face on the muffin, talk about how many eyes will you put on the muffin, where will you put the mouth on the muffin and how many ears will it have. Each of these discussions will help in learning to count and they will also improve their skills in expressing themselves. Strategy 3 - Discuss A Book, Video or Computer Game Together When people first here of the third strategy, they immediately think about books like the Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter but they do not have to be. Look when you have a number of children in your house, get them all together, read a book to them and then talk about the book. Doing this is going to help in their development and will give them a huge step forward when it comes to high school. Learning to analyse a book and express what you think are the messages of the book will help your children immensely when they go to school. In High School today across the western world, one of the tasks in their English classes they are going to be expected to read a book and then write an essay about the messages they have found in the book and the sooner they learn these skills, the more effective they will be in their classes. For younger children you might read a Dr Seuss book and then look at the pictures with them. Talk to your children about the pictures. For example if you are reading a book about hats and there is a hat on the ground, talk about what might be under the hat. Get the children to tell you the colour of the hat. In essence it doe not matter whether you read a book, watch a video or play a computer game, to gain some educational value and to get your children thinking, simply talk about what they have seen or read. Get them to talk about the messages that may have been in the book or video and when it comes to computer games, talk to them in terms of strategy and how they can do better next time. Our children have an innate want to learn and the more we can foster that attitude the more your children will grow and learn and play an important role in society. Strategy 4 - Make Meditation Into A Game Meditation I know, I saw you stop and think then. Meditation for kids, you have got to be kidding. No! If you can teach children how to meditate at a young age you will find that they will continue it as they get older. It has also been shown that children who know how to meditate will be much calmer and in control of their emotions. Further to this, it has been shown that adults who meditate over longer periods have less coronary disease. I watched a research documentary a few years ago where they took ten people who had never meditated and had incredibly high blood pressure and taught them to meditate. They found over a 6 month period those people were able to control their blood pressure more effectively. In fact when they began to meditate for a period of 20 minutes their blood pressure dropped dramatically. Look the bottom line is this, Buddhist monks have been meditating as part of their religion for thousands of years and it amazes me to this day how many monks live to an age over 100 years so all I can say is there is definitely something in this. For the past 10 years I have used meditation to help control my stress levels and I feel much better for it. Meditation for children must be fun and simple. The techniques for children never involve mantras or anything along those lines, they should simply teach the children how to relax and to focus on their inner self. There are lots of internet sites available on teaching children to meditate but one thing you must consider, be very cautious of the type of music you use for meditation. I recommend Baroque Meditation music that has 60 beats a minute as this is the heart rate we are supposed to have. Research has shown that baroque meditation music at 60 beats a minute actually promotes the release of alpha waves from both our left and right sides of our brains. These alpha waves help bring about a sense of calm and can also help in promoting creativity, learning and calmness. Look the bottom line is this, if you want to decrease the stress in your house on those rainy days, then the best way is to occupy your children. By using these four strategies I have outlined, you are also helping your children in their development and as a parent that should always be the most important thing you need to consider. Your children are you future and the future of this world, by helping in their development, let us hope they will contribute to a much more safer world. 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