Cleaning the Bath and Shower

Some people rate cleaning the bath and shower to be a chore and a bore, and can’t wait to turn the task over to a professional domestic cleaner. Others don’t mind the job, while others rate it as a favourite. No matter which group you fall into, there are ways to make sure that the job isn’t too awful… even if you plan on turning the whole job (plus other cleaning jobs) over to a pro.As always, it is best to avoid harsh commercial cleaning chemicals. Yes, they do a good job of cutting through the grease, but they have a tendency to be very harsh on the skin, making it crack and itch. What’s more, the chemicals stink so much that the manufacturers load the product with artificial scents to make it smell tolerable, thus increasing the load of chemicals and potentially carcinogenic toxins in the wretched stuff.It’s best to stick to the natural stuff. For the general soap and dead skin that tends to make that awful grey ring around the tub, baking soda is your best bet. Sprinkle ordinary dry baking soda into the bathtub liberally, then get out a damp rag or three and rub at that ring until it vanishes. The grey ring will vanish.Another natural cleaning alternative for the bath is to use an Enjo cloth or any other microfibre cloth.Bath rings can be minimised by judicious use of what you put in the bath, apart from your body. Bath oils – even homemade bath oils – tend to make the clean-up job worse. Bubble bath, however, reduces the ring. Unfortunately, bubble bath isn’t precisely natural and can irritate the skin (so can shampoo, which has the same foaming effect but for an awful lot cheaper). Some natural bath products that don’t irritate the skin and don’t leave a mess that needs to be cleaned up are bath salts and bath vinegars – or a few drops of essential oil added when the bath is running.The taps are another story. They get covered with soap scum. Spraying them with dilute vinegar and buffing them well with a soft, dry cloth tends to get them gleaming, and the vinegar neutralises the soap scum. The same treatment works wonders for the shower head, and the vinegar can also get rid of limescale – but you will have to use a slightly stronger solution of vinegar and maybe leave the vinegar on the metal for a bit longer.Now for the screen that stops the water from the shower spattering all over the bathroom floor. If you have a plastic shower curtain, your problem is to prevent it getting mouldy. Spreading it out fully after each use so it can dry, as well as taking steps to stop too much condensation (e.g. using an extractor fan or opening the window), will prevent mould growing. If mould dares to show its face, then take the shower curtain down and sponge it with neat vinegar or lemon juice before hanging it out to dry thoroughly. You may like to machine wash the shower curtain (in cold water) before drying it again and hanging it back up again.To clean a glass shower door, the best natural method is to mix up a solution of white vinegar, water and essential oil (tea tree essential oil is readily available and is antiseptic. So is lavender essential oil). You can substitute a bit of vodka or some other strong alcohol for the vinegar, if you like. Spray this over the glass shower door and leave it for about half a minute. Then buff the glass very thoroughly with a soft dry cloth until all moisture has gone. This leaves the glass gleaming – and this method can be used for window cleaning and mirror cleaning.

List Building How To

Listing building is the only guarantee to your success as an online marketer. List building is essential to be sure that your advertisements and emails are being opened and looked at. To build an effective list, you need to follow a few simple rules. List building basically involves getting people to subscribe to your service or email campaign. These people sign up with you because they want the information or product you are offering. The people that are signing up are from the targeted audience. And people want to buy what you have to offer.

Effective list building involves many steps. First, when designing your sign up form, keep it simple. People do not want to spend a minute or more filling out forms to get the information they are looking for. If it takes too long, they will likely close the window and go elsewhere without signing up. Simple identification like email address or name is all you really need for sign up. You can gather the rest of the information at a later time.

Offer or suggest sign up to your list building campaign often. Links in your emails, blogs, advertisements, on your home page and so on attract attention quickly. Little lines like “click here for more information” will get people to quickly agree to join, especially if you’ve followed rule number one and your sign up form is simple.

You need to make sure to cross promote items as well or up sell other products whenever possible, but do not over do it. Offering product after product when someone is really only interested in one becomes very irritating to customers and they may decide they don’t want the product after all. Your subscribers are your business and you need to be careful not to alienate them and have them unsubscribe from your email campaign.

Again, your subscribers are your business. Having a quality list that is receptive to your products and services helps increase your profits and sales. The list building efforts you have made are vital to the success or failure of your business.

Using auto responders is a great way to automate your list building efforts. Auto responders take the name or email of a person once they have subscribed and send out regular, scheduled emails informing them of products, services, providing newsletters and so on. Auto responders really can reduce the amount of work you have to do. They won’t write your content, but they will manage your list and send out emails for you. Use care in choosing an auto responder. There are many available. Do research on each on them and determine each one will work best for your list building efforts.

Hawkman’s History Makes Him a Fascinating Comic Book Character

Many people feel that Hawkman is a confusing comic book character and that hurts his appeal. I disagree. Hawkman’s history is one thing I find appealing about the hero. Let’s revisit Hawkman’s history and also why he is a rocking super hero.Hawkman is a superhero who appears in DC Comics. He was created by Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville; the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940) in the Golden Age of comics. The first Hawkman was Carter Hall, an archeologist. His girlfriend (later wife) Shiera Sanders became Hawkgirl. Like most Golden Age heroes, Hawkman and Hawkgirl disappeared from comics after World War II.In the Silver Age, DC introduced new versions of several characters. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were revamped and became aliens from the planet Thanagar. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were interesting because unlike other heroes getting a revamp, their names were very similar to the original Golden Age hawks. The alien hawks were named Katar and Shayera Hol. On earth they went by the more earth-like names Carter and Shiera Hall.I can certainly see why people get a little confused about Hawkman’s history, given the Golden Age and Silver Age hawks were different people yet very similar. However, it was pretty cut and dried in the Silver Age. The alien Hawkman and Hawkgirl lived on Earth-1 and it was revealed the Golden Age heroes from the 1940s lived on Earth-2, a parallel world!The problems with Hawkman happened after 1985′s Crisis on Infinite Earths series. You see, at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, DC merged the parallel worlds in their stories into one world. So, all their Golden Age and Silver Age characters came to live on one earth. That meant that some characters who had duplicates either died or disappeared. For instance, the Golden Age Superman went off to live in a paradise world while the Silver Age Superman lived on.Originally, Carter Hall and Katar lived on the same earth, and then Hawkworld came in 1989. The Hawkworld limited series retold Katar’s origins. It was popular. When the ongoing series started in 1990, the decision was made to reintroduce Katar and Shayera as new characters and have them come to earth for the first time. This is where the confusion really begins. However, all the questions surrounding Hawkman’s post Crisis history have been answered.
It was revealed in Infinite Crisis that the changes to Katar and Shayera’s history happened because Superboy was punching on the walls of reality.
It was explained in the Hawkworld ongoing series that the Katar and Shayera who joined the Justice League after 1985, appeared in the Millennium series and other comic books, were really a Thanagarian spy and his wife, Sharon. It was later revealed in the last Hawkman series that Sharon was brainwashed into believing she was Hawkgirl.
It was also revealed in the Hawkworld ongoing series (Annual No. 1, to be specific) that the Justice League did have a Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the Silver Age. Carter and Shiera Hall joined the Silver Age JLA and served with them and the JSA.
It was explained in the Hawkworld ongoing series that Carter Hall was close to Paran Katar, Katar’s father. When Paran left Earth to go back to Thanagar, he gave Carter and Shiera plans for a Thanagarian teleporter. Later, in the JLA Incarnations miniseries, we see Carter Hall building a teleporter on the JLA satellite.
All of these changes to Hawkman’s history have been confirmed throughout the years and remain intact today.
Personally, I loved Hawkworld, the miniseries and ongoing series. I found the 1990s Katar and Shayera to be much more interesting that the original version of Katar and Shayera. I also found it interesting that Carter and Shiera (the Golden Age hawks) were now the JLA’s hawk couple. It makes perfect sense that the JSA and JLA would have members who served as liaisons between the teams.I find Hawkman’s history to very clear today. I think many people who say his history is confusing either have not read the Hawkworld series or simply do not like that the Silver Age Katar and Shayera were reintroduced as new characters in 1990. Finally, I see Hawkman’s history as a fascinating part of DC Comics and the changes have made the character more interesting than heroes who have straight-forward, boring histories.Plus, Hawkman has wings and carries a mace. Who doesn’t like a winged hero with a mace?

Hewlett Packard (HP) Knows Technology

Bill & Dave – Garage business to world leaders in technology As the world largest producer of personal computers (PC’s) Hewlett-Packard or HP as they are known to their millions of customers, got it’s start in 1939. William Hewlett and David Packard, familiarly known as Bill and Dave, began the original company in the Palo Alto, California garage of Dave Packard with an initial investment of $538. They were both electronic engineers who graduated in 1935 from Stanford University. If the coin toss had turned out differently, the business would have become Packard-Hewlett instead of the other way around. They incorporated in 1947 and went public in 1957. The business of being big business Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA with offices worldwide, HP is considered to be the world’s largest technology company and the biggest seller of personal computers (PC’s), outselling their nearest competition, Dell. Their specialties include the manufacture and development of computers, network hardware, storage, and software for computers. Printers, scanners, digital cameras, electronic testing equipment, medical electronics equipment, among many other lines are included in the success of HP. Hewlett Packard out sells their competition by large margins in most any market they are in, keeping the position they’ve earned as largest technology company in the world.

HP and the early years Loaded with wide ranging ideas and intentions, the company began in somewhat unfocused directions but finally decided to concentrate on the high quality end of electronic testing and measurement equipment. Between the 40′s and the 90′s the concentration was on manufacturing quality electronic testing equipment such as voltmeters, oscilloscopes, signal generators, thermometers, frequency counters, wave analyzers, and other instruments. The company prided itself in having the most sensitive equipment of any in the market. 1960-1970 Considered the symbolic founders of the Silicon Valley era, HP made semiconductors aimed toward internal use, including use in calculators and instrumentation devices 1970-1980 ATM machines and gas pumps owe credit to HP for their screen labeled function keys which are seen everywhere on those machine interfaces. Working on stack based designs for business servers, HP continued on with the 9100A model being considered the first mass produced personal computer in 1968. This machine had a keyboard that appeared to be a mixture of adding machine and scientific calculator. There were no letters, just numbers. While working at HP, Steve Wozniak (who went on to be a co founder of Apple computers) designed the original Apple I. He then offered it to HP, giving them first right of refusal. They turned it down. 1980-1990 By 1984 Hewlett Packard had introduced laser and inkjet printers for desktop use. Next came desktop scanners and all in one devices capable of scanning, faxing, copying, and printing from the desktop PC. Much of the printing capability came from Canon components which got it from Xerox. 1990 and beyond The 90′s saw HP expanding their line of computers to reach every consumer and not just businesses. They bought up smaller computer manufacturers and grew tremendously. HP currently is the largest seller of personal computers for home use. Whether you are looking for designjet plotter repairs, or for HP printer repair in London, DiamondSource Ltd. are the specialists you need

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Justice with an Elder Law Attorney

Law affects every public life stage and process of our lives. But when we reach a certain age, some circumstances and individuals may begin to take advantage of one’s lack of experience with the legal system and the protection it can equally provide for the elderly. An elder law attorney utilizes areas of probate and family law to protect the interest that become greater concerns as we age. There is no reason to assume that elderly individuals can not continue to care for themselves, manage their finances, and keep up with taxes, benefits, and property, until medically or legally determined otherwise. During both of these stages of an older couple or single person’s life, it becomes beneficial to have a specialized legal advocate on your side.An elder law attorney is a necessity in the lives of older individuals who are dealing with life altering uncertainties among family members, with their finances and with time they have left with their partner. The number one question that many older men and women have is in regards to how their spouse, children, or grandchildren will be looked after and receives the allotted inheritance in his or her absence. They may have taken ill or experienced a debilitating injury that requires extended hospital stay, hospice or a senior living facility stay. One has to legally ensure the transfer of ownership of property and finances to a trusted family member or legal advisor, for bills and daily expenses. Long-term care acquires its own expenses in the form of facility costs, any surgeries, therapy, and nurse’s fees.On the one hand, probate law affects estate planning for which the elder law attorney can also provide assistance with proper legal documentation and account guardianship. There is also the matter of the transference of ownership of their home, bank accounts, and other personal valuables. This is when a will and trusts set up prior to any form of incapacitation. Many of the above mentioned property issues make use of attorney presence when mental competency, guardianship rights, and contesting of the will come in to play. This is why the proper documentation and signing of a legally binding will and trust secures one’s estate beyond medical, gift and property tax debts in the here after.Further, another form of legal protection the elder law attorney can provide is living financial planning and rights protection. At this stage in life, many individuals may be laid off work or voluntarily retired. However, difficulties may still arise in the form of disability and retirement benefits being withdrawn and one is therefore struggling to meet expenses. There are also occasional issues with custody battles after a child has passed away. One’s attorney can fight for grandparent’s rights to visit with and influence the proper raising of the children. There are many ways that the legal system can protect the men and women who may feel as if they no longer have a voice, as long as someone is standing up with them to fight for what is just.

Personal Growth and Development MLM Training Using Games on Personal Growth Edition 2

Developing mastery in Network Marketing takes discipline and a lot of hard work. There are 5 categories in network marketing that you will need to develop mastery in to be successful. They are Personal Growth, Customer Acquisition, Recruiting, Team Building, and Leadership.

The traditional training style of classroom learning, seminars, books and CD’s offered by the leadership of these companies provides good information, but does not equate to success for most people. The “how” is also very important, and interactivity in training helps you learn quicker and retain the information
It is tough to make an article interactive, however we will do our best here.
In this article we will focus on Personal Growth.

Above and beyond any skill you develop, your personal growth and commitment to ongoing education will enhance and solidify every new skill you develop and every habit you refine.
As you grow and develop as a person you become more influential and can therefore attract more high quality business builders to you. Personal growth does not always have to be a lot of hard work like many people might think. Every time you openly engage with different books and tools in the market place you will learn about yourself and others. The more you learn about yourself and other people, the more successful you will become.

Here are some interactive questions we have created for you.

Question #1
Which of the following is the most powerful way to accelerate your business?
A) prepare and organize
B) take action
C) read motivational books
D) purchase new training tools
If you like the question, share it with anyone you know in the mlm, network marketing or direct sales business. This question was taken from the MLM training tool MLM The Game, think of the answer, re-read the question if you need to, and answer the question mentally.

The answer to the question is: B) take action

Preparing and organizing will not get you anything in regards to acceleration. Reading books is good as well as purchasing new training tools, however the best thing you can do is take action. Concentrate on revenue producing activities to accelerate your business.

Question #2
Why is it good to have a mentor?
A) you can use them as leverage to build your business
B) they are already successful, and can show you how to be successful
C) a mentor can inspire you and help motivate you to succeed
D) all of the above

If you like the question, share it with anyone you know in the mlm, network marketing or direct sales business. This question was taken from the MLM training tool MLM The Game, think of the answer, re-read the question if you need to, and answer the question mentally.

The answer to the question is: D) all of the above

Having a mentor will catapult your success. The reasons mentioned above are some of the reasons why having a mentor will do so. Mentors have often been in your position before, and have learned from being there. That knowledge took them multiple years to obtain, and it will transfer to you without the headaches they likely has to experience.

Question #3

Courage is acting…
A) in spite of fear
B) when there is no other option
C) foolishly under pressure
D) to avoid looking bad

If you like the question, share it with anyone you know in the mlm, network marketing or direct sales business. This question was created by Clinton Swaine and placed into the MLM training tool MLM The Game, think of the answer, re-read the question if you need to, and answer the question mentally.

The answer to the question is: A) in spite of fear
Courage is one of the most honorable character traits. Fear is not something that goes away easily, often times, it never goes away in its entirety. This is normal, feel the fear, and take action anyway, that is true courage. Keep going, and keep growing, because it takes a lot of courage to succeed in network marketing.
We encourage you to use question and game based learning for everything you do. Question based learning will engage more senses, and increase your retention of the information.

Whenever you read a book, magazine, or article, get creative and create your own questions.

This is fun, and it will permanently transfer the information to your brain. This is also a fun way to engage your team. For extra fun, you can give away prizes for correct answers when you send out e-mail blasts with your questions, and continue to learn together!

For More Free Information visit Personal Growth and  Development

Chapter 11 versus Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

The financial crisis is taking a toll on many Americans. The unemployment rate is higher than it has been in years and many people are finding themselves upside down on their homes. Owing more on your home than it is currently worth is a very difficult situation, especially if you don’t have a job to provide income to make the monthly mortgage payments. When you can no longer afford the payments on your home or the other bills that you have every month, it may be time to consider bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a process that a lot of people take advantage of and should really only be used when there is no other option. You do need to know that there are different types of bankruptcy that will apply to specific situations and people. It is important for you to do some research and find out the differences between chapter 11 versus chapter 13 bankruptcy so that the process is smooth for you.

There are both similarities and differences in chapter 11 and chapter 13 bankruptcies. Both types of bankruptcy involve the debtor and attorney creating a plan to reorganize and consolidate all existing debt. With a chapter 13 bankruptcy the creditor is required to accept the plan that is drafted as long as it meets existing legal bankruptcy standards, but with chapter 11 the creditors can vote to determine whether or not the plan will be accepted. The biggest difference between chapter 11 and chapter 13 bankruptcy is who can file for each type. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is an option for business and people who have large amounts of both debt and income, while chapter 13 bankruptcy is available for other individuals as well as sole proprietorships. Another main difference is that there are debt and income limits that change each year for eligibility with chapter 13. With all of the information that is available on bankruptcy and the differences that each type has, it is important to get as much help as you can. One great option that you have when considering a bankruptcy is a San Antonio bankruptcy lawyer. A bankruptcy lawyer can help you through the process of a bankruptcy and help you ensure that you understand everything and don’t miss a step. Your bankruptcy lawyer will also be able to help you put together the plan for your debt consolidation. This is important especially if you are filing chapter 11 because the plan will have to make sense and follow all guidelines that are in existence for these complex laws. If you are considering hiring a bankruptcy lawyer, you will want to do some research on the lawyers that are available in your area. Get online and find the lawyers that are in your area, if there are review from past customers, you may want to read them because they will be a good indicator of what your experience will be like as well. The process of bankruptcy can be very difficult and take quite a long time, but in the end it will be well worth the effort that you put into it when your bankruptcy goes through.

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Centennial College’s Aviation Program Prepares You for the Workforce in Two Short Years

In order for a plane to be cleared for takeoff, it must be inspected to ensure that all parts are working and safety procedures have taken place. This involves aircraft maintenance technicians who service, repair, and inspect airplanes for commercial airlines, private firms and the military. These professionals must have knowledge of all parts of airplanes, including engines, propellers, landing gear, hydraulic equipment, radio and radar instruments, and bodies. Crews that work at airports make quick repairs on planes that are scheduled to take off. Major repairs are handled at an airline’s overhaul base, where aircraft maintenance techs are usually more specialized. They may work on only one part of their companies’ planes, such as the engine or the landing gear. At smaller airports, airplane charter services, and general aviation repair shops, aviation technicians work on all parts of planes. Other aircraft mechanics work in plants where planes are manufactured. Sometimes they go on test flights to discover and correct any problems that new aircraft may have.Before they can enter the field, professionals must attend an aviation program, such as Centennial College’s Aviation Technician – Aircraft Maintenance. The program’s credibility is ensured through its Transport Canada approval and Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council certification as a recognized aircraft maintenance training program. In order to attend, students must complete the application process, which includes being able to present, at minimum, an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or General Education Development or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Applicants must also possess compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment or equivalent and Math 11M or U or 12C or U or skills assessment or equivalent.Taking two years to complete, this aviation program emphasizes the repair of a wide range of electrical and mechanical systems within an aircraft, including: hydraulics, fuels, environmental systems, engines, surface controls and undercarriage systems, and the aircraft’s frame and external skin. This occurs through courses such as: Safety and Human factors (prepares students with an awareness of the importance of workplace safety and the impact that human factors play in aircraft incidences); Aircraft Applied Mathematics (students will learn basic practical mathematical applications used by aircraft maintenance technicians in the industry, focusing primarily on aircraft weight and balance procedures); Hangar – Maintenance Practices (this lab course provides students with an introduction to the hangar environment, including basic aircraft maintenance tasks allowing students to start building and practicing the skill sets required in the aviation industry); and more. Woven into many of the courses is hands-on training that sees students working in labs fixing aircraft engines, performing flight-line activities as well as conducting aircraft and component inspections. Before students can graduate from the aviation program, they must complete over 200 maintenance tasks. Also required for Aircraft Maintenance Technician graduation is a minimum C grade in all courses. Transport Canada accreditation requires both a minimum B grade in every course and an absentee rate of less than five per cent of the total program hours.

Debt Management Advice – How to Legally Eliminate 60% of Your Unsecured Debt

A credit card debt normally is over loaded with – 1. Late payment fee 2. Penal interest charges 3. Finance charges 4. Interest on Finance charges 5. Payment collection charges

When a customer sees his bill it completely unsettles him and it is difficult for him to see the principle amount for which he should be charged. These are some of the common problems which people face from companies dealing with unsecured loans. The only option left with the customer is to resort for debt management advice. The American market has thousands or more of debt settlement companies ready to advice customers. Not all companies are worthy of being referred to as most of them do not resort to fair trade practice. The customer rather than saving money might loose more money and be rendered ineffective to pay back his debts. There are millions of Americans who have got affected by the recessionary trend in the market. The basic problem that they are facing is the cost of their own sustenance. So repaying credit card bills on time is a major issue. Individuals and customers need to look for good debt management advice from good debt consultants with proven track record. By the receipt of the stimulus package today financial institutions are more into the frame of mind to negotiate with the customers and receive the principal amount invested. It makes complete sense to speak to debt Settlement Company to bring down the overall debt bill and interest rate charged on it. Creditors are enthusiastic about getting back the original amount invested and helping the customer with is credit bill. Individual need to look for good debt Settlement Company to settle down their bills. A good debt settlement company can be approached thought the debt settlement network which registers only the very best with them. If you want to get out of debt and hire a debt settlement company for debt negotiation then I have an important piece of advice. Do Not go directly to a particular debt settlement company but rather first go to a debt relief network who is affiliated with several legitimate debt companies. In order to be in the debt relief network, the debt settlement companies must prove a track record of successfully negotiating and eliminating debt. They must also pass an ethical standards test. Going through a debt relief network will ensure that the debt company you are provided with is a legitimate and respected company. This is the most efficient way in finding the best debt settlement companies and increasing your chances of eliminating your debt. FreeDebtSettlementAdvice.com is one of the largest and most respected debt relief networks on the marketplace today. To find a debt settlement company through FreeDebtSettlementAdvice.com check out the following link: Free Debt Advice

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Experience the Beach with Weber BBQ Grills

Doubtlessly, Weber is just about the finest provider for bbq grills along with other cookery equipment. We all have our personal Barbecue weber grills from home – this certainly has ended up a must-have in many houses – there are not any sort of obvious suggestions of tapering influence within the barbecuing business. Actually, it’s additionally broadened its reach to around thirty nations throughout the world! What began as a household enterprise has turned into a profitable business, and also just about anyone could correctly state that Weber is certainly the perfect brand name with regard to bbq grills just as Microsoft would be to computer systems.But exactly how did Weber BBQ turn out to be such an esteemed business? You’ll be amazed to find out that Weber-Stephen Products, the precise name of the business that makes this sort of grills, has already been around for over a hundred years, searching for its origins to 1893. Nevertheless, it wasn’t till 1952 that George Stephen Sr. developed an impressive merchandise which was ready to change history with regard to out of doors barbecuing. See, just before his creation many grills were honestly very irritating to utilize particularly throughout a breezy climate, where the flames started to be uneven as well as unmanageable. George, as a result, determined to produce a grill for him self which had a good lid of which permitted grills to have an even fire in any sort of climate. Simply because he was recruited at Weber Brothers Metal Works, he did not have a problem obtaining this type of cover – there had been discarded pieces designed for suspended moors lying around, and thus he split one of these and molded this in to a dome-shaped cover, resulting to the legendary and common Weber kettle grill.In the beginning it did not actually function as anticipated. The flames would not remain on what ever he pursued to execute, which brought him towards the concept of welding a few openings into the dome cover to permit some oxygen to enter in. This proved helpful, and after a few of his buddies noticed the kettle grill as well as experienced the finest bifteck these people had, headlines concerning the creation propagated just like crazy. He started promoting the merchandise and it reached the reality that the need merely could not be fulfilled, therefore, the Weber-Stephen Barbecue Grill department had been established, and bulk manufacture of the grills made achievable. This grew to become productive, and the standing of the grill increased quickly, (as confirmed in certain Weber barbecue reviews) ending up being a well-known nationwide brand name.These days, Weber Barbecue has ended up being probably the most prosperous manufacturer within the grilling business, having a broad variety of grills, add-ons, along with other barbecuing items. Should you view it, It is truly awesome to find out that a straightforward wish to grill great meals changed a whole business of grills, sought-after around the world.

Family Board Games

Computer technology has been the most popular means to bridge communication gaps. Through email or chat, you could instantly be updated with friends and family from all over the world. Conversely, most young people are so absorbed into it that they rather be in front of the PC than interact with real people. If you have been itching to strengthen the bonding of your family, why not invest in family board games?These gaming sets were primarily played by only two people. Eventually, they have become synonymous with entertainment packages for families and groups. Thus, millions of family board games were created.They are available in many variants. Many of these target older members of the family, such as the teens and the parents. A popular variant of these is called the party board games. This type often has rules and conditions strictly for adult humor or experience.Meanwhile, those created for kids often involve physical skills, early to later childhood learning and development skills like reading, counting, and comprehension. Many of the board games for kids are usually inspired by cartoon series, animated films or comic book superheroes, which are the common interests of many children today.Why Get First of all, there are so many models of board games that could involve every member of the family – from the youngest to oldest. It is thus a great way to spend quality and fun time with the whole family. As was said, there are sets that are equipped with designs that aim to teach children some skills. Therefore, they could serve as a great means for your children to have an awesome time while learning basic skills.Pointers When Buying GamesAs there are thousands of games around, the tougher it would be for you to choose the right one. But to make your task easier, here are some things you should prioritize. Firstly, assess your goal upon playing the game. Do you want it to offer wholesome entertainment, educational fun or both? Do you want it to be very easy to take anywhere? The latter is very crucial especially if your family travels a lot.Next, evaluate the preference of the whole family. Will the game be used for leisurely purposes only or for serious collection? Note that there are games with fancy and crafty pieces, such as chess. Finally, consider the price. There are many sources that you could check out particular game sets complete with their prices, details and even customer reviews.Now that you are geared with the variety and basic pointers of buying these games, you and your whole family can definitely have much more interesting indoor weekends!

Home Equity Loans Online

Applying for Home Equity Loans online is quite common these days. Visit half a dozen websites of potential lenders, see what are being offered and decide on the type of loan that suits you best.

The application form can be filled in online. If there is any difficulty in doing this, you can telephone the lender you are approaching, for clarification. The information to be provided by you would include details about you, the property you are offering as collateral, and your social security number to verify your credit rating. All data presented online would be usually encoded using Secure Socket Layer technology so that secrecy is ensured. It is advisable to check the credit rating yourself before applying. The higher your credit score the lender’s risk would be lower. This can result in obtaining better terms. An application deposit may be required in some cases. In all probability approval of the loan subject to verification of the details given by you can be obtained online within half an hour. But the actual disbursal of money may take time. Within a few days of the in principle sanctioning the advance, the lender will send an appraiser or loan advisor to you. This is basically an investigation procedure. You may have to produce proof of income and sometimes furnish more information. After that the loan documents will be forwarded to you. Study them carefully, ask questions if you have any doubt, and once satisfied, sign them before a notary and return to the sender. Even after signing, you have the right to rescind the agreement within three days. The loan will be released only after that period expires. In certain States, escrow stipulation is in force. This means that the papers have to be submitted to the escrow officer and have them recorded. The process may take a week. In such cases you will get the money only after that is done.Bad Credit Home Equity Loans provides detailed information on home equity loans, bad credit home equity loans, fixed rate home equity loans, home equity loan calculators and more. Bad Credit Home Equity Loans is affiliated with Best Home Equity Loan Rates.

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Home equity loans Now Borrowing Cash Easy

What are the conventional concerns when buying a real estate asset? When a property for sale wins your attention, what do you have in mind? Is it the cost of the property? Is it the cash in your hand? Or will it be the cash that you can generate each month? Number of room, place; just exactly what goes through your mind? Well, all of the above factors are what runs in the mind of a property buyer. If you do not have the cash to settle in cash then you are probably thinking of requesting for a home loan.

If you are a conventional purchaser who do not have the money to buy a real estate asset or restricted because of a poor credit then you will see home equity loans alluring. It is a mode of home mortgage credit plan that will grant you to borrow even a big sum of cash provided that the property works as the surety. The collateral creates it secured for the credit grantor who will not bother about default settlements. Therefore, it also profits the applicant for making sure that the home loan is the priority when budgeting.

Advantages of home equity loans

There are lots of reasons why the home equity loan is a right choice. These include:

Perfect credit status is not a need hence qualifying is simpler. You do not need that status to get this monetary product. After all, you cannot run away with the property.

It provides a good annual percentage rate: it grants you get the home equity loan cost in terms of percentage.

Big sum is attainable. As stated before, this sort of credit provides less risk in case of default settlements. The credit grantor can quickly collect because the property woks as collateral.

It generally provides home loans that are tax deductible.

Disadvantages of home equity loans

You may see home equity loans quiet helpful and generous nevertheless, it is good to understand its drawbacks. First drawback is that you can be homeless the time you default in settlement. Therefore, it is the most general sort of credit that some people utilize to take hold of someone´s else´s worthy asset. Try to ensure that every movement is documented.

Funny Christmas Gifts Are A Welcome Holiday Gift

Funny Christmas gifts are always welcome holiday gift. Weather it is for a office gift exchange or that practical joker on your list funny Christmas gifts are always fun to give and receive. As the holiday’s approach you will find a wide verity of funny Christmas gifts and gag gifts. If you are not sure what to get the person that loves to laugh there are a lot of choices out there for them.You can find some very funny tee shirts online for most any occasion or interest. Political tee shirts are a big item and there are some funny tee shirts that come straight from some stand up comics acts.If the funny gift is for someone that is on a diet the refrigerator lock up is a funny idea. Funny aprons are a great idea for the comic cook in the family.There are fake lottery tickets, and fake parking tickets and prank car magnets that can make for a fun gag gift. If you are looking for classic gag gifts there are the prank mixed nuts and whoopee cushion. Fake chewing gum and electric shocking pens. Do you have a beer drinker on your list get them the beer can wraps that make the beer can look like a soda.There are tattoo sleeves that slip on and off for a wacky gift and silly baby pacifiers that make the baby look very funny. Maby a giant inflatable bug will be the right gift for some one you know or a classic magic trick.Of course there are plenty of gifts with a bathroom humor theme, far to many to get into here. Some are very funny and some are just plane disgusting.If you have a political junkie on your list this is a great year them. There are all kinds of political gag gifts such as the George Bush and Hillary toilet bowl brushes, the Obama bobble head doll and action figures. There are plenty of gag gifts that poke fun at both sides of the isle.This year we hope you have a wonderful holiday season. As you can see there are a lot of ways to add laughs to the season with these funny Christmas gifts.

Frontline Plus Cats Covers The Broadest Spectrum Of Parasites

When people think about flea problems, they usually are referring to the family dog. At the same time, the family cat is equally at risk. That is why more and more pet owners are investing in flea control products for their cats. But before they spend any money, they take time to research the products on the market. There are so many options available that it can be a daunting decision. Of all the companies the provide flea control products for pets, probably one of the most popular is Frontline. And they make a product strictly for cats: Frontline Plus cats. Frontline Plus cats is not unlike the Frontline Plus for dogs product offered. For one thing, both products are safe for use on puppies and kittens as young as eight weeks old. This is especially useful since most pets are beginning to explore their environments. Even a kitten that was meant to be a housecat can sneak out of doors and get into mischief, returning with the dangerous parasite.

Just like the dog flea control product, Frontline Plus cats is applied topically between the shoulder blades at the back of the neck. For any pet owner that has tried to bathe a cat, this is a far superior method of applying a flea control product. Cats are notoriously afraid of water and will go to extremes to avoid getting wet, let alone lathered and rinsed. In fact, Frontline Plus cats is also superior to just about every other method of flea control method available. Pills can be challenging to get a cat to ingest. Worse, most flea control pills need to be given monthly, weekly, or-¦daily. And flea collars can be less than effective, even if the pet owner can convince the cat to keep it on. When it comes to effectiveness of a flea product, Frontline Plus cats covers the broadest spectrum of parasites. Frontline Plus cats kills adult fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs. On top of that, it kills ticks. And with that many areas covered, the cat and home should be protected against these dangerous parasites. For more information on Frontline Plus cats products, visit www.nomorefleasplease.com

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P&O Cruises

With seven ships in its fleet, is traditional British-style cruising at its best. Choose from fun and action-packed superliners Azura and Ventura, family-friendly mid-sized ships Oceana, Aurora and Oriana or the Adults-only Arcadia and the new Adonia. All very different but all offering the service, excellent food and entertainment that are famous for. Relax in the spa, explore ashore, top up your tan, take a stroll around deck or pump it up in the gym, the choice is yours with . From tots to teens they won’t be bored with their own clubs and play areas onboard. Dining options won’t disappoint with everything from casual dining alfresco or buffet-style, to traditional two sitting formal dining in the main restaurants and a la carte gourmet fare in speciality venues. The fun continues when the sun sets with Broadway-style shows, cabaret, live music and dancing until the early hours. What’s more in the Summer, there’s no-flying as the ships sail from their home-port of Southampton on cruises around the Mediterranean, Iberia, Scandinavia and the Baltic, Canaries and Around Britain. In the Winter the fleet heads to the warm waters of the Caribbean for two-week cruises around the islands. January 2012 marks the start of 175th Anniversary year and also the Round the World cruises for Arcadia and Aurora and Adonia also sets sail on her South American Adventure. Hays Travel feature offer , and are ABTA’s largest independent travel agent with many cruise lines to choose from. Hays Travel dedicated cruise section provides an extensive selection of cruise holidays to worldwide destinations including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltics, Canary Islands, North America, Far East, Middle East, Alaska and the Red Sea. Hays Travel’s longstanding relationship with all the cruise lines – both large and small – gives them access to the best prices, the latest deals and the widest choice of cruises. Hays travel can also book your hotels, insurance, transfers, car hire and airport parking. Hays cruise advisers are specialists in their field and offer a personal, friendly service ensuring that you get the right kind of cruise holiday for you. Cruising is the travel industry’s fastest growing market with approximately 1.5million people from the UK taking to the seas on a cruise each year. Out of the first-time cruisers it’s worth noting that nearly 80% of them make repeat bookings – so beware once you’ve taken a cruise you may well become hooked on the shipboard life!

Buy Cheap Used Cars On Internet Auctions!

These days, it seems like everyone wants to find a great deal. When it comes to purchasing a vehicle that can be very hard to do. However, if you use the right resources you can find a car for as much as 85% off the Kelley Blue Book value. It’s true! You can buy cheap used cars and they are well within your reach as long as you use the power of internet auctions. Don’t believe me? Allow me to explain a bit.Here’s the secret, the United States government sells off tons of cars each and every year. There are over 40 locations nationwide where the United States General Services Administration holds live auctions in which they sell surplus fleet vehicles. These are vehicles that were used to carry out the day to day activities of the United States government. Since most of the GSA vehicles are maintained through leasing agreements, the administration auctions off those vehicles at the end of the lease term to finance the purchase of new vehicles. These auctions are also commonly held online as the live auction progress is.The United States Department of the Treasury also holds hundreds of public auctions each year throughout the country. The only difference is that these vehicles sold at auctions are not Surplus vehicles from their fleet. Rather, they have been seized from private individuals for nonpayment of Federal taxes. That’s right – if you don’t pay your taxes the government can seize your private property which includes a real estate, vehicles and personal possessions.Since the Department of the Treasury is a public entity, they cannot simply impound the vehicles and leave them to rot. They have to make some amount of profit from them so they are put up for auction. A lot of people don’t understand the fact that anyone can attend these auctions and that attendance is completely free of charge. All of the money that is raised from these auctions is put into a special fund maintained by the Internal Revenue Service called the Treasury Forfeiture Fund. These funds are then used to pay restitution to victims of fraudulent activities.Sometimes, cheap used cars at these auctions can go for as much as 80% to 85% off. From time to time you may even be able to get a better deal than that. Not too many people know about this little gem, which makes it the perfect way to buy cheap used cars at a great price.

An Overview of Treatment Foster Care

Foster care is certainly not a new concept; in fact, references can be found to caring for the children of others as far back as the New Testament and the Talmud. In the 1500s, children without families were served in the Almshouses in England. By the 1800s, the so-called Orphan Trains were organized by the first child welfare organization in America, the Children’s Aid Society in New York. These trains transported children whose families could not care for them to western states where they were taken in by families to work on farms. A highly publicized case of child abuse involving a girl named Mary Ellen illustrated the fact that the laws which protected animals from abuse were stronger than those that protected children. As a result of this case, the first child abuse laws in the United States were enacted, and some states began providing subsidies to families that took in foster children.

 

In 1909, the problems facing children in America were recognized by the first White House Conference on Children. This, the first White House Conference on any subject, signaled a new era where government increasingly recognized its responsibility to its youngest citizens.  In fact, after a 38 year hiatus, legislation has been introduced to Congress this year that proposes a 2010 White House Conference on Children to mark the 100 year anniversary of this historic event and to renew our attention and focus on the problems faced by children and families in this new century.

 

The roots of Treatment Foster Care are found in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when agencies began to train foster families to provide more than just a home to their foster children. This model has, at its core, evolved to believe that a foster family, provided with specialized training, supervision, and other clinical supports, can be a powerful agent of change for a child with special behavioral, emotional and/or medical needs. Unlike traditional foster care, where a child’s primary need is for placement, in treatment foster care, the positive aspects of a nurturing family environment are combined with active and structured treatment interventions.

 

From the initial experiments in small agencies around the country, the popularity of the model grew as the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1970s became the national policy of the 1980s. In the 1990s,research demonstrated that the model produced outcomes that in many cases were comparable to residential treatment and, when compared to traditional foster care, had 20 – 30% fewer disrupted placements. Many states used the Medicaid program to expand the availability and service intensity of  Treatment Foster Care. Today, Treatment Foster Care is widespread and a viable alternative to residential treatment, with foster parents receiving specialized, intensive training to help their foster children heal while residing in normalized family settings.

 

Ken Olson is a Foster Care and Family Services Regional Director for KidsPeace, overseeing treatment foster care programs in Maine, Georgia and North Carolina to help children with a multitude of emotional, psychological, social and behavioral needs. Having started out as a treatment foster parent in 1975, Ken has seen the system from both sides and always keeps the challenges faced by foster parents in mind when making decisions. He definitely understands when foster parents describe their work as “the hardest job you’ll ever love.” He relates when foster parents are having a particularly bad day or worrying about how the foster child’s meltdown will affect their biological children or how they will be able to do everything they need to do in a day and still take their foster child to treatment or for a supervised visit with the birth parents. Ken also has no problem explaining to foster parents that they will be held accountable for the safety and well-being of their foster children, and that they must never use physical restraint or punishment on their foster children. He refers individuals who want to learn more about foster care to www.fostercare.com provides information and resources on foster care for current and potential foster parents.

 

According to 2005 U.S. Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) estimates, there were 513,000 children in our nation’s foster care system that year, with more than 114,000 waiting for adoption. Those estimates also indicate that, while 24% were in foster care in the home of a relative, 46% were living in foster homes with which they had had no prior contact. Quite obviously, more trained foster parents are needed.

 

“The federal mandate is to reduce ‘drift,’ which means kids being placed in home after home, which is very damaging to their ability to attach and their self-esteem. It is therefore the job of organizations such as ours to be extremely selective when interviewing potential foster families and providing them with in-depth training and support to deal with any crises that arise, 24/7,” Ken explained. “At KidsPeace, we pay close attention to the matching process and do everything in our power to make our placements successful. We want our kids to stay in one foster home until they are returned to their families or are adopted, often by their foster families.”

 

According to Ken, trends in foster care are to reduce the number of kids in the system and their time in the foster care system. This has resulted in an explosion of home-based services that were not available 10 years ago, allowing many kids to remain at home while receiving the treatment they need, even if that means counselors visiting a home three times weekly to work with the children and their families.

 

“At KidsPeace, we work with families during supervised visits on parenting and psychoeducational issues, medical problems and dealing with behavior disorders in order to get the kids back home as quickly as possible,” Ken said. “When reunification is impossible, we work to find the appropriate adoptive family, which is often the foster family that has grown to know and love the child. This is a blessing, but it also can reduce the number of trained foster parents available due to the number of children in the home.” Most states limit foster families to one or two foster kids unless the family takes a group of siblings, which all agencies strive to keep together.

 

The Past 25 Years

Ken discussed how treatment foster care has changed over the past few years. “It has become more focused on permanence as an outcome,” he said. “We are seeing kids who present with great emotional and behavioral acuity. This poses many more challenges in terms of finding and training foster parents. Additionally, Medicaid, which provides a source of funding for TFC in about 50% of our states, is under increasing pressure to cut the amount it spends, requiring higher standards to qualify for funding, which, in turn, creates a mountain of additional paperwork.”

 

Funding and some aspects of the model are different in each state, depending on whether treatment foster care is considered a  “mental health” or “child welfare” program. “What we have learned,” Ken explained, “is that best practices mean that services need to be integrated, and integrated services need to wrap around the kid and blend treatment with daily living.” Foster parents are seen as professionals in some states and volunteers in others. Regardless of how their roles are defined, Ken described foster parents as the most powerful agents for change in foster children’s lives.

 

Treatment foster families come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are by no means strictly defined. While the screening process to become a foster parent can be cumbersome, it is imperative to ensure the safety and well being of any child placed in the home. Home studies are conducted with all families to ensure that the right children are matched with the right family. There are background and criminal history checks, personal interviews about attitudes and prior experiences and comprehensive training. According to Ken, it can take anywhere from three to six months to become a licensed foster parent, and annual training is ongoing for the entire time one remains a licensed foster parent.

 

Aging Out

Ken said that one of the “huge problems” with the foster care system is that kids age out at 18 without the skills, resources or support to move on to independent living. He believes that, in this regard, the system has poorly prepared our foster kids socially. Ken said that studies have shown that few kids from any background are ready to live on their own at 18 or 19 years old. There need to be more programs that prepare foster kids to transition into independent living and help them avoid the pitfalls of homelessness, unemployment, dropping out of high school or not attending college, illegal activities and drug and alcohol abuse.

 

The Future

Finding new foster parents can be challenging, but, according to Ken, foster parents are the best recruiters, showing family and friends how rewarding foster parenting can be and being walking, talking advertisements for the program. “Friends visit their homes and see what goes on, and then they call us to see if they qualify to be foster parents, and the word of mouth just keeps spreading,” Ken said. “Our foster parents develop a fantastic support system for each other, and our staff go above and beyond to do everything possible to help our foster families stay together. The most difficult recruitment issue we experience is finding families for teens. They can be the most difficult age group to place because they can be the most difficult to control and reach and often have the greatest number of emotional and behavioral problems.”

 

Ken is optimistic by nature, and is hopeful about the future of foster care, predicting that it will continue to evolve. He believes that government agencies are getting better at understanding which kids are best served by the foster care model and that other foster care organizations will improve their matching processes. Ken also looks forward to permanency options improving for foster kids, with many states establishing policies to terminate parental custody after one year of foster care, freeing the children up for adoption sooner. Foster parents are also helping birth parents with parenting skills and becoming role models for parents, as well as for their foster children. Ken predicts that kinship foster care will continue to grow, especially with the assistance of technology that can help locate relatives who live far away from other family members.

 

Ken asked readers to “Call us. Let us show you how you can become a foster parent and how you can have a really positive impact on the life of a child. It is an extraordinary experience that will change you forever.”

 

For more information on KidsPeace Foster Care Programs across the country, please call 800-8KID-123 or visit www.fostercare.com.

KidsPeace is a private charity dedicated to serving the behavioral and mental health needs of children, families and communities. Founded in 1882, KidsPeace provides a unique psychiatric hospital; a comprehensive range of residential treatment programs; accredited educational services; and a variety of foster care and community-based treatment programs to help people in need overcome challenges and transform their lives. Visit our websites, KidsPeace.org, ParentCentral.Net, and Fostercare.com for more information. 

An Overview of Treatment Foster Care

Foster care is certainly not a new concept; in fact, references can be found to caring for the children of others as far back as the New Testament and the Talmud. In the 1500s, children without families were served in the Almshouses in England. By the 1800s, the so-called Orphan Trains were organized by the first child welfare organization in America, the Children’s Aid Society in New York. These trains transported children whose families could not care for them to western states where they were taken in by families to work on farms. A highly publicized case of child abuse involving a girl named Mary Ellen illustrated the fact that the laws which protected animals from abuse were stronger than those that protected children. As a result of this case, the first child abuse laws in the United States were enacted, and some states began providing subsidies to families that took in foster children.

 

In 1909, the problems facing children in America were recognized by the first White House Conference on Children. This, the first White House Conference on any subject, signaled a new era where government increasingly recognized its responsibility to its youngest citizens.  In fact, after a 38 year hiatus, legislation has been introduced to Congress this year that proposes a 2010 White House Conference on Children to mark the 100 year anniversary of this historic event and to renew our attention and focus on the problems faced by children and families in this new century.

 

The roots of Treatment Foster Care are found in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when agencies began to train foster families to provide more than just a home to their foster children. This model has, at its core, evolved to believe that a foster family, provided with specialized training, supervision, and other clinical supports, can be a powerful agent of change for a child with special behavioral, emotional and/or medical needs. Unlike traditional foster care, where a child’s primary need is for placement, in treatment foster care, the positive aspects of a nurturing family environment are combined with active and structured treatment interventions.

 

From the initial experiments in small agencies around the country, the popularity of the model grew as the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1970s became the national policy of the 1980s. In the 1990s,research demonstrated that the model produced outcomes that in many cases were comparable to residential treatment and, when compared to traditional foster care, had 20 – 30% fewer disrupted placements. Many states used the Medicaid program to expand the availability and service intensity of  Treatment Foster Care. Today, Treatment Foster Care is widespread and a viable alternative to residential treatment, with foster parents receiving specialized, intensive training to help their foster children heal while residing in normalized family settings.

 

Ken Olson is a Foster Care and Family Services Regional Director for KidsPeace, overseeing treatment foster care programs in Maine, Georgia and North Carolina to help children with a multitude of emotional, psychological, social and behavioral needs. Having started out as a treatment foster parent in 1975, Ken has seen the system from both sides and always keeps the challenges faced by foster parents in mind when making decisions. He definitely understands when foster parents describe their work as “the hardest job you’ll ever love.” He relates when foster parents are having a particularly bad day or worrying about how the foster child’s meltdown will affect their biological children or how they will be able to do everything they need to do in a day and still take their foster child to treatment or for a supervised visit with the birth parents. Ken also has no problem explaining to foster parents that they will be held accountable for the safety and well-being of their foster children, and that they must never use physical restraint or punishment on their foster children. He refers individuals who want to learn more about foster care to www.fostercare.com provides information and resources on foster care for current and potential foster parents.

 

According to 2005 U.S. Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) estimates, there were 513,000 children in our nation’s foster care system that year, with more than 114,000 waiting for adoption. Those estimates also indicate that, while 24% were in foster care in the home of a relative, 46% were living in foster homes with which they had had no prior contact. Quite obviously, more trained foster parents are needed.

 

“The federal mandate is to reduce ‘drift,’ which means kids being placed in home after home, which is very damaging to their ability to attach and their self-esteem. It is therefore the job of organizations such as ours to be extremely selective when interviewing potential foster families and providing them with in-depth training and support to deal with any crises that arise, 24/7,” Ken explained. “At KidsPeace, we pay close attention to the matching process and do everything in our power to make our placements successful. We want our kids to stay in one foster home until they are returned to their families or are adopted, often by their foster families.”

 

According to Ken, trends in foster care are to reduce the number of kids in the system and their time in the foster care system. This has resulted in an explosion of home-based services that were not available 10 years ago, allowing many kids to remain at home while receiving the treatment they need, even if that means counselors visiting a home three times weekly to work with the children and their families.

 

“At KidsPeace, we work with families during supervised visits on parenting and psychoeducational issues, medical problems and dealing with behavior disorders in order to get the kids back home as quickly as possible,” Ken said. “When reunification is impossible, we work to find the appropriate adoptive family, which is often the foster family that has grown to know and love the child. This is a blessing, but it also can reduce the number of trained foster parents available due to the number of children in the home.” Most states limit foster families to one or two foster kids unless the family takes a group of siblings, which all agencies strive to keep together.

 

The Past 25 Years

Ken discussed how treatment foster care has changed over the past few years. “It has become more focused on permanence as an outcome,” he said. “We are seeing kids who present with great emotional and behavioral acuity. This poses many more challenges in terms of finding and training foster parents. Additionally, Medicaid, which provides a source of funding for TFC in about 50% of our states, is under increasing pressure to cut the amount it spends, requiring higher standards to qualify for funding, which, in turn, creates a mountain of additional paperwork.”

 

Funding and some aspects of the model are different in each state, depending on whether treatment foster care is considered a  “mental health” or “child welfare” program. “What we have learned,” Ken explained, “is that best practices mean that services need to be integrated, and integrated services need to wrap around the kid and blend treatment with daily living.” Foster parents are seen as professionals in some states and volunteers in others. Regardless of how their roles are defined, Ken described foster parents as the most powerful agents for change in foster children’s lives.

 

Treatment foster families come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are by no means strictly defined. While the screening process to become a foster parent can be cumbersome, it is imperative to ensure the safety and well being of any child placed in the home. Home studies are conducted with all families to ensure that the right children are matched with the right family. There are background and criminal history checks, personal interviews about attitudes and prior experiences and comprehensive training. According to Ken, it can take anywhere from three to six months to become a licensed foster parent, and annual training is ongoing for the entire time one remains a licensed foster parent.

 

Aging Out

Ken said that one of the “huge problems” with the foster care system is that kids age out at 18 without the skills, resources or support to move on to independent living. He believes that, in this regard, the system has poorly prepared our foster kids socially. Ken said that studies have shown that few kids from any background are ready to live on their own at 18 or 19 years old. There need to be more programs that prepare foster kids to transition into independent living and help them avoid the pitfalls of homelessness, unemployment, dropping out of high school or not attending college, illegal activities and drug and alcohol abuse.

 

The Future

Finding new foster parents can be challenging, but, according to Ken, foster parents are the best recruiters, showing family and friends how rewarding foster parenting can be and being walking, talking advertisements for the program. “Friends visit their homes and see what goes on, and then they call us to see if they qualify to be foster parents, and the word of mouth just keeps spreading,” Ken said. “Our foster parents develop a fantastic support system for each other, and our staff go above and beyond to do everything possible to help our foster families stay together. The most difficult recruitment issue we experience is finding families for teens. They can be the most difficult age group to place because they can be the most difficult to control and reach and often have the greatest number of emotional and behavioral problems.”

 

Ken is optimistic by nature, and is hopeful about the future of foster care, predicting that it will continue to evolve. He believes that government agencies are getting better at understanding which kids are best served by the foster care model and that other foster care organizations will improve their matching processes. Ken also looks forward to permanency options improving for foster kids, with many states establishing policies to terminate parental custody after one year of foster care, freeing the children up for adoption sooner. Foster parents are also helping birth parents with parenting skills and becoming role models for parents, as well as for their foster children. Ken predicts that kinship foster care will continue to grow, especially with the assistance of technology that can help locate relatives who live far away from other family members.

 

Ken asked readers to “Call us. Let us show you how you can become a foster parent and how you can have a really positive impact on the life of a child. It is an extraordinary experience that will change you forever.”

 

For more information on KidsPeace Foster Care Programs across the country, please call 800-8KID-123 or visit www.fostercare.com.

KidsPeace is a private charity dedicated to serving the behavioral and mental health needs of children, families and communities. Founded in 1882, KidsPeace provides a unique psychiatric hospital; a comprehensive range of residential treatment programs; accredited educational services; and a variety of foster care and community-based treatment programs to help people in need overcome challenges and transform their lives. Visit our websites, KidsPeace.org, ParentCentral.Net, and Fostercare.com for more information. 

Blue-green Algae the Key to Baby Boomer Mental Health

In the American market today, Baby Boomers represent approximately 1/3rd of the total US population — that’s 76 million people. The leading edge of the boomers, those born between 1946 and 1955, will enter old age in 2011. As these boomers age, it’s going to be critical for them to maintain the independent lifestyle they have become accustomed to and retaining their mental and cognitive function is vital to this goal.

This article looks at how blue-green algae can help them maintain this healthy brain function.

According to a mental institute, some 55% of boomers fear losing their mental brain capacity. In fact, about 41% of baby boomers said their brain fitness has declined over the last 10 years. They’ve already noticed this. Scott Hagerman, CEO of a nutrition company, said that “the future for cognitive enhancing nutriceuticals remains very bright and every month, more and more innovative cognitive improving natural products are launched to receptive consumers who are acting proactively to their mental stress and mood challenges.”

The Baby Boomers are going after these products and one of the best blue-green algae products seems to give them mental clarity.

When the blue-green algae is taken, it goes to the weakest place. And it seems in Americans, it’s their brain. In many tech fields, people are hired internationally because we just don’t have the scientists in this country. We don’t produce the scientists needed to run high performance machines, so they have to go to places like China, Japan and India to find these people today. We need to bolster our brains, that’s what we need to do.

A nutritionist, Dr Scala was involved with the astronauts on Apollo 11 and 13. At a talk some years back, Dr Scala revealed what he put in the astronauts supplies — a bucket of algae. Why? Because algae produces oxygen and algae has a particular load of PA and DHA which is desperately needed by the brains of people who are under stress.

The astronauts are under great g-forces have their brains slammed against the skull which needs to be repaired. The brain floats, but it’s a ball a fat and one third of the brain is DHA, a 22 chain of carbon tied together with 6 double bonds of hydrogen. Dr Scala knew that algae was the absolute best when it came to the nutrition of an astronaut. And the best way he knew was to just put a bucket of algae in there. Soon, the Russians began to copy and do the same thing.

Many years later, we have some of the finest algae in the world from which fish get the omega fish oil that is so famous. We’re told over and over that if we want to be sharp and our brains to remember things, we need to eat fish oil. We’re told that omega 3s are the #1 thing for the support of our cognitive function. We’re told that, but what we’re not told is that fish cannot make it, they have to get it from eating algae.

The source of all that is algae. Blue-green algae, AFA, is full of omega fish oil. The baby boomer generation now that’s concerned with their mental health is really starting to take notice of fish oil and the omega fish oil they need comes from blue-green algae.

Day Trading Strategy …. It PAYS to know how to do it … $1000 per trade

When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to have more knowledge than the rest of the pack. Pure gold can be harvested in each profitable trade that you accomplish.
But when you don’t know what you are doing stock trading can become a very difficult and life consuming business. You can lose a lot of money and time. Valuable time of your life. Stock trading can resemble the closest thing to a get-poor-fast system when you don’t implement a proven stock trade strategy.

Even when there are traders that can make more than $5000 on a single trade, it’s not unusual for a novice stock trader to lose $1000 in less than 3 minutes from the comfort of his own home, or waste a lot of family time thinking about the stock he should trade for tomorrow “according to the charts and the stars” and other confusing technical analysis trading indicators.
As an online stock trader your homework is all about learning and testing different online trading strategies that can help you take advantage of stocks and at the same time protect your profits. Just always keep in mind that a good stock trading strategy is simple and practical. Complicated stock systems will always make you slow in your decision making process or confuse you right from the start.
There are some very good sites on the web where you can access practical stock trading strategies that are easy to implement. One of those sites is Smart Day Trading http://www.smartdaytrading.com
They focus on momentum stock trading strategies that can help you identify and handle hot stocks while reducing your trading risk.
All in all, online stock trading is all about picking the best stock opportunities and following your buy and sell signals with ease and simplicity. Once you learn to master your trading decisions, you can aspire to produce consistent profitable results.
Learn how to stock trade in a practical way every day at Smart Day Trading http://www.smartdaytrading.com

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Looking For A Medical Malpractice Attorney Seek Help From The Right Legal Expert

If you are looking for an attorney to handle a medical malpractice case but know not how to choose the right one, it is a good idea to learn the basics. A medical malpractice may be defined as a negligence or wrongdoing on the part of a medical professional resulting in injury or death of the patient.

In case you or a member of your family has been a victim of any such incident you need to act immediately. The first thing to do is contact an attorney. He would be able to help you understand the legalities, advice you on the matter and act as your legal representative if the case goes to the court.

Confused about where to look for an attorney? The best source is a referral. Ask all your contacts whether they have faced any similar situations. If they have, ask them about the lawyer who handled the case. You can also look for such attorneys using the Internet.

There are certain things you need to look for in an attorney. You need to choose an attorney who knows the details of the medical malpractice laws. It is only the sound knowledge of the law that makes an attorney capable of handling your case.

The most important thing to check is whether the attorney has any previous experience in dealing with such cases. Expertise comes only with experience. Check the success rate of the attorney in such cases.

Only a licensed attorney can represent your case at a court of law. Check whether the attorney you have chosen has a license to practice in your state. For this you need to visit the local bar association and request the information.

Choose an attorney who is an expert in the branch of medical malpractice. You don’t visit a dentist for an eye checkup. The same rule applies to legal matters as well. You need a specialist in the particular field. It is better if you could find a lawyer who has experience in the particular kind of medical malpractice incident similar to your case.

Knowledge about the insurance laws of the state is also necessary. An expert lawyer would be able to understand which insurance laws are applicable to the case. He could deal with the insurance adjuster and help you get a better compensation for the injury or death that occurred due to the malpractice.

It is advisable that you choose a couple of legal firms specializing in medical malpractice cases at first. Most offer a preliminary discussion free of charge. This discussion is necessary as this would give you a clear idea about whether to hire the attorney or not.

When you go for the preliminary discussion with a Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice attorney you need to be prepared. You may be asked for your medical records and insurance details. Carry these on your visit with the lawyer.

You need to ask the lawyer relevant questions about the case. Discuss the best strategy to use in handling the case. It is also necessary to talk about the charges as well. Many attorneys take a part of the compensation as their charge. Clarify these beforehand to avoid any hassles later.

Legal Fees Are Too High, Pro Se Litigation On The Rise

 

   

With our economy at its worst, people loosing their jobs, the rate of divorce increases. Legal fees are high and people don’t want to go broke ending a relationship so the number of people serving as their own lawyers is on the rise across the country. 

Cases are no longer limited to uncontested divorces and small claims. Even people embroiled in child custody cases, potentially devastating lawsuits and bankruptcies are representing themselves, legal experts say. The trend has resulted in court systems clogged with filings from people unfamiliar with legal procedure. Moreover, some pro se litigants, as they are known, are making mistakes with expensive and long-lasting consequences — perhaps confirming the old saying that he who represents himself has a fool for a client. 

I filed for divorce in 2001 and it was finalized in 2007. Part of the time I had attorneys when I absolutely had no choice and it was clear the issue that was to be litigated, needed to be handled by an attorney.  Most of my case I handled myself.  I researched, read and became familiar with the family law court system.  I made mistakes, but learned from them quickly and made sure not to do it again.  

At one point, I had earned the respect from a judge and he granted a motion I prepared regarding my home.  I enrolled in Paralegal Studies. This gave me the advantage of how to prepare documents, how to research law, how to cite case law and codes. There are a few internet sites like Nolo.com, Legalzoom.com and Freelegalforms.net that can help you with document preparation.

While the fees lawyers charge vary widely, the average hourly rate ranges from around $180 to $650.00.  In California, about 80 percent represent themselves in civil family law cases such as, divorce, custody and domestic violence cases according to the Self-Represented Litigation Network.

Courts are absolutely inundated with people who do not understand the procedures. Many states offer self-help Web sites or desks at court offices that offer standard legal forms for such things as simple divorces. In some states, volunteer lawyers are made available to give legal advice to those who cannot afford an attorney.

The legal profession may not like the trend but realizes it is here to stay, and has gotten behind the effort. The American Bar Association is encouraging states to set up self-help desks and adopt standard forms.

Also, a majority of states have amended their attorney ethics rules to promote a growing practice known as “unbundling,” or representation “in which a lawyer handles just part of a contract, lawsuit, divorce or other litigation for a fee, rather than taking on the entire case.

My personal experience with having an attorney with limited representation was difficult. If you hired an attorney for one issue, sometimes in family law and dissolution, issues can be “bundled” together and you are left with half an issue dealt with.

The best advice, do your homework. Research case law, family law code, child custody laws, and child support laws in your state. Review the many forms to be filed. When you go to file documents with court, the family law clerk will review the documents before filing them and will always point out to you the mistakes and what needs to be corrected, you can count on that.

Home Based Businesses – Revealed

One new business is Varolo. The idea is you build a village (sponsor people) and watch commercials for 10 minutes a day. As your village creates their own villages is when you make money. You could conceivably need 500 people within your network to make any decent money. It’s worth looking into if you think you can get enough people to sign up and it’s completely free.I spent many hours researching Project Payday, tried it out, and read all the forum rules. So far I’ve been charged $12.95 for a service that was supposed to cost $3. When I tried out Equifax, I tried to sign in and couldn’t sign in to my account it took me over 20 minutes to cancel my account with the representative on the phone. I still have two services to cancel.The idea behind Project Payday is you “try” services and products and once you build up enough you get paid, say $20. You need to keep track of it though because the trial period may be 7 days free and then you get charged the monthly rate if you don’t cancel in time. Since you’d be doing a lot of offers to get paid any decent money, you would have to be highly organized to do this as a business. Plus, to really make money, you would need to become a trader yourself. This means you’re paying people $20 to earn a $600 PayPal card which isn’t $600 when you get it (because you paid people to do the offers for you.) I thought it was a lot of work, there are a lot of rules, and its tedious. There also seems to be difficulty in canceling offers and if you cancel all your offers you may be guilty of fraud because you’re trying offers for the trial period only, canceling, and getting paid to try them. There are not many offers and some require you to pay $39.00 for a service in which you get paid only $20. For instance, you have to sign up for Direct TV for $100 to get paid $20. In 8 hours of research, I made $30 and I’m trying to cancel all the offers now because I don’t want them.Similar to Project Payday is Inbox Dollars. You do surveys, trial offers, free offers (usually along the credit report variety) play games and other tasks to make money. You have to remain active in order to get paid and it can take 3 months to get a check. I “read” e-mails and made $30 but because I let my account go inactive, I never got paid. An example of a survey they offered was 30 minutes long and you’d get paid $.60. That means you’d make $1.20 per hour! Plus, you may not qualify for many surveys so they can be a waste of your time.Next, I tried AW Surveys, Surveyhead, and Opinion Outpost. Their surveys are similar to the ones on Inbox Dollars. Plus, when you’re filling out the survey it pops up with advertisements which become full blown ads at the end of the so-called survey. Again, they paid roughly $2.00 per survey which could take up to 30 minutes to do.So my advice is to stay away from these time wasters and focus on a top ten rated MLM and network marketing tools to build your business online. For more information please visit my blog.

Importance of Internet Marketing to Your Web Business

In the internet world of abundance, internet entrepreneurs attempt to stimulate demand for their products and services. The internet marketplace is flooded with numerous products and product variations, services providers, and ‘how to’ ideas of thousand of internet experts. This has led to individuals having a wide choice regarding which particular product or service among many he will purchase or subscribe to respectively, to satisfy his wants.Since most online buyers and prospects are faced with this problem of choice each time they want to make an online purchase, they tend to favor the product or service that, within their individual limited experience, has yielded the greatest amount of satisfaction in the past. In order to compete with these online buyer loyalties toward products, services, or ideas already established in the internet marketplace, online business owners, services providers, and information marketers must distribute information about their offerings though various internet marketing and advertising media vehicles.Do a little research online on companies and individuals offering internet marketing, or web sites designing services and you will discover that there are a lot of them. So fully established, some partially, while others, not at all. Now what is the fate of new individual or firm trying to join the internet marketplace and offering any of those services? Most of them usually gain converts slowly, if at all, because the major providers of such services have spent thousands of dollars in persuading customers and prospects to subscribe and use their services. These marketing and promotional expenditures have been justified, as evidenced by the continual rising of internet marketing budget, as compared to offline media vehicles such as television, radio, and newspapers.Web business owners and internet entrepreneurs can try to overcome online customers’ resistance toward market offerings by learning as much as they can about internet marketing or hire a company that specializes in internet marketing to help them market their web businesses.Internet marketing tools and media vehicles web business owners can learn how to use include banner ads, forums, blogs, social networking sites, RSS distribution, text-link ads, e-mail, autoresponders, PPC ads, search engines, article marketing, web directories, and social bookmarking sites.Marketing your web business is very important if you really want to be successful selling your products, services, or ideas on the internet, so it is very advisable to learn as much as you can about internet marketing, or hire a company that specializes in internet marketing and advertising to partner with you in marketing your business online.

Using Vital Records For Family Trees

Vital records can help fill in many of the gaps we have in our family history research. Once you have an ancestor’s name, you can find that person’s parents’ names and countries of origin by checking a marriage certificate or a birth certificate. All you need is a person’s name to find the date of death and burial place.

If you know a relative got divorced, then you will be able to look up any children they may have had on the divorce record. In addition to using the federal census records, the vital local records are valuable assets as well.

Most of the existing family genealogy records were collected by local governments, starting in the early 1900s. However, the Quakers and earliest immigrants to America were also very diligent note-takers, the Genealogical Publishing Company tells us. In the Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy 1750 to 1930, William Wade Hinshaw lists 455,000 Quakers from New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

In the monthly Society of Friends meetings, members listed all births, marriages and deaths dating as far back as 1850. Other records include early immigrant migrations from countries like Germany, Switzerland and Britain, as well as complete histories of the earliest ancestors to states like New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The CDs can be purchased for $39.99 to $59.99 at Genealogical and can be a great way to continue your search of early historical records.

If you want vital records after the 1900s, you will need to write a very brief letter explaining why you need these historical records, as well as your relationship to the person. You should also provide a telephone number where you may be reached. It’s important that you include as much information as you know.

For instance, for a marriage record, include the full names of both bride and groom, along with the month/day/year of marriage and the place of marriage. If you’re looking for a divorce record, then include both of the names, the date and place of the annulment. For birth and death certificates, include the names, dates, locations and parental information if you know it.

You may feel discouraged during your vital records search and feel as though you’re being “nickeled-and-dimed” for each page you’ve requested to have sent to you. There are several ways to get around this. You may wish to pay a genealogist to complete a number of searches for you at one price.

You may also wish to get a few family members to split the cost with you (or take up a $5/person collection at the next family reunion). There are also a number of free resources that may give you the basic information, which can be found at Freeprf.