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Archive for March, 2010

Global Warming Worries Lead to New Alternative Energy Ideas

Mar 31

Posted by Adriana in Global warning | No Comments

The fear of global warming has led to some interesting alternative energy ideas for the future that would have less impact on the environment. Constant research takes place daily for sources of energy that utilize our natural resources, have little repercussion on our atmosphere, cost less and are naturally renewable.

There has been much research in the area of solar power, tapping geothermal heat inside the earth, harnessing the power of the tides as an energy sources and wind turbines, but scientists are going further into their imaginations to develop energy from sources never thought of before.

For instance; scientists are studying marine algae in the hopes that they could generate power from the methane given off by rotting algae; the methane could then be harnessed to provide methane for burning to power industrial needs for energy. Corn is being tested as a fuel (ethanol) for cars, as well as home heating sources, and there are many other areas that you may not have thought about.

Early studies are looking at falling rain and how it might be used to generate power (same premise as harnessing wave power). I’m not a scientist, so I can’t even begin to explain how or why this might work.

The idea I like best is powering our own personal IPod, cell phone and home computer by walking power. A leg brace, equipped with an electricity generator, gets the power from your every step. Need it charged quickly? Go for a long run; need a little power to power my laptop to get me through the meeting, go walk an hour!

Can You Use a Green Energy Source like Water to Power a Car?

Mar 31

Posted by Adriana in Green energy source | No Comments

For more than a century, we rely on oil to fuel our cars. But did you know that the world’s oil is close to drying up because it is a nonrenewable resource? Well that may not happen tomorrow or next year but we are getting closer because of the demand in the world market. Why wait for that day when we can rely on a green energy source like water to power our cars.

Water can power a car? If you think that’s impossible, well it is already here but this is not yet being made on a commercial scale.

The German automobile BMW has produced the world’s first ever hydrogen powered car. While only 100 of these units were produced, you can already imagine if more of these vehicles are on the road.

The initial model namely the BMW Hydrogen 7 uses the body of the 760i model. Once you pop the hood, you will notice that the engine is different since it uses gas and hydrogen.

This just means we have not yet totally abandoned are dependence on gas. Given more time and money, the current 4.7 miles per gallon it can travel using water alone could hit double digits in the future.

The biggest challenge to using water as a green energy source as opposed to oil in vehicles is the engine. While there are cars around like the Prius which runs on electricity and gas thanks to fuel cell technology, the hydrogen combustion is less than 10 years old so you could say we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

To prevent the water from evaporating, this has to be stored in a large, 30-gallon, bi-layered and highly insulated tank so this does not evaporate into compressed gas. Another safety mechanism is the valves which are designed to open should the pressure within the tank exceed 5 bars.

With the success of the BMW H7, the company came out with a new car that is also partly powered by water known as the H2R. While we cannot yet put our garden hose into the fuselage to fill it up, this vehicle uses liquid nitrogen as a fuel.

Tests on this vehicle have shown it can achieve 285hp and reach a top cruising speed of 185.5 miles per hour. It can also accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour under 6 seconds.

But why use water? It is because hydrogen combustion is clean so it does not emit harmful gases into the atmosphere unlike cars that run on petrol or diesel that emit carbon monoxide. Studies have shown that it also weighs less than hydrocarbon-based fuels and burns faster than conventional gasoline.

So when can you expect to buy a car that uses water as a green energy source? Hopefully in the next 10 to 20 years. It is really up to the automakers because all we can do is wait until a better and clear car hits the dealership.

Right now, the best option we have are electric cars. Since its introduction in 1999, more people are using it because they don’t want to spend anymore for gasoline that could hit an all time high of more than $110 per barrel.

If water as a green energy source can be used to power a car, why don’t we do the same for solar power which has been around much longer?

Online Teaching: Is It Effective?

Mar 30

Posted by Adriana in Teaching | No Comments

Many people are gearing towards online teaching. Why more and more people are showing interest is because of different administrative and accessibility reasons. For school and program administrators, facilitating online education can be a lot easier than traditional teaching.

Why?

First, materials could be easily updated. Access to certain files can be restricted by using passwords, time and date access. Aside from that, teachers could also facilitate large classes easily and subject and course materials could be easily distributed.

It is also more flexible, since online teaching can encompass different limitations like time zones, geographic locations and physical limitations. Technology can also help in enhancing learning and knowledge among students. Technology would also allow your students to collaborate with other student. Teachers could also explore different teaching methods of presentation.

To make online teaching a great experience for both teachers and students, there are things that you can do.

- Set time frames at the beginning of the course. Use these times to respond or reply to student comments and questions. This practice would help a teacher develop discipline among students and at the same time set a routine for them. Make sure that students re well informed about the time frame you have set.

If there would be any circumstances that you should change the time frame for responses, then make sure that you students are informed of the changes. Give them adequate time to be informed of the changes.

You should also inform your students if you will be missing for any part or the duration of the semester.

- If you have assignments and discussions, then provide general feedback to the entire class. This would allow students to get exposed to other ideas and at the same time learn from each other. Give your students positive reinforcement and encouragement. Give them feedbacks that would actually help them in improving their work. Comments like “good” can never be sufficient. Give enough comments.

- Avoid over-facilitating. As a teacher, you do not have to answer all the questions. If you having online discussions, let your students answer to each other. For example, if somebody asked about a certain topic do not respond immediately. After a few days you would notice that some of your students will be giving feedbacks or answers on their own.

- To make sure that the participation or discussion is continuous, regularly post acknowledgment to student comments or post an idea that would encourage students to answer or post messages. Aside from that, avoid having long lulls in the discussion boards. There would be times when students would no be posting anything since there are nothing new to post about, so best to avoid those circumstances.

There are also tendencies that students would stray away from the topics and discuss something else. Guide your students and make sure that they would be discussing the topic. Redirect the discussion but do not appear to be harsh, use humor, jokes or graphics to redirect the discussion.

- Before you move on to a new topic, make sure to summarize or having a closing session about the topic. Make sure that students are united in understanding the concepts. This would be the time to level-off with the students so that they would not get lost in the next topic.

Online teaching has many benefits, it is flexible and technology can be explored in different ways so that you, the teacher and your students would benefit from it.

College Scholarship: Guide to Parents on Getting Financial Aid for their Children

Mar 30

Posted by Adriana in Scholarship | No Comments

Many believe that being a parent is the happiest moment in the life of a human being. Probably you still remember the excitement that you felt when your wife gave birth to your first child. There are times that you will not sleep because you want to take care of your child even in the midst of the evening. You want to ensure that he/she will sleep soundly through the night.

It is true that happiness comes with children in the family. However, such happiness could be achieved if you are responsible enough with your children. You need to provide all of their needs, starting from their infancy until the time that they are studying. Although it will really cost you a lot, you have the responsibility to your children, especially in giving them the education that they need.

If you have children who are now going to college, you have to think of their financial needs. Probably you still remember your own collegiate years and you are aware of the financial needs of an ordinary college student. However, the difference is that you are now the parent—you will now be the one to think of the different payments that you need to settle for your children’s college education, such as college application, scholastic assessment test expenditures, transcript of records, and others. Add to it the lodging and food allowance of your children if the college or university is far away from your own residence.

Thinking all of these college-related expenses could be overwhelming and bothering as well, especially if your salary is not enough to support such expenses and your family’s financial needs at the same time. But if you know how to get a college financial aid for your children, you will find out that everything will work out smoothly.

How you will start your search for the college financial aid for your children? Here are some tips that you can start with:

- When your children are still on their high school years, you should start searching for potential universities that offer college scholarships for deserving freshman students as well as financial aid programs funded by different organizations. You may start your search on the Internet to look for possible college financial aid options for your children.
- Once you find a prospective university, visit their main office and inquire for any college scholarship or financial aid offers.
- Always ask for the cut-off dates of filing and submission of college financial aid application forms.
- Tell your children about the importance of a scholarship to their college education. Make them aware that they have plenty of options to consider as long as they have good high school scholastic records. In this way, you will be able to motivate them to study harder and make good grades, thus increasing your chances of a good financial aid.
- You may also consider filing an application for financial aid programs funded by the Federal government. State-owned colleges and universities offer this kind of financial assistance to qualified and deserving students who want to pursue their college studies despite of financial difficulties. You may submit the FAFSA (Free Application Form Student Aid) personally.
- Make certain that you have completed all the FAFSA requirements (such as present statement of bank accounts, monthly income records, present mortgage information, and others) and understand the rights or specialadvantages before accepting the financial aid for your children. You may also check if the financial aid is renewable.

With different financial aid programs such as college scholarships and federal grants, you are assured of a bright future for your children despite of the financial difficulties that you are currently experiencing.

Choosing Your Tattoo Parlor

Mar 30

Posted by Adriana in Tattoos | No Comments

Once you have made the decision to get a tattoo you’ll need to find a qualified tattoo parlor. This is a very important decision, as it can easily make or break your tattoo. Before you decide on a tattoo artist or tattoo parlor, you must first see if they are qualified. There are hundreds of thousands of tattoo parlors out there, some better than others. If you go to a less than perfect tattoo parlor, you could very well end up with an infection that can cause you more trouble than you ever thought possible. Finding out how long a parlor has been in business is very important – as this will tell you how much business the parlor receives.

When you look for the best parlor you should always watch for those who have the best history with keeping their equipment clean. Clean equipment and a clean studio is without a doubt the most important consideration when dealing with tattoos. If the artist isn’t licensed or not a professional there will be little to no guarantee that the equipment is clean. Health is a big concern with tattoos for most people, and for good reason. If you are looking to get a tattoo you should always make sure that the artists are licensed, the parlor is clean – and the equipment is sanitized and cleaned after each and every tattoo.

The best tattoo parlors will welcome you in with open arms, anticipating your business. When you meet the tattoo artist, he should be friendly and not intimidate you at all, nor should he at any time attempt to push a design on you. Under no circumstances should the artist try and talk you into getting a more expensive tattoo design if all you want is something small and simple.

Pushy sales and unfriendly salesmen are common pitfalls with most businesses. Tattoo parlors should always be friendly and open to what you want. Although the more experienced tattoo artists will offer their opinions, they shouldn’t try to push you around. If a tattoo artists thinks there will be a problem with your design or if he thinks he can do anything to improve it, he will more than likely let you know. If he is able to save you some money, the higher quality tattoo artists won’t think twice about doing so.

Before you decide on a tattoo parlor to do your tattoo, you should always compare what’s available to you and weigh out your options. The higher quality tattoo parlors will cost quite a bit of money, more than the other parlors. This is to be expected, as the higher quality studios cost more to pay their artists and keep their parlor nice and clean. These parlors are among the best in the world, with sparkling floors and a clean interior. The tattoo artists here ensure that their rooms are clean, with most wiping down their equipment and materials every chance they get.

The ideal way to find tattoo parlors in your area or close by is to use the Internet and search or just open a local phone book. If you look for the keyword tattoos, you’ll find several that are relatively close to you. Once you have found some addresses, simply drive out there and take a look around. If you like what you see, you can always come back. You shouldn’t rush your decision – but instead look at what each tattoo parlor has to offer you.

Alternative Places of Learning in Schools

Mar 29

Posted by Adriana in Education & learning | No Comments

As many have come to know, schools are places of instruction and learning, depending on your standpoint. Students spend a very significant amount of time inside their respective classrooms, listening to the lectures and litanies of their teachers and instructors.

But sometimes, what you learn in the classroom does not come close to the things you learn outside of it. This article aims to explore other parts within a school that have the potential to give valuable lessons in and about life.

Our first stop is the gate. Yes, that gate. The sometimes rickety, sometimes rusty gate that serves as a boundary between school life and the outside world. The gate where you enter the hallowed grounds of the school. The same gate that so painstakingly gives students a choice: enter or do not enter.

Some make this choice unconsciously, resigned or just willing to step inside the campus to do their tasks. Others face a more conscious decision, others who aren’t too keen on the idea of attending school. In any case, the gate is a symbol for the first measure of responsibility in a student. Do your thing or skip class.

Next stop: the library. With its quiet atmosphere and often just-right room temperature, where else would be more conducive for studying, doing your homework, and…sleeping? Many have gone there intending to study, but instead of putting a book’s content into their head, they end up putting their head on the book. So the library is one place to test one’s will and discipline.

The cafeteria is another location in school that has the potential to teach alternative lessons to the students. For many, the canteen or cafeteria is only a place where they will take a quick lunch before proceeding on to cramming for their remaining homework. As author Douglas Adams once said, “time is an illusion; lunchtime doubly so.” Students, in many ways, can attest to that.

Still, the cafeteria is an invaluable environment that further makes the school a valid microcosm of adult society. On one hand, you have the economic aspect of the cafeteria. It is, essentially, a place where students get one of the basic needs in life: food. It is a market for a commodity, and thus represents problem solving in terms of how to budget one’s lunch money.

It may seem a trite task, but you definitely won’t be laughing when you are budgeting the lunch money of an entire family in the future. It is also the kind of microeconomics that poses such options to students: do I buy this lunch, or do I go for something cheaper and save money for that video game I want to play? This, then, provides a scenario where the student has to identify his or her priorities.

On another hand, the cafeteria provides a social environment as well. Who are the kids sitting together? In what way can you classify the groups? Who are left out? How do the students treat their teachers in the cafeteria environment, and vice versa? The cafeteria doubtlessly illustrates how robust and dynamic the interactions between this microcosm of society is.

The gate and the cafeteria are just a couple of locations within schools that surely offer valuable alternative lessons for the students who spend countless hours on their chairs facing a blackboard or whiteboard while listening to the drone of instruction. These locations allow a different kind of instruction altogether, the kind that the individual student finds out on his or her own. Sometimes, it is the kind of lesson that could prove to be more valuable than any formula or any fact.

Buying Jewish Paintings

Mar 28

Posted by Adriana in Painting | No Comments

I have a family that has commissioned me to find all of the Jewish paintings I can find. He has given me no budget constraints. I’m not sure why he doesn’t have guidelines set up for me to follow; he just wants to amass a collection quickly.

I found an oil on canvas that was a Jewish painting called Jewish meeting. The artist was Amparo Cruz Herrera. The artist is Spanish and this work exuded grace. I liked it a lot. I purchased it for eight thousand dollars. My benefactor was happy with the purchase.

My client made no distinction between Jewish paintings that were of a religious nature and those that were only painted by a Jewish person. I bought a rare Leon Bakst that was dated 1910. His subject was a person in an exotic costume. I’m not sure where my client plans to display it.

The next Jewish painting I found for him was a cityscape in oil of a deserted house in Veroia. This painting only cost six thousand dollars. Veroia is a Jewish neighborhood in northern Greece. I thought that this painting was a little bit unsettling.

I found another good Jewish painting for my client. The title of the painting was Juedisches Oesterreich Jewish Austria and was created by Frank Ettenberg in 2004. The person that sold me the painting said that the painting evoked a feeling of the artist’s state of being face to face with nationalism, his ethnic identity and an existential situation.

I found another Jewish painting I liked for four thousand dollars. The oil painting called Birds of Paradise was painted by Maurice Sterne. Sterne was a Jewish immigrant from Russia. He was the first person to have a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He exhibited 174 paintings, drawings and sculptures.

I found a Jewish painting of a cat that sold for thirty five hundred dollars. The artist of this work was Wettingfeld Zarojewski. I could not find any other work from this artist at all. My client really liked it. He is also a cat lover in addition to being a collector of Jewish art.

There was a wonderful Jewish painting of a woman seated. I fell in love with it on sight. The woman depicted looks so reflective and comfortable. I feel at ease just gazing at her.

I finally found a religiously significant Jewish painting for my client. The artist was Joan Landis and the title of the painting was Simhat Torah. This is the painting that was used by Pomegranate Publishing for their 2003 calendar and their greeting cards. I thought it was lovely.

I liked the Jewish painting by Joan Landis so much that I sought out more of her work. I purchased two paintings. One of the paintings was named Shabbat and the other one was Mikveh. I took the three that I purchased to my client and he fell in love with them. He asked me to find more of her work.

I found more work by Joan Landis and I purchased every one I came across. I found three more of the Jewish paintings on eBay at reasonable prices. I purchased Shavuot, Purim and Birth for three thousand dollars each. I felt like I got a bargain.

I liked the colors in the Jewish painting I bought called The Tailor Shop. This painting was created by Jacob Glushakow. He was an active member of the Jewish community in Baltimore. His parents were immigrants from Russia at the start of WW1. He has a painting that is still kept in the permanent collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

I was fortunate to find two Jacob Glushakow Jewish paintings on the same buying trip. The other painting I found was entitled Barn in Maryland. I liked it a lot and my client was very pleased with what I brought for him.

Finding fun when you school your children yourself

Mar 28

Posted by Adriana in Home schooling | No Comments

With the fast-paced environment that people have today, it is only common for parents to have lesser time for their students who are in school. Not because they want to, it’s just that the busy and competitive office or corporate world forces them to. If you are one of those parents who would love to spend more time with your kids, there is one option for you: school your children yourself.

This set up will not only give you more bonding time with your child but will also help you save money especially if you have toddlers. Also, you can save your child from the stressful environment—the school—at such a young age.

The role of parents in home schooling

At home, parents are the ones who must take in this responsibility of helping kids with assignments. Since they are older and more mature, they are expected to know more things. However, the traditional techniques and strategies for teaching might not work in all types of kids. There are those who get easily bored and would just not listen. There are also those who would get easily distracted by the things inside the house and would not pay attention to what the parents are talking about.

For parents who have these kinds of kids, the best way to go about it is to be more creative in making home schooling sessions a fun-filled activity. If things are presented in different and fun ways, the kids will be more interested and enthusiastic all throughout the teaching sessions.

Making home schooling an enjoyable experience

For those who would really want to help their kids who are having trouble in doing and finishing their academic works, the beast option is to find ways to be more creative. If the kids see that the teaching sessions are presented in a different manner—they will be more cooperative. The following are some of the things that parents could do when home schooling their kids:

1. Exert more effort to engage. Students—especially those who are young—enjoy activities that are fun-filled and engaging. If you give them help in their assignment, make sure that your attention is one hundred percent with the topic so the child will pay more attention. Remember, if the child sees that you are not really into what you are doing, he or she will also think of other things. When the child is distracted, it will be more difficult for him or her to absorb any information or learn anything.

2. Always be creative. This could be best exemplified by using props which usually aid kids that are visual learners. Home schooling could be more effective is the students when they are shown materials that can easily relate them to whatever it is that this being discussed. While holding teaching sessions, parents could use props such as toys and other materials for each respective subject.

3. Think out of the box. If you are schooling your children yourself, it would be best if you use different approaches so he or she won’t be bored. You can present the discussion in a different manner that he or she will enjoy. Out of the box would mean that you are willing to go out of your usual way just for the child to pay attention to what are you teaching.

Learning how to make a scrapbook

Mar 27

Posted by Adriana in Learning | 1 Comment

Learning to make a scrapbook is definitely one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and relaxing activities a person can get into. Aside from bringing out the creativity and resourcefulness in every person, it also helps people to organize memories and keepsakes in one place. Through the years, most people collect photos and mementos from their friends, family members, and loved ones. In order to organize these, more and more people are getting into scrapbooking.

The fun with album scrapbooking

One of the most common themes used in scrapbooking is album scrapbooking. This kind of theme usually involves the use of photos just like in several photo albums. In creating album scrapbooks, the first consideration should be the album itself. In the market today, there are two standard sizes of albums—the 8.5″x11″ and 12″x12″. If you are planning to create a family scrapbook, most scrappers will suggest that you use a 12″x12″ album because you will need larger space to accommodate all the photos and captions of your family members.

Other specifications of scrapbook albums include the post-bound albums that come with black or white cardstock pages and are covered by sheet protectors. The pages of which are bound into the album using three posts that enables it to be easily taken out so you can add or remove pages. This kind of album makes it easy for the scrapper to move pages around by pulling the cardstock out of the sheet protector or by sliding in a page where patterned papers are used.

Strap-hinge albums, on the other hand, are those albums that have flexible plastic straps in the cover that run through wire loops embedded in each page and expandable while the 3-ring binders or D-ring binders are those albums that are bound using rings that allow you to add or switch around pages quickly and easily. Aside from the album itself, other major considerations in album scrapbooking is the space or room and the supplies you’ll be needing such as:

- stickers that come in various themes, designs, colors, and sizes which are great but inexpensive and very fun and easy to use

- tags that can be used as major decorations

- cut-outs and punch-outs which are usually tags, alphabet letters, and laser lace borders that are used to decorate the page

- paper embellishments which are usually perforated so you can use them anywhere in the scrapbook,

- punches which are tools used to punch shapes out of paper that come in shapes of all sizes

- embellishments such as buttons, fibers or fancy yarns and threads, metal accents, beads, craft wire and fabric ribbon roses that are safely be used on any scrapbook page

- chalk or decorative chalks that come in a set with various colors and applicators perfect for shading and highlighting an album page

- eyelets which are great for attaching vellum to paper, for decorating a photo mat or for making a border and which also come in different sizes, colors and shapes

- rubber stamps that are very versatile and can be used for different purposes such as in card making

- die-cuts which are paper shapes made from that come in all sorts of colors and themes; embossed paper charms and

- templates which are ideal for unique embellishments that will make your album scrapbook great.

Learning to make a scrapbook using these materials is just a start of you fun and enjoyable journey in the world of scrapbooking!

Great Collections: Making Your Own

Mar 27

Posted by Adriana in Collections | No Comments

If you want to build your art collection, you should do so in an intelligent manner. This is so that everything you buy for your collection wouldn’t be considered as a waste of money. However, collecting art intelligibly would require you to master two things. First, is to have good research skills, and second the skill of collecting.

Starting On The Thought Of Collecting

Generally, as most people do, you’d probably have the knowledge of buying art on a piece-per-piece basis, yet still may not be thinking of plans like making multiple achievements as time passes by, or simply, building up a collection.

Although it is possible to find artworks that you like anywhere you go, and get to choose from an outstanding diversity of subject matters, mediums, and price ranges; doing so can still be confusing and intimidating, especially if you’re still starting. Questions such as: “How exactly do you push your way through and choose which direction to make an entrance?” “How can you relate one buy to the other?”; “How should you group or organize your art?”; “Are there ways of presenting it?”; and lastly “How can you do everything in an excellent manner?”; may come play in your mind.

However, once you get these queries off you head then you’ll get to understand the real meaning of “collection”, which is the crucial case of controlled and purposeful buying.

The Great Collections

Great collectors are extensively respected and usually as popular as the artworks they collect; such as the Rockefeller collection, the Chrysler collection, and the Phillips collection, to name a few. Such collectors are famous since they demonstrate a great deal of talent when choosing and organizing their art, just like the artists themselves are in making the masterpiece. Similarly, each piece of art in one great collection orders first-class attention as well as a first-rate price not just because the piece is good, but also of the name of the company it bears.

How Great Is ‘Great’?

So how exactly do great collectors become great? Well, experts believe that it is this skill of being able to categorize specific artworks from the billions of works existing and assemble them in such a manner aiming to advance or increase other’s understanding of such particular art or of art’s evolution in general.

For any kind of mature collection, the whole thing, as a group, becomes greater than the value of the parts. Thus, the collector becomes accepted to be a respected authority in the matter and in outstanding cases continues until he’s the one that sets the standards, establishes the trends, and influences the future of art collecting for all.

This is how meaningful and influencing great art collections can be. It all starts from a single piece of art, until the whole collection itself becomes a separate artwork from its components.

The First Step To Greatness

No matter how you see your collecting, whether recreational or serious, there are methods that you could use to get the most out of not only the value and quality of your art, but also your personal appreciation, enjoyment, and understanding of your art.

Thus, you should know that your first step to greatness is being real to your tastes. If you want to be a really great collector someday, then acknowledging and accepting that you like specific types of art without considering what other people say or what is popular in the market, would be the right thing to do.

Remember, in collecting, you’re making an artwork too which is composed of different specific pieces. How you’ll design your artwork is entirely up to you and not what other people think. So if you’ll be collecting, be sure to put your heart on it!