Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

Sometimes when you contact your local bank for a loan you have to fill out a long application and provide additional resources to verify your credit history. If you are just starting out with no credit and are interested in obtaining some means of credit and don’t want to go to your local bank a good option is to use a payday loan.

Most places require that you are over 18 and have a bank account. Payday loans offer a solution to help you rebuild or start building your credit. You can use the loan to pay bills or simply use it for entertainment if you are running short on additional funds.

The application process is simple and does not take much time. These loans were set for your convenience. In fact payday loans work with your payment schedule. Search for a payday loan center that meets your needs and what you are looking for. If you need to make some changes to your credit score, this would be a good stepping stone. Pay attention to the payback rates that are being offered.

Payday loans are easy for you to choose from and if you find yourself stuck for time, you can go online and fill out an application and funds will be deposited into your account quickly.

If you’re a student attending classes, you have probably experienced many moments when it was hard to make yourself settle down and study, even when an important exam was coming up.

If you’re like most students, you put off studying until the very last minute. The night before the exam, you’ll stay up all night cramming, getting little or no sleep. In the morning, you’ll drag yourself out of bed, psych yourself up with lots of coffee and some cigarettes, and go into the exam feeling exhausted, drained and jittery all at the same time. You’ll find it hard to focus or think, and you’ll be cursing yourself for not starting to study sooner.

And not surprisingly, unless you’re blessed with natural brilliance, or you happen to know the subject matter extremely well, you’ll probably do terribly on the test.

If this is your typical method of studying, you already know it doesn’t work. Every time you go through this ritual, you tell yourself that you’re going to smarten up the next time you face a big exam. Next time you’ll start to study weeks in advance, you say. But instead, you keep repeating this crazy pattern. Why does this keep happening? And what should you be doing instead if you want to get better marks?

A big problem for most people, especially those who are young students, is that life gets in the way. If you’re a student, you probably have a part time job, and like most young people, you also want to have a social life.

Studying can seem very boring compared to all the exciting temptations just outside your door. Or the games on your computer. Even watching old reruns of Sesame Street can seem more interesting than the biology text your teacher is expecting you to master!

One reason we often don’t start studying until the last possible minute is that we have misjudged how long it will actually take us to absorb and understand the material. If your mid-term is still six weeks away, that might seem like plenty of time left before you need to get around to studying. You might find however, that the subject matter is a lot harder to understand than you thought it would be, and all of a sudden there’s no time left to ask someone to explain it to you.

Another reason we often put off starting to study is that we are too overwhelmed with how big the project actually seems to be. Somehow we convince ourselves that putting off a tough study project can be the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed by it.

When we are faced with a study project that seems exceptionally difficult and overwhelming, it can be to maintain a high level of interest and motivation for the duration of the learning process.

If you have been guilty of all these bad study habits, it’s not too late to learn some other habits that will work better for you.

First, remind yourself why you want to do better in your studies. Maybe you need a good mark to get into a good college. Maybe you want a chance at a career that will pay you well. Always keep your end goal in mind.

You can put little cards up around your room with inspirational messages, and attractive photographs that will remind you why you want to do well in school.

If you feel very overwhelmed, you can improve your motivation and your performance by breaking up the project into smaller sections, or “chunks”. Each time you accomplish one little bit successfully, give yourself a meaningful reward.

If you have a deadline looming, decide how much of the project you need to tackle at one time.

Let’s say you have six weeks to master the content of a difficult biology text. Looking through the book you realize that if you study one chapter each night, you can get through the book in 28 days, leaving two weeks in which you can again review the material.

With this knowledge you can pace yourself. You know what your assignment is. You know how much you need to read every night. Concentrate on the immediate task at hand. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed by the entire book at one time. Next, work out a system of rewards for yourself. Give yourself a series of small rewards each time you master one chapter, and a larger reward for completing the entire book.

For rewards to work they must be immediate, and personally meaningful to you. There is no point in rewarding yourself with a new fishing rod if you hate fishing.

Rewards don’t need to be material objects if there is something else that would really motivate and inspire you. How about attending a special concert, or taking a special trip? You decide. Get creative and think of something that will spur you to take action.

It’s very important that the reward take place soon after the work has been accomplished. This creates a sense of positive reinforcement. Give yourself a small reward every time you finish a small part of the job, and a bigger reward when the project is completed. If there is too long a gap between the activity and the reward, it will not have the effect of reinforcing the desired activity.

Besides motivating yourself with a series of external rewards, learn to motivate yourself internally. Tell yourself you’re a good learner. Tell yourself you enjoy learning. Tell yourself you enjoy giving your brain a good work out. Congratulate yourself for your efforts. Tell yourself you love acquiring new knowledge, and let yourself feel a joy in learning. Be proud of yourself for the work you do to gain more knowledge.

For information to sink into your brain and be accessible to you, you need to review it several times, and your brain needs to sleep properly for the memories to be encoded in your neurons. You need to reduce your mental stress. Your brain needs good nutrition and it needs to be in a peaceful, confident state. Drugs and alcohol don’t help the process of learning.

Write out what you are learning in your own words, and find a learning buddy. Practice explaining to someone else what you have learned. This will increase the likelihood that your brain will remember it.

If you start to cram the night before, you are putting your brain at a big disadvantage.

You’re increasing your physical and mental stress, and you’re not giving yourself time to review the material several times. By cutting back on your sleep, you’re not giving your brain a chance to put the information you’ve been studying into the hard drive storage of your brain.

By starting your studies early, and reviewing what you’ve learned, you have a much better chance of remembering and understanding what you need to know when you face a big exam.

Royane Real is a science educator and the author of several books on improving learning. This article is taken from the new short report “Your Quick Guide to Improving Your Learning Ability” You can get the paperback version or download it from http://www.lulu.com/real

Copyright 2006 Jason Bibb

Racing car aerodynamics

The basic notions that are very important in building
aerodynamic cars are those that the vehicle has to be very
light, having a certain shape to cut the air and improve grip.
All these techniques in building aerodynamically balanced cars
can be found in the construction of racing cars. In producing
such a light car, some of the body parts are made from carbon
fiber, especially those in the front wing. The wing will produce
a down force because of its design, offering the car a good grip
on the road. Racing car aerodynamics are among the first
concerns of any racing car builder. The shape of the car helps
it use the air, so the car will stick to the ground at a high
speed and even use the air to push the car in front - finding
the perfect combination is not an easy task for the engineers. A
simple mistake in the measurements of the car components could
lead to accidents and driver injuries.

Building an aerodynamics car

There are some components of the car’s body that are very
important in creating the perfect aerodynamics for a particular
vehicle. The first one would be the wing that we were talking
about earlier. Another part is represented by the turning vanes,
which will redirect the turbulent flow from the wheels and front
wing. The wheels are the biggest problem in creating the perfect
racing car aerodynamic system. The turbulence from the front
wheels is reduced by the end plates, which will guide the air to
the radiators and the side pods. The perfect shape in creating a
racing car aerodynamics will be the shape of a flying bird.
Because of the aerodynamics, the car will create forces that are
pulling it to the ground, forces that will use the other car’s
air currents to gain a grater speed. These forces generated by
the air in combination with the racing car aerodynamics are very
important when the car enters a curve, considering the high
speed of the vehicle. The car has to stay on the ground and this
is made possible by the car’s aerodynamic shape. If we want the
car to have a good grip on the road, the flow of air which is
controlled by the shape of the car is important. However, the
road on which the car competes has to be flat - in case that the
road has bumps the car will loose the stability and the grip
created by the aerodynamic system.

If you are an expert or even generally knowledgeable in some field of study should you really have to take an entry level college courses? With the CLEP exams the answer is a resounding no. These exams allow you to finish a whole course with just one test.

Called the College Level Examination Program or CLEP for short, these exams were designed so that you can prove you have the knowledge to carry on into upper level classes.

CLEP exams are offered for just about every type of course. From English composition, to calculus, and then back to American history there is a CLEP for most courses. Each of the exams is intended to cover the material that you would study in a one semester course. Most CLEP tests are 90 multiple choice questions but some, such as English composition, have essay sections.

Unfortunately there is one catch to the CLEP exams. As with all education they cost some money. Currently each CLEP exam costs $55 to register. As you can see compared to a college credit this is quite the bargain. When you also add in the time it would have taken for the course this becomes quite the bargain. One final note on payment is that the American government pays for all military personnel to take CLEP exams, so if you’re just getting out of the service and looking for more education this can be a great start.

One note of warning, before signing up for CLEP, make sure your college accepts these tests. Although they are currently accepted at over 2900 colleges there are still some that do not accept CLEP exams as credits.

One great way to prepare for a CLEP exam is to use study guides. For reviews and information on online resources please visit CLEP Study Guides Reviewed(http://www.clepinfo.com/index.php).

Please feel free to reprint this article. All I ask is that the link is placed at the bottom.

Although the concept of “mobile learning” is quite new, it has
developed at a fast rate and is becoming popular with all age
groups. Cell phone applications are becoming easier to use while
offering complex learning and education factors.

There are virtually no limits to what you can learn from cell
phone applications. Mobile learning can reach all fields of
study and you can use your cell phone to get new facts about
business, culture, social issues, education, entertainment and
more. Modern cell phones offer larger displays, which are more
suitable for mobile learning. You can also see graphics and
visual support implemented in some of the learning applications
you can use on your cell phone.

Traditional learning Vs. Mobile learning

Learning something from a small cell phone screen is different
than reading a book or browsing through an online learning
application. And although most people would prefer the
traditional way of learning when the conditions are appropriate,
mobile learning has the great advantage of accompanying you
everywhere. For various reasons including limited battery life,
mobile learning is not a process that occupies contiguous hours
of time. Assimilating information from an application installed
on your cell phone is a process consisting of several short
bursts of information intake, rather than a continuous study.

Mobile learning benefits and weak points

Although limited by screen size, the cell phone keypad and
shorter battery life, mobile learning still presents users with
a series of benefits that can’t be ignored. Mobility is
essential in today’s fast paced world, and mobile learning
applications are perfect for such situations. User interactivity
levels are also high (please visit www.gotestgo.com for more
information) and this makes the learning process more involving
and thus it allows for easier information assimilation. Mobile
learning applications give cell phones a whole new dimension and
take learning at a new level of interaction and accessibility.

For updated information please visit: HREF="http://www.gotestgo.com" rel="nofollow"> Go Test Go Mobile Technology and
Cell Phone Learning

* Platinum Design -
Free graphic and web design resources

What is an MBA worth? It depends. There is no one correct answer that applies to everyone. Career goals, personal circumstances, and occupational requirements are some of the major factors to consider.

Think of getting an MBA as an investment and weight the risks and benefits accordingly.

There are several potential advantages in getting an MBA:

* Recognition from others and self-satisfaction in earning an advanced degree

* Gain enhanced strategic thinking and managerial effectiveness

* Higher pay than someone with less education

* More upward job opportunities, especially management positions

* Larger professional network through faculty, fellow students, and others you meet while in an MBA program

There are some potential disadvantages in getting an MBA:

* You may be considered by some companies, especially the smaller ones, as too expensive

* An MBA may not be required for your career goals

* Emphasis on the MBA might not be worth as much as years of experience to some employers

The cost of an MBA is of its most daunting aspects. But, according to research conducted by Forbes, despite a shaky economy and job market, an M.B.A. still pays for itself in the long term. The average time to recoup your investment is 3.1 years.

An MBA will improve your strategic-thinking skills, develop your leadership abilities, and foster managerial effectiveness. These are skills needed by every type of enterprise. If your career aspirations require the edge of an MBA, it remains a good investment for your future.

Manik Thapar (MBA)
http://www.careerpath.cc

1. For children who have difficulty with orthographic coding, it may be helpful to tape an alphabet line to the corner of their desk for easy reference.

2. Students with graphomotor problems should be given extended time to complete written assignments and/or a reduction in the volume of written output. For example, if the exercise given is to correctly capitalize and punctuate sentences or a passage, these should be provided to the student in typed form so that he/she has to only correct the work, rather than write it and then correct it. Also, if the assignment is to answer the questions at the end of the chapter in social studies, the student should be required only to write the answers, not both questions and answers. Additionally, he/she should be allowed to state answers in short phrases. In other words, if the subject matter being assessed is knowledge of information presented in the social studies chapter, it is this that should be assessed, not how competent the student is with the physical act of writing, or how much writing interferes with his/her ability to demonstrate his/her knowledge of social studies.

3. Children with handwriting difficulties may need to be given the opportunity to provide oral answers to exercises, quizzes, and tests.

4. Learning to type is helpful for these students. Writing assignments should be done in stages. Initially, the child would focus only on generating ideas. Next, he/she would organize his/her ideas. Finally, the student would attend to spelling and mechanical and grammatical rules. There are computer software programs available with spell and grammar checks.

5. Students with graphomotor problems may need to be provided with information presented on the board or on overheads in written form, such as teacher-prepared handouts or Xerox copies of other students’ notes.

6. Children with handwriting problems should be provided with written outlines so that they do not have to organize lectures or class materials themselves. This becomes particularly important in junior high grades.

7. Parents should be given the opportunity to purchase an extra set of textbooks for the purpose of highlighting, particularly for content area subjects. Also, notes may be made on Post-Its and then the Post-Its could be attached to a larger sheet.

8. It is often necessary to use alternative grading systems for children with graphomotor problems. One grade would be given for overall appearance and mechanics of writing, and the second for content.

9. When writing reports, it may be helpful for the student to identify his/her own errors and to correct these after learning specific strategies to do so. He/she would then list his/her most frequent errors in a workbook and refer to this list when self-correcting.

10. It should be stressed to school personnel that slow work habits are often a result of graphomotor difficulties and do not reflect deficits in motivation.

11. Electronic devices, such as the Franklin Speaking Spelling Ace may be helpful for students with handwriting problems.

Dr. Thorne is the clinical director at the Center for Development and Learning, a nonprofit organization that specializes in the development and dissemination of research, knowledge, and best practices that impact teaching and learning.

Getting a bachelor’s or master’s degree may seem an insurmountable obstacle when you’re working a 40-hour week. But many Americans who have work, family and financial obligations that keep them from quitting their jobs to attend a traditional college or university full time have succeeded in finding a new way to meet their education goals and advance their careers.

Called distance learning, it’s an approach that’s taking the country and especially the Internet by storm. Dozens of accredited colleges and universities now offer online bachelor degree programs that require students to spend little or no time on campus. In most cases, you can learn to earn from the comfort of your own home.

The nation’s largest accredited private university, the University of Phoenix, is a good example of the trend toward distance learning. It offers online bachelor degree programs in business, technology, health care, education, and social and behavioural science. At the beginning of 2002, the last year for which figures are available on the Department of Education website, the University of Phoenix had more than 107,000 students enrolled in programs offered in classrooms and via the Internet through the school’s online campus.

While getting a degree from an accredited online university like the University of Phoenix can substantially boost your lifetime earning profile, online learning isn’t for everyone. Online learners do best when they’re highly motivated, are able to learn outside a traditional classroom environment, and have good computer skills and their own home computer.

If you fit this profile, here’s a basic checklist you’ll need to review before choosing an online degree program:

• Do you meet the academic requirements?
Like a traditional brick-and-mortar college, online universities have admission requirements that may vary according to your course of study. Certificate and online bachelor degree programs will require a high school diploma or GED certificate. Entrance requirements for graduate degrees will vary with the online degree program. At the University of Phoenix, for example, most graduate degree programs require a minimum of three years of related work experience and a bachelor’s degree with a 2.5 GPA or higher.

• Is the online university accredited?
Accreditation is a process that colleges and universities submit to voluntarily in order to receive their credentials. Because there are no national accrediting standards, you should research your school’s credentials and accrediting association. The U.S. Department of Education or the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation recognizes six regional and about 80 professional accrediting associations in the United States. The University of Phoenix, for example, is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

• Have you put your own goals first?
Take some time to research your options from the point of view of your own goals. To determine which school best fits your academic profile and educational goals, first list your criteria. Then, evaluate online degree programs based on their accreditation, features, and expenses. Once you have chosen several schools that interest you, visit their websites for more information. All online universities provide free, detailed information about their degree programs and free online access to enrollment counsellors. Ask school officials questions about such things as enrollment numbers, graduation rate, faculty qualifications, and any confusing details about the application process or academic policies.

• Can you afford it?
If you’re considering an online bachelor degree, make sure you can afford the costs for tuition, books (if any), and other admin or online fees. Remember, too, that you may not have to cover the entire cost of your online education alone. At the University of Phoenix, 59% of the University’s students receive all or part of their tuition from their employer. Even if your employer won’t spring for the cost of making you a better employee through continuing education, there are still other financial options available, including federal grant and loan programs with low interest rates.

Distance learning, especially in the form of an online university, is a great way to advance your career through an online bachelor degree or even a graduate degree in your chosen field. Following these guidelines will help make your search for the right online degree a pleasant and fruitful one.

About the author:
Dana Smith, Detroit, MI, USA
More Details about the University of Phoenix and online bachelor degree here. Dana Smith is a free-lance writer whose interest in many consumer-related topics also includes the phenomenon of online education.

Learning to type is not difficult at all.

Note: I did not say that it’s easy to learn to type.

Learning how to type takes time and practice. But once you learn
typing and you practice typing for some type, you’ll master
great typing skills and as time goes on, you’ll find yourself
typing with all the greater typing speed.

Got it?

Touch typing is not difficult. You can certainly do it.

What is touch typing? Typing “blindly”, by not looking at the
keyboard and your fingers, is called “touch-typing.” Why?
Because you type with the sense of touch; you touch the keyboard
and you type… You do not type with the sense of vision,
because you do not look with your eyes at the keyboard. Your
eyes just look at the manuscript, or on the computer screen.

But, who said that you must learn-to-type the hard way? Actually
you can have a lot of fun while learning to type.

First, there are great typing tutor software that will teach you
typing with many different kinds of activities, and some are
really great fun to use.

Furthermore: most typing-tutors will offer typing games too, so
you’ll have a great time enjoying yourself with keyboarding
games (typing-games), while learning to type!

You don’t even have to own a “typing-tutor” in order to play
typing games. This - for 2 reasons. First, you can learn to type
online with online typing services; they might offer typing
lessons, as well as great typing speed games.

Second, you can get a stand alone typing game program, which is
not a full-featured typing tutor program.

But, why would you want to do this? You can buy for a great low
price a full-blown typing program, which is both a typing-tutor
program *and* also includes typing-games as part of the
keyboarding activities and typing practice.

So, bottom line, what is my suggestion?

My best piece of advise is: go for a great typing tutor program,
which has both typing lessons (and typing tests an exercises)
and also typing and keyboarding games. This way, you’ll have all
in one.

Or - here’s another option: learn to type online with an on-line
typing tutor service. Make sure you get access (for a low
monthly fee) to online typing lessons, online typing tests and
online typing games.

Good luck with your typing games!

And of course, don’t forget to visit me at w
ww.online-typing-tutors-town.com/typing-games.html. See you
there:-

Ladies, if you could equip your friends and family with an invisible “bulletproof vest” that would protect them from any unseen dangers, you would do it in a heartbeat. Having a secure way of ensuring your loved ones’ safety all day, every day, would definitely make your job easier. And what if I told you that your search for this invisible, yet effective “bulletproof vest” is merely a mouse click away? That lifesaving product is called sunscreen.

Sunscreen, when used properly, works much akin to a thin and almost invisible bulletproof vest that contains organic molecules that absorb, scatter, and reflect UV rays, thus protecting you from a silent killer called the sun. Over-exposure to UV rays means a significantly increased risk for skin cancer, which is the world’s most commonly diagnosed cancer.

In fact, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, someone in the United States dies every hour from melanomathe deadliest form of skin cancer. Yet, 90% of skin cancers are preventable if we are proactive about properly protecting ourselves from over-exposure to UV-rays from the sun. Among the simplest, most effective preventative measures we can take is by properly and regularly applying sunscreen.

Two decades ago, sunscreen was relatively unheard of, whereas today it has become apart of our common jargon. Heightened awareness of skin cancer and the importance of sunscreen, even sun protective clothing have, in ways, only further confused us and perhaps even caused us to ignore the warnings.

Have you ever wondered why there have been occasions when you slapped on a pound of sunscreen before hitting the lake only to return home burnt to a crisp? The problem is, we are told to use sunscreen but we aren’t instructed on how to properly apply it; to maximize its efficacy.

Unlike a bulletproof vest, however, sunscreen must be re-applied in order for it to properly provide protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Consider the 30-20-2 rule: Apply a SPF 15+ sunscreen to your skin at least 30-minutes prior to going outdoors (even on cloudy days), then reapply within the first 20-minutes of being outside to reinforce the protective barrier the sunscreen provides, and then apply sunscreen consistently in two hour intervals. For children under 18, sunscreen must be applied every hour. The reason sunscreen works in this way is based on the mechanics of our skin.

Our skin works much like a sponge does. The top layer of our skin, called the epidermis, absorbs sunscreen, forming a protective layer on the skin that blocks UV rays from reaching the melanocytes (or “pigmentation cells”) that lie deep within the skin. Yet, your skinthe largest bodily organreaches its saturation point after approximately two hours, thus leaving you unprotected and causing sunburn and/or other skin-related damage. Hence, it is imperative that sunscreen must be reapplied in order to enhance its protective powers.

Alas, not all sunscreen products out on the market today work proficiently. To deliver optimum level of protection, sunscreen must have sufficient amounts of essential ingredients. In other words, when choosing a sunscreen product for your family, take a look at the bottle; make sure it contains proven effective agents such as zinc oxide and Parasol 1789.

Furthermore, make sure the product is a broad-spectrum formula, meaning that it blocks both UV-B and UV-A rays. If the sunscreen is not broad-spectrum formula, do not buy it. You are not being sufficiently protected nor “covered” if your sunscreen does not clearly indicate that it protects from both UV-A and UV-B rays.

The significance of a broad-spectrum sunscreen cannot be over-emphasized. UV-B and UV-A rays have varied affects on your skin, your immune system, and your body as a whole. UV-B irradiation disrupts the melanocytes (the cells deep beneath the epidermis of your skin responsible for your pigmentation), causing them to release the “redness” known as sunburn.

Any change in the color of your skin as a result of over-exposure to the sun is a sign of damage, even if your skin tends to “tan” as opposed to burn. When this occurs, your melanocytes are trying to tell you that normal, healthy cells have been severely disrupted and therefore are attempting to compensate for that damage.

On the other hand, damage to your skin caused by UV-A irradiation is far more serious. UV-A rays are especially harmful as they penetrate deeper, breaking bonds of DNA which lead to cancer. You typically do not see the immediate effects of UV-A rays, but they are the chief culprit behind photo-aging and wrinkling in addition to actinic keratoses, a pre-cancerous skin condition. Damage to your cells as a result from over-exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or from a tanning bed is un-repairable.

Consider the following analogy: Have you ever left a basketball outside in the hot summer sun for a lengthy period of time? And after you retrieved the ball, you immediately notice that the elasticity of the ball is weakenedit feels “rubbery” and never quite “bounces back”? This is exactly what happens to your skin as a result of prolonged UV-A exposure. Both UV-B and UV-A rays have cumulative affects and coupled together often lead to melanoma skin cancer.

Thusly, make sure you understand “SPF” when purchasing a brand of sunscreen, and do not be fooled by those that claim to deliver a high level of protection. For starters, “SPF” stands for sun protection factor (or “sunburn protection factor”). The way SPF works can be best described by the following example: A SPF 20 sunscreen is only allowing five out of every 100 UV protons to reach your skin. In other words, it is blocking out 95% of the UV rays from reaching your skin.

That being said, dermatologist-oncologist Sancy A. Leachman, director of the Tom C. Mathews Jr. Familial Melanoma Research Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, recommends a SPF 15 sunscreen as ideal for daily, year-round use. Yet, if you are planning a long, leisurely day at the lake (or even a marathon day on the ski slopes), you will want to opt for a SPF 30 sunscreen, such as Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, and be sure to apply the 30-20-2 rule so as to prevent a painful reminder of your day of recreation.

In reality, sunscreen usage among Americans today has decreased by nearly 60%, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Dermatology. Could the lack of sun safety behavior be contributing to the ever-increasing skin cancer incidence and mortality? Certainly, the world’s most common cancer could be easily prevented if we are proactive about choosing effective sunscreens and properly, proactively maximizing their efficacy.

Danielle M. White, CEO www.SunSavvy.net, offers a FREE newsletter including proper use of sunscreen & other sun protection products.