A Droid Docking Station Turns Your Phone Into A Multimedia Experience

You would have to be living in a cave not to be flooded with advertisements for the latest and greatest cell phones. Each cellular company is out there to promote their most current “toy”, attempting to grab your attention. Do not get me wrong, I like the toys, and recently discovered a great addition to my Motorola Droid 2. Just when I thought my phone had all the bells and whistles to keep me amused, I am introduced to a Droid docking station.

As the name implies, a docking station is a device that allows you to “dock” your phone. Docking stations have been around for a long time, and you might be more familiar with the ones that accompany a variety of laptop computers out there. Well, with a station for my Droid, it allows me some additional features and simplifications not readily available with just the phone.

One of the greatest features of my multimedia station is the fact that I can essentially dock and charge. There is no need to connect and disconnect the charging cord. I simply put my phone in the station and it begins the charging process immediately. I frequently have forgotten to plug in my phone charger adapter, and have found myself with a dead phone the next morning. Now that I have this docking device, I never even worry about that anymore.

I have used my Droid phone, as well as my previous phones, as my alarm clock. As long as I had remembered to recharge it, I knew that I would be provided with my “wake-up call” every morning. Where I live there has been frequent power outages and a traditional alarm clock has not been reliable. With my Droid docking station, I can seat my phone so that it doubles as an alarm clock, right there in an upright position.

Another great feature is the ability to play my music and videos seated in the docking station. I actually have a second station at my work so that I can listen to the latest tunes on my Droid. I have to say that this is a feature I absolutely love. On my desk I can see the time and weather, watch videos and listen to music, all the while my phone is continually charged and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

One hangup I did have with the Droid docking station was regarding the cover I have on my phone. With the protective case I use, I was unable to fit my phone in the docking station. This was an easy fix however, as I found a great alternative protector for my phone that does allow my phone to fit. Problem solved. Actually, the new protective cover I have makes my phone more compact and lighter too, so that is an added bonus.

Holistic Universities – Meeting Alternative Education Demands

Find Holistic Universities in the United States and Canada. While the fields of alternative and holistic medicine continue to expand, so does the growing demand for integrative and complementary healthcare. This explains the phenomenal development and rise of holistic universities.

Today, one can choose from any number of holistic universities that offer a broad spectrum of healing arts modalities. Whether you elect to enroll in a chiropractic course of study, or if you are more drawn to massage therapy, then holistic universities can provide you with education and training to meet your personal and professional aspirations. Chiropractic holistic universities do, however, require prerequisite education from an accredited college or school. Furthermore, students choosing to pursue their doctor of chiropractic degree will quickly discover that the majority of chiropractic holistic universities call for a mandatory 4,000+ hours of clinical, class and lab training.

Holistic universities offering bodywork programs, for example, will typically provide education and practical training in musculoskeletal anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, deep tissue massage, sports massage and Swedish massage. For more advanced courses, a number of holistic universities will extend hands-on instruction in acupressure/shiatsu, Chinese medical massage (Tuina), cross-fiber massage, craniosacral therapy, Rolfing technique, lymphatic massage, Thai massage, and a variety of other specialty bodywork methodologies.

Holistic universities offering Oriental medicine studies will give students an opportunity to learn about Eastern medicine philosophies, including education in acupuncture, Qigong, Chinese herbal medicine, needling techniques, moxibustion (cupping), and other related coursework.

There are also holistic universities that offer training to students who desire to become holistic health practitioners. Applicants who engage in this course of study will gain a wealth of knowledge and skills in holistic health modalities including instruction in mind-body-spirit medicine – which may involve energy healing therapies, bodywork, herbology, natural health, nutrition (vitamins, supplements, etc.) and associated classes in anatomy, physiology and pharmacology.

Overall, conventional medicine is no longer the only proverbial “kid on the block” for treating common illnesses, ailments and disease; holistic universities provide the necessary academics and training to accommodate the popular demand for holistic MDs, chiropractics, acupuncturists, massage therapists and the like.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding holistic universities, let career training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs [http://school.holisticjunction.com/clickcount.php?id=6634739&goto=http://www.holisticjunction.com/search.cfm] near you.

Holistic Universities: Meeting Alternative Education Demands
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Culinary Arts Scholarship For International Students

A culinary arts education is expensive. But just because you don’t have the money to pay for it, doesn’t mean you can kiss your culinary career dreams goodbye. Regardless of who you are or where you’re from, there’s always an opportunity to getting that degree.

Culinary arts scholarship for international students is being offered by some culinary institutes. There are several culinary arts schools that provide financial aid to qualified individuals. The Johnson & Wales University for example has the International Presidential Scholarship which is aimed to provide financial assistance to full-time, undergraduate day-school international students. This culinary scholarship for international students is available only for the academic year and does not cover the summer term. It can also be renewed for up to 4 years to full time, undergraduate, day-school education, as long as the beneficiary of the culinary arts scholarship for international students is able to maintain a grade point average of 2.75. All international students who want to apply for the scholarship must submit an international admissions applications together with their high school transcript of records.

IF you wish to apply for the culinary arts scholarship for international students at the Johnson & Wales University, you need to create an online account first. Follow all the instructions on the online application webpage and make sure that all fields are correctly filled up. If you decide to partially fill out the form just yet, you may save the information and continue where you left off whenever you decide to. You can fill out the application in several sessions and you don’t have to retype the data that were previously stored and saved. Application payments are also made online and you will have the chance to see when your application was received by the school.

There are other things that you need to accomplish if you want to apply for the culinary arts scholarship for international students at the Johnson & Wales University. Aside from the online application, you also need to mail in a certified bank statement or a government sponsorship letter which confirms financial assistance for one academic year, an International Student Financial Declaration Form, results of the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with at least a 550 score on the written test or at least a 210 score on the computerized one, official documents verifying high school completion, and transcripts, diplomas and/or certificates, and other pertinent documents needed for transfer credits.

The dream of a culinary arts career is within grasp, with or without the money to pay for a culinary education. So, if you really have the zeal for foods and the deep passion for preparing them, nothing can get in the way of attaining your dream.

Commercial Real Estate Brokers – Ask Powerful Questions of Yourself Today

In commercial real estate brokerage, you should ask powerful questions of yourself on a regular basis. In this way you can find the right path of action to move ahead and challenge yourself to improve your skills and results.

Failure to adjust to the market and the economy will see your competitors gain ground with listings and clients. Stay ahead of the changes and help your clients and prospects move with the market.

The industry segments of sales, leasing and property management all have advantages in the market place at any time; you just need to see them and follow through with momentum. Tenants, landlords, property investors, and business owners will provide lots of leads and opportunities if you are connecting with enough of them every day.

Far too many brokers and agents take the days and weeks as they come; the pressures of the day then take over. They do not look at the ‘bigger picture’ and the things that are really holding them back. They fail to make personal adjustments.

Deal with your weaknesses and remove them from your business model; they are likely to be the biggest things that are holding you back from growing income.

To get anywhere in this real estate industry it is vital that you know what is going on around you and how you are responding to that. Do not accept that any situation is as it has to be. Question change and drive better performance in sales, leasing and property management. Your clients need help on property issues, and when the time comes for them to act, you want them to remember you.

Here are some critical questions to ask of you today, as a sales professional in commercial real estate:

  • What are your targets and goals for the next 12 months?
  • How have you improved market share over the last 12 months?
  • What values or skills make you stand out as a relevant and high quality broker?
  • What plan are you working to?
  • How can things improve so that your market share grows?
  • What needs to happen over the next 90 days to change and improve your client base and commissions?
  • What would your clients say of you after a completed transaction in sales or leasing?
  • What are you not good at that could be holding back commissions and listings?

Don’t be satisfied with the ‘status quo’. Understand that personal improvement can and should occur. None of us are perfect and even the top agents and brokers in the market can improve skills and knowledge. The results that we achieve are largely based on the ‘value’ and skills that we bring to our clients and prospects. Seek to improve those factors.

Five Indications That You’re Ready to Upgrade to Satellite Internet

Twenty years ago, dial-up internet was cutting-edge technology, but today it’s an incredibly outdated service that a surprisingly large number of people are still relying on. Many people simply haven’t upgraded their internet connections because they haven’t put much thought into it. Since dial-up internet was great 20 years ago, some people think it’s still a suitable service today, but in reality it isn’t. People who utilize dial-up services access the internet at a rate that is at least 50 times slower than nearly any other internet option, but instead of being so left behind, they could easily switch to speedy satellite internet. Switching to satellite is easier and more affordable than you might think, and this great service is available anywhere in America. Here are five signs that you need to make the switch away from dial-up internet to faster satellite internet service:

5. When you find yourself multi-tasking because it takes so long for websites to load, then it’s time for you to upgrade your service. You shouldn’t have to wait more than 30 seconds for a website to load, but if you’ve still got dial-up service, then it often takes several minutes, or even hours for the content of a website to load. Waiting that long gets boring very quickly, but with a faster connection, you’ll find that you never have to wait or find extra things to do because you’re bored.

4. If it takes you more than half an hour to download any TV show, then you should get rid of your old service. Dial-up internet isn’t serving you well, but you can increase your downloads by up to 50 times faster if you switch to satellite internet service.

3. When you try to call your friends and family online using a service like Skype or Google Video and you experience a lot of problems, it’s probably because your internet connection is so slow. People with slow internet service often have their internet calls dropped or the picture or sound are often choppy. Get faster internet service to experience hassle-free internet calls.

2. If you try to look at your friends Facebook photos, but it takes several minutes for just one of them to load, then you should upgrade to satellite internet. Everyone wants to be able to easily keep in touch with friends and family members online, which is why tools like Facebook are so popular. Yet, if you have to wait a long time just to see one photo that someone has uploaded, then you’re wasting a lot of unnecessary time and many people simply give up trying.

1. When you want to watch that funny YouTube video or that important news clip that everyone has been emailing around, you’ll be forced to wait excessively long periods of time for those videos to load. Dial-up service was created before many videos ever existed on the internet, and in order to watch those videos in a reasonable time frame, you’ve got to upgrade to satellite internet.

Reasons to Get a PhD in Educational Leadership Through Educational Technology

Since technology has become part and parcel of our everyday lives, we have accepted its company as though the air we breathe. Similarly in the teaching environment, younger aged students quickly grasp the technical side of technology. They may not actually understand why technology is useful but rather it’s a means by which we live. As it may come as a surprise to many, technology is not exactly the do-all and see-all. Technology as a tool remains a steadfast fact. It does not supersede man unless it’s one of those horror science fiction flicks whereby robots take over the world and make man into their slaves.

In order for a teaching professional to better understand how and when to incorporate technology as part of their profession, obtaining a PhD in Educational Leadership through Educational Technology is a good avenue to look into. As part of this doctorate program, the student is made to understand how modern technology shapes the education process. It also imparts clear statements on what technology represents. Being able to identify the latest in processor chips, memory specifications, smart devices, applications and the likes is just a tip of the iceberg. A student is exposed to the role of technology in education, when to include technology as part of the process and when to abstain. When applying technology into the education process, various types of technology are up for discussion and selection. Manufacturers of hardware and software scramble over one another to convince educational leaders of their superiority and latest advancement.

As part of the coverage in a PhD in Educational Leadership through Educational Technology program, the PhD student learns the principles, aspects and importance of designing a curriculum to better apply education into daily lives. The curriculum may or may not adopt technology as an active participant as conventional pen and paper works better at times. In incorporating technology into the education, care is taken to ensure technology complements the curriculum.

Upon completion of this doctorate programs, many candidates pursue a career at academic institutions of higher level such as colleges and universities. Some opt for consulting positions by providing services to assess an institution’s methods in using technology as a tool for education. Others may join governmental or educational authorities to participate in think tank projects to promote education with technology.

How to Consolidate Private Student Loans at a Fixed Rate

Whether you are a college graduate and/or have more than one student loan you are probably looking for some ways to save some money. You can save money by consolidate private student loans at a fixed rate.

Why Consolidate Private Student Loans at a Fixed Rate?

There are so many benefits to consolidating your student loans. Consolidating your student loans simply means that you will have another lender combine all of your student loans into one, easy and manageable loan where you can pay just one payment instead of trying to keep track of your various loans and payments and balances. Once you graduate from college you will be busy in your new career and new life. Managing various student loans will not be something you will want to add to your daily schedule.

Here Are Some Of The Benefits Of Consolidating Your Private Student Loans

Lower Payments: By consolidating your private student loans you will get some financial relief by getting your monthly payments lowered.

One Payment: Instead of having to keep track of your various student loans and your various payments, you will have only one to worry about, as well as one easy monthly payment.

Lower Fixed Interest Rate: When you consolidate your student loans you will reap the benefits of a lower and fixed interest rate, which will lower your long term and overall payments to your lender.

Credit Rating: You can actually help better your credit rating by consolidating your student loans into one loan that you pay to only one lender. The more outstanding debts you have on your credit report the worse it will look to lenders and creditors. By creating just one loan out of two or more loans that are outstanding you will increase your credit rating.

Is It Possible To Consolidate Private Student Loans At A Fixed Rate?

Yes! Not only is it possible to consolidate your private student loans, but you should also consolidate your student loans!

By consolidating your private student loans you will be consolidating any student loans that are non-federal. You can include other debts in this private student loan consolidation, such as any credit card debt you may have as long as the debt is education related in some way. The only downside to consolidating your private student loans is that you may not want to combine any federal student loans with your private non-federal student loan consolidation. This is because your federal student loans usually have a lower interest rate than your private student loans. By consolidating all of your loans, private and federal, you could lose out on some savings you’re your interest rates. You can consolidate your federal and private student loans, but you should do them separately to save a bunch of money in the long run.

With this in mind, you should consolidate any federal student loans you have first, and then consolidate your private student loans. You will save money by doing this, lower your interest rates, have only one or two lower payments to make each month, and create a better credit report and score for you.

Home School Tips, Part IV – How to Set Behavior Expectations and Manage Your “Classroom”

Giggling, tickling, whispering, and chatting–these behaviors are fine at home. But, when your kids are in school, then these behaviors are inappropriate. Because school occurs in the home, clarifying expectations without seeming contradictory can be difficult. How can you communicate rules in a way that is clear to your student?

As the fourth article in our series, this piece suggests ways of communicating expectations about behavior. In this article, you will find strategies to help you deal with discipline and classroom management in your home school.

SEPARATE. Make a clear distinction between class time and home time. Use a chime or other sound to signal the start of school. Use a timer to make breaks, snacks, and study hall exact. Also, use this instrument to signal the end of school. Making school and home time distinct will help your child transition into school-appropriate behavior.

LIST. Begin your semester by asking your student what rules are necessary to create a respectful and effective classroom. To this discussion, add your list of non-negotiable expectations. From these talks, draft a classroom charter. Now, you have an agreement–and a series of clear expectations–to which to refer.

AIM HIGH. Many classroom teachers say the following: “Start tough.” “Don’t smile until Christmas.” “It’s easier to get easier.” However it is worded, holding your student to high standards is key. When she does not meet expectations, follow up with consequences. Do not waver and do not begin by cutting brakes. Doing either will undermine your authority and the integrity of your behavior policy.

BORROW A WHEEL. Don’t reinvent it. Instead of creating your own discipline process from scratch, use that of other home schools and/or schools in your neighborhood.

STAY THE COURSE. Be sure to implement policies with consistency. If you say you are going to send your student to time out or cancel a trip, then do just that. Being consistent will make your student feel informed and fairly treated.

DEVELOP A CODE. Develop a code to signal that you want your student’s attention. Counting backwards from five to one, ringing a bell, or turning down the lights are some tried and true methods to refocus your student.

RESPECT. In making the distinction between class time and home time, you should respect your child’s leisure. Allows your student her non-school time. Resist the urge to talk about school on vacations, during television commercial, or at other non-school times.

Establishing behavior expectations for the school part of your home is a must. Otherwise, you run the risk of unruly class sessions. Use the tips above to help you outline and manage behavior and consequences in your home school.

What Are the Advantages of Working With a Small Home Builder?

When building a home, the advantages to large builders are well-documented. Big builders have “deep pockets.” They can exploit economies of scale, leveraging this into supply-chain influence and getting discounts on materials (ideally, passing these savings along to the buyer) as a result.

But to acknowledge these facts without pointing out the advantages of working with small builders – also known as custom home builders – is to give them short shrift. There are several very good reasons to have your home built by a custom builder rather than by a volume builder. Outlined below are five of the biggest.

1. Custom home builders can build your new home where you want it

Custom builders are usually working on only one project at a time. As a result, they are not afraid to look into options such as urban infill lots, allowing you more choice of where you want to build.

By contrast, big builders think big. This means they’re not thinking in terms of houses, but in terms of developments. To build a development, the big builders must locate and acquire large tracts of land. The location of your house is restricted to these. These tracts are rarely available near urban centres, meaning that if you don’t want a long commute, a big builder may not be your best option.

2. You are an individual and you’d like your house to be as well

As a rule, you can expect almost complete customisation from a small builder. To begin, a custom builder is working with a greater range of design options, often built on a single lot. This allows you to select most details of your new home. Additionally, by definition, a small builder will have fewer employees, meaning that he will nearly always be on site. You will have ample opportunity to change things you dislike. Your builder is also very likely to accommodate you in such areas because he is likely to live in the area where he works and his professional reputation depends, in no small part, on your satisfaction.

Volume builders build homes, generally many at a time, based upon a more limited library of home plans. They will have purchased most of the materials and pre-determined most of your house’s design elements well in beforehand. You can “customise” your home with your selections of appliances, countertops, etc., but the builders are on a very strict schedule, and aren’t necessarily inclined to make all of the small changes you’d like to see. If you’re building in a niche location, perhaps on a hill or on a narrow lot, the bigger developers may not share your vision.

You may have bought that property on a hill specifically with a view to putting your house atop it, but your volume builder may disagree, preferring to dig into the hill and create a flat block on which to build one of their pre-created designs.

3. Smaller builders can be more knowledgeable

A smaller, local builder will be more likely to have built on similar terrain. Having built in your area, a custom builder will be able to tell you with confidence that, for instance, there is rock near the surface of the ground in your area, making excavation impossibility. This sort of prior knowledge can end up saving you money in site costs.

In some cases, volume builders will move across the state or even the country between projects, never learning the subtleties of the local landscape.

4. Custom builds often are of higher quality

One way that large builders keep their prices so low is by having portions of homes built in a factory, then brought to the site, negatively affecting both the quality and the materials themselves.

Custom home builders are far less likely (or able) to engage in this practice, often resulting in a better built home.

5. Smaller builders know how much house you need

A volume builder can likely build you a “McMansion” comparatively cheaply, but the future costs of heating, cooling, and furnishing it (not to mention the burden of cleaning it) are left to you. A builder who lives in your area will be more familiar with local energy costs and other such issues, and again, will have a professional interest in your satisfaction.

To conclude, bigger builders do carry the advantages of working quickly. They can offer larger homes for smaller prices, but this comes at the cost of the individualisation that likely drove you to build, rather than buy, a home in the first place.

A custom builder can be the best way of making sure that you’re buying the house of your dreams–and not of the developer’s.

Internet Marketing For Virtual Assistants – Online Business Manager Big Picture

A virtual assistant ready to take the next step into a proactive partnership as an online business manager will need to always be looking towards the big picture. Businesses that want to grow, especially on the Internet, will need to do the research necessary to make the decisions that will give them the most exposure for the least amount of monetary investment. This research and recommendations are the responsibility of an online business manager that a client needs today.

A manager mindset is one graduating from maintenance to growth for their clients. Just taking on the daily tasks and waiting for the needs to arise is the job for an assistant. A manager brings new ideas to the table and presents them to their clients. They do the research and understand what concepts will help grow their client’s particular business. This creates an increased value in you, the online business manager, that the client can easily identify and track.

An online business manager can grow their compensation differently as well. Instead of simple hourly fees or retainers, a manager can increase their fees with commission based rates directly tied to the work and recommendations they make. The training necessary to take your virtual assistant practice to one of a managerial role is expensive for a company to take on and impossible to outsource. A virtual assistant that is savvy and specially trained in today’s Internet marketing concepts is armed with the knowledge to take their business to another level: An online business manager.