Elaine

Unfortunately, our supremacy in the world in terms of our focus on the sciences, is eroding and eroding fast. It's hard to put a finger on exactly why. Since I do not wish to succumb to political comment, just refer to a recent study by the National Science Foundation. According to that body, the United States' share of worldwide scientific and engineering research publications, Nobel Prize awards, and some types of patents is falling. As the number of U.S. students have become less interested in science and engineering, top U.S. graduate schools have turned increasingly toward Europe and Asia for the best young scientists to fill laboratories. At the same time it is reported that post 911 immigration rules have made entry significantly harder. I do believe that in every problem lies a brand new opportunity. And I see such a situation arising in this country for the best B. Sc and B.S. Candidates. So before you quickly dismiss, the scientific programs in the best schools, think again. There is a wealth of new careers waiting out here for bright and alert candidates.

I know I labored under the delusion that the science and engineering routes were eminently stultified and boring. Then I began to take a hard look at some of the career possibilities in those fields and the incredibly stimulating course materials being offered today in those disciplines. Stick with me while I cover a couple. Take the findings of the National Science Foundation workshop "Bridging the Poles" in 2004. That forum talked about the need of the polar science community to fully engage more diverse participation, including Arctic peoples and communities, underrepresented minorities, and women, as well as broadening economic and geographic involvement. Here is what they found, in part "... Communication with Arctic indigenous people must extend beyond the simple transmittal of science results. Programs must advance the next generation of researchers from the Arctic who will investigate and communicate northern issues to global populations and decision makers." This theme of building capacity within communities, together with providing opportunities for personal contact and field experiences, making polar issues relevant at the community level, and developing mentoring and support systems". Yes, a wonderfully challenging and diverse need for all flavors of science undergrads and grads to work in that arena.

Here's another fascinating glimpse in to a world open to the new scientists. The field is computer science. Perhaps astrophysicists won't actually observe blackholes colliding, but they by simulating such an event using a computer they can learn from the simulation to understand black holes behavior more intelligently.

Well, you get the idea. These fields and thousands of others, perhaps with more fascination for you, are available. The possibilities are literally endless. They only need your imagination, creativity and skill to uncover them. You will find the most invigorating courses to gain your science degree and you will have a huge vista open to you to select a rewarding career.

Tim Moss is dedicated to helping young people discover their niche. You can find more about degrees in science at his site http://www.degreeinscience.com

Can you really afford a house? If so, how much house can you afford? To determine this answer will take serious financial planning, and the best time to start is at least six months before buying the home.

Although buying a new home may seem like an American Dream or romantic venture, the reality is that the house you can afford depends on your current income and debt obligations. You must be able to pay your mortgage, satisfy all your current debt, and still have money left over each month to put in the bank. When you consider all these issues, you may find you will actually be shopping for a lower-priced house than the anticipated dream home.

If after careful financial evaluation, you realize you cannot afford the house of your dreams, don’t feel tempted to count on expected annual raises, thinking that eventually you’ll be able to afford the higher payments. Most raises are generally 4% to 7%. In bad times, you won’t get a raise, while inflation overtakes you. In the worse case scenario, you may get laid off and you won’t be able to afford your monthly bills. If you don’t have a budget that includes a savings account worked out on a spreadsheet, you are faced with a serious debt problem waiting to happen. If you cannot recite from memory all the creditors you owe and how much you owe them, you have a credit problem.

MONTHLY BUDGET SHEET

At the top of your planning list, you must determine what your mortgage payments will be, while not ignoring other monthly expenses. Remember, you need this complete research, and an organized budget sheet, to guard against becoming seriously in debt.

For example, besides the home loan, monthly expenditures to add to your budget sheet may include:

* Homeowners insurance,

* Homeowners Association Fees,

* Flood insurance,

* Mortgage insurance,

* Utilities,

* Garbage,

* Cable TV,

* Groceries,

* Lawn service,

* Pet groomer,

* Doctor and veterinarian bills,

* Auto loan and/or unexpected auto repairs,

* Drycleaning bills,

* Savings account,

* Lunch money for spouses and kids, and many other obligations.

Second on your list is to clean up your credit report.

YOUR CREDIT REPORT

Your credit score is the single most important factor determining whether you’ll get approved for a mortgage, car loan, refinance loan, or credit cards, and what your APR will be. If your score is low, you’ll pay very high interest rates, up to 23%. Most people are also unaware that their credit score also affects how much they pay for car insurance rates too. Many insurance companies run a credit check on you before selling you insurance.

CALCULATING YOUR CREDIT SCORE

You should get your credit report at least once every year to verify it for accuracy, and make certain your credit score is up to par. If your credit is clean and you have your down payment ready to go, you won’t need as much time to plan for a new home.

Everyone has a credit score calculated at the time your credit report is requested. It’s based on over 100 different proprietary variables and algorithms developed by Fair Isaac (FICO). The range is 300 to 850. You can get your credit score from Equifax Score Power, True Credit, or Consumerinfo.

Most lenders consider people above 650 to be prime borrowers, meaning they will most likely be approved at favorable rates. According to a credit report from Equifax, 71% of the people with a credit score from 500-550 will default on their credit. Another 51% of buyers with a credit score from 550-600 will default on their credit. It is for this very reason that lenders run your credit report and focus on your FICO Beacon score.

FACTORS AFFECTING YOUR CREDIT SCORE

The most important factor affecting your score is the length of your credit history. College students generally have low scores, while 30-somethings have higher scores. If you have too many accounts open, they can lower your credit score also. Opening several department store credit card accounts and excessive financing accounts also lowers your beacon score.

So, take an inventory of your credit cards. Do you have department store credit cards, appliance store credit cards, and computer store finance cards that are no longer used? What’s worse, even if a store is defunct, your account may still appear on your credit report as open. Call all sources and close these accounts since you never use them.

Just remember, it takes about 30 days for the closing transactions to appear on your credit report. Once you successfully dispute and remove negative items from your credit report, wait 30-60 days and order another copy of your report to verify that the bad debt was removed and you now have a higher score.

Genesis Font is an experienced web developer with a passion for php development, web marketing and systems administration. OrderItOnTheWeb.com is an online shopping site developed by Genesis with the help of Alex of Mint Grafix. It sells books, electronics, dvds and more. We welcome you to make your next online purchase there.

http://www.orderitontheweb.com

When you first sign up for a MySpace profile youll see that the name you requested during sign up is shown at the top of your profile. As your profile matures or your interests change, you may want to redefine the direction of your profile and change its name.

Your name is practically your MySpace headline and what you select will have an impact on how people view you. Do you want to be known as just Your Name, or would you rather select a name that stands out from the crowd and gets people to take notice.

Using a name that represents your favorite interest is a great way to stand out. Youll also benefit by using a specific keyword or keywords that you would like to represent you. Choosing the right keywords will give you additional exposure in searches throughout Myspace and even in the search engines.

Changing your display name is quite easy. To do so youll want to sign in to your profile and click Edit Profile. Once you have arrived at the Profile Edit page select Name. Then type in your new display name. Clicking Save Changes and View My Profile, will allow you to see how it looks.

To get additional exposure you might want to consider using special symbols like , for trademark or , for copyright. Using symbols in or after your display name gives it a little more character and helps it to stand out.

Another trick I like to use to get noticed is to change the size of my display name in my CSS. Thats your cascading style sheet which is also known as your Layout. When a style sheet is added to your profile it can drastically change its look.

To change the size of your display name in your style sheet youll want to locate the .nametext element and make a couple changes. For instance if you would like a larger font you can add this bit of code after the element .nametext. Heres an example:

.nametext {font-size: 24pt;}

Making this small change will display a larger font size for your name and help it to stand out. When ever you have made any changes make sure you view your profile to see the results. Remember that MySpace only allows up to 50 characters in the display name. Trying to add more will result in a broken word.

Using the above strategy will help you get your personality across in a quick glance and help drive people of the same interests to your profile. After all, you can be whoever you want on MySpace. Would you rather be known as Superhero Extraordinaire, or just plain old, Bob?

For more information about how you can use MySpace marketing to increase your online exposure visit http://www.CashMachineBook.com Get the best ways to make money online, visit: http://www.paidinsider.com/forum

In recent years there has been a boom of standardized testing within American schools. Students are being tested in reading, math, science, social studies for state and school district standards that are used to show compliance with No Child Left Behind, along with NCLB testing students are also being hit with graduation tests, testing to move forward in the school progression ( i.e. a student must pass this test before moving onto the next grade level).

With the increasing number of tests given to students where the results weigh heavily on the school, school districts, or individual students performance, where do students with disabilities fall into this mix? Where especially students with Assistive Technology or Augmentative Communication? Federal law requires states and school districts to include students with disabilities in large-scale assessments, and to report their scores publicly, in disaggregated form, as a way of determining how well schools are serving these students. This is a matter of system accountability. Federal law is silent, however, on whether states or schools districts should impose high-stakes consequences on individual students with disabilities who fail large-scale tests. In other words, while federal law mandates participation in large-scale tests and public reporting of disaggregated scores, it is for states to decide whether large-scale tests will result in individual high-stakes consequences and, if so, for which students (Heubert, 2002).

Accommodations are able to be granted to students with disabilities without loosing the standardization of the test. An accommodation is considered, any change to the standard test format to assess an individuals abilities, rather than his or her disabilities. Although allowable accommodations vary, they general fall in one of four categories:
Presentation (e.g., directions/questions read aloud, large print).
Response (e.g., use of a scribe).
Setting (small group or individual testing, study carrel).
Timing/Scheduling (extended time, additional breaks; Wahburn-Moses, 2003)

IDEA requires that the IEP team documents any accommodations in the students Individualized Education Plan. As Washburn-Moses (2003) stated, The IEP team should focus on the students strengths, weaknesses, and individual learning characteristics, and refrain from basing their decision on the students disability level or current placement. Team members should consider only those accommodations that the student uses during classroom instruction and testing, as opposed to introducing new accommodations specifically for use on the state test (Thurlow et al.). It is extremely important to document on the IEP the teams decision regarding accommodations, as well as the justification for that decision.

Dunne (2002), stated in an Education World article, In Wisconsin, students with disabilities are being allowed testing accommodations so that more can take the test. The accommodations include increased time to take a test, use of a scribe to write down answers, and use of a reader to read instructions and questions aloud. Those types of accommodations will allow about 85 percent of students with disabilities to participate in the Wisconsin State Assessment System, according to a study authored by Eva M. Kubinski at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Education Research.

For those students unable to be tested, even with accommodations, the state developed an alternate performance indicator tied to the state's standards for use by schools to assess the 2 percent of Wisconsin students with severe disabilities or limited English proficiency, Kubinski wrote in her paper.

What does this mean for students with Assistive Technology or AAC? Based on the research found, having an Assistive Technology device would allow a IEP team to determine if accommodations on standardized tests were needed. Each student is as unique as their assistive technology device and therefore it can be said that each student is going to pose different circumstances when it comes to testing in the school setting. According to IDEA, as stated earlier, the IEP team must determine what accommodations must be made for the student to be successful on the test. These accommodations must be written in the students IEP.

Since the students using AT/AAC vary greatly and many have underlying issues as to why they have AAC devices, such as other confounding disabilities. It is important that the IEP determines whether the device the student uses for communication is going to be part of the accommodation for the Standardized test or if it is not needed. It will be important to determine that and then prepare the student that they will or will not be able to use the device during the test. This is especially important if the device can not be used during the test, since this is the students voice.

IEP teams must work to find the best accommodations for the student to be successful, there are various ways to do that, including the Dynamic Assessment of Testing Accommodations (DATA), which helps teachers determine which students will benefit from which accommodations.

Based on the information provided it can be concluded that each students case is going to be very different, but overall each student that qualifies for special education, including those who use assistive technology or augmentative communication devices can qualify for special accommodations of standardized testing which will allow those students to complete the tests with reasonable scores.

References
Dunne, D. (2000). Are high stakes tests punishing some students? Education Weekly 34(1) 32-35. Heubert, J.P. (2002). Disability, race, and high-stakes testing of students. NCAC. 4(1)38-45. Sindelar, T., Hager, R., & Smith, D. (2003). High stakes testing standards for students with disabilities. Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. Washburn-Moses, L. (2003). What every special educator should know about high stakes testing. Teaching Exceptional Children 35(4) 12-15.

Evan Trad is a recent graduate of University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire, where he studied Early Childhood Special Education. He also worked as a Paraprofessional for three years in a local Elementary School and is now moving into the primary teaching role.

Today aerobic exercises and fitness are very much beneficial for you in more ways than one. There are numerous aerobic exercises that can be followed today for optimum health like bicycling, swimming, walking and jogging. With aerobic exercises, you are sure of aerobic strength, fitness and flexibility in the body.

It is important to follow some form of aerobic exercise for a healthy heart. An aerobic exercise is basically one that is continued over a period of time while using the power of both arms and legs. This type of exercise makes the heart work harder and the body burn fat for energy and use oxygen. One of the best aerobic exercises today is cycling and if cycling outside proves to be a problem for you, you could just use a stationery cycle at home.

Bike fitness is the best option for a person suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease as it has been shown through research that cycling is effective in reducing blood pressure than other intense activities like jogging. So in the long run, bike fitness helps in strengthening and conditioning the heart.

There are numerous benefits of cycling and bike fitness. It is a great exercise that helps you to increase your overall body endurance. After prolonged use and adaptation of bike fitness, you find that the body flexibility increases considerably. And one of the better advantages of bike fitness is that it stimulates the sexual desire in your body.

It is always better to continue bike fitness for a long time as it is very beneficial in strengthening the muscles that support the joints of the body. Everyday bike fitness is sure to keep you in shape and helps in reducing the stiffness and ache in the body. In addition to all these exterior benefits to the body, bike fitness contributes to the improvement of memory and attention in the body. You find an increase in your confidence and a reduction in nervousness with bike fitness.

The actual concept of cycling is very interesting and refreshing to the brain as you get to ride the cycle in the wind. However if you find that there is no open space, with limited traffic for you to go cycling, then it is better to get a stationery bicycle for your cycling needs. There are various fitness bikes for you to choose, depending on your height, weight and style of riding bicycles. It is always better to buy your fitness bike from a reputed exercise equipment store as you will then be sure of finding a fitness bike that is best for your exercise needs. Choose something sturdy with perhaps a timer and speedometer for you to keep a count on the number of kilometers you cycle and your speed of cycling. It is then up to you to increase you're cycling speeds so that you burn more calories and experience better effects with the fitness bike. So if you aim at losing weight, then cycling is indeed a great means of losing weight, while at home or on the road.

To learn more about the author you can contact Irene at info@planetberries.com or visit her corporate web site at http://www.planetberries.com

Find Beauty Schools in the United States and Canada. Today's Beauty consultants have successfully completed hands-on training in one of several beauty schools; which provide comprehensive curriculums and educational opportunities that enhance and develop careers in the spa, beauty and wellness industries.

While the majority of beauty schools vary in specific curriculums, a great number of program offerings include individual coursework in cosmetology, aesthetics, nail technician, barbering, and sometimes, massage therapy.

Any one of the several beauty schools introduces students to the world of cosmetics, hair styling, coloring, chemical mixing, hair treatments, skin care, herbal wrap applications, and more. Instructing students in how to give manicures and pedicures, cosmetology programs in beauty schools also teach individuals about artificial nail application, as well as nail gels, tips, and hand massage. Additional cosmetology training at beauty schools involves the how-tos on the application of facials, microdermabrasion and advanced make-up techniques.

For the student primarily interested in esthetics, beauty schools frequently provide certificate and/or diploma programs in this program, as well as other associated studies like nail technician training, and even instructor training.

Overall, beauty schools train and prepare students to attain respective State certification and/or licensure* to practice professionally. (*Regulations/requirements vary in individual States and Provinces.) Ultimately, the goal for future barbers and beauticians is to have acquired essential knowledge and skills necessary to become thriving spa and salon managers, and entrepreneurs. Though income varies, licensed beauty experts have the potential to earn $35,000-$43,000+ annually.

To learn more about beauty schools, or if you are interested in becoming a beautician, cosmetologist or beauty consultant, feel free to search our vocational schools directory.

Find your dream job! Let education within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, healthcare, personal training, and others get you started! Explore career school programs near you.

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Resource Box: CarolAnn Bailey-Lloyd - Freelance Writer and Web Consultant for HolisticJunction.com, in association with CollegeSurfing.com - Educational Resources for Beauty Schools, Esthetics Schools, and other Educational Resources.