Visions of France and Italy

My husband loves to travel. He began acting on his love for faraway places as a young adult. We've been married only a few months, and I realize that I have a lot of catching up to do!

Hubby knows that one of my dreams is to go to France. Neither of us is into the traditional tourist sites, so a bed and breakfast just might foot the bill.

When it comes to accommodations, first on my list would be Apartment Paris. We've discovered BedAndBreakfastParis, an online site for booking apartments in this romantic city.

The home to the Eiffel Tower is not the only place we would like to visit. When I think of Apartment Cannes, I envision luxury accommodations -- perhaps a villa with a wonderful view of the sea. I hear the the south of France is just beautiful.

If we don't make it to Paris or Cannes, I'd be thrilled to book accommodations at another romantic destination. FreeReservation.com has the hookup for Apartment Venice. I've discovered a free online directory that lists dozens of available apartments.

Whether I go to France or Italy, I can't lose.

The 411 on urban legends

One of my biggest pet peeves is receiving urban legends and hoaxes via email. My favorite site to use in researching such stories is Snopes.com.

Snopes has compiled it's "25 Hottest Urban Legends." According to the website, Barack Obama, cell phones, and missing child alerts are among the current hot topics.

To learn more about the popular email rumors, and whether they're true, click here. If you're not familiar with Snopes.com, I encourage you to click through the site. Bookmark it. It's a great reference.



Tags: Urban Legends, Email, Internet, Technology

Creativity

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.
~ Nietzsche ~

Thoughts give birth to a creative force that is neither elemental nor sidereal. Thoughts create a new heaven, a new firmament, a new source of energy, from which new arts flow. When a man undertakes to create something, he establishes a new heaven.
~ Philipus A Paracelsus ~


Don´t ask what the world needs.
Rather ask – what makes you come alive?
Then go and do it!
Because what the world needs is people
who have come alive.
~ Howard Thurman ~

Talking to your children about Haiti

When catastrophic events happen, such as the recent earthquake in Haiti, children often turn to their parents for explanations and reassurance. The Father Factor, which is published by the National Father Initiative, offers constructive tips on how to get the conversation started.

After having that chat with your children, do something else positive. Send a donation to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999."

If you have an American family living in Haiti and you're seeking information, contact the State Department at 888-407-4747.

Wanted!

More to improve and fewer to disapprove.

More doers and fewer talkers.

More to say it can be done
and fewer to say it's impossible.

More to inspire others
and fewer to throw cold water on them.

More to get into the thick of things
and fewer to sit on the sidelines.

More to point out what's right
and fewer to show what's wrong.

More to light a candle
and fewer to curse the darkness.

- Author Unknown

Delaware educators hope early intervention will help reduce dropout rates

Delaware schools are looking for early signs of dropout risk. The Delaware News Journal reports that the state department of education will begin a new study in January. Educators will analyze math and reading scores, as well as attendance. They hope that early intervention will identify students at risk for dropping out. Read more>>

Website takes the mystery out of auto repair

I love my Toyota Camry. It’s one of the most reliable cars I’ve ever owned. However, as any car owner knows, auto parts wear out – even if you’re good at performing scheduled routine maintenance.

Let’s face it. Repairs, such as brake rotor replacement, are sometimes necessary. If you’re like me, you hope that the mechanic does the job quickly and professionally – and that you don’t need to empty your bank account to pay for the work.

If you live in the Dallas area, online assistance is available to help you identify shops that provide Dallas auto repair. RepairPal.com offers a number of free resources. For instance, if you need a brake job, all you have to do is fill out an easy form to learn the estimated cost. In addition, you can quickly locate auto repair shops near you.

RepairPal.com also offers owner ratings and reviews on virtually any type of car or truck. My son is a truck owner, so I’m going to give him a heads up on this feature.

Say, for instance, you owned a Chevrolet Silverado. Enter the year of your vehicle on the online form, and discover lots of valuable information. Read other owners’ reviews and ratings. With a few mouse clicks, you can learn common problems associated with the vehicle. You can even check for automaker recalls.

RepairPal takes the mystery out of auto repair. The site is user-friendly and free. It doesn’t get much better than that.


Sponsored Post - Original Content Created by Sistrunk Journal

Venezuela's Chavez threatens Toyota, GM

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is threatening to expel international automakers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Chavez specifically targeted Japanese carmaker Toyota. The Venezuelan president was also critical of Fiat SpA of Italy, which controls Chrysler Group LLC, and General Motors Co.

Reuters reports that Chávez, threatening the auto manufacturers with nationalization, accused Asian and U.S. carmakers of refusing to share technology with the locals. Chávez ordered an investigation into Toyota operations.

Schools offer fewer computer science classes

Fewer students seem be interested in computer science courses, and some educators worry that future employees may lack essential skills for the workplace. These same young people, who know their way around the Internet and social networking sites, may not know how computers and the Web actually work.

Why the concern? A survey by the Computer Science Teachers Association reveals that the number of schools offering introductory or advanced computer science courses has declined since 2005. The website CSEdweek.org explains why computer science education is important:

• It exposes students to critical thinking
• It is essential for success in the digital age
• Too few students are exposed to opportunities presented by computer science

The Washington Post takes a closer look at the issue.

Native Americans win $3.4 billion settlement

The U.S. government has agreed to pay $3.4 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit for mismanagement of trust fund accounts held by hundreds of thousands of Native Americans. The settlement ends a 13-year legal battle to resolve a dispute that dates back to the late-1800s.

The agreement ends the case brought by Native American tribes charging that the Interior Department had swindled hundreds of thousands of Indians out of royalties for leasing their lands to mining, timber, and energy interests. The lead plaintiff in the suit filed in 1996 is Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Indian tribe in the western state of Montana.

Study: Stress levels in teens higher than parents realize

If your teen is looking particularly stressed, school pressure and family finances may be contributing factors. That's according to a new national survey by the American Psychological Association. The study adds that parents often are unaware of the stress.

Psychologists say that if young people don't learn healthy ways to manage that stress now, it could have serious long-term health implications. The study looked at young people between the ages of 13 and 17. Read more

Improve your online promotion

Many small businesses and large corporations with corporate branches share a similar online problem. They don’t pay attention to how they’re listed on local search sites such as Yahoo Local, Superpages.com, and Google Maps. This method of online promotion is important. It’s also simple, powerful, and inexpensive.

That’s where Universal Business Listing (UBL) comes in. This firm knows how to improve your company’s Web profile – making sure your business listing gets picked up by local search engines, major online directories, search portals, data aggregators, and the national 411 database.

Traditional business listings require a business phone line. If you run your company part-time or as an Internet site, UBL can list your cell phone, website, and email. The results – broader online visibility – lead to more traffic to your site. That, of course, translates to more customers and bigger profits.

Every business looks for ways to stay ahead of the competition. By moving from traditional white pages listings into something comprehensive, you’re taking a step in the right direction.

You’re busy. You don’t have 30 or 40 hours to list your company with dozens of local search engines and online directories. While you focus on sales and marketing strategies, UBL can distribute your information, ensuring accuracy and broader visibility. The distribution system includes:

• full product and service description
• locations
• website URL
• email contact info
• online reviews

List your business once – with UniversalBusinessListing.org – and let them boost your online presence.


Sponsored Post - Original Content Created by Sistrunk Journal

Michelle Obama: Don't let tests define you

"Don't let those tests defeat you. Don't let those tests define you."
-- First Lady Michelle Obama, speaking recently to students at Denver's South High School. Mrs. Obama told the students that she was not a great standardized-test-taker.

The first lady, however, did not hint that she thought standardized tests should go away. Read more

Kansas elementary school to teach engineering classes

A Kansas school district will become the first in the country to offer engineering classes at the elementary-school level. The Derby school district began offering engineering courses in middle and high schools this year, but a pilot program next year will bring aerospace engineering lessons to a district elementary school.

The curriculum is designed by Project Lead the Way and will include hands-on and computer-based activities. The Wichita Eagle has details.

Scholarship help for migrant and immigrant families

The Western Union Foundation's Family Scholarship Program offers a unique educational initiative for migrants, immigrants, and their families in the United States. The program helps two members of the same family move up the economic ladder through education. Scholarships may be used for tuition for college education, language acquisition classes, technical/skill training, and/or financial literacy.

Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: two members of the same family, aged 18 years or older. The country of origin for at least one applicant must be outside of the U.S. Deadline: February 5, 2010. More info...

Recession sends Americans to the World Wide Web

More than two-thirds of American adults -- or 88 percent of U.S. Internet users -- went online for help with recession-induced personal economic issues and to gather information on national economic problems. That's according to a study released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Researchers say the Internet ranks high among sources of information and advice that people are seeking during hard times, especially when it comes to their personal finances and jobs.

The study found that 34 percent of online economic users have created content and commentary about the recession in places like blogs, social network sites and Twitter. Click here to read the overview and the full report.

Examining mobile phones' impact on global development

Computer scientists are using Android, the open-source mobile operating system championed by Google, to transform a cell phone into a flexible data-collection tool. Their free suite of tools, named Open Data Kit, is already used by organizations around the world that need inexpensive ways to gather information in areas with little infrastructure. Science Daily has more.

Public data on private schools

A database on the U.S. Department of Education website offers a comprehensive resource for families interested in private schools. Some 91% of private schools have responded to a variety of survey questions about such things as:

- demographics
- length of the school year
- college-enrollment rates

Survey results are posted to the site in a searchable format that provides information that may not be otherwise available to the public. An overview of the Private School Universe survey can be found here. More info: Washington Post.

New parent power emerges at L.A. schools

Parents in Los Angeles are wielding new power, thanks to a new plan that supports new initiatives geared at improving outcomes at low-performing schools. According to Los Angeles Times, parents of individual schools can now initiate major reforms without waiting for the Los Angeles Unified School District to make changes.

Under a plan set forth by Supt. Ramon Cortines, a majority of parents at a school could trigger reforms at a local campus. As the L.A.Times reports, this new parental power is part of a school-control resolution that allows groups inside and outside the district to take over campuses.