If you are considering entering a new target market, with an

existing or new product or service, it makes sense to first

systematically analyze the market in question via some

fundamental market evaluation criteria. It is not only

rational but most cost effective to determine if a new market

pursuit makes sense for your company before any significant

resources are further applied to the effort.

A “pass or fail” test of your targeted market is recommended

with your company’s core management team collective

involvement. Discussing the attributes of a given market and

further analyzing the business logic behind your intention to

participate in a new market will generate some very

enlightening conversation among your key decision makers.

Having various management functions present for the discussion

generates the most effective, broad base perspective,

appropriate “next step” for this strategic decision.

Besides further justifying or reducing your intentions to enter

a new market, weighing all the same attributes of any one

targeted market candidate against another target markets of

consideration can lead to a pivotal decision for the future

direction of your company. The opportunity cost of choosing

the “wrong” or “least rewarding” target market, given limited

corporate human and financial resources, can make or break

your collective ability to meet or exceed your company’s short

and long term growth objectives. Again, effectively utilizing

a simple, systematic evaluation checklist made up of some of

the market attributes listed below can be most time efficient

and cost effective.

Our list of market attributes cover various business sectors

and should not be considered a complete listing. To make this

evaluation exercise most productive for your management team,

first evaluate this list for relevancy and then add whatever

number of additional categories or attributes that correlate

to your company’s collective business priorities, resources,

risk/ reward tolerance levels and growth objectives.

MARKET PRODUCT / SERVICE LINE ATTRIBUTES:

* Market has a viable need for product application advancements or transitions

* Market is not dominated by short product life cycles

* Market allows for effective competitive advantage without extraordinary design, engineering or research cost

* Market allows for effective competitive advantage without extraordinary testing, certification or performance compliance issues

* Market offers opportunities for relatively high product / service gross profit margins

* Market does not require a large number of products or services to effectively compete

* Market share is gained more from product value or by high value service

* Market product/ service applications have worldwide demand

* Market product/ services are compatible with existing company core competencies

* Market product/ service offerings can be legally protected

* Market generally does not present extraordinary financial liability exposure

* Market demand is not extraordinarily seasonal or difficult to forecast

MARKET CUSTOMER ATTRIBUTES:

* Market offers a diversified mix of key customer product / service users

* Market offers financially stable customers

* Market offers relatively consistent purchase loyalty

* Market has existing product/ service users who will purchase other related offerings

* Market is supported long term by fundamental economic and demographic growth

MARKET SERVICE ATTRIBUTES:

* Market does not require an inordinate amount of after-the-sale service

* Market can be supported by a centralized customer service location

* Market does not require extensive service certification from 3rd party entities

* Market does not proliferate extraordinary product/ service warranties

* Market service requirements are not hazardous to company personnel

* Market does not require extraordinary distribution requirements

* Market share can be augmented with effective e commerce tactics

MARKET COMPETITION ATTRIBUTES:

* Market is dominated by well known competitors and suppliers

* Market is not dominated by one company (> 80% market share)

* Market has reputable competition, a quality image and history

* Market offers competitors that would be future acquirers or acquisition candidates

* Market is not targeted for international penetration via pricing tactics

* Market requires a reasonable level of financial and technical resource barriers to entry

MARKET GROWTH:

* Market has a proven history of growth

* Market has a high probability of long term future growth

* Market offers traceable causes of growth

* Market has worldwide growth

* Market has regional growth niches

* Market growth cannot be negatively affected by existing or pending legislation

Justification of entry into any new market or niche thereof

involves effectively identifying all viable competitors,

relevant market attributes, key market participants and their

market shares. Being able to strategically apply this

qualified information with respect to your known company

financial, technical and human resources can result in

extraordinary business growth opportunities.

If you want to further quantify this analysis you can

numerically weight each market attribute with your own

specific market attribute priorities and then give numerical

“grades” to any or all new market entry candidates to

calculate a weighted value for each new market opportunity.

Evaluating new business opportunities should be a well thought

out, straightforward, iterative process. Beginning the

evaluation process with a simple tool to justify further

analysis is a prudent procedure. The more effective your

analysis, the greater the probability your strategic decisions

will maximize return on investment.

About the Author:
Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria.

INTRODUCTON – The term “health insurance” is commonly used in the United States to describe any program that helps pay for medical expenses, whether through privately purchased insurance, social insurance or a non-insurance social welfare program funded by the government. Synonyms for this usage include “health coverage,” “health care coverage” and “health benefits” and “medical insurance.” In a more technical sense, the term is used to describe any form of insurance that provides protection against injury or illness.

In America, the health insurance industry has changed rapidly during the last few decades. In the 1970’s most people who had health insurance had indemnity insurance. Indemnity insurance is often called fee-forservice. It is the traditional health insurance in which the medical provider (usually a doctor or hospital) is paid a fee for each service provided to the patient covered under the policy. An important category associated with the indemnity plans is that of consumer driven health care (CDHC). Consumer-directed health plans allow individuals and families to have greater control over their health care, including when and how they access care, what types of care they receive and how much they spend on health care services.

These plans are however associated with higher deductibles that the insured have to pay from their pocket before they can claim insurance money. Consumer driven health care plans include Health Reimbursement Plans (HRAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), high deductible health plans (HDHps), Archer Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Of these, the Health Savings Accounts are the most recent and they have witnessed rapid growth during the last decade.

WHAT IS A HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT?

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States. The funds contributed to the account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. These may be used to pay for qualified medical expenses at any time without federal tax liability.

Another feature is that the funds contributed to Health Savings Account roll over and accumulate year over year if not spent. These can be withdrawn by the employees at the time of retirement without any tax liabilities. Withdrawals for qualified expenses and interest earned are also not subject to federal income taxes. According to the U.S. Treasury Office, ‘A Health Savings Account is an alternative to traditional health insurance; it is a savings product that offers a different way for consumers to pay for their health care.

HSA’s enable you to pay for current health expenses and save for future qualified medical and retiree health expenses on a tax-free basis.’ Thus the Health Savings Account is an effort to increase the efficiency of the American health care system and to encourage people to be more responsible and prudent towards their health care needs. It falls in the category of consumer driven health care plans.

Origin of Health Savings Account

The Health Savings Account was established under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act passed by the U.S. Congress in June 2003, by the Senate in July 2003 and signed by President Bush on December 8, 2003.

Eligibility -

The following individuals are eligible to open a Health Savings Account -

- Those who are covered by a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).

- Those not covered by other health insurance plans.

- Those not enrolled in Medicare4.

Also there are no income limits on who may contribute to an HAS and there is no requirement of having earned income to contribute to an HAS. However HAS’s can’t be set up by those who are dependent on someone else’s tax return. Also HSA’s cannot be set up independently by children.

What is a High Deductible Health plan (HDHP)?

Enrollment in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) is a necessary qualification for anyone wishing to open a Health Savings Account. In fact the HDHPs got a boost by the Medicare Modernization Act which introduced the HSAs. A High Deductible Health Plan is a health insurance plan which has a certain deductible threshold. This limit must be crossed before the insured person can claim insurance money. It does not cover first dollar medical expenses. So an individual has to himself pay the initial expenses that are called out-of-pocket costs.

In a number of HDHPs costs of immunization and preventive health care are excluded from the deductible which means that the individual is reimbursed for them. HDHPs can be taken both by individuals (self employed as well as employed) and employers. In 2008, HDHPs are being offered by insurance companies in America with deductibles ranging from a minimum of $1,100 for Self and $2,200 for Self and Family coverage. The maximum amount out-of-pocket limits for HDHPs is $5,600 for self and $11,200 for Self and Family enrollment. These deductible limits are called IRS limits as they are set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In HDHPs the relation between the deductibles and the premium paid by the insured is inversely propotional i.e. higher the deductible, lower the premium and vice versa. The major purported advantages of HDHPs are that they will a) lower health care costs by causing patients to be more cost-conscious, and b) make insurance premiums more affordable for the uninsured. The logic is that when the patients are fully covered (i.e. have health plans with low deductibles), they tend to be less health conscious and also less cost conscious when going for treatment.

Opening a Health Savings Account

An individual can sign up for HSAs with banks, credit unions, insurance companies and other approved companies. However not all insurance companies offer HSAqualified health insurance plans so it is important to use an insurance company that offers this type of qualified insurance plan. The employer may also set up a plan for the employees. However, the account is always owned by the individual. Direct online enrollment in HSA-qualified health insurance is available in all states except Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Contributions to the Health Savings Account

Contributions to HSAs can be made by an individual who owns the account, by an employer or by any other person. When made by the employer, the contribution is not included in the income of the employee. When made by an employee, it is treated as exempted from federal tax. For 2008, the maximum amount that can be contributed (and deducted) to an HSA from all sources is:

$2,900 (self-only coverage)

$5,800 (family coverage)

These limits are set by the U.S. Congress through statutes and they are indexed annually for inflation. For individuals above 55 years of age, there is a special catch up provision that allows them to deposit additional $800 for 2008 and $900 for 2009. The actual maximum amount an individual can contribute also depends on the number of months he is covered by an HDHP (pro-rated basis) as of the first day of a month. For eg If you have family HDHP coverage from January 1,2008 until June 30, 2008, then cease having HDHP coverage, you are allowed an HSA contribution of 6/12 of $5,800, or $2,900 for 2008. If you have family HDHP coverage from January 1,2008 until June 30, 2008, and have self-only HDHP coverage from July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008, you are allowed an HSA contribution of 6/12 x $5,800 plus 6/12 of $2,900, or $4,350 for 2008. If an individual opens an HDHP on the first day of a month, then he can contribute to HSA on the first day itself. However, if he/she opens an account on any other day than the first, then he can contribute to the HSA from the next month onwards. Contributions can be made as late as April 15 of the following year. Contributions to the HSA in excess of the contribution limits must be withdrawn by the individual or be subject to an excise tax. The individual must pay income tax on the excess withdrawn amount.

Contributions by the Employer

The employer can make contributions to the employee’s HAS account under a salary reduction plan known as Section 125 plan. It is also called a cafeteria plan. The contributions made under the cafeteria plan are made on a pre-tax basis i.e. they are excluded from the employee’s income. The employer must make the contribution on a comparable basis. Comparable contributions are contributions to all HSAs of an employer which are 1) the same amount or 2) the same percentage of the annual deductible. However, part time employees who work for less than 30 hours a week can be treated separately. The employer can also categorize employees into those who opt for self coverage only and those who opt for a family coverage. The employer can automatically make contributions to the HSAs on the behalf of the employee unless the employee specifically chooses not to have such contributions by the employer.

Withdrawals from the HSAs

The HSA is owned by the employee and he/she can make qualified expenses from it whenever required. He/She also decides how much to contribute to it, how much to withdraw for qualified expenses, which company will hold the account and what type of investments will be made to grow the account. Another feature is that the funds remain in the account and role over from year to year. There are no use it or lose it rules. The HSA participants do not have to obtain advance approval from their HSA trustee or their medical insurer to withdraw funds, and the funds are not subject to income taxation if made for ‘qualified medical expenses’. Qualified medical expenses include costs for services and items covered by the health plan but subject to cost sharing such as a deductible and coinsurance, or co-payments, as well as many other expenses not covered under medical plans, such as dental, vision and chiropractic care; durable medical equipment such as eyeglasses and hearing aids; and transportation expenses related to medical care. Nonprescription, over-the-counter medications are also eligible. However, qualified medical expense must be incurred on or after the HSA was established.

Tax free distributions can be taken from the HSA for the qualified medical expenses of the person covered by the HDHP, the spouse (even if not covered) of the individual and any dependent (even if not covered) of the individual.12 The HSA account can also be used to pay previous year’s qualified expenses subject to the condition that those expenses were incurred after the HSA was set up. The individual must preserve the receipts for expenses met from the HSA as they may be needed to prove that the withdrawals from the HSA were made for qualified medical expenses and not otherwise used. Also the individual may have to produce the receipts before the insurance company to prove that the deductible limit was met. If a withdrawal is made for unqualified medical expenses, then the amount withdrawn is considered taxable (it is added to the individuals income) and is also subject to an additional 10 percent penalty. Normally the money also cannot be used for paying medical insurance premiums. However, in certain circumstances, exceptions are allowed.

These are -

1) to pay for any health plan coverage while receiving federal or state unemployment benefits.

2) COBRA continuation coverage after leaving employment with a company that offers health insurance coverage.

3) Qualified long-term care insurance.

4) Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, including deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance for: Part A (hospital and inpatient services), Part B (physician and outpatient services), Part C (Medicare HMO and PPO plans) and Part D (prescription drugs).

However, if an individual dies, becomes disabled or reaches the age of 65, then withdrawals from the Health Savings Account are considered exempted from income tax and additional 10 percent penalty irrespective of the purpose for which those withdrawals are made. There are different methods through which funds can be withdrawn from the HSAs. Some HSAs provide account holders with debit cards, some with cheques and some have options for a reimbursement process similar to medical insurance.

Growth of HSAs

Ever since the Health Savings Accounts came into being in January 2004, there has been a phenomenal growth in their numbers. From around 1 million enrollees in March 2005, the number has grown to 6.1 million enrollees in January 2008.14 This represents an increase of 1.6 million since January 2007, 2.9 million since January 2006 and 5.1 million since March 2005. This growth has been visible across all segments. However, the growth in large groups and small groups has been much higher than in the individual category. According to the projections made by the U.S. Treasury Department, the number of HSA policy holders will increase to 14 million by 2010. These 14 million policies will provide cover to 25 to 30 million U.S. citizens.

In the Individual Market, 1.5 million people were covered by HSA/HDHPs purchased as on January 2008. Based on the number of covered lives, 27 percent of newly purchased individual policies (defined as those purchased during the most recent full month or quarter) were enrolled in HSA/HDHP coverage. In the small group market, enrollment stood at 1.8 million as of January 2008. In this group 31 percent of all new enrollments were in the HSA/HDHP category. The large group category had the largest enrollment with 2.8 million enrollees as of January 2008. In this category, six percent of all new enrollments were in the HSA/HDHP category.

Benefits of HSAs

The proponents of HSAs envisage a number of benefits from them. First and foremost it is believed that as they have a high deductible threshold, the insured will be more health conscious. Also they will be more cost conscious. The high deductibles will encourage people to be more careful about their health and health care expenses and will make them shop for bargains and be more vigilant against excesses in the health care industry. This, it is believed, will reduce the growing cost of health care and increase the efficiency of the health care system in the United States. HSA-eligible plans typically provide enrollee decision support tools that include, to some extent, information on the cost of health care services and the quality of health care providers. Experts suggest that reliable information about the cost of particular health care services and the quality of specific health care providers would help enrollees become more actively engaged in making health care purchasing decisions. These tools may be provided by health insurance carriers to all health insurance plan enrollees, but are likely to be more important to enrollees of HSA-eligible plans who have a greater financial incentive to make informed decisions about the quality and costs of health care providers and services.

It is believed that lower premiums associated with HSAs/HDHPs will enable more people to enroll for medical insurance. This will mean that lower income groups who do not have access to medicare will be able to open HSAs. No doubt higher deductibles are associated with HSA eligible HDHPs, but it is estimated that tax savings under HSAs and lower premiums will make them less expensive than other insurance plans. The funds put in the HSA can be rolled over from year to year. There are no use it or lose it rules. This leads to a growth in savings of the account holder. The funds can be accumulated tax free for future medical expenses if the holder so desires. Also the savings in the HSA can be grown through investments.

The nature of such investments is decided by the insured. The earnings on savings in the HSA are also exempt from income tax. The holder can withdraw his savings in the HSA after turning 65 years old without paying any taxes or penalties. The account holder has complete control over his/her account. He/She is the owner of the account right from its inception. A person can withdraw money as and when required without any gatekeeper. Also the owner decides how much to put in his/her account, how much to spend and how much to save for the future. The HSAs are portable in nature. This means that if the holder changes his/her job, becomes unemployed or moves to another location, he/she can still retain the account.

Also if the account holder so desires he can transfer his Health Saving Account from one managing agency to another. Thus portability is an advantage of HSAs. Another advantage is that most HSA plans provide first-dollar coverage for preventive care. This is true of virtually all HSA plans offered by large employers and over 95% of the plans offered by small employers. It was also true of over half (59%) of the plans which were purchased by individuals.

All of the plans offering first-dollar preventive care benefits included annual physicals, immunizations, well-baby and wellchild care, mammograms and Pap tests; 90% included prostate cancer screenings and 80% included colon cancer screenings. Some analysts believe that HSAs are more beneficial for the young and healthy as they do not have to pay frequent out of pocket costs. On the other hand, they have to pay lower premiums for HDHPs which help them meet unforeseen contingencies.

Health Savings Accounts are also advantageous for the employers. The benefits of choosing a health Savings Account over a traditional health insurance plan can directly affect the bottom line of an employer’s benefit budget. For instance Health Savings Accounts are dependent on a high deductible insurance policy, which lowers the premiums of the employee’s plan. Also all contributions to the Health Savings Account are pre-tax, thus lowering the gross payroll and reducing the amount of taxes the employer must pay.

Criticism of HSAs

The opponents of Health Savings Accounts contend that they would do more harm than good to America’s health insurance system. Some consumer organizations, such as Consumers Union, and many medical organizations, such as the American Public Health Association, have rejected HSAs because, in their opinion, they benefit only healthy, younger people and make the health care system more expensive for everyone else. According to Stanford economist Victor Fuchs, “The main effect of putting more of it on the consumer is to reduce the social redistributive element of insurance.

Some others believe that HSAs remove healthy people from the insurance pool and it makes premiums rise for everyone left. HSAs encourage people to look out for themselves more and spread the risk around less. Another concern is that the money people save in HSAs will be inadequate. Some people believe that HSAs do not allow for enough savings to cover costs. Even the person who contributes the maximum and never takes any money out would not be able to cover health care costs in retirement if inflation continues in the health care industry.

Opponents of HSAs, also include distinguished figures like state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, who called them a “dangerous prescription” that will destabilize the health insurance marketplace and make things even worse for the uninsured. Another criticism is that they benefit the rich more than the poor. Those who earn more will be able to get bigger tax breaks than those who earn less. Critics point out that higher deductibles along with insurance premiums will take away a large share of the earnings of the low income groups. Also lower income groups will not benefit substantially from tax breaks as they are already paying little or no taxes. On the other hand tax breaks on savings in HSAs and on further income from those HSA savings will cost billions of dollars of tax money to the exchequer.

The Treasury Department has estimated HSAs would cost the government $156 billion over a decade. Critics say that this could rise substantially. Several surveys have been conducted regarding the efficacy of the HSAs and some have found that the account holders are not particularly satisfied with the HSA scheme and many are even ignorant about the working of the HSAs. One such survey conducted in 2007 of American employees by the human resources consulting firm Towers Perrin showed satisfaction with account based health plans (ABHPs) was low. People were not happy with them in general compared with people with more traditional health care. Respondants said they were not comfortable with the risk and did not understand how it works.

According to the Commonwealth Fund, early experience with HAS eligible high-deductible health plans reveals low satisfaction, high out of- pocket costs, and cost-related access problems. Another survey conducted with the Employee Benefits Research Institute found that people enrolled in HSA-eligible high-deductible health plans were much less satisfied with many aspects of their health care than adults in more comprehensive plans People in these plans allocate substantial amounts of income to their health care, especially those who have poorer health or lower incomes. The survey also found that adults in high-deductible health plans are far more likely to delay or avoid getting needed care, or to skip medications, because of the cost. Problems are particularly pronounced among those with poorer health or lower incomes.

Political leaders have also been vocal about their criticism of the HSAs. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. issued the following statement criticizing the HSAs “The President’s health care plan is not about covering the uninsured, making health insurance affordable, or even driving down the cost of health care. Its real purpose is to make it easier for businesses to dump their health insurance burden onto workers, give tax breaks to the wealthy, and boost the profits of banks and financial brokers. The health care policies concocted at the behest of special interests do nothing to help the average American. In many cases, they can make health care even more inaccessible.” In fact a report of the U.S. governments Accountability office, published on April 1, 2008 says that the rate of enrollment in the HSAs is greater for higher income individuals than for lower income ones.

A study titled “Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Health Plans: Are They an Option for Low-Income Families? By Catherine Hoffman and Jennifer Tolbert which was sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported the following key findings regarding the HSAs:

a) Premiums for HSA-qualified health plans may be lower than for traditional insurance, but these plans shift more of the financial risk to individuals and families through higher deductibles.

b) Premiums and out-of-pocket costs for HSA-qualified health plans would consume a substantial portion of a low-income family’s budget.

c) Most low-income individuals and families do not face high enough tax liability to benefit in a significant way from tax deductions associated with HSAs.

d) People with chronic conditions, disabilities, and others with high cost medical needs may face even greater out-of-pocket costs under HSA-qualified health plans.

e) Cost-sharing reduces the use of health care, especially primary and preventive services, and low-income individuals and those who are sicker are particularly sensitive to cost-sharing increases.

f) Health savings accounts and high deductible plans are unlikely to substantially increase health insurance coverage among the uninsured.

Choosing a Health Plan

Despite the advantages offered by the HSA, it may not be suitable for everyone. While choosing an insurance plan, an individual must consider the following factors:

1. The premiums to be paid.

2. Coverage/benefits available under the scheme.

3. Various exclusions and limitations.

4. Portability.

5. Out-of-pocket costs like coinsurance, co-pays, and deductibles.

6. Access to doctors, hospitals, and other providers.

7. How much and sometimes how one pays for care.

8. Any existing health issue or physical disability.

9. Type of tax savings available.

The plan you choose should according to your requirements and financial ability.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 Questions and Answers about Health Insurance- A Consumer Guide’ published jointly by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)

2 http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_savings_account

3 2002 AHIP Survey of Health Insurance Plans

4 “How High Is Too High? Implications of High-Deductible Health Plans” Davis, Karen; Michelle Doty and Alice Ho. The Commonwealth Fund, April 2005

5 http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us/schs/pdf/hsa_tri-fold_brochure.pdf

6 HSA/HDHP CENSUS 2008 by Hannah Yoo, Center for Policy and Research, America’s Health Insurance Plans

7″HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS Early Enrollee Experiences with Accounts and Eligible Health Plans” John E. Dicken Director, Health Care.

8 Thomas Wilder and Hannah Yoo, “A Survey of Preventive Benefits in Health Savings Account (HSA)Plans, July 2007,” America’s Health Insurance Plans, November 2007

9 Gladwell, Malcolm, “The Moral Hazard Myth”, The New Yorker (29-08-2005)

10 2008 Benchmark Survey HAS Bank

11. Employer Health Benefits 2007 Annual Survey, Kaiser Family Foundation

12. Health Savings Accounts and High Deductible Health Plans: Are They An Option for Low-Income Families?Catherine Hoffman and Jennifer Tolbert for Kaiser Family Foundation, October 2006

13. Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003

I am an ardent reader who also loves to write as well. I am an MBA with specialization in finance.

Everyone wants to find a good, honest and reliable local garage which gives them value for money every time. So how do you go about finding one locally? The good news, it is possible if you just follow these 4 simple steps. This in turn eliminates the chances of you using the wrong ones that are going to charge you over the top. And the first step is to get personal recommendations especially from those that drive around in a similar model and make of car as yours.

Step 1 – How to be get personal Auto Repairs recommendations

So you drive around in a model of car that not many own or drive. So how do go about getting personal recommendations? Well it is now that much easier. Just email or text friends, relatives and work colleagues to ask them if they know of anyone who drives a similar model and make of car as yours locally. Give them your details as well as saying you are looking for a reliable garage to service or to do some auto repairs on your car in the local area. If they don’t know of anyone,get them to ask their friends. They in turn may know someone. As the saying goes, you are no more than 6 people away from the person you want to contact or speak to. Try it out. It works. You’ll be amazed at the results. Now on to the next step.

Step 2 – You now have a shortlist of potential garages to use for your auto repairs.

So what questions should you now ask those who have just recommended a particular garage for some auto repairs? Here are just some to get you started:

1. What do they like about the auto repairs in particular? Find out the reasons why.

2. How long have they been using the garage for servicing and for auto repairs?

3. What did they have done last on their car? Have they had any other auto repairs done using the same garage?

4. What was the service like? Any feedback? How was the car returned to them? Was it clean and tidy?

5. Was it repaired on the day and at the time it was booked in? Or do the auto repairs always over-run?

6. Were they informed of any other extra auto repairs that needed to be done before they were actually carried out? Did the auto repairs garage give them a quote at the time and more importantly did they keep to it?

7. Was the invoice itemised with a detailed breakdown for the auto repairs done including parts replaced? Were there any hidden nasty surprises added to the bill they knew nothing about?

8. Did the auto garage stamp the service book and were they any other issues?

9. How did they book their car in? Was there a long waiting period of say over a week to book their car in etc?

10. The garage itself was it well run, tidy, clean and well maintained? What was the general attitude of the staff? Were they polite and helpful?

11. Have they had any reason to go back to the garage to have some of the auto repairs looked at again?

Step 3 – Now to check out those auto repairs / garages on your shortlist

You now have a shortlist of the potential garages to use for your urgently needed auto repairs. You now need to quickly vet all of these out. First phone the auto repairs up and ask them for a service quote for your make and model of car.

1. How long were you kept waiting on the phone before it was answered?

2. Were they specific and detailed as to what is included as part of the service and what isn’t?

In most cases the way the reception staff operates and how they deal with the public ( i.e. customer care) is a reflection of how the auto repairs is being run. Yes, the person may be having a bad day. But even if they are, they should be professional and at their best when dealing with the public.

After a few days, you now need to do a quick visit to the auto repairs itself. It’s best not to go first thing in the morning as you want to see how the auto repairs is working properly at a busy time. Simply go to the reception desk and again ask them for a quote on the servicing of your car. Give them your car details etc. This is now your chance to ask any other questions you may still have:

If any work is undertaken on your car, how long is guaranteed for. It is always best to use an actual example to get all the details. This is so there can be no misunderstanding.

Ask them what is included in the service and what isn’t. You can now compare this to what was said on the phone earlier. Are they any differences? If there are, ask them why this is the case?

Find out where you collect the car once it has been serviced. You want your car to be parked and kept in a secure place. And not down a narrow side road where cars have difficulty parking and passing.

As part of the small talk, ask them how long they been working at the auto repairs? Lead them on and see how they react to your comment “It seems to be a very friendly place etc”. If they say yes it is, ask them how long most of the staff stay. Ask what training they have had most recently.

Once you have finished with the reception, look around generally:

1. Watch how the telephone messages are taken. Is it done systematically or just ad hoc on a piece of paper etc?

2. Is all the paperwork and documentation kept in an orderly way for each car?

3. Are the notice boards tidy and up to-date?

Review everything including how you were generally treated.

Step 4 – Now for the final test.

Once you have done the same for all the other auto repairs on your shortlist you can now decide which auto repairs to go with:

1. Best to give your chosen garage a small auto repair job first if you can, to see how they do it. What many also do at the same time is to mention they were recommended by such and such person with so and so car who also uses them.

2. If more than one person has given you a personal recommendation for that garage also mention their name. This way the auto garage knows that you are a serious customer. By doing this you ensure they will do an excellent job rather than risk you going back to their other existing customers and telling them otherwise. Play them at their own game.

Lastly as soon as you have changed your car to a new one, especially to a different make and model of car, you may need to find another suitable auto repairs to do the servicing and repairs to your car in the future. However you may be lucky in that the auto repairs you are presently using can also do all the servicing and any necessary repairs on your new car. Find out now if this is the case, and not when you need a garage in a hurry.

To cut your motoring costs even further, collect your free full report “57 Ways to Slash your motoring costs by 20% or more” now at Auto Repairs Chas Blandy runs http://www.car-buying-secrets.com/car-dealerships.html on car buying. That is to buy any model or make of car just like those in the car trade.

Tennis clothes have changed drastically in style, fabric, and color over the last 100 years. The first lawn tennis players in England wore formal attire when playing. Standard tennis clothes for women were full-length dresses. Men wore long pants and formal, long sleeve shirts. The tennis clothes of both men and women were entirely white in color. Contrast this formal style with the tennis clothes worn by the tennis players of today. Modern tennis players favor synthetic fabrics, more athletic clothing styles, and a greater variety of colors.

The evolution of tennis clothes has mirrored the changes in everyday fashion. For example, male tennis players in the 1970’s and 1980’s favored short, tight-fitting shorts and traditional polo shirts. In the late 1990’s and 2000’s, male tennis players began to wear larger, looser shorts and more casual shirts. In addition, female tennis players of the 1970’s and 1980’s favored traditional tennis clothes with an updated style. Popular clothing included shortened tennis skirts and dresses. Today’s women tennis players wear a variety of tennis clothes, ranging from tennis skirts and dresses to shorts and t-shirts. While tennis players still wear white at more traditional clubs (e.g. Wimbledon), there is a much larger variety of colors in modern tennis clothes.

Another factor contributing to the evolution of tennis clothes is the increased athleticism in the modern game. Tennis is now a high intensity sport, requiring tremendous physical effort and exertion. Tennis players must be able to run, cut, jump, and twist all while executing precise tennis strokes to hit a ball often moving at high speeds. Consequently, comfort is a major concern of players. Modern tennis players prefer tennis clothes that are lightweight, fit well, repel moisture, and are generally comfortable. Tennis clothes that keep the body cool and dry can help players counteract the physical toll that playing tennis, especially in hot weather, can exact.

Advances in clothing technology have also contributed to the evolution of tennis clothes. For years, cotton was the fabric of choice for tennis clothes. In the last few years, however, many tennis apparel makers have introduced garments made of new, synthetic fibers. Tennis clothes made of these synthetic fibers help remove sweat from the skin and clothing by wicking moisture away from the body. Examples of these clothing technologies are Adidas’s ClimaCool brand and Nike’s Dri-FIT. Most professional tennis players and many recreational tennis players now wear tennis clothes made with these new technologies because they keep them cooler and drier than traditional tennis wear.

In conclusion, tennis clothes have seen many changes over the years. While tennis clothes maintain some of their formality and traditional style, modern tennis players value comfort and individual style over tradition. Increased athleticism, advances in technology, and changes in general fashion have greatly affected the tennis clothing industry. In addition, breaking from their traditional roots, tennis clothes have become a medium for personal expression of individual style and important pieces of equipment in an increasingly physical sport.

For more information on tennis try visiting http://www.TennisQuestions.com, a website that specializes in providing tennis related tips, advice and resources to include information on the best tennis clothes.

Why do some children still do best after divorce and separation? Is there divorce parenting approaches that really work? Read and learn the divorce parenting approaches that really work.

Going through the process of divorce is a challenging life transition for both parents and children. During their parents’ divorce, children often feel a wide variety of conflicting emotions. It is very important for parents to provide their children with understanding and support. Overall, the children who do best after divorce and separation are those whose parents dominantly employ 5 divorce parenting approaches. They:

1. Listen to children and nurture an independent and empathic relationship with each of them.
2. Fully support the children’s relationships with the other parent making them feel loved and wanted in both homes.
3. Develop positive strategies for setting limits and imposing appropriate discipline.
4. Continue to hold reasonably high expectations for the children, regardless of trying circumstances.
5. Shield the children from their parental disagreements and resentments.

Each of the above is presented here below in great detail.

1. Listen to children and nurture an independent and empathic relationship with each of them.

To better help our children we must first understand them. To be able to understand them completely, we need to listen and create an environment favorable for them to speak out. To make things happen, you need to:

• Encourage your children to talk about how they feel. Let your children know that they can openly talk to you about their feelings of your separation or divorce.
• Keep lines of communication open and answer all questions about the changes. Make sure your children feels like they can ask you questions and get answers about why the divorce happened and what to expect.
• Convey that you are genuinely interested in their input. This will make your children feel they are participating in contributing to the process of recovering from the divorce.

2. Fully support the children’s relationships with the other parent making them feel loved and wanted in both homes.

Research tells us that children benefit from keeping the familial ties in their life that were meaningful and important to them prior to the divorce. Of these familial ties, the most important are the child-parent ties. Remember that divorce does not end children’s need for parents or it ends your role as parent. You should:

• Recognize that for your child to have the best chance of growing up to be a functional human male or female, he/she will need both parents as role models and nurturers. This means that there should be some pathway of getting through to the child whatever good that parent has to offer.
• Respect your child’s needs to have both parents there for them, without having them worry that they are going to die of embarrassment if you both start to fight in public. Encourage the other parent to stay involved in the children’s school and extra-curricular activities.
• Allow the children to enjoy the time that they spend with each parent. Encourage your children to spend good times with the other parent. Don’t be jealous or upset, as children do not want to take sides and love one parent more than the other.
• Help your children and ex-spouse have a successful relationship as just as you would help your children to succeed in school or sports. Remember that your ex-spouse is an important part of your child’s life. Just like you, your children have a shared history with this person as well as the present and future.

3. Develop positive strategies for setting limits and imposing appropriate discipline.

Often after a divorce parents will either become stricter or more lenient. Some parents feel like the other parent is letting the child get away with everything; therefore, they attempt to enforce discipline across both homes. Other parents do not want to spend the limited time they have with their child punishing them and tend to be too lenient. It can be difficult for children when their parents have drastically different rules and expectations. To give the child a sense of stability and security, you should do the following:

• Maintain consistent routines. Children feel more secure when there is a standard routine. At times, some parenting issues require communication and coordination between parents, if the child spends time with both parents. Both parents don’t have to do things exactly the same way, but it is easier for children if most things are similar at each home.
• Set limits and rules clearly, and enforces them. But within these limits do allow leeway for your children to be children.

4. Continue to hold reasonably high expectations for the children, regardless of trying circumstances.

Help your children have positive feelings about themselves. Children who feel good about them usually succeed. They seem to get better grades in school, they are better at taking on hard jobs, and they try their best. Also, they tend to make better friends because they seem surer of themselves. As parents, you can play an important role in helping children have positive feelings about themselves. Here are some ways you can help your children to feel good about them.

• Help them learn to set realistic and reachable goals so they can regularly achieve success. Praise them for success.
• Give your children responsibility so that they feel useful, and valued. Asking nothing of them implies that you think they are not capable of doing a job well, which is demeaning.
• Encourage them to make decisions, and teach that they must accept responsibility for those decisions.

5. Shield the children from their parental disagreements and resentments.

Stop fighting and work hard to get along with each other. Rumbles of discontent between parents leave children feeling insecure. It is therefore so important for you and your partner to try to agree on matters related to children and their needs. You can employ strategies such as:

• Be able to step back and keep your feelings about your ex-spouse separate from those you have about your children’s parent. Many people make lousy husbands or wives, but they are terrific parents.
• If you cannot be civil with your ex-spouse, then work out a plan and set up rules so that your child does not have to witness your wrath. Let your children feel with ease rather than going through a gauntlet of your venom for each other.
• Get to work on resolving your feelings about your ex-spouse. That means if you can’t get over this yourself, get some help. Other people are suffering besides you, and those other people are your children!

Certainly, some children still do best after divorce and separation. All their parents did were employing tested divorce parenting approaches that really work. You can raise healthy, happy and successful children even if you’re divorced. Follow the above approaches for your children sake.

Copyright by Ruben Francia. All Rights Reserved.

Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author’s information and web link are included at the bottom of the article. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. Minor edits and alterations are acceptable so long as they do not distort or change the content of the article.

About The Author

Ruben Francia is an author of an indispensable divorce parenting guide ebook, entitled “101 Ways To Raise Your ‘Divorced’ Children To Success”. Discover the ways to raising healthy, happy and successful children even if you’re on divorced. Visit his web site at http://www.101divorceparenting.com; marketing@101divorceparenting.com

There can be little doubt that most of us have taken television for granted. After all it has been around as long as we have, and it is as common in our homes as electricity and running water.

None of us can imagine not being able to press a button on the remote control via cable or satellite and choose from among hundreds of televisions offerings at any given moment. Most of us have several of these receivers in our homes so our children can be appropriately entertained while we watch our important shows, like “As the World Turns”, “Desperate Housewives”, or “Survivor”.

Couples can watch their own respective programs on different sets or activate Tivo to record any programs for later viewing.

The television story was much different in 1936 when on June 29th when the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) assembled every executive involved in RCA manufacturing and radio’s National Broadcast Corporation (NBC) to view live television entertainment for the very first time.

Radio had flourished during the depths of the Depression and RCA/NBC were at the head of the class. These manufacturers and programmers of radio had successfully refined new dimension of sight to their broadcasting capabilities. The term “television” had been aptly coined for this since its literal meaning was “distant vision”.

Seventy years ago on this June day, it was the hope of David Sarnoff, Chairman of RCA, to get all of their radio retailers, manufacturers and broadcasters involved expanding this new frontier of television.

The Empire State Building television transmitter was used to demonstrate high definition television (343 lines) to RCA’s Licensees. The program featured speeches by Major General James G. Harbord (Chairman of the Board, RCA), David Sarnoff (President of RCA) and Otto S. Schairer (Vice-President RCA, in charge of Patents and Trademarks). This live broadcast included dancing girls and a film about army maneuvers. A dinner celebrating this event was held after the demonstration at the Waldorf Astoria.

Hence this was the world’s first true TV Dinner! Note this is my discovery, no claims were ever made by RCA or NBC.

The only known surviving photograph of this private event known can be seen at: http://framemaster.tripod.com/index-3.html

The caption for this photograph reads:

“RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA

FOLLOWING A DEMONSTRATION OF THE RCA SYSTEM OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION IN FIELD TEST INAUGURATED JUNE 29, 1936″

After this successful private broadcast it was decided to enhance the programming and invite the public and press to an even greater TV demonstration later in November. This time there would be live performances by professional actors, singers and entertainers.

The Birth of Live Entertainment and Music on Television, November 6, 1936

This is the true milestone in television history as all talent used for this broadcast were accomplished for the first time on live television. The following accounts are taken from the complete press release and photographs which I believe is the only complete one known:

“Experimental Television Demonstration For The Press

National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City, N.Y. November 6, 1936 TELEVISION DEVELOPMENTS DEMONSTRATED FOR PRESS BY NBC AND RCA

Television program transmission was demonstrated for the press today (Friday, November 6) by the National Broadcasting Company in a 40-minute program illustrating RCA experimental developments. The pictures were broadcast from the transmitter on top of the Empire State Building, and were received on the 62nd floor of the RCA Building.

David Sarnoff, President of the Radio Corporation of America, reported on results of field tests conducted by the company engineers since September 1 last. Lenox R. Lohr, President of NBC, discussed the practical problems presented in staging performances for the air.

The demonstration possessed four features not included in previous press demonstrations of television. It was the first made by RCA and the National Broadcasting Company for the press under practical working conditions, although previous demonstrations of laboratory television have been given. It represented the first showing of a complete program built for entertainment value as well as a demonstration of transmission. It also included the first showing of the new 12-inch receiving tube, which reproduces a picture on a 7 ½ by 10-inch screen. This is the largest screen yet employed which is capable of commercial adaptation.

A fourth feature of the demonstration was a television tour behind the scenes. By means of an especially prepared moving picture film, the guests were conducted through the NBC television studios in the RCA Building and the transmitter station at the top of the Empire State Building. The watchers in front of the line of receivers installed for the demonstration saw the processes whereby performances by “live” talent are transformed into pictures through the air, witnessed the scanning of moving picture films, and observed in detail the intricate television apparatus in actual operation.

Besides the talks by Messrs. Sarnoff and Lohr, and the behind-the-scenes film, the audience was entertained by the Inkspots (*The Ink Spots, see footnote), colored comedy teams, and Hildegarde, “The Television Girl,” in characteristic songs. A Bob Benchley short and a selection of newsreel subjects also were demonstrated by television. The program was announced by Betty Goodwin, of the NBC Press Department.

The demonstration was presented and supervised by Ralph R. Beal, RCA Research Supervisor; O(scar) B. Hanson, NBC Chief Engineer, and Charles W. Horn, NBC Director of Research and Development. These engineers explained that numerous problems of transmission and production will still remain to be solved before television on a commercial scale can be attempted.

The demonstration was the first showing for the press of RCA experimental television under practical field conditions since the Radio Corporation of America assigned the task of setting up a television operating plant to the National Broadcasting Company.

This assignment included the construction of studios adapted to television technique, the installation of equipment in those studios and at the transmitter atop the Empire State Building, the determination of workable engineering methods for the transmission of the pictures, and the training of a staff to take over the operation of the plant.

Lenox R. Lohr, President of the National Broadcasting Company Talks about NBC’s Television Future

November 6, 1936 Press Release from NBC Television

Lenox Lohr Statement For The Press

National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City, N.Y.

November 6, 1936

Statement by Lenox R. Lohr, President of the National Broadcasting Company, introducing Mr. Sarnoff at the NBC Press Demonstration of RCA Experimental Television:

On behalf of the National Broadcasting Company, I extend a cordial welcome to the representatives of the press who are assembled upstairs to see this television demonstration. What you will see today is the result of tireless effort on the part of many men and the expenditure of huge sums over a period of many years. The success of these efforts you can judge for yourselves. But, at last, television is out of the laboratory and into the field, undergoing tests which will assure that it does not reach the public until it is capable of satisfactory service.

The role of the National Broadcasting Company in television will be operating transmitters, programming, and, when it becomes available for commercial use, securing sponsors. In order that we may be prepared to do our part, our engineers are daily putting apparatus on the air under practical service conditions.

Our Program Department is learning an entire new technique in continuity writing, make-up, staging, and a multitude of other details which this new art will demand. It is experimenting with commercial programs to determine the effectiveness of television to sell goods.

Our engineers are studying the economics of networking, so that several stations may be interconnected by either coaxial cable of short-wave relays, and are developing equipment for the making of outside pick-ups. With the experience that we are gaining daily, we feel that when the time is ripe to offer television to the public, the National Broadcasting Company will be prepared to do its part. As you see television put through its paces here today, you will see results which are largely due to the vision and enterprise of Mr. David Sarnoff, President of the Radio Corporation of America, who will now speak to you.

TELEVISION STATEMENT TO PRESS November 6, 1936 by David Sarnoff, President Radio Corporation of America

In view of the public interest in the promise of sight as well as sound through the air, we have invited you here today to witness an experimental television test so that the progress in this new and promising art may be reflected to the public factually rather than through

the haze of conjecture or speculation.

You will recall that our field tests in television began only on June 29 of this year. That date marked the beginning in this country of organized television experiments between a regular transmitting station and a number of homes. Since then we have advanced and are continuing to advance simultaneously along the three broad fronts of television development-research which must point the road to effective transmission and reception; technical progress which must translate into practical sets for the home the achievements of our laboratories; and field tests to determine the needs and possibilities of a public service that will ultimately enable us to see as well as to hear programs through the air. On all these fronts our work has made definite progress and has brought us nearer the desired goal.

First and as of immediate interest, let me tell you the progress of our field tests. As you know, we have been transmitting from our television station on top of the Empire State Building in New York City which is controlled from the NBC television studios in the RCA Building. We have observed and measured these transmissions through a number of experimental receivers located in the metropolitan area and adjacent suburbs. The results thus far have been encouraging, and instructive. As we anticipated, many needs that must be met by a commercial service have been made clear by these tests.

We have successfully transmitted through the air, motion pictures as well as talent before the televisor. The distance over which these television programs have been received has exceeded out immediate expectations. In one favorable location due to extreme height of our transmitter, we have consistently received transmissions as far as 45 miles from the Empire State Building.

The tests have been very instructive in that we have learned a great deal more about the behavior of ultra short waves and how to handle them. We know more about interferences, most of which are man made and susceptible of elimination. We have surmounted the difficulties of making apparatus function outside of the laboratory. We have confirmed the soundness of the technical fundamentals of our system, and the experience gained through these tests enables us to chart the needs of a practical television service.

We shall now proceed to expand our field test in a number of ways. First, we shall increase the number of observation points in the service area. Next we will raise the standards of transmission.

In our present field tests we are using a 343 line definition. Radio Corporation of America and the radio industry have, through the Radio Manufacturers Association, recommended to the Federal Communications commission the adoption of 441 line definition as a standard for commercial operation. Our New York transmitter will be rearranged to conform to the recommended standards. That also means building synchronized receivers to conform to the new standards of the transmitter. Synchronization of transmitting and receiving equipment is a requirement of television that imposes responsibilities upon those who would furnish a satisfactory product and render a useful service to the public. On the one hand, standards cannot be frozen prematurely or progress would be prevented, while on the other hand, frequently changing standards means rapid obsolescence of television equipment.

Basic research is a continuing process in our laboratories not only that the problems of television may be solved but also to develop other uses of the ultra short and micro waves which possess such vast potentialities in this new domain of the ether.

While we have thus proceeded on the technical front of television, the construction and operation of television studios have enabled us to coordinate our technical advance with the program technique that a service to the home will ultimately require. Today, you are the guests of RCA’s broadcasting unit -the National Broadcasting Company. Under the direction of its president, Mr. Lenox Lohr, the NBC has instituted a series of television program tests in which we have sought to ascertain initial requirements.

Ten years ago the National Broadcasting Company began a national service of sound broadcasting. Now it enters upon its second decade of service by contributing its facilities and experience to the new art of television.

One of the major problems in television is that of network syndication. Our present facilities for distribution of sound broadcasting cover the vast area of the United States and serve its 128,000,000 people. Similar coverage for television programs, in the present state of the television art, would require a multiplicity of transmitters and network interconnection by wire or radio facilities still to be developed.

Our program is three fold; first we must develop suitable commercial equipment for television and reception; second, we must develop a program service suitable for network syndication; third, we must also develop a sound economic base to support a television service.

From the standpoint of research, laboratory development, and technical demonstration, television progress in the United States continues to give us an unquestioned position of leadership in the development of the art. In whatever form such progress may be evident in other countries, we lead in the research which is daily extending the radio horizon, and in technical developments that have made possible a transmitting and receiving system that meets the highest standards thus far obtainable in field demonstration.

We are now engaged in the development of studio and program techniques that will touch upon every possibility within the growing progress of the art. The distinction between television in this country and abroad is the distinction between experimental public services undertaken under government subsidy in countries of vastly smaller extent, and the progressive stages of commercial development undertaken by the free initiative, enterprise and capital of those who have pioneered the art in the United States.

While the problems of television are formidable, I firmly believe they will be solved. With the establishment of a television service to the public which will supplement and not supplant the present service of broadcasting, a new industry and new opportunities will have been created.”

*2:30 P.M. – NBC/RCA Television Demonstration. Ink Spots perform on the first live TV demonstration at NBC and, on the basis of this, are the first black performers to appear on television in the U.S. Variety states: “Later the Inkspots, a colored comedy – singing unit – put on a three-minute skit with all the stage makeup trappings. Couple of full-length showings were used here and the boys were in motion besides. It worked out okay.” (Since they are the first performers mentioned in the article, the Ink Spots may have been the first performers of any color to perform on TV in the U.S.) [Variety, 11-11-36 & New York Times, 11-7-36

Steve Restelli created the website HistoryTV.net in 1999 to share some of his photographic collection of eary experimental television over the internet for students, scholars and other history buffs. Since that time he has both expanded his collection and been used as a resource for authors and others who really want to view some of the earliest television images that survive. Much of the collection was once owned by Dr. Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, who is often credited as one of Televisions inventors.

Techniques to Pick the Best Hiking Boots

Why go to a lot of trouble selecting the best hiking boots? Because they are your Feet, yes your feet. If you are going hiking, that means countless steps. Probably the most important part of your body to keep strong during a hike will be your feet. In the event you cannot walk, you can’t get home.

Your boots are the foremost critical element which affects the enjoyment of hiking. For this reason you should pick the best hiking boots for your needs. If you have some boots which are not comfortable or are made for the improper outdoor adventure, it might spoil the entire trip.

Another thing to consider is the fact these boots are to last for a long while, so don’t just get a boot because it’s discounted. Try out the best set of boots to suit your needs. Don’t skimp on your hiking boots. You could regret it when it’s too late and you are a long way in your hike.

Selecting the most appropriate hiking boots for your feet can be confusing, however here’s some advice making it simple.

Your Hiking Boot Buying Process

Above all, you need to try on the boots. I know this sounds like a “duh” moment, still trying it on in a store and making sure their comfort is essential for an enjoyable hike. How can you tell if your boot is actually a perfect fit?

• Test boot styles in the afternoon. Your foot usually swells throughout the day.
• Bring your socks that you will be normally planning to use. Correct fit depends on having the actual socks.
• Put the boots on and lace them snugly (but do not over fasten them so much that you’re hurting your hands, that is much too tight). Stand and try and raise your heel. Your heel ought to rise a maximum of 1/8″. A lot of heel movement suggests too much friction.
• Tighten the laces plus locate a solid target to kick the toe of the boot into, like a post or ground. Kick the object twice. If you find the toes slam into the front of the boot, subsequently the boots are not fitting properly. On a steep downhill trek, the toes can get a beating plus it can cause difficulty with the toe nails or feet. The toes should push close to the front of the boot on the third or even 4th kick, but never slam. Various methods you can look at in case your toes are crushed could be to change socks, re-lace the boots or maybe test a different set of boots.
• A number of locations have a ramp you’ll be able to walk up and down on to help you determine if they are suitable. Utilize it. Trails are not flat, utilize the tools while in the store to recognize the best hiking boots for your feet.
• Assuming you have time (and you should have time for this particular decision) walk around the store. The additional time you can spend in the boots, the better you will know if they fit correctly.
• Before you buy your boots, make certain you may return them. Some stores are good with regards to enabling you to return them if you have only worn them inside and not had them for a lengthy period of time. Check the return procedure before you leave.
• After you have bought your boots, they have to be broken in. (Do not head directly out to a 10 mile trail with new boots!) Put on the boots around the house, take quick walks around your neighborhood. When they appear to fit well, you will be able to use them on a simple day hike. The objective is to get the boots to form to your feet.

Cash Keeping Suggestion: If you’re money-conscience then try the boots on in the store, pick one you truly want and then purchase that identical style on the web for a lot less.

Care and Cleaning

• Make sure that you align the tongue each and every time you put your boots on. This inhibits the tongue from sagging and developing wrinkles. Wrinkles in the tongue contribute to blisters and rubbing.
• Make sure you read the care of the boots. Treat them if necessary to make a water resistant seal. If they’re leather and they end up getting soaked, let them dry out slowly. Don’t set them in front of a fireplace, this can cause breaking of the leather. Open them up each night on the trail as well as after a hike to allow them to air. Also, before putting them away until the next hike, clean them based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. Get any grime off them to help prolong their life. This can be done using a bristle brush. Care for the leather with saddle soap, let them air dry and then put on a sealer or wax.

When Purchasing the Best Hiking Boots For You, Keep These Things in Mind:

Materials used:

1. Leather: Stronger and water repellent. Heavier than synthetic. Generally intended for longer hikes having a full back pack.
2. Synthetic: Lighter in weight weight than leather, unfortunately shows wear more.
3. Waterproof materials: Several boots offer a waterproof membrane that’s attached to the inside of the boot. (such as Gore-Tex ®)

Hiking Style:

1. Day Hikes having a couple of containers of drinking water in a fanny pack.
2. Over Night Hikes with a small pack.
3. Several Day Hikes with a 40 to 50 pound backpack.

Boot Cut:

1. Low Cut: Good for more level terrain, shorter hikes. Not really a lot of ankle support.
2. Mid Height: Additional ankle support, can be used for limited multi-day hikes using a lighter in weight pack.
3. High Cut: Traditionally the most rugged and durable boot. Great for lengthy multi-day hikes with a heavy duty pack.

Day Hike / Low Cut Boots

A Low Cut Boot would be the best hiking boot for day hikes. These could be used on a day time hike with level ground. You would have a small-scale day pack or even a fanny pack with a couple bottles of drinking water. Also, the trail shouldn’t have a great deal of gravel, since it could get in between your sock and the boot. These kinds of boots can also be water proof and are made of synthetic or synthetic/leather blend.

Extended Day or even Shorter Multi-Day Hike / Mid Cut Boots

The best hiking boots for a longer hike would be the mid cut. Mid Cut is good for more challenging inclines and they’ve got more ankle support. The majority are water-proof and are available in synthetic or a synthetic/leather combination. They perform a somewhat better job of keeping out gravel and pebbles and will provide you with more stability on muddy trails. These boots have sufficient support for using a lighter, small backpack.

Mountaineering or Long Multi-Day Hike / High Cut Boots

High Cut Boots tend to be the best hiking boots for the serious hiker. They come in Leather or Leather/synthetic blend. They’re a very strong boot with a lot of ankle support designed to be worn using a weighty pack. They may also be used with crampons for snow. They are unquestionably designed for the most demanding terrain.

Additionally: It is great to have the Perfect Hiking Boots, but what happens when your laces break?

It’s important to have a spare pair of laces on the trail. The laces must be made for boots and not shoes. I would suggest a round instead of a flat style lace, these tend to last longer. The support that laces provide is very important to a comfortable hike.

Every hiking boot needs a good boot insole. Insoles do wear out with time. Make sure that your insole continues giving you the right padding.

Remember; protect your feet with the proper hiking boots. They will appreciate you by the end of the day.

I’m hoping that this report has been helpful in choosing the best hiking boots for you.

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If you enjoyed this article and want to keep up to date on hiking and backpacking, check out Hiking Revealed.com. This website is packed full of information on hiking equipment and trail reviews.

Remember to sign up and get your FREE Hiking Checklist today!

Imagine this! You are walking down the market place checking out the variety of rates for a box of apples. You scout the market on foot, personally checking with all vendors who have apple carts on display. The entire process takes you roughly about an hour as the market is spread out over a large area. You pass by those that quote a high rate and mentally check those that offer the sum that’s nearest to what you can pay. At the end of the exercise you zoom in to the vendor who offers the best quote for the best quality as well. And then you pick your lot. Something similar happens when you shop around for the best free quote in car insurance.

Let us first understand what insurance is. Answer: Insurance is basically an agreement you make with an insurance company to secure yourself or your belongings in case of any eventuality. The insurance is payable in cash, the amount which is pre-decided between the insurance company and the insured. The insured pays a premium to the insurance company regularly towards this insurance cover.

Car insurance is insuring the car that you or your family/ employees would drive. All car insurance companies provide quotes for your cars on request and you can get free quotes by spending some time looking around yourself. Unlike going about the car insurance market on foot as described, there are easier ways to obtain some good free quotes.

Obtaining free quotes for your car insurance is something like this. All vehicles by law are required to have insurance. If your car is not insured you cannot drive it. Therefore you need to get a car insurance done at the earliest.

Now, how do you go about getting your quotes?

In today’s internet savvy generation, car insurance quotes can be obtained free over the net. You can also find loads of information about numerous car insurance companies that operate in your district and those car insurance companies, which offer the best and free quotes as well. This helps cut any costs that may be associated in obtaining car insurance quotes from several car insurance agencies.

Let’s assume you need a car insurance free quote today. What do you do? Simple, as a first step you log on to the net and run a search for car insurance free quote in your district. This will throw up several web links. You have to click on them to read and understand what the car insurance agencies offer, their free quote requirements, their policy and procedures and such information.

When you are scouting around for the relevant car insurance free quote information you will need some specific information regarding your car. To start with you need to provide your personal contact information which would include name, contact numbers, email address, car driving license number and since when you have it etc.

Then you will need to fill in details about your car like the any current car insurance policies you are holding and their term. This section will probe your car history (any accidents, tickets or violations), the car make and model (4 Wheel drive or sedan), your specific use of the car (to work/ cross-country), and details like if the car has airbags, security alarm system etc etc.

You will also need to clearly mention in your quote requirements what is the coverage amount you need like a full cover or liability only. Also required by the car insurance companies is the bodily limit injury amount you are seeking. Once you submit these details related to car insurance, your quote will be on its way.

All you need to do is await a number of free quotes from several car insurance companies. Once you have shopped around among the best car insurance companies in your district to get the best free quote, select one. You have to try to get the maximum car insurance benefits for your free quote. If you find that you are not happy with the rates in the free quotes that the first lot of car insurance companies have sent you, there are ways to get even better free quotes.

Free quotes depend on the information you put in on the car insurance websites. You can reduce the premium amounts mentioned in the free quotes drastically if you do any of the following and mention the same in your free quote request. You park your car inside a garage. This eliminates damage and theft. You set a ‘break in warning alarm system in your car. You alone drive your car instead of several persons. You don’t have a history of self-caused accidents or violations. You don’t need a car hire clause when your car is taken by the insurance agency for any repairs and many such important points.

So you see, you can get fantastic free quotes from reputed car insurance agencies for your car without moving out of your home.

Scott is a consultant at Car Insurance Free Quote [http://www.lespillets.com/Car_Insurance_Free_Quote.html], a directory listing site with all your car insurance information needs. If you have any other car insurance questions please visit [http://www.lespillets.com/Car_Insurance_Free_Quote.html]

Adult education gives high quality education for adults to improve their standard in the society, and it can be continued at any stage of their life. It helps people graduate with the help of nation’s various adult education centers and programs. It ensures people to compete in a better way in this competitive society.

There are lots of reasons for adults to return to education after some time. Adult education can help people who wish to continue their education, people who look for a career change, or people who just wish to enhance their knowledge. Adults returning to education programs offer you plenty of choices and features to study. Many new programs and various educational departments guide you with providing high quality education in an interactive manner. It offers basic knowledge regarding computer literacy, numerical ability, and correctional education. Moreover, it allows people in developing different employment opportunities. This can be done by returning to education with various adult education programs which are available in different states.

Many educational providers invite adults to return to education after a formal break. Educational centers like Adults Who Are Returning to Education (AWARE), Center for Adults Returning to Education (CARE) are few amongst the adult education continuing centers that are doing a fine job. Adults who return to education would have had different backgrounds that led to their interruption from continuing education. Instructors in these educational centers are well trained to improve their education level according to their ability. Careful adjustments are given for older students during the learning process. There are various adult education centers and programs in which adults can continue their interrupted education.

There are many foundations throughout the nation that help adults return to education with some major features. They offer many scholarships for the adults who return to education. Adult student technical college scholarships, minority/female technical scholarships, and UW-Marinette scholarships are few of the scholarships for adults who return to education in few of the states. One can continue his/her interrupted education at any stage through these educational centers for adults and many other foundations.

Adult Education provides detailed information on Adult Education, Adult Education Schools, Adult Continuing Education, Adult Education Online and more. Adult Education is affiliated with Life Centered Career Education [http://www.e-CareerEducation.com].

As one of the oldest children in a family of nine, I know that cooking for a crowd can almost be a full-time job. Once-a-month-cooking has been a lifesaver for our family. In the beginning though, when we first heard of cooking 30 meals in one day, it sounded rather impossible. It was not until we had tried it, though, that we found it is not only possible, but it can even be quite simple and fun!

Blessings

If you are skeptical about taking on what might seem like an overwhelming task to you, let me first share some of the blessings which have resulted for our family from once-a-month-cooking.

o It has saved us many hours of trying to figure out what to have for dinner and answered the infamous question, “What’s for dinner?”

o We have been more readily able to show hospitality to other families when the main dish is already made and in the freezer. (We usually plan ahead for this by doubling or tripling seven to ten of the recipes on cooking day to use as “company meals.”) In like manner, it is much easier to being meals to needy families when you have casseroles in the freezer ready to be pulled out and heated at the drop of a hat. (We also plan for this by preparing many of the dishes in disposable pans.)

o It saves time (You only have to do mountains of dishes one day a month, not every day! You also don’t have to start dinner at 4:30 p.m. or earlier everyday… just pull dinner out to thaw in the morning.) and money (You can usually save quite a bit by buying in bulk).

o We are brought closer together as we spend a special day as a family cooking these meals.

o This is an excellent lesson in Home Economics for your children. Mom always has the oldest girls plan the menu, grocery list, and strategy for the cooking day. She often has us do the grocery shopping, as well.

Planning

Proper planning is essential for a successful cooking day. I usually start planning at least a week in advance. First, pick which day will be your cooking day. Clear your schedule that day. You will want to focus your energies entirely on cooking.

Menu Planning: After you have chosen your cooking day, begin menu planning. Go through your cookbooks and find recipes suitable for freezing. Strive for variety. My list usually includes: one-dish dinners, meatloaf, meatballs, layered casseroles, soups, chili, hamburgers, meatless dishes, and so on. Make sure that you include a number of family favorites, in addition to any new recipes you may be trying out. You do not want to fill your freezer with meals your family won’t find appetizing! When you write down your menu, make sure and write down the cookbook and page number the recipe came from. In addition, mark whether you are planning to double or triple the recipe.

Make Your Grocery List: Using your menu list, write down the quantities of ingredients needed for each recipe. I like to categorize like ingredients on five to seven different lists (meats, vegetables, cheese, pasta, spices, etc.). Take these lists and combine all like ingredients onto a final list. For example, if there are fifteen recipes calling for one pound of ground beef, you will write “15 pounds ground beef” on your final grocery list.

After you have made your final grocery list, make sure and check your cupboards to see what you might already have on hand. You probably have most of the seasonings. But be sure that if you need four teaspoons of garlic powder, you actually have that much in the jar. I have not checked thoroughly before, and it has been real headache.

I have found it most helpful to keep a separate “food preparation list” along with my grocery list which states what is to be done with the items which I need large quantities (Such as, if one the items on your list is “20 pounds of chicken breasts,” note beside that item how many cups need to be cooked and diced, how many chicken breasts need to be cooked and left whole, how many need to be left frozen, etc.).

You will also want to make sure you have plenty of freezer bags and foil on hand. These will be essential on your cooking day.

Cooking Day Strategy: It is wise to develop a basic cooking day strategy of what you will do when. This does not need to be an exhaustive list, but it will save you time and effort if you have planned the basic order of what you will be cooking when. If you are going to be working together as a family on cooking, plan who is responsible for what tasks. Although everyone will need to be flexible, it will definitely save hassle to have most of the schedule worked out ahead of time.

Shopping: The day before you begin cooking, do your grocery shopping. Make sure you do not rush through this. Read your list thoroughly and check to get the best deal.

Cooking

The sooner you can start in the morning, the better. Begin by cooking the meats, grating the cheese, chopping the onions, or whatever bulk preparations your “food preparation list” says you need to do. If you have planned to make soups, you should start these early on, as they usually need to cook for longer.

Cooking the meat is one of the most time-consuming projects and you will probably find you end up browning ground beef and boiling chicken most of the day! As much as is possible, use all of the burners on your stove at the same time.

Keep soapy water in the sink at all times and take turns being on “dish duty.” As soon as a dish is used, wash it. This will save you from having an enormous mess at the end of the day. You might also find it helpful to take a five-minute kitchen cleaning break every hour or so to wipe down the counters and put things away which you are no longer using.

Freezing

What do you do with the completed dishes? Here are some guidelines for freezing:

o We always designate the kitchen table as our “finished recipe” zone. We often have someone who is specifically just working on labeling things and taking them to the freezer from the kitchen table.

o Proper labeling is a key factor in making sure you know what you have in freezer. Make sure you label the containers with the recipe, the cookbook it came from, the page number, how many it serves, and any additional instructions for the dish. Also write out a list with all of the recipes you make and freeze and how many they serve on the outside of your freezer.

o Transfer soup to a big bowl and cool for about an hour. You can either place the soup in plastic freezer bags or plastic containers with lids (32 oz. cottage cheese and yogurt containers work well for this).

o Most other recipes can be transferred to plastic freezer bags. Do not fill the bags very full, as foods expand when frozen. Do not put anything which is still hot into bags. You will likely split the bag at the seams and have a gigantic mess to deal with!

o Use smaller labeled bags for cheese or anything else to be sprinkled on top once the dish is cooked. Make sure you keep these in a very accessible place in the freezer.

o If the recipe is something like lasagna which cannot be frozen in a plastic bag, freeze it in the size of pan the recipe calls for, cover with foil, and label.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to give once-a-month-cooking a try. If you are like us, you will soon wonder how you ever lived without cooking this way! You could also simplify this plan and just cook for two weeks at a time to start.

For further information, ideas, and recipes, I highly recommend you read Once-A-Month-Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg and Dinner’s in the Freezer by Jill Bond.

Happy Cooking!

Crystal Paine is a 23-year-old homeschool graduate and the owner of Covenant Wedding Source, LLC (an online retail bridal business). She writes articles on a variety of topics and recently authored her first booklet for young women, The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions. She lives with her husband in Topeka, KS. They are expecting their fist child in January. For more information on her business and booklet, visit her website: http://www.covenantweddingsource.com.

When buying a sports car you need to assess what you want first but even more importantly you need to decide how it will fall into your budget. Basically can you afford to not only buy a sports car but can you run one? However there are some options available to you to enable you to buy cheaper but valuable sports car.

If you take a look at your local newspaper to see where the local auction house is and when the next auction is. However a real life auction is pretty daunting and not for someone that is shy its is most definitely not for the faint hearted! Just like any other auction whether it is online or in the real world it’s a fast pace adrenalin fueled place that is very stressful if you can I would advise to visit an auction a few times before you even attempt to try and bid on something just to get an idea of how it works and how it falls into place. The only downside with offline auctions is you cannot test drive the car before you buy it so you need to have your wits about you and hope that its a good car.

In the UK you can get a lot of car warehouses which basically means they buy a lot of cars and shift them at low prices and not only that they tend to be a lot cheaper than main dealers and because you are buying a used sports car it’s a buyers market so you have the upper hand and you can normally negotiate a really good price. I try and search around the internet and see what they have to offer first but there normally is a fast stock turnaround so if you are not quick you might miss out.

The private seller is always a great place to buy cheap sports car as people may find themselves in a financial emergency so they need some quick cash. Their precious sports car has to go and that can only mean good news for the buyer. Be aware and watch out for some crazy good deals.

The only down side of buying from a private seller is that there is no come back and the buyer buys the sports car on a “sold as seen” basis. You cannot run back to the seller and complain.

There are some really great sports cars out there that every seems to ignore or even take for granted, this is normally due to trends in the sports car industry. This is a good thing for the buyer because they can pick up a cheap sports car and great value for money.

Sports cars are luxury cars and because they are a luxury it does not mean that they have to be expensive or have to set you back an arm and a leg. There is a lot of good deals out there you just need to hunt them down. At the end of the day when buying a cheap sports car you need still remember that quality needs to play a big part in your decision.

If you are after a cheap sports car for sale then you will find a really be selection of cheap used sports cars here all at prices that can fit into anyone’s budget.

There are so many millions of people who play tennis everyday throughout the world. They play in public parks, country clubs, private tennis courts, and anything in between (i.e. against a wall).

Tennis is the only sport I know that begins with love and is a sport for a lifetime. I remember the great Sugar Daddy, Bobby Riggs who said in one of the many tennis clinics he taught, “Tennis is a sport you can play from cradle to grave.”

Why do people enjoy playing tennis? I believe because it is a classy sport. It is a sport you can play for as short as 15 minutes or as long as 3 to 5 hours, it all depends on your ability level and motivation. I was fortunate enough to play professional tennis. I had a world ranking in the ATP Tennis of 662 in singles and 457 in doubles. I had wins over players ranked in the top 200 in singles in the world and wins over players ranked in the top 50 in doubles.

In this article, I want to provide you with the three secrets to playing your best tennis. Of course, there are more than three secrets, but three secrets are enough to help you play better tennis.

First, there is no substitute to practicing, practicing, over and over and over again. Practice is the seed to building confidence! When you practice in addition to playing tennis regularly, you will feel a sense of accomplishment, you will feel that you deserve to win because you know for yourself that you have been investing the time to improve your game. So, practice at least two to three hours extra a week if you are a club tennis player. If you are a tournament player you should practice at least 15 hours a week, which equals to 3 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Second, visualize yourself hitting the tennis ball perfectly. Imagine yourself in the movie screen of your mind that you are moving side to side, running forward and backward, hitting each ball with perfect accuracy. Visualize your forehand, backhand ground strokes being hit over the net with 3 to 5 feet clearance. Picture every stroke you hit with perfect ball control. See each of your tennis strokes, feel each tennis stroke, and experience each and every tennis stroke you hit with confidence. Repeat this each time pre and post tennis game or match. By so doing, you are training your mind or inner game to manifest itself in your outer game or physical game. Tennis is a mind game once you have learned all the fundamentals of each tennis stroke.

Third, watch the big players or your favorite tennis pro on the ATP or WTA tour and copy their tennis style. Watch YouTube videos or television footage of your favorite player over and over again until you emulate their movements. One of my favorite players to watch when I was playing competitive tennis was John McEnroe (USA) and Guillermo Villas (Argentina). I use to watch McEnroe’s serve and literally copy his serve. I would watch Villas hit his ground strokes over and over again until I was mirroring Guillermo Villas’ ground strokes. It was usually after watching these great tennis players in a grand slam event that I mirrored their mannerisms. After all, why event the wheel, copy what the big players do and do the same. Of course, as your tennis game matures, you will begin to develop your own style and preferences.

So, there you are the three secrets you want to know to playing your best tennis! Remember, there is no substitute to practicing each and every day in addition to playing regularly tennis matches. Begin today if you do not already do so; visualize yourself hitting the tennis ball with each and every tennis stroke perfectly until you are confident in your mind and in your heart that you can execute it with ease and confidence. And, finally, do not reinvent the wheel, copy the tennis players on the tennis tour by watching their tennis until can have someone say on the side line, “Hey, that person hits the ball like Roger Federer or Maria Sharapova.” Before you know it you will be winning your club tournaments and filling your shelves with trophies.

To learn more about me: Dr. Macavinta.

Get free weekly tennis tips delivered to your email box: DMacTennis.com for Kids and Family

The Kubota tractor is currently manufactured in more than 130 countries although its headquarters is in Kubota Japan. The Kubota Corporation began in 1890 and is now an international brand leader of environmentally compatible equipment. Many of their equipment pieces are designed to improve the quality of life for those that use it and receive the benefits of it.

Kubota manufacturer’s tractors, mowers, utility vehicles and construction equipment however their tractors are what they are known best for in the United States. There is a wide selection of Kubota tractors to choose from. From landscaping to livestock and everything in between the Kubota Tractor Corporation has you covered.

These bright orange Kubota tractors will do any job needed whether it’s a big scale landscaping renovation or you’re using it out on the farm the Kubota tractor will take anything you can dish out. It’s made of construction grade or professional grade materials even for the homeowners who own the Kubota tractors for mowing the lawn it will withstand rough treatment and still keep on going.

The Kubota tractor is durable and dependable yet if anything goes wrong with your Kubota tractor there a replacement parts at any Kubota tractor dealership or online if you’d like to do it yourself.

There are many brands of tractors but it just is durable and dependable as the Kubota tractor, such as the Ford tractor, New Holland tractor, Cub Cadet tractor and the ever popular John Deere tractor. You can find all of these tractors at your local tractor dealer or online for reasonable prices.

Tractors are not only for mowing the lawn or tilling the garden, they are also for hauling, plowing, pulling, lifting, moving, digging and clearing brush just to name a few of the things they tractor can do around the house or farm. If you only have the house and don’t have a garden that a tractor would be good for mowing the lawn and most tractors have various heights for their blades so you know you can have a very short cut lawn or rather high lawn it’s totally up to you and your tractor.

If you only have a lawn mower tractor there are attachments you can purchase such as the hauling base in which you can haul around flowers and other garden tools when you’re working in the yard if you have a big yard to get from place to place. Or if you have a sizable garden you can raise the blades and drive through the garden with your pull along calling the vegetables at harvest time.

The Kubota tractor is manufactured all around the world and in the past several years has become the most eco-friendly tractor available today. From the gasoline that you put in to the admissions it puts out the Kubota tractor is the best earth friendly tractor around. And in today’s world, the world needs all the help it can get. And in being eco-friendly, the Kubota tractor has won many awards for its continued efforts to help save the planet.

Michael Floren is an expert in Kubota tractors, he has been actively involved in the farm machinery business for more than a decade. Visit his website at http://www.tractor-depot.com for more information about Kubota tractors

The job market these days is tough. This is definitely no secret – all you need to do is turn on the news to see how badly the economy is doing. While we have gotten a little bit better from when the economy crashed in 2008, the job market is still very competitive, and everybody is looking for an edge in the market. If you’ve tried looking for a job recently, you know how difficult it can be!

One of the most important things to have in hand during the job search is a solid resume. The resume is the ticket to the job interview – but the problem is that for any position that opens up, a beleaguered human resources employee is likely digging through through hundreds of different resumes. If you want to land the coveted interview, you’ll need to have a resume that stands out from the rest of the crowd.

The problem is that many people do not know how to appropriately represent themselves on a resume. There are thousands among the unemployed who are perfectly qualified for jobs, but their resumes simply do not represent them as well as they could. If you have a good resume in hand, you’ll have a leg up on the competition.

Of course, crafting a resume that is both visually appealing and informational can be a problem. It’s not all about putting as much information on a piece of paper as you can – much of it is about organization and arranging the information in a way that looks pleasing. Many professional resume writers say that the blank space on a resume is just as important as the actual information!

The art of a good resume is equal parts information and creativity, as well as a bit of spatial reasoning. You need to be able to represent yourself on paper in a way that makes tired human resource workers take note. If your resume is one out of a thousand, you need all the help that you can get to make that resume the one that gets the interview! If your resume is forgettable, then you can forget about landing that dream job.

Essentially, getting a good resume is easier said than done. Assuming that you don’t have all day to sit around and worry about white space, you might need a little bit of extra help along the way. Anybody is capable of writing their own resume, but the fact of the matter is that there are some people who are more skilled at writing resumes than others. In fact, there are a legion of individuals out there who make their living by helping others write their resumes!

These people are called professional resume writers, and employing one to help you make your resume the best that it can be might be the best investment that you can make. After all, if spending 50 dollars on making your resume look the best it can be is the difference between landing the interview and not, it’s 50 dollars well spent in this poor economy.

Of course, the issue at hand is finding the right professional resume writer for you. Not all professional resume writers are created equal – and just because a certain resume writer is skilled does not mean that they will necessarily be the right choice for you.

So how do you choose the right resume writer? Try these tips.

What job market are you trying for? There are resume writers who specialize in writing corporate resumes, and others who do more in the creative realm. No matter what kind of job market that you’re looking to hit, there’s a professional resume writer that specializes in that area. Obviously, if you’re trying to write a resume as a photographer, you’ll probably want to avoid the professional resume writers that generally work with CEOs!

Do you need a resume or a CV? Depending on the job market that you are working for, you might need one, the other, or both. Resumes are, by rule, no longer than a page. A CV tends to detail your entire experience in a certain area, and thus is longer. There are professional resume writers who work with those wanting resumes, and those who want CVs. There are also some professional resume writers that work with both.

How long have they been working in the business? Generally speaking, the professional resume writers who have been in the business the longest will be the most familiar with the process, but the more experienced that the writer is, the more that they charge. Just because a professional resume writer is just getting started does not mean that the services they offer are inferior. Just be sure to do your research beforehand and budget appropriately!

Freelance or company? There are professional resume writers who work as freelancers, and those who are part of a company. There are pros and cons to each side, but there is something to be said for working with a company since you are guaranteed a higher standard of work, but the companies do tend to be a little bit more expensive. Freelancers can be more hit and miss in nature, but can also be cheaper. If you find a good freelance resume writer, you can get the best of both worlds. Again, careful research is the key.

Professional resume writers are a great investment in tough economic times. If you’re looking to hire a professional resume writer, a good place to start looking is on the Internet. Many sites allow you to read reviews of resume writers and see which ones will suit your needs best.

Good luck in the search for a professional resume writer. Once you get that interview and get on the job, you’ll realize that working with a professional writer might have been one of the best investments of your professional life!

Jason Kay is a professional resume writer and contributor to career magazines and websites such as JobGoRound.com, which provides a wealth of career advice.

In pursuance to the announcement of 100 days agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon’ble Human Resources development Minister, a New Policy on Distance Learning In Higher Education Sector was drafted.

BACKGROUND

1. In terms of Entry 66 of List 1 of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, Parliament is competent to make laws for the coordination and determination of standards in institutions for higher education for research, and scientific and technical institutions. Parliament has enacted laws for discharging this responsibility through: the University Grants Commission (UGC) for general Higher Education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for Technical Education; and other Statutory bodies for other disciplines. As regards higher education, through the distance mode, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was enacted with the following two prime objectives, among others: (a) To provide opportunities for higher education to a large segment of population, especially disadvantaged groups living in remote and rural areas, adults, housewives and working people; and (b) to encourage Open University and Distance Education Systems in the educational pattern of the country and to coordinate and determine the standards in such systems.

2. The history of distance learning or education through distance mode in India, goes way back when the universities started offering education through distance mode in the name of Correspondence Courses through their Directorate/School of Correspondence Education. In those days, the courses in humanities and/or in commerce were offered through correspondence and taken by those, who, owing to various reasons, including limited number of seats in regular courses, employability, problems of access to the institutions of higher learning etc., could not get themselves enrolled in the conventional `face-to-face’ mode `in-class’ programmes.

3. In the recent past, the demand for higher education has increased enormously throughout the country because of awareness about the significance of higher education, whereas the system of higher education could not accommodate this ever increasing demand.

4. Under the circumstances, a number of institutions including deemed universities, private universities, public (Government) universities and even other institutions, which are not empowered to award degrees, have started cashing on the situation by offering distance education programmes in a large number of disciplines, ranging from humanities to engineering and management etc., and at different levels (certificate to under-graduate and post-graduate degrees). There is always a danger that some of these institutions may become `degree mills’ offering sub- standard/poor quality education, consequently eroding the credibility of degrees and other qualifications awarded through the distance mode. This calls for a far higher degree of coordination among the concerned statutory authorities, primarily, UGC, AICTE and IGNOU and its authority – the Distance Education Council (DEC).

5. Government of India had clarified its position in respect of recognition of degrees, earned through the distance mode, for employment under it vide Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995.

6. Despite the risks referred to in para 4 above, the significance of distance education in providing quality education and training cannot be ignored. Distance Mode of education has an important role for:

(i)providing opportunity of learning to those, who do not have direct access to face to face teaching, working persons, house-wives etc.

(ii)providing opportunity to working professionals to update their knowledge, enabling them to switchover to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their qualifications for career advancement.

(iii)exploiting the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning process; and

(iv)achieving the target of 15% of GER by the end of 11th Plan and 20% by the end of 12th five year Plan.

7. In order to discharge the Constitutional responsibility of determination and maintenance of the standards in Higher Education, by ensuring coordination among various statutory regulatory authorities as also to ensure the promotion of open and distance education system in the country to meet the aspirations of all cross-sections of people for higher education, the following policy in respect of distance learning is laid down:

(a) In order to ensure proper coordination in regulation of standards of higher education in different disciplines through various modes [i.e. face to face and distance] as also to ensure credibility of degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex body, namely, National Commission for Higher Education and Research shall be established in line with the recommendations of Prof. Yash Pal Committee/National Knowledge Commission. A Standing Committee on Open and Distance

Education of the said Commission, shall undertake the job of coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of education through the distance mode. Pending establishment of this body:

(i) Only those programmes, which do not involve extensive practical course work, shall be permissible through the distance mode.

(ii) Universities / institutions shall frame ordinances / regulations / rules, as the case may be, spelling out the outline of the programmes to be offered through the distance mode indicating the number of required credits, list of courses with assigned credits, reading references in addition to self learning material, hours of study, contact classes at study centres, assignments, examination and evaluation process, grading etc.

(iii) DEC of IGNOU shall only assess the competence of university/institute in respect of conducting distance education programmes by a team of experts, whose report shall be placed before the Council of DEC for consideration.

(iv) The approval shall be given only after consideration by Council of DEC and not by Chairperson, DEC. For the purpose, minimum number of mandatory meetings of DEC may be prescribed.

(v) AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to ensure accreditation of the programmes in Computer Sciences, Information Technology and Management purposed to be offered by an institute/university through the distance mode, by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

(vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of their respective Acts to frame detailed regulations prescribing standards for various programmes/courses, offered through the distance mode under their mandate,

(vii) No university/institute, except the universities established by or under an Act of Parliament/State Legislature before 1985, shall offer any programme through the distance mode, henceforth, without approval from DEC and accreditation by NBA. However, the universities/institutions already offering programmes in Humanities, Commerce/Business/Social Sciences/Computer Sciences and Information Technology and Management, may be allowed to continue, subject to the condition to obtain fresh approval from DEC and accreditation from NBA within one year, failing which they shall have to discontinue the programme and the entire onus with respect to the academic career and financial losses of the students enrolled with them, shall be on such institutions/universities.

(viii) In light of observation of Apex Court, ex-post-facto approval granted by any authority for distance education shall not be honoured and granted henceforth. However, the universities established by or under an Act of education programmes in the streams of Humanities/Commerce/Social Sciences before the year 1991 shall be excluded from this policy.

(ix) The students who have been awarded degrees through distance mode by the universities without taking prior approval of DEC and other statutory bodies, shall be given one chance, provided they fulfil the requirement of minimum standards as prescribed by the UGC, AICTE or any other relevant Statutory Authority through Regulation, to appear in examinations in such papers as decided by the university designated to conduct the examination. If these students qualify in this examination, the university concerned shall issue a certificate. The degree along with the said qualifying certificate may be recognised for the purpose of employment/promotion under Central Government.

(x) A clarification shall be issued with reference to Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995 that it shall not be applicable on to the degrees/diplomas awarded by the universities established by or under an Act of Parliament or State Legislature before 1985, in the streams of Humanities/Commerce and Social Sciences.

(xi) The policy initiatives spelt out in succeeding paragraphs shall be equally applicable to institutions offering distance education/intending to offer distance education.

(b) All universities and institutions offering programmes through the distance mode shall need to have prior recognition/approval for offering such programmes and accreditation from designated competent authority, mandatorily in respect of the programmes offered by them. The violators of this shall be liable for appropriate penalty as prescribed by law. The universities/institutions offering education through distance mode and found involved in cheating of students/people by giving wrong/false information or wilfully suppressing the information shall also be dealt with strictly under the penal provisions of law.

(c) The universities / institutes shall have their own study centres for face to face counselling and removal of difficulties as also to seek other academic and administrative assistance. Franchising of distance education by any university, institutions whether public or private shall not be allowed.

(d ) The universities /institutions shall only offer such programmes through distance mode which are on offer on their campuses through conventional mode. In case of open universities, they shall necessarily have the required departments and faculties prior to offering relevant programmes through distance mode.

(e) It would be mandatory for all universities and education institutions offering distance education to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in delivery of their programmes, management of the student and university affairs through a web portal or any other such platform. The said platform shall invariably, display in public domain, the information about the statutory and other approvals along with other necessary information about the programmes on offer through distance mode, their accreditation and students enrolled, year- wise, etc. This may be linked to a national database, as and when created, to facilitate the stakeholders to take a view on the recognition of the degrees for the purpose of academic pursuit or employment with/under them.

(f) All universities/education institutions shall make optimal use of e-learning contents for delivery/offering their programmes through distance mode. They shall also be encouraged/required to adopt e-surveillance technology for conduct of clean, fair and transparent examinations.

(g) The focus of distance education shall be to provide opportunity of education to people at educationally disadvantaged situations such as living in remote and rural areas, adults with no or limited access to education of their choice etc.

(h) In order to promote flexible and need based learning, choice-based credit system shall be promoted and all ODE institutions shall be encouraged to adopt this system and evolve a mechanism for acceptance and transfer of credits of the courses successfully completed by students in face-to-face or distance mode. For the purpose, establishment of a credit bank may be considered. Similarly, conventional universities, offering face to face mode programmes shall be encouraged to accept the credits earned by the students through distance mode. A switch over from annual to semester system shall be essential.

(i) Convergence of the face-to-face mode teaching departments of conventional universities with their distance education directorates/correspondence course wings as also with open universities/institutions offering distance education, shall be impressed upon to bridge the gap in distance and conventional face-to-face mode of education.

(j) Reputed Foreign education providers well established, recognized and accredited by competent authority in their country and willing to offer their education programmes in India shall be allowed, subject to the fulfillment of the legal requirement of the country.

(k) A National Information and Communication Technology infrastructure for networking of ODE institutions shall be created under National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology.

(l) Efforts would be made to create favourable environment for research in Open and Distance Education (ODE) system by setting up infrastructure like e- libraries, digital data-base, online journals, holding regular workshops, seminars etc.

(m) Training and orientation programmes for educators and administrators in ODE system with focus on use of ICT and self-learning practice, shall be encouraged.

(n) ODE institutions shall be encouraged to take care the educational needs of learners with disabilities and senior citizens.

(o) An official notification clarifying the issue of recognition of academic qualification, earned through distance mode, for the purpose of employment, shall be issued.

(p) A mechanism shall be set up for evaluation of degrees of foreign universities for the purpose of academic pursuit as well as for employment under the Central Government. This may include the assessment of the credentials of the university concerned as also to test the competence of the degree holder, if needed.

Open education – http://openedu.entrancecorner.com/distance-education.html

1. Overview of the Country and Primary Education System:

Tanzania covers 945,000 square kilometres, including approximately 60,000 square kilometres of inland water. The population is about 32 million people with an average annual growth rate of 2.8 percent per year. Females comprise 51% of the total population. The majority of the population resides on the Mainland, while the rest of the population resides in Zanzibar. The life expectancy is 50 years and the mortality rate is 8.8%. The economy depends upon Agriculture, Tourism, Manufacturing, Mining and Fishing. Agriculture contributes about 50% of GDP and accounting for about two-thirds of Tanzania’s exports. Tourism contributes 15.8%; and manufacturing, 8.1% and mining, 1.7%. The school system is a 2-7-4-2-3+ consisting of pre-primary, primary school, ordinary level secondary education, Advanced level secondary, Technical and Higher Education. Primary School Education is compulsory whereby parents are supposed to take their children to school for enrollment. The medium of instruction in primary is Kiswahili.

One of the key objectives of the first president J.K. Nyerere was development strategy for Tanzania as reflected in the 1967 Arusha Declaration, which to be ensuring that basic social services were available equitably to all members of society. In the education sector, this goal was translated into the 1974 Universal Primary Education Movement, whose goal was to make primary education universally available, compulsory, and provided free of cost to users to ensure it reached the poorest. As the strategy was implemented, large-scale increases in the numbers of primary schools and teachers were brought about through campaign-style programs with the help of donor financing. By the beginning of the 1980s, each village in Tanzania had a primary school and gross primary school enrollment reached nearly 100 percent, although the quality of education provided was not very high. From 1996 the education sector proceeded through the launch and operation of Primary Education Development Plan – PEDP in 2001 to date.

2. Globalization

To different scholars, the definition of globalization may be different. According to Cheng (2000), it may refer to the transfer, adaptation, and development of values, knowledge, technology, and behavioral norms across countries and societies in different parts of the world. The typical phenomena and characteristics associated with globalization include growth of global networking (e.g. internet, world wide e-communication, and transportation), global transfer and interflow in technological, economic, social, political, cultural, and learning areas, international alliances and competitions, international collaboration and exchange, global village, multi-cultural integration, and use of international standards and benchmarks. See also Makule (2008) and MoEC (2000).

3. Globalization in Education

In education discipline globalization can mean the same as the above meanings as is concern, but most specifically all the key words directed in education matters. Dimmock & Walker (2005) argue that in a globalizing and internalizing world, it is not only business and industry that are changing, education, too, is caught up in that new order. This situation provides each nation a new empirical challenge of how to respond to this new order. Since this responsibility is within a national and that there is inequality in terms of economic level and perhaps in cultural variations in the world, globalization seems to affect others positively and the vice versa (Bush 2005). In most of developing countries, these forces come as imposing forces from the outside and are implemented unquestionably because they do not have enough resource to ensure its implementation (Arnove 2003; Crossley & Watson, 2004).

There is misinterpretation that globalization has no much impact on education because the traditional ways of delivering education is still persisting within a national state. But, it has been observed that while globalization continues to restructure the world economy, there are also powerful ideological packages that reshape education system in different ways (Carnoy, 1999; Carnoy & Rhoten, 2002). While others seem to increase access, equity and quality in education, others affect the nature of educational management. Bush (2005) and Lauglo (1997) observe that decentralization of education is one of the global trends in the world which enable to reform educational leadership and management at different levels. They also argue that Decentralization forces help different level of educational management to have power of decision making related to the allocation of resources. Carnoy (1999) further portrays that the global ideologies and economic changes are increasingly intertwined in the international institutions that broadcast particular strategies for educational change. These include western governments, multilateral and bilateral development agencies and NGOs (Crossley & Watson 2004). Also these agencies are the ones which develop global policies and transfer them through funds, conferences and other means. Certainly, with these powerful forces education reforms and to be more specifically, the current reforms on school leadership to a large extent are influenced by globalization.

4. The School Leadership

In Tanzania the leadership and management of education systems and processes is increasingly seen as one area where improvement can and need to be made in order to ensure that education is delivered not only efficiently but also efficaciously. Although literatures for education leadership in Tanzania are inadequate, Komba in EdQual (2006) pointed out that research in various aspects of leadership and management of education, such as the structures and delivery stems of education; financing and alternative sources of support to education; preparation, nurturing and professional development of education leaders; the role of female educational leaders in improvement of educational quality; as will as the link between education and poverty eradication, are deemed necessary in approaching issues of educational quality in any sense and at any level. The nature of out of school factors that may render support to the quality of education e.g. traditional leadership institutions may also need to be looked into.

5. Impact of Globalization

As mentioned above, globalization is creating numerous opportunities for sharing knowledge, technology, social values, and behavioral norms and promoting developments at different levels including individuals, organizations, communities, and societies across different countries and cultures. Cheng (2000); Brown, (1999); Waters, (1995) pointed out the advantages of globalization as follows: Firstly it enable global sharing of knowledge, skills, and intellectual assets that are necessary to multiple developments at different levels. The second is the mutual support, supplement and benefit to produce synergy for various developments of countries, communities, and individuals. The third positive impact is creation of values and enhancing efficiency through the above global sharing and mutual support to serving local needs and growth. The fourth is the promotion of international understanding, collaboration, harmony and acceptance to cultural diversity across countries and regions. The fifth is facilitating multi-way communications and interactions, and encouraging multi-cultural contributions at different levels among countries.

The potential negative impacts of globalization are educationally concerned in various types of political, economic, and cultural colonization and overwhelming influences of advanced countries to developing countries and rapidly increasing gaps between rich areas and poor areas in different parts of the world. The first impact is increasing the technological gaps and digital divides between advanced countries and less developed countries that are hindering equal opportunities for fair global sharing. The second is creation of more legitimate opportunities for a few advanced countries to economically and politically colonize other countries globally. Thirdly is exploitation of local resources which destroy indigenous cultures of less advanced countries to benefit a few advanced countries. Fourthly is the increase of inequalities and conflicts between areas and cultures. And fifthly is the promotion of the dominant cultures and values of some advanced areas and accelerating cultural transplant from advanced areas to less developed areas.

The management and control of the impacts of globalization are related to some complicated macro and international issues that may be far beyond the scope of which I did not include in this paper. Cheng (2002) pointed out that in general, many people believe, education is one of key local factors that can be used to moderate some impacts of globalization from negative to positive and convert threats into opportunities for the development of individuals and local community in the inevitable process of globalization. How to maximize the positive effects but minimize the negative impacts of globalization is a major concern in current educational reform for national and local developments.

6. Globalization of Education and Multiple Theories

The thought of writing this paper was influenced by the multiple theories propounded by Yin Cheng, (2002). He proposed a typology of multiple theories that can be used to conceptualize and practice fostering local knowledge in globalization particularly through globalized education. These theories of fostering local knowledge is proposed to address this key concern, namely as the theory of tree, theory of crystal, theory of birdcage, theory of DNA, theory of fungus, and theory of amoeba. Their implications for design of curriculum and instruction and their expected educational outcomes in globalized education are correspondingly different.

The theory of tree assumes that the process of fostering local knowledge should have its roots in local values and traditions but absorb external useful and relevant resources from the global knowledge system to grow the whole local knowledge system inwards and outwards. The expected outcome in globalized education will be to develop a local person with international outlook, who will act locally and develop globally. The strength of this theory is that the local community can maintain and even further develop its traditional values and cultural identity as it grows and interacts with the input of external resources and energy in accumulating local knowledge for local developments.

The theory of crystal is the key of the fostering process to have “local seeds” to crystallize and accumulate the global knowledge along a given local expectation and demand. Therefore, fostering local knowledge is to accumulate global knowledge around some “local seeds” that may be to exist local demands and values to be fulfilled in these years. According to this theory, the design of curriculum and instruction is to identify the core local needs and values as the fundamental seeds to accumulate those relevant global knowledge and resources for education. The expected educational outcome is to develop a local person who remains a local person with some global knowledge and can act locally and think locally with increasing global techniques. With local seeds to crystallize the global knowledge, there will be no conflict between local needs and the external knowledge to be absorbed and accumulated in the development of local community and individuals.

The theory of birdcage is about how to avoid the overwhelming and dominating global influences on the nation or local community. This theory contends that the process of fostering local knowledge can be open for incoming global knowledge and resources but at the same time efforts should be made to limit or converge the local developments and related interactions with the outside world to a fixed framework. In globalized education, it is necessary to set up a framework with clear ideological boundaries and social norms for curriculum design such that all educational activities can have a clear local focus when benefiting from the exposure of wide global knowledge and inputs. The expected educational outcome is to develop a local person with bounded global outlook, who can act locally with filtered global knowledge. The theory can help to ensure local relevance in globalized education and avoid any loss of local identity and concerns during globalization or international exposure.

The theory of DNA represents numerous initiatives and reforms have made to remove dysfunctional local traditions and structures in country of periphery and replace them with new ideas borrowed from core countries. This theory emphasizes on identifying and transplanting the better key elements from the global knowledge to replace the existing weaker local components in the local developments. In globalizing education, the curriculum design should be very selective to both local and global knowledge with aims to choose the best elements from them. The expected educational outcome is to develop a person with locally and globally mixed elements, who can act and think with mixed local and global knowledge. The strength of this theory is its openness for any rational investigation and transplant of valid knowledge and elements without any local barrier or cultural burden. It can provide an efficient way to learn and improve the existing local practices and developments.

The theory of fungus reflects the mode of fostering local knowledge in globalization. This theory assumes that it is a faster and easier way to digest and absorb certain relevant types of global knowledge for nutrition of individual and local developments, than to create their own local knowledge from the beginning. From this theory, the curriculum and instruction should aim at enabling students to identify and learn what global knowledge is valuable and necessary to their own developments as well as significant to the local community. In globalizing education, the design of education activities should aim at digesting the complex global knowledge into appropriate forms that can feed the needs of individuals and their growth. The expected educational outcome is to develop a person equipped certain types of global knowledge, who can act and think dependently of relevant global knowledge and wisdom. Strengths of the theory is for some small countries, easily digest and absorb the useful elements of global knowledge than to produce their own local knowledge from the beginning. The roots for growth and development are based on the global knowledge instead of local culture or value.

The theory of amoeba is about the adaptation to the fasting changing global environment and the economic survival in serious international competitions. This theory considers that fostering local knowledge is only a process to fully use and accumulate global knowledge in the local context. Whether the accumulated knowledge is really local or the local values can be preserved is not a major concern. According to this theory, the curriculum design should include the full range of global perspectives and knowledge to totally globalize education in order to maximize the benefit from global knowledge and become more adaptive to changing environment. Therefore, to achieve broad international outlook and apply global knowledge locally and globally is crucial in education. And, cultural burdens and local values can be minimized in the design of curriculum and instruction in order to let students be totally open for global learning. The expected educational outcome is to develop a flexible and open person without any local identity, who can act and think globally and fluidly. The strengths of this theory are also its limitations particularly in some culturally fruit countries. There will be potential loss of local values and cultural identity in the country and the local community will potentially lose its direction and social solidarity during overwhelming globalization.

Each country or local community may have its unique social, economic and cultural contexts and therefore, its tendency to using one theory or a combination of theories from the typology in globalized education may be different from the other. To a great extent, it is difficult to say one is better than other even though the theories of tree, birdcage and crystal may be more preferred in some culturally rich countries. For those countries with less cultural assets or local values, the theories of amoeba and fungus may be an appropriate choice for development. However, this typology can provide a wide spectrum of alternatives for policy-makers and educators to conceptualize and formulate their strategies and practices in fostering local knowledge for the local developments. See more about the theories in Cheng (2002; 11-18)

7. Education Progress since Independence in Tanzania

During the first phase of Tanzania political governance (1961-1985) the Arusha Declaration, focusing on “Ujamaa” (African socialism) and self-reliance was the major philosophy. The nationalization of the production and provision of goods and services by the state and the dominance of ruling party in community mobilization and participation highlighted the “Ujamaa” ideology, which dominated most of the 1967-1985 eras. In early 1970s, the first phase government embarked on an enormous national campaign for universal access to primary education, of all children of school going age. It was resolved that the nation should have attained universal primary education by 1977. The ruling party by that time Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), under the leadership of the former and first president of Tanzania Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, directed the government to put in place mechanisms for ensuring that the directive, commonly known as the Musoma Resolution, was implemented. The argument behind that move was essentially that, as much as education was a right to each and every citizen, a government that is committed to the development of an egalitarian socialist society cannot segregate and discriminate her people in the provision of education, especially at the basic level.

7.1. The Presidential Commission on Education

In 1981, a Presidential Commission on education was appointed to review the existing system of education and propose necessary changes to be realized by the country towards the year 2000. The Commission submitted its report in March 1982 and the government has implemented most of its recommendation. The most significant ones related to this paper were the establishment of the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC), the Tanzania Professional Teachers Association, the introduction of new curriculum packages at primary, secondary and teacher education levels, the establishment of the Faculty of Education (FoE) at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, the introduction of pre-primary teacher education programme; and the expansion of secondary education.

7.2. Education during the Second Phase Government of Tanzania

The second phase government of Tanzania spanning from 1985 to 1995, was characterized by new liberal ideas such as free choice, market-oriented schooling and cost efficiency, reduced the government control of the UPE and other social services. The education sector lacked quality teachers as well as teaching/learning materials and infrastructure to address the expansion of the UPE. A vacuum was created while fragmented donor driven projects dominated primary education support. The introduced cost sharing in the provision of social services like education and health hit most the poorest of the poor. This decrease in government support in the provision of social services including education as well as cost-sharing policies were not taken well, given that most of the incomes were below the poverty line. In 1990, the government constituted a National Task Force on education to review the existing education system and recommend a suitable education system for the 21st century.

The report of this task force, the Tanzania Education System for the 21st Century, was submitted to the government in November 1992. Recommendations of the report have been taken into consideration in the formulation of the Tanzania Education and Training Policy (TETP). In spite of the very impressive expansionary education policies and reforms in the 1970s, the goal to achieve UPE, which was once targeted for achievement in 1980, is way out of reach. Similarly, the Jomtien objective to achieve Basic Education for all in 2000 is on the part of Tanzania unrealistic. The participation and access level have declined to the point that attainment of UPE is once again an issue in itself. Other developments and trends indicate a decline in the quantitative goals set rather than being closer to them (Cooksey and Reidmiller, 1997; Mbilinyi, 2000). At the same time serious doubt is being raised about school quality and relevance of education provided (Galabawa, Senkoro and Lwaitama, (eds), 2000).

7.3. Outcomes of UPE

According to Galabawa (2001), the UPE describing, analysis and discussing explored three measures in Tanzania: (1) the measure of access to first year of primary education namely, the apparent intake rate. This is based on the total number of new entrants in the first grade regardless of age. This number is in turn expressed as a percentage of the population at the official primary school entrance age and the net intake rate based on the number of new entrants in the first grade who are of the official primary school entrance age expressed as percentage of the population of corresponding age. (2) The measure of participation, namely, gross enrolment ratio representing the number of children enrolled in primary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the official primary school age population; while the net enrolment ratio corresponds to the number of children of the official primary school age enrolled in primary school expressed as a percentage of corresponding population. (3) The measure of internal efficiency of education system, which reflect the dynamics of different operational decision making events over the school cycle like dropouts, promotions and repetitions.

7.3.1. Access to Primary Education

The absolute numbers of new entrants to grade one of primary school cycles have grown steadily since 1970s. The number of new entrants increased from around 400,000 in 1975 to 617,000 in 1990 and to 851,743 in 2000, a rise of 212.9 percent in relative terms. The apparent (gross) intake rate was high at around 80% in the 1970s dropping to 70% in 1975 and rise up to 77% in 2000. This level reflects the shortcomings in primary education provision. Tanzania is marked by wide variations in both apparent and net intake rates-between urban and rural districts with former performing higher. Low intake rates in rural areas reflect the fact that many children do not enter schools at the official age of seven years.

7.3.2. Participation in Primary Education

The regression in the gross and net primary school enrolment ratios; the exceptionally low intake at secondary and vocational levels; and, the general low internal efficiency of the education sector have combined to create a UPE crisis in Tanzania’s education system (Education Status Report, 2001). There were 3,161,079 primary pupils in Tanzania in 1985 and, in the subsequent decade primary enrolment rose dramatically by 30% to 4,112,167 in 1999. These absolute increases were not translated into gross/net enrolment rates, which actually experienced a decline threatening the sustainability of quantitative gains. The gross enrolment rate, which was 35.1% in late 1960’s and early 1970s’, grew appreciably to 98.0% in 1980 when the net enrolment rate was 68%. (ibid)

7.3.3. Internal Efficiency in Primary Education

The input/output ratio shows that it takes an average of 9.4 years (instead of planned 7 years) for a pupil to complete primary education. The extra years are due to starting late, drop-outs, repetition and high failure rate which is pronounced at standard four where a competency/mastery examination is administered (ESDP, 1999, p.84). The drive towards UPE has been hampered by high wastage rates.

7.4. Education during the Third Phase Government of Tanzania

The third phase government spanning the period from 1995 to date, intends to address both income and non-income poverty so as to generate capacity for provision and consumption of better social services. In order to address these income and non-income poverty the government formed the Tanzania Vision 2025. Vision 2025 targets at high quality livelihood for all Tanzanians through the realization of UPE, the eradication of illiteracy and the attainment of a level of tertiary education and training commensurate with a critical mass of high quality human resources required to effectively respond to the developmental challenges at all level. In order to revitalize the whole education system the government established the Education Sector Development Programme (ESDP) in this period. Within the ESDP, there two education development plans already in implementation, namely: (a) The Primary Education Development Plan (PEDP); and (b) The Secondary Education Development Plan (SEDP).

8. Prospects and Challenges of Primary of Education Sector

Since independence, The government has recognised the central role of education in achieving the overall development goal of improving the quality of life of Tanzanians through economic growth and poverty reduction. Several policies and structural reforms have been initiated by the Government to improve the quality of education at all levels. These include: Education for Self-Reliance, 1967; Musoma Resolution, 1974; Universal Primary Education (UPE), 1977; Education and Training Policy (ETP), 1995; National Science and Technology Policy, 1995; Technical Education and Training Policy, 1996; Education Sector Development Programme, 1996 and National Higher Education Policy, 1999. The ESDP of 1996 represented for the first time a Sector-Wide Approach to education development to redress the problem of fragmented interventions. It called for pooling together of resources (human, financial and materials) through the involvement of all key stakeholders in education planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (URT, 1998 quoted in MoEC 2005b). The Local Government Reform Programme (LGRP) provided the institutional framework.

Challenges include the considerable shortage of classrooms, a shortage of well qualified and expert teachers competent to lead their learners through the new competency based curriculum and learning styles, and the absence of an assessment and examination regime able to reinforce the new approaches and reward students for their ability to demonstrate what they know understand and can do. At secondary level there is a need to expand facilities necessary as a result of increased transition rates. A major challenge is the funding gap, but the government is calling on its development partners to honour the commitments made at Dakar, Abuja, etc, to respond positively to its draft Ten Year Plan. A number of systemic changes are at a critical stage, including decentralisation, public service reform, strengthening of financial management and mainstreaming of ongoing project and programmes. The various measures and interventions introduced over the last few years have been uncoordinated and unsynchronised. Commitment to a sector wide approach needs to be accompanied by careful attention to secure coherence and synergy across sub-sectoral elements. (Woods, 2007).

9. Education and School Leadership in Tanzania and the Impacts

Education and leadership in primary education sector in Tanzania has passed through various periods as explained in the stages above. The school leadership major reformation was maintained and more decentralized in the implementation of the PEDP from the year 2000 to date. This paper is also more concerned with the implementation of globalization driven policies that influence the subjectivity of education changes. It is changing to receive what Tjeldvoll et al. (2004:1; quoted in Makule, 2008) considers as “the new managerial responsibilities”. These responsibilities are focused to increase accountability, equity and quality in education which are global agenda, because it is through these, the global demands in education will be achieved. In that case school leadership in Tanzania has changed. The change observed is due to the implementation of decentralization of both power and fund to the low levels such as schools. School leadership now has more autonomy over the resources allocated to school than it was before decentralization. It also involves community in all the issues concerning the school improvement.

10. Prospects and Challenges of School Leadership

10.1. Prospects

The decentralization of both power and funds from the central level to the low level of education such as school and community brought about various opportunities. Openness, community participation and improved efficiency mentioned as among the opportunities obtained with the current changes on school leadership. There is improved accountability, capacity building and educational access to the current changes on school leadership. This is viewed in strong communication network established in most of the schools in the country. Makule (2008) in her study found out that the network was effective where every head teacher has to send to the district various school reports such as monthly report, three month report, half a year report, nine month report and one year report. In each report there is a special form in which a head teacher has to feel information about school. The form therefore, give account of activities that takes place at school such as information about the uses of the funds and the information about attendance both teacher and students, school buildings, school assets, meetings, academic report, and school achievement and problems encountered. The effect of globalization forces on school leadership in Tanzania has in turn forced the government to provide training and workshop for school leadership (MoEC, 2005b). The availability of school leadership training, whether through workshop or training course, considered to be among the opportunities available for school leadership in Tanzania

10.2. Challenges

Like all countries, Tanzania is bracing itself for a new century in every respect. The dawn of the new millennium brings in new changes and challenges of all sectors. The Education and Training sector has not been spared for these challenges. This is, particularly important in recognition of adverse/implications of globalisation for developing states including Tanzania. For example, in the case of Tanzania, globalisation entails the risks of increased dependence and marginalisation and thus human resource development needs to play a central role to redress the situation. Specifically, the challenges include the globalisation challenges, access and equity, inclusive or special needs education, institutional capacity building and the HIV/aids challenge.

11. Conclusion

There are five types of local knowledge and wisdom to be pursued in globalized education, including the economic and technical knowledge, human and social knowledge, political knowledge, cultural knowledge, and educational knowledge for the developments of individuals, school institutions, communities, and the society. Although globalisation is linked to a number of technological and other changes which have helped to link the world more closely, there are also ideological elements which have strongly influenced its development. A “free market” dogma has emerged which exaggerates both the wisdom and role of markets, and of the actors in those markets, in the organisation of human society. Fashioning a strategy for responsible globalisation requires an analysis which separates that which is dogma from that which is inevitable. Otherwise, globalisation is an all too convenient excuse and explanation for anti-social policies and actions including education which undermine progress and break down community. Globalisation as we know it has profound social and political implications. It can bring the threat of exclusion for a large portion of the world’s population, severe problems of unemployment, and growing wage and income disparities. It makes it more and more difficult to deal with economic policy or corporate behaviour on a purely national basis. It also has brought a certain loss of control by democratic institutions of development and economic policy.

The following is a short list of things to look at before buying tropical fish tanks. Going through this list can save you a lot of money or effort (or both).

So, lets dive straight in:

1. What fish do you want to keep?

   The absolute most important decision BEFORE you consider anything else. This affects everything from the size and shape of the tank to the type of equipment you need.

2. Compatibility and care of these fish

   It is very important to research the fish you want to keep properly. The best way to do this would be to buy a good book on tropical fish. The adult size of the fish would determine the size of the tank and the habits and care would tell you what equipment you need and how to set up the fish tank.

   This will also give you the opportunity to see if the fish would be compatible. If their care or requirements are too different, or their temperament is wrong, you shouldn’t keep them together.

3. Determine space

   How much space do you have in your home? What’s the biggest size tank you can fit? Determine where you want the fish tank, and see how much space there is. Include some space between the wall and the tank for cord, tubing, etc…

4. Determine your budget

   How much money can you spend? Remember that this money has to buy the tropical fish tank as well as all the necessary equipment, fish, plants, decorations, etc. If this is your first fish tank, keep in mind that this is a hobby you might decide not to pursue.

5. Select equipment

   Go to a local supplier, and discuss what would be needed for the setup you require (This is partly based on the fish you want to keep). Get prices for everything you’ll need (including the fish tank) – preferably from more than one supplier, so that you can get some comparisons.

6. Evaluate your budget against space constraints

   How does your budget compare to the costs you got in the previous step? Can you get a tank large enough for the fish you want to keep that will still fit in the space available? If the setup is too expensive, or the space to small, look at your fish selection again. Is there any specific fish that is causing a problem? If you can remove a single type of fish to fit the rest in the space you have available, how badly do you have your heart set on that fish? Make sure that all the fish you chose are available in your area. See if there is maybe a different place you can fit the tank, or whether you can increase the budget.

7. Buy the equipment

   Once you’ve sorted out your budget, space and fish selection, you can go ahead and buy the equipment. Do NOT buy any fish yet!

8. Set up your tank

   Once you have all the equipment, you can start setting it up. If this is the first time you’re doing this, expect to spend a few hours on this.

   Once everything is set up, fill the fish tank with water and let it settle for a couple of days to make sure that the equipment is working properly and that nothing is leaking. This also dechlorinates the water.

9. Select starter fish

   Select a few fish from your original list that is hardy, small and inexpensive. You only want to select 1″ of fish for each gallon of water, but you can determine this based on their current size – This is the ONLY time that you will base space required on the current size of the fish. The reason for this is the fact that the fish won’t grow significantly in the 4-8 weeks that the tank is cycling.

10. Cycle the tank

    Over the course of this 4-8 weeks you have to be particularly diligent and patient. Make sure you’re not overfeeding and that you are doing regular water changes. For this period, DON’T ADD ANY MORE FISH!

11. Maintain the tank

    Feed and observe the fish every day, Check the filter regularly, change 10-15% of your water weekly (and scrub for algae at the same time). Check all your other equipment, hoses, fittings, lights, etc at least once a month. And most importantly, Enjoy your tropical fish tank!

Now that you have a good idea of what to look for before getting started, I hope that you will get a tank that you can live with and enjoy for a long time.

Let me show you how to choose the correct tropical fish tank, and how to set it up correctly with the right fish the first time. Remember, A properly planned fish tank is that much easier to maintain and care for. You can get more information at My Tropical fish tanks blog

Downloading movies online is available to us at many places and all can be done while we are still in pajamas at home. Online movie sales are soaring and presumably would outrun traditional off-the-shelf sales and cinema ticketing revenues in the near future. The ease of downloading movies online and the widespread use of internet in our households have fueled the growth of online movies. Simply click a few mouse buttons, and the movie can be downloaded and burnt onto a VCD or DVD for viewing at our home theater system.

For you to start downloading movies online, there are a couple of things you need to consider when selecting and signing up for a movie website.

1. Format of the Online Movie Files

Please remember to check the format of the online movie files for compatibility with your DVD player or PC movie viewing client. It is safest to sign up for websites that carry movies in the DivX format as this is one of the fastest formats in terms of downloading speeds. Other formats tend to consume quite a huge chunk of your bandwidth and people have complained about how slow it can be to download movies. There are sites that are packed with ready to play movie formats and these are the most convenient places for downloading movies online.

2. Burning of Movie on CD/DVD

Depending on whether you want to burn your movie onto a CD or DVD, it is good to look through the instructions and notes at the site. Find out if they facilitate burning of the movies on CDs. CDs are cheaper if you are downloading movies online to amass a huge collection. But in terms of quality, DVDs are still way better and I would encourage you to get a fast DVD burner if you intend to create a special private movie collection.

3. Picture Quality

The picture quality is of absolute importance. It is going to be a huge disappointment when you realize that the downloaded movie images are so fuzzy that you cannot make any sense out of the show. What a waste of time and effort! Go for DVD quality movies as these are now available at several popular download sites. Downloading movies online should be an enjoyable experience. Don’t let poor picture quality ruin the experience.

4. Movie Selection

Make sure that they offer the latest movie releases. It is our duty as consumers to read the web content and clarify with the sites that this is so. There are sites that offer only old classics and movie hits in the 70s and 80s, while others provide almost any kind of movies, even home videos.

5. Pricing

It is good to look around and compare the prices of downloading movies online. Some websites will charge you per download or monthly subscription. There are also many others which charge you a flat rate to download unlimited movies.

Downloading movies online can be hassle-free if you know what to do. Pick up more hot tips from my blog and read about the favorite movie sites of today.

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Davion is a successful webmaster, author and a movie lover. Read a review of the best unlimited movie downloads sites that offer the latest TV shows, newly-released movies and more at unlimited–moviedownloads.blogspot.com.

Fish Cooking Basics

I must admit that I have met more than a few fishermen that know every trick in the book to catch fish, but after they have caught it, have no idea what to do with it. So if you are still wondering what you should be doing with those fish you caught, I have some help for you. The basic techniques for turning those fish into food are very simple and I have outlined the basic information and cooking methods for you.

10 minutes to the inch

Whether you are grilling, frying, baking, poaching, steaming of broiling your fish, the basic rule is that it will take 8-10 minutes of cooking time for every inch of thickness. The biggest mistake most people make in cooking fish is to over cook it. Now if the fish is frozen, count on 20 minutes per inch.

It starts at the water

Fish can degrade quickly after you catch it. One thing you can do to prevent this is kill the fish as quickly as possible. Smack it in the head with a club, then cut the gills with a knife. This will bleed the fish out quickly and slow down spoilage.

You caught it, you clean it

OK, so you probably know this already, but you need to clean the innards out, using a sharpknife and your thumb or narrow spoon. The longer you leave that stuff in there, the more chance it will have to start messing with the fish’s flavor.

When is it done?

The classical definition is that fish is done when it hits 160° and the juices run clear. Stick a fork into the thickest portion and twist gently. It should be flaky, but please, what ever you do, don’t let it cook into dry nastiness.

NUKING (MICROWAVING) FISH – Fillets, 1″ thick steaks

Yes, this is a valid fish cooking method!Microwaves cook by exciting (heating up) the water in whatever you put in there. Now call me crazy, but fish are just full of moisture. Gee… wonder why? Here are the proper steps for nuking fish. Allow 6 minutes per pound of fish, and remember that no two microwave ovens will be the same so adjust accordingly.

1. Arrange the fish with the thickest parts towards the edge of the plate, and tuck and thin parts under so they don’t get overdone. One layer deep only please.
2. Cover with plastic wrap, but pull one corner back just a little, or punch a little hole in it to vent steam.
3. Don’t blast it! Cook at 70% of full power. Again, we are looking for just flaky.
4. Let the fish rest for three minutes after you nuke it.

PAN FRYING (SAUTÉING) – Fillets less than 1-1/2″ thick, scallops, large shrimp

The old standby by for cooking fish, there are countless variations on how to pay fry fish.The basics are to heat butter or oil over medium heat in a pan big enough to comfortably hold your fish. Then cook on one side till brown then turn over and brown the other side. This shouldn’t take long so don’t over cook them!

What you do with them before you drop them in the pan is what matters the most. To be a purist, you can pat them dry and just lightly season them with salt and pepper. Of course if you want to get fancy, you can always coat them with egg and bread them with flour or bread crumbs.Then we get into seasoning of the breading and things get really interesting. Have fun, experiment.

BROILING – Fillets & Steaks 1/4″ to 1-1/2″ thick, Scallops & Shrimp

Think of broiling as blast cooking your seafood. Put the top rack ~4 inches below the broiling element and pre-heat that puppy. One thing to remember is that broiling can suck the moisture right out of fish, so you have to make sure it doesn’t dry out and get nasty. Fish like Salmon, Tuna and Swordfish have enough oil already to keep them moist, but think about marinating other types of fish.

Drop your fish on the broiling pan, season it lightly and get it under the broiler. Keep a watchful eye on it though. Broilers will take food from done to crispy in the blink of an eye.

STEAMING SEAFOOD – Fillets, Steaks, Whole Fish and Shellfish

Steaming is about as easy and healthy as it gets. No added oil is needed, just a little salt and pepper. If you like, you can steam your veggies right along with your fish! Just remember the 10 minutes to an inch rule and go for it.

BAKING SEAFOOD – Fish Fillets, Steaks, Shellfish & Whole Fish

Baking is the tame version of broiling. Set your oven for 450° and away you go! As for the fish, arrange them one layer deep in a lightly oiled pan, tucking any thin parts under so they don’t burn. Variations include breading, coating with oil/butter, and topping with fruit and/or veggies.

POACHING (NOT BOILING) SEAFOOD – Whole fish, Steaks, Fillets, Shrimp, Scallops

Basic poaching technique is to cook the seafood in a broad, shallow pan filled with enough hot, but not boiling liquid to completely cover it. Any liquid will do, from plain water to concoctions of water, wine, herbs and stock. The liquid should be brought to a boil then turned down till you see movement, but no bubbles breaking on the surface. Carefully place your food in the water and cook the required time. Another very healthy way to cook your seafood!

STIR-FRYING – Chunks and strips of firm fish, Shrimp, Scallops, Squid

Stir frying is broiling from the bottom effectively. This is because to correctly stir fry, even cooking, make sure that your pieces of food are fairly uniform. Here is the basic stir frying technique.

1. Heat the wok over high heat with oil till the oil starts to smoke. Add your vegetables if any and stir constantly. Cook until they are just a little tender and then set aside.
2. Add oil if needed and reheat the pan. Cook the seafood, stirring constantly so it doesn’t stick. Cook until it is browned slightly and opaque in the center.
3. Add the veggies back in along with some sauce and any other seasonings you like. And you are done!

GOOD OLD GRILLING – What can’t you grill?

Whole encyclopedias could, and probably have been written about grilling. It must tap into some primal spot in our soul to be outside, cooking or burning a piece of meat over some hot coals. Here are the main points to remember.

• Keep your grill clean! Dirt grills cook unevenly and dirty grates are more likely to have food stick to them.
• Oil your grill grates! It will help keep the food from bonding to them.
• Grilling can dry food out like broiling does, so use fatty fish, and consider using a marinade or oiling and seasoning your fish before grilling.
• For fish that is small, or might fall apart, use aluminum foil on the grill.
• Once you put the food down on the grates, don’t mess with it! As my cooking hero Alton Brown says ‘Just walk away!’ Granted, not for long but don’t fiddle with it till it is time to turn it over.

So there you have the basics of cooking fish. Best of luck in your cooking adventures! Just remember to let your creativity flow and don’t be afraid of trying new things!

Cliff is a long time fisherman and cook hails from the remote lands in Northern Idaho, but has now moved to the big city. He is also the founder of the web based fishing show ‘Fishing with Cliff’ that can be found at http://www.FishingWithCliff.com where you can watch on demand episodes of his show, and get more great cooking ideas!

So you are interested in the world of politics but do not know where to find a good daily politics blog. In this article I will provide you with the best method for finding the blogs you want to read. I will not tell you what to read, I will tell you how to find a political blog you want to read -one that suits your specific tastes.

If you know essentially nothing about the world of political blogging you should understand a few things right off the bat.

Firstly, a daily politics blog can come in one of two forms. The first type is the kind most people probably think a political blog looks like. It is the “personal blog”. It is made by one individual. The second type is the corporate type. It is like a company as it has several writers or “contributors” who make up the daily blog into what is very similar to an online newspaper.

Secondly, the thing you need to know right away upon entering the politics blog universe is that the vast majority of political blogs are biased or at least “lean” one way or another -they are opinionated news. There are however many politics blogs that take a non-partisan or neutral approach to their blogging. Remember, this kind of blog might be articulating a point of view just like partisan blogs.

Finally, the most important thing to do, in my opinion, is to do research on the political blogs you start reading. If the blog is a personal one try to understand where they are coming from. If the blog is a corporate one look them up on Wikipedia. See who owns them and possibly which way they “lean” (left or right for instance).

Alright, so now that you are schooled in spotting blog types and their content you can start searching for a great daily politics blog.

I suggest you immediately figure out what kinds of political blogs you want to follow before you start following them. You should have an idea of what you are trying to accomplish by reading a blog online. Are you trying to educate yourself? Are you looking for other people who will articulate your shared positions on politics? Or maybe you want to act like a media analyst by looking at daily politics blogs on both sides of the political spectrum!

Whatever you are looking for and wherever you might be on the political spectrum, there is really only one final step to finding a great blog you can follow every day and it involves Google.

Search Google for the words “politics blog” (or blogs) or “political blogs” (or blogs) while combining a word that specifies exactly what kind of material you want to see. For example, if you are a life long Republican in the United States you might want to put “conservative” or “Republican” in front of politics blog. If you are a centrist you might want to type “moderate” or “centrist” at the beginning. What you put in addition to the first words is up to you and will depend on your political views.

Using Google is the best way for newbies to get settled in to the political blogging world as the first page results are usually the more established personal and corporate blogs. Since so many mainly personal political blogs die in their first year (people just stop writing), using Google is the ideal first step. Keep in mind you can use other search engines but Google superior in my humble opinion.

Happy reading!

The author of this article, Tyler, is a political enthusiast and writer of a politics blog who has reported on the unemployment rate by Canadian provinces.