What To Do With This Broken Educational System?

I recently wrote yet another letter to President Obama, this time giving him a suggestion on fixing the school system.

Basically, the argument goes like this:

1Teachers get laid off due to a lack of funding.
2School year and school week gets shortened.
3A band aid fix could be dumping more water (money) into a broken glass (the school system).

This is a bad solution because it really doesn't fix anything for more than one year and adds debt.

Instead, why not go ahead and allocate that money to a lasting solution. There is already talk of making broadband available to everyone as a new communication standard. Put this into action now! Get computers in homes and wireless broadband for all. Do it well and right the first time.

Pay would decrease with teachers working from home, but they wouldn't need to drive to work (less gas) and also wouldn't be contributing to global warming. Suddenly, electric cars, even these early ones with shorter ranges seem a more viable choice for many people.

You could adapt this to other industries I suppose, but education is due for an overhaul.

Cutting jobs is a bad idea.
Shorter days is another bad idea.

Get families involved in their child's education, help them plan to get all their work done and take pride in their children.

For those of you still reading, here's my letter:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Obama,

I am a former tenured teacher for a local BOCES. I lost my job last year and have learned to live with less on the unemployment checks I'm so glad to have coming in.

There was a time when I would scoff at a paycheck like my unemployment, but now I have learned to live happily with less.

As a Christian, I have discovered that Faith is something I at least have enough of to get me through and it grows stronger every day.

I worked as a teacher in jails, and in Alternative schools, as well as acting in the capacity of Crisis Counselor for the alternative middle and high schools and finally gained tenure last year. That was also the year my weeping administrators told me they had to let me go.

This is sad, but the truth of the matter is it's been an opportunity for me to work on building a web based business out of some former false starts and side projects, and changing my life's direction completely. This is a very exciting time for me because I'm a saver and will be able to weather the storm. Sure, I spend less money. A lot less, in fact. Now that I've done what everyone expected of me and gotten a teaching job and a Master's Degree, I have a rare shot to put my best foot forward and try something that I've always wanted to pursue full time. My only regret is that the kids that need the most attention and help don't get it. I'm a big boy and I'll make my way, one way or another. But those kids are losing something valuable.

I know that many more teachers are also about to go through this- hopefully their districts will have the foresight to provide counseling services, as mine did and I found it helpful.

My suggestion is that if we're to add to the budget deficit, it might as well do good for the ones it's most important to. Namely, the students.

Rather than borrowing a lot of money as a temporary measure that will have to be repeated, why not use that money instead to upgrade houses and communities with wireless broadband and computers?

Have the teachers teach from home. Less money in salaries, but you also don't have to leave the house/ contribute to foreign oil dependence.

In addition, families who have adults living at home would have to more involved in their child's education, which could help heal a lot of broken homes and families.

Just my two cents worth, and keep up the good work. I'm someone who has had a renewed sense of pride in my country despite being laid off.

That is largely because of the inspirational way in which you have essentially stopped a speeding locomotive and are helping to not only stop it, but also to push it in the other direction.

God Bless,

-Jim"

Thanks for reading.

What To Do With This Broken Educational System?

I recently wrote yet another letter to President Obama, this time giving him a suggestion on fixing the school system.

Basically, the argument goes like this:

1Teachers get laid off due to a lack of funding.
2School year and school week gets shortened.
3A band aid fix could be dumping more water (money) into a broken glass (the school system).

This is a bad solution because it really doesn't fix anything for more than one year and adds debt.

Instead, why not go ahead and allocate that money to a lasting solution. There is already talk of making broadband available to everyone as a new communication standard. Put this into action now! Get computers in homes and wireless broadband for all. Do it well and right the first time.

Pay would decrease with teachers working from home, but they wouldn't need to drive to work (less gas) and also wouldn't be contributing to global warming. Suddenly, electric cars, even these early ones with shorter ranges seem a more viable choice for many people.

You could adapt this to other industries I suppose, but education is due for an overhaul.

Cutting jobs is a bad idea.
Shorter days is another bad idea.

Get families involved in their child's education, help them plan to get all their work done and take pride in their children.

For those of you still reading, here's my letter:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Obama,

I am a former tenured teacher for a local BOCES. I lost my job last year and have learned to live with less on the unemployment checks I'm so glad to have coming in.

There was a time when I would scoff at a paycheck like my unemployment, but now I have learned to live happily with less.

As a Christian, I have discovered that Faith is something I at least have enough of to get me through and it grows stronger every day.

I worked as a teacher in jails, and in Alternative schools, as well as acting in the capacity of Crisis Counselor for the alternative middle and high schools and finally gained tenure last year. That was also the year my weeping administrators told me they had to let me go.

This is sad, but the truth of the matter is it's been an opportunity for me to work on building a web based business out of some former false starts and side projects, and changing my life's direction completely. This is a very exciting time for me because I'm a saver and will be able to weather the storm. Sure, I spend less money. A lot less, in fact. Now that I've done what everyone expected of me and gotten a teaching job and a Master's Degree, I have a rare shot to put my best foot forward and try something that I've always wanted to pursue full time. My only regret is that the kids that need the most attention and help don't get it. I'm a big boy and I'll make my way, one way or another. But those kids are losing something valuable.

I know that many more teachers are also about to go through this- hopefully their districts will have the foresight to provide counseling services, as mine did and I found it helpful.

My suggestion is that if we're to add to the budget deficit, it might as well do good for the ones it's most important to. Namely, the students.

Rather than borrowing a lot of money as a temporary measure that will have to be repeated, why not use that money instead to upgrade houses and communities with wireless broadband and computers?

Have the teachers teach from home. Less money in salaries, but you also don't have to leave the house/ contribute to foreign oil dependence.

In addition, families who have adults living at home would have to more involved in their child's education, which could help heal a lot of broken homes and families.

Just my two cents worth, and keep up the good work. I'm someone who has had a renewed sense of pride in my country despite being laid off.

That is largely because of the inspirational way in which you have essentially stopped a speeding locomotive and are helping to not only stop it, but also to push it in the other direction.

God Bless,

-Jim"

Thanks for reading.

What To Do With This Broken Educational System?

I recently wrote yet another letter to President Obama, this time giving him a suggestion on fixing the school system.

Basically, the argument goes like this:

1Teachers get laid off due to a lack of funding.
2School year and school week gets shortened.
3A band aid fix could be dumping more water (money) into a broken glass (the school system).

This is a bad solution because it really doesn't fix anything for more than one year and adds debt.

Instead, why not go ahead and allocate that money to a lasting solution. There is already talk of making broadband available to everyone as a new communication standard. Put this into action now! Get computers in homes and wireless broadband for all. Do it well and right the first time.

Pay would decrease with teachers working from home, but they wouldn't need to drive to work (less gas) and also wouldn't be contributing to global warming. Suddenly, electric cars, even these early ones with shorter ranges seem a more viable choice for many people.

You could adapt this to other industries I suppose, but education is due for an overhaul.

Cutting jobs is a bad idea.
Shorter days is another bad idea.

Get families involved in their child's education, help them plan to get all their work done and take pride in their children.

For those of you still reading, here's my letter:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Obama,

I am a former tenured teacher for a local BOCES. I lost my job last year and have learned to live with less on the unemployment checks I'm so glad to have coming in.

There was a time when I would scoff at a paycheck like my unemployment, but now I have learned to live happily with less.

As a Christian, I have discovered that Faith is something I at least have enough of to get me through and it grows stronger every day.

I worked as a teacher in jails, and in Alternative schools, as well as acting in the capacity of Crisis Counselor for the alternative middle and high schools and finally gained tenure last year. That was also the year my weeping administrators told me they had to let me go.

This is sad, but the truth of the matter is it's been an opportunity for me to work on building a web based business out of some former false starts and side projects, and changing my life's direction completely. This is a very exciting time for me because I'm a saver and will be able to weather the storm. Sure, I spend less money. A lot less, in fact. Now that I've done what everyone expected of me and gotten a teaching job and a Master's Degree, I have a rare shot to put my best foot forward and try something that I've always wanted to pursue full time. My only regret is that the kids that need the most attention and help don't get it. I'm a big boy and I'll make my way, one way or another. But those kids are losing something valuable.

I know that many more teachers are also about to go through this- hopefully their districts will have the foresight to provide counseling services, as mine did and I found it helpful.

My suggestion is that if we're to add to the budget deficit, it might as well do good for the ones it's most important to. Namely, the students.

Rather than borrowing a lot of money as a temporary measure that will have to be repeated, why not use that money instead to upgrade houses and communities with wireless broadband and computers?

Have the teachers teach from home. Less money in salaries, but you also don't have to leave the house/ contribute to foreign oil dependence.

In addition, families who have adults living at home would have to more involved in their child's education, which could help heal a lot of broken homes and families.

Just my two cents worth, and keep up the good work. I'm someone who has had a renewed sense of pride in my country despite being laid off.

That is largely because of the inspirational way in which you have essentially stopped a speeding locomotive and are helping to not only stop it, but also to push it in the other direction.

God Bless,

-Jim"

Thanks for reading.

What To Do With This Broken Educational System?

I recently wrote yet another letter to President Obama, this time giving him a suggestion on fixing the school system.

Basically, the argument goes like this:

1Teachers get laid off due to a lack of funding.
2School year and school week gets shortened.
3A band aid fix could be dumping more water (money) into a broken glass (the school system).

This is a bad solution because it really doesn't fix anything for more than one year and adds debt.

Instead, why not go ahead and allocate that money to a lasting solution. There is already talk of making broadband available to everyone as a new communication standard. Put this into action now! Get computers in homes and wireless broadband for all. Do it well and right the first time.

Pay would decrease with teachers working from home, but they wouldn't need to drive to work (less gas) and also wouldn't be contributing to global warming. Suddenly, electric cars, even these early ones with shorter ranges seem a more viable choice for many people.

You could adapt this to other industries I suppose, but education is due for an overhaul.

Cutting jobs is a bad idea.
Shorter days is another bad idea.

Get families involved in their child's education, help them plan to get all their work done and take pride in their children.

For those of you still reading, here's my letter:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Obama,

I am a former tenured teacher for a local BOCES. I lost my job last year and have learned to live with less on the unemployment checks I'm so glad to have coming in.

There was a time when I would scoff at a paycheck like my unemployment, but now I have learned to live happily with less.

As a Christian, I have discovered that Faith is something I at least have enough of to get me through and it grows stronger every day.

I worked as a teacher in jails, and in Alternative schools, as well as acting in the capacity of Crisis Counselor for the alternative middle and high schools and finally gained tenure last year. That was also the year my weeping administrators told me they had to let me go.

This is sad, but the truth of the matter is it's been an opportunity for me to work on building a web based business out of some former false starts and side projects, and changing my life's direction completely. This is a very exciting time for me because I'm a saver and will be able to weather the storm. Sure, I spend less money. A lot less, in fact. Now that I've done what everyone expected of me and gotten a teaching job and a Master's Degree, I have a rare shot to put my best foot forward and try something that I've always wanted to pursue full time. My only regret is that the kids that need the most attention and help don't get it. I'm a big boy and I'll make my way, one way or another. But those kids are losing something valuable.

I know that many more teachers are also about to go through this- hopefully their districts will have the foresight to provide counseling services, as mine did and I found it helpful.

My suggestion is that if we're to add to the budget deficit, it might as well do good for the ones it's most important to. Namely, the students.

Rather than borrowing a lot of money as a temporary measure that will have to be repeated, why not use that money instead to upgrade houses and communities with wireless broadband and computers?

Have the teachers teach from home. Less money in salaries, but you also don't have to leave the house/ contribute to foreign oil dependence.

In addition, families who have adults living at home would have to more involved in their child's education, which could help heal a lot of broken homes and families.

Just my two cents worth, and keep up the good work. I'm someone who has had a renewed sense of pride in my country despite being laid off.

That is largely because of the inspirational way in which you have essentially stopped a speeding locomotive and are helping to not only stop it, but also to push it in the other direction.

God Bless,

-Jim"

Thanks for reading.

Using Pheromones to Attract Men or Women

Snake oil? Not quite. Pheromones are powerful and subtle chemical compounds that human beings employ to several ends.

A man's pheromones send nonverbal communication to others about his virility and contribute to an aura of self confidence. The man's pheromones can tell other men to stay away and can tell women of his potential as a strong mate.



A woman's pheromones also provide nonverbal communication to others. It's been long believed that the phenomenon of cohabitating women having synchronized menstrual periods is due to pheromones. A woman's pheromones also nonverbally communicate to a potential mate that they are a good candidate and are available.

Anyway, nature didn't make a mistake when it provided pheromones. Insects use them to protect their nests from predators. Some mammals use them to trigger nursing in their young. And did you know that a pair of special organs together called Jacobson's organ is part of human physiology? Their purpose is to sense the pheromones of others. Powerful stuff. You really can use pheromones to attract men or women.

Children and Poor Behavior

You see it at the mall. You see it at McDonald's. Sometimes you have to listen to it at the movie theater.

Children with bad manners. Where do they get manners? From their parents. Take a look at the parent and how they act/react to their child and you'll get a better idea of why they act the way they do.

Of course, there are always verifiable diagnoses that affect the way a child behaves. But all things being equal, there are a lot of out of control children. I know because I spent the last nine years dealing with some of the most challenging students as a teacher and then as a Behavioral Intervention Specialist.


Your Child's Best Teacher is You!

There's more to behavior than just meds and manners, including factors at home beyond the control of the child (not enough food, inadequate resources, parental discord, absentee parents, etc.). If the parent has a negative opinion of teachers/ school in general, that will be reflected in the behavior of the child as well.

It's hard to tell parents how to raise their kids, but I sure do enjoy trying. Often, they need an example to give them the perspective of the school. Unfortunately, this is medicine most aren't ready to swallow. Raising your child to respect adults and authority figures is a big step in the right direction.

Preventive Computer Maintenance

I'm a stickler for preventive computer maintenance. Really that goes for all kinds of maintenance. I believe in proper servicing of my machines. If you expect them to perform optimally for you, well then you'd better think about taking some time to make sure they're in perfect order.

This definitely applies to computers- I routinely back up my data once a month. OK, maybe it's more like once every six to eight weeks, but the point is I make sure to take care of it. Losing data hurts. I once lost a very important and lengthy research paper due to a hard drive error. I don't blame the hard drive- I blame myself because I failed to act.



Anyway, you want to be sure to use an alternative browser for security (ie; not IE). Don't pay for a security suite either: AVG Free Edition is fully featured and effective as is Microsoft Security Essentials. Also download a good registry cleaner and defrag your hdd! Simple maintenance like this makes for a faster, more efficient computer.

And don't forget to reformat your hdd every six to twelve months, depending on usage.

How To Buy a Car Online

I'm a car guy. It's sort of a sickness. As such, I've been known to buy and sell a few cars to make some extra cash. New York allows the sale of six cars annually before you have to apply for a business license. So where do you get cars to sell? Well, online auctions such as eBay have served me well in the past, as has Craigslist and sites like Autotrader. If you do very good research about the vehicle you want to try and turn over for a profit, including local research for the area in which it will be sold, you will do very well.

The best way to do well is to pay way less money than you eventually sell the vehicle for. Easy to say, not so hard to do and definitely worthy of a little fine tuning, a la good research. I learned how to do good research when I was in school to do my Master's. I apply the principles I used to succeed in grad school to be successful in my research. Without getting overly technical and belaboring the issue, common sense and study prevail. To be fair, I also employ techniques I learned in Elementary School such as making an outline with paper and pen before writing. I find that the outline helps to reinforce my thought process as I type on the computer.



Well, I got a little off topic there, but back on track now. Maximizing your profits by buying at low cost auctions is how actual licensed car dealers make a tidy profit and you can do it yourself on a smaller scale with a little initiative.

If you're still reading, I recommend government auctions because they generally have low mileage vehicles with intact warranties. A lot of what ends up there is from repossessions, but that's not a bad thing. All it means is that the person who bought the car did not make payments for a certain amount of time and that the bank then hired someone to bring it back to them.

Rather than pay exorbitant storage fees (imagine if you were a bank and had to store fifty repossessed cars), the bank will let the cars go to auction for whatever they can get and cut their losses. You pay way less than even private sales, which ups your profit margin. How do you find out where and when these auctions are? You can check out Gov-auctions.org for more information. Good luck and happy car hunting!

-Jim

Erasing Your Computer with Hard Drive Delete Software

I'm big on computer maintenance. Machine maintenance in general, actually. I enjoy working on my cars as well as on my computers. But when it comes to the machine that you use to process lots and lots of sensitive and private data, you have to take some extra steps.

I always recommend a reformat of your hard drive once a year, twice if you use it to earn your living, as with Affiliate Marketing. And, it goes without saying that you diligently back your computer up, right?....

But reformatting a hard drive simply isn't enough to guarantee that you will eliminate data. Old files consisting of emails, mp3's, pictures and financial data and passwords are recoverable with simple to use software. That means that if you sell your computer or donate it to charity, the new owner could retrieve all of your old data that you had "deleted".



Even an old hard drive that no longer works should be physically dismantled as the platters inside could be read if someone wanted to badly enough. This involves cleanroom procedures and money but I still tend to err on the side of caution.

Anyway, if you'd like to use some software that meets the ridiculously stringent specifications of government agencies, you can try Remo Shredder.

The Best Property Investors Ebook

The real estate market is volatile largely due to the reputedly recovering economy. I found a pretty good ebook that has some great tips for those new to real estate. It's author has been in real estate for over a decade and has compiled his knowledge into a road map that allows novices to avoid wrong turns.

Everyone watches those house related shows on HGTV and some of the other networks. I'm fond of "Renovation Realities", which shows how people crack under the stress of having to remodel part of their home within a constrained amount of time. Nothing tests a couple's mettle like a home repair project. My point is, most people you run into have seen some of these shows and probably likes watching them.



It's a mistake to watch a season of a television series and then decide to go out and try it yourself. At least not without making sure you have done your own diligent research. That's where an ebook like this comes in handy; you can access it from anywhere and you don't have to carry it around. And, unless you print it out, you're not going to relegate it to bathroom reading.

Come to think of it, my family has had real estate for as long as I can remember and I'll bet my parents and I could sit down and write an ebook on what to do and what not to do. In the meantime, you can click this link if you would like to see the guide I think is best.

Sideshow Collectibles

I'm a nerd. I'm a geek. I'm not concerned with how anyone wants to label me, really.

Now that the obligatory introductions are complete, I'd like to talk about the items offered by Sideshow Collectibles. This company produces high end collectibles for licensees such as Marvel comics (my personal favorite), Star Wars, Disney and Lord of the Rings.

These are not the kind of things you buy and give out to children. These are for adult collectors and have a price tag to match. Further, because they are meant to be displayed and not necessarily handled too frequently, these types of collectibles may be considered more "museum pieces" (using the term loosely, of course) than toys (although you can access their website from Sideshowtoy.com as well).



Accordingly, although these pieces are an expensive proposition, you can buy and trade these statues and busts with an eye for profit. An Iron Man Comicquette offered by Sideshow was originally offered at $250.00. This same statue sells for over a thousand dollars on eBay regularly. Find me another investment that will show a return of investment of 400 percent and I'll, well, I'll look into it.

The reason for my caution involves I bought two Iron Man Life Size Busts as an investment. This was a very high end offering that I waited over six months for and ordered sight unseen. As it turns out, others had the idea and also hoarded them. Along with that, there were paint and other issues which made them less desirable in the aftermarket. Lesson learned, as with any other arena of endeavor. But if you learn your lessons, you can turn failure into success.

The Best Home Remedies for Halitosis

Ever feel self conscious about yourself? Everyone does from time to time, but if you have chronic Halitosis then at least there's hope. I eat lunch with my father most weekdays and we often get pizza with garlic. I've remarked from time to time that "my wife won't appreciate this". So I brush my teeth, rinse with mouthwash and go about my day.

But what if you had bad breath all the time, no matter what you did? Some people would go to the dentist to see if there were any suggestions she/he had. Others do research both off and online in an effort to discover the best method of ridding themselves of Halitosis.


There are about a zillion products that you can buy to help with Halitosis. Special mouthwashes, gums, mints and all of them will happily take your money with more or less success as far as the product itself goes. Instead of wasting a lot of money on things like this that you have to buy again, why not consider an ebook that answers the questions you need answered and tells you the most efficacious ways to minimize or eliminate your Halitosis? You can click here to try one of the newest most well researched ebooks on combating Halitosis.

The Best Reverse Cell Phone Number Look Up Website

We all know what it's like to get annoying phone calls. But if they are more than just annoying, you might be inclined to find out who is calling you. Whether it's an ex or someone from work giving you a hard time, or even if you're just curious to know who is calling you it's very quick and easy to find this information.

Internet based reverse cell phone number look up websites can be found on the internet with a simple search. However, as of this writing, Google has indexed a total of 2,040,000 pages dedicated to these services. Well, I have looked at several and used my incredible internet skills to divine which service is best.

Here's what it comes down to: you want a complete service that offers unlimited and thorough searches. Phone Detective provides all this and ease of use. Give it a shot, I highly recommend it.