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June 4, 2011

How Do Car Navigation Systems Work?

Contemporary auto navigation systems are truly excellent. Have you ever considered acquiring one? People who do not have or have never had a modern auto navigation system, or GPS (Global Positioning System) as it is also known as. will almost certainly not realize quite how much knowledge they provide. It is no longer just an item to stop you from getting lost while you are travelling from A to B.

Far from it. Modern GPS systems will tell you whether you are passing monuments, sites of historical importance or beauty, churches, hotels, restaurants, taverns, garages, petrol stations, airports and practically anything else that you would like it to inform you about. They have moved on from being only an on screen map to being a travel guide and much more..

If you are thinking about acquiring a GPS auto navigation system, it is worth learning a bit about how they work, so that you can better understand what they do, what they are capable of doing and how they do it. This is practical knowledge for when it comes to deciding which system to decide on, because not all GPS systems are the same and some offer more functions than others.

All car GPS navigation devices use satellites to help them determine their location. (This is not always the case with ships, because some water ways use land-based tracking stations.

The GPS is like a radio receiver, so it picks up signals from overhead satellites and interprets that data in order to determine where it is. In order to do this job properly, it needs the signals from three satellites.

This is known as triangulation and is very accurate, frequently to within a metre or a yard. However, in order to make sure of even more accuracy, the data from a fourth satellite is used as a check. There is very little margin for error when four satellites are being used for pin-pointing a position.

A GPS device will tell you which way to go and if you go off route, it will advise you the best manner for getting back to the right road. However it will also do more than that. Before you begin out on your journey from A to B, you have to type in those two locations.

The GPS will then enquire of you whether you would like to go by the quickest route, the most scenic route or whether you would like to avoid motorways altogether.

This is a great role, but it can do more than that too. If you sort in the name of a restaurant along the way or a monument you would like to see, it will steer you from A to B via your place of interest.

One last item, be certain that the system that you purchase is upgradeable. Some are upgraded automatically, but you have to pay a monthly or annual fee. Others will sell you an upgrade which you have to install yourself. If you are at ease with making your own upgrades, all well and good, but just be aware that systematically upgrading the software is vital.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now involved with how to get Stapletons tyres. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at Car Tyres For Sale.

June 1, 2011

Contact Lenses Versus Specs

Has your eyesight deteriorated to the point where you have to wear specs? Are you happy about that? Well, there are several alternatives to be had these days, so you do have other choices. If you do not want to undergo surgery, you can still opt for contact lenses. In fact, contact lenses have been a viable alternative to glasses for decades.

Surgery can be a more permanent solution to problems with eyesight, but for various reasons, some people do not want to take up this option. This leaves contact lenses as the best alternative. The first thing to notice about contact lenses is that most people will not know that you are wearing them. This is very important to some people and not significant to others at all.

Contact lenses provide better all-round or peripheral vision than spectacles. When you look to the side wearing glasses, there is no glass there, but contact lenses cover your entire pupil so that your vision is closer to normal. This is safer if you are driving a car or riding a bike or even trying to cross a road.

Another difficulty that numerous people find with spectacles is that they leave indentations on the nose. Some people find these ugly. Glasses also need frequent cleaning, which many people find maddening, whereas contact lenses are cleaned by the eyes’ normal cleaning system – in other words, automatically.

Stylists also think that their prescription spectacles have to go with what they are wearing. This can mean that you have to have a dozen pairs of glasses. If your eyesight deteriorates further, which is fairly probable, all those specs will have to be up-graded as well. This is not true with contact lenses of course.

Both spectacles and contact lenses can adjust for astigmatism or bad eyesight, which comes to most people after the age of forty. Occasionally earlier and sometimes later, but it will happen. Your choice, if you do not want to undergo surgery, is whether you would rather wear spectacles or contact lenses.

In the past, contact lenses were very expensive, which is why many people still discount using them, but in fact it is no longer true. Contact lenses are more costly, but not much more now. In fact, you can buy disposable contact lenses and many people do do that.

The fact is that there are better alternatives to wearing either contacts or specs, but most people do not know it. It is possible these days to have one eye operation and never have to wear glasses again. Or you could have laser surgery and almost certainly not need specs again for ten or twenty years, but some people are adverse to having surgery and so they opt for glasses or contacts.

In the long run, surgery is almost definitely less expensive than wearing contact lenses and wearing contact lenses is almost definitely cheaper than wearing glasses, but it is the same with most items, people just look at the up-front costs and cheaper is rarely better.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with Designer Spectacles. If you would like to know more, please go over to our web site at Spectacles Direct.

May 26, 2011

Is A Solar Panel Electrical System Right For You?

Until approximately a hundred years ago in the West, people only had recourse to renewable energy for heat and light for their homes. They burnt wood and sometimes coal or peat (OK, fossil fuels) and got up when the sun came up and went to bed with the sun too. In, fact a large part of the world’s population still lives like that.

Things changed with mechanized industry and night shifts. Electricity providers sold the populace on being able to do more instead of just sleeping when it got dark, and the Western population got hooked on buying huge amounts of energy, mostly electricity and engine fuel, which was usually produced from oil and coal.

This concept soon travelled around the world and with rising affluence came emulation and other countries wanted the same. Now we are in the sad situation where we have to confess that we rode the fossil fuel gravy train to its terminus without thinking about what we would utilize when fossil fuels ran out.

This is where the typical civilian comes in. You have to think about how you want to draw energy in the future. Do you want to be powered by keeping sucking unrenewable resources out of the Earth, or do you want to have as little to do with it as you can? Would you prefer to have everything you have now, but know that the resources that are powering your lifestyle are renewable?

If, like millions of others around the globe, you would rather say ‘No!’ to traditional power production techniques, then you have to take a stand. But not only in words, you really have to do some something about it physically.

This will mean investing a lot of money up front, which might not be a problem for you or you may even think that taking a stand is worth looking for a bank loan. These are commendable feelings, but I would like to suggest that there is another way to self-sufficiency.

You could build your own!

Why not? The technology has been around for years and is pretty simple. Most reasonably competent teenagers can put together a bank of photovoltaic cells into a solar panel and then plug that into your home’s electrical system. And if a teenager can do it, so can you. All you (and the teenager) will need is a solar panel kit and a schematical diagram. A plan in other words.

A solar panel kit can be bought in your neighbourhood from a DIY store or from the Internet. A typical solar panel will take a few hours to assemble and will produce 100 watts of electrical energy. The electricity produced from these panels is then passed through an inverter that changes the current from DC to AC, making it utilizable by household appliances and the utility grid.

Do yourself and the planet a good turn, get off the grid and start saving money and the planet’s resources, you will be surprised how straightforward it is once you get going. And do not forget, you can do it in stages of, say, one 100 watt panel a month until you hit self-sufficiency. It is not a question of ‘All or Nothing’.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite topic, types of renewable energy. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

May 6, 2011

Cataracts And The Regain Of Sight

When I was about forty years of age, I could feel that I would soon require specs. I worked long hours in an office at a computer and most of my friends reasoned that this was the cause of my diminishing eyesight. I merely put the spectacles on like everyone else does and got on with the job.

However, ten years later, my eyesight took an abrupt turn for the worse and I was diagnosed with premature senile cataracts, at least that is how they translated it into English from the Thai as I had by now married a Thai lady and moved to her village in rural northern Thailand. I went to a very good hospital in Pattaya known as the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital and one of their senior eye surgeons examined me.

She confirmed the diagnosis and added that it was probable that the other eye would develop a cataract at some time in the future although there was no indication of it at that moment. The next day she carried out an operation to take out the lens from my eye and replace it with a plastic one.

The operation is quite painless although it can become a bit scary and lasts between thirty and sixty minutes. Mine was ‘a long one’, said the surgeon at forty minutes. After an hour’s recovery, a nurse showed my wife and me how to care for my eye and I was allowed to go. My eye was taped over, so I could not see out of it until that evening when my wife put the drops in.

Everything was so vivid and clear. It was truly amazing. I had to keep going back for post-operative care for four weeks and then we went back to the village. I cannot convey how fantastic it was to be able to see clearly again without glasses after what I realized was more than a decade.

The eye or the brain or both take a a little time to modify to the new lens and your eyesight improves for a period of time which can be from six to twenty-four months. Within six months, my other eye started to pack up. It had borne the strain of two eyes for long enough and now that there was a working replacement, it decided to stop fighting the approaching cataract and gave up.

I was not back to square one because my plastic eye was far better that the other one had been in similar circumstances. So, about six months later, I went back to Pattaya to have the other one done. The procedure was the same with the same surgeon. I went back the next day for the check up, but it was a long wait for my turn and the time came around for my drops. My wife put them in but as I removed my protective eye-covering, I noticed the English-language newspaper on the table in front of me.

That was not unusual, but what was really unusual was that I could read it – without specs for the first time in fifteen years! I could see the look of revulsion on my fellow patients’ faces as they looked into my eye so I put the covering back on. (After the operation the eye swells up and it as black as an eight-ball with a blood-red dot in the middle – it is very frightening).

When I went in to see the surgeon and told her about the newspaper, she smiled. “Yes”, she said, “that was my surprise, I put a long-distance lens in last time and a reading lens in this time. Your brain will decide what you are looking at and use the correct eye”.

She had not told me because a small percentage of brains cannot accomplish this trick, which is why some people cannot take to variofocals too.

That was a year ago and both plastic eyes and brain have ‘bedded in’ nicely. I can read a book and drive a car without specs and my world is so brilliant. I still wonder at the brightness everyday. I had not noticed the light getting gradually dimmer for fifteen years.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now involved with Designer Spectacles. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Spectacles Direct.

May 3, 2011

Hydrogen Fuel Cars – When Will We See Them?

There are hydrogen fuel cars on the roads of some cities. However there are two ways in which hydrogen can be used to power cars. The first method is to use hydrogen to actually power the internal combustion engine, in much the same way as numerous cars use Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The second way is to use the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen in fuel cells as a battery, which makes the car a form of electric car.

The dream of producing hydrogen in the car whilst driving along by electrolyzing water is still a long way off, so we are still at the phase of batteries and filling the tank with hydrogen gas. This is the nub of the difficulty for potential owners and manufacturers. There are merely sixteen hydrogen filling stations in Los Angeles and none in 99% of other cities worldwide.

In deed, some of the big name motor manufacturers have pulled out of the race to get the first commercially viable hydrogen powered car on the streets. Ford and GM have announced that they are pulling out in America and so has Renault in France.

However, the Japanese companies are pressing on. In fact, Honda introduced its first hydrogen fuel cell car in 1999. It was called the FCX and they are now ready with introductory models of the second generation hydrogen cars called the FCX Clarity. Guess where they are available for sale? The one city in the world? Yes, Los Angeles, because of its hydrogen stations.

Honda says that, they could go into full-scale production of the FCX Clarity by 2020, if the world is prepared for them by then. Hyundai have on-going plans to manufacture fuel cell (FC) cars and say that they will be in a position to launch full-scale production by 2012. Daimler also announced that they would be manufacturing 100,000 FC vehicles in 2012-2013.

Then there are hydrogen powered buses in several European cities including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid. Porto Stockholm and many more. Lotus, the makers of London taxis, have announced that they intend to introduce a fleet of new, hydrogen powered taxis in time for the London Olympics in 2012.

So, the hydrogen vehicle and the hydrogen passenger car is out there and the numbers will be growing pretty soon. The buses, talked about above, go back to their depot, where an electrolyzing machine turns water into fuel for them to fill up on and the same will be the case for lots of of London’s taxis. Regrettably, getting fuel is not the only problem for the average motorist, some of these vehicles, like the FCX Clarity cost about $300,000 each.

However, here are a few interesting facts for those who like trivia. Francois Isaac de Rivaz designed the first hydrogen powered car in 1807 and Paul Dieges filed a US patent for a conversion to the internal combustion engine in 1970 which enabled a petrol engine to run on hydrogen and 200 years later we are still trying to get it right.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with how to get Stapletons tyres. If you want to know more, please go to our website at Car Tyres For Sale.

May 1, 2011

Life Off The Grid

You can live off the grid. You only have to have the grid to purchase electricity if you cannot generate your own. Living on the grid has made too many of us lose our self-sufficiency. We slavishly buy energy off the big suppliers and pay through the nose for it at the end of the month.

How many days a month do you have to work just to pay your electricity bill? What could you do with that time or money if you did not need to use it to pay for your electricity?

The fact is that you can come off the grid and you can even sell your surplus, home-made electricity back to the grid. This is not likely to make you a lot of money, but it is a nice feeling after only paying out for decades. However, the savings of life off the grid do not end there. There are ecological savings and the saving of human life too.

Soldiers would not be sent to fight for oil if we were not so dependent on it. The fact is, that if more people came off the grid, the price of oil would fall, because demand would fall and the oil-producing countries that think they have a stranglehold on the West would lose their power. And that can not be a bad thing either, can it?

It is easiest for people who live in their own houses to come off the grid. They have more control over their own property and can make their own decisions about what to do with it. Drill a hole here, cut a hole there – that sort of thing. Alterations or home improvements. Life off the grid is also most advantageous for families as they use the most electricity.

The most common techniques of attaining a life off the grid is by the use of solar panels, hydropower and wind turbines or even good, old-fashioned wind mills. These devices are still expensive to buy and very expensive to have installed. A recent study in the UK estimated that it would take 10 years to recover the investment of a professional installation of energy-making devices.

However, you could take out the expensive labour element by constructing and fitting the units yourself! This option is available to anyone in the world as the drawings and plans for making these devices are available on the Internet from specialist alternative energy web sites and the components are practically every day objects.

You will be able to get them in a hobbyist or DIY store. They are also very easy to put together – most teenagers could do it and so could you. If you do not fancy that way, you could purchase a self-assembly kit.

Once you have started to become free of the grid, you can make life off the grid even more rewarding by renewing your appliances, as and when necessary, with low energy models. If you approach life off the grid wisely, you could add new energy producing units every month until you do not get any electricity bills any more and then whatever further savings you can make will be sold back into the grid.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with a favourite subject, renewable energy advantages. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.

April 29, 2011

Testing Visual Perception

Most people would prefer to lose their right arm than lose their eyesight. It is scary for a sighted person to think of the possibility of losing one’s eyesight, yet it occurs to people every day for various reasons. One of these reasons can be autism.

Autism affects different children in different ways, which is one of the reasons why it is so difficult for doctors and therapists to help it. One of the worst things that can have an effect on autistic children is a loss or diminution of visual perception or, to put it bluntly, eyesight.

Naturally, if a child has problems seeing, then it makes learning even more difficult and it isolates that child even more than it was before, since a sensation of isolation is one of the foremost symptoms of autism. However, there are certain exercises that your child’s therapist can teach you which might help improve your child’s eyesight.

It is a characteristic of autism that the sufferer experiences sensory overload or distortion. It is as if the autistic child’s brain cannot deal with what it sees and hears quickly enough, so it sometimes shuts down.

Numerous autistic children also have trouble reading for this very reason, however, some individuals who are not autistic can also suffer from this problem. Some people with extreme dyslexia can undergo a similar experience. If the parents of an autistic child have these problems too, then it could exacerbate the visual perception of the autistic child.

Some people, whether autistic, dyslexic or not have a problem with some colour combinations and some of those have a problem with black and white, which are of course the colours used on a book’s pages. It is possible to enhance the readability of a page of type by using the Irene Method, which involves putting a colour filter on top of the page thereby altering the black and white colour combination.

If the doctor or therapist of your child has not suggested the Irene Method, you could bring the topic up or simply test it yourself. All you need is several sheets of different coloured cellophane. Blue, red, yellow and green are easy to find and you can overlay two or three of these to make even more colours.

Lay them over the page and see if your child finds one of them easier to read. You might even find that you find one of these new colour combinations easier for you as well. If this works, a pair of glasses with tinted lenses my help your child’s visual perception on a more permanent basis.

In the same manner, some children’s visual perception is improved by replacing the regular white light incandescent or tube lights in the child’s bedroom with a light that is more comfortable on his or her eyes.

These different colour lights and different colour lenses can help your child better judge depth or perspective and can help lessen the confusion that sensory overload can cause. If you can accomplish this, you will be making a big difference to your child’s quality of life.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of topics, but is now involved with Designer Spectacles. If you would like to know more, please go over to our web site at Spectacles Direct.

April 21, 2011

Cataracts, Surgery And Recovery

You have to be very cautious with your eyes because they can so easily be damaged beyond repair. My eyesight started to deteriorate when I reached forty, like most people. My friends and family put that down to the fact that I was sitting in front of a computer screen for about twelve hours a day and had done since I was twenty-eight. Still, there was nothing I could do about that, that was my job. I was self-conscious of wearing glasses at first, but you soon get used to that.

My eyes continued to get worse and at a greater rate than friends of a comparable age, but I considered that that was just the luck of the draw. However, one morning about ten years later, I woke up and it was as if my spectacles were dirty. I spent the next day or two cleaning them, but I could not seem to move the dirt on the right lens.

By that time, my vision was too bad to see without glasses and I only had the one pair. I had moved to rural Thailand and procuring a second pair was no easy feat.

After a couple of days of cleaning and polishing my glasses a friend offered to take me the 75 km to the nearest good hospital. The opthamologist looked in my eyes and said: “I am very sorry, but you are senile”. I had been called mad before, but not senile. I was fifty-two. It is not really a statement that beggars a question, so I just looked at him and put on a glum expression, hoping that I was not confirming his diagnosis.

He looked at me and then rumaged in his desk, pulled out a book and opened it. “You have premature senile cataracts” he corrected himself. I was not certain whether that was any better as it implied that other parts of me may start failing early as well. Anyway, I thanked him and left. I had no notion what to do next, but at least I knew better that to continue wasting my time attempting to clean my already spotless spectacles.

My wife is very practical and she arranged for us to go to an even better hospital 650 km away. I was seen by one of the hospital’s senior eye surgeons within the hour and was told that I had a cataract in my right eye and that there was a good chance that I would develop one in the left eye too. Then she shocked me by asking: “Do you want me to remove it now?”

It was too big a decision for me to make there and then without any information, so we discussed the operation, she gave me a leaflet and I made an appointment to return the next day. The next day, I was in the operating chair. I was not going to have Laser Correction, but the full replacement of the lens. The procedure is carried out under local anaestetic and does not hurt but it can be uncomfortable at times.

The surgeon cut a small incision of two millimetres a little to the outside of the colour of my eye and squirted in some solution. She then vibrated that fluid with ultra-sound to break up the lens in my eye and washed the pieces of lens out with more fluid before inserting the new lens through the same opening.

By this stage of my life, I could just see light and dark with my right eye, but at one point my eyesight just ceased entirely. It was like watching a window shatter before your eyes only to realise that there was nothing but blackness beyond. Now I definitely was blind in that eye. There was a bit of discomfort, but the surgeon kept talking to me and then she said: “Wait, wait, wait, can you see me?”

And I could.

Absolutely perfectly. Better than I would have been able to fifteen years before, but everything was so bright that it dazzled. I had not noticed how dingy my world had become. A cataract is like having a net curtain over a window, it cuts out a great deal of light. Therefore, the first thing you become aware of whilst you have had a cataract removed is a flood of light. Your world literally is a brighter place – to such an extent that the light hurts.

Be careful with light after the surgery, it cannot bring about lasting damage, but it really does hurt. A passing vehicle can reflect sunlight into your eye and catch you unawares. If you are driving or riding a bicycle, it could be very dangerous. Another risk is reflection. You have an open wound on your face which can get infected by wind-borne germs.

The week following the operation is a lot more risky than the procedure itself. You have an open cut in your eye which they do not stitch. It is left to repair itself, which is not a problem, if you take care.

You have to put two kinds of drops in your eye four times a day and avoid getting water in your eye at all costs. That means do not go out in the rain and do not wash your hair in the shower. Dirt and consequent infection are your main enemies, so put the drops in regularly, avoid dust (and the powdered dog faeces mixed in with it) and all water and be very wary of light.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now involved with Designer Spectacles. If you would like to know more, please go over to our website at Spectacles Direct.

When Fear Is A Part Of Life At School

Do you have fond memories of your school years? Do you have happy memories of teachers and school friends? If you do then you were lucky, because some kids hate every minute of being in school and not because they are no good at it either. Frequently it is the clever children who are bullied for being swots and teachers’ pets. They are safe in the class, but the travelling to and from school and the school breaks can become nightmares.

However, it is not only bullying from other children that causes fear in school children. There are other reasons for fear in school as well. Occasionally, children think that a certain teacher does not like them and sometimes children are just frightened of failing or doing badly. Occasionally teachers are frightened of doing badly as well. It can all lead to an atmosphere of fear at school. It makes you ask yourself how anyone could have enjoyed their school days, does it not?

This atmosphere of fear can get greater in state schools because the teachers are subject to success charts and the children are more open to bullying. Furthermore, all of the school shootings in the world have taken place in state run schools.

However, the most subtle form of fear in school emanates from teachers who are afraid of missing the targets set by the state, because that will cost them their jobs. This fear is passed on to their students. The regime of fear is made worse by over-sized groups. Why?

Because teachers can hold the attention of only so many pupils – as we all can in regular discourse. Therefore, if the class is too big, the teacher will have to switch roles from being a teacher to a controller. When this happens, education suffers for the sake of keeping order.

For all of these reasons and more, many parents are turning to home schooling. Some of the reasons why parents are deciding to educate their children themselves are: distrust of the state education system; fear of bullying or worse of their children; a desire to teach their children in a more conventional or religious manner.

There are learning packages that parent-teachers can buy to give them a course of action on what to teach. There is also a lot of help accessible on the Net. The problem facing any parents who wish to educate their own children is providing an all round education.

People have a natural tendency to specialize in one topic or group of topics like, say, astronomy or the sciences, which is why schools supply many teachers, so that each one can teach his or her favourite subject. However, if you are the only teacher you will have to teach all the subjects yourself.

This is why it is best to have a course or set of guidelines to follow. It is difficult to teach maths if you have no talent for it, so look at your strengths but also your weaknesses before you take the considerable decision to withdraw your children from school and educate them themselves

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on numerous subjects but is currently involved with Fear At School and home Schooling. If you would like to read more, please go over to our website entitled Home Schooling.

August 12, 2010

Hybrid Electric Engines.

Have you ever asked yourself about hybrid cars? They certainly look stylish and modern, but what is it about them that makes them so unusual and so special? After all, most cars look the same these days, do they not? They are all designed by computer to be aerodynamic and aerodynamic is aerodynamic, so they all end up looking indistinguishable to anyone who is not an aficionado.

Well, the fact is that the distinction between a hybrid car and a normal car lies under the bonnet. There are various types of hybrid vehicles as well, but the most common kind has a hybrid electric engine. Therefore, you could say that what makes hybrid cars special from most other, ordinary cars is their engine.

Or engines really, because hybrid electric cars essentially have two engines. One, the internal combustion engine, runs on petrol, LPG or diesel and the other, the electric motor, runs off electricity stored in an array of heavy-duty batteries. On the other hand, ordinary cars only have an internal combustion engine. It is a good idea to examine these two types of engine separately.

First of all the electric motor. Electrical energy is generated by several components on the car and stored in a large bank or array of powerful batteries. The electricity is created by the turning of the internal combustion engine, just as with a standard car, when it is in use, but also by the wheels or / and the car’s braking system. Different models have different methods of generating this electricity, but they are all very hi-tech and very efficient.

When the car’s internal computers determine that the car no longer needs the strength of the internal combustion engine, it will turn it off and switch to the electric motor instead. The conditions where this might occur are, for example, when you are driving slowly in inner-city traffic, when you are cruising at moderate speed on a flat road or when you are going down hill. This saves a considerable amount of fuel, which is clearly a great saving to you.

However, there are occasions when you have to have more power than the batteries can supply you, for example, when accelerating hard, when overtaking or when climbing a hill. At times such as these, the electric motor will shut down and the combustion engine will take over and start supplying power to the accelerator and electricity to the batteries. When the requirement for extra power has ceased, the batteries will take over again.

These choices are all taken by the hybrid electric vehicle’s (HEV’s) on board computer system and you will not notice much other that a rush of power or a quietening of the propulsion system. This works very well in most cases, but some drivers of HEV’s would like to have a manual override for abnormal circumstances, such as an undulating landscape.

All in all, cars with hybrid electric engines work very well at reducing fuel bills but they are still too dear to be much more than a gimmicky toy and a salve to the conscience for the well-to-do.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with hybrid electric engines. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at New Hybrid Vehicles.

July 19, 2010

Calendars – Why They Can Be A Bit Out

Thousands of years ago, ancient Greek astronomers calculated that the track of the Earth’s axis is constantly, even if in a very slow way, shifting in a uniform pattern. The change is very similar to the manner a spinning top slowly leans one way and then another as it slows down. It is a wobble that occurs as its axis changes direction.

This peculiar movement of the planet is due to a couple of factors, the most important of which is something called ‘precession’. Precession stems from the fact that the Earth is not a flawless sphere. It is in fact about twenty-seven miles longer about the Equator that it is around the Poles. The Earth then is oblate, or fat around the middle like middle-aged spread, but it is due to the rotation not to its age.

If you picture the Earth with its Poles off centre. Then rotate that image and you will find that any point, except the very centre of the axis, will travel in a circle. But very, very gradually. So slowly that it takes 26,000 years to go full circle and get back to where it started from.

This point then, any point you choose, is very gradually shifting its location in relation to the stars because the axis is gyrating too. The result of this is that, what we call the North Star (formally known as Polaris, which is in fact one degree off true North) will not be over our North Pole one day. In fact, by about 15,000 AD, Vega will be almost above the North Pole, although it will be about four degrees off true North. But even this will not endure, and by 28,000 AD, Polaris will be back above where it is nowadays.

One of the effects of the precession is that seasons change. They modify the dates that they take place, so that Summer could come earlier or later. The amazing thing about our calendar is that it is corrected for that (with the leap year). If it were not, the vernal or Spring equinox would move over 13,000 years from March 21st to September 21st., which is the date of the autumnal equinox, precisely half a year later.

It is for this reason that the precession of the Earth is generally referred to as the “Precession of the Equinoxes”. Although the precession of the equinoxes is very slow, it can be readily observed. The correct year of 325.25 days is the length of time from one vernal equinox to the next vernal equinox, however, it takes 20 minutes and 24 seconds longer for the Sun to appear in precisely the same place with relation to the stars behind it over the same period. This is why accurate star maps have to be stamped with the exact time and date to which they refer.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching Franklin planner pages. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

July 14, 2010

Calendars And Their Background

The calendar is such a commonplace, everyday item, but how much do you really know about the operation of it. Why is it like that?

A DAY: The Earth turns at a reasonably fixed speed about the imaginary line running between the North and South Poles called the Earth’s Axis. The time it takes to revolve once is called a ‘rotation’ and this takes just under twenty-four hours. Nevertheless, because the Earth is continuously traveling around the Sun, the precise time from noon one day to noon the next is 3 minutes 56 seconds longer and this makes a day almost precisely twenty-four hours in length.

The actual time from noon to noon varies depending where the Earth is on its celestial path around the Sun, but if you average the days in a year out, it comes to precisely twenty-four hours.

A YEAR: All nine planets in our solar system travel around the Sun in almost perfectly circular routes called orbits. Each trip around the Sun is called a revolution and all the planets revolve around the Sun in the same direction. The direction the Earth takes can be verified by noting its location against the background stars.

Given that you cannot see the Sun and the stars at the same time, it is obligatory to note the location of the Sun in the morning and the see which stars appear there in the night. You will see that the Sun seems to pass through the twelve constellations of the zodiac during a year.

Earth’s journey around the Sun, which seems like the Sun travelling through the zodiac takes about 365.25 days. This is different from year to year, so astronomers add or delete a second in some years to keep their time accurate with the Earth’s motion.

THE SEASONS: The seasons indicate the change in the pattern of daylight over the span of a year. Because the Earth is tilted off centre, different parts of it get different quantities of sunlight on different stages of its path around the Sun, a path that we call a year. So, between about the 21st September and late March, the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, which creates Autumn and Winter, giving less than twelve hours of daylight per day.

From April to the 20th September, the Northern Hemisphere receives more than twelve hours of daylight a day, producing Spring and Summer. The exact opposite occurs in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Equinoxes take place at the points in the year when there is exactly twelve hours of sunlight and darkness in the day. So, the vernal or Spring equinox is on or around the 21st March and the autumnal equinox is on or around the 21st September. Summer officially commences on the day with the greatest amount of daylight, the 21st June or summer solstice.

The winter solstice occurs on the shortest day, the 21st December. ‘Solstice’ is a combination of two words meaning ‘sun standing still’ and the days are so called because they are the days when the apparent movement of the Sun reaches its limits and reverses course again.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with researching Franklin planner pages. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our web site now at Promotional Desk Calendars

June 13, 2010

Hybrid Cars And The Energy Crisis

It has been said that not enough people are doing all they can do to struggle against the energy crisis. Hybrid cars can help, but probably not enough people are driving them. Here are a few problems related to the energy crisis and how hybrid cars can help.

The U.S. isn’t doing enough really. The USA consumes more fossil fuels than any other country in the world. However, most people believe that all of our energy problems can be solved if we would only investigate further into the oil deposits in Alaska or if we exploited the recent oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico more.

Hybrid cars can have the result of us not having to consume other sources of energy to maintain economic growth. Hybrid cars won’t cause Americans to use an excessive amount of fossil fuel. Instead, hybrid cars make Americans use less fossil fuel.

Energy consumers just accept increasing fuel prices. People used to be concerned that petrol prices are much higher now than they were years ago. Now, however, people just accept the higher prices. In the meantime, cars are getting bigger and bigger. Car manufacturers are making trucks and SUV’s, which consume more fuel at the higher prices.

These vehicles use more petrol, but you wouldn’t believe just how many people will not give up their petrol-guzzling SUV. Hybrid vehicles do eventually cost their owners less to own than conventional vehicles do. So there is no need to worry about settling for being over-charged by the oil economy.

Soon there could be an end to the “cheap oil period”. Soon, we could all be in too deep, because not only will we have an fossil fuel crisis, but a peak oil crisis as well. During the peak oil crisis, there will be petrol shortages and natural gas shortages too. The major countries will need to compete against one another for whatever fuel is left.

So everyone may have some problems, and countries may battle over who gets oil and who does not. The peak fuel crisis can be put off, if more people just purchased hybrid vehicles. Hybrid cars make it so that people do not always have to be looking for oil. And there are advances being made in hybrid vehicles everyday.

The plug-in hybrid vehicles, for instance, might not even need oil at all one day. So, just in case we do have an energy crisis, Americans ought really to be using the time to finding a solution to the impending oil crisis in America. Hybrid vehicles are the way to beat the energy crisis, and if countries still want to fight each other over gas, at least America will know they attempted to slow the impending crisis by investing in hybrid cars.

So, that’s it. The United States’ mass use of hybrid vehicles would make it so that Americans use less petrol. But Americans also still have yet to gain from the large amount of money being made from hybrid cars. The majority of popular hybrid cars come from Japan. So Americans ought to bring that money back into the country as well as do something about the current energy crisis.

If you are interested in the cutting-edge technology of New Hybrid Vehicles, please visit our website on http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

April 25, 2010

Millennium Predictions

A lot of people predicted that the start of the new Millennium, the year 2000 would be the date of the end of the world. However, as it worked out, they were very wide of the mark.

What is it that makes people to attempt to predict disasters? Is it because they are attempting to warn people or because they wish to scare people? Frighten people, I think and thereby gain advantage over the naive.

These apocalyptic prophesies go back thousands of years and even appear in the Bible. Their only raison d’etre is to terrify people and so gain money, power and influence over them.

Even the millennium bug turned out not to be a problem with computers working perfectly well after midnight in spite of claims by ‘computer experts’ that there would be a worldwide crash of astounding significance. The computer industry made a fortune out of frightening businesses and individuals with their lies. That was the scam of the Nineties to end all swindles!

So why all the publicity? Was it just the dawn of a new millennium, which caused so many to make predictions on this date rather than stick to their normal common sense? Yes, I think. People saw the opportunity of a lifetime to rip others off and they jumped at it.

Needless to say there were hundreds of prophesies made ranging from the arrival of aliens and the Second Coming of Christ to airplane crashes. None of which came true. Here are a few of those less than accurate predictions:

May 5th was the day upon which all the planets lined up. The prediction was that the gravitational force of all these heavenly bodies in alignment would bring about massive earthquakes, huge tides and volcanic eruptions.

A lot of people also predicted that the shifting of the poles would take place during 2000 and that this would cause catastrophic events such as high tides, widespread electrical failure and computer failures, which would mean economic disaster for the larger countries and insurance firms.

I do not know what you think, but perhaps instead of worrying about the demise of the world (most doom-mongers have decided on the year 2012 for the destruction of the world) we should work together to make the best of the time we have left on this planet, as well as ensuring that we pass the planet on to the next generation in the same condition as we received it.

If we behave in this way, we may hold off the day of reckoning for a long while yet. We are far more likely to undergo apocalypse through nuclear war, global warming and events which are avoidable and within our control, than cosmic events which we have little control over such as asteroids or the Sun’s developing into a red dwarf and eventually exploding.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with custom wall calendars If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

April 16, 2010

Developing A Promotional Strategy

Even if you were to invent something earth-shattering, you would not earn any money out of it if you left the invention on your desk. The only way you can turn a profit from it is by selling it and in order to accomplish this, you have to inform people that it exists, that it is for sale and where they may get it from. In other words, you have to advertise it.

The US Patents Office has issued thousands patents for items that never made it and many of those did not make it, not because they were not good ideas, but because their inventors did not know what to do with them. A business is more or less the same as a new invention. It has to be marketed, unless it is situated in the middle of the only street in town.

Having already launched the business, it is to be hoped that, you have already worked out your target market and evaluated the need for your goods or services. Now you have to convert those potential customers into contented customers and this is where your promotional strategy comes in.

A promotional strategy is nothing more than a for reaching your intended market, which is of course the people most likely to require your services or products. At its simplest, your promotional strategy might consist of just hanging a sign over your door and relying on word of mouth from satisfied customers to circulate, so doing your advertising for you.

In some cases, this is indeed all the advertising a business needs, but the cases are not that common really. It works, if you are operating in a very small town or if your product or service is unique or very specialized or if you enjoy a long-standing good reputation. However, normally, customers require more facts to go on before they will be attracted to your business.

Therefore, the objective of your promotional strategy should be to get in touch with the greatest quantity of potential customers by the most economical use of your means, which may include money, personnel and facilities. This means that you have to divine the channels of communication most used by your potential customers and try to reach them through those. This is usually constrained by a budget.

Advertising involves the purchasing of time or space in the media you have chosen in order to market your business to your intended market. You then have to decide which form of advertising you are going to use: institutional or product advertising. Institutional advertising markets the firm’s name as in: ‘Larry’s Boot Shop – The Best In Town’, whereas product advertising is more specific and might read: ‘Nike Walking Boots – 30% off at Larry’s. Offer Finishes Soon!’

Both forms of advertising can be successful and lend themselves better to some media than to others. Institutional advertising is better carried out on shop signs, sign-written vans or windows or promotional calendars, that is, static, long-term, business name advertising and product advertising is better done by newspaper, magazine, radio and TV, where one-off special offers can be promoted.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with promotional wall calendars. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

April 12, 2010

Home Schooling And Learning By Computer

There is access to a computer in almost every home in the West nowadays and the rest of the world is catching up very fast. Therefore, it is extremely important for you to have one at home too, because of the many advantages it can bring, especially if you have an Internet connection. Nowadays, you need to have have some computer experience, if you want even a reasonably-paid job, so learning how to use a computer must begin at school. You and your children can have a fantastic educational experience with a computer at home. Children of today must learn about this very important device at the very earliest age possible and one of the best ways to achieve that is through home schooling computer programs.

These days, even pre-school children are being taught how to use computers and their associated resources. If you decide to go for home schooling, you and your child will also spend a lot of your time making use of a computer and the Internet. Teaching your children can be a lot more efficient when done online, because of the diverse resources available there. Your child will be provided with exceptional educational resources, from which he/she will benefit greatly not least because job market trends today involve the Internet.

One of the biggest ethnic groups who prefers to make use of home schooling is the African Americans because some see certain society problems and they can keep themselves abreast of their own heritage through home schooling. The parents of children from minority groups can assist their children learn more about their history by having an Internet connection at home. The children’s education can be better supported by parents and they can also help in strengthening the psyche of their children too. Parents can educate their children about their own particular heritage by means of the different online resources.

It is vital to bear in mind that home schooling only works properly, if the parents are willing to give their children their complete support. They must also be committed and ready for the challenges that they will come across. The parents ought to look for a rally good computer program or book that can help their children to learn about using computers. Frequently, the lessons are separated into various sections or series so that the children can learn them easily. Children have different learning capacities and since sometimes children are not given much chance in traditional schools, the use of computers is a perfect opportunity for you to bring out the best in them.

Home schooling is not new any more, so if you think that your child is not performing well in school, consult with the teachers and get some information regarding your child. The guidance counsellor can also help you determine the best education for you child. Home schooling is already accepted and perhaps it can help your child learn more in the comfort of your home.

If you are prepared to commit yourself to home schooling, you will need to discuss the matter with your child. You could start by asking your child about his experience in school and then raise the subject of home schooling. See how your child reacts to the idea. Explain its benefits. Say that computer learning will be more beneficial. It’s better if you and your child both agree to home schooling, since you have to work closely together. It might not be easy to persuade your child to give up traditional schooling, where he has all his friends, so you will have to spend time with your kid and know his/her interests. Explain that computer programs in home schooling can help a lot. Tell your child that they can learn more about their particular interest, if they know how to use a computer.

So why not look for the most suitable home schooling computer program now? Talk to your friends, ask at the library, go online and do your research. There are lots of home schooling programs to choose from and it could take several weeks before you can find the right one.

If you are thinking about home schooling then please visit our website at http://home-schooling.the-real-way.com

categories: homeschooling,teaching,school,parenting,children,books,reading,writing,mathematics,computers,science,motivational,stress,other

April 7, 2010

Home Schooling And Young Children

In recent years, home schooling has become extremely popular especially with the middle and upper-middle class families. There have been lots of arguments before about home schooling. Experts claim that there are advantages as well as disadvantages in home schooling but it seems that the former outweigh the latter and therefore, a lot of families are now choosing home schooling over the traditional schools.

Cultures vary and somehow the relations within the family are affected too. In some cultures, family ties are fairly strong, but there are also those who don’t have very good relationships with other family members. However, through home schooling, family ties and relationships are improved. Parents will spend enough time with their kids because of the home schooling program and the children will have to listen to their parents too. Communication is much improved and both parties have to learn about the importance of speaking and listening.

Many families prefer home schooling because of its diversity. Since the cost of home education is a bit more than normal schools, the financial standing of the household is very important. However, without thinking about money, many parents will still opt for home schooling, because it can ensure their kids’ safety. Public schools often have dangerous environments that can affect children terribly, but if they are in a home schooling program, they can stay away from these predicaments and their parents will be there to supervise them.

Instead of enrolling the kids at a public school, many parents prefer home schooling because the educational environment in the public schools is not that conducive. In public schools, very young pupils may experience difficulties that can affect them socially, mentally, and academically for a long time. Experts who have conducted surveys, claim that children learn better in a safe environment surrounded by loved ones. A further advantage of home schooling is that children can learn according to their capacity. You can’t just deliver a new lesson, if the previous one hasn’t been learned yet. It may take longer, but the results are better.

As stated previously, home schooling is a bit more costly. However, if you think that you can cut down your child’s educational expenses, you’re probably wrong. Home schooling expenses are almost the equal to those of traditional schools. However, if you participate in the forums of the parents of home-schoolers, you will discover that there are ways to reduce costs. Naturally, you will have to spend on the resource materials, computer, and internet, but you can also use outside resources like cultural meetings, public libraries and many others.

You will get even more cost-saving notions, if you get in touch with other parents. The Internet offers numerable opportunities and with a bit of homework, you can definitely discover ways to ease the costs. If you don’t want to hire tutors, then you will have to learn the lessons too. You have already studied the various subjects in your kids’ educational program, so you only need to review them. You can get further learning material online or the bookshop and later on, teach your children.

Therefore, it is plain to see, that home schooling is by far the best option, especially if your child is still rather young. It all depends on you and your kid, whether they continue this form of education until they graduate for college.

If you are interested in Internet home schooling then please pop along to our web-based resource at Home Schooling Check here for free reprint licence: Home Schooling And Young Children.

categories: home schooling,teaching,school,parenting,children,books,reading,writing,mathematics,computers,science,motivational,stress,other

April 1, 2010

Interesting Facts about Astronomy

Astronomy is an interesting science to most people because it is filled with loads of fun astronomy facts. Everything from the size and temperature of our own star, the Sun, to the make-up of distant planets has been established. All of this information can be retold to entertain and enlighten your friends.

The Sun is a great font for astronomy fun facts. Our own star, which supplies us with all our heat and light is between 91 and 94.5 million miles from Earth. It’s not that nobody has measured the precise distance, but rather because the Earth revolves around the Sun in an ellipse, an uneven, orbit, so the distance varies depending on where the Earth is situated in that orbit.

The Sun is only an average size star, yet it’s size is another terrific source of astronomy fun facts. As average as it is, it accounts for about 98% of all the matter in our solar system. Even with the huge planet of Jupiter on our side, we’re still a tiny 2% of non Sun stuff.

It would take the diameter of about 100 Earths to stretch across this average Sun. The solar winds created by the Sun extends to about 50 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Or put another way, those solar winds go out about 50 AU’s, with an AU being the distance from the Sun to the Earth. That’s quite amazing, isn’t it?.

How about astronomy fun facts that don’t have anything to do with the Sun then? What about our Moon? It’s the only non-Earth object that man has walked on so far. And one man actually travelled to the Moon but never left it. Dr. Eugene Shoemaker really liked the Moon but was rejected as an astronaut. After his death, he was cremated and his ashes were sprinkled over the Moon by the Lunar Prospector spacecraft in 1999.

There are many more astronomy fun facts about the Moon. It’s the site of what may become the oldest footprint known to man. Neil Armstrong’s giant leap for mankind left a print in the Moon dust that will likely still be there in 10 million years time.

Lots of people, in fact about 13% of those asked in 1988, still believed the Moon is made of cheese. And finally, the suits worn by the Moon-walking astronauts weighed 180 pounds on Earth but only 30 pounds on the Moon, because of the Moon’s reduced gravity. Talk about losing weight, eh?

Astronomy fun facts aren’t limited to our close astronomical neighbours. Looking at stars is like looking into the past. Some of the stars we see today in the night sky are so far away that their light takes a million years to reach Earth. Some of the stars you see may really be images of stars a million years old that aren’t even there any more. There are over 1 x 10 ^22 stars in the universe. That’s a 1 followed by 22 zeros. The number is really quite awesome.

There are thousands of astronomy fun facts that we could relate. But, unfortunately, this article can not be that long. So, please, walk out there at night, look upwards and learn more about astronomy for yourself.

Fascinated by astronomy? Then please visit our website at: Astronomy Today Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

March 6, 2010

Hybrid Cars vs. Conventional Cars

Today, the question on everybody’s mind is, what is the real difference between a hybrid car and a conventional vehicle? They suppose that there has to be some good reason why people are wondering whether hybrid cars are worth the money and checking their wallets and savings accounts to see if they can afford to buy a hybrid car.

There must be some reason why other people wouldn’t consider shelling out the money for a hybrid car because they feel their conventional car gets them to where they need to go well enough. Here are some of the reasons why a person might choose a conventional car over a hybrid car and vice versa.

Hybrid cars are much more expensive than conventional cars: because hybrid cars have a complex internal design, they do still have a fairly hefty price on them, although, conventional cars, which have become more efficient as the years have gone on, are quite affordable these days. Many people are selling their older conventional cars in favour of newer, more efficient versions.

They are so inefficient in fact, that some people even give their old cars away. However, since a large percentage of the general population has never owned a hybrid, there aren’t many people selling used hybrid cars yet. Therefore, the average person looking to buy a hybrid would probably have to purchase a new one from a car dealer.

Both a hybrid car and a conventional car use similar types of batteries: a hybrid car and a conventional car both use lead acid batteries that hold enough energy to power a small electric motor. These batteries are what you call “gear reduced”. That means that they can turn over this motor at approximately 300 rpms. Torque is generated to turn over the engine and the entire process is what starts the main engine.

But even though a hybrid car uses a lead-acid battery, its battery that works to drive the car’s electric engine is constructed differently. This kind of battery is known as a deep cycle battery and it can be compared to the batteries that are used to power golf carts.

That’s the main difference between a hybrid car and a conventional car. One person might choose a hybrid car because it makes them feel more secure. For instance, if a person buys a hybrid car, they can feel secure that their car will be less likely to run out of gas. Another person might not choose a conventional car because the cost of fuel doesn’t really bother them that much.

However, a conventional car provides security as well, although of a different type. With a conventional car, an owner can be sure that they can always go to a junkyard, when they need to replace old parts on their car. On the other hand, those with a hybrid car will probably have to face some pretty pricey repair receipts if something goes wrong.

However, the final decision is up to you. There are risks involved with both types of cars. But those who like to try out new things might just consider splurging out on a hybrid car.

If you are interested in the working parts of New Hybrid Vehicles, just visit our website at http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

March 5, 2010

The Chinese Lunar Calendar

Previous to their implementation of the Western solar calendar scheme, the Chinese almost exclusively followed their own lunar calendar for determining the times of planting and harvesting and festival days. Although people in China today use the Western calendar for almost all business, governmental and practical matters of daily life, the old system still serves as the basis for working out numerous recurring holidays. This coexistence of two calendar schemes has long been acknowledged by the people of China.

However, this does not only happen in China, it also happens in most other Eastern countries, like Thailand, and most Arabic countries.

A lunar month is determined by measuring the period of time needed for the moon to complete its full cycle of 29 and a half days, a standard that makes the lunar year a full eleven days shorter than its solar counterpart. This difference is corrected every 19 years by the addition of seven lunar months.

The 12 lunar months are further divided into 24 solar divisions distinguished by the four seasons and periods of heat and cold, all of which bear a close relationship to the annual cycle of agricultural work.

The Chinese calendar – very much like the Hebrew calendar- is a combination of the solar and lunar calendars in that it strives to have its years coincide with the tropical year and its months coincide with the synodic months. It is not surprising that a few similarities exist between the Chinese and the Hebrew calendar.

For example, an average year has 12 months, a leap year has 13 months. An ordinary year has 353, 354, or 355 days, a leap year has 383, 384, or 385 days. When determining what a Chinese year will be like, one needs to make a number of astronomical calculations.

First of all, you have to work out the dates for the new moons. In these instances, a new Moon is the completely black Moon (that is to say, when the Moon is in conjunction with the Sun), not the first visible crescent, as is used by the Islamic and Hebrew calendars. The date of a new moon is then the first day of a new month.

The reason why the majority of countries which had their own calendars had to dump them in favour of the Western, Julian calendar that we use today, is business. First the British and then the Americans ran international business and they used the Julian calendar.Anyone who wanted to work with them had to follow suit. This is why national policy often varies from local custom in Third World countries.

The government wants to trade on the International markets, but the normal family in the country can not. So, the government adopted the Julian calendar but the people only pay lip service to it. I live in Thailand and people here do not even use the 24 hour day divided into two halves. Their day has four sections of six hours each and the first part starts at 6AM, not midnight. Therefore, they have four 4 o’clocks a day, for instance but no 7 o’clocks. They are also 543 years ahead of us, although this is more common, for example in Muslim countries.

Do you like to read about astronomy, then please pop along to our website at: Astronomy Today

March 4, 2010

Holy Days In Christianity

Christmas – is the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Although the precise date of his birth is unknown, December 25th was probably selected because it coincided with a pagan mid-winter festival. The ‘Twelve Days Of Christmas” mark the days between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6th), which was the day of the wise men’s visit.

Easter – is the most important day in the Christian calendar, because it celebrates Christ’s Resurrection, which gave / gives Christians the hope of salvation and eternal life. Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal (Spring) equinox, which is on 21st March.

Shrove Tuesday – (Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday) was originally a day of penance, but is now marked by merrymaking. It is the day before the commencement of Lent.

Ash Wednesday – is derived from the marking of a cross on the forehead of believers with the ashes from the burnt palms used on Palm Sunday.

Lent – 40 days of penance and fasting

Palm Sunday – the Sunday before Easter, celebrates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, where palms were strewn on the road before him.

Maundy (Holy) Thursday – the day of the Last supper.

Good Friday – is the day of Christ’s crucifixion.

Holy Saturday – is the day before the Resurrection.

The Annunciation – March 25th is celebrated by Catholics as the day that Archangel Gabriel told Mary about her imminent pregnancy.

Trinity Sunday – is celebrated by some denominations in honour of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. It was declared part of the holy calendar in 1334 by Pope John XII.

Corpus Christi – Catholics remembers the presence of the body of Christ on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

All Saints Day – this mainly Catholic celebration is on November 1 and honours all Christian saints.

Advent – a religious season that begins on the Sunday nearest to November 30 and lasts until Christmas Day. It celebrates the birth of Jesus and anticipates his Second Coming. It was once a period of fasting, but now no longer.

Holy Days Of Obligation – are feast days in the Catholic calendar marked by attendance at mass and the avoidance of unnecessary work. There are six in the USA: Solemnity of Mary – January 1: Christ’s circumcision, ie his first shedding of blood Ascension – 40 days after Easter Assumption – August 15: Mary is accepted into Heaven All Saints’ Day – November 1 Mary’s Immaculate Conception – December 8 Christmas Day – December 25.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Franklin Covey planner refillss If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

February 5, 2010

The Ancient Chinese Lunar Calendar

Prior to their adoption of the Western solar calendar scheme, the Chinese almost wholly followed their own lunar calendar for determining the times of planting and harvesting and festival days. Although people in China today use the Western calendar for almost all business, governmental and practical matters of daily life, the old method still serves as the basis for determining many seasonal holidays. This coexistence of two calendar schemes has long been accepted by the people of China.

However, this does not only happen in China, it also occurs in most other Eastern countries, like Thailand, and most Arabic countries.

A lunar month is determined by measuring the period of time needed for the moon to finish its full cycle of 29 and a half days, a standard that makes the lunar year a full eleven days shorter than its solar counterpart. This difference is made up every 19 years by the addition of seven lunar months.

The 12 lunar months are further divided into 24 solar divisions characterized by the four seasons and times of heat and cold, all of which bear a close relationship to the annual cycle of agricultural work.

The Chinese calendar – very much like the Hebrew calendar- is a combination of the solar and lunar calendars in that it attempts to have its years coincide with the tropical year and its months coincide with the synodic months. It is not surprising that a few similarities exist between the Chinese and the Hebrew calendar.

For instance, an ordinary year has 12 months, a leap year has 13 months. An ordinary year has 353, 354, or 355 days, a leap year has 383, 384, or 385 days. When determining what a Chinese year will be like, one needs to make a couple of astronomical calculations.

First of all, you have to work out the dates for the new moons. In these instances, a new Moon is the completely black Moon (that is to say, when the Moon is in conjunction with the Sun), not the first visible crescent, as is used by the Islamic and Hebrew calendars. The date of a new moon is then the first day of a new month.

The reason why the majority of countries which had their own calendars had to dump them in favour of the Western, Julian calendar that we use today, is business. First the British and then the Americans ran international business and they used the Gregorian calendar. Anyone who wanted to work with them had to follow suit. This is why national policy often varies from local custom in Third World countries.

The government desires to trade on the International markets, but the ordinary family in the country can not. So, the government adopted the Gregorian calendar but the people only pay lip service to it. I live in Thailand and people here do not even use the 24 hour day divided into two halves. Their day has four sections of six hours each and the first part starts at 6AM, not midnight. Therefore, they have four 4 o’clocks a day, for example but no 7 o’clocks. They are also 543 years ahead of us, although this is more common, for instance in Muslim countries.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching Franklin planner pages. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our web site now at Promotional Desk Calendars

categories: calendars,astronomy,time,holidays,history,current events,politics,sociology,science,religion,commentary,other,uncategorized,business

February 1, 2010

Fly Fishing Calendar

Are you asking yourself what the best times to try to plan a fly fishing trip are? Well, when we talk about a fly fishing calendar, we are not quite referring to a printed calendar that you can hang on your wall. We are talking about targeting and specifying the right times to fish and the right places at which to fish.

The main thing you have to think about when you are considering drawing up a fly fishing calendar is: when will the water be at the optimum temperature? That is, the temperature that is best for catching fish. The right time to go fishing will depend on the region that you are looking at for your fly fishing trip.

In some places, such as California, the fishing is very good all the year round. While in other locations, such as Washington, you will need to avoid the water in the winter as the freezing temperatures will stress the fish and they will not be as plenteous.

Generally speaking, the fly fishing calendar shows that the best fly fishing is in the spring and summer periods. Early autumn will also find some places showing good fishing as well. Almanacs can be helpful to guide you towards the best fishing times and places as can continuously updating Internet web sites that are run by keen local fishermen.

Many places will give weekly, and sometimes even daily fishing intelligence on their websites. They can tell you where the fish are biting and where the best locations in the river are to cast your line. They generally keep these areas of their web sites updated pretty regularly. So you can get quality reports just by looking at what other anglers have to say about their fishing experiences.

Usually, fish like warmer water, although, there are other species like salmon and steelhead that flourish in colder water. However, in general, warm water will attract more fish. Nonetheless, if the water is too warm, the fish will be lethargic and will navigate to locations where the water is cooler.

The fly fishing calendar used most often by experienced fishermen has been compiled over a long period of time. They expend a considerable quantity of effort to estimate where and when the best fishing will take place. Then they share it with others. That is one of the best things about fly fishing – the camaraderie and the sharing that can come about because of a mutual affection for the sport of fly fishing.

You can create your own fly fishing calendar with a little time and effort. Just do your homework and keep plenty of notes. When you see a trend, you will know that it is time to go fishing! Then you should be certain to help your fellow anglers by passing on the information via a local club or the Internet, if you are proficient at it, because others will be trying to work out what you already know. You know that most fly fishermen would do the same for you, do you not?

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching Franklin planner pages. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

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January 30, 2010

US Minor Holidays And Occasions

Hereunder is a directory of minor holidays and occasions in the United States. Some of them are virtually unknown, and others are quite obscure.

April Fools’ Day – (April 1): the day for practical jokes (only before noon in the UK). Its origins are obscure, but it bears a similarity to an ancient Roman festival for the goddess of nature.

Arbor Day – (last Friday in April): devoted to trees and their conservation. It is held on December 22 everywhere else in the world.

Armed Forces Day – (third Sunday in May): a day to honour the US armed forces.

Citizenship Day – (September 17): replaced Constitution Day in 1952 by presidential proclamation.

Daylight-Saving Time: was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, but became the Uniform Time Act in 1966. It is not observed in Hawaii, the Eastern Time Zone of Indiana, most of Arizona (except on the Navajo Reservation), American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.

Election Day – (Tuesday after the first Monday in November): presidential elections are held in years divisible by four and elections for all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in years evenly divisible by two.

Fathers’ Day – (third Sunday in June): was first observed in West Virginia in 1908, but this uniquely American holiday was not made official until 1972.

Flag Day – (June 14): was first observed in 1877, which was the centenary of the adoption of the modern design. Truman approved the Flag Day Bill in 1949.

Groundhog Day – (February 2): on this day the groundhog looks out of his burrow. If he sees his own shadow there will be six weeks of Winter to come, otherwise Spring is just around the corner.

Halloween – (October 31): All Hallow’s Eve is the day before the feast of All Saints. It started as a pagan custom honouring the dead and a celebration of Autumn. ‘Trick or Treat’ is purely American with no historical foundation.

Kwanzaa – is a secular observance by African-Americans to commemorate their African heritage. It begins on Dec.26th when a candle in a candelabrum is lit every day for seven days. It was first practiced by Maulana Karenga in 1966.

Mothers’ Day – (second Sunday in May): was conceived by Anne M. Jarvis of Philadelphia as a way for children to pay homage to their mothers. It received presidential proclamation in 1914.

National Maritime Day – (May 22): was proclaimed in 1935 to memorialize the SS Savannah’s first successful transatlantic crossing by a steamship in 1819. It is also a day of remembrance of merchant mariners who died in defense of their country.

National Teachers’ Day – (Tuesday of the first full week in May): is when pupils are supposed to honour the teaching profession.

St. Patrick’s Day – (March 17): has been borrowed from Ireland where it is their national saint’s day.

St. Valentine’s Day – (February 14): was originally to honour two saints martyred by Emperor Claudius (214 – 270), but has been devoted to lovers since the Middle Ages.

Susan B. Anthony Day – (February 15): Anthony (1820 – 1906) worked for women’s rights and suffrage.

United Nations’ Day – (October 24): commemorates the endorsement of the UN Charter in 1945 by the then five permanent members of the Security Council.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching Franklin planner pages. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

January 27, 2010

Calendar – Which Calendar?

In the West, we tend to think that there is only one calendar, but there are dozens of them around the world. And what is more, there were probably hundreds of them before. All defunct now either because ours is more precise or because theirs did not fit in with our business way of life.

But that does not mean to say that people do not still use those old-fashioned, redundant calendars. Oh, no! Governments have given up their old, traditional national calendars, but in general, country folk still use to them, even if they can no longer get hold of a printed version. I cannot go into all the calendars here, but I will mention five or six of them.

Lunar Calendar – There is some evidence that early man used chips on bone to track or denote the movement of time 25,000 years ago, probably measured by the Moon’s phases. A calendar can be created based on the lunar cycles; it produces a year of twelve months (the word ‘month’ is from the word ‘moon’), but only 354 days, that is, eleven short of the time it takes the Earth to revolve around the Sun. The Chinese still use a variety of the lunar calendar but they resolve this issue by adding extra moths every now and then to bring ‘time’ back into alignment with the Sun.

Solar Calendar – The ancient Egyptians were the first people to make use of a Solar Calendar, although it could justifiably be called a cosmological calendar. The new year began for them when Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the night sky, rose in the same place as the Sun. This usually coincided with the flooding of the Nile. This calendar was of 365 days; twelve months of thirty days and five festive days. Therefore, it was only one quarter of a day off the true year. However, that meant that slowly but surely, the new year did not concur with the flood. Scientists have worked out that this calendar was taken up in either 4241 BC or 2773 BC.

Julian Calendar – In 46 BC , Julius Caesar realized that various provinces of the empire were using different calendars, so he instructed the dating system to be unified. Sosigenes came up with a calendar of 365 days with an extra day every four years. Therefore, in 46 BC, the longest year on record, Caesar added days to the year to bring it back into alignment with the seasons. 46 BC was 445 days long! The vastness of the Roman Empire ensured that this calendar was the defacto calendar of the Western world.

Julian Day Count – In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII instituted a new calendar, but the year after that Joseph Justus Scaliger developed a system of counting days, not years. It starts with 1 on January 1st 4713 BC. On this date the Julian and the lunar calendars and the Roman tax dating system all coincided; something that will next happen in 3267. January 1st 2001 was Julian day 2,451,913

Gregorian Calendar – from at least 730 AD, it was noticed that the year from vernal equinox to vernal equinox was short of the 365.25 days in a year. This had the consequence that the date of Easter was moving back. So he dropped 10 days from 1582 by jumping from October 4th to October 15th and proclaiming that century years would only be leap years if they were divisible by 400. Consequently, 1900 was not a leap year, but 2000 was. This is the calendar we still use today.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with researching Franklin planner pages. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

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January 21, 2010

Plug-in Hybrid Cars vs Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars are on everyone’s lips. Twenty, forty, or fifty dollars for a full tank of fuel? Who in their right mind wants to pay that sort of money? However, frustrated, the gas consumer sighs, but pays up. However, hybrid vehicles are applauded for the small amount of gas they need to operate, and they are flying off the lots of car dealerships each and everyday in increasing numbers.

However, what about a plug-in hybrid? Most drivers have heard that these cars are fantastic as well. Then, someone might be asking him or herself, what exactly a plug-in hybrid is? How they work, and what the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid is?

Plug-in hybrids are capable of running just on batteries, but they can run on petrol also. These sorts of hybrid cars share some of the features of hybrid vehicles. They are also very similar to all-electric vehicles.

Plug-in hybrid cars must be charged externally by plugging them into an electrical power source. The combustion engine of plug-in hybrid vehicles is used only as a back up. These cars can run only on batteries if desired, but it is expected that these kinds of hybrid cars are recharged every day.

Hybrid cars travel just as many miles as a conventional car. Designed to go the extra mile where gas-mileage is concerned, hybrids can be driven on the highway, in cities, or wherever else a person needs to go.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrids are designed to handle commuter-type distances, meaning between twenty and sixty miles between destinations. This way, the plug-in hybrid does not have to use its back up combustion engine, but plug-in hybrids can go further using gas too.

Hybrids help to minimize pollution, but they still pollute the air. Compared with plug-in hybrids, hybrid cars still have a long way to go where pollution is concerned. Since plug-in hybrid cars can run solely on their battery power, they don’t have to emit waste gases. That means that plug-in hybrids don’t need to pollute the air.

Plug-in hybrids actually do combat greenhouse gas emissions and plug-in hybrids use virtually no oil, imported or not. Studies have shown that electric hybrids emit at least 67% less greenhouse gases compared with petrol cars. Since the electric used to power plug-in hybrids is completely renewable, the difference in greenhouse gas emissions may be even greater than the study determined.

And so there you have it. Those are the main differences between plug-in hybrids and regular hybrid cars. It makes a big difference, but you would be surprised how little that matters at the current moment. And that’s only because plug-in hybrids are not being marketed to consumers at this present time. But this article should get you excited about the wonderful plug-in hybrid car, coming soon to a forecourt near you.

And it’s going to be a great debut too. People already really like regular hybrid cars, but they haven’t seen anything until they see the new plug-in hybrid cars. However, for now, maybe they should just be satisfied with what they have, because who knows? Before plug-in hybrid cars come out, something even better might be introduced onto the market.

If you are interested in the working parts of New Hybrid Vehicles, please visit our website at http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

January 17, 2010

Gifts – 5 Top Tips

It is a global custom to give gifts for such occasions as birthdays and wedding days, but after that is where the countries start to differ. Britons and people tracing their history back there give gifts on Christmas Day as well.

However, many other Europeans give gifts at Christmas on Saint Nicholas’ Day or December 6th. Non-Christian countries normally give gifts at New Year.

Whatever you do in your country, giving a gift requires thought. The shops are frequently full of junk at these gift-giving times of the year, but there is also a lot of excellent stuff about, at a price. The alternatives are twofold on the whole.

You can either make something which will be one of a kind, I imagine that this includes personalizing a shop-bought gift or you can think outside of the box, which many people find quite difficult. Personally, I find it hard, but it does get easier the more often you try it and the better you know the person you are going to give the gift to.

Here then are a few ideas which you may decide to take on board ‘as is’, or they may motivate you on to better ideas. As I write, Christmas is coming up and then it is Saint Valentine’s day before you know it. We certainly get plenty of opportunity to practice buying gifts in the West!

A Plot Of Your Own: I come from Wales in the UK (is there any other?) and up the way from me a local strip of green-belt land was in trouble. Experts said that it ought to be planted with trees, but the authorities did not have the money, so they advertised six feet square plots of land for sale with a sapling of your choice on it.

You also got a title deed, directions and a photo. Furthermore, the tree would be taken care of for five years until it was established. I know that this is not the only place that did this and it was probably not the first either, but it makes a good gift for a teenager who is thinking about what he or she can do to help the environment.

The Key To Success: some children and their parents will be grateful for this one. Search the second-hand shops for an older or even an unusual money box. Fill the money box up to a certain level with various coins that bring that level up to the value that you want to give, but leave plenty of room for the child to put money in too. Who do you give the key to? That depends on how well you know the child.

Starting A Collection: this is a brave, but good one. If you know the child well or are prepared to take on a commitment (such as a godparent should), you could select a set of collectables, like plates, glasses or coins and buy two or three pieces to start the collection off. You can add to it every year. Others will be thankful to you too because they will jump on the band wagon.

In The Bag: if your friend is an invalid or just is temporarily in hospital, it is beneficial to give a wicker basket or a nice bag full of handy items. Select the items to suit your friend, but everyone might like a writing pad, a pen, a comb or brush, wet wipes or tissues, a small book of verse, a miniature radio with ear plugs, a mirror, straws, a bottle opener, only you know, but you get the idea, I’m sure.

Stamp It: you can buy a large packet of literally thousands of foreign stamps for very little. Buy a stamp album and hinges and you could start a lifelong obsession. It also gives you gift ideas for years to come too.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching Fanklin planner pages. If you have an interest in calendars, organizers or promotional calendars, please go over to our website now at Promotional Desk Calendars

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December 22, 2009

The Hybrid Car and Fuel Prices

The appeal and popularity of the hybrid car have grown exponentially, especially with the rising concerns about high petrol prices as well as worsening air pollution. Here are some useful bits of information that could help you learn more about hybrid cars and how they may help you save money on fuel and be somewhat shielded from rising fuel.

A hybrid car is the type of car, or any other vehicle, that makes use of at least two different fuel sources to make it run. Both fuel sources are used together sometimes to help propel the vehicle more efficiently. There are several different combinations of hybrid car possible, but the most common hybrid car so far is the gas-electric hybrid.

The gas-electric hybrid car, also called the hybrid electric vehicle or HEV, uses of a gasoline internal combustion engine or ICE and a quite separate electric motor to power it. While the ICE makes uses gas to make it run, an electric battery is used to store the electrical energy that powers the hybrid car’s electric motor.

The HEV usually has a gas engine that is smaller in size and weight than the conventional one used in standard petrol powered cars. Use of more advanced technology makes this possible and allows the HEV to have better running efficiency as well as substantially reduced polluting emissions.

Apart from the petrol engine, the hybrid electric car also has a special electric motor built in that not only provides additional power to the car but also acts as a generator when not being used. The electric motor can act as a generator, in situations where it is not being used to drive the hybrid car, to help charge the battery for additional efficiency.

In a common HEV set up, the car uses its electric motor when being driven at very low speeds, say, in traffic jams. The gasoline engine acts as a secondary power source when the HEV needs much more power, such as when climbing a hill. The petrol engine also compensates the electric motor with power whenever the car calls for it in order to go faster such as when overtaking. The gas and the electric motor can also work together at certain instances if necessary.

Because the hybrid electric car makes use of both an electric motor as well as a gas motor, a substantial improvement in car mileage is achieved. A hybrid electric vehicle or HEV can run longer distances using the same amount of fuel compared to a conventional petrol powered car.

Whenever the electric motor is being used, gas consumption is reduced. This results in less petrol being used when running the same distance as a traditional gas powered vehicle. And because the hybrid electric car has a smaller gas engine, the hybrid car also runs more efficiently because of less engine weight compared to a conventional car’s engine.

The working components of the hybrid car engine are also smaller and so require less energy to move. The resulting efficiency makes the hybrid electric car quite a great option for people worried about higher gas prices. Using a hybrid car can help drivers save a substantial amount of gas when traveling. Not only that, using the hybrid car can also help in reducing polluting emissions by using less petrol while travelling.

If you would like to know more about the technology in New Hybrid Vehicles, you should visit our web resource where there is loads of information on http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

November 20, 2009

Facts about Hybrid Car Battery Packs

Those considering purchasing a hybrid car may be more than a little worried about what is under the hood. Hybrid cars have partially battery-powered engines. Since a battery powered motors is not something that typically comes to mind when you think about what is driving a car, it’s a good idea to get some sort of an understanding of hybrid car battery packs. You will find a few salient details about them underneath.

Hybrid car battery packs do not need to be replaced like flashlight batteries do. They are made to last over the lifetime of the car, and so, a hybrid car’s warranty covers the battery pack for a time period that lasts between eight and ten years. In terms of mileage, a hybrid car battery pack is designed to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and the odds are that it will probably last even longer than that.

The toxicity of hybrid car battery packs is a concern, but not a major concern, since hybrid car batteries use NiMH batteries, not the rechargeable nickel cadmium ones. Nickel cadmium batteries can be detrimental to the environment if not disposed of correctly, but the NiMH batteries that are used in hybrid car battery packs are fully recyclable.

Hybrid car battery packs consist of hundreds and hundreds of cells. Several hundred cells means that hybrid cars have a complex battery structure underneath their hoods, and, it is true, complexity usually means expensive, but with the generous warranty hybrid car manufacturers are giving on their vehicles, there is not much risk of additional massive expense from the battery pack involved in buying a hybrid car.

The number of hybrid car battery pack failures reported has been really very low. When I say low, I mean negligible. If failure does happen, it is usually before the hybrid car even leaves the salesman’s garage. Toyota has even declared that some of its original Prius hybrid models have battery packs that have gone over 300,000 miles.

The cost of replacing hybrid car battery packs isn’t really even an issue It isn’t an issue because the hybrid car battery packs are built to last. The Department of Energy looked into hybrid cars, but stopped its test when the capacity was “just like new” after 160,000 miles. So very few people really seem to know for sure what it costs to replace hybrid car battery packs.

Hybrid car battery packs are evolving quickly. If we look further into the future, we can see the next generation of hybrid car batteries is in development. The goal is, of course, to discover a technology that gives lots of power, lasts for the hybrid car’s lifetime, and costs less to make than it does now.

If your hybrid car battery pack does develop a problem, there is an easy solution. Toyota has put out some advice on what to do, should your hybrid battery pack be depleted after the guarantee has ended. Their advice is to have the battery reconditioned. This solution works well because if something does go wrong, the problem usually lies with only one of the 28 modules that make up the battery.

So, if you simply replace the problematic module with one that matches the chemistry of the other 27 modules, your hybrid car’s battery should be back in good shape. You can find a match by getting a battery pack from another car that has a similar mileage and age.

If you are interested in the insides of New Hybrid Vehicles, please visit our website at http://new-hybrid-vehicles.com Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

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November 11, 2009

Should I Buy A Hybrid Car To Save On Gas?

As you drive up to the fuel station pump and fuel your car up with $10-$40 worth of gas, you may find yourself heaving a long drawn out sigh. How on Earth did fuel become so expensive? Should you consider one of those new hybrid cars you saw on the news? Everyone’s talking about hybrid cars anyway. Hybrid cars and other types of cars may seem to be a good idea, but before you go out and do something rash, maybe you should ask yourself a few basic questions about how you can start to save on gas.

Nowadays, there are so many options out there including everything from staying home to purchasing a hybrid car, but you have to find out what is right for you personally and you can best do that by asking yourself the following questions.

Should you just drive less?

Of course, you could spend the rest of your life at home watching movies, but how would you eat then? I know what you’re thinking you will walk more and get more exercise. That may be true, but what happens when you get bored with walking and riding your bike? How are you going to be able to get to the gym? And, have you forgotten about work? You know you love listening to your books on tape while you sit in traffic at the end of the workday. Should you drive less? Probably not then. But what should you do? Well, have you ever considered buying a hybrid vehicle?

Should I buy a car that gets more miles for less gas?

Yes, you could do this, but what about when the vehicle starts to depreciate and it’s not as fuel-efficient as you thought it would be? And subconsciously, because you know you have a car that gets more mileage out of fuel, you are going to start traveling more miles than you traveled before.

Should I get up earlier each morning to look for the cheapest gas prices in the area?

Come on, who has the time to do all that? If you really think about it, you would probably spend your time better finding the right answer to the real question. Do you really want to spend extra time looking for a cheap petrol station? What would your boss think if you arrive late for work and tell him you were trying to save money on fuel? And anyway, how long do you honestly think you’ll keep doing that?

Should I find a way to run my car on batteries?

Let’s see, you certainly don’t want to have to charge your car’s batteries every day before going to work because that might make you late too. However, with a hybrid car, you wouldn’t have to worry about that. So, the next question should be obvious.

Should I purchase a hybrid car?

Perhaps you should. It’s possible that buying a hybrid car would be a sensible way to avoid higher fuel prices. Would your car depreciate as soon as you drive it off the forecourt? A hybrid won’t do that so quickly as it brings the buyer in more and more money as they save on petrol. A hybrid car really might be a good solution here. However, it’s still a good idea to conduct further research on a hybrid car.

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November 10, 2009

Home Schooling And The Family

According to the National Center For Education Statistics, almost 1.1 million children underwent home schooling in 2005 alone. That’s a lot of children. Once upon a time, homeschooling used to be an extreme statement – something like a declaration of independence.

It was the right-wing Christians who pushed for homeschooling in the 1980′s and legalized it in every State. But these day, average homeschooling student is not religiously motivated.

More recent surveys indicate that parents are actually fed up with the public school system where much of the learning is superficial and compulsory. They are also concerned about the negative environment in school, which ranges from drugs and abuse to negative peer pressure.

As a result, we have a surprising mix of people who form the homeschooling world of today. They cut across all religious creeds and all regional borders. Their chief goal is providing meaningful and productive learning through a method that strengthens the bond between the various members of the family.

All these families have one main thing in common – a long enduring commitment to the sanctity of childhood. The children in these families are accorded a primary position. Many believe, and, I think, rightly so, that home schooling allows parents to bring up their kids in a more natural and nurturing environment.

Public schools can make a child nervous, diffident and downright mean. Children who get their education at home are protected from these damaging, negative influences until they reach an age where they can deal with them.

Home-schooling draws the whole family into the almost religious job of teaching. Everyone is put to work. Both the parents together form a bond with the children. Any experience can be turned into an educational experience. Both the parents are aware of exactly what is going into their child’s education.

Parents also have a greater say over the kind of religious and moral values that the child is taught. Even watching a film together can become a learning experience. Trips to the libraries, zoos, museums and other places become educational as well as recreational.

A home-schooling family is primarily dependent on the income of one earning member. That means that often outgoings have to be curtailed and proper planning of expenditure is necessary. This helps to bring the family members together and everybody becomes involved in the task of saving money.

Just having a parent at home to look after, to nurture and to care for the children brings with it a lot of love and caring. Even the husband chips in and there just is no room for boredom.

All right, problems do crop up, and there will be many misgivings in your mind, but when you know that your children can always count on you, and your kids know it too, then homeschooling becomes a richly rewarding experience.

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October 21, 2009

The History Of The Hybrid Car

Just where did a hybrid car get it’s start? Well, read on to find out. Hybrid cars are very popular for today’s car buyers, and there are many reasons why. But before you even think about choosing a hybrid car to buy, you might want to know a little bit about the history of the hybrid car first.

It is surprising, but hybrid vehicles were around even before gas-powered cars. In or about the year 1665, a Jesuit priest by the name of Ferdinand Verbeist started making plans for a new type of vehicle. That vehicle or cart would be very simple, nothing complex. Dead simple was all he was interested in.

So Ferdinand designed a car that would have four wheels and would run only on steam. It took about fifteen years of work for Ferdinand to go through with his plan. He laboured to perfect his dream car. But no one knows if he ever finished because there is no evidence that his concept ever came into existence.

Then in 1769, a man by the name of Nicholas Cugnot designed and developed a carriage that was powered by steam. This carriage really did work and it went at six miles per hour. This project was all well and good, but it was difficult to get the amount of steam needed to allow the car to go any significant distance.

A break through in hybrid car development finally came when Robert Anderson developed an electric powered car in 1839. It was the first among its kind. The car was built in Scotland.

This model electric car was a highly applauded innovation of its time. However, the only problem was that it was very difficult to recharge the car’s battery. Some pioneers did come after Anderson, but they had the same problem of getting the battery recharged easily.

Then there was another outstanding break-through, in the year 1898, Porsche brought out an electric and fuel combo combustion engine that was the first of its type. The car was named the Lohner Electric Chaise and it could go for up to 40 miles using only its batteries.

Within a short space of time, pioneers combined both gas and a battery powered engines to become what would turn into today’s hybrid vehicle. In 1999, Honda made a leap into the US market. It came out with the Honda Insight, which was a lightweight two-door hybrid vehicle. Since then, hybrid cars have been evolving and improving into what we see on the market these days. Hybrid cars are no longer just for the techies who think it’s nice to combine battery and liquid fuel to get them where they need to go. Hybrid cars began life simple, and they still are quite simple today.

These days hybrid vehicles are becoming more and more popular as people understand them better. In the 21st century, hybrids saw a boom in sales when the Toyota Prius came out on the market. It was the first hybrid with four doors that was marketed for America.

Then, Ford’s Escape hybrid became the very first SUV hybrid ever made. So there, you have it, the history of the hybrid vehicle, today’s modern car.

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October 18, 2009

Learning History At Home Schooling

Do you consider that spending time in traditional classrooms is a waste of time? For some people, that is probably true. For example, a test is coming up and the students are told to memorize a list of dates and names. However, after taking the exam, they will definitely forget 90% of those dates and names. That’s what most students do every time they have exams. If you are one of these people, you will find traditional history lessons boring, so home schooling, which concentrates more on the history of the world, will surely interest you more.

Simple memorization is not enough to realize the significance of famous people and important events. Through home schooling in history, you can learn about the different cultures of the past in a unique, but interesting way – your own way! Through the study of history, you will also understand the current situation of the world today.

If you think that home schooling is the most effective option for your child’s education, you should also be prepared to take on some responsibilities. Since there will be no teacher physically present, you will have to oversee your child’s educational progress yourself.

Let’s just suppose that your kid is interested in a particular sport. Through combining history and home schooling, you could start by just hanging a map on the wall of your child’s bedroom and mark the location of his favourite sports team. Make sure that you track all the team’s activities and schedules. Then, you could return to history lessons by reading biographies of the different athletes, who had been popular in the particular sport that your child enjoys. Apart from that, you could also study the history of that specific sport and discover where it originated, its inventor, and the other things happening at that particular time in history.

For instance, let’s say your child likes baseball, you could teach your child about the history baseball, government hearings on the use of steroids and other favourite pastimes at that period of time. But remember that you can apply this concept to any interest such as dancing, flight, cars or any invention. You can also have conversations with your child about current affairs or read interesting historical documents and other books. Aside from that, you can also watch documentaries together with the rest of the family. There are various resources that you can use in home schooling, such as TV, maps, newspapers, books, a globe, an atlas, and encyclopedias. Due of the exciting adventures that you and your child will read about and see on film, your child will find it easier to remember the names and dates of the history lessons. After all, education is better when it is done in a fun way.

These methods are recommended if the child is still young, but once your child is older, you must choose an appropriate home schooling program that is suitable for his/her age group. The programs are available at the elementary, high school, and even college levels. You just have to search online for these different programs. A good thing about these programs is that you can tailor them to suit the needs of your child. However, you must make sure that all the lessons are learned by your child.

Once you and your child decide to go for home schooling, you must be prepared for some changes to take place in your life. The learning environment will now be your home not a school and through the various resources that you can use including the computer and Internet.

If you are interested in Home Schooling then please visit our website at Home Schooling Information Check here for free reprint licence: Learning History At Home Schooling.

categories: homeschooling,teaching,school,parenting,children,books,reading,writing,mathematics,computers,science,motivational,stress,other

October 17, 2009

Laser Teeth Whitening

In the modern world, many treatments are made easier with the use of lasers. Teeth whitening is no exception and laser teeth whitening is now one of the options that people have if they want to have whiter teeth.

Laser teeth whitening is best for those who want it done painlessly and quickly. Unlike other methods of teeth whitening, you do not have to wait days or months to see the result of the treatment. You will see that once the laser treatment is completed your teeth are whiter than they used to be. Many people are choosing this option because of the immediate results that it brings. If you need to be in a gathering where you want everyone to notice how beautiful your smile is, this is the best method you can do it.

How does laser teeth whitening work?

1. Teeth Cleaning: The dental expert will begin the process of whitening by cleaning your teeth. This is very important because the plaque and germs that are present on your teeth can have a huge effect on the whitening process. The result of the treatment is greatly affected by the present condition of your teeth. That is why they have to be cleaned first.

2. Application of Whitening Gel and Laser Treatment: After your teeth have been cleaned, the dentist will put the whitening gel on your teeth. After the gel has been applied, you will be positioned for the laser treatment, the purpose of which is to enhance the whitening process of the gel. For, without the laser, it would take several minutes or even hours before the gel can penetrate your teeth, but with the laser, the whitening ingredients in the gel are activated immediately, with the result that that it produces its effects in only seconds.

For extreme cases of discoloration, one session is usually not enough to achieve the desired result. Sometimes, the person has to come return for some more sessions before the change in the teeth color will become noticeable. But for those who have mild teeth discoloration, one session is often enough.

Is laser whitening for everyone?

As with all professional teeth whitening treatments, you can expect to pay a higher price for laser treatment than for over-the-counter remedies. Laser teeth whitening can be as expensive as any other dentist-assisted method and if you are used to the whitening products that you can buy OTC, you will be surprised at the cost of professional laser teeth whitening. It should be noted that the price varies from clinic to clinic, but if you want to get the best deal for your money, you should do some extra research to find out which one is offering the most competitive price.

You will find many opportunities of laser teeth whitening clinics to choose from on the Internet, but before deciding on one, go over all the ads so that you do not miss out on any of the other great offers there might be. If you are intent on having a great Hollywood smile, you can set up a savings account just for the laser teeth whitening session. Once you see the results, you will not be sorry and you can say that your money was well spent. Just think of it this way: why spend repeatedly on something that will take longer when you can spend it on laser teeth whitening and have an instantaneous and great result?

If you are thinking about laser teeth whitening or traditional forms of teeth whitening, just go to our website on Teeth Whitening. This article, Laser Teeth Whitening has free reprint rights.

categories: teeth whitening,laser,dental,self help,cosmetic,beauty,health,confidence,wellness,happiness,science,technology,free,other

October 8, 2009

Can a Hybrid Save You Money?

The price of petrol continues to rise even now, but that does not mean that you have to be left broke. You don’t have to let the unstable economy control your life! Take whatever measures you have to, to change the circumstances you are in: there are all kinds of options open to you.

For example, did you know that a hybrid car can help you gain more control of the money in your pocket? Well, it can. Hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular as the cost of fuel goes up, and the cost of hybrid cars is going down.

Gas prices go up and petrol prices go down and the cycle just seems to repeat itself without giving us any respite. However, if you really take the time to think about it, that is not the case. It is all about how you think about the situation that counts. So don’t worry, be glad, and pay attention to the TV ads about hybrid cars.

A hybrid car really will help you fight back against sky-high petrol prices. If you purchase a hybrid vehicle after having had a conventional car, you will immediately notice that you have rather more money in your wallet with the hybrid car.

Nobody likes to waste their money. I know that I don’t, but that is exactly what you are doing if you stay with a conventional vehicle. Hybrid cars and trucks save you up to 50% on your fuel bills and that very soon exceeds the premium that hybrids vehicles demand. Over the life of your hybrid vehicle, which is over ten years, you will definitely make money on your environmentally-friendly purchase.

But work it out for yourself! Try this: write down the cost each time you visit the gas station. What does the cost of a full tank of fuel tell you about your car? Whatever it is telling you, a hybrid vehicle won’t be telling you the same as a conventional car does. And that is for sure.

So, get your money to talk to you in the manner you would prefer: instead of having it tell you all the time that your money is flowing out of your pocket, have it tell you, that some of it is going to stay in your pocket, so get a hybrid car.

Who slogged for those forty hours? You did. So make sure you have something to show for it for a change. A hybrid car is a really nice car to have and it will be of real help to your bank balance.

It is a car that is not cheap to buy, but it will pay for itself over its lifetime and over that lifetime you will have done a lot of good for the environment and people will have admired you from afar, even if they don’t actually come up to you and express their feelings personally.

About the Author:

October 7, 2009

Will a Hybrid Save You Money?

The cost of fuel continues to rise even now, but that does not mean that you have to be left broke. You don’t have to let the unstable economy run your life! Take whatever measures you have to, to change the circumstances you are in: there are all kinds of options open to you.

For example, did you know that a hybrid car can help you gain more control of the money in your wallet? Well, it can. Hybrid cars are becoming more and more popular as the cost of fuel goes up, and the cost of hybrid cars is going down.

Gas prices go up and petrol prices go down and the cycle just seems to go on and on without giving us any relief. However, if you really take the time to think about it, that is not the case. It is all about how you think about the situation that matters. So don’t worry, be happy, and pay attention to the television commercials about hybrid cars.

A hybrid car really will help you fight back against sky-high fuel prices. If you bought a hybrid vehicle after having had a conventional car, you will immediately see that you have rather more money in your wallet with the hybrid car.

Nobody likes wasting their money. I know that I don’t, but that is exactly what you are doing if you stick with a conventional car. Hybrid cars and trucks save you up to 50% on your gas/diesel bills and that very soon exceeds the premium that hybrids cars cost. Over the life of your hybrid vehicle, which is more ten years, you will definitely make money on your environmentally-friendly purchase.

But work it out for yourself! Try this: write down the cost each time you visit the petrol station. What does the cost of a full tank of fuel tell you about your car? Whatever it is telling you, a hybrid car won’t be telling you the same as a conventional car does. And that is for sure.

So, get your money to speak to you the way you would like it to: instead of having it say to you all the time that your money is flowing out of your pocket, have it tell you, that some of it’s remaining in your pocket, so get a hybrid car.

Who worked for those forty hours? You did. So make sure you have something to show for it for a change. A hybrid car is a super car to have and it will be of real help to your bank account.

It is a means of transport that is certainly not cheap to buy, but be reassured that it will pay for itself over its lifetime and over that lifetime you will have done a lot of good for the environment or at least a lot less harm) and people will have admired you and your car from afar, even if they don’t actually come up to you and express their feelings personally.

About the Author:

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