How can you give your child a distinct advantage towards his future education? Numerous studies have shown first hand that between the ages of 0-6 years a Childs mind is comparable to that of a wet sponge, children effortlessly have the ability to absorb information from their natural surroundings allowing them to learn at an immense rate. Why then with this information at hand would any parent deprive their child of such a crucial learning stone in their life?

Many early childcare institutions are available such as Maria Montessori, Head start, high Scope and Rudolf Steiner. Each method bases their teaching philosophies around various factors but all with the same interest in mind, the child’s individual development to the best of their ability. So what exactly should a child be learning during their tender young years?

Language specialists have acknowledged children before the age of one have already acquired a large vocabulary base of recognizable words. Alongside this natural absorption, children have what is known as a sensitive periods during their language development. These periods allow the Child to develop their language skills with great ease and speed. At usually two and a half years and four years children will pass through their sensitive stages for language, allowing them to learn the entire phonetic alphabet within a few weeks, resulting in the developing the skill to read phonetically. This is an amazing skill for any child and one that can be lost if not developed correctly. Children who are able to read basic words on entry to primary school are proven to have higher success rates within the education system.

As with language, children also pass through sensitive stages for acquiring math skills. Counting and number recognition become a natural step within a Childs life if presented at the correct time. By allowing your child to be exposed to an environment where numbers are constantly being used in repetition, you will automatically provide him with the key for math at a later stage in his development.

Cognitive development is a key factor in any Childs growth. The ability to master both large and fine motor skills from a young age is very important. Outdoor activities such as skipping, jumping and running all develop children’s large motor skills. Allowing your child to play with puzzles, color, paint, or do threading or spooning exercises will all help in their fine motor skill development.

Aside from the academic importance of early childhood education, areas such as sensorial and social skills development are crucial for a well rounded child. From birth children learn through the use of their five senses. By exposing children to as many situations as possible you will excel the development of their primary senses. Children with low sensorial development tend to fair poorly within the arena of learning. Social skills development is one of the most important gifts any parent, caregiver or teacher can provide a child. Teaching children how to act appropriately within society will allow them to lay solid character foundations for their later life. Children with underdeveloped social skills are shown to have difficulties forming relationships later in life and have a higher risk of becoming involved within crime or underage pregnancies.

Overall the benefits of providing your child with a solid early year’s education are overwhelming. It is an individual choice how you choose to immerse your child within learning. Today we are lucky to live in a world that offers a plethora of options and acknowledges the importance of complete nurturing within the formative years. If there is one gift you will give your child this year let it be the gift of learnin

It is hard enough to select the right business and investment strategies. Now, the people that run Wall Street will have to face the ripple effect of yet another public relations nightmare: $50 Billion dollars was outright swindled from Wall Street investment coffers. Yes, there is a new scandal on Wall Street and it will do little to fix the tarnished image that the financial sector has developed.

Per The Times of London, a trader named Bernard Madoff has confessed to an investment scheme that will cost his investors upwards of $50 billion dollars. Essentially, there was no solvency with the investments. In other words, there was no real money. People were investing in something that was not there. Hence, whatever investments they have on paper are not there either. (You can read about the whole story at http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article5333901.ece)

It is exactly these types of scandals that a cash strapped, weak economy could do without. It creates panic in the market and sends investment dollars into low interest, government secured bonds. While this is not necessarily a bad investment strategy, it removes needed and necessary capital out of the world economy. In other words, people hide their money in safe investments. They are not so much concerned about making a big return as much as they are concerned about losing everything they have. Such an attitude will prove to be utterly disastrous to the world economy.

We all rely on Wall Street for our stability and security. Even the most ardent anti-business and anti-capitalists have a major stake in Wall Street’s success. After all, anyone that has a 401K, a mutual fund, or common stocks relies on the market to rise and remain stable. However, there are no guarantees when everyone is doing what they are supposed to. When people start to mix their job duties with outright illegalities, the results can be catastrophic. In addition to tanking the markets and abusing those that placed trust in the company/firm, a highly negative opinion emerges about “Wall Street”. Complaining about “Wall Street” is like complaining about “unions”. That is, there are many Wall Street firms and many unions. When one firm or one union acts in a corrupt manner, it should not reflect on those quality organizations that did a solid job. However, when one entity makes a mistake the dark cloud hangs over the entire industry.

Investing in low interest bonds is safe and secure. However, it does not pay huge dividends. When you play it safe you also miss out on the ability to earn huge profits. With stock prices as low as they are a comeback in the economy could yield huge gains for people that bought low. Yet, since we do not know where the market is headed, no one can say for sure that the best market and investment strategy truly is. For now, most are playing it safe. If more and more scandals and bailouts occur, confidence in investing will reach catastrophic lows. This means less and less capital flowing into the market and that means a worsening of the economy. Tough times are definitely ahead.

Educators who work with gifted children enrolled in public schools have limited tools at their disposal. Because many school districts fight each year to get appropriate funding for all students, the resources that are available to the most productive students may suffer because of a need to support an entire population of local children which require needs to be met on all levels.

Parents of gifted students have an opportunity to take control of the education that their child receives. Gifted students in public schools have proven themselves to be above average learners. Expect to develop the proper relationships within a school system in order to achieve advanced learning opportunities for a gifted student enrolled in public school.

Start at the beginning. Each year students will be required to take a series of state and national tests which record the progress of their education. After the tests are scored, students are able to be placed in the learning category that best suits their knowledge ability. Gifted students who test above average consistently may be recognized by their school and placed into the advanced learning programs that most public schools maintain. Once this designation has been made, the gifted student will be required to maintain his or her learning levels in order to keep their classification.

Gifted and talented students will need to be challenged in their classes to keep their test scores high. The curriculum of the “GT” (gifted and talented) classroom should maintain a step ahead of the grade year of the student enrolled. Parents of gifted children who are enrolled in public schools should always be aware of the type of programs that are being taught to the student, but they should enroll the child in extra programs through the school that is being attended, or from a local resource like the YMCA. The gifted student must be kept ahead of his grade year learning level in order to be well prepared for next year’s round of performance tests. Without the advanced classes of a vangaurd type program, a student may lose their lead.

Making the transition from elementary to middle school will give parents the next opportunity to become involved with the direction of a gifted child’s training. Metropolitan communities will offer a multitude of public school “magnet” programs that focus learning in advanced levels to niche curriculums that can give gifted students the step up to career level learning programs. Magnet schools and the advanced classes that are available must be found out during the transition periods of an elementary education

Gifted children will continue to be challenged during class if parents find the right programs for each child’s ability. Gifted students who enjoy learning have been presented with the right opportunities to advance a high quality education into a position of control when choosing the colleges and careers that will support them in the future. Public School can be a great place for gifted students to shine and develop, with the right programs and support of educators and parents combined.

It was recently reported that New York Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce is concerned that the New York City police may want to talk to him again regarding the shooting involving Plaxico Burress. He has told the press that he has indeed spoken to the police in regards to the night that Burress was shot in the leg however he has not said if he himself has been cleared in the shooting incident.
For those of you who have been living in a cave, Burress was shot in the right thigh while at a Manhattan nightclub. At this point Burress is claiming that he shot himself however police are still investigating the incident. Burress is facing a criminal possession of a weapon charge for the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty and goes back to court March 31. The larger question here is not what happened in the Burress situation so much as it is, so when did football become such a deadly sport?
The Burress shooting is one of several this year in both the NFL and college football. It seems that our beloved football players are falling victim to greed and the seeder side of fame. If Burress was “packing”, he wouldn’t be the first one to be caught doing so and for no apparent reason. What is happening within this all American sport?
Some experts believe that the reason more football players are carrying guns is due to a perception that they are in some type of danger. This is not surprising considering that the NFL and colleges are recruiting younger and younger players these days and many of these kids come straight out of an educational system that is systematically becoming an American war zone. It has become more and more apparent over the last 10 years that the younger the recruit the more intense the problems are that come with that player. A young man who is going straight from high school to the fame of college football in his first year is bound to feel overwhelmed and somewhat paranoid. There are now many who are advocating that freshmen no longer be recruited no matter what their skill level is in order to once again raise the maturity level on the field and off however there is one major thing in the way of this new concept…greed.
When owners and recruiters are looking for the next big thing to come out of college football they are not considering the affects being recruited will have on the young person whom they are thrusting into the spotlight. A good example of this is basketball player LeBron James. The public was forced to watch a young James grow up before he truly reached his full potential as a basketball star. James himself has admitted in interviews that he was not ready maturity wise to be in the spotlight at first, he instead “grew” into it.
There is a good chance that there will be more shootings involving football players off the field until the NFL and college football admits that there is a problem. Until then, players will continue to “pack heat” and shoot themselves…or others.

Business leaders adjust plans and get ready for change. Rejuvenated entrepreneurship is being realized each time a job is lost to a shrinking corporate America. The best future business models include online networks as the vehicle to take ideas to the next level.

Increased online resources provide the freelance business man or woman social communities to build partnerships and business relationships that provide increased revenue for services and products rendered to buyers from around the globe. Making connections with similar minded individuals from online communities means internet business is more than websites and e-stores.

Creating brand awareness from information provided to these groups is how new internet millionaires are made. The most successful internet business methods include a sampling of important business news and information injected into groups of followers and friends of up to 50 popular social networks and micro blogging portals. This information can be made to go viral within the right groups of followers and friends.

When business information is added to a popular article or blog post, the creative company that produced the viral marketing campaign realizes a significant increase in sales and return visits as more and more people are recommended to the information.

Viral internet marketing combines a mixture of original content, articles, video, image, and sound bites that affect a user to take action. Returning customers and new subscriptions will increase as more recommendations continue to make their way from one friend to another. Viral marketing happens when active businesses take part in the newest methods for online marketing and business promotion using Web 2.0 social Networks. There are even automated services which can do all the submission work for you.

Successful Internet Business Methods are those plans that take the time to promote quality news about interesting businesses that offer their customers something to recommend to others. A great service or product must be backed by the support of loyal followers who have used or wanted to use the products or services that you can find available online. No business should be without fans and friends who look are interested in the same thing as your company is. They can be found easily online. They’ll tell you what they like. If you want to know more about what makes them buy, then ask them if you can. The online social networks give you plenty of resources to choose from.

MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Digg. This is what people know most about social networks. Does your business have a profile on each? If not, you might be behind the eight ball when Joe the Plumber goes viral, and takes all the plumbing jobs in town. Realize that people are making millions of dollars using these networks as their pool of potential clients and leads. It is time to take control of your bleak financial forecast by creating a new reality, even if your reality is a new virtual business model based on communication and business promotion on social networks like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and Digg.

It was all over the news…President-Elect Barack Obama shirtless on the beach in Hawaii, on vacation with his family. There were two issues with the pictures. First, how did the Secret Service let a guy with a camera get that close, and second, was Obama a 'pin-up President' as one newspaper called him? He was on the cover of the New York Post as well as other papers, and it wasn't just in the United States. The pictures were sent all over the world via the Internet, and they appeared on the front pages of many other country's newspapers, as well. But why? It's a man without a shirt. Certainly people have seen that before. It speaks to what many people find important throughout the world, and that certainly isn't politics.

One would think that there would be deep and thought-provoking discussions about what Obama was doing with his Cabinet picks, whether he was involved in the scandal with the Illinois Governor, and similar issues. His feelings on the auto bailout and what kind of stimulus package he's proposing when he takes office didn't get as much airtime with most media outlets as those pictures did. There were certainly people who found him very attractive and people who thought that the whole thing was a waste of time, but one of the other pressing questions the media was asking was how someone got a picture of him like that? Where was the Secret Service and just how close did the photographer have to be?

Technically, the photographer didn't have to be that close to Obama. With a telephoto lens he or she could have been a long way away and still have taken a great, 'close up' shot. There was a literal line in the sand drawn by the Secret Service and no one was allowed to cross it, so there was no way that there was some kind of security breach, but there are still people who will make a huge deal out of something small. The security of the next President is certainly important – more important than if he has a shirt on or not – and the Secret Service is aware of the risks that a lapse in concentration would provide. They wouldn't allow something like that to happen, despite what the public may think about their abilities. They've been protecting presidents for a very long time, and they take their job seriously.

The media says it takes its job seriously, as well, but one has to wonder just how seriously when these kinds of pictures and what kind of puppy is going to end up in the White House take precedence over pressing economic and education and health care issues that the entire county should be interested in. Society seems so very fascinated with celebrity, and, like it or not, Obama has become a celebrity. Many people find him to be a very charismatic person and most feel that he will be a good leader. That remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that the paparazzi will follow him, regardless.

The film industry is never short on surprises and the upcoming 3-D remake of MY BLOODY VALENTINE is definitely a surprise. Who would have thought 3-D films would still find their way into theaters in 2009? The 3-D film craze was hot during the early 1950’s and then it essentially cooled off by the late 1950’s. The fad wore out its welcome rather quickly but the process never completely died. A 3-D film popped up here and there through the 1960’s and 1970’s until a full blown 3-D fad reemerged in 1982 and 1983. (Does anyone remember the oddball 1981 western entitled COMING AT YA? That was the flick that kick started the fad) Then, the fad died again but a 3-D film would make its way into theaters at infrequent intervals.

But have there been many 3-D horror films? Actually, there have been a few horror movies that borrowed the 3-D gimmick. Some where successful (ANDY WARHOL’S FRANKENSTEIN) and some were not so successful (FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE). Considering the creepiness of the trailers, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D remake might turn out to be a huge successful. This would be ironic considered the original was considered a disappointment.

The original MY BLOODY VALENTINE was a Canadian film released by Paramount in 1981. The film was another in a long line of films cashing in on the success of HALLOWEEN (1978) and FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) Obviously, Valentine’s Day was the holiday selected for the film. However, what makes the film so creepy is that it takes place in a mining town. The villain, Harry Warden, (what was up with using generic names for “monsters” in the 1980’s?) looked positively CREEPY in a coal miner outfit. Additionally, the claustrophobic setting of a coal mine made the film far more frightening than less original settings. However, the film did not do anywhere near as well as Paramount hoped and it never became a franchise.

But, Hollywood is always looking for material to remake and MY BLOODY VALENTINE was tapped for a reboot. While the film did less than expected box office when first released, it has achieved quite a cult following over the years. Plus, the novel premise makes for good subject matter. But, why remake MY BLOODY VALENTINE as a 3-D film?

Horror films have been generally hot these days. So, attracting a reliable audience is almost guaranteed. Shooting in 3-D may boost the turnout as curiosity seekers may wish to see the film in theaters as opposed to waiting for the DVD. 3-D is definitely still popular as evidenced by the many short 3-D films promoted in theme parks. As such, it is not unreasonable to assume there is a fanbase out there for the occasional 3-D theatrical release.

Will the film be a hit? Time will tell.

On a side note, those who are fans of the original will be happy to learn a DVD special edition will be released later this year. This special edition may contain the legendary lost footage in the form of “deleted scenes” special features.

Whether people think that the auto bailout is right or wrong is often a matter of perception, and often also depending on what industry those people work in and whether they would be affected one way or the other by the bailout. If you work for a car manufacturer and your job is in jeopardy, it's quite likely that you will be for the bailout. You don't want to lose your job. If you don't work for these companies or other companies who supply parts and services, and therefore your job is not in danger, you might feel that the bailout is a less popular option. However you feel, though, the government is going ahead with the bailout and there isn't anything that can be done about that.

Ford Motor Company has stated that it can make it without the bailout money, but Chrysler and GM have said that they cannot, so they will be receiving government money. With that government money, however, comes government regulation. There are some strict requirements as to what the companies have to do and when they have to pay the money back, so they won't simply be getting a free ride. Chrysler was bailed out around thirty years ago by the government and paid that money back, too, so individuals who are against the bailout often argue that Chrysler did not learn it's lesson back then and therefore should not be helped today.

These people have somewhat of a point. However, management has changed at the company since then and there are other mitigating factors. If it was not for the problems with the economy overall, Chrysler and GM wouldn't be in these kinds of predicaments, and neither would hundreds of other companies, both big and small, that have had to shut their doors because they just can't survive in this economy. If the auto companies were not bailed out there would have been many more of these companies, because a lot of other types of manufacturers depend on that industry for their livelihood. They cannot survive without the auto makers and the money that they make from them.

For taxpayers, though, the concern is that much of their money, which they feel should be going for things like education and health care, is actually being given to auto makers and other companies to help them out of tight spots. That means that the health care and education sectors of the economy are not getting what they need, and it's also making some people angry that they are not getting help with their mortgages and their small businesses while the large companies are being handed government money. They see it as unfair, and they don't see it as being helpful. If the auto companies go into bankruptcy it would be a working bankruptcy, so others don't see why this is a problem. Many people, though, say that they wouldn't buy a car from a company that was in bankruptcy, so the bailout may be a necessary evil to keep the economy moving.

Russia is on a buying binge. Not because the economy is good but because Russian citizens are afraid their money will suddenly be gone from their accounts because of the global economic recession. Russia is a cash country where fewer than 3% of citizens have any lines of credit. So, while they see that the bank that holds their money are facing financial problems, Russians are going to take out all their money out of the bank and spending it on things like cars and jewelry.

It seems that this plan is going exactly as Prime Minister Putin wanted. Now that the richest men in Russia are hurting, the government of Russia is falling in behind to take back majority control of many of the companies that were allowed to go private in 1998. As Russia takes back control of the Communist government in the way every god fearing Communist wants, the private sector is losing the benefits that it once had when times were good. With the change in power of Russia’s biggest industries, the government is looking to make big deals with China, Libya, and Venezuela. All this points to the resurgence of Russian power, all this concerns the policy makers of the United States.

As the United States is battling a credit issue within its population, Russia is dealing with a cash rich country with little private credit issues like the U.S. Economists worry that as the west deals with their own economic demise, the Russians will be able to turn their fiscal policies faster than the West, giving them a lead in the turn-around that the global economy will see in the near future. By making new deals with other interested countries, the Russians are poised to be once again a leader with the biggest threat to the West.

Russian auto sales of U.S. cars have skyrocketed since the beginning of the economic down-turn. They are taking cash out of banks and buying big ticket items that retain there values better than the failing banks can manage. Even if the new car owner takes an immediate loss on the sale, the return on the investment is better than the bank going bankrupt, and their life saving’s being lost. So much is going on in Russia that even the Vodka loving citizens who consume more vodka than any other country is putting down the shot glass because alcohol is not what it used to be in the USSR.

So America should realize that as the Russian government puffs it chest, drinks less, buys more, and is giving back control of the major industries, the United States should be aware that a new Russian power is emerging from the one that was here just 9 years ago. Look for Prime Minister Putin to put his plans into action with the help of some of the richest individuals in the world to help get what he wants. If oil was still at $145 a barrel, it would have happened quicker, but that won’t stop the movement that the Russian leader wants for his country and himself.

Want an Education or Career in Criminal Justice or Law Enforcement? Find out what it takes to get your foot in the door of one of these exciting careers.

Now days, for many, the desire to work in the criminal justice field is ever increasing, as is the need for people possessing the proper qualifications. So now is the perfect time to pursue an education in criminal justice and lock in your chances for a career somewhere in the field of criminal justice or law enforcement.

Opportunities

Getting a degree can help pave your way, to a long term career in criminal justice.
Whether the desire is to work in any of the following fields: DEA; court operations; law enforcement; homeland security; private security; fraud; corrections; probation or any other branch of criminal justice, the only things standing in your way are education and the motivation to go after it.

There are many educational opportunities that await those who wish to attain or further their degree in the criminal justice field. There are even options available to earn your degree online or on-site so you can fit this educational career advancement opportunity into your schedule. With the possibilities being nearly endless, as to where this education and career can take you and the flexibility available in attaining a degree for it, there is no excuse to not take the chance and make your desired career a reality.

Choosing your Degree

If you have decided to follow your dreams and go after a degree in criminal justice/law enforcement your first step is to find out what type of degree is needed for the field of your choice (some fields may require the addition of a law degree). A degree can be obtained (depending on school) that focuses on many different criminal justice/law enforcement education fields (note these are just some of the possibilities):

Associate Degree – (Time it takes to earn -2 yrs)

An Associates degree will help open the door to entry level positions throughout the criminal justice and law enforcement fields.

• Criminal Investigations
• Criminal Justice
• Applied Science in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement
• Arts degree in Criminal Justice

Bachelor Degree – (Time it takes to earn - 4 yrs)

Similar to an Associates degree, a Bachelor’s degree will give you the skills and education needed for many entry level positions as well as more advanced positions.

• Science in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement
• Law Enforcement
• Criminal Justice
• Science in Organizational Security and Management


Master’s Degree – (Time it takes to earn - 6-8 yrs)

When you take the time and put the extra effort into your education enough to attain a Master’s degree you are allowing yourself the skills to be able to advance in whichever career field you opt to take on.

• Science in Criminal Justice/Policing
• Science/Administration of Justice and Security
• Criminal Justice
• Science Criminal Justice Administration
• Science/Administration of Justice and Security


In as little as 2 – 8 years you could be well on your way to having the criminal justice/law enforcement career of your dreams. Education is the foundation for your future so act today and find out what it takes to get the ball rolling.