2012 Trends - News and Textbook Formats for the Future

There are quite a few new trends in the news and news media industry in 2012, we see new pay-walls, and custom tailored web news for those with eReaders, Tablet Computers, and accessing their news on their mobile tech devices such as; Android, iPhone, or some other smart phone model. It seems also that the eBook and eReader are also evolving, allowing for more multi-media version and new models of eReaders to allow for eTextBooks too. Okay so let's talk about all this for a moment, as I have a few forward looking thoughts on all this new technology.
The weekend Wall Street Journal Nick named; "WSJ Weekend Edition" seems to be taking a note from The Popular Mechanics Magazine format with its; "Ideas Market" section which appears on page 3 of each week's weekend edition. Not surprisingly, also Bloomberg is moving towards this type of fast-paced format for their tech topics. Why you ask? Because it works, it's been proven, and folks like to get their information with quick bites of information and pictures. They can read it fast, and they very much enjoy that format.
Okay so, if humans like the uptake of information in this way, then why don't we create the new eTextbooks in a similar format with multimedia? Well, it just so happens that it appears that Apple is attempting to do just that, and I believe that's a good thing, rather than giving students a large textbook which reads like an encyclopedia. In that case they don't really need to memorize the information, they just need the textbook for later reference, do you see my point?
Further, there is some information which we need to know, and some which we don't, having it all spread out nicely with quick little important pieces of information, which is about all a human being can really remember anyway, is probably the proper way to do it for informational uptake and rote memorization. The other day, I was discussing all this with a retired educational psychologist on the different ways that people learn. Custom tailoring information for faster learning, imprinting, and individual preference sure makes a lot more sense than what we've been doing.
Of course, I suppose that's nothing new really, just new technology enabling us to get there faster and allow us to make it happen. Ronald G. Corwin in his book "Education in Crisis" written in 1974 stated in Chapter I - Bureaucracy in Education notes; "Each person tends to interpret his experiences from the unique vantage point of his own background" and goes on to say that they will learn in different ways and choose different styles of the information they choose to commit to memory. Certainly we all agree on that.
Thus, it only makes sense to deliver the information is such a format which suits the human mind and lay out all that information, and apparently in 2012 the personal tech vendors, eBook purveyors, and even the old media is quickly re-learning these genetic realities of human nature. I'd say "bravo!" it's about time. Please consider all this and think on it.

Forex Trading Education

What Are Fundamental Economic Indicators?
Economic indicators are typically important news announcements that involve sensitive economic data of a country.
How Do Economic Indicators Affect Trading Decisions?
Consider this example:
It's Monday morning and the U.S. Dollar had been spiraling down in the past two weeks. At this point, it's pretty safe to assume that there are many traders holding on to large USD short positions.
However, there is an important economic announcement scheduled to be broadcasted on Friday. Industry experts are estimating this coming announcement to reflect a positive outlook for the U.S. economy, and most traders will thus be expecting a short-term USD rally this Friday. As the week progresses, the traders will gradually be exiting their short positions to lock in their profits - they wouldn't want the upcoming positive news announcement to eat away their gains!
In this example, you can see that economic indicators affect market prices on two levels:

1. Directly: When positive USD-related news is announced, the dollar rallies
2. Indirectly: Traders who are expecting the news to go against their open positions will slowly exit their trades, causing the USD to rise even before the announcement

How Should You Trade With Economic Indicators?This is actually a trick question. Generally, one should avoid trading during the times of fundamental news announcements. This is because the market volatility during these periods is extraordinarily large, and the combination of this plus a high chance of slippage will almost guarantee that you lose money.
News trading is advised only for the advanced traders, and beginner traders should stay well clear of this territory.

Activity Can Be Educational For Children Too

When adults think of children's toys or activities which are educational they may have a tendency to think of children sitting quietly undertaking a task by themselves such as reading a book or playing with a jigsaw. In fact toys and activities which are viewed as good for a child's education and development are far more wide reaching than you might first imagine, and can include anything from helping you hang the washing out to charging about enjoying a noisy game of football! With today's media hype about childhood obesity never far from our screens, radios or newspapers the fact that activity can be educational and good for childhood development is one piece of news we can all welcome!

Get motoring

When a child is active they are essentially developing their Gross Motor skills, recognised as an important contributor to a child's overall development. These are the skills required to move the larger muscles in the arms, legs and body, for example to walk, run, throw, lift and kick. They relate to body awareness, a sense of co-ordination, reaction, speed, balance and strength. Traditional toys which help stimulate gross motor development include things like ride on toys, skipping ropes and bicycles for older children.

Get kids involved

The great news about encouraging kids to get active is that as busy parents trying to juggle many activities in your own lives, you can get the children involved alongside you rather than always separating play time and 'task' or 'job' time. No one is disputing that one on one focused play time with a parent or carer is essential for a child's wellbeing and development but it's good to know there are ways you can successfully incorporate playing with your child into your own daily routines so that you can get on with the job in hand while your child develops, learns and is active alongside you.

Get on ... together

How many times have you told the kids to 'go off and play' while you get on with the chores, such as preparing dinner, a spot of DIY or tackling the ironing bin? Instead, how about getting your child their own toy ironing board and iron and chatting to them as you 'iron' together, or their own toolkit so they can feel like they are helping you build that chest of drawers / hang that curtain rail up? Children just love mimicking activities undertaken by their older role models and you can really bond with a child in this way as well as teach them as you go. Show them how you press the clothes carefully, then hang them up to look after them so that they begin to learn important lessons such as respect for belongings. Help them overcome the frustration they will undoubtedly experience when trying to build something explaining that it's important not to give up but to keep calm and try again. And share the excitement and sense of achievement when they do complete the task in hand.

Get them involved in your hobbies too - if you love being outside in the garden encourage them to be involved. There are plenty of children's gardening toolkits on the market which can also double up for some fun in the sandpit. Sometimes it's not the children's imagination that needs stimulating, it's our own creative outlook on how to approach things! So go on, get active, get them involved and have some fun with the kids!

6 Vital Tips for Novice Traders

If you want to make money in currencies you need the right forex education and it's a fact any trader can learn forex trading and be successful but most fail to make money. This article will give you 6 tips so you can enjoy currency trading success.
Here are your forex tips in no order of importance but there all essential to your trading success.
1. Success Rests On Your Shoulders
No one else can make you rich you have to understand what you are doing to get the confidence to follow your path with discipline. If you don't understand what you are doing then your discipline will go as soon as you have some losses.
If you cannot follow a forex trading strategy with discipline you have no system.
2. Forex trading is NOT easy
Anyone can learn to trade but the really hard part is the mindset to succeed.
Do not believe anyone who tells you that it is and sells systems saying that you will make money every month or they can predict prices they can't. There is a huge market for these systems and there mostly junk and come with a worthless simulated track record. As we said success comes from understanding what you are doing and self education is the key that will make you successful.
Forex trading is not easy and wouldn't expect it to be with the rewards to be had but the good news is - it's not that hard either.
3. Work Smart Not Hard
Most traders think the harder they work the more money they will make. In many areas of life this is true but not in forex markets! You get paid for being right with your trading signal and that's it.
Work smart and learn the right knowledge and avoid all the common myths that most traders fall for which include:
- Day trading systems make money.
- You need to predict forex prices to win.
- The more complicated your trading strategy the more likely you are to win.
- Trading news stories is a great way to make money.
None of the above are true - there all myths we have covered even more in our other articles so look them up.
4. Use Forex Technical Analysis
It's simply the most time efficient and best way to trade.
You can learn it in around two weeks and then spend just 30 minutes a day executing your trading signals - and that's it. All you need to do is learn to act on the reality of price change and not predict.
5. Keep it Simple!
Simple currency trading systems work better than complicated ones, as they tend to be more robust.
Complicated systems fail in real time trading as they have too many elements to break.
6. Know Your Trading Edge
Your trading edge is something that will give you an advantage that will allow you to make profits when 95% of traders lose. You must understand it and be confident that it will lead you to forex trading success. If you don't know what it is you don't have one and its time to continue with your forex education until you do.
As you can see form the above your forex education is all about working smart not hard and getting the right knowledge and mindset to succeed. If you can learn currency trading the right way, a life changing income could be yours.

Education for Spa Directors & Professionals

Have you been searching for a career in the spa industry, but found that the educational opportunities in this fast-growing business are limited at best? With an industry that is showing annual revenues of nearly $10 billion in the United States alone, you'd think that there'd be spa management programs available just about everywhere. While there certainly are a lot of programs out there, finding ones that offer quality, affordable, and accessible spa management training are far and few between.
Today, there are nearly 14,000 spas operating in U.S., including day spas, resort spas, hotel spas, medical spas, club spas, mineral spring spas, and destination spas. These spas vary in size from small in-town day spa locations to the large, sprawling destination spas that exist in beautiful locales like the deserts of Arizona or the mountains of California. Surprisingly, there are only 124,000 full-time and 101,000 part-time spa employees working at all of these spas. This means there's an average of 9 full-time employees and just 7 part-time employees for each individual spa. While this might seem just about right for a small day spa location, when you think about the dozens or hundreds of employees that it takes to run a large destination or resort spa, you soon realize that there's a huge shortage of qualified spa professionals available to run these growing spa locations!
What does this mean for the millions of people who go to the spa to escape the everyday stresses of work, family, and the pressures of living in this fast-paced, modern world? It means that there just aren't enough spa professionals working in the spa industry to provide the kinds of services that their clients expect. Let's face it, spa treatments aren't cheap, but clients are willing to pay higher fees as long as they're getting the highest levels of service that they expect from a high-end spa. With so many quality spas available in just about every part of the world, clients demand quality because they know that if they don't get it at one spa they can certainly get it at another. In an industry that thrives on satisfying their customers on a physical, mental, and emotional level, it's essential that every spa has plenty of qualified and friendly staff members, therapists, and managers on hand to meet the needs of each and every spa client that walks through the door.
The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities for well-trained and well-educated spa professionals in the fun and exciting world of spa management. The bad news is that it's difficult to find quality professional training for a career in the spa industry. There are plenty of Hotel and Restaurant Management programs available that have now added "Spa Management" to the end of their program titles, but many of them don't really focus on the unique details that make owning or running a spa different from a hotel or restaurant. These programs have sort of squeezed in "spa management" as and addendum to their regular curriculum, but the overall focus is still heavy on general management skills rather than specifically on spa management skills. There are also loads of spa management seminars given around the country that are great to attend for additional training once you're already working as a spa professional, but these seminars will not prepare you for a career in the spa industry if you don't already know the ins and outs of running a spa. It simply comes down to the fact that the spa management training that is out there today is too limiting to properly prepare you for a successful career in the spa industry.
Another thing to keep in mind when looking for a spa management training program is the price. Because quality spa training programs are so limited, many charge exorbitant rates for their training courses. While this may turn out to be money well spent, you have to be careful that you're going to get what you paid for and will be able to earn that money spent on spa management training into a lucrative spa management career. You also need to consider how accessible these spa management training courses are to your physical location as well as to your time availability. While it would be great if schools paid you to take their courses, this just isn't the case in most instances and many of us still have to go to our current jobs while we're training for that new career, whether it be in the spa industry or not.
All of these factors need to be considered when looking for a quality spa management training program that will actually prepare you for a great new career in the spa management industry. The jobs are out there and every day more and more spas are opening up their doors for the first time at an industry rate of approximately 6 new spas every single day. With each new spa there are new spa management positions available and one of those positions could become yours! Just make sure you choose the right spa management training program that will provide you with a quality education that's affordable and easy for you to fit into your already busy schedule. Of course, once you're in the spa industry, you'll be able to take advantage of those relaxing and refreshing spa treatments too. Now that's a career worth training for!

Helping our Children's Education

Listen to them and pay attention to their problems.

Children need to know that you, as a parent are concerned about their problems and are always ready to listen to them. If kids don’t know their concerns and feelings have value, they will be less likely to share them with their parents.

Read with them.If children see their parents taking an active interest in reading with them, they are much more likely to continue reading on their own. It is one of the best things a parent can do to help younger children build a solid base for the rest of their school years.

Tell family stories.Not only are family stories a great way to expose your child to public speaking, but they create a sense of connection and family that ads stability to a young persons view of life. Your children are much more likely to retain a story that involves a family member and then be able to re-tell the tale to others.

Limit their television watching.Television is considered by some to be a major obstacle to education for children today. As elaborated on at www.tvkids.us [http://www.tvkids.us] , Kids spend more time watching television than any other single activity other than sleeping and school. Limiting the time spent watching television important, but controlling the content is equally important. It is a parent’s responsibility to ensure their children’s brains are not fed with junk. There are some quality children’s television shows that are educational and fun for the kids too.

Have books and other reading materials in the house.This is a no brainer. There is really no reason not to have books around the house for children. Children’s books are readily available and are not expensive. You can pick up second hand books at garage sales and flea markets and popular online auction sites for very little money.

Look up words in the dictionary with them.Challenge your kids to listen for words they are not familiar with and look it up. Try a new word every day. This is a good exercise for adults too!

Encourage them to use an encyclopedia.If you don’t have access to an encyclopedia, use the internet. There is vast wealth of knowledge on the internet, just waiting to be explored. www.encyclopedia.com is a great free resource to start with.

Share favorite poems and songs with them.After you have shared your songs, ask them to share theirs. There are a ton of song lyrics available online. Look some of you kids favorites up, print them off and get them to practice reading them back to before singing them.

Take them to the library--get them their own library cards.The first time my kids went to a library, the absolutely loved it. With all the information available at home these days I tend to forget how cool libraries were when I was a kid. Kids still love to see all the books, and when they get their own library cards and understand how the library works, it teaches them responsibility.

Take them to museums and historical sites, when possible.Take the time to do this one, especially the museums. It is an experience they won’t forget. It opens up children’s minds and really gets them excited about learning. It’s really fun for parents too!

Discuss the daily news with them.The news is not always good, so focus your conversations towards interesting topics and skip over the stuff that they are to young to concern themselves with. Local newspapers are usually a good source for community events and milder topics.

Go exploring with them and learn about plants, animals, andlocal geography.Take along a plant guidebook and search for the different species of flowers or have the children write down the names of the animals they see. The key is to keep them involved and interested. Bring along a camera and when you get back, print off the pictures and have the kids make a scrapbook of the things they saw that day.

Find a quiet place for them to study.Its very important to establish a place where you child can study without being distracted by the television or younger siblings.

Review their homework.Always have your children show you what they did at school and check their homework with them. It shows them that you think it is important and then they will think is important. It will also keep you up to date with the progress they are making.

Meet with their teachers.Remember, your children are probably spending more time with their teacher than anyone else, aside from yourself. Teachers can give invaluable insight into the kind of person your child is becoming. Parents have a hard time being objective about their own kids, it is only natural. That’s why it is so important that you know the person that is guiding your children’s education.

Forex Trading Education

Many times, investors are affected by current events and do not even realize it. This is the power of psychology. It has a great influence on how trades are created, and most of the players are unaware of how this most persuasive factor works. The market is also heavily dependent on these types of moves, and thus psychology also has an indirect impact on it as well.
This is due to the fact that while everybody has access to the same news, a different conclusion is most likely drawn because each person has a unique internal make up. This is also because most men are not logical in their thinking. It can be due to a variety of factors, but greed is one of the major governing influences. The news can also create the fear of impending doom. Investors can unjustly make a determination that isn't true. They fail to see the big picture, and as a result often don't realize the potential for profit that probably exists. These situations arise as a result of good news or even disasters.
The crucial element is some way to move the market. A wise speculator sits and waits to see how the market is influenced. They can then wisely make their entrance when the fool is missing the boat. Of course, many of these people don't know until the situation is untenable.
It is also the true power of psychology as applied to the Forex market. That is why the investor who is able to keep his head, will allow other players to move the market first, and then take advantage of this. These trends are driven by people responding to news stories or even rumors that are overheard. They react quickly, without taking the time to adequately assess the situation.
That is one of the primary reasons that 95% of this market lose money. The other 5% are certainly glad that psychology has lent them a hand. It may be the key to untangling some of the messes that investors tend to find themselves in at times. But in all reality, psychology can be a powerful motivator. It can be used for positive gains on the part of the careful speculator. But on the other hand, trading without proper evaluation is simply foolish.
Psychology plays a bigger role than most traders realize, and it can help to influence the marketplace directly and indirectly.

NOTE: By researching and comparing the best forex trading systems and platforms in the market, you will determine the one that meets your very specific financial situation and experience level.