An online program that offers different options is always worth looking into when trying to find the right program. Some master’s in nursing online degrees offer programs for those who want to pursue a career in nursing administration or a program in nursing education. Having different track choices opens up more options for those wishing to further their careers. Also, find a program that has advisors that can be contacted by phone. If a person is unsure about which track, they can call an advisor and get some advice. Advisors should be available by phone or by email.

More and more colleges are offering online programs for nurses who want to go into other areas within nursing such as forensic science, law, and care planning. These areas are relatively new and offer more options. A master’s in nursing online degree in one of these fields will enable to person to use new skills and learn about the latest technology that they can then use in the field. The right online program should offer options, have advisors that can advise students, and also expose students to fields in nursing they might not have considered before. Returning to school should be the opportunity to explore other areas of nursing. With the right online program, this can be possible.

a,b,c,ch,d,e,f,g,h,I,j,k,l,ll,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z.

Letters Not A Part of the Alphabet

There is some controversy, believe it or not over a couple of the letters that come from other languages of similar origin. This lies with the letters “w” and “k.” There are not any Spanish words that contain these letters, unless they were added to the language from some foreign translation. In addition the letter “rr” not in our list above is used in some versions of the Spanish alphabet. It is used to make a stronger “r” sound, usually in the case where the “r” is drawn out in a rolling sound.

Putting Things in ABC Order

A Spanish dictionary may add more confusion to the inclusion of some letters of this language’s alphabet. For example, older edition dictionaries might list all the words containing “ch” after all “c” words. In newer versions, the words containing “ch” go in alphabetical order just like in English. The opposite is true when it comes to “n” and “?.” In this case “?” comes after “n.” This whole change took place as recently as 1994.

Not officially a part of the Spanish alphabet, there are many other “letters” created by the addition of accents. Many vowels such as o, e, or u have accents added which change the pronunciation and also the meaning. Many other languages treat accented letters as separate letters and add them to their alphabets. This is not true of Spanish.

What Spanish Letters Sound Like

English letters are not given names and neither are Spanish letters. However, when you say the letter it has a pronunciation all its own that could be thought of as its name. The following is the Spanish alphabet with a pronunciation guide. Remember, this is not a phonetic pronunciation, even though some of the English letters will have a similar sound. And of course, you need to take into account the Spanish accent.

A: a
B: be
C: ce
CH: che
D: de
E: e
F: efe
G: ge
H: hache
I: i
J: jota
K: ka
L: ele
LL: elle
M: eme
N: ene
Ñ: eñe
O: o
P: pe
Q: cu
R: ere
S: ese
T: te
U: u
V: ve
W: doble u
X: equis
Y: i griega
Z: zeta

If you speak English (and that’s a good assumptions since you are reading this in English) then you already know many Spanish words. Spanish and English have the same basis as all Romance languages. The spelling may be different such as between the words baby in English and bebe in Spanish but the pronunciation is very close, differing only in the accent given the words.

Once you have mastered the sounds of each letter it is easy to begin learning Spanish. You’ll be prepared for your next vacation to Spain, or at the very least, be able to help your kids with their homework!

The Spanish people are warm and welcoming to American or other visitors. They will be flattered that you are making an effort to communicate with them in Spanish, but in tourist or cosmopolitan areas, you will find everyone also speaks fluent English. Don’t let that discourage you. Keep practicing you Spanish for your next visit to Spain.

Sleeping – If you have trouble sleeping, noise reduction headphones may aid you in getting some rest. Barking dogs, traffic, and awake family members can contribute to sleepless nights, and for those who are sensitive to noise when they’re trying to sleep, noise reduction headphones create a sound-free environment so they can rest.

Playing Music – Musicians often use noise reduction headphones to help them block out sounds that may interfere with them hearing their instrument. Once the background noise is blocked, they are free to concentrate purely on the sounds they are making rather than the sounds around them. This creates an environment of total immersion into their music and allows them to perfect their work without being in a studio.

Autistic Students – Noise reduction headphones can also be used in the classroom to help autistic children. Often classroom environments can be distracting to children with autism. Headphones for the children help teachers instruct each student individually so others aren’t confused or distracted by the instructions for the other students.

Studying – Noise reduction headphones are very useful in situations where you need peace and quiet but can’t always control the environment. Students who are studying may find noise reduction headphones helpful in blocking out the distracting sounds around them. Headphones create a peaceful world in which they can focus on their work, rather than environmental noises or the sounds of others.

Working – If you work in a cubical or an open-plan office but find yourself regularly distracted by people walking by, phones ringing, others talking, and the general chaos that can be office life, noise reduction headphones can make a difference. They can help you focus on the task at hand rather than everything going on around you which can boost your productivity and the quality of your work.

Noisy Neighbors – Living in an apartment building, condo or townhouse may include noisy neighbors. Depending on the thickness of your walls and ceiling, you may hear your neighbors walking around above, or hear their music or talking. Noise reduction headphones can block these sounds so you can enjoy being at home, even if the neighbors are loud.

These are only a few examples of the sorts of noise disturbances you may come across in daily life. Where once you had no choice but to be distracted, noise reduction headphones put you in control. Never again do you have to experience a sleepless night or a ruined project. Noise reduction headphones can be used to block out the noises around you: voices, car engines, train noises, barking dogs, loud offices, airplane engine noise, city sounds, loud neighbors, etc.

The effects of this driving force created a ripple affect on the surface of the pond making its way to the outer edges of the pond. You and I are this same driving force at the core of our being. Everything is energy. We all know its there even though we may not readily see it.

There are five experiences in our life allowing us to touch this energy or our soul.
Remember this: “What is the most human to us, often, is the most sacred.”

We touch our soul in the following ways:

1. The Sense of Smell.

When we breathe, we embrace our world. We draw in various aromas into our inner self. It is our opportunity to take in the world around us, and allow it to fill us with its essence. As we breathe, our soul absorbs the world around it through identification with the earth merging into what cannot be seen. It is the experience of spirit expressing itself in unlimited ways.

2. The Sense of Taste.

Taste allows us to tangibly experience different qualities of our world. As a child, we experienced our world through the sense of taste. It was as though our life was meant to be devoured. In a real way, our sense of taste helps us to determine if we like or do not like what is before us i.e. food, experiences, or way of life.

3. The Sense of Touch.

Our ability to feel the world awakens our body. Touch sends vibrations throughout our body in the form of tingling sensations. These tingling sensations are expressions of consciousness helping our body understand the direction of spirit in our lives and our place in the world. It is the home of our soul, yet our body cannot fully contain it alone. At the same time, our body is a symbol radiating our unique expression of our soul.

4. The Sense of Sight.

The gift of sight enables us to take in the world through visual contact with the world around us. As we draw in our environment, we become part of it and it becomes part of us. Eventually, we deepen this sense of sight creating the ability to see from within. At this point, we are able to see through our eyes, and not, just with them. Here, we see with the eyes of soul. We see with the eyes of unconditional love.

5. The Sense of Hearing.

What do we really hear? Sounds are echoes, vibrations interacting with the vibrations of another entity. Behind every sound or word is a tone, a quality of sound, we can connect to within us. The resonance of sound creates signals inside us that we may choose to repel or encompass. As we discern these inner qualities of what appears before us in sound, we are getting in tune with the soul of another person, place, or thing.

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When you throw a rock into a pond, I suspect you have a difficult time watching it float all the way to the bottom. The deeper your rock enters the pond, the harder it becomes to see with your five senses. A higher sense of yourself is engaged.

As your imagination and your heart begins to direct your perspective on this experience, your soul is revealed. It is the part of you able to sense and know your rock eventually reached its destination. Although you may not be able to see the foundation of the pond below its surface, you know it is there.

Sam Oliver, author of, “Integrating the Feminine Spirit: Returning to the Womb of Creation”

Why Conduct Free Criminal Records and Background Checks?

That is an understandable question to ask. With the prices quoted by public records researchers these days, why indeed. However, if the hiring process is the key to keeping the business intact for a long time, then free criminal records and background checks are what make the hiring process thorough and exhaustive.

Free criminal records and background checks helps a company make better-informed decisions during the pre-employment screening. The information they provide are indispensable as they are the determinants of a person’s character. In a way, free criminal records and background checks are steps that a company can take to protect its own interest. There have been too many cases in the past wherein no background checks whatsoever was made on an individual and so when that individual was hired as an employee and then later on committed a crime in the context of his or her job, the company was held liable.

Negligence particularly on issues concerning negligent hiring, supervision, security, training, and retention can not only cause loss in productivity but at the extreme end, workplace violence as well that could very well cost the lives of other employees. And thus, it is the responsibility of the company as well as a right to protect its assets and interests, including its employees from incidents that may arise due to the lack of free criminal records and background checks.

State Requirement

Several states in the U.S. have laws requiring free criminal records and background checks during the pre-employment process. States, such as Florida, are especially particular about free criminal records and background checks on certain industries where “care” is provided as a service. Thus, any prospective employee or volunteer of a facility for the elderly, children, and people with disabilities are required by state statute and by federal law to undergo free criminal records and background checks.

Today, 29 states in the United States keep central repositories for the purpose of providing information to those conducting free criminal records and background checks. As of this time, there is no known “national” database of criminal history information and the most you could do to conduct a nationwide search is to visit each state repository individually. Fortunately, the Internet has made it possible for you to do this right on your computer screen.

With that said, Brazil is naturally a major destination for those looking to teach English in a foreign country. Teaching English in Brazil is a unique and enriching experience that anyone who wishes to travel should consider.

What is required?

Some countries require English teachers to be certified in any number of teaching courses. TEFL, TESOL, and the Cambridge CELTA are all certifications that are often required for foreigners wishing to teach English in another country. Brazil, however, does not consider this a prerequisite.

If you do have a certification, it may very well help you in the classroom. But chances are good that if you are hired by a Brazilian company or school, they will require you to go through an in-house training program regardless of whether or not you are certified to teach.

What is recommended is a BA in some subject and a working knowledge of Portuguese, the official language of Brazil.

What about a visa?

This is where the information can get a little sketchy, and keep in mind we’re not advocating one course of action over another. The truth is, getting a work visa for teaching English in Brazil is going to be very, very difficult.

The vast majority of schools in Brazil that hire English teachers are unwilling to sponsor those teachers for work visas. Sponsorship by an employer is required to get a legitimate work visa. It is also extremely expensive and complicated, and many companies steer clear of doing so for those reasons.

With that said, if you are planning on remaining in Brazil to teach English for an extended period of time, you may be able to find an employer who is willing to sponsor you. The catch is that you will probably have to pay for the process yourself. This is something that you should actively research and discuss with your employer if you’re interested in pursuing a work visa.

So you might be wondering how so many English teachers manage to work in Brazil. The answer is, the majority of them are working on tourist visas. Technically, it is not legal for a foreigner to work on a tourist visa; however, chances are very slim that you will ever get into trouble for doing it.

Tourist visas are fairly simple to get, and require an application through the Brazilian Consulate as well as a valid passport and other documents. Tourist visas are valid for three months, which means if you are working in Brazil you will have to renew your visa at a Brazilian police office every three months. You are also not allowed to remain in Brazil on a tourist visa for more than six months every year.

It is possible to get a tourist visa changed over to a work visa, provided you can find a sponsor. Your best bet may be to begin a job on a tourist visa, get comfortable with your employers, and then bring up the subject of a work visa after they have decided they want to keep you. At that time, they may be willing to sponsor you.

It sounds like a lot of red tape, but the truth is that teaching English in Brazil isn’t as complicated as it sounds. The market for English teachers in Brazil is booming, and with that demand comes an increased possibility that you’ll be able to find the right job for you. With thousands of English teachers needed all over the country, Brazilians are for the most part eager to help. Do your research and be prepared, and you’re sure to have the experience of a lifetime.

Recall that there are four different base ten blocks: cubes (ones), rods (tens), flats (hundreds), and blocks (thousands). Groups of ten base ten blocks can be regrouped or traded for equivalent amounts of other base ten blocks; for instance, ten cubes can be traded for one rod because both are worth ten. For subtraction, it is useful to know how to trade down rods, flats, and blocks. Trading down means converting larger place value blocks into smaller place value blocks. For instance, one flat can be traded for ten rods since they are both worth 100.

Before describing the subtraction procedure, let’s go over some vocabulary . . .

Minuend – The amount from which you are subtracting.

Subtrahend – The amount that you are subtracting.

Difference – The answer.

In the equation, 234 – 187 = 47, the minuend is 234, the subtrahend is 187, and the difference is 47. Most people don’t bother with the terms minuend and subtrahend, but they are useful in describing the subtraction procedure using base ten blocks.

To begin, represent the minuend with base ten blocks. Try to keep the blocks in order from largest to smallest as this will help to transfer knowledge and skills to paper and pencil methods later on. Remove from the minuend piles, enough blocks to represent the subtrahend. If there aren’t enough blocks available, trade some of the larger place value blocks until there are enough smaller place value blocks to remove. The resulting piles after the subtrahend is removed represents the difference.

In the example, begin by representing 234 with 2 flats, 3 rods, and 4 cubes. The goal is to remove 187 or 1 flat, 8 rods, and 7 cubes from these piles. Removing one flat is simple enough, but 8 rods and 7 cubes are difficult to remove if there are only 3 rods and 4 cubes! To solve this problem, trade in one flat for 10 rods, and one rod for 10 cubes. The result would be 1 flat, 12 rods, and 14 cubes. Removing the subtrahend – 1 flat, 8 rods, and 7 cubes – at this point would leave no flats, 4 rods, and 7 cubes. The difference is whatever is left after removing the subtrahend, so the difference is 47.

For beginners, it would be wise to start with subtraction that does not require trading. For example 1954 – 1831 would require no trading because there are enough blocks in the minuend to remove the subtrahend. For more advanced students, questions that include zeros can present a bit of a challenge. For example, 4000 – 3657 would require several trading steps all starting with four blocks. http://www.math-drills.com has several thousand free math worksheets including subtraction questions with no regrouping (trading). One of the nice features of this website is that answer keys are provided, so students can get feedback on their results.

With enough experience, students learn subtraction on a conceptual level and are better equipped to apply it to pencil and paper methods later on. Students who only learn the paper and pencil method don’t always develop a conceptual understanding of subtraction and are less able to identify errors in their work.

Base ten blocks are not limited to just addition and subtraction of whole numbers. In part III of this series, several other uses of base ten blocks will be explored.

The Charlotte Mason method is named after Charlotte Mason, who is known as the originator of the homeschooling movement. She herself was a homeschooler, and she wanted to establish a basic plan for a complete and effective homeschooling program. The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes poetry, fine arts, classical music, crafts, and classical literature. This method is designed to encourage an awareness of literature and involves reading to the child every day. The child is then asked to tell what he or she has heard. This starts at the age of six. By the age of ten, the child is expected to write narrations in a book. Mason encouraged the use of nature diaries as well. The child writes observations of nature in the book as well. This creates a sense of respect for the environment in the child. Mason thought that good behavior and character were critical for a child’s complete personality development.

The Eclectic Homeschooling method is a combination of several techniques. Innovative parents rely on their own judgment to select topics that make up the curriculum for their own child. These parents are always looking for the best products they can find to help them meet the needs of their home schoolers. Many of the curricula in this method are improvised. This means that, while the basic curriculum is established, parents change it to adapt to the individual needs and interests of their children. The curriculum is generally established according to the temperament, learning style, and interests of the children. These programs typically include visits to libraries, factories, and museums.

John Holt, a public educator in Boston, developed the ‘unschooling’ method. Holt believed that children learn best when they learn at their own pace and are guided by their own interests. He wanted to ‘unschool’ the child by requiring parents to take their cues from the children. This approach has no set curriculum, schedules, or materials. It is the most unstructured of the homeschooling techniques.

The Montessori method had its start in Italy. It was found that children go through extremely sensitive periods in which they experience periods of intense concentration. In these phases, children will repeat an action until they receive some measure of self-satisfaction from it. This method relies on prepared environments to facilitate learning. All materials utilized in this method are meant to satisfy the child’s interior desire for spiritual development. Materials for this method range from simple to complex, and they are relatively costly.

Whatever method is selected, the underlying concept is flexibility and a strong interest in the child’s own desires. The key is to use children’s desire for knowledge to further their education.

The Initiative

As you undoubtedly know by now, the President George Bush announced it was time to start weaning ourselves from our oil addiction during his State of the Union speech. As with anything in politics, there is much gnashing of the teeth as to whether the President, an avowed oil man form an oil family in Texas, really means to do anything. The answer, of course, is really almost irrelevant if people would stop to consider the fact that solar power was even mentioned in such a speech. Clearly, a baby step has been taken, if not a giant leap. So, what is the President’s grand plan?

From an overall perspective, President Bush has issued an Advanced Energy Initiative to begin changing our energy habits to cleaner, non-foreign supply, based fuels. As is his habit, the President has a Solar America Initiative as part of the larger initiative. This is where we find the key solar components.

With the Solar America Initiative, the administration has set a goal of accelerating widespread acceptance of clean solar technologies throughout the U.S. by 2015. Yes, it is a bit murky in regards to the exact goal, but the Energy Department recently clarified matters.

According to the Energy Department, the goal is to generate 5 to 10 megawatts of electricity in United States by 2015. While this may sound impressive, 10 megawatts of energy is barely enough to power two million homes. In comparison, California alone intends to put one million homes on solar in the next ten years. Put another way, the Solar America Initiative isn’t particularly impressive.

While the President appears to be paying lip service to solar energy in this Initiative, it should be noted that he is due more than a small bit of credit. First, he has put solar power and other clean energy on the political table. Second, the administration has taken major steps in other legislation to provide tax credits for solar power and renewable energy platforms. Those steps, not the Solar America Initiative, are going to make a major impact on the promotion of solar energy in the country. For that reason alone, the President should be applauded.

Organizations to Know

The first stop along the introduction to online nursing continuing education is important organizations to know. One is the American Nurses Credentialing Center, or ANCC. This organization is the leading nursing credentialing organization in the U.S. When investigating continuing education courses, whether online or otherwise, an ANCC certified program is a good option. Information is available at http://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/

Another organization with useful information for nurses seeking CEUs is the American Nurses Association, or ANA. Their website is http://www.nursingworld.org/.

Types of CEUs

The next stop in the introduction to online nursing continuing education is the available options. One of the more exciting parts about CEUs is that you can find courses on virtually any aspect of nursing. If you specialize, you can choose CEUs that are directly related to your field. This option also allows you to learn about areas where you are not as familiar and want additional information or a “refresher” course on a certain aspect of nursing.

Be advised, however, that some states require that you complete certain CEUs. Before you choose only programs of interest, check with your state to determine if you need to complete a mandatory program first.

Accreditation

When choosing online CEU options, choose a provider that is accredited. You also need to be sure you understand what is required to earn the CEUs. Some online providers offer CEUs free of charge, but before you choose one of these options, ensure that the course meets all of your requirements.

While you still need to conduct thorough research into any CEU provider you are contemplating, this introduction to online nursing continuing education will help you get started.