The use of computers in our day-to-day life is continuously increasing and hence the UK government has announced the launch of a new training programme to provide basic computing skills to its citizens. According to estimates there are nearly 11.3 million people who do not possess basic computing skills. This Online Basics Scheme set up by the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, will teach typing and skills in controlling the mouse along with skills in browsing and emailing.
This course will be available online and free of cost. Interested people having a personal computer and access to the internet can take this course from their respective homes, whereas those who do not can go to the closest online centre to take this course. These online centres have been set up at many places like London, Gloucester, Oldham, Barnsley and Devon. The course has been segmented into five easy-to-follow modules. After successfully completing this course users will be able to use the internet for their personal benefit. The internet will help in education, entertainment and also in getting a better paid job especially in the case of seniors.
The government plans to enrol at least one million computer illiterates within the next three years. In order to increase the use of computers and facilitate the growth towards a digital society, along with this training programme the Government has decided to give laptops and a year’s internet connections free of cost under the Home Access scheme. About 270,000 families with low incomes, will benefit from this scheme.
If you require more information on either broadband or mobile broadband, a good place to check out is the independent consumer website Broadband Genie. They offer information and free advice. It’s a good site to get started on the internet to compare broadband prices and broadband offers from the various ISPs.
By following the path already trodden by previous voiceover artists, you can quickly discover how you can earn a significant salary in the voiceover industry
Weve listed 9 insider tips in an easy-to-digest way.
Use these marketing tips to increase the publicity that you can create around your brand. Whilst none of these are quick fixes, they will be big fixes.
Email advertising. E mail all the copywriters and producers in ad agencies your private link so that they can listen to your demo.
Signature your emails. Set your website address as a signature at the bottom of EVERY e mail you ever send. You never know who might end up clicking on it. And what the heck, its free promotion.
Send out your Cd. Send a Compact disk with your demo on it. The downside is that its quite a pricey operation, and quite a few copywriters dont even listen to CDs that land on their desks. The upside is you might get a gig or two out of it. Might. See the next point for a better way.
Personally deliver your Compact disk. Go around to sound studios and introduce yourself to the sound engineer personally. Give them a Compact disc with your demo on, and request them to listen to it. Do something cute with the packaging ” attach a chocolate or something. Call the receptionist in advance to get a contact name of the sound engineer. Always have a contact name. You could do the same thing with ad agencies. Rather go personally to 10 people than blindly posting your Compact disc to 100 randoms.
Offer your services. If youre new to the industry and are trying to break in ” offer to copywriters that youd be happy to do a free gig if they have a own script (not for broadcast) that theyd like to produce. (Copywriters often try to record their personal own run for their portfolios, as such they wouldnt have money to pay for it. This could make a great impression ” even if they never take you up on the offer). You can send an email or call or go and see them personally.
Hope these assist you in your hunt for a voice-over career
Celebrity stalking has become the way for the socially inept to; A. “normality” or B. stardom. They may have no friends, they may never have had a date or spouse, but when stalking someone perceived as significant to the public, the stalkers feel in control and may feel that they have a “normal” relationship.
No two cases are alike. Some will stalk from the shadows, never bothering their victim and subsequently they are seldom discovered. Others will write a dozen letters a day and mail gifts or other items to their victim, thereby inducing fear in the victim and the victim’s surroundings. Celebrity stalking differs from other categories of stalking (i.e. former spouse stalking) because the perpetrator, conscious or subconscious, is seeking to elevate not only his self-esteem but also his social status by the victims fame.
No matter the type of stalker, it is a crime in most countries to follow and harass people and therefore the law will be called upon. As a personal protection specialist there are a few things to consider before contacting law enforcement officers.
1. Is your client interested in reporting the stalker to the police?
You may think that it is a natural thing to do but your client may have a different view. It could be that the stalker was once employed by your client and/or emotional issues precede the juridical ones. It may be that your client is afraid of worse persecution if the stalker walks free. Or as it so often happens; the company that your client are contractually engaged with, has their own agenda and will not risk bad publicity (At least not until they can use it in their promotional efforts). The palette of colorful excuses is too big for a single article, but hopefully you get the picture by now.
2. Do you have enough evidence?
Your client may be well known to the public. But is he/she famous or infamous? Either way you need strong solid evidence. This includes pictures or surveillance film taken when the stalker is trespassing, Witness reports and the witnesses willing to testify, letters and E-mails, voicemail etc. As much info gathered as possible. If your client is infamous, known to provoke people, the evidence should be so much stronger and a change of lifestyle may be needed in order to convince the public/a judge, that your client did not instigate the stalking.
3. How will you handle the press?
When a report is made by the police, the jackals of the press will do whatever they can to uncover the story in its full length. Some will, if the story is too thin (read: boring for their target group!), create an “angle”. This can be a fictitious relationship between the stalker and victim or whatever. As long as the story sells. To avoid this you need to carefully consider what to tell the press. Do so BEFORE reporting to the police. Remember: telling too much will give the stalker what he wants, namely some degree of fame. Telling too little will most definitely animate the press to speculate and the tabloids to create stories. Both situations can become a nuisance and in worst case, hazardous. Normal procedure is that a press officer from the clients company or a production company makes a press release and handles the press. Hopefully that person will work in liaison with the client, security (you) and the legal department, before publicizing the release.
4. Do you have adequate security back-up?
Once the show is on, the police have been called upon, the press release publicized and the client advised to avoid any and all communication with the stalker, the pressure begins. Paparazzi, copy-cat stalkers, show hosts making jokes, people walking up to your client to show support or the opposite and security companies trying to sell their products are all a part of the game. It may only last a couple of weeks, but the workload rises significantly and you will need some sort of backup. A worn-out personal protection specialist is of use to no one. Hire someone experienced. It is worth the extra money and will make you sleep better at night, knowing that your “temp” is a seasoned pro, with no interest in glamour, bribe money and media coverage. Temporary use of a residential security team, if such a team does not already exist, should be considered as copy-cat stalkers could be tempted to trespass so that they can get arrested, with media coverage to follow.
Besides from all of the above mentioned, the general rules of stalking countermeasures apply, and you should as a minimum instruct your client to:
• Say no once and then avoid all communication with the stalker, unless a life or death situation occurs
• Vary routes and routines
• Do not discuss the matter in public, unless it serves a clear/legal purpose i.e. letting neighbors know, so that they can report suspicious actions to the police
• Seek refuge in police stations or places with armed security guards and video surveillance if followed by the stalker without a personal protection agent being present
• Confronted by the stalker; always run if possible and only fight in self defense if absolutely necessary
Though there is a lack of books on celebrity stalking, the Personal protection specialist should consider buying literature on the subject of stalking in general, not only to himself, but also to the client being stalked, as most victims will benefit greatly from reading about the illness it is. I suggest the following books: The gift of fear, by Gavin De Becker, The psychology of stalking, edited by J. Reid Meloy, How to stop a stalker, by Mike Proctor and Surviving a stalker, by Linden Gross. All four are great informational sources on stalking.
Celebrity stalking is actually quite rare. It is the media focusing on the few existing cases, which makes it “common” and makes the lives of the stalkers as well as the victims miserable. When dealing with stalking cases, even though it sometimes can be difficult to foster sympathy towards them, try to remember that the perpetrators are mentally ill. I don’t mean to imply that it should cloud your judgment, when protecting your client. When a criminal gets in your way, you deal with it! - But use reason before power.
Henrik Bramsborg is the managing director of Bramsborg Security & safety, a security company based in Denmark. Henrik is a stalking- and surveillance detection specialist and the author of several Danish books and materials on security. Latest is the “Simple Risk Assessment Model” for Personal Protection Specialists. Henrik is also an experienced instructor in personal protection, having trained NATO S-FOR forces, police officers, correctional facility officers and private bodyguards. He holds a management degree and is furthermore a certified motivation instructor.
Bramsborg Security & Safety, http://www.bramsborg.com, have been quoted and profiled in several Danish media as the “Danish stalking experts”.
Vlad Tepes or Dracula was born in 1431, in the fortress of Sighisoara, Romania. His father was the military governor of Transylvania and a member of the Order of the Dragon. The order was created in 1387 by the Holy Roman Emperor and his second wife, Barbara Cilli.
In the winter of 1436-1437, Vlad(Dracul) became prince of Wallachia and took up residence at the palace of Tirgoviste, the princely capital. In 1442, he and his younger brother Radu were taken hostage by the Turkish Sultan Murad II. Dracul was held in Turkey until 1448, while his brother Radu decided to stay there until 1462.
At 17 years old, Vlad, supported by troops lent to him by pasha Mustafa Hassan, tried to seize the Wallachian throne but was defeated by Vladislav II (who had earlier assassinated his father and oldest brother ) after two months or armed conflict. Vlad had to wait until 1456, when he was able to seek retribution against his father’s assassin.
Vlad’s first act of vengeance was aimed at the boyars of Tirgoviste for the killing of his father and older brother Mircea. Around Easter of 1459, Vlad had all the boyar families arrested and impaled the elder members on stakes while forcing the others to march from the capital to the town of Poenari. He then ordered them to build him a fortress on the ruins of an older outpost overlooking the Arges River. Many nobles died in the construction of this castle, the ruins of which can still be seen today.
Vlad became known for his brutal punishment techniques; often ordering people to be skinned, decapitated, blinded, roasted, hacked, buried alive, stabbed and blinded to name a few. He also liked to cut off his victim noses, ears and sexual organs. But his favourite form of torture was impalement on stakes, hence the surname “Tepes” which means “The Impaler” in the Romanian language. It was this form of punishment that he used against Transylvanian merchants who ignored his trade laws.
There are many tales about the psyche of Vlad Tepes. He was known throughout the country for his fierce adherence to honesty and order. Almost any crime, from lying and stealing to killing, could be punished by impalement. Being so confident in the efficiency of his law, Dracula placed a golden cup on display in the central square of Tirgoviste. The cup could be used by thirsty travellers, but had to remain on the square. It was never stolen and remained entirely untouched throughout Vlad’s reign. He looked upon the poor, vagrants and beggars as thieves. Consequently, he invited all the poor and sick of Wallachia to his court in Tirgoviste for a magnificent feast. After his guests had eaten and drunk their fill, Dracula ordered the hall boarded up and set on fire. There were no survivors.
At the beginning of 1462, Vlad launched a campaign against the Turks along the Danube River which was very successful, managing several victories. In retaliation for these losses, the Sultan decided to launch a full-scale invasion of Wallachia with an army three times larger than Dracula’s. Vlad was forced to withdraw towards Tirgoviste, burning villages and poisoning wells along the way.
These acts were designed to hinder the Turkish army in their search for food and water. When the Sultan’s armies finally reached the capital city, exhausted and hungry, they were confronted by a horrific sight: thousands of stakes held the bodies of some 20,000 Turkish captives, which came to be known as “Forest of the Impaled.” The scene which was laid out before them had an immediate effect; the Sultan hungry and worn out retreated. The Sultan Mehmed left the next phase of the battle to Vlad’s younger brother Radu who pursued his brother and wife to Poenari castle on the Arges River.
Dracula’s wife, in order to escape Turkish capture, committed suicide by hurling herself from the upper walls, her body falling down the cliff face into the river below.
Vlad managed to escape the siege and made his way to hungry with the help of local peasants. Upon his arrival the Hungarian king Matthias arrested Dracula and imprisoned him at the Hungarian capital of Visegrad.
In 1475, Vlad Tepes again became prince of Wallachia where he enjoyed a very short third reign. He was assassinated towards the end of 1476.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about Vlad Tepes or as he was better known-Dracula.
In my next article will learn about the life of(Mad)King George III.
Unitl then,
Best wishes and have a great day
Stuart Bazga
Guide to Castles of Europe
A Guide to Castles of Europe was born from childhood dreams and aspirations. It is my hope to educate and stimulate you into exploring these castles for yourselves.
The Georgia Teachers Organization, mostly known as GTO, is one of the prominent organizations
that stresses on making a better environment and gains for the educators in the state of Georgia. Since there was no single body for talk out for the educators in the state of Georgia, GTO has its objective to do what is missing behalf of
the educators who are in the state of Georgia. They believe that they could more effectively talk out for issues such as higher salaries,
better retirement gains and the abolition of state salary step structure by which the older teachers are discriminated, if all
200,000 Georgia educators united. Through The Georgia Teachers
Organization, they could effectively communicate with the members and coordinate actions on critical matters that concern Georgia educators.
Volunteering
The Georgia Teachers Organization states that they do not have "luxury" office apartments and none of their members run for elected
office. It is run by a group of volunteer members of the organization that work in order to achieve better
benefits for all teachers, faculty and staff members in the state of Georgia. The Georgia
Teachers Organization also attempts to educate the educators on various issues, worries, and rights, so the educators know what they are
eligible and take required steps when required. The Georgia Teachers Organization maintains an email network, so the organization communicate with the members easily. The GTO is requesting the educators in the state of Georgia to join the organization by paying $25 annual fee.
Morale Bulding for Educators
The GTO encourages any lawmaking that would step-up the educator benefits and morale. The Georgia Teachers Organization mentions that all the states that border Georgia have educators
retirements plans that does not include any early retirement penelties, but Geogia does not have it yet. Other than for the core gains of the educators, The Georgia Teachers Organization
also acts on many extra areas for enhancing and improving the gains of the educators in the
state of Georgia.
The Georgia Teachers Organization pushes the authority to
step-up the retirements gains 3% per every service year. After 25 years of service, an educator will receive 75% (25 x 3%) of a retirement salary contrast to
the current 60%. Furthermore, GTO maintains that since there are Georgia State employees who get 90% of their salary at retirement, the educators should also
offered the same gain.
The Opportunities
There are many rewards of joining The Georgia Teachers Organization as the organization always keeps the members in the loop
regarding the latest growths in the front and information resources. The names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of those who should be
reached to help pass important lawmaking would be given to the members. In addition to that, the educators attached to The Georgia Teachers Organization will get opportunities to move with the rest of the educators from other states and learn how they accomplished their rights.
Throughout our representative republic, paralegals (also called legal assistants) have a number of professional organizations that have taken the role of “guardian angel”. One such organization; a relative newcomer, that has risen to national prominence very quickly (it began in 2003) is the American Alliance of Paralegals Inc (AAPI). AAPI’s fast ascent to prominence may be traced to the fact that it was the first national organization that focused primarily on the establishment of minimum educational requirements. In addition, members that wish to have a say in policy (given a vote) must meet particular guidelines through both real world experience and on an educational basis.
Pivotal criteria to remember when examining the caliber of any paralegal program:
1. Paralegal schools should educate students with the primary objective being to development the entire student. This needs to be done by teaching usable, sensible workforce skills alongside a solid core of legal theory. The curriculum should encompass topics like torts and legal contracts, legal writing and contracts, litigation and legal research. Organizational and communication skills must be developed in addition to a student’s capacity to think critically and apply the legal theory into real world situations. A high quality paralegal school will also provide the opportunity to learn through programs like an internship or clinical experience.
2. Who are players behind the scenes? Who put the paralegal curriculum together and who is teaching it? Do the staff and the paralegal schools program director have top notch credentials? The paralegal teaching staff should have field experience in the subject they are teaching be considered an “expert” on that subject. The curriculum director should have an advanced degree in a related field at worst but preferably they have a law degree or a bunch of paralegal work experience and an advanced paralegal degree.
3. The latest fad in learning is to learn online through the internet but is this right learning environment for you or should you stick with the traditional brick and mortar classroom? The aforementioned is just one of the many questions you need to answer before pursuing your online paralegal degree. Another vital question that needs answered is how will you receive your training? Will it be web-based or through interactive video or whatever is the latest and greatest technological advance. Regardless of the delivery method it comes down to this; “Is online learning right for you?” If yes; jump right in because the benefits in convenience and cost are many but if not, then don’t do it. Simply go out and find the best brick and mortar paralegal school near you.
If you want a career, not just a job and you have the internal strength and drive to push yourself the paralegal field is ripe for the picking. A paralegal offers status, fair wages and a growing job market for those will the talent and skills to match up with the endless opportunities.
Are beliefs not often the children of ignorance and fantasy? Consider the heavenly view of the world that young souls entertain at the height of their innocence, when their youth has been surrounded by love and filled with happiness. Hear their laughter. Dreams expand in a vacuity of knowledge like a laughing gas and induce the blindest, the purest joy.
Ignorance is bliss, as they say, because it spares us the mental restraints associated with knowledge (which reveals the limits of reality and hence the impossibility of our fantasies). It is the ultimate playground where the mind can build castles in the air, create a wonderland, and live delightedly in this kingdom of reverie. It paves the way for the reign of error, as it leaves us to believe whatever we like. Everything that is desirable is realizable, if not real, until we find evidence to the contrary. Santa Claus eventually dies of our old age - when we are no longer so young, so green, that we are easily fooled by a tall story.
In truth, however wise we may be, we are still at risk. We spontaneously indulge in fantasies about the world here below, which is never totally known, or the beyond, which is unknowable. We are always tempted to believe that our health, our relationships, our career, or any other part of our life, will be wonderful, or that our death will not be an end, but a passage from here to a paradisal hereafter. This temptation is irresistible for many when they discover a charismatic fortuneteller or spiritual leader who professes this belief, which remains unproven nonetheless. Our believing is then the result of ignorance and fantasy, plus faith.
An example of self-deceit that concerns young idealists and betrays their warm-blooded aspiration for perfect love is the illusive passion they often experience toward attractive members of the opposite sex whom they little know. By perfect love I mean a complete and durable harmony at every level - physical, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual - between two lovers. It involves friendship to a high degree, as the words “girlfriend” and “boyfriend” suggest. While it includes lust, it transcends and transfigures it.
Pop songs are common vehicles for this ideal, which entices many young souls. I am thinking of young men in particular, who are usually quick to fantasize about pretty young women and fall madly in love with them, or rather with a fantastical image of them. This quickness is typical of their ardent and imprudent youth. It needs nothing more than a few smiles and nods, a few gracious words of agreement, to make these young men imagine they have found a soul mate, as they pour out their inner self - their sense of what is good, true, right, or sacred. A few auspicious signs and, voil, they take the pretty young women for dream girls and are besotted with them! A few misleading signs, in fact. Every charm hides a cause for alarm.
If, in the struggle for survival and happiness, society is a cure for individual limitations (an imperfect cure to be sure, with side effects), it is also a pill hard to swallow. Civility is a smooth sugar coating that eases the swallowing. Give thanks to those who phrase their discontentment with delicacy and embellish it with a compliment and an encouragement. No nagging, no gagging. Sometimes civility excludes honesty and amounts to well-meaning or self-serving hypocrisy. It turns into servility through a mix of kindness and weakness, or through pure selfishness. One way or another, some people are fooled, kept in the dark, while they should live wisely, in the light of knowledge. They are denied truth: the opportunity to conceive of their true situation and achieve their true purpose.
Young men, among the fantasizers I referred to earlier, are often lured by the social graces of pretty young women. The poor fish take the hook and eventually discover they have made a mistake, like many others in the same boat. The dream girls were ordinary maidens or vixens who first behaved and talked infinitely sweet, and later proved lovable in a limited way or revealed their sour temper.
A long intimacy is a good test of a couple’s true nature. It always strips relationships of the silky appearance they sometimes have initially, when seduction overrides every other consideration. This appearance is superficial and deceptive like the outer layers of an onion. Once it is removed, after a succession of changes that marked a gradual return to naturalness, conflicts arise. The truth is uncovered; tears are shed.
Many young fantasizers part from their lovers at this point. They embark on another relationship until the next disillusion, the next dissolution, then embark on another relationship, and so forth. They do the same in other areas of life, starting this or that with high expectations and quitting upon the first difficulties, time and again. They never settle for less than perfection; they never build anything to speak of.
Some of these fantasizers stop this nonsense after a number of disappointments and finally change into brave realists. Their bravery distinguishes them from other disenchanted souls who give up hope to give in to laziness with a clear conscience. These defeatists confuse their attitude with realism and suffer nullity or mediocrity rather than fight for excellence, which is possible, unlike perfection. In their view, humans are in their element only when fantasizing, like fish when swimming. In fact, humans - who are adaptable - are closer to amphibians than to fish. They can come back to earth without dying of frustration, and even better, with a chance to live happily, thanks to a blend of struggle and resignation that yields joy and serenity.
Brave realists know and accept the conditions and limitations of happiness. They think it all the more precious as it has a high cost and is bound to be lost sooner or later. They also understand that although one may indulge in a fickle existence for a while, one must eventually commit and apply oneself to a particular relationship, study, or career, in spite of imperfections and difficulties, if one wishes to achieve something worthy of mention. Nothing good can come from a search for better that always leaves one thing for another.
Laurent Grenier’s career as a writer and philosopher spans over twenty years. During this time he has broadened and deepened his worldview, through much reflection and study, and in the end has crafted A REASON FOR LIVING, his best work to date.
Despite his leanings toward evolution and natural selection, French naturalist Comte de Buffon once wrote: “But no! It is certain, from revelation, that all animals have alike been favored with the grace of an act of direct creation, and that the first pair of every species issued full formed from the hands of the Creator.”
This type of disarming religious prejudice was common during his day, but he continually recurs to statements as to mutability which neutralize them. Buffon makes in the following statement a broad claim for nature as opposed to creation. He often wrote about the variation among many animals, and how changes of food, climate, and general surroundings influence both their forms and their habits. And yet he also stated:
“What cannot nature effect with such means at her disposal? She can do all except either create matter or destroy it. These two extremes of power the Deity has reserved for Himself only; creation and destruction are the action of His omnipotence. To alter and undo, to develop and renew–these are powers which He has handed over to the charge of nature.”
Here we have a claim for the power of nature in the modification of species which fully comes up to the requirements of the most advanced evolutionist. It is remarkable how clearly Buffon perceived the great factors so important for the evolution of organisms, rapid multiplication, great variability, and the struggle for existence. So despite the invocation of God, natural forces are not only acknowledged but embraced. How handy and convenient to bring a Deity in to cover your bases for evolutionary facts on the ground. This internal dilemma in Buffon is now played out on the world stage in the evolution creationism controversy debate.
It is safe to say that algebra is the core of mathematics. If you really want to know about mathematics and its basic principles then you should have a perfect and in depth knowledge of algebra. If someone asks you to derive the product of 223 and 112, you can easily do it manually or with a calculating machine. However, in a case where you need to work around the exponential of 223 and logarithm of 112, you will surely need an algebraic problem solver. Graphing a circle will be easy for this given formula X2 + Y2 = 4 but when it comes for an inequality like (X-2)2 + (Y-4)2 > 20 then it will be quite harder to plot the graph. In this situation algebra software package can help you a lot because once you enter the inequality in the program, the graph will get plotted automatically within very little time. These kinds of software systems can very easily solve any kind of algebraic, arithmetic and radical expressions of any level of complexity.
Looking for Domain and Range of a Function
Now it is very easy to derive the domain and range of functions like Y = X2, you can just tell that X and Y can take any real number from the X-Y plane but have you ever thought of defining the domain and range of log(tan 2x + sin 3x) = cosine(-4)(2x). But now you can solve such critical and complex problems with an algebra calculator without breaking sweat and you will also be getting all the steps as well
Coordinate Geometry
Now you can easily find the focus and directrix and whether parabola opens up or down by just inserting the equation into algebra software. Addition, subtraction and multiplication of trinomials are quite tiresome, since they involve lots of terms to manipulate. However, by leaving the job up to algebra calculators, you will be able to get results within a shorter period with 100% accuracy. Similarly, algebra calculators can save the trouble for you in calculating matrices of 33 or 44 order or its inverse matrices.
So now you need not to start worrying when you see indices, rational numbers or exponential equations. Parabolas, hyperbolas or ellipses can all be easily graphed within computer algebra systems.
Fire in homes and offices are really devastating if preventive and emergency protective measures are not planted. In addition to the fire suppression system, it is likewise needful to have a very complete escape program when fires do occur.
