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Tips the Whole Family Can Use in Keeping a Clean Home

 

cleaning house

Some rights reserved by AudreyTang on flickr

 

It is increasingly getting harder to keep a clean home under today’s onslaught of refuse and garbage in our cities.  Even though governments try to keep our streets clean by garbage pickup trash is still strewn about our streets carelessly.  It is not only a terrible site but with it comes pests such as cockroaches and rats for example and these are known to cause sickness. Yet we can still keep our surroundings and home neat and clean.

Being Clean Takes the Right Mental Attitude

Some believe that if we live in a dirty neighbor or home then we must be poor.  It is true that if we lack materials needed it is harder to make our homes look the best they can be but on the other hand even those that do have the means do not necessarily mean they will keep their homes clean.  To be clean inside and outside the home takes effort, the right frame of mind and mental attitude.  It also is dependent for all who live there to have the right attitude in keeping cleanliness a part of your daily routine and living.

A Mother’s Work is Never Done

You’ve heard it said a Mothers work is never done well in a sense this is true.  Her duties are many and it takes a lot of time for her to do them all.  She cooks, cleans, get children ready for school, does laundry and that is just to name a few.  A well organized cleaning plan by the whole family can help lighten her duties and will go a long way in keeping the home clean and orderly.

A List Can be Compiled and Schedules Set

A list can be compiled for each person to follow with specific duties carried out by each family member according to his/her ability.  This can be changed from week to week if so decided upon.  Things that need to be done daily, weekly, and monthly can be scheduled and followed closely to make sure the home is run smoothly and all work a little so that no one has to do it all.  This will allow for more time spent with the family and all in a clean environment as well.

Special attention needs to be placed on the daily chores such as dishes, sweeping, bathroom sinks and toilet, making the beds, picking up things laying around and disposal of all garbage promptly.  Some weekly things could include changing sheets on bed, mopping, and wiping down with disinfectant the fixtures and walls in bathrooms.  Monthly chores could include a deep cleaning of everything from windows, walls, floor boards etc.  These are just a few examples of ways that you can ensure a clean and safe home.  When everyone is doing their part all can enjoy the benefits it will bring.

October 20, 2010 Posted by | Home Life, Opinion | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Traffic and the Risks it Causes

 

traffic

Some rights reserved by richardmasoner on flickr

 

Besides being stuck in traffic, which is bad enough there are other dangers one might not be aware of.  There are many poisons that are omitted in the air by diesel gas.  Many people die each year due to air pollution alone.  Much of this is from motorized vehicles.  Carbon Dioxide is one of the main causes of death as well as to our environment.  Not only in traffic but is also in our vegetation, water and our marine life.

The Increase in Traffic

The increase in traffic  plays a role in the accidents that takes many lives.  One of the main causes is road rage.  The reason for this common occurrence is because of congestive traffic and aggressive people and attitudes.  With the increase of traffic congestion also come the cost.  Gas is wasted because of long delays.  It results in business opportunities let alone the toll it inflicts by the increase of traffic accidents.

How to Prepare for Traffic Delays

There are things you can do to better prepare for unseen delays due to traffic.  By leaving for work a little earlier each day you can sometimes beat the rush and times when traffic could be more congested.  You could also take a later or earlier lunch break before the more regular times or pack a lunch to avoid the rush hour traffic altogether.

If you do find yourself stuck in traffic have things on hand to help you relax and strive to remain positive.  It could be  about things that make you happy or even take this time to mull over important decisions that you need to make without any disturbance.  This is a good way to distract you from the negative feelings you could focus on when stuck in traffic.

Be Realistic When in Traffic Congestion

We also have to remember that traffic congestion is a thing we all have to learn to deal with and accept.  If at all possible try to leave before traffic jams would be more likely to occur.  Maybe you can find another route that is not as congested.  Remember to be realistic and realize that it is impossible to remove this issue completely out of your routine but is it possible to make it more pleasant by just being more prepared and more understandable.

October 20, 2010 Posted by | Opinion, Society | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Is Exercise Really Important?

 

excercise room

Some rights reserved By collaborative.des an Picasa Web albums

 

There is much well intended advice given on how to exercise, how much time needed, how many days a week and so on.  Often times people can become confused by all the information when it comes to what is best for our well-being.  There are a lot of health experts that disagree with the issue of fitness and nutrition but one thing that they do agree with universally is that if you want to be healthier you must do some kind of physical exercise to do so and be consistent with it.

Exercise Was an Everyday Occurrence

Back in earlier generations hard work was a normal everyday occurrence.  People had to do the work manually which took physical strength for things such as chopping wood, farming, plowing, hunting and for building.  This also shortened the life span on a person because of the toll the hard physical labor had on their bodies which was a strain physically.

Also, when it came to needing something from the store or town you would have to walk or if you had one you could bicycle your way to get your supplies.  After working all day during daylight hours you would often come home only to find that you still had repairs or other chores to get done.  All of this took physical strength and endurance.

Better Living Conditions But Less Exercise

Today people have better living conditions and partly due to advanced technology and the many jobs nowadays require less labor which have made the work load easier to bear.  The medical field has also advanced and has made great improvements against diseases and beneficial health care.  In light of modern times you may have a desk job.

One where you work at a computer or maybe need to run errands driving all day both of which require little physical exertion. Now big machines such as bulldozers, tractors and other such equipment do the work that was done manually by men with shovels and picks!

Decrease in Exercise Effects Your Whole Being

The decrease in hard labor has been especially hard on young people.  The video games and TV in general have led to deduction in physical exercise because you will often find them glued for hours playing games or watching shows instead of being outside playing some good ole fashioned tag football or other game that requires you to move around.

Less active life styles leads to weight gain.  When you become inactive you can lose your endurance and flexibility you once had.  Not getting enough exercise can also have an effect on your mental and emotional being as well.  So, with regards to Exercise being important it still is.  It will help with your overall state of being and has great benefits for striving to include it in your daily and weekly routine.

October 20, 2010 Posted by | Health, Opinion | , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Is Home Schooling Right For You?

 

home education

Some rights reserved by jmac1963 on flickr

 

Home Schooling is an ever growing popularity these days.  There are many reasons why some parents may choose to home school their children now than in the past.  It is becoming a favorable option and is a growing trend.  At one time homeschooling was the only education our forefathers got.  Commonly, when children did start their education it was around twelve years or older!  Famous persons, such as Thomas Edison, George Washington, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson  were educated at home.  The law for school attendance was not established until the 19th century.

Some Reasons Why Parents Opt for Home Schooling

Anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of parents in the U.S do so because of religion.  Many opt for it out of  protection reasons because many feel that schools have atheistic influences and it is no wonder with some of the recent changes that have taken place recently. Many feel that where once God was allowed to be talked about along with religion is now outlawed and ignored.  They are also concerned with the breakdown of morals and influences of peers that can expose them to things at an early age.  Some also are afraid of to have them attend a school because of the shootings that take place and feel they are safer at home.

Parents Can Teach Adequately

Their is evidence that shows that home schoolers pull grades equally or above the standard school test. This does not however, prove that is is better for them.  There is no way to really prove this evidence without proper research.  With that in mind some school districts can be uncooperative and skeptical.

Some feel that parents may not be capable to adequately teach from home.  Parents do not need to have college degree levels to teach as there are a number of research tools and sources.  There are private tutors that can be hired that can help in any area you feel would be explained better than what you can give.

Consider the Cost of Home Schooling

To answer the question on if home schooling is right for you or not depends on your willingness, cooperation, patience and individual circumstances.  It takes a strong commitment by both you as parents and by the children to make it beneficial.  It can be done. Make sure that you find out the home schooling regulations in your area because they vary in each state. You still will need to consider how much it cost to home school for teaching materials, tests and other things you will need each year.

October 20, 2010 Posted by | Ecomonics, Do it Yourself (DIY), Home Life | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Tolerance and the Social Divide

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky visited Jewish communities in several cities in Germany this week (Sunday-Tuesday, May 9-11), in an effort to increase the Agency’s involvement with the communities, particularly with Russian-speaking youth who migrated with their families from the former Soviet Union in recent decades. Sharansky met with Jewish community leaders in Berlin, Frankfurt, Potsdam, and Wurzburg, marking the first visit of a Jewish Agency chairman to Germany. In Wurzburg Sharansky met with a group of young adults (pictured) who were on a Birthright Israel trip and are now part of a Jewish Agency identity-building program and are planning to make aliyah to Israel.

This photo was taken on May 8, 2010 using a Sony DSC-F828.

Bitter History

In Germany, the Jews and the rest of German people share a bitter past. The world has changed much from the time of Hitler and the Third Reich but the wounds to the psyche and communal consciousness of the Jews and Germans alike still persist. It has taken years and a great war to bring a resolution to the “Jewish Question” of Germany. The divide created during the Age of Nazism is not easily bridged, and reconciliation does not readily take hold. The atrocities most especially the attempted extermination of the Jewish people at the hands of Nazi Germany forces these two apart.

Social Dynamics Of Intolerance

The Germans ostracized, segregated and attempted to kill all Jews in Germany and in the whole of Europe. This tends to sow the seeds of conflict and establishes a lasting enmity. On the socio-emotional level mutual hatred has been established and reinforced by psycho–cultural experiences of each. The divide that separates Germans and Jews  has been built on notions that are partly true yet also outdated. The contempt each has for the other seems to have drawn up an almost surreal turn of events, devoid of social relevance in the 21st century. After all this is the age of integration and interdependency. Modern society has begun to cast off the prejudice of past epochs in favor of global togetherness.

Acceptance And Reconciliation

The Germany of today has perhaps come to terms with the horrors of its past. There has been a mending of the social divide in Germany, particularly its rift with the Jewish people. Recently, a Jewish leader said that he is okay with an exhibit about Hitler, Germany’s foremost Jew hater. This is symptomatic of the kind of restoration Germany has achieved. As a modern society it is apparent that the former intolerance and racial divide in Germany have been substantially eroded. The open acceptance of the past, its horrors, atrocities, and harms are a significant first step towards complete reconciliation and integration. The German people acknowledge their crime to the Jews, and the Jews have arrived at a deeper understanding as to what drove Germany to exterminate the Jews. This understanding of their shared past enables co–existence. This is the most striking basis of this phenomenon. That Germany has, by itself, settled the matter about the Jews.

Model Of Peace

What Germany achieved and its lesson for humanity is priceless. They have found the keystone for peace. They have overcome the hostile divide and entrenched prejudices, that were deeply rooted. It is a lesson that other societies could greatly learn from. Human conflict has been based on these and Germany cast it off. Nevertheless, Germany has not forgotten. Most importantly, it has learned from its dark past and now treads carefully. Peace building becomes more attainable with Germany’s example.

References:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ing-WWBZgH_9TmzAIh057E_h6isw?docId=f8e284fbfd30444289d985c30abe9fb40

http://www.ibcr.org/editor/assets/thematic_report/5/2003_tolerance_peace.pdf

October 20, 2010 Posted by | New, Society | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Right of Information

For the first time in nearly a year, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan will come face to face Tuesday with dozens of people he's accused of attacking in last year's shooting rampage at Fort Hood. After the shootings, government investigations uncovered critical security lapses. A local terrorism task force run by the FBI had learned months earlier of Hasan's e-mail contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric in Yemen who encouraged Muslims to kill U.S. troops, but the information was not adequately shared with the Pentagon.

(AP Photo/Bell County Sheriffs Department, File)

Right To Information

The Right to know is a cherished freedom in any libertarian democracy. It is the basis of accountability of government, transparency in its operations, and the public trust that characterizes public office. The working of democratic society heavily deals with the disclosure of information concerning the public. In fact, the sector occupied by media depends on this ideal as the basis for its place and role in society.

The Truth And Democracy

In a democracy the truth, its prevalence, proliferation and valuation are essential. Systems of Justice, punishments and public policy are essentially based on the truth. The truth takes on not only a purely moral and ethical value but also a socio–political one. It becomes the foundation of a government for, of, and by the people. In fact, a cherished right in a democracy is the right to information. More than that is the duty of the state to keep its people updated and informed. After all it is merely an extension of the will of the people, whom the government exists to serve. It often becomes controversial when the truth and the right to information is set aside for matters of national security and public safety. However, these exceptions to the right to information have been overused and in some cases abused by governments, especially in peculiar instances.

State Secrets

In most cases the government deems it necessary that there would be no information released despite the right to it. These decisions are made in the context of state security and often bind not only certain kinds of information but even entire agencies and a multitude of government personnel or enlisted individuals. In a recent news, a soldier was ordered by his superiors to erase a video he took of a rampage. It is in these cases the right to information by the public is set aside for an undue cause. Now the matter is in court and the foremost right of the people to know is on trial. It is demandable from the government that certain information be made available to the public.

Greater Value Involved

The greater value at stake is the preservation of the ideals of democracy while still protecting national security and public safety. It is a difficult balance to strike between these two. Moreover, the more advanced a government is the more it will rely on the ability to control the flow of information for state purposes. However, these state purposes also include keeping the citizenry updated as to government policy and efforts. This is truer in cases regarding issues of great national importance. The court has to decide, which will prevail of the two, the right to information or the state rights to secrecy.

References:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7249613.html

http://www.article19.org/pdfs/standards/righttoknow.pdf

October 20, 2010 Posted by | Legal, New | , , , | Leave a Comment

   

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