Nor’easters aren’t as powerful as hurricanes, but they can be very destructive. The March Nor’easter known as the Blizzard of 1993 did over a billion dollars in damage up and down the East Coast from Maine to Alabama. Not only was there snow with this storm, but it also spawned several tornadoes and caused heavy flooding. As with almost all Nor’easters, one of the worst effects of this storm was the beach erosion. Miles of coastline were swept away and cottages and vacation homes succumbed to the heavy wind and waves.

So what is a Nor’easter? Is it just a big windstorm with heavy rain? Do the winds always have to come from the northeast? Do they occur more often at one time of the year or the other? And what can the average person do to protect themselves and their property from the effects of one of these powerful storms?

First of all, Nor’easters can occur any time of year and many of them fizzle out before they reach land or form onshore so that they don’t do as much damage. It’s when a Nor’easter forms in the tropics, off Florida, soaks up the warm moisture from the Gulf Stream as its northeast winds carry it up the East Coast, and then meets Cold Arctic Air from Canada that the major cities on the East Coast are threatened.

Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Baltimore and the major cities of the Southeast are all close enough to the coast to be affected and many have rivers that lead to them from the ocean, so flooding is often severe. When there is a higher than usual ocean tide, as there was in April of 2007, erosion and flooding from the sea can be severe. Several Maine communities had to be evacuated, as were communities on Long Island and in other places.

If you live in an area that is subject to Nor’easters, you should be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Even if you’re not near the coast, flooding can be severe and sudden in low-lying areas. Small streams and rivers can rise suddenly and overflow their banks, so if you live near one, make sure that it’s monitored and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. If your basement or lower floors are liable to flood, move belongings to higher levels and/or have a sump pump ready.

Be prepared for power outages with flashlights, canned foods, bottled water and blankets. Check with the Red Cross or the local authorities for shelters in your area. If someone in your family has special medical needs that require electricity, make sure that you let your power company know that, and have a plan to get them to a shelter if necessary. Nor’easters can last for days and wind and rain can make it impossible or dangerous to drive, so don’t wait until the storm arrives to make your plans.

Common sense and some preparation will get you safely through stormy weather. The more you know about threats like Nor’easters, the more you can prepare to keep yourself and your family safe from harm.

Lill Hawkins lives in Maine and writes about family life, home education and being a WAHM at http://hawkhillacres.blogspot.com. Get the News From Hawkhill Acres: A mostly humorous look at home schooling, writing and being a WAHM, whose mantra is “I’m a willow; I can bend.”

Not long ago a gentleman tells me he is going to go on an expedition to the arctic and check for a possible whole to check out the hollow earth theory. He stated that since Global Warming was melting the ice, they could sail right into the middle.

Going to the arctic would be interesting and I have some thoughts on the fast moving rivers which are being un-covered at the poles that run thru the ice and how these would make excellent energy generation devices for the moon or even a human made planet. I have also considered why an advanced civilization might wish to build a system in such a manner to get hydro-electric power this way and yes, even had considered this for an Ice Colony on Mars.

Hollow Earth Theory?

I very much enjoyed the studies of the various explorer stories and Sci Fi author Jules Vern. I have written some theories on Hollow Earth and talked online at length with the gentleman in Arizona, Mr. Cluff on phone and thru email a few years ago. I am certain that there are Hollow Planets out there considering the number of planets that there are [Drake Equation Concept] and also some of the discrepancy of weight of planets and their locations and predictions.

Of course we have sent waves into the Earth and we know there is something hard mid way down to bounce the waves. But there are also some interesting bounce backs and slow downs of these waves throughout. Meaning either water is down underneath crust or space or something (oil?). There are theories like that too.

One scientist lady has an interesting paper on that Earthquake wave bouncing and believes that there are hollow parts inside the Earth. Indeed for every out of the box or scientific domain theory outsider, there are 20-50 diminishing their works. So, one cannot know the reality, only suspect from reading between the lines.

The old text book diagram stands as legitimate until which time or unless someone can prove otherwise and a re-interpretation of the Earthquake Waves we monitor. It is a cool subject isn’t it? I have no opinion on it at all.

L. Winslow is a Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

Have you ever had the problem with a good friend who keeps coming up with conspiracy theories? You do not what to tell them to shut up or act rude in anyway towards them, but it just gets aggravating and they will not stop. Well here is a thought, simply tell them matter of factly and ask them these questions;

1. Why do you keep coming up with all these conspiracy theories?
2. What is going on?
3. Are you allowing your IQ to create a sense of paranoia, mild schizophrenia, why?
4. Have you been visited by those wannabe, spooks?

If so, we all have, get over it. If all that bothers you then smile at them or have fun with them, lead them on, spook them back. You know you owe it to yourself to stop this paranoia. Use your mind and logic.

You have more conspiracy theories stuck in your head than anyone I have ever met, so either you are not real, this is a test or you need to consider re-self-evaluation and ditch the paranoia, not all those dots connect, you only connected them in your mind, which is okay to do, but realize not all those connections are valid.

This is the same problem with AI going thru scores or terabytes of data scanning for possible terrorists in that you make anything look related as everyone is 3-6 people deep (degrees of separation), but that does not mean the model you created in your mind fits. It might, but it also might be a bunch of non-related false positives. Ockham’s Razor helps, use it often.

L. Winslow is a Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

How to approach the real SAT There is no big magic about approaching the real SAT. The test is not the end of the world. Students have to start realizing that only human created this test, and it is surely not designed to torture them. The exam is simply there to measure students’ academic ability.

Some Stuff to Consider Before Taking the Exam

* Don’t be afraid to skip questions. Many students tend to guess on their SAT problems without being aware of 1/4 penalty point for each wrong answer. This can really hurt their scores at the end.

* When can you guess on the problem? Educated guess is always better than a blind guess. By eliminating answers can tremendously help the score. If the student has eliminated 3 answer choices out of 5, I usually recommend students to take their guesses.

* Time is everything on the SAT. Since difficult and easy problems are worth pretty much the same, why not snatch the easy points first. Stop wasting time on just one problem, but move on to the next questions that you can answer.

* Keep in track of your time. A lot of students have failed to follow this instruction on the test. Manage your time well. If you have not practiced this yet, I advise that this is one of most important exercises in the SAT. Go to a Target and get yourself a timer.

* Have a scratch paper in handy. Students are allowed to use scratch papers during the test.

*Take enough rest before the test date. Cramming on the last day before the actual exam can be very risky. Take my advise, go to sleep.

http://www.higherknowledgesat.com

My high school aged daughter came home the other day and announced that kids in her high school classes were cheating on their test by using their cell phones to text message other students in the class and to receive answers for students that took the test earlier in the day. After reading some other news reports on the subject it seems to be an epidemic in high schools and colleges around the country.

The first thing that comes to mind is where are the teachers? Do they simply hand out a test and leave the room? When I was in school I do not believe I would have gotten away with getting out a cell phone and text messaging someone. Of course there were no cell phones back in the dark ages but is it any different than digging apiece of paper out of a pocket and reading the answers. I think not.

Some blame must lay with the parents they drive their kids to achieve that 4.0 grade point average to get in the best colleges, unfortunately the world is changing the morals have declined the pressure to get ahead no matter what the cost attitude needs to be changed. Getting that 4.0 grade point average is not the end all answer, kids need to be taught to think, and they need to learn to make decisions by analyzing all the information sifting the wheat from the shaft to come to the proper conclusion.

Believe it or not there are two classes of cheaters the underachievers who are just trying to pass the class these may be the saddest group as they are really cheating themselves out of a proper education. The other class is the top achievers they are after a perfect score, they have the ability to earn an A only they want to insure they get an A unfortunately this group is usually never suspected of cheating. Some in this class have an incredible amount of self determination to succeed others are under a great deal of pressure from their parents or peers to succeed.

Obviously the schools along with the student parents need to work together to solve this place for violence and drugs adding cheating to the list may help. Adding the cheating offenses to the students records and colleges taking a hard stance on this may help deter the over achievers from cheating. The underachievers will not be deterred by a record. Casino’s have an eye in the sky so to speak to keep an eye on the players maybe the same thing should be implemented for class rooms. Making the teachers aware of what is going on can help them keep a sharper eye on their students.

Megan Cherry writes articles for http://www.pegandrail.com If you are looking for high quality coat hooks or to see a Oak, Cherry or Maple wall coat rack please stop in for a visit.

If you have decided to learn French then you have no doubt wondered what is the best way to learn French in the shortest possible time. Everybody wants to be fluent as quickly as possible so that they can enjoy talking to people from another culture and gaining an insight into their lives and lifestyles. This article will highlight the best way to learn to speak French in terms of quality and time it takes to become a capable French speaker.

In my opinion the best way to learn French is by doing a French immersion course. This typically involves going to France and taking a course. As you take the course you may be living and working in France and have constant opportunities to put your learning into the practice by talking to local people or people you come in contact with.

French immersion courses have other advantages. You may be learning about something that you have no real life experience of. For example, you can have the game of Pétanque or boules explained to you but you will never truly understand it until you see the people playing it with the azure sea as a backdrop.

Being able to see, touch, feel and smell the things you are learning about make the understanding so much easier. Only by immersing yourself in the French life can you get this experience.

Immersion courses do not just apply to France either. You can find French immersion courses all over the world. Canada can offer immersion courses with their own particular take on French language and culture. Or you could combine a Caribbean vacation with an intensive immersion course by visiting Martinique. As Martinique is a overseas French department you can get an insight into French culture with a Caribbean twist.

French Immersion is the best way to learn French but is probably the most expensive way of learning French. The other ways to learn French if you do not have the finances or time to go to another country are to do a standard night course at a French Institute or purchase a learn French software course.

If you prefer an alternative to immersion courses or would like to get your feet wet with French before landing in France then a learn French software course is ideal. Visit http://rocketfrenchreview.com/ for a detailed review of the popular language course Rocket French. The course has been updated to include an audio component and you will find a review of this new Rocket French audio course and details of all the other features that it has to offer. You will also find useful tips on how to learn French. Adrian Whittle has learned French and Spanish using various methods and is ideally qualified to review new language courses.

If you thought that the only purpose of calculus was to confuse you, then think again. Continuing with my Why Study Calculus? series, I discuss yet another application of this branch of mathematics to numbers. Numbers and the operations performed on them are the linchpins to mathematics, and all higher branches are one way or another intimately linked to their inherent properties. One nice application of the Calculus to numbers is the approximation of cube roots. What is enticing is that this technique can be done without a calculator and without even a knowledge of the underlying theory.

The method to get the cube root is very similar to that discussed in my Square Root article. The theory behind this method hinges upon the derivative, which in calculus, is a special kind of limit. The differential, which is a quantity that approximates the derivative, particularly under certain conditions, is the mathematical tool that we employ to estimate our cube root.

The way the method works is as follows: Suppose I want to approximate the cube root of 65. This is the number which when multiplied by itself three times will give 65 exactly. Now 65 is not a perfect cube like 64. That is, there is no whole number cube root of 65. The cube root of 64 is 4, since 4*4*4 = 64, and 4 is obviously a whole number. (I have used the “*” symbol for multiplication here) The calculus, using the concept of the differential, tells us that the cube root of 65 will be approximately equal to the cube root of 64 plus 1 divided by three times the cube root of 64 squared. Whew! That’s quite a mouthful.

Let’s break this down and simplify. The cube root of 64 is 4. The difference between 64 and 65 is 1. That’s where the 1 comes from in the numerator of the second part of our equation. Now the cube root of 64 squared is 4^2 or 4*4 or 16; 3*16 = 48. Thus according to this method, the cube root of 65 will be 4 + 1/48 or 4.0208 to the ten-thousandths place. (You can get 1/48 by doing the division by hand, or by observing that 1/48 is a little bigger than 1/50 which is 0.02. So if you used 4.02, you wouldn’t be far off either.

Take out your calculator and compute the cube root of 65. You will see that the result is 4.0207. The approximation is off by less than one ten-thousandth! If you need to be any closer than that—well then, take out your calculator!

See more at Wiz Kid Calculus. Also see here for more articles (see here Square Roots without a Calculator).

Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Under the penname, JC Page, Joe authored Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC’s of arithmetic. Joe is also author of the charming self-help ebook, Making a Good Impression Every Time: The Secret to Instant Popularity; the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)—particularly in regard to its educational flavor— continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.

Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook. For more information go to http://www.mathbyjoe.com

Scientists have concrete evidence that the Earth is currently undergoing the largest mass extinction in 65 million years. Over 50 species are going extinct every single day.

It’s called the Holocene Extinction — Holocene being the current epoch that began at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago.

From Earth’s fossil record, we know about Six Great Mass Extinctions:

• The Ordovician-Silurian Extinction occurred about 444 million years ago.

  At the time, all complex organisms lived in the sea. The most common theory is that the onset of an ice age caused the extinction, which wiped out over 100 families of marine life. Many trilobite families bit the dust during this event.

• The Late Devonian Extinction happened 364 million years ago.

  This event saw a major worldwide extinction of coral reefs and the marine life they supported, as well as other groups of animals and plants. Nobody’s sure what caused it, but scientists speculate global cooling and several medium-sized asteroid impacts within a few million years of each other may have been the culprits.

• The Permo-Triassic Extinction occurred 251 million years ago.

  The granddaddy of all mass extinctions, this event saw 96% of all marine species and 70% of land vertebrate species kick the evolutionary bucket.

  The die off happened in less than a million years (a very short time in geological terms) and the recovery took 5 million years to crank back up, and another million years after that to get rolling. While not deemed the smoking gun yet, this event coincides with the largest known volcanic eruption in history.

• The Triassic-Jurassic Extinction occurred 200 million years ago.

  Was it caused by climate change, asteroids, or volcanoes? The verdict isn’t clear. What is clear is that 20% of marine life and many large amphibians were wiped out. At least half of all species on the planet bit the dust.

  This event occurred over less than a 10,000 year period, just before the supercontinent of Pangea began to break up.

• The Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction occurred about 65 million years ago.

  This event was probably caused, or at the least aggravated by, the impact of an asteroid around the size of Manhattan. About 16% of marine families and 18% of land vertebrate families ceased to exist. In North America, over 50% of plant species may have been wiped out.

  And of course…this is the event that doomed the dinosaurs.

• The Holocene Extinction is occurring now.

  Studies of the fossil record show that the normal “background” rate of extinction is about one species every four years. The current rate is between 30,000 and 100,000 per year.

You are now witnessing the fastest of the six great mass extinctions.

And this extinction, without a doubt, is the result of human population growth. By the end of this century, over five million species (half of the species on Earth now) will likely be gone.

“It’s not just species on islands or in rain forests or just birds or big charismatic mammals,” says Stuart Pimm, a conservation biologist researcher from the University of Tennessee. He notes fish, birds, insects, plants, and mammals. “It’s everything and it’s everywhere…it is a worldwide epidemic of extinctions.”

copyright©2007 Joe Crubaugh

Joe Crubaugh is a freelance writer whose psyche is often absorbed with current events, politics, art, culture, society, and the creamy bitterness of a steaming cup of white chocolate mocha. He is the author of numerous personal emails, and on most days he blogs at Hard-boiled Dreams of the World. When he’s not writing, Joe spends weekdays masquerading as a software consultant in an undisclosed Southeastern U.S. state.

Find Homeopathy College programs in the United States and Canada. If you’re interested in alternative medicine and would like to pursue a natural healthcare education, then enrolling in a homeopathy college might be a good choice for you.

At a homeopathy college, students will learn a broad spectrum of natural healing modalities including comprehensive coursework in the history and philosophy of homeopathy. Classes will often encompass studies in the origins of homeopathy, Law of Similars, remedies (including material medica: plant, mineral and animal substances), case receiving and analysis, pharmacy, potency and dosage guidelines, and practice management. In addition, students at a homeopathy college will engage in clinical training where they will gain a better understanding in how to effectively analyze and apply homeopathic remedies in a practical setting.

Other subject matter provided through a homeopathy college will commonly include studies in biotherapies, human anatomy and physiology, and natural health. Students who successfully graduate from a homeopathy college can work toward attaining certification and/or licensure. To become certified, graduates will have to take a certification exam that contains theoretical, practical, case submission and oral interview parts.* (According to the Council for Homeopathic Certification) Furthermore, certification exam candidates must have acquired at least 500 hours of formal training through a homeopathy college or school, in addition to being current in CPR certification, as well as college level education in anatomy and physiology. While licensure is not always necessary, some states do require practicing homeopaths to be licensed by a state board.

Professional physicians, such as MDs, Dos, and other primary health care providers may opt to enroll in a homeopathy college where they can take a homeopathy course designed for the professional practitioner in mind. These courses are generally geared toward homeopathic remedies that lessen the need for doctors to use traditional medicines and antibiotics.

Doctors of Homeopathy and homeopathic practitioners who have completed all required coursework and practical training through a homeopathy college will have gained the ability to use non-toxic, natural medicines to help support and enhance natural healing processes. Common conditions that can be helped with homeopathy include acute and chronic health problems such as eczema, digestive disorders, insomnia, allergies and many other health issues.

With the growing demand for natural health alternatives, students who opt to enroll in a homeopathy college can gain the skills and education necessary to become part of an ever-expanding field of the medical industry.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding a homeopathy college, let career training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! http://www.holisticjunction.com/search.cfm“>Explore career school programs near you.

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The University of Wyoming has introduced the Trustees Pride Scholarship Program which offers eligible students full scholarships that cover tuition $ fees and room & board.

The Universities decision to offer the full scholarship comes after the state decided to invest 400 million dollars in an endowment for the new Hathway Scholarship Program. With the additional funding from the state, UW can now use its funds to offer big-ticket scholarships and keep the top high school students from leaving Wyoming.

Since last fall, Wyoming has been offering up to $3200 to qualifying high school students who attend UW or the states community colleges.

Students with a high school GPA of 3.7 or above and ACT scores of 29 or higher qualify for the Trustees Pride Scholarship Program. The scholarship, amounting to almost $14,600 replaces the Trustee Superior Scholarship and the Presidents Honor Scholarships, which were available to fewer students.

One of the main reasons why Wyoming is getting aggressive with its education funding is the depleting pool of its high school graduates. According to the department of education, the state lost almost 900 graduates between the years 2000 – 2005. This was mainly due to out of state colleges offering bigger scholarships.

Currently, only about 13% of Wyoming’s high school graduates attend UW and about one-third attend community college. If the university wants to sustain its target population of around 13,000 students, it will have to recruit a larger percentage of Wyoming graduates each year. By revamping its scholarship structure, UW hopes to raise its profile and reduce the leakage of bright students from the state. The University is also luring non-resident students with good grades by offering them higher scholarships.

Rachna Mehra is a freelance writer from NYC, New York. For more information on scholarships and financial aid, visit http://www.Freescholarshipguide.com