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Friday, October 21, 2011

How to Transform Your House Into a Haunted House


Haunted House
Trying to make fun plans for the kids for Halloween night? Create fun right in your own home by transforming it into a haunted house. Here are 6 simple steps that can turn your house into the scariest place in town.

1. Pick a location.
The scares don’t always have to happen in your living room; if the basement or backyard is more suitable, set up there instead. Pick a safe, open space and draw up a floor plan of how the finished product should look.

2. Set a budget.
Last-minute props and special effects can add up quickly. Before you begin shopping, think about how much you want to spend on things like decorations and music.

3. Make it dark.
Keep your haunted house dramatic by covering the windows with trash bags or dark blankets. The darkness will keep your guests tense and engaged throughout the night.

4. Create an atmosphere.
You can enhance your haunted house with many special effects — hang spider webs made of wet string, use dry ice to create a smoky cauldron effect, or play eerie background music throughout the house.

5. Keep your audience in mind.
Your haunted house may end up being too scary for young children. Set an age limit for your attraction, or have a few adults participate with you. They can keep an eye on children and direct them to less frightening areas.

6. Advertise.
Get the word out at the beginning of the month, when most guests will still have their calendars wide open. You can send out spooky invitations, or simply hang signs around town.

Secrets of Straight-A Students

Master the basic techniques that top students use to get good grades

Top Student
Everyone knows about straight-A students. We see them frequently in TV sitcoms and in movies like Revenge of the Nerds. They get high grades, all right, but only by becoming dull grinds, their noses always stuck in a book. They’re klutzes at sports and dweebs when it comes to the opposite sex.

How, then, do we account for Domenica Roman or Paul Melendres?

Roman is on the tennis team at Fairmont (W.Va.) Senior High School. She also sings in the choral ensemble, serves on the student council and is a member of the mathematics society. For two years she has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA), meaning A’s in every subject.

Melendres, now a freshman at the University of New Mexico, was student-body president at Valley High School in Albuquerque. He played varsity soccer and junior- varsity basketball, exhibited at the science fair, was chosen for the National Honor Society and National Association of Student Councils and did student commentaries on a local television station. Valedictorian of his class, he achieved a GPA of 4.4 — straight A’s in his regular classes, plus bonus points for A’s in two college-level honors courses.

How do super-achievers like Roman and Melendres do it? Brains aren’t the only answer. “Top grades don’t always go to the brightest students,” declares Herbert Walberg, professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who has conducted major studies of super-achieving students. “Knowing how to make the most of your innate abilities counts for more. Infinitely more.”

In fact, Walberg says, students with high I.Q.s sometimes don’t do as well as classmates with lower I.Q.s. For them, learning comes too easily and they never find out how to buckle down.
Hard work isn’t the whole story, either. “It’s not how long you sit there with the books open,” said one of the many A students we interviewed. “It’s what you do while you’re sitting.” Indeed, some of these students actually put in fewer hours of homework time than their lower-scoring classmates.

The kids at the top of the class get there by mastering a few basic techniques that others can readily learn. Here, according to education experts and students themselves, are the secrets of straight-A students.

Set priorities. Top students brook no intrusions on study time. Once the books are open or the computer is booted up, phone calls go unanswered, TV shows unwatched, snacks ignored. Study is business; business comes before recreation.

Study anywhere — or everywhere. Claude Olney, an Arizona State University business professor assigned to tutor failing college athletes, recalls a cross-country runner who worked out every day. Olney persuaded him to use the time to memorize biology terms. Another student posted a vocabulary list by the medicine cabinet. He learned a new word every day while brushing his teeth.

Among the students we interviewed, study times were strictly a matter of personal preference. Some worked late at night when the house was quiet. Others awoke early. Still others studied as soon as they came home from school when the work was fresh in their minds. All agreed, however, on the need for consistency. “Whatever I was doing, I maintained a slot every day for studying,” says Ian McCray, a Middlebury College student from New Jersey.

Get organized. In high school, McCray ran track, played rugby and was in the band and orchestra. “I was so busy, I couldn’t waste time looking for a pencil or missing paper. I kept everything right where I could put my hands on it,” he says.

Paul Melendres maintains two folders — one for the day’s assignments, another for papers completed and graded. Traci Tsuchiguchi, a top student at Clovis West High School in Fresno, Calif., has another system. She immediately files the day’s papers in color-coded folders by subject so they’ll be available for review at exam time.

Even students who don’t have a private study area remain organized. A backpack or drawer keeps essential supplies together and cuts down on time-wasting searches.

Learn how to read. ”The best class I ever took,” says Christopher Campbell, who graduated from Moore (Okla.) High School last spring, “was speed-reading. I not only increased my words per minute but also learned to look at a book’s table of contents, graphs and pictures first. Then, when I began to read, I had a sense of the material, and I retained a lot more.”
In his book Getting Straight A’s, Gordon W. Green, Jr., says the secret of good reading is to be “an active reader — one who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the author’s message.”

Schedule your time. When a teacher assigns a long paper, Domenica Roman draws up a timetable, dividing the project into small pieces so it isn’t so overwhelming.

“It’s like eating a steak,” she says. “You chew it one bite at a time.”

Melendres researches and outlines a report first, then tries to complete the writing in one long push over a weekend. “I like to get it down on paper early, so I have time to polish and review.”

Of course, even the best students procrastinate sometimes. But when that happens, they face up to it. “Sometimes it comes down to late nights,” admits Christi Anderson, an athlete, student-council member and top student at Lyman High School in Presho, S.D. “Still, if you want A’s, you make sure to hit the deadline.”

Take good notes – and use them. “Reading the textbook is important,” says Melendres, “but the teacher is going to test you on what he or she emphasized. That’s what you find in your notes.”
The top students also take notes while reading the text assignment. In fact, David Cieri of Holy Cross High School in Delran, N.J., uses “my homemade” system in which he draws a line down the center of a notebook, writes notes from the text on one side and those from the teacher’s lecture on the other. Then he is able to review both aspects of the assignment at once.

Just before the bell rings, most students close their books, put away papers, whisper to friends and get ready to rush out. Anderson uses those few minutes to write a two- or three-sentence summary of the lesson’s principal points, which she scans before the next day’s class.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

4 Reasons Saving for College Doesn’t Make the Grade

Saving for College
College tuition in the United States can be expensive — very expensive! So it’s only natural that many parents set up a college account as soon as a child is born and make it their first priority when it comes to savings. According to two recent articles in Forbes, however, doing so may not be the wisest choice.

1. Saving for a rainy day comes first.
Before putting any money into a college fund or retirement account, everyone should have personal savings that can be easily accessed without penalty should the unexpected happen. Financial planners recommend maintaining savings of at least five to six months’ salary in case of emergency.

2. Retirement savings comes next.
You may not like the idea of your child taking out a loan for college, but they are available. Loans for retirement, on the other hand, are not. Experts agree that many people simply don’t plan adequately for retirement (do you have $1 million in your IRA?) and end up saving too little to allow them to retire when and how they’d like to.

3. Curbing your spending is crucial.
Even if you are saving for retirement through a 401K, an IRA, or both, it’s important to examine what you do with the rest of your earnings. If every dollar in your paycheck is already accounted for before it’s even deposited (bills, mortgage/rent, food, childcare, etc.), there’s not much left over for college savings. Before making regular contributions to a college fund, you’ll need to rein in your spending in other areas.

4. Financial aid formulas favor retirement savings.
Colleges determine which students are eligible for financial aid based on an incredibly complex formula that takes into account something called an “expected family contribution” or EFC. According to college finance professionals, the formula works in favor of families who contribute the maximum to 401K and IRA accounts before funding their children’s college savings accounts. So, ironically, the best way to ensure your children will receive financial aid from their college or university is to put as much savings into your retirement account as po

How to Get Better Nutrition for Less Money


Eating healthy doesn't mean you need to break the bank. Here are tips on how to make your healthy foods go far.


Buy in-season. Modern technology allows us to grow crops in climates and at times they naturally would not thrive. However, the availability, price, and even flavor are usually best when fruits and veggies are grown in season. Stick to seasonal eating to avoid paying insane prices on a pint of strawberries in winter.

Go to farmers’ markets. When you buy direct from producers, prices are significantly cheaper and you can be sure of freshness. Plus, you’re supporting people in your own community.

Plant your own garden. Grow your own tomatoes, beans, and potatoes at home. Radishes and rhubarb are among the easiest vegetables to grow. For more information on home gardening.

Plan well. Shop only for what you need (and not when you’re hungry – you’ll buy more) to prepare the meals you have in mind. Exception: Buy in bulk during sales, and prepare dishes you can freeze. You can also buy already frozen or canned items, which last longer and may be cheaper. Food should never go to waste, but check expiration dates before you eat to stay safe.

Cook smart. When fruits are getting too ripe, you can still use them for baking or making smoothies. Think of meal ideas that stretch pricy items: stews, casseroles, stir-fry.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

3 Healthy Ways to Help Your Kids Excel in School

School Kids
Mark Fenske, neuroscientist and co-author of The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success, explains that powerful brains come from healthy bodies. Follow these golden rules to help ensure that your kids succeed this school year—and beyond.

1. Add exercise to their routine.
Math homework? Check. Reading? Check. Frisbee tag? Um… According to recently published research, the parts of children’s brains that are associated with memory and cognitive function are larger in those kids who are more active. Additional studies have shown that children who participated in increased physical activity improved in math, reading, and spelling. In other words, if you want your kids to more easily be able to remember what they’re learning, to be more focused while they’re learning it, and to get better grades as a result, make sure to schedule in frequent exercise along with piano practice and Mandarin lessons.

2. Feed them healthy food.
Children’s brains are still developing. Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and antioxidants are crucial to the health and maintenance of kids’ growing lobes, neurons, and synapses. A significant amount of fish, eggs, nuts, berries, fruits, and vegetables in your kids’ diet will lead to well-nourished brains as well as bodies. Cutting down on sugar is key to helping them regulate their behavior, too. Limiting sweets prevents sugar rushes and low-blood-sugar crashes that can cause kids to become distracted and behave erratically.

3. Make sure they get a good night’s sleep.
While their bodies are asleep, children’s brains are hard at work going over the new information they’ve acquired that day and cementing it into memory. Kids who don’t get enough sleep or are frequently interrupted while sleeping have been shown to have difficulty retaining what they’ve learned in school. Helping your kids wind down in the evenings and go to bed at a reasonable hour will go far towards helping them be at their best throughout the school day.

Giving Dogs and Love to Kids With Cancer

Our hero: Allison Winn, 10

Where she lives: Denver, Colorado

How she helps: Gives dogs to kids with cancer

When Allison Winn was eight and her family adopted a dog named Coco, they had no idea how much the little bichon frise would change her life. “Coco helped me feel better,” says Allison, who was recuperating from 14 months of treatment for a brain tumor at the time. “She would cuddle with me when I didn’t want to play.” Allison loved Coco so much that she told her parents she wanted to help other sick kids find the same kind of comfort.

She started small, raising money by selling lemonade and homemade dog biscuits in front of her house. Her first customer was the mailman. By the end of that summer, she had raised nearly $1,000, enough to adopt, train, and spay or neuter two dogs and give them to children with cancer. Now, a little more than two years later, corporate groups and civic organizations gather to make dog treats at a Denver kitchen for Allison’s cause.

Her organization, the Stink Bug Project, named after a picture she drew commemorating the end of her chemotherapy, is run and managed in partnership with the Morgan Adams Foundation. Stink Bug helps families adopt pets from the Colorado Correctional Industries Prison Trained K9 Companion Program, where inmates teach commands to rescued dogs. To date, the program has raised $33,000 and facilitated the adoption of ten dogs, paying for the $450 adoption fee plus a starter kit of a dog bed and crate, food, toys, a leash, and a collar, which gets embroidered with the pet’s name and phone number. “We ask the kids their favorite color,” Allison says, so she can coordinate ribbons for the dogs.

With the leftover funds, Allison’s mother, Dianna Litvak, who helps run Stink Bug, hopes to extend the pet-adoption program statewide and continue donating some of the proceeds to help fund pediatric cancer research.

Her daughter is just as ambitious. “I wanted to do a million adoptions, but my mom made me lower it,” says Allison. Still, she’d eventually like to get dogs to sick kids in other states.

“Allison has figured out how to help—in a way that no one else has,” Litvak says proudly. “We involve her younger sister, Emily, her friends, the adopting families, and the women at the prison. It took the love of a little girl to wrap all that together into one amazing package.”

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Oven-roasted Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Impress your dinner guests with this lovely dish

Ingredients (serves 6)
245g ricotta cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Pinch of dried oregano
6 boneless chicken breast halves, with skin
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease a large baking dish.
2. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, walnuts, parmesan, breadcrumbs and oregano.
3. Loosen the skin on the chicken breasts to form a pocket in each, then stuff with the mixture. Arrange stuffed breasts in a single layer in prepared dish. Brush tops with oil.
4. Bake for 45 mins, or until they are cooked.

Jambalaya

The spicy tomato flavour and aroma of this one-pot rice dish make it really appealing. Tender chunks of fish, juicy prawns and plenty of vegetables all combine to make a well-balanced, complete meal.

Shrimp JambalayaIngredients

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 head of celery, finely diced and leaves reserved for garnish
1 red capsicum, deseeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
11/4 cups (250 g) long-grain rice
2 × 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
300 g skinned firm white fish fillet, cut into four pieces
8 peeled raw prawns
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 lemon wedges

Directions:

1. Put the oil in a large, deep frying pan and heat gently. Add the onion, garlic, celery, red capsicum, chilli and cumin. Cook, stirring often, for 10–12 minutes until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

2. Drain the tomatoes in a sieve over a heatproof measuring jug or bowl, then set aside. Bring a kettle of water to the boil. Add the tomatoes to the rice, sprinkle the thyme over the top, stir well and reduce the heat a little.

3. Make up the tomato juice to 1 litre with boiling water, pour into the pan and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

4. Season the rice to taste, then place the pieces of fish on top. Continue cooking, partly covered as before, for 5 minutes. Stir the rice carefully and turn the fish over, then add the prawns. Partly cover the pan again and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the prawns have turned pink, the fish pieces are cooked, and the rice is tender. The dish should be moist, not dry.

5. Remove from the heat, cover tightly and leave for 5 minutes. Scatter the celery leaves and parsley over the top and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Chocolate Cakes With Liquid Centers

Serve these easy-to-make molten chocolate cakes to impress your Valentine

Chocolate Cakes With Liquid CentersNothing says 'I love you' like this rich chocolate delight.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
4 squares bittersweet chocolate (1 ounce each)
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons all purpose flour

How to make it

1. Preheat oven to 450°F; butter and flour four 4-ounce ramekins.

2. In top half of double boiler set over simmering water, heat butter and chocolate until chocolate is almost melted.

3. Beat eggs, yolks and sugar until light colored and thick.

4. Mix chocolate and butter, and slowly pour into egg mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in flour until just combined.

5. Pour batter into molds and bake for 6 to 7 minutes. Cake centers will be quite soft. Invert molds on plates. Let sit 15 seconds. Unmold. Serve immediately with whipped cream.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

How to Treat Depression With Food

Treatment for depression can be a complicated process involving both therapy and medication. But one often-overlooked factor is nutrition -- you are what you eat, and you need to eat food that will help you be happy. Here are seven tips to help you eat to curb depression.



1. Make sure every meal contains some complex carbohydrate-rich foods.








2. Cut back on sugar-containing foods.
Replace refined sweets with nutrient-packed foods, such as fresh fruit, crunchy vegetables, whole grain bagels, or low-fat yogurt.



3. Cut back on caffeine from coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, colas, and medications.
Drink more water instead.





4. Increase dietary intake of vitamin B6.
Aim for several servings daily of chicken, legumes, fish, bananas, avocados, and dark green leafy vegetables. Also, include at least two folic acid-rich foods in the diet, such as spinach, broccoli, orange juice, or chard.


5. Make changes gradually.
Select two or three small changes and practice these until they are comfortable. This will assure long-term success in sticking with your plan and will allow your brain chemistry time to adjust to the new eating style, without throwing your brain's appetite- control chemicals into a tailspin.





6. Take a moderate-dose multiple vitamin and mineral supplement to fill in any nutritional gaps.






7. Remember that what you eat is only part of the blues battle.
Regular exercise, effective coping skills, a strong social support system, and limiting or avoiding alcohol, cigarettes, and medications that compound an emotional problem also are important considerations.

Depression also can be a symptom of other problems, so always consult a physician if emotional problems persist or interfere with your quality of life and health. In the meantime, keep in mind that what you choose to sooth your hunger, also will be fueling your mood.

The Fountain of Youth

What is the fountain of youth? Exactly what it suggests. Being just 2 percent underhydrated can make you act and feel older. For a sharp mind, smooth skin, better health, and fluid movement, you need water. But forget about the old eight-times-eight rule (eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily). Healthy people, it turns out, get all the water they need from what they eat and drink (that includes tea and coffee but not alcoholic beverages). Thirst, though, should be your guide. If you’ve worked up a sweat exercising, are in a hot climate, or are taking medications, you may need to drink more than usual.

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