Expenses on utilities contribute to most of your household bills. Did you know that you could save a lot of money through your utilities? Here are some pointers to help you do this:

1. Identify which appliances consume much electricity and contribute the most in making the electric bill cost that much. You can save hundreds of dollars annually by enrolling in a home management load program that offer a 100-dollar savings in a year on electric utility hour rate programs. This will help you lower your electric payments and will teach you on home energy conservation.

2. It is recommended that you have improved appliance efficiency. The heating system appliances are the ones that consume too much electricity. The refrigerator and the water heater consume that much energy as well. Make sure to check these items regularly to ensure their efficiency. A well-maintained appliance will sustain its performance and will give you it's accurate use of electricity.

3. Always remember to give your furnace a tune up at least twice a year. You have to cover the water heater to insulate it and give your refrigerator coils a cleaning at least twice a year as well. You may also set a timer for the heater to have regular flow of electricity whenever it is in use. You may call your utility service to check if there is a low rate offered during any specific time of the day.

4. You may also save money by lowering your heating bills. You may set your thermostat down three degrees to make you save 3 percent on your bills. You may even save more by not using it while you are at work or you can even turn it lower during nighttime when you are asleep. This can help you conserve electricity and save more money.

5. You may want to lessen your long distance telephone calls to lower your telephone bills. If it is a need to call a very important person, you may call during weekends and night hours. Telephone companies offer a lower rate for long distance calls during those times of the day. The best alternative to save money is by using the Internet to communicate with your friends and relatives instead of the telephone.

6. You may want to consider lowering your water bills in order to save money. Check if there are leaks so that you may fix them immediately. You may put a water saving showerhead to lessen the use of water when taking a shower. You can use a big container to stock water in the bathroom as an alternative rather than using the shower in the bathroom.

Summary:
Authors note: I recently dug this up. I wrote it in Sept 2000. After reading it again I realize it is still relevant.

I must admit the slightest pang of professional jealousy watching my counterparts involved in the new playground when I have not had the time. Of course looking at distance education from afar I have had some questions, even concerns with it as a viable means of education.

We live in an age where we email when a phone call should be made, and phone when ...


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Article Body:
Authors note: I recently dug this up. I wrote it in Sept 2000. After reading it again I realize it is still relevant.

I must admit the slightest pang of professional jealousy watching my counterparts involved in the new playground when I have not had the time. Of course looking at distance education from afar I have had some questions, even concerns with it as a viable means of education.

We live in an age where we email when a phone call should be made, and phone when we should speak in person. It is so easy to hide behind technology. It is difficult for many to know in what medium is the most appropriate to communicate in.

On-line has become the recent rage in many organizations and academic institutions. The savings to a company in travel and per diem are certainly compelling. One of the biggest edges I can see thus far is the ability to spread a class over a longer period of time. I have felt from day one in this business that trying to learn to do something non-trivial (program in a new language, design and implement telemetry systems, etc…) in three to five consecutive days of instruction is a major compromise in quality. It is further impractical to teach these classes over a spread out period of time where travel and per diem are factors. From this vantage distance education alone has a higher potential for learning to occur. But back to the reason it is the rage.

It is my premise that distance education is hot and available and being backed because of its potential for savings and its potential to educate a greater number that might not have the opportunity because of distance and schedule. I do not believe for a minute that the ivory towers are screaming for this medium because of its potential to be a better form of education than standup.

I can only point you to the frenzy that surrounded the shameful “boot camp” craze where one could actually learn a new profession in just a few weeks for a few grand. I smile inwardly every time I read one of the many articles (Authors Note: referring to the year 2000) talking about how IS managers are hiring CNE’s and MSCE’s that can’t mirror a disk or troubleshoot a problem. While I do not deny there may be a few gifted people that can really learn “How to administer NT Server” by going to 2 weeks of classes that help you cram for a paper based certification test, the majority of us are mere mortals that need some time and some practice and some experience. Also, I am greatly offended by the notion that one can become a certified engineer whose job competencies are performance based by taking a knowledge test. But to some managers a few hours in the evening and a few grand look mighty fine on the planning spreadsheet than the practical alternative. Reminds me of the old line, “How does one get to Carnegie Hall?”

My point here is not to trash boot camps, rather to offer an illustration as to the motivation for most people holding the purse and resources with respect to motivation. In many cases the first factor is typically not quality of education!

As educators, our first thought within a given medium of education had better be quality of education. I phrase this in this manner as there are times when factors apart from education itself have direct impact on the medium we get to use. As much as some of us would like to be total purists, reality dictates otherwise.

My greatest concern with on-line learning is that it has the potential of providing more physical distance between us. When will the first “on-line” marriage be held? There is a whole sociology and psychology emerging from the on-line culture. It is in a sense frightening for this introvert to watch a society move from the bonds of human interaction to this forum. No doubt we could dig up "death to the world as we know it" articles involving the advent of the telephone, the motion picture, television, and most other ground breaking inventions. This is not to say that these folks concerns were not (and still are not) very valid today.

I must admit the prospect of this medium excites me as I have visions of my log cabin home in the mountains, getting up every morning and after taking a morning walk in the woods before going to teach a class in my home office to 12 people scattered across the country! While this scenario to me is pretty cool, I feel some sense of a higher calling to my profession in that I have been initially somewhat reserved and skeptical regarding this
medium. The question for me becomes, can “On-line” be a valid and viable and sustainable form of education?

I believe it can. I also believe that money and resources will dictate that it stays around long enough to establish itself as the new frontier. I hope we never abandon stand-up as a medium. But after a careful and highly skeptical examination of this medium I have come to the following conclusions.

1. Enough quality educators will develop and deliver in this forum and give it the legitimacy and credibility it deserves to sustain it.

2. Just like stand-up it is and will continue to also have its share of charlatans and other misfits that have nary a clue with regard to the profession of education. These people certainly exist in droves in classroom based education and will end up migrating down this path.

3. As technology continues to advance, particularly in the area of telecommunications and bandwidth more opportunities will be available to us to use this form of education.

4. The need for student participation and interaction is just as high as it is in a stand-up class. I suspect the nature of this forum over stand-up, given the same good educator, presents itself as a better forum for interaction and community of learning than traditional college lecture halls, and time compressed corporate training.

5. Given the nature of this medium it will likely require a better formalization of course objectives, assessment and measurement tools than we currently have (or do not have) in stand-up.

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Core flexibility training is critical if you want to improve your golf swing power and driving distance. Your core is the engine to your swing. If your core is inflexible you will not be able to make a full backswing with minimal tension.

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golf,golf swing,golf trainer,golf workouts,golf exercises,golf fitness,golf lessons,golf instruction,golf tips

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Core flexibility training is critical if you want to improve your golf swing power and driving distance. Your core is the engine to your swing. If your core is inflexible you will not be able to make a full backswing with minimal tension.

Picture your core being the middle of your body. That’s as simple as you can get it. It is mainly your abdominals, but can also include glutes and lower back. This area of your body is the most susceptible to injury.

That’s why the majority of amateur golfers have a low back injury at some point in their golfing career. They have never focused on core flexibility training, as well as core strength training for more power.

To produce more power and distance in your swing does not mean swinging harder with your arms. Haven’t you tried that before? If so, did you hit it farther? I’ll bet not.

Just like hitting a baseball, tennis ball are even throwing the discus in track and field, you use your core for most of your power. You rotate with your core to create torque, then you unleash that stored up energy into the hit, whether it be a baseball, tennis ball or golf ball.

The more efficient you become with using your core, arms, shoulders and hands in a sequenced motion, the added distance will come quite easy. You’ll be shocked at how quickly your driving distance goes up.

Core flexibility training incorporates “rotation”. Golf stretching in this manner warrants the best results in the shortest amount of time!

Every core flexibility stretch you do should involve some form of rotating. This is very important since the golf swing is a rotate (turn) back and a rotate (turn) forward. The more range of motion you can achieve in your core area the more power you will produce.

Here’s a little test you can do while your sitting there reading this article!

Put your arms across your chest, keep your eyes focused straight ahead. Now rotate as far as you can to the right and make a not of how far it is. Did you get to a 90 degree shoulder turn (that’s where you need to be). Then rotate as far as you can to the left. How far did you get.

This will be a “wake-up” call for many of you. If you find you can’t rotate at least 70 degrees of center, you’ll have no chance at maximizing your power and driving distance.

We do this simple core flexibility test seated to remove cheating of the lower body. If you were standing, it would be very easy to rotate your hips and get a bigger shoulder rotation.

Being seated removes this compensation!

A seated rotation is “true” core flexibility and range of motion.

I hope I’ve educated you on the importance of core flexibility training to improve golf swing power and distance.

When you are considering working from home, there is a set of decisions that must be made. First, you must decide whether or not working at home is right for you. Next, you need to consider what type of work at home job you will be doing. There are many opportunities for Wahms out there, both offline and off. Having a successful Wahm career starts with evaluating your own skills and requirements in a job and then finding the right match.

Sometimes the best place to start with your Wahm career is where your out of the home career ended. Many women find that they can become independent contractors in the field that they previously worked in. You can use your previous work experience as a launching pad for your Wahm career. Some of the ways to use your experience to your advantage are: finding a company that hires people in your field to work from home, using your previous experience to become an “expert” writer in your field or starting a business related to your previous field.

However, some women look at their Wahm careers as a way to break out of their old job. If you’d like to try something completely different, there are plenty of opportunities for entry-level work as an independent contractor. Many of these jobs deal with telephone or online customer service. When you work as a customer service agent from your home, you just need a reliable Internet connection and a working phone. Companies also hire medical transcriptionists, data entry professionals and virtual personal assistants to telecommute.

If you want to start your own business, the opportunities are very vast. You can start with a direct sales company and sell products from an established brand to friends and neighbors. You’ll make commissions through your sales and also off of recruiting other people to sell the products. There are hundreds of direct sales companies that offer everything from aromatherapy products to candles to cooking supplies.

Another option for starting your own business is offering a service in your community. Day care center operators, florists, professional organizers and hairdressers all have the option of working at home, among many other professions. Of course, starting a business in your community normally means that you’ve had some experience in that field. However, there are some small business ideas that can be started without much experience at all.

Many women turn to the Internet for a source of at home income. The World Wide Web offers a plethora of job opportunities. You can offer your services online as a freelance web designer, writer or virtual assistant. You can also start an online store that sells products that you make yourself or have the rights to resell. Many Wahms establish their businesses online by using one of the popular auction sites, like eBay. Still others find a home in internet marketing, by directing web traffic to a website and then recommending certain products and services.

Decide first what type of job you’d like to do and then work from there. If you are truly a people person and need to get out each day, direct sales or a local service business might be right for you. If you are the type of mom who lives online and is comfortable with the Internet, try finding a job or starting your own business on the web. If you like the comfort of having a weekly paycheck, look into telecommuting positions.

Once you’ve decided what category of job you’d like, do some research on what it takes to be successful at that type of business. If you feel like you are drawn to one particular business or company, then sit on your decision for a week and see how it feels. Imagine what your life will be like as you take on the duties of that job. Most importantly, be realistic with yourself about how much time you can devote to your business. Finding the right match isn’t hard when you thoroughly consider your options.

Gambling can come in many different forms and manner, carrying with it risks of varying levels. An individual can gamble and can bet on all sorts of things. Gambling is currently very popular and continues to expand around the world.

Legal forms of gambling are those that are being run directly by charitable institutions, companies for profit or government agencies.

Whereas illegal forms of gambling are those by which bets are placed on underground gambling services, the internet, being such. Gambling among peers or associates such as playing poker or pool that includes real money betting is also considered illegal.

Each City or State has complex rules that dictate legal or illegal gambling. Here are different forms of gambling:

*Casino. This is a form of gambling rapidly growing especially in the internet, as an online gaming site. This is a set up, usually referred to as "the house" wherein players can play in such games of chance, which include slot machines, poker, black jack, keno and roulettes.

*Sports betting. In other parts of the world, this is considered legal. Here in the United States, betting on individual sports events is accepted only as legal in Nevada. This is partly because of the possibility for such events to be "fixed". As certain cases does happen when gamblers pay sports teams to lose in the game.

*Horse racing is the most common type of legal gambling. This is presided over by the pari-mutuel, or French for mutual stake. This system works in such a way that all the betting is place in a fund, where it will be divided among winning bettors, minus a certain percentages that will go to the track.

*Lotteries. This works such that tickets are being sold for a certain set of amount. A portion of the proceeds is given back to the winners, through random draw process. In most cases, while other players choose their own numbers, others allow the computer to pick numbers for them.

Such type of gambling offers different games. There are instant scratch tickets, wherein an individual may win instantly with the right combinations on the ticket and super lotto's that offer increasing jackpots until such time that there is a winner. Eighty percent of States in the U.S. have laws that allow lotteries run by government. Thus, twenty five percent of all legal gambling revenues are from lottery.

*Other forms of gambling include bingo, dog races, pool, playing mah jong and the stock market.

Gambling can be seen everywhere, especially today, where the internet offers a lot of sites where such forms of gambling can easily be accessed. This is why it is important to carefully assess the site or the place that you are in, before making any move.