Six Tips on Disciplining Children from an Experienced Teacher

Have you noticed how kids behave differently at school than at home? As an early education teacher, one of the most common questions I get from parents how I get the children to behave. Here are the discipline techniques I've learned that work at both school and home.



Read the full article on Lifehacker

How to Avoid Cancer

How to avoid Cancer

This article was sent to me by wife some time ago, but I'm re-reading it as I've recently become more convinced that what we eat plays a huge role in how we feel.

Here's a link to the article: http://premaseem.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/how-to-avoid-cancer/

"A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes t o nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.

To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)."

Merry Christmas to all! (Luke 2:8 - 14)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:8-14

The Information You Need On The Obama Administration's Healthcare Plan

The Bioethics Defense Fund has put together a fact sheet about the Obama backed health care reform bill HR 3200. This website contains information on issues such as federal abortion funding, and end of life, or euthanasia, counseling.

From the website:







Click here to read the HR 3200 amendment that allows government funding of abortions. In reviewing this bill language, the non-partisan concluded that:

"Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans."
--

Please visit the Bioethics Defense Fund's website for more information on HR 3200.

Night Shift: How To Get Restful Sleep

Working the night shift (especially in the ER) can be exciting, and challenging. Getting enough sleep when working the night shift can be another challenge. Here are two good articles I've found that have some great suggestions on how to get enough sleep when working the night shift.

Night Shift Workers & Sleep

How to Work Night Shift - wikiHow

Proposed Rescission of the Consience Clauses

The following is a message from the Bioethics Defense Fund regarding the proposed rescission of the regulation entitled, "Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law."

Please read, and take action.

Coercing Conscience? YOU have a voice.

Last week, the Obama administration officially declared plans to rescind--get rid of--a healthcare conscience-protecting regulation.

The administration has, as required by law, called for public comment on the proposed plan to get rid of the conscience-protecting regulation, with a deadline of April 9, 2009.

Bioethics Defense Fund is one of the organizations in the Freedom2Care Coalition formed to defend the conscience rights of health care professionals and students. Professionals dedicated to serving the well-being of patients should never be discriminated against for their respect for every human life.

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS and PRO-LIFE CITIZENS: You have a vitally important opportunity to immediately send a public comment to prevent a critical loss of access to healthcare professionals who are being systematically pressured to violate their consciences.

• Go to www.Freedom2Care.com to learn more and to send your comment to the administration. Your voice makes a difference.
  
• Read BDF's 2008 letter that supported the Bush administration's adoption of the conscience-protecting regulation that the Obama administration may rescind after the 30 day public comment period.

Watch a video message from USCCB President Cardinal George who explains that "respect for personal conscience. . . ensures our basic freedom from government oppression."

And Don't Forget to SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO THE GOVERNMENT.

Acid Base Balance Review

pH 7.35 - 7.45
PaCO2 35 - 45
HCO3 22 - 28

If the pH is opposite the PaCO2, the problem is Respiratory.
Ex. If the pH is low (7.31), and the PaCO2 is high (47) then the problem is Respiratory Acidosis

If the pH trends with the HCO3, the problem is Metabolic.
Ex. If the pH is low (7.31), and the PaCO2 is normal (37), and the HCO3 is low (20), the problem is Metabolic Acidosis

Ex.
pH 7.50
PaCO2 43
HCO3 45
---> Metabolic Alkalosis, b/c pH trends with the Bicarb

Ex.
pH 7.30 -> Acidosis
PaCO2 43 -> Normal
HCO3 20 -> Low, but trends with the pH
---> Metabolic Acidosis

Thanks for reading.

Caution: Dell does not provide support for computers purchased from Best Buy

I recently purchased a Dell XPS M1330 from my local Best Buy (local being an hour drive away). I really like my laptop, so far it does everything I need it to with minimal problems. However, after updating the display driver (which I downloaded from support.dell.com) when I have the power adapter disconnected from the laptop I can't adjust the brightness to the same brightness as I can when the power adapter is connected to the laptop (which I was able to do before using the {Fn + Up Arrow Key}).

Here's where the major problem comes in. I contacted Dell Support through a live chat and was told that because I purchased my laptop from Best Buy, they could not help me with support issues. This is disappointing, one of the reasons I purchased a Dell computer is because I've always received excellent support from them in the past.

The following is the live chat between the Dell Support Technician and myself:

This is an automated email sent from Dell Chat. The following information is a log of your session. Please save the log for your records.

Your session ID for this incident is ########.

Time Details

08/13/2008 11:33:03AM Session Started with Agent (Prashanth_156460)

08/13/2008 11:33:09AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Thank you for contacting Dell XPS Premium Support. My name is Prashanth and my rep ID number is 156460. How may I help you today?"

08/13/2008 11:33:53AM Ian Oliver: "I'm having trouble with my Dell XPS Laptop. When I disconnect the power cord, I cannot adjust the display to be as bright as it is when the power cord is connected."

08/13/2008 11:34:27AM Ian Oliver: "I'm using the Fn+UP keys"

08/13/2008 11:34:43AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "All right ."

08/13/2008 11:34:53AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Does it change when you use fn and up arrow key ?"

08/13/2008 11:35:02AM Ian Oliver: "No."

08/13/2008 11:35:29AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "May I know from where did you purchase the system?"

08/13/2008 11:35:39AM Ian Oliver: "Best Buy"

08/13/2008 11:36:26AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Ian, I will be able to help you with the very basic things like the one that you have tried already however any issues with the system would be answered by best buy technical support itself."

08/13/2008 11:36:55AM Ian Oliver: "I'm sorry. This is a Dell laptop, shouldn't I be able to get support from Dell?"

08/13/2008 11:37:07AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/best_buy?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs"

08/13/2008 11:37:13AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Please check this link once."

08/13/2008 11:37:42AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "You can check the 6 FAQ for the same."

08/13/2008 11:37:50AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Q: Who can I contact if I need technical support?"

08/13/2008 11:37:58AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "A: If you need support for your personal computer, please contact any Best Buy store."

08/13/2008 11:38:46AM Ian Oliver: "Thanks. This will be the last Dell product I ever purchase."

08/13/2008 11:38:56AM Ian Oliver: "Please notify your supervisor."

08/13/2008 11:39:06AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Please give me a minute, my supervisor would like to have a word with you."

08/13/2008 11:39:18AM Ian Oliver: "Thanks."

08/13/2008 11:41:45AM Agent (Prashanth_156460): "Are we still connected?"

08/13/2008 11:41:49AM Ian Oliver: "Yes"

08/13/2008 11:43:54AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "Hello Ian! This is Ashish, supervisor for Chat Support. How are you doing today?"

08/13/2008 11:44:04AM Ian Oliver: "I'm good, how are you?"

08/13/2008 11:44:19AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "That is really good to know, I am doing good thank you."

08/13/2008 11:45:05AM Ian Oliver: "How can we resolve this issue that I'm having with my display brightness?"

08/13/2008 11:45:41AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "Well, as we start with this."

08/13/2008 11:45:55AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "I hope you know that you purchased a Dell product from Best buy, Right."

08/13/2008 11:46:04AM Ian Oliver: "I am aware."

08/13/2008 11:46:38AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "And I believe you must have checked the link provided by Prashant to you on the policy regarding the customers purchasing the computer from Best buy ?"

08/13/2008 11:46:55AM Ian Oliver: "Yes, I saw the link"

08/13/2008 11:47:46AM Agent (Sup_Ashish_74782): "Have you tried updating the BIOS?"

08/13/2008 11:49:40AM Ian Oliver: "Thanks for your help, I don't think updating the BIOS will help for this problem. It seems to be related to the video driver, I've updated to the latest video driver for my video card from the Dell Support web site (this did not resolve the issue). I've"
also downloaded the previoius driver, again from Dell's Support web site and this did not correct the issue either.

08/13/2008 11:54:37AM Ian Oliver: "Ok, we're done here. I suppose I shold have read the fine print, and not purchased the laptop from Best Buy. I work at a University, where we have over 300 Dell computers, and have always received great support from Dell in the past. When I purchased"
this laptop I was expecting the same kind of support. It is my fault for not reading the warenty/support policy. I will not make this mistake again. Thanks again for your help, sorry for the trouble.
If you require further assistance, please visit us at support.dell.com

This post is a word of caution to those considering purchasing a Dell computer from Best Buy, know that you will not be receiving the high quality support that we've come to expect from Dell.

I will not be purchasing another Dell computer from anywhere other then Dell in the future.

Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition (My Review)

Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo Wii is a great game. The story is compelling. The controls work well. The graphics, although not a sharp as the X Box 360 or PS3 version, are engaging. If you are a fan of first-person shooters, or just looking for a great game, I highly recommend Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo Wii.

Understanding File Permissions in Linux

Do you know what this means?

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 31660 Jan 30 13:51 touch

Neither do I. Fortunately Webmonkey has an article detailing how to work with Linux file permissions.

This article found on Lifehacker.

Windows Vista Proformance and Tuning

Microsoft has released a step-by-step guide for speeding up Windows Vista on your computer. You can download a pdf copy here.



This story was found on Lifehacker.

An Open Letter to Software Publishers

This letter should be more articulate, but it's not. I'm frustrated. I'm upset. I pay for your software, purchase your software, but then when I try to install it, to use the software that I've paid for, I'm forced to deal with cumbersome license keys, registration keys, security key, and validation keys.

For example. The company that I work for purchased Symantec Ghost, and enough licenses for our entire organization. This is not inexpensive. After installing the software, generating a registration key, emailing the registration key to Symantec, waiting for there response with my authorization key, and entering the registration key I was able to use their (our) software. It's now maybe 2 to 4 years later, and I'm trying to reinstall this software (the software that we've purchased) and I can't because I can't get the license key to work, even after repeating the above steps. So, I call Symantec's technical support, only they can't help me because this software is not serviced anymore. So, I'm not able to use this software (which we've paid for) all because Symantec is trying to prevent piracy. And, while I sympathize with the fact that they do not want to lose money to theft, I hope they understand that they have lost my money, as I will not purchase software from Symantec again. Unfortunately, Symantec is not the only software publisher with these business practices. It's more the norm than the exception.

In conclusion, this note is written mostly for me, to vent my frustration, and with small (very small) hopes that this may get through to Symantec and other software publishers who engage in similar business practices. And maybe, just maybe, they'll decide not to punish their customers, in an attempt to stop theft.

Feel free to discuss your experiences in the comments section.

Thanks for reading.

Enable Advanced Permissions Dialog in Nautilus / Ubuntu Linux (on Lifehacker)

Click here for a good article about how to enable file and folder permission in Nautilus, the file manager for Ubuntu Linux.

Installing Songbird in Ubuntu 7.10

I know it's putting the cart before the horse, but I needed a success with Linux. It was my goal to have my Wireless Network card running before I installed Songbird, as an internet connection is needed to download Songbird. However, after a week of working on getting my Wireless NIC running, with no luck, I needed a smaller project. As it turns out getting Songbird downloaded and installed is not that difficult.

Step 1: Downloading Songbird

• On a computer with internet access, go to 'http://www.songbirdnest.com/download', and download the latest version of Songbird. Songbird_0.5_linux-i686.tar.gz, is the version that I downloaded, so I'll use that file name is this document. Your file name may be different.

• Copy this file to your Ubuntu Linux computer. You can use a flash drive, or if you're like me and your Ubuntu computer is also your Windows computer, just reboot into Linux and access the Windows drive from there. I copied the file, Songbird_0.5_linux-i686.tar.gz, to /home/username/Downloads, but you can copy it to where ever you like.

Step 2: Installing Songbird

• Copy Songbird_0.5_linux-i686.tar.gz to the /opt directory.
  - In a terminal enter, 'sudo mv Songbird_0.5_linux-i686.tar.gz /opt'
  - If you want to know what the commands sudo, and mv do, there's a list of all the commands used in this procedure at the end of this document.

• Go to the /opt directory, and extract the files in the file Songbird_0.5_linux-i686.tar.gz
  - Enter, 'cd /opt'.
  - Enter, 'tar xzvf Songbird_0.5_linux-i686.tar.gz'.

• Change owner permissions on Songbird directory
  - Enter, 'sudo chown -R username:username Songbird', replace username with your username

Step 3: Installing the GStreamer packages

• In order to hear audio from Songbird it is necessary to install the GStreamer packages. To install the GStreamer packages you first need to enable some additional software sources in Ubuntu.
  - On the Ubuntu desktop click System > Administration > Software Sources
  - In the Software Sources window, make sure that the main, universe, restricted, and multiverse check boxes are selected (checked), then close the Software Sources window
  - Now open the Synaptic Package Manger, click System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager
  - Click the Search button in the Synaptic Package Manager window, enter 'GStreamer' in the Search field then click the Search button
  - You will have to manually search the list of available packages and select the following:
  
  libgstreamer0.10-0
  gstreamer0.10-x
  gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs
  gstreamer0.10-plugins-base
  gstreamer0.10-esd or gstreamer0.10-alsa (depending on your audio setup)
  libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-dev (Ubuntu 7)
  libgstreamer0.10-dev (Ubuntu 7)
  gstreamer0.10-plugins-good
  gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad
  gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly (for mp3 playback)
  gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg
  gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3 (alternate for mp3 playback)
  gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse
  gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse
  
  After all packages have been selected click the Apply button, and after all packages are installed close the Synaptic Package Manager window

Step 4: Running Songbird

• To start Songbird you need to naviage to the /opt/Songbird directory and run ./songbird
  - At a terminal enter, 'cd /opt/Songbird'
  - Enter, './songbird'

Commands used in this procedure

sudo - allows a permitted user to execute a command as the superuser or

another user, as specified in the sudoers file

mv - move (rename) files

tar - the GNU version of the tar archiving utility

x - extracts files from and archive

z - filters the archive through gzip

v - verbosely list files processed

f - specifies the filename to extract

chown - change file owner and group

R - Recursively change ownership of directories and their contents

References

1) http://www.ubuntugeek.com/install-songbird-music-player-in-ubuntu.html

2) http://publicsvn.songbirdnest.com/wiki/SettingUpGStreamer

Ease the Transition To Ubuntu With a Cheat Sheet (on Lifehacker)

Here's a link to a Lifehacker story that includes a a pdf Cheat Sheet with some Ubuntu Linux commands that may make the switch from Windows a little easier.

Wii Play - A Don't Buy

I recently picked up Wii Play for the Nintendo Wii. I was talked in to by the guy behind the counter at GameStop. I needed a second Wii Remote ($40.00), and Wii Play ($50.00) comes with a Wii Remote and few games, so why not spend ten more dollars?

Here's why: Wii Play is terrible. The games aren't fun, and there's no replay value. Wii Play is meant to be a tutorial on how to use the Wii Remote, so if you've already been playing a while, there's no need to play this game. Even if you haven't played at all, the controls are simple to figure out, and most games have there own tutorials built in.

If you find yourself in my position, just get the Wii-mote, and save your $10.00.

Offline Update for Windows XP

Hise Security's Offline Update was recently featured on an episode of Security Now. Offline Update is a solution to a common problem.

To often I've installed a fresh copy of Windows XP on a workstation only to spend hours downloading and installing necessary updates and security patches. Offline Update allows you to create a CD containing all the updates and security patches necessary to get Windows XP current. Of course you'll need a computer (with a CD Burner) connected to the Internet, but this is all you'll need. Offline Update features a simple interface (built with AutoIt) that allows you to select the language you want, and then it does the rest for you, downloading the patches and writing them to a disc.

If you want to try Offline Update you can download it here.

Human Anatomy Refresher

Human Anatomy Online, presented by MyHealthScore.com, is an online tutorial that walks the user thought the nine body systems: skeletal, digestive, muscular, lymphatic, endocrine, nervous, cardiovascular, reproductive, and urinary. This tutorial is a great resource for health care students.

The Heart

Interested in learning about the human heart. Your Practice Online has a 3D presentation detailing the structure and function of the heart. The presentation covers the external and internal structures of the heart. This is a valuable resource for students or anyone interested in how our heart functions.

Computer Maintenance - A Few Steps To Speed Up Your Computer's Performance

In my last note, Healthy Computing, I gave some advice on how to keep your computer from getting bogged down with viruses, worms, and spyware. In this note I'll try to explain how to clean your computer if it's already infected. Keep in mind these suggestions are not guaranteed to work, and should only be performed if you are comfortable making some system level changes to your pc. And again, these tips only apply to Windows pc's, preferably Windows XP Service Pack 2.

The following are some steps you can take if you've noticed a decline in your pc's performance:

Prevent Unnecessary Software from Starting: When your computer starts up, so does a number of other software, some necessary, some useful, and some harmful to your systems performance. There's an easy way to prevent the harmful software from starting with your computer, what's difficult is knowing the difference between the useful and the harmful software.

To prevent unnecessary software from starting with your computer you'll want to run the System Configuration Utility, to do this click the [Start] and [Run...] buttons, in the Open: text box, type 'msconfig', and press the {Enter} key. The System Configuration Utility window will appear, click on the last tab, [Startup]. In the Startup tab you are presented with a list of software that starts with your computer. To prevent software from starting when your computer does, simply remove the check-mark in front of the software that you don't want to be started with your computer. Software that you'll want to keep selected is anything related to your anti-virus application, if you are running AVG Anti-virus the startup item will be listed as avgcc, anything related to the Operating System, or anything related to device drivers.

To know what purpose the software serves, and determine whether or not to disable it, you can Google the name of each startup item. This can be a lengthy process, but if you've done this correctly, after a reboot you should notice an increase in your computer's performance.

Remove Unnecessary Programs: Another important step you can take to increase your computers performance is to uninstall any unused, or unnecessary software. To do this open the Add or Remove Programs applet from the Control Panel, look though the list of currently installed programs and remove any software that you no longer use. A reboot is recommend after this step as well.

Remove Spyware: Spyware inhibits your systems performance by collecting data about you and your computer use habits, and sending this data back to the source of the spyware. To remove spyware from your computer you should install and run Lavasoft's Ad-Aware Free (available here: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ ). Make sure Ad-Aware is up-to-date. To do this click the the [Update] button form the Status page of Ad-Aware. Once you are confident that Ad-Aware is at the current version, click the [Scan Now] button. From the Scan page, make sure that [Smart Scan] is selected, then click the [Scan] button. Once the Smart Scan is complete, place a check-mark in front of each item in the Critical Objects list and the Privacy Objects list, then click the [Remove] button. After all Critical and Privacy objects have been removed, click the [Finish] button. Another reboot, and you should notice an increase in your system's performance.

If you follow these steps correctly, you should notice increased performance from your computer. Remember, the above tips are not guaranteed to correct every problem with your pc, and it's possible that even after completing these steps your computer's performance will not change. Please be careful when performing these steps, most importantly the first one, because disabling a required service could result in your computer not starting at all.

Feel free to ask questions are offer any comments in the comments section. What software do you typically remove from a computer to increase performance? (Answer in the comments section.)

(Disclaimer: Use the above tips at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage you may do to your computer.)

Published on Facebook 08/13/2007