Tyrone

As often seems the case, less developed countries seem to receive the bulk of the impact when it comes to negative world developments. The third world and climate modification is no different.

Third World and Climate modification

By definition, climate modification impacts the globe as a whole. That being said, is it possible to predict specific results in certain regions of the world? While there is no definitive answer, the impact on third world countries in Asia and Africa has been the subject of much discussion. Lets take a look.

Africa is considered a third world continent because a vast majority of the African countries have underdeveloped economies and living standards. Unfortunately, Africa is also believed to be one of the most heavily impacted areas when it comes to climate modification. More than half the people in Africa live in rural areas with agricultural economies. These communities rely heavily on naturally occurring rain resources, to wit, planned irrigation is minimal. This, of course, results in the horrific famines we see on television. Climate modification is predicted to devastate Africa because it is believed the greenhouse effect will reduce the amount of rain received on the continent. As the Sahara Desert expands, less land will be available for farming and the problem will grow worse. Malnutrition from famines will lead to weak immune systems and disease will be prevalent. If the predictions are accurate, Africa could become a living nightmare.

Climate modification could devastate Asia as well. You might be surprised to learn that over 60 percent of the human population lives in greater Asia. This mass of humanity has stretched agricultural and health resources to the maximum. To top it off, large population centers sit right on the coastline in flat areas only a few feet above sea level.

If climate modification trends continue, we will be saying goodbye to large chunks of Asia. Cities such as Jakarta, Tokyo and Bangkok sit at sea level. If the melting polar caps result in a three foot rise in sea levels as predicted, these cities will be underwater. Countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh are expected to lose 37,000 square miles of coastline under a similar situation. Over 34 million people will suddenly have to move to already congested population centers. Economies, health care and food supplies will undoubtedly reach critical levels.

Is there any good news when discussing the third world and climate modification? Yes. The first step is to put regulations in place that reduce greenhouse gases. Second, proactive planning must be undertaken to account for these potential effects of third world climate modification.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and third world and global warming.

So much depends on choosing the correct mark of punctuation at the correct time. Each little period, each hyphen, each dash conveys meaning to the reader. And when the conventions of punctuation are ignored, readers tend to become confused. As I teach every single one of my clients, the point of all business writing is clarity. If a document-whether email, letter, memo, or report-isnt clear, no business is going to get done. Period.

Writers have been confused by the comma for ages. Either they overuse commas or underuse them. Either way, using too many or too few can cause confusion. In particular, confusion often occurs with whether to use commas after introductory phrases and whether to use commas when listing a series of items. Read on for answers to both questions.

Commas after introductory phrases

The way we use punctuation over time influences how meaning is applied to those marks of punctuation. The comma causes a tremendous amount of controversy in writing and carries an enormous amount of weight. Look, for example, at the sentence below: She sat in a caf drinking coffee, wearing clogs and a scarf upon her head.

What do you see? No, really; what do you SEE? Do you see a woman with clogs on her head along with a scarf? Thats exactly what you should see. Based on the punctuation (and wording) the image is that of a woman with shoes on her head. This sentence can be made clearer simply by changing the punctuation and moving the and: She sat in a caf drinking coffee and wearing clogs, a scarf upon her head.

How about leaving a comma out? Does meaning become unclear without a comma? Consider this: When Margaret ate pizza dripped from her chin.

Not a very pretty sight, eh? Add a comma, and youll know what was dripping from her chin (though what she was actually eating is still unclear): When Margaret ate, pizza dripped from her chin.

Commas in series

What about using the comma when listing items in series? Do you put the comma before the and or do you leave it out? Well be preparing the budget, writing the proposal, and presenting the data at the conference.

If you put it in, you are a fan of the serial comma right along with me! If you left it out because you remember being told the and replaced the comma, then you might be struggling with what Im going to say next: the serial comma helps to clarify information for the reader. When the serial comma is used, the reader can identify distinct entities in sentences easier. Hold on! No rebellion just yet. Let me give you an example where the serial comma can help information become clear: My favorite meals are macaroni cheese and crackers peanut butter jelly and toast and fruit.

Based on what you see here, how many foods do I like? Five? Three? Depends on where the commas are. Take a look:

My favorite meals are macaroni, cheese and crackers, peanut butter, jelly and toast, and fruit. (5)

My favorite meals are macaroni, cheese and crackers, peanut butter, jelly, and toast and fruit. (5)

My favorite meals are macaroni, cheese, and crackers; peanut butter, jelly, and toast; and fruit. (3)

Without the comma distinctly separating each of the entities in the series, the reader is left to decide on the combinations of foods that make up the meal. Putting the commas in-especially the serial comma-helps the reader know in what combinations I like them.

Do you notice the semicolons in the last example? The rule is when an item in a series already contains a comma, use semicolons to distinctly separate the items.

Some folks who dont like the serial comma will say that in the above examples they agree with using it to clarify entities; however, they will opt not to use it when the meaning might appear transparent. Heres a caution for you: readers pick up patterns in punctuation very quickly. If the patterns are consistent, they have very little problem getting meaning. But if the patterns vary, they can quickly become confused and begin to wonder what the various uses are and how they should interpret the data.

Our goal, as I mentioned at the start of this article, is complete clarity for our readers. Clarity overcomes misunderstandings and helps to establish our credibility as authors. Our readers trust us and will cooperate with us to the degree that we have credibility with them. If were inconsistent, our credibility is damaged; then they may not be so willing to work with us. So much depends upon the comma...

About the Author:

Dr. Tracy Peterson Turner works with organizations that want to turn their managers into leaders and with leaders who want to get their messages heard. She is an expert in both written and verbal communication and conducts presentations and workshops to help individuals and corporations meet their communication goals.

Visit Tracy on the web at http://www.Mgr-Impact.com. Email her at Tracy@Mgr-Impact.com

Whether you as a teacher realize it or not, you are the best model of behavior in your classroom. A large part of your proactive behavior plans should include your own behavior you demonstrate to the students every day.

You must set expectations for your students, demonstrate the behaviors, and be vigilant to correct the kids. Don't waver on your expectations; inconsistencies will only confuse the students and cause you more problems.

If you stay calm, collected, and in control, your students will exhibit the same behaviors. The same is true about enthusiasm; if you are excited about your lesson and truly believe in its importance, the kids will respond in kind. Conversely, the kids will know when you are tired, bored, don't want to be there, or are 'winging it.'

If you are late to class, or don't start on time, the kids will pick up on it and be more likely to do the same. The same is true about the way you dress, the way you act, the language you use, and your 'body language'.

If you want your students working from 'coast to coast', or from bell to bell, you need to set the expectation of activity all hour. Start with a warm up, and ensure the kids are doing it. Keep them busy on activities with transitions between each. Don't let there be any down time. Work them to the end of the period, and have them pack up when you say so, not whenever they want to.

If you want your students to quietly read in class, but you are spending that time working on other things, it sends the message that you don't value the activity personally. Modeling the skill for the kids reinforces your belief that it is important. It shows you as a lifelong learner who values the skills you're teaching them.

The same is true for writing, or labs, or math problems. Students rarely have the chance to see real people performing schoolwork - for many, the only examples (and role models) are their classmates. Work along with your students.

Now this doesn't mean you have to do this the entire time. You must also supervise, coach, monitor, and actively support their learning. But you can spend at least a few minutes 'at their level'.

Be a positive role model for your students. Don't just explain and show the behavior; be the example day in and day out.

For this article, and more on teaching and education, be sure to check out our website =>http://www.starteaching.com

Frank Holes, Jr. is the editor of the StarTeaching website and the bi-monthly newsletter, Features for Teachers. Check out our latest issue at: http://www.starteaching.com/Features_for_Teachers_2feb2.htm

You can contact Frank at: editor@starteaching.com

Applying to Oxbridge is not similar to applying to other universities in the UK for a number of reasons. These reasons have been discussed at various phases below:

Phase One: Making Your First Decisions

You might have a thousand dreams about doing your dream course in the college of your liking. But this alone wont help you get through. Application to Oxbridge needs a little bit of additional effort when compared to the other universities in the UK. In the first place, you need to perform a meticulous planning and a perfect mapping of your objectives and destination.

Now that you have started planning, you now need to decide on two factors: the exact course that you would like to apply for and your preferred college where you would like to take up this course. You must be aware of the fact that both the Oxford and the Cambridge universities operate on the collegiate system. Though you still belong to the university, your academic life will be revolving around the college to which you belong.

If you have all this, you can be sure that you are all set to apply to one of the two greatest universities in the world. Remember that you will not be able to apply to both the Oxford and the Cambridge universities in the same year. It is a tough decision to make at this point.

Phase Two: The Form Filling Process

There is a chance that you can afford to forget your birthday, but you should not forget the 15th of October, which apparently happens to be the last date of submission of your application forms.

• UCAS Forms: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service forms need to be filled up and submitted to the university office by the 15th of October. The UCAS form that you fill up for Oxbridge is pretty similar to those forms that you use to apply to other universities in the UK. However, you may have to fill up an additional column for your college of preference for the Oxbridge UCAS forms. You need to do this because Oxbridge follows a collegiate system whereas most of the other universities in the UK do not.

You also need to check and fill up forms for external tests that you might need to undertake such as the Biomedical Admissions Test [BMAT] or the National Admissions Test for Law [LNAT], in case you decide to take up one of these courses. The application forms for these tests need to be submitted along with your UCAS forms on or before the 15th of October.

• Oxbridge Forms: Both the Oxford and the Cambridge universities have their own set of application forms that you need to fill up. The deadline for filling up of these forms is again the 15th of October. While the Oxford application forms are referred to as the OAF, the Cambridge forms are referred to as the CAF.

The filling up of the CAF is usually considered more tedious and daunting than the OAF. Both the CAF and the OAF will ask for the same information as that which had been asked for in your UCAS form. Both these forms will have additional sections where you can provide more information about yourself. Though not known to many, you can use these sections to state your selling points.

Phase Three: Get Ready For the Interviews

Interviews at Oxbridge are an integral part of the selection process for the various courses. The purpose of these interviews is to adjudge the ability of a student and to test on his intentions of taking up the course seriously. The idea is to give a fair chance to all the applicants.

Your personal statements play a very vital role in these interviews. The personal statements can be used as a basis for all the questions put forward in the interview. At times, the interviewer screens the personal statement during the interview process to see if you own every word in it. Sometimes, personal statements are scrutinised after the interview. Hence, it is essential that your personal statement is your very own and is highly focussed.

Phase Four: The Celebration

If you really deserve to be there, you will receive your offer letters around Christmas. Consider it as Santas gift to you. Good luck!

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are a UK or Overseas student applying for a place in a UK University, to stand out from the thousands of others, it is essential to have striking Personal Statement for more information and professional guidance, see http://www.personal-statement.co.uk

Since you came to this page you are probably suffering from acid reflux and heartburn and want to stop it now. It is not an easy task but there is a help to it. Definitely you won't be able to stop it in a moment but you can reduce it a big time by using wedge pillows (it can be also referred as prop up pillow). These pillows work by elevating the head and neck slightly so the stomach's gastric contents have to fight gravity to reach the esophagus, which is where the discomfort is felt.

Acid reflux wedge pillow is an innovative sleep solution. It was scientifically designed just to help acid reflux sufferers. It relieves acid reflux by elevating your head, shoulders and upper body as doctors recommend. It helps you to sleep in a natural position for controlling heartburn, respiratory problems and digestion ailments. The wedge I am describing here is crafted using two layers of plush foam to help you sleep soundly. It also has an incline of 6 inches which is selected to provide you with the best comfort and perfect elevation. The wedge's pillow top quilted cover can be removed for easy cleaning.

I have recently read a published paper from Dr. Andrew H. Soll and Dr. Ronnie Fass "Gastroesophageal Reflux: Practical Management of a Common, Challenging Disorder". In this paper they recommend the use of positional therapy to treat mild to moderate nighttime heartburn symptoms. They claim that "elevating the head of the bed is as effective as H2RA therapy in reducing nighttime reflux." When you are sleeping on the incline your body is in position when it is very difficult for acid to get into your esophagus and hurt it. The only case when acid can get there is if you have a severe acid reflux which also occurs in standing or sitting position. According to another study acid reflux patients can see up to 67% improvement in the speed of esophagus clearance from acid following a heartburn episode.

There is a simple solution which you can start using today even without wedge pillow. Just elevate head of your bed. It helps heartburn with some success but sleep comfort will decrease since it causes you to move towards the foot of the bed or end up sideways on your mattress. And you probably don't even want to think about it when you are not sleeping alone. Your partner won't like to sleep in the same position. That is why wedge pillow is the best help for you.

It was hard for me to believe that wedge pillow would work that well. But it was a life saver for me. Even though I don't need it anymore (since I cured my nighttime heartburn) - I still have it in my storage - just in case.

For more information on wedge pillows please visit wedge pillow pages at my site about heartburn or read my heartburn blog