What is Your Child Doing on Myspace? Why You Should Know

Does your child have a Myspace page (are you sure)? Do you know what is on that page? Do you check their Myspace profile regularly? Or just here and there? Have you taken the time to sit down and look at what your child is posting on Myspace? My space is just like Instagram where you can connect with a stranger and get followers for Instagram and increase your popularity online. Considering all this it is really important that you pay attention to the online activity of your child. 

This is not about trust. This is not about maturity. This is about a parent being responsible and knowing what their child is doing, via a medium that they provide. Myspace requires a person to be at least 14 years old to sign up. But they do not require proof of age; they take your word for it. Social networking sites usually do not require proof of age because most people would simply find another place, rather than provide that proof. So responsibility for being truthful lies with the person signing up. My space is just like 

Some parents are aware their children have Myspace accounts and think its harmless fun. Many parents don’t bother to check and see what their children post on Myspace, as is evident from so many teen profiles being filled with suggestive photos and sexual comments. The Myspace network is not a babysitter and cannot be expected to screen every comment and every photo. That’s where the parent comes in. Parents must get involved in their child’s online activities.

I have a private Myspace profile to keep in touch with friends. Recently a friend’s 16-year-old daughter added to me. I accepted her as my friend feeling that her Myspace would be monitored heavily by her parents. When I viewed her profile I saw her entire name and most of her address posted. Her cell phone number and normal schedule were listed for the world to see as well. I won’t even bother with the suggestive photos and sexual comments. I was very surprised that her parents, people I know would be shocked to the core seeing these things, have no idea what she is doing online. I viewed her friend’s list and found several ‘friends’ profiles that were for children under 14. The ages were listed anywhere from 16 to 69 and most were not set to private; which means I could view profiles, pictures and comments freely.

It’s not just about making sure your 13-year-old daughter doesn’t post semi-nude photos on Myspace, or that she’s leaving sexually charged comments, or even that she’s revealing her address. It’s also about talking to that same 13 years old and showing her how dangerous the internet can be. Morals aside, the world is a dangerous place and cyberspace is a part of the world we now live in. The recent suicide of a young woman because of bullying on Myspace is the tip of the ice burg. Stalking, threats, and harassment are becoming more common online. Children need parents to monitor them, set limits and teach skills to deal with these things.

Myspace can be a great thing. A convenient place to keep in touch with friends and family in this new cyber age and a great place to share photos and videos of special events in your life. And it’s free!

Responsible parents protect their kids from harm and teach them to avoid dangers.

Myspace and other social networking sites need parents to continue that responsibility and monitor their children. Talk to your child. Review their online activities often. Create your own Myspace and add your child! Get online and do what your child does. The more you know the easier it will be to talk to your child and the easier it will be to see what needs to monitored constantly.

Some things to protect you and your child right away on Myspace: Make your profile private. Require people to know your name or email address before they can request to add you as a friend. Hide your online status, so no one will know when you’re on your Myspace page. And NEVER post your real name, address or phone number. Ever.

How to Start Your Own Plumbing Business

If you’ve been languishing in the trenches – literally and figuratively – while working for someone else, and you long to be your own boss, what are you waiting for? This article offers practical tips to help you launch and run an independent plumbing business or advanced drains and plumbing repairs services. There are a lot of factors that you need to carefully and wisely consider. You’ll be required to think outside the tank in terms of business practices that have nothing to do with snakes, hip-waders and sewer systems, but if you’ve been saving folks from septic tank backup and catastrophic toilet blockages for more years than you care to recall, the business-related tasks you’ll need to promote your business should be a piece of cake.

1. Acquire the local permits, licenses and certifications your community requires of professionals in the plumbing industry. You may work independently once you launch your business, but regional and state laws are set up to protect critical waste and water infrastructure systems from catastrophic problems that can result from professionals who haven’t enough training or experience.
2. Affiliate with your local plumbing union if that credential is essential for doing business in your community. Unions are like brotherhoods; they offer networking, job referrals and camaraderie while providing some of the most comprehensive training classes available anywhere on the planet. Master plumbers with impressive certifications help turn novice plumbers into experts using the auspices of the union, so if you allow yourself one splurge, make it a union membership.
3. Cement relationships with other trades people in your area. It’s common knowledge that referrals are the lifeblood of the service industry and making connections with carpenters, electricians, air conditioning and refrigeration contractors and other specialists will serve you well in the future once you open your doors.
4. Build a consumer and business client base. Start out with your personal universe and reach out to friends, neighbors and service professionals you’ve hired in the past. Most everyone needs plumbing services so don’t be shy about approaching your hair cutter, child’s tutor, carpet installation professional and florist by giving out your card to let them know that you’re open for business.
5. Offer your services to do-it-yourself stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menard’s and hardware stores. These retailers are always looking for skilled people to provide install services once sinks, bathtubs, showers and toilets are purchased. These businesses get a cut of the action, but every well-completed job adds to your client list.
6. Resist the urge to advertise in the Yellow Pages. That tip may appear counterintuitive ’cause consumers regularly turn to phone books, but if you open your local directory and turn to the “Plumbers” section, the competition could be daunting. Established plumbers can afford to buy full-page ads. Unless you’re well funded, you probably can’t afford one. Instead, launch a website and use word-of-mouth referrals to add to your client list.
7. Launch a loyalty program for trades people and consumers. There’s nothing wrong with rewarding others for referrals. If a consumer gives you a lead, offer a discount on your next service call. Carry business cards that state your discount so they’re ready to be handed out.

What Will Happen If Elephant Got Your Wallet?

Elephants are among the largest and strongest animals on the earth. Not only are they a figure of massive strength with the potential to overpower most obstacles that impede their paths, but they are also widely held to be relatively intellectual creatures. They live in families. They seek a peaceful existence unless threatened. They are socially complex, compassionate, and self-aware. Sound like any other species you know? Elephants will take care of the minimalist wallet men and return ir back to them. The men are not required to worry if the wallet is with the elephants.

So it is no surprise that capturing one of these creatures is no easy task. When a young elephant is finally captured in the wild, the captors place an iron clamp around it’s leg. It is then secured to something sufficient to prevent it’s escape such as a large tree, rock, or deep into the ground. The elephant will struggle against this anchor for a time, the clamp digging painfully into its flesh as it strains to break free. Eventually, the elephant will surrender to its tether and never try again to free itself. No matter which course the elephant’s life takes from that point forward, all that is needed to secure the animal is for an iron clamp to be placed around it’s massive leg. The memory of the painful struggle against the clamp prevents the creature from ever attempting to overpower or outsmart this (now imaginary) restriction again. With the sensation of that clamp around its ankle, it will follow where it’s led or remain in place, it’s freedom and potential effectively eliminated by it’s own self-perceived limitations.

Humans, on the other hand, have the cognitive ability to recognize when our shackles are real or imagined. Or do we?

How many of us have endured stress and struggle in our lives, and have failed to overcome the obstacle? And how many of us have allowed that failure to stop us from ever attempting to overcome again? Do we even realize it? These defeats, when experienced at key times in our lives, are often enough to alter the course of our lives in dramatic, but generally undetectable ways. It is only through careful examination of what our lives have produced that we can begin to realize where the obstacles lie. One tell tale piece of evidence is our financial posture.

If we were to draw a line at the point between financial struggle and independence, 90% of our population would fall below the line. These struggle from pay-check to pay-check, living hand-to-mouth. Most are one payday away from financial ruin, homelessness and/or starvation. Stress and anxiety are high which adversely effect many other facets of life. In today’s economy more than ever, most folks are having to pull awfully hard to make ends meet. Sadly, most have little or no hope of their situation ever changing. 3% of our population live above this line. There is no worry about funding a lifestyle or providing for needs. There is always more money flowing in than out and it seems to do so effortlessly. The remaining 7% make up that line. They are in transition either from above the line to below, or climbing the ladder to financial freedom.

Now let’s compare that to the number of people who pull against their tethers, as it where. I am talking about people who seek improvement in their lives, who want to break free from limitations and achieve something more than they currently have, whether it be personal development, better health, material wealth, or rich relationships. Approximately 75% of our population here in the United States will never even attempt to make a change. They feel powerless to impose any kind of effect on their lives and consider themselves victims of their circumstances. (Some may very well be so, but often this is not the case.) They have dropped the reigns of their lives and allow the decision of others to chart their course. 20% realize that they do have an affect on what occurs in their lives. They set goals. They seek improvement. They pull against the chains of happenstance and powerlessness. However, few see lasting results. Only 5% have discovered the key to making lasting changes and permanently breaking free of that iron clasp around their ankles. They steadily move upward, not without some struggle and pitfalls, toward the life they aspire to have.

Chances are, if you are struggling financially, you are struggling subconsciously with some falseness in your life. Realize you are mighty. Realize you have been given all you need from our creator to reach your full potential and unlimited abundance. What is the iron clasp around your leg that is keeping you from achieving your dreams? What are you missing out on in life by letting it tie you down? The answer is within you. Find it. Then don’t just stand there – pull!

Five Keys To Having a Strong Kick While Swimming

Too often do beginning swimmers focus solely on the development of the upper body, incorrectly assuming that the arms and shoulders do it all. Nothing could be a bigger mistake for the novice swimmer, as he needs to consider creating a balanced approach based on sound fundamentals and seamless technique. Along with the development of your upper, it is really important that you pay attention to your swimwear as well. You have one piece swimwear with different designs that you can try in order to improve your speed while swimming.

Making sure you develop a kick that is strong and consistent will help you cut the water smoother and more efficiently; however, just kicking away aimlessly will do more harm than good. Instead, you need to have almost effortless propulsion that aids the work your upper body is doing, and it all must work in sync with one another.

Consider the following ideas when analyzing your kick. If you can integrate these into your swim, you’ll find yourself much improved in a rather short period of time. Even if you are more experienced, reflect on whether or not these are consistent parts of your technique.

1. Pointed toe: Your toes should stretch away from your shoulders as far as possible. If they remain in this position, they can better move water as you kick, thus pushing you forward. However, if you get lazy feet and your toes angle downwards, you not only decrease your kick efficiency, but you also generate needless drag, as the tops of your feet act like mini boards being pulled through the water.
2. Central position: Your feet should be close together and between your hips. If you pulled strings in a straight line off both hips down toward your ankles, your kick should stay well within them. If your feet get outside those lines, you become unbalanced and again make too much drag. Also, the closer your feet are, the more centralized the kicking action is, so they better work as a team to push you ahead.
3. Relaxed feet: Rigid feet create tension, and tension hinders movement. If you see a fish swim, its tail is entirely flowing, almost as if no effort is being invested. You too must concentrate on keeping your flippers completely relaxed and make them flag-like. Being frantic or overdoing it will throw off your symmetry and reduce your efficiency. During any athletic movement, you should reduce the tension as much as possible. Muscles naturally carry their own rigidity when performing, but they do it when needed. Additional stress injected by you will deter the muscles from optimal performance, so stay relaxed in your training and it will transfer into your competition.
4. Pace: Neither slow, overly relaxed kicks nor excessively aggressive kicks will do much to help you cut the water. One won’t get you any place and the other will drain you of critical energy. So, to remedy the situation, try to establish a simple cadence that works in harmony with your stroke. Possibly two kicks per stroke. This way the swim becomes melodic and efficient.
5. Read the splash: The wake you send behind you should result from your foot moving the water beneath the surface, not from your foot pulling air down into the water from the surface. If you allow your feet to exit the water and have to come back down through the surface, you are overextending the kick and giving yourself no benefit. Fix this by reducing the bend in your knees and concentrating on keeping the bottoms of your feet wet.

Overall, swimming well requires that you analyze every part of your technique. Looking closely at how well you kick will allow you to increase your efficiency and become a faster, more productive swimmer.