Jan
21
Claims for slip and fall accidents are made on small claims courts across the United States. By the name itself, small amounts of money are usually involved in making settlements for the said injuries. Compensation for slip and fall accidents vary in different states but the maximum is usually USD 5,000.
It is advisable to lodge your claim for slip and fall accidents yourself unless you are involved in complicated cases. If this is the case, get the help of an Chicago personal injury attorney, who will negotiate for you and whom you will pay about 10% to 25% of your total compensation. There are times when personal lawyers could ask for as much as 40% of your total claim, making it better to ask for the claim yourself.
Personal injuries such as slip and fall accidents are not really life threatening and do not demand long-term care and recovery. In case you sustain an injury after a slip and fall accident, it is best to file a contact a Chicago personal injury attorney and file a lawsuit on the very same day or the day you notice the harm incurred right away.
Make sure that your case is covered by the statutes and limitations of the small claims court you wish to go to, as well as the deadline it sets. Timing is an important factor considered by small claims courts giving out compensation for slip and fall accidents.
Start by contacting your Chicago personal injury attorney then writing a detailed demand letter, which includes the date of the accident and how it happened. Justify the cost of your claim by including medical bills, your lost income, and property damage. Emotional damage, which requires a special formula, could also be included. Once everything is ready, you may contact the local court clerk and set up a hearing with the judge.
Dec
24
Do I Have to Go to College?
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So you`re nearing the end of your high school years, and you can`t wait for summer vacation. School is over, finally. In fact, you`re in no rush to go back…even if that means not enrolling in fall semester of college with your friends.
Many students who are about to graduate from High school or get a G.E.D. wonder…what`s next? Maybe school isn`t for them…maybe they don`t know where to apply, or maybe they`ll wait until they figure out what they`re friends are doing. Whatever the case, there are some things one should consider before deciding where to apply to college, if at all.
First…what interests you? I don`t mean movies and basketball. I mean, are you interested in starting a career within the next five years, in travelling, in working for the community, in starting a family within the next ten years? Find what interests you and what goals you have in life. Think about it, take your time, and write stuff down.
Studying aint my thing
Now I know many people feel this way, but the truth is that if you are going to make an honest living in this world, chances are that sooner or later you are going to have to study. This doesn`t mean that you have to get started on your college application. Some people may choose to take a year off if they feel they need the time to re-evaluate what it is they want. Maybe you would like to work full time for a year before you resume studying. You should never take more than one year off though. You`ll be wasting time and get stuck in a position you never wanted to be in the first place…at a dead end job. Make sure you don`t get into trouble by committing a stupid mistake (such as a misdemeanor or worse).
Wish I could, but I can`t
You just got pregnant. An unexpected tragedy has hit you or a loved one. You just got thrown in jail. These things happen. Its an unfortunate fact of life that things don`t always happen when we want them to. You have to be strong enough and smart enough to fight through this adversity an remember that you can still live a life thats fully on track. You might be unable to go to the dream college or whatever, but you do have options. An associates degree at the community college is probably your best bet. Don`t worry about time…just plan for at least a couple of courses per semester, and dedicate yourself to getting ahead. To pay for schooling might sound bad, but associates degrees can be gotten cheap and you will earn TONS more than if you just have a G.E.D. or diploma.
Smart alternatives
Maybe you want to start your own business and work for yourself. You know what good or service you`re going to provide (manicures, hair cuts, tutoring service, selling something) you have a good eye for business, are a good speaker, motivated…you have all of the intangibles. However, being a natural doesn`t mean you`re ready to play in the big leagues. Classes in management and business law will help, or whatever trade it is you want to learn. Community colleges are filled with courses you can take to get an edge on the competition and not make simple mistakes that will cost you time and money.
Military
If you are short on cash but want to go to school and are having trouble getting scholarships, you might want to consider joining the military. They offer outstanding benefits, pay for schooling, and offer some of the most exciting educational opportunities in the U.S. People who love travelling might also want to look at this option. I have friends who have visited Europe and Japan for free. What`s best is that you`d be serving your country in the process.
You`re not alone if you`re not going to a university this upcoming fall. Feel happy for friends that are, and make sure that you are getting your life on track at your pace. As long as you don`t set yourself back and stay out of trouble, you should be fine in the long run.
Vincent St. James
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vincent_St._James
Dec
24
If we want to heal the planet then we need to begin working with the positive forces that already exist. Moving away from the current unsustainable guiding principles of strategy or growth, towards health, personal and global isn
Dec
24
Paralegal Schools Vs. Law School
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Deciding whether to attend paralegal school or law school is not an easy task. Both have significant pros and cons, making the decision a challenging one. If you are trying to decide between these two career paths, here is some valuable information you can use to help make your decision.
Pros of Pursuing a Paralegal Career
Paralegal school is much more affordable than law school. In fact, many paralegals can start their careers with just three months of paralegal-specific training, provided they have the right college education behind them. Most paralegals start working with little school debt other than the college loans that most people have, in comparison to lawyers who graduate law school with tremendous amounts of debt, usually pushing the six-figure mark.
Paralegals do not have to pass a school entrance exam. Those who take the LSAT and do not receive high enough marks to enter law school often have no choice but to enter the paralegal program, unless they want to continue taking the LSAT in order to improve their marks.
Paralegals also have less stress in the field than lawyers. Since they must work under an attorney or lawyer, paralegals answer to someone other than themselves for their actions. Also, working in law requires long hours. Paralegals are usually able to get overtime pay. This is not the case for lawyers.
Cons of a Paralegal Profession
Pursuing paralegal school when you qualify for law school limits your advancement opportunities. There is only so far you can go in the system as a paralegal. The highest you can earn in most markets is $90,000 a year.
Some people feel that the tasks assigned to paralegals are mundane and become routine over time. This eliminates some stress, but also may eliminate the challenge of the job. Paralegals usually operate in a shared office environment, which some may view as a con to the job.
Pros to Attending Law School
The main two benefits to attending law school are unlimited career growth potential and the fact that a good lawyer has unlimited earning potential. If you are successful as a lawyer, you can grow in your profession and pursue a broad range of specialties. If you start your own firm, you will not be limited by the direction others wish you to pursue.
A successful lawyer has a lot of perks. Secretarial support and the help of paralegals are all benefits enjoyed by leading lawyers. Lawyers typically work out of private offices and enjoy a diverse assortment of tasks throughout the day.
Cons of Law School
The main drawback to law school for many people is the tremendous cost. If your LSAT scores are high enough, you may be able to get aid. However, most people end up graduating from law school with a lot of debt.
The other drawback is all of the testing you will have to do. First, you will need high enough LSAT scores to qualify for a law school program. Once you graduate, you will have to pass the bar exam in order to become a lawyer. It is entirely possible for a student to go all the way through law school and fail to pass the bar exam, which means that a career as a lawyer is impossible, in spite of the money spent on school.
So which career path should you pursue? Only you can answer that question. If you desire to have unlimited income potential and feel you have the knowledge and resources to pass the rigorous testing required for law school, then pursue that option. If, however, you wish to take the safe route, a career as a paralegal may be the best option. You now know the benefits and risks of each career, so you can make a more informed decision.
Dec
23
Professors - Using Instructor-Directed Learning Methods - One End of a Continuum
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Over time, you will (I hope) develop a teaching style that is not only effective with students but also personally rewarding to you. Most college professors, early in their teaching experience, teach as they were taught. Unfortunately, these models and techniques may not be effective with some of your students, particularly the ones who aren`t just like you. Helping all students achieve learning success requires you to understand your own philosophical base. It also requires you to become familiar with various teaching methods built on sound principles, as well as to understand how students perceive and process the information flow that you create within your classroom.
You can think about various teaching and learning methods as being along a continuum. At one end of the continuum are instructor-directed learning methods at the other are student-driven learning methods. The strength of instructor-directed teaching methods lies in their potential to provide students with structure, organization, and sequence. They do have their weaknesses, too, of course (Note: there is no perfect method or strategy!) Deciding which methods to use will depend on your determination of the most effective way to achieve a particular learning objective through your instruction.
As you begin to conceptualize how you will approach your teaching, you will likely reflect on your own student experiences. You may have had deeply traditional professors who, in a misguided effort to stress their high standards, boasted how few students ever earned A`s in their class. Such a boast indicates a paradigm in which the professor is the sole intellectual resource in the classroom and bears the entire burden of imparting knowledge to students - those who were characterized by Professor Kingsfield of in the 1973 movie The Paper Chase as having “minds of mush.” Teaching, in this paradigm, entails having students avail themselves of the professor`s perception of the course material, integrate that perception into the formulation of an “enlightened” view, and then regurgitate that view in carefully crafted essays - or else!
The purpose of this article is not to denigrate any particular position on teaching. However, those who are most knowledgeable about teaching and learning have concluded that employing the traditional paradigm as a primary strategy is untenable in the contemporary environment. This conclusion is based on (1) a change in the generational conditioning of those who are now college professors, (2) an increased focus on accountability for what happens in the classroom, and most importantly, (3) new research findings about how human beings learn.
An important argument for a contemporary paradigm is that recent brain research has fundamentally changed what we know about how students learn: the student-as-receptacle model does not match any of the up-to-date research (Ratey, 2001; Restak, 2001). The healthy human brain has a virtually inexhaustible capacity to learn - to detect patterns, to remember, to self-correct from experience, and to create. Achieving the learning outcomes that you have established for your courses requires an ongoing understanding of, and attendance to, students` learning systems and styles.
A strong argument for employing strategic teaching is that students come to colleges and universities to work with professors who are on the cutting edge in their fields. Isn`t it also critical that professors be on the cutting edge in fostering student learning?
I`ll assume that you believe that you are accountable for the student learning that occurs as a result of your teaching, in other words, that student learning is paramount to your role as a professor. You try to make every decision about how you teach and what you teach fit with the ultimate goal of maximizing learning in all of your students. If so, then when you strategically choose to use instructor-directed teaching and learning methods, you are deciding that, in order to reach a certain that goal, you will be the director, creator, supervisor, and manager of the learning experiences. You must be cognizant of the focus and the level of engagement, both on your part and the part of your students.
Teaching and learning situations can be divided into three different dimensions: (1) who is directing the teaching/learning experience, (2) who is engaged in teaching/learning experience, and (3) how deep the level of engagement is. As with any model, these dimensions are not absolute, but they can serve as a guide for thinking about the various teaching and learning strategies you use.
Strategic professors learn to think of themselves as masters of their craft. Not unlike a master cabinetmaker or stonemason, professors must develop a wide variety of tools for completing the total job most efficiently and effectively. Generally, craftspeople who reach the level of master employ the largest variety and most effective tools currently available. In higher education, the instructor-directed tools of a master professor include lectures; video presentations; guest speakers; and controlled whole group discussions.
Strategic professors know that using a variety of teaching and learning methods is critical to students` learning and success. Pay attention to the ideas in this article and others available from Meggin McIntosh. In addition, you can learn much more about teaching and reaching the many different types of students who are in today`s college classroom by reading the book *Teaching College in an Age of Accountability* (Allyn & Bacon). The book was written by Richard Lyons & Meggin McIntosh (the author of this article).
To learn more ideas that you can use as a faculty member, be sure to check out http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com and http://www.meggin.com
(c) 2008 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meggin_McIntosh
Dec
23
Getting Your Money Grants For College
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Are you one of millions of higher education seekers who would like money grants for college? Every year there are more and more savvy grant and scholarship hunters who receive grants to pay for their financial obligations toward education. Not only will the majority of these programs pay your tuition cost but in most cases the funds can also be applied toward textbooks cost and other educational related expenses. This article will focus on money grants for college and related information.
The Benefit
Outside of the obvious advantage of receiving cash to pay for school the biggest benefit to receiving grants is that the money does not have to be paid back. This is provided of course that it is used as intended to help pay for your educational expenses. This means that you could potentially graduate from college with little or no student loans to worry about.
Who Is It For?
These grants are eligible to be used by graduate students, new students, returning adult students, law students and etc. In fact the government has created grant programs specifically for women, minorities, nursing students, technical students and others. There are so many programs available that you could potentially qualify for so exert the extra effort and look for them. Just keep in mind that these grants are here to help you pay for rising educational cost.
The Reason For Their Creation?
The main reason is to make sure that those that want to pursue a higher education are not stifled in there ability to do so. In fact by funding the education of those individuals that want to move up the ladder so to speak the government is making a long-term investment in it`s economy and citizens. This results in more money going into the economy since those with a higher education tend to make more then those without one.
Conclusion
This article has hopefully made you aware of the opportunities that exist for you to receive funding for higher education. There are a number of online services that can assist you finding the grant(s) that you are eligible for. Keep in mind that even with the billions of dollars of funding available and the thousands of grant programs that exist that it still isn`t infinite. With the rising number of people taking advantage of these each and every year the number of money grants for college that go unclaimed is falling dramatically. Is it time you got yours?
Money Grants For College - Discover the secrets of getting college scholarships and grant money by utilizing the proper research tools and information.
(Seriously, this is something we`ve helped *hundreds* of people do.)
Start living the life you want. Enjoy new choices. Kill your day job and get a REAL career. Create that future starting right now. How? That`s easy…
http://collegegrantmoneysecrets.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Redder
Dec
23
Linear Regression Analysis - 3 Common Causes of Multicollinearity and What Do to About Them
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Multicollinearity in regression is one of those issues that strikes fear into the hearts of researchers. You`ve heard about its dangers in statistics classes, and colleagues and journal reviews question your results because of it.
Multicollinearity is simply redundancy in the information contained in predictor variables. If the redundancy is moderate, it usually only affects the interpretation of regression coefficients. But if it is severe-at or near perfect redundancy, it causes the model to “blow up.” (And yes, that`s a technical term).
But the reality is that there are only five situations where it commonly occurs. And three of them have very simple solutions. These are:
1. Improper dummy coding.
When you change a categorical variable into dummy variables, you will have one fewer dummy variable than you had categories. That`s because the last category is already indicated by having a 0 on all other dummy variables. Including the last category just adds redundant information, resulting in multicollinearity. So always check your dummy coding if it seems you`ve got a multicollinearity problem.
2. Including a predictor that is computed from other predictors.
For example, I once had a client who was trying to test if larger birds had higher probability of finding a mate. This bird had a special tail, and he wondered if the size of the whole bird or the tail was more helpful to the bird in finding a mate. To compare them, he put three measures of size into the model: Body length, tail length, and total length of bird. Total length was the sum of the first two. The model blew up. Include two, but not all three.
3. Using the same or nearly the same variable twice.
A similar situation occurs when two measures of the same concept are included in a model. Sometimes researchers want to see which predicts an outcome better. For example, does personal income or household income predict stress level better? If they are both just measuring income, combine them into a single income variable using Principal Components Analysis.
And to get to the bottom of detecting and correcting for multicollinearity, I invite you to a free download of a 75-minute training audio when you go to The Analysis Factor website. Visit http://www.analysisfactor.com to get started today.
Dec
23
Professors - Evaluate Your Teaching Effectiveness - Conduct Informal Student Evaluations - 1st Exam
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If you asked students for some feedback after the first class session, and then again after the third class sessions (ideas recommended in previous articles), then then next natural place is either the session during which the first examination is administered or when the first major assignment is submitted. The evaluation can be conducted during that class meeting, or the one following when the graded items are returned. The former will tend to provide better feedback on the nature of the assignment, while the latter will yield more information on your grading procedures, so identify your objective clearly before conducting the exercise.
Give students an index card, either 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 (my preference). Display several questions to which you would like them to respond, such as the following:
- What was your biggest challenge in completing this assignment [preparing for this exam]?
- What would you do differently on this assignment [test] if you could?
- Which resource (library, fellow student, other teacher) did you most rely on for help?
- How, without being shorter or easier, would you make the assignment [test] be even more worthwhile?
- What is a question that you wish you had asked me before you completed the assignment/project [studied for the test]?
Another alternative to the notecards is to ask students to respond to an email from you that includes the questions you want answered. Although some people might think they would get less frank answers when students know that you know who wrote the answer, I have essentially never found that to be the case. So you might give this alternative a try one term and see if there are different kinds of responses or if the value is higher or lower.
When students answer these questions, you may get some creative excuses for what turned out to be less than exemplary work, but as with the first informal evaluation, you probably will be surprised by the quality and quantity of feedback that this activity elicits. Express to students that you value what they are writing and appreciate their specificity and honesty and respectfulness (always worth a reminder).
News flash: Having asked students for their feedback, you are obligated to do something with it, such as responding to their comments in an e-mail summary, or opening the following class meeting with summary feedback and an opportunity for questions. While resisting the fleeting temptation to lower your standards, you might want to consider implementing some of the suggestions when you assign the next project or as you clarify expectations for the following examination.
Everyone grows and learns during a semester. The students do and so do you, if you are a strategic professor.
Strategic professors know that using a variety of teaching and learning methods is critical to students` learning and success. Pay attention to the ideas in this article and others available from Meggin McIntosh. In addition, you can learn much more about teaching and reaching the many different types of students who are in today`s college classroom by reading the book *Teaching College in an Age of Accountability* (Allyn & Bacon). The book was written by Richard Lyons & Meggin McIntosh (the author of this article).
To learn more ideas that you can use as a faculty member, be sure to check out http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com and http://www.ArticlesforProfessors.com
(c) 2008 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meggin_McIntosh
Dec
23
How would you like to double your reading speed without taking an expensive speed-reading course or spending months practicing ineffective methods? Most of us spend several hours each day reading for information, remembering and understanding only a fraction of what we should. By focusing on a few high-impact reading techniques you can boost your speed by more than 100 percent, understand more of what you read and remember it later.
1. Quick-skim before reading. The human brain loves introductions to information. Skimming takes advantage of how our brains function by quickly yielding great information about what we are going to read. In fact, skimming can help us capture a significant portion of the content without further reading. The brain is therefore able to build on the knowledge received during skimming.
For articles and chapters, skim by reading the title, subtitles, first full paragraph, last full paragraph and the first sentence of each paragraph in between. For text books and other information books, read the title, introduction, rear cover, table of contents and chapter headings. Also, thumb through the book to look at pictures, graphics, tables or diagrams.
2. Ask questions as you read. Questions stimulate our thinking. Be demanding by questioning what the writer is saying. Start by turning the title and any subtitles into questions. Use the `who, what, where, why, when, how` method of generating good questions and expect answers! If the answers are not forthcoming, make mental or written notes to look in other places later for the answers. Ultimately, a questioning approach to reading will help you get more out of it and remember more.
3. Read with a pointer. The eye is a spectacular reading machine, but it has its foibles. It reads in a jerky motion and it tends to wander a bit. Amazingly, the eye moves along faster and more steadily when assisted by a pointer of some sort. You can use a finger, a card, a pencil or other make-shift pointer to lead your eyes along while reading. What you might find is that, while it appears to take longer, you will actually be reading much faster and wandering less. Try this yourself.
4. Refrain from skipping back. Do you ever skip back to a sentence or place in a sentence when you read? Most of us do, so it is normal. It is also very inefficient. You can greatly improve your reading speed by reducing this practice. The fact is, you do not have to skip back frequently to understand the sentence or paragraph that you are reading. The mind conceptualizes while you are reading, filling in lots of missed words and phrases. Have confidence. Practice moving forward without skipping back. Your pointing device will also help in this area.
5. Read in larger word groups. The mind is capable of understanding quickly as we read. We do not have to read each word. In fact, we understand more and read faster by reading in word groupings. Rather than reading this sentence word by word, you are probably reading it in groups of two to three words. By practicing, you can expand the size of the word groups to five or six words. Use your new pointer and practice reading in larger word groups. At first, it might seem a bit awkward. With a little practice and confidence, you can master this technique.
6. Undertake a quick review. The value of reviewing what you read can not be overstated. Having invested a lot of time in your reading, why not insist on a return on that investment? The key to solidifying your new knowledge, so that you can recall it later, is to review.
The best review would be done in four 5-10 minute sessions - at intervals of: ten minutes after you finish reading; one day later; one week later; then, one month later. At that point you will have captured the majority of the information and many of the details. At the very least, undertake the first review by using five minutes to recall the important things that you read, followed by five minutes of reviewing your notes or skimming the piece again.
Many of us spend more than a thousand hours each year reading to acquire more knowledge. How well you read can determine how well you perform in school and at work. While speed-reading is not always the goal in getting through information, understanding and remembering more of what you read usually is. Why not spend a little time improving the way that you read? Use these easy techniques — the return on the time that you invest could be enormous.
Dec
22
Save Big Money on Your Textbooks This Semester With These 3 Simple Tricks
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One of the most absurd things about higher education is the prices you have to pay for your textbooks. This isn`t by necessity; it`s an outright scam on college students led by a coalition of the colleges and the textbook publishers. They have joined in an effort to keep prices ridiculously high, and make up their own rules in an effort to force you to pay. The advent of the internet has helped students to find bargains on their books, but some of the tricks the schools and publishers have come up with attempt to negate this to some extent.
When a student looks to purchase their textbooks online, they have to compete with a maze of slightly altered ISBN numbers that have been designed to confuse students. The schools will often dictate that an identical book with a different ISBN number is not acceptable for a class. Many students fall for this, and fail to pursue other options, deciding instead to just pay whatever the bookstore wants. Often times, a school will have a unique edition of a textbook, specific to that school , to prevent the market for used books from affecting their bottom line. These specific editions are generally little more than a different sequence of the same chapters, are missing an excerpt from one chapter, or something else that would not affect your ability to get a good grade in any of your classes.
There are a few things you can do to save hundreds of dollars each semester on your textbooks. First, never buy your books before your class starts. Very rarely will you need your textbook on the first day of class, and this will give you an opportunity to ask the professor if the prior edition of the book is good enough for the class. In many cases, they will tell you that you will be fine with the last edition, since much of the material is identical. You can expect to pay about $20 or less for the prior edition of a book, since there is very little demand for these books.
Another trick is to buy international editions of your textbooks. Your college bookstore will strongly advise you against this, but it`s really only because they lose money if you buy these editions, as the content is generally identical. Don`t expect to be able to sell these books back to the bookstore, but with the money you save up front it won`t matter, plus you can always put it up for sale on Craigslist or eBay.
Finally, use a textbook search engine. There are a lot of websites that may offer the textbook you need, but it can take forever to search all these sites individually.
For situations like this, use MyNextCollege. This search engine will scour the internet for the absolute cheapest versions of the textbooks you need. With these tools in hand, you can expect to pay less than half of what you would otherwise.
About the author:
J. Vincent Burr is the founder and chief educational writer for the acclaimed college review site MyNextCollege, which contains the controversial “Super Cheap Textbook Search Engine” used by many students to find cheap textbooks for their college courses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Vincent_Burr