In the decade since the explosive growth of the internet, nearly every industry has been affected, including education. Major universities as well as local community colleges now offer a myriad of classes available to students online, with some offering entire degrees that can be completed via the computer. With programs such as Blackboard and Angel, universities are able to offer all of the resources, and more, through easy to use interfaces that even those who are ill at ease with a computer can easily use.

With the advent of the internet, the number of for-profit online schools has grown exponentially, increasing even further the number of programs available to those who wish to complete their education completely through the computer.Online education is no longer just for universities anymore charter and other public-school alternatives are now offered through online learning, and public schools as well are now utilized the Virtual Classroom to offer their students highly specialized classes, without having to add additional, and expensive, staff.

Growing demand for top schools to go online

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, John Chubb and Terry Moe hail the new Harvard-MIT initiative, edX, a $60 million partnership that aims to reach millions of new international students in India, China and around the globe with the leaders of these two prestigious Cambridge talking of the revolutionary potential of online learning, hailing it as the single biggest change in education since the printing press.

Chubb and Moe also point out some of the major drawbacks pointed out by university leaders of edX: the coursework would not lead to a MIT or Harvard degree, the courses are free and prepared by some of the best professors in the nation, but there is neither revenue stream nor a business plan that will sustain it. Stanford is similarly having the same problem, how to maintain the elite and selective nature of the schools while simultaneously offering free courses anyone can take.

Online programs are still mostly seen as the purview of for-profit schools, like the University of Phoenix and Capella University, with schools such as UNC, Northeastern, Columbia, and Northwestern trying their hardest to expand into the online education realm offering their degrees to students unable to attend a traditional brick and mortar school.

Hybrid programs, which entail a mix of online education and in-class education have also become more popular, with Bill Boulding, deputy dean at Duke, saying that the schools hybrid program appeals to internationally based professionals who dont want to relocate to rural North Carolina for two years but want a Duke education.

Less money, same quality education

Online education offers a less-expensive means of getting a college degree, while also offering flexibility that many working adults require. In many cases people who otherwise would be unable to attend a traditional school, whether due to cost, job or family obligations, or the distance between where a person lives and the school they would like to attend, online learning offers them a chance to receive the education that is required to earn a living in todays global society. Online education also offers a higher education to those living in developing nations which have limited universities with prohibitively high costs, such as India and China.

The availability of high-quality, well-known graduate programs have also increased over the years with schools demanding admissions standards similar to that of their brick and mortar schools. Schools like UNC, Temple, Penn State, and the University of Florida have carefully instated extensive graduate programs, such as MBAs, that can be completed entirely online, allowing professionals such as Jamie DeMaria, an executive director for Medscape, a part of WebMD, to attend a well-known program. He believes there are no prestigiousprograms available near his hometown, thus forcing him to look online, and while the cost for UNCs program is still high at $89,000 for the two year program, it is still cheaper than the typical $98,000 price tag charged for out-of state students. By attending UNC online, he is able to further his education by getting an advanced degree while maintaining his employment with the hopes of rising up through the company following graduation.

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HOW TO: Find the Best Online Education from Top Universities

BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) today opened its 15th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium by announcing its exciting, new online education system The Resource 24/7 Training Center allowing SIMA members to pursue official SIMA certification and continuing education from anywhere, and at any time. The 15th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium runs today through June 23, 2012 at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

Off-season preparation is critical for an industry that hinges on rapid response and can make or break access for emergency responders. SIMA Certification via Resource 24/7 provides employers in the snow and ice industry with the employee training consistency to make their operation run smoothly and provide customers with the best possible service.

For property managers, using a SIMA Certified Snow Professional ensures a quality experience in snow and ice removal. For snow and ice business managers, the support for running a smooth and profitable snow and ice business remains just a few clicks away, using the SIMA Resource 24/7 system. As new techniques and technology are developed and practices streamline with new information, these industry best practices spread quickly through Resource 24/7 continuing education. The overall result is an industry that can operate with military precision to respond quickly to winter weather.

As SIMA celebrates 15 years of excellence, developing the best industry leaders in the snow and ice management industry, were proud to introduce a state-of-the-technology online classroom, explains Martin Tirado, CAE, executive director of SIMA. Our new online resources incorporate webinars, seminars, videos, documentation and more to educate to the standards of excellence for which SIMA is known. These are the men and women you want to rely on when the next big blizzard hits. Whether clearing access for hospital emergency room or clearing a parking lot to get business running again, we honor our role in creating one of the most efficient and critical of North American industries.

Resource 24/7 Available Any Time, Anywhere

The new online training and education system covers extensive online training in areas such as Administration, Ice Management, Operations, Safety & Equipment, Sales, Bidding & Marketing, Insurance, Contracts, & Legal, and Management & Leadership topics with interactive seminar and webinar resources, videos and more. In addition, Certificate and Certification program training, training kits on topics such as Snow Safety, and template contracts and forms will be available. In-depth training on topics such as contracts, operations, human resources, bidding, estimating and production will continue to raise the bar of service across North America. The new online education system can be accessed on the SIMA website at: <http://www.sima.org/resources>.

About SIMA

The Snow & Ice Management Association Inc. (SIMA) is a trade association for those who manage snow and ice. SIMA is the resource that raises awareness through networking and education.

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The Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) Opens First Online Classroom Doors for Continuing Education

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKN092w1z3E

19-06-2012 19:57 This video was uploaded from an Android phone.

Original post:
Kid gets airborn on excercise ball! - Video

I have been using Advanced Web Rankings (AWR) within an agency environment for more than four years now. It has always worked very well to generate data for monthly reports and to perform keyword research and in-depth competitor analysis.

With the recent release of version 9.0, many new features have been added, including the benefit of link building aids that have never before been seen in the suite. It is now known as acomplete SEO software solution because it contains elements for link building as well Google Analytics integration, ranking, and social metrics.

If you have not yet acquired the new version, feel free to download the latest software so you can try out some of the features mentioned in this post. If you are new to AWR, you can try it freefor 30 days.

When selecting keywords to target within a campaign or choosing new keywords to include, keyword difficultly is always an important consideration. The more information you can collect from competitors websites, the better you can understand where your own site can go. By discovering new long tail opportunities that are relevant to your niche, you can end up securing a steady flow of targeted traffic to your site from multiple keyword variations, instead of just from one head term that everyone in your niche goes after.

AWR 9.0 features a new keyword difficulty tool that will give you a breakdown per keyword, search engine, and website so you can see where a specific keyword is tracked within the SERPs, and, more importantly, it will give you quality metrics that can indicate why a particular website may be seen as an authority source for that given keyword.

Metrics include: Domain Authority (DA), Page Authority (PA), Linking Root Domains (LRDs) to Page, and Linking Root Domains to Domain (SEOmoz link quality indicators):

Click to Expand

The main advantage of the above is you can quickly see the top 10 search results for any given keyword within your project. This allows a quick snapshot view of all the metrics in one table, plus you can generate nice looking charts to understand more about why your site (or a competitors site) may be ranking higher or lower than other websites for any given search query. You can also use the keyword discovery tool to research new terms and add them to your existing project.

Its often handy to see how a link profile looks visually. This can help you answer questions such as:

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Getting More Out of AWR (Advanced Web Rankings) in v9.0

Since Mlive.com on Tuesday reported the lengthy sentence that Saginaw County Circuit Judge Darnell Jackson handed down to Donte R. Houston for second-degree murder of an unintended 70-year-old woman target and the judge's comments that he's fed up with the recent wave of violence in Saginaw, including similar incidents involving children, more than 30 comments have rolled in. While some readers applauded Jackson's words and sentence, others claimed it still wouldn't send the right message and wanted more, including the death penalty. Read some of those comments below and then join the discussion here.

Reader sillyday wrote:

Pack 'em in like sardines who cares. They have no remorse EVER. And those that don't cooperate throw them in jail, too. They're just as much part of the problem.

Commenter coolrunnings11 added:

Nice to see a judge exemplify the feelings of a community. I pray that this guy doesn't call the ACLU and go after the judge for using his personal feelings/emotions to sentence people.

Way to go judge.

Commenter wtph brought in the death penalty argument:

In all honesty, even the longer prison sentence makes zero sense to me. This thug KILLED an innocent person. Tell me why he deserves to keep living?

We keep slapping these people on the wrist (and by 'slapping these people on the wrist,' I mean feeding them, housing them in air-conditioned cells with excercise equipment, entertainment, etc.) only to let them get out early for good behavior. Does the victim get any benefits for 'good behavior?' No, because she is dead.

Bring back the death penalty and the streets of Saginaw, Flint and Detroit will become much safer, much quicker.

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From the comments: Readers react to Saginaw County judge being 'fed up' with recent shootings of unintended targets

BEIRUT: Unlike capitals in North America and Europe, where yoga studios are almost as common as corner stores, local practitioners have to do a bit of searching to find the studios of Beirut, mostly tucked away in converted living rooms and unlikely spaces.

But this is beginning to change, as new studios open, teachers bring new styles from abroad and the yoga community grows significantly.Nok Yoga Shala is one such dynamic new space. The studio, located in Saifi Village, was opened by the founder of the New York-based Nok Foundation, Nigol Koulajian. Koulajian, who is of Lebanese origins, and local architect Hisham Hert opened Nok based on a dream for a yoga and wellness community center in the heart of Beirut.

Its a not-for-profit center, were just here to offer a space for the yoga and Eastern philosophy community to get together, bring teachers from abroad and have a space where all different types of tradition are given equal playing time, explains Erin OHalloran, manager of Nok and a yoga teacher.

Every week Nok offers a range of yoga classes (updated on the Nok Facebook page) from vinyasa flow and tantric yoga to the more traditional hatha and ashtanga approaches and holds frequent events and workshops led by teachers from abroad to introduce various aspects of Eastern religions, as well as meditation traditions.

At the moment the yoga community in Beirut is functioning off of a number of individuals who are all trying to eke out a living offering classes in their homes or doing private lessons. Its really grassroots, which is something that I love about the community here youve got to be intrepid, youve got to be a self-starter, youre not in it for the money because there isnt really money to be had, continues OHalloran, who has been based in Beirut for three years and teaching at a number of studios.

One of the ideas behind Nok is to take some of the burden off of teachers, says OHalloran.

We are really hoping that this can be a space to benefit yoga teachers in Beirut as much as the yoga community in terms of students.

Though Nok promises to be a hub for yogis in Beirut, many smaller studios and teachers operating out their own homes are seeing an influx of students and introducing different yoga styles to the country.

Danielle Abisaab, who has operated a boutique studio out of her home in Mar Mikhail for more than seven years, has recently brought aerial yoga to Lebanon.

Aerial yoga is a practice using a silk hammock to elevate and support the body as the person moves into different asanas (poses), using the force of gravity to help with alignment. Abisaab fell in love with the practice last year in New York City and obtained her certification.

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Grassroots yoga studios bloom in Beirut

Gilbert, AZ (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc., a national leader in health and wellness celebrating their sixteenth year, now features a new Dahn Yoga Glossary for practitioners in their newsletter, Dahn Yoga Life. Every monthly issue of Dahn Yoga Life will offer an in depth look at a word or phrase regularly used in Dahn Yoga practice. This months Glossary term is Geumchok.

It is very likely that most people who have attended Dahn Yoga classes or read books and articles about the Dahn Yoga community have come across a word or phrase that they didnt quite understand. While class experience can often fill in any gaps, many people would benefit from more thorough explanations.

In the June 2012 issue of the newsletter, Dahn Yoga Life, the word Geumchok is defined.

An intriguing concept related to meditation, practitioners use various Geumchok techniques to transcend the effects of external stimuli on the five physical senses which impact the emotions and energy. The greater understanding offered this month regarding the benefits of Geumchok and how it relates to Dahn Yoga Practice, as well as to daily life, is sure to create a desire to explore this method of focusing ones awareness.

With in-depth explanations of words and phrases regularly used in Dahn Yoga classes and Dahn Meditation practices, the new Dahn Yoga Glossary will deepen the practitioners understanding, experience and results.

About Dahn Yoga: Dahn Yoga is a dynamic mind-body practice originating in Korea. Dahn Yoga classes combine stretching, flowing movement, deep breathing exercises and meditation in a simple and easy to learn format. Dahn Yoga is often taught alongside Tai Chi, Qigong and Meditation classes. In the United States, Dahn Yoga classes are offered at Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc., a national leader in health and wellness. Dahn Yoga classes are also offered at Body & Brain franchise, affiliate and community-based locations

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Dahn Yoga Monthly Glossary Enlightens Practitioners

I have a new dog. His name is Grover.or nutsy butz, leave it, drop it, or uh-oh. Grover is a busy little boy. He feels obligated to grab shoes and run before we can put them on our feet. It is also his duty to shred the newspaper before we read it, to landscape the yard, and to drag anything not tied down out the dog door including my underwear. Yes, he has an agenda run, run, runsleep. Run, run, runeat and sleep. Run, run, run.well, you're probably getting the picture. Just like having a toddler, silence is not golden.

Little Grover is Cavalier King Charles and Brittany Spaniel with a super-long constantly wagging tail sure to be a deadly weapon to wine glasses in the future and disproportionately long front and back legs none of which work well together. For example: There goes the rest of my pack, thinks Grover, as he chases across the yard after them run, run, run, trip over a bump, somersault, and up and running again who cares if it's in the wrong direction.

While I love to expound on the greatness of my puppy, there is a point to this other than telling you what a klutz he is. Grover is just that a puppy. He often loses his proprioception the sense of where his paws or anything else are in space. He is also just beginning to develop skills such as sit, down and drop that cell phone and his strength and endurance.

What Grover needs is Puppy Pilates. Yes, your puppy can do Pilates right along with you with just a few simple items: phonebooks, baskets, a balance disc or round pillows and plenty of treats. Puppy Pilates helps your puppy become aware of its body, strengthen its core, and build its skills all while developing a fun relationship with you.

Puppy Pilates: Start with a small basket or box that is filled with something to hold it down, and use rubber drawer lining on the bottom the side that will be up so it's not slippery to stand on. Or can you can use several phone books taped together. Lure your puppy onto the box just the front legs and offer a treat. Then see if you can get all the legs on the box and treat. Next try to have them get off the box slowly, trying to leave the back legs on and treat. If you know how to use a clicker, click away for any action toward or on the box. You can try a sit on the box, a down on a bigger box, turns, puppy squats sit-stand-sit, and a beg.

Then, add another box right next to the first so your puppy walks from one to another. You can add a balance disc or a round pillow in between the two boxes and have them walk from one to the next. The possibilities are endless. Different heights, and different textures solid vs. soft builds both core strength and confidence.

Other fun ideas to do with your puppy are:

1. Buy some noodles (swim-type not pasta-type silly!) and have your puppy walk over them, one at a time, treating after each step-over or put a treat between each one. It might be easier to do this game on a leash so they walk through the maze rather than race through, tripping and grabbing treats. You can also try having them walk through a ladder placed on the ground again with one treat between each rung. Try walking them backwards with you in front of them, walking toward them.

2. Put a plank between two paint or coffee cans and have your dog walk the plank great for finding their feet and good core strengthening. Add pirate hats and an eye patch for the dog and give the neighbors something to talk about.

3. Buy an Ikea tunnel and encourage them to run through the tunnel. Or really have fun and lead your puppy through the tunnel.

Continue reading here:
Puppy Pilates? Yup! It's easy and fun for you, your pet

A High Bridge couple were arrested Monday after authorities traced a purse theft to a vehicle parked behind the Clinton Community Center, according to police reports.

Brian Meyer, 34, faces theft charges after allegedly stealing a woman's purse while she was taking an aerobics class in the center. The purse, left in the center's lobby, contained more the $700 worth of items, reports say.

Clinton police found Meyer and the purse in a vehicle near the rear of the building. Also in the car was Kelly Dixon-Meyer, 29, who was found with drug paraphernalia nearby and suspected heroin stashed in her bra, according to police. Three children ages 6, 5 and 3 years old, were also in the car.

Meyer was arrested on charges of theft and held in Hunterdon County jail in lieu of $2,500 bail. Dixon-Meyer was charged with drug possession and drug paraphernalia possession, and was held in jail on $5,000 bail. The children were released to the Division of Youth and Family Services.

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High Bridge couple arrested after Clinton police allegedly find stolen purse in car, heroin in woman's bra

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g7upsrrtEs

19-06-2012 09:55 Check out how Fouad Abiad performs the best hamstrings exercise, the stiff legged deadlift! Heavy weight with perfect form.

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Fouad Abiad - Hamstring excercise - Video