The Social Aspects Of Homeschooling

Going to a regular school is more than just education. School kids get to mingle with their peers and teachers and in the process acquire social skills that are important when they progress into adult life.

Some critics have criticized that homeschooling does not fulfill this aspect of education. Since the child is studying alone at home, it does not give him/her the opportunity to pick up social skills. Some critics even pointed out that homeschooling children are less able to express themselves compared to the regular school goers.

However studies have shown quite the opposite. Public school children are put under fiercely competitive school environments. The net result is that they lack the confidence to initiate or hold a conversation. They do not know how to interact with other age group people. Some seems to have no social skills at all! This is indeed worrying.

On the other hand, homeschooling children are more aware of the implications and purpose of their learning. They are also able to make intelligent comments and are more attentively when studying.

The studies concluded that public school goers pick up bad influences from their peers while homeschooling children are shielded from such negative influences.

In my own opinion, homeschooling children are better prepared with the tools necessary to face the world. Being shielded from negative influences from their peers plus the positive influences from parents will help them to be more versatile and a more well-rounded individual.

Gold is Golden

Now is the Time to Invest in something Real to Assure a Good Life Tomorrow.


Gold surpasses $500. an ounce after a long slumber and it is still one of the worlds greatest bargains. Every day it is becoming more evident that stocks, bonds, and property in America and most of the Anglo-Saxon world are propped up on borrowed money and borrowed time.

In the last half of 2005 alone, U.S. households spent well over $500 billion more than their after-tax earnings. How is this possible? By borrowing of course. About half of that money came from "equity extraction." The present home owner generation is living off the perceived increase value of their houses. These poor householders are starting to get a clue. They thought they really could get rich by buying and selling each other's houses at inflated prices and then borrowing against it. Well, putting on the dog and out doing the Jones' was fun while it lasted. However, if you can still find a greater fool, now is the time to sell and find a nice inexpensive rental accommodation, or buy one of the rapidly growing heavily depreciated repos now on the market, and invest the rest in gold.

You need to protect yourself NOW from the biggest one year loss of wealth in the history of the world. Does this statement get your attention? Many western economies have participated in this gigantic fraud of escalating house evaluations as evidence of economic growth, relying on greed and bogus money supply to stoke the fires of the greater fool theory and thus give the illusion of prosperity. As a result house sticker prices kept going up and up in most cities, while in reality the true value has actually been going down. Skeptical huh. What is true value you say?

Remember, world economies have been off the gold standard now for over 35 years, ever since tricky Dick Nixon unpegged the US dollar from gold as a means of surreptitiously stimulating a sagging economy of the time. Adhering to the Gold Standard, the medium of exchange backed by gold, forced politicians and bankers to be accountable.

Money today is not based on anything tangible or of intrinsic value. It has only a perceived fungible value at whatever level skittish traders and speculators say it is. Politicians and central bankers since Nixon have been free to print fiat money (a piece of paper with numbers on it) at their whim without control or restraint to keep their game afoot. These currencies have since been played off each other as in a worldly game of monopoly. One clue of impending doom is the fact that every fool with greed in his heart can now trade currencies online.

As the unmasking of the great deception accelerates, countries with manageable debt and natural resources will see their currencies decline slower in relation to the US dollar, but all currencies will decline in relation to, you guessed it, Gold.

Like any expanding bubble, there comes a point where it can expand no more, and the subsequent resizing is shockingly fast. These is no new economic model in play that now guarantees perpetual prosperity or even status quo, despite what vested interests and their spin doctors would have you believe. When push comes to shove, paper and electronic blips won't cut it. As the saying goes, BS walks, and the age old measure of real value called Gold, will be what talks.

If you played this oneupmanship real estate game with your friends and countrymen, your house is worth far less than you know. In fact, your house is losing value daily as you may now realize. When it becomes front page headlines, it will be too late. All the greater fools will have already been fooled with no one left to bail you out. Unfortunately, it will not be just the nouveau rich who will feel the pain. Their shortsighted greed, encouraged by unscrupulous appraisers lenders and politicos, will bring down the rest of the economy as well, precipitating the demise of many types of paper assets Americans in particular now owe far more money to far more people than can ever be paid back. They have bigger houses, newer cars, more electronic gadgets and a smug attitude to go with it. But they also have more bills to pay and no more money to pay them with. Much the same scenario as their government that purports to lead.

The U.S. government has borrowed more money from foreigners in the last eight years than all previous administrations since the time of George Washington. During the current US administration, the feds have borrowed more than $1.05 trillion from foreign governments and banks. This is more than all the rest of the nation's administrations put together from 1776 to 2000. Oh, the costs of empire building and the waging of patriotic wars to free people so they can be more like us.

Consider the fact, that despite a flat or even negative earnings picture in overall stocks in recent years, bonuses paid to managers on Wall Street and high salaries throughout corporate America including G.M., are obscene. This is but more evidence that we have reached a late, degenerate stage of an imperial economy. The sun has not set yet, but its final glow is about to descend beyond the horizon.

The companies that make the most money these days are those that shuffle money - not those that make things people want to buy. And throughout the entire society, everyone participates in what has become an orgy of swindle and delusion. The practitioners of this prevarication call it salesmanship. At best it is entertainment. Not value or substance, but mindless triviality, delusion or false expectations. At worst, psychological manipulation to create frivolous desire, leaving the weak minded and undisciplined open to unbridled theft. Just add up how much interest you are paying on your car, your house, your credit cards and everything else you have been induced to believe is necessary for a successful life. The barbarians are at your door and benefiting mightily from your labors. The rich have indeed been getting richer while the consumer blindly signs on the dotted line.

The mantra of the private sector through its advertising is 'get it while you can' despite the fact that this attitude is crushing the hopes and aspirations of the next generation. Previous generations attempted to leave the world a better place then they found it for their offspring. Now, the young and the unborn are saddled with an insurmountable mountain of debt and who cares. I've got mine you say...but do you really, when the charade unravels? What are you going to do...who are you going to call? Be prepared for painful dislocation and introspection.

It will be the minority of savvy and erudite investors who pause to take notice that the emperor has no clothes. It will be the astute who shed themselves of the attractive burdens they have accumulated and put at least some of what is still marketable into gold. It will be the shrewd and brave who have the resources in the form of universally accepted coin, gold, to live reasonably well during the shakeout and to pick up the bargains for literally pennies on the dollar when the storm finally passes.

The fact is, most people no matter how well meaning or educated, fail to learn from the lessons of History. They go through life with blinders on content with petty self-interest. Nero fiddles while Rome burns. These are among the reasons why gold is going to go up more, no doubt, a whole lot more. Owning gold bullion or gold coins is decidedly a happy thought.

Future of Equipment Leasing

The future of equipment leasing is firmly hand in hand with business development, small, large and everything in between. Equipment leasing is synonymous with possibilities and what business does not benefit from possibilities? Equipment leasing offers businesses: Financial Options, Growth or Expansion Options and Business Potential.

Financial Options - Businesses need financial capital to grow. Capital provides a business with options from loans to investments. Equipment leasing is tax deductible, whereas initial large investments are deductible the first year but only a percentage thereof is after that. Businesses hire accountants and tax experts to help them maximize their capital. The future of equipment leasing is in the financial options they offer to businesses, large and small.

Growth & Expansion Options - Small businesses and the self-employed may find their growth and expansion options limited without the options equipment leasing can provide them. From construction to accounting to medicine, equipment leasing provides a future for both. The rapid growth industry for equipment lessors is matched only by the needs of lessees.

What a company needs more than anything else is capital to invest not only in themselves, but also their future. Equipment leasing keeps the capital in their pockets and helps physicians, engineers, computer specialists and even writers develop their businesses. The future of equipment leasing is tied firmly to the package that is the American Dream.

Business Potential - While financial, growth and expansion options are definitely part of the future of equipment leasing. There is an untapped source that will find its future in equipment leasing. That source is the business potential in the entrepreneur. More and more business entrepreneurs are leaving the wildly hectic corporate world to start their own business.

When you go into business for yourself, there are a lot of trepidations. First and foremost, starting a business can be a risk for the individual and the family. Equipment leasing can help an entrepreneur minimize their risks, plan for a future and deal with unforeseen eventualities.


Equipment leasing can be the difference between achieving a dream and being stuck in a dead-end job. There is a surge in the growth of small business in the country, specializing in personal services from web building to direct marketing to selling homemade clothing. Equipment leasing can make all those possibilities happen and for fraction of the cost it would take to purchase the equipment outright.

Farmers and Other Opportunities - There's a lot of focus placed on equipment leasing for private physicians, medical practices, construction companies and computer and Internet technologies. Another untapped market that benefits from equipment leasing is farmers that work small and large farm operations. Equipment leasing can keep the small farmer moving on a tractor or helping to rebuild a damaged barn.

Large equipment like tractors, backhoes, ditch witches and scoops are a hefty investment. Farms are a tricky operation and take a lot of backbreaking work and labor investment. When a piece of heavy equipment breaks down, farmers have a choice to repair it or do without. If they can't affect the repairs themselves or afford them, then it is more than likely they can't afford to go out and buy a new one. Equipment leasing would provide the farmer not only with the equipment to get the job done, but also to the maintenance support without the huge output of cash.

The future of equipment leasing is in business, industry and primarily people. It only takes a small investment to get started and that small investment returns the dividends to the lessee as their business and financial opportunities grow.

Antioxidante, Free Radicals and Sports Nutrition

As you know, I am a physician. It's part of my profession to keep abreast of what's happening in medical /health research. Being retired helps, because doctors simply do not generally have the "extra time" to devote to the scientific literature.

But I do. And I love it. I am one of those individuals who really enjoys …brace yourself…chemistry. When I'm done here, you should be excited too, especially if you are interested in sports nutrition and antioxidants, though not necessarily in that order.

Sports nutrition is a vast industry with emphasis on optimizing PERFORMANCE. Off hand, I can think of quite a few categories involving sports nutrition:

" sports nutrition and supplements for athletes,
" sports nutrition and athletic performance,
" sports nutrition and body building,
" sports nutrition and endurance training,
" sports nutrition and special diets in a variety of sports,
" sports nutrition and strength training,
" sports nutrition for running, jogging, walking, skiing, swimming
" There's even Rocky Mountain sports nutrition
" …the list is endless.



So far, no surprises, huh? Well, here's one for you. Did you know that when you exercise intensively you INCREASE the free radical burden in your body? If you're a serious sports enthusiast, you should know that.

But…the real news is what science is now finding out about that free radical burden of yours. You should pay close attention here.

Suddenly, chemistry gets real personal.

Everyone of us has, what may be called, our antioxidant protective capacity. That means our bodies normally utilize antioxidants to protect us against the harmful impact of free radicals.

First of all, what are antioxidants? They are molecular substances which offset free radical damage to the body. Antioxidants, "quench" free radicals (for lack of a better metaphor) neutralizing their damaging effects on the cells of the body.

" Antioxidants are found in foods such as cranberries, green tea and even chocolate.

" Antioxidants are found in vitamins such vitamin C and E.

" Antioxidants are found in carotenoids such as beta-carotene.

" Antioxidants are found in many substances supplied by the body such as glutathione.

" Antioxidants are found in many herbs and enzymes.

The impact of antioxidants is boosted by glyconutrients to offset free radicals in your body…and, as a result of your athletic exertions.

Antioxidant capacity must be provided in your sports nutrition regimen or you could be "robbing Peter to pay Paul" with your workouts. As you will see, without a glyconutrional presence in your sports nutrition, the healthful gains made by your physical workouts will be offset by your own free radical burden.

Free radicals, sports and sports nutrition

Free radicals are those chemical species which contain one or more unpaired electrons, capable of independent existence. They form in the body due to a variety of reasons as offshoots of cellular activity or as products introduced to the body from the outside.

As an analogy, think of running a car engine as the cellular production
and the car emissions a the free radical production. The engine produces products which cannot stay inside the car without further damage. They simply must be neutralized and expelled.

Free radicals form and cause damage by reacting with many substances in your body. It is estimated that upwards of 200,000 free radical attacks occur in our bodies daily.

When free radical damage is done, the body can remove the compounds formed by its cellular repair system. However, if the body cannot handle the free radicals (with antioxidants for example), nor remove the compounds, then disease can be the result.

Contrary to popular opinion, free radicals do not circulate throughout the body. The half-life of most free radicals varies in a range of a few nanoseconds to about 7 seconds duration. That means they will react within the "neighborhood" (a few Angstroms or microns near where the increase in free radicals occurred) …organs, connective tissue, circulatory or nerve tissue, bone or lymphatic material are all candidates for free radical attack.

Wherever they form, they will damage the surrounding areas, unless prevented by the body…So the body does NOT have the luxury of just filtering away any circulatory fluids to find the free radicals. The body's defense systems must be…well…fairly omnipresent to neutralize the effects of free radicals. The antioxidant protective system must be healthy.

Since they are highly reactive substances, they react with all sorts of cell elements readily. But, when they do react with your body cells, they can damage the cells and even kill them. Often, the damage from free radicals can CHANGE the cellular structure enough to cause DISEASE such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and a host of others.

The type of disease that occurs is dependent upon which of the free radical defenses in the body weren't functioning properly and where the free radical attacks occur.

The body has pretty sophisticated antioxidant defense systems. But, the body CAN get overwhelmed in its antioxidant protections against such free radicals…

Indeed, unless antioxidant enhanced sports nutrition (with glyconutrients) are used to offset the increased free radical burden, the BODY will suffer as a result of intensive sports training, stress, and competition.

Glyconutrients VITAL to sports nutrition …

Studies comparing marathon runners who did and did not take glyconutritional sports nutrition supplements were undertaken. The results were reported by the Proceedings of the Fisher Institute For Medical Research ( August 2003, vol.3, no.1). The results "demonstrated strikingly different patterns." Antioxidant protection appeared to be powerfully enhanced against free radicals with glyconutritional supplementation. Thus, the body was protected for several days after the marathon run.

However, when glyconutritional sports nutrition was NOT used, the damaging effects of the free radical burden appeared to remain in the body for about five days. Thus, the subject "consistently excreted higher concentrations of free radical byproducts…" as compared to that of the glyconutritional subject. It should be emphasized that the subject studied WAS TAKING other antioxidants, though not glyconutrition. Despite that fact, the above cited results were obtained.

That's another way of saying that when glyconutritional supplements were not used, the free radical burden upon the body was not lifted. Antioxidant protection does appear to be (significantly) strengthened with glyconutritional sports nutrition. Such antioxidant protection appears to be of benefit for athletes overall, including training, stress, competition and dietary issues.

The glyconutrional revolution in sports nutrition and therapy is just beginning. More studies are being done. More results are coming in concerning free radicals and the capacity of the glyconutrients to boost antioxidant affect against free radicals.

Sports nutrition is about to see a new revolution…

Better still. I believe that it is quite probable that, with glyconutrition, sports PERFORMANCE is about to see a revolution in al fields.

3 Things To Look For In An Auto Loan Company Online

Unless you have a lot of savings in the bank, chances are you'll need to borrow some money when you buy a new car. Auto loans are available through a variety of sources, such as banks, credit unions and auto dealer financing. You can also find a great car loan through an Auto Loan Company online, as long as you look for these three things:

A reasonable interest rate

Since you're borrowing from an Auto Loan Company online, your interest rate should be about 1-2% less than what you'd get through dealer financing. Search the Internet to find out what the current average auto loan interest rate is, and then compare it to the rate you're being offered. Watch out for any loan company that seems to be charging an exorbitant amount of interest, particularly if you have good credit and a reasonable down payment.

Low fees and extra charges

Some Auto Loan lenders will charge all types of extra fees, like application fees, document prep charges or credit score fees. As you compare various lenders, keep an eye out for outrageous or unusual fees. If one online Auto Loan Company is tacking on an extra cost that no other company is charging, you may want to ask to have it waived or choose a different lender.

No prepayment penalties

Whatever your loan term--three, five or seven years--chances are you'll want to pay off your Auto Loan as soon as possible. Many folks send in a little extra with their monthly payment, or they send in an extra payment whenever possible. If there's any chance you'll be doing this, make sure your online Auto Loan Company charges no prepayment penalties. Otherwise, you'll be paying an extra fee if you pay off your car loan before the loan term is over.

As you compare different Auto Loan Companies online, remember to choose a lender that makes you feel as if your business is their top priority. Find an Auto Loan Company online that's willing to work directly with you to help you get the best loan for your vehicle.

Choosing The Right Credit Card

If you have bad credit, your credit card options are limited. Aside from many credit card companies denying your application, individuals with bad credit usually receive very low credit limits and additional fees.

When applying for a credit card, choosing the right card is essential. Here are a few tips to consider when selecting a credit card.

Take Advantage of Bad Credit Credit Cards

Before applying for a major credit card with a bank, carefully consider your credit rating. Credit card inquiries will decrease your credit score. Thus, avoiding too many inquiries is important. To do so, limit the number of times you apply for credit. Rather, choose one or two companies that are likely to approve your application.

For example, if your credit rating is bad, it's realistic to assume that the odds of getting approved are slim. With this said, it helps to research bad credit credit cards. Several companies issue unsecured and secured credit cards to people with bad credit. This is a great way to improve credit rating and re-establish a good credit history.

Criteria for Choosing a Bad Credit Credit Card

Although bad credit will stand in the way of obtaining low rates on a credit card, researching various companies and comparing offers is smart. Many credit card companies make claims of offering bad credit credit cards to help individuals improve their credit. However, some companies use this as the perfect opportunity to take advantage of people like you.

Before applying for a bad credit credit card, read the fine print for information pertaining to user fees. If choosing a secured card, you likely need to open a savings account and deposit at least $200. This deposit serves as collateral. Because your credit limit is the same as the deposit, if you refuse to pay the credit card, the lender simply claims your money.

In addition to opening a savings account, most secured bad credit credit cards have several upfront or startup fees. This might include a $50 annual fee, $10 monthly service fee, and $20 startup fee. Thus, there is a balance on the credit card before you even receive it.

Unfortunately, extra fees on a bad credit credit card are unavoidable. However, by carefully researching different online credit card companies, it is possible to find a company with lower fees, and one that offers a lower interest rate.

Want To Loose Your Debt?

I'm sure your answer is yes to this question. Yeah, you may want to loose your debt, but aren't sure exactly how to do this. Did you know that there are a lot of people in the United States who are in more debt today than we've ever been? We're also saving much less! That's right. Even though we make more money we're saving a lot less than our grandparents did! I know you're saying, things cost much more these days. Yes, I know, but we're still spending more, which keeps us from saving the money we should for a rainy day.

In fact, the interest rates that are currently being charged on credit cards average eighteen percent and upward. Ouch! That's a lot of interest to pay for a credit card especially if you don't pay off your balance each month. Of course, your credit card company would like you to keep a balance on your credit card so they can collect interest from you! Remember you're charged interest on your unpaid balance, that's how the credit card companies make lots of money. You say to yourself, what can I do to reduce or eliminate my debt? Well, here are some tips to help you begin your path to financial freedom by reducing and eventually eliminating your debt:

1) Review all of your current billing statements to determine how much you owe your creditors.
By doing this, you'll know exactly where you stand with your bills and exactly how much you owe.

2) Look at the highest interest rates you are paying and the balances of these particular credit cards. Based on those balances, attempt to start paying off the credit cards with the highest interest rates first. This will assist you in reducing the amount of interest you are paying to your creditors sooner.

3) Pay more than the minimum amount due on your credit cards! You want to get your debt reduced and eventually eliminated by paying over the minimum balance that the credit card company is requiring you to pay. Remember debt elimination is your goal, so this will help you to work towards that!

4) Make sure to pay your bill on time in order to avoid late fees and extra interest charges added to your credit balances. You definitely don't want to pay your credit card company any more money than you need to! Remember, the more money you keep for yourself, the more you have to save.

5) Don't use your credit cards! That's right, you're trying to become debt free, so you'll need to eliminate or reduce your spending on your credit cards. Yes, I know you'll need one for emergencies. But, that's just it, emergencies only! So don't use your credit card for anything else other that a true legitimate emergency. Your goal is to stay out of debt and to become debt free.

6) You may want to take money from your savings or money market account to pay off your credit cards so you can become debt free or reduce your debt. If you decide to do this, make sure you keep some money in your savings for an emergency or a rainy day!

7) If you think you need debt counseling, then you may want to seek professional help to assist you with reducing or eliminating your debt. Just do some research via the internet to locate a company that specializes in this.

These tips should help you get started on your way to becoming debt free for the future. You'll be glad that you decided to take this crucial step in taking control of your personal finances by losing your debt! Remember, it's important for your future.