Saturday, April 30, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
3 Common Home Security Mistakes During Holidays
Holidays are time when people go out of town to spend time with their families. Whether you leave your home for a few hours or a few days, make sure you avoid these common home security mistakes during holiday season, such as: post-pile up, bushy landscape and social media.
Below are 3 common home security mistakes during holidays:
Post Pile Up
Nothing alerts a burglar like mail overflowing from the mailbox, or newspapers piled up in your driveway. Stop mail and newspaper delivery while you’re out of town, and enlist a neighbor to pick up any packages or other deliveries that may arrive while you’re gone. Source: AlarmRelay
Bushy Landscape
Having leafy trees and untrimmed shrubs adds a wild side to your landscape, but you need to know that you are giving the burglar lots of rooms to maneuver and move around undetected. The thief won’t move only under the cover of darkness, but also during broad daylight since they have the advantage of shadows. Source: Ericabuteau
Social Media
The lights are off, the cars are gone, and mail, newspapers and packages have accumulated. This paints the perfect picture for an easy burglary target. When leaving for a vacation or business trip, consider what your vacant home will look like, and seek ways to maintain the appearance of an active home.
- Ask neighbors or relatives to pick up the mail in your absence.
- Invest in an energy management solution that allows you to schedule and remotely control lights within your home. Source: VectorSecurity
Securing your home means more than just locking the doors when you leave. If you want to know more about home security services, please give us a call or contact us here.
The post 3 Common Home Security Mistakes During Holidays appeared first on Mr Locksmith Abbotsford.
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Wednesday, April 27, 2016
CHOCOLATE COOKIES with RASPBERRY CREAM
I hope everybody is doing well. My period is coming very soon so I figured I better be productive today while I still can, before the lower back pain and exhaustion set in. I went to the gym, finished my taxes (women- doin it for themselves!!), photographed this recipe, and now I am sharing it. What can I say about the recipe? It's delicious, good for ya, quick to make and cute to look at. Tip: it would be amazing frozen, like mini ice cream sandwiches. I should try doing that.
In other news: my exams are over! I studied like a Queen and am pretty sure I aced both classes. Not that grades or post-secondary education are paramount to a good life. There are all kinds of intelligence and each have equal value. There are all sorts of great lives that don't require university degrees. Having said that, I love school. I'm good at it and studying what I study - history, philosophy, gender studies, humanities, etc. - makes me a better, more informed person in this strange and complicated world. I have enrolled in one course for the summer but am contemplating dropping it so I can get away from the city and go live somewhere quiet, not filled with traffic or disturbing advertisements. We will see.
I will be featured on another podcast soon! I met up with the charming, intelligent Chloe from Chloe's Countertop in a GORGEOUS apartment off Main St and we had a great discussion about a lot of different topics... including menstruation (obviously). Then I went and got the pinkest smoothie ever from Radicle Juice. It's been such great weather lately so I have been spending my days walking around the city and trails, listening to podcasts, meeting new people, and overthinking everything as usual. Last but not least: I might be writing another cookbook? Stay tuned.
CHOCOLATE COOKIES with RASPBERRY CREAM
Chocolate cookies:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Raspberry cream:
1 full fat can coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
3 tablespoons berry powder (optional)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
To make the cookies: stir the ingredients together until you have a thick, sticky, slightly crumbly dough. Press into cookies and put in the freezer.
To make the raspberry cream: whisk the coconut milk into whipped coconut milk using this recipe, then add the other ingredients. Alternatively, blend the coconut fat with the other ingredients until smooth. Leave in the fridge to harden up, until it's like frosting, for a couple hours. Then scoop onto your cookies and enjoy! Not a surprise: they're extra good dipped in chocolate.
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from This Rawsome Vegan Life http://ift.tt/1VCUJx1
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing
Making homemade salad dressing is one of the first things Alex and I learned as new cooks, and we were fascinated. Nothing but a little olive oil and vinegar, and we could have dressing for days. Plus, we could avoid random preservatives and additives AND get rid of the centuries-old crusty bottles of ranch in our refrigerator. Sold!
When I first starting making homemade salad dressing, I made the mistake of lessening the amount of oil. Since then I’ve corrected my ways, because the oil is needed to correctly make the emulsion: that creamy, magical combination of vinegar suspended in oil. I’ve reworked our basic vinaigrette recipe (below) to reflect this, and made a few more changes to make it even simpler. Because salad dressing should be just that: simple. This one requires no mincing of garlic or shallot, just combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and a little honey, and whisk away.
Homemade salad dressing is easily customizable to your own tastes. A few dressing tips:
- Use a 3 to 1 ratio of oil versus vinegar
- For the acid, you can substitute balsamic, red wine, apple cider, or sherry vinegar, OR lemon, lime, or orange juice (play with quantities to taste)
- Feel free to add in chopped herbs, minced garlic, minced shallot, fancy salts, you name it
- Store in a glass jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature and stir before serving. (This dressing is likely shelf stable but we keep it in the refrigerator just in case.)
On the topic of homemade salad dressing, our latest A Couple Cooks Podcast episode is all about it! Plus, it includes a sweet giveaway of 3 bottles of California Olive Ranch olive oil — see the podcast page for details.
What are your favorite homemade dressings? Below are a few of ours, as well as our Super Simple Salad Dressing.
Basic Vinaigrette
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Healthy Green Goddess Dressing
Cilantro Lime Dressing
Honey Chipotle Dressing
*Creamy Peanut Lime Dressing* (TBD)
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients except olive oil, then slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing thickens and an emulsion forms. Taste and adjust quantities as desired.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; bring to room temperature and stir before serving.
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
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Monday, April 25, 2016
10 Ways To Increase Your Intrinsic Motivation
Motivation itself is undoubtedly the most profound and underlying reason that will decide success in and out of the gym. Whether you are wanting to lose weight, gain muscle, or just get fit, being highly motivated can make you break barriers that you thought were once indestructible. I have seen this in my life, and so will you as long as you do so intrinsically.
Intrinsic motivation is defined as motivation derived from the pure reward and/or contentment you feel from the task itself. In other words, you are motivated purely because you truly enjoy what you are doing. Don’t get intrinsic motivation confused with extrinsic motivation, which is based mostly on superficial aspects (such as appearance).
Extrinsic motivation isn’t entirely a bad thing, but for true long-term fitness adherence, intrinsic motivation is bar none the more effective type of motive to have.
10 Ways to Increase Your Intrinsic Motivation
#1 Find Exercises That You Enjoy
This may be the most significant way of all to increase your intrinsic motivation. Too many times I see people performing exercises that they HATE, because they were told somewhere along the line that these exercises may be the “best” for them. Doing this will only lead to a wasted gym membership and a deflated sense of hope on your journey to reaching your goals. Try to find exercises or alternatives to exercises that you may not be particularly fond of and find a way to make them more appealing to you. Working out shouldn’t be all about “work”. It should also be fun!
#2 Workout to Music
Working out to music can be a huge game changer for you! I can remember on countless times where I unfortunately found myself walking into a dead quiet gym. I don’t know if you have ever experienced such an atrocity, but if you have, then I send you my dearest condolences. So, blare up your stereo or iPod and get to training!
#3 Train With a Buddy
Having a friend right there with you can greatly increase your gym self-efficacy and adherence! It can make working out feel more like a social outing, instead of an undesirable chore. In addition to these awesome benefits, your training partner can also help push you to workout harder. Training alone can be difficult for a lot of people and lead them to having poor workouts. Having someone there to help motivate you and pump you up can help take this unneeded vice away instantly.
#4 Set Realistic Goals
Make sure and set realistic goals for yourself. It is very easy to get an idea in your head of what you aspire to look like or what fitness level you wish to achieve that may be unrealistic, whether genetically or time-wise. Don’t rush into things. If you train and eat right, the fruits of your labor will be reflected as such.
#5 Make Training Convenient
Most people say that they don’t have enough time to workout and that exercise is merely an inconvenience for them, especially after a hard day’s work. If this sounds like you, then train on the weekend or before you go to work. Depending on where you live and the commute to your job or school, try walking or riding a bike there instead of driving. Regardless of the method you choose, try to make training more convenient for you and realize that it isn’t only there to improve your physique, but it is also very important for your health as well.
“Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” – Robert Kiyosaki
Click to tweet#6 Try a Class
Try taking a spin class or yoga class. Being surrounded by a large group of people who share the same or similar fitness goals as you will help motivate you and make your overall experience much more fun and inviting. This brings us back to #3 “Training With a Buddy“. Don’t underestimate the power of camaraderie!
#7 Use Your Favorite Techniques
If you love using drop sets, do drop sets. If you love doing fartlek training, do fartlek training. If you love high intensity training, then do just that. And so on and so on. To truly increase your intrinsic motivation, you have to do exercises and techniques that you truly enjoy. I’m not saying to idly go through the motions, wasting your time. I’m talking about putting forth your best efforts all while performing your favorite exercises!
#8 Workout Outside
Try working out outside for a change. If it’s a beautiful day out, skip the treadmill and hit up the local parks. The fresh air and scenery will make the task a much more enjoyable one! Nothing can be more boring than a repetitive daily treadmill cardio routine.
#9 Don’t Overwork Yourself
This can happen to the best of us, and happens often I would say so myself. It is so easy to be overly excited about all the amazing results that you hope to see and end up burning yourself out within the first couple of weeks. Instead, save that intense desire you have deep within you for the time you’re actually in the gym. Give your mind a rest when you’re not training, as well as your body with proper rest and nutrition.
#10 Determine Your True Purpose
Before you even walk into a gym, you should have developed a legitimate purpose for your efforts. Ask yourself “why?”. “Why am I going to put my body through this intense effort?” Once you find your true purpose for training, only then shall you begin to develop intrinsic motivation and be on the path to accomplishing your ambitions.
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. – Jimmy Johnson
Click to tweet
Author Bio: Thomas Hlubin
When I was little I was as skinny as a rake, but at the ripe old age of 18 I started lifting weights seriously. I trained and competed as a natural bodybuilder in the SNBF and NANBF organizations, placing 4th in the novice men middleweight division at the 2012 Atlanta SNBF Championships. A year later, I competed and placed 2nd in the collegiate men division at the 2013 NANBF Natural Southern States Classic in St. Louis, Missouri. That solidified my wish to help others achieve greater levels of fitness. Today, I’m an ACE certified personal trainer and creator of the fitness blog FitnessInterest.com, because I not only want to help people, but I also have a love for writing. The name of the site speaks for itself and truly epitomizes my passions in life – I write and share information on a variety of topics from cardio training and workout techniques to efficient ways on how to build muscle.
To connect with me, follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or check out my Facebook page. Looking forward to helping you reach and surpass your training goals!
from Dai Manuel: The Moose is Loose http://ift.tt/1SIDhqs
Italian Vegetable and Gnocchi Soup
Italian Vegetable and Gnocchi Soup | Vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free
Let’s be honest: for many of us, cooking at home requires a complete lifestyle change. Alex and I like to talk about how simple cooking at home is — and it is, truly. A few basic skills like chopping an onion and mincing garlic can go a long way. But for those of us who didn’t grow up cooking (like me!), the hardest part is the lifestyle change — the realization that nourishing food doesn’t just jump onto your plate. You have to get it there. You have to make the time to find it, store it, and cook it. You have to get creative with recipes and find out what tastes good to you and your family. You, and only you, must make the time to orient your life around cooking fresh food.
Alex and I learned this the hard way, with years of over-processed and under-delicious foods. We’ve done the fast food Chalupa thing, the frozen cheesy pocket pastry thing, and the cereal for dinner thing. So you might be surprised to see me now, making this soup.
It’s become so familiar, the act of making soup; almost like a dance. Dicing the onion and mincing the garlic now takes me minutes, an activity which once would have taken me half the night (plus I would have avoided it altogether because really, who wants to wash a cutting board and knife?). Sautéing the onion, then throwing in the garlic and fresh basil for just a moment fills the kitchen with a smell reminiscent of an Italian pizza kitchen. The pot sizzles when I pour in the broth and add the tomatoes and veggies, and then it cheerfully bubbles at simmer until it smells too good not to taste, when I stir in the spinach and it turns a lovely, bright green color. And the flavor? Homey, comforting, and heart-meltingly good. It’s taken years, but this is what keeps us going. The fact that in just over 30 minutes we can create something that nourishes our bodies, satisfies our palates, and brings us closer to the people we love is ultimately one of the more rewarding things I’ve ever learned.
We created this soup recipe, which is our trick for the most delicious way to eat loads of fresh, nutritious veggies, for Sub-Zero and their Fresh Food Matters initiative. It’s a movement that we wish we thought of ourselves, because it is so much of the heart behind what we do, too. I love this quote from Sub-Zero: “We believe that fresh food can make a positive difference in your life. Fresh Food Matters is about inspiring people to think about their own relationship with fresh food and learn how they can incorporate it into every day.” Fist bump to that!
Even better, Sub-Zero is partnering with Katie Stagliano of Katie’s Krops, a 17-year-old who started a non-profit to end hunger by growing fresh food. We chatted with her a few days ago, and this girl is amazing! If you share on social media why Fresh Food Matters in your own life using the hasthag #FreshFoodMatters between now and the end of July, Sub-Zero will donate $5 for every hashtag to Katie’s Krops, up to $25,000. That’s enough to start 25 more gardens growing fresh food for those who otherwise don’t have access to it! Which is pretty sweet, if you ask us. Will you join us and share?
Wondering why we happened to chat with Katie? We’ll be speaking with Katie on the next installment of the A Couple Cooks podcast, to release May 10! Stay tuned. More about the Fresh Food Matters campaign is at FreshFoodMatters.com, including interviews with 13 notable experts who share the impact food has in their lives, in addition to some practical tips for how to purchase and store fresh food from season to season.
Notes: This soup is naturally so flavorful you can stay vegan / dairy-free by choosing to omit Parmesan cheese, and it still tastes great! The soup can be made in about 30 minutes, which makes it perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup chopped basil leaves, plus additional for serving if desired
- 15-ounce can chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 28-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes*
- 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1½ cups frozen (or fresh) cut green beans
- 1 pound gnocchi
- 4 to 6 cups spinach leaves
- Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)*
- Chop the onion and mince the garlic cloves. Chop ½ cup basil; if you have more, slice it thinly and reserve for a garnish. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and basil for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas, broth, tomatoes and their juices, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the green beans, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Break apart any clumps in the gnocchi, then add them to the pot and cook for 5 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted, about 1 minute.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowl and top with Parmesan and basil leaves if desired. Allow to cool slightly before diving in!
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
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Online Learning: Why Libraries Could Be the Key to MOOCs’ Success
For all the promises of online courses disrupting education, completion rates are notoriously low. Some studies found that about five percent of those enrolled in massive open online courses (known as MOOCs) completed the course. And those who took the courses tended to be more educated already – 70 percent of survey respondents had bachelors degrees and 39 percent identified as teachers or former teachers. Online courses can be a helpful tool for self-sufficient, highly motivated learners with reliable computers and internet at home, but others may need a little more support. For those who haven’t found success using free online courses, Learning Circles might be an answer.
Learning Circles add a social element to what is otherwise a solitary learning experience by bringing people together in person to take an online course together over six to eight weeks, with the help of a facilitator. Librarians at Chicago Public Library (CPL) partnered with the nonprofit Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU) to make online education more accessible through this program.
Libraries are a perfect setting for Learning Circles for several reasons: they already serve the local community; they are equipped with meeting spaces; many have computer stations, and most importantly, librarians know how to help people find answers.
“Most people take online classes in solitude and that’s when you put on the headphones,” said James Teng, a CPL librarian at who facilitated a course on public speaking. “Sometimes you feel alone. Learning Circles bring people together to work together and develop teamwork.”
In the CPL-P2PU partnership, librarians were not required to be content experts – that was the domain of the resources within the online course – but they were primed to be facilitators by promoting discussion and helping learners less familiar with research tools. Librarians said it felt similar to hosting a book club, but unlike preparing for a book discussion, they had less knowledge in advance. In many cases, the librarians learned alongside students as they completed the course.
“In the HTML/CSS class that we gave last fall, we definitely had some very strong (peer) teachers because they were people who were just coming to the course to brush up on the skills they already have,” said CPL librarian Kristen Edson, who facilitated courses at the Harold Washington Library Center. “They really did become teachers. And it was very awesome to sit there and see someone do that, to identify that they could be a leader and help others.”
Learning Circles aren’t for everyone; some people prefer a more traditional lecture or feel more comfortable having a content expert who has all the answers. But Learning Circles give participants a community, which does a lot to help with motivation. Librarians said it was important to set expectations at the outset, so they developed a Learning Circles contract.
“You come up with this contract: no cell phones, you’ll pay attention, be respectful of your fellow learners,” said Edson “so it gives them a sense of accountability in that first week. How serious they take it, it depends, but I feel like setting some ground rules in the first week is helpful.”
P2PU developed a Learning Circles Facilitator Handbook — with the input of CPL librarians — which gives facilitators the tools they need to run a program. Facilitators found that four-to-nine people is a good number for a group. If more people show up for a class, they can be broken up into multiple circles. In order to run a group, librarians set up the space for group learning and make laptops available when needed. The library chooses which free online classes it will support based on local needs, like GED completion, registered nursing exam preparation, academic writing and public speaking.
“Public libraries are often referred to as the people’s university,” said Mark Anderson, director of Learning and Economic Advancement of CPL, at the SXSWEDU conference. Library patrons traditionally come in, find resources, and are left on their own to learn the material. But with the P2PU partnership, funded by a Knight Foundation News Challenge on Libraries grant, Anderson said librarians were able to take a more active role in facilitating learning.
“The idea of working and creating these Learning Circles really helped us move closer to that ideal of being the people’s university to help people progress, with some facilitation on our part,” Anderson said.
Learning Circles are not limited to libraries, but are designed for use somewhere people can come together and take a course online. The model could also be used to fill in gaps in educational offerings both in school and the professional world, according to P2PU learning lead, Grif Peterson. “You can see the Learning Circles that are popping up around the world,” he said.
The pilot program has had a broad range of learners, from teenagers to adult professionals, looking to change their careers or improve their skills. One such student was Lupe Philips, a 53-year-old tourism professional. She was between jobs and looking to upgrade her skills. She’s an avid library user, and when she found out about the Learning Circles, she signed up for HTML/CSS, public speaking and novel writing. She said it was a welcoming change to engage with learners and enormously helpful that the courses were free.
“It was an avenue for me to upgrade my skills,” said Philips. “I may not be a master, but at least I have some concept of working HTML.”
Learning Circles introduced her to MOOCs for the first time, and she appreciated the feedback from her peers and facilitators in a small group setting.
“They did provide some critical feedback that I thought was necessary and I don’t think you would get that if you were taking an online course by yourself and not having to be accountable in a week’s time,” said Philips.
Getting people to the Learning Circles required some marketing outreach. Librarians attended local events and posted offerings on CPL’s website. Much of their marketing efforts were low-tech: fliers in and around libraries, coffee shops and community centers. Libraries, in general, have some work to do in spreading the word about the services they offer; a recent Pew Research Center survey found that many people don’t know about education resources offered by libraries. Of people surveyed by Pew, half didn’t know if their local libraries offered online programs for GED completion or mastery of new skills.
CPL’s outreach efforts helped a new population of learners take advantage of MOOCs — 90 percent of those who attended a Learning Circle heard about it through the library and 65 percent of those had never taken an online course before, said Peterson. Retention rates were around 45 – 55 percent, according to Peterson. He also noted that students were more compelled to take online courses on their own after the guided experience and continued to do work outside of the learning circles.
Learning Circles also helped librarians interact with patrons in new ways. They found themselves forming friendships and building community through repeated interactions. “It was just really enjoyable,” said Edson. “By the end of [the course], you know their names, at least if they’ve come enough times, so you can see them at the library and say ‘hi’ and have a more personal conversation with them than before, just sitting at a reference desk.”
from MindShift http://ift.tt/23U9yjE
Friday, April 22, 2016
10 Realities About Bullying at School and Online
In spite of national campaigns against bullying, including legislation in some states that punishes offenders and imposes strict reporting standards on schools, as many kids as ever report being victimized by their peers. The most recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on youth behavior showed no change in reports of bullying among high school kids, on school property, between 2009 and 2013. According to the US Department of Education, up to 22 percent of 12-18 year olds claim to having been bullied by their peers.
A clear understanding of the nature of bullying, including who does it and why, should guide a school’s response. But “most educators aren’t aware of the function bullying serves in school,” said James Dillon, a retired teacher and former principal who directs the Center for Leadership and Bullying Prevention. Without a better sense of what drives heartless peer-on-peer behavior, Dillon said, schools’ anti-bullying campaigns will continue to wilt. “If you don’t understand it, you can’t treat it,” Dillon added.
School leaders who are eager to staunch online and in-person bullying might consider reviewing recent findings from social science as well as the opinions of scholars who study the problem. These findings, in some cases, upend the conventional wisdom about bullying and how to stop it.
Most kids don’t bully, don’t like bullying, and feel bad for the victims. The majority of kids don’t bully other kids and haven’t been victimized, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program reports. In a 2012-13 survey the organization conducted of 300,000 kids from 1,000 schools, 80 percent of students between third and twelfth grade reported never having been bullied or having targeted another for bullying. The Olweus study also found that most students disapprove of bullying and feel sympathy for the victim. “More than 90 percent of girls and 74 percent of boys across all grade levels feel sorry for bullied students,” the report says.
Kids bully to achieve dominance and to solidify their social standing. Kids pick on others as a way to secure their standing among their peers or to move up a notch. In the words of social scientists Robert Faris and Diane Felmlee, who authored a 2011 study on bullying in the context of social networks in schools, “aggression is intrinsic to status and escalates with increases in peer status until the pinnacle of the social hierarchy is attained.” Children from single-parent homes, and those with less educated parents, are no more apt to bully than kids with married and learned parents. African-Americans and other minorities show the same rates of bullying as their white counterparts. In short, Faris and Felmlee write, “the role of personal deficiencies is overstated and…concerns over status drive much aggressive behavior.” The popular notion of bullies as sullen social outcasts who come from broken homes is a myth.
What adults call bullying kids call drama. “I can’t think of a single bully at our school,” a popular high school senior told me about the climate at his medium-sized, and competitive public high school. This magical absence of aggression among his peers may have more to do with terminology than reality. “Students may not view the words and actions they witness as bullying,” Dillon writes. What the Olweus survey identifies as the top three types of bullying—verbal abuse, exclusion, and spreading rumors—kids can see as normal and essentially harmless behavior. The more the grown-up world frets about bullies, including adopting “zero-tolerance” policies and legal penalties, the less likely kids will be to see bullying amongst them. The very word bully is associated with “bad” kids committed dramatically aggressive acts, even though much social aggression is subtle and ambiguous—a raised eyebrow, a subtle smirk—and often carried out by successful kids against weaker peers.
Cyber-bullying is just an extension of what’s happening in the classrooms, halls, and cafeteria. Anonymous, online attacks against kids from their peers are just as emotionally devastating as being teased in the hallway or ostracized during gym. But experts believe that online cruelty merely makes visible what kids are doing in person behind the backs of adults. “If this is happening online, it’s absolutely happening in school,” says Nancy Willard, author of Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Aggression, Threats, and Distress. Thus, nasty posts on Yik Yak, Ask.fm, or Instagram, to name a few popular social media sites, are just another way for kids to express hostility towards targets they’ve already gone after—or are in retaliation against those who have attacked them in school. An unintended benefit of attacks on social media is the tangible evidence of bullying is provides.
Kids don’t intervene because doing so would jeopardize their own standing, they lack the tools to assist, and because they don’t think it will help anyway. Adolescents are fixated on their social standing, and anything that jeopardizes their fragile position will be avoided. Defending a relatively powerless kid against a more popular peer threatens that bystander’s own position. As well, a witness might prefer the child doing the bullying to the one being targeted; from a social perspective, it would make little sense for the bystander to help the school punish her friend. As well, students receive scant training on how to help in such a way that it won’t backfire. “Asking students to be empowered and responsible bystanders is tantamount to telling them to be good readers or safe drivers without giving them instructions, guidance, and opportunities to practice,” Dillon writes.
Bullied kids don’t “tell” on their perpetrators because they think it won’t make a difference. According to the Olweus foundation study, just ten percent of high school girls and 15 percent of boys who had been bullied reported telling a teacher or other adult at school. This may be explained in part by another finding in the report: slightly more than half of the high school kids surveyed reported that adults in their schools “did little or nothing,” or “fairly little” to cut down on bullying.
Apocalyptic messaging about an epidemic of bullying is misleading, alienating and potentially dangerous. When all students are bombarded with the idea that bullying is a widespread scourge that must be stamped out—even though most kids don’t abuse others—they take in a false message about how pervasive the problem is among their peers. Perversely, learning that bullying is common practice in school makes the behavior more attractive to kids who want most to fit in. When the majority of non-aggressive kids continue to get clobbered with lessons about the ills of bullying, they naturally feel misunderstood and alienated from the adults in charge. “Combined with everything else students are told to do or not do, the issue of bullying can become static or background noise,” Dillon writes. Even worse, says Willard, the message that bullying leads to suicide signals to targeted kids that harming themselves is an acceptable way to respond.
Harsh disciplinary measures backfire. When schools adopt punitive approaches to combat the problem, “they create the very behavior they are trying to control,” Dillon said. Effective anti-bullying strategies depend on student bystanders to help diffuse social aggression. But if the penalty for hostile acts is severe, those student observers will remain quiet when they witness abuse. Even if they want the behavior to stop, witnesses might not report on the abuser because they view the penalty as extreme; they also reason that resentment against the victim will be worse if they notify an adult. “Harsh consequences delivered by controlling adults also deepens the chasm between the adult world and the student world,” Dillon said. And the wider the chasm, the less likely students will be to call out their own tribe against controlling adults who don’t understand their world.
Kids retreat to social media in part to flee from prying adult eyes. Though worrisome to grown-ups, adolescents’ withdrawal into their private social world is developmentally appropriate. Unfortunately, because the part of the brain that governs rational thought isn’t fully developed until age 25, adolescents also are more likely to act impulsively and irrationally when they feel challenged. Much online bullying is done impulsively and in retaliation for perceived slights. Thus, a cruel post on Yik Yak can trigger an equally nasty response, which launches a cycle of hostility.
School climate has a lot to do with it. Authoritarian and hierarchical school environments where adults are the bosses and the students are expected to behave, no questions asked, make bullying among kids more likely. When grown-ups model this type of authority, they signal to kids that power is what matters rather than character or learning. Further, when schools value grades and individual achievement above all, kids infer that looking out for one another isn’t important. “Kids are much more likely to bully to gain dominance and status in environments that are hierarchical and have staff who mistreat kids while disciplining them,” Dillon said.
from MindShift http://ift.tt/1qGgZbZ
Thursday, April 21, 2016
3 Tips to Avoid Locksmith Scams
Locksmith scams are common all over the country. Thus, it is important to be aware of the potential locksmith scams around. Here are some tips that will help you avoid locksmith scams, such as: checking locksmith ID and licensure, asking question and watching out the fluctuation bids.
Below are 3 tips to avoid locksmith scams:
Check Locksmith ID and Licensure
Before even contacting them, check their ad and website for an address. Look for accreditation such as from ALOA (though a lot of genuine locksmiths are not members). Then check Google and directory listings for customer reviews.
When you phone them, ask where they or their technicians are based (again, checking the address), whether they are licensed and what the registered name of the business is. End it here if you’re not satisfied with the replies. Source: Scambusters.org
Ask Questions
Most consumer complaints concern fees that were not disclosed when they called the locksmith. Ask about the cost of a service call, mileage and parts before you agree to have the work performed. Get an estimate before any work begins, including emergency service. If the on-site estimate doesn’t match the price quoted on the telephone, have the job done by someone else.Source: BBB.org
Watch Out for Fluctuating Bids
If the locksmith’s on-site price doesn’t match the phone estimate, don’t allow the work to be performed.
Some locksmiths may demand payment after doing shoddy work or inflating the bill, and threaten to call the police or file a lawsuit if you don’t comply.
If that happens, call their bluff. Let them call the police, or offer to call for them. A reputable company won’t drastically change a quoted price, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman says.
“The people who are making those threats generally have the most to lose, because they’re not operating within the law, and their actions are not ethical. They’re bullying,” Coffman says. Source:Angieslist.
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Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Santa Fe New Mexico Travel Guide
A few weeks ago we spent an extended weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico and I must say, it stood up to all the hype. This place is ultra foodie, breathtakingly beautiful, full of culture and art, and uber chill. The trip was an excuse for QT in a fun location with my parents, and we left rejuvenated and inspired. Below are a few shots from our visit, along with a bit on where we stayed, hiked, and ate: in that order. (Thanks again to my parents for making it happen!)
Other Travel Guides:
US: Alaska (Juneau) | Alaska (Glacier Bay) | Utah (Arches) | Arizona (Flagstaff)
Europe: Italy (Amalfi Coast) | Italy (Rome & Naples) | Greece (Santorini)
Digs
Our house for the weekend was The Artist’s Retreat, a perfect home base for the week. It was in a neighborhood close to downtown, which we’d recommend for convenience. We’re big fans of online home or apartment rentals like Airbnb and VRBO (check out the sweet little places we found in Alaska and Rome & Naples), since they have so much personality and feel so much more homey than the typical hotel.
Hikes
Bandelier National Monument
When we travel we prioritize two things: hiking and food (you may notice that trend in our travel guides). We did three separate hikes outside Santa Fe, each more impressive than the next. First was Bandelier National Monument, full of natural beauty, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and petroglyphs. The best part was that we got to climb ladders into said dwellings, which made us feel like big kids. (The ladders were a little scary to be honest – Alex didn’t even attempt them.)
I kept remarking that the rocks reminded me of those in Santorini (search the word “Vlychada” in this this post — do you agree?).
It looks easy from back here, but climbing down while suspended in mid-air without a view of your next foothold was a little unsettling.
Tsankawi Prehistoric Site
We did another quick hike after Bandelier (located here), and we all agreed we enjoyed it even more than the first. It felt more intimate and much of the hike followed narrow channels worn in the soft rock (it almost felt engineered, like Disney Land). There were also petroglyphs and an incredible view. Don’t miss this one if you’re in the area.
Tent Rocks
Tent Rocks was undoubtedly the most impressive hike of them all, and one of the more stunning landscapes I’ve seen in the US outside of Utah (Arches + Monument Valley). The arch-shaped formations are completely natural. Alex and I felt like we were on the set of Star Wars (pretty sure Luke Skywalker lived in here at some point). If you’ve got time for one hike in New Mexico, this is it.
Intense hiker vibes.
Eats
Santa Fe is a dining mecca, so it was difficult to decide on just a few restaurants (since time was limited and many of our meals were hiking to go). Here are a few highlights:
The best dining Santa Fe dining experience hands down was Cafe Pasqual’s. When Alex and I try new restaurants, we look for places with soul — not white table cloth fancy or uber trendy, but places that have a story and a personality. Pasqual’s has the soul we look for: high quality farm-to-table food (a combination of New Mexican and American cuisine), served up in a homey environment. Think menu items like queso fundido with sauteed shiitake mushrooms or salad of arugula, fennel, sugar snaps, and lemon-shallot vinaigrette on a golden polenta triangle, served up next to enchiladas with traditional rich, dark mole sauce. Our table shared the first two, which were crazy good. Napo’s Pupusa was my main dish, a corn masa cake with zucchini, corn, and green chili served with a roasted tomato-jalapeno salsa. Top that off with salted burnt caramel ice cream with chocolate-toasted pinenut toffee, and we were in heaven. And did I mention their agave wine margaritas? It was only photo I was able to snap; they were a perfect starter.
Another must visit is Kakawa Chocolate House, famous for its drinking chocolate. Drinking chocolate, you say? It’s rich, velvety, and the perfect afternoon activity in our experience. They also sell fancy chocolates, which we also tried a few of: the standout was the citrus chipotle truffle.
The Shed offers traditional New Mexican cuisine in a homey atmosphere. I had the Christmas enchiladas (below), and they were solid; just spicy enough. This was a more casual setting and great for lunch.
Another highlight was Izanami. It’s a Japanese small plates restaurant that’s a little outside the main part of the city at the Ten Thousand Waves spa hotel. Everything about it was soothing, from the smell of incense outside and the hushed atmosphere inside. Maybe it’s a little off the beaten path to have Japanese in Santa Fe, but this place rocked it; compared to my food experiences in Japan a few years ago, the flavors were spot on and I loved the American-French-Japanese fusion. A seemingly endless array of dishes arrived at our table; some highlights were fried Brussels spouts with sweet chile vinegar and bonito flakes, the pickle selection, the wagyu beef burger, and the dark chocolate tart with miso caramel. We went on a whim after reading a few reviews, and at the end of the night we were all believers.
Lastly, we had the very great honor to observe a pueblo dance. Some of the pueblos invite the community on special days to observe their dances, religious ceremonies that are passed down from generation to generation. It was a very special experience and we are so grateful to have been able to be a part. (Note: Photographs are not allowed at the dances. This photo was not taken at that time but was captured by my mom on a separate occasion at a cultural center where photographs were allowed; we added it here for a visual.)
For the three days we had in Santa Fe, we wouldn’t have changed anything about the way we spent our time. Let us know if you’ve been and what your favorites were, or whether you’re planning a future trip!
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