For Dummies® Gives Hosts the Information They Need to Prepare Memorable Food and Drinks for Guests of All Dietary Needs

A glance at the calendar will show you that the holiday season is fast approaching. Before you know it, you’ll be counting your blessings over a generous serving of turkey and gravy, and soon after that, you’ll be making eggnog toasts and fa-la-la-ing to your heart’s content. However, if you’re slated to host one of those holiday meals, the task in front of you might fill you with more dread than holiday cheer. If that’s the case, you’re not alone. For those of us who don’t answer to the name “Martha Stewart,” figuring out who is coming to the table, what to serve, and how to prepare it can be a daunting task indeed—especially if any of your guests have special dietary needs, such as a gluten allergy.

Not to worry—For Dummies has teamed up with several authors who know their way around the kitchen to make your upcoming chef responsibilities a lot easier.

With Cooking Basics For Dummies®, 4th Edition, Gluten-Free Baking For Dummies®, Wine For Dummies®, 4th Edition, and Whiskey and Spirits For Dummies®, you can prepare a mouth-watering spread (and provide the libations to go with it!) no matter what the preferences and dietary needs of your guests might be.

Whether you’re a cooking novice or simply want to up the culinary ante this year, pick up a copy of one of these titles today. They’ll help you safely navigate everything from appetizers to after-dinner drinks.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find this holiday season on the For Dummies menu:

Cooking Basics For Dummies, 4th Edition can take your cooking from dull to delicious. Written by restaurant and dining feature writer Bryan Miller, food and beverage consultant Marie Rama, and coauthor of The Mediterranean Diet Eve Adamson, this easy-to-understand guide covers cooking from all angles. You’ll learn:

* How to read a recipe

* What staples you should keep in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer

* Tips for saving time in the kitchen (Note to Editor: See attached tipsheet.)

* The basics of grilling, slow cooking, pressure cooking, roasting, and sautéing

* Considerations for vegetarians and others with special diets, and flavorful dishes to serve them

Gluten-Free Baking For Dummies will show you how to prepare wheat-free treats. Authors Jean McFadden Layton and Linda Larsen have pooled their expertise to help you re-create beloved tastes without using wheat flour. The book provides:

* New baking ideas and substitutes for common glutenous ingredients

* Easy recipes and methods for baking more than 150 gluten-free cakes, cookies, and breads

* Tips and advice for shopping and stocking your kitchen

Wine For Dummies, 4th Edition will prompt you to raise your glass throughout the holiday season. With over half a century of professional wine experience between them, husband and wife team Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan have written a full-bodied, yet light…rich, yet crisp…robust, yet refreshing guide to wine. You’ll learn:

* How to sniff and taste wine

* How to store and pour wine, and how to pair it with food

* Red and white wine styles, as well as details about wines from around the world

And that’s not all. If you need a guide on the go, download the Selecting a Wine For Dummies app on your iPhone or iPod touch! You’ll have information ranging from articles on popular wine topics to pronunciation guides at your fingertips. The Food and Wine pairing tool is especially useful to have on hand at the grocery store so that you can choose the perfect complement to your meal. And once you have sampled several vintages, you can even use the app to create a personalized wine list by snapping a photo of the label and entering notes about why you enjoyed it.

Whiskey and Spirits For Dummies is your complete guide to this family of noble beverages. Written by Perry Luntz, who has been the publisher and editor of Beverage Alcohol Market Report for twenty years, this book will top off your knowledge of distilled spirits in time for your holiday guests. It fills you in on how to:

* Shop for the best spirits

* Select the right mixers

* Use spirits in cooking

* Make ten classic cocktails

* Present spirits to guests

The bottom line is, with these For Dummies volumes in your library, you’ll be able to prepare for the holidays with excitement rather than anxiety. And who knows? With the help of For Dummies, you might even make a name for yourself among your friends and family as a host or hostess extraordinaire!

This article is excerpted from the Holiday Gift Guide for 2011. Be sure and check it out and read other articles about the holidays. It’s also great to add to your online shopping experience! While you are at it check out Big Chef (still time to place your holiday entertaining order) and Grab A World Christmas Holiday CD by Shawn Rae!(click on the images for a larger view of their offers)

www.BigChefOnline.com

ShawnRae.com

How are you and your business at keeping your promises?

Well, how you answered this questioned just defined your brand and your culture. Yes the two are connected, and this connection can be either:

Strong and reinforcing – they are in alignment

Strong but negatively reinforcing – they are competing or demonstrating dissonance

Weak because they have not been defined and developed

Creating the Promise – Your Brand

To grow your business, you must identify your target market. This is the market niche you want to focus on and the position you want to hold within that market. You need to know and understand exactly:

What products or services you want to provide to your market

What you can do and what you do not want to do

Your competition and why you are different

This provides the essential elements for branding your company.

Branding presents you to the marketplace. It defines you in the mind of your customers and prospects. It creates the promise: what your clients can expect from you when they do business with you. Think of Apple, Google, Zappos, Amazon.com, Nordstrom… We know what to expect from them, and we are rarely disappointed.

Branding expresses this promise in the:

· Logo

· Website concept and content

· Tag line

· Advertisements

· Marketing materials

· All forms of internal and external expression/communication about the company.

There is a consistency that should carry over to all methods of interacting with the customer and the prospect. Regardless of how your prospect and customers enter your sales cycle, they should see, feel, and interpret who you are, what you stand for and what they can expect based on your branding.

So, you’ve got their attention with relevant and compelling branding.

You’re done, right? No, not so quickly.

Creating the Culture to Deliver the Promise

Now it’s time to deliver: to keep the promise made in and through your branding.

Culture is the way work is done in your company. It’s how people work together, how you build your teams and processes to deliver on your promise. It represents how strongly you believe in your promise and builds your repute.

Culture is grounded in the understanding and practices around the Purpose/Mission, Vision and Guiding Values of the company. It drives how decisions are made, how responsibility is assumed and your behavior in front of customers and within your group. It should be reflected in the standards and consistency with which you deliver your product or service.

One quick point: Are organizations with a strong positive culture and good brand expression perfect? Far from it. They are just much better than their competition, as they know how to course correct when required, and they know why they exist as a business.

Brand + Culture = Market Growth

Without a strong base (your culture and brand) it is nearly impossible to deliver consistent and high quality products and services to your market. (In this case, what you end up delivering are excuses.)

Companies with a strong brand and a strong culture are leaders in their market, whether it’s a small local market or a large international market. It doesn’t matter. A positive brand and cultural alignment is a powerful competitive strategy!

The greatest opportunity for performance improvement and growth is to concentrate on building a strong brand expression (the promise) and focusing your culture in delivering on that promise.

Identifying your market and building a strong base (culture and brand) to deliver to that market is a competitive differentiator. Why? Because many of your competitors (and could be competitors) will not take the time to do this. And your clients and customers will notice and will reward your efforts.

About the Authors: Management Consultants and Business Performance Improvement Specialists Sara Laforest and Tony Kubica have 50+ years of combined experience in helping small and large businesses accelerate their business growth in record times. Failure to make and actually keep your promises is just one way to sabotage your business growth. Get the full report on Self-Sabotage in Business now at: http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/resources.php

This special online event, a week of unique blog posts, is brought to you by Biba Pedron from

You’ve done your research, blocked out your time so you wouldn’t get distracted or interrupted, wrote the article, posted onto your blog and hit publish. Now what? Is that all you have to do?

Unfortunately, just like writing and publishing a book, once the material is out there promoting becomes the most important part. If you don’t promote, you won’t sell copies. The same is true for online articles and blog posts. If no one is reading them, no one is buying. In other words if you don’t generate traffic to your blog, your hard work is for naught. I’m going to tell you how to get a good ranking and guide readers to your blog.

1. Use Keywords

– Make sure your article contains keywords related to the subject, including in your title.

Check on Google/Keyword Took External to find the best keywords . Make sure you know where to add the keywords and how to separate them according to the site.

2. Install the plugin All in One SEO Pack -

This plugin will generate META tags automatically, fine tune page navigational links, automatically optimizes your titles for search engines, avoids the typical duplicate content found on WordPress blogs. Installing this plugin will save you time and energy you can otherwise use to generate great content.

3. Post on article directories

– Adding your articles to article directories gets you more exposure because people have more ways to access the information you have to offer. Always make sure to put a call to action at the end of your articles to direct traffic to your blog. Use enticements such as more information or free gifts. The object is to motivate people to act and to tell them what it is they need to do. In this case it is to go the your blog to get more traffic.

4. Install plugin to share on social media

– In order to save time, install your plugins once and only click on the Facebook or Twitter button as soon as you publish a new blog post. This way, simultaneously all of your followers will see your new article or blog post. As an added call to action, ask you followers to share with their friends, for a viral effect.

5. Subscribe to RSS

– This application will allow you to plug in your blog with other social media sites with just one click, instead of having to deal with each one on its own.

6. Use bit.ly to track your readers

– Webistes like bit.ly allow you to shorten your URL, which is convenient to reduce the number of characters, allowing you to tweet the address of your new posts. You will also be able to get some valuable information such as the number of people who click on the link to read your post over all or per day and which countries those people reside in. This information comes in handy when keeping track of who your target market is.

7. Publish it on your Linkedin groups

– Review the LinkedIn groups and choose those that relate to the topic of your blogs. Once you join them you can mention on each one that you have just posted a new article and include the shortened link to track how many people from LinkedIn click your link. You can only join a maximum of 50 groups, so select them according to how many members and how close they are to your target market. There is no reason to waste your time with tiny groups or people who have no interest in the information you can provide.

8. Comment on other blogs related to your topic

– Each time you put a comment on other blogs, and eventually answer questions, your credibility as an expert rises. If people come to know you as the ‘go-to- person in your field they will come to read more about you on your blog. An added benefit is that by clicking on your link these readers will give you a backlink, which only helps your ranking.

9. Participate on forums related to your topic

– Just like the blogs, participation in discussions on forums raises your credibility. Always make sure your profile is completed so that those wishing to get more information are directed to your website and blog.

10. Mention your blog or article in your newsletter

– If you send a newsletter every week, mention that you’ve written something new on your blog or that you have a new article coming out. If you don’t tell people on your mailing that you have new information, they won’t know to read it.

11. Exchanges links with other bloggers

– Contact other bloggers who touch on the same topic as you but are not your competitors and ask to exchange links so you can cross promote each other. You benefit from his or her readers and vice-versa.

Now that you know how to promote your blog postings and articles to get more traffic and exposure be sure to block out adequate time to write your next article. If possible, post at least once a week on your blog. The more often you post the better as you get a higher ranking. And we all know a higher ranking means more exposure, more readers, more feedback and more money for you and your business.

Still need help to build your blog?

Visit www.TheConnectionQueen.com, and download 3 free gifts including a 60mn audio, 6 videos and an ebook on networking and marketing strategies.

Biba Pédron, also known as “The Connection Queen”, is a business coach and personal stylist who helps solo women entrepreneurs to attract more clients with proven marketing strategies, like networking and social media. She also helps them awaken their personal look, dress to impress, achieve greater self-confidence, and stand out from the crowd thus skyrocketing their income by creating their signature business style.

Five Affordable Ways to Boost Employee Happiness, Loyalty, and Motivation

No matter how much they want to reward their employees, many leaders just don’t have the financial resources to give out much-deserved raises and bonuses. Fortunately, according to Todd Patkin, you don’t need to spend a cent to show your people beyond a shadow of a doubt that you care about them and appreciate their hard work.

Foxboro, MA (July 2011)—To say the least, the past few years haven’t been the best for business. We’ve weathered a brutal recession, and most of us aren’t out of the woods yet. What’s more, it’s not only finances that have taken a hit—morale is suffering, too. In the battle for survival, many organizations have developed perpetually stressful atmospheres in which employees are asked to do more with less—often with little thanks. In many cases, it’s not that employers want to shaft their people; they simply can’t afford not to cut hours and positions, and they definitely don’t have the funds for raises and bonuses.

Fortunately, says Todd Patkin, you don’t need a single dime to make your people happy at work or to show them just how much you care about them and appreciate their efforts.

“People will never admit it, but money is not the thing they desire most from their work. Instead, showing appreciation, respect, and, yes, even love are the three most important ways to make your people feel great about their work,” points out Patkin, author of the new book Finding Happiness: One Man’s Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and—Finally—Let the Sunshine In (StepWise Press, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-9658261-9-8, $18.00, www.toddpatkin.com). “And happy, engaged employees are the single best way to impact your company’s bottom line.”

Patkin isn’t just a talking head—he speaks from experience. For nearly two decades, he was instrumental in leading his family’s auto parts business, Autopart International, to new heights until it was finally bought by Advance Auto Parts in 2006 for more money than he ever dreamed possible. During that time, Patkin made it his number-one priority to always put his people and their happiness first.

“As a leader, I quickly found that if my team was content and their work environment was a positive one, they would be more engaged and motivated, and they would truly care about our organization’s future,” he elaborates. “Plus, it was even more rewarding for me to see that my employees were happy—and often even ecstatic—than it was for me that we were making money.”

Patkin adds, “It’s more important now than ever before to show your employees love and appreciation, because we’re in the midst of an economic downturn, so you probably won’t have the money to give big raises and bonuses.”

Furthermore, Patkin adds that if your employees are perpetually stressed out, they’ll be less motivated and more disengaged. And when they’re unhappy, they’ll do only what they must to avoid chastisement…and you’ll lose money in the long term. Also, when the economy turns around, they’ll be more likely to look for a new job elsewhere.

“If there is one thing I would like to tell all leaders at all levels and in all industries, it’s that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain—including an improved bottom line—by making your organization as happy a place to work as possible.”

Read on for five of Patkin’s show-the-love strategies that you can use to say “thanks for a job well done!” to any employee, any time…without spending a cent:

Send “love” notes. Writing and sending a thank-you note is standard practice when you receive a gift. And what is great, thorough work other than a gift from your people to you? When you notice that an individual has done an excellent job or has achieved an important goal, send a specific handwritten (not typed!) note conveying your most sincere appreciation and admiration. This will take only one sheet of paper and five minutes out of your day…but it’ll make a lasting impression on your employee.

“When you’re a leader, you’re busy and often overwhelmed,” Patkin acknowledges. “It’s understandable that you might overlook saying the words ‘thank you,’ much less writing them. Remember, though, that positive reinforcement and sincere gratitude will increase the respect your team has for you and will improve their opinion of your entire organization. Also, it will encourage them to likewise say ‘thank you’ more often to their own subordinates within your company. Think of writing what I call ‘love notes’ as a way to invest in your company’s atmosphere and future!”

Distribute inspiration. Our society tends to think of work as a place of drudgery, obligation, and boredom, as exemplified in the now-iconic movie Office Space. People certainly don’t think of receiving inspiration and rejuvenation between nine and five. According to Patkin, though, buoying your team’s spirits should be one of your daily goals. If you help them to see the world as a sunnier place and to improve their attitudes and ways of thinking about their entire lives, their professional and personal productivity will increase too.

“If you run across a quotation or story that inspires you, don’t keep it to yourself—pass it along to an employee, and perhaps, if appropriate, also mention that the quote or anecdote reminded you of him and his great attitude,” suggests Patkin. “Alternatively, you might consider sending out a quote or lesson of the day. Yes, the idea might sound hokey at first, but I firmly believe that most people vastly underestimate the power of feeding their minds with inspirational and educational material.”

Tell success stories. Even if they brush off praise or downplay their achievements, everybody loves to be recognized and complimented. When someone in your organization has done something great, tell her that you noticed her outstanding work, and tell the rest of the team, too! Whether correctly or incorrectly, many employees feel that their leaders take them for granted and only point out their mistakes, so make it your daily mission to prove that perception wrong.

“When I was at Autopart International and I saw that one of my people did something noteworthy, I made sure that everyone else knew about it by sending the story about her accomplishment around in an email to the entire chain,” Patkin recalls. “I could literally see the glow on the highlighted employee’s face for weeks, and I also noticed that many of the other team members now worked even harder too in order to earn a write-up themselves. Remember to always praise in public as ‘loudly as possible,’ and conversely, criticize only in private!”

Identify stars. According to Patkin, identifying stars is taking the concept behind telling success stories to the next level. Yes, recognize achievements whenever you see them, but also make celebrating your stars a regular event. Sure, some team members will roll their eyes at “Employee of the Week/Month” programs, but you can rest assured that no one is going to turn down this honor.

“Instead of singling out just one person, you might even consider recognizing multiple individuals every month,” Patkin suggests. “For example, I always wrote about several store managers in our ‘Managers of the Month’ newsletter. Later, I included assistant managers, store supervisors, store salespeople, and our drivers in this letter of champions as well. My profiles for each star would often be a full page in length, lauding both their professional achievements and wonderful personal qualities. The newsletters themselves were often thirty pages in length when finished. But I know many within the team loved to read these personalized recognitions each month, and they motivated lots of the employees to work even harder to earn a spot on the pages themselves.”

Make it a family affair. Whenever possible, engage your employees’ families when praising them. Having a leader validate all the hours each team member spends at work will be remembered far longer than a bonus (really!). Plus, when spouses and kids know what Mom or Dad does at work and are “on board” with it, your employee’s performance will be buoyed by support from the ones he or she loves the most.

“For example, if an employee did something really tremendous, I would call his home, generally trying to get the answering machine and not a person,” Patkin shares. “Then I’d leave a voicemail like this one:

“Hi, (name of spouse and kids), this is Todd Patkin from Autopart International where your husband and dad works. I just want to tell you that your husband and dad is the most incredible, wonderful, amazing person in the whole world. He just broke our Nashua, New Hampshire, store’s all-time sales record. Guys, that is incredible!! So, please, kids, do me a favor. When your dad comes home tonight, everyone run up and give him a huge hug and tell him how proud you are of him and how great he is. And, (name of spouse), I hope you too will give him a big hug and a wonderful kiss to make sure he knows how much you love him and how much he is appreciated for all he’s doing for our company. Thanks, guys.

“And in fact, years later, many employees whose families received these phone calls told me that although they didn’t remember how much their bonus checks were for that year, that extra-special homecoming was still clearly etched in their memories.”

“Trust me, showing people love, appreciation, and respect trump money just about every time when it comes to building long-term motivation and boosting employee morale and loyalty,” concludes Patkin. “When you take the time to make your employees feel valued, they’ll know that you care about them on a more personal level, and they’ll be much happier at work. And in the end, when you’ve achieved a really positive atmosphere at work and the improved bottom line that will surely come from it, you’ll feel amazing too!”

About the Author: Todd Patkin grew up in Needham, Massachusetts. After graduating from Tufts University, he joined the family business and spent the next eighteen years helping to grow it to new heights. After it was purchased by Advance Auto Parts in 2005, he was free to focus on his main passions: philanthropy and giving back to the community, spending time with family and friends, and helping more people learn how to be happy. Todd lives with his wonderful wife, Yadira, their amazing son, Josh, and two great dogs, Tucker and Hunter.

As this article is being written, I can’t help to think that there may be parents reading this with young children and may feel that this doesn’t apply to you. Please think again because I’m not just talking to parents with teenagers, I’m sharing this information with parents who may have a 1 year old as well. Our behavior from the beginning of this parenting journey will determine where life will take all of us. We must be aware that if a child feels ‘in control’ when they are 2, you will be facing some pretty emotionally unbalanced behavior in the future years.

Children need boundaries and so do we. This word has been used over and over and at times, really makes people mad. Not sure why, but in many researches that have been completed with family therapists, it’s been shown to work! If we don’t keep healthy boundaries in everything we do, we end up getting out of control. If you work to many hours a day, you lose control in your family and you become tired and irritable. If you eat to much, you put on extra weight which will eventually make you sick. If you drink to much, you will become an alcoholic….. It’s that simple.

These few tips, if simply used may bring some healing to your family: Be honest. Learn to listen without feeling you have to give advice or fix the problem. Give lots of hugs and kisses. Understand without trying to get your two sense in. Tell each other you love them all day long. Pray every morning and evening. Build a strong foundation filled with morals and ethics. Spend quiet time meditating, breathing and relaxing. Teaching each other to feel peaceful in a chaotic world should be each of our goals.

So, back to the question, If any person in your family sat before you and asked ‘If you really knew me, you would know that….. What would they say? How would you feel knowing? How would you react?

The time is now and now is the time. Our children need healthy parents who will be there for them ‘no matter what.’ We must be the backbone in the family. It was our choice to become parents, not theirs to become our children. You chose to bring another human being into this world, so please handle it with care.

Keep all the negativity out of your mind, body and spirit. Watch the way you speak. The attitude determines the altitude. Create a new way of thinking, speaking, or looking at things. Keep peace within yourselves and when that front door is shut, know that you have created a safe haven for your family. A peaceful environment. Calm Down!

If we know our children are taking drugs, partying to hard, angry at the world, feeling insecure, or even suicidal, let them know that whatever they need or however you can help, that you are only a touch a way. Go through it with them. Feel the anguish. Don’t judge, just feel. Cry, scream, laugh, embrace, or whatever it is that your child needs, just make yourself available. Remember you created them, but you are not them.

When we learn to become proactive rather than reactive, there is constructive communication going on, and everyone feels the good, loving, positive energy flowing constantly, then maybe, just maybe, all the negativity from the outside will not attach itself to our precious lives.

Show your love, be amazing in everything you do, and most of all be an inspiring and healthy mentor to everyone you come in contact with.

Find the peace…

Lisa Hein is the author of THE BOOK “I’m Doing The Best I Can!” (They won’t always be cute an adorable), which describes her journey through ‘parentdom’ and shares great advice along the way. She is a motivational speaker and an internationally acclaimed radio talk show host of ‘Everyday Parenting,’ which can be heard on RadioEarNetwork.com. To order a copy of THE BOOK or to contact Lisa for your next event, visit her website at LisaRHein.com or email her directly at lhein@tampabay.rr.com.

By Dr. Janet Brill

Note: this video is part of the expert series by GeoBeats. You have to understand that it’s not, it shouldn’t be a diet, it has to be a lifestyle. So a perfect diet for one person that is going to help them may not work for someone else. So the point is that it’s all in the calorie math in terms of losing weight and keeping it off. So one has to learn how to eat less calories and a nutritious diet, smaller portion sizes. Maybe include some of your favorite foods and cut out some of the other foods. And really think about eating healthy in smaller amounts and combining that with exercise. So no fad diet is going to do. So it’s people that are successful at weight loss have been able to figure out how to at less calories and burn more. So really it’s as simple as that.

About Dr. Janet: Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D, LDN is one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of nutrition, health, fitness and cardiovascular disease prevention. Published in noted scientific journals including the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and the International Journal of Obesity. Published and quoted in leading lay publications including Shape, Prevention, Men’s Health, First for Women, Woman’s World and others. She has done nutrition consulting for such leading firms as Proctor & Gamble and The Sports Club LA-Miami and has conducted health seminars for notable companies such as Goldman Sachs, AMN AMRO, AON Insurance, Deloitte and Touche, Miami VA Hospital and more. Learn more at www.DrJanet.com

According to a new study, Children’s Future Requests for Computers and the Internet, kids are predicting that the future of media and technology lies in better integrating digital experiences with real-world places and activities. They’re also suggesting that more intuitive, human-like interactions with devices, such as those provided by fluid interfaces or robots, are a key area for development.

The multi-phase innovation study was designed and run by Latitude, an international research consultancy that helps clients create engaging content, software and technology that harness the possibilities of the Web. Latitude asked kids across the world to draw the answer to this question: “What would you like your computer or the Internet to do that it can’t do right now?” The goal of the study was to catch a glimpse into possible futures for technology as seen by digital natives, and to highlight actionable opportunities for new content, user experience (UX), and technology offerings. A complete study summary (PDF) is available for download at http://bit.ly/kidstechstudy.

More than 200 kid-innovators, ages 12 and under, from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, India, Mexico, The Netherlands, Panama, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States participated and submitted drawings of their imagined technologies.

Overall, the drawings demonstrated that kids wanted their technology to be more interactive and human, better integrated with their physical lives, and empowering to users by assisting new knowledge or abilities. Several study participants imagined technologies that are just beginning to appear in tech-forward circles, such as Google’s revamped image search, announced on June 14th 2011, which allows users to place images, rather than text, in Google’s search box to perform a query.

Researchers scored the kids’ inventions on the presence of specific technology themes, such as type of interface, degree of interactivity, physical-digital convergence and user’s desired end-goal. See infographic displaying some of the top attributes presented in kids’ created technologies across world regions.

View some of the kids’ drawings here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37527143@N03/sets/72157626937576399/

“This study is part of our larger research initiative that gives children a real voice in the broader, often very adult, discussion of future technologies,” says Steve Mushkin, founder and president of Latitude. “Across a variety of creative exercises, kids from all over the world have proven, time and again, that they think in extraordinarily sophisticated ways about how tech could enhance their learning, play, and interactions with the people and things around them – and the ways that technology might help us solve the big global problems we all face.”

Kids Innovation and Discovery Studies (KIDS) engages children across the world in creative problem-solving scenarios, providing valuable insights for educators, technologists, and society.

Key insights and business implications from the Children’s Future Requests for Computers and the Internet study include:

-The Digital vs. Physical Divide is Disappearing: Children today don’t neatly divide their virtual interactions from their experiences of the “real world.” For them, these two realms continue to converge as technologies become more interactive, portable, connected and integrated. Nearly 4 in 10 kids imagined technologies that bridged the gap between virtual and physical experiences.

“For many kids, the ‘online’ versus ‘offline’ and ‘virtual’ versus ‘real’ distinctions are quickly disappearing,” says Mushkin. “They naturally think about a future in which traditionally ‘online’ interactions make their way into the physical world, and vice versa – a concept already playing out in augmented reality, transmedia storytelling, the Internet of Things, and other recent tech developments.”

-Why Aren’t Computers More Human?: The majority of kids (77%) imagined technologies with more intuitive modes of input (e.g., verbal, gestural, and even telepathic), often capable of human-level responsiveness, suggesting that robots with networking functionality and real-time, natural language processing, could be promising areas of opportunity for companies in education, entertainment, and other industries.

“Kids are asking for computers to look, feel, sound, act – and interact – more like humans,” says Jessica Reinis, a senior research analyst at Latitude who led the study and who specializes in creative methodologies for researching with children. “In many cases, it’s not enough to have a machine that simply completes a task for them; kids today have a strong bent towards independent learning, creation and artistic endeavors, and they’re looking for technologies that can teach them and really engage them in new ways.”

-Technology Can Improve and Empower Us: Instant access to people, information and possibilities reinforces young users’ confidence and interest in self-development. One-third of kids invented technologies that would empower them by fostering knowledge or otherwise “adult” skills, such as speaking a different language or learning how to cook. Some participants moved beyond personal development, envisioning technologies that could foster positive social connections or influence behaviors tied to sustainability.

“One of the sweet spots we see clearly is content and game elements that flow seamlessly between screen space and physical space, and which have the ability to change the ‘real world’ for the better – for instance, online games that generate real currency to help solve societal problems or games that use social motivators and accountability to influence personal behaviors in health, energy use, and so on,” explains Mushkin.

Children’s Future Requests for Computers and the Internet Study Findings Now Available A complete PDF study summary is available for download at http://bit.ly/kidstechstudy.

Read Latitude’s blog posts discussing the findings of the Children’s Future Requests for Computers and the Internet study at the following links:

http://www.latd.com/2011/06/14/study-kids-are-the-royal-road-to-tech-innovation/

http://www.latd.com/2011/06/24/study-kids-say-the-future-of-tech-is-robots-real-world-integration/.

Latitude Presents Study Findings at Children’s Media Conference in UK Latitude’s Steve Mushkin, founder and president, and Neela Sakaria, senior vice president, will be presenting the findings of Children’s Future Requests for Computers and the Internet at the Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield, UK on July 7th and 8th 2011. For more information about this session, go to http://www.thechildrensmediaconference.com/2011/event/unlikely-visionaries-how-kids-are-predicting-and-designing-the-future/.

In addition, Latitude just launched a new study in partnership with Project Synthesis and the LEGO Learning Institute called Robots @ School – http://www.latd.com/2011/06/17/study-robots-school/, to further extend some of the present study’s findings.

Over the course of 2010, Latitude asked more than 200 kid innovators, ages 12 and under, from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, South Asia, and Australia to submit drawings of something they’d like their computers or the Internet to do differently. Researchers then scored and analyzed kids’ inventions based on the presence of specific, future-oriented technology themes.

About Latitude’s Kids Innovation and Discovery Studies (KIDS): KIDS is an ongoing research series by Latitude which invites kids from across the globe to tackle big ideas in structured problem-solving scenarios, providing valuable insights for educators, technologists, and society. http://www.latd.com/#kids

By Meera Patricia Kerr

Modeling can be stressful! We need to be beautiful, sexy, comfortable in our own skin, and radiant, even under challenging conditions. There are simple breathing practices that can be done anywhere that help you relax, lighten up, and get ready for the camera or runway!

If you’re on the set, find a cozy place where you can sit quietly for 5-10 minutes. (Or try to do it before you go to the set, so you won’t be disturbed) Close the eyes if it helps you focus. It’s important to be aware of the movement of the belly on each inhalation and exhalation. Imagine that with each inhale, you are filling up the belly, and you can observe it expand, like a balloon that’s being blown up. Then as you exhale, the belly collapses, and flattens out a little. At the end of the exhalation, you can even pull the belly in toward the spine, to get the sense of all the air being released out of the lungs. Then, automatically, the breath will want to rush in again, and you will notice the belly expand again. So try that for a few rounds, and make sure you have the hang of it. If you’re having trouble, try lying on the floor, or a bed, and place your hand on your abdomen, below the bellybutton. This may help you get a better sense of the wavelike motion of the in and out breaths.

Next, you’ll want to make the breath go into the cage area. Begin inhaling into the belly, then allow the breath to move up into the ribcage. Exhale from the ribcage, all the way to the bottom of the lungs, and begin a new inhale. Continue with that a few times, without controlling the breath, but observing its gentle flow.

After a few rounds of the two part breath, you’re ready to breathe all the way up to the top of the lungs, and then exhale from top to bottom. The collarbones will rise as you expand the breath into the upper part of the lungs, but try to keep the shoulders relaxed, without hunching them upwards. Repeat this three part breath for as long as you feel comfortable, even as long as 10 or 15 minutes. This type of breathing turns off the stress-response and turns on the relaxation response, giving you better focus and lighter mood. You will definitely feel a shift in your consciousness. Now you’re ready for the money shot!!

Meera Patricia Kerr ‘s groundbreaking DVD, Big Yoga Hatha 1 was the first DVD to bring Yoga to the plus-size population. Now she has a book, Big Yoga : A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies, and a 2nd DVD, Big Yoga Flex-Ability. www.BigYogaOnline.com

A simple yet tasty recipe from Big Chef - 4th of July Pasta!

Here’s all you need to make this dish (a real crowd please’r for those who don’t want to barbeque). Good anytime of the year…

4th of July Pasta

Ingredients:

*4 fresh large red tomatoes peeled, cut in 4-6 pieces each

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 bunch fresh basil

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and let it sit for one hour.

pour over 1 lb. cooked hot fetuccine (or the pasta of your choice – cooked as per instructions on package)

Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot.

Variations:

Add roasted pine nuts and/ or shrimp.

Can also substitute red tomatoes for yellow

Tip: the easiest way to peel tomatoes is poaching in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.

BigChef is a Health-conscious, Lean & Green freshly prepared frozen Foods Company (est. 1999) known for our High-quality manufacturing processes using local & organic ingredients when possible Specializing in Gourmet canapés, Appetizers & Hors d’oeuvres for Hospitality Industry & Consumers delivered to your door

Seven Ways to Focus on Fatherhood and Live Your Happiest Life Right Now

Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the relationships fathers have with their children. Todd Patkin offers doable tips to help dads start building even happier and more fulfilling relationships with their kids—starting now!

Of course, Father’s Day is a day to celebrate dads. We buy them gifts, cook them special meals, and tell them how much we love them. After all, dads deserve all of the special treatment and attention we can give them! However, Father’s Day isn’t just a day for us to make our dads feel like kings…it’s also a great time for fathers to relish the relationships they have with their kids! If that thought makes you squirm just a little bit because you know you probably aren’t in the running for “World’s Best Dad,” don’t worry. According to Todd Patkin, there’s no better time to hit the reset button on your parenting style.

“If your overtime hours at work, your golfing hobby, or something else entirely has gotten in the way of your rapport with your kids, take a deep breath and let yourself off the hook,” says Patkin, author of the new book Finding Happiness: One Man’s Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and—Finally—Let the Sunshine In (StepWise Press, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-9658261-9-8, $18.00, www.toddpatkin.com). “The truth is, there’s no such thing as a perfect parent, and more to the point, you can start improving the relationship you have with your children right now. In fact, doing so may be a lot easier than you think!”

Patkin speaks from experience. His relationship with his teenage son, Josh, is one of Patkin’s top priorities and the source of some of his greatest pleasures.

“Yes, being a parent can be tough, scary, frustrating, and time-consuming—but it’s also the single most worthwhile thing you’ll ever do,” he explains. “Working on becoming the best father you can be is the ultimate gift to you and your kids. You’ll all be happier, because when you invest in your kids, you’ll be rewarded tenfold through the joy your kids will give back to you. However, if you’re just going through the parenting motions without really putting your heart into being a dad, you’re missing out on this potentially untapped happiness.”

If you’d like to make this Father’s Day a turning point in the quality of your relationship with your kids, then read on for seven of Patkin’s experience-tested tips:

Simply be present more of the time. Yes, we’re all very busy. (If anything, that’s a gross understatement.) However, allowing your job, the errands you need to run, or your golf game to take precedence over time spent with your kids is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a parent. Simply being there, physically and emotionally, will make a huge difference in how your kids see you and relate to you.

“Parenting is truly rooted in the day-to-day instead of in the ‘big’ events like recitals and ceremonies,” Patkin explains. “You can’t script or schedule the vast majority of life—you need to be there to catch the special, opportune moments. While earning money is important and bringing home gifts from business trips is nice, throwing a baseball in the front yard or simply watching a movie while sharing popcorn on the couch is always more special!”

Plug in—emotionally. It’s something we’ve all done: Your body is engaged in playing Monopoly with your children, but your mind is trying to figure out how much money will be left after all of the bills are paid, and when you’ll be able to take the car into the shop. Yes, you’re off to a good parenting start, but don’t be fooled: Being there in body is not enough. You’ve also got to give kids the first fruits of your thoughts and feelings if you really want to make a connection.

“Kids are smarter than we often want to admit—they know when your mind is elsewhere, even if they have no idea that you’re specifically thinking about business or how to improve your golf swing,” Patkin points out. “If this happens consistently, they’ll begin to feel less important, and your relationship will suffer. When you’re with your children, all of you needs to be there. Also, don’t be afraid to let go emotionally with your kids, especially in public. Wouldn’t it be great to be known as the person who cheers the loudest and greatest at your daughter’s ballgames, or simply as the most fun dad in town?”

Let your kids be themselves. Variations on this theme happen all the time: A dad insists that his son needs to stick with football because he has so many fond memories of being on the high school team himself…never mind that his son would much rather be marching in the band. Yes, when we try to dictate who our kids become we often have the best of intentions at heart, but we fail to realize that we’re doing those kids a big disservice. As a father, make a genuine effort to discover who your kids really are and commit to supporting them on their paths.

“Always love your kids for who they are,” Patkin says. “You’ve had the first portion of your life; now it’s their turn. And trust me—your kids will be happy adults only if they too learn to love and be okay with themselves as they are and for who they are. So, I’m sorry if you wanted your son to follow in your footsteps and be a star athlete. If he prefers the arts, you’d better love him for that just as well, and be cheering loudly at all of his concerts.”

Parent with no regrets. Parenting is the toughest job in the world because each family and each kid is incredibly unique. There’s no foolproof method for raising a happy and successful child, and you can bet that no matter how hard you try to get it right, you’ll wish you’d done some things differently. Instead of getting bogged down in parenting what-ifs and whys, just do the best you can and make sure that you’re guided by love. Even if you’re able to see alternatives in hindsight that might have been better choices, you’ll never regret doing the best you could do at the time for your kids.

“In the minefield that parenting often feels like, I’ve identified a few things that enable me to be a dad without regretting half of my decisions,” Patkin shares. “First and foremost, I make every effort to be available and interested in my son’s life at all stages. It’s crucial to realize that your child will be like he is today only for today, so don’t wait for a better or more convenient time to spend time with him. You may regret choosing to work an extra hour, but you’ll never regret the extra hour you spent with your kids. Also, do everything you can to treat all of your kids equally while still putting what you’ve learned into practice. Parenting your first child will probably come with the steepest learning curve, and you’ll be able to utilize what you’ve learned with your next children.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Parenting is something that you definitely shouldn’t do alone unless you absolutely have no other choice. Since no one has all of the parenting answers, it’s a good idea to ask for help, whether from your parents, your neighbors, a psychologist, or even from your own wife, when you’re unsure about something!

“I believe that both parents are equally important in a family, and I know that I was fortunate to be blessed with both a mother and a father who loved and supported me,” Patkin recounts. “That said, as a father myself, I think that maternal instincts might be called that for a reason. If your wife seems to bond more easily with your kids, then ask her for advice. Also, ask her to highlight childhood milestones for you. After all, not everyone instinctually knows that an eleven-month-old walking is a big deal!”

Bigger isn’t always better, especially with children. If you’re feeling parenting guilt for any reason, you might be tempted to think that buying the latest and greatest gaming system for your kids will make up for your misstep. Likewise, you may believe that a big blowout trip to Disney World will make up for all of those nights you worked late. While a family trip isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s important to realize that your kids may appreciate the little things even more deeply.

“Doing ‘normal’ things with your kids on a regular basis will mean more to them long-term than the occasional extraordinary event,” Patkin promises. “Small gestures like getting ice cream frequently on hot summer nights often forge deeper connections than extravagant trips and gifts. With that in mind, build regular ‘dad time’ into your schedule. For example, you might set up a special night one or two times a month with each of your children—just you and them.”

Be happy! At first glance, working on your own happiness level might not seem like good parenting advice. According to Patkin, though, this might be the most important takeaway of all. The fact is, we simply do not place enough significance on our own happiness in America. And if you’re overstressed, overworked, and discouraged, how can you expect your kids to develop any differently?

“As parents, we must realize that our kids learn to live their own lives from watching how we live ours,” Patkin explains. “They develop their priorities, outlooks, and attitudes based on ours. So until we fathers (and mothers!) learn how to become truly happy people ourselves, our children won’t stand a very good chance of growing into content, positive, and fulfilled adults themselves. So please, please, please, make a conscious decision to be a happier dad—and human being!—each day by, among other things, pursuing activities that you love and that will make you feel better about yourself.”

“Ultimately, being a great dad is less about following parenting manuals and more about just being with your kids—and not just physically, but mentally, too—and loving them unconditionally every day,” Patkin concludes. “By next Father’s Day, make it your goal to be even closer to and more involved with your children than you are now. You won’t regret the time spent strengthening these relationships! Really engaging with your children is one of the most fulfilling things any parent can do.”

About the Author: Todd Patkin grew up in Needham, Massachusetts. After graduating from Tufts University, he joined the family business and spent the next eighteen years helping to grow it to new heights. After it was purchased by Advance Auto Parts in 2005, he was free to focus on his main passions: philanthropy and giving back to the community, spending time with family and friends, and helping more people learn how to be happy. Todd lives with his wonderful wife, Yadira, their amazing son, Josh, and two great dogs, Tucker and Hunter.