Spanish Audio Courses: 2 Things to Look for in Audio-Based Spanish Learning Software

The audio component is the most important part of any online or software-based Spanish learning program. Some programs are 100% audio. Others include a wide range of additional learning activities, like Spanish verb conjugation games, vocabulary games, cultural lessons, and reading and writing lessons. This article is going to tell you how to evaluate both 100% audio courses and the audio components of more in-depth Spanish learning software programs.

Repetition Intervals

The most important components of any Spanish audio learning program are the repetition intervals. Modern linguistic research has proven that these intervals, the intervals at which you repeat a word or phrase, make a huge difference in regards to how well you remember said word or phrase. For example, say you are going to learn the Spanish vocabulary word "amigo." If your Spanish audio course repeats the word, "amigo," with you repeating it, 10 times every 2 seconds, you will remember it in the short-term, but not in the long-term. Also, if in the course dialogues you only repeat the word "Amigo" twice and on 2 different days, you will not be likely to remember it all, especially not in the medium and long-term. So, what are the optimum repetition intervals to look for?

According to the theory of Graduated-Interval Recall, the optimum intervals are 5 seconds, 25 seconds, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, 5 hours, 1 day, 5 days, and 25 days. Now, I'm not suggesting that you test different Spanish audio learning programs with a stop-watch. I do have two suggestions for you, though. First, never purchase a Spanish audio course without trying it out first. All reputable companies offer free trials--use them! Second, when you do take a Spanish language learning product for a test drive, complete an entire lesson. As you complete it, take note of its repetition intervals.

When you learn a dialogue, you should start off by learning the individual words. Then you should be repeating those words while learning short phrases. Finally, you should be repeating both the individual words and the short phrases as you learn the full sentences in the dialogue. If you find that words and phrases are being repeated in a natural way throughout the lesson, then you've found a good audio program.

Avoid Spanish audio courses that do not utilize this type of interval repetition. For example, if you look around a bit, you find many Spanish audio programs that just give you a recording of the entire dialogue. You are then supposed to listen and repeat the entire thing over and over again until you memorize it. This is not an effective way to learn the Spanish language.

Natural Interaction

The whole point of learning Spanish, of course, is to be able to communicate with the language verbally. It is imperative, then, that your Spanish audio course gives you a chance to interact in a natural way. For example, some Spanish courses I've seen go through great pains to teach you individual vocabulary words. Then they work hard to teach you useful phrases and, in the end, complete dialogues. But then they stop. These programs are okay, but not the best. The best Spanish audio courses go a step further and provide true interaction, by way of simulated conversations.

For example, after teaching the necessary vocabulary, a good Spanish audio course will finish a lesson with something like this.

"Now imagine that you have just met a Spanish friend for lunch." "Greet him in Spanish."

"Pause" (You speak Spanish here).

Then a native Spanish Speaker will greet you back and ask you what you want to eat.

"Pause" (You answer the question in Spanish).

Now the Spanish native speaker will ask you if you know a good restaurant.

"Pause" (You suggest a restaurant).

This is just an example, of course, but you get the idea. Speaking Spanish is not just about memorizing vocabulary words and conjugating verbs. It's about interaction and communication, and the best Spanish audio courses include this important component in their audio programs.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a Spanish learning program with a good audio course is very important. To get the best, never buy a program without trying it out first. When trying it out, check to see that it offers instruction following the guidelines of the Theory of Graduated-Interval Recall. In addition, make sure it includes natural and communicative dialogues that give you the opportunity to speak as you will need to when conversing with a native-speaking Spanish or Latin-American person.

Who Needs Umbrella Insurance? You Will Be Surprised!

Insurance by definition protects you against unforseen acts of man or nature---fire, floods, death and taxes. Yes, taxes----people who have large estates buy life insurance to pay for estate tax upon their death so their children and spouse do not have to make rash decisions to sell the business or assets to pay for estate duty.

But it is very important to consider another form of insurance not commonly in practice--Personal Umbrella Insurance Policy.

Personal umbrella insurance protects you against excess liability claims. Here is what it means. Your car, home and rental property all have specific liability insured---damage to property, theft, uninsured motorist etc. But one liability that is paramount in our litigious society is excess liability. That is where umbrella insurance protects you.

Let us say you rent your property to a tenant. There is a gas leak--thankfully it is detected in time and there is no blowup, but your tenant breathes fumes. He will definitely consider suing you beyond just the health cost and property damage if any. If you are found to be liable, and damages exceed your tenant property insurance, he can then come after your other assets, even in a civil case.

A friend had a fender bender---in fact, his car just nudged the other car in traffic. Both drivers got out, looked at their cars, agreed there was no need to inform police because there were no dents or marks on either car. My friend went home, thanking his stars NOT SO FAST! Two days later, he got a call from the other driver that she suffered neck pain, whiplash and was seeking treatment from expensive specialists. Again, lucky for my friend, his policy maximum limit was not breached for medical insurance. But what if it had? What if the neuro-surgeon had prescribed expensive diagnostics and treatment? My friend would be fighting the lawsuit and a large amount of damage claim which could only be satisfied using his personal savings, since the auto policy would have been exhausted.

Unfortunately we live in a society where lawyers, some of them not all, make a living chasing ambulance claims. This includes trauma, mental injury, incident impact and other claims that leave no physical evidence of damage, yet can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A good personal umbrella policy is one of the cheapest forms of insurance to protect against catastrophic damage claims and awards. They start covering you when your specific damage policies give up.

Some experts advise against personal umbrella policy. Their logic is, if the other party knows you have a large umbrella coverage, they are that much more incented to go after you even on frivolous charges. I disagree. Most attorneys who practice ambulance chasing act first, i.e. sue, then worry about how much they can collect. You do not want to risk your personal savings and assets being subject to such greed.

So how much insurance should you have. I suggest you add up the maximum coverages from all your policies. Then add up your gross assets. Multiply the total assets by 150%, deduct maximum coverage and if the result is a positive, that is the amount you should cover. Why 150%? Because over time your assets will grow, but your maximum coverages may not. You may also drop some policies.

Remember, when buying any insurance, cost while it is a factor should not be an overriding one. Instead look for reputable, A+ rated insurance companies and make sure your policy covers negligence.

Good luck.

Summary of to Kill a Mockingbird - Chapter 14

Jem and Scout become the town's object for staring and whispering people as the trial of the black man Tom Robinson moves on and their father Atticus is his legal defense representative. Scout attempts to find the meaning of rape by asking her father. This leads to Atticus knowing that the children are attending Calpurnia's church services. Aunt Alexandria restricted Scout from attending any colored services from Calpurnia's church and convinces her brother to terminate the services of Calpurnia and then send her home as they no longer require her services. However, Atticus tactfully refuses her demands.

On that night, Jem warns her sister not to provoke Aunt Alexandria. Scout does not feel please with the warning and considers it as a lecture that she begins to attack her brother. Atticus intervenes, breaks the fight, and sends them to their bedroom to sleep. Scout steps on something that feels like a snake under her bed. She becomes frantic and calls Jem to look at it. They find Dill. He looks dirty, starving, and quiet thin but still acting his old good self.

Dill runs away from home and comes to them for shelter. His parents do not care for him and do not give him enough attention that he always finds himself left alone at home though they spend the nights sleeping at the same house. His parents are not interested about his thoughts and his feelings that he decided to leave and take the train from Meridian to the junction of Maycomb. He rides free on the cotton wagon's back and then decide to walk the remaining distance until he reaches the Finch' house.

Jem tells Atticus about Dill's surprise appearance. Atticus orders Scout to offer some food to Dill before he goes to inform Miss Rachel, Dill's Aunt. Miss Rachel house is just right next door. Dill accepts the food, eats, and then climbs to Jem's bed to sleep but decide to go to Scount's bed to talk things for a little bit.

This was a summary of To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 14; there are 31 chapters in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Scrapbooking Tips - Journaling

The art of scrapbooking is based on story telling. While it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words; there is really no substitution for the effect that journaling adds to your pages. The written word can be informative, dynamic, pensive, rhetorical, comical...you get the picture! There are no specific rules but I do have some suggestions that may help you with journaling. These are ideas that just might pull your pages together.

Let your ideas flow. Speak from your heart. Speak from your memory. Try writing to your subject in conversational style. Record your thoughts or what you believe are the thoughts of the subject. Use the event name, date, time, place, etc. as your journaling. Try providing a short caption for each photo. Use callouts or speech bubbles with your photos to record your recall of conversation. A series of descriptive words is a great way to convey emotion. How about using quotes, poetry, or song lyrics on your pages? Be sure to give credit to the author or artist. To include your own handwriting on your digital pages: scan your handwritten journaling, save it as a JPG file, and import it to your digital program as an image.

Journaling is an important element in scrapbooking. Try one or a combination of these suggestions on your next layout. The style or method you choose is not important but including journaling will add so much to your creations. You are telling a story that will be appreciated for years to come.

The Speed of Light: Why Interstellar Travel Is Impossible

The Universe became a much smaller place for us since we discovered how to build telescopes. These mega machines can reach to the edges of the observable universe and we have developed the ability to understand how to read the signals that come from deep space. That said, everything we measure reach us at the speed of light, the fastest way to get here. So to reach the stars in a manmade vehicle we would need to fly at the sped of light. Is this possible?

The Speed of Light

The speed of light is 300 000km per second. Light does not weigh anything and yet it has energy and momentum. It is a particle and a wave at the same time. That is why light travels to the moon and back in hardly more time than you can say the words, to the moon and back. Incredible and yet if we could travel at that speed and we would like to visit the nearest galaxy we would have to travel for around 170 000 years. Now this is quick but is it possible? Travelling to the nearest star and back would take around 16 years.

Dangers

To travel at 300 000 km per second would mean that you will have no system to warn you of any asteroid or meteorite and you would definite encounter millions of them once you passed the orbit of Jupiter, then outside Pluto and again you will also encounter millions of them on the edge of the solar system. Each single one with the ability to end your journey before you even left home.

Technology

Even if we had the technology, the crew would have to be willing to leave behind their family and friends and certain knowledge that they will only be the first of a future generation that will all die in space before the spacecraft would enter another galaxy. We can talk about this dream but to bring it to reality we will have to overcome the fact that to reach the speed of light would require infinite energy to drive its infinite mass. The spacecraft will increase in mass as it accelerates.

We do not even have to go into a deep discussion to realize we will need another form of travel to overcome the speed of light in order to shorten any journey to any star. While we may be spiritual in thinking, we still cannot even take people into space and that is travelling at no more than 28 000 km per hour. The human race has proved itself to be very inventive but the barrier of space travel is not only limited by our imagination, it is limited by the vast distance.

Agricultural Jobs - Changing Opportunities

Agriculture has always been a very integral part in American history. The first settlers to come over to America needed to become good farmers in order to survive. The agriculture industry has grown by leaps and bounds since that time, and now the agricultural job market can be very rewarding. Many of the new agricultural jobs available these days deal with the new types of technology that are required to produce the crops that America demands. The days of a family working their land by hand and producing a small amount of crops is over. Now many large plantations are run by huge corporations that capitalize on many of the new emerging technologies to harvest a larger amount of crops in a shorter period of time. If you would like to get one of these new types of jobs in the agricultural industry, then you will need to make sure that you stay on top of the new technologies available.

Many of these new jobs in the agricultural field have embraced these new technologies. Two of the new technologies that have created many new jobs in the agricultural industry are global positioning systems (GPS), and biotechnology. The GPS systems have really enhanced the ability for farmers to seed and harvest their crops in the best way possible. They can make sure that they position all of their crops exactly where they want them to be for them to be the most productive. The biotechnology field has really helped the agricultural industry, because many new innovations have allowed better and safer fertilizers to be used on crops. Biotechnology has also helped farmers to better understand what helps to make their crops better. Both of these new technologies are very interesting and offer many new opportunities. The agricultural industry still requires quite a bit of hard work to bring in a good crop, but now many people can take advantage of these improvements to make the industry a much better experience.

Strategic Plan Implementation

Almost everyone has a strategic plan. Let us examine ways to make it work.

If the strategic plan were being implemented, it would be looked at regularly. However, life happens and starting  is postponed for another day.

The easy solution is to begin the implementation immediately. If there is a client on the phone, a staff member standing at the corner of your desk, and a meeting starting in 10 minutes, why should you begin work immediately on the strategic plan? How can we begin work immediately?

The long range plans looks deep into the future. That is both its strength and its weakness. It is a strength because if you execute the plan it will profoundly change the parochial school. It should significantly improve the sustainability of your school.

The change process is a weakness because it is going to take a long time to complete. Whether work starts today or tomorrow is unimportant over the long term. As a result, it is always scheduled to start next Monday but next Monday never comes. In addition, implementation  is a big project with many moving parts. Some are complex and hard to understand which means one must find time to sit and think. Most days "think time" is harder to find than hen's teeth.

Additionally, a strategic plan is a marathon event. Surviving a marathon means metering out your energy. However, it is impossible to win a marathon if you are always at the back. If you are at the back, you must sprint up to the front if you want to be in contention.

Apply the same strategy to your strategic plan. After developing it, mark off the first 100 days and they become the starting sprint. Break down the first year of the plan and decide what you must accomplish in the first 180 days. Then shorten the time to 100 days and make this the starting sprint.

It will be hard to compress 180 days of work into 100 days but the dividends are worth it. Following are the benefits from beginning the strategic plan implementation with a sprint:

Transition - The sprint completes the transition from today's activities into the new strategy and business model. Breaking the old momentum is one of the more difficult parts of implementing anything new.

Success - Completing the first 180 days of work demonstrates to everyone that the plan will work. This provides energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of the possible.

Momentum - Completing the sprint gives the strategic plan momentum that will carry it forward.

Focus - The sprint helps the team realize that great things can be accomplished when everyone focuses on the same goal and works hard.

Teamwork - It takes a strong team to accomplish 180 days of work in 100 days. That teamwork will pay dividends for years. It will make dealing with the next crisis easier.

Courage - The sprint will give the entire organization the courage to take on some other big important task. It puts an end to people saying, "We can't do..."

Innovation - It is impossible to compress 180 days of work into 100 days without creative problem solving and innovative ideas. Starting with 100 days of innovation helps create a culture of innovation and creative thinking.

Even if the strategic plan eventually turns out to be less than you hoped, the 100 day sprint will provided dividends that more than justify creating the strategic plan.

Next Step:

Ensure your Christian school has a strategic plan (5 or more years in duration) Breaks the plan down into 6-month milestones (6 months, 12 months, 18 months, etc.) Create a detailed plan for the first 180 days (6 months) Compress the 180 day plan into 100 days without increasing costs, reducing quality, or sacrificing service Have a party on day 101

A good plan leads to sustainability. The seven collateral benefits of the 100-day sprint are all attributes of a highly sustainable organization.

Plans are like consultants. Their only value is the results they produce. Because strategic plans take time to produce the promised benefits, they often seem like they are a large time investment without much, if any, payback. The 100-day sprint is away to front-end load the process with almost immediate benefits.

Is it time to dust off your strategic plan or write a new one? In either case, should you start your 100-day sprint now so that your school has new momentum to start the new school year?

Do you want to read an article about why strategic plans should span more than 5 years? If so, please send us an email or leave a comment below.

The Risk and Return of Investing - Powerful Advice for Having Little of One and Heaps of the Other

Investment decisions are generally run on the same issue as the quarterback making the big decision in the big game, risk and return. Are you trying to win the championship right now? Or are you simply looking to stay in the game for a chance to win it later? Decisions based on your sense of urgency and potential are what drive risk and return decisions. What should you think about when making these decisions?

For what length do you expect to be investing?

Those who are planning to invest for something that is 30 years down the road should consider a high risk, high reward type of situation. Contrastingly, those who have a major event right around the corner should look for less risk, even if it means less reward. Money markets and mutual funds are a better choice for those who don't want to risk much, whereas stock investing offers a better risk/reward scenario for those who have time to whether the storms. Don't lose your retirement or education funds because you went a little further than you should have!

Have an idea of your expected returns.

It is very simple, the more you want to risk the more you can possibly be rewarded. If you want a big return, like 10% then you will take on quite a bit more risk than someone looking for a 5% return. You should know what type of return you want to get because it greatly impacts your investment plan. If you are looking to become wealthy and get large returns on whatever type of investment you want to do then you will have a more aggressive investment plan. If you are older and just looking to supplement your income a little bit or keep your retirement in good shape as the time nears, your investment plan will be a little more conservative.

What level of risk are you most happy at?

This level will rise and fall from person to person and is a very unique aspect of investing. The faint of heart should not partake in the stock market, it will fluctuate and so will your heart rate! Go with bonds or money market accounts that can make you a solid return with little to no risk. The biggest element in working out how much risk you are willing to take are more geared towards your personal situation, specifically how old you are in relation to your end goal and what level of income you can currently get.

If you feel that you'd be hard pressed not to have a need for your money over the next 10 years or so - then you probably need to avoid investing in stocks and shares which gain maximum return over a long investment period.

But if you can leave your money invested for long periods, look to the market to give you a healthy, higher return - on average, a return better than you'll find with most other investment opportunities.

Installing a Generator For Your Home Or Business

Location Operating a diesel generator set will result in a certain amount of noise (although steps can be taken to reduce this significantly) and diesel exhaust fumes. If possible, a location downwind of your home/business should be selected so diesel fumes are carried away from people and buildings by the prevailing winds. A reasonable distance between your home/business and the site of the generator enclosure, will (in combination with soundproofing measures)reduce any noise pollution.

Placement Diesel generators are heavy and should sit on a solid, level surface. The ideal solution is to pour a reinforced concrete slab approx 4" thick. The slab should be large enough for the generator and fuel tank to sit on. There should be sufficient room to walk around the generator (in order to service and maintain the machine) and for a block wall enclosure to be built around the generator (the fuel tank should not be placed inside this enclosure).

Prior to pouring the slab, a trench (18" deep is ideal) should be dug between the generator slab and an access point adjacent to the mains electricity supply/distribution board in your building, close to where your transfer switch will be located. Pipe work should be laid of a sufficient size to accommodate the cables and generator control wires (minimum of 25mm cable per 100amps of supply). The pipe work should begin with a vertical feed through the slab and care should be taken to ensure that there are no 90 degree bends. Any bends should be gentle so cables will not jam or snag as they are pulled through. Whilst laying the pipe, you should run a length of strong rope through the pipe work, this will be used later to pull the generator cables through.

After pouring the concrete slab, a few inches of concrete should be poured along the trench on top of the pipe work prior to the trench being back filled. This will help prevent future cable damage.

Generator Enclosure Diesel generator sets are sensitive to extreme heat and moisture and need to be protected from excesses of both. The best way to achieve this is to build a custom enclosure around the generator set.

The design of the enclosure should allow for maximum airflow, whilst reducing the chance of moisture penetration. Moisture penetration into the alternator is one of the main causes of generator burn outs and can be avoided for the most part by enclosure design.

Simple block walls supporting a metal framed, tiled roof, is a good basic structure. The roof should be lined with heat reflective material to prevent excessive radiant heat penetration (painting the roof and walls white will also reflect some radiant heat). The eaves of the roof should descend as low as is practicable to prevent rainwater being blown into the enclosure in high winds. A wide door (30" or 32") should be fitted for operator access and maintenance.

Air is drawn in through the rear of a generator and expelled through the radiator at the front of a generator. To allow a sufficient volume of air to be drawn in through the generator enclosure, the final course of block work at the top of the block wall to the rear of the generator, should be of a decorative type with holes in the block. The generator will draw air through this course of block. The hot air expelled through the radiator should be channeled through a simple duct work arrangement between the face of the radiator and further decorative block work on the wall directly to the front of the generator. All decorative block work should be lined on the inside of the generator enclosure with fine plastic or metal mesh material to prevent insect penetration into the generator enclosure.

The walls, door and ceiling should be lined with sound absorbent material, this will significantly reduce the noise signature of the generator set. If noise continues to be a problem other solutions include; building a cavity wall as opposed to a single block wall, and/or fitting baffles around the decorative block (airflow in) and radiator (airflow out). These measures will reduce the noise signature further still. If noise reduction is an absolute priority, purchasing a generator in a silent canopy, then installing it within a block built and soundproof lined generator enclosure is the way to go.

Sufficient lighting and an additional mains power outlet should be fitted within the enclosure for the purpose of generator maintenance and service. If possible a water supply should be run to the outside of the enclosure and hosepipe fitted (for radiator top up).