Saturday, January 7, 2012

A Quick Guide On Cleaning Headstones, Memorials And Mausoleums

One of the most overlooked areas of stone care is the cemetery. If you have ever visited a cemetery and looked around, what you would see is that many of the headstones are in poor condition. The reason for this is that the cemetery is not responsible for the care of the headstones or memorials. They are only responsible for keeping up the grounds that surround them. This makes the family members responsible for the cleaning and the care of the stone.

The other challenge is that most of the family members are not going to know how to clean the headstone properly and the cemetery staff usually won't be able to help in this area. There is also not a lot of information out there on this subject. Here are a few basic things to consider when cleaning those precious headstones.

First things to know is if you are not comfortable or you are afraid you may ruin the stone, contact a service expert that may be able to assist you in this area. They can ensure the work is done properly and professionally.

The next step is to determine and find out what type of stone you will be working with. Generally, these stones are made up of either granite, marble and occasionally limestone and sandstone. It is important to know which stone it is because certain cleaning chemicals can be very destructive when used on the wrong stone. Acidic cleaners may be fine for granite, but with etch and dissolve marble and limestone. So don't just rush out and buy any stone cleaner.

Marble

If you are dealing with marble stone, then it is extremely important that you stay away from acidic chemicals such as vinegar, cleaners containing lemon, masonry cleaners, CLR, or tile cleaners and various mildew removers. Check the product ingredients before using. Remember, stay away from anything acidic. A good marble cleaner and polish will do the trick, as it is safe on all cemetery stone surfaces. Please remember that when you are cleaning this stone, stay away from any harsh abrasives as well as wire brushes and any hard tools or cleaning materials.

Granite

Granite, unlike marble, is a much harder stone. It is also highly resistant to acids and will not etch or leave dull spots like marble. Granite is a great choice for headstones because of these reasons. A good granite cleaner should be used to clean this stone.

Limestone

Limestone is another choice used for headstones and memorials. Limestones are made up of calcite from shells, coral and other sea debris. It is considered sedimentary rock. The coarse grain of some limestones give them excellent durability, but here again they are susceptible to acid attack. Drop a drop of vinegar or place a lemon wedge on such a stone and it will leave a mark etched into the surface where it has dissolved away the stone within a few minutes.

Sandstone

The stone can be found in older headstones and is rarely used today. This stone is coarse and loose in texture. Sandstone is very resistant to acid and is rarely polished, but can be damaged with abrasives or brushes.

SEALING

Once cleaned, one is ready to seal. Sealing prevents discoloration should a colored liquid be allowed to seep into the stone. In effect, seals are designed to minimize staining. Once cleaned, you may want to periodically seal the surface with a stone sealer.

So here are just a few of the things to stay away from when cleaning your precious stone:

1. Abrasives

2. Acids

3. Pressure Washing

4. Heat and Torches

5. Miscellaneous Chemical Cleaners

There are many good cleaners and polishes out there that you can use to get the job done properly. Once cleaned, seal.

Remember, if you're not comfortable doing the job, a stone care professional is just a quick phone call away.

Friday, January 6, 2012

What Are the Different Types of Thermometers?

A thermometer is an instrument used to measure the temperature. It can measure the temperature of a body or even of air or atmosphere. It helps in regulating chemical reactions by controlling temperatures of the solutions. It also used to measure the melting points of different solids and boiling points of liquids.

There are several types of thermometers. The main types are: 1. Liquid-in-glass thermometers. 2. Bimetallic strip thermometers. 3. Electrical thermometers. 4. Gas thermometers.

The descriptions of each type of thermometers are below:

i. Liquid-in-glass thermometers:

The most common liquid-in-glass thermometers make use of mercury or alcohol as thermometric liquid. These thermometers work on the principle that liquids expand on heating. A thermometer of this type made up of a glass tube with a narrow bore through it. At the bottom of the glass tube, a small bulb has blown which works as the reservoir of the liquid. The glass tube has filled with mercury or alcohol. It then puts in a hot bath. Some amount of the. The liquid will expel from the tube. The thermometer's range has decided by the temperature of the bath. Finally, its upper end is sealed. The sealed glass tube now puts on ice to mark the lower fixed point. Then it put in another hot bath to mark the upper fixed point, which indicates the maximum temperature for which the thermometer has been constructed. The distance between the lower fixed point and upper fixed point divided into equal parts. When we wish to measure the temperature, the thermometer puts in contact with that body. When it comes into the contact, the liquid expands and stops when the temperature of the bulb becomes equal to the temperature of the body whose temperature has measured. The temperature then reads from the upper point of the liquid.

Mercury as a thermometric liquid, has certain advantages. It is a good conductor of heat. It does not stick to the walls of the glass. It is bright and easily visible. Its freezing point and boiling point have sufficient range of temperature and hence can be used to make thermometers of wide range freezing point-39°C and boiling point 357°C. On the other hand, although alcohol doesn't have so many advantages it can also be used as a thermometric liquid. For a given temperature, it expands more than mercury. While using it in thermometers it is usually dyed red or blue.

The ordinary thermometers used in chemical laboratories are usually mercury thermometers. Clinical thermometers also contain mercury. Meteorologists use 'maximum' and 'minimum' thermometers to record the highest and lowest temperatures of the day. It contains both mercury and alcohol

ii. Bimetallic strip thermometers:

A bimetallic strip thermometer consists of a strip of two different metal's having different co-efficient of expansion. The two metals are usually brass and Invar. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, while Invar is an alloy of iron and nickel. The two strips are joined together. When the temperature changes, the two metals expand and contract at different rates because of different co-efficient of expansion. This causes the strip to bend. The strip is attached to a pointer, which indicates the temperature.

Bimetallic strip thermometers are used in refrigerators for temperature control. They are also used in thermometer. A the thermometer records a graph of temperature. Instead of a pointer, a pen is attached to the bimetallic strip, which records the temperature on a moving chart. The chart of the temperature is called a thermo gram.

iii. Electrical thermometers:

There are two common forms of electrical thermometers: 1. resistance thermometer and 2. thermocouple thermometers.

A resistance thermometer works on the principle that the resistances of metals increase with the rise in temperature. A resistance thermometer consists of a sealed tube containing tightly-coiled platinum wire. As the temperature increases, the resistance of the platinum wire also increases. By measuring the resistance, the temperature is determined.

A thermocouple thermometer consists of wires of two different metals. One of the junctions of the wires is kept in ice and the other with the source whose temperature is to be measured. Thermocouple changes heat into electricity and produces a voltage known as thermo e.m.f.. The voltage varies according to temperature. The voltage is applied to a galvanometer needle and the galvanometer needle shows the current which is calibrated in terms of temperature.

iv. Gas thermometers:

In these thermometers, gases like air, nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium are used as thermometric substances. These thermometers are of two types: 1. constant volume thermometers and 2. constant pressure thermometers. They work on the principle that gases expand on heating. By recording the expansion of gas, the temperature is measured.

Now the question arises, what are the different scales of temperature during use?

There are four scales of temperature 1. Celsius scale 2. Fahrenheit scale 3. Reaumur scale and 4. Absolute scale of temperature. The Celsius or Centigrade scale has 0° as the freezing point of water and 100° as the boiling point of it. Fahrenheit scale has 32° as the freezing point of water and 212° the boiling point. Reaumur scale has the 0° as the freezing point of water and 80° the boiling point. Absolute scale has 273°as the freezing point of water and 373° as the boiling point. -273° Celsius is the lowest temperature which has not yet been achieved. This is also called absolute zero.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Tips in Choosing a Yoga Teacher Training Center

Introduction

Yoga has been a part of Indian culture for as long as it can be remembered, but it was only the 50's when this discipline started to gain a wide following among people around the world. And as we continue to be conscious (and cautious) not just about our physical health but also about our general well-being, there is no doubt that yoga will be more popular as ever. Its benefits are just too great to ignore. So if you're looking forward to a fruitful career as a yoga teacher, now is the time to take yoga teaching seriously.

Tips in Choosing a Yoga Teacher Training Center

Before you can teach yoga, you must have undergone rigorous training and education to make sure you know the ins and outs of the discipline. It's not enough to know just the principles of yoga, so having the best education and training is a must.

But the problem is, there are quite a lot of yoga teacher training centers in the world that it can sometimes be difficult to choose which one is the best for you. So to help you make the right decision, here are some tips and guidelines to heed.

1. Accreditation

There are several accreditation bodies that certify yoga teaching schools, and one of them is Yoga Alliance. In choosing a school, look for proof of accreditation. You want a yoga teacher training center that complies with the highest standards set by these accreditation-giving bodies.

2. Teachers

There is no doubt that your yoga instructors have an impact in your education. So be selective when it comes to your teachers. Go over their profile and check their credentials. You want an experienced roster of teachers with vast amounts of exposure and knowledge in the field.

3. Location

You want the center and its surroundings to be conducive as possible. Some centers are located at the heart of the city, but you want a school with a better ambience. After all, yoga is about finding your inner peace, so you might want to start with your school. If you can afford it, go to another country to gain appreciation of another culture and its people.

Aside from those mentioned, other things to consider are the following: tuition, how long it takes to finish the course, the distance of the center relative to your house, the schedule, and your other preferences.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Difference Between a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degree

What's in a name? Labels are said to have significant meaning, and can also impact the beholder in terms of life affairs. The same can be said of graduates who own a bachelor of arts verses a bachelor of science degree.

A common question that prospective students will have is: What's the difference between a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSC) degree?

Here are some factors to consider:

Specialization: The emphasis on Bachelor's of Arts degrees are placed on liberal arts, while the Bachelor's of Science leans toward biological, scientific and mathematical courses.

Elective: In most universities, the degrees will be centered around the major that the student is pursuing. Also, Bachelor's of Arts students will most often need to select a foreign language as their elective, according to research by Degrees Info Online.

Time Frame: A Bachelor's of Arts requires a few less credit hours per semester. Compare 40 semester hours in Bachelor of Science degrees to 30 semester hours in the Bachelor of Arts. These numbers are based on course hours provided by top online colleges like Kaplan, Devry, or Breyer State.

Labeling: Various schools will have their own criteria and agenda for categorizing each type of degree. As an illustration, it's not uncommon for some universities to offer a BA in chemistry or biology, or a BSC in history or English.

The Implications of Selecting Specific Degrees

Earning Power: In terms of which degree earns more, that all depends on how high or low of a position the graduate secures after completion of the degree. Visit Payscale.com to weigh the amount that each career field averages in income.

Securing a Job: Many argue that employers in specific fields place specific job openings for either BA or BSC, based on the nature of a job. A Bachelor's of Science also proves that the student is able to handle more rigorous syllabi.

Flexibility: A Bachelor's of Arts gives students a more well-rounded curriculum that can be transferred fluidly to different fields. Rarely will a student in a Bachelor's of Science course step out of their league, to pursue an unrelated field with the same degree.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Evils Of Child Exploitation

Poverty is a very, very bad thing. Material, moral or ethical, whatever shape it comes in, poverty is dangerous. Poverty spawns discontent, envy, oppression, and more pertinently, desperation. It is a fact that 95 percent of all crime stems from one sort of poverty or the other; child exploitation is no different.

Moral poverty will lead an adult to abuse a child in any way: sexually, physically, psychologically, basically, all manner of abuse. No one with milk of human kindness in them will harm children who happen to be the most vulnerable members of our society. In Austria, recently, it was revealed that a man had locked up his own daughter in what amounted to a dungeon and systematically raped the poor child thousand of times over the decades, starting from when she was 11, and had in fact fathered eight children by her. This case is so shocking the mind can barely come with a why. My people have a saying that a man who has relationship with his own child is like a dog which vomits something and then goes back to eat it. What will motivate someone, who can only in the loosest term be called a human being, to behave in such a desperately manner? Moral poverty. When one loses the quality that makes one human, that person is no better than the animals which roam the forests.

By now you don't need to be told that exploitation is quite simply, to use unfairly for one's advantage. The range of abuse inherent in child exploitation is so wide and varied that it is hard to come up with a definition. For instance, there is the issue of child soldier in the war-ravaged parts of the world. Also child exploitation is the hydra-headed matter of child trafficking.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1989. It proclaims that all children have the right to survival, the rights to food, the rights to family, the rights to cultural and indigenous identity and the right to education. These are the basic rights of every child, but the implementation is sadly deficient. Children are the future - there's no argument. You only get out what you put in. Sow the right seeds in the children in the children and they will grow up mentally, morally and totally balanced to sustain the world tainted by the shadows of residual trauma of bad childhood.

Monday, January 2, 2012

The Landmark Forum and Your Business

You may be wondering whether there exists any relevance to the landmark forum when it comes to your business. Perhaps you have heard of the personal development programs offered through this forum and are wondering about the benefits to be gained as far as your company is concerned. Believe it or not, your business can greatly benefit from landmark education. How is this so?


For your business to grow and flourish it needs a good leader. Your business needs someone to steer it towards success. The only way you can do this is by ensuring that you remain motivated, innovative, and inspired. If you are struggling with personal development, you may not be in a capacity to be what your business needs. Fortunately, the landmark forum allows you to explore your capabilities beyond your imagined limits. A business that boasts of a capable leader is able to achieve more.

At the landmark forum, you have various courses that are aimed at personal development to choose from. You need not feel limited or pressured to choose a particular course. Opt for what you feel suits you best. If you are certain of your strides in personal development but are still unsure about your professional skills, you should sign up for landmark education. Here, you will be taught on leadership skills, public speaking skills, and also on how to motivate your employees. All these are crucial towards developing your business.

As a business owner, it is very likely that you have several employees working for you, unless you are a one-man team. When you hire an employee, you do so because they are qualified academically or otherwise. If you feel that your employees need that extra push in order to be more productive, opt for the landmark forum. You need not enroll your employees all at once.

In fact, as an employer, you would be overstepping the boundaries by demanding that your employees take the landmark education. You need to recommend the forum to your employees and then let them make the decision by themselves. By enrolling in the landmark forum yourself, you will be serving as an example to your employees.

What's more, if you can arrange for the forum together with your staff, it will serve to strengthen the team leader and team members bond between you. It helps a lot for your employees to see you as one of their own, despite having the title of boss.

The landmark forum is also a great way to network and meet other like-minded people. Remember that your business is not an island and it cannot survive on its own. You need to talk to other people about what it is that you are doing. Consider the landmark education as a way to kill multiple birds with one stone.

Therefore, if you are worried about some of your employees' professional skills, you should definitely look into landmark education. Remember that your employees are your company's ambassadors and you do not wish to have shoddy representation. You should be able to notice the effect of the education after a while.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Maximizing Your Potential Through Landmark Forum

Personal training and development is a very important process that is set to offer people the chance to maximize their potential. Through this, you will be able to effectively use your skills, talents, and experiences to better your life and those of others. The Landmark education system offers you the chance to maximize your potential easily with minimal time consumption. You will have to start the process by attending the Landmark forum so that you can get the clear basis of what the entire Landmark education operation is about.

It has been stated by many experts that to effectively utilize your potential, you need to have high self-esteem. This is centered in the truth of making you feel good at all times and not being dependent on others. This is the same principle that is utilized at the Landmark education centers to ensure that you and other people live extraordinary lives. Through the Landmark forum, you will gain the insight of altering your attitude to life so that it can always be positive. Through this, you will become more self-confident to undertake major operations and make important decisions. You will hence gain respect from others and establish very stable relationships.

The Landmark forum also gives you the chance to be a person who is willing to serve others. This has to be undertaken with an open heart so that you will not have to depend on gaining recognition. This is aimed at making you a very confident person. Through the Landmark education operations, you will gain more insight on how you can effectively gain this ability so that you can maximize your potential. The large group awareness training initiative is set to have 150 people undertaking the Landmark forum together. It is important that a large group is used so that people might shift from being shy and face life boldly without fear. This initial step will thrust you to a future that will enable you to be effective.

Communication is a very important element that is very vital in all areas in life. This principle has been embraced in the Landmark education process. Communication patterns will be offered to you so that you are ready to develop stable and productive connections with others. The Landmark forum will introduce you to these great communication principles and the rest of the courses will make you gain in depth understanding on how you can perfect them.

Through the Landmark education program, you will be able to make significant connections with other participants. This will be the beginning of a very great future that will provide you with amazing experiences. Your productivity will also increase due the skills that will have been attained from the Landmark education process. It is hence important that you seek the relevant information about this program through diverse sources such as Landmark education newsletters, company sites, and even the global centers. Consequently, engaging in this education will transform your life.

Landmark Education, Still Going Strong

Landmark forum alumni stated that what they sought for initially was adventure. Instead they ended up with an experience that changed their lives for good. The 3 day seminar was something worth their time. Basically, Landmark education focuses on personal development. The courses build on concepts such as setting of goals, resolution of conflict, happiness and interpersonal relationship. These are important aspects in your daily life. According to this training, once you are able to handle these areas, your life will change.


Landmark education boasts of an over 700 strong course facilitator work force. Their mandate is to mould you through different activities using tried and tested skills. During such a session, you are guided on how to unearth past policies that have been guiding your life. You are then led to a reflection of barriers that prevent you from moving forward. In the end, Landmark forum equips you with skills and renewed ability to improve your life and career.

The progress you and other participants make lead to experience sharing sessions. For instance, a Landmark forum moderator may give out assignments during a session. You are then supposed to stand at the podium and narrate your experiences to others. The assignment requires you to detail the problem and the steps you have taken to deal with it. Most participants draw from experiences in their relationships with friends, colleagues and family members. The Landmark education facilitator guides the participants accordingly.

Landmark education does not discriminate participants. It does not matter your religious or cultural background. Neither does culture or gender hinder you from being in the program. The sessions take place in over 20 countries across the world. Language is not a barrier as course materials are prepared in major languages recognized universally. Attendees are asked to invite colleagues, friends and members of their families. Landmark forum opponents argue that this is used to put pressure on visitors to enroll.

Landmark forum courses are not therapy based. Instead the emphasis is on discovering for yourself how to deal with situations and bring them under control. As a participant, you should share the things you have learnt with members of your family. Some will oppose while others will support your decision. In the end, Landmark education is all about an individual. It is fuelled by your desire to change present circumstances or remain stagnated. Those who spread Landmark education cult rumors should be reminded that the program has also been used by companies and prominent personalities. You should also get a balanced perception on these courses as a beacon of your decision.