Tips to protect your children from online

Having a computer can enhance our lives and the Internet is fast becoming an indispensable tool in not only adult’s lives but in the daily lives of children and teenagers. A little bit of safety can go a long way in terms of protecting our families.

• Keep the computer in a central area so you can see what's happening when your kids are using it.
• Choose a browser that's child friendly such as Yahooligans
• Install surveillance software such as the one located at emailspy.com to keep track of everything happening on the computer. This can provide you with details you can use to ensure safe usage of your computer.
• Post the rules for safe computer use near the computer so your child sees what's expected of him/her.
• Set times for usage such as set times per day when your child is allowed to use the computer so you know exactly how much time they are spending online and can track their activities appropriately.
• Tell your children they can only chat with people that they know and review their instant messenger buddy lists to determine who your child is speaking with.
• Review your child's 'myspace.com' or other similar sites to see what information they are posting about them to ensure their safety.

General Suggestions
Safety rule suggestions to be posted near your computer are:

• Don't chat with strangers
• Never give out your real name, address or phone number
• Do not send out pictures online
• Do not download files or programs without permission
• Do not use the web cam with strangers
• Only use Yahooligans (or other parent approved website) for Internet searches unless Mom or Dad is present before you click on a link
• Ask Mom or Dad before entering any online contest that requires personal details.

Children can benefit from help with their homework, fun and games and contest entries online. You need to be careful to overlook your children's activities. Children are trusting by nature and some predators gain children's trust by engaging in conversations with them over a long period of time before subtly asking for personal information and photographs. Many pedophiles will pose as children in chat rooms for long periods of time before making a move in order to secure your child's trust.

Earth, our home planet

Earth, our home planet, is the only planet in our solar system known to harbor life - life that is incredibly diverse. All of the things we need to survive are provided under a thin layer of atmosphere that separates us from the uninhabitable void of space. As far as I know Earth is made up of complex, interactive systems that are often unpredictable. Air, water, land, and life - including humans - combine forces to create a constantly changing world that we are striving to understand. Viewing Earth from the unique perspective of space provides the opportunity to see Earth as a whole. Recently I have found one website named thehomegalaxy.com when I am searching for space pictures where I have gained a lot of information about earth and space. And I would like to share some of the information with you. Scientists around the world have discovered many things about our planet by working together and sharing their findings. Some facts are well known. For instance, Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest in the solar system. Earth's diameter is just a few hundred kilometers larger than that of Venus. The four seasons are a result of Earth's axis of rotation being tilted more than 23 degrees. Oceans at least 4 km deep cover nearly 70 percent of Earth's surface. Fresh water exists in the liquid phase only within a narrow temperature span (0 degrees to 100 degrees Celsius). This temperature span is especially narrow when contrasted with the full range of temperatures found within the solar system. The presence and distribution of water vapor in the atmosphere is responsible for much of Earth's weather. Near the surface, an ocean of air that consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other ingredients envelops us. This atmosphere affects Earth's long-term climate and short-term local weather; shields us from nearly all harmful radiation coming from the Sun; and protects us from meteors as well - most of which burn up before they can strike the surface. Satellites have revealed that the upper atmosphere actually swells by day and contracts by night due to solar activity. From the vantage point we can be able to observe our planet globally.
Earth's land surfaces are also in motion. For example, the North American continent continues to move west over the Pacific Ocean basin, roughly at a rate equal to the growth of our fingernails. Earthquakes result when plates grind past one another, ride up over one another, collide to make mountains, or split and separate. These movements are known as plate tectonics. Developed within the last 30 years, this explanation has unified the results of centuries of study of our planet, long believed to be unmoving.

A Manicure

These days every body is concentrating mostly to look good. So a manicure for nails also adds a feature to look good. A manicure is a cosmetic beauty treatment for the fingernails and hands by a nail technician. A manicure treatment can be just for the hands or nails, or can be for both. A common manicure found is the filing, shaping of the nails and the application of polish. There are also manicure services that are specialties for the hands and feet. For the hands, the soaking of a softening substance and the application of a lotion is a common specialty. Another common specialty is applying this similar treatment of lotion to the feet, called pedicure. The word "manicure" derives from Latin: manus for hand, cura for "care".
Manicures often include the filing, polishing, and painting of fingernails. A manicure may also include the application of artificial nail tips, acrylics or artificial nail gels. Some manicures can include the painting of pictures or designs on the nails or applying small decals or imitation jewels.
In many areas, manicurists are licensed and follow regulation. Since skin is manipulated and is sometimes trimmed, there is a certain risk of spreading infection when tools are used across many people and therefore sanitation is a serious issue.

Swimming Technique

The human body is 70% water and has a very similar density to water. While the lungs are filled with air, the body is slightly less dense than the surrounding water, and there is a net upward force on the body. Thus staying afloat requires only a slight propelling of water downward relative to the body, and transverse motion only a slight propelling of water in a direction opposite to the direction of intended motion. Propelling is accomplished by using the hands and forearms as paddles, and by kicking the legs and feet to push water away from the body. Since salt water is denser than fresh water, less effort is required to stay afloat in salt water than in fresh water.
Swimming styles have been developed based on the following principles:
Try to keep the legs straight. Dropped legs or a slanted torso dramatically increase drag. The hand should be extended forward of the head as far as possible. This increases the average length at the water line, substantially increasing speed. Recent research has shown that hand force applied to the water is generated by the rotation of the hips, and not by the muscles of the arm. The muscles that pull the arm through the water are attached within one inch of the top of the arm. With a 21" arm, the lever ratio is 1:20, which means that 100 lbs. of pull by the shoulder muscles produces only 5 lbs. of force at the hand as it pushes back against the water. The torque generated by the larger, stronger hip muscles, on the other hand, whips the hands through the water, much like golfers or batters whip their clubs and bats through the air with a fast turn of the hips. Elite swimmers who were able to make modest increases in the acceleration of their hips doubled their peak hand force output. The time spent on the side should be maximized so the shoulders do not break the water line and do not produce bow waves. This reduces the frontal cross-section, reducing drag further, and also increasing the ratio between the body's water-line-length and width. Similar improvements are possible by orienting the narrowest direction of head, hands, legs and arms into the water. The torso is by far the most critical. The motion of the hand, arm, and leg from the back to the front should be in the air for as much time during the recovery stroke as possible, and in the water, oriented as hydro dynamically as possible, because the returning appendage has to move at least twice as fast as the swimmer, and in the water generates eight times the drag of an equal amount of torso frontal area. Rotating the shoulders also adds power to the pull by using abdominal muscles to help pull the arm through the water. The basic "catch" of the water is not nearly as critical as the above items. Most swimmers simply grab water with their hand flat, or the fingers slightly spread, and then draw it smoothly down their body. None of the above techniques require improved strength. With strength training, the hands and feet can be extended further into the water, gaining more propulsion. For beginners, increased strength brings only small improvements if the above strategies are not optimal.
Another swimming technique that can help an athlete swim at a higher performance level is proper breathing techniques. Breathing correctly can make the swimmer swim faster and with less fatigue. Competitive swimmers take in one breath and gradually let it out over three to four strokes. As the race progresses and the swimmer become tired, less oxygen from those breaths reaches the muscles. It is possible to teach the body to run on less than normal levels of oxygen. Take a deep breath at one side of a pool, submerge fully, and kick like a dolphin. Try crossing the pool with one breath, and then extend the distance. Another way to practice endurance is by taking a breath and letting it out over six strokes.