Samurai, Japan The Story

The Japanese Samurai were warriors. Highly trained, skilled and efficient killers. Indeed, for many years the Samurai were the law of the land, a class of citizens above all except their Daimyo and the imperial Shogun. The samurai inhabited and roamed a land which was governed by the sword, and the samurai were masters of the sword.

Samurai are generally written about and thought of as an honorable, humble class of people which upheld an extremely rigid and almost impossible-to-imagine or mythical-like set of rules, code of conduct and belief system and would give his life rather than break Bushido(Way of the Warrior - the Samurai's belief system). This is half true, for many samurai were this honorable warrior most of us hear about. But not all of them were this way. Many Ronin samurai (Masterless) were merely amoral crooks which used their deadly skills for wrongdoing and lining their own pockets. They had no loyalty to anybody but themselves and would betray you in a heartbeat if it was in their monetary interest to do so.

Many of these samurai were once good samurai which may have even served under a Daimyo once upon a time but later became corrupt. Been a samurai is more than simply been good with a sword, its a way of living to which you dedicate your life, so these so called samurai were looked down upon by the moralistic samurai as nothing more than crooks. History is filled with Good guys and Bad guys, and it seems Japans Samurai class were no exception!

READ MORE .....

Learn Piano for Fun

There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music, note reading is the way to go. For those who want to create their own special music, chord understanding is a must - and much easier to learn. It is far better to learn how to make music first than it is to read it on a piece of paper.

Imagine a writer forced to copy another novelists work. Insane right? But that's essentially what people do when they recreate another composers work. It is not a creative act but a recreative one because while the pianist's interpretation may be artistic,it does not mean that he created something original.

I'm not saying that great composer's works should not be recreated for others listening pleasure. I am saying that it's a good idea to understand that there is quite a difference between Beethoven composing something and someone else playing it.

Having said that, the benefit of learning how to make music first is that you understand the underlying principles of the thing. For example, let's go back to our fiction writer. If he looks at another novelist's work and the structure of the work, then he is beginning to see how the thing is made. This is entirely different than what goes on in the classical music world where a performer can read music, but does not know the principles that go into it's making.

Learn piano the easy way first. Learn how to first improvise, then compose your own music. This skill is invaluable even if you do read music because you begin to see how the thing is made and once you can see this, your appreciation of it will increase tenfold!

READ MORE .....

Student Loans for American

A student loan is an unsecured loan made by lenders that receive government underwriting assistance. Without this government assistance, student loans would not be very practical. Lenders would find other more profitable arenas in which to loan their money. Nobody would be able to get a low interest student loan – without the help of a parent with a substantial financial history and reasonable means. Like any government sponsored program, there are rules and regulations and red tape to deal with. In the case of student loan red tape, it all begins with a financial aid form called the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

This form establishes the student’s eligibility (or ineligibility) for all manner of student loan assistance, including low interest loans. This form can be filled out and submitted as a regular paper form, or it can be filled out and tracked online (much easier).The guidance office at your High School is likely to have a pile of these forms. Libraries and College Admissions offices are other places to look for the paper version of the form. If all else fails and you really want the paper version of the FAFSA, you can get one by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID.

Most people find it more convenient to simply log on to www.fafsa.ed.gov and submit the form electronically. By doing it this way you also automatically get a way to look in on the status of your application. Supposedly, doing the form online can make the process from one to two weeks faster than submitting the paper form. Either way, you will find that the form is relatively easy to fill out, and typically will require much of the same information that would be included in the parent’s tax returns.

Student loans are also available to those who turn out to be ineligible for the regular unsecured low interest student loans. These other loans are normally called Parent Plus loans or private alternative loans, or just “alternative loans”. These are basically loans made with a co-signature from the parents. In effect it’s no different from a young person buying a car with a parent’s co-signature. Both the student and the parents are on the hook for repayment of the loan.
Because of the government regulation involved with the unsecured student loans, this is one of the few types of loans that do not require a whole lot of shopping around. There is not a lot of variability in the interest rates and other features of the government sponsored loans. The same is not true for the Parent Plus loans or private alternative loans. With those you do need to shop around.

So the first step is really to fill out a FAFSA form well in advance of the time tuition is due and use that to start your quest for college money. This will help you to determine what kind of student loans you are eligible for and assist you greatly in your loan shopping.

READ MORE .....

Children and Homeschooling

The first and foremost homeschool resource available to you is yourself. That’s right, it’s you! Right from the start it is your motivation to provide your child with the best education you can possibly muster and your ability to stay focused on your projects that will ultimately determine the quality of education your child receives. But now, what homeschool resources and materials are available to YOU?

Depending upon the age(s) of your children the resources that you use will vary. A great way to help determine what homeschool materials to use will be to observe and take on not only what interests your child but how they appear to learn.CD’s are a great learning tool. With today’s graphics and sophisticated programming the learning process can be both fascinating and fun for the child!

In fact, check out some of the software resources from the suppliers available to you right from this website!

Story books are a tried and true homeschool material. Teaching your children through the use of story books has long been a lynchpin in child education. Children’s magazines are also another great source of learning and discovery for children. Animal stories are among some of the most popular. One advantage to magazines is that they stay current and each issue is just a bit different.

Last, and probably least is television. That is if you carefully monitor not only the programs that your child watches but the amount of time spent watching television. Don’t ever substitute television (or any other automated type of medium such as computers) for hands on learning from their parent. With all of the technology available this can easily happen. Remember one of the great advantages to homeschooling is to be able to spend more time with your child and to directly control their educational experience. Slipping into too much computer and/or television time defeats the purpose of the homeschooling time.

When it comes to homeschooling children, your resources are unlimited and so is your child’s ability to learn. Their world is boundless and so should be your creativity.

READ MORE .....

Tips for Distance Learning Study

Distance learning is a fabulous new way to get an advanced education. It allows you to work at home on your own schedule and it allows you to set your own pace for learning. But remember, you still have to do all of the work. It's just like that old saying, easy does it; but do it!!

In order to be successful in achieving your distance learning goals you will have to develop a sense and source of personal motivation and you will also need good study habits. Just as successful students almost always have good study habits, so too is your online success directly tied to good studying in your distance learning program. Here are a few tips to help you get started off on the right foot.

Set up a study schedule and stick to it.If you need to do two hours of study for every online hour then schedule a fixed time when you will do your studying. Pick a time when you are least likely to be interrupted, it can be early in the morning before the rest of your family wakes up, or it can be later in the day when everyone is gone to work or school.

Don't pick just before dinner when everyone is unwinding and catching up on their day or listening to their favorite, and very loud, music. You need the peace and quiet in order to concentrate. Some people study in the basement or even the garage. It doesn't matter where it is as long as it is convenient, quiet, and conducive to your studies.

Plan your study time when everyone else is busy with their own activities. It might be when the kids are gone to sports or dance class or when your spouse is at their bowling night out.
It might be Saturday morning while the kids watch cartoons or your wife is sleeping in. It helps if other people are busy because they won't be able to interrupt your studying.
Another tip for successful studying in your distance learning program includes creating a space for yourself within your home where you actually enjoy spending time. Some people like to study on the back porch on nice days or in front of a cozy fire on colder nights. As long as you are comfortable it is a good place to study.

Try and protect that space by telling all of your family that this area is off limits during your study time. Make up a small sign that says "Student at Work" or even "Quiet, Please". You may have to tell them a few times, especially your kids, but sooner rather than later they will get it and respect your need for this study time and space.

READ MORE .....

How to Discipline for Job Seeker

There are many facets of life that require discipline; getting up every morning to go to work, paying your bills, putting gas in your car and countless other things. However, many people consider looking for a new job as a hassle that can be addressed whenever the mood strikes them.

Many Americans today adopt the 'it can wait' attitude and their career search suffers as a result. Finding a job, just like putting food on the table, requires discipline and extreme effort to accomplish.

People who join the military get a taste of discipline during boot camp and basic training.However, even these folks lose a considerable amount of their discipline when they enter the working world. If you have the discipline to work out every day or to get up and go to work, then you have the discipline to find a new job and find it quickly.

Look everywhere for that job
The discipline required to find a good or even a great job starts with looking for that job. You have to look continuously and when I say continuously, I mean at every free minute that you have.
Finding that perfect job means leaving for lunch and going to the library to search the internet for jobs. It also means spending a minimum of one hour a night surfing the job boards to find that perfect job. And that is just the beginning.

Once you have disciplined yourself enough to spend all your free time looking for a new job, you can begin to divide your job search time into specific tasks. One important aspect of looking for a job is to make contacts. You do this by sending your resume to all placement agencies and letting them know your requirements for your new job.

Network with friends
You must also spend some time networking with your friends to see if they have any ideas for you. You should also spend time networking with acquaintances whose spouse might work for a good company or a person you met at church who works for a company that might be hiring. No matter what the source, you need to try and take advantage of any contacts you may have.

Another aspect of a disciplined job search is looking at all possible sources for a job. This might include multiple job boards, several newspapers, and many different company websites. It never hurts to send a resume to a company that is not hiring because they will generally keep your resume on file for 6 months.

Finally, it never hurts to use the phone book and call places where you might like to work. I have actually gotten a job while the market was terrible by blindly calling software companies to see if they needed help.

Stay positive and stay disciplined
Another important aspect of disciplining yourself to find that perfect job is to keep a positive attitude even in the face of rejection. I have sent out hundreds of resumes without a response but have managed to continue sending my resume until I landed a job.

Unfortunately, looking for a job is not like going to McDonalds. You can't just pull up to the drive through window and select your new job from the super value menu. Throughout your intense job search efforts, you must maintain a positive attitude and remain disciplined.

If you consider getting a new job or advancing your career as one of those events in life that require perseverance and discipline, you will succeed where others fail. If you are able to dedicate any and all free time to finding that perfect job, your efforts will be rewarded. So, put your nose to the grindstone and accept the fact that finding a new job is going to take lots of work and extra effort. It's going to require your utmost discipline.

READ MORE .....