Fresh Herb Gardening
For anyone, fresh herb gardening can be quite the rewarding adventure. You can get your fresh herb gardening off to a great start with a little preparation.

Herb Garden Design

First off, think carefully about which herbs you'd like to plant and where to place them in your allotted space. A great place for frequently used herbs such as basil and parsley is along the borders of your garden. If planting both annuals and perennials - which you'll likely want - leave the perennials enough room to grow and expand.

Some herbs are well suited to inclusion in the vegetable garden, where they can be harvested as needed. Their self-seeding may even be welcome there. Annual herbs such as basil, coriander, and dill are quite convenient in fact if they are near the vegetables they will be cooked with.

Soil and location

Soil and site conditions are a few more elements that will affect the success of your fresh herb gardening. It is especially important that your soil have proper drainage. Too much water is detrimental and overly damp herbs will not grow well. Poor soil drainage all puts your herbs at risk of root rot. Keep this in mind with fresh herb gardening and when selecting the location for your garden.

Even if you don't have a well drained area for your fresh herb gardening, all is not lost. Remove the garden soil down 16 inches, and then add about three inches of gravel. On top of that, mix in a little bit of sand with the soil you removed before replacing it above the gravel. This will remedy any problem you're having with spoil drainage.

Planting herb seeds

Aside from a few exceptions, many herbs can be successfully cultivated from seed. When going this route, it is recommended to begin your fresh herb gardening in the late winter by planting the seeds in boxes. In spring, transplant the sprouts outdoors into the garden.

Since herb seeds are so small, take care not to sow them too deep. It may sound surprising, but 1/8 of an inch of soil is often enough for exceptionally fine seeds such as marjoram, savory, or thyme. Cover fine seeds with burlap during germination to keep the soil moist. A few other herbs, such as fennel, dill, and coriander, don't transplant well. If starting these herbs from seed, plant them straight into the garden.

Harvesting Herbs

One of the best parts of fresh herb gardening naturally is the harvest. As soon as your plants have enough leaves to maintain growth, you can begin harvesting. Some herbs are well suited to the vegetable garden. Herbs such as basil, rosemary, and sage are often used in cooking so placing them in a vegetable garden makes it easy to harvest at the same time the vegetables and herbs that go well together. A great bonus to inter-planting your herbs in the vegetable or flower garden is that, again, many herbs attract beneficial insects to the garden. This will certainly help in overall pest control.

The best time to harvest the leaves or seeds from your fresh herb garden is early in the morning. The essential oils that insure excellent flavor and aroma are at their best before the sun gets hot so harvest your herbs just after the dew has gone away.

You should now be all set to begin your adventure in fresh herb gardening!
Diposkan oleh cahyablog di 16:05 0 komentar
Label: gardening
Minggu, 15 November 2009
Managing Up; How to Deal with a Bad Boss
Consider yourself extremely lucky if you've never had to bear the wrath of a difficult boss. You may still want to read this article though. I hate to break it to you, but at one point or another in our careers, unfortunately most of us will have to deal with a boss that can make our lives a living nightmare. If you've ever worked for a toxic manager, you know what I'm talking about.

Bad bosses come in all shapes and forms. Some managers yell while others steal credit. Some whine and others are just plain quirky. And then you have those who are downright incompetent, and you wonder how in the world they ever got to where they are. So how do you deal with an ineffective manager? Quitting your job is an option, but probably not a realistic option for most of us. Don't despair. There are ways to overcome the challenges presented by a lousy employer. Leadership experts call it "managing up". It's a way of getting around your manager's shortcomings so that you can excel at your job.

In their new book called Working for You Isn't Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss, authors Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster offer the following advice:

1. Detect the problems that exist in your relationship with your boss. Ask yourself, is it him or is it me? Be as objective as you can. Consider your boss' relationship with others in the workplace. Do others seem to have the same issues or do they seem to get along just fine?

2. Accept the behavior. You're not going to change your boss so you're going to have to modify your own behavior.

3. Depersonalize the experience. It's highly likely that if your boss is toxic, it has nothing to do with you. He was that way before you reported to him and he'll be that way after you leave.

4. Deal with the situation. By coming to terms with the fact that this is just the way your boss is and accepting it, you'll be able to deal with the challenges that face you and move forward.

The authors offer great advice but are realistic. They recognize that their strategies will only take you so far. If your boss is making you absolutely miserable and it's affecting your health, leaving your job may be the right option.
Diposkan oleh cahyablog di 16:20 0 komentar
Label: career management
Sabtu, 14 November 2009
Branding Lessons: Build School Culture and Identity with A BRAND

You’re an educator and you are starting to think about branding. Of course, you can’t help but do this. When I am asked in business settings about my ability to work within the business community, since my perspective is informed by education, I simply smile and say…”I’ve been in the business sales all my life. I’ve sold “education” to a diverse marketplace: students, teachers, parents, administrators, school board members and the community.”

So today, with my sales perspective, I’m traveling the country speaking to educators about the common ground of educators and business people. The ground of selling and living a BRAND for ROI in education.

Let’s capture one Branding definition to work with. Branding is a total experience for the user that is based on relationship. It’s more than a logo or a tagline.

If we lead with that principle, then as educators, we should feel a good fit. Education is about building relationships. Educators work hard to do honor that, and have their own tools that make this harmony of relationship building happen everyday in schools. SO with that in mind, can a school culture be created through strategic understanding and a champaign to advance a brand? Can this result in brand loyalty among students, teachers, parents, administrators, board members and the community?

To define what education is today is as challenging as defining what a brand is. There are many ways people try to define both, and branding is in essence solid and changing at the same time. That is true for education as well.

The way to make connections right off the bat is through CULTURE. Branding tenets that are from Madison Avenue’s hallowed halls are perfect tools to develop language and attitude for building CULTURE across the diverse market for education. The beginning of the work lies in the understanding that branding is based in an implied promise. In schools, the promise is achievement. Savvy principals today can be Madmen…or women leaders by applying Madison Avenue tools to include branding, some marketing and a dash of social media to create culture that feeds a loyalty to the organization. Madman Principles? They work. And you’d be crazy not to try.
Diposkan oleh cahyablog di 16:42 0 komentar
Label: education
Jumat, 13 November 2009
6 Things You Must Know Before Becoming a Physical Therapist
Many people do not really know how to differentiate a physical therapist from personal trainer or exercise instructor. In their point of view, these 3 professions are the same. In fact, they are totally different in terms of level of education and scope of work. If you have the intention to become a qualified therapist, here are some important things you need to know before making your final decision.

In order to get involved in this field, you need a master degree in physical therapy. If you have no idea how to select the right school, you are advised to browse through the website of the American Physical Therapy Association to find out the list of accredited schools and their admission information. If you are not sure about the prospects of this career, you are advised to consult the local hospitals, rehabilitation centers or any private therapy practice about their hiring forecasts. From there, you are able to decide whether this is a rewarding field or not. You have to bear in mind that this line is highly competitive. As a result, you are reminded to maintain an excellent grade during your study. Before getting into this line, you should start enhancing your interpersonal skills. Be prepared that you are required to advise frustrated patients and family members from time to time in your future workplace. Before starting your career, you must pass the mandatory licensure examination once you have completed your master degree. It is important for you to check your state's exact licensing requirements before you graduate. Remember that you have the freedom to choose which areas you would like to specialize. You can work towards a specialty in neurology, pediatrics, woman's health or sports medicine.

Working as a physical therapist is challenging. You need to make sure that you have reached the competency level required before you start working.
Diposkan oleh cahyablog di 16:21 0 komentar
Label: career management
Kamis, 12 November 2009
Boost your salary!
The recession of 2008 has finally ended but it is still a tough economy to survive. The commerce department reported that incomes were flat for the month of September so in fact as a nation, we all made less this month than the previous month when you throw in inflation. Dating back to last year, income has risen about 2%.

To boost your salary during tough economic times is going to take outside the box thinking. That is where competitive advantage sets in. Simply put, competitive advantage is the ability to do something easier than someone else. So a 7 feet person has a competitive advantage over someone that is 5 feet when it comes to dunking a basketball hoop. To boost your salary, I encourage you to think about any competitive advantage that you might have (Legal Of course) to boost your salary.

We have all heard of someone that has a side job. These days side jobs are becoming the norm and increasing in popularity. In Taiwan , over 60% of workers do side jobs and 82% of those without are looking. Not just any side job is going to work. Successful businesses all have a competitive advantage so your side job must recognize its competitive advantage.

Consider two teenagers trying to start a lawn mowing business. If one of the teenager's parents worked in a bank and the other teenager's parent had a home business that sold household items. Which would have a competitive advantage? It is the teen with the parent that has the home business. Why? The teen could advertise their lawn service as a complimentary service with their parent's business or the parent could lend their expertise and teach the teen how to sell to households. This puts the teen at an advantage over the one that has a parent that works in the bank. Look around you, there are advantages everywhere. Put them to work and incorporate it with a side job to help to boost salary.

There is no limit on the types of side jobs that you can do. You could help with tax preparation, fix computers, do hair, mentor, clean gutters etc
Diposkan oleh cahyablog di 16:19 0 komentar
Label: career management
Rabu, 11 November 2009
Need a Job in the Philippines? Use this List of Top Jobs in the Philippines!
Fresh graduates in the Philippines often have trouble finding work that pays well. If you are one of them and you are looking for a job that gives good compensation, you should read on. Below is a list of the most in demand jobs in the Philippines today. The only downside is that these jobs may not coincide with the degree you have chosen. The advantage here is that these actually give good salaries and benefits. In reality, these jobs have helped raise the rate of employment in the country.

* Call Center Agent - If you read about information about the call centers in the world, the Philippines is actually coming close to India in the race of becoming the best BPO country. Every day, more and more are being built in the country, while more and more applicants come in with good English skills. Becoming a call center agent can be a good way to start your career since this will help you improve your communication and people skills.

* Information Technology Specialist - Slowly, the Philippines is progressing in the field of information technology. While technology is becoming more in demand in the world, the need for IT specialists are also growing. These jobs pay well but require extensive training, which are found in many schools in the country.

* English Teachers - With the growth of foreign population in the country, English teachers are needed. Apart from teaching the Filipinos to learn the language, instructors are also needed to train foreigners learn English for their businesses and even for their own convenience.

* OFWs - Many Filipinos believe that to be in greener pastures, they have to go abroad. Luckily for some, they are able to make it big in other countries since these give good pay, benefits and even travel opportunities. The only disadvantage here is that they would have to be away from their families.

Diposkan oleh cahyablog di 16:15 0 komentar
Label: career management
Selasa, 10 November 2009
Educational Leaders in Public Schools

Public schools are well known for careful stratification and segregation of age groups. Public schools are so poorly run (take DPS for example) that all of those kids run across the county line to attend any school that will accept them. These kids are so far behind academically because of the crap that DPS taught or didn’t teach, that they will never be academically successful.

Public schools are not required to answer to parents, but they do need to heed the words of politicians and school boards-all of whom have their own political agendas. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these agendas are weakening the entire system.

Public schools are operated at the state level through departments of education, and locally by school districts and publicly elected or appointed school boards. Approximately 15,000 different school districts operate in the United States, and most are run by counties.

Educational leaders have focused in recent years on providing safe and disciplined school environments for students and teachers. Many schools have increased expulsions of violent students by adopting “zero tolerance policies” toward serious offenders. Education outcomes become irrelevant. Educators and parents can post a “viewpoint” page on the site that acts as an online profile, and they can participate in discussion forums, share links and resources, and review teaching materials.

Education reformers and policymakers who consider higher academic standards a centerpiece of their movement should not count on teachers to be a driving force, added Wadsworth. It may be that the academic energies of even the most motivated teachers are sapped by what they consider to be the stressful day-to-day demands of the classroom. Education costs have been rising faster than inflation. Many parents want, but cannot afford, these private alternatives. Educating for citizenship, work and the public good has been replaced with models of schooling in which students, especially poor minority youth, are viewed narrowly either as a threat or as perpetrators of violence. When not viewed as potential criminals, they are positioned as infantilized potential victims of crime (on the Internet, at school and in other youth spheres) who must endure modes of governing that are demeaning and repressive.

Educators must recover their higher motivation, a spirituality that comes from faith not in religion but in civilization, humanity’s sanctuary from the cruel vortex of nature. Educational alternatives would be unlimited. It would be the source of enormous progress, and a model for the nation.