Recent Articles
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The best parks in Florida for snowbirds
Cindy Belt Recreation & LeisureMany of us RVers move south every winter. Florida is a popular winter getaway. Getting a reservation at the many RV parks in the Sunshine State is a great way to ensure a spot for the season along with seeing old friends. But I like staying in "old Florida" at county, state, and national parks. As a note, parks are busy so make reservations early. For example, there are four state parks in the Florida Keys, and they are all difficult to get a spot at. Often, sites fill up 11 months in advance.
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Part 2 of 2: Language development is essential to educational success,…
Shirley Veldhuis EducationMany classroom teachers may not be aware of the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics. The teacher preparation program at their universities may have only emphasized phonics instruction, so these teachers may not provide direct instruction of phonemic awareness skills. However, without phonemic awareness, phonics makes little sense. Phonemic awareness is a leading predictor of reading success in young children. Phonemic awareness skills have a direct impact on reading comprehension so these skills need to be explicitly taught.
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The learning power of breakfast
Brian Stack EducationMany mornings as a school principal, I feel like I am fighting a losing battle with my students with regards to breakfast. They say it is the "most important meal of the day," yet it is obvious to me that many of my students don’t see it that way. Last spring, I surveyed the 700 students in my New Hampshire high school and found that 25 percent of my students report rarely or never eating breakfast before school. Another 30 percent report that they skip breakfast 2-3 days per week. Sadly, only 33 percent of my students report eating breakfast every day. This statistic is at the higher end of the national trend.
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Study: Activity-based workplace design on the rise
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsA recent survey of more 100 corporate real estate and facilities executives found that 70 percent of respondents said that they expect to incorporate "activity-based workplace design" into their businesses, and most of those interviewed also said they anticipate a reduction in square footage per employee. These are among some of the findings pointed out in a recent report by CBRE, "Managing Global Corporate Real Estate and Facilities."
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Mistakes to avoid with holiday marketing emails this year
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingFa la la la la! It’s the most wonderful time of the year: holiday marketing planning. It’s time to draft those email subject lines, finalize the copy for your social posts and decide what deals to highlight. Ah, the magic of the season! Already, 40 percent of people have started their holiday shopping, according to research from the National Retail Federation. More people will be choosing to shop online this year, as eMarketer predicts e-commerce sales will increase 15.3 percent.
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Decreasing the risk of suicide in fibromyalgia patients
Dorothy L. Tengler Mental HealthcareFibromyalgia, one of the most common pain conditions, affects about 10 million adults in the U.S. About 75-90 percent of those with this condition are women, and most are diagnosed during middle age. One study of 1,269 Danish women with fibromyalgia showed that the suicide risk was 10 times that of the general population. Although the cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown, the disorder can be effectively treated and managed. A recent study showed that fibromyalgia patients who regularly visited their physicians or healthcare providers were much less likely to attempt suicide than patients who do not regularly see their physicians.
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September nonfarm payrolls grow by 134,000; jobless rate drops to 3.7 percent
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementNonfarm payroll jobs increased by 134,000 in September vs. 201,100 in August, as the unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent from August’s 3.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. In September, the number of unemployed workers declined to 6 million compared with 6.2 million in August. September’s BLS data does show growth in wage income, though with room for improvement, according to economist Elise Gould of the Economic Policy Institute.
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Refresh, refocus, and assess your students with processing breaks
Savanna Flakes EducationDoes anyone have a class in which every student is the same? Silly question, right? Of course not. Every student is significantly different, and each student brings a variety of talents, interests and preferred modalities. Students still got the squiggles after lunch? Students distracted by the snow? Students lethargic in the morning or after lunch? Try a processing break! Processing allows teachers the opportunity to reach every learner while assessing understanding and maximizing our precious instructional time.
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Finding more time: A CEO crash course
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementHow do CEOs of massive, complex, international companies find time to exercise, sleep, and enjoy their families when so many of us in much less complicated positions can’t seem to do even one of those things regularly? While it may seem that a huge salary and an executive assistant are the answers, those only address part of the massive, relentless responsibilities of these leaders. Here are a few fundamental approaches CEOs use to control their time that the rest of us can apply.
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How new US tariffs will affect big business and consumers
Dr. Samantha Bietsch Civil & GovernmentWe have heard a lot recently about the new U.S. tariffs on imported goods and services and how they will affect American business. While some in business favor the new tariffs, others do not. Some of these opinions are based on facts; others are not. Although improving the domestic economy sounds like a great idea, increasing tariffs on U.S. imports does not come without retaliation from other nations. Just as Americans buy foreign products, other nations buy American-made products and crops.