Gifts Women Can Love More than Diamonds

10 Simple Gifts Women Can Love More than Diamonds

Sparkling advice from Marilyn Monroe aside, there are things that some women treasure far more than costly jewels. In many cases, the things she’d love to receive the most from her significant other are simple, thoughtful gifts that show how much you care. These ten unpretentious gifts often sweep women off their feet in a way that diamonds simply can’t compete with: 

1. A Love Letter – In today’s electronic age, the handwritten love letter is a dying art. A heartfelt epistle extolling her virtues and declaring your steadfast affection is a surefire way to melt her heart far more than any jewel ever could.
2. Handmade Gifts – Even sloppy or clumsy efforts will almost always be greeted with delight, because a handmade gift requires an investment of time and creative energy. Strolling through a jewelry store and peering into display cases might seem like a tedious effort to you, but she’s certain to be much more charmed by a gift you made solely for her with your own two hands.
3. Something Specifically Tailored to Her – Even the most exquisite and extravagant pieces of jewelry are slightly impersonal. By presenting a gift that speaks exclusively to her and her interests, you can show the lady in your life that you’re listening when she speaks and that you know exactly who she is.
4. A Weekend Getaway – Harried moms will be thrilled at the prospect of a quick, kid-free jaunt. With today’s prices, you can often secure accommodations at a nearby point of interest for the entire weekend for what you’d spend on one pricey trinket, and she’ll treasure the relaxed one-on-one time with you more than any piece of jewelry she can only wear on special occasions.
5. A Scrapbook – Collecting photographs, ticket stubs and other mementos from your lives together and collating them into a scrapbook serves a dual purpose of showing her that you treasure your life spent together and condensing those tiny scraps into one book, where they’re less likely to create clutter or be lost.
6. Her Birthstone – If you’re absolutely determined to give a gift of jewelry, choosing a piece that features your partner’s birthstone is one surefire way to ensure that it has the personal touch that she’ll appreciate.
7. Honesty – One of the most important gifts you can give a partner is absolute honesty; it’s also a gift that can and should be given every day. The strongest relationships are those built upon a foundation of truth, so avoid the temptation to be less than honest in sticky situations.
8. Your Undivided Attention – The fast pace and demanding nature of professional life today often leaves couples greeting each other largely in passing. Setting aside a special day to devote all of your attention to her is a gift that she’ll treasure for years to come.
9. Something Personal to Your Relationship – A mix CD filled with songs that have special meaning to the two of you, a trip to the place where you first met, or other gifts that reference something specific to the two of you and your relationship are never-fail gifts for any woman.
10. A Sincere Apology – If your gift-giving occasion is the result of a major misstep, a sincere apology will go much farther than a hastily-purchased gift encrusted with jewels. Acknowledging that you’ve done wrong and vowing to make every effort not to repeat it is the most important post-argument gift out there.

Of course, there is one diamond that truly is forever: the one in an engagement ring. If you and your honey have reached this level of commitment, there’s no gift that can compare to the one that symbolizes your love for her and your unwavering faith in your future together.

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Source: (http://www.topdatingsites.com/blog/2012/10-simple-gifts-women-can-love-more-than-diamonds/)

Arguments In Favour Of School Uniforms

7 GREAT ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF SCHOOL UNIFORMS

• Category: Education
• Author: Staff Writers
• Date: June 20, 2012

The success of school uniforms has been a longstanding debate among school officials, researchers, and parents for many years. Supporters of school uniforms believe that uniforms can decrease violence and increase academic achievement, while opponents argue that school uniforms do not in fact make schools safer or reduce bullying. Both sides provide compelling arguments for and against school uniforms, but we’ll first take a look at what the proponents have to say. Here are seven great arguments in favor of school uniforms:

1. Increases academic achievement:

   
   When you take away the distractions of trendy clothes and shoes, students will feel less insecure about the way they dress and have more time to focus on their studies. Students who wear uniforms have an equal opportunity to succeed because they won’t be competing over clothing and socioeconomic status is less apparent.

2. Improves school climate and school spirit:

   
   Once students are stripped of their superficial items, they are on an even playing field and often have an increased sense of school pride and spirit. Students who wear uniforms often take more responsibility in maintaining a positive school environment and reputation.

3. Reduces peer pressure and bullying:

   
   When everyone wears the same clothing, there is less emphasis on trying to fit in with the latest styles and trends, and students can simply be equal with their peers. Uniforms also increase school safety by decreasing peer conflict and gang activity that’s related to clothing and statuses. Students are less likely to be bullied about superficial and unimportant things, such as their clothing.

4. Harder for cliques to form:

   
   Uniforms make it harder for students to judge one another on superficial criteria, such as clothes and shoes. When students look the same, they are less likely to form cliques based on the style of clothes. This may encourage students to be more accepting of each other’s differences. When superficial items are taken out of the picture, students will be more likely to choose their friends based on character traits like kindness, loyalty, intelligence, and humor.

5. Saves families money:

   
   Many families cannot afford to buy the latest name brand clothing, shoes, and accessories for their children. The pressure to fit in at school causes parents to overspend on unnecessary items. You don’t have that problem with economically smart uniforms. Students can wear the same outfit every day or alternate with another outfit for a very low cost. Parents can save money by buying their child street clothes less often.

6. Help schools quickly identify outsiders:

   
   When everyone is dressed in the same colored uniforms, school officials can quickly identify outsiders. Whether it’s a student from another school or a random person roaming the halls, schools can increase their security measures and safety by spotting and reprimanding outsiders who might try to harm students.

7. Makes it harder to conceal weapons:

   
   Uniforms are simple, neat, and fitted. The style and fit of uniforms makes it difficult for students to carry and conceal weapons at school. Most school uniform policies do not allow students to wear oversized, untucked shirts or baggy pants, which reduces the chance of students being able to hide a gun, knife, and other weapons.

Source:  http://www.hattoss.com/education/2012/06/20/7-great-arguments-in-favor-of-school-uniforms/ 

An incredible story of luck and inspiration

If this does not touch your heart,

then you just don’t have one.

An incredible story of luck and inspiration!

Can you believe it?

This guy wins $181 million in the lottery

and then finds the love of his life just 2 days later!
Talk about LUCK!!!

Byakika

http://youtu.be/H3t3CJenugo

Compelling Reasons to Volunteering After College

20 Compelling Reasons to Consider Volunteering After College

June 18th, 2012 by Staff Writers

Having graduated from college, you are now an adult by every meaning of the word. Forty years of work awaits you. You're hearing the siren song of the rat race. But if you haven't figured it out by now, the cookie-cutter life path of college-work-marriage-kids-death doesn't have to be the way it all goes down. Volunteering after college is an adventurous option that you can take to make the world a better place, and benefit yourself a little in the process. Here are 20 reasons why you should give it some serious thought.

1. The job market sucks:

   Half of current college graduates are unemployed or "underemployed," working in a job beneath their skill level. Students who graduated as far back as 2010 are still looking for jobs utilizing their degrees. Know where they're always looking for people? Hint: you won't have to serve coffee to hipsters.

2. See the world:

   Some of the poorest countries that are the most in need of help also happen to be some of the most breathtaking places in the world. The mountains of Nepal, the lush jungles of Costa Rica, the wide expanses of Kenya are just a few of the lush vistas available to you.

3. Volunteering makes you live longer:

   Although at 21 or 22 you probably think you're invincible, trust us: it won't be long until it takes you three days to recover from a pickup basketball game and you start thinking seriously about your health. The good news is, if you start helping people for selfless reasons, you may live longer.

4. Volunteers are needed in this economy:

   A recession hits charitable groups doubly hard, as people need more help but volunteers have less time and resources to give. Although the numbers are beginning to come back up, the recession is far from over, unemployment remains high, and the need for workers lingers.

5. Help your resume:

   The job market being what it is, volunteer experience can make great material for improving a resume and helping yourself stand out. More employers are saying they're interested in employees with volunteer experience. And who knows? You might land a job with the nonprofit you volunteer with.

6. Find your calling:

   College grads who aren't sure what they want to do with their lives are often advised to take an internship somewhere to get a feel for life in a certain line of work. Volunteering can serve the same purpose. You may find your passion is helping people.

7. Build lifelong friendships:

   Serving alongside people has a way of forming special bonds that can last for years. Especially if your volunteering takes you to a third world country, the newness and uncertainty of the environment encourages you to find similarity with your fellow volunteers, which builds a basis for friendships that can last a lifetime.

8. Gain valuable experience:

   There are so many different ways to volunteer, the skills that can be learned in the process are countless. Whether you volunteer as a firefighter or a camp counselor, you'll gain valuable knowledge about the world and about yourself that can be applied anywhere.

9. It's a great way to make contacts:

   You never know whom you'll run into when volunteering. The connections you make with fellow volunteers could prove invaluable when you return to the search for a job. It's just one more reason it pays to be nice to everyone.

10. Practice what you preach:

    According to the most recent figures, nearly 80% of American adults self-identify as Christians. If this percentage holds for college graduates and they all took Proverbs 19:17 to heart and volunteered, it would mean about 1.4 million volunteers, or 7,142 volunteers for every country in the world.

11. A fraction of volunteers are bearing most of the burden:

    About 26% of Americans are credited with volunteering in 2011, but this calculation is pretty generous — it counts everyone who volunteered at least once. The vast majority of volunteer work (80%) is done by people who volunteer more than 100 hours each year. Why not pitch in and make that 26% figure a bit more legitimate by dedicating a few months to volunteering?

12. It can change your outlook on life:

    Volunteering is probably the best way to break yourself out of your comfort zone and show you what life is like for many people. Doing so can change your views on a number of important social issues, like welfare, public health care, education, and more.

13. Learn about your community:

    In an era of customizable and portable technology, it's easy to create a little bubble for yourself, iPod blaring in your ears while you surf Facebook on your phone. Whether you recognize it or not, you're part of a community, and volunteering requires you to unplug and connect with those around you.

14. Have your student loan forgiven:

    For certain federal student loans, the government will agree to cancel all or a part of the loan in exchange for the student performing volunteer work. The work must be done with approved groups like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, or Volunteers in Service to America.

15. Learn a foreign language:

    Anyone who has tried to pick up a second language will tell you there's no quicker way to become fluent than by immersing yourself in a culture where that language, and nothing but that language, is spoken. Volunteering abroad is the perfect time to learn a foreign tongue.

16. Get motivated:

    Maybe you just haven't felt motivated to get to work now that college is over. Since objects in motion tend to stay in motion, getting off the couch and volunteering is a good way to build some momentum that can carry you into your working career.

17. Find inspiration:

    Say you're volunteering by digging a well in Africa and the brilliant idea for well construction hits you. There's no telling what kind of inspiration you can get while giving your time. Or maybe the inspiration you get will just be a better appreciation for wildlife, people, or America.

18. Volunteering makes you happier:

    Happier people tend to live longer, which may explain why volunteering makes you live longer. Making other people happy is a tried and true way to achieve happiness yourself. If you want more than chasing the almighty dollar after college, you may find joy in volunteering.

19. You have your whole life to work:

    The average ages of marriage are now at all-time highs (26 for women and 28 for men), so as a recent college graduate, odds are good you're still single. When you find a job, get married, and have kids, it becomes harder to find time to volunteer close to home, and much harder to volunteer halfway around the world. There will never be a better time than right now.

20. It's the right thing to do:

    As an American in the 21st century, you are one of the wealthiest people to ever walk the face of the earth in the history of mankind. Since you've been given so much just by being born here, you should give back a little of your time. It's simply the right thing to do.

Source:  http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/06/18/20-compelling-reasons-to-consider-volunteering-after-college/) 

Graphic Novels That Revolutionized the Comic Industry

9 Graphic Novels That Revolutionized the Comic Industry

Sure, they’re comics. But did you ever stop to think that they’re also books? Whether you’re a lifelong comic book fan, or you’ve just noticed that geek has become chic of late, graphic novels are here to stay. And those that love them will spend hours upon hours lauding their benefits and fighting about which ones are more important. To all of those long-time lovers and those with intimate industry knowledge: we salute you. As mainstream cultural communication becomes almost entirely visual (ugh), it is clear that in the future, your commitment to creating and promoting better stories through comics shall (hopefully) not be in vain. And because we want to hear more of your thoughts, here they are (in no particular order): nine graphic novels that revolutionized the comic industry.

1. Maus

   
   No. 1 with a bullet has got to be graphic artist Art Spiegelman’s cat-and-mouse tale of the Nazis and their prey. His two part graphic novel, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale revolutionized the way that we think about the potential and gravitas of comics as a medium, as well as how we learn about the Holocaust. Told through vignettes of his own personal experience with his father, as well as his father’s first-hand tales of life during the Holocaust, the brilliant writer and artist makes palatable that which is not (read: the human effects of attempted genocide, not to mention the ensuing World War). The importance of the art, the story, the symbolism, and the narrative lens cannot be overstated. College classes often use the books as narrative reading material, and a host of relevant analysishas ensued.

2. Persepolis

   
   Rivaling Maus in global cultural importance, Persepolis is a female-written triumph of monochromatic art and an exposé on the importance of cultural communication. This graphic novel, a French language autobiographical work by Marjane Satrapi, is one of the most important graphic novels ever published. It revolves around the story of Satrapi’s childhood, growing up in Iran during the lead-up to the Islamic Revolution. A fantastic feminist graphic novel and a greatly humanizing picture of an often conflict-ridden, willfully misunderstood region,Persepolis has been rightly translated into several languages. It’s a truly global world, and it’s a big win for Satrapi and those who come after: some stories just need to be told.

3. Blackmark

   
   After several printings, the 1971 sci-fi (with a little swordplay) graphic novel seems to be one of, if not, the first of its kind. And it’s a good thing that it was highly praised, or graphic novels may have been delegitimized before they ever even started. Creator Gil Kane won a 1973 Shazam Award for the 119-page work, and thus was born a prototype for this now burgeoning type of read. Though not always a favorite of the genre’s fan universe, upon release and over time, it’s clear that Blackmark has certainly made its mark.

4. A Contract with God, and Other Tenement Stories

   
   Comic writer and artist Will Eisner is the namesake of the Eisner Awards, which are similar to the Oscars for the ever-morphing face of the comic book industry. Contrary to popular belief, A Contract with God, and Other Tenement Storiesisn’t the first graphic novel, but it’s certainly the first one to completely legitimize the format as literarily meaty, as well as popularize use of the term. The beautifully told and rendered stories were first published in 1978, and Eisner’s work will light the halls of graphic novel history forever.

5. The Dark Knight Returns

   
   Frank Miller’s 1986 The Dark Knight Returns has been called a “masterpiece of modern comic storytelling.” The 1986 graphic book reinvigorated the comics industry, and was one of the first tentpole pieces to paint a superhero in a darker, um, light. Miller changed the face and oeuvre of the complicated hero forever, and changed the way that we consider caped crusaders ever since.

6. American Splendor

   
   Comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures.— Harvey Pekar
   When you think graphic novels, you should think Harvey Pekar. And when you think great movies based on graphic novels, you should think American Splendor. The curmudgeonly misanthrope drew and wrote about himself from a first-person perspective, and showed us the potential of the Great American Graphic Novel with The Best of American Splendor (originally a serial). Also of great importance to the industry was the story of his wife, Joyce Brabner, and the two’s relationship during Our Cancer Year. This novel showed the industry that it was possible to talk about tough issues (like disease, fear of death, and the intricacies of marriage) and be successful, a great legacy to leave for the late, great artist.

7. Watchmen

   
   Writer Alan Moore used postmodern, anxious critiques of the superhero archetype to change the way that the comic industry perceives its protagonists. And the film version of Watchmen (insanely popular in book form before its optioning) proved once again that a good story can find its voice in many media. Not only did the graphic novel (released in 12 separate issues) brilliantly expose the good guys for the complex characters that they were, but it ignited the mainstream press and placed comics firmly in the throes of literary critics. While many can argue that V for Vendetta was his more revolutionary work, as far as mainstream scope, Watchmen wins that prize. And if what’s good for art and literature is good for society (it is), then both Alan Moore and Watchmen (fine, and V for Vendetta) have more than made their contribution.

8. Astro City

   
   In a broad sense, Kurt Busiek’s Astro City is about how people (whether super or not) interact with and are affected by their communities and world. Instead of superheroes saving the day and being the arbiters of Good, Astro City showed the comic industry that it could reconceptualize the ways in which these folks are characterized, and bring a bit more anthropology and psychology to the mix. It’s an artfully radiant triumph of a study on the urban situation, as well as to the complexities enmeshed in the question: What makes a hero? And that’s a question whose implications run much deeper than pictures on a page.

9. Sandman: Endless Nights

   
   Though not necessarily an artistic genre-buster, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman is unique in several ways: (1) it never appeared in serialized form (this is rare for the genre), (2) it was written by an author who was famous in other areas, bringing new fans to the genre, and (3) it reached the New York TimesBestseller List (although it did not reach No. 1). It won a Bram Stoker Award in 2003, and is further proof of the limitless and stretchable possibilities of this unique art form.

Source: (http://www.thebestdegrees.org/9-graphic-novels-that-revolutionized-the-comic-industry/).