Grinds & Revision

Easter is traditionally a time when we swot, revise and take grinds in readiness for our exams that follow a few weeks later.

Over the next few weeks we will be putting up any videos or links to sites that we come across that we feel may help.

All Honours is a site that has links to the different subject areas for both Junior and Leaving Cert. With notes, news and video sections there is help and advice for all questions. Need more help? There is also a section where you can locate grinds for any subject.

Algebra was never one of my best subjects. I could have done with videos like these.!

Bob Geldof is at it again...this time not for charity..

Did you know that Bob Geldof could have been the owner of Buy & Sell? He had this idea way back when, only the banks would not loan him the money to set it up. So he got huffy instead and went on to form the Boomtown Rats and well we all know what happened then.

But you have to hand it to your man Bob, he not only has a social conscience but he is a dab hand at the 'ol entrepreneurial skills too. He founded Planet 24 the tv company responsible for taking Zig and Zag away from us to foreign climes...Channel 4's Big Breakfast. (Bring back Zig and Zag, they were a gas pair - they could represent us in the Eurovision too. Anyway, he sold that for a cool few million and went on to form a travel dotcom company, deckchair.com, I think. He went on to sell that too...(again for zillions)and now he is back to the dotcom business again.

This time for groups and bands. Youbloom.com is according to his site;

Welcome to YouBloom, designed to help Artists promote their music and meet new fans. Use Blogs, Polls and the Calendar to post concert dates upcoming events and promotions. Friends and music lovers are encouraged to explore the site to find new talent and to build and share Play Lists with their friends.

Artists Upload your music and collectables to make it available for the YouBloom community. In the coming weeks, YouBloom is launching an online store and a sophisticated Email system to help you manage your media and fans.

Friends: Explore YouBloom and find new artists. Build and share your own playlists, keep a blog journal about your favorite bands or anything else you'd like to share with your friends. Personalize your profile pages with our polls, or customize your Profile page with your own widgets.

No better man to give MySpace a run for its money. Should be interesting to watch how it grows.

For those of you with the entrepreneurial touch Courses.ie have a number of providers running Start your own business courses. Find the one that suits you and you never know you may be the next Bob Geldof!

Ignore the silver surfers at your peril...

According to John Kennedy at siliconrepublic.com

In their rush to be all things cool and trendy, mobile networks and broadband providers are overlooking an important market, the over 55s, with the result that the digital divide continues to widen across sectors of our society.
Not so in Drogheda, Co Louth, however, where almost 755 people aged over 55, including a party of 25 nuns from the Medical Missionaries of Mary, have taken advantage of a little-known government scheme to become adept in the arts of mobile and internet technologies.

The scheme, run by the Department of An Taoiseach, has in the past two years funded the Drogheda Partnership Company with over €100,000 to address a critical societal divide and boost inclusion. The funding came under an Information Society Initiative called Access Skills and Content.

The scheme, which includes internet surfing, digital photography and gadget classes, has also attracted support from Meteor. Staff from the operator’s local store participated in the training and gave the classes free phone credit.

According to Ina McCrumlish, who runs the course, a total of 755 people have attended 93 training groups and there’s a waiting list of over 140 eager learners.

She says the pent-up demand for technology training for over-55s has meant the scheme may be widened to the greater Louth area and even has national potential.

“What we’ve found is there’s a whole generation of people who are missing out on the digital revolution. Over-55s should be given a chance to embrace this tidal wave,” says McCrumlish.

McCrumlish says the Drogheda Partnership Company received €47,640 from the Department of An Taoiseach last year and €55,000 the previous year........”

Read the rest of the article at siliconrepublic.com

The ASC (Access, Skills and Content) Initiative ran in 2006, and 2007, while there are no details on the departments website for 2008 or 2009, it may be one to keep an eye on.

Courses.ie have providers that run courses on computer training for all ages. In fact all courses for beginners . They don't ignore the silver surfers :-)

The Bach Original Flower Remedies

The Bach Original Flower Remedies are a simple, natural and effective system of medicine. Dr. Edward Bach, a noted doctor, homoeopath, bacteriologist
and immunologist who believed that a healthy mind is the key to recovery from ill health, developed them in the 1930’s.

The Bach Original Flower Remedies can help with premenstrual tension.
After ovulation and before the menstrual period begins, the hormones are getting ready to peak. This activity can cause a disturbance in hormonal activity within our entire reproductive system. During this time a woman can become sensitive, emotional and suffer from physical symptoms too. Each woman is different and each of us can experience different symptoms leaving the sufferer vulnerable. Pre-menstrual tension
can include depression, irritability, intolerance, lethargy and mood swings. It not only affects the sufferer but those around us too. Then when the menstrual flow brings relief from all the tension, feelings of guilt may set in when a women reflects on how she has behaved.

The Bach Original Flower Remedies really can help. The remedies are chosen on an
individual basis. It is not possible to generalise and to make up a mix of remedies for all women. There are symptoms that are common to most women and the following remedies may help:

Walnut Is the remedy is for adjustment to change. It is helpful at any transitional time from moving house, starting a new job, when babies are teething, starting a new school, at puberty, pregnancy, and the menopause. It is helpful during the menstrual cycle because this is a period of adjustment and will help at this time of the month that is often a roller
coaster ride.

Mustard Is the remedy for the type of depression that can descend like a cloud of darkness, which is gloomy, and without joy. This is the kind of depression that often comes with pre-menstrual tension for some woman. Mustard will disperse this gloomy dark feeling and allow you to feel brighter and lighter.

Impatiens Is the remedy for the feelings of
impatience, being short tempered and feeling really impatient with people who are
not as quick in movement as you would like them to be. If you suffer from pre-menstrual tension impatience can be worse at this time.

Beech Is similar to Impatiens in a way but is more for being intolerant of people. This remedy will help when it is hard to understand what appears to be stupidity in another person. This is a situation that is often around if suffering from pre-menstrual tension. Beech will help us to be more relaxed and to be more understanding of
those around us.

Cherry Plum Is the remedy for the fear of losing control, hysteria, and a sudden desire to scream or for the feelings of rage. This will help to calm these feelings and to calm this turbulence if one suffers this in premenstrual tension.

Holly Is the remedy for feelings of hatred, jealousy, revenge, suspicion and envy. It will help if you find yourself in a state of spiteful anger. Holly will allow compassion and love to take the place of these feelings.

Willow Is the remedy for feelings of ‘poor me’. This feeling is often evident during pre-menstrual tension if we are honest
with ourselves. Take Willow to be positive and not to focus on being a victim.

Hornbeam Is the remedy for those ‘Monday Morning” feelings of lethargy and just couldn’t be bothered, often common during premenstrual tension. Take Hornbeam to regain the strength to get going enthusiastically about the day ahead.

Crab Apple Is the cleansing remedy. When a
woman is pre-menstrual, she can feel bloated, have facial spots and have greasy
hair, which can make a woman feel unclean. The Crab Apple remedy will disperse these feelings and help us to appreciate the uniqueness of being a woman.

Scleranthus Is the remedy that will help
with mood swings. When one moment the mood is often too good and then the next
moment you have gone to the very depths of feeling low. If this remedy is for you, it will help to stop this seesaw of emotional upheaval and help to feel balanced and calm.

Pine This is the remedy when there are
feelings of guilt at any time. Some of the above remedies could be helpful to consider for the emotional upheaval that is experienced by many women every
month.

Dr. Bach’s recommendation is to take a maximum of 7 remedies at any one time but not more. Put 2 drops of each of these remedies into 30 mls of fresh water. Then take 4 drops by 4 times each day. The mix can be taken more often if needed. The remedies are safe and do not have any side affects. They can be taken with prescribed medication. Of course if at all worried do talk to your doctor.

Pre-menstrual tension is a common condition for a lot of women, which can be distressing and upsetting. At this time of the month, it is also important to eat well, exercise and to get adequate rest.

If you are interested in learning how to use the Bach Original Flower Remedies for everyday use with family and friends or to become a registered practitioner, contact
Walmer College & Holistic Centre, Tel. 01 8329645. The next course will take place on the 17-18th May 2008.

For information, a private consultation, part time course options, themed workshops,
talks or to have a blend of remedies made up for you, contact Carmel at 01 8672076.

Carmel will be at the Body Mind and Spirit Exhibition in the RDS on 15-17th March and will give a talk on premenstrual tension and how the Bach Original Flower Remedies could support this condition.

Courtesy the March 08 newsletter of Walmer College & Holistic Centre.

Playing Poker - an educational tool….

Harvard law professor Charles R. Nesson says, "Poker is a great game for learning how to size up things for yourself, get into risk management, and channel aggression. A student who can hold his own at a poker table, I have no worries about when they enter the real world."

Nesson has even formed the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) among some Ivy Leagues, to promote poker as a learning tool. He also believes that poker skills can really help high school kids with maths. Poker teaches you numeracy, probability, risk assessment, and subtleties vs. complexities.
So next time my 17 year old asks to have the lads over for a poker session just remember, it’s an educational tool!

In need of dance classes!

This guy is in need of some dance classes which he can find...where? Yep...Courses.ie :-)




Dance classes on Courses.ie

Back to work or new job? The Interview Guide

Selling Yourself At Interviews

It is important for all prospective interviewees to understand that an interview is a sales meeting. The interviewer in front of you has a need. He or she is interviewing you because, after having reviewed your CV, you appear to be someone who might be able to satisfy that need. At interview, you need to reassure him/her that you are, indeed, the person that will meet his/her needs. To do that, you need to sell yourself.

Fitting In

No matter what your qualifications or experience might be, one of your primary goals at interview is to reassure the interviewer that you will ‘fit into’ the culture of the company. A recent survey revealed that most interviewers determine, within sixty seconds, as to whether or not they feel you will ‘fit in’ with the culture of organisation you are interviewing to join. This is unsurprising in the context of other research which reveals that more than two-thirds of employees leave a job because they don’t ‘fit in’ rather than any incapacity to do the job.

Interviewers will measure how likely it is that you will fit in through a variety of clues, mostly non-verbal. Dress to fit in. Dress, and groom yourself, in a way that shows the interview is important to you. When you enter the room, walk in positively and assertively. Elegance is the key. Smile confidently, even if you don’t feel so confident underneath. Firmly shake the hand or hands of your interviewer or interviewers, looking them in the eye and using their name.

When shown your seat, sit with a straight back, looking alert and interested. Maintain good and respectful eye contact with the interviewer(s). Speak confidently, in short, clear and uncomplicated sentences

Two Critical Stages

There are two critical stages of interviews. Firstly, preparing for the interview beforehand and, secondly, the first sixty seconds of the interview. In order to succeed at interview, you need to ensure that you understand the critical importance of both stages.

The First Critical Stage: Preparation

It becomes very apparent to an interviewer, at an early stage of the interview, whether you have prepared thoroughly or not. If he/she gets the impression that you haven’t. it will certainly set up feelings in the interviewer of ‘Why should I bother with him/her, if this interview isn’t important enough for him/her to prepare for it”. It is certain that the well-prepared candidate has a higher chance of getting the job than the person who hasn’t done any preparatory work.

Interview Preparation Checklist

• Research the employer that is interviewing you
  
  
• Research the job that you are being interviewed for
  
  
• Clarify three of four of your personal strengths and think of some examples
  
  
• Prepare a list of your own selling points [see below]
  
  
• Prepare answers to typical interview questions
  
  
• Prepare a question or two to ask at the end of the interview
  
  
• Check that you know how to get to the interview venue and how long the journey will take.
  
  Your Selling Points

  Before your interview, prepare a list of ‘Ten things to remember about you, after you leave the room’. Your unique selling points are those that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. We all have something to sell. If you can’t complete the full list on your own, talk to a friend, or someone else you respect, who will soon complete the list for you. Not only does this focus you before the interview but it ensures that you have your own agenda for the duration of the interview itself. You can mentally tick off these points as the interview progresses. Introduce them in at any given opportunity. Make sure you have communicated all of your selling points before the interview is finished.

  My Selling Points

  Typically, you should select ten things about you that come under some, or all, of the following headings [you won’t necessarily have something under every heading]:

• My personal strengths [e.g. good communicator, good organiser, work well on my own, good team member, work well under pressure etc]
  
  
• My skills [I.T. skills, technical skills, driving licence etc].
  
  
• My life and work experience
  
  
• My formal education and training
  
  
• My achievements [things you are proud of having done, in any area of your life]
  
  
• My interests all of which should be relevant to the job for which you are applying

Remember that, when talking about your experience, you can talk about more than experience gained at work. An interviewer will be interested if you can demonstrate relevant experience gained in the community, in your leisure life or at home.

Practice Makes Perfect

Before you attend your interview, rehearse it first. At the very least, in front of a mirror. If possible, with those valuable people in your lives: a friend who can give you useful feedback. This is an opportunity to practice your interviewing technique and answers live.

The Second Critical Stage: The First Sixty Seconds

Bearing in mind the indecent speed that interviewers come to conclusions as to whether they think you fit in with their company’s culture, first impressions are clearly paramount. Either consciously or unconsciously, we all make quick judgements of people when we meet them for the first time. These first impressions set up immediate feelings of warmth or antipathy in people. You can damage your interview performance within the first sixty seconds, if you unintentionally set up poor first impressions.

The old marketing adage – ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’ – is certainly worth remembering.

It is important to be aware of how easily we can generate a mistaken image of ourselves. First impressions come from us. They come from how we communicate ourselves to the world. In general, we communicate in four ways. We communicate:

· through the words we choose

· through the volume, pitch and speed of our voices

· non-verbally, through our facial expressions, gestures and body posture

· non-verbally through our clothes and grooming

Interestingly, a wide range of researchers studying human communication have come to the conclusion that up to 90% of the impressions we make on other people are made non-verbally. Our non-verbal signals give clear clues, amongst many other things, as to our levels of aggression, guilt, warmth, interest, confidence and trustworthiness.

When you’re sitting down, remember that folded arms, hands in front of the face, head propped up on a hand [or any gesture or habit that covers the eyes or mouth], all give inappropriate messages. Also, watch your hand gestures: no pointed fingers or chopped hands. Avoid exaggerated open palm gestures which can portray insincerity. The best advice is to minimise gestures at interview

Eye contact is critical. As a rule of thumb, try to maintain eye contact for about two-thirds of any interaction with someone. We all know how difficult it is to assess someone who rarely looks at us. We share the same discomfort at being eyeballed almost constantly by someone who is talking with us.

When you are being interviewed by a panel of three or more people, remember to make eye contact with everyone. Keep your body posture square to the whole panel and scan the whole panel with your eyes. The person who is saying nothing on the end might be the critical decision maker.

Banging Your Head Against the Wall?

Sometimes interviews are not successful and we don’t get the job we want.

The key to succeeding at your next interview is to do something differently next time. All successful people demonstrate a common belief. They refuse to accept failure. However, they don’t carry on knocking their heads against the wall, trying the same thing again and again. They understand that if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. They understand that if they want to get different results next time, they change what they are doing, and keep on changing what they are doing until they get the result they want. So if you want to get different results next time, do something differently’. This applies to all areas of your life.

So, what are you going to do differently for your next interview to ensure you get the job?

Note: All content is copyrighted to New Idiom 2008. Content may not be used without full acknowledgment of authorship. Courtesy of Fás.

More information can be found at your interview.org