How Sound in the Classroom Helps Learning Abilities

The size and shape of a classroom affects the sound levels and intelligibility of speech depending on the distance between teacher and pupils, this article shows how to improve learning through better hearing.

At a distance of 1 metre, the sound level of normal speech is about 60 dB. However, each doubling of the distance reduces the sound level by 6 dB. For a pupil sitting 2 metres away from the sound source, the signal is 54 dB and at 4 metres, the signal is only 48 dB. Typical background sound levels in a classroom are about 60 db, so a teacher needs to raise their voice level above this by about 15 dB. A suitable sound pressure level is about 75 dB to be heard distinctly, this level maybe difficult for many teachers to maintain all day. If a teacher remains at the front of the class, sound levels at the back could easily be lost in the background noise by the end of the day. A microphone, amplifier and multiple speakers can boost the sound level and distribute it more uniformly in the classroom especially if ceiling speakers are used or speakers mounted on the side walls. Very few speaker systems are designed especially for teachers in the classroom. Here are 6 tips for choosing a classroom active speaker system based on our experience and teacher feedback:

Basic design Active speakers designed with a built-in amplifier reduce the amount of cabling and the costs of equipment as well as being quicker and easier to install Steel grille Steel grilles, rather than more common fabric grilles, stop pupils from damaging the speaker cones with fingers, pencils or missiles so extending the life of the system.

Adequate sound level for a classroom (>75dB ) The sound level should be at least 15 dB above normal classroom noise of around 60 dB at 6 metres ie the back of the class, so less than 30 watts is unlikely to be loud enough and if much more than 30 watts the cost of the system is likely to be too expensive (so aim for 15 Watts RMS per channel).

Easy to control It may seem obvious but many speakers have controls at the back (or front) that teachers can't reach without climbing up a chair! A volume control and on/off switch at a sensible height is needed.

Inputs for PC and DVD or other audio source Shelf speakers and simple systems may only have one input - so you would have to re-connect every time you want to change the sound source. Two inputs are best for the classroom so that equipment is permanently connected.

Audible sound for voice A wood speaker case and a flat frequency response is better than a sub-woofer amplifier system that accentuates the low frequency sounds, which is good for music but not so good for voice, especially for younger pupils who need to hear the teacher's voice clearly as their interpretation of speech is not as good as adults. Classroom discussions may also benefit from additional microphones (or passing a microphone from pupil to pupil) so that everyone can hear and contribute. An amplifier system needs to be designed especially for classroom use as the construction and size of a classroom is very different to the rooms in normal houses. Voice amplification is only a partial solution if the building design is poor for sound. The amplified sound may well interfere with teaching in adjacent classrooms if interior walls do not perform well as an acoustic barrier.

Why Are Insurances Good?

First, we need insurances because, unlike we thought, we have never succeeded to tame nature, but quite the contrary; given that civilization arose from our fighting against nature, it has developed in this adverse manner until - with the climate change or what not, supposedly provoked by humans - it affected nature to such an extent as to turn it against us, in the form of unexpected floods in unexpected places, volcano eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, in other words, all the natural calamities that can destroy our lives and our businesses in a matter of seconds.

Secondly, we need insurances because, as Voltaire with his critical spirit mocked Leibniz's philosophy, according to which we live in the best of all possible worlds, showing that neither our world is perfect, nor are we, man is full of foibles, among which the temptation to steal. As Plato asserted, by means of the legend of the shepherd Gyges, if not seen or known, therefore having to risk, as if under a cloak making us invisible, we would be only too willing to steal or even kill to get what we want.

As such, insurances can protect our property and goods against theft, burglary or armed robbery. From stealing money from a restaurant or shop till to breaking in an IT company and leaving with the hard disks, or stealing in grand style large amounts of money from a bank, any event of this kind may affect our activity or put an end to it altogether.

Thirdly, we need insurances because our reason is not a perfect machine running smoothly and equally well at all times, and neither are so our bodily parts, such as our hands, for instance. What would become of a business without professional indemnity insurance, if, due to the misjudgment of one of the employees, some third party - the client - was seriously harmed financially? Or if, due to a shaking hand out of exhaustion or lack of professionalism, a surgeon or dentist would injure the patient - the client? Both compensations and legal expenses can be sky-high, especially if the culprit is proven guilty in a court of law.

But with indemnity insurance, all these financial worries would have no grounds because the insurance company would cope with the matter, whether the business owners or their employees were at fault or not. In such a way, you wouldn't risk to go bankrupt, compromise your reputation or lose your clients, in short, utterly fail.

How Scanning for 'The Cloud' Optimizes Small Business

The first-ever personal computers on the market could only store a few low-resolution photos, maybe a couple of Word documents and text-only e-mail that looked like Morse Code splashed across a black and white screen.

A decade or two later, after grandmas and pre-school kids learned how to e-mail and edit photos, computer manufacturers started offering portable hard drives with an ever-increasing amount of disk space. The trend started with "Super Disks" and portable ZIP drives, now fast closing out the era of desktop media storage with today's home servers that can connect everything from your favorite HD videos to 3D games.

Our Need For Speed Threatens Document Safety

Our unquenchable need for computing speed now threatens the security of sensitive documents in ways that our Photoshopping Grandmas could never have imagined. Search engines like Google are expanding their reach into that invisible, WiFi-connected storage space called "The Cloud." Unseen by the naked eye, yet looming overhead - carrying bits of data that could potentially destroy a business - Cloud-based computing is a reality now.

Where IS this 'Cloud,' anyway?

Remote data storage (or Cloud-based computing) is kind of like an Alka-Seltzer for your computer. Since you don't have stuff sitting on your hard drive, your computer isn't bloated with huge files that slow down its processor. The end result is you can get online faster, open multiple programs and multitask without having that annoying hourglass or spinning circle pop up and slow you down.

On the flip-side, your Cloud-based documents look like they're still sitting right there on your desktop, but they're really resting comfortably on some huge server thousands of miles away. It's as if that customer invoice you just created in Excel had booked an international flight to Bangladesh without you ever knowing about it. It has unlimited round-trips secured in a First Class cabin - just click and it boards another plane bound for your desktop - ready for editing or printing on your office computer in just a few seconds' time.

The potential trouble with this 'gee-whiz' scenario is, of course, the security of your information. The cloud doesn't know or care that you've got competitive data or customer information hovering inside its atmosphere. It's only job is to free up your computer hard drive and send your files back to you whenever you need them. So what happens if the invisible data hovercraft carrying your document makes a crash landing or has a layover somewhere before it ever lands at your desk?

Here are some tips to keep your documents safe in Cyberspace:

· LOCALIZE YOUR CLOUD - Most major cities have locally-based, owned and operated document scanning companies. Make sure your sensitive data is only available to those you authorize by setting up remote data storage in your home town. When your cloud is nearby, you know who to call if something happens to your irreplaceable documents. You also have peace of mind knowing your information isn't hovering on someone else's server thousands of miles away and out of your control.

· BACK-UP YOUR FILES REGULARLY - There's no such thing as "too many back-ups." Catastrophic things happen. Floods, fires and break-ins are everyday events for small businesses. In seconds, your computer can vanish, taking your irreplaceable documents with it. Lots of cloud-based storage companies claim to automatically back-up your computer. But does your remote data storage vendor hand you the keys to your data so you can create your own back-ups anytime and with any frequency you need?

· CHANGE PASSWORDS OFTEN & LOCK THEM DOWN - It's been said before, but the convenience of never having to memorize your computer passwords often leads to prying eyes. Reduce your data breach threats by changing your passwords a lot. Can't remember them all? Create a secure spreadsheet and save it on your home computer's hard drive. Most programs allow you to "lock" certain files down with their own password without locking your entire computer.

Cloud-based computing has its advantages. But safeguarding your data is just as important as locking your business doors at closing time. Take a few steps to make sure 'The Cloud' doesn't rain on your competitive edge - or the privacy of your valuable clients.

Five Reasons Why We Love Chocolate

It's one of the most popular sweets of all time. Women crave it, men hoard it, and Aztec kings were said to have been the first to eat it. But why do we love chocolate so much? Following are just a few reasons why chocolate is so popular--and why you shouldn't give it up completely, even if you're on a diet!

It melts in your mouth - Chocolate contains fat--that's no surprise. The cocoa butter in chocolate gives it a rich, creamy consistency that also transmits the cocoa's flavor perfectly. It also has a melting point that's just a bit lower than the average human body temperature, which gives you that melt-in-your-mouth feeling every time you pop a piece of chocolate in your mouth. Chocolate lovers often describe this melting feeling as a true moment of ecstasy.

Just the right chemistry - According to a study done at the University of Michigan in the United States, chocolate contains chemicals called opioids. Opioids are also found in opium, and they serve to dull pain and give a feeling of well-being to people who ingest them. According to the study, people who eat chocolate produce natural opiates in their brains that soothe their nerves and make them feel good. When the receptors that detected opioids were blocked, that chocolate craving was lessened.

Chocolate also naturally contains "uppers" like caffeine, sugars, and phenylthalymine, which will make your heart pound a little harder, your breathing come a bit more quickly, and give you a feeling of alertness. The effect is not dramatic enough to be uncomfortable in most people; it's mild enough to produce a pleasant "high," which is often equated to the feeling of being in love.

Chocolate equals love - Speaking of love, the association might not be completely physiological. Women crave chocolate more often than men do. Women are also habitually given chocolate as birthday and Valentine's Day presents. In our culture, chocolate is thought of as a romantic gift. It's outside the realm of mundane, day-to-day food, reserved for special occasions--and, for women especially, it's associated with love and romance. That could be another reason why women particularly love chocolate: deep down, it makes them feel loved, cared for, and pampered.

It really is good for you - Recent studies suggest that chocolate--especially dark chocolate--contains chemicals that lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. Flavanoids and antioxidants in dark chocolate have been shown to make a difference in cardiovascular health. Until recently, tea was considered the main source for these chemicals. Now, scientists recommend that you have a chocolate cookie or biscuit with your tea so your body gets more of those life-lengthening chemicals. Don't have milk with your dark chocolate, however--the same studies show that milk can cancel out the healthful effects of eating chocolate by preventing those helpful chemicals from being fully absorbed in the body.

Chocolate does contain fats and sugars that you shouldn't eat a great deal of--but as long as you eat it in moderation, the science suggests you can add as much as a year to your life.

It's great for your sex life - Ever since the time of the Aztecs, people have believed that chocolate has aphrodisiac properties. But there may be some deeper truth to those old legends. Recent studies have shown that women who eat a little bit of chocolate a day have significantly more sex than women who don't. This could be because of those brain-soothing chemicals that are found in chocolate, and that chocolate encourages the brain to release more of as it's eaten. Chocolate just makes us feel good--which is a key ingredient for a healthy sex life.

But there are more creative ways to use chocolate in the bedroom besides just eating it. Adventurous and playful couples have incorporated it in the bedroom for years. For a sensual treat, make a chocolate fondue and feed your loved one strawberries dipped in the sweet sauce. Give your spouse fine chocolates for no reason--they're sure to show their appreciation later. If you're not afraid to get a little messy, use chocolate-flavored body lotions and lubricants--you can always share a shower to clean off afterwards!

It's important to remember not to overindulge in chocolate. It does contain high amounts of saturated fats and sugars that can cause health damage and obesity if you take in too much. However, when eaten in moderate quantities, chocolate truly can be a miracle food. Even better, it tastes wonderful--it's hard to find anyone who doesn't like some kind of chocolate, whether it's white, dark, or milk, Hershey or Belgian. So the next time you have to give up something for Lent or take up a new diet, think twice before giving up chocolate. It not only tastes good--its health benefits give you a great excuse to keep on enjoying it.

Stop Smoking: The Benefits

To stop smoking benefits your life in various ways. The health benefits of stopping are the main advantage, but stopping also benefits your confidence and your pocket too!

The benefits of stopping are endless.

Everybody knows that non-smokers tend to live longer than smokers. So if you stop, you'll be adding on a few extra years to your life!

It also takes around seven minutes to smoke a cigarette. So if you were to stop, you would have more time for yourself.

Stop smoking and you will look and feel younger and brighter. Smoking deprives your skin of oxygen so giving up will help you on the way to smoother and brighter skin! As well as more oxygen for the skin, this increase will help you concentrate more and your mental wellbeing is more likely to be improved.

Not only this, but your energy levels will increase dramatically... so you'll be running for that bus in no time!

Second hand smoke is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than what you're inhaling yourself. Children who live with smokers are at risk of developing illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchitis and passive smoking increases chances of developing lung cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Not only does not smoking benefit those around you but, to stop smoking benefits your smile. You're teeth won't get any duller once you give up those sticks of tar and you instantly reduce the likelihood of gum disease. (Smoking makes it even harder for saliva to get rid of germs, which can lead to infection and tooth loss!)

Did you know that it is estimated that after a year, you would have saved around £2,000 if you stop smoking! And if this seems like a great saving, how about the £3,000 you could save on life insurance premiums? The difference between premiums for smokers and non-smokers can be anything up to 75 percent.

If you stop smoking, it's not only your pocket that will feel the change. You're more fertile when you don't smoke. So if you and you're partner are trying for a baby, giving up smoking might just help!

But on top of all of these health and pocket benefits, to stop smoking is a huge boost for your confidence. To stop smoking benefits your life in more ways than one and kicking the habit, like any habit in life, is a huge achievement!

Do You Need A Tax Accountant?

Many taxpayers believe filing taxes is a time consuming, boring and complex chore. A good tax accountant can be the perfect option. Tax accounting software has also become an option for simplifying this annual task for do it yourselfers. Even the IRS offers a large amount of taxpayer resources to those that choose to file tax returns themselves. However, even with all of these resources filing ones own taxes is still not always that easy.

Tax accounting software is popular in small firms and appears to be sufficient for personal income tax filing. This an affordable option to hiring a tax accountant. Though, to properly use tax accounting software, you must have the basic knowledge of accounting principles, tax codes and take the time to learn how to use the software. This is not easy as well as time consuming and is why a tax accountant can never be displaced by software or a machine.

It must also be taken into account that tax laws and codes tend to be complicated, with rules and guidelines that seem contradictory. Not to mention they are ever changing. When a bill passes in Congress there is a potential the bill will have an effect on tax laws. This is the reason that large corporations usually have large teams of tax accountants. However, you do not have to be a large corporation to realize the benefits of a tax accountant.

The tax accountant performs tasks such as tax planning and filing tax returns. With the objective of tax savings and seeking the minimum tax liability, a large portion of the time spent by a tax accountant is doing tax research. They also analyze budgets and gather other financial information in order to provide the best tax consultation.

For the individual or business that desires to pay as little taxes as possible, a tax accountant can make that possible by offering you expert tax advice and detailed tax planning.

You may need a tax accountant if you started doing your own taxes and got stressed, confused or found the process consumed too much time. If you have a tax problem, such as filing back taxes, a tax debt, or an IRS audit a tax accountant can be the remedy to your problems.

If you have a complicated or complex tax situation that requires expert tax advice or tips, you live outside the United States, have investments in stocks or bonds, own rental property, or run a business you may find that you will benefit greatly from the services of a tax accountant.

A tax accountant can be a Certified Public Accountant(CPA), Enrolled Agents(EA's) or Tax Attorneys. An Enrolled Agent is a professional that has passed IRS administered tests and background checks. Their specialty is usually complex tax issues. CPA's are accountants that have passed the comprehensive CPA exam and are licensed by the state. They will specialize in one area. However, all CPA's do not specialize in tax issues. Tax Attorneys are lawyers that specialize in tax law. Most tax accountants will be experts in a specific area of taxation for example Trusts and Estates, investments etc.

If you look at your tax situation and conclude that professional tax help will benefit you, a tax accountant can give you expert tax advice, tax planning and representation. Their job is tax planning and helping the client legally pay a minimum of taxes. Use your due diligence in finding a tax accountant in your area.