Three Schools from Courtney Sale Ross

June 12th, 2009

For over 16 years, Courtney Sale Ross has been an innovative leader in the field of education. Ross believes in the value of equipping students with the right educational that will help them face the challenges of the 21st century. Along with many seasoned educators and leading thinkers who did research for her, Ross unmasked some of the best practices in K-12 education, which resulted to the founding of Ross School, Ross Global Academy, and Ross Institute.

Courtney Sale Ross and her late husband, Steven J. Ross, founded the Ross School in 1991. The school serves more than 560 students from Pre-Nursery all the way through the 12th grade at two New York campuses, one in Bridgehampton and the other in East Hampton.

The Ross Institute, founded in 1996, exists for the main mission of promoting the globalization in relation to pre-collegiate public education. Through the institute, policy makers, educators, and scholars work together in support of innovative global education and research.

The Ross Global Academy came about in 2006, through the combined dedication and efforts of Courtney Sale Ross, the Board of Education of New York City, and New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education. The Ross Global Academy is an innovative public charter school that uses a Ross School-based model. Its goal is to enable students to cultivate a global perspective of them most important aspects of life.

Courtney Sale Ross graduated from Skidmore College. In 1991, she received an honorary doctorate degree from her alma mater. Courtney is the widow of Steven J. Ross, former co-chairman and CEO of Time Warner. Nicole Ross, Courtney’s daughter, was one of the Ross School’s first graduates.

Kitchen Renovation - You Should Hire a Reliable Contractor

June 11th, 2009

It can be overwhelming when determining to undertake a home or bathroom renovation project for your home or purchasing a new home and renovating it. When making a determination like this, there’s going to be a number of elements you will need to consider. You truly should weigh all the elements. If or when you determine to begin a home renovation task, your best bet is to hire a contractor or advisor to help design the project, and also give you ideas on where to get going. Realizing the potential of your home or kitchen remodeling project is going to be the first stop. You should decide if your current house architecture is right or will fit with the thought you have in your brain, of what your project will look like in the end. Secondly, you need to consider your neighbors and neighborhood. When renovating your home, if you are doing work to the exterior of your house, or add-ons to your home, you should think about how this will affect your neighbors and neighborhood. Some Other point to think about is property value. Are your home renovations going to affect the property value of your home, and does that value stay within the property value of your community. Relocation is the another element you need to think about. You might need to relocate temporarily and that may affect many aspects of you and/or your family’s life. It can also be pretty costly so remember to include this in the cost of your home renovation project. If you do decide to relocate, remember that this might not be so easy on children. They tend not to react so well when they have to go to another location.

Any kind of home remodeling, whether you are doing new kitchen cabinets, or a bathroom redo, or a new addition on your home - it is time consuming, and can be very costly if you don’t know what you are doing. You really should consider hiring a good contractor or designer/planner.

The cash that you will save by doing your home renovation project correct from the get-go will be huge. There are web sites where you can locate local contractors that are happy to give you free quotes once you name your project. You can locate many of these web sites named on this article. They are completely free.

When undertaking a home renovation project, there’s numerous points to think about. Hopefully this article will bring to light some of those points you should be considering. It’s not a simple job to do, and it’s unquestionably wise to employ someone that knows what they’re doing and has done home renovations before. You’ll gain greatly from their experience.

CAUSE AND EFFECT! CHOOSE YOUR PATH…

June 7th, 2009

Three steps to your Personal Transformation:

1)Awareness and Perception
2)Law of Cause and Effect
3)Law of Accumulation

These categories are what you need to understand in order to be in total control of your being!

Most go through life never reaching their potential because they never take control of all their faculties or abilities.

This information is designed to help you gain complete control of your life!

So lets get into it

1)Awareness and perception.

In order to be in complete control of our self, actions, and ultimate success - we must learn to expand our awareness of what is around us.

FACT: there are certain states of mind that enable us to learn more information, retain more information, and be more aware of our environments

This state of mind is open to all of us; however, most people never call it to action.

In other words we just don’t look… The problem with that is if we are not using our resources… we are virtually blind! Or at least vary limited.

Most of us look at the world through a tunnel vision… really blinded to what is all around us.

CAMERA

E.g.: Imagine having a really nice camera…problem is that it is always stuck on the highest zoom! You can see a limited amount very detailed. However, you ignore the majority of what is around you…

Here is what I mean

ACTION: Focus on a point… (Pick a point, any point) stare at it intently. Don’t move. Stare and Focus all of your energy into that point!

That is a great quality that we can focus so intently on one thing - but…

Keep starting at the point… but while staring… try to notice what is to the sides of the point… sides of the room… keep going. All the way and you will realize that you can even see the people sitting right next to you while still focusing on the point!

That is what is called your peripheral vision…

Every leader that I know has the ability to use both their focused vision, as well as their peripheral.

They can be laser focused on a task at hand while simultaneously keeping an open mind to other situations and opportunities…

This is what I mean by awareness…

The first step to taking charge of our lives is to broaden your vision of what is all around you all of the time…

Once we are more AWARE of what is going on, we can then start making progress on expanding our perception! It’s when we do this that our transformation of self begins

Why do we get control of our perception?

We must learn to see all vantage points! All angles, all sides…

You cannot really be in control of your thoughts of you have limited thoughts!

E.g. Lifecycle?

Hit a threshold… what do you do. Some might stay quite… I say find a new lifecycle…. A new challenge and new ideas and compound!

Just a change in perception!

What about your greatest strength!

What is it? It is only strength.

I bet if you thought about it, your greatest strength when taken to an extreme could be your greatest FAULT!
E.g. TITANIC!!!! Unsinkable!!!! Got rid of lifeboats… turned up speed!!! What happened?

Most people are inside the box thinkers… even though it’s almost a cliché to say thinking outside the box, most people don’t! Why not. Most don’t change their perceptions

Control of self comes from learning to shift your perceptions to all vantage points!

E.g.: at one point everything strange that happened on this planet was an act of god!

Then Isaac Newton came around and said no - everything happens because of universal laws!

The problem that people run into when trying to shift their perception is that most people think that their perception is reality!

Is it?

Is what you perceive always what is real! MATRIX!

Perception may be your reality…. But there is a difference between reality and actuality?

Once you can understand that what you perceive is only what you think is there and may not be what is actually there! Now you have the foundation to understand the next law!

Cause and effect!

This is a universal force of nature
C -> E

You are always on one side of the equation or another!

Either you assume causes for everything you do, or you are the effect!

E.g. my organization won’t listen to me!

What side are you on with that statement? Are you a cause?

No.

What if you decided to be at cause and say that the results that I get from my organization are a direct response from my communication skills and ability to move them into action!

Our communication is always a result of that information we put out, not what is heard on the other side. If our message is not communication clearly, we should strive harder to improve our ability.

Now you are at cause.

It always easier to blame something or someone else with a result that you don’t like.’

But if you do that you are no longer in control. You are not a cause.

Another e.g. how many of you run into “circumstances in life”….
What do you usually do?
Most blame others.
Many of us may have had that situation just recently, you always have two options:

You can blame the people around you, the weather, the events, the situation or whatever else and see how your circumstances are everybody else’s fault but your own…. basically admitting that you are no longer in control of who you are and what you do!

Or you can choose to be a cause for your present moment! Personally, if a circumstance comes to me, I call it a challenge, and I think this was presented to me for a reason. I look at what other’s use as reasons not to excel, and see them as challenges to test my mental toughness and emotional intelligence to see what I deserve, what reward may be just on the other side of that obstacle!!!

I am a cause! I am in control. I choose to perceive and respond do different things!

You see once you understand that YOU can choose how you perceive things… from what vantage point you want to view…. Then you we realize that you are a cause for everything in your life. You can always be in control.

You see most people never do this…. people are so predictable!
When we say something wrong… what do we do? We Blame, Mimic, deny and justify!!!

Most people will do this. You can’t go around changing people. You simply must learn to control yourself.

A unique realization: When you decide to change yourself, you in fact change your environment!

How?

If you take a different viewpoint - you change your perception of reality. Your perception is what you perceive as real. Therefore by changing yourself you change your world!

So don’t ask for your environment to change… That’s in EFFECT

Ask for you to change… now you are a cause!

You are either affecting your environment or your environment is affecting you! Which is it?

The catch is, sometimes you don’t want to be a cause. Sometime it’s easier to blame… to stay inside the matrix!

That is what personal transformation is all about!

Is this too philosophical for you? Well let’s substantiate this argument with empirical science!

If our perception is not actuality… What is? Actuality really lays the 2 million pieces of information that your brain is processing right now!

What?

Science has proven that at any give moment, you are be bombarded by 2 million BITS if information at a time.

Some of them you recognize…. See, smell, feel, hear, taste.

MOST YOU DON’T!

Here is the thing… your human neurology cannot take in and process 2 million bits of information at the same time.

It has been proven that the avg human brain can only take in approximately 134 bits at a time!

That 134 out of the 2 million that are all around you!

All day long. Our subconscious mind deletes, distorts, and generalizes all of these bits until it narrows it down to 134 bits!!

The system that does this is called our RAS… Reticular Activation System…

This component tells our mind what to seek out! It’s our filtering system so we don’t walk around on information overload all the time!

Right now as I am writing to all of you. There are 2 million bits of info all around us. Each of you is picking up your own 134… that is your perception! Each of you right now is seeing a different movie in your mind!

Another example: Look around the room…picture a color (e.g. BLUE). Shut your eyes and focus on BLUE and open your eyes and look around and notice how much BLUE is in the room. all different shades…
What? We now programmed our subconscious to pick up that bit!

How about anybody ever buy a new car! You never see them until you buy it, then what happens? Why is it that the cars were never there and the world just copied you! They were not a part of your unconscious mind; therefore, they were just among the other 2 million bits that got sorted out!

Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

So the obvious question is what determines what 134 bits we pick up!

Ever hear of the law of magnetism! We attract what we put out! Here is why that is the case… your mind chooses the 134 bits that harmonize most with your unconscious mind!

In others words. What you perceive, or your so-called reality, is a direct result of what is going on in your own mind!

E.g. you ever notice how 2 people can have the same situation occur and have two completely different responses! They have different bits.

How many of you have those days when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed… and EVERYTHING GOES wrong? Why?

Do you see how this works? That is what I cringe on is when people think negative thoughts! Because you are shifting your perception to attract a negative 134 bits!!!

“If you really new the power of a negative thought, you would never even think about having one!”

Therefore, by understanding that it is scientifically proven that we only pick on 134 out of 2 million bits and that we are only in command of what bits we pick up, then we are perpetually at cause for our reality!!!

So the main question that you have to ask yourself is what 134 bits are you picking up?

What reality are you a CAUSE for creating for yourself!

Your reality as it is today is EXACTLY what you shaped it to be.

So if you are having success and you are happy and content, congratulations, you created that for yourself.

And if you are not successful (in your mind) and want things to change - then you must change! Become more aware… shift your perceptions and be at cause for your reality!

You choose your reality.

So now that we understand cause and effect and how we are truly at cause of everything that happens in our lives.

Lets take one last step…

Not only is this relevant for what we filer and how we perceive things, it is also tied into what actions we initiate and the results that they get!

Who here before this event, believed in Karma… or have heard the statement that “everything happens for a reason!”

What is this case?

Same philosophy here: for every cause that you initiate - other people are going to react or create an effect!

This philosophy has been around forever… its part of the universal law!

Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you!

What goes around comes around.

What you put out is what you get back.

All of these are quotes around the law of accumulation…

Once you decide to become a cause for everything in your life… you have to be careful with what you put out there!

Again, that’s why this is a step in your personal transformation!

If you stop and consider all of your action and ask what could the effect of that action be… then you should live a long a prosperous life!

If you put your actions with integrity, honesty, good heartedness, and if you are responsible, disciplined, and focused, if you are committed, persistent, and congruent… then all of these causes will generate a desired effect!

However, the opposite is also often true. And this is where you have to be careful because being a cause, or being in control in your life allocates you a lot of power and freedom to shape your reality.

With great power, comes great responsibility.

The law of accumulation just states that what you put out will continue to come back.

Therefore, as long as you do the correct things long enough… over and over - you will get your desired result.

You see successful people are not successful by chance! They are successful because they deserve to be. Just as you will deserve to be financially free when you hit that point.

Successful people are successful not because they are extraordinary people, but because they put enough good actions out there that they got there due in return… that’s it!

Do you want to learn to command the law of accumulation in your favor? I hope so!

That is the third phase of personal transformation!

I felt compelled to share this information because how to take control of your life and situation was a thought that was put in my mind years ago.

Also, at that time was the launch of our organization!

I hope that the information that stemmed for me wanting to learn to be in control of my situation can help you in your journey and your personal transformation…

Just expand your awareness, shift your perceptions, and see all vantage points.

Decide to be a cause to everything in your life.

Command the law off accumulation in your favor.

By dong this you are in control!

You will write your own check in your business. You will write your own check in life.

You take the only variable in your business and not only make it good, but decide to make it great!

So next time someone says, “are you going to retire? Are you going to be successful? Are you going to beat the system? What’s your guarantee?

You can stand tall…look them directly in the eye, and without a flinch, without a stutter, say “I have a guarantee… my guarantee is me!”

Ryan Blackport
Be FREE: www.ryanblackport.com
Meet our TEAM: www.myfuturevision.com
619.206.7926

About the Author

Was among the youngest supervisors in a Fortune 50 Company before he Co-founded a training company focusing on sales and marketing. A speaker, trainer, and master communicator.

Wristwatches - History

June 7th, 2009

From pocket watch to a fashion accessory. What was once, in the earliest years of portable watches, considered to be unsuitable for gentlemen and only for women, has grown nowadays into a fashion utensil that everybody has. Meanwhile, the wristwatch is no longer just a instrument to tell the time. It is a designer piece and can indicate much more than the time.

A great deal of mechanics in a small housing

The first confirmable portable timepiece was built in 1500. This was not a wrist watch, but more of a pocket watch. Through technical progress, which made it possible for people to house mechanics in an increasingly smaller space, the required components of the clockworks were able to be brought into a manageable form. In this way, the first pocket watch was born, which at the time was still the size of an egg.

The computerized wrist watch from Japan

A entirely different wrist watch came onto the market in the 1970’s from Japan, which had developed its own watch industry. The new watch from Japan was no longer set on a mechanical basis, but on a computerized control. This watch extended its range of capacity quickly. The wrist watch no longer just showed the time. The little timepiece on the wrist now also knew the date, the day of the week and even knew whether a leap year was involved.

The wristwatch as jewelry

Now, the wristwatch is no longer just a watch. The wristwatch has turn into a fashion accessory. Wristwatches come in all colours and shapes thinkable. One can also get compatible watches from all fashion collection. The current watches are dominated by the correct fashion trends. Despite these different trends, there is something for every taste. The tiny watches, which need eyeglasses to tell the time, and the extraordinary large watches, which make it hard to walk upright. In any case, one thing is certain: science is still likely to make so much advance - that the wristwatch will be seen on the wrists of people for a long time, to answer the question as to what time it is.

How to Get Your Kids to Pick Up Their Toys

June 5th, 2009

Every night found me nagging my kids for the same thing: “You guys, look at your room. Get your toys picked up right now!”

I didn’t understand it. They would have their room picked up, but a few hours later, it would be messy again. Toys all over the floor, blankets on the floor. Toys in the hallway; toys downstairs.


I definitely was getting tired of looking at the mess, tired of stepping on Legos, but it was more than that. I was aggravated that they didn’t appreciate what they had!


When I was growing up, we had only a few toys. I took good care of those toys - I still have my Tinker Toys in the original metal can with the included instruction book - and I’m 37!


My parents didn’t have to nag me all the time - I don’t think - to pick up my toys. I know that I appreciated them because they were so few and far between.


My kids have been less fortunate in that respect - tons of toys from Grandparents and relatives for Christmas.


Toys that move, make noises, and you name it.


They definitely don’t appreciate the abundance of toys that they have. So, I figured that I’d teach them what it’s like to appreciate them or they wouldn’t get to have any!


One day I told them that every time I stepped on a toy, or had to pick up pieces of a set, or had to pick up something that was left out, it was going in the trash.


And that’s what I did. But it didn’t work.


You see, they ended up having ALL their toys in the trash. It was annoying because there wasn’t anything left to play with when other kids came over.


And it still didn’t solve the problem of not appreciating what they had.


They didn’t even have time to miss the toys - they didn’t have to. It was only a short while before the next birthday or holiday brought in a new batch of them.


So, with my thinking cap on, I came up with my next plan of attack - a sticker and reward chart system.


They were excited, thrilled, and motivated. When they got up in the morning, they’d do all the things on their chart, anxious to have the boxes filled up with stickers.


But, stickers and reward charts only work once a day! When the “my toys are picked up” box has a sticker, the rest of the day went down the tube.


And, it didn’t work to just give stickers at bedtime. They had no motivation to pick up during the day, and it became a nightmare divvying out all the stickers when bedtime already dragged on longer than it should!


So, I gave up for awhile. The lecture method didn’t work, the “tossing toys” method didn’t work, and the reward chart didn’t work the way I wanted it too.


My kids were messy and unappreciative, and I needed to do something about it - fast.


My friend Judi didn’t have that problem. Her kids got out one toy at a time - even when company was over - and put up that toy before getting out the next. When it was time to leave their house, it was a snap to clean up with just one toy per child.


She had all these little boxes and containers for their toys with little pieces, so I thought that maybe that was the secret.


On my next trip to Walmart, I bought some containers to hold the toys; and a big box that held some community toys.


Unfortunately all that changed was that I now had empty containers in the kids room with toys on the floor.


So, one day, I finally asked Judi, “How do you get your kids to keep their toys picked up?”


“Well, you know,” she said, “I used to go crazy with all the toys everywhere that never got put up - hurting my feet from stepping on them…until we started to use the ‘Saturday box’.”


“What’s a Saturday box?” I asked.


“It’s just a container that we have, and every time a toy is left out, it goes into the Saturday box. Then they have to wait until Saturday to get their toys back.”


“Ohhhh…” I said. A new concept that hadn’t occurred to me before!


“And, the great thing about it,” Judi continued, “is that they can still see the toys all week. That way they know what they’re missing - that solved our ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’ problem.”


I just nodded with agreement and understanding - I was totally following her.


So, back to Walmart. :-)


I got each kid a container with three drawers to keep their small toys. I explained to each of them that they could only play with one toy or set at a time. I made it very clear that if anything was left out, it would go into the Saturday box.


Their eyes were wide with amazement.


They knew Mommy was serious.


So, the first day went without incident. Then, on the 2nd, there was the first infraction.


“Maegan,” I told her, “you left out a Polly Pockets. It needs to go into the Saturday box.”


Now, she is only three years old; but she understood. We put the toy in the Saturday box - a clear plastic container on the kitchen counter.


EVERY day she was asking me if it was “Saturday”. Fortunately for her, we had started mid-week so she only had 2 days to wait.


The boys ended up with a few toys in there too.


It’s amazing how a simple box called a “Saturday box” can solve a lot of problems and teach “appreciation” at the same time!


If you still have problems with toys being scattered everyone and nothing has worked for you, give the “Saturday Box” a try today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Bankston is author of homeschool curriculum: Homeschool Cooking in a Box and the Homeschool Cookbook. She currently home schools her three children, maintains home school support websites, and manages their family-owned service business. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com